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the VOLUME #52 ISSUE 11
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MORE GUN CONTROL? Virginia Tech shooting prompts debate about gun legisation
ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL 700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003
703-642-4229
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2007
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CORPSES UP CLOSE Controvesial art exhibit comes to the D.C. area
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Insert VT TRAGEDY
RIVAL RESTAURANTS
In-depth coverage of the tragedy which claimed the lives of 32 Hokies
Students debate between popular local eateries
AHS reacts to VT shooting The tragedy at Virginia Tech directly impacts AHS community
Today’s Weather Partly Cloudy High: 75
Low: 56
NEWS BRIEFS SRO honored by FCPS school board
Mike Ferraris, the student resource officer (SRO) for AHS, was selected as the 2007 Distinguished School Resource Officer. Ferraris will be honored during a ceremony on Thursday at Luther Jackson Middle School.
Governorʼs School results
The following students were selected to participate in Governor’s School this summer: —Seemal Awan: Math, Science and Technology —Stephanie Berg: Math, Science and Technology —Kelsey Blanco: Theater —Jeremy Hsu: Math, Science and Technology —Wafa Khadraoui: Life Sciences and Medicine —Ah-Ram Kim: Agriculture —Trung Le: Japanese —Elise Miles: Instrumental Music —Victoria Smith: Spanish —Bich-Lien Vu: Agriculture —Miyako Yerick: Humanities The following students were placed on the waiting list for Governor’s School: —Jennifer Patton: Instrumental —Wattana Savanh: Visual Arts —Natalia Schwein: Theater —Alaina Talley: Vocals —Rebecca Clayton: Spanish
Volunteers needed to work Boosterʼs Nissan fundraiser
The Annandale High School Boosters raised almost $30,000 last year at the Nissan Pavilion. This is an important fundraiser for AHS and trained volunteers are needed for the success to continue. All AHS volunteers (18 or older) must be TIPS trained.All TIPS training and recertification was offered at AHS on Thursday,April 12 in Clausen Hall. For more information, email Shelli Wayland at shelli.wayland@fcps.edu
Senior qualifies for FBLA state competition
Senior Kevin Leach won first place in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state competition on March 31 in Reston, Virginia. Leach will go on to represent the state of Virginia at the national competition on June 28 in Chicago, Illinois. This is the first time thatAHS has had a student qualify for the national competition.
Undecided 4%
No 43%
Yes 53%
Should the U.S. enforce stricter gun laws following the Virginia Tech shooting?
This survey was distributed on April 17 and during B, C and D lunches. Of 500 surveys distributed, 534 were completed and returned for inclusion in this graph.
For the past week, the halls of AHS have been a sea of orange and maroon. Students, teachers and faculty alike have come together, donning Virginia Tech apparel, to demonstrate unity and support for the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy. For AHS, unlike many other local schools, the tragedy is hitting very close to home. As news of the incident began to unfold on Monday morning, April 16, AHS students picked up their cell phones or logged onto their facebooks in an attempt to locate all of their friends who attend Virginia Tech. AHS is a school that is heavily connected to Tech. Last year alone, 27 AHS graduates chose Tech for their undergraduate studies. For most students, the news was good.Almost allAHS alumni were accounted for. However, until late Monday night, no one had heard from 2006 graduate Mary Read. At approximately 10:30 p.m., the AHS community learned of Read’s death through word of mouth. “I was hanging out with a friend, he was watching T.V. and flipped it to CNN,” said senior Rodrigo Costas. “He said ‘this is crazy, did you hear about this?’”
PAUL MATHIS
Log on to www.thea-blast.org and visit our online forum to share your opinions, thoughts or personal stories about the Virginia Tech Tragedy.
Juniors Jenna McRae and Amy Fleming sign a banner for the family of AHS alumn Mary Read who was killed in the Virginia Tech Tragedy. Banners were avaliable for students to sign throughout the week following the incident. Both McRae and Fleming wore their Hokie gear to support “Hokie Hope” day which took place onApril 20.
“Reactions” cotinued on page S2
Auto tech offers college courses Spring Fling
approaches
AHS earns Nat’l Automotive Technician Education Foundation certification
BY TIM YUSKAVAGE Copy Editor
BY EBONY CHAMBERS Staff Writer Annandale High School’s automotive department received its National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF) certification at the end of February this year, after two years of preparing. Joe Desio and Anthony Manitakis are the instructors of the automotive program at AHS. Annandale is one of four schools to become NATEF certified. Only sophomores and upper classmen are permitted to sign up for the course. The automotive technology class is made up of three different courses: level I, II, and III. Maniatakis is the instructor for the level I classes which has about 120 students. Desio teaches both level II and III; level I has about 30 students and level III has about 18 students. This program teaches students an assortment of automotive skills, from the basics of how to change oil and do safety checks to how to fix electrical problems and repair or replace car parts. The level I class is worth one credit; students start off
COURTESY OF JOE DESIO
Share your opinion
BY ALYSSA NAVARRETE Co-Editor in Chief
Senior Shane Keady sits in the dragster race car that was brought to the auto tech classes. Beginning next year, auto tech will be able to offer college level courses.
with the safety. In order to continue taking the class you must pass the safety test. If the safety test is failed, you will be removed from the course. After the safety portion of the class, students will begin to learn about how to use jacks, changes tires, lifts. They will also be shown how to change oil and remove tires from the rim and how to put them back on. “Auto tech” continued on page 5
The “Spring Fling” dance, sponsored by the AHS Athletics Department and coordinated by Assistant Director of Student Activities Richard Adams, will be held in the cafeteria from 8 to 11 p.m. on Sat. April 28. The dance is being held as part of a fundraiser for AHS athletics. Tickets were three dollars presale. No tickets will be sold at the door. This dance will be the first dance held atAHS this year since the Homecoming dance. In Adams previous years, there have been no spring dances, although a few attempts at winter dances never came to fruition. The fact that the over two hundred spring athletes are supposed to purchase tickets means that the athletics department can expected to bring in at least a few hundred dollars. According to Director of StudentActivitiesAngelo Hilios, the goal for the event was to sell around 400 tickets. “We thought it would be a good opportunity for a dance for all athletic teams and athletes, and a celebration for spring teams,” said Hilios.
Annandale
New leaders chosen goes green BY KRISTA SILANO Managing Editor In lieu of Earth Week,which runs from April 2030th, the Green Atoms of AHS have and will continue to sponsor various activities to raise awareness about important environmental issues. The activities began last Monday,April 16 when teachers were asked to participate in the “Plastic Mountain” activity. They were told to collect empty Xerox paper boxes or other bins with signs reading “RecyleAluminum and Plastic Here,”and to encourage students and staff to place their empty soda cans and water bottles in the bins throughout the week. The bins were collected yesterday, April 23. A second school-wide activity took place on Friday, April 20th during R3 flex, when all classes watched a 30 minute movie about global warming titled An Inconvenient Truth. They then completed a worksheet which sparked class discussion. “I think that An Inconvenient Truth was a good movie to watch because they used cartoons to help kids better understand the causes and dangers of global warming,” said senior Daniel Kim, who watched the movie in his accounting class. “Green Atoms” continued on page 5
Student government announces new officers for 2007-2008 and look to raise school spirit BY CLAIRE BUI Staff Writer
“I plan to be more involved and think of more ideas, brainstroming for activities such as peprallies and homecoming...Iʼm not just going to be a figure head, Iʼm going to take full duty of my position.”
Ngan Hoang, Prseident “[I just want] to make ‘08 a
memorable school year for all After talling the ballots from the April 12 election, the stuthe rising seniors...to make the dent government announced rising senior Ngan Hoang as its school events more entertain2007-2008 SGA President and Carlos Galicia as its new SGA ing. I would do more to be Vice President. involved with the surrounding According to Hoang’s pre-election statement, her goals incommunity.” Carlos Galicia, clude “creating more school spirit among students,” and “making Vice President next year memorable and fun or everyone.” “I plan to inform students about As SGA President, several of Hoang’s duties include, taking pep-rallies and class elections the initiative for school functions and fundraisers, planning and because thereʼs not enough delegating SGAmeetings, being the chairperson for all fundraisinvolvement...I like how the sysers and events, taking responsibilities for school wide actions, tem is right now and Iʼm going to try just improve my skills.” and gaining approval for school activities from the Administration, Finance Officer and the Activities Office. “I’m excited about being next year’s SGAPresident because I Linda Nguyen, Secretary have never held a leadership position before, but I’m also nervous at the same time. I have high hopes that next year will turn out “I have a positive outlook for well,” Hoang said. next year because everybody is One of Galicia’s main objectives is to also make sure the really enthusiastic about making the events as successful as student body has a memorable and exciting year.
“SGA” continued on page 5
possible. I plan on doing more fundraising and taking care of funds.
Minjee Kim, Treasurer
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EDITORIALS
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April 24, 2007
Gun control back in spotlight A part of it is security. Many people believe that they need guns to protect themselves from those people who already have them. No one is willing to give up their guns until everyone else gives up theirs as well. This assumption that everyone with a gun has some sort of advantage leads to more people buying guns, and then becoming unwilling to give them up. BY LARA COULTER Another part is that many Americans find it their responsibility to the United States Journalism I student to own a gun. This stems from the fact that the Constitution states the right to bear arms. The recent events at Virginia Tech have reeled the nation into a frenzy of questions, When the Constitution was written, the United States had just come out of the Revoluchallenging whether or not sufficient measures were taken to prevent this tragedy. Did tionary War. To ensure that we would never be oppressed again by the government, our the police misinform the campus? Did the administration not act as soon as it should Founding Fathers gave all American citizens the ability to own a gun in case citizens ever have? Americans are wondering how something of this nature was able to happen. Yet, needed to rise against the government. Yet while this reason may have been completely the answer lies long before Cho Seung-Hui stepped into that first dorm. The question we valid a couple hundred years ago, it cannot be applied today when there is such an extensive must ask ourselves, is would this attack have taken place if Cho had not been granted quantity of weapons that can do significant damage. such easy access to a gun? It is common sense that the Second Amendment Virginia leads as one of the states with the least-restrictive should not be taken literally. Just as freedom of religion policies on purchasing guns. Cho, the Virginia Tech gunman, does not mean you can sacrifice people, and freedom was able to take his gun home almost immediately after he of speech does not give you the right to make bomb decided to purchase it. Cho walked into Roanoke Firearms, threats. The right to bear arms must be interpreted where he proceeded to buy 50 rounds of ammunition and to accommodate the current times. And in today’s day the 9mm pistol, which he used during the shootings along and age, it is a bad idea to let automatic weapons be with a .22-caliber Walther pistol. All he had to do to obtain available to anyone. the weapons was present a form of I.D. guaranteeing he was Why are automatic assault weapons available for who he claimed, and a credit card to pay for the relatively purchase in the first place? These guns are designed cheap price of $571. An instant background check was then to shoot in rapid succession, with almost complete acconducted, and in less than a minute, Cho, who had no jail curacy. High capacity ammunition clips are now availrecord, had been given permission to buy a gun. able, which allow guns to shoot potentially hundreds I will go so far as to say that Cho may as well have been of rounds in a second. Is this at all necessary for the handed a gun. The only major restriction Virginia has regardprotection so many gun owners crave? When a burglar ing gun control is a limit on the amount of guns purchased at Cho Seung-Hiu is pictured here with the guns he used to com- breaks into your house, is it really necessary to have a a time. Only one gun can be purchased per month. A waiting plete his horrific killing spree. hundred rounds ready to stop the intruder? period of one hour is also required between purchase time and Automatics are so reckless to sell to the public because being given the gun. A person needs to be only 18 years old to purchase their own gun. they simply make killing easier, faster, they allow a person to kill from a significant disIt is easier to purchase a gun in Virginia than it is to get an abortion. Consider that the tance, and they allow a person to kill many people at a time. If Cho had not had access same group of people who believe they can prevent a woman from her right to an abortion to buying an automatic assault weapon, he would have never reached the capacity of are the same people who are strongly against laws that would restrict the distribution and people who were shot. purchasing of guns. And yet, they argue that abortion is no different than murder. It is a matter of great concern that with 33 people dead and 30 wounded from the Anti-gun control is distinctly American. Our gun policies are of the most lenient in the shootings at Virginia Tech, people persistently continue to claim that it is their right to world. Not surprisingly, the United States therefore also leads in gun fatalities. Why do purchase automatic assault weapons. This belief that Americans are entitled to buying Americans then choose to continue our gun policies, when the numbers prove that gun guns is what allowed Cho Seung-Hui to purchase his very own 9mm Glock pistol. control could save lives?
Prom is what you make of it As the school year dies down, one event that always shows up on the radar of seniors is their Prom. Whether excited about Prom, already making reservations and finding a date, or saying that Prom is an event you won’t attend (and then still go to) or actually not go, it will be impossible to avoid discussions about the dance. The famous (or infamous, depending on your view) evening popularized through all sorts of media aimed at teens has taken a life onto itself. No more is it appropriate that a gentleman picks up his date, goes out to dinner, goes to the dance and calls it a night. A limo must be rented, huge group dinner plans must be made, digital pictures must be taken ad nauseam and the huge after party must be attended. A cynical view on what should be a fun night for teens? Perhaps. The truth is, we all have plenty of reasons to be cynical. I figure a good deal of the people attending Prom will follow the more recent course of events just outlined, and good for them. They will probably have a fine night fitting into the role that they have been told to act in. After all, everyone likes a conformist, right? Let that night be for yourself, not what your friends pressure you into or what some media outlet says Prom should be. Have fun! —Tim Yuskavage Copy Editor
WWW.NBC.COM
The violent Virginia Tech massacre raises renewed debates on weapons
Citizen journalism: duty for us all Shots are fired from inside a building and police rush toward the entrance. What Opinion would be your By Mohamad Elbarasse reaction? Pull out your camera phone of course. Or at least, this was the case with Jamal Albarghouti, 24, a Virginia Tech graduate student. The video he captured of the police moving toward Norris Hall as shots rang out was broadcast and replayed on CNN and every other major news network. In the video, shots are heard coming from the building and the viewer can see Albarghouti moving towards the sound of gunfire. Police eventually stopped Albarghouti before he got too close. When asked why, Albarghouti, of Palestinian descent, ran towards the gunshots, he replied, “I didn’t think I was in danger at any point in time. My country is at war. Maybe I’m just used to the fact these things do happen.” Albarghouti’s video was the first visual account of the shootings to hit the media network. Albarghouti is like many others before him, a group of people known as citizen journalists. Anyone and everyone can be a citizen journalist; the only requirement is that you have proof of what happened; be they pictures, video recordings, or audio recordings. And
Mo’s
Mindset
Democrats should hope Gonzales Stays As many people know, Attorney General Albert Gonzales is in serious trouble. He has been accused by several people, including politicians in his own party, of approving the firing of eight U.S. federal attorney’s for political reasons. In addition, Gonzales is in serious trouble of not getting his story straight, including telling reporters in a now famous press conference earlier this year, that he had “nothing to do” with the firings. Lets not talk about the seemingly obivous fact that Gonzales is an Attorney General who has blurred the line between law and politics and lied about his involvement in the process. Rather, lets focus on the actual politics of the situation. The simple reality is that, for Democrats, Gonzales is a person who could single-handedly help the Democrates take back the White House and maintain, or even expand, their majorities in the House and Senate. The reasoning for this is simple, every day that Gonzales stays as attorney general, the Democrats have an excellent oppertunity to criticize a Republican who is clearly guilty and whose reputation is beyond repair. However, if Bush cuts his losses and fires Gonzales, the focus of the media and general public will likely turn to the current debate about Iraq war funding. Simply put, this is a debate that the Democrats do not want to have because it emphaizes the divisions in their own party about whether or not to defund the Iraq War. Also, the Gonzales fiasco puts the Bush administration on the defensive. This contrasts with the Iraq war funding, in which Bush has a free oppertunity to bash Democrats as being “against the troops” and “unpatriotic” (he doesn’t actually say these words, rather he implies them all the time). The Democrats need to milk this political oppertunity and hope that Gonzales doesn’t go away anytime soon, because he is helping the Democrats more then the Republicans. —Greg Young Staff Writer
with new inventions in technology, almost anyone can capture a moment with his or her cell phone or digital camera. Another VT student recorded his account of the horrible tragedy but in a different way. As soon as freshman Bryce Carter heard the gunshots and police sirens, he hopped on his computer and began to blog. Carter also posted a video that he shot from his window of police cars gathering outside of Norris Hall. “My friends could be dead,” typed Carter during the attack. “Tears continue.” Such was the case when a student at UCLA was unjustly tasered, and when Michael Richards threw away any dignity he had left in a tirade against African Americans, and when George Allen lost the election for using a racial slur at a political rally. Bystanders saw something that needed media analysis and recorded it. If some of these events had not been recorded, bigots could be in office, low life comedians could still be working comedy clubs, and the UCLAcampus police could still be abusing their power. It is our responsibility as citizens to report first hand accounts of newsworthy subjects. There are hundreds of venues to let your voice be heard. From YouTube.com, where users can post videos for free, to Scoopt.com, a website dedicated to selling amateur photos and videos to the press. We all need to be citizen journalists; it is our duty to society to inform them of what is going on in the world. Sure, that is what we have the news for, but what if the news
MAking the GrAde
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Flags to be lowered at half-mast
In light of the recent horror at Virginia Tech, President George Bush has ordered flags to fly halfmast at all government building between April 17 and 22 in mourning for the victims. In response to Bush’s proclamation, governors and mayors in many states have also requested that businesses, homes, and city municipal buildings fly their flags at half-mast to show respect for the tragic death of 33 students.
Fines for food wasted A restaurant in Hong Kong has taken a new approach in cutting down leftovers by charging people 64 cents per ounce for food left on their plates. The city has been forced to threaten fines and punishment for wasted food due to a doubling in the amount of trashed food in the past 5 years. Every day 9,300 tons of food waste is deposited at landfills, and landfills are fast filling up.
2,500-mile long cab drive
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The retired couple from NY City has finally arrived in northern Arizona after a 2,500-mile drive in a taxi. Betty and Bob Matas do not drive and to spare their two cats a trip on an airplane, they decided to hail a taxi to take them cross-country. The cab driver was paid $3,000, plus gas, meals, and lodging to drive the couple 10 hours a day. Leaving their home on April 10, the couple arrived at their destination on the 17 th. The best part: the New York taxi driven was a hybrid vehicle.
Getting rich off broken relationships
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A man residing in Berlin has been getting rich by ending other people’s relationships. Bernd Dressler charges 50 euros ($68) to tell people that they have been dumped. Since the creation of his lucrative business 11 months ago, Dressler has ended 200 relationships. It’s not all bad news, though, Dressler also gives coaching lessons for people that want to end their own relationships, salvage them, or apologize for wrongdoings.
Jamal Albarghouti captured the first scenes of the attack and the police response.
channel’s camera crew is not there and you are? These conditions are perfect for a citizen journalist. What we need are more people like Jamal Albarghouti and Bryce Carter out there; if there were we, would be a much more informed society.
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author’s e-mail: mohamad.elbarasse@thea-blast.org
t Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, Virginia 22003
Vol. 53 No. 10 April 24, 2007
(703)642-4229 email: thea-blast@thea-blast.org fax: (703)642-4299
Editors In Chief: Alyssa Navarrete David Sherman
Webmasters: Erik Vu Matt Camilli
Managing Editor: Krista Silano
Online Editor: Bryan Krzywicki Design Editor: Kevin Leach Graphics Editor: Adam Kasdorf Videographers/Editors: Gus Nielsen Drew Wildes Ben Hendrickson
News Editors: Michelle Risse Emily Sample Editorials Editors: Shriya Adhikary Mohamad Elbarasse In-Depth Editors: Paul Mathis Chrissy Osipchak Sports Editors: Avery Adcock Greg Rosenstein Sports Xtra Editors: Jeff Dean Matt Johnson People Editors: Julie Baker Lindsey Downen Weekend Editors: Kate McCormack Tim Shadyac International Editors: Vanessa Cerro Waliha Gani Entertainment Editors: Layluma Hotaki Jenny Jacobs
Photography Editors: Margaret Crowley Julianne Simpson Copy Editor: Tim Yuskavage Ad Manager: Amy Stevens Circulation Manager: Kyle Knoche Spanish Consultant: Antonio Rivadinera Adviser: Alan Weintraut Online Staff: Saman Janparvar, Amy Steinbuechler, Marisa Tordella, CJ Sidener, Taylor Hobson, Emily Vincent Staff Writers/Photographers: Lucas Higgins, Lea Nickerson, Meredith Rutherford, Amina Mohamed, Laith Abu-Taleb Rachael Burnett, Ebony Chambers, Charlie Winters, Julie Tumasz, Brandon Williams, Bud Ireland, Daniel Fishman, Greg Young, Nathalie Cladera Carrera, Claire Bui, Nicole Swiger, Aya Saed, Caroline Merz, Cristian Roldan
Health Editors: Becca Grimsley Sarah Waiter Academics Editors: Michael Craig Cason Kynes
Trophy Class Pacemaker Virginia High National Scholastic Art Editors: Lyndsay Jacobs School Press Association Laura Simpson 2005-2006 2005-2006 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, 2007. CSPA Silver Crown 2004-2005
Stress leads to disaster Opinion
By Shriya Adhikary Individuals under pressure are more prone to maniacal, insensible actions that they normally would not commit in ordinary circumstances. Take any person who has been put under more stress than they can handle and analyze their reactions: they will burst into tears, explode sporadically with fits of anger, and/or start a breaking rampage. Worse reactions include threats, depression, suicide, or murder of such things. The greatest worry is that these people will keep all of their problems and emotions on the inside and finally break out with something drastic. Students especially have a hard time dealing with stress and are the quickest to fold under pressure. A recent study conducted by Pamela Jackson, a leading social psychologist, found that anger and hostility are among the most common emotional reactions to negative life events for young people. This news should not come as a surprise since the U.S. has recently experienced an escalation in the number of bomb threats, suicides, and increased rates of students diagnosed with clinical depression. When individuals are under pressure, they need to seek help from outside sources such as friends, family, and/or counselors. Conditions should be dealt with as quickly as possible. The problem with Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech student responsible for the tragic mass murder, was the lack of such action. Teachers and fellow students describe Cho as a withdrawn student who did not have very many friends and chose to keep to himself. Cho earned good grades
WWW.NBC.COM
Shriya Says
However, the discussion now lies with what was not done to even have a chance to prevent such a tragedy. No matter how aware the people around Cho were in regard to his instability, they were ineffective with their actions. One of his professors, after reading his disturbing writings and witnessing his strange mannerisms, refused to have him in her class and demanded that he be removed. As Cho could not legally be taken out altogether, he was placed in a separate class. Since the college could not decline Cho his education, and because it had no concrete proof of his instability, Virginia Tech was incapable of taking any action to remove him from the university or force him to seek professional help. From this tragic incident, people are being forced to take a closer look at students under strain. Stress encountered can be attributed to many aspects of life. But how can we best deal with this rise in the number of students who are facing such pressure and stress? There are thousands of students in schools across the United States who are unwell and in need of medical or professional assistance. Their stress might not necessarily lead them into the process of planning a mass murder, but the immeasurable risk of these stressed out people harming themselves and others around them still exists to a dangerous level. We as a society need to come together to decide how to best help and deal with students that have become unstable from too much mental strain. This is a problem that will continue to haunt many students and school buildings in the following years as more students resort to violence to try to solve their inner anguish. We cannot sit by and leave more innocent lives at stake. It is an unfortunate truth that this idea arises upon the loss of 32 innocent lives.
in most of his courses, but was known for writing disturbing poetry and violent plays that made professors and students alike question his mental stability. Some professors claim that they witnessed a very evident mean streak in his personality, an intimidating characteristic to his counterparts. Cho was hospitalized in 2005 for a suspected mental illness and contemplation of suicide. However, he was soon released and allowed to continue his education at Virginia Tech. The majority of Cho’s contacts took notice of his unstable mental state. Some of them did try to help. Cho’s roommate had told authorities that Cho was contemplating suicide in 2005, and after he was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice. Cho voluntarily spent a few days in a mental facility. Cho’s mental illness and state of depression is transparent in the video, photos, and letter that were mailed to NBC News. This package was sent to NBC News by the killer himself, during the hiatus of gunfire on Monday 16 April 2007.
author’s e-mail: shriya.adhikary@thea-blast.org
Cho Seung-Huiʼs pictureʼs and video were sent to NBC Studios in New York. His pictures are a testimony to his unstable mental state.
Somalian government purged horrified by the strict promulgation and enforcement of Islamic Sharia law by the CICs. Somali women were forced to don the Islamic hijab; As we mourn those who were killed in Virginia Tech, even though today, with Ethiopian troops patrolling the one must not forget the massacres that not only result streets of the capital, Somali women are urged to take in the death of 33 people, but thousand of innocent men, the veil off, which the secular TFG government says is women and children. The long-overdue attempt to instill associated with fundamentalism and backwardness. peace in Somalia has unleashed a humanitarian crisis of The enemies and detractors of the CICs have habitually underestimated their power and popular appeal. gargantuan proportions. The Somali Prime Minster, Mohamed Ali Gedi, an Somalia is unable to reinvent itself. Its fiercely independent nomadic tradition might now be something of a influential secularist figure and a staunch supporter liability. The Somalis today face the worst humanitarian of Ethiopian military intervention in Somalia, recently catastrophe with the outbreak of pandemics in the Somali revealed that he is also holding separate talks with “modcapital Mogadishu, as other areas are experiencing the erate Islamist clerics” who eschew violence. Possibly a more potent policy, which is just starting worst violence in 15 years following the overthrow of the regime of the late Somali military strongman Siad to be articulated, is the possible intervention of higher profile Arab politicians into Somali politics. Egypt, which Barre. is not even officially a member of Fighting erupted in Mogadishu the ICG, is attempting to play a when Ethiopian troops, invited by more reconciliatory role in Somali the Transitional Federal Governpolitics. ment (TFG), stormed the city last The future of Somalia The country hosts thousands of December, and violent conflict has Somali refugees, and has a tradiraged in the city of 2 million ever will be brighter without tion of being able to leverage politisince. This week, some 100,000 pov- warlords and foreign troops cal clout over certain segments of a erty stricken refugees were forced to now hopelessly fragmented Somali flee the Somali capital and take refuge political establishment. Millions in the surrounding countryside. of Somalis reside in the Arabian The United Nations High ComPeninsula—mainly in oil-rich mission for Refugees (UNHCR) Gulf Arab states and in neighborwarned of the looming humanitarian disaster and said that at least 400 people were feared dead ing Yemen, which also hosts hundreds of thousands of after four days of intense street fighting in Mogadishu. Somali refugees. These crucial talks that are taking place in Somalia The city had enjoyed relative peace and quiet when the Council of Islamic Courts (CICs) took control of the city itself are being conducted between Ethiopian commanders and those described by the Ethiopians as “moderate” last year. The CICs have emerged as the only Somali leaders clan and tribal elders of the Hawiya tribe, the dominant since the demise of the notorious Barre, and have refused group in and around the Somali capital and the country’s to take advantage of the divisive dynamics of Somali soci- largest and most influential tribe. Furthermore, the Somalis have never been a people ety that their weaker predecessors so eagerly exploited. The Somali warlords were worse than thuggish to be taken half-heartedly. Western powers and neighborclowns, and ruthlessly employed divide and rule tactics ing states have always underestimated the resilience of to advance their own personal interests. The CICs, in the Somali people. Their reluctance to accept the wishes sharp contrast, worked hard to overcome tribal and clan of the Somali people, and their cynical intervention in divisions. Somalia’s neighbors, Ethiopia and Kenya, were domestic Somali politics, ostensibly at the behest of the alarmed at the prospects of the emergence of a Taliban- Somalis, has been a policy of deceit and one that invariably ends in disaster. like state in Somalia. Somalis may well be fed up with politicians, but that is Both countries have large ethnic Somali communities and politically dynamic Muslim minorities—in the only half the truth. They have shown tremendous support case of Ethiopia; Muslims claim to be in the majority, for the CICs. The Somalis, and especially the Hawiya, even though Ethiopian government statistics indicate have grown more touchy about outside interference in their internal affairs as the years pass. Indeed, the entire otherwise. Western powers instinctively sympathized with the Horn of Africa is teetering on the edge of a political abyss. Ethiopian and Kenyan governments. They could not un- It is a region of puzzlingly different identities. And, few derstand the power and popular appeal of CICs and were understand this characteristic of the Horn better than
WWW.SOMALIA-GOV.INFO
BY AMINA MOHAMED Staff Writer
Black smoke rises over the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu on the fourth day of heavy fighting between Ethiopian troops and anti-government insurgents.
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The Somalian capital of Mogadishu has been ruthlessly attacked by Ethiopian troops prompting political factions to attempt to seize control of the African nation.
the Somali President Abdallah Youssef. The enclave he ruled with an iron grip for years, Puntland, is the very projection that gave its name to the entire Horn of Africa. Ethiopian backing has not improved his public standing. The Ethiopian military presence casts a dark pall over the city; Youssef appears to be desperately holding on to power in the hope of seeing his political rivals, the warlords, lose ground. But his deadliest enemy, Sheikh Dhaher Aweis, reputed to be a particularly militant Islamist, is putting up stiff resistance. The people of the Horn of Africa, in sharp contrast to the peoples of East and Southern Africa, do not display a fawning respect for Western ways. In Somalia you can usually count on people to stand up for their freedom; they do not acknowledge bosses other than their clan leaders, who have little sway over the Somalis as a whole. But unfortunately, rather than working to improve the conditions of their people, the tribal and clan leaders appear to be fomenting trouble. One dilemma facing Somalia today is that the TFG, propped up by Addis Ababa, is hugely unpopular; especially in Mogadishu and its immediate environs. Ethiopian troops have pounded the Somali capital, followed by an unprecedented event of possibly disastrous long-term consequences. The CICs are leading the underground resistance against the Ethiopian military presence. They have invented an imaginative scheme designed to politically Islamicize Somalia. At first, the Islamists’ efforts were clumsy, but they began to learn from their mistakes even prior to the Ethiopian invasion. The lure of political Islam is powerful among Somalis who want to forget the tribal and clan divisions of the past. Their leader, Aweis, and arch-enemy of the Ethiopians clearly identified tribal and clan politics as the bane of Somalia. Aweis is right in many respects, and from the point of view of Somali society, wouldn’t dislodging the warlords and establishing a stable, honest, united government be a good thing? Why is he necessarily wrong in thinking that an Islamic republic is the best solution for Somalia’s political and socio-economic woes? Aweis is not the ogre Washington and Addis Ababa make him out to be. To the contrary, he is a hero to many of his own Hawiya clansmen. Although he has lost authority due to the Ethiopian invasion, Aweis is plotting a political comeback. He has always been taken seriously, whether respectfully or disdainfully, by all Somalis. In sharp contrast, Youssef has pinned his hopes on the Americans and Ethiopians; he is also counting on the United Nations and theAfrican Union. Some 1,700 Ugandan troops are already in Somalia supposedly to replace the Ethiopians. But the Somali warlords are up to their dirty tricks again. The future will be brighter without them and without foreign troops in Somalia; African or not. author’s e-mail: amina.mohamed@thea-blast.org
3 International novels versus national classics The International Baccalaureate program prides itself on integrating all facets of knowledge to produce students who are internationally oriented in a multidisciplinary fashion. In one sense, this is true; sources for IB material come from various countries, cultures, and parts of the world. Students read books from Vietnam and Africa, learn methods of biological investigation that are at the same time being practiced in India. However, though I respect the IB international orientation, I have come to qualms with the material being read in IB English classes. My IB English class is fascinating and intriguing in its scope and purpose, and it would be an understatement to express the fact that I learn a lot. But it seems, to me, that the books we read in IB English class, which derive from various multicultural origins, pale in their artistic achievement in comparison to some of the more “standard” novels read in American English classes. These novels have often been called the greatest novels of all time: Tom Sawyer, The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath; the list goes on. I am not saying that the novels being read in IB English classes are not of literary merit (titles include Paradise of the Blind, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Things Fall Apart); I simply believe that the import of the novels is not as powerful or meaningful to the average teenage student than would be the import of American novels. On top of this, it seems to me that American, or English novels introduce to the student a greater facility with language than the books being read now. There is also the problem of the manufacturing of the English language, considering the fact that most books that are translated into English (which would include the novels being read in IB English class) lose some of their original meanings. At the level of the average IB student, I believe it would be more beneficial to read English and American classics over international experiments. —Paul Mathis In-Depth Editor WWW.AMAZON.COM
EDITORIALS
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April 24, 2007
Why baseball is not in decline In reference to an article in the Sports-Extra section last issue about the decline of baseball, several obvious facts about baseball and its apparent decline were clearly misrepresented. First, lets focus on a chart that was shown to supposedly prove the point that baseball was declining. The chart I am referring to shows the TV ratings for the World Series for the last ten years. This chart is misleading for one obvious reason; the World Series in recent years have been almost all blowouts. The last truly exciting World Series was in 2002 between the Los Angeles Angels and the San Francisco Giants; and that was the last World Series to go the full seven games. Of course, less people will watch the World Series if a team is up 3-0 in a series, because all the drama is gone. One can also note the apparent omission in the story of the attendance numbers in baseball stadiums. This is because these numbers hurt their argument; the attendance numbers in baseball stadiums have been rising for several years. Also, the article fails to mention any actual data, besides the phony World Series ratings numbers, to back up any of the data. In the article, a statement is made that the amount of kids playing baseball has declined over the years. However, no actual data are shown to back up these statements. In addition, they mention that one of the reasons that little kids are not watching or playing baseball is because the games are later at night. For one, this statement clearly shows an EastCoast bias because a vast majority of the games are shown at perfectly reasonable times in the West Coast. Additionially, baseball games have always started late on the East Coast, yet it did not stop kids from watching the games in the 1980’s. There are no clear statistics about the amount of youth that currently watch major league baseball, at least none that the writers of the article gave. —Greg Young Staff Writer
Culinary Arts students learn from Master Chefs
AHS Culinary Arts students will participate in a student culinary skills development program on May 2. This program is run by the Culinary Institute of America and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington Education Foundation. Students from Falls Church High School and Stafford County andAlexandria high schools will also attend. The session will be held at AHS, beginning at 9 a.m.
Parent volunteers needed
AHS parent volunteers are needed to assist Annandale’s School-Community Partnership Program. Volunteers are needed for the following communities: Vietnamese, Arabic, Ethiopian, and Somali. Contact Vida Sanchez for further information at 703-642-4280 or via email Vida.Sanchez@fcps.edu
FCPS offers summer courses
Registration for FCPS summer classes is now open. The May-August course offerings are available at www.fcps.edu/aceclasses. There are over ten classes being offered to enhance technical skills, as well as classes such as cooking, painting, photography, and global destinations. Registration for any of the FCPS summer courses is available online. Classes fill up fast, so early registration is encouraged.
Math Honor society elects officers
“Eight divided by two is four. Four times five is 20. Twenty plus four is 24,” said junior Seemal Awan as she played Challenge 24, a math game where, according to Math Honor Society sponsor and math teacher Jim Evans, you have four numbers and you have to use addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division to come up with a sum of 24. In addition to honing their math skills with games like Challenge 24, Janssen the Math Honor Society held a meeting on April 11 in the lecture hall to elect next year’s officers. “We are holding elections for next year’s officers. They will be in charge of the Math Honor Society, and will be taking our place,” said senior President Tim Yuskavage. Yuskavage and senior Vice-President Tina Le were in charge of the meeting. Throughout the meeting, the students had a chance to guess how many Starbursts were in a jar. There were also refreshments at the end of the meeting. Ten students ran for different offices but only half of them were elected to office.After all the candidates gave their speeches, the underclassmen cast their ballots. The officers for next year are all rising seniors; President Jeremy Hsu, VicePresident Katie Janssen, Secretary Linda Nguyen, Treasurer Seemal Awan, and Liaison Michael Chung. The Math Honor Society is having their induction ceremony onApril 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the lecture hall to bring in the new members and to say farewell to their seniors. —Ebony Chambers staff writer
April 24, 2007
Seniors decide on colleges With the May 1 deadline fast approaching, seniors begin choosing colleges BY CAROLINE MERZ Staff Writer Only a month remains until the senior class graduates and heads off into the real world. Many are headed to colleges around the area, and some are reaching beyond Northern Virginia. The process has been very long and filled with pages of applications; but sinceApril, many have heard from the schools they applied to and many have reached their decisions. Back in the spring of their junior year and fall of their senior year, the seniors have visited campuses, requested information, and talked to Robin Roth in the Career Center to gather appropriate information. When a student goes to see Roth, they go to get a sense of what they would like to do with their future. “Hopefully, they first look for a place that has a major they are interested in,” said Roth. “This is not always the case. A lot are just looking at schools that they recognize.” When a student goes into the career center and does not have an idea of which school they would like to attend, they first talk about their favorite subjects, passions, and sports. “Then I try to look at several places and do an investigation in different careers,” said Roth. “Also, where they can go to get those careers.” Students have been very relieved to finally have an answer. Senior Lyndsay McCafferty plans on attending St. Peters College in New Jersey. “[The school] is very close to New York City, they have Division I athletics, and they offered me a lot of scholarship money,” said McCafferty. Others chose to stay closer to home. Senior Daniel Kim will be attending George Mason University and plans to live off-campus in a friend’s apartment. In-state schools are very popular with students because of the low to moderate price tag that accompanies the campus. “My parents wouldn’t pay for out-of-state,” said Senior Jolleen Tran, who will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall. Tran chose this Virginia school because it was the only in-state school that offered the major that she wanted. Senior Christie Truong, who chose Old Dominion University, said she chose her school because she liked the atmosphere and the diversity because it reminds her of Annandale.
COURTESY OF NICOLE JOLLY
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Senior Kelly Scrivener and junior Mary Bermingham look over college information in the Career Center. The Career Center is a resource center available to all students looking into life after high school.
The location is also convenient for her to come home if she wishes to. Now that the seniors have their upcoming year planned, the class of 2008 will shortly begin the process. Junior Eric Bridge is starting by taking the SATs on May 5. His top choice right now is West Virginia University. “I’ve only been to WVU, I might visit Radford,” said Bridge. “[I would go] to party and I like the campus and there’s a good football team.”
Students attend career and job fair places contact Roth with the goal of recruiting employees and students; others Roth calls and invites to the fair, hoping to create a more diverse pool of vendors. “I think it’s a good opportunity for people who are looking for jobs who aren’t interested in a four year college,” said junior Mohammad Gab-Allah. Though he already BY EMILY SAMPLE has a plan for his future, he appreciates the programs News Editor introduced at the fair. The roar could be heard all the way down the hall. Over a hundred “I wish they had displays on what they were actustudents were packed into the upstairs gym during flex onApril 18 to learn ally doing,” said sophomore Jackie Mohlmann. “It does about different local colleges, summer jobs, careers and military options. expand my job interests and it’s a good opportunity to find There were approximately 20 vendors, all handing out free goods ranga summer job, though.” ing from pens and candy to bags and baseball caps. In the corner, students Junior Amy Fleming came to the fair to weigh her did push-ups for marines and army representatives to earn tee shirts. options for summer jobs. Most students wandered in small groups and pairs, mingling in the “I need a job and I’m trying to figure out who is going center of the gym. Others gathered in front of tables filling out information to pay the most,” said Fleming. “I need to start making sheets and pre-applications. For their efforts, they walked back to their money for college.” classrooms comparing newly acquired lanyards, key chains, water bottles Sophomore Anh Phan doesn’t need a summer and flyers. All of the merchandise functions as free advertisements for job—yet. the companies and schools. “I don’t think I’ll be getting a job this summer, but The college and job fair is organized by Robin Roth of the career maybe next summer,” said Phan. “This is helpful in just center. getting an idea of what there is.” “We have this every year,” said Roth. “It’s a great opportunity for kids On the other side of the table, Beth Wooten attempted who are looking for summer and part time jobs, as well as for my undeto gain the attention of the students milling around the cided seniors. Some still don’t have a plan, so I hope that after coming Students receive information about AMC the- gym. here they get some ideas and spark some interest.” Roth says that she aters at the career fair. “I’m assigned to this school, but I enjoy coming to “always has a stream of kids” looking for jobs and technical schools, and Annandale,” said Wooten, the representative from Gibbs this is the opportunity to let those places sell themselves to the student body. College. “Our job is to get the word out and spread information.” There were several new faces at the fair this year, according to Roth. Paul Mitchell, That’s just what she was doing as she handed flyers and brochures, accompanied by the salon stylists, was new; as well as Wire Tech, two home improvement companies, a offerings of candy and “Gibbs College” pens. security company, Westwood College and NVCC’s auto collision center. Some of these
Students attend the career and job fair for future career info
TIM YUSKAVAGE
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NEWS
IB Art show held
The school community partnership program will present a “How to Prepare for an Emergency” presentation. The purpose of this presentation is to enlighten families about emergency preparedness. The program will focus mainly on influenza and pandemic outbreaks in the community. The presentation will be held on April 24 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Clausen Hall.
DNA Day Ambassador presents to students
April 24 is National DNADay. A DNA Day Ambassador from National Institute of Health will be at AHS and giving a presentation in both flexes. Any students interested in DNA or genetics careers are encouraged to come to Clausen Hall during flex. However, teachers are encouraged to come with their class, instead of just sending individual students.
AHS PTSA Golf Tournament
The tenth annual PTSA Golf Tournament Fundraiser will be held on May 23. The PTSA is now accepting registration forms and offering sponsorship and advertising oppurtunities for the tournament. The tournament will be held at Reston National Golf Course. The proceeds from this annual Red&White Classic Golf Tournament will assit the PTSA’s educational programs, professional development and extracurricular activities for AHS students and staff. Registration forms are available at www.fcps.edu/AnnandaleHS. Contanct Chris Knoche for questions or volunteering at ahsptsagolfclassic@cox.net
The IB Art Show was held on April 16 in Clausen Hall. The art show was part of the IB Art studentsʼ IB grade. Art displayed ranged from acrylic paintings to photographs. Top: Senior Mimi Hoang Tranʼs computer art “Envy.” Tranʼs piece was part of seven pieces entitled “7 Deadly Sins.” Bottom: “Mind Maze” was created by senior Peter Kiemel.
COURTESY OF ADAM WIRDZEK
“How to prepare for an emergency” presentation
Thirteen AHS students walk for cure Members of the Bean Team participate in the MS Walk on April 14. The team collected $2,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis society. “I walk to raise awareness and anything I can do to support the cause,” said senior Adam Wirdzek.
April 24, 2007
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Auto shop earns NATEF certification BUD IRELAND
invited to participate in a school-wde activity to plant trees after school for the “CleanAir” theme. Those who are interested in the activity are to meet in the back parking lot after school today, near the trailers. To bring Earth Week to a close, there will be a celebration at the Northern Virginia Community College on Saturday, April 28th. All students and staff members are invited and encouraged to participate. Additionally, on Monday, April 30th during both flexes, there will be guest speakers in the auditorium. Zoe Chafe, a staff researcher from Worldwatch Institute, and Kate Davenport, an operations manager from Envirelation LLC will be on stage to talk about their careers in the environment.
The ice cream social held for students of the quarter has been moved to Wed. April 25. It will still be in the cafeteria directly after school. Students are asked to hold on to the blue tickets they were given earlier.
Emergent adulthood confrence to be held
This dragster was brought into the auto shop for the students to learn from. Below, Susan L tests out the drivers seat of the dragster.
Earth week has AHS students seeing green “Green Atoms” from page 1 Yesterday’s Earth Week theme was “Trash, how much do you generate?” Students and teachers were encouraged to tape trash bags to classroom walls and dispose of their trash in them throughout the day. The purpose of this was to raise awareness of how much trash our school generates and to think of new ways to decrease trash consumption. The theme for today is “Reduce, Rescue, Recyclewhy did we do those activities yesterday?” In R7 flex, there will be a 22-minute video titled The Rotten Truth aired on channel six. The video talks about the importance of recycling and reusing, as well as how vital it is for society to reduce the amount of trash we generate. Tomorrow, all students and staff members are
NEWS BRIEFS Ice cream social rescheduled
The third annual “Bridging the Gap: EmergentAdulthood” confrence on suicide prevention and mental wellness wil be held on Tues., May 8 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. St. Matthews United Methodist Church is hosting the free public event. The speaker, Pete Earley, is the author of Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness. The group will discuss promoting mental wellness during emerging adulthood, suicide prevention, legal issues as barriers to mental health treatment, young adult perspective, police and commnity mental health and developing spiritual resiliency. To register visit www.fairfaxyouth.org before April 30. For more information, contact Susan Lydick at Susan.Lydick@fa irfaxcounty.gov or (703) 324-5292.
COURTESY OF JOE DESIO
“Auto tech” from page 1 The level II class is worth two credits, meaning they have class everyday. They start off with a review over safe practices and procedures and must also past the safety test or they will be taken out of the program. After that the basics are reviewed on how to change oil and fix tires. They then move on to more complex and difficult tasks such as servicing brakes, replacing clutches and working on the transmission. “I like the hands on experience and the feeling of accomplishment after I finish working on a car,” said senior Shane Keady, a student in the level II class. Level III is also worth two credits. It follows the same routine as levels I and II; they take the safety test and if they failed, they will be removed from the class because they will be a safety hazard. They tend to work on much higher level things like electrical systems. Also, being in level III allows for some students to co-op and get jobs at dealerships and auto shops. “I like being able to bring in my car and work on it. I also enjoy being in class with Mr. D because he’s always cracking jokes on people,” said senior Chris Da Silva, a level III student. This is Desio’s twenty-first year at AHS. He is an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) Certified Master Technician; he has a bachelors degree in Education and an associates degree in Automotive Technology. He strives to help students do their best in class. He also encourages all students to continue their education past high school. Anthony Maniatakis is the level II instructor. This is his second year at AHS. “He has been a great asset to the program. He brings 20 plus years of dealership skills,” said Desio Becoming NATEF certified is a “grueling process” that entails the evaluation of the school’s faculties, tools, auto shop and the equipment, according to Desio. “They are inspected by outside inspectors who are not affiliated with AHS to makes sure we reach industries standards,” said Desio. “We could not have gotten NATEF certified without the help of the administration.” “It was a long drawn out process that required us to get focused and really work to get the shop cleaned and organized and to do our best as the NATEF guys were evaluating us,” said senior Luke McCoy, a student in the level II class. Now that the automotive program is certified, the students will receive the best training available. Along with NATEF, the auto tech is a dual enrollment class, meaning that when taking levels II and III, students will not only receive high school credit but they will also receive college credit for the Northern Virginia Community College campus in Alexandria.
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SGA holds elections “SGA” from page 1 “I want the students at Annandale to be able to look back and say ‘remember that year when we had a blast?’” he said. “My goal as an officer is to make a difference and do things that involve more action and helping out in the school and community.
ties. I believe next year will be a successful one because all the officers have creative ideas.” Hoping to be treasurer, Minjee Kim said, “I plan on influencing the school in a positive way next year by fundraising more. I think fundraising is important since it can lead to better activities.” Like the 2007-2008 officers, SGA/ My main goal is to promote Leadership advisor Abbie Khan is and advertise as much eager for next year. ”My hope is that school activity as possible. [the officers] serve as strong —LindaNguyen role models and junior lead by example. I would also like to see them aim to improve school I will have new innovative ideas because AHS has so spirit and student participamuch potential to make a tion. All four officers are very strong students and leaders difference.” “As Secretary, my main and I feel they will do a great goal for next year is to promote job in any area,” she said. Activities planned for and advertise as much school activity as possible,” Linda next year include HomecomNguyen said. “I think students ing week, pep rallies for all 3 should be more active in these sports seasons, and a potential events. The students make Battle of the Classes. Clothing school events successful.” drives, canned food drives, and Nguyen added, “All I can say blood drives will also be held to about my office is that I’ll try serve the community, accordmy best to fulfill all my du- ing to Kahn.
NAHS hosts “Coffee Shop”
The National Art Honor Society will be offering a free coffee shop with local bands, poetry readings, coffee and refreshments on Friday, April 27 from 5-8 p.m. For more information contact Meredith Buzzell at meredith.buzzell@fcps.edu.
UNC Greensboro visits area
OnApril 25, a UNC Greensboro representatives will be at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons to hold an informational meeting. Check in starts at 6:30 p.m. See Robin Roth in the career center for the website to register for the event.
Congratulations to Albanesi
Biology teacher Natalie Albanesi, formerly Tempesta, was married Saturday, March 31 to Joe Albanesi, and took her honeymoon in Hawaii over spring break. Congratulations!
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Join
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No previous experience necessary!
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Joe and Natalie Albanesi
Atoms 5K Run/Walk approaches
Students are reminded that the registration fee for the atoms 5K Run/Walk will be raised after April 30. The fee, currently $18, will raise to $20. The run will be held at 8:30 a.m. on May 12. For more information about the event, please contact Steve price at SPrice@washgas.com or Jim connor at jconnor3@cox.net.
Ethically Speaking Ethics Advice
By Layluma Hotaki
Dear SEC, My sister and I always fight about the most random things. If she even takes a single piece of clothing, I fight with her. I know that I shouldn’t be petty with things because she is my sister, but I just hate her looking in my things and using them. Plus, she never asks either. I always have to ask her if she’s seen something of mine in order to find it again. I don’t do this to her, so I don’t think she should do it to me. What should I do? Sincerely, Sister in Trouble Dear Sister, Try to be calm about things. You’re sister is probably your most trusted friend and family member. If she uses your things, she probably only does it because she feels so close to you and feels she is allowed to do so. Try to keep an open mind about things. If you really wouldn’t like her to do that, you can talk to her about it. Let her know you don’t like it and don’t want her to do it. Don’t lose your temper and fight with her. Good luck! Sincerely, The SEC If you have an ethical dilemma and would like advice on how to handle the situation, submit your questions to layluma.hotaki@thea-blast.org. All submissions will be confidential.
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How often do you go golfing and where do you golf?
SPORTS XTRA
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April 24, 2007
Teeing off in Fairfax As the weather warms up, the golf courses get greener. While the courses may not rival those seen on the PGA tour, there are many quality places to hit the links in Fairfax County
“I go twice a month in the summer if I am lucky with my uncle at a Country Club in Maryland.”
“I go golfing at Pinecrest Golf Course with my girlfriend every Friday.”
—Julio Bazan sophomore
“I golf at a driving range with my friends in Kingstowne.”
Holes: Two 18 hole courses Price: $23-47 Facilities: 36 station driving range, grass teeing area for the driving range, and a putting and chipping area. Lessons: One 30 minute lesson is $50-60. Five 30 minute lessons for $200-250. Phone: 703-631-9372 Directions: Take Braddock Road West to Union Mill Road. Turn left onto Union Mill Road and travel approximately 1/2 mile to course entrance on the left, just past Centreville High School. Overview: The Twin Lakes golf courses were on the Top 100 Must-Play Golf Courses in the Middle Atlantic. The Lake and Oak courses contrast each other to offer a wide range of difficulty in play. The Lake Course is the easier of the two because of its welcoming fairways, while the Oak Course is better suited for more experienced players.
AVERY ADCOCK
—August McCarthy freshman
Junior Drew Flowers lines up a putt at one of the local courses
—Anna Marcois junior
“I golf on the weekend with girls.”
—John Derrickson senior
“I play golf once a year. I go with Coach Adams so I can make fun of him when he hits it in the water.”
—Jamie Carayainnis assistant principal
Golfers you need to know
Holes: 18 Difficulty: Par 71 (five Par 3s, nine Par 4s, four Par 5s) Price: $64-89 Facilities: 30 tee practice range,practice green Lessons: $600 for four one hour sessions. Phone: 703-493-8849 Directions: Take Interstate 95 south. Take exit 163 toward Lorton. Turn right onto Lorton Road (VA 642). Travel .1 mile to the light, right turn onto Silverbrook Road. Travel one mile to left onto Laurel Crest Drive. Travel 1/2 mile to Laurel Hill Golf Club entrance on the left. Overview: The newest golf course in Fairfax County was named in the 100 Must-Play Courses of the Middle Atlantic. The course was built on what used to be a prison and is directly next to South County Secondary School. If there is a course to play in Northern Virginia it is the exemplary Laurel Hill Golf Course.
Holes: 18 Difficulty: Par 70 (five Par 3s, ten Par 4s, three Par 5s) Price: $28-34 Facilities: Driving cage, putting green and an indoor practice area Lessons: $235 for a lesson that includes instruction on swinging, chipping and putting. Phone: 703-971-6107 Directions: Take I-495 south (outerloop) toward I-495 / Capital Beltway / Richmond / Alexandria. Exit onto Van Dorn Street (VA-613, Exit#173). Turn right (south) onto South Van Dorn Street. Turn left onto Telegraph Road. Overview: This 6,700 yard long course is a good place for easy to intermediate players to play. The course is open enough to consistently hit balls onto the fairway, but hard enough to punish a golfer for a bad shot.
Tiger Woods Woods has consistently been the best pro-golf player on the circuit, and could be line to be the greatest player of all time. In his career he has won 12 major championships.
Jack Nicklaus
Nicklaus is unamimously considered the best pro-golfer of all time. In his career, he won 18 major championships and 73 PGA tour wins.
Holes: 9 Difficulty: Par 35 (two Par 3s, six Par 4s, one Par 5s) Price: $26-32 Facilities: The golf course is part of a park which includes a minature golf course, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a playground. Lessons: None Phone: 703-573-0444 Directions: Take I-495 South/Capital Beltway, exit 64A. Take exit 50B, US-50/Arlington Blvd. Merge right towards Fairview Park. Merge left towards Fairview Park North. Follow ¾ miles, cross intersection at Lee Highway, to entrance on left. Overview: The small course is considered the easiest course in the county. This course is suited for beginners as a result of easy holes, such as a par 3 50 yard hole. Information from www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/golf/
TopGolf offers unique experience for golfers BY MATT JOHNSON Sports Xtra Editor As Tiger Woods continues to win championships and countless other tournaments, the sport of golf is growing in popularity around the country. One place offers a unique combination for people to experience golf. TopGolf, in Kingstowne, VA , is a new type of driving range that offers golfers of any skill level a unique golfing experience. TopGolf is set up basically like a regular driving range, with booths or cubicles under a cover and a long field in front
Tom Watson Watson was a top tier professional golfer during the 1970s and the 1980s. During his career on the tour he won eight major championships and had 39 PGA tour wins.
Arnold Palmer Palmer, or “The King” as many call him, was one of the great golfers in history. During his career he won seven major championships and 62 PGA tour wins.
MATT JOHNSON
Sam Snead Snead was one of the best professional golfers of the 1950s and the 1960s. He still holds the record for the most PGA tour wins at 82.
Holes: 9 Difficulty: Par 35 (four Par 4s, two Par 5s, three Par 3s) Price: $16-20 Facilities: Driving cage, putting green and an indoor practice area. Lessons: One 30 minute lesson is $50-60. Five 30 minute lessons for $200250. Phone: 703-941-1061 Directions: Take Little River Turnpike east from Annandale. Turn left onto Braddock Rd. Pinecrest is an immediate left after the turn. Overview: The closest course to Annandale is a small but good course that has a variety of holes. The course features two large ponds that come into play on three holes, each offering challenging play and also add to the beauty of the course.
Top: The range at Topgolf, filled with target holes Bottom Left: A view of the upper deck of driving cubicles Bottom Right: The TopGolf clubhouse has a bigscreen TV and a Bar
of them. But TopGolf trumps all other driving ranges with what lies on the driving range. About ten different dart board shaped holes lie all around the driving range. The goal of the game is to hit your balls (which have a microchip inside them specially programmed with your name on it) into these dartboard-like holes. The closer one’s ball is to the center of the hole and the farther away the hole is the more points one receives. Once a ball lands in one of the holes a signal is sent to a computer screen in your booth where the distance and accuracy of the shot are displayed. Each “game” lasts for 20 balls, and if you hit a ball and it does not land in a hole it is deducted from your ball count when another ball is put in play. TopGolf has left many people almost speechless. Junior Thomas Beckett said of TopGolf, “[It is] Sweet!” TopGolf also offer a plethora of different games besides the traditional TopGolf. TopShot is a game where experienced golfers attempt to hit specific targets in a specified order. TopBreak is a more British-oriented game where the player attempts to “pocket” balls similiar to how snooker is played. TopPressure helps people practice their short game. Players aim for specific zones in the target green only 50 yards away. TopPractice is for players who simply want feedback on the distance and accuracy of each of their shots. TopGolf is housed in a fairly new facility equipped with a pro shop, bar, and lounge area (with big screen TV). The lounge area also holds the flat panel monitor, which shows the top scores of the day for all to see. TopGolf can also be played in all sorts of different weather. Each booth is underneath an awning and are equipped with large heaters to keep players warm. To play, one needs either an annual membership card or a “pay and play card” which is good for 30 days. The annual membership card costs 25 dollars while the “pay and play” card costs only three. After purchasing the card one must put games (20 balls) onto the card. Games vary from $3.60 to $5.80 depending on the day and time of day. After purchasing
Directions:
—Take 495 South towards Richmond/Alexandria from Annandale —Take exit 173 for Van Dorn St. toward Franconia —Turn right onto South Van Dorn St. (signs for Frranconica) —Take left into TopGolf and Ruby Tuesday’s parking lot (6625 S. Van Dorn St.)
your card and balls one must go to the special ball machines, which encode each ball’s microchip with your name on it. After this is done, it’s game time The intriguing aspect of TopGolf is that a player does not necessarily have to be a pro golfer to score points. With regular golf on a course, if you are not very skilled it can become very, very frustrating, but with TopGolf even a beginner can score points. The TopGolf in Kingstowne is currently the only facility in the United States, but there are several in England as well as one more in development in the US. Considering this is the only TopGolf coupled with the unique nature of the game make TopGolf an experience that is hard to “top”. Additional reporting by Jeff Dean
April 24, 2007
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Celebrate Spring with us!
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Highlights of the evening
INTERNATIONAL
Sophomores Claudia Machado (left) and Florida Villatora (right), part of the Damas, light the candles representing the 15 years of Jennyʼs life.
photos by Waliha Gani
The Budget ∞ Limousine ride: $960 ∞ The dress: $450 ∞ The hotel rent: $6,000 ∞ The cake: $400 ∞ Table replacements: $390 ∞ Food: $420 Total: $8620
Jenny’s quince timeline ∞ 2:00 p.m.: Jenny and the Court go to a Catholic Church for the Mass. ∞ 7:30: The Quinceanera (Jenny), followed by the Court, make their grand entrance into the courtroom. ∞ 7:50: The Court assembles around the center of the stage surrounding Jenny and her father who begin the first waltz of the evening. ∞ 8:10-8:50: Jenny dances with her godmother, her Chambelán, and then the entire Court. ∞ 8:50: Jenny’s parents give an emotional speech about her past 14 years. ∞ 10:30: Bolivian dances called Tinkus and caporales are performed. ∞ 11:30: The cake is cut.
Symbolic objects from a quince
Shoes
∞ This changing of the shoes is the most symbolic act during the quinceanera. As the quinceanera’s father switches her flats she arrived in to high heels, she is looked upon by the community as a mature young woman.
The water fountain spurted up gushing water. The instrumental music, similar to that played in a wedding, began playing in the speakers as the voluminous reception hall went silent. The elderly women and men, teenage guys and gals, infants and children, silenced simultaneously and stood up to turn their attention towards to the princess of the evening. As freshman Jenny Andia stepped into the courtroom, all eyes fixed upon the young lady with the beautiful, flowing pink dress, hair and make-up elegantly done, and a gentle smile fixed on her face. Andia slowly made her grand entrance into the room, arm-in-arm with her father alongside. Her family, friends and relatives looked at her in a different manner today—she was now 15 years old, and a mature young woman stood before the eyes of the community. “I was really nervous, but so excited at the same time because everyone was looking at me so nicely. I felt like a princess,” said Andia. While it may seem too extravagant for most non-Hispanics, this elaborate occasion was designed solely for Andia’s 15th birthday. The Quince or Quince Años, meaning “fifteen years,” is a unique Hispanic celebration that marks the transition of a 15 year old girl going from childhood to womanhood. This historic tradition, dating back 486 years to the Aztec civilization in 1521, initially symbolized the time a girl was expected to get married and start a family. Today, however, the celebration represents the girl’s coming of age into responsibilty and maturity. Andia’s quince took place on April 21 at the luxurious Best Western Park Hotel. The guest list consisted of over 200 people. It is no surprise that the celebration takes an enormous amount of planning and time to run the event smoothly. “Usually the planning takes about a year for most people, but since my sister has already had a Quince, we knew how to do everything, so we started planning for mine in December,” said Andia.
∞ In most cultures, the quinceanera bequeaths a porcelain doll, handed down to her from her mother, to either her sister or the youngest girl in the family.
Tiara
∞ The tiara on the quinceanera’s head represents her as a “princess” before God and the world. source: www.sanbenito.k12.tx.us
El Grande Dia “On Saturday [April 21], I was very excited and nervous. I wanted to make sure everything went as planned—getting the hair done, taking pictures, practicing the dance one last time—it all had to be just done in little time before the final thing,” said Andia. The first part of the celebration is called the Mass. The Mass represents the religious aspect of the Hispanic tradition. “The court [the Damas and Chambelán], my family and I, were picked from our home in a limousine and taken to a Catholic Church. There, the priest gave me his blessings and we said some prayers,” said Andia. “Then, after that we went to Georgetown to take pictures and that was a lot of fun because I took pictures with all my friends and family—just really neat,” said Andia.
Mucho estres The total cost of the entire event totaled to nearly $9,000. Not only is the celebration time consuming, but also extreamely stressful. “Everything gets so stressful, especially on the day of the qunice. The whole planning is just like stress over stress, but I’m glad I had so many people helping me out,” said Andia. To represent the girl’s past 14 years, the tradition for most Hispanic countries is for the Quinceañera (the birthday girl) to pick 14 (girls-Damas and 14 guys -Chambelán)to perform a choreographed dance at the party. The 15 couples, including the Quinceanera, represent the 15 years of life of the young lady. For most Quinceañeras, organizing this dance is the most arduous task. “I would get very annoyed at the practices because it was so hard to get everyone to dance altogether. Some people would keep talking, not listen,” said Andia. “I would be yelling like crazy sometimes. But it’s all part of the fun. ”
Estilo Bolibian Different Hispanic countries have their own traditions they follow at the reception hall during the party. Andia, a Bolivian, followed the Bolivian traditions when performing the waltz. After the procession of the 14 damasses and Chambeláns formed a circle on the stage around Andia and her father. They each lit up a candle to represent the past years of the Quinceañera’s life. Then the first waltz began, in which Andia went around the 14 couples, blew out the candles, and received a flower from each couple while dancing with her father. “Dancing with my dad, godmother, and my Chambelán is what I’m going to remember the most. It was just a great feeling—being around my friends and family while they looked at us dancing,” said Andia. Andia’s mother, Jenny Andia, is saddened by the fact that their little daughter growing so quickly, but hopeful and thankful at the same time. “Both our daughters are growing so fast for us. Jenny is a young woman now and we’re both very proud for her,” said Andia’s mother. Indeleble memoria “I’m just happy that my parents, sisters, and friends all worked together to really make this a special day for me. It’s really nice,” said Andia. “ I’ll always remember it as something special, stressful, and fun. And I’ll have so many pictures to live the day all over again.” I’ll remember how the music stopped in the middle of the dance, how my sister smashed cake all over my face and hair, and everyone saying I was so famous. Freshman Jenny Andia celebrated the Hispanic tradition of a fifteenth birthday called Quince. The event marks the girlʼs step into womanhood.
WALIHA GANI
Dia para brillar Sophomore Chessy Dintruff When was your quince? October 23, 2006 What was the total cost? $7,000 How long did the planning take? Two months earlier because I really wanted it on the month of my own birthday. What was the highlight of the evening? The atmosphere was just great. All my non-Hispanic friends were just mesmorized—it was like sweet 16 for them, like a wedding. I loved my huge cake with the doll on top that I painted. Did you get stressed during the planning or day of the celebration? Stress—My God, my friends and I called it “quince syndrome.” When the big day gets nearer and nearer, you become snappier, nervous, upset, especially when your friends and family try to take over everything. If you could change anything from your quince, what would it be? I would have liked to have more time to plan it all, and I since I was the first to have it in my family, we didn’t really know much about traditions. Sometimes I feel sad that I didn’t get to have a huge quince like most girls, but it’s still a special memory for me.
Junior Mayra Cardenas The Porcelain Doll
April 24, 2007
De nina a mujer BY WALIHA GANI International Editor
The cake is elaborately designed with stairs that are placed with dolls, representing the Damas and Chambeláns couples.
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When was your quince? August 13,2005—same day as my birthday. What was the total cost? $5,000 How long did the planning take? Four months What was the highlight of the evening? The entrance was the highlight of my quince because everyone was focused on the damas [the court] and me. Did you get stressed during the planning or day of the celebration? I had a lot of stress planning the party because there was so much we had to do, and we didn’t want to forget anything or anyone since I have a big family. Do you feel you stepped into womanhood the day of your quince? Not really. I was thinking, “just because I have a sweet 15, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to do anything differently in my life.” If you could change anything from your quince, what would it be? I would make the security guard check the invitations when people came in because a bunch of people who were uninvited came and ate.
Sophomore Florida Villatora When was your quince? July 29, 2006 What was the total cost? $13,000 How long did the planning take ? Nine months What was the highlight of the evening? When I danced with my brothers and dad, all the stress that had been on me just kind of went down at that time. It was just such a sweet time—my brothers and dad each taking a turn to dance with me while all the guests were watching us. Did you get stressed during the planning or day of the celebration? Practicing for the choreographed dance was the craziest because people wouldn’t listen and would be talking, I just went
crazy. If you could change anything from your quince, what would it be? There was just a huge problem with the photographers, so I’d fix that.
Sophomore Vanessa Vinrus When was your qincea? August 9, 2004 What was the total cost? $1,000 How long did the planning take? Three months What was the highlight of the evening? When I came in with my dad, I went around 14 tables where my family sat and blew out the candles. I feel like I just did that yesterday. I always look back at it. Did you get stressed during the planning or day of the celebration? No, because I’m fromArgentina, and we don’t follow the huge celebration tradition like most countries. For us, it was a nice gathering of family only. Everything went as planned. If you could change anything from your quince, what would it be? I would go to Argentina and have it all there because that’s my country and it’s just not the same here.
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April 24, 2007
Controversial Carcasses
ARTS
What do you think makes the human body so unique?
The BODIES exhibit comes to Washington D.C. and churns viewer’s stomachs. BY CAROLINE MERZ Staff Writer As the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stated; “Standing before a phalanx of reporters and photographers, he is more naked than most of us will ever be.” This of course, is in reference to the full size human body on display in the Bodies exhibit. This unique exhibit displays actual human cadavers that have been preserved for scientific and educational purposes. First, a designated organ donor’s body is brought in and the body is preserved according to standard mortuary service. Following the first step of preservation, experts come in to dissect the cadaver in the way they wish it to be displayed. The body is then drowned in acetone to remove all body water and placed in a large bath of silicone and sealed in a vacuum chamber. Through this vacuuming process, acetone leaves the body and the polymer replaces it. A catalyst is then added to harden and complete the process. Because of this process, the body will not decay, leaving a completed cadaver that is available for studies by medical professionals, archaeologists, and other scientists. The brain is the most difficult part of the body to preserve because it is made up of primarily lipids (fats) and water. If the process is not done correctly, the brain may shrink and become distorted. Each body is either hard or flexible to the touch; but in the exhibit visitors are not allowed to touch the specimens The exhibit is designed to display the different parts and systems of the human body and how they interact with one another. When walking through, the first aspect displayed is the bone structure, followed by the skin, muscles, internal organs, circulatory systems, the nervous system, reproduction systems, fetal developments, and finally how they are all put together. A young boy and his father both observed a full skin of an older male, displayed on a table. As the father explained to his son that he is an organ donor, the boy looked on in amazement and said, “so daddy, one day that could be you?” Onlookers laughed at the boy’s amazement. Children are encouraged to attend with a parent or teacher. Scientists believe that it will help children understand the anatomy of their own bodies, as well as open their eyes to nutrition, healthy lifestyle choices, and daily activity. A special audio tour is available for younger children. In between sections, small, grey signs on the walls gave visitors quick facts on the displayed area. One stated “A girls brain accounts for 2.5% of her bodyweight, while a boy’s only accounts for 2%.” Another, “There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body.” These served as fun facts for those squeamish while browsing the exhibit. When entering the internal organs section, a display case represented the comparison between the lungs of smokers versus non-smokers. Shriveled and black, the comparison was very stark and bothersome to those viewing. Next to the display case, the exhibit urged smokers to drop their packs of cigarettes into a clear box to help the non-smoking cause. The second to last section has been proved to be so controversial and nauseating to many visitors that a sign was posted before you entered warning you of the sights ahead. What lied ahead was the display on fetal development. The area of the exhibit dedicated to fetal development is particularly intriguing, but can be bypassed if the subject matter is too upsetting. One display depicts the gestation of an embryo from the chorionic sac to 32 weeks into pregnancy.Another provides examples of various birth defects, including a set of conjoined twins. “I have seen this exhibit in various cities, to including Europe,” said visitor William Olpe, PhD candidate. “As I view [the exhibits], I am reminded of the intricate details ”
9 “You can replace different body parts and organs.”
—August McCarthy freshman
“The many different types of races and ethnicities that give different looks and personalities.”
—Kimberly Palacios sophomore
The picture allows you to see both the inside organs and the outside muscles of the human body. While preserving a body it can take up to a whole year or only a week for a small organ.
“We have common sense and can make good decisions, most of us.”
—Dana Whitlock junior
“Our body is so complex and needs many different elements to survive.”
“It was very interesting and informative. However, I wonder about the dignity being kept in mind by everyone pointing at the specimens who were once human beings,” said Karoline Giller, a onlooker of the exhibit. As she circled the vertebrate display table, she appeared deeply bothered.“These people had lives and thoughts and emotions. The whole thing seems slightly disrespectful to me.” Each specimen in the exhibit was taken from the Dalian Medical University Plastination Laboratories in China. The human specimens have were either donated prior to the person’s death or were unidentifiable bodies. The BODIES exhibit is located on 1101 Wilson Blvd. Rosslyn Va 22209. They can be contacted at 1-888-263-4379. The exhibit is on-going until October 28, 2007. “Our brain is so complex and able to do many actions for the body.”
Take a look at the inside of the human body at “BODIES...the exhibition”
Displayed above is a healthy pair of lungs versus the damaged lungs of a cigarette smoker. A healthy pair of lungs has more than three hundred million alveoli, which is where internal respiration occurs. A smokerʼs lungs are shruken and darkened because of the decrease in alveoli due to the smoke and the tar build up. A lack of alveoli causes the body to work harder for less oxygen.
—David Zavala senior
The arrangement of the muscles and ligaments of the foot, along with the bones to which they are attached, provide support and stability for the foot and distribute the bodyʼs weight over a broad area. Arches in the foot allow for it to move properly, absorb shock, and cushion the pressure of several thousand pounds per square inch every time we take a step.
—Raja Taher senior
“Gas is the funniest feature of he body, and it’s not out gas, it’s our bacteria’s gas.”
—Rob Snowhite biology teacher
Upcoming Events
Treasures of American History September 5, 2006 - June 1, 2008 National Air and Space Museum
The picture above is on display to show the spinal cord and explain how the nervous system works. The spinal cord sends off millions of nerve impulses per second at a speed over 270 mph. The adult spinal cord is about 18-19 inches long and the nerves along it become thinner as they get closer to the bodyʼs surface. Certain protective parts of the spine were removed from this corpse in order to better show the entirety and complexity of the fully exposed spinal cord.
2006 Nikon Small World Competition January 15, 2007 - May 1, 2007 National Academy of Sciences
Pros of Exhibit:
Landscapes in Japanese Art February 3, 2007 - July 15, 2007 Freer Gallery of Art
The positive view of “Bodies…The Exhibition” is that it is a way for people to get to know how their body works from the inside out and learn the importance of taking care of their body. The managers of the exhibit feel it is necessary for the public to see in order to understand. The viewers get to view healthy lungs versus smoker’s lungs to see the damage that cigarettes have on the respertory system. The bodies posed are used to explain each system of the body. It is a very educating atmosphere for people of all ages.
Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film February 17, 2007 - May 20, 2007 Philips Collection Twentieth- Century Americans February 23, 2007 - February 28, 2008 National Portrait Gallery Red exhibit at the Textile Museum February 2, 2007 - July 8, 2007 Textile Museum Tea Bowls in Bloom February 3, 2007 - July 15, 2007 Freer Gallery of Art
Cons of Exhibit:
The skull above shows how the blood vessals supply blood to the face and skull. The scientists injected the bodies with a colored polymer and then removed the body tissue with a corrosive chemical to reveal the blood vessals in the body.
The exhibit has caused controversy in every city it has visited. The people that are on displayed are corpses from China who were not claimed by any loved ones when committed to the morgues. The corpses were taken from the morgues, skinned and gutted to be on display, naked and exposed in front of the public. The supporters say that this exhibit is to educate the public on the body. If that is so, however, why is the admission to the exhibit $26 if it is purely for educating the public and not for a profit?
Gifts to the Nation July 1, 2006 - June 3, 2007 Donald W. Reynolds Center forAmericanArt and Portaiture
The picture above is used to show people of the inside of the respiratory system. As we inhale, oxygen feeds every cell in the body. These cells, in turn, use that oxygen to burn glucose, giving us the energy to breath again.
Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast Asia April 1, 2007-2010 Sacklar Art Gallery
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April 24, 2007
ATTENTION!!!
Annandale Atoms Perfect Part-Time Job Openings -Earn $10 to $20 Hourly -Must BE 16 Years Old to Apply -Four Blocks From GMU -Work with Fellow Students -Flexible Schedule 4:30p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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11 An Inside Look at the t
April 24, 2007
We interviewed Allison Lane, one of the athletic trainers at AHS
m o o R g n i n i a r T
Q. How long have you been an athletic trainer? A. Iʼve been certified for eight years.
Certified Athletic Trainers are experts in preventing, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity. Athletic trainers often help prevent injuries by advising on the
Q. Did you work anywhere before AHS? A. I worked at the University of PIttsburgh Medical Center in graduate school, an orthopedic doctorʼs office and at a private high school.
proper use of equipment and applying protective or injury-preventive devices such as tape, bandages, and braces. At AHS, athletic trainers
Allison Lane and Kathy Ayers take care of our athletes during all sports seasons. They are in the training room after school every day to help with injuries.
The training room is stocked with equipment that is necessary for the recovery of all sports injuries.
JULIANNE SIMPSON
Senior Megan Price rides one of three bikes in the training room in an effort to recover from her gluteous maximus injury. She will come to the training room every day before track practice until she is fully healed.
MARGARET CROWLEY
MARGARET CROWLEY
Q. What are the most common injuries you treat at AHS? A. Lower leg injuries, mostly the shins and ankles.
Senior Kelly Scrivener practices her exercises with the medicine ball. She has been trying to perfect her push-ups since the beginning of the school year. “Ms. Lane makes me work on my form every day,” said Scrivener.
Q. What sports tend to have the most injuries? A. Iʼd have to say football with track close behind. Football players have a wide range of injuries for obvious reasons. Q. What type of schooling did you have to complete? A. I have my bachelorʼs degree in athletic training and I had to pass the national certification exam.
MARGARET CROWLEY
MARGARET CROWLEY
Q. Whatʼs your favorite part about working in the training room? A. I love that thereʼs something new every day. It never gets boring.
Athletic trainer Allison Lane wraps up a foot before practice. Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries that athletic trainers deal with.
JULIANNE SIMPSON
Junior Eric Cabellos gets his leg wrapped before heading to track practice.
Q. Whatʼs the worst or grossest injury youʼve ever treated? A. Thereʼs not one specific, but different dislocations tend INTERVIEW BY MARISA TORDELLA
JULIANNE SIMPSON
Students often dread having to put their feet in the ice bucket, but it helps to decrease the swelling of injuries, especially to their ankles.
The window to the athletic trainers office is decorated with memorable moments in the training room.
A cooler full of ice is always available for athletes who need to ice their injuries and sore muscles before or after their practices.
Freshman Jeremy Gillcash does an exercise with the medicine ball and 15 pound weights to help with his knee problems developed from his lacrosee playing. Athletic trainer Allison Lane stretches out a studentʼs foot after school. The athletic trainers have to routinely wrap and bandage athletesʼ injuries for them.
AVERY ADCOCK
AVERY ADCOCK
JULIANNE SIMPSON
Athlettic trainer Allison Lane examines an injured ankle to check for tenderness and swolleness.
AVERY ADCOCK
JULIANNE SIMPSON
Sophomore Erin Price does step-ups to work on her ankle injury before her JV soccer practice.
Athletes are normally required to ice for a certain amount of time upon arriving at the training room.
Senior Madeline Mejean works on strengthening her ankle by reaching for cones while balancing on one foot.
Athletic trainer Allison Lane works on recording which athletes came to the training room throughout the day and what injuries they had. Senior Shakia Branch goes through her rehab routine before her track practice.
MARGARET CROWLEY
JULIANNE SIMPSON
MARGARET CROWLEY
After coming to the training room for their injuries, athletes are told what precautions must be taken to prevent further injury.
Stretching is an important aspect of sports. Not stretching properly can lead to serious injury. Athletic trainers emphasize stretching before and after practice.
SPORTS
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April 24, 2007
Lacrosse pummels West Pot
Tennis continues to rise to the top
The three losses to district teams will make it difficult for the Atoms to get a good seed in the district. They will face Robert E. Lee, Lake It looked like the boys varsity lacrosse team Braddock, and T.C. Williams, which are all muchwas heading towards a less than successful sea- needed victories. “We have three big district games coming up son, but recently that has all changed. and we need to pull out big wins to get a good seed The Atoms have a current record of 2-4. On April 21 the Atoms defeated the West in the tournament,” said junior Zach Sells. Many AHS players think that the Potomac Wolverines with a final score of 8-2. The victory was a much-needed confidence rough start to the season is not a depiction of boost for a team still suffering from four back-to- what is to come. Senior Chris Fitz thinks that the end of the back losses to O’Connell, South County, Hayfield, and West Springfield; the last three being in the season will be nothing like the beginning. “We district. had a rough start to The Atoms lost a number of the season but we key players to graduation last are going to have a year, but are hoping to end the good end,” said Fitz. season on a high note leading We had a rough start to the Coach Bill Maglisinto districts. season but we are going to ceau believes that Senior captains Drew the Atoms upcoming Chadwick, Sean Armstrong, have a good end. games are key to their and Trevor Daggle all hope to overall success. bring much-needed leadership “Hopefully the into the harder games. —Chris Fitz guys can play as Junior Zach Flynn believes senior tough as they can so that if they fix the little errors we can get a home then they will come out on top. playoff game,” said “We started out the season right by beating Fairfax, but then we lost to Maglisceau. The Atoms will face Mount Vernon ( too late West Springfield, Hayfield, and South County. We have played well, but could not put things for printing) on April 23, and R.E. Lee on April together, which made it difficult to pull out a 24 at Lee. win,” said Flynn. BY AVERY ADCOCK Sports Editor
BY AVERY ADCOCK Sports Editor The boys and girls varsity tennis teams are both at the same point in their season. They both have tasted success and are looking to capitalize on individual success for the overall success of the team. Senior Samson Belay believes that the boys team has made major strides from last season, but still has a lot to work on to continue to win. “The first half of the season was a disappointment. It seemed like we did not try hard enough. I believe that we will dedicate ourselves to beat the teams we lost to since we play them all again,” said Belay. The boys tennis team is especially improving. “We are on a two game winning streak and all we have to do is win one more game to beat our record last year,” said sophomore Imran McMillan. “We are working very hard and playing fantastic,” said boys tennis coach, Mike Scott. The girls tennis team has overcome adversity this season, after losing all but one of their starters to graduation. “We have won a lot of big games and are individually a good team. If we stay focused we will be successful in the district” said sophomore Erica Andersen.
Junior Zach Sells fights for a ball against a Hayfield defender on May 30. The Atoms lost 9-13. They have a current record of 2-4.
PHOTO COUTESY OFLIFETOUCH
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PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH
An inside look at the boys tennis top four
Name: Matt Kishiama Grade: 12 Record: 2-7 Why he is #1: plays with deception, not power Years playing: 12 Superstitions: Routine before serving Music before a game: Incubus, Mars Volta Good luck charms: My racket Biggest influence: Parents and Jim Courier Worst part of tennis: Messing up easy shots Favorite part of tennis: Hitting drop shots Best game: West Springfield Worst game: T.C. Williams
#1
AVERY ADCOCK
Boys Lacrosse AHS: 8 WPHS:2
Junior Matt Camilli looks to pass, while beating a West Potomac defender.
Junior Kevin McCraken saves a goal against West Potomac.
The varsity softball team has encountered some problems this season. The inability to hold onto a win has resulted with a five-game loosing streak. TheAtoms have a record of 2-5. Despite the losses, theAtoms believe they can stage a comeback. Junior Debbie McCoy believes that in order to win the team needs to step it up. “In our last game verse Robert E. Lee, we finally got our bats going and had the most hits in a game this season: eight. Although that’s not much, it’s much better then we’ve had yet, and we’re working in an upward trend. Our games have been close, but we’re just throwing them away in the last few innings. We need to pick it up, and the girls have started to notice this and take the game even more seriously then before,” said McCoy. However, the team is not lacking leader-
ship. Senior captains, Kelsey Grant, Taylor Hobson, and Beth Sass are all looking to inspire their team to keep their heads up. Sass thinks that if they change the fundamental things that are causing errors then they will find success. “Overall we are playing pretty well, but late in the games we are coming across problems, so we cannot hold on our leads but hopefully that will change,” said Sass. One of the things that the Atoms have struggled with throughout the season is their inability to be consistently successful with hitting. “Right now we are not doing as well as we know we can do. We really need to improve our hitting. Most players are doing consistently well, but there are things we need to work on,” said junior Tammy Pham. The Atoms have also had to cope with the loss of junior pitcher Emily Shultis due to a broken thumb and most recently a broken nose. “I broke my nose and thumb so it has been hard getting back into the season. The whole team is working hard to step up their competition to be competitive with other schools. We are doing decent but do need to improve,” said Shultis. Coach Abbie Kahn thinks that the next few games are critical if they want any chance for a come-back. “We are really struggling, but I know that we are capable of improving. I know that we can come back around,” said Kahn. PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH
AVERY ADCOCK AVERY ADCOCK AVERY ADCOCK
Junior Matt Johnson scores a goal on April 21 against West Potomac.
every game Music before a game: Young Joc Good luck charms: Livestrong bands Biggest influence: my dad Worst part of tennis: Running Favorite part of tennis: losing to people who just hit it over Best game: West Springfield Worst game: Lake Braddock
Softball looks to transform team BY AVERY ADCOCK Sports Editor
Two AHS defenders rush a West Potomac defender.
#2
Name: Samson Belay Grade: 12 Record: 2-6 Why he is #2: Killer serve and backhand Years playing: seven Superstitions: I have to eat a bagel before
Senior captain Beth Sass attempts to get a sliding player out.
Name: Connor Volk Grade: 9 Record: 4-5 Why he is #3: Great backhand and my serve is consistent Years playing: 10 Superstitions: I have to have well-fitted shoes Music before a game: Nothing Good luck charms: Shock absorbers Biggest influence: My dad Worst part of tennis: Losing my temper when I’m down in a match Favorite part of tennis: Traveling to tournaments Best game: West Springfield Worst game: R.E. Lee
#3
Name: Carson Wahl Grade: 10 Record: 4-5 Why he is #4: I eat bagels Years playing: four Superstitions: none Music before a game: I don’t listen to any Good luck charms: Bagels Biggest influence: bagels Worst part of tennis: Losing to someone who I am better than Favorite part of tennis: Bagels and gatorade Best game: Hayfield Worst game: West Potomac
#4
Boys soccer changes attitude, wins games Positive thoughts leads to win streak BY AVERY ADCOCK Sports Editor
the team is playing better together. “As we get more into the season we are learning more about each other and therefore playing better,” said Santamaria. The Atoms will play at Herndon on April 25 and Lake Braddock on April 27. One of the things that the Atoms have had to work on is knowing how each other plays and their individual techniques. Junior Jon Reid thinks that playing more with each other has made them a better team. “ It is obvious as the season goes on that we are getting more and more comfortable with each other. I really think that if we win the next few games we will be ready for the Patriot District playoffs,” said Reid. One thing is for sure: this is a totally different team than last year.
The boys varsity soccer team has already beat last year’s previous record and the season is only halfway over. TheAtoms currently stand at 3-4-1 and are coming off a two game winning streak with a 7-0 victory over West Potomac and a 1-0 win against South County. Their record is not the only thing that has changed in the eyes of many AHS players. Their attitude towards playing has dramatically transformed. “We have won two straight games and our two midfielders, senior Jai An and sophomoreAdem Gokturk, are really helping us in the middle. Last year we only won one game, so our record is much better,” said junior Saul Suriano. Despite the success, the Atoms still face tough opponents within the district. Junior Jose Valladares still thinks there are things they need to work on in order to continue to win. “As the season goes on, I think our team will get better in the mental game and hopefully use it during the games as a strategy,” said Valladares. Junior goalie, Chris Senior Amadu Fullah attempts a bicycle kick to keep the ball Santamaria thinks that away from a West Springfield defender. The Atoms lost 1-4.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH
Freshman Connor Volk hits a volley.
SPORTS
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April. 24, 2007
Defensive woes continue
Track and Field steadily improves
Error-prone Atoms hope to turn around disappointing season before districts
With four games left, team hopes for second-half surge BY GREG YOUNG Staff Writer The girls varsity soccer team, 2-5 on the season, has struggled, losing their last three games by a combined score of 0-10. The losses were to Hayfield, South County and West Potomac. One of the problems that the squad has had is a lack of offense. The team has managed only seven goals and is averaging less than one goal per game. “We are trying to have a more attacking mindset in each game,” said junior Katie Janssen. Teamwork has also been a major problem for the team. Some players have complained about a lack of focus in Jannsen each game. “We definitely need to come out with intensity every game. We have the skills to beat the teams in our district, we just need to believe we can win,” said senior captain Julianne Simpson. Additionally, the team has struggled to respond to adversity. “After the other teams that we face score, we tend to fall apart,” said junior Katie Whitley. Recently, the team played against South County, one of the top teams in the Patriot District. The Atoms came up short against the Stallions, losing a 0-5 decision. “South County is a good team,” said Janssen. “The score didn’t really reflect how the game actually went.” After the South County game, the team traveled to Alexandria to face the West Potomac Wolverines. TheAtoms started out strong, but wound up losing, 0-2. “One of the problems was that we were not connecting on our passes,” said junior Claire Welling. The team is hoping to stop the losing streak against Centreville on Monday, but the result of the game ended too late for publication.
Senior Will Wade pitches in the Atoms 5-1 victory over Marshall on April 21. Wade threw a complete game, giving up only one run on four hits while striking out seven. “We have the talent, we do well in practice,” said Wade. “Itʼs just not happened in games.” The Atoms have six games remaining before the Patriot District Tournament.
In addition, the top of the pitching rotation has played well recently. Standing out is Wade, who against Lee pitched a complete game giving up only one run on four hits and striking out seven to earn the victory. “I threw strikes and the defense made plays,” said Wade. “I was in a groove. There was no way I was coming out.” Going into the game against West Springfield yester-
day, the Atoms were 1-6 in conference and sat sixth in the Patriot District standings. “We look to play more consistent and get better defensively heading into the district tournament,” said Abrigo. “The team is feeling pretty positive,” said Twomey. “If we get a few more wins, I think we’ll be fine.”
Girls lax beginning to find groove with dominating wins The lady atoms have won two by a 35-3 margin BY TIM YUSKAVAGE Copy Editor
Practice was about to start with a long run under the hot sun. But instead of moping about what was sure to be a long hard practice, the girls were talking, relaxed and even holding an impromptu dance party. This team had at some point come together, with their on-field results as proof of that. Over the span of the last few weeks, the girls lacrosse team has drastically improved their play; with their last two games, a 17-3 win over West Potomac on April 14 and an 18-0 thrashing of Hayfield onApril 21, emphatically proving that. The lady atoms are 5-4 on the season. Even despite two losses, a 10-11 nail-biter to private school powerhouse O’Connell and a 7-10 loss to West Springfield, on March 27 and April 14, respectively, the team has been showing definite improvement. “We’re improving big time,” said freshman defense-woman Monica Athey, saying that if they had another rematch with West Springfield that they could “kill them now.” By outscoring their last two opponents by a combined score of 35-3, there is little doubt that the Atoms are clicking on both the offensive and defensive ends. A key match-up between two traditional Patriot District powerhouses, the Atoms and the Lake Braddock Bruins, on April 26 in Burke will go a long way in seeing where theAtoms stand against a top caliber team. Although Lake Braddock has served as a thorn in the side of AHS, head coach Cindy Hook understands the stakes, even at this point in the season. “We expect them to be very good,” said Freshman Madeleine Irwin attempts to scoop up the ball in practice last Hook, but added that AHS would go out week. The Atoms are 5-4 on the season and play at district rival Lake and “challenge” the Bruins. Braddock on Thursday at 7:30.
Extra Point Sports Column
By Greg Rosenstein April 16, 2007 was one of the worst days of my life. With the horrific news early that afternoon that a shooting rampage had occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech, many of my classmates and I started calling and e-mailing friends in Blacksburg. A master list of former AHS alums who were okay was eventually posted on facebook.com. The one name not on the list that night was Mary Read. Mary and I were very close. We sat next to or close to each other for three years as members of the symphonic band, were leaders of the clarinet section together in the marching band, had the same group of core friends, and hung out a lot outside of school together. So when I heard of her death, I immediately broke into tears. The following day at school our band room, usually filled with the sounds of classical music, instead became a room filled with tears and memories of Mary. The newspapers and television talk shows were filled with advice from psychiatrists and psychologists this past week about how to deal with tragedies such as this: talk-
ing with others around you, writing down emotions and feelings. It has also been shown that participating in or watching sports can be beneficial in giving a sense of normalcy and unity during difficult times. Of course, there should be a break from athletic competition to honor the fallen and begin the grieving process. But sports can also be a part of the recovery. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans at the end of August 2005, the results were unbelievable. Over 1,400 people died. More than 80 percent of the city was flooded and most of its major buildings and roads were destroyed. Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes to find other forms of shelter. One of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history left a majorAmerican city with little to hope for. But as time went on, it appeared one source of unity was found in the return of the New Orleans Saints football team for the 2006 season. “People call in, and I ask them how they are doing and they will say, ‘Well, I got a ways to go. I was working on my roof today, but I will get over that. But how about the Saints’ defensive line?’said local talk show host Gerry Vaillancourt. “If people ever doubted how much sports means to folks, they should come here and see.” Last season the Saints had their most victorious season,
Sports
Spotlight
To beat Lake Braddock and other regional powerhouses, theAtoms must rely upon a true team-oriented effort, which Hook said has been developing over the last few games, and is what has accounted for their recent blowouts.Although their roster has six freshmen, “[they] have caught up,” said Hook, adding that there are really no weak spots on the roster and that anyone can step up and perform their role. When asked which players were playing especially well, Hook was unable to name anyone. It seems that the team is peaking right around the right time, as the second half of the season begins to unfold and the Atoms begin to vie for the top seed of the Patriot District tournament.
Sports: A healer during times of tragedy The
The track and field team has continued its recent improvement, finishing strong at a meet at West Springfield on April 18. At this point of the season, several athletes have qualified for the All-Virginia meet, including senior pole vaulter Alvin Siv, who qualified for the meet with a jump of 13 feet and 3 inches. This is a large improvement from last season, when only a limited amount of athletes qualified for district, regional and state meets. “The team is doing much better this season,” said junior runner Joseph Ingberg, “We have been performing much better against the better track squads and we are more cometitive overall. Also, we are doing much better in the invitational meets this year.” Ingberg In the invitational meets, only a select group of Annandale’s top runners and throwers are allowed to compete. Overall, several members of the track team said that improved coaching has been one of the main reasons for the team’s recent improvement. “We have really good coaches this year and they have been pushing us much more then in any previous year,” said junior Elise Miles. The track team boosts a solid class of freshmen which are, so-far exceeding expectations. “Alot of young people have been doing very well,” said thrower Eric Cabellos. “It really bodes well for the future of the team.” —Greg Young Staff Writer
reaching the NFC conference title game before falling to the Chicago Bears. Much of the success can be attributed to the fans of New Orleans, having shown up week after week to not just support the team, but the city. “It was good for the economy of the city that they came back,” said resident Gerry Haynes on the Saints. “We need them. We can’t lose them.” This past week in a game against Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals paid their respects to the Virginia Tech students by donning maroon and orange VT caps. This gesture was just a small, but very important way of showing their support to a grieving local university. I am sure many other professional teams across the country also paid tributes to the Tech students. As events around the state were being canceled in remembrance of the victims on Friday, the Virginia Tech baseball team made the crucial decision to play their game as scheduled. The team and administration believed that holding the game would help to bring a feeling of normalcy and unity to the campus. “We won before we got to the field today. The scoreboard was insignificant,” said Hokies coach Pete Hughes. “You’ve either got to move forward or you move backward,” athletic director Jim Weaver said. “We think it is the beginning of the healing process.” April 16 is a day that will forever be remembered. But amidst all of the sorrow and sadness, it is important for us all to try to move on as best we can. Sports, in its way of bringing people together in a positive manner, can help do this.
Sports Column
Compiled By Greg Rosenstein
ERIC BRIDGE
Year: Junior Sport: Varsity Baseball Note: Hit two home runs in 8-9 loss against T.C. Williams on April 21. Player Quote: “I just had the usual swing,” said Bridge. “[The home runs] made the game more exciting because it kept bringing us back. We need to win the rest of the games so we can play well in the district tournament.” JULIANNE SIMPSON
Year: Senior Sport: Varsity Soccer Note: Team captain had three assists in 5-1 win against Marshall on April 10. Player Quote: “We were mentally prepared to win [against Marshall],” said Simpson. “We had a good warm-up and went out on the field with confidence. I think that if we practice hard, stay focused and positive, and have fun, we can do anything and beat anyone.” MATT JOHNSON GREG ROSENSTEIN
Soccer looking to improve
GREG ROSENSTEIN
BY GREG ROSENSTEIN Sports Editor There is an old baseball saying, “defense wins championships,” that is reverberated throughout baseball clubhouses each day. Well, most of them at least. With an influx of power at the plate in recent weeks, all fingers point to defensive mishaps as a main cause of a disappointing 4-9 record and sixthh place standing, for the AHS baseball team. “Our pitching and hitting have been fine,” said senior Nick Twomey. “Just the defense has been bad. Making basic plays are killing us.” Head Coach Ron Abrigo echoes his players concerns. “Our biggest issue all season has been defense,” said Coach Ron Abrigo. “When you average six errors a game, it is hard to win that way.” But with six games remaining on the schedule until postseason play on May 14, there are still reasons for optimism. To start the season, it took the team six games to achieve 20 runs scored. In comparison, the last three match-ups before press time—against South Lakes, Lee and T.C. Williams—the Atoms have scored a total of 20 runs. While success at the plate has not been attributed to one player in particular, senior Jon Anderson and junior Eric Bridge have come on strong in recent weeks. Anderson hit a three-run homer in the first inning against Lee on April 17 to give a 5-0 advantage early on, and Bridge hit two home runs against T.C. Williams on April 21. “We have been more aggressive and have been swinging the bats more,” said Bridge.
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Year: Junior Sport: Varsity Lacrosse Note: Had 5 goals in 8-14 loss against O’Connell on April 18. Player Quote: “Hopefully the team can pull together, so we can be successful for the rest of the season,” said Johnson. “ I think it is really up to us on how the season will turn out. I really think we can have a successful year.”
Atomic Athletics JV Boys Lacrosse
5-2 JV Girls Lacrosse
2-2 JV Boys Soccer
2-0 JV Girls Soccer
3-4-1 JV Baseball
3-4 JV Softball
1-4 All sports records taken from www.annandaleatoms.com
14 Download This: 1. With Love, Hilary Duff 2. Give It To Me, Timbaland 3. Rehab, Amy Winehouse 4. Straight to the Bank, 50 Cent 5. Push It Baby, Pretty Ricky 6. Lipgloss, Lil Mama 7. Buy You a Drank, T-Pain 8. Girlfriend, Avril Lavigne 9. We Takin’ Over, DJ Khaled 10. Roadhouse Blues, The Doors
Horoscopes Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18)
Lately, you are feeling healthy and unaffected by any negatives, but this feeling won’t last unless you keep yourself in a positive and upbeat mood. Treat yourself to dinner one day.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Your head is clouded with thoughts that do not concern you or anything about you. Try to focus your thoughts on something productive.
Aries (March 21-April19)
You have strong control over your own life whether you like the direction it is taking or not. Making changes with your life could be a consideration now.
Taurus (April 20-May18)
Lots of progress is happening in the workplace today. Your relationships and life in general seem to fit together for now. Use caution when choosing these relationships.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
This is a time of enthusiasm and new beginnings. Lately you have been full of hard work and responsibility. You will get mixed responses about the conclusion of both.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You may touch upon very emotional parts of you and find yourself analyzing and psychoanalyzing. Open your eyes to change but do not let go of your values.
ENTERTAINMENT
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April 24, 2007
Grindhouse defies the laws of movies The
Drew
Review Movie Review
By Drew Wildes Super directors and long time friends Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up and paid homage to the exploitation genre of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Their high octane film clocks in at just over three hours and fills every second with either blood or booms. Grindhouse is a double feature with two separate films (one by Rodriguez and one by Tarantino) as well as fake trailers in between the two full length films, directed by Eli Roth, Rob Zombie and others. Zombies, car chases, deranged villains, chemical weapons, a girl with a machine gun for a leg; Grindhouse has it all. Tarantino and
Rodriguez caught the essence of the exploitation genre Terror’s intensity through the first half of the film, but finishes with an exciting car chase and a hilarious final and had their fun with it. The film works because the two directors truly loved sequence. Three hours did seem a little long, but Grindand had fun with what they were doing. The cheesy house is definitely worth the money. Planet Terror was the more enjoyable of the two, but 80’s dialogue was hilarious and the actors delivered performances that could have been taken straight out Grindhouse replicated the atmosphere that all movie fans will love. This movie was truly fun to watch and will be of an old slasher film. Grindhouse is a fresh slap in the face and defies the to anyone who enjoys watching films by directors that unwritten laws of popular movies. There is enough blood love what they do. and gore to satisfy any slasher fan, and it’s so outrageous at times you can’t help but have fun. The fact that Tarantino and Rodriguez provided the amount of violence they did and still kept it enjoyable is a great achievement. Rodriguez’s effort was Planet Terror, a zombie slasher spectacular. Rose McGowan and Freddy Rodriguez steal the spotlight and light up the bloody screen with their gritty chemistry. The action sequences are done with great respect for the old exploitation films it was based on, but is refreshingly original at the same time. Rose McGowan played a woman with a machine gun for a leg in Robert Tarantino’s Death Proof lacked Planet Rodriguezʼs Planet Terror in Grindhouse.
Worst damn thing FATA recovers well Ne1 remember the sk8er bois and punk tweens of 2001? It was 2 cool! Sorry, that happens sometimes when Avril Lavigne comes on. She is the proliferator of angry girl rock, the anti-pop princess, the balance of black eye liner and red carpet—or at least was. Lavigne got married on July 15, 2006 and her lyrics changed forever. Now, the former-angry girl is singing, “I found a place so safe, not a single tear/The first time in my life and now it’s so clear/Feel calm I belong, I’m so happy here/It’s so strong and now I let myself be sincere/I wouldn’t change a thing about it/This is the best feeling.” What happened to, “It’s complicated??” Her songs, apart from being all lovey-dovey in this ironically titled The Best Damn Thing, aren’t very good. Each song is different, which is good, but within each of the 11 pieces, the melodic line doesn’t change for the entire song. This doesn’t sound like a terrible trespass, but every song gets old and tired by the two-minute mark, leaving an entire minute of agony left. The lyrics are week, her background band has no part in the album and her voice capability only proves itself to be slightly above average. Her love seems to border on stalking on her track, “Hot.” On Avril Lavigne a beat-by-beat play, she tells the audience—assumed to be her Best Damn husband— that she “wants to lock you up in my closet, when Thing no one’s around…I wanna drive you into the corner, and kiss you without a sound/I wanna stay this way forever, I’ll say it aloud/Now you’re in and you can’t get out.” Say it together now: creeeeeeeeeeepy. Remind anyone else of Angelina Jolie’s vile of Billy Bob Thornton’s blood-on-a-necklace stage? The only redeeming song on this album is the last one—and most listeners won’t get there. Just download “Keep Holding On.” The song, featured in the movie Eragon – which hopefully you didn’t see (sorry! I’m a critic!) – keeps the listeners attention for the whole track and actually has lyrics that mean something. Her voice is low and harmonious and the song isn’t about being too good, too in love, or too anything. It’s simple, which is one of its strengths. Basic summary: With her voice, she should definitely stick to yelling at lame ex-boyfriends, or at least stay in the lower octave, instead of this feeble attempt at pop. We’re happy you’re happy Avril— but this album just isn’t worth the time.
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BY LUCAS HIGGINS Staff Writer Normally, when a band gets rid of its front man and lead vocalist, recovery is very difficult. If you take a look at Saosin, Cover Reber has become a viable replacement for Anthony Green, but Reber does not seem to have quite the same power or stage presence that Green had. Van Halen was never the same after their ego-fest of a dispute in the 80’s. With plenty more similar examples, fans have reason to be skeptical about a band that kicks its leader to the curb. Ignoring the precedents, NewYork-based post-hardcore band From Autumn To Ashes and Ben Perri officially split ways in 2006, about a year after their abysmal Abandon Your Friends was released. Perri’s lack of work ethic, lack of honesty, and general lack of fire and passion for the music life led the band to the decision. With backup singer and drummer Francis Mark taking the leading male role over from Perri, doubt was a prevalent feeling surrounding FATA’s newest release, Holding A Wolf By The Ears. Mark had to step up and take over all writing duties, all singing duties and the most daunting of all, all screaming duties. On previous FATA records, Mark’s pleading vocals had often stolen the show, so with a reasonable amount of confidence, Mark tracked all the vocals for the new album. The result? FATA’s best album since their first, Too Bad You’re Beautiful. Not only does Mark seamlessly switch between deeply personal singing and raise-your-fist-to-the-sky screaming, but the rest of the band has created a sense of urgency and aggressiveness that FATA hasn’t produced for years. Track after track, the band walk the line between beautiful and brutal without one letdown. The first single, “Pioneers,” is a perfect example of FATA the muscular guitar riffs giving way to surprisingly catchy hooks that Holding a Wolf characterize the entire album. Throughout the twelve tracks, FATAbring By The Ears crushing breakdowns that are preceded by build ups that are just epic, as done in “Everything I Need.” Production for this album is just as amazing. “A Goat In Sheep’s Rosary” has a perfectly placed and haunting outro that may inspire goosebumps. The bottom line is that FATA has come back better than they ever were before. Vagrant Records, doing what a good label should, stuck by their band in a time of extreme turmoil, and it’s going to pay dividends. Vagrant executives boast that FATA’s “best days are in front of them,” and I believe it. Download this: “Love It Or Left It,” “Daylight Slaving,” “A Goat In Sheep’s Rosary,” “Recounts And Recollections”
A
Adventures of Brew By Drew Wildes & Ben Hendrickson
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
You have gotten in over your head as you prepare for new challenges. Take a step back to re-evaluate what is really important to you.
Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)
You can be most persuasive with others and eloquent in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for self-expression and gives you particular ideas and thoughts.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
When it comes to spiritual or philosophical beliefs, allow others to search for their own truth. Do not turn a conversation into a sermon. Keep in mind the road to happiness is under construction.
Simmons simmers readers with The Terror Paul on Prose Book Review
By Paul Mathis
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
This is a perfect time to be assertive and move forward with your decisions. You have all the drive and energy necessary. Channeling this energy should be easy.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Your current situation may demand some re-evaluation. You have a good attitude and may take the obstactles in your life as just another challenge to overcome.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Time goes by quickly these past couple of weeks. Those you are closely involved with will open new spheres of experience. Although, they might offer guidance, listen to your inner self.
With all of the hype floating around present day media concerning global warming, it is good to cool down every once in a while. With The Terror, Dan Simmons provides an arctic blizzard, many of them in fact. The adventure writer’s new novel concerns the plight of two ships, The Erebus and The Terror, and their crews as the ships’ disillusioned leader searches for the North-West Passage in the mid-1800s. The struggle for survival that ensues once the ships are beached on a never-ending block of ice is extremely detailed, convincing, and at times thrilling. However, Simmons’plot tends to take on a development as bleak as the arctic landscape at times, leaving readers high and dry and waiting for change. Captain Crozier, the captain of the follower ship The Terror on the Northwest expedition of The Terror and The Erebus loathes Erebus’s captain, Sir John. He is dimwitted, is not thorough in his nautical thinking, and too selfpossessed to see the reality of any expedition, let alone an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. But deep down, even Crozier wishes his feelings were unfounded, especially when both boats become stuck in the midst thousands of miles of artic ice with no water in sight in what is now Northern Canada. Here, amidst -40 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures, huge ice seracs and blinding snow blizzards, the men of both ships settle down to wait out years on the ice, waiting for a search party, and every
summer hoping that warmer temperatures will break up after this happens multiple times, the news is less startling. the ice and allow some form of a waterway to carry their Yet this is all that happens. The men suffer from their cirseverely damaged ships. However, the crews’ struggle for cumstances, get eaten by the thing, try to stop the thing, survival is not impeded simply by the forces of nature. They are defeated by the thing, try to stop the thing again, are become frightened to find that a gargantuan monster, ap- again defeated by the thing, and so on. Simmons does fill in the void somewhat with formidable propriately dubbed “the Thing on the Ice,” is watching character development. The story is told in multiple third them, and torturing them, and eating them. If this seems like a strange twist, it is. Dan Simmons person limited perspectives, shifting every chapter, which spends a great mount of page space in his 750 page The gives the reader a definite taste of multiple characters’ atTerror creating a lifelike arctic environment, describing in titudes towards their situation on the ice, as well as their detail aspects of geography, sickness, work, and common hopes for safety or lack there-of. Unfortunately, this characpractices of the time that would occur in the arctic during ter development does not carry with it that desperate depth the 1800s. However, it is evident that the description of the of sadness that other, more dramatic novels do, in part due slow process of extermination of the crews alone, if caused to the fact that The Terror is mainly an adventure novel. Simmons unravels a tale of convincing desperation, solely by sickness and lack of food, might be somewhat which shows signs of excitement and sheer madness at boring. Unfortunately, the thing on the ice does not make up times, but on the overall scale is somewhat disappointfor what action would be lacking. In fact, it is action that ing. A in inventiveness and detail, B in lack of sound plot seems to deaden The Terror. Simmons spends much time development. describing the arctic environment, as said above, as well as describing the details of action scenes, such as one seamen’s fight for survival in a midnight battle against the thing, or a fire that takes place on one of the ships. The action that Simmons describes is wholly Over thirty years experience convincing, save for maybe the thing in and of itself. Every level from beginner to advanced The problem is that the same action Rock, Blues, R&B, Jazz, Roots, Country. seems to occur again and again. Often monumental scenes of action are hundreds My home or Your home of pages apart, and the filler is simply a 703-623-8415 description of problems with disease on www.docreedguitar.com the ships, such as scurvy, or the immense lack of food. The action scenes themselves myspace.com/brinsondocreed are redundant. It is shocking the first time youtube.com/brinsondocreed the thing on the ice eats a series of men, but
Doc Reed Guitar Instruction
April 24, 2007
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WEEKEND
What’s your favorite place to go when you don’t have much time to sit down for a meal? “McDonalds, because I live next door and it’s close.”
Food chain face-off vs.
BY TIM SHADYAC Weekend Editor
—Jose Escabar freshman
“Wendys because the food isn’t as oily as McDonalds’ and Taco Bells food is too spicy for me.” —Audri Knudsen junior “Taco Bell because I like Mexican food.”
“Welcome to Moe’s!” This energetic phrase can be heard upon arrival at any Moe’s Southwest Grill. Moe’s has become one of the most popular stops for Mexican food lovers. Senior Shane Keady is an extremely proud supporter of Moe’s Southwest Grill. He was formerly a regular at Chipotle until he tried Moe’s. “I’m actually still not exactly sure what it is about Moe’s. Sure the food is great, but the whole experience seems superior to most fast food chains,” said Keady. Moe’s has a varied menu, which does not limit itself to the typical burritos and tacos. Moe’s offers multiple types of burritos and tacos along with quesadillas and salads. Unlike many other Mexican restaurants, Moe’s steams their tortillas,
which give them moistness that keeps the burrito from falling apart. “Moe’s has great sides also, like queso, rice, and beans. My one complaint is that Moe’s does not have corn for their burritos,” said Keady. The pricing at Moe’s allows customers to get more food for less money. “The atmosphere of the restaurant is great. Many Keady people go to Moe’s, but there is hardly ever a wait,”said Keady. While Moe’s may lack some topping choices, the business does not leave customers discontented or hungry.
senior BY CLAIRE BUI Staff Writer
—Whitney Clark senior
“Wendy’s or Popeyes because their french fries are to die for, and spicy.” —Kathleen Dion English teacher
Upcoming Concerts 9:30 Club Wolfmother Wed., April 25 Chuck Brown Fri., April 27 Paramore Sat., April 28
Third Eye Blind Tues., May 1 Five for Fighting Fri., May 4
Relient K
Mon., May 7
The State Theater The Bridge Sat., April 28 Corey Smith Wed., May 2
The Birchmere
The Ventures Tues., April 26 Medeski, Martin & Wood Sun., April 29
BY CLAIRE BUI Staff Writer Subway is a multinational restaurant franchise which primarily sells sandwiches and salads. The company’s slogan, “Eat Fresh,” clearly explains the preparation of sandwich with freshly baked bread, using fresh ingredients in the presence of the customer. Subway menus vary by store, country and state, but retain core items, such as the 6-inch and footlong submarine sandwiches. All Subway restaurants offer customers lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, olives and pickles, along with certain regionally selected toppings. In 2000, Subway added seasoned breads and a line of specialty items to its menu. Three years later, Subway gave customers the option to have their sandwiches toasted in response to increased “competition from rival sandwich chain Quiznos
than just a burger. Five Guys just lets you pick burgers, but you have a greater selection of food at Fudds, like hot dogs, chili and buffalo wings,” said senior Fredy Santos. According to the corporate website, Fuddruckers claims to provide “world class products, service, attitude, and people.” “I like Fudds because the food is really good and the service is nice. The dessert is also pretty good too. I usually get the ice cream there,” said freshman Bran- Santos don Mitchener. Today, Fuddruckers has restaurants in over half of the cities in the United States.
The Killers
Thurs., April 26
“Chipotle’s complete experience always leaves me satisfied,” said junior David Waiter. “I can get a burrito or a burrito bowl and be completely full.” Chipotle is one of the original Mexican style chain restaurants that has become incredibly popular among high school Waiter students. Chipotle is typically more expensive than most fast food restaurants, but the amount of food seems worth the money. Chipotle is not a true fast food restaurant because of its cleaner, more welcoming
“Five Guys Style” or spicy “Cajun” style. Junior Diana Benevidez is among one of the AHS students who prefers Five Guys. “I like Five Guys more because the quality of food is great and the burgers are yummy. They definitely offer the best burgers and you can watch them prepare your meal right in front of you. I like how there are a lot of topping choices and you can choose exactly what you want on your burgers,” said Benevidez. “Fuddruckers has a bigger selection of food, but Five Guys has way better burgers. The food [at Five Guys] is better quality and you definitely get more than enough food to fill you up. You can also snack on free peanuts while you’re waiting. Everything at Five Guys is worth your money,” said senior Chris Fitz. Other menu items include hot dogs, available with bacon and cheese, grilled cheese and veggie sandwiches.
BY CLAIRE BUI Staff Writer
While the Five Guys menu is restricted to only a few items, predominantly just burgers and fries, the chain still stacks up nicely when compared to Fuddruckers. The company has received numerous awards in Washington area publications, including “Number One Burger” by Washingtonian Magazine six years in a row. The regular Benevidez burger at Five Guys consists of two beef patties, and the “little burger” contains one. French fries are boardwalk-style and fried in peanut oil. Two sizes are offered, regular and large, and two varieties, regular
vs.
Sub”, which popularized toasted sandwiches. “I like Subway because they have different kinds of breads and everything there is always fresh. You get to pick what goes on your sandwich and the service is generally very good at all the [Subway] stores that I go to,” said Sophomore Glenda Ngo. Subway has been criticized by nutritionists, who claim that Subway sells ‘trick food’ and hides the fact that Ngo many of its food items contain many calories. As a result, customers are often fooled by the “less than 6 grams of fat” signs commonly shown in ads or in stores worldwide. In the small print, there is the disclaimer that the 6 grams of fat does not include cheese.
BY CLAIRE BUI Staff Writer
Quiznos Sub is a fast-food sandwich franchise that specializes in toasted submarine sandwiches. It is the second-largest submarine sandwich shop chain in North America, passing the older and slower-growing Blimpie, though is still a fraction of the size of Subway. All of Quiznos’ sandwiches are served toasted, although they can still be sold unheated at the customer’s reChung quest. While Quiznos did not originate the toasted sub, their rapid success is thought to have led to other chains following suit. The best selling subs are the Classic Italian, the Mesquite Chicken with Bacon, the Prime Rib Cheesesteak, the Chicken Carbonara and the Turkey
Ranch and Swiss sub. Salads, soups, sides, and desserts are also
available. “Quiznos is definitely my favorite because they have a better selection of subs and they are toasted. There are also a lot of toppings and you have a wider variety of meals to choose from,” said sophomore Michael Chung. In June 2006, Quiznos revealed their new slogan: “Eat Up.” In September of that year, the company launched the most aggressive advertising campaign aimed at Subway. Dubbed the Prime Rib Cheesesteak Challenge, customers were challenged to compare the brand new Prime Rib Cheesesteak against Subway’s Cheesesteak sandwich. Still, there is still some criticism toward Quiznos. The company claims to prepare all kinds of recipes using “only premium quality ingredients,” as stated on their corporate website. Still, Quiznos consistently refuses to release the nutritional data of nearly all of its products, according to www.insidevandy.com.
Chow Down
is delicious. Chadwicks has a room for every person’s style; there is a main room with a relaxed feel that has booths and is close to the downstairs bar (a hot spot on weeknights and weekends). Astone wall on the left side of the restaurant reads “Sailors have sea legs.” Next to the main room is the patio with stonewalls, high ceilings, and a wall of windows which gives a view of the Potomac River. Restaurant Guide Upstairs is classy and clean with white table cloths By Kate McCormack and Tim Shadyac on all of the tables. There is another great view of the Potomac River from the upstairs. There are lunch and dinner specials for every day A restaurant overlooking the Potomac River with of the week. Mondays are Half Price Hamburger nights, delicious food? Where can you find such a place you ask? from 4 p.m. to midnight, Tuesdays are Drunken Pot Roast Chadwicks restaurant and bar in Old Town. nights, Wednesday features meatloaf and mashed potaChadwicks has the water front view for a cheap price. toes, Thursday is Roast Turkey with all trimmings, Friday Plus, the food is amazing. Fresh french bread is brought is Fish and Chips, Saturday is Super Deal Burgers from 11 to the table before every meal, and muffins are served a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday Brunch is with brunch. served from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For brunch there are egg dishes Chadwicks is open on weeknights such as the Egg Fritata or the Eggs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekIdaho, which is scrambled eggs ends brunch is served from 10 a.m. mixed with bacon served on top of to 4 p.m. and dinner starts at 5 p.m. fried potatoes with melted cheese on Meals are moderately priced but top. They also offer all of the classics are well worth the money. The such as pancakes. Chef, Peter Durkin, was recently For dinner there is a choice bepraised in the Food section of the tween all of the day’s specials and Washington Post for his ability to the everyday favorites. mix the tastes of high class classic Everything tastes fresh and the American cuisine with beer. meat is cooked perfectly to your Chadwicks offers a wide selection of food liking. Sandwiches and wraps each with a variety of different specials such as come with sides, and the cole slaw “saltimbocca.” KATE MCCORMACK
Patriot Center
When it comes to burgers, Fuddruckers is a perennial favorite. The Fudds chain is notable for their large burger patties (USDA beef ground in-house daily), which can be up to one pound; homemade buns that are cut and toasted to order; and a self-service toppings bar. Customers first order a base burger, either plain or with specialty toppings, such as cheese, sauces, sauteed onions or guacamole.The burger is then provided open-faced to the customer, who then takes it to the toppings bar and adds fresh vegetables and seasonings. The restaurant is not limited to burgers, however. An expanded menu includes steaks, chicken, fish, hot soup and fresh tossed salads. In additional to these aforementioned meals include an array of homemade sweets, malt drinks and shakes. “At Fuddruckers, you can get more
atmosphere. The wait to get food and the lack of tables are often complaints about Chipotle. “Chipotle has a simple menu which I like because I always know what I’m going to order,” said Waiter. While Chipotle has a small menu, it offers many different toppings, including corn, grilled vegetables, and three different types of salsa. Many of Chipotle’s customers are completely faithful to Chipotle. As Mexican foods have become more popular, many new food chains have popped up, but Chipotle is known as the original fast and authentic burrito restaurant. Chipotle also has a reputation of having larger, more filling burritos, but they fall apart often. Because customers sometimes overwhelm employees, the food is not always prepared carefully either.
BY TIM SHADYAC Weekend Editor
vs.
—Julie Tran
“Noodles and Company because it’s fast and really, really, really good.”
April 24, 2007
KATE MCCORMACK
16
A
t
Chadwicks of Old Town has three different style rooms along with an upstairs and downstairs bar.
Locations Georgetown: 3205 K. St. NW Washington, DC (202)333-2565 Old Town: 203 Strand St. Alexandria, VA (703)836-4442
Food: Service: Decor: out of 4 stars