VOLUME #54 ISSUE 10
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Mostly Cloudy High: 51
Low: 30
LUNCH TODAY
Nachos w/ Chili & Cheese Sauce, Baked Potato w/ Chili & Cheese Sauce w/ Wheat Roll, Deli Line, PB&J, Pizza Line, Salads, Yogurt
Money up for grabs
Here are the number of scholarships still available on Family Connection $10,000 scholarships
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$6,000 scholarships
1
$5,000 scholarships
3
$4,000 scholarships
2
$3,000 scholarships
3
NEWSBRIEFS DECA garners state competition awards The AHS DECA chapter competed in an all-state competition last weekend. Senior Pierre Khouiery placed in the top five for the Quick Serve Restaurant Management test and sophomore Chris Sheehy placed in the top 10 contestants in the Automotive Services test. Seniors Bethany Hertel and Claire Bui placed second in the state for a fashion merchandising promotion plan. Hertel and Bui will compete in April at the national level.
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For decades consumers have known that smoking cigarettes leads to an early death. Health investigates why some kids still do it.
The famous radio talk-show host endorses Hillary only to bring down the Democratic Party. Will he really have any effect on election outcomes?
Students dance, sing, and perform to the tune of the financial blues
ACU scholarship open to account holders Seniors who open an account with the Atom Branch of the Apple Credit Union will have the chance to fill out an application for the ACU’s $2,000 college scholarship. The application deadline is April1.
Student Government Association elections The Student Government Association and the Student Activity Council will be conducting elections on Tues., April 1 from 10:25 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. in Clausen Hall. Electronic voting machines will be used to tally the votes. The SGA/SAC is looking for parent volunteers to assist in the monitoring process. Please email Abbie Kahn if you can volunteer or have questions at abbie.kahn@fcps.edu.
THE BEAUTIES AND THE GEEKS AHS teachers were not always so sage-like. From beauties to geeks, teachers filled a series of high school roles.
STAR CHARITY REALITIES Celebrities like Oprah dole out the dough for good causes, but what are the realities of their fountains of monetary hope?
Stellar seniors nab award dollars, but thousands are still left unclaimed BY NATHALIE SPITA News Editor “There are hundreds of scholarships that many are not taking advantage of,” said Career Center Coordinator Robin Roth. With numerous scholarships still available, thousands of dollars are being left unclaimed, as high scholarship season gets underway. Scholarships offered through Family Connections, a website administered by
the Career Center, contains all private scholarships available for students, organized in an easily accessible format. Despite this, students still refrain from diving into the award-based pool. “I haven’t had the time to [apply] because of projects, homework, and other things, but it’s always in the back of my mind,” said senior Wattana Savanh. Students have the want and need for the
“MONEY” continued on page 5 Senior Rahiba Noor won a $2,000 scholarship.
Cultures showcased at
Heritage Night Junior Fudia Koroma dresses for rehearsal as an African dancer. Koroma will be performing at Heritage Night on Thursday. “It took like two days to put it all together,” she said.
For the first time in seven years, Heritage Night may debut without having sold out its auditorium seating. This is in part because ticket prices have gone up 60% over last year’s prices. The show will be held on Thurs., March 13th, at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Over the past few months 40 volunteers, five judges, nine committees, three student managers, two MC’s and 133 performers have been preparing for the event.All of these people have been working to arrange each aspect of the event, from logistics, to lighting, to judging as well as the performances themselves. Despite this extensive preparation, the staff has come across various problems dealing with costs and the Heritage Night budget. The company that had previously filmed the performance for free became unwilling or unable to film the show this year. Instead, a film crew has been hired for $450 to professionally record the entire show. The Heritage Night staff will have to sell 70 DVDs of the show’s recording in order to make up for the loss. Only a small number of DVDs has been sold so far. Also, more money is needed to go towards expenses such as equipment, props, and costumes. Each member of the Men’s Chorale, consisting of 33 people, was given a $6 shirt for the performance. The sponsors of each group were also given shirts, hiking up the cost of production. Because of this, ticket prices had to be increased from last year’s $5 to $8. “In the past it has always sold out, which is almost 750 people,” said Heritage Night Director Georgia Tomisato. However, this year this is not the case. While tickets will still be sold during today’s lunch periods, it is possible this will be the first year
Local music venue fails, lacking patronage Strangeland shuts down BY EVAN MCGURRIN Staff Writer Annandale will soon be losing another one of its local businesses on March 17. Strangeland Records, a venue and shop for metal, industrial, electronic, indie and punk music in the metropolitan area will be closing its doors, leaving many customers and patrons out in the cold. “It’s tragic that Strangeland has to close down, but I feel extremely lucky that I got to be a part of something that special,” said sophomore James Robinson, “Strangeland will be greatly missed when that door has to be closed and locked for the final time, but I’ve “VENUE” continued on page 5
PAUL MATHIS
For next year’s IB Diploma candidate students, and all students enrolled in one or more IB classes, there will be multiple new IB Theory Of Knowledge options for next year. Students will be able to take the class after school, during school as a one year course, or during school as a two-year course. For the after school seminar, classes will be held once a week for three hours a session. The two year course will harbor the unique dynamic of extra assistance in terms of organization and study time, much like AVID courses.
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Georgia Tomisato, Heritage Night Director, has had to deal with a series of new financial issues with Heritage Night this year.
“HERITAGE” continued on page 5
PAUL MATHIS
New Theory of Knowledge options
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College-bound with money
BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer
Khouiery
703-642-4229
TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008
DYING EMBERS OF CIGARETTES
LIMBAUGH TAKING DOWN THE HOUSE
WEATHER TODAY
700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003
NATHALIE SPITA
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ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL
Company play a self-directed investigation BY EMILY FRUCHTERMAN AND ANNA SMITH Staff Writers The troubled lives of teenage convicts involved in arson, kidnapping, drug dealing and capital murder will be showcased today to a series of English classes as part of the play Juvie, a company play produced by upper level classes in the AHS drama classes. The play is a patchwork of depressing stories, evocative of the many stark realities faced by juvenile delinquents who see no way else to survive save through committing crimes. Despite the dark nature of the play, the actors are incredibly upbeat and enthusiastic as they share their juvenile experiences. “PLAY” continued on page 5
This survey was distributed on March 6 during A, C, and D lunches. Of 500 surveys distributed, 336 were completed and returned.
Senioritis hits upperclassmen, but many go down fighting BY PAUL MATHIS Co-Editor in Chief Every second semester, teachers of senior classes witness the disastrous effects of college notifications, dwindling course interests, dreams of post-high school futures and bright, spring weather on the abilities of students in meeting the requirements of their classes needed to graduate. The twelfth grade disease manifested in the symptoms of lethargy, apathy, decreased work ethic and inattention is colloquially called “senioritis.” Long held to be a negative sickness that students should best avoid, a recent Washington Post editorial written by education special-
ist Jay Matthews resurfaced an all-too-often unspoken dynamic of senioritis, the fact that students might deserve some time to re-center themselves come second semester, in that college will demand abstract, free-thinking skills. Matthews went on to dispel many fears associated with senioritis, especially the idea that if a student’s grades slip, his acceptance will be revoked: Harvard University did it only once last year, and the elite Pomona College has only done it eight times in twenty-one years. While accepting the effects of senioritis as unavoidable, numerous AHS teachers and students felt that the most effective and “SENIORITIS” continued on page 5
PAUL MATHIS
OUT OF COUNTRY 6%
12% OTHER
IN STATE
OUT OF STATE
21%
23%
NO PLANS
38%
Where will your Spring Break plans take you?
Senior David Matthews says he is suffering from senioritis. He will be embarking on the thick of his senior class work in May with IB tests, despite hearing from colleges in April.
opinion
It’s a blog, relax. In Burlington, Connecticut, a teen was told she was not allowed to participate on her student government council because of a blog she had written about the school. The girl allegedly used vulgarity while explaining that a school event, called “Jamfest”had been canceled. The student, Avery Doninger, was her class secretary and when she went up for re-election, her school officials refused to let her. The teen took it to a federal court where the judge sided with the school. The judge said that the student could be punished because what she wrote in the blog addressed the school and was probably read by fellow students. Her lawyer then argued that what teens write on their blogs should not be punishable by a school because it is an off-campus activity. Now, after reading that the student had used “lewd and vulgar” things on her blog and was actually punished for it, you would expect some personal attacks, maybe a few “F”-bombs and possibly a nicely Photoshopped picture or two, right? Actually, the vulgarity that she was punished for was referring to an administrator as “pissed off” and a brief comment announcing, “Jamfest is canceled due to douche bags in central office.” While maybe it isn’t in the good taste, is it really worth banning a student who had been loyal to her school’s SGA from continuing her service? Obviously she could have said it differently, but I don’t think that the language used is worth that type of punishment. It is a blog, and there needs to be a clear distinction between where schools can govern and where they cannot. What a student writes in a blog cannot be monitored if it is written on someone’s personal time outside of school. The student’s punishment would be more rational if there was a little more than a few sentences about an issue like the one addressed. The bottom line is that schools cannot censor what is done during a student’s free time away from school. Katreach@hotmail.com
February 26, 2008 Issue 9 Corrections On page 5, in the story “Eight selected for All-State,” Amy Fleming’s name was mispelled. On Page 1, in the story “Lack of space shuts down activities,” Angelo Hilios’ name was spelled incorrectly.
Prioritize healthcare Americans have put the issue of healthcare on the back burner for too long BY LAITH ABU-TALEB Staff Writer It’s ironic that your Chevy means more to the U.S. than your life does. It’s funny that you are mandated to have car insurance in Virginia, yet you are allowed to be exposed to the risks of bankruptcy, debt, and death while uninsured. Forty-five millionAmericans are without health insurance. Let me put that in numbers for emphasis: 45,000,000 Americans. The U.S. budget system is severely flawed. Sure, it’s a democracy and we vote for our elected officials, but how many people would vote for $481 billion out of our $930 billion budget to be allotted to the Department of Defense? That is, excluding the $34.3 billion requested to be spent on the Department of Homeland Security in the year 2008. The amount requested to be spent on the Department of Defense is actually more money than requested for every other department in the government combined. Healthcare gets 412 billion dollars less than the Department of Defense. That is inexcusable, for the government to spend almost half a trillion dollars on weapons that could make the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs seem like firecrackers, but not splurge on our personal well-being. Way to prioritize, America. Some who oppose the thought of pro-universal healthcare would say that the quality of healthcare would decrease if free healthcare is provided to the public. I won-
der, is the real reason that they are indifferent to the shortcomings of others? Or are they just unable to comprehend the economic benefits of universal healthcare? Let us start with the first, albeit a far more ethical and less economical view. The opposing argument, argued by many, is akin to the statement: my life is more important than the lives of the less wealthy. Seriously, America? Are the Defense Environment Energy Healthcare Education voices of the rich, white senators, congressmen, insurance the lack of healthcare, because the provider CEOs and lobbyists that loud that they drown uninsured do not have access to doctors, prescriptions, or out the shouts and yells of lower class America? Are these facilities, therefore shortening their lifespans, and disabling people really representing the general public? them from the workforce at a younger age.An unemployed, As blessed people of this nation, we are granted equal- uninsured man contributes nothing to the economy. ity. Yet, in our system, the rich seem to be slightly “more Let’s take both extremes: we would lose $69 billion by equal” than the poor, because their lives are more taken insuring them, yet gain $130 billion back. It doesn’t take care of than the rest. an economist to recognize profit. Now on to the latter. Granted insuring all uninsured It also doesn’t take an economist to see that the well-beAmericans will cost the country $34-69 billion, estimated ing of all Americans deserves a little more than 7 percent by the Institute of Medicine, and healthcare providers’pay- of our annual budget. Especially when being compared to checks are likely to go down because of this. Due to our the 55 percent wasted on unnecessary and endless wars natural desire for money, of course, doctors will no longer overseas. be the most qualified. Laith.AbuTaleb@thea-blast.org But, $65-130 billion is currently being lost because of
Voters from both sides have put sexism before voting for the better candidate BY KAT REACH Editorials Editor As I stood in line at my voting precinct, license and voter registration in hand, I overheard a conversation taking place behind me between a group of older men. They discussed how they were voting in the Democratic primary during this election, even though they were “diehard conservatives” who would not dare vote blue during the general election. The group of men then went on to discuss how clever their strategy was because since they pretty much knew McCain would be the Republican nominee, they needed to make sure that a woman never had the chance to make it into the white house. So, regretfully, I bit my tongue and waited my turn to perform the quintes-
sential civic duty. What happened to voting for the person you want in office? Apparently preventing a female opponent from being elected means more than casting your vote for the person you believe is most qualified. I can tell you that the men’s discussion was not convincing enough to get me to switch over to vote for Huckabee. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh came out and encouraged his listeners to go out and vote for Hillary, not because he believes that she is the better candidate, but rather to sabotage the Democratic Party because he believes Hillary is the more beatable Democrat. Is this because she is a woman? Quite simply, yes it is. Rush Limbaugh decided to put some faith into the group of voters who he knows would never vote for a woman. Personally, I think it is disgraceful that gender is a determining factor when it comes to casting a vote. This election is Rush Limbaugh openly told his listeners to shining light on those who have not moved vote for Hillary Clinton in order to nominate the on since the 19th Amendment. most beatable Democrat. It is hard for me to muster anything re- degrading remarks and criticisms about sembling respect for someone who refuses something as irrelevant as gender are a to talk about the former first lady without sign that some people will never have the some sort of sexist remark. The absolutely
Rules of Thumb
London decides to protect texters with padded posts In London, England, officials decided to start padding lampposts and street signs in an effort to protect distracted pedestrians. They decided to implement the proposal after a study found that one in ten pedestrians had been injured due to focusing on their phone. The area will take a poll to get the response from the citizens. If the reaction is positive, the plan will be put in place in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
150-pound tortoise found wandering neighborhood In Tracy, California, a 150-pound tortoise was found walking around a neighborhood. The sister of the owner of the tortoise contacted animal control after seeing the story on the news. The animal control officers named the tortoise “Tippy” although its real name is Goliath. Officers looked the breed of tortoise up on the internet to find that it is an African Sulcata, whose size is only inferior to one other breed.
Rule: If you have a 150-pound tortoise, close the cage
Mystery person donates hand grenades to good will
Byung Soo Bae, pictured above, was misrepresented by the photo that was printed on Page 14.
Americaʼs Spending Priorities
The conservative strategy
Rule: Just look up
On page 1 the story “Lack of space shuts down activities” had a photo of fall Cheerleading, when in fact winter Cheerleading and Color Guard are the sports that are primarily affected.
March 11, 2008
LAITH ABU-TALEB
Kat’s Corner
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2008 Requested Budget Dollars, in Billions
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EDITORIALS
A box of surplus hand grenades was found in a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Goodwill shop. After being discovered by an employee, the county bomb squad rushed to the scene where the box was removed from the store. The store’s assistant manager said that the grenades may have been in the store for days.
Rule: Hand grenades are not tax deductable
ability to process rational thoughts. This is the twenty-first century, and people need to get over the fact that, although our pay scales do not reflect it (women make 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes), women are just as capable as men. Clinton is just as qualified as the other candidates, if not more so. Most of the people who are so passionately against her cannot even create a cohesive argument against her without bringing in some sort of ignorant comment that has nothing to do with her political agenda. This is not meant to be an argument encouraging you to vote for Hillary Clinton, but I am encouraging you to look beyond gender and race, and instead look at the political views of the candidate. The comments being made are in the worst form of bad taste. Stop thinking about the best strategy and instead think about how you can support your candidate without bringing in such dirty and ignorant tactics. Katreach@hotmail.com
A
th Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, Virginia 22003
Vol. 53 No. 9 (703)642-4229 March 11, 2008 email: thea-blast@thea-blast.org fax: (703)642-4299
Staff Editors In Chief: Mohamad Elbarasse Paul Mathis
Art Editors: Nena Buck Tigist Tamir
Managing Editor: Sarah Waiter
Webmasters: Erik Vu Matt Camilli
News Editors:
Kelly McGarey Nathalie Spita
Editorials Editors: Lara Coulter Kat Reach In-Depth Editors: Shriya Adhikary Aya Saed Sports Editors:
Walter Smith Greg Young
Sports Xtra Editors: Lyndsay Jacobs Marisa Tordella People Editors: Waliha Gani Weekend Editors: Caroline Merz International Editors:Bewketu Tamir Annika Jessen Entertainment Editors:Avery Adcock Jeffrey .Dean Health Editors: Vanessa Cerro Academics Editors: Logan Miller Amy Steinbeuchler
Graphics Editor: Adam Kasdorf Video Editor in Chief: Gus Nielsen Videographers/Editors: Michael Craig, Tim Reynolds, Kyle White, Brad Grabo and Evan McGurrin Photography Editors: Matt Johnson Laura Simpson Copy Editor: Kyle Knoche Ad Manager: Meredith Rutherford Circulation Manager: Amy Stevens Online Staff: Stacey Irwin Staff Writers/Photographers: Laith Abu-Taleb, Laura Ambrosio, Emma Whitmyre, Jerry Solomon, Adeel Shams, Charlie Simpson, Tanya Bellingham, Omar Mayassi, Carlos Garcia, Sarah Shami, Brooke Barlow and Drew Flowers, Rachel Burnette Adviser: Alan Weintraut
The A-Blast is an award winning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community. Published every three weeks, The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day, or invades an individual’s right to privacy. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2008.
OPINION
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3 Representing Islam t
March 11, 2008
Resignation hurts campus community
AHS student reflects on her life-altering choice to wear a hijab and its spiritual meaning to her Staring at the “Modesty Boutique” flyer in front of me on a Sunday morning the five months ago, my mind began dancing with questions: “Hijab: is this me?” “What it is it that compels me to wear one?” “Why is it that I see more beauty in myself when I wear that piece of cloth while prayer than my hair out?” It was then I realized that whether I become a doctor, journalist, or even a house wife (sarcastically speaking), I want to help my people in the Middle East in some way—it has become my dream, my ambition, my destination where I believe my Creator wants me to go. It is primarily for this reason that I decided to wear it. I feel that I have an obligation, a responsibility to represent the Muslim Ummah (meaning community inArabic) — hijab is a constant symbol to others of who I am—it distinguishes me in a crowd and now when I conduct interviews, people know they spoke with a young Muslim woman. In addition, I decided to wear it because the hijab makes me stronger and strengthens my faith in Allah, so even if this makes me look hideously ugly in the eyes of someone else, it is for my God I am doing this for and He is taking care of me under his light. This is what I told myself the first three days repeatedly when I felt a bit different. It is important to understand that the hijab does not automatically make me “pure” or a better Muslim. To me, the essence of my religion lies in my character and my actions, not the hijab or the number of times a day I pray. My actions, faith and character are the greatest accountability on Judgment Day because I could wear this all my life and still have a crappy personality and no faith in Allah and then I wouldn‘t be representing Islam whatsoever. It astonishes me how so many imams or scholars put a huge emphasis on hijab or praying five times a day without even touching upon the most crucial aspect of Islam: faith—something all the prophets spent decades and decades teaching. Living in peace is the fundamental concept in Islam. Allah in the Quran puts a huge emphasis on how individuals will be evaluated based on their actions and faith. My favorite verse, in which God says in the Quran, “Surely, the believers and the Jews, the Christians and the Sabians – whoever believes in God and the Last Day and works righteousness – shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve” (2:62). Moral accountability and faith is everything—and it is something I strive to ameliorate myself in every single day. Alot of people ask me why I have decided wearing it now and not last year or the years before that? Why now? Well, to be honest, this is something I had began thinking about last year, and in fact, at one point, I was completely prepared and had literally declared to
LARA COULTER
BY WALIHA GANI People Editor
Junior Waliha Gani decided to wear the Islamic head scarf, hijab, five months ago. For Gani, the hijab is more than just a piece of cloth, but a signicant symbol of Islam.
my sisters “I’m going to wear it.” But I decided not to because I knew I did not have enough faith — the complete belief in knowing that there is a greater being helping and guiding me every step of the way. This is something I did not have: living in peace, no matter how wretched living conditions may be, is something you cannot gain by reading surrahs over and over—it comes only with the power of faith, belief, and understanding. As I was watching a New York Times video on a “jihadic trainer” I was sickened and disgusted at the background music playing: “Killed for the sake of Islam, Killed for the sake of the creed” Islam today, in the post 9/11 world, is evidently, and by no surprise, associated with intolerance, hatred, and violence. My greatest achievement in wearing hijab is to make an attempt at presenting a message about Islam and its true teachings. Now that I have began wearing it, I have certain responsibilities to keep because I representanentirereligion—mylanguage,myactions,mypersonalityshouldallsymbolizeIslam, so that when you speak to me, you get a glimpse of the teachings of this beautiful religion. The most important fact is that the hijab makes me happy. I feel like myself when i wear my hijab-- complete. author’s e-mail: waliha.gani@thea-blast.org
Following a tumultuous two weeks trailing the abrupt resignation of William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol, the Board of Visitors is making futile attempts to repair and restore the school’s now tarnished reputation. The board dedicated an entire day to activities intended to mend the college community members’ confidence in the school board by holding separate multiple hour assemblies where the faculty, staff and then students were invited to ask members of the Board of Visitors questions concerning Nichol’s widely publicized resignation. Nichol’s resignation immediately followed news that his contract as president would not be renewed for the next school year. While the Board of Visitors claims otherwise, many Gene R. Nichol students say that Nichol’s demise as president should be attributed to many of his groundbreaking ultra-liberal decisions that angered conservative alumni, college-board members and legislators. William and Mary legislators have their hands full. It will take more than a day-long session of “healing,” as the Board of Visitors put it, to mend the effect of their decision to not renew Nichol’s contract. For a few minor disagreements with his liberal decision-making, his successes creating a more racially diverse student population, creating a scholarship program aiding all students from lowincome families and doubling the amount of racial minorities in the school faculty were ignored. –Lara Coulter Editorials Editor
Should Prince Harry be allowed to fight in Afghanistan?
Royal officer endangers lives Prince Harry, the youngest son of the Prince of Wales, stirs controversy as a soldier With news of Prince Harry’s service in Afghanistan finally hitting the press after ten weeks of silence, it begs the question: was it really worth it? At 23 years old and third in line to the English throne, Prince Harry is understandably an icon for all of Great Britain. But was it really worth risking the lives of his comrades and spending large amounts of time and money to allow him to fulfill his desire to serve on the front lines? The biggest concern in the decision to deploy Prince Harry was that, being such an important public icon, he would be specifically targeted by the insurgents. This would not only jeopardize his life but also the lives of every single man in his regiment. In order to safely deploy him, the Ministry of Defense had to cut a deal with the top British media organizations. In this deal, the media would keep quiet about Prince Harry’s deployment until he had safely returned on the condition that they would get an interview before he was deployed. They also would also be allowed to send several reporters to be embedded in his unit. This well laid plan, however, was thrown off course when American reporter Matt Drudge decided to post news of Prince Harry’s deployment on his blog site, The Drudge Report. This act showed a complete disregard to the safety of both Prince Harry and the men in his regiment. However, Drudge has refused to apologize for
COURTESY OF WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
BY JONAH WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Prince Harry, third in line for the British throne, aided British troops in Afghanistan as an army officer.
his actions. This phenomenal and admirable cooperation by the British news media, which has been known for being relentlessly insensitive to the royal family’s needs, sidesteps the real question of whether he should have been allowed to go in the first place. The British monarchy is a great tradition that should be continued; however, simply because Prince Harry has
the title of “Prince” he should not have gotten anyspecial treatment that could have put his fellow servicemen at risk. If the information of his deployment had leaked without the knowledge of the British government Prince Harry’s regiment could have become priority-one for the insurgents. It has recently been claimed by the Taliban that they had in fact known of Prince Harry’s deployment, but were unable to find him. The validity of this claim is still unknown, but it is the perfect example of what was trying to be avoided. This is not only extremely reckless on behalf of the British government but it is also selfish on behalf of Prince Harry to be willing to put everybody at risk for his own desire to see combat. Simply to make the decision to send Prince Harry to Afghanistan required the time and effort of many important people, including but not limited to the Air Chief Marshal, Chief of Defense Staff, and the Chief of the General Staff. This seems wrong that one man should warrant such special treatment while the needs of so many “regular” soldiers are beening ignored. There has been a general feeling circulating through political blogs that the whole ordeal was some sort of political stunt. The blogs are full of accusations that the British government used Prince Harry’s situation to glorify the war and boost public support. This, however, is reading way too much into the whole situation. All the evidence points to this simply being an example of an over privileged individual pulling strings in order to get his desires met with complete disregard to the safety and well-being of his fellow men in arms. author’s e-mail: jonahwill@aol.com
“Yes, because he should have the same rights as anyone else.”
— Olivia Ko freshman
“If he wants to, then he should be able to fight.”
—Bryan Villarroel freshman
“Yes, because he’s helping Afghanistan and it shows that people care about other coutries.”
—Naureen Razzaq sophomore
“No. His platoon would be targeted because he’s a British figurehead and his death would be a great loss for Britian.”
—Heather Reed junior “Yes. Anyone who wants to serve their country sould be allowed to.”
Nation crumbles under massive debt 130%, it would be hard to believe that the U.S. can sustain itself in Iraq without further crippling its economy much longer. The U.S. has resorted to using an unheard of amount of reservists, members of the National Guard and over 100,000 paid, independent contractors to continue fighting in Iraq. It is not just the current expenses that will be the Gather round everybody. Who wants to hear the story downfall of theAmerican economy. With every war, there of theAmerica that could have been? In this story the U.S. are hidden or unexpected expenses that have lasting efcould have stabilized Social Security for the next 50 years, fects on the nation for decades to come. For every member or sent 160,000 under privileged students to college for of the armed services that is hurt in combat, he or she a year, or secured the Mexican border by hiring 11,000 will be eligible to receive disability benefits. border patrol agents, or secured our cities by hiring an The first Gulf War lasted approximately a month additional 14,000 police officers. and 700,000 troops A lot of great options right? Any of those of were deployed. Forty options would have cost a mere fraction of the percent of those troops, $2 trillion, and still rising; the war in Iraq has that is 280,000 troops, cost the U.S. The U.S., mainly the taxpayers, Since the beginning of the Iraq were eligible for diswill be feeling the effects for decades after the War, the national debt has ability benefits after end of the seemingly endless war. that month. The Iraq Since the beginning of the Iraq War, the increased by $2 trillion.” war is nearing its fivenational debt has increased by $2 trillion and year anniversary, that that is not a typo. is almost 60 times as I have never been an advocate of leaving a long as the first Gulf job unfinished, but it is in the best interest of War, with millions the American economy that we pull out of Iraq of troops deployed, as soon as possible. Waging a war is just too expensive. (almost 4,000 killed overseas) and worst of all, there is There may have been a time when war was good for no end in sight. the economy, as in World War II, when the war created Economist and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz hundreds of thousands of jobs for the men and women believes that by 2017, the war alone would increase the who stayed back home. national debt by an additional $2 trillion dollars. With the cost per military serviceman or woman If the U.S. wants to, in the words of Spock “live long once steadily rising and the cost of rockets increasing by and prosper,” it must pull out of Iraq and make sure that
Unnecessary U.S. government expenses waste away tax payers’ dollars and build debt
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Mo’s
Mindset Opinion
By Mohamad Elbarasse it’s economy gets back on the right track. Granted, the U.S. will be caught in a storm of blame and the opprobrium of leaving a nation, that it tore apart, in shambles will follow it for centuries, but these are all necessary sacrifices for the well being of the American economy. Anyone can see that when a nation is $9 trillion dollars in debt and could be headed for an additional $2 trillion, something is not right. So as the primaries and caucuses are nearing their end and we find out who our two major candidates are, the question to ask will not be “who will give us universal healthcare?” or “who will protect our SecondAmendment rights?” but “who will prevent the U.S. from sliding into a recession and who will keep the debt from growing?” If only there was some way we could get Bill Clinton back in the White House. author’s e-mail: mohamad.elbarasse@thea-blast.org
—Derrick Elmore senior
“Yes. He can do whatever he wants to do. It’s not like he is the king either.”
—Shan Tan senior
“No, because by serving in Afghanistan he is putting the soldiers around him in more immediate danger.”
—Stacy Dumaresq Biology teacher
SGA to hold clothing drive
The SGA/Leadership Class will be holding a Spring Clothing Drive through Friday, March 14. Boxes with donation logos have been set up in all R1 classes for donations. The three classes with the most donations will receive a free donut breakfast and from those three classes, students who donated will be put into a raffle to win a $10.00 gift card to Chipotle. The proceeds will go to the Salvation Army, so please don’t forget to bring in your clothes.
Military academy summer program applications due
Sophomores interested in finding out more about the US Military Academies are encouraged to consider attending the individual summer programs. Each program requires an application, and both the application and instructions on how to apply will be on each academy’s website. Deadlines -Air Force Academy March 15 -West Point April 1
English SOL ended up passing it. The Virginia and US History SOL seems to also be AHS’ strength with a strong 93% pass-rate. “I have two English classes taking the SOLs, and I am hoping for a 90% pass-rate,” said English teacher Bonnie Vining. However, AHS students do have weaknesses in certain subjects that are hurting them in several SOLs. Over the past several years, AHS has continued to struggle in the science department. In 2007, 33% of the students who took the Biology SOL ended up failing it. Chemistry SOLs had a 23% fail-rate. Following these two sciences, the Algebra I SOL has a 20% fail-rate. In addition to the juniors taking the English SOL, there are also a number of seniors who had to retake the writing and multiple choice SOL in order to graduate. Another time a student can retake the test is after a summer remediation class. Summer remediation classes meet everyday for three weeks in order to review for the SOLs. “The success rate for students retaking the SOLs after remediation classes is nearly 100%,” said Paul Litwinetz, AHS’Assessment/Test Coordinator. Before taking the SOL, students were given practice tests in class in order to increase their chances of passing the test and hopefully with an advanced score. “To prepare my students for the SOLs, I gave them practice tests that helped them with the multiple choice test. I also showed them a powerpoint presentation on how to write a good essay,” said Vining. Each student took both portions of their SOLs in test areas designated by their English teacher. The week of SOLs concluded and now teachers and students await the results of the exams.
Annual state assessments bring review of material BY DREW FLOWERS Staff Writer SOLs, the state of Virginia’s way to test students yearly from kindergarten to 12th grade, are usually administered to students during late spring or near the end of the school year, but many, are taking them in the very near future. Administration of the writing portion of the English SOL began last week. Each year, juniors are required to take two parts to the English SOL, the first being a writing portion and the second a reading multiple choice test. The English SOLs are administered earlier in the spring because the exams take longer to grade, as the essay written by every student must be thoroughly read by test correctors. AtAHS alone, there are roughly 600 essays to be graded for SOL. As one would imagine, with all the juniors in all the high schools in the state of Virginia, there are countless essays to be read. Public record of pass-rates of high school SOLs in Virginia from 1998 show that the average pass-rate for the English Writing SOL was about 71%. After only three years, this percentage increased to 84%. Pass rates for Fairfax County schools, such as AHS, are typically higher. In 2005,AHS had an 88% passrate for the English Writing SOLs, and last year, 2007, the pass-rate further increased to 91%. AHS’ SOL trends are fairly consistent. Over the past several years, AHS has continued to excel in the English department. Every year for the past three years, 90% of the students who took both the reading and writing portions of the
AHS students took part in D.C.ʼs Muslim Interscholastic Tournament on March 2.
MIST in D.C. AHS students participate in nation - wide Muslim Interscholastic Tournament BY SARA SHAMI Staff Writer
SOL Pass Rates for AHS Students
-Naval Academy April 2008 -Coast Guard Academy April 2008
88.7
79.0
World History to 1500 A.D.
88.2 73.7
73.9
90.6
84.3 80.4
72.8 67.0
60.8
Algebra I Biology English Writing
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
source: www.fcps.edu
Radford to sponsor bus trip for juniors
Radford University is sponsoring a bus from Northern Virginia, so that juniors and their parents can visit the school. The bus trip is scheduled for Friday, March 21. Space is limited so sign up early. Registration takes place online. Please see Mrs. Roth in the Career Center for more information, or log onto into your Family Connection Account and access the information in your inbox.
Class of 2009 tops History Bowl The junior class wins AHS’s annual Black History Bowl BY CONNOR GOOLRICK Staff Writer Each year, four groups of students compete to test their knowledge of African American history in an It’s Academic!-style competition. This event, known as the Black History Bowl, is a competition hosted by the Black Cultural Awareness Association (BCAA). “I think that the main importance of the Black History Bowl is that everybody is learning facts that they didn’t know before,” said the emcee, coach and teacher Jeremiah Davis. Each class was represented by a team of four students and a coach. The prizes, supplied by the PTA, included a cash prize for the winning team, and $25 for each member
The representatives of the junior class prepare before the Black History Bowl.
The final round was a slideshow featuring questions about pop culture. The competition resulted in a victory for the junior class. The freshmen were a close second, and last year’s winners, the sophomores, tied with the seniors for third place.
Just World Festival
Junior Angie Kim serves an environmentally-conscious meal in the Bistro.
DANIELA GUAVARA
AHS Choral Department excels at District Chorus
The AHS Choral Department was very sucessful in this year’s District Chorus. All four AHS groups: Women’s Ensemble, Annandale Singers, Concert Choir, and Men’s Chorale, received an overall ranking of I, or “Superior.” In addition, Annandale Singers and Men’s Chorale received “straight I s” from all of the judges.
of that team. “I chose to compete to learn about some famous African Americans that I didn’t know about before. And to get my $25,” said junior Mohammad Humza. Classes gathered on Thursday, Feb. 28 during R1 Flex to witness the friendly exhibition. With students taking their seats and others dancing to the loud music, it was a chaotic scene for those who were unfortunate enough to get caught in the back of the crowd of entering viewers. Once seated, Davis introduced the competitors and stated the rules of the trivia bowl. The event featured three rounds of questions. In the first round, a question was directed to a certain team and, they alone were allowed to answer. If the chosen team did not answer correctly, another team was able to steal the points for themselves, given they answered correctly. This was the case for the juniors, who stole many questions over the course of the Bowl. The next round had free questions. Once a question was asked, the first team to press the handheld buzzer was allowed to answer the question.
DANIELA GUAVARA
This announcement is for students that purchased a parking pass at the beginning of the school year. Please make sure that you park in the space that you were assigned. Make sure that the decal is displayed so that the number can be seen. If your decal is not displayed, you will be ticketed. To all other students that drive and do not have a parking pass, you are not permitted to park on the grounds of Annandale High School. This includes the faculty parking lots and visitor parking. If you park on the school grounds without a pass, you will be ticketed. The cost of the ticket is $25.
DANIELA GUAVARA
Senior parking information
Students fromAHS as well as 25 other schools in the D.C. Metropolitan area competed in the three-day, nation-wide Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST) hosted by the Muslims Students Association of University of Maryland beginning Feb. 28 and ending March 2. Students were able to compete in a variety of competitions, testing both participants’ intellect as well as their physical stamina, including basketball, original oratory, knowledge tests and scrapbook. “I did scrapbook, extemporaneous essay and knowledge tests, those were all very fun to compete in,” said junior Aya Saed. In order to prepare for the rigorous event, a team of fifteen students met every week for the month before the actual tournament took place. This being the first time AHS competed in MIST, many students did not know what to expect. “Most of us hadn’t even heard of the tournament before this, so it was kind of like we didn’t know how much to prepare, but I think next year we will definitely be more prepared,” said senior Sabaa Gull. Although most participants agreed this year was more of a learning experience than a competition, senior Nudrat Siddiqui won second place for poetry. “We were all very proud of Nudrat,” said Gull However, those who previously competed were able to compare the event to those they had previously attended. “It was different, but it was fun. It was bigger and better. MIST has grown a lot from what it was. There were probably 300 kids this time,” said Siddiqui. Although competitions comprised the bulk of the event, there was also fun to be had at the various speeches and seminars. “There was a group called Muslim Funnymentalist, they were really funny because we were able to relate to them since they were Muslims who grew up in America as well,” said Siddiqui. Though there were more inspirational speeches as well. “There were certain speeches that were really inspiring, especially one that was given by a scholar on the importance of family and equality in religion…I really liked it!” said Saed. Competition aside, the main goal of MIST is to bring different people from different backgrounds together. “MIST was an awarding experience for me because it was an event in which a bunch of Muslims from different cultures assembled to attend an event. That’s not something you see very often. It was just an amazing experience,” said junior Waliha Gani.
Senior Tim Chowhury views the studentproduced IB Art projects.
The Just World Festival, held on Feb. 29, used many different forms of art and expression to explore cultures. Dance was a popular medium, with diverse performances ranging from Hawaiian hula dancing to Pakistani bellydancing.
COURTESY OF GEORGIA TOMISADO
There will be a meeting for freshmen interested in the IB Diploma today during Flex in the Annandale Neighborhood Center. Students may pick up a pass from any of the Administrative Offices or Pre-IB teachers. Freshmen in Geometry or higher, and Level 2 of a foreign language, are eligible for the IB Diploma.
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ADAM KASDORF
IB Diploma meeting for freshmen to be held today
March 11, 2008
WALIHA GANI
NEWS BRIEFS
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Students from AHS, Thomas Jefferson, and T.C. Williams joined together on Feb. 29 to view a dance production of Romeo and Juliet performed by the Synetic Theater. This performance was unique because it used movement instead of dialogue. AHS was able to participate because of an arrangement through Synetic Theater for students to experience theater at a reduced price.
NEWS Company play deep performance NEWS BRIEFS A
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“Play” continued from page 1. Senior Jenni Patton, the student-director, was excited about the play’s first performance on March 10, saying “everyone worked really hard and we did really well.” She also commented that the play would not have been possible without the hard, individual work of the actors, who brought their characters to life. The Theater Dept. presented this production at a short play festival in January as part of a VHSL competition. Because of time constraints, the play was presented at the festival in an abridged form, but will be shown in its entirety today. At the festival, two students were presented with Outstanding Acting Awards, Natalia Schwein and Alaina Talley. The play begins with a procession of teens being led into a holding cell at a juvenile detention center, where they begin to share their life stories. Thirteen different tales are presented, each helping to display various actor’s abilities. The character’s backgrounds range from that of a rich, snobbish, shoplifting teen to that of a girl whose home life is so awful that she is forced to run away. There are many other stories in between, such as that
of an autistic girl who does not even know why she is being held in prison to that of a girl who watched as her gang murdered a girl from a rival gang group. “I already work with autistic and other disabled children every couple if Saturdays. So I started by studying their movements and how they reacted to certain situations, so I based my character on my observations,” said Schwein who played the role of an autistic girl. “Then I watched Rainman to be able to study another actor acting as an autistic person, then finally added my own ideas to the role.” Another girl finds peace and respite in the warmth and light produced by fire, leading her to set buildings ablaze. There is another, heart-wrenching story about a girl so desperate for drug money that she assaults an old man, only realizing later that she does not have to live her life as an addict. Although all of the characters in Juvie are fictional, their situations are reflective of those experienced by many teens in the United States. It is a disappointing reality that juveniles see no way to survive except through committing crimes, either for retribution or because they feel that they have no choice.
NOVA placement test now offered
Students that participate in the Pathway to the Baccalaureate Program, a partnership between FCPS, NOVA, GMU (seniors only) will now have the oppurtunity to take the NOVA placement tests at Annandale High School hours from Tues. March 25 to March 28. For more information see Robin Roth in the Career center or via email at Robin.Roth@fcps.edu.
TANYA BELLINGHAM
March 11, 2008
Junior Natalia Schwein plays an autistic girl in Juvie. “I already work with autistic and other disabled children every couple if Saturdays. So I started by studying their movements and how they reacted in certain situations, so I based my character after on observations,” said Schwein.
College bound leave out finances Mark McGinely Memorial Scholarship and the Lisa Sechrist Memorial Foundation Scholarship grant $10,000 to participants meeting specific criteria. A complete list of the numerous scholarships available and their criteria can be accessed through the Career Center or the Family Connections website. Numerous scholarships have already been awarded to students who got a head start on the application process. Senior Rahiba Noor won the IB Diploma Candidate’s Scholarship in which she submitted an essay discussing her journey through the IB Diploma Program as she overcame adversity. She received $2,000 and is currently in the process of applying for many others. “I apply [for scholarships] because I want to “Students canʼt seem to find the time to do the applications,” said Robin Roth. “You be able to support myself financially have to plan out your time for homework, social life, college applications and scholarand lessen the load of my educational ships.” Students are swept into work overload and attempt to fit scholarship applicaexpenses on my family. Iwanted to tions in to their schedules. get something back, a reward, for there are so many [scholarships] so they allow you to play my hard work and enormous community involvement,” with your strengths. said Noor. Applying for scholarships carries more than financial Senior Miyako Yerick received an $18,000 grant to at- awards. The process offers personal satisfaction as well. tend St. John’s College in New York. Yerick is continuing to “Besides the money it shows great initiative, great organiapply for scholarships offered through Family Connections. zation, and time management,” said Roth. “When applying for scholarships you need to stress what “It makes you more independent and it’s a good characyour good at and down play others,” said Yerick. “You also ter trait that you should have for the future,” said Yerick. want to use your minorities to your advantage and plus
Strange Land Records closes Heritage Night
EVAN MCGURRIN
“Venue” continued from page 1. got the memories, and that means more to me than anything I could’ve bought at the shop.” Robinson frequently shopped at Strange Land. In his hopes to bring a good independent record store to the DC area, owner Ryan Hill opened shop on March 17, 2006. Unfortunately, due to issues regarding debt and lack of local support, Hill decided not to renew the lease to the store, which will cease to exist on March 17, 2008, which ironically marks the twoyear anniversary of Strange Land’s inception. “Essentially this is the kind of indie store that I’d always wanted the DC area to have but nobody else was doing it,” said Hill, “And in this store you can pretty much find everything underground, punk, Strange Land a local venue will be closing down on metal, industrial so on and so forth…I’m proud of March 17 due to issues regarding debt and lack of public the shop, kind of heartbroken it’s closing but I’m still support. Numerous local bands performed there. proud that I [expletive] did it.” The demand for the kind of music that Strange Nearly every weekend on Fridays and Saturdays the Land carries, one of the few locations that carries the shop hosts free, all ages shows for local bands and DJ’s. specific genres and artists, appeals to a limited group, In addition to all that, Strange Land hosts the work so the amount of sales is a substantial factor in keep- of local artists on their walls. “In our short time here I’m proud to say that ing the shop financially afloat. Hill and other frequent patrons link the store’s closure to illegal downloading, we’ve hosted over 150 DJs and 200+ bands. We’ve which greatly impacts the sale of CD’s and vinyl at also displayed on our walls the works of over a dozen promising local artists. I’m personally honored to Strange Land. “I used to download a bunch of music, but after have had so many talented bands, DJs, and artists that, I felt bad so now I go out and buy what I can,” come through our doors. I can only hope the other said sophomoreAdam Jiminez, who is one of the very local shops/venues will carry the torch and help to further our DC music and arts scene.” Hill stated in few teenage customers at Strange Land. For nearly two years, Strange Land has been pro- a statement released by Strange Land regarding the viding its vast selection of hard to find music to the closing of the shop. public but that is not all that goes on at Strange Land.
to soon premier
“HERITAGE” continued from call, new to Heritage Night page 1. this year. Heritage Night does not sell out “We practiced everyday after the auditorium seating. Despite school for two months. It was rethe losses, Heritage Night par- ally hard to do but we enjoyed ticipants have been working it,” said junior Tien Trinh who is through the stress. “It doesn’t performing a Light Show. seem like a big deal, but it’s a lot Other participants, includof work just to put on a show,” ing junior Fudia Koroma who said Tomisato. will be doing an African Dance, Theater Arts have spent Department much time members, with and effort on It doesn’t seem like a big their experience preparing in running stage deal, but it’s a lot of work for opening performances, night. “It took just to put on a show. were able to astwo days to sist the Heritage —GeorgiaTomisato put it together. Heritage Night Director We had spent Night staff by preparing the time fitting show’s lighting, logistics, stage the moves to the music,” said direction, and tech work. Koroma. These performances range The audience will be able fromAfrican, Indian, and Latino to witness displays of heritage dancing to guitar playing to the ranging in origin from Egypt, singing of the Broadway song, “If Nepal, Ethiopia, Peru, the My Friends Could See Me Now.” Middle East and America. There will also be a martial arts “It’s such a major event at demonstration, a light show, and the school. It might be the biga step performance. The show gest program that goes on in the will conclude with a curtain school,” said Tomisato.
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Seniors loose interest in daily grind of high school “Senioritis” from page 1. beneficial way to approach senioritis is to admit its existence, but try on the whole to lessen its impact. “I am a senioritis realist,” said Patricia Heininge, who teaches French, IB Theory of Knowledge, and a slew of seniors. “You can’t let your students do nothing, but you have to do something that they will be interested in.” In preparing seniors for IB French tests, Heininge has them read what she calls an “anti-senioritis book,” a fun, quick read about a small boy who gets enveloped in all kinds of childhood shenanigans, which at the same time helps seniors recall basic French phrases that they might have forgotten reading high literature. “I do not hold the same expectations for seniors in their second semester as I do for other students up until that time,” she said.
Shirley Campbell, who teaches IB English SL and HL II, and English 12 classes, expressed similar realities. “I can’t prevent it,” she said, “but I try to reduce it by giving really interactive assignments to my kids. I want the seniors to do assignments that allow them to express themselves creatively and individually, anything that will get them thinking and getting going. My classes end up being student-directed.” What both teachers agreed upon is the fact that seniors, though they have suffered through eleven and a half years of hard work, cannot just kick back and relax. “In the real world it just doesn’t happen,” said Campbell. “When you feel like sighing and just forgetting everything you just have to keep working. I think everyone goes through these stages in all stages of life – these stages happen in college and in the workplace.” “Students have to deal with the emo-
tional stress of not knowing where they are going next year,” said Heininge. “There is a great deal that is unknown and they are thinking about that all of the time. But still, they are getting FCPS credits for their classes, and there are a certain amount of hours that they have to put into their classes to earn those credits.” “You have to understand that the main purpose of going to school is to learn something new each day,” said Rahiba Noor, a senior IB Diploma candidate. “That is the purpose of the classroom. I am not suffering from senioritis. I’m tired of school but I’m definitely not slacking. This is the most important year of high school and I really have to show that I’ve learned something, especially with IB exams.” Senior Daniel Ejigu admits that he is suffering from senioritis. “I have to struggle to do homework and to study, and I never had that problem before. Now I just would
The FBLA Regional Awards Ceremony was held on March 5 at George Mason University. 1st Place Winners: - Arish Ali- Introduction to Business Communication - Erik Etherly- Personal Finance
NATHALIE SPITA
“Money” continued from page 1. financial benefits that scholarships give yet lack the initiative to apply. “Kids have good intentions but unfortunately they don’t follow through and that is why they don’t apply,” said Roth. “Some kids think that just because they have the thought process of money and more money, it’s going to fall in to their laps.” Over fifty private scholarships offered on the Family Connections website are still active with deadlines rapidly approaching. Monetary awards range from the small amount of $100 to as much as $10,000. These private scholarships are conglomerated from private organizations who determine the criteria that students must meet in order to apply. Some seniors are swept into work overload during scholarship season, and cannot find the time to juggle homework, extracurricular activities, sports, volunteering, applying for colleges, and working to apply for the thousands of dollars available for future college students. “Students can’t seem to find the time to do the applications,” said Roth. “You have to plan out your time for homework, social life, college applications and scholarships.” Other students have not applied due to already stable financial options. “I’m not applying for scholarships because my parents have been saving money since I was little and I am going to an in-state school which isn’t difficult to manage financially,” said senior Grant Black. Students are eligible for scholarships including The Hispanic Leadership Alliance Scholarship, the deadline of which is March 15 and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Cultural Foundation Scholarship, whose deadline is April 1. Both offer $1,000 to those designated as winners. The
Eight FBLA students place in awards ceremony
much rather go to sleep or watch t.v. “To a certain extent I think seniors have the right to slack off after thirteen years of hard work,” Ejigu said. “But I don’t think it’s going to benefit any one of us to just not do anything. We have the right not to do anything, but you can’t go overboard with it.” Noor felt that “there is not enough time during the summer for students to center their thinking before college,” but that “Students have to set goals for themselves, try to achieve even if they have gotten into college. Students have this idea that all they have to do is get good grades so that they can get into college, and then that’s it.” “Even the best students have to fight it,” said Campbell. “The best you can do is take a collective sigh and recharge yourself. You can’t succumb to it, but have to keep charging forward.”
2nd Place Winners: - Daniel Maylett- Computer Probem Solving - Rebecca Takele- Public Speaking II 3rd Place Winners: - Emily Chau- Accounting I - Azra Kundi- Accounting II - Jeremy Hsu- Spreadsheet Applications - Marium Fayyaz- Word Processing I - Annandale recived an Honor Chapter Award - First place winners Etherly and Ali along with Second place winner Maylett are eligible to compete at the state conference this coming April
For your planner! TODAY
• SOL English Tests in Cafeteria/ Clausen Hall • FCA weekly huddles in Band Room (6:50 a.m.) • Company Play in Auditorium (7:20 a.m. to 2 p.m.) • Musical rehersal in Auditorium (2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.)
Wednesday • SOL English Tests in Cafeteria/ Clausen Hall
• Heritage Night Dress Rehersa l, Act 2 in Auditorium (2 • Musical rehers to 6 p.m.) al in Auditorium (2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.)
Thursday
• IB Group 4 Pr esentations in Clausen Hall (Both Flexes) • National Latin Exam in Cafeteri a (Both Flexes) • Musical rehers al in Auditorium (2:30 to 6 p.m • Heritage Nig .) ht Performance in Auditorium (7 p.m.)
Friday
• Math Honor Society in Cafeteria (2 to 3:15 p.m.)
March 17 - March 21
• Spring Break!
Mon. March 24
s) • IB Speaker in Clausen Hall (Both Flexe • Spring Spirit Week Begins • Musical rehersal in Auditorium (2:30 to 6 p.m.)
Tues. March 25
• FCA weekly huddles in Band Room (6:50 a.m.)
• Musical rehers al in (2:30 to 6 p.m.) Auditorium • FCA weekly hu ddles in Band Room (6:50 a.m.) •PTSA Meeting in Clausen Hall (7 p.m.)
Wed. March
26 • Collaboration Da • Traveling Child y renʼs Show (of f campus) • Varsity Math Me • Musical rehers et in Cafeteria (2 p.m.) al in Auditorium (2:30 to 6 p.m.)
Thurs. March 27
us) • Traveling Childrenʼs Show (off camp • March Madness Concert in Auditorium (7 p.m.)
Fri. March 28
• Regional Science Fair at Robinson Secondary School Flex) • Spring Pep Rally in Main Gym (R5 (7 p.m.) • Guitar Club Concert in Auditorium
Sat. March 29- 30 Robinson • Regional Science Fair at Secondary School
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SPORTS XTRA I A R D S
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Local Pool Halls
AHS billiards addicts ease their craving almost every weekend BY LAURA SIMPSON AND LYNDSAY JACOBS Photo and Sports Xtra Editor
MARISA TORDELLA
In an intense game, Jonathan Molina focuses on pocketing his balls careful not to hit the eight ball.
How long have you been playing? I’ve been playing for eight or nine years. Why did you start? I started playing for fun at the RECenter I stayed at. Molina
FAST EDDIES SPORTS & BILLIARDS 7255 Commerece Street Springfield, VA 22150 703-912-7529
Junior Hocque Figueroa uses a bridge to help him shoot the cue ball without hitting his opponentʼs ball.
Where do you typically play? I play at my house, [my friends’] houses and at Happi Billiards. Where did you learn to play? I learned to play at the RECenter after school in third grade. What is your favorite part of pool? My favorite part is beating my friend Hocque. What do you think is the hardest part of pool? Knowing when to stop after you lose a lot of money.
MARISA TORDELLA
Junior Jonathan Molina focuses intently on the cue ball, going to hit his ball in.
Stephen Roth
How long have you been playing? Years.
How long have you been playing? All my life.
Why did you start? It looked like fun.
Why did you start? It seemed like fun.
Figueroa
Who do you typically play with? I usually play with Hocque, Bryan, Chris, Steve, and some other friends.
THE CUE CLUB 7014 Columbia Pike Annandale, VA 22003 703-941-7665
Q BALL BILLIARDS 6230 Rolling Road Springfield, VA 22152 703-913-0353
Hocque Figueroa
Jonathan Molina
MYUNG DONG RESTUARANT & BILLIARDS 4221 John Marr Drive Annandale, VA 22003 703-642-2211
STEVE’S BILLIARD SUPPLY 2900 Kings Chapel Road Falls Church, VA 22042 703-560-6850
MARISA TORDELLA
One would not normally find a group of teenagers in a smoky pool hall, but this group of boys is special. Juniors Jonathan Molina, Stephen Roth, and Hocque Figueroa typically spend their weekends at Happi Billiards, a pool hall in Annandale. The group enjoys friendly competition during the weekend and has become a regular at the pool hall over the past months. The games are usually played for money, sometimes awarding $30 to the winner. Betting money on games makes the competition all the more exciting. “To me, it’s the whole thrill of the game. Knowing that it really doesn’t matter whether you’re winning or losing because, as soon as that 8 ball goes in, you’re done,” said Molina. “You can really win or lose at anytime during the game and since we play for money, it makes every shot intense, but I’m really good so I have nothing to worry about.” The boys play eight-ball billiards. The game is simple to understand, it starts off when the balls are racked up into a triangle and player 1 breaks the rack while trying to get balls in the pocket. If player 1 hits a striped ball into the pocket, he aims to pocket the striped balls for the rest of the game and visa versa for the solids. Player 1 then tries to sink all of the striped balls while player 2 tries to sink the solid ones by hitting the cue ball at the others. The cue ball is solid white so it is not confused with the other balls. If player 2 has pocketed all of his balls, he then aims for the 8 ball and calls out which pocket he is planning to hit it into. Once player 2 pockets the 8 ball, the game is over and won by player 2. However, if the 8 ball is hit into a pocket that was not called by player 2, then he loses the game. Even though the game seems simple, it requires a certain amount of skill. It can take a lot of practice in order to get the angles and power of the hit down to accurately hit the ball. The group of boys have been playing for years and feel that they can hold their own during games. Typically there is a large group of people that meet up to play. The competition and the stakes are higher with more people, not only is there more money to win but the players’ reputation are at stake. Junior Hocque Figueroa said, “It is really hard to stop playing.” Pool has become and addiction for these AHS students, who satisfy their cravings. almost every weekend.
HAPPI BILLIARDS & CAFE 7127 Little River Turnpike Annandale, VA 22003 703-750-2011
Who do you typically play with? My friends and family. Where do you typically play? At home, Happi Billiards, or anywhere there is a table. Where did you learn to play? I learned to play at my friend’s house. What is your favorite part of pool? I like making awesome shots. What do you think is the hardest part of pool? It is really hard to stop playing.
Roth
Who do you typically play with? Jon, Hocque, Chris, and Bryan, my friends. Where do you typically play? Happi Billiards
BRIDGES BILLIARDS & GRILL 10560 Main Street Fairfax, VA 22031 703-277-7665 PREMIUM SPAS & BILLIARDS 11226 Waples Mill Road Fairfax, VA 22030
Do you think pool involves more logic or skill? Why? “Logic because youhave to hit the ball in the hole and have the right angle and aim.”
What is your favorite part of pool? Hustling people for money. What do you think is the hardest part of pool? Getting the eight ball in.
—Teppi Shultis freshman
What skill do you struggle the most with? Calling the pocket.
What skill do you struggle the most with? Bank shots.
Pool full of facts A.k.a. Stripes and solids One player tries to pocket solids while the other tries to pocket stripes. You win by pocketing all your balls and then the eight ball. If you make a foul the other player gets to place the cue ball anywhere on the table.
GREAT WALL BILLIARDS 7064 Springfield Garden Drive Springfield, VA 22150 703-866-7788
Where did you learn to play? I learned from my dad.
What skill do you struggle the most with? Long shots.
Eight Ball Billiards
CHAMPIONS BILLIARDS AND BARSTOOLS 7208 Old Keene Mill Road Springfield, VA 22150 703-226-3000
“Skill because you have to know how hard to hit the ball and rebounds it off the wall.”
—Michael Fitz sophomore
“Logic and skill because you need to know how to play and hit the ball.”
Cut-throat
Usually three players. Each player takes five balls. Objective: pocket your opponents’ balls. The last player with a ball on the table wins. If you commit a foul you bring one ball of each players’ back onto the table.
—May Dang junior
“Both because you have to practice the laws of physics and momentum.”
—Dinko Badic junior
Straight Pool Three Ball Billiards
2 or more players Objective: pocket a rack of three balls in the least number of shots. If you scratch it is an extra shot. If there is a tie, keep playing until there is no tie.
A.k.a. 14.1 Billiards The person who reaches the agreed point total first wins (usually 150). Points: +1 pocketing a ball -1 fouling or scratching -2 for not driving at least two balls and the cue ball into the rail on the break -15 if you commit three fouls in a row
Nine Ball Billiards
9 objective balls and the cue ball. Cue ball must hit the lowest numbered ball on the table. Failure to hit the lowest ball is a foul, and three consecutive fouls is a loss. You are not required to call a shot. The games ends when the nine ball is pocketed or there are three consecutive fouls by one player.
“Logic because it is all about managing angles.”
—Taher Al-Suqi senior
-Compiled by Amy Stevens and Tanya Bellingham -
ARTS A Let The World d In
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The National Gallery of Art In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers for Corot to Monet Exhibiting over 100 artworks by 19th century artists such as Jean-BaptisteCamille Corot and Claude Monet. Now – June 8, 2008
The NGA displays many prints by Robert Rauschenberg from different time periods and various styles
WWW.NGA.COM
BY DREW FLOWERS Staff Writer
“Cesarene Venus” by Glambologna
Impressed by Light: British Photographs from Paper Negatives, 1840 – 1860 Featuring nearly 120 calotypes with photographs of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Now – May 4, 2008 Bronze and Boxwood: Renaissance Masterpieces from the Robert H. Smith Collection Bronze sculptures and ivory carvings showcasing works by Giovanni Bologna. Now – May 4, 2008
“Do you like representational art or abstract art?”
What has creativity, history, education, the ability to broaden the minds of viewers and is less than fifteen miles away? The National Gallery of Art. The National Gallery of Art, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is home to several thousand works of art. The National Gallery of Art is well known throughout the world for its prestigious art collections. It was established in 1937 by the U.S. Congress with the special help of a devoted art collector, Andrew W. Mellon. The building itself is not what makes this museum so special; it’s the works of art within its walls. One current exhibit temporarily in the museum is Let the World in: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg. It came to the National Gallery of Art on October 28, 2007 and it will be leaving at the end of this month, on March 30. The exhibit contains about 60 examples of Rauschenberg’s work from all periods of the artist’s career. Rauschenberg began his art career in 1951, and by the 1960s he was popular for his works of art known as “combines,” which had aspects of both paintings and sculptures. His paintings are not conventional paintings, but rather a more modern, eccentric approach to art. The exhibit in the National Gallery of Art is arranged so that when the viewers enter, they view Rauschenberg’s first pieces first and end with his final pieces. It is designed so that viewers feel like they are walking through the life and career of Rauschenberg. One of Rauschenberg’s first pieces, titled Accident, was a little more than the title itself, an accident. When creating the painting, the lithographic stone broke while printing the painting. The stone fracture formrd a large crack through the middle of the painting. Regardless, Rauschenberg still used the damaged painting, and ended up winning an award in an international print competition. His next famous series of works was titled Booster and 7 Studies, which was primarily autobiographical. Nearly every aspect of these works told a part of Rauschenberg’s life or Rauschenberg himself. For example, one work is a life-size piece comprised of several x-rays forming a skeletal image of him. Another piece is of he and his family in a boat on a lake, and around the picture is a list of all of his achievements throughout his life spiraling outwards. One could interpret this as him being very family oriented, that is, his family has
impacted his life and is important to him. Soon after his autobiography series, he commenced a new project, The Stoned Moon Series. This series was inspired by the launching ofApollo 11 to the moon in 1969. In these works, for the first time, Rauschenberg consistently used color, and not solely black and white. All of the pieces within this series were comprised of various pictures, photos, maps, and blueprints from or relating to NASA or outer space. This series also began Rauschenberg’s interest and fascination with math, science, and technology. There are some traits of Rauschenberg that have been consistent throughout his career. For instance, he has been very interested in several subjects besides science and technology. Rauschenberg has many pieces that are sport-themed and has included athletic pictures in many of his other works. In addition to sports, he also uses big news and political headlines from newspapers. These traits are well-portrayed in the piece Features from Currents, which is comprised entirely of newspaper headlines. Another feature that Rauschenberg excels at, especially in pieces using newspapers, is a technique called reverse negative. Reverse negative is simply producing an image backwards, such as when one views an object in a mirror. Rauschenberg never felt that he was constrained by anything; he constantly created new ideas that had not been thought of before. For instance, he felt that art and pictures were not obligated to be printed on just ordinary paper, but had the possibility to be on any type of surface. He used different kinds of papers, cardboard, plastic, glass, and fabrics such as silk or cloth. One famous piece on fabric, titled Cat Paws, is a collage of different fabric designs that have text written on them, pictures printed on them, and even objects attached, such as caps from glass bottles for visual effects and appeal. Beginning in the 1990s, Rauschenberg focused most of his work on culture type pieces. The first major piece was Soviet/AmericanArray, which was a collage of photos from the Soviet Union and the U.S. placed together, to compare and contrast the two. Another cultural piece was L.A. Uncovered, which was a collage of various images, objects, and places that would commonly be seen in Los Angeles. What makes this piece so good is the method of printing, photogravure. Photogravure is the use of thin metal plates to print the art. The use of these plates produces a work of art that is rich and of very high quality and detail. Finally, the most recent piece in the exhibit is entitled ‘topher, which is short for Christopher, his son. The collage is made up of pictures of his son and his late wife, Susan. Once again, he incorporates his family in his work. It seems appropriate that he began his career with pieces of he and his family, and he also ended his career with pieces depecting his family. Robert Rauschenberg’s ability to innovate and create unique works of art allowed him to enjoy an extremely successful career, and until the end of this month, much of his work will be on display
WWW.NGA.COM
In the Area
March 11, 2008
“Let The World In” an exibit of 60 works by Robert Rauschenberg, reflects the artistʼs life and his experiences through many prints. Rauschenberg used many techniques to make his artworks exceptional.
Abstract, because it uses a lot of geometric shapes and it gives people different perspectives.
— Allison Warth freshman
“Representational art because it feels simple to draw.”
“Representational, they [the artists] have better talent.”
—Nate Kaegi junior
TIGIST TAMIR
— Jessica Fewell sophomore
Conceptual art display A student artist puts on a display consisting of 14 conceptual artworks
“Abstract, it has different interpretations and takes more skills and creativity.”
BY TIGIST TAMIR Arts Editor
—Lex Layton Senior “All kinds but my work is expressional which is between the two.”
— Ann Harper Art Teacher
Junior Rene Medrano brings a new and interesting type of art to AHS. His works are mostly concentrated on world conditions that involve everyone and affect every life. “It [the display] has different chapters, itʼs all about things in life that pull you in yet are really bad for you,” said Medrano.
There have been many student artworks displayed throughout the year, but none like this have been presented yet. This display includes many conceptual art prints by one student artist, junior Rene Medrano. Conceptual art is a form of art that has a symbolic meaning, and is mainly understood through the written explanations presented with the artwork. Some famous conceptual artists include Joseph Kosuth and Sol LeWitt. The artworks to be displayed in the Art Gallery, or the Copy Room, are prints made by Medrano. The display will go up next week. “I am creating a fourteen-piece collection of linoleum prints,” said Medrano. “They are printed on paintings I created as backgrounds.” Medrano has been interested in painting since he was three years old. “I painted on canvas for the first time in school,” said Medrano, “I have been painting ever since.”
His inspirations come from many events involving the world, his life, nature, and other artists. “Everything I see has the potential to be art,” said Medrano, “whether it is through writing or visual art. I can see the beauty of things through art and use it.” The fourteen prints are each symbols of different events such as communism, domestic violence, animal abuse, child labor, and monotony. “It is called False Attraction,” said Medrano. “It has different chapters, it’s all about things in life that pull you in yet are really bad for you,” said Medrano. Medrano’s display has all the same prints but different backgrounds to relate to what he tries to represent. “[The print] Monotony is important, because it shows how society, especially ours could be repetitive.” Medrano has taken only two art classes in high school yet he presents very exceptional work. “In the beginning of the year I noticed that he was a little advanced and seeing his conceptual, I let him branch off and do his own project,” said Catherine Stark, Medrano’sArt teacher. Stark appreciates his mixed media artwork and his talent. “The works he is going to display were not hard for him but the concept is more in depth,” said Stark. So far, Medrano has entered only one competition, the Scholastics, but he did not receive any awards. “Art is expression to me,” said Medrano. “Through art
I am able to translate emotions or thoughts into colors and shapes that make my feelings intriguing and beautiful.” Medrano begins doing his projects with inspiration that can later be transferred into a well-developed artwork. “I don’t create art traditionally,” Medrano said, “The art usually molds and shapes as I go.” Although most of his work involves drawing, Medrano tries to make his artworks more imaginative than real images. “ I draw what I see, but through conceptual means,” said Medrano. Medrano hopes to pursue art in college, and believes that art will always be part of his life. “I am not sure in what way, I have been thinking of utilizing my art for a media-advertising career, possibly,” said Medrano. Stark believes that Medrano can be successful in pursuing arts as a career. “He definitely has the potential,” said Stark. “He is planning to take IB Arts next year. If he goes to college with arts he is definitely going to be successful.” Medrano draws whatever he imagines. Time and place are not constraints for Medrano, “Everyday, I am inspired at school, home wherever,” said Medrano, explaining where he finds his inspiration. “I would probably say to be more original, and instead of drawing real life, be more imaginative, because that speaks volumes,” said Medrano to all artists interested in conceptual art.
HEALTH
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March 11, 2008
One puff to addiction
AHS student recalls father’s habit of smoking
Research shows that teenagers who smoke cigarettes are likely to become addicted during their adult life
Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Why or why not?
VANESSA CERRO
BY JERRY SOLOMAN Staff writer “It’s only one, how could it hurt?” This is what many first time smokers say, but what they do not know is that one puff of smoke is all they need to become addicted. According to research done by Dr. Joseph R. DiFranza and other medical specialists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, “very soon after the first cigarette, adolescents can experience a loss of autonomy over tobacco,” meaning that young people will lose their self-control and independence from the substance. Recent studies done by Dr. DiFranza explain the trend of dependence-related tolerance, which is how long you can go between smoking your first cigarette and your next cigarette.Although it was long believed that dependence-related tolerance was the same for everyone, no matter how old they were, these studies proved that adolescents’ brains can become more tolerant to nicotine than adult brains after smoking less than one cigarette a day. This tolerance impels teenagers to smoke more frequently. While teenagers start craving another cigarette within an hour of smoking their last one, adults can go without smoking for days or even weeks but will eventually feel compelled to smoke. Teenage smokers, as well as adult smokers can feel symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, which can cause them to smoke more and more until they get hopelessly addicted. Each day almost six thousand middle school and high school students start smoking, and, of these 6, 000 kids, one third of them will grow up to be regular smokers. As of now, the U.S. has an estimated 4.5 million adolescents who smoke. In this day and age, it has been getting easier for teenagers to get a hold of cigarettes. Junior Alan Stalp said, “ It’s not hard for people to get a hold of them. In high school people have older friends that can get them for you or even some friends who work at stores and will sell them to you without checking for I.D.” In a very recent study, at Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, researchers found that as a smoker gets older and older, it is less likely that he or she will quit or even try to quit, which only stresses the fact that adolescent smokers should quit while they are young so they do not have to go through the negative effects of smoking in the future. “I’ve smoked cigarettes before. I started when I was thirteen,” said junior Bianca Temple, “My older friends and I were just hanging out and then they pressured me to smoke. They all did it because they were eighteen. But along with them pressuring me, I kind of wanted to try it out myself in order to see what it was like.” Temple smoked for a while, but stopped when she was 14, when she realized the negative effects it was having on her. “I thought it was cool at the time, until I realized that I wasn’t getting anything out of it. It was stupid and it made my breath stink, so I decided to stop.” “I started smoking half-way through sophomore year. I got cigarettes from friends. I didn’t do it to experiment, I just did it just because it was there and it was something to do,” said junior Nate Murray. Most teenagers who start smoking cigarettes and doing other drugs, start as a result of peer pressure. “My friends didn’t really influence me at all, and I know that I’m definitely not addicted,” said Murray, but the fact of the matter is 90% of American smokers who are adults started smoking as adolescents, so there is a large possibility that it could lead to a future as an addicted smoker. “I guess the reason why I started was to get my mind off of things that stressed me out, like school,” said Murray. According to the American Lung Association, there are many dangers that can arise from adolescent smoking. Because they are not fully developed, they are more prone to having health problems at a young age. There are potential respiratory illnesses, development of severe cough and phlegm, dire physical fitness, and a possibility of retardation in the rate of lung growth. When asked about his opinion on teenage smoking, freshman Casey Pyne said, “I think that people do it just to fit in and then eventually they get hooked. They think it’s cool, but in this day and age, it’s really frowned upon by our society.” Senior, Laura Dietrich thinks that because of peer pressure and their desire to fit in, people often find themselves smoking. “I think it looks kind of silly really, and it’s ridiculous that kids will steal cigarettes from their parents and even mooch them off of strangers.” Alex Doumbia, who is anAnnandale alumnus, said that, “in high school I used to hang
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“If I wanted to quit smoking I could right now,” said senior Devon Aaron. “I donʼt think Iʼm addicted, I can stop for a while if I wanted to.”
around people who smoked, but I never tried it. I don’t support smoking, because I think it is a disgusting habit, but I don’t really have a problem with it as long as people aren’t doing it in my face.” Now a student at Old Dominion University, he has observed the difference in the number of smokers in high school in comparison to college. “ Now that people in my school are eighteen, they think they will just try it, and then leave it alone, but then they eventually get hooked. When I walk to class I see about 12 people smoking each day on average. It’s not unusual.” Doumbia says that teens should be more active and do things like sports to get rid of stress instead of resorting to smoking for relief. “I made a wrong decision when I started smoking,” said Temple, and now that I know from experience that it’s really bad for you, I would tell people not to start the habit, no matter how cool it looks to them.”
My father had a stroke when he went to the doctors. They said that it was due to smoking. My father has been smoking for 31 years. When I found out that my dad could die within the next year if he didn’t stop smoking, my heart skipped a beat. I had heard many stories from friends and television shows, but I never thought that it could hapPaul pen to my dad. I mean I grew up with it, he always did it and nothing looked or seemed wrong, but the doctor said that his heart wall was so thick from the chemicals that the cigarettes give off that he was “a walking heart attack just waiting to happen.” He went through a few surgeries and now has four different medications he must take everyday. I freak out when I think back to when and how my dad told me. My eyes quickly started to water. He should be ok as long as he quits, and doesn’t start again. My dad means a lot to me and to lose him over something stupid and preventable would be worse than horrible. - senior Tessie Paul
Tips for Teens: How to Quit Smoking The American Lung Association offers teenagers the following tips to kick their smoking habits:
Stop smoking and.....
-- in 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back to normal
-- Decide that you are really ready to quit. -- If you think a stop-smoking group would help, ask if your school has one. If it doesn’t, contact your local American Lung Association for stop smoking materials. -- Choose a quit date and stick to it. -- Find someone who agrees to help and support you if it gets tough. --Prepare yourself and your surroundings; get rid of all your smoking stuff, and tell people what you’re doing. -- List your reasons for quitting and read them every time you have the urge to smoke. -- Drinks lots of water, choose healthy foods, and get some exercise; these things really help! -- Set goals and celebrate your accomplishments; you have some extra money now! -- Plan what you’ll do when you have urges and cravings. You’ll be less likely to slip. -- Know that a slip is not failure and stay positive.
- in 8 hours the carbon monoxide levels in your blood stream will drop by half and oxygen levels will return to normal - in 48 hours your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body and your sense and taste will return to a normal - in 72 hours and your circulation will increase and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks Source: www.lifehacker.com
Source: www.familyeducation.com
HPV Facts “Once because I just wanted to try it. I don’t do it anymore because it’s not that great.”
—Natasha Mann sophomore
“Yes, because I wanted to try something new.”
—Manir Mansour sophomore
“I just wanted to try it, but I stopped because it didn’t seem that great in the end.”
—Kadir Mohammed junior
“Yes I’ve tried it because their wasn’t anything else to do.”
—Tiffanie Turner senior
“I’ve never smoked because I think it’s bad. I’ve seen many guys get addicted to it and it smells bad. They are always looking for money to buy it.”
—Louis Velasco senior
For the sake of girls Gardisal has been approved for men to help lower cancer for women in the long run BY BEELAN YONAS Staff writer Gardisal has been made for girls and geared toward girls, but now it will be given to boys too. By 2009, it is hoped that Gardasil, the “One Less” cervical cancer vaccine, will be approved for vaccination for boys. Since it was first introduced to us in June 2006, it has been advertised mostly as a vaccine to protect against a type of cancer for girls ages 9-26, not even acknowledging that it is spread through sexual contact. This comes as a surprise to many since the commercials for Gardisal features a world of girls fighting against cervical cancer, never even mentioning boys. The truth is, in addition to cervical cancer, it prevents genital warts, so giving Gardasil to boys would also help lower the spread of cervical cancer and protect boys and girls against genital warts. The vaccine protects against Human Papilloma Virus types 6 and 11 which cause 90 percent of all genital warts, and 16 and 18, which cause 70 percent of cervical cancers. Though men never develop cervical cancer, they can contract the virus without even showing signs of having it and then unknowingly spread it to their partners. After it was first introduced, it became the first vaccine to prevent against the HPV bringing Merck & Co. a profit of $1.5 billion. If the market is opened up to boys, it is thought that the profit will increase to an overwhelming $10 billion. The problem with Gardasil, though, is its surprising price of $360 for the three shots that are given over a period of six months. Many are unable to afford
the vaccine so this matter of health care is shelved and forgotten by some. “Health is more important than money,” said Junior Adanech Debeli. Governor Tim Kaine seemed to agree with this reasoning when he approved legislation mandating that all girls entering the sixth grade must be vaccinated against HPV, but also added a provision allowing for parents to opt out their daughters from getting the vaccine. This will begin October 1, 2008 diminishing the problem of cost for girls. But what about the boys? What happen if the vaccine is approved to be given to them? So far, they will have to pay full price. However, the number of guys who are willing to pay such a price for shots. Freshman Gary Gonzales said that he would take the shot. “I don’t want to spread cancer. But some [guys] wouldn’t care.” Much of the opposition to Gardasil, is from parents who are worried that the vaccine will just encourage promiscuity among pre-teens and teenagers. They feel that sixth
How to lower the risk of getting HPV: * Limiting your number of sexual partners, and choosing partners who do the same. * Wearing a condom when not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship. [Condoms protect against most sexually transmitted infections, including HPV. However, they do not provide complete protection against HPV, since they do not cover all genital skin.] * Avoiding sexual contact with a new partner when genital warts are visible. source:www.thehpvtest.com
graders are too young to be given a vaccine that protects them from a sexually transmitted disease. However, researchers have concluded that the right age is before the child becomes sexually active. So should guys take the vaccine? “No, because how often do women get it. It’s pointless,” said freshman Brittney Terry. It is estimated that there will be 11,070 new cases of cervical cancer annually, with 3,870 deaths in 2008 because of it. Cervical cancer remains the number two cancer killer of women, just behind heart disease. HPV is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections with 7.5 million women in the U.S. having it. Though a large amount of the female population is suffering with it, it is still an unacknowledged infection. Freshman Daniel Calabro said, “It should be an option for the guys.” But later admitted that they probably would not choose to take it. For those guys who would not feel like decreasing the number of women who die from cervical cancer a year is a good enough reason to take the vaccine, there are also benefits for them too. Though genital warts is not a life threatening disease, it is not easy to live with them, since the bumps, which are treatable, can always reappear. The treatment can also be painful with freezing the warts, cutting them, or burning them as some operation choices for the more serious cases. Even if the bumps have disappeared the virus is still in the body, so having a vaccine to prevent it from ever occurring seems to be a likely solution. Because cervical cancer is spread by sexual contact, some see it as a two way responsibility. “I guess they should take the vaccine, if they’re planning on being sexually active with girls so they won’t give cancer to them,” said junior Bianca Temple. She believes that just because the girl is the one threatened by cervical cancer, does not make the guy any less responsible. But she continued and said, “I don’t think guys would do it because they don’t care what girls get. They’re pretty selfish.”
-- There are over 100 HPV types. -- About 30 of these types are sexually transmitted and cause genital HPV. -- Genital HPV is spread through skin-toskin contact, not through an exchange of bodily fluid. -- Genital HPV cannot be entirely prevented by condom use. -- This virus is often asymptomatic -- people usually don’t know they have it. -- About 5.5 million new genital HPV cases occur each year -- this is about 1/3 of all new STD infections. -- About 20 million people -- men and women are thought to have an active HPV infection at any given time. -- Nearly three out of four Americans between the ages of 15 and 49 have been infected with genital HPV in their lifetime. -- HPV can be contracted from one partner, remain dormant, and then later be unknowingly transmitted to another sexual partner, including a spouse. -- About 14,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. Source: www.ashastd.org
—Brenda Moore Special Education teacher “I wanted to make a difference in students’ lives.”
—Courtney McLaughim Geometry and Algebra teacher
Kickin’ it old school
A flashback to teachers’ lives in their high school and college years Math teacher Lark Madoo: the non-conformist
Science teacher Neal Jarvis: the nerdy jock
Q: What high school and college did you go to? A: I went to Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda Maryland from 1976 to 1980 and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut from 1980 to 1984.
Q: What high school and college did you go to? A: I went to Annandale High School and Virginia Tech.
Q: What kind of student were you in terms of grades? A: I was an excellent student, but I wasn’t a grade person. I was more knowledge oriented. I didn’t know what a G.P.A. was. I Bottom, second: Math teacher Lark Madoo became a soccer went to school because coach. In his high school days, he sought knowledge. I liked books. In my senior year I ended up getting straight A’s, but I was the last to know. Nowadays all they care about is the G.P.A. and not the learning. Seek knowledge, seek understanding, and grades are a by product of that quest.
Q: What is the most rebellious thing you did in your high school or college years? A: The most rebellious thing I did was to be myself. I wasn’t a follower. That’s rebellious. I stayed true to myself and my own values and beliefs. I didn’t acquiesce to popular mentality. I didn’t drink.
“When I was in high school, I loved English and I decided that I wanted to become an English teacher.”
—Joelle Rudney French and Avid teacher
“When I was in the Peace Corps, I was teaching English and I really loved it; so I wanted to come back and share the experience.”
—Holly Miller History teacher
“I used to tutor math and science. So I decided to teach Physics.”
—John Lewocz Pysics teacher
Celebrity Birthdays for March
Q: What activities were you involved in? A: In high school I did track, was on the swim team, and played the tenor saxophone in marching band. In college I played water polo. Also, in college I was always a member of a team that entered the national timber bridge design competition.
Q: How would you describe yourself in high school? A: I was a student athlete. I played four years of varsity soccer All Metropolitan Honorable mention soccer. I was recruited by ten schools- Stanford, Brown, Yale, Princeton, all the Ivy’s. The academics was a rare combination because I was a scholar.
Q: How would you describe yourself in high school? A: I would describe my high-school self as a nerdy-jock. I know that you may say that such a combination does not exist, but it does. You could probably say band dork as well.
Gabriel Romano: the sports enthusiast
French teacher Patricia Heininge: the all “A”student and drama star
Q: What high school and college did you go to? A: I went to Thomas Jefferson High School and the University of Maryland.
Q: What high school and college did you go to? A: Glen Burnie High School in Maryland and I received my masters degree at the University of North Florida. Q: What kind of student were you in terms of grades? A: An “A” student. I was excellent. I worked really hard; School was always fun for me. WALIHA GANI
Q: Were you peer pressured into doing something in high school or college? Although Gabriel Romano was not athletic in high A: I was pressured school, he never lost his passion for sports. in high school, but I never smoked or drank. Even though some of my friends drank or smoked, I never did.
Q: What are some of the mistakes that you have learned from your high school or college experience? A: Treat others the way you want to be treated, live in the moment, and life is very unpredictable so don’t take anything for granted. You get to be my age and you lose people and it makes you think about what is important in life. Q: How would you describe yourself in high school? A: A sports geek, I wasn’t a very good athlete, I just loved to follow sports especially basketball. I knew all the statistics, I got cut from all the teams and ironically later became a coach.
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Q: Were you peer pressured into doing something in high school or college? A: No. I was very independent and I did what I believed was right.
Q: How would you describe yourPatricia Heininge was a responsible, determined self in high school? student throughout high school and college. A: I wouldn’t say I was a dork, but I was just very involved in all kinds of activities. Q: What activities were you involved in? A: I was very involved in school. I was in chorus, drama, It’s Academic and French Club. I was in three honor societies. Q: Did you have any long term relationships? A: Oh yes! I was madly in love with Don. He was a senior, I was a junior. We did drama together. I dated other guys, but he was the big one.
Last Issue’s
Who am I?
Who am I?
• I have taught at AHS for 9 years.
11 Benji Madden 1979 Joel Madden 1979 Johnny Knoxville 1971 14 Albert Einstein 1879 Eva Longoria 1975 16 Flavor Flav 1959 15 Andrew Jackson 1767 18 Queen Latifah 1970 19 Bruce Willis 1955 20 Spike Lee 21 Rosie O’Donnell 1962 22 Reese Witherspoon 1976 25 Elton John 1947 Aretha Franklin 1942 26 Diana Ross 1944 27 Mariah Carey 1969 28 Vince Vaughn 1970 31 Al Gore 1948
Neal Jarvis, a graduate from AHS, describes
Q: Were you peer pressured into himself as a “nerdy-jock” in high school. doing something in high school or college? A: No, but in college I got peer pressured into swimming the [Chesapeake] Bay with the V-Tech water polo team. It was actually a lot of fun, but I curse the training and the cold. I wore a wet suit, but it was very cold.
Q: What is your most memorable moment from high school and college? A: In high school, when Annandale won the state football championship twice, I was in marching band and I remember it like it happened yesterday. In college going to the national championship game. The highlight was going and being a part of the national game.
Q: What is the most rebellious action you did in your high school and college days? A: I’m a total square, I didn’t do anything rebellious. I just followed sports.
—Judy Fisher Math teacher
Q: What is the most rebellious action you did in your high school or college days? A: I used to go t-ping [toilet papering] regularly, I’d like to think I was an allstate my senior year. In college I matured a lot and gave up my habits
Q: What are some of the lessons that you have learned from your high school and college years? A: One needs to make sure they enjoy their environment. You can’t have a choice in high school but in college you can pick the school you attend. I should have picked a west coast college.
What kind of student were you in terms of grades? A: I was an above average student, a B’s and C’s student.
“I always wanted to be a teacher because I had horrible teachers in high school.”
Q: What kind of student were you in terms of grades? A: I was a 3.7 student mostly A’s and some B’s. In college I finished with a 3.0, I did very poorly my first semester, by my standards anyway. However I made the dean’s list my last two semesters in college.
WALIHA GANI
“I had two sisters and I would pretend to be a teacher. My favorite subject to teach was math; consequently, I am teaching math at AHS.”
March 11, 2008
• I attended George Mason University.
• I have taught at AHS for 8 years.
• I majored in curriculum design and technology.
• I attended Princeton University
• In my spare time I like to be with family, at church or out hunting.
WALIHA GANI
When did you realize you wanted to become a teacher?
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COURTESY OF LARK MADOO
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PEOPLE
Affairs. • In my spare time I like to read.
• I like to listen to all types of music. • I have traveled to Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas • My motto is “Love your God with all your heart, soul and strength” and “Work smarter, not harder” • My favorite season is fall. • I was born on Sept. 2, 1976 in Fairfax, Virginia. • My favorite part about teaching is interacting with students. me the worst truth than the best lie. Compiled by Waliha Gani Senior Yakuba Mansary won the last “Who am I.”
music. Europe and Latin America. • My motto is “Show up.” • My favorite season is spring. • I was born on May 23, 1941 in New York, New York. • My favorite part about teaching is student discussions. • My greatest pet peeve is people who rationalize their motives.
John Hawes
March 11, 2008
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What was your favorite activity of Battle of the Classes and why?
Last Friday the AHS SGA/ Leadership hosted the annual Battle of the Classes. The battle included several different competitions including Twister, Musical Chairs, an obstacle course/relay race, a dance competition, and finally, a test of which class had the most spirit. The whole event was capped off with three teachers being “pied” in the face by students.
“The pie in the face to Coach Adams, because he got pied in the face really hard by his son and it was really funny.” —Zeni Saife-Selassie
freshman “The freshman dancing, because it took a lot of courage.” —Jonathan Williams
sophomore
MATT JOHNSON
MATT JOHNSON
“The dance competition because the one freshman that just shook his body.”
Dick Adams braces for the pie from his son, sophomore Ricky Adams.
—Jacob Lee junior
Science Teacher John Jarvis receives the full force of a whipped cream pie to the face. Jarvis received placed first in the student donation contest to determine which teachers would get “pied”.
“When the teachers got pied because it was really funny.” —Mary Bermingham
senior
“The pie throw because it reminds me of my childhood.” —K.W. Williams
security
Senior Shoaib Jaffarani and teacher Nickolas Liacopoulos measure the noise level the crowd reaches.
MATT JOHNSON
More Pictures
Freshman Ian Rogers earns a standing ovation from the students of all grades during the dance competition.
The sophomore dance team performs their variation on the “Souljah Boy” dance.
Seniors Latoya Martin and Rehman Bhatti battle for a chair in musical chairs.
MATT JOHNSON
Senior Nhan Tong break dances for the senior dance team during the dance competition.
MATT JOHNSON
MATT JOHNSON
MATT JOHNSON
Senior Debbie McCoy “limbos” her way to the next round of the limbo competition.
MATT JOHNSON
MATT JOHNSON
Compiled by Laura Simpson and Matt Johnson
Science teacher Elizabeth Edwards thanks the students for not picking her to be pied.
Sophomore Daniel Blasser fights a losing battle for the last chair against another student.
MATT JOHNSON
MATT JOHNSON
MATT JOHNSON
Coach Bill Maglisceau is the first teacher to get a pie in the face.
Human Anatomy and Leadership teacher, Abby Kahn celebrates upon hearing the news that she is not going to get pied in the face.
March 11, 2008
ACADEMICS
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Juniors prepare to pass SOLs
Tentative SOL Test Schedule
English 11 students partake in the english writing SOL tests
May 19th English 11 SOL for seniors
BY BROOKE BARLOW Staff Writer
May 20-22 Math SOL tests May 27-29 Science SOL tests June 2-4 Social studies SOL tests June 5-10 Make up SOL tests
LOGAN MILLER
Whether it is reviewing old worksheets, study guides, tests or anything else, students at AHS are preparing for the Standards of Learning at the end of this year. The SOL has not been around forever. It was not until June 1995 that the Virginia Department of Education approved the test. At that time, students in grades K-12 were expected to take an SOL in only English and Science. Six years later, in 2001, the DOE added Mathematics, Science, and Social Science tests. There are several reasons why the SOL test was developed. One is that the SOL is a guiding factor in a teacher’s curriculum. Teachers are expected to teach the content that the DOE tests students on. According to the DOE, once a student completes an SOL and the test is graded, it will show if the student has the essential understanding, skills and knowledge that are identified with the subject. Whatever the results of the student’s test, the student, the teacher and county are all responsible for the result. To prepare for his SOL, sophomore Semone Solomon’s says he, “participates in review games at the end of the year.” It is vital that students prepare themselves as much as they possibly can because if they want to walk on graduation night and receive their diplomas, the student must pass at least six SOL tests for a Standard Diploma and at least nine SOL tests for an Advanced Diploma. “A student should not be able to get a high school diploma if they can not pass the same tests that students all over the state are required to pass.” said Solomon. After the make up SOLs in JanuaryAHS held its first SOL this month for English 11 students. Testing started March 3 and will continue through March 12. Students were first given a multiple choice section with 44 questions based on writing skills. Following the multiple choice section, students were given the writing prompt. “I think the prompt was kind of lame because I had a hard time answering it directly,” said juniorAmanda Krause. She also added that she felt over-prepared because, “on the test I was asked to spell ‘frustration,’ which I knew how to spell in fifth grade in class we spell much harder words.” The SOLs grading scale is between 0-600 points. When a student receives a score between 400 and 500 points, that is considered passing proficient but if a student receives a score between 500 and 600 points, that is considered passing advanced. “I think the SOL test are easy because I’ve never failed one,” said Krause. “I had so much time to finish [this year] that I fell asleep halfway through and then woke up and finished in enough time.” sad Krause However, there are controversies over whether or not the results of the tests can truly determine if a student has obtained
essential knowledge of the content or subject. Solomon has a firm belief that it does actually test your knowledge. “[SOLs] cover all the major things that we have learned in that particular subject.” To reassure oneself about passing the tests with flying colors, review the subjects that are most difficult on a daily basis. There are many resources that a student can go to for help. One of the most obvious resources is the students’ very own the AHS website under own text book. Another is online resources that can be found SOL Online Tools. Getting a full night of rest plays a huge factor on a student’s concentration during the SOLs. An average teen needs at least nine hours of sleep the night before to attain his or her highest possible score. “I got a good eight hours of sleep” before the English SOL, said Krause. An additional way to get instant energy is to eat a large breakfast filled with protein.Agood example of a breakfast to eat on test day could include omelettes or eggs and bacon with orange juice. A healthier breakfast will take longer to break down so you will be able to concentrate for a much longer time. Last year 90.5% of AHS students passed the English writing SOL and an average of 84.3% of students pass Top: Junior Adam Abdullah works on his vocabulary during english class in preperation for the the broad spectrum of SOL tests admin-upcoming English Writing SOL. istered at AHS. Above: Juniors Jose Jimenez, Arturo Olivera and Sasha Herrera ponder over the test they have Additional reporting by Amy Steinbuechler
•Be confident •Eat well •Get supplies ready •Brainstorm your ideas •Consider how long it will take you on each section •Follow the directions •Read carefully •Look for key words •Eliminate obvious wrong answers •Make connections when faced with a difficult question •Keep a positive attitude •Do the easiest problems frst •Read carefully •Write neatly •Use time wisely and use all of the time necessary to do well •Organize your thoughts •Don’t rush Source: College Board for Students
What is the most difficult test you have taken? “I would say the History SOL, because it required a wide range of information.”
just taken. “[SOLs] cover all the major things that we have learned in that particular subject.” said sophomore, Semone Solomon. “I think the prompt was kind of lame because I had a hard time answering it directly,” said junior Amanda Krause.
---Arish Ali freshman
IB students gear up for exams As the school year nears an end students face IB and AP exams BY AMY STEINBUECHLER Academics Editor AHS first introduced IB exams in 2002, and the first diploma class graduated in 2003. This year as April and May draw nearer AHS students are preparing for the IB and AP exams. AP exams will start this year inApril. IB exams will be administered the following month from May 5 to the 23. AHS students have the option of taking AP exams whether they are enrolled in an AP class or not. IB exams are only offered to students enrolled in that IB class. Both AP and IB exams can be used by students to earn college credits. IB exams help “students gain college credit or placement,” explains IB coordinator Erin Albright. Placement refers to a student’s opportunity for students to place into higher-level classes or even place out of certain college courses using their IB exam scores. “Students assume a college won’t accept their IB exam scores as college credits, but later learn the college would have accepted the exam,” said Albright. Students can even use IB exams to improve chances of getting into college admissions because a high score on an IB
Useful Test-Taking Stratagies
exam can overshadow poor grades. “The IB exam demonstrates what students have learned and how they can use that information,” said Albright. Students who are preparing for the exam know that the best preparation for the exam is working hard and doing well in an IB course. JuniorAnita Obasi, who plans on getting the IB diploma, has taken oneAP exam and is planning on taking the IB Environmental Systems exam this year. “I’ve always taken harder classes so I’m used to the
challenge,” said Obasi. “I don’t know if I can obtain college credits, but I would like to.” IB exams are deigned to test a student’s ability to apply the information that they have learned in an IB class. For example, Albright noted that in IB English class students learn analysis skills with certain literature, but instead of being tested on the same literature, the IB exam will test students on the same analysis skills with different literature. Senior Debbie McCoy, who is enrolled in her second year of IB Biology says, “I’m not nervous [for the Biology exam] because I have the experience of taking the IB Biology I test last year. The IB exam is graded on a scale of one through seven, seven being the highest. Certified IB examiners, from around the world, grade the exams based on an IB rubric. The IB rubric is
the same year after year, all around the world to ensure that students are graded fairly. Several FCPS teachers are certified IB examiners, but none from AHS. AP exams are also graded by certified examiners but are graded on a different scale. AP essays are graded on a scale of one to five, five being the highest. Colleges award credits for students that score from three to five. As exam nearer, AHS students prepare for another year of challenging exams and a stressful anticipation for results and opportunities.
“Probably my math tests beacuse we go through lessons quickly”
---Monica Athey sophomore
“[The] SAT was really long and tiring. But it wasn’t that bad. I never wanted to touch a pencil again though.”
--- Jesse Kruse senior
“A difficult test doesn’t exist for a person of my caliber.”
---Yakuba Mansaray senior
“The SAT is an aptitude test. There’s more pressure and you have to combine everything you learned with logic.”
--- Sierra Peralta senior
SPORTS
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Girls Soccer Ready to Begin The season of the Atoms Girls Varsity Soccer Team kicked off on Friday, March 3 with an unsuccessful scrimmage against the Madison High School Warhawks. In the game, the Atoms failed to score a single goal en route to a 0-2 loss. Players on the team hope to learn from the mistakes they made in the game in order to achieve more victories later on in the season. This year there will only be four seniors on the team, Avery Adcock, Janine Rudzinski, Meagan Harlowe and Kathryn Janssen. After suffering through three straight losing seasons, with ten losses in both of the last two years and nine the year immediately prior to that, it is obvious that these veterans will want to close out their high school soccer careers on a high note. However, it remains to be seen how the team will be able to perform with so many inexperienced players receiving significant playing time this season. Tonight, the girls will play in a scrimmage against the McLean High School Highlanders at Annandale at 7: 00 p.m. It will be their final preparation before their first regular season matchup against the Falls Church Jaguars tomorrow. Following Spring Break, the Atoms will play their first home game of the season against the Thomas Jefferson Colonials on the 25th. - by Conner Goolrick
Softball Starts The Girls Varsity softball team has started their season with a scrimmage against Washington and Lee High school for on Thursday, March 6. Unfortunately the girls lost to Washington and Lee. “We did pretty well for only having about 2 days of practice and only about a day and a half outside because of the rain,” said junior Glenda Ngo. The girls’ tryouts were held on February 25th through the 29th, “I thought tryouts were really tough because I haven’t trained very much in the off season,” said junior Amanda Krause. This year, fourteen players were accepted to play for the Varsity team coached by head coach Tom Grant, and assistant coachesAbbie Kahn and David Kish. Last year, there were only 11 players that played on the varsity level. This is less than this year, when the varsity softball team had the least amount of players than any other spring sport. In the past years for 2005 and 2006, over 27 players made up the team. This year only three seniors are on the varsity team, as compared to last year, when there were over eight. This year, three seniors, four juniors, two sophomores, and six freshmen make up the varsity team. “We have a really young team this year due to the fact that a lot of seniors graduated last year and the fact that not as many people are trying out for the team as they did when I was a freshman and sophomore. The freshmen pretty much outnumber the rest of us,” said Krause.
Strong play in scrimmages foreshadows tight season BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer The AHS boy’s soccer team has started their season off well with two wins in a row. The first, against South Lakes, was won 2-0, and the most recent game against Madison was won 1-0. Although these games were only scrimmages, they serve as a preview for the likely success of future games. The team is well balanced, having strong players both on offense and defense. The team’s defense was able to prevent any goals from being scored by the opposing teams in either game. “Our defense is good,” says Varsity soccer captain, junior Adem Gokturk, “they’re real solid.” At the same time, forwards and mid-fielders were skilled enough to get the ball into the net by keeping it moving forward. “You could really see the team work and hard work during practice reflecting,” said varsity captain seniorAdel Sarras. “We had team unity,” he goes on. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement. With offense the team needs to, “work on scoring and making sure we’re finishing,” says Gokturk. Defense could also, “be a little more aggressive,” according to Adel Sarras. To correct this, the team currently practices each weekday for as long as three hours. This practice consists of some scrimmaging to help with playing skills, but is also largely made up of conditioning to help get the team in better physical shape. Athletes will run sprint workouts to prepare for the intensive quick running soccer requires. Other, less conventional exercises such as the leapfrog are also conducted
COURTESY OF KATIE PANTHER
- by Adeel Shams
Boys Soccer kicks off season strong
Senior captain Adel Sarras controls the ball against a defender during an early spring Boys Varsity Soccer practice. Practicing and conditioning have been key aspects in preparation for their two scrimmage victories.
by the team. In addition to this, in order to strengthen the upper body and core, crunches and pushups are done during practice. To most of the athletes, this experience is not new. Six Varsity team members are returning from last year, while the majority of the rest of the team were moved up from JV positions that they held last year. “Most of the team is new. A lot of JV guys got a lot
better and have been moved up to Varsity,” said sophomore Samuel Tubb. Samuel played for the JV team as a freshman in the previous year, and like many others, has been moved to a Varsity position this season. The season consists of a 12 game season against other high school teams across the Patriot District. On May 12th, the regular season concludes with the Districts game where the teams that will move on to regional level games will be decided.
New leadership in Baseball after 9 lost Varsity is drastically different than last year’s team, but looks to improve BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer In varsity baseball head coach RonAbrigo’s second season, he was able to change the mood around the team in time to lead the team on a ride through the Patriot District tournament and qualify for the Northern Regional tournament. In his third season, Abrigo will attempt to continue what he started last season and lead the Atoms to a .500 record or better. The signs for a positive season are all around. Despite having an inexperienced rotation, the batting order should be solid, anchored by seniors Jeff Dean and Eric Bridge. Bridge will also be critical to the team as its ace pitcher, a role that the Atoms did not fill last year. Among other key players will be veterans senior pitcher and outfielder Kyle White and junior outfielder John Copenhaver. Players with stronger arms tend to play in the outfield because of the long throw to home plate. Sophomores will also have a strong impact on the team. Three key sophomores that are expected to get plenty of playing time are Nathan Clayton, Robert Potts, and Ryan Schubert. Potts and Clayton will share time in the infield while Schubert will sit behind home plate at the catcher position. Schubert will also pitch some during the year. Although, this year’s team will have to deal without some of the key players that the had in the past. Will Wade, John Derrickson, Nick Twomey, and John Anderson were among the many players who graduated after last season. These players saw significant playing time and this year’s team will be much different without them. There is a sense that this year’s team will be better than last year and better than most people’s expectations. “There is more senior leadership, a better vibe, and , overall, a stronger effort in the players this year,” said senior pitcher Kyle White. “We genuinely care more than last year.” TheAtoms are looking forward to their first real test: the Osbourn Park tournament over spring break. They will start right away, playing on March 14 and 15. They will finish on March 18 and 19. The Atoms do not play their first district game until March 28, when they face the South County Stallions at home.
GREG YOUNG
This year’s spring track team has high expectations after completing a terrific winter season. Phil Harris, varsity head coach of the girls’ track team, believes that the boy’s spring track team has many veterans, while the girls are very young and talented. Each and every year these track members learn more from their coach and from the more experienced runners, which helps them to do better on the track. “There are only a couple of good people on the team,” said sophomore track participant Wesley Scales. “I think we might get to Regionals, but not States.” Many of the winter track members also join the Spring Track and Field team, continuing their practicing and conditiong. “We’ll look to keep improving like we did in winter track,” said sophomore Yohan Calcuttawalla when asked about the team expectations this season. “We have good middle distance runners and a good distance group who push each other during practice. It shows us how much we have put into this.” As the team prepares for another season they look forward to having a better season than they did during the winter. Their first event, the Legard Relays, will be held March 29 at Westfield High School. “The boys will score well and they will have a great season,” said Harris. “They might have a chance to go to the districts [competition].”
team made up of young players, the Atoms have a very promising future. TheAtoms are also trying to ignore notions of certain “key players” being imperative to the team’s success this year. “All of our players are vital to our team’s success,” said Hook. BY SCOTT PLUNKETT “We are expecting that every Staff Writer player will make valuable contributions to our team as we will look As the 2008 Girls Varsity Lacrosse to play a very fast paced game.” season approached, many returning The Atoms’ next game is a players had one looming thought on scrimmage against the Langley their minds: the 15-16 loss to Robinson Saxons today. The team is still in the opening round of the Regional looking to improve in certain Playoff last year. They started to look areas before their opening game ahead and envision a chance to redeem against Yorktown at home on themselves, but quickly realized what Friday the 14th. was important. “We will be using the [Lang“Our team is going to resist the ley] scrimmage to prepare for our temptation to only focus on certain first game on Friday,” said Hook. “big games” and instead we will al“We need to improve our on field ways focus only on our next game,” communication, team defense, said head coach Cindy Hook. “Every and poise on attack as we find game is important and deserves our the most productive combinatotal focus.” tions of players.” Although the Atoms’ up and down With lacrosse being a quick season ended in a heartbreaking loss paced game that can change last year, looking back it was a very Head Coach Cindy Hook instructs sophomore Monica Athey, above, and the rest of the players during on a dime, the team’s chemistry is successful season. They only had two an early spring practice. The relatively young team is expected to improve during the season. quintessential to success. Finding in-district losses, both to an undefeated Regional tournament berths the Atoms have a good the right players to play together and West Springfield team who was 10-0 in making it the most talented group will be a daunting and district play. After a shaky 3-4 start last year, they went on reputation to uphold. “We’ve had very successful teams the past few seasons meticulous task, but it could ensure the Atoms another a nine game win streak to close out the regular season and ended with a record of 12-6. They also easily advanced to and this team will work to continue our winning tradi- rewarding season. The Atoms’ district play begins March 28th at home the district tournament championship game where they tion,” said Coach Hook. With only three seniors in Caroline Merz, Mary against the Lake Braddock Bruins. The Atoms’ had two lost a close match to the West Springfield Spartans, by a score of 11-13. The Atoms gave the Spartans the closest Bermingham, and Tiffanie Le out of the 20 members of convincing wins against the Bruins last year and hope to games they had all year and hope to top them this year. the varsity team, the Atoms will hope to gain team unity continue their streak. With a combined 25-13 record the past two seasons and as well as experience every game. With the bulk of the
Lack of seniors creates room for younger players
SCOTT PLUNKETT
Spring Track and Field sprints off
March 11, 2008
Young team for girls
GREG YOUNG
Senior Elise Miles practices on the hurdles during early spring practice
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Senior Eric Bridge throws during an early spring varsity baseball practice. One of the key players on the team, Bridge will hope to be an effective starting left handed pitcher.
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LAX looks to improve Although the varsity boys lost to Westfield to end their season in the first round of regionals, they had some postives to build around for this season. Despite having their season end prematurely, they had a solid and surprising season, coming out of nowhere to reach the Patriot District final and knock out previously undefeated Hayfield in the process. However, this is the year after that run. The team is looking to improve on last years’ effort and, not only win the Patriot district, but also be competitive in Regionals. To do that, the team is looking not at their successes, but at their failures, especially the 3-13 loss to West Springfield in the Patriot District Final. “For the West Springfield game, that should motivate them more then anything I can say,” said head coach William Maglisceau. “It gave us a lot of anger towards West Springfield,” said senior Michael Craig. “West Springfield is one of the main three teams that we want to beat. They had three college-level seniors leave, so this year I think that we can take them.” Before the season started, several players on the team participated in preseason workouts. The team elected captains and worked on some drills to prepare them for the season. The captains that the team selected were seniors Matt Johnson, Kevin McCracken, and Zach Sells. “I think that the practices help build team unity,” said senior Zach Flynn. “It also
Boys tennis gets underway
COURTESY OF DIANA BENAVIDES
BY GREG YOUNG Sports Editor
helped people realize that the captains are in control.” However, Maglisceau took a different perspective on the practices. “I’d much rather them wrestle and play basketball and other sports,” said Maglisceau. “I appreciate what they are trying to do, but they were just going and throwing it around.” Overall, this year’s team will be led by Johnson, Craig, and senior David Waiter, all key players on attack. Each of the starters played a prominent role on the team last year, and they are hoping to build on that experience. “The team has six players who are threats to score,” said Maglisceau. “When you have that many threats, it’s hard to prepare for. Opponents will have to be on their game at all times when they are facing us.” However, the Atoms have some distinct weaknesses on the team this year. They will be replacing two veteran defensemen , Drew Chadwick and SeanArmstrong, with senior Stephen Kim and junior Cason Kynes. The Atoms will also be highly dependent on their seniors because of the lack of depth on the team. The team’s lack of depth is a a problem that will have to be addressed throughout the season, but the team is optimistic that several of the younger players will provide depth as they improve throughout the season. “We are not really that deep,” said Maglisceau. “The drop off is tremendous. We have a very large team, however, and we are hoping that we can develop some Senior Zach Flynn advances the ball during a scrimmage against Chantilly. players throughout the year.” Flynn is one of eight seniors starting for the boys varsity lacrosse team
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this year, a team looking to win the Patriot District.
AHS Boys LAX Starting Lineup ‘08
Among the hubbub of the spring sports season, Boys Varsity Tennis competed in its first scrimmage yesterday against Falls Church High School. Although the scrimmage finished too late for this issue, the anticipated freshmen and first year players were expected to play well. “[The team] looks pretty good,” said sophomore Connor Volk. “We have some pretty good freshmen.” These new players, including freshmen David Hookey and Eric Morton, are expected to make an impact on the team. “We have a lot of young talent,” said junior Imran MacMillan. The influx of young talent is making up for a lack of veterans on the team. Although there has been development in their play, the veterans make up less than half of the 14 player team. “There are only 5 to 6 veterans, but they have all improved,” said Volk. Three of these veterans are expected to be in the top six. The top six players on a high school tennis team are the starters that play in singles’ matches. Junior Carson Wahl, junior Imran MacMillan, and senior Taher Al-Suqi are the three expected veteran starters. Hookey and Morton are also expected to be in the top six. The last spot is still undetermined. The Atoms will scrimmage again tomorrow at home against Marshall High School after school at 3 p.m. They will not start their regular season until March 25, when they play Patriot District opponent South County High School. They will play that match at home at 4 p.m. The Atoms are looking forward to a great season. “Coach Scott is a motivating coach,” said MacMillan. “We have a lot of fun.”
MacMillan
Winter Sports Banquet awards athletes At the 2007-2008 Winter Banquet, several Annandale athletes won prominent awards. Here are a few of them: Boys Basketball: Sr. Erik Etherly- First team All-District/ First Team All Region. Patriot District Player of the Year Sr. Jay Washington- Second team AllDistrict Girls Basketball: Sr. Jenna McRae- First team All-District/ Second team All Region. First team All Tournament team. Jr. Alexis Williams- Second team All-District
Nationals could become competitive The
Final Word Sports Column
By Greg Young
For the first time since they moved to Washington, D.C., the Washington Nationals may have a prayer at contention. Am I crazy? The Nationals, a team that went 73-89 last year, couldn’t possibly be competitive in a nasty NL East division that features the mighty NY Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, could it? Ateam with almost no starting pitching, a bullpen that will be starting from scratch, and inexperience throughout the team, wouldn’t even have a chance for a .500 record, right? Well, no. The Nationals have a chance to compete this season. Call me crazy all you want (and believe me, you won’t be the first), but this team has the markings of a surprise team that could potentially stun an unprepared and overrated N.L. East. First off, the team will finally be resurrected from the dump that was called RFK stadium. The new Nation-
als Stadium will actually be designed 2005 and 2006, which were owned by to fit the team. Instead of having walls MLB and forced to make cookie-cutter that are a mile away, which took away deals at the trading deadline, these Nacountless home runs and hits from the tionals, if competitive near the halfway team and forced the addition of the point of the season, could make a deal term “RFK out” into all Nationals fan’s to bring in a key player when he is most vocabulary, Nationals Stadium will help needed. Also, you can’t help but love the put more runs on the board. off-season that the NationThink that a new als had this year. They stadium can’t help a continued to get younger, team at all? Consider and picked up two outfieldthis: at RFK, the staers that I think are studs, dium was so large, Lastings Milledge and Elithat the 45,596 seat jah Dukes. Granted, they stadium appeared virmay be thugs, but Milledge tually empty at times. and Dukes can play. They Forget the regularly are fast, instinctive, and lowannounced figure of strikeout hitters. Plus, they 20,000 fans in attenLastings Milledge are a huge upgrade over such dence, at times it appeared mediocre players as Ryan Church like there were only 2,000 fans. With the new stadium, more people and Ryan Langerhans, the latter an will come; and with the smaller capac- outfielder who the Braves practically ity stadium, the Nationals Stadium released after he hit .167 The Nationals starting pitching is will actually look (gasp!) full. Do you honestly think that a young team another potentially strong aspect of the wouldn’t receive a major confidence team. If, and this is a major IF, John boost by playing in front of 30,000 fans Patterson can stay healthy, the rotation could be even be a strong point. Think every night? Plus, with the revenue that the about it. Patterson, in his one season team should generate from a solid fan in which he was almost completely base, team president Stan Kasten and healthy, 2005, he had a 3.13 ERA and general manager Jim Bowden will actu- 186 K’s. Plus, the depth behind him ally have money to make moves during isn’t terrible. Shawn Hill, the likely the trading deadline that will help the number two starter, had a 3.42 ERA team compete. Unlike the Nationals of and a deceiving 4-5 record considering
the awfulness of the team last year. Even the reserve pitching, the team’s strong suit in their 81-81 record in 2005, could be good. For all of the heat that Chad Cordero takes every year, he still finishes with over 30 saves every year. The team even has some depth behind him with Luis Ayala and John Rauch. In fact Rauch, who is only 24, could probably be a closer on most MLB teams. The rest of the N.L. East does not look particuarly strong either. The Mets, who are supposed to be the strongest team, have been ravaged by injuries before the season even started. The Phillies, the winner last year, have a decent chance this year. However, their bullpin is just as weak this year as it was last year, when it finished last in the N.L. in ERA. The sleeper team may be the Atlanta Braves, who have retooled a lot of their rotation and batting lineup, but are still led by verteran third baseman Chipper Jones. Now, am I going against the grain here? Could the Nationals bomb out and finish 30 games under .500? Sure. But if the Nationals can start the season off strong, they will surprise at least one of the traditional favorites in the N.L. East. Author Email: gsy987@verizon.net
Swim and Dive: Jr. Rachael Burnett- First team All-District/ Third in State Girls 500 Meter freestyle So. Sean McKinney- First team All-District (diver) Wrestling: Sr. Zach Sharpe- Third in districts, competed in the 112 weight division So. Andrew Sells- Third in districts, competed in the 119 weight division So. Ricky Adams- District Champion in the 135 weight division So. Jack Velasquez- Fourth in districts, competed in the 140 weight division So. Stacey Anderson- Second in districts, competed in the 145 weight division Sr. Jerry Chiles- Third in distritcs, competed in the 160 weight division Jr. Brandon Jefferson- Third in districts, competed in the 171 weight division Sr. Jesse Kruse- District Champion, Regional Champion and third place at states in the 189 weight division Jr. Victor Njomo- Third in districts and fourth in regionals, competed in the 215 weight division Indoor Track: Jr. Emily Koppleman- Third in districts and fourth in regionals in girls shot put Katherine J. Buck Award: Jenna McRae Douglas Coughlin Memorial Award: Jesse Kruse
18 Latest Film Premiers
ENTERTAINMENT
Semi-Pro
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March 11, 2008
MARCH 7 College Road Trip 10,000 B.C. The Bank Job Snow Angels Married Life MARCH 14 Doomsday Horton Hears a Who! Funny Games U.S. Sleepwalking MARCH 21 Drillbit Taylor Meet the Browns MARCH 28 21 Run, Fatboy, Run Stop Loss Superhero Movie APRIL 4 Leatherheads Never Back Down Nim’s Island
Ferrell bares all for this afro-and-furry-chest-ridden disappointment The
Dean’s List Movie Review
By Jeff Dean
(a real professional basketball league in the early 70s) and depended on physical comedy in the movie, instead owner/coach/player Jackie Moon. He runs a small market of witty ridiculous dialogue that made Anchorman so team in Flint, Michigan, which struggles to turn out fans good. Its time for Ferrell to go back to the drawing board or wins. Moon’s priorities change from pure entertainment and maybe take a break from the sports-spoof. Another to basketball success when it is announced that the top Stranger than Fiction film could help him get back into four teams from the ABA will be moving up to the NBA. the good graces of moviegoers. Actually, Ferrell’s next film Along with this announcement, Monix, an old veteran Step Brothers, about two middle aged men living at home, player, joins the team in order to help Moon take the Flint is set to release in 2008. Woody Harrelson shines, as much as one can as an Tropics to the NBA. You probably could have guessed the plot already. Lets actor in a Ferrell comedy, as Monix the washed up veteran think about Blades of Glory, Talladega Nights: The Bal- who still is in love with a Flint local. Harrelson actually lad of Ricky Bobby, and Anchorman. Each film is based manages to maintain and promote this romantic motif in around an over zealous main character who is famous for a very bona fide manner, despite all of the failed antics of Ferrell’s. Harrelson’s Owen Wilsonesque appearabsolutely no good reason played by Ferrell. I did ance and charm in the film match up perfectly not believe that Ferrell had become hackneyed Semi-Pro with Maura Tierney, an actress from ER, who despite these similarities because his commerplays Lynn. cials and previews were still new and fresh. André Benjamin also is strong in the film, in Unfortunately, just watching the preview one of the more serious roles, as the young star would give you the same amount of laughs as if player of the team caught between the dream of you had watched the entire movie. Ferrell, just an NBAcareer and the harsh reality of a normal like Jackie Moon, is a great promoter, but in the life (sounds pretty deep for this movie). Benjamin end the film just could not deliver. will not hear his name next year for best actor, One of the most important aspects that this film lacked, which Ferrell’s past successes had, were sup- but what he does in the film is surprisingly good for a man porting characters who could deliver laughs. The largest more known for his musical accomplishments. Despite Will Ferrell’s lackluster performance, the fansupporting roles were more serious than funny, and other than Rob Corddry, no other supporting actors could deliver. tastic previews led the film to the top of the box office with Corddry is a balding actor approaching 40, who unlike his an opening weekend total of $15 million. I gave Semi-Pro a C for 90 minutes of sports-spoof that we have all seen hairline is reaching a new height in his career, Ferrell just could not deliver consistent laughs, and before.
MARCH 11 Snoop Dogg — Ego Trippin Phil Vassar — Prayer of A Common Man Fat Joe — The Elephant In The Room Il Nino — Enigma
Finally, Will Ferrell delivers what movie screens across the nation and the world have been missing: a comedy about a sport. Not since Ferrell’s last movie Blades of Glory, well actually he has another sports spoof Talladega Nights. Okay, so maybe the world’s moviegoers were not yearning for another sports spoof, but Ferrell was going to shove it down our throats anyway. The massive build up for this movie included numerous Old Spice commercials and a naked promo shot (as Ferrell said in his 2004 Anchorman “don’t act like you’re not impressed”). But behind the commercials, short shorts, afros and furry chests is nothing more than a Will Ferrell movie that we have all seen before, which even for this Ferrell fan, has gotten old. The film is about theAmerican BasketballAssociation
MARCH 18 Flo Rida — Mail on Sunday Danity Kane — Welcome To The Dollhouse Adam Green — Sixes and Sevens
Usher rocks the club Lil’ Wayne stayin’ on top
Upcoming CD Releases
MARCH 25 Counting Crows —Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings Panic! At The Disco — Pretty Odd APRIL 1 R.E.M — Accelerate Josh Gracin — We Weren’t Crazy George Michael — Twenty Five Willie Nelson — One Hell Of A Ride APRIL 8 Gnarls Barkley — The Odd Couple P.O.D. — When Angels And Serpents Dance APRIL 15 Mariah Carey — E=MC^2 Ashlee Simpson — Bittersweet World Gavin DeGraw — Gavin DeGraw
DVD Releases MARCH No Country for Old Men Bee Movie Dan in Real Life Hitman Nanacy Drew Into the Wild Sleuth American Gangster Enchanted I am Legend APRIL
Alvin and the Chipmunks The 11th Hour Lions for Lambs Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Sotry Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
BY OMAR MAYASSI Staff Writer The last hit song Usher had was all the way back in 2004. Now Usher is making a comeback with his upcoming untitled album rumored to be coming out this fall. Usher’s name is currently gaining headlines because of his new hit “Love in this Club” featuringYoung Jeezy, which was released Feb. 26. “I love the song,” said teacher Kyle Graumann. “It’s always on during my free period while I’m grading papers. What makes the song so good is my boy Jeezy, and Usher have some good rhymes and lyrics in the song also.” Usher is an artist who is either hated or loved by today’s musics fans. “Usher is okay,” said senior Edgard Flores, “I only like a few of his songs. Usher has just been gone for so long, I don’t know if he’ll be as good as he once was.” His upcoming new studio album is rumored to be titled Untold Story, probably giving us a reference of what type of songs to expect on this highly anticipated album. What will make Usher successful is not only his voice and talent, but the numerous artists he will be working with. According to Billboard.com songs for the album have been recorded with rap artists Jermaine Dupri, T-Pain, Dre & Vidal and Polow da Don. Other produc-
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ers that Usher is rumored to have worked with on the album are Kanye West, Timbaland, and Ne-Yo. Collaborations have been the latest and most successful turned in today’s rap and overall music industry. Already Usher’s new single “Live in this Club” is No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is the No. 1 purchased song on iTunes. This album is a must buy, and be ready for another one of Usher’s singles to drop soon and take over radios across the nation.
Usher will make his return this year.
BY OMAR MAYASSI Staff Writer “You can love me or hate me, I swear it won’t make me or break me I go wherever the money takes me.” That was one of Lil’ Wayne’s hit songs from The Leak-EP. The album came out late in December, and was a promotional sampler album for his upcoming, highly anticipated album: Tha Carter III. “I love that song,” said juniorAlexander Fernandez. “The beat is just so awesome, and I love jammin’ to it. I see the song going along way and Tha Carter III should be awesome.” This new album was named the most highly anticipated album of the year last year, but it was pushed back for numerous reasons. One reason being that most of the tracks were already leaked, and secondly Lil’ Wayne was arrested and accused of drug charges. So Lil’Wayne had to re-write and re-record new songs for the album. Lil’ Wayne has recently hit everyone with numerous amounts of mixtapes over the past two years, so this LP is something that his newly acquired fans have been waiting for. Over the years Lil’ Wayne has built a huge fan base among young adults. “I love Lil’ Wayne so much,” said junior Ronny Kitmetou, one of the biggest Lil’ Wayne fans of AHS. “He is such an inspiration to me. I have almost every single one
of his songs and mix tapes, and I cannot wait for his new album to come out, I’ll be the first one to get it! If you play one of his songs I’ll definitely know and I most likely can sing to it.” Lil’Wayne’s future continues to blossom and with Tha Carter III hitting stores this April his potential for success is exponential. According to MTV.com a few of the songs that are confirmed on this Album are “A Millie,” “I’m Ilie,” “Let the Build Beat,” and “Eat You Alive”. Some of the artists that will work on this album are Static, Timbaland, Eminem, and Kanye West. Lil’ Wayne has made many popular songs working with other rap artists, and hopefully these artists can do the same for him. This is probably the only album of the year that is a must have, there is so much speculation on it, and many are saying it should be the best.
Lilʼ Wayne remains on top of his game.
Maclean regrets not sticking to his own rules the college’s most celebrated offspring. But the novella did not portray the “haunting tale” that the back cover of the 25th Anniversary Edition described it as. While Maclean describes fly-fishing and its science and art with language matched only by the greatest of American literary naturalists, what lies beneath such language is unclear until the last paragraph, and by then it seems the message has been so delayed by repetitive description that it was not worth getting to in the first place. Maclean tells the true story of two Book Review brothers, Norman (himself) and Paul who spend their lives working and fishing (and By Paul Mathis try to spend more of their lives doing the latter). The general plot involves the visit of Last year, Norman Maclean’s (that’s Maclean, not Ma- Norman’s “slow” brother-in-law, Neal Burns, whom Norman and Paul hate but cLean) A River Runs Through It was presented as whom are forced to take fishing by the Dartmouth BookAward to hundreds of ravenorder of Norman’s wife. A River Runs ous juniors hungry for a college prize filled with However, when Norman ivy league succulence. The author’s masterpiece Through It leaves Neal alone more than novella (though he considered it an elongated once, potentially doing harm to story, as he rejected the novel as an art form that him, Norman’s wife gets on edge, is “mostly wind”), complete with expert, precise and practically orders Norman to spend a few language in its evocation of the nature that surdays out of the house with Paul, fishing at a rounds fishing, was perhaps doled out as a symbol summer house. to these students to give pause and appreciate the The plot itself virtually ends thirty pages world they were enveloped in. As a recent Dartmouth admit, I anticipated the story before the story closes, but the story ends where it should as one would anticipate the words of a brother, hoping to have begun, with the words “Eventually, all things merge encounter the truth that designated Maclean as one of into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut
Paul on Prose
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by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time…under the rocks are words, and some of the words are theirs.” The world Maclean tries to transport the reader to is one cut through by a river, that river deceiving us all, masking the depths of what we think we know with its shining surface. In the end, Norman’s father tells us “‘It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.’” These are powerful words indeed, but they are words that are never explored until the story’s close (which is much less exciting than I expected it to be), instead replaced with paragraphs and paragraphs of “But I’ve already told you about the Bee, and I’m still sure that there are times when a general won’t turn a fish over. The fly that would work now had to be a big fly, it had to have a yellow, black-banded body, and it had to ride high in the water with extended wings, something like a butterfly that has had an accident and can’t dry its wings by fluttering in the water.” Maclean would have done well to stick by his mantra, “I saw early that…stories have to be short….I learned that your friends won’t listen to a story unless a lot happens in it.”
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ENTERTAINMENT
Oprah’s charities vs. reality Ave’s Favs Entertainment Review
By Avery Adcock Thought the Oprah enterprise could not get any bigger? Well, she’s back again giving even more and adding to her already enormous popularity with her new show, Oprah’s Big Give. The show asks the question: what would you do if you were handed a large amount of money, but with a catch? You cannot spend any of it. The secret is: the person who gives the best will win $1 million dollars in the final episode. The premise of the show is that a worthy person is chosen in which the cast gets to decide how to raise money for them. Although it is an innovative idea, the show did not live up to the hype. The idea that the cast members do not know about the million-dollar reward is not believable. Do they expect audiences to just assume these people are on a show where they get eliminated each week for the fun of it? This is reality T.V. If producers wanted America to believe that the cast really does not know, they should not have eliminations. Oprahʼs Big Although it is difficult to really say Give anything negative about anything that Oprah Winfrey does, this show shoes not seem to have the same star power as her past ventures. I felt more like I was watching her actual talk show than a reality contest. The
reason the show even got as many viewers as it did was simply because of the brand name that is Oprah. It seemed better suited as a two-hour special rather than an eight episode mini-series. However, I did like that the people chosen for the show come from a myriad of backgrounds. From successful entrepreneurs to car-crash victims, everyone on the show has a different story to tell. Some are model citizens, while others are trying to redeem themselves from past bad experiences. The best part of the show is seeing how the people choose to spend the money, which actually brings me to the worst part of the show. I could not believe who the producers decided was worthy of assistance. I wondered if America was screaming at the T.V. as I was when a doctor was one of the “needy.” Just because he has a lot of
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school bills does not make his situation worse than others. I could not help but asking, “are you kidding me?” Another one of the chosen was a woman whose husband was murdered in Home Depot. Although it is a tragic story there are much more deserving people in the world. She came on the show because she was having trouble raising money for her kids college funds. With both of the kids under the age of eight, there is still so much time. I much more expected a Katrina victim who lost everything to take the place of someone who is in debt. Despite the show’s intended purpose, the money donated does not really make a difference in the full-scope of the problems presented. It seems aimed more at making the people doing the giving feel better about themsleves than actually changing someone’s life forever. One of the most entertaining parts of the show is when Oprah randomly shows up at the “challenges.”She really does have un unexplainable quality that makes everyone want to hear her speak. If Oprah said “bright green shoes will make you a better person,” they would be selling out of stores. One thing is certain: everyone listens to Oprah.Aquarter of Barack Obama’s votes have probably come because of Oprah’s endorsement. For that reason I believe America will continue to watch, but not actually be entertained. I know if given the opportunity to give money to any cause, I would think of better charities. Even though the first episode was less than impressive, I still have hope. The idea is noteworthy and the previews for the next shows look good. If America keeps watching, she might just surprise all of us. Watch Oprah’s Big Give on ABC on Sundays at 9 p.m.
The spring shows you can’t live without
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Download this 1.Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain—Low 2.Chris Brown—With You 3.Rihanna—Don’t Stop The Music 4. Sara Bareilles—Love Song 5.Alicia Keys—No One 6. Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic—Apologize 7. Snoop Dogg—Sensual Seduction 8. Sean Kingston—Take You There 9. Webbie, Lil’ Phat & Lil’ Boosie— Independent 10. Buckcherry—Sorry
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Good fortune will come in the most unusual of ways. Take a friend out to lunch or to a movie and a surprise will be in store. This month try to be kind to all.
Aries (March 21-April19)
A recent love has entered your life, however be careful with this one. Make sure their intentions are honorable. Even the closest to you may have something to hide.
Taurus (April 20-May18)
The more you listen to your friends the better things will turn out. Try to make up with someone who you have been fighting with.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Your happy disposition and fun-loving carelessness catches the eye of someone that you never would have expected. Don’t read into it, just enjoy yourself!
Medium: NBC Mondays at 10 p.m.
If you have never heard of or watched Medium, this season it’s time to pick up the remote. Allison Dubois (Patricia Arquette) returns as a strong-willed consultant to the district attorney that possesses the ability to talk to dead people. Her ability to see the future and other’s thoughts makes for an unbelievable plot. Although usually under the radar, Medium is a cross between CSI and Law and Order. Even though it is a returning show, Medium has gotten even better with more usual stories and plot twists.
Lost: ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m.
Little People Big World: TLC Mondays at 8 p.m.
This season, Lost is more different than ever. As the plot becomes more and more complicated, the characters true intentions are finally being revealed. The island is now in a time warp and Kate and Sawyer’s relationship is getting pretty heated. Audiences should watch just to find out who is among the oceanic six. There are many questions unanswered that keep viewers wanting more and this season is no different. However, it seems to be that some of the past mysterious happenings will be resolved.
The Roloff’s are back with a new exciting season filled with twists and turns. The Roloff’s are a family of three dwarves and three average size children fighting to live normal lives, against all odds. America’s sweetheart family has encountered some real-life problems that not even TLC can fix. For the second time Matt was convicted of a DUI and faces jail time. The family who never lets anything stand in their way is facing a serious road block.
One Tree Hill: The CW Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Set four years after graduating high school, the cast of One Tree Hill is more different than ever. A new nannie threatens Nathan’s and Haley’s marriage and Lucas is getting married. Some have realized their dreams, and others have not been so lucky. Brooke is the CEO of her own fashion label, but struggles with the stress of being on the top. Peyton cannot seem to get her record label off the ground and struggles with Lucas’ new love. Will the friends unite again?
Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew: MTV Thursdays at 10 p.m. Thought it was another annoying American dance show? Cringed at the idea of another entertainment reality contest? For those who answered yes to those questions, don’t look past America’s Best Dance Crew. With groups ranging from all females to all rollarskating teams, they all compete to make it to the final showdown. The dances are truly innovative as it is a mix of street style and professional dancing.
The Office: NBC Thursdays at 9 p.m. For those who thought that The Office simply could not get any funnier, you are wrong. This season the show returns to the spring lineup with more material than ever. With ping-pong breaks being the norm and Steve Carell returning with even more unbelievable antics, you will be laughing off your couch. With numerous new shows threatening oldie favorites like this one producers had to come up with even newer ways to entertain audiences. Compiled by Avery Adcock
Kanye’s mixtape makes for marvelous music BY OMAR MAYASSI Staff Writer
beats, sounds and rhythm. Kanye not only makes his own beats for himself and others, but his rhymes come from true life experiences. On Graduation: The Musical, his songs are all just so bone chilling because they make you think about life, what it means, and why Kanye is just so different form other artists. Kanye not only showed his production skills in this mixtape, but his rhymes are truly amazing because they come from the heart and not the mind. His raps are basically poetry Singer, Kanye West channelled old school rap sped up. To listen to this mixtape go to for his new poetry-like mixtape. www.dapiff.com. Kanye West brings back the hip-hop of Being able to match rhymes with a old, when music was not all about dancing beat from the ’90s is a difficult task, as it to a beat, but about listening to the lyrics requires a focus on the lyrics more than the and relating it to your own struggles. beat itself. While Kanye West is known for Although Kanye did not win a Grammy his great beats, he shows that he can for Album of the Year, his skillful rhyming excel lyrically as well as instrumentally, as well as his musical prowess are sure to much like another throwback artist, Lupe win him many awards to come. Fiasco.
Don’t let a dreary day hold back your spirit. Take a walk in the park or find a good book to lift your spirits. At the end of the month a special person will come into your life.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
This month be thankful for what you have. Try not to complain about your shortcomings. There are many around you in much worse situations.
Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)
Your friends seem to never leave you alone. Even if you don’t like what they are telling you listen up. They have something very important to say this month.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
This month you will encounter an influx of money. You will figure out that working for yourself is indeed more lucrative. Keep on the same track.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Celebrate your accomplishments this month. Take a few friends out to dinner. You will be surprised how proud your friends are of you.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Times are getting tougher as work piles on. You will soon have a reprive from your mundane experiences.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Sudoku
Musicals are known as plays on Broadway or the Disney channel and tells a story through music. Kanye West put a whole new meaning to the term “musical.” He has done it again, but this time in a mixtape musical. Mixtapes are released by artists and their purpose is to “diss” or trash another artist or to rap on some other artist’s beats. The purpose of Kanye’s mixtape was to show people that he was a different type of artist; he was a real artist. His new mixtape is titled “Graduation: The Musical” and features ten singles which were previewed on all three of his last albums. What makes them different is he sampled all the beats from old songs, such as Steely Dan’s “Champion,” Michael Jackson’s “Good Life,” and Curtis Mayfield’s “Touch the Sky.” After listening to this mixtape, I realized that Kanye West
was robbed of the Grammy for Album of the Year. In this mixtape, he was not only extremely unique, but he brought back and, in a way, saved these old classics. I mean if it weren’t for Kanye, I wouldn’t know who the heck Steely Dan was. For example, his song “I Wonder” was taken from a man named Labbi Stiffre. The original song sounds like a song that would be used for a Willie Wonka movie, but Kanye sped up the beat, added synthesizers, and then added a lot of bass. The song went from a Wonka classic to a hip-hop classic. Take a look at hip-hop these days. Nas said “Hip-Hop is dead.” In a way, it is, but Kanye West is one of the few artists that brings back that essence of music into the music industry. It is an art form that only few can do and Kanye really saves the classics.This art is difficult to produce because Kanye has to go through a lot of work. He needs to: find old classics, listen to them, switch up the beat and give it a new twist with amazing
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
medium
WWW.DAILYSUDOKU.COM
easy
WWW.DAILYSUDOKU.COM
Fill in the blank spaces in the grid so that every vertical column, every horizontal row and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9, without repeating any. There is really only one solution to each puzzle. This puzzle is based upon reasoning and logic. It does not require any arithmetic.
This month will be especially hard for you and your family. Make sure you are there for everyone. They will need you very badly.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18)
You may feel like giving up, but hang in there because next month looks good. Allow yourself enough time to find solice in your inner self. Five minutes of rest can do a world of difference.
WEEKEND
20 What are your plans for spring break? “I’m going to the Trace Atkins concert with my sister and her boyfriend.”
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Spring Break finally...
—Tyler Nguyen senior
“I’m going to New York to see concerts with some friends. I’m also going to spend time with my cousins.”
—Aurelie Foll sophomore “I’m going to California with my daughter to visit my nephew and cousin.”
—Gabriel Romano health teacher “I’m going to Egypt to visit my cousin and family members then I’m going to the beach to have fun.”
—Manal Elhak junior
Top 10 Spring Break Retreats
Stuck at home in Annandale with nothing to do and no plans for Spring Break? Gather with family or call a few friends and enjoy some of the lesser known Northern Va. sites.
1. Cancun 2. Alcapulco
Fredricksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
3. Panama City, Florida
Visit the final resting place of Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s amputated arm. Learn exactly why his body and arm were buried separately. (www.nps.gov/frsp/)
4. Miami, Florida 5. Rosarito Beach, Baja
Drug Enforcement Administration Museum
The only museum dedicated to drugs, drug abuse, and drug -law enforcement. Visitors can learn the history of illegal drugs in America from the opium dens of the 1800s, the ‘60s drugs — marijuana, amphetamines and psychedelics — to present day designer-type drugs. (virginia.org)
6. North American Ski Resorts Fri., March 14 Patriot Center 7:00 p.m. Price: $30*50
7. Europe 8. Jamaica
Take advantage of Washington, D.C.
9. New York 10. Puerto Rico
Shamrock Festival Sat., March 15 RFK Stadium 12 p.m. Price: $14.99
La Giralda, a large cathedral in the heart of Seville, Spain.
What’s On The Menu Restaurant Guide
By Caroline Merz
Smith & Clarkson’s Missy Higgins
Sat., March 15 Fletcher’s Bar & Grill 7 p.m. Price: $18
Yellowcard w/ The Spill Canvas
Though located in the very popular Ravensworth Shopping center, it is surprising to know how many AHS students truly have never heard of the small sandwich and breakfast joint located on the corner to the right of Safeway. Ever since the first time I ventured into the small deli, I was surprised at the friendly, small town vibe I received. It appeared to be an escape from the busy lanes of Braddock Road and the nearby hum of the beltway. If I didn’t know any better I would feel as though I was in the middle of a quaint town in a very peaceful and serene area. It is known well for its deli sandwiches, gourmet breakfast plates, and their wide range of salad options. They also serve Aromatic Seattle’s Best Coffee which goes well with one of their many homemade pastries. The system of ordering seemed very efficient and I was able to receive my full meal in only a time span of approximately five minutes –pretty decent for an order of eggs, bacon, toast, and home fries. I suppose it was the way the restaurant was arranged that kept a fairly thick flow of customers moving swiftly. Immediately upon entering one is instantly directed into an ordering line with a menu posted both on the wall and
CAROLINE MERZ
Jonas Brothers
from, yet again, the hustle and bustle of Northern Virginia life. Not all have made plans to escapefortheweek,andinsteadhavemadeplanseitherintheareaorinnearbyVirginiaregions. In past years, the baseball team has made Spring Break trips to play in tournaments. Last year, the team traveled down to Charleston, South Carolina, to play in a week long tournament hosted by Summerville High School, playing games at Charleston Southern University. This year the team will only be traveling to Manassas to play in the Osbourn Park Tournament. For newcomer, Eric Reynolds, he is greatly anticipating this year’s games. But of course, there are always those that choose to hang around Annandale and simply bask in the freedom from a full week off from school. For those staying in the Annandale area, taking day trips to nearby attractions can add some spark and excitement to the week. Spring break is for spending time doing the things that one cannot do during the regular school week. It is a chance to escape the loads of homework and the stress of tests and studying, a break for some from the hectic life of Northern Virginia, or a chance to discover new and exciting activities closer to home.
Breakers at home
www.studenttravel.about.com
Upcoming Concerts
From Top left, clockwise: Freshman Brian Coffman took this picture from the Hilton Head Reserve in South Carolina last Spring Break. Sophomore Robert Potts and senior Kyle White hang at Chuck E. Cheese during their baseball trip to South Carolina. Junior Laura Burton traveled to Richmond with her family and friend, fellow junior, Mary Kowalczyk. She is planning to travel there this upcoming Spring Break.
For history buffs, a day trip into Washington, D.C. can be more fun than one would think. Visiting the Smithsonian with family and/or friends is a free way to explore new concepts, learn new things, all while enjoying the company of those around. Even trying a new restaurant in the city is a nice change of atmosphere.
above the counter for a quick view and easy ordering. From there, each person is given a number and then given the opportunity to claim a table while their food is being prepared. The pace at which food is made, prepped, and sent out was shockingly fast. Now, in terms of the food being served, there are little to no complaints. For being such affordable prices, the quality of food is high-quality. Six dollars can get you a hearty breakfast plate, and it is easy to say hearty is an understatement. Here, you are getting what you paid for…and then some. Eggs are always cooked to order, the French toast is enormous, and the Belgium waffle is truly delectable. This is not solely a breakfast eatery by any means. Lunch is served as well. According to Smith and Clarkson’s they would argue that their sandwiches are among their best available options on the menu. It is difficult to find a complaint about this deli, but the hours are a bit frustrating. Smith and Clarkson’s is only open Mon-Fri from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat from 7 a.m. to 4p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Problem? Not necessarily. It does become challenging while you are in search for that late afternoon/early evening meal and it is not open to aide your hunger. The staff does work very hard during their hours of operations and I suppose it is fair to end their busy days earlier in the afternoon. It is always a delight to walk in because the employees are more than usual students from the local high schools that are willing to assist each customer and ensure they receive everything they have requested. On a Saturday morning it becomes very crowded very quickly and can become difficult to find a place to sit in the early hours. It can become even worse on a Sunday morning. Usually it is very common to see teenagers hanging out with friends, teams meeting up after practice, or business coworkers meeting for lunch. Smith and Clarkson’s also caters some of their various platters (i.e. a sandwich platter, salad combo platter, box lunch, shrimp platter etc.), and have Wi-Fi wireless internet
CAROLINE MERZ
“My friends are planning to go to Kings Dominion, then camping and fishing.”
As the media would often portray, Spring Break is the opportunity for older students, mostly in college, to travel to Florida or Mexico and participate in the infamous Spring Break traditions of a wet tee-shirt contests, excessive drinking, and increased sexual behavior. It was not established for such a purpose. It was originated with the Greeks when the Athenian elders noticed an increase in happiness among younger people and suggested a time period to formally welcome spring, and hence Spring Break was born. Not until the “swinging ‘60s” did people start to take advantage of the blissful weather and break from school or work to travel to the beaches of Florida to forget the stress of the war, social progress, and exams that were rapidly approaching. Students do not have to fear midterms, but with AP/IB exams rapidly approaching and finals towards the end of the year, the break seems to serve as a final period solitude before the hassles of cramming and late nights. The Spring Break stereotype does not necessarily apply to the students here at Annandale. Many end up traveling with family, taking day trips, visiting colleges, or spending their time in the Annandale area. College visits are most common amongst the junior and senior classes, and occasionally for the sophomores eager to get a head start on the process. For seniors this is one of their last chances to view schools before choosing their destination for next year. With admissions decisions pouring in late March and early April, there are a limited number of weekends before then and May 1, the date final decisions must be mailed by students. Juniors will also be among the crowds visiting colleges next week. Spring break is prime time for visiting schools because many are still in session and it is easier to absorb the real vibe of the school when there are students roaming the campus. Summer becomes more difficult because schools will appear deserted. Junior Samantha Wilkins will be visiting multiple colleges with her mother during break including Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond, a school in Pennsylvania, and maybe a few schools in South Carolina. “I did a bit of searching [in preparation for the trip] and JMU (James Madison University) is at the top right now, I love it! But I’m still going to see these other ones,” said Wilkins. For those not doing the college trips this Spring Break, many are traveling on day trips or more extensive trips with family and friends. Junior Laura Burton takes full advantage of the week off from school, and for the past two years has traveled to Richmond with her family to visit relatives, and last year traveled with her friend, fellow junior, Mary Kowalczyk. “I am so excited to go this year! I always golf and go to Kings Dominion,” said Burton. She had a unique experience last year while down there when she was taught how to drive. “I’m super excited because I always have a good time with the people I see...we stay up late and sleep in and do everything we can and I love it!” Freshman Brian Coffman will be heading to South Carolina with his family for a nice getaway from the bustling life of Northern Virginia. “We’re just going for vacation; we’ve only been once before,” said Coffman, “we went last year too.” Senior James Thach plans to head even further south towards the warm weather of Tampa Bay, Florida. Thach is planning to travel with a bunch of his friends and has many plans in mind. “We’re going to be hitting up some arcades, eating at the local restaurants, checking out the boardwalk and getting a tattoo,” said Thach. These are the fortunate ones ofAHS who have grasped the opportunity to venture away
COURTESY OF BRIAN COFFMAN, LAURA BURTON, AND KYLE WHITE
BY CAROLINE MERZ Weekend Editor
—Stephen Novak sophomore
Wed., March 19 Recher Theater 6 p.m. Price: $18
March 11, 2008
Smith and Clarksonʼs offers a gourmet spread of breakfast foods as well as a large assortment of filling lunch foods. The deli style restaurant creates a small town, local feel and service is extremely quick and efficient.
available for free during working hours. For catering information, feel free to visit their website at www.smithdeli.com. They also deliver within a two-mile radius for a $2.50 service charge with a minimum order of at least $30. Location: 5224 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-3670
Food: Service: Decor: out of 4 stars