June 2019 — Silver Chips Print

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

June 13, 2019

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

INSIDE CHIPS RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

New residential development is not the cause of school overcrowding.

See page B2

A celebration of love and see page E1 equality.

BAD BUNNY

El cantante de trap promueve inclusividad en la comunidad latina.

See page C1

DEER POPULATION Montgomery County uses various methods to combat deer over-population.

See page D1

EXPENSIVE HOMES

Silver Chips staffers pay a visit to local multi-million dollar mansions.

See page E6

BARSTOOL SPORTS Barstool grows a media empire deeply rooted and watered with misogyny.

See page F1

Beltway expansion meets county protests

By Elias Chen Paloma Williams

Senior Staffer

op/ed B1

inception in 2010.

Over the ten years of puzzling, the event has grown to include juniors and seniors from the entire school, involving around 250 students this year. Puzzlepalooza is a rite of passage for many, myself included, and I have absolutely no regrets.

In the beginning

Before 2009, any bus-reliant students who weren’t completing standardized testing had nothing to do on testing days. “They had the choice of either spending the morning in the SAC or breaking the closed campus rule and hopping across the street for a few hours, which we really didn’t want,” Ostrander said. He reached out to the Magnet teachers, and Hammond, Schafer, and Stein responded enthusiastically. “[They] needed something to do other than get hit by cars traveling across the street to Starbucks.

Therefore, in order to save lives,

La Esquina Latina C1

we created Puzzlepalooza,” Hammond said, a touch of humor in his voice. The event has grown enormously since it began, but not without a lot of work.

The Puzzle Lords spend the twelve months after Puzzlepalooza creating, reviewing, and collecting puzzles—making it all fit together for the meta-puzzle. “Puzzlepalooza works such that there is a final puzzle that the other puzzles feed into, so we have to come up with the final puzzle first to see what kind of limitations we have to its inputs,” Hammond said.

The twelve months of preparation culminate with puzzle testing by various volunteers and alumni.

“Ultimately, when it finally comes out to you all, it’s been vetted a few times, tested, refined,” Schafer said. “We know it’s not perfect, but it’s a heck of a lot better than it was, and the hope is that any mistakes you find are minor, and that it runs pretty smoothly. But all of that takes time and coordination.”

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Features Editor Culture Editor

The night before Puzzlepalooza, the Puzzle Lords send out emails to all participants giving very specific instructions. We were all to arrive at our rooms before 7:45 and be ready to go. When I walked up to the third floor on the morning of May 20, there were people everywhere. The Puzzle Lords were at the center of it all, their table and snacks set up in front of them, yelling at people to get to their rooms and stop standing around. The puzzles, after all, wait for nobody.

When I got inside of our room, four pages of instructions awaited me, telling me to join the Remind, sign a code of conduct, figure out a team name, and create a Twitter account.

If I’m being honest, I hated the first day of Puzzlepalooza. The Puzzle Lords were demanding, the puzzles were confusing, and I was very lost. We could only solve one

The Interstate-495 highway is scheduled to undergo a controversial expansion process. The project, proposed by Governor Larry Hogan, is split into three phases and was approved for construction by the Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday. Despite the approval, however, the expansion has been met with resistance from the Montgomery County government and its citizens which threatens to stall progress.

Governor Larry Hogan’s “Traffic Relief Plan” is one of the largest congestion relief efforts in the nation. The project, otherwise known as the I-495 & I-270 P3 Program, was first proposed in Sept. 2017 and looks to expand over 70 miles of state highway that runs through Prince George’s County and Montgomery County.

The expansive construction project has Montgomery County citizens frustrated with state government’s handling of the project. In acting with unilateral state authority, many local officials and county citizens have expressed concerns over the scope of the project and its intrusion into established neighborhoods.

I-495 and sister highway I-270 service some of the most heavily trafficked regions in the United

see PUZZLEPALOOZA page E3

see I-495 WIDENING page A2

PHOTO BY ELENORA RUE

Of all the things students can do during the long mornings of standardized testing—sleeping not included—only one ropes in hundreds of Blair students. Juniors and seniors alike gather on the third floor, solving their way through an intricate series of puzzles created by the self-proclaimed “Puzzle Lords.” This annual spectacle is Puzzlepalooza, a schoolwide tradition masterminded by math teacher David Stein, Information Technology Systems Specialist (ITSS) Peter Hammond, Magnet Coordinator Peter Ostrander, and physics teacher James Schafer since its

news A2

VOL. 81 NO. 7

PRIDE.

Where tests end and puzzles begin

By Khushboo Rathore

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General confusion

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A2 News silverchips Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 Phone: (301) 649-2864 Winner of the 2015 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Winner of the 2018 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown

Editors-in-Chief: Prayag Gordy Uma Gupta News Editors: George Ashford Sarah Schiffgens Op/Ed Editors: Itamar Fiorino Amanda Liu Features Editors: Elias Chen Mira Diamond-Berman Culture Editors: Kie Donovan Paloma Williams Sports Editor: Ethan Park Ombudsman: Victoria Xin Senior Staffer: Khushboo Rathore Chief Columnist: Teddy Beamer Page Editors: George Ashford Teddy Beamer Elias Chen Mira Diamond-Berman Kie Donovan Itamar Fiorino Prayag Gordy Uma Gupta Amanda Liu Ethan Park Khushboo Rathore Louis Rosenberg Sarah Schiffgens Paloma Williams Victoria Xin La Esquina Latina Editor-in-Chief: Jasmine Méndez-Paredes La Esquina Latina Writers: Yenmis Quiñones Alzahra Rodríguez Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo Tony Calderón González Lourdes Reyes Valenzuela Renata Muñoz Executive Business Directors: Preston Beatty Alyssa Ma Merete Oakes Photo Editors: Lucy Martin Dede Greenfield Photographer: Elenora Rue Art Editors: Shashi Arnold Seoyoung Joo Artists: Kelley Li Gabe Winston-Bailey Ivvone Zhou Design Editors: Amanda Liu Ethan Park Paloma Williams Victoria Xin Puzzle Editor: Sophia Weng Copy Editors: Annie Hicks Adia Keene Bianca Sauro Gabe Worthington Jessica Ye La Esquina Latina Advisors: Dianette Coombs Maria Eugenia Tanos Advisor: Jeremy Stelzner Silver Chips is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the editorial board and are not necessarily those of the school. Signed letters to the editor are encouraged. Submit your letter to Jeremy Stelzner’s mailbox in the main office 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 ombudsman.silverchips@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.

silverchips

June 13, 2019

County officials frustrated with I-495 project Local resistance clashes with the planned expansion

from BELTWAY page A1

States, leaving Maryland with the second highest traffic rates in the nation. DC-area commuters lose 87 hours annually to congestion, with studies showing that without expansion, commuting speeds from College Park to Bethesda will drop to 14 mph and take over 40 minutes by 2040.

The project must be reviewed repeatedly before construction begins and is currently undergoing a proposal process as required by federal law. This process began with an I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study in mid-2018, followed by a study on highways I-270, I-370, and I-70 conducted earlier this year. These studies narrowed down the potential proposals to seven, including a possible “no build” option which would leave the highway unchanged. The current slate of options ranges from additional High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to adding multiple Express Toll Lanes (ETLs) in order to ease congestion.

These alternatives were discussed in public workshops hosted by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) in April and will be reviewed in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which details various potential environmental ramifications of expansion. Many of these actions have been criticized at the local level for leaving the county government excluded from decision making. By the fall of 2020, MDOT will choose a preferred plan, conduct additional public hearings, and make a final decision.

The P3 process

The Hogan Administration is pushing what is known as a PublicPrivate Partnership (P3) construction program. “The I-495 & I-270 P3 Program is a historic effort to reduce congestion for millions of Maryland drivers by seeking input from the private sector to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain improvements on both I-495 and I-270,” the P3 website says. The bulk of the project will be completed by private contractors. According to state materials, the P3 would allow a private corporation to facilitate the building process and, eventually, maintain the roads.

According to state materials, the P3 process will expedite the construction process as private funding will keep the project moving without having to rely on available state funds. Furthermore, according to the state website, the shared public-private construction will create a future revenue source with limited government spending.

The P3 process is not without controversy. Ben Ross, Chair of the Maryland Transit Opportunities Co-

alition, sees it as giving unwarranted authority to private contractors. “[The State has] hired a contractor, which will really do all the work, and because so much of this buried in the fine print, this contractor will have

The numbers

The cost of the project has fluctuated, with numbers reflecting the state’s spending on the project, not total expenditures for combined state and private spending.. “This $7.6 bil-

from below the state level. “People are furious about it and very, very fearful and anxious,” Hucker said.

Hucker also points to the excessive tolling in Virginia highways as an area of concern. “People in Vir-

DEDE GREENFIELD

SIGNS OF PROTEST Lawn signs protesting the expansion stand in opposition to Hogan’s plans to expand the highway with new Express Toll Lanes or High Occupancy Vehicle lanes. enormous influence over what happens,” Ross said.

Additionally, Ross took issue with Hogan’s choice of contractor. “They had a lot of latitude to pick whoever they want, and they picked this company that has added to its board of directors the former chief fundraiser for the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, who was then the vice chair of the Republican National Committee,” Ross said.

Others, such as Montgomery County Councilmember Tom Hucker, see the state as using P3 to unfairly impose their construction plans onto local governments. “They’re using the P3 law... that was written for the Purple Line which enjoyed very broad public support… [and] even though this project is not supported by our local officials, they’re unfortunately imposing it on everybody over [the County government’s] objections,” Hucker said.

According to Hucker, this lack of cooperation with officials on the local level has been the primary source of outrage for the county government and its citizens. “[We’re all] frustrated with the way Maryland Department of Transportation is imposing this on Montgomery County and Prince George’s County without taking any input from our local elected officials or planners or transportation experts,” Hucker said. “It’s a shame because we all want congestion relief, but we have a lot of expertise on [congestion reform] in [Montgomery County] and for them to impose a highway as the only solution without any evidence that it will actually work is very troubling to people.”

lion [estimated cost] is the value of a potential investment in the state’s infrastructure through a Public-Private Partnership (P3) agreement with the private sector,” according to the program’s website. Other plans have yielded even higher cost approximations, with estimates for the current alternatives ranging from $7.7–10 billion.

“People are furious about it and very, very fearful and anxious.”

-Tom Hucker,

County Councilmember According to the P3 website, construction is projected to turn a profit in 20–30 years. But for Ross, the cost is unreasonable. “I think it would be a disaster that would make the state suffer for decades,” Ross said. “It will However, these numbers have yet to convince many, as local resistance has clashed with the state agenda in recent months.

County government officials accuse the state of ignoring any input

ginia are seeing tolls that are over $40, one way, to get home from work at the busiest times, because the tolls have to be high to pay back the concessionaire,” Hucker said.

“People think $5 on the Metro is expensive, wait until they’re paying $40 to drive home.”

Other potential impacts

There is also doubt about how the proposed expansion will impact Maryland’s environment and landscape. “Having a 12-lane highway through Silver Spring and Chevy Chase and a 16-lane highway through Rockville and Gaithersburg, it’s a disaster—not just for the people who live next door, but it’s a scar on the landscape,” Ross said.

Hucker shared concerns about the scope of the project. “People are very concerned about the dozens of houses that will be taken away and the loss of 250 acres of farmland… in favor of new highway lanes,” Hucker said.

The most recent models from the state indicate Blair will lose portions of its practice field, with certain alternatives running close up to the current tennis courts and Blazer Stadium.

A potential 34 homes could be seized under eminent domain, along with up to four businesses upon the completion of the project.

Additionally, an estimate of over 1,500 residencies will be directly affected through permanent and temporary loss of property during the project’s construction.

SHAHSI ARNOLD

OUTWARD EXPANSION The plans for the upcoming I-495 expansion move the Beltway closer to Blair’s track and practice field.

News A3

silverchips

June 13 , 2019

Report prompts discussion over absentee graduation rates Washington Post find high graduation levels among students with chronic absences

By Itamar Fiorino

Op/Ed Editor

On May 25, The Washington Post published an article scrutinizing absentee graduation rates within MCPS. The report compiled data directly from teachers, students, and from graduation records and proceedings, detailing a persistent phenomenon of students passing classes that they often missed.

The article, titled “Can you skip 47 days of English class and still graduate from high school?” referenced several schools with high levels of absenteeism among graduating students, including Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Northwood, Gaithersburg, and Watkins Mill.

According to the article, “Roughly 40 percent of Einstein’s Class of 2018 missed large chunks of instruction last school year, not showing up for some classes 10 to more than 50 times in a semester.”

Focusing on particular students within these schools, the article said, “One senior skipped algebra 36 times last spring, [and] another racked up 47 unexcused absences in English.”

The report comes nine years after a change in MCPS policy that altered the mechanism by which students lose credit for classes in which they have excessive vacancies.

In 2010, Montgomery County Public Schools announced that they would eliminate the current loss-of-credit system in favor of one that includes a path to regain credit by “demonstrating achievement of course objectives.”

According to the release, this would “[support] the goal to provide rigorous instruction and promote increased student achievement for all students while eliminating the achieve-

ment gap.” In the memorandum, Jerry D. morning. They may be staying with another Weast, the County’s School Superintendent family until their family gets a place to live.” at the time, said, “The elimination of the loss Montgomery County was not the only of credit practice [would] allow schools to im- school district in the area that reported high prove their attendance rates by focusing on graduation rates among those with chronic the positive elements of attendance rather absences. The Washington Post also reportthan the punitive.” ed on schools within Prince George’s County The low levels of graduate attendance this year received negative feedback from families and teachers of students within their respective schools. One parent questioned, “When these students graduate, what are we saying? The diploma means nothing, and you don’t even have to show up?”

According to principal Renay Johnson, however, these testimonials can often miss crucial aspects of absences that aren’t under a student’s control.

“Sometimes when THE WASHINGTON POST reporters report on school attendance, or in this case students and the District of Columbia that showed a passing courses that they really hardly ever similar trend. attended… they don’t always know the story According to The Washington Post, of the whole child. Some students basically “More than 1 of every 10 students receiving a are raising themselves,” said Johnson. “These diploma from a D.C. public high school last students have other responsibilities. They year missed most of the academic year.” may be the caregiver for younger siblings. This article came about as a result of an They may work until midnight or two in the investigation within the Office of the State

Superintendent of Education, which detailed how chronic absences within D.C. were not matched with sufficiently corresponding decreases in graduation. According to the investigation, these absences were often corrected through unscrupulous methods, including “one outlier school, Dunbar High School, where more than 4,000 changes were made to attendance records of 118 graduates.”

Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Jack Smith told The Post that there was “no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of anyone” at Albert Einstein.

Although evidence does not suggest these attendance rates are influenced by scandalous measures, some experts suggested the trends were symptomatic of larger issues.

“Kids want to ITAMAR FIORINO graduate,” Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute told the Post. “[School] district leaders are under pressure to raise graduation rates. Teachers don’t want to be called out for causing problems or failing lots of students. There are lots of incentives to push kids through to graduation and very few to ask hard questions or keep them back.”

Up & Coming JUNE 14

JUNE 17

JUNE 24

SEPTEMBER 3

Last day of school for students

Report cards mailed home

Last day of school for teachers

First day of school for students

Student and Teacher Awards & Honors Seniors Leoluca Cannuscio, Sam Rose Davidoff, and Brian Hufford and Sophomore Joel Simpson placed third at the Maryland 4A State Championships for the 4x800 meters.

Seniors Elana Elman, Lily Kirsch, Cindy Liu, Noah Lovelady-Allen, Kristi Ng, Catherine Rodriguez, and Sally Zhao have earned collegeand university-sponsored National Merit Scholarships in the latest round of awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation Seniors Justin Sharp and Alexis Stewartson were recepients of the Montgomery County Branch of the NAACP scholarship.

Junior Katherine Lei and senior Anson Berns were selected as to be part of the 2018-2019 All-World First Team for the High School Quiz Bowl.

Sophomore Charlie Wiebe was selected for the MSABC FreshmanSophomore Region West Team.

Freshmand Yueqin Wang got a perfect score on the 2019 National Latin Exam.

Blair’s Wind Ensemble earned All-Superior Ratings at the 2019 Maryland Music Educators Association State Band Festival.

A4 News

silverchips

June 13, 2019

Newsbriefs The administration confirmed that Blair will transition to a single lunch next year. Details of the bell schedule have not yet been announced.

Parents of UMD adenovirus victim may sue the university

TotalRegistration data breach TotalRegistration.net, the site used by most MCPS high schools to register students for AP and PSAT testing, experienced a data breach that may have put students’ personal information at risk for exposure, according to Bethesda Magazine. MCPS noted that “the data that may have been exposed did not include social security numbers, credit card numbers, or other financial information.” The county was previously notified by TotalRegistration.net that students’ birthdays, names, addresses, and last four digits of their Social Security numbers might have been among the information accessible through files and school reports during the 48-hour period of the breach. During this period, “information from test registrations starting in June 2016 through April 12, 2019” was accessible, and “only those reports that a user chose to save in .pdf, .csv, or .doc file format were accessible.” After those 48 hours, this information was automatically deleted. MCPS has stated that it will “reevaluate” its testing registration when the 2018-2019 school year ends.

Kids Ride Free expanding to all hours Starting July 1, the Kids Ride Free (KRF) program will be made available at all hours, allowing youth aged 18 and under to ride Ride On buses at any time of the day without being charged, according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. The expansion will also make the program available seven days a week, according to Dan Hibbert, Chief of Transit Services. The Kids Ride Free program was formerly active from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, and will remain so through June 30 until the change in hours goes into effect on July 1.

Newsbriefs compiled by Kie Donovan

COURTESY OF PETERSON CO.

Silver Spring receives $10 million renovation

By Mira Diamond-Berman

Features Editor

On May 20, Peterson Companies and Foulger-Pratt, the co-owners of Downtown Silver Spring, announced that the area will undergo a $10 million renovation, including the addition of public art, a new outdoor plaza with green space, and new tenants in both existing and new buildings.

Peterson Companies and Foulger-Pratt built the 440,000-squarefoot shopping, entertainment and dining area on Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street 20 years ago. This renovation will give the area a new look and the outdoor green space will provide a gathering spot for outBy Ethan Park

Sports Editor

Responding to parental allegations of unlawful discrimination against Asian students, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights launched a federal probe of MCPS magnet programs in March.

These concerns come in light of changes that were implemented last year within the magnet admissions processes at Takoma Park Middle School and Eastern Middle School.

Over the past two years, the admissions processes for these middle school magnet programs changed from an application-based approach in which only self-selected students were tested, to a universal screening process which tested all fifth grade students who met a certain standard. Additionally, a new ‘cohort rule’ was added, which decreased students’ chances of getting a spot in the magnet program if they had 20 or more similarly gifted peers at their home middle school.

These changes occurred after research and consulting firm Metis Associates submitted a report to the Board of Education in 2016, suggesting that Hispanic and black students were less likely than white and Asian students to be enrolled in MCPS middle school magnet programs. The data also suggested that Asian students were disproportionately represented in middle school magnet programs relative to the overall student population.

Some MCPS parents like Siva Anantham, who filed a 26-page request for federal action, allege that the changes to the process following the report led to discrimination against Asian applicants and a subsequent decrease in Asian acceptance rates into the magnet programs over the past two years.

“Between 2016 and 2017, where on face, MCPS was using the same admissions process… Asian admissions fell by 20 percent.… Then, when they came up with [the cohort] rule, Asian American admissions fell another 20 percent, so that’s… a huge decline,” Anantham said.

School system data showed

door events for the neighborhood.

“We’re excited to, once again, lead the charge with a reinvigorated core featuring new shops, restaurants and gathering places for the community that reflect the lifestyles of those who live, work and visit Downtown Silver Spring,” Peterson Companies and Foulger-Pratt said in a press release.

Montgomery County Councilmember Tom Hucker is optimistic about the changing look of the Downtown Silver Spring area.

“We’re very enthusiastic about the direction of Downtown Silver Spring and the lead that Peterson Companies and Foulger-Pratt have taken in creating a major, dynamic economic hub in one of the Washington, D.C. region’s most sought-

after real estate markets,” Hucker said in a press report.

One of Downtown Silver Spring’s biggest additions is The Eleanor restaurant. There is currently another location in northeast Washington D.C., and its owners plan for the Silver Spring restaurant to be a larger venue of 7,700 square-feet.

The Eleanor is planned to include a bar, grille, and bowling lounge. There will be six bowling lanes, arcade games, two outdoor patios, and twenty taps. It will also offer different dining options throughout the day including lunch, happy hour, dinner, and brunch on the weekends.

“We are planning on having a great lunch crowd throughout the

Magnet programs under investigation

Alleged discrimination against Asians prompts probe that after the changes were implemented, the percentage of black and Hispanic students admitted in 2018 increased. However, white students remained the largest racial demographic group admitted at 39 percent, with Asian admissions dipping to 25 percent.

MCPS attributed this overall change in demographic makeup to their new process of universal screening, which reviews test scores and grades for all fifth grade students throughout the county rather than

which means you have a different pool of outcomes,” Turner said.

The parents who filed the complaint, however, alleged that the added ‘cohort’ rule was a “proxy for race” that only incrementally increased the rates of black and Hispanic students in the magnet programs while increasing white admissions. “If you look at the number of AfricanAmerican and Hisp a n i c places that increased— yes, percentagewise, it was huge, because there were so few of them, DEDE GREENFIELD

The parents of 18-year-old University of Maryland (UMD) freshman Olivia Shea Paregol, who died of the adenovirus in the fall, may sue the university on a wrongful death claim. According to The Washington Post, UMD failed to notify students of the virus’ presence on the College Park campus for 18 days, and Paregol’s parents asserted in a statement to WTOP that their daughter’s death could have been prevented if not for the university’s negligence. Paregol was particularly susceptible to the virus because of her Crohn’s disease and respiratory issues she had developed from living in the university’s Elkton Hall, which was so severely mold-infested that “students had to be temporarily evacuated,” the Post wrote. Wallace Loh, the university’s president, stated that UMD’s “approach to reporting, testing, cleaning and communicating about the virus was coordinated with health officials, and exceeded [federal guidelines].” The federal government does not require that adenovirus be reported, so the university was not officially obligated to inform students of its presence.

LUCY MARTIN

THE ACCUSED Takoma Park and Eastern Middle School Magnet programs are among those accused of discrimination considering only students who apply to the programs.

MCPS spokesperson Derek Turner said that the process is “race-blind, name-blind, and school blind” in order to prevent bias, and that the shift in demographics was just the result of universal screening. “You have a larger pool of kids

but absolutely it was a meaningless increase,” Anantham said. “I mean, you have this huge population of white [acceptances] and I am, like, ‘What’s going on?’”

MCPS said the motives behind the consideration of ‘cohorts’ in magnet admissions were an effort to introduce enriched courses in

day [and] transitioning to happy hour and dinner options for families with small children,” said Adam Stein, Founder and Managing Partner of The Eleanor. “Then for all the locals, everybody [goes] on the weekend for brunch.”

Besides serving casual fare, The Eleanor will be an entertainment space and host events. “Having a spot for events, I think is going to be crucial. We are already getting inquiries about doing bar mitzvahs and things like that,” Stein said.

In addition to The Eleanor, other businesses will be joining Downtown Silver Spring as part of the development. Matchbox, a pizza bistro, opened on April 5, and Locavino, a locally owned wine bar, will open this summer. Roll by Goodyear, a tire company where customers can buy tires and have them installed, will open its fourth location in the D.C. region of Silver Spring this summer.

Existing businesses in Downtown Silver Spring are also undergoing renovations. Lebanese Taverna will move to a new location in Downtown Silver Spring this summer under the new name, LEB TAV. Copper Canyon Grill will be renovated this year, and Ulta is relocating and redesigning its store. LOFT will also “refresh their store,” according to their press release.

Both Whole Food and Regal Majestic & IMAX have also undergone renovations, and the former Discovery Communication headquarters in Downtown Silver Spring will receive $15 million in renovations.

According to a press release, “Children’s National Health System has just signed a 15-year lease with more than 140,000 square feet on four of the building’s 10 floors.”

schools with larger groups of advanced students rather than admitting the students into the Eastern and Takoma Park magnet programs.

“We looked at schools that had cohorts of students who all needed enrichment or acceleration, and recognized that [what] probably makes more sense is rather than putting 90 kids from one school and busing them across the county to a program, bring the enrichment to [their] school,” Turner said.

“So now… these classes are being brought to them in their home school so they don’t have to travel across the county to get the high level of enrichment that they need to keep growing and learning in MCPS.” This enrichment included two new advanced courses developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, according to Turner.

On the other hand, parents like Anantham have complained that these new courses are not sufficient for gifted students subject to the ‘cohort’ rule. According to Anantham, the new classes do not address all four “core subjects”—math, science, English, and social studies—and do not effectively group the advanced students into core advanced classes.

“They don’t even cluster the highly able kids,” Anantham said. “So what’s the point of telling me that there are pretty highly able kids in my son’s middle school when you’re not going to cluster them?”

Currently, MCPS is responding to the federal probe and working with the Department of Education to address the allegations. The parents who filed the complaint are waiting for the findings of the investigation and whether or not MCPS agrees to mediate.

“The only way to get [MCPS’] attention was through a federal complaint,” Anantham said. “So now the [federal investigators], I’m assuming, have told MCPS that the complainants would like to go to mediation… I mean, mediation seems like a win-win situation. It all depends on our perspective or whether you think I’m asking for too much.”

Op/Ed B1

silverchips

June 13, 2019

Should 16 year-olds be given the right to vote?

YES

Proper representation is necessary for democracy

By Teddy Beamer

Chief Columist

The ability to vote is undeniably the most essential aspect of the American political system. Suffrage is the fabric of democratic representation, and it is only fair that those who are politically active and those who are impacted by laws should be able to vote in elections. Americans who are 18 or older are not fully representative of the entire population, and 16-year-olds are becoming increasingly politically active. Laws must be changed to grant 16-year-olds the ability to vote in order to achieve a more representative and fair democracy.

In Maryland, lowering the voting age has already been proven to be incredibly effective, particularly in Takoma Park. In 2013, Takoma Park became the first city in the nation to grant suffrage to 16-year-olds. Introduced by City Councilmember Tim Male, the basis on which the law was created was the belief that the community would benefit from increased social activism, and that more lifelong voters would be made.

The change was a massive success. Each year since 2013, the youth voting turnout has increased. During the last city election in 2017, 48 percent of registered youth voted, a striking difference when compared to the mere 22 percent voter turnout from all registered voters over 18.

This success in Takoma Park disputes data collected in Austria after their democratic voting age was lowered to 16 in 2007.

Many critics of lowering the voting age in the United States cite a study done by researchers Markus Wagner, David Johann, and Syl-

During the last city election in 2017, 48 percent of registered youth voted via Kritzinger from the Department of Methods in the Social Sciences at the University of Vienna, which found significantly lower voter turnout among 16-year-olds due to a lack of education relating to political efficacy and relevant issues. This study found that an average of 5.91 out of ten voters younger than 18 planned on voting while every other age group scored at least an average of 6.24.

So what accounts for these vastly different results? Kate Stewart, Mayor of Takoma Park, believes that youth in her city are particularly educated and motivated politically.

“I definitely think young people are very

DEDE GREENFIELD

engaged in the city,” Stewart said. This engagement is primarily showcased through the Youth Council formed in 2017. “It doesn’t have to be a so-called young person’s issue or an issue for the youth council,” she said.

“Just when we were switching to LED street lights… having [youth] input and opinion is really important.”

The study also argues that 16-year-olds are not educated enough on the issues to be granted the right to vote. Stewart even noted that many critics of the lowered voting age in Takoma Park suggested a test for 16 yearolds to prove their political intellect. Additionally, and more importantly, students are becoming more and more interested in politics and political activism. This is particularly evident from the numerous walk-outs and strikes for gun control and climate change that have been organized by and participated in by high schoolers from the area in reaction to extreme events that have occurred in the past several years.

Studies have shown that voting is a learned habit, that once one has voted for their first time, they are more likely to vote again in following elections. By starting these habits at a younger age, lifelong voters are created. But many 18-year-olds do not vote because they are in college, working, or in a different environment, according to Stewart.

“Voting can be kind of a difficult to start doing if… you’re new to a place and figuring out how to register,” Stewart said. “At 16… lots of people are in the place where they either lived for a while, so they know their community fairly well.… It’s a good time to start a habit like this.”

Voter participation and the democratic process as a whole would benefit from voters casting their first ballots in a more comfortable environment and at a younger age.

In the 1960s and 70s, 18-yearolds were fighting for the right to vote, and their reasoning was very similar to activists of today.

Voting is a right that has been notoriously fought over throughout U.S. history by blacks and women, and the youth is another group still fighting for this basic right. The United States, born on democracy, is not fulfilling that legacy if willing 16-year-olds are denied voting privileges based on assumptions about intelligence and credibility.

NO

DEDE GREENFIELD

Teens don’t have the societal exposure to vote

By Khushboo Rathore

Senior Staffer

At 16-years-old, one of the most significant rights available is driving—no voting, few taxes to pay, no draft. This was all done for a reason: at 16 years old, teenagers are still underdeveloped mentally, socially, politically, and emotionally. Many students have not seen the repercussions of their actions and do not fully understand politics. College is a huge place for growth, while high school is extremely sheltered. Sixteen-year-olds are better at pushing for change through activism and passion rather than votes; they have more power when chanting “hey, hey NRA, how many kids did you kill today,” than when putting a ballot in a box.

As shown by the teenagers chanting “hands up, don’t shoot,” during a March For Our Lives protest, 16-year-olds may be largely uneducated when it comes to the real world.

In high school, students are still relatively sheltered. Since most students live with their guardians and are generally surrounded by the same peers day in and day out, they have few avenues by which to broaden their perspectives.

Perspectives of teenagers can be hugely influenced by parents. Parental involvement is still relatively high at the age of 16, and the largest influence in political ideology is inside the home. Many people do not have a full understanding of policies about abortion, sexism, or racism, and may vote based on what their parents believe.

Once students hit 18-years-old, however, the real world comes in like a punch to the gut. College is the first time that many come in prolonged contact with people who KELLEY LI don’t agree with their ideas. People from all over the country, even all over the world, have very different opinions, and many of those ideas can clash in college. For others, the workforce

voicebox

grants an opportunity to gain real-world experience. In Montgomery County, as of April 2019, the majority of voters were registered as Democrats, but within the entire country, the proportion of Democrats and Republicans is nearly even.

College exposes young people to new perspectives and opinions. This evolution is crucial when it comes to voting, which is why 16-year-olds haven’t had enough exposure to the full spectrum of political ideologies that leads to a well-informed vote.

Well-informed voting among teenagers is also limited due to social media influences.

During teenage years, opinions are still easily shaped and influenced by what is shown on social media. According to the American Academy of Childhood & Adolescent Psychiatry, many teens are still highly susceptible to peer pressure, while at the age of 18, adults begin to find their own thoughts and ideas.

One of the places where this influence is largely seen is within “cancelled” culture.

Countless celebrities have been “cancelled” by fans and by social media in general, but then re-integrated into society mere months later. Teenagers are easily influenced by social media, whether it be based on rumors or facts. This can cause propaganda or negative advertising to change their mindset completely.

While this phenomenon is common in many ages, in 2015, according to Pew Research Center, 94 percent of US teens checked social media at least once a day. In 2019, only 69 percent of US adults were reported to be using social media. People of both age groups have been known to have false information and spread information rapidly, leaving little room for the correction of errors before issues explode. One of the largest examples of this is the Alabama abortion ban, which was presumed by many to be in effect before it actually would be. Although the law is outrageous, people seem to ignore the effect that courts may have on the implementation of the law.

The activism shown in regards to the abortion law is extremely important, and another concern is that this activism may decrease if teens have the right to vote. According to the Census Bureau, people from ages of 18–29 remain with the lowest percentage of voters.

Since 1971, when 18-year-olds gained the right, only 50 percent of 18- 21-year-olds actually exercise it. They have grown to take this right for granted, and it is possible that 16-yearolds would too.

The addition of people ages 16 and 17 would lower the voting rate, adding many people who either do not wish to vote or cannot vote to the possible voting population.

Since many 16 and 17-year-olds cannot drive, it would be difficult for them to reach ballot boxes and register to vote. The influences that teenagers face in the years after high school are extremely important, and college or the workforce is a time of life where people are truly shaped. Lowering the voting age would bring in irresponsible voting and advertising, as well as lessen the impact of youth activism.

Students are truly serving by marching in the streets for democracy, not when they are placing a paper in a machine.

Naomi Nichols

Abednego Togas

Joseph Byler

Kate Wachter

Nathalia Herrera

YES “They’re practically adults.”

YES “We’re as effected by the government and policies as other young adults are.”

NO “When you’re sixteen you don’t have a full understanding of the political system.”

YES “There are a lot of young people and they’re a good percentage of the population.”

YES “I think that they’re fairly mature at this age.”

Sophomore

Sophomore

Junior

Freshman

Junior

silverchips

B2 Op/Ed

June 13, 2019

A building moratorium is not the answer to overcrowding Feature Editor

Actual and projected MCPS enrollment

On July 1, Montgomery County will ban the construction of new residential development in large parts of the county in an attempt to address the issue of overcrowding in MCPS schools. Blair, Einstein, Northwood, Walter Johnson, Richard Montgomery and Quince Orchard are all at 120 percent capacity or higher, so the building of new developments will be banned in the areas that feed into these school clusters. This one-year building moratorium will be put in place due to a flawed ordinance that connects school overcrowding to residential development.

In reality, overcrowding stems from the desirability of MCPS schools and demographic factors, not increased residential development. More parents in the area are sending their kids to the public schools rather than private schools because of MCPS’ stellar reputation. There is also a demographic wave of more school children in Montgomery County which cannot be fixed by a moratorium; as older people move out of their homes, families with school-aged kids move in. MCPS enrollment has grown by about 1,600 per year since 2000, and in the coming years, enrollment is only projected to increase. Instead of banning new housing developments, Montgomery County should build more schools to reduce overcrowding.

Recent data shows that the new students at the root of MCPS overpopulation are not coming from new housing developments— rather, they are coming from existing developments. An analysis from the Montgomery County Planning Department found that between 2011 and 2015 less than 4.9 percent of the new students at overcrowded high schools are coming from newly developed housing.

At Einstein, only about five percent of the new students came from newly built housing,

180,000 170,000 160,000 150,000 140,000 130,000 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

By Mira Diamond-Berman AN OPINION

MCPS Enrollment CENSUS BUREAU, MCPS

whereas at Richard Montgomery only one student (.2 percent) came from new developments between 2011 and 2015.

During the same time period, “enrollment in the Blair cluster grew by nearly 1,100 students while over 1,400 new units of multifamily residential were built,” according to the analysis. However, only 51 MCPS students come from these new apartments, so new residential development is clearly not the cause of school congestion.

Demographic waves, not housing developments, are the root of the overcrowding issue. There has been a generational change in Montgomery County as more families

Projected enrollment MIRA DIAMOND-BERMAN

with kids move in and retirees move out, according to Casey Anderson, chair of the Montgomery County Urban Planning Board.

“Neighborhoods kind of turn over.” Anderson said. “The most obvious [example] is the baby boom. Right after the second World War all these young adults decided, ‘Hey the war is over, it is time to start a family,’ so it is a huge fertility wave.… Then there was an echo boom after the baby boom… that happened at a neighborhood level.”

The number of children in a neighborhood greatly varies over time, even when the number of living spaces in the area remains the same. The number of students in public

schools is more dependent upon the number of school-aged children in each house than the number of houses in a neighborhood, according to Anderson. “It depends on the age demographic of the adults in the neighborhood and where they are in their lives in terms of children,” he said. Currently, Montgomery County has an overwhelming number of school-aged children.

Beyond the hard evidence that a moratorium is not the solution to MCPS’ overpopulation issue, a building freeze will harm Montgomery County’s economy. “A moratorium is bad,” Hans Reimer, Montgomery County Council Member, said. “You want to stay ahead of enrollment growth so that we never enact a moratorium.”

A ban to development means a ban to economic progress in Montgomery County.

“Companies want to invest in Montgomery County and support economic development and build the communities that are trying to provide for the residents here, [but] they can’t,” Reimer said. People living in Montgomery County and potential residents will also have more difficulty buying and paying for housing. “It shuts off new housing we need to promote housing affordability,” he said.

Instead of causing harm to the economy, MCPS can directly address the root of the problem by building schools. Creating new schools is simply the best solution to overcrowding. Montgomery County has already added three new high schools into the budget, according to Reimer.

MCPS needs urgent change to address the fact that schools like Blair, Northwood and Richard Montgomery County are congested. “Whether [or not] we stop building housing tomorrow, we still have school overcrowding,” Anderson said. “The focus really has to be on figuring out how to efficiently and quickly build school capacity where it’s needed.”

To be paid or not to be paid Finding value in the summer job in the age of unpaid internships

By Sarah Schiffgens AN OPINION

News Editor

On June 14th, thousands of Blazers will leave school behind them for the next three months and launch into summer break. For some students, this summer entails relaxation, tanning by the poolside, and hiking trips. Others might find that their workload does not stop after the school year ends, as they engage in summer jobs, and increasingly, seasonal internships. As high school students across the country move toward unpaid internships to get a foot in the door at big companies, the summer job slowly begins to disappear. The shift raises the question: Is the value of the summer job getting lost on our generation of college-oriented workers?

Although there is inherent value in any summer experience, society places too much weight on an internship opportunity in high school while undermining the value of a summer job. Colleges will value work experience in any realm, as it promotes accountability and work skills. The one key difference between the vast majority of internships and jobs students take are the ways in which the two kinds of workers are compensated and the implications of such payment.

A teen who works a summer job can use their money in a variety of ways: for clothes, food, or even college. But as that student goes paycheck to paycheck, he or she begins to develop an understanding of how to manage their money and stretch it. They learn to budget, and ultimately develop greater financial literacy from their experience.

Junior Cecelia Dworak started her job as a lifeguard at Forest Knolls Pool a few weeks ago, and plans to continue working throughout the season. “[Lifeguards] scan the pool to make sure no one is in trouble or in need of help, but we also do more administrative

front desk kind of things… and clean up the pool area to make it a welcoming environment for people,” Dworak says.

“Being paid is actually really nice because it feels like you’re actually working towards something and allows me to be more responsible towards my own expenses. I can start paying for more things myself and have more money,” says Dworak, who receives payment by check every two weeks.

Even with the wide-range of jobs that Blazers hold, Dworak’s work experience speaks to some of the larger truths of working as a teenager.

No matter the job, em-

SEOYOUNG JOO

ployees are expected to work a shift, carry out their tasks properly, use problem-solving skills, handle constructive criticism, and ultimately, receive some hard-earned cash.

Not all Blazers receive payment for the work they do over the summer, however.

Junior Frances O’Connor will be partaking in an unpaid internship this summer at FairVote in Takoma Park.

“I’ll be working in the communications department, and one of the things they had already contacted me about was working on redoing the website so a bunch of design aspects… just organizing it into a more accessible website for more people to reach the information

they’re putting out,” O’Connor says. For students like O’Connor, compensation for their work often comes in the form of Student Service Learning hours.

High school internships present a unique opportunity for students to explore future career options and gain work experience in a field in which they are interested. “I’m really interested in communications in general, making videos, making graphic design related things, so I’m really interested in growing my own skills in that and working in a professional environment,” says O’Connor.

Interns can expand basic work skills and above all, gain a highly coveted experience to flaunt on college applications. As the competitive atmosphere of the college admissions process surmounts those of previous generations, students are beginning to ditch the summer job in pursuit of a more prestigious recognition of work experience through big-name internships.

An analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that as of July 2016, the teen labor force participation rate was 43.2 percent, down nearly 30 percentage points from its peak of 71.8 percent in July 1978.

By the same token, the number of teenagers seeking internships have been on the rise.

Internships have always presented an opportunity for students to explore a more professional field of interest, though one will find that these opportunities are much more readily available in college and hence less necessary in high school than they are often made out to be.

“An unpaid internship helps give you experience but it doesn’t give you the experience of responsibility with your own money,” Dworak says. “There’s no… benefit of the work besides enjoying an experience.

So there’s something about being paid to do something and feeling like your work matters.”

silverchips

June 13, 2019

My Blair: Personal Column Business staff keeps the paper afloat

LUCY MARTIN

By Alyssa Ma

Executive Business Director

Student journalism is the foundation of public expression, especially in high schools.

We at Silver Chips are at the forefront of Blair’s public expression and dialogue. We circulate over 3,000 copies every cycle to all parts of the county, informing our audience on school issues and events affecting the rest of the community. Our support base is not limited to students and staff, and frequently includes family, friends, community members, and alumni. However, our paper is facing a difficult financial situation. If we cannot appropriately fund our paper, we will have no choice but to take money from the school and be subjected to prior review. All of what we have built over the last 82 years will be endangered if the paper falls into the hands of the school administration. Prior review could, in fact, be the downfall of our paper as well as student journalism itself.

Prior review in the context of student journalism refers to the practice of school administrations reading and editing the newspaper before publication and distribution.

However, this practice encourages censorship of the student voice and limits freedom of the press. High school student journalism is not legally protected from prior review. A federal appellate court has ruled that “Writers on a high school newspaper do not have an unfettered constitutional right to be free from pre-publication review.” School administrations have consequently taken over the public dialogue of high school students across the county.

Silver Chips has devoted itself to the mission of informing the school and community since its founding in 1937. We hold journalistic freedom in the highest regard as “a public forum for student expression.”

But this independence is highly reliant on the financial state of our organization. This is why the Silver Chips business staff works so hard to maintain the paper’s financial stability.

As the Silver Chips Business Executive of Design and Media, it is my job to design advertisements and manage the social media accounts. My fellow business executives and I support the paper through these advertisements, along with subscriptions, fundraisers, and grants, enabling Silver Chips to run without subjection to prior review. While those of us on business staff do not write for the paper, we are still an integral part of its production.

Unfortunately, Silver Chips is going through another financial challenge. While we will strive to never compromise the integrity of the publication, its current financial situation leaves our future at an uncertain crossroads. If we cannot make ends meet, Silver Chips will be forced to either stop production or take money from the school administration. In order to improve our current monetary predicament, it is important that the student body and broader community supports Silver Chips. Even a single subscription or donation can make a huge difference, and with enough support, Silver Chips can remain a beacon for student advocacy and expression.

Opinion B3 Corrections: May 2019

Text in the May 2019 Student and Teacher Awards & Honors misspelled Sarah Fillman’s award. It should have read “Sarah Fillman received the Distinguished Service to Public Education Award from the MCPS Board of Education.”

Text in the May 2019 International Newsbriefs was reprinted from March 2019.

What do you think?

Feel free to access our feedback survey to tell us what you think about Silver Chips!

Scan the code below with a QR reader app, or use the URL: http://www.chipssurvey.com/

silverchips

B4 Editorials

June 13, 2019

Tending to the attendance issue By the Editorial Board A recent report from The Washington Post highlighted the nearly 40 percent of Einstein seniors who skipped classes at least ten times in a semester. The headline, “Can you skip 47 days of English class and still graduate from high school?” points to a key question in our county’s attendance system: When is it justified to skip classes, and how should schools react?

Let us introduce you to three hypothetical students, all with similar attendance records and varying degrees of effort put into their classwork.

The first is a senior on their last leg of high school. Generally obtaining mediocre marks and constantly skipping out on first periods, this student is still on the road to graduation despite their supposedly damning attendance record.

In the second scenario, a sophomore who feels disillusioned with school constantly skips out to enjoy a nice frappuccino at the Four Corners’ Starbucks. In spite of the clear neglect of his classwork, the student is not denied their diploma.

With just barely passing marks and a spotty attendance record, our second student is still able to graduate with a document of equivalent value to that of a student who worked hard and never missed a class. That doesn’t seem fair.

Finally, we come across a junior who is working two night jobs to support their family and can hardly keep their head up during class. In order to make the most of their time, they skip out constantly on their classes but is

Editorial Cartoon

still in continuous communication with their teachers, who understand their situation. Although they are not in class physically, they are still mentally present.

Attendance should play a role in graduation, but its weight must depend on the student’s circumstances. Ideally, our system will not grant diplomas to students who don’t have a valid reason for skipping out on class, but should holistically evaluate reasonable

absences.

As it stands, loss-of-credits for any particular class are initialized by teachers, who are often pressured to pass undeserving students to boost school standings.

Instead of this approach, the merits of a student’s chronic absenteeism should be evaluated by teachers, administrators, and the student. Keep in mind that by diminishing the requirements for student perfor-

mance due to inattendance, we are also decreasing the value of our diploma.

Decisions regarding our first hypothetical student, the senior who has mediocre grades and bad attendance, should be turned over to the teacher. If the senior isn’t able to keep up with coursework due to absenteeism, the school should have the right to rescind their credit.

When it comes to our second student, any loss-of-credit decisions become far easier. With abysmal attendance and worse grades, all that would come of this student successfully graduating is a diminishment of the value of other Montgomery County students’ diplomas.

Our third student is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they are partially responsible for supporting their family; on the other, they clearly value their high school education.

This is when the entire premise of the public education system, that every child is entitled to a free education, comes into focus. This student’s ability to graduate should reflect his extenuating circumstances.

If teachers, counselors, and administrators rely less on assumptions and more on actual conversations with truant students, they can come to fairer decisions that put attendance in perspective. Though important, a number of absences should not determine whether a student passes a class—a student’s mastery of course content should.

To answer the Washington Post: Yes, students should still graduate even if they skip many classes. Depending on circumstances.

Mess with numbers, be number one

How school rankings manipulate students and schools

By Victoria Xin

Ombudsman

Recently, the U.S. News and World Report, the gospel of high school principals and college deans alike, made the news for their revamped high school ranking system.

As panicked administrators rush to comply with these updated standards and parents clamor to compare their local schools, let us step back and examine what those deified rankings are composed of.

High School

Originally, high schools were ranked by U.S. News based on the amount of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) testing the school conducted. The equation was easy: amount of APs over total seniors. No consideration was given to the passing rate.

Clearly, that was an oversimplified and misguided calculation for high school ratings.

Testing, especially the overpriced and overhyped APs, should not be the single factor that decrees how well a school is performing.

That tunnel-vision scoring system was certainly embarrassing to the multimillion magazine corporation, as well as damaging to both students and administration.

Among those heavily influenced by this faulty statistic were the BASIS charter schools.

In 2018, the six out of the top ten best ranked high schools nationally were BASIS schools.

Their graduates took an average of 12 AP exams by the end of their senior year.

On the surface, those impressive rankings seemed like the results of a rigorous and productive curriculum with healthy, motivated students. However, pushed by administration to take as many AP tests as possible, students endure curriculums that heavily emphasized test preparation and played down student understanding.

Since BASIS is a charter school system, they were able to cut students who did not meet their standards instead of providing them with extra support, something public schools are not allowed to do.

Opting to restrict the promotion of such damaging principles, U.S. News and World Report decided to try again for 2019, calculating ratings for over 23,000 high schools schools across the United States.

However, unable to shake off their dark past, the magazine once again created a ranking system dominated by AP and IB testing, which made up 40 percent of the newly developed score for 2019.

The report threw in multiple combinations of AP/ IB statistics: schoolwide participation, results, percent and amount of passing scores, everything and anything about these tests.

The goal was to

create a more encompassing system. Instead, they encompassed more APs. Another 40 percent was dedicated to state testing in both reading and math. Now, testing covers 80 percent of the total score.

Underserved students -- those with free or reduced lunch, for example -- were measured by a different metric, and given 10 percent.

Lastly, graduation rates made up a measly 10 percent, although U.S. News acknowledges that “graduation rates are an important indicator of how well a school is succeeding for all its students,” according to their website.

We all want to be number one, but being number one in heavy AP, IB, and state testing is a completely different story than being number one as a high school.

Next time our local high schools are critiqued and scrutinized based on their positions on a ranking list, take a step back and remember what those scores are based on. If you don’t believe a school should be judged primarily off of test scores, then approach with a healthy dose of skepticism.

PH O AR TO: L T: S UC EO Y M YO UN ARTIN GJ OO

College Rankings

When we move on to higher education, college rankings are similarly shady.

Amongst the U.S. News ranking factors sits the category of faculty resources, accounting for 20 percent of the score. Highly paid, highly educated, and highly successful professors in their field are considered additions to this score for their colleges.

Although this may seem reasonable, reality

paints a completely different picture. In fact, UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute found that students were typically less satisfied with elite professors in terms of student-teacher relationships and educational development.

Highly ranked professors often focused intensely on research instead of teaching to boost their status in their field. As a result, students suffer. In actuality, top professors likely contribute negatively to the students’ quality of education.

U.S. News has even gone so far as to penalize colleges that don’t subscribe to their unscientific approach by pushing those uncooperative colleges down in their rankings.

Schools such as Reed College refused to fill out the U.S. News’ data collection survey and, as a result, were given the lowest possible score in several areas and pushed into the lowest tier of colleges.

Colleges have also been caught recruiting more students than they wish to take to swell their rejection statistic and inflating their survey data for U.S. News.

By staunchly sticking to U.S. News’ ratings, we are providing them with powerful influence over colleges. The colleges, in turn, slowly begin to manipulate the categories U.S. News has unempirically set as important to climb the ladder to the top for attracting funding and students.

School ranking systems are at best uninformative and at worst downright destructive. The methodologies used to create these scores are either scientifically unsound or based on commonly rejected principles.

As U.S. News continues to publish school rankings, we must remember where those numbers came from and proceed with caution.

Email me at ombudsman silverchips@gmail.com

13 de junio de 2019

silverchips

español C1

La Esquina Latina

Silver Chips el 12 de junio de 2019

Blair gana primer lugar en un torneo intramural de fútbol Por Lourdes Reyes Valenzuela ESCRITORA

El pasado 24 de mayo el equipo intramural de Blair ganó el torneo de Fútbol para el cambio de las selecciones femenina y masculina. Fútbol para el cambio o en inglés Soccer for Change es una actividad que le permite a los estudiantes aprovechar el tiempo practicando fútbol después de la escuela. A diferencia del equipo oficial de Blair, este equipo no exige que los estudiantes tengan un promedio alto, sino que los jugadores asistan a todas sus clases. El programa fue implementado en las escuelas del condado de Montgomery en octubre del 2017. Este año, de las escuelas secundarias del condado, solamente hubieron seis equipos de cada escuela en este torneo.

Blair tiene dos equipos de fútbol, uno femenino y el otro masculino. El equipo masculino estuvo compuesto de 15 chicos de nuestra escuela. Por varias semanas, este equipo se fue preparando para el torneo con la ayuda de la señora Allie Coyle, maestra de química, quien los entrenó para ganar. Uno de los jugadores del equipo del noveno grado, Cristian Sandoval López, dijo que “Gracias a Dios que [nuestra entrenadora] puso lo mejor de sí para entrenarnos y nos enseñó a ser un gran equipo”. Esta es una de las razones por lo que Sandoval dice que su equipo pudo ganar el torneo. La comunicación que había entre los jugadores y la entrenadora fue clave para el éxito. El día del partido final los chicos estaban nerviosos porque al igual que ellos el equipo contrario también se había preparado arduamente. Miguel Carbajal, un estudiante del décimo grado y defensa lateral dijo, “Fue muy difícil anotar los goles y hacer defensa porque el otro equipo también tenía buenos jugadores”. Ellos compitieron contra

CORTESÍA DE BRENDA BARRERA

SOCCER FOR CHANGE El equipo femenino y el equipo masculino de Blair posan después de una merecida victoria. el equipo de la escuela secundaria de Gaithersburg, el Real Barca, a quien le ganaron con un puntaje de 2 a 1. En el segundo tiempo anotaron el gol ganador cuando ya quedaban pocos minutos. Coyle dice, “Los chicos me cuentan lo mucho que les ha ayudado y los agradecidos que están por haberles dado esta oportunidad. La verdad es que yo he aprendido mucho de ellos también.

Nuestro equipo es como una familia. Siempre estaré allí para ellos para lo que necesiten y no me cabe ninguna duda de que ellos lo saben.” Es evidente que la confianza y la comunicación en el equipo ha sido un factor determinante para su triunfo.

El equipo de las chicas se compuso de varias estudiantes de diferentes escuelas

secundarias del condado. Daniel Barros, patrocinador de Rec Zone, una actividad después de escuela, fue quien las entrenó para esta competencia. Según Eunice Larios, una estudiante del décimo grado “Nosotras nos preparamos por varias semanas para competir. Durante este tiempo aprendimos a trabajar como equipo”.

Esto les ayudó a poder crear una conexión entre ellas y así tener la confianza de jugar juntas. Heydi Flores, alumna del grado once, anotó el gol ganador. “[Lo que me ayudó a anotar el gol ganador] fue la confianza que yo tuve en mi misma que me incitó a hacerlo. Las prácticas me ayudaron a desarrollar mi aguante deportivo para poder anotar el gol.” Esto demuestra

las uñas, e incluso usó uñas postizas y verdes en los premios Billboard del 2019 .

El video de la canción “Caro,”sigue con una pasarela donde caminan modelos ancianas, gente afrolatina, personas de talla grande, otros vestidos en drag, e incluso una modelo con el síndrome de Down. Al mismo tiempo, Bad Bunny canta, “me miran raro, eh, pero a nada yo le paro”.

Durante el interludio de la canción, Ricky Martin se une a Bad Bunny para cantar, “¿En qué te hago daño a ti?

Yo soSEYOUNG JOO lamente soy feliz ¿Por qué no puedo ser así?” Ricky Martin es uno de los íconos más grandes de la comunidad LGBTQ+ latinx.

Está claro que Bad Bunny, a través de su música, intenta representar a distintos

grupos dentro de la comunidad latina. Además de crear representación, el cantante está cambiando la percepción de la masculinidad dentro de la cultura popular. Bad Bunny tiene una forma distinta de vestirse. Además de pintarse las uñas, Bad Bunny usa estampada ropa de colores vibrantes y gafas de estilo femenino. Al vestirse así, Bad Bunny ha enfrentado muchas críticas que dicen que él es “poco hombre” y hace “cosas de mujer”.

Los estereotipos siguen vigentes en la comunidad latina y el trap no es ninguna excepción. Este género históricamente tiene temas sexistas donde la mujer está cosificada como un objeto sexual.

Hace una década hubiera sido imposible que el “poster boy” de latin trap usara uñas

que aunque las prácticas pueden ser arduas, hay que persistir porque esto le ayuda al jugador a tener confianza en sí mismo y lograr un triunfo con el equipo. “Yo estoy muy feliz y agradecido de tener la oportunidad de entrenar este grupo de chicas tan increíbles y talentosas. Ellas trabajaron juntas para lograr una meta sin importar de qué escuela eran o de su pasado”, dijo el entrenador Barros, quien se mostró muy orgulloso de sus jugadoras.

Es evidente que este programa cumple el propósito de ayudar a los estudiantes de Blair a mejorar sus calificaciones y a asistir más a sus clases. Dado a que los estudiantes están muy agradecidos con la entrenadora Coyle, estos le hicieron una fiesta sorpresa el seis de junio.

Bad Bunny cambia la narrativa de la masculinidad y la música Su música promueve inclusividad dentro de la comunidad latina Por Renata Muñoz ESCRITORA

El cantante puertorriqueño Benito Martínez Ocasio, conocido como Bad Bunny, no solo está cambiando el género trap urbano, sino que está transformando la narrativa de la masculinidad. En su música, Bad Bunny logra mezclar la vanidad y la vulnerabilidad.

Bad Bunny no es el primer artista trap de juntar estos dos conceptos en la comunidad latina, que suele tener tendencias machistas.

A través de su música se puede percibir que los hombres también pueden mostrar su lado sensible.

El primer álbum de Bad Bunny, X 100PRE, una abreviatura de “Por siempre”, incluye “Caro”, una canción que dice, “De lejos se nota que mi flow es caro, eh, que con nadie me comparo.” La letra de esa canción conlleva un mensaje positivo. El video musical de la canción “Caro”, comienza con Bad Bunny en una bata a lado de una mujer que le pinta sus uñas. Al comenzar la letra de la canción, una mujer vestida como Bad Bunny le reemplaza. Esta sección del video es una referencia a un salón de belleza en España que se negó pintarle las uñas a Bad Bunny por ser hombre. Aunque varios fanáticos de Bad Bunny lo felicitaron por romper los muros de género, también recibió varios comentarios homofóbicos. A pesar de las críticas, Bad Bunny sigue pintándose

postizas y gafas femeninas. Sin embargo, Bad Bunny está reconstruyendo el modelo tradicional de ser masculino, demostrando que conectarse con el lado femenino no quita masculinidad. Bad Bunny no es perfecto, tiene algunas letras que incluso podrían ser consideradas machistas, pero está causando un cambio positivo en el campo de la música trap y en la comunidad latina. De alguna manera, este músico usa su popularidad para promover un diferente tipo de masculinidad, algo que a varios artistas de trap les faltan hacer.

Es imprescindible notar que si bien tenemos que celebrar artistas como Bad Bunny por su trabajo en la inclusividad de la comunidad LGBTQ+, es aún más importante festejar a artistas que se identifican como LGBTQ+ y que llevan a cabo la misma labor. Ricky Martin es un ícono gay importante de festejar, pero hay más cantantes, como Nitty Scott, rapera afrolatina bisexual, MANCANDY, un mexicano gay, Pabllo Vittar, una cantante brasileña que usa drag y Kevin Fret, un rapero gay puertorriqueño que falleció este año, que también se deben destacar.

Sería ideal que la actitud de Bad Bunny hacia la masculinidad fuera universal y no la excepción. Desafortunadamente, esta no es la realidad. La comunidad latina necesita celebrar la diversidad y respetar cualquier persona quien se presenta de manera diferente y Bad Bunny está tomando los pasos acertados en esta dirección.

C2 español

silverchips

13 de junio de 2019

Entrega del Sello de Bilingüismo

Una ceremonia para celebrar a los estudiantes bilingües Por Yenmis Quiñones y Tony Calderón González ESCRITORES

El 20 de mayo tomó lugar en nuestra escuela, Montgomery Blair, la ceremonia de entrega de medallas y certificados del Sello de Bilingüismo conocido en inglés como el Seal of Biliteracy donde muchos idiomas fueron representados. Hubo una gran representación

SELLO DE BILINGÜISMO Estudiantes de de estudiantes que recibieron este reconocimiento por su dominio del español seguido por los que también dominan el francés. También se reconoció a estudiantes que dominan otros idiomas menos usados como: árabe, alemán, hebreo, hindi, italiano, mandarín, ruso, vietnamita y amárico. Esta ceremonia condecoró a los estudiantes del grado doce quienes han pasado el examen de bilingüismo en otro idioma. Este examen puede ser el examen

en nuestra escuela es uno de los segundos idiomas más hablado en nuestra comunidad estudiantil”. Alrededor del 33 por ciento del cuerpo estudiantil de la escuela secundaria Montgomery Blair se compone de estudiantes latinos. Este distinguido programa es ofrecido en todas las escuelas del condado de Montgomery y en los últimos 13 años ha sido aprobado en 21 estados. El programa ha estado vigente por dos años en el estado de Maryland. Este año, en la escuela secun-

portancia de conectar con más de un grupo étnico es imprescindible en nuestro mundo actual, la confluencia cultural representada en tantas parte del mundo en especial el país donde vivimos hace que sea casi vital el hablar más de un idioma.

En la ceremonia de Seal of Biliteracy la Señora Barrera estuvo presente viendo con orgullo los estudiantes celebrar sus logros.

Aprender un segundo idioma pudo haber sido un largo proceso pero con un final bien merecido. Al haber pasado el examen de Bilingüismo, los estudiantes se exponen a mejores oportunidades que un estudiante monolingüe. La señora Barrera indicó que los estudiantes que son bilingües tienen una ventaja para comunicarse con otras personas porque se comunican en su lenguaje nativo, haciendo que la conversación fluya mejor y también dejó un mensaje a los estudiantes del Seal of Biliteracy, tal como dijo el señor Hernández en su discurso, que sigan hablando el idioma y aprendiendo más porque desarrollan un mejor entendimiento original de la comunidad y cultura. El señor Hernández agregó una perspectiva de lo bueno que es ser bilingue o trilingue diciendo, “no hay nada como leer a un Borges en español, o Rulfo, José Martí, Neruda, tienes el orgullo de que no necesitar una traducción que lo leíste en el lenguaje del autor. Eso es algo que debe hacerte sentir ese orgullo”.

CORTESÍA DE BRENDA BARRERA Debido a que este es un nuevo programa hay muchos aspectos mejorables, los estuBlair reciben orgullosamente una medalla en reconocimiento a su bilingüismo. diantes de doce grado quienes tomaron el examen de AP recientemente no podrán de un idioma. En una entrevista con el señor daria Montgomery Blair 111 estudiantes del recibir su sello hasta julio y al graduarse no Hernández el destacó la importancia de ser doce grado recibieron la medalla y adicional- reciben la medalla. Sin embargo hay alterpolíglota “Me pareció muy interesante la ce- mente 58 estudiantes del onceavo recibieron nativas: El condado de montgomery ofrece remonia la cantidad de estudiantes que ha- los diplomas y el próximo año recibirán la el examen de Avant, que se puede tomar en blan más de un idioma, y los lenguajes que medalla. El señor Hernández también co- el invierno de esa manera estarán listos los estuvieron representados esa noche fue algo mentó sobre la importancia del orgullo la- resultados cuando llegue la graduación. La que me conmovió mucho. El español sigue tino. “Creo que una de las cosas que quise ceremonia fue muy conmovedora y gratifisiendo uno de los lenguajes que se habla por enfatizar con mi discurso fue estar orgullo- cante tanto para los estudiante como para sus todo el mundo o en muchas partes del mun- sos de su herencia, que el idioma no permite maestros, este es un logro tanto individual do y creo que fue representativo que aquí alcanzar nuestra propia identidad”. La im- como colectivo para nuestra comunidad.

AP si fue aprobado con un puntaje de 4 o 5 o el examen de bilingüismo ofrecido en las escuelas superiores del condado de Montgomery. Este reconocimiento demuestra el esfuerzo y perseverancia de nuestros Blazers.

La ceremonia contó con la participación del departamento de idiomas de la escuela y el señor Edvin Hernández, el encargado del Centro de Carreras, quien dio un emotivo discurso acerca de su orgullo hacia la cultura y la importancia de comunicarse en más

El Salvador promueve inciativa ambiental a la ONU Un país pequeño con iniciativas grandes Por Alzahra Rodríguez y Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo ESCRITORAS

El primero de marzo de 2019 la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas declaró “La Década de la Restauración de los Ecosistemas” que será implementado entre los años 2021 al 2030. Esta iniciativa fue propuesta por El Salvador en septiembre de 2018 y desde entonces el país la continuó promoviendo hasta que tuvo el apoyo de 193 países. Ileana Gómez, miembro del Consejo de Dirección de la Fundación Prisma, centro regional de diálogo e investigación sobre desarrollo y medio ambiente, dio la razón por el empuje para esta iniciativa. Gómez explicó, “La década se promovió porque los países como los Centroamericanos somos los que menos hemos contribuido a la emisión de carbono. Por eso, tenemos que hacer una transformación sustantiva en muchas de las áreas de la economía de nuestros países, específicamente en lo que se refiere a las prácticas agrícolas“.

Durante la iniciativa las Naciones Unidas va a incrementar drásticamente su esfuerzo para ayudar a los ecosistemas destruidos y dañados del mundo. La iniciativa quiere restaurar 350 millones de hectáreas antes del 2030.

Para lograrlo los gobiernos de cada país deben de estar involucrados. “La idea es que los gobiernos puedan establecer metas nacionales para contribuir a una meta común global”,

dijo Lina Pohl, Ministra del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de El Salvador (20092019) y promotora de esta iniciativa. Ileana Gómez mencionó, “Los gobiernos deben priorizar los temas ambientales, contribuir con sus propios presupuestos y vincular todos

adaptarse a los cambios para el bien común.

“Adaptarnos al cambio climático significa saber manejar esta variabilidad climática y poder contrarrestar situaciones críticas como la pérdida de cultivos y mejorar las condiciones de vida de las personas”, comentó Ileana Gó-

IVONNE ZHOU

estos esfuerzos con los territorios”.

Además, parte del objetivo de esta iniciativa es concientizar a las personas sobre la importancia de tener ecosistemas funcionales y

mez. Pohl agregó, “Las acciones de restauración permitirán el involucramiento de los actores relevantes en la sensibilización sobre la importancia de tener ecosistemas funcio-

nales para el bienestar humano y para las actividades productivas”. Para enfatizar su compromiso esta indicó, “Tengo más de 25 años de trabajar los temas ambientales y cada vez más veo la urgencia por lograr un medio ambiente sano. Soy salvadoreña y mi país se ve muy amenazado por el cambio climático. Pero no es suficiente que mi país enfrente los problemas y lleve una agenda ambiental fuerte. La solución pasa porque lo haga el planeta entero. Así que decidí que había que hacer una iniciativa a nivel internacional. Demostrar su urgencia y elaborar un marco común para la restauración. Quería mostrar que aunque somos un país pequeño, es precisamente de allí que tienen que venir iniciativas grandes.

Porque nunca debe ser una excusa que eres pequeño, nunca debes pensar que la suerte de nuestros países está definida por la actuación de los grandes países. Creo firmemente que es hora de actuar, es imprescindible para que nuestro planeta tenga viabilidad. Es esta década que viene o quizá lleguemos a un punto de no retorno.

A pesar de que al principio me decían que la iniciativa debería venir de una gran potencia, lo logramos. Todos los países nos apoyaron. Una mujer, de un país pequeño, con un grupo de apoyo extraordinario, logró el consenso mundial. Ahora el reto es de implementarlo. Ahora inicia el verdadero trabajo “.

June 13, 2019

silverchips

Features D1

Controlling the deer population MoCo’s hooved denizens are kept in check

By George Ashford Paloma Williams

News Editor Culture Editor

Every year during the fall and winter, select parks in Montgomery County close to the public and open to hunters. These hunting opportunities are the result of a 1995 Montgomery County program aimed at controlling the deer populations. Since the program began, tens of thousands of deer have been culled from Montgomery County parks, both by licensed hunters and police sharpshooters.

According to Ryan Butler, a Principal Natural Resources Specialist for Montgomery County Parks, deer dwell in the ‘edge habitat’ created by the Montgomery County suburbs. “What we did by developing the landscape is we fragmented forest habitat, and deer are actually edge species, so they thrive in these patchwork kind of environments… when we fragmented the forest to develop… we actually made ideal habitat for deer,” he says.

Ideal conditions have paved the way for the deer population to rise beyond what is considered stable. Butler says that deer overpopulation became a serious problem for the county in the late 1980s. “As the 80s went on into 90s, the deer were not being hunted, there were no predators, they were finding that edge habitat and thriving in it...and all of a sudden, next thing you know, they’re becoming an issue.”

High populations of deer in suburban Montgomery County may seem harmless, but increased deer population density has its fair share of drawbacks. In 2017, the county saw nearly 2,000 deer-vehicle collisions, which can cause vehicular damage and injury. Butler also points out that they

can damage local vegetation. “The cost to parkland and other natural areas [of] deer in those kind of numbers will strip the natural food source to nothing eventually….” At that point, deer turn to food provided by humans. “And the way they’re able to survive then is either through human landscaping in neighborhoods, or, in agricultural areas, they will eat the crops and often damage those in significant levels.”

Problems with large animal overpopulation are not specific to Montgomery County.

According to the Highway Insurance Institute, almost 200 people were killed in collisions with animals in the US in 2016, and deaths in these types of crashes have been on the rise since 1975.

At the state level, the problem of deer overpopulation is handled through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “Deer… are being removed from the population in an effort to control that deer herd and reduce the deer density across the statewide area,” DNR urban deer biologist George Timko says.

The DNR sponsors population-reduction methods ranging from hunting to sterilization. “Hunters basically harvest between 100,000 and 70,000 deer annually,” Timko says. According to their website, the DNR also employs non-lethal methods of population control such as exclusion (fencing and netting), repellents, and deer contraception.

Methods of population-reductions such as deer contraception involve the untraditional use of both animal contraceptives and sterilization, lowering deer populations by preventing their ability to reproduce. Maryland was the first state to approve of the use of Gonacon, an animal contraceptive still in its investigative stages for future use on behalf

MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS

of the DNR. Farmers can also obtain a special Deer Management Permit which allows them to remove deer from their property without regards to the official hunting season or hunting limits. To attain eligibility for such a permit, a farmer must prove severe economic loss because of deer damage to commercially sold crops.

In addition to the far-reaching Maryland program, Montgomery County has its own program for controlling the deer population.

“On parkland, we assess deer populations, we manage deer through managed deer hunting programs as well as our Park Police officers doing sharp shooting in urban environments or suburban environments to try to bring deer [levels] down,” Butler says. He’s

ITAMAR FIORINO

seen this program reduce motor accidents in the parks where it is being instituted. “We’re seeing significantly fewer deer-vehicle collisions in the direct vicinity of the parks where we manage [deer populations] versus those where we don’t,” he says. According to Timko, Montgomery County’s program leads the state for deer population-reduction in both efficiency and success.

Butler hopes that deer population control betters the lives of residents in Montgomery County. “We’re trying to protect natural resources, we’re trying to protect the interests of people, whether it be agriculture or residential landscaping, and of course public safety interests like deer-vehicle collisions, things like that. We’re working to try to bring balance as best as we can.”

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June 13, 2019

Instructor Cons

Building the perfect teacher from teacher can make or break a class.

Whether it be English, calculus, or art, the teacher is always at the center of intellectual discovery in the classroom. However, when that center is muddled with monotony, a disinterested attitude, or a lack of understanding of the topic at hand, students tune out— they fail to learn.

In a classroom that transmits warmth, promotes curiosity, and fosters student creativity, however, the narrative flips: Students are more engaged, excited to learn, and mentally sound.

Here, we compile a wide assortment of student opinions on student teaching preferences. Interestingly enough, the same positive traits pop up over and over again, and so do the same negative traits.

Certain teachers’ names also pop up again and again.

The teachers we interviewed were all mentioned by name by students as exemplary educators at Montgomery Blair.

Although we are not able to cover every praiseworthy educator, the traits detailed throughout the piece manifest themselves in teachers from every department and walk of life within Blair.

And with this, we construct the ideal instructor.

Mapping the classroom

When it comes to setting the tone for a course, classroom and lesson structures are a student’s map to knowledge. When expectations are not clear, the map gets jumbled, and the final destination—a fruitful education— becomes further out of reach.

According to the students, the best course of navigation is found through straightforward communication between students and teachers. “I think the teacher really has to be able to tell the student what’s

going on, what’s going right, what’s going wrong, and really be able to talk to the student about what they’ve got to do to get a good grade,” freshman David Diouf says.

A teacher that is receptive of their students’ engagement in the classroom is more likely to adapt to the needs of their class and provide the necessary support to bring the best out in their pupils.

One of the greatest indicators of a conducive learning environment is a setting in which the learning interests of students are taken into the highest consideration. “A good teacher is a teacher who focuses on what the students are doing and not what the teachers are doing,” math teacher David Stein says.

Teachers must not only direct their focus, but the focus of the entire classroom in order to facilitate learning. “If [the kids are] bored and not paying attention, then they’re not learning anything.… You have to change things up and tell funny stories and things like that,” Stein says.

just becau the teach [rather] put in yo yourself ander s Hist man, d patient his cla ples th of man classro learnin Gro ian ide guide h room. on the this not out wh is allow ideas] h that is im well,” G In cl perfect, courses and tack also rec helpful.

Ms. Ha is devot and wor material, which I think is a lo educational,” Zhang says.

Teaching techniques

Knowledge level

While teachers have plenty of techniques for maintaining class structure, the most loathed are those which cut students from the equation. Teacher-centric lectures are oftentimes considered a necessary evil.

However, students commonly share scorn for long, drawn out lectures that many say leave the classroom half asleep.

Junior Peter Zhang dislikes the monotony of an hour and a half of lectures. “A lot of teachers prefer to just give out content and expect kids to learn it,” he says. “I just don’t think that’s a very productive model for kids to learn.”

In a classroom where discussion guides all learning, students become more invested in the subject material. “Personally I really like… the more interactive stuff

To be a teacher, there mu knowledge obtained before Of course, there are the stat tests for certification, but th knowledge than a rubber-stam Many students are lookin cate understanding of the m teachers who infuse their inst work and lazy presentations.

Junior Ifrah Hussain valu life applications and connect like Ms. Earle [who teaches teaches social studies], they w they involved real-world exam really connected with their s

Features D2/D3

rchips

structor

m the ground up

use it’s not just this boring, her talks for the entire time, it’s where you can actually our own [ideas] and learn by f,” freshman Anthony Alexsays. tory teacher Marc Grossdescribed as an interactive, t, and active teacher, guides asses with teaching princihat have spoken to the needs ny students. “Ultimately, [a oom] is a platonic place of ng,” Grossman says. ossman pushes for contrareas and criticism in order to higher learning in his class“Our legal system is based e Socratic method, and it’s tion that the truth will come hen a competition of ideas wed to exist.… [Contrasting help bring about truth and mportant in the classroom as Grossman says. lasses where practice makes , like many math and science s, letting students run free kle problems on their own is cognized as being extremely . “A lot of the class time [in art’s organic chemistry class] ted to just solving problems rking in group to learn the ot more productive and also

ust be a certain threshold of dispersing it to the masses. te, county, and countrywide here is more to a teacher’s mped seal of approval. ng for an extensive and intrimaterial at hand, looking for truction with more than busy

ues lessons that provide real to her day-to-day life. “I feel biology] and Mr. Zick [who were really good teachers and mples,” said Hussain. “They students and I feel like a lot

of teachers don’t do that, and I feel like there are a few teachers out there that really want to get to know their students.”

Asking questions is arguably the most pertinent topic among students when it comes to having a good teacher. “[When] you ask [a good teacher] an extra question that’s not in the curriculum, they can answer it or at least can help you figure it out,” junior Karen Yang says. “[A bad teacher would] say that it’s not in the curriculum or copy answers off the internet for answer keys.”

Many teachers will say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. However, some teachers turn around and dismantle that statement by discouraging questions or dismissing a question as too simplistic to warrant a response.

A teacher who handles questions poorly can kill a student’s enthusiasm for a course. “I asked [a past math teacher] a question because I was very confused and we were going fast and she said to me that I should know [the answer],” freshman Momoreoluwa Del-Davidson says. “I obviously didn’t know it, so I just went back to my desk and didn’t know what I was doing, so that was horrible.”

Beyond classroom knowledge, many students credit their favorite teachers with exposing them to life skills, such as information retention techniques and mindset shifts.

Del-Davidson attributes her newly effective study habits to her history teacher. “I was having trouble doing my history homework because I was always doing it in loud places,” she said. “[Mr. Grossman] showed me that if you want to study and actually retain the information, you have to go somewhere quiet, and once I started doing that, I got much better grades.”

Personality traits

Compassion, empathy, and understanding constantly come up as traits excellent teachers possess. Whether that be in a student’s moment of need emotionally or physically, outstanding teachers always exhibit kindness and understanding.

The saying goes that ‘patience is a virtue’, and these values transfer seamlessly into the classroom setting. “[Good teachers] work with different students and understand that not everybody learns at the same pace or learns the same way, and I think that having that patience is really helpful,” freshman Declan Herlihy says.

Knowing that one’s teacher cares about their students on both a professional and personal level provides a support system on which students can comfortably rely.

Freshman Medhanit Desta recalls a specific moment of compassion during a particularly stressful day. “I was crying one day and [my English teacher Dr. Simel] took me out and gave me a nice conversation, and we went on a nice

walk and she gave me a bunch of tissues.

I was feeling a lot better [after- wards].”

Compassion is greater than showing kindness: It also extends to reassurance and support. When students begin to doubt themselves, good teachers are pillars that they can lean on during emotionally difficult times.

Junior Elizabeth Olsen witnessed a moment of true kindness after school during a help session for an AP course. “[Another student] was saying how he felt incredibly inadequate, and not smart enough to be in [his AP Chemistry] class, and he felt like all of his classmates were judging him, he felt like he was comparing himself all the time, and he was very emotional, he felt like he was about to cry,” she says. “[Magnet math teacher Edward] Kirk’s response was one of the nicest things I’ve ever heard a teacher say, where in this very kind but slightly stern voice was like, ‘You’re smart, you’re enough, you don’t need to compare yourself, because you know what you’re doing,’” Olsen says. “He really was able to communicate to that kid… the importance of valuing one’s own intelligence.”

With administrations breathing down teachers’ necks, countless education theories dictating their every response, and a roomful of rowdy high schoolers to control, it does seem impossible for teachers to do everything right. Yet some teachers still manage to do it.

D4 Features

June 13, 2019

silverchips

DEDE GREENFIELD

By Amanda Liu

Op/Ed Editor

It is a cloudless Sunday morning when junior Nayla Henríquez closes out another deal for her mother’s cleaning business. Henríquez, by now a seasoned professional in business negotiations, expertly explains her mother’s pricing and services to the client before settling on a deal.

Henríquez is accustomed to transactions like these. Her mother, like many Blair parents, immigrated to the United States from El Salvador and can only speak Spanish.

Thus Henríquez, who is fluent in both Spanish and English, acts as a language broker for her mother, helping her navigate legal and financial matters. Henríquez’s mother has one of her children translate whenever she needs to do a price estimate for a client.

“I do her bank stuff; I don’t think there’s a thing that I don’t know. I do her credit cards, I write checks,” Henríquez says. “She’s really dependent on her children, even though she’s an independent person and she makes her own money and… owns her own business.”

Henríquez is one of many Blair students who helps translate for nonnative English-speaking parents.

Around 570 students are currently enrolled in the Blair ESOL program, but many more non-ESOL students like Henríquez step up to translate for their parents. As ESOL department resource teacher Debra Adler says, all kinds of students may take on this responsibility.

“It is certainly not just students that are recently arrived [to the U.S.].… Even students that have been born here might be translating for their families,” she explains.

As a result of their increased responsibilities, student translators

often find themselves split between teenage and adult commitments.

As Adler says, translating can either make students “more successful” or be “an extra burden,” depending on the family and the student. Whatever the case, juggling obligations from these two worlds inevitably requires students to make difficult prioritization decisions between family commitment and teenage life.

Increased obligations

According to Adler, Montgomery County provides several resources for schools to communicate with parents who are not fluent in English.

“We have many bilingual staff in school.… When official things need to be done and parents call up we can offer someone who can help,” she says. “Additionally, the county has access to a language line so any teacher… can call and have a translator on the line speak to a family with a translator.” The county also offers online translations of letters sent home from school.

Still, translating non-school-related matters for their parents becomes a top priority for many students. Junior Aldo Martinez Nieto has found himself devoting many hours to translating documents from English to Spanish for his parents, which he finds often detracts from studying time.

“It’s hard to translate a whole document or a letter, and… sometimes you can’t translate exactly,” Nieto says. “It’s pretty time consuming.… I do it a lot, so sometimes it might take away time from me doing homework.”

Similarly, junior Matthew Shu helps his mom, who primarily speaks Thai and Chinese, translate emails and text messages. The demands of high school have left Shu

with little time to continue to assist her.

“Whenever my mom needs to send an email to anyone basically, she wants me to look at it,” Shu says.

“It wasn’t [difficult to balance] before and I used to help a lot, but it is kind of [difficult] nowadays.”

mindset. “It does get really frustrating sometimes, but then I have to take a moment back.… It’s not her fault, and it’s not my fault; it’s just the situation that we have,” Henríquez says. “I know that I’m lucky that I can read and write and I know there’s a lot of people that can’t.”

Switching roles

Multilingual advantages

With parents who are unfamiliar with the American school system, students like Henríquez lack parental guidance in many areas.

Each high school milestone, from standardized tests to school dances, is another step into uncharted ground.

“My dad… doesn’t get standardized tests like [the] SAT and ACT.…

When I first took my APs last year, which [were] AP Spanish and AP NSL, it was like new territory because my siblings hadn’t done it either,” Henríquez says. “They don’t know the customs here, so prom is new to them and homecoming is new to them, and it’s a different lifestyle.”

As a result, student translators must take on self-sufficient roles within their own lives. Shu has filled out his own school forms and absence notes for as long as he can remember. Most of his learning throughout elementary school came not from his parents, but from review books. And when Nieto wanted to sign up for a community soccer team, it was up to him to figure out the registration logistics.

Being a translator often requires Henríquez to put her teenage life on pause. “There are times when I’m hanging out with my friends and I have to cut it short because my mom needs me to go do something,” Henríquez says. “I have to stop being a kid and kind of be my mom’s right hand person in a sense.… I know that if I don’t do it no one else will.”

Although translating can be stressful at times, Henríquez maintains a positive

While translating can be a timeconsuming obligation, it does have its benefits. For one, research studies have shown that taking on such increased responsibilities can enhance students’ cognitive abilities. A 2003 survey of 280 sixth grade Latino family translators, published in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, found that they performed significantly better on reading and math portions of standardized tests than their nontranslating peers.

Further, frequent exposure to more than one language allows students to become more versatile in their communication abilities.

Although attending daycare was initially a jarring cultural shock for Shu, who at that time could only speak Thai and Chinese, he quickly picked up English.

“When I first went to daycare, I didn’t know how to speak with anyone, which was kind of terrifying,” Shu says. “Luckily, there was a Thai daycare person who was able to speak with me… [and] overtime I learned how to speak English.”

Shu is now trilingual in Thai, Chi-

nese, and English.

Henríquez’s bilingual abilities have allowed her to contribute back to the community. Last year, as a Spanish interpreter for the Montgomery County Board of Elections, Henríquez used her Spanish language skills to assist non-English-speaking voters. “It was interesting how many people need help.… I was always busy,” she says.

Henríquez believes that translating has not only made her more comfortable speaking to people, but has also broadened the scope of people with whom she can communicate.

“I work with kids at a summer camp… [and] when I talk to their parents I have to speak Spanish because some of them don’t speak English,” Henríquez says.

Still, some believe that translating for parents is too great a strain on children. In 2013, a former child interpreter wrote a California bill proposing to “ban the use of child interpreters younger than 15 by any state or local agency or program that receives state funding,” according to the LA Times.

Henríquez believes that such a bill would be counterproductive.

“If a student can [translate] or is willing to do it, I say just give them a chance.”

GABE WINSTON-BAILEY

Student translators like Nayla Henríquez juggle adult and teenage reponsibilities

June 13, 2019

Features D5

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The cure ignored

The measles are on the rise, is anti-vax to blame?

By Kie Donovan

Culture Editor

In the year 2000, parents across the United States breathed a massive sigh of relief.

After decades of the widespread administration of the measles vaccine, the disease had been “eliminated” in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Many adults could remember a childhood experience with measles before the 1963 release of the vaccine. But it seemed very possible, with the elimination of the measles and advances in vaccine medicine, that no American child would ever be afflicted by a contagious childhood disease again.

That is until a rash of measles outbreaks in recent years recentered focus on the vaccine and its application. As of May 31, 981 measles cases have been reported in the United States—609 more than the 372 reported as of Dec. 29, 2018.

The CDC lists eight states where major measles outbreaks are occurring in 2019, Maryland among them. The proposed reasons for measles’ resurgence are varied, but one consistently comes up: the anti-vaccination or “anti-vax” movement, comprised of people who, for a number of reasons, choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children.

Dr. Ashley Moss, who runs Ashley Moss Pediatrics in Rockville, often acts in an advisory capacity to patients and their parents who could be classified as “vaccine hesitant” or “anti-vax.” “If I encounter any patients or parents that are hesitant to vaccinate their children, I try to have a talk with them [to] help them understand how vaccines are actually very safe,” she says. “That will help me to respond to what their concerns are and…

explain to them how these vaccines are… crucial to their child’s health and safety.”

While the increase in measles cases is alarming, the anti-vaccination movement is not a new or sudden development, as Health and Safety Chair Dr. Sunil Dasgupta at the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) explains. “It may have gotten a little bit of a boost because of comments made by the president and others, but you know, there’s been a strong antivaccination movement for the last 20 years,” he says. Despite past comments that echoed anti-vax sentiments,

GAB

EW

INS TON -

BAI

LE

Y President Trump and his administration are now advocating for vaccinations.

The subgroups that make up the anti-vax movement are complex and diverse, but a characteristic that binds some of them, according to Dasgupta, is a strong distrust of the government, namely government health organizations. “I’ve met [anti-vax] people.

And what I say to them is, ‘Well, the CDC says it’s not true,’ but they don’t believe the

government,” Dasgupta says. “[I say…]

‘Do you know anybody who has suffered as a result of vaccination?’ In some cases they might say, ‘Yes, I have a child like that.’ But in most cases they don’t… [and] I’ve not been able to convince them to change their minds.”

Contrary to Dasgupta’s experience, Moss finds that she can often alleviate patients’ vaccine hesitancy when she lays out the medical evidence in favor of vaccines. “To be honest… when I sit down and talk with patients about how much more really good solid medical evidence is in support of vaccines, most patients are able to feel more comfortable with [them],” she says.

Additionally, she notes that parents’ concerns about the effects of vaccines on their children’s health are not great causes for worry when examined with the supporting medicine. “Some parents are worried about getting too many vaccines at once, they worry that it will be too much for their child’s immune system. To counter that point, when a child receives an immunization, the stimulus to the immune system is actually far less than when a child has a viral infection or a simple cold,” she says. “Some patients are worried about side effects, and there are some common side effects that are really mild and not too concerning, and we talk about those and… how to manage them.”

Dasgupta and Moss do agree on one thing, though—fake news spread by the

As of May 31, 981 measles cases have been reported in the United States. anti-vax movement has played a major role in spreading its messages and encouraging people to disregard or doubt important information on vaccines. “Lots of parents have read about some very misinformed concerns about, for example, autism, and they’re concerned that their child may have a very bad reaction that will hinder their child’s development,” Moss says.

In 1998, a British doctor published a since-debunked and retracted study linking vaccines to autism.

“It’s the mixture of the truth and the fake that makes the fake news the most powerful.

And so, when you do that skillfully, then it becomes very difficult… When you mix truth and lie, that’s when you become [the] most potent,” Dasgupta says.

For parents who are concerned about vaccines’ safety, Moss advises that they have an open, honest discussion about their worries with a trusted pediatrician. “Everything we do in life has risks or benefits, but the risk of side effects from the vaccine is so tiny compared to the risk of not vaccinating your child,” she says. “Just sit down and talk with your pediatrician, and if you have a good relationship with your pediatrician, they will be able to talk you through it and answer any questions.”

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June 13, 2019

KHUSHBOO RATHORE

E1 Culture

ELENORA RUE

ELENORA RUE

What does

Pride

KHUSHBOO RATHORE

KHUSHBOO RATHORE

mean to you?

KHUSHBOO RATHORE KHUSHBOO RATHORE

KHUSHBOO RATHORE

Shandon Rivers (20) | MD “Being courageously free and being who you Riley (17) | MD are in the face of any adversity.”

“A sense of unity between a bunch of different people who otherwise, in a lot of places, would be discriminated against.”

E2 Culture International Newsbriefs El Salvador hit by earthquake

El Salvador experienced a 6.6 magnitude earthquake early morning on May 30. The epicenter was located seventeen miles from Santa Tecla, the capital of the Salvador La Libertad region and a suburb of San Salvador, the nation’s capital.

Neighboring countries Guatemala and Honduras also experienced the earthquake’s effects.

Officials from the Salvadoran Defense Ministry said that the earthquake left no immediate or serious damage or injuries. Civilians were advised to stay away from the Pacific Ocean for the hours following the earthquake, as it caused sea levels to rise eleven inches.

Seven aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.1 and 5.0 were also reported.

May resigns, Greens and Far Right make gains in European Parliment The May 26 European Parliament elections saw the Green Party and far-right groups increase their numbers of seats, ending 40 years of centrist majority. Green Party gains come at a time when European governments are facing criticism for their inaction on the issue of climate change, according to the Washington Post.

The rise of far-right parties in Europe is only the latest example of a shift away from the center-right that dominated continental politics for half a century. The elections occurred during a time of political instability in Europe, which also saw British Prime Minister Theresa May resign on June 7. May faced an increasing number of questions over her ability to govern after her attempts to negotiate a Brexit deal with Parliament were unsuccessful. After her deal was rebuked by her own Conservative Party for being too friendly to the European Union, May announced that she would step down.

US calls on China to resume trade talks The U.S. urged China to resume trade talks Saturday night, shortly after agreeing to a deal with Mexico.

China and the US had resumed trade talks in May, but negotiations quickly broke down after Donald Trump more than doubled tariffs on $200 billion dollars worth of goods imported from China. China responded to this announcement by raising their own tariffs on US exports, which took effect June 1.

Stock markets around the globe fell as investors dealt with the effects of the tariffs. Trade experts have noted the hostile nature of these talks may hint at an increasingly strained relationship between the two global powers, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss trade at the G-20 summit in late June.

International Newsbriefs compiled by Lous Rosenberg

June 13 , 2019

silverchips

Like it or not

By George Ashford

News Editor

Aliaga’s perspective lines up with research on social media usage more broadly. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently reported on a survey in which around half of 18–34 year olds surveyed reported that social media made them feel unattractive

At a recent developer’s conference, Instagram unveiled that it was testing a new update to its interface.

As reported by Forbes, certain users in Canada will no longer be able to see the number of likes on the posts in their feed. For apps like Instagram, this is a step in the right direction.

As the impacts of social media face increasing scrutiny, researchers have called attention to the addictiveness and anxiety caused by the desire to get one’s pictures liked. Likes become a social currency, encouraging people to waste countless hours on the app and culti- IVONNE ZHOU vate their social media and inadequate. Undoubtprofile to appeal to their followers. edly, the like count comparing Removing like counts would greatly that Aliaga describes plays a reduce the negative relationship role in these negative impacts. that too many people develop with As well as giving an easy Instagram. metric for unhealthy com The vast majority of Instagram parison, like counts cause users understand the basic dynam- people to post more ic surrounding likes: They allow selectively, only users to metrically compare the choosing to social value of their content. This show parts creates problems with the way us- of their ers feel about their posts. life they Blair senior Sebastian Aliaga know will says he used to feel anxiety sur- get them rounding the app, and would some- more times develop negative feelings likes. This when comparing his like counts to can easthose of people he followed. “You ily exacerbate know, it’s a little, subtle thing, but self-esteem isit still weighs negatively on your sues, causing mind,” he said. some people to feel as though they

Instagram should remove like counts

are missing out on fun times (i.e.

FOMO).

In fact, one study found that those who used social media were twice as likely to report feelings of social isolation. It is reasonable to as-

sume that at least part of this phenomenon comes from seeing the seemingly incredible lives of friends, when in fact, those friends are simply selecting their most social and exciting moments to get more likes.

Another major negative impact of social media is its addictiveness, which is due in no small part to the role of like counts online. Sophomore Faina Pensy

says she spends too much time on the app, often for the purpose of checking her likes. “I do kind of check [them] and try to see how many followers I have,” she says.

Many Instagram users know the pleasant feeling of checking their notifications and seeing a large number of likes, a rush that keeps them coming back to the app.

Especially when they are tied to a greater sense of social acceptance and standing, likes can cause users to develop a compulsive relationship with their media accounts, constantly checking for likes and posting whenever they have a picture they think will receive their followers’ approval.

Likes fundamentally change the nature of social media. The idea of sharing one’s life with friends is healthy, but the like count system turns this activity into an unhealthy competition. Instagram is uniquely situated in this aspect: Twitter’s focus is, for instance, more on being funny, while Instagram is designed for users to visually showcase their existence.

There is a deep ethical problem with incentivizing users to manipulate that photographical showcase in search of a social reward. Of course, removing like counts will not solve everything, but it may gradually change the way that people interact with their friends online, making them more honest and self-accepting. Instagram is right to explore this change, and we can only hope that other social media networks follow in its footsteps.

E3 Culture

silverchips

puzzle on the first day.

Aside from puzzling, all anyone cares about on the end of the first day is who is in first place.

We wanted to know who the dreaded first-day curse would take this year.

“There’s the ‘Day One Curse,’ which is that the team that’s leading after day one has never won Puzzlepalooza,” Schafer said. The team supposedly destined for loss was Fat Thor Acceptance Movement. For the past nine years, the first-day curse had been stealing puzzlers’ hopes and dreams. I had no faith that this year would be any different.

My team, Xtreme Xebras, seemed like it would be a bust of a team, but when the second day began, a switch flipped, and things began to roll into motion.

The rise and fall

Each year, teams create a name, motto, logo, and team colors for Puzzlepalooza. These come into play on the second and third days

the day dead last and ended tied for third place.

This was due in no small part to teamwork, one of the most important ingredients of puzzle solving.

Even the best team in the world can’t get eighteen puzzles if they can’t work together.

On day three, we hit the famous Wednesday slump, when all brains have been exhausted, no one can function properly, and only the hardest puzzles are left. The puzzles felt impossible, and we were all nearly ready to give up. My group finally gave in and bought a big hint, for 256 Puzzlepalooza bucks.

We finished all 18 puzzles before we would get to the zoo the next day.

That night, my first Puzzlepalooza was officially ruined. I found out that someone on our team had been cheating. They had been stealing answers from other teams by getting into their emails and looking at the answers that had been sent in.

We had gotten most of our points this way, and it made me feel sick.

For now, the Puzzle Lords are

ing the other members of our team, we set out on a mission to find a Puzzle Lord and harass him.

The first person we found was Puzzle Knight Jeremy Schwartz, math teacher and hiker extraordinaire.

However, soon after, we came upon the legendary Puzzle Lord Hammond, and began our greeting, snapping pictures and asking him to sign our bandanas as if he was a celebrity.

We did seventeen tasks, some embarrassing, some frustrating, and some downright insane, but we got the rewards.

When we got back to the Great Meadow, the race was on. Teams had already begun putting their rewards together, and it took us a while to figure out what was happening. The Puzzle Lords have an affinity for making the final puzzle three dimensional, and the first team that discovered this was the Investigators, one of the front runners.

The first-day curse lasted, with Fat Thor Acceptance coming in second and The Xoo-keepers coming in third.

Amidst the speakers and lecturing of Blair’s recent TedX event, Marie Brodsky stood backstage, cool and relaxed despite the stress of the day. Brodsky, one of the coorganizers of the TedX event last Friday, May 31, was first inspired by being on the other side of the curtain at Blair’s last TedX event two years ago. “I thought it was awesome when they hosted one a two years back,” she says. “I was very much inspired to try organizing my own.”

Brodsky didn’t just replicate the previous event, however, but instead molded her own unique and intellectually stimulating environment. “Our theme was ‘into the unknown,’ so the idea was we’re encouraging students to go outside of their comfort zones, try things they haven’t tried before,” she says.

After a successful first event, Brodsky says she’s looking forward

Rudy Hernandez Walter Sosa Juniors

With brand born of a shared passion for art and design, juniors Rudy Hernandez and Walter Sosa have grown their homemade designs into an enterprising clothing and fashion line. For almost a year Hernandez and Sosa have been creating T-shirt designs for their skate fashion line “Joyride.”

It all started with a lazy summer afternoon in Hernandez’s house last year. “I was at home one day in

By Teddy Beamer

LUCY MARTIN

THE FINAL PUZZLE Team Xistential works on solving the meta-puzzle at the National Zoo. Pictured: Joshua Bakthan, Haydn Gwyn, Alex Holland, Dana Muhmed, and Courtney Wilson. of the competition, the days for puzzles and spirit.

Teams were decked out in American gear, beards, vests, and straw hats, their rooms full of streamers and balloons, stuffed ani-

correct answers through

still discussing the issue. “We’re still investigating some reports that an individual gained access to correct answers through nefarious means…If we determine that was the case, we would ban the student from future Puzzleaploozas,” Ostrander said.

“It is a fun event, why on earth someone would cheat is still beyond me because the most to gain is giving up a Saturday morning to have breakfast with a bunch of old guys…. We are taking it seriously because we want the integrity of the event to be strong.”

nefarious means... If we

Drenched adventures

“We’re still investigating some reports that an individual gained access to

determine that was the case, we would ban the student from future Puzzleaploozas.”

-Peter Ostrander

mals, and conspiracy theories.

By day two, we had managed to solve 11 puzzles. We had started

I was late–that was the only thought running through my brain as I rushed through my morning.

When I found her, it took an hour for us to finally get a ticket in, and were given the task of counting the number of elephant tracks in the zoo (252, if anyone wants to know).

We looked insane, stepping one-by-one on each track and counting as we went, then journeying back along the entire American Trail to get back and say a number.

We did pick up another activity along the way, this one even more entertaining than the last. Recruit-

I don’t think we ever even finished the puzzle, instead choosing to wander around the zoo, looking at cute animals, which was definitely one of the best parts.

But an even better part came after the awards ceremony, when I walked across the zoo to the metro station during the thunderstorm and tornado warning. My feet hurt, socks were wet, and shoes squelched as I headed towards the metro station.

The sidewalks were like rivers, with nothing dry to step in—just water everywhere. I was freezing by the time I got to Shady Grove metro station, and I almost killed my phone by plugging it into a wet battery pack.

But I got home, dried off, and sat in bed, and let the ache in my body take over.

Puzzlepalooza had been long, wild, but most of all, it had been time I got to spend with the people I cared about. It’s not just about the puzzles; I talked to so many people I wouldn’t talk to otherwise, and it was something that I truly enjoyed doing.

But the good news is… Puzzlepalooza No. 11 is only seconds away.

Chief Columnist

Ted’s Tastes is a monthly column where senior columnist Teddy Beamer expresses his opinions on local food spots.

The two most prominent staples of Chinese cuisine are rice and noodles, depending on which area of the country you are from.

As a Chinese-American, I have had my fair share of both at home for dinner. Rice is essentially the same anywhere you go, but Lo Mein is an entirely different story. And, with Chinese food, there are different levels of quality and flavor in relation to the location and price of the food. I travelled to several Chinese restaurants across the Silver Spring/ Takoma/Wheaton area in search for the best Lo Mein, and without further ado, here are the best local spots to get quality Lo Mein for a cheap price.

Andy’s Chinese American Restaurant

My first stop was actually just across the street from my house.

Andy’s is a small Chinese restaurant in a shopping center along Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.

Here, for $6.99, you can get a carry-out container of Lo Mein, a Spring Roll, and a Large Sweet Tea, a perfect meal ready in about 10 minutes. The Lo Mein is exceptional; the noodles have a proper thickness and consistency with a flavor that does not overpower the rest of the food.

Strips of carrots and chives add additional layers of texture and fla-

LUCY MARTIN

from PUZZLEPALOOZA page A1

Blazers of Note

COURTESY OF WALTER SOSA

Puzzling for days

June 13, 2019

Marie Brodsky Junior

to another more expansive TedX event next year. “We actually have a list of people who I said ‘please get in touch with us again, we’d be happy to do this, we just happen to be busy this time,’” she says. “So hopefully if we let them know in advance we have a really great selection of speakers who’d be willing to come next time.” the summer last year, and I just decided to make a brand because I’ve always had a passion for clothes and design and art,” he says.

Soon after, Hernandez recruited Sosa, his best friend, for his photography skills and design abilities. “I started with joyride maybe a week after it started,” Sosa says. “I was the first person he asked.”

Since that summer, the two have been working to translate their designs into reality and spread their brand. “We’re trying to create, you could say, a movement,” Hernandez says. “Just to get as many possible people wearing Joyride or just appreciating it.”

Growing their enterprise has also been a chance to improve on their skills and passion for photography and art. “I’ve been taking [photography at Blair] for the past three years,” Sosa says. “And it’s helped me learn like composition a little, but not a lot… so [Joyride] is the first place I’ve been able to experiment with photo.”

By Elias Chen

vor that enhance the experience for the customer. Although these ingredients may be found in most Lo Mein dishes, the simplicity and freshness of these vegetables go a long way.

The sole issue with Andy’s Lo Mein is the length and weight of the noodles. Even though they taste great, they are actually quite difficult to pick up with a fork or chopsticks because they are so long, and the effort necessary to pick up the food is simply annoying.

Andy’s Lo Mein: 4/5 Stars

Peter’s Sub Shop Don’t let the name of the restaurant mislead you. This tiny, standing room only Takoma Park storefront serves much better noodles than sub sandwiches.

The Lo Mein here comes in the thin white cardboard Chinese takeout container for $5.65, not a huge amount of food but it’s definitely worth the price. These uniquely flavored noodles are a little sweeter than others, immediately standing out. Although the sweetness is nice, a little soy sauce goes a long way at Peter’s. The noodles are smaller and easier to eat on-the-go, particularly in the provided container, a benefit not found at Andy’s.

But where Andy’s succeeds, Peter’s falls short. There are fewer vegetables in the mix and their freshness is questionable. But the potential is definitely there, and it’s definitely worth a try.

Peter’s Lo Mein: 3.5/5 stars I encourage all readers to go out and try these restaurants. Of course, these are just my opinions, and if you don’t like the food don’t feel like you’re wrong or your taste is worse than mine. Food is food no matter what. To close my first column, I would like to impart a little bit of wisdom my mother taught me: With taste, there is no argument.

June 13, 2019

silverchips

Culture E4

Archives Compiled by Mira Diamond-Berman and Teddy Beamer

TEACHERS COME FROM FAR AND AWAY Nov. 11 1999

According to Corporal Ron Smith, there have been no arrests, and there are no suspects. Although the case is still under investigation, Smith states, “There are very few leads. The police are still looking for any addition.”

At the Oct. 19 memorial service for Rubens held at Blair, family, friends, colleagues, and students of Rubens’ gathered to commemorate “the man who made a difference.”

“Anything he had, he would share with you,” Business teacher jackie Shropshire remembers. “He was just that kind of person.

You don’t come by people like that often.

He really was one in a million.”

A Calvin Rubens memorial fund has been set up by the school for students who have done well in business. So far donations have reached $800.

Jim Mogge—Social Studies Mogge taught at Blair until three years ago when he transferred to the International Baccalaureate Program at Richard Montgomery High School. Mogge’s daughter attends Richard Montgomery, and he coaches their girls’ basketball team and is the school’s athletic director. He enjoys music, movies and outdoor activities like hiking. Media teacher John Goldman was once Mogge’s student.

WHEN MOM OR DAD IS DOING TIME Nov. 16, 2001 Nestled near Blair’s trophy case during 5A lunch, Tasha, a junior, smiles warmly and talks with her friends about boys, hair and clothes. Often, an outburst of giggles pierce the low chatter.

However, Tasha’s cheerful exterior belies the obstacles she has faced. Both her parents, she says, are in jail.

While Tasha’s situation may seem exceptional, it is part of a growing trend among American children.

According to the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), there are an estimated 1.5 million children in the United States under the age of 18 with at least one imprisoned parent, a number which has nearly tripled over the last decade.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: AP EXAMS WARRANT EXCUSE FROM SCHOOL May 24, 2001 I spent the past week studying for and taking AP exams. I have also had to attend school during the periods of the day I am not taking an AP exam, which I find absurd.

After taking a rigorous four hour test, anyone can become fatigued. It is hard enough to gather the energy to make it out of your chair, let alone return to class. In addition, many students have more than one AP exam and therefore have to follow one AP exam with studying for the next. The days of AP week then become a jumble of exhausting testing, never-ending studying and the normal burdens of schoolwork.

Students should be allowed to leave school after a morning AP exam or arrive late for an afternoon exam. Students need time to prepare for other AP exams or simply to rest. Would you ask a student to sit in class after an SAT? Would you ask him to make sure he finished his math homework and studied for his history test as he prepared for extremely stressful and important test? I certainly hope not.

DEAR CHIPS TIPS: PREGNANCY WOES March 15, 2001 My boyfriend wants me to have his baby so that if something were to happen to him I would still have a part of him with me.

Should I get pregnant?

No. You should not have a child at this point in your like. Being a teenage mother is extremely difficult, and has been the potential to pur a major dent in your future as well as the future of your child.

I also have to say that I think that your boyfriend is very selfish for asking you to have his child. Keep in mind that he will not be the on carrying the physical weight of the baby for nine months, nor will he be the one experiencing the excruciating pain of labor.

MAGNET TO BEGIN AT BLAIR March 20, 1985

Social studies teacher Jim Mogge from 1999.

He will not be the one who undergoes ridicule from his peers and family, nor will he be the one who is primarily responsible for the child for the rest of his life.

RECKLESS VANDALS NABBED AT GUNPOINT BY POLICE June 2, 1983 What originated as a senior “prank” evolved into felonious scandalism which caused an estimated three to four thousand dollars worth of damage to Blair.

A break-in occurred Sunday, May 22, at approximately 2:00 a.m. The vandals remained at Blair until 5:00 a.m. at which time they were detected by the Board of Education Monitoring System. Six policemen with police dogs were then called. Blair senior Phill Brackett and another Blair senior who wishes to remain unidentified, were apprehended and taken to the Silver Spring Police Department, where they were detained until 8:00 a.m. before being released into their parent’s custody. A third Blair senior who allegedly took part in the vandalism also was

later apprehended, though details of his apprehension have not been released. According to the Silver Spring Police Department, he may face jail time sentence if convicted.

Although none of the seniors were armed, Brackett was holding a screwdriver which he had been using when they were caught and covered at gunpoint by a policeman with a police dog. While there were no injuries, business manager Frank Ifkovitis comments, “Suppose he (Brackett) would’ve made a move. Suppose the cop would’ve pulled the trigger.... We’d be talking about Brackett’s funeral now.”

TEACHER SLAIN Nov. 16, 1983 Business education teacher Calvin Rubens, 54, was found slain in his Takoma Park apartment on Oct. 12 after he failed to show up at school that day.

Takoma Park police say that the case is under investigation as homicide. Although neighbors reported that police said phone cord was used to kill Rubens, there has been no confirmation of this by police.

Blair will soon receive between $300,000 and $400,000 for its magnet program in which 85 selected ninth graders will be enrolled next fall. Dr. Mike Haney, the program coordinator, estimates new furniture will cost approximately $100,000 while computers and science equipment will cost between $200,000 and $300,000.

These figures do not include teacher salaries, cost of textbooks, and the renovation costs of the eleven classrooms which are being built for the magnet program in C and D buildings.

These rooms will house math, science, and computer labs, each with computers.

The math class will be provided with large screen television hooked up to computers as teaching aids. Science equipment has yet to be decided on. More equipment will mean more security which will come in the form of heat and motion detectors and barred windows. These measures will supplement the present PA security system.

The program will teach advanced level courses in science, math, and computers, while the freshman will participate in regular classes for social studies, English, and their electives. The magnet school students will have an eight period day, spending four classes in the magnet school and four in regular Blair classes.

E5 Chips Clips

silverchips

June 13, 2019

Summer Beginnings

by Sophia Weng Across 1. *_____ of the week 5. Baha’i center in Israel 10. Nick toy 13. Wonderfilled cookie 14. Resident of Baku 15. Rec. Eq. Inc. 16. Aqua-lung 17. It’s not fewest 18. Liquid dissociation process 19. Five point tests 20. Many milks?

21. One dollar bird in Canada 22. They bind 24. Movement initiator 26. Wonk’s work 29. Often done at all costs 30. Wonderland woman 31. 1000 paper bird variety 32. INC’s opponent in the subcontinent 35. Whips in the wind 36. Astronaut Ride 37. Calf meat 38. Dual tests (abbr.)

39. Insufficient fuel, metaphorically 40. Crazy 41. Follows semi or over in music 42. 2003 Menzel and Chenoweth Musical 43. Beginning of Christmas and cookies 46. Latvian capital 47. Positive affirmation 48. Phrase associated with 31.-down 50. Confiscation organization (abbr.)

53. Impudence 54. One of a quintet 55. Make up a namesake sphere 57. Lennon’s partner 58. Consumed 59. Double-reed duck depicter 60. Gov’t ID 61. Mini tantrums 62. “Houston, we have a problem” receiver (abbr.)

Down 1. Man’s best friend 2. Operatic single 3. Complaint app 4. *Longest of 1-across 5. Comet namesake 6. LxWs for rectangles 7. Apple on a table 8. *Annual parties 9. 51 Sb 10. “I am” tree man 11. Complements to consonants 12. Pottery ovens 18. Drained dry 23. “___x2 + Baby” 25 Debatably better than cake 26. Sealed with a shake 27. Snowman ready for the season 28. Often smacked?

29. Van Gogh bedroom location 31. Stopped one’s untruths 32. Mononymous alt-rocker 33. Gyllenhaal or Paul 34. Trudge 36. *Beginnings of 1-across 37. *Getaway 39. Enemy 40. Can be snatched?

41. See ya soon! in SMS 42. Grows horizontally 43 Aristotelian facts and logic 44. Serpentine pokemon 45 Hawk grabber 46 Return to start 49 Incan sun god 51 Buckwheat noodles 52 Composed of meses 56 One of seven to sail

Sudoku (evil)

COURTESY OF WEBSUDOKU

To see the answers to the crossword, scan the QR code.

7

2 3

5

2 7

1

6 1 9 SHASHI ARNOLD

8

1

8

9

8 4

8 4 2 3

1 4

2 3

Puzzle by websudoku.com

SEOYOUNG JOO

June 13, 2019

Culture E6

silverchips

Suburbia’s Stately Palaces

Exploring multi-million dollar houses in MoCo Ombudsman open house, when visitors and potential buy Sports Editor ers were allowed to tour as they please—no background financial check required.

The iron door swung open smoothly to Walking around Blair’s familiar Four reveal a massive, glimmering chandelier, two Corners, it is hard to believe that Montgom- long curved staircases leading to the fenced ery County is host to some castle-like homes second landing, and a huge domed ceilseen in movies. A few miles away from the ing. White marble tile reflected everything familiar Starbucks and Santucci’s, in the roll- above, including our awestruck faces. It was ing hills of Potomac and Bethesda, million- something straight out of the Great Gatsby. dollar mansions sit sprawling with luxury Built in 2009, this $10 million party commodities. mansion is home to some odd amenities.

Although we may not encounter them on The library, accented in glossy red wood, is a daily basis, high-end houses can be found complete with its own spiral staircase. The throughout the county. According to MoCo hot tub installed in a large bathroom and the Real Estate, 80 percent of the houses in the private pedicure spa were appealing indultop ten-percent price bracket of Montgom- gences. It’s a shame that we forgot to bring ery County are in Bethesda, Potomac, or our swimsuits and spa robes.

Chevy Chase.

As high school students, many of us are not in the market for luxury houses. In fact, many of us will never set foot in one of these million-dollar abodes. So, to experience the grandeur of gold-trimmed staircases and glistening chandeliers ourselves, Silver Chips sent staff members to visit some of the biggest homes in Montgomery County.

By Victoria Xin Ethan Park

Ca-ching in Chevy Chase

Every room we traversed elicited a different atmosphere. We visited pale pink rooms with bathrooms covered in flamingo wallpaper, extravagant checkered chambers with an Egyptian motif, and magnificent sitting rooms adorned in soft blue fabric panels.

We were later informed that this house had won the 2017 D.C. Design House award.

Following the curling bannisters that lined the winding staircase, we wandered into the mansion’s lower level.

The basement was host to a grand ballroom with a professional kitchen including stainless steel counters and industrial refrigerators.

However, the longer we stayed, the more discoveries we made, and not all of them were pleasant. Outside, we toured the pool house, admiring its own kitchen and washing area until we discovered a basement.

We opened its creaking metal door to reveal a dank, dark, musty, terrifying basement. There were weeds growing between cracks in the concrete steps leading down to that metal door.

The basement was unfinished, with insulation and copper pipes coating the walls.

Real Estate Reality

Behind the private bowling alleys and home movie theaters remain the ever-important logistics of building, selling, and buying these houses.

Those building a custom luxury house must navigate through obtaining land, finding an architect, developing a design, getting the necessary permits for construction, and building the house.

But for sellers, there is one crucial element that increases demand and value for the property: location. “I don’t know if you’ve heard the saying of ‘location, location, location,’” Larry Prosen, contracting attorney, says. “That’s certainly a big thing, particularly in D.C. where the traffic is so bad.”

In the DMV area, the price of a house does not always directly correlate with the amount of stories or bedrooms it contains.

Instead, many expensive houses on the market have high price tags due to their location.

“There’s not a lot of land available [around the Beltway], so you’ve got a lot of people moving to the D.C. marketplace,” Prosen says. “The same thing happened in Silicon Valley.… These small, little homes that are going for two million dollars, and

$22 million is the price tag for this massive Chevy Chase house. Hoping to see if the multi-million-dollar hype was legitimate, we called the seller’s real estate agent to try and secure a visit to this mansion-insuburbia. However, to our great dismay, we were denied.

In order for a home tour between these colossal walls to be approved, we were required to undergo a financial screening to ensure that we possessed the money needed for this purchase. Unfortunately, as a group of high school students from a cash-strapped newspaper, we did not have enough money between us to even scrape the surface of the necessary $22 million.

Even if we had been approved, the house managers would have needed to contact the groundskeeper in order to set up for visitors. We could only imagine the sheer amount of electricity and energy required to maintain appearances for this castle.

In addition, other news sources had already gotten a hold of this story. Even television channels were interested in showcas-

BEHIND THE LUXURY SilverChips writers explore a luxurious Potomac manor and find that its pool room basement resembles one from a horror movie. ing this house, and the homeowners seemed to favor their attention more than that of our student-run school newspaper.

Disappointed, we eventually had to give up on our dreams of exploring this extravagant abode. From the pictures displayed online, its interior resembles a Persian palace, trimmed with gold and lined with silver in every inch of every room—if only we could have seen it.

Platinum in Potomac

Although the Chevy Chase mansion visit did not pan out, we discovered yet another suburban palace nearby. Parking next to the limo garage, we hiked up the front steps to an iron-wrought door.

We arrived at the very beginning of the

The house had been up for sale for more than three years with no luck. This month, the sellers will be hosting an auction, trying to create the competitive environment necessary to drive the market value up. When prices exceed two million dollars, the transactions are usually immediate, with no mortgages or loans.

“Most of the time, people will pay in cash,” Alicia Chmielewski, a representative from the auction company, says.

While we were there, the open house seemed quite successful, with plenty of visitors. We talked to a singer who had been interested in this house for five years, a buyer’s real estate agent checking out the house for his client in Boston, and a federal police officer.

KHUSHBOO RATHORE

The atmosphere felt like something straight out of a horror movie, and its unsettling ambience encouraged us to exit quickly.

When we got back to the main house, we headed for some of the more obscure rooms, hidden away on the third floor or wedged into smaller areas.

Due to the house’s surface area abundance, dead bugs and dust accumulated in many rooms that seemed to have been unvisited for quite some time.

Although the splendor and luxury was lovely to take in for the first half of the visit, the illusion wore off quite quickly. There would never be enough family members to fill every room in that house. Dust was the substitute.

that’s because the homes are conveniently located.”

However, there are still houses that emphasize luxury over location in the DMV area, like the one we visited.

The people who buy these houses often work government jobs, are in the technology industry, or play professional sports.

However, the dark and unvisited underbelly of the abandoned rooms seems like an unequal investment.

Witnessing the giant boiler rooms and dank corners of this massive castle was eerie, to say the least.

By visiting these mansions, it was made abundantly clear to us that not all houses are homes.

F1 Sports

silverchips

Lowering the bar Recurring misogyny in Barstool Sports

By Itamar Fiorino

Op/Ed Editor

In 2003, David Portnoy distributed the first edition of Barstool Sports, a blackand-white sports-gambling publication, in the subways and streets of Boston. Over a decade later, the company would be valued at $100 million. Today, followers can catch daily updates from Keith Markovich, Barstool’s Editor-in-Chief, on the daily “Smokeshow”—slang for an attractive woman—or remain well-informed with stories like “Grading the Newest Sex Scandal Teacher,” which appears to be emerging as one of their regular columns.

With rising viewership and growth unparalleled in the industry, the message is clear: Barstool isn’t going anywhere, for better or for worse.

To be clear, in their service, Barstool is attempting to be anything but journalistic.

They self-identify as a blogging platform, and have explicitly set down rules within their terms of service that distinguish them from companies with more liability. The company

that a disparaging protects itself from accutone against womsations of libel on this en is part of the basis, often reiterating daily vocabuthat their service is SEOYOUNG JOO lary of Barprovided on an stool Sports, “as is” and “as which is available” pronamed in cess, meanc om p l e t e ing they defiance have no with their responsicontent. bility for T h e “blogs” that reach contain inforof Barmation that origistool’s nates from unclear misogsources. yny is Although the site occasionally contains articles that do not rely on their typical strategy of lazy misogyny, the near ubiquity of Barstool’s sexist tendencies is not hard to identify.

The top of the front page of Barstool, on May 7, held an article titled “The Absolute Rocket Behind The Stars Bench In Game 6 Has Been Identified.” Immediately identifying an attractive woman who was simply watching the game, the story reads, “If you were watching… you may have been slapped in the face by two huge realizations midway through strikingly broad. In the game.… The good news is we now the past, the company has know who the perpetrator of this distraction had employees fill out a conattempt is.” tract that explicitly says, “As a part These offenses only scratch the surface of Barstool’s casual yet inflammatory remarks, of my job I may be exposed to speech and and there is not much need for speculation conduct that explicitly relates to sex, sexual when objectification is this explicit. It is clear orientation, gender, national origin, religion,

June 13, 2019

disability and age. I expressly agree and represent that I do not object to being exposed to such speech and conduct and do not find it otherwise offensive or objectionable.” At Barstool, offense is not voluntary, and clearly, agreements like these are not only in the name of liability—they aim to maintain a culture where speaking up is taboo.

Clearly, Barstool has no issue regularly making insensitive comments. The unfortunate reality is that Barstool and their inflammatory comments normalize toxic masculinity and harmful practices that flood collegiate campuses today. It is the same reason that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career.” The fact that their second channel, “Chicks,” is essentially a conglomeration of articles on sex and drinking does not help their case. Barstool is only one example of the intense pressure to perpetuate these ideals. A deputy editor at Deadspin, one of Barstool’s direct competitors, once tweeted, “It’s not rape. It’s surprise sex.”

There is not much else to be said about college frat culture; the verdict is simple. When it comes to overtly misogynistic and harmful content like Barstool’s, by watching one is complacent, and by not speaking up one is encouraging. These offenses are easy to identify, and in the right conditions, even easier to combat. And this college frat culture is as widespread as it ever was, with Barstool branching out in regional channels like Barstool Maryland and Barstool Penn State.

Scandals such as the one at BethesdaChevy Chase, where some students ranked their female classmates, are exemplars of how these themes can cause tangible, serious harm. The question remains: When Barstool Blair comes, what will you say?

SEOYOUNG JOO

“Ethan’s Park” is a monthly column where sports editor Ethan Park expresses an opinion on current events in sports.

Spike Lee. Mark Wahlberg. Kevin Hart.

All of these Hollywood stars are examples of some of the most spirited NBA celebrity fans, occasionally seen on jumbo screens sitting courtside and rooting for their favorite teams. No celebrity, however, seems to play a more involved role in the game than Mr. Hotline Bling himself: Drake. Drake is vocal, to say the least. Whether it be selling Steph Curry’s hair lint on eBay, giving Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse a shoulder massage, or blatantly calling Draymond Green “trash” after Toronto’s Game 1 win, Drake’s presence on the court is hard to miss, especially throughout the playoffs.

However, despite recent criticism, Drake’s support for his team should not be stifled by the NBA based on a few of his more noticeable antics.

As the NBA Playoffs heat up with Toronto making their first Finals appearance in their franchise’s history, Drake’s courtside shenanigans have recently come under fire. After the Raptors’ Game 4 win in

the Eastern Conference Finals, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told the press that there was “no place” for Drake on the court. This situation brings about a more important question, specifically about what a fan’s place is on the court, no matter how many chart-topping hits they may have.

In ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith’s opinion, the NBA has no place trying to control Drake’s courtside presence.

“What is he doing that’s so egregious?” Smith said on his talk show, First Take. “You get to a point when you see stuff like this and you really sit back and ask: Do people in power need to have control over every damn thing?”

Smith poses a valid point. Drake’s actions are all part of home-court advantage, and it is his right to express his support for his favorite team. Are his actions over-the-top? Yes. Annoying? Sure. But unless he is tripping Klay Thompson on a fast break or punching a referee after Kyle Lowry fouls out five minutes into the 3rd quarter, Drake’s support as a fan should be treated as just that—support.

June 13, 2019

silverchips

Pitcher Perfect

By Prayag Gordy

Editor-in-Chief

Growing up, I had many grand plans to get rich fast. My ideal career bounced around a bit, from neurosurgeon (1,000 dollars an hour, my mom told me) to dictator (easy, right?) to Major League Baseball player. It was from a money-making endeavor that my love for baseball began. Sadly, I was just okay at baseball, so my dreams of 30-million dollar paychecks went over the wall—no draft for me.

There are 1,200 draftees every year into MLB, with 30 teams each choosing a mix of 40 high school graduates and college players. Since about two-thirds of these players come out of college, there are many summer leagues made up of collegiate players. The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, for instance, play in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League, which has teams across the DMV area.

In 2000, Richard O’Connor founded the Thunderbolts, which now holds home games at Montgomery Blair Stadium. Since the team’s founding, a few notable major league figures have played on the Thunderbolts, including Jonathan Papelbon, who was a closer for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals; Brett Cecil, a relief pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals; and Mike Chernoff, the current general manager of the Cleveland Indians.

The Thunderbolts also host summer baseball camps at Blair, which I attended a few times as a kid. In fact, the team’s website describes its nonprofit charter goal as “[promoting] youth baseball in the Silver Spring and Takoma Park areas.”

A little while ago, Camden Roberts, our departing sports editor who now works as an assistant general manager for the Thunderbolts, asked the Thunderbolts to provide a pitcher for a Silver Chips staffer. I played baseball with Blair at the junior varsity level in ninth grade, but have since moved on. A

By Teddy Beamer AN OPINION

Sports F2

A Thunderbolts player pitched to me.

How hard could hitting him be?

chance to face a college pitcher, however, was too good to pass up. So, I threw my baseball bag in my car and headed over to Blair on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon.

Luke Rettig, a left-handed pitcher who attends Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn-

mid-60s, mixing in a few loopy curveballs.

There was a stark contrast between his skill and a high schooler’s, but I still managed to hit about a third of his pitches, one or two to the wall.

After our session, Rettig told me how fast

he really throws. “91 [miles per hour] is the highest,” he said, adding that he threw a pitch at that speed in his senior year of high school.

In addition to the fastball and curveball, Ret-

tig’s arsenal includes a changeup, slider, and splitter.

I’ve pitched a fair bit in the past, so I took the chance to throw to a collegiate hitter. Bryan Gilliam, who also happens to be a left-handed pitcher, decided to take some swings. Some of my pitches yielded pretty strong results—for him. I threw a few decent curveballs, but he also ripped one so hard that I thought it was going to reach University Boulevard.

Gilliam grew up in St. Mary’s County in Southern Maryland. An athletic kid, he played baseball, basketball, and football, before settling on the national pastime in high school. Gilliam has since bounced around a few colleges, but he is now a rising senior at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. I asked him if he expected to be drafted, and his answer made me feel a little embarrassed as I thought back to my 30-million dollar paycheck dreams.

For most, those dreams go unattained.

Out of the 1,200 drafted players, about 17.6 percent make the majors. For draftees who are not once-in-a-generation talents, the trek through the six levels of Minor League Baseball (MiLB) can be quite disheartening. In 2018, MLB lobbyists managed to get a clause attached to the omnibus federal spending bill which exempts them from federal labor laws, allowing MiLB to pay players $7.25 per hour for five months of the year. Players like Gilliam and Rettig, who spends four hours per weekday and the entire weekend playing baseball during the season, have to consider long bus rides and below-minimum wage pay in hopes of becoming one of 750 major leaguers.

Gilliam told me he hopes to play for a professional team in five years, but he says he cannot be certain. “[I] don’t expect anything,” he told me when I asked, “but [I] hope so.”

Only time will tell whether he is one of the 1,200 draft picks in his year and is part of the lucky 17.6 percent to make the big leagues.

SHASHI ARNOLD

the amount of parent feedback directed towards the referees, according to Boule, but “you still see parents, you still hear parents say something to the ref.”

When dealing with dissent in MCPS, there are no written rules or specific punishments for individuals who decide to engage in coarse behavior. Preventative measures are often taken from coaches, such as conversations about sportsmanship with athletes and parents during the season, but disciplinary action as a result of unsportsmanlike conduct towards referees is generally up to the discretion of the coach. “We expect coaches to talk to parents in the meetings about sportsmanship,” Boule said.

The club for which Hicks referees, Greater Laurel United Soccer Club (GLUSC), is instituting new rules because of the high percentage of referees that do not return. “Every year, 75 percent of referees do not renew their certification and they get replaced with brand new referees,” Hicks learned from her work at GLUSC. “90 percent of those referees who drop out say it’s because they just hate getting yelled at all the time.” The new program is a basic “three-strike” rule—if an individual, particularly a parent, is acting out of line towards a referee, they will be given three warnings before the game is terminated and neither team wins.

Refereeing is something done out of love for a sport. Hicks, who could no longer play soccer for her league because of other commitments, began refereeing to stay connected to a sport that she dedicated time to learning.

Referees are sworn to remain impartial and to not make calls without reason, with the role of keeping games running smoothly and preventing any inequalities from occurring.

These people subject themselves to criticism during matches because of their desire to uphold the integrity of athletics. Currently, Blair is attempting to end all unsportsmanlike comments directed towards referees. “We are trying to create a positive culture here,” Boule said, “and [parents yelling at referees] doesn’t fit into our positive culture.” This is only the first step in the direction of ending dissent and bringing respect back to sports.

LUCY MARTIN

EASY, RIGHT? Prayag pitches to Bryan Gilliam and hits off Luke Rettig, both players for the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, a DMV-based collegiate summer team. sylvania, offered to throw. Our meeting was pre-game and he wanted to save his energy for the team’s first scrimmage of the season, so Rettig threw me fastballs with speeds in the

Respect your refs

Chief Columnist

Referee Annie Hicks walks off the field, tears in her eyes. Hicks, a junior at Blair, has just been yelled at by coaches for her calls against a youth soccer team. The players, 12-year-old boys, make no comments about the calls. On another occasion, a coach yells at her and tells her she should not be a referee in front of the kids. “[He] told me to quit and I honestly think I might,” Hicks said. As the referee, Hicks is the sole authority on the field and what she says, goes. This is how all organized sports are designed to work. If this is the case, then why do people feel entitled to argue with and disrespect referees when their calls do not go their way?

Sportsmanship is a necessary part of all games. Playing fairly and being respectful to the opposing team is not only an expectation but a requirement for sports. If a player is too aggressive or disrespectful, the referee should remove them from the game. Unsportsmanlike conduct directed toward referees is also a controversial issue, and needs to be dealt with in a more serious manner.

Dissent, the term used to describe a disagreement with the referee, generally comes from the athlete after an unfavorable call is made. “Normally, when you see a student athlete become disrespectful to a ref, it’s after a call that a referee has made that didn’t go that student athlete’s way, or it went against the team or against the kid, or there wasn’t a call,” Blair athletic director Rita Boule said.

“So they either didn’t like the call or they didn’t get a call.”

Parents becoming angry with referees is a different standard. The calls are not directed towards the parents themselves, yet they still become aggressive. Oftentimes, adults who become furious over youth sports games behave more childish than the players themselves. When parents contest a referee’s call, Hicks believes that this is the product of “living a little too vicariously through [the] children.” In MCPS, there are supervisors watching over games who are meant to limit

F3 Sports

June 13, 2019

silverchips

COURTESY OF GWEN SLETTEN ABOVE: Sletten and her longtime partner fly across the ice, showing off time-honed skills.

LEFT: Farber enjoys a laid back summer swim season after moving away from intense competitions.

COURTESY OF RUBY FARBER

Hitting the wall

By Uma Gupta Amanda Liu

Editor-in-Chief Op/Ed Editor

On a hot summer day, 13-year-old Ruby Farber, then entering eighth grade, pumps her legs back and forth on a rope swing, relaxing after a grueling swim season.

Moments later, Farber’s hands lose grasp of the swing handles and she falls, hitting her head on the ground. The world is black for a few seconds.

Her first thought when she regained consciousness: “I hoped it was so bad I couldn’t swim.”

Starting young When Farber started competitive yearround swimming with Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC) in the sixth grade, she loved it. “I really liked being able to perform well for my team, and I really liked exercising and working really hard,” she says.

Within a year, Farber had moved up to the RMSC National Development Group and was training six days a week, sometimes twice in one day. Such intensive training regimens are expected of young athletes hoping to reach the elite level. By the time junior Audrey Li was in the fifth grade, for example, she was already practicing competitive gymnastics for 16 hours each week.

“The whole point was to make it to the Olympic level,” Li says. “If you didn’t practice enough, you’d fall behind.” Many of her young teammates, Li adds, needed to be home-schooled to accommodate their intense training schedules.

Junior Gwen Sletten, who competed at the ice dancing Junior Grand Prix for the Great Britain national team, had no way of understanding the extent of her commitment at age six.

“At first I think I definitely liked the sport, but when you start that little, it’s kind of hard to tell what you like and what kind of person you are,” Sletten says.

At the beginning of her skating career, Sletten was practicing only once a week.

That soon turned into twice a week, and the frequency of workouts kept increasing until Sletten was practicing twice a day, six days a week.

“It was kind of like a rolling ball, like once you started, it was hard to kind of pause and say ‘Woah, what’s happening here?’” Sletten says.

Many young athletes find themselves primarily motivated by external pressures.

Sophomore Lawrence Zhou, who swims year-round with RMSC, realizes that he initially kept swimming due to pressure from his swim coach rather than passion for the sport

inside SPORTS

When a competion centered mindset

LEFT Sletten, pictured during chemistry class, explores different passions with newly freed up time

takes its toll itself. “I kind of just stuck in practice because I didn’t want [my coach] to yell at me,” he says.

Falling out of love

For Farber, the concussion she suffered in 2015 was a wake-up call that was initially difficult to come to terms with. “It was a very moving moment, to wish your health is so bad you can’t do anything,” she says. It was this instance that led Farber to make the daunting decision that would change her life: quitting. What had started out as aendeavor had quickly turned into a stress-inducing burden. Farber, who has exercise-induced asthma, began experiencing panic attacks during practices.

“I had one experience where we were doing a test set… and I couldn’t breathe,” Farber recalls. “[My coach] told me that if I was going to perform like this I couldn’t be in the group, and that was just a very hard thing to hear, as I was doing my best.” Eventually, Farber had to take a step back for her own mental and physical health.

According to the National Alliance for Sports, 70 percent of children leave organized sports by age 13. For athletes who have devoted years to perfecting their performance and attaining the highest possible level of achievement, this leaves them at a painful crossroads.

For Sletten, this junction came at the age of 13, when she began to feel overwhelmed by the demands of ice dancing. As she neared the level of an Olympian, Sletten endured mounting pressure from her coaches to fit a certain body type, something Sletten says is experienced by many athletes in performance-based sports. “A lot of [my teammates] had eating disorders,” she recalls.

Sletten’s relationship with her lifelong skating partner grew increasingly tense as they aged into different people. Juggling academics and overseas travel turned into a time-consuming challenge. As the obstacles piled up, Sletten began to realize that “this was just too much” for her.

“My body was just like, ‘No. No more.’ I physically could not get on the ice,” she says.

“It was just too much pressure…. I’d been stretching myself so thin for so long; eventually I just snapped.”

Li, too, reached a breaking point. In her case, it was more literal.

“I didn’t really want to leave. It’s because I broke my arm twice in two years and then I had mild tendonitis,” Li says.

Injuries like these are not uncommon amongst gymnasts, according to Li. “Gymnastics is sort of notorious for stunting growth because it’s such high-impact and we practice

Respect your refs see page F2

LUCY MARTIN

so often, especially at such a young age it ruins your bones a little bit,” she says.

Many young athletes like Li, whether gymnasts or soccer players, work themselves to the point of injury. Today, “more than 3.5 million kids under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year,” according to STOP Sports Injuries, a campaign initiated by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. The necessity of such a COURTESY OF AUDREY LI campaign has reached its peak today, with “40 percent of all sportsrelated injuries treated in hospitals” occurring in children between the ages of five and 14.

Reviving their passion

For many young athletes, their sport was once synonymous with their identity and the focal point of their lifestyle. Saying goodbye to years of training, competing, and winning, no matter the harm it caused, is one of the hardest things these athletes will have to do.

However, with their newly freed up hours and a massive weight off their shoulders, students like Sletten have found the time to explore new paths in life.

Leaving the British team did not directly translate into a permanent goodbye to skating. In fact, Sletten learned how to turn her hardship into a beneficial experience for the next generation of skaters.

“I coach now at the same rink that I skated at,” Sletten says. “Now I get to teach little kids in a positive way, and it’s just nice to be able to change how skating for me was… [by] helping them understand [that] it’s a super positive thing and it can be a good thing in their lives.”

Zhou has begun to swim less competi-

Pitcher perfect— hitting a college pitcher see page F2

ABOVE: Li, pictured in the top row, third from the right, poses with teamates at her gym.

tively in high school, freeing up time to pursue other interests like debate and running.

“When I was swimming competitively there was always a thought in my head that I don’t really like this, [but] I kind of just ignored it,” he says. “[During] the second half of eighth grade, when I started to get more busy, I started doing other things, branching out into more activities… I realized that there’s so many other things I would rather [do] than swimming.”

Li, who began participating in Blair gymnastics after a break from the sport, remembers that besides pain, she also took away valuable lessons from her time as a competitive gymnast.

“Gymnastics taught me a lot. It definitely molded my body but also my mind. I definitely learned discipline from it, like having to go every single day and not be late,” she says. “I don’t regret anything that I did.”

Ethan’s Park see page F1