Climate Change: May 2018

Montgomery County’s Longest Running School Newspaper

Volume 91 Issue 8

The Tattler May 2018

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814

Climate Change Something has happened to the cultural climate of B-CC, and teachers are not happy about it

By Matt Cohen and Conor Kelley “I was surprised by the low rank of Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which seems to me well run,” wrote Jay Mathews of The Washington Post in a November 2017 column.

B-CC ranked 22nd out of the 25 high schools in Montgomery County in percentage of staffers agreeing with the following statement: “Staff morale in this school is positive.”

Only 23.9% of B-CC staffers agreed.

Mathews claimed in that column that low morale often correlates with the difficulties of teaching disadvantaged children. B-CC, however, has just 11% low-income students according to Mathews’ story.

By comparison, Whitman, Walter Johnson, Wootton and Poolesville, schools with percentages of low income students in the single digits, all wound up in the top 10 in terms of highest morale. B-CC and Churchill are the only two schools with low-income student percentages of less than 15% that did not make the top 10. Topping the list overall is Paint Branch, with 77.9% of staffers agreeing that staff morale is high, and 34% low-income students.

Based on Mathews’ claim regarding the correlation between income and staff morale, it makes sense that Mathews was surprised.

Though for those who experience the work climate of B-CC on a day-to-day basis, this ranking isn’t taking anyone aback.

An anonymous commenter on the Mathews column wrote the following: “As a teacher at B-CC, I am not surprised by our rating. Administration continues to scold staff and tell us we are just being negative. Interesting to see us compared to the rest of the county!”

The Tattler spoke with numerous faculty members at B-CC, and all gave variations on the same message: work climate has taken a turn for the worst since the change of administration for the 2015-16 school year. One staff member claimed that in the first year of the new administration at B-CC, teachers gave the administrators the benefit of the doubt, as everyone tried to settle in.

Though nearly three years into the administration’s tenure, that pass has disappeared.

Montgomery County Public Schools posted the staff climate survey data from the 2016-17 school year, data which Mathews used in his story. The Tattler requested, but was unable to obtain the monthly survey data for the 2017-18 school year, but were told that this year’s data largely resembles that of last year’s. In addition to the staff morale statement Mathews used in his story, teachers were asked if they agreed or disagreed with 17

statements in the 2016-17 survey, including “The school leadership involves me in decisions affecting my work” and “My school recognizes staff for their quality work and accomplishments.”

For the former, 55.6% of those surveyed either disagreed or strongly disagreed. For the latter, 44.3% either disagreed or strongly disagreed (22.7% neither agreed nor disagreed).

The most recent survey data MCPS has released before 2016-17 was from the 2011-12 school year, when Ms. Lockard was the principal.

For the statement, “Staff morale is positive in this school”, 74.8% of staffers either strongly agreed or agreed.

Following the publishing of Mathews’ article, one teacher noted that Dr. Jones was shocked by the statistics reported by B-CC’s staff, which many considered to be a prime opportunity to address the problem and take strides in working with the staff to solve it. Instead, the same teacher reported, the staff were essentially told that they were “making the choice to be unhappy.”

When asked to comment on her reaction to the staff climate data, Dr. Jones said that her immediate thought was wanting to know more. Jones said that she wanted to know more of the narrative and examples behind the numbers.

Continued on page 13

Inside this Edition

“Toxic Masculinity”, Page 9

Construction Site Tour, Page 10-11

Gun Activism Photo Spread, Page 19

News

Page 2

May 2018

Rockville school is first MCPS school named after openly gay individual

By Matt Levin

It has been announced in mid-April that the name of the new school in Rockville will be Bayard Rustin Elementary School making it the first Montgomery County Public School to be named for an openly gay person. Bayard Rustin was a leading strategist of the Civil Rights Movement.

He was also the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, working alongside of Martin Luther King Jr. Towards the end of his life, Rustin became a leading advocate for gay rights, as well.

Rustin was awarded the Presidential Medal of freedom in November 2013 by President

Barack Obama. Principle of the new elementary school, Rachel DuBois, stated in her letter to families in the community that “our school will promote a culture of respect where each person has equal opportunities and access. We will focus on equity, differentiated instruction, and creating a physically and social-emotionally safe environment.

I am an advocate for all of our children and families and dedicated to making sure our school community represents inclusiveness and acceptance.” The school will be opening its doors for the 2018-2019 school year.

Ananya Tadikonda MCPS launches new Consent to be taught wins SMOB election curriculum in Health Education

By Camille Devincenti In the first Student Member of the Board (SMOB) election with two female finalists in 15 years, MCPS students elected Richard Montgomery (RM) Junior Ananya Tadikonda to office on April 25th.

In a tight race against her fellow RM classmate, Nimah Nayel, Tadikonda earned 51 percent of the vote while Nayel earned 49 percent. With a total of 70,838 votes cast, 83.6% of Montgomery County students from grades 6-12 participated in the election.

Tadikonda has an extensive background in Montgomery County government, serving as the Montgomery County Regional (MCR) Student Government Association Vice President and serving on the executive board for the Maryland Association of Student Councils. Tadikona is also the founder and Co-President of MoCo EmpowHER, an organization associated with MCPS that provides a safe space to discuss womens issues and offers leadership and networking opportunities.

“With the aid of my former experience and passion for student advocacy, I would like to foster a community network between MCPS middle and high school students, so that we can advocate for the change we aspire to see in our school system. I aim to reach out to students from the diverse range of backgrounds MCPS is fortunate to have, so that MCPS can work toward serving every student equitably and effectively,” Tadikonda said.

Before the election, Tadikonda visited B-CC, discussing policies with students in the hallways. “I voted for Ananya because she was very well spoken and she seemed knowledgeable on the issues discussed in the SMOB video,” said Class of 2018 President Will Satloff.

Our current SMOB, Matt Post, is set to graduate from Sherwood High School on May 1st. Tadikonda will officially start her new term as SMOB for the 2018-2019 school year on July 1st.

By Camille Devincenti Following the Common Core standards that Maryland complied with in 2010, Montgomery County Public Schools used significant time, money and resources in order to craft a new curriculum. This new curriculum, called Curriculum 2.0, has left may students and parents dissappointed in their education.

In March of 2018, the Johns Hopkins School of Education submitted a Curriculum 2.0 Review and Analysis to the Board of Education, highlighting flaws in the curriculum in elementary and middle schools.

According to the six-month study, teachers found “the curriculum misaligned to the needs of many of their students, difficult to navigate on the technology platform and requiring more opportunities for students to develop a depth of understanding... “Teachers note several missing elements that are essential to understanding upcoming lessons in both math and ELA. Some teachers attribute this problem to the pace of the curriculum, which does not allow for practice.”

The report also emphasized concerns that the curriculum neglected students on opposite sides of the learning spectrum, struggling or advanced. As a result, the researchers recommended implementing new materials across several academic years.

Now, MCPS is listening to their concerns and has decided to revamp the curriculum, improving instructional materials to satisfy the needs of students but also comply with Common Core requirements.

Curriculum 2.0 has been fully implemented in elementary schools for five years and in middle schools for three years. While some are happy with the change, others feel as though implementing Curriculum 2.0 just for it to be scrapped was a waste of time and money.

MCPS officials plan to present a new plan to improve the curriculum to the school board in June, start training teachers over the summer and then begin implementation over the next three years.

The Tattler

By Camille Devincenti In an effort to teach students about consent before they go on to college, Maryland lawmakers have proposed a bill to include consent in sexual education instruction in high school health classes. The bill advanced through the General Assembly and then the Senate on March 30th.

Known as House Bill 251, the plan unanimously passed the Maryland State Senate on April 2nd.

“It is important we teach our young people that sexual activity always requires consent,” said House Democrat Ariana B. Kelly of Montgomery County.

The consent education would include learning about what consent means and respecting personal boundaries.

In March, the Virginia General Assembly also voted to incorporate age-appropriate sexual consent education into the high school curriculum, adding on to the Family Life Education curriculum. In Fairfax County Public Schools, consent was already approved to become a part of health education in 2016. It is now taught starting in 10th grade.

Some politicians see this bill as a natural addition to the sexual education curriculum and one that should have been implemented in Maryland sooner.

“I don’t see this as a controversial issue at all. I see this as something that we needed to get done yesterday,” said Senate Democrat Craig Zucker of Montgomery County.

This bill is a step in the right direction for Maryland to educate youth on consent, promote discussion and open dialogue and prevent sexual assault.

Student newspaper of Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS

4301 East West Highway, Bethesda MD 20814

Advisors David Lopilato Rosana Pagan Editors-in-Chief Matt Cohen Camille Devincenti Managing Editors Andrew Cha Conor Kelley Sophia Saidi Emily Schrader News Editors Anthony Ashe Matt Levin

Feature Editors Emily Schrader Sophia Saidi Paloma Delgado Sports Editors Ian Benepe Adwyn Viera Opinion Editors Lee Schwartz Aidan Smyth Matthew Green Style Editors Tory Silver Tina Siyoum

Worldview Editor Lara McMurray

Web Editor Alex Fine

Science Editor Nandita Kohli

Business Managers Brett Sapin Nick Gagarin Tommy Turi

Backpage Editors Sammie Vekstein Matt Dubrow Art Editors Greg Pfaff Eve McGloon Julia Mencher

-Cover art by Greg Pfaff

In association with the National Scholastic Press Association

News

May 2018

Page 3

Trump’s answer to victims of gun violence

By Isabel Danzis and Grace Harrington

On February 21st, President Donald Trump met with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting survivors, parents of victims and others who have been affected by various mass shootings and proposed his plan of arming teachers in order to avoid future shootings.

"If you had a teacher who was adept with the firearm, they could end the attack very quickly," Trump said. “This would be obviously only for people who were very adept at handling a gun, and it would be, it's called concealed carry, where a teacher would have a concealed gun on them. They'd go for special training and they would be there and you would no longer have a gun-free zone.” This statement came as a result of the shooting on February 14th where Nikolas Cruz, 19, killed 17 and injured more in a shooting spree on his former school in Parkland, Florida.

Many people in the audience agreed with Trump’s idea of arming teachers and thought it was the right direction for the country. Hunter Pollack, whose sister was

killed in the Parkland shooting, said that, "I'm not here to debate, but I lost my sister.

And like Mr. President said, if you could find 20% of maybe retired law enforcement officers, or a teacher who could go through discreet training to carry a firearm around his waist, it could've been a very different situation.” Pollack continued to say, "We need more security, we need more firearms on campus, we need better background checks, and we need to study more on mental health.” Not all people agreed with Pollack’s stance.

Nicole Hockley, whose son was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting, said that she would rather see teachers be able to prevent shootings, before they happen and not with guns. Hockley said that the country should “talk about prevention. There is so much we can do to help this person before we reach this point."

Trump’s statements were controversial and although some people believe that arming teachers is the answer, others don’t.

A few days after Trump’s comments, it was revealed that there was an armed security guard that was stationed

right outside of the high school in Florida. The guard, Scot Peterson, did not enter the school despite the opportunity to stop the shooting. Many people have made the point that this seems to prove that having armed teachers won’t reduce the amount of violence in school.

Trump continued to talk about arming teachers throughout the week. On Thursday February 22nd, Trump floated the idea of giving a raise to teachers that will be willing to carry guns at school. "These [mass shooters] are cowards. They're not going to walk into a school if 20% of the teachers have guns -- it may be 10% or may be 40%.

And what I'd recommend doing is the people that do carry, we give them a bonus. We give them a little bit of a bonus.

They’ll frankly feel more comfortable having the gun anyway. But you give them a little bit of a bonus."

Teachers at B-CC generally agree that they shouldn’t be armed. “I would quit working at any school which had teachers carrying guns,” said Matthew Jacobs, a physics teacher. Many teachers feel similarly to Mr. Jacobs. Teach-

ers also generally agree that a bonus would not motivate them to be armed in class. “It is personally and professionally insulting on many levels to be offered a bonus because I'm trained to carry a firearm but not offered a bonus because I am trained with 3 degrees to teach,” said Sarah Mahoney, an English teacher. It’s also mainly agreed that if teachers were armed, the amount of school shootings would stay the same, if not increase, with many pointing out that many officers at school are already armed, and people who perpetuate these situations aren’t deterred by the possibility of dying because most expect to. “[It’s] not factored into their mindset,” said Peter Haupt, an English teacher. Although these opinions are shared by the majority of the B-CC teacher population, there is a small minority of teachers that feel that, if allowed, they would carry a gun to protect their students.

There is also the issue of merely having guns in the building, which could increase the likelihood of an accidental shooting. “If well-trained police officers misuse their weapons with disturbing reg-

ularity, how could we expect the same to not happen with far less-trained teachers in our schools?” said Joe Sacks, an Environmental Science teacher.

Currently, the Trump administration has created a Federal Commission on School Safety to explore a variety of solutions to combat school violence. The Commission will be headed by Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education. DeVos stated in a speech on March 11th that the commission's plan was a “pragmatic plan to dramatically increase school safety and to take steps to do so right away”. In an interview with 60 Minutes, DeVos stated that she would like to see states make the decision to arm teachers, while also stating that she “[doesn’t] think assault weapons carried in schools carried by any school personnel is the appropriate thing.” The administration also has vowed to work with the states to provide firearms training to teachers and others who volunteer to carry a gun.

Whether or not there will be armed teachers in the future, many educators at B-CC are against the idea.

Maryland responds to recent gun massacres with ban on bump stocks

By Josh Garber Six months after the mass-shooting that killed 58 civilians at a Las Vegas concert and two months after the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and teachers were brutally murdered, the Maryland Assembly has responded with sending legislation to Governor Larry Hogan, adding onto their already very progressive gun reform resume.

This particular legislation is a ban on the possession, manufacturing, and transportation of bump stocks, or similar devices.

Bump stocks are attachments to guns that makes a semi-automatic weapon shoot nearly as fast as fully-automatic machine guns. The bump stock was used in the Las Vegas shooting that allowed Stephen Paddock to shoot very easily into the crowd of people.

After the knowledge that this tool was used to kill 58 civilians, and after the Parkland shooting, the Maryland Assembly knew there must be something done and Mont-

gomery County delegate David Moon introduced this bill. The bill passed the House with 128 votes to 7 on March 12. The bill passed the Senate with 35 votes to 11 on April 4.

Gun control activists at Bethesda-Chevy Chase have appreciated the steps the Maryland Assembly has taken in ensuring their safety in schools. “It’s a big step forward in our effort to make our community safer,” said Ethan Tiao, a representative from B-CC in the MoCo Students For Gun Control organization that features student representatives from 32 different Montgomery County Schools.

“By banning bump-stocks, we are taking away an attachment that basically allows people to turn regular guns into fully automatic guns.”

Even typical gun rights supporters at B-CC have felt that the ban in Maryland is the correct plan of response. “We shouldn’t have bump stocks in the streets,” said Armenian Senior, Narek Gregorian. He however believes that people should have the ability to use

bump stocks in shooting ranges.

But despite receiving approval from B-CC students, some Maryland gun rights advocates detest this bill and will most likely challenge it in court. “Right now it’s just seizure of private property without any just compensation,”

said Mark Pennak, president of the gun rights group Maryland Shall Issue.

This bill is one of three bills heading to Hogan regarding gun reform. The other two restrict firearm access for individuals convicted of domestic violence or presenting other "red flags," such as threaten-

Photo via FreedomWorks

Serial bombings strike Austin, Texas

By Joel Herberman

Over the course of nearly three weeks, the city of Austin, Texas was on edge due to serial bombings in the area. Six bombs went off in the greater Austin area, killing 2 and injuring 6 others. The first bombing occurred on March 2 as 39 year-old Anthony Stefan House died opening a package in his home. Ten days later, 17 year-old Draylen Mason was

ing violence wrote the University of Maryland newspaper, the Diamondback.

Nevertheless, all three bills will most likely be signed by Governor Hogan soon hoping to retain his Governorship for the upcoming election this year.

killed opening a package, and his mother was also injured.

Mason was a skilled musician who was accepted to several top college music schools.

During the same day, the Austin police chief announced that these two cases were believed to be linked with no clear motive. Later that day, another bomb went off, and an elderly woman was severely injured. Six days later, an explosive went off injuring

two men with serious injuries.

The string of bombings finally came to an end on March 21 in Round Rock, Texas. Police obtained information on a possible suspect, 23 year-old Mark Anthony Conditt. He was seen dropping off two explosive packages at a FedEx store using the alias “Kelly Killmore.”

Surveillance teams located his vehicle parked at a hotel outside of Austin. Conditt drove the car away and was rammed

by law enforcement vehicles as police were in pursuit. SWAT team members approached the vehicle, and the suspect detonated a bomb in the car and died as a result.

Investigators went to Conditt’s home to search for explosives and a possible motive. Multiple explosive devices and material were found inside of the home. They also found a 25 minute ‘confession’ video recorded by Conditt which

includes detailed information on how he built the bombs.

The Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said that the video did not mention anything about terrorism or a clear motive.

“Instead, it is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his personal life that led him to this point," he said.

Page 4

Opinion

May 2018

What Grinds Our Goat About B-CC

By The Tattler Editorial Staff

From the ashes of “What ly led to “What grinds my in their Chromebooks (but you that we encounter in our daily sions. So, without further ado, grinds my gears,” a new era is goat,” and so we arrived at our should still do it). This is an lives at B-CC. From myMCPS here’s what grinds our goat born. All of our pent up com- list. Unlike “What grinds my account of the true horrors we Classroom to the milky water about B-CC. plaints about our school need gears,” this will not be a mega- suffer at B-CC. We compiled fountains, we wanted our voicto be channeled somewhere. phone for teachers to complain a list of what could be called es to be heard on these trivial, “What gets my goat” ultimate- about students failing to plug “MCPS microaggressions” but insufferable, microaggresWhy are there 300 different links you have to go through just to get to myMCPS ClassIllustrations by Daniel Navratil room? You either have to go through the Cabin John Middle School website or the MCPS one.

MCPS blocks literally everything on the Internet, inappropriate or not.

Every YouTube video a teacher tries to play says “Access Denied”, even the innocent Crash Course videos.

You can’t type someone’s name into Google Drive to share it with them. After typing the number and hitting enter, the name still doesn’t pop up so you never know who you might be sending your work to.

On that topic, why are we numbered and referred to as numbers? Legit jail.

They announce every single time that football loses by 100 points and they still say it was a hard fought game.

Some classes are 100 degrees and others are -20 degrees. There is no in between.

Writing a pass to go to the bathroom takes an eon. By then you either don’t even have to pee or you’ve already done it.

Teachers who NEVER, under any circumstance besides an “emergency,” will let you leave class to use the bathroom. The floor WILL be pissed upon.

You can’t go on your personal email. You can’t email anything from or to your personal email. WHY? What do you think I’m sending? Nuclear launch codes?

The WiFi is never good. Everything is blocked. Please unblock slither.io.

So many people know the wMCPS password that it’s now as bad as the normal WiFi. The bathrooms are randomly locked without any notice and you walk full force into a closed door.

Apparently there are third graders at B-CC who think it’s funny to put paper towels in the urinals/sinks...Do you really think that putting three paper towels in the sink is going to flood the bathroom?

Why is the bathroom by the cyber cafe switched? Why? Using the water fountain is a gamble. Milky water...yum.

When your backpack gets caught on the pole in between doors and you get WHIPPED backwards into the ninth realm of hell.

The classroom doors open outwards so you get smacked with a door when you’re walking in the hallway.

The music on music Wednesday is hit or miss. I don’t want Michael Jackson, High School Musical, or even the DNA instrumental version.

The Promethean Board sounds like a computer generated banshee scream and is always either too loud or too soft.

People remove the keys from the keyboard on the Chromebooks, leaving only the squishy buttons, and they peel back the touch pad like tape.

What is LanSchool?

Overall hallway etiquette is horrible. Don’t even get us started.

Sophomores, stop juuling in the bathrooms. Please. You’re not cool.

There is a lack of agreement on what to do when a student walks into class slightly late, and you either get away unscathed or overly-punished.

Just bring back academic support time. Pretty sure Baron Time has happened twice (both times like 4 months ago) since the school year started.

Teachers- you HAVE to play B-CC TV. Don’t hit us with a “we’ll play it at the end of class” because you never do.

Noodletools can die.

Make-up days at the end of the year are useless and we never learn anything.

Why do we have ManageBac, Naviance, myMCPS Portal, AND Classroom?

The admin. walkie-talkies are perpetually and incessantly too loud.

Why do teachers have both a .org and a .net email? They only ever use one!

The clocks in the hallway are always a minute or two off from each other and they never go with the bell.

Hopefully you can relate to these MCPS microaggressions. If you have any more to contribute, the Tattler Editorial Staff welcomes them.

Opinion

May 2018

Page 5

Sinclair: A brief look into the worst company in America

By Will Ginsberg Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest television station operator in the U.S., is the most dangerous company in America. They only care about maximizing profit and helping their political allies. For years now, Sinclair has been promoting a conservative and corporate agenda by using local news stations. They have fired employees in attempts to make a few more pennies. Sinclair exemplifies everything wrong with corporate America, as well as with today’s media.

For years, Sinclair networks, from WJLA in DC to KBAK in Bakersfield, CA have broadcast must-run programs.

These programs are not produced locally; rather, they are produced by Sinclair itself. Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump White House employee-turned Sinclair employee, has various segments broadcast across the U.S., from D.C. to California.

In these segments, he shills for Trump. The so-called “information” he provides is extremely biased and belongs on One America News, not local TV. Another Sinclair mustrun is the Terrorism Alert desk, which provides information on terrorism around the

world. The segment is brief and lacks substance, but it still does damage. Since it is run on local stations everyday, it gives viewers the impression that terrorism is closer than it really is, helping to fuel xenophobia and Islamophobia.

Sinclair has also sought to further the distrust of the liberal media. Deadspin recently published a compilation of Sinclair stations across the country reciting the same script written by Sinclair, with the anchors stating they are concerned about fake news.

While liberal media such as MSNBC and CNN put things in a liberal perspective and can be very anti-Trump, it can be . CNN, MSNBC, and other left wing media outlets very rarely publish things that could be considered fake. When an article about Anthony Scaramucci’s ties to Russian Investments was found not to be up to standards, as the writers only cited source was anonymous, CNN acted quickly in removing the article and apologized, which prompted the resignation of the writers.

Sinclair, however, has defended the fake news script.

Scott Livingston, the Senior VP of news for Sinclair, stated that these announcements were to show Sinclair’s com-

mitment to the communities they serve, as well as its commitment to reporting facts. If it is Sinclair’s commitment rather than the local stations, they shouldn’t have used local anchors to deliver the messages. Instead, it would’ve been better if the president of the company delivered it in a pre-recorded message.

This is a company that most certainly has no respect for the communities that they are supposed to serve, nor do they have any respect for long-time employees. Maureen Bunyan, who was a news anchor for WJLA, our local ABC station, saw her contract not renewed in 2017. She had been a familiar face since the late 1970s, and worked for WJLA since 1999. She was just one of many veterans that have left or been let go since Sinclair acquired the station in 2014. This also isn’t exclusive to WJLA. In January of 2017, Sinclair cut 10 employees from KOMO, an ABC affiliate in Seattle. In response, a KOMO staffer said, “I feel like we are being bled.”

In October of 2013 Sinclair cut nine newsroom employees at KATU, which serves Portland, Oregon. Sinclair has been firing employees in an attempt to make even more profits, even at the expense of the viewers

they are supposed to serve.

While some firings have been strictly due to the desire to fill the wallets of the company leadership, other firings have been strictly political. In October of 2004, Sinclair fired its Washington Bureau Chief, Jon Leiberman, after he criticized Sinclair for mandating that an anti- John Kerry documentary be run on 60 stations.

The program was an all out assault on the then-Democrat nominee for President, John Kerry, and his anti-war activism. Leiberman said that the program was a clear attempt to sway the results of the upcoming presidential election.

A year later, Sinclair sued their former employee. In 2017 Randy Lubratich, an executive producer at WWMT, the CBS affiliate in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was fired after she wasn’t politically neutral in the newsroom. An internal memo from Livingston showed he was concerned about a liberal bias at Sinclair stations, which is laughable. It also shows that if Lubratich had been politically conservative, she probably wouldn’t have been fired.

While Sinclair already has massive influence over the American public, they will only gain more in the coming years..

Sinclair is looking to buy 42 TV

stations from Tribune Media, which would mean Sinclair stations would reach over 72% of American households. This violates a litany of antitrust laws, so Sinclair will sell some of the stations that they will purchase. However, they will sell the stations to people and or companies that are friendly with Sinclair, companies that will allow Sinclair to maintain operational control of the stations. A regulation, which would’ve prevented Sinclair from owning more stations, was reversed by the Federal Communications Commission chair, Ajit Pai, in a clear attempt to help Sinclair.

Sinclair has demonstrated that it doesn’t deserve to deliver the news to Americans.

They have shown an unbelievable political bias to the right, and are way to friendly with the President, as well as with Ajit Pai. Furthermore, they have willingly attempted to mislead and misinform the American public. For these reasons, Sinclair has not only met but surpassed companies such as Bank of America and Electronic Arts for being the worst company in America.

Under current US law, many of the mass shooters should not have been able to acquire a weapon. Yet, due to systematic failures, they have all been able to purchase firearms and carry out horrific shootings.

With regard to the Mother Emanuel Church Shooting in South Carolina in 2015, thenFBI Director James Comey called shooter Dylann Roof’s acquisition of a firearm an “error on our part.” The Sutherland Springs Church shooting in November 2017 was carried out by a man who had been convicted in a United States Air Force court-martial. Under the law, he should not have been able to purchase a firearm, but the Air Force never reported the conviction to NICS. Regarding the Parkland shooter, Nikolas Cruz, the local police were called to his home upwards of three dozen times and he was reported to the FBI at least twice. In all three of these examples, the shooter should never have been able to purchase a firearm, but there were constabulary and systematic failures that allowed these tragic events to take place.

To combat this issue, the FIX NICS Act of 2017 was introduced to the United States Senate by Senator John Cornyn and was introduced to the House of Representatives

by Rep. John Culberson. Both of these men are Republicans, Senator Cornyn being the number two Republican in the Senate. The act attempts to get rid of the issues and flaws in the NIC System that allowed for many of these shootings by penalizing government agencies that do not fully report

to the NIC System. The act is extremely bipartisan with 77 cosponsors in the Senate.

Senator Marco Rubio, who has come under significant scrutiny for “allowing” these shootings and who has been accused of caring more about campaign money than children’s lives, was actually one of the initial supporters of the bill, cosponsoring the bill the day after it was introduced, months before the Parkland shooting even occurred. Clearly, the Republican Party has actually led the way in the fight for safe gun laws, contrary to popular belief.

Additionally, many, if not most, members of the anti-gun movement do not understand what an AR-15 is. People are quick to call it an assault rifle and call for a ban of the weapon. First, it is important to differentiate between the terms “assault rifle” and “assault weapon,” as most people conflate the two. An assault rifle, such as an AK-47, an M16, or an M4 (which is what the US military actually uses), is a gun with selective fire capability, meaning its mode can be switched from semi-mode to full automatic or burst mode.

For an assault weapon, there is no clear definition. There are differing opinions as to where the term originated, but there is a general consensus that this is a made-up term by some lawmakers and/or the media.

Under some definitions, an AR-15 would be considered an assault weapon, and under other definitions it would not be considered an assault weapon. Because they do not have selective fire capability, AR-15s are actually not assault

rifles, and are only assault weapons under certain definitions. An AR-15 is extremely similar to the Ruger Mini-14 hunting rifle, with nearly identical functional properties.

The main difference is the fact that the Mini-14 is wooden and looks like a traditional hunting rifle, while the AR-15 was modeled to be cosmetically near-identical to the M16, but with different functionality.

Now, what sets the AR-15s used in most of these mass shootings apart from other guns is the addition of a bump stock. Bump stocks are devices that can be attached to the end of a rifle to reduce kickback and send the recoil force back to the trigger finger, firing the gun continuously. Bump fire stocks allow for semi-automatic weapons to function as near-automatic weapons. Without a bump stock, a rifle shot creates a severe kickback, making it difficult to continuously fire. The thing is, nearly everyone supports regulating bump stocks.

Immediately following the Mandalay Bay Shooting in Las Vegas in November, a contingent of Republican Senators led by John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate Majority Whip, did indeed call for a review of bump stock policy. People are also very quick to blame the NRA for “allowing” these shootings and allowing the sale of bump stocks. Yet just four days after Vegas, Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA, and Chris Cox, head of the legislative division, released a joint statement that included the fact that “the NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to func-

tion like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.” Therefore, the notion that the NRA supports the open sale of these devices, a notion that has been the subject of many posters and speeches in the recent anti-gun movements, is a fallacy.

Furthermore, it was actually the Obama Administration’s ATF that approved the sale of bump stocks on at least two separate occasions, in the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act. Nobody condones gun violence, and to say that the GOP or the NRA cares more about money than people’s lives is an incredibly closed-minded and even factually incorrect way of looking at the issue.

However, the recent anti-gun movements as a whole have often omitted the facts and let their emotions overcome rationality. They are angry, and rightfully so. Everyone is angry. The solution, however, is not simply reiterating unsubstantiated platitudes and using the GOP as a continuous scapegoat for the issue. The solution, rather, is to look at the facts, to look at what can really make a change, and to look at who and what really have made a change. The Republicans, particularly led by Senator Cornyn, have been instrumental in this change. The bipartisan, Republican-introduced FIX NICS Act is a huge step in the right direction, so why has the media or the anti-gun movements barely mentioned it? Why is there no credit where credit is due?

What are you protesting?

By Ezra Meyer

Ever since the Valentine’s Day Massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, our nation has once more found itself at an internal impasse with passions running high across the political spectrum.

However, these movements have often been propelled by the perpetuation of fallacies and misleading information by figures on both sides of the issue.

When protesting or advocating for a position, it’s important to have the facts. The anti-gun movement focuses on banning AR-15s, banning bump stocks, supporting stricter background checks, opposing the NRA at all costs, and even opposing the GOP at all costs. However, these positions beg the question: do these people really know what they’re protesting and advocating for? After a tragedy like this, it’s right to feel angry and to feel as if the system has failed you, but when an entire movement is motivated by immediate anger and frustration, rather than rationality, perspicacity, and diligence, its members’ actions are a discredit to themselves and their issues.

The facts end up revealing a striking hypocrisy in the platform of such a movement.

The primary position of the anti-gun movement is a focus on strengthening background checks. The issue of background checks has led to much criticism of the GOP members of Congress. The system currently in place is known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check, or National Instant Check (NIC) System.

Sports

Page 6

May 2018

Former Baron golfer wins Centennial Conference R.O.Y.

By Matt Cohen Olivia Brown was one of the most successful golfers to come through B-CC, and it hasn’t taken her long to get adjusted to golf at the college level.

Dickinson is playing golf at Division III Dickinson College. Brown had an incredible freshman season, one that culminated in her winning the rookie of the year award in her conference, the Centennial Conference.

“I had a really great start in the fall. I won two out of the

four tournaments that Dickinson participated in. During the spring, I finished 4th in our home match with an 81.

That was a big tournament for us because we had our combined team low of the season and came in first by one stroke. Playing in the Conference Championships was a lot of fun. Dickinson ended up in second place as a team.

I didn’t anticipate winning any sort of award, so that was a nice end to the weekend,” Brown said.

Brown’s team finished sec-

ond at the conference championships, shooting a score of 191 over two rounds, to win the award. “It wasn’t something I was thinking about during the round,” Brown said. “I had no idea that I was going to win Rookie of the Year, but it was definitely a fun way to end the day.

Transitioning from high school golf to college golf is a big step, but Brown has settled in nicely. “Dickinson is Division III,” Brown said, “so it’s pretty relaxed. Major differences are that we play more tournaments and that we play in both the fall and the spring.

Also, it’s the first golf team I’ve been on that’s not co-ed.”

Already making an impact in the Centennial Conference, Brown is set to be one of Division III’s top golfers over the next three years.

Above: Olivia Brown (right) with the Rookie of the Year award, Left: Brown tees off. Both photos via Dickinson athletics

Elijah Wood impresses at UAA Dallas and Indianapolis live periods

By Matt Cohen B-CC point guard Elijah Wood’s national profile grew even bigger with a strong performance at the Under Armour live period in Dallas from April 20-22.

Wood is playing with Under Armour Association (UAA) team Team Thrill this summer.

Wood has been off to a hot start with Team Thrill, with his play locally and in Dallas.

He’s played well enough to earn him a jump of 10 spots up in the Rivals player rankings, to 58th overall in the country among sophomores In Dallas, Wood played for coaches from numerous top Division I programs includ-

ing North Carolina, Michigan, Wichita State, West Virginia, Purdue, Oregon, South Carolina, Tulane, UConn, Oklahoma, Xavier, Pittsburgh and SMU. Wood noted a game against the Oklahoma Run PWP team, where he scored 18 points with six rebounds and three blocks.

The stellar performance earned him even more attention. Wood told me that UConn was “very interested” after that game, and that coaches from Oklahoma State and N.C. State both talked to him.

Wood also said other schools got in contact with B-CC assistant coach Brandon Howell after that game.

In addition, Wood received an offer from Long Beach State on the spot after one of his games in Dallas.

In Indianapolis, Wood’s team struggled, but he had a few good games. Wood scored 11 points against the Illinois Wolves with two rebounds and two steals.

Though with all the attention Wood is getting from top programs, the pressure isn’t getting to him. “You can’t really feel any pressure, cause it will take you over,” Wood said.

“You won’t be able to do what you could fully do if you just stay focused.”

The offer from Long Beach State is the 18th Wood has re-

ceived. His other 17 offers are: Kansas State, Auburn, DePaul, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hampton, Norfolk State, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, St. John’s, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tulane, UNLV and USF. Back in March, Howell told me schools like Kentucky, Maryland, Georgetown and Purdue had interest in Wood.

Purdue is the only school from that list that watched Wood in Dallas. The Boilermakes have had interest in Wood for months, but have not made a scholarship offer. Though many of the schools that watched Wood in Dallas were ones that appear relatively new

Photo by Jared Rigdon of Lawrence North high school’s North Star

players in the sweepstakes for the four-star guard.

Wood has visited West Virginia, which also watched him in Dallas.

However, while Wood didn’t say this was his best performance, he certainly impressed many college coaches, and his list of offers is sure to grow.

May 2018

SHOtime in LA

By Jack Robinson and Jason Martini

His arrival has been long awaited. Finally, the young Japanese star has come to America, and he’s already taken the MLB by storm. He’s just done it a different way than most.

Shohei Ohtani brings the heat on the bump, and at the plate. In a highly scrutinized free agent process, Ohtani left the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan, and signed with the Anaheim Angels.

Ohtani cranks dinger after

dinger into the stands of Angels stadium. The 2018 season has just gotten underway, and the two way star has quickly emerged as a superstar The two way player already has destroyed four home runs with a batting average for .341 and 12 RBIs. When he’s not at the dish Ohtani is dominating hitters on the mound. Ohtani has had two starts so far this season. The first being against the Oakland Athletics, where he went six innings, letting up three runs on three hits and

Sports a walk. Ohtani struck out six in his first appearance on the bump.

His second start, and first outing at home, also came against the A’s. Ohtani was pitching a perfect game into the seventh inning, however, he let up a single which was his first base runner of the game. His final line was seven innings pitched with 12 strikeouts and only one walk and one hit.

He’s 2-1 on the year with a 4.43 ERA and has only given up 14 hits in his four starts. In

Page 7 his four pitching appearances he has combined for 26 strikeouts. His fastball breaks radar guns as it hits triple digits consistently. The 23 year old is a threat to be reckoned with as the season unfolds After his slow start in the spring training some people thought that Ohtani may be sent down to the AAA minor league level, but once he got a taste of the big leagues he settled in quickly. The doubters have been proved wrong as Shohei Ohtani is bring SHOtime back to LA.

Is jumping from high school to the G League too far?

By Ian Benepe

The NBA G League is the NBA’s minor league association. It is a league that allows players who aren’t quite NBA ready to develop their games.

The minimum age to enter the g league is 18 years old. However, not a single high schooler has ever chosen to bypass college and go straight to the G

league. Some have chosen to enter the NBA Draft right out of high school. Some notable names who have done this are Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Others have chosen to spend a year and Europe to develop their game and play at a more professional level, while also making a decent income. However,

Bazley (left) goes up for a shot, photo via USA Today

on March 29, five-star recruit Darius Bazley, who had already signed his letter of intent with Syracuse, made the decision to bypass college and go straight to the NBA G league.

He is the first recruit in history to make this decision. So now the question: Was Bazley’s decision the right one? Is the rule that allows High Schoolers to go straight to the G League a good one?

The answer to both questions is no.

There were multiple factors that influenced Bazley’s decision to bypass college and go to the G League. However, each of these reasons has a better alternative. The first reason is money. The issue of athletes not being paid clearly had some sort of effect on Bazley’s choice and I have total respect for him wanting to

make money instead of playing a year without pay. However, according to the standard salary structure of the development league, Bazley won’t make more than $26,000 next season. Had Bazley gone the route of players such as Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay, he could’ve made up to $60,000 and still gotten to play against a high level of competition. That brings us to the second reason. Bazley stated that in the G League, he would be able to “progress as a player in ways the college system wouldn’t let him.” While the competition may be more NBA-level than college, this reason won’t improve Bazley’s draft stock when the 2019 draft rolls around. Instead of getting the opportunity to play in front of some of the largest crowds in college basketball, and being able to play on national TV multiple times a month, Bazley will play in front of some less-than enthusiastic G League crowds and will rarely see any TV time.

The Tattler’s NBA playoffs predictions

By Cole Doherty

This year in the NBA there have been countless blockbuster trades. Carmelo Anthony and Paul George going to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, and the biggest of all, Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics.

This year, the Celtics this year

have surprised a lot of people.

The Celtics came out of the gate red hot, and have stayed hot all year.. However, as the playoffs draw near, Kyrie Irving suffered a major injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the year. Since the Irving injury occurred, the Celtics have fallen out of first place and the Raptors have taken over at the top. In

the Western Conference, the Rockets have held the top seed for most of the season. MVP candidate James Harden and the Rockets should be expected to go far in the postseason this year.

However, I can't count out the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have dealt with injuries all year, but they should be

healthy for a playoff run. All in all, I believe it will be the the Raptors coming out of the East, and the Warriors in the West, meeting in the NBA Finals. A lot may ask,“Why the Raptors?” My answer is that they have been playing well this season and I believe this is the season they break their cursed history in the postseason, and finally get over the

Photo via The Ringer

NBA scouts look at players ability to play under pressure, with the crowd rocking and everything is on the line, and that’s something that the NBA G League lacks in comparison to NCAA Basketball. Bazley will most likely not start for the G league team that drafts him, as they want to see how he handles the physicality before throwing him into the mix. Had he stayed at Syracuse, this wouldn't have been the case. He would’ve been a go-to man in their offense and was a projected lottery pick.

It’s hard to say exactly what went into Darius Bazley making this decision, but I am strongly against anyone going straight to the G league out of high school. The benefits of going to college for a year outweigh anything that the G League could give an athlete.

Nevertheless, I wish Bazley the absolute best in wherever his journey takes him. He’s a terrific player and I hope he has a great career and fulfills his dream of playing in the NBA.

hump. With Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry, and Demar DeRozan,I feel the Raptors are unstoppable.

That said, this is the where it ends for the Raptor faithful. The Warriors are just too good, and they will repeat as NBA champions winning the NBA finals in a decisive Game Seven victory.

The Tattler’s NBA regular season awards predictions

By Kevin McAuliffe The NBA season is coming to a close, and it’s time to hand out the different awards given for spectacular performance this year. Here are the candidates for each award, and my pick as to who deserves each award.

Most Valuable Player The Frontrunner: James Harden, SG, Houston Rockets Harden has been having a career year, averaging 30.6 points, 8.7 assists, and leading the rockets to a league leading record of 64-16. Many say that it is finally Harden’s turn, since he has been in the conversation for MVP for the last few years, but has never won it.

Always in the Conversation: LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron is widely viewed as the best player in the world, and he has had arguably his best season to date this year.

He’s averaging 27.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 9.2 assists, which means that the only thing holding him back is that his team is currently 4th in the Eastern Conference.

Dark Horse: Anthony Davis, C, New Orleans Pelicans Davis has quietly put together a fantastic season, boasting 28.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He has lead his team to the playoffs without the help of sidekick DeMarcus Cousins.

Other Candidates: Kevin Durant Russell Westbrook Stephen Curry Damian Lillard Giannis Antetokounmpo My Pick: LeBron James Defensive Player of the Year The Frontrunner: Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert is the clear favorite for DPOY, because of his presence around the rim.

He is averaging 2.3 blocks per game and gives any player going at the basket second thoughts whenever he is hanging around the rim.

The Others: Draymond Green

Anthony Davis Joel Embiid Andre Roberson My Pick: Rudy Gobert, Rookie of the Year The Frontrunner: Ben Simmons, PG, Philadelphia 76ers Simmons has been hailed by many as the next LeBron James and looks to have a very bright future. He is currently averaging 16 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists.

Right Behind: Donovan Mitchell, SG, Utah Jazz Mitchell came as a semi-surprise to some people but has proven himself to be one of the best young prospects in his class. He has lead the Utah Jazz to the playoffs,

and has turned around a franchise in distress after the loss of Gordon Hayward.

The Others: Jayson Tatum Lauri Markkanen Josh Jackson Lonzo Ball My Pick: Ben Simmons 6th Man of the Year: My Pick: Lou Williams, SG, Los Angeles Clippers Coach of the year: My Pick: Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors Most Improved Player: My Pick: Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers

Science

Page 8

May 2018

What makes the AR-15 so dangerous?

By Nandita Kohli Not all guns are created equally. While it is optimally best to limit how many people can receive guns, it is also, arguably, equally important to limit what type of guns get into the hands of civilians. While most are designed to kill and many harm the human body, some guns can cause catastrophic damage and others cause milder damage.

A nine mm handgun can, in some cases, cause only mild damage -- damage equivalent to that of a bad knife wound,

however, an AR-15 is the supreme killer weapon. Being shot by an AR-15 is like having a grenade going off in your body. The larger the energy of a bullet, the more damage it can cause. The kinetic energy of a bullet (or any object) is equal to one half the mass times the velocity squared. The bullet speed of a generic handgun is slow compared to that of an AR-15. AR-15 bullets leave the muzzle of a gun three times as fast as a regular handgun bullet. The bullet from a handgun passes through the body,

By Nandita Kohli Trump claims he is a man of science. "Rigorous science is critical to my administration's efforts to achieve the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection," Trump said in a statement on his first Earth Day as president. Unfortunately his actions prove otherwise. A year later, his fierce, unrelenting war on science continues and will not be ending anytime soon.

Through countless detrimental nominations to the heights of bastions of science in this nation and countless others that lay empty in a neglected dust, Trump has truly “abandoned the sciences,” as scientists these days are putting it.

Among his top nominations for science in the country are Scott Pruitt to the head the Environmental Protection Agency head, former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy, and former Oklahoma congressman Jim Bridenstine to the role of NASA director.

Scott Pruitt aims to bring back coal in full force. He did not object, unlike most EPA directors would, to the 25% budget cuts placed on his agency. When asked about his contradictory role and views directing the EPA he stated that whoever said you can’t have your cake and eat it, too,

didn’t know “what you’re supposed to do with cake.”

Rick Perry rose to the position in the Department of Energy promising to renew America’s nuclear weapons arsenal. Perry has countless ties to oil companies and his doubts about the science of climate change lead him as far as to once call for the Department of Energy’s total elimination – a comment he claims to have since regret.

Democrats are concerned about the nominee for NASA - Jim Bridenstine - due to statements made that seem to question climate change as well as his record for taking very partisan decisions. Bridenstine does not seem fit for a non-partisan administrative role. In addition, climate change is an important area of research at NASA. More concerning still, while President Obama talked of soon sending astronauts to Mars, Trump insists on focusing on more nearby goals of returning to the moon and potentially pulling NASA out of the business of running the International Space Station and privatizing this role instead. This seems to suggest a backward

just as an AR-15’s bullet does.

With handguns, however, the bullet becomes lodged within the skin, whereas the bullet of an AR-15 has the energy capacity to disintegrate three inches of leg bone, reducing the bone “to dust”, as stated by Donald Jenkins, a trauma surgeon at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The bones in your body are made from material which has a tensile strength of 150MPa, a strain to failure of 2% and a fracture toughness of 4MPa(m)½. For a structural

material that's not good. We can make alloy steels that are ten times better in all three of those properties.

The AR-15 is America’s most popular rifle and the misuse of such a rifle has generated great controversy between NRA supporters and anti-gun proponents. It has been used in several mass shootings as the choice weapon -- from Sandy Hook to Aurora to San Bernardino. AR-15’s are weapons of war, not because of the controversial name (armalite rifle), but the actual damage

of the gun. People who possess this gun are capable of massacring dozens with a single shot. Is this really a power we are willing to give anyone? Yes, Americans have the right to bear arms in the case of defending themselves and perhaps hunting, but no civilian should be able to possess a weapon of such immense power and gruesomeness. We wouldn’t allow just any military officer control over a nuclear bomb, so why do we let civilians have control over a gun that is so powerful?

ment and scientific research, amid harsh criticisms over his actions to roll back environmental regulations and proposed big budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency. A year later, science’s fate is unknown and left in the cruel hands of Trump’s nominees.

In addition to his lethal nominations, Trump has

stripped most funding for the arts and sciences.

Science should not be a partisan issue.

of suicide, self harm, harm to others, or harm to inanimate objects. I also look for other risks such as drug addiction, family history of mental health issues, or incarceration. All of this goes into a huge dataset of patients that will eventually be analyzed for trends regarding suicidality in patients with schizophrenia. I find the people’s files that I read so interesting. Everyone has a different background and since Schizophrenia is a disease that affects everyone differently, there are some seriously interesting case files. This internship has solidified my interest in abnormal psychology and I plan to study it in college.

I don’t know exactly what I want to do in the future but whatever it may be this internship has helped me realize that I love psych and want to keep

studying it.”

In terms of advice for incoming interns, Kaela says: “Ask questions! Everyone at my lab is so smart and passionate about their work that they are beyond willing to answer any questions you may have. It makes you seem assertive and you learn a lot.”

Trump’s war on science trend for America’s space exploration initiatives already.

With these already concerning nominees and many more to come as spaces remain unfilled with the Administration’s downward spiral, the future of science hangs in the balance.

On his first Earth Day in office, President Trump declared his support for the environ-

B-CC science interns

By Nandita Kohli

Let’s take a look at some of the amazing work that B-CC Interns have been doing in science this year and their future career goals: Jacqui Oropeza: “This year, I participated in an internship that gave me the opportunity to observe medical procedures at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. I was able to see a variety of cases, including a kidney transplant, an open heart surgery, and several craniotomies. The highlight of my internship came when I was actually allowed to sit in the console of a Da Vinci surgical system to observe closely as a surgeon performed surgery.

This internship has been an exciting end to each school day and has cemented my decision to pursue a career as a surgeon

so that I can help people get better.”

Antonio Barakat “My internship is at NIH and I’m in a cellular physiology laboratory that studies Huntington’s disease. I do experiments to test the curing of yeast prions (proteins that misfold and aggregate to cause neurological disease).

That entails me transforming E. Coli and Yeast to have the materials necessary to start the experiment. During the experiment I measure yeast growth, optimize the growth, image the cells with two different microscope, and plate the yeast cells onto growth plates. In conjugation with the chief researcher I’ve been writing a manuscript for a scientific paper to be published.

My favorite part is being ex-

posed to upper level biology in a low stress environment.

My internship has given me a very good idea of how it [feels] to be a scientific researcher. I plan to go to medical school and continue carrying out research throughout undergrad.

The people I met through my internship and my experiences there helped me come up with that plan. My advice to incoming interns is that hard work will pay off and open doors to new opportunities.”

Kaela Marcus-Kurn “[At The National Institutes of Mental Health,] my lab studies Schizophrenia, and since it is at NIMH, we have access to hundreds of patient files of inpatients who were once treated. My main job right now is to read through files looking for any indication

Feature

May 2018

Cultural Toxicities: A Series The Tattler Editorial Staff

In our coverage of both the local and global events of the day, the Tattler editorial staff occasionally chooses to run articles or essays pertaining to an issue raised by a noticeable trend in our community, rather than a specific event, that can be discussed on a larger level.

As the main media hub for the school, we believe we are not just a school newspaper, but a medium by which we can communicate directly with the student body and spark important conversations.

With that in mind, starting with this edition and leading into next year, the Tattler editorial staff has decided to begin publishing a series of independently written essays discussing various cultural toxicities.

Although the term may seem initially ambiguous, a cultural toxicity is some negative aspect of life that pervades throughout not just the B-CC community, but on a broader spectrum. It is something that can rear its head in both regu-

Page 9

lar student life or in a political atmosphere.

Recently, the word “toxic” has spread through popular culture as a way to label and address these detrimental cultural phenomenons.

Ultimately, a cultural toxicity is a universal issue that should be prioritized as a topic of conversation, and that is what we, the Tattler staff, hope to accomplish in these publications.

Much like the Museum of the Contemporary Teenager showcases the perspective of teenagers on a variety of societal norms, anthropology students hope to organize a Museum of Cultural Toxicity next year to hone in on the “toxic” elements of mainstream culture.

This first essay in the series on cultural toxicities discusses masculinity: the social expectations surrounding it, its implications on the emotional development of teenage boys, and the ways it directly affects B-CC students.

Illustration by Greg Pfaff, edited by Julia Mencher

Part I: Toxic Masculinity

By Gabriela Jeliazkov, Inaya Laubach and Owen Bonk

It seems that in recent years, the social expectations facing boys and men in general have created something that can only be labeled as toxic masculinity. This is a result of many factors, the hookup culture of this generation being a prime contribution to the virility of teenage boys. For regular teenagers, defining and conforming to masculine traits has become increasingly difficult because of changing social culture.

The term most social scientists use to describe these traits is the Traditional Hegemonic Definition of Masculinity, coined by sociologist Raewyn Connell in 1987. This definition is typically referred to as “The Man Box,” and it essentially equates the dominant form of masculinity that exists in a culture or society.

The “Man Box” is a very defined structure; it is a set of characteristics that our society believes males ought to achieve or work to achieve. If a male breaks from the principles of the man box, he is then considered inferior by societal standards. It is a mental cage into which boys have been led for the majority of history. In some form or another, oppressive, simplistic roles have been prescribed to men just as they have been to women. However for men, these rules prohibit weakness, honest emotion, inferiority to women, or the adoption of traits that are conventionally considered feminine.

Despite rising research into “the Man Box,” the current

generation is the first to accept men breaking away from the Man Box in droves, and there are multiple reasons for this shift.

Foremostly, in recent years, men have responded more negatively to the criteria prescribed by “The Man Box.” According to a Forbes survey, 51 percent of men felt it was okay for boys to play with dolls, and 55 percent said that boys playing dress up was acceptable. These two activities are typically considered feminine, yet modern fathers don’t feel that they take away from boys’ identity.

Another influence is seen

tic implications on how young boys grow up and experience gender.

As an environment that embraces progressive views on gender issues, B-CC has observed these trends firsthand.

“B-CC is a pretty gender neutral place,” said an anonymous B-CC senior.

For most B-CC students, this statement reigns true, as the student body doesn’t seem to place emphasis on an association between masculinity and popularity.

For boys like this, there isn’t pressure to prove your masculinity to other boys: “when it comes to walking around and

male bodies also lives on in contemporary hookup culture, as boys are considered more masculine based on the number of girls he has hooked up with.

“You’re a dog if you’re just finessing people left and right: you’re the man,” said another senior at B-CC. In contrast to the 89 percent of men on college campuses who reported having enjoyed the sexual activity of their last hookup, many boys are now deeming this new hookup culture, and the toxic masculinity associated with it “unhealthy.” In response, they sometimes choose to steer

“If I can’t express sadness to a friend without being judged for that, they’re not my friend, they don’t understand me... If we have a good relationship you’re there to help me.” in the fact that women have become more self sufficient and successful in society today than when traditional roles of masculinity were dutifully enforced and perpetuated by the grand majority. Their power and influence in social culture has created confusion and frustration among men struggling to establish dominance over their female counterparts.

In response to these trends, the consumer world is also changing in order to market to today’s children. More and more brands known for creating feminine dolls (including American GirlDoll or Hasbro) have included male dolls in their latest set of products.

These two changes have dras-

interacting with people I don’t really try to prove my masculinity...I’m kind of flamboyant most of the time.”

Still, stereotypical masculinity, to a certain extent, is somewhat difficult to forgo, as it often rears its head in contemporary teenage hookup culture.

Upon hearing the term “teenage hookup culture,” most teenagers will instinctively think of practices that fully promote this form of toxic masculinity. Most notably, for teenage boys, it is almost expected to partake in “no strings attached” relationships, because getting emotionally invested is considered poisonous to their masculinity. The objectification of fe-

clear of it’s influence.

“I’ve hooked up with one girl in my entire high school life. It’s because I have a main interest... and I think that for me going out with girls takes my mind off of it and that’s not something that I want to do,” said a B-CC senior.

The rise of social expectations surrounding masculinity has also contributed to a stunt in the emotional development of teenage boys. Often times men are reluctant to convey their real emotions about events and therefore become less mentally healthy. According to statistics by teenhelp. com, teenage boys are also less likely to seek help or recognize that they suffer from depression than girls. This is prob-

ably due to different social expectations facing boys and girls: while girls are encouraged to express their feelings, boys must suppress them in order to be considered masculine. Being masculine entails “a man being confident... taking charge...” and making sure they appear “less emotional than they feel...” said another junior.

It seems as though the new generation has become unhappy with this concept of masculinity. Many students at B-CC specifically, reject it altogether.

As students, we can’t speak for the entire world, but in our small pocket of it, things are changing. This is what makes it possible for boys at B-CC, when asked if they consciously act to appear more masculine, to say “not at all.” In this study, it was clear that boys believe that they are “getting better at being more accepting,” as stated by a sophomore.

“If I can’t cry and if I can’t express sadness to a friend without being judged for that, they’re not my friend, they don’t understand me... If we have a good relationship you’re there to help me,” another senior said.

The new generation must take it upon themselves to understand the implications of this “man box”, and work to counteract the stain it has placed on the contemporary perception of masculinity. *Names of all informants have been removed to protect anonymity

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Feature

The Last Steps

May 2018

Pictures by Sophia Saidi, Captions by Matt Cohen Above - A view of the main facade of the school from the roof of the main wing of the new building Left - Inside one of the three main staircases of the building. This staircase has an outer wall made completely of class looking out onto the bus loop. These stairs are also part of the hallway that connects the new building to the current one.

Below Left - The connecting hallway on the third floor.

This will connect to the current building in the third floor B hallway with tech classrooms. The door on the right is to a gender-neutral bathroom Below Right - This will be a covered area above the yet to be installed bleachers of the football field

Below Left: New lights were installed on the roof of the football field facing side of the addition. There is a second set of lights installed behind where this picture was taken.

Below Middle: The future football field of B-CC. Cars are still parked on the lot, and the field will be put in next school year.

Below Right: Staircase outside the new dance studio. This stairway leads to the third floor, and a balcony over the dance studio

May 2018

Feature

Top: A standard classroom on the bottom floor of the new building, many classrooms like this one are finished already 2nd Row: A new science classroom. Instead of having gas go to counters on the edges of the classrooms, it now comes to the island tables.

Third Row: Tampon and napkin dispensers put in the girls bathrooms of the new building Bottom: One of many “collaboration spaces� added to the school

Page 11

Top: Cabinets in science the new science classrooms 2nd Row: Butcher block tables that will be used in the new tech classrooms. The tables all have wheels on them, and the surface allows students to cut materials on them Third Row: Sink and full length mirror in the girls bathroom Bottom: A hallway with both offices and classrooms on the second floor of the new building

Feature

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Locking down on school safety

By Sophia Saidi, Isabel Danzis and Grace Harrington If an active shooter entered B-CC grounds, would students know the proper way to respond? In an age of mass shootings, emergency preparedness is necessary knowledge for anyone who spends their days on a school campus.

Already in 2018, there have been twenty occasions during which someone has been injured or killed by a gun on school grounds, according to CNN News. In order to deal with these situations, there are emergency procedures put in place that aim to deescalate the situation as safely as possible.

Currently at B-CC, there are two main drills in place for these situations: shelter and lockdown. In a shelter drill, the doors are locked and students are prohibited from leaving the classroom, but instruction still continues. During a lockdown drill, the lights are turned off and students are instructed to be silent, sometimes to hide, and to wait until the danger is over. These are drills that all MCPS students should have been practicing since they began elementary school.

Still, some B-CC students feel as if they would be insufficiently prepared if there were an active shooter on campus.

Junior Ella Goldblum has been vocal about her concern for school safety, and has met with B-CC administration to discuss how to improve it within the school.

“I think that in the event of something like an active shooter coming into our school I don’t think most students or even teachers would know the proper procedures to follow,” Goldblum said.

Goldblum attributes this lack of preparedness to the infrequency of drills, and when they are practiced, they are not necessarily taken seriously by students or staff.

“The staff know it’s a drill so they’re kinda lax about it, they’re still letting students go in and out and we still have people coming into the building. I think the scenario should be done as if it were real,” said Officer Tisdale.

Officer Tamara Tisdale is the school resource officer at B-CC. The resource officer is an armed police officer stationed at school to help with traffic, community outreach, and any danger that may arise in school. Resource officers have trained with the police department specifically for a situation where there is a shooter on campus.

“Once I’m made aware of active shooter or there’s a threat in the building, I would contact backup to come and help me,” Tisdale said. “But in the meantime, I will have gotten everyone away from the threat and I will have gone to the threat to try to stop it.”

But in light of recent school

shootings, many are questioning the current procedures put in place. At a countywide PTSA meeting about school safety, the question was raised about whether lockdown drills are the most effective option to keep students safe during a shooting.

“Now you’re supposed to stay wherever you are, lock the door, pull the shade - something like that - but are you waiting for someone to come to you? So we’re trying to look at whether it’s more realistic or reasonable to leave the building,” Tisdale said.

One safety issue MCPS is looking to address is open lunch. “We want to make sure

people don’t inadvertently come into a situation,” said B-CC principal Dr. Jones.

Additionally, MCPS is looking at ways to change how events and programs that are held in the school building are handled.

“Let’s say there’s an event, the school is open for something and the event is in the auditorium, so they’re making

changes to lock up or block off other aspects of the building so people just can’t get into every nook and cranny of the building,” said Dr. Jones.

These changes are being worked on this summer. As for precautions that the B-CC community can take to help ensure safety in the building, a major one is using proper exits when leaving during the school day. If someone leaves from a side door or any door that’s not the main door, someone who isn’t supposed t o come into

Cartoon by Daniel Navratil the building could slip in behind them unnoticed. By using the main door, the main office has the capability to monitor everyone who comes in and out of the building.

“When the doors aren’t locked, when a student comes late… every single breach of the process is another breach

of the systems we have in place,” said Ms. Lyddane, a B-CC math teacher.

Recently, new magnetized door latch devices have been distributed to all classrooms.

The purpose of these devices is to allow metal framed doors to be quickly secured in the case of an emergency. These new latches are especially beneficial to teachers, such as Lyddane, who have their classes in the portables where doors are generally kept unlocked. It also gives substitute teachers the ability to secure classroom doors as they are not given classroom keys.

Some have advocated for more extreme security

measures, such as metal detectors, clear backpacks, and armed teachers, as a method of preventing school shootings. But, those opposed have argued this would, instead of making schools feels safer, make schools become like prisons for their students.

“I don’t personally think that a school like B-CC should have things like metal detec-

May 2018

tors, [and] clear backpacks,” Goldblum said. “I think that they’ll make our school environment more unpleasant and I also don’t really think that they would prevent potential shootings.”

Many students of color have also voiced their discomfort at the idea of militarizing schools, claiming they would feel less safe with a greater police presence within their schools.

As a teacher, Lyddane also argues against these severe safety measures. “I would quit before I carried a gun,” Lyddane said, as she feels it would devalue her role as an educator.

In order for schools to remain as safe as possible, students, teachers, and administrators must cooperate.

“It’s really scary because almost no matter what we prepare for something else could happen,” Lyddane said.

This makes it even more important to be aware of danger and recognize any signs before they actually occur. According to Dr. Jones, the biggest vulnerability B-CC has to a shooting is when students feel alone.

“When someone’s anonymous or is isolated and doesn’t feel like they have anyone to go to in the building and something’s not right, then we don’t have the signs we need to see to avert danger.” With a student body of over two thousand, this can seem like an overwhelming task. This is why it takes an entire community to make sure everyone is safe and getting the most out of their educational experience.

So would B-CC students know how to respond to an active shooter? The best case scenario is that no one ever learns the answer, and that B-CC remains a safe place for its students and faculty. But, the possibility of an emergency always exists, which is why it is necessary that everyone is prepared in case one did occur.

“I think the number one most important thing is getting common sense gun legislation passed, and as students we do have a lot of power to affect that change, but our power is somewhat limited,” Goldblum said. “I think in the meantime while it is not passed, the number one thing we can do other than advocate and put pressure on our legislators is try to advocate for basic school safety.”

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May 2018

Page 13

Climate Change (continued from front page) One particular reported contribution to the drop off in staff morale is the role of resource teachers under the current administration. Resource teachers serve as the head of their departments and it has been brought to the forefront by certain staff that their role has inversely changed since the shift in administration from Lockard to Jones.

Previously, resource teachers seemed to act as an in-between who advocated for their department teachers and pitched their teachers’ thoughts, complaints, or concerns about happenings in their department to the administration.

To the frustration of certain faculty, their resource teachers now tend to enforce the administration’s mandates rather than providing a voice for them. “They seem to be sort of switching sides,” one teacher said. “I feel like my resource teacher used to be on my team, and now when I go to my resource teacher and I say, I have a problem, can you pass this on to the administration, I’ve seen that the resource teachers are speaking up and defending the administration, saying ‘no, you need to get with the program.’ And that’s had a big impact on my

morale.”

In response, Dr. Jones said that there are three staff representatives, known as “The Triad” that brings concerns from the staff to Jones, as well as the Instructional Leadership Team meets once a week, a group made up of department heads. Jones said that all staff members do have her cell phone number, though it appears the routes of communication for staff members are largely indirect.

In theory, resource teachers bring the concerns of the staff to the administration, though that isn’t what happens in practice according to both teachers and resource staff.

One resource teacher stated how they used to consider themselves equal with their department staff but now see themselves as a step above, almost as an extension of the administration. Both teachers and resource staff have cited the administration’s general operation as “top-down,” where the result has been teachers not being listened to.

“They don’t take suggestions from teachers even if they’re good ideas,” said this same teacher, “I feel like the administration just wants to do their own ideas regardless of what

the staff thinks.”

Another resource teacher put it this way: “I love working with the students I teach and the teachers I work with.”

“There are many times, let’s say we are voting on something...it will be kind of broken up half and half,” Dr. Jones said. “Half the people feel one way about something, the other half feel we should go a different route. Sometimes that happens, frequently, it does.

When that’s the case, you’ve got to make a decision to go one way. It’s not that the other half of the people, when it didn’t go their way, that they weren’t listened to. Of course they were listened to, but the decision is going to have to end up going one way, and there has to be some kind of acceptance that it’s not going to go my way.”

Specific teachers have conveyed that rather than valuing and recognizing the faculty for their expertise and dedication to their field, the administration actively focuses on issues in the classroom or in the departments. One teacher reported a staff-wide sentiment that they receive attention if something goes wrong, but never if something goes right.

“I feel like this admin-

2016-17 B-CC Staff Climate Survey Data

To bemoan, or not to bemoan? That is the question— Whether ’tis nobler for B-CC staff to suffer in quiet their concerns Or to take arms against a sea of grievances, And, by airing them, address them? To help, to make this the best B-CC it can be?

I can already predict what answer Laura Ingraham on Fox News would give to this conundrum, “Shut up and Grade.”

All week, I have gone back and forth on whether to add my voice to this edition. Part of me said, “No way. Do not give the readers any impression that you put the authors up to the story of school climate.” On that note, let it be known that Matt and Conor came across this story entirely on their own and sought out teachers and administrators to interview on their own. And for these reasons, it would be sensible for me to stay the heck out.

Yet, the not-so-sensible part of me is pretty darn strong these days. This part nags me “to ensure readers

that the writers were not being selective or manipulative, to let readers know that anonymity was maintained because the teachers asked for it.”

Ultimately, I gave this Op Ed to the editors and let them decide what to do with it.

If you’re reading this… well....now that I’ve broken the fourth wall of newspaper sponsorship...well...Here goes nothing (for better or for worse) It’s true that in many ways, we B-CC teachers have it made.

Talented and knowledgeable colleagues. Gifted and worldly students. Beautiful facilities. Great location. A generous Foundation and PTSA. Engaged (but not hovering) parents. And, yet, something quantifiably and seriously just ain’t right.

Let’s be clear. B-CC doesn’t just kinda lag behind the rest of the county when it comes to teacher satisfaction and a feeling of appreciation. When asked to agree (or not) with the statement, ”My school recognizes staff for their quality work and accomplishments” only 42.7% of B-CC teachers agreed or strongly agreed.

That is a whopping 27 percent-

goals, and most teachers help way more than one student, but administration has a tendency to point out all the students we missed.”

Another B-CC teacher said the administration doesn’t know the staff, they rush to criticize the staff, and aren’t supportive of the staff. “Yeah, there were a couple of times I wanted to quit,” that teacher also said.

After the 2017-18 school year, B-CC will be losing a hefty list of staff members, including multiple institutional faces in the building, many of whom citing frustrations with administration playing a role in their decision. One teacher leaving at the end of this year noted that administration was the biggest reason for their departure, and that they couldn’t stand “seeing a bunch of hardworking people treated unprofessionally in a way I’ve never seen before.” The same teacher felt that the administration did “not listen to our opinions or facts, or asking out ideas in a serious way.”

“It’s going to continue,” this teacher said, “but I needed to get out...I’ve never seen it anywhere I’ve been so bad.”

2011-12 B-CC Staff Climate Survey Data

A letter from our sponsor

By David Lopilato

istration is very quick to blame teachers for not doing enough,” one teacher reported. “The student says, something’s going wrong with the class, and the administration’s first impulse is to think ‘Well, the teacher must be at fault here,’ rather than, maybe the student’s at fault sometime.”

A former B-CC teacher noted the same feeling. “Growing up and going to school in Bethesda/MCPS places expectations on students and as your teachers,” this former teacher said, “we are expected to help you meet all of those expectations. Therefore, if/when you do not, we can and do get blamed for this - sometimes rightly, often wrongly. We can get blamed by administrators, by parents, and less relevantly, by society as a whole.”

“Without going too much into it, we have kind of been expected to be miracle workers,” the same teacher continued, “every kid that comes into our classroom, whether they come from a home with many resources or few, we’re supposed to get everyone to the same place at the same time - and we want to, but it’s way easier said than done...Every teacher at B-CC has helped at least one student every year meet their

age points behind the MCPS average.

So what is the problem?

Unfortunately, it’s not rocket science. If it were rocket science our state-champion physics team would be all over it. It’s either way more complicated or way more basic or something entirely different altogether.

For perspective, let’s turn to that staunch if stealth supporter of all things teachers doGovernor Bevin of Kentucky.

When speaking to reporters covering his state’s teacher walk out, the Governor said "I guarantee you somewhere today, a child was physically harmed or ingested poison because they were home alone because a single parent didn't have any money to take care of them. Some were introduced to drugs for the first time because they were vulnerable and left alone."

In these toxic times, it would be so easy to dismiss the governor’s comments as a hyperbolic guilt trip. But let’s not go there. Instead, let’s embrace the governor’s comments as a backhanded affirmation of what teachers do.

Let me play Governor Blevin’s

This data is located on the MCPS website Press Secretary for a moment.

“What the governor meant to say was, ‘The relationship between teachers and students is critical all day….every day… all the way from late August through June and then again from June to August when the teachers get asked to write forty college letters of recommendations.’”

As we have heard in the news recently, teachers across this country have, for years, put up with everything from chronically poor pay to spurious performance reviews to crippling hits to their pensions.

But, one thing teachers will not/should not live without (whether teaching in Arizona or along the well-compensated shores of the Potomac river) is symbolic capital.

What’s symbolic capital? It kinda depends on who’s looking. For some, it’s simple “recognition.” Others, “respect.”

For others still,” trust.” Some hold out for “honor and prestige.” In short, symbolic capital is a person’s sense of self value within a culture. Simpler still, “human decency.”

We can teach without textbooks. Ask any math teacher.

We can teach through Internet

brownouts. Yet, the inconvenient truth is we can’t do our jobs without symbolic capital.

We teachers go through all kinds of training. In one wave of training, we were asked to hone our Culturally Responsive Teaching skills. That is, we were asked, to take into consideration a student’s background (ethnic, religious, etc.) In another wave of training, we were asked to be more conscious and less comfortable with our own implicit bias. So, how do we make sense of all these different messages coming at us in all these different meeting? One way is to keep in mind that good teaching (regardless of the training of the time) can be boiled down to the same essence: education is all about the three R’s . Relationships. Relationships.

Relationships.

Relationships are forged on the bedrock of symbolic capital. If we do not have the respect of our colleagues, the trust of our administration, the effort of our students, from late August through June, all the renovations in the world will leave us with a shiny, empty feeling.

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May 2018

Battling sySTEMatic discrimination: B-CC women break barriers in male-dominated fields

By Emily Schrader and Paloma Delgado

Coming from a family of engineers, senior Caroline Ward took interest in science and math classes from an early age. Looking towards her next four years at the University of Maryland, she now knows STEM is the path she wants to follow.

Though Ward is “following the trail of [her] family,” she is also blazing a new trail: pursuing an engineering career as a woman in a relatively male-dominated field.

Today, only 13 percent of U.S. engineering jobs are held by women. Overall, only one in four jobs in technology, engineering, and math are held by women. And though Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School is home to numerous high-level math and science courses, many of these classes hold relatively few female students.

Out of 15 students in her IB Physics class, Ward is one of just four girls.

Though she described the class as a “close-knit” group with no obvious divide, the gender disparity “is quite apparent...if you take a step back and look at it,” Ward said.

Ward is not the only student that sees the imbalance between male and female students in certain high-level STEM courses.

With the exception of her IB Biology class, where senior Mariana Villar noticed more women than men, “in the harder classes, there would be more males,” Villar said. “In my IB Chemistry class, it was at least one quarter females, three quarters males.”

At B-CC, and throughout academic society, there exists a stereotype that these fields are dominated by men. Rather than turning away in the face of gender inequality, Ward and Villar are one of many women at this school determined to break the stigma surrounding women in STEM courses.

As a Hispanic student, senior Mariana Villar likes “breaking barriers,” she said.

In her experience in Colombia, when she expressed interest in a medical degree as a female, “people would always be like, ‘Oh, what about having a family?’ I’ve grown up with people predisposed,” Villar said.

Villar has continued undeterred on her path to a medical degree, despite preconceived notions associated with women in scientific professions.

After taking top math and science courses, and participating in rocketry and robot-

ics clubs at B-CC, she plans to study in the program for liberal medical education at Brown University, and is considering a double-major in neuroscience and biomedical engineering.

“The intimidation factor [for women in STEM fields] is more of an incentive than actually intimidating,” she said.

“I want to pave the way for more people.”

Like Villar, Ward has turned commonplace gender disparities into her motivation to succeed.

As a prospective mechanical engineer, “it’s kind of cool knowing that you’re pursuing something that not a lot of people even have the guts to do,” she said. “I do want to prove people wrong, and I’ve always liked competition.

I don’t want to be another dumb blonde girl—I don’t want to be a stereotype.”

A s Barons graduate and

so, do you have female professors? How many female professors do you have?’ I wasn’t grilling him, but I was just asking, you know,” Levine said.

“And I think what he said was, ‘We can do better.’ At least somebody was kind of thinking about this.”

Now a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University, Levine is a mathematical sciences major, studying a diverse range of

equal participation between sexes in academic fields, and professors and educators can play an important role in supporting young women pursuing careers in STEM disciplines.

Teachers at B-CC who have experienced gender inequality in STEM fields themselves may be uniquely capable of addressing this problem in classrooms.

For Ms. Corey, who teaches technology and computer science classes at B-CC, the gender gap within math and science courses was quite noticeable for her as a college student studying mechanical engineering.

“I believe we started with either 50 or 60 engineering students, of them I think six were female,” Corey said.

“So it was definitely disproportionate.”

However, Corey said that girls may not have had particu l a r i n ter-

“It’s kind of cool knowing that you’re pursuing something that not a lot of people even have the guts to do.

I do want to prove people wrong, and I’ve always liked competition. I don’t want to be another dumb blonde girl—I don’t want to be a stereotype.”

pursue college degrees, however, the gender gap in math and science classes prevails.

Abigail Levine, a former B-CC student, said she was one of six girls out of 36 AP Physics students in 2016.

Although it was “definitely a small percentage” of female students, she noted that her teachers were “really good about encouraging everyone to participate,” especially Mr. Jacobs, who assigns a research project each year on the role of often-underrated women physicists.

Representation of women in academia remained a priority during Levine’s college search.

When she first visited Carnegie Mellon University, and met with the head of the math department, “I was talking to him, and I just said, ‘Okay,

subjects: from statistics, to the algebraic structure of discrete math, to the principles of real analysis.

Even in 2017, the first year that women have made up the majority of first-year undergraduates at CMU, she said a discrepancy of women has been visible in two of her classes. There are days when she enters her combinatorics class—a “super fun” branch of discrete math, according to Levine—and realizes she is still one of the only female students in the room.

“It’s definitely something that you notice,” Levine said.

“I think that if I hadn’t had friends in the class, or I hadn’t known my professor very well, it could have made me more uncomfortable.”

Encouragement from a young age is key to promoting

est in that field of study because “it was mechanical engineering so a lot of the people who are in mechanical engineering are there because they want to work on cars,” Corey said. “They want to work on airplanes or things that are generally [seen as] more masculine.”

In her opinion, the notion that mechanical engineering has extensive applications outside the world of transportation was not emphasized enough to young women in college. This lack of emphasis, according to Corey, may have led some female students to disregard mechanical engineering as a viable career option.

Dr. Sarah Kurtz, a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California Merced, urges girls

to not be discouraged by the stigma.

“The advice that I spew... is to think about what you’re good at, what you like doing, what turns you on,” Kurtz said.

“If you like experimenting with things, if you like poking at insects or whatever it is, you know, if you like getting out there in the world and figuring out how things work, then probably STEM is for you.”

Before spending much of her career working with high-efficiency multi-junction III-V cells and improving photovoltaic reliability at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Kurtz studied physics at Manchester College and chemical physics at Harvard University. And much like other women in STEM, the environment she found herself in as she entered college was one primarily dominated by men.

“I do recall when I first—as an undergraduate—decided to have STEM as a major, that I found that in most every class I went into, I was the only woman. That was a big adjustment for me as an undergraduate,” she said.

When she attended Harvard University, “approximately 10 percent of the new students were female,” Kurtz recalled. “At the time I just thought, ‘Oh, ok. Statistics are what they are.’ Nowadays I wonder, if [Harvard] actually did have some kind of a target quota that they were looking for or something.”

With time, Kurtz has become “much more accustomed” to this discrepancy, but she still refuses to accept the overwhelming inconsistency between treatments of men and women in collegiate science departments.

According to Kurtz, girls can and should pursue whatever career path they choose.

Along these lines, women at B-CC—and around the country—have persisted in studying and working in STEM fields, undeterred by environments too-often centered around males.

Katherine Ellis, a recent B-CC graduate and freshman at the University of Virginia, said that the challenge of being a female engineer is “definitely a motivator,” and that UVA women band together through a society of women engineers that “brings together and helps empower all the women in the engineering school.”

“Girls need to know that they belong in the field too,” Ellis said. “Anyone can and should pursue STEM careers; it’s important to have a diverse group of people to share knowledge and ideas that will actually end up changing the world.”

Feature

May 2018

What’s in a name brand college?

By Rachel Danegger, Alex Fine and Eve McGloon

In the United States there are over 5,000 degree granting institutions within the higher education system. This number includes thousands of four year colleges and universities, over a thousand additional two year colleges, and many more specialized vocational schools.

For students, narrowing down their college list to around ten schools seems quite daunting.

Flipping through hundreds of pages of college books, taking dozens of school tours, and listening to countless student and faculty panels, there comes a point where it becomes difficult to differentiate between schools with similar attributes; there comes a point where looking for completely unfamiliar schools is tiresome.

There are many factors that go into making a final decision, or even for simply narrowing down a list. One large factor that plays into most students’ college choice is the ability to see oneself at a school, along

with any programs or specific opportunities that a school may offer. Among the many aspects a student can consider when picking out schools, another part of the list seems to be the school’s name and perception by others. But, with so many schools and only a few months to make a decision, how much does a school’s “name” actually factor in to a student’s decision? In other

applied to at least one school simply based on its name. Of the students surveyed, an astounding 28 percent had applied to Tulane, followed by a 27 percent to Michigan, and 26 percent to the University of Wisconsin—Madison. These three universities also happen to be some of the most well known in the country, and no surprise, some of the most largely applied to. For Uni-

leaned towards “name-brand” schools. But why do students tend to apply to schools they only know by name?

A student who wishes to remain anonymous said, “I applied to Michigan on a limb, I knew I wouldn’t get in but if I did, I would go in an instant.”

This student had never seen Michigan, yet they were willing to devote themselves to the school, just based on the same

“I applied to Michigan on a limb. I knew I wouldn’t get in but if I did, I would go in an instant.” words, is it common for students to pick a school simply based on how they think their peers and others will respond to the decision?

Out of the many schools that B-CC students apply to, some of the most commonly recognized names include Michigan, Tulane, UNC Chapel Hill, and Boulder. In a voluntary survey of one hundred five seniors, 53 percent said they had

versity of Michigan alone, the number of applicants for the 2017 fall semester hit almost 60,000, up almost 8% from the previous year, according to Detroit News. Tulane University also received a wave of 38,813 applications for fall 2018—a 9 percent increase from last year—according the university’s website.

B-CC students, just like the rest of the nation heavily

and common perception that it is a “good” school.

Sill, despite this trend, over half of survey respondents revealed that students did not only apply to well-known schools. Additionally, over 75 percent of responses revealed that students would be willing to attend a non “name-brand” school. For senior Sophie Cobb, a name brand school was not a priority.

typical post-senior year activities.

The appeal for gap years is clear, as it allows students like Barker to have a schedule that an academic calender would not allow. This is especially desirable for high school graduates who don’t know what they want out of college, or want to spend time traveling or volunteering.

Opponents of gap years, including some parents, ar-

riences.

While “some people may be less focused to go to school, I think I’m even more ready to go to school and actually focus and learn,” Barker said. “The exposure to other parts of the world really has made me want to study even more once I get to school.”

Reflecting on his experience, Jack was ecstatic that he was able to explore the numerous different cultures of South

risks when travelling alone, but sparked his interest in conservation efforts. After exploring the “incredible land Doug Tompkins has saved” in Chile, and taking part in conservation projects in Peru, Barker now hopes to continue this work at home in the U.S. Emma Patch, a senior at B-CC, is also planning on taking a gap year. Patch was drawn to this option because “I love traveling and I don’t re-

America, view first-hand how foreign countries operate, and improve his Spanish skills.

Beyond just the excitement of adventuring through an unfamiliar world, “I learned a ton of skills about how to live alone—finding myself sewing a pair of pants up, figuring out [where to sleep at night] by word of mouth, not using the internet,” Barker said.

The trip not only taught him how to make calculated

ally know what I want to study in college so I’m not in a rush to get there,” she said. “I want to see and experience so many cultures, and learn as much as I can about the world, and I think [the period] before college is the best time to begin that journey.”

Patch plans to see as much of the world as she can over the course of the next year, first venturing to Africa with a group travel program, and

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“My priority was to find a place where I felt comfortable and happy, where I could pursue my passions and cultivate them in a place where my peers and school staff are just as motivated to grow and support growth,” she said.

However, this opinion is not always voiced. Senior Abby Garfinkel expresses that “it’s always tough to hear ‘what’s [or] where’s that?’ when you’re telling someone where you’re going [to college].” This fall, Garfinkel will be attending Flagler College, a small liberal arts school with a student body of only around 2,500 students.

So what makes a “namebrand” school? Possibly the academics, or the sports.

Maybe the social life, or location. It could also be knowing students or having alumni connections. Or maybe it’s a combination of all these factors. No matter what the appeal, one thing is for certain: these “name-brand” schools will not be falling short of applicants any time soon.

Gap years: the road less traveled

By Jamie Mills and Zeb Grove

As the final summer before college grows near, many seniors begin to think about post-high school plans and summer jobs to save up money for their upcoming freshman year of college. But some seniors are already looking forward to their next adventure: a gap year.

Typically the length of an academic year, a gap year is a break often taken by students between their last year of high school and the beginning of college. Though gap years can serve any number of purposes, the most popular are to spend a year working, to do public service domestically or abroad, or to travel.

Jack Barker, who recently graduated from B-CC in 2017, is one of these students. Rather than heading straight to college, Barker took the path less-travelled and backpacked through South America for six months before attending the University of Colorado Boulder.

Carrying 80 pounds of heavy climbing gear on his back, accompanied by only his friend Emil Tjonneland (B-CC ‘17), Barker spent two weeks in Bolivia, four months volunteering in Peru, and two months climbing through difficult terrain in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The trip culminated in climbing, and eventually summiting, South America’s tallest peak, Aconcagua.

Though overall it went “incredibly smooth,” the trip was not without difficulties, including “sickness, and planning for sure,” Barker said. He experienced both salmonella and frostbite on his feet—not

Photo by Jack Barker gue against spending large amounts of money on college for a teenager who does not want to be in school. Many have doubts over whether students who stop for a year will even want to get back on track for college.

However, Barker said the international exploration of his gap year not only improved his academic focus, but made him more receptive to learning about new cultures and expe-

then living in Costa Rica for the second half of the year.

During three months in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, she will participate in a wide range of service projects, from working at a rhino sanctuary, to volunteering at a shelter for disadvantaged women and children, to researching wildlife habitats and constructing solar power systems.

“I have never lived in a different place for longer than 3 weeks so I’m very excited to become completely immersed in new cultures,” she said.

Afterwards, she will live in Costa Rica from January to June.

“My plans are not as concrete there but I hope to volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary, get certified in scuba diving, attend various outreach programs with the company ConnectOcean, and do other volunteer work and odd jobs,” Patch said.

Her advice to anyone who is considering a gap year is to apply for college “before your gap year, not during it.”

Although gap years require a great deal of planning and commitment for a recent high school graduate, both Barker and Patch said that a gap year may be a great option for those who are drawn to adventure and the world, over a typical path to college.

“I think what I’m most excited for is also what I am most scared for, which is living for such a long time in an unfamiliar place,” Patch said. “It’s terrifying to me but I definitely think it’ll help me grow as a person.”

Page 16

Royal Wedding

Worldview

May 2018

By Ella Grove and Mackenzie Woodyard

Photo courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar As you may recall, we wrote 1,600 attendees. However, an article about Meghan Mar- much like Kate and William, kle and Prince Harry’s wed- Megan and Harry will have a ding a couple months back. smaller formal reception for But since so much has been close friends and family. updated since our first article, Unlike other royal wedwe’ve decided to do a follow up dings, this couple is going to about the famous sweethearts. have both UK Royalty and othThe ceremony will take er celebrities (due to Markle’s place at 1 PM on May 19th, career). All of the Spice Girls 2018 in St. George’s Windsor have gotten invitations to the chapel, roughly an hour out- ceremony and are rumored to side of London. The royal cou- be performing at the couple’s ple has planned to invite 600 reception. It is also rumored guests, making this a far more that Serena Williams and the intimate event than his broth- Beckham family, close friends er Prince William, who had of Markle, will be invited.

However, tensions between Meghan and her half sister Samantha predict that not all of the Markle family will be present.

As for Markle’s name change, she will no longer be using her surname. Royalty typically only goes by their first name. However, it is speculated that Harry will be using a family surname, Mountbatten-Windsor, for the wedding registry. Meghan’s official documents will have her title as her name.

Prince George is going to

be the pageboy (similar to a ring bearer), and Princess Charlotte is one of Markle’s bridesmaids. While still unclear, it is also speculated that either Markle’s stylist friend’s daughter or Princess Charlotte will be the flower girl. Kate Middleton is not expected to have a major role in the wedding, as her third baby is due any day now. Officials were sure to make it clear that they want the Duchess to have a relaxing day with her new child.

While lots of details will have to wait until the day of

the wedding, more and more information is coming out daily. Unfortunately, no new news has been heard about her dress. Only five people know who the designer is, so we’ll have to wait until May 19th to see Markle’s gown. It can be expected to be traditional given the formality of the royal family.

Regardless, we can assure that this will be just as fabulous as Prince William and Duchess Kate’s wedding, as it is gaining just as much (if not more) media attention.

Tension Builds between North Korea and the U.S.

Photo courtesy of New York Post

By Olivia Yansaneh In the recent months of circulating tension between North Korea, South Korea and the United States, there has now come a slight sense of relief from the public.

Kim Jong Un and Donald

Trump have compromised to meet with each other. According to mass press they are willing to discuss the issue of nuclear bomb storage and ease diplomatic tension between the two countries. Where they are going to meet is still unknown to public.

Some suggestions are either Kim Jong Un coming to the U.S., Trump going to North Korea or as a compromise both leaders meeting in South Korea.

Throughout this year there have already been some encounter of neutrality between North and South Korea despite increasing tensions.

During the 2018 Winter Olympics in February, the Koreas joined together as a unified Korean team in some sporting events. Also Kim Jong Un’s sister; Kim Yo Jong; was present at the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics held in South Korea.

This was a breaking point in history because North Koreans have not set foot in South

Korea for decades. Since 1953 to be exact.

While there is relief to the idea of the two leaders meeting, there is also a heavy amount of worry as well. If the meeting does not end on good terms, it would significantly worsen the tension between the United States and the Koreas. Top U.S diplomat to North Korea, Ambassador Joseph Yun said “To be frank with you, I think they were a little bit surprised that Washington, President Trump readily accepted...”.

The meeting is anticipated to be held in May and many are waiting to see what the end result will be to the visit. South Korea’s stance on the visit has been very neutral. The whole point of this meeting is to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea since they often had missile launches in 2017 and claimed to have had a successful hydrogen bomb det-

onation in the past year. “An improvement in inter-Korean relations that promotes peace on the peninsula is a welcome development. The Korean War has not ended as there is only a ceasefire. But it is still unclear whether Kim will part with his nuclear weapons that threaten the world. We will learn more in this regard when Kim meets Trump next month,” said Victor Cha, the previous director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council (NSC).

Although there seems to be gradual progress what the public can to is just wait on what is yet to come.

Style

May 2018

Page 17

Have leggings replaced jeans for good?

By Lauren Gips

Leggings: they have been on the style come up for a decade now. While the trend started by wearing a pair of colorful cropped ones or layering your jean shorts or skirts over them in the winter, we all have been sporting them since 2008.

Nowadays girls, more often, go for the plain black pair, and Lululemon seems to be the brand of choice. You can’t walk five feet in B-CC without finding a girl wearing leggings.

Is this just a phase or a fashion revolution? Ten years in the making the fad has grown into something unstoppable. Leggings are on the rise, no question, but what does that mean for jeans? Jean trends come and go, boyfriend, ripped, low waisted, high waisted and everything else in between.

Jeans will always be worn but leggings seem to be worn even more. The question remains, is this trend slowly killing off the jean industry?

Jeans, while they have been in style since the 1950’s, have been in decline, at least in the Bethesda area. Why? Frankly, they aren’t as wearable. Jeans are far more uncomfortable and due to the recent trend in ripped jeans, they don’t keep

your legs as warm. Many girls all over B-CC agree with junior Lily Lester adding that she wears leggings because “I’m just always comfortable.”

becoming interchangeable.

Leggings became the trend which allows girls to feel relaxed as well as look great.

Freshman Eden Goldblum

dent” about her body.

Although this thought is shared by many, some B-CC girls compromise that comfort. Junior Kalin Condon

With more and more people hopping on the trend, you don’t have to sacrifice comfort or fashion because the two are

agrees with exactly that, saying that she not only is more comfortable but that leggings make her “feel more confi-

ends up wearing jeans more often than leggings but only because she “has cats and her leggings are always covered

As spring approaches and calls for warm weather clothes, the dress code comes into question. Over the years, schools have been implementing student dress codes in order to address a wide range of controversial issues. In the late 1960’s and 70’s, men with long hair were sometimes attacked in schools, which made many schools require boys to wear their hair cut to their ears. Women back then were told to dress conservatively and not wear anything too revealing. Students are going to be tempted to wear shorts and tank tops, but there is a big chance that they will be told to cover up or change. Girls have been told to wear long shorts and can’t show straps due to the fact that they believe that it will become a distraction for other students. Students have been saying that the way they dress is way for them to express themselves and show who they really are.

Currently, the B-CC dress code is a vague statement in the agenda book that states that school personnel may only discipline your style of dress or grooming if: It is likely to cause/causes school disruption, it endangers health or safety, it fails to meet the requirement of a course or activity, it is associated with gangs, it is lewd, vulgar, revealing, or of a sexual nature, it promotes the use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs. With these distant rules, found in the B-CC agenda book that is often thrown away or ignored completely, it is difficult to understand exactly what teachers consider “revealing”. B-CC students feel that our school doesn’t enforce

the dress code as much. Sophomore, Jenna Kirsh says “even if they did, many students including myself, wouldn’t understand these rules.” One of the main reasons that dress code has been enforced because it causes a “distraction” to boys, but Junior, Darrian Lam believes that “Girls can wear whatever they want to school. From a guy’s perspective we don’t pay much attention to it.

Students at B-CC find themselves at a crossroads, do you wear clothing that potentially goes against the dress code, with little chance of being disciplined by a teacher, or do you conform to the dress code, stifling your creativity and experiencing the likely scenario of being uncomfortable in clothes you don’t feel your best in? Some students feel no choice but the break the dress code because of their body types.

Junior Tina Siyoum said “If I could find a pair of shorts that fit my body type without violating the dress code, I would have bought them by now”.

Conforming to the dress code can be difficult because the popular clothes sold at stores include short shorts, tank tops, and crop tops. It is rare to find shorts that go past fingertip length.

These trends dictate what is “cool and not cool” to wear, and it can often force students into a bubble of what they can and can not wear in order to fit in. That being said, often a student feels the most comfortable wearing clothes that they

look the best in, and for female students these clothes often include shorts (the ones that go above where their finger reaches their thigh) and tank tops (that-surprise- shows off

a piece of fabric known as the bra strap). Students feel that they should be allowed to wear whatever they want to school.

They believe that clothing is one of the most important

Is the dress code at B-CC fair?

in cat hair.” Overwhelmingly the B-CC community is in favor of leggings which can be traumatic to the jean industry.

Jeans used to be the symbol of “working clothes”. Jeans were tough, and durable and could be worn through just about anything. In the mid 90’s however, denim started to make a switch from practicality to style. This switch changed the industry, and not for the better. Sales in jeans have been declining ever since. Freshman Eden Goldblum agrees saying “I only wear jeans when I’m trying to look presentable.” Leggings are now the ‘where-anywhere’ pants. You cannot walk through Bethesda without finding women wearing leggings while running errands or going to the gym. Jeans are now worn in the opposite way they were invented to be worn; to dress up.

Leggings are far more wearable, they can be dressed up or dressed down, which makes them favorable to the vast majority- at least in Bethesda.

ways of expressing themselves. They don’t want to be judged for what they wear and they want to be comfortable.

Page 18

Style

The influence of Amanda Rome West

May 2018

By Margot Antonelli and Keely O’Keefe

Meet Amanda Rome West, also known as ARW, a Washington D.C. native who now attends the University of Southern California. For those of you who haven’t heard of her, she is a social media mogul who according to herself is famous for “being unapologetically myself on youtube vlogs, and for funny tweets and facebook posts.” She has been able to gain over 800,000 followers and subscribers by recording everything she does. Essentially, she became a renowned instagram star by acting as though she already was.

While her life is extremely public, we decided we should get an even more inside look at ARW. Below is a Q and A we conducted over instagram DM. ASK ARW Question: How did you gain your first followers?

Answer: “I gained my first followers by just posting me doing everything I do and people becoming interested in me. My fans #ARWesties, are truly the best fans in the world. They are always there for me and give me excellent feedback on what they’d like to see/hear.”

Question: How did you get the idea for West YS? Answer: “WestYS is my signature yoga sculpt with weights class, I was trained at corepower yoga and I was their youngest teacher ever but decided my time was better spent teaching private lessons and helping everyone get better individually.”

Question: Tell us about your merchandise Answer: “I partnered with a #ARWestie’s mom, Gina, a design expert, to create my exclusive ARW merchandise” Question: How has this platform changed you?

Answer: “These platforms on which I communicate and share with my fans have allowed me to help people feel more self confident and be able to express their creativity/sexuality, and ultimately love themselves. Nothing about the internet has changed me. It only enhances my personality and traits.”

Question: What do you want people to see when they watch you?

Answer: “Everything else online-people sometimes only depict their happiest selves. And that makes me sad, because if you’re going to share your life, you should be honest about it. I’m blessed to be a business cinematic arts sophomore at the USC adn to have the crazy, adventurous, and packed lifestyle that I do, and to be able to share it with you all.”

Question: Do you ever get tired of being watched all the time?

Answer: “I sometimes do get tired of being watched all the time, but it’s the price of doing what I do.”

Question: You seem to be very body confident. How did you come to be so confident with your body and self?

Answer: “I am extremely body confident, yes, thanks for noticing- I love myself for who I am because I work so hard to properly fuel and exercise my body every single day. I also meditate a lot and do a lot of yoga I hope I inspire my fans to allow themselves to be funny, happy, fun, sexy, smart, joking and serious”

If you’re interested in exploring her life further follow her at: Instagram: @thugjewb*tch Snapchat: amanda_please6 Twitter: @amandaromewest

May 2018

Special

Page 19

A Memorial to our Lives

...And a March for our Lives

Photos by Jenna Lucash

The Human Behind a Number: My Quest for Meaning

By Will Tenpas It was a Thursday and I had just been told that we had to have a rough draft the following Tuesday, followed by a final draft due Friday. I had quite literally no idea what to do. I was out of opinions from my single article last edition, and was more than ready to make something up about why we need more funding for some important cause or something like that.

Then, like the time when my brother threw a baseball at my head, it hit me.

Fellow opinion writer

Lee Schwartz was mentioning how her twin brother Bennett had an ID number one digit above hers. I was eavesdropping as usual when I overheard this, and a world of possibilities opened. Who was one digit next to me? What school did they go to?

Did they have a similar lifestyle? Were they a male, and if so could they become my best/ only friend? Or were they a female, and a love story in the making? My mind continued to race with possibilities. Who was on the other end?

Elon Musk? Barack Obama? Lightning McQueen? Dr. Jones?

But then I quickly grew nervous. If it was Barack Obama, what would I say? Would he think it was stupid? Just as I began to get cold feet, Lee began to tell me to just do it.

I reassured myself, telling myself “I am the master of my fate and the captain of my ship.” Then I created a document, titling it “URGENT: PLEASE OPEN I BEG OF YOU.” I hoped this genuine, kind request would inspire a calm excitement

in them to respond. In the document I wrote about my desire for an interview, and maybe even a friend. I shared it with them, then wrote an email with the same message in the subject heading. I decided to send it to 345658 (I won’t tell you whether it was above or below my ID to protect my privacy, but it is the ID next to mine). Then I began to wait. I forced myself to wait 24 hours before checking it again.

When I came back the next day, I pulled up my email with the excitement of someone that is very excited. But before I scanned for new messages, I took a moment to examine what I was trying to find. I was trying to see if there was a connection between two people who have a similarity between each other that they may not even know about.

To see if a single digit could foster a connection, and to explore something that may not have even been pondered by either party until now. Having gazed into the true meaning of this endeavor, I proceeded to look at the inbox.

I saw a new message in the thread. My pulse quickened, and I shouted for my peers to come see.

They either ignored me as usual, or couldn’t hear me from the seat I had been asked to sit in all the way across the room, so I ventured into the unknown alone. I opened the message and found: “Address not found,” followed by “the email account that you tried to reach does not exist.”

I sunk in my chair.

But then I remembered I had one more option. I opened the document and shared it with 345656. I sent the same email to the new address and waited.

Three days passed, still no response. I can’t blame the person, is there anyone who really checks their school email or Google drive for new shared documents? Nevertheless, I was still disappointed. Sometimes I feel silly that I thought the brother like connection of an ID number could join us together, but I quickly realize there is nothing silly about it. Every morning, I check my email, and every lunch while sitting alone I hope, nay, I pray, to find that week long anticipated email.

Praying that fate will join us together (while also praying that the person is out of elementary school so it won’t be weird). Maybe 345656 is out there, maybe they’re reading this. If you’re out there, do US a favor, and open that document.

Illustration by Daniel Navratil