silverchips A public forum for student expression since 1937 Montgomery Blair High School
December 17, 2019
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SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
VOL. 82 NO. 3
Boundary changes in
upcounty schools By Abby Brier Staff Writer
DELIA MORAN
LIGHTING UP DOWNTOWN The installation in Downtown Silver Spring evokes the holiday spirit with its jubilant lights and colors.
RECALLED BUSES
THE PROBLEM WITH THE PLEDGE
MCPS buses continue to be used despite nationwide recall
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Why this daily routine should be dismissed from schools
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MCPS updates privacy policy By Oliver Goldman Staff Writer
MCPS established new standards and regulations for student data privacy safeguards this summer. The initiative, which took effect on Aug. 1, introduces new policy measures to increase data security safeguards and protect student data. Under the new set of guidelines, more than 40 tools have been deemed prohibited, including some well-known educational services such as Prezi and Dropbox. These changes followed an audit in July which held that Maryland schools’ handling of student data was deficient. The audit was conducted by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services and revealed the largescale inadequacy of student data protection within the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). “MSDE inappropriately stored certain sensitive personally identifiable information for 1,430,490 students and 233,130 teachers in its databases and applications without adequate safeguards,” legislative auditor Gregroy Hook wrote in the document. Peter Cevenini, MCPS’ Chief Technol-
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MUJERES EN ACCIÓN
TRIVIA WITH KYLE
Protestas para eliminar la violencia contra la mujer esparcen alrededor de
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ogy Officer, did not mention the audit when addressing what inspired the policy. He did emphasize that MCPS is interested in prioritizing the protection of student data. “We are concerned first and foremost about the safety and privacy of our students,” he wrote in an email. According to a document that Cevenini’s office produced, the policy includes a new employee compliance training program. “All MCPS employees are required to take [the training] outlining the importance of student data privacy and the federal laws and best practices governing it,” the document reads. The policy is also in compliance with the U.S. Department of Education’s best standards as it relates to student data privacy, ac-
“We are concerned first and foremost about the safety and privacy of our students.” - Peter Cevenini cording to the document. Part of its implementation includes an Online Digital Tools (ODT) database, accessible on the county website, which categorizes websites and digital services into three see PRIVACY POLICY page A4
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see REZONING page A3
FROSTY FITS
Revealing the origins of Kyle’s school-wide lunchtime trivia
SILVER CHIPS SPORTS SWAP
A rundown of fashion trends for this upcoming frosty season
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Weeding out the pain By Aviva Bechky Staff Writer
Jeffrey Kahn’s father-in-law spent decades searching for relief from his multiple sclerosis. In the 1960s and 70s, he traveled the globe looking for a cure for the painful disorder. “[He] tried every kind of pharmaceutical you could imagine,” Kahn says. “Drugs, snake venom, you name [it] and he tried it.” Eventually, a doctor recommended marijuana. It was illegal, but Kahn’s father-in-law used it anyway. And, unlike all the other medicines and drugs, he felt that marijuana made a difference. “So we knew for decades that it was something that helped at least one person with multiple sclerosis,” Kahn says. That meant that its benefits were already on Kahn’s radar when Washington, D.C. legalized medical marijuana in 2010. Kahn and his wife then took a leap and founded the Takoma Wellness Center, a medical cannabis dispensary. They started out with only three patients. In the years since, their clientele has grown to about 200 people a day as the medical cannabis industry expanded into a multibilliondollar coast-to-coast market.
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The Montgomery County Board of Education approved a proposal to rezone Clarksburg, Northwest, and Seneca Valley High Schools on Nov. 26. The resolution, recommended by Superintendent Jack Smith as a result of the county’s recent boundary study, aims to reduce the overcrowding of Clarksburg and Northwest High Schools by reassigning some rising freshmen and sophomores to Seneca Valley. Students in application magnet programs at either school will be permitted to stay, along with juniors and seniors. The Board of Education authorized the boundary study of Clarksburg, Northwest and Seneca Valley in November 2018, which was released on Sept. 11. As of Oct. 21, Seneca Valley held approximately half its capacity with 1,200 students. Its student body is expected to grow to nearly 2,100 due to the new boundary changes and the introduction of a Careers in Technology and Engineering Program (CTE), an application program modeled after the one at Thomas Edison. In the 2020-2021 school
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A soccer player and a hockey player switch sports for a day
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An increasing number of states are legalizing medical cannabis, though it remains illegal at the federal level. D.C. followed the lead of several states with its 2010 marijuana legislation. Maryland’s program came slightly later: Legalization began in 2013, and it took four more years to get the dispensaries up and running. How dispensaries are regarded in the D.C. community continues to change, according to Kahn. “[When we started], people still weren’t sure what this was all about and what kind of people would be involved,” he says. Locals brought up plenty of concerns about the Takoma Wellness Center. “In the beginning, there was a lot of opposition,” Kahn acknowledges. “But now that we’ve been open almost seven years, we’re just a part of the community.” Though they may be accepted in the D.C. area, dispensaries remain a contested issue in the U.S. as a whole. Kahn is still not allowed to serve people from certain states, including just over the border in Virginia, something with which he has struggled. “It’s medicine by zip code,” he says. “We would hear from the sickest people, with the saddest stories, that we knew our medicine could help… and we couldn’t help them.” Federally, marijuana is still considered to be a Schedule I substance, which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defines as a drug “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” No attempts to change its status, either at the DEA or through Congress, have succeeded. There are, however, other cannabidiol (CBD) products that recently became see MARIJUANA page D4
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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 2019 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal
Editors-in-Chief: Prayag Gordy Uma Gupta Managing News Editors: George Ashford Sarah Schiffgens Managing Op/Ed Editors: Itamar Fiorino Amanda Liu Managing Features Editors: Elias Chen Mira Diamond-Berman Managing Culture Editors: Kie Donovan Paloma Williams Managing Sports Editor: Ethan Park Ombudsman: Victoria Xin Senior Staffer: Khushboo Rathore Columnist: Teddy Beamer Page Editors: Aviva Bechky Abby Brier Adam Chazan Ayush Dutta Oliver Goldman Kathryn LaLonde Rekha Leonard Anna Fisher Lopez Sarah McKinzie Khayla Robinson Anika Seth Ishaan Shrestha Simran Thakkar Ashley Thommana Abednego Togas Emilie Vigliotta Grace Walsh Charlie Wiebe Lilia Wong Clark Zhang La Esquina Latina Editor-in-Chief: Jasmine Mendez-Paredes La Esquina Latina Editor: Renata Muñoz La Esquina Latina Writers: Río Sánchez Ariel Lemus Godoy Tony Calderón González Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo Yenmis Quiñones Alzahra Rodríguez Ivania Valladares Executive Business Directors: Preston Beatty Alyssa Ma Merete Oakes Business Staff: Joe Byler Marina Deane-Gonzalez Ryan Peralta Harris Alex Koehler Devasena Sitaram Managing Photo Editors: Dede Greenfield Lucy Martin Photographers: Christina Chen Miles Grovic Yuri Kim Audrey Li Delia Moran Edson Orellana Robert Ellington Walcott Padmore Elenora Rue Esther Tang Managing Media Coordinator: Tarun Mattikalli Managing Art Editors: Shashi Arnold Seoyoung Joo Artists: Gabriel Winston-Bailey Kelley Li Karen Yang Ivvone Zhou Puzzle Editor: Sophia Weng Copy Editors: Annie Hicks Adia Keene Bianca Sauro Gabe Worthington Jessica Ye La Esquina Latina Advisor: 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
December 17, 2019
Takoma Park adopts new housing plan The Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan aims to ‘preserve,’ ‘produce,’ and ‘protect’ until 2030
SHA By Ishaan Shrestha Staff Writer The Takoma Park City Council adopted the 2019–2030 Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan on Oct. 16. The plan states that its goal was to create a “Livable Community for All” in Takoma Park in response to “increasing housing and economic development pressures and climate change.” The plan did not provide any specifics on how to reach the objectives, but laid out broad guidelines to help policy implementation in the future. “This is the strategic plan, and then we’re going to move into implementation,” Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart said. “As staff develops the programs to implement this, they basically have this roadmap to follow.” Stewart has consistently pushed housing affordability initiatives. She
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said that after taking office in 2014, she began to look into improving the housing situation in Takoma Park, getting input from professional consultants as well as residents on issues like rent prices, housing costs, and energy efficiency. “The year after I was elected, [we] had a community conversation on housing and housing affordability,” she said. “We had experts coming in from not just regionally but [from] around the country, as well as people working in our community on housing issues, talking about what the current state of housing is.” Stewart recognized the connection between housing and economic development, which she addresses in the Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan. “We realized pretty quickly that we should not look at economic development, workforce development, and housing in isolation, but bring [them] together,” she said.
The plan is based on three major objectives: “preserve,” “produce,” and “protect.” The preservation objective emphasizes keeping current housing affordable, as well as conserving and improving low to moderate housing stock. This part of the plan gives assistance to residents for issues such as home repairs through programs like community land trusts. The plan also encourages making older homes energy efficient using the recommendations of Takoma Park’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP). It considers changing Takoma Park’s rent stabilization, one of the city’s main affordable housing programs since 1981, giving more incentives to landlords to make improvements to their buildings. The production objective focuses on creating more housing and business in the city. According to the strategic plan, there have been almost no new housing units or commercial buildings constructed or redeveloped in Takoma Park since the 1970s. This plan pushes for more buildings with increased price variety, especially the “missing middle” housing, which refers to the step between renting apartments and owning single-family homes, like renting or owning townhouses and condos. Initiatives that assist people with buying and renting homes are already in place in Takoma Park,
like The Home Stretch, which grants $10,000 to qualifying firsttime homebuyers, but the plan expands upon it and seeks to scale it up further. In the past, Takoma Park has implemented the Housing Reserve Fund (HED) to assist residents. “[The HED] is a fund that we put money into each year we do our budget, specifically allocated towards housing issues,” Stewart said. “Over the last few years, we’re close to a million dollars in that fund.” Stewart believes that the opportunities that were once available to her family are disappearing. “We were able to find a home that we could afford, move into it, build equity in the house and then do it over, a renovation of it,” she said. “It’s become harder and harder for anyone to do that… we are in a housing crisis right now.” The production objective also planned to cultivate local business and entrepreneurship among residents. The city will work with business owners in the community and help them grow, while outreach events with residents will encourage entrepreneurship. The protection objective ensures that rental opportunities are available for all income levels and that renters are not displaced. The plan expands the scope of programs currently in place to prevent eviction, utility disconnection, and food insecurity.
The plan is based on three major objectives: “preserve,” “produce,” and “protect.”
MCPS school buses affected in nationwide recall Buses remain in circulation despite seat padding defects By Emilie Vigliotta Staff Writer A mid-October recall affected approximately 800 MCPS buses, more than half of the fleet. Nationwide, over 53,000 buses from manufacturer Daimler Trucks need to be fixed. According to the Daimler Trucks press release, the recalled buses failed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 571.207, which mandates that vehicle seats must be able to protect passengers from extreme force in the event of a crash. There was a possibility that seatbacks lacked enough padding around the metal frame. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), school buses are designed to withstand collision from other vehicles and to protect students without the use of a safety belt. Seats are highly cushioned and placed tightly in rows, meant to absorb the impact and soften the crash for students. The manufacturer will begin offering free, local repairs in early December. “Due to the large number of affected buses, the repair effort will be substantially coordinated with MCPS and will take place at our depots,” MCPS spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala wrote in an email. “As with all recalls, there will be no cost to MCPS to correct the
problem.” Additional crash protection will be installed between the seats. Due to the amount of buses affected in the recall, the repair process is supposed to take until the end of June.
fected buses will remain in operation before repairs are completed and all repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the school year.” In failing to meet the federal
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MCPS BUSES 800 MCPS buses were recalled by the manufacturer, Daimler Trucks, due to failure to follow federal standards. Despite the recall, the county has decided to continue using the buses. “The seat manufacturer, bus manufacturer, and bus dealer are working with MCPS Department of Transportation staff to prepare for the implementation plan to correct this issue,” Onijala wrote. “The af-
safety standards, Daimler Trucks had to issue the bus recall. According to the Daimler press release, the risk posed to students was small, and the buses should be safe for use until they are repaired. Daimler Trucks has announced that the code violation has not
caused any injuries. The affected buses have model numbers from 2014–2020, so some of the vehicles have been transporting students safely on the road for five years. Some students have remained unfazed by the continued use of school buses that violate the federal safety standards. “It’s not a big deal,” junior Kinga Nagy said. “It’s not something that I’m worried about. It’s only a slight risk, right?” High safety standards are meant to ensure students’ safety and can result in numerous code violations. “Vehicle recalls are not uncommon,” Onijala wrote. “As we understand it, the risk is very small, and nationally the statistical risk data for school buses indicates students are 70 times safer riding in a school bus than traveling to and from school by car.” In the event of a crash, the NHTSA says that the interior of school buses protect students with the concept of “compartmentalization.” Seatbacks are meant to cushion students, diminishing the need for seat belts. In a press release, the MCPS Department of Transportation announced that it began to phase in seat belt equipped buses for the 2019-2020 school year. MCPS plans to install seat belts on all MCPS school buses over the bus replacement cycle. MCPS replaces school buses in waves every 12 years.
News A3
silverchips
December 17, 2019
MCPS boundary study leads to upcounty rezoning one of the reasons the Magnet was a concern about geographical chalput at Blair.” lenges for low-income families due Because of the population to the chosen boundary option. year, 500 seats will be reserved for changes and the start of a new ap- “I believe that our schools are a CTE, leaving over 200 seats for stu- plication program, teacher distribu- primary location as a hub for comdents previously assigned to Clarks- tion will shift in the county. Teach- munity building and relationship burg and 100 seats for students ers may be involuntarily reassigned building,” she said. “That cannot from Northwest. to Seneca Valley in March. “If we happen when the school is not eas The resolution also led to the re- reduce the student population at a ily accessible to our families, espezoning of upcounty middle schools, high school, it requires less teach- cially those that have transportation stating that it aimed to balance stu- ers,” O’Neil said. “[So], Seneca barriers, among other things, to dent populations and utilization of Valley is going to dramatically in- work through.” middle schools. Student class president of crease” its staff. Policy FAA, which is the Board One of the eight members of the Clarksburg and former SMOB canof Education’s guideline for edu- Board of Education voted against didate Zoe Tishaev believes that cational facilities planning, dictates the resolution. Rebecca Smond- the boundary changes are widely the factors involved in boundary rowski of Gaithersburg expressed accepted by the Clarksburg student considerations: demographics, geography, stability over time, and effective faculty distribution. Board of Education member Patricia O’Neil believes that the new boundary option maximizes geographic convenience for students. “The goal of this boundary decision [was to] maximize walkers… [one of the other options] more evenly distributed socioeconomics, but it also put a lot more kids onto buses,” she said. O’Neil notes that the redistricting also reduced the percentage of students on Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) at Seneca Valley on the basis of promoting student success. “Research from the Century Foundation, [a public policy think tank], indicates that students affected by poverty do better in DATA COURTESY OF MCPS BOARD OF EDUCATION ABBY BRIER schools with diverse socioeconomic [backgrounds],” she said, “It was from REZONING page A1
By Simran Thakkar Staff Writer
body. “Students more or less understand the need to balance the [population and FARMS] rates. Some kids are confused… but they grow to be a little bit more understanding when you walk them through the reasoning behind it,” she said. “But it seems that parents are more likely to be obstinate in their opinions than the students are.” Tishaev considers the new boundaries an exciting and beneficial change because she believes that it will enhance the quality of MCPS education. “The life beyond the schoolhouse isn’t the world of
ON THE RISE Seneca Valley’s student population is projected to rise over the next six years. Graph does not include the 500 students in the CTE program.
your single neighborhood, it’s not the world of everybody being the same income level that you’re used to: everybody being rich,” she said. “The world beyond MCPS, the world beyond school is diverse.” Stronger resistance to the resolution arrived later as more than 150 protesters gathered outside the MCPS headquarters in Rockville immediately before the vote. With regards to middle school boundary changes, many protesters’ signs centered around siblings divided between distant schools and the Board of Education’s disregard for constituent opinions throughout the study. Tishaev claimed that underlying their signs and shouts, parent protestors were concerned that their kids would be attending a lower quality school because of the boundary decision. “You have this wealthier community, Cabin Branch, who are used to going to Rocky Hill, and all of a sudden, MCPS is saying you’re going to have to be reassigned to this school, [Neelsville], that traditionally does perform the best and might not have the best facilities,” she said. As of Dec. 11, the county launched a countywide boundary analysis to assess the county’s growth over the past 20 years. The analysis will provide a profile of school overcrowding and diversity to guide the Board of Education in potential future boundary changes and school openings.
Montgomery County Council proposes six new school nursing positions
Two committees on the Montgomery County Council are recommending the creation of six new county school nursing positions. Concerns have arisen from council members over the shortage of school nurses to adequately provide for MCPS’ growing student population. MCPS currently has 98 school nurses for the county’s 206 schools, which means there is one school nurse for every 1,686 students. Many nurses work at multiple schools, moving from school to school throughout the day. Councilmember Craig Rice described the shortage of school nurses as an “emergency status” in an interview with WTOP. “If we did not feel if this was of the emergency nature that it is, we wouldn’t [rec-
ommend six more school nurse positions]. We don’t do this lightly,” he said. Around the county, many school nurses cannot keep up with all of the students of which they are in charge. “We hear about the challenges of things falling through the cracks because nurses can’t be in three places at once,” Rice said. Anisa Harris, Blair’s school nurse, believes that school nurses would be able to better dedicate themselves to student health by working at just one school. “We would have more time to do the case management that we like to do and also to do more education for the students and the staff,” Harris said. With six more nurses, the nurse to student ratio in the county would
be one school nurse for every 1,589 students—a relatively small change. Many school nurses would still move from school to school, as there would still be over 100 schools without a full-time school nurse. School nurses may have to attend fewer schools during the day, but many would still work at multiple schools. Earlier this year, the County Council asked the County Executive Mark Elrich for an extra 12 school nurses, but no funds were allocated to support them in the 2020 budget because both branches decided to put the money toward other priorities. Anisa Harris is the only Blair nurse who works full-time throughout the school week. “It’s definitely a challenge. Fortunately, I have a
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very strong support staff, with Ms. Duque, who’s the [health room technician], as well as other school resources… it’s a challenge, but it is doable with support,” she said. “I
SIMRAN THAKKAR
recognize that the need is greater than just here. I would rather see some schools that don’t have one full time nurse at all get more help first.”
Up & Coming December 23 - January 1
January 20
January 24
January 27
Winter break—schools closed
Second marking period ends—early release day for students
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—schools closed Professional day for teachers—no school for students
Student and Teacher Awards & Honors Sophomore Dhruv Pai won the Presidential Volunteer Service Award Gold Medal
Physical education teacher Lauren Gonzalez won the SHAPE Award
Freshman Alexa Avila placed fourth in the freshman/sophomore English teacher Peter Lynch was nominated for Living Classrace at the 2019 Footlocker Northeast Cross Country Champirooms’ Rising Star Award onship Seniors Amanda Liu, Eric Hao, Peter Zhang, Shreeya Khurana, Junior Hunter Walterman won WTOP’s Junior Reporter contest Emmy Song, and Esther Obioha were selected as Coke Scholar semifinalists
A4 News Newsbriefs New MCPS calendar for 2020-2021 school year The Board of Education unanimously approved the 2020-2021 school calendar on Dec. 4, which includes numerous changes from this year’s calendar. The first day of school will be on Aug. 31, one week before Labor day. Feb. 12, the Lunar New Year and May 13, the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, will be marked as professional days. Inauguration Day will remain a school day, but students will receive information about the day’s importance, according to a memo from Superintendent Jack Smith. The decision was disputed by school board member Jeanette Dixon who voted against the measure. Dixon thinks that schools should be closed on Inauguration Day so that students can recognize and celebrate the meaning of the historic day. Six instructional days will be reserved for spring break and seven for winter break. In 2016, Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order that Maryland public schools must open after Labor Day; the Maryland General Assembly overturned that order on March 29 of this year, releasing MCPS from its restrictions.
Hogan issues parole for convicts sentenced as juveniles Hogan has granted parole to convicts with life sentences for crimes they committed when they were juveniles, making him the first Maryland governor to do so in 24 years. Hogan has signed paroles for two men, and has approved parole for another. Robert Davis was released after serving 37 years for first-degree felony murder and handgun offenses. Navarus Mayhew, who was arrested for first-degree murder, robbery, and gun charges, is scheduled to be released within the month. Delco Goodman is expected to be released after being charged with first-degreee murder and robbery offenses. Nine other convicts were released on the basis of medical parole, a practice that takes place when convicts are presumed to die and are no longer considered dangerous. The action follows an executive order from Hogan’s office last year which mandated that future governors must take all elements of a juvenile’s case into consideration when deciding to commute sentences. One of Hogan’s goals for his term is to overhaul the criminal justice system and help convicts who have served their time to successfully reenter society.
Fire in Montgomery Village apartments A fire in a Montgomery Village apartment complex left 10 people injured and nearly 45 displaced on the morning of Nov. 29. The blaze broke around 5:30 a.m. in the living room of a top floor apartment and caused damage to nine other units. Montgomery County Fire & Rescue has not yet released the cause of the fire. Only one person suffered serious injuries after jumping out of a second story window in order to escape the flames. Firefighters extinguished the fire by 6 a.m., after the building was evacuated. About 75 firefighters responded to the fire. The damage was largely contained to the apartment where it first began, although other surrounding apartments suffered from water and smoke damage. The American Red Cross arrived to the complex and aided residents. Newsbriefs compiled by Lilia Wong
December 17, 2019
silverchips
MCPS implements new student data privacy initiative New security safeguards are in response to lacking student data protection in Maryland from WEBSITES page A1 tiers: approved, use responsibly, and prohibited. Each service passes through a vetting process and is reviewed by a committee of data privacy specialists that assesses whether it can be used safely under certain privacy standards. Digital tools are then filed under the appropriate tier, according to the county website. If a teacher wishes to use an online digital tool that the county has not reviewed, they must fill out an ODT form and await a response from the committee. Thomas Chapman, an IT systems engineer for MCPS, said that the need to protect student data eclipses the educational value of popular student services like Prezi and Dropbox. “The risk outweighs any educational relevance it may have, particularly when we have already got a small arsenal of presentation tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Drive,” he said via email. Blair media specialist Andrea Lamphier said that MCPS was ini-
tially vague about the vetting process. “There were some definite hiccups,” she said. “It just became a little more challenging to figure out on a day-to-day basis what we were doing [as it relates to the policy].” Lamphier had to act quickly in the short period of time she had between when MCPS rolled out the policy in August and when Blair opened its doors for students. “One of the very first things I did was email all of the department heads and say, ‘Hey, what do you use with students?’” she said. Lamphier then submitted the teachers’ requested services and the county determined each one’s level of approvability. She said some of them have been considered acceptable and included in the ODT database. On their website, MCPS underscored that teachers must follow the new guidelines. “MCPS staff must… comply with all applicable MCPS requirements for review of curricular and instructional materials,” the county wrote. Lamphier, though, expressed that compliance might not come to fruition. “I think at the end of the
Takoma gas station converts to electric
day teachers want to comply, but it is hard to comply,” she said. MCPS also explained that there are limitations to the way the county can protect students’ data. “While we attempt to enter in to a
emissions in the city, so this is a big step.” Electric vehicles in Takoma Park are very common. Takoma By Teddy Beamer lic works suggested he contact the Park has a higher percentage of EVI, because they had the op- electric vehicles on the road than Staff Writer portunity to convert to all electric Montgomery County or the state of charging instead of gas,” Takoma Maryland. Senior Amelia TydingsTakoma Park gas station R&S Park Sustainability Manager Gina Lynch’s family in Takoma Park has Automotive converted into a solely Mathias said. owned a Chevy Volt since 2017, electric vehicle charging station, the According to NPR, the Mary- which has a 35 kWh battery. This first in the U.S. The gas station and land Energy Administration and home charger is not as strong as repair shop, located on the corner the EVI gave Doley $786,000 to those from R&S, causing charging of Carroll Ave. and Grant Ave., fund the change. The funds went periods to be much longer opened the eight former pump- towards removing the petroleum “It takes about 4 hours,” she turned-charging-stations for busi- tank that sits beneath the station said. “But we usually just charge ness on Aug. 26. and refurbishing the pumps to elec- overnight.” Owner Depeswar Doley initi- tric charging ports. The Perez family owns two elecated the change by contacting the The city of Takoma Park has tric cars, a car that partially runs city’s Public Works department declared a climate emergency, and on electricity, a Ford C-Max and a about removing his fuel pumps, has created a goal of 100 percent Chevy Bolt. Raffa Perez, a senior which he had been considering re- greenhouse gas emission reduc- at Blair, says that it takes around moving for some time due to un- tion by 2035, indicating its recog- 30 to 45 minutes to charge the 60 favorable contracts. He was then nition of the urgency of combating kWh battery of the Chevy Bolt at directed to the Electric Vehicle climate change. Mathias says that the R&S. Institute (EVI), an organization refurbishing R&S Automotives is a Unlike an average gas pump that dedicated to providing “practical, part of meeting that goal. “We can- generally takes less than five mincomprehensive engineering and not get there unless we electrify our utes to fill a tank of gas, electric cars business solutions to organiza- transportation system and green must be left charging for periods tions”. “When the city became our power grid,” Mathias said. averaging 40 minutes. “We expect aware of this, the director of pub- “Transportation makes up half our in the next 5 or 6 years that that amount of time is going to go down,” Mathias said. “Doley’s station will be able to keep up with that as that changes.” To accommodate for this longer refueling period, Doley built a waiting room out of the old convenience store/ payment kiosk for customers to use while charging their vehiELEANORA RUE cles. “People IT’S ELECTRIC! OOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE: Charging up in Takoma Park, at R&S Atomo- can go in, sit tive’s new electric vehicle charging station- the power it’s supplying, it’s electrifying! down, have a
data sharing agreement with all of the vendors that provide us services, the Internet is full of an infinite number of online digital tools that could be educationally relevant,” they posted on their website.
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cup of coffee, relax while their vehicle is getting charged,” Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart said. The charging station is located in downtown Takoma, and Stewart said long charging waits also provide customers an opportunity to shop at local stores and businesses. “People can leave their vehicle, go shopping at the food co-op, pick up some lunch or go to the bakery, pick up their dry cleaning, go to Roland’s for a haircut,” Stewart said. “I believe that it is going to be good for all the businesses in the area.” Public charging stations are not new to Takoma Park. “We’ve had one in Old Town, some at the community center, and some at Takoma Junction,” Stewart said. These stations charge electric vehicles slower than R&S Automotive, but are free for public use. The demand for these charging stations has increased according to Mathias, particularly for those who cannot charge at home because they live in apartments or do not have driveways. Stewart said that a main focus of the Takoma Park Sustainability Department is “making sure we have charging stations available to residents who don’t have the ability to plug in at home,” and “making sure there are stations around the city so that a wider range of residents can own electric vehicles.” Stewart also believes that the conversion of the station sends an important message. “As people learn more about and have easier access to alternatives, they are more likely to use them,” she said. “Anything you do in a business is a risk,” Stewart said, commenting on her belief in Doley’s bravery and dedication. “This is his livelihood and for him to be in our city is really something to be very proud of.” Doley has been involved with the Takoma community since the late 1990s and R&S has won multiple environmental awards, including being a 2005 Environmental Partner of Montgomery County and a 2008 certificate of appreciation from Planet Aid.
December 17, 2019
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Ad A5
B1 Op/Ed
silverchips
December 17, 2019
Should MCPS expand its innovative calendar to all schools in the county? ELENORA RUE
ELENORA RUE
YES
NO
Students everywhere can benefit
By Anika Seth Staff Writer
A
greatly from having the opportunity to send her children to school in the summer. “I love working for MCPS. But we don’t have salaries that support summer school at places that are private,” she said. “And I think my children would benefit because this year… when [my son] went back to school, he was behind in reading.” Her sons, aged eight and ten, attend Beverly Farms Elementary School in Potomac, which is not a Title I school: Only 5.7 percent of their students are eligible for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS). The ability of this program to impact students all over the county is not limited to a reduction in summer learning loss: The calendar extension also goes hand in hand with an increase in the use of free meal programs. Of the 162,680 students in MCPS, approximately 35 percent, or 57,000 students, qualify for free and reduced-price meals. However, the MCPS Division of Food and Nutrition Services—the summer food service sponsor in Montgomery County—only serves about 9,500 children each day over the summer free of charge.
s a result of a long summer break, many students experience a regression of knowledge—this is often called the “summer slide,” and it disproportionately affects low-income students. While students from more affluent families are able to afford summers full of academic and extracurricular enrichment, students from poorer families simply do not have the same opportunities. MCPS’s most recent attempt to reduce this trend is the innovative calendar, which presents two main benefits: mitigating summer learning loss and increasing the accessibility of free and reduced meals during the summertime. Even though these are most valuable to students of lower-income, such students attend schools all across the county, not just Title I schools. Thus, MCPS has the responsibility to expand the innovative calendar to all schools. The main goal of this initiative is to reduce the amount of content students lose over an extended summer vacation. Superintendent Jack Smith explained to Bethesda Magazine that the traditional academic calendar is based on an agrarian lifestyle that is no longer relevant in contemporary society. “We set a school calendar right now that is completely irrelevant to 95 percent of the people in this country,” Smith said. “Fewer than about five percent of people are involved in agriculture. In 1900, 95 percent of the people were involved in agriculture, and yet we’re completely stuck in that pattern.” A 2003 study by the Education Resources Information Center showed that students who learn continuously are more likely to retain information. The study also found that children from low-income families are less likely to have access to high-quality reading materials during long breaks. According to Erika Dworkin, the Parent and Community Coordinator at Arcola DATA FROM MCPS BOARD OF EDUCATION What happens to the remaining 47,438 Elementary, Arcola and Roscoe Nix were specifically chosen to be the program’s pi- students? For many students on meal plans, school lot schools because their populations largely consist of low-income and immigrant fami- is their single most reliable method of getting lies. They each have more than 70 percent food. Dworkin explained that some Arcola of their student bodies on free or reduced students “don’t even get meals at home when meal programs and have majority-minority they don’t come to school.” This applies to students all across the populations. It is essential to realize, however, that low- county who are eligible for FARMS. By income students do not only attend Title I expanding the innovative calendar to all elschools. While some schools are certainly ementary schools, the amount of time for more affluent than others on the whole, this which students throughout the county are does not translate to every single student or guaranteed nutritious meals would increase. In order to level the playing field for family that comprises the school. Therefore, this challenge is not unique all disadvantaged youth across the county, to families at Title I schools. Dworkin ex- MCPS must expand the new innovative calplained that she personally would benefit endar to all schools in the county.
It is not cost effective
W
hile most MCPS students were just kicking off their summer vacations on July 8, students and staff members at Arcola and Roscoe Nix elementary schools were on their way back to school for their first day. These two Title I schools have the po-
It would be wrong to assume that benefits seen at Arcola and Roscoe Nix would carry over to other non-Title I schools. tential to see significant academic improvements with the increased learning time over the summer, but many other MCPS schools would most likely not see dramatic benefits with the innovative calendar.
ANIKA SETH
MCPS should not expand the innovative calendar to all schools in the county. It would be a misuse of funds to finance 30 additional school days in schools containing demographics the calendar is not designed to benefit. Because Title I schools like Arcola and Roscoe Nix have large populations of low-income families, they have the potential to see significant academic improvement in their students because of the extended school year. “This is a wonderful opportunity for children, especially those who need it,” Erika Dworkin, the Parent and Community Coordinator at Arcola, said. “[For] people with children who speak a second language or who haven’t been exposed to the level of aca-
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Jabir Chowdhury Junior
Jennifer Ren Senior
By Rekha Leonard Staff Writer
demic excellence that Montgomery County schools offer… it’s a wonderful thing.” So far, the extended year seems to be benefiting Arcola students. At a parent meeting in October, “[many] parents got up and said… ‘my child has increased the grades… we’ve gone from C’s to A’s because of that extended period of academic exposure,’” Dworkin said. However, it would be wrong to assume that benefits seen at Arcola and Roscoe Nix would carry over to other non-Title I schools. MCPS schools that have students who do not fit this demographic might not see a significant increase in academic performance. Additionally, these schools might receive pushback from parents who want their children to explore special interests during the summer and experience other enriching summer activities, such as summer vacations and camps. As a Title I school, Arcola fits MCPS’s target demographic for the calendar. “When you deal with the population that we deal with, it’s a constant push to teaching, to exposing the children because they come from backgrounds that are not exposed and not experienced with education, so the whole culture is different,” Dworkin said. Dworkin attributed the preliminary success of Arcola’s extended calendar to the population the school serves, so although Arcola has already seen some academic improvement with the calendar, other MCPS schools with different demographics might not see these same effects. Even though there may be a handful of students who would benefit from the innovative calendar in each MCPS elementary school, it is not cost-effective to implement the calendar in each one of those schools. It costs more than a million dollars to implement this new calendar at each respective school, so a countywide shift for all 208 schools to this new calendar system would pose significant fiscal burden. Money should not be squandered at schools that do not need an extended year. The innovative calendar may not be the best solution for many MCPS schools. Instead of using the money for an innovative calendar, MCPS could invest the money hiring more teachers to reduce class sizes or providing schools with more resources to help their struggling students. More one-onone attention from teachers in smaller classes could potentially help underperforming students. This use of the funds works toward the same goal as the innovative calendar without the financial burden of the extended year.
Ben Broderick-Sokol Freshman
CHRISTINA CHEN
Emma Shepard Sophomore
MCPS has implemented an “innovative calendar” at two Title I elementary schools, Arcola and Roscoe Nix. Title I refers to schools with high concentrations of low-income families. The new schedule seeks to remediate learning loss during the summer by keeping students in school for an additional thirty days in the summer. These students have a three-week break in June and a two-week break in August.
[Yes]... anything you can do to prevent [summer slide], especially in low income areas where they might need that more, is great.
[No]... if it’s just up to MCPS, you’re not accounting for all the students at all the schools, and that’s really unfair to [students].
[Yes]... if you have two shorter breaks... where you’re still learning in the middle, students are less likely to forget information they learned the previous year.
[No]... I think that it would end up causing lots of outcry and more problems than it would be worth.
December 17, 2019
silverchips
Pledging for change
Op/Ed B2
Why the Pledge of Allegiance should be removed from schools By Oliver Goldman Staff Writer The scene is the streets of Chicago. Whitefacade architecture, canals, lagoons, and a 264-foot Ferris wheel make up the fairgrounds for the World’s Columbian Exposition, a world fair held in 1892 to celebrate the fourhundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ landing in the New World. A mass of schoolchildren lines up in military fashion; the celebration’s dedication ceremonies are set to commence. Then, the recitation begins: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” These 23 words are the original foundation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Today, the pledge echoes down Blair Boulevard and throughout classrooms across the U.S. every morning, but not in its original form. In 1954, Congress amended the pledge to include the words “under God” to differentiate American ideals from the anti-religious communist ones that rose to prominence during the Cold War. This daily recitation of the pledge should end, as it both asserts an imposing belief in God and fails to imbue civic and patriotic action in students. Many argue that the religious and moral exclusivity of the pledge are non-issues because students can choose not to participate. But even though compulsory participation might have been deemed unconstitutional about 75 years ago, a culture still exists in which social anxiety may compel students to stand. For example, President Trump expressed his disapproval of the dismissal of the pledge from city council meetings in Minnesota in July. “The Pledge of Allegiance to our great Country, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, is under siege,” he tweeted. “People are sick and tired of this stupidity and disloyalty to our wonderful USA!”
This assumption, that somehow an individual is disloyal to America if they do not recite the pledge, highlights the intolerance that exists around patriotic symbolism today. Someone can, in fact, believe in democracy and American ideals without wanting to swear allegiance to the flag. Nobody should have to fear being othered or bearing the label of a disloyal American for expressing their respectful disapproval of any practice, and yet the pledge may trigger that exact trepidation. “[The culture surrounding the pledge] absolutely makes the kid, who either from his own choice or from his parents’ choice, chooses not to participate, the freak in the class,” Stephen Wermiel, a Constitutional Law professor at American University, explained. “There is enormous social pressure to not be different.” However, the overwhelming majority of students at Blair do not stand, and almost certainly do not feel social pressure weighing on them when deciding to remain seated. But the reverse may be true for the few who do stand in isolation at Blair. Nobody wants to be the odd one out, but the pledge draws a distinction between doers and non-doers, exacerbating divisiveness within schools. This social anxiety and divisiveness may cloud students’ judgement and disallow them from making a conscious decision of whether to partake or refrain. Furthermore, the pledge presides in classroom settings as early as kindergarten, at a time when young children may lack the awareness to fully understand the decision to stand. Junior Madison Gray said that she used to stand before she understood what the pledge signified, but that she no longer does because she does not feel that the pledge is representative of all Americans. “If it says… ‘[for] all’ but it’s not really [for] all, why should I stand?” she said. Many, though, believe that standing for the
Subtract the ads By Kathryn LaLonde Staff Writer It’s October 2020 and you’re scrolling through Twitter. A video pops up of Elizabeth Warren saying she doesn’t support Planned Parenthood. Angrily, you immediately retweet the video, unfollow Warren, and decide to never support her campaign again. But did you stop and fact check that post? If you had, you would have realized that it was entirely fabricated. As citizens, we need to become conscious of the information we read and share online to help prevent the ever-growing issue of disinformation. Our government should regulate political advertising on social media sites before reliable sources disappear under a cloud of false information. In the 2016 US election, the Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin created an organization called the Internet Research Agency (IRA). The purpose of the IRA was to influence the outcome of the US presidential election. They created false social media accounts and posed as U.S. citizens or political organizations on Twitter and Facebook. The Federal Election Commission has regulations around political advertising on television and in print. On social media, however, regulation is practically nonexistent: Anyone can post almost anything they want, excluding nudity and sometimes profanity. This opens the door for the rapid spread of disinformation. Due to the freedom of social media, during the 2016 election, “The IRA made various expenditures… including buying political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and entities,” according to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 2019 Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 presidential election. “Some IRA employees… communicated… with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities.” IRA-created accounts gained a massive
following, reaching as many as 126 million people, according to the Mueller Report. A single disreputable account should not have the power to create such a large following. The framework of social media allows these lies to perpetuate and grow. People share posts with friends or re-post on their own accounts which can lead to real repercussions. Peter Cirincione, AP NSL and Comparative Government teacher at Blair, believes that we as citizens must check the information we are reading online. “I think the most important [responsibility], is for people to be thoughtful… about where the information
pledge is imperative because doing so combats a recent surge in civic disengagement and patriotic apathy, especially among youth. But defying the pledge on religious or moral grounds—or even because it is monotonous and requires getting out of one’s seat—should not be considered apathy or disloyalty to one’s country. In fact, choosing to abstain from reciting the pledge can be a student’s way of voicing their political opinions. Government and Women’s Studies teacher Alison Russell said that only one or two kids stand in her classes. She admitted that part of that is due to the fact that students are plainly disinterested and indifferent to standing or sitting, but she also highlighted that some students dissent deliberately. “Some say [they are] thinking about [Colin] Kaepernick and other forms of protest,” Russell said. “They are really consciously not standing.” Recite or refrain, stand, sit, or even sleep, little is achieved. The pledge serves to sym-
bolize and separate, not to effectuate true student civic engagement and embolden patriotism. “The proof to me is what you do as a young person, to vote, to get involved, to be active, to make your country a good country,” social studies teacher and 21-year Army veteran Kevin Moose said. “The pledge is really on the fringe of that, in my mind.” Voting, participating in community service, and engaging in political activism are just some examples of civic engagement that demonstrate principled citizenship. Participating in the pledge, however, does not and should not be considered a measure of one’s virtue as an American. It is an alienating and antiquated practice that does not cultivate the impactful youth action that is needed today. Let us stop pledging to the tune of these rote and routinized words, and let us instead pledge to enlightening and invigorating change.
GABE WINSTON-BAILEY
The goverment needs to regulate political ads comes from… and to try to verify it and think for themselves rather than just swallowing stuff they read,” he said. Our generation absorbs social media at a rapid pace, often liking an image or retweeting a post without fully comprehending its meaning. As we approach voting age, such disinformation becomes even more dangerous. Before we quickly move through our feeds, we need to stop and think: Is this accurate? Sean Gabaree, another Blair AP NSL teacher, agrees with Cirincione and thinks
people are overwhelmed with information. “We are hardwired with so much information… we often get tricked because we don’t have time to verify our sources,” he said. This hardwiring can affect everyone; disinformation is not a partisan issue. The IRA made a fake profile called “United Muslims of America” alongside an account called “Secured Borders.” There were serious consequences for believers of these accounts. The IRA would plan rallies through these accounts and direct message followers asking them to attend. According to the Mueller Report, “[from] those who responded with interest in attending, the IRA then sought a U.S. person to serve as the event’s coordinator.” U.S. citizens were coordinating events
that were entirely fabricated by the Russian government and had no power to know that what they were doing was fake. Yes, we need to be better consumers of information but we as
IVVONE ZHOU
individuals are no match against the IRA. Twitter recently decided to block all political ads to protect the stability of information that candidates will provide during the 2020 election. But Twitter is alone in self-regulating. Facebook has just announced that they have no plans to vet political ads, and so the problem will continue, unless the government takes action. If the government can regulate political advertising on television networks and newspapers, they should also regulate it on social media. We are front-row witnesses to the effects of foreign governments and fake accounts infiltrating our social networks and spreading lies. We should not be fooled by that hypothetical video of Elizabeth Warren. Our political leaders need to regulate in order to protect us and our democracy.
silverchips
B3 Op/Ed
December 17, 2019
My Blair: Personal Column The pitiful power of polarization By Lilliane Blaise Guest Writer
AUDREY LI
I am American, yet I don’t feel accepted; it is not because I am African-American, it is not because I am a woman—but it is because I am a moderate. Moderates are unheard of in our current political climate. You are either a pro-life, Christian, racist conservative; or a pro-choice, earth-loving, vegan liberal. It is ridiculous that people are categorized as either red or blue when there is a whole rainbow of colors in the world. Political leaders and media figures are setting new precedents, not in accomplishments, but in polarizing American citizens. From The New York Times columnists Frank Bruni and Ross Douthat writing, “Trump can’t unite us. Can anyone?” to protesters writing, “Not today, Satan,” as a protest of the current presidency, it’s hard to believe that we call ourselves the United States of America. The days of this united country seem to be fleeting.
Political leaders are not all to blame; Twitter and YouTube have become platforms for extreme and controversial ideas to gain traction. If I watch one YouTube video about the wage gap, then I’m suggested one about how the wage gap is a myth. After I watch that, I’m suggested a video about Ben Shapiro. I receive suggestions for more and more right-leaning videos until I’m trapped with an algorithm that thinks I am conservative—and that conservative content is all I want to see. I try my best to understand both sides to a situation, even if I don’t agree with them. I fear that my peers, however, do not. During the summer, I tried to have a political conversation with a girl in my grade. Unfortunately, it ended with her repeating the same argument and bashing my character. This behavior isn’t limited to teenagers or young adults; rather, the leaders and lawmakers
of our country share the same traits as high school kids, so much so that the government has repeatedly shut down due to its inability to function. As former National Security Advisor General Colin Powell said, “You’ve got to start making the compromises that arrive at a consensus and move the country forward,” yet we seem to be moving backwards. Somehow, our political ideology has become the definition of our character. Sure, you may be able to go to the closest march, and sure, you may be able to attend the next political rally, but what do you gain from preaching to the choir? We need to go back to having real conversations. We need to create debate spaces, not safe spaces where free speech is limited. We need to understand the other side to come to an agreement. We need to remember what makes us all American. And by doing all this, we can become a united nation once again.
Corrections: November 2019
In the corrections on page B4, Lara Spencer’s last name was misspelled. In art credits on pages C1 and C3, Seoyoung Joo’s name was misspelled. In “Sound-Cloudy with a chance of heatballs” on page D4, Che Moorhead’s last name was misspelled. In “Performing at the next level” on page F1, the record for varsity softball should have been written as 18 wins and 3 losses, which is the second best record in the last 20 years. The photo of Lilia Wong on page B1 was incorrectly attributed to Elenora Rue; it was taken by Edson Orellana. In the staff list on page A2, Gabe Winston-Bailey’s name was misspelled. In “Alumni of note” on page E2, alumna Jacque Crenca Hinman’s name was misspelled. The subheadline of the Ombudsman column was incorrectly titled; it should have been “How a tariff on Canadian newsprint cost Silver Chips $900.” A newsbrief on page E2 misstated the cause of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death. The American Delta Force and 75th Ranger Regiment did not capture and kill him; he killed himself by detonating a suicide vest.
silverchips
17 de diciembre de 2019
La Esquina Latina C1
La Esquina Latina
Silver Chips el 18 de diciembre de 2019
La diversidad en la comunidad latina Por Equipo Editorial
EQUIPO DE LA ESQUINA LATINA
NG JO O
El 29 de noviembre, el gobierno de Cuba y la Unión Europea se reunieron para discutir el embargo que los EE.UU tiene en Cuba. Los EE.UU bloqueó el transporte de combustible a Cuba, causando que este país tenga que comenzar a usar caballos y bueyes para transporte y agricultura. En septiembre, Cuba sólo pudo utilizar 30 por ciento del combustible que necesitaba y 60 por ciento en noviembre. Desde el 12 de diciembre, Cuba solo tiene 200,000 animales trabajadores para reemplazar sus motores de agricultura. Para continuar el cultivo de la azúcar, el gobierno añadirá 8,000 bueyes. La producción de la caña de azúcar en Cuba cayó a 1.2 millones de toneladas en mayo, comparado a 1.6 millones de la temporada pasada. Desafortunadamente, las sanciones de los EE.UU ha dañado la economía cubana significativamente.
puede adaptarse a rasgos de una nacionalidad diferente. Con la inmensa diversidad latina, hay que reconocer y respetar las diferentes culturas y razas. Como comunidad, tenemos que trabajar en ampliar nuestra consciencia cultural. Aunque queremos que los profesores y los compañeros que no son latinos sean más conscientes de la cultura, debemos comenzar esto con nosotros mismos. Todos los estudiantes de Blair tenemos que tratar de convivir en un mismo lugar. No podemos solo juzgar a alguien solo por sus rasgos sin saber su verdadera procedencia. U YO
Cuba
indígena hay diferentes costumbres. Aunque, en los Estados Unidos, esas tradiciones se pueden interpretar distintamente. Muñoz añade que en Blair, que la mayoría de la población latina son de Centroamérica y no menos de Sudamérica, entonces ella encuentra difícil encontrar personas con similaridades que su tradición. Con respecto a la raza, Yenmis Quiñones, una escritora de Cuba, hace destacar que como afro-latina muchas personas no la reconocen como latina. Piensan que es etíope por su piel morena y pelo rizado. Cuando camina por los pasillos de la escuela, puede sentir lo que muchos estudiantes dicen sobre ella sin saber qué habla español, por lo cual la molesta. El escritor Ariel Godoy comenta que lo confunden mucho como dominicano por el cabello rizado y piel morena. El comenta que también lo confunden con mexicano por el acento que tiene a la hora de hablar. Él piensa que un latino
SE
En los últimos años la diversidad de estudiantes en Blair ha incrementado radicalmente. Ahora se puede encontrar estudiantes de diferentes regiones como: Sudamérica, Centroamérica, el Caribe, Asia, África entre otros. Muchas personas reconocen la diversidad entre la población estudiantil de Blair, sin embargo, hay algunos, que aún no reconocen la diversidad dentro la comunidad latina. ¿Qué visualizan al escuchar la palabra “latino”? Algunos imaginan una persona con piel bronceada y cabello liso. Si el término “latino” se refiere a una persona de las regiones de Centroamérica, Sudamérica y el Caribe, debemos tomar en cuenta que el color de piel o tipo de cabello no determina si una persona es latina. Por lo tanto, algo en lo que todos deberíamos estar de acuerdo es que no se puede identificar a un latino basándose en su apariencia. La autora Juana Bordas indica en su libro, El poder del liderazgo latino, “Además, los latinos son diversidad, son un grupo cultural y étnico, no racial. Los latinos pueden ser de color: marrón, negros, blancos, amarillos y todos los hermosos tonos intermedios”. Es necesario saber que los latinos vienen en diferentes tonos de piel y esta diversidad es algo que se debería celebrar. Sin embargo, el hecho de que haya estudiantes de diferen-
tes países y culturas no significa que haya una buena relación entre ellos. Típicamente personas que no son latinos piensan que nosotros, como un grupo, somos integrados como un monolítico, es decir en una cultura uniforme. Cuando en realidad, aunque haya similitudes entre la comunidad latina, cada país tiene su propia cultura y hasta hay subculturas. Podemos ver esto durante la hora de almuerzo donde hay estudiantes que prefieren pasar el tiempo con personas de su propio país y a la misma vez también hay estudiantes que socializan con estudiantes de otros países. Kevin Shindel, un profesor de Blair y el fundador del programa Conexiones, dice, “Estudiantes latinx no son como este monolítico, todo similar… [los] estudiantes latinx vienen de muy diferentes, muy diferentes orígenes económicos, políticos y lingüísticos…” Aunque ser latino forma gran parte de nuestra identidad, hay que reconocer que el término no hace justicia a todas nuestra culturas dentro de Latinoamérica. Ser latino es como un árbol, con ramas que se estiran a cada país y cada subcultura. Los miembros de La Esquina Latina pertenecientes a diferentes nacionalidades brindan sus opiniones acerca de este tema. Renata Muñoz, nuestra editora de Bolivia, dice que la cultura boliviana tiene una gran presencia de tradiciones indígenas, pero aún dentro de varios tipos de regiones y culturas
El caribe bajo la lupa República Dominicana
Puerto Rico
Empezando del 16 de diciembre del 2019, el gobierno dominicano declaró que migrantes venezolanos necesitan VISAS para entrar a la República Dominicana. La resolución no afecta a venezolanos con VISAS británicas, canadienses, estadounidense, Schengen o con pasaportes diplomáticos. Es estimado que hay 30,000 venezolanos en el país y la mayoría de estos inmigrantes están en el país ilegalmente, pasando el tiempo designado en sus VISAS turísticas. De acuerdo con la Organización de las Naciones Unidas, alrededor de 4.6 millones venezolanos han salido del país dado a la crisis humanitaria y económica en Venezuela. En marzo de 2018 el periódico dominicano, Hoy, hizo una encuesta en donde se encontró que el 50.8 por ciento de dominicanos creen que el país no debería admitir más venezolanos y el 46.4 por ciento cree que el gobierno debería seguir admitiendo a gente que está saliendo de Venezuela por la crisis en su país.
Al final del verano del 2019, el ex-gobernador de Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, renunció de su posición tras conversaciones privadas fueron filtradas al público. En las conversaciones, Rosselló se burló de las mujeres, de personas homosexuales y víctimas del huracán Maria. Luego, se encontró que el Secretario de Estado de Puerto Rico Luis Rivera Marín, quien era el próximo en la fila para tomar el cargo, también estaba envuelto en el escándalo con Rosselló. Debido a esto, Wanda Vázquez fue nombrada gobernadora de Puerto Rico, siendo ella la próxima en sucesión. Vásquez comenzó trabajando como una abogada de violencia doméstica y sexual. En el 2010, fue nombrada para dirigir la Oficina de la Procuradora de las Mujeres en Puerto Rico y luego fue la Secretaria de Justicia de la isla. Por el otro lado, Vázquez fue acusada de abusar su poder por intervenir en casos judiciales de sus familiares en el 2018. Vázquez desea que en su tiempo como gobernadora que “El pueblo puertorriqueño, que [esté] en paz, continúe en paz”. De acuerdo con fuentes del periódico El Nuevo Dia, la gobernadora indicó a través de Twitter qué “está escuchando seriamente” a la gente y anunciará públicamente si se postulará en las elecciones gubernativas del 2020 como candidata.
Haití Desde el 7 de febrero del 2019, gran parte de la población haitiana comenzó a protestar en contra del presidente Jovenel Moïse y continúan demandando su renuncia. En febrero se reveló que varios funcionarios del gobierno haitiano, incluyendo el presidente de la nación, habían utilizado indebidamente un préstamo hecho por Petrocaribe, una alianza petrolera entre algunos países caribeños y Venezuela. También, el pueblo haitiano protesta por el alto costo de vida y la gran pobreza en el país. Actualmente, Haití es el país más pobre de Latinoamérica. Desde el 12 de diciembre, hay 42 manifestantes que han fallecidos y por lo menos 100 personas han sido heridas.
Escritores: Alzahra Rodríguez Gómez Arte y diseño por: Renata Muñoz Renata Muñoz y Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo Jasmine Méndez-Paredes Tony Calderón González
C2 La Esquina Latina
silverchips
17 de diciembre de 2019
Latinas cantan “Un violador en tu camino”
Feministas latinas exigen: No más violencia contra la mujer Por Alzahra Rodríguez Gómez EDITORA
La Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU) considera a Latinoamérica la región donde las mujeres corren más riesgo de sufrir cualquier tipo de abuso. Según la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) cada dos horas una mujer es asesinada en Latinoamérica solo por su género, lo cual se llama feminicidio. En México, las autoridades han registrado por lo menos 638 feminicidios en este año. También, el Instituto Nacional de la Mujer en México dio a conocer en 2019 que de cada 10 mexicanas 8 no se sienten a salvo. En Argentina, el Observatorio de las Violencias de Género, “Ahora que sí nos ven”, dice que hasta el momento 290 feminicidios se han registrado en 2019. De la misma manera, CEPAL informa que en Brasil el número de feminicidios en el 2018 fue de 1206. En países como Nicaragua y Chile, solo reconocen el feminicidio cuando el asesinato es cometido por la pareja de la víctima, lo cual es lo más común. Mientras que en Colombia el 85.4 por ciento de los casos denunciados
de abuso sexual son hechos por mujeres. Además, la Liga Internacional de Mujeres por la Paz y la Libertad (LIMPAL) dio un informe donde decía que cada día aproximadamente 55 niñas y adolescentes son violadas en Colombia. Es por esto que el pasado 25 de noviembre, el “Día Internacional por la Eliminación de la Violencia Contra la Mujer”, mujeres en varios países latinoamericanos se manifestaron en las calles de sus ciudades. Una de las manifestaciones que más resonó fue en Chile donde un colectivo de mujeres feministas llamadas “LASTESIS” bailaron y cantaron una canción original titulada: “Un violador en tu camino”. Muchas de las manifestantes llevaban vendas en los ojos representando el riesgo que corren las mujeres en las calles. El coro de la canción dice, “Y la culpa no era mía, ni dónde estaba, ni cómo vestía” debido a que la mayoría del tiempo las personas justifican la violación culpando a la víctima por su vestimenta y el lugar donde se encontraba. La presentación inspiró a muchas mujeres de distintos países de Latinoamérica a cantar y bailar esta canción que se ha convertido en el nuevo himno feminista. Con estas demostraciones las feministas dicen no al feminici-
SHASHI ARNOLD
dio, no al patriarcado, no a la violencia, no al abuso sexual, no a la impunidad del agresor, no a la desaparición y no a la pregunta “¿Qué vestías cuando pasó?”. Las feministas latinas han logrado transmitir el mensaje en Norteamérica, Asia, Áfri-
ca y Europa, donde países como Estados Unidos, India, Mozambique, España, Alemania y Francia han mostrado su apoyo al imitar la demostración. Las manifestaciones continúan ocurriendo y el mensaje se expande cada día más.
Tradiciones latinas para despedir el 2019 SHASHI ARNOLD
Por Yenmis Quiñones ESCRITORA
Si ha estado en Latinoamérica al final del año sabrá que no hay mejor manera de comenzar el año nuevo que caminando con una maleta por el vecindario. Otra opción es tomar un buen chapuzón de agua fría y por supuesto no pueden faltar la ropa interior de diferentes colores. Estas y muchas más tradiciones tenemos los latinos para comenzar el año con el pie derecho. En este ciclo de La Esquina Latina, me empeñé en investigar las tradiciones de fin de año en países de Latinoamérica y en España. Agarren su maleta y prepárense, que aquí tienen las tradiciones de fin de año en Latinoamérica. Una de las tradiciones más antiguas es el usar ropa de ciertos colores que prometen traer buena suerte. En algunos paises de Latinoamerica se usa ropa interior de ciertos colores los cuales juran cumplir su propósito. Por ejemplo, en México al igual que Perú, Honduras y Ecuador usan ropa interior de color rojo para atraer el amor en el nuevo año. En Argentina similarmente usan ropa interior color rosa con el mismo propósito. En Venezuela usan ropa interior amarilla para atraer dinero y fortunas en el año que entra. A diferencia de esto, en Brasil se usa ropa blanca todo el día para alejar malos espíritus. Otro contraste notable es cuan elegante las personas se visten para la ocasión. En al-
gunos países personas optan por un atuendo más casual, mientras que en otros países se visten más formal. De igual manera, es muy popular practicar ciertos rituales. En muchos países como México, Cuba, Honduras, Chile y Uruguay tienen la costumbre de limpiar la casa a las 12 de la noche para librarla de malos espíritus. En otros países como Nicaragua los habitantes juran que bañarse en un mar, lago o río ya que esto les traerá prosperidad y buenas energías en el año que entra. En algunos países la costumbre es quemar un monigote o muñeco de trapos. En algunos casos esos muñecos se asemejan a políticos, personas famosas, o jugadores de fútbol. Entre los países que practican esto estan Perú, Ecuador y Cuba, entre otros. En Puerto Rico tienen la costumbre de tirar ollas de agua en la puerta de la casa con el propósito de traer buena suerte. En Brasil también tienen una costumbre poco común de ofrecer regalos a Iemanjá, la diosa del agua, para garantizar un próspero año nuevo. En esta costumbre se cree que si se saltan siete olas del mar diferentes mientras que mentalmente se dicen deseos para el nuevo año tendrán buena suerte. Mientras que lugares como Bolivia, Panamá, Venezuela, Colombia y Cuba tienen la costumbre de salir a la calle con maletas y dar la vuelta a la cuadra con la esperanza de atraer la buena suerte y poder viajar en el próximo año. En otras regiones celebran este día con lentejas, en Chile las personas comen lente-
jas a las 12 de la noche para atraer dinero y trabajo en el nuevo año y en Bolivia las guardan en una bolsa lo cual cargan con ellos todo el dia para atraer la prosperidad. Otro ritual con propósito monetario es el de arrojar doce centavos a la calle a las doce de la noche para atraer buenas finanzas, esto se practica en Guatemala. En España y las regiones cercanas como Cataluña también tienen festividades interesantes como la popular tradición de comer doce uvas con los últimos doce segundos ante de las doce de la noche y pedir mentalmente un deseo con cada una. Esta práctica es muy popular en Latinoamerica tambien, muchos paises lo hacen como Panamá, Hondura, República Dominicana, Puerto Rico y Bolivia. En Cataluña tienen una de las tradiciones que me pareció la más inusual y original. Ellos tienen la tradición de tomar un tronco de árbol o leño, normalmente al principio del mes de diciembre y pintarle una cara feliz. Luego le dejan comida cada día del mes y lo tapan con una manta y al llegar la época navideña, los niños de la casa lo golpean con bastones hasta que “defeca” los regalos. Esta tradición se llama el Tio de Nadal lo cual se traduce a Leño Navideño. En lo personal esta tradición creo que es la más tradicional. También cabe destacar algunas otras tradiciones en los países de Latinoamérica
como romper un huevo en un vaso de agua y dejarlo a la intemperie toda la noche, luego en la mañana ver la figura que formó y eso revelara lo que aguarda en nuevo año. Esta práctica es muy popular en El Salvador. Finalmente, existe una tradición algo inusual es la de ir a ver corridas de toros, esto se practica en Costa Rica, pero no se preocupen, no los matan ni hieren. Estas y muchas más son las tradiciones que existen en nuestra cultura latina, algunas de ellas son extrañas y raras para muchas personas. Lo que hay en común los hispanos es que lo más importante de esta fecha es pasarla en familia y con amigos de manera divertida. Así que yo no sé lo que piensan ustedes pero yo voy a intentar algunas de estas, especialmente el Leño Navideño.
SHASHI ARNOLD
December 17, 2019
silverchips
Editorial
Real Christmas trees, real How boys and girls are disadvantaged in the classroom change Celebrate Christmas with a real tree, not a fake tree As the chilled winter winds roll in, the holiday season brightens many American homes with chunky stockings, fireplaces, glittering lights, and a wide selection of lush, vibrant evergreen trees. Some Christmas-celebrating families bring nature and its wintery scents into their living rooms. Others, however, drag in the smell of plastic trees. In a world that increasingly values sociallyconscious consumerism, every decision carries an undertone of responsibility. Plane flights are carbon-offset and heating is solarized. Even our Christmas trees could use some thought. And the science is in: Real evergreen trees are more environmentally friendly and economically responsible than their decorative, easy-to-use artificial counterparts. By purchasing a real Christmas tree, you are supporting an industry that contributes innumerable environmental benefits. Once Christmas trees are cut down, they are generally replanted immediately after; the more Christmas trees a farm can sell, the more money they have to replant Christmas tree forests. Real trees are carbon sinks, taking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and cleaning our air in the process. They provide habitats for many species of wildlife, leading to biological sustainability. Protecting landscapes from soil erosion, they keep dirt particles out of the water, which supports marine life. After Christmas, donated evergreens can often function as soil erosion barriers, stabilizing river shorelines and managing river deltas. Decaying trees can be used as fish refuges in ponds. Once ground up, the wood chips can be used as mulch and paths for hiking trails. Perhaps most importantly, real Christmas trees are biodegradable. Instead of being dumped in a landfill, real trees can be easily and naturally recycled. These past few years, real Christmas trees have become a little bit more expensive. Evergreen saplings don’t instantly become Christmas trees; rather, they can take more
than ten years to mature. Because of this growth period, tree farmers essentially live ten years in the past. The 2008 economic recession led to less demand for trees, so farmers planted fewer. Now, as many families across the United States have recovered, there is a relative shortage of trees. In addition, we should account for shipping impacts. It’s easy to find a local Christmas tree dealer here in Maryland, while most plastic trees are produced in China and Poland and take more energy to ship across vast oceans. Although the carbon footprint of Christmas trees is just a drop in the bucket of industrial outpourings of waste, any small effort to reduce emissions contributes to a greener, cleaner society. In fact, reusing the same fake tree five years in a row is environ-
By purchasing a real Christmas tree, you are supporting an industry that contributes innumerable environmental benefits. mentally equivalent to buying a real one. High-quality fake trees can cost upwards of $250. The average price for a live evergreen tree last year was $78. Unless one manages to maintain and reuse cheap, low-quality plastic trees, real trees may be cheaper. If you’ve already bought a fake tree, no worries. If your family loves your artificial evergreen, don’t disregard sentimentalities over environmental concerns. Even if your family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, enjoy your break. Just have a happy holiday season.
AUDREY LI
By Victoria Xin Ombudsman The age-old debate of ‘Who has it worse? Girls or boys?’ has permeated academic settings since the dawn of education. As the research rolls in, it’s becoming clearer and clearer: Both have it pretty bad.
Biases against boys
According to educational researchers, boys are on average more physically active in the classroom than girls and become more restless if forced to sit still for long time periods. This energy isn’t exactly conducive to a teaching environment where students sit for hours on end. That may help explain why boys are five times more likely than girls to be classified as hyperactive, accounting for 80 percent of eventual dropouts and attention deficit disorder diagnoses later in high school. Lecturebased learning is easily a physical disadvantage for boys. As kindergarteners, playful and mischievous boys often face more admonishment from teachers than their girl counterparts. According to the Delaware State Education Association, boys are more likely to be disciplined than girls for the same actions, which is inherently harmful to academic confidence. When it comes to English and writing, boys get the short end of the stick as well. According to a study done by Stanford Professor Sean Reardon, girls surpass boys on reading and writing in almost every U.S. school district regardless of local wealth or racial makeup. Even in foreign languages and biology classes, boys are outnumbered by girls. Just as schools encourage girls in STEM, they should push boys to take humanities courses. To add to this, in Montgomery County, 80 percent of the educators are female. This drastic gender discrepancy means there are fewer male teachers in the classrooms to act as role models for young boys. Not seeing themselves in the educational system, boys can easily lose confidence in their academic aptitudes.
ding the student in the right direction. This approach suggests that many teachers view girls are less capable than boys at problem solving, which can be damaging to girls’ selfperception. While boys avoid humanities-heavy classes, girls don’t enroll in high level engineering, math, and science courses as often. In 2014, Mississippi and Montana had no girls taking AP Computer Science. This discrepancy could be due to external biases. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that on the same math test, papers with no name specification generally received higher marks than ones with a “girl name” at the top. This discouragement at an early age could influence course decisions later on in a girl’s life. Furthermore, girls are often chastised for their clothing choice. By their very nature, strict dress clothes suggest that girls must not “distract” boys. Once again, girls’ choices are limited by boys’ perceived needs. The situation does not look promising for either side. Children are developmentally vulnerable. They pick up the cues that people around them put down. As students and teachers, we should be aware of the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle biases that both girls and boys face. We should do our best to dismantle these perceptions.
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IVVON E ZHO U
Biases against girls
But that doesn’t mean girls have it easy. Paralleling the lack of teacher role models for boys, girls lack role models in their textbooks and educational materials. Often, textbooks are filled with men who made history, and mentions of women are few and far between. That’s not particularly encouraging for young girls seeking to change the world. In the classroom, girls receive less attention from teachers, getting three interactions for every seven interactions boys receive, and are more likely to be talked over by boys, with few consequences on the boys’ end. As a result, girls may be less likely to participate in classroom discussions. Girls’ efforts are more often classified as a result of hard work than innate ability, which hinges on the misconception that boys are naturally smarter than girls. Girls are given fewer opportunities by teachers to reach a conclusion by themselves, as teachers are more likely to outright explain the solution instead of prod-
To connect with Victoria email her at ombudsmansilver chips@gmail.com
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December 17, 2019 The Chesapeake Bay is full of life: thriving fisheries, picturesque beach towns, and flocks of tourists who come every year to spend a lazy summer by the waves. Standing along the shore, you can hear the sounds of a busy community. There are fishermen calling out to one another from the docks as their lines whizz across the water, laughter bubbling up from the restaurants scattered along the waterside, and the backdrop of it all, the peaceful sloshing of waves against the shoreline. But if you were to travel back in time, you would see all the land those waves have consumed. The islands of the Chesapeake have lost more than a foot of land since 1950, twice the worldwide average. The last half century has seen the coastline of the bay recede dramatically as many islands shrink to a fraction of their former size. According to the most recent predictions from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in 2018, sea levels in the bay could rise up to an additional 1.6 feet by 2050, forcing even more of the bay’s coast underwater. On a larger scale, if global emissions don’t meet the Paris Agreement standards, the melting of polar ice caps could escalate sea levels by 20 feet globally by the end of the century, the UMD Center continues. Sea level rise is painting a picture of real and immediate danger for the bay’s ecosystem and its surrounding communities.
Confronting the current crisis Late November, Fox Island Education CeIn late November, Fox Island Education Center announced its official closing due to the bay’s rising water levels. Thousands of students have visited Fox island during its lifetime, lodging in its solitary cabin and mucking around its marshes. “It was the most memorable experience from sixth grade,” senior Jack Yang from Richard Montgomery says. He remembers his trip to the island as a highlight of his time at Roberto Clemente Middle School. “With only nature around you and water, it was a nice break from the hustles from everyday society.” Since Yang’s trip in 2013, the island has
“There are lots of little islands in the Chesapeake... now they are disappearing literally under the water.” - Claire Cambardella
effectively disappeared under the waves of the bay. “It is a huge loss, not only for Clemente students, but for everyone who didn’t have the chance to go there,” he says. Fox Island is not the first of the Chesapeake’s islands to face rising sea levels, and it won’t be the last. “There are lots of little islands in the Chesapeake, and for centuries, they have been flowering communities,” Ronnie Anderson of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) says. “Now they are disappearing literally under the water and people are not able to live in their ancestral homes.”
tioned at Arthur Sherwood Education Center in Annapolis, found much greater tidal fluctuations this year. “There have been some super high tides where things might wash off the docks,” she says. “It’s not a huge deal for us, but if these become more regular occurrences, it might be a problem.”
Wrecking the wetlands
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The rising waters are also threatening the bay’s marshlands, ecosystems crucial to the area’s ecological health. “[Marshlands] serve as… the transition between land and water,” Anderson says. “It acts like a sponge and can hold sediment and nutrients and even acts as a filter… [and] prevents [trash] from washing into the water.” These marshlands also form a habitat for birds and vegetation alike. “That’s an area that’s really important for migratory birds and it’s one of the largest contiguous concentrations of wetland along the eastern seaboard,” Cambardella says. “It is habitat for animals and flood control for people.” Marshlands can ordinarily adapt to environmental changes, but not at this speed. “[Marshlands] would move to higher elevations and the whole community would sort of migrate upland, but we are not giving them the time to do that,” Anderson says. As the water levels rise, these marshlands might disappear. With the depletion of the marshlands, fresh water and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus will make their way into the bay. Algae and other invasive microorganisms thrive on a surplus of these nutrients, which will further pollute the water and threaten bay wildlife such as the oyster. “Oysters need salt water to grow,” Cambardella says. “They pull minerals out of COURTESY OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION the water and if they are in fresh water, they FAST CHANGE Fox Island is smaller than won’t be able to do that.” As a result, “2018 thirty years ago (change outlined in red). was a really tough year for oyster growth because of all the fresh water,” she says. Along the bay’s shore, residents of coastOther iconic bay creatures, like the blueal Kent County watch their properties re- fish and blue crab, are facing population peatedly flood. “I live on the water down problems as well. “Back 20-30 years ago, here and [the sea level] gets up pretty high,” [the fish were] all bluefish… and now, it’s all Bob Neuens, a Kent County deputy sheriff, rockfish, no bluefish,” Neuens says. Until says. “Couple of times it flooded my dock, recently, “bluefish was the only big fish you and my dock is pretty high up above the wa- could find in the bay.” The increase in fresh ter.” When asked if the frequency of flood- water has forced the bluefish farther downing has increased in the last twenty years, stream; water that used to ream with fish Neuens exclaims, “Definitely.” now has almost none. “The water is crystal The buildings on these islands and along clear right now. It wasn’t like this years ago,” the coast are increasingly susceptible to Neuens says. flooding and erosion. As average sea levels The increase of fresh water also makes continue to rise, so too will high tides, caus- it more difficult for shelled creatures to suring the frequency of “nuisance” floods—wa- vive, presenting a challenge for fishermen to ter levels 1.75 feet higher than usual—to in- make money. “If… the crabs aren’t moving crease. By 2100, nuisance floods would be because it’s been so fresh, then [fishermen] virtually a daily occurrence. These floods are not going to be able to make a living,” may erode a building’s foundation—and its Anderson says. “There are a lot of watermonetary value. men who were actually deciding that they Baltimore-based Claire Cambarbella of would make a better living doing something the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has no- on land.” ticed the floodwaters already creeping highBut rising sea levels also intrude into er on shore. “We see high water… flooding farmland, making many land jobs unsusUP A the sidewalks and streets along the tainable. “As those new levels rise, salt water ND Inner Harbor,” she says. creeps up the groundwater table,” CambarEAR LY B Anderson, sta- della says. Salt can easily flow through the ob Neu coastal farmland and kill shoreline vegetaens tion ill-adapted to the saltier conditions. com Trees along the bay, with roots deep in es ba the sediment, are already feeling the effects ck fro of the rising saltwater. “If you look at m a m pictures of Dorchester County, you’ll see stands of dead trees,” Cambarorn ing della says. Farmers are then of forced to abandon their fis once-fertile lands and hi ng settle farther inland, in destroying acres of th e Ch diverse habitat in the proe cess.
NO CAP Emission projections yield an antici
y Ba
Dealing with the danger b
Despite current efforts to curb global warming, sea levels are still expected to rise 1.6 feet by 2050, according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. To combat this rise, Maryland is already employing an aggressive strategy to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. In 2016, the Maryland legislature passed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, requiring a 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2030. The state Department for Natural Resources will soon develop a set of guidelines that suggest new structural plans to adapt to the coming climate challenges. Locally, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has implemented a variety of programs to preserve the coastal land that remains above the water. “We have a Healthy Soils Pro-
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Features D1/D2
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Rising waters, rising stakes
Exploring the threat of the rising seas on the Chesapeake Bay
RISKY BUSINESS As water levels increase, livesavers like these will be used more often
COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
ipated rate of flood days per year much higher than outlined by the Paris Agreement gram that helps farmers implement practices that will keep water on the land and not create as much surface runoff,” Cambardella says. The Foundation is also going forward with an emphasis on community involvement. “As part of our Making History campaign… we’re trying to get a million more people involved in the Chesapeake Bay advocacy, we’re trying to plant one million trees in Pennsylvania, and we’re trying to put ten billion oysters back in the bay,” Anderson says. At the root of the CBF’s efforts is the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. This Blueprint encourages neighboring states to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment inputs from flowing into the bay. Each of the CBF’s initiatives is one more step toward mitigating the effects of climate change.
A precarious future It’s hard to imagine—standing at the edge of the water or walking along the edge of HIGH STAKES Bustling cities like Annapolis are acknowledging the threat of rising seas the marshlands, watching blue herons skim across the water—that the bay will soon lie beneath the waves. Although the Chesapeake Bay itself has seen harsher effects of climate change than most of the world, efforts from outside the region can also help reduce the risks of rising sea levels. “We need people inside the watershed and outside the watershed to realize that they can protect their local water,” Anderson says. Though scientists believe that bay towns are within decades of disappearance, some residents still hold hope. “It’s too late to solve it completely,” Cambarbella says, “but we know that we can adapt and we can adjust.”
Story by
Design by Photo by
Sarah McKinzie Clark Zhang Clark Zhang Miles Grovic
D3 Features
December 17, 2019
silverchips
people access to better schools, certain people access to everything, while systematically denying it to other people.” This separation also extended to private businesses, which did not have the same legal desegregation requirements as schools. The Silver Theater in Silver Spring was segregated until 1962, when Montgomery County enacted an open accommodations law that prohibited discrimination by businesses.
OUR DESEGREGATION STORY Blair is among the most diverse schools in the state. It used to be all white.
Tying to the present
By Adam Chazan & Grace Walsh Staff Writers An auto body shop, a rifle club, a fashion show, and an entirely white student body: Blair in the 1950s was drastically different from Blair today, but examining the school’s desegregation can offer insights into prevailing racial inequalities. Blair was first established in 1925 under the name “Takoma-Silver Spring High School.” It exclusively served white students until 1955, when superintendent Forbes H. Norris ordered the desegregation of MCPS following the unanimous decision in the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education.
Seperate but unequal
Before the landmark court case, school systems in the South were segregated by law. This included Montgomery County whose first black high school, George Washington Carver, opened in 1951. Before
son says that many of her friends lived closer to white schools than to Carver. “[Students] had to be bused there from all over the county [to Carver],” she says. “I understand that the school buses would break down often and sometimes the kids wouldn’t get to school until lunchtime.”
A double standard
Silas E. Craft was the principal of Carver from 1956 until its closing in 1960, when he was transferred to Blair and assigned the position of assistant principal. At Blair, he “supervised attendance record-keeping and coordinated all counseling and health services,” according to a caption in Blair’s 1965 yearbook. Virginia Lee, one of Craft’s daughters, believes that his status change from principal to assistant principal was motivated by race. “He knew the demotion was because he was black and [because] they felt that he was ill-equipped to be a principal in an integrated situation,” she says. “That did weigh on him.”
very well-trained people,” Scribner adds. “They would still lose their jobs or have to take demotions as they moved into an integrated system.” Before Craft was demoted and moved to Blair, he had worked to set up institutions in the black community. In the 1940s, Craft opened Harriet Tubman High School, the first all-black school in Howard County to include the twelfth grade. Additionally, he founded the Howard County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and he advocated for better working conditions for black teachers and students. Blair was the first desegregated school at which Craft worked, and there were considerable tensions. Lee recalls that white families were hostile towards her father throughout his time at Blair, often leaving racist and demeaning notes. “People would write ‘n-----’ on his desk when he was out,” Lee says. “[They would] pin notes to his office door [that said], ‘No n----- can teach my child.’” Despite these incidents, Tyson remembers Craft as a well-liked figure at Blair. “He was a very good [administrator], I understand, and the kids liked him so much,” she says.
dirt roads, and no streetlights. That was our community,” she says. “All the white communities had [those resources], but we didn’t.” Even though Tyson lived closer to Bethesda-Chevy Chase, she was sent to Blair. “We had B-CC in our area, but still we were bused to Montgomery Blair,” she says. “BCC was kind of an exclusive school. It had a lot to do with the fact that the rich families were at that school.” Many neighborhoods enforced
Divided communities
COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE 1964
SILAS CRAFT pictured in the 1964 yearbook. After leaving Blair, he would continue to advocate for black students and teachers. Carver, black families sent their kids to community schools, often small and underfunded. Black schools across the nation rarely had access to adequate resources, a major factor in the Brown v. Board decision. After the Supreme Court ordered schools to desegregate, black students began to trickle into white schools like Blair. Patricia Tyson graduated from Blair in 1960 as one of the six black students in her class. Even though there were challenges for black students attending a recently desegregated school, Tyson says that the quality of education was a significant improvement from the schools previously available to black students. Carver was not necessarily the most convenient option for its students. Ty-
COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE 1961
ABOVE Assistant Principal Silas Craft, the first black Blair administrator, in a meeting with the administrative staff (1961).
Many of these same separations and inequalities persist 60 years later. Scribner says that divided communities have continued to create a lack of diversity in many schools, even as the county is majority minority. MCPS is currently conducting a boundary study to “help MCPS better understand the impact existing boundaries have on school overcrowding, student diversity and proximity to school,” according to a Dec. 11 MCPS statement. Similarly, there continues to be an opportunity gap between white and black students, something that would have been even more pronounced when Tyson attended Blair. She remembers that during her time at Blair most of the black students were set on the business track—meaning that they were not expected to attend college. Meanwhile, white students were generally expected to continue with their education. In the last few years, some have raised concerns about potential gentrification surrounding the construction of the Purple Line and other high-profile developments in the Silver Spring area. Similarly, once Lyttonsville finally did get running water and adequate infrastructure, Tyson says that as costs rose, many
Stories like Craft’s were not uncommon, according to Campbell Scribner, an Assistant Professor of Educational Policy at the University of Maryland. “Even though black schools were extensively lower in quality and they certainly had less money, oftentimes you would find that their teachers were actually much better qualified than teachers in white schools,” he says. “[Black teachers] just had fewer options open to them.” Just like Craft, who had a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Scribner says that black teachers were held to higher standards than their white counterparts. “So many [black teachers] had masters degrees or doctorates and were
Enforcing court-ordered desegregation would prove complicated. Many white communities took measures to avoid desegregating their schools. In the case of Montgomery County, residents of Poolesville resisted desegregation, until eventually threatened with a lawsuit. “After [Brown v. Board ], you have southern districts doing everything they can not to comply, including in the case of Prince Edward County, Virginia— they actually shut down their public schools,” Scribner says. Though there was isolated resistance, Montgomery County was more receptive to desegregation than other counties in southern states. Still, legal desegregation did not necessarily translate to diversity. “The question is, what does it mean to have desegregated schools?” Scribner asks. “If you have one black child and an otherwise all-white school, is that a desegregated school?” Scribner believes that a lack of diversity in schools, even after legal desegregation, reflects racial divisions in the surrounding communities, such as Tyson’s neighborhood. Lyttonsville was a small, overwhelmingly black community that bordered the white neighborhood of Rosemary Hills. “There was always one white family or maybe two in our community. Always,” Tyson says. “But that’s not really integration.” Lyttonsville was very poor and had no access to basic infrastructure. “We had no running water,
COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE 1957
ABOVE The Silver Theatre, which is now known as the AFI Silver, was featured in the 1957 yearbook. The theatre did not allow black patrons until 1962.
RIGHT Patricia Tyson, a Blair graduate, poses for her senior photo. Tyson was one of six black students in her class. legal documents, called covenants, which prohibited white homeowners from selling their properties to black families and other minority groups, maintaining the state of inequality. “They had contracts where you were legally not allowed to sell to African-Americans or Jews or any number of other groups,” Scribner says. “[Covenants] allowed certain people access to housing, certain
COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE 1960
black families were forced to leave. Tyson, who still lives in Lyttonsville today, appreciates the lessons that she has learned from her childhood. “I would not trade the experience of growing up in a very poor neighborhood for anything in the world, because I learned something that progress can’t teach you or money can’t teach you,” she says. “It makes you a survivor.”
December 17, 2019
silverchips
Features D4
Testing out trivia How a Blazer created a lunchtime activity promoting competition and learning By Anna Fisher Lopez Staff Writer Walk into the SAC at lunchtime, and you’re likely to see tables full of Blazers eating, laughing, and hanging out during their free period. But look a little closer, and you might see one table full of kids excitedly jumping out of their seats, loudly shouting phrases like “Algeria!” or “The Simpsons!” or “1957!” Standing at the center of that table’s attention is Kyle Gardner, a green box of fact-filled cards in hand, officiating an intense game of trivia that has become a lunchtime staple for many students. Gardner’s trivia hosting career began with his own friends during lunch but expanded to more tables when Gardner became curious about other Blazers’ trivia skills. “I
DELIA MORAN
thought, let’s see how other tables do versus my friends,” he says. “So I went over to some of the tables near ours and asked them the same questions I asked my friends.” Pretty soon, too many tables wanted to play trivia for Gardner to keep up with. “When I got to around seven tables, I realized I had a really good problem,” Gardner says. Now with a high demand for trivia, Gardner operates on a cycle, visiting each table a few times a week so that every table has an equal opportunity to play. “I was always excited when he’d come by the table,” junior Phillip Woodings, whose table has been doing trivia with Gardner for almost a year, says. Gardner describes Woodings’ table as one of the “original three,” recalling his nervousness as he first approached the group of sophomores when Gardner was a freshman in the winter of 2018. “I tapped a massive stockpile of social confidence just to walk up to those first three tables,” he says. But he was able to overcome his nerves when he realized that all he was doing was offering a chance to play a fun game. “I thought, wait a minute: It’s trivia, it’s just random facts,” he says. “Surely they’ll be okay with trivia.” Many Blazers may recognize Gardner not just for his self-described role as “man of trivia,” but also for another self-given title: “doorman.” In the morning or between classes, Gardner appears at the entrance to the SAC, holding the door open for students entering and exiting. Always staying until the last student has come inside, he stands nearly expressionless, sometimes nodding to students he knows. “It’s just something that I do,” Gardner says about his presence at the Blair doors. “Just like trivia, that’s kind of my thing.” Gardner seems unafraid to approach students, walking up to new tables with confidence many students would never dream of having during their sophomore year. Even when Gardner was a freshman, he would strike up conversations with people he had never met. Although this type of social confi-
dence is not unheard of, it is much less common in people who, like Gardner, have been diagnosed with autism. Studies have shown that people on the spectrum are more likely to have social anxiety than those who are not. These studies, while accurate, can create the stereotype that people with autism are not able to have normal social interactions with other people. Though Gardner has not always felt comfortable talking to new people, he has been able to gather the confidence to approach others that now marks him as a sociable student. “It was definitely something I built up,” he says. Gardner believes that people who form preconceptions about him based on his autism don’t see the full picture. “Most people who stigmatize those who have autism… they don’t understand is that autism is a spectrum,” he says. But despite the stereotypes, Gardner doesn’t see his autism as a limitation. In fact, he believes it has given him the ability to remember each table’s progress
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levels and scores. “Since I’ve overcome its main disabilities, I’d say it is now an ability because one of the things [autism] does is significantly boost memory,” he says. Gardner’s ability to overcome his initial apprehension when introducing trivia to new people has allowed him to bring Blazers together during lunchtime in the spirit of learning and friendly competition. “It’s fun learning,” junior Bristol Glasgow, a regular participant of trivia sessions with Gardner, says. “It definitely does bring the table together.” In the future, Gardner hopes to start a trivia club during lunch that would allow him to moderate games with more students at a time instead of traveling from table to table. “The [Blair] community is large, and it’s also diverse,” Gardner notes. He believes that through his trivia, he can connect students who may not otherwise have interacted with each other. “Trivia is a way that I can unite people regardless of their beliefs, race, or how they view themselves,” he says. “It’s just them testing what they know.”
A budding industry: medical marijuana in the DMV from MARIJUANA page A1 federally legal. These products come from hemp, which is in the same family as the marijuana plant. The biggest difference between the two is the amount of THC, the active component in marijuana. Hemp-de-
“Legislation has not caught up to reality... to make sure that general CBD products are safe.” - Marc Nelson rived CBD products contain less than 0.3% THC, meaning that they, unlike marijuana products, do not produce a high. Marc Nelson saw firsthand the effects of CBD when he started using it after a second knee surgery. Hoping to avoid opioids, Nelson signed up for a medical marijuana card. But because the Maryland program was brand-new at the time, no marijuana was available. Nelson turned to CBD. “[It] worked really well in terms of just general comfort, in terms of anti-inflammation… And that sort of sold me on the medicinal properties of the cannabis plant,” Nelson says. The surgery piqued his interest. “I just
wanted to know why, ended up learning a little more about it, ended up getting a job at a medicinal dispensary,” he says. He worked at the Harvest House of Cannabis dispensary for a few months before moving to CBD Wellness in Rockville, where he is now a manager. At CBD Wellness, Nelson sells the federally-legal CBD products that he used after his surgery. He faces very different regulations at CBD Wellness than he did at Harvest, where he dealt with stringent state requirements. Dispensaries like Harvest are regulated by the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, and all of their customers must have physician-approved medical marijuana cards. In contrast, CBD stores see very little government intervention. That, in Nelson’s mind, is a safety problem. “[CBD is] just not regulated at this point,” Nelson says. “Legislation has not caught up to reality in terms of what we need to do to make sure that general CBD products on the market are safe.” But Nelson believes policy will improve. “It’s definitely something that [the FDA is] looking into regulation-wise,” he says, pointing to recently released guidelines for some hemp products. Kahn, the D.C. dispensary owner, agrees that the industry is shifting. He has been advocating for change since he started: for the removal of the cap on the number of plants cultivators can grow, for the ability to serve out-of-state patients, for more relaxed requirements on prescribing marijuana. “It’s a long, hard process to change legislation,” he acknowledges, but he has been fighting for seven years. He expects to keep on doing so. This, he says, is “the beginning chapter of a program and a story that’s still got a ways to go.”
SEOYOUNG YOO
E1 Culture
December 17, 2019
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Frosty fits A look into this season’s fashion trends By Ayush Dutta Staff Writer
By Teddy Beamer Winter is here! As temperatures begin to drop and heavy coats come out of the closet, everybody begins to get in the holiday spirit. Personally, I find no food more evocative of the holiday season than pie. It’s hard to find a pie as perfect as the one Mom or Grandma home-baked for a holiday celebration, but these come pretty close.
Woodmoor Pastry Shop I didn’t have to travel far for this first pie. Just across the street from Blair in the Woodmoor shopping center, Woodmoor Pastry Shop bakes delectable goods every day, and their fresh apple pie is nothing short of excellent. At first, I almost didn’t want to eat my pie— it looked like a work of art. It was a perfect bronze color all the way around and with only two small slits in the crust. Mouth watering, I took the biggest bite I could manage out of my first piece. Emphasis on first piece. The crisp apples in the gooey filling perfectly complemented the crisp and crunchy crust. Each bite combined these textures and flavors perfectly, and I couldn’t help going for seconds. My one issue with the pie was its weak structure. The pie all but fell apart when I began cutting slices. Though this didn’t impact the taste of the pie, it made it much more difficult to eat and detracted from the overall eating experience.
One quality that sets students apart along Blair Boulevard is their outfits. On any given day in any given season, one can find students draped in anything from a North Face coat with heavy sweats to t-shirts with shorts. Naturally, as winter rolls in, these Blair fashion choices shift. Here are some of the trends for this frosty season.
A local trend that is extremely popular One shoe that may most winters is Helly catch one’s eye while Hansen, a Norweigan walking down the halls of brand that specializes Blair are Uggs for Men, in coats and outeror their more widely-recwear. Branded with ognized name, “Muggs.” a double “H,” Helly The Neumel Boot is availHansen has made a able in light brown, blue, name for itself around grey, or black suede, with the DMV, particularly soft-to-the-touch uppers and within Prince George’s the brand’s signature fuzzy County and Washingsherpa interior. ton, D.C. When looking at the shoe, Around Blair, Helly the first thing that comes to Hansen jackets are commind is comfort. “I like how your monly rocked with lightLD NO feet are warm whenever you’re in wash jeans and Nike Air R IA [Muggs], and you can just slip them Maxes or Jordans. With a hefty SH A SH on in the morning and walk out the price tag of over $250 per jacket, door,” senior Russell Graham says. The Helly Hansen is not a cheap brand, cozy aesthetic is a hook for many consumers. but some Blazers consider the comfort “I saw a bunch of people buying them,” he worth the cost. “It’s probably my favorite
Blazers of Note
Spring Mill Bread Co.
4/5 stars Parkway Deli Out of pie selections from lemon meringue to chocolate mint, I chose the Parkway Deli’s cherry pie, one I don’t normally try. Cherry is a classic flavor I associated with the holidays more than the others—but I must say, I am not impressed. The filling of this pie was okay, the cherries were sweet and their flavor was alright. The consistency of the filling was firm enough to keep its place but also gelatinous enough to have a separate texture distinct from the whole cherries within it. The crust was my least favorite part, slightly burnt and crackery, honestly ruining the experience. This pie had potential, but falls short of the others quite a bit.
2/5 stars
Helly Hansen
Muggs
4.5/5 stars The “Very Berry” pie from the Spring Mill Bread Co. was NOT very berry. The filling was bluish-purple and tasted predominantly like blueberries, but perfectly contrasted the crunchy graham cracker crust. A crumble of crust covered the top of the pie, harmoniously complementing the other textures in a unique way. In contrast to the other pies, Spring Mill’s had a tart filling while the others were very sweet. Unlike Woodmoor’s apple pie, this slice held its shape perfectly and survived being turned over in its box. Aesthetically, this pie beats the others and even makes strong competition in taste and texture, but is just too expensive to be worth it: A whole pie from Spring Mill costs $23, while Woodmoor’s apple pie cost less than nine dollars.
adds “Everybody has them now.” “I like them,” junior Cassidy Wenger says. “They’re probably very easy to put on and match with a lot of outfits.” As temperatures drop, boys and girls alike will want to cozy up with Muggs– a staple quickly becoming the go-to for many, as an enduring and common footwear piece around the school.
Sweatshirts
Hoodies, crewnecks, quarter-zips, and half-zips are at the heart of winter fashion. Ranging from ten to thousands of dollars, sweatshirts are the most versatile and common piece for students at Blair. Sophomore Dayne Archibald says that when he is buying a sweatshirt, he focuses on its function and look, rather than its brand. “Brands aren’t really that big of a deal. If it’s comfortable, keeps you warm, or is a nice color, [I’ll buy it],” he says. One brand that has emerged within the past year is Champion, characterized by a red and blue “C.” Originally sold at Walmart as a wholesale brand, Champion has taken the fashion industry by storm, racking up over $1.4 billion in sales in 2018. Judging by a short walk through the halls, it is among the most common brands of sweatshirt worn by Blair students. Pricier brands like Patagonia and Columbia are large producers of quarter-zip and half-zip sweatshirts—a more versatile option than hoodies. “I like quarter-zips; I like being able to zip them up and down depending on how I’m feeling,” junior Ethan Phan says. As winter rolls around, keep an eye out for these trends. From Muggs to Helly Hansens and so much more, the Blair community will continue to be up to date on current trends within the fashion world.
By Ashley Thommana
Staff Writer
Standing in front of Blazer Stadium, junior Hunter Walterman analyzes the highlights and key aspects of the ongoing Sherwood football game, clasping a microphone in his hands as the camera rolls. For his recap of the game, Walterman was recently recognized as the 2019 high school WTOP Junior Reporter. Winning $2,000 in prize money, half of which went to the school, Walterman is very thankful for the support from the Blazer community. “It really made me feel appreciated and made my work feel appreciated,” he said. Well-known for his sports recaps on Infoflow, Walterman got involved with the BNC and the athletics department in his freshman year, after volunteering to run the Blair Sports Twitter account. “I saw an announcement… that said Infoflow and the Blair Athletics Department needed help running their Twitter account,” he said. “So, I followed up.”
After running the Twitter account, Walterman joined BNC as a sophomore. As he explored what he wanted to do on the show, he pitched the idea of doing recaps of sports games, a segment that hadn’t been done yet. “[The BNC sports department was] doing mostly features on the teams… but they wouldn’t do any specific game highlights,” he noted. “That was something I was really interested in doing.” Once BNC executives approved his pitch, Walterman filmed his first recap during the 2018 homecoming football game against Einstein. “I just went, recorded, got some interviews, and that was pretty much it. That was the start,” he remembered. Since then, Walterman has reported on many games and found his niche in sports broadcast reporting and journalism, which he hopes to pursue in the future. “I’m super interested in journalism and sports,” he said. “I’d like to do sports broadcast reporting [or] anything in front of the camera: anchoring or just doing general reporting.”
This summer, junior Valentina Simon took the opportunity to travel, but unlike most students her age, Simon was attending an international conference in Switzerland to discuss her research into the listeria guidelines. The guidelines are a set of recommendations to help people, especially pregnant women, avoid listeriosis, a food-borne infection caused by the listeria bacteria. “Listeria is important because it is life threatening… it can kill a fetus at any point in time during the pregnancy,” she said. For the past three years, Simon has been working with her mother, who as a midwife helps women give birth, to suggest updates for the listeria guidelines for at-risk pregnant women. Simon and her mother found that the guidelines, which currently list six foods to avoid if one is determined to be at risk for listeriosis poisoning, were outdated, as they didn’t include information about newer ready-made food options. With these findings, Simon and her mother published a paper and attended several national conferences to urge periodic updates to guidelines since the
sources of listeria can change over time. Their trip to Switzerland in August was their first chance to reach the global community. “It was really exciting to be able to converse with such an international group,” Simon said. During the conference, Simon and her mother presented their data and conclusions. She also discussed an app and website they created to help keep people informed. “We’ve made an app where you can [input] a food and it will tell you the recalls and outbreaks in the last twenty years,” she said. Simon hopes to continue her research into listeria by expanding the app to include other foodborne pathogens like E. coli and salmonella. The ultimate goal, she explains, is to encourage updates to the federal guidelines to keep up with the changing food sources of listeria bacteria. However, as she and her mother continue their efforts to inform the scientific community, they have come up with a quick phrase as updated listeria guideline for atrisk women: “If you didn’t make it and you can’t heat it, don’t eat it.”
Hunter Walterman ESTHER TANG
jacket,” sophomore Ethan Sharman says. “It’s an expensive jacket, but in my opinion, it’s one of the better quality winter jackets, and it’s comfortable and it looks nice so it’s worth it.”
Valentina Simon
December 17, 2019 International Newsbriefs Hong Kong elections Hong Kong’s district council elections, held Nov. 25, saw an ideological shift from past years, with pro-democracy candidates winning approximately 90 percent of the available seats. While the district councils do not hold much power, the leap in prodemocracy candidates led the Chinese government to respond by acknowledging the democratic perspectives, according to Foreign Policy. Since June, citizens of Hong Kong have gathered in the streets, protesting mainland China’s government interference with their semi-autonomous state. A few months earlier, on March 29, Hong Kong’s previous government passed the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation Bill, which President Xi Jingping originally proposed. This law gave Xi the power to monitor which fugitives were convicted in Hong Kong and judge them through the rules of the Communist party, The New York Times reported. The bill was withdrawn in September. Protests continued, and the violence against protesters worsened, according to the BBC.
Protests against governments in South America 200 high school students in Santiago, Chile, mostly women, gathered in the streets on Oct. 14 to protest against an increase in metro fares. The state responded to the protests with violence, causing millions to respond by rioting or vandalizing areas. In Quito, Ecuador, protesters marched against President Lenin Moreno’s cut on decade-old fuel subsidies and his implementation of tax and labour reforms. The cuts doubled the prices for diesel and increased the costs of petrol by 30 percent. Similar government-related protests occurred in Bogota, Colombia. Indigenous groups, students, and others gathered to protest against President Ivan Duque and what they considered a poor implementation of the peace deal, which would strengthen education in rural areas, increase support for development programs in rebel areas, and guarantee drinking water nationally, according to The New York Times. In Lima, Peru, President Martin Vicarra called for replacing Congress with new elections, which would be held in four months. In response, President of Congress Pedro Olaechea alleged that Vicarra “[broke] the constitutional order.” The next morning, Vicarra fled the country, leaving it in political confusion, according to CNN.
Crackdown on Sri Lankan immigration to Switzerland A Sri Lankan employee of the Swiss embassy in Colombo was abducted by unidentified men on Nov. 25. Her alleged captors forced her to disclose sensitive information about the Swiss embassy. According to officials in Colombo, the employee was forced to unlock her cellphone, which contained information about people from Sri Lanka— many of whom are Muslim—who had sought asylum in Switzerland. Many Muslims wanted to leave Sri Lanka because they feared Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaska. Prior to Rajapaska’s presidency, Muslims were socially ostracized, according to Al Jazeera.
International Newsbriefs compiled by Khayla Robinson
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Culture E2
Winner, winner, chicken dinner Who really has the greatest chicken sandwich?
By Charlie Wiebe Staff Writer
In First Person
Pens in hand and stomachs empty, a few buddies and I embarked on a journey to find the best chicken sandwich fast food has to offer. We hopped between Chick Fil A, Popeyes, KFC, and Wendy’s, picking up sandwiches, fries, and anything else our guts desired. An hour later, we sat down to eat, eager to explore every last crumb in the world of chicken sandwiches. Eating four chicken sandwiches so quickly can’t be good for one’s body, I thought to myself prior to the start of our feast. I dismissed these concerns as soon as the first paper bag of goodies was handed to me, though. We were hungry. Very, very hungry. I had fasted in preparation, trying to make this experience as enjoyable as possible. I wouldn’t describe myself as a chicken sandwich enthusiast. Prior to our feast, I had never had a KFC or Wendy’s chicken sandwich, and only dined at Chick Fil A and Popeyes on rare occasions. The only time I had eaten a Popeyes chicken sandwich previously, it wasn’t nearly as appetizing as I was led to believe, since I waited too long to eat it, and it had become damp and cold. Nevertheless, I was eager to give it a second chance. When we finally sat down at home to eat the four sandwiches, they were still hot and we were still starving. We randomly selected to try out KFC’s sandwich first.
As I unwrapped the sandwich, I immediately noticed two things: how small it was and how much mayonnaise was slathered on it. The disproportionate amount of mayo made the sandwich look extremely unappetizing, but I took a bite and to my surprise, it was delicious: The chicken was delightfully crunchy, and the flavors were evenly spread out. My friends agreed. I continued eating my sandwich with pleasure, until the mayo began to
Although not known for its chicken sandwiches, a few other friends suggested Wendy’s as a tasty option. We were severely misinformed. When we first pulled the sandwiches out of their packages, an excessive amount of lettuce made them hard to hold on to. Hockey enthusiast and fellow Silver Chips staff writer Ayush Dutta noted that the chicken looked like a hockey puck; it didn’t taste much better than one, either. There was
solid option. The chicken wasn’t as crunchy as I’d hoped, but the flavors were strong and the sandwich filled me up. Unlike KFC, my Chick Fil A sandwich had the right amount of mayo—and the Wendy’s sandwich stood no chance. Although Chick Fil A’s bread was slightly soggy and its outer layer wasn’t very exciting, its seasoning and spices made the sandwich undoubtedly better than anything else I had eaten so far that night. Next up was Popeyes, which we had purposefully saved for last. By this point, my stomach was filling up and I was becoming weary, but I persevered. Along with being visibly larger than the rest, the Popeyes sandwiches were much more appealing. The chicken seemed crispier, and there weren’t any protruding condiments. It took us all but two bites to unanimously declare it the winner. This sandwich was wonderfully crunchy, and the spicy sauce that came with mine was a pleasant addition. “Everything came together perfectly,” Dutta said after our feast. “[Popeyes] definitely had the [highest-] quality chicken out of the bunch.” DELIA MORAN After reviewing the sandwiches, DON’T CHICKEN OUT Junior staff writer Charlie Wiebe I felt nauseous yet proud of myself. It was a formidable task, and was proudly brandishes his choice for best chicken sandwich. much more difficult than I had anoverwhelm my taste buds. Soon, it minimal crunch and not much fla- ticipated. This is not an experience seemed as though there was more vor. I barely touched my sandwich for the faint of heart, but I still highof the thick white condiment than before I decided to move on to ly suggest it. I had a lot of fun, and there was meat. I ate until the mayo Chick Fil A. though I may take a break from was unbearable, then discarded the Self proclaimed “the home of chicken sandwiches for a while, sandwich. We moved on to Wen- the original chicken sandwich,” Popeyes will certainly be my first dy’s next. Chick Fil A offered us a fairly choice once I’m back.
The friends that keep on giving
Examining Friendsgiving, a laid-back take on the classic fall holiday
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By Ishaan Shrestha Staff Writer
The gravy boat floats from one outstretched hand to the next, drizzling angelically onto the mashed potatoes. The waft of unevenly cooked turkey permeates the air as awkward arguments over politics suffocate the disinterested teenagers. It’s family turkey time, but some Blair students have an entirely different holiday on their radar. Friendsgiving has gained popularity in recent years, especially among high schoolers. An addition to an already hectic holiday season, Friendsgiving brings a refreshing new side dish to the Thanksgiving table. Friendsgiving is a relatively new holiday. Much like Thanksgiving, people come together to have fun and eat. However, as the name suggests, this is done with friends instead of family. Its origins are unknown, but many see the popular TV show Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004, as the beginning of Friendsgiving, wherein the main characters (an inseparable
group of adults in their mid-twenties) get together to enjoy Thanksgiving. The term Friendsgiving was first seen on UseNet and Twitter in 2007, and its first definition on Urban Dictionary was published on Nov. 26, 2009. Sophomore Jyotsna Bhatnagar and junior Betel Adis both celebrated Friendsgiving with the Blair Poms team. The Poms team considers their Friendsgiving, or as they call it, Pomsgiving, an opportunity to grow closer and appreciate their friendship. Pomsgiving gives the team a time to relax and enjoy each other outside of practice. “We all are really busy a n d practices can get stressful, so we don’t really have a lot of time to just sit and have fun together,” Bhatnagar said. “That’s why I really like Pomsgiving.” Friendsgiving celebrations like Pomsgiving provide a fresh take on traditional Thanksgivings and also help friends build their connections with each other. “It kind of redefines Thanksgiving because it doesn’t necessarily have to be with family. I think it really ties into the fact that we are a team, and I feel like these kinds of things really
bring us together,” Adis said. Having good chemistry and a close environment can boost the team’s performance. “We are performing together and we vibe off of each other’s energy so if you don’t know [your teammates], it doesn’t really make you stronger as a team,” Adis said. Both Bhatnagar and Adis agree that Friendsgiving offers a more casual experience than the average Thanksgiving. “With my family, it’s a lot more traditional… With Pomsgiving, it was a lot more lighthearted and fun, and it was a lot less pressure,” Bhatnagar said. “I like Thanksgiving more because I value family a lot and don’t get to see my family that often, whereas I see my Pommies every day.” Despite the differences in formality, the two holidays share the same spirit. “You’re with a bunch of people that [you] truly care [for] and love,” Adis said. Junior Billy Scott loved how Friendsgiving went when he hosted it for the first time this year. “It was definitely a great time,” he said. “The vibe was really nice, just hanging out, eating together, playing games, talking, listening to music,
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all that fun stuff.” Friendsgiving was very easygoing for him. There was no set plan, but Scott and his friends just took it as they went along. “We kinda just went with the flow,” he said. The sheer amount of people at his family’s Thanksgivings makes it more hectic than his laid-back Friendsgivings. “Usually [Thanksgiving] is like 30 to 40 people, so it’s pretty wild,” he said. “I like Thanksgiving more because it’s my family and I don’t get to see them as much, so it’s a little bit more meaningful and it’s just a time for family.” Scott thinks that Friendsgiving is spent with a different type of family. “Thanksgiving is about being with family,” he said. “Friends are the family that you choose, so [Friendsgiving] is another way of spending time with your chosen family… I think Friendsgiving is a great thing, just to share your thankfulness and gratefulness for your friends.” Scott’s first Friendsgiving was a success. “It was just a great time and I’d love to have it again next year,” he said. “It really made me appreciate my group of friends and how much they mean to me.”
silverchips
E3 Archives
December 17, 2019
Archives Compiled by Mira Diamond-Berman, Khayla Robinson, Teddy Beamer
In Silver Chips’ 82nd year, we will continue the tradition of our dear predecessors by going through our archives and finding the best, most timely, and most local stories. Without further ado, our favorites of the 2000s...
In the wake of integrity December 20, 2012
Last Friday, a senseless violent act of unparalleled cruelty left the nation reeling with questions. How could such a monstrous crime happened in the safe haven of an elementary school? Why were such young lives so malevolently cut short? In the midst of the holiday season, brutality claimed the lives of the most innocent among us, and a grieving public cried for an explanation to an evil which no rationale could have justified. An armed intruder entered Sandy Hook Elementary School Friday and carried out the massacre that left 27 dead, 20 of the victims children aged five to ten. At 9:30 a.m., the first shots rang across the building. By 9:50, police had surrounded the scene. Less than three hours later, shoddy coverage of the incident went viral online. In a blatant attempt to weave a narrative,
news outlets began circulating reports that a deranged mid-twenties man by the name of Ryan Lanza was responsible for the attack... The events that transpired at Sandy Hook were something that no one, regardless of age, should have to witness. For the very young, however, such violence is especially incomprensible. When the children most needed a hug and some comforting words, they were instead offered the opportunity to broadcast their pain on television. In the aftermath of tragedy, we inevitably speculate as to how such disaster could have been avoided. After each time a shoooting incident seemingly repeats itself several months later, we cry for a cease to the violence. But perhaps President Obama is right; it is necessary to mobilize some action to prevent recurrences, and the solution may lie in the manner in which we respond to catastrophes.
The boulevard beat December 20, 2012 “Our name is Publik Theory and we’re going to be famous!” junior Josh Briggs announces into the microphone in the middle of the Media Center. Briggs and his best friend junior Ismael Oates are about to rap in front of a lively crowd of fellow Blazers at an Open Mic. Huddled behind their microphones, their faces peeking out from beneath their hoods and their aspirations for the future echoing through the room, the two rappers are in performance mode. Publik Theory, comprised of Briggs, Oates, and a close-knit crew of their friends at Northwood High School, is just one of the rap acts on the local music scene. Also eager to perform—and get famous—are seniors Brian Griffin and Shwai Feares. Decked out in their signature clothes— a tropical-patterned shirt for Griffin, who is alternatively known as “Hawaiian Brian,” and a camouflage jacket for Fears—the duo known as Havoc is also making a name for themselves in the Blair music scene. Within this scene, there are those who rap for fun and those who rap for fame. Some underground rappers like Publik Theory and Havoc release mixtapes and EP’s on file-sharing websites, hoping to generate enough attention and support to eventually make a career and money out of their love for music. When Forbes Magazine released its list of 2012’s highest-paid musicians at the end of November, rapper and hip-hop producer Dr. Dre clinches first place with earnings of $110 million. While Blair’s rap scene is not dealing with major money like this, its members pride themselves on a certain level of dedication and artistry. Even those with no rap career aspirations, such as Jakob Little, say that they enjoy writing, collaborating, and performing.
Inside the dime bag October 8, 2014
“Get the strap, get the f**king strap!” shouts Patrick’s friend as he tries to force the door shut. He and two other boys are pushing as hard as they can on the door while three adult men push the other way, trying to break into his basement. The high schoolers defending the property are starting to lose ground, giving way to the much larger burglars. Just before these men break through, Patrick’s friend opens a window and points a gun at the intruders. “Get the f**k out!” he shouts, and the men run down the street empty handed, ducking for cover. “I knew something was wrong,” says Patrick, recalling a close encounter over the summer, “They only used to ask me for [grams] and [1/8th ounces] and this time they hit me up for two [full ounces].” He pauses briefly, shaking his head and smiling regretfully. “I don’t know why I did it.”
Patrick, a Blair senior, is sitting on an unmade bed with Dan and Allen, two close friends, on a Friday afternoon. Lying on the bed between them is a bag of marijuana bigger than a basketball, along with a digital scale and a scattered pile of sandwich-sized plastic bags. The trio is working together to break down the enormous clump of weed into sellable amounts. “We’ve got a lot of swerves coming through today, so we gotta break this free down,” explains Patrick. The “swerves” show up about every 15 minutes. Some as young as 14 or 15, others as old as 30 saunter into Dan’s Silver Spring residence. Usually in and out in less than two minutes, the typical customer enters the room, greets everyone within reach with a slap of the palm, hands over a wad of bills, and leaves with his “zip.” Some will stay a few extra minutes to inhale from Patrick’s two foottall bong, which is always rotating around the circle as the dealers work.
December 17, 2019
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SHAISHI ARNOLD
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December 17, 2019
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December 17, 2019
More greens, more gains
Sports F1
Uncovering the lifestyles of vegan athletes
By Abednego Togas Staff Writer Whenever junior Asha Baron goes out to restaurants, attends parties, or shops for groceries, there is often an extra step between her and the food: Baron has to take a closer look at what ingredients are in the snack, dish, or product she wants to eat. As a vegan, she avoids any animal products such as meat, dairy, or eggs. But Baron, a figure skater for almost 10 years, has found that the process by which she keeps her diet goes beyond watching what she eats. She believes that her choice to become vegan three years ago has ultimately contributed to her performance on the ice and her student-athlete lifestyle. Although Baron often finds herself in the dietary minority, she is part of the growing population of vegans in the United States. In fact, the number of consumers who identify as vegan in the United States alone shot up by 600 percent from one percent in 2014 to six percent in 2017. Baron’s dietary choices are also indicative of the recent phenomenon of athletes turning to the plant-based lifestyle. In the past few years, vegan diets have become a growing topic of interest in the sports world. Celebrity athletes like tennis player, Venus Williams, basketball player, Kyrie Irving, and racing car driver, Lewis Hamilton are just a few examples of professional athletes who have publicly announced their choice to be vegan.
There are numerous reasons behind this national surge of plantbased diets. Initially, Baron took interest in veganism because it aligns with her morals. “I did it for animal rights, but as I started to research it, I learned about some of the health benefits and environmental benefits,” she says. Health benefits are also why senior handball player Elijah Powell switched to a vegan diet. “I saw my mom become vegan and…she… looked healthier and she sounded healthier,” he says. “So, I decided to become vegan as well.” But even with all of the advantages of a vegan lifestyle, Powell must constantly fight temptations of eating his SH favorite animal products. “My fa- ASHI A RNO vorite food before I became vegan LD was probably cheese, and cheese is really hard to give up,” Powell says. practices… fueling my While sticking to the strict regi- body right has helped,” men can be challenging, the effects Baron says. are rewarding. Both Powell and Powell echoes this sentiment, Baron notice that their diets have having noticed increased energy boosted their athletic performance. and stamina. “I probably have “I think it’s helped me in more energy and I can exercise for
Reflecting on cross country’s latest season By Simran Thakkar Staff Writer As senior captain Max Worley rounded the finish at his final cross country meet of his high school career, one thought crossed his mind: End the season on a good note. All that was left ahead was the finish line, bringing this race, this season, and his high school cross country career to a close. This fall, all of Blair’s cross country runners crossed the finish line of the season. Both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams placed higher in both the county and state than in previous years: the boys’ team ranked third at states and the girls’ team ranked tenth. Though the girls’ team has made the state meet for the past few years, they did better this year
than the last. Last season, the girls placed nineteenth in the state, but were able to improve this year to place tenth and win the Down County Consortium. Last season, the boys fell short of making the state meet. However, the team “exceeded all expectations” this season with a third place finish, which was “the highest finish on record since [around] 1963,” according to Worley. Worley attributes this triumph to a large amount of returning seniors who were more motivated to push the team to the next level. “Last year, we thought we had the chance to do what we did this year, but we didn’t because of injuries and other issues,” Worley said. “We had five returning seniors [in the top seven runners on our team] who had this bitter taste that was left behind from last year, so I think that helped fuel us this year
COURTESY OF ANDREA MCDOUGALL
CROSSING THE LINE Girls’ cross country Hood College Invitational, in which they
at the finished
2019 third.
to do as well as we did.” Much of the success also stemmed from the team starting to run more aggressively and working for the highest finishes at meets. “[The team] was in a transition period where the team before [was] much more [of a] club,” Worley said. “So when I joined, it was transitioning to become a more competitive team.” Although the abundance of experienced seniors certainly helped the team reach new heights, new talent on the team contributed as well. For freshman runners like Alexa Avila, coming to a new school was difficult enough. However, joining a new team without many people they know is even harder. Fortunately, running during middle school and competing in triathlons was just what Avila needed to prepare for this season. Despite her nerves at the beginning of the season, many of the girls’ senior runners on the team provided their support. “[They] pushed me to go harder,” Avila said. “Even on some days that I didn’t feel like running, they still encouraged me and helped me to go past my limits.” Worley considered this common across the whole team. Though they are separate groups and run different events, all of the runners—girls and boys—support each other during practice, at every race and at every meet. “Cross country is the ultimate team sport because you have to rely on each other,” Worley said. “You can’t have a good race for someone else, so you just have to trust that they are racing for you and you’re racing for them.” Aidan McDougall, one of the
a lot longer compared to maybe a lot of other people who don’t eat as [many] plants,” he says. Beyond personal accounts of improved athletic performance, there is research to support the connection between vegan athletes and prolonged endurance. Gitanjali Pande, a health and nutrition consultant, states that meat-centric diets contribute to muscle fatigue. “Meat is what’s called ‘inflammatory,’ which releases what are called ‘free radicals’ in the body which can contribute to muscle fatigue,” she says. These ‘free radicals’ are unstable atoms that can damage cells, and are often released from preserved meat such as sausages, bacon, and salami. The lack of inflammatory foods is part of the reason why vegan diets improve endurance. But as with any restrictive diet, vegan or not, there are setbacks.
Solely plant-based diets lack crucial nutrients that can be found in various animal products. Pande cites that there is a challenge of getting enough iron, B12s, zinc, calcium, and Omega 3s. She stresses that these nutrients provide vital benefits to athletes. Vitamin B12, especially, helps maintain a healthy, athletic lifestyle. “You want to take a B12 supplement because… it also helps to transport oxygen to your red blood cells to remain active,” she says. Although vegans do have to supplement some nutrients, protein deficiency is one of the biggest myths that vegans must constantly dispel. “Everybody asks me where I get my protein from, and I understand it’s an important part of the diet, but I don’t think it’s as important as people make it out to be,” Baron says. According to the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, vegans have shown not to be deficient in protein or any correlating amino acids. “There are plenty of other foods you can get protein from… like beans, lentils, and leafy green vegetables,” Baron says. To anyone, athlete or not, who wants to pursue a plant-based diet for health, ethical, or other reasons, the steps lie in finding more information about what works best for them. “Definitely research, find foods that you can eat, find restaurants and places where you can eat, and just figure out what your body needs and research how you can implement those into a vegan diet,” Baron says.
The rundown
COURTESY OF ANDREA MCDOUGALL
A WIN FOR THE BOYS Boys’ cross country at the 2019 Hood College Invitational, in which they won first place. senior captains for the girls’ team, agreed. She believed cross country is “all about working together and pushing each other in races and trying to catch the team member in front of you.” The encouragement from her
“You can’t have a good race for someone else, so you just have to trust that they are racing for you and you’re racing for them.” - Max Worley fellow runners helped newer members like Avila keep improving, ending with her best time at states. “I think I continued to get faster throughout all of the races,” she said. As a senior, finishing the cross country season on a good note was
extremely important to Worley, as he would not have another chance to shave off time for these events. Fortunately for him, the last meet of the season ended with him finishing 10 seconds under his best time. “I really felt like I was able to go off on a high note at the end of my senior season,” he said. The team now looks forward to the winter and spring track season. Many runners—including Worley— run throughout the year with these additional two seasons. Worley believed the training from a successful cross country season will help the runners come the new season, despite the differences between the two sports. “[This cross country season] definitely provides a good base training, so everyone’s going to be in really good shape at the start of the season [and] we can just work on getting faster,” Worley says. “Hopefully, we can transfer a lot of what we’ve done with cross country to having a great distance track team as well.”
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December 17, 2019
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“Ethan’s Park” is a monthly column where sports editor Ethan Park expresses an opinion on current events in sports.
Dear Daniel Snyder, I grew up a Washington Football fan. Stories of Super Bowl Rings and the Hogs familiarized me with Washington Football; the excitement of watching Robert Griffin III made me believe in it. But as I scroll through pictures of empty stands, read reports of $10 tickets, and lose hope after a season of scandal and disappointment, I now have one singular plea: Sell the team. Thus begins my list of grievances, complaints, and reasons why Washington Football will continue to be the laughing stock of the NFL under your management. My first grievance is the most obvious: the name. Although you have said time and time again that you will “never change
the name,” your tone-deaf allegiance to an offensive and racially-charged mascot will not help sell tickets. Your commitment to this so-called ‘tradition’ at the expense of Native-American people baffles me, especially with less-racist and catchier names like the “Redhawks” and “Warriors” floating around the Internet. Although the team’s name may have been acceptable in the last century, we are in a new, changing era of society. It’s time for you to change with it. Now, let’s talk about the scandals. In May 2018, The New York Times reported that various corporate sponsors and FedEx Field suite holders were invited to view a live topless photoshoot of Washington cheerleaders in 2013. Then, last month,
star left tackle Trent Williams declared that he will “never” play for Washington Football again after the mishandling of a cancerous growth on his head. This seemingly endless string of scandals has made your team the joke of the NFL. And yet, in the midst of all of this, team president Bruce Allen—whom you refuse to fire despite his gross incompetence—had the audacity to claim that Washington’s culture is “actually damn good.” Compare this “damn good” culture to that of the Baltimore Ravens, just 45 miles up Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The Ravens—named after a bird, not a derogatory term for a minority group—have a culture associated more with winning and integrity. Let’s compare the journey of Baltimore’s star quarterback Lamar Jackson to that of Washington’s Dwayne Haskins thus far: While Ravens head coach John Harbaugh voices his support for Jackson on the sidelines, Haskins must beg for help from an offensive line that allowed six
Sports F3 sacks by the pitiful New York Jets. “What do I have to do to help you?” repeated an exasperated Haskins to a visibly uninterested offensive line in a video that surfaced on Twitter. This stark contrast is not just between coaching styles or player effort; it is also evident when comparing an owner that builds around a young quarterback’s strengths to one that throws him into situations where failure is likely. Although Haskins has shown signs of growth in a few games, your enduring ability to build fans up and let them down gives me no hope for the future. As Washington, D.C. rebuilds the reputation of a city with a winning culture, it is clear that our football team is the black sheep of the bunch. As long as you, Mr. Snyder, are in charge of this organization, it will remain that way. I’m begging you: Please sell the team. Sincerely, An exasperated fan
Girls’ basketball prevails over Wootton in home opener Blazers’ tough defense leaves the Patriots scrambling By Rekha Leonard Staff Writer NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM, Dec. 10— Fresh off their first win of the season, the girls’ varsity basketball team kept the fire going in their first home game with a 61-51 win against Wootton. The players’ energy and determination on the court pushed them through the tough moments of the game, ultimately leading to their victory. Despite Wootton scoring the first field goal of the game, the Blazers quickly came back with a pair of two-pointers and a threepointer to claim an early lead that they would maintain for the rest of the game. With just a few seconds left in the first quarter, junior captain Peyton Martin shot a three-pointer just as the buzzer sounded. The ball rattled around the basket for a tense few seconds before going into the net and giving the Blazers an 11-point lead heading into the second quarter. Both teams struggled on offense at the beginning of the second quarter with a scoreless first two minutes. However, a threepointer from sophomore Emily Liu sparked the Blazer offense, and Blair was able to use this momentum to increase their lead to 3215. Wootton, however, was not backing down. In an intense last minute of the quarter, the pace quickened as the ball rapidly changed possession. Wootton went on a 10-point run, making almost every shot, while Blair’s offense struggled to make any at all. In the final seconds of the half, Wootton shot and sunk a three-pointer, similar to Martin’s buzzer-beater from the first frame. Wootton fans cheered and jumped out of their seats as the ball swished through the net. While Blair still held onto the lead, Wootton shortened the gap to just four points with a halftime score of 32-28. After a disappointing end to the first half, Blair returned to the court in the third quarter with their energy restored. Blair players stepped up their game on both offense and defense, with freshman Natalie Frost and senior captain Zoë Abramson leading the charge. Making fast drives to the basket, faking out the Wootton defense to create easy shots, and stealing the ball from Wootton on passes and rebounds were a few of the critical plays that Frost and Abramson executed on both sides of the court. With Blair’s offense making shots consistently and their defense holding their ground, Blair ended the
third quarter with a more comfortable lead of 48-39. The Blazer defense came out in full force in the fourth quarter as Blair hoped to maintain their lead in the final stretch of the game. Wootton managed to keep possession of the ball for substantial periods of time, grabbing offensive rebounds as the Blazers failed to box out. However, despite these second chances, Blair’s defense stood strong and held Wootton at bay. With 30 seconds left on the clock, Blair maintained possession of the ball and a 10-point lead. When the clock finally hit zero, the scoreboard read 61-51 with the Blazers on top. Head coach Amy Ferguson credited the win to the strong defense. “This was a defensive win,” she said. “Yeah, we scored 61 points, which is awesome. But [it] was
“We scored 61 points, which is awesome. But [it] was really because of our defense that we got some quick steals and were able to score on [them].” - Amy Ferguson really because of our defense that we got some quick steals and were able to score on [them].” The Blazers now look forward to the rest of their season as they hope to improve their skills on offense. “I think we just need to communicate more and play more as a team because there are points where we just took [shots] on our own and we didn’t look around for people [who] could have gotten a better shot,” Liu said. Even through the tough moments of the game, Abramson believes the team was able to pull through because they persevered past struggles. “I think going into halftime we were falling a bit, but we really brought it out and showed that even with a rough game, rough performance, we can still pull out a win,” she said.
EDSON ORELLANA
SKYING HIGH Wootton defenders and the Blazer audience can only watch as junior captain Peyton Martin drives to the basket for two of her 20 points on the night.
F4 Sports
By Ayush Dutta Emilie Vigliotta
Staff Writers
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December 17, 2019
Turf, ice, and everything nice
Junior staff writers switch hockey and soccer IN FIRST PERSON
Preparing to practice
My experience with soccer has been limited, to say the least. Like many children growing up in Montgomery County, I played Takoma Park youth soccer until fifth grade. My soccer career took a two-year hiatus but restarted when I made the Silver Spring International Middle School soccer team in eighth grade as a backup goalie. That season, I stopped every shot I faced—an impressive feat until the stat sheet reports I was in goal for a whopping 2 minutes. Since my ‘glorious’ performance as an eighth grader, I have not touched a soccer ball or a pair of cleats. So, as I prepare for a 17-and-under girls’ travel team practice with Emilie, I have no idea what to expect. As the days leading up to practice dwindle, I paint mental pictures about possible practice scenarios: one-on-ones, free kicks, and defending against experienced players.
Emilie told me that when the team heard about our plan, they passed along an ominous warning: “Prepare yourself for Jason.” From what I have gathered, Jason, the head coach for Potomac Valley Soccer, is known to call out your mistakes without any hesitation. I didn’t want to ruin their practice, especially because the infamous “Jason” let me practice with such an established team in the first place.
DEDE GREENFIELD
Above: Emilie and Ayush speed across the ice toward the goal. Left: Ayush shadows Emilie as she continues in hot pursuit of the ball. Right: An exhausted Emilie takes a minute to recover after another fall. Below: Ayush flashes a smile as he tracks the ball down.
BOBBY PADMORE
it. In semi-proper hockey position, which is a constant, quad-burning squat on skates, I inch my way to Ayush. I’m like a toddler riding a bike for the first time—wobbly and unsure, but still moving forward. My proudest moment comes with my first goal, despite it being from about a foot away from the net. The goalie glances down as the puck meanders in and decides that my shot is simply not worthy of his attention. But none of that matters. The thrill of scoring is addicting. The rest of the session seems like a complete flip from the beginning: I can hold my own on the ice. Sure, the seven year olds are still way out of my league, but I’m doing better than I thought I would.
I don’t rink this is a good idea
I was never the best at skating. One can picture the embarrassed little girl, screaming as she falls, flailing helplessly like a bird falling from the sky before she lands with a sudden thump. That was me. I was that girl. I have vivid memories of my face pressed against the cold, hard ice after removing my hand from the stabilizing ice rink walls. It happened every time. Naturally, my stomach is tangled with knots throughout the weeks leading up to hockey practice. My only experience with the sport has been watching the Capitals from my starting-line-up position on the couch. If I’m being honest, it was a relief when Ayush told me that I’m not legally allowed to play with the Blair hockey team, and that we’ll have to attend an open ice session instead. Less embarrassment for me, right? “I’m going to check you,” Ayush promises. I can tell that he’s serious. Maybe I’ll return to school with a gap-toothed smile like Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, proudly displaying my battle wounds. Maybe I won’t return to school at all. However, one thing is certain: I have no idea what I’m getting myself into.
Performance on the pitch
After a 30-minute drive on a frigid Tuesday night, I join the team at Bullis’ practice field in Potomac. As we gather on the field, I see him—the man, the myth, the legend. My heart drops as coach Jason Travis slowly walks onto the field in an oversized Potomac Valley Soccer puffer jacket. Without acknowledging my presence, he orders the team to start juggling. I, in fact, do not know how to juggle. While making hopeless eye contact with my
longer than expected. When we finally arrive, Ayush struggles under the weight of his gigantic bodybag of equipment, pulling it out of the trunk and laughing under his breath about what is to come. Inside the rink, Ayush and photo editor Dede Greenfield spend the first half hour dressing me for practice. As they hand me layer after layer of padding, I feel like a whale wrapped in bubble wrap. At long last, Ayush finishes tying the skates for me and turns to put on his own uniform, which he completes in a fraction of the time. One step onto the ice, and I know I am worse off than Ayush expected. Despite having a hand on the wall, my skates begin to slide forward in an instant and I land on my back with a defeated groan. This is the first time that I have fallen, and it’s only been a minute. I pull myself to my feet, stand proudly for a second, and then take my first step forward. To the surprise of no one at all, I fall again. It certainly doesn’t help that my helmet is just a bit too tight. Resisting the urge to curl up in a ball on the ice, I eventually start to get the hang of
Aftermath
friends on the team, I manage to keep the ball up for a tragic three taps before losing possession and running about 20 yards to retrieve it. After that impressive display of coordination, we start a scrimmage. The nerves kick in immediately as I do my best to avoid all contact with the ball. From my bystanding position, I observe many similarities to hockey in terms of positioning and ball movement. In hockey, taking more than a second to get the puck off your stick often results in getting decked to the ice; but here, I watch the girls spread out, giving themselves time to make smart passes. So, I adapt. I find open space for myself, receive my first pass, and shoot the ball straight into the goal. A burst of newfound confidence washes over me as positive reinforcement from the entire team brings a blush to my freezing, already-red face. As the scrimmage continues, I find a role for myself as a defender—the closest thing to a goalie— while capitalizing on another opportunity to score one more goal. After a few other drills, we play another scrimmage. This time, I line up at forward,
my position in hockey. Unlike hockey, there is a considerable amount of a soccer game where you are not involved with the play, especially at forward. As I walk and wait for the ball to come to my side of the field, I take notice of my freezing extremities: I can barely feel my ears, fingers, and toes. In one play, I receive the ball, take one soft touch, and wind up for a fifteen-yard shot at the goal. As the ball leaves my foot, I know I hit the sweet spot. It feels effortless; my neon-green Adidas cleats swiftly pound the ball, as if I’m kicking nothing at all. I am imagining the shot going top corner, the rest of the team amazed at my ability. Instead, my powerful kick flies ten yards wide of the net. “That’s why you play goalie,” Jason announces, teasing me as the girls giggled at my joke of a shot.
Sticking with it
On Thursday night, it takes an hour to get to MedStar IcePlex. Part of the road is blocked and we end up driving in circles, taking the same abandoned road twice. Navigator Ayush falls asleep halfway through the inconvenience, and the trip takes
After my adventures on the pitch, I have a newfound respect for both the dedication and skill of soccer players. It’s certainly not easy to compete on this level, as it requires precise accuracy and a soft touch with your feet. When I come home, I throw myself on my bed, exhausted, but something about being on the field put me in a great mood. The atmosphere was great, and the girls’ personalities and chemistry made the experience all the more fun. I was also genuinely relieved that I didn’t, for lack of a better word, suck—at least, not too much.
A (n)ice time
I have never been this sweaty before. I peel back layer after layer of equipment in the lobby until I’m left wearing what I came in. My leggings and thin shirt have absorbed the distinct smell of hockey like a luxury perfume: eau de sweat. We head back to the car for the hour-long road trip home, and I find myself smiling, despite the massive bruise on my back. I knew that I was going to have fun, but I didn’t think that I would enjoy something so different from soccer quite that much. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to play again sometime.