Issue 8

A

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL

First Animation Film Festival Club members get ready for new event soon

BY TOBA SIDDIQUE Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF NICHOLAS MORTENSON

AHS will be hosting it's first Animation Film Festival on March 16, from 6-8 p.m. in Clausen Hall. The festival will showcase the artwork and films created by talented AHS students. The Festival is a countywide event that is open to all FCPS students.

"It feels great to be hosting the festival because I believe it will not only be an enjoyable experience, but also give me experience in leadership and presentation skills that will be needed later in my life," senior Riley Payung said.

Students will be presenting original artwork and animations

which they have created mainly through technology, using computers for flash and 3D programs. AHS animation members have submitted and compiled all of the counties videos in order to be presented as one whole film.

There will be around 24 students at the event who have entries for the festival, and the AHS Animation Club hopes to have the participants' parents there as well. The students are anticipating having around 60 people in the audience.

"I expect the night to go well, because it is a collaborative effort between many different high schools and beneficial for the students to be exposed to many different people, and possibly even colleges," Payung said. see FILM pg. 5

One of many cars being pumped for gas at a gas station due to low prices.

Cheap gas is a mixed blessing Students and teachers react to the lowered gas prices and their effects

BY NICHOLAS MORTENSON Staff Writer

Senior Ashley Cha gets prepped by a nurse from Red Cross to donate blood.

Atoms blood drive Students excited about donating blood during the school day

BY PHUONG NGUYEN & TOOBA SIDDIQUE News Editor & Staff Writer The Atoms Red Cross conducted its second blood drive of the school year on March 10. Red Cross creates two blood drives a year and has been encouraging students who meet the donation requirements to donate and make a difference.

The last blood drive on Oct. 21, 2015 was a huge success as Red Cross collected over 41 pints of blood which was able to save over 117 lives.

The organization plans this time on meeting the same goals

Cartoonist corner Check out the cool student-made cartoon about body image Editorials 3

because the club has gotten donors scheduled for every time slot. This year the organization filled up all 60 sign up slots during lunches which will ultimately collect enough blood to save over 130 lives.

Students who did not sign up to donate in advance had the opportunity to give their blood as walk-in donors.

During the drive, all donors were see BLOOD pg. 7

LEARN MORE! On your smartphone, scan this code using the application "QR Code" to learn about donating blood and if you're eligible.

Today’s Weather

Chance of showers

60 49 TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

(703) 642-4229

VA PRIMARIES/ ELECTION IN AHS

AHS input and views on the recent Virginia primaries

BY SUMMAR AYOUB & TEAGAN FOTI Editor in Chief & News Editor The elections for the road to presidency officially began on March 1 in Virginia as residents took to the polls to vote for their favorite potential presidential candidate.

Polls were open all day and nearly 1,800,000 people came out to vote, 274,894 of them from Fairfax County alone.

At the conclusion of the voting, businessman and reality TV show host Donald Trump and former New York State Senator and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came out victorious in their respective parties.

Trump winning 34.7 percent of republican voters and 17 delegates, and Clinton earning the support of 64.3 percent of democrats and 62 delegates.

"I did a lot of research before voting [so that I was informed on the candidates]," senior Yocias Fakade said, "but no one influenced me [on who to vote for]."

However in Fairfax County Trump did not top the polls. The unofficial returns from the March primary showed that out of over 133,000 republican voters, just under 53,000 voted for Junior Florida Senator Marco Rubio, making him the top republican in the county. Trump came in second with 33,079 votes followed by Ohio Governor John Kasich and Junior Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

As for the Democrats Clinton defeated Sanders 88,147 to 50,930 out of the nearly 142,000 Democratic voters in the County.

"I voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary because he has a set goal not only for the present but for

the future and how he sees America turning out, which I really like," Fakade said. "He's not just trying to see current matters, he's trying to imagine future problems and find real solution to it."

Northern Virginia, and Annandale in particular, is very diverse with a blend of many different cultures and beliefs, which is likely one of the reasons why Trump did not earn the support of the many voters. His concept of building a wall and restricting immigration is not generally popular among our diverse community.

"It seems like, right now, with the younger generation Sanders has a lot of pull, I know that my daughter really likes him," Driver's Ed teacher Patrick Hughes said. "Everyone likes the idea of free education and free lunches."

The polls were at various schools and centers throughout Fairfax County and the rest of the state.

Due to the record setting amount of voters in other states, FCPS voted to close school for the day, as the same voter turnout was expected in Virginia.

The closing of FCPS encouraged faculty members and eligible seniors to vote, as well as ensured student safety and prevented a disruptive learning environment.

"Nobody influenced me to vote but my government teacher encouraged us to go and vote.

However, I was ineligible to vote because of my age," senior Ananda Poudel said. "I would definitely vote for Bernie Sanders [if I could]."

CHECK IT OUT! On your smartphone, scan this code using the application "QR Code" to check out which district voted for which candidate.

VIRGINIA BALLOT AHS Twitter Poll 41%

Marco Rubio Donald Trump John Kasich Ted Cruz

24% 19% Survey complied by The A-Blast 16% twitter surveying 100 students.

Bernie Sanders

69% 31%

Hillary Clinton

Fairfax County Primary 40.1% Donald Trump 25.1% John Kasich 17.6% Ted Cruz 12.9% Hillary Clinton 63.4% Bernie Sanders 36.6%

Marco Rubio

Virginia Primary 34.7% 31.9%

Donald Trump Marco Rubio Ted Cruz John Kasich

16.9% 9.4%

Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders

64.3% 35.2%

MYP Fair held today PHOTO COURTESY OF PHUONG NGUYEN

Gas prices have been at historically low levels for a number of months, generally hovering around $1.50 a gallon, and AHS students that drive have been reaping the benefits.

One of the students enjoying cheap gas is senior Michael Ryan.

"If I don't drive, I don't get to school, I don't get to my academy

class, and I don't go home," Ryan said. "It used to cost my sister $80 to fill up a tank, but it costs me $20. It's great."

While cheaper gas makes life easier for students, it can be a godsend for teachers. Teachers bear the full financial burden of their commutes, and while distances and fuel consumption may vary, cheaper gas is always appreciated.

For Photography teacher Meredith Stevens, who has a 106 mile commute from Fauquier County, savings on gas for her Mazda 3 see LOW GAS pg. 5

Informinng the Atoms siince 1954 4

Students get ready to show what they can do at the upcoming fair

BY KADIJAH SESAY Staff Writer The MYP fair will held today at the end of the day during the extended W4.

Sophomore Genesis Lara has been working on her MYP(Middle Years Program) project since the fall. She and along with 300 hundred other students have also been working on their project.

Students had the opportunity to

thoroughly plan out their project starting with brainstorming then listing what they would want their project to be about.

"My project is about hot Cheetos and I researched how they effect you and your body," Lara said. After thorough research of her project, Lara discovered that eating hot Cheetos in large amounts can cause damage to your stomach lining.

"The process of my project was not difficult for me and I am happy with the outcome of my project!" said Lara.

The 10th graders will present see MYP FAIR pg. 5

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEANINE BARAKAT

VOLUME #61 ISSUE 8

4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 470

Junior Jessica Ferson posing next to her 3-D verison of a house at last year's MYP Fair.

FBLA competes regionally Business students talk about their experience at the regional meet

BY KADIJAH SESAY Staff Writer FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, is a nationwide club where high school students get to compete and learn about real life business situations. FBLA students have excelled in leadership skills, business tactics, and qualities that will help them in the future. They hold meetings after school once a month.

IB Art Show w Check out the cool IB student art work Arts 9

Select students, also, get to compete in regional and state competitions. The competitions range from taking tests on accounting to bank law.

I got the opportunity to compete in the completion of dealing with Client Services. It was impromptu so they gave me a situation and I had to handle that situation as if it was realistically happening, senior, FBLA member Amiansu Khamal said.

All together, FBLA has 50 different competitions.

Each competition is unique and offers students a new experience each time. There are even some

competitions specifically for freshmen, to help them excel in leadership skills early in their high school career.

FBLA goes hand in hand with business classes. We hope to throw the things we teach in business into FBLA competitions. There are 50 different competitions and they compete in things ranging from ones that only freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors can individually join. It can be anything from mock job interviews to impromptu speaking. There is also competitions on the computers, customer service competitions and for the most part

Superheroes Read all about the Batman v. Superman brawl Entertainment 19

depending on what the competition is it can be a single person or a group up to 4 IB business teacher Howard Dwyer said.

There are three levels of competition, starting with regionals which consists of competitions against local schools in other counties and in Fairfax county.

Student who stand out at regionals can then go to states which is held in Reston and consists of competitors from all across Virginia. Winning states will send the competitors to the national competition, which this year will be in Atlanta, Georgia.

FBLA is almost real world see FBLA pg. 5

2 EDITORIALS

March 15, 2016

Virginia volunteer firefighter suspended

Prejudice in Hollywood casting

BY SERENE GHUL Staff Writer

Public uproar over the use of black(er) face

BY JULIE NGUYEN AND SADIE MODICA Editorials Editors Throughout history, racial conflicts have pervaded every aspect of life, including the media. There is no doubt that racial prejudice is still common, especially in the production of Hollywood films. In the most recent scandal, actress Zoe Saldana is facing criticism for her role as Nina Simone in the upcoming biopic, Nina.

Nina Simone was a prominent musician and civil rights activist who left her mark on many genres, including jazz, classical, folk, blues, pop, R&B and gospel.

She was widely respected for both her vast musical talent and her adherence to her civil rights values.

In order to accurately play the role of Simone, the actress was portrayed in a movie poster with a darkened skin tone and a wider nose. Because Saldana herself is a lighter-skinned actress resulting from her Latino and African mixed heritage, makeup was used to create a darker face and a prosthetic nose was made in order for her to visually represent the late musician.

This instance is not so bad as other recent cases of whitewashing in Hollywood films, but still it would be more suitable for a different actress to play Simone.

Saldana was clearly chosen for her popularity, but the public is fairly divided on this issue, some arguing that Saldana should have never been cast while others state that she should not have to change her appearance at all and instead should be viewed for her talent in acting, rather than criticized for her appearance.

The argument against her assumption of the role include the nature of the film, and the act of darkening one's skin itself.

Since the movie is about a civil rights activist who fought to be accepted despite her features, opponents feel that casting a lighter-skinned actress is insulting to Simone's memory. Others oppose the darkening of one's skin and its implications in any production, especially in

Left to right: Zoe Saldana, Nina Simone

light of historical uses of blackface or other racial impersonations in a derogatory manner. In the 1992 film The Last of the Mohicans, the Native Americans were played by predominantly white actors.

Despite some good examples like the casting of Angela Basset as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It, Hollywood still fails to cast authentic characters.

In this case, it is difficult to say whether the casting of Saldana is "wrong."

Considering how she is of African descent, and the change of appearance was done out of respect for Simone's image, this instance is very different from some other examples of white actors playing people of color, which is often done disrespectfully.

Still, considering how Simone was a civil rights activist, and overcame derision regarding her features and skin tone, it does appear that an actress more like her would better suit the role.

There are recent cases even worse than Nina because the casts tend to be entirely white where they really

Bomb threats in FCPS An increase in prank calls leads to negative consequences

BY SHARON SANCHEZ Staff Writer Recently, several schools in FCPS have been experiencing bomb threats.

According to the Washington Post, about seven schools received bomb threats in Northern Virginia, causing students to evacuate the school almost immediately.

Threats were made with computerized and anonymous phone calls which are known to be hard to trace.

According to the Educator's School Safety Network, 49% of threats are done by calls, 33% are found written in school, 11% are done by email/social media and 7 % are through some other medium.

False threats or bomb-related prank calls should stop.

Not only do they intervene with classes, but they also put school administrators in a tough situation.

Student safety always comes first, even if most of the time the threats are false. It is better safe than sorry in the eyes of school officials.

When you hear the words "school bomb threats," the picture of police involvement, class disruption and startled students and parents comes to mind. For some people, it is just a great way to have time off school, thinking it is probably just a false alarm.

But for others, it is a scary thought. Especially for parents, since they have to deal with the thought that their children have to go to school when there might be a chance they can be in danger.

"The next time there is a real bomb, no one is going to believe it," sophomore Holly Ramia said.

School officials do not ignore school threats,

shouldn't be.

The recent film, Gods of Egypt was a blatantly whitewashed production, with a cast filled with white actors like Brenton Thwaites and Gerard Butler. Seeing as how the movie is called Gods of Egypt, shouldn't the actors also portray that ethnicity?

Of course it would be difficult to cast an entire cast of Egyptian actors and actresses, but there seems to be no apparent effort in accurately depicting the country and its people.

Another incident of prejudice casting is exemplified in the 2015 film Aloha. The character of Allison Ng was to be a native Hawaiian of Asian descent.

However Emma Stone, a white female, was casted to play the role of Ng. Compared to these recent instances of prejudice in casting, Nina is not the worst case. However, the nature of the film as a biopic of an influential civil rights figure begs a more fitting actress to play the lead role.

Teens use dating apps

whether they appear to be false or not.

Bomb threats mean that bombs are a possibility and should be taken very seriously.

Unfortunately, due to robocalls, these threats have become a matter of false alarms and prank calls.

Some say that school threats are mostly pranks and that they should just be ignored if it ever happens. In some ways, It is kind of true.

It is rare that real bombings actually happen. There have been more threats than there have been accidents.

However, there is always a possibility that incidents like this can happen. The "better safe than sorry" policy and the fear of possible incidents ultimately makes school districts safe.

"People should take bomb threats seriously, even if they are fake. You can never know if they are true or not," sophomore Nallely Beraun said.

If a student ever finds themselves in a situation where the school has been threatened and everyone is going to evacuate soon, they should simply follow teachers' directions and in no way panic.

Panicking would result in more students getting anxious and in them starting to push. Some might even fall and get trampled over, resulting in injuries.

The consequences of school canceling will fall on students as much as it will fall on the teachers and school administrators.

Not having school will cause classes to fall behind and students and teachers to suffer the consequences of trying to catch up.

According to HG.org Legal Resources, penalties of making a bomb threat are quite severe and can lead to being charged with a felony ( a crime punishable for over more than one year in prison,) however it all depends upon the severity of the crime and the judge's jurisdiction.

At the end of the day, the main thing that should matter is student safety, even if it puts the school in a tough situation or we fall behind on classes.

If there is a risk that someone might get harmed, everything else should be put aside.

Is easy access to "love" really worth all of the risks for teenagers?

BY JUDY NANAW Staff Writer With all the rapid advancements in technology and media, it is never a surprise to hear of someone trying to find their life-long partner through an online dating app.

The many free options available make it too easy and common for people to start using these apps with the possibility of becoming addicted.

Using apps to meet with strangers is a dangerous practice that is being performed by too many people nowadays.

Some risks that people who use dating apps face include rape, child grooming and attempted murder.

Recently, 13 year old Nicole Lovell became a murder victim because of her meeting with a college student from Virginia Tech, David Eisenhauer, through social media.

Although she was not necessarily using a dating app, her communication with him through the app Kik began a relationship in which she thought the boy was her boyfriend.

On Jan. 27, 2016 Lovell met with Eisenhauer and was later found stabbed to death in North Carolina.

This is only one of many incidents in which speaking to a stranger online or through text led to murder.

Last year, there were 412 crimes linked to dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr. Countless police reports mentioned dating applications and continue to do so now.

Certainly, people are aware of the dangers that could come with the use of dating applications, but many of

MANAGING EDITOR Alexandra Zernik NEWS EDITORS Mohamed Elhag Teagan Foti EDITORIALS EDITORS Sadie Modica Julie Nguyen

Raphael Yu PEOPLE EDITORS Conrad Shartel Julie Swenton WEEKEND EDITORS Cayley Byrne Biruk Negash INTERNATIONAL EDITORS Nancy Evora Timothy Gray

COPY EDITORS Linus Bumbaca Sharon Sanchez

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Daniel Yenegeta Ahmad Ayub

IN-DEPTH EDITORS Binqi Chen Aseal Saed

LIFESTYLES EDITORS Thida Pathammavong Tipyan Omer

SPORTS EDITORS Ryan Gammon Andrew Gonzalez Nebeyu Solomon

HEALTH EDITORS Sabrina Hawa Phuong Nguyen

SPORTS XTRA EDITORS Marem Atef

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS Soulisa Pathammavong Marilyn Rivas

ART EDITORS Alaina Garay Kailyn Garay ACADEMICS EDITORS Marife Baragano Kiara Patino WEB EDITOR/MASTER Christopher Han HEAD VIDEOGRAPHERS Faisel Hassen Bailey Oliver AD MANAGER Hussein Salem CIRCULATION MANAGERS Jeanine Barakat Maria Suarez STAFF WRITERS Almaz Abedje Sheila Aguirre Seham Ahmed Lina Al Taii Laura Clemons Anthony Dinh Serene Ghul

Grace Hogye Nicole Jordan Jennifer Kang Lucie Lefbom Kirk Lindberg Angelo Lopez Crew McCarthy Ruth Mekonnen Julius Miller Nicholas Mortensen Amani Muntu Judy Nanaw Duy Nguyen Andrew Nunez Sergio Pozo Cory Pringle Kadijah Sesay Kavi Shamdin Rachel Shogren Camilia Soruco Halley Thadeus Karungu Thuku Melanie Valencia Firdousa Wasuge PHOTOGRAPHER Tooba Siddique ADVISER Alan Weintraut

Tinder is one of the many popular dating apps often used by teens.

them, especially teenagers because of their stubborn and premature personalities, choose to ignore those possibilities.

Teenagers might be using dating apps because they fear physically meeting and talking to people.

With social media and texting becoming so prevalent, it is likely that they are uncomfortable and scared to actually chat with other people outside of their phones.

But the truth is, beyond some pictures and lines of text, you have little awareness of a person's true intentions.

It is terribly easy for someone to fake their identity and make themselves seem like a genuinely good person. The best and only way to avoid being tricked is to delete these dating apps completely.

Besides, why use an app like Tinder when according to research from GlobalWebIndex, it is found that 42 percent of its users are already in a relationship?

There is a big possibility you are matching with a cheater!

Get off these apps, go outside and actually meet someone face to face. Does that really sound scarier than meeting up with a criminal you have been chatting with?

Dos and Don'ts: Spring Break

Staff CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF Summar Ayoub Hezekiel Yonas

Volunteer firefighter and Captain of Stafford County James Kelley was faced with the situation where the life of another was in his hands, literally.

Kelley held onto the unresponsive body of 18-monthold girl, Lena Nunamaker, whose father called 911 a few moments before to report she had been having a seizure.

Being the first one to arrive at the scene, he had a decision to make. Wait for the officials or transport the toddler himself to the hospital in the fire truck?

Although Kelley knew that transporting someone who was in need of medical attention in the firetruck was prohibited, he decided to transport the toddler anyways and felt that this was the smartest decision regarding the situation.

As a result, Kelley and another firefighter, Sgt. Virgil Bloom, were put on probation.

Most people would agree that Kelley's decision to transport the child was rational considering it was a lifethreatening situation. A social media outpour followed the probation, and Kelley was quickly reinstated.

The most grateful for his quick thinking and deciding to go through with his decision were the parents of the toddler, Brian and Stacy Nunamaker. He also received praise from his colleagues who agree with his decision.

It seems as if everyone was satisfied with the decision made by Kelley, except for the Stafford County officials.

While the decision ended up saving the toddler's life, the officials see the decision as a potential regulatory compliance issue.

In the end, it is a good thing that the firefighters were reinstated quickly, but their suspension raises some questions of when rules can be broken.

Annandale High School Vol. 61 No.8 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 703.642.4229 March 15, 2016 Adviser: Alan Weintraut ajweintraut@fcps.edu

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 emailed to theablast16@gmail.com or 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, 2016.

Do keep up with homework assignments (even though you aren't supposed to have any) Don't forget your sunscreen for those sunny spring days!

Do go on a fun trip-You need a break from all of that stress!

Don't forget your allergy meds--check out p. 7 for more details

EDITORIALS 3

March 15, 2016

The importance of space exploration Scott Kelly's return encourages research of the unknown There are many things in the world that we are sure of. We are sure that the Earth is round, that dinosaurs have existed and that school is one of the major causes of our stress. However, the one thing that we are not completely sure of is space.

Earlier this month, Captain Scott Kelly, an astronaut for NASA, returned from space after being there for 340 days. He currently holds the record for the longest time an American has spent in space. This is yet another accomplishment by the United States when it comes to exploring the unknown space.

This most recent mission has motivated a new wave of space exploration planned for the near future. Mars has been a hot topic among space experts considering that it is relatively similar to Earth in some aspects.

For this reason, it is important that NASA keeps on sending astronauts to space as they might discover important information that could affect the possibility of life on Mars.

Resulting from Kelly's recent mission, NASA has acquired lots of new information throughout the duration of his time in space.

He collected tons of data and is one of the many astronauts that should have endless praises. The very fact

JPL.NASA.GOV

BY RUTH MEKONNEN Staff Writer

American astronaut Scott Kelly recently returned to Earth from a 340 day space mission.

that he was so brave to venture out into the unknown for that long, not knowing whether he would survive is truly remarkable. Especially since him going to space will lead to many discoveries that will relieve both us and the generations to come.

With all the exciting news of Kelly's return, the most extraordinary part by far is that scientists will be able to compare him to his twin brother Mark Kelly, who was also a former astronaut.

Mark Kelly has been monitored on Earth while Scott Kelly was monitored in space. Because they are identical twins, their body was built the same way. This very

coincidence will enable scientists to further understand how Scott Kelly's body reacted to the atmosphere as well as other factors in space.

"Scott Kelly's return will bring a new generation of exploration for further planets," sophomore William Wheatley said. "Space exploration is becoming more and more important as our planet is falling apart."

According to Herald-Whig, a station located in Illinois, NASA has eight to 14 slots open to send astronauts to Mars in 2030 but they first want to know the impact space will have on the human body. It is essential that they understand all the impacts and dangers of space

before risking the lives of several humans.

The trip to Mars is expected to last for about 20 years and it is not as pleasant as it sounds.

For one thing, we have no idea what to expect. With the high amounts of cosmic radiation and gravity, we have no idea how it's going to impact our bodies and whether it will be negative or positive.

In fact it was reported that Scott Kelly grew two inches while in space but returned to his normal height just 28 hours later. Although it does not seem like that big of a deal, it could have a larger meaning.

According to Arizona University, there are many differences between Mars and Earth that could be a setback for humanity.

For instance, Mars is much smaller than Earth-- about one-half its diameter. This is definitely a setback considering that the earth population seems to be increasing by the billions.

Along with that, Mars does not have any liquid water meaning that resources will be very limited to the increasing size of the world's population.

However, in comparison with the other planets, Mars seems to be the only planet so far that humans may be able to live on. We need to venture out and see in case we come across a planet that is similar to Earth.

"Space exploration is important because we will be able to discover new things," junior Nicole Molina said.

"We could discover stuff that could benefit and help us."

The Earth is experiencing lots of harm due to pollution and global warming. If we keep going the distance and searching for more planets, there could be a chance that we discover a new planet beneficial to us.

Space exploration in general is very important. The Earth's resources aren't going to last forever and we need to know about other planets so that the future generations can have a place to live.

Why high school students need sleep Lack of sleep brings various harms to students' health Sitting in front of a computer screen with puffy eyes and only an energy drink keeping you awake at one in the morning to finish an essay is no fun.

The sight of students walking down the halls like zombies is too common at Annandale. It is fair to say that most of us high school students are sleep deprived.

High school students tend to pull all nighters for school way too often. The work overload makes it near impossible for them to finish before the reasonable time to go to bed.

Coming home once after school activities and sports finally finish, students have a small amount of time left to shower and eat and then eventually begin their mass of homework. It leads to them going to bed past midnight and this has significant effects on them.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATED BY YUKI ZHENG

BY JUDY NANAW Staff Writer

Students often fall asleep in the back of the class.

According to the Nationwide Children's Hospital, teenagers need between 9 and 9.5 hours of sleep-- nowhere near what the typical teen is getting today.

"If I get seven or less hours, I'm more tired than usual and it's hard to get up," junior Emily Pope said. "It doesn't affect my first period class, but I'll get really tired during my last class of the day and it's hard to

stay awake."

If you are a student who is not getting enough sleep at night it is time to change your habits. You could be risking your overall health.

Sleep deprivation can have many different impacts on a teenager's functioning. Some of these things include change in mood, behavior and academic performance.

Moodiness may be the reason why it is so common for teenagers to be cranky. A lot of us get frustrated and upset easily and if you did not know why before, it may be because you are not getting enough sleep.

When teenagers do not get enough sleep they are more likely to engage in dangerous activities as well, and could be especially dangerous while driving.

According to numerous results of the National Sleep Foundation Polls, driving while drowsy could be just as unsafe as driving while drunk and teenagers are at the highest risk for falling asleep behind the wheel.

What is ironic about the whole situation is the fact that students are staying up so late to finish school work in order to get good grades, but that lack of sleep is causing problems with their attention, memory and creativity, all of which are important in school.

Studies show that teenagers who are getting less sleep tend to get poor grades, fall asleep in school and be late or absent often.

So while you think that staying up all night will pay off because it will boost your grade, you are actually doing the total opposite.

Do not put yourself through these things.

It is understandable that with after school clubs, sports and worst of all, the ridiculous amount of homework teachers assign, getting to bed early is very difficult, but it is vital

for your well-being.

Even though this year Fairfax County made the school's start time later for high schoolers in order to solve the issue of lack of sleep, students are getting less sleep than ever before. The schedule change was pointless and made no change, if not a worse one.

If you are still finishing up some homework and the clock hits 12:00 a.m., give it up and go to bed.

You may be surprised to find your teacher does not mind extending the due date for you another day if you only explain your situation to them. If the teacher does not accept any excuses, taking a minor penalty off for late homework is better than hurting your body's functioning.

Another method to change bad sleep habits is to plan your homework ahead of time. Finishing a little bit of it each day over a long period will give you more rest and better work performance than saving everything for the last minute.

If you know there is too much to do, ask teachers for extensions ahead of time so they are more willing to comply.

Set yourself a goal and go to bed an hour earlier than you usually do everyday this week. You will amazed with the positive changes you will feel.

Heard in the halls: How much sleep do you get?

"Seven hours, because "Normally I get I have homework and around five hours of go to sleep late." sleep, because I have GALILEA SEJASDEVIN GILL homework every day" freshman MACHADO KENDALL MCCLEARY freshman

sophomore

"About seven [hours], because I have to balance my schedule between sports, school and leisure."

HUNTER SWEDE

"Five or six hours. It's always school that keeps me awake at night."

"I guess six, because I'm doing the IB diploma and I have a lot of homework."

MYKIM LE

KOREY HYLTON

junior

junior

"Around five to six, because I'm an IB diploma candidate."

KIM MAI senior

"On average I get about four to five hours of sleep, because I go to bed at one or two."

DONG KIM

sophomore

Correction to previous pro-rape article

BY SHARON SANCHEZ Staff Writer In the February 24 issue on page three of Editorials, a story entitled "Secret international pro-rape meetings" was published that should not have been. It criticized Daryush Valizadeh for his views on rape, however, some of its contents were false.

Valizadeh had written an article on his website promoting pro-rape and arranging pro-rape meetings. The news of this spread like wildfire and made headlines on many news sources.

Valizadeh received tons of hate, threats and attention on social media as a result of his article, but it was later confirmed that his article was not to be taken 100 percent seriously. He explained on his website that the article was satirical and overdramatized by the media and public.

Addressing his proposed meetings, Valizadeh explained that they were not for the intention of supporting rape. They were not for the purpose of what most news articles made them out to be.

He stated that the gatherings were supposed to be a time for a simple "social happy hour" aimed towards men. He explained that the purpose of the meetings were to discuss different topics such as women or politics and not rape.

Valizadeh has expressed his regret for creating such a scandal and wishes that the public will

not continue to label him as a pro-rape activist.

He elaborated on his perspective of rape, stating that he does not support the legalization of rape even though the media illustrates him to be an advocate.

He expressed that he does not condone the harm or physical violence towards individuals both male and female.

He continues to defend himself, highlighting the fact that his words were misinterpreted.

"That article was making a point about personal responsibility," Valizadeh said. "That a woman's safety is not only in the hands of men, but in their own hands too."

However, he did admit of liking all the attention he was receiving, even though it was for his purely sadistic article which was misinterpreted by many.

Nevertheless, even though his pick-up books are aimed for your average heterosexual man and for them to successfully to achieve dates, they do contain purely bad advice and a lot of misogynistic remarks.

All the hate, death threats and his misinterpreted article make Valizadeh seem like a victim in all of this.

However, let's not forget that he wrote such a sadistic and bizarre article. It was bound to grab people's attention, which is what he wanted.

senior

Cartoonist's corner

ILLUSTRATION BY MOHAMED ELHAG

"I normally get about seven hours of sleep per day."

4 NEWS

March 15, 2016

Filament's coffee house Leadership's new events

BY TOOBA SIDDIQUE Staff Writer The Filament will be holding a coffee house fundraiser at AHS on April 6. The club has been holding coffee houses to present literature, as well as having guest speakers for the students who arrive. The coffee house is a fundraiser which helps the club pay anywhere around $700-$1200 for literature to be published in The Filament Magazine.

Students and staff will get a chance to showcase their talents. Tickets to the coffee house will be $4 at the door and $3 at lunch.

The coffee house fundraiser earlier in the year during the fall was extremely successful compared to the previous years. Many students and staff showed attended, and also had guest speaker, Joseph Green, a poet who performed slam poetry.

"The club is very energetic and the student members are very dedicated," Filament club sponsor Fusun Sulzbach said. "The editors are dedicated to publish top quality stories."

The club motivates students to submit literature of their choice that interests them to be published in the magazine, and gain recognition.

Senior Superlatives

BY KARUNGU THUKU Staff Writer This year's senior superlative nominees have been announced and final results will come March 17. Senior superlatives is when seniors vote on classmates who best fit different categories. It's a time where fellow classmates can exaggerate or give hyperbolic expressions of praise.

This year the superlatives were on google form.

Students copied a URL in the search engine, then they had to sign in using their student ID. After this process, they could vote for senior superlatives.

"The editors and Mrs. Hanneman count them with the help of Alex [Zernik]," Hall said.

There are many people who feel that the senior superlatives are not accurate. They perceive that many of the nominees are voted upon just because of their popularity.

"I think most of the nominees were accurate, but some weren't. A lot of people like to joke around with

them, so some of the answers are really funny," AHS Yearbook organizer Jennifer Hall said.

There are a lot of categories for this year's superlatives, some of the categories include common ones like: best dressed, best social media presence, most spirited, class clown, best lookalike, most sleep deprived, best to take home to your parents and most athletic.

Some of the nominees include: Hasham Washimi and Yocias who were nominated for class clown, David Park as best male look alike, and Julie Swenton for best female look alike.

"We choose the categories pretty much based on what they've always been, give or take a few," Hall said.

To vote for the final winners, download a QR code scanner and choose the best students for each category to the right.

BY CORY PRINGLE Staff Writer

Battle of the Classes on April 22 will feature a Family Feud style competition. The time and date for the event is one week before Battle of the Classes on Friday April 22nd at 7:00 - 9:00pm.

Family feud is a game where there are two teams trying to gain the most points by answering survey questions. The survey will be answered by students from all grades, who are willing to participate.

Once the actual game takes place the two teams will face off trying to first guess the number one answer to the given survey question, then from there which ever team guesses the higher answer is able to play out the round. Similar to jeopardy, the objective of the game is to guess all the answers without guessing incorrectly three times.

Leadership has been creating new events for this school year. A new event on the leadership calendar will be an event coming this spring. It would be similar to Coachella or Sweet Life where the object of the event is to bring out the music in Annandale.

"Spring Fest is going to be like Coachella there's going

to be music, food, and games," leadership student Lennon Wuhrer said. "It's also going to be outside and a lot of fun."

With lots of great idea to come this spring many students are getting very eager to see what all the hype is about.

"I'm excited to see what it's about and excited to go and listen to the music," senior Maddie Little said.

It's also a great way to come together as a community to have fun and enjoy music. Students will be able to sign up to perform during their desired time slot. It will most likely be open to all ages.

Another new idea is to have a DJ present to mix and match different music together. Also to provide a food and beverages aspect to this spring event is the introduction of a food truck idea where students and community members will be able to purchase food from these trucks or from clubs who will be able to have booths in order to raise fund for their class.

With more details to come in May or June Leadership hopes to bring a taste of Annandale to the rest of the community.

Chorus students perform

BY ANDREW NUNEZ Staff Writer The Select Women's Ensemble, the Annandale Singers, the Concert Choir and the Men's Chorale, all performed Tuesday night in the auditorium which was directed by AHS choral director Ms. Jessica Irish has been working with AHS since 2010, she has enjoyed improving our school choirs and teaching our students on how to improve themselves musically.

The concert consisted of 15 different songs that were performed throughout the night. The choirs all prepared themselves greatly before the concert date.

"We prepared ourselves by working hard, by practicing and singing everyday outside of school at home and after school," junior Michelle Hoang said.

Throughout the night, the audiences had the opportunity to enjoy the peaceful and soothing pieces that were performed.

The Select Women's Ensemble performing on March 8.

"Overall I think our concert went very well, it was definitely a strong performance, We were able to show more emotion and more energy for the music," junior Janu Gellert said. "I don't feel like we have much to improve on."

The choirs will be able to show their emotion and energy again at Edison High School, where they will be performing for a choral assessment on March 16.

Esperanza Education Fund scholarship offered

BY CREW MCCARTHY Staff Writer This Spring, the Esperanza Education Fund will be awarding scholarships from $5,000 up to $20,000 to immigrant students, regardless of ethnicity, national origin, or immigration status, in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, students must have been born or have two parents born outside the United States.

Students must be seniors at any high school in D.C, Maryland, or Virginia who are planning to enroll full-time at an authorized public college or university in 2016-17.

To apply for the scholarships, students must complete an online application, have two letters of recommendation, and will be asked to write essays. After the applications have been submitted, a committee will be drawn from

Class Clown

Sam Wassem

Justin Foster

Yocias Fekade

Dianna Hime Agyeman Kebede

Hibo Ali

Most Sleep Deprived

Hezekiel Yonas

Ahmed Mohammed

David Park

Brooke Thadeus

Katie Pacak

Biruk Negash

Best to Take Home to Your Parents

Dini Mohamud

Chris Han

Caleb Britton

Rebecca Jeanine Soulen Barakat

Alison Bascope

Best Lookalike

David Park as Po Kung Fu

Faisal Hassen Aaron Boyd Biruk Negash Thida Sarah Deible as Big Sean as Chris Brown as Beyonce Pathammavong as Ke$ha as Brenda Song

the local community to review the applications and select a group of finalists for interviews.

The committee will be looking for students who show qualities traditionally valued and demonstrated by the immigrant community. These qualities consist of hard work, resourcefulness, perseverance in the face of adversity, academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to one's community.

All applications are due by April 1, 2016. Those who have been selected as finalists will be notified in early May. Then the interviews will be conducted in the middle of May. At the end of the month, the winners of the scholarship will be notified.

Once the student has received the scholarship, they must remain in good standing, maintain a gpa of 2.5 or higher, and submit yearly progress reports to the Esperanza Education Fund.

NEWS 5

March 15, 2016

The good and bad about cheap gas CONT. "CHEAP GAS" translate into money that can be spent elsewhere.

"I always budget for [gas prices], so the prices don't have as much of an impact," Stevens said. "But cheaper gas might mean we go out to eat more, my son might get an extra toy, or we might get to do more [activities] with my son. We always take necessities into account, but we definitely have more discretionary income."

AHS teachers and students are not the only ones who appreciate savings at the pump. According to NPR, cheaper gas is typically associated with accelerated economic growth. Savings at the pump let consumers spend, save, or invest money they otherwise would be spending on gas, spurring economic growth. However, the specifics surrounding this particular drop in gas prices casts a shadow on hopes of rapid domestic or international economic growth. The oil market is oversaturated, and a number of political developments throughout the world threaten to worsen the oil glut.

As with every free market, supply and demand drives the price of gas up and down. At the moment, there is an incredibly large supply, and a declining rate of consumption from countries such as China and the United States.

That said, the specifics surrounding the entire situation are far from simplistic. The oversaturation of the oil market is the result of a number of political, economic, and technological developments throughout the international community.

Crude practices The oversaturation of the oil market can be pinned on two main perpetrators: overproducing OPEC nations, and the shale oil boom in the United States. OPEC, The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is a coalition of oil-rich Middle Eastern, South American and African nations that work to "coordinate and unify petroleum policies between member nations. In normal circumstances, this "coordination" ensures that no single oil-rich nation is capable of destabilizing the international oil market, as well as assisting other member nations that might be suffering. That said, a cursory look at the affairs of member nations, such as Venezuela, indicate that OPEC may be failing to deliver on their mission statement.

Venezuela is a South American nation that is highly dependent on oil exports to sustain its economy. The rapid reduction in oil prices have

Cheap gas prices at local gas stations attract more people.

led to a significant downturn in the Venezuelan economy. NPR reports that unemployment is widespread, and many necessities are both expensive, and scarce. Additionally, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expecting Venezuela's inflation rate to reach 720 percent this year.

Venezuela is not the only OPEC nation that is suffering. NPR reports that Saudi Arabia, has announced that its 2016 budget will involve numerous spending cuts, changes to energy subsidies and a renewed push for wider taxation and privatization of industry. According to Topics teacher Jonathan York, greater taxation and spending cuts could be an uncomfortable transition for Saudi Arabians.

"In Saudi Arabia, 90 percent of the people have government jobs," York said. "Saudi Arabians rely on the government for financial and social stability, and now the government is cutting back on social programs."

In an attempt to stabilize the market, Saudi Arabia, Russia and other oil-producing nations have agreed to stop ramping up oil production in the hopes that demand eventually catches up with the available supply. However, not every oil-producing nation has agreed to "freeze" production. Reuters reports that Iran, recently freed from sanctions and eager to expand its economy, has announced that it plans to double its oil exports in the coming months.

Iran is not the only one that has intentions of further saturating the oil market. The

United States is also responsible, and according to speculation from the BBC and the Wall Street Journal, may be the reason why OPEC nations have refused to lower their production levels.

Severe Shale Storms The United States has long been working to reduce its dependence on foreign oil for its energy needs. Shale oil is an important step forward in that endeavor. According to the U.S. government, shale oil is produced from rocks made of prehistoric silt and organic material.

Though the process is more complicated and expensive than conventional oil drilling, the U.S. has some of the largest shale deposits in the world, making shale oil an attractive prospect for a nation that is trying to become more energy-independent.

The rapid expansion of shale oil drilling has massively increased U.S. oil production, but is also largely responsible for the rapid decline of oil prices seen today. U.S. shale oil producers have flooded a market that was already swimming in OPEC oil, and demand has not risen to match the supply.

The BBC reports that OPEC's decision not to reduce oil production has been an attempt to reduce U.S. shale oil production. Since shale oil is significantly more expensive to process than crude oil, the current oil prices make it impossible for U.S. companies invested in shale oil production to turn a profit. While shale production has decreased slightly, the

DONATE YOUR VEHICLE TO THE AHS AUTO PROGRAM

FBLA regionals

BBC reports that the drop in production is nowhere near enough to offset the oversaturation of the oil market. By all indications, oil prices are likely to remain the same unless U.S. shale oil production rapidly declines, or if OPEC nations decide to reduce their production of crude oil.

What it means for the consumer For the immediate future, American drivers will continue to buy gas at less than $2 a gallon. These savings translate into more discretionary income, or more money to put towards a savings account of larger purchase.

However, the long term effects of cheaper gas may become clear to the average consumer in time. York believes gas prices have a major effect on retirement plans and savings plans that center around "safe" investments.

"The lower gas prices hurt your retirement plans," York said. "You're invested in [oil companies], and the stock market reacts negatively to drops in gas prices."

Though retirement plans and energy investments may be suffering, consumers generally stand to gain from lower oil prices.

Cheaper gas means more money available to spend, save, or invest. NPR reports that many Americans are opting to save the money that would have otherwise been spent on the pump, instead of spending it. This is likely because of lessons learned during the housing market crash. While saving is a sound decision on an individual level, it does little to spur broader economic development or expansion.

That said, shale oil production is operating at a net financial loss. A shale oil crash could cause a significant number of job losses, but as of now, the majority of shale oil industry is still stable. The American Energy Information Administration has reported that shale oil production has only seen modest reductions.

While NPR reports that a number of American oil companies, mainly ExxonMobil, are posting severe drops in profitability, many of these companies have large cash reserves set aside to weather through long periods of high operating costs and low profits. A complete collapse of shale oil production is unlikely.

For the time being, it appears U.S. oil producers and OPEC nations are at an impasse.

Current supply levels still far outweigh the demand, but neither side is willing to reduce their production of oil. Until one side does something to significantly alter the available supply of oil, consumers can expect gas prices to remain more or less the same.

CONT. "FBLA REGIONALS" stuff and it's a great way for kids to experience things that will end up doing in the future like doing interviews, and getting up and talking in front of people. It helps give them a leg up when applying for a job," Mr.Dwyer said.

Students who are looking to join a club next year are encouraged to join FBLA, and learn these future assisting tactics. The things that you learn in FBLA could straighten the possibility of you earning your future dream job, or getting that bonus at work in the future.

Animation film festival CONT. "FILM" The event will be divided into sessions. Students will present the first ten animations, and after an intermission, there will be more animations presented to the audience.

Towards the end of the event, the students who entered to participate in the Film Festival, will be showing the audience how they created their work, giving them the opportunity to come up to the students and ask questions or even comment on the presentations.

Animation students have at AHS access to 3D printers, tablets and programs like MAYA which other schools do not have. They spend hours outside of school preparing their animation films.

"I am always amazed by the hard work and dedication students put into to the work they do," IB animation teacher, Suellen Merlo said.

"Students are just eating up their resources and learning new things about film and different programs every day."

The event is sure to attract a crowd and will hopefully become a tradition at Annandale.

"We hope to have people come see the animations at the festival, and just have a good time because it is a fun event," Merlo said.

MYP fair

Students come together and participate in the spirit day "Bahama Mama."

CONT. "MYP FAIR"

Spring Pep Rally canceled Students and teachers react to main spirit week event being eliminated

BY SERENE GHUL Staff Writer

The Annandale High School Auto Program needs your vehicle. By donating, you may be able to deduct up to the full value of your vehicle.

The process is fast, easy and helps the best automotive program in Fairfax County Public Schools. To schedule your donation, please call: Joe Desio, instructor, 703-642-4212 or email at jfdesio@fcps.edu

With the spring sports season starting, AHS looks forward to it's seasonal pep rally. Filled with relay races, games and fun activities, the pep rally is getting both students and spring athletes excited for the upcoming season.

The AHS leadership works hard throughout the year to put on these pep rallies, making sure they are fun for all while bringing the school together at the same time.

While some spring sport varsity athletes have been looking forward to the event all year, they were disappointed to find out only two weeks before the actual event that it has been canceled.

With the amount of snow days taken and the amount of learning time lost, the combination was what convinced the administration to take away the event.

"Due to the number of missed white days, administration made the decision to cancel the pep rally to protect instructional time for teachers and the students," Leadership president, senior Marem Atef said.

The pep rally takes place during W4, a class where students have the opportunity to work on homework

or do work with a teacher, so the administration thinks that the time could be put to better use by eliminating the pep rally. While many students are frustrated with the cancellation of the event, others say that they prefer that W4 can be used to do their assignments.

"I think it's better that the pep rally is canceled. With the pep rally being canceled, I have more time to work on my school work," sophomore Michelle Akl said.

For other students though, this isn't the case. Many varsity athletes feel that by canceling the pep rally, they are also taking away the recognition the athletes feel they worked hard to deserve over the years.

"I am upset to hear that pep rally is no longer happening because I feel the athletes put a lot of effort into their sport and deserve to be recognized for that,"girls" varsity lacrosse player, senior Lina Osman says.

Another frustration students face about the pep rally being canceled is how short notice the cancellation was.

"If we had known the pep rally was going to be canceled farther in advance, we wouldn't be as upset. We'd understand the decision," Atef said.

Although the athletes will not be getting recognized at a pep rally, AHS leadership is making sure to recognize these athletes at the battle of the classes that takes place on April. 29.

and give more information about their project and explain what they have learned. The MYP project is also a great way for the rising sophomores to look at and to see if that is something that they would want to do next school year. The projects conducted by the 10th graders will be put on display today in the Cafeteria during W4/ Pride time. There has been an inverted change to the bell schedule today and it is as follows: W2, W8, W6, and W4/ Pride time.

Sophomores chose a supervisor who guided them and assisted where it was needed. The English 10 teachers also worked with the MYP coordinator, Laura Wells to help the students with their MYP Project.

Wells went to each class and led each step of the way until the project was throughly completed.

I started talking to our 10th graders since the fall in October, Wells said. They started brainstorming what they wanted their topic to be about and the students then had to choose a global context. said Laura Wells.

If students needed help with their project or had any questions, Wells would offer extra help during pride time, after school, and English classes. Towards the end of conducting their MYP project, the students then wrote a final report summarizing everything they learned and reflecting on the process of how everything turned out.

I am so excited to see how everyone s project turned out and it s really fun to see how all the notes and research the students did turn into a polished final project! said Wells.

NEWS BRIEFS BOYS VARSITY SOCCER

SPRING BREAK

BATTLE OF THE CLASSES

Wed. March 16 Annandale Boys Varisty soccers will play Fairfax high school (away) at 7:00 pm.

Students and staff will have off March 21-28 for spring break. Classes will resume on March 29.

Battle of the classes will be held in the gymnasium on April 29 for all students to compete in.

SOPHOMORE PARENTS NIGHT

ATOMIC BLAST LAX TOURNAMENT

The girls lacrosse Atomic Blast All sophomore parents and students are invited to meet in Clausen Hall on Wed. March Tournament will be held March 18-19 on 30 at 7 p.m. to learn about all of the Ins and the stadium and practice fields. Exact game times are to be determined.

Outs of the college admission process.

STUDENT/FACULTY BASKETBALL GAME Tues. March 29 the atoms staff will play the students in the annual student/faculty basketball game. The game will start at 3:15 p.m. in the main gym.

VOLLEYBALL GREEN DAYS

JOB AND CAREER FAIR

A volleyball green day will be held on Wed. March 30 in the main gym from 3:30 to 5 for new and returning players.

AHS will host a job and career fair during an extended W4 class period on April 6. The fair will be held in the upstairs gym.

AUTISM AWARENESS SHIRTS

DAY OF SILENCE

To raise awareness for Autism T-shirts will be sold April 4 through the 29. Stop by room 22 to purchase one.

The schoolwide day of silence will be held on Fri. April 15. The day of silence is sponsored by GSA. Contact Joy Korones, GSA sponsor, with any questions.

6 ACADEMICS

March 15, 2016

IB Spotlight: Dong Kim

Sudoku

Q: How do you keep up with your academics and social life?

A: I don't keep up with my social life. I sacrifice my social life for my academic life. I don't have the brain capable of doing instant memorization nor do I have the time management skill that reaches 100 percent efficiency. Therefore, I have to spend more time and effort than my friends to keep up with my IB classes.

Q: What are your studying habits?

A: When it comes to studying, I give 100 percent effort into doing my homework. I believe the quality of homework tells a lot about a student. By doing my homework, I am reviewing the notes from the class, I am practicing the question/concept that was difficult during the class and I am taking extra notes to study for a quiz or a test.

COURSTEY OF AHS YEARBOOK

Q: What is your favorite IB subject?

A: My favorite IB subject is IB Theory of Knowledge. IB TOK changed the way I think of a question or a concept. Also, IB TOK offered me a chance to share, debate and communicate my thoughts with my peers. Finally, some of the movies I watched in TOK class were some of the unforgettable movies that changed the way I think and the way I see.

Q: What are your plans after high school?

A: I need more education and learning. Even with all the IB classes, I have so many questions in my head that cannot be answered with the knowledge I possess. want to focus on learning after high school.

I

Q: How are your IB exams coming alone so far?

A: I just finished my Spanish and English oral exams. I gave my best, so I am confident with my scores. Most of my classes are now preparing for the IB exams or on the last unit for the IB exams, so I expect more reviews and homework to prepare for the IB exams in May. Q: What was your extended essay topic?

A: My extended essay was about the political concept of the two party system in the United States.

Q: Is your only focus academics?

A: There is no doubt that I spend most of my time for academics, but my only focus is not academic. I am very interested in international news and politics.

Q: Who or what has helped you on your IB journey?

A: Without my friends and teachers, my IB journey would been a painful and arduous one. Sometimes I will text or call my friends for help on homework at 1 a.m. at night, and they are always supportive to help me. In school, my teachers stay after school, some even two to three hours after school to help me and other students.

Q: What advice would you give future IB diploma candidates?

A: Making the decision to enter the IB curriculum is not an easy decision to make. Some people will discourage you and others will disappoint you with words. However, you can't truly know the strengths and difficulties of IB curriculum until you give it a try. My advice for diploma candidates or future diploma candidates is to try. Remember you can't even use the words like "fail" or "give up" without actually trying.

How to Play: 1. Place numbers where they don't already exist.

2. The game only contains numbers 1-9.

3. The goal of sudoku is to place numbers 1-9 in the empty spaces so that each row, column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

Q: What school do you want to go to and why?

A: I want to go to a college or university that give me a lot of scholarship money. I spend hours of research to pick a college/university for my interest, so I am happy with whatever college/university accepts me.

SHOFF PROMOTIONS

COMIC BOOK & SPORTS CARD SHOW

Sunday, April 3rd 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Annandale Fire House Hall 7128 Columbia Pike Annandale, VA 22003 (behind and to the left of the fire station) Admission: Adults $3 18 & under FREE http://shoffpromotions.com/

HEALTH 7

March 15, 2016

Preparing for a new congested season Spring forward to pollen and allergies

BY SABRINA HAWA AND PHUONG NGUYEN With the Snowzilla and cold weather behind, spring weather has arrived bringing along with it another dreaded season of sniffles.

This year, a combination of the mild winter weather in the East and an early March warm up could result in an intense and early-starting season for sufferers.

Most students are relishing in the high temperatures that have been occurring the past week, but for some it is a nightmare.

"My allergies make me dread spring and all because I have to deal with these issues," senior Jacob Nguyen said. "I try to cope with it by sleeping and taking naps or putting in eye drops. Washing my face also helps."

Nguyen has suffered symptoms of hay fever most of his life. They especially impact him after school during outdoor practices for Boys Varsity Tennis. "[Allergies] makes me lose focus on my technique as I have to take care of my eyes and sinuses," Nguyen said. "I look like a pink puffy ball of eyes and nose boogers."

Spring break is approaching and it is difficult for students to avoid exposure to pollen during this time.

"Allergy season is really tough to deal

SABRINA HAWA

Health Editors

Over-the-counter allergy medication found across the street from school at CVS can provide relief for common hay fever symptoms

with," junior Nora Hasrat said. "It always hits at the worst time and I am never really prepared to deal with it."

Hasrat has dealt with pollen allergy since she was a child.

"I try to deal with it as best as I can but it gets hard sometimes," Hasrat said.

Hasrat typically takes over the counter medicine to deal with her allergies.

The transition of seasons prompts an increase in the amount of flower, tree, and grass pollen.

Allergens such as pollen and mold causes the immune system to trigger reactions that cause inflammation in skin, sinuses, and the

digestive system. This is what causes people to have itchy eyes and noses, conjunctivitis, and runny noses during allergy season according to Mayo Clinic.

"My eyes always get watery and my throat is always sore," Hasrat said.

Although allergies are not curable, there are many steps that you can take protect yourself from drowning in a pile of tissues this spring.

Taking antihistamines such as the familiar Benadryl, Allegra, Zyrtec and Claritin can relieve your hay fever.

According to WebMD, taking allergy medication before the peak allergy season

starts in mid-April will better prevent your nasal symptoms The effectiveness of each medication varies from person to person due to varying immune system so it is recommended to that you have different brands of each to find out which one works best.

With all these options, they do have some side effects, such as drowsiness.

"I do not want to risk taking medication because it will make me drowsy. I try to prevent this by taking naps after tennis practice," Nguyen said.

If medications do not work, allergy shots are an alternative option.

If you have to venture outdoors, be sure to monitor pollen counts to plan ahead your activities.

Senior Janan Gokturk has allergies more serious than your typical hay fever.

Gokturk has a severe pollen and nut allergy. Due to this, she carries around a Epinephrine Autoinjector or EpiPen. This device shoots epinephrine into the user's body and is used for the treatment of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction.

"I became severely allergic to nuts my freshman year. I've never had to use my EpiPen but I carry it in my backpack and lacrosse bag," Gokturk said. "My first reaction was during my field hockey game freshman year. I was taken to the hospital on an ambulance."

Carrying around this device is a primary precaution when having an allergic reaction.

"I have allergies to pollen. I take Allegra and when the pollen count is high I get acupuncture done," Gokturk said.

Acupuncture is a common method to cope with the symptoms that come along with allergies.

A study from Annals of Internal Medicine showed 71 percent of patients who used this method found relief from their allergy symptoms.

If you normally suffer from spring allergies, you are definitely not alone.

However, if symptoms worsen you must seek medical attention. Following smart allergy prevention tips will ensure you a sniffle and congestion free spring.

Survival of the fittest: Allergy season kit Eight essential items that you must have on hand to brave a new season of sniffles, sneezing and congestion

Humidifier

Tissue box

Having a humidifier in your room is an ideal way to clear your congested nasal passages. Be sure to clean humidifiers often because the buildup of bacteria in humidifier filters can do the complete opposite and worsen your allergy symptoms.

The most basic necessity for the sick season is tissues. Located in most every room in the school, they are an easy way to relieve your nose from congestion and perfect to sneeze into. Keep a box in your car and locker as well as a mini pack in your backpack just in case you need to blow your nose.

Clorox wipes

Benadryl

Keeping your surfaces clean is an easy way to avoid bacteria throughout your day. Simply wiping down your desks at home and laptop keyboards can prevent bacteria from transferring into your body.

Disinfecting wipes also come in a travel pack at your local drug store.

Hand sanitizer Hand sanitizer is one of the easiest ways to avoid getting sick. If you're not in a place where you can wash your hands, this is a perfect alternative. This kills all the bacteria that could build up on your hands throughout the day.

Nasal Spray

Antihistamines such as Benadryl are reliable for relieving allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, watery eyes and runny nose. These medications block the production of histamine in the immune system which initiates allergy symptoms.

Taking Benadryl causes drowsiness therefore be sure to finish your homework before you take a pill.

Have an itchy nose? Saline nasal spray provides relief for irritated noses and the sniffles on the go. Tackle hay fever by keeping a bottle in bag and taking a dose before venturing outdoors. Some nasal sprays are also decongestants, however do not use these over the spread of multiple days as they can worsen symptoms.

Vapor inhalers Nasal vapor inhalers can seem a little silly but are very effective when combating the sniffles. Simply insert into one nostril and sniff, this product can clear a congestion in an instant.

Eye drops Using eye drops is a common way to get relief for itchy eyes. They also can combat dry eyes which is another common symptom of allergies. Keep a bottle in your backpack or locker and simply squeeze a few drops when needed. They are available at drug stores including CVS across the street from school.

Atoms blood drive (Continued from page 1) happy to donate their blood to save lives.

"It's a great opportunity to help other people," senior Ashley Cha said. "I'm not really scared [to give blood] because I trust the people to know what they are doing." "[I'm] not really [scared] because I got my blood taken before at a doctor's office so it's not a big deal for me," junior Rosie White said.

When seeing that other students were signing up to donate, other students followed suit which led to the high registration.

"I donated blood this year because a friend encouraged me to," senior Andrew Peters said.

When checking in before facing the needle, students and staff were given a folder with information to read highlighting what they need to know prior to donating. Water was handed out to donors to make sure that they stay hydrated before and after giving blood.

Everyone was able to donate blood safely as no one fainted throughout the duration of the drive.

Depending on the level of blood flow, donors were finished within several minutes or

as long as an hour.

Red Cross planned over the span of many days to have a successful drive. When planning on holding a blood drive, the school and Red Cross need to coordinate mandatory paperwork through the American Red Cross in order to confirm the availability of the drive.

Multiple meetings were also conducted prior to the event in order to ensure a smooth operation like last time.

"Even after all the work; holding a blood drive is very satisfying because you know you are making a real difference," Red Cross President Abdul Noor said. "Through the hard work of both our sponsors and our volunteers, we were able to successfully run two drives [through this] collaborative effort."

Red Cross gave out ads to inform people about the blood drive and Atoms showed their leadership qualities when signing up.

Red Cross members have also volunteered to welcome and assist donors throughout the blood drive.

"I think this blood drive will go well," Atoms Red Cross sponsor Jessica Klein said.

"We know what to expect this time and we're hoping to involve next year's leadership so they are prepared for the blood drives in the future."

Senior Kerim Idris uses his phone in order to take his mind off blood being drawn from his arm at the Atoms Red Cross Blood Drive.

8 PHOTO

March 15, 2016

Get Spirited with the Atoms Sharktale Tuesday Students dress up as their favorite characters

Junior Madie Walsh and seniors Molly Gormley and Amanda Adenan take a step further and model as if they are actual tourists.

Students rep red, white and blue apparel to show their patriotic spirit

Sophomores Yvonne White and Lennon Wuhrer pose with seniors Amir Sajanie and Shelby Runolfson and junior Mollie Valorose.

Juniors Kevin Huynh and TJ Ullah take a break from working in class to show off their American pride.

Senior Vinicius Rangel "flexes" in his Louis Vuitton belt and classy outfit.

Senior Luke Daggle and Sarah Deible wear vibrant colors to bring out their proper side.

Sophomore Nicolle Uria and Ian Marburger wear blue and represent their class.

MARILYN RIVAS

Freshmen Yessica Diaz and Ximena Diaz show off their spirit by wearing green.

MARILYN RIVAS

SOULISA PATHAMMAVONG

Juniors Soulisa Pathammavong, Brahim Bangura, Sheila Aguirre, Marilyn Rivas and senior Dianna Agyeman students pose with one of their favorite English teachers, Sean Hardy.

MARILYN RIVAS

MARILYN RIVAS

Students dress traditional and preppy

MARILYN RIVAS

Great Atomic Reef Friday Students wear colors assigned to their grade

Junior Ceilidh Williams goes all out and even brings a pink flamingo to top off her look.

MARILYN RIVAS

Yacht club Thursday

SOULISA PATHAMMAVONG

SOULISA PATHAMMAVONG

Seniors Ruth Mamo and Vincent Rollins take a picture in front of the math hallway's unique wall.

Juniors Bintu Bangura and Fatmata Kamara dress up as the twins from the show Sister, sister.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMIR SAJANIE

Surfin' USA Wednesday

Sophomores Angela Kim and Rebecca Kindling dress up as Disney's Lilo and Stitch.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REBECCA KINDLING

PHOTO COURTESY OF MADIE WALSH

Students dress as tourists or in tropical clothing

PHOTO COURTESY OF REBECCA KINDLING

Bahama Mama Monday

Senior Symone Keolani stands out and wears the traditional toga.

PEOPLE 9

March 15, 2016

Now that you're 18, what do you do?

Teachers share stories about what they did when they turned 18 Brian Aldenderfer: English teacher Howard Dwyer: Business teacher Q: What was the first thing you did when you turned 18?

A: I went to a casino that you could be 18 to get into.

The reservation was in Syracuse, NY and I won $115.

Q: What was the first thing you did when you turned 18?

A: I went to dinner with my older brother and had my first beer. 18 was the legal drinking age back when I turned 18 for beer and wine.

Q: Were you older or younger than the people around you?

A: I was older for my grade.

Q: Did you do anything crazy?

A: My friends threw me a huge surprise party at my house when I turned 18.

Q: Did you do anything crazy?

A: No, not really. I went to the Fort Belvoir Bowling Alley with my friends and bowled a lot on weekends. I was still playing varsity football for West Springfield High School, so that took up a lot of my time.

Q: What did your parents do?

A: I always had to pay for my car insurance, so they made me keep my job and continue paying for that.

Q: Do you have a funny story about being 18?

A: My friends threw me a surprise party in my basement. They got DJ equipment and everything, and got a huge pumpkin with everyone's names on it that we smashed.

Joy Korones: English teacher

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOWARD DWYER

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN ALDENDERFER

Q: Were you older or younger than the people around you?

A: I was pretty much the same age. I turned 18 around Halloween of my senior year, so everyone had already been driving.

Q: Do you have a funny story about being 18?

A: I came back from dinner with my brother and when I opened the door into the house I heard "SURPRISE!" I stepped back out and closed the door. I was blown away. It was a really nice party.

Q: What did your parents do?

A: They gave me a surprise 18 birthday party.

Marcia Bellamy: Science teacher

Q: What was the first thing you did when you turned 18?

A: The legal drinking age was 18, so I had a drink!

Q: What was the first thing you did when you turned 18?

A: was on vacation with my family celebrating the Fourth of July in Washington, DC with my parents and cousins.

Q: Were you older or younger than the people around you?

A: I was born in June, so a little younger but it didn't make a difference to me.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOY KORONES

Q: Did you do anything crazy?

A: Not at all, I probably went to work and studied. Besides having a drink, I didn't do many "crazy" things. I did get to dirve my family's boat for the first time, though.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARCIA BELLAMY

Q: Were you older or younger than the people around you?

A: I was born on July 6, so Summer babies are always younger than their peers.

Q: Do you have a funny story about being 18?

A: I have nothing! I took five AP classes my senior year, so I spent most of my time studying. I was taking AP exams around the time I turned 18 as well.

Q: What did your parents do?

A: They didn't do anything, but by the time I turned 18 I had three months before I went to college so I was ready to get out of the house.

Q: Did you do anything crazy?

A: Not really, the crazy happened when I turned 21!

Q: Do you have a funny story about being 18?

A: I was 17 years old when I graduated; and after our commencement a group of friends went out to celebrate. I did not return home until sunrise the next day. I returned to my dad's truck being gone; I thought he was out looking for me but turns out he was just at work!

Q: What did your parents do?

A: My birthday is July 6th and my Dad's birthday was July 4th. He would always remind me that I was born late because I was supposed to be born on his birthday.

Heard in the Hall: Are you excited to be 18? Why or why not?

"Yes, because I'll be 'legal' and get to do whatever I want."

"I'm excited because I'll be going to college soon after I turn 18."

GEORGE TWENEBOA

GRACE HATCH

freshman

"No, because I enjoy being a kid and I don't want to 'grow up' just yet."

sophomore

GABE ALANA junior

"I guess I'm a little excited, because I'll get a lot more freedom when I'm 18."

NAOD GETACHEW

"Yes, so that I can go to concerts that require you to be 18 or older."

"When I turn 18 I'm excited to be able to vote and go clubbing."

TUCKER MACK

AMANDA VILLAGRAN

senior

senior

"I'm excited to turn 18 because I'll be able to purchase lottery tickets."

"Yes, because I'll feel older and a lot more independent."

COLIN COREY

FRANKLIN JOSEPH senior

junior

WHO AM I?

Andrew Leal

I attended Penn State University.

I was born in Winchester, Massachusetts.

Background: Graduated from AHS in 2015. Played on the golf and lacrosse teams.

My pets consist of two dogs, a Black Lab named Lincoln and Golden Retriever named Bear.

College life: Is a freshman at the University of South Carolina as a Biology major. He is currently pledging for Sigma Chi and participated in intramural soccer in the fall.

My favorite movie is Glory.

My favorite TV show is Mercy Street because it shows a glimpse of conflicting loyalties in Alexandria, VA.

Favorite class: Math 122.

Biggest fear at college: Bringing shame to his family. Also, falling behind in school and failing a class because he don't have a lot of free time between pledging and school work.

The coolest place I've visited is the battlefield at Antietam.

In my free time I like to work out.

If I could live any place in the world I would live in Florida because of the climate and I could On your swim in the ocean. smartphone, Before AHS I was a legal editor.

My favorite restaurant is Silverado's because of the salmon.

Alumni Postcard

scan this code using the application QR Code to find the answer to the Who Am I.

Best thing about college: Attending the football games in the fall, he loves going to the tailgates before the games. The weather is usually warm in SC, which is a lot better than VA. What I miss about AHS: His friends mostly, but also the diverse community.

Advice to graduating seniors: High school was a lot easier than college is, so enjoy the rest of your senior year while you can.

senior

10 IN-DEPTH

March 15, 2016

IN-DEPTH 11

March 15, 2016

DRINKING WHILE IMMATURE

10 teen drinking trends 1. Cough syrup is another way teens get intoxicated, mixing cough syrup and alcohol for a dangerous effect.

6. Pooling money to rent hotel or motel rooms to host small parties away from prying eyes of parents is popular.

2. The jungle juice is mixing different types of alcohol, fruit drinks, sugar, and fruits into a large bucket for everyone to drink out of.

7. Alcohol is hidden in sports drinks and juice bottles.

8. Mixing alcohol with Xanax is a new and dangerous trend which doubles the effects, and takes longer to leave the system.

3. A popular game played at parties is flip cup, where two teams compete to flip cups with one finger.

9. When posting pictures with alcohol, a lot of teens hide their alcohol by covering them with emojis.

4. A lot of teens are drinking the Smirnoff brand because of the many flavors it offers and its cheap price.

10. Miracle Berry tablets are taken along with beer, to reverse the taste and make beer taste sweeter.

5. Teens don't always drink in big parties, but a lot of the drinking is done in small groups while hanging out.

Beach week loses popularity Students choosing other summer activities

BY LINA AL-TAII Staff Writer Beach week is the ultimate ritual of a high school senior after graduation.

During beach week, seniors are supposed to plan out a week of fun at a beach house with their friends to celebrate graduation.

Seniors rent a beach house and split the cost with a group of friends to make it more affordable.

However, in the past couple of years, beach week's popularity has decreased.

Many factors have contributed to the decrease, including affordability, strict parents and the loss of interests.

"I personally don't think it's as popular because I think friends are more likely to choose their own alternative if beach week isn't for them," senior Rebecca Soulen said.

For some people, going to beach week isn't the highlight of their senior year and they would rather spend their time doing other meaningful activities.

"I'm not going to beach week because I'm going on a mission trip with my church to Brazil," Soulen said. "I never even contemplated the typical beach week because it doesn't appeal to me, but I jumped at the chance to go with my church because I love them so much."

"I never even contemplated the typical beach week because it doesn't appeal to me."

Rebecca Soulen senior Despite most students not participating in the event, some students are thinking about it and continue to think it is an important ritual.

Senior Brian Uglietta is participating in beach week with a few of his friends this summer after graduation. He says he is going because, "I want to celebrate finally graduating

high school and have fun with close friends of mine on the beach."

However, many parents are skeptical and unwilling to let their teens spend a week without any supervision.

Senior Brooke Thadeus had to miss out on the week because of college orientation.

"Parents are always hesitant.

They eventually realize once kids start getting into college, they are more lenient" said Thadeus.

Not only are parents scared for safety, but the expenses as well.

Beach week can cost hundreds of dollars per student.

"There can be a lot of expenses with food and necessities needed, but I believe it's worth it" Uglietta said.

Should the legal drinking age be changed?

"I think it should stay the same because regardless of the age some kids are going to do it, so it makes no difference."

"I think it should stay the same because teens aren't responsible."

ADRIANA RIBERA freshman

SOFIA QUINTANILLA freshman

"Increase the drinkng age because the brain isn't fully developed until 25, and it would make it harder for underage drinking."

MATTHEW VOGUS junior

"The drinking age should stay the same because the system already works."

WALEED AWAD junior

"I think that since no one follows the drinking age, raising it would discourage people while lowering it would encourage."

"I think it should be lowered because it's proven that most teens are able to tolerate alcohol at the age of 18."

JORDAN MOQUILLAZA

RYAN PEICH

sophomore

junior

"I think it should increase to 25 because there are too many drunk young people these days."

"I think it should decrease to the age that smoking is because there is no difference."

STEPHANIE SOLORANO

RAYAN HASSAN

senior

senior

Why I will never drink again A night a throwing up and hallucinations

Should the drinking age be lowered to 18?

YES

BY CORY PRINGLE Staff Writer

Lowering the age will decrease unnecessary crime penalties, ensure safety, as well as the fact that once one is 18. They are a legal adult who can make important decisions that can affect others lives as well as their own.

There are people in the U.S. who avoid getting charged for worse crimes than underage drinking, compared to someone who is being penalized for drinking whether they are simply trying it out because they are curious or for pleasure.

Alcohol should only be consumed by those who are responsible enough to handle it, but many of those who are underaged and irresponsible only drink because it is illegal, and drink purely to defy the rules.

In other countries such as China and Germany, the legal drinking age is 18 and it is proven that there are less alcohol-related problems there compared to the U.S. At the age of 18 many are getting ready to head off to college. Many students who go to parties are able to access alcohol very easily, whether it is provided at a party or it is purchased from another student who is 21 or older.

If the drinking age was lowered to 18 the rate of the illegal purchase of alcohol would greatly decrease, along with the amount of those who own fake identification.

Many believe that at the age of 18 you are too irresponsible to handle alcohol, but one doesn't magically become responsible in just a matter of three years. Saying that an 18 year old is too irresponsible to drink, but responsible enough to decide the fate of their country by voting, or is responsible enough to legally wed is baffling.

At the age of 18, all male citizens are required to register for the military draft, so why is that one is not too young to go out and fight for their country, but too young to have a nice drink at a formal occasion or any other event.

All of these are examples of long term commitments that require a lot of thought and affect someone else other than yourself.

NO

BY HEZEKIEL YONAS Editor in Chief

The drinking age shouldn't be lowered because those under 21 simply aren't ready to have the freedom to consume alcohol whenever they please. Yes, they're responsible enough to vote, to drive and buy cigarettes, but being able to drink is a whole nother level of responsibility.

Drinking can be the cause of car accidents, domestic violence, rape, etc. and that's very relevant to teenagers because they get drunk twice as quickly as adults do, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Some look to European nations, such as Netherlands, that allow 16 year olds to drink and use them as an example of why the drinking age should be lowered.

The fault in that argument is that according to ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs), Europe has more underage drunkenness, injury, rape and school problems due to alcohol and its effects.

Of course there are some individuals who can handle what's in their cup, but there are also countless occasions where there are people who can't do so. That's who the drinking restrictions are made for.

For the designated driver who couldn't resist a fifth of vodka.

For the boy who came from drinking and took our his problems by physically abusing a loved one.

For the innocent girl who got date raped after a guy slipped something in her drink at the party her friends pressured her to go to.

The reason why the drinking age is 21 and that it is such a responsibility is because drinking doesn't just affect the drinker, it affects all of those around them.

The victim in a drunk driving accident may not have even known the drunk driver, but the victim and the family of both drivers may be affected forever depending on the severity of the crash. A rape victim could end traumatized and emotionally devastated for the rest of their life.

So giving the right to drink to teens who haven't even graduated high school or college students, when parties are very relevant on campus, doesn't seem like the greatest of ideas.

BY ANONYMOUS Special to the A-Blast The first time I drank was a night that started off normally, with no sign of the troubles I would face later that night.

As like any other day, my close friends and I were hanging out at our local pizza restaurant, when one of their phones buzzed about a party close by.

I knew some of my other friends would be there, so I immediately jumped at the chance to go.

I had never been to a real "high school party" before, and I wasn't going to lose this opportunity to experience this age old ritual. I knew my friends would make fun of me if I refused, calling me a "goody goody."

The party was at a house I had never been to, about 15 miles away in a wealthy neighborhood, so I felt uneasy in this unfamiliar territory.

As soon as I walked into the party, the stench of sweat and alcohol hit me. The house was trashed, with bottles and cups lining the floors. The first thing I thought of was how long this was going to take to clean up.

There were couples going upstairs, people passed out on the floor and sweaty people dancing everywhere.

I never knew people actually partied this much, and I knew that I was never going to do that to myself ever. What I didn't know was how wrong I was.

As the music pounded people looked like they were having fun, laughing and dancing.

Seeing that, I decided, I needed

to let it loose with my girls and not worry so much about being the "good girl" everyone branded me with. Soon after, a guy offered me a drink. I hesitated for a second.

I knew there would be moral and physical consequences that I would have to deal with later on.

However, I wanted to fit in and be free, so I took the drink, a brown liquid. As soon as I took the first sip, I felt the first wave of unsteadiness.

The taste was strong and disgusting, but I didn't want to spit it back up.

Soon, I took another and another. For the rest of the party a filled cup was always in my hand.

I started hallucinating and unsure what was and wasn't, and to this day, bits of my memory are still a bit faded on what I thought was real and what wasn't.

All I know for sure was that I made out with more than one guy at

the party.

Toward the end of the party, I ended up in the bathroom. Looking at the clock, I realized how late it was.

Next to the toilet, I began throwing up uncontrollably. I slammed against the bathroom wall and the realization hit me, with all my other friends drunk, I had no one to turn to.

I was all alone and helpless.

Afterwards, I got up and realized my wallet was missing, and in the drunken state, the only thing I could think of to do was to walk home.

I stumbled with every step, unsure where each of my steps were landing.

I wasn't sure when I stopped walking because next thing I knew, my eyes were opening the sun was hitting my face. My head was lying on pavement and my head was

ringing.

On the unfamiliar road, I was unsure where and who to turn to. My head was ringing, and the only thing I could think to do was call a friend.

For the rest of the day, I was miserable and unable to do basic functions, like do my homework or my chores.

The rest of my weekend was ruined, I continued to feel the effects of the alcohol, it was almost unbearable.

With that, I knew that I would never drink again. Even with all the "fun" I was supposedly having, I would never get to remember it.

It wasn't like the movies, with laughing and hanging out with friends, but I was alone, and with no one to turn to.

All I could remember was the terrible migraines and the constant throwing up. Not only was I left with physical consequences, but I had to deal with the moral ones as well.

As soon as my mom found out, she grounded me for a month and I felt the disappointment in the weight of her words. Drinking left me with terrible repercussions to deal with.

Even with people saying it's fun and makes you a teenager, it is not worth the pain and embarrassment you feel the night after.

I'm glad that I was able to experience it to teach me a strong lesson in what drinking really does to you, but I'm here to say that the hype around it isn't what it's made out to be.

Drinking is not the only way to "let loose" and have fun.

People may make fun of me and tell me I'm uptight, but I now know first hand that my first night drinking was not worth it.

I should have let that night stay a normal and typical night.

Q&A with Student Resource Officer general, there are just more things you can do, so I think parties are more frequent when its warm.

In Depth Editor Binqi Chen talked to the SRO about his experience with alcohol and teens.

Q: What is the punishment for getting caught for alcohol?

A: I don't think I ever charged any kids because most of the kids who were left behind I didn't think it would be fair to charge them because they were caught and the rest of the kids who just ran faster wouldn't.

Q: How long have you been working with students/ in the school environment?

A: It has only been about a month, since Feb. 8.

Q: Has alcohol been a big problem on school grounds?

A: Not on school grounds, since I haven't been here for too long. While patrolling, I definitely dealt with a lot of kids that maybe they've gone out to a party. A lot of times it would be a party that was at a vacant house, an abandoned house, so I did encounter a lot of alcohol in that setting.

Q: What type of training did you have to go through in order to work with teens and alcohol.

A: Usually you do, but because the officer that was here before me got a spot and they needed him at the detective section at Mason station pretty much immediately. What normally happens is that they offer these spots in the summer time and then they do something called a Road DAWG (Don't Associate With Gangs), where all the Student Resource Officers get together and they put on a camp for at risk kids and then also part of that camp is the training.

It's three to four days of training that is put on by our academy and there is classroom instruction about school laws, administration, differences between what the school

Officer Adam Curcio works to protect students everyday.

administration can do and what the student resource officers can do, and what we can do together.

Q: What type of alcohol is the most prevalent that you have found?

A: It's usually cheap alcohol, primarily beer. Once in awhile people would have when they try to do more of a MTV party where they might have cheap champagne. That was only once or twice. The other times were liquor, such as vodka, and sometimes tequila.

Q: What happens when you break a party up?

A: At underage parties, everyone would run, some would stay. We would have to call parents. Usually we would have everyone destroy the alcohol and then dispose the alcohol.

Then we would tell the kids about the risks and the dangers of alcohol.

We tell them about what the consequences would be. Some officers might refer the teens if we have dealt with the kids a bunch of times or we know that they're involved with other risk behavior. We may refer it to the court and let them decide if they want to do a further hearing.

Q: Is there a certain time in the year where alcohol has been the biggest problem?

A: I think more in the springtime or summer. So towards the end of the school year where there are graduation parties. Kids who have their birthdays in warmer weather because more people can get a fit in the house and they might have a cookout in the back or people play football. In

Q: Was there ever any resistance from kids when they get caught with alcohol?

A: From high school students, no.

Most of the high school kids that I have dealt with getting caught were fine. I never had any kids that were insolent or rude. College kids that have already graduated high school, but have not yet reached 21 sometimes would get very rude. I don't know where it would come from or why they would disrespect law enforcement. I can't remember a time out of the 30 or 40 cases while I was working that a high school student was rude. Most of the times the teenagers understood that their parents would get called and they knew that they would have to be respectful or if they were jerks we would have to notify their parents. Not only might go to court, they'll also get punished by their parents.

12 INTERNATIONAL

March 15, 2016

English teacher goes to Scotland Teacher visits Scotland for two weeks to learn about literacies

BY NANCY EVORA International Editor

PHOTO COURTESY TO NIKI HOLMES

English teacher Niki Holmes is traveling to Aberdeen, Scotland for two and a half weeks, where she is learning more about literacy in Scotland and how the country teaches kids about literacy.

Holmes applied and was given the position to be the new literacy coach at AHS, a position that led her to go back to Scotland.

"I had an idea to apply for a Fulbright Grant (a grant given by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs) to go to Scotland because three years ago, I went there and taught school for a whole year," Holmes said.

This year's trip for Holmes will consist of different adventures and new learning that will give her a better understanding of how the world teaches literature to its students.

"I will meet with the Aberdeen literacy council and then I will go into three elementary schools and then I will look into my school which is a second- Photo on the left, English teacher Niki Holmes watches a highland cow in Scotland.

Holmes poses for a picture taken in Scotland. ary school. I will be there for three days so I can get the unique opportunity to work with students who Her trip and new experiences inspired Holmes to The obstacles of the language Holmes faced in a good understanding of how they go about their lithad extreme needs such as students with autism and apply for a Fulbright grant where she wanted to see Scotland helped her be more patient with students in eracy," Holmes said. how other countries around the world teach literacy the classroom.

However, this trip will be different from Holmes profound dyslexia.

During her trip in 2012, Holmes worked as an ad- to their students.

"I know because of my experiences over the there previous trip three years ago because she will not ditional support needs teacher in the student's class"Now I'm curious as to how they get our world of that I have to be patient and because I feel it and I be teaching this time, rather she will be observing to rooms. Her new experiences as an abroad teacher students and all of their students through literacies know what it's like to try to be polite and ask queslearn more on literacies overseas. "[my trip] it's an observational trip to learn and taught her how much she loves teaching young stu- preparation in a way that prepares them for college," tions again and again," Holmes said.

Holmes said.

Besides learning to be patient with students, she discuss more on literacies. I want to see how teachers dents.

"When I came back, I decided that I really loved Holmes trip to Scotland three years ago helped learned and related to students who came from other are targeting literacy reds in classes with students," working with young students, I started teaching to her grow as a teacher and person inside and outside countries and the challenges they face with English. she said. the classroom.

"I knew how to be patient before I taught here at Besides living in a completely new environment ninth graders and IB extended essay," Holmes said.

Teaching different levels of English such as English "The things I learned in Scotland, I used them AHS, which was 18 years ago. I had an understandwhere traditions were different from her American roots, Holmes enjoyed and learned a lot by living in a to incoming ninth graders and being the supervisor every day in the classroom and with my colleagues. ing of the difficulties of students coming into a new of the Extended Essay for IB diplomas gave Holmes I try to say hi to everyone in the hall," Holmes said. culture speaking a new language, but it was another different country on the other side of the world.

Just like any other person who travels to a foreign completely different circumstances for me to go in, it "I lived and taught in a community I knew noth- a new experience of exploring the different ranges of country, Holmes found herself struggling with the lan- was like I was a first year teacher that had to learn the ing about and that was very exciting, challenging and learning and writing.

Holmes's new knowledge of how Scotland's school guage and accents that are spoken in the area where whole new system," Holmes said. fulfilling," Holmes said.

Although Holme's trip purpose is to learn more Traveling to Scotland in 2012 taught Holmes differ- system works encouraged her to go back and focus she lived.

"The northeast of Aberdeen, where I'm going to be about global literacies, that will not keep her from ent ways to interact with students from all ages and this time on literacy.

"Scotland has a law that every student must be staying and where I lived before, inside the city every- having a good time and hanging out with her collearn more about the different needs that students given the [best] chance that they can get to show their body speaks English but the accents are heavy and it's leagues, during her trip she will also be celebrating around the world face.

Besides working with seventh and eighth graders learning and that happens through literacy assistanc- kind of hard to understand," Holmes said. "It took a her 58th birthday. lot of time to be able to communicate with them." during her teacher exchange experience, Holmes had es," Holmes said.

American Stories Student from different country shares her journey to the U.S.

BY BIRUKTAWIT ALEMU Special to The A-Blast Imagine moving to a country where most of the things are totally different from your country.

My journey to the United States started on May 15, 2011.

When I was told that I'm going to move to a new country, I felt very delighted and excited and considered it would be fun. The major differences about my country are the weather, education (schools) and the food.

My country has completely different weather. In Ethiopia, it's sunny for the whole year.

In fact, Ethiopia is known as 13 months of sunshine because we have 13 months there.

On the contrary, the weather changes every season here.

Summertime, in Virginia, is very hot; sometimes it is record breaking.

The winters in Virginia are very cold and we see a lot of snow.

In Ethiopia, you would not see much rain or snow.

I have never seen snow in Ethiopia.

When I first saw snow in this country, I loved it. It was very fun playing with the snow.

By now, you can clearly tell that the weather here is not even somewhat similar to the weather in my country.

Next, the education or school system between America and Ethiopia is different.

The schools here are way easier. In the U.S., there are a lot of opportunities to get a great education for everyone no matter how old you are.

It has a much better environment and great teaching styles.

On the other hand, back in Ethiopia, it is a different story.

Schools, in Ethiopia, are much harder than herefor example, in Ethiopia, the teachers do not give you written notes. It's your job to copy all the notes written on the board in a short time.

Also, in Ethiopia, the teachers are the ones who rotate from class-to-class each period while the students remain in one class the whole day.

Whereas, in America, the students circulate from class-to-class. That makes it boring in Ethiopia, but in the United States, it's good because it enables the students to refresh their minds.

The teachers are stricter in Ethiopia than here.

Meaning, they are very tough on the students.

To be specific, if you do not do homework, the teachers would hit you with a short hose.

Sometimes they put a pen or a pencil between your fingers, and then they squeeze your hand.

Moreover, the school schedule is longer than here; we have eight to 10 periods a day in Ethiopia.

It's difficult that way since almost all classes give homework, and that would make the students stressed.

We also use more technology in the U.S.A. than in Ethiopia.

With technology, the classroom is a happier place.

Students are excited about being able to use technology and therefore are more apt to learn.

I prefer American schools because it has a shorter schedule and a more relaxed curriculum.

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“Titus taught me how to be a safe driver, he is the best instructor out there, he is a very patient and skilled driver.

Titus is the way to go!

-Stephanie Ohene, alumni

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ARTS 13

March 15, 2016

PHOTO COURTESY OF RILEY PAYUNG

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAWN DE LOPEZ

Art showcase for IB art seniors

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAX KIM

PHOTO COURTESY OF LISA LE

Senior Robbie Weiner created this digital art piece. He modeled this scene around what he imagined the room of a child who wants to be a scientist would look like.

Senior Max Kim created this 3D print called Zomb. "I started working with 3D art midway through sophomore year and have continued working on it since," Kim said.

"I didn't expect it to become my main source of art at the time but as time went on I came to appreciate the amount of details you can put into the projects."

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMILLE COLLETTE

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARITY KAMARA

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANTONELLA GROSS

Senior Lisa Le created this piece called Eternal. Her artwork is about disorders and disabilities and aims to capture emotions that everyone can relate to and to use their weaknesses as strengths.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBBIE WEINER

Senior Shawn de Lopez created this piece called Descent 24 x 48, made with acrylic, ink. As part of his IB Art theme, this piece is a historical and artistic investigation of the Khmer Rouge, a Cambodian genocide that resulted in the deaths of over two million civilians. He depicted the best and worst of humanity. From left to right, a descent is made from spirit and religion, his grandfather Colonel Sangwar de Lopez, the skull of a regime victim, and Pol Pot the leader of the Khmer Rouge. Through the past two years of work, his strive has been to preserve his heritage and spread awareness of a history lost in ignorance.

On March 3, 11 IB art students put their IB art portfolios up in Clausen Hall. The IB art show is a once a year event were the IB art seniors are able to show their artwork done over the past years. The show consist of photographs, 3D sculptures, drawings, paintings and digital art. The show was up until March 14. During that time, teachers and students were encouraged to go to Clausen Hall and look at their artwork. Senior Riley Payung created this piece called space. It is a digital art piece. He made this piece because of his passion for space.

Senior Antonella Gross created this piece called Cinaed, The Misunderstood. This piece is a drawing of one of her beloved original characters and was made with colored pencils.

LEFT: Senior Charity Kamara created this piece called Promise, it's about making promises to yourself and keeping them. The red string is used to portray how people will sometimes tie string to their fingers as a reminder to do something. This boy is reminding himself to not forget who he is. That's why parts of the picture are uncolored. He was losing himself and he lost his color. "The meaning I wanted this piece to convey is not to lose yourself and not to conform to what people want you to be. Be original," Kamara said.

Senior Julia Nguyen created this piece called Sforzando.

This piece was inspired by the musical element, sforzando, meaning to play something very loud and abrupt. She used acrylic paint to create texture and a portrait looking at the viewer to convey an angry and menacing look.

Senior Bebhinn Tyree created this Pinwheel stitch blanket. "This is a Pinwheel stitch blanket that I crocheted over the course of a month. It was a major project for me, but surprisingly enough, it was extremely calming to work on," Tyree said.

"My older family members always got quilts from our great grandma as a going to college present, but I decided to put my own twist on it and create a blanket for myself."

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL HAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEBHINN TYREE

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIA NGUYEN

Senior Camille Collette created this piece called Snake Eyes. This piece was inspired by the many odds and possibilities of life, of the miracle of success and the eminent risk of death.

Senior Daniel Han created this piece called Cardinal 2. "This is one of an ongoing project/series of highly-detailed artwork that I've began to create, deriving from sketches in my sketchbook," Han said. The project displays different perspectives and aspects of a fictional world called Cardinal that he created in his imagination, driven towards the science fiction genre.

14 LIFESTYLES

JASHON REAMS, 12 When it's a little breezy throw on a quarter sleeved shirt paired with shorts! To add a little pop of color to your outfit, pick a shirt that has a graphic on it. Choose any simple black shoes to complete this spring look.

TEHYA MOSS, 11 It's spring time also known as the perfect time to add some bright colors to your outfit. A simple outfit can be accessorized to add some flavor. Basic white shorts can go with almost anything. Complete your outfit with some thong sandals.

March 15, 2016

JEREMIAH L. BETHEA, 11 The weather is changing and the sun's coming out, so rock your newest sunglasses! To make your look a little more dressy, add a button-up shirt and pair it with khaki shorts. Sperry Top-Sider's go well with this outfit.

SYMONE JENKINS, 12 On those windy spring days, pants are a great essential. A simple white pair of jeans can be paired with a basic colored t-shirt. Adding gladiator sandals can make a basic outfit more stylish. A simple necklace can put any outfit together.

ANA GRAY, 10 Dresses are one of the simplest things to wear but can be very stylish and laid back.

On days when it's a bit cooler, you can add a pair of high-knee socks to keep your legs warm. Dresses can easily be worn with boots, booties or a pair of sandals.

Spring foward with new trendy looks

BY SHEILA AGUIRRE Staff Writer Pack away all your winter clothing and bring all your spring clothes out, spring has come early this year. Transitioning your wardrobe to adjust to the newest trends for the warm weather is important when deciding what to buy for your new wardrobe.

The skater skirt, a girl's go-to skirt to wear throughout the spring, has been officially modified. Out with the plain and bland skater skirts and in with skater skirts that have different patterns or buttons to give them a pop. Skater skirts are essential to have, easy to pair with sandals, booties or sneakers. Skater skirts are virtually sold at every retail store, including affordable stores like

Forever 21, H&M and Charlotte Russe.

Skirts aren't the only essential bottom piece to have in your closet. From boyfriend to ripped, jeans are easy to pair with any shoes or shirt. Boyfriend jeans offer a more chic look to your outfit, especially paired with booties. Ripped jeans offer more of an edgy look to your outfit, depending how big the rips are. You can have the best of both worlds by pairing them off with booties or simple sandals.

Out with the uggs and in with sandals, warmer weather now means that your footwear choices vastly change. Sandal styles vary, so you'll be able to find a style that suits you. Last spring, lace up and regular gladiator sandals were huge trends. This season, of course, lace up gladiator sandals are making an impact.

They pair well with any everyday outfit and can spice up

your plain outfit.

"Damn Daniel, back at it again with the white vans!"

Josh Holz said. Vans are making a major comeback.

People are starting to wear the Sk8-Hi's or the Old Skool vans. Vans recently came out with a new color selection of Sk8-Hi's. They are very versatile and can be worn with t-shirt dresses or capris.

Two piece outfits are a new trend this spring season. These two piece outfits are usually made up of a basic crop top and skirt or shorts which show a bit of midriff. The outfit can be easily dressed up for an event or dressed down for everyday wear. They come in solid colors and patterns from floral to stripes.

T-shirt dresses became popular throughout the winter but were worn with tights underneath, now tights aren't required since it's warm. T-shirt dresses are

Personality Quiz 1. What do you like to do in your free time? a. Social media b. Sports c. Academics d. TV

6. What is your favorite restaurant? a. Chipotle b. Sweetgreen c. Panera Bread d. McDonald's

11. During lunch what do you and your friends discuss? a. Gossip b. Last night's game c. Post test discussions d. Geek sesh

16. Which adjective describes you? a. Creative b. Strong c. Knowledgeable d. Sarcastic

2. What do you see in your significant other? a. Looks b. Max Bench c. GPA d. Humor

7. What is your favorite car? a. Mercedes b. Dodge Charger c. Prius d. I'll take an Uber

12. Would you rather..? a. Party b. Work out c. Study d. Chill with friends

17. What is your favorite school subject? a. Journalism b. Weight training c. Math d. Cullinary

8. What is your favorite app? a. Twitter b. MyFitnessPal c. Blackboard d. Netflix

13. What is your favorite holiday? a. New Year's b. Thanksgiving c. Christmas d. April Fools

3. What is your favorite artist? a. Drake b. Future c. John Legend d. The Lonely Island 4. What is your dream job? a. YouTuber b.Professional athlete c. Doctor d. Actor 5. What is your favorite movie? a. Dope b. Remember the Titans c. Theory of Everything d. Ride Along

9. Who is your favorite celebrity? a. Kim Kardashian b. LeBron James c. Bill Nye d. Donald Trump 10. Which show do you like the most? a. Love and Hip Hop b. Friday Night Lights c. Grey's Anatomy d. Bob's Burgers

14. What is your ideal date? a. Going to a cafe b. Going to sporting event c. Study date at the library d. Double date 15. What do you do on the weekends? a. Go shopping b. Play sports outside c. Homework d. Netflix and chill

comfortable to wear and fit the body well. Although these dresses only come in basic colors, (grey, black, navy, pink etc), it's important to accessorize the dresses.

Accessorizing isn't only for girls. Guys also like to accessorize their outfits with simple items, whether it's a hat, sunglasses or a watch. Boys tend to go for hats more often because the design of the hats vary from their favorite sports team logo to their favorite city's name.

Sweat shorts are an up and coming trend for boys.

These shorts have a lightweight material making them feel soft and comfortable to wear. H&M has a range of these shorts in different colors for boys to pick from.

Get updated with a new spring wardrobe and make sure to spice it up. Be creative and express yourself through these different fashion trends.

Life Hacks Clear Nail Polish

18. What is your favorite food? a. Pasta b. Steak c. Salad d. French fries 19. Where is your dream vacation? a. Cancun b. Brazil (Olympics) c. Washington D.C. d. Hollywood 20. What is your favorite page on the A-Blast? a. Lifestyles b. Sports Xtra c. Academics d. Entertainment

If you mainly circled A: you're the type of individual that keeps up with the latest trends. You're really outgoing and enjoy socializing in places with a lot of people. You prefer materialistic things. You like to post your life on all of your social media outlets. You hate staying home and having nothing to do. You always have to be with friends.

If you mainly circled C: you're the type of person that prioritizes their education over everything else. You enjoy reading and relaxing whenever you can. Movies sound good on a Saturday night, but hitting the books sounds just as intriguing. You feel like you always have to be doing something. You're very productive with your time.

If you mainly circled B: you're more the athletic type. You enjoy discussing and participating in sports. You always search for opportunities to do physical activities. You love the outdoors. You also love focusing on your health and fitness. Setting goals is important to you because you always want to get better.

If you mainly circled D: you're the person that always makes your group of friends laugh. Humor naturally comes to you and you always put a smile on their faces. You're really adventurous and are always open to trying new things.

It's always a fun time with you because you bring energy to those around you.

FASHION SPOTLIGHT Salima Khan, 11

TIGHTS Girls are always purchasing new tights because their old ones rip.

You don't have to worry about that anymore; you can stop the rips from becoming larger by putting a coat of nail polish on them! The dried up nail polish really does the job well.

ENVELOPES No one sends letters anymore, but the only bad thing about birthday cards is licking the top of the envelope. You no longer have to go through the bitter taste.

Apply the nail polish on the top of the envelope and seal it! Keep this in mind upcoming seniors!

WATER PROOF MATCHES For all you campers out there, I have a little hack for you! The rain ruins your matches, but dipping a match into clear nail polish will get you the same results as if you were to buy ultimate camping matches.

Q: How did you learn how to dress?

A: Growing up as the youngest, I was inspired by my older sister and cousins.

Q: How long does it take you to get ready?

A: It takes anywhere from one to two hours depending on the occasion.

Q: Where do you like to shop?

A: Where I shop varies, but my go to spot is Nordstrom.

Q: How much do you usually invest in clothing?

A: I like to shop at the beginning of the season and I spend about $500 every season.

Q: What are your favorite clothing pieces?

A: My new balances and my grey trench coat. I can throw them on with almost anything.

Q: What are your favorite pair of shoes?

A: My Steve Madden booties.

Q: What is your outfit for school or a date?

A: On my last date I wore a light brown peacoat with a cropped cream colored turtleneck, with black pants and black heels.

PHOTOCOURTESY OF SALIMA KHAN

JEWELRY Every girl wears jewelry and continues to buy more because it tends to tarnish. It also turns your fingers green. To prevent that from happening, you can easily paint over your jewelry with a thin layer of clear nail polish.

Q: On your lazy days what do you prefer to wear?

A: On a lazy day I'd wear my bohemian pants with a simple shirt and cardigan.

Q: What is your favorite season to dress for?

A: Winter, because it's the perfect time to layer my favorite pieces.

Q: Do you dress to impress or dress for yourself?

A: I dress for myself because I don't care about the perception others may have of me.

Q: Who is your fashion inspiration?

A: My fashion inspiration come from people around me.

Q: What's your favorite accessory to add to your outfit?

A: My favorite accessories to add to my outfits are my jewelry from Afghanistan.

SPORTS X-TRA 15 Cricket club grows in numbers March 15, 2016

Senior Aditya Chaturvedi forms group to celebrate his native sport

BY SERGIO POZO If there is anywhere to start a club, it's at AHS for its multirace community which is open to trying new things.

Senior Aditya Chaturvedi took advantage of this and started his own cricket club.

Chaturvedi brings India's jeweled sport into the diverse and welcoming community of AHS. He has a distinguished background in the sport going as far back as his youth and halfway around the world.

"I first started playing cricket in India when I was eight years old," Chaturvedi said.

"I learned it by seeing others play as well as professionals on TV, such as Don Bradman from Australia and Sachin Tendulkar from India."

However, his venture with the sport didn't stop there.

He currently plays outside of the school as well.

This truly demonstrates his determination to master the game and be the best cricketer he can be.

"Today I compete in one of the highest ranking cricket teams in Virginia, the Indian Embassy Team. For practice I go to indoor cricket sessions and there are specific cricket Chaturvedi posing with his coach and former captian fields in Fairfax where our team practices," Chaturvedi said. already shown that the club can prosper, as it already has His passion for the game inspired him to create the more than 20 members, some of which have no expericlub last year so that others may share that same love for ence with the sport at all. the game.

"The goal of the club is to spread awareness about the Chaturvedi first created this club in the spring of 2015 sport," Chaturvedi said. It is surprising that even though with the help of his math teacher and sponsor Roberto it is the second most popular sport in the world, it is not Obando. popular in the U.S. Although this sport is uncommon in America, AHS has

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADITYA CHATURVEDI

Staff Writer

The club is not restricted to experienced players. Members of the group will help newcomers with the basics of cricket.

In addition, it's simply for fun because a lot of the members don't play cricket outside of the club or are new to the sport.

"We teach newcomers the rules and hope that they

become in love with the sport just as we are," Chaturvedi said.

Cricket also plays a deeper role than just a sport in the lives of individuals at AHS. It symbolizes a tie with their native country.

"I really want to join the club this year. It reminds me of life in Pakistan, how I would always play with my friends as a kid," junior Saud Shah said.

The first year of the club was such a success that Chaturvedi decided to have the club play during the fall season of the second year of the club.

Weather wouldn't allow the club to play during the winter so now that spring is around the corner Chaturvedi plans for another great season.

Sadly, the club faces a major dilemma. It has yet to find a field to play on close to the school during spring.

"During the fall, we would play in the softball field because it would be free. However, now that field will be used, we will have to find another field to play in. We plan to play in April so we don't have that much time left to find a field," Chaturvedi said.

One thing Chaturvedi needs not to worry about is the future of the club, because there are underclassmen in the club who can carry the club on their shoulders, like Chaturvedi's brother.

Chaturvedi plans to continue his time playing cricket not only in high school, but also later down the road.

"As for the future, I can definitely see myself playing as an adul. it will be a part of cardio and help keep me healthy," Chaturvedi said.

March Madness craze Top teams battle it out for the championship

BY SERGIO POZO

Recent March Madness Cinderella teams

Staff Writer It's march and that means the biggest annual event in college basketball has begun. March Madness is a NCAA basketball tournament held throughout the month of March.

March Madness got its name because of the craziness and excitement of the fans. Anything could happen and upsets are always a factor.

From the intense defense to the half court buzzer beaters, it's very easy to see the hype behind the sporting event.

"I have been filling out brackets since I was 10. March Madness has been a family event for many years and we always see who can guess the winner," senior Dini Mohamud said.

The tournament consists of 64 college basketball teams duking it out to determine the winning team that will take home the championship title. Each year millions of people from across the United States compete in a bracket challenge that requires them to predict the outcome of each of the games in the tournament. A bracket can be completed online or by pencil and paper. When creating your bracket, there are many things to keep in mind. Here are some Do's and Don'ts to consider when creating your bracket.

Do's: Look for upsets, don't just pick the higher seed, highly ranked squads get upset frequently, but don't just pick random teams, trust your instincts.

Don't: Just pick your favorite team, put all 4 number 1 seeds to be in the final four, pick a 7th seed or lower to win it all (once in the last 16 years).

The top four seeds for this year are Kansas, Oregon, North Carolina, and Virginia. In the first round the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks (30-4) are facing the No. 16 Austin Peay Governors (18-17). The leading scorer for the Jayhawks is the 6'8 senior power forward Perry Ellis. Ellis is averaging 16.7 ppg, and is one of the bright star in college ball. The head coach for the Jayhawks is Bill Self with a career coaching record of 575-186.

Another No. 1 seed team is the Oregon Ducks (28-6) facing against either

George Mason Year: 2006 Finished: Final Four

Davidson Year: 2008 Finished: Elite Eight

Butler the Holy Cross Crusaders (14-19) or the Southern University Jaguars (22-12) depending on who wins on Wednesday. The No. 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (28-6) will face the winner of the Thursday night matchup between Florida gulf coast Eagles (20-13) and the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (18-14). Lastly, the final No.1 seed is the Virginia Cavaliers (26-7) is facing against the No. 16 Hampton Pirates (21-10). The leading scorer for the Cavaliers is the 6'5 senior guard Malcolm Brogdon averaging 18.7 ppg.

Students at Annandale are deeply invested in the tournament and have developed favorite colleges to root for.

"I want Virginia to win because I want to rep Virginia and because Malcolm Brogdon is a beast," senior Darwin Canales said.

Year: 2010 Finished: Lost Championship game

VCU Year: 2011 Finished: Final Four

Wichita State Year: 2013 Finished: Final Four

16 SPORTS

March 15, 2016

BY DAVID PARK Special to The A-blast Although falling short 12-18 to nationally ranked Paul VI in their first scrimmage, the Atoms still look ahead to the regular season with high expectations.

"We really hit the ball well," senior Brian Uglietta said.

"Our pitchers looked good, and we have a lot of pitchers to use this year."

Coming off last year's season in which the Atoms earned a 14-7 record, tying for the best regular season record in the conference, the Atoms still look to improve and attain even more impressive feats this year.

"We have hit in the batting cages of the tee and off each other. We also have thrown and worked on pitching and fielding," senior Tucker Mack said.

Individually, the Atoms have also extensively prepared.

"I worked out with a pitching coach twice a week in the winter," Mack said.

Trough this much hard work and dedication, the Atoms seem poised

to achieve great accomplishments this year.

With large amounts of preparation during the offseason, the Atoms possess high expectations coming into the season.

"Conference championship and deep into regionals are goals that we have our eyes on," senior Grant Thompson said.

Having seven returning starters, the Atoms are in high spirits going into the regular season.

"Energy is really high. Everyone's excited to get the season started and make a run. We've played together as little kids," Thompson said.

"A lot of us have been waiting for this moment and talking about it since we were little. It is our last bang as a team."

Synergy is crucial for a team to have in order to outplay opponents.

A team can achieve it by playing with each other for a long time.

"We have played baseball with each other since we were kids, senior Colin Corey said.

This really shows the familiarity among members of the team as they have grown up with each other, allowing them to learn each other's

COURTESY OF DAVID PARK

Baseball looks to improve

Seniors Colin Corey and Tucker Mack getting ready for their game

instincts and communicate more effectively during games.

These abilities will enable the Atoms to play more efficiently, resulting in less errors, as well as exception play, making more plays during games.

The Atoms have looked forward to baseball season all year long, ever since last year's crushing defeat to

the T.C. William Titans in the first round of the conference playoffs with a score of 4-5 in overtime.

"It gives us good experience and a lot of motivation to prove what we can do,"Thompson said.

Winning the conference championship is not a simple task, especially in a conference that is filled with formidable opponents.

"Lake Braddock, T.C. Williams and West Potomac will be our biggest challenges due to their good pitching," Mack said.

Additionally, the Atoms possess some weaknesses. The seniors who graduated last year provided great pitching throughout last year's season.

"We have had pretty dominant pitchers in the past two years

compared to this year," senior Tim Johnson said.

The Atoms do believe that their strengths outweigh their weaknesses to a great extent.

"We are a pretty good hitting team. Always have been," Johnson said.

Next on the Atom's agenda is a scrimmage against Episcopal High School.

Following is the first conference game at South County High School against the Stallions.

Then, the Atoms travel to Myrtle Beach where they will participate in the Mingo Bay Classic.

A total of 12 teams from all over the East Coast compete against each other.

"It should be competitive and fun.

It is good baseball to get us ready for the rest of the season. It is an opportunity to build team chemistry as we start the season," Johnson said.

Please come out and show support for your Atoms as they can build off the energy and win games!

Athlete of the week: Beau Hatch

Girls soccer has strong goals for the season to come

BY SHEILA AGUIRRE & LUCIE LEFBOM Videographer and Staff Writer Coming off of an average 5-8-2 record last year, the girls varsity soccer team is looking to come back stronger this year. After losing eight seniors last season, the new additions to the team have big shoes to fill. They've started to prove themselves in their first two scrimmages, where they beat the Marshall statesmen 1-0 and tied the Hayfield Hawks 1-1. As the season progresses, the team hopes to continue on an upward trend with a winning record.

Our goal for this season is to get as many wins as possible and hopefully do well when districts come, junior Gabriela Jordan said. Our team does really well with taking shots on goal, but we need to work on communication and having accurate passes. The team has been working on having good chemistry to improve this.

Many of the girls on the varsity team come from separate travel

teams, so working together with different playing styles and strategies is an early problem that they face.

Having good chemistry is a crucial factor in a successful team.

The different playing styles the girls have help contribute the strength of the team as whole. The team's wide range in skills helps them work together well and try different drills throughout each practice.

Although the team has new members, they plan to continue to try their hardest to get to know each other. The team makes time to bond.

"We are going to be doing a lot more bonding activities with each other like little [sister] big sister," senior Savannah Ross said.

"It's early in the season, so one of the toughest challenges right now is learning to work as a team," senior Natalie Jones said. "We have to build up our trust and communication, and these things will come with time as we practice and play more together. The biggest change is that we lost some good defensive players, so the dynamics changed. However, we just

gained some new ones and I have high hopes for them."

Although the season has just begun, the team has their eyes set on other teams who will be tough to beat.

"Toughest opponents is probably tied between Lake Braddock and South County," Ross said.

As their upcoming schedule consists of tough teams the girls believe enough hard work to come out with a positive outcome.

The team plans on beating their opponents with drills to up their endurance. "Working on shooting, conditioning and ball control," senior Casey Goettlicher said.

Come watch the varsity girl's team compete at home tomorrow as they play Fairfax High School at 7:15

Q: When did you first know that lacrosse is your favorite sport?

A: I liked the speed and contact of the game and at the time soccer was just getting to be really boring and lacrosse just really had my interest Q: What made you want to start playing lacrosse?

A: I'd say I knew lacrosse was my favorite sport when I was starting to compete at a really high level on travel teams and big national tournaments Q: What do you do usually before a match?

A: Normally I listen to music and check all my equipment. I like to

sometimes joke around with the guys and mostly me and Caleb try and find one another mind set and get ready for face off Q: What was the best moment in your lacrosse career?

A: My favorite Lacrosse moment was probably the whole season I played varsity as a freshman. I got to play with some awesome senior guys like Joe Birmingham, Max Ruffing, James Terrell, Jack Johnson and a lot of others. Them along with coach Magliscuao really taught me what it means to be a Annandale lacrosse player. It really changed me as an athlete and set me up for a lot of success I've had in high school lacrosse Q: How do you and your team celebrate a win?

A: Normally when we win the team celebrates with a lot of laughter on the bus and good spirits

A: I think we all deal with losses differently as a team. Its a individual thing. For me my dad has always been able to help me and explain my frustration after a game. But normally after a bad loss I like to be with my teammates or I like to be alone and think about what happened.

Q: What's the hardest thing about Lacrosse?

A: Lacrosse I would say is tough to pick up and be good at. Being athletic defiantly helps. You have to practice for a while it takes a couple seasons to and practice to learn how to shoot and throw at fast pace with accuracy. I'd say stick skills is probably the hardest thing to learn.

Q: what do you do in the off-season to prepare for lacrosse?

A: In the off-season we have green days and a lot of guys try and get together and throw with one another to try and build chemistry

Q: How do you and your team deal with a loss?

COURTESY OF BEAU HATCH

Senior Savannah Ross celebrating after a goal against South County

Senior Beau Hatch has played all four year on varsity for his high school career. This year, he is working harder than ever to get his team as far as they can go.

Q: When did you start playing Lacrosse?

A: I started playing lacrosse in the fourth grade

Senior Beau Hatch hitting an opponent v.s. The Westfield Bulldogs

COURTESY OF BEAU HATCH

COURTESY OF SAVANNAH ROSS

Senior varsity athlete excited for the season

Senior Beau Hatch running with the ball in hopes of scoring a goal against South County

SPORTS 17 Boys lacrosse expects improvement March 15, 2015

The boys lacrosse season is off to a start and the team is ready to rise in the ranks and perform well this season. Like all new teams, they are still getting adjusted to new teammates and the new team dynamic, but the players are hopeful for a successful season.

"We're off to a very enthusiastic start," senior Franklin Joseph said. "We're developing as players and as a team."

The team has already played two scrimmages this season against Oakton and Fairfax.

The boys struggled at both of the scrimmages and took two losses.

Although the team faced some challenges in the scrimmages, they still have the rest of the season to improve their technique and skill.

"From what I saw at the scrimmage, we need to work more as a team," senior John Paletti said. "I think there is going to be a long road ahead of us."

After the results of the scrimmage, the team is ready to fix their mistakes and learn to play as a team before their first game against South County High Senior Caleb Britton uses his body to make some room for an open shot at the cage.

School on March 22.

In order to do so, the team has been practicing challenge for the team because the season has just begun Although the team struggles with communication on every day in order to be at the top of their game for the and many of the players are new to the team, and some the field, the players are a close knit bunch off the field rest of the season. and at practice.

"I think we are somewhat prepared for the game, but are fairly new to the sport as well.

Junior Michael Nguyen is optimistic that the team can This bond is important to have within the team. It there are still some different skills and such we still need succeed even though some of the players are somewhat helps the boys understand, encourage and look out for to work on," Paletti said. each other.

One of the skills the team has been struggling with is inexperienced.

"We're doing pretty well for a team that is made up The team friendship also produces a more fun expericommunication. It is crucial for the team to communicate with each other as well as with their coaches. It is impor- of a bunch of new players," Nguyen said. "Some of the ence for the team throughout the season. new guys are just athletes and they picked up the sport "No matter what, we encourage each other to do our tant for the team to function as a whole. best," Joseph said. "We are like brothers."

Team communication and awareness has been a pretty well."

The team's off field communication is great, but it is still important that they work on their communication on the field during their games this season.

Another challenge the team faces is their individual skill. It's important to be able to play as a team, but personal skill and ability is crucial as well.

The scrimmages helped the players understand what skills they need to improve upon.

"One of the biggest challenges we are facing as a team is the lack of stick skills because most of the new players have only been playing for a year," Paletti said.

Because of these challenges, the coaches have been helping improve the boy's skills by running them through drills every practice and focusing on certain techniques that the team has been struggling with.

"In order to help us improve, the coaches push us to our full ability and a little more so we keep improving," Nguyen said.

It is important for the team to have coaches who encourage their players. It is also important that they recognize the areas in which the team needs practice.

Working as a team and improving skills will definitely help lead the team to victory this season.

The team is looking forward to their first game and hope to pull away with a win. Although the season began with a rough start, the boys are hopeful for a successful season ahead.

"The team has potential to be successful this year because we are working hard to fix our mistakes and we always practice our hearts out like we'd play in a game," Joseph said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CALEB BRITTON

BY GRACE HOGYE Staff Writer

Heard in the halls: What sport is the most expensive?

"Basketball because AAU costs a lot of money."

"Travel soccer because you have to pay for hotels and all of that."

ANTHONY CARTER

ALPHA KOROMA

freshman

freshman

"Football because of all the extra things you need aside from equipment."

"Lacrosse because the stick comes in separate parts."

WILL POSTIGO

GRACE HATCH sophomore

sophomore

"Baseball because there is different equipment for different positions."

"I think swim because of the spirit wear that comes along with it."

NGOC-TRAN NGUYEN

"It depends on what level of sport you're trying to play."

SASHA SILVA junior

"Baseball because I think the bats are like $500 or something."

KATIE PACAK

ABDULAHI ABDALLA

senior

senior

junior

Sophomore Elizabeth Corcoran straddles the bag to get the out against West Potomac last year.

BY GRACE HOGYE Staff Writer Softball season is now in full swing. The varsity team has already played two scrimmages and are looking forward to their first away game against South County High School on Mar. 17.

"I think we are ready for our first game, but there is always room to improve," sophomore Elizabeth Corcoran said. "We just need to work on situation awareness."

The girls started off the season strong and won their scrimmage against Jeb Stuart High School.

The players are confident they will have a successful season and be able to accomplish more wins.

Although they did well in the scrimmages, there is still a lot of work and improvement the girls need to put in before playing in their first game.

A new hope for girls track As the 2016 spring season is underway, girl's varsity track shows a lot of potential early in the start of their season. With many new runners, the team is ready to work with each other to improve their times.

Returning senior Danielle Robinson maintains high hopes for the upcoming season.

"We'll definitely see how it goes this season but I have nothing but positive feelings for this upcoming season," Robinson said.

Although their previous coach resigned, the team is ready to better themselves with the help of their new coaching staff. Their readiness and eagerness to learn from their new coaches will aid them to a fresh new season.

"It's definitely different this year now that I'm a senior and with an awesome new coach," Robinson said.

"This season is different because there's a lot of underclassmen and fewer seniors," senior Hassa Koroma said. "We also have two new coaches who have taken over so we do more weight training which is led by the football coach and practices run longer."

The team is expecting to

ALEX ZERNIK

BY ALMAZ ABEDJE AND MELANIE VALENCIA Staff Writers

Senior Asaada Hatch runs at practice

encounter many new challenges and old hardships. While some players practice with their team, some runners get help outside of school in order to help them prepare.

Second-year track member senior Asaada Hatcher intends to make the most of her first an d only season.

In addition, many team members learn the difficulty of balancing school work, home life and extracurricular activities.

"Having a job, balancing work and being the President of BCAA is going to be difficult, however, with solo practices I can make it work," Koroma said.

Returning players, like senior Shannyea Wichard, try to make their last season a memorable one, starting with how well they perform with one another.

"The difference about the team is the team's chemistry," Wichard said.

"We're working on becoming a closer team."

Although the team is mixed with new and returning players, their goals are very similar: states.

"The goals I personally have for this season is making it to states with the girls 4x1 [or relay] team and possibly nationals," Wichard said.

As she has broken numerous school records, she strives for the highest recognition in her final run as an Atom.

Similarly, Hatcher plans on putting in the extra effort during practice.

"To prepare for the upcoming meet, I will push hard during practice and give my all," Hatcher said.

The team's first meet is the Carolyn Legard Relays Invitational on April 2nd at W.T. Woodson HighSchool.

Because it is a new year and a new season, there are new players.

It can sometimes be difficult for the new players, as well as returning players, to learn how to play on the same team. Although it is a difficult and challenging situation, the players still stay optimistic about the new season.

"We have a lot of new girls on the team so there are a bunch of things that we still need to work on," senior Kasana Nguyen said. "We are doing extremely well considering this situation."

The girls are also challenged because they have been given a new coaching staff. It can be difficult to transition from one coach to another, but the girls seem to have dealt well with the transition. Many like the change and the results they are seeing because of it.

"Our coaches have been so great at making sure everyone knows how

to do everything," Nguyen said. "I can't wait to see how well we do."

Even though the girls were given these various challenges, their win at the scrimmage displayed that they are coping well with them as a new team. Although the team is still quite new, the girls are already beginning to bond and improve their communication as a team.

"The team is pretty close and we are all friendly with each other," Nguyen said. "We are all in different grades, so we don't see each other around school, but when we are on the field, it feels like we hang out all the time."

The season is off to a great start and the girls are improving in various aspects of the game. They are hoping that their scrimmage wins reflect the rest of the season ahead.

The team continues to practice every day and work hard to keep up their winning streak. They are

hopeful that they will continue to do well and learn from their first game against South County.

"We will try our best at our game and whether we win or lose doesn't matter, as long as we have fun playing and are improving," Nguyen said.

"That's all that matters."

The girls are hoping to bring the softball program at AHS backup to par this year,. A lot of the girls have a positive look on the season to come.

"I think we will do well because of our coaches who played softball in high school, and their perspective of the game is a lot more of an experienced style in the field so I think we will have a successful season, and hopefully make it past round of the playoffs," Corcoran said.

Boys track starts back up

BY LINA AL TAII Staff Writer Spring track is getting into gear for the new season and preparing many new goals to be met. There are many things they wish to do. Whether they are old routines or new plans for their goals, everyone has a common goal.

Working out and going on runs during the off season has helped many of these boys transition back into spring season without any setbacks.

"Working out on the off season helps a lot by making sure you stay in shape," sophomore Natnal Endalkachew said. "It helps you stay and get faster and I'm definitely happy to be getting back into shape."

Getting back into shape is just as important as getting back into the mindset for the new season.

"I've been getting into the mindset of track by doing a lot of cardio workouts and trying to eat right," junior Lucas Michael said.

Most of the athletes have thought about what they want to achieve and what goals they are setting for the new season.

"My goal for the most part is to end the season with a bang, help Annandale rise back up in track and

ALEX ZERNIK

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZABETH CORCORAN

Softball prepares for the upcoming season

Junior Jalen Jackson warms up for jump practice

have as much fun as I can," senior Nana Forson said. "I plan on being a team leader while setting an example for the athletes younger than I am."

"If you have a goal for each season regardless of what it may be, you have a motive, and if that motive has great value, it carries you through the season," Forson said. "But without a goal, you'll just continue to run

aimlessly and never truly improve unless you come up with a new goal in the process."

Endurance is an aspect of track which most athletes agree can change their results dramatically and improve their performance.

"I want to run for a long amount of time, so it can help me improve my endurance while running a two mile," sophomore Zaid Al-Kahfah said. "It's been easy, since I was running during that time off and getting ready for the new season!"

One problem which track athletes have had in the past is not being consistent with coming to practice.

"Dedication and commitment are the most important parts of success, with people coming to all practices and giving their all every practice. If we stay dedicated and motivated we can get better and have a good season," junior Lucas Michael said.

All in all, the boys track team is ready to work hard for their goals and start off the season the right way by working hard and staying focused and dedicated.

18 ENTERTAINMENT Epure and Jae Clip Q&A

March 15, 2016

TES LAMIN

TES LAMIN

Annandale artists take the school by storm via Soundcloud

Epure and Jae Clip have quickly gained fame among AHS students recently.

BY HEZEKIEL YONAS AND DANIEL YENEGETA Editor in Chief and Entertainment Editor Senior Justin Foster has seen an uproar of attention from his AHS peers amidst the release of rap songs under the alias of Jae Clip.

His singles, "I Get It," "Walked In (Freestyle)," "Dead" and "Eulogy," have received critical acclaim amongst students.

"I hang out with Foster every other day at lunch and I didn't think he had it in him, but now that I ve heard him rap, I realized how talented he truly is," senior Matthew Michael said.

Also on the rise is senior Tes Lamin, known as Epure, who has been making music ever since the age of five. His song "Look at What You've Done" has over 12 thousand plays on SoundCloud.

"Tes is really talented at what he does and he definitely shows

promise as a young producer," senior David Park said. "It's inspirational in a way because he's persistent on chasing this dream."

We conducted Q&As in order to get a better understanding the up-and-coming artists' creative processes.

Q&A WITH EPURE What made you decide that you wanted to release music? How did you get your start producing?

It's funny because I was really into music, but I originally wanted to be a DJ. I got my first computer when I was in kindergarten and started figuring things out.

Music has always been a part of me so I can't really explain where it came from. I've been surrounded by it since birth.

I got SoundCloud when it first came out circa '07-08. I used to beatbox, live loop and upload my songs,

as well as my mixes.

I was still producing at the time but I never uploaded any of my beats or songs, eventually I just went for it and started posting beats and starting streaming on UStream and Stickam back in the day and people started listening and liking it so I kept with it. Thank you, Internet.

Who are your influences when it comes to making music?

Timbaland is my favorite producer, to be honest. He changed up the producing game and introduced a lot of new sounds to hip hop.

Another huge influence of mine is Ryan Leslie. He's basically a renaissance man when it comes to producing.

I picked up on that a lot when I started producing, I can do just about anything I want in the studio and I'm pretty thankful for that skill.

I grew up around a lot of African and dance hall music, along with a lot of hip hop, so I can't really say a specific genre because my musical influences are pretty diverse.

How long does it usually take to make a beat? Describe the process of making one.

It usually varies randomly. It's

either 20 minutes or an hour to almost two months.

Either that, or I work on a song, get tired of it, save it and leave it alone, then I'll randomly come across it on my hard drive and just pick up where I left off.

How long have you been interested in music?

Like I said before, I was born with music surrounding me. I'd probably have to say my whole life.

Where do you see yourself, in terms of with your music, five years from now?

That's a good question. I honestly don't know. I'm just doing me for now and seeing where it takes me.

Q&A WITH JAE-CLIP What made you decide that you wanted to release music?

I always felt I was good at it, so I made it into something.

How do you react to this new wave of attention?

I just give thanks and am grateful for people liking it.

How did you get your start making music?

TES LAMIN

TES LAMIN

Epure's logo, which was inspired by his obession over birds.

Top: A Technics vintage tape player, Above: Epure's master keyboard, a MIDI keyboard with 49 keys that controls about everything in the studio.

I hit up Tes, known as Epure, and started recording at his house.

How long does it take to make your songs, and what is the process?

When I'm by myself, I write a lot.

It can be pretty quick, like a day or two. My process is I turn the TV off, sit by the heater and just write.

Who are your biggest influences when it comes to music?

Some people who influence me [are] Lil' Wayne, Drake, Kendrick [Lamar] and Montana of 300.

Student produces comedy channel

BY DANIEL YENEGETA Entertainment Editor Senior Trevor Boynton created his IMA Comedy YouTube channel in January, and has been consistently uploading weekly videos ever since. He has been making videos since childhood, and has now devoted himself to a main channel.

Boynton approaches topics ranging from the college application process to the NHL with biting sarcasm and wit.

"I like his sarcasm," senior Ananda Poudel said. "It kind of reminds me of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory."

Boynton showcases his ability to

comment on both lighthearted topics, such as his "Dora is Evil" video, and more serious events, such as presidential politics. His two videos, "If Republicans Addressed the Issues" and "If Democrats Addressed the Issues," parody both the liberal and conservative rhetoric of the 2016 presidential race.

"His topics are pretty much always hilarious," senior Amiansu Khamal said. "I guess you could call him an amateur John Oliver."

We conducted a Q&A with Boynton to better understand his creative process.

How do you come up with ideas for your videos?

I try to think of things that are socially relevant. What I want from my videos are to make people see things from a new perspective.

I try to think of things that everyone has some knowledge of and then see if I can twist how people see it in an absurd way.

How long do your videos take to make?

The amount of time it takes to make a video varies greatly from video to video.

Videos that are just quick jokes, such as "5 things that should not be acceptable" or "Satirical hockey headlines" are fast to write

and don't take much time to memorize.

Other more monologue type videos like "Romeo and Juliet is Terrible" or "I Don't Get Sports" take much more time to write and film especially because they are more character based.

Describe the creative process of making a video.

My creative process usually starts with the conception of an idea. Once I come up with an idea I create a character around it, though the first two steps can sometimes happen the other way around.

From there I start the writing process.

This is the hardest part of the process. I

need to make sure that it flows as well as possible and that the jokes are frequent.

With today's YouTube, things need to be fast paced and entertaining or people will lose interest.

Once my script is written, I will revise it.

Sometimes it goes well the first time and I only make minor changes. Other times whole jokes or even sections are rewritten.

In the case of the Romeo and Juliet video, the whole script was scrapped and rewritten.

Once the writing process ends I figure out how to play the character. From there filming is the final creative step.

How long ago did you start?

I've always had an interest in comedy and YouTube is the easiest and best way to get yourself out there. I started making videos in elementary school and have had many incarnations of my channel. IMA Comedy is my main channel now and is almost my exclusive focus now.

TREVOR BOYNTON

TREVOR BOYNTON

Who/What influences your comedic style?

My biggest influences are mainly musical in Frank Zappa and Bo Burnham, their satirical style is incredible to me. The YouTuber who influences me the most is probably Brandon Rogers with his absurdly eccentric characters How often do you make videos?

I make videos every week. They release at the start of the week on the minute (12 AM Sunday morning).

What upcoming video game releases are you looking forward to?

"I'm looking forward to EA Sports Ultimate Fighting Championship 2."

FARES AYOUB freshman

"I'm looking forward to NCAA Lacrosse 16 because I like lacrosse and it looks cool."

CAMERON FOTI freshman

"Mirrors Edge, because its a reboot of the series with stunning graphics redone fighting mechanics, and a new interesting and puzzling story."

XAVIAN HENSON junior

"I don't know about any good games coming out very soon, but it looks like Overwatch is going to be a lot of fun."

BEN BETTS junior

"The game I'm looking forward to the most is Halo 6 because the series stems from my childhood. It's also because the last Halo was so bad so I need redemption."

JACOB NGUYEN senior

"I'm looking forward to Doom because you can shoot Satan in the face with a 12 gauge shotgun."

SPENCER LIMON senior

"I look forward to the release of Overwatch, an FPS developed by Blizzard with objective based matches. I'm excited because it looks super cool and I'll be able to play online with my friends."

"I'm looking forward to Ghost Recon Wildlands and the new Hitman Game because they're both open world tactical shooters that are unique and have crazy graphics."

ANNIE PHAM

senior

senior

PHILLIP DELCORE

ENTERTAINMENT 19

March 15, 2016

DC to kick off its own shared film universe Students anticipate the release of Batman v Superman

Test your DC Universe knowledge!

Entertainment Editor All comic book fans alike know that Marvel Entertainment has excelled in their venture to create a shared universe between their movies that they have released since 2008, something they call the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the MCU). DC may be late to the party, but don't let this discourage you from jumping onto the hype train. "[There will be] a lot of big names coming to screen and it's going to be history in the making," senior Jashon Reams said.

Starting off with the 2013 film Man of Steel, DC is creating a universe between their upcoming films. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the second film of the shared universe, while setting up the Justice League film that will arrive in 2017.

Henry Cavill returns in the film to play the everlasting hero Superman, his second appearance as the Kryptonian alien. Ben Affleck takes the mantle of Batman in the film, replacing Christian Bale as the mainstream representation of the hero. "[Ben Affleck] has the charm to play Batman. I'm going to miss Christian Bale, though," junior Maddy McCrossin said.

The film will bring the two heroes together in a battle, both wary of the other and their respective intentions.

Wonder Woman is also thrown into the mix, played by Fast and Furious 6 star Gal Gadot. No one knows as to the extent of her role yet.

One of the trailers introduced the villain Doomsday as a monster created by Lex Luthor using the body of General Zod, the villain killed by Superman in Man of Steel.

Doomsday is best known as the villain that "killed" Superman.

The film will also introduce Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher as Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg, respectively. These roles will help set up the Justice League in the next film.

Batman v Superman will be the second time that Cavill plays Superman, and the first Batman film for Affleck.

The only member of the Justice League that hasn't been cast yet is Green Lantern (at least not publicly, anyways). Hal Jordan and John Stewart have both been reported to be in Green Lantern Corps, coming in 2020.

Jordan has been confirmed to appear in Justice League Part Two. Actor Tyrese Gibson, also known for his roles in the Fast and Furious films, reported last year that he was in talks with DC to play a role in the film.

Shazam has also been confirmed to be a part of the universe. However, it is unknown whether the character will make an appearance in the Justice League films. Like Green Lantern, the casting is not confirmed yet. However, yet another star from the Fast and Furious films, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has been confirmed to play as Black Adam, Shazam's biggest foe.

For some people who aren't fans of superhero movies, the amount of comic book adaptation movies are pouring out at too fast of a rate. However, this isn't stopping fans of the film.

This is even true for people who don't watch many superhero films, there aren't too many coming out, like senior Ashley Britton.

"No [there isn't an oversaturation of superhero films] because there are so many different superheroes that deserve time in the spotlight. I'm still waiting for them to make a Blue Beetle film," Britton said.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice releases March 25.

1. Who was the first Green Lantern?

A: Alan Scott B: Ridley Scott C: Hal Jordan D: John Stewart

6. Who was the original Red Hood?

A: Jason Todd B: The Joker C: Bruce Wayne D: No one knows

2. What is Wonder Woman's name?

A: Carol B: Harley C: Barbara D: Diana

7. Who put Batgirl in a wheelchair?

A: The Joker B: The Penguin C: Bane D: Scarecrow

3. Who is Shazam's biggest foe?

A: The Joker B: Black Adam C: Lex Luthor D: Parallax

8. Who is Ocean Master to Aquaman?

A: His dad B: His son C: His brother D: His cousin

4. How many members are in the new Justice League movie?

A: Five B: Six C: Seven D: Eight

9. What is Cyborg's real name?

A: Dick Grayson B: John Jones C: Garfield Logan D: Victor Stone

5. What is Batwing's alternate identity?

A: Lucius Fox Jr. B: Alfred Pennyworth Jr. C: Bruce Wayne Jr. D: Tim Drake Jr.

10. Who isn't in the new Justice League lineup?

A: Cyborg B: Martian Manhunter C: Aquaman D: Green Lantern

11. Who is Selina Kyle?

A: Poison Ivy B: Batgirl C: Catwoman D: Supergirl 12: Who is Bizarro an enemy of?

A: Superman B: Batman C: Aquaman D: Wonder Woman 13. What is the name of the place Wonder Woman is from?

A: Themyscira B: Gotham C: Wakanda D: Asgard 14: Who is Nightwing?

A: Dick Grayson B: Jason Todd C: Tim Drake D: Damian Wayne 15: Who is Mazahs?

A: Black Adam B: Shazam C: No one knows D: Lex Luthor from an alternate universe

Answers: 1: A, 2: D, 3: B, 4: C, 5: A, 6: B, 7: A, 8: C, 9: D, 10: B, 11: C, 12: A, 13: A, 14: A, 15: D

www.telegraph.co.uk

BY AHMAD AYUB

Which do you prefer: Marvel or DC?

"DC because they're savages."

TRAE ALLEN freshman

"Marvel because I like what they do and how they have funny jokes and they each have their own world."

"Marvel because of Spider-Man." URIEL SEJAS sophomore

"Marvel because the superheroes are better."

"Marvel because "DC because it's more they're seen in movies serious and Marvel is more often." more childish."

GENESIS LARA

FATAMA KAMARA

SAUD SHAH

sophomore

junior

junior

"DC because of the Justice League."

DAVIAN GONZALEZ senior

"Marvel because of the Avengers and Captain America."

AMANDA ADENAN senior

MAGDALENA IGLESIAS freshman

Zayn to release solo album

BY ALMAZ ABEDJE Staff Writer

BY KIRK LINDBERG Staff Writer The sixth season of the most highly anticipated HBO series, Game of Thrones, is premiering its first episode of its latest installment on April 24. In preparation for this special event, HBO has decided to release each of the current 50 episodes in order up to the release of season six.

This great idea started when the Game of Thrones Twitter account tweeted, "50 days. 50 episodes. Count down to Season 6. #GoT50." Each season of GoT consists of 10 hour-long episodes, and there have been five seasons total, hence 50 episodes.

"I think it was a big mistake on the creators and writer George R. R. Martin's part to decide to kill off [Jon] Snow.

I feel like part of the show will be missing without him. It just won't be the same watching the show, but I am still super excited for season six," junior Brandon Ho said, who is an avid viewer of GoT. Thousands of Twitter users worldwide who are fans of GoT took part in the support of this event and tweeted #GoT50, which ended up trending worldwide on Twitter.

Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama series that is based off George R. R. Martin's series of novels that started with A Song of Ice and Fire.

The show itself is for older audiences because of the very graphic material and sexual content. GoT is notoriously known for killing off main characters that the viewer base have grown attached to.

SPOILER ALERT: A perfect example of this was in the ending of season five when one of the main characters, Jon Snow, was betrayed and murdered.

This caused an uproar all over social media; from grief

popsugar.com

www.josepvinaixa.com

Former member of the wildly popular British-Irish boyband One Direction, Zayn Malik, has entered the spotlight as his solo career has taken off.

His breakout single, "Pillow Talk," debuted at No. 1 in over a dozen countries, including the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, making him the first ever UK artist to debut at number one with their first single.

Ever since he left the band in late March 2015, fans have been skeptical about Zayn breaking out and becoming a solo act given the five years that he put into the band. Although he has received much criticism for leaving the band, his single really resonated with some people.

What really caught people's attention was the music video, specifically who was in it. Current girlfriend and model Gigi Hadid made a not-so-brief appearance in the video, constantly showing displays of affection towards new beau Zayn, adding onto the already steamy song.

Senior Gelila Reta, who has supported the split from the group, had very kind words to say about the single accompanied by the music video.

"I loved the song and I think that the 'Pillow Talk 'music video was really good," Reta said. "It was different though, I liked it; it was a good start to his solo career."

Avid One Direction fan senior Hibo Ali, however, was

not too ecstatic about the video.

"I thought the 'Pillow Talk' music video was a bit extra with all the graphic designs and everything, but I kind of understood it because when he was in the band you could see how graffiti was in his style so that explains the art effects," Ali said.

In regards to who was in the music video, Ali wasn't impressed.

"I think that he played himself by making Gigi Hadid a part of it,"Ali said. "I personally wanted to see him and a maybe a different girl."

In addition to "Pillow Talk," he released the song "It's You" which was also accompanied by a music video. Shortly following the release of his second single, the Bradfordborn pop singer released his third single, "Like You Would."

Along with releasing new songs, the solo artist has remixed one of his own singles with rapper Lil Wayne as well as remixing Chris Brown's "Back to Sleep" with Usher.

For the most part, he has received praise for all of the singles and his new album is highly anticipated, especially by One Direction fans.

"His solo career will definitely be successful since a lot of One Direction fans, like myself, will keep his music on the charts," Ali said.

Mind of Mine is set to release on March 25.

Game of Thrones season six

Emilia Clarke is reprising her role of Daenerys Targaryen.

to anger, GoT fans from all over the world took to Twitter and Facebook and shared their opinion on the matter.

There has been a large amount of speculation on whether Jon Snow will come back, or if he is dead for good.

Viewers know that at the end of season five Snow is actually dead, but there are opinions and theories on multiple ways in which he could come back to life, which is possible in this fantasy world. The actor of Snow, Kit Harington, said in interviews that he wouldn't be present in season six except in the appearance of his corpse. This left thousands of viewers disheveled and without hope for the return of their favorite character.

If you have not watched the show and wants to take part in the 50 day countdown, they can watch the first few episodes they missed and jump right in. Although, warning, the show is highly addictive and can result in binge watching.

Kendrick releases throwaways from TPAB Eight untitled and unmastered songs released

BY HEZEKIEL YONAS Edtior-in-Chief

album. It could've easily fit into To Pimp a Butterfly with its discussion of racial issues as he raps in the perspective of every race. He rhymes, "That's what the white man wanted when I rhyme, telling me that he selling me just for $10.99," claiming that he even when he makes money off of rapping, his bosses will always have a larger profit off of his success. "untitled 04," the shortest track on the album, epitomizes the album as a whole. It contains an overarching theme, a truly creative idea, but it just sounds incomplete. R&B singer SZA sings "They say the government mislead the youth, youth, youth, youth. And welfare don't mean well for you, you, you, you," as Lamar secretly whispers in the background. newsweek.com

Hip-hop mogul Kendrick Lamar released his latest project, untitled unmastered., a follow-up compilation to his Grammy award winning album, To Pimp a Butterfly.

The album is eight tracks worth of unfinished demos from his last full-length LP that fans (including LeBron James, apparently) have wanted him to release for download after he performed some of these tracks on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Colbert Report.

Like his last album, this compilation includes elements of jazz, funk and soul, but this project lacks the same grandiose production. It also doesn't feature the complex messages and intricate lyrics, it just contains his half-baked thoughts.

Yes, effort was put into untitled unmastered., but not the same as a Section .80 or a good kid, m.A.A.d city. It wasn't meant to be a genre-changing album, it's

just throwaway tracks. In other words, simply food for the fans.

But these tracks give us an insight of what's going in the mind of King Kendrick, and it seems as if he's as pessimistic as ever, talking about his separation from God on numerous occasions.

The album starts off with R&B singer Bilal attempting to be sexually enticing- keyword: attempting- and then the track flips to a beat that could've come off an Earl Sweatshirt LP. Kendrick finishes the song off with Lamar's 2016 Grammy performance was a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement. a fast-paced verse filled with passion. He talks about everything from "running in Show with Jimmy Fallon. He isn't as animated as he was place trying to make it to church" to how the rap game during his live performance, he sported a more nonchashould be eternally grateful to him for releasing classic lant flow on the album version. The verses are filled with his raw ideas albums. "untitled 03" is the first untitled track that was perThe album continues with "untitled 02," a track that features lyrics from his performance on The Tonight formed and he played it prior to the release of his last

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20 WEEKEND Spring Break Break Down Get inspired by these ten ideas for how to have fun close to home over your week-long break

1. Take a day trip down to the beach

With the weather getting warmer, taking a trip to the beach will allow you to spend some time in the sun with your friends.

This beach trip does not have to be anything too fancy. Pack up some sandwiches and soda and put them in a cooler. Load your car with friends, balls and towels.

You can rent chairs from the beach shops or simply use the towels you brought from home to lay down and read a book, get a nice tan or just gather up and spend some time with friends.

Go to the beach take pictures, have a picnic and just enjoy the less crowded beach. This is your chance to get away from home and enjoy the beautiful weather in a different setting.

March 15, 2016

8. Go see the cherry

4. Visit Kings Dominion

blossoms in bloom

Enjoy the thrill of rollercoasters at an amusement park! Since spring is just beginning, tickets are still cheap and the park opens on March 25.

The atmosphere is a high-spirited and happy place. You can enjoy funnel cakes, pizza and different types of ice creams. You can take pictures with your favorite characters from TV shows.

"Kings Dominion is really fun because I like riding roller coasters," senior Aaron Boyd said. "I liked being able to enjoy it with my friends."

During opening weekend, Kings Dominion will be having a special Easter Eggstravanza special This will include a scavenger hunt, petting zoo, and Easter-themed picture opportunities.

the art at 5. Experience the Renwick Gallery Take a trip to our nation's capital to see the art displayed at Renwick Gallery. After a two year renovation the gallery is back better than ever.

With free admission, there is no reason why you can't take in a day of art. The gallery offers art from contemporary artists and features multiple extensive collections.

Visiting the gallery will allow you to experience culture and modern art. After a day of absorbing art, go eat lunch at the national monument and enjoy the beauty behind D.C.

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. is something everyone should experience since we live so close to the city.

Even if you've gone before, the cherry blossoms are beautiful in bloom and act as a great back drop for pictures!

The festival has been a symbol of the friendship between the United States and Japan since 1912, and is celebrated with parades and parties in D.C. Although most of those events don't start until late March and early April, the peak bloom for the cherry blossoms is estimated for March 18 to 23, so visit soon!

9.

Busboys and Poets, first established in 2005, is a community center that serves as an outlet for local talent. Located in Shirlington, Busboys and Poets allows you to enjoy a meal while being engaged in different events.

The restaurant was inspired by the poet Langston Hughes, who was once a bus boy aspiring to be a poet. The events they offer include poetry slam, watching the debate on a big screen and open mic night. This will be different than your typical dinner because you are able to engage yourself in conversation and story-telling.

The menu is American food with breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner being offered. Make sure that you check their website online before going if you want to customize the type of performance you will experience.

6. Watch a Washington

2. Enjoy the outdoors Take advantage of the wonderful weather outside and get active. This is the perfect time to enjoy the weather before it gets too hot.

It is easy to become lazy over the break but being outdoors does not always have to be boring and exhausting. Spring break is all about enjoying the outdoors and taking in the beautiful weather.

"I really liked how beautiful the scenery was and I had fun hiking," senior Mongnhi Nguyen said.

Great Falls is the perfect way to enjoy nature and get a good workout in. Wear comfy athletic clothes and hike the trails with friends.

3. Have a water balloon

Capitals practice

Washington Capitals hockey games are popular events in Northern Virginia, however, many people don't want to shell out the money for a ticket every time to see their favorite players in person. A good option for that is to watch the Capitals practice at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex at Ballston mall in Arlington.

The Capitals hold their practices there and the public is able to go watch freely. It's a great opportunity to see your favorite players without paying the price to see them in an official game! Sometimes people are even able to meet the players after the practice, something that would be close to impossible at a regular season game.

10. Have a picnic at

Gravelly Point Park

Located in Arlington, Gravelly Point Park is a large grassy area perfect for having a cook out or picnic. You can also experience the thrill of having airplanes fly right above your head since the park is located next to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is what the park is known for!

The park also offers a path where you can either bike or walk that allows you to take in the scene that runs along the river.

"Gravelly Point is one of my favorite places to go because it's so calming and beautiful," senior Molly Gormley said.

Bring a picnic basket and enjoy lunch in a different scenery.

This is the perfect place for a date. You can watch the planes land and take off and even snap some pictures along the way. If you go during the busy time period you can see up to 30 planes in an hour.

7. Be spontaneous and

fight in your yard

go on a road trip

If you feel like there's nothing to do in your area why not grab some friends and hit the road? A change of scenery is good and since you have a week off you have a lot of extra time!

Take a break from the homework teachers assigned for the week, grab a map and pick somewhere you haven't been before. Half the fun of taking a road trip is the journey there, so bring snacks and make a playlist for the drive!

A road trip is memorable because you get to see new sights all while being in close proximity with your friends.

You can drive with the windows down and sing-along to throwbacks.

A water balloon fight is an inexpensive way to spend the day with your friends. Grab some balloons and fill them up with water. Make sure to have a large supply because the fight can get intense.

Pick a neighborhood where you have places to run and hide this will make the game more fun and will allow you to create obstacles. Divide into groups or have it be an every man kind of competition. This is an inexpensive way to have some competition and get your hands dirty.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Yama Sushi

Discover local talent at Busboys and Poets

328 Maple Ave W, Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-7703

BY CAMILA SORUCO Staff Writer Yama Sushi Restaurant is an up and coming Japanese sushi restaurant located in the Vienna Plaza Shopping Center, next to the New China King and Vocelli Pizza, that's open every day after 11:30 a.m.

At first glance, it may seem like an ordinary small restaurant with nothing special, just another restaurant with a white sign but once stepping inside you immediately see its unique personality.

It's decor is impeccable, with even the smallest and looked over areas carefully decorated.

As soon as you open the door, you are welcomed in by the chefs who prepare their sushi in front of their clients. Some of their clients look to take a break from their lives and enjoy their meal in a separate and much more quiet area, that is located in the very back on the left side.

The customer service could not be better the waitresses were able to attend everyone very quickly and checked up on them frequently after their food arrived.

The sushi was incredibly delicious, I was fortunate enough to order a bit of everything on the

Seniors Jeffery Montano and Raphael Yu pose before they take their last official sports photos.

menu and there was not one thing to complain about. It tasted fresh and you were able to really taste all of the ingredients. The pricing of the foods range from $11 to $30.

The food was authentic and the setting of the atmosphere is calm and relaxed. This would be a perfect setting to go experience your food cooked live while enjoying conversation with friends or family. This would also be a great place for a date because with all of the action you can take away the pressure of a first date.

The only flaw I saw was that

everything you order is given to the entire table. Nobody gets their own sushi plate, which may be a problem since the food was so good and there's no way of stopping greedy hands from eating all of the food.

Overall, it was an amazing restaurant with a variety of options.

For those of you who stay clear from sushi because of the idea of eating uncooked fish, Yama has many options to fit your specific taste.

For dessert, I tried the Cheesecake Tempura. Yama also offers

ice-cream, sherbert and other options to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Once I was done eating, I paid the check and was on my way out.

You're able to experience a whole new culture of food while seeing your food being cooked right in front of you.

I was surprised to hear the staff and chefs saying goodbye and thank you. It was a very great experience and I would highly

recommend it.

Aside from the delicious food, the entire staff was friendly and really cared about you being well taken care of. Yama is also a loyal supplier to many businesses and venues, such as Westwood Country Club. Make sure to drop by and grab a bite at Yama; I will definitely be returning.

Restaurant Rating:

A

Class of 2016 Bulletin To-do list: March Edition Come support girls lax in the Atomic Blast Tournament on March 19 Keep an eye out for those college decisions coming in!

Senior girls, start looking for prom dresses!

97

days until graduation