May 2013 - Silver Chips Print

Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

A public forum for student expression since 1937

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May 31, 2013

Winner of the 2012 National Pacemaker Award

Japanese Dancers

ZEKE WAPNER

Ben & Jerry’s 17 VOL 75 NO 7

ACES to start next school year Program designed to help students get into college

By Emma Rose Borzekowski Eight MCPS high schools including Montgomery Blair will launch Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES), a college readiness program, next fall.

ACES is designed to help demographics typically underrepresented in higher education, including African American, Hispanic and

low income students, according to Marcia Johnson, Blair’s ACES contact person and resource counselor. “It’s to help students learn more about the college application process and encourage students who weren’t thinking about college to apply,” said Johnson.

The program is a partnership between MCPS, Montgomery College and the Universities at

Shady Grove. According to Johnson, participating students from Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, Gaithersburg, Kennedy, Northwood, Rockville, Watkins Mill, and Wheaton high schools will attend workshops and college planning meetings. ACES will help students work on their

see ACES page 2

Counselors reassigned Students will receive new counselors for 2013-2014

By Paris Parker-Loan LELIA BARTHOLET

CULTURE Dancers perform traditional Japanese Shizumi after the Algebra HSA in the auditorium on Monday, May 20.

Duty calls for grads

By Maya Habash Graduation day is a moment that holds promise: the instant that students step up on the stage to receive their diplomas, the world becomes theirs to take on at full speed. Instead of following the typical post-high school path of attending college or working, some people instead choose to serve their nation. Joining the military is the reality for thousands of students across the United States, and some of them are here at Blair.

Any decision has the potential to alter the course of one’s entire life, and enlisting in the military is definitely a life-changing decision. The choice may not be easy,

but some people see it as the only choice that is right for them. John Thompson, a senior enlisted in the Marines, decided to join the military because he wanted to have a post-high school experience in the world. “I decided that I was doing all right in school, not any real problems. But I wasn’t doing this for another four years. I wanted a major change,” he says.

Thompson also believes joining the seemingly toughest branch of the military could boost his character in a way that a traditional classroom couldn’t. “I looked at what the Marines had to offer: confidence, courage, leadership skills.

see MILITARY page 14

This spring, the counseling office announced that counselor assignments for the 2013-2014 school year will be done alphabetically.

This year, Academy Program students were assigned counselors based on their last names, while students in the Communications Arts Program (CAP), Math and Science Magnet Program and ESOL Program were assigned counselors based on their academic programs.

Resource Counselor Marcia Johnson says the counseling office restructured its assignments to balance the distribution of students amongst the counseling staff. “The new assignments will create a more equitable counselor-to-student ratio, provide continuity for students and parents, and build a more collaborative Professional Learning Community that focuses on the achievement of all students,” read a press release the counseling office and Principal Johnson sent to students’ homes on April 22.

Resource Counselor Marcia Johnson said that the counseling office’s past experiences adjusting to counselors going on maternity leave and retiring have prepared counselors to handle the changes that will come with the reassignment.

“We’ve had lots of adjustments and we’ve done everything we needed to do to make it work. We do everything to make sure that students don’t suffer, and that’s what we plan to do in the fall,” she said.

Career Center adviser Phalia West said that the system will be able to serve everyone sufficiently. “[The counselors are] going to transfer files and share data, and we’ll still have that Trailblazer

PARIS PARKER-LOAN

packet. The way it’s designed, someone that didn’t know you could write you a well-crafted recommendation letter,” she said.

West suggested that students focus their efforts on familiarizing themselves with their counselors.

“Get to know your counselor next year, regardless of your grade,” she advised.

Sophomores win C-SPAN contest award

By Langston Cotman Three groups of CAP sophomores were awarded Honorable Mentions from C-SPAN officials for their video submissions to the C-SPAN Student Cam Documentary competition on May 13. In addition to the three Blair winners, 72 other teams received awards from a pool of close to 2,000 submissions.

C-SPAN Student Cam is a documentary contest that asks students to create a film that expresses the students’ opinions on national issues. This year’s films focused on the theme of “Dear Mr. Presi-

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dent” and answered the prompt “What’s the most important issue that the president should consider in 2013?”

The documentaries “D.C. Statehood”, created by Ben Miller, Leigh Cook, Max Kronstadt and Finian Brecher, and “Passing the Test” by Sam Howells, Connor Smith and Max Scribner addressed the domestic policy issues of D.C. statehood and standardized testing, respectively. The other winning submission, by Jasper Sahh, Jacob Popper and Ross Cohen-Kristians-

see C-SPAN page 2

SOAPBOX 9

FEATURES 11

LEILA BARTHOLET

WINNERS CAP 10 TV Studio students hold their awards in front of the C-SPAN bus on May 13.

ENTERTAINMENT 16 CHIPS CLIPS 19 LA ESQUINA LATINA 20

SPORTS 23

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ENTERTAINMENT Interview with Ben Stein

FEATURES High School Plus

OP/ED College Admissions

QO student violates Students win honorable mentions testing procedure from C-SPAN page 1

Student posted a video online after filming at testing site

By Emma Rose Borzekowski The College Board has decided to allow the Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology tests of 274 Quince Orchard students to be scored, despite a video that was posted online of the testing area on May 6.

Carol Working, the school’s principal, said that the individual who posted the video will be dealt with directly by the College Board and her scores may be revoked.

The video, posted to Twitter by one of the students taking the AP exam, shows the testing room at Quince Orchard, but was filmed before test books were opened.

“We had a student take a kind of selfie video in the AP Psych exam,” said Working.

The College Board found out about the video through other students taking the test. “Other students self reported to numerous people in the school, like the test proctors and teachers,” said Working.

She emphasized that the content of the video was an important part of the College Board’s decision to allow the other students to be scored. “I kept telling the testing officials, who were working with the College Board, that the video was our best defense because it clearly shows that the test hasn’t started yet. It doesn’t violate the test material’s security, its just a goofy video before the test started,” Working said.

According to Working, many Quince Orchard students were upset at the possibility that their scores could be revoked because of the testing violation. “274 other people have worked hard for a year and were very unhappy that

the action of one person could negatively impact their academics,” she said.

No major changes have been made to testing procedures because of the incident, according to Working. “There are quite stringent testing procedures already. Phones are bagged, labeled, put in a container and students are reminded three times to put them away. What we have seen is that, since this happened on the first day of AP testing, students were eager to turn in their cell phones,” she said.

After talking with the student in question, Working felt that the student understood that she wasn’t supposed to have her phone, but disregarded the policy. “The student said she choose not to [put away her phone]. She just wanted to keep it,” Working said.

She also emphasized the importance that the violation brought onto the recognition of testing procedure. “This has been a learning experience for all of us, reminding us we need to learn how to use technology responsibly and properly.”

Wo r k i n g said that, regardless of the outcome of the College Board’s decision, students at QO are now more careful around technology.

en’s “A Simple Truth” urged the president to get involved in the foreign policy issue of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

The documentaries were the product of a filmmaking project assigned by teacher George Mayo for his CAP Television Productions class. Students were allowed to choose any topic to focus on or were given the option of creating a film that fit the C-SPAN theme. Of the CAP groups that submitted to the contest, all received awards.

Mayo assigned the project to acclimate students to the work that goes into making a documentary film. According to Mayo, students were meant to get a better understanding of the Fair Use Doctrine, capturing quality audio, and video editing, as well as promote teamwork.

C-SPAN marketing representative Jennifer Curran and education resource specialist Craig McAndrew presented the awards during special screening in the Blair studio to an audience of parents and Principal Renay Johnson.

Despite its politically-oriented prompt, C-SPAN accepted submissions from across the political spectrum. “The goal of this competition is to present multiple view points and look at subjects from other perspectives,” explained McAndrew. Along with the theme, the films were required to implement clips of C-SPAN footage relating to the films topic.

According to Mayo, the students were spleased with the quality of their films. “The kids who put in the effort were proud of their work,” he said.

College readiness program to debut ACES to provide mentors, college visits, academic planning and help finding financial aid to MoCo schools from ACES page 1 application and find scholarships, although it won’t provide any financial aid directly. Planners expect about 60 students from each grade level at each school to participate, according to the program’s website.

Each school involved is current-

signing students up, because they were wary of the complex application process. “It deterred a lot of people, so we’ve simplified the process and made it easier to do,” said Johnson.

So far, she has received 50 applications and has space for up to 120 students to enroll. “We want to fill up all 120 spots,” she said. ACES is still accepting applications until June 10th.

Junior Sofia Tesfu applied to ACES about a month ago after prompting from her counselor, Charlain Bailey. “I found out from my counselor. She recommended it to me, and I thought it would be beneficial, so I asked her to send me the application,” she said.

Tesfu filled out the application including the essay and teacher recommendations because she wanted the guidance she expects ACES will provide.

“I need it personally to get a leg up. I need a little more help during college admissions,” she said.

The program is looking to work with more schools, both in the 2013-2014 school year and further into the future.

MAYA HABASH

ly searching for an ACES coach for next year to mentor students in the program. “We’re looking to hire someone to come and visit several days a week and mentor the students,” said Johnson.

The program accepts students on an application basis starting in ninth grade. According to Johnson, there was initial trouble with

News 3

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May 31, 2013

County designates ten ‘Innovation Schools’

By Mallory Rappaport Superintendent Joshua Starr announced on May 14 that 10 schools will participate in the new Innovation Schools initiative next school year. The program aims to improve student performance by using different teaching and education strategies.

According to a MCPS public announcement, the Chief School Improvement Officer (CSIO) Rebecca Thessin will begin work July 1 to help each participating school design and determine new strategies and support for the Innovation Schools initiative. These will include specialized coaching and collaborative learning sessions for the principals of the participating schools in addition to regular tracking of each school’s improvements.

According to Karalee TurnerLittle, Executive Assistant of the Office of School Support and Improvement, the Innovation Schools program will assist each schools differently based on its individual needs. “The Innovation Schools will not be a cookie cutter program; it’s a very customizable approach to education,” Turner-Little said.

The program will be implemented in elementary, middle and high schools across the county.

The schools involved are Clopper

Mill, Strathmore, Watkins Mill, Argyle, A. Mario Loiederman, Montgomery Village, John F. Kennedy, Springbrook, and Watkins Mill in addition to MCPS alternative schools.

The participating schools were identified using student output data based on various state- and county-wide assessments that include MSA and HSA scores.

Starr stated that he believes the chosen schools are likely to see improvement with the coming year.

“All of the Innovation Schools already have shown a dedication to school improvement, have made progress in several areas and have strong leadership in place,” wrote Starr in an email to MCPS staff.

Turner-Little added that the ten chosen schools’ principals have demonstrated enthusiasm and willing leadership that were integral

to their selection for the initiative.

“It’s important to emphasize that the county doesn’t make this kind of investment if they’re not excited about the return of the investment.

The [innovation] schools were identified because they were ready to take another step towards better education,” said Turner-Little.

According to a Board of Edu-

cation (BOE) memo the lessons and information acquired from this program will also serve as influential information for future MCPS system wide improvement strategies. “While we’re only starting with ten schools, ideally these schools will be trendsetters in what will eventually benefit all MCPS schools,” said Turner-Little.

Takoma Park lowered its voting age from 18 to 16 on May 13, becoming the first city in the United States to allow minors to vote. The City Council voted 6-1 in favor of the bill which will allow Takoma Park minors to vote in city elections as early as November.

The amendment was supported

by Blair students like sophomore Camille Hirsch, who testified to the council on behalf of the bill. “Most 18-year-olds go to college and it makes it more difficult to vote in their hometown. 16-year-olds care a lot about their hometown, and getting teens to vote will develop habits that keep them involved in voting,” she said.

However, the bill did not have

Transit Center plans halted

Last month, though, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) sent a letter to the county saying that they were no longer interested in operating the Silver Spring Transit Center once it is finished. Over the last few years, the project has been riddled with delays and structural problems, and construction has all but ceased while a plan is being worked out to repair the damage. The county council met with WMATA on May 13 to discuss plans to fix the transit center, and the two organizations are looking to resolve their conflicts, however it is still unclear whether WMATA will agree to take over the center once it is built. The plans to repair the Silver Spring Transit Center, developed by KCE Structural Engineers, aim to ensure that the building will last at least 50 years, which was an original condition in the agreement between WMATA and the county.

O’Malley goes to Israel COURTESY OF TRULIA.COM

Takoma Park lowers voting age to 16

By Daniel Alger

Newsbriefs

unanimous support. Fred Schultz, the sole councilman who voted against the bill, called for a referendum to repeal the amendment.

Among Blazers, sophomore Surdiv Vijayakumar is not optimistic about the change because he believes the lower voting age will not have much of an impact. “Already [the voting age is] 18 and there’s a very low voter turnout, I don’t

think kids are going to vote,” said Vijayakumar.

According to Councilman Tim Male, a supporter of the bill, the voter base is projected to increase by over a hundred people.

In addition to lowering the voting age, the charter amendment also allowed felons who have served their time to vote in city elections.

Governor Martin O’Malley traveled to Israel in order to strengthen trade relations with the country last month. On his eight-day expedition, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres. His goal was to encourage Israeli companies to do business in Maryland, and he was successful in getting Israeli-based companies such as Askimo, which deals in online education, roboteam, which builds robots, and Hybrid Security, which is a cybersecurity company to open offices in the state. The two parties also aim to encourage research in Maryland and Israel, with joint funding for research projects coming from the Israeli Ministry of Industry and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

Mall garage collapses A large section of Westfield Montgomery Mall’s parking garage collapsed on May 24, killing one construction worker and injuring another. The worker who was killed in the accident was later identified as Carroll Dexter Wills, of Prince Frederick. The other worker, whose identity has not yet been released, was trapped under a slab of concrete for more than four hours before being rescued and rushed to the hospital. The two men were working on renovating the parking garage, which was closed to the public when the slab broke off and fell, trapping them. Eighteen other people were working on the garage at the time, but were uninjured. Montgomery County has ordered the mall to stop construction until the cause of the accident can be identified and they can present a viable plan to fix it.

Students are encouraged to sign up by stopping by the Career Center, sending an email to Phalia_j_West@mcpsmd.org or calling 301-649-2819.

Newsbriefs compiled by Issac Jiffar and Edited by Emma Rose Borzekowski

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May 31, 2013 silverchips Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 Phone: (301) 649-2864 2012 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Winner Winner of the 2009, 2010 and 2013 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown Editors-in-Chief: Paris Parker-Loan and Dillon Sebastian Managing News Editors: Emma Rose Borzekowski and Mallory Rappaport Managing Op/Eds Editors: Isaac Jiffar and Evan Morris Managing Features Editors: Desiree Aleibar, Langston Cotman and Jenna Kanner Managing Entertainment Editor: Kenyetta Whitfield Managing Sports Editor: Kyle Desiderio Production Manager: Cindy Monge Managing Design Editors: Desiree Aleibar and Jenna Kanner Outreach Coordinator: Kenyetta Whitfield Ombudsman: Langston Cotman Distribution Supervisor: Alanna Natanson Extras Editor: Kenyetta Whitfield Newsbriefs Editor: Emma Rose Borzekowski Public Relations Director: Maya Habash Executive Business Directors: Jared Collina and Alexandra Fascione-Hutchins Business Staff: Jared Collina Alexandra Fascione-Hutchins Daniel Pressly Page Editors: Desiree Aleibar Daniel Alger Emma Rose Borzekowski Langston Cotman Kyle Desiderio Maya Habash Isaac Jiffar Jenna Kanner Cindy Monge Evan Morris Alanna Natanson Paris Parker-Loan Mallory Rappaport Dillon Sebastian Kenyetta Whitfield Spanish Page Adviser: Dora Gonzales Spanish Page Editor: Cindy Monge Spanish Page Writers: Karen Tituana Milena Castillo Marisela Tobar Editorial Cartoonist: Eva Shen Managing Photo Editors: Leila Bartholet Zeke Wapner Photographers: Leila Bartholet Zeke Wapner Mimi Sim Managing Art Editor: Eva Shen Assistant Art Editors: Katrina Golladay Maggie McClain Artists: Ronnita Freeman Ben Safford Elizabeth Pham Puzzle Editor: Erik Agard Copy Editors: Paul B. Ellis Rebecca Naimon Professional Technical Adviser: Peter Hammond Advisor: Joseph Fanning

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 Joseph Fanning’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.

Opinions 5

The value of freedom of expression Students should make meaningful decisions regarding their actions during the Pledge

By Maya Habash An opinion Every student born and raised in Montgomery County probably knows the Pledge of Allegiance by heart. When we were younger, we would stand up every morning, face the American flag, put our right hands over our chests, and recite the pledge in our shrill high-pitched voices.

Truth be told, most of us probably didn’t even really know what we were saying, but we said it because we were told to.

How ironic it is that now, as we grow older, and we understand what the Pledge of Allegiance is, fewer and fewer of us are saying it. A typical high school class does not reflect the same discipline regarding the pledge as a typical elementary school class. Maybe it’s just because most children follow basic directions from authority.

Or maybe we just don’t care anymore; maybe we don’t even understand what the Pledge means.

The harsh truth is the American value of patriotism is fading.

Nonetheless, as active members of society and educated high school students, we should value our right to freedom of speech— which includes the right not to speak. The choice we make each morning of whether to stand and recite the Pledge or respectfully decline to is up to us, but whichever choice one makes, it should be purposeful and meaningful.

As high school students, we should understand the reason our schools take time out of the day to perform the Pledge. One who recites it should not be forced and should feel a purpose in reciting it, rather than simply regurgitat-

ing potentially meaningless words engraved in our minds. Essentially, the Pledge is an expression of loyalty to the nation. Many argue that standing for the Pledge is a sign of respect honoring those who served and fought for our freedom. If one chooses to recite the Pledge, it should be genuine and invoke a sense of patriotism,

world serving to defend our freedom. Countless Americans have lost their lives in combat, and still more lose their lives protecting the country they love. Despite any individual differences, they are—we all are—Americans.

If one has a legitimate reason not to stand for the Pledge, then by no means should they be

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rather than it being a fleeting ten seconds of jibber jabber.

America is a nation that welcomes citizens from every nation around the world. Their values have become intertwined with ours, creating an American culture of diversity. Despite differences in background, the United States is everyone’s land. Standing up for the Pledge is a way to honor our veterans as well as our active duty soldiers stationed all over the

forced to do. Our first amendment rights protect us from being compelled to stand or recite the Pledge; the right to free speech also includes the right not to speak, and too often this is forgotten or taken advantage of.

There are some cases in which refusing to stand can be a sign of protest. Enidris Siurano, a 10th grader at Damascus High School, who is being defended by the American Civil Rights Union

(ACLU), got in trouble at her school for refusing to stand for the Pledge as a means to protest US policies towards her home country of Puerto Rico. But most students do not have this kind of reason for abstaining. Generally, a failure to participate simply boils down to laziness or apathy.

Rather than declining to stand for a mere ten seconds in the morning due to laziness, as is the general trend of the student body, declining to stand should be as meaningful an action as standing.

There are several aspects of the pledge that many people do not agree with. Many critics of the pledge argue that its message is not the same message our founding fathers created the basis of this country upon. For example, one of the most controversial lines of the pledge is “under God,” as it can be perceived as a means of belittling freedom of religion.

Each United States citizen holds the right to freedom of speech—a valuable freedom. It is increasingly popular to not stand up for or recite the pledge, but not because the student is making a stand against an issue, or because they disagree with its message, but generally out of laziness.

Just as purposeless, those students who do stand often don’t fully internalize why they are standing, but merely go through the motions, arbitrarily standing and reciting the memorized words. The power of free will can go far if utilized in a meaningful way, and as young adults we should be appreciating our rights and making meaningful choices.

The choice to stand or not to stand should entirely be based on internal motivation and genuine reasoning behind the decision.

A Silver Chips appeal for community support

By Joseph Fanning, Advisor An opinion In August 2009 I was hired as an English teacher at Montgomery Blair, and I have been privileged to serve as the faculty advisor to Silver Chips for the past four years. Silver Chips is unique in that it is both a class and an extracurricular activity. However, what it really is is a team that produces tremendous work under stressful conditions. That is one of the many reasons why I am so proud of the Silver Chips staff.

I have been a teacher for the past 14 years, but working with the Silver Chips staff has been my favorite professional experience.

The staff consists of approximately 50 students that are organized by area of expertise. It always surprises me how much people know about Silver Chips, but how little they know about the Silver Chips staff or its operations. One of Silver Chips’ cardinal rules is to report on the news and not be a part of the news. However, for once, I am going to break that rule in this opinion article.

Silver Chips is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Not many school newspapers are the subject of a glowing feature story in the New York Times, but Silver Chips was in March 2006. That New York Times article celebrated two things that Silver Chips does extremely well: ask tough questions and work hard to inform the Blair community.

This, of course, cannot be done in isolation. Blair has been

fortunate to have many administrators who understand the value of Silver Chips. Mr. Gainous was Principal at Blair for 23 years and during that time he was a staunch supporter of Silver Chips. He won a national award given to school principals who support scholastic journalism. I have worked for two very supportive principals during my tenure as the Silver Chips advisor: Dr. Daryl Williams and Mrs. Renay Johnson. Their support was instrumental in Silver Chips’ continued success.

Blair also has had exceptional journalism teachers. John Mathwen is a living legend who advised Silver Chips from 1978 – 2005. He helped to forge Silver Chips’ identity and shaped a generation of future journalists and writers. There isn’t enough room to name all of the teachers who have helped to shape the recent past of Silver Chips. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention CAP coordinator and Journalism teacher Anne Cullen, English Resource teacher and journalism teacher Vickie Adamson and Silver Chips Online advisor Michelle Edwards.

Silver Chips staff members work late two nights per month to complete production of the paper.

These “Late Fridays” and “Late Mondays” are, in the vernacular of sports, our game nights. The entire staff stays from 3 PM – 10 PM on those late nights. In the era of dying newspapers, it is refreshing for students to take such a proactive role in producing a quality school newspaper. The senior

editors and the Editors-in-Chief take on tremendous responsibility.

Silver Chips is truly a student run publication with all major editorial decisions being student made.

This past school year Silver Chips won the two most prestigious awards in scholastic journalism: the National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Gold Crown award. While the quality of Silver Chips is still excellent, things are certainly not perfect. We do not accept any funds from the school so as to maintain our journalistic integrity. We self- finance our publication by selling ad space on approximately 8 (out of our 32) pages each issue. Silver Chips distributes free papers to all 2,900 students and faculty members.

Silver Chips continues to be an important voice informing Blair and the Silver Spring community.

This year, more than any other, we faced serious problems selling ads. People who previously advertised with us were now telling us that they were marketing through social media. The Washington Post ran an article in December 2012 about how the B-CC school newspaper (The Tattler) had to go on an indefinite hiatus because they ran out of money. In February and March we appealed to the Blair PTSA and to Silver Chips parents and they responded with generous donations. While we certainly appreciate their largesse, we understand that donations alone are not a viable business formula.

On May 27, 2013 The New York Times ran an article entitled “At School Papers, the Ink is drying up”. This article discussed two major reasons for school newspapers ceasing to exist: financial instability and waning student interest. While Silver Chips is struggling to come up with a different financial formula for success, it is fortunate to have an extremely dedicated student staff.

Therefore, after reading this opinion article, I am hoping that the audience will now have a better understanding of the Silver Chips staff and will want to support Silver Chips. There are several ways that they can do this. They can purchase a year subscription of Silver Chips for only $ 25. This makes a perfect gift for Blair graduates all across the nation, as the subscription will be mailed anywhere in the United States. We are also in the planning stages of starting an inaugural Silver Chips 5K fundraiser to debut in Fall 2013. We hope that this will become a major annual fundraiser. Finally, we are hoping so start a Silver Chips foundation similar to the Magnet foundation. These are ambitious goals but they are necessary for Silver Chips to continue to adapt to a new business model and survive.

Knowing the Silver Chips staff as I do, I have no doubt that they will not only survive but continue to thrive.

To purchase an advertisment in Silver Chips, please contact: silverchips.business@gmail.com

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Playing the college admissions game Applicants roll the dice and hope for an acceptance

By Isaac Jiffar An opinion Should you apply early decision or regular decision? Take the SAT or ACT? If your uncle’s wife’s doctor owns a casino, does that mean you can check the box for Native American on your college application?

Calm down, take a deep breath, close that Barron’s review book and go meditate or something.

With college admissions more competitive than ever before and increasing pressure to get a college degree, the application process has become a game for our generation.

It’s not just about an applicant’s academic qualifications anymore.

Anxious students and aggressive tiger moms try to use all kinds of tips and tricks to ensure an acceptance letter in the mail.

Application blues Students can check charts listing colleges’ early decision and regular admissions acceptance rates, so you can decide where applying early will give you an advantage. Still others, like parchment.com, use complicated algorithms to come up with your chance of getting into certain schools. Spin a 4, go to College Park, 9 and you’re rejected from everywhere, lucky number 7 is Harvard.

This is leading to unhealthy levels of stress at a very young age. Dennis Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford University’s School of Education, commented to The New York Times that some students start worrying about college in middle school. A high amount of stress over that long a period of time can cause depression, anxiety, and sleep deprivation, along with a host of other problems. According to webmd.com, 43 percent of adults suffer adverse effects from stress.

We high-schoolers don’t need to be starting at such a young age.

Stacking the odds Another problem with this modern college admissions game is that the rich are playing with weighted dice. SAT and ACT prep classes are one example. While the SAT only costs $50, many helpful prep courses can be very expensive. Princeton Review, for instance, charges $1,000 for its “Ultimate” course and $1,600 for its small group course. Class prices are the same for the ACT. Throw in SAT Subject Tests, APs, and overpriced review books for each of these tests, and the credit card bill is enough to give all but the most well-off parents nightmares. Some colleges require as many as three subject tests, and almost all require the SAT or ACT.

Meanwhile, taking at least a few AP classes and exams has become less of an oddity and more of an expectation with many colleges.

While some fee waivers are available for struggling families, many students have no way of affording all of the books, tutoring services, and classes their more affluent peers take for granted.

Phone a friend (and pay the price) Wealthier students also have access to services aimed at getting them into the college of their choice. Families in the one percent are making increasing use of Independent Educational Consultants, College Admissions Advisors, or whatever hoity-toity name they choose to go by. These professionals are what you would call private guidance counselors, who will help a student through the ins and outs of the college application process. According to Foxbusiness.com, these counselors tend to charge anywhere from $85-$150 per hour. Many public schools have student to guidance counselor ratios in the hundreds, (Blair’s is 200 to one) and so a private counselor who can give each of their clients a significant amount of their time can give a student a considerable boost over their peers in the application process.

Betting the house Students who cannot afford these services are forced to make their way through the foreign land of college admissions essentially by themselves. Some students, unaware of the repercussions, apply early decision to schools in hopes that it will give them a better chance of acceptance. This seemingly clever strategy is more harmful than it is helpful, though.

Under early decision, a student is bound to go to a school if accepted, and especially for students with financial need, this is problematic, because they cannot compare aid packages from different colleges. The only possible outlet is if they demonstrate they are not able to pay the expected amount and the school chooses to let them out of the binding agreement. If they don’t agree, the student is out of luck.

Rewriting the rules Unless the U.S. is suddenly going to embrace communist economic theory (that’s for another op/ed) there is going to be inequality. Colleges should put appropriate mechanisms in place to ensure that their admissions

processes offer an equal opportunity for as all, or as close to an equal opportunity as is possible. There are a few reforms colleges can make to make their admissions process less biased and less stressful for the millions of anxious seniors applying across the country.

First of all, colleges can reduce or eliminate the requirements for standardized testing and rely more on high school GPAs. A 2012 study by the College Board, the very organization that issues the SAT, found that high school GPAs are just as good at predicting college success as SAT scores. When combined, they do a slightly better job than either one individually, but it is still not a significant enough gap to justify the importance given to the SAT given the much bigger role socio-economic status can play in opportunities to prepare for such standardized tests. Jay Mathews, education reporter for The Washington Post, makes the case that if students go to an exceptionally challenging school where it is hard to get a good GPA, or have some extenuating circumstances that would affect their GPA, they should be free to submit their SAT scores, but it should not be a universal requirement.

Secondly, colleges can eliminate binding contracts such as early decision. The notion of a top university binding a high-schooler with methods like early decision is ridiculous. The highest university on the US News & World Report’s annual list of best colleges, considered by many to be the holy grail of college rankings, that employs early decision is Columbia University, ranked fourth among national universities. Disregarding the fact that Columbia has an $8 billion endowment from the government and could easily afford to lose a few students who change their mind, a top college like Columbia would have no problem attracting a plethora of other talented students.

For every one student who gets accepted, there are probably five equally qualified students turned away. At least for a small, cashstrapped public university, the practice would make some financial sense, but even then, the concept of taking away the ability of a teenager to make a decision that will impact the rest of their life is overly harsh.

The college admissions process has become overly complex and convoluted, a lose-lose game that’s just plain unfair. The more we can simplify the process and reduce bias, the less stressful it will be for students and the easier it will be for colleges to identify the students who are truly qualified to attend their schools.

MAGGIE MCCLAIN

Opinions 7

silverchips

May 31, 2013

Should Blair hire School Resource Officers?

Mallory Rappaport

YES:

NO:

Keeping students safe should be a number one priority.

School Resource Officers promote the school to prison pipeline.

On April 18 after a police officer subdued a student with a Taser, the school courtyard became a hubbub of iPhones and cameras trying to film the action. The controversy continued when hordes of newscasters hungrily descended upon the school, looking for the latest scoop. The student had only been shot with a Taser after allegedly assaulting the police officer, yet the incident caused outrage among the students and parents of the Blair community.

Parents sent out passionate emails while students debated amongst their peers and questioned whether police officers have a place in our schools.

In the wake of incidents like the Newtown shooting, security has finally become a priority for schools. The School Resource Officers (SRO) program has become a popular national initiative to help strengthen school security in public schools. Since its implementation in 2002, the Montgomery County subset of the program has assigned trained police officers to patrol various elementary, middle and high schools around the county according to their police districts.

The duties of an SRO vary from assisting in the case of emergencies to giving presentations about law enforcement or school-related topics. Most importantly, SROs provide a liaison between the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and MCPS. Having a full-time SRO allows for additional communication and quicker response in the case of an emergency. One of Blair’s school security guards and former police officer Margaret Walsh affirms the benefit of having an SRO in close proximity. “It’s helpful to have someone close by… speed is of the essence in an emergency and when [SROs] call on their radios, it can be faster than a 911 call,” explains Walsh.

These officers, like school security guards, receive training to handle and diffuse potentially violent situations and therefore are fully capable of providing aid in the case of an emergency. But, unlike security guards, SROs have access to supplementary resources because they are employed by the MCPD. Furthermore, according to Walsh,

police officers have to request to become SROs, so they generally love working with kids and are committed to their job.

Additionally, because SROs provide extra knowledge and connect Blair to outside security systems, they help to further ensure the safety of students. Since SROs are police officers, they work with the greater Silver Spring community, bringing in external knowledge about crime in the area, which can help them to better procure student safety. According to a 2004 survey by the National Association of School Resource Officers nearly 86% of crimes that occur on school campuses nationwide are underreported to law enforcement. With SROs present and on school campus it is much easier to apprehend and eventually prevent individuals from breaking the law.

To this end, the MCPD and MCPS have been working to increase the number of SROs in Montgomery County Schools. Currently there are 14 SROs dispersed throughout the county.

According to Joy Patil, Officer for Community Services for the 3rd district MCPD, the main complaint received about the SRO program is that there aren’t enough SROs to go around due to budgetary issues. To remedy this, in February, as a result of increased concern for student safety and MCPD budget flexibility, Blair was appointed a full-time SRO who works in the school from Tuesdays to Fridays.

Previously, Blair shared an SRO with other schools inside the Silver Spring cluster.

Having just one SRO permits a deeper relationship to foster between the officer and the school students and security staff.

Furthermore, in a school like Blair with over 2,800 kids, having just one officer who has to split her time among various schools does not allow for the quality protection that comes from having a full-time officer present.

So to all the students, parents, and PTA members blowing up their schools list serve, shaking their fists, and sticking it to the man – hold on a second, though the Blair security team can usually handle adverse situations, in cases of emergency it always helps to have extra hands on deck.

Having a full-time SR0 allows for additional communication and quicker response in the case of an emergency.

Blazers complain all the time that school is just like prison. We have to follow orders, get shuttled from room to room and the cafeteria isn’t exactly known for its fine dining.

We even have security guards. But as restrictive as school can sometimes feel, it is a far cry from an actual prison. Most Blazers can feel secure coming to school, knowing that, as bad as it may be for the day, they are in an safe learning environment, with their friends they’ve known for years. Ironically, putting police officers in our schools endangers that sense of security.

Since the Newtown shooting in December, schools have been on high alert.

Administrators are scared that their schools could be next, and as an extreme preventive measure, many have thought it a good idea to invite the police officers that patrol our streets into our hallways. In February, Blair switched from sharing our School Resource Officer (SRO) with Northwood to having our own serve full-time from Tuesdays to Fridays.

But there has been little evidence so far to suggest that introducing police officers into schools will protect students. “I think it needs more research, because we don’t know very much about the effect of police in schools,” said Denise Gottfredson, a professor in the University of Maryland Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology.

In fact, Gottfredson found that if anything, putting police officers in schools has had a negative impact, resulting in a surge in arrests for misdemeanor charges.

In a national study based on data provided by school principals and police officers, Gottfredson found that there was as much as an average 20 percent gap in number of suspensions and disciplinary actions taken between schools with SROs and schools without. “When police are added to schools, they didn’t have an increase in school safety; but, what we did find was an increase in the proportion of students who are referred to the police and criminal justice system,” she said. A paper she wrote based on the study emphasized the profoundly negative effects of removing students from class over misdemeanors, including a decrease in motivation, attendance, and comprehension.

This upward trend in jailed students is unlikely to change as the numbers of police officers in schools continues to rise. There has been a huge increase in SRO presence since the 1990s, in large part because the federal government has increased funding for this purpose. According to Gottfredson, in 1997 only 22 percent of principals reported having an SRO, whereas in 2007, 69 percent of schools had one. Groups like

Emma Rose Borzekowski

the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have accused this practice of leading to a ‘school to prison pipeline.’ According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), police presence particularly impacts students of color, students with disabilities and LGBTQ students.

Students at Blair have been able to witness this first hand. In March, a student was tased and arrested after she became overly belligerent with security and our SRO. Many students were alarmed to find out that there were officials in the school building licensed to carry and use Tasers to restrain students.

According to county budget reports, in 2013, MCPS spent $952,905 to cultivate this culture of fear, adding six new SRO positions. $584,931 went toward the Police Department budget, and $367,974 as a part of the Motor Pool Fund Contribution for new patrol vehicles. This money could instead be used to increase teachers’ salaries, hire new teachers, or fix run-down schools.

Especially when weighed against any of these worthwhile ventures, it can be seen that footing the bill for SROs is wholly unnecessary. We already have eight competent security guards at Blair who have been handling security at our school for a long time.

MCPS justifies the additional security, noting in county memorandums that security guards and SROs serve separate purposes. “School security staff are primarily responsible for the supervision of students and enforcement of school rules. They conduct investigations and write reports for administrative purposes. SROs are primarily responsible for law enforcement and do not have authority to enforce MCPS policies, rules, regulations or other procedures,” wrote the school board in a memorandum.

Since SROs can’t enforce MCPS policies, rules or regulations, they have little place in MCPS. Even more importantly, unlike SROs, security guards receive frequent training on how to handle students. According to security guard Maureen Walsh, who used to be a police officer, security staff receives biannual training that includes simulations designed to practice diffusing situations before they escalate into violence. SROs may attend the training, but since they also have to fulfill their duty as emergency responders, they are not required to.

Principal Renay Johnson explained the situation well when she said that she wants SROs to be sensitive to the fact that they are dealing with a population of young people, not hardened criminals. Let’s hope they are, or Blair could start looking less like a county school and more like a county jail.

voicebox “Yes, so the school can be more secure.

Police can make people not skip lunch.”

Marisela Miranda Senior

Kemari Bigbie Junior

Angela Blue Freshman

“Yes, for safety.

This school is crazy.”

“No, we already have security guards to deal with the same situations”

“No, it gives more of a feeling of security, but still is unnecessary.”

“No, we should not. I dont come to a school environment to be intimidated by pólice officers.”

Lara Coombs Junior

Anthony Vo Senior

8 Editorials

silverchips

May 31, 2013

Protecting the press

By Langston Cotman British newspaper mogul Alfred Harmsworth once said, “News is something someone wants suppressed. Everything else is just advertising.” It is true, news can serve as the kick to the gut of a society’s passive complacency. It is the harbinger of the unpalatable acrimony that is truth, the harsh facts that sound like impossibilities. It is the reporting of the free press that keeps the American public up at night, but in doing so it ensures that the people are aware and educated. A functioning democracy trusts its people to inform themselves and therefore must rely on the free press to expose the people to an unadulterated truth. And the free press only succeeds in achieving this purpose if it can exist without fear of persecution by forces that wish to suppress the news. That is what makes the Justice Department’s actions within the past weeks so disconcerting.

On May 19th, the Washington Post released an article exposing the details behind the Department of Justice’s surveillance of Fox News reporter James Rosen. In 2009, Rosen reported classified information regarding North Korea’s nuclear program.

The report prompted the Department of Justice to launch an investigation that would indict State Department security adviser Stephen Jin-Woo Kim as the source of the leak. The Justice Department’s subsequent actions are what have journalists up in arms.

The Department of Justice labeled Rosen as a “co-conspirator” for publishing confidential material and used these grounds to gain access to Rosen’s personal emails.

This breach of journalistic rights came in the wake of another scandal involving the Department of Justice when it was uncovered that the Department obtained the phone records of members of the Associated Press.

The Department’s recent trend of infringing on reporter rights shows a lack of appreciation of the role the free press plays in the United States. Journalists are assigned the task of presenting the unbiased truth to the public and are therefore granted the reporter’s privilege, a collection of rights which assure the security and safety of the

reporter and their sources in the instance that their reporting incites backlash. The First Amendment ensures freedom of the press, and state-granted shield laws guarantee reporters the right to refuse to testify and divulge their sources or any unpublished or confidential material.

These shield laws are in place to cement a journalist’s credibility and make it easier for a reporter to create a trusting relationship with his or her sources.

A source who is confident that a reporter won’t turn on him and release his name is more likely to give that reporter complete information. Shield laws allow reporters to circumvent the pressures and fears placed on sources by outside forces and get right to the heart of a news article: the cold hard facts.

As the Department of Justice’s offenses have LEILA BARTHOLET shown, there is no contiLEILA BARTHOLET nuity in the application of these laws. 13 states have no shield laws at all, and their reporters have found themselves in the situation of deciding between releasing their sources and going to jail. The Obama administration’s decision to label Rosen as a “coconspirator” to bypass reporter privilege laws shows that, even at a national level, it is possible to find loopholes in journalistic privilege. Essentially, the free press is being persecuted for finding the means to amass newsworthy information by establishing trust with their sources. Rosen has even been considered a criminal because he used a routine news gathering stratagem to coerce a government official to provide him confidential information. Woodward and Bernstein used similar techniques to help break the news on Watergate.

Overall, the actions of the Department of Justice corrode the integrity of the free press and print journalism. This is an institution built on the established history of trust it has developed with a reliant public. If this rapport is jeopardized by government surveillance and non-uniform enforcement of reporter’s privilege and shield laws, the history of integrity is undermined. And if a nation cannot trust its free press, the bastion of truth in the world of journalism, then there is little else in which it can place its credibility.

Greater audience, Silver Chips may revisit the decision not to write about the firing.

For now, we will adhere to our judgment and refrain from possible defamation.

Ombudsman Langston Cotman

Letter to the Editor: Sankofa deserves coverage We cannot describe how incredulous and sorely disappointed we were when we looked through the entire March 14, 2013 edition of the school newspaper and found there was no coverage of the Black History Month celebration, Sankofa. The students involved in the show held on February 28 and March 1, 2013 worked very diligently, starting in November 2012, to present a stimulating, exciting, and thought-provoking production that was indeed a celebration of the unique history and contribution of African-Americans to American history.

The cast and sponsors made a concerted effort to observe Black History month by displaying posters throughout the school and hosting Infoflow for the entire month and presenting “Did You Know?”

Black History facts. With all of this coverage generated by the cast members, it is unclear to us how Silver Chips missed the opportunity to join us in celebration.

In a school as diverse as Blair, every chance to highlight the attributes of too often overlooked groups should be taken; that it was missed is regrettable. The cast of more than 60 was doubled from the previous year’s

cast, and for many students Sankofa was their first production. It would have been rewarding for them to have been able to read about their valuable and selfless contribution to the Sankofa production in the school newspaper.

And while Chips On-line did cover the show, it would have been more than appropriate to have coverage in all school publications.

We know that Silver Chips has a reputation for covering stories well beyond the confines of Blair, but when all is said and done, it is a newspaper that serves the student body, and should do so with a mission and vision of inclusion and the relaying of information pertinent to all of its students. By electing to not cover this important event and story, a segment of the population was unnecessarily slighted. We sincerely hope that the oversight of the Sankofa show, and for that matter, the cultural celebration of any group within this school, will never occur again.

Sincerely, Vickie Adamson, Sankofa Director and Pamela Bryant, Sankofa Assistant Director

EVA SHEN

A case for paper and pencil This spring, Virginia students were able to take their Standards of Learning (SOL) tests for reading and writing without taking out a number two pencil.

All students instead took their tests online, making Virginia one of the first states to end pencil-and-paper procedures for standardized testing. Virginia is being hailed as the paragon for modern education, with the District of Columbia and 45 other states-including Maryland--signing on to national Common Core standards that will mandate digital testing by the 2014-15 school year.

While proponents of the move towards digital testing cite the efficiency and forwardness of the transition, school systems should still take a minute to consider the bevy of repercussions that online testing poses.

Moving tests to computers entails surrendering some control over testing. As Blazers certainly know, school computers are not consistently reliable. A school-wide computer shutdown in the middle of a standardized test is not hard to imagine. In fact, student in several Midwestern states were shut out of their tests when the schools’ servers crashed, according to a report by the Associated Press. “In 2011, up to 10,000 Indiana students statewide were logged off and some were unable to log back in for up to an hour while taking the test,” said the article. Making testing procedures contingent upon technology, over which teachers and school districts have little real control, is a risky move.

Furthermore, online testing compromises any equalization that testing could potentially provide. Standardized tests are,

Student & Teacher Awards & Honors

in theory, supposed to be just that—standardized. This means that they should serve all students equally and give all takers the same chance to succeed. Though the efficacy of this goal is arguable, the online testing interface skews the playing field even further and introduces an entirely new realm in which some students can outperform their peers. This disparity is not based on students’ knowledge of the testing content, but instead on their mastery of the testing technology. If some students have not been acclimated to using computers and the Internet, especially under high-pressure circumstances, then they certainly cannot be expected to perform at the same level as their peers who use computers in school and at home every day.

In the race to push testing into the digital sphere, it seems that legislators are straddling the line between futuristic and frivolous. Though Virginia public schools may seem a world away from Montgomery County, Blair students should note that the recent developments in technological testing might soon affect them. A representative from the ACT said that, in response to demonstrated student preferences for online testing, the college admissions test will be making moves towards the digital realm by spring 2015.

Unlike Virginia schools, though, the ACT will offer test-takers the option to take the exam in the classic paper format. Students, savor the pencil on paper test taking mechanism while you can, for soon enough a keyboard and mouse will be coming your way.

Corrections

Senior Michelle Chavez won first place internationally for high school news reporting from Youth Journalism International.

“Celebrating 75 years of Silver Chips Print” on page 7 misquoted John Mathwin. A full page in a 1978 issue of Silver Chips focused on tea, not pee.

Special education teacher Ms. Jennifer Hill was named an Outstanding Educator by the MCCPTA on May 13.

The art for “Wait! What’s this month’s cause again?” on page 9 was miscredited to Katrina Golladay. It should have been credited to Maggie McClain.

Entrepeneurship Academy students Anthony Vo, Annie Pietanza, Damar Bess and Jessica Shi won the top prize of $2,500 in the Wharton Business School competition on May 7.

Seven seniors each won a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

The puzzlers of the S.S. It’s Christmas won Puzzle Palooza on May 23.

Front page news story “Perez attends committee confirmation hearing” failed to mention that Labor Secretary nominee Thomas E. Perez is the father of freshman Susana Perez and junior Amalia Perez.

The caption for Eva Shen’s cartoon “Love is in the air” should have been “flowers aren’t always the best idea.”

Chips Pics:

Want to be featured in the next Soapbox? box

ZEKE WAPNER

#counselors

Soapbox 9

silverchips

May 31, 2013

ZEKE WAPNER

MIMI SIM

#pledge

#typehire

@Silver_Chips

#soap-

Chips Index: 6 4

How do you feel the counselor reassignments implemented for next year will affect you?

see page 1

Neil Dalal

1,893 14 106 10

@NeilDalal96

8.3 Anne-Olive Nono @anneoliveee

Would you ever shop somewhere that type-hired? see page 18 Chala Tshitundu

Do you think the new innovation schools program is a good idea?

see page 3

Allison Mazur

Christina McCann @xtna_mccann Kate Ullman

What’s your favorite sports tradition? see page 23 Morgana D’Ottavi @momo_morghi

Should people be forced to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance?

see page 5

Sebastian Rubenstein @meatballseb

MatJean Paul

tan Berner-Kadish @MatBerKad

@Triple_J_Blaze Jesse Weber @023553

Alex Boris @AlexBoris4

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May 31, 2013

Features 11

silverchips

May 31, 2013

Earning an A+ in High School Plus Students retake classes to restore credits through afterschool program

By Cindy Monge For some students a loud crowded room is ideal for learning curriculum concepts. However, for many, having friends around creates a constant distraction. Between gossip and the occasional daydreaming trip to “Lala Land”, nothing gets accomplished in the hour and a half of class.

All of this is true for many Blazers who run out of time to complete their work due to the many distractions they face in their classes. High School Plus, an after school tutoring program, that started since 2006, gives additional help and time in order for them to complete their work. This program helps Blazers improve their understanding of a subject while at the same time helping them to get their homework and class work done.

Struggling

She needs the credit in order to graduate.

In High School Plus she can earn that credit by getting the lesson taught to her again. Because of this, she is able to succeed in class.

“Last semester I failed my history class,” she says. “Instead of taking it next year, it would be easier to get my credit now,” she adds.

By word of mouth The popularity of High School Plus has risen among Blazers in recent months. Many students are happy to spread the word about a class that helps them raise their grades.

Sophomore Diana Ramirez heard about this program through her friends. “My friends told me about it… they said it helps your grades and gives you a better understanding,” she explains.

Diana Ramirez did not wait any longer.

Since the beginning of the year, she had been struggling with her Geometry class. As a result, she went to her counselor Mr. Burwell to figure out how to get enrolled in High School Plus. “I was doing poorly in my math class, and I decided it was a good course to take,” Ramirez comments. In a few days Ramirez was benefiting from High School Plus. “I spoke to my counselor about how to be in it for better help; and he put me in one of those classes,” she says.

Evany Martinez also learned about the program from his friends. “ It was part of them and they wanted me to join,” says Martinez. He adds that his counselor also encouraged him to attend High School Plus classes.

For Evany Martinez attending this classes meant earning or losing his credit. He was recommended to do High School Plus by his counselor, who suggested the program.

“My counselor, said [it helps] to make up credits… I would fail if…I didn’t take High School Plus,” he says.

Mrs. Harvey, High School plus manager says the purpose for High School Plus is to restore students’ credits needed in order to graduate. “It’s designed to help students spe-

Teachers have a hefty job to carry out.

With only 90 minutes of class, teachers have to teach, give class work and assign homework while at the same time, deal with loud students. Junior Evany Martinez comments that having Algebra 2 during seventh period is challenging since it is the last period of the day and many students are anxious to go home. “The time in that period goes by faster,” he says. “I can’t concentrate with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), a medical disorder I get distracted easily,” he explains.

For Evany, the class environment is overwhelming. He explains that High School Plus is the perfect environment for him to focus. “I feel like there’s less stress in the High School Plus class,” Martinez says.

Evany is not the only student feeling overwhelmed in class. Junior Jocelyn Arenas expresses how the headaches her Modern World History class gives her have led her to switch out of her double period World class to a single period. “(High S c h o o l Plus) is less stress. If I had World, everyday I would be more s t re s s e d …

MAYA HABASH and it’s less complicated,” Arenas ELIGIBLE In order to take a High School Plus course students says. must prove that their are on the border line to lose their credit.

E v a n y Atteding High School plus allows them to get their credit reMartinez stored. This helps students receive the graduate, struggles with his Algebra II cially the lower class men grades that don’t class, but acknowledges that the fault is have the credits they need to graduate,” she his own, since he was not on his best becomments. havior. “In the beginning of the semester The process of deciding which classes are I did not pay attention. I was skipping,” taught at High School Plus is done by lookhe admits. ing at the majority of classes failed by tenth Jocelyn’s struggle is not understandand eleventh graders. “The counselors look ing some of the Modern World lessons. at the grades of tenth and eleventh grades

STUDYING Students work in Kimani Middleton’s 10th period government class in room 364. High School Plus classes are held Monday through Tursday from 2:30 to 4:00 pm. They are held on a semester basis and students can take two classes each semester.

and decide what classes they’ve failed.” She adds that the classes High School plus is majorly focusing on is Math and English.

“Based on statistics we decided what classes will be run in High School Plus.”

Earning A + Having good grades comes easy for some students. For others it takes a lot of effort. Diana Ramirez has been enrolled in High School Plus since the beginning of the year. She comments that staying after school has paid off since her grades have improved.

“I’ve seen my grades go up a lot,” Ramirez comments.

Diana Ramirez feels fortunate to be given another chance to do well in school. “It’s a good opportunity that you get... that other schools don’t offer,” she says. Now that Diana is attending High School Plus classes, she is able to fully comprehend each concept of her Geometry lessons. “I...complete all my work because I understand what I am doing,” Ramirez adds.

Diana Ramirez understands her math much easier by visualizing every step. She admits that in her High School Plus class environment she is more productive, than if she was in her regular Geometry class. “I feel like I can concentrate due to the way teachers teach.” One of the benefits of the program is that she can learn the material she was not taught in class. “The fact that a High School Plus teacher is able to reteach what you didn’t get the first time, makes it even better.”

Diana is not the only student improving her grades through this program. Jocelyn feels that having her High school Plus teachers reteach the lessons again for the students

ZEKE WAPNER

to have a better understanding. “Mr. Mogge, helps me understand [the lessons].” she says. Arenas adds that the teachers’ way of teaching has a great impact in her learning.

She explains that Mr. Mogge’s way of teaching is clear and simple. “He teaches slowly, he will breakdown the substance, so I can understand it. And he will ask if someone has questions.”

The extra time these students get from the program makes the difference between an A and a D or even an E. Diana admits that thanks to the extra time and tutoring, she can learn her lessons and finish her homework.

“I’m taking Geometry with Mr. Lindsey, You have work to complete and you have extra time to complete it,” says Ramirez.

High School Plus gives students an opportunity for a credit restoration and in doing so the students have the credits necessary to graduate. Evany Martinez, comments that high School plus has been benefited him since he is taught the same lessons again. As a result he is able to put the pieces together.

“In High School Plus…It just comes to me easier for some reason.”

insidefeatures 12

“I looked at what the Marines had to offer: confidence, courage, leadership skills. I felt like I needed all of that and wasn’t really getting that from school,” LEILA BARTHOLET

page 14

14

COURTESY OF KENT.EDU

Features 12/13

silverchips

May 31, 2013

Living with

Diabetes

RX

Blazers speak out about being diabetic Story and Graphics by Desiree Aleibar & Jenna Kanner

Effects of Diabetes

HOW TO BEAT DIABETES

Every night, sixth grader Reynier Hernandez stumbles out of bed and drags his feet through the dark night as he makes his way to the kitchen. Minutes later, he’s reaching in the cabinet for a glass that he plans to fill with ice cold water to quench his thirst. He takes the first gulp, which is always the most fulfilling, and makes his way back upstairs, still taking sips and allowing the water to glaze through his throat.

The next morning he awakes to his concerned mother pricking his finger. They both watch as a small speck of blood emerges. She knew what the symptoms were: frequent urination, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, fatigue and, in Hernandez’s case, extreme thirst. Hours later, after numerous snacks and tests, Hernandez is sitting on the sterile hospital bed, his parents by his side, awaiting the results. Reynier, now a junior, is about to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, diagnosed in young children and adolescents, occurs when the body’s cells do not produce any insulin at all. Insulin’s primary responsibility in the body is to produce sugar. Cells need insulin as fuel and insulin takes sugar from the blood to the cells. Furthermore, if people have a high sugar or glucose concentration in their blood, two problems arise: first, their cells are starved for energy, and second, over long periods of time, high sugar in the blood can take a toll on their kidneys, nerves and heart. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes, which 90% of diabetics have, occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells in the body just ignore the insulin.

According to the American Diabetes Association, out of the 316,668,567 million children and adults in the United States 8.3% of the population have diabetes. There are 18.8 million people who are diagnosed already and 7 million people who have yet to be diagnosed. In the United States, over 26 percent of the 215,000 individuals under age 20 have diabetes.

Moreover, 1 out of every 400 adolescents lives with diabetes.

Daily routine Ana Duron, a sophomore, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2009 when she was on vacation in Florida and went to the hospital because she felt sick and fatigued. When she and her family came back home, she went to the doctors, who told her to go to the emergency room. She stayed there for three nights and two days.

Now, Duron has to constantly monitor her blood sugar levels.

“I wake up and check my blood sugar before I eat, before physical activity and when I feel shaky or dizzy. Also before I go to bed,” she says.

Diabetes must be managed 24/7 and school is no exception. According to a Yale study, some families can send their diabetic children to school and feel confident in knowing that the school provides the resources needed to effectively care for students with diabetes. Other families are more on edge because their child will not have access to certain resources during the school day or that their child will be excluded from activities or unable to perform well in class due to fluctuating glucose levels.

A study in the 2012 issue of Health Affairs has found that students in high school with diabetes are at a higher risk of not completing their secondary education and are at risk of facing lower wages at work. For years, many health professionals have known that living with diabetes can add a huge restriction on one’s life due to its countless health effects.

However, whether or not the disease had a significant effect on success at high school and in the workplace had not before been evaluated.

The study shows that high school dropout rates for individuals with diabetes are six percent higher than for high school students without the disease. In terms of job pros pects, those who are diabetic face a loss of more than $160,000 in wages over their working life because of their weakend immunity, compared to those who do not live with the the

May Cause Blindness

May Cause Nerve DaMage

disease.

For senior Sagarika Das, diabetes does not restrict her school work. Instead, it has helped her to be able to manage her work, get sleep and maintain a healthy lifestyle all at once. “I don’t have to check my levels every day, just a couple of times a week. Now that I have to keep my blood sugar levels consistent, I try to workout at least an hour a day with half an hour of cardio,” she says. “I am now much more concerned with my health, I don’t stay up as late and I now value sleep more.

Everything is cause and effect.”

Similarly, Hernandez does not see his diabetes as a restriction. However, he says it did take time for him to get accustomed to a new routine. When he was first diagnosed, he had to test his blood sugar before every large meal, and sometimes before every snack. Today, he only tests after certain meals and considers his diabetes to be a normal part of his everyday life. “ I feel like if I didn’t have diabetes my life would be the same,” he explains. “You get so used to it, that it becomes your life.”

Das, unlike some diabetics, does not have to take insulin by shot but instead in the form of a pill. But the pills she takes are huge, 750 mg, around the size of a peanut. One day, a friend that is now in college came over and they tried to learn how to swallow pills together. They bought a huge bag of peanuts and spent the night trying to swallow them. “It worked,” Das says, “but in the end I felt really sick.”

Possible Heart Attacks

MANAGE WEIGHT

Discrimination Das, Hernandez and Duron have not experienced discrimination from friends or family members when it comes to their diabetes. However, they do encounter experiences where they have to more cautious about what they are putting into their bodies, and as a result, others do take notice. Das explained that, “Sometimes, if me and my friends are out to dinner, they realize that I might not be ordering a milkshake if everyone else is. Or if someone brings in a treat to class I have to ask about the sugar content,” She continued to express that, “I even stand out in a grocery store because I am always looking at the ingredients of everything for starch and carbs.”

However, some diabetics experience discrimination because of their disease. In an effort to combat diabetes discrimination, organizations and small groups have used social media to create a dialogue among those who have been victim to diabetes discrimination. On January 30th 2013, the American Diabetes Association held a Facebook chat for members and nonmembers of the diabetic community on diabetes discrimination. Katie Hathaway, the Managing Director for Legal Advocacy, answered questions from Facebook followers.

The chat covered diabetes-based discrimination that involved work, school, driving, health care and insurance.

Damage To Kidneys Still, some individuals living with diabetes feel that they are just like everyone else. “I am one of 20 million people,” says Das. “Sometimes I just forget [that I have diabetes].”

To all three, it is important for their friends to be aware. “All of my friends know I have diabetes. I think it is important that they know and understand it in case something goes wrong,” says Duron.

WORKOUT

What the future holds In California, a company named Medtronic has recently combined a glucose monitoring system and a insulin delivery pump, a sort of artificial pancreas, to treat diabetes. In the future, this device could be worn externally and protect its wearer from the development of Type 1 diabetes.

Before they were able to manufacture human insulin, pharmacists used the insulin from pigs and cows to treat diabetes. Scientists now know that it is possible to transfer the pancreatic cells of pigs into that of humans. This has not been tested on humans yet, but has been on monkeys and has had a 55 percent success rate. There is hope for a cure in the future, yet for right now living, with diabetes comfortably is a lifestyle possible with modern medicine and a healthy diet.

During the fall of 2014, Das will start college at the University of Michigan. Just like any other student, Das will have a new roommate, new classes and a whole load of clubs to join. In her college years, and beyond, diabetes will not be an inhibiting factor.

As for Hernandez and Duron, Blair will continue to provide academic challenges, but diabetes will just be an extra stepping stone in their jouney towards college.

For now, according to Hernandez, Das and Duron, diabetes is not life-control-ling--they are just normal high schoolers.

EAT HEALTHY

Features 12/13

silverchips

May 31, 2013

Living with

Diabetes

RX

Blazers speak out about being diabetic Story and Graphics by Desiree Aleibar & Jenna Kanner

Effects of Diabetes

HOW TO BEAT DIABETES

Every night, sixth grader Reynier Hernandez stumbles out of bed and drags his feet through the dark night as he makes his way to the kitchen. Minutes later, he’s reaching in the cabinet for a glass that he plans to fill with ice cold water to quench his thirst. He takes the first gulp, which is always the most fulfilling, and makes his way back upstairs, still taking sips and allowing the water to glaze through his throat.

The next morning he awakes to his concerned mother pricking his finger. They both watch as a small speck of blood emerges. She knew what the symptoms were: frequent urination, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, fatigue and, in Hernandez’s case, extreme thirst. Hours later, after numerous snacks and tests, Hernandez is sitting on the sterile hospital bed, his parents by his side, awaiting the results. Reynier, now a junior, is about to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, diagnosed in young children and adolescents, occurs when the body’s cells do not produce any insulin at all. Insulin’s primary responsibility in the body is to produce sugar. Cells need insulin as fuel and insulin takes sugar from the blood to the cells. Furthermore, if people have a high sugar or glucose concentration in their blood, two problems arise: first, their cells are starved for energy, and second, over long periods of time, high sugar in the blood can take a toll on their kidneys, nerves and heart. On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes, which 90% of diabetics have, occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells in the body just ignore the insulin.

According to the American Diabetes Association, out of the 316,668,567 million children and adults in the United States 8.3% of the population have diabetes. There are 18.8 million people who are diagnosed already and 7 million people who have yet to be diagnosed. In the United States, over 26 percent of the 215,000 individuals under age 20 have diabetes.

Moreover, 1 out of every 400 adolescents lives with diabetes.

Daily routine Ana Duron, a sophomore, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2009 when she was on vacation in Florida and went to the hospital because she felt sick and fatigued. When she and her family came back home, she went to the doctors, who told her to go to the emergency room. She stayed there for three nights and two days.

Now, Duron has to constantly monitor her blood sugar levels.

“I wake up and check my blood sugar before I eat, before physical activity and when I feel shaky or dizzy. Also before I go to bed,” she says.

Diabetes must be managed 24/7 and school is no exception. According to a Yale study, some families can send their diabetic children to school and feel confident in knowing that the school provides the resources needed to effectively care for students with diabetes. Other families are more on edge because their child will not have access to certain resources during the school day or that their child will be excluded from activities or unable to perform well in class due to fluctuating glucose levels.

A study in the 2012 issue of Health Affairs has found that students in high school with diabetes are at a higher risk of not completing their secondary education and are at risk of facing lower wages at work. For years, many health professionals have known that living with diabetes can add a huge restriction on one’s life due to its countless health effects.

However, whether or not the disease had a significant effect on success at high school and in the workplace had not before been evaluated.

The study shows that high school dropout rates for individuals with diabetes are six percent higher than for high school students without the disease. In terms of job pros pects, those who are diabetic face a loss of more than $160,000 in wages over their working life because of their weakend immunity, compared to those who do not live with the the

May Cause Blindness

May Cause Nerve DaMage

disease.

For senior Sagarika Das, diabetes does not restrict her school work. Instead, it has helped her to be able to manage her work, get sleep and maintain a healthy lifestyle all at once. “I don’t have to check my levels every day, just a couple of times a week. Now that I have to keep my blood sugar levels consistent, I try to workout at least an hour a day with half an hour of cardio,” she says. “I am now much more concerned with my health, I don’t stay up as late and I now value sleep more.

Everything is cause and effect.”

Similarly, Hernandez does not see his diabetes as a restriction. However, he says it did take time for him to get accustomed to a new routine. When he was first diagnosed, he had to test his blood sugar before every large meal, and sometimes before every snack. Today, he only tests after certain meals and considers his diabetes to be a normal part of his everyday life. “ I feel like if I didn’t have diabetes my life would be the same,” he explains. “You get so used to it, that it becomes your life.”

Das, unlike some diabetics, does not have to take insulin by shot but instead in the form of a pill. But the pills she takes are huge, 750 mg, around the size of a peanut. One day, a friend that is now in college came over and they tried to learn how to swallow pills together. They bought a huge bag of peanuts and spent the night trying to swallow them. “It worked,” Das says, “but in the end I felt really sick.”

Possible Heart Attacks

MANAGE WEIGHT

Discrimination Das, Hernandez and Duron have not experienced discrimination from friends or family members when it comes to their diabetes. However, they do encounter experiences where they have to more cautious about what they are putting into their bodies, and as a result, others do take notice. Das explained that, “Sometimes, if me and my friends are out to dinner, they realize that I might not be ordering a milkshake if everyone else is. Or if someone brings in a treat to class I have to ask about the sugar content,” She continued to express that, “I even stand out in a grocery store because I am always looking at the ingredients of everything for starch and carbs.”

However, some diabetics experience discrimination because of their disease. In an effort to combat diabetes discrimination, organizations and small groups have used social media to create a dialogue among those who have been victim to diabetes discrimination. On January 30th 2013, the American Diabetes Association held a Facebook chat for members and nonmembers of the diabetic community on diabetes discrimination. Katie Hathaway, the Managing Director for Legal Advocacy, answered questions from Facebook followers.

The chat covered diabetes-based discrimination that involved work, school, driving, health care and insurance.

Damage To Kidneys Still, some individuals living with diabetes feel that they are just like everyone else. “I am one of 20 million people,” says Das. “Sometimes I just forget [that I have diabetes].”

To all three, it is important for their friends to be aware. “All of my friends know I have diabetes. I think it is important that they know and understand it in case something goes wrong,” says Duron.

WORKOUT

What the future holds In California, a company named Medtronic has recently combined a glucose monitoring system and a insulin delivery pump, a sort of artificial pancreas, to treat diabetes. In the future, this device could be worn externally and protect its wearer from the development of Type 1 diabetes.

Before they were able to manufacture human insulin, pharmacists used the insulin from pigs and cows to treat diabetes. Scientists now know that it is possible to transfer the pancreatic cells of pigs into that of humans. This has not been tested on humans yet, but has been on monkeys and has had a 55 percent success rate. There is hope for a cure in the future, yet for right now living, with diabetes comfortably is a lifestyle possible with modern medicine and a healthy diet.

During the fall of 2014, Das will start college at the University of Michigan. Just like any other student, Das will have a new roommate, new classes and a whole load of clubs to join. In her college years, and beyond, diabetes will not be an inhibiting factor.

As for Hernandez and Duron, Blair will continue to provide academic challenges, but diabetes will just be an extra stepping stone in their jouney towards college.

For now, according to Hernandez, Das and Duron, diabetes is not life-control-ling--they are just normal high schoolers.

EAT HEALTHY

14 Features

silverchips

May 31, 2013

Graduates blaze their own paths in military Some Blair alumni choose to join military after high school from MILITARY page 1 I felt like I needed all of that and wasn’t really getting that from school,” he says. Thompson says the Marine Corps has the hardest training, and is the toughest branch through which to enter military.

He wants the rewards that come with the challenge, he says, which include “brotherhood, and a sense of belonging.”

Thompson hadn’t always had the Marines on the radar, however.

According to the Population Reference Bureau, the active-duty services recruit about 200,000 enlisted personnel each year to maintain current size. Almost all recruits are high school graduates. Thompson didn’t start to consider this path until the end of his junior year.

“It’s always been an afterthought but I was never serious about it until last year,” he says.

However, Geovanni Martinez, also a senior enlisted in the Marines, had known he wanted to join the military since his freshman year. “I did my research, and I seemed the most compatible with [the Marines],” he says.

Like Thompson, Martinez believes the Marines can help to build his character. “I did it because it was appealing… because of the sense of pride that goes with it, the challenge that comes with it, and, well, it’s the Marines!” he says with a chuckle.

Another motive for Thompson and Martinez was the benefits that come along with active duty. When

enlisting in the military, there is an opportunity to receive a fullyfunded education. Considering the rising amount of student debt in America, the option to attain a college degree without taking out loans is attractive to prospective students. Martinez, interested in majoring in sociology or psychology, says he is “planning on taking online classes while on active duty so [he] can get [his] degrees.”

Thompson, on the other hand, plans to take a different approach to his college education. “I plan to attend college after I’m done with four years in the military,” he says.

“They pay for most of college. Up to $80,000. And they also give you the cost of living, food, textbooks, and housing,” he says. Kevin Moose, a social studies teacher at Blair as well as a Blair alumnus and U.S. Army veteran, says his primary driving force for enlisting was the money he could get for college.

“My parents had nine kids; we had no money for college,” he says.

Moose’s parents were at ease with his decision. “My parents were fine with it. I had an older brother who had done the same thing, and Vietnam was winding down,” he says. Moose finished at George Washington University on an ROTC Scholarship in 1980. Similarly to Moose, Martinez’s parents were also okay with his tough decision. “My mother was fine with it. The benefits are good, and it’s a good way to learn discipline, courage, leadership, and it’s a good way to pay for schooling. Anyone

within the immediate family of the member serving receives benefits as well,” he explains.

Thompson had to convince his parents that his decision was the right one. “Being parents, they were afraid for me. There are a lot of risks and consequences, but after a lot of arguing, after seven months, they finally agreed to it.”

Margaret Jessell, a psychology teacher at Blair, has a stepson enlisted in the army and training to become a member of the Special Forces. “He’s a smart kid. But he was always kind of resistant to following the typical academic track… he didn’t agree with it philosophically,” she says. After a year of college, he decided that he did not want to go to school for another four years, and decided to enlist. “His mom was distraught… we were really scared at first too, but we saw him grow and mature and we realized this is what he really wants. And we should support him.”

Many recruits believe deciding to join the military in any branch is a tough decision, and they generally go in with mixed emotions. ”It’s tough, but if you’re willing to take the challenge, it’s a good experience and a good mindset to get into,” says Martinez. Thompson has mixed

feelings as well. “I’m excited and I can’t wait to go; I’m sick of school.

But at the same time I’m nervous.

It’s a little scary.” But the magni-

tude of the decision confirms that every recruit does this for a reason.

“That was the course…that would be best for me,” Thompson says.

KATRINA GOLLADAY AND KYLE DESIDERIO

May 31, 2013

silverchips

ADS 15

16 Entertainment

silverchips

May 31, 2013

Before he said “Bueller,” he was saying “Blazer” Ben Stein remembers Silver Chips, Silver Spring and Blair Shaw. Ms. Hix was a living, breathing, saint.

Just a wonderful person.

By Alanna Natanson Ben Stein knows something about just about everything: political speechwriting, novel writing, law, economics, fake teaching (in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), real teaching (as a college professor), game show hosting, Emmy-award winning, not to mention dog-owning, cat-owning and Beverly Hills living.

But before any of that, in 1962, Stein was a fresh-faced Blair senior with a car, an appetite for Mighty Mo burgers, and a position as editor for Silver Chips.

In honor of the paper’s 75th anniversary, Stein reflects on his time at Blair and his days at Silver Chips.

On how he joined Silver Chips I was looking for a class that would fit into my schedule in 10th grade, and my friend and next-door neighbor Carl Bernstein recommended that I take the journalism class, which was then taught by a woman, Hix. [Editor’s note: Carl Bernstein would go on to report for The Washington Post, where he would break the Watergate break-in story that contributed to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.]

I took the class, enjoyed it very, very much, did very well in it and Ms. Hix recommended I work on the newspaper. I was something like Associate Editor.

Then she recommended me for editor-inchief the next year. But like a complete idiot, I was in a [yearbook] photo and was, what I thought was unobtrusively, giving the finger to the cameraman.

That was what caused them to make me co-editor-in-chief instead of editor-in-chief.

And I thought it was extremely generous of them to do that instead of demoting me.

On Silver Chips coverage We covered everything. We had a fairly large staff, but I remember I covered things like Student Council elections, class elections, and also various extracurriculars.

I had a mad, mad crush on a girl named Gay Patlen, head of the Powder Puffs, the people who made up the school plays. So I used to write about her as often as possible so I’d get in her good graces.

In [1960], when I was a sophomore, John F. Kennedy spoke at our high school. That was a big story.

The really big stories: we had very, very good athletic teams in those days, so everyone on the paper used to write about the games. I believe that all three years that I was at Blair we were bi-county champions.

At least two years we were Maryland State Champs.

The athletics would take precedent over everything else [in the editions after championship games]. We would have reporters and photographers there. It was just a wonderful time and a wonderful place.

We had [the papers] all laid out at a place called Pioneer Press, which was a small print shop in Takoma Park. We’d take over all of our stories in typescript and then they would set them up in linotype and they would show us the proposed layout of the page. Then we would go over and comment and change, and then comment and change again.

As I said, I can’t quite describe the good nature and the good will there was at the school. The administration was great; the principal at the time was named Darryl

On the benefits of being editor The Motion Picture Association of America had a theatre on 16th Street, and they would occasionally invite local high school newspaper editors to come down and screen movies and write about them for our paper to build up word of mouth. The only one I remember [attending] was Where the Boys Are. I remember going down and enjoying it. I also remember thinking how exciting it would be to be in Hollywood. I never would have dreamed, in a million years, that I would end up in Hollywood.

[As part of the editor’s position] I also got to be on the Student Council. That made me feel very important. We did some good things.

I also got a reserved parking space right near the C Building. It was very hard to get parking around Blair. But I could park right on campus and I could leave campus anytime I wanted, I could sign myself out, and go to the Hot Shoppe.

[Editor’s Note: C Building is now the main building of Silver Spring International Middle School.]

On Silver Spring in the 1960s The Hot Shoppe was the local drive-in.

It was a magnet for all of us kids. It was at Georgia Avenue and Alaska, and we would go up there and have Mighty Mo’s. Mighty Mo’s were similar to Big Macs, and they cost 65 cents. I was saying to my wife today, I don’t feel very well today, and the only thing that would make me feel better would be a Mighty Mo. My theme my whole life has been gratitude, so I wrote a number of editorials about how grateful we should be to be at Montgomery Blair at a time of peace. Bear in mind, the people in my class had been born during World War II. We were very grateful that America was at peace. The Korean War was over, the Vietnam War had not started yet, and we were endlessly talking about how grateful we were to be living in a time of peace and prosperity.

In those days, people were much better informed. There was no Internet, there were no video games, and there wasn’t much TV. So what we did was read The Washington Post, and we read spontaneously, on our own, serious works. I remember almost every kid I know reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a very serious book about Nazism in Germany and Hitler. I read it in eighth or ninth or tenth grade, and I remember discussing it in great detail.

We also lived a different life in that, materially, we were much less well-off than we are now. For instance, my parents had our house centrally air-conditioned, and in the ‘50s, that was very rare.

On race in Silver Spring [Editor’s Note: In 1962, a major headline was the passing of the Anti-Bias Bill]. There was a fellow in my class, Ricky Villastrigo, and he would organize the students concerned about civil rights. There was a theater in Bethesda that expressly discriminated against blacks and would not admit blacks.

It was within their rights at the time. So we would write about that; we would picket very peacefully outside of the theater on Wisconsin Avyenue.

LEILA BARTHOLET

STEIN Ben Stein has authored several books since graduating Blair in 1962 in addition to “How to Ruin Your Life.”

When I was in high school, it was perfectly legal to refuse to sell your house to a Jew or a black. You could tell your realtor, “I will sell at such-and-such a price, and I won’t sell at any price to a Jew or a black or an Asian or a Hispanic.” There wasn’t a change to the law until 1965. By then, I was a junior in college.

Relations betwyeen blacks and whites at Blair were superbly good. I can only remember one incident [where race caused a problem] when a white girl came to the school dance with a black boy. When they walked in there was kind of a huddle among the faculty advisors, the chaperones. They asked them to leave.

There was some anti-Semitism at the time. I can remember from my own life, I had a date to my senior prom with a young woman who was [not Jewish] and at the last minute, her parents wouldn’t let her go with me. They didn’t want her doing anything as serious as going to the senior prom with [a Jew]. It is still very upsetting, almost 50 years later.

On the good times at Blair In high school I can’t think of a single person that I can say I disliked. We didn’t have any bullying, any name-calling or teasing. It was very much just a more innocent time.

We did have smoking. There was a

grove of trees on the corner of Wayne Avenue and Dale Drive. It was simply called, “The Grove.” And students were allowed to smoke there. Students and faculty all smoked there before the day began, and at lunch time. Then, when we graduated, the Local People’s Drug Store gave each student a carton of cigarettes. It was different times.

I was a smoker—I regret it.

On Silver Chips and his career

Silver Chips influenced my career enormously. I mean, I consider myself more than anything else, a journalist. When I left the White House [as a speech writer for President Richard Nixon], I became a columnist and reviewer for the Wall Street Journal. I wrote a regular column for The New York Times for about five years, and I still write the column for a magazine, The American Spectator and a column for the magazine Newsmax. I also do a lot of commentary for Fox News, for CBS News. Journalism is the best job in the world.

On his favorite story I think my favorite story [that I wrote] was probably a farewell to Blair editorial. I really loved Blair, and I hated to leave. If I could have stayed there the rest of my life, I would have.

insideentertainment “Seniors have already chosen their colleges, so now, it’s a free-for-all to try out everything they wanted to do when they were underclassmen, but couldn’t.”

-Kyle Desiderio, page 17

May 31, 2013

Entertainment 17

silverchips

Ending the school year with lasting impressions A selection of the notable senior pranks Blazers are not likely to forget

By Kyle Desiderio

Regardless, the prank had huge potential, despite how the execution fell short.

By the time late May rolls around, seniors have checked out. All the stresses of applying to college and taking SATs and APs are finally over. The only thing that stands in their way of three glorious months of freedom are a few more weeks of being confined to a building in which they’ve spent the better part of four years. Seniors have already chosen their colleges, so now, it’s a freefor-all to try out everything they wanted to do when they were underclassmen, but couldn’t. Every senior class strives to make other students talk about its senior gags with an almost godlike awe. With every class trying to outdo the previous, the competition can get intense. Here are some of the senior pranks both students and teachers will be talking about for years to come.

Class of 1982 Throwback to 1982. Blair is currently at its old location on Wayne Avenue and students entering one of Blair’s open-air breezeways encounter an unusual obstacle: a wall. Yes, the class of 1982 built a brick-and-mortar wall in the breezeway. The night before, a few sneaky seniors were able to get into Blair with all the building materials necessary to construct a wall in the middle of the halls. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your perspective), students were able to find alternate routes and were largely unaffected by the barrier. Unfortunately, since the mortar was unable to dry, administration was able to deconstruct the barrier fairly easily.

lman recalls. “It was pretty funny.”

Class of 2009

Class of 1984 With the end of the year fast approaching, the 1984 seniors, featuring Blair’s very own gym teacher Louis Hoelman III, ensured that the rest of the school would remember them.

A few select seniors (a group of which Hoelman denies he was a part) released 100 mice onto school grounds. “You could hear people screaming all day in classes,” Hoelman remarks. The administration, however, attempted to stop the prank. “They definitely downplayed it,” Hoelman remembers.

Eventually, building services was able to collect every mouse before a major infestation occurred. Even though the seniors (and the building) were able to escape relatively unscathed, Hoelman does acknowledge that when he was a senior, the prank “seemed more harmless than it was.” However, the class’s antics were not over until after graduation.

D u r i n g graduation, every senior carried one marble, and o n c e students received their diploma and shook the principal’s hand, they would hand him their marble. After t h e 400 students handed Mr. Joseph Villani marbles, he soon ran out of room.

“He was stuffing them in pockets, up his sleeves,” Hoe-

On a beautiful spring day at Blair, many students were going to lunch, when they began to feel a few little drops on their head.

Then hundreds. The class of 2009 had struck and sent 2,009 rubber bouncy balls cascading upon Blair Boulevard. Hundreds of students began to descend on the Boulevard to collect the bouncy balls. Seema Habash, a sophomore at the time, recalls the incident as a pretty mix of colors. “Seeing all the colors fall and bounce away looked really cool.

We also got to keep whatever bouncy balls we found, so cleanup wasn’t a concern of the prank,” she says. However, not everyone was so enthused. “Some teachers thought it was fun, but a lot were unhappy. I remember hearing that they thought it was dangerous and

distracting. Tons of students had bouncy balls for the rest of the day and played with them during class,” Habash recalls. Even with the upset administration, no seniors were ever caught. The prank was a resounding success; happy students and upset teachers. Habash also recalls that seeing the prank inspired her to do one herself. “I definitely wanted to do a senior prank after seeing that,” she remembers. Unfortunately, her class of 2011 never did anything worth noting.

While these classes’ pranks certainly are the most memorable in recent history, there’s nothing saying that can’t change.

The Class of 2013 has already left, but who’s to say they can’t sneak in one day and pull something off? Plus, the Class of 2014 has plenty of opportunities to make its final year memorable with an entire year left before its students make their exit. Who knows? Maybe this time next year, we can add another story to this list.

KATRINA GOLLADAY

Blair is the cream of the crop, let’s get to the pint Here’s the scoop: Blair needs an ice cream flavor and we think we have it

By Langston Cotman Everyone with taste buds and a soul likes ice cream. Four out of five studies have shown that it’s a proven fact. For all you reading this who are currently shaking your heads at the cold-stone hard facts I have just thrown your way, you are entitled to your opinion. I guess you just don’t believe in science. But I digress. Many of you readers remember those pristine summer days when your parents would take you into town and surprise you with a trip to the local ice cream parlor. Giddily awaiting the silky smooth world wonder that is the scoop of ice cream, your smile would beam as your parents lifted you into the air so you could see over the counter. There, packed neatly in a refrigerated wonderland, sat tub after tub of delicious dairy desserts. Your breath fogging up the glass, you would lean in and point to your flavor of choice, and in less than a minute the cone was in your hands and it was yours. No one could take it from you!

This paper has been assigned the weighty task of developing an ice cream flavor that not only captures the nostalgia of those blissful summer days but also represents Blair and the plethora of students who have graced its storied halls.

The key ingredient in any product, whether it be a love poem, an omelet, or a superb Silver Chips article, is a little sprinkle of inspiration and we at the paper received ours from a likely source: Ben and Jerry’s.

Ice cream had been around for a while when two fellas from Long

Island turned the pint shaped world of creamy, frozen milk on its head. In 1978, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened the first Ben and Jerry’s in and abandoned gas station in Burlington, Vermont and from these humble beginnings would rise one of the most beloved ice c r e a m chains in the country.

Famous for their vast assortment of mix ins and wacko recipes, Ben and Jerry’s has churned up such bold flavors as Peanut Butter & Jelly and Schweddy Balls. More fascinating than the names of their famed concoctions are the stories behind each flavor.

We decided to get the scoop on the how some of Ben and Jerry’s most beloved flavors came about.

For the longest time, Heath Bar Crunch was Ben and Jerry’s most popular ice cram flavor. There were still a young company and were fascinated with experimenting with different flavor combination. Ben had been experimenting with candy infused ice cream since the age of five and as mastermind behind the flavor idea had designated Jerry to heath bar chopping

duty. He spent hours and hours slicing the Heath bars into thirds, two bars at a time until one day he could no longer take it. “One day, out of frustration at spending the better part of my life hand-

army in the history of the world: Deadheads. The Grateful Dead is responsible for not only the idea behind the classic flavor Cherry Garcia, but also for its rise to the top selling Ben and Jerry’s flavor.

Some Deadheads in Maine decided to take “Touch of Grey” off of a continuous loop and write a letter to Ben and Jerry’s asking them to make the ice cream flavor Cherry Garcia, in honor of the Grateful Dead’s legendary guitarist Jerry Garcia. The two ZEKE WAPNER AND KENYETTA WHITFIELD maestros got to work and chopping Heath Bars, I threw a mixed Bing cherries and dark chocbox down onto the floor, shattering olate together to create this simple the bars inside,” explained Jerry in concoction that has probably been Ben and Jerry’s ice cream mani- in the freezer of every American at festo Ben and Jerry’s Homemade one point in time.

While this cookbook offered Ice Cream & Dessert Book. Jerry continued channeling his anger some inspiration, we needed more. onto the heath bars, at times with We turned to Blair’s ice cream cona plastic mallet, until they perfect- noisseur, English teacher Miriam ed the art of shattering heath bars Plotinsky. This woman loves her into impeccable bite sized pieces ice cream. She reads ice cream by dropping boxes full of the bars blogs, writes angry letters to Ben from a six foot step ladder. And and Jerry’s demanding that they bring back retired flavors (espewho said anger isn’t productive?

Heath Bar crunch reigned as cially mission to Marzipan), and king, but it stood no chance against keeps her ice cream locked away the greatest and most influential from her children in a contrap-

tion known as the “pint lock”. She came to use prepared with two original scrumptious ice cream recipes. First she presented us with the “Salty Blazer”, a recipe consisting of a salted caramel ice cream base with peanut butter cups and chocolate chunks, all topped off with a delicious salted caramel ribbon.

At first I thought I had found the holy grail of ice cream flavors, but there was one flaw. While it sounds delicious and just reading the ingredients makes my mouth water, us Blazers are not salty people. We are smooth, sexy devils and that is why we sided with Plotinsky’s second recipe, the “Velvet Blazer” (roll the r for added sexiness). This delicious recipe brings together the suave ness of a cream cheese base and combines it with decadent portions of red velvet cake, cheesecake, and white chocolate chips.

It is all topped off with a delectable cream cheese frosting. This ice cream recipe is nearly perfect.

While it captures the class and sophistication eponymous with Blair, it is missing something…something spicy. That’s why we decided to some jalapeno peppers to the mix to add a little kick, because we are the blazers after all.

We now designate the Velvet Blazer as the official ice cream of Montgomery Blair. It was difficult deciding on a flavor and I hope it’s all you readers dreamed it would be. We hope that some of you take the opportunity to make it on your own and write in to tell us how it turned out. I will leave you with the words of every five year old ever. I scream. You scream. We all scream for Velvet Blazer ice cream.

18 Entertainment

silverchips

May 31, 2013

At certain stores, one size does not fit all

Trendy stores opt to hire based on appearances and style

By Kenyetta Whitfield Most teenagers have been waiting for this experience for their whole lives: their first jobs. Between the résumé tweaking and outfit picking, there is one more thing students may want to prepare: some professional headshots.

Let’s not forget the full body pictures as well.

Trendy stores such as American Apparel and Abercrombie & Fitch have added something new to the list of skills you must have for a highly respectable retail job. And that, folks, is the skill of being pretty.

The year was 2009 and the hip and trendy retailer American Apparel was doing what it does best: selling clothes that seemed like those of a cross between Coachella and a circus. Yet, that wasn’t all that the popular retail store was doing; it was also being accused of hiring employees based on their looks and firing them based on their weight.

In 2009, a displeased and disapproving American Apparel store manager dished to the web site Gawker about the scandalous secrets of the company’s staff selection process. The manager claimed that Dov Charney, CEO of Ameri-

can Apparel, was “tightening the AA aesthetic.” By tightening, she meant that Charney was firing all employees who he thought were ugly or fat and hiring only those who he found attractive. The article revealed the requirement of full body photos in order to apply and asserted that a résumé was a

products. So, now when years later, when American Apparel is a distant memory for some, an equally controversial article has come out on news web site Business Insider about 68-year-old Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jefferies.

Robin Lewis, author of The New Rules of Retail, gave Business

distant and often unnecessary requirement that was definitely less important than the photos themselves.

Though that was four years ago, controversy still remains as the stores with the latest fashion must-haves of the season are getting more specific about those customers who qualify to buy their

Insider the scoop on Mike Jefferies’ controversial policies. The CEO refuses to stock clothing in sizes X-Large or XX-Large for women.

Jefferies’ insightful reasoning for this is due to his belief that Abercrombie & Fitch caters to a special, one-of-a-kind clientele. “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-

so-cool kids,” stated Jefferies in a 2009 interview. It is easy to guess who he thinks are the cool kids, and they’re not Areopostale.

In the interview, Lewis described Jefferies’ ideal view of Abercrombie as a store where both customers and staff are beautiful and thin people. In the past his dictator-like ways have come to the light and caused outrage. Yet, Jefferies and Charney aren’t the only CEOs who enact policies against plussize customers and unattractive people. Though they have not been covered in highly-publicized articles, many stores have been accused of typehiring or hiring people based on their looks.

Stores such as EVA SHEN AND MAYA HABASH Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Hollister, which is run by the same corporation as Abercrombie & Fitch, have been accused of selective hiring that is extremely similar to that of American Apparel.

Junior Melanie Sim had some insight on the application process at the Abercrombie-owned Hollister. “You’re in a group interview

and they ask you three questions.

It’s ironic because they ask you how you feel about diversity but they only hire white people and Asians,” explained Sim. She also explained the many restrictions Hollister workers have regarding clothing. Hollister is known for having hiring practices that are less restrictive than those of Abercrombie & Fitch, which leaves shoppers wondering just how bad Abercrombie is.

Many might say that Dov Charney and Mike Jefferies are making a valid point because stores that sell to a selective group of people are more profitable. Jefferies himself says, “Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny.

But then you become totally vanilla.” Yet, those totally vanilla stores seem to be doing pretty well.

As the idea of type-hiring becomes more well-known, the true colors of many consumers and Blazers will show. They may boycott, protest or even create a slightly offensive plan like the Abercrombie homeless plan, in which people all over have been asked to give old pieces of Abercombie & Fitch clothing to homeless shelters, all in order to show disdain for the company. Yet, some may just continue to scour the racks for the hottest fashions.

No matter how consumers respond to these scandals, there is something to be said about a man over 50 who still thinks he is one of the “cool kids.”

FAMOUS BLAIR GRADUATES

By Erik Agard

ACROSS 1. Thousand G’s 4. Mornings, for short 7. Applaud 11. Prefix before -form, - verse, or -corn 12. Actor DiCaprio, familiarly 13. “___ & Stitch” 14. The Redskins and Ravens are in it 15. “A Nightmare on ___ Street” 16. Rapper ___ Rocky 17. Romance novelist who graduated Blair in 1968 (2 words) 20. Month between Sept. and Nov. 21. Wu-Tang Clan leader who directed “The Man with the Iron Fists” 22. “Kids” band 24. “___ the ramparts we watched...”

25. Suffix after sex-, social-, or special28. Former NBA point guard who graduated Blair in 1995 (2 words) 31. Slimy substance

32. Second busiest airport in California, after LAX 33. Prefix before -dynamic or -postale 34. Grown ___ (adults) 35. Trojans’ school 36. Journalist - and wife of Maury Povich - who graduated Blair in 1964 (2 words) 41. Actress Spelling of “90210” 42. Twosome 43. “Here Comes Honey _____” 44. Too 45. Suffix after East- or West46. Actress Longoria 47. ____ Trees (“Everybody Talks” band) 48. Daughter’s brother 49. Was in a chair DOWN 1. Olivia of “The Newsroom” 2. 411 3. Rapper who was 11 when he released his debut album (2 words) 4. Warning 5. Knicks nickname 6. Mexican hat 7. Girl’s name that means “clear”

Sudoku: Easy

Unlikely prom dates

Followers

Chips Clips 19

silverchips

May 31, 2013

8. Series of items 9. “So sad!”

10. Sound of a bursting balloon 18. Fifth part of Hamlet “2 words” 19. Actor Miller of the “Perks of Being a Wallflower” 22. Where 5-Down plays 23. Old Pontiac muscle car 24. Penalties in football, soccer, and hockey 25. They make drinks cold (2 words) 26. Opposite of ma’am 27. General ___’s chicken 29. “Monday Night Football” channel 30. Lakers point guard Steve 34. ___ Station (Metro stop on the Red Line) 35. Huskies’ school 36. Rapper J. ___ 37. “...ish” (2 words) 38. Currency used in France, Spain, and Italy 39. Exploding star 40. Screaming animal in a popular Taylor Swift parody video 41. Sunbather’s goal

Sudoku: Hard

COURTESY OF WWW.WEBSUDOKU.COM

EVA SHEN

Math Sarcasm

KATRINA GOLLADAY

Spirit Week

BEN SAFFORD

RONNITA FREEMAN

La Esquina Latina

Silver Chips 31 de mayo del 2013

Opinion

Arma Paralizante: un uso necesario ó abuso de autoridad?

Por Karen Tituana El incidente pasado en donde un oficial de Policía utilizó un arma electrochocante para calmar a una alumna de Montgomery Blair ha causado bastante controversia.

Las opiniones son divididas por un lado muchos estan de acuerdo de con la decision tomada por la oficial de policia dicendo de que la oficial estaba en todo su derecho al actuar de esa manera, por que el comportamenito de la estudiante fue inadecuado.

Además, varios estudiantes dicen que si la estudiante estaba faltandole el respto a la oficial, entoces la oficial podía reaccionar de tal manera aunque esta fuera agresiva.

Pero, por el otro lado varios estudiantes argumentan que la situación no fue necesariamente bien manejada. pues no posible que una oficial de policía no pueda tomar otras medidas para enforzar las reglas que los estudiantes deben seguir.

Aunque los estudiantes se comporten de la peor manera posible, todo el personal de la escuela sin importar el cargo debería de tomar acciones con tanta violencia, en la cual la misma vida del estudiante pueda correr peligro.

Muchos padres de familia igual que alumnos de Blair se han visto asustados y sorprendidos por este incidente. Los desconformes opinan que en el pasado el comportamiento indisciplinado en la escuela siempre ha sido reenforzado sin el uso de armas paralizantes.

Es entendido de que la estudiante de 16 años se puso agresiva después de haber sido obligada a regresar a clase al darse por acabada la hora del almuerzo. Pero por que no calmar la situacion de una manera más pacifica, en vez de infligir violencia en la estudiante?

Esta acción fue pasada de tono por parte de la oficial. El uso de armas contra los estudiantes solamente provoca la ansiedad y abre el paso a que se cree más violencia.

Los estudiantes han clasificado la acción con el termino, “uso de fuerza desporpocionada”. Todo este episodio desagradable no parece haber ayudado a reforzar la autoridad de la escuela ó del sentido de la confianza con los estudiantes, si no todo lo contrario.

Ahora, los estudiantes pensaran dos veces antes de depositar su confianza en la Policía y en la seguridad de la escuela. De esta manera se crea aun más inseguridad, ya que el ambiente de seguridad en la escuela esta siendo quebrantado por la policía, que más que ayudar solamente causa intimidación.

Aunque el tema fue tomado con mucha delicadeza por parte de la Principal de Blair; muchos todavia no entienden en totalidad la razón exacta por la cual estas acciónes puediron haberse tomado por medio de la ofical de policia.

La falta de comunicacíon entre la escuela y los padres también ha sido un conflicto,

padres como la madre de una estudiante de Blair, Pilar Jurado, ha opinado de que dado a que cientos de estudiantes presenciaron lo ocurrido, habría sido conveniente y útil para los padres haber recibido un comunicacíon más detallado de parte de la escuela.

En vez de haber recibido un correo electrónico con detalles breves del incidente y luego tener la sorpresa de que su hijo fue testigo del uso de una arma paralizante en el patio de su escuela. La decision de haber aceptado tener un oficial de Policía dentro de la escuela pudo haber sido una buena idea al principio.

Sin embargo si es que la escuela va hacer uso de una arma paralizante cada vez que un estudiante se comporte mal sería mejor buscar otras alternativas; como proveer más ayuda sicológica a sus estudiantes en donde se puedan expresar más libremente y asi evitar eventos agresivos como estos. Esta decision puede llevar a muchos padres de familiar a pensar dos veces antes de aprobar alta seguridad en la escuela.

Por que como muchos expresan, la escuela es un lugar donde los estudinates deben sentirse protegidos y en casa. No es un lugar en el cual tengan que estarse cuidando las espaldas o de sentirse acosados por la policía.

Aparte de eso, es importante mantener el nivel de respeto y seguridad al mismo tiempo sin comprometer la integridad de el personal ni la seguridad de ambos, los estudiantes y del personal seguridad ó policía.

Trailblazer: programa de guía y preparación para aplicar a la universidad Por Marisela Tobar La época más esperada de todos los estudiantes a llegado. Poco a poco se cierran los libros, se entregan los proyectos, se terminan los examenes y el fin del año escolar se ve cada vez más cerca.

Pero antes de cerrar el año el Departamento de Consejería se tomo el tiempo para empezar a preparar a los estudiantes del onceavo año para el proceso de aplicaciónes a la universidad entregando a los estudiantes el paquete “Trailblazer”.

La Sra. Johnson, consejeras experta sobre el tema habla sobre este programa de preparación, ella comenta “Es un paquete de information que es dada específicamente a los estudiantes del grado once.

Esto les ayuda a prepararse para el próximo año cuando aplican a las universidades”.

Esta iniciativa del Departamento de Consejería ha sido usado por muchos años pero el tema de preparación es aun confuso para muchos estudiantes aunque cuenten cn el “Trailblazer”.

Marisela Bolaños, una estudiante de onceavo grado encuentra que la preparación de la universidad es aún muy difícil de comprender.

“No tengo idea de como empezar a buscar una universidad y como prepararme para cuando tenga que aplicar” explica Bolaños.

Por esa razón, el Departamento de Consejería ha preparado este paquete de información que se asocia con Conexiones Familiares conocido en inglés como Family Connections.

Este es un programa electrónico pagado por la escuela para organizar diferente aspectos necesarios para la aplicación de universidades y que provee información sobre oportunidades de becas, programas escolares, y trabajo.

Fresia Blanco estudiante de onceavo grado, se ha visto beneficiada por su hermana mayor además de la ayuda ofrecida en Blair.

“Desde mi octavo grado he buscado becas con la ayuda de mi hermana mayor que es mi mentora.

Blair también ofrece oportunidades

que ayudan a que alcances donde quieras llegar,” comenta Blanco.

Viendo la necesidad y determinación de muchos estudiantes el Trailblazer permite que los estudiantes estén mejor preparados para Septiembre cuando tengan que llenar aplicaciones.

El “Trailblazer” preparar a estudiantes a buscar profesores que podrían escribir cartas de recomendaciones, contiene cuestionarios para llenar por los padres y los estudiantes que facilita el trabajo de los consejeros a la hora de hacer recomendaciones.

PREPARANDOSE: Estudiantes se informan en el Centro de Carreras sobre opciónes y el proceso de aplicar a las universidades.

Al igual, permite que los padres de estos estudiantes estén más conscientes del proceso que aplicación y la necesidad de su participación.

“Para alguien como yo que no tiene nada preparado, el Trailblazer es básico y me ayuda en el camino hacia la universidad” asegura Bolaños.

Según la consejera Johnson, el “Trailblazer” ha sido efectivo en todos los años que ha sido distribuido porque les ayuda a estar adelantados para que el proceso de aplicación no sea demasiado estresante para estudiantes, su padres, profesores y los consejeros.

“Se que el Trailblazer ha sido creado en un manera que ayuda a prepararse y organizarse para el ultimo año de escuela secundaria.

Si el Departamento de Consejería lo tiene en practica es por es muy efectivo” opina Blanco.

Aunque el Trailblazer es exclusivamente para los estudiantes de onceavo grado solamente.

Es importante que los estudiantes de noveno y décimo grado empiezen a aprovechar los recursos ofrecidos dentro de la escuela para obtener más conocimiento sobre los requerimientos necesarios a la hora de aplicar a la universidad.

Ya que el proceso para aplicar a las universidades requiere de mucho tiempo, documentos para entregar y tiene que ser entregado en un afecha determinada a la universidad.

Además, la información reqquerida por cada universidad puede variar, pude ser muy especifica ó general.

Los estudiantes deben de estar preparados, y el Trailblazer es una manera de empezar el proceso organizadamente.

“Mientras los Juniors siguen la lista de quehaceres del Trailblazer los estudiantes de noveno y décimo grado deben de familiarizarse al Career Center y también a familiarizarse a Family Connections para que esten preparados” aconseja Sra. Johnson.

¿Y tú qué piensas? ¿Fue necesaria el uso del arma paralizante?

Elizabeth Quintero Noveno grado “Creo que la policía necesitaba hacer lo necesario para controlar a la estudiante.”

Nathaly Nieto Doceavo grado “El trato no fue justo, porque habían otras formas de controlar a el estudiante.”

Marvin Gonzalez Noveno grado “Sí, porque la estudiante no debería de estar haciendo eso. Aunque sea una menor, si fuera responsable no sufriría estas consecuencias.”

Andrés Bustillo Doceavo grado “Sí, pienso que fue un trato que la estudiante se la busco por su mal comportamiento hacia a la ley de la policía.“

Edwin Ramos Onceavo grado “Creo que fue un acto muy agresivo.”

El programa “InDesign” utilizado para realizar el periódico de la escuela, está diseñado para la lengua Inglesa. Con tal propósito, Silver Chips ofrece disculpas por cualquier error gramatical que tengan las páginas de La Esquina Latina después de haber sido intensamente editadas. Gracias.

silverchips

31 de mayo de 2013

La Esquina Latina 21

Diez años de legado: La voz de los jóvenes latinos Espacio dedicado a informar y expresar acontecimientos en la comunidad Por Cindy Monge y Milena Castillo Cada jueves a finales del mes, los estudiantes preguntan con ansiedad por la última publicación de Silver Chips, algunos corren a sus salon de Ingles, y piden obtener el periódico para informarse de los temas relevantes de Blair, pero también poder reír con una que otra historia. Desde que la edición mensual fue publicada los “esquineros,” fieles lectores de la Esquina Latina, se dirigen a leer lo que han escrito sus compañeros o para leer comentarios de la sección favorita, “Y tú qué piensas?”

La Esquina Latina, que es la sección en español dirigida a la comunidad latina en Blair, empezó en el año 2003, a sugerencia del estudiante Izaak Orlansky.

Ahora La Esquina Latina tiene un legado de diez años, sigue con la misma misión, de informar y representar a la comunidad hispana en Blair. Pero también su misión es la de ser un espacio de expresión para los estudiantes latinos de diferentes grupos como ESOL o estudiantes nativos de español.

En sus inicios Es increíble ver cuánto ha crecido la sección latina del periódico considerando que cuando empezó, se trataba sólo de una página con traducciones al español de algunos artículos que habían sido escritos originalmente en inglés.

Ahora cuenta con dos páginas dirigidas al alumnado. “Están muy dedicados y enfocados en hacer Esquina Latina mejor y siempre representan el alumnado latino,” comenta Elizabeth Rodríguez, estudiante del doceavo grado.

A pesar de esto, Rodriguez cree que aun deberian hacerse más cambios. Aparte de ser un espacio para informar es un espacio que representa la comunidad latina en Blair.

“Le da más poder a la voz de los estudiantes latinos que suelen ser un grupo poco representado y recibe estudiantes latinos jóvenes interesados en los temas que afectan a la mayoría de la comunidad,” Dice Elizabeth.

La señora González, maestra de la clase de AP Español de Lenguaje y también la coordinadora de La Esquina Latina, ha llevado al frente esta sección de el periódico de Blair desde sus comienzos.

La señora González comenta que la importancia de la sección latina es vital para el alumnado latino en Blair, ya que cada año el grupo de estudiantes Latinos en Blair sigue incrementando. “Mis estudiantes empezaron La Esquina Latina porque eran conscientes de la composición étnica de Blair y porque sintieron que el periódico en ese momento no representaba a todos los grupos,” dice ella.

La esquina Latina empezó con una página en el periódico, pero tras los años ha logrado ya tener dos pagina completas. Aparte de eso, la sección de español ha mejorado con los años. Cada vez la pagina logra tener más relevancia en el alumnado latino de Blair.

Como comenta Elizabeth Rodríguez, quien dice que la página ha tenido varias facetas y ahora se ve cada vez más profesional que antes. “Lo cambiaron, ahora hay menos errores porque cambiaron el sistema que se utiliza para editar,” dice ella.

Alzando la voz juvenil Rodríguez dice que la Esquina Latina es un medio en el cual la voz de la juventud latina de Blair es bien representada en todos los aspectos, tanto sociales, como culturales. “Le da más poder a la voz de los estudiantes latinos que suelen ser un grupo poco representado y recibe estudiantes latinos jóvenes interesados en los temas que afectan a la mayoría de la comunidad,” ella dice.

Así como Silver Chips abre una gama de oportunidades a jóvenes para expresarse y experimentar el periodismo, La Esquina Latina da paso a muchos estudiantes latinos interesados en el medio de comunicación.

Tiempo Atrás: Estos son artículos iniciales de la Esquina Latina del año 2003.

Jackie Sánchez, del onceavo grado, expresa la población de Blair completa. “La Esquina gustaría ver nuevas secciónes en la página. la inspiración que La Esquina Latina ha Latina fortalece la unión entre los estudiantes Jackie Sánchez, estudiante del onceavo creado en ella para posiblemente persuadir latinos,” Sánchez declara, “Le da la oportuni- grado comenta que a ella le gustaría ver el una carrera en los medios de la comunidad a nuestra gente de sentirse representada lado divertido y de entretenimiento de la cación. “La Esquina Latina ha despertado aunque todavía no tengamos tanta fuerza.” Esquina Latina. “Se podrían incluir elementos mi interés en el periodismo y la revista Silver Si la Esquina Latina desaparece, muchos parecidos a los del periodico en ingles como Chips en su integridad, “ Sánchez expresa. estudiantes temen que sus opiniones pararan tiras cómicas y crucigramas.”

Aun así, a Sánchez también le gustaría ver de ser escuchadas. “Esta sección es una voz Pues para los fieles lectores de esta hasta más cambios en el periódico, por ejempara el pueblo latino,” explica Rodríguez. secciones importante tocar temas de proplo que se incluyan elementos parecidos a los fundidad. “Esquina Latina siempre ha del periódico en inglés como tiras cómicas y proporcionado comentarios en profundidad Un Largo Camino crucigramas. y temáticas significativas para de los estudiRecomendaciones como estas se conAunque la sección en español de la Es- antes,” dice Elizabeth Rodríguez. sideran cada mes cuando los escritores de Aunque ella también comenta que el quina Latina ya es reconocida y tiene un Esquina Latina se reúnen para discutir el legado, “Los Esquineros,” piden cada vez lado alegre de la cultura latina no debe futuro del periódico. No importa lo que faltar. Rodríguez opina que la inovacion es más de ella. pase, los escritores están determinados a La diversidad para los lectores es muy clave para fortalezer la imagen de la página. mantener a la página viva para continuar lo importante. Aunque para algunos los temas “Yo quiero que se animen a tocar temas más que empezaron hace una década. a tocar son de mucha importancia para la arriesgados y se centren en los temas más Estos estudiantes tenían un sueño de comunidad latina y afectan a la mayoría polémicos con posiciones más decididas,” poder incorporar la cultura y latina en el de estudiantes latino; a los estudiantes les opina Rodríguez. periódico que supuestamente representa En solamente una década, esta pequeña selección del periódico ha visto cambios increíbles y seguirá viendo hasta más cambios sin duda en el futuro.

A pesar de esto, la Esquina Latina y sus escritores han seguido dedicados y enfocados en su responsabilidad de. Aunque es una responsabilidad muy grande, también es un gran honor.

La Señora González, quien ha visto a primera mano como el periódico se ha ido evolucionando, dice que los escritores solamente han mejorado con cada años que pasa. “Los que escriben para Esquina Latina quieren promulgar la cultura latina y se sienten muy orgullosos de su idioma y su cultura,” dice González.

Ella dedica la evolución enorme de Esquina Latina completamente a los esfuerzos increíbles de los escritores jóvenes. “Estos son estudiantes que quieren dejar un legado,” proclama González orgullosamente.

KAREN TITUANA Gracias! a los estudiantes del onceavo año, El Equipo: el grupo de estudiantes que forman parte de La Esquina Latina. por su arduo trabajo y por seguir el legado.

La Reforma Migratoria es aprobada en el Comité Judicial Por Cindy Monge El 9 de mayo el comité judicial del senado aprobó el proyecto de ley de la Reforma Migratoria. La propuesta de ley fue aprobada con 13 votos a favor y 5 en contra.

Todos los senadores demócratas votaron a favor de la propuesta, los únicos senadores republicanos que votaron a favor del proyecto de ley fueron el senador Orrin Hatch de Utah, senador Lindsey Graham de Carolina del Sur y el senador Jeff Flake del estado de Arizona.

Esto abre el camino para que la ley sea votada por el senado y posiblemente pase a ser una ley que pueda proveer un camino a la ciudadanía a 11 millones de indocumentados.

En representación del proyecto estuvieron el senador Schumer de Nueva York, el senador

Durbin de Illinois y el senador Graham de Carolina del Sur. Durante la audiencia en el capitolio varias enmiendas se debatieron entre los dos partidos. Aunque algunas enmiendas no llegaron a formar parte del proyecto por la Reforma Migratoria.

La mayoría de las enmiendas discutidas fueron enfocadas en crear más seguridad en la frontera de Los Estados unidos y México.

Según el Senador Ted Cruz de Texas, una ley de reforma no se puede pasar mientras que no haya el triple de la seguridad en la frontera. La enmienda que el senador Cruz propuso fallo en sus intentos por obstruir un camino a la ciudadanía para los once millones de inmigrantes.

Del mismo modo varios senadores republicanos como el senador republicano Jeff

Sessions del estado de Alabama, fracasó en su tentativa de reducir la inmigración legal. La votación de esta enmienda fue evidente en la oposición con 1 voto a favor y 17 en contra, desestimando la enmienda.

Sin embargo, esta propuesta de ley que pelea por justicia para todos los inmigrantes, esta no incluye a la comunidad homosexual inmigrante.

La mayoría de demócratas votaron en contra de la enmienda por la represalias que los senadores republicanos pudieran tomar como excusa para hacer el plan de reforma inmigratoria fracasar cualquier etapa del proceso, ya sea la cámara de representantes, el senado ó el mismo comité judicial.

Las enmiendas que si fueron añadidas fueron: el sistema biométrico con el cual las personas que salgan del país están obligadas

a asentar huellas en los aeropuertos. También, se adiciono un acuerdo bipartidista que facilita visas para personas laboralmente calificadas, peticionadas por compañías americanas para trabajar en el país legalmente.

Al final de la audición, el triunfo se lo llevaron los grupos pro-inmigrantes y la comunidad inmigrante.

Varias organizaciones como CASA de Md y United We Dream, conocida po sus siglas como UWD, se hicieron presentes durante la audiencia. Ellos demostraron su alegria por el logro al final de la audiencia al aplaudir y gritar “Sí se puede!”

Ahora, La propuesta por la reforma migratoria va a ser debatida en la cámara de representantes en la cual el Grupo de los Ocho tiene una ardua labor para llevar una Reforma Migratoria acabo.

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silverchips

Letter from John Macdonald

degree and become a teacher. They had seen me coach baseball for years and had more faith in me than I had in myself. So Blair as a sophomore student in 1978. Back after a few years of working odd jobs, I reOn Tuesday, April 16, I was honored to then, High School was for 10th-12th grad- turned to UMD and eventually ended up at have my number retired by the Blair Baseers.

I was the only sophomore to make the Bowie State and earned my Physical Educaball program. No Blair baseball player will varsity team and started for three years at tion Teaching Certification. I was hired by ever again wear the number 7, which was third base for Coach Mallory. I will say, Blair as a PE teacher and subsequently the my jersey number in my playing days at looking back, that I played for many coach- varsity baseball coach with the help of Mr. Blair from 1978 -1980. This is an honor not es throughout my playing days, but none Kobren, the PE Resource Teacher Joe Mabestowed to many at the high school level, taught me more about respect for the game rosy and Principal Phil Gainous. so I am very proud and humbled to be the In 1993 Mr. Kobren retired from teaching or playing with integrity than he did. If I only ex-athlete or ex-coach to receive such and Dale Miller took over as the Athletic Diran my program the right way as a coach, a tribute despite Blair’s rich history of prolot of that was learned from him. As a play- rector. Kobren recommended me to Miller ducing professional athletes. I was also preer, I did very well my first two years, batting as his assistant and I served alone in that sented a plaque that I will gladly keep with well over .300 my sophomore and junior position from 1994 to 2009, when I began to other treasured awards at home. seasons and earning All-County honors that share it with a couple of others including curNow, I realize that this tribute does not second year, but it was my senior year in rent Assistant AD Mike Horne. I continued come from Blair High School, but rather 1980 that people took notice of. I batted .492 to share it for another year before resigning from the Athletic Departa couple of years ago after ment and the Baseball the 2010/2011 school year, team, but that does not when I also quit coaching. make it any less special to My 20 years as the vasrity me. I was told that Gorbaseball coach brought me don Pavy, the current JV great satisfaction. We had baseball coach, thought moderate success early of it and took the idea on, but were never considto the varsity coach, Eric ered an elite team or proZolkiewicz, who congram. I always felt that I sulted with my friends got too much credit from and co-workers, softball my coaching peers when coach Louis Hoelman we did have success and I and Athletic Director think it was because they Rita Boule, and they all underestimated my playworked together to make ers. In fact, I served on it happen. the County All-Star ComThe ceremony took mittee for a few years, but place prior to the 7:00 resigned after my players varsity home game vs were frequntly ignored COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE Magruder. I was in atwhen it came to the voting tendance to chaperone BASEBALL Above: 1980 Blair baseball team. by other coaches in spite of the game and was not insome impressive statistics formed of the tribute unby many players I thought and drove in 21 runs in 16 games, played til I arrived and saw my high school coach, should be recognized.

I was honored to get a solid third base, hit two home runs and Hank Mallory and his wife Reene, as well as two Coach of the Year awards voted on by was again an All-County selection as well 16 family members including my sister and as an Honorable Mention All-Met selection. my peers in 1994 and again in 2001. While her children who came in from out of town, In fact, the .492 average set a record for Blair the 2001 team was my only Division winner a bunch of ex-players and parents from baseball players that stood until 2010, when no one else won the award more than once teams that I coached, about a dozen good Lucas Babinec shattered it with a .516 mark in that time frame and I was always thought friends who live close by and a handful of during my second-to-last year as coach. ex-teammates from back in the day including Chick Hernandez of Comcast Sports. I was asked to throw out the first pitch and was presented with the plaque and shown the #7 jersey which will be retired and displayed. Needless to say, I was very touched as both the home and away teams as well as the girls softball team and all the folks who came to share in this looked on. Since the evening caught me by surprise, the game was scheduled to begin a few minutes later and I was in no emotional state to say the appropriate things, I just tipped my cap and waved and thanked the crowd.

COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE

BASEBALL Above: MacDonald at baseball practice, 1980.

Macdonald as a Blair Student and Baseball Player Now that the ceremony is over, I would like to put it in its proper perspective or at least try to look back on all that led to the evening and recount it as I see it. I came to

May 31, 2013 many swings in as they could and the get comfortable and confident fielding their positions. And if I had a few guys each year who I could coach to think the game, that was a bonus. Many years, my teams were so small in number, players had to be versatile and play multiple positions so arms would get sore and this would constantly result in adapting practice plans. I felt that my strength always was managing the game and making adjustments as it transpired. In this regard, I felt confident that I would not often be out-coached. As I look back, I have so many great memories and stories about my time as a Blair Blazer player and coach.

I can say without hesitation that I performed both to the best of my ability and with little regret. I can count on one hand the number of players who I did not get along with and admit that I would have handled those kids differently if given another chance. I could probably come up with an all-star team of ex-players, but I’ve declined to make that public in the past because I think it would hurt the feelings of players who feel deserving and not named. I will, however, list my top three teams of all time.

Top Three Blair Baseball Teams 3. The 2011 Blazers. This was the last team I coached and they played to an impressive 13-8 record. While this was not a stellar record from a win/loss standpoint, we did play a very difficult schedule and I felt that on any given night, we could have beaten any team in the county. The highlight of the season was the very last game of the regular season for me as a Blair coach, when we scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to beat Damascus 3-2. This team was led by Babinec, who broke my batting average record and is now playing at Macalester University in Minnesota.

2. The 1994 Blazers. This was the last Blair baseball team to qualify for the playoffs before 1995, when the rules were changed to allow every team to play in the post season.

Prior to that, teams had to finish in the top

A Chance to Coach at 21 I went on to play two years of Junior College baseball for Montgomery College in Rockville before transferring to the University of Maryland an College Park. During the spring of 1983, at the ripe old age of 21, I stopped by the Blair baseball field one week before the start of the HS season. I was surprised to learn that there was no one to coach the junior varsity team, nor were there enough players to field a team. At the urging of Coach Ed Smith, who replaced Mr. Mallory when he took his talents to Sherwood HS, and the then Athletic Director Nelson Kobren, for whom our gymnasium is named, I had an interview the next day at the Board of Education. I was hired by Pat Berry as the Emergency Coach for the Blazer JV team and have been here ever since. I approached Louis Hoelman, (now the softball coach and a long-time Blair PE teacher) a junior at Blair and a kid I knew from the neighborhood just four years younger than me, and asked him to round up his friends so they could play JV baseball for me. A week later we started the season and got off to an 0-4 start before beating Sherwood and finishing the season with a no-hit win over Whitman and a 4-8 record.

I was rehired year after year as the JV Emergency Coach through the 1990 season.

Anyone in the building, or for that matter, any teacher in the county could have taken the job, but I guess it wasn’t a very attractive position and I was told that any interest shown was discouraged by Mr. Kobren because he wanted me to keep the job.

Through that time, I would describe the JV teams I coached as respectable. The problem was that from the time Coach Mallory left, the varsity program suffered for the next eight years from 1983-1990 and they never won more than a game or two in any season during that period. It’s safe to say that we had become the worst varsity team in Montgomery County. I graduated from Maryland in 1985 with a Journalism / Public Relations degree, but I had no intentions of becoming a journalist. I was encouraged by a few Blair teachers to get my Education

COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE

BASEBALL Above: Billy Bradford, Hank Mallory, and John MacDonald

highly of in the coaching community. During that time, the socio-economics of Montgomery County was experiencing a shift.

And it is obvious today that the schools and neighborhoods in the upper-county have all the facilities and youth programs when it comes to sports. That was taking place in the early 90’s too, but it wasn’t as evident back then. So I always took pride in beating the upper-county teams and while we didn’t always do so, we were definitely the class of the down-county teams throughout my tenure as coach, having hardly ever lost to Einstein, Wheaton, Kennedy, Northwood and more recently, Springbrook during the time I coached.

The truth is, while I am very proud of the program I headed during my two decades in charge, I know that I was not a great coach. I was never a very good practice coach because I practiced like I would want to practice as a player. I focused mostly on repitition of various batting and fielding practice. I just wanted my players to get as

four of their division and Blair hadn’t done that in 20 years. The 1994 Blazers finished 11-6 and took the fourth playoff spot. That team was led by Marcos Jiminez, a submarine throwing right-hander who feared no hitter and seemed to always get ahead in the count.

1. The 2001 Blazers. This was an amazing team that surprised all the baseball people in Montgomery County and became the 4A Divisional Champions. The 2001 Blazers had the best leadership and chemistry of any team I’ve ever been a part of and finished 16-5. We featured four or five pitchers who all looked to be average, but threw strikes and kept us in every game. We usually came out on top because we averaged over 9 runs per game, played strong defense and ran the bases very intelligently.

Led by shortstop Josh Richardson, who was a pre-season all-state player his senior year, and 4-year varsity starters catcher Bennet Shields and center fielder Will Fassett, the 2001 team takes the cake.

May 31, 2013

silverchips

Sports 23

Hey fans, seriously: just curb your enthusiasm There are some sports traditions we could do without

By Kyle Desiderio What are sports if not made from traditions? From the drama over a close fourth quarter in the Super Bowl to a deciding game seven in the World Series, every moment of every athletic event is stuffed full of customs we never second-guess. Each sport and every team has its own traditions that coincide with the games they play. Some of these—maybe even the majority—are heartwarming, feel-good traditions meant to bring a sense of community to fans.

That said, there are some really bad traditions that should make sports fans ask, “Why is this even a thing?”

The wave Present at almost every sporting event, the wave has become the go-to cheer whenever fans feel the need to make complete and utter fools of themselves.

The wave has become so bad that some Washington Nationals fans are attempting to find a way to ban the tradition, and the wave was banned across all cricket events in Australia. At any sports event, you’re probably logging at least a good half-mile going various places around the stadium.

It could be getting a drink, going to the bathroom, getting a bite to eat, getting another drink. Unless you’re in game seven of the playoffs, you’re bound to get up out

of your seat. So do we really need another excuse to get up? What is standing up, flailing your arms and yelling “WOOOOO!” really doing to help your team win?

While that could be said about any chant, at least yelling “overrated” has something to do with the sport you’re watching.

After all, I’m not seeing anyone do the wave at a surfing event either. Final quarter in the Super Bowl?

Game seven in the NBA or MLB playoffs? Nah, I don’t want to watch the game, let’s do the wave. That’s what matters.

Throwing things on the ice Now, like any athletes, hockey players are superstitious. For the men who sport playoff beards and pass on washing their clothes while on a winning streak, it seems obvious that scoring three goals in a game must also be accompanied by some tradition.

MIMI SIM

BRING IT ON, BOYS From left: Seniors Manpreet Gujral, Jonathon Thompson, Eli GriffMcMahon and Rodolfo Calderon cheer at the Powder Puff game. Blair’s Powder Puff tradition is funny, but some athletic rituals—octopi and the wave included—just need to go.

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It’s just a shame that it is so pointless.

You see, the joke is, if the player scores a hat trick, you throw all your hats on the ice.

Man, what a riot. Not only did you just lose a $20 hat, but now everyone has to wait 15 minutes for the ice crew to clean up what everyone decided to throw on the ice. Usually, it’s a bad thing to throw stuff onto the playing field (I’m looking at you, 2012 Wild Card Braves fans), but since a player scored three times it is now acceptable?

Now, at least hats are somewhat easy to clean up, but Detroit Red Wings fans have decided to go a step further and hurl octopi onto the ice.

Now, let’s just take a break and think about this. Fans from Detroit travel to a hockey playoff game with octopi.

And then, when the special time arises, they throw their corpses into the rink.

Apparently, the octopus’s eight tentacles were originally supposed to symbolize the eight playoff wins needed to win the Stanley Cup (again, the puns are too much). But that was in 1950.

And then, in a miraculous change of events, more teams were added to the playoffs, making a team need more than eight wins to win a Stanley Cup. So now, this dumb (and kind of disgusting) tradition is obsolete! Way to go, Red Wings fans. Great job.

Celebrating after first downs & sacs It is pretty clear that football is a fairly me-

!

insidesports “We put our all in it, and we did the best we possibly could” — Kafilat Oladiran, page 24

thodical sport. With only 11 minutes of actual on-field playing time, each play is hugely important. Big plays like touchdowns have become grounds for fancy celebrations with stars like Terrell Owens spending time creating elaborate dances and skits. This is understandable. You helped the team by scoring seven points, go ahead and celebrate.

However, players now are starting to dance around after mundane tasks, like a first down.

Now don’t get me wrong, in the right situation, a first down might be crucial. Move the chains after a third down with two minutes in the fourth quarter: dance your heart out. Thirteen minutes and twenty three seconds left in the second quarter: you’re an embarrassment. You get paid millions of dollars to get first downs. You’re dancing because you did your job? Celebrate for doing something exceptional, not something expected. I turned my test in? I’m supposed to turn my test in. I get a 100 percent on my test? Okay, now I can celebrate.

Really, there’s a time and a place for everything. And trust me, it’s not after you move a ball ten yards.

Despite these terrible traditions, showing your sports pride is not lost. In fact, most traditions such as the seventh inning stretch and Gatorade baths are so ingrained in sports culture that it would be a travesty for them not to occur.

This list is just a mere spring cleaning of all the traditions that we’d all be better off without.

sports CHIPS

May 31, 2013

silverchips.mbhs.edu/section/sports

Blazers add an extra spring to their step during playoffs

By Isaac Jiffar and Alanna Natanson

Lacrosse Varsity Girls Lacrosse had an incredible season this year, finishing 11-3 after getting eliminated in the regional semifinals by Blake on May 13.

The team was 10-2 going into the playoffs, which was the best record they had ever fielded in the regular season according to coach Michael Horne. “I think this is the best team I’ve coached in my 15 years here,” Horne said.

Out of sixteen teams in our region, Blair was seeded third, and so got a bye in the first round (the top four seeds get byes). They then went on to beat Springbrook 12-6 in their first game before falling to Blake 8-13 in the third round.

In the Springbrook game Senior Caren Holmes scored 4 goals and Junior Shannon Healy scored three en route to the Blair victory. “They had a lot of heart but fortunately we played hard enough to hold them off for the win,” said Horne.

The game against Blake was a hardfought battle, with the teams trading the lead throughout. “We jumped out to a quick lead, they caught up, it kind of went back and forth,” said Michael Horne.

Holmes had 4 goals and one assist in the Blake game, ending with 63 goals on the season. She also broke the school record for most career goals this season, ending with a total of 151.

Next year, Blair lacrosse will be without its top scorer, but Horne is confident that the juniors will be able to step in and carry the team when the seniors leave. “We’re losing senior leadership in Caren and Alison Whitney,” Horne admitted, but “the underclassmen on the team are ready to step up and hopefully we pick up right where we left off.”

course of the season, says Huang, specifically in serving, receiving, and defense. “I focused on getting our team to play consistently and make little errors, which is important in a novice team,” Huang notes.

Each member of the team changed his game, says Klein. “You take Ricci. He already was a good leader last year, but he was the unquestioned leader this year and his leadership abilities developed.”

Rossetti, an exchange student who plays volleyball in his native Italy, emerged as a powerful hitter and server. “We ended up getting some kills out of him,” says Klein.

Rossetti says he usually plays the libero position at his club in Italy, but he tried playing the outside position midway through this season. “I got to do everything—hitting, scoring. It was really cool,” he says.

Senior Julian Smith-Jones, who joined the team this season, transferred his skills from basketball to volleyball. “If you’re doing basketball, it means you’re in shape for volleyball,” notes Smith-Jones. He also improved this season. “I improved passing and serving. I was hitting better,” he explains.

Next year will be a rebuilding year, says Klein. “This year’s team is almost all seniors,” he notes.

The team’s most important goal now includes recruiting new players. “I tasked our current players with finding tall, athletic players for next year,” he smiles. “We want to infect the Blair student populace with volleyball fever.”

Klein adds that Blair’s current volleyball program could become a larger and more visible team at the school. “We have a huge school, we have 3,000 students, and with that sort of body to choose from, we should be able to put out a real competitive squad

COURTESY OF MOCO RUNNING

TRACK Kafilat Oladiran, a junior on track, leaps over hurdles.

was a much tougher battle. It was a 1-1 game going into the 6th inning, until Clarksburg scored two runs, making it 3-1. Blair responded with one run in the 6th, but in the 7th and final inning, Clarksburg scored 4 and opened the lead up to 7-2. Blair pushed back with a late rally in the 7th inning to get it to 7-4, but in the end, they couldn’t make up the deficit.

Junior Annie Pietanza shone in the playoffs, going 6 for 7 at bat over the two games with two triples, two doubles, two singles, three RBI, and three runs.

Senior Kara Madden also gave an impressive performance in the playoffs, going 2 for 3 at bat with one single, one double, and one Volleyball RBI. Blair adThe boys’ volleyball team mainvanced one tained an 8-2 record all season, proround further gressing through the playoffs until in the tournathey fell to Wootton (13-0) in the state ment than last semi-final meet on May 9 at Wootton. year, when the During the meet, the Blazers played team lost in the with a consistent intensity, says Coach regional quarterChristopher Klein. “In the third game, finals to Northwe were down 2-0. We refused to give west. Hoelman up,” he adds. “[Our team] just hit ancredits a large other gear and we beat them, 25-17, part of this sucwhich shocked the opponents. It was cess to this a great moment for the boys.” year’s seniors.

Coming out of that set, junior Gabe “They stood out Rossetti says he was confident the as great leadteam could win the whole game. “I ers that really thought, as long as we made less mishelped this team takes, we could win it,” he notes. become one of The team, however, could not susthe best teams tain their momentum during the othin Montgomery er sets, Klein explains. “After that, we County through tired down,” he notes. The team lost MIMI SIM their leaderthe next set, ending the game.

VOLLEYBALL The boys volleyball team huddles during one of their ship and perSenior captain Ricci Huang says formance on the that the competition was just too games. field,” he said. “I great. “We didn’t play badly,” he explains, “but we simply didn’t play on their every year—and put more banners on the think it would carry over with how we play wall.” next year.” level.”

But Hoelman isn’t content to stop at the The game against Wootton came after a Softball regional semifinals. “Our goal would be to very successful regular season, where one win the state championship,” Hoelman said of the team’s biggest strengths was their orA strong varsity softball team ended their confidently. ganization, says Klein. “They were all well bonded together,” he says. “They worked season 16-4 and advanced to the regional Track and Field like a well-oiled machine. If I left the room, semifinals.

The team received a bye in the first round, I knew they’d be practicing just as hard— The track and field team finished off the if not harder—than when I’m there telling then defeated Walter Johnson 12-2 The Walter Johnson game started slow, regular seasonand the regional tournament them what to do.”

The team had to overcome some inju- but soon Blair took the lead and never gave successfully, but had to overcome major ries, says Huang, as well as the departure of it back. It took us awhile to get going score hurdles atthe state tournament on May 23four seniors who were pivotal to last year’s wise,” admits Blair Softball Coach Louis 25 at Morgan State University, placing 18th all-county victory. “The expectations on us Hoelman, but the game ended up being a forthe girl’s track team and 32nd for the were a little bit tempered. We didn’t neces- blowout, with Blair winning by the mercy boy’s team.

Team members did place in the top ten sarily know how far we could develop the rule. “If you’re up by 10 runs after 5 innings, they call the game,” Hoelman says. for multiple events. Junior Deborah Olawuplayers that we had,” he says.

The game against Clarksburg, however, ni placed third in the girl’s 100m dash and This year’s team did improve over the

eighth in the 200m dash. She, along with juniors Gwladys Fotso, senior Martina Atabong, and freshmen Susanna Maisto and Grace Olawuni, placed fourth in the 4-by100 m relay and fifth in the 4-by-200 m relay. On the boy’s side, junior Stephen Varella placed sixth in the 300mhurdle.

The girls had placed first in the 4-by-200m relay at theregional meet, but junior Kafilat Oladiran, an original member of the relayteam, sprained her knee before her first event at the state meet. “I tripped on a hurdle.” she explains, “I was doing the same warm-up I always do before hurdles, so no one could have expected it.”

Oladiran explains that she was devastated once she realized she wouldn’t be able to compete in a single event. “But what reallyhurt was not that I would miss my individual events, but that I was missing therelays,” she sighs. “This was our opportunity, and we had a chance at winningfirst. I felt like I really let my team down.”

Coach Brenna Matthews agrees that the injury addedstress. “My first reaction when I learned about the injury was panic,” she notes.“But the kids pulled together as a team,” The third place in the 100m dash was a pleasant surprise for Olawuni, who also beat her personal record with a 12.2 second race. “I don’t run it as often,” she notes.

Olawuni suggests that the position of her lane during the 200m finals were part of the reason she finished a disappointing eighth.

“In the eighth lane, I can’t see anybody. I do well when I feel like I have competition, but Icouldn’t see the competition,” she explains.

Varella did feel successful after he set a new school record for the 300m hurdles. “It was mydream to place in the top eight,” he laughs. “I was really happy that my namewould be put down in the school’s record book.”

The difference from his past events, says Varella, was his focus. “I was not letting anyone affect my race but myself,” he says. “I went into a different mindset. Once I heard the gunshot, I went for it.”

Anderson notes that the days’ mix of triumphs and trials are classic sports occurrences. “It’s what happens in sports,” he sighs,“Sometimes you feel like you have unfinished business.”ge zone,” he says.

The season had primarily been successful, says Olawuni, although they had not had much time to practice against realcompetition because of their place in the fourth division. “We’dbe competing against schools that barely had track teams,” she says, “so we’d basically be competing against ourselves.”

This year’s disappointments, notes Olawuni, onlymake her more excited for next year. “I’m expecting big things,” she notes, “I just have to wait and be patient.”