Issue 5

A

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL

the VOLUME #61 ISSUE 5

4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 470

Informinng the Atoms siince 1954 4

Mostly Sunny

58 40 TUESDAY, DEC. 8, 2015

(703) 642-4229

STUDENTS TO PAY FOR BUDGET SHORTFALL ALL

Proposals include charging students fees for sports, tests

$100

BY TEAGAN FOTI News Editor Fairfax County Public Schools is one of the largest and wealthiest school districts in the country, with an annual budget of $2.5 billion to support the over 180,000 students enrolled in its 196 schools and centers. However, the diverse needs of students doubled with enrollment growth, higher health insurance as well as an increase in retirement and salaries amidst other issues have led to monetary crisis for the county.

The county as a whole has cut nearly half a million dollars and 2,000 positions since 2008, spending $1,000 less now per student than they did eight years prior. But more cuts have to be made to cope with the projected $72 million shortfall for the 2016-2017 school year.

One potential way to reduce the budget crisis is charging students to take IB and AP courses. The exact fee that students would have to pay hasn't been released but it is predicted that the county could make $3.8 million by charging for the courses.

"It's a very tough decision to make, but I understand why it is being considered," IB science teacher David Tyndall said. "My concern is that any student should be able to take an IB or AP class regardless of whether or not they can pay for it, instituting a fee would prevent some kids from taking it."

Many teachers see the IB students as leaders in the community and think that all of their hard work shouldn't be rewarded with fees to take the classes that they dedicate so much time and effort to.

"IB students help set the standards, the high standards that are continuously being displayed to the rest of the country and when you get down to it every state and county in the United States compares themselves to Fairfax County," IB business teacher Howard Dwyer said. "I am a firm believer that all my IB kids, and all I have are IB kids, are the future leaders of this country, therefore they deserve to have Fairfax County pay for the IB programs that they are taking."

Along with charging for certain courses, sports are another item on the chopping block.

The county has suggested drawing back the number of sports teams that it supports. The amount of cuts that the county could make

Increase in parking pass fees from $200

+ $250

Charging

to play sports

+ Entry fee for three IB and AP classes and tests

$210

TOTAL POSSIBLE INCREASE OF STUDENT FEES

$560 OR MORE *excludes free-reduced lunch* pertaining to sports varies and are featured on the budget tool.

If all freshman teams were eliminated, the county could potentially save $1.1 million, and cutting all JV teams would save $2.3 million.

If the county was to cut funding for sports

altogether, the deficit would be reduced by $8.9 million.

"Cutting JV and/or freshman teams would lead to weaker varsity teams," junior athlete Sheryl Fox said. "Our JV and freshman team feed into our varsity teams so without them

I think our varsity sports teams would fall behind."

Additionally, athletes could be charged to participate in sports. The county has proposed making students pay to play. The fee would be in addition to the cost of spirit wear, practice gear, uniforms, equipment and any other expenses that the particular sport may have.

If students have to pay a $150 fee for every sport they play, the county could make $2.7 million annually. If charged $200 per student per sport, the county revenue would increase by $3.6 million.

"The school board is trying to ask families to offset some of the costs," Mims said. "I think it s unfair to charge students the full price, but if they charge something to offset the price I think that is totally fair. If I had a wish it would probably be for each kid to pay $30 [to play] or $50 if they play multiple sports, I think that would help to better offset the costs."

Some of the other solutions to the shortfall include making class sizes larger, which would lead to the reduction of staff members but would save the county anywhere from $3 million to over $10 million. Charging students to take the PSAT would save $.1 million, eliminating language immersion programs would save nearly $2 million and returning all kindergarten classes to a half day school day would reduce the budget issues by $39 million.

"The entire Fairfax County community has a critical decision to make: either we invest the necessary funds in our students and schools, or we will have to work together to decide what to cut - and we cannot cut our way to excellence," Superintendent Karen Garza said in a statement she released on the FCPS website.

Currently, 23 percent of funding for the county comes from the state, 70 percent from the county itself, which is primarily raised by real estate property taxes, and seven percent comes from other outside sources such as the federal government, out of county tuition fees, cable franchise fees and building rental fees.

The income of the county has remained the same, while costs to run it have risen. 22,000 students have joined the school system in the past eight years and as a result nearly half of FCPS schools are over capacity or are in need of some form of a renovation.

"I think the school board is doing a good job at looking at all of the aspects of our county see BUDGET pg. 5

New opportunities for special education students Students collect cans for families in need

BY SERENE GHUL Staff Writer Clearing the stands and gathering in circles, guitar classes are getting together with special needs students to make music and make a difference.

Russell Kee, Guitar teacher at AHS, has been teaching special needs students how to play different musical instruments. These lessons have been going on for years, but this year special needs students are given the chance to do more than before.

These students have the opportunity to learn how to play many different instruments like the drums and onestringed instruments that play different melodies.

The special needs students come into the guitar classes a couple times a month where they have been practicing with students in his other guitar classes.

Out of about 42 of the special needs students he gives lessons too, about five or six of them already have prior knowledge on how to play an instrument or about musical notes.

Kee has the special needs students come into his classes and merge with his

Get healthyy Learn how to get fit and stay in shape during the holidays Health 7

other students in different guitar levels.

His highest level guitar class, Guitar Ensemble, gets the opportunity to work with the special needs students and work on different pieces of music together.

This year, the special needs students are even getting the opportunity to perform the Star Spangled Banner for the school board.

Principal Tim Thomas is even working on getting the students matching t-shirts so they can feel even more united. When asked about how the idea started Kee said, "I talked with the guidance department and special needs teachers. It just kind of all worked out."

Just like some guitar students build instruments for MYP projects, the special needs students will be given the chance to build instruments of their own. They will be able to build different types of instruments such as shakers, box-shaped instruments, and drums.

These lessons give non-special needs students and special needs students the opportunity to bond over something they both enjoy: music.

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application, to view a slideshow of the students playing their guitar.

Today’s Weather

College Apps AHS seniors take on the common app

BY ANGELO LOPEZ Staff Writer College applications are always a hassle, but for many years students have used The Common Application to make the process easier. The Common Application is a website designed for students who want to apply to college without having to stress about having filled out the right information. It's a simple application that helps you step-by-step to apply to colleges that subscribe to the Common Application.

Approximately 517 colleges and universities in 47 different states, including the District of Columbia, as well as in countries such as Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, are members. The Common App is also a non-profit organization.

Some high school seniors who apply with the Common App find it easy to efficiently add information about themselves. see COLLEGE pg. 5

IBCP gives back to the community Clothes donated to helped people in need

BY AMANI MUNTU Staff Writer The holiday season has finally arrived, but for a lot of people this happy time of year is not always so cheerful. There are many underprivileged people in the Annandale community. This winter, the International Baccalaureate Career Program (IBCP) is giving back to the community by hosting a clothing drive.

Clothes will be accepted during all red day B lunches in the cafeteria, any W4 classroom or you can drop off donations in room 214. This clothing drive is one of the class projects that the program completes this year and will end on Dec. 13th.

The IBCP is a two year program and all about working with the community, community awareness and giving back to our Annandale community. The clothing drive is for a local Catholic charity, the clothes can be used or new but if used see IBCP pg. 5

Leadership Canned Food

Chorus Concert AHS choir prepares for winter concert

Choir department prepares for winter showcase

BY KAVI SHAMDIN Staff Writer As winter break gets closer, so does the annual winter concert for the chorus department. The concert will be held on Dec. 15, 2015 at 7:30 in the auditorium. The concert is free to attend.

Attendees can expect listening to a variety of songs selected by the Chorus Department.

"The songs being sung may not sound familiar to many people considering the songs are based on the winter and holiday season," chorus teacher Jessica Irish said. "We spend a lot of time rehearsing and during class we'll go through all the songs and I'll teach them a little bit about each song they're performing."

Holiday fun See the winter traditions students have during the holidays People 14

Songs will be divided based on the choir levels: Advanced Women's choir, Men's Chorale, and the chorus program all together.

The chorus department took a trip to the Kennedy center on Dec. 3 to work with a well known choral director for a very ancient and special piece called O Magnum Mysterium.

"To actually have a workshop held at the Kennedy center with the director of a famous group called the Tallis Scholars is an honor," Irish said.

Chorus has proved to be a popular event for students and the local community. Each year, audience members look forward to listening to holiday songs sung by the Chorus students.

"Normally we fill up about half the auditorium," Irish said. "People like to come to the winter concert because it's fun and it helps get them in the spirit of the season and it's also a few days before our long break," Irish added.

Christmas songs Get to know the before and after versions of classic Chirstmas songs Entertainment 18

Students collect cans for families in need

BY TOOBA SIDDIQUE Staff Writer After Teens for Jeans collecting jeans, the leadership class is now holding their first canned food drive, and strive to do great starting Nov. 31 until Dec. 18, ending just before winter break.

"We're really excited" Carmen Bartley, the AHS leadership advisor said. "I think it will go well."

Leadership has been advertising on social media to kick start this drive, as well as emailing faculty and staff. Leadership students are also going to W4's to get more students involved. see LEADERSHIP pg. 5

Why students should avoid it at all costs

BY JUDY NANAW Staff Writer A lot of scandalous things go down via cell phone, but sending nude pictures or inappropriate messages is a whole new level of wrong.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see it happening among teenagers and young adults.

Sexting is sending sexually explicit photos and messages through cell phones or online.

Sadly, the practice of this has increased, especially among teens. Teenagers participate in this act as a joke, to gain confidence or because they feel pressured to do it.

Supposing that they find sending naked pictures to people a joke, then teenagers are obviously not knowledgeable of rights and wrongs.

"Young people sometimes take communication for granted... and are not really understanding the impact of their decision--making," Said principal Tim Thomas.

They need to be assisted in understanding that this sort of deed is inappropriate.

If sexting makes teenagers feel more attractive, they need to be taught that there are other ways to gain confidence.

Their feelings about their looks can no longer be assured by sending these pictures.

There are better ways to receive positive reactions for themselves.

Many feel pressured to sext, and this is a different matter in which they need to report their harasser as soon as possible.

Being controlled by someone else into sexting is a hidden problem, one that most cannot admit to.

Sexting is negative in all ways. When people do it willingly, it is completely shameful and shows the lack of self-respect they have.

If teenagers see this as "fun," then we

People sometimes send other people illicit pictures without their permission.

know there is a serious problem with their use of technology. They are misusing it in a very inappropriate way.

Do not even think about involving yourself in this act. It can get you in serious trouble in the future. The risk is far too much to justify the act.

"Teens forget how, depending on what's been sent there could be some serious legal and school disciplinary implications," said Thomas.

Sexting is known to bring emotional consequences such as humiliation, bullying and an end to friendships. Legally, effects include being charged with child pornography.

If you are sending or receiving things, you

are risking exposing your parents to legal consequences.

Parents could be charged with delinquency of a minor if they know of their child sexting and do nothing about it.

Sometimes these things result in the child being removed from home and entering foster care.

Others are being forced to engage in this habit, and that is a different situation that needs to be addressed.

While the wrongs of sexting are discussed mildly in school, its growing prevalence should push schools to emphasize it more.

Giving more options for help to students who may be getting tormented into sexting can be extremely helpful for them. They also need a more comfortable escape- some way to get them accepting help, as many are reluctant when it comes to this issue.

When minors are involved, sexting is illegal.

It is a good thing that there are punishments for those who do it and involve the youth.

It is a form of bullying that could leave someone seriously damaged.

Given this, if you know anyone who is involved in sexting, it would be best to quickly report it to someone.

You could be saving their reputation down the road.

Everyone knows that whatever happens via cell phone or is put online can never be taken down.

What goes through with technology does not get erased or removed.

It is permanent and can follow someone for the rest of their lives. Think about this next time you are in a situation in which you might participate in sexting.

It should not be tried by anyone ever-- it s dangerous and could have many terrible outcomes.

Young people should not be associated with it-- they need to be kept innocent as they are still growing as people and do not need to be damaged by a stained past.

There is no good reason for sexting to happen-- it needs to be stopped in order to keep

Dec. 8, 2015

Let the refugees in Americans debate on allowing Syrian refugees to come

BY SADIE MODICA Editorials Editor Florida, Texas, Michigan, Maine and 27 other states have something in common- they don't want any Syrian refugees within their borders.

31 states have declared that they do not wish to accept Syrian refugees, and of the 31 states concerned, 30 have a Republican governor.

Comparisons have been drawn between the Syrian refugee crisis and the crisis of the German Jews before World War II. Among the many Jews denied refuge in the United States were Anne Frank and her family.

Americans are pointing to this denial and asking that we don't make the same mistake again.

Although the final decision of acceptance falls upon the national government, the states play a role in expediting the process, and their support or dissent has a large impact on the decision the national government will eventually make.

As the refugees run out of European countries to go to due to an influx of Syrians that the smaller countries are incapable of handling, they will look to the U.S. America's association with freedom dates back to the very first European settlers, escaping various conditions in their home countries.

The U.S. was founded off of the principles of freedom. It has long since been considered a place of refuge for people who are seeking a better life.

Since the civil war began in 2011, 4.2 million Syrians have been displaced. The U.S. has accepted a paltry 2,290.

ANNEFRANK.ORG

2 EDITORIALS Sexting needs to stop

Comparisons have been drawn to the plight of the German Jews before WWII

The Obama Administration hopes to raise that number, stating that 10,000 Syrians will be allowed in early next year.

In light of the upcoming presidential election, however, a continual acceptance of Syrians at that rate cannot be assured.

Leaders in opposition of accepting the refugees have varying opinions on the matter.

While some suggest that the refugees be banned altogether, others ask that refugees be particularly inspected as possible security threats.

The announcements started after it came to light that at least one of the suspects in the terrorist attacks on Paris arrived under the guise of a refugee.

67 percent of the refugees are children younger than 12 and women. They are seeking a safe home, not to attack the United States.

Sure, the refugees should be examined as any immigrant would because terrorism is a serious matter, but to bar them from the country entirely is ridiculous.

Annandale will be one of the first stops for the new immigrants. Chances are, a flood of love and support will follow. One can only hope that the rest of the country is as accepting as Annandale will be.

Putting seatbelts on buses will save lives The absence of seatbelts is a safety hazard We all know that riding the bus to school is not always fun. We can dream of the luxury of having our own car to drive to school, but the bus may be the only option for some time.

School buses in the larger part of the country do not have seatbelts, a vastly important safety measure.

With the amount of students who take the bus to school, should complete safety not be guaranteed?

Parents may think that their children are in good hands when they send them off to school on the bus every morning, but that might not always be true.

An unexpected accident can happen suddenly, and in an instant, their children could be seriously injured. No one can assure that this possibility will never happen.

It is strange knowing that it is a law to have a seatbelt in a car, but not on a school bus, a transportation system that children and teenagers use daily.

Even so, some students do not seem to care for the installation of seatbelts because they believe that buses are already safe.

"I feel like we're fine without [seatbelts] right now," junior Yuki Zheng said. "I don't know of any major accidents that happened because we don't have a seatbelt."

On the other hand, some students believe that the installation is necessary and can help prevent any major accidents from occurring.

"I feel that there should be seatbelts on school

SADIE MODICA

BY JUDY NANAW Staff Writer

Students chat on the bus before dismissal.

buses," senior Dezhawn Dumornay said. "It should be required for lower education levels because little kids jump around but for high schoolers they should be fine."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wearing a seatbelt cuts the risk of serious injuries and death by 50%.

It is known that most of the drivers and passengers who have been killed in crashes were not wearing a seatbelt.

Given these facts, how is it okay to let students ride in buses without them?

If you have to wear seatbelts in a car, then you should have to wear them in a bus too.

There should be seatbelts added to all school buses

everywhere in order to protect the children riding in them, including FCPS. The FCPS Transportation Services were unavailable for comment concerning the possibility of seatbelts in FCPS buses.

Even if one thinks the probability of having a bus crash is small, there is no one that can give 100 percent promise that it will never happen. It is obviously better to be safe than sorry.

When seatbelts are installed in school buses, even the bus drivers will feel relieved and more comfortable driving students to school every day.

The bus drivers who pick up the teenagers and children for a drive to school every day are responsible for each child.

Dos and Don'ts: Holidays

Staff CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF Hezekiel Yonas Summer Ayoub 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

What is holding back counties from adding safety belts to their buses is the high cost. Installing them would add between $8,000 and $15,000 to the cost of a bus.

This is especially controversial with the current issues in Fairfax County surrounding the budget and economic status.

It is a horrific thing to realize that a school district does not have enough money to keep its students safe.

The students' safety should be the number one priority for the school board. Schools should not be risking their students' lives just for the sake of the money.

Even if seatbelts were to be put on school buses, it is understood that it will not be easy trying to get the kids and teens to agree to actually use them.

To solve that issue, the students would have to be educated on the importance of putting them on and what could happen if they do not.

Experiments with dummies showed that in a bus crash, the two who were belted remained safely in their seats while the ones who were not ended up being thrown throughout the school bus. The effect seatbelts can have during a crash is dramatic.

If you are a person who rides the bus to school, you should start thinking about your well-being on this type of transportation when you do not have a safety belt available.

To put seatbelts on buses will finally give the ability to say your children are the safest they can be in a school bus.

Students need to be given protection on the bus-they are the future.

To have seatbelts fixed into school buses is undeniably crucial and should be put into action as soon as possible for the security of students everywhere. Unquestionably, seatbelts save lives.

Annandale High School Vol. 61 No.5 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 703.642.4229 September 29, 2015 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 theablast15@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, 2015.

Do stock up on warm sweaters and socks, you wouldn't want the winter cold to ruin the holidays!

Don't drink too much eggnog or eat too many cookies-- It's easy to overload on holiday sweets.

Do get thoughtful gifts for friends and family-- they will definitely appreciate it!

Don't forget to prepare for school after break! You might have some tests to study for or projects to work on.

EDITORIALS 3

Dec. 8, 2015

Cartoonist's corner Woman on currency The new $10 bill should honor Rosa Parks' impact

ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA FERSON

BY RUTH MEKONNEN Staff Writer Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, Sandra Day O'connor and Anne Oakley are some of the many women that have made a huge impact on history.

These women have fought to make sure that women have the same rights as men and without them, many of us wouldn't be able to do the simple things we do in our everyday lives.

Although there have been many significant changes and big steps for women's rights. There are still many things to be done.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced that the government will be issuing a new $10 bill in 2020 will be featuring a woman.

Rosa Parks is one of the many women who should first appear on paper money because of her great impact in the U.S. The U.S. will be following 10 other countries who have made similar changes in currency and it will be in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Constitution's 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

The U.S Treasury has reached out on social media for the public to help them decide who will be the new face of the new $10 bill using the hashtag #TheNew10.

Many people have responded on social media calling out names like Parks, and Roosevelt. Parks has been many people's choices for the new 10 dollar bill and it's no surprise.

She was best known for being a civil activist. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus spurred a boycott and this event has left a lasting impression on our country. This act of defiance marked her as a

symbol of civil rights movement.

Parks spoke up for herself and wouldn't let anyone belittle her. Because of her great courage, her efforts should be recognized through the $10 bill.

Although some people have proposed modern day women to be on the new bill, the woman by law has to be deceased in order to be chosen. Also, the Department of Treasury would like her to have impacted Democracy in some sort of way.

This new change of currency however, comes with a lot of concern. For one thing, people don't like the idea that a woman has to share a bill with Alexander Hamilton.

It's bad enough that women don't receive the same amount as men for the same job but the woman who will receive the honor of being a symbol of new change has to share her glory with another man?

The bill was first introduced when many people were campaigning for a woman to be on U.S. currency. A campaign called "Women on 20s" reached out to the government asking them to replace Andrew Jackson with a woman and create a new $20 bill.

The U.S. treasury later decided to compromise and announced during the summer that they will feature the woman on the $10 bill instead of the $20 bill.

This caused more uproar than praise because Alexander Hamilton has made a huge impact on the U.S. and it didn't seem fair that the two people who are very important to U.S. history will have to share a bill.

Although there is still a lot to be done to finally have gender equality, this is a small step in that direction. Rosa Parks should be the woman to be featured on the new $10 bill.

It has been over a century since a woman was featured on a U.S. paper bill. The first being Pocahontas, who was on the $20 bill from 1865 to 1869, and Martha Washington who was on the dollar certificate between 1891 and 1896.

It is about time that another woman is getting the privilege of being represented on U.S. currency and the woman that should be honored needs to be Rosa Parks.

Who do you think should be on the $10 bill?

"Kim Kardashian, because she broke the Internet."

KHAYLEB SANTOS freshman

"Susan B. Anthony, because she made a big impact on history just like presidents have."

"George Washington. I think he's the number one president."

"Betsy Ross, because she made the American Flag."

KIMBERLY VAIDES

"If anyone should be on the new $10 bill, it should be Rosa Parks because of the things she has done in history."

"Harriet Tubman, because she's underestimated by many people and she's a strong, independent woman."

freshman

JEREMIAH BETHEA

TRAN NGUYEN

junior

junior

WESLEY VAUGHN

HANNAH FARMAN

sophomore

sophomore

"Mrs. Washington, because her husband is on the one dollar bill."

"Zendaya, because already at such a young age she has such grace and she's STEPHEN SABU so sophisticated." senior LAILAH SAID senior

of special needs D.C. field trips should be canceled Spirit Teacher praises

ISIS threat needs to be taken seriously

students' attitudes towards special ed

BY TIM NELSON Letter to the Editor

After the controversial massacre in Paris, many would assume that no one would risk the chance of another possible accident, yet others don't take into account the great danger we may be in.

ISIS had released a video in which they threatened Washington D.C. and N.Y. Of course, the issue hasn't gone unnoticed.

Several school districts have taken it into their own hands to ensure their students' safety by canceling school field trips. However, the fact that some school districts, including FCPS, refused to cancel field trips to Washington is quite surprising.

For some students, the cancellations of field trips to D.C. after ISIS threats may be disappointing but it seems to be the most reasonable measure in order to ensure each student's safety and FCPS should rethink their decision as well.

If other schools ban their field trips to D.C. due to possible terrorist attacks, then why won't FCPS do the same? When it comes to students' safety being at risk, the matters should be taken very seriously.

If someone threatens to shoot the school,

Acceptance and affirmation are the cornerstones of our culture here.

This is no more evident than in the student and faculty response to our Special Needs population.

Embracing diversity does not only encompass race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation or economic status, but includes those with learning and intellectual disabilities.

The acceptance and admiration for these students is a real tribute to the character of students we have in this learning community.

Although special needs students may not demonstrate their school pride with outward enthusiasm, they are no less proud to be an Annandale student than any other member of our campus family.

Along with their love for their school, these students also carry a deep pride in who they are and in their journey to find their place in the world.

SCHIFF.HOUSE.GOV

BY SHARON SANCHEZ Staff Writer

An view of Washington D.C. showing the Capitol building and the Washington monument.

they would immediately investigate and cancel school for a couple of days, so what's the difference?

A student's safety should be a priority at any time and school field trips should not be an exception. We can't take the chance of having students injured and hurt when we can prevent something from happening now.

There are a bunch of risks and accidents every day due to different causes, but if we can just limit them, it would be less likely for them to occur.

The first step should be to keep students out of areas of high danger which at this point

includes Washington D.C. With holidays coming up everyone is preoccupied with holiday preparations, family, school and work.

However with these threats, our holiday spirit is deterred. Even so, the threat should be something that we are all aware of and should be cautious of.

ISIS has made many tremble with fear, leading some to question whether they feel safe and made a few people express their anger over the possibility that something like 9/11 can happen again.

They are driven to excel in the classroom and earn good grades leading up to finally reaching the day when they get to cross that stage at DAR and get their diploma.

Their long term goals may not be the same as the general student population, but their ambition and enthusiasm to reach those goals is just as palpable.

The inclusion of these amazing students as members of the Annandale Learning Community shows our commitment to ensure that they have all the resources available to achieve their goals just like the general education students.

During this season we are focused on the giving of gifts, celebrating our heritage, spending time with our families and the anticipation of the coming new year.

One of the greatest gifts you can give to a special needs student is a simple hello, high-five or minute in the cafeteria during lunch.

Annandale students and faculty are demonstrating this gift every day of the school year and are to be commended for their generosity.

Your unconditional acceptance and genuine admiration of our Special Needs students is a bright example for other campuses to emulate.

The problem with mainstream music Underappreciated artists deserve more public recognition

BY CHRIS LEE Special to The A-Blast According to the Dec. 5 Billboard Top 100 list, Justin Bieber is the most popular artist of all time.

After the release of his newest album, Purpose, Bieber has managed to place 17 of his songs onto the Billboard Top 100, beating the previous record holders Drake and The Beatles, each with a peak of 14 songs on the list simultaneously.

Ever since his YouTube debut, Bieber has blown up in the music industry and has become one of the biggest images of young male talent.

However, many argue the reason to his success. At

this point in his career, is his fame due to his popularity or production value?

Of course this question is difficult to answer, but evidence shows that many people choose to only listen to mainstream music.

With the large number of popular artists rising, teens are ready to listen to any new song that has the wellknown name supporting it.

Billboard claims that about half of people ages 18 to 34 listen to radio stations on the way to work or school.

Not all of these radio stations are mainstream, but it would be fair to say that a large portion of the youth listen to the local radio stations such as HOT 99.5 and 97.1 WASH-FM. These radio stations are infamous for playing songs almost exclusively off of the Billboard top 100, sometimes even playing the same song within the same hour.

This behavior of popular music stations has poisoned music culture.

Instead of people discovering talented artists, music finds people and people choose their favorites within the shallow pool of talent that is provided to them through media.

The Billboard gives the illusion of diversity; it lists plenty of artists from several different genres and styles, but the music still comes from a limited pool of producers. The same names keep appearing on the charts.

Mainstream music is the only source of music for some people, which may be a reason why these popular producers keep coming back more successful than ever.

It is alright to listen to mainstream music for the sake of eliminating silence during the morning commute or during study time. However, it is unfair to other talented musicians for people to become hardcore fans of pop singers exclusively.

There is a myriad of innovative and high quality music out there without the attention it deserves, while popular music gets attention mainly because of who created it.

Of course, many people venture out of the mainstream and seek music instead of letting music find them, so it would be unfair to generalize everyone who listens to mainstream music.

But those who listen exclusively to popular music should reach out of their comfort zones and look for the amazing music that exists outside of the Billboard list.

POPULAR VS. UNDERRATED 路 Rap: Drake and Jay-Z vs. Syne and Logic 路 Electronic: David Guetta and Calvin Harris vs. KSHMR and Oliver Heldens 路 Trap: Diplo and DJ Snake vs. GTA and Psychic Type 路 Rock: Fall Out Boy and System of a Down vs. The Arcs and Broken Bells

4 NEWS Student shares story on IG New Habesha

Dec. 8, 2015

Senior Brandon Hughes enters his story on Instagram, of his environmental work following his grandfather's footsteps

News Editor and Editor in Chief Senior Brandon Hughes entered in an Instagram contest to win a scholorship.

He shared a side of him that most people were unaware of. A side that has been interested in benefiting the environment ever since he was a youth.

"Since the seventh grade, I have been deeply involved with The Rebuild Warehouse (The Recycled Building Network, INC)," Hughes said. "I have always believed in helping out the environment."

Hughes is a passionate environmentalist who is inspired by his late grandfather who had created two green organizations.

"My grandfather pioneered the first DeConstruction Company on the East Coast along with the first Bottle Bill in Virginia," Hughes said. "Together we would regularly attend Green Party meetings which often discussed issues concerning the environment. My grandpa is the person I credit with sparking my sustainable drive."

Hughes's grandfather created both

The Rebuild Warehouse and the DeConstruction Company. The Rebuild Warehouse would sell used building materials to the public for a third of the cost and gift Boy Scouts lumber.

Hughes was enculturated into this lifestyle via his grandfather and that's why he is so involved in this field.

"I was very close to my grandpa and was exposed to the idea of sustainability at a young age," Hughes said.

Now he has found himself in a leadership position at The Rebuild Warehouse where he is in charge of volunteers and he is very enthusiastic about it.

"I am responsible for tracking the hours of volunteers, overseeing operations in the warehouse and training new volunteers," Hughes said. "I also help customers with locating products as well as answering any questions they might have."

The Rebuild Warehouse has many different causes that they work for and provide services for.

The goal of the Rebuild Warehouse is to deter the amount of potential material going into landfill as possible.

"Without a clean environment and

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDON HUGHES

BY MOHAMED ELHAG AND HEZEKIEL YONAS

Club formed

Senior Brandon Hughes

people who care, the Earth may cease to be a viable place to live," Hughes said.

"What people often don't realize is that even the smallest of contributions make a difference."

Hughes wishes to continue his quest to be involved and help clean the Earth.

"In continuing to help non-profit environmentally friendly organizations, I plan on carrying on my grandfather's legacy while setting a good example for future generations," Hughes said. "It is important to care for the Earth with the end goal to make it as clean as possible."

Art department sells holiday crafts TOOBA SIDDIQUE Staff Writer The AHS National Art Honor Society and Art Club members are hosting their first craft sale this holiday season.

Art Club and NAHS members had their first meeting on Dec. 2nd to make the crafts for the sale. The next meeting is on Wednesday, Dec. 9 when the Art Club members will make more items to sell. They hope to be successful, and the holiday time just before winter break is perfect.

The holiday sale will start on Monday, Dec. 7 and end before winter break, Dec. 18. The craft sale will be held during all school lunches and in the library after school.

The club will be selling crafts like peppermint designed candles, Christmas tree ornaments, reindeer pots, artsy mason jar snowman hot chocolate mixes and other stylish crafts.

"I think this sale will go good because the items are cheap, and it's the perfect time of the year," Art Club Treasurer,

Fatima Jaradat said. "The prices vary, however most items are $1.50."

Art Club decided on this fundraiser in order to help promote the club's work and raise some money for art supplies and future plans for the club.

"We hope for the best in support," art teacher Jacqueline Pappas said.

The idea for a fundraiser being a craft sale was decided as a group by the club members.

"We discussed options for fundraisers," said Pappas. "Since we're people, we should sell something we've created."

Art Club also has a strong member this year which is why there are more creative ideas in- Senior Vincent Vo running the fundraiser's table during the lunch period. troduced.

The craft sale benefits AHS because Pappas. "Relaxing activities such as art The money earned will be going to the money is for the club project; it is also making helps de-stress people involved, the Art Club account itself in order to do meant to attract more members for the so we hope to engage more students in club related activities, like painting murals club. the club." around the school, as well as upcoming "Murals beautify our school," said events like valentines craft projects.

MOHAMED ELHAG

The Art club, Mural club and National Art Honors Society are hosting a fundraising holiday art sale

Club for proud Ethiopians and Eritreans

BY ALMAZ ABEDJE Staff Writer With the rise in racial pride, a new ethnic club has been created by counselor Mani Deneke this year called Habesha Club. The club has been on the table since last spring, but it was finally approved as an official club in September.

The purpose of the club is not only to encourage fellow Ethiopians and Eritreans to embrace their culture, but also to enlighten others outside of their culture. They hold forums, invite guest speakers and discuss the history of both Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as current events revolving around the two countries.

"It's basically about the Habesha culture and working as a team and being good role models for others," president Ruth Mamo said. "The club was created to teach and spread the Habesha culture and also have an alumni program so we, as a group, don't grow apart after graduation."

The alumni program is also a recruitment tool for the club, getting those who graduated to encourage more people to join. It is expected to start with this year's graduating class and all classes after.

For now Habesha Club meets once a month, but that is expected to change depending on the number of members they acquire. There are no requirements to join the club and there isn't an application that must be submitted.

Their upcoming meeting will be the club's first meeting. It will go over the outline for what will be taking place throughout the year.

"Since it's only the first meeting, it will be pretty brief," secretary Gelila Reta said. "We plan to go over t-shirt designs, present an outline of the course of the year and get e-mails for those who missed the interest meeting back in October."

With an all senior board, the club is encouraging underclassmen to get involved and commit to the club in order for there to be a strong leadership base for the years to come.

The club's attendance policy is fairly similar to other clubs. Attendance is mandatory at all meetings, but if one has a valid excuse for not being able to attend, they must let someone on the board or Ms. Deneke know at least 24 hours in advance.

"The meetings are not very frequent, so attendance is crucial for the success of the club," Reta said.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact the club at ahshabeshaclub@ gmail.com.

Annandale at Kennedy Center The Annandale Singers perform for famous director of the a capella group: Talis Scholars

BY MOHAMED ELHAG

DONATE YOUR VEHICLE TO THE AHS AUTO PROGRAM

News Editor On Thursday, Nov. 27 the Annandale Singers went to the Kennedy Center to have a master class with a renowned director.

"A master class is when [someone] critiques us and helps us improve by giving tips and showing [us] the way experts do it," junior Benjamin Betts said.

The director who listened to and critiqued them was Peter Phillips. He is the director of the Talis Scholars, which is the most renowned Renaissance a cappella group based in the United Kindom.

The Annandale Singers arrived at the Kennedy Center at around 10:00 a.m. and dressed in their concert uniforms and treated the master class exactly how they would treat any other performance or concert. The group performed at 11:00 a.m. and sang "O Magnum Mysterium," a responsorial chant from the Matins of Christmas and "I Hear Thy Voice" by Susan LaBarr.

There were three other high schools attending this master class. The schools were West Springfield High School, DeMatha High School and Richard Montgomery High School. While one school was performing, the other three schools would listen and act as an audience to the

school on stage. This gave all four of the high schools the atmosphere which was similar to that of a real concert.

The same director critiqued and helped out all four of the high schools.

"For anyone, this is an extremely rare opportunity to improve our skills and sharpen our performance level overall," junior Daniel Interiano said. "It's not everyday that a world famous director takes time out of their busy schedule to critique a high school singing group."

Although this is an uncommon occasion, the Annandale Singers hope to improve further and have another helpful experience like Thursday's.

25th Project Thanksgiving Students, along with the Annandale community, work to organize a Thanksgiving for the homeless

BY DUY NGUYEN

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

Videographer On Wednesday, Nov. 25, AHS gourmet students baked 28 pumpkin pies and brought them to Burke Community Church who was hosting the 25th Project to help the homeless.

The 25th Project is a non-profit organization that aids homeless individuals with various events on the 25th of every month. The project was created by a man named Jay Herriot in 2002 after his wife left him on Thanksgiving. In 2010 Jay Herriot partnered with a company called Rodale, who is the leader in the organic farming industry.

"They create paid internships for the homeless and those paid internships are allowing the homeless to learn how to work on an organic farm; they are also getting food and everything they need," family and consumer science teacher Michele Anwyll said. "The plan is

for them to come back and help start an organic farm in Nokesville which will employ the homeless and even hope to create a catering business or restaurant to further employ the homeless."

Many members of the community including students and parishioners donated their time and money to make 360 hot turkey meals for the homeless.

"I will meet with Jay and find out how we can get Annandale Atoms more involved in the service industry," Anwyll said. "I want the students to learn the importance of giving back."

If anyone is interested in helping with these services, the 25th Project is hosting a chili cook off on Jan. 25 and on Feb. 25 they are fundraising a campaign where anyone can buy a pair of socks and a can of soup to give to the homeless.

"The philosophy behind this is to help our own people so they can help others to get back onto their feet," Anwyll said.

NEWS 5

Dec. 8, 2015

Canned food for less Clubs, sports teams and classes make plans to decorate hallways to get into the holiday spirit fortunate

Students prepare to deck the halls

CONT. "CANNED FOOD"

KADIJAH SESAY AND MAURICIO REYES Staff Writers "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

As the winter season approaches, AHS clubs begin to prepare for AHS annual Deck the Halls.

Deck the Halls will be taking place on Friday, December 11. Club organizations and classes who are willing to participate in Deck the Halls are assigned a hallway. When the club organizations and classes are assigned a hallway, their sponsors and members help decorate the hallway in hopes of winning the competition for best decorated hallway.

As Deck the Halls takes place right before students go on winter break, the hallways are usually decorated in a fun winter theme.

The club or class that wins the competition receives a reward towards their club or class.

The winner of last years competition was the seniors, the class of 2015 and the A-Blast/ yearbook and Deca hallways came in second.

Deck the Halls is not just about competition. The club members and classes come together and work on a fun activity right before everyone takes off for winter break. The clubs use this opportunity to promote themselves and attract new people so they can join their club as well. Students of AHS go to Deck the Halls just to show support and spread the holiday feeling throughout the school!

Classes come together as one and work on making their hallway look festive and decorative. In result, students arrive to school the next day seeing the hallways looking very festive and they get the taste of the holiday feeling. Decorating the hallways as a class creates a great environment for everyone to come together and just have a great time.

The idea that there would be a competition between the different grades, and clubs could also participate as a whole, is another plus to getting more people to donate Bartley said that this would also make it a whole school effort.

The cans are being donated to FCPS employees in need.

"There are two to three food banks in Fairfax County that are dedicated to helping FCPS bus drivers who may not have enough food for their family this holiday season" Bartley said.

Leadership hopes to get a good amount of donations from all classes, because they're also offering the ones who bring in five cans the chance to spin a wheel and earn prizes Student participation prizes include an Atom's magnet, a fake tattoo, hype squad shirt and wristband, protect the nucleus shirt, silly fish hats or a Mr. Annandale ticket.

The hallway that DECA decorated near the auditorium last year came in second place "I'm excited and we have a great idea. I just can't wait to get started on it," said junior and Class of 2017 officer Matthew Vogus.

In this years Deck the Halls, clubs that will be participating will be FCCLA, Hispanic Leadership and Golf.

Along with clubs that will be participating, classes that will be participating will be 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

"I'm very excited about Deck the Halls. The Class of 2017 has a fabulous idea and we are full of school spirit and we have a lot of pride,"

said Norm Ash Class of 2017 sponsor. Ms. Ash and the Class of 2017 are preparing well for this years Deck the Halls and are very excited about it.

Common app CONT. "COLLEGE"

NHS Induction Ceremony National Honor Society welcomes new members LUCIE LEFBOM Staff Writer National Honor Society had their annual inductions this year on Monday, Nov. 30. Inductions are one night in the year where all accepted applicants, known as inductees, become members of the club. At the induction, the officers and the principal speak about the club and the commitment, the new members sign their names in the registry and say the club pledge. After the induction ceremony, the students are officially members. The induction ceremony is required to be in the club.

"My hope is that my members, both old and new, continue to make a difference in their community and in the school," NHS sponsor Casey Grandy said "they can tutor, organize events and volunteer. They exemplify what it means to show Atom pride and are good role models for other students at the school."

National Honor Society works to do service projects within the Annandale community. For example, last year they wrote letters to troops overseas, organized teacher and custodial appreciation week and ran donation drives throughout the year. The members of the club work to be role models and leaders in society through service. It is required that they do 10 hours of community

service and 10 hours of tutoring to stay in the club. The society meets once a month.

"NHS is a wonderful experience," senior NHS president Rebecca Soulen said. "I joined as a sophomore, and I learned a lot from the older kids in the club, like how they balanced their various time commitments and to learn about the community service given to you by the club. As a junior I enjoyed participating in our service projects to appreciate people who helps us, such as teachers and the troops. This year I am the president of the club and I'm hoping to expand the outreach of the club in the Annandale community and increase its presence."

NHS wants applicants that have executive positions in other clubs, tutor others or are already involved with sports. They look for students who demonstrate leadership and service. The application consists of an activity sheet and an essay about character.

"While applying, I had to gather all of my activities and volunteer work in order to create my resume," junior Julia Sheehy said. "That was a new experience for me."

To apply to be in NHS students must be sophomores or above. Students must have a cumulative 3.5 GPA to be accepted. The application process takes place in October.

FCPS budget crisis CONT. "BUDGET" it pertains to the cuts that need to be made], including sports, academics, as well as other things," resource teacher Hassan Mims said.

The county opened up a Budget Proposal Tool to show the public what is at risk of being cut as well as to get taxpayer input on what cuts should be made first. The tool features over 100 proposed cuts.

The hashtag 'save FCPS' is being used to help unite the community and to bring awareness to the predicted shortcomings. Garza encouraged the community to start using this hashtag last May in order to encourage the residents of Fairfax county to look for solutions to the looming budget crisis and to voice their opinions on what solutions are best, because although the ultimate decision will come from the board the public's input will be taken into great consideration.

Despite the myriad of cuts that have to be made the county's main concern is making sure that the academic excellence promised in Fairfax County stays in tact and the county will take whatever necessary steps to insure that virtue.

"It's a way to show a little more about yourself," senior Hammaad Lodhi said. "It's really up to you if you want to use this app. It's easy and effective, I can't see why anyone would be annoyed with the app."

Hammaad is one of the many seniors here at Annandale High School that use the Common App and find it useful. Most high school seniors like the common app but some feel otherwise.

"As simple as everything sounds, everything is still complicated," senior Julio Martinez said. "Applying to colleges is just hard already, the common app helps reduce the hardship but not enough."

Some high school seniors find the Common App to go a little overboard by asking too many questions which frustrates students and makes the process harder to finish.

"It gets complicated sometimes because it keeps going and it asks you really random questions," senior Claudia Molina said.

Since Dec. 1 is the first deadline for early action applicants, many students have already submitted applications through the Common App. With application deadlines quickly approaching, completing a college application can be nerve racking. Though to some, applying with the Common App can be a lifesaver.

IBCP clothing drive CONT. "IBCP" the need to be in decent condition preferably no holes, tears, or stains.

The IBCP is an online and after school class and their current class project is the clothing drive.

"IBCP is about community awareness and this is what they are doing to give back to our community right now," business teacher, Howard Dwyer said.

Since IBCP is mostly an online course only 30 percent of the class is done after school which is where events like these are planned and coordinated.

"Working with the community is a responsibility of IBCP. We would like to be fairly decent, no holes or anything like that. But if a jackets warm, it's warm," Dwyer said.

Make sure to help support our IBCP and donate clothing to help give back to the Annandale community before December 13th in room 214, your W4 or B lunch on red days.

NEWS BRIEFS WINTER BREAK

COLLINGSWOOD HOLIDAY WRESTLING CLASSIC

INDOOR TRACK QUAD MEET

INTERIMS DISTRIBUTED

There will be no school for students and staff December 21-January 1 due to Christmas and New Years celebrations.

School will resume on January 4.

Tuesday, December 29 the boys varsity wrestling team will travel to Collingswood New Jersey to participate in the Collingswood holiday wrestling classic.

Friday, December 11 Indoor track will have their first quad meet against Marshall, McLean and Wakefield at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. The meet starts at 5:30.

Second quarter interims will be distributed on Wednesday, December 16 during W4 class periods.

2HR EARLY RELEASE

FCA MEETING

SWIM VS. W.T. WOODSON

TENNIS INTEREST MEETING

On Friday, December 18 students will be released two hours early. This marks the beginning of winter break.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) will be hosting a meeting on December 16 before school at 7:15am to 8am. The meeting will be in the upstairs gym.

The Atoms swim team will take on the cavaliers on Friday, December 18 at Oak Marr Recreation center. The meet will start at 6.

Both the girls and boys varsity tennis teams will hold their interest meeting on December 16. The meeting will be in room 43 and will start at 3:10.

ELECTIVE FAIR During an extended W4 on January 7 Annandale will host its annual elective fair.

The fair will give students a chance to try out new elective for the following school year.

GEORGE LONG BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT The boys varsity basketball team will be playing in the George Long Tournament at Wakefield High School. The tournament begins on December 28 and concludes on December 30.

6 ACADEMICS Student watches 7-hour heart surgery Dec. 8, 2015

BY AUTUMN YANG Special to The A-Blast The idea of watching a heart surgery may gross out many people, but to me it is one of the most fascinating things. I take Medical Assistant academy class at Falls Church high school.

The Medical Assistant 1 & 2 academy class is a class that teaches students how to read vital signs (i.e. blood pressure, oxygen intake, pulse, etc.), give shots and take blood, among other amazing things. At the end of the year there is an exam we have to take, and if we pass we become certified medical assistants meaning that we will be able to work in doctor's offices and see patients.

The heart surgery was a great field trip opportunity offered through my class. INOVA invited not just my class, but the entire health related academy classes at Falls Church Academy, to come observe three open heart surgeries. They were, of course on three different days.

And because there were limited spots (only about 15 people for each observation), I was glad I was able to sign up quick enough and grab one.

I was super excited to go. We were learning about the heart in class, so to be able to see a real one up close was an opportunity no one wanted to pass up.

On Tuesday Nov. 24, I woke up at six in the morning to get dropped off at INOVA Hospital's Cardiovascular Institute by 6:45 a.m. The open heart surgery that I was observing was scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m.

Once everyone arrived, the nurse who was going to be our guide, brought us to a room for a briefing of the patient. We were reminded of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), a policy that restricts any information of a patient to be discussed or distributed for privacy purposes. And because of said policy, there is a limited amount of information I can disclose about the patient.

While we were inside the room, we took a brief pre knowledge quiz and were told that we would be tested with the same exact quiz later.

The nurse spent a good 30 minutes explaining the operation in detail. The

The heart is a muscular organ that acts like a pump to send blood throughout your body all the time.

The heart is a muscle with lots of blood supplied to it, it looks red like meat. In people who are overweight ... the heart looks yellow because it is covered with yellow fat.

Each year more than 4,000 participants (ranging from teens to seniors) witness lifesaving cardiac surgeries performed by INOVA's heart experts in the INOVA Heart and Vascular Institute The Dome's capacity is 25 people. Sessions are four hours long.

You can register to watch a heart surgery at http://www.inovaheart.org/the-dome-experience. The Dome Experience is free!

More than half a million heart surgeries are done each year in the United States for a variety of heart problems.

only thing we knew about the patient was her gender, age and a brief history. The information wasn't enough to explain why she needed the surgery and operation she was undergoing.

The patient didn't even know people would be observing her that day. She had signed a consent paper earlier saying that since INOVA was a teaching hospital it was okay if people were present to observe.

She was scheduled for a Quadruple CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft). To put it in simpler terms, the patient had a blockage in her coronary artery. In order for blood to flow correctly into the heart again, a blood vessel from the aorta needed to be grafted onto her coronary artery.

This would then bypass the blockage in the coronary artery and improve blood flow. However, she needed four different grafts for four different blockages. After breaking down the procedure for us, she then made us turn off all of our phones and led us into the dome.

The dome is a room above one of the operating rooms

IB Spotlight: Erin Ahn Q: How do you keep up with your academics and social life?

A: I don't really keep up with social life as much as the other. I deactivated my Facebook account, so I haven't been able to talk to as many people. Still, I try my best to make room to hang out with friends. The plan is that every Sunday, I'll go to the library to study with my friends and then go on a food trip with them afterwards. It's a good way to balance my academics with a debatable quality time with my friends, but social life definitely takes a toll due to my academics.

Q: What is your extended essay on?

A: My extended essay is about two works of Poe, Ligeia and Morella, and their commonalities that lead to the madness of the narrators.

It can be a little tough at times since these short stories are not as popular as others and I've never discussed these stories with anyone.

Q: Is your only focus academics?

A: I don't like to think that academics are my only focus since I do try to keep up with other things in my life, such as family and friends.

But academics seem to be one of my bigger focuses in life, than say, sports. I think academics are really important in life, especially in order to keep my future options available Q: What are your plans after high school?

A: More school! I plan on going to college, this summer I will be

that has windows that look into the room below. INOVA Hospital in Fairfax is the only hospital in all of the East Coast that has a dome and is opened to the public.

There are monitors that line the entire room which display a closer look at the operation via a camera above the table. There were two different cameras that were displayed onto the monitors. One of the cameras was stationed on top of the operating table focusing above the patient's heart. The other camera was attached to a two foot rodlike instrument that would be used to pull a vein out of the patient's leg.

This instrument had little clippers/pliers at the end that would help snip away any tiny spiderweb veins attached to the Saphenous vein. They needed about 14 inches of the Saphenous vein from her right leg.

After making an incision below her knee and on top of her inner thigh, they pushed the instrument into her, cauterizing (burning the flesh with an instrument to prevent bleeding and infection) the tiny branches of veins away. After about two hours, they had successfully

extracted the 14 inches of vein.

The vein was finally ready to be attached to the heart. While the surgeons were busy taking out the vein, the other two surgeons working on the heart had put the woman on a Bypass Machine; meaning that they had used a solution that is known to be used for lethal injection to temporarily stop the heart.

The Bypass Machine was supposed to manually pump blood in and out of her body while her heart was incapable of doing so. The purpose of this was so that the surgeons were able to attach the grafts on the heart carefully which is understandable since it would be incredibly hard to attach something onto a constantly moving organ.

I was actually really shocked when I saw that they had stopped the heart. When you think about a stopped heart, you think about a dead person. In actuality, she was perfectly fine since the Bypass Machine was doing the heart's job.

It was an incredible thing to watch. I thought I would be in my chair falling asleep. However, the entire operation was so fascinating that I barely even looked away from the monitors and windows. Never have I ever felt seven hours fly by that fast.

There were so many things that I had learned after observing that surgery. For one, it made me realize that blood didn't bother me. And that was relieving to know, since I was planning on being a health care worker and I wasn't sure if I was okay around blood.

Another was that there is fat on the heart. A really good amount of fat, actually. And that all those hearts you see on Grey's Anatomy and horror movies when the monster tears it out of the chest are lies.

The heart isn't just a smooth red organ that looks textbook perfect. It's covered in fat.

I highly recommend anyone who has any interest in the medical field to sign up immediately. It is an experience that you won't ever forget. How many people can say that they watched a real live open heart surgery up close and personal?

Human Anatomy students would definitely enjoy watching a procedure such as this. It's a wonderful way to learn the different roles of doctors in the Operating Room put your classroom lessons to use and test your knowledge. It was a great experience for me and I'm glad that I was fortunate enough to watch a life be saved right in front of me.

travelling places and gaining more experiences before committing to college. If my plans go as smoothly as I hope they do, then I'll major in engineering, specifically biomedical engineering.

on music, but I sometimes turn on soft piano or classics if I find my room a little too quiet.

Q: How are your IA's coming along?

A: So far, I've only started on the Biology IA, but I think I'm ahead of schedule since I've already conducted the experiment and collected data. I'll have to concentrate on getting my other IAs started and going over winter break, and hopefully, I won't fool around too much trying to catch up with lost social life.

Q: What is your favorite IB subject?

A: I like biology the most (but shoutout to Mr. Obando!). It's definitely a tough class, and even though I struggle sometimes, I love the idea of science and how it seems to be limitless. Biology is the same as physics and chemistry. There are so many things in the universe we have yet to discover and that idea itself appeals to me. Ms. Lazar likes to challenge us often, but she definitely gets her ideas across and into our heads.

Q: What clubs are you in?

A: I'm a part of the Math, Science and English Honor Societies. I also partake in the Just World Interact Club, which helps spread awareness of the issues that prevail in other worlds, mostly developing countries. I attend one other club, Annandale Bible Study, which isn't really community-service based, but we discuss the Bible there.

Q: What colleges are you applying to?

A: I'll be applying to a few in-state schools like UVA and VT, as well as some out-of-states and private schools such as GIT and John Hopkins.

Q: Do you do any sports? If so, what sports?

Erin Ahn and senior Kasana Nguyen spend their weekend volunteering at the A: I'm actually a manager for the Varsity Q: What are your study- Leewood Healthcare Center.

Girls' Basketball team, but since I try to ating habits? tend all practices and games, I guess I can A: Since concentrating at home is harder than it is at school, I usu- call it "playing" a sport. I think that during basketball season my life is ally stay after school as long as I can with my math teacher, Roberto too hectic since balancing IB classes and homework with playing basObando. I'm usually doing math homework there, but I occasionally ketball is tough, especially when teachers seem to conveniently give tap into other subjects that I have difficulty studying at home with. us five projects due in a week. I often find myself doing homework I occasionally skype with my friends to talk about upcoming assign- during halftime after filling in the record book or during practices . ments or simply to study. I usually like peace and quiet so I don't turn

SAT/ACT Word Search

Word Box apathy brevity apprehensive bucolic arcane cacophonous arid cajole ascetic callous assail candor assent capricious assuage cathartic astute censure asylum chagrin atrophy cite augment clairvoyant auspicious coalesce austere cogent avarice commendable banal complacent bastion compliance belligerent comprehensive benevolent compulsive benign conciliatory blatant concur boorish delusion bourgeois demise brazen denounce

depict depravity derelict deride derision desecrate desultory deviate didactic diffident digress dilapidated diligent discern disdain disparage disparity dissension dissent dissonance distend dogmatic drone dubious

dubious ebullient eccentric eclectic egregious electorate eloquent elucidat emancipate embody emissary empathetic emulate enigma

Answers can be found at thea-blast. org. Search: Word search #2 answers

HEALTH 7

Dec. 8, 2015

Bitter truth about sweeteners Sugar substitutes are not all that positive

BY PHUONG NGUYEN It's the holiday season, the time of the year when you're surrounded by sugar. Egg nog, pumpkin spiced lattes, and hot chocolate are all around you.

Instead of sweetening drinks with regular sugar, you may think that it is healthier to use artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Truvia, Sweet N Low, and Equal. Despite their perceived health benefits, these sweeteners are not that beneficial.

These artificial sweeteners are loved by health conscious Americans wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Some students often use artificial sweeteners to add to taste their food and drinks.

"I use Splenda because it's widely available and in places like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts where I buy my coffee," senior Kasana Nguyen. said. "I do think it's probably bad for [my body] because it's not real, hence the word artificial."

Refined table sugar is given a negative light by consumers who dismiss the ubiquitous white compound as "unhealthy."

PHUONG NGUYEN

Health Editors

Bright pink, blue and yellow packets of artificial sweeteners are found everywhere product contains no calories. In Consumers turn to artificial are misnomers.

One example is the brand Truvia comparison, a 12 oz. can of Cocasweeteners and sugar substitutes as an alternative with expectations which is made from the leaves of Cola contains 140 calories - which of the products being healthier and stevia plants. This can be recalled comes from high fructose corn seeing Truvia commercials on TV syrup. more nutritious than regular sugar.

Any weight loss potential is Contrary to public belief, when the product was heavily easily offset by fatty junk food artificial sweeteners and sugar promoted a few years ago.

"I don't use artificial sweeteners and maintaining an improper substitutes are not very different and I try not to drink things with a diet. Besides weight loss, artificial from conventional sugar.

According to Mayo Clinic, lot of sugar. If I do, I usually water sweeteners do not offer any other artificial sweeteners are synthetic, them down, senior Ashley Giddings positive health benefits.

At AHS, many zero calorie processed products that may be said.

Mayo Clinic states that weight beverages sold in vending machines derived from natural substances.

Likewise, labels that market loss is one possible health benefit and the jock lobby snack bar contain artificial sweeteners as "natural" of artificial sweeteners since the artificial sweeteners.

The brightly colored Fruitwater brand beverage that many students enjoy drinking contains the sweetener sucralose.

The presence of artificially sweetened drinks highlights the lack of nutritional content found in many snack foods found around school.

Artificial sweeteners such as Splenda and sucralose are known as "intense sweeteners" because they deliver the same level of sweetness for a fraction of a comparable amount of table sugar.

This is the reason why Fruitwater tastes very sweet despite containing no real sugar and calories.

In addition, the sugar alcohol erythritol is an ingredient in Sobe lifewater drinks found in the vending machine near the orchestra room.

Similar to sucralose, erythritol is a filler ingredient for conventional sugar in drinks.

Erythritol can cause bloating, intestinal gas, and diarrhea if more than 50 g of the substance is consumed according to Mayo Clinic.

When you add a sweetener to a drink, it is important to keep in mind that nothing replaces natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables.

Moderate your intake of sweeteners and drinks to two to three liters of water each day.

Next time you reach for the packet of Sweet' N Low, be sure not to reach your artificial sugar high.

THE BAD SIDE OF BINGE SLEEPING

Diagnosis with Phuong and Sabrina Many students make up their sleep deprivation by sleeping in on the weekends. Consequently, studies have shown that binge sleeping is unhealthy 路 Studies show that sleeping in during the week can be unhealthy. They have made an association between work shifts and an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. 路 Sleeping late on days off is linked to lower HDL (good) cholesterol, higher triglycerides, higher insulin resistance and higher body mass index. 路 Studies show that this occurs because of being out of sync with one's internal clock. 路 According to the National Sleep Foundation, 20 percent of Americans reported that they get fewer than six hours of sleep per night. That compares to 13 percent the previous year.

Sources: The New York Times and WebMD

Twelve days of winter break workouts Use these helpful tips to stay in shape during the long holiday break and remain healthy One minute wall sit

Two Minute Planks

Three Toe Touches

Four Sets of Crunches

1

2

3

Feel the burn as you are waiting for Christmas to arrive. A quick one minute wall sit will allow you to pass time during a TV commercial, all while stimulating your muscle endurance. Wall sits build glutes, calves, and quadriceps strength.

This exercise can be done anywhere in your home; just pick a wall.

Strengthen your core and build your abs by doing a plank. Make sure to straighten your body and do not stick your bottom up or else this exercise will not work. To make this more challenging, lift one of your legs or arms six inches off the ground, go back down hovering, and lift again to work your glutes.

A toe touch is a jump component in cheerleading competitions, but anyone can do this fun exercise. Start by clasping your arms, then make a "V" with your arms swing them around while whipping your legs up.

Toe touches improve leg flexibility and doing multiple jumps requires lots of endurance.

Four sets of twenty crunches will make your abs burn and add more muscle definition.

Many people this exercise wrong when they let their chins touch their chest and forget to resist on their way down. Avoiding these common mistakes and incorporating this exercise into your weekly workout regimen will give you abs in no time.

Five kilometer run

Six sets of Russian twists

Seven laps a swimming

Eight reps of ten push ups

What better way to get active on the fifth day of winter break than a 5k run?

At this point, you may be dealing with a pile of assignments. Running improves brain function by clearing the mind. The American Academy of Neurology stated in a 2014 study that individuals who engage in high levels of cardiovascular fitness have better cognitive abilities than those that do not.

The sixth day of winter break is Christmas day. After dinner, burn some calories and boost your core with six sets of twenty Russian twists. This may sound like a lot but you will be done in no time feeling refreshed and less bloated after a fattening holiday dinner. Russian twists can be modified with medicine balls and weights increase workout intensity for the upper torso.

5

Nine sets of scissors kicks

9

When you're stuck in bed freaking out about your winter assignments, relax your mind by doing nine sets of ten scissor kicks. Regular scissor kicks that involve switching the legs up and down, target your abdominals and hip flexors.

Modified scissor kicks that involve side to side twists work strength your oblique muscles.

6

Ten leaping frog jumps

10

As easy as they look, frog jumps, or plyometrics, use explosive movements to stimulate muscle contractions. Frog jumps are a great exercise to build toned leg muscles and are often done by track runners at school to increase leg power.

4

7

8

Even though it will be cold, balance between abdominal and endurance exercises with a plunge in a pool. Visit the Audrey Moore Rec Center at Wakefield Park and swim seven laps. Swimming regularly, not just over break, reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and Type II diabetes according to WebMd. Engaging in moderate activities such as swimming is also beneficial in weight loss.

Push-ups are very effective in engaging different muscle groups. A proper push up will involve muscle movement from the pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, triceps, abdominals, biceps, quadriceps, and obliques. Performing pushups will condition your upper body and even boost your metabolism rate to burn calories from those Christmas cookies.

Eleven leg lifts

11

On the eleventh day, it is leg day. Doing leg lifts target the core and leg muscles.

If you are doing this laying down or standing up, this helps to work out various muscles in the body. Leg lifts are also used for rehabilitation with sport related injuries and can help beginners build up core strengths before moving onto more complex exercises.

Twelve sit ups

12

Finally, for the last day, it is time to do sit ups. Sit ups are very beneficial because they help work out the core and lower back muscles. They also help tone and develop lean and strong muscles. Sit ups also target your abdominal muscles which engage with helping support and stabilize your body.

Compiled by Sabrina Hawa and Phuong Nguyen

8 PHOTO

Dec. 8, 2015

A day in the life of Pat Hughes 7:00 A.M.

1:30 P.M.

MARILYN RIVAS

MARILYN RIVAS

To stay fit and muscular, Hughes lifts every morning before school starts in the AHS weight room. "I tend to lift in the morning before students arrive because it is when I have the most energy," Hughes said.

Hughes believes that it's never too early to lift and unlike others, he is always motivated to lift bright and early.

Hughes teaches his sophomore R7 Drivers Education class. He starts off his class by going over the agenda for the day and collecting homework from his students while passing the stapler around. "I always look forward to going to Mr. Hughes's class because he has a fun way of teaching," sophomore Mustafa Rakin said.

3:00 P.M.

4:30 P.M.

SOULISA PATHAMMAVONG

SOULISA PATHAMMAVONG

Hughes stays after school almost every day to catch up on work. "I stay after to grade my students' assignments and talk to their parents on the phone," Hughes said.

Occasionally he takes a break from grading papers to relax and make himself a cup of tea.

5:40 P.M. Hughes owns a classic 1977 MGB with 111k miles on it. He always makes room in his schedule to check up or fix his car before heading home. "I'm just trying to keep my green little toy up and running," Hughes said. Since he knows a lot about cars, Hughes is very precautious and usually pops up the hood of his car and checks his engine.

MARILYN RIVAS

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAT HUGHES

5:40 P.M.

After a long day at school, Hughes likes to relax and clear his mind by working out.

Before heading home, he exercises on the elliptical for about an hour.

"I work out in the afternoon to stay young and fit forever," Hughes said.

Instead of lifting and working out at the same time, he spreads it out throughout the day so that he has more energy to focus on one.

Every evening, Hughes prepares dinner for him and his family. "I'm usually the one who prepares dinner, so I try to not just grill out. I try to do a number of dishes that everyone likes," Hughes said. Hughes's favorite time of the day is when he gets to sit and eat around the dinner table with his family.

6:30 P.M.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAT HUGHES

Right after Hughes finishes cooking and eating dinner with his family, he goes out for a walk with his four legged best friend. "I have to take him out at least two times a day, first thing in the morning and then in the afternoon, I walk him for about an hour," Hughes said.

Hughes likes to walk around his neighborhood, he enjoys the view and seeing his neighbors around.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAT HUGHES

7:45 P.M.

In his free time, Hughes enjoys working around the house and fixing up whatever is not functioning perfectly, especially in his basement. "I am a DIY kind of guy, I like fixing things myself, I cannot do a whole lot of one thing but I can do a little bit of everything," Hughes said.

ARTS 9

Dec. 8, 2015

Orchestra director honored Teacher Angela Ammerman receives state recognition

BY RACHEL SHOGREN AND ALMAZ ABEDJE "I nearly started crying because I love what I do so much and have such great respect for other music teachers," Ammerman said.

Angela Ammerman, was recently awarded the 2015-2016 Orchestra Director of the Year by the American String Teachers Association.

She was recognized for her outstanding work with students as well as other achievements, such as Benefit Concert Coordinator (raising over $10,000 for one of her students), Future Music Educators Camp Founder & Director, Music Major Night Coordinator (over five universities and 70 families attended this event from all over Northern Virginia), Annandale Full Symphony Co-Conductor, extensive publications and presentations on recruiting and retaining string students and for presenting at the

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOAN FREDERICKS

Staff Writers

Orchestra director Angela Ammerman accepting her award as orchestra director of the year.

International Society for Philosophy of Music Education last June in Germany. Ammerman is also the co-conductor of the Annandale Full Symphony.

"I am so honored to have been selected for this award," Ammerman said. "I am determined to really earn this award."

"She most definitely deserves this award," senior Leif Jomuad said. "She pushes her students to do their best and you can tell she has a lot of passion for her job and exerts all of her effort into this program."

Ammerman has been teaching in the public school system for nine years.

"There are so many things I enjoy about my job! There is something magical about making music together," Ammerman said. "It is kind of like watching a story unfold right in front of you, one in which every student has an important role."

She loves watching her students grow musically, academically and socially during their high school years. She started teaching kids when she was just 12 years old. When she was in middle school, her orchestra teacher asked her to start teaching lessons to elementary school students as a result of her diligent playing abilities.

"Teaching lessons at such a young age made a huge difference in my career path," Ammerman said.

Although her love for music developed more during her middle years, she was always musically and creatively gifted prior to then.

"I started playing piano when I was a baby. I don't even remember learning to play," Ammerman said. "I could read musical notes before I could read letters and words. I

have been a musician forever."

In addition to learning how to play the piano at a young age, she started playing the violin in the fourth grade and eventually learned how to play the cello and other instruments.

Ammerman graduated from the College Conservatory of music in Cincinnati, got her masters in music education at Boston University and is continuing to work on her doctorate at local university, George Mason.

Over the years, she has passionately devoted her time to helping her students reach their highest potential, regardless of playing level.

"Ms. Ammerman is great because she has peculiar ways of teaching," Jomuad said.

"It's different every day and very random; you'll never know what to expect when you walk through the door."

The classes where she has all of her different string instrument players together are her favorite because the sound is amazing.

She has many goals for this year, including performing on a cruise ship for a day, performing more in the community and recruiting more beginners into the orchestra program.

She wants the program to grow and she is very excited for the orchestra competitions.

AHS Orchestra's next concert is Dec. 17 in the Auditorium. Be sure to check it out and see for yourself how amazing they are under Ammerman's direction.

Outstanding orchestra players Philharmonic Strings seniors: Han Sol Chang Danny Nguyen Julia Quizon Philharmonic Strings juniors: Olivia Shawish Artiste Orchestra sophomores: Mikalah Parsons Sinfonia sophomores: Vidhi Phadumdeo Long Nguyen Concert sophomores: Calvin Phung Concert freshmen: Grace Summerson Kevin Tran

Play review: Les Miserables

BY SERENE GHUL The protagonist Jean Valjean, played by senior Michael Mclean, steals a mouthful of bread to feed his sister's starving son.

After getting caught and trying to run, he is imprisoned. After 19 years of hard work and sweat, he is set free by the antagonist of the story, General Javert, played by junior William Cardoza. Valjean breaks his parole and uses silver he stole to become a new person who is a wealthy mayor and factory owner. When Javert tries to arrest Valjean for the silver he has stolen, the Bishop, played by sophomore John Lopez, tells Javert that it was a gift and to let him go.

Javert makes a promise to himself that he will have Valjean behind bars once again.

On the streets in France, Valjean meets one of the poor factory workers named Fantine, played by junior Anna Yates. Fantine is kicked out of the factory when they discover she has a child. Out of options, she turns to prostitution. After almost being arrested by Javert, Valjean insists Fantine be taken to a hospital rather than a prison.

Before Fantine dies, Valjean promises to

SERENE GHUL

Staff Writer

The cast of Les Miserables bowing down to the audience at the end of their performance.

take care of her daughter Cosette, played by freshman Vinh On. Valjean bribes Monsieur and Madame Thenardier, junior Alexander Beasley and senior Annie Stout, the caretakers of Cosette, to let Valjean take care of Cosette form now on. With Javert's strong determination to find Valjean and bring him to justice, Valjean will spend the rest of his life protecting his loved ones and hiding from authority.

Les Miserables, being a favorite for

most of the actors, explains why this year's musical was filled with lots of talented and excited performers.

"This is definitely my favorite musical and I just had to do this musical in honor of my last year here at AHS," senior Leif Jomuad said.

With amazing props, such as metal gates, brick walls and lanterns hanging just above the seats, the set really makes the audience feel as if they were actually sitting in the

time of the French Revolution.

"I've been in plays before," Mclean said. "I have always enjoyed acting." He felt that the best thing that came from doing the musical was, "meeting all these freshmen and seeing how talented they are."

With bright lights and a big crowd, it wasn't hard to understand why some performers were nervous.

"I was immensely nervous. You practice and practice, but once you're on that stage

you can't help but feel nervous," Mclean said.

With great harmonies, projection and music, the ATC's audio and music was one of the biggest factors in what really brought the story to life on stage.

"Opera and classical music were what really inspired me to try out for Les Mis," Lopez said. "My favorite thing from this whole experience was hanging out with such great people and making new friends."

Les Miserable has many difficult scenes, each filled with lots of details, this didn't hold back AHS from giving such a great performance.

"Even though I had a small part, meeting new people and opening up was big for me," sophomore Elena Serban said.

Watch the full video On your smartphone, scan this code using the application "QR Code" to see some clips from the play

Q & A with artist Kelsie Licatovich Q: What do you create and what got you into doing it?

A: I got into art because of the simple art classes in elementary and middle school, then I wanted to keep continuing it.

Q: What do you like most about your artwork?

A: What I like about my artwork is that nothing looks the same, they're all completely different.

Q: What advice do you have for other young, developing artists?

A: Some advice I have for other young, developing artists is to keep trying new things, you might like photography or computer graphics instead of studio art.

Q: What do you plan to do with creating art in the future?

A: In the future I plan on trying to get better at other medias and continuing in college.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KELSIE LICATOVICH

Q: What is it about creating art that you enjoy?

A: I like creating art because it's fun in general and you can make anything you want.

ALAINA GARAY

Q: What materials do you use for your artwork?

A: The materials I use are acrylic paints and graphite for a lot of my artwork because I like using them the most.

Q: What is your favorite piece of artwork?

A: My favorite artworks are always the ones I make on accident.

Q: What would you say to someone that wants to get into creating art?

A: For someone who wants to get into creating art, I would tell them to just go for it. You never know if you'll like it unless you try it.

Artist Kelsie Licatovich made this piece of artwork of junior Kailyn Garay doing a backtuck on the beach.

We chose junior Moiz Ahmer in Art 4. These art pieces are sketches he made in his sketchbook for fun.

Want to have your art featured in the next issue of The A-Blast? Each issue, the Arts page will pick a student's art of submitted content and feature their work of art on the Arts page.

All mediums are welcome, whether it be a painting, doodle, poem or song. Videos can be submitted too! Send all submissions to theablast15@gmail.com, or send it to our dropbox (using the same email as above) for files larger than two GB.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOIZ AHMER

Featured art

10 IN-DEPTH

Dec. 8, 2015

IN-DEPTH 11

Dec. 8, 2015

PEA E, LOVE, ISLAM Perspectives of being a Muslim teen today What does it mean to be a "good" Muslim?

BY HIDAYA HUSSEN Special to the A-Blast Through the eyes of my community, I am gold, civilized, a good Muslim American. According to my mother, I am kind, determined, assimilating, a progressing Muslim. When I reveal the pages of my Holy Book, and with that contemplate my every adolescent intent and action, I recognize that I am lost, a nearly faithless Muslim.

Growing up an Ethio-American Muslim in Northern Virginia has served to be, for me, a platter of privileges. Unfortunately, living here in this salad bowl of tradition and religion has blinded me from perceiving, as well as accepting, my reality.

Being a good Muslim has nothing to do with how well I coordinate my hijab with my outfits, how hip I am to today's music or how in the dark I pretend to be about ongoing issues. Being a good Muslim is all utterly virtuous.

Patience is another quality with great meaning in Islam.. This is some hardcore, "have trust in God no matter what comes your way" kind of patience. Have a trust strong enough to await any actual, physical, or miraculous response.

The reality that I am a living stereotype, a label printed to fit me into a container that has noted enough preconceived ideas to banish me.

You look at my pair of American Eagle jeans, an overworn burgundy sweater and notice I have made it so my hijab coordinates with the whole set up. Fashionable - that to you is a good Muslim.

Relating to conversation, I have been molded into something quite neglectful of my own identity. I very rarely speak of my religion to my peers as they do to me. It is not at all because I do not want to, just that I have been hushed.

It is as if my faith is poison, and discussing it would only contaminate our already corrupted society. In the news, ISIS attacks have left

"I very rarely speak of my religion to my peers as they do to me. It is not at all because I do not want to, but that I have been hushed."

Hidaya Hussen sophomore

me in rage, yet I cannot speak of them without getting "the look" or a feeling of discomfort/judgement. I can see fellow Muslim classmates putting their head down whenever the topic of terrorism is brought up.

I have somehow managed to keep my head held high, but not without noticing the nervous and hasty movement of my teacher's eyes.

After these rare and lucid moments of courage, I resume my duties as

an assimilated Muslim and continue with my gossip. I have remained undesirably quite bubbly in every other way except faith related expression. To you, my silence makes me a civil Muslim.

Trends. In music and slang, there are trends. Miniscule trends, yes they are, but they are trends powerful enough to accept or dismiss American Muslims into our society.

I have witnessed other not as westernized Muslims receive the derogatory, yet known comical, term "fob" against them when they had not been hip to a song on Drake's new album or with the new dab dance.

Everyone gets a good laugh, but soon that term progresses into pure prejudice. I personally have been distracted and captivated by a belief that my actual religion should catch up to these trends, hide from conversation, shadow the latest fashion.

This influence has caused me to forget what it really means to be a good Muslim, a faithful and true follower of Islam.

In Islam, kindness and respect is highly valued and expected from all Muslims. To what extent are we expected to carry these two qualities? To the extent that you are hugging and then inviting anti-Islam protesters, people who carry guns and assault your children, to your house for dinner and civil discussion.

Yes, that is done by many Muslims at almost every single rally ignited by Islamophobia. Those people are good Muslims.

In this post 9/11 era of Islamophobia, we are expected to forebear whatever hatred is thrown our way.

What do you first think of when you hear "Islam"?

5 BUSTED MYTHS ABOUT ISLAM

The Five Pillars of Islam Zakat (Charity): Giving charity to those less fortunate than you.

1. Islam is intolerant of other religions The Islamic attitude towards the followers of other religions is not only to show tolerance towards their beliefs, but also to affirm a non-negotiable Islamic principle of tolerance and religious responsibility.

2. Islam does not promote women's rights In the Quran, men and women are both addressed equally and are seen as equal in the eyes of God. Most people do not believe in this because of the 49 predominately Muslim states, most of them have rules that hold women back , but Islam does not hold women back. Muslim men in those countries make these laws.

Shahadah: (Declaration of faith): Declaring that God is the one you pledge to, and pledging yourself to Muhammad, his messenger

3. Jihad is a violent cause Jihad means "holy war", and simply in Arabic "struggling". Many believe that Jihad is a concept that allows Muslims to create war on other religions. In reality it refers to an internal and external effort to inform and protect the faith. Jihad is used to protect the faith in any form whether through legal, diplomatic, economic, or political ways. Islam does allow the use of force, but there are many rules of engagement. Military action is only one use of jihad and also very rare.

Sawm (Fasting): Fasting during the month of Ramadan

4. All Muslims are Arabs and all Arabs are Muslims Hajj (Pilgrimage): Making the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life.

Salat (Prayer): Praying five times a day "The first thing that comes to mind is race."

PATRICK BROWN freshman

"I think of oppression and innocent people being oppressed."

FATIMAH NOUR sophomore

"I think of a peaceful religion and people who are oppressed for their beliefs."

ALLEN KOKILANANDA sophomore

"Muslim people, and I am Muslim so first I'll think about my grandparents and what they taught me when I was young ."

AIZER AIZIMAITI

"I think of "haram" "To me, Islam means because I think of peace and love." my friend because KERIM IDRIS we use it as a good senior connotation."

SABRINA HUYNH

Although Islam is a predominate religion among Arabs, there are many that are Christians and Jewish. The term Arab represents many different backgrounds and countries, but there still remains distinctions between those that call themselves "Arab". With this, it is important to remember that religion does not define Arabs, and the same goes for the other way around.

"Praying and going to the Masjid and the Quran."

MERIEM AWKLAKI

5. Muslims worship a moon-god

senior

Some people mistake Allah with a "mood-god" or idol.

When in reality, Allah is the Arabic name for God. The most belief a Muslim has is in this one true God.

junior

junior

Student object to backlash and hate after Paris attacks

BY AISHA TAHIR Special to the A-Blast Islamophobia means the dislike or prejudice of a Muslim. I have never been a victim of this discrimination myself.

I suppose that's because living here in Annandale, we have created our own small world where cultures and religions are widely accepted.

I have friends that are very different from myself in terms of religion, culture and color and that has never been something that bas been a conflict within our friendships.

When people look at me, I don't feel like they judge me based on my hijab or the color of my skin. I don't know what it's like to have my government pass laws against my religion or wearing a hijab.

Muslims in France have experienced this discrimination.

Many things are happening around us but so far we have avoided the topic of terrorism and its effect on our country and around the world.

Yet now we stand at a place where it can no longer be ignored. The Paris attacks have re-opened the slow healing wounds of 9/11 and the Western world has been widely threatened again.

As a Muslim, I feel like in some small way. I am the cause of all the chaos that has been raised around and within us.

Even though I don't have anything in common with those hateful people, just the association of them being "Muslim" just as I am is enough to raise guilt within me.

Nov. 14

Meriden, CT

Multiple shots were fired at the Baitul Aman mosque. The bullets shot through three interior walls and struck in prayer areas. No one was in the Mosque during the attack and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Connecticut, but the damage was found a day later.

I know what Islam is, it is a religion that in no way supports violence or extremists yet every time someone talks about the Paris attack.

I feel as if they are looking at me silently blaming me or more so my religion.

Speaking on the behalf of the muslims I know and have spoken, we

"We have avoided the topic of terrorism and its effects on our country and around the world; yet now we stand at a place where it can no longer be ignored. " AISHA TAHIR junior feel terrible anguish that cannot be adequately put into words.

We in no way support anything ISIS is doing or believes in. But that does not give the French government the right to close down mosques.

The French government also does not have the right to turn away Syrians because that will make the Muslim community feel alienated.

I believe that is exactly what ISIS wants. It is ISIS's goal to turn

Nov. 15

Cincinnati, OH

A young woman wearing a hijab was insulted and assaulted in a grocery store parking lot. An older man and woman called her names as she was checking out at the store then they proceeded to follow her to her car. The man tugged at the woman's hijab when she arrived at her car.

people against each other and to make them feel left out so ISIS can show Muslims that nobody wants them and they are all muslims have.

ISIS wants the Western countries to be the bad guys, to created disdain and hate between the Muslims and the Western nations. Somehow we seem to be falling right into their trap.

My pain for Paris is vast yet didn't Beruit, Egypt and Mali go through the same experience and the media coverage for that was close to nothing.

Are we implying that the value of human life is different because of the relationship we have with them?

I feel that this type of selective and imperialistic mindset leads to the hatred between the Muslims and the West. Another important question that needs to be addressed is: How have all the Western superpowers not found a relatively small group who have close to no education and no sense of humanity?

Are we choosing to not find them just because of the advantage we feel can be gained by the destruction of Middle East?

Perhaps it all goes back to oil. I strongly condemn what happened in Paris but I also believe that there is a lot more to be acknowledged than just what we are given.

I think it's time we question the truth because blind trust has led us to nowhere other than innocent lives being taken.

Schools should close for Eid Why Eid should be a national holiday accepted by all

BY LINA AL-TAII Staff Writer Not going to school on holidays is common all across the US. We get a five and a half day weekend for Thanksgiving, and most schools get about a week for Christmas.

But there are many other holidays that don't get celebrated nationwide as holidays with days off from school or work.

Eid is a holiday which happens twice a year that every Muslim in America most likely celebrates with their family. Eid AlAdha is an Islamic holiday held on Sept. 24 every year to commemorate the loyalty of Ibrahim to God. Nevertheless, Muslim students all across the United States continue to miss school and fall behind in order to celebrate a holiday which does not count as a "real" holiday because they live in a country where only 2 percent of the entire population is Muslim.

But why does it matter if they miss one day and go back the next day, why can't they catch up on the work they missed? Most people would compare it to taking a sick day, but anyone who takes one or two sick days in a row will disagree.

By taking one day off or even two in some families cases, the workload for the next couple of days doubles and causes more stress than most people already have due to school or work.

Most people have a busy schedule almost year-round and adding on the work accounted for two days on top of the stressful daily routine is something they cannot afford.

Many Muslims even decide to go to school and not celebrate the holiday to keep up their school work.

Many holidays which get celebrated and get a day or two off from work and school get questioned.

Columbus Day, for example, celebrates the man who began the Atlantic slave trade with Native Americans from the Caribbean Islands. Columbus slaughtered millions of Native Americans and his actions led to the African slavery in early America.

Yet most people celebrate his actions every year and spend the day at home, relaxing.

Making Eid a nationwide holiday would show our country's respect to every Muslim in America and other muslim countries across the world.

If you ask any Muslim how they feel about Islam in America, you will probably hear varying answers, but almost every Muslim can say they feel the discrimination and Islamophobia which has become a growing issue in our country.

To say to American Muslims that they too, are citizens who have rights just like every other person in our country, and then turn around and let every other faith celebrate their holidays with a day off from school/work and declare zero Islamic holidays does not help the situation in our country at all.

The first step to a solution is showing America's respect to Islam a by declaring Eid a federal holiday and letting American Muslims celebrate their faith without having to stress about work or school.

2015 ATTACKS ON MUSLIMSNov.AFTER PARIS 17 Nov. 16

Pflugerville, TX

The Islamic Center of Pflugerville was vandalized. The door of the mosque was covered with feces and torn pages of the Quran were thrown to the ground and was also covered with feces.

Fredericksburg, VA

In the Islamic Center of Fredericksburg, group of protesters showed up at a meeting and said, "Nobody, nobody, nobody wants your evil cult in this county," and another man saying, "We all saying it: Muslim is evil."

Nov. 18

San Diego, CA

A visibly pregnant Muslim woman wearing a hijab was allegedly assaulted in San Diego. The woman was with her child in a stroller when the attacker shoved the stroller, making it strike her pregnant abdomen. The footage is believed to be in the possession of the San Diego Police Department.

LEARN THE VOCAB OF ISLAM Eid Al-Fitr: A holiday celebrated

by Muslims that signifies the end of the month of fasting (Ramadan).

Eid Al-Adha: "festival of sacrfice," Ramadan: the ninth month of Islamic calender during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset.

Allah: Islamic word for God. Mecca: It is a desert valley in Western Saudi Arabia. It is Islam's holiest city as it is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammed and the faith itself.

Quran: the holy book of Islam.

Nov. 24 Lubbock, TX

An official with the Islamic Center of South Plains in Lubbock reported that worshippers at a mosque associated with the center found destroyed lights outside. The mosque's main glass door was smashed when they arrived for early morning Fajr prayer. prayers.

12 INTERNATIONAL Survey shows mixed opinions on ISIS Dec. 8, 2015

Are we ready for another war in the Middle East?

BY NICK MORTENSEN Staff writer THE DEPLOYMENT DISAGREEMENT In light of the Paris attacks, which have been called by many the second deadliest terrorist attack against a Democratic city since 9/11, discussions and debates about the "ISIS question" have been inflamed. In wake of the attack, many American politicians and officials are taking more hardline stances against the Islamic State.

NPR reports that Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie is basing his entire campaign on the fight against ISIS and other terrorist groups.

The NPR reports said that France has begun a renewed air campaign against the Islamic State, contributing to the multinational military operation, "Inherent Resolve," which, according to U.S. Department of Defense has flown over 50,000 combat missions against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Even outside the political and military settings, many are asking what should be done next. The debate over the solution to the "ISIS problem" is a divisive one, both in the international stage and within AHS. Between Monday, November 30th and Wednesday, December 2nd, 150 students, composed of a mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors were asked to complete a seven question survey during their government and TOK classes. The survey questions focused around the viability of military action against ISIS. A slight majority of students supported military action against the Islamic State. 51 percent either "slightly agreed," or "strongly agreed" that the United States should commit to a ground war to fight against the Islamic state. Senior Natnael Weldegiorgis is among the supporters of direct military action against the Islamic State.

"In spite of the bad consequences, by sending [troops] to help fight ISIS, we're helping other people," Mulat Said. "[The Islamic State's] actions are a direct attack against Western culture. I feel like we should have a way to defend ourselves against [the Islamic State]."

While a narrow majority of students are in favor of committing to a large-scale ground war against ISIS, a number of students are opposed to joining the conflict.

Photo above shows the different results from a survey conducted on students from TOK class.

Senior Zachary Woodward, who plans on enlisting in the Navy after graduation, is one of them.

Personally, I think there is no positive outcome of putting troops in Syria [to] fight ISIS. There is just too much turmoil [in the region]," Woodward said. "It's basically a guerilla war [in Syria]. There would be way more losses than victories."

BRAINS OVER BRAWN Though AHS students are largely in favor of fighting ISIS, a large number of students do not think military action alone is enough to defeat the Islamic State. 58 percent of the students surveyed either "strongly disagreed" or "slightly disagreed" that the Islamic State could be defeated through military action alone.

The disconnect between these two questions - whether the United States should commit to a ground war against the Islamic State, and whether the Islamic State can be defeated through military action alone - is an interesting one.

While the majority of students (51 percent) believe that military action is appropriate, an even larger majority of students believe that it is going to take more than military operations to actually defeat ISIS (58 percent).

Senior Lailah Said believes that the public needs more information about ISIS to effectively fight it.

"Even though military action is good, that's not enough," Said said. "We need to know exactly what ISIS

is. We need to understand what their purpose is so we know what we are up against."

Nationally, NPR reports that United States has promised to deploy 50 special operations forces to Syria to help fight against the Islamic State. That said, these special forces will not be fighting on the front lines. CNN reports that American special forces deployed to the region "do not have a combat mission," but "could seek permission to go into the field" when necessary.

Additionally, CNN reports that the United States has deployed A-10 and F-15 fighters in neighboring Turkey to help fight against the Islamic State.

The A-10, equipped with a main gun that is the size of a small car, is particularly revered for its role as a ground attack fighter.

Students generally do not think the United States is doing enough to fight the Islamic State. 35 percent of those surveyed "slightly disagreed" when asked if the U.S. was doing enough to fight the Islamic State, and 33 percent were "neutral."

Many of the students who gave neutral responses specifically noted that "they did not know enough" to have an opinion, a testament to how well the U.S. is publicizing its attempts to fight the Islamic State.

The primary aspect U.S. strategy against the Islamic State has been the use of airstrikes. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, airstrikes against the Islamic

State have been ongoing since 2014 as a part of Operation "Inherent Resolve."

PASSING THE TORCH While only a narrow majority of students believe that the U.S. should conduct a ground war against the Islamic State, a large number of the students surveyed were in favor of supporting groups and countries that wished to take matters into their own hands.

66 percent of surveyed students either "slightly agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the United States should offer logistical assistance, such as providing weapons, resources, and aircraft carrier support to countries willing to fight the Islamic State. 60 percent either "slightly agreed," or "strongly agreed" that the United States should arm, train and advise independent and paramilitary groups fighting the Islamic State, such as the Kurdish ethnic minority or Syrian rebels.

NPR reports that the United States has been offering air support and weapons to "moderate opposition groups," paramilitary groups that have varying sizes and interests. Support to these groups has been contentious in American politics, however.

The Telegraph has reported that a U.S. trained division of Syrian rebels "handed over their weapons" to an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria shortly after re-entering the country. Despite this defection, NPR reports that the United States has continued to offer air support to various Syrian groups fighting the Islamic State.

The survey indicates that many students are in favor of military action but only to an extent. A larger majority of students believed that the Islamic State could not be defeated through military action alone. An even larger majority, 66 percent were in favor of supporting other groups and nations that wanted to fight the Islamic State.

An increasing number of countries and factions are becoming involved in Syria. Reuters were amongst the first to report the beginning of Russia's air campaign in Syria and NPR has reported that France has begun a renewed series of airstrikes in light of the Paris attacks. The United States is no longer the only major power fighting in Syria against the Islamic State.

Social studies teacher Tim Kelly, in light of the invasion of Iraq, an event he calls the "2003 debacle," is cautious about taking up the mantle to fight the Islamic State.

"I would be extremely reluctant to take the kind of direct action [against ISIS] that would involve anything more than what we are currently doing on the ground," Kelly Said. What happens if the United States gained territory from ISIS? How long are we there? What kind of stable political situation can we help create that would prevent the same [power] vacuum being there where more discontent can be fueled?"

Should the U.S. fight against ISIS?

"No, I do not think the U.S. should fight ISIS because that means more death and refugees all over the place."

"Yes, because they should hold them back from murdering people in other territories."

WESLEY VAUGHN

sophomore

ABDUHALLAH SWIT

sophomore

"Yes, because they should hold them back from murdering people in other territories."

"No until they have a set plan because if they do not have a plan, they will end up creating more chaos.""

LUKA FERNANDEZ junior

"Yes, because the U.S. should try to stop terrorism so we can all live in peace."

"Yes, because I think the U.S. should get involved and stop them from attacking countries like Paris."

ROSE WHITE

ABDUHALLAH SWIT

junior

senior

BENNY LE junior

American Stories Student shares the differences and similarities of her country and the U.S.

BY TRANG CHUNG Special to The A-Blast For everyone, moving to a new country has lots of difficult challenges to face.

When I first came here, I could not imagine how completely different every single thing was from my country Vietnam and the U.S. There are three main differences between the U.S. and Vietnam: language, school and transportation because those are the most specific things that show the differences clearly between these two nations.

First, language is one of these three differences between America and Vietnam.

The pronunciation in English is completely different from Vietnamese. It is because the alphabet sounds different, so it makes the pronunciation change as well.

Also, When we travel to another new place or country, the language we usually use in order to ask for help is English instead of Vietnamese.

That proves English is noticed as a common language in the world, while Vietnamese is only adapted in determined regions.

Writing in Vietnamese is more complicated than writing in English because in Vietnamese writing, we also have to put the signs into right place where they are supposed to be to show what we mean about like "xin ch'o" means "hello". Vietnamese and English are two very separate languages.

In addition, school is another example that shows the differences between Vietnam and the U.S. One thing I like American schools is technology. They have more modern equipment and tools that are very helpful for education such as smartboard and computers.

As a Vietnamese student in any grade from one through twelve, he or she is required to wear uniform during school including in gym period too, it is not like in the American schools that we do not wear uniforms.

In addition, the way American schools teach is different from the way my country does. For example when the bell rings between classes, Vietnamese students just stay in the same place or classroom rather than going to

another class in the U.S. schools. Because of it, some of them do not have any opportunities to take Honors or IB classes.

As a foreign student, I think American schools have more opportunities than Vietnamese ones.

Lastly, the big difference between these two countries is transportation.

It is seen through all the different cars. For example, in Vietnam the common vehicle is motorcycle instead of the car. In the U.S. it is the opposite because all the roads are big because there are many cars that travel to different places.

Also, There are a lot of highways in America to deal with traffic troubles, However, in Vietnam it does not have as many as the U.S. because of the common vehicle, motorcycle.

Furthermore, traffic in Vietnam is more dangerous than in America it can be seen through accidents or crashes. Its traffic is not ruled because there aren't any lines on the road in order to make lanes for drivers to drive safely, the traffic light is not well developed.

As I compared above, we can realize that there are some differences about transportation between America and Vietnam.

Having look at all of the information above, we can tell that moving to a new place or country has difficult challenges that are hard to overcome.

To me, almost two years living in the U.S., I have dealt and learned from some of challenges.

Sometimes, I have just wanted to give up on something like studying a new language such as English.

Because of the help I received from my family, I stood up and kept moving forward because I thought that there might be a bright future that is waiting for me To Summarize it, both America and Vietnam are two countries I like a lot especially Vietnam, because it is where I was born and grew up and the place where I spent most of my memories.

Trang Posing and smiling for a photo taken by a friend.

LIFESTYLES 13

Dec. 8, 2015

Holiday Gifts under $35

ELECTRONICS

ESSENTIALS

CLOTHING

GIFTS FOR HER

VS PANTIES

7 for $27 is an excellent deal especially during the holidays.

Make sure to grab some of these cute panties for your friends.

STARBUCKS CUP

What’s coffee without the perfect Starbucks cup? Starbucks has a holiday collection of mugs, cold cups and tumblers.

POLAROID FILM

Girls love to capture every moment, buying film for their polaroid would be a great idea.

You can purchase the film from Urban Outfitters for $30.

PAJAMAS

For warmth and coziness buy your friends fuzzy PJ’s. They are everyone’s go-to during the winter.

Great for Netflix and chilling at home.

HAT

Help your girlfriends out by getting them a hat they can throw on when they’re having a bad hair day.

Purchase this Nike hat at Dick’s for $26!

LAPTOP CASE

Help your friend keep their laptop safe from scratches! Find one that fits your friend’s personality.

Purchase one on Amazon for $20.

SWEATERS

GIFTS FOR HIM

HOODIES

BOXERS

Girl’s closets are full of sweaters during the winter. They love to be warm and cozy throughout the holidays. Buy a sweater at H&M for $17.

It’s hoodie season and guys love to stock up on hoodies. You can add to their collection by purchasing them one from H&M for $25.

Who doesn’t need an extra pair of boxers? Find a nicely patterned and comfy pair to give as a gift.

Different brands range from $10-30.

LANYARD

LIPSTICK

WATER BOTTLE

Lanyards could be used as an accessory or a basic essential. You can buy either a Nike or a favorite football team lanyard. You can purchase it for $8.

Everyone seems to be using the Mac lipstick so this is the perfect gift for girls who enjoy playing with makeup. Purchase at Mac for $17.

PHONE CASE

A phone is a girl’s best friend, so it makes sense for her phone to represent her. This case can be found at Urban Outfitters for $20.

SPEAKERS

Guys love listening to music while they’re doing busy work. Instead of buying headphones, you should get him a Jam Classic for $29.

For those boys that play sports, a water bottle will be great to quench their thirst. You can find a water bottle for $18

PORTABLE CHARGER

These come in handy when your phone is on a low battery. It also comes with a flashlight. You can purchase it from Amazon for $20.

SWEATS

Joggers are the perfect way to stay warm while still keeping up with the latest trends. These comfortable sweats can be bought at H&M for $30.

WALLET

All guys carry their wallet, so you might as well buy them a nice quality one. This Ralph Lauren wallet costs $30 from Lord Taylor.

AUX CORD

For those boys that listen to radio music, an aux cord will save the day. Now they get the opportunity to play their favorite songs. This can be bought at Target for $8.

Bundle up for the holiday 20 Lau $1

SCARF

$12 from H&M

BUTTONED UP LONG SLEEVE $9.95 from H&M

BEANIE $10 from H&M

BLACK TIMBS

$7

JEANuSn SL0IM from PacS

The time for layering up has come. As the temperatures start to drop, students can't wear the clothing they usually do when the temperatures are warm.

When layering up you could always wear a crew neck with jeans and finish the look with loafers or boots.

Other clothing options you could layer up in would be thermal tees, your favorite jeans and the perfect hat to top it off! Guys and girls could also wear a sweater with their favorite pair of jeans and add a warm scarf to complete their look.

Famous actor Austin Butler always layers up in style. Butler usually steps out in style with long sleeve thermal tees, dark jeans and boots.

However when it comes to layering up, there are some dos and don'ts.

Don't layer up and wear shorts, don't layer too many clothing and don't forget to check the weather!

Keeping yourself warm during the cold temperatures is a must. On the

ET ph CKom Ranl A J fr re

idea, you don't want to over-layer.

Keeping your body cool is very important, as you do not want to feel hot throughout the day.

Some see winter as a harder season to dress for because of the weather, but it can be quite simple.

All you need is to begin with a short sleeve t-shirt, add on a cardigan and throw on a jacket.

Layering in all black gives you a very clean and slick look. You can play it safe and basic or you can add a pop of color and an eye catching pattern!

You can wear a burgundy scarf which will add a bit of color and complete your outfit. If you are not one Senior Shaheer Akhtar dresses stylishly that thinks a scarf will compliment for the chilly weather. your look, your undershirt could easbright side, you can simply do that ily be the piece that stands out. A by layering up. shirt with writing on it could be the Layering is very simple and easy, perfect basic stand out piece. but there are a few rules and tips Boots are a perfect essential that should be followed in order to for the chilly weather. Stick to unicreate the perfect layering look. versal color boots because you can When it comes to layering you wear them with anything. You can should always begin with thin pieces also add a pair of high-knee or fuzzy of clothing, then work your way up to socks to keep those toes warm. the thicker pieces. Sticking to three This is going to be one cold winpieces of clothing would be a great ter, so keep warm and cover up!

$180 from Foot Locker

FUNNELNECK

HOODIE

$29 from H &M

FASHION SPOTLIGHT Saud Shah, 11 Q: How did you learn how to dress?

A: I learned how to dress when I was little because I always liked to look nice.

Q: Where do you like to shop?

A: My favorite places to shop are Urban Outfitters, H&M, Forever 21 and Armani Exchange.

Q: What are your favorite clothing pieces?

A: My favorite pieces are cardigans and some jumpers.

PHOTO COURTSEY OF SAUD SHAH

BY THIDA PATHAMMAVONG & KADIJAH SESAY Lifestlyes Editor & Staff Writer

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

A: For school, I like to mix and match and create new outfits. When on a date, I prefer to look professional and clean.

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

A: I only have lazy days when I have a lot of homework.

On those days to help me relax I wear sweats and a hoodie so I can cry in my IB classes in comfort.

Q: What is your favorite season to dress for?

A: Winter, because I really like sweaters and warm clothing.

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

A: It doesn't take me long to get ready because I usually plan what I'm going to wear.

Q: How much do you usually invest in clothing?

A: I tend to not buy clothing from mainstream stores, therefore I don't invest a lot of money as I look for the perfect piece at several stores. I spend around $300 when I shop.

Q: What are your favorite pair of shoes?

A: My favorite pair of shoes are my black Aldo casual shoes because I can wear them with any outfit.

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

A: I dress for myself because I like looking good and it makes me feel better about myself.

Q: Who is your fashion inspiration?

A: I don't have one.

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

A: My favorite accessory is a bracelet to add to any outfit.

14 PEOPLE

Dec. 8, 2015

Students share holiday traditions Volunteering Christmas night

Christmas tree cutting

BY KIMBERLY ROMERO

BY JULIE SWENTON

Special to The A-Blast

People Editor

On Christmas eve around 7 p.m., my family gets together (usually at my house) and brings the gifts they bought.

The women typically cook a special meal, kind of like Thanksgiving.

We put on festive music and hang out until 12 a.m. At 12 a.m. everybody opens their presents and celebrates a little more. The whole family dresses up, and during the party all of the little kids end up watching a movie in the "kids room" away from all the adults.

On Christmas morning everyone comes back and we make Hispanic hot chocolate with paneton (a Hispanic dessert). After we finish eating, I volunteer at a food bank in Washington, D.C. through the organization of Capital Area Food Bank.

I started the community service part in fourth grade but we've been celebrating the gift aspect of it since I was born. I really enjoy helping people out! It's the gift that keeps on giving which is so awesome because people are usually always taking.

I plan on continuing this when I grow up. Considering my college plans and everything, as far as studying abroad, I think it would be amazing helping people wherever I go.

My parents have been doing this Christmas tradition since they were little, but I was the one who began the

On Christmas eve, sophomore Grace Hatch and her family go to Christmas mass and afterwards have a Christmas party with a few friends.

On Christmas day her family wakes up early, her aunt and uncle come over and they open gifts.

After, they have a huge brunch with cinnamon buns and relax the whole day. Her neighbor Charlotte usually comes over and joins them.

During Christmas night they go to her aunt's house and have a fancy dinner with her family. Sometimes she sees her cousins later that break.

"My family and I are really close," Hatch said," we do a lot of things together."

Also, her family has a Christmas tree tradition where a group of friends and family get together Romero and her family on Christmas day before volunteering. super early on a Saturday, go to a Christmas tree farm and tailgate there while everyone finds their community service because I participated in the commutree. They play football and other games while they're nity service club at my elementary school. all together.

At the food bank, we go early and serve food to those "I enjoy doing this and I wouldn't change it for who cannot necessarily afford it. After we help out at the anything," Hatch said. bank, my family usually stays in D.C. for the entire day. We Their family has been doing these traditions since always go to this food truck and everyone gets this HisHatch was born. She hopes to continue their tradipanic drink called atol de elote. tions as she grows up.

Sometimes instead of D.C. we'll go to Great Falls and Hatch's parents didn't do these traditions when walk around there. they were kids.

Hatch with her brother, senior Beau Hatch, on Christmas night.

Her parents, some friends and family members started it one year when they wanted to go cut down their own trees. It became a huge tradition that they look forward to every year.

Korean New Year celebrates in February in 2016 The day of Korean New Years changes every year because it follows the Lunar Calendar. This year it's on February 8th. Some people celebrate it for three days, but my family only does it for one.

I'm not exactly sure how our tradition started, but it most likely began with my mother or grandmother. They're both really proud of their culture and love having the family together.

So from what I've been taught, Korean New Years follows the Lunar Calendar since back in the old days that's what we used. It is the celebration of a new year and catching up with distant family.

It's a three day long celebration starting from the day before Korean New Years, the day of and the day after.

Traditionally, people wear the Korean cultural Hanbok. But now in more modern times, people just dress formally. The youngest of the family and the adults bow down on the floor to their elders and receive money or other gifts.

It's a day to celebrate the longevity of the family, pay respects to the ancestors and spend time with family!

BY AUTUMN YANG Special to The A-Blast My family typically gathers at my grandparents' house. My grandparents dress in traditional Korean clothes (Hanbok) and we bow down to them since they're the eldest.

After wishing them a year full of great health and longevity, they present us with money and give us words of wisdom. We also eat dumpling soup every New Years. It's kind of like a Korean version of Thanksgiving.

My family has been doing this tradition for as long as I could remember. It probably goes beyond 18 years. I'll most likely carry on the tradition. It's important to remember your heritage!

My parents did it when they were kids. They did it the more traditional way though.

Usually there's supposed to be all kinds of traditional food set up on a table where everyone bows down to the ancestors and pays their respect. However, now my family simplifies it and doesn't do all of that.

The people that congregate at my grandparents house are me, my younger sister, mom, cousin, aunt and my grandparents.

Yang with her grandmother at her second Korean New year.

Heard in the Hall: What is your favorite part about the holidays?

"I like the holidays because I get to travel and go skiing."

"I like how we get a break from school without any homework or projects to worry about."

"My favorite part is hanging out and doing things with my friends."

ISABELLA DOMENECK freshman

DAWIT WONDWOSEN

"My favorite part about the holidays is getting presents and spending time with my family."

sophomore

MICHAEL WOLDEAB

"I like getting presents for Christmas and being able to enjoy them over the break."

"My favorite part about the holidays is definitely baking cookies and listening to Christmas music."

JAZMIN GONZALES

MIGUEL ALVAREZ

HANNAH SHARTEL

sophomore

junior

senior

"During the holidays I like to stay home all day and relax."

SAMER IGHRAYEB senior

"My favorite thing is the Christmas spirit.

I love decorating my room and house."

FABIANA HINOJOSA

freshman

WHO AM I?

Soulieman Ayoub

I attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

I was born in Fayetville, North Carolina.

Background: Graduated from AHS in 2010. Ayoub participated in track and field.

My favorite foods are shrimp and crabs.

College life: Ayoub attended Virginia Tech in which he graduated in 2015 with a focus on Computer Science as his major.

My pets consist of a YorkiePoodle-mix named "Anthony Hopkins."

Accomplishments: He has spent both academia and spirited exploration discovering his self.

Apart from studying computer science and mathematics, he's applied what he's learned and published a paper in synthesizing Arabic language.

My favorite movie is The Lion Kind or Star Wars.

The coolest place I've visited is Hawaii.

In my free time I like to crochet.

If I could live any place in the world I would live in Hawaii or anywhere there is a body of water that I could enjoy at my leisure!

Before AHS I started my teaching career in NC (during and immediately after college) then worked On your for 10 years in quality control at Miller smartphone, scan this code using the Brewing Company.

My favorite actor is James Earl Jones.

Alumni Postcard

application QR Code to find the answer to the

Biggest fear at college: Living alone away from his family.

Best thing about college: Meeting new people and making new friends and the opportunity to work.

What I miss about AHS: The simplicity of how life used to be back then. A lot of responsibility is placed on you after you graduate!

Advice to graduating seniors: Don't be afraid to make new friends! We atoms strive to share our lives to society.

senior

SPORTS X-TRA 15 Golden State Warriors race to 72-10 Dec. 8, 2015

Stephen Curry's team threatens to break the '96 Bulls record

BY HEZEKIEL YONAS AND HUSSEIN SALEM Editor in Chief and Ad Manager No team has beaten the '96 Chicago Bulls regular season record of 72-10, but the Golden State Warriors might be on the verge of breaking that.

AHS students are raving over the thought of witnessing this team making history.

"They're bossing [the rest of] the NBA and they're the best team," senior Naod Teklie said.

Fresh off their NBA Finals victory, the Warriors are looking better than ever and have started the season off with an astonishing 19-0 record as of Dec. 2.

They're being led by Stephen Curry and his astronomical numbers of 32.6 ppg, 6.1 assists and 5.1 threes per contest.

Not to mention the reigning MVP's other accomplishments so far, like being the first player since, who else but Michael Jordan to score 118 points in the first three games of a season.

Fans can't be blamed for believing that the Warriors will best the Jordan-led '96 Bulls record.

"I think it's spectacular that this fine, young black male and his team are undefeated," senior Issachor

Tecle said.

But will they go 82-0? Not quite.

Last year, the Warriors had a league-best record of 67-15, only five games worse than the 96 Bulls, but this Warriors team is better than they were last year.

Golden State has a lot of things going for them and are undeniably the hottest team in the league, even without head coach Steve Kerr on the sidelines due to his ruptured disk surgery.

Curry is having such a great year that he's already put up a season's worth of highlights, they're receiving help off the bench and the Warriors have been on a historic run while key players like all-star guard Klay Thompson and 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala have yet to hit their stride this season.

It seems as if they're destined to demolish more records this season.

But let's not jump to conclusions just yet. There are valid reasons why they might start to cool off and will fall short of 72 wins.

The main reason is health. If Curry gets injured and has to sit out for a long period of time, who could possibly replace someone who is simply irreplaceable? Shaun Livingston? I think not.

Last season they were an extremely healthy team that only faced a few minor injuries.

In a sport where countless superstars and championship caliber teams have started to become plagued by injuries, the Warriors were very fortunate to survive their finals run for the most part untouched.

Now this shouldn't take away from how superb their team was last season, but Golden State would be extremely lucky to go two full seasons without

major injuries.

Some students at AHS are a little hesitant to hastily predict that the Warriors will be triumphant in their race to 72 wins. "[They won't win 72 games] because Klay Thompson isn't playing at a high level and they are relying on Stephen Curry way too much," junior Naod Getachew said.

Another reason is they shoot the three ball too much and they have Andrew Bogut.

Another reason why fans shouldn't get ahead of themselves is that they've had a rather easy schedule and have faced teams that pose no real threat to their greatness. The best team they've played so far was the 9-5 Chicago Bulls.

As their schedule gets tougher, they may face teams who are able to slow down this fast-paced Golden State offense.

If teams around the league find a way to stop the sharpshooting Curry, then this Warriors team might face some real adversity.

The second highest scorer on the team is Klay Thompson, who is averaging only 16.1 ppg, almost half of the points Curry

is scoring.

But stopping the 6 3 Curry is a tall task as his arsenal of offensive abilities has debunked even the toughest of defenses over the last two seasons.

The Warriors will take their undefeated record on a seven-game road trip, their first of the season. According to ESPN BPI, they'll have at least a 60 percent chance to win each of those games, and return back home with a 25-0 record.

If there was ever a team that was able to dethrone the '96 Bulls, it's the modern day Warriors.

Even though Curry is the shogun of his squad, their impeccable start is a result of team play, not just his individual performances.

They are becoming a model for the new small-ball NBA lineups and their assist numbers have skyrocketed to 29.4 per game.

Also, center Draymond Green is transforming into a true triple-threat right before our eyes as he s averaging 13.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 7.1 apg.

They are 11 games away from longest win streak of all time set by the Lakers back in their 71- 72 season, and with a couple of easy upcoming games, they need to continue to take things one game at a time.

For them to have their historic goals come into fruition they need a little help from the basketball gods to bless them with tremendous health and for them to avoid any slumps down the stretch of the season.

The NBA's new poster child and his teammates are eyeing basketball immortality and AHS students are keeping watch if they can actually do so.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NBA.COM

Heard in the Hall: Who's better, the '96 Bulls or today's Warriors?

"'96 Bulls because the game was more physical back then."

MOE OBADI freshman

"Warriors started harder than the Bulls, but I will have to wait BYABI BEREKET until the end of the freshman season."

"Warriors because they have better players."

"Warriors because they are undefeated."

MARIAM MOHAMED

"'96 bulls because Warriors have an easy schedule."

DONTAE JOHNSON

sophomore

junior

"'96 Bulls because competition was harder back then."

JENNIFER CONDEZO

"Bulls because Jordan was balling."

MOHAMED HAMZA

"Warriors because Steph Curry is on the team."

senior

STEPHANIE BAUTISTA senior

junior

KYLE ABDO sophomore

Fans react to Bryant's retirement

BY HEZEKIEL YONAS Editor in Chief Five-time NBA Champion and Los Angeles Laker legend Kobe Bean Bryant announced on Nov. 29 that he would retire at the end of the season and now one of the most decoded basketball careers is coming to a close.

Students at AHS mourn over the demise of one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

"It's saddening," senior Moutwakil Omer said. "I've watched Kobe all my life and it's sad that he is leaving the game. He will be missed."

Bryant has beaten numerous opponents, including Celtics, Spurs and Suns, but ultimately couldn't defeat one nagging foe - father time.

The Lakers have become a sorry excuse for a professional basketball team, but the fact that Bryant has been underperforming makes the team even more unbearable to watch. Performances like the one on Nov. 24 where he put up four points on 1-14 shooting in a losing effort makes one try to remember when Kobe was actually, good. His career has taken a turn for the worse after he suffered a torn achilles towards the end of the 20122013 season.

Since then he has been plagued by injuries and old age, resulting in his tragic downfall. In the seasons following his torn achilles, he only played six games in 2013-14 due to a lateral tibial plateau fracture and appeared in 35 contests in 2014-15 before tearing his rotator cuff.

"I think this season has not been too good for him with him getting some injuries and him adjusting to playing at small forward so he isn't putting up numbers he is capable of," junior Lucas Michael said.

It's sad to see one of the most resilient players of all-time, the man who

single-handedly dominated the 2000's with five rings and such a prolific scorer go from stud to dud so quickly.

"It's pretty emotional because he's like the Michael Jordan of our era," senior A.J. Salinas said.

Just three seasons ago, the Lakers were poised to win Bryant his sixth championship that he was desperately yearning for after acquiring all-stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in the offseason.

The two other members of what was supposed to be a dynamic trio have left Kobe out to dry in his 20th season with the team. Now Bryant is surrounded by undeveloped rookies and has a mediocre squad, causing him to end his career on a sour note.

This is a devastating way for a legend to go out, but it was honestly inevitable.

"This is what happens when you get older," senior Natnael Samuel said. "You'll be good at one point in your life when you're younger, but once you get older your skills slowly diminish."

His last season is reminiscent to Jordan's final season with the Wizards in 2003. They both had average seasons on rebuilding teams. But students hope he can turn things around from here on out.

"The season is still young,

so hopefully he can start playing like vintage Kobe," Michael said.

But just because he's way past his prime and definitely won't make the playoffs (unless the Lakers have the audacity to trade him to another team) doesn't mean fans should whine about his exit from the league, they should enjoy his last few moments while he's him. They should cherish what's left of his career, because there may never be another player so clutch and such a dominant scorer ever again.

So don't be upset when the Lakers can't find a way to get out of the loss column, celebrate the nights like Dec. 2 where Bryant lit up the Wizards with 31 points and was making baskets when they really mattered. Celebrate the nights where Bryant shows glimpses of his old self.

The nights where Kobe looks like the old Kobe.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NBA.COM

Athlete of the week: Jordan Adams Varsity guard gives an inside scoop behind his passion for the game Junior Jordan Adams had a tremendous first game of the season for the Varsity basketball team. Adams, who plays shooting guard for the team, put up 29 points in the defeat against the Fairfax Rebels 75-62. Adams must keep up this superior form in order to take the team to victory.

Q: Have you always played this position?

A: I have always been either a shooting guard or point guard.

Q: When was the moment you knew you wanted to play basketball?

A: I knew I wanted to play when I was 11 years old. I quit playing travel soccer to fully commit to playing basketball, it was a huge decision for me.

milk after games to help my muscles recover.

Q: What is your goal for the season?

A: My goal for the season is to win as many games as possible.

Q: How do you think you can improve?

A: I can improve by getting in the weight room and increasing my strength and speed.

Q: How do you think your team needs to improve?

A: We can improve by all working individually on our skill and by working to gether as a team.

Q: How long have you been on varsity?

A: This is my second year of varsity basketball at Annandale, and I love to play the game of basketball.

Q: What motivates you?

A: My motivation is to win and also make my team, family and friends proud.

Q: How long have you been playing basketball?

A: I have been playing basketball since I was five years old.

Q: How do you recover from a loss?

A: You need to brush it off and look forward to the next game on the schedule.

Q: What are some struggles you face?

A: Confidence has always been a struggle of mine.

Q: What are your plans after high school? Do you plan on pursuing basket ball?

A: I plan on attending a four year college, if I get the opportunity to play basketball in college I will surely take it and it will be a huge blessing.

Q: What is your pre-game ritual?

A: I hydrate and try to stretch as much as possible.

Q: What types of food do you eat before and after a game?

A: I tend to eat pasta and also chicken before games. I always drink chocolate

Q: How's the speed of play different from your league team A: Varsity basketball is a little slower than my AAU team, my AAU team play the best players from all the schools in the DMV.

16 SPORTS

Dec. 8, 2015

ALMAZ ABEJE Staff Writer The boys varsity basketball team played their first game of the season at Fairfax High School on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The Atoms led the Rebels 17-13 in the first quarter, but the Rebels soon caught up and lead the Atoms 34-29 at the end of the first half. The Atoms, looking for momentum, caught up in the beginning of the second half. Sadly, their effort was not enough and the Atoms fell to the Rebels 62-75.

Their leading scorer was junior Jordan Adams, who scored 29 points and had two assists.

"It's nice, it's a career high for me, my previous career high was eight on varsity. It felt really good, achieving another accomplishment, something I can look back on and do better next game to win," Adams said.

Along with Adams' scoring performance came consistency with

an 84 percent field goal percentage, a 100 percent three-pointer percentage and zero turnovers.

Defensively, the starting shooting guard had two rebounds and two steals.

Third year varsity athlete Dontae Johnson also gave the team a spark of momentum offensively, as well as defensively. Johnson was the second highest scorer with 11 points along with three assists. Defensively, the guard had three rebounds, two steals and one block.

"Individually, I think I could've done a lot better, staying out of foul trouble more, keeping myself on the floor. If I'm not on the floor I can't help my team. But I could've done a lot better offensively, getting involved with the offense," Johnson said.

He was called for his fifth and final foul almost two minutes into the four quarter, leaving the team without one of their most consistent players.

As a whole, the team's better

NEBEYU SOLOMON

Boys basketball struggles but keeps grinding

Dontae Johnson trying to score in a loss against Fairfax High School

areas were rebounding and free throws.

"I think we did decent on offense but we have to work harder on defense. Bumping cutters, jumping to the ball, just little things we have to work on; getting back on defense, they scored way too many points," Johnson said.

The Atoms out rebounded the

Rebels 13-2 and had a 15 percent higher free throw make percentage.

Their highest free throw percentage shooter was by junior Andrew Ours.

The wing was 80 percent from the free throw line and had nine points.

Junior Matthew McKiver, in addition, had two monstrous blocks on fast breaks.

Conversely, the team's two

weakest areas were turnovers and fouls. The Atoms had 15 turnovers while the Rebels had four. With the abundance of turnovers came foul trouble. AHS had 14 fouls while Fairfax had only eight.

"Weaknesses on the team were just man defense and man principles. Everyone got beat back door, they don't jump to the ball, and [there was] just no help defense," Adams said.

The next two following games for the Atoms were held at Jeb Stuart High School for a "Tip off tournament" in the first game that Atoms played Tuscarora High School and had the lead for the majority of the game but failed to finish in an effort of 58-63.

The next game in the "Tip off" tournament was against the Chantilly High School and with a valiant effort won that game with a score of 57-51.

The team's drastic change in membership was a big factor in their playing style this season.

"This year we're a lot smaller, we have different personnel. We like to run more, we're a quicker team this year and that affects how we play. We like to run up and down the court more and speed the game up," Adams said.

The Atom's high tempo style offense puts them in a large risk, large reward situation: fast breaks tire out your opponent while building momentum but also could lead to sloppy passes and poor decisions overall.

Coach Matthew Behne, in his fourth season of being varsity's head coach, continues to maintain an optimistic attitude about the season despite the tough loss.

"We hope to be competitive every game and give ourselves any opportunity to win as many games as possible," Behne said.

After the Atoms three games their record comes to 1-2.

The next game for the atoms is the home opener on Dec. 10 against Marshall high school.

Alex Joya wrestling last season Annandale Hghschool

BY TOOBA SIDDIQUE AND NEBEYU SOLOMON Staff Writer and Sports Editor Coming off of a killer season last year the grappling Atoms hope to go above and beyond.

Under new leadership from Coach Derek Sweet, the team seems to be progressing at a steady pace.

"He's a good coach, but he has a lot to live up to because [previous coach, Keith Shoulders] built a legacy here," senior Azamat Israilov said.

"He's trying and doing good, as well as showing us new moves to beat our opponents."

The key for the Grappling Atoms seems to be technique and speed, which forces their opponents to lose.

"The guys are listening and grasping the concepts as well as practicing them repetitively," Sweet said.

Varsity wrestlers from last

season have been preparing in the offseason and improved by traveling to New Jersey for the War at the Shore tournament. They also stayed at Penn State University for four days for a team camp where they worked on skill and technique .

"Our technical ability has gotten better since last year," Israilov said.

"We need a little work on conditioning and strength, but other than that we're looking great."

Annandale is also being noticed because of the intense team efforts.

Coming off a district championship last season, the Atoms feel like they are the team to beat.

Apart from the team effort, the wrestlers have also improved individually. The Grappling Atoms have been practicing day-by-day to improve their skills for future matches.

Certain wrestlers can tell that they have gotten in better shape and have improved on different aspects of

their game.

"We've definitely gotten bigger.

My technical ability is the same, but my strength got a little better," Israilov said.

Having lost seniors from last season, the Atoms still feel like they have depth in certain weight classes.

"We have an advantage over other schools because of the size of our team," Sweet said.

"Last year we lost three of our best wrestlers: Wesley, Tony and Devin," Israilov said. "But out of the 14 starters, we have 12 of our seniors. So I think we can do better than district and maybe even make it to top three in the regional tournament."

The Atoms have been learning new techniques to defeat their opponents with coach Sweet bringing his wrestling background from Washington and Lee to help the Atoms prevail.

"I think he is a solid coach. He knows when to help other athletes if they're not doing it right and at the same time he pushes us mentally and physically during practice," senior A.J. Salinas said.

The team seems to have some weaknesses that can easily be fixed.

"Some weaknesses right now are that we have to get stronger mentally. However, our strength is our will to win," Sweet said. "Even with our holes, this year's going to be pretty strong. Almost the whole lineup is filled with seniors, so I'm not scared.

I think we're going to do just fine."

The next match for the grappling Atoms is Friday, Dec. 11 at Fairfax High School.

ALMAZ ABEJE

PHOTO COURTESY ALEX JOYA

Wrestling looking strong

Varsity track sprinter Gary Colombo practices for future meets

Boys track working hard

BY SHEILA AGUIRRE Videographer With 175 kids on this years winter track team the athletes seem to be working hard to make a name for themselves.

"The team is going to probably break down to maybe 15 varsity girls and 15 varsity boys," Head Coach Phillip Harris said. "While the rest are going to be on the JV team."

To determine which boys will be on the varsity team they need to meet a set time. What the coaches did was take the top three runner times from the 200s, 55s and the mile to make up the indoor boys varsity team. Everybody on the team will be at a varsity level or close to a varsity level, according to

Harris.

The first meet of the season will be on Friday, Dec. 11 at the Thomas Jefferson community center and it will be a JV event. The meet on Dec. 18 at Prince George Plaza will be the first meet for varsity boy runners.

Since not all runners are able to compete at the upcoming meet, some of the varsity runners will run at an upcoming invitational.

Runners competing in this meet are already setting their goals for the end of the season not only winning isn't always on their mind.

"At this meet, I'm not really looking to win or get a certain place but rather hit the time that I want to hit or even better," senior Noal Bayisa said.

Team practices usually consist of running repeats 250s and 300s.

"This is just to get the volume up so they can do the events later," Harris said. "So we haven't started actually individualize instructions for any particular event. We're just trying to find out who is better for that event."

Each event has different practices to work on different parts of their body so they can perform to the best of their ability.

"Since we do not practice more than one to two times a week, I make sure to give it my all during the practice," junior Jeremiah Beatha said.

Even though boys track team have lost many seniors from last year and a coach this season, they still strive to get better and better everyday.

SPORTS 17

Dec. 8, 2015

Runners strive for first place at TJMS

By GRACE HOGYE AND CORY PRINGLE Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF KELSIE LICATOVICH

The indoor track teams will be having their first meet at Thomas Jefferson Community Center on Friday, Dec. 11.

The girls team has been preparing since Nov. 13 and is excited for this year's season.

"I'm excited for winter track starting," senior Shaneya Wichard said. "I'm glad to be back around all my track ladies."

Starting a sport after a long break can be intimidating. It is hard to stay in shape during the off-season, but junior Arianna Ward is confident she is ready for the start of this new season.

"I am excited to see what progress I made over the break," Ward said. "I have strengthened myself so I can get faster."

There are many returning runners, this year's team has increased greatly since last year. Almost 200 runners attended tryouts on Nov. 17 and 18. In the past, the indoor track team has only consisted of around 100 to 150 runners.

Although the new mass of runners can be overwhelming, assistant coach Ivy Roe is hopeful that there will be new talent among the newcomers.

"Hopefully we'll get new runners who are ready to compete along with returning runners who will want to improve their past records and challenge themselves to be the best they can be,"Roe said.

The team is focusing on training the newcomers as well as the returning runners.

It is important to help the first time track runners, but it is also important to continue improving the returning runner's times.

Junior Kelsie Licatovich sprints to the finish line in the 200 meter dash at an invitational meet last year.

It should be the goal of every team to achieve the best possible times as well as compete in the best meets.

"My goal for the season is the same as every season," Wichard said." Which is to be able to go to states."

In order to achieve this goal, a lot of training and effort is required from the whole team. It has been a while since the girls have been to the states competition as a team. The team has a lot of time until the states competition so they are now focusing on the upcoming meet at

Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

The first meet will give each runner and relay team a good idea of what their times are. It will also allow the coaches to spot the top runners.

As well as helping them learn their times, the meet will help give perspective on how much each runner needs to work to improve.

Coach Roe is confident the girls can improve this season and believes the girls can be successful this winter as

long as they put in effort and strive to be better.

"Attendance for practice every day and commitment to be the best athletes they can will take the girls really far this season ," Roe said.

Some of the girls have even been preparing and working to improve before the season even began. A lot of the girls get in shape by participating in other sports.

"I feel like I am prepared for the season because of running so much in soccer which helped my sprinting and endurance," junior Gabby Jordan said."It definitely helps my explosiveness for starting off a race."

Similarly, other girls use track as an opportunity to strengthen themselves for other sports.

"Winter track helps me get in shape for the spring and soccer," sophomore Genesis Lara said. "Being with everyone is really fun."

The girls team has a lot of hope for this season. The excitement is high and the preparation for the first meet is tough, but the girls are excited and ready for the new season.

"We have a lot of great girls running this year," Lara said. "I'm sure it will be a good season."

Not only the track team is ready for the season, but so are the coaches.

"The girls get along wonderfully!" Said Roe, "They are very supportive of one another during practices and meets. They build each other up especially if a workout or race didn't go well and are always thinking of fun team bonding activities which is what really makes athletics fun."

The girls team has a lot of hope for this season. The excitement is high and the preparation for the first meet is tough, but the girls are excited and ready for the new season.

"We have a lot of great girls running this year." said Lara. "I'm sure it will be a good season."

Heard in the halls: Which sport season is better, winter or spring?

"Spring sports because I like doing work in the heat."

"Spring sports because winter track is too cold to be running outside."

GABRIEL LUGL

SESINA BEYENE

freshman

"Spring sports because the sport I do is chill."

freshman

"I like winter sports because I like the cold weather."

"Spring Sports because soccer season is hype."

DAVID MOORE

JEREMIAH WINTER

sophomore

junior

HANNAH SHARTEL

"Winter sports bcause more people bring support."

NAUN GONZALES

"Spring sports because baseball."

JOESEPH KURLAND senior

senior

senior

Q&A with dive coach Maddy Cook

BY RACHEL SHOGREN Staff Writer Q: How do you like coaching?

A: I enjoy coaching a lot this year, having teammeates that I played with last year too is also cool to see.

Q: How does it feel coaching people that were your teammates just last year?

A:It does feel a little bizarre coaching players that I've played with last year, but it makes the coach/player relationship a lot more under standing and I can relate to them more

PHOTO COURTESY OF MADDY COOK

Q: What are your hopes for the season?

A: My hopes for the season is to take them as far as they can go.

Q: What is your favorite part about coaching?

A: My favorite part about coaching is being able to still be connected to my favorite sports even though I can not play. I also love being someone that my players look up to like I did to my coaches when I swam at AHS. Q: How is college going for you?

A: I enjoy college a lot but it is nothing com pared to high school, it is a much more different feeling and can be hard to get used to.

Q: How do you balance your studies having to coach at the same time?

A: I balance my studies and job by working my school schedule around coaching. The free time I have in between classes or before practice I try to do as much homeowrk as possible so after the practices I can just relax.

Q: What do you miss the most abut being a swimmer and diver at AHS? A: What I miss about being a swimmer and diver at AHS is being able to swim and dive with my friends, and I will miss the team dinners that we used to have. I will also miss the most the difficulty of being a swimmer and diver during the meets and running back and forth from being a diver to a swimmer.

Q: How does your previous experience as a swimmer and diver benefit your coaching skills?

A: My previous expierience as a swimmer and diver benefits my coaching skills by doing swim for all four of my years so I understand how things are done and know how to properly do the moves for diving.

Q: Which part is harder being a coahc or being a swimmer?

A: I think being a coach is a lot easier because

I do not need to worry as much on how good I do but more on sharing my knowledge about the sport which is a little easier than tryng to perform the stunt for diving.

Q: Did you coach any other sports?

A: Yes, I was an assistant coach for lacrosse in the spring and field hockey in the fall.

Q: How do you as a coach plan to help divers achieve their goals/?

A: As a coach i plan to help them improve and perfect their dives and help them learn new dives.

Q: What are the teams strengths and weak nesses?

A: Some of the team's strengths are that they all are good divers and really willing to work hard to improve and their weaknesses are our numbers. we only have one girl on out team and that is a little hard on her and i have 2 div ers that also swim so i don't always have them for the full hour of practice so it is hard for them to learn new dives and improve.

Q: How do you think you will improve over the season after the first meet?

A: I don't think they did as good as they could but we will take this dive meet as a learning experience.

Coach Maddy Cook uses her hands to show a technique to her divers.

Swim and dive hopes to spear the Spartans The AHS Swim team prepared for the first meet of the season on Dec. 4. The team had a lot to work on to get ready for this meet, but the question was still in the air about who would fill the spots of the talented senior swimmers from last year.

"We are working on our sprinting as well as our distance," senior Aaron Boyd said. "I expect the performance to be alright, considering it's the first week and as a team we haven't worked much on starts."

Many athletes had different goals and hopes for themselves as individuals to reach during the first meet, including freshman Katie Pope.

"My goal is to swim a long distance event successfully since I've never done that because I've only done summer swim before," Pope said.

Another freshman with high hopes, Abby Reynolds, prepared to swim at the meet by focusing on what she sees as the hardest parts of swimming.

She hoped that by working on her turn technique, she would have an advantage going into the first meet.

"I've been focusing on my fly kick because when you swim free, back and fly, you do fly kick when you're underwater when you start or when you are at the end other end of the pool doing your turn,"Reynolds said.

"I hope to get a fast time for a 50 meter butterfly and a fast time for a 50 meter backstroke."

Her team has been preparing hard and was ready to perform as best as they could at the meet.

"I think we are ready for the meet because we have all been working hard at the pool and in practice," Reynolds said.

Although it was the first meet without some of the

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ABLAST

BY SERENE GHUL AND LINA ALTAII Staff Writers

Swimmer Ashley Britton comes up to take a breath while preforming the 100 meter breaststroke.

team's graduated seniors, the team still hoped to pull through.

"Even though we are a very small team I hope we all do well and the main thing is to have fun this season," sophomore Lennon Wuhrer said.

When hoping much for the team she has input on how she is going to help the team out of the upcoming season.

"Regaining endurance through swim practice and running alone, wearing tights during practice to give

extra drag is one way I benefit our times as a team," Wuhrer said.

With competition being tough this season, the AHS Swim team had to go the extra mile to achieve their goals.

"The competition is going to be pretty tough. We are facing the defending 5A state champions Thomas Jefferson and a pretty decent South County team," Boyd said.

With the team having new swimmers, and having graduated many top swimmers, the team has to work

harder to make sure everyone is adjusted to the new team size and routine.

"At this point during the season, my goal is to not drown. I will do as best as I can in my current state," junior Gabe Martino said.

Another factor in how well the team performed was how much time they spent practicing in the water and out of the water.

With some members not attending as many practices as they should, their team is not as strong as it could be.

"Not everyone has been to all the practices. I know some people won't have as much endurance as others," Boyd said.

Another obstacle that is held the team back was not knowing what events each person would swim.

"We're pretty prepared fitness wise," freshman KatiePope said. "We're all pretty much back in shape, but we have no idea what events we're swimming yet."

Doing well during the first meet was a hard goal to achieve for the AHS swim team as most of the athletes had not touched the water since the previous season, but with the help of the coaches they are ready to take on the season.

"We have been practicing hard every day. Pushing ourselves to get back into shape for the season is our main goal right now," Martino said. "I don't think we will be as good as we can be by the first meet, a lot of us are out of shape and have not been in the water since the summer. We will definitely get better as the year goes on."

18 ENTERTAINMENT

Where we left off

Teachers reminisce about Star Wars

BY AHMAD AYUB

Entertainment Editor A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas created the incredible universe of Star Wars. Since then, the franchise has accumulated millions of fans worldwide.

The series started with three episodes released in the late 70s and early 80s. Twenty years later, Lucas directed three prequels to help establish a larger background to the universe.

The story was left off with the final battle between the good and the bad. Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, R2-D2 and C-3PO travel to Jabba's palace to save the carbonated Han Solo and are captured themselves. Han's body is thawed and the heroes escape.

Luke travels to the Dagobah system to meet with a dying Yoda, while the rest rendezvous with the rest of the Alliance. The spirit of Obi-Wan reveals to Luke that Leia is his sister and that he has to fight his father, Darth Vader, to defeat the Empire.

The group travels to Endor to attack a shield generator that is helping the Empire build a new Death Star and Vader unsuccessfully tries to convince Luke to join the dark side of the Force.

While Luke and Vader go to meet with the Emperor, Darth Sidious, the rest of the strike team manages to successfully disable the shield.

Luke witnesses the death of his father and Darth

BY JULIUS MILLER Staff Writer George Lucas released his ambitious project Star Wars in 1977 with little idea of how well it would be received. The movie was screened in a small amount of just 43 theatres but still managed to accumulate $1.5 million on its opening weekend.

He named the film Star Wars and later changed it to A New Hope. The cast consisted of very interesting characters and drew in the audience to an interesting storyline.

After the movie proved to be a success, Lucas released two more movies by the names of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars would go on to be viewed over and over for years to many different generations, but few could say they were the first generation to see it. Some of those lucky few attend AHS and have stories to tell.

"I saw Star Wars for the first time when I was in high school and when the films were re-released for their 20th anniversary," Social Studies teacher Lindsay Zurawski said. "I really enjoyed seeing the films with my friends and I became a huge fan after that."

Zurawski isn't the only one to have memories associated with these films. English teacher Bill Maglisceau also was one of the first to see the originals in theatres.

"For The Empire Strikes Back, I got in line after swim practice for the premiere," Maglisceau said. "I was first in line and sat in the front row."

Robert Thompson, a learning disabilities teacher at AHS, had a more unique experience than most.

"I was lucky enough to have a connection to see a private screening the day before the release of Return of the Jedi," Thompson said. "I excused my kids from elementary school and took them with me." Thompson looks to take his granddaughter to see the new film.

After Lucas released the original trilogy, he decided to release the prequel trilogy.

The three movies released were The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and The Revenge of the

Dec. 8, 2015

New villain Kylo Ren preparing for a battle.

Sith. The prequels received heavy criticism. The use of computer-generated imagery in the movies, or CGI, was looked down upon by viewers of the original trilogy.

"I think they did some things right and some things not so right. I thought the visuals were stunning and the lightsaber duels were much more impressive than in the original films," Zurawski said. "Things I'd remove from the prequels? Midi-chlorians and Jar Jar Binks."

Regardless of the criticism, the prequels still managed to accumulate $1.1 billion in gross sales.

In October 2014, it was announced that a seventh Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, would be released on Dec. 18.

The hype has not stopped since then. Zurawski and many others bought their tickets for opening weekend months prior to its release.

"I'm really excited to see the characters in a new storyline," Zurawski said. "That being said, I'm a little upset that Disney and J.J. Abrams threw out the entire expanded universe to make this film."

Not only does Star Wars entertain people, it brings them together. This new movie gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy it together as one big community, just as it did with the six others.

Hopefully, students can create experiences as great as the ones that teachers have made with the sequel trilogy. More importantly, may the force be with you.

Han Solo and Chewbacca are two of the returning heroes.

Sidious and the Alliance successfully destroys the new Death Star. In the end, the rebels celebrate on Endor and Vader's body is cremated. Although Luke's father dies, the heroes are left with a generally happy ending.

The Force Awakens catches up with the story 30 years later, when the galaxy is once again threatened by the dark side.

The Rebel Alliance has been replaced by the Resistance and the Empire has been replaced by the First Order. As shown by footage released in trailers for the film, there is a new army of Stormtroopers, and one of them is our new hero, Finn.

Other new characters include Rey, a scavenger on the new planet of Jakku, Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot, and Kylo Ren, a commander of the First Order.

Returning characters include Luke, Leia, Han, and last but not least, C-3PO and R2-D2.

Q&A with English teacher Niki Holmes Q: What's your favorite Star Wars memory?

A: My favorite memory is from 1977, when I was nine years old. My mother and father took me to see Star Wars. NEVER had I seen anything so amazing as the scrolling of the opening words: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." For the time, it was cutting edge technology and so exciting, especially for a girl who had not seen many movies in the theater.

Plus, I was young enough that my mom actually covered my eyes during the Cantina scene so I would not be upset by the blood and violence.

Q: What did you think of the prequels?

A: They were terrible. Really terrible. Lucas needed an editor, but no one seemed to be able to stand up to him to suggest that the dialogue was ridiculous. Don't

even get me started on the use of racial stereotypes with the supporting characters...

Q: Are you excited for The Force Awakens and why or why not?

A: I am cautious. I hate to suffer another disappointment. I have hopes that it will be good.

Q: Favorite quote?

A: "Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?" This still cracks me up.

Q: Did you have any special experiences with the first movies?

A: It was mind boggling to have learned of Luke's parentage. I may still be recovering from that shock.

Who is your favorite Star Wars character?

"Yoda, because he looks funny and he was the master."

"Luke Skywalker, because the actor attended AHS." ALEX BELLEM freshman

MARIAMAWIT WOLDEAB

"My favorite character is Darth Vader, because of his suit and powers."

freshman

"Mace Windu, is my favorite because he has a purple lightsaber."

"Obi-Wan, because he helped bring Luke into the light side."

TOMMY PERRY

DAWSON PLUMMER

sophomore

junior

"R2-D2, because he is the coolest robot in the series."

JESSICA FERSON

MOHNISH VAID

junior

senior

"Mace Windu, because he's one of the few black people in the movie."

"Darth Vader, because he's a unique villain."

ALHAJI KARGBO senior

Star Wars: A Timeline "I like when R2-D2 and C-3PO land on Tatooine because they argue so much."

"It had the best CGI in the original trilogy and is second best in terms of story."

JASHON REAMS

PHILLIP DELCORE

senior

senior

1977

1983

1980

I loved the chemistry between Princess Leia and Han Solo."

"Not the best one out of the six but there's a lot of action. Battles between Count Dooku and Yoda are the best parts."

2002

GABE ALANA junior

1999

"I think this movie was a good intro to the trilogy."

2005

"This movie was great because Vader is the G.O.A.T villain."

TOBIAS DIESNTFREY

CAMERON TRAN

ALEX ALFARO

Math teacher

senior

senior

NAOL BAYISA senior

ENTERTAINMENT 19 Holiday season films and music Dec. 8, 2015

Songs of......

Christmas Christmas Present Past

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW LINE CINEMA

PHOTO COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Films with Xmas spirit

THE POLAR EXPRESS

ELF

HOME ALONE

The Polar Express is different from some other Christmas movies.

The computer animated film was not a warm, fuzzy Christmas tale.

At times, the movie feels like a suspense film.

The movie, based on the book of the same name, is about a boy who boards a train headed for the North Pole, but faces danger at times along the way.

According to Box Office Mojo, the film is the second highest grossing Christmas film of all time.

"I like the soundtrack," senior Jamiah Harrison said, "because it puts me in the joyful Christmas spirit and I liked how real the characters were."

Elf, starring Will Ferrell as Buddy, is hilarious from the start, when the viewer sees that Buddy, standing at 6'3", genuinely believes that he is an elf.

The film follows Buddy, who was raised on the North Pole, as he attempts to cope with the fact that he is a human as Christmas day nears.

He returns to find his father in New York City and has a hard time finding his way around.

"I liked how Buddy went out to search for his family up in New York still dressed as an elf," senior Mahlate Samson said. "I also liked when he was at the mall and thought the mall Santa was the real Santa."

Another all time favorite holiday movie is Home Alone.

Released in 1990, the film starred Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, an eight year old who is accidentally left at home by his parents while his family leaves to Paris to celebrate Christmas.

Two burglars attempt to break into the house believing that it is vacant, but Kevin is able to set up a series of traps, successfully warding off the thieves.

"I loved how whenever the robbers tried to break into the house, "they always failed because of the kid's complex traps," senior Ananda Poudel said.

1.

1.

Let it Snow Boyz II Men 1993

Let it Snow Dean Martin 1966

2.

3.

4.

2.

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth Nat King Cole 1946

All I Want For Christmas is You Mariah Carey 1994

3.

This Christmas Donny Hathaway 1971

4.

That's What Christmas Means to Me Stevie Wonder 1967

This Christmas Chris Brown 2012

Last Christmas Taylor Swift 2007

What is your favorite Christmas song and why?

"'Jingle Bells' because it has good rhythm."

BARRON DAVIS freshman

"'Frosty the Snowman' because it gives me a Christmas feeling."

"'Jingle Bells' because it is a classic song."

RENE KEVIN SUAREZ sophomore

ANGELA KIM sophomore

"'White Christmas' because its soft and soothing."

"'It Was a Good Day'

by Ice Cube because [Christmas] is a good WILLIAM RANGEL day."

CARDOZO BRUNO CHAVEZ junior

"'Jingle Bell Rock' because it was in Mean Girls" ANGELIQUE VARGAS senior

junior

"Definitely 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' because it's such a classic song and you STEFON ASKOVIC can never go wrong senior with classics."

"'Little Drummer Boy' because the beat is fire."

AHMED MOHAMED senior

BY KARUNGU THUKU Staff Writer Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas season is officially here. One movie that is releasing on Christmas day is far from a feel good story.

"It is surprising at this time of year to see a film like this, films are usually being released for the holiday spirit," senior Jilmer Fuentes said.

Concussion, directed by Peter Landesman, tells the true story of Bennet Omalu, a doctor who confronted the NFL and attempted to tackle the issue of concussions.

He discovered Chronic Traumatic Enceoholooathy, or CTE, which is a brain disease that can affect someone who has suffered multiple head injuries, such as concussions.

He tried to release this information out to the public, but the NFL questioned Bennet Omalu's

legitimacy and they tried to disparage him. Bennet Omalu is played by the well known Will Smith. Smith has experience playing movies that are based on a true story, such as The Pursuit Of Happiness where he plays Christopher Gardner.

"Will Smith is my favorite actor.

He can make me laugh from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to making me upset and scared in I Am Legend," junior Carlos Almaza said.

Other notable actors in the film include Alec Baldwin, Gugu MbathaRaw, and Albert Brooks.

The first trailer of the film was released on Aug. 31, 2015 on YouTube. It got 12 million views and a lot of positive feedback from critics and fans alike.

"I thought the trailer was very well made," senior Dini Mohamud said, "because it left me wanting to watch the movie."

"After watching the trailer, I thought the movie would be interesting to watch," Almaza

"I thought the trailer was very well made because it left me wanting to watch the movie."

After finding success during the past couple of months, these artists' stars are on the rise BRYSON TILLER

PHOTO COURTESY OF RCA RECORDS

said. "Not many people know the dangerous side effect of a concussion and how it's treated. Concussions can be very dangerous, especially for athletes."

As more Research on the issue has been conducted, preventing concussions has become increasingly important to the NFL during recent years. A recent study carried out by researchers at Boston University and the Department of Veterans Affairs studied the brains of 91 former NFL players. They found signs of CTE in 87 of them.

"I feel that it's a big issue (concussions) and that many players don't get it checked out by the team doctor, after big hits like they should," offensive tackle and senior Ryan Flynn said.

"As a football player, it's something serious that all athletes should be concerned about," said Fuentes, who also plays defensive tackle said, "because a concussion can be something deadly and all players should be aware of it."

This film is not only releasing on Christmas day, but at the end of the NFL regular season. Fans are glued to their TV screens, rooting for their favorite team to make the playoffs.

Releasing a movie criticizing the league for covering up concussion

TORY LANEZ PHOTO COURTESY OF SWAVENATION.COM

Concussion is set to release on Christmas Day

Up and coming artists

Most people know Tory Lanez for his hit song "Say It." The track was released in July, and got Lanez up as far as number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.

The music video has over 15 million views on YouTube. However, though he has only seen fame like this recently, he's been making music for a while.

He released a mixtape in October of 2014, which has been downloaded over 100,000 times. Lanez has also recently released an EP for free, available for download on his website.

"He can make R&B and rap music. His words paint really good pictures."

MATTHEW MICHAEL senior

["Say It" is] such a catchy, chill song. He's definitely working his way up, I see him going big." senior

POST MALONE

Dini Mohamud senior information could be a controversial move, especially at this time of the year. However, many feel that no matter what time of year it is, it is an important issue that must be addressed.

"I feel like this is the appropriate time to address the issue, the fans and players should be aware of the risks and the danger in playing the game," senior Shank Rai said. "We all love football, but to cover up the issue is a poor and immoral decision

If you listen to the radio at all, you've most likely heard Bryson Tiller's trademark hit, "Don't."

The song features a slow tempo and a simplistic beat, no elaborate arrangements, mainly steady drums, a subtle bass, and Tiller's blend of singing and rapping that has made him one of the main new artists to listen to.

With lines such as "If you were mine you would top everything, suicide in the drop switching lanes," Tiller's music is usually centered around romance.

He also raps about his ambition on "Ten Nine Fourteen," and looks back on where he used to be when he wasn't famous on "502 Come Up."

RUTH TIGUH

PHOTO COURTESY OF REPUBLIC RECORDS

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

Concussion movie preview

Post Malone, from Dallas, Texas, was catapulted into the spotlight by his song "White Iverson."

As of the week of Dec. 12, "White Iverson" sits at number 25 on the Billboard charts, which is the highest that it's ever been.

The song was released over the summer and has been on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for 12 weeks now.

Malone has been working on his debut album, and seemingly revealed the title on Twitter, saying that he was finishing it and it would be called "Album of the Year."

Later he said he was joking about the title, but fans are still eager to listen to his debut project.

"I really like 'White Iverson,' it's a song you can vibe you, work out to, etc.

AYDA OSMAN senior

20 WEEKEND Getting in the holiday spirit!

Dec. 8, 2015

The Nutcracker

National Christmas Tree

Ice skating You don't have to be Kristi Yamaguchi to get out on the ice and have some fun. Switch it up this year and go ice skating in front of the National Gallery of Art in D.C.!

A two hour admission pass for the rink is $8.50 for adults and $7.50 for students, children and senior citizens. It's open until March 13 so you have plenty of time to go enjoy the atmosphere of skating among the impressive buildings of D.C. If you feel like taking a break, you can even go into the Gallery itself to view the extensive collection of art, and admission is free!

Why not take a trip to see the classic holiday production, performed right in front of you? The Nutcracker is the perfect ballet for people of all ages!

The Great Russian Nutcracker will be performed by the Moscow Ballet at the GMU Center for the Arts Concert Hall on Dec. 16 and 17. This group of 40 internationally touring dancers will surely to amaze you.

Admission ranges from $28 to $175, and groups of 10 or more, senior citizens, Military and AA members can receive discounts.

If you're busy on those dates, the Nutcracker will also be performed at the Warner Theater in DC from Dec. 3 to Dec. 27.

A celebration 93 years strong, the lighting of the National Christmas Tree is an annual tradition in Washington DC. Located in the northeast quadrant of the Ellipse near the White House, the holiday symbol of the Christmas tree serves as a way for the President to share this holiday season with us.

The tree was lit on Dec. 3 this year, and was accompanied by many performances such as Fall Out Boy and Tori Kelly. Although you probably missed out on the actual lighting ceremony, you can visit the tree at any time to admire the lights and pose for a photo with the White House in the background!

Cut down your own tree

Sledding

Holiday movie marathon

Go natural this season and pick out your very own Christmas tree! It is the perfect way to bond with the family outdoors and do something different.

Joe's Trees in Chantilly allows you to pick your Christmas tree with the option of cutting it down yourself. The average price for a tree is around $40 with a variety of options to pick from.

Take your new tree home and decorate it with lights, ornaments and gifts underneath. At the end of the day you are sure to love your tree no matter the size or length because of its authenticity and the memories behind it.

Most students are wishing for snow days this winter and everyone knows that we want to put those days off of school to good use. Grab a sled from your house and get some friends together to take a day trip to some nearby hills for sledding!

Find the steepest hills in town, wear lots of warm clothing and sled until you are sore! Pinecrest Golf Course in Lincolnia is a great sledding spot because of its rolling hills, and is very popular for families in the community.

This is a great low-budget activity that you can do with as many people as possible.

The day is not over yet after you finish sledding. Go home, change and get warm and comfy. Take the outdoor festivities indoors and bake holiday goodies and jam out to holiday music. By the end, you will have had a memorable day filled with winter and holiday experiences.

You don't need to throw a holiday party to get in the spirit of the season.

Be festive while also staying comfortable by keeping your pajamas on and watching a few holiday movies!

Grab some friends and food and watch as many movies as you can. Take some time in between movies to get crafty with the holiday spirit. You can make gingerbread houses, have holiday sing-a longs or have a gift-wrapping competition.

After you are done getting crafty, go back and watch some more movies.

You are sure to be singing along and walking around with the holiday cheer.

What do you do on December 25?

"I spend time with my family opening presents and reflecting on the good things that happened that year."

"We stay up until midnight on Christmas Eve and then we take turns opening gifts."

"I'm with my family for most of the day and we just spend time together."

"We have a big dinner with the family and we wait until midnight to open the gifts."

KIMBLERLY VALDES

VALERIA ARNAO

SERGIO VILLARROEL

MADDY MCCROSSIN

sophomore

sophomore

freshman

CORY HOLLIS

sophomore

"My family and I open presents and then have a Christmas dinner."

"I wake up and open presents with my parents. My dad is Muslim, and my mom is Christian, but we still celebrate it anyway."

freshman

"My aunts and relatives come over and we get together and feast. We normally eat injera and watch TV." NAOD TEKLIE

TES LAMIN

"My family and I usually go on a ski trip in Pennsylvania. There is a lot of appreciation and gratitude that goes on."

DAVID PARK

senior

senior

senior

Staff Writer Last weekend my friends and I had a "friendsgiving" dinner. We planned out the night and decided to have everyone bring their own dish so that the stress of preparing all the food wouldn't be on one person's shoulders.

The reason we thought a friendsgiving dinner would be a great thing to start doing was the opportunity to make Thanksgiving a holiday for friends as well as family.

We're thankful for our families but we're also thankful for our friends.

Friendsgiving also seemed like a great way to spend time with our friends over the long weekend.

Unlike we had hoped, some people (including me) could not follow through and bring the food that we had planned to bring.

It was not the traditional

Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and stuffing, but we did have rice, macaroni and cheese and pizza rolls on our dinner table. We also had a delicious pie, and later ate some fried chicken from Popeyes.

To begin our dinner, we all held hands and went around the table each saying what we were thankful for. The answers varied, but the one phrase that did stand out the most was that almost everyone said they were thankful for their amazing friends and the opportunity to share their life with so many caring people.

One thing which really made me feel grateful was when my friend Genesis was talking about what she was thankful for.

She mentioned that some people don't have any friends or anyone they could do something like this with. It made me feel grateful because I've been blessed to have friends who I can have fun with, and who I can go to for anything.

Senior Katie Pacak, who plays basketball, is excited and ready for the season.

Lina Al Taii poses with friends for a photo to commemorate the night.

After dinner, we all sat on the big couch and played Wii Sports and listened to Christmas music. There was one moment that really stood out because we were all laughing so much about it. It happened when I played Wii bowling against my friend Lina and we accidentally tripped on the wire and then fell on the floor;

we laughed so hard about it we were in tears.

The dinner was a huge success and made me feel very thankful for all of my amazing friends. It was a great experience and I hope my friends and I can make Friendsgiving a tradition that we follow every year.

LINA AL TAII

LINA AL TAII

LINA AL TAII

LAST WEEKEND I : Students hold a "Friendsgiving" dinner

Al Taii and friends enjoy their Friendsgiving potluck meal.

Class of 2016 Bulletin To-do list: December Edition Start applying for scholarships Submit as many college apps as you can to have a stress-free break.

Enjoy Winter Break with family and friends!

195 days until graduation