Issue 4

4

News

10-11

features several students’ Homecoming experiences

Entertainment

presents an exclusive interview with country superstar, Hunter Hayes

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Restricted access Students find ways around blocked websites on devices

By Sandra Webb Staff Writer

NGAN PHAM

Due to the school cancellations on Oct. 28 and 29, The A-Blast had to push the distribution of this issue back to Nov. 7. As a result, several pages were completed before the storm, which is why much of the content in this issue is not up-todate, such as election coverage and sports scores.

features an inside look at a sophomore that runs marathons

18

Annandale High School

the Editor’s note: Hurricane Sandy impacts The A-Blast distribution

Sports X-tra

Photo

In-Depth

provides an focuses on inside look at the 2012 the WAT store presidential election

VOLUME #57 ISSUE 4

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Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube videos, such as “Gangnam Style,” have all been blocked on AHS computers in school.

Several students have already found ways of getting around these restrictions in order to access these sites during class.

“Your organization’s Internet use policy restricts access to this web page at this time.”

This message pops up on phones, iPods, and computers all over AHS, but students need only to type in a few extra symbols, like the added “s” in “https,” and they have access to the blocked content. No one seems to know why the administration sets up these barriers, especially when they are so easily navigated.

Although many students are frustrated, AHS filters the Internet because it is required to do so by federal law under the Children’s Internet Protection Act. FCPS is obligated to follow certain regulations since the county receives yearly funding through the E-rate program, which provides financial aid to libraries and K-12 schools in the United States. Schools that receive these benefits must have an Internet Safety Policy restricting websites that present inappropriate “Restricted” continues on page 5

Where is the respect? Senior to lead

10

The number of ways students can take to survive the Black Friday madness See page 14

42

The number of German exchange students that stayed with choral families See page 7

5,607

The number of Youtube subscribers that junior Megan Dinh has See page 6

60K

The number of teachers that the French president wants to bring to their education system See page 12

Students rock the vote On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read about students voting for the first time in the 2012 elections.

By Gwen Levey Co-Editor in Chief

By Colleen Adenan Co-Editor in Chief Baby powder and flour is thrown into the air.

A fight almost breaks out after a volleyball game.

School spirit is alive and present, but has it been taken too far?

“As a student, I do see how we’ve gotten a little crazy at sporting events,” senior Jenny Ha said.

“I feel bad when we cheer against the other team, but we never mean it because it’s just a joke.”

With name-calling and jokes about appearances, negative cheering has always been present in the student section. Some worry that this year’s students have become too obnoxious.

“I definitely think parents get uncomfortable when we direct mean cheers to the other team,” junior Eric Mejean said. “I’ve seen some nasty looks in our direction because of some of the comments we make.”

At the recent Play for the Cure volleyball game against West Potomac, the student section and West Potomac players were yelling insults towards each other. After the game, a fight almost broke out between fans and the players after taunts at the opposing team were taken

too far. The conflict continued later as students and players from both schools exchanged hateful Twitter posts. One AHS student tweeted, “The West Pot volleyball team gets served on and off the court #embarrassing.” The next day, AHS and West Potomac administrators investigated the situation and felt that both parties dealt with it appropriately.

Head volleyball coach Jan Austin was not aware of the events after the West Potomac volleyball game.

“I didn’t hear anything until I came into school

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Gordon Brown are just a few of the many innovators who have had the opportunity to give a prestigious TED talk to a room full of eager listeners. This month, however, AHS senior Marwa Eltahir will appear on this lengthy list of big names as part of a branch of TED: TEDx. TEDx talks are extensive lectures that are usually given by scholars: experts in their field of knowledge.

The discussions are mainly centered around social and global issues, bringing awareness to the topics presented and educating the public in a comprehensive way. These talks are livestreamed through the TEDx website worldwide and are used as teaching tools in classrooms internationally.

Eltahir received the opportunity to give an eight minute lecture on the topic of the Referendum between Northern and Southern Sudan through the non-profit organization One World Education in Washington, D.C. In March, Eltahir was one of hundreds of students from around the D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland areas to submit a reflection to the organization arguing the

“Sportsmanship” continues on page 5

“TEDx Talk” continues on page 5

The act of “powder throwing” at a white-out was banned by FCPS after AHS students did it at a Woodson football game.

Theater takes on War of the Worlds 15 drama students part of international radio broadcast

By Gwen levey Co-Editor in Chief H.G. Welles’ timeless story of a war between aliens and the human race was fed through radios on Halloween night at 11 p.m. and 15 AHS theater students made up its broadcast.

The theater department received the opportunity to perform War of the Worlds on the radio show “Broadway Bound” with Chris Alan when Alan heard that AHS would be putting on the show Greater Tuna for its fall play on Nov. 8, 9, and 10.

Alan is the host of the radio show, which is comprised of doing profiles of high school shows around the Northern Virginia area. Being a fan of Tuna due to its radio broadcasting elements, he presented the opportunity of doing a Halloween broadcast of Welles’ tale to theater director George Bennett a few weeks ago.

“People were calling in [to Alan’s show] with enthusiasm about us doing Tuna and he offered us the opportunity to do War of the Worlds when he heard all of the positive feedback about our fall show,” Bennett said. “I had a minor in radio T.V. in college, so I love this opportunity!”

A group of 15 students comprised of students enrolled in several of Bennett’s theater classes,

COURTESY OF KEVIN TRAN

5

The number of tips students can take for an effective study break See page 9

Marwa Eltahir gives talk on Nov. 17 in Washington, D.C.

SARAH BERGEN

By the numbers

TEDx talk

Several disruptions in fan behavior question sportsmanship

Senior Kevin Tran begins to record his role for the broadcast. “My character is very energetic, so it will be cool to see its outcome,” Tran said. Bennett filmed many parts of the broadcast and will have copies on CD’s for anyone who is interested in listening.

including IB theater, have been recording the broadcast for the past few weeks at Alan’s studio.

Alan has been professionally producing the show with a catalogue of effects that will give the show the realistic effect that the script requires.

“I’m feeling really excited about doing this radio broadcast,” senior Laura Hackfeld said. “It is a really unique opportunity.”

Another factor that makes this radio broadcast of War of the Worlds so unique is that several of the main characters names have been changed to names

of AHS faculty and staff. This was done to get more students and faculty engaged in listening to the broadcast on Halloween night.

“I played Professor Bennett, the last surviving human on earth,” Hackfeld said. “This was a great sneak peak for the fall play, so I hope a lot of people tuned in on Halloween night.”

To hear the full show if you missed its Halloween air date, log onto www.FairfaxRadio.com and listen in to see which faculty and staff members became part of the show.

2 Why do you support presidential candidate, Mitt Romney?

“I think his ideas on how to get the economy going are more trustworthy.”

— Tabitha Barnes freshman

“He has common sense and he is knowledgeable about his arguments.”

— Jackey Mendez junior

“Obama did not say what he said he would do for the past four years.”

— Amanda Villfana junior

EDITORIALS

Nov. 7, 2012

Romney 2012 for America

BY JAMES BARKER Special Columnist Regardless of the outcome of the election on Nov. 6, the choices made that day will affect the next four years.

The very idea that a country can have a change of political power without violence or murder is amazing.

Yet of all of the elections that have taken place, this is one of the most important. The national debt has plummeted in the last four years and both candidates are telling the country how they will fix this problem, as well as many others faced by our country. Our economy is crumbling and our foreign policy is suffering. It is time for new leadership.

Mitt Romney is a businessman. He has run businesses and knows the field of economy and commerce. The U.S. is an industry machine. We are known throughout the world as a powerhouse for business, but we have been suffering greatly.

Under President Barack Obama, the national debt has been raised by over $5 trillion. When Obama was running for election back in 2008, he promised the people that he would reduce the debt by 50 percent by the end of his first term, according to The Chicago Tribune. Back when he made that promise, the debt was $11 trillion.

That means he promised to make the debt go to $5.5 trillion. That did not happen.

Romney promises to reduce the debt in many ways, including his tax plan. Throughout his campaign, he has been focusing on the reduction of corporate tax rates.

The U.S. has one of the world’s highest tax rates on corporations at 35 percent, according to Mitt Romney’s campaign page.

Corporations are what keep this country running.

Without them, the unemployment rate would skyrocket.

The issue that people have with these corporations is that they are getting their employees from overseas. The tax rate is cheaper there, so they save money. Yet, this is

Romney’s Strengths - His tax plans are stronger than Obama’s - He wants to improve corporations within America in order to help American citizens - He wants to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent -He wants to support states in pursuing Right-to-Work laws -He wants to repeal Obamacare to reduce economic burdens -He wants to require spending cuts of $500 billion per year in 2016

killing jobs in America.

Obama wants to keep this tax rate on the corporations, but Romney wants to cut the tax rate down to 25 percent.

Romney’s plan is to reduce the tax so that these large businesses will hire domestic workers. This will reduce the unemployment rate and help end outsourcing.

President Obama promised a lot back in his campaign of 2008. He has not fulfilled most of those promises. The economy is still in the dumps, the unemployment rate is still high and not many people are in a better economic situation then they were four year ago. Obama has done nothing. He was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for no reason at all. He didn’t much anything in his past four years.

Many people blame the Bush years on the economy of

today. However, they trusted Obama to fix these problems. I know that he only had four years to achieve his goals, but he promised to achieve them by the end of his first term. So, in other words, Obama flat-out lied to the people of America. He promised to fix them, knowing full well what he was facing, but it never happened.

When a football team has a losing record for four years in a row, what do you do? You hire a new coach.

The team fires the old, losing coach, and you get a new coach to see if he can do any better.

It is time for a new president. It is time for people to put aside their party affiliations and do what is best for America. It is time to elect Romney.

Believe in America.

Poor treatment at Petland Puppies are mistreated and malnourished at Petland locations

“I support Mitt Romney because he is pro-life.”

— Alexa Hines senior

“The way he governed Massachusetts was successful and the way he presents his healthcare plan is superior to Obama’s.”

— Justice Garrish senior

— Compiled by Melanie Bennett

QUOTE COLLECTION The A-Blast wants to hear your opinion. Your response to the following question might be featured in our quote collection:

What is your opinion about the amount of media attention given to teen suicide?

E-mail your responses to ablast.editorials@gmail.com

You walk in, and the first thing you see is a small puppy confined to a glass box, asleep and surrounded by its own feces with a single ratty toy in the corner.

Welcome to Petland.

Petland is a chain of stores located all over the U.S., most well known for their availability of different breeds of puppies and kittens. For around 38 years, Petland’s mission has claimed to supply buyers with the perfect pet for their family while decreasing the number of abandoned and kenneled dogs throughout the country.

In the past, Petland has been connected with the sale of puppies that are bred in puppy mills. Puppy mills are commercial farming operations in which purebred dogs are raised in large numbers.

When a phone call was made to Petland headquarters, there was no answer and an email of contact is not supplied on the Petland website.

Often, these puppy mills consist of massive amounts of small metal cages in warehouse like settings, filled with between ten to fifteen female dogs who are raised to live in these cages and provide breeders with puppies at a rate that is not natural for these mother dogs’ bodies.

According to Brian Winslow, the Director of Animal Welfare Education for Petland, “Petland has a policy that limits Petland stores to the sale of puppies that come from one of the following sources: breeders that are licensed with the United States Department of Agriculture and that have not had any direct violations on their most recent

JOE SEHRER

BY DESTINY GAMMON AND CHLOE LOVING Editorials Editor and Photo Editor

Puppies sold at Petland are confined to small glass boxes where they recieve little to no human interaction on a daily basis and this lack of interaction affects puppies long-term.

inspection report; small hobby breeders; and local rescue and adoption puppies.”

Despite promises, studies such as those conducted by the United States Humane Society link more than 95 percent of puppies sold in Petland stores to puppy mills.

Two Petland stores were documented buying puppies from the facility of a convicted puppy mill operator, Kathy Bauck who was convicted of three counts of animal torture and one count of animal cruelty.

Even after the USHS revealed a list of named puppy mills, Petland was still associated with these mills and the young dogs were shipped over 700 miles to Petland locations all over the nation.

Once these puppies arrive at Petland, their lives only get worse. Recently, we visited the Petland location in Fairfax with a few friends and we were greeted by a saddening sight. The store had just received a new “shipment” of puppies.

CORRECTIONS

Staff

Vol. 58, Issue 3: –– On page 1, Principal Vincent Randazzo’s name was mispelt ‘Viincent’.

––On the rail of page 2, Jamie Carryanis is an administrator, not a senior.

––On page 5, Chorus director Jessica Irish was called ‘Stephanie Irish’

Election predictions On your smartphone, scan the QR code to watch a video about student predictions for the results of the 2012 election.

These small creatures are treated like handbags, put behind glass to be judged by onlookers and purchased for ridiculous prices. As we were observing the young puppies so full of life trapped in small containers, we began to cry and thought of what the poor animals have gone through. We looked at each other and asked, “How can people support this?”

The cashier heard us and quickly came over. He looked around the crowded store and came close to our faces. “You can leave now,” he said sternly. We looked around in confusion as to why we were being kicked out of the pet store.

We asked him to be reasonable because we were only observing the animals with our friends. He told us he would call the cops if we did not leave. “Take your friends with you.”

Why was this man so defensive over a small side comment we made to each other? Obviously Petland has a lot of secrets to hide.

They wouldn’t want anyone in the store to hear the truth. Petland does not see animals as potential family members or even growing animals who need love and nurture. They see them as a paycheck. The animals are overpriced, and Petland robs the animals of happy lives and people out of thousands of dollars.

As we were voluntarily leaving the store, we turned back and saw the back room door was open. We saw a young pit bull puppy in a small carrying crate like the ones used for airport travel, but it was much too small for the growing dog.

The puppy was scared and frantic. To be so young and innocent and neglected in such severe ways is inhumane.

According to Forbes, puppies can range from $900 to $2,000. Oftentimes, these dogs are not neutered or spayed, nor have they received shots vital to a young dog’s health, such as basic antibiotics that protect the dogs from the many dangers of living so closely to other dogs as they do in the Petland facilities.

Many of the puppies sold from Petland and other pet stores like it tend to have an increased chance of lifelong illness and disability.

One of the biggest illnesses associated with pet store puppies is known as Kennel Cough. Kennel Cough is a highly contagious canine illness characterized by inflammation of the upper respiratory system and is a frequent contributor to puppy deaths in stores such as Petland.

Many Petland puppies are also afflicted with abnormal bone structure and must receive frequent surgeries throughout their lives due to cramped spaces that do not increase in size as the puppy grows, as well as a lack of exercise in the dog’s formative years.

Despite Petland’s so-called mission of keeping animals out of shelters, they abuse the dogs in their own facilities. It is wrong to support a heartless program that holds no concern for animals’ lives.

Editors In Chief: Colleen Adenan Gwen Levey Managing Editor: Ngan Pham Editorials Editors: Destiny Gammon Omnia Saed News Editors: Dana Filipczyk Christine Tamir People Editors: Kate Grandchamp Carli Loeb Health Editors: Kylee Nisker Art Editors: Abby Barnes Carina Chu

Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, Virginia 22003 email: theablast@gmail.com

Academics Editors: Berta Tarqui In-Depth Editors: K.L. Hoang Noah Fitzgerel International Editors: Joe Sehrer Shamaim Syed Photography Editors: Priya Adhikary Chloe Loving Lifestyles Editors: Gaby Camilli Megan Flynn Sports Xtra Editors: Ayah Oweis Sports Editors: Jarod Golub Betsy Kruse

Vol. 58 No.4 Nov. 7, 2012 fax: (703) 642-4299

Entertainment Editors: Sarah Bergen Emily Blank Weekend Editors: Andrea Melendez Rowan Shartel Ad Manager: Stephanie Allshouse Circulation Manager: Hannah Carlson Copy Editors: Stephen Oakes Patricia Webb Web Editor: Rachel Wilson Web Staff: Jared Lefbom Head Photographer: Olivia Lafferty

Head Videographer: Nadia Elgendy Staff Writers: James Barker Yesenia Blount Bayley Brill Thien Mai Nuhami Mandefro Sarah Metzel Omar Haddou Erin Johnson Megan Ryan Mark Slough Shira Steinberg Alec Stewart Jonathan Telda Sandra Webb Elizabeth Zernick

Photographers: Melanie Bennett Katherine Bonilla Tiffany Huynh Erin Johnson Videographers: Medhane Berihun Hiwot Daniel Alejandra Iriarte Alex Lewis Habib Khalid Laelle Mekonen Amir Mohammed Fahmi Mohammad Rahel Tecle 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, 2012.

Editorials

Nov. 7, 2012

Obama 2012 for America

By Omnia Saed Editorials Editor

It’s an election year, a fact that’s pretty hard to miss as flyers are passed out, signs are firmly planted in front yards and doorknockers become a recurring nuisance. There seems to be a clear choice on who should win – or, should I say, regain – the presidency.

As we watch the presidency battle this year, we have to ask ourselves who is the best choice.

I want a president who is first and foremost worried about my well being. I’m only 16, but I know the struggle my parents go through as part of a hardworking middle class family trying to raise three children.

When the President took office in 2008, the U.S. was losing over 750,000 jobs per month and slowly spiraling for the worse. Although you may not like the economy’s position at present, it can’t be denied that it has improved since the President took office. With the unemployment rate below eight percent, let’s not forget that the dragging economy is the outcome of almost a decade of bad decision-making: it will, and SHOULD, take time to fix it.

For the middle-class specifically, the President has saved families an average of $3,600 in taxes; Governor Romney’s tax plan doesn’t even come close.

It bewilders me that Mitt Romney is even considered as a possible greater candidate than the current president. Yes, I can understand the frustration with a slowly recovering economy, but giving the presidency to someone who lacks an actual basis to his tax plan doesn’t seem to be the right choice. And with Speaker of the House who has publicly declared to “reject the word” compromise, there is a clear blockade for the President to surmount.

The governor’s so-called “plan” is mathematically impossible. Romney has repeatedly stated that he will balance the budget, cut taxes for some parts of the middle class and raise spending on defense.

How does he plan on accomplishing this great feat, you may ask? By simply finding loopholes and wasteful spending in our budget. It sounds great - that is, if he could bend the rules of basic math. Including cuts to funding for the Public Broadcasting Service (yes, that includes Big Bird and Sesame Street), Romney’s plan is, according to The Tax Policy Center, mathematically unmanageable.

In reality, there aren’t enough loopholes that will offset the amount needed to close the deficit and the costs of everything the governor has promised. In order to truly cut the deficit and implement his plan of reducing the tax rate by

Obama’s Strengths - There have been over 30 months of job growth with the unemployment rate dropping below 8 percent

By Bayley Brill and Megan Ryan Staff Writers While you’ve waited in line at the grocery store, chances are your eyes have glanced over the magazine section. You’ve probably admired how beautiful the models on the cover of the magazines are, and wished you looked just like them.

The problem is, you can’t.

Not because it’s impossible, but because the models themselves don’t look the image that appears on the cover.

Almost every major magazine uses Photoshop, but that’s starting to change.

After an anti-Photoshop movement from the readers of Seventeen magazine, the publication released a statement saying they would limit photoshop use.

- The President has cut taxes for working Americans and has saved the average middle-class family $3,600 in taxes

— Meg Hua

sophomore

- Obama has doubled funding for Pell Grants and has established a college tax credit - He signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

“Obama is my boy because he plays golf.”

- Ended the war in Iraq and plans to bring our troops in Afghanistan home by 2014 20 percent, taxpayers who make more than an average of $200,000 would undoubtedly have to see a tax cut. Taxes currently only paid by 1 percent of the nation will no longer be considered necessary, while 95 percent will inevitably see an increase.

I want a president that understands my aspirations as a high school student and as a part of our future generation when it comes to higher education: not all of us can “borrow money from our parents.”

In the last four years, Barack Obama has stopped the student loan interest rate from doubling and suppressed the federal student loan repayment at ten percent.

Those struggling students are apart of the so-called 47 percent, “who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them” – that is, according to the Governor.

It must be quite easy to rant about the reliance of almost half of the country on welfare when your tax rate is only 14 percent of your multi-million dollar income. But the so-called “47 percent” refers to those making less than that which can be taxable, senior citizens who have paid off their mortgage and make less than $20,150 (jointly) a year, and a majority of college students working part-time jobs.

Ironically, Romney, who at first stood behind his remarks, quickly recanted: he stated that his comments were “completely unacceptable,” which is something we seem to hear a lot of.

I want a president that’s reliable.

As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney was a pro-choice, health-reforming Republican moderate. Now, in the past year, we have observed a completely different person: a strong conservative

Soon after, Glamour magazine followed suit.

Honestly, this is the single greatest movement to happen in our generation.

We live in a time where girls, especially, have unlimited access to hundreds of thousands of pictures of their favorite actress or singer, and that isn’t always a good thing.

Yo u n g g i r l s c a n l o o k a t a photoshopped picture and think that, because they aren’t as skinny or their skin isn’t as perfect, they’re ugly or they aren’t pretty enough.

All of those negative thoughts can lead to eating disorders or other methods of self-harm.

Magazines try to make the models perfect, tricking teenage girls into thinking that you have to be flawless to be beautiful.

B u t n o w, w h e n g i r l s r e a d Seventeen or Glamour magazine, they can actually see what “real” girls look like.

The models are no longer photoshopped into a size zero, with absolutely clear skin, and those perfect, eye-capturing eyes I know you and I have both always admired.

With this bold move, Glamour and

with strict values and views that stands completely opposed to those of the president. If our president will have the country’s future in his hands or is faced with quickly enacting an executive decision, I don’t want someone who lacks conviction to decide.

I want a president that’s looking out for America’s best interests. Most importantly, I want a president that understands the role we play as a nation internationally.

Obama has one of the most successful foreign policies of any American president in recent years. His so called “apology tour” last fall was a successful initiative by the president to tell the Muslim world that America isn’t targeting their religion - a misconception shared by many. The president has pulled troops from Iraq, and, most prominently, made the call to take down Osama Bin Laden.

Meanwhile, Romney, after the third day of his world tour, infamously made foreign headlines: “Mitt the Twit” became the cover story for leading British front pages, exposing his failure abroad.

Maybe the most influential reason I believe in President Barack Obama is because of his rise to presidency. I want a president that embodies the American dream, a story a majority of Americans can relate to. Both he and his wife exemplify the outcome of hard work: they are two people who didn’t come from a wealthy background, but worked to get accepted into the nation’s top educational institutions and have left their respective marks on history.

America needs someone who understands what the majority of American people are going through.

This is not a company; it’s a country that needs to be led, not run. It is a country that needs to be led by President Barack Obama.

Seventeen are relating to their readers more effectively since the models and celebrities are looking like real, common people. These young teenage girls will have someone to look up to who isn’t fake or edited.

Now, teenagers are being shown what the models actually look like.

They aren’t a size zero - they might be a 2 or a 4, and that’s okay.

They might not have the most dazzling eyes in the world, but that’s who they are, and they’re embracing it.

Now it’s time for girls to start thinking in this mindset, too.

Unfortunately, most girls’ minds have already been tainted with the subliminal messages

photoshopped models have sent to them, and those ideas will forever be embedded in their minds.

It might take a while, but slowly, we might be able to get the idea of what a “perfect” girl really is.

If even more magazines follow Seventeen a n d G l a m o u r ’s initiative, we might finally be able to erase misconceptions of beauty we’ve come to know in this day and age.

Then, finally, the idea of just being yourself – and embracing it – will prevail.

Amanda Todd, 15, gains unwarranted national fame after ending her life

By Khadra Said and Nadia Elgendy Special to the A-Blast

15-year-old Amanda Todd posted a YouTube video against her tormentors and a few weeks later committed suicide.

Again, however, Todd found herself in trouble after “hooking up” with an old friend who she had thought had actually liked her. This “old friend’s” girlfriend found out, and came to Todd’s school with a group of friends and proceeded to physically abuse her. Todd described the event to be tormenting, and that she had never felt so alone in the world. Like most victims of bullying, she felt she had lost hope, and began to believe she really was worthless.

Some argue that Todd brought this upon herself: she flashed the men and she slept with another girls boyfriend. On the other hand, others argue she was a helpless girl who wanted

— Kyle

Goettlicher sophomore

“He helps the lower and middle classes.”

— Mohamed Ibrahim junior

“He understands the younger generation better.”

— Mustafa Elrayah junior

“Obama knows what he is talking about. Romney’s speeches are repetitive.”

— Kayla Elahi junior

Trending Topics

Atoms Spirit AHS showcases an increasing amount of school spirit as Homecoming comes to an end

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION OF JUNIOR, AMELIE TRIEU

Teen suicide needs to stop gaining fame

Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old Canadian committed suicide after a prolonged battle of being bullied online by her peers. Not long before her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube that went viral, where she described her story in full extent, showing the world that she was strong, not bidding for attention.

What started off as a joke on webcam with a bunch of friends messing around with random guys soon escalated when Todd was asked to “flash” the guys, and she obliged, not realizing that this tiny mistake would haunt her for the rest of her life. From what Todd explains in her video, one of the men soon began to stalk her and demanded that she “put on a show” for him, or he would distribute her pictures on the Internet, and to the community. Todd did not reply and brushed it off. Soon, she began seeing her topless photos everywhere around her. She was bullied, mocked and had lost all face with her peers, and her parents moved to a different city in hopes of starting a new life.

Why do you support presidential candidate Barack Obama?

“I agree with [his stance] on women’s rights.”

Photoshopping the definition of beauty Seventeen Magazine and other leading chains have decided to stop altering covers

3

attention, and like most kids her age, wasn’t thinking of the consequences.

The main question is, however, is if all this attention justified?

Another girl committed suicide at around the same time as Todd; she was a studious person, played sports and was loved by everyone in her community for her kind heart, but struggled with depression. Nevertheless, was anything heard about her in the media? Nope.

So what does that say about the society we live in? Do we feed off the negative?

Absolutely. Many girls have committed similar promiscuous acts, and have received praise for it.

Many girls in high schools have a higher status among guys because they are known for being more likely to give sexual favors to them. No matter what the perception of someone’s actions are, it will always be based off of adverse action.

There is no awareness of the consequences of suicide, our children do not understand that it is not the answer. The key to suicide prevention would be offering a better alternative. The value of talking to someone and getting proper help has been undermined.

At the end of it all, Todd’s story is tragic, just like every other suicide story, but it does not deserve the amount of coverage it was getting.

The media has glorified suicide with the constant coverage victimizing notable fatalities, instead of offering alternatives.

College Apps College Application deadlines were postponed due to Hurricane Sandy

Election Day The 2012 elections has come to an end as votes were cast on Nov. 6

Winter Sports Begin Winter sports have officially begun tryouts as the season approaches

4

News

Nov. 7, 2012

WAT store opens at AHS

There will be two Poetry out Loud interest meetings today, Nov. 7. The first during Atom Time in M-5, and the second after school in Room 269A. Poetry out Loud is a multi-tiered literary competition that begins on the high school level. All who try the Poetry out Loud competition at AHS are contending for the $100 prize.

Sponsor Kathleen Mathis invites “[anyone who] enjoys poetry or acting or who has a flair for drama,” to attend either of the interest meetings or see her in room 269A for more information.

Poetry out Loud isn’t new to AHS– two years ago, AHS alumus Lucy Webb, won the schoolwide competition and advanced to the next level of competition. However, Mathis didn’t see a lot of interest last year for the competiton, so it was abandoned.

“We’d like to see between six to 10 dedicated people to actually participate, but hopefully more will come,” Mathis said.

Junior Katherine Ross has a strong background in literature and plans to compete in the Poetry out Loud competition. Ross is currently enrolled in creative writing as well.

“I started reading since I was four years old–I really wanted to be like J.K. Rowling,” Ross said. “And in fifth grade I started writing, and in seventh grade I started writing poetry.”

Regardless of one’s background, or lack of, in poetry, Mathis encourages anyone who is both interested and willing to put in the time to attend the meetings.

If the student who wins the schoolwide competition advances to the regional or state level (where they also win $200), they are provided with an all-expenses paid trip to Washington DC, and their school receieves a “$500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books,” according to the website. The student who wins the national championship is rewarded up to a $20,000 scholarship.

“This is an incredible opportunity for your voice and the voice of poets to be heard and brought to life,” Mathis said.

Science National Honor Society Inductions

Junior Elisha Musih’s candle is lighted by Rachel Lazar, his IB biology teacher.

Colorful balloons deck the walls of room 90 and baskets filled with student necessities like hand sanitizer, paper, chapstick, lotion and hair scrunchies line the walls. This hidden gem is located in the prime location for the average student--in between the senior courtyard and the cafeteria.

The Work Awareness and Transition (WAT) store is open five days a week with official hours during every single lunch, but customers are welcome at any time during the day.

With prices like $1.25 for chapstick, lotion and hand sanitizer, $0.30 for pens and mechanical pencils and two hair scrunchies for $0.25, the WAT store promises affordable necessities for the average student.

“The prices are competitive in terms of local grocery stores,” special education teacher Donna Seabrook said.

Despite being the only student store operating during the school day, the WAT store is unique in other ways. Several students intern from the special education department of AHS by greeting customers and servicing the store.

WAT is bigger than just AHS; it’s a program that is found in most schools

Carina Chu

By Christine Tamir News Editor

By Christine Tamir News Editor

Sophomore Hina Rana participates in the internship the AHS chapter of the WAT program arranged with Dominoes Pizza by putting advertisments for promotions on pizza boxes. WAT has several internships with other local businesses like Safeway and Magill’s Restaurant.

in FCPS. “There are several focuses in WAT,” Seabrook said. “We focus on personal awareness-what their strengths are, what they like to do, things they’re good at doing, so they become aware of these [things] through WAT.” Students participating in the program have access to countless work sites or internships in the community, including several local restaurants and community businesses.

“We take work in for Domino’s, for Parliament Dry Cleaners, where my interns put on trouser guards on the hangers,” Seabrook explained. “Our kids are also at Magill’s, and they

and how to act in class and in work,” instructional assistant Jewad Abdulhadi said.

However beneficial the WAT store may be for both the students and the student body, it still remains largely unknown despite the best efforts of the special education department.

“I think it’s a good cause,” junior Vrishti Phadudumdeo said. “It gives special education students, or any students, experience outside of high school. I would go and buy stuff at the store, but I’ve never heard of it before.”

do things like bussing tables, which is another great skill they can take with them post secondary. They’re at Marshall’s department store [and] we’re at Silverados.”

These partnerships are made possible through the WAT Employment Transition Representative (ETR). AHS’ ETR, Sue Eaton, who has worked with AHS for several years, and the new representative, Thomas Lyles, manage to get the work sites for AHS WAT students to learn skills that will help them after high school. “[The WAT store] teaches the students money exchange and organization, the difference between class and work

Group IV field trip still uncertain Field Trip to Lake Accotink postponed, no future date available to students

By Bayley Brill and Christine Tamir Staff Writer and News Editor Junior Enrique Aguliar and his Group IV partners have been preparing for the expected trip to Lake Accotink for their project for weeks prior to the cancellation.

“We were pretty much prepared,” Aguilar said. “We knew what we were going to do; we had designated areas for our experiment, we had to inspect the whole area for trash and then we were ready for the whole project- we were prepared for it.”

Soon after meeting with their group supervisor, Aguilar and his group were told that the trip for Oct. 30 was cancelled, and that they should go to the park on their own to ensure data collection.

“I felt kind of sad becaue I really was counting on it and wanted to get it over with. I was ready to go for it,” Aguilar said.

The decision that the trip to Lake Accotink would be rescheduled was made shortly after the required forms and $5 fee was due, causing confusion for many students.

IB biology teacher Rachel Lazar sent out an email through Blackboard immediately after the cancellation to her students saying the Group IV field trip was cancelled. Soon after, she sent another email about the school field trip being rescheduled to keep her students informed, assuring that despite “the field trip being cancelled, the project is not” along with a warning to students to stay tuned.

Carina Chu

Poetry Out Loud Interest Meetings

Work awareness Transition store begins during all lunch periods

A view of Lake Accotink. IB science teachers are not sure of when the field trip to the lake will be rescheduled.

Group IV is the equivalent of an IB science fair that each IB science student must participate in.

Each group is ideally made up of one physics, biology, environmental science, design tech or chemistry student.

Students work together to formulate a guiding question, create a hypothesis and do research based on the guiding question. However, each individual focuses their part of the project based on their specific science. “[The point of this is] to show us how all of the

sciences are connected,” junior Allie Vogus said. “I myself am a biology student, so I will be focusing on the qualitative observation while studying at the lake.”

All groups have finished their research, and are waiting for the final decision about the trip. The teachers will soon meet to discuss the future of the first out-of-school field trip. The original presentation date, Nov. 15, wll be changed accordingly.

FCCLA hosts Halloween party First event kicks off school year for AHS organization

Science National Honor Society Inductions On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to view the rest of the photo slideshow of the Science National Honor Society .

By Mark Slough Staff Writer Halloween brings many exciting things. One of them being the Family, Career and Community leaders of America (FCCLA) Halloween party, a new addition to the already considerable calendar that they have set up for this coming year. The party took place on Halloween, Oct. 31, and will include “dancing, over 50 members, food, fun and friends,” according to FCCLA Robin Griffin.

“It’s for members only, but everybody can still join the club. It’s also our first meeting- we’re going to celebrate having such a big group this year,” Griffin said. “We’re still gaining more and more members.”

FCCLA is planning to help the Annandale community, and are planning several charitable events throughout the course of this year.

The FCCLA is a group that focuses on the promotion of “personal growth and leadership development through

Sophomores Phoebe Banzuelo, dressed as a Native American, and Julia Nguyen, dressed as a farmer, laughing at a remark made by FCCLA sponsor Robin Griffin.

Family and Consumer sciences education” according to the official FCCLA website.

“It also looks great on college transcripts,” Griffin said.

FCCLA groups across the country work on teaching students and youth about problems in the community and in the family. They

also teach about the importance of communication between friends, family and communities. There are numerous chapters across the United States, all dedicated to helping young people learn about what it means to be a functioning member on any level of society. Students learn about how to be a member and also be a leader

Thien Mai

IB physics teacher David Tyndall waits with his lighted candle to light those of new inductees.

in society.

The AHS chapter of FCCLA requires applicants to turn in their applications and $12 dues by Oct. 31, and all applications are accepted before then.

“The club’s enrollment has more than tripled since last year,” Griffin said.

Her expectations include over 50 members for the party, and a very fun year, with the Halloween party kicking off the year.

Students in gourmet foods and FCCLA members are making or bringing snacks, cookies, finger foods and other appetizer-like foods to share with all other members and applicants at the Halloween party.

“The gourmet foods classes are making cupcakes, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. My class is making rice krispies,” sophomore Ellie Kalulu said. “If the party is really fun, I might join FCCLA too; I love cooking and making good food for people.”

The Halloween party was on Oct. 31, which is when membership closed..

“Just come to room 140 and apply, the dues aren’t that much,” Griffin said. “It’s a really fun club.”

News

A Blast

the

Nov. 7 2012

Internet restriction debate “Facebook” continued from page 1

material. The policy censors content such as child pornography, material that encourages or teaches illegal or criminal activities, or any material considered harmful to minors.

The criteria seems reasonable; after all, students don’t need to be researching different ways to commit a felony during school. But FCPS filters some online content that doesn’t seem to fall under the category of “harmful to minors.”

Take YouTube, for example. Students can access YouTube, but what they can’t access is PSY’s Gangam Style or Taylor Swift’s music video for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Even lyric videos for Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” bring the dreaded “blocked content” message.

“Filtering videos is absolutely incredulous,” sophomore Sabrina Rivera said. “[There are] videos [that are] specifically filtered, yet we have no problem watching videos such as ‘The Innocence of Islam,’ [which] attacks the beliefs of Islam, yet harmless music videos are blocked because they are mainstream and popular to my generation.”

However, the filtering program restricts content that may otherwise take students by surprise. Imagine you’re doing research for a government project. Researching the White House’s website sounds perfectly safe, right?

Wrong: www.whitehouse.gov is safe, but other websites with the same domain (whitehouse) and a different top level domain (the .com, .org, or .gov) will take students to dangerous and inappropriate sites. Some websites have a URL that looks similar to a safe website, but the

News Briefs Key Club Meeting

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA LAFFERTY

Students find school internet restrictions unfair and ineffective

top level domain is different, and can take unsuspecting web users to an unsafe website. These websites would appear as blocked. “ Te a c h e r s d o n ’t w a n t t o b e embarrassed by accidently hitting a site [with inappropriate content],” schoolbased technology specialist Rebecca Bartelt said.

Even though some blocked material seems reasonable, there is still some censored content that seems unjustified.

Students are quick to point fingers at AHS administration, but they may not be to blame. AHS doesn’t necessarily decide what is filtered and what isn’t.

Most of the censoring is done centrally

by DIT (the Department of Instructional Technology), outside of AHS’s control, but administration does have the option to request that specific pages be blocked or unblocked if they feel there is enough cause to do so.

To apply these restrictions, FCPS uses a program called WebSense, a security program that can filter a specific page (ex: www.website.com.discussion/ arp.html), directory (ex: www.website. com.pics), website (ex: www.website. com/), or entire domain (ex: website. com). WebSense users with the proper authorization (like administrators) can view reports that include what websites have been blocked or visited, as well as the specific dates and times. The WebSense reports even allow users to view the IP address of the computer that accessed or attempted to access the websites.

Even with all the program’s benefits, students still find ways to access blocked content: “It’s easy, you just use H-T-TP-S,” senior Omar Abdulrahim said.

HTTP is what typically appears in front of the “www.” in web addresses.

It stands for “HyperText Transport Protocol.” HTTP is essentially a language that communicates information between the Internet user and your Internet provider. HTTPS is a little different.

The S in HTTPS stands for “Secure.”

Comparatively, HTTP is “unsecure,” and someone can potentially see any

FCPS uses a security program called WebSense to block access to certain websites.

information you might put online.

HTTPS is “secure,” meaning that no one should be able to spy on your personal information.

Students also use web programs to get around restrictions: “There’s a program on Firefox that lets you bypass the firewall,” senior Jose Cordero said.

Students seem to have mostly negative opinions about the filtering system, and the general consensus is that the FCPS censoring program is ineffective.

“There’s not really any benefit; they should just give up,” sophomore Ayobami Fakulujo said.

On the other hand, most teachers say that the filtering is necessary, and see it only as a minor inconvenience.

“If kids are going to access the school’s Internet, then the school has the right to monitor that,” history teacher Whitney Hardy said.

“The reason it’s there is to protect [the students],” Bartlet said.

While necessary, the restrictions occasionally create roadblocks in the classroom with demonstrations, research, and projects.

“There are times when it’s kind of bizarre,” English teacher Cindy Sebring

said. “A kid will be doing a project and a lot of the sites will be blocked. For some topics, it can be a little bit of a barrier.” Health classes may run into this problem, especially with research concerning drugs or family life education.

Teachers have also encountered trouble reaching content when their educationbased searches have keywords that are misinterpreted as unsafe by the computer.

“It seems inconsistent and sometimes gets in the way of things I want to show,” English teacher Joy Korones said.

Even with the occasional drawback, teachers seem to agree that the filtering system is both crucial and mostly functional.

“If it’s not academic, I don’t see why they’re watching it,” Sebring said. “[The FCPS] filtering system is good.”

Despite a few hiccups here and there, the general consensus is that the system is beneficial to AHS. Students may find it less than satisfactory, but many teachers and parents see it as a necessity, especially with all the potential for minors to access inappropriate websites and content during the day. The program may not be perfect, but it helps to keep kids’ attention off of their phones and focused on their education.

Negative cheering in sports evident Social media influences student action at games

COURTESY OF TESSA IGLESIAS

“Sportsmanship” continued from page 1

the next day and some of my students told me about what happened,” Austin said. “Volleyball is the only sport where the crowd, players, and coaches can’t question the referee too much, so I think the crowd was really interactive, although some could call it disrespectful.”

“I’m very concerned about the cheers that happen at games,” Director of Student Activities Karl Kerns said. “I don’t understand the negativity. I think a lot of it comes from college athletics, because students watch the games and see the student section with all these crazy cheers and they pick up on it. Another thing is social media, because students can see something on Youtube and do it at a game, like powderthrowing.”

Students also caught administrator’s attention at the football game at Woodson HS when they threw baby powder and flour into the air for a whiteout. FCPS banned the act of powder-throwing shortly after because of the health risks and the risk to players.

Police also sent a notice to schools about the new rules.

“When I first saw it, I thought it was a fire under the bleachers,” Kerns said.

Concerns from administrators rise because of students’ extreme behavior at sports games.

“We weren’t the only school that did it that night; Westfield, Lake Braddock and Robinson did it as well.”

The idea came from senior James Terrell when he found a video of another high school doing the powder-throwing at a whiteout. He made a Facebook event and invited several students to spread the word.

“I thought only a couple kids would actually do it, but it ended up being awesome,” Terrell said. “I was actually kind of proud that it made that much of

an impact to get it banned.”

“Personally, I don’t think the powder banning should have been banned, I enjoyed that and I thought it was awesome,” junior Eric Mejean said. “But I do see the county’s logistics behind banning it due to safety.”

“Students may not have several health problems, but there may be spectators at games for example that will have a respiratory problem if there is all this powder in the air,” Kerns said. “If I was a parent, I’d be upset if I got covered

in it. It’s also bad for the players because if the wind had been blowing, it could have gotten on the field and interfered with the game.”

Negative cheering occurs not only from AHS’ student section, but sometimes towards AHS athletes as well.

“The worst fan section was at the Woodson volleyball game when parents were the ones doing the negative cheering at us,” Ha said. “But when students do it, they just cheer because it’s funny to them.”

Austin encourages her players to focus on the game and block out the fans.

“I tell my team to play their game no matter what happens with outside forces,” Austin said. “If you’re an athlete, you can play under any conditions.”

Kerns encourages students to approach him or the leadership class about any ideas for school spirit at athletic events. He also mentioned the possibility of an activities or athletics council where students would discuss issues such as sportsmanship or increasing attendance.

“You should be able to go to a game and have fun and be entertained, not be in danger or attacked by profanity,” Kerns said. “I shouldn’t have to speculate about bringing my kid to a game because I might have to get up and talk to the student section during a game. That’s not what sports are about.”

Senior to lecture about Sudan on Nov. 17 Student selected to present in at elite event “TEDx Talk” continued from page 1

conflict of her choice.

“The topic could have been about anything, but I chose Sudan because [the topic] directly affects me since my whole family, besides from me and my mother, live there and have for generations,” Eltahir said. “My dad works with a big oil company there, but because there are better opportunities in this country, I attend school here.”

After One World reviewed the applications, 12 student ambassadors were chosen, Eltahir among them. Throughout the summer, One World worked with Eltahir to create a curriculum of the history of the Referendum in Sudan to present to students in D.C.-based high schools, using her reflection as a guide. ”It’s a lot easier to relate to a topic when it’s studentwritten and analyzed versus out of a textbook,” Eltahir said.

When TEDx contacted One World asking for student selectees to give youth talks, Eltahir was one of their six choices.

“TEDx contacted them [One World Education], first

5

only for D.C. students, but the CEO of One World, Eric Goldstein, who is awesome, advocated for Northern VA students to be included as well,” Eltahir said.

Ever since, Eltahir has been preparing for her very own lecture, which will be held in the Gala Theater in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 17 as part of the Youth TEDx Talk conference from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“I’m still in the process of drafting my own talk,” Eltahir said. “I’m drawing a lot of my ideas from my original One World reflection and will be discussing such things as possible solutions to the problems in Sudan.”

Eltahir goes on to explain that there are several conflicts which she will be discussing in her lecture that have justified splitting the northern and southern regions of Sudan into two different countries: Sudan North and the Republic of Southern Sudan. One of the problems is the cultural context of each region: the North is ethnically tied to the Middle East’s Islam religion and the South is tied to Christianity. This has caused many cultural misunderstandings between the two regions.

Another major problem is the economic tension between both regions, mainly revolving around the oil industry. Most of the oil in the country is found in the southern region of Sudan while most of the manufacturers are found in the North, where the government functions.

“There is still a lot of animosity and

misunderstanding between them [the two countries],” Eltahir said. “I’m a northerner, so I’m obviously a little biased, but I think there should be more mediations between both nations, the UN playing a big part in that, and the presidents and governments need to have a more open mind to working with each other’s policies.”

Eltahir says she hopes this experience with TEDx will help open doors in her pursuit of a career in international relations or global affairs, allowing her to enter into the fields of conflict resolution and diplomacy. Eltahir hopes that this career might allow her to visit Sudan in the future and work with government officials there.

“I used to visit [Sudan] when I was younger, but it has still been too hard to visit with the turmoils of the war that have been appearing off and on for the past forty years,” Eltahir said. “I hope to physically travel there in my career.”

Though Eltahir’s TEDx talk is an invitation-only event, she will be reading her essay aloud in Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. at 1 p.m., directly after she finishes her TEDx talk. Visiting the bookstore and listening to Eltahir is free and open to the public, so she strongly encourages everyone to come.

“Mr. Hawes is coming to the TED talk, but everyone can come to the reading at Politics and Prose,” Eltahir said.

Key Club will hold its next meeting on Nov. 12 after school in Clausen Hall. Members should attend in order to know the upcoming service opportunities for the month.

English Honor Society

National English Honor Society will hold their induction ceremony on Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. in the library.

Students should remember to dress appropriately for the event.

Green Atoms Meeting

The next Green Atoms meeting will be held in M-24 after school on Nov. 15. A speaker for the upcoming service project will be present to speak to the members.

2013 Yearbooks

Yearbooks for the 2012-2013 school year are now on sale. Visit the AHS website for more details. The next 200 yearbooks are being sold for $73.

The price will go up.

Theater Play

The Theater Arts Departments upcoming play is “Greater Tuna,” on Nov. 8, 9 and 10.

It will be held in the auditorium at 7 p.m. The pre-sale cost is $8, and the cost at the door is $10. Nov. 8 is the dress-rehearsal day, so the admission price is free.

Orchestra Auditions

Auditions for Districts Honor Orchestra are at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Stuart High School.

Collaboration Day

The next collaboration day and Freshman Transition Program will be on Nov. 19. For all students who rely on bus transportation, buses will be operating on normal schedule.

Freshmen must be at school on time and be at the posted location assigned by counselors. All sophomores, juniors and seniors go to the main gym.

Students should arrive to school no later than 8 a.m. Classes will begin at 8:27 a.m.

National Honor Society

The induction ceremony for National Honor Society (NHS) will be on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium. Newly inducted and current members must attend. Remember to wear appropriate dress attire.

Wear Red and White Remember to wear red and white on Fridays to show your school spirit!

Do teachers impact students’ political affiliations?

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to view the story about influences on students with the election.

6

People

What’s your favorite Youtube channel?

“Rhettlandlink because they make funny music videos with good beats.”

Nov. 7, 2012

Youtube student sensation Junior Megan Dinh makes her mark on the web

By Kate Grandchamp People Editor

—Annie Stout freshman “Charlieissocoollike because he’s funny, amazing, and sort of a ginger.”

—Bee Coaquira sophomore “Raywilliamjohnson because he’s a comedian and he’s really short.”

—Kevin Suarez junior “Hodgetwins because they’re funny and they comment on news stories.”

— Bryan Quang senior –Compiled by Sarah Metzel

Celebrity Birthdays

5’3’’, eleventh grade, 5,607 subscribers and 611,705 views. You might know her as omgitsmeggie, ‘that Asian girl in Select Women’s Choir’ or just plain Megan Dinh.

Regardless of your association, it is a fact that she is a Youtube sensation.

Her very first video was a music video of Ke$a’s “Tik-Tok” made on a whim with a friend. A whim which turned into much more after it got 10,800 views.

“We just made it because we were bored,” Dinh said. “The ‘likes’ started out on Facebook mostly, so I posted it on Youtube.”

It wasn’t until she received a number of comments on the video that she created her own special Youtube channel, omgitsmeggie.

In the interim, she has made or appeared in over 40 videos.

“When I made [my channel], I used a nickname from third grade [(omgitsmeggie)] and now I can’t change it,” Dinh said.

Although Dinh has considered pursuing video editing or producing as a career, her current Youtube video manufacturing does not distract her from her education.

“I make videos whenever I have the time; more often during breaks, summer, etc.,” Dinh said. “I haven’t made any recently because of school.”

Since the end of eighth grade, she and the same friend who helped launch her Youtube career, now a student at JEB Stuart HS, have stayed in touch.

“I have to say [having a Youtube channel] is not something I usually bring up,” Dinh said.

“I find it weird, talking to a camera. [Making videos] with friends is easier than [video blogging] alone and I prefer it.”

Although she sometimes uses her friends as makeshift tripods-- when she is not using her webcam-- Dinh does not rely on other Youtubers for her inspiration, which is perhaps why her channel is so diverse. Dinh makes covers of famous songs in addition to music videos, vlogs and product reviews.

“I don’t even remember the name of the one girl who got me started on Youtube; it was just

a random music video,” Dinh said. “She quit Youtube because of college.”

Dinh plans to do the same and follow in her inspiration’s footsteps by refusing to let Youtube dictate her life, especially in the first few years of college, as she gets her bearings.

Though she is largely independently motivated, Dinh’s parents bought her first High Definition (HD) camera.

“My mom really supports me but my dad doesn’t really understand it,” Dinh said. “I wanted the HD camera since my first camera was regular quality and I needed to upgrade.”

So how did Dinh move from music videos with friends to reviewing products for companies? Publicity.

“I made an email especially for my Youtube account,” Dinh said. “Businesses started contacting me to review their products, and I agreed.”

The first product she reviewed was a hair curler from Follica.com. It remains her favorite critique to this day.

“I get to keep the products I review, and I’m really into that,” Dinh said. “Especially the ones for hair.”

Because she does not receive any payment for the process of getting companies “out there,” as she puts it, Dinh is free to criticize or compliment a product.

“I’ve never gotten angry emails from companies for dissing their stuff,” Dinh said.

“The worst thing that’s happened is I had to keep a bunch of ugly clothes I was sent.”

Every person who has made a Youtube video has experienced ‘trolling,’ or negative feedback from ‘haters’.

“One specific person made a hate channel because they thought my videos were too random,” Dinh said. “But they got banned.”

Dinh says that the opinions of other don’t really bother her, and that her supporters help out by commenting in her defense when she hasn’t had the chance to delete derogatory responses.

The only thing Dinh is truly serious about

when it comes to Youtube is her editing.

While she uses various shooting techniques, she swears by the program SonyVegas to perfect her videos before airing them.

“The video that has the most views I don’t really like,” Dinh said. “It’s ‘Like a G6’ and it got like 66,000 views.”

She does not use her channel to sell her followers on personal political or religious points of view, something that is reflected in her enjoyment of fellow Youtubers MichellePhan’s and NigaHiga’s convivial videos.

“It’s purely a just for fun, do whatever you want sort of thing,” Dinh said, “I don’t publish weekly or have a special [creative] process or anything.”

With the third annual Vidcon (the world’s first–and largest–conference dedicated to the medium of online video) on the horizon, Dinh is considering a trip to Anaheim, California this August.

Dinh specifies that although she includes a short message at the end of each of her videos asking people to subscribe, she does not have a partnership with Youtube and therefore does not receive any profit–other than motivation–from subscriptions.

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to access “omgitzmeggie”.

Alumni Postcard: Tatiana Niang, 2012 October

30 Matthew Morrison 31 Willow Smith

What college do you attend/what are you majoring in?

Virginia Teach, Human Nutrition Foods Exercise.

34 12

What is the best part of college?

The schedule. You determine your own schedule whether it has to do with classes, lunch, sleeping, movie nights, anything. You do what you have to do to stay successful and obviously to enjoy yourself.

November 1 Jenny McCarthy 2 Nelly 3 Roseanne 4 Sean Diddy Combs 5 Kris Jenner 6 Emma Stone 7 Barry Newman 8 Tara Reid 9 Nick Lachey 10 Josh Peck 11 Leonardo DiCaprio 12 Anne Hathaway 13 Whoopi Goldberg 14 Coldoleezza Rice 15 Shailene Woodley 16 Brooke Elliott 17 Rachel McAdams 18 Owen Wilson 19 Meg Ryan 20 Cody Linley 21 Troy Aikman 22 Scarlett Johansson 23 Miley Cyrus 24 Sarah Hyland 25 Amy Grant 26 Natasha Bedingfield 27 Jaleel White 28 Trey Songz 29 Anna Faris 30 Ben Stiller

December

1 Woody Allen 2 Britney Spears 3 Ozzy Osbourne 4 Tyra Banks

40 38 60 43 57 24 74 37 39 26 38 30 57 58 21 38 34 44 51 53 46 28 20 22 52 31 36 28 36 47

What activities were you involved in at AHS? Mostly cheerleading, leadership, track, SAC, chorus, key club and class SGA. What were your favorite memories from AHS? Mr. Annandale 2011 because leadership was amazing and just dancing at homecoming with my friends.

Who am I? • This will be my 13th year teaching at AHS. • I attended Southern Methodist University.

• I majored in Art Education.

77 31 64 39

• In my spare time I go to art museums.

• I listen to jazz, classical music and the top forty.

• I have traveled to Nova Scotia.

• My birthday is June 27.

• The sports I have participated in include field hockey.

• My favorite TV show is Modern Family.

• An interesting fact about me is that I was ran over by a car when I was two years old.

• My favorite part of working in a school is helping students.

• My motto is: “Life is good.”

Student Spotlight: Kylie Reagan On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to see a student spotlight of senior Kylie Reagan.

• My favorite stores are TJ Maxx and Marshalls.

–Compiled by Carli Loeb To find out who these teachers are, visit www.thea-blast.org/category/student-life/

What was you favorite subject and who was your favorite teacher from AHS? My favorite subject was Spanish and I can’t choose a favorite teacher because I had so many amazing ones.

What helped you the most at AHS to prepare you for college?

My IB classes, (specifically science and english) have prepared me for the Labs and how to write and prepare assignments because the structure of classes are extremely different.

What’s the best advice you could give high school students about college?

My advice for students is to get better study habits and learn more time management skills because the first semester is all about adjusting and learning how to do things for yourself. You have to make sure everything gets done, while staying healthy. Also, get used to using a planner; I never used a planner but it really helps now that teachers don’t continuously repeat what is due and when it’s due.

Arts

Nov. 7, 2012

Chorus reflects on exchange German students provide world insight to AHS

By Abby Barnes Arts Editor

— Elinor Seehaus freshman

“We went to Kings Dominion, which was very fun.”

— Nicholas Bartels sophomore

The Germans impact the students the most outside of school and chorus rehearsals. This year, the combined choruses went to Kings Dominion and had various gatherings on the weekends.

“That’s when people connect and we realize, wow, you live all the way over in another country, hours away from us, but look how much we have in common,” Irish said.

The German visitors attend Dietrich-BonhoefferGymnasium Eppelheim school in Germany. Their student chorus, directed by Dr. Ralf Schnitzer, is only one of many who have visited Fairfax County Public Schools with the exchange program in the past.

In return, the AHS choral department travels to

Germany every other June to perform at various local landmarks and shops in France, Austria and Germany. Students of AHS’ IB Diploma Program benefit especially from the experience.

“The history with Germany and the U.S. because of World War II [is] just so different,” Mock said.

“Being an IB Diploma candidate, it’s really cool because it’s very applicable to what we’re learning.”

Irish describes the program as an experience all students should be able to have.

“I just wish that more kids had that experience at an earlier age,” Irish said. “[It’s] difficult to put into words. You’re just really not going to get something like this anywhere else.”

“It was all great.”

“[My favorite memory] was Five — Michael Weiß Guys. [I ordered] Mare a small bacon sophomore cheeseburger. It was great.”

— Maren Herten sophomore

“We went to New York. Everything was impressive.”

— Sebastian Huber junior

“We went to New York and Boston.”

“We went to Tyson’s Corner.”

— Jakob Pfahler junior

— Stefan Müller junior

“Going to Georgetown with them was really fun, because we shopped and took a lot of pictures and had Sprinkles.” ­—Claudia Molina freshman

“The Halloween party at Stephen Oakes’ house.”

—Kyle Goettlicher sophomore

“Playing ‘Just Dance’ because it’s one of those things where you didn’t struggle with the language barrier and you just do it.”

—Mairead Kennedy senior “I hosted two students and I really enjoyed getting to know them.”

— Compiled by Carina Chu

It’s not all work and no play

Right: freshman Christina Olkowski danced to “Bella Bimba,” one of the songs sung by the Women’s Ensemble. Far right: sophomore Phoebe Banzuelo (right) and the combined choir rehearsed Mass No. 2 composed

by Franz Schubert.

Below: senior Victoria Beasley’s brother, Gage (middle), plays on his Xbox with freshmen exchange students Leon Ruddat (right) and Patrick Carroll (left).

—Nathanael Bennett freshman

Juniors Michael Sgrecci and Mark Slough and seniors Patricia Webb, Stephen Oakes, Katie Mock and Laura Hackfield performed solos in different songs when the AHS choral groups and DBG choir combined to sing together.

What was your favorite memory of your time with the AHS choral exchange program?

“[On Monday] we went to the 9/11 memorial. It was good.”

What was your favorite part about the exchange program?

“The Halloween party because everybody was there and we all got to know each other better.”

Carina Chu

Chorus students from Eppelheim, Germany visited from Oct. 13 until Oct. 25, leaving the AHS choral department with an enhanced perspective of world music. The German Exchange Program has been celebrated at AHS every other year for ten years.

Together, the choruses performed a selection by Franz Schubert called “Mass in G” among others at their annual Fall Concert on Tuesday, Oct. 23, accompanied by a small professional orchestra.

AHS was ecstatic to perform with their foreign visitors this year.

“It’s one thing to perform music by a German composer, it’s another thing to perform it with German people,” AHS choral director Jessica Irish said. “They give us a perspective that’s far different than when we just learn music on our own.”

The choral students felt that they benefitted from the program and being able to spend time with the German students after school.

“Seeing the differences come out [like] how we shop differently, but we like the same clothes [is] just so different and so interesting,” senior Katie Mock said.

“We’re able to meet with each other and experience life in a wider variety of ways,” sophomore Steve Aderton said.

7

—­Laura Hackfield senior “When we go to Germany and perform.

It’s a beautiful country” —Victoria Beasley senior

abby barnes

carina chu

carina chu

“Our combined concert this past Tuesday night.”

Top: junior Michael Sgrecci and senior Laura Hackfield sing their solos in “Gloria.” Below: Beasley and her exchange students carved out jack-o-lanterns.

—­Jessica Irish Chorus Director

From their perspective Name of school: Dietrich-BonhoefferGymnasium Eppelheim. It is a secondary school.

Location: Eppelheim, Germany Choral director: Dr. Ralf Schnitzer Number of students that visited AHS: 42 How is the DBG school different from AHS? The DBG school is a music magnet school and is focused more on music than AHS. The chorus students have the same teacher from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

How are the students involved in the community?

Some of the chorus students participate in Dr. Schnitzer’s community choral society which is not limited by age and does performances in the community.

— Compiled by Abby Barnes

photo courtesy of Victoria Beasley

photo courtesy of Victoria Beasley

— Compiled by Erin Johnson and Carina Chu

Learn basic German

Concert slideshow

Hello! - Hallo! (haloe!)

How are you? - Wie geht es Ihnen? (vee gayt es ee-nen) Nice to meet you. - Es freut mich. (froyt mikh) Thanks! - Danke! (dahn-kuh) You’re welcome. - Bitte schön. (bih-tuh shurn) Excuse me! - Entschuldigen Sie! (ehnt-shool-dih-gun zee) Do you speak English? - Sprechen Sie Englisch? (shprikhst zee eng-lish) Yes. - Ja. (yah) No. - Nein. (nine) I’m sorry! - Es tut mit leid! (ehs toot meer lite) What’s your name? - Wie heißen Sie? (vee hie-ssen zee) Goodbye! - Auf Wiedersehen! (owf vee-dair-zayn)

On your smartphone, scan the code above using the application “QR Code” to view a photo slideshow of the combined concert.

Ways to reduce risks of breast cancer Know your family historyFind out if there is a history of breast cancer in your family and tell your doctor so proper measures can be taken to reduce your risk.

Avoid alcohol and drug useAlcohol and the use of some other drugs have been linked to cause cancer. Eliminating these substances reduces the risk of breast cancer development.

Regular breast screeningsTo increase your chances of finding the cancer early, breast screenings should be conducted occasionally. The earlier the cancer is detected, the more opportunities there are to handle it.

Weight managementExercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet can reduce the risk of many diseases and provide many other benefits to the body.

Avoid exposure to plasticsResearch has recently suggested that melted or scratched plastics can leak the chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked with many forms of cancer.

Athletes support awareness “Our freshmen [field hockey] team alone raised almost $200 from our school bake sale, so I thought it was pretty successful.”

Nov. 7, 2012

Raising awareness Students take action against breast cancer

BY THIEN MAI Staff Writer Pink. Many immediately think of the notable clothing line. Others think of a more symbolic meaning; that of love, compassion and feminism. Specifically for October however, it holds a larger and more concrete meaning.

This month is celebrated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). NBCAM is held annually in October as an effort to bring awareness to breast cancer around the world. Various charities and organizations help raise money towards discovering the causes of the disease, its prevention and eventual cure.

On a school-wide level, the volleyball and field hockey teams show support for NBCAM. The AHS volleyball teams held their “Block Out Breast Cancer Night” on October 18 to raise funds for breast cancer. The teams sold baked goods along with anti-breast cancer merchandise. People who wore pink apparel were admitted at the discounted price of $3 into the game against West Potomac.

“I thought the energy was great,” varsity volleyball coach Jan Austin said. “We played really well and raising over $600 for breast cancer was a big positive too.”

The field hockey teams also helped raise awareness for breast cancer. Players had their sticks decorated with pink ribbon stickers and wore pink shoelaces to show support. Bake sales were also held after school and during the game.

Senior Yanira Guerra has been taking part in one of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s many events throughout the year to help the fight. “I help raise awareness by

COURTESY OF ANNIE NGUYEN

8

HEALTH

Senior Jenny Ha runs through a tunnel created by the players’ escorts. Funds raised from the annual Block Out Cancer game and bake sales equated to more than $600.

participating in the Race for the Cure in DC every year,” Guerra said.

Founded in 1985, NBCAM was joint project by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and part of the Imperial Chemical Industries in an attempt to urge women to have mammograms. These exams would promote the early detection of breast cancer in order to combat it at an early stage.

According to the ACS, breast

cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer among women in the U.S., behind lung cancer. If it is detected early, the disease can be treated before it begins to spread to other parts of the body. Men can also be diagnosed with the cancer; however the total cases are minute compared to women. The life expectancy of individuals affected by breast cancer, if treated at an early stage, is comparable to healthy individuals

at that age. This neutralization of breast cancer is one of the many goals those supporting NBCAM hope to spread.

“I think [NBCAM] does enough to bring awareness,” senior Kelsey Pendergast said. “Once everyone sees the pink, they immediately think of breast cancer and people are really creative with what they do to show support for those who have it.”

The most commonly associated symbol with NBCAM has been the pink ribbon. Founded in the early 1990’s by Alexandra Penney and Evelyn Lauder, it has symbolized the fight against breast cancer. Since its inception, the ribbon has been a staple and a mainstay of many campaign efforts.

Junior Amelie Trieu shares the same sentiments towards the symbolism behind the pink ribbon.

“Because breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer, by setting aside a month for those that have it is special since it brings awareness and symbolizes women and empowerment,” Trieu said.

The month’s meaning has become increasingly visible to the general public through its promotion by many professional sports leagues, most notably the NFL and its A Crucial Catch Campaign. Players have donned pink equipment for the month to show support for the campaign.

Several food manufacturers have shown their support for NBCAM as well. Many food packages have included the pink ribbon on it specifically for October. More specifically, Tic Tac has produced a white and pink colored mints for NBCAM. Increased awareness throughout the year is what the ACF and organizations like the Komen Foundation hope to ultimately achieve. NBCAM is only a component in a much larger effort to combat breast cancer.

Saving people, not boobies

—Tabitha Barnes freshmen

“[The dig pink volleyball game] really helped raise awareness for breast cancer because we ended up raising over $600 by the end of the night.”

The Keep a Breast Foundation’s slogan gets taken out of context

—Kaitlyn Cook sophomore

It seems that with every passing year, breast cancer awareness moves further and further to the forefront of the public consciousness. While it’s hard to complain about efforts to promote awareness of such a terrible and pervasive disease, I would argue that there is a right and wrong way to go about furthering the public’s understanding of breast cancer and efforts to stop it.

My main complaint lies in the widespread sexualization of breast cancer in recent years, which promotes marginalization of victims of the disease and the suffering they experience.

One prominent example of the sexualization of breast cancer is the “Save the Boobies” campaign, which has gained popularity in recent years through the sale of bracelets and other items to support cancer research.

While I don’t think it could be argued that the organization’s intentions are anything

“[Field hockey’s] breast cancer awareness night was really successful because it was good for the team to recognize the current issue of breast cancer.

—Kunnica Kou junior “[The dig pink game] was a really great way for students to easily get involved in the fight against breast cancer and support a worthy cause.”

—Corinne Balicki senior

—Compiled by Shira Steinberg

BY OLIVIA BUCKLEY Special to The A-Blast

Keep a Breast Foundation provides a variety of different styled “I Love Boobies” bracelets. The proceeds go towards the KAB breast cancer outreach and awareness program.

but pure, its slogan promotes a view of breast cancer victims and women in general as sexual objects who should be valued only for their breasts, rather than emphasizing their holistic importance as a person.

Furthermore, this and similar slogans imply that cancer victims who have lost their breasts are somehow less feminine and less whole as a result. More than just dehumanizing victims who suffer from a very real and destructive disease, this sexualized perspective perpetuates a view of women as subservient to men.

Clearly, the popularity of “Save the Boobies” and other similar campaigns is symptomatic of a larger problem of gender inequality in our society.

The portrayal of women as sexual objects in the media is persistent and real, and it will not stop without equally persistent voices advocating a more complete, comprehensive view of women as people.

While I applaud those people who choose to support breast cancer awareness, I also implore them to think about the negative consequences and overreaching implications of the methods that they choose to do so.

Remember: breast cancer victims are, and always will be, more than their breasts.

minute

5

The non-profit Save the Ta-tas foundation has a wide range of clothing articles with “Save the ta-tas” and “Caught you looking at my ta-tas” sayings.

The company uses the money to support breakthrough breast cancer research.

Think Pink Ribbon donates 5 percent of every sale to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation where they strive to achieve the prevention and find the cure for breast cancer.

Try this sweet treat to satisfy your hunger without breaking your diet

meals

Granola, yogurt, berry parfait Ingredients Needed: 2 cups plain yogurt, 2 cups granola, 2 cups fresh berries, sliced (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries), 4 tbsp. honey.

Make the most of your morning with a fruit drink that’s quick and easy to create

Truly tropical smoothie

SMOOTHIEWEB.COM

By Kylee Nisker

Ingredients Needed: 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup pineapple chunks, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup water, 1 cup ice

On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to learn different ways you can help donate to support breast cancer awareness.

1.) Combine the frozen raspberries, pineapple chunks, banana and water with the ice in a blender.

2.) Blend on high until smooth.

3.) Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Serving Size: 1 smoothie Average Calories: 106 Nutritional Grade: A

Serving Size: 1 parfait Average Calories: 350 Nutritional Grade: B

HEALTH.COM

Ways to donate to breast cancer

1.) Prepare 4 cups or bowls.

2.) Spoon 2 tablespoons of yogurt into the bottom of the cups.

3.) Spoon 2 tablespoons of granola over the yogurt in each of the cups and smooth the surface.

4.) Then, spoon 2 tablespoons of your chosen fruit overtop of the yogurt and granola.

5.) Repeat this process until the cup is full; honey can be added, if wanted.

9

Academics

Nov. 7 2012

Coping with a bad teacher Every year most students end up a teacher that they despise.

Instead of switching out, try everything you can Even though it has been a few years, sophomore Paula Alderete still remembers the one teacher who turned her academic life upside down. “[I hated the class,] because [the teacher] didn’t explain well and expected us to know [the information],“ Alderete said.

Alderete did not believe he was a good teacher despite the opinions of other students who passed the class with ease. This happens to many students at least once in their life, ultimately leaving them feeling frustrated with themselves and their teacher.

Students often feel lonely when this happens, because they see other students earn good grades and succeed in the class that they struggle with. Students might wonder what’s wrong with themselves, and why they aren’t able to receive good grades like everyone else. They would do well to remember that it isn’t always entirely their own fault, but that it could be a

BERTA TARQUI

By Berta Tarqui Academics Editor

It can be frustrating to have a teacher that can’t teach or is mean.

clash between you and your teacher.

Alderete, however, didn’t give up on her teacher. She began to look for outside help to make sure she was able to comprehend the given material so she would be able pass her quizzes and tests.

“I got a tutor and that kind of helped because they explained the topic well,” Alderete said. She knew the road to success in this one particular class was not going to be easy, but Alderete knew she could not give up. However, she wished she would have gotten help earlier.

“I regret not getting the help earlier in the year because that would have helped me a lot,” Alderete said.

Alderete did have a chance to switch out of the class, but she chose to persevere until the end of the school year. Switching out should be considered a last resort for a student, and even if you do decide to change your schedule, it can be very difficult. It can be especially tough for IB students to drop an IB course. They have to remain in the class that they chose at the end of the previous school year for the entirety of the first quarter.

It can be extremely hard to deal with a teacher whose personality or teaching style clashes with yours. It is essential to find a way to make it work between you and your teacher. Ignoring the problem could lead to larger problems, such as falling behind in class, or dreading going to a class. Use counselors, peers, and family to help you solve your problems.

Remember to give it your best and try not to give up.

Tip #1: Is it you or the teacher?

Assess yourself before you judge a teacher. Do you always talk in class? Do you forget your homework frequently, or not do your classwork?

If you don’t really know what could be wrong with you, ask the teacher.

They may offer you their opinion and advice.

Tip #3: Learn to deal with it In life, there will always be people you don’t like or get along with easily. This might be a boss or family member.

Think of having this mean, hard teacher as a life lesson. It will teach you how to deal with difficult people and to control yourself.

Tip #4: Look at the positives A teacher at AHS can’t be all bad.

Make a pros and cons list about this particular teacher to help you see the bright side. Do they always make you laugh? Do they teach well?

You can use this as a tool to take your mind off the negatives, because focusing on the bad characteristics of the teacher won’t make the situation any better.

2. The first part of the Declaration of Independence 5. Changing or adding something in the Constitution 7. A historical party for passing the Constitution; usually wealthy 9. Belief that powers should be separated in the government 10. In this form of government citizens debated, submitted, and passed laws 11. Belief that people are born with certain rights such as: life, liberty, and property 12. The division of powers between national and state governments 13. Has government and laws

1. Set a time

Taking a very short study break isn’t much of a rest, but taking an extremely long study break isn’t any better. Try to set a time that is reasonable with your workload.

30 minutes is a good time for a little homework, and 20 minutes is reasonable for a larger homework load.

Make sure not to prolong the break.

2. Have a snack

It is difficult to study when you are hungry, so take time to grab a snack.

Make sure it’s not a whole meal so you don’t waste time eating. Some good options are popcorn, fruit salad, pretzels and vegetables. Try to avoid junk food, and aim for carbohydrates and proteins.

Electronics are a distraction to most people. When you are taking a study break, avoid watching the television, using the computer and texting your friends. Try to pick one electronic if you must. If you have too much, if you have too many, it will be harder to turn them off and go back to studying.

4. Go outside

Take a relaxing walk around your neighborhood or just sit outside. The change in scenery can calm some people down. Also, exercise will release some tension from studying.

5. Figure out if you need small, frequent breaks or a few long breaks

Tip #5 Find others who feel the same way It can feel pretty lonely to believe that a teacher has it out for you. Find others who have the same attitude towards your teacher. They might offer you advice on how to to stay off the teacher’s bad side, or they can assure you that you are not the only one who feels this way.

Tip #6: Don’t start mischief with this teacher Don’t disrespect the teacher or act out in their class. Just because you don’t like this teacher doesn’t mean you should cause trouble in the classroom. There are other people in the class, and they have a right to an education. A disturbance probably won’t be tolerated by the teacher.

Don’t pressure others to join you in harassing the teacher; this will only land you into huge trouble.

Also, if you are busy disrespecting the teacher, you won’t be learning, which will hold you back.

Tip #7: Get a tutor Take matters into your own hands.

If this teacher can’t teach and the learning environment isn’t suited for you, get a tutor to ensure you don’t fall behind.

If you can’t afford a tutor, or it doesn’t fit well into your schedule, try getting in-school tutoring. Several honor societies, such as the math and French honor societies, require their members to tutor students.

Tip #8: Stand up for yourself If you know that you are being treated badly, stand up for yourself.

Sometimes teachers don’t know that they are teaching inefficiently and are unaware that their students feel frustrated.

Don’t stay silent because you are scared that you might get in trouble. It is your right to receive a good education, but try to raise your conerns privately to prevent making a scene. Remain calm as you tell your teacher how you feel about their teaching styles and why you dislike their class. Make sure to be polite and respectful.

Tip #9: Talk to your counselor Meet with your counselor to discuss the teacher you don’t like. Ask them if they have any advice to offer you.

Don’t go in their office and expect them to help get the teacher fired.

One student isn’t going to get a teacher fired. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a counselor; it could be a parent or guardian.

Tip #10: Consider switching out If you are certain that it is not you causing the problem and you are afraid you will fail the class, consider switching out.

The best time to do this is when the quarter ends. This also gives you a chance to get a fresh start in a new course. Go to your counselor again and present a list of viable reasons why switching out of the class is the best option for you.

Be honest and mention everything you have done to try to improve your relationship with the teacher.

Make sure this is your last resort, because this could change your whole schedule.

Government Crossword Puzzle Across:

After studying for a while, you should take a well-deserved break

3. Stay away from too many electronics

Ten tips to deal with a bad teacher Tip #2: Fix yourself Most of the time, you will find out that it may be your fault that the teacher isn’t particularly fond of you.

Instead of talking to your friends while the teacher is instructing, pay attention to what they are saying.

Start doing your classwork and homework. Get serious about your academic career.

How to take an effective study break

Down: 1. Elective representatives

Some people need more time than others. Experiment to find out what works for best for you. Try changing up your studying routine every few days to find out.

Vocabulary Words ALLOT verb To assign a definite thing or part to a certain person DISPEL verb To drive away by or as by scattering in different directions MAGNATE noun A person of rank or importance PETULANT adjective Displaying impatience TURGID adjective Swollen VINDICATE verb To prove true, right, or real

3. Wrote “The Social Contract” 4. Authority over your decisions 6. A historical party against passing the Constitution; usually the working class 8. These governments are sometimes called dictatorships

Answers to this crossword puzzle On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to view the answers to this government crossword puzzle.

College Profile: Christopher Newport University On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to view a review about Christopher Newport University.

Puerto Rico Legislative Election

November 2012

South Korea Presidential election

December 2012

Palestine Presidential election

2012

Sierra Leone Presidential election

November 2012

Ghana Presidential Election

December 2012

—Courtesy of Electionguide.org

How do you feel about France removing homework from schools?

Elections around the world

Countries around the world differ in the election process

By Megan Ryan Staff Writer While many students are talking about President Barack Obama or Governor Mitt Romney, some like junior Amelie Trieu are more interested in foreign affairs.

She and her family have lived in France, until they moved to the U.S. for her father’s job. Every day, when she gets home, she is immersed in various cultures.

“A big thing that has gotten me involved in foreign relations and affairs inside and out of school is my parent’s involvement in France and our French heritage. We always talk about certain issues in France at home, such as their past programs , such as the law that gives out monetary support to families is called Code de Familie, or allocation.This is due to the decrease in childbirth as well as present day unemployment and social security.”

Due to her dual citizenship, Trieu is very involved in French affairs. “This impacts our views because we enjoy talking about certain issues and staying informed. We watch debates online and read articles. We often compare France to the United States and compare and contrast certain issues as well as how one nation’s policies could work well in the others.”

Trieu continues to speak about how much she enjoys being connected to international affairs throughout the Annandale community, saying, “I enjoy being a part of Model UN because of the research we do about other countries and comparing it to the US. Another reason I love researching on foreign issues is because the news differs. For example, in France, there is a law that outlaws media from slandering politicians which is completely different from the US. The media also has different content.

Whereas some US media would be more

PHOTO COURTESY OF HTTP://WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Major elections around the world

Wednesday Nov. 7, 2012

PHOTO COURTESY OF BIKYAMASR.COM

12

International

LEFT: Morrocan president Mohammed VI, has been king since 1999 after the death of his father, King Hassan II RIGHT: King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia since 2005, after the death of his half brother, King Fahd

biased and Pro-America, other nations’ media is less biased and more connected to the rest of the world.”

Trieu has noticed several differences in the way the U.S. and France act noting, “I feel that the U.S. is a lot more conservative compared to France. France is more tolerant and open minded. They have a leader, Hollande, who has a domestic partnership and kids without being married. However, in the U.S., we are quicker to judge and prefer people in traditional societal roles. Of all the American presidents, I think only one has been unmarried, which shows our inclination to conservative social values.”

In America, people of all races, male and female, and of all ages are extremely involved in the elections. The United States is extremely fair when it comes to elections because anybody above the age of 18 is allowed to vote and voice their opinion. Also, both men and women, are allowed to vote along with all ages.

Comparatively, “In france, you don’t have to belong to a party and can switch to other parties when voting. There is a lot more open mindedness and freedom.

I really like France’s heath care system.

However, I don’t think it would work out in the United States. Also, socialism

is more popular in France than in the United States. Here in the US, it is harder to differentiate between socialism and communism. Honestly, if I were given the opportunity, I would prefer to work in the United Nations.”

Since Trieu’s family has dual citizenship, they are allowed to vote in the French elections.

“When we vote, we have to go to the embassy and cast our ballot” Trieu said.

Aside from both France and the United States, Saudi Arabia’s elections are few and far between since their country is ruled by a king. They hold many municipal elections, meaning that their cabinet and other sections of government are replaced every four years. Unlike the United States, SaudiArabia does not allow political parties in their elections.

Junior Tahani Yosuf has lived in Saudi Arabia for many years and concludes that, “Since Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, we don’t have any rights in choosing who gets to rule and is in power.All of the ruling happens within the royal family.”

Morocco is also a monarchy ruled by a king and a prime minister. They also have a multi-party system where no one party has a chance of gaining power by themselves. Also, Moroccan women have

had the right to vote since 1959. Junior Nora Belkhayat’s dad is Moroccan and has voted in their elections. “My dad is an avid protestor in the Moroccan elections because in Morocco, you don’t get to choose your president. It is basically chosen for you,” Belkhayat states.

Recently there have been many protests sprouting up throughout the country because of the unfair governmental tyranny.

“The Moroccan king is chosen based on the prophet and people in Morocco don’t think it is right, therefore, they protest,” Belkhayat said. Being half-Moroccan, Belkhayat feels that her father has influenced her to be more biased against the government.

“I think that international elections are very interesting because they are very different than the American elections.

Also, the choice of the president is not always up to the people and I’m curious to find out how other people are governed and how they pick their political officials,” junior Shareen Arshad said.

With rising political tension in the U.S., more students are also curious about foreign politics and how they compare to the U.S. general elections.

France reform on education French president pushes for overhaul in school system

By Joe Sehrer

— Camille Collette freshman

“I find it very unlikely, although if it happens, I really have no prefrence as to whether I like it or not.”­ —Davis Furney sophomore

“That seems fair for those students because they do a lot of extra activities out of school.”

—Amber Scaff Junior

“Thats an awesome idea because it allows us to focus on other stuff and it kills stress.”

—Bambuu Bat-Ochir senior

—Compiled by Nuhami Mandefro

International Editor After school, you go home, throw your backpack on the floor and crawl into bed with the reassurance that you have no homework to worry about. Sounds like a typical student’s dream, right?

It is apparent that recently elected French president François Hollande seems to think so, as he pushes for education reform in France, starting with a ban on homework.

“I think that people who are trying to jump to conclusions should first try to understand where he’s coming from because a lot of people in America have the same views he has on the issue. I’ve heard that the schooling system in France is very intense and proposed reforms aren’t that shocking,” junior Elisha Musih said.

Hollande feels that assigning homework to students gives an unfair advantage to those with parents at home that can help them, leaving those with disadvantaged families behind.

“Actually what François Hollande is saying is not very new because the controversy about homework has been going on in France for decades. Homework has been more or less banned in elementary schools for years but most teachers still give some. The plan continues to keep homework especially in the lower grades to a minimum

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GUARDIAN

“I think it’s a stupid idea unless they plan to have more classwork during school hours.”

French President François Hollande plans to reform education policies in his country, starting with a planned ban on homework

and to make sure that the students are only asked to practice what they have learned, not to learn anything new by themselves. The government also wants to set up more help for students form disadvantaged backgrounds,” French teacher Joelle Rudney said.

According to The Washington Post, Hollande’s plan for education reform includes banning homework, extending the school week from four days to four and a half, and completely reorganizing the school curriculum with the hopes of improving performance and decreasing student absence.

“I think extending the school week isn’t smart because they need time to relax” junior Kaitlin Martindale said.

“But as far as homework, they should keep it because it tests your knowledge and what you’ve learned in class.”

Despite the fact that some may view their school week as shorter than that of others with only four days rather than five, France’s school day is comparatively longer than many other countries with students in school from 8:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon.

One of Hollande’s plans include extending the school week back to four and a half days, which, according to the Huffington Post, was the original school week in France, before the former administration shortened it to only four days. “As for the four day week, I thought that it was always at least 4.5 days, but French schools have been back and forth between having class on Wednesdays mornings or Saturday mornings. The load depends on the levels: 24 hours a week in elementary school to 30-40 hours in High Schools.

The Washington Post quotes Hollande as saying, “Education is priority. An education program is, by definition, a societal program. Work should be done at school, rather than at home.”

“I would have to agree with him because it is not fair to have the parents as a kind of cheat sheet for their work.

I think that extending the week will also make up for taking away homework” senior Patricia Banzuelo said.

However, the strategy to implement these reforms are still being heavily debated with many in France asking how the nation will manage to pay for the additional 60,000 teachers, according toABC news, that will have to be brought into the workforce, as well as how it will affect the students. To make the proposed revisions to the school system, such as extending its week, it has been suggested that summer vacation be shortened; however many feel it is an unlikely action to be taken due to its unpopularity.

Photo

Nov. 7, 2012

Homecoming 2012

13

A Look Through AHS’ past dances

COURTESY OF CLAUDETTE PAGULAYAN

This photo features Powderpuff cheeleaders the week of Homecoming.

The tradition for powderpuff games is for boys to be the cheerleaders, while the girls play football.

A group of freshmen, sophomores and juniors pose for a non-traditional homecoming picture together before making their way to the dance which was themed “City of Lights”.w

COURTESY OF AMANDA ADENAN

COURTESY OF AMANDA FILSOOF

COURTESY OF PAIGE BRITTON

This is the 1980 pep train the day of the Homecoming football game.

Senior Page Britton pins a boutonniere on her date, senior Justice Garrish, as an indication that they are going to Homecoming together.

Junior Ronald Romero poses with juniors Amanda Villafana (left) and Amanda Filsoof (right).

This float was made for the 1980 Homecoming.

Freshmen Amanda Adenan and Beau Hatch stand for a picture before the dance.

Sophomores Kaitlyn Cook and Nina Fairman show off their dresses.

COURTESY OF JENNY HA

COURTESY OF KAITLYN COOK

This was the court of the Sweet Heart Dance 1978, much like the Homecoming Court.

A collection of corsages are featured here.

The dance tradition is for the boys to purchase a corsage for their female dates and the girls to buy boutonnieres.

Senior Jenny Ha’s date, senior Ryan Baier from Bishop Ireton High school, places a corsage on her wrist.

This was the 1980s Sadie Hawkins dance, where a group of boys dressed in southern wear, celebrate this unique event.

Freshmen Temesgan Awoke, Gary Colomo, Alhassan Sesay, Will Elilis, Nathan Corcoran, and Jacob Roop pose without their dates before heading out to dinner.

COURTESY OF E.J. BANZUELO

COURTESY OF SAVANNAH ROSS

- Photos Courtesy of Antenna Yearbook, 1978-1980

Sophomores Cati Pever, Edwin Banzuelo, Mayde Rivera, Nelson Bersal, and Chelsea Alfonso sit on a couch to take a creatively poised photo.

Spirit day slide shows including America day, Wacky Tacky day and Pajama day.

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view online slide shows of America Day. Other photo collections are also posted on thea-blast.org

14

Livi Listens Advice Column

By Olivia Lafferty Dear Livi, One of my best friends and I are supporters of different political parties and favor different candidates. Every time we hang out, politics are brought up. I know that it shouldn’t be coming in between our friendship, but we always seem to be fighting about it. With the upcoming presidential election, discussions about politics are everywhere and we’ve been fighting more than ever. Politics are hard to avoid at this point in time, and there is some serious tension between us.

Maybe it’s better if we stop hanging out for a little bit. What do you think is the best thing to do?

Sincerely, Political Predicament

Dear Political Predicament, Just because you have different opinions on something doesn’t mean you should stop being friends. You are always going to encounter people in life with different views, and you should always remember to respect them. Sometimes agreeing to disagree is the only thing you can do. After the election, things between you two will most likely go back to normal. In the meantime both you and your friend should try to avoid the subject when you can and respect each others’ opinions. It is not worth losing a good friend over!

Love, Livi

Lifestyles

Nov. 7, 2012

Avoid Black Friday madness Consumers wrongly fall into the trap of the shopping holiday

By Megan Flynn and Gaby Camilli Lifestyles Editors Every year on Black Friday, stores open at ungodly hours and try to offer the “best” savings and deals to those devoted enough to come shopping in the middle of the night. Many come pajamaclad and carrying coffee, all anxiously awaiting that magical moment when the doors finally open to their favorite store filled with mark downs. But too often these shoppers are scammed into wasting their money and time on deals that aren’t really deals.

“I try to avoid Black Friday shopping at all costs because I really don’t find any of the deals worth it enough to interrupt my sleep and go to the mall,” sophomore Jenny McCann said. “People who go are crazy.”

Many popular stores trick their consumers into buying items that aren’t really discounted. Shoppers spend so much time waiting to get into the store that when they realize that they aren’t getting that great of a discount, they purchase the item anyway because they don’t want to go home empty handed.

Every year in an event called Midnight Madness, Tyson’s Corner

10 Tips to surviving Black Friday 1. Search the ads for the best deals 2. Get to the store shortly after it’s open, there’s no use in waiting in a line hours before the store opens 3. Get in and get out, don’t use Black Friday as a day for casual shopping 4. Have a mission: only go if there has been an advertised deal you know is offered 5. Shop local 6. Expect heavy traffic 7. Only look for deals on big ticket items, less expensive items aren’t worth the trouble 8. Don’t feel pressured to buy

opens its doors at 12 a.m., where the mall is instantly stormed by devoted shoppers. The mall’s once peaceful, open hallways quickly begin to resemble the science hallways at AHS within seconds of opening. There were even reports of injuries due to stampeding and people being trampled from last year’s Black Friday. Are the sales really worth all of the chaos?

“I tried to go last year at one in the morning to Tyson’s and we were backed up on the highway for an hour,” senior Christina Uglietta said. “In the mall it

something just because it’s on sale 9. Look for malls/stores that aren’t in heavily populated areas, a farther drive can make up for heavy lines 10. Don’t go at all, Cyber Monday is a much smarter way to save

was a disaster and way overcrowded; I didn’t even buy anything.”

For most shoppers, Black Friday means one thing: lines. Lines of traffic, lines for the dressing room and lines for the cash register. In most cases, shoppers spend more hours waiting to shop than they actually do shopping.

In this culture, time is money, and the amount of time people waste waiting to shop or waiting in traffic is far more than the money that you end up saving on these discounts.

Sure, you can find pretty good deals

on a variety of products on Black Friday, but the whole month of December is filled with holiday savings that, in many cases, are just as cost effective as the ones offered on the shopping holiday. If you are willing to wait hours in lines, you can wait another week for the holiday sales to begin.

“I don’t go Black Friday shopping because it’s extremely hectic and the atmosphere is discomforting,” junior Hayat Yusuf said. “The amount of people that go and the mediocre sales don’t really draw me into it.”

With the modern technological society we live in, it is no wonder that the solution to avoiding the Black Friday Madness is online. The Monday following Black Friday is known as Cyber Monday, and offers extreme discounts on online shopping.

Through Cyber Monday, you can avoid the hassle of long lines and traffic, the overwhelming feeling of large crowds and the unnecessary trip to the mall. With online shopping you can search for deals while in the comfort of your home, making it much easier to focus on which items are best for you.

Also, online shopping makes it a lot easier and quicker to compare prices and deals that different stores offer on the same products, thus helping you find the biggest bang for your buck.

Save yourself from the chaos and the let down and stay at home on Black Friday.

Most wanted electronics for the holidays

Have a problem? E-mail Livi at: livi.listens@gmail.com

Fall fashion trends: be you On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read a fashion column about being yourself

Apple Ipad Mini: Starting at $329.00 Includes everything the full sized Ipad offers with the convenience of a 7.9 inch display that can easily fit into one hand

Sony Portable Wi-Fi Speaker with AirPlay: Starting at $399.99 Allows you to wirelessly stream music without having to dock your music device

Dr. Dre Beats Tour Earphones: Starting at $149.95 Offers a built-in mic to switch to calls and tangle-free cords

Call Of Duty Black Ops II: Starting at $59.99 An advanced sequel to Call of Duty Black Ops with new features such as new maps and weapons

Kindle paperwhite Starting at $119.00 E-reader that offers high quality displays even in sunlight and built in wi-fi

15

Sports X-tra

Nov 7, 2012

By Ayah Oweis Sports X-tra Editor Running long distances has become second nature for sophomore Alejandra Benavides; she has run numerous marathons and participated in the Marine Corps Marathon on October 26.

After running her first marathon, Benavides immediately got hooked and has since then run multiple 5k’s, ten-milers, and marathons every year. Starting at a young age, Benavides has consistently excelled in running.

She ran cross country and track at school her freshman year, but had to stop because the practices interfered with her marathon training. Although she wanted to stay on the teams, she could not find the time to do marathons and go to practices and meets for school.

In the end, she decided that running marathons had a bigger impact not only on her life but also the lives of others. In some of the marathons she runs, she represents charities.

In the Marine Corps Marathon, Benavides ran for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help raise awareness and work towards helping kids with cancer. Also, on Oct. 21st, she ran the Army Ten Miler with an amazing time of 1:22; averaging out to a 8:20 minute mile.

“The Marine Corps Marathon is definitely

COURTESY OF ALIE BENAVIDES

One student competes in both the Army Ten Miler and the Marine Corps Marathon

my favorite race,” Benavides said. “I love the fact that I am running for charity and am helping kids in need.”

This year Benavides ran a 2 hour, 24 minute marathon; a new personal best for her.

“I just barely made my new best time, but I am proud of myself,” Benavides said.

Although she is running in two Army marathons, this headstrong sophomore is not very fond of the military.

“I have nothing against it; I’m just more of a peaceful person,” Benavides said.

This does not keep her from running the races and showing her American pride. Her love of running keeps her coming back to these Army and Marine runs; she has been running the Army Ten Miler every year for six years and has ran the Marine Corps Marathon for three years so far.

“Every year I still get nervous for the races,“ Beavides said. “I just want to do well and get my personal record while also making people proud.“ Hoping to get her best time yet, she is working with her coach, Zack Sykes, six days a week, running grueling workouts and keeping in shape.

Having only strong muscles and good endurance isn’t enough to keep you going in a marathon; a runner has to have heart, and Benavides has enough of both to keep her running to the finish line.

“Running a marathon is extremely hard, but the fact that I am doing this run for the St. Jude’s kids is what will keep me going,” Benavides said.

Alejandra Benavides has been runnning the Army Ten Miler for the past six years and is planning on running and improving her time.

Once a team, always a team The varsity lacrosse girls have decided to stick together and play in a club league

By Megan Ryan Staff Writer

SARAH BERGEN

The varsity girls lacrosse team has joined together in the off season to play together in the Triple Edge Lacrosse Fall Ball League. Team 35 is 6-0 and consists of 14 players, who show up for weekly Sunday games upon availability.

“It’s good to play with the team before the season starts to get back into the feel of the game and to get a feel for the field again,” junior Kaitlin Martindale said. On top of it all, I get to play middle [rather than] goalie.”

Many of the other teams are made up of girls from different high schools, giving the AHS based team an advantage against them. Since the girls have played together before, they know how the The Atoms varsity lacrosse players play together in a club team. Bottom row: Sarah Deible, Alexia Sung, Sarah Bergen, chemistry on the team works; therefore there is Sureyya Gokturk, Bayley Brill, Kunnica Kou. Top Row: Megan Ryan, Paige Britton, Betsy Kruse, Janan Gokturk, Kaitlin more of a flow.

Martindale “I like being able to play with older people and being able to get experience with them,” of the girls from other teams are junior varsity freshman Janan Gokturk said.

Gokturk said. players at their high schools, so we do things like Gokturk has played lacrosse before in other The team’s latest competition, a double header left-handed play only, or setting up strategies to leagues, including Triple Edge, Capital Lacrosse at Lanier High School against Team 38 girls from work the field,” Gokturk said. and more.

Dominion, Herndon, Potomac Falls, Kettle Run, Games are held at Word of Grace Field (Old Coached by Dave Britton, father of AHS Paul VI, and McLean.

Redskins Park) which is approximately 45 minutes players Paige and Ashley Britton, and former The second team was team 37, consisting of away, and Lanier Middle School which is about 20 assistant boys varsity coach, the team focuses on girls from Briar Wood, Freedom, Stonebridge, minutes away from Annandale. player improvement and team unity rather than Fairfax, Stonewall Jackson and Osbourne park.

A photo ID is required for registration before competition.

The team will be playing team 42, which every game, and Triple Edge provide referees and Players are allowed to switch around positions consists from girls of O’Connell, National additional coaching. and try new areas of play to get ready for the Cathedral School, Bishop Ireton, Georgetown “I don’t like the referees- they don’t take it spring season.

Visitation, and Saint John’s College High School. seriously since it’s not that serious of a league.”

“The league isn’t that competitive, since a lot

An athlete’s never ending seasons Diverse senior Ashley Whittle has switched sports every year

COURTESY OF ASHLEY WHITTLE

By Nuhami Mandefro Staff Writer

Whittle was an active player in the field hockey team her freshman and sophomore year. Now she runs cross country in the fall instead.

Spotlight: Melissa Pratt

COURTESY OF KELLY PRATT

Running for our nation

AHS is lucky enough to have such athletic students participate in our sports program, but not everyone can master the different qualities each sport requires.

Senior Ashley Whittle dares to do the impossible. Whittle has jumped from sport to sport, excelling in each and keeping up with other teammates who had been playing that sport for years was no challenge for her. She has done cross country, gymnastics, soccer, dive and field hockey.

Each year, Whittle’s athletic abilities help her succeed with every new sport she tried.

With the exception of soccer and gymnastics, Whittle joins a new sport and manages to exceed the expectations of others in all of the sports she has tried.

Whittle has been playing soccer since she was five years old, which explains her love and gift for the game. This prior training made her an asset to the AHS soccer team.

Once she entered high school, she stopped playing outside of school and has been playing for AHS since freshmen year.

“Soccer was fun,” Whittle said. “I’ve been playing for years and I loved being on a team

with a lot of my friends.”

Whittle also started gymnastics at a young age. Joining the team her sophomore year, she loved the news skills she learned and the new people she met during the season.

Coming into AHS, Ashley tried field hockey and dive and managed to do incredible in both.

Her background in gymnastics made diving easy. The feeling of learning the game and being with friends just made it more enjoyable for her.

“Cross Country is my favorite sport; I loved going to meets and it was a great way to get in shape,” Whittle said. “I always had an amazing time with the team and I’ve become incredibly close with a lot of them.”

When it comes to support, her family is always there cheering her on no matter what sport she does. Seeing Whittle’s parents at cross country meets is common for the rest of the runners on the team, and it is the same for any other sport she plays.

When Whittle puts her mind into something, she can do no wrong. Sports has been and always will be a prominent part in Whittle’s life.

She will leave AHS with a very impressive athletic profile. AHS’ athletic program is very lucky to have someone as talented as her.

Q. Why did you decide to do the Army Ten Miler?

A. I did the Army Ten Miler because my dad has done it for about 17 years and I had always wanted to do it with him. I first did it last year and I plan on keeping my streak going.

Q. How do you think it went? How did it feel to cross the finish line?

A. The race was alright; it was fun to do with my dad and two cousins. Crossing the finish line was an honor. This year we ran for my grandfather who had passed away. I hope we made him proud.

Q. What was the hardest part of the race?

A. The hardest part was the last two miles, but I kept looking at everyone’s shirt that says ‘I will never quit‘ and I hung in there until the end.

Q. Do you plan on running the race next year?

A. I do plan on running the race next year; it was fun and an honor to run the Army Ten Miler so I would like to keep up with it like my dad.

Q. How did you prepare?

Did you train at all?

A. Unfortunately I did not prepare at all because I did cheer instead of cross country this year. It did make it more difficult since I haven’t ran since July, I don’t recommend that method for anyone.

Q. What did this race mean to you?

A. It means a lot to me, I think ten miles is a big accomplishment, and everyone should at least try it. It is not that hard; if you can run ten miles you start to feel like you can do anything.

Upcoming fun runs Tidal Basin: Nov. 21 Vienna Turkey Trot: Nov. 18 Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run: Dec. 8 Run For Rwanda: Nov. 11 Candy Cane City 5k: Nov. 10 Run 4 the Homeless 5k: Nov. 10 PVTC Cranberry Crawl 5k and 10k: Nov. 17 Dunkin Donuts Munchkin Run 5k: Nov. 17 Hope For Help 5k: Nov. 17 On your smartphone, scan this code above using the application “QR Code” to view a story about the annual Powderpuff game.

What are you most excited about for the winter sport season?

“I’m looking forward to basketball because it gives us something to occupy our time.”

—Yocias Sekade freshman

“Basketball, because it’s fun to be with the team.”

—Diana Maria sophomore “I play basketball and I think we’ll have a good season.”

—Kaitleigh Fetterman junior

“Wrestling because it’s exciting and I’ll be watching to see our team beat other schools.”

—Jung Won Sue senior --Compiled by Sarah Metzel

Cross Country Photos

Nov. 7, 2012

Ending on a positive note Division I colleges look to recruit senior offensive guard

BY JAROD GOLUB AND SHIRA STEINBERG Sports Editor and Staff Writer The Atoms experienced a dismal season, with at least eight losses [Friday’s game against Lee was not able to be covered by this issue of The A-Blast due to the hurricane]. There are some things to look back on happily, such as one student athlete who is being recruited by Division I colleges for next season.

“Bryan Jefferson has done very well for us at both offensive guard and defensive tackle, and he is being recruited to play Division I football,” head coach Michael Scott said.

“I’ve been talking to Georgetown, Colgate, Columbia, Maryland and even Harvard was interested; it’s all really overwhelming, trying to choose a school,” Jefferson said. “Most of the scholarships are for football, but two of them are for wrestling. It’s incredible really, I can’t even make a decision.”

Jefferson’s recruiting options and college choices shine as a bright spot on an otherwise dreary season Senior Nolan Gilbert runs with the ball down the field during one play of the Atoms homecoming game against South County. for the Atoms.

Despite everything, the injury-stricken team After a devastating loss to the Stallions on Oct. suffered a concussion during the game against West Springfield. still had players do exceptionally well throughout 26 at the Homecoming game, the Atom’s record “Joe Bermingham was having an All-District the season along with their Division I prospect. stood at 1-8 going into their last game of the season season at tight end, but had to move to quarterback “Tim Johnson, who is just a freshman, has against Lee HS. done a very good job for us at cornerback since he The game ended with a score of 56-13 with two due to injury,” Scott said.

After suffering through injuries all season the was moved up three weeks ago, Nolan Gilbert has touchdowns for the Atoms scored by seniors Fonti Kanu and Nolan Gilbert. The touchdowns came team still felt as if they had something to show for become a real threat for us at receiver and leads the team in receptions and touchdown passes, he in the second and fourth quarters, but could do the Homecoming game.

“I feel that the team did well as a whole, and, also is probably our best cover corner,” Scott said. nothing to spur the Atoms on to victory over the I don’t know, we couldn’t catch a break,” senior As the season comes to a close, the team does Stallions. think that they performed to the best of their “I think all of our guys have worked very hard Eyassu Yohannes said.

The coaches also believe that the players deserve abilities at the time. and have gotten better at everything they do,” Scott “I want to say the whole team put in a lot of said. “Unfortunately, we’ve lost a lot of people to more than they have been given this past season.

“I’m very disappointed that we weren’t able effort.

Everyone did what they could,” senior Hari injury and we’ve had to kind of backtrack,” Injuries showed their effect in this game with to win, but I think our guys played very hard. Mizouri said.

While the season is over the Atoms are not, senior Joe Bermingham coming in as quarterback We’re a little beat up right now, but the guys out after having not played in that position in a single there played extremely hard,” Scott said. “I’m however, happy with this performance.

“There’s nothing really we could have done, it’s game this season. Bermingham came in this game disappointed for them because they deserve to have just the way things played out,” Yohannes said. after starting quarterback junior Steven Schwartz a lot more success than they had.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NOLAN GILBERT

16

SPORTS

Breaking away from the pack As cross country season comes to a close, sole runner for the Atoms moves on to the regional championship

BY JAROD GOLUB Sports Editor

PHOTO COURTESY OF HUNG TRUONG

Junior Faith Paletti fights to keep pace.

The runners break apart at the start line.

Sophomore Aviad Gebrehiwot runs at Occoquan. He was the only one runner from AHS to compete in the Regional Championship on Nov 1.

The Atoms ran in the Patriot District Championships on Oct. 25 with both teams earning seventh place. While, this was not enough to grant the teams a spot in the regional tournament, one runner has moved on.

Sophomore Aviad Gebrehiwot is the only runner from either cross country team to advance to the regions. [Regionals took place on Nov. 1, but ended too late to be covered in this issue of The A-Blast.]

“We’ve been keeping Aviad conservative up until now, but for regionals, I plan to just let him loose and run,” boys coach Dave O’Hara said.

Gebrehiwot has been training for regionals race since the beginning of the season, but since qualifying his workouts have become even more challenging.

“I ran 44 miles this week alone, that’s more than I’ve ever run before,” Gebrehiwot said.

This is Gebrehiwot’s first time qualifying for regionals “I’m pretty happy with it, especially since the Patriot District is the hardest in Northern

Virginia,” Gebrehiwot said.

Gebrehiwot ran a 16:14, fast enough to place him in the 13th spot. Enough to secure him a spot in the Regional tournament.

The same could not be said for Gebrehiwot’s training partner, senior Draven Pike, who placed 17th, missing the tournament by two spots.

Gebrehiwot is not just looking to run the race, he plans on placing high in the rankings.

“My ‘A’ goal is to place in the top 25 for the region. That’d be awesome,” Gebrehiwot said.

Even if Gebrehiwot does not move on, the running will not end with the regional tournament. Aviad, who is a three-peat athlete, continue to practice in preparation for track and next year’s season of cross country.

“We’re just going to keep on working,” O’Hara said.

As the Atom’s season comes to a close, both teams have mixed feelings about this year as a whole.

“I was not as happy with the finish as I would have liked, but the times were exceptional,” girls coach Philip Harris said.

At districts, the girls team had three girls finish below 21 minutes.

“I feel that the team did really well at districts,” junior Kaitlin Martindale said.

Martindale finished with a time of 20:36.

The boys team has improved from the beginning of the season.

“We ran to our absolute potential, our worst time this race was still 40 seconds better than in September on the same course, and our best time was 1:40 better,” O’Hara said.

Volleyball stopped short of goal --Photos courtesy of Hung Truong

AHS Homecoming Game On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view the video of the game.

BY BETSY KRUSE Sports Editor The volleyball team fell to T.C. Williams during the first round of the Patriot District Tournament, ending their season with a 9-9 record.

The Titans defeated the Atoms three sets to none, with set scores of 25-10, 25-13 and 25-19.

“I think we started out nervous and we didn’t believe in ourselves until it was too late in the game,” head coach Jan Austin said.

The Atoms had just played the Titans the previous week and suffered a 0-3 loss then as well.

“I think we played well, but T.C. [Williams] had Senior Olivia Franjie sets the ball for senior Clare Lazar at a recent match against T.C. Despite their strong effort, they lost 0-3. some strong players; one is even playing for James “As a team, Woodson was our best game even Madison University next year,” senior Jenny Ha team was not disappointed with their overall play. though we lost, but we played together really “I think this has been the best season that I said.

T.C. Williams dominated the game from the have been able to coach so far,” Austin said. “We well,” Lazar said. “Our passes and rallies were start and it was not until the last set when bonded well and when you look at the end, it was a consistently good through out the whole game.”

Senior Olivia Franjie received second team all Annandale was able to hold the lead for a small positive ending even though we didn’t accomplish district honors and Lazar and senior Jesi Gallogly all that we wanted to.” period of time. received honorable mention.

Ha echoed a similar view of the season.

“We changed our defense after we played [T.C. Despite losing six seniors, the future still “We played together for a long time, so we Williams], but our energy wasn’t there because we had just lost to them,” senior Clare Lazar said. “We had really good court chemistry and worked well looks bright as the team has many juniors and sophomores to fill the empty positions. together throughout the whole season,” Ha said. weren’t in the right mind set.”

Lazar declared the game against Woodson to be Even though the season was ended early, the one of the best games for the team.

BETSY KRUSE

Junior Kelsey Jones finishes her race.

The Atoms lose to the Titans during the first round of districts ending their season

Nov. 7, 2012

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17

Get to know Hunter Hayes We got in touch with Country star Hunter Hayes to get an inside look of what his music is all about and his current tour with Carrie Underwood.

be involved in different aspects of the musical process.

There’s writing, recording, performing and everything in between. I’m fortunate to be so involved. It’s a passion though and it takes a lot of time and energy as a person. Sometimes it’s stressful and sometimes it’s lonely investing all your time and energy into something and just hoping it works. But, every time I get to play a show it makes sense. I live for making music. I love it. The ups and downs are all just a part of the story, it’s what shapes my sound and what shapes me as a person. If you believe in something, you don’t think about it, hesitate or question it, you just have to do what it takes to see your dreams come true.

Q: Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about yourself My name is Hunter Hayes, I’m 21 years old from Breaux Bridge Louisiana.

LINCOLN: As the Civil War continues to rage, America’s president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.

November 9

Q: What’s the one thing that you’ve gotten out of this tour that will help you in the future?

I don’t know that there’s one particular thing, but I can say that it’s been great to see the tour come together every day. Watching the 14 trucks unload and seeing the production come together, watching and listening back to our shows every night and studying what’s working and what’s not quite right, just the whole thing has been a learning experience. Touring is one of those things you can’t train for or learn about from a distance, you just have to tour and experience all of it.

Everything from the crazy scheduling to getting to play for thousands of people every night is all something you just have to do over and over to really get accustomed to it and even then it changes everyday so you have to also learn how to adapt.

the biggest thing that helped me. There’s a huge live music demand and there are tons of places for a live band to play. I know when I started sitting in with bands they would play two or three fairs and festivals every weekend. I was able to keep busy all year round and play all the time growing up. There are a ton of musicians that I got to learn from and study under and that was huge for me as a musician to be so inspired by so many people around me. Looking back I’d contribute a lot of my love for music from growing up in an area where it’s such a thing.

Q: Who have been your musical inspirations to get you to where you are now?

It’s a long list and this is by no means all of it or even half but it spans from my early years of listening and watching shows from Garth Brooks, Bryan White, Brooks and Dunn, Lonestar, then it was stuff like Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Lady A and you could look at all the stuff outside of country that now inspires me like Coldplay, Train, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Mutemath, Michael Buble, U2 and stuff like that. It’s all stuff that I’ve listened to, studied and gained new perspectives from.

Music is so much like a fingerprint in that it’s different with every person, not just artists but listeners and I want to listen to as much stuff as I possibly can to help me shape the things that will make up my own sound.

Q: Being a young artist yourself, is there any advice you can give to a high school musician?

Music is awesome. There are so many avenues inside of music that you can make a career out of. You have to choose your own path and believe in yourself. I can say from experience that I have had some seriously crazy dreams and goals that seemed a little ridiculous but I’ve been fortunate to be able to say that a lot of them have already come true. I will also say don’t give up.

It’s a long road and sometimes a little frustrating but when you get where you wanna go, it’s all so seriously worth it.

Q: What’s the music scene like in your home state? Do you feel like it has helped or hurt you as an artist?

The music scene in Louisiana was actually probably

–Compiled by Sarah Bergen

COURTESY OF DIANA QUEZADA

“I met Nick Jonas. I found out he was having a free concert, so I skipped school and rushed to the concert.

Afterwards they came out and took photos with anyone who stayed. At the time I was obessesed with the Jonas Brothers so it meant the world to me to meet him.”

—Diana Quezada junior

“I met Annia Hatch, she was at one of my gymnastics competitions. She won Olympic silver on the vault event at the 2004 Olympics in Athens Greece. It was really cool to see that she is still involved with coaching younger kids in the sport, even though she has retired.”

—Allie Vogus junior

COURTESY OF SKYE LINDBERG

The Perks of Being A Wallflower Movie Review On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to read a review of The Perks of Being A Wallflower.

Q: Anything else you’d like to say to our viewers and your fans?

Thanks so much for taking the time to get to know me.

Hope to see you at a show soon!

“I met Cher Lloyd who was on FOX’s singing competition show “The X-Factor.” She came to the Hard Rock Cafe in Washington DC, and we waited outside in the rain from 7:00 am-3:30 pm to meet her. It was so worth it!”

—Skye Lindberg senior

“I met Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” while visiting the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington D.C. I was able to take a picture with him and get his autograph since he was at the Planetary Society Booth. ” —Brian Khong senior

COURTESY OF PAIGE BRITTON

RED DAWN: In Red Dawn, a city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation.

November 21

Q: Do you have any plans for 2013 that you can share?

I mean, we have a lot in the works. One thing for sure is I’m planning to get back out on a headline tour at some point. As soon as the team figures out when and where we’ll make a big announcement but I’m really looking forward to building my show for next year!

“I met Ariana Grande from the Nickolodeon’s Victorious at the salon my mom works at. Her cousin is my mom’s client and was getting married, so all of the bridesmaids came to the salon to get their hair and makeup done.

She was so cute and nice, I had a lot of fun meeting her.”

—Iman Naieem sophomore

“I met Tyga, he’s a rapper and has rapped with artists such as Chris Brown. I met him in a hotel elevator when I was in New Jersey. ” — Hiwot Dagnachew sophomore

“Me and Freshman Sarah Dieble metAustin Mahone in NewYork City. He was in Radio City. He’s a new trending singer similar to Justin Bieber.”

—Julie Swenton freshman

COURTESY OF ALLIE VOGUS

THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK: Life doesn’t always go according to plan.

Pat Solatano, played by Bradley Cooper, has lost everything. Now he finds himself living back with his mother and father.

Eventually he meets Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, a mysterious girl who offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only for something in return.

November 21

Q: For someone who’s never heard your music before, what song would you recommend they listen to first?

I’d suggest something like “Love Makes Me” It seems to have the most of all of my influences musically and it’s pretty lyrically real seeing as it has a “mustang” and “tearing off the shrink wrap” of a new record and “cranking it up loud” it’s pretty much my life!

Who’s hanging with celebrities?

COURTESY OF JULIE SWENTON

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2: The epic love story between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen concludes in this final installment of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling series. Dreamgirls’ Bill Condon directs this second segment of the two-film adaptation.

November 16

Q: What are your personal struggles and advantages to being a solo artist?

I’m dedicated to music, every part of it. I’m lucky to

Q: When did you decide you wanted to pursue a career in music?

It was never a decision it was always more of an instinct thing. My parents aren’t musical so I have no idea where it came from but ever since I was a kid, I loved listening to music, loved music in general and for my second birthday I was given a toy accordion from my grandmother. I’d say since then, it’s been an absolute obsession.

COURTESY OF IMAN NAIEEM

SKYFALL: In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Bond showcases some new tricks and action filled treats for audiences to enjoy.

November 9

Q: What’s been the most enlightening moment in your career?

I don’t know if I can say there was just one. There have been so many different inspiring moments in my many musical experiences. I think the most enlightening moments are those spent with other artists. Getting to see how other artists think and sort of operate if you will. Seeing how another writer writes or how other musicians make music, taking that all in and getting to look at it differently next time I try something out.

I’d say life is a series of those enlightening events more than it is just all revolving around one particular one.

COURTESY OF HIWOT DAGNACHEW

FLIGHT: Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot, crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault and what happened.

November 2

Q: You’ve been on tour with Carrie Underwood, how has that been so far? What’s been your favorite date on tour to play thus far?

I absolutely love this tour so far. This particular tour is a lot of fun for me because it’s longer than we’ve been on tour with anybody and it’s a longer show as well. This is the first tour where I really get to bring my own production and have a little fun with lights and set design and stuff like that. Carrie is really cool too so it’s always cool to open for a headliner who is so down to earth and real.

COURTESY OF BRIAN KHONG

Upcoming movies

Nov. 7, 2012

“I met Demi Lovato twice. The first time, we were able to meet her because Demi’s cousin went to school with me, so she was able to let us all meet her before her show on Demi’s birthday.”

—Paige Britton senior

COURTESY OF BONNIE VINING

18

ENTERTAINMENT

“I met Bradley Whitford in New York City when I waited for him outside the theatre where he was performing. I pretended I had just seen his show, and told him I was a huge fan. He was really sweet and friendly.”

—Bonnie Vining English teacher

Entertainment

Nov. 7, 2012

Why is Brown still around?

After beating up his popstar girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, why do people still like him?

19 Upcoming concerts

By Colleen Adenan and Emily Blank Co-Editor-In-Chief & Entertainment Editor Cuts and bruises covered Rihanna’s body in 2009 after her boyfriend of the time, singer Chris Brown, attacked her. Brown was convicted and sentenced to five years of probation, community service and domestic violence counseling. In society, we would have condemned this sort of issue, looking down upon Brown as a villain that committed a crime of domestic violence.

So then why are we still supporting Chris Brown?

“When I heard about what he did, I thought [his actions] were very irresponsible of him and kind of stupid, but at the same time I didn’t know how much of it to believe because the media could exaggerate it,” senior Lois Kim said.

Like Kim, most fans were left in disbelief that Brown, one of the biggest R&B artists at the time, would commit such a vicious crime. But as soon as the photo’s of Rihanna’s battered face surfaced, the public became enraged with Chris Brown.

As soon as word got out, Brown hid from the spotlight. Several months passed and no one received official word, or even an apology from Brown himself.

Then suddenly, Brown appeared on Larry King Live to give an interview and rehabilitate what was left of his image.

A majority of the public and even Rihanna, were not impressed. Instead of giving a sincere heartfelt apology, Brown was said to have read off of a teleprompter. His

Motion City Sountrack Thurs., Nov. 8 The 9:30 Club

failed apology still did not stop fans from forgiving him, or listening to his music.

Brown’s success has by no means been hindered by his tainted public image as a man that beats women.

He continues winning awards, including the two MTV Video Music awards he won at the 2012 awards show.

Brown even got a tattoo of a mangled woman’s face on his neck. Many considered this face to be Rihanna, but Brown’s rep insists that it is not. Most people would be disgusted by such an atrocious action after all that he has done, but this still does not discourage fans from listening and supporting him and his music.

Shortly after his comeback, Rihanna began to start talking to Chris Brown again. The public was outraged

Toddlers and Tiara’s ‘Honey Boo Boo’

at how Rihanna, after being beaten by this very man, was running right back to him. Although he has taken domestic violence classes and said he is sorry, it does not mean he won’t ever do it again.

“Although it is possible for people to change, patterns of verbal and physical abuse are very difficult to change,” psychology teacher Katie Gould said. “In this severe kind of abuse, you should get out of that relationship. Couples therapy can help, but that kind of relationship should never continue.”

Even though Chris Brown beat Rihanna, he is still just as famous as he were before the beating ever took place. As long as he has the support of his fans, he will still remain relevant.

Featured band:

Taking Back Sunday Sun., Nov. 11 The 9:30 Club

Who Is Atlas?

‘You betta redneckonize’ that Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is an actual show

LIGHTS Sun., Nov. 18 The 9:30 Club

Scan the QR code to the left on your smartphone to see an exclusive interview with the band.

By Destiny Gammon and Chloe Loving Editorials Editor & Photo Editor Formally a Toddlers in Tiaras child star, Alana Thompson and her family now star in their own show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on TLC. Featuring June “Mama,” Mike “Sugar Bear,” and sister Lauryn “Pumpkin,” sister Jessica “Chubbs,” and sister Anna “Chickadee,”the Thompson family gives viewers a look their crazy lives.

Right away, its is obvious that this is no ordinary household. Consisting of excessive sneezing and farting, pig purchases, bingo games and extreme couponing, season one of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo has gained unimaginable amounts of popularity from a wide range of viewers.

The premiere of the season started with with introduction of Alana, otherwise known to fans as “Honey Boo Boo Child.” Her and her redneck family live in the small rural town of McIntyre, Georgia where the most exciting attraction is the gas station down the street, which is often visited by Alana and her sisters. Although the show includes the Thompson family’s involvement in glitz pageants, a form of pageantry in which tanning, fake eyelashes and expensive dresses are expected to be used by each contestant, the focus of this new reality television show is to stray away from their past association with Toddlers in Tiaras and more geared to tell the story of the everyday lives.

Alex Goot Sun., Nov. 11 Jammin Java

Celebri-

Rick Ross Sun., Nov. 18 The Patriot Center

Get inside your favorite celebrities’ heads

With her big blue eyes and chunky gut, “Honey Boo Boo” keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, ready to listen to her witty expressions such as “the dolla makes me holla” and “vajiggle jaggle” which is a nickname given to her mother’s three chins.

But one of the most influential characters of the past season, surprisingly, was not even a human. Glitzy, a posh pig, quickly gained fame after being introduced as Alana’s new pet. Gaining stardom on items such as t-shirts and mugs, Glitzy received a large fan base and was defended when Alana’s father, “Sugar Bear” sent him back after the family grew annoyed with his incessant squealing.

A few episodes later though, Glitzy is back for good after “Sugar Bear” surprises Alana after one of her pageants.

Bob Dylan Tues., Nov. 20 The Verizon Center

“I still see it all in my head... burning #RED”

“That’s the president I voted for! And I will vote again!”

—Taylor Swift @TaylorSwift13

—John Legend @JohnLegend

“Thank you for not judging me.

I pray you 2 may find the strength & courage to know the truth. That you perfect just the way you are.”

—Nicole Scherzinger @NicoleScherzy

Feed God Cabbage Sat., Nov. 24 Jammin Java

The Downtown Fiction Sun., Nov. 25 Jammin Java

Neil Young Fri., Nov. 30 The Patriot Center

Chasing Mavericks Movie Review On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code”to read a review on Chasing Mavricks.

20 Think you know all about Thanksgiving?

Nov. 7, 2012

Cheap, unique date ideas Next time you are hanging out with someone special, try something new

The average cost per pound for a frozen whole turkey

13.7

The number of places in the U.S. that are named “Cranberry” or some variation of the name

8

ANDREA MELENDEZ

The amount of turkey consumed by the typical American (in pounds)

ROWAN SHARTEL

$1

COUPON DATE

CRAZY DINNER

This is no normal date. Check out local establishments, flyers in the mail and websites like coupons.com, and cut out anything that looks entertaining. For the date, you are only allowed to go to places that you have coupons for, be it restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys or any other establishments. Have fun, save money and check out some new places.

If you are in the mood to test your cooking skills, be adventurous or just have a unique date, this could be the date for you. Each person gets $10 (or a set amount that you decide) and gets to buy anything they want at the grocery store. Then, you must go home and prepare a meal with all of the ingredients you purchased. This makes for an interesting dinner.

1621

1863

The alleged year of the first Thanksgiving between the pilgrims and Native Americans

President Lincoln proclaims a national day of thanksgiving

IMUNIQUE.COM

The number of towns named after the turkey, including Turkey, Texas

3

TREASURE HUNT

METRO MADNESS

Thrift stores are known for their great deals, but they can also be a great time. Each person gets $5 to buy the best items they can find, then put together an outfit. The most creative or unique outfit wins. You would be surprised what combinations you come up with, and also how resourceful you can be, all while having fun on a date.

If you have a good sense of direction, or at least a phone with a GPS, then this could be a great time. Choose a number between one and five, a color (red, orange, blue, green or yellow) and a direction (into or out of the city). Then, head to your nearest Metro station and get on the line that matches the color you chose. Get off at the stop that matches the number, and find one fun thing to do in that area. Repeat or change numbers if necessary.

Leftover Halloween candy uses

The record number of pumpkins produced, held

by Illinois (in millions of pounds) ROWAN SHARTEL

457

WEEKEND

––Credit: chiff.com

CANDY BAR SALAD

2013 class bulletin Order senior spirit wear at order. burkesports.com and use keyword “atoms”.

In a large bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cups milk and one instant vanilla pudding mix for 2 minutes.

Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 1 carton whipped topping. Fold in 4 chopped apples and 4 chopped various candy bars.

Refrigerate until serving.

––Recipe by tasteofhome.com

Graduation countdown: 218 days Bake sales will begin in November, and merchandise will be sold.

CANDY SNACK MIX Combine in a large bowl: 4 cups caramel corn, 1/4 cup M&M’s, 1 cup toasted pecan halves and 12 Twizzlers, cut into small pieces.

This stores well in a sealed container.

––Recipe by realsimple.com

represent the Duke Kabab House.

The customer service is pleasant, and upon speaking with several of the other customers, we found out that those who had stuck with the restaurant had great connections with the owners and enjoyed coming back every time.

We were greeted by one of the employees who later told us that he had been with restaurant for more than15 years. Apart from the good customer service, the menu introduced our taste buds to different cultural side dishes and entrees.

We chose the Duke Royal shown on the Restaurant Guide picture to the right. As another part of the side

By Rowan Shartel and Andrea Melendez dishes that came with the plate, we were offered traditional feta cheese, greens and onions to tide us over. We were given a number and told to wait as our meal was prepared. While waiting, Many people may have differing opinions on we ate our appetizers and gave it a thumbs up for Afghan cuisine, but eating out at Duke Kabab freshness and appeal. Although the onion was a House, those opinions are dulled in comparison. little strong for our taste, we enjoyed the bread Duke Kabab House has been offering and feta cheese that came with part of our meal.

The bread is baked and produced right on the traditional Afghan food for over 20 years and spot, warm and soft, a great combination with the still maintains the same unique taste and flavors cheese. When our food arrived, we were greatly that their restaurant offers.

Duke Kabab House offers the known grilled pleased by the presentation of the food shown chicken and steak, but also introduce one’s taste on the right. The ground meat was seasoned to buds to different recipes like grilled salmon perfection and the chicken cooked well and juicy.

The ending result of our plate was emptiness skewers. and a success, coming to an agreement that Most of the plates offered come with a very large portion of rice with a slice of butter on Duke Kabab House offers both a traditional and the top, and some grilled vegetables that are delicious alternative to any fast food location. marinated with their special Duke Kabab House sauce.

Grade 6301 Little River Tpk. Upon entering the restaurant, you are Alexandria, VA 22312 immediately given a view of the little market located to the right of the restaurant, filled with spiced goods and Afghan specialties that best

HURRICANE CANDLE Create a unique decoration for your home by making a Halloween “hurricane.” Fill a clear plastic or glass vase with candy corn, and place a small glass candle down into the can dy so it stands on its own. Be sure to never let a candle burn unless you are present and able to check on it, and practice fire safety with flames.

Cuisine Critiques

Field of Screams On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR code” to view an exclusive story about another haunted outing in Maryland.

A

ANDREA MELENDEZ

Duke Kabab House

The Duke Royal, one of the main specialties at Duke Kabab House, has some naan (Aghan bread) with three types of meat: marinated beef, ground beef and grilled chicken with roasted vegetables.

––Photo by Andrea Melendez