Issue 9 by AHS Publications

the

700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003

10-11

NEWS BRIEFS Superintendent search

The Fairfax County School board recently drafted a proposal to initiate a search for a new superintendent. Daniel A. Domenech, superintendent, will be retiring on March 5. The school board’s qualifications for the new superintendent are compromised primarily of the qualifications it used to select Domenech. It is the intention of the school board Domenech to have a new superintendent selected before September of 2004. The draft profile is open for members of the community and parents of students to submit input.

Recent missions sparks further exploration of Mars.

Black History Bowl

The deadline to sign up for the Black History bowl is this Wednesday and freshman as well as juniors are still needed for competition. The bowl will take place on Thurs. Feb. 26 during flex. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors will compete against one another for prizes and cash that will go to the team members as well as their graduating class. This is the third year the Black History Bowl has occurred and the senior class is the reigning champion. To sign up see Augustine Twyman in room 245.

Presidential Election With the Democratic primary underway and the presidential election in the not too distant future, the choice for presidential candidates is narrowing.

Schools plan to make up incliment weather closings on federal holidays BY LEKHA MENON AND STACEY MARIN Staff Writers

JULIA HANSON-TAKYI

Senior Dina Romero carefully walks from the church parking lot into the school. Many students fell on the slippery ice while making the trip to school.

‘Skip day’will have reprimands BY LAELA SHALLAL Staff Writer “Senior skip day is supposed to be the day where seniors can just relax and enjoy our well earned day off” said senior Gilda Villela. But in reality, senior skip day is treated as any other day of the week with punishments that are often times more harsh; ranging from Thursday school to suspension based on the student’s attendance record. Some feel that seniors aren’t taking the consequences of skipping seriously. “I don’t see the point in skipping and I don’t want to face the consequences” said senior Moses Choi. “Skip day” continued on pg. 6

“Snow” continued on pg. 6

Students chug electives BY JOE BURKE Staff Writer

Paraskevidekatriaphobes –people with an irrational fear of Friday the 13—missed a lot if they stayed home from school Friday. On that day, during the Flex period, the annual Course Selection Fair was held. Held concurrently in the cafeteria was the Senior Breakfast. From 8:53 a.m. until 10: 19 a.m. on Friday, freshmen, sophomores and juniors had the opportunity to visit four different teachers, who each

explained the courses they will be offering next year. Although the event is often referred to as the “elective fair” this is somewhat of a misnomer. Students did have the opportunity to visit many different electives, including classes like Music and Marketing. In addition, teachers of non-required academic classes that students can choose to take, like Honors level and IB classes Math and English classes, had a chance to explain their courses to potential students. “Course Fair” cont. on pg. 6

BY CAROLINE FRIEDMAN Managing Editor

CAROLINE FRIEDMAN

UNDECIDED

Senior Justin Wade accepted the “milk challenge” during the senior breakfast while the class of 2004 looked on.

Assistant Principal Benita Toler said her “good-byes” at an after school reception on Feb. 10. Toler left AHS in order to become a hearing officer at the Burkholder Administrative Center.

Keeping up with the recent trend of old faculty departing and new faculty taking their place, Assistant Principal Benita Toler’s last day was about three weeks ago, after working at AHS for three and a half years. Toler left AHS to take a job as an Assistant Hearing Officer for the Superintendent’s Office. Toler hears and conducts

expulsion and exclusion cases regarding student behavior. She represents the superintendent during these hearings. Toler was recruited for the job and said, “it was a very difficult decision [to leave] because I love Annandale and the students and the people that I worked with there.” Toler decided to take the job in order to challenge herself and gain a different life experience. Toler said that she already misses AHS and that

she believes that it is one of the best high schools in the country. “AHS has heart,” said Toler. “She [Toler] brought a lot to the table here at AHS,” said Assistant Principal Dave Tremaine. He also said that Toler has helped to turn around at-risk kids and was the IB Administrator. Toler said that she will continue to come back and mentor her assigned students, “Toler” continued on pg. 6

New rule requires teachers to use Blackboard.com BY STUART DUNBAR Staff Writer “The only thing good about Blackboard is it’s not pornographic,” said one teacher speaking on condition of anonymity. “When Fairfax County doesn’t have enough money to spend on textbooks, why are we wasting valuable resources on computer technology that few people will use?” Among students and teachers here at Annandale, there is much controversy of whether Blackboard is helping out the school or hurting the school. “I think Blackboard is a wonderful tool for students,” said School Based Technology Specialist Becky Bartelt. In June of 1997, Blackboard was created because of the high demand for educational online software, and since then has aroused the interests of a significant amount of schools. “You can transform files using the digital drop box, which teachers can make

MEAGAN BERRY

This survey was distributed to 253 students during R5 lunches and English classes on Feb. 12.

Winter has not yet ended and Fairfax County Public Schools has already exceeded the three days allotted for inclement weather. In combination with the days lost due to hurricane Isabelle, students have missed a total of six school days, one of which was made up today. Severe weather on Feb. 3 cost students and faculty today’s President’s Day holiday. Although many White Day teachers are happy to gain back one of their many lost days, students are not to happy with the idea of losing their long awaited break. “It’s not our fault it snows. They shouldn’t take our holidays, it’s just wrong,” junior Marsha George said. After already losing the vital teacher workday holiday at the end of January, teachers will lose another workday on April 2 to make up for the Feb 6 snow day. The lost January teacher work day not only upset teachers, but many students as well. Those two days were very precious to theater tech senior David Lee, who had counted on using them for tech rehearsals and set construction for the

children’s play. “Because of the snow we lost building time. Everything was rushed and last minute,” Lee said. Along with the drama department, missing school also affected AHS athletes, as no school meant no practice. “For swim and dive [the snow] really screwed us up because we had no practice before districts,” senior Ben Orchard said. Many basketball players also noticed the ramifications of missing school, as it took away their much crucial practice time. “Missing school was great,” sophomore JV player Doug Pelenberg said. “But missing basketball practice really took its toll because we missed a week of practice and that added to us being out of shape.” According to a notice sent out by Fairfax County Public Schools, if another day of school is missed it will be made up on June 21. As of right now the last day of school is June 18, with graduation set for June 15. Seniors, therefore, would rather have days added on to the end of the year rather than adding on extra time to the school day. “I would rather extend the school year. We’re seniors so we don’t

Faculty continues to change

30%

BUSH

DEMOCRATIC

25%

Consignment stores provide great deals as well as a service to the community.

Seasonal storms interrupt year

If the presidential election were held today, how would you vote?

45%

SECOND-HAND SHOPPING

With the end of the regular season boys basketball looks to advance in the playoffs.

Annandale to look at gangs

The first of a series of monthly community meetings organized by Fairfax County supervisor Sharon Bulova took place last Wednesday. Due to the increased gang activities in the Annandale area there has been a need for discussion and questions to be answered. The monthly meeting will occur on March 10 and following March will be April 14, May 12 and June 9. Meetings last from 5-7 p.m. in the cafeteria of Braddock Elementary school. During the first three meetings enforcement, intervention and prevention programs will be presented to the audience. One of the speakers who will appear at these meetings will be U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Paul McNutly.

DRIBBLING TO A CLOSE

THE RED PLANET

Maintaining healthy teeth despite fear of dentists.

703-642-4229

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2004

MORGAN MCEVILLY

VOLUME #49 ISSUE 8

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL

English teacher Katie Ingwersen checks up on her students on blackboard.com

available to the students,” said Bartelt. “It’s a way to communicate with students,” said English teacher Augustine Twyman.

These are just two of the several advantages that Blackboard provides. Other important benefits include posting assignments, calendars, and handouts on the web page. Also Blackboard cuts down on paper shuffling and time spent by teachers at the copy machine. There are many other useful tool located on the web page that include chatting, getting homework assignments, and sending work to teachers. Essentially, Blackboard is a classroom, where you can enter at your own chosen time. You can chat with your teacher and other students, while sending homework or receiving homework and/or assignments. Blackboard provides a variety of educational options that many teachers adore. Many people oppose and disagree with the existence of Blackboard, though. “I abhor the very existence of blackboard.com, because there are a multitude of “Blackboard” continued on pg. 4

Kerry’s unifying force said he decided to run because he is too upset over the current status of the U.S. not to. Dean did not achieve the success in the polls that most excepted because he is intimidating, and people worry that he will radically change the country. Kerry received the overwhelming votes because of his moderate appeal. Kerry conveys himself as a decorated war hero who is staunchly anti-war and optimistic about the future of the U.S. Kerry’s triumph can be defined in two words: bandwagon and unity. After Kerry’s first victory in New Hampshire, people began to recognize his strength for the party. A sweeping lead gave people hope that he could beat the incumbent president. During the next primaries people hopped on the bandwagon, voted for Kerry because he was widely supported. Kerry has the ability to bring the party together in order to oust President Bush. His policies satisfy most Democrats and appease some Republicans who have been angered by the past four years. Unity is key in the next election if the Democrats hope to hold the White House. Kerry is a personable man with several years of political experience under his belt. He served as governor of Massachusetts for two years and as senator for 19. While fighting in Vietnam he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat. During the war he acquired his anti-war beliefs that he still carries with him today. Kerry is critical of how the President is handling the current situation in Iraq. Kerry believes the world, including the United Nations, is necessary in dealing with international issues and in winning world peace. Although Kerry is skeptical whether he would have entered Iraq in the first place, he believes the U.S. should enlist other nations in helping to form the new nation. Kerry states that one of the first things he will do as president is to bring back the three million jobs that were lost under George W. Bush. Kerry plans to secure America’s economic future by decreasing the

BY MAGGIE OWNER Editorials editor

Letters to the editor: Better allocation of school funds I’m writing in response to your January 20, issue of The A-Blast, specifically to the article titled “School takes new security measures.” In the article you explained that due to the two recent fights between students at our school, the administration is making efforts to put in security cameras outside of the school. I would like to say first that I can understand that the dilemma the administration is faced with. This puts them in a difficult situation. Trying to balance a safe place for students to be educated and all the very different personalities of the student body is not an easy job. However, I would also like to say that somehow I think the money and effort could be made just as useful in another way. Instead of getting cameras to watch the misbehaving kids, we could get new cameras for the Film Studies class, or instead of trying to scare the kids into behaving (which does work sometimes) maybe that same time and effort could be put toward getting kids involved in more activities. I know that that is also not an easy task, but coming from one of the students, I would like to say that the feeling that I’m constantly being watched doesn’t make me feel exactly comfortable. I think that having a comfortable learning environment makes me much more likely to approach my teachers and fellow classmates with a more positive approach. I think that involvement of the students is more important than surveillance of them. senior Sarah Binkley

Feb. 16, 2004

People jam together, stepping on each other’s feet, a woman near a green spiral staircase flexes onto her toes in hopes to see the man speaking through the microphone on the platform. “Once again, the message rings out loud and clear,Americans are voting for change —East, West, North and now in the South,” said the salt and peppered-haired senator from Massachusetts. Feb. 10, Senator John Kerry received his 11th and 12th state victory with Virginia and Tennessee, including the South in his countrywide phenomenon. Kerry led John Edwards and Wesley Clark in Virginia by 52 percent and 41 percent in Tennessee. Kerry has won 12 out of the 14 Democratic presidential primaries throughout the country. However, what does this mean? Will he receive the nomination? Is Kerry the right man for the job? If so, can he beat President Bush in November? America is full of Kerry-gusto at the present time, but he is not the automatic Democratic candidate. The other competitors, Edwards and Dean have a chance, although slight, of receiving the nomination. Primaries indicate who is most likely to obtain the vote. This summer the National Democratic Convention will be held in Boston to elect the best representative of the Party. At the convention, delegates vote for a candidate based on their personal sentiment and constituents’ bias. Despite the fact that the primaries are not final, their outcome influences the delegates’ decision. Kerry’s popularity is sweeping the country while leaving others, including Dean, in his presidential dust. While made the cover of Time magazine people were dumbfounded by Kerry’s success winning nationwide primary elections. Kerry subtly crept to the lead while America had its eyes focused on boisterous Dean. During his media appearances, Dean portrayed himself as a red-faced, bleeding-heart liberal. Dean

WWW.JOHNKERRY.COM

EDITORIALS

Senator John Kerry celebrates after his victory in the Virginia primary. Kerry is the candidate most likely to beat George W. Bush in the November election.

unemployment rate and reducing Bush’s tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. With this newly attained money he plans to invest in education and healthcare. Kerry prioritizes the economy to focus on the middle class whereas Bush’s plan catered to the affluent. Heisbeginningtosoundandlooklikeapresidentbefore he is the official candidate. Kerry has electiblilty; he has the momentum and popularity to beat Bush come November.

Making the responsible choice to vote BY JOHN BERNHARDT Editorials editor Last week, I was able to do something I had never been able to beforevote. For the first time in my life, I stepped into the voting booth at Chapel Square and voiced my political opinion. Although the entire voting process took me no more than 10 minutes, voting is something many Americans ...if there fail to do. The lack follow, of voting in the U.S. to has the potential to damage the entire tion will the democratic process. A democracy is based upon the voice of the people; however, if there is no voice to follow, in what direction will the country go? If one thing is to blame for the lack of voter participation, it is the sheer

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apathy of so many Americans. While some Americans are shocked at the lack of political participation, they should not be. How can mostAmericans be expected to drive to a voting center, get out of their car and walk inside to vote, when people are too lazy to get out of their car to eat? Since 1960, there has been a noticeable dropped in voter turnout for presidential elections. In 1960, over 63% of the American exeris no voice electorate cised the right to what direc- vote. Since then, has been country go? there a fairly steady downward trend in voter turnout. In the last presidential election—one that was decided by fewer than 1,000 votes—only 51.3% of Americans voted. That is nearly a ten percent drop in voter turnout—those ten percent could have

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MAking the GrAde World War II memorial to be built

The National World War II Memorial will be the first national memorial to honor all those who served in World War II. The memorial, which will be established by American Battle Momuments Commission, will be dedicated on May 29. After the monument is complete, World War II will be the only 20th century event to be commemorated on the Mall’s central axis. It is time for those who served the U.S. in World War II to be honored.

Lieberman drops out of Demcratic race

Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut officially dropped out of the Democratic presidential race. Lieberman, who failed to win one state’s primary election, realized that he no longer had a shot to win the nomination. Lieberman made the right move by dropping out and allowing others to push forward in the search for the Democratic presential candidate.

CBS refused to air ad during Super Bowl

During the Super Bowl, CBS aired ads from tobacco and beer companies. However, CBS rejected an ad from People for the Ethical Treatment of Aninmals (PETA). The Bush administration recently passed a law that allowing CBS to grow in size. CBS is repaying the favor by refusing to air an ad that questions Bush’s policies.

Bushʼs new budget ‘in the redʼ

President Bush’s $2.4 trillion budget will leave the government $521 billion in debt. This budget includes no extra money for additional spending in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush cut funding for a number of programs to save money in his budget. Thomas Kahn, House Budget Committee chair, said, “He’s taken a bad situation and made it really bad.”

easily made a difference in the election. If such a strong downward trend continues, eventually only a small minority of Americans will exercise their right to vote. Since the days of the American Revolution, hundreds of thousands of Americans have laid down their lives to protect this country and what it stands for. How do we thank the people that have given to ultimate sacrifice to the U.S.? By voting. By exercising the rights that we have been given. By voicing opinions. President Bush is, perhaps, one of the most hated and most loved presidents ever. The country is evenly divided over this man. In such a crucial (and what is expected to be a close) election, voter turnout should be higher than ever. If Bush wins this election, the country will go a complety different direction that if a Democrat wins. Unfortunately, only about half of eligible Americans will vote. Although Americans of all ages are guilty of not voting, 18-21 year citizens

have the lowest voter turnout percentage than any other group. During the ’60s, the American youth fought hard to gain the right to vote. Persistance paid off in 1971 when the 26th Amendment was ratified, and the voting age was lowered to 18. In a few decades, the youth of today will be running this country. It is essential that younger people begin to vote. We have a right to express in what direction this country should go. Furthermore, studies have proven that if someone votes when they are young, they are more likely to consitantly vote througout their entire life. Voting is the basis of democratic governments. Without it, a true democracy cannot exist. In all elections, but especially national elections (for example the 2004 Presidential election), voting is essential. Vote so this government represents the will of the majority—not a minority.

t Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, Virginia 22003

Vol. 49 No. 7 February 16, 2004

Editors in Chief: Paul Gleason Abby Segall Managing Editor: Caroline Friedman News Editors: Junaid Shams Kyle Smeallie Editorial Editors: John Bernhardt Maggie Owner In-Depth Editors: Erin O’ Brien Katie Stanton Academics Editors: Laura Kelly Alex Silano Health Editors: Meg Nielsen Rachel Sinaiko People Editors: Andrew Menegat Sarah Bizer Cultures Editors: Kathy Ibarra Wided Khadouri Sports Editors: Jared Smith Matt Wiest Arts Editors: Kimiko Yerik Amy Suddarth Entertainment Editors: Ben Berglund John Reiss Weekend Editors: Laura Johnson Elizabeth Nowrouz Sports “Xtra”: Evan Rowland Amanda Sheaffer

(703) 642-4229 email: ahsablast@aol.com fax: (703) 642-4299

Atomic Articles Editor: Sabrina Stacy Atomic Athletics Editor: Erica Satten Business Manager: Evan Ashe Ad Manager: Chris Sopher Copy Editor: Julia Singer Photography Editors: Morgan McEvilly Sean SullivanWriting Coach: Rebecca Kraushaar Staff Writers/Photographers: Stacey Marin, Caitlin Beckett, Joseph Burke, Shayna Dublar, Edward Gibson, Cristian Hernandez, Bridgette Kim, Amy Mathis, Molly Sterlacci, Mike Wiest, Julie Wolf, Tina Douroudian, Stuart Dubar, Jill Guerin, Matt Hubacher, Ashley Jones, Joe Wilbur, Alex Wahl, Chris Kallendar, Sohaib Khan, Valerie Graves, Sarah Sozio, Nigeen Sadozai, Laela Shallal, Lekha Menon Videographers: Josh Lewin, Brent Sullivan Web Design: Paul Gleason Adviser: Alan Weintraut

CSPA Gold Medalist 2002-2003

Pacemaker Finalist National Scholastic Press Association 2002-2003

Trophy Class Virginia High School 2002-2003

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 individualʼs right to privacy. Unsigned editorials represent the staff opinions which solely represent the opinion of the newspaper staff. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion which is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 229 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast Copyright, 2004.

EDITORIALS

Feb. 16, 2004

Things aren’t heating up Bone chilling temperatures and cold wind chills sprawl across the northeast. Schools and businesses close, leaving the region a frozen arctic wastelandexcept for a buzzing around Al Gore’s speech on Global Warming. How tastefully humorous of Mother Nature. The theory of Global Warming, or (more correctly) the concoction of Global Warming, is superficial and unproven. The idea that global temperatures are rising as a direct result of human activity is so staunchly opposed in the scientific community that a 20,000-signature petition (still growing) is circulating among our nation’s leading scientists. Yet psychotic environmentalists, and politicians with their own agendas, still push the public to fear a theory with little scientific support. Environmentalists surmise that there is a direct correlation between rising global temperatures and greenhouse gases. Advocates claim that rapid industrialization has raised the greenhouse gas levels, and are preventing heat energy from escaping, thus raising global temperatures. Although greenhouse gases are capable of raising temperatures, they are not the cause of any recent global temperature increase. Rising trends predate any man-made greenhouse gasemitting machine by 200 years, starting at the end of a period which scientists refer to as the “Little Ice Age.” Theoretically the earth is still in the last ice age, in that average global temperatures are roughly 15 to 20 degrees below the norm. The 20th century was hectic from a meteorological standpoint; drastic climatic changes were common throughout the century. Substantial cooling trends that took place during the ’40s and ’50s were dwarfed by even greater cooling trends during the ’70s. The harsh cold led to the long since forgotten “Global

Cooling” theory, which environmentalists swore would have the world in a new ice age by the millennium. It never came. Similar to the energy issues we are facing today, the ’70s gas shortages fueled debate over the hydrocarbon fuels. Environmentalists use superficial, and in some cases completely omit, data to strike fear into the hearts of the impressionable to further their own agendas on hydrocarbon fuels. Data proving that global temperatures are on the rise is inconclusive. Although surface temperatures have slightly risen, according to the National Research Council atmospheric temperatures have remained unchanged for the past 20 years. Their evaluation says that if global warming held any merit both surface and atmospheric temperatures would have changed. Rising surface temperatures can be attributed to sources far less damning than Global Warming. In areas of rapid urbanization (incidentally the only areas to experience rising temperatures) expanding pavement and buildings collect solar and geo-thermal heat, and in turn raise air temperatures. Furthermore, the changes at which environmentalists are biting their nails have only been recorded during the night. At the center of the Green House gas fiasco is Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Depending on seasonal and location variables, CO2 comprises a mere .033% of the air (compared to other greenhouse gases such as Nitrogen, which makes up 78%). CO2, however, is the only gas with any recorded increase, according to the NRC, and is not an uncommon change. Global Warming could only cause serious concern if a substantial increase occurs, an increase that a depleted gas like CO2 is just not capable

—Madeleine Mejean freshman

“I do. Nuclear weapons, pollution and greenhouse gases affect it.”

—Mohammad Rahmar sophomore

of. CO2 has become an environmentalist’s pawn. They are so desperate to create environmental havoc to support their theories they over-exaggerate CO2’s influence. President Bush’s abandonment of the Kyoto Pact—an international agreement to lower greenhouse gas emissions—was mockedandridiculed.Bushwaspaintedas an anti-environmentalist hell bent on destroying any ecosystem possible. However, when the agreement was made during the Clinton administration, an overwhelming majority shot it down in the Senate. Why was the agreement so opposed by U.S. officials? Most likely it’s the $350 billion called for annually for the next eight years, to meet the agreements standards. Kyoto has more economic underlying than any environmental concerns. If the so called environmentally friendly nations

(France, Japan, Russia, etc.) were so worried about the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions, they would have pushed the agreement on a global level, yet they did not even attempt to get 80% of the worlds nations into the pact, including China and India (the two leading Greenhouse gas producers other than the U.S.). The ability to limit and have any forms of control over the U.S. was the crown jewel each of these nations was seeking. The Kyoto Pact shows how misinterpretations of the environment’s conditions are a political tactic. Environmentalists use lies and disinformation, to push their own political agendas. Scientific fact cannot be taken for truth when it is mixed with politics.

ligence and make an educated decision. Even Republicans Bush will find it easier to parry assaults on his ecoin Congress are skeptical of the president’s pretense for nomic record; most of the spending that created the war; but the committee gathered to scrutinize the decision deficit can be justified for national security, the war Last Sunday, President Bush sat down with NBC’s will determine if the WMD-claim was the fault of errone- in Iraq, and the tax cut-which a recent report preTim Russert in a special Meet the Press interview that ous intelligence or simply a false administration claim. dicted would create millions of jobs in the coming years. Russert avoided questions on education, Medicare, As the only real issue threatening the president’s symbolized his controversial presidency. The surprischances for reelection, reserva- and other smaller domestic issues, and on purpose: ingly personal presitions about the war in Iraq will despite criticism of all his initiatives, Bush has gained dent fielded questions only be resolved after the com- support from nearly every voting group through legismainly about the war mittee comes to a verdict. The lation. It is exactly the kind of dream-campaign Bush in Iraq, but also about Campaign Manager Karl recent report homeland security Rove had hoped to create; as filed by inspector and the upcoming long as the president can manDavid Kay said presidential race. there was very This was little change Bush’s ‘average Ameri- age to defend his controversial decisions, he will glide through little evidence in the president’s suggesting Iraq can’ quality was gave him to a large victory in November. positions on these The President’s greatest was in possesbig-ticket platform sion of weapons great appeal to voters in strength, however, is the peritems, and for the of mass destruc- 2000, and it will do so again. sonal level on which he is able better. By continuing to relate to the average voter. tion. But Kay to come forward in deThe goal of every presidential also noted that fense of his decisions, campaign is to convince the the decision to and moving onto the “swing” voter-who is not so go to war was offensive as the race still justified: “Based on the in- deeply entrenched in political views-to journey to the gains momentum, telligence that existed, I think polls in November. The democratic candidates—frontBush has solidified it was reasonable to reach the runner Kerry among them—are too liberal to suchis grip on reelection. conclusion that Iraq posed an cessfully garner support from the average American. Even as the The Democratic nominee faces a public that is largely imminent threat.” Even withnot-so-charismatic out stockpiles of WMDs, Sad- uninformed regarding the Democratic platform—the Bush stumbled over dam Hussein’s involvement candidates spent the early race locked in debates and explanations for his in the funding and housing arguments within the party, and unable to rally around decision to go to war, and terrorists, and his strong a single candidate. When the nomination is finally made, his message was clear: opposition to democracy in the the candidate (likely to be John Kerry) will not be nearly at the time, all intelliPresident Bush speaks at NASA, outlining the Middle East, made him an im- as well-established as 2000’s almost-President Al Gore. gence had pointed election-year space agenda that has drawn much Bush’s “averageAmerican” quality was what gave him mediate threat to the United to weapons of mass controversy. States and its efforts abroad. great appeal to many voters in 2000, and it will do so again, destruction in Iraq, The interview also briefly as long as he is able to refute opposition to his decisions on or their probable dediscussed Bush’s economic the economy and the war in Iraq. Last week’s Meet the velopment. Yet while false intelligence is not directly the cause of a George Bush policy, which, as the other concern of his presidency, Press interview is a perfect example of the effective and blunder, it is the president’s responsibility to analyze intel- will become a key issue in the presidential race. Yet personal campaign that will lead George Bush to victory. WWW.SHERLOCK-HOLMES.CO.UK/IMAGE-SEARCH/PRESIDENT-BUSH.JPG

BY CHRIS SOPHER Ad Manager

Which would you rather have? A teacher who talks to you like an equal, brings fun and creativity into the classroom and tries to understand the woes of being a teenager? Or would you rather have a teacher who acts superior, doesn’t respect you and thinks that whatever problems you are having are trivial? The answer is pretty obvious. However, as many students know, the first type of teacher is hard to find. It is extremely difficult to be motivated to work in school when your teachers are disrespectful and negative. Granted, they are our superiors and they deserve respect from us as well, but respect has to be earned on both sides. If a teacher walks into a class and automatically assumes the worst of their students, it sets a negative tone to the class. This is deconstructive and leads to bad attitudes from students. There needs to be some positive feedback from a teacher in order for their class to want to work hard. There are also many teachers who are very accusatory towards their students. They think that students are constantly trying to take shortcuts or find a way to get out of doing their work. Teachers

“No. I don’t know. A friend told me it doesn’t exist.”

—Gaston Cruz sophomore

“Yes. There are so many cars on the road. The fumes and toxic gases are causing the atomosphere to deteriorate. ”

—Ezra Tilaye junior

“Yes, because there’s facts that the glaciers are melting. I think it is a natural process that continues to happen. ”

—Tamara Friedler junior

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“Yes. There’s pollution from cars and such that pollution is destroying the ozone layer.”

—Cindy Horning senior

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Teachers’ attitudes affect students Positive attitudes produce a more benficial work environment

Do you feel that global warming is a real problem facing the world? “Yes, because of the deforestation of the rainforest.”

Bush takes stand in interview

BY CAROLINE FRIEDMAN Managing Editor

need to not look at their students as conniving, but more. All that most students need is someone to they also need to give students a purpose for why believe in them instead of someone who criticizes they are doing the assignments they are doing. If them. Coming from a student’s perspective, the a student puts time and effort into doing work- best thing a teacher can do for students is to be sheets or writing essays, then never sees them rooting for them. And although they think that again or they come back with little feedback, they they might be doing that, the tone in many classes is negative are going to be less willing and discouraging. to put forth the same effort Those teachers in the future. This is something that teachers have Teachers need to step back who are harsh with their students and to know in order to understand their students. and realize that we are just kids. constantly putting students down Teachers who conare not creating stantly yell at their an ideal learnstudents, disregard their ing environment. efforts, put down their work and don’t understand that students have Teachers need to step back and realize that we a life outside of school are ineffectual leaders. are just kids. So many of us are taking rigorous It is those teachers that identify with their course loads, have family and work obligations students, praise them for their attempts and and responsibilities to after school groups or talk to their students as equals that make the sports. We are willing to work, but it is hard to transition from teacher to mentor and friend. want to work for a teacher who just yells and Being sympathetic to student’s stress and hav- puts you down. Teachers need to have more ing an upbeat tone to a one’s classroom doesn’t positive reinforcements in their classrooms and mean that the curriculum becomes easier or that try and identify with their students. This will class time suddenly becomes chat time. It actu- surely make school a better experience for all. ally makes student’s want to work for a teacher

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“Global warming is a serious problem. The repercussions would cause economic change. [If the effects of global warming were different] Russia could be a wheat exporter rather than the U.S.”

—Paula McCallum Environmental systems teacher

NEWS BRIEFS Senior scholarships

The Virginia PTA is sponsoring a program for graduating seniors who are seeking scholarships. The student must plan to enroll in a Virginia college or university by September and plan to pursue a career in teaching or qualifying for service with a youth-serving agency in Virginia. Judging for this scholarship is based on academic accomplishments, financial need and extra-curricular activities. Applications for the scholarship can be found in the guidance office, and must be postmarked on or before March 1, 2004. For more information, call the Virginia State Office at 1-866-4vakids or e-mail info@vapta.org. On Feb. 16, the Career Center will be offering three new scholarships from the AHS PTSA. The Ray Watson, James Finch and Don Clausen scholarships will be available on that date.

Regional qualifiers David Vollrath and Andrew Gisch discuss their project, which concerned the gyroscopic stability of a bicycle wheel. See page 5 for more information.

Regional Science Fair qualifiers

The following students have qualified to compete in the regional science fair competition.

Feb. 16, 2004

Young Democrats volunteer their services for the frontrunner democratic candidate BY CHRIS SOPHER Staff Writer The crowd at the Johnson Center at George Mason University cheered as John Kerry took the podium, following an announcement that he had won the Virginia and Tennessee primaries on Feb. 12. The win gave momentum to the frontrunner’s campaign, proving that the Massachusetts Senator can gain support in the South. The Kerry campaign has gained momentum ever since its surprising turnaround from the lower-end of the polls three months ago. The campaign attributes the success largely to the work of supporters across the country. Kerry, like many of the other Democratic candidates, has established extensive web sites to gain support from online activists. Prior to the primary, the campaign set up local offices across the metropolitan area, serving as a center for phone-banking and campaigning efforts. Political groups across Virginia have also been involved in campaigning for Kerry. One such group is AHS’s Young Democrats club, which is constantly active in campaigns for both local and national candidates. On Feb. 4, Terry Hartnett, a Kerry campaigner and journalist, came to the club to describe to members how they could become active in the campaign. Hartnett said high school students could phone-bank, do door-to-door campaigns and distribute literature to become involved with campaigns. “Students can do anything that doesn’t require you to be a registered voter,” she said. Tracie Hiatt, Emily Miller, Kyle Smeallie andAndrew Menegat campaigned for Kerry on the days prior to the primary. They participated in both phone-banking and visibility (displaying signs in high-visibility areas). “It’s exciting and rewarding to work on a campaign,” said Miller, a senior. Hartnett also fielded questions about Kerry’s stances on important issues. Many students concerned about the war in Iraq inquired about Kerry’s foreign

CAROLINE FRIEDMAN

NEWS A Students help Kerry take Virginia

“Thank you, Tennessee; thank you, Virginia.” Massachusetts Senator John Kerry addresses the crowd at his victory rally at George Mason University. The senator took 52% of the Virginia votes, and has taken 12 of the 14 states that have held primaries. “Our vision is prosperity and opportunity; not just for some, but for all,” said Kerry at GMU.

policy. Having seen war first-hand in Vietnam, says Hartnett, Kerry learned about the dangers of war and is cautious to engage the nation in conflicts. In Iraq, he plans to gain support from the United Nations to stabilize the country with minimal conflict. Domestically, Kerry believes a new economic policy is neededtosavethecountryfromincreasingdebtandjobloss. “You don’t need to be poor to understand the poor. You need to walk with them,” said Hartnett, “and I really think Kerry has done that.” As one of the most important issues in Virginia is education, the No Child Left Behind Act has drawn controversy and caused many problems for school systems, according to the Massachusetts Senator. Kerry voted for the Act, but “does not support the provisions that penalize schools,” said Hartnett. The elements of the act that gained Kerry’s support have not worked out, he says.

‘ABB’—Anyone But Bush—is the saying that has driven support for Democratic candidates. “People started to see the real John Kerry,” says Hartnett on Kerry’s turnaround in the polls. “People saw Kerry had the experience and the know-how, and the possibility of beating Bush.” “He seems like such a great guy and has a lot more foreign policy experience than the other candidates. He’s taking a major stance on the important issues,” said Miller. She hopes to intern for the Kerry campaign this summer. His strong stance on issues, and his ‘electability,’ has brought many supporters to help campaign. Students interested in getting involved and campaigning for Kerry should see Mary Ann Richardson, sponsor of the Young Democrats. The club meets Wednesdays in room 182. Information on Kerry’s platform and how to get involved is available at www.johnkerry.com

Select band members perform at festival 25 elite AHS band members comprise the 170-person District Ten Honor

Chemistry Courtney Fay Allison Price Michael Ibarra Alyssa Degner-Lopez Medicine and Health Danielle Waters Mary Read

Director visits IB Film class

The AHS IB Film Studies class was honored to have Cynthia Geary, an independent filmmaker, talk to the students about working their way up into the business world of production. On Jan. 23, Geary brought her enthusiastic attitude to the classroom while she explained one of her successful independent films titled Buttcrack. This film was about two men, where one of the roommates dies and comes back as a zombie to gain revenge. This film was shot near the Dulles area in Virginia. The film took a total of 15 days to shoot and finished shooting in 1997, then was eventually released in 1998. Buttcrack featured Mojo Nixon who played the preacher man Bob. “It was interesting hearing about how to gain access in to the independent film world, and then work your way up to a nation-wide release of a movie,” said Alex Craft. Geary answered questions on marketing, producing and directing, which gave the students a first person view about the day and life of an independent filmmaker. She also is engaged in working with DreamWorks Production Company and did marketing for several movies. “I liked hearing about how an independent film maker makes her career, and how much devotion it takes to make a movie that will hopefully be successful,” said David Vollrath. Geary also produced a documentary on a Latin American band. Cynthia Geary is continuing on making feature films and is becoming more and more successful in her field of production. —by Sabrina Stacy

Junior Jim Brouse and senior Vernon Liechti are two of the 25 members from the AHS band that were part pf the District Honor Band. One of the band’s few practices were canceled, making coordination a difficult task.

break the piece down,” said Brouse. Many of the students felt confident going into the concert, despite the missed rehearsal. “The audition proved I’m good enough,” said Brouse, “but everyone’s always nervous.” In addition to learning a new environment, students were also forced to learn the style of a new conductor. Jack Elgin, the band director for the AHS band, was

present, but mostly just to chaperone and supervise. The conducting was done through Dr. Christian Zembower of Ball Sate University for the Senior Symphonic band, and Thomas C. Duffy ofYale University for the Wind Ensemble. Junior Lindsay Barker, who plays clarinet and made the Senior Symphonic Band said that although more rehearsal time would have been nice,

ASHLEY JONES

Botany Charlie Winters Sam Rabinovitz

The District Ten Honor Band performed Saturday, Feb. 7, at West Potomac High School to demonstrate the talents of variousschoolsthroughoutFairfaxCounty. Earlier in the year, band students from throughout District Ten auditioned for a spot in the district honors band, and those who qualified were placed in either the Senior Symphonic Band or the Wind Ensemble based on their score. “It’s an excellent experience of meeting people of the same musical level in other schools,” said junior Jim Brouse, who achieved second trumpet chair overall. “It’s an honor to be known as one of the elite trumpet players in the district.” The bands met together for the first time Feb. 5, and planned on practicing Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Of the 170 people in both bands combined, 25 were AHS students. However, this year was particularly challenging because the practice on Friday was canceled due to the snow. Despite the short amount of time to learn and practice the piece, the dedicated students all found a way to excel. “[The key is to] work hard and

JOE WILBUR

BY JOE WILBUR Staff Writer

Engineering Andrew Gisch David Vollrath Chris Crumpler

Keris KrennHrubec and Ian McLeland, the leads of “The Princess and the Pea,” bow for thier curtain call.

Thespians act for children BY CHRISTIAN HERHANDEZ Staff Writer Laughter and excitement echoed the auditorium as The Princess and the Pea was performed. Shouts of joy and satisfaction could be heard from the young audience. The children’s play was all about the kids. Thedramadepartment presented the production of The Princess and the Pea. Actors and crew members presented the play on Feb. 5,6 and 7. The children’s play is a production that remakes a children’s fairy tale classic. This year, the drama department chose The Princess and the Pea.

The story is about a prince in search of the perfect princess, played by senior Keris KrennHrubec. The prince was played by senior Ian McLeland. Comic relief was provided by the two squires accompanying the prince, played by Tony Sanchez and Jack Brackney. They were one of the most popular characters among the kids and adults attending. “To play my character I got really worked up,” said Sanchez. “I liked the craziness with the two squires,” said Chemistry teacher Catherine Delconte. The actors got to interact with the audience

during the play. At one point the prince and the squires walk out into the audience looking for a princess to marry. “The play was good because I got asked to marry the prince,” said sophomore Britney Nelson. Pictures could also be taken with the characters for $2 at the end of the play. Many kids jumped at that idea and were eager to get their picture taken with their favorite characters. Another favorite was the goodies sold during intermission. Kids could take their pick from cookies, cupcakes, muffins, brownies and doughnuts. “I like the princess be-

causesheispretty,”saidsixyear-old Angela McLean. “I like doing the children’s play because all the kids are very enthusiastic,” said KrennHrubec. Young adults were also very pleased with the adaptation. “ the play has been really fun, I saw it as a kid, it’s different perspective. I like it, it’s really funny.” said sophomore Mohamed Rahman. The cast and crew had been preparing for the production for a very long time. “We probably worked about three months on it, said senior Aubrey Welch. “I think we all had good chemistry on the stage,” said Welch.

she felt “confident that we have worked enough.” She looks at the District Band as an opportunity to experience and perform with others at the same level. The top four Wind Ensemble students for each instrument will now have the opportunity to try out for All State Band later this year. The Senior Symphonic Band’s pieces were selected from Caccia and Chorale by Clifton Williams, Chaconnne by Gustav Holst, Chorale and Loccata by Jack Stamp, In Heaven’s Air by Samuel R. Hazo, “Gallop” from the Suite for Band, and Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russel Bennett. The Wind Ensemble’s pieces were selected from Canzona by Peter Mennin, I Sit Alone in Martin’s Church by the Wind Ensemble’s conductor Thomas C. Duffy, Postcard by Frank Tichech, Michigan’s Motors also by Duffy, and Trauersinfonie by Richard Wagner and arranged by Eric Leidzen. Besides AHS, District Ten is composed of Bishop Ireton, Edison, Episcopal, Falls Church, George Mason, Hayfield, JEB Stuart, Lee, Minnie Howard, Mount Vernon, St. Stephens St. Agnes, T.C. Williams, and West Potomac High Schools, as well as 14 middle schools that play in a separate group.

Teachers implement Blackboard “Blackboard” from pg. 1 procedures to access the information given by the teacher,” said sophomore Cameron Johnson. “It also provides the teacher an excuse to drown us with more homework,” said Johnson. He’snottheonlypersonthatdislikestheprogram, as the teacher speaking on condition of anonymity also spoke out against the creation of the program. “It only benefits the slackers who don’t show up to class.” The teacher also claimed that, “It takes a great deal of the teachers’ time, which could be better spent on improving instruction.” “What about the poor families who cannot afford Internet access, this is just another example of the rich getting benefits and the poor being left behind.” “Blackboard is as useless as homework,” said freshman Hawa Wardere. Although there are people who dislike Blackboard, quite a few students and teachers claim that Blackboard is extremely helpful. “It’s easy to get into which is helpful because I need to access my homework,” said sophomore Jack deLorimier. “Blackboard is good for the most part, but it would be better if all my teachers used it and if there weren’t dead links,” said deLorimier. Despite the criticism that Blackboard is receiving, the program will probably go off without a hitch and will be used by most students and teachers next year. Although this is true, many people will not stop fighting against Blackboard. “Blackboard may be good for others, but not for me,” said freshman Ramatu Kargbo.

Gyroscopes wins school fair “I felt really good about it, I was surprised that we won,” said junior David Vollrath, a member of the gyroscopes team that won the grand prize in the Science Fair. On Jan. 30, the annual Science Fair took place in the cafeteria, as several students looked forward to the competition in order to display their skills in a variety of different categories. The overall prize of the Science Fair this year was awarded to juniors Andrew Gisch and David Vollrath, who did a team project on gyroscopes. In this project, Gisch and Vollrath tried to develop a wheel, which would be more stable, so that kids one day would no longer need to use training wheels on a bicycle. Their solution to the problem was to create a wheel that allowed kids to achieve high speeds, while having added stabilization. Twenty judges took part in the Science Fair, who walked around looking at the many projects that the students had to present. In evaluating the projects, the judges looked at several aspects. “Originality. How did they approach the problem at hand? Another part I looked at was the scientific method

PAUL GLEASON

BY MIKE WIEST Staff Writer

The overall prize of the Science Fair this year was awarded to juniors Andrew Gisch and David Vollrath (above) for their project on gyroscopes.

used in order to solve this problem,” said judge John Dahl, from the U.S. Patent Office. Dahl judged in the categories of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. If the projects were rated well enough, the student projects moved on to the Regional Science Fair. On average, one to two students in each category moved on. “What we tried to do, is generally do one first place winner for each category,”

said judge Dahl. “I’m always impressed by the creativity of the students,” said Science Fair Coordinator Gannon Sugimura. Sugimura played a large role in the Science Fair, by doing administrative work to awarding prizes and helping out with regionals when the time comes. The projects had a vast range of creative ideas, from gyroscope properties, by Gisch and Vollrath, and

computer software to play games by Nathaniel Farrar, all the way to growing plants on rocks, by Sam Rabinovitz. Several students had winning projects that moved on to the Regional Science Fair. These students were a team of Gisch and Vollrath, who advanced for their project on using gyroscopic properties to aid stabilization, and Chris Crumpler for Engineering. In Botany, Charlie Winters, and Sam Rabinovitz went on to the Regional Fair. In Chemistry, Courtney Fay advanced for her project on the chromatography of candies, Allison Price and Michelle Ibarra advanced as a team, as well as Alyssa Degner-Lopez. Finally, in Medicine and Health, Danielle Waters and Mary Read moved on to the Regional Fair. At the regional fair, the winning team of Gisch and Vollrath have hopes of going on to states. “It would be a nice surprise if the judges feel that our project is good enough to advance to the State Science Fair,” said Vollrath. The categories that were judged in the Science Fair included social sciences, biochemistry, botany, chemistry, computers, earth sciences, engineering, medicine and health, environmental sciences, physics, microbiology and zoology.

5 NEWS BRIEFS Students car broken into, values stolen

Junior Brian Burke’s Ford Truck was broken into on Feb. 13. A satellite radio was stolen and the passenger side window was completely shattered. The break-in occured across from Ossian Park, the site

of multiple break-ins this year.

ALL PHOTOS BY KYLE SMEALLIE

NEWS

Feb. 16, 2003

Students awarded for improvement From F to C in nine weeks, students earned Student of the Quarter for improvement “I just want to show students who are doing well in the class that they are recognized and appreciated,” said Pratuch. While Cuellar was recognized for his improvement in chemistry, some teachers do more than just recognize their students, while others don’t give a student of the quarter at all. Math teacher Donna Erickson is one of the several teachers to give out the Student of the Quarter award, but Erickson makes an extra effort Cuellar to make her students feel special. “Each quarter I do something different. I will take their picture and make them wear an ‘I am special’badge, and then I’ll put their picture up on the wall with the Student of the Quarter next to their class period,” said Erickson. After Erickson takes a picture of her student of the quarter, she lets them get a small prize. “Whoever it is they get to pick a prize out of a bag and whatever their hand touches first they get to keep,” said Erickson. Her prize bag is loaded with every-

BY ALEX WAHL Staff Writer Josue Cuellar used to be a slacking student, but has begun to make a good effort to complete his schoolwork. He has gone from an “F” in Chemistry to a “C” in only one quarter, and has earned the Student of the Quarter award for R5 Chemistry with teacher Thomas Pratuch. This is Cuellar’s first Student of the Quarter award since he moved to the area from Texas. He is one of about 200 recognized in the Student of the Quarter ice cream socal. Being a junior, and currently thinking of college, Cuellar decided to step it up in his classes and put more effort into his work. “I was trying to improve all of my grades this quarter,” said Cuellar. “This is my junior year, I want to have good grades for college.” How did he make such a big turn around? Three simple ideas. “Pay attention, don’t sleep in class, and do the homework,” said Cuellar. Cuellar took the initiative on himself and never had to stay after to get help, he studied and learned by himself and began to be more curious about chemistry in class.

thing from notepads, clipboards, squishy stress relievers, slinkys and other goodies. “I think they are special so I want to make them feel that way,” said Erickson. “I think they really like it but they pretend like they are embarrassed when they have to wear the ‘I am Special’ badge, but they do it anyway.” While most teachers give out some form of award to a student in each of their classes every quarter, English 10 teacher Ron Stanley does not give out a quarterly award. “There are a lot of reasons, I feel like all my students are equal, and I don’t want to point one out,” said Stanley. “There might be a student that is a C student who is trying their best, and I wouldn’t necessarily know that person is trying to their best. It is not always easy to tell who the best student is.” Some of Stanley’s students do ask why he doesn’t give an award, but he doesn’t think that the award has much of an effect on students. “I kind of doubt that any student says ‘Ya know what? I am going to try really hard this quarter because I want to get Student of the Quarter.’ I think students try harder because they decide they want to do better in school, not to get ice cream,” said Stanley.

Students to share culture at Heritage Night

CHRIS SOPHER

BY ABBY SEGALL Co-Editor in Chief

Peruvian, Afghan and Latino talents prepare for the third annual Heritage Night on March 18.

Peruvian, Afghan and Latino talents, an acoustic guitar performance, a traditional Korean dance and a martial arts demonstration can all be found in one place this March: at the third annual Heritage Night on March 18, located in the new auditorium. Heritage Night is a cultural celebration, which incorporates the different ethnicities atAHS into one show. “The more diversity, the better the show,” said history and ESOL teacher Paul Watlington. He believes that Heritage Night is “an important addition to a school like Annandale. There is so much student talent here,” said Watlington. “This gives stu-

dents a chance to [get involved].” This year’s Heritage Night held auditions on Feb. 4 as well as Feb. 11 in the Black Box Theater. Each group that auditioned was required to have an act shorter than three minutes long and a teacher sponsor. “We had a lot of faculty support last year and that is crucial,” said Watlington. “It is so much appreciated. I hope we can count on that again.” The co-sponsors for the cultural celebration are Kathlyn Berry, Cathrine DelConte, Patricia Heininge, Evelyn Hsia, Bianca Mullins and Watlington. However, this year there are obstacles which must be overcome in order to have a successful Heritage Night. The performers have had a limited opportunity to rehearse due to the children’s play and in

Detention being dished out A look back to an article from the March 4, 1999 issue of The A-Blast BY JOSH KRAUSHAAR Staff Writer Efforts to reduce the number of unsupervised students after school, have prompted the administration to create an after-school detention hall in the cafeteria on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The new policy, which was enacted on Feb. 23, requires all students to be with a teacher, coach or school-sponsored activities after school and gives administrators and ability to assign discipline mingling in the halls after school. According to Assistant Principal Jon Frederickson, the policy change was proposed at a recent administrative meeting. The initial plan was to curb the number of students given Saturday school and suspensions with a penalty designed for more minor infractions. Their proposal soon added provisions which prevent students from loudly socializing and being disruptive in the halls after school and allowed administrators to send rowdy students to the cafeteria after school until 3:45 p.m. “Behavior that is not acceptable in the building is what we’re really trying to target,” Frederickson said. “After school primarily should be for students getting help from teachers and being involved in after school activities.”

Despite a recent theft of computer equipment and a fight which occurred during a recent boys’ basketball game, Frederickson said there is not any connection between these incidents and the new rule. “[It had] nothing to do about theft, nothing other than there were some general concerns that there are some youngsters who seem to always be in the hall who don’t stay after school for any academic, sports, or club reasons,” said Frederickson. However, teachers readily admit that this new policy would likely reduce the possibility of after school theft. “It’s always better to give kids something to do because idle time may make opportunities [for theft],” said business teacher Katie Walker, who recently had a digital video camera stolen and subsequently returned. Another potential outcome of the policy change is that students who complete their after school work before the late buses arrive will have nowhere to stay. While most students rarely conference with a teacher for over an hour, the late buses do not arrive until 3:45 at the earliest. Students who need to wait for their late buses to arrive will not be required to report to the cafeteria under the current policy, but Frederickson admits there is ambiguity in how the policy will be enforced, calling it a “work in progress”. “Our biggest concern is the students that are

some cases were forced to practice in Watlington’s classroom. Also a major problem is the lack of a working sound system in the auditorium. “Hopefully we will have one installed in time,” said Watlington. “Mr. Manuel is optimistic that we will have a sound system very soon.” However, he is still hopeful about having a good show. “We have to have a heritage night. It is educational and fun and definitely worth the five dollar ticket.” Watlington stresses that tickets must be bought quickly because they will go out fast. In previous years parents and friends of the performers were unable to enter the cultural night because all the tickets were sold out. Students are encouraged to buy tickets as well as families and the faculty.

from the

here legitimately with a teacher taking a test or to get extra work , and then they’re done and they still have to wait for a late bus,” Frederickson said. Only three people were assigned detentions on the first day they were held. All three had received them during the school day. Basic skills teacher Regina Pettigrew used them as a replacement for giving her students in-class detentions because she was unable to stay late to supervise her students after school. “This gives us an extra option,” said Pettigrew. “It takes the burden off us.” Students have been very displeased with the new policy, saying the time spent in the cafeteria was boring, yet many conceded that the change in policy will help promote better behavior and less truancy. “They’re getting smart. They’re not actually taking you out of school. They’re making you stay longer,” said sophomore Victor Delcid. “I hate it. You just sit here and can’t talk,” said sophomore Nick Naydock. The after school detentions are currently being held on a trial basis, and will then be reassessed based on the policy’s effectiveness. However, the administration is currently pleased with the policy’s results. “We don’t always have the right answer and sometimeswehavetogobacktothedrawingboardourselves,” Frederickson said. “But we’re willing to give it a shot.”

Donations needed for war effort

Clothing and donations are being requested for the refugee citizens inAfghanistan. Donations may be dropped off in room 108 to Constance O’Hearn.

DECA District results

1st Place Overall Winners Wayne Jefferson Cynthia Nguyen Michelle Perez Ashley Miller Khalid Abul-Hawa Mariana Mendoza Jamie Jeon Paul Baldwin John Chu 2nd Place Overall Winners Jared Hirsch Kwaku Osei Mike Perucci Yonas Tewodros Erica Imperati Brandon Healy Tracie Hiatt Alex Silano Michael Tran 3rd Place Overall Winners Christian Henderson Jennifer Jacobs Chris Evans Letica Rojas Josh Miller Steve Skeldon Recognized in Category Events Elina Kim Ted Gibson Stephanie Sielaty Cory Daise Asha Hassan Dan Kim Sukho Na Justin Keaton Alex Nguyen Mohamed Salih Brian Blasser Tommy Do Brian Edwards Natalie Gilbert Sergio Pacheco Sirak Teodros Jason Bracken Tony Minnicozzi

Cafeteria Manager recieves high rating

Cafeteria Manager Connie Schiller recieved the highest possible rating regarding cafeteria managment, cleanliness and line operation.

NEWS BRIEFS Chorus travels to districts

Select AHS chorus members travelled to West Potomac High School for the District Ten Choir. The choir rehearsed on Feb. 13 and performed on Feb. 14.

Atomversary sales

In honor the 50th anniversary ofAHS, dedicated parents and staff have set up the Atomversary store, where students and parents can purchase the following merchandise. Log on to http://www.fcps.edu/AnnandaleHS/ Atomversary/store.htm for order forms and more information.

Feb. 16, 2003

Students sample classes at elective fair that a lot of hard work still lies ahead before they can graduate and enjoy the end of the year. They were encouraged not to fall into the trap of “senior slump”. After the serious part of the activity terminated, the students were released to enjoy a complimentary breakfast of bagels, muffins, donuts, orange juice and milk. Senior Justin Wade promptly attempted to drink an entire gallon of milk.Although the administration had just finished imparting the importance of hard work even in the last semester of high school and stressing the need to keep taking school seriously, they took a much more relaxed approach to the rest of the breakfast and seemed to encourage Wade’s antics. Assistant Athletics Director Dick Adams was amused by the events. He said, “I laughed very hard . . . It was good clean fun and luckily we had a trash can

“Elective Fair” from pg. 1 In total, teachers of eighty-one different classesheldpresentationsduringthefair. Since seniors do not have to choose classes for next year, they had an alternative activity scheduled during the flex period. This activity was the senior breakfast. All seniors were required to report to the cafeteria for a meeting followed by snacks and beverages. While there, the students were informed of and reminded about several concepts and events that are important senior year. First, they were reminded about all the financial obligations they owe. Also, they were given a brief overview of end-of-year events, like graduation and the All Night Graduation Celebration. An announcement was also made stating that this year’s Prom will have a Prom Court for the first time. The seniors then were told

he could throw up into and we could take him to the clinic pretty quick.” Although virtually everyone involved laughed along with Justin Wade in the senior breakfast, some faculty and students were disappointed that many underclass students did not take the course selection very seriously. Some charged that it was treated more as a social event that a legitimate opportunity to learn about classes for next year. Junior Daniel Costas is among the outraged. He said, “It’s too bad that no one takes [the course selection fair] seriously. It could help people a lot with choosing classes.” In retrospect, the “Elective” Fair is perhaps an apt name for the event since, as made obvious by the different attitudes towards it, students can elect whether or not to take it seriously.

MORGAN MCEVILLY

NEWS

Justin Wade chugs milk at Senior Breakfast while Matt Komara looks on in amazment

Ice, snow causes Senior tradition continues schools to cancel

Polo Shirt (white) (S-XL): $25.00 (XXL): $28.00

JULIA HANSON-TAKTI

Sweatshirt (red or white) (S-XL): $25.00 (XXL): $28.00

With no more inclement weather days left, the next school makeup will be June 21.

As more days are cancelled, county officals look for make-up plans

T-shirt (red or white) (S-XL): $15.00 (XXL): $18.00

Hat (red) (One Size): $20.00

“Snow” from pg. 1 really care,” Lee said. However, there are mixed emotions among those who are not graduating this year. “I’d rather have longer hours than have extra days,” George said. “It’s better than missing holidays.” Yet, many athletes and members of other school activities see the many down sides of leaving school later than usual. “Adding extra days is better than making the days longer because I can get to practice earlier and can get home earlier too,” sophomore Todd Bolick said. Students are not the only people complaining about making up school. Assistant Principal Dave Tremaine deemed the practice “pointless.” “It’s unnecessary to make these days up. We only do it because it’s regulated by

law,” Tremaine said. Yet, coming to school yesterday proved beneficial to some students, whose white day classes had been thrown off schedule by the snow. “The snow put us behind is some classes so having two white days in a row helps. We need as much time as we can get,” said Lee, who most involved classes, AP Government and Theater tech, are on white days. “Of course I don’t want to make up school, but it’s necessary,” said Bolick. Making up school days in not a popular concept as far as teachers and students are concerned. “No one wants to make up snow days. Teachers, students, administrators, we’re all in the same boat, but certain requirements have to be fulfilled by Virginia law,” said Assistant Principal Brandon Cooley.

“Skip day” from pg. 1 But most seniors have a different perspective, “I’ll probably skip and go see a movie or something” said senior Ben Orchards. In the past senior skip day has had varying degrees of participation. Generally the non IB classes have had the most seniors skipping. “It’s almost impossible for IB students to skip because we run on such a tight schedule” said IB English II teacher Jacquie Foote. School administrators are not oblivious of the senior skip days and are prepared to take action on participating seniors. “Not only will students be punished for skipping, but they will also get behind in class” said attendance administrator Jamie Carayiannis. “Seniors that skip miss work at school and some make poor choices in the activities they do” said IB higher level math teacher Lorraine Johnson. “The seniors in my class have a test this Monday so if they skip, that can greatly impact they’re grade.” Some seniors that were planning to skip had to change their plans due to tests and quizzes. Seniors Amy Buckles and Emmie Blancovich are both unable to skip because of school priorities. “I can’t

Toler toasts goodbye “Toler” from pg. 1 but it will be a change because they won’t be able to see each other everyday. An advertisement was placed for people to apply for Toler’s position, and Tremaine said that interviews will start next week. He said that some of the qualities that will be looked for in a person will be academic focus, someone who will be visible to the students and faculty, a good communicator, someone who can work well with others and someone who will make

a connection with the students, parents, teachers and community. If no one is hired in this first pool of applicants then the advertisement may be re-submitted or a longterm substitute may be hired for the remainder of the year. Toler was given a final send off at the faculty meeting on Tuesday, February 10. Toler said that she would miss many things about AHS but “the kids are number one I already miss standing in the hallways.” There has been a huge

make it a Date Bumper Sticker $5.00

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

President’s Day Holiday

Lapel Pin $5.00

23 Spring Sports Begin

7:00 p.m. PTSA Meeting (Clausen Hall)

Flex W2/R3

Thursday

Flex W8/R7 18

Friday

Both Flexes (Auditorium)

25 Ash Wednesday 2:15 p.m. DECA Meeting (Clausen Hall)

Both Flexes (Clausen Hall)

20 Black History Performance

Both Flexes (Clausen Hall)

Saturday

Flex W2/R3

Career Center Speaker

change in the administration over the past year with former Principal Don Clausen, Assistant Principal Jon Fredrickson and Assistant Principal Dr. Barbara Fugate all leaving. However, the response has been mostly positive. “I think its sad to see them [the old administrators] go, but I think the new faculty members are good at what they do and are helping to make Annandale a better place,” said senior Maryanna O’Neill.

February/March Wednesday

skip because I have a test on the skip day,” said Buckles. “I think my teachers are scheduling tests that day on purpose.” Other students are refusing to skip because they don’t want to face the consequences. “I’m not going to skip because I hate making up work and we’ll probably get in more trouble for skipping on senior skip day anyway” said senior David Lee. Another common problem with the senior skip day is parents’ calling in to excuse their kids from school. “I know that a lot of students will be excused by their parents and I don’t think that’s ethical,” said English teacher Virginia Hale. Still many seniors are thinking about skipping school with their parents consent. “I might skip and my parents will most likely excuse my absence” said senior Andrew Boechler. Villela feels the same way and notes that “my parents would excuse my absence if I wanted to skip.” Administrators are handling the senior skip day without leniency. “I think the administration is doing a right thing by not excusing senior skip day. It would be unfair to excuse the seniors while the staff and underclassmen come to school,” said attendance secretary Jennifer Sharp.

Flex R5/W2 Black History Bowl

Drama’s N.Y. Trip

Both Flexes

(2/27-29)

(Auditorium) 7:00 p.m. Band PreFestival Concert Pyramid (Auditorium)

Flex W8/R3

2:10 p.m. Faculty Meeting (Clausen Hall)

Flex R5/W2

Company Day all day (Auditorium)

Fashion Show Both Flexes

7:30 p.m. Orchestra Concert Pre-Festival (Auditorium)

6:00 p.m. Winter Sports Banquet (Cafeteria)

Interims Mailed

Spring Sports Pictures 7:00 p.m. Athletic Boosters Meeting (Principal’s Conf. Room)

Flex W8/R3

MYP Articulation Meeting-Early Dismissal 7:00 p.m. Red & White Night (Clausen Hall)

Flex R5/W2 Company Day all day (Auditorium) District Band Festival (TBA)

Flex R5/R7 2:15 p.m. College Partnership Meeting (Clausen Hall)

Model UN all day (Clausen Hall) National Latin Exam (Cafeteria & Library)

Model UN all day (Clausen Hall) District Orchestra Festival (3/12 & 13) (TBA)

ACADEMICS

Feb. 16, 2004

Electives With course selection time right around the corner, get the inside look on where to go and wat to sign up for.

NA AY SH

TED GIBSON

Photography: “This class is diverse and fun. We go on field trips to local areas to take pictures and the students help each other,” said photography teacher Scott Saylor. In Photography class, Senior Blade Ronetz uses students will express the enlarger to enhance his their visual creativphoto. ity through black and white photography. Room 147 uses cameras and film as well as lighting effects and darkroom techniques. “I’ve learned many fundamentals of good photography. Now when I take a picture I know how to take a great one,” said sophomore Elizabeth Eckert. Homework Load: Medium Level of Difficulty: 3.5 Oceanography: Remember the movie Jaws? Oceanography will introduce you to the deepest and darkest corners of the ocean. Dissecting sharks and eel is part of the class curriculum, and you experience visiting local aquariums. Students also study waves, tides and oceanographic instruments. “We do a lot of fun interesting hands-on activities and we also have fun field trips,” said Oceanography teacher Paula McCallum. This is a class you can really sink your teeth

Culinary Arts: Do you want a class that’s fun and never leaves you hungry? If yes, then culinary arts is the class for you. With a state Seniors Susan Caicedo and Rebecca of the art facility, Velez and junior Sivie Castillio cook a café setting and up a dish in Culinary Arts class. an award-winning program awaits you at Room 144. This culinary class provides a restaurant training atmosphere as well as instruction. Students will prepare a variety of dishes from baking to sautéing under the supervision of Chef Gloninger. The finished foods will either be catered or sold to the students and faculty. “Students usually catch on quickly to recipes and learn how to make all types of foods as well as basics such as mayonnaise,”said Chef Gloninger. Homework Load: Low Level of Difficulty: 3 Leadership: Homecoming, pep rallies, and elections are all events planned by the Leadership class. Students in Leadership are responsible for coordinating and implementing students activities at Annandale. “Students get to be leaders and make decisions,” said Leadership teacher Jen Hendrickson. “It’s a special opportunity to be ac-

tive in school [by the faculty and other teachers]. It sets students apart.” All SGA officers and SAC (Student Advisory Council) members are required to take the class, but it is not solely for these students. However, there is a limit to the number of people allowed in this class. Hendrickson Hendrickson describes Leadership, which is very different from most other courses, as a “constant working motion” and “fluid” with hardly any of the traditional structure.” “We plan school events that go on and work in committees,” said sophomore Sabina Fedrowitz. “There’s a lot of work, but in the end it’s a lot of fun and pays off. “ Homework Load: Medium Level of Difficulty: 3

Webpage Development: Ever wonder how webpages were made, and wished you knew how to make an awesome one yourself? Junior Tan Lien helps Senior Webpage DevelopWenda Cao with designing ment a course new her web page. this school year that teaches how to develop webpages and available for students in Grades 10-12. “It’s a brand new class; the teacher is learning too,” said teacher Joan Melberger. This hands-on, lab-style class is a way to learn new skills that could help in today’s technology driven world. Students who have an interest in web design or a related field could greatly benefit from this class. However, Webpage Development could also serve as a tool while not necessarily being a career path. Students in IB Business may want to consider this courseaswell,becausethereisawebdesignobjectiveinthe IB curriculum. “Webpage Development is not required, but would serve as a valuable class to take either before or while taking IB Business.It’s a good course [that could lead to a] promising, interesing career choice,” said Melberger Homework Load: Light Level Of Difficulty: 3 Students can check the course selection guide for the complete lising of all classes being offered. This information should give students a general idea of what to expect of most classes. They can decide how much effort they are willing to put into a particular class. Choosing a class that is compatible with a student’s interest should help them to enjoy the class and stick with it for the remainder of the school year.

With the number and variety of elective classes growing each year, some classes are bound to be overlooked by the student body. It is the teachers’ objective to attract large numbers of students to their classes in order to keep their classes in the curriculum. Elective teachers try to “sell” their classes to students in different, and sometimes creative ways. Marketing teacher Pearl Springfield says she uses two ways to attract students to her class. “The first way is to develop creative campaigns and slogans,” said Springfield. Currently, Marketing classes are making signs reading, “Have a Happy Marketing Day” to display around the school. The yellow smiley face signs posted throughout the school are marketing gimmicks that the class implemented in order to catch the attention of students.

“Our objective is to reach the students though creativity,” said Springfield. On top of this, the marketing department hassentoutdifferentlydecoratedsmiley face trinkets to the administartion and guidance to show their appreciation and to spread the marketing word school wide. All of the student projects displayed around the school are meant to creatively attract students to the marketing class. Other classes such as Culinary Arts, Yearbook,andPeerMediationhavealsoput up creative flyers to advertise their classes in order to gain the interest of students. Secondly, current Marketing students are encouraged to tell others about the class. This is meant to be an effective way of gaining interst because most students who take the class enjoy it and have positive things to say about it. “I took marketing because I thought it woud be fun, and most of it gives me helpful tips for getting a job,” said junior IbaluAlba.

TED GIBSON

Teachers market classes to stay in the game BY CAITLIN BECKET Staff Writer

“Film Studies because it is fun and my boyfriend is in it too.”

“Weight Training, because it is challenging and I want to improve my strength for lacrosse season.”

—Adam Park junior

“Nursing class, because it is what I plan on doing when I get out of high school and it is educational.”

—Katy Garcia senior

TINA DOUROUDIAN

Computer Science: “Most people are just curious about computers,” said Computer teacher Marion Billington. Computer Science is one step closer to understanding them. This course goes Marion Billington assists into the concept of pro- students during his W2 gramming computers, Compter Science class. as well as understanding the structure of a computer. Computer Science is available to students in grades 10-12, and students must have taken or currently be taking Algebra II. Computer Science is a mostly hands-on experimental class with no book learning. “You have to concentrate in the class,” said Billington. “It’s not a gift, but it’s not calculus. It’s a fun way to excercise the brain. When programs come out right, it’s the most satisfying feeling in the world.” Homework Load: Light Level of Difficulty: 3

TINA DOUROUDIAN

Psychology: “This is a class that requires you to “think outside the box,” said Psychology teacher Justin Hambrick. Students participate in many hands-on activities such as examining patterns and variations of human and animal behavior. For example, one of the activities is training a rat in a maze to press a lever to get food. Psychology will surely satisfy your curiosity with the emotional, intellectual and physical aspects of human beings. Homework Load: Light Level of Difficulty: 3.5

Marketing: Whether it’s Marketing I, Fashion, Sport and Entertainment, or International, the Marketing department has a class type Sports and Entertainment Marketing for everyone. There are many classes that can be taken within the department. Throughout the department, the concepts of marketing are emphasized. Marketing I is an introduction to the concecpts of marketing and is a good basis, but not a prerequisite for other marketing courses. Both Fashion Marketing and Sports and Entertainment Marketing are more focused, and look at marketing from the point of view of the industry they are representing. With International Marketing, concepts are looked at from a global perspective. “[In general], we find that students like being part of the marketing program,”said Marketing teacher Pearl Springfield. “They become a true part of Annandale; they get involved in DECA.” Homework Load: Light Level of Difficulty: 2.5 TED GIBSON

B LE

Auto Tech: “Imagine you’re going along a road in West Virginia in the middle of the night, you get a flat tire and there’s no one in sight. What would you do?” saidAuto Tech teacher Joe DeSio. “If you took my class, you’d know how to change it, and you’ve just saved your own life.” In Auto Tech, one of the most popular electives, students are introduced to the automobile as well as how to repair them. Students in this class work on their own cars and also on other cars to make money. One of the benefits of learning to work on cars is realizing how much can be saved by knowing how to repair a car. “100 percent of the students in this school will be car owner some day, and 100 percent of them will have their drivers’ licenses. [For that reason,] it’s important to have this class. The course is a double positive; you learn life skills and you can determine an interest in a career [in this field],” DeSio said. Homework Load: Light Level of Difficulty: 3

IB Music Theory: If you love music, you’ll love this class. Students learn about a variety of musical aspects such as pitch patterns, intervals and keyboard harmony. Basic composition and sightsinging will also be achieved. The class includes writing essays about different types of music and learning to identify the time periods of music by listening for various patterns and notes. IB Music Theory provides college credit. Homework Load: Medium Level of Difficulty:3.5

TINA DOUROUDIAN

Choosing the right elective is not always easy. There are a few questions you have to ask yourself before choosing your electives for next year. Is this something I would like? Would I be willing to continue with it for the entire year? How much difficulty would I have with this class? Will I be able to get a good grade? The following are some of the most popular classes this school year with their levels of difficulty. (On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most difficult.)

into. Homework Load: Low Level of Difficulty: 3

What is your favorite class this year and why?

—Allie Wheeler sophomore

Not your everyday classes BY LAELA SHALLAL AND STACY MARIN Staff Writers

Marketing teacher Pearl Springfield thinks up ways to grab students attention, this yearʼs marketing slogan was “Have a Happy Marketing Day.”

Many teachers rely on the annual Elective Fair to inform and recruit students for their classes. Psychology teacher Justin Hambrick said he uses the Elective Fair to tell students how important his class is and how they will enjoy it. “Psycology is based on your own life experiences, and that’s what

makes it interesting,’’ said Hambrick. Through use of the elective fair, teachers of all classes from Culinary Arts to Journalism hang signs throughout the school to gain student interest. One unique sign is that of Jeanine Neal’s Peer Mediation class. Student pictures are displayed on “wanted” sign style posters with text reading “Wanted: Students for Peer Mediation.” This is just one of the creative signs that can be seen along the walls. Whether it is by advertising their classes around the school, through students, or by the Elective Fair, elective teachers are trying hard to get students to choose their class out of the many courses that are offered. As the number of electives being offered to students grows with every school year, so does the need for teachers and students. Without pushing these elective courses, it becomes a difficult task mainting student interest.

“I like government the best. Even though the work load is heavy, I like it because it is more interactive.”

—Stephanie Choi sophomore

“Electronics because it is a hands on class and we are making robots. I also really like the teacher.”

—Rory O’Connor freshman

New Classes • Early Childhood Careers I & II: Students will participate in a preschool environment and plan activities for three to four year old children to gain experience for working with children as potential career. • Advanced P.E. Grades 11 & 12: Upperclassmen will learn to improve or refine sports activities with a greater emphasis on health and fitness. • Fire and Emergency Medical Studies ( Falls Church Academy): Prepares students who wish to go into fields of Emergency Medical Services and Fire Science. • Drawing/Media Focus 2-D: Students will learn skill development, creative thinking, and self expression to enhance drawing skills. • Info. Tech Fundamentals: Introduces skills, students will need to pursue specialized programs, technical, and professional careers. • Advanced Accounting: Students will learn about managerial accounting, cost accounting, financial analysis and business ethics. • Geometry Part II: Upperclassmen will continue to investigate the properties of polygons, circles and three-dimensional figures while learning deductive reasoning.

ARTS

8 The Space Between

Problem: No closet space Solution: To help maximize space in your closet, or just make more space for your room, clear out your closet first and then take off the doors. Once the space is cleared, put a number of shelves in for storage, and even one large shelf big enough to be a desk. Add a lamp if the space is dark. You can also add height to the space by putting in a tall lamp or a padded, solid color backboard.

Problem: Too many photos and no space to put them Solution: If you have too many pictures for your frames and are looking for a decorative way to show them off, here’s what you can do. Take a refrigerator pipe thats’s about 1/4 inch thick. Bend the pipes into any shape that you want: you could try a star, heart, or even your name as long as its not too long. Once you have bent the pipe into your preferred shape, have somebody hold it up to the wall that you want it to go up on so that you can use hammer and nails to put it in place. Once that is done, use clips that squeeze to open to put your pictures in place on your design.

Problem: Not enough light Solution: A fun way to create more light in an area, chinese lanterns are a great idea. You can get these lanterns for cheap at many lamp or home stores, these lamps can come in a variety colors, and will add light and warmth to your room.

Feb. 16, 2003

space. To all those Harry Potter fanatics out there, sophomore Natalie Bowman is one of the most dedicated fans. Bowman has decorated her bedroom with Harry Potter memorabilia like no other. From games, to posters, to autographed books, Bowman has been colThis decorative collection on one wall of English teacher Pamela lecting for quite Feilʼs classroom demonstrates the pink theme that is a constant. some time. Bowman has been a fan of the series since the first individual someone is. So in decorating book was released and likes to collect their rooms, many students look for almost anything related to Harry Pot- things that express their unique taste. An example of this is sophomore Alex ter or J.K. Rowling. “They have a lot of stuff at book stores like Borders, espe- Barker’s bedroom. His decision to adorn cially when a new book comes out; they his room with movie posters came from get a lot of accessories,” said Bowman. his love for movies. “I like movies a lot Because she is redoing her bedroom, so I have my favorite movie posters up. soon the walls will be different and the I have all three of The Lord of the Rings, carpet will be new, so what about her Remember the Titans, the original Star bed? “I really want the comforter,” said Wars, and Rudy. My favorite poster Bowman, to add to her Harry Potter bed would have to be the Lord of the Rings: sheets. It will be quite some time before The Return of the King,” said Barker. “It originally started when I was back Bowman is all Harry-Pottered-out. Many students also like to decorate in about fifth grade and I ended up collecttheir lockers with all sorts of neat stuff, ing them over the years. Now I’ve run out from cool pictures to message boards. of room though. When I got the Return of Senior Christine Castaldo and a close the King poster I had to move them around friend of hers share a locker that includes to accommodate for space but I basically pictures, mostly of the two of them togeth- leave them where they are,” said Barker. In addition to his several movie poster, fun magnets, a message board and a mirror. However, rather than putting it ers, Barker has various other pictures on up themselves, her friend’s mom decided his wall including a Three Stooge’s poster to surprise them by putting the stuff in. that he received from a friend and a pic“It was back to school night and ture of his eighth grade class. Altogether, to surprise us, she put up all of the his posters illustrate his unique image. “I pictures with magnets and a mes- like my room a lot because it gives me an sage board. We write each other notes ability not only to express myself, but to on it occasionally,” said Castaldo. show my liking for movies,” said Barker. All in all, decorating a classroom, Many other students like to put bedroom, or locker with any form of art up fun pictures of friends or cutouts of pictures from magazines and post from a Harry Potter theme to a vibrantly them up in their lockers for all to see. pink room is a great way to express The style and décor of a bedroom personal interests and a unique image. MOLLY STERLACCI

Use these easy tips from ABCʼs Knock First website to help personalize your own room

Since pink is a soothing color, Feil’s decked out room has made a good environment for her teaching. “Maybe the color, the ambiance has affected students because I have thrown one student out of my class in 16 years, and that was the first year I was teaching,” said Feil. It was never Feil’s initial intention to have a completely pink room, BY MOLLY STERLACCI AND ALEX WAHL but the whole idea of creating a pink Staff Writers room has really helped in her teaching Who likes dull, boring decorations by providing students with a sooththese days? Living in a world where color ing environment that has character. and creative ideas surround us daily, it is Although he hasn’t decked his room hard to find a teacher or a student who out in pink, John Hawes, the Pre-IB have blank walls in their classroom or Government teacher, has also put creative bedroom. Decorating with a theme or effort into decorating his classroom. Alidea seems to be common when people though it is not dramatic, Hawes posts all express their interests and personalities. the work of his students around the walls. Walking through the upstairs English “The room was bare at the beginning hall, and about mid-way down, out of the of the year, so I took the last year of The corner of your eye there is an incredible Economist [magazine] and said ‘hey guys, flash of pink. “The pink room,” as many that is what the year looked like coming call it, belongs to 11th grade English teacher in to where we are now’,” said Hawes. Pamela Feil, who began the decorating 16 Besides the magazine bulletin board, years ago. “I walked Hawes has put into Staples and I up posters that basically had a few students have choices. I had blue, I made from had black, I had clear different topics and then there was throughout the pink,” said Feil. “So I year. Some did a little bit of pink include posters and it grew as stufrom foreign dents began to give policy discusme more and more.” sions, a stock Feil says that market game about 98% of the pink and the earliobjects come from her est series is Natalie Bowman decided to decostudents, and just Sophomore from ‘survivor,’ rate her room with her large collection of Harry recently a student Potter memorobilia. a game his from five years ago class played in e-mailed Feil to ask about the pink troll the beginning of the year. that she had bought at a yard sale and Hawes likes to put up his students’ gave to the class, and yes, it is still there. work because it is colorful, it provides Feil believes that it is possible her variety, and most importantly, it reminds pink classroom has had a positive effect students of what they have studied duron the students. The girls automatically ing the school year. “The basic idea is love it, she said, and the boys have a dif- that students have been putting up what ferent reaction. “When the junior boys they have been doing,” said Hawes. first walk in, I know they are reacting The next “decorations” for the room to it, but they don’t want to look like will be a series of political theme posters they are. I usually say something like ‘I that students will be making in February. know the room looks like Pepto-Bismol In addition to teachers, many students to you, but you’ll get used to it’,” said Feil. also find merit in personalizing their

Teachers and students share redecorating tips

ALEX WAHL

Quick fixes for room makeovers

truly represents the image and type of

The Chinese Art of Feng Shui BY KIMIKO YERICK Arts Editor Problem: Room is plain and not very creative Solution: One way to fix this problem is by making a cork board for your wall. You’ll need a roll of cork, some rubber cement glue, a museum board or other type of still board, a hammer and nails (small picture hanging nails should be enough), a knife to cut the cork and board, and a marker. The first step is to decide what shape you want the cork to make. Draw that shape onto the cork with your marker. Next, cut out your shape and glue immediately onto the museum board or other still board that you have so that it’s flat and won’t curl up. Finally, position the cork onto your wall, and once you’ve nailed it in place, you’re done! Photos provided by: www.walmart.com

Are you looking for an easy way to improve your life by increasing your health and adding positive energy to your life? If so, the art of Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) is just the thing you’re looking for. Feng Shui literally means “Wind and Water” in Chinese. It has been in practice in China as well as other areas throughout the world for over 2,500 years. The Chinese people believe that Feng Shui is a way for people to improve their household or place of business by increasing the amount of positive energy in the room. Since Feng Shui was first practiced in ancient China, it has become increasingly popular in areas throughout the world, and has become a recent fad throughout the United States. There are many factors which play a part in Feng Shui. There is a Feng

Shui color guide, yin and yang characteristics, effects caused by the five great elements, and the division of your life into eight major areas of interest. The belief of yin and yang in the Chinese culture has to do with the feminine and masculine characteristics that can be found in each and every human being. Feminine nature is represented by yin. The earth, water, moon, female, valleys, passiveness, roundness, and smoothness are all qualities of yin. Some yin activities include reading, gardening, and listening to music. Masculine nature is represented

by yang. Heaven, fire, sun, male, heat, assertiveness, activeness and roughness are all parts of the yang. Some yang activities include sports, exercise and dancing. Just to make sure that nobody is confused, all humans, both male and female contain qualities from both yin and yang. The color wheel is associated with our yin and yang characteristics as well. Black is linked to our yang characterisitics and deals with our careers and justice. Black also supposedly absorbs negative energy. The color gold is linked with our yin nature and deals with the wealth and prosperity of

a person’s life. The color red is associated with our yang nature and deals with fame, luck, and property. It is also said to ward off evil. The color blue is part of our yin nature and shows that a person is peaceful, calming, and has great knowledge. There are also things that you can do so that more positive energy can flow into your life. You can remove clutter, choose the essentials for your well-being, pick your favorites, return things that belong to others, get rid of old magazines and things that you no longer use, wash dirty dishes and do the laundry, and always keep pathways open. There is a lot more that can be learned about this ancient Chinese art. These are only a few helpful hints for how you can use the art of Feng Shui to improve the positive energy that is present throughout your everyday life. Information from: Pacific Spirit Corp

Feb. 16, 2004

Estimate: $100. Months to years of check-up appointments and adjustments: $4,050. Total cost: $4,150. The perfect smile: priceless? More and more parents are shelling out money for their children to have orthodontia care. While reasons may vary from medical necessity to appearance, is having the perfect smile really worth the costs, including those that are non-financial? Sophomore Addison Orr had braces put on in early January. “I had to miss swim practice when I had them put on and for appointments,” said Orr. With monthly checkups, students sometimes felt a time crunch, as appointments often interrupted their schedules. “I had to go to the dentist every two or three weeks, which was more than normal. It also took me longer to brush my teeth with the braces,” said freshman Megan Price. “My mom always scheduled my appointments on my days off, so that stunk,” said sophomore Mary Draper. Many students are forced to get orthodontia care such as braces for medical reasons. “I had a bad lisp, so if I didn’t have the braces, I guess I’d have it even worse,” said junior Jamison Foreman.

The sound of drilling fill the air, accompanied by the smell of flouride and burning teeth. “Open up,” the dentist says, aiming a ferocious-looking needle your way. Sound like fun? For many students, a trip to the dentist’s office is far from pleasant. Junior Molly Jepsen has a dentist appointment next week, and she is not looking forward to it. “My dentist is pretty nice, but I don’t particularly like going,” she said. Jepsen is one of many students who experience apprehension before dental checkups. Jepsen attributes some of her nervousness to previous experiences she had during a dental exam. “Once when I got a cavity filled, the novocaine wasn’t working,” Jepsen said. “So I had to get three shots more of it, but I could still feel the drill [going in], which made me scared of the dentist for a while,” said Jepsen. Jepsen has had more than one bad experience at the dentist, as once she was treated by a student dentist and “she cut my lip,” Jepsen said. According to Encyclopedia.com, the official medical term for fear of dentists is dentophobia, which is defined as “a morbid, irrational fear of, or aversion to, going to dentists.” Although most students are able to overcome their fears and go see the dentist, there is still some anxiety. Junior Aminata Toure said she is not actually afraid of going to the dentist, but she still doesn’t enjoy it. “I don’t like it because I know he [my dentist] is going to drill my teeth,” Toure said. Not only has Jepsen felt the pain of not having enough novocaine, she has also had to have many teeth pulled, which proved an uncomfortable experience. “I had to get six baby teeth pulled,” Jepsen said. “I couldn’t feel anything but I could hear all the noises. And when I heard the dentist ask for a root pick it was pretty awful,” Jepsen said. Many students note that their discomfort around dentists results from the various sights and smells of the dentist’s office. Sophomore Jackie Brackett hates going to the dentist because she dislikes the smell that results from drilling teeth. “The dentist wouldn’t be that bad if there wasn’t that really bad smell of burning teeth,” Brackett said. “When I smell that I get kind of nervous, because it reminds me of what it feels like to have a cavity filled.” Junior Caroline Shedlock also hates

How important is good dental care?

PA TIO N PH OT OI LLU ST RA

Senior Kate Bagnulo had braces put on in third grade, then removed and put back on in fifth grade. “I had [braces] on twice. I got them on the top in third grade and on both top and bottom in fifth. The colors were fun though, you could change them for the holidays or the season. In almost all of my pictures from when I was younger I have braces,” said Bagnulo. Students often complain of the pain and annoying hardships that accompany a “mouth-of-metal.” “Having braces was such a pain. I had them on forever and a lot of the time they hurt,” said freshman Rachel Navarette. “The pain was abysmal. But the spacers were worse than the braces,” said Foreman. The braces themselves were not necessarily the only source of pain, because in many cases, students were required to have additional accesories to the braces. “Having to wear the rubber bands was the worst part because they always got I the way,” said junior Tim Spicer. Besides accesories to braces, preparing for them could also be a hassle. “The seperators hurt the worst. It felt like having a raspberry seed stuck in your tooth that you couldn’t get out. It made your mouth sore so you couldn’t eat... After I get my braces off, I have to wear a

simply to obtain the “perfect smile.” “My teeth were really gross before, so I was glad to get the braces off. It was really worth the time and money,” said Price. “Getting them adjusted hurt, but I have two teeth missing, and now I have two fake teeth in a retainer. But because of the retainer, braces, I can get permanent teeth put too,” said Orr. in, which is exciting,” said Draper. Braces can have lasting effects on With students feeling the obvious students, besides the obvious straighter societal emphasis on physical beauty, teeth. they are finding that the trials and “I still have scars in my mouth from tribulations associated with orthodontia the braces cutting into my lip,” said junior care we well worth it. Jonothan Mauer. “I’ve already started to notice a Yet time consumption and painful an- little change in my teeth, and I think noyances are only two of the many bumps that in the long run they will look at lot on the road on the quest for perfect teeth. better than they did before,” said Orr. The quest also requires consideration “In the end, I think they were worth of the potentially it. I feel more condecisive factor of fident about my money. smile because my “The braces teeth are straight, were expensive, The pain was abysmal. But and I feel less self but I didn’t reconscious because the spacers were worse than I know my teeth ally have to worry about it because look ok,” said the braces. my parents did,” Navarette. said sophomore Do the Nicole Mott. ends justify the —Jamie Foreman Because stujunior means? dents are often “Braces were not financially just so ugly. But independent and they are worth it. responsible for the payments, the true It looks better when you smile and you financial impediment braces can cause feel more confident. It helps you feel more can be underestimated. comfortable when you laugh or talk to Time consuming. Painful. Burden- people,” said Mott. some. With the side effects of braces being “After braces, I can smile with confisuch, it is hard to believe that students dence. My smile is just one less thing I are willing to endure them, in some cases, have to worry about,” said Spicer.

“

the smell of the dentist’s office. “When you walk into the office just all the stuff they use smells horrible,” said Shedlock. “It makes me nauseated.” Jepsen also dislikes needles, so getting cavities filled and undergoing other dental procedures is somewhat unnerving for her. “I don’t like needles, and you can see it going into your gum when you’re getting the shot of novocaine,” Jepsen said. Even procedures that do not require needles or painkillers make some students apprehensive. “I dread going to the dentist just because of the feeling of the grainy stuff they put on your teeth,” Shedlock said, referring to the fluoride treatment. Freshman Miguel Puentes also dislikes the various treatments he undergoes at the dentist. “When they use that waxy stuff on your teeth it really makes me feel sick,” Puentes said. “And I never want to go to the dentist because I always remember how sick I felt the time before.” Although there is no guaranteed method for getting rid of the fear or anxiety before and during a visit to the dentist, there are several ways one can assure a better visit. Make sure that you see a dentist that is trustworthy and patient. Know for a fact that the dentist is willing to use some type of painkiller, and request it if you are not sure. Brackett no longer gets as nervous about her dentist appointments because she knows her dentist is “a good guy.” “He is always pretty nice to me,” Brackett said. “It makes it harder for me to get worried since he is always really calm and talks to me to keep my mind off what he is doing.” Eventually, most students attempt to overcome their uneasiness and go to the dentist, despite fears of drills and needles. “Although I don’t like it, it is worth it because it makes my teeth look pretty,” Jepsen said.

“It’s very important because you want to look your best, and it’s something that stands out, especially when you have bad breath.”

—Walid Yahia freshman “Dental care is very high on my priority list because only only get one set of teeth for the rest of your life and its gross not to stay clean.”

—Kathleen Croghan sophomore “It is really important because your breath is going to smell really bad and you’re going to get all these cavities that really hurt.”

—Kathy Nguyen sophomore

”

Why we fear dentists Battle of the brushes BY RACHEL SINAIKO Health Editor

GL EA

The cost of braces can range into the thousands, but is the perfect smile really worth it? BY MEG NIELSEN Health Editor

HEALTH

ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH ADVANTAGES: •Users normally brush their teeth for the recommended period of timeat least two minutes. •Uses the same level of movement, which allows for less tooth wear and gum irritation. •Overbrushing is less likely. •Reduces the levels of bacteria associated with gum disease •Reduces plaque more than manual brushes.

MANUAL TOOTHBRUSH ADVANTAGES: • price is the main advantage to using a regular toothbrush, which can cost as little as $1. • Replacement is easy— there is no need to replace brush heads, as there is with electic toothbrushes. Information compiled from Dentalresource.net and purewhitesmiles.com

Best of the electric toothbrushes MOST EFFECTIVE: Sonicare Elite 7500: $140, with extra heads costing $12.50. Removes over 85 percent of plaque (compared to nonelectric brushes), is rechargable, and has a timer. EFFECTIVE: Removes approximately 75 percent of plaque. Colgate Actibrush: $10, replacement heads $3.50. Requires AA batteries. Crest SpinBrush PRO: $7, extra heads $3.00. Requires double AA batteries and has a choice of bristles. LEAST EFFECTIVE: removes approximately 65 percent of plaque Oral-B CrossAction Power: $7, replacement heads $3.50. Requires double AA batteries and has a choice of bristles. Information compiled from the December 2003 issue of Consumer Reports

“You should brush at least twice a day. I think it’s nasty when people have food stuck in their teeth. Bad breath is unpleasant to be around.”

—Ayesha Rahmanyar junior “It is very important. You should brush your teeth 3 times a day and don’t drink a lot of coffee or Coke. Americans really care about their teeth.”

—Leslie Chekin ESOL teacher

Dental hygiene habits 427 surveys on dental hygiene were distributed to students during A, B, and C lunches on Thurs. Feb. 5th, Mon. Feb. 9th, and Tues. Feb. 10th.

How often do you brush your teeth? Less than twice a day- 7% Twice a day-73% More than twice a day- 20%

Do you floss? Yes- 63%

Brighten your smile

No- 37%

If yes, how often?

The new dental craze is be tooth whitening, and there are many ways to get a whiter smile. Here are some explanations of some of the most common tooth-whitening methods.

Method

How does it work?

Cost

This method is performed by a dentist. A professional-strength gel is applied to teeth, and then a laser is used to speed up the whitening process.

From around $400 to $2,000.

Users apply strips to upper and/or lower teeth, and a gel on the strip coats the teeth. Most strips are used for 30-60 minutes twice a day.

$44 for 56 strips, which lasts two weeks

•Brush-on gel

Users apply gel with a brush to teeth. Some gels are used overnight, while others can be used during the day.

Most prices run from around $13 to $25.

•Whitening toothpaste

Works just like regular toothpaste.

Most types cost about $4 to $5.

•Boil and bite tray bleaching

Users boil a plastic tray until it is moldable, and then mold it to their mouths. Whitening gel is placed in this mold, and the mold is worn for 1-3 hours.

Costs range from $40 to $100.

•Laser whitening

•Whitening strips

Not daily- 48% Daily- 38% More than twice daily- 14%

What type of toothpaste do you use? Crest- 43% Colgate- 35% Aquafresh- 10% Other- 12%

What do you think about the Mars Rover and its success thus far?

Feb. 16, 2004

IN-DEPTH

Feb. 16, 2004

On a mission to Mars

Space Exploration Through the Decades

America knows that NASA has found a new enterprise in the mysterious Red Planet, but can we really make contact?

The first artificial satellite successfully in orbit, Sputnik provided the first opportunity for meteoroid detection. The Soviet orbit of the satellite was later observed optically to decay 92 days after launch after completing about 1400 orbits of the Earth.

“It’s good that scientists are discovering new things, but I don’t want to live on Mars.”

—Winita Gebretinsay junior

“I don’t think an important discovery [like this] is a waste of money and time.”

—Rahila Zicria junior

“I think it’s great. We’ll find something that will surprise the world.”

—Bryan Chism senior

“I think it’s fantastic the more we know about the world. It makes our existence more meaningful.”

the face of war and conflict abroad, the space program will have trouble gaining substantial support. In the months since the announcement, the As Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, America administration has received heavy criticism for had achieved “one small step for man, one giant leap for proposing the plan during an inopportune period of mankind.” Now, during an election year race to enact budget deficit, debt and pressing conflicts abroad. the final initiatives of his presidency, President Bush is Bush received criticism for proposing another expreparedtomakethenextleapandsendamantoMars. pensive program, as many on Capitol Hill called The proposal, following the triumphant success his cost estimate for the mission “unrealistic.” “Space flight: You can’t do it on the cheap and I of Mars rovers “Spirit” and “Opportunity,” would place another American on the moon by 2020. Over just don’t think a billion dollar increase over five years the next 16 years, NASA hopes to develop plans for -- that’s $200 million a year -- is going to do it,” said a station on the moon, serving as a staging point Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) in anAssociated Press report. Analysts of the Bush administration suspect that for exploration further into the solar system. Also already in development is a Mars habitat, built with after running a large deficit and asking for budget technology similar to the International Space Station. increases to the war in Iraq, the President will have The initiative puts emphasis back on manned difficulty pushing such a proposal through Congress. Budget concerns aren’t the only problem facing exploration after two decades of decreased activity, while NASAfaces budget cuts and crumbling support. the mission, either: a flight to Mars takes about Despite the costs of developing the new technology seven months when it is at its closest to Earth, says required for the Mars mission, the Bush administra- Space.com. Radiation also poses a danger for the astion estimated the plan would cost $12 billion over the tronauts, during the flight and on Mar’s surface. Some next five years, with only a $1 billion total increase in scientists believe that ion and thermo-nuclear propulbudget. However, NASA also estimates that the new sion can shorten the journey, and metal shielding platprogram will cost $170 billion once construction and ed with plasma ions can protect the crew from radiamissions begin. According to Time, the project is simi- tion. All of these technologies, however, would require lar to G.H.W. Bush’s Mars plan, which was estimated extensive research and development by NASA, raising the price tag on the project. to cost approximately $600 Supplies are also a billion. dilemma for the mission During the January anas it would be imposnouncement, Bush mainly sible to store enough food, discussed the possibility water, and oxygen for a of locating resources such three-year mission. And as hydrogen and oxygen since NASA is unable to on Mars. The discovery determine whether or not of such resources, says water actually exists on NASA, could allow exploMars, the crew would face ration missions to delve uncertainties about obtaineven farther into space. ing supplies from resources Bush has been likened “With the experience and knowledge gained on the already on the planet. to John F. Kennedy for the moon,” said Bush in his speech at NASA headquarters, “we will then be ready to take the next steps of Whether or not space plan; the early 1960s space exploration: human missions to Mars and to NASA can accomplish a President had extensive worlds beyond.” manned Mars mission, plans for puttingAmericans onto the moon and Mars. Kennedy’s space program most on Capitol Hill suspect that President Bush ralliedAmericans behind the cause and, six years later, will not be able to gain the widespread support inspired the Apollo 11 mission that put man on the he needs, especially after a recent Mars Exploramoon. Bush has attempted to gain the same support tion Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) report with his proposal, but most analysts believe that in said the space program “needs extensive work.” BY CHRIS SOPHER Ad Manager

Bush Space Initiative • Spend $12 billion on new space exploration plan over next five years. $1 billion will be new money, the rest reallocated from existing NASA programs.

“I think they’re wasting money, but it will be cool to find life besides on Earth.”

The Anatomy of the Rover

The first successfully launched U.S. spacecraft, Explorer 1 carried instrumentation for the study of cosmic rays, micrometeorites and for monitoring of the satelliteʼs temperature.

• Retire shuttle program by 2010 • Develop new manned exploration vehicle • Launch manned mission to moon between 2015 and 2020 • Build permanent lunar base as “stepping stone” for more ambitious missions • Complete commitments to International Space Station by 2010

SOURCE: CNN.COM

The vehicle will be flying with a crew in 10 years and will return humans to the moon within 16 years. Overall, NASA budget would remain at about 1% of the federal budget. The project has drawn criticism from groups who say money would be better spent on domestic programs.

Eyes

—Paula McCallum Science Teacher

Explorer 1 — Feb. 1, 1958

Nine cameras serve four major functions: Hazard Avoidance (located in the front and the back), Navigation, which gathers 3D images (mounted on the mast), Panoramic, which offers a similar view to what a human might see (also on the mast) and the Microscopic (on the arm), which takes close-up pictures of the landscape.

ERIN OʼBRIEN

—Jon Carpenter senior

“The [Bush] initiative puts emphasis back on manned exploration after two decades of decreased activity, while NASA faces budget cuts and crumbling support.”

Juniors James Alvarez and Rachel Ha and senior Kathryn Lynch surf the web for information on the Mars Rover. Jill Rasmussenʼs Geosystems class incorporated study of the Rover into their astronomy unit. Many students enjoyed the opportunity to study a current event in science class.

Geosystems classes study Rover The Mars Rover interests many people BY ERIN O’BRIEN because it shows the possibility of life on Mars. In-Depth Editor “People want to know if the water is there in Many classes have made it a point to a way that could have spawned life,” said Rasincorporate current events into their daily mussen. “It is a remarkable accomplishment for curricula. With the recent advancements the probes to discover this type of information of the Mars Rover, various Geosystems because Mars is also referred to as the ‘Death classes have added to their astronomy unit Planet,’ because it is like death to probes.” The Mars Rover has given students an in order to include lessons about the Rover. opportunity to learn about Jill Rasmussen, who NASA and space explorais in her first year at tion that they might otherAHS, has taught all four wise not have had. “Classes of her Geosystems classes [The mission and the like government can always about the Rover and its cover things that are reladvancements. “When Rovers] have been going evant and happening at we were doing astronomy, the time,” said Niknam. it was before [the Rover] great, but [they] could also “In science we can’t usually had landed so [we] looked do that, so this was nice.” more at probes in general,” stop working tomorrow. “Studying current said Rasmussen. Howevents has always been ever, later in the quarter, —JillRasmussen more exciting to me,” said more data were being geosystems teacher junior James Alvarez. sent back and students “This is something that’s were able to learn more. interesting to be learning The Internet was while its happening.” an essential learning tool during this unit. about Everyone seems to have a different opinion Because this was an aside to the standard FCPS astronomy unit, there was not much on what will happen to the Rover in the future. in the textbooks. “It was fun to be able to surf “Things have been going great, but [they] could the internet during class,” said senior Neila also stop working tomorrow,” said Rasmussen. Regardless of what happens with the Rover in Darvish-Niknam. “We were still learning a lot, but we didn’t have to do as many worksheets.” the future, students recognize the significant adOne of the most remarkable things about vancements the Rover has already accomplished. “It’s a great advancement in scientific the information the Rover has sent back is the appearance of strange, wavy markings technology,” said junior Suzanne Patterson. in the ground, and unusual rock formations “We’ve already learned so much and I think photographed by Spirit near its landing point. only more information will come in the future.”

“

”

Solar Panels

Mast

—Amanda Bassa junior

Computer Comparable to a lap-top computer; special memory to combat high radiation and safeguard from the rover’s shut-down sequence at night. Communicates with all rover functions and contains an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), allowing it to approximate its movement through the landscape. Contains software to constantly “check itself” to make sure it can communicate and its temperatures are stable.

Or, the Pancam Mast Assembly. five feet tall, acts as a periscope and offers height to cameras. Once risen from the Rover’s body, will stay upright for the entire mission.

When fully illuminated, panels generate up to 140 watts of power for up to four hours a day; the Rover needs 100 watts to drive. Two batteries also generate power at night and when the sun is not shining. In time, panels will be able to generate less power due to collected dust and the position of Mars relative to the Sun.

Body Called the Warm Electronics Box (WEB); holds the rover’s computer, electronics and batteries and is temperature controlled to hold in heat during cold Martian nights. Closed on the top with the triangular Rover Equipment Deck (RED), seating the rover’s mast and cameras.

Rover Facts and Details Dimensions: 1.5 m. high x 2.3 m. wide x 1.6 m. long; the Rover itself is about the size of a microwave Weight: 1,062 kg (2,341 lbs) at launch. Both missions will last for 92 days.

Program:

Cost: Approx. &820 million total $645 million for spacecraft development and science instruments $100 million for launch $75 million for mission operations and science processing

Spirit Mission:

Arm

Instrument Deployment Device (IDD), holds and maneuvers instruments that analyze the soil. Stows itself in the Rover’s body.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY PAUL GLEASON AND KATIE STANTON

Legs Six wheels with individual motors. Has a top speed of 5 centimeters per second, but is programmed to move for 10 seconds, stop and observe its surroundings for 20 seconds, and then move for another 10 seconds.

Launched June 10, 2003 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , Fla. Landed Jan. 3, 2004 at 8:35 pm PST Total distance traveled: 303 million miles

Opportunity Mission:

Launched July 7, 2003 from Cape Canaveral Landed Jan. 24 at 9:05 pm PST Total distance traveled: 283 million miles INFORMATION TAKEN FROM HTTP://WWW,MARS,TV/

Experiments in the Arctic The Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS)

Sputnik 1 — Oct. 4, 1957

Can Americans walk on Mars? Bush says “Yes!”

“It costs a whole lot of money just to get some pictures of Mars.”

11 The Mars Society (http: //www.marssociety.org/) has developed the Mars Analog Research project to, according to its website, “help develop key knowledge needed to prepare for human Mars exploration, and to inspire the public by making sensuous the vision of human exploration of mars. FMARS is the first station in the project; volunteers worldwide served a four-week rotation in the polar desert of Devon Island in Canada. The Island’s geologic features make it similar to a summer day on Mars, and the relatively ice-free environment makes it an easier workplace than the Antarctic. The mission began on July 4, 2003, and the crew departed on July 29 to test equipment and potential theories for human habitation of the red planet. FMARS is a yearly endeavor that began in July of 2001.

HTTP://WWW.PLANETARY.ORG

IN-DEPTH

Vostok 1— April 12, 1961 After many years of secrecy, the Soviets sent Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin to become the first human in space. He had no control of his mission, it was controlled entirely from the ground.

Devon Island is located 75 degrees North, a part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands between Baffin Bay and the Arctic Ocean.

Mars Fun Facts Apollo 11 —July 20, 1969 “The Eagle has Landed,” said Neil Armstrong. This mission marked the first time man set foot on any other surface besides the Earth.

• One of 5 planets known to the ancients; it was named for the Roman god of war • It has the same land area as Earth • Its gravity is 38% as strong • It is the fourth planet from the Sun • Mars revolves around the Sun once every 687 Earth days • The length of a Mars day is 24 hrs, 39 min. and 35 seconds

Space Shuttle STS 1 — April 12, 1981

• Mars’ seasons are similar to Earth’s, and its surface temp. ranges from -128 degrees C. to 27 degrees C, an average of -53 degrees C

The Space Shuttle Orbiters were the worldʼs first reusable spacecraft. The mission of the first launched shuttle, Columbia, was to test the shuttle system, achieve a safe ascent into orbit, and return to Earth for a safe landing.

• Its highest point is Olympus Mons, which is 26 km. high and 370 miles across

Mars Pathfinder — Dec. 4, 1996 The Sojourner Rover, carried by the Mars Pathfinder was the first man-made craft to travel on the surface of another planet.

• The Mariner 9 and Viking missions of the ‘70s determined that Mars has channels possibly cut by ancient rivers, and scientists are trying to discover whether or not Mars once held water • Mars has 2 irregularly shaped moons, each a few km. wide: Phobos (the larger moon, whose name means “fear”) and Deimos (the smaller moon, whose name means “terror”); the moons are named for the sons of the god of war in Greek mythology. To check the daily weather on Mars, go to http://www.mars.tv/weather.html

Mars Exploration Rover— June 10, 2003 The “Spirit” and “Opportunity” rovers were launched mid-June and arrived at Mars in Jan. 2004. The rovers are examining various characteristics of Mars to determine if there was ever life there.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — Aug. 10-30, 2005 The MRO will make highresolution measurements of the surface of Mars from orbit. The primary objective of the mission will be to look for evidence of past and present water, study weather and climate, and identify landing sites for future missions.

PICTURES AND INFORMATION COURTESY OF HTTP://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/SCIENCE/SPACE/ EXPLORATION/INDEX.HTML AND HTTP:// NSSDC.GSFC.NASA.GOV/PLANETARY.HTML

Mars is 6,780 km. in diameter, half the size of Earth and twice the size of Earth’s moon

INFORMATION TAKEN FROM HTTP://WWW.MARS.TV/

PEOPLE

Feb. 16, 2003

Who is your favorite celebrity and what makes them so special?

“Mark Wahlberg, because I appreciate his acting skills and his body is amazing.”

—Stephanie Malguy sophomore “Bam Margera, because he upsets his parents, he’s rich, he dropped out of high school and was still able to be successful.”

—Andrew Molchany junior “Patrick Swayze because he is the whole package. Also his dance skills are amazing and his body isn’t half bad, isn’t it obvious.”

Who would travel to Baltimore or spend three hours in the car heading towards VA beach just to see a John Mayer concert? Most of us would usually just buy any random seat to the MCI or Patriot Center to see our favorite band or performers; but not senior Amy Buckles. She has attended multiple concerts with her two best friends, Katie Payne and Sali Hama. “It’s awesome being able to go to the concert with my two bestest buddies and scream my lungs out singing the best songs,” said Buckles. She is the ultimate example of a fanatic. Virginia Beach is nothing compared to the concert that she will be attending in March in Rhode Island. Buckles’ distant travel will be worth-while after sitting in fifth row seats to see John Mayer. How did Buckles become such a huge fanatic of an artist that has only been out for a couple of years? She was mesmerized by one of Mayer’s hits; “Body is a Wonderland” on the way to

“Andy Roddick, because I like the way he handles himself with the press at the age of 22.”

Celebrity Birthdays February Shakira, 27 Natalie Imbruglia, 29 Henry Aaron, 70 Michael Tucker, 60 Ashton Kutcher, 26

Kings Dominion, bought his CD and ever since then she was hooked to the mellow acoustic sounds of John Mayer. Buckles has not only attended several of his concerts and owns both his albums, but she has also entered in several contests that offer the opportunity to meet John Mayer. She has the chance to enter in these contests because she is a member of the John Mayer fan club called “Local 83.” She pays a yearly $20 membership fee that offer benefits like pre-sale tickets, and reserved seating at concerts for members of the fan club. Some contests that she has entered included ones where a fan had to write a letter to John Mayer, re-make or make up a music video to one of his songs, and write a haiku poem about the artist. She never won any of these contests, but it does not discourage her hopes to meet John Mayer some day. No fan is complete without their favorite performers’ merchandise. Buckles has a variety of merchandise from concerts, including three shirts of John Mayer, dog tags that she purchased at a concert, a life size card board cut-out of

Buckles poses with her life-size poster of John Mayer her stepfather bought her right before she attended Mayerʼs Baltimore concert.

the singer (that she will be taking along with her to the Rhode Island concert), a guitar pick that she got from a concert, wristband, pictures, a “No parking John Mayer” street sign, and of course, both his albums and all his DVDs. Unlike most fans of other celebrities,

whoadmirethemfortheirphysicalappearance, Buckles really admires John Mayer because of his music and talent. She said, “His music is really good, and he writes his own songs, I really like lyrics, they’re so good, he’s just all around talented.”

Blooming obsession with Orlando BY JULIE WOLF Staff Writer

—Michael Perucci senior

2 4 5 6 7

BY BRIDGETTE KIM Staff Writer

JOHN REISS

—Drew Chadwick freshman

Amy’s Knees ‘Buckle’ for Mayer

Kent, England. Bloom was constantly acting as the star in his school plays, including many musicals. After high school graduation, Bloom moved on to community theatre, acting in many plays in his town. After Bloom won a part in the first Lord of the Rings movie, he spent time in New Zealand learning knife work, canoeing, archery, and other skills necessary in order to play Legolas. After one of the most grueling filming sessions in the world of motion pictures, the first Lord of the Rings movie was one of the largest grossing films in history. And for Orlando? He became one of the Top 20 most searched for people on the Internet in the world, according to Yahoo! Buzz Index. When Mitchell’s friend traveled to New Zealand this summer, the site of the Lord of the Rings filming, Mitchell told her friend to take pictures of everything. She also

When sophomore Lindsey Mitchell first laid eyes on the tall, skinny, pointy-eared blonde haired elf who was wearing a skirt, it was love at first sight. This man, or shall we say elf, appeared in the much anticipated The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. The actor? Heartthrob Orlando Bloom. Mitchell first discovered Bloom, 27, in the Lord of the Rings movie, and instantly fell in love. But who would not fall in love with a dreamy Englishman with a British accent charm that cannot be described? Bloom continued to appear in each of the next two Lord of the Rings movies, as well as 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean, starring alongside Johnny Depp. Mitchell’s room is decorated with Orlando Bloom posters and pictures from the Internet, including Orlando collages all over her walls. One corner of Mitchell’s wall is completely dedicated to Bloom. This wall consists of five large posters of Legolas, as well as a poster of Bloom from Pirates of the Caribbean and a wall calendar. But ripping pictures out of magazines is something Mitchell will never do. “I could never ruin a magazine with Orlando Bloom in it. I safely save all of the magazines he is featured in,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a young actor, but he’s making it. I don’t like him just because of his looks, although I certainly don’t mind that. His acting skills are great, and he has made his way into many top Hollywood films,” Mitchell said. Mitchell shows off her assortment of Orlando Bloom posters, Orlando Bloom was born and raised in Canterbury, which are displayed all over her room.

made sure her friend looked for anything that related to Orlando Bloom’s clothing or any other indication of Bloom. “I told her to look for a thin, long strand of blonde hair on the ground, that could be a part of the wig Orlando wore in the movie,” Mitchell said. The swarms of screaming teenage girls are a common sight to Bloom. But the millions of fans Bloom has attracted do not faze Mitchell. “I’m not bothered by the other girls who like him. There is never competition as to who likes him ‘more.’All I can say is that they have very good taste,” Mitchell said. Mitchell knows when Orlando will appear on a magazine cover. She knows where to buy the best posters, and where to go to find Orlando Bloom memorabilia. “I don’t know every characteristic about him, I’m not completely obsessed with him. I know the things that matter, and another thing I know: he looks good in tights,” Mitchell said, with a laugh. Besides the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Pirates of the Caribbean, there are a few more movies for Mitchell to look forward to. The upcoming film Ned Kelly stars Bloom alongsideAustralian actors Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts. Bloom will also co-star with beloved actor Brad Pitt in the upcoming “Troy.” “I am extremely excited to see how Orlando does in Hollywood in the coming years. He is a great actor who could easily become the next big male star. He can learn how to do stunts, and always portrays his character very well. I will always love Orlando, even if he loses some of his fame,” Mitchell said. “But that won’t be happening anytime soon.” SARAH BIZER

“Adam Sandler, because he is hilariously funny, and he has some classics along with new movies that are always great.”

Who Am I? Drew Barrymore 8 10 11 12 13

Seth Green, 30 Robert Wagner, 74 Sheryl Crow, 41 Christina Ricci, 24 Jerry Springer, 60

Ralph Nader 14 16 17 22 24 26

Drew Bledsoe, 32 John McEnroe, 45 Michael Jordan, 41 Drew Barrymore, 29 Joe Lieberman, 62 Michael Bolton, 51

•I have lived in Virginia for 8 years •I have been teaching for over 20 years, 8 of which have been at AHS •I teach English 12 and IB English 12 •My favorite type of food is Asian cuisine •My favorite restaurant is El Maestro •I attended Georgian Count College where I received my BA in French and Spanish, La Sorbonne (Paris) where I received my MA in French, and CSU where I received my MA in Humanities (English) •I was born in Boston, Massachusetts •My pet peeves are technology and meetings/ training courses •My favorite sport is scuba diving

•My hobbies are traveling, studying foreign languages and hiking •My favorite subject when I was in school was French •My favorite book is Crime and Punishment •My favorite movie is The Hours

If you submit the correct answer to the “Who Am I,” come to the A-Blast room (233) to receive your prize

Last Issue’s Who Am I? Shakira 27 28 29

Ralph Nader, 70 Eric Lindros, 31 Jeff “Ja Rule” Atkins, 28

Debbie Estes was last issue’s Who Am I? •She attended JMU and majored in Spanish with a minor in Secondary Education •Her favorite restaurant is Silverado’s No one correctly answered last issue’s Who Am I?

PHOTO

Feb. 16, 2004

SEAN SULLIVAN

Behind the scene stars of the theater department

Senior Tony Sanchez works backstage measuring plywood for the set.

TONY SANCHEZ Grade: Senior

How long have you been involved in theatre? 4 years

After a short leave of absence, the Theater Department returned to a newly renovated auditorium filled with brand new, comfortable amphitheater style chairs. This spacious location is much more accommodating than Clausen Hall, which housed all of the productions during the renovation process. Along with this improvement in the comfort level, the theater department was also presented with a long list of new problems including space conflicts and lighting difficulties. Faced with these new difficulties, the theater department and their eager audiences feel right at home.

Position on the production staff of The Princess and the Pea: Senior set crew member

What really goes down... Before the curtains go up

What was your first experience in a theater production? I was responsible for building a wagon prop for a Theater I production, but it was so bad the senior tech crew had to rebuild it. What was the most enjoyable theater production you were involved in? A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I was working as the assistant set manager along with Pat Giannico and helped build the largest set ever built in the history of Annandale theater. We built 3, full size, complex houses.

SEAN SULLIVAN

What was the most difficult theater production? The Princess and the Pea. Because of the construction to auditorium, the theater department was left with no set room, no time and a bunch of problems with the lighting system. But somehow everyone came together and got it done.

With theater teacher Vicki Farish onlooking the production process, sophomore Alex Barker and senior Tony Sanchez rebuild a set prop. This was complicated though because of a slight miscalculation in the measuring process, but this was nothing a little brute force couldnʼt fix. With the proper application of strength and the right size screw, this bracing board was effectively fashioned onto the prop.

What do you think of your theater teacher Vicki Farish? She is less of a teacher then she is a ringmaster in a circus and we all appreciate her for it.

Senior Amanda Green talks to cast members in preparation for Princess and the Pea

SEAN SULLIVAN

ASHLEY JONES

As the cast and crew prepare for their upcoming production, the set design crew begins measuring, sawing, drilling and nailing. With senior set crew member Tony Sanchez and sophomore Alex Barker guiding the piece of plywood, sophomore Sam Rabinovitz carefully follows the line drawn by Sanchez. A slight miss cut in a piece of wood could cause a huge disaster for a theater production.

Can you see yourself in a theater production in the future? I plan to study Art History at Virginia Commonwealth University and I plan to be a part of a set design crew down there.

AMANDA GREEN

Before a single audience member steps into the auditorium, the cast of The Princess and The Pea must perform in front of their most critical audience: their director, senior Coury Shadyac and their stage manager, sophomore Lauren Gilbert. Shadyac and Gilbert critique each scene days before the audience even buys their tickets.

Grade: Senior How long have you been involved in theater? 4 years Position on the production staff of The Princess and the Pea: This will be my first acting position as Queen Maude. Normally I am the stage manager for theater productions What was your first experience in a theater production? I was a stage hand in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

SEAN SULLIVAN

With a new stage to illuminate, the lighting crew of The Princess and the Pea had their work cut out for them. Above: Sophomore Andrew Buzzell repositions and reattaches the stage lights behind the stage in coordination with the lights up above in the balcony. Buzzell, pictured above and to the right, along with the rest of the lighting crew adjust the lights so they hit the stage just right for that picturesque quality.

How many theater productions have you been a part of? I have been in 5 major productions here at Annandale, and I was a stage manager for one out of school production. What was the most enjoyable theater production you were involved in? Miracle Worker was the most successful theater production because the acting, the technical work, everything came together and everyone worked as a team.

Along with re-calibrating the light fixtures and repositioning the lights above the stage, the lighting crew also had to work out all of the bugs in the computer system controlling the brightness, color and sequencing of the lights above the balcony. As the stage actors rehearsed and as the set crew buildt and repaired the set, senior, Peter Leresche gets reacquainted with the lighting system in the control box.

ASHLEY JONES

SEAN SULLIVAN

What was the most difficult theater production? Beauty and the Beast because I had kidney stones during the production and there were some directing problems.

Moments before the initial curtain call, senior Aubrey welch assists fellow cast member, sophomore Lindsey Mitchell, with her hair and makeup. Many of the actors and actresses in the theater department do their own makeup, however with the complexity of some of the make up and hair schemes, assistance from other cast members is sometimes necessary.

Can you see yourself in a theater production in the future? I don’t plan to pursue a career in theater, but I would enjoy working behind the scenes on a major production later in life.

Foreign language books with themes of love Le Petit Prince The Little Prince By Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

This French children’s book presents universal themes of love and friendship to both children, adolescents and adults. The narrator’s plane crashes into the desert, where he befriends a little prince from another planet. Through his own retelling of his adventures and encounters with strange, narrowminded grownups, the prince teaches the narrator lessons of pure love and coming of age.

Feb. 16, 2003

Cultures commemorate love

Races, ethnicities, cultures share traditions to express their emotions BY WIDED KHADRAOUI Cultures Editor For some, love is something they grew up with and kept for decades, lasting through half a century of a marriage. Within theAmerican culture, the words “I love you” have become the most overused phrase without any connotation depicting their true attitude. Along with the phrase, love has also lost its true meaing within America, with divorce rates higher than ever and promiscous behavior more perceived within younger generations. Most of American society creates their own

ideas of love from popular culture through theunrealistic images created for entertainment. Love however, has not lost its sacredness among those with traditions, prominently found in other cultures. In certain cultures, emotions are strongly felt but rarely expressed, such as in the Japanese society. Within the Japanese cutlure, the phrase “I love you” is rarely uttered. This is not to say they do not love each other, but they recognize the importance and significance of keeping love true. There are also different degrees of love within different cultures. In Latin American countries where Spanish is spoken, there are two ways to express feelings of love and caring. The phrase “te quiero” is utilized to express care for another, as well as to convey love between friends and family. The second phrase, “te amo,” is a phrase not taken lightly. “Te amo” is utilized to express deep, reserved love between married couples and lovers. One rarely says “te amo” to a significant other unless it is truly meant. Although the difference is only a single word, the degree to which the love is felt immeasurable. It is also within the Hispanic culture in which love is expressed between families

and friends with a peck on the cheek when saying hello and goodbye. The same practice is also seen in the Italian and French culture, as well as a variety of Middle Eastern societies. One must be careful not to get too close to some of these societies, where showing public affection is frowned upon and restricted. The Middle East has social taboos that must not be treaded on, due to the influence of culture, as well as the predominant religion Islam. In this part of the world, relationships between men and women outside of marriage is not advocated. Most obviously, these actions include over-zealous kissing, holding hands and hugging, but it also includes simple friendships between the sexes, fearing it will lead to immoral behavior. Although affection between those of the same sex is considered unthinkable, showing affection between those of the same sex is part of the culture. Love may be a sentiment expressed in a variety of customs, but no matter in what part of the world people reside in, love still dominates as the driving force between human beings. “Love is love, and there is no specific kind of love,” said senior Lamin Mansaray. “Someone fromAmerica can fall in love with someone from the Middle East and it will still be the same kind of love.” KATHY IBARRA

CULTURES

The Story of the Stone / The Dream of the Red Chamber By Cao Xuequin

How to say “I love you” in 100 languages

This book written in the 18th century is about a wealthy teenage boy named Jia Baoyu in China very much in love with his cousin Lin Dai-yu. The two are meant for one another, but Jia Baoyu is tricked into marrying another cousin. This book is one of five books in a volume, which toghether are considered one of the best chinese novels ever written.

Devdas By Saratchandra Cattopadhyay

English: I love you Afrikaans: Ek het jou lief Albanian: Te dua American Sign Language: Arabic: Ana behibak (to male) Arabic: Ana behibek (to female) Armenian: Yes kez sirumen Bambara: M’bi fe Bangla: Aamee tuma ke bhalo aashi Belarusian: Ya tabe kahayu Bisaya: Nahigugma ako kanimo Bulgarian: Obicham te Cambodian: Soro lahn nhee ah Cantonese Chinese: Ngo oiy ney a Catalan: T’estimo Cheyenne: Ne mohotatse Chichewa: Ndimakukonda Corsican: Ti tengu caru (to male) Creol: Mi aime jou Croatian: Volim te Czech: Miluji te Danish: Jeg Elsker Dig Dutch: Ik hou van jou Esperanto: Mi amas vin Estonian: Ma armastan sind Ethiopian: Afgreki’ Faroese: Eg elski teg Farsi: Doset daram

Filipino: Mahal kita Finnish: Mina rakastan sinua French: Je t’aime, Je t’adore Frisian: Ik hâld fan dy Gaelic: Ta gra agam ort Georgian: Mikvarhar German: Ich liebe dich Greek: S’agapo Gujarati: Hoo thunay prem karoo choo Hiligaynon: Palangga ko ikaw Hawaiian: Aloha Au Ia`oe Hebrew: Ani ohev otah (to female) Hebrew: Ani ohev et otha (to male) Hiligaynon: Guina higugma ko ikaw Hindi: Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hae Hmong: Kuv hlub koj Hopi: Nu’ umi unangwa’ta Hungarian: Szeretlek Icelandic: Eg elska tig Ilonggo: Palangga ko ikaw Indonesian: Saya cinta padamu Inuit: Negligevapse Irish: Taim i’ ngra leat Italian: Ti amo Japanese: Aishiteru Kannada: Naanu ninna preetisuttene Kapampangan: Kaluguran daka Kiswahili: Nakupenda Konkani: Tu magel moga cho

Korean: Sarang Heyo Latin: Te amo Latvian: Es tevi miilu Lebanese: Bahibak Lithuanian: Tave myliu Malay: Saya cintakan mu / Aku cinta padamu Malayalam: Njan Ninne Premikunnu Mandarin Chinese: Wo ai ni Marathi: Me tula prem karto Mohawk: Kanbhik Moroccan: Ana moajaba bik Nahuatl: Ni mits neki Navaho: Ayor anosh’ni Norwegian: Jeg Elsker Deg Pandacan: Syota na kita!! Pangasinan: Inaru Taka Papiamento: Mi ta stimabo Persian: Doo-set daaram Pig Latin: Iay ovlay ouyay Polish: Kocham Ciebie Portuguese: Eu te amo Romanian: Te iubesc Russian: Ya tebya liubliu Scot Gaelic: Tha gra dh agam ort Serbian: Volim te Setswana: Ke a go rata Sindhi: Maa tokhe pyar kendo ahyan Sioux: Techihhila

Slovak: Lu`bim ta Slovenian: Ljubim te Spanish: Te quiero / Te amo Swahili: Ninapenda wewe Swedish: Jag alskar dig Swiss:German: Ich lieb Di Surinam: Mi lobi joe Tagalog: Mahal kita Taiwanese: Wa ga ei li Tahitian: Ua Here Vau Ia Oe Tamil: Nan unnai kathalikaraen Telugu: Nenu ninnu premistunnanu Thai: Chan rak khun (to male) Thai: Phom rak khun (to female) Turkish: Seni Seviyorum Ukrainian: Ya tebe kahayu Urdu: mai aap say pyaar karta hoo Vietnamese: Anh ye^u em (to female) Vietnamese: Em ye^u anh (to male) Welsh: ‘Rwy’n dy garu di Yiddish: Ikh hob dikh Yoruba: Mo ni fe Source: http://www.links2love.com/ i_love_you_languages.htm

Latinos forman noviasgos con latinos Based on a true story, Devdas is about two childhood sweethearts separated at the peak of their passion. When Devdas returns to his love Paro, he refuses to marry her because of parental disapproval. Devdas quenches his heartbreak with alcohol, and before he destroys himself, he ventures to see Paro one last time.

NIGEEN SADOZAI

Como agua para chocolate Like water for chocolate By Laura Esquivel

The book takes place in Mexico, where yougest daughter, Tita, is forbidden to marry anyone until her mother’s death. Tita’s true love Pedro eventually marries her older sister resulting in conflict Tita continues to take care of her mother. The novel’s themes include pure love, passion, and sensuality.

¡Feliz dia del amor!

¿Que aspecto te gustas más en latinos del sexo opuesto?

“Siento como que tenemos una conección en nuestra cutura, en nuestra lengua, y morales.”

—Andrina Daza freshmen

“Las latinas saben mas que otros culturas como bailar. Pueden bailar merengue y salsa. ”

“Me gusta la forma en que los latinos visten. Visten en ropa moderna y juveníl.”

—Alfred Flores sophomore

—Debra Stucchi junior

municarse y entenderse con la familia del novio o la novia se facilita. Algunos hispanos tienen personalidades fuertes y a el- Juniors Andrea Cardona y Cesar los les gusta Perez hagan la tarea juntos en su clase de español para fluentes. Han esta carac- sido juntos por 4 años. terística en sus parejas. “Me gusta todo en las mujeres hispanas, me gusta que tienen una personalidad fuerte y que exigen demasiado”, dijo el sophomore Elbert Franco. Los chicos hispanos se sienten atraídos por parejas que tienen fuertes personalidades y dicen lo que piensan. Esta es una característica que ellos encuentran en otros hispanos. Otros se sienten más seguros y confiados cuando salen con una persona hispana. “Tú te sientes mas seguro y confiado”, dijo el señor Pablo Robles. Es comprensible el por qué se siente uno mas seguro y confiado con una pareja de la misma cultura, siendo hispano, uno puede expresar sus opiniones y pensamientos sin temor al rechazo. Ellos tienen la posibilidad de ser aceptados como son desde el punto de vista racial, físico y mental. Todo el mundo busca la posibilidad de encontrar a alguien con quien compartir sus mismos ideales e intereses. Para los hispanos tener un novio o novia de la misma raza les ofrece esta posibilidad. No todos los hispanos escogen pareja de su misma cultura pero aquellos que así lo hacen se sienten muy satisfechos con su selección. KATHY IBARRA

quieren encontrar cuando están buscando novia o novio. “Los hispanos son mas relajados que otros muchachos y esto le permite a uno relacionarse muy fácil” dijo la “Me gusta su acento, sus bonitas figuras y sobretodo su sophomore Sophia Dillon. Por encima de todo, cuando actitud hacia la vida”, dijo el sophomore Jeffrey Ruiz, co- sales con una persona de tu misma raza, automáticamentando acerca de su atracción hacia la mujer hispana. mente compartes muchas cosas en común. Los hispanos comparten el mismo gusto Parece que a los hispanos les en comida. A pesar de que atre más tener pareja hispana. los platos varían con la Cuando caminas por el pasillo nacionalidad, ellos pude la escuela se puede observar eden ser muy similares. parejas de la misma identidad Los hispanos comparten cultural. La naturaleza de los hislos mismos principios panos predomina en este aspecto. morales conservadores A los hispanos les encanta los y tradiciones antiguas. atributos físicos de su raza. “Los “Entre nosotros nos entenhombres son atractivos y me fascina demos mejor porque comla forma como te escuchan”, dijo la partimos la cultura y la júnior Norma Vidal. De acuerdo con misma forma de pensar.” los muchachos, las chicas hispanas Los hispanos también tienen curvas atractivas, atributos se pueden identificar que atraen a los hombres. Los acensiendo una minoría y tos también son muy populares.Alas enfrentando ciertos retos. chicas también les gustan los atribuEllos tienen pasados tos físicos de los muchachos hispanos. similares y se pueden Una de las muchas razones identificar con la historia por las cuales a los hispanos les de sus padres en este país. gusta salir con gente de la misma “Te sientes mas seguro y cultura, es que entre ellos se pu- Juniors Marcia Zorrilla y Rodrigo Mallada han te puedes entender meeden identificar en costumbres y sido juntos por un año y dos mese. No hay ritos. De la misma forma pueden diferencias en sus culturas y prefieren hablar jor entre si”, dijo el júnior Juan Pablo Irigoyen. A entender exigencias de los padres en español. algunos padres hispanos que podrían no ser compartidas por no les gusta que sus hijos otras culturas. “Ellos quieren mantenerse con su propia raza, algunas veces tiene que mantengan un noviazgo con personas de otra cultura. Algunos estudiantes encuentran que es más fácil ver con la religión o con los padres”, dijo la sophomore Carolina Delgadillo. Los hispanos tienden a ser religio- relacionarse entre ellos ya que hablan la misma lengua sos y esta es una característica que algunas personas y les queda más fácil comunicarse. De esta manera coESCRITO POR CRISTIAN HERNANDEZ Escritora

“Me encanta su cultura, su música, su pasión latina, y su forma.”

—Pablo Rivero freshmen

“Todos son diferentes, pero generalmente los latinos son muy simpáticos.”

—Cynthia Moya freshmen

SPORTS XTRA

Feb. 16, 2004

Rabinovitz is ‘En garde’ BY ERICA SATTEN Atomic Athletics Editor His focus is on his opponent's arm, his vision impaired by the tightly fitted wired mask. Sweat drips down his face, and he is overheating inside the white fencing jacket. Squinting, he sizes up the small, but athletic looking 14-year-old boy that faces him. Approaching and retreating, his feet move at the speed of lightning while his mind is only focused on the movements of his opponent. Then he throws his blade forward, feigns and is left with open space. His opponent hastily moves to counter, but realizes that it is too late. He slides his blade forward and hits the chest. That's a point! Sophomore Sam Rabinovitz started fencing in third grade and has continued for seven years. "My

Sam Rabinovitz

dad fenced in college and he got back into it so I said, 'Hey dad is doing it, why don't I?'" said Rabinovitz. Although he began lessons at the D.C. Fencing Club, he later switched to the Virginia Academy of Fencing near Ravensworth Shopping Center and has been taking lessons there one day a week for four years. "I was surprised when Sam started taking lessons because I never though that he would. I used to fence with both of the kids when they were little, then Sam asked for lessons and we started going to the club together. He started beating me and now he is definitely his own fencer," said Sam's father, Dennis Rabinovitz. Rabinovitz gets about one hour of instruction a week, in which the teacher Stuart Sacks demonstrates a new move and then the students practice it among themselves. Afterwards members of the class can "free fence." "During free fence you can tell the different mentalities of a person by their fencing style," his father Dennis. "Sam is a more unusual fencer. I am a counter attack fencer, so I am slower. Basically, he makes opportunities, but I try to make my opponent make the mistake and take advantage of them," said Dennis Rabinovitz. His class contains nine to 15 people with a wide variety of skill levels. "There are about three people that are significantly better than me, four that are my skill level and a number of others that are not as good," said Rabinovitz. With the oldest member of the class 52 years old and the youngest member 14, there is a broad age range. "One of my favorite aspects of fencing is seeing how adults react either when they are greatly challenged or beaten by someone half their age," said Rabinovitz. Those who have been fencing the longest are not necessarily the best. Fencers who compete can be ranked by their skill level. Rankings range alphabetically fromAto E, withAfencers being at the olympic level. "You move up in rank by winning competitions, and it is really hard to move up. I have a ‘U’ which means that I have no ranking and most other fencers have this," said Rabinovitz. Although there is little blade contact, this does not

mean that fencing is not dangerous. "I have seen a blade break and slice a fencer in the abdomen, but blades do not break often. I have only broken two blades in the seven years that I have fenced , and I have never had an injury that I could have prevented," said Rabinovitz. "After seven years of fencing I am rarely afraid because there are very few things that I have not seen. Every once in a while I will get hurt, but it does not scare me. It is just like getting tackled in football," said Rabinovitz. Fencing is about training one's body to react on impulse. It is important to watch the opponent's arm rather than their blade and play off their reflexes. "After fencing for so long, it is really easy to pick up new moves. Sometimes it is frustrating, like when you fence someone and they hit you, but you don't even know how," said Rabinovitz. Fencing is a tiring workout like other physical activity, but it is different from other sports in one key way. "Strength does not really matter in fencing unlike a lot of other sports. You can really get away without thinking and out-maneuvering your opponent," said Rabinovitz.

Fencing throughout the ages BY SOHAIB KHAN Staff Writer A game of martial arts known as fencing originated in ancient Egypt and Rome to about 1190 BC. It is more than just a sport. It is an art , symbol of power and glory and a way for battle. Some forms of fencing was always famous among many Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. It began to prepare men for duels and warfare. Different techniques of fencing and different

swords for fencing were invented throughout the Barbaric Dark Ages, through the Renaissance up to the modern fencing of today. Greeks and Romans used small swords, and light spears and were taught in schools called ludi. Rapiers came into existence during the 14th century. The right hand held the weapon while the left hand held a dagger (often called a Main Gauche) or buckler (a small shield), used for avoiding blows. The 15th century marked the beginning of modern fencing. [When fencing reached its peak.] Spain had its first fencers, and swordplay from Germany was spread all across Europe. The Italian master Agrippa, invented the four fencing positions (prime, seconde, tierce, and quarte), while masters Grassi and Vigiani invented the lunge. “Epee” came into existence from a sword named “the colichemarde.” The saber, a curved sword, was introduced in Europe in the late 18th century as an adaptation of the Turkish scimitar, used by the Hungarian

cavalry. Hungarians dominated the sport until the mid 20th century. Dueling became popular during the 16th century; more men were killed in duels during this time period than they were during the War.s of Religion. It led to the invention of a special sword for duels known as a foil. Fencing reached France when the Queen invited many Italian masters to teach fencing in France. Right-of-way, a set of rules which made the game a series of alternating attacks and defense, became generally accepted. Many non-fatal techniques and strategies were developed during the 1800s. The most significant development of the fencing sport was made by French fencing master La Boessiere, who invented the fencing mask which proved to be the safest for fencing. Fencing was first introduced in America during the 1800s from the French and English heritage during the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Fencing was popular in American colonies especially in Virginia. The Germans later adopted modern fencing and it was adapted

by many colleges and emphasized the training through gymnastics. In 1888 national championships were held by the Amateur Athletic Union. Later another organization known as the Amateur Fencing League and was founded in 1891. Fencing has been a popular sport in the Olympics since 1896 and has been one of the only four sports that have been in the Olympics since then. Men’s foil and saber were included in the when it first appeared in Olympics and Epee was made a part of it in 1900. In 1924 women’s fencing was made an Olympic sport and after an enormous period of time, in 1996, women’s Epee was included, too. Being a difficult sport to judge, the electric epee was introduced in the 1936 Olympic Games to count the hits automatically. Electric scoring for foil initiated in 1956 while the saber electric scoring was introduced in 1992.

15 Fencing styles, safety tips glossary, and rules for the aspiring fencer Glossary Assaults and bouts:

A friendly combat between two fencers is called an “assault.” When the score of such an assault is kept to determine a result it is called a “bout.”

Match:

The aggregate of the bouts fought between the fencers of two different terms is called a “match.”

Fencing Time:

The time required to perform one simple fencing action.

“In-Line” Position:

The point-in-line position is a position in which the fencer has his sword arm extended and continually threatens the valid target of the opponent with the point of his weapon.

Safety and Rules: Fencerʼs Responsibility:

Fencer’s arms, equip and clothe themselves and fence at their own responsibility and at their own risk.

Safety measures:

Specified in the rules and in the standards contained in the appendix to them and the methods of control laid down n the present rules are only designed to increased the fencers safety, and cannot guarantee it.

The Strip:

Portion of the field of play which is used for fencing. The strip is from 1.50 meters to 2 meters. It is 14 meters long, so that each competitor being placed at 2 meters from the center line has at his disposal for retreating a total distance of 5 meters without it being necessary for him to cross the rest limit of the strip with both feet.

Equipment and Clothing: Standard weapons: French Collegiate:

3 1/2” aluminum guard, and felt guard pad. This foil is out best seller for beginning fencers. Amount: $34.50

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN ROWLAND

Chaisiri stabs for good times BY CHRISTIAN HERNANDEZ Staff Writer Standing on the strip, sword in hand with sweat running down his forehead, junior Andy Chaisiri attacks his opponent with the sudden slashing movement of his sword. The blade sparkles as it comes down and catches rays of light. Although fencing may not be as common as football, it is Chaisiri’s sport. “I like the feeling that I get when I step on the strip. When you are competing it’s only you and your opponent, it doesn’t matter what else is happening.” said Chaisiri. On Tuesdays and Saturdays Chaisiri goes to the Virginia Academy of Fencing, puts on his protective vest, gloves and knickers and warms up with fellow members. He is now ready to challenge other fencers of the academy in various matches that take place. On Fridays he takes lessons and also works on his footwork and blade work. He sharpens his skills,

and gets ready for competition. “At the first tournament I went to, I finished third place. I got a bronze medal and got ranked, I got the E,” said Chaisiri. An E is the highest ranking in fencing. Chaisiri started fencing last year.After playing lacrosse for two years and not being satisfied with it, Chaisiri decided to pursue fencing, something he always wanted to do. Chaisiri has never liked team sports, which is one of the main issues he quit lacrosse. When the opportunity arose, he was eager to learn fencing. As a kid he had always been interested in fantasy games such as “Dungeons and Dragons.” This elevated his appeal to swords and combat. Nobody else in Chaisiri’s family had any experience in fencing, however he adapted the sport with ease. Chaisiri started in a beginner’s program, which made it easier for him. He practiced foil fencing, which consists of attacks to the chest. “Foil is more popular, so it’s easier to find

a stiff metal. You won’t drive it into somepeople to practice with,” said Chaisiri. Chaisiri not only loves fencing because body when you hit them,” said Chaisiri. “Mostly there’s people my age in my it keeps him in shape, but he is also driven by competition. “Competition is just fun to class,” said Chaisiri. Many people like do, I enjoy playing with a sword and pok- Chaisiri enjoy fencing as well. “I’m sure ing people with it,” said Chaisiri. When some people would enjoy it and some wouldn’t, just like any other asked about his favorite sport,” said Chaisiri. Accordmove he stated that his ing to Chaisiri, the people “favorite move is any move who get into fencing are those that will get [him] a point.” who play “Dungeons and Competitions are held Dragons” when growing up. by different organizaChaisiri plans on contions in different locations tinuing to learn and get throughout the area. Rankbetter at fencing as time ing an E is something that progresses. He has found Chaisiri is very proud of, his sport and doesn’t plan “I like to think I’m good,” Andy Chaisiri on dropping it anytime soon. said Chaisiri. He has “It’s a hobby that I would like to competed in five tournaments so far. “Somebody broke their sword on carry on for a long time, I enjoy it very me once,” said Chaisiri. Other than much,” said Chaisiri. He plans on puthat, Chaisiri has never come close to rusing fencing in college and is looking being injured or hurt while competing. forward to competing at the college Although the blade is made out of metal, level. “I definitely want to have the colit bends when pushed too hard. “It’s not lege experience in fencing,” said Chaisiri.

Foil Mask:

Epoxy coated stainless steel frame, handsewn trim with sewn-in insulated bib an elastic safety head band, recommended for competition use. Amount: $89.50

Foil-Epee Mask:

Top of the line nylon coated stainless steel mesh, and sewn-in bib, and safety head band. This mask is required for international Class A. Amount: $128.00

Sports News AHS grad lands coaching job

All-American lacrosse star Eric Lebowitz was hired as an assistant coach for Virginia Wesleyan college. Lebowitz was a 1998 graduate of AHS and earned AllAmerican honors his senior year. After graduating in 2002 from the Universtiy of Virginia, where he lettered four times in lacrosee, Lebowitz will take over the vacant offensive assistant coaching position for the Marlins of Virginia Wesylan College.

One and done for Boone?

New York Yankees third basemanAaron Boone admitted in a press conference that he injured his knee on Jan. 15 in a pickup game of basketball. Tests results are still pending, but Boone might have torn his Anterior Calateral Ligament (ACL) which would mean he would have to sit for the year. In Boone’s contract, there is a termination clause which prevents the Yankees from paying his $5.75 million contract if Boone gets hurt playing another sport. If Boone’sACL is torn, GM Brian Cashman is almost sure to cut him and will look to import a replacement at third base.

Clarett lands spot in draft

Ohio St. running back Maurice Clarett was ruled eligible for April’s NFL draft last week by a federal judge who concluded the league’s draft rule excluding Clarett, violated antitrust laws. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ordered the NFL to let Clarett enter April’s draft, a decision that could clear the way for other young talent that would otherwise be inelgible. The league will appeal.

District Update Standings

Boys vs. Bruins tonight BY STACEY MARIN Staff writer The Patriot District tournament will begin tonight at Lake Braddock High School. The Atoms will play the hosting Bruins at 8 p.m. A victory for the Atoms on tonight would mean a berth in the Northern Regional tourney for the first time since the 2002 season. The district tournament is a single elimination tournament, and the Atoms will continue to advance until defeated. In both the district and regional tournaments, the Atoms will need the strengths of everyone together to perform at their best. “We have guys stepping up at different times. Different guys step up on different nights,” said Hughes. “We need us all stepping up the same night. Then we will be unbeatable.” The Atoms finished their regular season off on a high note by winning their last two games against J.E.B. Stuart and West Potomac. Finishing the season with a 10-12 record, the Atoms look forward to the Patriot District tournament with determination to keep their season alive. On Thursday, Feb. 12, theAtoms took on the West Potomac Wolverines for the final home game of the season, honoring all senior players. With an enthusiastic and animated crowd behind them, the Atoms beat the Wolverines, 65-51. The game got off to a roaring start led by the five seniors, center Billy Purdon, forward Brandon

Senior Chris Terapane defends against a Robinson player in the Atoms 47-40 victory against the Rams on Feb. 2. The Atomsʼ guard rotation this season has consisted of Terapane, seniors Chris Flowers, Cory Daise, and junior Mike Torbert. This guard tandem has provided most of the defense this season, while the front court duo of Brandon Betz and Billy Purdon delivered the offense and 47 of the Atomsʼ 65 points in the victory over West Potomac on Feb. 12.

Betz, and guards Corey Daise, Chris Flowers and Chris Terapane. Purdon’s dunk midway through the first quarter fired up the team and the crowd as the Atoms drove to a 32-19 halftime score. “It was a great game; we responded well after having three games in a row this week,” said Head Coach Pat Hughes. “The real thing that got us

19-2 (11-1)

T.C. Williams

17-5 (9-3)

Lake Braddock

15-7 (7-4)

West Springfield

12-8 (6-6)

Robinson

11-12 (4-8)

Annandale

10-12 (4-8)

West Potomac

2-19 (0-12)

BY TED GIBSON Staff Writer

21-1 (12-0)

Lake Braddock

15-7 (8-4)

Robinson

13-9 (8-4)

Hayfield

14-6 (6-6)

Annandale

10-12 (3-9)

TC Williams

9-10 (2-8)

West Potomac

6-16 (1-11)

SARAH SOZIO

Girls basketball West Springfield

*Updated as of 2/14

The Hot Corner

Should Maurice Clarett be able to enter this year’s NFL draft? “I think it’s fine because the reason you go to college is to ready yourself for the future”

—Michael Risden sophomore “If he thinks he can handle being a kid in the NFL, then it’s fine.”

--James Alvarez junior

“I think they should let him play because they gave Lebron James a chance, he should get a chance also.”

—Fehti Mohammed senior “I think he’ll regret not playing for four years at Ohio State and having the college experience.”

—William Maglisceau English teacher

going was the crowd. It was unbelievable. It’s the best crowd we’ve ever had at Annandale. [They were pumped up] to help send the seniors off well.” Late in the fourth quarter, Terapane made two for two foul shots and Daise made one out of two. With 27 seconds left on the clock, junior forward Randy Yiadom made a shot that sealed the

win for the Atoms with a final score of 65-51. Betz finished the game with 27 points, and Purdon finished with 20. In the last minutes of the game, the seniors stepped off the floor one by one, each receiving their much deserved applause from the crowd. Prior to the West Potomac game, the Atoms traveled to J.E.B. Stuart on Feb. 11 to take on the Raiders in a makeup of a nondistrict match. The Atoms took control of the game, with a final score of 73-54. Betz finished with 24 points, and Chris Flowers followed with 14 points. “Stuart was a scrappy team, but they hung with us,” Hughes said. “We were able to get people in, and they did a nice job.” On Feb. 10, for the first of three games in a row, the Atoms took on Lake Braddock. Despite a close game, though, the Atoms fell to the Bruins 66-56. “Lake Braddock was tough; it was a close game,” Hughes said. “There were some errors here and there, but we feel pretty good about [Lake Braddock]. We feel like we could beat them.” As the team prepares for District playoffs, they had played each team better the second time around, said Hughes. With Robinson, the Atoms lost their first two games and won the third, and the same could happen with Lake Braddock when theAtoms face them in district play.

Atoms send seven to regional tourney

Boys basketball Hayfield

Feb. 16, 2004

SEAN SULLIVAN

SPORTS

Sophomore Morgan McNeil has his hand raised in triumph in his semifinal match on Fri. Feb. 13. McNeil, along with six other AHS wrestlers, will be advancing to the Northern Regional meet on Fri. Feb. 20. The results of McNeilʼs district championship match in the 125 lb. weight claass was too late for press time.

On Friday night, the Atoms hosted the first half of the Patriot District Wrestling Championship Tournament – a two-day event that determines the top two teams to advance for contention in the Northern Regional playoffs. On the first day of competition, AHS placed fourth overall with 70 team points, behind the West Springfield Spartans with 88, the Robinson Rams with 97, and the Hayfield Hawks which dominated the event, finishing with a commanding 169.5 points. The results of Saturday’s finale were too late for press time. Wrestlers from each successive weight class from 103 lbs. to heavyweight battled on two separate mats for three two-minute rounds of competition. The individual winners of the first round received a bye until the third and final round. First round victories were recorded by senior heavyweight Noah Crowley, senior Shawn Johnson, 215 lb. weight class, junior Chris Barnes, 145 lb. weight class, and sophomore Kevin Medrano of the 135 lb. weight class. On Friday, Johnson won his match against T.C. Williams 9-6, after a first round pin on his Hayfield opponent. Crowley emerged unde-

feated with two pins, managing to conquer his Hayfield opponent with just 30 seconds to go in the third period of the final match of the night. “That’s what Annandale wrestling is all about, baby. We win matches in the third period. In the end, it all comes down to mental toughness,” said Johnson. Late in the third period, sophomore Morgan McNeil, who received a bye for the first and second rounds, pinned his favored Robinson opponent, who later burst into tears of frustration. “I wasn’t worried too much about the match, even though I was the lower seed. It was frustrating only winning by a few points at first, so it was a huge relief to finally get a pin,” said McNeil. AHS is sending seven wrestlers to compete individually in the Northern Regional Tournament. Four of the seven competed in their weight class championships against tough district opponents, including an intense match-up between Shawn Johnson and the defending Patriot district champion from Robinson, Brent Jones. “Our team has seen big improvements from last year,” said Head Coach Keith Shoulders. “I’m proud of how our guys truly came together at the end of the season… we’re expecting big things in the regional tournament.”

Around the diamond: Baseball update Jared’s Jargon When you’re a baseball fan, there are four words spoken every winter which always ring true in your heart, “pitchers and catchers report.” Come mid-February, after a short lived four month layoff from October’s World Series, the baseball season kicks off anew. But in the past three seasons a strange consistency has ruled the diamond. They can be called my “four principles of baseball” if you want to give it a fancy name. They are as followed: First of all another year of Yankee dominance will be in effect, which can only be followed by another year of Boston’s high spring hopes turn into another fall disaster. Also, look for another small market team to make a big statement, and another year for Wrigleyville citizens to ask the Cubbies, ‘why?’. There is no reason to expect 2004 to be any different then 2003, or ’02, or even ’01 for that matter. The Yankees, although losing Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens, should repeat as AL champs simply because they can hit the ball. With additions such as Gary Sheffield and Kenny Lofton to the outfield, and with all-world young gunAlfonso Soriano having another year under his belt at the second base position, the Bronx Bombers will show why they earned that nickname in the first place. Also, just like last year, the “Sawx” will find a way to choke this October. The Beantown crew had the hated Yankees right where they wanted them, leading 3-1, bottom of the eight, game seven ALCS in the Bronx, Pedro gives up a pair of two out doubles, followed by a game tying single, and a walkoff homerun in the 11th by Aaron Boone to win the pennant. How can any Red Sox fan not believe in curses after that game, then again, Bucky Dent did drill a game winning homerun against the Sox in the ‘78 ALCS, and the ball did go through Buckner’s legs in the ’86 series against the Mets, so who wouldn’t believe in curses?

Like last year a small market team will make a strong run if not win the series all together. Name the last three World Series winners, and don’t say the Yankees or Braves; the Diamondbacks, Angels, and Marlins. It sounds like the little league teams I played for when I was a youth. I think this year the Kansas City Royals will be that small market team. They got a great farm division, a couple of big name sluggers such as Mike Sweeney and Raul Ibanez, and a young pitching staff . Does this formula sound familiar? It does because it is the same makeup of, gee what a coincidence, the Diamondbacks, Angels, and Marlins the last three years. And finally to wrap up our repeat of last year, yes, I’m sorry to say Cubs fans, but your beloved Cubbies will again fall short of that World Series crown. Your

Wiest’s Wisdom As winter begins to wind down and winter sports heat up with the playoffs drawing ever closer, baseball spring training sets the stage for yet another season ofAmerica’s pasttime. The offseason saw some drastic changes in team composition, as several of last year’s giants underwent almost complete roster makeovers. By far the most notable acquisitions of the offseason were made by the Houston Astros. Coming out of retirement, Roger Clemens signed with the Astros on January 13, just weeks after another former Yankee s ace, Andy Pettitte, joined the rotation. Undoubtedly the most significant

You Make the Call Sports Banter

By Jared Smith and Matt Wiest closest taste of the ultimate prize fell just out of the reach of Cubs third basemen Moises Alou and landed painfully into the hands of Steve Bartman. None the less, on paper, this Cubs team looks to be the best in a while, but then again, so did the Red Sox last year, and as fate has it, neither of those teams were playing in the series, as the black cloud of baseball curses reared their ugly heads in these two poor teams directions once again. So this year as like last year, the “four principles” of modern baseball will be held true. To sum it all up: The Yanks will dominate, the Sox will fall by month eight, a small market team will rule supreme, and Wrigleyville will be left behind without a dream.

additions to any pitching rotation in Major League Baseball, Pettitte and Clemens should put the Astros in a comfortable position to take the NL Central crown from the Cubs. Consider also the depth of the Astros lineup. Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Lance Berkmann provide plenty of power and consistency at the plate. Last season, an end-of-season slump cost the Astros the playoffs, as the Cubs went on a hot streak and finished one game ahead. With a revitalized bullpen to add to a potent offense, theAstros should not have any problems securing a playoff position. In the NL East, look for the Philadelphia Phillies to replace the Marlins without their star “Pudge” Rodriguez. The acquisition of former Astros closer Billy Wagner will provide for much

needed consistency in relief pitching. With a strong starting rotation, consisting namely of Kevin Millwood and Randy, the Phillies will definitely have the pitching it takes to at least secure a Wild Card spot. Jim Thome, Jimmy Rollins, and Mike Lieberthal should continue to provide adequate hitting, but others will have to step it up a notch from last year’s season, which ended with disappointment after the Phillies lost control of the Wild Card in the final weeks of the season. The 2004 season looks in the preseason to be the year of the Red Sox for the American League. With all their stars from last year returning, they can only improve as team chemistry develops. And with arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, Curt Schilling, as a new addition, look for the Sox to be a serious threat to the Yankees reign over the AL East. Look for two of last year’s strongest teams, the Yankees and Braves, to have comparatively disappointing seasons. With the loss of Pettitte, Wells and Clemens, the Yankees have gaping holes in their pitching rotation. Despite signing Gary Sheffield from the Braves and Kenny Lofton, the Yankees should look for a struggle with the Red Sox for the AL East crown. In the NL, the Braves have yet to replace All-Star Gary Sheffield, as the only big name offseason acquisition they made was J. D. Drew. The Braves should have a tougher than usual time capturing the NL East, as the Phillies should be hot on their heels for the top slot. Come October, count on both Boston and Houston to be making their respective runs for the World Series. After disappointing ends to both of their seasons last year, they’ll be hungry for a second chance. And you can never count out the perennial powerhouses, the Braves and Yankees, though expect them to have a tougher time capturing their respective divisional crowns.

SPORTS

Feb. 16, 2004

Girls limp into districts

Atomic Athletics A wrap-up of freshman and JV sports

BY ERIN O’BRIEN In-Depth Editor Three games in four days to close the season proved overwhelming for the Lady Atoms, as the worn out bodies and tired legs could not last through Friday’s game against West Potomac losing 48-34, dropping their record to 10-12 overall as the season comes to a close. “We didn’t have a desire to play our best,” said junior forward Diana Hollingsworth. “We made some fixable mistakes, but it is out of our systems now and we will play better in districts.” The Atoms will play in the first round of the Patriot District tournament tomorrow night at Lake Braddock against the third-seeded Hayfield Hawks at 4:30 p.m. All-district senior point-guard Rebecca Frece made her return to the lineup against the Wolverines, after missing the entire week because of illness and personal problems. Frece will an important for the post-season run as the Atoms look to repeat upon last year’s regional berth, the first since 2000. The LadyAtoms rose to the occasion on senior night Feb. 11, beating the Stuart Raiders in a 67-20 blowout giving them a 10-11 overall record.As the girls ran out of the locker room, red and white stars and streamers hung from the locker room doorway and red and white balloons adorned the gym. “This is the best senior night I’ve had in all my years of coaching,” said Head Coach Lori Barb. The Atoms controlled the pace of the game from the tip-off. With three of four seniors starting, the Atoms had 19 points after the first quarter and led 29-7 at the half. “It was such a good way to have our last [home] game,” said senior captain Angela Briggs. Most members of the team were able

Freshman Girls Basketball

“We are doing ok now that the team is getting better. We are not losing by much, and we are getting better step by step,” said freshman Terry Byrd.

TED GIBSON

The Atoms will play in the first round of the district tournament tomorrow against Hayfield @ 4:30 p.m.

Head coach Lori Barb and the Atoms squad anxiously look on in the 4th quarter of their 43-32 loss at the hands of the Lake Braddock Bruins. The Atoms have struggled as of late and will enter the Patriot District Tournament tomorrow night losing two out of their three games. The Atoms also fell to the West Potomac Wolverines, who won their first district game in two seasons on Friday.

to get a lot of minutes on the court. Seniors Shakara LeCount and Amy Merrill both had six points. Williams led the team with 15. “Shakara is an example of how every [player] should be,” said Barb. “She never complains and is always enthusiastic.” The night before the Atoms were not as fortunate as they fell 43-32 to the Lake Braddock Bruins. After being tied 20-20 at the half, a rough third quarter gave the Atoms trouble.

“We had a good first half, but we fell apart in the second half,” said Merrill. “We always let down for a quarter and it hurts us.” The Atoms had glimpses of brilliance in the beginning. Freshman Denay Wood had 8 points in the first quarter, leading the Atoms with 12 total “In spurts we played extremely well,” said Barb. “We missed some open shots and they hit some big shots, which really just kind of broke our back.”

Girls 200 free relay advances to states

TINA DOUROUDIAN

BY AMY MATHIS Staff Writer

Junior Tiffany Wattenbarger prepares for her 200 medley relay backstroke at the Patriot District Championship on Jan. 31. The medley finished third in districts, qualifying for the regional tournament in which they finished seventh overall. The medley included Wattenberger, senior Sara Bizer (butterfly), and juniors Sivan Adato (breastsroke) and Julia Bizer (freestyle).

At the Northern Regional Championships on Feb. 7, the girls finished in a tie for 13th out of 28 teams as four swim members qualified for the state meet. The bright spot for the girls team was the 200 medley, which qualified for states on Sat. Feb. 14 at George Mason University. The results of this meet were too late to be published. Senior Sarah Bizer, and juniors Tiffany Wattenbarger, SivanAdato, and Julia Bizer all advanced in this medley. Also, Sarah Bizer will advance in the individual 50 freestyle as she finished third overall in the region. Considering the lack of depth for the Atoms this season, the coaching staff was pleased with the post-season results, as manymembersswamtheirbesttimesever. “Everyone swam their best efforts of the year,” said Head Coach Bruce Fisher. “Which is what every coach hopes for.” At the Patriot District Championships, held Jan. 30 and 31, the boys finished sixth and the girls fifth. Sara Bizer led the girls as she won the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.81 seconds and came in third in the 100 breaststroke. For the boys, Tordella was the standout as he missed

the individual cut for the 100 breaststroke by a mere half of a second, battling some of the best swimmers in the state. The girls 200 medley which consisted of Sarah Bizer, and Adato, Julia Bizer, and Wattenbarger finished in third place overall behind powerhouses West Springfield and Robinson. Wattenbarger also missed the individual cut for the 100 backstroke by a slim five second margin. The dive team had an outstanding performance in districts as the girls were led by junior Stephannie McKinney who finished third overall and qualified for regionals with a score of 319.05. For the boys, the Orchard twins, freshman Austin and senior Ben, led the way. Ben finished sixth andAustin finished fourth, falling only 13 points short of qualifying for regionals. TheAtoms ended their dual meet season against Lake Braddock and Robinson on consecutive nights on Jan. 23 and 24. Both teams suffered defeats against both the Rams and Bruins. The boys lost 85230 and the girls 117-198 against Lake Braddock, while the boys fell 83-232 and the girls fell 118-197 to Robinson. As the regular season concluded, the boys swim team posted a 2-5 record as the girls went 3-4. The dive team finished 6-1 on the boys side and 4-2-1 on the girls.

Vilatoro wins title, team moves to regionals BY JARED SMITH AND JULIE WOLFE Sports Editor and Staff Writer As the winter track Patriot District tournament came to and end Feb. 11, the performance of the team and senior shot putter Julio Vilatoro made their legacy on the 2004 season. Vilatoro won the Patriot District with a career best throw of 51’7’’. “Hard work pays off,” said Vilatoro. “I’ve been working hard all season in the weight room and in practice. I did not expect to place this high because of the tough competition.” The competition Vilatoro was talking about was Christain Johnson from West Potomac who was the number one seed coming into the

“

Hard work pays off. I’ve been working hard all season in the weight room and in practice,

”

—JulioVilatoro senior

tourney. Johnson finished in third place overall and did not break the 50-foot mark on his throw. Vilatoro’s finish was not the only strong showing for the Atoms, senior pole-vaulter Elizabeth Gil recorded her career high indoor vault with a height of 8’6’’ and qualified for the Northern Region Tournament on Feb. 21. “I was expecting to do much worse,” said Gil. “The competition in our district is really tough,

and I was pleased in how high I placed. Gil’s performance was a full foot higher then her finish in the teams previous meet at Episcopal on Feb. 7. Overall the coaching staff was pleased with the results from the first half of the tournament. “We did well and had a lot of personal bests,” said head shot-put coach Bob Sykes. “Performance wise the meet was very positive, it was good for morale, but it’s a tough district. The last half of the tournament concluded on Saturday, with results too late for press time. Key events which took place were the girls 1000m in which senior Lauren Edwards is seeded third, and the boys pole-vault, in which senior Ayoob Jan is seeded fifth, as well as the boys 500m in which Jan is seeded third. Both Jan and Edwards have already pre-qualified for the Northern Regional Tournament. In the Atoms final regular season meet at Episcopal on Feb. 7, Vilatoro also had a standout performance, finishing first overall in the boys shotput, while sophomore Ismail Ahmed also scored a first place finish in the 3200m. Sophomore Joe Kruse, and senior Ayoob Jan both qualified for regionals in the pole-vault. And junior Ezra Tilaye finished second place in the triple jump. The girls team also placed strong led by freshman Hannah Tubb, who placed second in the 500m, and junior Raquel Aguirre, who finished third in the triple jump. The girls 400m relay, which consists of seniors Lauren Edwards and Phylicia Foreman, sophomore Katie Tubb, and freshman Hanna Tubb, finished second overall and also qualified for the regional tournament this weekend. But as the season continues for some, it ends for other members of the team. Junior Brian Burke recalls this season as he was not able to advance to regionals. “This part of the season is where it really counts,” said Burke. “Our school has a good chance at scoring a lot of points and placing high in the region.”

Coaches: Nora Mahn and Gabriel Romano Key Players: Terry Byrd, Courtney Bond, and Taylor Hobson Record: 2-12 Next Game: Season concluded Last Game: 28-21 loss vs. West Potomac on Fri. Feb. 13

Freshman Boys Basketball

“We need to start working harder and not slacking off. As long as we work hard, we will win the rest of our games,” said freshman Danny Miller.

Coaches: Tony Harper and Kevin Fox Key Players: Danny Miller, Luis Ferrira, and James Olmos Record: 6-6 Next Game: Season concluded Last Game: 47-46 loss vs. West Potomac on Thurs. Feb. 12

JV Girls Basketball

“I love the drive and the rush that basketball gives me. Our freshmen are on top of their game, and the sophomores are holding it down,” said sophomore Alicia Oben.

Coaches: Christa Long and Kennetra Wood Key Players: Alicia Oben, Dina Tomic, and Essete Tadelle Record: 1-12 Next Game: Season concluded Last Game: 35-22 loss vs. West Potomac on Fri. Feb. 12

JVBoys Basketball

“We are having a successful season so far, and the team is still pretty good desite the loss of two players to varsity,” said sophomore Jack deLorimier

Coaches: James McNeill Key Players: Nathan Cartagena, William Rathbun and Jake deLorimier Record: 5-7 Next Game: Season concluded Last Game: 59-48 loss vs. West Potomac on Feb. 12

JV Wrestling

MEGAN BERRY

Senior wins district in shot put with career best throw of 51’7’’.

Pointing towards the crown Senior shotputter Julio Vilatoro practices his throw on a dim winter day. Vilatoro is the No. 1 shotputter on the team, finishing first in the Patriot District tournament on Feb. 12 and coming in first place in the teamʼs last regular season meet at Episcopal on Feb. 7. Vilatoro will advance to the Feb. 21 Northern Regional Tournament.

“We have a good team, and we have won a lot of matches. We have a great coaching staff,” said freshman Drew Chadwick.

Coaches: Keith Shoulders, Mike Scott Key Players: Drew Chadwick, Brian Duke, and William Morris Record: No team record kept for JV Next Meet: Season concluded Last Meet: Wed. Feb. 11 @ West Potomac Invitational; no score recorded

ENTERTAINMENT

18 Janet busts a move

Feb. 16, 2004

Grammy winners:

BY JOSEPH BURKE Staff Writer

P. Diddy holds his award for best Rap performance by a duo or group.

Record of the Year: Clocks, by Coldplay Album of the Year: Speakerboxxx / The Love Below, by Outkast Song of the year: Dance With My Father, by Richard Mark and Luther Vandrox Best new artist: Evanescence Best rock song: Seven Nation Army, by The White Stripes Best Alternative Music Album: Elephant, by The White Stripes Best Urban / Alternative performance: Hey Ya! by Outkast Best rap song: Lose Yourself, by Eminem Best rap album: Speakerboxxx / The Love Below, by Outkast Best Country song: It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, by Jim Brown and Don Rollins Best country album: Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’ - Songs of the Louvin Brothers, by various artists Best bluegrass album: Live, by Allison Krauss + Union Station Best New Age album: One Quiet Night, by Pat Metheny Best contemporary Jazz album: 34th N Lex, by Randy Brecker Best Latin Pop album: No Es Lo Mismo, by Alejandro Sanz Best Latin Rock / Alternative album: Cuatro Caminos, by Café Tacuba Best Blues album: Blues Singer, by Buddy Guy Best Native American album: Flying Free, by Black Eagle Best Reggae album: Dutty Rock, by Sean Paul Best Polka album: Let’s Polka ‘Round, by Jimmy Stirr Best Classical album: Symphony Number 3, Kindertotenlieder, by Mahler

Some have criticized Justin Timberlake for womanizing, his allegedly petty behavior after his well-publicized breakup with pop star Britney Spears and his contributions to what they see as a dearth of listenable music on the radio. Say what you want about him, but Timberlake is a man of his word. The lyrics to his hit “Rock Your Body” pledge to “have you naked by the end of this song.” His performance with Janet Jackson at last week’s Super Bowl provided the glimpse of partial nudity seen ‘round the world that fulfilled this promise. As he sang those last lyrics, Timberlake tore off Jackson’s top, revealing her breast. The collective gasp of the game’s 130 million viewers was deafening. The event has had farreaching consequences beyond its immediate shock. Janet Jackson had her invitation to perform at the Grammys retracted, Timberlake Justin Timberlake stares in disbelief as Janet suffers from a bad case was forced to use his Grammy of ‘costume malfunction.ʼ

Family Association, has set up a website with the address boycottMTV.net. The group claims that more than 50,000 people have chosen to comply with their boycott of the music network’s sponsors. Giving new meaning to the word “frivolous.” Tennessee bank teller Terri Carlin has filed a lawsuit because of the “damage” caused by the risqué halftime show. Carlin’s suit claimed that the performance negatively impacted the “standing and credibility” of Americans in the world. A pop star, perhaps inadvertently, flashes her breast and the image of an entire nation suffers? Faulty syllogism. On the contrary, the country’s hysterical reaction to the event is more embarrassing to the nation’s character. Where else in the world can one second of breast exposure spawn this kind of outrage? What other country could tolerate a lawsuit seeking compensation potentially in the amount of billions of dollars for “having to” watch it? Rather than compensation for the “damages” they’ve suffered, people like Carlin should get something else: a life.

A Miracle in film making neth Walsh) takes the team to an Olympic victory. Miracle’s most impressive accomplishment, however, is cinematography. From Herb Brook’s private conflicts, to colossal crowds at the Games, Miracle Mike Eurzione took the puck down the rink, and excels at creating the environments the team lived slapped it in for the final game-winning goal. The and played in. The climax is an awe-inspiring crowd at Madison Square Garden, realcrowd at Madison Square Garden rose to its feet cheering as the amateur U.S. Movie Review istically gathered and organized by the Miracle producers, convincingly waving flags hockey team defeated the invincible Soviand cheering for the underdog team. ets on the way to a miraculous gold medal The plot is slow at first, but once it at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Nearly 20 gains momentum, Miracle has enough million people went to relive this moment For excellent acting and acting, storytelling, and energy to carry last weekend, with the movie Miracle. The theater was filled with a truly diverse portraying an inspirational the film to its inspiring end. And though crowd: the young and the old, couples and moment with extraordinary the finale is obviously predictable, accuracy. Miracle manages to follow the team, and families. And that’s the appeal that Miracle each character, with incredible depth. has; parents were eager to bring their chilAnd there’s no cliché here: the story of dren to see one of the greatest moments in sports, others to watch the story of unfavorable odds. triumph is placed in context with the Cold War and Kurt Russell stars as Herb Brooks, the University the struggle of pride between Soviets and Americans. of Minnesota hockey coach brought in to guide the U.S. The beginning of the Winter Games is preceded by the Olympic Hockey team to victory at the 1980 Winter Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, fueling the anger and Olympics in Lake Placid. Prior to 1980, the United competition that leads to the United States’ victory. You don’t have to be a hockey fan to enjoy States did not allow professional players to compete on Olympic teams, forcing Brooks to create his 20-man Miracle, either. Those who are will certainly team from college players. Miracle follows the young enjoy the realistically re-created games, but team as it conditions, trains, and learns to play as those who aren’t will still find it entertaining. Good movies are hard to come by, and great ones part of the American squad. Brooks works his twisted genius on the team, and with Assistant Coach Craig are even more unusual; but Miracle is a rare gem in Patrick (Noah Emmerich) and Doc Nagobads (Ken- a rough crop of movies this year. For every great film BY CHRIS SOPHER Ad Manager

A+

there are several less-exceptional ones, and Miracle easily bests recent Hollywood sports films like Remember the Titans and Radio. There’s not enough to say about its intrigue and superb storytelling, but it’s easy to say that Miracle is one of the best films ever made. Its acting is superb, its storytelling exceptional, and the experience truly extraordinary. At the end, a picture of the real Herb Brooks is displayed on the screen, dedicating the movie to his memory (Brooks died shortly after the movie was shot). “He never saw it,” it says. “He lived it.” And with this incredible film, Americans can live it too.

The U.S. hockey team prepares to run the offense against their heavily favoredSoviet opponents.

The NFL brings it to the street BY CHRIS KALLANDER Staff Writer Football fans are no doubt feeling the post Super Bowl football depression, and the absence of halftime peepshows doesn’t help the situation. Luckily NFL

Star Wars DVD to be released

In-your-face moves like the under-thelegs pass make NFL street great.

After what seemed like an eternity to its millions of avid fans, The original Star War’s trilogy is schedualed to be released in the U.S. and Canada on Sept. 21. This release will contain 4 discs, one for each movie and a special features disc. The DVD is expected to take full advantage of the medium with 5.1 digital surround sound and closed captioning in English, Spanish and French. Jim Ward, the DVD collection’s executive vice president said of the DVD release, “We want watching this DVD collection to be as memorable as watching the movies for the first time.”

acceptance to issue an apology and, for the first time in its history, the Academy Award television broadcast will air with a delay so that any offensive content can be edited out. Although the current renaissance of late night comedy that has resulted from the halftime show would have you believe otherwise, many believe this topic is no laughing matter. Federal Communications Commission chief Michael Powell chastised the “classless, crass and deplorable stunt,” promising an investigation with potential fines of $27,500, possible for each CBS affiliate. Chris Ender, a spokesman for CBS, claimed to be “angry and embarrassed” after the incident. The halftime show was produced by MTV; they, although not exactly known as purveyors of wholesome family entertainment, also apologized for the event, saying the “unpleasantness” was unplanned and unintentional. Americans probably could not avoid the hysteria that erupted from the event. CBS received thousands of complaints about the objectionable content of the halftime. A conservative watchdog group, the American

Street makes sure pigskin fans have something more to do than play Madden during the all-too-long off season. Borrowing largely from its NBA counterpart, NFL Street delivers over the top, gridiron mayhem that easily captures the feel of pick-up games that you and your friends play. The rules are simple: win (and look good doing it). Most, or nearly all the traditional NFL rules are out the window, but the game still retains some of the limitations so you don’t feel like you’re playing another sport altogether. Your team consists of only seven, which definitely amps up the intensity factor. Expect to see your favorite NFL player hyped up on steroids six ways from Sunday. While football enthusiasts may find the new look almost comical, it’s a nice change from the boring old formula. NFL Street’s gameplay is pretty straightforward, but addicting all the same. Once you score your first touchdown you’ll be

Dear Abby Advice Column

By Abby Segall Dear Abby, I am so glad you have this column available. I’m a mom of a senior, and last week when I went to check my email on our home computer I saw my senior’s online journal still up on the monitor. I had never read it before, but I figured if she left if open she must have wanted me to see it. I am sorry to say that I discovered that she had gone to a friend’s house the weekend before and gotten really drunk with a few friends. Now that she is a senior, she wants us to give her more freedom and more responsibility, and

hooked. The game is so overly-stylized able at the same time. Accompanying that even casual fans of football will be the aestheticly pleasing graphics, NFL submerged in its fantastical artistry. Street runs a very tight audio audible. Your typical pass or running play will Everything is distinct and refined inbe transformed into a break-dancing stead of the in your face extremeness most games go for these maneuver across the field, days. From the trash talk complete with off-the-wall moves and cataclysmic Game Review to the interactive jukebox, NFL Street NFL Street goes the extra tackles. The gameplay nine yards to make sure modes can wear a little no one’s musical tastes are thin, however, the inclusion left warming the bench. of online play scores big Whether you’re into footpoints with the replay-abil- For sweet gameplay, great replay-abilty and aesthetiball or not, NFL Street proves ity factor, especially since the cally pleasing graphics. itself to be an addicting exgame’s rubber-band A.I. can perience with enough depth be annoying to say the least. and style to make sure you’ll Visually NFL Street be coming back for more. It couldn’t be better. The larger-than-life players are adorned makes it to the end zone with enough with exceptional detail and the game’s left over for the two point conversion. whole presentation is very pleasing. The detailed and stunning graphics The animations are what really sepa- make up for any shortcomings, and the rate this game from others; they’re inclusion of online matches will keep fluid and smooth yet totally unbeliev- you playing well into the next season.

with college coming up next year, that makes sense. We don’t want to have to constantly monitor her activities to make sure she is safe, but this makes us worried about trusting her to go with a group of friends to beach week. This is our first time dealing with this age child, and we need help knowing how to balance our fears with knowing that she needs more space. Any advice? —Worried AHS Parents This is a difficult situation to be in right now and the important thing is that you do not become hostile with your daughter. At this point you should definitely confront your daughter. Explain to her what you saw and how you feel about it. It is important to keep her trust, so when you approach her you should be calm and make sure she knows you were not snooping around, but that the online journal was already on the screen. Your daughter might go into a defensive mode and start fighting with you, but do not give in and fight back. Let her know you are not angry with her, but that you are simply concerned and would like to know if she is being safe about her activities.

B+

What you have to understand as a parent is that the more you fight about her social activities, the more she will want to continue doing them. You just have to let her know that it is important to you that she stays safe and makes good decisions with her life, one of them being responsible if she chooses to drink. Also, when talking to her it is very important that you use “I” messages. For example do not say: “Do you want to ruin your life? You’re being irresponsible,” but rather say “I feel uncomfortable when these incidents happen. I’m concerned with your actions.” The difference is the “I” messages will not make your daughter feel like she has to defend herself. It is a hard situation to be in, but just remember that these are difficult years for your daughter and you need to be someone she can go to, rather than hide things from. Dear Abby was originally written by Pauline Phillips and is written in The A-Blast by senior Abby Segall. To contact Abby with your questions e-mail her at Abbyiss527@aol.com or drop your question off in the Publications Lab, room 233.

ENTERTAINMENT

Feb. 16, 2004

The

storm the U.S.

The Beatles performed their songs “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” In a Rolling Stone interview, John Moffitt, associate director of the Ed Sullivan Show said, “But you could not hear them playing anything. The noise was incredible.” This incredible performance was only one of four appearances that the Beatles made on the Ed Sullivan Show during their career. “When the Beatles first came on the Ed Sullivan Show, I took pictures BY JOHN REISS of them with my camera, on the televiEntertainment Editor sion,” said English teacher Pam Feil. Forty years ago, America was hit by something After the broadcast, the Beatles began big, something so big that it would change the an East Coast tour of the United States. course of music history for the rest of the world. Beginning with Carnegie Hall, the Beatles Forty years ago, the Beatles came to America. made music history again by being the first The Beatles arrived at JFK International Airport in rock band to play there. To handle an influx NewYorkonFebruary7,1964,andwouldappearontheEd of attendees, 300 extra seats were added to Sullivan Show two days later, and for eight-minutes, the the stage for the Beatles’ two 34-minute sets. UnitedStateswouldseesomethingnewandrevolutionary. The Beatles then took a train to Washing“I was in the fourth grade when the Beatles were first ton, D.C., on Feb. 11, where 3,000 adoring fans The Beatlesʼ first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show . on the Ed Sullivan Show,” said band teacher Jack Elgin. greeted them. That night, they played at the “I was sitting in my livingroom when the Beatles came “WhenEdSullivanyelled,‘TheBeatles!’Iwasblownaway.” Coliseum in front of an audience on,” said History teacher Mary Ann Richardson. “My “I had heard a lot of Beatles’ of 8,092. They were located in mom didn’t approve of their long hair, but I had Beatles’ songs, but never eally gotten the center arena, which was ro- posters all over my room and knew all their lyrics.” into them,” said senior John tated to face a new section of the To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ Olson. “But when I saw a crowd after every three songs. first visit to the United States, several DVDs of Beatles video recording of their first The Beatles’ perfor- footage has been released. Among these DVDs is a collecfew performances on Ed Sulmance at the Coliseum tion of all the Beatles’ performances on the Ed Sullivan livan, I was amazed at how was their first State-side Show, personal footage of their tour of the East Coast, revolutionary they were.” concert open to the public. and also an anthology DVD composed of music videos, The Beatles guitarist John For the final U.S. appear- concert footage and personal videos of the Beatles career. Lennon, bass guitarist Paul ance at the time, the Beatles After their first visit to America, the Beatles McCartney, lead guitarist went to Miami, to appear again returned for four more tours of the country and evGeorge Harrison and drumon the Ed Sullivan Show. So ery time, they wowed the crowd. The Beatles led a mer Ringo Starr, four young many people were eager to see musical revolution that not only changed the U.S., men from Liverpool, England, the Beatles upon their arrival but the entire world. When Paul McCartney sang, The Beatlesʼ arrive at JFK International Airport. were amazed by their welcome at Miami International that a “She wouldn’t dance with another/ Oh when I saw to the states. About 728 young, riot broke out and many win- her standing there,” the Beatles won over America. adolescent girls crowded Studio dows and chairs were broken. “There never was and never will be an50 for the Ed Sullivan Show and had their hearts stolen in The performance on Feb. 13 was the Beatles’ final an instant by the charm, looks and sound of the Beatles. appearance in America before leaving for Liverpool. other group like the Beatles,” said Richardson.

Teachers remember 40 years ago when Britain’s pop sensation invaded the United States and changed the course of music history

Live Wire

The truth behind Todd TV

Music Review

BY KAITY BURDETT Staff Writer

By John Reiss

Nothing Feels Good shows the ups and downs of an emotional life “Shut up and swallow my pride for me,” a lyric from the emo band, Glassjaw, exemplifies the sexist perspective of relationship problems with a girl, and their resounding effect on the singer. How come it is always the girl that is martyred in emo punk lyrics? Is emo rock sexist? This is just one point Andy Greenwald tackles in his new book Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers and Emo, which examines the subculture social movement of emo music, its origins, followers and impending future. For those who don’t know, “emo” is short for emotional, and in the context of music, emo rock is essentially an alternative answer to pop, boy bands. With bands usually composed of males, they write music regarding with love, emotions, relationship issues, etc. (some bands branch out though). Devote followers of emo music are referred to as “emo kids.” Greenwald breaks his book into four sections. The first deals with who emo kids are and where they come from. The section goes into a discussion about the

What was your favorite commercial during the Super Bowl?

development of punk rock in Washington, D.C., and its evolution. Next, Greenwald looks at the business life of an emo band: the record label and the tour. The third part delves into the life and evolution of emo bands Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Saves the Day and Dashboard Confessional. Greenwald writes in this section about his perspective as he follows each band around from the stage, to the studio to their home life. Finally, Greenwald closes by discussing the path to becoming an emo kid and the life experiences of those already who are already part of it. Nothing Feels Good shows that while emo rock may seem like a merrygo-round of boy/girl problems, there is actually more depth to it. The development of emo’s business side has had to fight more than most aspiring record labels due to the unpopularity of the music. At the same time, emo bands have more credibility than people give them. Through in depth interviews from bands and fans alike, combined with the factual side of emo music, Greenwald delivers an impressive look at the world’s fastest growing social movement. Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers and Emo byAndy Greenwald. St. Martin’s Griffin, 312 pages.

If you haven’t heard of Todd TV, spare your ears and eyes the agony of this low-budget, mindnumbing series. This new reality show on FX network promises to be a dud just after its first two episodes. With a desperate attempt to make something of himself, Todd Santos turns his life over to the American public and asks for a new direction, a starting place for new life. Staring on January 21, viewers can vote by computer, telephone, or textmessage on various aspects of Todd’s life. While producers hope to point the 30year-old Hermosa Beach, California waiter in the right direction, they may just end up tarnishing his professional, family, and social lives. After the premiere, viewers voted on what the theme song of the show should be; the choices of which Todd wrote himself. Them, after the producers made him quit his job as a waiter and take on a paper route, viewers were asked to decide which route his careers should take: singing-telegram guy or assistant to Poison lead singer Bret Michaels? Seem like a lose-lose situation to you? Read on: Dilemma #2: Who should Todd’s new roommate be? His first choice is his mother, his second: his therapist. Does anyone else find something horrible wrong with that situation? Most Americans would run and hide at the idea of having

to live with their mother or their therapist. For Todd, however, this is not an option. If he doesn’t act upon what the viewers tell him, he won’t get his promised $5000 a week from the producers. The basic idea of the show comes from the Dutch version, “Master Plan” developed by Endemol, USA. This seven-week reality series also proves to be an unconvincing spin-off of the 1999 movie “Ed TV” starring Matthew McConaughey. George Gray will be the voice of

the viewers as he takes on the role of host. Such shows as “The Weakest Link” are on his resume. “I think the show is stupid, it seems like a waste of time to me,” said sophomore Chris Hall. This particular opinion seems to be shared by many across the country. On the contrary, the execs seem to have a very positive outlook for the show. “The idea is to build a better Todd,” said executive producer Tom Forman. Somehow it’s hard to grasp the

“The one about downloading music off the Internet because I agree with the message it sent.”

“I liked the one with the Chimpanzee. The Super Bowl commercials wern’t that good this year.”

“I liked the FedEX commercial with the alien wearing the mask. I thought it was hilarious!”

—Colin Webb freshman

—Gia Boado sophomore

—Sushil Kalyani sophomore

“My favorite was with Beyonce, Pink and Britney Spears singing ‘We Will Rock You.’”

—Natasha Chawla sophomore

idea of reality television fabricating better people. If anything, this show will give Todd publicity to the point where all of his future employers are forewarned of his slacker-extraordinaire lifestyle. Director David Goldberg doesn’t seem to have the same do-gooder attitude of his partner. “We picked someone we think is an entertaining person,” he said. Well, at least Goldberg admits that he’s in it for the money. The producer’s idea for the show was based on the fact that everyone can relate to Todd. “He’s everybody’s screwup younger brother,” said Forman. For someone who gets up every day at noon and takes nothing seriously, it seems like this show should be on daytime TV with the ‘Work-at-home for double the salary’ and ‘You too can get a diploma!’ commercials. The show is a waste of a primetime slot and a waste of time for all the persons involved. Todd is self-centered, lazy, and a freeloader. If he thinks he can change 30 years of his life in seven weeks he is mistaken. The only person that can help him at this point is himself, not the 24/7-camera crew and definitely not the American public. These people will take Todd and toy with him for their viewing pleasure. If anything good comes of this show, it will be publicity for the show’s sponsor: T-Mobile. If you want to catch the show and see for yourself, you can on Wednesdays at 10 PM on E/T.

“My favorite was Nextel’s racing commercial with Dale Earnhart Jr. Who wouldn’t want to do donuts in the end zone?”

—Anthony Lipari senior

19 HOROSCOPES Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18) You have a lot of mental energy and are eager to “attack” intellectual or conceptual problems. You are likely to come up with a clever solution or a very workable plan, especially if you brainstorm with others. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) A sense of failure, self-doubt, or inability to effectively compete and assert your own will may typify this time period. Your problems and inadequacies seem more real and insurmountable than they actually are. Aries (March 21- April 19)

You have a lot of mental energy and are eager to “attack” intellectual problems. You are likely to come up with a clever solution or a workable plan, especially if you brainstorm. You tend to make up your mind very quickly and translate your ideas into action.

Taurus (April 30-May 20) Thoughts of love and an appreciation of the beauty in your life comes to the fore. This is a favorable time to communicate your feelings to the ones you care about: write a love poem or send a love letter! Gemini (May 21-June 21) This can be a time for exposing and talking about hidden, or taboo subjects. Your mind is very probing and your conversations and interactions with others are intense. Pat answers don’t suffice now.You can be too intrusive or overbearing. Cancer (June 22-July 22)

Physical thrills and excitement have a strong appeal for you now, and you want to do something new and out of the ordinary. Acting on your spontaneous impulses will yield surprises. Lucky numbers: 6, 15 , 4.

Leo (July 22-August 22)

Your thoughts tend to be gloomy. There may be work ahead of you because of past errors of judgment. Or you may be sobering up after a “honeymoon” period with something or someone. Lucky numbers: 33, 4, 15.

Virgo (August 23-Sept. 22)

A furious battle of wills is quite possible, for you are fired up, impatient, aggressive, and inclined to put your own interests and desires ahead of anything else. You may also have to stand up for your rights.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

A new beginning around a work situation will see positive changes happening when you stop blaming yourself for things not working out. Put it square where it belongs at the feet of the other guy. It was never yours to carry!

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Errors in judgment, due to personal prejudices or emotion, are apt to occur. Your mood very much colors your thinking right now. You can have fruitful discussions with your close friends or family members.

Sagittarius (Nov. 2-Dec. 21) Where are you going Sagittarius? Look not towards your parents for advice, but to your peers. Doing this will reveal the best move for you and how to tell that certain someone how you feel. Lucky numbers: 3, 2, 19. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Your desire for love and affection, as well as beauty and pleasure, arestrong now and you act on feelings and creative impulses more readily than usual. If you are not happy with some aspect of your personal life, these issues arise at this time.

WEEKEND

What’s your favorite way of getting secondhand clothes? How do you get them? “I like going to the Salvation Army to get some of my clothes.”

—Drew Wildes freshman

“I get secondhand clothes by going into my older sister’s room and taking clothes out of her drawer.”

—Thera Lombardi sophomore “I get a lot of hand me downs from my older brother.”

—Billy Rathburn sophomore

“I have two older brothers that are always buying new clothes, so I usually get what they don’t want.”

Feb. 16, 2004

Second hand treasures

Salvation Army is the most recognized second-hand store, which also serves the community BY LAURA JOHNSON AND ELIZABETH NOWROUZ Weekend Editors Many AHS students cannot fathom spending $59.50 on a pair of jeans from Abercrombie and Fitch, or $49.50 on a blouse from Express. For them second hand stores provide an inexpensive alternative to buying clothes and other items at full price. The Salvation Army is the epitome of a second hand store. It offers clothes for every age and gender. Not only does the Salvation Army sell clothes, it also sells furniture, appliances, televisions, toys and cars. The closest Salvation Army to Annandale is in Alexandria at 6528 Little River Turnpike, down the street from Pinecrest Shopping Center, and located behind several car dealerships. The interior of this building is on the dirty and dusty side, and has a certain musty odor to it. As you walk in the store, your eyes scan over the vast racks of every type of clothing, to the furniture, which is located to the left of the clothing. Everyday new clothes are placed on the racks so you always have a new and different experience at the Salvation Army. The employees are always bustling about organizing clothing and offering aid. The clothes are organized by style and gender. Piled with clothes, the long racks are all priced well under retail value. The SalvationArmy has an intricate pricing guide, which can be found at their website. The guide shows the low and high end for each item. The average pair of pants at most

retail stores costs around $40; however, at the Salvation Army, pants can be bought for as little as $3.50 and as much as $12. While some of the clothes may be considered out of season, many “vintage” styles are available as well. The Salvation Army also sells furniture items such as beds, sofas, tables and rugs. In addition to this list of home furnishings, the Salvation Army also markets televisions, radios, pianos, and bikes and many more unique products. Overall, the Salvation Army provides a well-rounded selection of second hand items for a low price. It is a one of a kind store, which gives the customer the opportunity to give old clothes, and buy new

clothes at low cost. worthy causes and people, such as Donating clothes is another popular aspect of the Salvation Army. To donate clothes, you can drive around to the back parking lot, and drop off your items to an employee who is ready with large cardboard boxes. Many people do not realize that Salvation Army is more than a consignment store, popularized by Santas who collect money during the holiday season for the homeless and hungry. They serve the local, national and global community through clubs, The exterior of this Salvation Army is loreligious services, cated on Little River Turnpike right down the youth activities street from Pinecrest Shopping Center. and consignment stores. homeless shelters and underprivileged All the clothes not children. sold are eventually “The Salvation Army battles on even donated in peacetime. It’s a fight to save those to lost to poverty, alcoholism, drug addiction, physical abuse and other enemies. Please help. We can’t save anyone Price without you,” reads the Salvation Army’s mission statement, and has rang true for their entire history. The structure of the Salvation $6 Army is very similar to the structure of the United States Army. The Army is divided into territo$9 ries, and there are four territories in the United States, which are in the south, west, central and east. The national headquarters $17 is located right here in Northern Virginia, in Alexandria. The phone number of this Salvation Army on Little River $9 Turnpike is (703)642-9270, and their international website is www.salvationarmy.org. LAURA JOHNSON

Average prices at Salvation Army Item skirts sweaters jackets pants

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY PAUL GLEASON

Students spend less on clothes to save money “I like getting them from friends, and sometimes we will lend each other clothes.”

—Yussiff Thulla

senior

Upcoming Concerts FEBRUARY 18 Pennywise with Guttermouth, Stretch Arm Strong and Bleed the Dream @ 930 Club starting at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $16. FEBRUARY 20 Hot 99.5 Morning Messfest with JC Chasez and Nick Cannon @ Nation starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. FEBRUARY 22

Although shopping at consignment stores is not a very popular form of shopping, especially for teens, it is a great way to find those inexpensive yet not obsolete clothes. “I buy some of my clothes at Salvation Army because it’s right near my house and everything is good and cheap. I normally go for funny t-shirts. In the spring is the best time to go because they have t-shirts. The winter clothes are not so good because they smell bad. The Salvation Army is not only a destination for poor people but people that don’t have a lot of money,” said sophomore Drew Cowles. One thing that consignment shops lack, however, is selection. In general, the clothes are donated from hefty individuals, so for those slimmer people, The vast racks of clothing for sale at the Salvation Army consignment shopping may not be the way to go. ensure that every shopper can find what they are looking for. “I go to Salvation Army because I have very Next to consignment shopping, which offers very little money,” said sophomore Brian Fletcher. inexpensive prices, is the very low cost of hand-mePerhaps a reason why consignment shopping downs. Getting clothes from older siblings is a great among teens lacks popularity is that it is looked way to save big on the expenses of seasonal clothes down upon in some social circles. Many students shopping and it is irrefutably quite convenient. think consignment shopping is gross and distasteHowever, one problem that does occasionful altogether. “I don’t like consignment stores ally occur with hand-me-downs is fitting. In some because they smell,” said sophomore Vinnie Athey.

Panera Bread bakes style in a sandwich NOVA Nibbles Restaurant guide

Fountains of Wayne with Leona Naess and Robbers on High Street @ 930 Club starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. FEBRUARY 23 Catch 22, Mustard Plug, Big D and the Kids Table, The Planet Smashers @ 930 Club starting at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 FEBRUARY 27 Jon Stewart @ D.A.R. Constitution Hall starting at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $39. FEBRUARY 28 Evanescense with Default and Atomship @ D.A.R. Constitution Hall starting at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $40.

cases, the hand-me-downs are too large or too small. This very situation occurred to freshman Ellen Best. “I’ve gotten a few shirts and other stuff from my older brother. I wear big baggy shirts when I go to sleep, but I usually don’t wear too much of his stuff because it’s all so big for me,” said Best. Another student, freshman Caitlin Counihan, sometimes receives some clothes from her older sister, senior Holly Counihan. “I only get clothes from her if they shrink, and I like them— otherwise I won’t take them. Usually they’re cute and we have the same sense of style,” said Counihan. Sophomore Matt Dandy also gets a lot of hand-me-down stuff from his older brother. But rather than the norm of just getting clothes, he gets a wide array of VHS movies and CDs. “I get pretty much everything he owns and doesn’t want or need anymore or has outgrown including clothes, movies and CDs,” said Dandy. “It’s cool having an older brother giving you old stuff. I actually have some pretty nice clothes and stuff he’s given me,” he added. All in all, either consignment shopping or hand-me-downs are great ways to find those cheaper buys which will last you through the season.

By Elizabeth Nowrouz and Laura Johnson Trendy soup and sandwich shops are all the craze right now, with many people choosing to opt for a healthier meal-on-the-go, and Panera Bread is quickly making a name for itself in this region. Boasting its own freshly baked bread and creative, delectable treats, Panera serves quality food for a quiet lunch or a quick coffee and muffin on the way to school or work. With an atmosphere reminiscent of a coffee house, with an array of daily newspapers set on side tables and easy chairs assembled around an iron fireplace. Slightly larger groups have the option of sitting at booths or small tables. The whole restaurant opens to give the feel of one large room, giving a very spacious and open feel. Upon giving your order, you can wander down to the end of the counter, looking at the fresh ingredients and desserts available. The fountain drinks and coffee are all self-serve, in step with the casual atmosphere Panera strives to maintain. Employess prepare almost every dish opon order, and they vary from classic cafe sandwiches like tuna salad and ham, to “signature sandwiches” like the Tuscan chicken. This sandwich features smoked chicken breast, bacon, smoked Gouda cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and a signature sauce. All sandwiches and paninis are served with chips and a pickle. If a sandwich does not strike your fancy, Panera has a wide variety of salads and soups, from the everyday staples to their daily specials. For dessert,

the bakery offers an array of tempting goodies like danishes, cookies and cinnamon rolls. The prices compare to most sandwich shops, though Panera may seem a bit upscale. Paninis and other sandwiches sell for between $5 and $7, with soups for $1 or $2 less. Bagels are also served all day for under $1. The restaurant endeavors at giving each location an individual feel, by having a community message board and a raffle can to put your business card in for a monthly chance at a $25 gift certificate. It also keeps customers aware of upcoming events sponsored by Panera. Panera also holds its own fundraiser for nonprofit groups. It is called “Operation Dough-Nation,” and the object is to sell coupons for bakery items from the restaurant. The more coupons sold, the bigger the profit is for the sellers, allowing for a 100% profit if enough coupons are sold. This is a unique way of givng back to the community and getting the Panera Bread name out into the public. These reviewers had no complaints at the lack of quality or taste, but Panera Bread has been hyped up to be one of the best Panera Bread serves many different styles of bread, sandwiches, soup and desserts with originality. new places to get a sandwich these days. While we experienced speedy and courteous Out of 5 possible stars, Panera Bread received: service, we couldn’t help but feel that this was not as OVERALL: 3.5 spectacular as we were expecting. The food did not have any distinctive qualities putting it above its competitors, such as the previously reviewed “Corner Bakery.” FOOD: 3.5 There are Panera Bread locations all over the country, but it has lately been making a name for itself in the Metropolitan area, with locations in Falls Church and Kingstowne Center. We visited the one in Falls Church CLEANLINESS: 4 on 450 West Broad Street. Their phone number is (703) 719-9302. Panera Bread’s website has a wealth of useful information, from store locations to recipes for SERVICE: 3.5 many menu items. It is definitely worth checking out.

ELIZABETH NOWROUZ

junior

BY MOLLY STERLACCI Staff Writer

ELIZABETH NOWROUZ

—Tim Spicer