Issue 5

2

Editorials

debates the differences between wearing bow ties and regular ties

7

Health

International

In-Depth

investigates healthy and unhealthy holiday foods

reflects on the effects of the Israel and Palestine War

examines the soda drinking habits of AHS students

20

Weekend

shares great places to eat in Shirlington

B LAST A ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL

the VOLUME #57 ISSUE 5

12

10-11 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003

Informing the Atoms since 1954

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5, 2012

www.thea-blast.org

(703) 642-4229

Does AHS cheat?

Survey reveals AHS more honest than national average

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GWEN LEVEY AND COLLEEN ADENAN

BY GWEN LEVEY Co-Editor in Chief

By the numbers

30 90 4,228

The number of years that Disney Channel has been in existence See page 19 The number of pounds a senior lost through dancing See page 6 The number of Palestinians killed in the Palestine-Israel conflict See page 12

Boosters Fundraiser

There will be a fundraiser for the Annandale Atoms Booster Club tonight from 5-7 p.m. at the Firehouse Subs restaurant in the Pinecrest Shopping Center. 20 percent of the bill will go towards the Booster Club.

Senior tribute ads due The deadline for senior tribute ads is Dec. 7. See Julia Hanneman in room 262 or 268 for an order form.

Class of 2013 goes online The Class of 2013 now has its merchandise online. The website is www.order.burkesports.com. The password is atoms.

SSHS holds induction ceremony On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read about the Social Studies Honor Society induction ceremony and to view a slideshow.

“Cheating” continues on page 5

It’s Academic triumphs Forum to be

held at AHS

AHS hosts one of its most competitive teams in years

BY SANDRA WEBB Staff Writer The longest running AHS academic team has begun the season with an 8-0 winning streak.

The team of academically adept It’s Academic! students currently holds the district first place position and represents AHS on T.V. with the annual airing of the televised “It’s Academic!” competition. The next taping of the show will be on Dec. 15 at NBC 4 Studios. The air has yet to be determined.

“Because It’s Academic! doesn’t fall within Although the team lost their top three competitors this It’s Academic! remains strong under the leadership [typical] preconceptions of the word ‘team,’ year, of team captain, Thien Mai, and other returning members. we often don’t get noticed by many, despite representing the school each year on TV,” senior willingness to challenge their skills.

“It’s Academic covers such a wide range of Thien Mai, the captain of AHS’ It’s Academic! subjects, everything you know is fair game. What team, said.

It’s Academic! is an intellectual competition was once considered trivia would actually be between school teams at district, regional, useful in It’s Academic,” Mai said.

During their scrimmages and weekly Friday state and national levels. Each school team is composed of students with an aptitude practices, the It’s Academic! team members are for academic and worldly knowledge, and a quizzed on information that “pretty much follows

Community to discuss replacement of FCPS superintendent Jack Dale

BY COLLEEN ADENAN Co-Editor in Chief A community forum to discuss the replacement of Jack Dale will be held at AHS on Dec. 6. The event will take place at 7 p.m. and is being organized by educational consultant firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA).

“I hope as many parents, teachers, students and others take advantage of the opportunities to give their views, as the choice of our new superintendent is the most important decision the Board will make,” Mason District member Sandy Evans said.

Dale announced his retirement in September 2011. His retirement will be effective in June of 2013.

“As I spoke to Dr. Dale, he said that after devoting 42 years of his life to education, he would like to spend more time with his wife, children and grandchildren,” Dale’s chief of staff Christine Donohue said. “He has a host of outside interests including golfing, flying, skiing and reading that he would like to enjoy. His parents and three grandkids

“It’s Academic!” continues on page 5

“Superintendent” continues on page 5

Theater Without Borders performs ESOL students impress with fall play, ‘Blood Wedding’

BY CHRISTINE TAMIR News Editor Twice a year, the ESOL department has the opportunity to delight students, teachers, and parents with a production put on by students from more than 30 different countries through the Theater Without Borders program. In about a month-long period, these students that are new to the language of English embark on a task of completing a 90-minute production of a famous play.

This fall’s production was one by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca entitled Blood Wedding. The story takes place during the 1930’s, as it first premiered in Madrid in March of 1933, of a woman getting married to a man that she does not love and chaos ensues between the two quarreling families.

TWB’s portrayal of the show was acutely accurate and impressively performed by every student who took part, from the lead characters to the ensemble. The characterization by each student was remarkable, as the projection and clarity of their dialogue was easily understood, never rushed, and believable.

The costumes used in the show were acute to the time period and each prop was equally laid out for the 1930’s. Undoubtedly, one of the most impressive aspects of the show was the set, as the giant house in the background was meticulously painted

by AHS parent Ingrid April-Levey, and had the audience commenting about it after the show.

“The set was absolutely wonderful and we can’t thank Mrs. Levey enough for her effort and time in painting it,” TWB sponsor and director Leslie Chekin said.

Prior to the [showing] of the play, auditions were held during the first week of October, causing students like junior Luis Perez, who is new to the English language, let alone to acting, much anxiety.

GWEN LEVEY

10

The number of states in the U.S. that allow corporal punishment in schools See page 9

One method of cheating used among students is writing the answers to a test or quiz on the inside of a water bottle. This practice has caused many teachers to eliminate water bottles from being used in classrooms while tests are distributed.

CHRISTINE TAMIR

7

The number of steps in a holiday DIY mason jar See page 8

It is said that when taking a test, a student will look up for inspiration, down in desperation, and then finally left and right for the answers.

Though this is common practice, it has been drilled into young learners minds from an early age that doing this is wrong.

So why is it that many students find cheating to be okay? Furthermore, why do they feel it necessary to take part in the act at all?

According to USA Today, a recent survey conducted on 23,000 high school students nationwide questioned whether students are actually cheating more. The result was surprising: the number of students cheating in school dropped from 59 percent in 2010 to 51 percent this year. Comparatively, based on a poll distributed on Nov. 27 in W4 and ATOM time to 450 students, 27 percent of AHS students admitted to cheating occasionally or more often on school assignments, including tests and quizzes. However, though AHS cheats less than nearly half of the national average, only 41 percent of students feel that cheating is “moderately wrong.”

ESOL students Ramatu Fofanah and Hendell Concepcion played the mother of the bridegroom and the bridegroom. They performed one of several intense scenes from ‘Blood Wedding.’

“I felt nervous when I stepped on stage,” Perez said. “I was shaking when I stepped on stage.”

Fortunately for Perez, he [received] the roles of wood cutter and guest dancer, both roles that he was very happy with. Perez was also helped

by experienced fellow actor junior Wilsone Tosta. Tosta was in Greater Tuna as well as Blood Wedding and will be in A Streetcar Named Desire.

“We all have fun doing it, and we all have each other,” Tosta said.

Many members of TWB have “TWB” continues on page 5

12

ACADEMICS

A BLAST

the

Sept. 2, 2003

2 Places to buy bowties

Editorials

Go ahead and tie one on B

1. High cotton ties 2. Brooks Brothers 3. Bloomingdales 4. Neiman Marcus 5. Nordstrom 6. Macy’s 7. JCPenny 8. Kohls 9. Ties.com 10. SaveOnTies.com 11. Salvation Army

How do you feel about MTV or the shows they air?

“I think it’s ridiculous, it should be RTV, Ridiculous TV. ”

— Katie Pacak freshman

arker’s arks Editorials Column

By James Barker Noah and Stephen are in a fight to the death.

Stephen is wearing a bowtie and Noah, dimwitted as usual, is sporting a necktie. As Noah grabs at Stephen, gripping nothing, Stephen reaches in, grabs the necktie and takes Noah down. Noah is toast. Someone better pick him up.

This is one of many reasons why neckties are not practical in the 21st century. They are, in fact, downright dangerous.

The world is now moving forward into a brighter future.

Bowties, the non-dangerous, classy, yet hipster, alternative to neckties, are the way to go. I do not wear neckties any longer, due to their unhygienic, dangerous, and non-stylish attributes.

A necktie is essentially a noose around your neck.

Not only are neckties dangerous, but they are very unhygienic. It’s basically a magnet for germs and other gross things. Think of all of the things you do throughout the day. Eating, coughing, sneezing, using the loo, etc.

How often do you wash your neckties? Never. Who does that? Paying $2 to get a piece of silk fabric drycleaned that you only wear maybe two times a year is not worth it. A necktie washed at home shrinks in a washing machine and becomes about four inches long.

Celebrities such as Chris Brown and Ryan Gosling have begun to wear bowties in order to increase their classy appearance.

Only your cat could wear those ties for those “I Can Haz Cheezburger” photos.

Bowties, especially those made of cotton, are simple to clean, quickly and easily in the comfort of your own home. Cotton fabric does not get ruined if you throw the tie in the wash with your socks. This creates a more hygienic and clean smelling tie, better for attracting women.

For doctors, wearing a necktie while working is very impractical because it is always in the way and picks up germs that sick patients carry. Bowties are making a comeback for doctors, more specifically cotton bowties because they can be washed as often as necessary.

Bowties are also a lot more stylish. When choosing between a bowtie and a simple necktie, it would be like the choice between chocolate and brussels sprouts.

There is no question in the matter.

Bowties have always been revered as the classiest of the two ties. When going to a orchestral concert or a movie premiere, all of the important people wear bowties. Who wears a necktie with a tuxedo?

When you watch the Academy Awards almost all the men who want to look classy are wearing a bowtie.

They try to woo the crowd through their bowties and dashing good looks.

Harrison Ford, Abraham Lincoln, Ryan Gosling, and Chris Brown have all worn bowties. What were they trying to prove? That not all bowtie wearers are nerds?

Even the awe-inspiring Bill Nye the Science Guy sports a bowties as much as possible. He knows that his bowties make him look classy, not like a dork, which he most certainly is not.

Bowties can even give those who do not want to be too classy a hipster feel about them. Pretty soon everyone will be wearing bowties because it will be a fashion statement saying, “Here I am. Here is my bowtie. Get over it.” Skaters, ice cream salesmen and trash men will all be wearing bowties.

Anyone can wear a bowtie! These ties are not prejudiced in any way. They are accepting of all, and can make the unfashionable become glamorous. The uprising trend in popularity of the bowtie has been enormous in America. The style is coming back.

Now ladies, although I haven’t checked Elle recently, or whatever style magazines are out there, I am pretty sure that the majority of women do not wear ties. But I urge you to convert your men! Do them all a favor. Help them out. Buy your favorite guy a bowtie this year!

See how I tied it all together like that? Yep. I went there.

How to tie a bowtie in 8 simple steps

1.

2.

5.

3.

Cross side ‘A’ on top of the side ‘B’ making a ‘X’ shape with both sides of the bow tie.

Place bow tie around your neck making one side longer than the other. The longer side is now known as side ‘A’ and the shorter is side ‘B’.

“Some of the shows are okay, but then they have some really dumb and repetitive ones.”

Dec. 5 , 2012

6.

4.

Bring side ‘A’ underneath side ‘B’, pulling it up towards your neck, creating a loop.

7.

Fold side ‘B’ over itself to form the front base loop of the bow tie.

8.

— Kara Hoisington sophomore Place side ‘A’ on top of newly folded side ‘B’ and make sure side ‘A’ is flat.

“They are not very good because it just teaches teenagers to be reckless.”

— Ayobami Fakulujo sophomore

Fold side ‘A’ over itself to form a soon-to-be back base loop of the bow.

—Kelly Pratt junior

Those shows are dumb because they are all scripted and it is not real life.”

— Jessica Gallogly senior

— Compiled by Megan Ryan

MTV is fine the way it is In your smartphone, scan the QR code to read an opposing view about why MTV is still a good channel despite modernization.

Gently tug on both sides of the bow to tighten the knot and adjust accordingly.

What happened to the old MTV? The change in MTV’s content has negatively effected them

By Megan Ryan Staff Writer

“They are stupid and there are too many reality shows. I don’t like watching other people’s lives, it’s kind of creepy. ”

Put the folded side ‘A’ behind folded side ‘B’ making the shape of the bow.

MTV is a channel that was once a full-time music video channel. But, now, what happened? It’s full of reality television shows that melt your brain and provide nothing but terrible influences on teens.

When MTV was just for music videos and shows, their channel was the “it” channel for music.

Everything that was played on MTV was considered cool and in fashion. Artists like Rod Stewart, REO Speedwagon, The Cars and Phil Collins were some of the first musicians that were premiered on MTV. But, over the years, things have seriously taken a turn for the worse. Reality television shows like Jersey Shore and Teen Mom started to rise to fame. Even though the writers and fans of the shows might disagree, all it has done is brainwash teenagers.

The show Jersey Shore is about a group of people in their 20’s living on the Jersey Shore and going out

every night to party and drink. That image has been projected throughout the nation and it’s all teenagers think about. That image of alcohol and partying is contradicting what teachers are trying to get across to them in school. And whether the characters know it or not, they play a major role in influencing kids.

With shows like that, it’s no wonder that teenagers are big into parties and drinking. All they think about is what Snooki or or Mike “The Situation” would do.

Another awful influence for teenagers is the show Teen Mom. Teen Mom is about a group of girls that each had a child at the age of 16. The show portrays their entire life stories, from when they learned that they were pregnant to a couple years after the baby is born.

The show not only gives the impression that it is okay for girls to get pregnant at age 16, but that it is also implies that maybe if you get pregnant, you can make a lot of money by becoming a star on the show.

Since there are so many different kinds of reality television, teenagers and even young adults have

started to live vicariously through the lives that are portrayed on the TV. They are able to get their share of drama that isn’t present in their regular lives.

They can also get the romance they may lack in their normal lives.

These shows also come in series, so teenagers spend a lot of time following their favorite character or just watching the show.

And the more time they spend watching TV, the less time they spend socializing or doing homework. So it’s just not a bad influence, it can cause educational and social problems, too. What would take precedence in a 15-year-old girl’s mind: the hot new character on her favorite TV show, or that boring biology lab that is due the next day?

Clearly, it will be the TV show.

MTV was fantastic when it played only music videos. But since it has brought more idiotic shows onto its channel, MTV has lost its integrity and it is a terrible influence for teenagers now and generations to come.

Staff Editors In Chief: Colleen Adenan Gwen Levey Managing Editor: Ngan Pham Editorials Editors: Destiny Gammon Omnia Saed News Editors: Dana Filipczyk Christine Tamir People Editors: Kate Grandchamp Carli Loeb Health Editors: Kylee Nisker Art Editors: Abby Barnes Carina Chu

Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr.

Annandale, Virginia 22003 email: ablast12@gmail.com

Academics Editors: Molly Keck Berta Tarqui In-Depth Editors: K.L. Hoang Noah Fitzgerel International Editors: Joe Sehrer Shamaim Syed Photography Editors: Priya Adhikary Chloe Loving Lifestyles Editors: Gaby Camilli Megan Flynn Sports Xtra Editors: Ayah Oweis Sports Editors: Jarod Golub Betsy Kruse Vol. 58 No.5 Dec. 5, 2012 fax: (703) 642-4299

Entertainment Editors: Sarah Bergen Emily Blank Weekend Editors: Andrea Melendez Rowan Shartel Ad Manager: Stephanie Allshouse Circulation Manager: Hannah Carlson Copy Editors: Stephen Oakes Patricia Webb Web Editor: Rachel Wilson Web Staff: Jared Lefbom Head Photographer: Olivia Lafferty

Head Videographer: Nadia Elgendy Staff Writers: James Barker Yesenia Blount Bayley Brill Thien Mai Nuhami Mandefro Sarah Metzel Omar Haddou Erin Johnson Megan Ryan Mark Slough Shira Steinberg Alec Stewart Johnathan Telda Sandra Webb Elizabeth Zernick

Photographers: Melanie Bennett Katherine Bonilla Daniel Hiwot Tiffany Huynh Erin Johnson Habib Khalid Videographers: Medhane Berihun Hiwot Daniel Alejandra Iriarte Alex Lewis Habib Khalid Laelle Mekonen Amir Mohammed Fahmi Mohammad Rahel Tecle Adviser: Alan Weintraut

The A-Blast is an award winning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community.

Published every three weeks, The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day, or invades an individual’s right to privacy. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2012.

Editorials

Nov. 7, 2012

Obama 2012 for America

By Omnia Saed Editorials Editor

It’s an election year, a fact that’s pretty hard to miss as flyers are passed out, signs are firmly planted in front yards and doorknockers become a recurring nuisance. There seems to be a clear choice on who should win – or, should I say, regain – the presidency.

As we watch the presidency battle this year, we have to ask ourselves who is the best choice.

I want a president who is first and foremost worried about my well being. I’m only 16, but I know the struggle my parents go through as part of a hardworking middle class family trying to raise three children.

When the President took office in 2008, the U.S. was losing over 750,000 jobs per month and slowly spiraling for the worse. Although you may not like the economy’s position at present, it can’t be denied that it has improved since the President took office. With the unemployment rate below eight percent, let’s not forget that the dragging economy is the outcome of almost a decade of bad decision-making: it will, and SHOULD, take time to fix it.

For the middle-class specifically, the President has saved families an average of $3,600 in taxes; Governor Romney’s tax plan doesn’t even come close.

It bewilders me that Mitt Romney is even considered as a possible greater candidate than the current president. Yes, I can understand the frustration with a slowly recovering economy, but giving the presidency to someone who lacks an actual basis to his tax plan doesn’t seem to be the right choice. And with Speaker of the House who has publicly declared to “reject the word” compromise, there is a clear blockade for the President to surmount.

The governor’s so-called “plan” is mathematically impossible. Romney has repeatedly stated that he will balance the budget, cut taxes for some parts of the middle class and raise spending on defense.

How does he plan on accomplishing this great feat, you may ask? By simply finding loopholes and wasteful spending in our budget. It sounds great - that is, if he could bend the rules of basic math. Including cuts to funding for the Public Broadcasting Service (yes, that includes Big Bird and Sesame Street), Romney’s plan is, according to The Tax Policy Center, mathematically unmanageable.

In reality, there aren’t enough loopholes that will offset the amount needed to close the deficit and the costs of everything the governor has promised. In order to truly cut the deficit and implement his plan of reducing the tax rate by

Obama’s Strengths - There have been over 30 months of job growth with the unemployment rate dropping below 8 percent

By Bayley Brill and Megan Ryan Staff Writers While you’ve waited in line at the grocery store, chances are your eyes have glanced over the magazine section. You’ve probably admired how beautiful the models on the cover of the magazines are, and wished you looked just like them.

The problem is, you can’t.

Not because it’s impossible, but because the models themselves don’t look the image that appears on the cover.

Almost every major magazine uses Photoshop, but that’s starting to change.

After an anti-Photoshop movement from the readers of Seventeen magazine, the publication released a statement saying they would limit photoshop use.

- The President has cut taxes for working Americans and has saved the average middle-class family $3,600 in taxes

— Meg Hua

sophomore

- Obama has doubled funding for Pell Grants and has established a college tax credit - He signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

“Obama is my boy because he plays golf.”

- Ended the war in Iraq and plans to bring our troops in Afghanistan home by 2014 20 percent, taxpayers who make more than an average of $200,000 would undoubtedly have to see a tax cut. Taxes currently only paid by 1 percent of the nation will no longer be considered necessary, while 95 percent will inevitably see an increase.

I want a president that understands my aspirations as a high school student and as a part of our future generation when it comes to higher education: not all of us can “borrow money from our parents.”

In the last four years, Barack Obama has stopped the student loan interest rate from doubling and suppressed the federal student loan repayment at ten percent.

Those struggling students are apart of the so-called 47 percent, “who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them” – that is, according to the Governor.

It must be quite easy to rant about the reliance of almost half of the country on welfare when your tax rate is only 14 percent of your multi-million dollar income. But the so-called “47 percent” refers to those making less than that which can be taxable, senior citizens who have paid off their mortgage and make less than $20,150 (jointly) a year, and a majority of college students working part-time jobs.

Ironically, Romney, who at first stood behind his remarks, quickly recanted: he stated that his comments were “completely unacceptable,” which is something we seem to hear a lot of.

I want a president that’s reliable.

As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney was a pro-choice, health-reforming Republican moderate. Now, in the past year, we have observed a completely different person: a strong conservative

Soon after, Glamour magazine followed suit.

Honestly, this is the single greatest movement to happen in our generation.

We live in a time where girls, especially, have unlimited access to hundreds of thousands of pictures of their favorite actress or singer, and that isn’t always a good thing.

Yo u n g g i r l s c a n l o o k a t a photoshopped picture and think that, because they aren’t as skinny or their skin isn’t as perfect, they’re ugly or they aren’t pretty enough.

All of those negative thoughts can lead to eating disorders or other methods of self-harm.

Magazines try to make the models perfect, tricking teenage girls into thinking that you have to be flawless to be beautiful.

B u t n o w, w h e n g i r l s r e a d Seventeen or Glamour magazine, they can actually see what “real” girls look like.

The models are no longer photoshopped into a size zero, with absolutely clear skin, and those perfect, eye-capturing eyes I know you and I have both always admired.

With this bold move, Glamour and

with strict values and views that stands completely opposed to those of the president. If our president will have the country’s future in his hands or is faced with quickly enacting an executive decision, I don’t want someone who lacks conviction to decide.

I want a president that’s looking out for America’s best interests. Most importantly, I want a president that understands the role we play as a nation internationally.

Obama has one of the most successful foreign policies of any American president in recent years. His so called “apology tour” last fall was a successful initiative by the president to tell the Muslim world that America isn’t targeting their religion - a misconception shared by many. The president has pulled troops from Iraq, and, most prominently, made the call to take down Osama Bin Laden.

Meanwhile, Romney, after the third day of his world tour, infamously made foreign headlines: “Mitt the Twit” became the cover story for leading British front pages, exposing his failure abroad.

Maybe the most influential reason I believe in President Barack Obama is because of his rise to presidency. I want a president that embodies the American dream, a story a majority of Americans can relate to. Both he and his wife exemplify the outcome of hard work: they are two people who didn’t come from a wealthy background, but worked to get accepted into the nation’s top educational institutions and have left their respective marks on history.

America needs someone who understands what the majority of American people are going through.

This is not a company; it’s a country that needs to be led, not run. It is a country that needs to be led by President Barack Obama.

Seventeen are relating to their readers more effectively since the models and celebrities are looking like real, common people. These young teenage girls will have someone to look up to who isn’t fake or edited.

Now, teenagers are being shown what the models actually look like.

They aren’t a size zero - they might be a 2 or a 4, and that’s okay.

They might not have the most dazzling eyes in the world, but that’s who they are, and they’re embracing it.

Now it’s time for girls to start thinking in this mindset, too.

Unfortunately, most girls’ minds have already been tainted with the subliminal messages

photoshopped models have sent to them, and those ideas will forever be embedded in their minds.

It might take a while, but slowly, we might be able to get the idea of what a “perfect” girl really is.

If even more magazines follow Seventeen a n d G l a m o u r ’s initiative, we might finally be able to erase misconceptions of beauty we’ve come to know in this day and age.

Then, finally, the idea of just being yourself – and embracing it – will prevail.

Amanda Todd, 15, gains unwarranted national fame after ending her life

By Khadra Said and Nadia Elgendy Special to the A-Blast

15-year-old Amanda Todd posted a YouTube video against her tormentors and a few weeks later committed suicide.

Again, however, Todd found herself in trouble after “hooking up” with an old friend who she had thought had actually liked her. This “old friend’s” girlfriend found out, and came to Todd’s school with a group of friends and proceeded to physically abuse her. Todd described the event to be tormenting, and that she had never felt so alone in the world. Like most victims of bullying, she felt she had lost hope, and began to believe she really was worthless.

Some argue that Todd brought this upon herself: she flashed the men and she slept with another girls boyfriend. On the other hand, others argue she was a helpless girl who wanted

— Kyle

Goettlicher sophomore

“He helps the lower and middle classes.”

— Mohamed Ibrahim junior

“He understands the younger generation better.”

— Mustafa Elrayah junior

“Obama knows what he is talking about. Romney’s speeches are repetitive.”

— Kayla Elahi junior

Trending Topics

Atoms Spirit AHS showcases an increasing amount of school spirit as Homecoming comes to an end

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION OF JUNIOR, AMELIE TRIEU

Teen suicide needs to stop gaining fame

Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old Canadian committed suicide after a prolonged battle of being bullied online by her peers. Not long before her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube that went viral, where she described her story in full extent, showing the world that she was strong, not bidding for attention.

What started off as a joke on webcam with a bunch of friends messing around with random guys soon escalated when Todd was asked to “flash” the guys, and she obliged, not realizing that this tiny mistake would haunt her for the rest of her life. From what Todd explains in her video, one of the men soon began to stalk her and demanded that she “put on a show” for him, or he would distribute her pictures on the Internet, and to the community. Todd did not reply and brushed it off. Soon, she began seeing her topless photos everywhere around her. She was bullied, mocked and had lost all face with her peers, and her parents moved to a different city in hopes of starting a new life.

Why do you support presidential candidate Barack Obama?

“I agree with [his stance] on women’s rights.”

Photoshopping the definition of beauty Seventeen Magazine and other leading chains have decided to stop altering covers

3

attention, and like most kids her age, wasn’t thinking of the consequences.

The main question is, however, is if all this attention justified?

Another girl committed suicide at around the same time as Todd; she was a studious person, played sports and was loved by everyone in her community for her kind heart, but struggled with depression. Nevertheless, was anything heard about her in the media? Nope.

So what does that say about the society we live in? Do we feed off the negative?

Absolutely. Many girls have committed similar promiscuous acts, and have received praise for it.

Many girls in high schools have a higher status among guys because they are known for being more likely to give sexual favors to them. No matter what the perception of someone’s actions are, it will always be based off of adverse action.

There is no awareness of the consequences of suicide, our children do not understand that it is not the answer. The key to suicide prevention would be offering a better alternative. The value of talking to someone and getting proper help has been undermined.

At the end of it all, Todd’s story is tragic, just like every other suicide story, but it does not deserve the amount of coverage it was getting.

The media has glorified suicide with the constant coverage victimizing notable fatalities, instead of offering alternatives.

College Apps College Application deadlines were postponed due to Hurricane Sandy

Election Day The 2012 elections has come to an end as votes were cast on Nov. 6

Winter Sports Begin Winter sports have officially begun tryouts as the season approaches

4

News

All students who made it past the first round of Governor’s School must turn in their applications by Jan. 2 to either Katie Rafaelli or Carrie Schaefer in the guidance office.

Yearbook Photobooth The Antenna yearbook will set up a photobooth for any students during all lunches from Dec. 3 until Dec. 13. Photos will cost $1, and will be taken in the cafeteria.

Every photo taken will be put into the yearbook.

Orchestra Guest Conductor The AHS orchestra is looking for an amateur conductor to direct its Dec. 11 concert. The selected teachers are John Hawes, Michael Mazzarella, Georgianna Tomisato, David Tyndall and Lindsay Zurawski. In order to weigh in on the director they will choose, put change into their jar during all lunches.

Subway Fundraiser The class of 2015 will be hosting a fundraiser every Wednesday from Nov. 21 until Dec. 26 at the Heritage Rd. Subway. If you present a flyer at the time of purchase,15 percent of all proceeds will go towards the sophomore class.

History Honor Society Meeting All members must attend the Dec. 7 meeting to receive their certificates. In the event that a member is not able to attend, students must send an email to ahssshs@gmail.com by 9 p.m. the night before.

Spanish Honor Society There will be a mandatory meeting at 2:15 p.m. in room 243 for all members to pay their dues.

Returning members must bring in $5 dues while new members must bring in their $10 dues.

Community service forms will also be available at the meeting.

Junior Math League contest The third Junior Math League contest will be held today, Dec. 5, immediately after school in the cafeteria. No calculators will be allowed.

First forensics club looks ahead towards first match

By Sarah Metzel and Yesenia Blount Staff Writers The newest club at AHS involves some of our school’s loudest and most argumentative students.

The Forensics and Debate team members meet in M5 with sponsor Lynn Beal to discuss future competitions and strategies. Students in the Speech and Communication class and other students joined the club to perfect their speaking abilities and compete against other schools.

The Forensics and Debate team will participate in its first competition at Edison HS on Dec. 19 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Buses will be provided for team members, as well as any observers who are interested in watching. The team is considered part of the Virginia High School League (VHSL). They are able to receive the same benefits as any high school sports team.

“Forensics is the ability to talk well in front of a crowd. I chose this club as a way of channeling my ability to socialize and talk about a topic,” senior Michael Bolton, president of speech said. “I got this position by giving two speeches about who I am and my qualities. I was elected by both the class and the club.”

Members have a choice of events in either the speech or debate. The majority of the team competes in speech. Within speech, there are two categories: interpretation and impromptu. Interpretation requires analyzing different pieces of literature, while impromptu requires the speaker to produce arguments on the spot.

Beal emphasizes the importance of having many “tools in your belt” for organizing an impromptu presentation. Beal suggests to her members who are competing in the impromptu style to start with a personal story. Other tools for the presenters to use include cause and effect, as well as problem and solution.

“The Forensics and Debate team is mostly about

Christine Tamir

Governor’s School Applications due

Debate team to compete

Sponsor Lynn Beal advises senior captain Michael Bolton about several different types of impromptu techniques.

learning. Anyone can come as long as they are interested in talking about a topic,” Bolton said. “My goal for the speech section is to master the ability to speak in an effective way that gets the point across.”

Debate is set up in three rounds consisting of four minutes. In the middle of the rounds there is a cross fire when participants debate back and forth. Before the competition, debators conduct research about their monthly topics set by the National Forensics League (NFL).

“Debators need to be able to analyze information and present both sides,” Beal said.

Sophomore Drew Hendrickson is in charge of the debate portion of the team. He takes the time to talk with debaters and helps them improve their arguments. As a student in Beal’s speech and communications class, Hendrickson is given

the chance to improve his own debating skills.

Hendrickson applies what he learns in class to aid members who are struggling with preparation.

“Debating requires a lot more preparing than impromptu does. It takes more time and toning,” Hendrickson said. “My goal is not to be the very best, but to get all these rookies to strive to be the best. By the end of the year, I want them to think on their own, come up with a good case, and speak with confidence.”

The upcoming competition will serve as a learning experience for the fledgling team. The event will end with a trophy ceremony in the auditorium.

“I don’t expect to get first, but I do hope to get a good feel for the competition, how the actual debating works, and enough experience to improve from there,” Hendrickson said. “One day we’ll get first.”

Students raise hunger awareness Just World sponsors Hunger Banquet with Oxfam Family

By Sarah Metzel Staff Writer Although it’s a basic human necessity, millions of people go without food everyday. The Just World Club hosted an Oxfam Hunger Banquet on Nov. 30 in Clausen Hall. The banquet demonstrated the reality of world hunger to students.

When attendees walked into the banquet, they randomly drew a ticket with a personal story and a certain income level. The income level on their ticket dictated where they sat and how much food they were served. “AHS can definitely make a difference, whether big or small,” senior Sameen Yusuf, Just World president, said. “It’s the little things that are important: donating to food drives, volunteering at soup kitchens, distributing food locally. Kids often think that hunger is a problem outside the U.S, but many people are affected here at home.”

The various information on the tickets was based on the latest statistics about world hunger and poverty.

“The juxtaposition of the three classes allows people to see and experience what they should on a daily basis - the

Sarah Metzel

News Briefs

Dec. 5, 2012

Junior Tai Nguyen and senior Roland Andoh pick up pamphlets before the banquet.

awareness of the disparity between the groups,” Yusuf said. “People talk about hunger so much that it has lost its effect on people, especially students, and I hope the hunger banquet [brought] that back.”

By hosting the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, the Just World club was able to reach out to other IB schools such as Washington-Lee HS and George Mason HS. The students who attended the event from these schools came from

clubs that had goals similar to Just World club - educating their peers about social issues.

“We are from Washington-Lee with a club called Sisters on Purpose,” junior Tchynna Carpenter said. “AHS did a good job with the banquet - there’s a nice turnout and great food.”

Carpenter was one of the few lucky people to have drawn an upper class ticket. This entitled her to nicer tables, waiters and a full meal including rice,

beans, meat, salad, bread and tea. The middle class received a standard meal of rice, beans and water. The lower class, making up 60 percent of the population in the world as well as at the banquet, received a small bowl of plain rice and water. While the upper and middle classes sat at tables, the lower class sat on the floor.

“A lot of high income people were happy that they got the high income ticket,” junior Josie Cuellar, a waitress at the event, said. “It made me realize that social class really does matter.”

The Oxfam hunger banquet was designed to bring out compassion in people, but the speakers at the event discouraged the sharing of food. The reason behind this rule is that in real life, you would not be able to share your food because we live in isolated communities.

“I saw my little brother in the lower class, and I felt bad for him. I went over and gave him some food,” sophomore Awo Dad said.

On your smartphone, scan the code using the application “QR Code” to view the rest of “Hunger Banquet” debuts at AHS.

History Honor Society begins new drive The AHS Poetry Out Loud competiton will be held in the auditorium during Atom Time on Dec. 7. The winners will advance to the regional competiton of the national competition.

“Pullman Porter Blues” Review On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to view a story about Arena Stage’s production of “Pullman Porter Blues.”

New service project to donate old jeans to different parts of the community

By Jonathan Tedla Staff Writer Denim. Lots and lots of denim. That’s the goal for the Social Studies Honor Society (SSHS) during its drive, called Jean Scene, to collect jeans for the less fortunate. Whether they are Levi’s, Urban Pipelines or a $225 pair of Burberry’s, SSHS members asking for any jeans that students and faculty can donate to a good use.

“If the jeans are good they can go towards clothing the poor,” history teacher Joel Jepson said. “And if they’re ripped up they will be shredded and used as insulation by Habitat for Humanity.”

SSHS president Jenny Jessen organized the whole event to make it easier for club members to meet the community service hour requirement. The students need to get a total of eight points by the end of the year. Per pair, each pair of jeans brings a half point and members are only allowed to bring up to six pairs.

Many students plan to donate old pairs of jeans to help the community stay warm in this winter season.

“Some jeans will go to social workers at AHS, Poe MS and Holmes MS to be handed out to less fortunate students,” Jessen said.

The drive started on Nov. 27 with donation boxes being placed in many social studies classrooms and

Christine Tamir

Poetry Out Loud competition

Senior Jennifer Jessen is the president of Social Studies Honor Society, and orgranized the jean drive service project.

the guidance, main and athletic offices. As of the 30th, four pairs of jeans have been donated, both by senior member Rachel Wilson.

“I feel like everyone has a pair of jeans that is too small or just not worn anymore. Why let something that was more than $20 sit in your closet and gather dust?” senior Rami Bchara said.

“Yes I will [be donating old jeans] because I feel that it is necessary that we help the community especially in this time of year,” senior Brian Khong said.

If students would like to contribute, the drive is

tentatively set to end on Dec. 14. Students view it as an opportunity to help their community through donations of clothing. They are taking this time to help out those less fortunate than themselves. Distributing the jeans during the winter helps spread holiday joy to those less fortunate.

“We believe that with the support and participation from students and staff, this should be an extremely successful and helpful donation drive,” SSHS Historian Beatrice Ohene Okae said.

Cheating common at AHS Students find new ways to raise their grades

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GWEN LEVEY

“Cheating” continued from page 1

on 23,000 high school students nationwide questioned whether students are actually cheating more. The result was surprising to the conductees: the number of students cheating in school dropped from 59% in 2010 to 51% this year.

“I’ve cheated before on tests or quizzes that I haven’t prepared for in the past, especially on tests that I know I’m not going to get a good grade on,” senior Ann Marie Frankfurt said. “I give in to cheating because sometimes I have notes hidden under my book while taking the quiz. I feel badly about cheating most of the time and I don’t do it often.”

With technology becoming more and more advanced, students can cheat in ways that stretch far past just copying answers. Now students have become creative, actually hiring someone online to write their paper or by asking to go to the bathroom and then texting their friends for the answers. In some extreme cases, students have even scanned correct answers onto candy bar labels in place of the nutrition information. The same has been done to water bottle labels, which is a reason why many teachers don’t allow them in class while taking a test anymore.

“On occasion we’ll get a situation where kids are trying to text answers to a test,” Carayiannis said.

“I’ve had some assignments that are identical.”

One of the main departments affected by issues of cheating every year typically fall to the English department, as many students plagiarize essays and other written assignments. 29 percent of students surveyed admitted to cheating, including plagiarizing, on English assignments. This was especially apparent

Some teachers have caught some of their students cheating.

last year, as there was a major issue of plagiarism in the IB SL I English classes that caused the department to rethink the load of the assignment.

“We had six cases of plagiarism on the Jane Eyre journal assignments last year,” English teacher Stephanie Long said. “We as English teachers have always been on guard about plagiarism, but after having that many [cheating] cases on one assignment through sites like Spark Notes, we made students this year do only four, more in-depth journals compared to making students do ten journals last year.”

Administration’s policy towards punishment for cheating usually falls with the teacher as the first case of cheating arises. If the problem persists, typically detentions will be given on Saturday mornings and if the cheating still continues, then more severe

punishments, such as suspension, can be given.

“It is such a difficult situation because I feel like [cheating] happens mostly with kids in bad situations that they can’t find their way out of,” Long said. “I feel like it’s much better to ask a teacher for an extension on an assignment than risk cheating and getting a zero. Most teachers are able to be flexible if the student explains their situation to them.”

Long would then go on to explain that she finds that most students who she finds cheating or plagiarizing are typically IB students, as they tend to be more conscientious and want a better grade on an assignment.

“This is why we start the year out talking about the risks of cheating and plagiarizing,” Long said.

“Though it doesn’t happen often, students should not procrastinate.”

Comparatively, 54 percent of those students surveyed admitted that they cheat mostly on math assignments. “[The data] is disappointing, mostly because if students cheat on homework, they’re going to struggle on the tests,” math department chair Karen Olarinde said. “It’d make more sense to at least try on the homework so they’re not setting themselves up to fail on the exam.”

Some teachers have strived to make cheating on math assignments, such as quizzes and tests, harder by giving different versions to students near each other. Others, however, feel that cheating isn’t worth the extra precaution and that it isn’t that major of an issue at AHS. “I think that if I was to take the number of incidents of plagiarism and cheating that I see over the year, that its minimal,” Carayiannis said. “If you don’t experience it, you’re not going to come away with anything. I hope that our school is in line with that and I think that we are.”

Community forum held tomorrow Superintendent to be revealed in May

“Superintendent” continued from page 1

live on the west coast and he would like to spend more time with them.”

AHS is among several other schools where forums are set to be held, including South County HS, Langley HS and Robinson Secondary School.

Although there will be community forums open to the public, details concerning candidates for the search will be kept within the search committee.

At the Nov. 19 School Board work session, the issue of confidentiality was discussed. A benefit of confidentiality was the fact that candidates would be more likely to apply. A detriment of the issue was the fact that the community would have less of a say in the decision.

“I supported allowing the public to see who the finalists are, so we could benefit from the views of parents, teachers, students and others on the specific candidates,”Evans said. “A

Public community members can vote for the new superintendent to replace Jack D. Dale.

majority of the Board did not support this approach, however. While I had hoped for the more open approach, I look forward to getting important feedback from the groups who are able to meet and assess our finalists.”

The search firm has created a survey

for the public to take part in and describe what type of individual they want as a superintendent. This survey is available on the FCPS website.

In addition to the community forums, HYA will also hold smaller meetings with various groups. The search firm will use

this information to develop a leadership profile to describe the characteristics wanted in a superintendent. HYA will use this profile to recruit qualified candidates to bring to the School Board for consideration. The School Board will review this profile at the Dec. 20 meeting, and it will be finalized in January after receiving more feedback.

The school board will then narrow the list of candidates to finalists and interview them in an extensive process after reviewing their qualifications and backgrounds. The Board expects to make a decision in April and announce the new superintendent in May. Evans notes that she looks for a leader that will take the district to the next level of accomplishment while focusing on each child’s needs and individual achievement.

“We will look for someone who can work well with all stakeholders and who is forward-thinking,” Evans said. “As we develop the Leadership Profile, more specifics will come into focus, and that’s why I urge everyone, including students, to participate as fully as possible in its creation.”

“It’s Academic!” continued from page 1

the high school curriculum,” It’s Academic! co- sponsor Meghan Saladino said.

Team members use these practices to train, much like any AHS sport team.

“Getting to compete and relax with friends is a great way to end the week,” Mai said. “The scrimmages and competitions are always exciting because they give you a chance to showcase all of the content you’ve learned.”

“We have to practice and [the members] do have to train,” It’s Academic! co-sponsor Kathlyn Berry said. “They have to learn the rules and know how to respond to questions and we do kind of have some strategies that we try to have the students focus on.”

To help with training, two AHS team members created protobowl.com, a website “which is meant for It’s Academic!type practicing,” senior Kevin Kwok, one of the website creators, said. Protobowl is “being used nationwide...there are over a thousand returning users every day.”

Even so, practice and independent study is not common outside weekly practices. Most information is learned in the classroom or through questions at practices and scrimmages.

“Theater Without Borders” continued from page 1

been involved in the program for the majority of their high school [tenure], and took on big roles such as student director or stage director.

2012 marks the second year that senior student director Alba Campos has been a part of TWB. Campos first joined the troupe as a servant in Romeo and Juliet

by Shakespeare. Initially, she refused to speak, but [received] help from Chekin.

“When I first started, I didn’t know what I was

By Dana Filipczyk News Editor Creative Writing II students have spent the entire month of November writing 50,000 word novels on any topic of their choice. The students are participating in an annual writing challenge through a program called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), where they must create a new novel starting on Nov. 1 and ending on Nov. 30.

“My students actually came to me and asked me if they could participate in NaNoWriMo and I just couldn’t say no,” English teacher Kathleen Mathis said. “I am proud of all of them and I love watching how excited they are with this project. They really are growing as writers.”

Creative Writing 2 students spent October developing ideas and planning out their novels.

“It actually wasn’t hard for me to come up with an idea,” senior Becky Burke said. “I completed my novel a few days before November ended, because I wrote about 2,000 words every day. I was able to get it done at a decent time.”

“It took me a long time to come up with a topic for my novel,” junior Katie Thomas said. “I figured out an idea though and now my novel is about a girl who has been basically living a lie. She found that her parent aren’t actually her parents, and now she is going on a journey with her best friend to find her mom.”

With the novels complete, the month of December will be used for editing.

“Writing a novel has been a stressful process, but I had fun and it was worth all of the hard work,” Thomas said.

Registration for personal electronic devices will be done today Dec. 5, in the cafeteria from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students must complete the two forms found on the AHS website. It is important for students to register their devices that way they can use them freely throughout the school day.

Business Honor Society

Although the team lost its top three competitors this year, It’s Academic remains strong with their alternates taking leadership roles on the team.

as much name recognition as other non contact teams such as a debate team.”

“We’re usually seen as a club instead of a team,” Trieu said.

VHSL teams can earn points for their schools to win an award called the Wachovia Cup. Schools can earn points by winning first through eighth place in competitions. Some might assume that his competition is limited to athletic competitions, but points are awarded for VHSL scholastic bowl (the It’s Academic! competition), creative writing, debate, theater and forensics team victories as well.

With their current first place standing, It’s Academic! could potentially earn 50 points towards (AHS’ standing in) the Wachovia Cup competition, as well as respect from their student body.

“I am excited to see our students performing well. We are proud of their efforts in representing our school and community,” Director of Student Activities Karl Kerns said.

It’s Academic! contributes to AHS and its standing in the Wachovia Cup competition as much as any athletic contributor, but has yet to receive much recognition from the AHS student body.

ESOL has first play of the new school year Students from 30 different countries participate

Creative Writing II students write novels

Personal Electronic Devices

COURTESY OF OLIVIA BUCKLEY

Club has a winning streak 8-0

Senior Daniel Jessen is one of the few students finishing a novel..

News Briefs

It’s Academic team remains undefeated “You can’t really learn to do It’s Academic!; you just have to experience it,” junior Amelie Trieu said.

After schools compete at a local level, they have the opportunity participate in the television quiz show hosted in Washington D.C. Competitors from schools in the Washington, D.C. region, the Baltimore metropolitan region, and the central Virginia region are not only battling other teams for their shot to contend on television, but also other team members. School teams may have as many student members as they want, with up to four members participating in a competition.

However, when competing on television, teams are allowed only three coveted spots. Competition for these positions is ambitious, but “it’s all friendly competition,” Trieu said.

Despite their effort and hard work, AHS contenders rarely receive support or even recognition from other Atoms, especially in comparison to the enthusiasm shown for sports teams.

It’s Academic! competes under Virginia High School League (VHSL), the same organization that FCPS sport teams compete under. It’s Academic!, as well as yearbook, chorus, and theater, fall under the VHSL Activities, while sports belong to the VHSL Athletics.

“People often think of a [traditional] sports team when they hear VHSL,” Mai said. “Also, [It’s Academic!] does not have

5 COURTESY OF DANIEL JESSEN

News

A Blast

the

Dec. 5, 2012

doing here,” Campos said. “I didn’t know English.

The play was Romeo and Juliet, I was a servant and I didn’t want to say anything. [Chekin] pulled me into that. It was really awesome.”

Now, as a student director, both sponsor Nick Liacopolous and Chekin facilitate the process for Campos.

“Sometimes I don’t know how to tell [the actors] how to express themselves, or put enough emotion in their voices,” Campos said. “They help a lot with that.”

Blood Wedding, although originally written in Spanish, was translated into English for the production.

“For ESOL students, this isn’t their first language,” senior stage director Amina Khanum said. “They have

to struggle with English and their accent; they have to memorize one to two pages of English and it’s hard.”

But both sponsors agreed that the actors understood the play, despite it being written completely in translated poetry.

“This was the first time we did not have to seriously adapt the language, although a lot of it is poetry [in] modern English. With Shakespeare, it was in public domain, so we could do whatever we wanted with it. But this one, we couldn’t, but we didn’t have to,” Liacopolus said.

“They’re a really good group,” Chekin added. “And I have to say, I just love seeing them work together.

And I’m just so proud of them when they always figure it out.”

Inductions for Business Honor Society will be held today Dec. 5, after school in Clausen Hall.

Students are reminded to dress appropriately for the event.

Group IV Presentations

Group IV presentations will be held after school on Dec. 13 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Clausen Hall. All group members should be present and should have a tri-fold board for the presentation.

Collaboration Day The next Collaboration Day and Freshman Transition Program will be on Dec. 19. For all students who rely on bus transportation, buses will be operating on normal schedule.

Freshman must be at school on time and be at the posted location assigned by counselors. All sophomores, juniors and seniors go to the main gym.

Students should arrive to school no later than 8 a.m. Classes will begin at 8:27 a.m.

Korean Bible Study Korean Bible Study is held every other Friday at 2:15 in room 205.

Every meeting students discuss a chapter from the Bible in English.

Texts are provided in English and Korean.

Extended Essay Session An Extended Essay Help Session will be held on Dec. 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the library for any students that need assistance. Any student with questions should contact IB coordinator Shirley Campbell.

6

People

How do you stay in shape?

“I play soccer and run track, so I exercise everyday.”

Dec. 5, 2012

Drop the beat and the weight Senior loses 90 lbs. through dance fitness programs

By Kate Grandchamp People Editor

—Anarae Howe-Flint freshman

“I go to the gym four times a week; I run and lift weights for two hours, followed by two hours of tennis.”

—Tony Nguyen sophomore “Track: It keeps me motivated because I’m running with my team.”

—Mateo Leon junior “I run track long distance and play soccer, so that keeps me in shape.”

— Patcy Claustro senior –Compiled by Sarah Metzel

Celebrity Birthdays

Please keep in mind that Vanessa is not a trained health professional and what worked for her might not yield the same results for all.

Not many 18-year-olds can say they’ve lost 90 lbs on their own. Senior Vanessa Dupont is one of the few who can.

She has come a long way from 240 lbs, her heaviest. Since seventh grade, Dupont has worked her way down to 150, her current weight.

A c c o r d i n g t o h e a l t h d i s c o v e r y. n e t , a WeightWatchers support network, the ideal body weight for a large-framed female of her stature-- 5’6’’-is around 140-159 lbs, meaning that her Body Mass Index (BMI)* is normal.

The journey Dupont looks up to Neil Burns, an infamous weight loss icon who dropped 400 lb.

“This guy couldn’t even walk at first,” Dupont said. “And he’s old, which means his metabolism is slower. It just shows how nothing’s impossible.”

Not all of her inspiration to lose weight was positive, however.

“In middle school a girl used to pick on me for being big,” Dupont said. “I used to get jealous of her hot bod.”

“I didn’t plan it. I was always more concerned with being happy, even though I was always that kid who was overweight,” Dupont said.

She began by watching music videos at home in her middle school years, sweating in private and slowly shedding the pounds.

“I started feeling happier, feeling good, and I forgot about food,” Dupont said.

Dupont regards good motivation as the key to weight loss.

“For me, it was hard to do it for myself because so many people would put me down all the time. But that anger inside me helped me to want to become a better dancer,” Dupont said. “ I know it’s bad to do it for someone else, but it worked for me. Guys started hitting on me the thinner I got, and I wanted to look good.”

This past summer her desire to lose weight was so strong that she lost ten pounds in two weeks by eating only 500 calories a day and doing three hours

December 5 Frankie Muniz 6 Lindsay Price 7 Eli Wallach 8 Nicki Minaj 9 Beau Bridges 10 Raven Symone 11 Rider Strong 12 Jennifer Connelly 13 Taylor Swift 14 Vanessa Hudgens 15 Michael Shanks 16 Flo Rida 17 Eugene Levy 18 Brad Pitt 19 Criss Angel 20 Jonah Hill 21 Ray Romano 22 Jordin Sparks 23 Holly Madison 24 Ryan Seacrest 25 Jimmy Buffett 26 John Walsh 27 John Amos 28 Denzel Washington 29 Mary Tyler Moore 30 LeBron James 31 Val Kilmer

44 30 32 53 44 58 49 66 31 68 42 62 36 45 34 39 49 20 21 47 32

“Dancing works everything-- thighs, abs, arms-- everything,” Dupont said.

What college did you attend/ what did you major in?

Radford University then transferred to University of Mary Washington to study remote sensing, cartography and air photo interpretation.

What was the best part of college?

Getting together for weekend soccer games with friends and going on road-trips to other schools. Also engaging in indepth academic conversations with your professors after class.

What activities were you involved in at AHS? Symphonic and Marching Bands, several civic and foreign language clubs and intramural soccer.

Who Am I?

• This will be my sixth year teaching at AHS.

• I attended Bridgewater State University.

• I majored in Communication Studies.

• In my spare time I attend sporting events.

• I have traveled to Germany, Italy, New Orleans, San Francisco, San Diego and Chicago.

• My birthday is May 9.

• The sports I have participated in include football, baseball, track, basketball, tennis, golf and volleyball.

• My favorite thing to watch on TV is NFL Primetime.

smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to see a student spotlight of senior Bryan Jefferson.

Her advice Dupont discourages others from trying crash diets like those involving Cayenne pepper and despises negative thinking.

“If you think ‘fatty fatty fatty,’ you’re just going to get depressed and stop trying,” Dupont said.

Nor is she embarrassed to share her story, saying that everyone has something they don’t like about themselves, even celebrities that are portrayed as ‘perfect’ by the media.

“Celebrities have just as much pressure on them to be thin as we do. The paparazzi [is ruthless],” Dupont said.

Her ambitious agenda and determination are unwavering.

“If I want to be a dance instructor, I’ve got to be fit,” Dupont said.

Zumba is known as a “happy accident” because its inventor, Colombian fitness instructor Alberto Perez, forgot his traditional aerobics tapes one class and had to improvise with the merengue and salsa music with which he grew up, creating the revolutionary fitness concept of “letting the music move you.” (http://www.zumba.com)

Plans for the future “Soon I’ll be certified to teach zumba,” Dupont said.

According to the official website, Zumba Fitness® is the world’s largest and most successful dance-fitness program, and blends international music with routines to create a “dance party”. The goal of one-of-a-kind Zumba Fitness® is to “spread the philosophy of health and happiness and of loving everything you do, especially your workout.”

Dupont wants to open up her own dance fitness business and plans to take an entrepreneurship class at NOVA Community College in the fall before

• I listen to gangsta rap.

Student Spotlight: Bryan Jefferson On your

transferring and moving away in two years in order to study to become a dietician and nutritionist.

“My dad majored in business in Bolivia and studied to be an entrepreneur in Argentina so he’s going to help me,” Dupont said. “He has an open mind.

Right now we’re just looking for a place.”

*On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to see interesting facts about fitness.

Alumni Postcard: Timothy Gill, ’82

27 36 97 28 71 27 33 42 23 24 42 33 66 49 45 29 55 23 33 38 66 67 73 58 76 28 53

January 1 Verne Mini-Me Troyer 2 Kate Bosworth 3 Eli Manning 4 Michael Stripe 5 Marilyn Manson 6 Rowan Atkinson 7 Nicolas Cage 8 David Bowie 9 Kate Middleton 10 Rod Stewart 11 Mary J. Blige 12 Kirstie Alley 13 Orlando Bloom 14 LL CoolJ 15 Drew Brees 16 Kate Moss 17 Michelle Obama 18 Morgan York 19 Shawn Johnson 20 Rainn Wilson 21 Izabella Miko

of cardio every day.

“I used to wear a plastic bag over my body to make me sweat more,” Dupont said. “It’s not all waterweight [that you lose], some of it’s fat. I don’t recommend this method, but if you do decide to do it, make sure you drink a lot of water.”

Dupont is careful to eat the right foods, however, as she believes that not consuming enough nutrients depletes her energy for the exercise she needs.

“I drink a lot of green tea and water before I eat anything in the morning,” Dupont said.“It doesn’t let the fat come through and keeps my metabolism going.

Plus it gets you fuller so you eat less.”

“My dad was like, ‘wow!’ But my mom kept reminding me that I have a curvy body shape, and only gave the occasional compliment.”

Dupont acknowledges her mother’s realistic attitude, and proudly describes herself as a voluptuous Latina.

“I felt weak, but in a different way than I was used to. I felt happy,” Dupont said.

Dupont is enrolled at West Potomac’s Dance Academy as a Level Three, or advanced, student and is an alternate on the AHS Atomic Dance Team. She is also an active member of her community Caporales-- a traditional Bolivian dance-- troupe.

• An interesting fact about me is that I stopped drinking soda as a freshman in high school.

• My favorite part of working in a school is all the fun times that happen in interacting with students and teachers. Also, nothing better than winning a JV Super Bowl.

–Compiled by Carli Loeb To find out who this teacher is, visit www.thea-blast.org/category/student-life/

What are your favorite memories from AHS? Winning the VA Beach Music Festival in ‘80 and AHS being named National HS Football Champions in ‘78.

What was you favorite subject and who was your favorite teacher at AHS? Geography with Mr. Dorminey and Architectural Design/Engineering with Mr. Bynum.

What helped you the most at AHS to prepare you for college?

The innovative teaching methods that made me engage in teachers’ respective disciplines.

Teachers did not teach from the book but became the textbook via their vast backgrounds prior to teaching.

What do you do now?

I am now a Senior Intelligence Officer at the FBI and am involved in identifying and disrupting global proliferation and terrorism threats involving WMDs.

Health

Dec. 5, 2012

Eat this instead of that Try these healthier alternatives when preparing your favorite holiday meal this season

is Eat th

Beef tenderloin

With one-fourth of the calories compared to prime rib and roughly 7 grams of fat, this is considered a healthier alternative if steak meat is on your holiday menu.

Prime rib

Coming from one of the fattiest parts of the cow, this holiday meat averages in around 750 calories per serving with 45 grams of fat without any added sauce or seasonings.

Spinach and artichoke dip

Mild tomato salsa

Many selections contain no cholesterol and low amounts of sugar. This light appetizer averages 36 calories with not even one gram of fat. The only down side is the chips that accompany this snack.

Shrimp with cocktail sauce No frying or greasy breaded crust, this lean option runs about 60 calories with 9 grams of fat. For an even healthier choice, skip the cocktail sauce and subtract 30 calories and 7 grams of unneeded fat.

10 dark chocolate Hershey’s kisses

Knowing this appetizer contains mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese alone might cause some rethinking. It contains about 285 calories per serving, 17 grams of fat and not to mention the lack of nutrients found in the chips or chunks of bread that are used to dip in it.

Coconut shrimp

Putting the name of a fruit in front of this appetizer does not make it healthy whatsoever. A few fragments of the white fruit mixed with a thick, greasy blanket of breading before being fried to a total of 800 calories will not make this snack easy to burn off.

5 candy canes

Indulge in this sweet treat with only 260 calories, making this a better alternative to other tempting holiday desserts.

Roasted red potatoes Only 100 calories and 5 grams of fat per half a cup will cause your arteries to enjoy this side dish a lot more than all the added fats found in a loaded baked potato.

Not that

These delicious red and white candies are filled with nothing but sugar. This 550 calorie winter treat is sure to cause you a trip to the dentist.

7

Reasons why holiday shopping is harmful to your health Mall migraines

Shopping in malls and centers can be especially crowded this time of year.

With the noise and crowds, it does not take much to trigger a major headache.

A lack of oxygen in malls also can cause one to feel very tired.

Altered sleep patterns

Door buster deals cause stores to open earlier and close later. Make sure to set a time to be home, or even finish online shopping, in order to receive an appropriate amount of sleep.

Shoulder pain

Heavy shopping bags pay a toll on the shoulders when carrying uneven weight for an extended amount of time.

To prevent this, try to occasionally drop shopping bags off at the car during your shopping spree.

Anxiety

Finding a good deal is in high demand around the holiday season. To avoid feeling too stressed while shopping, prioritize your time. Ask for assistance and make sure to keep your blood sugar up by eating a healthy snack.

Unsanitary surfaces

Not all stores recognize the fact that shopping carts contain several forms of severe bacteria. Carrying hand sanitizer is a sure way to know you are dealing with clean surfaces.

Loaded baked potato

Potatoes contain vitamin C and fiber which can be healthy alone, but when adding extra toppings of butter, cheese, bacon and sour cream make it reach 550 calories with 14 grams of fat. When choosing your starches, opt out for extra calories which negate the health benefits.

Apple pie

Pecan pie

Try a low calorie pie with a thin crust and no added scoops of ice cream. The apples provide fiber as long as the sugary filling is kept to a minimum to not contradict the nutrients.

Considered one of the worst pies to eat, even though pecan’s contain some healthy fats, the filling consists of a sweet mixture of corn syrup and high amounts of sugar. One slice can set you back over 600 calories with 65 grams of fat.

—Information aquired from www.meanshealth.com and www.oprah.com/food

Excess sugar in modern diets On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to read how processed sugar is found in foods you would not even think it would be.

8

Arts

Meet the cast “[Pablo’s] Cuban, so he’s supposed to be a really manly man and he’s a poker player.

—­Wilsone Tosta junior

Students tackle daring play Rehearsals begin for VHSL’s District OneAct Festival

By Abby Barnes and Melanie Bennett Arts Editor and Staff Writer

“I play Blanche, a Southern Belle striving to hold on to the traditional world in a changing society.

Blanche finally goes insane, due to her troubled past and the abuses of her sister’s husband, Stanley Kowalski.”

—Maddy Reinert senior “Instead of being the homely housewife, Stella Kowalski represents the new type of woman, which is strong and independent, even though she has a dominating, abusive husband.” ­—Gwen Levey senior

Dec. 5, 2012

The theater department has begun preparing for the annual Virginia High School League theater competition that will take place on Feb. 2. In the past years, AHS has made it to the Regional and even State competition levels.

The competition will feature three scenes from the 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams.

They include a passionate kissing scene, a violent fight scene and an implied rape scene.

After speculation over whether the play selections were too controversial to perform, department head George B ennet t and t he

students agreed to proceed with the auditions. The three scenes were selected by theater students and were initially opposed by administrators.

Bennett decided to continue to prepare for the competition because the audiences’ standards are different.

“At VHSL, the only people coming to see it would be interested actors, parents,and theater people who understand that kind of play,” Bennett said. “So it’s different than just producing it for the general public.”

The play, set in 1940’s New Orleans, is about an aging southern debutante trying to start a new life, job and reputation after the loss of her ancestral mansion in the town of Laurel, Mississippi.

“I am very excited because [the play is] very difficult [and] risque,” senior Maddy Reinert said. Reinert will play Blanche DuBois.

Blanche’s brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski, played by senior Alex Lash, is a cruel and abusive character who is set on ruining Blanche’s reputation in New Orleans.

“I feel I relate to my character in some ways because my character says what he wants and doesn’t care,” said Lash.

This year Bennett is making a few changes to the casting reqiuirements, hoping it will bring in new talent for VHSL. “In previous years I have only allowed students in my theatre classes to participate in VHSL,” Bennett said. “Now I am opening up the chance to participate to the entire school.”

Theater students have high expectations for the competition this year.

“It is going to be a challenge to fully embody our characters,” senior Skye Lindberg said. “But I think if we do that to the fullest potential we could win.”

Bennett thinks the students in the cast have lots of potential and has high hopes for the competition.

“I think we have a very good chance of winning because our actors are very talented,” Bennett said.

Artist in the spotlight: Shaun Weber Senior Shaun Weber applied to New York University’s School of Arts for filmmaking and television

“Stanley Kowalski is abusive, both physically and verbally; but it is hinted that he is capable of more humane, caring emotions.”

Q: What do you want to do in college/as a career when you grow up?

I want to be a Film/Television Major.

“I play Eunice, the landlady that lives upstairs who goes through a lot of the same abuse that Stella does and only wants the best for her friend.”

—­Skye Lindberg senior

Q: When did you know you wanted to go into filmmaking?

Over the summer I volunteered at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as part of the videography team recording the events and creating short pieces on the exhibits. I took Film at Annandale last year Weber is recording with a video camera for his IB film class. and really enjoyed the creative process, but I didn’t decide to ABBY BANRES

—Alex Lash senior

major in film until this summer.

Q: Why do you like film?

I love creating stories and characters. Film is a greatly varied medium that can do anything from simply making the audience laugh, to conveying certain universal truths. I’ve always loved movies and television shows since I was little.

My dad is a producer/director for the Smithsonian so it was from him that I learned technical skills.

I used to write a lot and I would imagine my own life as a movie.

Q: What was the process like in preparing a film for your NYU application?

Making my application film

involved running through a gigantic brainstormed list of film ideas that I had from the past year. I then wrote four or five drafts of the script, drew a storyboard and wrote in a final shot-script. Finding actors wasn’t too difficult but securing times when everyone was available took some organization. I finished editing the film on the weekend before the final submission date (NYU pushed back their deadline for the East Coast because of the hurricane).

Q: How do you feel after submitting your application?

Waiting for the admissions decision letter is the strangest mix of exhilaration and horror.

DIY Christmas mason jar snow globe

— Compiled by Carina Chu and Abby Barnes

Create and customize a snow globe for yourself or someone special for the holidays

Drug awareness The AHS theater department will be performing their annual Drug Awareness Play in the auditorium on Dec. 17 and 18. The PE classes, health classes, and Driver ’s Ed classes are invited to attend.

The play, directed by theater teacher George Bennet, will feature different first person accounts of youth affected by drugs and/or the drug trade. The play aids in the teaching of health classes, who focus on drug education among other things.

Materials:

1.

4.

5.

- Mason jar - Distilled water - Ornaments - Super glue - Glitter or fake snow - Optional: glycerin (not pictured)

Take the lid off of your jar. Begin gluing your ornaments to the lid of the jar.

2.

Make sure your ornaments stand up straight. Set aside to let the glue dry.

3.

6.

Twist the other lid. Be sure to twist tightly so water does not leak through.

7.

Pour the distilled water into your jar. Do not fill all the way. If desired, add a splash of glyercin. It will make the glitter and fake snow fall slower.

HTTP://SPOONFUL.COM/

DIY Christmas ornament

On your smartphone, scan the code above using the application “QR Code” to learn how to make a simple ornament.

Sprinkle your glitter and fake snow into the jar.

Check if the ornaments are glued securely to the lid. If not, add more glue. If it is, put on the lid.

Turn the jar upside down, shake it up, and enjoy your DIY snow globe. Keep it for yourself or give it to someone special.

­— Photos by Carina Chu

Academics

Dec. 5 2012

Punishment while learning Are we really better off without hitting in our schools?

The paddle, a ruler or just a hand are all forms used to punish students.

Corporal punishment is defined as a physical punishment, such as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.

It is still legal in most southern states, but illegal in most northeastern states. It is widely used in other countries such as South Korea and in Europe. South Korea even had some videos leaked of teachers beating their students, which has earned backlash.

In many countries it has already been outlawed, but is still in use.

Sophomore Diva Chowdhary witnessed a less severe case of corporal punishment when she lived overseas.

“I once saw a substitute teacher at my school in Dubai lightly slap a kid on his back because he argued with her. This was one of the rare times I saw this happen,” Chowdhary said.

Even though she lived with this for a while, she strongly disagrees with it.

“I most definitely don’t agree with corporal punishment because if a student makes a mistake like forgetting their homework, it will be a punishment in itself because it will reflect in their grade,” Chowdhary said.

It doesn’t happen in AHS, but it did years ago and it continues in other countries, even in the U.S. Parents have started changing

BERTA TARQUI

By Berta Tarqui Academics Editor

Even though students in AHS don’t experience any physical punishment, many states and countires allow this kind of punishment, but do they produce more successful students?

their ideals and believe children shouldn’t get hit like they used to.

According to the Center for Effective Discipline, physical punishment causes low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. But that is only if the punishment is severe. The question is, does corporal punishment really help the student academically?

The United States isn’t even in

the top ten in education, but is it because we don’t use a physical form of punishment every now and then?

“I think that students do [exceed academically] because corporal punishment gives them good incentives to do well, and eventually they start doing well without the need for corporal punishment,” sophomore Alan Vargas said.

South Korea uses corporal punishment and, academically, they tend to succeed more. A way to accomplish as much as South Korea is to model their school system after them. However, the U.S. could probably never model their school system, because corporal punishment is not tolerated in many states.

Respect for teachers and principals in school is slowly declining. The use of corporal punishment falls with it. The two seem to go hand and hand.

What makes corporal punishment make children and teens learn better? The fear the teachers instill in students makes a big impact. The students know that if they act out, or don’t do well in class, they will get punished by either their parents or instructors. “[Corporal punishment is] not [the way to academic success] because it just makes the kid want to rebel more. It makes them feel bad about themselves and not about doing the right thing,” freshman Maddie Coelho said.

Kids here in the U.S. aren’t usually scared of their teachers.

Students look at them as friends than an authoritative figure.

Nowadays, kids don’t get paddled or spanked. Physical forms of punishment have started to decrease over the years.

The students in countries that openly use corporal punishment are pressured more to succeed.

They have something to fear if they don’t do well, whereas here at AHS, students don’t tend to worry as much. If corporal punishment used openly, would the U.S. be at a different academic level?

Do you think corporal punishment helps students achieve academically?

“No, because it makes kids hate school, and it’s unfair to punish kids for trying to learn.”

“No, because it turns [students] into rebels and influences them to do bad things.”

—Maria Salvatierra junior

—Julia Nguyen freshman

“I am for corporal punishment in schools because it teaches discipline and helps students focus on their work.”

—Michael Bolton senior

“Corporal punishment might cause a student to learn more, but the negative effects would at outweigh the positive ones.”

—David Tyndall Physics teacher —Compiled by Sarah Metzel

Students shine in the Latin convention Twelve students placed in competitions in the convention

By Berta Tarqui Academics Editor The Latin Convention took place around two weeks ago in Richmond, Virginia, from Nov. 1819. Over 4,000 students went to the convention to compete in Roman activities such as sword fighting and dressing in togas. This was AHS’s first year participating in the Latin Convention and they have made their mark. Listed are students from AHS who won some of the competitions that took place.

1. Senior Shannon Casey took seventh place with the acrylic paint “Apollo.”

7. Sophomore Todd Le recieved an honorable mention with the myth “Hyacinth.”

2. Senior Madeline De Mello took eighth place in the acrylic paint “Daphne.”

8. Senior Jackie Lewis took first place in scansion.

3. Senior Ayat Elhag took eighth place in the catergory of jewerly.

9. Senior Ahmed Mohammed took sixth place in “Tarpeia.”

4. Freshman Casey Goettlicher recieved an honorable mention for her jewel box.

10. Senior Kelsey Pendergast took second place in the catergory of roman necklaces.

5. Sophomore Andrew Henrickson took fourth place in oral story telling.

11. Sophomore Megan Pendergast took seventh place in declensions.

6. Senior Gabe Kuhl took fourth place with “Janus.”

12. Senior Zeinah Safi received an honorable mention in the category jewerly.

9

Ten states that prohibit corporal punishment 1. Alaska 2. California 3. Hawaii 4. Maryland 5. Michigan 6. New Jersey 7. New York 8. Pennsylvania 9. Virginia 10. West Virginia

Ten states that allow corporal punishment 1. Alabama 2. Arizona 3. Arkansas 4. Colorodo 5. Florida 6. Georgia 7. Idaho 8. New Mexico 9. Oklahoma 10. Texas These facts are from:

The Discipline of Schools (NCACPS)

Vocabulary Words ABOMINATE verb To hate violently CANDOR noun The quality of frankness or outspokenness DISPOSSESS verb To deprive of actual occupancy, especially of real estate HERBARIUM noun A collection of dried plants scientifically arranged for study LIGNEOUS adjective Having the texture of appearance of wood PERIODICITY noun The habit or characteristic of recurrence at regular intervals

Facts about corporal punishment

On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to view more facts about corporal punishment

The war by the numbers Palestinians killed Israelis killed Children Killed Foreigners killed

COMPILED FROM WWW.UNISPAL.UN.ORG

Do you believe that the U.S. should be involved in the Isreal Palestine conflict?

“No, because we don’t want to get involved with any more conflicts.”

— Anya Montes De Oca freshman

Conflict in Middle East With the recent spark of violence in Gaza, Palestinian students are affected

BY SHAMAIM SYED International Editor As the violence in Gaza heats up the tension between Israel and Palestine, students feel exasperation because of the dispute.

Even though the war between the Middle East and Israel has taken place for many years, several minor wars have also been rising.

Due to the recent airstrike in Gaza, the war has taken another turn as it reaches the point where people just want it to end.

Though the war between Palestine and Israel continues to go on seven seas away, it has been affecting many students at AHS. One student that has been impacted by this conflict is junior Suhad Sayyad,“Since I am from Palestine and still have some family back there, I am very well involved with the news updates and what’s going to happen,”Sayyad said. “My family also keeps updated about the war because even though my family doesn’t live in the city of Gaza, they live in Jerusalem, which is one of the center of conflict.”

The Israeli airstrike happened in mid-November, killing more than 100 people and leaving thousands wounded or helpless. The damage of the airstrikes included homes and the community as a whole. Many people, including women and children, were immediately

BY SUMMER AYOUB Journalism I student

—Mason Farman freshman

“Yes, because Israel is our friend and the conflict might escalate and become global.”

— Kyle Morris sophomore

rushed to nearby hospitals.

“The conflict hasn’t affected anyone blood-related to me, but it has effected my far relatives. One of them passed away and many others have been injured,” Sayyad said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the United Nations have been trying to resolve this conflict between the two countries, but a peaceful resolution is nowhere

in sight.

“I just want the war to end because innocent people are dying, not only from Palestine, but from Israel too and it’s not fair to them because they haven’t done anything wrong. I also want the wall that is separating Palestine demolished because Palestine deserves to be its own country,” Sayyad said.

Palestine affects student’s self Summer Ayoub shares her viewpoint on the war as a Palestinian

“No, because it would cost too much money.

And they are already settling on a cease fire and it’s pretty much ending and we shouldn’t get involved.

It would be pointless.”

The current conflict raging between Israel and Palestine has lead to widespread debate and tension, dividing the Middle East as well as their American couterparts, including those in the AHS community.

Nearly everything you’ve been led to believe about Gaza is wrong. Here are few point that will clarify the situation.

The last time I was in Palestine was 3 years ago, the people were so nice, but the towns weren’t as nice as they were before the war in December of 2008.

The war of 2008 with Palestine and Israel wasn’t only affecting the people in Palestine but their families that lived in other countries around the world.

The Palestinian people are loving and caring people. Even if you weren’t related to them try would invite you into their house, as if they’ve known you forever.

As I was standing in the streets of Palestine, I saw little girls and boys playing outside. The men of the families all gathered together having a good time.

While their wives were inside making sweets and food for their families. The

Palestinians are different than any other citizens in the world. We (the Palestinians) are people with rights, and have no problem being in peace.

The population of Gaza exceeds 1.5 million people, jammed in roughly 140 square miles, which is approximately 1/3 the size of Fairfax County.

Most of these Gazans come from towns and villages inside of Israel. Like Ashkelon and Beersheba driven by the Israeli army in 1948.

In 1967, Israel occupied Gaza. They departed in the year of 2005. Israel still controls all entrances from the sea and from land.

During that war, Israel is unlawfully using white phosphorus bombs on Palestinians as stated in the Human Rights Watch.

On November 13th 2012, Israeli F16 Fighter Jets bombed one of Gaza’s military leaders. That’s how the war all started.

Israeli forces attacked the Gazans for 8 continuous days with nonstop bombing from air, sea and land, killing over 160 Palestinians; more than half of them were children. This attack injured more than 500. Thousands of homes were destroyed with the excuse that there were terrorists in there.

Freshmen Summer Ayoub

On the other hand, the Palestinian people had to defend themselves. As it has been since 1948, by launching locally made rockets toward Israeli military bases and cities.

I am an American-Palestinian, the daughter of a Palestinian refugee born in Lebanon, and have a grandfather who was kicked out of historical Palestine in 1948. I strongly believe that the Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against the continuous aggression of the Israeli forces.

What does the world expect from us, getting bombed, getting killed whenever the Israeli’s feel like it.

Before 1948, there was no such thing called Israel. The Israeli’s came from

all over the world, and we are called the terrorists because we defend ourselves.

YES! You’re asking we want to live in peace and we love peace. But how can you live in peace when Israel and its forces keep killing us.

As an Israeli journalist, Amira Hass, wrote that Gaza is not a military power that attacked its tiny, peace-loving neighbor, Israel. Gaza is a territory that Israel occupied in 1967, along with the West Bank. Its residence is part of the Palestinian people, which lost its land and its homeland in 1948.

As Israeli ex-prime minister Golda Meir said, “How can I sleep knowing there is a pregnant Palestinian woman ready to give birth to a baby.”

Finally, as ex-Israeli defense minister, Moshe Dayan, said. “Before (the Palestinians) very eyes, we are possessing the land and the villages where they, and their ancestors, have lived… We are the generation of colonizers, and without the steal helmet and the gun barrel we cannot plant a tree and build a home.”

Yes my friends, we (the Palestinians) want peace. DO THEY?

Reaching peace in the Middle East

“No, because it’s pointless, it will just drag us into another war. It’s just trouble.”

Senior Noah Fitzgerel shares his views on the middle east conflict

— Ayobami Fakulujo sophomore

BY NOAH FITZGEREL In-Depth Editor

“No, because I don’t want a WWIII to happen and why should the U.S. get involved if it isn’t our fight to fight.”

— Osman Abdullhi junior

“No, because the U.S. has greater things to worry about before we put our military at risk.”

Israel and Palestine--even the nomenclature of the parties involved in the conflict that has ailed the Middle East is controversial. Some people still cannot even agree on what to call the stretch of land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River!

Nonetheless, the greatest problem that had beleaguered any sort of progress in the region is that of mutual suspicion, misfortune and misinformation.

Regarding suspicion, both Israelis and Palestinians are quick to vilify each other, often without meeting each other. The elements justifying this sort of demonizing is passed down within families as an heirloom, just as fine silver or jewelry.

Misfortune, as well, has complicated

claims and ties to the land that encompasses Israel. Both the progenitors of the Israeli and Palestinian people have faced countless woes and wrongs.

If one were to look solely at Biblical verse and ancient history preceding the Babylonian-induced Great Diaspora in the sixth century BCE, the lands that entail modern-day Israel would belong exclusively to the Jewish people. If one were to look at more recent history, one might conclude that the lands surrounding Israel belong to the Palestinian people.

However, it is not realistic to be a biblical literalist if peace it truly desired. This is where misinformation worsens the already inflamed elements of our conversation regarding Israel and Palestine listed above. Frankly, I often hear those who choose to discuss Israel and Palestine spewing incorrect facts and observations that were obviously gleaned from biased, or even intentionally poor sources. This problem is not limited to Americans; Israelis and Palestinians are subjected to misinformation quite frequently.

Perceptions are often misinformed as well. It is often hard for me to converse

Senior Noah Fitzgerel

with people about this issue due its sheer amount of nuances. Many people fail to recognize biases they hold about the issue that might impede their ability to fairly address Israel.

Of course, the same is often assumed about me. My faith might serve, in the eyes of some, as an intrinsic bias. However, I do not doubt for a moment that my religious upbringing has helped offer me an insight into many details that pervade the Israeli-Palestinian issue. As a Jew, many of my friends have assumed that

besides supporting a Jewish state that I also support the Israeli government. While I unconditionally believe that a Jewish state must continue to exist (which does not, by any means, exclude a two-state solution), I often find myself at odds with the policies of the Israeli government. This is an important distinction that is often not recognized.

That is why the only effective way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian solution is through education. Israel and Palestine ought to construct more schools like the Hagar School, which is an institution that educates Palestinian and Israeli children within the same classrooms.Appropriately, graduates of the Hagar School possess an understanding of the commonalities between their Palestinian and Israeli parents that they once thought were nonexistent.

Then, and only then, can we begin to discuss a two-state solution. Palestinians and Israelis cannot begin to make progress before they take account of their own inhibiting standards and mutual misunderstanding.

AHS student immigrates from Vietnam

—Connie Tran senior

“No, let them handle it because we have our own problems right now.”

— Alex Williams senior

— Compiled by Megan Ryan

How I compare Vietnam to the United States

BY NGAN DO Special to The A-Blast There are a lot differences between Vietnam and America, but there are a lot similarities too. Some of the major differences include the food, family values, weather, clothing and public transportation. Annandale is a very nice place, but Vietnam will always be my home.

The food is different in Vietnam because the portion sizes are smaller and there is less variety of food in term

of cultural variety. In Vietnam, the food is much healthier, and tastes a lot better too. I really don’t like American food because it’s so greasy and it tastes so bad. For me, American food is an acquired taste.

The family values in Vietnam are a lot different than American values. In America, the children don’t respect their parents or listen to their parents that much.

However, in Vietnam the children always obey their parents, and don’t want to upset them.

The weather in Vietnam is a lot better because it’s nice and hot and there is never any snow. In America, there is a lot of snow and it gets cold all the time. I like how the American summer is as good as the Vietnamese summer.

With regards to clothing, Vietnamese students will always wear white to school. American students are lucky because they can wear whatever they want.

Nevertheless, I still like the white Vietnamese outfit because it look so pretty.

In Vietnam, almost everyone drives a motorbike as the primary vehicle for public transportation. There is no metro or subway at all in Vietnam.

In conclusion Vietnam andAmerica are very different places. Overall, the food is healthier in Vietnam;.

JOE SEHRER

4,228 1,024 971 63

Dec. 5, 2012

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DESTINY GAMMON

12

INTERNATIONAL

Vietnamese family values are more respectful. America is colder; the clothing for school is more colorful than in Vietnam. The major public transportation in Vietnam is motorbike. While America is a nice place, I will always miss my home in Vietnam.

Photo

Dec. 5, 2012

YOGA

Students attend classes at Little River Yoga to improve their mental and physical state through various poses

13

Why do you practice yoga?

“When I do yoga it helps me find my inner peace away sports, like field hockey and track. It helps me stay flexible for sports; and my favorite pose is the Lord of the Dance pose.

—Hanna

Curran

freshman

“I like the social interaction I get when I go to yoga because no one is judgemental and we can just relax and have fun.

It helps relieve stress from school .”

—Alisha Rose sophomore

CHLOE LOVING

“Yoga improves my flexibility especially for dance. It’s a balance between exercise and peace of mind.”

—Amelie

Junior Alexia Sung drops into a Lizard Lunge to open her hip and groin muslces. For athletes, this pose can be challenging as running leads to tight ligaments which cause injuries.

Trieu junior

“Yoga is something that I do just for fun, but it helps me to be relaxed and my favorite pose is the Lizard Lunge.”

—Sureyya

Gokturk

Junior Hannah Coulter throws herself into a pose with the Sanskrit name Dwi Pada Parsa Koudinasana which is meant to strengthen the upper body, challenge the body’s core.

Sophomore Alex Parrado is beginning a forward fold called purvotanasana. The hands in reverse prayer pose stretch the forearms.

“I am not a super fan of sweating or running, but yoga just feels like stretching and its not until later that you feel like you really worked out.

Also, I actually feel like I have more energy at the end than I did at the beginning, unlike other sports.”

PRIYA ADHIKARY

CHLOE LOVING

PRIYA ADHIKARY

junior

Junior Jennifer Nguyen begins to go into a downward fold with her hands at heart center to focus herself mentally.

—Jenny Jessen senior —Compiled

By Bayley Brill

Sung and Nguyen pose in Virabadrasana, known as Warrior III. Their arms are extended in a fashion known as “eagle arms” which challenges the balance and stretches the back. Their drishti or focal point should be found either above their mat or below their eye level for mental stability.

CHLOE LOVING

Parrado begins to move into a form of Badhakanasana which has been re-named the star pose. This pose can be helpful for athletes by gaining flexibility.

PRIYA ADHIKARY

CHLOE LOVING

Yoga Culture

The symbol shown above is known as the “Om.” Om is said to be a healing sound. Other cleansing mantras are chanted after and often before the practie begins.

A very common mantra is “Lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu.” This phrase means that freedom and enlightenment can be found in all living beings and the individual must focus on the positive aspects of life.

Coulter stretches in Badhakanasana to open her inner leg muscles and her hips.

Nguyen positions herself into a Lizard Lunge with an additional twist. This bend stretches her quads and deeply flexes the spine while also inverting her core which aids metabolism.

PRIYA ADHIKARY

PRIYA ADHIKARY

Extra yoga pictures

Coulter and Parrado lay in shavasana or “corpse pose.” This is an important aspect of yoga as it brings the body and mind together in peace and is a form of meditation.

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view exclusive pictures from the yoga class.

Sports X-tra

Dec. 5, 2012

Warming up in winter Sports athlete go to different lengths to keep warm during freezing outdoor practices

By Erin Johnson Staff Writer

Although the majority of winter sports players have the luxury of staying indoors for practices, track runners aren’t as fortunate.

While indoor athletes are still wearing shorts and complaining about how hot it is inside, track runners are piling on the layers to stay warm in the cold winter weather.

“I’ve got the ski mask, the tights, the leggings, then the gloves and the hat and the earmuffs. I’m prepared so no skin is showing,” sophomore Aviad Gebrehiwot said.

The challenge to stay warm in the winter is a difficult task. Whether it’s during, before, or after practice, athletes of every sport risk getting sick from being underdressed. The weather outside

is no help at all, consistently beginning at about 30-40 degrees each morning and warming up to the mid 50s at most.

“As Mom and Dad have always told you, if you get too hot, you can always take articles of clothing off, but if you don’t have enough clothes, you can never find extra clothes to put on if you don’t have them,” head track coach David O’Hara said.

With the temperature dropping as we reach some of the coldest months of the year, it is important that students wear the appropriate clothing during the day and at practice to keep warm.

“I wear uggs, yoga pants, fuzzy socks and sweatshirts,” junior Elizabeth Manthos said.

Students wear yoga pants, jeans, hats, gloves, scarves, North Faces, long socks and long sleeve shirts to stay warm during these winter months.

The most important thing on your body to keep warm is your head.

With the coldest months of the year approaching it is important that students come prepared for whatever the weather will bring. “[I wear] sweatshirts and sweatpants because

they’re warm and it’s cold in the winter,” freshman Aaron Boyd said.

There is also a huge price to pay when it comes to keeping warm. The insulated clothes that athletes wear can be outrageously expensive.

Jackets can range from $40-$100, excluding the prices of North Face jackets, which are usually about $100- $200 depending on how nice the jacket is.

Adding to that, pants range from $30-$70, gloves are about $30, Under Armour gear ranges from $50-$90, and hats range from $20-$30.

Before you know it you’ve spent as much on one outdoor outfit as you do on a whole shopping trip.

With the prices of winter clothes and the temperature of the winter months dropping it’s no wonder students are having a hard time keeping warm.

“70% of your heat loss comes off of your head, so make sure you always have a hat for these winter sports and at the end of practice bring something dry so you’re not standing in damp, wet and sweaty clothes,” O’Hara said.

15

Sports Manager Recognition: Sports managers work behind the scenes all season long, but do they really get the credit they deserve?

Basketball Manager

“I do feel like I get enough recognition; Coach Hughes makes me feel part of the team and always makes sure they announce my name during games.”

—Soriya De

Lopez sophomore

Staying warm doesn’t come cheap; one outfit could cost an athlete over a $100 Total Cost:

$175

Total Cost: Under Armour Cold Gear Gloves

$35

Under Armour Cold Gear Long Sleeved Shirt

$50

$150

“Last year I managed winter track and I do think I got the recognition I deserve; I didn’t do too much but players and coaches did acknowledge me and my help.”

Past Track Manager

—Aisha Kamara Under Armour Sweatshirt

$45

$65 Asics Running Shoes

Adidas Sweatpants

senior

$70$100

Under Armour Thermal Leggings

$50

Girls lacrosse team continues winning streak at fall brawl On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to view a story about the LAX girls dominating at the fall brawl.

8

Health

ABlast

the

May 18, 2011

16

Which winter sport do you think is the most successful?

Sports

Dec. 5, 2012

Swim coaching changes After win over South County, teams feel adjusted to new coaching roster

“Indoor track, because they’re fast. They have great coaches and a lot of talent.”

By Melanie Bennett Staff Writer

—Shawn de Lopez freshman “Basketball because it’s more widely known. It gets more suport from fans.”

—Alan Vargas sophomore

BETSY KRUSE

“I think it will be swim and dive because they are enthusiastic and they have potential.”

—Gabi Candelano junior Freshman Mason Farman gets set to push off in his backstroke race of the team’s meetFriday, Nov. 30 against South County.

“Track; everyone on the team is really good. The coaches push them to get better at every practice.”

On Friday Nov. 30 the AHS swim and dive teams had their first meet against South County.

This meet proved to be a tough one for the Atoms. Despite the challenge, the boys team prevailed, beating South County by a total of seven points, equal to one first place relay race.

The Stallions also had swimmer, Evan Rude, who placed fifth in states for the 200 freestyle swimming against the AHS boys team.

As a new swim and dive season starts, the swim and dive teams must adjust to the arrival a new coach and the departure of an old one.

For the past four years, head coach Neal Jarvis has coached the swim team. As of this season, the new head coach, Matthew Bell, has taken the reins to lead the team to victory.

The new coach and his new coaching style are bringing an array of new attitudes into the swim team.

“I am excited to have a new coach; I think the fresh coaching style will help the team a lot,” senior Meghan Lynn said.

Along with the swim team, the dive team is also getting a new coach. Last year the dive coach of Lake Braddock SS, Charlotte Edwards, doubled up and coached at AHS as well. This year the dive coaching job has been taken over

by coach Tony Paletti.

“I feel pretty confident in his knowledge about diving, so I think this is going to be a good year for us,” junior Allie Vogus said.

The team has been practicing daily for three weeks, not only swimming but running dry-land as well. This is to help the players get into better shape.

“This is definitely not like summer swim. The practices are so much harder. It’s whipping me into shape fast,” freshman Ashley Britton said.

The assistant coaches must also get used to the new head coach as well.

Donna Kruse has been one of the assistant coaches for the swim team for five years. This is her first year working with the new head coach Matthew Bell.

“I am very excited to work with Coach Matt,” Kruse said. “He is a great guy to work with and has a lot of great ideas to help the team improve.”

Despite having to get used to the new coaches both the swim and dive teams feel comfortable with them and have a positive outlook on the season.

The team will continue to work hard and improve on this first meet as well as past successes and failures.

At this point in time they have a good feeling about the upcoming season and they have high hopes.

“I think I speak for the whole team that we are very excited to see what this season holds for us,” senior Andrew Boyd said. “And since its my last year I want it to be a good one.”

—Compiled by Sarah Metzel

High hopes for upcoming season

Basketball vs.

Robinson Nov.27

Atoms fall 2-4 in opening day tournament, still have good feelings about upcoming season

—Michele Preko senior

Senior Diana Hurtado attempts to drive to the basket to score for the Atoms.

Junior Carly Klima blocks a defensive player from the other team.

The AHS wrestling team is coming off of a near perfect 26-6 season from last year. This means that this year they are looking to advance further than the previous season.

“This year we are ultimately preparing for the end of the season,” head coach Keith Sholders said. The Atoms’ goal is to do well this season and continue on the success of last year.

“It takes an entire season to prepare for the end of the year, we’re going to work until then,” assistant coach Dick Adams said.

However, the Atoms have lost some key seniors who wrestled for them last season. With the loss of alumni Dane Harlowe and Ali Musa, the Atoms will need to fill in their positions on the team.

“Our seniors this year are going to play a big role, so far they’ve been performing well,” Sholders said.

The seniors have similar goals this season. “As a team I’d like to earn a district title, but my personal goal is to make it to the state tournament,” senior Jack Johnson said.

At their first tournament, Opening Day at the Park, the Atoms went home with a record of 2-4, not ideal compared to their record from last season.

However, the season has just begun and the team has been practicing for three weeks before the first match with hard work and determination by the wrestlers.

By Tiffany Huynh Staff Writer

—Yesenia Blout and Jonathan Tedla

Girls Basketball vs. Robinson On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view video of the game against Robinson.

Senior Jack Johnson, who wrestles in the 138 weight class takes down his opponent at an Atoms home tournament.

“So far we have been preparing mentally, as well as our technique and endurance,” Sholders said.

“So far I have high expectations.”

The coaches are happy with the teams performance and have high hopes for the end of the season. “”They have progressed faster than I thought, I think the season will go well,” Adams said.

The players are adjusting to the season and

the hard work that has befallen them in the past month. “I’m starting to get back into it, I really want to work to get better and get to districts,” Johnson said.

“We’ve been improving, it should be a good season,” Johnson said.

As the season begins, the players are excited to continue last year’s success and improve on it as well.

Basketball teams look to improve Boys fall 53-67, look to improve throughout season

The teams exit the court after the game.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JACK JOHNSON

By Jarod Golub Sports Editor

In it’s game against Robinson SS on Nov. 27 the AHS boys varsity basketball team lost 53-67.

The team, which consists of five seniors, four juniors, and two sophomores is coached by business teacher Matt Behne and assistant coach Rheman Bhatti.

The team is coming off of a 3-17 season and hope to improve that record this year.

As the winter sports season begins, the boys basketball team is preparing for its upcoming season.

“Our goals for the season are to play each game to the best of our abilities, and strive to improve each and every game/practice,” Behne said. “If we can do that, I have high hopes for this year’s basketball season.

The players have similar goals to the coaches; they also wish to improve after their season last year.

“I’m to becoming better as an individual and team player,” sophomore Ahmed Elnour said.

“I want to work on winning more games as a team.”

This goal may be one of the most important ones, seeing as, so far, the boys have had two scrimmages against Stone Bridge SS and Fairfax HS and one game against Robinson SS, and lost all of them.

Their next games are against Washington & Lee HS, and Westfield HS [The issue published to early to account for the Herndon HS game].

With a tough season ahead of them, the boys practice with determination to make it further than previous seasons.

With hopes of improving as a team and winning more games, the boys basketball team will have to work extra hard this season to improve and work together as a team.

The team will continue to work on improving their speed and stamina during practices to be ready for upcoming games.

With a competitive season ahead of them, the boys will continue to work hard on and off the court as a team to do their best and have an amazing season.

“I’m looking forward to having success on and off the court, as well as growing as a team and individuals,” senior Michael Hennessy said.

Girls basketball plans to continue winning record after 11-8 season last year

By Tiffany Huynh Staff Writer After a close loss to Robinson SS 41-47 on Nov. 27, the girls varsity basketball team prepares for its season, the girls have a lot of goals in mind and a lot of things they are excited about.

The coaches for the team have a positive outlook after the girls went 11-8 last season.

This season they plan on improving on that record and advancing into the district tournament.

“I feel pretty good about the season,” head coach Patrick Hughes said. “If everyone plays hard and comes out with the right attitude we should do very well, it should turn out well for the team.”

To start off their season, the team has already played in two scrimmages against Mclean HS and Chantilly HS. The girls tied one scrimmage and won the other. They have also had

one regular season game against Robinson SS, coming up short by just a couple of points.

The girls have started off the season with a good start, boding well for the rest of the year.

The team has goals of improving and strengthening their skills during this season to prepare for tough games and future years.

“I’m looking forward to learning new things and improving my game this season,” sophomore Beza Yoseph said.

With the players working hard daily, these goals are attainable for the team.

The girls practice daily to help improve their teamwork and individual skill. Long days and exhausting practices will help the team to improve and play well together.

With these goals in mind, the girls are determined to get further this season than in past years.

“I’m looking forward to making it all the way to regionals and hopefully further,” senior Gaby Ripani said.

Looking ahead, the season is looking well for the AHS girls basketball team.

The team hopes to advance further into the district tournament, and create a name for themselves in the Patriot District.

Sports

Dec. 5, 2012

Track starts off quickly Runners participate in first meet of the season and times are highly competitive Although the track team has not participated in a scored meet, the athletes feel optimistic about the upcoming season after the Lake Braddock Polar Bear meet that took place last Saturday. The official times had not been released before the deadline of this issue of The A-Blast. “[The team] did really well.

Annandale dominated the sprints,” senior Austin Chavez said.

Chavez is one of three regional qualifiers returning to the boys team.

Last season, Chavez placed first in the 500 meter race at the regional championship.

“I ran the 300 meter dash and the 4x400 relay [on Saturday], and I did fairly well in both,” Chavez said.

The girls team also had high achievements this past Saturday, specifically in the 55 meter dash, where an AHS runner consistently placed high in each heat.

“I think I did well, I’m coming back from an injury and this [meet] was a good benchmark,” junior Katherine

courtesy of Steven Pham

By Betsy Kruse Sports Editor

Ross said. “My times were around the same as they were from the end of last season.”

Ross had surgery on her foot in September and this meet was her first time back competing.

The boys team is coming off a second place finish in districts and a third place finish in regionals, but is looking to improve upon the achievements from last season. “[The team] will do pretty good this year and will have some people qualify for states,” Chavez said.

“I think we need to improve mainly in the field events,” senior Alex Ellison said.

Ellison is another returning state qualifier, who ran both the 55 meter dash and the 300 meter dash at states last season.

“I think I did well. It’s the beginning of the season, so I definitely have some work to do,” Ellison said. “By the end of the season, I want to break 6.5 seconds in the 55 meter dash, go under 35 seconds in the 300m and hopefully go to nationals.”

All around, the athletes are setting their sights high and are hoping to excel past their personal bests set in previous seasons.

“I hope to be able to make states in the 55m dash,” Ross said.

“We actually look pretty strong this year considering the talent of the freshmen.” senior Connie Tran said.

Sophomore Aviad Gebrehiwot runs his race at the Lake Braddock Polar Bear meet on Dec. 1.

17

Coach’s Corner Wrestling: Keith Sholders

Q: How do you expect the team to perform this year?

A: “We’ll go as far as the boys want to take us.”

Q: What are your goals for the season?

A: “[To be] repeat district champions.”

Q: Are you doing anything different to prepare this year?

A: “No, same old methods of working extremely hard during practice.”

Q: What is going to be the key to success this year?

A: “Teamwork and accountability for each other.”

—Compiled by Betsy Kruse

Swim vs. South County

Athlete recruited to run Senior Alex Ellison will be attending Virginia Tech next year on a full-ride athletic scholarship for track. Ellison has ran for AHS since his freshman year. Last spring alone, Ellison had two district titles, along with a seventh place finish in the 200m dash at Nationals and a second place finish at States.

Junior JC Clark prepares for his flip turn during the 500 meter race.

Q. What are your best events?

A. The 100m and 200m.

Q. How did Virginia Tech contact you?

A. [Virginia Tech] called Coach Miller and he told me and then I started talking to them.

courtesy of Steven Pham

Q. Why did you choose Virginia Tech?

A. They had everything I wanted. A good team and good academics.

Q. Were any other schools interested in you? If so, which ones?

A. Yes, Virginia Military Institute, George Mason University, Radford and University of South Carolina.

Q. What part of college are you most excited for?

A. Going off on my own and seeing what college life is like.

Q. How do your parents feel about you going to Virginia Tech?

A. They were excited. They were really happy for me.

Senior Alex Ellison runs the final leg of the 4x100 relay at the Northern Regional Championship last spring at Robinson SS. The relay finished in first place and allowed AHS to earn enough points to become the outdoor track regional champions

Q. What do you think the hardest part about running in college will be?

A. Adjusting to college, being on my own and not having anyone telling me what to do.

Q. What has helped you to become so successful in track?

A. My teammates, they have pushed me everyday ever since freshman year.

Q. Why do you want to run in college?

A. It’s what I want to do. I want to go to the Olympics my junior year, 2016.

Freshman Mason Farman swims his first individual event for AHS.

­­—Compiled by Betsy Kruse

What’s your outlook on the season?

Girls track

Boys track

Girls swim

Boys swim

Boys basketball

Senior Andrew Boyd asks for his time after completing the 200 meter race.

“I think the girls team is going to do really well. We have a lot of depth and freshmen this year.”

—Katherine Ross junior

Girls dive

“I think we’ll be good this year. We have a lot of fast, returning runners.”

—Austin Chavez senior

Boys dive

“We’re going to win at least two meets, but I think there’s going to be a lot of personal bests also.”

“I think we will fare well. I don’t think we’ll do as well as last year, but we won’t be significantly worse.”

—Jenny Jessen senior

—Harris Fitzgerel senior

Dance

Wrestling

“I think we’re going to do decent. We’ll be better than last year at least.”

—Photos by Betsy Kruse

—Michael Tran junior

Girls basketball

Paige Britton signs to Liberty “We’re all hoping to have a good regional team with multiple people going to states.”

—Allie Vogus junior

“I think we’re going to do very well, with our only loss being to Woodson.

We’ll have three people going to regionals.”

“I think this year will go much better than last year and we’ll be able to place higher. We’re also much more in sync.”

—Clark Girardin senior

—Lois Kim senior

“Right now, we’re not too good, but we’re definitely going to get better because we work so hard. We have a chance at the district championship again.”

—Jacob Velazquez junior

“I think we’re going to do very well. I think we’ll go very far because we all work well as a team.”

—Jazmine Gomez junior

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view a story about a senior playing lacrosse in college.

15

Lifestyles

June. 8, 2011

18

Upcoming Movies

ENTERTAINMENT

A BLAST

the

Dec. 5, 2012

‘Girl On Fire’ debuts

Alicia Keys stuns critics with her fierce vocals and commanding harmonies

BY EMILY BLANK Entertainment Editor

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON: The story of the love affair between FDR and his distant cousin Margaret Stuckley, centered around the weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen of the United Kingdom visited upstate New York.

Friday, Dec. 7

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY: A curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.

Friday, Dec. 14

THE GUILT TRIP: The director of The Proposal directs a new comedy starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand as mother and son. Rogen asks his mother to go on a sales trip with him – not telling her the real reason for the journey: His attempt to reunite her with her lost love.

Wednesday, Dec. 19

MONSTERS INC 3D: Monsters generate their city’s power by scaring children, but they are terribly afraid themselves of being contaminated by children, so when one enters Monstropolis, top scarer Sulley finds his world disrupted released in 3D. Wednesday, Dec. 19

THIS IS 40: Pete, played by Paul Rudd and Debbie, who is played by Leslie Mann from Knocked Up are back. Just a couple of years after the events from the last film, the couple deals with family life and turning 40.

Friday, Dec. 21

Alicia Keys, known for her staggering vocals and sultry twist on R&B music, releases her fifth studio album Girl On Fire. This album is Keys’ first release since her marriage with producer and rapper, Swizz Beatz, and the birth of their son, Egypt. Not one song on this album resembles another. Keys successfully pieces a cluster of diverse songs suitable to the album while still giving herself a chance to expand upon her vocals.

Keys made an effort to collaborate with new artists, including Bruno Mars and Frank Ocean. Hoping to help add a burst of variation while still maintaining her signature vocals and uplifting harmonies.

Girl On Fire is filled with 13 soothing, yet vibrant tracks that keep listeners all the more satisfied. Keys’ album opens with a soft intro named “De Novo Adagio,” meaning “again gently” in Italian, leading with her magical piano interlude. This intro flows effortlessly into the track “Brand New Me,” beginning softly but then becoming more and more powerful nearing its closing of the song.

Her tracks “Listen to Your Heart” and “When It’s All Over” give listeners a testimony of Keys’ own past experiences while expressing her perspective of love

and heartbreak.

Two songs that give more of an earthy and edgy feel to the album include “Tears Always Win,” a song about agonizing solitude, and “Not Even The King,” expressing her loyalty for her lover.

Following those songs, the track “That’s When I Knew” goes on to express her dedication and love for that special someone in her life.

The album also includes the song which is also the

title of her album: “Girl On Fire,” the popular hit single Keys first released off her album in early September featuring female rapper Nicki Minaj.

Keys finishes off the album with the dark track “101,” leaving her greatest hardships and defeats uncut for listeners to bear witness to. The touching outro leaves listeners begging for more as the exotic melodies bounce around in their heads for days.

Lincoln surpasses viewers’ expectations only to become flabbergasted that not only was she not the girl he thought she was, but a 40 year old wife and mother of two had been impersonating Megan, along with several other people.

Through this experience, Schulman and his brothers dedicated themselves to helping others in questionable online relationships. In each episode, Nev

BY EMILY BLANK starts out by reading an email from an Entertainment Editor individual requesting his assistance.

In one of the episodes, a young Have you ever met someone online attractive woman by the name of and thought he or she was your Sunny thought she had been speaking perfect match? Well, if so, you are to the man of her dreams, RJ King, not alone. Online dating has become a proclaimed model. She expressed very common in this day and age, that she wanted to marry him, even with social networking sites such though she had never actually had as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. a single conversation with him. She However, online dating comes with its met him through Facebook and only own consequences, due to communicated with him through the fact that anyone can text message.

TV Review: post a picture on a social Some would find this to be Catfish networking site and claim quite odd, considering the fact it is them. that she only had about five to The reality show six photos of King in the span of Catfish exposes the frauds their two year relationship. Sunny and flaws behind online eventually met RJ King and was dating while helping shocked to find that the man she individuals come face to thought she had been dating, was face with their online lovers. Catfish actually a woman. Not just a women the television show stemmed from a but a girl. documentary titled Catfish starring Although most of us would have the shows host, Nev Schulman. The seen this coming, Sunny was left in documentary captured Nev’s online dismay. The young teen then revealed romance with a girl named Megan that her troubled past with bullying whom he had never met before, but prompted her to commit the fraud act. had befriended on Facebook. He Unbelievebly, Nev actually sat the two began to have online chats with her girls down and had them speak to each and eventually fell in love with her, other one on one.This helped Sunny although he had never met her in better understand why the girl did person. what she did.

Nev began texting and speaking to Needless to say, Catfish has become Megan on the phone, but as his curiosity quite the hit,trending on Twitter the grew he began to doubt if Megan was day of its debut. Since the show’s actually who he thought she was. So he premiere, more and more individuals set out to travel across the country to seem to be becoming as shocked as Nev. where she had claimed to have lived,

Catfish exposes online relationships and the lurking frauds that come with them

B-

Daniel Day-Lewis plays accurate role of President Lincoln

BY ABBY BARNES Arts Editor The film opens with a gory battle scene—bayonets ripping through blue uniforms, bubbling blood from slit throats and cannons erupting in clouds through to pass the 13th Amendment to of gunpowder. It lasts longer than I had end slavery and the end of the civil war. expected and I think to myself, ‘I knew Though a few months pass in the film, I wouldn’t like it.’ it does a great job of being concise and Never was a first impression more hitting all of the major historical points. wrong.

The movie is filled with powerful The very next scene is two black scenes. At one point, Thaddeus Stevens, soldiers, talking to a man unseen behind played by Tommy Lee Jones, reprimands the camera like he was God himself— a democrat in the 13th Amendment nervous, choosing words carefully, congressional debate. gripped with full attention. They are Lincoln’s family also drew much in a union war camp and it is emotion, such as when night time.

Lincoln’s oldest son, played The audience doesn’t Movie Review: by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lincoln anticipate who is behind the witnesses the burying of limbs camera until the scene cuts to of wounded soldiers at an a man, long-legged and sitting. army hospital; and at the end, The heavenly quality of the when Lincoln’s smallest son, light shining down on him and Tad, grips the safety rails at a the signature salt-and-pepper theater in painful lament after beard reveal that he can only be upsetting news. one person—the great Abraham Lincoln, “[The movie] was able to take a huge 16th president of the United States subject, one of the greatest presidents, and abolition-era superman, played by and crunch it to half a month of time. It Daniel Day-Lewis. made politics interesting,” Kuhl said. “It “It just...it worked,” senior Gabriel was a real hollistic film; the whole thing Kuhl said. “[In the first scene] they just was just significant.” had him doing small talk with everyday As he grasps the edges of the table people; they just made him out to be this at a 13th Amendment cabinet meeting, normal guy.”

Day-Lewis enthralls his advisors It should come as no surprise that the in a bellowing voice, saying, “I am movie was directed by Steven Spielberg. the president of the United States of The use of moving shots and captions to America, cloaked in immense power. Go introduce characters such as Ulysses S. and get me those votes!”

Grant and General Robert E. Lee was The movie needs not a a dead giveaway. The masterful plot recommendation—the tremendous was surprisingly accurate to history. It applause of the audience as the closing covered the strife Abraham Lincoln went credits rolled spoke for itself.

A+

SUDOKU LES MISERABLES: In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole, agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever.

Tuesday, Dec. 25

“High school is not what I expected it to be.”

—Eden Mesfin freshman @edenm_y

“Ell oh ell guess who laughed 90% of the time while doing speaking pals?! ” —Julia Nguyen sophomore @JuliaVy_Nguyen

“Food is my worst enemy and my best friend.”

—Melissa Stamp junior @SorryIDontParty

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read Phillip Phillips’ album review.

“Whoever says it’s impossible to eat a whole box of cheez-its is wrong.

I’m gonna regret this later.”

—Eric Mejean junior @EJMejean

“A snowflake hit me in the eye, I’m going to the trainers. #injuredlyf ” —Austin Chavez senior @aaachav

“I’m definitely moving to Austrailia to find my husband when I’m older.”

—Julia Copenhaver senior @jcopeee22

WEBSUDOKU.COM

A Review of Phillip Phillips’ new album

Entertainment

Dec. 5, 2012

Give us back the old 30 years of TV have gone down the drain for Disney

By James Barker Staff Writer As a child, you could always look to Disney Channel as a source of comfort. You could imagine yourself having a twin to play with around in an awesome hotel, or even having a double life as a rockstar.

The new Disney Channel stinks.

The shows are annoying, trying too hard to fill them with special effects and a broader view of life.

But what happened to the classic stories?

In the old shows, such as That’s So Raven, Phil of the Future, Cory In The House and Even Stevens, each episode had a well thought out plot line and moral. Without even realizing it, the viewers would always learn a lesson about life.

Yet, the new shows barely have any of this substance. Have even begun allowing more leeway towards vulgarity and adult humor.

“If I had the choice to watch Disney Channel or watch paint dry, I’d honestly pick to watch paint dry.

Disney has gotten so bad,” senior Mike Hennessey said.

Many older viewers still enjoy to watch Disney Channel. Yet, they do not like the new shows, such as Good Luck Charlie, Austin and Ally, My Babysitter’s A Vampire and Shake It Up. “I honestly couldn’t even name one show that’s on there now,” Hennessey continued. Hennessey, a long time Disney Channel fanatic, has begun to despise everything about the new Disney, resorting to the

re-runs shown late at night.

“My favorite show used to be Lizze McGuire, and now [the shows] are so bad that I don’t watch any of them,” senior Amy Hallameyer said.

The Disney Channel original movies have also gotten worse as well. They focus on appealing to a “family audience,” instead of just kids. This makes them a little too friendly and unrealistic, unlike past movies such as The Even Stevens Movie, High School Musical and Cheetah Girls.

“It’s just too childish now,” senior Clark Girardin said.

Many of these new films use special effects to their utmost capacity, which started mainly after the show Wizards of Waverly Place. Disney, like many other film companies, believe that all audiences want to see is special effects and explosions, and not bother about a good story.

Disney Channel has been around for almost 30 years. After all of that time, you would think that they would have the creative juices pumping. Over the past three years several shows have come to an end, leaving viewers not interested. The first highly popular shows no longer airing new episodes were Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Wizards of Waverly Place.

“I think they’ve just run out of ideas and should just start playing reruns of the old shows,” junior Noah Wolfenstien said.

Wolfenstein, along with Hennessey, Hallameyer and Girardin are just a few of those who are angry with Disney Channel’s past few years. It is time that the company rethinks its shows and brings back the classic Disney story-lines that we all crave.

On a happier note, look out for the Boy Meets World spin-off, Girl Meets World, featuring the original characters Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel.

Favorite Movie of 2012

“Pitch Perfect because it was hilarious.”

—Sara Deible freshman

“The Amazing SpiderMan because it was a different view of the original movie.”

—Eric Lien junior

“The Dark Knight Rises because it was really interesting.”

“The Amazing SpiderMan because it was freaking amazing. ”

—Chealsea Alfonso sophomore

—Nelson Bersal sophomore

“Madea’s Witness Protection Plan. I saw it four times in theaters.”

“Break Dawn Part 2 because I love the Twilight Saga.”

—Brody El-Achi senior

—Fatima Ogoh senior

Upcoming Concerts

Wiz Khalifa Thurs., Dec. 6 The Patriot Center

A Disney Channel fan favorite was “Lizze McGuire.” Hillary Duff played the role of a teenage girl going through daily struggles.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Thurs., Dec. 6 The 9:30 Club

A more recent show on Disney is “Shake It Up,” Disney fans are not impressed and criticize the horrible acting of the characters.

“Rita Ora’s ‘RIP’ because I love how it expresses to move on.”

“Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ because it’s very empowering.”

“Gabe Bondoc’s ‘We Match’ because the beat is catchy. ”

—Amy Coleman freshman

—Matthew Rodriguez freshman

—Jessica Quintanilla sophomore

Hot 99.5 Jingle Ball Tour Tues., Dec. 11 The Patriot Center

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra Wed., Dec. 12 The Verizon Center “I like ‘The A-Team’ by “My favorite is ‘Miss America’ by J. Cole because Ed Sheeran because it captivates me.” it has a nice beat.”

—Yoseph Tiguh junior

—Jacky Mendez junior

“I liked ‘Spread too Thin’

by The Dirty Heads, beause it’s catchy. ” —Joe Rolen senior

English-Irish boy band One Direction dominates music charts in sophomore album

that he would not sing the song again once it hit the charts.

Sheeran also contributed the song “Moments” on their first album, and “Over Again,” which is on the latest album.

Overall, this new album showcases the five boys’ talent as singers with smooth vocals and deeper, meaningful lyrics. The songs relate to their teenage

By Sarah Bergen fanbase by mainly singing about young love and Entertainment Editor heartbreak.

One Direction returns with their second album on The majority of the album’s songs are sung by 19 Soyco Records, “Take Me Home” to follow up on their year old Zayn Malik, especially the last two 2011 release “Up All Night.” The 13-track love ballads “They Don’t Know About Us,” Album Review: album has already skyrocketed to the top 10 and “Summer Love.”

One Direction of charts in 30 different countries.

“My favorite track is ‘Rock Me,’” “Take Me The lead single “Live While We’re Young,” freshman Amanda Adenan said. “I like their Home” was released in September and reached record previous album better though because it’s breaking sales within the first week. more original. But I’m extremely excited to Another big hit on the album is “Little see them on their 2013 tour this summer at Things.” The song was written by fellow British The Verizon Center. I got the tickets earlier songwriter and artist Ed Sheeran. this year and was worried that I wouldn’t A YouTube video surfaced of Sheeran like the new album and it would ruin the singing this song at a concert in France. concert, but I think it’s just made me more Speculation about the video has caused the debate excited for the experience.” that Sheeran should have kept the song for himself.

The fivesome band admits in recent interviews that Sheeran and his manager later released via Twitter

Celebri-

Smashing Pumpkins Sun., Dec. 9 The Patriot Center

Favorite Song of 2012

1D wants you to ‘Take Me Home’

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19

Matisyahu Thurs., Dec. 13 The 9:30 Club

The Killers Tues., Dec. 18 The Patriot Center

they’ve “grown up and so have their lyrics.” However, their upbeat, fresh sound is something that stays consistent through each new song produced.

Different albums types can be purchased at each of the following stores; Target provides the Yearbook Edition, with three extra songs. Walmart offers The Golden Ticket, where some lucky fan may get in their purchased album and be allowed them to meet One Direction.

Good Vibes NYE Event Mon., Dec. 31 Jammin Java

Get inside your favorite celebrities’ heads Yellowcard Fri., Jan. 11 The 9:30 Club

Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ album review “I’ll defend anyone in my life that I love until the end, and respect any person that does that same. Even if it pisses me off. #life” —Blake Shelton

“Stay true to yourself. Because when people say they know what will work and what won’t.. they’re usually reversing a method that failed before.”

—Cassadee Pope

“Sooo... I went to download our album this morning. And my card got declined.”

—Harry Styles

“We will never stop. Thank you for believing in me.

Making me believe in myself and knowing that WE win.”

—Justin Bieber

On your smart phone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read a review of ‘Red.’

Shirlington is for everyone

“My favorite Christmas activity is decorating the Christmas tree with my family and cooking Christmas dinner.”

—Brianna Puryear sophomore “My favorite activity has to be skydiving in West Virginia over winter break.”

—Ammar Al-Kafah

sophomore

“It would have to be staying indoors and sleeping and playing video games.”

FOR THE SWEET TOOTH

FOR THE GIFT GIVER

DOGMABAKERY.COM

Just 15 minutes from Annandale, this hub offers a variety of fun options

ROWAN SHARTEL

What do you like to do during the holiday season?

Dec. 5, 2012

ROWAN SHARTEL

20

Weekend

FOR THE PET LOVER

Looking for a holiday gift for your parents, grandparents, or that aunt or uncle who is hard to shop for? Look no further than Cheesetique, a specialty cheese and food shop. You may have no desire to taste Cremont, Reblochon or Montagio, to name several of their over 300 cheeses, but they would make a creative gift for someone you know. If this doesn’t catch your eye, try one of the many hams, salamis or pates that they offer. Cheesetique cuts to order in whatever size you prefer, so you won’t be shelling out tons of cash for a giant wheel.

CakeLove is not just another cupcake store.

This bakery is unique in that everything they produce is completely from scratch. It was created by Warren Brown, who is famous from his Food Network show Sugar Rush. They offer cupcakes in flavors such as Red Velvet and Toffee Crunch, cakes such as Strawberry Buttercream and Coconut, brownies, cookies and more. They also offer gluten free, vegan and low-sugar baked goods for dietary needs. If you are a politics buff, check out “44”, the cake and cupcake created for President Obama.

If you want to treat your pet to something special, Dogma Bakery and Boutique is a specialty treat shop to check out. This store is basically an independent store that offers good customer service, baked goods for pets and tons of pet supplies. The treats are baked only with ingredients that humans would like and be able to eat healthily, so they have no preseratives, salt or sugar. Plus, they come in unique shapes like squirrels and “snickerpoodles.”

Address: 2722 S. Arlington Mill Drive Arlington, VA 22206

Address: 4056 Campbell Avenue Arlington, VA 22206

Address: 4150 Campbell Ave. Suite 105 Arlington, VA 22206

“My favorite part is staying in for a Chrismas movie date night.”

—Viviana Perez senior

––Compiled by Andrea Melendez

FOR THE SUSHI LOVER

FOR THE HIPSTER

PING by Charlie Chiang is an Asian fusion restaurant that has a great sushi bar.

They have a variety of rolls such as nigiri, California, shrimp tempura, volcano and more. Aside from sushi, PING also offers Chinese dishes you may be familiar with, such as lo mein, General Tso’s chicken and sesame shrimp. There are also more exotic dishes like seaweed salad, Singaporean noodles and Thai red curry chicken. The restaurant uses local and fresh ingredients, is not expensive and has a unique atmosphere.

Busboys and Poets is a cafe that is known as a “community gathering place” because of its commitment to poetry, culture and cooperation. They have regular talks with authors, artists and poets, sell books in-store and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The place was named after Langston Hughes, who was a busboy before becoming a famed poet. Check out this cozy cafe for a truly unique and hip experience.

Address: 4251 South Campbell Ave Arlington, VA 22206

Address: 4060 Campbell Avenue Arlington, VA 22206

2013 class bulletin

ROWAN SHARTEL

—Jennifer Lemus senior

ROWAN SHARTEL

“My favorite winter activity is decorating for Christmas and buying Christmas presents.”

ROWAN SHARTEL

—Vinh Nguyen sophomore

FOR THE CLASSIC TASTE

Johnny Rockets is a familiar favorite for families and kids of all ages. This diner is decorated like one from the 1950’s, with white-capped servers and milkshakes galore. If you are looking for a retro and fun experience, check out Johnny Rockets.

Burgers, fries, chicken, shakes and more are available on their menu. It will feel like you are hanging out with the cast of Grease while dining here.

Address: 4251 Campbell Avenue Arlington, VA 22206

Upcoming events for the holiday season

Order senior spirit wear at order. burkesports.com and use keyword “atoms”.

Graduation countdown: 190 days There will be a bake sale Dec. 19 by the cafeteria after school.

NATIONAL HANUKKAH MENORAH The National Hanukkah Menorah will be hosted as an eight day event at the Ellipse starting Dec. 9 at 4 p.m..This tradition includes a celebration with the U.S. Air Force Band and tasty treats like hot latkes donuts, with different musical performances.

Cuisine Critiques Restaurant Guide

By Rowan Shartel and Andrea Melendez

Buenos Grill opens

Student coaches as a hobby and for school On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR code” to view an exclusive story about an IB diploma candidate who’s passion is also a requirement for her diploma

ZOOLIGHTS

The ZooLights is a free winter holiday event hosted by the National Zoo in Washington D.C. The event includes many different lights of the different animals exhibited at the zoo. Holiday treats will be offered and different events like ice sculpting decorations, storytellers and crafts.

Buenos Grill has recently opened in Annandale and its mission is to educate the world in Mexican cuisine, specifically tacos, burritos, bowls and salads. Upon first entering the restaurant, we were greeted by the decor that was fresh and new with bright colors and airy space. Most tables offer up to four people per table and it is convenient for the customer on the go. The restaurant itself has long and wide windows in order to enjoy a calm and relaxing lunch or dinner with a group of friends.

The decor enhanced the theme of the restaurant subtly with authentic cultural decorations such like a large bull cadaver and paintings of fresh vegetables such as onions and green peppers. While the restaurant only offers burrito-style dishes, new plans of adding authentic Spanish food are soon to hit the menu sometime in Jan. Buenos Grill hopes

NATIONAL CHRISTMAS LIGHTING The National Christmas Lighting ceremony is an awaited tradition that must be reserved in advance. You can still watch it from your television as the President will send a message of peace and different nationally acclaimed performers will be present as part of the festivities.

to also offer tapas, a traditional finger food plate that originated in Spain, at this time as well.

When ordering the food, two large television screens were set up at the front of the line at the place, listing the types of dishes offered. The customer service was both efficient and friendly as they gave us a wide list and explanation of variety of foods. While one may expect the regular toppings in a burrito or bowl, there were some distinct additions to the toppings.

There was a variety of cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, rice, and beans, while not to mention the more flavorful ingredients such as jalapenos and pico de gallo. At a first glance and through the meal, one might make a similar comparison to that of the Chipotle chain offered in several locations, but we are here to silence those voices. Buenos Grill offers a different style and taste in their foods, from employes checking the temperature of each food daily and the freshness of the vegetables and meal. For drinks, there are the regular fountain drinks, bottled juices and waters and coffee as an after meal treat.

Overall, with many of the cuisine conquests that we have experienced, Buenos Grill offered a Buenos Grill is a fast and easy location in Anandale healthy and alternative choice to any of the fast that offers burritos, tacos, salads and bowls that are food location that many students resort to as an sure to satisfy with quick and convenient services after school meal. It has introduced Annandale ––Photos by Andrea Melendez to a delicious alternative of burritos and Mexican cuisine that creates a quick alternative driving to any Chipotle miles away.

With taste bud inducing options, Buenos Grills 7023 Columbia Pike proves to be a possibly popular spot for AHS Annandale, VA 22003 students and faculty. Stop by if you are looking for a quick, tasty and inexpensive meal that is close to school and offers a new experience.

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