Issue11

A

t VOLUME #54 ISSUE 11

3

IRAQ FILM SHEDS LIGHT ON LOSS

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL 700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003

8

TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS

The new movie Stop-Loss sheds light on a difficult military policy. After leaving the military, a soldier can be called back. Is it necessary?

703-642-4229

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

Skateboards have been around for decades but new enthusiasts are taking the boarded performance to 21st Century levels.

10-11

20

THE FIVE YEAR STRUGGLE

BLOSSOMS UNFOLD IN DC Weekend treats to the ups and downs of this yearʼs Cherry Blossom festival.

With 4,000 deaths and five years, the debate over what to do in Iraq is more intense than ever.

Seniors fare well despite record lows

WEATHER TODAY Creating an IB World Partly Sunny High: 62

Low: 49

The IB program is an international model, but what about IB scores?

LUNCH TODAY

Hot Ham & Cheese on Croissant, Spaghetti w/ Meat or Marinara Sauce w/ Wheat Breadstick, Deli Line, PB&J Sandwich, Pizza

In the toughest acceptance year in history, AHS students nab top schools

NEWSBRIEFS

BY PAUL MATHIS Co-Editor in Chief

Princess for a Night program needs dresses

The Atom Branch raffling off car detailing All students who open an account with the Atom Branch throughout the month of April will be entered into a raffle to win a $200.00 car detailing from Don Beyer Volvo.

Car detailing

Special guest to speak at FBLA meeting An FBLA meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 2 at 2:00 pm. in room 214. At the meeting Kate Seavers from the March of Dimes will make an appearance to discuss fundraising for the April 20, 2008 Walkathon at Cameron Park.

Would you rather have a whole Spirit Week or just a Spirit Day?

BY PAUL MATHIS Co-Editor in Chief Like any advanced high school curriculum, the AHS IB program faces the difficult challenge of balancing the success of the program as a whole with the amount of students it is providing for.

While AHS’s program has been recognized as being one of the best in the world for the amount of students it enrolls and the diversity of this student base, May 2007 test scores reflect a decrease in the achievement of students on exams than as has been present in past years, and raise key questions about how the IB program will be run in regards to the upcoming testing season and beyond.

“My general reaction to the scores this year was that there were no surprises,” Albright said. “That is, where we are usually low we struggled, and where we are high we tended to stay high. That’s kind of what you want to see as an IB coordinator. We know where we need to work and teachers are definitely working to improve scores in those areas.”

AHS had ten test subjects improve in terms of average points scored in May 2007 over May 2007. Ten test subjects fell in average points. Three subjects had the same average test scores in May 2007 as in May 2006.

Spirit Day This survey was distributed on April 2 during A, C, and D lunches. Of 500 surveys distributed, 428 were completed and returned.

Top: Jim Evans who teaches IB Higher Level Math, works with his smart board; above: students in IB Theory of Knowledge, the cornerstone of the IB Diploma program, discuss issues in acquiring knowledge.

The amount of points dropped over all subjects outweighed the number of points gained, and 19 out of 29 test subjects still remained with averages below the world average. 12 of those 19 test subjects had “failing” averages (averages below four).

Many of the subjects in which AHS students improved are those that students consistently score well in, such as English HL, History of theAmericas HL, and Biology HL. On the other hand, the areas in which students scored poorly are those in which students consistently fall short, such as Chemistry SL, Latin SL, and Theatre Arts HL. Albright has guided various IB departments to develop better test preparation plans for this year.

“What we ask for is that all teachers

Series Pt. V

analyze their scores and look at their results critically to make a plan for how they are going to improve scores for this year,” Albright said. “Scores show us what kids are learning and how they need to improve their learning. If scores are low, we ask, where are students scoring low and how can we improve scores there?”

For each different IB test subject, a report is issued by the IB organization explaining what educators did well during the former testing season, and how they can improve their students’chances of obtaining high scores in the upcoming testing season.

“Basically, what we ask is for teachers to develop plans based on what they

Trung Le dons a Virginia Tech sweatshirt.

He was excited to get his first choice.

Boyfriend to debut with sass

“IB” continued on page 5 This is the final installment of a five part series on the IB Program at AHS. For questions or more information, visit www.thea-blast.org

BY NATHALIE SPITA News Editor

Spring Spirit week is reduced to a day, students lobby for next year

BY MOHAMAD ELBARASSE Co-Editor in Chief

Spirit Week

“COLLEGES” continued on page 5

PAUL MATHIS

FCPS Regional Parent Meetings will be held Thursday, April 3 at Robinson Secondary School from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday, April 5 at Chantilly High School from 8:30 a.m. to 12: 00 pm. The meetings allow students and parents an opportunity to learn about FCPS curricula in mathematics, sciences, and the arts, and what opportunities await students in FCPS schools.

Light refreshments will also be provided.

With last year’s scores the AHS IB program determines where to go next

“There have always been three spirit weeks since I started teaching here in 2004,” said SGA sponsor and science teacherAbbie Kahn.Although, this was not the case for the 07-08 school year.

Traditionally, the spring pep rally is preceded by four consecutive “spirit” days, but the administrative team decided to break from tradition and only approve the pep rally on Friday April 4.

“The administrative team cut spirit

week because of all the testing,” said Director of Student Activities Angelo Hilios, “[We believed] that two spirit weeks were enough.” Hilios further explained how a spring Spirit Week would distract students from testing and disrupt the educational process.

“We thought it would be too much going on,” said Hilios.

“I understand that it can be a distraction in some respects, if it is approached the wrong way,” said Kahn.

“If you can choose appropriate days, I don’t understand how it can be a distraction.”

PAUL MATHIS

FCPS Regional Parent Meetings to be held

IB program in transition PAUL MATHIS

Seniors at prom in 2006

PAUL MATHIS

Dress collection for the Princess for a Night program, which helps defer the high costs of prom for a select number of students, will begin on Tues., April 1 and will end Fri., April 25. The program is asking for donors to drop of dry-cleaned dresses and other accessories such as shoes, bags, and jewelry in the Main Office during normal business hours. Donations should be of current fashions and appropriate for high school girls.

Dress selections will begin May 2.

“Every day after school, if I had to stay after for practice, I would call my house and ask if there was a [decision] letter for me. If either of my parents told me there was a letter for me, I told them to put it on my night stand,” said Sierra Peralta, a senior who just survived the race to get into college.

Like many students, Peralta wanted to open her own decision letter whenever it came, to make sure that no one else would ruin the surprise.

Nationwide, this year, the surprise would be a disappointing one for many. Colleges all across the country reported historic lows in terms of the percent of students who were admitted. Harvard University topped all university records by only admitting 7.1 percent of students who applied, however others turned out just as competitive numbers. Yale University offered admission to only 8.3 percent of students applying and Princeton offered admission to only 9.25 percent of students who applied.

Still, many AHS seniors agreed that students in the graduating class of 2008 did pretty well. “I think our class is more competitive than any class I have seen [at AHS],” said Amy Fleming, who was admitted to Grove City College over spring break. “If you

The Varsity Boys Soccer team huddles during the spring pep day. Students only had a day to show spirit.

“I have high expectations [for the musical],” said Theatre Director Vikki Farrish. “But we are a little farther behind where I was hoping to be.”

AHS’s annual Spring musical, The Boy Friend, which premiersApril 17-19 at 7 p.m., is at the peak of its busy production cycle. With opening night only a week away, the tension and nerves continue to build up for cast and crew in the hope of delivering an unforgettable performance to the Annandale Community.

The Boy Friend, a romantic “spoof,” is about a Finishing School in the French Rivera lead by a flirtatious head mistress, Madame Dubonnet, played by senior Alaina Talley. The musical tells of numerous men and women in search of love who on their journeys discover many truths. “This “MUSICAL” continued on page 5

2 U.S.’s revelation is long overdue In a recent visit to the Middle East, Vice President Dick Cheney played mediator between two of the regions most charged adversaries, Israel and Palestine. Cheney’s visit is a continuation of the talks that started in Annapolis, Maryland, last November.

Cheney said for there to be peace between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, Egypt must play an integral role in the mediation process.

The region has been flitterring between cease-fires and extremely aggressive exchanges for the past couple of months.

In recent months, IsCheney rael launched its first wide scale ground offensive into the Gaza Strip in recent years.

The offensive was a response to the increasing rocket fire from militants, who have been striking settlements further north in Israel.

Cheney, along with the rest of the administration, has finally realized that Hamas must be included in peace talks for the issues to be truly resolved and for the Gazans to be a part of the process.

Since the democratic elections held in Gaza that resulted in an unfavorable outcome for the U.S. – that is with Hamas holding a majority of the seats in Parliament – the U.S. has appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas of the rival Fatah party. By doing so the U.S. omitted the plight of the Gazans, which is where the attacks have been and have been coming from.

The U.S. needed to realize what it is just now discovering a couple years ago.

Time and time again the Gazans and members of Hamas have been left out of the loop and that is why the peace process has not been moving forward.

—Mohamad ElBarasse Co-Editor in Chief

Kat’s Corner opinion

Education for all As high school students, it is not uncommon for us to know of people who go the extra mile in everything they do academically; the ones who ace every test, turn in every homework, take notes religiously, complete every extra credit and ask every possible question.

As students at AHS, it is also not uncommon to know of some of these same people who are unable to go to college because of their inability to gain citizenship.

This issue has been debated a lot recently, now that states are trying to figure out whether to give in-state tuition rates to these people who are not documented residents of the state. If these students have the scores, the grades, the motivation and the desire, then why should their ability to get a good education in order to become a working member of our society?

It is going to be very hard for our government to get rid of our immigrant population easily, so why not try to figure out a way to instead include them?

Our country claims that receiving an education is the single most important thing for our children, so instead of trying to figure out how to most easily purge millions of people that our country so heavily relies on, we should be trying to figure out the most efficient and easy way to integrate them into our society so that they can come out of the hiding and become honest citizens who can give back to our country.

These students deserve college.

Half of the college bound students at this school do not have the motivation and drive that these hard working people do.

EDITORIALS

A

t

April 8, 2008

A five-year anniversary The Iraq war has lasted five years too long and $1.9 trillion too much

BY CLAIRE BUI Staff Writer Half a decade ago in March of 2003, the U.S. entered the war Iraq, an invasion, which at the time, we were convinced would be quick, easy and inexpensive.

At the time, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld projected that the war would not even last for more than half a year, stating “it is not determined how long that the conflict will last. It could last, you know, six days, six weeks, I doubt six months,” he told the nation one month prior to the initial attack.

Five years later, we are still fighting the same battle, one that is now the second longest in U.S. history, next to the Vietnam War and also the second most costly, surpassed only by World War II. Consequently, the nation has been tied down by overwhelming expenses, both in lives and in money, which continue to grow each day.

To date, the cost of war stands at an estimated $507 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, ten times as much as the “$50 to $60 billion” that the Bush Administration projected in 2002.

These expenditures, which cover the costs of military operations, equipping, maintaining and supporting forces, are running at $12 billion a month, $16 billion if one were to include Afghanistan, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. All told, the bill for the Iraq war is likely to be around $3 trillion, maybe even more. And that’s just monetarily.

According to the Department of Defense, nearly 1.7 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since September 2001, half of which have been sent out for a second, third and even fourth tour of duty, placing a tremendous amount of stress on our forces and their families at home, as well. Over 4,000 service members have been killed since the start of war in Iraq and about 29,395 men and women in uniform have been wounded.

As of March 1, more than 31, 300 have been treated for non-combat injuries and mental illnesses, including traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder.

The economy has also been affected, as its instability has resulted in spiking The Iraq War began in March of 2003 after President Bush warned Saddam oil prices, massive borrowing by the Hussein to disarm or the United States would take military action against him.

U.S. government, and a credit crisis troops, as we owe them a boundless amount of gratitude. with home foreclosures and cuts in fedRegardless of one may feel about the war, we can and eral subsidies, which have gone so far as to impinge on employment, the educational sector, stock markets and should, agree that our soldiers have answered one of the most difficult calls to duty, have honored us with their tireinfrastructure at home.

According to Harvard University professor and budget less service, and that in return our loyal support to them is expert Linda Blimes, “Arealistic but conservative estimate the least we can give.

Also, with the upcoming presidential election also just for the war’s macro-economic impact is roughly $1.9 trillion.”

Broken down, the Iraq war is costing $2.4 billion each week, around the corner, regardless of who you may vote for or $103 billion each month, and $123.6 billion each year, as support, remember the men and women in uniform who established by the Congressional Research Service. That’s have fought to ensure the survival of our constitutional freemoney that we need at home, to bolster our economy, spend doms and keep in mind that your voice really does count. on schools, jobs, roads and cancer research.

Claire.Bui@thea-blast.org While there may be personal disagreements with the current administration over the war and how it has been waged, it’s important to remember and honor our

“No-Match” letter is no good Bush proposes a new plan to make employers accountable for illegal immigrants

BY KAT REACH Editorials Editor With less than ten months left in his term, President Bush has decided to make one of his last pushes to try to fight against illegal immigration. This time, he has decided to go for the employers who hire them.

If a new proposal passes through the U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, over 140,000 employers could be notified by early summer by government about suspicious Social Security numbers.

The plan, called “no-match”, warns companies to investigate the problem or to fire the employee within 90 days of their notification. The AFL-CIO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the ACLU have brought

ineffective. If you take away their jobs, you cannot expect them to head right back to where they came from and all of your problems to be fixed.

The illegal immigrants that people should be fighting about are not the ones that are actually paying into our social security system under an actual full time employer.

Illegal aliens using fake social security numbers are now If all of these anti-imbeing checked by the federal government. migration groups really want to make a difference, a lawsuit against the proposal, saying that it would be a disruptive movement in the they should be targeting the immigrants workplace and that it would discriminate who are not giving back to society, not the against legal workers that may have im- ones who are just trying to make a living by working. migrated.

It is very likely that these people will The U.S. currently depends on an estimated 8.7 million illegal workers. The fines find a way to get new jobs somewhere else, for hiring such employees would range from which I doubt will be too hard.

People have already started investigat$3,000 to as much as $34,000 for the larger ing social security numbers, and the people companies.

There are many problems with the who are fired just find new numbers. A proposed plan. For one, it seems rather recent Dateline special investigated how

Rules of Thumb Marine jumps onto grenade to save troop While searching a location suspected of being used to make explosives to attack troops, a marine jumped onto a tripped booby-trap grenade in order to save his fellow soldiers. The marine, 24-year-old Matt Croucher, was thrown over 30 feet away from the area but only suffered a bloody nose. The Ministry of Defense is considering giving the Lance Corporal the Victory Cross, the UK’s highest military honour.

Rule: Do not forget your body armor Surgeon uses implants to make men taller Dr. Luis de la Cruz is now offering a new way of giving men the height they have always wanted by placing an implant between the skull and the scalp of the patient. The 90-minute procedure is designed to help people that may have insecurities about their height or need the height to meet requirements for certain professions. The operation costs about $9,000.

Rule: Get some heels.

Trickster gets three years after prank call 19-year-old Randal Ellis was sentenced to three years and a $14,765 fine after calling 911 dispatchers and convincing them to send an entire SWAT team as well as officers, dogs and a helicopter. When the man of the house went to investigate what the sound was, officers with assault rifles detained him and his wife until they determined that the call was false. Six months passed before Ellis was finally caught. Among hackers, this type of crime is known as “SWATting.”

Rule: Find a new hobby

easily false documents can be attained.

Instead of fining the employers, how about the government put some money into finding and prosecuting the enablers, the people who get the immigrants their fake passports and identification cards?

Taking away their jobs will only push the immigrants into hiding, not back to their countries.

The groups opposed to this measure make a valid point when they argue that this new “no-match” system would cause major disruptions and cause discrimination in the workplace.

This new proposal will give ruthless employers the excuse to refuse to employ people because of the way they look or sound.

To me, this proposal sounds like it will do more damage than good. It seems as though this cure will be worse than the disease.

KatReach@hotmail.com

A

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

Vol. 53 No. 11 (703)642-4229 April 8, 2008 email: thea-blast@thea-blast.org fax: (703)642-4299

Staff Editors In Chief: Mohamad Elbarasse Paul Mathis

Art Editors: Nena Buck Tigist Tamir

Managing Editor: Sarah Waiter

Webmasters: Erik Vu Matt Camilli

News Editors:

Kelly McGarey Nathalie Spita

Editorials Editors: Lara Coulter Kat Reach In-Depth Editors: Shriya Adhikary Aya Saed Sports Editors:

Walter Smith Greg Young

Sports Xtra Editors: Lyndsay Jacobs Marisa Tordella People Editors: Waliha Gani Weekend Editors: Caroline Merz International Editors:Bewketu Tamir Annika Jessen Entertainment Editors:Avery Adcock Jeffrey .Dean Health Editors: Vanessa Cerro Academics Editors: Logan Miller Amy Steinbeuchler

Graphics Editor: Adam Kasdorf Video Editor in Chief: Gus Nielsen Videographers/Editors: Michael Craig, Tim Reynolds, Kyle White, Brad Grabo and Evan McGurrin Photography Editors: Matt Johnson Laura Simpson Copy Editor: Kyle Knoche Ad Manager: Meredith Rutherford Circulation Manager: Amy Stevens Online Staff: Stacey Irwin Staff Writers/Photographers: Laith Abu-Taleb, Laura Ambrosio, Emma Whitmyre, Jerry Solomon, Adeel Shams, Charlie Simpson, Tanya Bellingham, Omar Mayassi, Carlos Garcia, Sarah Shami, Brooke Barlow and Drew Flowers, Rachel Burnette Adviser: Alan Weintraut

The A-Blast is an award winning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community. Published every three weeks, The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day, or invades an individual’s right to privacy.

The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2008.

OPINION

A

t

April 8, 2008

Governor Kaine unnecessarily halts executions of criminals as part of own hidden agenda

Mo’s

Mindset Opinion

By Mohamad Elbarasse On April 1 Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine (D) halted all executions in the state to await the Supreme Court decision of Baze v. Rees. Kaine did so to discern whether or not lethal injections fall under cruel and unusual punishment, which citizens are protected from under the Eighth Amendment in the Bill of Rights (and no this was not an April Fool’s Day prank).

Controversy began brewing when Kaine, a devout Catholic, was first elected because his religious beliefs conflicted with Virginia laws. Though he disagreed with it, the governor pledged that he would uphold the death penalty and he would not allow his personal ideals to interfere with his role in government. Critics of Kaine’s ability to separate his personal life from his role as governor now believe that Kaine’s unnecessary declaration of a moratorium reflects his views and contradicts his pledge to his constituents.

The moratorium has postponed the execution of Edward Bell until the end of July, who is on death row for murdering a police officer in 1999. The stay also affects several others, including inmates and the families of those who are on death row.

Critics of Kaine’s actions have argued that Kaine should have suspended all executions for the rest of 2008 to allow time to interpret the Supreme Court’s decision.

Others have said that his moratorium may unintentionally delay justice and closure and cost the courts more time and money.

Many liberal Virginians would like to see the death penalty repealed and Governor Kaine, despite his pledge, may be the one to help their views come to fruition. As honorable as the thought of repealing the death penalty is, Virginia is second only to Texas in executions, and doing away with capital punishment does not seem likely in our beloved, southern state.

Kaine’s successful attempt to make headlines has depicted him, to the gullible mainstream, as a strong Democrat with distinct leadership qualities that can lead a nation, or better yet co-lead a nation. It could be that Kaine shook the beehive to attract national attention.

The Supreme Court case of Baze v. Rees was brought about by two inmates who are currently on death row in Kentucky. The inmates claim that the series of injections administered while terminating a life could be considered cruel and unusual punishment because the effects that the injections have on the human body (i.e. paralyzing an inmate, but not numbing them, forcing the inmate to experience cardiac arrest). Past rulings of Supreme Court cases have established that inmates who are to be executed must not be subjected to any unnecessary pain. If the “cocktail” that is administered to inmates on death row is found to be ineffective or faulty, it would qualify as cruel and unusual punishment.

Since, in many states, executions are still legal and because the cocktails administered are very similar, Baze v.

Rees will have national repercussions. The Supreme Court has not allowed any executions to be carried out since the beginning of Baze v. Rees.

Kaine’s stay of all executions has now built the foundation for Virginia to move away from being the number two in executions and become a more progressive state.

Executions cost the state incredible amounts of time and taxpayers money. To do away with executions is to do away

COURTESY OF WWW.GOVERNOR.VIRGINIA.GOV

Moratorium well executed

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has postponed all criminal executions until the Supreme Court decision determining the legality of lethal injections is revealed.

with a barbaric tradition that has continued on in the U.S. for too long. What is even more reprehensible than the act of taking a life is the amount of money that a state wastes on taking a life.

It has been proven that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent of crime. No longer can criminals be “made examples of” by being put to death.

Hidden agenda or not, Governor Kaine’s moratorium is a step in the right direction for Virginia, which will hopefully be taken to the next level by the next governor.

Mohamad.elbarasse@thea-blast.org

Soldiers carry nation’s burden Stop loss policy wrongly used to keep volunteer soldiers in the front lines of the military Since hints of Kimberly Peirce’s Stop Loss first appeared in simple previews and television ads, it seems that finally the American public, once too busy to be concerned with trivial things like a war, is now finally paying attention. The mega movie, which tells the story of a soldier who, after finishing his tour of duty in Iraq, is told he must return to the front lines, has captured American civilians’ interest while dually informing the public about the previously little understood concept of “stop loss.”

While obviously having an informed population is a strong positive, it has also resulted in various misinterpretations of army stop loss and caused a wrongly guided outcry against a rightfully intentioned policy.

Military stop loss is a procedure that was enacted by Congress following the Vietnam War and the draft that dragged thousands of unwilling young men into the army.

Stop loss was a preventive measure against the military draft, assuring that it would never be necessary to utilize the draft again in times of war. In accordance with stop loss, it is now stated in the contract every volunteer soldier agrees and signs with the military that, “In the event of war, my enlistment in the Armed forces continues until six months after the war ends, unless my enlistment is ended sooner by the President of the United States.” Or simply put, “Be prepared for the long haul.”

Despite the fairness and clarity in the agreement between soldier and government, many are outraged by the stop loss rule, which they claim to be unfair and misleading. It’s interesting that usually these complaints stem not from the soldiers deeply affected by the stop loss

COURTESY OF WWW.IBMD.COM

BY LARA COULTER Editorials Editor

Ryan Phillipe (left) and Tatum Channing star in the recently released movie “Stop Loss. The movie educates its viewers on the negative effects of military stop loss.

policy, but instead often from misinformed young men and some AHS students who have chosen not to enlist in the military. These same few young men who take the stop loss rule so entirely for granted should consider a re-evaluation of their thinking, for if the stop loss policy which protects them did not exist, then there most certainly would be a draft to continue to maintain the amount of troops necessary to fight in the Iraq War. It’s not to say that American soldiers are entirely in support of the stop loss policy. However, soldiers are often far less inclined to speak out against a policy they have a much better comprehension of and understand its usefulness and necessity at this point in time. At the same time, these soldiers also have experienced firsthand the misuse of the stop loss agreement.

Thousands of soldiers are being kept from their families, homes and from continuing on with the rest of their lives. Their families are left alone and reeling from the

overwhelming and intense military schedule that allows minimal family time. The lack of contact and distance from their families and real lives leaves many soldiers incapable of dealing with the shock of returning home to new responsibilities.And all this suffering shared between volunteer soldiers and their families is for a war that has yet to even be declared an actual war.

The question this leaves is “Should the burden be shared between volunteer soldiers and regularAmerican citizens?” In other words, “When military stop loss is put into use then, in fairness, should the draft be reinstated as well?”

On the one hand, issuing a draft could be the final decisive step towards eventually ending this pointless war.

The huge outcry that would rise up against a draft would definitely provide the pressure needed to push politicians and political leaders towards a concrete solution to end military presence in Iraq and the surrounding areas. A draft would also surely motivate Americans to be knowledgeable about the war, knowing that their loved ones or that they could potentially be called to military duty.

On the other hand, a draft could be a devastating mistake. Filling the army with young, inexperienced and terrified men will diminish the fighting power, effectiveness, and professionalism of the current military.

Additionally, continuing stop loss without the draft would certainly be a better moral choice then sending thousands of unwilling young Americans to their deaths.

Ultimately, the stop loss policy, when not considering its misuse, is a very good thing. However, under these current circumstances, stop loss should never have been put into recent use. The Iraq War has not and probably will never be declared an official war by Congress, and so therefore stop loss should not be applied. However, that has not stopped President Bush from taking advantage of the generosity of volunteer soldiers and sacrificing their lives and free will, all simply to fund his precious war.

BY JONAH WILLIAMS Staff Writer News stories and headlines about the Democratic primaries are a daily occurrence with the close race between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

A constant barrage of headlines and sound-bites exclaim that the primary system is flawed and that its flaws may even lead to a stalemate due to the problems with Florida’s and Michigan’s primaries. However, the average American has only a vague understanding of how the primary system actually works and therefore cannot see its blatant shortcomings.

This primary season is making it increasingly clear that the Democratic primary system is in serious need of reform. In recent years there have been several suggestions for reform including a national primary.

This, however, would be more detrimental than beneficial as it would require prospective candidates to campaign simultaneously in every state. This would cost a great deal of money and would therefore discriminate against less wealthy candidates.

There is one plan, however, that has the potential to improve the system. The Rotating Regional Primary System is a system that breaks the U.S. into four regions.

The first year, a lottery would decide which region would

Seeing the Difference This past weekend the nation was forced to look back on itself folllowing the April 4th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s violent murder. It was just 40 years ago from now, in 1968, when the legendary leader of the civil rights movement was brutally shot from his motel room balcony the evening prior to a protest march he was intended to lead in Memphis, TN. Since then, advocates of civil rights have continued on in the struggle towards racial equality, and huge strides have been made. Yet after 40 years it seems, when Martin Luther King, Jr. considering very recent events such as the exposure of Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s bitter sermons and Hillary Clinton’s low-blow campaign tactics against Barack Obama’s racial identity, that we can be led to think that we have not come as far as was previously thought.

But despite these deceiving roadblocks, immense progress towards complete racial equality has happened.And when considering the serious posisbility that a black man could become president by the end of this year, one really sees the difference 40 years makes.

Yes, there are still some aspects that have yet to become blind to race. But in another 40 years, I’m sure the nation will see a big change in itself.

–Lara Coulter Editorials Editor

What’s your view on the military’s recent use of stop loss?

“I totally disagree because they should return home and be replaced with new soldiers.

They need a break.”

—Graig Pocalyko freshman “I disagree because they’re honoring our country and they served their time.

It’s cheating them.”

—Teppi Shultis freshman

“I don’t think it’s fair because a lot of people want to go see their family. They never know how long they’ll be gone and worry.”

—Hannah Flaherty sophomore

Laracoulter@cox.net

Primary system shows shortcomings Flawed Democratic primary system must be replaced with newer, more efficient plan

3

have the first primary beginning a rotation system. From close race between the Democratic candidates which that point on, the regions would cycle through positions could end in neither candidate reaching the required for who had their primaries on which date. Iowa’s caucus number of delegates to get the nomination.

Finally, this system ensures a more democratic process and New Hampshire’s primary would not be included in by holding a lottery to determine the any of these regions and would order of rotation between the regions. still open the primary season.

The current system has the democratic This system would be betAmericans need to be able to national committee controlling the orter than the current system der. Creating a lottery would ensure a for several reasons. First, the understand the system in which fair and democratic order. fact that the regions are broOne flaw in this new system ken down by geographic locathey are voting without having would be the continuation of super tion, candidates would have a a degree in politics. delegates. The Democratic Party lower cost of campaigning in has 793 delegates known as super this system as opposed to a delegates who are representing only national primary. Many critics themselves and may vote for who they still argue that the regions are wish at the national convention. These so large that this system would still discriminate against less wealthy candidates. This, individuals are elite members of the Democratic Party however, is counteracted by the exclusion of Iowa and who are expected to choose the candidate that they feel New Hampshire from these regions. In doing this, they is best for the party. But is it really democratic to have allow for less funded candidates to begin campaigning one super delegate’s vote counting for more than the vote in only two states; the idea being that if they are viable of a pledged delegate who is representing hundreds of candidates, they can build up momentum in these two people’s votes?

The primary system is an extremely intricate and states and subsequently raise enough money to campaign at times utterly confusing system in desperate need of elsewhere.

Secondly, this system would eliminate the competition reform. Americans need to be able to understand the between states that are vying for position. This has system in which they are voting without having to have become one of the most significant benefits because of a degree in politics. The Rotating Regional Primary the scandal in Michigan and Florida this year. Because System helps to make the process more easily understood Michigan and Florida moved their primaries ahead of as well as being more democratic. schedule, they were penalized; their delegates will not Jonahwill@aol.com be seated at the Democratic National Convention. The controversy created by this penalty is mainly due to the

“

“I don’t think it’s fair. If they signed up for a specific time and are called back, it may interfere with family plans.”

—Aimee Jennings sophomore “I disagree.

They had a contract that had a specific amount of time.

The U.S. went back on its word.”

”

—Kadir Mohamed junior “I think it is fair.

Theyknewthey could be stop lossed when they signed their contract with the army.

It would be equally unfair to draft peope who don’t want to fight for this war.”

—Lex Layton senior

The Red Cross will be coming to AHS to collect blood for their annual drive on Thursday, April 10. If you would like to donate, please see a Leadership student in the Cafeteria for a permission form. (Students who are 18 or older still need a signed form.)

Once the form is signed by a parent and returned, your appointment will be scheduled. Participants must be at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 pounds, in order to be eligible to donate. All scheduled donors will receive a free umbrella.

AHS student wins AAUW Diversity Award

Junior Aya Saed has been chosen as the winner of the AAUW (American Association of University Women) 2008 Diversity Award. A reception will be held in her honor on April 17th, at 6:45 PM at the Kings Park Public Library Meeting Room, 9000 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA, 22115.

Saed

FAFSA forms due April 16

Seniors seeking financial aid still have time to submit their applications. On Wednesday, April 16 during all lunches and after school, you will be able to file your FAFSA in the Career Center. If that time is inconvenient for you, you may also go to the NOVAAnnandale campus on Saturday, April 12 from 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Ernst Community Center.

Please bring the following with you at that time: - Social Security numbers for student and parent - W2 forms for student and parent - 2007 tax returns - Drivers license numbers for student and parent - Current balance of savings and checking accounts - Investment records (if any) - Alien registration card - Date of parents marriage, separation, divorce or death.

Singers.

On top of high performance in competition, choral group members got to explore the many interesting facets of Atlanta.

The activities were okay,” said Becky Lallande, a senior member of Annandale Singers.

“It would have been better if there had not been such bad weather. Random things just kept goBY PAUL MATHIS ing wrong. We were late for a lot of things, and Co-Editor in Chief timing seemed off. We had to wait an hour for AHS choral groups earned top honors breakfast at IHOP.” while competing in the Heritage Choral “We went to Stone Mountain, a national Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, April 3-5. The park,” said Odom. “Basically it’s this giant groups Annandale Singers and Concert Choir rock. Back in the Stone Age, two continents both earned Gold Firsts smashed into each other, in their categories, while and a volcano erupted Men’s Chorale took home from under them. All of a Gold Second and Womthe lava that came out of en’s Ensemble a Silver Other teams got to take the volcano melted all of First. The achievements the surrounding rock, and were an improvement home all of the medals...but so all that was left was this in honors over last year, we know we still did well. giant granite slab. Robert when AHS choral groups E. Lee and Stonewall competed in the NewYork Jackson fought their last Heritage Festival with —JohnOdom battles on the rock.” most groups not earning The activities were Sophmore top honors. carried out the day before “We were well precompetition, but students pared this year,” said Eric were not too drained to perform.

Jurenas, senior student-director of Annandale “We did so well, especially after a day where Singers. “The competition was high, but we we walked around nearly all of Atlanta,” said were ready for it.”

Jurenas. “We visited Stone Mountain, the CocaSuccess was bittersweet, though. In a Cola Factory, saw a musical, and then had to rare sequence of events, choral groups tied get up the next day and perform.” with other experienced schools and had to To Jurenas, actual problems with the pershare the glory of winning. “There was more formance might have sprung from mismanagecompetition than we anticipated in Atlanta,” ment, but the problems did not exacerbate to said Jurenas. “For instance, C.D. Hylton High the point of impeding choral achievement. “The School, which is around here, tied with us in festival company had many problems in terms nearly every category, so they got to take home of administration,” said Jurenas. “There was all of our gold medals. a problem with communication between the “Other teams got to take home all of the festival directors and the hotel, so we ended up medals, but in our hearts, we know we still did having a horrible breakfast the day of competireally well,” said John Odom, sophomore and tion. All we got was an apple, oranges and a member of the Men’s Chorale and Annandale Crunch bar.’

The AHS Choral Department’s annual spring trip results in sucess

“

”

This form must be filed to receive any financial aid from colleges.

GMU set to hold college fair

The Northern Virginia Regional College Fair on Thursday, April 17, at the George Mason University Patriot Center from 6:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m.

- American University - Arizona State University - Aubern University - Brandeis University - Bridgewater College - Christopher Newport University - The College of William and Mary - Drexel University - Elon University - Ithaca College - James Madison University - Lynchberg College - Mount St. Mary’s University - Ohio State University - Old Dominion University - Penn State University - Radford University - Roanoke College - University of Richmond -University of North Carolina -West Virginia University Should you need more information, please visit the website at http: //admissions.gmu.edu/rsvp/nvrck, or call 703-993-3159.

Book Club to hold meeting tommorrow

The book club will be meeting tommorrow at 2:10 p.m. in the Bistro (Room 128) to discuss The Killer’s Cousin by Nancy Werlin. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Deadline for grad party tee shirt contest

The deadline for seniors to submit their designs for the All Night Grad Celebration Tshirt is today! Submit your design by turning it in to the PTSA Mailbox in the Main Office Mail Room. Please use 8.5” x 11” paper, and be sure your name is on it. If your design is chosen, you will receive a $25.00 Springfield Mall gift card.

Test dates for pre-registered students

The ACT and SAT will be given on the following dates for students who registered prior to April 1.

-April 12 - ACT - May 3 - SAT

COURTESY OF LOGAN GOOLRICK

Over 200 colleges will be represented, including:

Culinary Department aids in Egg Roll Senior Logan Goolrick poses with former President George H. Bush at last monthʼs Easter Egg Roll. Goolrick was among the twenty-four Culinary department students and teachers volunteered to help A La Belle Cuisine cater the annual event, held on the Front Lawn of the White House. The students prepared many different hors dʼoeuvres for vistors, such as rolls, bunny buddies and egg and cheese wraps.

KELLY MCGAREY

AHSʼs Red Cross Blood Drive set for April 10

Choral groups triumph in Atlanta comp.

April 8, 2008

Junior Nomin Bayjargal hangs a campaign flyer urging AHS students to cast a vote in her favor on the new machines.

KELLY MCGAREY

NEWS BRIEFS

A

t

SGA Elections New voting system brings hope for fairer selection of student leaders

BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer The AHS Student Government Association, or SGA, completed its election for next year’s 2008 to 2009 leadership positions. Junior Dennis Monroy won the position of SGA president while sophomore Nomin Bayarjargal was elected SGA vice president. Junior Amanda Krause was elected for the position of Secretary and junior Melissa Harmouche was chosen for SGA Treasurer.

This election, carried out during all lunches on April 1, was noticeably different from all thatAHS has previously experienced. The voting process was dramatically changed from last year’s system in the hopes of reducing fraud and creating a more accurate vote. Instead of using universally distributed ballots like earlier years, students were given the option to use professional electronic voting machines located in Clausen hall.

The machines used at AHS were identical to the ones used in legitimate elections for presidents, senators and congressmen across the United States.

The new process not only allowed for a choice when it came to voting, but also ensured the voters where truly interested in the SGA results. “If you think about last year not everybody voted seriously,” said senior and current class president Ngan Hoang, “people would vote for someone they thought had a cool name or used it just as a way to get out of class. I think we will do this again next year.”

However, the change in voting was not flawless. The vote excluded many students and did not represent the entire student body. “I don’t think anyone would really leave lunch to go and vote, but I think it was a good idea,” says junior treasurer elect Melissa Harmouche.

Another fault in the system was that it did not entirely exclude uninterested voters.

“I think people are showing up to just see the voting machines,” commented committee leader and senior Linda Nguyen.

Now that the election process has concluded and positions have been assigned, rising leaders have begun planning for the future and striving to fill their promises of change. The new SGA members have advocated for better pep rallies and livelier spirit weeks, but more substantive changes are harder to execute.

“We govern student activities, but as for how the school runs we’ll have to send in a proposal and most of our proposals get rejected,” said Bayarjargal, “so if we want to do something with activities we need to give a proposal to Mr. Helios and if he doesn’t like it we can’t talk to Mr. Ponton.”

Cooperation with administration is one area of significant focus for this SGA leadership alongside the issue of the lack of student involvement and participation in school related activities. They have started planning and promised to improve in both of these areas. However it should be remembered that there was significant optimism for this year’s SGA leadership, but according to Nomin Bayarjargal it, “didn’t go as planned”. The newly elected SGA leaders will not take up their new roles until the coming 2008 to 2009 school year, so it is yet to be seen whether these plans for improvement will in fact be followed through.

Regional science fair results

BY KELLY MCGAREY News Editor After winning their categories in February’s school fair, twenty scientifically-minded students traveled to Robinson High School on March 31 to represent AHS in the Regional Science Fair. This yearly event, which brings together the best projects from every FCPS high school, is notorious for its high pressure atmosphere that comes from fierce

competition and tough judging.

“I saw that kids my own age are thinking more advanced in science than I was,” said sophomore Kellie DelSignore. “It was more advanced [than the AHS fair], bigger and there were kids from many school.”

However, other participants seemed to take the stressful situation in stride.

“It was very laid back,” said sophomore Hope Stadulis. “It gave us an opportunity to meet people from other schools.”

Her project partner, fellow sophomore SusanAl-Suqi agreed. “We were just chilling by our posters for several hours and looked at other posters, which was interesting.”

At the end of the day, regionals proved to be a sucess for AHS’s science teachers and fair participants alike. With three second place projects, two third place projects, and five honorable mentions, Annandale proved to be among the strongest participating schools.

AHS’s Regional Fair winners Second Place

Chemistry Susan Al-Suqi and Hope Stadulis Computer Science Jason Hallameyer and Deepu Nair Physics and Astronomy Tyler Nguyen, Wattana Savanh, and Ryan Schaedel

Third Place

Chemistry Caroline England, Cassady Keller, and Jennifer Oakes Energy and Transportation Kelly May

Marketing teacher takes Dean position Pamela Gravitte assumes new role as Dean of Students

BY KELLY MCGAREY News Editor After 14 months at AHS, marketing teacher Pamela Gravitte has been chosen as the new Dean of Students.

This demanding position has numerous duties including managing theAttendance Office and Clinic, supervising personnel and students and coordinating the collection

of the Federal Survey forms.

Although this task may seem daunting, Gravitte is focusing on the perks that come with it.

“I will have the opportunity to work with everyone in the building,” said Gravitte. “I am looking forward to working with more students and staff than I would have the chance to meet as a Marketing teacher.

Gravitte also explained her love of working in the AHS community. “Our students are the number one reason why I enjoy working at AHS. I also enjoy working with the faculty and administrative team which are great people,” she said.

Gravitte’s nine years of teaching in FCPS have given her the valuable leadership experience needed to execute her duties as the Dean of Students. Her prior positions include Curriculum Team leader for Career & Technical Education, Curriculum Team Leader for FCPS and coordinator Gravitte for a math mentoring program.

Gravitte has also served on the School Improvement Plan team and as a department chair here at AHS.

KELLY MCGAREY

4

NEWS

NEWS College hopefuls receive news NEWS BRIEFS A

in working harder than you need to. It is always helpful to be safe.”

For Jackie Argueta, the first person in her family to go to college, the process in the end paid off as an acceptance letter from Boston University came in the mail, with money to boot. “It was so stressful,” she said about the college process. “I’m the first person in my family to go to college, so we really didn’t Kevin Fields observe the college bulletin know anything about applying. Sophomore board. Seniors received an influx of acceptance and I was always wondering what rejection letters in March and April.

I could do to better my chances at getting in.”

Fleming described a different situation, When the letter came, Argueta was having been jaded by an early deferment. shocked. “I didn’t want to open it,” she said, Opening her small acceptance letter from “so I had my brother open it. He made this Grove City College, she thought she was weird face and said, ‘Jackie, don’t cry.’ So I unsealing the envelope of yet another failgrabbed the letter and ran upstairs to my ure. The first thing she read was, “How to room, and I opened the letter and I had got pay your acceptance deposit.” in! I called everybody that I knew.”

deferred. I think my eyes were still red the next day. Grove City had basically told me I was going to get in, so it was a low blow to say the least.”

Peralta related that she has been engaged in the college process for over two years. “For me the college process really started last year,” she said. “What I worked for for two years was really to secure my future at the right college. It was very stressful.”

Peralta got in to her first choice college, Miami University, but says she “can’t afford it.” She initially applied for a “half-ride” scholarship to any college of her choice.

She wrote a book on toxicology and biology which took her three months to complete, as she sneaked away on breaks while working at Abercrombie and Fitch to polish her prose. In the end, she did not get it.

Despite the disappointment, Peralta explains that she would not have changed her work habits, even in applying for the scholarship. “I would not do it differently if I had to go back. There isn’t any harm

PAUL MATHIS

“Colleges” from page 1. consider where other people applied to schools, it seems like people had much more confidence in applying to bigger, better schools, at least from my point of view.”

AHS seniors this year were admitted to five out of the eight Ivy League schools, including two of the “Big Three,” as well as to other prestigious universities, including John’s Hopkins University and Miami University in Ohio.

Success was coupled with an especially intense process of admission. Seniors reported being very on edge throughout the year. Fleming, who was deferred by Grove City College in December (mentioned in the sixth edition of The A-Blast), described the week in almost tragic terms.

“They sent off [early] decision letters on the Friday before break, and it got in on Monday, and I had just had a really bad swim meet,” said Fleming. “Everyone thought I was going to get in, so I was excited when I got home, but then I got

5

t

April 8, 2008

NATHALIE SPITA

Spirit Week cut down

The Boyfriend, the annual Spring musical has high expectations but is still far behind in its production cycle. Senior Eric Jurenas plays Bobby who courts Maisie played by Natalia Schwein in hope of taking her hand in marriage.

Musical overcomes setbacks “Musical” continued from page 1. show is not well known but it’s the right size for Annandale,” said Farrish.

“It’s not perfection yet, not quite where I want it to be but we only have a week and a half to get it there,” said Farrish. “The biggest problem we have, just like any play, is the kids are involved in too many activities so it’s extremely hard to get a group together.”

With the musical’s high expectations, the amount of work and effort still needed is high. “It has potential to be really good but it really depends on how much effort the actors put into it at the very end. It could end up turning out really well but if we don’t, all of us together, put in the same amount of effort it could end up bad,” said senior Sarah Lewis who plays Dulcie, a flirt.

“The cast is supposed to help and some have done very well and some haven’t done much, so you have what you put into it,” said Farrish.

Farrish is aware that the overall production is still lacking and the participants of the musical share this feeling. “I feel like we are a little behind with actual production,”

said junior Lea Samuelson who plays the role of Lady Brockhurst, a stuffy British wife whose husband likes to flirt with other women. “But I think we can pull it off,” said Samuelson.

Though the general production is slightly behind, the choreography, a highlight of the show, is making its way to being professional. “The choreography, done by senior Becky Lallande and junior Rachel Wattenbarger, has been fabulous. They have done an amazing job,” said Farrish.

The choreography may be professional but it does have some setbacks. “It was very difficult to teach people because their attention span isn’t very long and once it hits 5:30 p.m. their brains stop working,” said Lallande. “It’s kind of frustrating, but I think they will get it in the end.”

Despite the setbacks, the whole musical cast and Farrish still remain optimistic about the final outcome of the production.

“This musical will keep its standard of excellence,” said senior Eric Jurenas who plays Bobby, an American boy seeking love from Maisie, played by junior Natalia Schwein.

“I expect it to be a very good show,” said Jurenas.

“Spirit” continued from page 1.

Many members of the SGAbelieved that the administration had cut Spirit Week because they thought the students lacked spirit.

The SGA organizes the majority of spirit based activities such as Battle of the Classes, schoolwide dances (not including prom) and most recently the clothing drive.

“Little things like spirit days make school more fun,” said spirit day committee leader and junior Tsedeye Daniel, “students enjoy coming to school more.”

Both members of the SGA and the administration agree that school spirit is an integral aspect of making the high school experience an enjoyable one.

“School spirit is extremely important, especially with a high ESOL and immigrant populations,” said Kahn, “[everyone] feels a sense of pride in their school, it doesn’t matter what country you are from or what language you speak. Any kid can wear pajamas to school.”

“I definitely think that school spirit is important to a community, but our school is very apathetic,” said SGA President and senior Ngan Hoang. “It’s unfair [to cut spirit week] becase the

students enjoy it.”

Assistant Principal James Carayiannis, a member of the administrative team and a regular member at the administrative meetings held weekly, believes that school spirit is important, but that AHS students are not engaged.

“I was an advocate for cutting back [Spirit Week],” Carayiannis, “A spirit week before Homecoming makes sense.

It just seems anticlimactic. It’s just not much to get excited about at a spring pep rally.”

Carayiannis, explained that at the administrative meetings, activities are presented by Hilios and then discussed laboriously among the administrative team to ensure the best interest of the students.

Final decisions are made by a vote by all members of the administrative team, Carayiannis was not present for the vote on Spirit Week.

“I’m an advocate for school spirit,” said Carayiannis, “I would love to see the cafeteria packed with red and white.

We just don’t see any participation, but we don’t want kids to think we are trying to crush their spirit.”

“The administration can’t complain about a lack of school spirit when they cut the opportunities for students to express their school spirit as a whole,” said Hoang.

She admitted that a lack of participation was an important factor and suggested that “Leadership [students] should be more enthusiatic.”

“There is no tangible evidence [of school spirit] if no one participates,” said Kahn.

“If kids want spirit weeks they have to participate.”

Kahn ceded the argument that some spirit days can be a distraction in classrooms, but said that “class rules don’t change on spirit days, neither do school rules.”

Senior Ed Mewborn performs during the pep rally. “The administrative team cut spirit week beacuse of all the testing,” said Director of Student Activities Angelo Hilios, “[We believed] that two spirit weeks were enough.”

IB program develops new ideas for next year

“IB” continued from page 1. plan to do with their courses,” Albright said.

AHS is not alone in its poor performance on some tests.

Many of the subject areas in which AHS students scored poorly are those that Fairfax County students as a whole scored poorly in. For instance, county average scores for IB Physics SL were 3.5, 3.6, 3.61, 3.31, 3.32, 4.88, and 3.11.

AHS had the same average score as that of the county, which was 3.5.

However, asAlbright explains, topping the world average is not everything, and the AHS IB Diploma program takes many more factors into account than having high scores, especially in regards to participation.

“We are doing IB in a way that no one else in the world is doing,”Albright said, in reference to the fact that 45% ofAHS students take an IB course, a statistic that for most schools worldwide is around 10%. “There are incredible stories of struggle among the 27 IB Diploma Candidates this year, and it’s unbelievable and remarkable.”

It is a common misconception that the IB Diploma Program is geared specifically to generate high scores. The more realistic objective is to get as many high school students to participate in the program as possible at the highest level of academic excellence as possible. It is a difficult, multivariable conundrum to balance, and so far Albright has been in favor of expanding the program over restricting access to achieve all 7’s.

“The research shows that all students can benefit from taking the most challenging classes appropriate for that student, rather than sliding by,” Albright said. “No student benefits from sliding by in courses. We have to remember that we are a public school, and that we need to educate students to be a part of an educated citizenry.”

The fact that being in an upper level classroom benefits a school’s students rather than forcing only the most elite students to take such upper level classes is reflected in the Washington Post Challenge Index, which measures not the

overall scores of a school’s students on IB and AP tests but improved review for test-taking this year or how test-taking rather how many AP and IB tests are taken by students in can be improved in the future.

“It was my first year going through all of the material, a school each year (divided by the size of the senior class), so there was a bit of a learning curve,” said Jim Evans, IB regardless of performance.

Still, test scores remain a key component in the measures Mathematics HL teacher. “I made some mistakes, such as of success of a school and an IB program, allowing students not allowing enough time for review….We will use all of our and teachers to measure the rigor of their coursework as flex time this year for review.”

Last year, Evans explained, higher level students a means to determine if performance on tests needs to be encountered many obstacles when it came to testing. “I repreceded by more preparation. alized early on that teaching Calculus Given this, test score statistics can senior year was not a good idea, because be misleading. When put into context, the kids forgot all of the other stuff we AHS’s program is relatively equal to learned from junior year,” he said. Now, those of its area peers in regards to test Research shows that all the order for IB Mathematics HL stuscores. Subjects in which AHS often ex- students can benefit from dents has been switched. cels usually can be explained by other taking the most challenging Richard Miller, IB Environmental data. For instance, AHS’s IB History of Systems teacher, also expressed ways the Americas HL average score is the classes.

—ErinAlbright that test preparation could improve highest in the county, at 5.35.

IB Diploma Coordinator during the school year. “We need more However, AHS’s course has a much tests and quizzes,” he said. “We need lower enrollment than those of other more accountability. One of the probcounty schools. Last year 40 students took the IB History of the Americas HL test. Other schools lems is that there is not enough accountability for the test, in the county had enrollments of 187, 123, 113, 88, 157, 65 except for the Diploma Candidates. If you’re a certificate student your score doesn’t really affect you; grades are reand 74.

In the upcoming testing season, Albright and teachers leased the summer after your senior year, you are already will have to look for ways to improve scores in certain areas. prepping for college, and there is little credit involved for a The question is whether or not this improvement in future number of tests.”

“I’m not satisfied with what we did last year in that I years will be accompanied with a rise in the selectivity of am resting on my laurels,” Albright said, “But I think there the program.

“We don’t want to improve scores by restricting student always needs to be a process of continuous improvement.”

Even if the scores do not show it, Albright mentioned, we access,” Albright said. “But I think that what happens sometimes is as teachers have made their courses more have to remember that in the realm of IB, AHS far exceeds challenging to improve scores, the word has gotten out and many other schools worldwide.

“We are so diverse – it really does benefit everyone,” Alstudents that might have thought they could slide by in the bright said. “In many ways we are ahead of everyone else. courses end up not taking them.”

Faculty members expressed why they might have We don’t have all the answers, but we will figure it out.” stumbled in 2007, and numerous ways in which they have

“

”

AHS to host gang awareness meeting Annandale High School is hosting a gang awareness and prevention meeting for all parents on Thurs.

April 24 at 7 p.m in Clausen Hall. Speakers include General Consul of El Salvador, Margarita Chavez, Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force Coordinator, Fairfax County Police Department Gang Unit, and AHS Safety and Security.

Party to be held

A pizza party for the Black History Bowl participants will be held on Wednesday, April 9 in Room 266 beginning at 2:30 p.m. This is also a regular BCAA meeting.

Attention Future Teachers!

Interested in teaching or becoming a teacher? There is still room to register in the class “Teachers for TomorrowTeacher Cadets.”

For an application see your Guidance Conselor or Sandy Thompson in the Gourmet Thompson Foods Suite.

Walk for Darfur approaches

The IB Diploma candidates will be hosting the 2nd Annual Run/Walk for Darfur which will take place on April 19 at Lake Accotink. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and the walk/run will start at 10 a.m. Cost is $5 for individuals and $20 for a family. Interested in volunteering or have questions? Contact Meredith Hedrick.

For your planner!

TODAY

• FCA weekly huddles in Band Room (6:50 a.m.)

• Musical rehearsal in Auditorium (2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

Wednesday •Musical rehearsal in Auditorium (2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

Thursday

• Musical rehearsal in Auditorium (2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

• Band Spring Trip

Friday

• Band Spring Trip

Saturday

• Band Spring Trip • ACTʼs in Audit orium ( 8 a.m. to 1 p.m and various rooms .)

Mon. Apri

• FBLA meeting l 14. in Cafeteria (2 to • Musical Tech Rehearsal in Au 4 p.m.) ditorium (5 to 10 p.m.)

Tues. April 15

• FCA weekly huddles in Band Room (6:50 a.m.)

• Musical Tech Rehearsal in Auditorium (5 to 10 p.m.)

• PTSA meeting in Clausen Hall (7 p.m.)

Wed. April 16

• Collaboration Day • Career and Job Fair in Upstairs Gym (Both Flexes) Hall • National Honor Society in Clausen (7:20 a.m.) p.m.)

• Varsity Math Meet in Cafeteria (2 • Math Honor Society in Clausen Hall (2 to 3:15 p.m.)

• Musical dress rehea rsal in Au ditorium (2:00 to 7 p.m.)

Thurs. A ril 17 .Sat. Aprilp19

• Musical perfo rm Auditorium (7: ance, The Boyfriend in 30 p.m.)

Mon. April

• Auditorium Cle 21 an-up • Quarterly Ice Crea (2:30 to 3:15 p.m m Social in Cafeteria .)

Tues. April 22

• Auditorium Clean-up • DNA Speaker in Auditorium (Flex) (Flex) • Publications Speaker in Auditorium • SELP Testing in Library Room Band • FCA Weekly Huddles in (6:50 a.m.)

Wed. April 23

• SELP Testing in Library en Hall • Heritage Night Cast Party in Claus (2 to 5 p.m.)

6

ADVERTISEMENT

A

t

April 8, 2008

Highway Safety Is Everybodyʼs Business, But OUR Specialty!

Keith Has Been Serving Nothern Virginia for Over 40 Years.

Keithʼs Safe Driving is Everyoneʼs Business

ONE OF THE STATEʼS LARGEST & BEST FULL SERVICE DRIVING SCHOOLS

703-250-3333 www.keithsdrivingschool.net

Drive with us! *****

WE OBEY VA STATE DRIVER ED LAWS

Virginia Law Requires

Seven 50-minute periods of behind-the-wheel Seven 50-minute periods of observation Seven seperate days of instruction Classroom requirements of 36 50-minute periods

VA STATE LIC #15030000304 - BONDED - INSURED

DRIVER IMPROVEMENT

WE DO IT RIGHT!

KEITHʼS ALSO OFFERS THE 5 POINT DRIVER IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

PEOPLE

A

t

April 8, 2008

A close up of special ed

BY WALIHA GANI People Editor

Every week, the students in the special education program knit. Above, junior Ariel Zambrano concentrates to finish knitting a tie.

Although there are only five students in this class, there is a sense of uniformity and patience. The warmth and comfort AHS offers creates a healthy environment, which provides these students the freedom to grow and prosper not only in school, but in the community as well.

A glimpse of their characters and ambitions Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: Oh boy! [laughing] I’m funny and happy. I like to bring a new purse to school everyday.

I shop a lot, too— Kohls and TJ Maxx.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: I’m funny, energetic, serious and kind.

What are you dreams or goals?

A: I go to the Metrobus website everyday. The 20 and 20B goes to Tysons Corner. I want to become a bus driver and help people get Freshman Kofi Owuse dreams of becoming a around. I just want to represent Virginia. Metrobus driver and admires Barack Obama.

Q: What is your favorite sport?

A: Basketball. I play on a basketball team Freshman Lydia Ruiz, like a typical [The Panthers], too. teenage girl enjoys shopping and listening to Hannah Montana.

What are you dreams or goals?

A: I want to become a doctor.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: Smart, funny and cool. I like helping people a lot, too.

∞ Dysgraphia causes problems in communicating thought in writing and graphing ∞ Auditory and Visual Processing Disabilities are present in people who have average hearing and vision, but still have difficulty comprehending language that is taken in through the eyes or ears.

Q: What are your hobbies and interests?

A: Skiing! I just went skiing in March. I like the hard trails. I like to go on my Facebook and talk to my friends and family. I like to walk my dog Molly. She’s very big.

Q: What are some important things that are important to you?

A: I believe in family and friends. They make me feel happy and I can be myself with them.

I also want to find a job.

∞ Attention Deficit Disorder causes problems in processing sensory stimuli leading to difficulty in controlling behavior, such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

What are your dreams or goals?

A: A cop because it’s good to catch the bad Junior Kenny Nguyen likes weight training and reading about different countries. guys. I also want to get all A’s.

Who am I?

• I have taught at AHS for 2 years.

• I attended James Madison University.

Q: What is your favorite sport?

A: Hockey. The Capitals are my favorite team.

WALIHA GANI

WALIHA GANI

Q: What are some important values to you believe in your life?

A: Friends because they give me a chance to meet new people.

Q: What is your favorite sport?

A: Football. I like tackling and challenging others. Playing with my friends is nice.

Senior Aaron Bretzfelder has a knack for skiing. His goal is to make it into the olympics.

What are you dreams or goals?

A: Going into the Olympics-- the Winter Olympics. I want to become a fast skier and I want to become a teacher, too. You get to help and teach people.

• In my spare time I like to bike ride, read and travel

Who am I?

• I have traveled to Japan, Western Europe, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain and Liechtenstein.

• My motto is “Live your life with no regrets.”

• I attended George Mason University.

• I majored in curriculum design and technology.

• I like to listen to all types of music.

• I have traveled to Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas

• I was born on June 8 in Annandale, Virginia.

• My motto is “Love your God with all your heart, soul and strength” and “Work smarter, not harder”

• My favorite part about teaching is making learning fun—

• My favorite season is fall.

• My favorite season is summer.

at least I try to.

• My greatest pet peeve is when people donʼt listen.

Compiled by Waliha Gani If you know the answer to “Who am I,” come to the publications lab for a great

Celebrity Birthdays for April

3 Wayne Newton 1942 Eddie Murphy 1961 4 Heath Ledger 1979 5 Booker T. Washington 1856 6 Candace Cameron 7 Jackie Chan 1954 Russell Crowe 1964 10 Joseph Pulitzer 1847 Haley Joel Osment 1988 13 Thomas Jefferson 1873 15 Emma Watson 1990 16 Selena Quintanilla 1971 17 Victoria Beckham 1974 19 Kate Hudson 1979 20 Luther Vandross 1951 Carmen Electra 1972 25 Renee Zellweger 1969 29 William Randolph Hearst 1863 Jerry Seinfeld 1954 30 Kirsten Dunst 1982

• In my spare time I like to be with family, at church or out hunting.

• I like to listen to anything, but country.

source: http://www.ldams.org

Last Issue’s

• I have taught at AHS for 9 years.

• I majored in English and Secondary Education.

Common learning disabilities

∞ Dyscalculia hinders a person’s ability to fully comprehend and manipulate numbers.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: Funny— I love making jokes. I’m energetic. I’m also active in P.E. [physical education] classes.

Q: What are your hobbies and interests?

A: Weight training and reading books. I also read about different countries like France and China a lot.

Q: Do most high school and colleges have special educational programs for students?

A: Most schools do provide special educational services for students. There are also special education colleges in states like Florida.

∞ Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects a person’s understanding of language that causes them to have difficulties reading, writing, spelling, and speaking.

From Facebook to skiing skills, senior Aaron Bretzfelder has it all

Junior Kenny Nguyen: weight trainer

?

Q: What are some things that are Important to you?

A: Family. Stewart [her brother] plays basketball with me and shares a lot. He takes me to Subway and I exercise with him.

WALIHA GANI

WALIHA GANI

Q: What are your hobbies and interests?

A: Reading, playing games on the computer and solving puzzles. I also like e-mailing my dad in Ghana. I’m going to go visit him there this April.

Q: What are the different categories in the special education program?

A: There are two groups: mild and severe.

Some subcategories of the mild group include students with learning disabilities, emotional disabilities and other -healthimpaired. However, there are many more subcategories within the mild group. The severe group includes severe disabilities, such as mental retardation or autism.

Q: Since these students are in all types classes, how are the teachers taught to help them meet their needs?

A: Almost every teacher has taken some classes in special education within their college degree. Teachers are supposed to give required help to the individual student by extending deadlines, etc. If a student is not improving, then we’ll initiate a class that will help them better develop their skills.

Q: What are your hobbies and interests?

A: I play with toys a lot. Barbie dolls and bears are my favorite. I also like snacks— pretzels.

The big pretzels are the best. I bring a new purse everyday and love shopping.

Q: What is your favorite subject at school?

A: Math. I like fractions. I like life skills too because I learn everything there—like puzzles, books and calendars.

Q: About how many students are in the special education program at AHS? We have a huge amount of students in our program. It comprises of about 371 students.

Q: If a student is in the special education program, does that hinder his/her ability to take certain classes?

A: No. They are all over the place. They’re in cooking classes, IB [International Baccalaureate] classes, weight training—they’re standing right next to you in any class you take.

Freshman Lydia Ruiz: a shopaholic

Freshman Kofi Owuse: the Barack Obama admirer and future bus driver

Q and A with the special education director

Sharon Perkins

WALIHA GANI

The richness in culture and the immense amount of diversity, appreciation and acceptance within AHS makes it a home for all students, especially the students who are enrolled or participate in the special education program.

The students are grouped in three different classes based on their level of disabilities.

This group of students consists of the more challenged students than the other classes.

The day begins with journal writing, where everyone spells out the months and days of the week. The goal during this time is to get each of the students to spell the month and the day of the week to get the day started.

After journal time, the students go to the cafeteria to eat their lunch. After lunchtime, the students either knit, study math or English.

Under the tutelage of volunteer Louise Gunderson, many of the students excel at knitting. Junior Ariel Zambrano is currently knitting a scarf. He holds the threads smoothly, concentrating. If he makes a mistake, he quickly recognizes it, smiles and then fixes it.

The room is filled with laughter with the teachers constantly joking with the students.

Instructional assistant Lisa Ward jokes with freshman Raquel Cabrera about her sprained ankle. “I sprained my ankle from wrestling and Raquel was watching the whole time,” Ward said with a laugh. She looks at Cabrera for agreement. In response, Cabrera does not say anything, but she pauses intently and moves her lips slightly, forming a smile—a sign indicating she understands the joke.

Knitting lasts for about an hour and after that, the students may have an occupational therapy or life skills class, which allow the students to learn simple life skills, such as cooking, cleaning or washing clothes. The students also work at Magill’s where they clean the floor and wash tables.

The students and teachers alike end the day with “down-time,” which is when the students are given the opportunity to choose what they want to do—use the computer, solve puzzles or read. The teachers also get a chance to relax and sit back.

7

• I was born on Sept. 2, 1976 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Justin Hambrick

• My favorite part about teaching is interacting with students.

SPORTS XTRA

8

A

t

April 8, 2008

Smooth landing

Students go to great heights to show off their skateboarding abilities and learn new tricks

BY MARISA TORDELLA Sports Xtra Editor “Dude, that was a sweet fakie inward-heelflip.” Most people do not know what this means, but some students at AHS talk like this everyday. These students are the ones who skateboard in their free time.

Some local skate parks include Wakefield Skate Park, Van Dyke Skate Park and Powhatan Skate Park. Senior MattAshford said “[I like] Freedom Plaza in D.C. because the ledges are made of marble.”

Most skateboard lingo comes from names of tricks. Senior Robert O’Donnell said “[the coolest trick I can do is] a fakie BS flip.”

Skaters play the game “skate” to warm-up. “Skate” is similar to the basketball game “horse.” The goal is to do a trick that your opponent cannot do. If your opponent cannot mimic your trick, they get a letter. The first person to spell out “skate” loses.

Skaters also have to wax, and no, that does not mean their legs. Waxing makes a skateboard slippery and easier to grind. Skaters use the wax from a candle or store bought wax and rub it on the ledge and rail.

Not only is skateboarding filled with distinct lingo, but also injuries. Junior Arielle Pak has fallen off of her skateboard many times. Pak said “[I have] really ugly scars on my knees.”

AHS skaters admire many pro-skaters. Senior Bryan Espejo said “my favorite pro-skater is Zered Bassett because he represents the East Coast and his style is flawless.”

Ashford said “Marc Johnson is my favorite because he can do so many different grinds.”

These AHS skaters are always practicing their tricks in the streets around AHS so they can improve.

Local Skate Parks LUCKETT FIELD SKATEPARK 3540 Wheeler Ave Alexandria, VA 22314 703-838-4343 Cost: free Pads and helmet required Outdoor WAKEFIELD SKATEPARK 8100 Braddock Rd. Annandale, VA 22003 703-321-7081 Cost: $7.50 Pads and helmet required Outdoor POWHATAN SPRINGS PARK 6020 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA 22205 703-533-2362 Cost: $6.00 Pads and helmet required Outdoor

“Endurance because you are moving and it takes a lot of energy.”

—Chris Hall sophomore

“Endurance because you have to be mentally prepared and physically fit.”

- Kerry Demelle sophomore

“Endurance sport because it takes up a lot of energy.”

Senior Bryan Espejo pulls off a difficult trick while skating at one his usual spots.

Bryan Espejo How long have you been skating for?

I’ve been skating about five years.

How did you learn?

I was just playing with tech and Tony Hawk decks and just learned from watching people skate.

What type of board do you have?

An 8inch Habitat.

What’s the coolest trick you can do?

Well. I don’t really know. I guess my favorite trick is 360- Flips and nollie hellflips.

Who’s your favorite professional skater?

My favorite pro skater is Zered Bassett because he represents the East Coast and his style is flawless.

What’s the worst injury you have ever gotten?

I was trying to kickflip a grass gap when all of a sudden my face made contact with the concrete.

What has been the coolest place you have skated?

Washington D.C. and California.

Have you ever been in any competitions( if so did you win any awards)?

Yeah, I regret it. Unfortunately I didn’t win anything.

LYNDSAY JACOBS

Do you think skateboarding is an endurance or adventure sport?

Why?

COURTSEY OF BRYAN ESPEJO

VAN DYKE PARK 3730 Old Lee Hwy Fairfax, VA 20004 Cost: free Pads and helmet required Indoor and outdoors

Senior Matthew Ashford grinds the ledge at a local skate spot. The ledge has taken a toll due to the many times it has been grinded.

Robert O’Donnell How long have you been skating for?

I have been skating for six years.

How did you learn?

Skating with friends.

What type of board do you have?

Elite Deck.

What’s the coolest trick you can do?

Fakie bs flip.

Who’s your favorite professional skater?

Chris Haslem.

Whats the worst injury you have ever gotten?

I ollied up a curb and hit a rock. I flew off my board and ended up getting two scars on my elbow and side.

What has been the coolest place you skated?

Bren Mar is where it’s at, Hershey St. Have you ever been in any competitions?

Nope.

-John Welsh junior

“Endurance because you are skating for a long time and long distance.”

—Adam Monette senior

“I guess it’s an adventure sport because of all the tricks.”

—Monica Bently teacher

-Compiled by Scott Plunkett

Arielle Pak How long have you been skating for?

I have been skating for three years.

How did you learn?

I taught myself. I just got on, made some sliding gloves and fell until I was good.

What type do board do you have?

I have a Sector 9 long board, a Zoo York short board, and a Gravity mini long board.

What’s the coolest trick you can do?

I can do various slides.

Who is your favorite professional skater?

I like underground skaters.Alot of good ones are from Brazil.

What is the worst injury you have ever gotten?

Just really ugly scars on my knee.

What has been the coolest place you skated?

California hills Have you ever been in any competitions?

Nope.

Matthew Ashford

How long have you been skating for?

I’ve been skating for about five years.

How did you learn?

My brother got me started, but I had to figure out a lot of things on my own after that.

What type of board do you have?

I usually skate blank decks because they’re cheaper. But if i have some extra cash I will buy popular decks.

What’s the coolest trick you can do?

A fakie inward-heelflip. Basically, it’s just a flip trick.

Who’s your favorite professional skater?

Marc Johnson because he can do many difficult grinds.

What’s the worst injury you have ever gotten?

A couple of years ago when I broke my ankle during an unfortunate landing.

What has been the coolest place you skated?

Freedom Plaza in DC because the ledges are made of marble.

Have you ever been in any competitions (have you won any awards)?

No, not really. I don’t like skate parks, I prefer to skate on the streets. I don’t want to pay to skate.

ARTS

A professional artist, teacher

Featured famous artist Charles Schulz

has been a wedding photographer for five years.

Out of all these positions she has enjoyed being a teacher the most. “Even though I love capturing those special moments at weddings and such, I don’t have the freedom I do in teaching,” said Stevens.

She believes one must put all of their energy and focus into the moment of the photograph because a photograph reflects the view of the photographer.

BY LAURA AMBROSIO “In my own portraits I try to look into the soul of the subject and capture it on film,” said Stevens. “With Staff Writer landscapes I try to capture the beauty of nature Meredith Stevens’ average day varies from arthrough traditional and experimental means.” riving to school before 7 a.m. and waiting for stuShe does not have a preference as to what she dents to enter her classroom to capturing the magic enjoys photographing the most. “I like everything,” moments of newlyweds. Meredith Stevens, AHS said Stevens. photography teacher, is a professional artist in and She tries to involve her students with photogout of school. She has been teaching Photography raphy outside of the classroom just as she does in 1, 2, 3, and IB classes at AHS for four years. her professional life. Photography students take picAs a photography teacher, Stevens helps stutures at events such as Heritage Night, the fashion dents learn the functions of a camera, the process of show and regional competitions. Recently, she even developing film, and the uses of lighting and special welcomed her students to be photographers at her effects in camera work. wedding. “Some of their photos turned out better “Most of all I want to inspire than the professionals’,” them to want to take better phosaid Stevens. tographs,” said Stevens. She is Photography students able to do this by incorporating are also given the opporher own professional experi- I carry my camera where tunity to practice their ences into classroom lessons. ever I go. I donʼt want to new skills in other states After graduating from and countries. Stevens AHS in 1999, Stevens studied miss anything. has taken students on photography for eleven years. photo trips to Yellow Stone When she attended AHS, she —MeredithStevens National Park, Costa Rica, was enrolled in Art 1, 2 and 3, Art Teacher and this summer they will as well as Photography 1 and 2. travel to Spain and Mo“I was interested in photography rocco. The students display even earlier, but that’s when I what they have learned about the places they are started to learn more about it,” said Stevens. She visiting in their photographs. “The students spend spent five years at Virginia Intermont College and time viewing the sites, hiking, and participating in earned her Bachelor of Arts in Photography, Digiother activities that help them photograph in many tal Imaging, and Ceramics. She is also licensed to different situations,” said Stevens. She hopes these teach art for grades Pre-K to 12. As a teacher, she experiences will help students reach higher levels is able to combine her love for photography and her in the quality of their photography. desire to teach.

What does Stevens want most for her students?

Stevens has had an extensive career in phoStevens wants her students to share the enthusitography. After high school, Stevens worked on asm that she has for photography. “I carry my camthe Annandale Community Newspaper staff as era wherever I go. I don’t want to miss anything,” a photographer. This will be her third summer said Stevens. She wants to teach her students how teaching Adult Education classes in photography to look at the world around them with depth. “By and computer graphics at AHS. Stevens is also the using the techniques that they have learned with National Art Honor Society sponsor. On occasion, the camera, they will develop their own artistic vishe takes portraits of people, pets, and teams. She sion and style.”

Photography teacher and artist Meredith Stevens shares her experiences

COURTSY OF MEREDITH STEVENS

“I was interested in photography even earlier, but thatʼs when I started to learn more about it,” said Photography teacher and AHS almuna Merideth Stevens. Stevens is a professional photographer as well as a teacher, and took “Flowers” (below) in Gaitlinburg, TN, with her Nikon D2X digital camera.

”

COURTSY OF MEREDITH STEVENS

TIGIST TAMIR

“

9

Stevens took “Buoy”, a picture of a buoy among tree branches in the Caribbean, while visiting in 2005. The photograph was developed on Kodak Portrait film. “I try to capture the beauty of nature through traditional and experimental means,” Stevens said.

Show us what you got . . .

One of greatest cartoonists of all time is Charles Shulz, the creator of Peanuts, nicknamed Sparky by his uncle.

He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 26, 1922. Schulz was raised in St. Paul as the only child of German and Norwegian parents. His mother died in February 1943 after he had graduated from high school. Not long after that, he was drafted into the U.S. army and served in World War II. He became a staff sergeant and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge.

It wasn’t until the war was over in 1945 that Schulz began a career in art.

He returned to his hometown of Minneapolis to teach art at Art Instruction, Inc. His experiences in art prior to his teaching job at Art Instruction included being enrolled in correspondence courses and creating works for a Catholic comic magazine called Timeless Topix.

Schulz did not immediately invent the

WWW.FEATUREBANK.COM

A

t

April 8, 2008

idea for Peanuts; he created many similar series that were not as successful. Some of his first drawings were published in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not”. One cartoon he designed was called Lil’ Folks. It had many similar features and characters to Peanuts. He also sold several of his cartoons to the Saturday Evening Post, although it was not until 1950 that Charles Schulz became well known due to the Peanuts comic strip.

Peanuts consists of twelve characters, the main character being Charlie Brown.

Charlie Brown is personified by his yellow shirt with a black zig-zag line, a boy who, no matter how hard he tries, usually fails, but can easily relate to many readers. He has a younger sister named Lucy and a dog named Snoopy. His sister has a crush on his friend Linus, whose older sister constantly teases Charlie. The comic is filled with humor, friendships, youthfulness and everyday woes.

Schulz incorporated many aspects of his personal life into Peanuts. For example, both Schulz’s and Charlie Brown’s fathers were barbers and their mothers were housewives. Their shy and withdrawn personalities were similar, as was the fact that they both had pet dogs. Schulz made some of his characters resemble people he knew in real life. Lucy was inspired by his first wife, Joyce Halverson, and the little red head girl was inspired by the woman who had rejected his marriage proposal, Donna Johnson.

Shulz’s comic shared many of his qualities because it was such a huge part of his life. Peanuts has been published for over fifty years. Schulz never wanted to stop drawing the Peanuts comic strip, but he could no longer keep up with his demanding schedule and battle against colon cancer. He died on February 12, 2000, at the age of 77. His last original comic was published the day after his death.

In his lifetime, Schulz was awarded the National Cartoonists Society’s Elzie Segar Award in 1980, the Reuben Award in 1955 and 1964, and the Milton Caniff AchievementAward in 1999.Additionally, he was once named Cartoonist of the year

by Yale University. Charles Schulz was a gifted man and provided inspiration to many with his art, and through his legacy, Schulz will live on.

— Laura Ambrosio Staff Writer

Students showcase their artwork

Cindy Manlon

Jennifer Darlington Grade: 10 Art class: Art 1 TItle of Work: Culture Affiliation Work description: “It is about a legacy I would want to run through my family. It took a long time because I had to paint every single tiny square. It represents my culture”

Grade: 12

“Do you plan to pursue art professionally?”

Art Class: Art 1

“No, it is not something I would do as a career.”

Title of Work: Flashing Lights

— Jessica Ripani freshman

Work description: “My artwork was about capturing memorable moments. It took me a month.

I didn’t think it would look this good.”

“Yes, I would like to have my own studio.”

— Isabel Silvestre sophomore

Jessica Orellana

Rachel Wattenbarger

Grade: 9

Grade: 11

Art Class: Art 1

Art Class: Art 1

Title of Work: Everlasting Love

Title of Work: My Fairy Godmother

Work description: “My artwork was a heart with a lavender background. It took me a month and a half. My artwork basically stands for love and the chains represent life.”

Work descriprion: “The artwork is about cake toppers I’ve received from my Godmother since I was an infant.

It took me three to four weeks, and it represents my family.”

“Yes, I am really interested in it and I believe I have a natural talent for art.”

— Anya Seubert junior

“No, it is fun but something that is on the side for me.”

— Becky Lallande senior

12

Five things you should know about STDs 1. Women are more susceptible to STDs than men…

It has nothing to do with promiscuity.

Women are more vulnerable to infection than men because of their anatomy. It’s easier for men to transmit infections to women than vice versa. STDs are also more difficult to detect in women.

2. STDs can be transmitted through oral sex…

Contrary to popular belief, having oral sex doesn’t mean you’re playing it safe.

In fact, having unprotected oral sex puts you at especially high risk for gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and hepatitis B. Always use a condom when having oral sex with a new partner. Female condoms can also help reduce the risk of STDs, and should be used when receiving oral sex. STDs can be contracted through vaginal, anal and oral sex. They travel from person to person through semen, vaginal fluids and blood. Some STDs can also enter the body through tiny cuts or tears in the mouth, genitals or anus.

3. STDs are treatable, but not all are curable…

Bacterial STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis can be cured. Viral STDs like herpes, hepatitis B, HIV, HPV, and genital warts are incurable, though they can be managed.

4. Most doctors do not routinely screen for STDs… The American Social Health Association reports that less than one-third of physicians routinely screen patients for STDs. And don’t assume a normal Pap test gives you a clean bill of health.APap smear only detects changes in cervical cells; it doesn’t test for specific diseases. However, an abnormal pap smear may indicate HPV, and further tests may be done.

5. About 50% of sexually active women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives…

Out of 100 strains of HPV, about 30 are sexually transmitted. About 10 are “high risk” and can lead to cervical cancer.

“Low risk” types may cause genital warts.

Most will never know they have it because the immune system can eliminate the less aggressive forms of HPV on its own.

However, more aggressive strains of HPV will stick around and cause multiple health problems, like cervical cancer. The only way to detect HPV is through a Pap smear, where pre-cancerous changes in the cervix are visible. source: www.lifescript.com To read more about the health editor’s experience go online to thea-blast.org

Abstinence What is abstinence?

Abstinence simply means not having sex; it means refraining from sexual intercourse.

For most people, abstinence is the absence of sexual contact altogether.

How can I abstain successfully?

Abstinence is most successful when you are diligent and use planning within your relationships. To make it easier, try some of the following ideas: —Do things with friends or in groups —Go on double dates —Minimize physical affection that could lead to passion and desire, making it harder to abstain from sexual intercourse —Avoid situations where you are alone What about teenagers and abstine nce?

Relationships that involve sexual intercourse are filled with physical, emotional and psychological risks.

Abstinence provides teenagers the opportunity to avoid those risks.

Individuals who abstain from sexual intercourse during their teenage years tend to have fewer sexual partners later in life.

Remaining abstinent as a teenager means that you will be less likely to: — Contract a sexually transmitted disease — Become infertile — Develop cancer of the cervix — Experience an unplanned pregnancy How can my partner get to know me?

— Talking and listening — Sharing joys, hurts, dreams, goals, wishes and other aspects of life — Honesty and respect for one another — Having fun and playing together How can I express my affection?

Intimacy and affection can be expressed in a number of ways other than sexual intercourse. Kissing, hugging, massaging, and holding hands are some of the ways that couples express their affection in a physical manner. Intimacy and affection can also be expressed in other ways such as: — Conversations — Cards, letters, and love notes — Support in your partner’s activities — Creative and fun dating www.americanpregnancy.org

HEALTH

A

t

April 8, 2008

One in four girls have an STD AHS students share feelings about the statistic of 25 percent of American teenage girls that are infected with an STD

BY BEELAN YONAS staff writer Two janitors gasped and giggled as they saw what was left forgotten under one of the cafeteria tables at the beginning of B Lunch a couple of weeks ago: an unopened condom.

One of them used a broom to sweep it up as the other just expressed disapproval.

Protection seems to have been neglected as shown in a new study where one out of four girls between the ages of 14 and 19 was estimated to have a sexually transmitted disease. That means that 3.2 million girls in America are infected with either HPV, which was found in 18 percent of those tested and can lead to cervical cancer and genital warts, Chlamydia (four percent) which can cause infertility, Trichomoniasis (two and a half percent), and genital herpes (two percent). However, the study only tested for those four STDs, so there are most likely more infected girls with HIV, gonorrhea, and syphilis that need to be taken into consideration.

For most, it was not a surprise to hear, just disgusting to have to admit. “That’s gross.

That’s really nasty. I’m not surprised because people nowadays are dumb,” said freshman Knial Saunders.Abstinence rates have gone up, with 53% of high school students admitting to never having sex in 2005 compared to 46% in 1991. Even condom use has gone up from 58 percent admitting to using a condom the last time they had sex in 2001 compared to 46% in 1991. Since this study is the first of its kind, there is a chance that the STD rates were once higher but now have lowered to a quarter of girls. However, 25% of teenage girls with an STD is still a significant portion of the teenage population and much greater than it is in Europe.

“There are so many girls just willing to have random sex with guys,” said sophomore Tim Davidson. Though this may be the case with some girls, of the girls that admitted to having only one sexual partner in the survey, 20% ultimately had contracted an STD. While one out of five white and Hispanic girls have an STD, the percentage was much higher for black girls- almost 50%.

“It is sad that black people have to go through this,” said freshman India Becton. “We need to be examples for our little sisters.” Researchers have accounted such reasons as limited access to healthcare as a possibility for the high rate.

But for the effect that this has had on all girls, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America blames the abstinence only sex-education programs that are implemented in many public schools. “I don’t understand that logic,” said health teacher Gabriel Romano.

“I would think it would be just the opposite. I think abstinence is the only way to go. Kids who are sexually active have to listen more carefully [in class]. [Sex] is not just physical, but emotional.”

Many teens now are abandoning condoms or any protection. It is hard for some to believe that sexually active teens have a chance of greatly reducing the risk of contracting an STD, but they are not using it. “Some girls don’t care about their life. I’ve met girls like that,” said sophomore Angel Balbuena.

“They’re too young,” said junior Guillermo Lozano, “and probably not responsible enough.”

“It is very sad and very tragic, and it is not man’s fault,” said senior Geo Beltran. So whose fault is it? Though it was only girls who were studied, who is to say STDs are not just a prevalent in teenage boys? The blame rests on both of the genders and their irresponsibility.

“It’s the guys’ fault too,” junior Brian Ma. Many agreed that girls are pressured to

What is the best way to promote sexual health in school?

“We should have more classes on abstinence.”

—Sadaf Atayee freshman

“I think they should stop demonizing sex, instead encourage them not to do it, and if they want to then give them options.”

—Ben Fisher sophomore

not use protection.

“There’s so many who don’t plan to have sex; it’s just in the spur of the moment. They don’t want to have to rush to the store to buy condoms,” said senior Jessica Delnero.

“But it’s not only the teachers’fault,” said junior Robin Scott. “The parents should have ‘the talk’.” Some teenagers are just ignorant of the consequences that their actions bring.

Others that were interviewed did not even know what an STD was.

Getting tested is an important part of keeping healthy and free of STDs, but many girls are too afraid to even visit their doctor about the issue because they are afraid of their parents finding out. “The reason why people won’t get tested is because they’re embarrassed. They’re embarrassed, but it’s such a big deal,” said Delnero.

“My girlfriend doesn’t have an STD, so I’m happy,” said Ma. Though some would argue that safe sex is no sex, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that girls need to be screened and vaccinated to prevent contracting an STD if they are sexually active and practice “safe sex.” Gardasil, a vaccine introduced in 2006, guards against HPV, which is also known as a silent virus. People can become infected with it but while having no symptoms, and unknowingly pass it on to their partners. Antibiotics can treat and cure Chlamydia and Trichomoniasis, but most teens would probably not enjoy having to deal with infections that cause itching or redness, discharge, bleeding, and burning even for a second. The CDC also suggests that sexually active girls take annual screenings for Chlamydia.

“They do listen [in class], but they’re just curious about having sex,” said Scott. But according to these statistics, this curiosity seems to be blinding them from thinking about the predicaments they may entangle themselves in if they are not careful.

“They need to stop having sex because they’re careless,” said freshman Adrienne Williams. “They don’t think about what happens tomorrow.” Teens are always being accused by adults of not thinking about their futures and being irresponsible, so maybe now it is time for them to take control of their lives.

Not everyone is in a rush to have to deal with the responsibilities of sex. “They’re too young,” said junior Guillermo Lozano. “I’m still waiting for my special someone.”

“They should try to make birth control available to more people.”

—Fatema Ehsan junior

“They should focus more on abstinence instead of giving out contraceptives because they don’t always work.”

—Isabel Bodrog junior

“I think they should talk about it more in class instead of just health class and make contraceptives more available.”

—Logan Goolrick senior

Students saving sex for the future Students at AHS take a stand for celibacy because of their own personal beliefs and ideas Sophomore Alhaji Bah: finding the right girl Q: Why do you not have sex?

A: I just don’t find it fun to lose my virginity over a girl who I might go out with for just a month. My parents think that I should wait until after marriage to be sexually active.

Q: When would you decide to lose your virginity?

A: I would try to make it to marriage or if I’m in a really serious relationship and she feels the same way I feel then maybe.

Q: Do you feel pressure from your peers or the media A: So far there has been no pressure. Sports are my main reason not to be sexually active.

Q: Do you talk to your parents about sex A: My parents and I have lots of discussions about girls and how grades come first before anything else. They tell me that girls will come along the way and not to worry about it at this point.

Junior Wala Elamia: devout follower of Islam Q: Why do you not have sex?

A: Because of my religion, Islam says you can’t have sex before marriage. I also always remember the circumstance of being pregnant before marriage and in Islam this is a big sin. I’m saving my body for one man.

Q: Have you ever had a boyfriend?

A: In Sudan it’s verbal instead of interacting.And the parents know the guy and you also have to have a chaperone with you.

Junior Daisy Morales: waiting for the right time Q: Why do you not have sex?

A: I don’t feel like sex is very important, and it’s not that I haven’t found the right person, but because I’m still young and I shouldn’t think about that yet. I don’t see the point in doing that right now. I have my whole life ahead of me and I can wait.

Q: When would you decide to lose your virginity?

A: I guess when I know that I honestly found the right person.

Q: Do you talk to your parents about sex?

A: Yes, they basically said “don’t have sex until you are married.” They were raised as Christians and they have believed that a white wedding dress symbolizes purity and they want that for me because I’m the only girl in my family.

Senior Ismael Ramerz: not ready to be a father Q: Why do you not have sex?

A: Because I don’t want to be a father anytime soon, and I don’t want to catch anything.

Q: When would you decide to lose your virginity?

A: When I’m married or I have a career and I’m able to support a baby.

Q: Do you have a significant other?

A: Yes.

Q: When would you decide to lose your virginity?

A: When I’m married.

Q: Have you and your significant other talked about sex?

A: Yes we talked about it and we decided that we would have sex if we got married.

Q: Do you talk to your parents about sex?

A: My parents told me that if I did have sex before marriage I would be rejected because that is how it is in Sudan. They also reminded me of what God says, and that there’s too much fun in other stuff to have sex.

Q: Do you talk to your parents about sex?

A: My dad tells me to always wear a condom, and my mom doesn’t say anything about it.

PHOTO

A

13 Kites Unite over D.C. t

April 8, 2008

The day could not have been more perfect for kite enthusiasts on March 29 during the Kite Festival in D.C. The piercing blue skys created a beautiful canvas for the

A history of Kite Flying

flying works of art. The warm but windy day attracted thousands of people from around the country to witness the display.

•Kites first appeared in China over 2800 years go. China was an optimal place for kites to first sprout because of the availability of quality materials (bamboo for the framework, and silk for the fabric) •Venetian traders brought many different kites back from China in the 13th century.

However, kites remained simply a curiosity to the Europeans for several centuries.

LAURA SIMPSON

•During the 18th and 19th centuries Europeans began using kites for military and transportation purposes. One notable kite invention was made by George Pocock who used a pair of kites to pull a carriage in excess of 20 miles an hour.

The U.S. Capitol Building looks down on the National Mall as thousands of people of all ages watch the magnificient display of kites at the annual Smithsonian Kite Festival.

•During World War I the French, British, Russian and Italian armies used manned kites as surveillance posts. The German Navy used manned kites to increase their ability to see surfaced submarines.

Types of Kites

LAURA SIMPSON

LAURA SIMPSON

Diamond Kite

The half dragon, half butterfly kite was a favorite amoung the kids watching.

Thousands of kites were flown at the festival. Some of the more unique kites grabbed the viewerʼs attention, like this Nemo kite.

The diamond kite is one of the most recognized kites in the world. They are very simple to make and the long tail at the end adds extra stability

Delta Kite

A mother helps her son ready his kite for the flying competition. People of all ages were allowed to compete.

Box Kite LAURA SIMPSON

LAURA SIMPSON

LAURA SIMPSON

The Delta Kite got its name from its triangular shape. They are known for their speed in the air.

A man works on getting his kite in the air. The weather throughout the day was perfect for flying conditions because of the warm weather and mild winds.

LAURA SIMPSON

Right: A competitor gets his kite ready for the flying competition.

The area was blocked off during the event, but many others participated during the day for fun.

In close proximity to the competition area, banners of all kinds were on sale.

Box Kites are very unique because of their design. They are somewhat difficult to fly, but are very impressive in the air.

Above: A kite of a space ship bearing red, white and blue represents the support for the U.S. Left: A young boy trys out a batman glider and pretends to be flying.

The sled kite was invented in the 1950s and is known as easy to fly because of its flexibility.

Compiled by Laura Simpson LAURA SIMPSON

LAURA SIMPSON

Close to the competition area, a stand is set up to help fix damaged kites.

LAURA SIMPSON

Sled Kite

How do you normally greet your friends?

“I use Spanish, so I say “Hola!” because most people know what it means. I was tired of saying hi.”

—Carly Bouchard freshman

“I greet them both in English and Spanish because it’s a good way to say hi.”

—Mimi Torries sophomore

“I just stick with English because that is the only thing I can speak.”

t

Varying salutations characterize student interaction within the halls of AHS ANNIKA JESSEN International Editor A smile is such a simple and easy gesture, yet it has universal meaning. There is not one person in the world who misunderstands a smile. A sincere smile is the easiest way to communicate your feelings when at a loss for words. It is a simple way to show your appreciation for something that was done or given to you. It can also be used as a simple greeting between friends, strangers and family.

Greetings are one of the most important aspects of communication. They are ways people interact with one another and recognize each other. The most simple and informal ways of doing so in English are using the words hi, hello, or hey, as most people know. These words are second nature to students at AHS, but words like marhaba

tures to simply greet and acknowledge one another’s presand ahn nyeong are only familiar to some.

In French, then most common way to greet one an- ence. Gestures go hand in hand with the spoken words, other is saying bonjour followed by the person’s name, Mr., and sometimes they can be insulting in various cultures or Mrs. Salut is the way to greet one another informally. but flattering in others. A kiss on the cheek is expected in most countries in Europe and South “ When it’s a familiar greeting beAmerica if you are familiar with the tween two girls or a girl and a boy, person, but the same action would be they will normally exchange two a huge insult to those living in Japan, kisses, or deux bises. It is possible China, or Korea. Most students that that they may just be air kisses, and We tend to stay away from attend AHS do not take these pracnot actual kisses on the cheek. If the tices as seriously as they would in greeting is between two boys that hugs because my family just their home country or with relatives. are related, they might also kiss on doesn’t like hugs.

Many have created their own way of the cheek. If they do not kiss, then greeting each other, mixing a little bit they will shake each other’s hands.

When the two do not know each —BiancaMullins of everything together to make one other, they will only shake each Spanish Teacher fabulous greeting.

If you are surrounded by people other’s hand,” said French teacher who can be insulted by the wrong Patricia Heininge. gesture, just be cautious. It is impor“My family is from Costa Rica, and we normally say que tal, which means whats up. We tant to use the gestures according to their cultures, but also kiss on one cheek, not two, because it is just a tradition an honest mistake can usually be understood. If you are in my family. We stay away from hugs because I just don’t at a complete loss, just smile, because everyone understands a smile. like hugs,” says Bianca Mullins, Spanish Teacher.

These phrases and more are used by those of other cul-

“

”

Hola

—Holden Drum Junior

“I greet them in English, becuase everyone knows English.”

ANNIKA JESSEN

—Yasmin Said senior

April 8, 2008

Marhaba

In Spanish, hola means hello. It is often used to greet one another, along with the phrases buenos dias, which means good morning, or que onda, which means what’s up. The typical greeting custom with friends and family is to kiss each other once on each cheek. If you don’t know the person, the most common gesture is to shake their hand firmly. Sophomore Daniela Guevara and sophomore Claudia Arevalo (pictured right) greet each other by kissing each other on each cheek.

ANNIKA JESSEN

14

INTERNATIONAL A Hello from around the world

“I say Salam Alakum and we shake hands because we want to pass our blessing to ourAnnandale fellows in an Islamic way.”

Marhaba, meaning hello in Arabic, is a common word used to greet one another.

Sabbah-el-khair is also used, which means good morning.

When meeting someone for the first time, it is a comomn practice to shake their hand firmly. Sophomore Sammy Qabazard and Sohomore Omid Shabon (pictured above) greet each other by shaking hands, which is also a greeting that is used for familiar friends. If the two know each other well, they may engage in a hug or kiss each other on the cheek, but only if they are of the same gender. It is not uncommon in the Middle East to see two people of the same gender walking down the street holding hands.

—Hila Ghorzang Sophomore

Asia BEIJING, China, welcomed the Olympic torch in Tiananmen Square.

The Olympic torch was lit by Chinese Primier Hu Jintao to show that China considers the upcoming games as very important to the country. After the stop in Beijing, the torch began a journey across 20 countries on Tuesday, starting with Almaty, Kazakhstan. The journey is about 85,100 miles. The security in Tiananmen Square was very tight. Many Tibetan exiles vowed to protest Chinese violation of human rights and advocate for Tibetan independence. Many say this might very well turn out to be an opportunity for Tibetans to influence the outside world to convince China to quit infringing on human rights.

Student Response: “I feel mad because the government is not being fair to the people of Tibet.”

Jambo

Jambo is the Swahili word for hello. Swahili is not the only language spoken Africa, there are numerous other languages and dialects. Each greeting custom also varies between the cultures. In some cultures, the traditional way to greet a person is to shake his or her hand and slightly bow your head as a sign of respect. In other cultures, however, it is traditional to kiss each other three times on the cheek, alternating until the number three is reached. Freshman Lavanna McCurdy and sohomore Britney Crawford (right) kiss each other three times before sitting down to eat lunch. This shows that there are an infinite amount of ways to greet someone, and some actions which may be offensive to some but can be typical actions for another.

ANNIKA JESSEN

ANNIKA JESSEN

World News

Ahn nyeong ha se yo Ahn nyeong ha se yo is the phonetic spelling of how to say hello in Korean. It is a formal way to greet one another. In Asia it is paramount that children respect their elders, which leads to the common practice of a slight bow when greeting those who are much older and wiser. Mr. Choi and William Choe (above) demonstrate this. It recognizes their authority and intelligence. Also, it is considered extremely disrespectful to maintain eye contact with another person, especially when they are much older.

When people greet their friends who are similar in age, they may just say hello and wave or shake hands.

—Marcia Hernandez Sophomore

Australia

CNN reported that approximately 400 kangaroos were to be slaughtered.

The kangaroos became a threat to the scarce grassland and endagered species that lived in the area. The Defense department issued a press release that the Kangaroos would be moved to another area. the case attracted attention from the international community, most notably Paul McCartney, former Beatle. Protestors argued that the kangaroos were a national symbol and therefore should not be slaughtered, but rather moved to a reserve where they were no longer threatening.

Student Response: “I think that moving the kangaroos to a different location is the best solution becuase it offends the least amount of people.”

—Moe Bah Freshman

DAHYE LEE Senior When I first came here, I felt nervous.

There were many things that I had to adapt to because everything was strange to me.

First, the food here was different than in my country, and I had to learn a different language and about U.S. culture.

Firstly, in my country, we usually ate food like rice or vegetables. However, when I came to the U.S., I had to eat hamburgers or French fries for my main food. In addition, in my country, people do not buy bottled water but use a purifier at home. Most American people drink bottled water that they buy at the stores everyday. All of these things made me feel strange and nervous because of these differences from my country.

Secondly, when I first came here, I could not use Korean, because nobody could understand Korean. Thus, I had to use English. Since English and Korean have different pronunciation and accents, I needed to practice that. Besides, when people spoke fast, I could not understand. What I had to

ROXANA ZELAYA COREA Junior

do in that situation was just concentrate on other people’s speaking.

Lastly, when I first came here, I did not know anything about U.S. culture. In the U.S., there are rules about “personal space”.

However, in Korea, there are no rules like that. I had a habit of touching a person when I started to speak to them. That habit was not proper in this country, so I had to change that. In addition, in my country, most people spend their time outside because they can go out even if they don’t have a car. In Korea, many people use public transportation because transportation is accessible. However, in the U.S., many people use their own cars, and they barely use public transportation.

When I was 14-years-old, my mother told me that I had to come to America. I was very sad because I had to leave my family, and when I got on the bus, all of my family was crying. They told me that I should not come here because it is very dangerous.

I walked for 24 hours in the desert where there was no water and we could not eat because there was not enough food to eat. In the desert, we got dirt all over us.

Then we had to cross a river which was very dangerous. When I was in the bus, I cried a lot because I did not want to come here. It took me 19 days to finally arrive in America. I miss my country a lot.

I left my house at 6 p.m. My grandmother told me that they all missed me a lot. My friends did not know that I had to leave to come here. My school was beautiful and I miss it. I miss everything about my country.

I arrived on January 7, and my mom said that I had to go to school. I was very

worried because I did not speak English, only Spanish. It was very strange because not everybody could communicate with me.

I looked at the teachers and they would tell me something, but I could not understand because I could not speak English. However, in time, I learned some English. Right now I know a little more and can speak with the teachers.

I am having a great time in the U.S. Now I have a lot of friends; some speak Spanish and others speak English. I help my mom a lot since she does not speak English. Right now I speak English with my sister too. My sister is younger than me.

I love her and she is my best friend.

A

t

April 8, 2008

ACADEMICS

15

Flexible thinking during W4 Flex period.

The teachers’ handbook recommends teachers use the 40 minutes for individual help, re-teaching a concept, re-testing material, make-up work, extra time for projects, quiet studying, homework, or make-up labs.

Junior William Risse said, “I don’t like

BY AMY STEINBUECHLER Flex because teachers expect you to work Academics Editor and I don’t always have my books with “Flex isn’t a bad idea,” said marketing me.” teacher Kyle Graumann, “but [students] Geometry teacher Dr. Virginia Long need something to do. Kids take it as a time said she uses Flex to, “get caught up on to hang out and not do work.” class work.”

Many teachers and students at AHS Another area of disagreement among have trouble answering the question, what AHS teachers is Flexing out. The teachto do during flex? ers’ handbook states According to the that students must AHS teachers’ handprearrange and make book, Flex is a period changes in their Flex I don’t think [Flex] is a to provide students period with their Flex with more time for bet- horrible thing, it’s just teacher. The arrangeter academic success. ment must be made Flex can also be used taken the wrong way. in advance with the for events such as pep teacher requesting. rallies, class elections “I think Flexand standardized ing out is a good idea, testing.

—Kyle Graumann but I have a hard time However, as most keeping track of where students know, every kids are going,” said teacher has a different interpretation of Graumann.

Flex. Some teachers believe Flex is just Long said she allows students to Flex like any other class, expecting students to out “at the beginning of the year but at the bring their books to class and use the time middle of the year I don’t because of all the to teach new material, despite the fact that work we have.” theAHS teachers’handbook states teaching “When I Flex out I go to the library or new material or assigning required work is hang out with friends in the halls,” said freshagainst guidelines. This is because some man Madeena Haidari “Teachers should let students need to Flex out and may miss a

Alternative schedules at area High Schhols

Students and teachers reflect on what to do during Flex

Lake Braddock Secondary School features a seven period day with 47 minute classes on Monday. Tuesday through Friday is blockschedule with a base class during third period. The third period block is 50 minutes everyday.

”

AMY STEINBUECHLER

“

Junior William Risse reviews an English 11 test during R5 flex. “I donʼt like flex because teachers expect you to work and I donʼt always have my books with me,” he said.

[students] Flex out or do homework or work for other classes.”

SomeAHS students choose to Flex out to avoid work while others use it to get ahead.

Clubs and other organizations use Flex to get work done that they wouldn’t be able to finish without the extra time. The Antenna yearbook, the A-blast and SGA all use the extra time during white days to get their jobs done.

SGArecently used Flex periods to present candidate speeches for their annual elections.

Speeches were presented viaAHS broadcasting and viewed throughout the entire school.

“It was a good way to present candidates,” said junior Daniel Loo who watched the program in his English 11 class.

“I don’t think [flex] is a horrible thing,” said Graumann, “it’s just taken the wrong way and could be more productive.”

Long said that without flex, “we would have more work during regular class and it would be more difficult to get caught up.”

Food from all around the world

BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer While the Gourmet Foods course receives a great deal of attention at AHS, students interested in cooking are also able to study the diverse field of International Foods. This course has been offered at AHS for several years and provides students with a hands-on insight into foods and cooking from around the globe.

Students study cooking styles from areas ranging from Ireland, to Italy, to Germany, and all the way back to the deep American south. Students are first taught the history and culture behind the dishes, and then are

Southern Cajun buffet Students in International Foods prepare jambalaya, chicken etouffee, and other Cajun dishes as recognition for Louisiana culture. Students then get to munch on their own food.

given a recipe to prepare and eat during class. Inarguably the most enjoyable part of the class is cooking.

“We teach the history and geography of foods, but we can’t teach too much because the kids all just want to cook,” explains Family and Consumer Science teacher Sandra Thompson.

While teaching information about cooking and international dishes is important to the class, the actual cooking remains the focus of the class. “The food is definitely my favorite part of the class,” said sophomore Patricia Bradford, “you learn to cook and you get to eat it.”

The class has taught and allowed students to enjoy recipes ranging from shepherd’s pie to German potato cheese soup. “We hit all the major cuisines,” said Thompson. Italian cuisine, having a major influence on cooking around the world, is given special focus. “Italian biscotti was my

Cinco de Mayo celebration As recognition for Cinco de Mayo, students who take this course get to prepare dishes like chicken enchiladas with homemade tortillas, seven-layer dip, churros, and sopapillas.

Above:Sophomore Carlos Nima drains noodles while making alfredo. “If you follow the ingredience and what the teacher tells you, [cooking] can be easy,” he said.

Left: Senior hien Nhieu serves alfredo pata to himself and classmates.

favorite recipe,” said Bradford. “It means twice baked. It had a really nice texture and taste to it,” she says.

While the most significant cuisines are given a special focus, the class curriculum remains flexible and dynamic.

World recipes shift as new information is brought to Annandale from around the world. “You need to have good recipes so, as people travel, we get new foods to teach,” explains Consumer Sciences teacher Kathy Esslinger.

So, while Italian cuisine may remain in the curriculum, new to this year is a

West Springfield High School features block scheduling with orange and blue days. Orange days feature odd period classes and blue days include even classes including a base class during 5th period. Classes are about an hour and a half long except for 5th period which is 50 minutes everyday.

Hayfield Secondary School features block scheduling with repeated third period lasting 50 minutes each day.

AMY STEINBUECHLER

Similar to hallways, international foods features diversity

Edison High School features a 4 by 4 schedule which allows students to take as many as eight courses a year. The students attend 4 classes everyday for a semester and the complete the other four the following semester.

unit on Middle Eastern cooking as well African cuisine. Despite the broad range of dishes covering everything from Latin to European, cooking there are still areas left untouched. Senior Ruben Gozon expressed interest in studying “Indian food because it’s something most people don’t try.”

All of the cooking taught in the class regardless of its area of origin is useful to students in daily life. The cooking skills and recipes can all easily be prepared after school or later in life. “Now we know how to take care of ourselves,” said Bradford.

Do you think the flex period is worth time out of the day?

“No, it’s a waste of time because we don’t do anything.”

---Sonya Inderbitzin sophomore

“No, I just sleep in flex, and I don’t get any work done.”

---Kevin Kim sophomore

“It’s productive if the teachers let us do homework, but if the teacher makes us do school work then I don’t like it.”

---Michael Rosenstein junior “I think it’s good because you get to catch up on work you missed, but if you’re not doing anything it’s a waste.”

---Jesse Hall senior “It’s valuable because it provides flexibility for students but it’s difficult to coordinate with other classes.”

---John Hawes history teacher

SPORTS

16

A

t

April 8, 2008

Atoms lose to McLean

Tennis opens the season strong TheAtoms’ boys varsity tennis team continued its season last Friday, playing against district opponent Robert E. Lee High School.Although the game finished too late for the results to be published in this edition, Head Coach Mike Scott had hope going into the match.

“We’ll be okay,” said Scott. “We don’t know what they have [because] we haven’t seen them play. It was close last year, but we’re better than last year.”

Much of the improvements have come from two new freshmen players: David Hookey and Erik Morton. Of the top six players, Hookey and Morton are seeded at the first and second slots, respectively.

But a youthful team has its disadvantages.

Hookey has been playing the best players from other high schools, who are been older and more experiCarson Wahl enced.

“I need to work on serves and get more aggressive [in matches],” said Hookey.

Along with participating in singles matches, Hookey plays in doubles matches alongside Morton. They have moved up to the number one doubles team for Annandale after starting the year as the number two.

“The freshmen are doing a great job,” said Scott. “The players are getting more competitive. They work hard. “They just need to believe that they can win.”

The inclement weather has factored little into the Atoms’ practices and games.

“Practice hasn’t been too bad, but we had to move matches around,” said Scott.

Although there was one missed practice, Coach Scott has been able to mop the tennis courts after rain with the help of Coach Dick Adams and student Ricky Adams, keeping practices going.

The matches against Lake Braddock Secondary School and West Potomac High School needed to be moved around because of the rain, but the Atoms have already played the rescheduled match against the Bruins. It was there first loss of the season, making their record 1-1 before the Lee match. The West Potomac game is rescheduled for Friday.

With the rescheduling, the Atoms have a busy week ahead, playing three matches in four days. This afternoon, the Atoms stay home to play the T.C. Williams Titans, who are 2-2 on the season. Tomorrow, AHS takes on the West Springfield Spartans, who are also 2-2, before finishing up the week with the rescheduled Wolverines match.

- by Walter Smith

JOE PANTHER

Unknown to a vast majority of the school, the Atoms track and field team has fielded one of its most competitive teams this season, especially in the meets so far this spring.

In their most recent meet at South County, the Atoms 4X800 relay team was again competitive. Senior Daniel Ejigu, junior Scott Plunkett, and sophomores Daniel Blasser and Michael Ejigu lead the relay team. Plunkett has also led the Atoms in the mile run.

“The 4X800 relay is a really great group and there are a lot of good people on it,” said senior Ryan Schaedel.

In the Carolyn Legard Relays at Westfield High School, the Distance Medley Relay team also did well, setting a team record with a 14:43.70 time.

“The team is doing much better this year,” said Schaedel. “However, its not as fun to run anymore, because the spring season is much more competitive.”

Individually, Atoms have a particularly strong throwing team, led by junior Emily Koppelman. This season, Koppelman has been dominant with both the shot put and the discus, recording a 32 ft. throw in shot-put and a 97 ft. throw in discus.

- by Greg Young

Junior Matt Gordon stares down a South County batter in the 21-1 loss. “We donʼt have a number two pitcher,” said Abrigo about pitchers to follow up senior Eric Bridge.

Softball slump

Soccer improves

However, their two games after the one against Falls Church were not as gratifying as their last. They faced South The girls softball team is won its first County, reigning district champions, and game against Falls Church. The 18-8 finished with a score of 0-3. Following victory comes after five losses. The team South County the team played Hayfield is struggling through their season; their with another very close loss of 0-1.

The team is trying to overcome losing current record is 1-7 and in the district a large senior their record is class from 1-3. last year, “Even including though we First-Team have lost mulAll District tiple games, we player Beth are improving Sass and Taymore and more lor Hobson. as a team”, The Lady said junior left Atoms have fielderAmanda not suffered Krause. any signifiDuring the cant injuries Falls Church to the starters, game, freshone of the few man pitcher varsity teams Isabelle “Izzy” to have this Yaroch pitched luck. an unforseen Junior starter Amanda Krause fields a softball during The vargame against practice. The Lady Atoms are 1-7 this season. sity softball the opposing team, striking out 13 batters and allow- team led by coaches Tom Grant, Abbie ing only 4 hits. At bat, Yaroch had three Kahn, David Kish, and captains Debbie McCoy, Tammy Pham, and Glenda Ngo singles.

Junior catcher Glenda Ngo had three hope to turn the team around and win doubles and a single. The Lady Atoms this week against one of Atoms’ biggest set a new record team record for most rivals, the Lake Braddock Bruins, who runs scored with their 18 runs against are currently 3-2 on the season.

Falls Church.

BY JOE PANTHER Staff Writer

said Stocker.

Team members admit that in order to win the rest of their games this season that they have to continue improving their collaborative skills throughout the season.

“We need to improve on our passing and communication, one of the reasons a lot of the goals are scored is because players on the other team are open and we aren’t communicating it very well,” said Aman.

The Atoms open their district season today away against South County at 7p.m.

Their upcoming schedule includes games against a very talented Lake Braddock Bruins, and the current defending Patriot District champions, the West Springfield Spartans. The Lady Atoms are optimistic and hope to continue playing strong for the rest of the season.

BY TIM REYNOLDS Videographer

The Atoms’ girls varsity soccer team looks to have a very promising season this year. They currently have one win, two losses, and one tie. The Atoms suffered a hard-fought loss against Yorktown, a team projected as being much stronger than AHS. Yorktown scored the first goal early against the Atoms and held the lead until Freshman Alley Adcock scored the Atoms’ only goal on a breakaway in the second half. The Atoms took the game into double overtime but allowed a goal to be scored in the last three minutes.

“It was a good game,” said freshman goalie Jane Aman, who had 23 saves.

“We had worked really hard, but it was unfortunate we lost.”

The Lady atoms are currently looking to improve in the future and winning their upcoming games.

“I think we are going to do well and be better than we have been in the past,” said freshman forward Tori Stocker.

The Atoms won their first game of the season against Falls Church and have looked very good against their other opponents.

“We work really well together and we know where Senior Katie Janssen prevents a Yorktown player from each other are in the field,” advancing the ball. The Atoms lost in overtime 2-1.

OMAR MAYASSI

Track competes at South County

Girls improve to 7-2 after beating Lee Girls lacrose beats Lee to keep perfect district record

BY SCOTT PLUNKETT Staff Writer Although the AHS girls varsity lacrosse is used to a winning tradition, this year’s start is more promising than ever.

Just a year ago the Atoms started with a record of 5-4 in their first 9 games, so with a 7-2 overall record and 2-0 in the Patriot District, the Atoms are on track for a topnotch season.

“We pass a lot and communicate really well on the field,” said sophomore varsity midfielder Kelly O’Brien. “We also have really good shooters.”

With a good collaboration of teamwork and talent the Atoms are looking strong just over halfway through the regular season. As in previous years, the Atoms dropped two close games to a solid private school program, Bishop O’Connell, by five and three goals. The Atoms show their versatility and overall strength on both offense and defense by scoring as many as 18 goals and holding competitors to as little as zero.

“Every player is working hard to strengthen our stick skills, see the field, and make good choices,” said head coach Cindy Hook. “The team is playing well with continued improvement in our transition game, better team defense, and a

TIM REYNOLDS

Michael Ejigu and Yohan Calcuttawalla run around school during practice.

In the Atoms’ last game of the Osbourn Park Tournament, AHS fell to the McLean Highlanders 10-2. The score does not accurately represent the play of theAtoms. While there were several good defensive plays, especially those of sophomore shortstop Nathan Clayton, the Atoms lacked confidence at the plate.

“We need to be more aggressive at the bat,” said Head Coach Ron Abrigo. “We didn’t come out [aggressive].”

The Atoms scored on two RBI’s in the middle of the game. The first run came in the bottom of the third inning when senior Dennis Gonzalez-Flores scored after a sacrifice fly by freshman Jake Barnes, making the score 5-1. Next, in the bottom of the fourth inning, senior Jeff Dean had a solo home run to left field, closing the gap to 5-2. But Dean’s homer would be the last run for the Atoms, who went scoreless for the last three innings.

Along with the batting difficulties, the Atoms went through several different pitchers during the game. Due to the lack of depth in pitching, several sophomores and freshmen received the opportunity to pitch. Some of these players also switch from playing junior varsity to varsity, including sophomore Nathan Reel and freshman Jordan Cowles.

“We don’t have a number two pitcher,” said Abrigo. “[The pitchers] are good, but young.

We’re still working on a pitching combination.”

The number one pitcher for the Atoms is senior Eric Bridge, who is considered one of the best in the Northern Region. He did not pitch in the McLean game but is expected to pitch at least once, or possibly twice, this week.

“He can shut other teams down,” said Abrigo.

On the young Atoms team, Coach Abrigo mentioned some of the key underclassmen starters. Freshmen Ryan Keck, Coulter Stehl, Jake Barnes, and sophomores Robert Potts, Stefan Marquardt, and Nathan Clayton are young players expected to make a large impact on the team this year and in the future. Several of these players are hoping to improve the pitching staff.

This past week was full of rain and inclement weather, but like the other sports, varsity baseball was not sidetracked.

“Weather has not been affecting practices. We have still had solid practices,” said Abrigo.

Only one game needed to be rescheduled: the game against West Potomac High School that was scheduled last Friday was played last night at West Potomac. The game finished too late to be printed this issue.

Tonight, theAtoms take on Lake Braddock Secondary School at home. The Bruins are 3-3 on the year and have wins against district opponents T.C. Williams and West Springfield.

JOE PANTHER

GREG YOUNG

BY WALTER SMITH Sports Editor

Senior Caroline Merz, 5, and freshman Kate Bermingham, 18, defend a Lake Braddock player. The Atoms beat the Bruins at home, keeping their district record spotless.

stronger passing attack.”

The Atoms have been nothing less than dominant in their wins, finishing only one game with a smaller win margin than

eight goals. The Atoms have outscored their opponents 97 to 32 in wins and with the most challenging part of their district schedule just underway, as well as the post

season rapidly advancing, the question is, can they keep it up?

“We have two wins in the District and will continue to focus on how we play, not who we play. We know that we give ourselves the best opportunity to win by playing well together, as a team,” said Hook. “We need to continue to improve our timing in settled attack, our overall communication on the field, and our ability to dictate on defense to take our game to the next level.”

The team’s youthfulness hasn’t showed at all thus far this year, and it could be largely due to the fact many of the team’s sophomores got experience last year playing at the varsity level. Many upperclassmen have been playing at the varsity level since their freshman year as well, so although appearing youthful, the Atoms youth is accompanied with great experience and talent. When year after year there are young players receiving a chance to obtain varsity experience, it offers very promising future seasons such as the current one.

The Atoms played Patriot District and Northern Region powerhouse West Springfield on Monday in a true mid season test of the team’s success and skill level. However, the game ended too late for coverage in this edition. Next, the Atoms face the Hayfield Hawks on Friday April 11, whom they have dominated in recent years. TheAtoms are hoping to start their post season play on May 5 as the top seed in the Patriot District tournament.

SPORTS

A

t

April 8, 2008

Boys Lax undefeated

17 Stars of the Future

Lacrosse at 4 -0 after a stunning comeback from 5 -1 deficit at Lake Braddock and easy 16 -3 victory against Lee

A glance at the AHS JV sports teams

BY GREG YOUNG Sports Editor

JV Boys Soccer Head Coach: Eddie LaTorre Record: 3-1-2 Players to Watch: Melvin Perla, Chistian Arteaga, Arteaga Manuel Ayala Player’s Outlook: “We are doing pretty well,” said Arteaga.

“We are working well together and our offense and midfield is strong. However, we need to talk more together when we are on the field.”

SCOOTT PLUNKETT

The perfect season fading away before their eyes during a game against Lake Braddock as they trailed 5-1, the boys LAX team easily could have folded down the stretch and given up. The Bruins were one of the top teams in the Patriot District, favored with West Springfield to win the District. It would have been a forgivable loss, as the Atoms were down one of their best attackers after an injury to senior Michael Craig. But they did not, coming back to stun the Bruins and win 10-9.

“I never had any doubts,” said senior Zach Sells. “I knew the team could pull through and that they weren’t thinking about the scoreboard.”

“I think that Lake Braddock relaxed and they didn’t apply pressure,” said head coach William Maglisceau. “Our offensive players were able to limit their mistakes as well.

The game was largely a tale of two halves. In the first half, the Atoms were largely outplayed on the offensive side of the ball, not generating enough movement nor picking up enough ground balls. The second half was a different story, as the Atoms forced the Bruins on their heels and out-willed them to a victory. If one had any doubts that the momentum had shifted in the half, all they needed to do was look at the respective benches.

The Atoms, especially in the second half, were constantly moving around and energetic, while the Bruins watched lethargically. That came to a head in the end of the game, when senior Zach Flynn put a devastating hit on a hapless Bruins defender that effectively ended any Bruins chance in the end.

“It’s a part of the sport,” said Flynn. “If you got to get something done, you just do what you need to.”

“We were playing kind of slow,” said Sells, who had three goals in the game.

“But then we starting putting goals in the net and we got fired up.”

After the Lake Braddock game, the team came into its next game heavily favored against Lee, who was 2-3 on the season. In the game, the Atoms, led by Sells and junior Max Augliere, who scored two goals apiece, won 16-3. The game proved to be a nice respite for the Atoms, as they were able to rest their entire starting lineup by the second half.

Despite the easy victory, the Atoms didn’t want to take the Lancers lightly.

“We didn’t want to relax because we have two of our biggest games of the season next week [against Hayfield and West Springfield],” said Sells.

“Lee had a bad night,” said Maglisceau. “I was definetly expecting more from

JV Girls Soccer

Senior Nick Crumpecker defends Andrew Senft of Lee from the goal. AHS is 4-0 on the year and hope to improve to 5-0 after their game against the Spartans.

Head Coach: Geordy Fister

Lee in the game.”

If the Atoms can win their two games this week, they will be favored to go undefeated on the year. They are optimistic about their chances to compete in the playoffs.

“We’d be crazy to even think like that,” said Maglisceau. “There are too many teams that can play well when we play badly to even start thinking in those terms.”

“We are looking to go into the Regional Playoffs again this year,” said Sells.

“We have 16 seniors, so this could be our one chance to compete [against some of the powerhouses around the area.]”

TheAtoms played West Springfield on Monday, but the game ended too late for coverage. For the latest coverage of the game, check www.thea-blast.org.

Record: 1-2-1

Ghods

Player Outlook: “We started off well,” said Ghods. “We need to practice more and get closer together. We pass the ball fairly well and we look for potential attackers.”

JV Girls Lax

Soccer falls to Yorktown TheAHS boys varsity soccer team set itself up with high expectations with two in a row scrimmage wins against South Lakes and Madison high school before the official season began. However, despite these successes, the team suffered losses in both of their first regular season games this year, first to Falls Church, and then to Thomas Jefferson High School.

However, after these losses the team remained highly optimistic.

“They got lucky,” stated senior mid-fielder Issa Thullah. “They were bums, they just got lucky.”

However, luck cannot be blamed entirely for a loss.

Team captain and senior Adeel Sarras blamed the loss on communication and nerves. He stated that these two areas of play would need to be improved for the team to achieve success.

“Communication is a big thing,” he says, “we got nervous to, we need tot keep our heads in the game.”

The primarily young team consisting largely of first year players showed difficulty remaining confident during play.

“It’s all part of the inexperience of our team,” says Sarras, “hopefully with more games we’ll get more confident.”

Apparently, these two losses provided all the confidence the team’s players needed because only two days after the loss to Thomas Jefferson high school, theAHS varsity soccer game won it’s first official game against Washington-Lee high school, concluding with a score of three to one.

This confidence came from experience as well as support for the younger base by the few older athletes.

“”I talk to them, just little things that let them know what they need to do,” says junior Adem Gokturk, a team captain.

Along with confidence, the team also focused on taking more shots on offense, and locking down the defense.

As a mid-fielder, senior Issa Thullah is responsible for both offensive and defensive plays.

“If I had a shot I would take it,” he said. Increasing the number of shots taken by the offense was responsible for scoring more points and maintaining a lead against Washington-Lee. This win showed the teams potential, but proved to be something other than a turn-around when Varsity soccer produced a disappointing zero to six loss to Yorktown. This loss was attributed largely to an “unorganized defense,” according to several varsity players.

“We were nervous,” says senior Werner Brito, a varsity defensive player.

In addition to this, the team arrived at the game late, and was not able to prepare for the game.

“We got there late and didn’t get to warm up or anything so we weren’t focused and went easy in the first half,” Brito explains.

While they started the season out with two disappointing losses and lost their most recent game, the team obviously showed it knows what to do to improve with a solid win against Washington-Lee. And so, despite some signs for pessimism, one should expect success with theAHS boy’s varsity soccer team in coming games throughout the season.

Final Word Sports Column

By Greg Young

At the Washington Capitals game Saturday, there was a mood that hasn’t been felt in the nation’s capital for years, excitement for hockey.

Even during the Capitals brilliant run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2000, there was never a ton of buzz around the team. They were always second fiddle to the Redskins, Wizards, and even the Nationals after they arrived. Heck, even the Stanley Cup games during the Capitals run in 2000 weren’t sold out!

But this little-team-that-could has done something amazing, a feat so remarkable, few thought it was possible: it brought hope to DC. Hope that maybe, even if this wasn’t the year for the Stanley Cup run; it was going to be a contender, a team that mattered. A team that wasn’t having another rebuilding year or another last place finish, but a team that people had to worry about every time they played.

Hope to a town that desperately needed it, a city that if you exclude D.C. United,

Record: 1-2-1

Williams

Players to Watch: Jenny Richardson, Amelia Lord, Adrienne Williams

Player’s Outlook: “We are doing really well,” said Williams. “We score well and our defense is looking really good. We need to work on our ground balls and passing, but we are probably going to have a winning record.”

JV Boys Lax Head Coach: Lam Ung Record: 4-0

Craig

hasn’t had a championship in almost one game at a time.

Also, give credit to the much-ma20 years.

Finally, the Capitals hve generated ligned George McPhee. If it wasn’t for a real buzz around the city with their his deadline deals to acquire Sergi Fedplay. The “red outs” that the team has erov, Matt Cooke, and Christobal Huet been hosting in their final three home (the best goaltender in the league in the regular season contests has blanketed last month), the Caps wouldn’t have the the Verizon Center in a sea of red, and firepower to make the remarkable run the atmosphere around the games have they did.

But in the end, let’s be serious. really been something spectacular.

The fact that the Capitals were able The credit really belongs to Alexander Ovechkin. I have some to come back from the hockey friends that are sick bottom and a 6-14-1 of hearing his name again start to the season isn’t and again, but it’s imposjust icing on the cake, sible to understate what it’s a comeback story he’s brought to the Capitals that’s comparable to this year. It would be a some of the greatest gross oversimplification to comebacks of all time say that all he does is score (the Rockies or Phillies lots of goals; he’s inspired a comebacks of last year city. It’s impossible for me both come to mind.)

There are several Alexander Ovechkin not to love someone who, after he scores a goal, literally throws people to credit for the Capitals not giving up. The first is their himself against the boards. How can coach, Bruce Boudreau. Boudreau, the you not like that type of enthusiasm team’s minor league hockey coach be- and energy?

But back up to the D.C. area for a fore he was hired to coach the Capitals, inspired the team by narrowing their second. Washington D.C. will always focus. The previous coach, Glen Hanlon, be a football town, same as most cities was primarily interested in running a in the US. But there is no good reason system, but his far-sighted foresight why people in the D.C. area cannot instead ran the Caps into the ground. embrace the Capitals as well. Several Boudreau was different, focusing on one other towns readily embrace two or even shift at a time, one period at a time, and three different types of teams, and D.C.

is no exception. I’ve heard a lot of the normal complaints about hockey: its boring, too little scoring, and you can’t see the puck. My simple question is: have you ever been to a hockey game?

No, not watched on TV, but have you actually shelled out the 20-30 dollars needed for cheap seats?

If you haven’t, then don’t talk until you have. It’s a completely different and intense experience; not like the NBA, in which the games rarely are exciting until the fourth quarter, or the NFL where if your team starts losing badly, the game loses any real excitement.

No, NHL games are intense throughout. The energy in the building is surreal, the fans constantly cheering even during stoppages of play, and there are even fights in the stands sometimes (and trust me, they happen.) Plus, the great thing with hockey is that your team is never really out of a game. Throughout a season, teams are constantly coming back from 3-4 goal deficits.

So if your one of the hockey skeptics, it’s time to convert. The Capitals are doing something truly special, and its time to overcome our typical American urges and appreciate a sport that is truly special.

Author email: gsy987@verizon.net

Players to Watch: Nick Lalande, Stephen Craig, James Rosenberger

Player’s Outlook: “The season has gone well,” said Craig. “Our teamwork is phenominal, and we have good depth in our midfield lines. However, our endurance and working with the opposite hand need work.”

JV Softball Head Coach: Cleveland Williamson

Junior forward Eduardo Meza fights for the ball against Yorktown. The Atoms are 3-3 on the year but lost the game to Yorktown, 6-0.

Ovechkin has done the impossible The

Head Coach: Bonnie Vining

COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH

BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer

Players to Watch: Aby Diop, Tania Ghods, Amanda Fouche, Miriam Oweis.

Record: 0-2

Berg

Players to Watch: Keri Berg, Samantha Dade, Alyssa Suchar, Cindy Zepeda

Player’s Outlook: “We need to work on our fielding and listening to our coaches, especially when we run the bases,” said Berg. “Every girl has a lot of potential and they play hard, but some of the play-

JV Baseball Head Coach: Terry Hiebert Record: 1-2

Reel

Players to Watch: Kevin Fields, Justin Robson, Greg Nielsen, Jordan Cowles

Player’s Outlook: “We are not doing that great,” said Reel. “We have young talent but they are inexperieinced. We need a lot more practice especially on pitching and hitting.”

All records taken courtesy of www.annandaleatoms.com

18 Which The Riches character are you?

1.WHAT IS YOUR IDEAOFAPERFECT WEEKEND? a. planning a new project b. stealing money from an old lady c. studying d. dressing up in the oposite sex’s clothing e. beating someone up f. getting out of the house 2.IF YOU COULD SUMMARIZE YOUR PERSONALITY IN ONE WORD YOU WOULD SAY: a. adventurous b. school c. intelligent d. artistic e. selfish f. misunderstood 3.YOU WOULD SUMMARIZE YOUR PAST RELATIONSHIPS AS: a. dramatic b. complicated c. informative d. interesting e. nothing compared to what I have now f. amazing 4. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE IS: a. money b. conning people c. your aspirations d. painting e. success f. happiness 4. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE THING IT WOULD BE: a. money b. your family c. knowledge d. happiness e. fame f. another family MOSTLY As:you are: Wayne Malloy. You are very ambitious and want to have everything.

You are sometimes too selfish.

MOSTLY Bs: you are Dahlia Malloy.

You are a fireball with a wild side. You get into trouble a lot but you do see how it affects others.

MOSTLY Cs:you are Di Di Malloy.

You are very intelligent and aware of your surroundings.

You use your talents in your favor.

MOSTLY Ds : you are Sam Malloy.

You are an artist and very emotional.

Life confuses you at times.

MOSTLY Es: you are Dale Malloy.

A bit violent, you are very unpredictable.

You always want to be involved in everything.

MOSTLY Fs: you are Cael Malloy.

You are the outcast in your family. You don’t feel as if you belong.

Download this mix 1. Leona Lewis— Bleeding Love 2. Usher Featuring Young Jeezy—Love In This Club 3. Ray J & Yung Berg—Sexy Can I 4.Chris Brown— With You 5. Sara Bareilles—Love Song 6. Jordin Sparks—Tatoo 7. Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain—Low 8. Rihanna— Don’t Stop The Music 9. Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major—Lollipop 10. Lil Mama Featuring Chris Brown & T-Pain—Shawty Get Loose 11. Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic— Apologize 12. OneRepublic—Stop and Stare 13. Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos—Superstar 14. Miley Cyrus—See You Again 15. Mariah Carey— Touch My Body 16. Webbie, Lil’ Phat & Lil’ Boosie—Independent 17. Alicia Keys— No One 18. Buckcherry—Sorry 19. Flo Rida Featuring Timbaland—Elevator 20. Yael Naim—New Soul

ENTERTAINMENT A The best shows you never watch t

April 8, 2008

Keeping up with the crazy Kardashians

BY AVERY ADCOCK Entertainment Editor You may cringe at the thought of another reality show, but Keeping Up With the Kardashians might just change your mind. This wild show depicts the lives of the Kardashian family, complete with bootylicious, Kim, gold-medal winning Bruce Jenner, and five other members of the Kardashian clan.

You may be asking, what makes this show different from all the others? The answer is they are hilariously funny just being themselves. Jam-packed with sex-tape scandals, football player boyfriends and dealing with two highend boutiques, the Kardashian family has more than its share of drama.

Kim, arguably the most famous member of the family, Kim, is best known for her sex-tape and amazing body. This season she is dealing with dating NFL player Reggie Bush, and all of the drama associated

with being in the public eye. Always a family person, Kim struggles to remain down to earth while helping her sisters out with the family business.

The rock of the family, Kris Jenner is the mother of six.As viewers can see, being Kim’s manager is not the easiest job in the world.As the wife of Olympic gold medalist, Bruce Jenner, Kris works furiously to keep her family out of trouble and having fun.

Still not convinced? Although already in its second season, Keeping Up With the Kardashians is better than ever. The first episodes have shadowed the inevitable success of this season. In the first couple of episodes alone, Kris has to get knee surgery after injuring herself while dancing, the sisters try to teach their younger sister about sex and growing up and Kim encounters trouble with Reggie.

Despite the critics, this show aims to change the views that everyone has of the Kardashian family. Many believe that the women are only using each other to climb to the top of Hollywood’s social ladder, however this show depicts it differently. Even though the Kardashians, minus Bruce, are famous for doing nothing, they really do care about family, and this show illustrates that.

People really do tear this family down, but the truth is they are not trying to be anything that they are not. They openly deal with the issues that have plagued their reputations, such as Kim posing for Playboy and Khloe getting a DUI. They do shocking things, but always go to their family for support. If you are looking for another Tila Tequila then this is not the show for you.

However, if you long for the days of the Osbourne’s then this show is more your style.

They don’t have to con you into watching

BY AVERY ADCOCK Entertainment Editor Thought that your family has some deeprooted secrets? Meet the Riches and you may think again. Wayne and Dahlia Malloy have been conning people since they can remember. However, it seems that they might have finally settled down, assuming the life of the preppy Riches. The so-called suburban family has a big secret: they are not the family they appear to be.

Why watch this season? The answer is simple: the Riches have finally settled down to life in suburbia, but are struggling to escaping their coning past. However, they have agreed to one last con to get enough money to never have to do it again. The question is: will their plan backfire? Dealing with criminal life may not be as easy as any of them thought and that is what makes this show so good.

In a time of Dancing with the Stars and American Idol it is nice to see an innovative show such as this one. The idea is truly creative and makes for great T.V. It makes your wonder what kinds of secrets those around you are hiding. There are always those who you have second thoughts about and this is one of those families.

Dahlia, the mother, has just returned from two years in prison and is adjusting to normal life. Dahila, who constantly is dealing with a drug problem is more accustomed to a life of crime than the others.

However, now her three children are sick of running cons and want to settle down as a normal family.

The way in which they come into being the Riches illustrates just how comical the family is. As they were traveling in their R.V. they get into an accident with the Rich family. The family dies so they decide to assume their identities.

Adjusting to life in the upper-class Lousiana community may have been hard for the Riches, but it sure is entertaining.

The Riches really is a breath of fresh air.

For those who thought their life was going to end after the Soprano’s ended, this show is definitely for you.

In the opening episode they have to deal with everything from dead bodies to drunk bosses. Even though the story lines seem to be unbelievable that is what makes them so good.

The Riches begs the question: does money really matter? Even though they have always been drifters and are always looking for new ways to make quick cash it seems that this season is in for a twist. Past characters are already showing up, and it seems that only more drama is to come.

With new spring shows taking over the lineups The Riches is one that you simply cannot miss.

Stop-Loss chronicles a soldier’s strife Ave’s Favs Entertainment Review

By Avery Adcock It is about time that someone depicted the harshness and unfair politics that are associated with the Iraq war.

Instead of simply detailing the brutality of war scenes, Stop-Loss took a new approach. It parallels the variety of emotions felt after war, with the anger of finding out you have been sent back.

Military movies have long strived to depict the reality of the hardships and turmoil that soldiers experience before and after war, however, none have depicted the Iraq war successfully. Stop-Loss is a movie in which you actually get an understanding of what soldiers have to experience after they have returned home from what most say is the scariest time of their lives. In addition to the dashing good looks of the main characters and the intertwined love story of the plot, Stop-Loss has a depth that most directors have yet to accomplish.

Stop-Loss tells the story of two longtime friends

What most agree on is the most from Texas, Sgt. Brandon King important motif of the movie: expos(Ryan Phillippe), and Steve ing the unfairness of being forbidden Shriver (Channing Tatum), to get out of service in this modern who have just returned home day draft. I previously had no knowlfrom an almost-fatal tour in edge that this happens to thousands Iraq. The two are welcomed as of soldiers every year. The film did hometown heroes and believe what it was supposed to: make you they will never have to serve think. Even though the Army said in Iraq again. Little did they that only about 7,000 of the active know, the military was about to 160,000 returning troops would be turn their world upside down. stop-lossed ,there are many skeptics When Sgt. King is stop-lossed regarding the issue . (sent back to duty) he decides Two childhood friends face the daunting task of Director, Kimberly Peirce, best to travel to Washington, D.C., readjusting to life after touring in Iraq. known for Boy’s Don’t Cry, used her to fight the ruling.

As King fights for his freedom, his fellow soldiers own life experience of dealing with her own brother’s destruggle to deal with the post-traumatic stress of fighting ployment to Iraq.The anecdotes from actual soldiers dealing in the Iraq war. The question is: will he and his fellow war with the same issues help the audience to relate.

However, I was not impressed with the ending. I don’t heroes be forced back to a place where death lurks around want to give it away, but I can say that it ends abruptly. In every corner?

If war scenes are your favorite movie pastime then addition to that, there are really is only about five minutes of Stop-Loss is not for you. The movie is based primarily on actual war scenes. Even though I am not one for gruesome the aftermath of serving in the army and adjusting back to fighting, it would have added more to the film to see exactly normal life. However, it also utilizes the shaky why these soldiers do not want to go back.

After seeing the movie, I really did sympathize for those camera effects while in combat, which can make who were forced back into duty after their contract expires. for a frustrating viewing experience.

Phillippe and Tatum are obviously blessed Although not an epic, Stop-Loss deals with a real-life issue with amazing looks, but prove they have weight that young people across America are interested in. in the acting world in this one. They both play the Texan sweethearts/heroes that you cannot easily resist.

Stop-Loss

B

Achebe trips with tribal trivialities Paul On Prose

where the last chapter left off.

Thus the story generally revolves around significant events in Okonkwo’s life. Each of these events conveys a message to the reader that provides an intricate portrait of Okonkwo’s character traits and general truths that can be applied to all lives. For instance, early in the novel Okonkwo raises a boy from a foreign land who is placed in Okonkwo’s tribe for Book Review political reasons. After three years of being a father, Okonkwo must accompany the phalanx of men that leads the boy, Ikemefuma, to his execution. In a freak twist of events, Okonkwo Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, like the best of Af- ends up being the man to bring down the marican proverbs, wastes no time in reaching its point. This chete on the boy’s neck, an action that Achebe aspect of the tale of colonial Nigeria (though the country stresses Okonkwo engaged in to show that he throughout the book goes unnamed) is probably what would not be weak in the face of duty. In anmakes the book so popular, as it is adopted into school cur- other sequence Okonkwo demonstrates the opposite traits riculums and placed on popular classics shelves. Achebe of his character, his dedication to being a father, keeps things short, and his language resembles Things Fall when he follows his daughter and the spirit carryproverbs themselves – it is straight talk that unApart ing her to a shrine, blinded by darkness, to make ravels the life of the main character, Okonkwo, sure that his daughter is not harmed, despite the without the environmental details of realism or fact that he is forbidden by the gods to do so. the constant banalities of minimalism.

The last 50 pages and five chapters of the novel The trouble is thatAchebe never seems to uncenter on the subduction of Okonkwo’s tribe, Umderstand exactly what point he wants to make or oufia, to Christian missionaries who attempt to what tale he wants to tell. The end result is that destabilize the ancient traditions of Okonkwo’s Things Fall Apart touches its readers at the end land. Achebe promotes the idea that African tribes were of each chapter (usually closed with a trenchant one-liner) too easily converted to Christian teachings, scoffing at their but confuses them whenever the next chapter picks up, as gods and religious practices that had come to be known as each introductory paragraph has very little connection to sacred when the Christians decimated resistant, neighbor-

C

ing populations.

In fact, the driving force behind each fragmental portrait of Okonkwo’s life is his singular hunger for power, as he reneges the lazy life of his father in search of greatness.

Okonkwo is the first man to support armed resistance against the Christians when they begin to invade Umoufia, and is the last to stop fighting.

However, Achebe interprets that if too many men’s lives are centered on egotistical masculinity, “things fall apart.” Okonkwo could have been a group leader; he could have fostered faith in the traditions of his African tribe and convinced his men to fight for their cause. But he was too blinded by his need for recognition that he lost in himself his connection to Umoufia, and what Umoufia meant to him. His last stand against the Christian missionaries is perhaps the ultimate struggle for his own acceptance rather than a battle for the livelihood of Umoufia, as Okonkwo realizes that he can never be considered of any worth in a white-dominated society.

Achebe’s message is one that is timeless and presented in a unique and poignant fashion, but it might have been more pleasing to the reader if the story of Okonkwo’s life was told in a series of short pieces rather than a mock-novel that feigns fluidity.

ENTERTAINMENT

A

t

April 8, 2008

Run Fatboy Run sprints home Comedy lacks humor, but compensates with appealing story line

You feel as though a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders. It is nice to relax, but if relaxing becomes being lazy the burden that you got rid of will soon return.

Dean’s List

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

We all know that money makes the world go round, but will you have enough of it to make a move across the globe? This is on your mind, but out of your hands. Its time to rest, reflect and wait.

Movie Review

By Jeff Dean Everybody knows what sells out theaters across the nation: tight spandex that hugs and exposes the curves of the body. Let’s not forget those superstars who don short shorts and tight shirts. Movies give people the glamorous side of life too: expensive suits and fancy parties. Unfortunately, this film showed only a portly 30-some-year-old man wearing these little scraps of clothing, and by the time he put on a suit, it was too late to forget the preceding image.

After shaking off those nauseating scenes, the movie realizes its goal, not as a comedy, but as a strong story about love and family. This was surprising because the previews portrayed much more of a juvenile funny movie than a movie with actual plot and emotions involved. The moments of juvenile humor in the movie produced no laughs, but perhaps that was for the best because it would have became a distraction to the actual film.

The film is about a man named Dennis, played by Simon Pegg, who foolishly left his pregnant fiancée at the altar years ago. Libby, played by Thandie Newton, is his ex and the mother of his child Jake who live in London.

Dennis has plenty of visitation righst to see Jake, that is

David Schwimmer, once a TV superstar from the mega NBC hit Friends, has been hiding behind the camera. Well not exactly hiding, because ever since the show ended in 2004 Schwimmer has been pursuing a directing career. Schwimmer claims he can do it because he is financially stable, but he says that he still will act.

Aries (March 21-April19)

Everything seems to be going your way recently. A new addition in your life has no doubt had a role in this change from monotony to harmony.

Simon Pegg stars as Dennis, an underachiever, who decides to run a marathon to win back the mother of his young son.

if he can remember to be on time to pick him up. A rare less obscure. Pegg has starred in other comedies such as feat for Dennis who has trouble committing, being reliable Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Big Nothing (where he started along side David Schwimmer). Watching this film and finishing things he started.

As if Dennis’ life living in the basement of his large was much like watching Will Ferrell star in Stranger than Indian landowner Mr. Ghoshdashtidar was not bad Fiction after seeing him in countless comedic roles. Pegg has been in many films where great acting is not enough, Libby has become involved with Whit. required, but in this more serious role he prevailed Hank Azaria plays Whit, who is everything that as an actual father figure in a serious role. While Dennis is not, responsible, reliable, wealthy and Run most strikingly of all: fit. Dennis soon realizes Fatboy Run I do not expect to see Pegg nominated for Oscar, for a B type film, he will do just fine (Hollywood that his love for Libby has not faded and begins likes the glitz and glamour in itsAmovies, Simon to struggle to keep Whit from getting both Libby Pegg is much more of a grits kind of guy). and his son Jake. The battlefield eventually beThandie Newton and Hank Azaria also star comes a city marathon, which Dennis decides in the film. Both Newton and Azaria tend to be would be the perfect way to show he can be revery selective in their work, but whenever they sponsible and finish something that he started. do show up on the screen, they are delightful to Mr. Ghoshdashtidar and Dennis’ friend Gordon help him train to prove Libby that he can be good enough watch. Dylan Moran, who has had minor roles in such England set films as Notting Hill and Shaun of the Dead, for her.

This movie, which was advertised as a comedy, was as provides most of the laughs as the quirky trainer/friend good as the previews would have lead you to believe. Except who appears trouser less far too many times in the film.

I decided to give this film a solid B because it does not it was not an interesting movie because it was funny, but because the whole concept of rooting for the average Joe try to do too much. Schwimmer directed a film with an over the tight suit, baby powder wearing man was appeal- interesting style, a good message and a classic premise ing. Director David Schwimmer, whom we all remember with a quirky plot.

Run Fatboy Run is 100 minutes long and is rated from Friends, did a surprisingly good job of extracting the PG-13 for some rude and sexual humor, nudity, language human emotions out of this very quirky plotline.

Simon Pegg did his part to help the movie and as his and smoking career continues to grow from obscurity to just slightly

B

Are black people really being profiled?

Controversial magazine cover features a primal Lebron James

BY OMAR MAYASSI Staff Writer Vogue came out with their new magazine cover for the month ofApril, it was a historic cover because it featured two superstars at the top of their game.

Lebron James, a young NBA superstar, and Gisele Bundchen, a famous model.

This historic cover is controversial for two reasons. The first is Lebron James is only the third male to ever be on the cover of Vogue and is the first African American male to ever be on Vogue, according to CNN news.

The cover features James showing his mean game face, while simultaneously grasping the lovely Bundchen’s body. This was supposed to be a photo about best bodies, but critics of Vogue have seen it as racist towards African Americans.

Vogue magazine justified this by saying that they wanted to bring out their primal instincts, but this only angered critics who believe this portrayal is purely rascists.

“I understand why this can become a controversy,” said sophomore Sean McKinney. “But it is really dumb to make it this big. I mean come this The actual mugshot of Simpson on the left, and the altered photo on the cover on the right.

Horoscopes Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18)

The

David Schwimmer

19

is not that big a deal, it’s not likeVogue intentionally did this.”

McKinney’s response has been refuted by many who have said that Vogue could have chosen form other pictures which were found inside the magazine that resembled boldness and sharpness, with no racism.

Annie Liebowitz, the photographer, is often extremely controversial, having her subjects pose in bold and unconventional ways. Liebowitz was the artist of this photo, but sometimes controversial photos can arise because of action taken after the photo is taken in 1994. Time altered the mugshot of O.J. Simpson to make it darker, which outraged many people who claimed the photo showed extreme bias.

“Why can’t we all just get along?” said junior Laura Burton. “This is so ridiculous, it’s just a magazine cover. I love all people, and I can’t seem to figure out why Vogue did this, but I’m sure it was unintentional.”

Vogue is projected to have record sales for this issue because it is a “collector’s item” or it will soon be an “antique.” But if Vogue’s sales do go up dramatically, what might stop them, or any other magazine, from doing this again?

James did say he was okay with it, so this may spark a new way of making and depicting magazine covers. A new marketable selling technique was produced through a misunderstanding and a supposed honest mistake.

But in the end Vogue has stayed as one of the top selling style magazines in the world, and shall continue to keep this trend. The only thing that can stop them now is future competition to this market. So if it Lebron James being on the cover or even Shaq being on the cover, that is enough right there to how sold the audience for million of copies.

There is no racism involved; the whole strategy is This controversial cover outraged critics who claimed that the magazine about making money. portrayed Lebron James, a young black male, as primal and thugish.

Sudoku

Taurus (April 20-May18)

You are a person who believes in internal values. There is no doubt that this is important, but you must remember that details on the outside make the very first impression.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Everybody has those days where they just feel like they are on fire and cannot be stopped. It is time to take chances because you have lady luck on your side.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

A trivial task today becomes an overwhelming nuisance. Do not add fuel to the fire.

Take a step back and take your time because rushing will not get you where you want to go faster.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

An opportunity presents itself later in the day. Chose the path less taken and take a chance. Break your old routine, and perhaps this new opportunity will lead to a new and even better routine.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)

You feel as though your professional desire for success is getting in the way of your personal success.

Romance knows no age, but you cannot take your professional opportunities for granted because those are fleeting.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

It is always harder to look in the mirror and judge oneself than to judge someone else. To fix this you remember that it is very important to not only exercise your mind, but also your body.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

It feels like another lackluster day, where you are doing the same thing over and over again.

Remember why you chose this path in the first place and that the sun will rise again tomorrow.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Directions

WWW.DAILYSUDOKU.COM

WWW.DAILYSUDOKU.COM

The objective is to fill out all the empty boxes with the numbers 1-9.

In each square you cannot reuse any number twice. In each row or column you cannot reuse any number.

Your love life has grown difficult as of late. This is not because of a lack of interest or options though. It is important to know who you can trust before making any sort of decision.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Be ready for some bad news. You will not be able to stop what is going to happen, but you can prepare yourself for this new hurdle.

20

WEEKEND

A

t

April 8, 2008

Events for the remainder of the National Cherry Blossom Festival:

SATURDAY •Southwest Airlines presents the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival® 10:00 am - Noon Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets, NW •Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Downtown DC - Penn sylvania Ave. between 14th & 10th streets

SUNDAY •Family Fun Sunday: Japanesestyle Garden Day Fee Required 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens •Patterned Feathers, Piercing Eyes: Edo Masters from the Price Collection 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

To read more about Caroline Merz’s trip to the National Cherry Blossom Festival go to:

Upcoming Concerts

Cherry Blossom festival blooms throughout city

BY CAROLINE MERZ Weekend Editor When entering the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between March 23 and April 19, the city appears to have an overwhelmingly large amount of tourists. As you get closer, kites fill the air, and while peering over towards the Tidal Basin, it would seem as though the trees have received a fresh blanket of snow with a slight tint of pink.

Since 1935, the National Cherry Blossom Festival has been held to commemorate the 1912 gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo of 3,000 cherry trees. The trees were presented as a symbol of the growing relationship between Japan and the United States.

Twelve years later, American school children reenacted the planting of the first trees which established the first Cherry Blossom Festival in 1935.

Japan continued to send over 3,800 trees to the States, which were accepted by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Due to a flood in Japan, Japanese horticulturists used cuttings from the trees in the U.S. to help replace Yoshino Cherry Trees.

The trees are spread along three national park locations in the city: the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, in East Potomac Park and on the Washington Monument grounds.

Though named “cherry” trees, the trees are not fruit-bearing, but tend to have white and pink blossoms.

Today, over a million people from all over the world travel to view the cherry blossoms between mid-March and early April. The ceremony is not only in celebration of the blossoms and our friendship with Japan, but the commencement of spring. There are over 90 different events with partnership from over 30 different organizations.

Everyday, visitors can experience over 150 cultural performances, and other activities that include fireworks, demonstrations, sports competitions and exhibits filled with Japanese artwork. Mostly all of the festival is free and it is held all over the city of Washington, and is available to everyone. Performances may be viewed at three major locations: the Parade, the Stage at the Tidal Basin and the Union Station Stage.

For more information on the blossoms, the National Cherry Blossom Foundation (NCBF), holds tours that travel the grounds of the trees on Mondays and Fridays during the week, and both Saturday and Sunday on the weekends. Tours provide visitors with “the stories and secrets behind the delicate blossoms during a walking tour featuring not only cherry trees, but also noteworthy arboreal cousins,” as reported by the Washington Post.

A unique experience is the bike-tour hosted by the National Park Rangers. Visitors must provide their own bikes, bike helmets and water, but are guaranteed a truly individual tour, each tour being advertised as a little bit different.

Other tours given are the Cherry Chit-Chat Runs, lantern tours, paddle boat rides

GUS NIELSEN

•20th Annual George Washington Invitational Regatta 12 - 5 pm - Saturday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thompson Boat Center •Target Tidal Basin Stage –Cultural Performances Begins at Noon - Held Daily Jefferson Memorial •The Blossoms Secrets Stroll Fridays at 10:00 a.m.; Saturdays & Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Meet at Metro Stations •National Conference of State Societies Grand Ball/ Sushi Reception 6:00 p.m. - 11:59 p.m.

Grand Hyatt at Washington Center

GUS NIELSEN

FRIDAY

This stone was placed by the tidal basin commemorating the first Cherry Blossom trees planted, presented by the city of Tokyo on March 27, 1912.

around the tidal basin, Cherry Blossom Photo Safaris and interpretive programs.

The most exhilarating part of the entire festival is the parade which draws over 100,000 spectators in itself. It will take place on Saturday, April 12, and goes along the historic Constitution Avenue. This year there are many performers that will be present, including Disney’s Keke Palmer from Akeelah and the Bee, Ugly Betty Star, Mark Indelicato, American Idol finalistAnwar Robinson, MissAmerica 2008, Kristen Haglund, and Kathy Sledge along with many others.

Along with famous performers, there is a large amount of other attractions to view during the parade. Such are multiple high school and college marching band performances, the Cherry Blossom Queens, the NationalAll-Star Tap Dance Team, giant balloons, floats and antique cars, and dance and drum routines from the U.S. and Japan.

Also on the 12th, experience the street festival, going on from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The experience of Japanese culture will embrace each guest, exposing them to origami, sushi and traditional dances.

The festival began on March 23 and it will end this weekend, April 12. Parking is limited but it is only a short walk from the Smithsonian Metro station.

All Time Low & The Rocket Summer

Keith Urban & Carrie Undewood Wed., April 9 1st Mariner Arena 7:30 p.m.

Price: $43 - $73

Visitors stroll along the grounds of the National Mall, viewing the brilliant display of Cherry trees; the festival attracts more than a million tourists to Washington, D.C. every year.

What’s On The Menu Restaurant Guide

By Caroline Merz

Qdoba

The Starting Line

Sun., April 20 9:30 Club 7 p.m.

Price: $20

Sara Bareilles

Mon., April 28 9:30 Club 7:30 p.m.

Price: $16.50

A couple paddle-boats in the tidal basin, close to the shore. Other ways to get tours and information on the trees is through ranger-guided tours, bike tours and the Cherry Chit-Chat Runs.

Familiar with nearly AHS students, the Chipotle restaurant, located all over the metro area, is one of the most popular burrito joints around. They are known for their monstrous size burritos and fresh chips and salsa…but have they encountered a new competitor?

As described by a few frequent customers, the Mexican grill, Qdoba, is just like a “Chipotle on steroids.” Their burritos are almost exactly on par with Chipotle’s but there is a catch –they came first!

It was founder Anthony Miller who opened the first Qdoba in 1995 in Denver. Chipotle opened four years later. Today there are over 400 restaurants stretching from Pacific to theAtlantic, with the most accessible being in Washington, D.C. Qdobais a bit of a hike but it is definitely worth the extra money for a Metro ticket. It is easy to enjoy while spending the day in the city. From personal experience, while hanging out on the National Mall, the nearest Chipotle is an easy 30 minute walk. Spare yourself and head to Qdoba, which is a more convenient and heartier option.

When entering the restaurant, it is the same setup as Chipotle. A line is formed starting at the door and you travel down the counter, choosing your favorite toppings from their line of fresh ingredients.

A young woman finds a place along the edge of the Tidal Basin to stop and sketch the view in front of her. Despite the crowds, it is possible to find a serene spot along the water.

An extremely friendly atmosphere, there are lots of fun and bright colors that fill the walls, and old-school pop songs can be heard in the background, which is entertaining for those who grew up with the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.

Aside from all of the extra décor, the most important excuse to go to Qdoba is for their abundance of food. Yes, they have their signature jumbo-size burritos and fresh nachos but it is the rest of the menu that sets them apart from all of the others.

First and foremost, they do other five signature burritos, but there is no limit to what can and cannot go on your individual plate. You can fasten your eyes on your meal as it is being prepared and cooked right in front of you, to assure each meal is ordered accurately and to each customers wish –this includes the quesadillas, nachos and salads.

Qdoba is a fairly new chain to hit the east coast, with its establishment originally on the west coast. In Colorado it was named one of the top 15 inexpensive restaurants, and it was named the “Best Burrito” by the Denver Post.

The nachos Qdoba has to offer take the nachos of Chipotle to a new level. They are covered with every vegetable and topping, with your choice of meat. They are piled high on fresh made tortilla chips, and are a very filling choice for the hungry D.C. adventurer.

As your burrito is made before your eyes, a galnce upwards offers a glimpse into the fiery kitchen of Qdoba. The chefs grill and sautee the ingredients of your food as you watch, then hand it down to the “burrito artists.”

The service is speedy, itent on getting you out of line and eating your food as soon as possible. Should you come to Qdoba and see a large line, don’t fret; the wait is never too long, and the food is definitely worth the wait.

Just two blocks from the Metro Center Metro stop, the restaurant is easily accesible from all over the D.C. area. A short walk towards the Capitol from the Mall will have you feeling as though you have just walked into Little Mexico.

Also nearby is the ESPN Zone, a great place to hang out and play games as you wait to digest the giant portion of

The Washington Monument is surrounded by the beautiful blossoms which reached their peak last Tuesday.

GUS NIELSEN

Wed., April 9 9:30 Club 6:30 p.m.

Price: $13.50

Qdoba Mexican Grill closely resembles the Metro areaʼs latest hit, Chipotle, but has much more to offer. Aside from enormous burritos, they offer quesadillas, nachos, and an array of salads that are all cooked right in front of you.

food you have just consumed.

Qdoba is reasonable price for the quality of food you are recieving. Prices are the same, if not better than those of Chipotle’s, about $5 for a burrito.

Rumor has it, there will be a new store opening in the Fairfax area very soon.

Location: 3303 M Street NW Washington, DC 20007 202-342-3360

Food: Service: Decor: out of 4 stars