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News
Arts
discusses plans for the last Fuddruckers Night
looks at portfolios shown during the IB Art Show
0 1
The admission fee to the National Zoo if you walk See page 20 The number of online classes students will have to take to graduate See page 5
4
The number varsity boys soccer won by after an exciting overtime goal See page 17
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The number of hours one student is in school each day in a homeschooled program See page 9
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The number of students who presented their portfolios during the IB Art Show See page 9
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The percentage of females who admitted to having sex during Beach Week See page 10
Senior class meeting During an extended W4 period on April 26, there will be a senior class meeting in the main gym. The meeting will cover details about gradation, Prom and the All Night Grad Party. Students will also receive any products they ordered from Balfour, including graduation notices.
In-Depth
Lifestyles
Weekend
explores the truth behind Beach Week
highlights how students personalize their cars
details zoological activities for animal lovers
A
4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 470
Informiing the Atoms siince 1954 4
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
(703) 642-4229
Studentfaculty game tomorrow
CHANGES COMING TO FCPS
BY CJ AFTERGUT Co-Editor in Chief
School board wants to later start times and online classes BY ANNIE CURRAN AND NASIHA RASHID Co-Editor in Chief and News Editor When the FCPS School Board gained six new members at the start of the new year, there were rumblings that the activist board would bring change to the county. They are doing just that by bringing change to the county through their initiatives to start high school later, add online classes to the curriculum and create a virtual high school. STARTING LATER It’s a fairly common sight to see teenagers dozing off in their first class of the morning. Many on the school board have grown tired of this problem. On April 12, the board voted 10-2 to set a goal of starting high schools at 8:00 a.m.
This does not mean the measure has passed, rather Superintendent Jack Dale and his staff will have to research the costs and implications and report back at a June 11 work session. Then, the board will determine if they will pass the measure. It is unclear when this rule would take action if approved. It is not surprising that this issue is being pursued by the current school board at this time. Mason district member Sandy Evans is the co-founder of the Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal (SLEEP), which has led the charge in the county to move back high school start times. Although this is not her first year on the school board, the same school board members who rejected the proposal in 2009 made up the board
for the past couple of school years. With the six new members, many of whom call themselves activist members, it was the right time to bring back the initiative. Some students are excited at the possibility of having more time to sleep. “It would benefit a lot of IB students because they have to stay up so late. There would be more time for homework,” sophomore Allen Duran said. “I would like it so I can stay up a bit later,” sophomore Julio Mendieta said. According to the Annandale Patch, the long history with later school start times is why former school board member Stu Gibson stated his opposition in a letter. “School board” continues on page 5
IB exam policy announced Diploma candidates get two study days IB Coordinator Shirley Campbell has just released the new IB exam attendance policy, which details the protocol for students with morning exams, afternoon exams and those who want an extra day or two to study. IB study days may be taken by students if written notice is provided to the attendance office within 24 hours before the day-off by parents or guardians. The note has to explicitly state the day the student will be taking off and what exam he or she will be studying for. IB Diploma Candidates can take two study days,
MARWA ABDELAZIZ
BY ANNIE CURRAN Co-Editor in Chief
Senior Kelly Goodison practices for an IB exam in her math class.
while other IB students can take one to two days, depending on how many IB classes they are taking. During May, there will be a morning and afternoon testing session for IB tests. If a student has
a morning test, he or she may leave school after the test if they have turned in an early release permission slip to the attendance office a week before the test. Students with afternoon tests can stay home to prepare if they have turned in a late arrival permission form and they arrive at their testing center at least 30 minutes before the exam begins. Students can get these forms from their teachers, the school website or the attendance office. Senior Susie Sowa is an IB Diploma Candidate who has to take tests for five classes this year. With her diploma at stake, she has to take studying seriously. She says that she plans on taking advantage of her allotted study days and will go home once she has finished her test. “I will definitely go home after the
They may interact daily in classrooms and hallways, come faceto-face at sports games and practices and even encounter each other outside of AHS, but it is rare that students and faculty get the chance to square off against each other on a basketball court. Tomorrow at 2:45 p.m. in the main gym, however, they will compete against each other in the Class of 2012-sponsored student-faculty basketball game. The event, which is the first AHS has held in several years, will serve as one of the senior class’ final fundraisers of the year in an attempt to lower ticket prices for Prom. “We had one three years ago that was a complete blast,” Class of 2012 Sponsor Whitney Dunning said. “I thought it’d be a good way to raise money for Prom.” “We decided that we could raise a large amount of our funds through this basketball game as we come close to our Prom deadline,” Senior Class President AJ Janwatin added. “Ms. Dunning believed that this would be the most profitable event for us.” The game has been in the works since January, when both Dunning and Janwatin sat down to begin organizing the event. “ We s t a r t e d p l a n n i n g a n d organizing the event right after the winter basketball season; therefore, many basketball players were asked to be on the student team,” Janwatin said. The Class of 2012 officers continued to build each team by contacting students and teachers who they believed would be interested in competing. In addition to compiling both teams, they also enlisted the “Basketball” continues on page 5
AJ MCCAFFERTY
By the numbers
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ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL
the VOLUME #57 ISSUE 11
14
10-11
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION OF SENIOR DIEGO CORNEJO BY AJ MCCAFFERTY
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Senior David Croghan will play in the game.
“Exams” continues on page 5
Bomb threat caller arrested, makes bail Administration defends the communication during hectic day BY ANNIE CURRAN Co-Editor in Chief
Student-faculty basketball game results On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read about the game
Former AHS student Marco Antonio Verduo Toledo, who was charged with felony threats to bomb, posted $2,500 bail on April 9 and was released from jail. He was charged on the same day he made the threats against AHS. Now, Principal Vincent Randazzo is saying his staff did the best job they could under the circumstances. Verduo Toledo was charged with two felony counts of threats to bomb and misdemeanor trespassing on March 30. He reportedly called two television stations to report that there was a bomb at AHS. His preliminary
hearing has been set for May 15. confusion of the day. He received Randazzo confirms that he attended the first call from his safety and AHS for less than a year, but could security staff at 4:42 a.m.. When he not divulge why he stopped attending arrived on the scene, police informed him that the bomb sniffing AHS. Some students dogs would work quickly reported seeing him on enough so that school could campus on April 13. open at regular time. As The day brought new information arose to the on many criticisms police about the number of from confused and threats and more thorough disgruntled parents, searches with a bomb robot who received no were required. He says that information from the the police took hold and it county until after 9:00 became a “15 more minutes, a.m. Students were 30 more minutes situation.” finally allowed back “It just kept building, on campus after 11:00 Antonio Verduo circumstances were changing a.m., but many went Marco Toledo was charged with home. Comments filled two felony counts of and things were out of our control,” Randazzo said. social media sites, with threats to bomb. Other students will also parents saying things like, “We’ve had no official word from be attending the Despite the fact FCPS,” and this is “a new level of that the administration believes the scene was calm, there were still ridiculous.” Randazzo says that the “disjointed some chaotic moments. As students sequences of events” created the grew restless on the buses where
they were being held, some made the decision to try to escape. Senior Tae Kim watched as his younger brother jumped out of a bus window and ran away. He ended up getting lost as he tried to run and was found later on. His father had to interrupt a busy day at work to come pick his sons up. “From the parent’s and student’s side, this day was bad,” Kim said. Randazzo cites a combination of two factors for the lack of communication with the AHS community. First, the county has to approve any robocall sent out to parents. Second, the police had taken over the scene and he was only receiving information as they provided it to him. “Based on the situation, our staff did great,” Randazzo said. “You have to adapt to your situation. Some things we adapted to quickly, some things slowly. Some areas didn’t go as well as others.”
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Editorials
April 24, 2012
Capturing the young voters
Both candidates promise to increase student financial aid
On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR code” to view an exclusive story about the gap between younger and older generations and how the Trayvon Martin incident resulted from this gap.
QUOTE COLLECTION The A-Blast wants to hear your opinion. Your response to the following question might be featured in our Quote Collection:
What do you think about CISPA and the relatively low efforts done to publicize or stop it? E-mail your response to: ablast.editorials@gmail.com
What do you think about student loans and are they needed for college? “No, because I’m going to [pay for] my own college so I will not need one. ”
If Congress fails to cooperate soon then subsidized federal student loan interest rates will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. The current Democratic administration is trying to renew a law that, if left to die on the floor, would cost students thousands more in their interest payments from loans. Democrats argue that it is ludicrous to let student loan interests skyrocket to 6.8 percent while in comparison mortgage rates are only 3.8 percent, treasury bonds are two percent and the Federal Reserve is pumping money into banks for free. Republican enemies of the bill say that deficit spending is not the smartest option for a country in economic straits and debt and that continuing the low interest rate could potentially take money away from other federal college financial aid programs within the Republican budget. The continuation of the 3.4 interest rate would cost the federal government roughly $6 billion. The bill currently has the support of 109 Democrats in the House against 77 Republicans. With the economy still recovering from the recent recession, the cost of a college education has tripled in the past three decades and the amount of financial aid awards being given out cannot keep up. As of now, over 37 million college graduates and dropouts are cumulatively paying over $1 trillion in student loan debts. This is especially important for seniors at AHS, as over 50 percent of students currently receive free or reduced lunch. As seniors graduate and progress through their college careers, they will become more and more cognizant of the student loans piling up. Some may even have to
Sophomore William Sorto discusses with counselor Katie Raffaelli whether he is eligible for financial aid and scholarships in his senior year
take part-time jobs or apply for need-based scholarships in order to continue paying for school and avoid extreme long-term repercussions. Student loans will be a significant topic of contention, as a good education is highly regarded in society and many companies recommend or even require certain degrees for one to even apply. The general consensus is that a college degree or higher is an enormous asset on the path to success and data shows a direct positive relationship between the level of education of an employee and the income of an employee. With Rick Santorum’s abrupt suspension of his campaign, it is clear that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee and will be contending for the presidency with incumbent Barack Obama. Last election, many people accredited Obama’s win to young and minority voters. This
election may be no different. However, the unsettling thing is that Democrats and Republicans have polarizing opinions on what to do with student loans. Democrats want to increase the education budget, while Republicans want to cut it, yet both sides have offered few specific details on the subject. Obama seeks to retain the support of the young voters that were so instrumental in electing him into office and has promised a plan that will alleviate some of the burden on students. Dubbed the “Pay As You Earn” plan, it details how students will pay less per month over a longer period of time and how the administration will set up a program designated to help students better understand their options when taking out loans. Romney has promised to nullify student debts even though the Republican Party’s stance is that
SARAH OMER
Trayvon Martin victimized
By Daniel Park Editorials Editor
usually student aid should be cut. Student aid has always been seen as a way to buy votes or appear more in touch with the middle class. It is important when voting that students take these proposals with a grain of salt. Regardless of their political affiliations, both Obama and Romney will continue to vote to increase financial aid regardless of what they know is a reality because no one wants to go into the election as the candidate who seemingly wants to limit an American’s opportunity to obtain an education. Students need to recognize this in order to serve as educated voters in a functioning democracy. Despite temptations to vote for the candidate that will increase student aid more, students need to look at the broader picture and judge based on reality and common sense.
Internet is under fire once again
“[Student loans] are helpful because they lend you money and later on after college you can get a job and pay them back.”
—Gabriel Aguilera sophomore
“My parents keep telling me that if I want to go to the college of my choice I have to get a scholarship. Student loans may help but I don’t want to be paying it back for the next ten years. ”
—Jennifer Lemus junior “[They are important] because we aren’t financially rich.”
—Jansen Gaudinez junior
CISPA targets civil liberties and online product security By Daniel Park Editorials Editor This week Congress will wrongly debate and likely ratify H.R. 3523, a piece of legislation dubbed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), under the misled impression that it will be a necessity in America’s war against cyber attacks. The bill will give the government unprecedented control over internet activity and will not penalize private companies for sharing private data with the government. The diction of the law is vague. The law states that Congress is allowed to bypass existing exemptions to online privacy laws and basically monitor, censor and stop any online communication that the government considers to be troublesome or detrimental to itself or private parties. This obstruction can include anyone, even AHS students. This sounds extremely familiar. In the past, other anti-piracy legislation, such as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), and PIPA (Protect IP Act), were born and vehemently shut down because they were too conforming and prohibited creativity while making it harder for newer and smaller businesses to become successful. Several popular websites including Facebook, Wikipedia and Google banded together for a boycott to express their disdain of the bills and increase awareness. CISPA is very similar, but instead of using piracy as the scapegoat, the government is now using terrorism. Contrary to SOPA and PIPA, CISPA has still not been widely recognized and has not had huge company or media attention centered on it, a huge difference from before. Because the bill will allow for more private communication data to be exchanged between the government and
Why CISPA needs to be repealed: • Allows Congress to bypass current online privacy laws. • Authorizes Congress to monitor, censor and stop any online activity that the government considers detrimental to itself or private parties. • Very difficult to challenge in court because government determines the standards. • The authors of SOPA and PIPA were never held accountable. This is a chance to stop these legislations at the source. • Allows for more sharing of private data between government and private companies. private companies, many of the companies that formerly opposed SOPA and PIPA support CISPA at our expense. CISPA makes it nearly impossible for a person to battle against the government in court because the standards for what is illegal are completely decided by the government; there is little to no criteria about what an inappropriate abuse of power within. Besides the obvious problem this bill poses for pirates and piracy advocates, there is an underlying problem at hand. Congress will keep introducing similar bills under new names until something passes. The last time that SOPA and PIPA were defeated, that was it. The author of the legislation, Representative Lamar Smith, was not punished or reprimanded for making such harsh legislation. Instead he was given a slap on the wrist as the bill died on the Capitol floor, but he should have been held accountable. AHS students need to hold their elected representatives accountable
and when some tapped into their inner-activist by signing the petition against SOPA and PIPA, they should have held the author of such legislation accountable. So how close is this abuse of power to being passed? The answer is frightening. The bill already has over 100 supporters in Congress and if nothing is done it is expected to pass. This bill will have a tremendous impact on how the Internet is viewed and regulated. AHS students need to make themselves heard if they want their use of the Internet to be the same as it always has been. It is very easy to get involved; simply tweet or email your representative and follow CISPA on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook. The number one goal is to increase traffic and awareness about CISPA and to make sure it does not get passed under the radar. These anti-piracy bills are continually being shot down, but they need to be stopped at the source. The Internet cannot be taken for granted–it needs to be fought for.
Staff
“[They are important] because it is going to help me pay for college and money.”
—Johnathan Gonzalez senior
“Yes, because I will have the money to get into college, but no because once I get out of college I am going to have to pay that loan back.”
—Alvanica Ramos senior
Annandale High School Vol. 57 No.11 4700 Medford Dr. April 24, 2012 Annandale, Virginia 22003 phone: (703) 642-4229 email: theablast@gmail.com fax: (703) 642-4299
DANIEL PARK
—Carlos Venezuela freshman
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, 2012.
EDITORIALS
April 24, 2012
Online education not free BY THE A-BLAST EDITORIAL STAFF Turn on your computer; open your internet browser; enter a web address; log-in; begin typing. You have just condensed the usual 45 minutes it takes to wait at the bus stop, get to school and walk to your class into a one minute process. If you are a ninth grade student in the 2013-2014 school year, this ordeal will earn you rank among a movement already teeming with Hoosiers, Alabamans and Floridians. You have just begun an online class that will be a mandatory graduation requirement for all Virginia students, an obligation The A-Blast feels is currently too demanding to be successful. On April 4, Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law a bill that would require all students, beginning with those who are currently seventh graders, to take an online course in order to graduate through one of Virginia’s 18 contracted virtual school providers. This in its own right is problematic, placing the state’s historic responsibility to educate the public masses into the auspices of private companies. Although FCPS currently contracts BlackBoard, Inc. to connect students with teachers, it does not place the role of teaching in the hands of private contractors, but instead serves as a medium between students and FCPS teachers. H o w e v e r, w h a t i s m o s t bothersome about this reform in Virginia educational policy is the law’s status as an unfunded mandate. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) does not have any plans to give funds to school
Trending Topics
Why digital learning law is too demanding: •
The unfunded mandate places a budget constraint on poorer Virginia counties.
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Students without internet or a computer will be pressured to purchase new technology.
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Counties must readjust their budgets to meet demands of the law.
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Students with a single computer at home would have to compete in order to use the computer.
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IB schools would have to hire proctors to facilitate classes
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Placing education under private companies will change the traditional role of the state’s charge to educate the public.
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The virtual providers only provide AP classes.
districts that might require them in order to successfully implement the law. This means that school districts with smaller budgets and outdated technology will have to divert funds from other priorities in their respective districts in order to appease this law. While FCPS might not have a problem as one of the country’s largest and best school systems in accommodating the new mandate, southwestern Virginia school districts, with historically smaller populations and tighter budgets, would be hit with yet another hurdle to jump through as they are struggling to make ends meet. The individual student will also have to face newfound hardships. Just as with any other curricular class, these online courses will assign homework and extracurricular
projects that require work outside of class. The A-Blast recently compiled a profile of the school which reported that 12% of students have only one computer at home. Parents of students in this category would feel pressured to purchase new technology in order to allow for their students to complete work on a computer without competition from other members of the household. This places an undue financial burden on parents. Virtual Virginia, one of Virginia’s online education providers currently in use, teaches regular and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. No International Baccalaureate (IB) classes are offered. This raises concern for the unfunded mandate’s impact on IB schools such as AHS. The IB program has already met opposition in school in the form of traditional classes. One
11 secret service agents accused of hiring prostitutes were investigated for misconduct in Cartegena, Colombia
GRAPHIC BY NOAH FITZGEREL
Virginia law requiring counties to enroll students in digital class is too demanding
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can only imagine the problems online education providers might meet in the pursuit of digitalizing IB classes. Would online providers charge IB schools a special fee to provide IB classes online? Since IB classes will inherently be less popular than AP classes in an online forum, online education providers might easily charge a fee. Financial impact notwithstanding, this bill certainly takes a positive step in acclimating students to a digitalized world. However, this reform can certainly wait until local school districts, just as with all governmental bodies, recuperate from a comprehensive financial fiasco. Schools simply cannot afford the technology they would have to loan to students, or the technology they would have to update in their schools in order to meet the demands of the law.
Re-humanizing common spaces N
FCPS School Board voted on April 13 to end school early, finishing school on June 15 instead of June 19
As SOL testing begins, students selected by their teachers will be directed to a block class during Atom Time starting April 22
In one week time, many AHS seniors will have to commit to the university of their choice ILLUSTRATIONS FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG, MCPHAIL1992. COM, LCPS.ORG, GRAPHICSHUNT.COM
Do you believe the nature of the bomb threat was communicated well to students and staff? “No, I was not told anything. I had to get information from teachers.”
oah’s otes
— Long Thanh
freshman
Editorials Column
By Noah Noa N oah h Fitzgerel Fitz Fi tzge gere rell
“I think that it was done poorly. We shouldn’t have waited for five hours.” —Hendell Conception
sophomore
NOAH FITZGEREL
A good friend of mine recently sent me a YouTube video detailing the project of a college student and his experiences on New York’s subway system. He would ask fellow riders questions which require a bit of deep thought. What was most intriguing about their reactions was their shock when first approached. This initial reaction reminded me of my own experience as an intern last summer, commuting to and from the city on a daily basis. Passengers who were otherwise amiable and friendly people on the streets of Washington and in their respective workplaces seemed to transform when entering the subterranean Metro stations. They were defensive, distant and strikingly solitary. During rush hour, these largely agreeable Washingtonians were pushy and self-serving, acting on almost visceral reactions. For a psychologist this would be an intellectual feast; for me, however, it was both captivating and intimidating. Based on my limited observation, I noticed that Metro cars and stations were lacking a human element, especially with the monotonous color scheme of the stations. One might view a picture of it and see the solitude and isolation found in Edward Hopper paintings. Every man and woman was for himself or herself. Why is it that these spaces evoke a dehumanizing effect from their inhabitants? Maybe it is a result of the exhaustion of a work day. Perhaps the nightly reports of petty theft that runs rampant in the stations cause this distortion. Or so I thought.
Counselor Cheryl An personalizes her office in order to make her feel more comfortable while at work. Psychologist John Calhoun explains that it is a natural response to impersonal environments that people add items to their surroundings.
In fact, it turns out that these questions are the basic tenets of a strain of psychology called environmental psychology. John B. Calhoun, a titan in the field, theorized about this effect through several studies with lab rats. His study produced results that suggested that when operating in a public space, the brains of mammals (be them of humans or rats) create a defense mechanism that translates into behavior that we refer to as aggressiveness. The only manner in which to avoid this is to personalize public spaces. Hanging pictures, painting walls and creating private rooms are examples of these efforts. Of course, I’m not suggesting that the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) should build private rooms in its Metro
cars or hang curtains over the windows. But I think that when WMATA authorizes its next update, it should allot dollars to the personalization of stations and cars through minimal changes such as painting the walls neutral colors or playing music through the loud speakers of Metro cars. However, if changes are not made, public spaces which are designed to compact a large amount of people into a small amount of space are simply screaming of danger. One false word, or off-color joke, could result in the damage of not only property, but also of people. I would not like to be in the middle of the rush hour commute when social hysteria like that breaks loose, and neither would you.
Who do you think is the best candidate for the 2012 presidential election? took office, one cannot ignore the good he has done for our country. Since January 2009, Obama has passed a national health care plan, orchestrated the death of Osama bin Laden and ended the war in Iraq. Yet his critics still believe he has not done what he promised. Obama’s campaign slogan in 2008 was ‘hope.’ And that is exactly what he has achieved in the last three years- he has inspired hope in the American public, something that was practically nonexistent before
early 2008. He gave us the hope that our economy would rise and that our soldiers would be able to come home from war and that our country had the possibility of becoming a better place to live. Critics may refuse to accept this hope, but the truth of it is everywhere. The Dow has surged past 12,000 points, a definite indicator of a better economy. Iraq is slowly getting its act together without our presence. Our country is slowly becoming whole again, and most importantly, the unemployment
--- J.J. Quizon junior
“I think that they did a good job under the circumstances, but they shouldn’t have called parents three times.”
— Lena Nour senior
QUOTE COLLECTION RESPONSE: Now, in April 2012, the November presidential elections are right around the corner. The race for the Republican GOP candidate has narrowed with the loss of Rick Santorum, and it is becoming more and more likely Mitt Romney will become the candidate to face off against President Obama in just a few short months. In the last three years of Obama’s presidency, his approval ratings have been all over the place. Considering the mess he inherited when he
“I wasn’t informed about the situation until I got to school, and I was never told if I had to stay or go.”
rate has dropped considerably since he came into office. Come November, I do not believe Mitt Romney or whoever the Republican candidate may be will have much of a chance of defeating Obama. Similar to Theodore Roosevelt, Obama was the right man for the job at exactly the right moment. As of now, I do not think any of the candidates could do a better job than he has. — Rebecca Burke junior
“I understand why they didn’t say anything, but I think that in retrospect, something should have been said earlier.” —Eileen Walsh
education teacher
—Compiled by Noah Fitzgerel
Junior Gwen Levey and freshman Stephen Aderton play the roles of Audrey and Seymour Krelborn, respectively; the main the characters of the musical.
Last AHS Fuddruckers night Class of 2014 to hold final fundraiser at restaurant chain By Christine Tamir Copy Editor
The Class of 2014 will be hosting the very last Fuddruckers night fundraiser on April 26 and will last from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fuddruckers will be closing the Annandale restaurant on Backlick Rd. on April 29, following financial troubles. “I think it’s really unfortunate [that Fuddruckers is closing] because it makes a lot of money and its been a part of everyone’s lives for so long,” sophomore Melissa Stamp said. Stamp is part of the Executive Board for the Class of 2014. In addition to Fuddruckers being a part of the AHS community where family and friends can gather to enjoy food and milkshakes, it has also been a key business partner for fundraising.
Seniors Paul Singh, Junior Montoya and Ahmed Bile have lunch at Fuddruckers at a previous AHS fundraising night.
“I hope that people will come to what is probably the last Fudds night we’ll have,” Stamp said.
IB Biology 2 goes to New York City Students will travel to see Bodies exhibit By Marwa Abdelaziz News Editor
Freshman Deanna Gowland, junior Laura Hackfield and senior Susie Sowa play the roles of three sea urchins from the 1960s. Junior Harris Fitzgereld portrays the character of Mr. Mushnik, a crazy shop owner.
“Fuddruckers is basically where we got most of our [class’ money],” sophomore Rizwana Noor said. With multiple clubs such as FBLA, National Science Honor Society and all grade levels partnering up with the restaurant to gain funds, extra-curricular clubs will have to look to other chains to partner up with. AHS has an established relationship with Fuddruckers, so finding a new business partner to take the place of the restaurant will be difficult. “We’re looking into Five Guys and we talked about Moe’s in the past, but nothings really definite,” Stamp said. In addition to the loss of a business partner, many AHS students have lost a place they have regarded as part of the high school experience. “I’m sad about that because I love everything about Fudds – the foods, the arcades, everything! Especially the name,” junior Kelly Nguyen said. The Class of 2014 encourages students, friends and faculty to gather together for the last fundraiser three days before the indefinite closing.
MARWA ABDELAZIZ
The AHS theater department put on a performance of the musical Little Shop of Horrors on April 19-21.
April 24, 2012
To prepare for the upcoming IB exam, the HL IB Biology class will be traveling to New York City on April 27 to see the Human Bodies Exhibit. The class of 14 people will leave for the Big Apple around 6 a.m. and stay until the afternoon of April 28. The class has spent numerous hours planning and fundraising for the trip. “We did two bake sales,” IB Biology teacher Claudia Lemus said. “We asked the PTSA for money and they were generous enough to give us $200.” Lemus proposed this idea to her students in November after having done it with past IB HL classes. She first put in the paper work for the trip in December and received the approval on Jan 23. This is the first time Lemus is doing this trip since 2007. “The first year that I took this trip was the first year I taught the Higher Level of Biology in 2004,” Lemus said. After 2007, “I started having kids and it’s hard to do overnight trips when you have little ones at home.” The class hopes that the visit to the Bodies Exhibit will provide a real visual reference while
preparing for their exam, especially concerning their Human Body Systems unit. “It definitely helps kids to make connections and see the curriculum differently when they’re more hands on,” Lemus said. In this exhibit, they will get to see the preserved body parts of deceased people, ranging from an uncoiled intestine to a miscarried fetus. “The Bodies exhibit will help us with the drawings,” senior Jerusalem Mekonnen said. The trip, however, is not only meant for learning science. The group will be doing a lot of sightseeing if time permits and eating at a local Chilean restaurant recommended by Lemus because of her own Chilean ethnicity. Lemus’ sister, who works as a doctor in New York, will also be taking the class out for dinner. “I have [my sister] put on a little presentation on her field of OBGYN and medical school,” Lemus said. “It gives the kids who are interested in medical school advice on progressing further.” “This is the largest class that I’m taking on the trip,” Lemus said. “Because it’s a larger group, the hardest thing was figuring out transportation. We needed two minivan rentals.” Other than Lemus, the only other chaperone will be the father of senior Daniel Park. Each chaperone will drive one of the rental vans on the four and a half hour drive up the country. “I’m dreading it because my dad thinks it’s the job of a father to embarrass his son,” Park said.
AHS alumnus Dana Hardbower poses in front of the Human Bodies exhibit during her IB Biology trip to NYC in 2007.
COURTESY OF CLAUDIA LEMUS
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News
“He’ll tell [my friends] embarrassing stories, but overall I’m so excited for the trip.”
Day of Silence aimed to support LGBT
Juinor Andy Riddle had to dress up like a woman in order to play the role of an old woman. He was also the voice of the evil plant called Audrey II.
By Marwa Abdelaziz News Editor More than 200 students and staff showed their support for LGBT people everywhere through silent protest on April 20. The protest, called Day of Silence (DoS), is symbolic of the actual silence that many LGBT students have to settle for daily in order to avoid harassment at school and elsewhere. The AHS Gay-Straight Alliance club advocated for the 16th annual DoS through flyers and by posting on the bulletin board near the bistro. The DoS website made it clear that while participation in the DoS is encouraged before, after, and in between classes, students do not have the explicit right to refuse to speak during classroom instruction if required to by a teacher. Luckily for students at AHS, most teachers were sympathetic of the cause and even participated themselves. IB Physics teacher Thomas Chorman participated in the DoS and taught his students that day through typing via his smartboard. “I
MARWA ABDELAZIZ
Junior James Barker, playing the role of Doctor Orin Scrivello, acts as a dentist pulling out the tooth of a random patient, played by AHS alumnus Elliot Kiemel.
Students and teachers protest for anti-bullying awareness
IB Physics teacher Thomas Chorman types his instructions for the class on his smartboard during the Day of Silence.
am doing the day of silence because I believe in showing solidarity with those who feel that they don’t have a voice to speak up against the hatred espoused against those with different sexual orientations,” he said. While AHS is not particularly known for the harassment of LGBT students, such events happen occasionally, inspiring their classmates to take action. “I decided to do the day of silence because I am
a member of the GSA,” junior Beatrice OheneOkae said. “I joined the GSA because one of my friends was actually bullied to leave the high school. I feel that joining the GSA will allow me to change the situation at AHS so that no one else has to suffer that type of injustice.” While times have progressed, there are still some people who have not been accustomed to accepting and respecting LGBT people. “I went to Catholic school and had friends who came out to very conservative parents,” Chorman said. “It was very difficult for them and I think this is a good way to demonstrate empathy for those situations by creating awareness.” The people participating in this even wore DoS stickers and carnations on their shirts. Senior Sarah Slough remained silent all day as a way to show “that there is no acceptable reason for anyone to be made fun of or discriminated against,” she said. “Sexuality has no impact on a person’s personality, and should not have an impact on how they are treated by others either.” This was Slough’s second year participating. It may not seem like the most effective method at combating harassment, but for some, a little silence goes a long way. “LGBT students should not be afraid to be afraid to come out and they shouldn’t have to remain silent,” Slough said. “That’s why I am commemorating their silence with my own.”
Little Shop of Horrors earns positive reviews
Aderton shoots Barker with a pretend gun as his character attempts to kill Doctor Orin but loses his nerve -PHOTOS BY CHLOE LOVING
By Chloe Loving and Joe Sehrer Staff Writers As the plant, rooted in the Mushnik floral shop, grew with each scene, so too did the performance’s effortless grab on the audience. With months of tireless work and preparation, the drama department welcomed the public to enjoy Little Shop of Horrors, based on the film by Roger Corman and screenplay by Charles Griffith. “There’s a lot that goes into the play. A lot of exhaustion, tons of coffee, and lots of work. Before each performance, everyone backstage does an energy circle, where they get pumped up and motivated,” Steven Hirsch said, who works with staging and character development. The play opens with Seymour, played by freshman Stephen Aderton, an uncoordinated, under appreciated orphan, who works at Mushnik Flower Shop. Mr. Mushnik,
CHLOE LOVING
The theater department spent hours constructing and painting this extraterrestrial flytrap-like plant called Audrey II.
Theater department spends six weeks preparing for musical
Freshman Stephen Aderton, acts as Seymour Krelborn and pets the monstrous and maneating flytrap-lke plant called Audrey II, which the theater department spent weeks building.
played by junior Harris Fitzgerel, is the obvious shop owner who mistreats Seymour and is desperate to find a solution to his failing business located on the neglected street of Skid Row. However, in a turn of events, Seymour comes across a plant that, unbeknownst to him, is a man-eater. As the play unfolds, the audience watches as Seymour deals with his love interest, Audrey, played
by junior Gwen Levey, Audrey’s abusive boyfriend Orin, played by junior James Barker, and the plant, voiced by junior Andrew Riddle and maneuvered by junior Paulina Stehr. “The show was excellent! It went over really well. We had some illnesses, but there was no major problems. We always hope to get a large audience. There was about 175 people who came out, and we
hoped for 500, so we need to get the word out better next time,” theater director George Bennett said. The stage set, built to be a flower shop in the urban neighborhood of Skid Row, was meticulously constructed. The shop was backed by a cityscape background, and had all the elements of a vintage shop, finished off with vases of flowers on all the shelves. There was also a dentist’s office for Orin the dentist, which contained an actual vintage dentist chair, true to the time period. “It took about sx weeks to build and prepare the stage. Mr. Bennet goes out and buys all the set props and we figure out how it will come together,” sophomore Caleb Coffman, who works with the stage crew, said. The performance overall seemed to respond well with the audience. The final performance night, on Saturday, brought a full house. “It was great. The actors looked like they put a lot of work into it. James Barker was funny as the dentist and Gwen Levey’s voice was amazing,” sophomore Noah Wolfenstein said.
News
April 24 , 2012
New online course initiative Graduation requirements for class of 2013-2014 “School Board” continued from page 1
He led a similar campaign in 1998, which eventually failed. In both the 1998 and 2009 cases, a task force, which was founded stated that later start times would be beneficial. Principal Vincent Randazzo says that although he has had discussion with groups like SLEEP, he has not made his decision yet about whether he supports the initiative. “I want to wait to see all of the information,” Randazzo said. Some criticisms for the measure include that it creates problems for the bus schedule and that students will have less time in the afternoons for homework and extracurricular activities. Student athletes are particularly concerned. “I don’t like that because I play three sports so if we start later, then we’d get out later and homework gets bunched up and I procrastinate. Don’t change it,” sophomore Carly Potts said.
ONLINE OPT-OUT Governor Bob McDonnell recently announced a new requirement that students have to take an online class to graduate. The online course initiative by McDonnell to prepare high school students for the 21st century job market. It also serves to expand virtual education, which has been popularized by Alabama, Florida and Michigan. In addition, McDonnell is hoping that through this initiative that more courses will be offered and course selection for rising high school
the changes will begin with the freshman class of 2013-2014 and they will be required to take at least one online course in order to graduate with a standard or advanced diploma. In order to help meet this requirement, the school board is pushing for an initiative for students to have the option to opt-out of their first and last classes of the day to take an online class. Most students who take online classes at AHS take them during the middle of the day in the library. This change could begin next year. Randazzo says that he is a proponent of this if students think it is the appropriate option. “If it’s a good fit, talk to your parents, counselors and teachers,” Randazzo said. One issue is transportation, which will not be provided to students who opt-out. They would have to find their own way to leave school or come late.
SCHOOL BOARD PROPOSED CHANGES: 1.Change school start time to 8:00 a.m. 2.Start a virtual high school where students can take all classes online. 3.Students have to take one online class in order to graduate. 4. Students can take online classes at the start of the day or at the end of the day next year. They can opt out of first day or last day classes. Change could begin next year. students will be more diverse. McDonnell also indicated in the new legislation that online courses would aid nontraditional students in offering an array of courses. However, students are not open to the changes in the requirements. “Most kids need assistance from teachers and having an online class mandatory to graduate will put those kids in a bad position,” sophomore Sara Khan said. Most students find that students learn better in a hands-on environment. “I don’t like the idea because I feel as though a one on one educational interaction with a teacher will be more beneficial to a student,” junior Daniel Critchfield said. Regardless of student opinions or objections,
VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL The school board is also considering creating a virtual high school, where students could take all their classes online. It would be ideal for students who have disabilities, which make attending school difficult. The idea is in such an early phase that many things, such as the cost and the implementation, still need to be researched and discussed. The argument for a virtual high school is that FCPS is behind many other counties on technology and that many for-profit companies have been developing online schools. There are others who fear how the lack of faceto-face interaction with students and teachers will affect those taking the online classes. According to the Washington Post, members such as Braddock district representative Megan McLaughlin have voiced their concerns.
Different students contribute on Earth Day Green Atoms used funds to save part of a rainforest The Green Atoms club marked the 42nd Earth Day celebration on April 22. This national holiday marked several attempts to help the environment, both in AHS and out. The club recycles bottles once a week all year to help the environment at AHS. “I think they’re doing a good job at trying to help the school be more eco-friendly because no contribution is too little when it comes to recycling,” junior Thien Mai said. Earth Day marks several activities for Green Atoms, including spending the money they earned through bake sales in an effort to save a portion of the environment. “We’re finally going to use the money that we’ve been raising all year to purchase a part of the rainforest to protect,” junior JJ Quizon, officer of Green Atoms, said. “There’s this Earth Day website that each of us
Christine Tamir
By Christine Tamir Page Editor
Junior K.L Hoang shows students around the new vegetable garden located in the science courtyard.
are pledging to do green stuff. Then we’re helping K.L. with his garden project.” Junior K.L. Hoang adopted the community garden from the National Science Honor Society in early March. The garden is located in the courtyard next to the auditorium. Plants include beans, sunflowers and lettuce. “To help life grow is one of the most humbling things a person can do,” Hoang said. “A community garden is a project in which people can feel good about supporting [the environment]; the benefits of such an endeavor will come back to the patrons in a bountiful harvest.” Hoang plans to give the food to the school for use in the cafeteria. “As a citizen of the world, it’s imperative that we all collectively endeavor to restore mother nature back to her former state and not reek of superfluous amounts of burning carbon dioxide filling the air,” senior James Bui said. There were numerous attempts to help the environment on Earth Day, the environment remains a priority among the student body’s minds. “It depends on the student, but for the most part, most do their part, whether it be recycling as opposed to trashing papers or by using reusable products,” Mai said.
5
News Briefs Last Model UN conference
Model UN will be attending its last meet at Bishop Ireton in early May. Committees will include the Hunger Games, The Olympics and Human Rights. A meeting will be held in room 292 this Wednesday. New members are encouraged to come and sign up.
Bake Sale after school
The Class of 2013 will be holding a bake sale after school near the cafeteria. Fresh baked goods, pizza and class merchandise. Students are encouraged to come by and support their class.
Senior Class Meeting
The final Senior Class meeting will be held this Wednesday in the Main Gym during the extended Atom Time period. All items by Balfour will be distributed during this meeting. Class officials will speak about Graduation and other end of the year Senior activities. All seniors are encouraged to attend.
All Nigh Grad Ticket Sales
Seniors will be able to purchase All Night Grad tickets after the April 26 Senior Class meeting. Tickets are $45, however students with free and reduced lunch only have to pay $20. Make checks payable to ANGC AHS PTSA. Students will also be required to complete a registration form and fill out a parent permission form. Tickets will be on sale every Thursday during all lunch periods until June 7.
Spring Pep Rally April 20
Senior Delwyn Molina cheers on the seniors during the recent pep rally.
Senior class fundraiser to be held tomorrow Basketball game to reduce Prom ticket cost “Basketball” continued from page 1
aid of senior Max Talley and science teacher Mariam Suqi as commentators and senior Monte McCarthy and science teacher Samantha Kreshover as referees. “[I’m participating] because I love basketball and nothing is more fun than showing the teachers how to play,” McCarthy said. Since then, Dunning and Janwatin have spent countless hours planning and organizing the competition, in addition to collecting donations for prizes to be given away to those in attendance. “We tried to tailor to a lot of different kids in the population with all the different prizes that we’ve gotten,” Dunning said. According to Dunning, the Class of 2012 officers have collected nearly $1200 worth of giveaways, which include gift certificates, Nationals tickets, a Michael Kors tote and AHS Prom tickets. Because of the “low involvement” she noticed at the last student-faculty game, Dunning hopes that these prizes will serve to
BASKETBALL CONTESTANTS STUDENTS Lorraine Turner Ali Ali Musa Willie Labarca Sanar Shamdeen Erin Johnson Alec Villafana VS. Reggie Scott Hailey Brown Amiel Terry Bryan Jefferson Jackie Beathea David Croghan Becca Sponga Dane Harlowe Michael Tran
TEACHERS Whitney Dunning Sean Hardy Sean Miller Brian Aldenderfer Christopher Bagot Daniel Porter Jeremiah Davis Marcelo Valencia Hassan Mims Joseph Mazarella Thomas Chorman Carmen Peek Bonnie Vining
increase attendance and draw students to the event. Dunning also hopes to “get other kids who aren’t playing in the game involved” through three halftime contests, which will include a three-point shootout, a half court shot contest and a skills challenge. Students may sign up for these events today and tomorrow at all lunches, where they will also be able to purchase tickets for $5. “Everyone at AHS should attend the event not only to support the senior class, but also to cheer on the student and faculty who put in long practice hours to represent their team,” Janwatin said. Each team has held two practices, and both will practice again today in preparation for the event, which Janwatin and Dunning each expect to be a success. “I feel confident that this student vs. faculty basketball game will be successful because we have put a lot of effort into advertising and asking other local businesses to help us out, so we don’t want to disappoint anyone,” Janwatin said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Dunning added. “The kids doing it are great and the faculty has been very excited.”
Senior Kunny Kou directs students before the pep rally begins.
Juniors Andy Riddle and Harris Fitzgerel prepare for their flash mob.
Altered exam policy lessens number of study days Attendance restrictions to reduce stress “Exams” continued from page 1
exams, because I will be so tired” Sowa said. This policy less lenient than in
years past, where many students would not have to fill out forms to leave. Principal Vince Randazzo and Dean of Students Catherine Stone believe that the policy is less stressful for kids then in years past. “It’s an effort to reduce stress for students and the attendance office,” Stone said. Stone says that in years past, students would have to stand in long lines if they wanted to leave school.
“It’ll be easier for students,” Randazzo said. With all of these classroom disruptions, many IB teachers will stop teaching new material because of low attendance. IB Topics teacher Mary Ann Richardson has been dealing with IB testing season for eight years. The first year, she tried to teach, but realized that her efforts were fruitless. “I want students in class, but they
need to use their time as wisely as they can,” Richardson said. She says that she lets students use her class period to not only study for her class’s exam, but for other exams as well. Since it is such a “drooling” month, Richardson says that students need to avoid growing exhausted. “They should plan with their parents. Students know their own schedules best,” Richardson said.
Senior John Pham asked Senior Jeysabeth Gonzalez to Prom during the event. --PHOTOS COURTESY OF ISABEL VILLAROEL
6
People
April 24, 2012
High school stereotypes
What class are you most excited Students defy commonly held to take next year? perceptions of themselves “Leadership is going to be fun with all of my friends because we’ll be planning events.”
By Gaby Camilli Staff Writer
— Hayat Yusuf sophomore “Anthropology because I like to learn about other cultures.”
—Lewis Folli sophomore
“IB film because I like interacting with one of our civilization’s most prolific art forms.”
In almost every teen movie that hits the big screen, Hollywood portrays the social groups at schools with rather trite stereotypes. One table will feature the “dumb jocks” and meatheads with their letterman jackets, another table will have the preppy, fake cheerleaders wearing all designer clothes and a third will be filled with the “Goths” wearing all black as they listen to heavy metal. We all know that these stereotypes do not apply to everyone, but does this very clichéd view of high school social groups actually hold some truth? Despite the different cultures and faces that make up the extremely diverse and unique environment of AHS, many people seem to think
that these stereotypes are still evident in the halls of our school. “I think stereotyping exists a lot at AHS, probably the most with Goths, emos and blonds,” sophomore Nikita Coelho said. “I feel like people who associate themselves with a group tend to dress more and more like that group; for example, emos will dress in all black and sometimes people can take it over the top.” Teenagers tend to look at people and instantly assume that they are part of a certain group, whether it be the jocks, preps, Goths or emos. These assumptions are based off of their appearance and the way they dress. “Stereotyping is definitely at AHS; I think a lot of people end up judging a book by its cover,” senior Maxwell Talley said. “The way people sit together at lunch only enhances these stereotypes.” Many people have recognized the fact that there is a lot of racial stereotyping at AHS, but they don’t seem to understand the extreme social
stereotyping that goes on. Most teens make these social judgments of fellow students without noticing. “I think people judge each other too much and stereotype too much. On the other hand, the people in these very stereotyped groups seem to only hang out with one another and sit with one another at lunch,” sophomore Michael Bolton said. “I think people need to learn to look beyond the surface.” Some students don’t mind being stereotyped, because they’ve accepted their expected roles in high school. “I don’t care what people specifically see me as, but I hang out with mostly jocks and people who play sports by choice because that’s who I’m friends with and I’m used to being around athletes from the sports I play,” junior James Terrell said.
Defining and breaking clichés
Students share how they contradict popular high school misconceptions
—Alex Lash junior
“Journalism 2 because it sounds fun.”
— Jonathan Tedla junior
––Compiled by Sam Converse
Celebrity Birthdays
Player
April 18 Kourtney Kardashian 19 Hayden Christensen 20 Miranda Kerr 21 Andie Macdowell 22- Jack Nicholson 23 George Lopez 24 Kelly Clarkson 25 Renée Zellweger 26 Jason Earles 27 Patrick Stump 28 Jessica Alba 29 Jerry Seinfeld 30 Diana Agron
33 31 29 54 75 51 30 43 35 28 31 58 26
Prep
“Most of the time, player has a negative connotation of someone who dates a lot of girls and isn’t a good guy. People perceive me as a player because a lot of my friends are girls, and yeah, that’s true, but I’m actually really not a player. I’m a nice guy deep down.”
“Stereotypically, ‘preps’ are people who dress nicely and wear sweaters. Preps also are stereotyped to wear pastel colors and be really materialistic. Although I do like to dress nicely because it makes me feel good about myself , I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes.”
— Sergio Moya senior
45 27 75 33 23 51 21 37 26 33 30 34 26 27 40
— Bryan Jefferson junior
Nerd
“Usually, stereotypes aren’t a label created for one’s self but something popularized in society we use to categorize ourselves. Although the word ‘nerd’ is degrading, I believe that just accepting the label defies the stereotype. Why let others use it in a negative way when you can be proud of being yourself?”
— Amelie Trieu sophomore
• This is my second year teaching at AHS.
teachers have been very beneficial when I need help though. If you could give students one piece of advice, what would it be? Manage your time wisely, especially if you’re doing a sport. Don’t procrastinate and make sure you have your priorities straight.
Who am I?
• My bachelor’s degree is in Astronomy and Physics, and I have an M.S. in Physics. • I like to listen to classic funk, p-funk, Dixieland jazz, The Two Man Gentleman Band, Bach’s choral works and more. • I have traveled to Stockholm, the French Alps and more. • My birthday is July 23. • I enjoy digging holes at the beach, that’s probably not a sport though.
On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to see a student spotlight of junior Matt Del Signore.
— Tatyana Garrett freshman
What college do you attend? I did a year of prep school and will be playing basketball for Longwood University. What is your major? I will be majoring in Business. What do you enjoy about college? I have enjoyed becoming more independent and doing things on my own. My teammates, coaches and
• I attended the University of Arizona my freshman year, but finished my degree at the University of Virginia.
Student Spotlight: Matt Del Signore
Scene “I describe myself as Scene. ‘Scene’ is someone who dresses emo but also wears bright colors. I dye my hair different colors and wear eyeliner, but I don’t care what other people see me as because I don’t want to stereotype myself. When people ask what I am, I just say myself because everybody is unique.”
Alumni Postcard: Karl Ziegler
May 1 Tim McGraw 2 Lily Allen 3 Frankie Valli 4 Lance Bass 5 Chris Brown 6 George Clooney 7 Taylor Abrahamse 8 Enrique Iglesias 9 Audrina Patridge 10 Kenan Thompson 11 Corey Monteith 12 Jason Biggs 13 Robert Pattinson 14 Mark Zuckerberg 15 David Charvet
— Ashley Lok junior
Meathead
“People stereotype me as a big, monstorous, scary guy, but when they actually meet me they realize I’m really smart and I’m a softie. I’m split on whether I actually like it or not. I like the physical recognition, but that aspect of it being all I do is annoying. I’m also called ‘buff master flex,’ which is kind of amusing.”
• My favorite TV shows are Doctor Who and The State. • An interesting fact about me is I was once in a staging of “The Tempest” where I spit food at the audience. • My favorite part of working in a school is I love the positive energy students can have even when learning challenging material. • My favorite store is The Strand Bookstore in NYC.
• This is my 27th year teaching at AHS. • I attended James Madison University. • I majored in Spanish. • In my spare time, I spend time with friends and family. • I like to listen to ‘70s rock. • I have traveled to Mexico, Spain and the Grand Canyon. • My favorite part of working in a school is interacting with the students. • My motto is: “What you find in your mind is what you put there. Put good things there.” -Ron Rathbun • My birthday is May 27. • An interesting fact about me is I have 19 great nieces and nephews with three more on the way. • My favorite TV shows is The Big Bang Theory. • My favorite movie is The Sound of Music. • If I could visit anywhere in the world I would visit Italy, especially the Amalfi Coast because my family is Italian and I would like to explore my heritage. –Compiled by Megan Flynn
To find out who these teachers are, visit www.thea-blast.org/category/student-life/people/
Health
April 24, 2012
Fight off seasonal allergies Students counter the rise of allergies due to the arrival of spring As spring reaches its peak, those who suffer from seasonal allergies get more prevalent symptoms. The warm weather is bringing out seasonal allergies early, and as a result students are looking for ways to minimize their symptoms and enjoy the spring season. “My allergies get a lot worse in the spring because the weather gets a lot warmer and there is so much pollen, especially this year,” senior Many students suffer from spring allergies that have increase by the arrival of warm weather. Kenzi Wright said. One of the most common allergies that people are afflicted with during include vacuuming around your “I have special eye solutions the spring season is pollen. Pollen house to remove trapped pollen in the that clean my eyes that I use after causes a wide range of symptoms, carpet and keeping your doors and I shower. It takes all the pollen out including eye irritation, a runny windows closed during the spring, of my eyes that might be stuck in nose, headaches and even a sore especially on days with a high pollen there,” sophomore Alexia Sung said. throat. The following tips are ways count. You can even invest in an air to counter the effects of allergies, as purifier to get rid of air pollutants OVER THE COUNTER well as have an all-around healthier inside of your home. Another tip that Another simple solution is to season. may help is to wash your hair after you have been outside for awhile, turn to over-the-counter medicines CLEAN UP in order to remove pollen and other ( O T C s ) t o h e l p c o n t r o l y o u r One of the easiest things that particles that have been trapped in allergy symptoms. It is important can be done to help with allergies your hair and which may trigger to remember that OTCs will not get rid of your allergies, but will is simple: just clean up. This can allergy symptoms.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AJ MCCAFFERTY
By Esra Gokturk Health Editor
help to reduce your symptoms and alleviate pain or discomfort. Claritin, Benadryl and Allegra are some OTC medications recommended to treat multiple allergy symptoms. You can also try different decongestants if you struggle with congestion issues, or eye drops if you face irritation from outdoor pollutants. “I take Claritin D which helps with my runny nose, and I also take Advil Sinus Relief and use eye drops because they get really red,” sophomore Kunnica Kou said.
are not a cause for concern.
As with any illness, leading a nutritious, balanced diet will aid in relieving symptoms as well as lead to a healthier body year round. It will help to look for foods that are high in antioxidants as well as omega-3, as they reduce inflammation and help boost your immune system. Nuts are a great food to eat, especially walnuts due to their antioxidant levels. Fruits and vegetables are also recommended, so try to eat ones with high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants, such as tomatoes, grapes and apples.“I also eat less junk food because fruits seem like a better choice since I’m outside a lot,” Kou said. Try any of these tips to help get your allergies under control this season so that you can get outside and enjoy the weather.
FACT: It is rare, but death can be a result
MYTH: If I wear gloves, I’ll be protected from MYTH: Eating organic foods will prevent poison ivy.
FACT: Gloves have not been found to be an effective
of severe sensitivity when anaphylactic shock occurs. This type of episode can cause the throat to swell and airways to be blocked.
way to protect yourself against poison ivy. However, if the oil from the plant is washed off the skin before it soaks in, then a reaction can be prevented.
MYTH: Dog allergies are caused from the
MYTH: Many people are allergic to milk.
animals’ fur.
FACT: The skin of animals contains a unique protein that causes allergies and because all dogs have skin there are no completely allergyfree breeds.
allergies.
“I’m allergic to pollen and use Allegra to get rid of it.” —Keyara Jackson sophomore “I’m allergic to cats and bees so if I see one I run away.” —Zahie HajAssaad junior
“I’m allergic to cheese and I take allergy medicine.” —Alaa Haj Assaad junior
“I’m allergic to cats and flowers. I try to stay away from them.” —Zach Beland senior
“I’m allergic to pollen and dust I take allergy medicine.” —Diana Nguyen senior
—Compiled by Sarah Omer
FACT: Allergies are caused by the proteins in food and not the chemicals used to process the food. Most allergy-causing foods are “natural” foods.
MYTH: Allergy shots don’t work.
Tone up and shape up this spring
FACT: Lactose intolerance is commonly confused FACT: Shots, or immunotherapy, do not work for
with a milk allergy, but they are different. Milk everyone, but they do work a majority of the time allergies involve the immune system, while lactose for common allergies. If a shot is properly given, intolerance is caused by a lack of lactase, an enzyme then there should not be any reactions or risks. needed to break down milk. SOURCE: DISCOVERYHEALTH.COM
5meals minute
Prepare this elegant snack when entertaining guests Stuffed cucumber cups
By Betsy Kruse and Esra Gokturk
Side crunch: Begin by laying on the floor with your knees bent and arms at your sides. Then raise your chest up off the floor, only instead of crunching straight up, twist to one side touching your elbow to the opposite knee. Alternate sides and repeat 15 times, rest and do ten more.
Ingredients Needed: 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 cup hummus, 1/8 cup scallions, 1/8 cup bell pepper
Pair this delicious appetizer with chips Rosemary-white bean dip Ingredients Needed: 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 lemon
FAMILYFUN.GO.COM
1.) Wash and chop rosemary into fine pieces. 2.) Slice and squeeze lemon for one tablespoon of juice. 3.) Combine all ingredients in a blender until the dip is smooth. 4.) If needed, add one or two tablespoons of hot water to make the dip creamier. 5.) Place on a place and enjoy! Serving Size: 1/4 cup Average Calories: 132 per 1/4 cup Nutritional Grade: A-
What allergies do you have?
NUTRITION
Common allergy myths busted MYTH: Allergies aren’t life threatening and
7
1.) Wash and slice the cucumber into 3/4 inch pieces. 2.) Using a teaspoon, carve a small well into each of the cucumber slices. 3.) Place about a 1/2 tablespoon of hummus into each of the cucumber well and mound it slightly so it stays in place. 4.) Wash the scallions, chop into fine pieces. 5.) Wash the bell peppers and chop into fine pieces. 5.) Sprinkle the cucumbers with the scallions. 7.) Repeat step six with bell peppers. 6.) Place on a plate and enjoy! Serving Size: Eight cucumber cups Average Calories: 128 Nutritional Grade: A
Lemon squeezers: Begin laying on the floor with your legs outstretched and your arms at your sides. Raise your legs about six inches off the ground, keeping them up the entire time. Then bring your knees to your chest, simultaneously lifting your chest off the ground and reaching towards your knees with your arms. Repeat ten times, rest and do ten more.
T-push ups: Begin in the standard push up position, then bend your right knee towards your chest and bring it across as you try to touch your left elbow. Bring your leg back down and switch.
Administration replaces damaged ceiling pipes On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to view a follow up article on the administrative actions taken to deal with the mold in the building.
ARTS
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS April 19 - 21 at 7 p.m. Students and teachers in the AHS community enjoyed a night of laughs and music in this year’s spring musical. The show revolved around characters’ struggles in the slums of downtown Skid Row and a demented, giant plant’s disastrous intentions.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHIE TURNER
CHORUS
ALL-VIRGINIA CHORUS April 26 - April 28 Five choral students from AHS were chosen to be a part of this prestigious event located at Salem High School. Senior Evan Washington received first chair for altos out of the entire district.
Seniors in IB Art present their finalized portfolios
BY ANDREA MELENDEZ Staff Writer The eager voices of students and teachers filled the room of Clausen Hall as visitors steadily traced the walls of the room with pensive faces. They took in the large sculptures near the entrances, the eccentric paintings hung on the far wall, and turned right to a corner subdued in florescent light, subtle murmuring starts about the piece displayed in front of them. A girl is photographed subdued in emotional dark hues and gorgeous color, as her eyes remained cast ahead with a look of hope captured within them. It is a stunning portrait; one that kept the same pensive group of visitors almost halted in front of it, ready to ask the group of seniors who made the piece that usual question: “What inspired you to create this piece?” Senior Marcella Ortiz smiled a moment at senior Paulina Stehr beside her before answering the group of observers in front of her. “My theme is oppression versus freedom and I chose that because the idea of those two extremes have always interested me,” she said. It took several weeks to create the night-like quality of the picture that defined the theme that Ortiz strived to portray in her piece. Several other of her works of art at the show would also share this common theme. Ortiz worked with Stehr to enhance the look of the picture and the story that she was telling. “Paulina is an actress, so she knew how to incorporate exactly what I was looking for,” Ortiz said. Each piece had a different meaning to every student with ideas that inspired their creativity. “I’m a bit nervous because it is the first time that I am showing my art to an actual audience, but I am really excited,” senior Eliana Sejas said. Her artwork defined extreme colors and
when all your hard work pays off,” senior Becca Sponga said. The show was a time to showcase not only the artwork but also the meaning behind the student’s pieces. In addition to the hard work that the students were expected to do, the students enjoyed the class because of the flow of creativity that allowed them to expand their horizons and look at the world in a different perspective. “The IB Art program is a lot of fun. This class isn’t all about technique,” Ortiz said. “You get to see others grow and develop as artists.” The show invited all family members and friends to come out and support the student artists and learn more about their work. “I admired their work even when it wasn’t complete,” senior Sarah Slough said. The twenty three IB Art students all displayed different mediums of their work as a result of one to two years of work. “I am amazed at the work that these students have been able to do. I am very proud to see how their work has come together,” IB Art teacher Meredith Stevens said.
SPRING RECITAL Monday, June 5 at 7 p.m. The final concert for the choral department for the 2011-2012 school year. Students will perform rehearsed music throughout the night of the recital.
Name: Evelyn Jaramillo Grade: 12
Name: Becca Sponga Grade: 12
Why did you participate in the IB Art Show? It’s a good way to prepare for the IB exam, which requires talking about my work.
Why did you participate in the IB Art Show? I participated in the IB Art Show because I have wanted to ever since my freshman. I want to show people how I see the world.
What piece(s) did you do for the IB Art Show? I did 18 images, which were done by digital photography. They relate to my theme of fashion, so they are all of people. This picture in particular is one of my favorites. COURTESY OF EVELYN JARAMILLO
CHORAL AWARDS CONCERT Tuesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. Choral students will perform at this concert celebrating the deparment’s success throughout the school year. Individual awards will be given to choral students as graduating seniors are honored throughout the night.
Why did you choose your certain piece(s) to present in the IB Art Show? I felt like they were the best pictures to represent my theme and the kind of photography I love doing.
Senior Evelyn Jaramillo photographed senior Hiba Abuelhawa as she walked down train tracks.
ANDREA MELENDEZ
BAND
SPRING BAND CONCERT Thursday, May 31 at 7 p.m. All levels of band will participate in their annual spring concert, held in the AHS auditorium, bringing an end to yet another successful year.
On your smartphone, scan the code above using the application “QR Code” to see a video of this year’s spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors.
visual aspects of beauty and extended further to display pictures of a young girl that supported the “Innocence is Beauty” topic. Seja’s hard work has been a portion of the accumulation of the twenty-two other IB Art students who also displayed their artwork and creative pieces throughout the night The show started at 6 p.m. and all the artwork will be left there for another week so that other students are allowed the chance to view the artwork. Some students were not accustomed to the idea of the show, where everyone was invited to look at each of the student’s individual station that was an accumulation of their artwork of two years. “It feels awkward and kind of strange because you’re waiting for people to look at your photos,” senior Adeeba Rasoli said. Others were more than excited to demonstrate their talents and artwork that showcased their individual talents. “It’s definitely reassuring [to be in this show] and it feels good because I’ve worked so hard. It is also hard to believe because you take so much time and energy that it really feels good
Samples of student artwork presented in IB art show
CHORUS CAR WASH May 5 & May 12 at 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Held at the Ravensworth Sunoco off of Braddock Road, the event will raise funds for the choral department for the rest of the year and for both this year and the following.
“Little Shop of Horrors” grips audiences
Senior Emily Oliver presents a detailed piece from her portfolio to a visiting student during the first part of the art show.
COURTESY OF BECCA SPONGA
THEATER
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAR CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY
Spring into the arts
A year’s worth of effort ANDREA MELENDEZ
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April 24, 2012
Senior Becca Sponga photographs senior Casey Fait posing on top of a rooftop.
What piece(s) did you do for the IB Art Show? My theme is comparative textures so some of my pieces will have two photos side by side. I capture many details that are overlooked and try to emphasize their uniqueness. Why did you choose your certain piece(s) to present in the IB Art Show? I took a lot into consideration. My biggest issue was picking photos that actually fit my theme.
Academics
April 24, 2012
Firsthand school day accounts Bishop O’Connell High School
Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology By Paul Naanou Special to The A-Blast
By Ally Mastrota Special to The A-Blast
Junior
It’s 8:10, 20 minutes before my first class and I’m greeted by a usual sight; a myriad of students polluting the building as they try to get a few more minutes of what TJ students know as the coveted treasure: sleep. Backpacks, instruments, books and sports equipment clutter the halls and tops of lockers; the library is close to reaching its maximum capacity as students race to get a computer or find space among the several tables available to them. For many, this image seems more like a figment of someone’s imagination, how is there a school that allows for such chaos? But at TJ, it’s reality. If I had to use one word to describe our classes, it would be intense. This year I’m taking APUSH (AP US History), physics—the pain of many juniors’ existence— AP French, AP BC Calculus, Astronomy, Neuropsychology and American Literature. APUSH and Literature are taught as a joint class called HUM II (Humanities). I usually have two hours of homework a night, but the number varies. [Academic] requirements include completing a senior research tech lab (there are 13 to choose from—I will be in the astronomy lab next year) and taking math up to at least Calculus. No class is ever the same! Teachers are always trying to come up with new, innovative ways to address the content of their class and something TJ prides itself on is the great teacher-student relationship. Whatever you need, you can be assured your teachers will be there to help you succeed... To view the rest of Paul Nannou’s account visit www.thea-blast.com by using The QR Code.
Sophomore
I decided to transfer from AHS to O’Connell this year, mostly because I had a lot of friends who went to O’Connell that loved the school. O’Connell also is a lot more spirited, not very crowded, has really good food, a safer and friendlier atmosphere and is in the top conference for sports in the nation. Overall, my schedule is very similar to other public schools, but we have a lot less school at O’Connell. Almost every week we have an assembly, an early release, a retreat or a school day off. Instead of having a block schedule, we have every class, every day. I’m currently taking Algebra 2/Trigonometry honors, modern European History honors, English 2(10), Spanish 2, regular Chemistry, Theology 2 and Gym/Health. Theology is a mandatory course, so I don’t have an elective until I can drop gym class. I have about an hour and a half of homework a night, but it varies. Some classes don’t give out homework and some have the homework due every other week. The biggest difference is probably the dress code. We wear our uniforms every day, including socks and shoes, with a few exceptions of dress down days that we have to pay for. If we don’t wear the correct attire, then we get detention. If we get our phones taken away during class, we pay $ 20 to get it back, and the cost goes up every time after that. The money that we pay to get our phones back goes to charity. If you chew gum in class, certain teachers will make you pay a dollar to go to charity. A big disadvantage of going here is the long commute; it’s about 25 minutes from where I live. But we have a lot more perks like all of the days off, better food and we don’t have to stress about what to wear in the morning. For lunch, we get Smoothie King once a week, fresh deli sandwiches and salads and hot meals made by chefs at the school along with good snacks. We have lunch for 45 minutes and the lines are much shorter than AHS’. People take spirit week very seriously and go all out. They also go all out with spirit at sports games, especially basketball. Before every class, at the beginning of the day, and at sports games we pray. We have mass once a month and on Holy Days of Obligation. Confessions are also open every Friday during all lunches.
Q&A with a home-schooled student Alyssa White talks about her school environment, curriculum and life
opportunities to make money because of flexibility, [there is] no sitting in school for seven hours then doing three hours of homework and I can dual enroll at NOVA to earn high school and college credits at the same time. I am able to pursue interests at my own pace. I do have to work harder to make friends, but contrary to popular belief I think that has made me more outgoing. It’s also harder to get along with my family because I’m in constant contact with them.
What’s your schedule like? At the beginning of the week, I look at our curriculum and subjects and I start organizing my week. On Tuesdays I am enrolled in Chemistry and English classes with other homeschoolers and receive homework that is due usually the following week—it is similar to a college setting. 8 a.m: Wake up, eat breakfast. 9 a.m: start school. 2-4 p.m: end school depending on how much I have scheduled for the day. How are your classes structured? Math: I read the lesson and then work on about 25 problems. I have a test every five to ten lessons, and there are 106 lessons and 12 tests throughout the year. I am enrolled in Geometry this year and finished Algebra 1 and 2 in previous years. Chemistry: I have a teacher other than my mom for this subject. We meet at a church every Tuesday for one and a half hours in a class of about ten people. We work through one of 16 modules and then she assigns us “on your own problems” (problems to work on as we read the module) and/or review or practice problems. After completing these, we take a test for that module. Spanish: [I am currently using] Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish online, which I enjoy. I previously took two years of Spanish in the aforementioned program. History: We do the Tapestry of Grace curriculum: a Christian-based curriculum that is spread throughout four years studies from 500 B.C. to modern day (it is updated every year to stay current). I have books that I need to read each week and then answer questions about whatever I read. My mom lectures me on other things I need to know about the material and then at the end of the week I take a test. At the end of every quarter I take a test on everything
I learned in the past nine weeks. English: The class setting is structured so I can CLEP out receive college credit. It is similar to the chemistry class in that we meet once a week in a class of about 20 people. We get homework that must be completed by the next week. We have to memorize vocabulary, literary terms and various quotes. We also read about 30 books over the course of the year; such as Pride and Prejudice, The Hobbit, Heart of Darkness and Hound of the Baskervilles and write about 20 essays ranging from 500-1800 words. Music: I play guitar so I work on that about ten to 15 minutes every day. How much time do you spend on homework and classwork? About five to six hours. What are your parents’ requirements? I have to do the work and get good grades (A’s or B’s) and I can’t be disrespectful to my mom and other teachers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being home schooled? I have school all day in my PJs, more
How is the social experience different than at a regular school? The classes I’m enrolled in consist of around 200-300 people so there is not a shortage of homeschoolers in VA, but I also have many public school friends, I just have to actively seek them out. Why did you decide to be home-schooled? I believed the advantages outweighed the disadvantages and as a Christian, I thought homeschooling would help me to grow in my faith. How has being home-schooled prepared you for the world? I think I won’t have a problem adjusting to college because of the classes I take and the planning I do for my week. I’ve handled the world pretty well so far, but I guess I won’t really know that until I’m on my own. Do you think that you more intelligent than most kids because of being home schooled, or do you think it is the opposite way around? I take a standardized test at the end of every year similar to the public school’s SOLs. Unlike the SOLs, this test compares my scores to others’ in the nation, and I consistently score in the top 25 percent of the nation. I think I get a great education being home schooled.
9 ASK Abby Academic Advice Column
By Abby Barnes Dear Abby, I always have an issue with homework and Facebook. I log on to Facebook whenever I do homework, and can’t focus on my homework. I’ve tried logging off, but I always get back on. Help! - Sincerely, Distracted
Dear Distracted, Don’t worry, you are just one of many students who has this problem. Facebook was not created to be detrimental to students’ academic health, but it commonly curtails their time, focus in school and sleep. Don’t make Facebook a priority– checking your friends’ statuses or stalking an ex’s current boyfriend or girlfriend can wait. It is not a necessity, whereas doing homework or studying is. Try turning off your computer completely or studying in a room without a computer. If you have a smartphone, leave it in a place where you can’t easily get it or turn it completely off. There are also some computer programs that lock you from using the internet for a specific amount of time. Creating obstacles between yourself and the Internet can make it seem like too much trouble to log on. If these methods don’t work for you, you might need to consider what it is doing to your future. If you keep spending time on things that aren’t going to benefit you in any way, like browsing through pictures on the IB memes page, then stop! Not getting your work done before seeking entertainment has actually been proven to increase your chances of depression, anxiety, low selfesteem, bad study habits and more. Procrastination can actually be detrimental to your health! Luckily, it is also a solvable problem. Good luck! Abby Have a problem? E-mail Abby at abby305@gmail.com
Vocabulary Words FRACAS noun A noisy quarrel VERISIMILAR adjective The appearance of truth; likely; probable PRIMORDIAL noun Existing in or persisting from the beginning TRANSCENDENTAL adjective Being beyond ordinary or common experience, thought or belief AVER noun To assert or affirm with confidence; declare in a positive peremptory manner
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IN-DEPTH
April 24, 2012
9% Percentage of female students who smoked marijuana on a daily basis. Of the 9%, they all admitted that daily usage was not a regular habit outside Beach Week.
Before the week began, graduates staying in one house calculated the amount of alcohol they would need to buy by alloting 14 beers for each person per day.
75% 75% of the female students survey admitted to daily drunkenness. The same girls all reported that daily drinking was not a regular practice.
PHOTO TAKEN WITH PERMISSION FROM 2011 ALUM
PHOTO TAKEN WITH PERMISSION FROM 2011 ALUM
Beach Week Survey
This photo, taken from one student’s Facebook shows the extreme amounts of liquor being consumed. The student estimated that over $3,000 was spent on alcohol for that week alone.
BROKEN TABLES,
BROKEN FRIENDSHIPS Former students reveal their dangerous and costly behavior
4%
54% Percentage of female students who admitted to smoking 5 or more cigarettes per day. Of the students who reported this behavior, 23% admitted it was a regular habit.
55% Percentage of female students who did not have sex during Beach Week. Of the 46% who did, 67% said partners were ‘Steady Boyfriends.’
8% 8% of the students surveyed reported using LSD during Beach Week.
This study was completed by Richard H. Schwartz, MD, Regina Milteer, MD, Michael J. Sheridan, DSc, and Cynthia P. Horner, MD through confidential printed surveys completed by 59 female suburban high school graduates who attended Beach Week in 1996. 25 of the girls completed the survey during a typical Beach Week party, while the 34 remaining girls completed the supervised survey two to three months later.
D
espite hours spent on education in health classes, campaigns by groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the efforts of high schools to encourage students to make safe choices, some students will choose to take advantage of their newfound freedom by behaving recklessly during an annual tradition known as Beach Week. By now, students who plan on attending Beach Week this year have turned in deposits for houses and are planning for other expenses. It is a topic on the minds of many students at the moment. For Shannon, Beach Week meant celebrating the end of high school and rewarding herself for the late nights she spent studying, which earned her entrance into one of the most prestigious universities in Virginia. It was supposed to be a time to cut loose and enjoy being independent, while soaking in the sun’s rays with 15 of her closest friends. “Beach Week was everything that [I had] hoped it would be,” Shannon said. “No parents watching our every move and complete freedom in choosing how we spent our time. Some people did better with this freedom than others.” Shannon had not been prepared for the dramatic events that took place over the course of the week, which she described as “soap opera material.” She and her friends were staying at a house in Myrtle Beach near other members of her graduating class. She knew going into the week that many of them saw Beach Week as the climax of an already party-filled senior year, and she expected things to get out of control for a few nights. As is often tradition among the more reckless AHS seniors attending Beach Week, each night had a different theme, such as lingerie night or ABC (anything but clothes) night. Each night she was met by swarms of inebriated students eager and willing to share their excessive amounts of alcohol and, in some cases, offer recreational drugs they had either brought with them or purchased upon arrival. Although this behavior is not what all students engage in over the course of the week, her group acted in wild ways that would make parents cringe. Beach Week can be pricey when the cost of a house, food and other expenses are added up, which is why it is normally attended by upper-middle class students. Shannon wasn’t a complete straight edge in high school, and this week was not the first time she had drunk alcohol, but she couldn’t help getting a little nervous as she observed friends whose awareness was blurred by the intense sun during the day and the alcohol at night. At parties, she began to become concerned as they mixed alcohol, recreational drugs and, in one girl’s case, antidepressant medication. Somehow, despite their dangerous activities, they managed to make it through the week without anyone dying or being seriously injured, though there were a few visits to the emergency room. On one night, a highly intoxicated boy took the advice of an equally inebriated friend and used vodka to sterilize an injury he had gotten while running through the street. As the rooms of some houses became sparse due to both damaged and destroyed furniture, Shannon’s former classmates would find different places to party. Sometimes this meant going to the hotel rooms of beach weekers from other schools. Other classmates accumulated hundreds of dollars worth of property damage fees by the end of the week, with broken appliances, defaced furniture and numerous stains from spilled food and alcohol. In one room, a glass table had been shattered when one girl “cannon
GRAPHIC BY TRICIA O’NEILL
A total of 4% of students reported using cocaine during beach week. The same percentage of students also reported using MDMA or ecstasy during the week.
TRICIA O’NEILL In-Depth Editor
balled” through it, and other furniture had been tossed out the window into the pool. However, the lack of seating at some of the houses wasn’t what bothered Shannon; it was the almost tangible tension that filled the room each night as once inseparable friends stopped going to the same parties and let petty drama ruin their friendships. “There were friendships that were lost during that one week at Myrtle. Parents who stayed nearby ‘just in case’ had to swarm in and keep limbs from being lost,” she said. “Previously inseparable people still don’t talk to each other even to this day. It’s pathetic.” Regardless of all of the chaos that transpired and the exhaustion she faced once the adrenaline of the week had worn off, Shannon still said she wouldn’t trade the experience. “Beach Week was an experience that I think many of us wouldn’t replace. We were truly independent for once, and it showed who was mature enough to venture out of the confines of Annandale,” she said. “It also became a running joke that Beach Week was created to keep people from missing each other, which is most definitely what it did for some.” For another student, Beach Week was about celebrating more than graduation, as her birthday happened to fall during the dates she and her closest friends were in Myrtle. Her housemates had ensured there would be plenty of alcohol for the week, spending an estimated total of $3,000 on beer and every type of liquor imaginable. She had hoped that her birthday would be the most memorable night of that week, but after the police arrived at their house the night before, plans unraveled. Widespread panic filled the high and
intoxicated partygoers that night, and a mass of people began running from the house. After fleeing the cops and escaping possible underage drinking charges, she managed to run into a low-lying brick wall she hadn’t noticed in the darkness, which left her unable to walk. Still hurt and intoxicated, but not wanting to dampen the mood, she decided to take it easy and sleep it off. “The next morning I woke up in excruciating pain,” she said. “I ended up spending my birthday in the emergency room of a Myrtle Beach hospital getting X-rays taken, which is not exactly how I thought I would be spending the day.” Things spiraled further out of control as the parties got wilder. One student, who admitted that much of the week remains a blur, said that drugs such as marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, molly (a type of ecstasy) and cocaine were passed around at parties. By the second day, the golf cart that had come with the week-long rental had been crashed. “Someone crashed the cart and the damage to the front was pretty severe. It cracked the headlight as well as part of the plastic front,” she said. The total cost for the week had already reached several hundred dollars, but when no one would come forward and admit to being responsible for the crash, the additional cost for repairs had to be split amongst everyone in the house. Despite the hefty price tag on the week, the various injuries suffered and the fights that broke out, many of the graduates involved are planning a “Beach Week Part Two” trip to be held later in May.
IN-DEPTH
April 24, 2012
Having the Beach Week talk well as a check-in schedule. Many students feel that because they are 18 or about to go to college, they are no longer under the direct authority of their parents, but if parents work to help their students create boundaries, the students feel that they are creating their own boundaries rather than having such limitations imposed on them. “Parents should ask questions - a lot of them - and do some research, consider your senior’s strengths, the friends going along, etc.,” Slough said. Ultimately, some parents still may decide not to allow their teenagers to participate in Beach Week, but Slough does not think the discussion should end there. “If the thought of an unchaperoned Beach Week is simply unacceptable to you, then work with your senior to find an alternate activity or modified approach that would still be fun, allow for some independence, but pose less risk,” Slough said. Throughout this discussion, it’s important for seniors to remember that their parents are motivated by their desire to ensure their kids’ safety, not spoil all the fun. Parents should guide their children through all stages of life in whatever way they see fit, and graduation or turning 18 does not change this. “Parenting doesn’t just stop the day your kid turns 18 but you do need to modify your approach. Our job as parents is to teach our kids to make smart choices, whether under our roof or out on their own. [Beach Week] marks another opportunity to come together as a family and talk about what you value and why,” Slough said.
Senior mom encourages parents to have an open dialogue about the graduates’ tradition COURTESY OF BRIAR CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY
LIZ WILSON In-Depth Editor
I
t can be awkward to have “the talk.” Not the one about using protection, but the one where parents want information about their kids’ plans for Beach Week. Students who participate argue that Beach Week is an opportunity to celebrate the end of high school and their newfound independence and one last chance to hang out with friends before everyone leaves for college. Parents on the other hand, often are terrified of the thought of leaving their kids unsupervised for week, when excessive drinking and drug usage can make a potentially lethal combination with the ocean. Because of this divide in perspectives, students often feel they cannot have an open dialog with their parents, and parents might not engage their children because they think it won’t make a difference. For the most part, parents do have a right to be concerned. With less supervision than a college campus, teenagers who behave in severely wild ways at Beach Week can face alcohol poisoning, drug overdose and even date rape. It is because of these risks that PTSA president and mother Emily Slough believes taking proactive steps to help guide kids is very important. “We all recognize the dangers
Emily Slough worked with her daughter to compromise on her Beach Week plans.
often associated with Beach Week - the risks are real and the costs can be terribly high. Look at all the effort that is poured into ensuring that seniors at every FCPS high school will enjoy a safe ‘All Night Graduation Celebration’ in June -- all because of widespread recognition that too many kids have died on graduation night,” Slough said. The school goes to great lengths to host many events that provide a sense of closure to the year, whether it’s providing time for seniors to sign yearbooks, senior reflections night, the official graduation ceremony or the senior nights that almost every club and sports team hold, making Beach Week a little redundant. However, Slough believes not only that the conversation should happen, but that it can result in an outcome that both parents and their kids are happy with. “My daughter and a few friends
are participating in Beach Week, but in a modified way - a decision they’ve thought through, we’ve all discussed and I fully support,” Slough said. Her daughter, senior Sarah Slough, was happy with how the discussion went. Her group decided to go to a different beach than most people and some of the girls’ parents are tagging along as well. In her case, it was more important that the parents involved were content with the arrangements than avoiding parental supervision. “[The decision] is mostly to make sure everyone’s parents are comfortable. I think we would have been able to handle ourselves if we went alone, but I’m not unhappy with how things turned out,” Slough said. Emily Slough recommends that parents ask their kids to create an action plan for various scenarios as
The actual cost of Beach Week House Rental
Groceries
Rental properties may cost anywhere from $150-$400 per student, depending on how many people are staying in the house and the distance from the beach. For most rental agencies, a parent must sign off on the rental and may be required to pick up the key.
Alcohol
Buying enough food for a house full of ten or more people isn’t cheap. If everyone pitches in the same amount, you could still be spending at least $75 per person. This does not include any meals that are eaten outside of the house.
Although not every student has to drive his or her own car, and the cost of gas may be slipt among several student carpooling, the 425 mile trip to Myrtle Beach isn’t cheap. Assuming gas is about $4.00 per gallon and your car gets 30 miles to the gallon, gas could cost upwards of $115.00 round trip.
With a large house-full of rowdy, and in some cases, intoxicated teenagers, there is bound to be some type of property damage. In some cases, students reported having to split several hundreds of dollars worth of damage costs. Some agencies require an up front security deposit that may be returned there is no damage.
Although the A-Blast does not endorse or promote the underage consumption of alcohol, it is often a part of the beach week tradition. In many houses, a collective fund is created in which students are expected to contribute a set amount of money. In extreme cases, this could be up to $200 per person. Students are strongly advised against the consumption of alcohol.
LIZ WILSON In-Depth Editor
W
ho created the myth that after the graduation hats go up, students are entitled to a week at the beach to drink, use drugs and have promiscuous sex? What’s even more amazing is that parents sign off on house rentals, and older siblings and friends enable this ridiculousness by buying alcohol for the underage graduates. Apparently, despite all the horror stories, no one has thought to put an end to this. Friends of mine who are participating in Beach Week in the “traditional” way have justified their decision by saying that it’s a way to express the new freedoms that come with graduating and turning 18. Besides, partying goes on at college, and for the first time in many of their lives, they’re not leaving the preparation until the last minute. Others argue that it’s
a chance to get everything out of their system before they go off to college, or a last chance to hang out with all of their high school friends before going separate ways. Interestingly enough, I’ve never heard anyone say that they want to go because it’s a really fun thing to do. Maybe because the fun goes away when you’re in the hospital getting your injuries stitched up or having your stomach pumped so that you can live to drink another day. The sad thing is what this says about our generation. Why, when we have this newfound freedom, do we choose to demonstrate that we really still need our parents looking over our shoulders to make sure we don’t kill ourselves? We flaunt the influence of our Jersey ShoreParis Hilton-True Life culture as if it’s a positive thing to find this kind of behavior acceptable. Ironically, our parents have either decided that it’s acceptable as well, or that they’re so intent on being their kids’ friend that they are willing to let it go. If my child engaged in this kind of behavior, I wouldn’t pay for him or her to go to college because he or she would have demonstrated that after 18 years of education, he or she never
GRAPHIC BY TRICIA O’NEILL
Ritualized underage drinking A commentary on the implications of the Beach Week tradition
got an ounce of common sense. This is not to say that I am against drinking alcohol. I’ve traveled through Europe and China, where alcohol consumption is a part of the culture from a much younger age. Certainly some people abuse it and get drunk, but these people are mostly looked down upon. It shows immaturity and short sightedness, as if that is the last night they will ever be able to drink. Even worse, American teenagers are so intent on getting drunk that they don’t even bother
AHS Alumni “When I was senior I expected senior week/ beach week to be to ultimate conclusion to my senior year. I expected non-stop parties while hanging out with 5 of my best friends. I imagine students today expect similar things as far as partying, being independent, and a conclusion to their high school lives.” — Chris Baggot English teacher, Class of 2002
“My parents would not let me go. There weren’t too many stories of what went on, but I believe the excitement of Beach Week is alive and strong.” — Kathleen Dion English Teacher, Class of 2001
“Beach Week was mostly for seniors, it was completely out of control. Some kids slept in cars, some got kicked out of their hotel, arrested or even hospitalized. I would never let my daughter go.” — Mike Scott History Teacher, Class of 1988
“I wasn’t allowed to go because my parents wouldn’t have let me, Beach Week wasn’t really a big event at that time.” — Deborah Estes Spanish Teacher, Class of 1980
Property Damage
Gas Money
11
to make good drinks with all of the vodkas, gins, rums and other liquors that they buy. Our beer thrones are made from cases of cheap, light beer that, despite what the advertising claims, still taste awful especially when compared to some of the really fine brews made in Germany, Belgium and England. Unfortunately, the mentality that seniors deserve Beach Week is becoming more ingrained in our minds, which only shows how self-entitled and self-centered our culture has become. In actuality, it is only a small portion of the graduating seniors who engage in this disgusting tradition. Everyone else is working to pay for college, getting ahead in their career with a good internship or doing something productive with their money like traveling to a foreign country or saving up for a year abroad. Between the money spent on the house, food, alcohol and eventual repairs for possible damage and hospital bills, you could put a down payment on a car or pay the first month’s rent of an apartment. Remind me again why we decide to blow it all on a week we’ll be too inebriated to even remember?
“I think the idea of going to the beach for a week is totally fine, however I don’t believe that is the goal for most of the seniors attending Beach Week. It’s not a good idea in my opinion.” — Neal Jarvis Science Teacher, Class of 1997
On your smartphone, scan the QR Code above to read exclusive online content about students who opted for alternatives to the traditional Beach Week experience.
12
International
April 24, 2012
Annandale American Stories First-person accounts of students coming to America and the differences they encountered Fast Facts
By Milton Garcia Special to The A-Blast
By Omnia Saed International Editor I have always been a proud Sudanese American. Both my parents were born and raised in Khartoum, Sudan, and since I have lived in America most of my life, I’ve only been to Sudan once. Yet, I still knew about my parents’ heritage and culture which in turn created my own. As cheesy as it may sound, I thought it was interesting telling others that I came from somewhere else — a common trend at our school. In spite of our school diversity, however, I quickly realized a better part of the AHS student body had no idea where Sudan was on the map, only a good handful knew Sudan existed at all. But, as a majority of Americans did, all they saw was a worn tornAfrican country heinously killing millions of innocent civilians in the infamous region of Darfur. And in the summer of 2011 Sudan once again regained headlines in the news as, once the largest country in Africa, had split into two. The nation of South Sudan had gained independence on July 9, 2011. The split between both countries has created ongoing attention and conflict. Recent headlines read of border clashes and fights at the rich oil towns that lie on the unstable border , as both nations find ways to come to terms with the newly created divisions. Throughout my life I’ve never seen it as North and South Sudan. But, I suppose it’s simply because I never looked. For years the muslim-North seemed to have created an invisible divide between the predominantly Christian South. It was of arrogance than anything else. Now, don’t get me wrong I am proud to be a North Sudanese. But it’s a fact that can’t be disputed. Sudan for years has had a large political and cultural caste system in which the North considers themselves greater than their southern counterparts. And with a heavily biased government that was made up of highly coveted Muslim northerners; South Sudan simply made the divide official. And what I’ve seemed to realize is that I can’t help but feel jealous. Now, after reading that statement you might think I might be insensitive and slightly unpatriotic, but it almost seems that we all should be a little jealous of the newly established country. Aside from expected clashes and governmental instability, South Sudan is the symbol of fresh starts. The international community has the ability to help a largely discriminated area create a model government for a country surrounded by unstable governments. Today, amidst growing economic problems and surmounting issues hitting nations all around the world, we all have come across the idea of starting fresh. We have the opportunity to learn from what we’ve experienced now, and use those lessons to create a government free of debt, free of corruption, free of ineffectiveness — a clean slate of opportunity. But unfortunately for us, we simply can’t. But, looking at South Sudan today, I see a country that has the opportunity for change. A country that is filled with devoted citizens who have united as a whole and worked for independence. A country that has hope to change and create new guidelines for African nations, and maybe, set standards for countries around the world.
London Olympics On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR code” to read about students reactions to the London Olympics.
1) 7 BILLION 2) CHINA 3) INDIA 4) INDONESIA 5) 6,909 6) VATICAN CITY 7) NORTH KOREA 8) SYRIA 9) ENGLISH 10) PORTUGAL
What was the hardest part of moving to the U.S.? “Speaking and learning English.”
— Bolivia is named after the independence fighter Simon Bolivar — 95% of the Bolivian population is Roman Catholic
The flag’s colors represent generosity, bravery and love.
I love the weather here because it’s so nice. The weather in my country is primarily rain. In this country we have snow, which is really fun to play in. In here it’s a little of everything. In my country we don’t have snow, but I would love to go back to my country to visit.
— The largest deposit of salt in the Salar de Uyuni salt bed which contains 64 million tons of salt. — Considered to be one of the wettest countries in the world, Bolivia gets over 8 meters of rainfall — Bolivia hold 70% of all species known on Earth
A special place to have lived By Norma Herrera Special to The A-Blast
— Sooyeon Lee freshman “The hardest part was leaving my friends because I grew up with them.”
— Enrique Aguilar sophomore
“Leaving family and friends. ”
— Tehnial Zeheer
junior
“The hardest part was adjusting to the toilets.”
— Kardo Omerbell senior
Do you know something about a special place to live? Honduras is a special place because they have my favorite language and food, and different schools. Also, the people are nice. My language is different then the U.S. language. In my country, people speak Spanish. It is not hard to learn for me, but for other people it is very hard. In the U.S., people speak English which is different than Spanish. Some works are the same but not all of these languages are so different. Writing and reading in English is not easy for me because I came from a different country where I learned to speak a different language. In my country, we eat different food than here. My country’s food is so different; we eat different food in are smaller. Here, the schools are too big. But here you have more education than different holidays. Well, I my country you learn more in love my country food, and United State then Honduras. I believe it is better than My country is so different this food. This country than the U.S. In my country cooks with more grease, we have a lot of special things more than my country we eat, and we eat something food. different whenever we School is different celebrate. In my country, we than my country. In my — Norma Herrera did more interesting things country, your teacher than here. Well, now I miss my has to go to your class, country and one day I want to and you learn something different. In the U.S., you have to go to different classrooms, but in my country schools go back with my family and my friends
A new home in America By Long Thanh Special to The A-Blast The are many differences between my country and the U.S. The countries are totally different. The differences between the U.S. and my country are the food, school and language. The first difference is school. Here, students go to different classes and teachers just stay in their class. In my country, teachers have to go to the different classes and students just stay in one class. Students have to study like crazy in Vietnam. In Vietnam, I had 13 subjects. I have to learn five subjects every day. In the U.S., students just have seven, three or four subjects every day. The schools in Vietnam start at 7 a.m. and end at 11 a.m. But students have to go to school in the afternoon. That’s totally different. The second difference is food. The flavors are different. Cooking is different. Fast food is more popular than healthy food. The materials are different. The food made me become fat easily, but it tastes good. The last difference is language. In my country, I used Vietnamese. In the U.S., I have to use English. The voices of Americans are different. The alphabet is also different, in my country we don’t have the letters “F” and “W.” Everything is different; I miss my friends in Vietnam very much. It’s not easy to get used to, but life in the U.S. is more easier than Vietnam.
ALLISON ILAGAN
First person account on South Sudan
I think that there are a lot of differences between this country and my country. When I came here I had so many changes to do. I adapted by trying to change what I eat and the rules I follow. It was a little bit hard but I did it. The food in my country is so different than the food here. The food here is so greasy. In my country 50 percent of the food we eat is vegetables. I think that most of the foods for kids in the U.S. are meat. But it depends on the parents; I really like both the food from here and my country. Here in the U.S. there aren’t many rules. In my country you can travel far from your house. The U.S. is really dangerous. Here you can’t go wherever you want without thinking that you are going to be in danger. Here at school you have so much freedom. I think that I like it here because there is no danger.
“
I miss my country and one day I want to go back with my family
”
Test Your Global Knowledge 1. What is the approximate population of the earth? 2. What country sends the most students to study in the United States? 3. Which country has the largest English speaking population in the world? 4. What country has the most earthquakes each year? 5. How many living languages are there? 6. What is the smallest country in the world? 7. Which country recently had an unsuccessful rocket launch? 8. Protests in which country ceased to suspend after a failed UN peace agreement? 9. What is the official language of over 87 countries? 10. What country is only bordered by Spain? ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND AT THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER
PHOTO
April 24, 2012
It’s Prom season!
13 Who would be your dream prom date?
With Prom only a few weeks away, seniors have been getting creative to ask their dates. Prom will take place on May 25 at the Waterford in Springfield.
“Josh Hutcherson, because he seems like a really great guy.”
FAR RIGHT: Senior Ryan Beamer asked classmate Evelyn Jaramillo by surprising her at her friend’s house with a poster filled with pictures of them together and inside jokes, as well as flowers.
—Lee Hayes freshman
“I’d have to go with Kim Kardashian.”
Senior Andy Tran asked junior Colleen Adenan to prom by ordering a cake that said “PROM?” from the Swiss Bakery, where she works and went to pick it up during one of her shifts.
—Stephen Carrico freshman
COURTESY OF ANDY TRAN
COURTESY OF ASHLYN NISKER
“Channing Tatum because he’s gorgeous!”
Senior Dylan Van Balen asked senior Kyle Kowalaczyk by hanging signs spelling out the word “Prom” in one of her classrooms.
—Faith Paletti sophomore
Senior Steven Lose asked senior Megan Wade by creating a scavenger hunt. For each item found she received a letter which eventually spelled out “Prom.”
“Taylor Swift!”
—Kenny Nguyen sophomore
COURTESY OF KENZI WRIGHT
COURTESY OF MEGAN WADE
“I’d pick to go with Nicki Minaj.”
—Brody El Achi junior
“Ryan Gosling because he’s sexy!”
—Jenny Ha junior
COURTESY OF HIBA ABUELHAWA
“I would definitely pick Melanie Iglesias.”
—Dylan Shuey senior
Kindergarten students were eager to help senior Willie Labarca ask peer tutorer Hiba Abuelhawa by holding signs that spelled out “Prom.”
COURTESY OF SERGIO MOYA
COURTESY OF ASHLEY WHITTLE
SARAH BERGEN
“Justin Bieber because I love him!”
Senior Sergio Moya asked junior Kalie Rosati to Prom by hanging signs throughout the school with arrows that said things like “keep going..” and “almost there.” He then met her in the jock lobby with flowers.
—Tatiana Niang senior
—Compiled by Sarah Bergen and Stephanie Allshouse
Senior Rawand Shamdin surprised junior Ashley Whittle by taking her out to Outback Steakhouse and asking her with the help of the staff asked her to prom.
COURTESY OF ALEX WILLIAMS
Senior Wally Geiger asked junior girlfriend Alex Williams to Prom during a home soccer game against West Springfield. With the help of the team’s members, Geiger had their song added to the warm-up CD. When it played, he came out with five other friends holding signs that said “ALEX!” on one side, and “PROM?” on the other.
Go to www.thea-blast.org for more Prom asking pictures, if you have a picture you’d like us to add email us at AHSprompictures@gmail.com
The All-American Rejects Kids In The Street Tour On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view exclusive pictures from The AllAmerican Rejects show at the 9:30 Club.
14 Carli’s Corner
Lifestyles
April 24, 2012
Students personalize plates Based on the description given, match each vanity license plate with its owner below
Advice Column
By Carli Loeb Dear Carli, I recently got my license, and I am involved in sports and clubs after school. They are very important to me, but as I get older and become more expected to participate frequently, I am having difficulty with transportation. My parents both work, so it has been difficult for me in the past to find rides to and from practice. Now that I have my license, I really want to talk to them about getting a used car for myself to use. They have told me that they want to know I am responsible before they make a decision, so how can I show them that I am responsible and that a car would help out a lot? --Eager driver Dear Eager driver, You need to show your parents that you are responsible enough to own a car by acting like an adult and calmly explaining your concerns to them. Show them your sports and club schedules, and explain why a car would help you in this situation. Also, think about a reasonable price range and look up used cars on craigslist or usedcars.com to give yourself some basis for what to look for and talk about. Consider if you will be able to contribute to the cost of the car, as well as if you can pay for your own gas. If you talk to your parents about all of these things in a mature way, you will show them that you are responsible. --Carli
Have a problem? E-mail Carli at: carli.loeb@gmail.com.
What would your dream car be?
a.
“I have this license plate because it’s what my next door neighbors have called me since I was two; it’s just a nickname.”
e.
“‘Frshpow’ means fresh powder. For skiers, waking up to fresh powder is one of the best feelings in the sport. Since I love powder so much, I decided to make it my plate.”
1.
b.
f.
c.
“I chose my license plate because it is a slang word that I often use to express my excitement or disappointment. It’s a day-to-day word I use.”
g.
“My license plate means ‘party time’ because I am always ready to party and it represents my personality. I chose it because I wanted something fun and carefree.”
2.
Jessica Hotter, senior
5.
“This license plate has been with every truck in my family since I was five years old. It was just something fun my dad and I wanted to do.”
3.
Adam Huenemann, senior
d.
h.
“This is my nickname and I think it’s cool that everyone knows it’s me driving wherever I go.”
Kenzi Wright, senior
8.
7.
Tyler Miller, senior
Andrew Clarke, senior
“I chose my license plate because at the time, I was really obsessed with [the video game] Call of Duty, and it was what I did, I pwned noobs. ‘Noobs’ are scrubs at video games, and ‘pwning’ them means to beat them by a lot.”
4.
Brody El-Achi, junior
6.
Delwyn Molina, senior
“My dad got this for me for my birthday last year and it’s my nickname.”
Bryan Jefferson, junior Answers: 1) C, 2) E, 3) F, 4) A, 5) D, 6) G, 7) H
Creative stickers and accessories
—Diva Chowdhary freshman
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYLEE NISKER
“A Mini Cooper because it’s really cute and easy to drive.
KYLEE NISKER
—Alana Buto sophomore
“A BMW because it looks sleek and it’s fast.”
Natalie Ford, senior
--Ibrahim Ahmad junior
“A Viper because they are really nice and have a cool name.”
Why do you have these stickers on your car? “I have them because I really like them. It’s mainly just places I’ve been and the sports that I like.” Which one means the most to you and why? “Probably the Caps one because I’m a really big Caps fan.”
Andres — Hurtado senior
-Compiled by Anais Flores
David Crogan, senior
Danielle Turner, senior
Why do you have dice on your car? “I have dice on my car because they were my big sister’s, and it was going to be her car. She always wanted them in there so when I got it I decided to leave them.” How long have you had them? “About six months.” Do you wish you had anything else on your car? “No, but I wish my dice were better.” Are you the only student with dice on his or her car? “I know one other kid who has them, but he doesn’t go to this school, so as far as I know, yes.”
Why do you have these stickers on your car? “I have the stickers that I have on my car because I kind of feel that they express my life in a concise, fun way.” Which one means the most to you and why? “Probably my ‘Eat like you give a damn’ sticker just because I think animal advocacy for me is the most important thing. But I think my Annandale stickers are also pretty darn important because I love AHS and I thank Annandale for a lot of what I’ve been able to achieve.”
Ballet costumes offer a new take on fashion
Twitter takes over On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read about nail polish trends.
KYLEE NISKER
“A Ferrari because it has a chic look.”
The Washington Ballet’s version of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” just ended its April 11-15 stint at the Kennedy Center. After seeing the production’s magnificent costumes in The Washington Post many times, I wondered who had
made them. The designer turned out to be Liz Vandal, who has done designs for Cirque de Soleil, Backstreet Boys and other dance productions. Vandal founded her own company, “Vandal Costumes,” in 1992 with her design partner Yveline Bonjean. Together they create costumes for many fields of fashion, including theatre, opera, music and film, though their specialty is dance. It is obvious to me that she had prior experience as a dancer because she definitely takes the movements and shapes dancers create with their bodies into account with her designs. Vandal’s website, lizvandal.com,
provides a slideshow of the various costumes she has designed for different shows. All of them are rich in color and intricately detailed to really illustrate the character being played. One in particular that I love is a beautiful green grasshopper. In the most recent article that I read it was stated that a garment like it takes approximately 75 hours to make. Imagine having to do 100 more costumes after that! Costume design is a big part of the fashion industry, and one of the hardest, in my opinion. Designers’costumes are what makes a show unique and interesting. Although I wanted to check out “Alice in Wonderland,” tickets were almost
immediately sold out. There were many other people who made this show come together, including acclaimed composer Matthew Pierce, choreographer Septime Webre, scenic designer James Kronzer and lighting designer Clifton Taylor. I hope to see the next ballet the company puts on, as its members will probably have magnificent costumes once again. Cirque de Soleil’s “OVO” is Liz Vandal’s next masterpiece-in-the-making, with intriguing insect costume creations.
Sports X-tra
April 24, 2012
Rowing towards success
15
Crew terminology Directions: Match the terms to the definitions to test your crew knowledge.
Senior participates in club sport not offered at AHS
1. Sweep: __________ 2. Stern: __________
By Colleen Adenan Sports X-tra Editor
3. Sculling: __________ 4. Coxswain: __________ 5. Bow: __________ A. The back of the boat B. The front of the boat C. Rowing that uses two oars D. Rowing that uses one oar
COURTESY OF ANAROSA GARCIA
Senior Anarosa Garcia drives 45 minutes to her practice every day after school and doesn’t finish until 7:30 p.m. She devotes entire Saturdays to competitions, yet doesn’t participate in any sport offered at AHS. Garcia participates in crew, also known as competitive rowing. “Every day I drive to D.C. to row at the Anacostia River, and I spend every day except Sunday practicing or competing,” Garcia said. “Basically, I eat, drink and breathe crew.” Crew either consists of sculling, which entails using two oars, or sweep-oar rowing, which is using one oar. The number of rowers in a boat can range from a single rower to a boat of eight. Boats with four or eight rowers have a coxswain who steers the boat and tells the rowers what to do. Garcia rows in a four-person boat and is the stroke seat, or the first person in the line-up. Her main job is to set the pace and rhythm of the boat. Garcia started crew her freshman year at Wakefield High School. When she came to AHS and noticed that there was no crew team, she found the Capital Rowing Club website and signed up for the Juniors Division. Garcia has competed with the club for two and a half years now and is the varsity girls captain. “The hardest part about crew is the erg,” Garcia said. “It’s an indoor rowing machine that is synonymous with ‘the ultimate torture machine.’ During winter conditioning, since the river is frozen all over, we use the ergs to keep in shape, and those things should be piled on top of one another and be burned to ashes. It’s so much different from rowing on the actual water because being in the river is actually fun no matter how much pain you are in. On the ergs, there’s nothing to think about but the pain as you push yourself beyond your limits.”
E. The member of the boat that sits in the stern facing the bow, steers and instructs rowers what to do. This person is known for yelling “row!” Answers: 1) D, 2) A, 3) C, 4) E, 5) B
The price of crew
Senior Anarosa Garcia (second to right) prepares to row with the Capital Rowing Club on the Anacostia River.
Although students at AHS may be unfamiliar with the sport, it is not uncommon for Northern Virginia. Schools in the Patriot District that have crew teams include T.C. Williams, W.T. Woodson, Lake Braddock, South County, West Springfield and West Potomac. “A couple of my friends from J.E.B. Stuart do crew, so I’ve been to a few of their regattas and I’ve really enjoyed them,” junior Corinne Balicki said. “I think it would be really great for AHS to have a crew team because it’s a really unique sport and I think a lot of kids would be interested.” “I would definitely join crew if they offered it at AHS,” junior Sheriff Beshara said. “I think that a lot of students would love it, and it would be different from my usual cross country and track
for three seasons.” The primary reason AHS doesn’t have a crew team is due to costs. Because crew is only considered a club sport, a team would be expected to raise money on its own. “Besides costs, there are also other things we’d have to figure out, such as where to practice, how to get students to practice, who would coach and we would need to start a Crew Boosters program,” Director of Student Activities Karl Kerns said. “If we had enough people interested, they’d need to see me and we’d discuss their plans for it,” Kerns said. “After that, we’d speak with Principal Randazzo, see the level of interest and move forward from there.”
Boats: $3,000-5,000
Ergometer machine: $900-1,500
Oars: $180 each
Q and A with senior Anarosa Garcia
COLLEEN ADENAN
Q. How difficult is it to balance crew with school? A. I pride myself in managing my time wisely. I don’t procrastinate as much and I get things done early. I do my homework in class or during lunch, but it’s really not that bad. I find sufficient time for both of them, no matter how close to impossible that is.
Senior Anarosa Garcia is currently the varsity girls captain of her club team. Garcia rows with the junior division of the Capital Rowing Club.
Q. What is something many students may not know about your sport? A. Crew is a mental sport. It’s not exactly a handeye coordination thing like basketball, nor does it involve strategy or “plays” like football. It ranges from endurance to inhuman strength to speed to the ability to go farther than what your body is capable of. Like I mentioned earlier, in this sport,
you have to push yourself until you pass out-and trust me, you get accolades for doing just that. It’s painful, yes, to give your 150 percent effort all the time, but in the end, it definitely is worth it. Overpassing the rigor is the fun that you have being on the water after school everyday, with a team that always puts a smile on your face no matter how exhausted you are, and knowing that you’ve learned to improve your discipline and selfcontrol. Q. What is the hardest part about crew? A. We get these disgusting, gaping blisters and calluses on our hands as if we grate our hands with a cheese grater. We get these blisters from gripping the oars too hard and making the same repetitive movements.
Crew shoes: $75-$100
Total: $4,335-$6,960
How do you show sportsmanship? “I help others on the field and encourage everyone with respect.”
For the rest of the interview, scan this barcode on your smartphone
Is sportsmanship still alive? Students and faculty reflect on the existence of one of the most vital elements of sports A hard shove by your opponent in the midst of a game and you’re on the ground. Frustration follows and you expect someone to help you up, but instead, that player walks away. In that instant, you question the very existence of sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is widely considered an extremely important part of sports and reflects respect and control for all athletes. However, the fear of losing during a competition can push an athlete to his or her limit and, as a result, cause the thought of sportsmanship to dissolve. Today, many acts against sportsmanship have forced some people to question its existence. “I feel as though [players are] aggressive and only want to win. They also want to impress their parents or coaches,” sophomore Kunnica Kou said. “Of course players should try to win, but they should also consider the safety of others.” Several students have faced the absence of sportsmanship firsthand during games. “I think sportsmanship is getting weaker by the year. If a player pushes or trips you, he or she should at least try to help you up,” sophomore
A.J. MCCAFFERTY
By Ngan Pham Sports X-tra Editor
Students cheer for their class during the fall pep rally.
Carly Klima said. “I try to help as many people as I can and when I put my hand out to help them up, they slap it away.” Other students witness acts that lack sportsmanship even as a spectator. “Last year at the varsity lacrosse game against Oakton, the students on the opposing side were extremely rude during, and even after, the game because they called us different names,” junior Maddy Reinert said. “It was really disrespectful and frustrating because they had little concern for anyone other than themselves.” However, some students have experienced several instances of sportsmanship during times of competition.
“After marching band season, if I get an award over someone else from another school, I’m nice about it and congratulate them on how well they did,” senior Diego Cornejo said. “I do so to bring everyone away from the negativity and egos. It ensures fair play.” Faculty must also cope with the periodic lack of sportsmanship during games. “[At the] boys basketball game vs. Lake Braddock, the official stopped the game because one of our fans was yelling something inappropriate at the opposing team,” Director of Student Activities Karl Kerns said. “Students no longer cheer positively for their classmates. Instead, they make derogatory remarks about the other team [and] players.” H o w e v e r, s o m e c o a c h e s b e l i e v e t h a t sportsmanship is still alive and well at AHS. “I have not [seen acts against sportsmanship]. AHS has the best sportsmanship of any teams that we have competed against,” Head Baseball Coach Ranilo Abrigo said. “If sportsmanship is weakening it is because players are not being taught well by their parents first and coach second.” Despite multiple instances that have forced students and faculty to question the existence of sportsmanship, it is impossible to lose such a essential element to athletics. “Even though I’ve witnessed different acts against sportsmanship, it is not necessarily nonexistent because even small acts of respect serve a vital role in athletics today,” Reinert said..
—Douglas Nguyen freshman “I shake hands with the other swimmers at the end of my race.” —Tricia Liller sophomore
“I show sportsmanship by making small talk with the other team during my lacrosse games.” —Stephen Read sophomore
“I don’t root against the other team; I just make a generic cheer.” — Beatrice Ohene-Okae junior
“When someone falls down, I help them up.” —Danny Huynh junior
“I try to be an example myself; I always go to the opposing coach and shake hands, whether we win or lose.” —Gabe Romano health teacher
—Compiled by Christine Tamir
By Kate Grandchamp Copy Editor The girls varsity softball team’s recent wins against Lee, T.C. and West Springfield helped to rectify the team’s rough start of seven losses in a row and provide hope for a successful future. According to Head Coach Chris Tippins, the difficult start to the team’s season stemmed from injuries and basic physical and mental mistakes during games. “[Senior shortstop] Alex [King] had a concussion and everybody was not in their normal positions,” senior Justine Niner, pitcher, said. Teammate and third baseman Casey Fait, senior, agrees, saying that having everyone back in their comfort zones will help the team to swing the season in a positive direction. “We’ve been [cutting down on physical and mental errors and playing better as a team] lately and need to continue to do so,” Tippins said. Tippins looks to matches against South County, West Potomac and Lake Braddock as the hardest games yet to occur. “[We need a] solid defense [and to] hustle the ball to score some wins,” Tippins said. Niner concurs, looking to improve team defense and outfield work. “We hope to go as far as we can. Tippins has high expectations for us this season,” Fait said. Under the leadership of senior captain Jessica Hotter, the team’s record is 6-8 overall, 5-3 in the district. “[Our goal is to] advance past first round qualify for regional tournament, ultimately to win a district championship,” Tippins said.
Varsity and JV teams riddled with injuries in beginning of season look to turn around season in time for upcoming district tournament By Abby Converse Staff Writer Although Girls Lacrosse had a rocky start to the 2012 season, they have come back strong with wins against South County on April 17th and against Lee High School on April 19. This year the team has been plagued by injuries, particularly concussions, which have affected their performance. The varsity team so far has a winloss record of three wins and six losses. “Three starters got concussions the same week, including myself,” junior Sarah Bergen said. “We weren’t allowed to play in three district games[because of the injuries], if we had the scores Junior Paige Britton shoots on an opponent during an Atomic Blast Tournament game. The team will play Woodson Saturday. it may have been different.” Besides Bergen, sophomores Sureyya Gokturk together as a team as part of their recent success. Lee, the team hopes to be successful in their game and Amanda Villafana also had concussions. Both “It was hard for us to come together as a team against Woodson on April 23. players were starters for the team, which had an at the beginning of the season but now it feels “The Lee game went really well,” Bergen said. effect on the team’s performance. Another player like we’re finally working together,” JV player “It was a great chance to work on running plays from the JV team was also pulled out due to injury. Adrienne Majette-Cain said. and transitions down the field. I think it helped However, Bergen had hopeful prospects for Although the JV team lost to South County on prepare us for our Woodson game on Monday.” the rest of the season, now that the team has the 17, Majette-Cain cited it as “one of our best The team is looking forward to accomplishing recovered from the many injuries that the players games because everyone worked hard and put in their goals and succeeding in the rest of the season. have received. good effort.” “[I want] for us to win or tie at least one game “I hope we make it far in the district tournament,” Now that some of the key players have [for JV],” Majette-Cain said. Bergen said. “We’ll definitely surprise the teams recovered from their injuries, the Varsity team’s “I just want us to continue working together we lost to while a bunch of players were out.” two wins this past week are a sign of good things and win a district championship!” Bergen said. The team has also cited their ability to work to come. With a 13-4 win on Thursday against
COURTESY OF BRIAR CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY
Softball amends early mistakes in late surge
April 24, 2012
Girls soccer improves Boys dominate district Varsity off to rough start, looks to unite as end of season nears
Senior Justine Niner pitches a ball at the game against Herndon.
By Shamaim Syed Photographer
By Samir Shah Sports Editor
With two wins, five losses and one tie, girls varsity soccer team have to step up their game, especially considering that in the 2011 season, girls varsity placed 5th in the Patriot District. “It is going ok, it has been a slow start, but we are starting to improve and play as a team,” Head Coach Janeen Westphal said. So far this season, the varsity girls lost their first game against Oakton High School, came back with their first win against Marshall High School, and then lost to Fairfax, Yorktown, Woodson, and West Springfield. In the game against Thomas Jefferson HS of Science and Technology on April 16, the girls tied to break their losing streak, and then won 3-0 in their recent home game against J.E.B. Stuart High School. Unfortunately, their most recent game against South County Secondary School on April 20 ended in a 0-1 loss. “I think we are struggling on shooting and making our way up the field,” sophomore Emily Villatoro said. Considering they have a young team, with only two seniors and six freshmen, they are working hard in reaching their goal. “We need to work as a team and
With almost a dozen graduating seniors scoring points for the Northern Region Champion boys track team last season, this year there were worries that the team would have a hard time being competitive. These doubts were dispelled as the outdoor season began with the AHS boys track team earning top placement in multiple events at invitationals such as Legard Relays, the Leslie Sherman Invitational, the Northern Virginia Invitational, and the Lake Braddock Hall of Fame meet. The team has had seven meets so far this season, three Wednesday meets for varsity and junior varsity athletes against teams in the district, and four invitationals for varsity athletes to showcase their progress. The most recent invitational, the Lake Braddock Hall of Fame meet held on April 21 at Robinson SS was very successful for the team with athletes placing in the top eight or higher in the triple jump, shotput, discus, high jump, 110 meter hurdles, 400 meter dash, and the 4x400 meter relay. Some of the most successful athletes include Junior Alex Ellison who was the meet champion in the 100 meter dash and the 200 meter dash, with times of 10.75 and 21.78,
SHAMAIM SYED
Senior Alex King attempts to hit a fastpitch at the game against Herndon.
Team looks competitive heading into district and regional meets
Sophomore Emily Villatoro runs onto the field before a recent home game.
take more shots on goal,” Westphal said. “One time we played to a 0-0 tie in regulation with West Springfield, but ended up loosing in overtime 1-0. The girls played as a team and it showed on the field.” According to Westphal, key players on the team that have worked to come this far include senior and captain Michaela Filsoof, junior Stephanie Allshouse and senior Natalie Ford. With seven more games to play, the girls still have time to show some improvement. “I think we are doing alright,” Junior Absara Mesfun said. “I think we can win the next games because the teams look really easy.”
COURTESY OF STEVEN PHAM
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Sports Girls lacrosse players persevere
Senior Eliad Gebrehiwot and freshman Aviad Gebrehiwot compete in the 3200.
respectively. Senior Walter Manlen placed third in the 100 meter dash, and also contributed to the meet champion 4x100 meter relay team consisting of Freshman Bernard Andoh, seniors Dylan Van Balen and Walter Manlen, and Ellison. Distance star senior Ahmed Bile showcased his speed at the meet, placing second overall in the 400 meter dash with a time of 49.79 seconds. Junior Austin Chavez closely followed placing third with a time of 50.47 seconds. The boys team finished the meet with 97.50 points overall, placing second to Westfield by 6 points. The elite of the varsity team will compete in the prestigious Penn Relays meet on April 27 and 28, while the rest will compete in the last Wednesday meet on May 2 against South County, West Springfield, and T.C. Williams at T.C.
Girls climb higher in meets
Senior Lindsey Suver prepares to hit a ball during the game against Herndon.
-photos courtesy of Becca Sponga
Softball slideshow On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view a slideshow of softball photos.
By Samir Shah Sports Editor Although not up to the level of competition that the boys track team is at, the girls track team has been improving and performing well at multiple invitationals and meets. So far this season, the team has competed in four invitationals and three Wednesday “quad” meets with teams in the district. At each invitational, the girls team has placed in multiple events including the 4 x 100 meter relay, 100 meter dash, shotput, and discus. At the most recent meet, the Lake Braddock Hall of Fame Invitational held on April 21 at Robinson SS, the girls continued their trends and placed in multiple events. Sophomore Destiny Anderson placed sixth in long jump with a length of 15 feet and nine inches. Senior Nora Shafer brought home points in the field with a 30 foot 6 inch throw and sixth place finish in shotput and a 91 foot throw in discus and a second place finish. Junior Katherine Ross placed 11th in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.26, Anderson closely followed
with a time of 13.42 seconds. Junior Rowan Shartel placed seventh in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.93 seconds, and also contributed to the 4x100 meter relay consisting of sophomore Isatu Koroma, Shartel, senior Monique Diggs, and Anderson that finished third overall. The team finished 12th overall at the meet, a difficult feat with teams from across the region present at the meet. A few of the fastest varsity girls will be attending the prestigious Penn Relays meet on April 27 and 28, while the rest will prepare for their last quad meet at T.C. Williams on May.
COURTESY OF STEVEN PHAM
Varsity team shows improvement, looks to place higher in district
Freshman Hawah Asan competes in the 4x400 relay in a meet at Robert E. Lee HS.
Sports
April 24, 2012
Soccer stuns Stallions in OT Varsity records first win of the season with a late game rally The varsity boys soccer overcame South County with an overtime win on Friday, April 20th. After an intense 70 minutes of game time, the Atoms were trailing the Stallions 3-2. However, junior Cesar Flores was able to knot the game at 3 and send it into overtime. Two five minute halves ensued in which Labarca was able to score the eventual game winner. The goal came off of a corner where the defender attempted to head the ball out and it came straight to Labarca who chested it and volleyed it into the top corner of the goal. While this gave them the lead, the team was able to fend off the Stallions and play solid defense for the remainder of the overtime, giving the boys its first victory of the season. “We played a lot better this time compared to previous games. We started getting our passing game back and kept getting shots on goal,” Labarca said. The team has played 9 games so far, two of them scrimmages. The team isn’t doing as well as they wanted so far. With all their practice, they hope to
PARKER GILLCASH
By Sarthak Batra Staff Writer
Senior Willie Labarca practices chesting the ball. Labarca scored the overtime game winner against South County.
improve and win more games. “I believe in my team,” Junior David Belay said. “Game after game, practice after practice, we are finding ourselves getting better with experience and player chemistry,” Belay added. “Knowing your players can up your game by a lot.” Head coach, Doug Miller, with the help of assistant coaches Jewad Abdulhadi and Stephen Brooks, look to move forward from the win and to finish their last 7 regular season games strong. In its first 4 regular season games, they were shutout and outscored by 13 goals total. The team scored its first goal in the fifth game on against TJ High School. The goal was scored by Senior Willie Labarca which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Two days later, they played Jeb Stuart High School. This game also ended in a 1-1 draw with a goal scored by Sophomore Jordan Fox. “I am disappointed in the team mainly because I know we can do better,” Senior Sergio Pinto said. “We have a good team and I hope for the best in the future.” The next home game is Thursday, April 26th against Edison. “The crowd has been great. We [the soccer team] thank all our fans and encourage them to stop by our next games and we promise to put a show on,” Pinto said. “We should be improving in the near future; we are gaining momentum,” Labarca said.
Boys tennis remains even Baseball trails in district By Ethan Edwards Staff Writer
The 5-6 boys tennis team is coming off a devastating loss to West Springfield, following a win against TC Williams. That loss hasn’t seemed to affect their team spirit. Their “Imua,” which means to never give up, has kept them working hard to overcome the disappointment. The match against TC Williams wasn’t a close one, with the score ending 6-3 in their favor, a nice change to a tough season. The match against West Springfield was harder to swallow, with the scoreline being 9-0 in favor of West Springfield. The last match was a blowout, with the team failing to get on the scoreboard. “The rest of the season is going to be tough because of a lot of difficult opposition,” senior captain Joshua Kim said. “We’re going to keep working hard and push for the wins.” The captain seems optimistic, though he had been on injury leave during the last match. He admitted the line up for the match was not perfect and that it was going to be a tough match regardless. “We’ve been doing good. We’ve won all the matches we expected to win,” senior Chris Boado. “Unfortunately, we also lost all of the games that we expected to lose, though we that didn’t stop us from giving it our all.” The team won their first two games of the season before losing their third and then winning only sporadically throughout the rest of the season up until now. All of the
AJ MCCAFFERTY
By Sam Converse Staff Writer
Senior Josh Kim prepares to hit a backhand while volleying in practice.
players agree that despite their record, they have been working hard and doing their best to improve all aspects of their games. “It looks like they [the team] have really improved since the beginning of the season,” manager and junior Mindy Vo said. “Our weaker players have gotten stronger and everyone is improving. Some key players are guys like Todd Le and Philipos Ousman.” The boys only have four regular season games to improve their record, with their next chance to put all their hard work to the test will be against rivals W.T. Woodson, Tuesday, April 24.
The 4-9 baseball team is inching closer to districts and, with over half of the season completed, the competition looks to get even more intense as they prepare for district playoffs. Practices are becoming far more intense and nothing less than a strong finish in expected. Getting ready for districts, much like the overall season has been, won’t be easy. H e a d C o a c h R o n A b r i g o ’s expectations from the beginning of the season, which included finishing in the top four of the Patriot District, haven’t exactly fallen into place with how the team has actually done. “Throughout the season we’ve been inconsistent, haven’t been mentally tough and have not played with the strength that I expected we would have and need,” Abrigo said. “Overall we have played completely different than I imagined.” He continued to explain the team’s other faults during the season. “We haven’t competed as well as I expected, our team chemistry on the field has been subpar and the number of errors we have made is far beyond what I expected,” Abrigo said. Players from the team were no less explanatory about the team’s failure to meet its preseason goals. However junior Joey Rainey, a two year veteran of the Varsity team, felt more optimistic about the season than Abrigo. “While our season has been a struggle so far, I think we will come together in time for districts, and hope to make it far in the playoffs,”
Rainey said. “I believe our key players Pat McCann, Tony Hysjulien, CJ Aftergut, Ryan Smith and Tyler Schwartz will bring leadership to the team when it matters most and help us finish the season strong.” Senior Tony Hysjulien had optimism similar to Rainey about finishing the season, while being more focused on beating the competition. “Hopefully we can finish strong and knock some teams out of the district playoffs, including Lake Braddock,” Hysjulien said. “At this point, finishing in the top four of the district isn’t within our reach.” With all of the mishaps that have led to a struggling season, Abrigo still expects the team to finish off the season with all that they have left. “While it would have been nice to finish in the top four, our inconsistency and errors prevented us from attaining that,” Abrigo said. “I expect to finish out the season strong, make a strong playoff run and compete well while we’re at it.”
Girls tennis starts slow By William Bennett Staff Writer
Despite posting a 2-8 record to start the season, the AHS girls tennis team has remained upbeat and hopes to end the season on a high note. “We had hoped for a better record,” sophomore Hannah Coulter said. Minus their two wins over a struggling team from Lee, the team has struggled against all its other regional competitors. After entering the season looking to improve on their technique, it appears that there have been improvements in that area lately. The team fared better in its rematches against T.C. Williams and West Springfield. “We want to win more matches to improve our record especially now, since we are playing teams for a second time,” Coulter said. The team will close the regular season with matches against Woodson, South County, West Potomac and Lake Braddock. The teams next match, at Woodson High School on April 24, ended too late for this edition. For results, go to www.thea-blast.org. Excluding seniors Bonne Clark and Alexa Lafferty, the team is comprised of underclassmen. This bodes well for the future of the team especially looking forward to next season.
Sophomore Hannah Coulter waits for a return shot from an opposing player.
Varsity Baseball
AJ MCCAFFERTY
Varsity faces midseason struggles
Team faces rocky start to season, hopes to bounce back
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Junior Joey Rainey pitches against T.C. Williams.
Sophomore Steven Schwartz gets ready to swing at the pitch.
Boys prep to take on cross-town rival By CJ Aftergut Co-Editor in Chief Each and every game, the boys lacrosse team hits the field ready to make a statement, searching for a defining moment that will secure it a spot among the top contenders in the district. The team hopes such a moment will come tomorrow when it squares off against Woodson in at match-up of two of the district’s top teams. “I expect our team to play the best lacrosse of the year against Woodson,” senior Ryan Miller said. “This is the game that we think about from the beginning of the year and it is always exciting to play against an arch rival.” Having won two of its three district match-ups since the return from Spring Break, the team is now 4-1 in the district, making it one of four one-loss teams. With that in mind, the Atoms head into their final two district games with their eyes on securing the top seed in the district tournament. “[Our last two district match-ups are] going to be big. We got popped by South County, so if we can somehow finish with one district loss, there’s going to be a logjam for that top spot,” Head Coach Bill Maglisceau said. “If it happens that we have two or three
district losses, I still like our chances in a home game in the playoffs.” “Our final two district games are extremely important because of how the district has played out this year,” Miller said. “Winning the last two district games will put us in optimal position heading into the tournament.” With this goal in mind, the Atoms will have to improve their play by continuing to cut down on turnovers, which have cost them the lead in several games this season. “In our last couple of games we’ve done a good job of making our opponents turn the ball over,” Maglisceau said. “If it comes down to the number of turnovers, we’ll have to improve on that; otherwise, it’ll be a dogfight.” “So far, our clearing has been solid and we have started off most of our games extremely well with early leads,” Miller said. “We need to improve our fundamentals such as stick skills and moving off-ball because we have committed too many turnovers, allowing opponents to cut into our leads.” Such turnovers have proved costly for the Atoms, who lost four of six games after their 2-0 start to the season. Luckily for the team, all four losses came against teams from outside of the Patriot District, meaning they will have no impact on tournament seeding. “I expected our overall record to be better, but we played some good non-district teams,” junior Joe
Senior Patrick McCann strides as he prepares to hit the oncoming ball.
-Photos by AJ McCafferty COURTESY OF BECCA SPONGA
Lacrosse looks to Woodson match-up to improve district record
Junior Max Ruffing evades a defender and runs down the field to find an open team mate.
Bermingham said. “But the district record is all that really matters.” For Maglisceau, however, the 1015 loss to South County on April 17 still came as a disappointment. “We definitely would have liked to have done better against South County in the third and fourth quarters,” Maglisceau said. “But we’re 4-1 in the district; that’s a pretty good spot to be in.” Despite their favorable standing, Bermingham and Miller each recognize the need to maintain
their focus and continue to improve heading into the final stretch of the season. “The team must practice hard and stay focused on our goal of winning the district as we head into the postseason,” Bermingham said. “Our team is very strong, but we just need to clean up some of our weak areas and become more disciplined,” Miller added. “If we improve our fundamentals and tighten up on defense, we will be a tough team to beat come tournament time.”
Varsity boys lacrosse On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view a video of the boys lacrosse game.
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Upcoming concerts
ENTERTAINMENT
Sneak peak of The Realests Students make hiphop dreams a reality BY MARISSA URIARTE Photographer
KINA GRANNIS Tues., April 24 The 9:30 Club
THE WEEKND Thurs., April 26 The 9:30 Club
April 24, 2012
In the halls of AHS, many musicians are among us; more than we know. A small group of students has been lucky enough to catch a sneak-peak at one hiphop group in particular. The group sat down to talk about it’s style. Made up of three incredibly driven rappers, these students are quickly working hard to make their way to the top. The group is called The Realests, and was created by seniors Tyler Miller and Dylan Shuey along with a former AHS student, Qurun Smith. “The group name represents real as in pure or authentic. It’s a reference to the music we make opposed to what is played on the radio/internet right now. We play on the word realist because we say it how it is,” Shuey said. The boys have successfully come together and collaborated by bringing to the table their witty lyrics and flow
Miller said, “we don’t compare ourselves.” “We’re kind of our own unique sound,” Smith said. “It’s definitely a new sound, something you’ve never heard before.” The boys talked about the musicians that they pull their inspiration from and suggested a few common names such as Odd Future,
styles that are obviously years ahead of their time. Playground rhymes and raps are outdated compared to The Realest’s clever sample tracks. It is no question that their skillfully composed tracks will turn a listener into an instant fan. When asked to compare their unique sound to that of a professional musician,
J. Cole, Nas, Wale,Asher Roth and Drake. When it comes to the process of writing, it just sort of happens for them. “I don’t really have a specific thought process, I just write,” Miller said. For Miller, the aspect of music isn’t new to his life, he also plays in a hardcore band called Oh, Satellite. He says he’s still continuing with both projects, but really enjoys “the lyrical aspect of rap” claiming that “recently the hip-hop scene has been more inspiring than the metal and rock scene.” “Things such as overall production quality and consistency in delivery” are things that the group puts a lot of focus on.“We get better with each session,” Shuey said With practice, comes progress. This isn’t the first you’ll hear of The Realests, so check out their tracks and you’re sure to become a fan. Scan the code to the left on your smartphone to gain access to The Realests’ music on SoundCloud.
Marley documentary pays respect THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS Sun., April 29 Rams Head Live!
A$AP ROCKY Sun., April 29 The 9:30 Club
A-
Student tweets SWEETLIFE Sat., April 28 Merriweather Post Pavillion
NICKELBACK Mon., April 30 The Verizon Center
JOE BROOKS Sat., May 5 The Birchmere
NEVER SHOUT NEVER Tues., May 15 Jammin Java
SOJA Fri., May 18 The 9:30 Club
Celebri-
Get inside your favorite celebrities’ heads
“Umm this is my first tweet and IDK what to write so yep ... #thatsmyfirst hashtagtoo.” —Cody Reagan freshman
“Just ate three cupcakes. YOGDO #youonlygetdiabetesonce.” —Skye Lindberg junior
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Thurs., May 10 The Verizon Center
movie for a 48-hour time period, because it’s not yet available for full purchase. In a society that recognizes 4/20 as the unofficial National Day of Marijuana, it became obvious that the release date was somewhat of a disrespect to the popular Jamaican reggae musician. The date was ultimately a lame publicity device used to strategically attract stoners to pay to see the documentary. Although Marley heavily used marijuana, smoking nearly a pound a day, I felt that it sorely represented him. What Marley stood for was love, equality and the Rastafarian movement that he worked so hard to spread and promote. He didn’t care about the money and he didn’t necessarily care about fame - he appreciated it. This way of life was evident in the film. The movie in its entirety represented BobMarleyinaverydetailedandrespectful manner. He would have been very pleased.
exclusive interviews with those closest to Marley. Such people included his many children, wives, girlfriends, friends and touring members. Rare video clips scattered throughout the movie, include those from his tour, a BY RACHEL BERGEN few images of his painfully poverished Entertainment Editor life back home in Jamaica, interviews How well do we really know Bob with the musician and a focus on his Marley? The phenomenal documentary efforts to achieve world peace and love. directed by Kevin MacDonald released This documentary was a project long last week will help us get to awaited and an experience know him. The Magnolia that brings both fans Pictures documentary explained Movie Review: and non-fans to the core of the 35 year old’s short, but longMarley Marley’s visions of happiness, lived life and legacy at home positivity, love and wise words. and on the road, in a 2.5-hour Unfortunately the montage of pure perfection. documentary was only in The longevity of the theatres for one day, April 20. movie literally flew by; each If you didn’t get a chance to see moment filled with captivating it in theatres, you can rent it on content, information and footage. iTunes, on YouTube or the official Marley The documentary was made up of Facebook page for $6.99. You only get the
2.5-hour documentary does reggae artist justice
“Man ... Dracula is “When you see my pretty scary, I thought Tumblr, you know all the vampires were exactly how I feel.” like Edward.” —Danny Davalos sophomore
“S/O to my Fellow Naked Sleepers of America #FNSA!! Together we will change the world!!” —Delwyn Molina senior
—Gabby Sanchez junior
“Got an extra piece of turkey in my lunchable! #winning.”
“I watched The Lion King on the plane ...I genuinely think it’s one of the best films ever made.”
—Alex King senior
—Harry Styles
“My car decided to automatically lock me out with the key in the ignition and the radio on. The machines have become self aware.”
“Dear gentlemen in front of me having a convo about how women make it necessary to lie to them, congrats. You’ve got us completely figured out.”
—Adam Levine
—Lauren Conrad
“Power was off when we woke up. Hard to explain to the kids why we can’t make waffles and watch Octonauts!!” —Melissa Joan Hart
“Catching me smiling in a pic is like finding an albino jackalope.” —Jared Leto
Entertainment
April 24, 2012
Upcoming music festivals Date: April 28 Location: Merriweather Post Pavilion 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044 Ticket Price: (GA) $75 Genre: Variety Headliners: Avicii, Kid Cudi, The Shins, Explosions in the Sky, A$AP Rocky, Fun. and Fitz and the Tantrums Overview: Sweetgreen’s annual Sweetlife festival is called a “party with a purpose.” The festival has a theme of sustainable and healthy food that features some of the country’s best chefs. Tips: Sweetlife is sponsored by several top food companies, so you are discouraged from eating beforehand. Make sure you have enough money for food and drinks, and pack light because you will return with many free products. Since it has an environmental theme, bring recyclables, compost and trash to dispose of. You can also receive free prizes.
Date: May 12 Location: RFK Stadium 2400 East Capitol Street Southeast Washington, DC 20003 Ticket Price: (GA Advance) $35-72 (GA Gates) $62 Genre: Rock/Pop Headliners: Incubus, Cake, The Airborne Toxic Event, Angels & Airwaves and Neon Trees Overview: There is no better combination than food and music. Come sample some of the best chili in DC and watch a cook-off between top chefs.Afterwards enjoy the show. Tips: This is a rain or shine event so be sure to check the weather beforehand and dress accordingly, especially when choosing shoes because there will be a lot of walking and standing. If you are purchasing tickets at the gate, be sure to check whether or not the event has sold out and get there one to two hours before the event starts to purchase your tickets.
Date: May 18-20 Location: Asbury Park 104 Asbury Avenue Asbury Park, NJ 07712 Ticket Price: (GA 1-Day Pass) $65-75 (GA 2-Day Pass) $140-150 (GA 3-Day Pass) $190 Genre: Variety Headliners: Skrillex, Mac Miller, Incubus, Blink-182 and Foo Fighters Overview: This three-day, oceanfront music festival is ideal for a pre-summer break getaway with family and friends. The festival features today’s hottest artists from a variety of genres and a main stage right on the beach. Tips: No SLR/DSLR cameras will be allowed inside the venue, so bring your best point-and-shoot camera. Bags will be checked. If after the show you want the fun to continue, check out the after parties, which cost only $20. Most of the parties are 18+, and IDs will be checked.
Date: June 9 Location: Fort Amistead Park 4000 Hawkins Point Road Baltimore, MD 21226 Ticket Price: (GA) $75 Genre: House/Dubstep Headliners: Wolfgang Gartner, Flux Pavillion, Modstep and Two Frogsh Overview: With a Garden of Eden theme, Starscape will feature five stages of today’s hottest DJs with visual performances and live mixing acts. The event lasts from sunset to sunrise and offers various vendor villages and a wide variety of food and beverage choices. Tips: This in an 18+ event, and IDs will be checked. Since it is an all-night event, be sure to get enough sleep beforehand. Also, bags will be checked at the door, so the less you bring the better. You can bring up to a gallon of water per person, which is strongly suggested. Hydration should be a priority.
—Compiled by Marissa Uriarte
Artists to look out for this summer
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Upcoming movies
SAFE: Action extraordinaire, Jason Statham stars in Safe as an elite agent, Luke Wright. He has taken on an impossible mission: rescue a little girl from dangerous Chinese triads, while dodging the Russian mafia and corrupt NYPD officers. April 27
THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT: How I Met Your Mother’s funny man, Jason Segel, stars alongside The Adjustment Bureau’s Emily Blunt in this romantic comedy about a couple struggling to maintain their engagement, plan a wedding and adjust to their advancing careers. April 27
THE AVENGERS: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and other heros have all aligned to save the Earth from danger. The much-anticipated superhero action film from everyone’s favorite Marvel comic has finally arrived. May 4
Hoodie Allen Some don’t know what is more surprising, Hoodie Allen’s Ivy League education at the University of Pennsylvania or his sudden rise to stardom with after his first official EP, All American, on iTunes. The hip-hop sensation first got a taste of the stardom after MTVU named him Best on Campus in 2009, and it has only taken off since. Allen has toured with big name artists such as The Cataracs, Chiddy Bang and Mike Posner. His EP, All American was #1 the week of its release, and Allen has achieved all of this without being tied to a label. Song Suggestion: “No Faith in Brooklyn”
Azealia Banks Born and raised in Harlem, New York, rapper and lyricist Azealia Banks’ stardom is quickly rising. Her debut single “212” was placed on BBC Radio 1 as “Record of the Week” and several other blogs and news outlets. Banks recently made her U.S. tour debut after a stellar performance at the most talked about concerts of the year, Cochella, which hosts the world’s greatest artist every year in Indio, California. Banks revealed that she is currently working on her first full-length album, Broke with Expensive Taste, but until then she has released an EP entitled 1991, the year she was born.
Bombs and Bottles Frustrated with the music industry in 2009, Harrison Zafrin, a college student at Binghamton University formed Bombs and Bottles. With a sophisticated electric pop sound bordering on house/dubstep, Zafrin put all his feelings of frustration into creating music. First performing at college campuses, Bombs and Bottles quickly gained popularity as his music spread to multiple states through word of mouth. Now Zafrin’s band will be playing at New York’s Electric Zoo in September 2012, an event that will propel the band to official stardom.
Pac Div The West Coast rap trio Pac Div, also known as Pacific Division, began their career in 2006 after the release of their first mixtape Sealed for Freshness: The Blend Tape. After sealing the deal with Universal Motown Records, the trio continued to release three more mixtapes until finally they released an album entitled The DiV in November 2011. The trio will begin touring again in September 2012. The Underdog Tour will be their first headlining tour, entitled “The Underdog Tour” will be stopping in Washington, D.C. at Bohemian Caverns on Sept. 28.
Song Suggestion: “Bambi”
Song Suggestion: “When the Lights Go Out”
Song Suggestion: “Shine feat. Marz Lovejoy”
—Compiled by Helina Daniel
GIRL IN PROGRESS: Eva Mendes plays Grace, a struggling woman juggling motherhood, an affair with a married man, work and overwhelming bills. Her daughter, Ansiedad, played by Cierra Ramirez, undergoes many changes as she struggles to gain the love and attention of her mother and her classmates. The film also stars Matthew Modine, Patricia Arquette and Russell Peters.
The Lucky One best romantic drama since The Notebook Author Nicholas Sparks’ seventh novel turned film is a must see By Helina Daniel Entertainment Editor High School Musical’s sweetheart, Zac Efron, is all grown up in his new romantic drama based off of Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same title. The Lucky One, which was directed by Shine’s Scott Hicks, is the best adaptation of a Sparks’ novel since The Notebook. The film begins with Efron, a troubled marine, named Logan narrating life during his tour in Iraq. During his patrol, he notices a photo of a woman on the ground. As he walks towards the photo, there is an explosion and he realizes that had he not reached for the photo, his life would have ended at that very moment. At the end of his tour, Logan returns home determined to find and thank the woman in the photo. Returning home
with his sister and her two kids proves to be difficult and he has trouble adjusting to life at home. In need of a change in scenery, Logan leaves, searching for the woman in the photo who saved his life. After walking thousands of miles with nothing and no one but his loyal dog, Logan arrives at a dog kennel, where the woman in the photo works. Finally coming face-to-face with her, Logan doesn’t have the nerve to tell her his story and ends up accepting a job at the dog kennel. The woman from the photo is Beth, portrayed by Mercy’s Taylor Schilling. While she isn’t the best actress for the role because of the obvious age gap, together they somehow fit. Despite the difference in age, Logan emerges as a protector of Beth and her young son, from Beth’s abusive ex-husband, who is the basis of all conflict in the film. The film is a must-see for all hopeless romantics. It is the best Sparks adaptation since The Notebook. Efron has finally broken out of his Disney shell and Shilling made a bold motion picture debut with success. Not to mention, the fact that the film has a killer soundtrack with music from A Fine Frenzy, Joshua Radin
and Brandi Carlile. This film receives a solid B for staying true to the novel and blending a unique cast of characters. It is not recommended you wait for its DVD release because someone will be sure to spoil the plot for you by then.
DARK SHADOWS: Johnny Depp stars in Dark Shadows as Barnabas Collins, a vampire finally set free after decades of confinement in a buried coffin. After meeting his descendants, he vows to help them rebuild their reputation and business as he battles his arch nemesis, Angelique Bouchard, played by Eva Green. May 11
THE DICTATOR: The master of parody, Sacha Baron Cohen, is at it again. The Dictator is a political parody about a dictator on a mission to prevent democracy from penetrating his perfectly oppressed nation. The movie also stars Anna Faris and Megan Fox. May 16
Want to know how to Think Like a Man? On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read a movie review of Think Like a Man. Don’t forget to rate the film as well.
Glen Echo Park Family Day Need a fun activity for children? Visit Family Day at Glen Echo Park to celebrate the beginning of the spring season on April 28 from 11-4 p.m. Magicians, crafts, dancing and the opening of the carousel will entertain you and your young ones. Admission is free, but carousel rides are $1.25 per person. Location: 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD
PetalFest Closing Block Party The Cherry Blossom Festival is coming to an end, but there’s still a chance to get in on the celebration. The PetalFest block party will feature free live performances, but make sure to bring some money for food. The event will take place from 5-8 p.m. on April 27, to end the cherry blossom festivities. Location: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC
Senior Rachael Qualley visited a petting zoo during the recent AHS band trip to Georgia.
NATIONAL ZOO Most people visited the zoo as a child back when their parents pushed them around in strollers, but why not go now? There’s always something new and exciting to do and see. What’s better than an event that’s free? Gather a group of friends and visit the National Zoo to recreate your childhood memories and some new memories with your friends. The zoo is filled with a lot of exhibits that let you get an up-close view of rare and exotic animals. With a little over 16 exhibits, there’s no way you can’t find something that really interests you. Like the Reston Zoo, there are a few exhibits that let you personally interact with the animals. Some days, if you get there early enough (before 11 a.m), you can feed the catfish, which are located in the farm section. The National Zoo is quite large, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes to walk around in all day. If you decide to drive and park there, there’s a $16 fee for the first three hours and a $22 fee for more than three hours. Location: 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC 20008 Website: http://nationalzoo.si.edu
At the Great Ape House, the monkeys are usually found lounging around or eating.
REBECCA MALZAHN
The closest actual rainforests to you would be in Central and Southern America, but with the Baltimore Aquarium you don’t need to book a plane to get the gist of what a rainforest is like. Admission is $24.95 for adults and $19.95 for children 11 and under. If you would also like to attend the dolphin show, it is an additional $3. Their dolphin shows run every day, until 3 p.m. on weekdays and 4:30 p.m. on weekends. The entire Baltimore Aquarium is open from 9-5 p.m Sunday through Thursday, 9-8 p.m Fridays and 9-6 p.m. on Saturdays. Although the drive is about an hour depending on traffic, jellyfish and shark exhibits are completely worth it; it’s not something you can find at your local zoo. Location: 501 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202 Website: http://www.aqua.org
The Upland Tropical Rain Forest is located at the top of the of the Baltimore Aquarium that has different birds, tarantulas, sloths, frogs and even monkeys to see.
Students bring wildlife to their living rooms with their unusual pets
COURTESY OF ASHLEY WITTLE
“I got [my chinchilla] for free from one of my Dad’s friends. It’s really easy to take care of because it just sits in the cage, and it’s unique because not a lot of people have one.”
“I’m very involved in the sport. It’s a different relationship with a horse than a dog or a cat because you’re working together to reach the same goals. It’s also different in the fact that you don’t get to see them every day.”
R
BY REBECCA MALZAHN AND CAROLA ROJAS Weekend Editors
On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR code” to view an exclusive story about a student’s experience of attending Dayglow at the RFK stadium.
“They’re kind of cool and easy to take care of. You don’t need to take care of them every day. And I work at Super Pets so I take care of a lot more.”
Pho Cong Ly Restaurant estaurant eviews
Last Weekend I...
Andy Stratton senior Pets: four leopard geckos, one tortoise, three snakes, two dogs
Family-owned and family-friendly, Pho Cong Ly makes for a nice, light dinner out for those who are expecting some decent pho. This Vietnamese restaurant recently moved from Springfield to the Bradlick Shopping Center. With a name like Pho Cong Ly, you would expect the pho to be amazing. You won’t be too disappointed here, but it’s not the best of the best pho in Annandale. The pho is brought to you after the meat and noodles have soaked in the broth for a little while and are nearly fully cooked. By the time it’s set in front of you, you can still see the disappearing act of the final remains of raw red meat transform into boiled brown meat. After waiting a few minutes for your pho to cool down, grab your chopsticks and prepare to bite into tender meat and well-cooked noodles. The broth alone is mediocre; it’s a little bit bland. However, there is hoisin sauce and siracha sauce conveniently placed on your table that you can squirt into your pho. They also provide you with a side dish of fresh sprouts, basil and green peppers that you can mix into your pho. Any other extra side vegetables have to be purchased separately. We recommend getting a regular sized bowl of the eye of round steak pho or the beef pho for $6.75. These are the two of the most popular dishes for American customers. If you are searching for a more exotic dish, you can try the cow stomach pho
or pick from one of the several other traditional Vietnamese phos. A large bowl is offered as well for $7.75, but the regular bowl is big enough to leave you bringing home a doggy bag of leftovers. Another popular dish at Pho Cong Ly, if you are not up for slurping down some pho, is the meatballs. As an appetizer, we highly recommend trying the Cha Gio Spring Rolls. Crammed with meat and vegetables, these spring rolls are coated with an extra crispy layer of flat bread. The rolls come with a dipping sauce that doesn’t have too much flavor, but it isn’t really needed anyway. For dessert, if you’re really still hungry, we suggest heading someplace else. The flan and three color jello were said to be their most popular desserts, but it’s really not worth it to get them. The three color jello is composed of red beans, chunky and dry yellow sauce, hard green jelly-like strips and a layer of sweet white sauce underneath a top layer of crushed ice. Maybe it’s because we were not used to it, but it was a fairly odd combination and not composed of the best taste or texture. The restaurant itself is well lit and well decorated. The vibrant red walls and high-tech bathroom give off a welcoming and clean-cut essence. The service, like the appeal of the interior of the restaurant, is very friendly –– but almost a little too friendly. After listening to our waiter’s life story about his troubles with school and feeling forced to comfort him during his self-pity party, we were disappointed by how slow and disorganized he was. At the time there were only a couple of other tables there, and yet a different waiter still had to pick up his slack. However, the restaurant is still fairly new and may still be working out its kinks.
Grade
B
6920-I Bradlick Shopping Center Annandale VA 22003
CAROLA ROJAS
Still looking for a way to ask someone to prom? Ask leadership for help for $5
Colleen Salpini senior Pets: one horse
CAROLA ROJAS
Graduation countdown: 50 days
Ashley Wittle junior Pets: one dog, one cat, one chinchilla
CAROLA ROJAS
All Night Grad is now $45; money must be turned into the PTSA
COURTESY OF COLLEEN SALPINI
––Compiled by Rebecca Malzahn
2012 class bulletin
This alligator is located in the Reptile Discovery Center which has 70 other reptiles.
BALTIMORE AQUARIUM
Local Orchestra Concerts If you would like to get in touch with your classical side, the upcoming performances by the Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra and the National Philharmonic are the place to go. The Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra will host a concert at 8p.m. on April 27 and the National Philharmonic will host two concerts at 8 p.m. April 28 and 29. The National Philharmonic will feature a special performance from world-renowned American violinist Sarah Chang. Location: 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD
COURTESY OF RACHAEL QUALLEY
Spend the afternoon biking around and chowing down. Join Bike and Roll and DC Metro Food Tours from April 24-27 for a $79 bike tour around the D.C. cherry blossom trees. As you bike, you will stop and be given cherry-themed bites to eat from three top D.C. eateries. Reservations are required and include your guide, bike rental and food. Location: 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
RESTON ZOO
If you have toddlers or younger siblings, the Reston Zoo is a perfect alternative to the National Zoo because there are more activities to do than there are exhibits to see. Admission for adults is $12 and $9 for children 12 and under. You can even buy food for animals for $3 a cup or $10 for four cups, and lamb bottles are sold at $1.50 each. The animals that can be fed range from sheep, goats and pot-bellied pigs to zebras, ostriches and camels. The Reston Zoo is special because the variety of animals, there’s a better chance that you can even see them more up close than any other place. There is also a Zoofair wagon ride that comes with your admission, which allows you to see the ostriches and zebras up close. What’s great about the Reston Zoo is that there isn’t much walking to do between stations so if you’re tired by the end of your visit, it’s probably from all the fun you had with the animals. Location: 1228 Hunter Mill Road Vienna, VA 22182 Website: http://www.restonzoo.com
COURTESY OF JESSICA HOTTER
Blossom Bites by Bike Tour
Get in touch with your wild side
COURTESY OF ANDY STRATTON
To Do List
April 24, 2012
COURTESY OF JESSICA HOTTER
20
WEEKEND
TOP: The crispy flat bread over the Cha Gio Spring Rolls made them extra crunchy and delicious. MIDDLE: The pho was steaming when served to finish cooking the meat, but only took a few minutes to cool off. BOTTOM: The three-color jello was served as dessert. It had ice on top, jello in the middle and beans at the bottom.