Issue 6

A

the VOLUME #60 ISSUE 6

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 470

Informinng the Atoms siince 1954 4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015

(703) 642-4229

Weather decisions frustrate Delays and cancellations not always necessary

BY JAROD GOLUB Co-Editor in Chief In the past two weeks, Fairfax County Public Schools have been closed twice and delayed three times. The delays on Jan. 7 and 9 as well as the closing on Jan. 8 were because of student safety.

However, along with these closings and delays, there were also days where school was closed that students and teachers thought it should not have been and days where school wasn't closed when it should have been.

Most recently, school was canceled on Jan. 14 due to expected freezing rain. However, no precipitation occurred that day, leading to a wasted day of school.

"I definitely felt like school should not have

been canceled," junior Jeffrey Montano said.

"But it was nice. I'm not complaining. I was living the life."

However, the unnecessary snow day was not all fun and games.

"It was nice and all, I had a lot of fun," junior Phillip Delcore said. "But it put me behind in a lot of my Red Day classes."

Missing classes can have a huge effect on the course and the speed with which the instructor has to go over the material.

"It's been hard for my [Red Day] classes to catch up," English teacher Julia Hanneman said. "They've already missed two class periods."

FCPS could be forced to make more important and difficult decisions in the upcoming week due to an increased chance of winter weather and declining temperatures.

Students and teachers can look forward to accumulating snow from Thursday Jan. 22 into Saturday Jan. 24.

The problem is, FCPS has seen some criticism for their decisions recently, as can be seen by the debacle of Jan. 6, when FCPS did not cancel school despite moderate snowfall and severely iced roads.

This caused many students to struggle with getting to school on time. see WEATHER pg. 5

Cashing in: student entrepreneurs Co-Editor in Chief t all started with me wanting to make money," senior Rasel Abutaa said.

Abutaa noticed that when he brought in a box of donuts, students were willing to buy one off of him.

When he decided it would be profitable to start a donut business he, like most, started off small. He bought 7-11 donuts that were on a two for one deal and sold them for a dollar each which means he was able to double his daily investment. However, he was not able to make a large profit for long since the deal expired.

"It became uneconomic," Abutaa said.

Instead of stopping his new business, he decided to shop around for other deals that would make enough revenue to continue his venture. He began to purchase the donuts from Harris Teeter. However, he was not able to make as much money as before but it would still make enough money that he would be satisfied by the end of the day.

Abutaa was not always known as the person who would carry a few boxes of donuts every morning.

"My interest in business began during the last couple of months in my junior year when I realized I wanted to make more money," Abutaa said.

While only starting his business in the past couple of years, his family has a business of their own.

"My parents own their own restaurant in Falls Church, and my mother got her MBA three years ago to learn more about running the restaurant," Abutaa said.

His parents were able to start their business just a few years after coming to the U.S. While his parents share the same interest, Abutaa was not affected by their background and experience.

"I didn't really get influenced by it at all to be honest, it just happened that I liked business and they have one," Abutaa said.

Many go into business without having a degree or formal education, but have experience. In Abutaa s case, he was able

I

BUSINESS STATISTICS · In 2010, 505,473 establishments were created, one of the lowest amounts since 1994 · 2,456,522 jobs were created because of new born establishments in 2010

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAROD GOLUB

BY BERTA TARQUI

· By the second year of a new born establishment, only 70 percent survived · Around 24 percent survive 17 years · Facts compiled by the Bureau of Labor to take business classes here in AHS to learn how the economy works and the different approaches he can take to be a successful entrepreneur.

"I took Economics and Personal Finance last year, and that prompted me to enroll in IB Business this year to increase my knowledge and learn new things," Abutaa said. "I was also able to ask my business teacher for advice regarding the sales and what would sell best."

While he wanted to get into this business in hopes for a regular flow of money, he soon enjoyed the work he was doing and the opportunities that came with it. He was also able to expand his venture once he started getting regular customers.

"I enjoyed trying to please the customers and implementing new deals and loyalty cards to see what worked best. It became an activity that I did for the fun as well as the money," Abutaa

said.

Abutaa created new deals at some points and tried out other tactics to see what would bring in more consumers.

"The soda was a sort of experiment, and while they sold well independently, they never sold out (the donuts always did).

I realized that instead of holding donuts in one hand and soda in the other, holding donuts in both hands would lead to higher profits," Abutaa said.

"I wanted to make money in an easy way, and nothing was easier than waking up 30 minutes early and going to school.

Selling the donuts wasn't difficult at all," Abutaa said. "So I didn't really count that as work. People handed me money and got a donut."

While Abutaa continues to have great interest in business and entrepreneurship and plans to study it while he is in college,

AHS teacher survives crash, issues warning Family and consumer science teacher Robin Griffin was only driving one mile from her home.

She drove through a green light as usual, but instead this time, a minivan came speeding towards her. Griffin saw the other driver going towards her door, expecting the driver to realize they had to stop, but they did not.

"I didn't think she was really going to hit me.

It was kind of like bumper cars, when you're like 'oh no this is going to hurt' She t-boned me," Griffin said.

It was the first day back from winter break, and Griffin's car was unexpectedly hit and flipped by a minivan.

"I was like okay that was really scary, but I'm okay. Next thing I know, my car flips, so I'm going upside down and I put my hands over my face. It was so scary, I thought I was going to die. I was so relieved that my daughter wasn't in the car," Griffin said.

After getting out of the accident safe and alive, it was time to think of the financial impact.

"My car was totaled and I just got a new car.

But it's a really long and hard process. It's been a ton of paperwork and a ton of my time," Griffin said. "Even though it wasn't my fault, you still have to go through a lot of work and steps to get everything back. I'm happy that I'm not hurt, or not really hurt, I have some injuries. But it's a real pain."

When Griffin's car flipped upside down, and she finally stopped. All of her side and back windows are destroyed except for the front window.

She noticed that there was glass everywhere.

Griffin owns a car with different kinds of safety features so there were side bags installed and activated that helped protect her from the shards of glass.

"I also had my seat belt on, so I was hanging upside down like a little bat in a cave, and that prevented me from getting hurt. I always wear my seat belt and I'm just so thankful."

The other driver was not paying attention according to Griffin. She saw her drinking coffee while driving.

After experiencing a serious accident first hand, Griffin had some advice she wanted to offer to students.

"So I just want to remind everybody to first and foremost, wear your seat belt, because I really think I would be dead without it. And secondly, always pay attention, there was nothing that I could do but she certainly should have seen me, I have a white car so I'm pretty easy to see," Griffin said.

Although being involved in a life threatening car accident, she only suffered minor injuries, such as neck pain. Many students are getting ready to begin driving on the road, so please practice safe driving and always stay alert while driving.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBIN GRIFFIN

Staff Writer

BY MAREM ATEF Staff Writer Each year, the AHS Its Academic team competes against schools across the county in a quiz bowl show for high school students. The episodes of "It's Academic" are aired on NBC. This year, the team will compete on Feb. 7 and the episode will air on March 28.

"We are playing Osbourn Park High School and South County Secondary School, 'It's Academic sponsor Caylen Beight said.

Students participating in the club are very eager to compete in the events to come. In their efforts to prepare, they have scheduled to compete against other schools in the area.

"There is a scholastic bowl at Robinson Secondary School that some of us are going to and that's just between different high schools and then Feb. 7 were going into the NBC studio in D.C. and we are recording a competition there," junior Rebecca Soulen said.

The club has been preparing throughout the year by consistently participating in mock competitions.

"Earlier in the year we have scrimmages against other schools and we play against them in a mock situation similar to that of the real competition," Beight said. "We see IT'S ACADEMIC pg. 5

Science fair begins preparation Students make last adjustments on projects

BY JEANINE BARAKAT Staff Writer

see ENTREPRENEURS pg. 5

BY JEANINE BARAKAT

It's Academic prepares to tape

Griffin's car right after a minivan hit her, totalling her car; it was flipped completely.

Third quarter is fast approaching and students are scrambling to turn in their work and achieve satisfying grades. While second quarter comes to an end, students involved in the science fair are preparing and finalizing their projects.

Freshmen, sophomores and a few juniors have spent months preparing themselves to present their projects for the big unveiling at the science fair which will be held on Thursday, Feb. 5. As students prepare, science fair coordinators are beginning to search for judges, who will be judging over 200 projects.

At the beginning of the year, students involved with the science fair decided on their topic and what kind of experiment they would want to do. After deciding on their experiment, they went to work. Students were given the next couple of months to perfect their experiments, do extensive research and collect data for the upcoming fair.

"Students started working on the science fair in September, and went through assignments all year long to find their problem, do research, set up their procedure, and complete the experiment. It's a lot of work, which is finally presented at the science fair on their backboards," science fair coordinator Liz Tufts said.

Science fairs are held in schools all around the country as a see SCIENCE FAIR pg. 5

Empyrean Heights

Game of chairs

Arts examines the structure of musical groups at AHS Arts

Meet the members of the a Capella group

People 13

Movie review: Selma

Discusses the historical importance of the film Entertainment 19

2 EDITORIALS

Jan. 20, 2015

Just be comfortable in your own skin

BY PHUONG NGUYEN Editorials Editor Winter has arrived and everyone is indoors away from the cold weather and sun.

Many people take advantage of indoor tanning booths during the winter to achieve a darker shade.

Despite being an enjoyable experience, indoor tanning has become a subject of concern for scientists and dermatologists.

According to a recent study conducted by the University of Florida, tanning causes approximately 400,000 diagnoses of skin cancer due to exposure to harsh ultraviolet radiation.

Aside from being a pleasurable experience, tanning is often done to purposefully alter one's skin color. Not only is it dangerous, many AHS students agree that excessive tanning is unattractive and overbearing.

"People should be mindful of how much they tan," sophomore Ivana Jarin said. "Unusual orange tan[s] doesn't look attractive on any person at all.

"I don't like it when people tan excessively," junior Casey Nguyen said. "I think it's ugly but it's not my place to tell people what they

should and shouldn't do."

People often change their skin color through tanning because of cosmetic preferences.

Indoor tanning consumers are mostly young white American women. According to a 2011 report from the National Health Interview Survey, a total of 13 percent of high school students (29 percent of them white high school females) have tanned more than once at salons.

Many girls are introduced to tanning because of peer pressure, which leads to the emphasis on physical attractiveness.

Having a bronze or golden looking tan symbolizes popularity and status. Teenagers want to have that "California body" and look sexy in their bikinis while taking a selfie for all to see on social media.

Teenagers should also understand that not everyone cares about what they look like.

In reality, artificially tan skin is an unrealistic depiction of humans.

Repeated use of indoor tanning causes people to look like mummified and wrinkly corpses.

Having a leisurely tan at the beach is one thing, but what is the point of overdoing it to the point of getting melanoma?

Many Americans are ignorant enough to not understand that even one indoor tan poses a threat for skin cancer.

Where is the message of beauty in tanning if it causes disease?

In addition, parents should be responsible and keep underage children away from

CDC.GOV

Orange is not the new black

America's obssession with indoor tanning leads to the risk for skin cancers such as melanoma.

tanning salons.

There have been several cases of young children getting burned in tanning booths, including the much profiled "tan mom" case in 2012.

Thankfully, numerous states including Hawaii, Texas, Nevada and California have passed laws that ban indoor tanning for those under 18 years of age.

In this day and age, people are repeatedly told to embrace their identity and be themselves. However, this isn't happening because most are constantly trying to change their appearance.

"I think people should like themselves the way they are, but [tanning] it's not

against my morals," Nguyen said.

Tanning has become embedded in American culture to the point that there are more tanning salons in Florida than McDonalds.

Overall, artificially tan skin is simply racist. It mocks people who have colored skin by portraying it as a novelty.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, people are ironically obsessed with having light skin.

Dark skin is considered very unattractive in China, India, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

This reason being is that people with darker skin are associated with poverty and working in low paying jobs under the sun.

To avoid becoming dark, insecure Asians

often use skin-whitening products, contributing to an emerging billion dollar skincare industry.

Skin whitening is comparable to the racial negativity that arises from indoor tanning. Changing skin color makes people inferior to one another.

In society today, there should not be one skin type that's dominant over another.

This is especially prevalent at AHS where students represent more than 90 different countries and speak more than 50 languages.

AHS in unique in that students accept and preserve their ethnicities and most importantly their identity. Students don't pay attention to how others talk or dress, let alone their skin color.

It's appalling to think that people outside the walls of school want to alter the color of their body for acceptance.

People should rely on other ways to feel good about their bodies.

Exercising and engaging in activities such as yoga, bikes rides, or even a fun run are admirable alternatives to racist tanning and skin whitening.

In the end, people have the right to do whatever they want. To some people, baking in UV ovens and bleaching faces is a part of everyday life.

Nevertheless, negative health impacts and racist depictions that come from tanning and skin-whitening are not something to be proud of.

Should the minimum wage increase?

Two students debate on the impact of increasing pay for workers in Virginia and the country as a whole

YES

NO

BY JULIA QUIZON Special to The A-Blast After nationwide financial crises that greatly affected the country's economy, most American workers are just grateful to find a way to be able to earn money and provide for the ones they need to support.

Jobs were scarce and any source of income was ideal, even minimum wage. In their minds, they at least have something to pay the bills or buy the food for the table.

Although relief swept over individuals across the country, information from the whitehouse.gov indicates that the current minimum wage is not enough to get many families out of poverty.

In reality, minimum wages are not enough to live at the standard of living many Americans are accustomed to today.

President Barack Obama included in his 2014 State of the Union address his desire for Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to increase from the standard $7.25 per hour to $10.10.

Obama's idea might be an incomprehensible change but it certainly aims to benefit the 28 million workers who work at a minimum as well as the economy.

More consumers will be able to spend money and give back to the producers. Increasing minimum

PHUONG NGUYEN

BY LAILAH SAID Special to The A-Blast

wage puts more in consumers' pockets and let the money circulate through various businesses.

Furthermore, raising the minimum wage would keep talent and productive workers in the labor force. More workers are willing to stay at their current jobs if given higher wages.

A strong work force will lead to the expansion of the middle class.

With a higher minimum wage, consumer spending which makes the bulk of the economy will increase and lead economic growth.

In a culturally diverse community with inhabitants from different economic backgrounds such as Annandale, many people rely on their minimum wage jobs to make an income. These are hard working individuals who want the best for their family but might just be in unfortunate circumstances.

Raising the minimum wage in

Virginia help pay: five months of rent, two years of electricity bills , 36 weeks of groceries, and 103 gallons of gas according to whitehouse.gov.

In addition, many people who work at their jobs for minimum wage think mostly about their immediate futures or how they will be able to provide for themselves and their families for the week or the month.

What's hard to comprehend is how will they be able to save for the future? Parents dream about their children obtaining higher education so they can work for a better life. Increasing the minimum wage now will give many people some extra money to save for the future.

In the light of Obama's executive order to increase the minimum wage for people who have new federal service contracts, it never hurts to try.

Raising the minimum wage will play a huge part in the country's effort to overcome its problems and

The minimum wage in Virginia should remain at $7.25 an hour.

Many business owners pay their employees above our state's minimum wage, and they say that they would be forced to make drastic changes if the minimum wage ever increased.

Such changes involve raising the price of goods, firing workers, and an overall increase in the unemployment of unskilled workers, those who most commonly earn minimum wage.

If we raised the minimum wage in Virginia, businesses would have to compensate for the extra money that they would lose going to their employees paychecks.

Small businesses would respond by laying off some workers to maintain their operational costs. In addition they would hire a smaller amount of workers.

This would consequently impact the unskilled workforce because workers would struggle to find (or keep) a job for a long period of time.

If businesses were unwilling to hire them, they would have a hard time paying all of their bills (rent and utilities), taking care of their basic needs (buying groceries, paying for gas) as well as providing for their families.

Also, many people our age get jobs (either part-time or full-time) at establishments like McDonald's or other fast-food restaurants that pay minimum wage.

They would give preference to the older, more experienced worker who depends on the job as their main source of income, not the teenager who is just looking for a job to earn extra spending money.

Speaking from a consumer's standpoint, I'm pretty sure that prices are already high enough without businesses having to increase them.

Imagine having to pay extra for those Chicken McNuggets and French Fries.

Despite large support for the increase on minimum wage, a low amount would not be enough for a person to live on.

For example, President Obama advocated that the minimum wage should be increased to $10.10 in his 2014 State of the Union Speech.

Dos and Don'ts of Snow Days

Staff EDITORS IN CHIEF Jarod Golub Berta Tarqui

WEEKEND EDITOR: Erin Johnson Thia Cariyannis

MANAGING EDITOR Chelsea Alfonso

INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Summar Ayoub

EDITORIALS EDITORS Phuong Nguyen Sarah Metzel COPY EDITOR Linus Bumbaca IN-DEPTH EDITORS Alexandra Zernik Cayley Byrne SPORTS EDITORS: Marife Baragano Sabrina Hawa SPORTS XTRA EDITOR: Daniel Yenetega PEOPLE EDITOR: Biruk Negash

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS: Nuhami Mandefro Conrad Shartel LIFESTYLES EDITORS: Soulisa Pathammavong Marilyn Rivas HEALTH EDITOR: Nancy Evora PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS: Kiara Patino Julie Swenton ART EDITOR: Bailey Oliver ACADEMICS EDITORS:

Kailyn Garay Alaina Garay WEB EDITOR/ MASTER: Jared Lefbom HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA: Andrew Gonzalez HEAD VIDEOGRAPHER: Rahel Tecle AD MANAGER: Zeke Yonas CIRCULATION MANAGER: Zeke Yonas STAFF WRITERS: Sheila Aguirre Faisal Hassan Ricque' Lynch Thida Pathammavong Nebeyu Solomon

Maria Suarez Raphael Yu Timothy Gray Tipyan Abdelrahman Marem Atef Ahmad Ayub Jeanine Barakat Haben Cheffna Omar Haddou Emily Lien Mery Berhene Hussein Salem Arzoo Marzi Binqi Chen Judy Chen Mohamed Elhag Teagan Foti Ryan Gammon PHOTOGRAPHER: Ricky Lam Emily Lien Andrew Nunez ADVISER: Alan Weintraut

The increase of $10.10 does not reflect rising living costs and inflation in America. If the national minimum was to be $10.10, Americans would quickly want another raise.

With all things considered, the current minimum of $7.25 doesn't seem to budge any time time soon due to likely disagreements in Congress.

A total of 28 other states across the U.S, including Washington D.C have minimum wages above $7.25 Seven states and D.C have recently enacted minimum wage increases effective any where from July 2015 to January 2019.

However, when you really think about all of the repercussions of increasing the minimum wage in Virginia, I'm sure you'll find that the consequences outweigh the benefits.

Annandale High School Vol. 60 No.6 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 703.642.4229 Jan. 20, 2015 Adviser: Alan Weintraut ajweintraut@fcps.edu

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 emailed to theablast14@gmail.com or 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, 2015.

Do follow The A-Blast on Twitter for closures.

Otherwise, have fun waiting for two hours at the bus stop.

Don't constantly post comments on whining about why school is open or closed. Deal with it!

Do your homework the night before in case school is still open.

Don't sleep all day during snow days. Get some projects done or maybe even go sledding!

EDITORIALS 3

Jan. 20, 2015

Free speech needs a purpose Charlie Hebdo's racist and vulgar cartoons are detrimental to our society

BY SARAH METZEL They did not deserve to die. I do not believe that death is a just punishment for anyone, especially journalists who were practicing their right to freedom of speech.

On Jan. 7, the tragedy at Charlie Hebdo downtown offices in Paris was the largest terrorist attack to occur in France in the past 50 years.

Death is not a just punishment for anyone, including the terrorists that were responsible for the attack on Charlie Hebdo journalists. Their crime was horribly wrong, but there are worse punishments than death, such as life imprisonment. The death penalty is outlawed in France anyway, so it is probable that the criminals will spend the rest of their lives in jail.

There is no excuse for what the terrorists did, but I am not going to pretend that the Charlie Hebdo journalists were saints who died and should now be worshiped as martyrs.

Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical magazine that indiscriminately pokes fun at all demographics and institutions. The way Charlie Hebdo uses its freedom of speech is not brave and admirable. Instead, they hide under the veil of sarcasm and ridicule, cynical about everything and supporting nothing except irreverence.

I concede that satire is an important part of a democracy. Being disrespecful to authority and dishonoring custom is a natural part of independent thought.

Thinking that Charlie Hebdo cartoons might provide some insight into French society, I used my modest knowledge of the language to read a few on google.

I could not scroll down more than a few rows before being utterly disgusted. I asked myself, "Who actually wants to read this

SARAH METZEL

Editorials Editor

stuff?"

The cartoons I saw were vulgar, mainly depicting images of sleazy politicians, potty humor and perverted variations of sexual intercourse.

On the front cover of the publication, Charlie Hebdo even describes itself with the epithet "Journal Irresponsable," or "Irresponsible Newspaper." Anyone else who glances at their inappropriate cartoons would not disagree with this description.

"If Charlie Hebdo were a person, he would be the kind that nobody likes: vulgar, rude and always putting other people down."

In what is considered their most famous

cartoon ever, the irresponsible newspaper depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad embracing and kissing a male Charlie Hebdo artist.

Personally, I found this image hard to look at. For one thing, in the Islamic religion it is incredibly taboo to depict the prophet Muhammad in any form. Additionally, religious groups have a history of persecuting homosexuals, and because of this, certain strict adherents to Islam would be mortified that in addition to Muhammad's image being depicted, it was depicted kissing a man.

I am not a Muslim, but I am a Christian and I can understand how offensive this image would be. I have never been homophobic, but if I saw Jesus being depicted amorously kissing anyone, boy or girl, I would definitely take offense.

Similar to the Islamic rule against depicting their prophet, many Presbyterian churches refrain from depicting Jesus in the sanctuary because it is believed that doing so could lead to the worship of images, or

idols, and detract from the worship of God. That just goes to show that there are parallels between faiths. Something I might view as strange, such as prohibiting the image of a prophet, is not actually that far removed from something in my own culture.

There are similarities between religions, but the "Islamic" extremists who were involved in the attack on Charlie Hebdo should not even be considered representatives of Islam. They are simply terrorists, common criminals who went on a killing rampage because their feelings were hurt.

We even have "Christian" extremists in our own country, such as the Westboro Baptist Church. They call themselves Christian, but they are widely seen as a hate group.

They pretty much hate any demographic that does not fall under the category of WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant). They openly discriminate and protest against homosexuals, jews and Catholics. They even

believe that Obama is the anti-christ and that he forms an unholy trinity with Satan and the Pope.

So what if the rest of the world began to think that all Christians were as demented as the extremists of the Westboro Baptist Church? As a Christian, I would feel ostracized whenever I walked down the street. I would hate to show my face in public for fear of being misunderstood by popular stereotypes.

I am sure that this is how normal, law-abiding Muslims feel when the media portrays all members of their religion as angry, blood-thirsty terrorists. It is simply unfair to the rest of Islam when extremists cause tragedies and negatively color public perceptions of Muslims, just like with the Charlie Hebdo shootings.

In the days since the attack, global protesters have taken to the streets toting signs that read "Je suis Charlie," translating to "I am Charlie," in protest of the tragedy that befell Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Though I strongly disapprove of the actions of these terrorists, I could never identify with the Charlie Hebdo journalists and the magazine they died for. They were known for their rude, perverse and often offensive commentary, and I could never claim to be that kind of person.

So when I see images of protesters claiming to "be Charlie," I wonder -- are those people actually supporting being rude and racist? Because let's face it, if Charlie Hebdo were a person, he would be the kind that no one likes: vulgar, rude and always putting other people down.

Basically, I am just trying to say people's faiths deserve a degree of respect. Everyone has certain rights, including freedom of religion and freedom of speech. All religions, regardless of whether you believe in them or not, should be treated with tolerance.

Publications of the free press should be treated with tolerance as well. Charlie Hebdo was far from tolerant of Islam, and their inflammatory caricatures of Muhammad provoked an attack.

If Charlie Hebdo had been contributing something constructive to society, I might feel differently. They have every right to continue expressing themselves, but I sincerely hope that they will stop being an "irresponsible newspaper" that puts their employees in danger just for a few cheap laughs.

Heard in the Hall: Should community college be free?

"Yes, everyone should have the right to an education. It allows them to see what they are interested in."

URIEL SEJAS freshman

"Yes, because some people cannot afford it. It can help them in the future."

NICKOL BADANI sophomore

"Yes, because community college is usually a start up place. You are not going to be there forever."

YOUNI ESKINDER

"Yes, I think it should be free because it promotes education for everyone."

JOCELYNE TIRON junior

sophomore

"No, because that just means tax money is going elsewhere."

"I think all college should be free because we are new to the economy and need some leverage."

JEFFREY NGO

AWO DAD

senior

senior

From community college to the Ivy League years at community college have allowed to me to remain competitive here.

I am also more focused on maximizing my intellectual growth because I am past the "party-allnight" stage of my life.

Personally, had I not attended community college, I would not have this current opportunity. My Annandale High School GPA of 2.98, which was decent enough to attend some other colleges, would not have made the cut here. My community college GPA did.

AHS graduate disproves a stereotype

BY KHALED AHMED ATEF Mr. Q, one of my high school teachers, would occasionally warn us, "You either perform on the exam or end up in the 13th grade community college!"

I do not think he ever intended to insult the institution (his term attempted to poke fun at the open enrollment policy of community colleges which connote lack of quality.

While it is true that community college enrollment after high school currently implies a lack of alternatives, it does not have to be that way. As a community college transfer who is currently studying Computer Science at Columbia University (with years of work inbetween the transfer), allow me to share another perspective.

With 68 percent of students taking over four years to graduate public universities (44 percent do not make it in six years), it is apparent that the "traditional" four year track is not for everyone, especially for individuals graduating high school within the middle 50th percentile (such as myself). Although the

COURTESY OF WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Special to The A-Blast

On Jan. 8, Obama proposed his plan to provide two free years of community college to responsible students.

causes of these figures are complex, I am certain that class size, time, and maturity factor into the equation.

Community college provided the small class sizes I needed to succeed.

Since most of my classes were held in classrooms instead of lecture halls, individual interaction with the instructor was natural, spontaneous intellectual discussions were common and personal connections were easy to develop. Sure, these

characteristics are not unique to community college, but they are much more common there.

The flexibility offered by community college evening classes is difficult to match. Since I desired to work and sometimes intern full-time while completing general education credits, I was never in a scheduling predicament.

I invested my time developing skills at an IT company, a martial arts school, and an auto shop while I tried

to figure out a major to pursue and a direction to take. The evening classes also provided the opportunity to interact with the life-seasoned adults sitting beside me, who led me to appreciate the value of education (past its ostensible benefits) and gain wisdom from their insight.

Although I am currently studying a new subject matter and my class sizes range from 50 to 200 students, the educational foundation I cemented during my susceptible

"It is time to reexamine the advice that we impart to the students within our communities."

In addition to the quality education community college provides, the cost is a bargain!

Consider the current state of our higher education industry: student loan debt is at $1.2 trillion (surpassing credit card debt and second to mortgages), college cost has inflated 1200 percent over the past 30 years, and college textbooks trailed at 864 percent.

The causes behind these figures are not easily derived, but something is obviously wrong. While we cannot immediately reverse these trends on

an individual level, we can choose not to feed this monster of a system.

It is time to reexamine the advice that we impart to the students within our communities. Mr. Q's opinions should not be the only voice of authority students are subjected to.

Unfortunately, however, most of our educational faculty subscribes to this irrational view as well.

Let's reassess the notion that a "traditional" four year track is where most high school students should go.

The statistics simply do not support it.

Most students should take some time to experience the real world while making strong and steady progress with their college credits.

Foregoing the consideration of this path could be the difference between financing an expensive party and unlocking a student's academic prowess.

While the negative connotation of community college (and its corresponding term - the thirteenth grade) is not going away any time soon, let's ensure that we do not feed into it and that we tailor our educational advice based on a student's will and ability, not the false reputation associated with community college.

If we, as a nation, would like to continue to lead the world, then we have to maintain an educated citizenry that your local community college can successfully contribute to -- if we allow it.

4 NEWS

Jan. 20, 2015

Just World changes its focus Officers and members now

BY ALAN VARGAS

The Just World Interact club begins to gear up to hold their most anticipated event, the Just World Festival. The festival will take place on Feb. 27 from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This year, the Just World Interact club managed to get Ryan McElveen, a widely known school board member for FCPS, to attend and speak.

In the previous year, McElveen was able to attend the festival and created a small social media buzz.

McElveen has a large presence on social media due to last year's school closings. However, many do not know that he has extensive knowledge about China. He studied the country in college and currently works for relations with China.

"He is a good match for the festival," Just World sponsor and ESOL teacher Catherine Mounteer said.

Like in previous years, the main portion of the festival will be held in the cafeteria. There will also be workshops in the Clausen Hall and some classrooms in the math hallway. Mounteer even hopes to close off half of the cafeteria so the venue can be smaller which will result in a cozier mood.

AHS leadership is holding a denim drive to help collect clothes for the needy. Denim jeans will be collected during all lunches from Jan. 12 until Feb. 15.

The purpose of the drive is to benefit the less fortunate. It is a drive that has been going for seven years and has successfully donated 4.3 million pairs already.

It is sponsored by DoSomething and Aeropostale, and is officially named 'Teens for Jeans'.

The purpose of the drive includes getting millions of homeless youth across the U.S. the one item they request the most; jeans.

These two companies offer the opportunity for schools all around the country to participate in this event. Leadership has had plenty of positive reviews on this project.

"I think it benefits the community in general because it is giving back to all the homeless students," senior leadership president Ravyn Hankinson said. "It [also] helps out the student body because we have great incentives like Mr. Annandale tickets to get students involved, and if we do win, they [Old Navy and DoSomething] will give 5000 dollars to our school.

So it gives us a reason to come together as a school."

The sponsor of leadership also strongly supports the program.

"I saw an advertisement for it and the students and I thought it would be a great way to give to others without having to spend extra money," English teacher Carmen Bartley said. "This fundraiser is really a win-win: students are able to clean out their closets and homeless teens will benefit from a new pair of jeans."

This is a new and creative project that could open doors for similar projects. "We have no definite plans for another new project this year, but we are very interested in pursuing other opportunities to give back to the community," Bartley said.

BY CHELSEA ALFONSO Managing Editor

Every year the festival has an overall theme that ties all the workshops and exhibits together.

"This year's theme is 'Power to the People' and the fact that people really have the power to effect change in the world," Mounteer said.

While the members are busy preparing for the actual event, a publicity committee led by senior Annika Hackfeld is trying to contact several schools around the area.

"We're going to make posters and banners, like the stuff leadership does and then we'll have flyers. Also we are getting in contact with other schools in the county, our pyramid schools and the mid-atlantic region, the IB schools," Hackfeld

"The Just World Festival promotes multiculturalism and also it tries to encourage young people to become involved in their world."

Annika Hackfeld senior

Officers hope to use this same poster idea for this year's Just World, posing the question "What do you hope for the world?" to its participants.

clubs will be back again."

"We hope there will be posters around the school and on the news on Channel six."

"We contact the local newspapers and local blogs [such as] the Annandale Patch. We would love have people from other schools. The other thing we do is, we've invited all the other Interact clubs at the other schools. We also try to invite other local schools that have IB Diploma programs. So we really try to get those clubs come bring their students and exhibits if they want to, but it is hard to reach them sometimes." "[We expect] 300 to 400 people

to attend. We probably get usually from 200 to 500 people. We really like to get the faculty involved."

"We want to have a passport thing this year. Students have to make the commitment to attend one workshop or attend at least one workshop and actually get the exhibits to stamp their passports."

While this has been done before, Mounteer hopes to bring this idea back to further their world experience of getting to experience different cultures and raise awareness for global problems.

Key Club collects items for kids The officers set up a food drive to benefit elementary schools

BY HABEN CHEFFANA Staff Writer This year, as done in previous years, Key Club is hosting a food drive. This organization is about giving back to the community, and centers around providing high school students with several in school and out of school opportunities to do so. The club members and officers partake in tutoring, food drives, furniture delivery and raising money for big organizations like Unicef.

Another part of this club is Kiwanis, the parent organization to Key Club. Kiwanis works with a program called Meals for Young Minds, where they collect shelf-stable or nonperishable foods and put them together in gallon-sized bags and then donate them to the program, which will then donate them to elementary school students in Fairfax County.

ALAN VARGAS

News Editor

work together on publicity

said. "There will be an advertisement across eight states so hopefully that will get a lot of people. Also since Ryan McElveen is our keynote speaker, we're going to be using that in a lot of publicity [because] that is what interests a lot of people."

As well as contacting outside visitors, the club wishes for several students from AHS to come visit and will take time to make advertisements around the school.

"The Just World Festival promotes multiculturalism and also it tries to encourage young people to become involved in their world," "Right now we are contacting potential exhibitors and workshop presenters and tried to get them lined up. So we try to invite organizations inside and outside school who are interested in social justice issues or who do good causes. We want to find ways that students can really get physically involved with the organizations. We have a global perspective rather than a local perspective."

"We contacted a lot of people who have been here in the past and met some new people as well."

"Every year we get the Shelter Box people to come back which is a lot of fun; they have the big tent and supplies for disaster relief. We have a tentative commitment from the guys who came last year who did the middle eastern dance."

"Some of the food vendors will be back again, some of the AHS

ALAN VARGAS

Denim drive offered at AHS

Secratary Aya Eltahir(left) and treasurer Diva Chowdhary(right) begin to organize donated items.

The food is donated for use over the weekends when students don't have access to school lunch meals.

"The program itself is currently supplying over 200 packages to two schools each month.

So, with key club's contribution it will make a

difference," senior Key Club Co-Editor Trami Ly said.

Key Club will be gathering items from Jan. 12 to Jan. 27. Members will be able to drop off up to 16 items in room 283 for a total of four hours.

"It's a great way to give back to our immediate community and make sure kids are fed so that they can succeed in school," senior Key Club Co-Editor Peter Baek said.

This food drive is different from the previous food drives that the Key Club has done before because it has a wider impact and it is not limited to only one type of food.

Even the officers can participate in the activities, and they have very similar reactions to them.

"Besides a bit of instruction and guidance, when I partake in the events offered by the club I don't feel any different from when I was just a member," senior Key Club president Alan Vargas said. "I enjoy the events a lot and always leave with fun new moments to remember."

Key Club also does activities other similar to food drives for the community. Recently Key Club and its members made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to donate to a local homeless shelter. Some, however, state how important the food drive is comparatively.

"My favorite part of the food drive would have to be knowing that students at Annandale are actively participating in donating items and time to those that really need it," senior Key Club Secretary Aya Eltahir said. "It's nice to be able to be recognized as a school that has the needs of others as a priority."

FAFSA now the main priority for seniors Students shift their focus from college apps to college funds

BY EMILY LIEN Photographer The majority of seniors submitted their Common App, wrote their last humblebragging college essay and checked out of the whole process (and the year). However, students can't wait until they hear back and commit to a college before filling out financial aid forms.

In fact, Feb. 15 and March 1 are common deadlines for turning in FASFA (Free

Application for Federal Student Aid), even though most colleges send out acceptance letters sometime during April.

FASFA can still be sent out past those mentioned deadlines but less aid will be given. Procrastination could cost thousands of dollars.

Seniors put off filling out the FASFA because it seems like a daunting task. They have to shift through an avalanche of legal statements and fill out page after page of information.

Students are scared of the unknown and are expecting the FASFA to be something horrible, career center specialist Robin Roth said.

Luckily, as FCPS students, our county offers free FASFA completion clinics. Volunteers will personally take students from the beginning of the process to its completion.

"I'm planning to go because I'd like guidance and help on maneuvering through the forms", senior Diva Chowdhary said.

Students must register on collegeaccess.org for a session in advance to ensure that there will be enough volunteers at the clinic. Specifically, the clinic at Annandale High School will be held on Saturday, Janu.

24 at the library from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m..

Annandale's clinic usually helps around 50 families per session.

A senior's family high-income shouldn't discourage the student from completing the FASFA. "The first year everybody should apply because you never know what you're going to get," Roth said.

"I honestly don't know how much I'm going to get, but financial aid is extremely important because you want to get as much help as you can in any way. Since we have a government that is willing to do give us federal aid, we should take the opportunity.

We'll have a lot of debt afterwards, and any assistance is beneficial," senior Hawa Ehsan said.

At the end of the process, seniors will receive an EFC (expected family contribution). Colleges will calculate the student's expected cost of attendance (including not only tuition but housing, textbooks, meal plans, etc.) and subtract that number from the student's EFC to create a student's financial aid package.

Ideally, a college will be able to work out a financial aid plan that completely covers the entire amount. However, in reality most colleges only meet an average of 70-85 pecent of each student's package. When a college says that 90 percent of financial need is met that means that a college gives an average of 90 percent of the needed financial aid to each student.

New Club at AHS A childrens card game returns in teen hands

BY BALIEY OLIVER Arts Editor On Jan. 15, the first Yu-Gi-Oh club meeting was held in room 263.

The first meeting included students from all grades showing up to show off their cards and duel a little. Yu-Gi-Oh television show, as well as a card game that is played by many young kids. The president of the club, sophomore Conrad Shartel, thought it would be fun to bring the game back to high schoolers since many still have their cards.

"I loved the game as a kid, and I knew my friends did too, so I thought it would be fun to play again," Shartel said.

"The club meets every other week on Thursdays, and has been trying to meet for a while now, " Shartel said.

"The snow days made us have to lose about two because of cancellations, so it was great that we could finally have the first meeting.

CONTINUATION

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application "QR Code" to read about the new Yu-Gi-Oh club sponsored by English teacher Alan Wentiraut

NEWS 5

Jan. 20, 2015

Students wrap up science projects

CONT. "ENTREPRENEURS" he does not have a final plan on what he envisions his dream business to be.

"This may sound weird but as of now I have no dream business thats planned out. I would like to start off simply in charge of something, managing the employees and making decisions that could impact the business," Abutaa said. "If I had to choose, I would like to be in charge of a video game company. I'm passionate about video games, and while I wouldn't be able to make them myself, I would like to be involved in a manner that allows me to decide the direction of the company, as well as lead it to success."

Despite all of Abutaa's success, an administrator informed him that he was not allowed to sell his donuts and soda to students. If he continued to do so, the school might have taken action against him.

"I didn't want to get in any trouble so I stopped, and while I looked into the available options laziness plus the fact that it was a county policy led me to stop trying," Abutaa said.

The main reason why Abutaa's business had to be shut down was because of an agreement that FCPS has with the vendors that provide the food for the competition. Under this agreement, there should not be competition, which Abutaa was creating by selling donuts and drinks during lunch.

Vendors inside the school are ultimately unheard of, but Abutaa wishes that students should be able to venture as long as they cooperate with the school.

"Students should be able to register it with the school or county and do what they want to do," Abutaa said.

He did not like the idea of having to stop selling, but he learned a few valuables lessons

by the end of the whole ordeal. Math teacher HeeChang Choi sat him down and gave Abutaa some helpful advice about handling his money.

"He advised me to be more charitable with the money I made and the donuts themselves.

I realized he had a point and I began to use my power for good," Abutaa said. "I donated some money to charity (not much) and I began offering incentives in some of my classes. For instance, in math, anyone that got over a 90 on a test would get a free donut. It was small stuff but it did feel better doing things this way."

Abutaa is one of the many entrepreneurs in the Annandale community; looking around the area, people will see many small businesses that have been operated for several years.

Senior Jeffrey Ngo's family is a part of this small business community, however, their restaurant is set in Washington D.C. "It's called Lincoln's Waffle Shop, it's a fast food breakfast kind of restaurant. It's in D.C. they mainly serve breakfast but also burgers and other lunch specials. It's been there for a long time. It is run by my family," Ngo said.

"It is kind of owned by my grandfather and his brothers. It's a 'hole in the wall.' A lot of tourists come around and the usual people, the regulars come a lot because it is like a normal daily thing.

While Ngo himself did not start this restaurant, he makes sure to help out with the customers and learns about the challenges that come in everyday life. He remembers working there since he was in middle school and it was a large part of his childhood.

"I help out my dad on Saturdays for like five years now. Every Saturday since seventh grade I've been waitering, serving people, helping the cashier and buying food for the business like wholesale. Those are my main points of the job; I would do anything they will usually say though," Ngo said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINCOLN’S WAFFLE SHOP

Taking interest in business

Ngo's family business is in Washington D.C. and it is called Lincoln's Waffle Shop.

Through his parent's business, Ngo is able to manage doing tasks that others and gets to meet new people every Saturday through his job. He is able to submerge himself in different cultures and talk to people who may live on the other side of the country.

"My favorite part of working there is meeting new people because like I said before there's a lot of tourists. Everyone from different countries, different states come around.

I talk to them about what they are doing and their visitings and stuff," Ngo said. "[I also get to] talk to them about their cultures and what they are doing around here. That is probably the biggest thing because I get to learn stuff about their culture and they learn about our culture and they're looking at all theses sights

and places I haven't been so they can tell me through stories."

Ngo's family restaurant attracts a lot of tourists since it is nearby the theater where Abraham Lincoln was shot and later died.

Overall, Ngo enjoys being a part of the business and hopes people will come to D.C. and visit the restaurant due to it being a good place for breakfast and having a lively mood.

The customers that come always have a good time because the atmosphere of the restaurant is fun and relaxing," Ngo said.

"There is always music playing from when I am there at least. Everyone has a good time and no one care if its loud because it'll just get louder. You can make all the noises or do whatever you want."

It's Academic team to tape show CONT. "IT'S ACADEMIC" are competing in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) scholastic bowl so it is a similar format with the buzzer system, which helps [the students] practice as well."

In addition to the mock competitions, the club meets weekly to practice with their peers.

"We have meetings every Friday and we prepare by asking each other questions like the ones they provide from the book and practice buzzing in and answering correctly," Soulen said.

"The questions cover all different subjects and generally they start really complicated and they end with a clue that makes them easier to answer correctly."

They continue to use mock trials in their weekly practice as they creep closer to their events. In specifically preparing for the taping, the team studies with each other.

"To prepare for the It's Academic taping we have meetings every Friday, so during these meetings we have mock competitions and pull the buzzer system out and we use old questions from previous tournaments and we practice with that, the kids also take some of [the questions] home as well," Beight said.

Some students chose to participate in the club because of

a question so you really have to pay attention or you'll get lost very easily," sophomore Derek Lawrence said.

The 'It's Academic' competition is set up in a very specific way, with three different rounds of play.

"In the competition, there are three rounds. In the first round, three of our guys go up and everyone answers individually but the points go to your team. However you cannot collaborate with your peers. The second round allows you to collaborate, and the final round is similar to the first," Lawrence said.

"If we win, we continue on to the playoffs on March 7, we we win that then we go to the semi-finals which are April 25," Caylen Beight It's Academic their hunger for knowledge. Their hobby is learning beyond the classroom.

"Because it's just like any trivia game anyone has ever played it can become quickly addicting like [Trivia Crack], and I mean It's Academic is like that except there are much harder questions and you really have to think and listen to be able to process the question because there are also multiple parts to

"If we win, we continue on to the playoffs on March 7, if we win that then we go to the semi-finals which are April 25, and if we win the semi-finals we go on to the finals which is May 16,"Beight said.

Be sure to watch and support the AHS It's Academic team on March 28 at 10:30am on NBC.

CONT. "SCIENCE FAIR" competitive and educational event. They are meant to help students excel and learn more in the field of STEM. "The purpose of the science fair is to get all of our students and faculty excited about science, and to have the kids work super hard all year and then appreciate all of their hard work and discoveries" Tufts said.

Science fairs help all kinds of students with their time management skills by having deadlines. They also help students with their writing skills, presentation skills and research skills.

"Its beneficial because the students get to actually work through the scientific process.

They get to come up with a problem on their own and then figure out how to do it, and really do what an actual scientist does," Tufts said.

For many students, creating and testing a hypothesis is a fun and exciting task.

"In my opinion, I think the science fair is a good thing for our school. It gives young scientists a chance to present their experiments that they spend their time working hard on," sophomore Mikael Mechal said Some students tried to find ways to incorporate their experiments and projects into their various hobbies and pastimes.

"I think the science fair is a really unique way to test new things that could be very relevant to everyday activities. Even though the process of the whole project may be difficult and long, it's definitely fun to test your experiment and find out how your peer's experiments went," sophomore Karla Mejia said.

The world of experimentation varies greatly therefore offering students a great amount of topics to base their projects off of.

For the students that enjoy the experience that the science fair brings, they continue to participate in the fair for future years.

IB Diploma Ceremony held

BY JAROD GOLUB Co-editor in chief After waiting the entire summer and through their first semester of college, the IB Diploma recipients from the Class of 2014 have finally received their diplomas.

The ceremony took place on Jan. 9, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. This year, ceremony began with a performance by members of the AHS Choral Department, who sang periodically throughout the event, as opposed to past years, when the orchestra has been used.

This song was followed by each of the diploma recipients who were present standing up and saying where they now go to school and something that the IB program did to help them. While the students did receive actual paper diplomas at the ceremony, they have known that they earned them since last year.

"It was kind of underwhelming when I got it [the diploma] because I've known that I got it since the summer," AHS alum Stephen Read said. "But it feels nice to have it in a tangible sense."

Read, along with his fellow diploma recipients, took the time out of their winter breaks to come to the

TIPS FOR SAFETY · Start your car early so that the ice can melt · Drive slower than the speed limit · Always be aware of your surroundings · Don't walk too fast, you could slip. Make sure to take small steps · Wear hats a gloves to keep warm · If you walk to school, watch for drivers when crossing the road since there is ice

ceremony and speak to the students that were present.

"The ceremony itself was nice because I think that it finally recognized the best aspect of Annandale High School," Read said. "The aspect of these great students and people who I share great company with, and who, I think, will be difference makers in the world." Diploma recipients that could not make it to the ceremony also wish that they could have been there to share in this moment of closure with their peers.

"I really wish that I could have made it," AHS alumna Omnia Saed said.

Another change from previous years was the venue of the ceremony, which took place in Clausen Hall.

"In previous years, we have always had it [the ceremony] in the auditorium," IB Diploma Program Coordinator Shirley Campbell said. "This year, however, because of the snow delays, the time of the event changed and less students were able to come, so we switched it to a smaller location.

However, the smaller venue may not be such a bad thing. I actually enjoy doing it in Clausen Hall," Campbell said. "It provides for a more intimate atmosphere."

IB recipiants: Priya Adhikary, Enrique Aguilar, Shareen Arshad, Nora Belkhayat, Ranjit Bhangu, Alana Buto, Sakshi Chhabra, Yeimi Diaz Iglesias, Erica Johnson, Angely Christine Jomaud, Eric Lien, Nora Mohamed, Lillian Montes de Oca, Alexis Mueller, Kristina Nguyen, Claudette Pagulayan, Vrishti Phadumdeo, Sara Prince, Jasmine Pringle, Stephen Read, Katherine Ross, Omnia Saed, Kothar Said, Travis Swann, Christine Tamir, Zoe Tran, Amelie Trieu, Noah Wolfenstein and YemisrachZeewdu Yimer.

Inclement weather affects classes CONT. "WEATHER" "I got stopped behind a bus that was stuck and I had to turn around," senior Lee Hayes said. "Then, on my way, I hit a curb because it was too icy and I was fishtailing. It was definitely too dangerous to be driving to school."

"It [school] should have been cancelled because the roads were too treacherous to be driving on," Hanneman said. "Especially for high school students, who are probably not the most experienced drivers.

After FCPS decided not to cancel schools on Jan. 6, students took to Twitter to voice their opinions, anger and concern about the condition of the roads. AHS students also took the time to post photographs of accidents and traffic backups on their way to school.

The large outcry on Twitter spurred the use of the hashtag, #CloseFCPS. The hashtag was the number one trending hashtag in the United States as of 6:30 a.m. Later in the day, #CloseFCPS

"I had some car troubles in the morning, so I was forced to take the Metro Bus. But Medfor Road was still icy, so when I was getting off, I slipped and fell," David Tyndall Physics teacher

would reach number two on the worldwide trending chart.

Not only were students affected by the snow, teachers had trouble getting to school as well.

"Myself, my wheels spun just trying to get out of my

neighborhood. At one point, I was driving 25 miles per hour on I-95," Hanneman said.

"I had some car troubles this morning, so I was forced to take the Metro Bus," Physics teacher David Tyndall said. "But Medford Road was still icy, so when I was getting off, I slipped and fell."

Throughout the day, FCPS released a number of statements apologizing for the events of the day.

One statement apologized for any 'difficulties' that had been caused by the weather, and went on to attempt to justify the decision that was made to keep schools open.

"I was really upset that the schools were open," senior Doreen Amoaful said. "Clearly there was snow on the ground, and it was very possible that people could get injured coming. I just think FCPS made a bad decision."

Hopefully, FCPS will manage to make the right decision when the time comes.

NEWS BRIEFS CLASS OF 2016 BAKE SALE On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Class of 2016 will hold a bake sale in the cafeteria lobby from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

8TH GRADE PARENT NIGHT On Wednesday, Jan. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., 8th Grade Parent Night will be held in the cafeteria and auditorium. Make sure to remind any younger siblings to attend.

PARENT TEEN TRAFFIC NIGHT

COURSE ORIENTATION

STUDENT HOLIDAYS

On Thursday, Jan. 22, Parent Teen FOR JUNIORS On Friday, Jan. 30 and Monday, Feb. 2, Traffic Night will be observed from 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, Jan. 28, there will be an students will observe a teacher work day to 9 p.m. in the Clausen Hall. Students who extended W4 for juniors to preview the variety due the second quarter period ending. are seeking to take behind the wheel must of courses they will be able to take the next attend this course once. school year. This will take place from 8:30 a.m.

SCIENCE FAIR to 10 a.m.

ANNANDALE BIBLE STUDY On Thursday, Feb. 5, the science fair will TWO HOUR EARLY RELEASE be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Students On Friday, Jan. 23, AHS Bible study will participating will need to follow teacher s hold their meeting at 2:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. in On Thursday, Jan. 29, students will instructions to set up.

Room 205. be released at 12 p.m. due to the second quarter period ending.

NOVA PLACEMENT TEST/ PATHWAYS Seniors who plan to attend NOVA need to go to Room 18, the IMS Lab for testing from Monday, Feb. 9 to Friday, Feb. 13.

ELECTIVES FAIR On Wednesday Feb. 11, the Electives Fair will be held throughout the school from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. during the extended W4 period.

6 ACADEMICS

Jan. 20, 2015

How to measure book popularity NY Times, Kindle and Amazons list of books

BY ALAINA GARAY Academics Editor

Some read for pleasure, others hate reading but every once in a while we all pick up a book and read. Books in the olden days were the modern day TV. Now we're so fortunate that it's so easy to find books, you can get them on your Kindle, cell phone and computer. Since there are so many places we can buy books there are so many bestsellers.

Amazon is an online store and also one of the many places where you can buy books. The top five bestselling books of 2014 on the Amazon store are 1. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association. 2. Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius.

3. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. 4. American Sniper by Jim DeFelice. 5. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Amazon picks its top bestsellers by how many paper back books are ordered and sold.

The Kindle is another source that is used for reading. It is a touch screen device that you can download books on and take with you easily without the hassle of paper books.

The Kindle picks what books to be the bestsellers by seeing how many ebooks are downloaded off amazon.

There are also 700 free ebooks that you can get for your Kindle. Here are the top five bought ebooks for the Kindle.

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. 3. Divergent book one by by Veronica Roth. 4. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. 5.

Insurgent book two by Veronica Roth.

The first bestseller book list was made in 1895.

The New York Times made a list of best selling books 36 years later.

The list is composed by the editors of the News Surveys department not by The New York Times Book Review department, where it is published.

It is based on weekly sales reports obtained from selected samples of independent and chain bookstores and wholesalers throughout the United

5

The

best-selling young adult books of 2014

States. The sales figures are widely believed to represent books that have actually been sold at retail, rather than wholesales as the Times surveys booksellers in an attempt to better reflect what is purchased by individual buyers.

The list has been criticized by authors, publishers, book industry executives and others for not providing an accurate accounting of true bestseller status. These criticisms have been ongoing ever since the list started.

A book industry report in the 1940s found that bestseller lists were a poor indicator of sales, since they were based on misleading data and were only measuring fast sales. while a report in Book History found that many professionals in the book industry "scoffed at the notion that the lists are accurate".

Here are some best selling books from the New York Times.

1. If I Stay by Gayle Forman. 2. Where she went

by Gayle Forman. 3. The Fault In our Stars by John Green. 4. Looking for Alaska by John Green.

5. Paper towns by John Green. As you can tell each bestsellers vary from place to place, I hope this gives you some ideas of what to read in 2015 that you did not get the chance to read in 2014.

The kindle fire

#1 If I Stay by Gayle Forman

And the students who read them

#2 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Mia is a young girl that has everything anyone could ever ask for and she falls into a coma after she suffers an accident. Now she has to decide if she will live or slip away and die.

Two teens, both who have different cancer conditions, fall in love after meeting at a cancer support group.

The movie version starred Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern and Sam Trammell.

"I like the book a lot because it has a different story line from most books that have came out recently."

"I like it a lot because it represents the reasons why people love and the lengths they would go to prove it."

MADIE WALSH

ANNA YATES

sophomore

sophomore

#5 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

#4 Paper Towns by John Green

#3 Looking for Alaska by John Green Miles Halter leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the Great Perhaps. Much awaits for Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young.

After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q until day breaks and she has vanished.

Margo has now become a mystery.

"I liked the book because it is a cute book about friends who came together again, with suspense."

JESSTASIA TORRES

"There were many moments where I was surprised.

It's very emotional and easy for the reader to feel what the characters feel."

DOREEN AMOAFUL

sophomore

In boyhood, Louis Zamperini was an incorrigible delinquent.

As a teenager, he channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics.

"This book made me understand the struggles of soldiers during World War II and seeing one man's journey, it's truly inspiring."

CARSON GOETTLICHER sophomore

senior

SAT word search

IB Diploma candidate spotlight: Peter Baek Q: What is your favorite subject?

A: My favorite subject is by far biology.

It's really strange how I got into it. Ever since watching Finding Nemo with my grandpa when I was little, I got hooked into fish keeping. I guess my love for fish made me really engage in the classroom and that was when I fell in love with biology.

Q: Who is your favorite IB teacher? amazing, I would have to say my favorite IB teachers would be Ms. Mast and Mr. Hawes. In and out of the classroom they are always my go-to teachers for advice from classwork to just about anything.

I've had them for two years now and I really love how passionate they are about their subjects. They have a way of teaching in a supportive environment Senior IB Diploma candidate Peter Baek and I feel like students are really able to grow not only as students but also as human beings.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A: In 10 years, I hopefully see myself as a pediatric oncologist. I'd really like to balance research and clinical involvement.

Q: Is your only focus academics ?

A: Besides schoolwork, I invest my time into clubs and extracurriculars. Over the summer I've done laudatory arboreal breach iniquitous demise tumultuous conduit lummox anthology amenable nexus

dogma evanescence feint metaphor blandishment oration complaisant forge tortuous gourmand detumescence

barrage conjunction benevolence legion demagogue eradicate bolster fissure clamor wizened jurisprudence

critique epithet aberration miser caption auditor fracas guileless bias epitome emissary

cancer research at the National Institute of Health and UPitt's Cancer Institute and worked with pediatric patients at Georgetown University Hospital. During the school year I participate in Marching Band, Honor Societies, Just World Interact, Big Atom Little Atom, Inova Fairfax Volunteer Services and Key Club. I guess I really thrive by involving myself in different kinds of activities.

hue litigant curator catalyst

Q: Do you have any advice for future IB candidates?

Word search answers On your smart phone, scan this code using the application QR Code to see the answers to the word search.

A: Just couple things to keep in mind. Don't compare yourself to others! It took me a long time to realize this but once you do, you'll feel 100,000 times better. Don't lose yourself in all the stress of IB and college app. Yes, it is a very stressful process, but remember that everything will work out and give yourself time to breathe. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! I admit that I am one of the biggest contenders but trust me, it turns into a lifestyle. Get everything done early and you'll be so much happier. Learn to enjoy the ride! We all know it's tough but remember that this is learning process and there's people everywhere supporting you! Don't get too engrossed about the smallest details because a year from now, they won't matter. Get started on your Extended Essay ASAP. Please don't be like me and do it the last minute. Putting it off till senior year is about the worst thing you can do.

KAILYN GARAY

A: While all the IB teachers are

HEALTH 7

Jan. 20, 2015

Obesity rises among youth Almost 17 percent of U.S. children are overweight

BY ANIQA RASHID More than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

The reason why millions of people are obese today is because of the American diet.

Every day, people consume too many calories in their meals and drinks through junk food or their diets.

In today's society, there are several things that affect our nation's high schoolers and one of them is obesity.

Obesity is a complex disorder involving an excessive amount of body fat according to Mayo Clinic Hopistal.

Fast food is a quick and easy way to gain weight since it is easy to get.

According to the Gallup Website, eight out of 10 people in the U.S. eat fast food as their diet menu. Some of the most popular fast food chains people tend to eat are McDonald's, Wendy's and Domino's Pizza.

Many students have fallen to the path of obesity because of the lazinnes and the growth of technology.

Though some may think that obesity is not a huge problem in the Annandale area, many others think otherwise.

"I believe it is more of a prevalent issue in the Annandale community," junior Amiansu Khanal said," Peers' influence does have a magnificent influence on how teenagers view obesity."

At AHS, a great percentage of students receives free or reduced lunch. But how healthy are the options that are available?

A second option on food are the vending machines which contain a variety of healthy and unhealthy snacks for the students to eat.

NANCY EVORA

Staff writer

Fat snacks Snickers are one of the many snacks that are unhealthy to eat, yet people still eat them. Each bar of Snickers contains 250 calories which includes 12 grams of fat, 27 grams of sugar. Snickers can be found in many different sizes and flavors.

Some students, due to a time crunch, decide to skip out on waiting in line and getting lunch. Thus, plenty of students end up getting unhealthy and preservative filled snacks from the vending machines.

"The school's lunch lacks a variety of healthy lunch options, and mostly provide greasy, highly-processed food," Khanal said.

"Eating that for an entire year you would definitely gain tons of unwanted weight, hence leading to obesity," he said.

"It is highly important that the media should not be left out because of the false advertising and portrayal of how women and men's bodies are characterized." khanal said.

Today, many companies advertise

different methods that can apparently resolve people's problems with obesity, although not all of them are effective or safe.

Examples of these methods are weight loss pills, surgeries and different types of diets.

"I have seen many commercials advertising different types of weight loss pills that apparently help loss weight, but at the end I

do not think they actually work," sophomore Candy Harris said.

Despite the commonality of obesity, there are several measures that one can take in order to prevent health issues caused by being obese.

A good option to avoid becoming obese is practicing a sport after school or outside of school. Playing a sport helps students stay fit because of all the practice and conditioning that keeps the body working and burning the extra fat.

Another good option that helps people prevent obesity is watching what they eat.

A lot of people, because of school or work do not measure how much they eat during the day, or whether what they are eating is healthy or not.

"The same old advice, eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water and exercise as often as you can," Khanal said.

Many of these alternatives are positives, as opposed to the commonly used diet pills and surgery that have been on the rise.

"High school students should stay in shape by participating in a sport or just trying to be active for at least 30 minutes a day."

Faris said.

There is an availability of several sports at AHS, especially with JV sports that have not reached the capped number they can accomodate.

Obesity is a problem that affects thousands of people across the country every year, and as the years go by, the rates increase every day.

In AHS, there are various measures taken by the Health and P.E. department to stray students away from unhealthy mannerisms now and later into life "Based on my P.E. experiences at AHS, I think that the teachers did a great job educating students about healthy lifestyles and how to prevent obesity," Faris said.

"The health classes were especially informational and they always stressed the importance of personally continuing daily exercise after the 10th grade."

Four ways obesity affects health

Heart

Blood system

Being obese can affect many organs in your system such as the heart. According to the Heart Foundation website, more than 250,000 people die of sudden cardiac death without knowing what caused heart failure. The reason for heart failure is because obesity causes the cholesterol to rise which causes the heart to stroke more often.

Another reason for heart disease is because of all the weight that the body has when people gain weight, the body tends to flow more blood, which makes the heart pump more and work twice as hard.

Lungs

When your weight is at a healthy range, it allows blood to flow more efficiently without any problem.

Obesity can affect the blood system. The chances are of a increase risk for high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. Obesity can also affect the blood flow by blocking the canals because of all the fat that is store in the them. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 67 million or 31 percent of Americans have high blood pressure [That is one in every three adults].

Usually, a higher percentage of men than women have high blood pressure.

What many people do not know is that being obese can affect the respiratory system. Obesity makes it very hard to breathe normally because it weakens the muscle that helps the body breathe effectively.

If you are obese when you are young, obesity will stop the lung from growing normally. When that happens, many other side effects come into play such as asthma and/or pulmonary embolism which is when the blood clot moves to the blood vessels of the lung. The chance of having a disease or asthma can reduce when people lose weight.

Dance work-out offers exciting exercise Kazaxe offered at Annandale Sports Center

BY SARAH METZEL Editorials editor People seeking a high-intensity workout are flocking to Kazaxe (kah-zah-shay), an organization started by the dance instructor Azuka Bom. Dance lovers and amateurs alike will enjoy shaking it to the sexy beats and contagious rhythms of Kazaxe.

"At first I was a little intimidated because I thought it was going to be hard," senior Alina Garcia said. "But it turned out to be a lot of fun,"she said.

Located at the Annandale Sports Center in the Springfield Industrial Park, Kazaxe offers a unique exercise experience.

Class participants dance in a large room with high ceilings in a building similar to a warehouse.

The setting resembles a rave or night club, with loud music and colorful flashing lights.

Though the atmosphere might be misleading, Kazaxe is family friendly. In the lobby there are vending machines,

tables and even a piano for children whose parents are participating in a class. Since the music is clean and earbuds are free, many parents take their children into classes with them. The aerobic dancing can be a great outlet for kids cooped up energy.

Members of the Kazaxe community represent a spectrum of different ages, ethnicities and body types. Though most participants are women, there are always several men in the crowd and on stage dancing alongside women.

"The best part about Kazaxe is that you are working out, but it does not feel like a workout," Garcia said. "After my first day I was sore for four days."

Though participants might be sore the next day, after the class people will feel satisfied and happy with the results.

"I like how everybody is focused on their own techniques," Garcia said. "It is a very good environment to perform."

Classes are offered every day of the week by five different instructors. Each leader has her own unique style, and the choreographed songs of the playlists range from American hiphop to Latin bachata. The most popular time slots are weekday

evenings at 7:40 and 8:50 p.m.

The first class is always free.

"I think the classes are awesome," Garcia said. "I plan on going to many more in the future."

At Kazaxe newcomers will find a refreshing environment where people are encouraged to overcome their exercise inhibitions. Whether you are young or old, small or big, male or female, this inclusive form of aerobic dancing helps you release negative thoughts.

The optimistic outlook is right there in the name: "Kazaxe" is shorthand for "Casa de Axe," with "Axe" meaning positive vibes. In other words, Kazaxe is the house of positive vibes.

Participants get the chance to dance and release some moodboosting endorphins that naturally come from physical exercise.

"I originally thought I was not going to like it, but in the end it was a lot of fun," Garcia said. "I think everyone should try it out."

For more information about Kazaxe, visit kazaxe.com.

A combination of zumba moves are one of many workouts people do.

Brain The brain is the most important part of the human body and is one other body organ that gets affected with obesity the most according to the doctors.

When people are obese, the brain is carrying too much weight than it should and puts more stress on the brain. Obesity causes smaller brain volumes and people with smaller brain volumes tend to do worse than other students on tests. Also, obesity increases your risk for getting dementia which is a mental disorder that is caused by brain disease. Obesity particularly affects the personality and reasoning.

8 PHOTO

Jan. 20, 2015

toms Go To Work COURTESY OF FATMATA KAMARA

COURTESY OF VINICIUS RANGEL

Students share ups and downs of their jobs

Name: Fatmata Kamara Grade: Sophomore Occupation: Greensprings worker

Even though Top Golf is an outdoor golf range, people still enjoy hitting balls in the winter. "Everyone is a family at Top Golf and we always have fun," Rangel said, "there's nothing bad about working there."

Name: Molly Gormley Grade: Junior Occupation: Zinga! worker "I like making money but I hate having to mop and sweep the floors," Gormley said. Zinga! has 10 different locations in Virginia, Gormely works at the frozen yogurt place in the Kings Park shopping center.

Name: Maddie Little Grade: Junior Occupation: American Eagle cashier

"I like the people and I like the clothes, but I miss hanging out with my friends," Leal said. Vineyard Vines is a preppy clothing store with many locations all over the country. Leal works at the Tysons Galleria location.

American Eagle is a very popular store amongst teenagers and it's known for good sales and fashionable clothing. "A good thing about working there is that I get a good discount, but Tysons is so far from my house," Little said.

Name: Issac Tecle Grade: Junior Occupation: Kmart cashier "I like the job because it helps me with my social skills," said Tecle, "I dont like the job because it takes up a lot of my free time." Tecle works at the Kmart thats off of Little River Tpke in Annandale, VA.

COURTESY OF RAVYN HANKINSON

COURTESY OF AHMAD AYUB

Name: Andrew Leal Grade: Senior Occupation: Vineyard Vines cashier

COURTESY OF MADDIE LITTLE

COURTESY OF ISSAC TECLE

COURTESY OF ANDREW LEAL

Greensprings is a living home for the elderly, located in Springfield, VA, where Kamara works. "My job teaches me how to be more responsible, although it is hard finding a ride because I can't drive yet," Kamara said.

Name: Vinicius Rangel Grade: Junior Occupation: Top Golf worker

Name: Ahmed Elnour Grade: Senior Occupation: Starbucks worker

Name: Henna Ayub Grade: Senior Occupation: Menchies worker "One thing I don't like is that the shifts are long," Elnour said, "but it pays well and there are hot moms." Starbucks is a huge franchise that have cafes all over the world. Elnour mostly work on the weekends due to his busy school and basketball schedule.

"I've learned good commmunication and customer service skills, but since it's a fro-yo place there are a lot of dishes ," Ayub said. Menchies is one of the many frozen yogurt places that have gained popularity over the past few years.

ARTS 9

Jan. 20, 2015

A game of Chairs

BY BAILEY OLIVER Arts Editor Behind every great concert lies an adviser, conductor or sponsor to make it happen. But sometimes a sole teacher is not enough to run a musical ensemble. Classes for band, orchestra or chorus function differently than a traditional class. In order for these music ensembles to operate together effectively, there are student leaders that help micromanage the work of the teacher.

Here is some insight to what it's like to be in those top positions: Orchestra The philharmonic orchestra is comprised of a section leader for each instrument, with the first chair spot for the first violin being the concertmaster.

"It's concert master's responsibility to set a good example by having all materials prepared before the conductor is at the podium," senior Hansol Chang said.

The concertmaster shares

leadership with section leaders who help manage different instrument sections during concerts.

"During a performance or any rehearsal, I also have to give cues to my section using my body," junior Aldwin Pagulayan said. "So physical movements are a way to keep the section together through the piece of music."

For sophomore Olivia Shawish, learning to lead is one of the most difficult aspects of being a section leader.

"The hardest thing is probably the actual leading in being a section leader."

But in the end the leaders find enjoyment out of their jobs "I feel like, people see me having this position for the glory, really, it's more that I enjoy expressing myself," junior Danny Nguyen said.

Chorus For chorus, the leadership is comprised of a president, vice president and two student conductors.

Senior David Furney finds a good

connection with the musicians he works with and expresses the pleasure he feels working with them.

"The Annandale choirs are probably the best musical group in Annandale," Furney said. "The musicians I'm working with have a special bond with each other producing meaningful music that comes only from the heart."

Not every part of the job involves music. Senior Phoebe Banzuelo is looking to diversify the program's less musical efforts "For the past two years we haven't really any changes to the program," Banzuelo said. "Display cases haven't changed, it's been the same four or five years and finally this year when we took charge as the vice president and present, we've updated it [the program] and if you check our display cases, we have our events featured."

Senior Julie Nguyen wants students to understand the lesser, but still important aspects of the job.

"I want people to know that as a

BAILEY OLIVER

Musical ensemble leaders share experiences and secrets

Seating tests are coming, meaning fierce competition place high level players to the top spots in the musical ensembles.

program, we work really hard to pay for our concerts and it would mean a lot if the student body showed [to events] and showed support because we work really hard to prepare," Nguyen said.

Band Looking at the marching band, the core leadership is comprised of three drum majors and a commanding officer.

Instead of simply competing for the role of commanding officer by seating tests, students must face questioning as well.

"There is a competitive interview process for this position so that the

director is confident in their choice of Commanding Officer," senior Kevin Wilson said.

Junior Anya Montes de Oca reveals some challenges she faces that many might not be aware of.

"I would like the student body to know that my position is hard because you have to have a poker face a lot of the time," Montes de Oca said. "You have to stay focused to set an example for the rest of the band."

But even with having to keep up appearances, the leaders manage to still enjoy the experience.

"The best part about my job is the end of anything we did, because

it didn't matter if we had a terrible practice or the best performance, what mattered the most is that we had each other and no matter how hard the fall we were always there to pick one another up," senior Douglas Nguyen said.

Even though being a leader for a musical ensemble gives students more responsibility and power, at the end of the they are just another component in the group.

"Each individual member is so important to our success," senior Peter Baek said. "The drum major is just as important as an incoming freshman saxophone."

What does it take to be a leader?

Orchestra Band Chorus

Aldwin Pagulayan, Principal Violist of Philharmonic Orchestra

Hansol Chang, Concertmaster of Philharmonic Orchestra

Kevin Wilson, Commanding Officer of Marching Band

Douglas Nguyen, Drum Major of Marching Band

"As a section leader, you must be well prepared with your own part, and knowing your part means knowing all the notes, the rhythms, the key changes, the dynamics and all the necessary fingerings and bowings so that your section can follow."

"Concertmaster is first Chair, leader of the whole orchestra. I have to write in the fingerings for my section, and play loud and well the orchestra."

"The Commanding Officer is in charge of keeping the band focused, on track and in order. I would help lead stretch out before practice and reinforce the director's orders."

"I [The Drum Major] conduct the band and I am responsible for what they do on the field."

Julie Nguyen, President of Chorus Program "As the president, I try my best to keep everything organized and done on time. I also propose new ideas to the table along with other council members and want to make this the best and most memorable year for the program."

Phoebe Banzuelo, Vice president of Chorus Program "As the vice president I help the chorus program be in shape and be the best it can."

ONLINE

Danny Nguyen, Bass Section Leader of Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivia Shawish, Cello Co-Section leader of Philharmonic Orchestra

"The biggest job of my position is supporting others and holding the orchestra as a whole. "

"In terms of responsibilities, we really have to take the time to practice so that we can focus on all the good stuff like movement and expression, section leaders especially."

Peter Baek, Drum Major of Marching Band "Being drum major is a combination being a student leader and conductor. A huge component is conducting, but on the other side leadership is also big. It's more about setting yourself as the example."

Anya Montes de Oca, Drum Major of Marching Band

David Furney, Student Conductor of Annandale Choirs

"My position entails helping the band stay focused while conducting to help stay on time."

"My duty/goal is to produce a sweet melodic sound while working as a group, helping the choir understand what it means to "feel" the music. Becoming one with it"

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application QR Code to see more work from Erin Ahn, artist of the featured art of the issue.

—Compiled by Bailey Oliver and Marem Atef time to time from Mr. Weintraut.

BAILEY OLIVER

Featured art of the issue

Featured artist of the month

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN AHN

Ricky Lam, senior

Want to have your art featured in the next issue of The A-Blast? Each issue, the Arts page will pick a student's art of submitted content and feature a their work of art on the Arts page. All mediums are welcome, whether it be a painting, doodle, poem or song. Videos can be submitted too! Send all submissions, or if you have questions, to ablastartsmailbox@ gmail.com, or send it to our dropbox (using the same email as above) for files larger than 2 GB.

Q: What is it that you do and what got you into doing it? Why do you do it?

A: Editing was actually the first thing I did before actually filming.

I remember playing through my aunt's Mac and I came across iMovie.

Junior year was when film officially became an important hobby for me and senior year only made that grow even more.

Q: What materials/equipment do you use for what you do?

A: Honestly, the only thing I really use is the Sony a58 for filming. I use Final Cut to edit my videos now because it's a little more advanced than iMovie, but not overly complex as Adobe Premiere. Nowadays, I borrow the video microphone from

Q: What is it about what you do that you enjoy? What sets what you do apart from other types of art or other activities?

A: To me, film is essentially the combination of music and visual art, thus making it one of the most complicated forms. I prefer editing over filming just because that I am far more experienced at merging clips together to make one final product.

Q: What advice do you have for other young, developing artists?

A: My advice for young artists would be to make sure the work you make represents who you are. Never be afraid of experimenting with different ideas, show how the work reflects you and how original you really are.

Festival last year. There were a lot of problems that I realized after everything was finished, but for what it was worth, it was well acted and the short film was one of the most different experiments I've attempted since it dealt with romance.

Q: What would you say to someone that wants to get into creating art, whatever form of art it may be (artwork, music, literature)?

A: Remember to be yourself when you decide to get into creating art.

Always look for inspiration from other pieces of work and be a rebel by making something that you want to make.

ONLINE

Q: What do you plan to do with your talents in the future?

A: I hope I can make a career out of film, but I have no idea what can change in the next few years when I head to college. High-school wise, I'm writing scripts for little short films that will be exclusive to the yearbook.

Q: Do you have a favorite painting or piece of art? Do you have a favorite personal work?

A: I would say my favorite work I've created was The Two of Us, my submission for the IB Film

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application QR Code to watch a film from Ricky Lam, The Two of Us.

12 INTERNATIONAL Advocating for women's rights Students and teachers discuss their thoughts on how women should be viewed in society

BY SUMMAR AYOUB AND JEANINE BARAKAT International Editor & Staff Writer In the United States women are paid 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. In Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive cars, when a girl tries going to school in Pakistan she might end up getting shot in the head and a Moroccan woman cannot leave her house without the consent of her husband.

Women aren't given much rights in countries outside of the United States. But in the AHS community every Wednesday the Feminist club talks about how to create a better world for women.

"It's more of a fight to equalize rights of the sexes, not to make it all about women," junior Almaz Abdeje said. "We usually discuss the problems in our society dealing with gender inequality and what we can do to make a difference."

A valiant 17-year-old from Pakistan named Malala Yousafazai has recently won the 2014 Noble Peace Prize for her work in trying to achieve educational rights for women. Yousafazai was shot at close range in the head and miraculously

survived.

Since this risky life threatening accident, she has courageously spoken more widely about human and women's rights. She also inspired a petition which helped ratify the first right to education bill in Pakistan.

"I think women shouldn't have to rely on men as much and should be independent," junior Symone Jenkins said. "Like in movies you always see the women trying to find her 'Prince Charming,' I believe that the women can be their own king."

Other countries, such as Egypt, deprive women of the many rights that the United States think are fundamental. One of the main laws that is absent is banning gender discrimination in hiring people for jobs. Egypt also lacks in the field of laws protecting women from harassment as well as domestic violence.

"If a guy mistreats a woman it is greatly unacceptable," Arabic teacher Ola Layaly said. This is why I encourage all of my female students to get an education and a, job so you can stand all alone. Its okay to be all alone, once you have income, your independence and your life. Once

Jan. 20, 2015

Female roles in the United States

junior Tabitha Barnes said. As far as women's role in society, in the future, be great to have a career Undergraduate Professional-level Law degrees itbutwould Population I would be equally happy staying 53% 47% home, supporting my husband and degrees 49.2% 50.8% jobs taking care of my children."

40% 60% 48% 52% Meanwhile some other people have a strong feeling, about female rights and want the younger generations to uphold the importance of female rights.

"Most importantly, always learn how to say no. If somebody yells at if somebody mistreats you, or Labor force Consumer spending Physicians & Executive Officers you, if somebody is even trying to abuse 53% 47% 20% 80% 87.6% 12.4% you, you need to learn how to stand Surgeons up straight on your feet and say no.

65.7% 34.3% If I had a daughter I would explicitly teach her how to say no to any man who mistreats or disrespects her. The one, two, three recipe is education, financial independence, having a good personality," Layaly said.

The women's rights movement Source: Americanprogress.org has been active since as early as the you have these things nobody can political to the economic," senior feel like they are responsible for 19th century and it is still very alive Ahmed Hassan said. "Furthermore, having to uphold their female rights. today. Even now, there are activists, abuse you."

Some students feel like they have like the forementioned Yousafazai, Equal pay and the wage gap women often work more than men, are issues that the United States however are paid less, gender the right to be a stay at home mom fighting for equality of both genders. continues to struggle with. In 1963 discrimination affects girls and and work to better their families The AHS feminist club hopes to the Equal Pay Act was passed women throughout their lifetime. rather than to work and bring an persuade others to help fight for the to address this issue, yet there Women and girls are often the ones income for their family. cause and work with their peers to "I feel that I am treated equally make this great community. continues to be a gap in pay between that suffer the most poverty."

Female rights are a major issue under the law, and socially I do not genders.

"Numerous issues still exist in all in countries not only nationally but desire to be equal to men because areas of life, ranging from cultural to globally. Therefore many students men and women, are different,"

Important female rights activists

SUSAN B. ANTHONY founded the New York Women's State Temperance Society after she wasn't allowed to speak at a temperance conference.

She was the co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON was the First Lady of the United States. She was outspoken on the issue of women right's, which meant calling the Equal Rights Amendment the right thing to do.

ELIZABETH CADY STANTON was an American social activist and a leading figure of the early women's rights movement. Her concerns were women's parental and custody rights and property rights.

WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON was the editor of The Liberator. He was a prominent voice for the women's suffrage movement. The Liberator went forth with advocating for woman's rights throughout 1840.

AMELIA BLOOMER was the editor for the first newspaper for women, The Lily. The newspaper was at first a temperance journal, then had a mixture of contents ranging from recipes to temperance activists.

"I want women's rights to be a consistent improvement in countries around the world."

LENNON WUHRER PHOTO COURTESY OF BBC.COM

being shot in the head by the Taliban, she went on to make a speech at the United Nations.

Yousafzai continues to make speeches and tell her story to the world and in October 2014 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She also addressed the United Nations on her 16th birthday and spoke about educational rights for children.

She also published a memoir "I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World." Although Malala is very passionate about advocating for girls' education she originally wanted to be a doctor.

Malala Yousafzai is interested in the importance of education bcause of her father, Ziauddian Yousafzai. He is a 10th grade school master. Her fahter ran one of last schools that defie the Taliban's orders on not to educate girls. This was one of the things that encouraged Malala to speak out against the Taliban. Malala currently lives in England, and conitinues to spend her time advocating for girls educational rights.

ALICE STONE BLACKWELL was the recording secretary for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She was prominent in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union acitivities.

IDA B. WELLS was an African-American journalist and suffragist, and an early leader in the civil rights movement.

She was active in the importance of women's rights.

Source: biography.com

What are your thoughts on women's rights?

Women right's spotlight: Malala Yousafzai Like many of the female juniors at Annandale High School, Malala Yousafzai is a 17 year old who expresses her ideas and attends school regularly.

What seperates Yousafzai from others is her determination and courage which lead her to do and accomplish incredible things. Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan and attended a school which her father had founded.

Once the Taliban began attacking girls schools Yousafzai made a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan and became known worldwide for her advocation for the right to an education.

Yousafzai continued to speak out against the Taliban and in order to protect herself, she used a fake name and blogged under the BBC about the Taliban's treatment towards citizens in 2009.

With growing support, she began speaking out more for women's right to an education, and in 2011 she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize and the Pakistan National Youth Peace Prize.

After she recovered from

JANE ADDAMS was the first women awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. She was a leader in women's suffrage and world peace.

She is known as the founder of the social work profession in the U.S.

The Journey of Malala Yousafzai On your smartphone, scan this code using the application QR Code to continue reading about Malala's journey to advocating for women's rights.

freshman

"I believe that one day women can rule the world, but it will be hard to achieve that if they don't have equivalent rights to men."

SAUD SHAH sophomore

"Women should have the same rights as men and shouldn't be discriminatd against by their jobs or gender."

"I believe that women should have rights and should have the privilege to work, meanwhile not having to depend on a man."

KADIJAH SESAY

DAVIAN GONZALEZ

junior

"I think it's important that women and men should have equal rights."

FENAN GHIRMAY senior

junior

"Women rights are

a must, like air. No women deserve to live without rights."

OLA LAYALY Arabic teacher

Compiled by Summar Ayoub and Jeanine Barakat

Annandale: American Stories First-person accounts of immigrants coming to the United States

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEANINE BARAKAT

BY MARIA LINARES Special to The A-Blast Imagine starting off on a whole new page with nothing at all other than your past experience. When my parents came to the United States, everything was completely different for them. It was never easy for my parents, yet they kept their heads up and stayed positive throughout their whole adventure.

The U.S. and Argentina have many kinds of differences, but most importantly I think the language, the people's qualities and technology are very different from each other.

In Argentina the language is mainly Spanish with an accent; people curse a lot and the way we say the words is different. The accent there is odd because they pronounce it like a German person.

On other hand, we say words with "sha" like shower, but in Spanish.

Argentinean's also tend to curse a lot; they normally don't get upset about profanity because they're so used to it.

For example, saying chicken in Spanish is "po-yo" spelled pollo and in Argentina they say posho as in English it's po-show. English is a lot harder because some words you can't sound it out if you don't know, but in Spanish the alphabet is a little different also. Both English and Spanish are different just like learning any other language. To sum it up, I wasn't born with a strong Argentinean accent sadly; only my parents were.

An additional advantage in Argentina is feeling welcomed. People are just as nice as they are here in Virginia. Also, walking into a grocery store is like meeting up with many friends.

If you need any kind of help they will always do their best to help you in any way. People are just so nice there that even if you're going for a walk and see someone opposite side you they would say good morning or good afternoon, which makes anyone get in a good mood quick. In America people can be judgmental or even say a lot of rude comments. Don't get me wrong all races are nice in their own way. Taking everything into account, Argentina will be an amazing place to visit because of such positive people.

One main disadvantage is the cellphone companies. They're double the cost and aren't as advanced. However If you have a good paying job you'll be one happy traveler. Electronics in Argentina aren't the best since it isn't as economic as America today. Like I said, laptop quality depends on the amount you pay for. If you want a good one then it's worth paying for something that would work without any concern.

Another thing you should know about Argentina is 8 pesos (money in Argentina) worth a dollar in the U.S. Electronics are normally 3,000 so yes; you have to have a good job to get any devices like that. Being rich is such an advantage in Argentina, but as a traveler you'll mostly survive with no worries.

Overall, Argentina is such a great place; it has a beautiful landscape and has many diverse people who travel there. The only disadvantage would be the electronics. Other than that you would be set. The differences of United States and Argentina were languages, people and technology. Feel welcomed and hope if you even decide to travel I guarantee you Mar de Plata, Argentina is the best place to go. You'll have a blast no matter what.

PEOPLE 13 Students form an a cappella group Jan. 20, 2015

BY BIRUK NEGASH AND MARIA SUAREZ "It makes me smile every time I hear the music we are creating because it's a privilege to sing with talented people," junior Aldwin Pagulayan said.

Six students at AHS have formed an a cappella group called Empyrean Heights.

A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without any musical instruments.

The group consists of juniors Leif Jomuad, Tabitha Barnes, Aldwin Pagulayan, Jamiah Harrison, Sean de Lopez and sophomore Ben Betts.

The group has performed at the Coffee House, Stress Less Laugh More and even at Bus Boys and Poets.

"I hope we get a lot of awesome opportunities and learning experiences; I mean we already have in the short time we've become a group," Barnes said.

Empyrean Heights have been together for about two months and have plans to remain together in the future.

"In the future, I see Empyrean Heights performing more gigs in venues such as Busboys and Poets, Jammin Java, etc. There will also be more videos and music recorded," Pagulayan said, "This group will

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEIF JOMAUD

People Editor & Staff Writer

Members of Empyrean Heights take time to pose for a picture during one of their meetings over the holiday break.

continue to improve and strive to get better with every rehearsal, every performance and will continue to grow closer as friends and make more music."

Jomuad gathered a handful of talented people whom he felt were very talented within the Annandale choir. He was inspired by various music groups like Pentatonix, Mo5aic and Home Free. He then took the time to find each member and form their group.

"It was a no-brainer; I love music and performing in groups with your friends is always the most fun way to perform," Betts said.

Each of the members took the opportunity to be in the group when it was presented.

The group manages to find time to rehearse despite their busy schedules.

"Most of the times though, we rehearse. We do count that as hanging out as friends because we do get carried away and talk about things other than rehearsing," Jomuad said.

Like all successful musical groups, different types of challenges are faced throughout time.

"The biggest challenge that we faced as a group is the fact that one of my good friends, Wilson Tu, passed away," Jomuad said. "This was especially hard because if one person in the group is affected, then all of us are.

Although this challenge was tragic, it created a bond between Empyrean Heights that can never be broken.

"It was the defining moment in drawing us, as a group, so close," de Lopez said.

Meet the official members of Empyrean Heights Aldwin Pagulayan, 11 Role: Baritone or tenor Fun fact: "I play viola in the orchestra and I also play lead guitar in a band called AfterDawn."

Favorite thing: "My favorite thing about Empyrean Heights is just how quick everyone has gotten comfortable around each other's presence. I think that as a group that enables us to make great sounding music.

We all make suggestions and contribute anyway we can so that the final product is of great quality. " Why I joined: "I agreed because it seemed like it would be an interesting experience.

Singing modern music with people is always a fun thing."

Tabitha Barnes, 11

Shawn de Lopez, 11

Role: Soprano Fun fact: "I play three sports; field hockey, basketball and lacrosse."

Favorite thing: "My favorite thing about it is having a purpose for the music and getting together with a group of people in order to do that."

Why I joined: "This summer I was injured so I was out for two seasons this year and it freed up some time for me to think about other things like music. It was something that I wanted to try and I knew this was a good time to try it because I had more free time."

Role: Beat boxer and Second Baritone Fun fact: "I came up with the group name: which was originally 'Stratosphere' and the current 'Empyrean Heights.'

Favorite thing: "My favorite thing about Empyrean Heights is being able to share and express a passion evident amongst my extremely talented friends. My favorite thing about beat boxing is being able to act as a pacekeeper and add that extra hit every a cappella group needs."

Why I joined: "I joined the group through musical curiosity, I've been in-and-out with musical interests, so establishing myself somewhere seemed like a fun opportunity. "

Ben Betts, 10

Steve Aderton made the logo for the group.

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application QR Code to follow Empyrean Heights official Instagram account.

Role: Bass Fun fact: "I'm the only sophomore in the group, everyone else is a junior so I'm kind of the odd man out."

Favorite thing: "I love performing with them because of the energy that the audience gives us, as well as the energy we give each other."

Why I joined: "It was a no no-brainer, I love music and performing in groups with your friends is always the most fun away to perform.

Plus I'd sung with Leif and Aldwin before, so I knew what it would be like and how good it would sound. "

WHO AM I? •

This is my fourth year teaching at AHS

•

I attended Annandale High school

•

I went to Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA

•

I was born and bred in Annandale, Virginia

•

My favorite TV show right now is Once Upon a Time

•

My favorite movie is Serendipity

•

In high school I participated in band, swimming and track & field

•

A fun fact about me is that I lived in Hawaii for six months

•

One of my biggest fears is heights

•

The craziest thing I’ve ever done is get married after only dating (long distance) for eight months

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application QR Code to find the answer to the Who Am I.

Jamiah Harrison, 11 Role: Alto Fun fact: "I also dance and teach people how to dance Hispanic dances like bachata, merengue, salsa and various other Spanish dances."

Favorite Thing: "My favorite thing about it is being with them and talk about what song we are going to do next, and just the hangouts that we have."

Why I joined: "I love a cappella music because it sounds so good. The fact that it's just straight up voices allows you to see the perfection behind it. It also allows you to find mistakes.

It's just sounds so pretty."

Leif Jomaud, 11 Role: Tenor Fun fact: A fun fact about myself is that I am the biggest perfectionist."

Favorite thing: "My favorite thing about it is the challenge.

A cappella music is not easy and that's what makes it really exciting. I spend a lot of my time researching about a cappella music like classical choral, African American spirituals even pop a cappella to hear the different techniques and sounds."

Why I joined: "I founded this group because I had an idea of creating an a cappella group just because I was inspired by Pentatonix, Mo5aic, Home Free and even *NSYNC."

These students and staff wesome were selected as Awesome Atoms for demonstrating toms Atom Pride

Freshman Aseal Saed received the Awesome Atom award for her integrity and for being a well-rounded role-model for her peers.

Senior Umar Farooq received the Awesome Atom award for maintaining a 4.176 GPA while taking 6 IB courses while being enrolled in IBCC. He plans to speak to the administration about educating AHS on the scarcity of water.

Physical education teacher Cragin Winkler received the Awesome Atoms award for her school spirit. She is also dedicated to her student as a coach, teacher and mentor.

Front office administrative assistant Sylvia Schwind received the Awesome Atom award for diligently working to assist faculty, staff parents and students.

She also provides good spirited customer service.

14 LIFESTYLES Taking a bite out of the Big Apple

Jan. 20, 2015

BY MAREM ATEF AND THIDA PATHAMMAVONG Staff Writers To ring in the New Year, my best friend and I headed up to the city of New York in search of adventure.

Many say that New York is a place to experience on your own and oh boy did we have some experiences.

We left good ol' Virginia around 8 p.m. to avoid any traffic, and arrived at the Big Apple several hours later.

We took a five-hour bus ride to Penn.

Station on 34th street where my cousin picked us up with a group of her friends.

We awoke to the sounds of the birds chirping, or so we dreamt. What we really awoke to was the sounds of sirens wailing, people arguing and

obnoxious taxicabs honking. It was time for us to begin our day in hopes to experience an adventure, so we plunged into the city.

When you think of the streets of New York City, what usually comes to mind are socialites with their hands full of shopping bags, a random person on a jog with their dog, or an overly price hot dog stand.

Based on our experience, walking through the busy streets of NY carrying shopping bags is the worst.

There were a lot of different types of people, and more than just one jogger with a dog. There was an over priced hot dog stand, which I may add was a complete rip-off, with uncontrollable lines of people overflowing the already packed and busy streets of the city.

Just as we were making our

JEANINE BARAKAT

Students share their experience in New York

Tourists explore the artistic design of the Brooklyn Bridge, an icon and historical site in New York City.

way through the crowd, we felt a wet unpleasant surprise. Yes, you guessed it. It began to downpour.

The first day we arrived did not fulfill our hunger for adventure that we were so desperately craving. We did not lose hope for we had one more day to get it right.

Day two in NY was definitely brighter than day one, literally. The sun was out, the birds were flying, the wind was blowing and people were laughing. Today would be the day that our adventure would strike.

We took the subway to Brooklyn and had pizza for lunch at Grimaldi's.

The line was so long it reached out until the end of the block, but the quality and taste of the pizza was so worth the wait.

Whenever I travel, I travel like a tourist, so after lunch we headed up to the Brooklyn Bridge for a stroll.

Our day was looking pretty good so far. We then took the subway back to Manhattan in order to hit up Times Square. It was a must on our list of touristy things to do.

The sun began to set just as we stepped off the subway. Times Square was a whole new world. With all the lights, people and activities, it was pretty hard to tell what time it was.

I could have sworn that it was nighttime but the energy Times Square gave off it was hard to believe the clock. Seeing talented people performing in the streets, I couldn't say no to donating a couple bucks.

We were stuck and filled with adrenaline. We were high on life and it was the best feeling ever.

As we continued to cross out the activities on our list, we realized the close proximity of our adventure was bound to end soon.

To end the night we made our way to Little Italy, occupied with people, full of good vibes, gathered outside of a club. We weren't old enough to go clubbing but just being able to roam the streets and interact with different kinds of people is a experience we will never forget.

DREW WHITE sophomore

VY LAM junior

"When I think of NY, I think of the amazing street art that depicts creativity and inspires artists all across the world."

AYOBAMI FAKULUJO senior

Get the look with Marilyn and Soulisa Recreate the styles of Manhattan's queen bee Blair Waldorf and it-girl Serena Van Der Woodsen

White scarf Arden B $12

Trench coat Zara $49

Blue trench coat Nordstrom $70

Sweater dress Macy's $15

Plain tights H&M $12

Black tights H&M $12

Black boots Aldo $60

Riding boots DSW $30

Chunky necklace Forever 21 $20 Bodycon dress H&M $12

Trench coat Zara $49

Patterned tights Forever 21 $8

Beret Forever 21 $6 Black coat H&M $35

Black leggings Pink $20

Heels Charlotte Russe $35

No need to go to New York City, all the stores are available at Tyson's Corner.

Heels Steve Madden $60

JEANINE BARAKAT

"I think of bright lights, tall buildings and very little space."

MARILYN RIVAS

"What comes to mind is an overcrowded business capital with a lot of advertisements."

PHOTO COURTESY BY NYE

Heard in the Hall: What comes to mind when you think of New York?

SPORTS X-TRA 15

Jan. 20, 2015

Should the Redskins keep RGIII?

BY ZEKE YONAS

BY KAYEE LYNCH

Circulation Manager

Staff Writer

The Redskins have been nothing, if not terrible this season. There are far more problems they have than just the quarterback position, and to fix the atrocity that is the Washington Redskins' football team, they have to start anew and change their management.

Under owner Dan Snyder, the Redskins have been an excuse of a team year after year and he has proven to know almost nothing about owning an NFL franchise; he seems to be more of a fan than an actual owner. But since Snyder will most likely not resign from his position, he has to find ways to be successful at the quarterback position.

Since 2007, the Redskins' starting quarterbacks have consisted of Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, John Beck, Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy. All of these quarterbacks have been unsuccessful except Griffin in 2012 when the team was able to advance to the playoffs (he also won Rookie of the Year), so maybe they should continue to build around Griffin's strengths and try to rework their offense to how it was in his rookie year.

The difference between the offense in 2012 and the current offense is that now we have a new coach, the offense does not maximize Griffin's running ability anymore, and the current offensive line is almost nonexistent.

The recent 0-24 loss to the St. Louis Rams displayed that the Redskins are unbearable to watch. They showed that their secondary is so pathetic that saying it's below average would be a compliment. Jay Gruden's offensive play calling, what he was praised for in Cincinnati during his stint with the Bengals, does not maximize the talent of his star wide receiver, Desean Jackson, and his top-tier running back, Alfred Morris.

Robert Griffin III should not be blamed for the inefficiencies of the offense and the team's lack of success because no other quarterback they've started in the past seven seasons has been able to be successful.

This does not give Griffin a pass for bringing an incredible amount of drama upon the team and having a terrible season in which he's averaging 0.3 touchdowns per game, but trying to build around Cousins and McCoy hasn't worked either. For a quarterback to succeed, they need to have an adequate offensive line to protect them, and general manager Bruce Allen has failed to provide the team with such players.

Allen has also failed to provide the team with a good secondary and good coaches. In week 14, the Redskins allowed 49 points to the Indianapolis Colts in a loss, but they also gave up three 70+ yard touchdowns; in no way is this acceptable. Defensive coach has put together a poor defensive scheme that has weakened the team for the last few years.

Recently, the Redskins hired a new general manager, Scot McCloughan, and made Allen team president McCloughan was formerly the senior personnel executive for the Seattle Seahawks. Before that he served as general manager for the San Francisco 49ers. McCloughan helped both of those teams develop their rosters into title-contending teams. McCloughan has also expressed desire to improve the team so that the quarterbacks have better players to work with, such as better offensive linemen, for example. Under this new leadership, Griffin has a chance to develop and improve upon his game.

Since his injury in his rookie year, they have tried to transform him from a mobile quarterback to a pocket passer to protect his health, but they can protect his health and stay successful by providing him with a good passblocking unit and teaching him how to slide correctly to prevent him from being hit.

When Griffin runs, he becomes a dual threat, Alfred Morris does better because the attention goes to Griffin, and there is an element of surprise because the defense does not know whether Griffin will run, throw, or hand the ball off to Morris.

For the team to succeed, at least the offense, they need to build their offensive scheme to fit Griffin's strengths and not have Griffin adjust to their current offensive scheme.

In conclusion, the Redskins need to fire Jay Gruden, but they need to keep Robert Griffin III. To duplicate the same success experienced in 2012, they have to let Griffin run.

Eventually, a battered soldier will become useless to continue the fight. Sad to say, Robert Griffin III has become just that- useless. This season alone, out of the 17 games played, RGIII has only played in nine. How useful is a player if you cannot depend on them to be in good health?

Granted, in the majority of the games that he did not play in, the Redskins took the "L", resulting in a 4-12 season; which can possibly show how much of an asset he is to the skins. But what good can a limping football player really do?

Ever since his most notorious injury while playing in the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks, RGIII just has not been the same athletic wise. Mike Shanahan, former Redskins head coach, said himself that his 'gut' told him to pull the star quarterback out at halftime, but decided against his instincts and kept the injured football player on the field.

"I knew in my gut, because I watched him, that's what I should have done. Because I watched it. I should have went with my gut." The Redskins fell to the Seahawks on their home turf 24-14. "It cost us the game. Not only did it hurt Robert; it hurt us," Shanahan said.

People, as well as myself, tend to agree with the claim that Mike Shanahan was the source of RGIII's injuries of his NFL career.

Since the game, fans, Redskin fans or football fans period, continued to second-guess Shanahan's decision making, Griffin's mindset, and what was to come of the Washington Redskins. The direction of the entire franchise was questionable.

How did he [Shanahan] not at one point think about the better good of his player, as well as his team, rather than his bank account. Why did Shanahan wait till Griffin was legitimately ineligible to play?

As the head coach of the third largest franchise team in the league, I would expect both of them to make better decisions for everyone, as well as themselves.

A team is depends on their head coach to make the right calls, and for their star-quarterback to make the right passes. Without those two assets being cooperative and in the right shape, the possibility of winning a game is close to none.

In 2013, Mike Shanahan was released of his duties as the head coach of the Washington Redskins. The former Redskins coach told Jarrett Bell of USA Today that he wanted to coach again, but only if things are just right.

When asked about Griffin, he said: "I'm not going down that road. I'm going to let that play itself out. We'll see as time goes on."

In the conversation he continued to complain about the executive leadership, referring to his former boss, Dan Snyder, as well as his opinion of other problems within the franchise. It seems like he did not even enjoy his term as head coach.

With Shanahan gone, the Redskins found a new head coach, Jay Gruden.

Gruden's thoughts towards Griffin were not towards his favor.

Gruden thinks Robert Griffin III cares more about his image than learning to be a suitable leader as star quarterback on the Washington Redskins. With that being said, Gruden would like RGIII to part ways with the franchise.

According to Jason Reid of the Washington Post, Gruden feels strongly that the franchise must let Griffin go. When Griffin was benched, Gruden placed Colt McCoy as QB. McCoy was injured due to a miscommunication with center Kory Lichtensteiger, which led to him being sacked by St. Louis defensive end Robert Quinn. McCoy sustained a neck injury which made him questionable for Week 15.

(50/50 chance of playing).

McCoy started against the New York Giants, but was removed from the game just after 13 snaps due to agitation of his injury. With McCoy out, Griffin got back on the field. The Redskins were defeated by the New York Giants 1324.

RGIII, thus far, has had a somewhat successful, yet very troubling three seasons with the Washington Redskins. Rather than progressing, things seem to be going downhill. The question hovering over our heads is whether he will be able to "bounce-back" or not.

Some fans seem to adore their star quarterback, and appreciate everything he has accomplished for the "DMV." But, some side with my point of view of cutting him loose from the Washington Redskins. b y a thread. With his three-year run, Is this the end of the RGIII reign period? I'm pretty certain.

NO

YES

Next year will be the last under Giriffin's rookie contract

Persistent injuries render RGIII useless

Coaching & management are to blame

1.

Gruden has expressed his concerns over Griffins poor play.

Ten tips for Super Bowl Sunday 4.

3.

2.

5.

If you're throwing a party, make sure the food is on point - chips, salsa and guacamole are classic Super Bowl party favorites.

6.

It's 2015. There's bound to be someone asking for "gluten-free" or vegetarian, so make sure to have those options avaliable.

If your team is winning, try not to rub it in. Let others enjoy the game.

If you are rooting for a team, root for them until the end. Don't switch teams at halftime.

7.

If your TV ain't fly, don't waste my time. Ain't nobody tryna watch the big game on a small TV. By the way, definition of "fly"? At LEAST 60 inches, HD and a surround sound system wouldn't hurt either.

8.

Have a wide variety of beverage options. Some people like things other than Coke, Pepsi and Sprite. Like at least have Diet Coke.

If your team loses, it's not the end of the world.

There's always next season.

9.

The halftime show is a good time to take a bathroom break, if

necessary.

Don't go overboard on betting. Sometimes the fan favorite ends up choking.

10.

Get off the phone and enjoy the game! The Super Bowl comes once a year, make sure you actually watch the game.

COMPILED BY DANIEL YENEGETA

TITUS’S DRIVING SCHOOL Why choose Titus's Driving School Over Others?

1. The school is bonded and isnsured 2. Students do not need 45 hours driving time prior to the program 3. Parents and students can check yellowpages.com for school reviews 4. Students don’t have to pay until they get their drivers license 5. If you bring your friend along, you get $25 off your payment Contact us by phone or email (571) 217-1441 (703) 751-2391

Fax: (703) 879-5943 info@titus-driving-school.com

“Taking pride in road safety”

Hear about the driving school from other participants:

“Titus’s Driving School is the best driving school for any new drivers.

I learned how to drive through him and from day one, all he dealt with was driving safely. He would always remind us that when driving, you must be safe because being behind the wheel is the only course in which you are handling your life and potentially that of others.”

— Emmanuel Kwayke, senior

16 SPORTS

Jan. 20, 2015

Basketball falls to SOCO

BY SABRINA HAWA

BY KAYEE LYNCH

Sports Editor

Staff Writer

The girls continue the season with their 5-8 record.

They will host the West Springfield spartans tonight at 7:30 p.m.

"We're really looking forward to play West Springfield because they are a really good team," sophomore Katie Garrish said. "It has been a highly anticipated game of mine, and I know the rest of the team are really looking forward to this game."

The girls are also looking forward to the rest of the season while playing the last couple teams in the district, eventually making it to conference plays.

"We're really excited for finishing up the season," junior Asaada Hatcher said. "We're having a lot of fun together as a team."

Most recently, the varsity girls basketball team were defeated by the South County stallions at home with a final score of 23-39.

The girls went into the game only having seven out of the 10 players due to injuries.

"Having injured players is a setback but it is also extra motivation for us to play harder during games and practices," sophomore Katie Garrish said.

As usual the game began with a tip, where the ball was secured by the Lady Atoms.

The first quarter moved rather quickly with the ball constantly being turned over by both teams.

While the girls did a good job putting pressure on the defense it was not enough to keep the ball in their possession for very long.

The first quarter ended with a low score of 1-5, going in the opponents favor.

During these breaks the head coach Jim Brown pulled the girls aside to review game plans and lays for the girls to do.

The beginning of the second quarter followed in the same pace as the first where the ball was being turned over by both teams at a steady pace.

SOCO's defense was making the girls work with their ability to keep the ball from making its way to the net.

Towards the end of the of the second quarter, the girls began to

The Atoms, thus far, continue the fight with a 4-9 record.

With the loss this week, the boys are prepared to face their next opponent, the West Springfield Spartans (away) tonight.

The boys are anticipating the next few games.

That means they are getting closer to the conference championships and then attempting to make it in regionals.

"I know the boys are nervous and anticipating the game. I am too.

It makes me nervous because I can only tell them what to do. Not do it for them," said head coach Matthew Behne.

Most recently, the varsity boys basketball team suffered a 57-60 buzzer-beater loss to the South County Stallions on Jan. 13.

The Atoms took the lead in the first half of the game, the ball was being passed around and the team made a good effort to get back on both defense and offense.

The first quarter was very fastpaced with the ball going back and forth between both teams and each team putting up points on the scoreboard.

As the second quarter approached, tensions were high as the boys fought to maintain their lead against the stallions.

They began to slightly trail behind the Stallions after the third quarter with a score of 43-45.

"We've had scouts, as well as a lot of practice. Our starters were who is pulling and trying their the best for our team," Behne said. "It was definitely an opportunity to get the 'dub'."

Besides the general jitters, the boys were ready to play and give it

Warmin' up Sophomore Katie Garrish warming up for the game against South County.

rank up their fouls, ending the first half with seven total fouls.

This gave SOCO the ability to take a lead by making most of their points off their foul shots.

The final score of the first half ended with a score of 4-18.

Tensions were high as the first half of the game came to an end and both teams made their way into the locker room to discuss plays and ways to win the game.

The third quarter began with the opposing team having possession of the ball and putting up two points immediately.

The girls definitely came back strong on the defense. They were able to keep the ball at the three point line and were able to double team the person with possession of the ball.

The third quarter ended with a score of 15-29, again with the opposing team obtaining most of their points off foul shots.

The fourth quarter was very intense and moved very quickly.

While the girls were making a comeback it was not enough to catch up to the stallions.

Despite the loss, the girls are eager to come back stronger than ever their next game.

Come out to support your lady atoms at their upcoming games "We love playing together as a team," Garrish said. "We've really grown close to each other. Playing together has become really enjoyable as well."

Track competes Runners earn good stats at meets

BY SABRINA HAWA The next meet for the boy's and girl's track team will be against Fairfax and Herndon high school at TJ Middle School on Saturday, Jan. 17.

The teams are looking forward to the last couple meets of the seasons before it is time to compete in regional and so on.

"Competition is always good for us," Jordan said. "it keeps us motivated for the rest of the season and for future seasons to come."

On Dec. 27, the boys and girls track competed at the annual Friends of Indoor Track, or FIT, invitational.

The event took place at the Prince George's County Sport and Learning Center in Landover, Maryland. Top athletes from all over Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland attended the event over the holiday break.

The meet held many events that ranged from the 55 Meter Dash to the 1000 Meter Run. Events such as the Shot Put and the Triple Jump were also included.

Jordan competed in two different events, the 300 Meter Dash and the 500 Meter Dash.

"Going to different meets is always fun because we get to compete against other schools and it is a good experience," Jordan said, "all the practice we do pays off at our meets."

In the 500 Meter Dash, Jordan ran a time of 1:42.3 and a time of 49:17 in the 300 Meter Dash.

Sophomore Bitania Endalkachew competed in the 1000 Meter Dash and ended with a time of 3:55.8.

"Going to different meets is really fun because we get to showcase our skills," Endalkachew said.

COURTESY OF ANNANDALE ATHLETICS

Sports Editor

Sophomore Gabriela Jordan competes at the FIT Invite over the break. Along with other top runners from both the boys and girls team.

UPCOMING TRACK MEETS 路 1/17 vs. Fairfax and Herndon @ TJ Middle School 路 1/23 vs. West Potomac, Lake Braddock and Wakefield @ TJ Middle School 路 1/31 vs. TC Williams, South County, and West Potomac at Episcopal High School 路 2/4 Patriot Conference championship @ Episcopal High School

COURTESY OF GALLERYD PHOTOGRAPHY

Boys compete in a hard fought match

SABRINA HAWA

Foul trouble results in a tough game

Senior Ahmed Elnour looking for the open pass to his teammates.

their all.

The fourth quarter was also very fast-paced and the score was going back and forth in favor of both teams. The Atoms fought hard to maintain their lead but in the end the stallions scored the winning buzzer beater to take the game.

Both teams played very hard and were able to maintain a good balance between the offense and the defense.

"During the game, I felt good going in. I had a feeling that everything would go our way, and that we'd play tough throughout the game," senior Francis Sillah said.

When asked about the Stallions, Behne gave his clear-cut opinion.

Senior wrestler Wesley Miller finishes off his final year of wrestling at AHS by competing his hardest at this seasons competitions

"They are a good team. They're learning how to win just like we are.

It's not easy."

Keeping hope alive, the team maintains their motivation to move forward with the season.

"The way we started off playing, showed others that we could win," Sillah said. "The team and I stayed motivated because we're fighting to not be in last place in our district standings. So the loss is really pushing us to do better as a team."

SPORTS 17

Jan. 20, 2015

Junior Cory Pringle takes a breath before entering the water to finish his race.

Swim team dives through a tough season but looks ahead

BY OMAR HADDOU AND AHMAD AYUB Staff Writers The Atoms next meet will be against Lee High School on Jan.23 . It looks like it will be a very close meet as it is always against the Titans. "It's going to be close because last year the boys won by one point and the girls drew," junior Ashley Britton said. "Senior Rachael Allshouse achieved a personal record in the 100 fly with a time of 1:04.9."

Coach Ryan Smith has told his team that in this meet they want to focus more on putting people in events that will get the team points. He also wants the meet to be more team-based.

"A lot of swimmers will be in races they aren't normally in," Britton said.

Britton gave her insight on the teams goal's for the rest of the season. She has a usual ritual after before every meet. On her wrist, she places the time she wants to beat. This helps motivate her to do her best every practice and meet.

"By the end of the season, it would be awesome to have some relays make it to regionals like last year and to have new faces slotted in individual events," Britton said.

Junior Kirk Lindberg hopes to improve his time for the 50 yard freestyle race. "I feel like I'm improving, so I'm hoping I can continue the trend in this next meet," Lindberg said.

Lindberg also expressed how he hopes the team as a whole improves in this next meet, and that they outshine the Lancers.

"I really think we can beat the Lancers because the team wants to bounce back up after the last meet," Lindberg said.

During Thursday's practice, the team tapers before the meet on Friday. The team also does a lot of cheers on Thursday to hype the team up for the next meet. The team considers Lee as a rival.

At the Swim and Dive meet on Jan. 9, the members of the Swim and dive team were defeated by the South County Stallions. The meet was held at South Run Recreation Center, and only consisted of the AHS and South County Swim and Dive teams.

During this meet, the Annandale Atoms had a hardfought battle with the Stallions. One of AHS better performed races was the 200 free relay race, in which they finished second.

After this disappointing loss, the team wants to proceed by motivating each other to do better at the next meet.

"I think that it was hard for everyone to get back into things after winter break, but everyone encouraged each other and cheered constantly, which made it an exciting meet," Britton said.

Senior Molly Keck also added about their return to swimming after the break.

"I think the last meet went well overall considering we were all coming back from break," Keck said. "We all plan to work hard this week to beat T.C, and reach our goals for times."

BY MARIFE BARAGANO Sports Editor The grappling Atoms with and overall record of 18-3 face T.C. Williams and West Springfield High Schools at West Springfield on Jan.22.

The team prepares for meets in a usual way by beginning by warming up the body, making sure they are focused, and getting hyped before the meets.

"We do a really good job of stretching our bodies before we go out there and scream and yell a lot to get motivated," Head Coach Keith Sholders said.

Though many wrestlers choose a different way to get ready before the game.

"Usually I just keep my thoughts to myself and walk around to let stress out," junior Azamat Israilov said.

It's no surprise that the boys aspire to do well at their meets. They hope to get better every day at practice and work hard at every meet they go to.

"Our next meet, obviously we want to progress and get better as a team and a unit," Sholders said.

The wrestlers, expectations and aim for the next meet is to place high on the top three.

"Every practice we try and do are best. If we don't, we make sure the next day isn't like the following, junior Michael Weaver said.

The rest of the season is expected to go well for the Atoms.

The boys are doing better than expected.

"Yeah, it's better than last year, it's hard sometimes because the season is long and you need to keep your weight down, a lot of people are cutting weight this year," sophomore Sergio Poso said.

Last year the boys had an overall record of 20-8.

They are so close to beating their previous record.

The varsity wrestling team has 11 more meets till the season is over.

The anticipation has some of the Atoms going crazy.

"I really don't want the season to be over soon. This is a family and we stick together," Poso said.

The team"s last match will be pact the pit, which is on the last Wednesday of the year, against Fairfax High School an annual tradition at AHS. With award winning seniors Devin Hamlett and

Miller Wesley on their team. There is no doubt that the Atoms will be able to stay focused and continue on the track of success.

"I'm excited to see what is in stored for the rest of the season. If they keep it up; the whole school would probably recognize them more," junior Gabe Martino said.

The next meet is on Jan. 22 against T.C. Williams and West Springfield High Schools.

COURTESY OF MARIFE BARAGANO

COURTESY OF ANYA MONTES DE OCA

Wrestling prepares for the rest of the season

Senior Tony Gibbs stretches during practice to ensure that he does not pull any muscles.

What's your biggest improvement this year?

"My biggest improvement is being in a neutral position. I have been working on my take downs. I feel like I have improved on my setups."

"The best thing that I've learned this year it to not hesitate.

Trusting myself is the biggest thing."

"Probably my biggest improvement is my 100 yard back time I dropped 11 seconds."

STAN BOTTCHER Swim and dive, junior

NORA HASRAT

"I've definitely improved on my flexibility which helps in dance. Plus my focus has also improved. "

Volleyball, sophomore

CEILIDH WILLIAMS Dance team, sophomore

MICHAEL WEAVER Wrestling, junior

Senior Spotlight Michael Velasquez

Tyler Sapp

BOYS BASKETBALL

SWIM AND DIVE When did you start swimming?

I started swimming when I was four years old.

When did you start playing basketball?

I started playing basketball when I was six years old but I didn t play competitively until I was 14.

What is your favorite basketball memory?

My favorite moment was making the team this year because last year I was cut. So my favorite moment was being able to be a part of a young squad.

What is your favorite swim memory?

I don't have many memories because this is my first year swimming for AHS but I do have a favorite memory. It was our first meet of the season and on the bus ride we had a "flame sesh" the entire way there. It was so funny and everyone on the bus was having a good time.

What is one of your aspirations in finishing the season?

My aspiration is to have a good seed in districts and avoid playing Woodson the first game of districts.

What is one of your aspirations in finishing the season?

I aspire to be able to survive a 100 butterfly without almost passing out or gaining a putty clap.

Do you have a ritual before games?

The team usually makes a circle to get hyped before the game.

Do you have a ritual before games?

Before my race I like to stretch out because I don't want my hamstrings to get to tight during the race.

What is your biggest improvement of the year so far?

My biggest improvement so far is accepting my role in the team.

What is your biggest improvement of the year so far?

My biggest improvement is that I can make it to the end of 100 butterfly but I'm unhappy with my time. So, I still need some improvement.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL VELASQUEZ COURTESY OF TYLER SAPP

Rochelle Kenney

Rayvn Hankinson

GIRLS BASKETBALL

TRACK AND FIELD

When did you start playing basketball?

I started playing basketball when I was in the fifth grade.

When did you start participating in track?

I started running track my freshman year with Coach Miller.

What is your favorite basketball memory?

I don't have one favorite memory but I have many favorite memories of team camps. Also, some of the team bonding activities we do together.

What is your favorite track memory?

My favorite memories were all of our team dinners before our meets last year and my sophomore year.

What is one of your aspirations in finishing the season?

My aspiration for finishing the season is to end up on the record board in jock lobby.

What is one of your aspirations in finishing the season?

I hope that this season we place in the top three of the districts.

Do you have a ritual before games?

For me, I like to go to tropical smoothie before games. In the locker room we like to listen to hype music and dance a bit before the game. It really helps us get into the game.

Do you have a ritual before a meet?

Our ritual before our 4x2 race is to say a prayer while holding the baton in the order that we run. It's something that helps us get ready for the race.

What is your biggest improvement of the year so far?

As a point guard it's important to be a leader. So, through the years I've learned how to be leader for my team.

COURTESY OF MARIFE BARAGANO

What is your biggest improvement of the year so far?

My biggest improvement this year has definitely being able to fix my form and to PR (personal record) in my 400 every season.

COURTESY OF RAYVN HANKINSON

18 ENTERTAINMENT CW's shows leave viewers speechless Jan. 20, 2015

BY CONRAD SHARTEL AHMAD AYUB Entertainment Editor and Staff Writer The last episode before the winter hiatus of the new CW TV show The Flash premiered on Dec. 9, and left all viewers in awe as a large secret was revealed. The last episode of CW's hit show Arrow premiered the day after, Dec. 10, and also left viewers in awe at the huge twist that was thrown in. The Flash and the Arrow appear side by side from the episode they were in.

Many theories have been formed, and we will just have to wait for the shows return to see what happens.

At the end of the episode, Professor Wells enters his secret room, The Flash ended with Barry Allen finally meeting the yellow streak that and the yellow suit that the streak wears appears. He then says "Merry killed his mother when he was a child. He came into contact with it, and Christmas" in the same voice as the yellow streak. the streak said that Barry will have to catch him to know the truth. They Arrow also ended with a pretty shocking cliffhanger. Oliver Queen have the same powers, so this turned into a super-speed race between decides that he must stop the crime-lord and assassin Ra's Al-Ghul once the two meta-humans. Barry is unable to catch the streak, and ends up and for all. His goal is to challenge him to a duel, and in doing so, prove his actually getting beaten up pretty badly by the streak. When Barry and his sister is innocent for a crime she did not mean to commit, and to stop Ra's team, including Detective Joe West, try to catch the streak, they fail, and the Al-Ghul's League of Assassins forever. Oliver travels to a cliff atop a snowy streak ends up seriously injuring Professor Harrison Wells, then running off, mountain to face his opponent and finish him. They start to fight, and Oliver and later scared away by a man who can control fire who we learn earlier is takes quite a beating. Towards the end of the fight, Ra's counters Oliver, cuts Ronnie Raymond, thought to be dead. him, then stabs him in the heart with a sword. He then pushes him off of the

TECHTIMESE.COM

The Flash and Arrow return soon with surprises

top of the cliff, where Oliver plunges to his death on the rocks below. The episode finishes with a camera shot of his body on the ground.

Like all superhero shows and movies, many secrets are kept and slowly revealed, leaving viewers and fans to create predictions and theories on what might happen next. There were many clues hinting towards Professor Wells being the yellow streak, but everyone was thrown off when the two were seen together. One possibiity is time travel It is one of the powers that comes with super-speed. Also, the yellow streak was seen by Barry years and years ago when his mom died, so time travel must be involved in some way. Either way, fans now know that Barry is currently working with a future arch-nemesis.

However, though viewers may have been able to predict who the yellow streak was in The Flash, nobody was expecting Oliver to die at the end of Arrow's episode. How can the main character of a show just die that quickly? However, there is hope, because the show has been renewed for more seasons and it wouldn't continue without the main star. A few hints were dropped in the episode that hint towards what may happen later in the show. Ra's Al-Ghul looks to be around 40 or 50, but when Oliver challenges him he says that nobody has challenged him for 67 years. Mathematically, that doesn't add up.

Superhero fans all know that Ra's has in his possession something called the Lazarus Pit that is able to make someone younger, stronger, or even come back from the dead. Using the age hint, it makes sense that Ra's is actually much older than he looks, but keeps his body young because of the effects of the Lazarus Pit. It's a stretch, but that one clue makes it fit perfectly.

Be sure to catch The Flash which returns on Jan. 20, and Arrow which returns on Jan. 21.

Superhero battles: Who would win?

Green Arrow Played in shows by:

Played in shows by:

Stephen Amell Real name: Oliver Queen Arch-nemesis: The Dark Archer (Malcolm Merlyn) Powers/Abilities: Very skilled at hand to hand combat, expert strategist. Master of the bow and arrow, very skilled at parkour.

Biography: Oliver Queen was a spoiled millionaire playboy who seemed to have no potential. After being stranded on an island for five years, he learns what life is really about, and how to wield a bow and arrow. He returns to Starling City to fight crime and injustice on his own terms. He becomes the Green Arrow, and with his team he is able to track down many supervillains in his city and stop them with just a bow and his variety of deadly arrows.

John Wesley Shipp, Grant Gustin Real name: Barry Allen Arch-nemesis: Reverse Flash a.ka. Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne) Powers/Abilities: Has the ability to run at super speed and can heal extremely fast due to his cells moving at an extreme rate, and is able to use his speed to fight without being caught by the opponent.

Biography: Barry Allen was an ordinary forensic scientist who worked with the police. His mother was killed when he was a child by a yellow streak, and he has never let it go. One night while working, his laboratory he is struck by lightning, and the chemical reaction put him in a coma. When he wakes up, he discovers he has extraordinary powers that allow him to run, and think, at super speeds. He then decides that he can be a beacon of hope for his city.

Hulk Played in movies by:

Robert Downey Jr. Real name: Tony Stark Arch-nemesis: The Mandarin Powers/Abilities: Access to many high-tech powered suits, genius-level intellect, very experienced scientist, engineer and businessman.

Biography: After being captured by terrorists, Stark is forced to make weapons for them. He is then forced to implant an arc reactor into his chest to stop shrapnel from impaling his heart. To escape his captors, he creates a high-tech suit, powered by his arc reactor, and finds his way home, thus becoming the Iron Man. He goes on to create countless more suits to help protect the Earth alongside the Avengers.

Batman Played in movies by:

Superman Played in movies by:

Christian Bale, George Clooney, Michael Keaton, Adam West Real name: Bruce Wayne Arch-nemesis: The Joker Powers/Abilities: Has no superpowers, but has a "Bat-Suit" that is extremely technologically advanced.

He also is a master of combat and fighting. His suit has many gadgets such as a batarang (like a boomerang), a grappling hook, an EMP and many other tools.

Biography: When Bruce Wayne was a child, he watched his parents get shot right in front of him. Bruce then vowed that he would learn to fight injustice in Gotham City. He goes to the League of Shadows to train with the infamous assassin Ra's Al-Ghul. He returns to Gotham to use his money to become the Batman.

Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill Real name: Kal-El Arch-nemesis: Lex Luthor Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed and flight abilities. Has laser vision, X-ray vision and frost breath.

Biography: Kal-El, son of Jor-El, was born on the alien planet Krypton. The planet was on the verge of destruction, and Kal's father sent him away in an escape pod moments before the planet exploded. Kal landed on Earth, where he was found and adopted by a the Kent family. Kal then he adopts the name Clark Kent, where he lives in the city of Metropolis as a photographer for a newspaper. When he is not taking pictures, he is saving the world as Superman.

Thor Chris Hemsworth Real name: Thor Odinson Arch-nemesis: Loki Laufeyson Powers/Abilities: Superhuman longevity, durability, speed, strength. Wielder of the powerful hammer Mjolnir, which allows flight, weather manipulation and electric manipulation.

Biography: Son of the almighty god Odin, king of Asgard, Thor is the god of thunder and lightning and spends his life commanding the army of Asgard. When he fights with his father and shows he is incapable of being king, Odin sends him to Earth, saying he is no longer worthy to wield Mjolnir. After redeeming himself, Thor once again wields Mjolnir and travels back and forth from Asgard and Earth, helping protect both realms.

Iron Man Played in movies by:

Lou Ferrigno, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo Real name: Bruce Banner Arch-nemesis: Abomination (Emil Blonsky) Powers/Abilities: Superhuman speed, jumping, endurance, durability. Accelerated healing, resistant to mind control. Immune to disease. Impenetrable skin.

Biography: After being exposed to gamma radiation during a failed recreation of a WW2 super soldier program, scientist Bruce Banner gained a power, sometimes curse, where he would turn into a giant green "hulk" should his heart rate get too high, usually when he gets angry, where he loses his judgement and becomes a mindless, destructive beast. Over time, he is able to control his power to change into the Hulk, a weapon that he can use at will.

Played in movies by:

The Flash

Wolverine Played in movies by:

Vote for the winner!

On your smartphone, scan this code using the application "QR Code" to vote on which hero would win!

Hugh Jackman Real name: James "Logan" Howlett Arch-nemesis: Sabertooth Powers/Abilities: Has retractable bone-claws. All bones laced with Adamantium, including the claws (fictional indestructible metal). Superhuman strength. Enhanced healing factor.

Biography: Born James Howlett, Wolverine witnessed the murder of his adopted father at the hands of his biological father, a fact that he didn't know at the time. After unknowingly killing his father with his newly found boneclaws. Wolverine flees and adopts the name Logan. After General William Stryker laced his bones with adamantium and wiped his memory, Logan ends up joining the X-Men.

ENTERTAINMENT 19 Drake vs. Kanye

Jan. 20, 2015

Artist's creativity always pays off

BY TIMOTHY GRAY AND HUSSEIN SALEM Staff Writers

Sensative rapper appeals to all

BY RAPHAEL VU Staff Writer Many would argue that rappers Drake and Kanye West were the best rappers in 2014, and could be the best rappers in 2015.

Drake was the only rapper to be considered more popular than Kanye West at one point. Drake was a popular figure in Degrassi as a kid, so his talents were recognized at a young age.

Drake is not the type of rapper to just rap lyrics because they rhyme, but because each word has a purpose.

Some people refer to Drake as a "Sweet boy", but his lyrics are so powerful that it can have you feelings different types of ways. It plays on your emotions.

However, Drake does not only rap songs that make you want to call your ex and apologize. He raps song that get you pumped up. He is there when you want to get ready for a big game, but he is also there to get you in your feelings.

Growing up, Drake did not have as hard of a life as other rappers did, but his lyrics still have the same effect on people. Drake was born under the name Aubrey Graham on Oct. 24 1986 in Toronto, Canada. At the age of 15, Drake played a role in Degrassi: The Next Generation, a popular Canadian TV show.

Drake became a prominent rapper when he released his first album in 2010, called Thank Me Later. His second album he dropped was Take Care dropped in 2011 and is

his number one album to this date. His third album was Nothing Was The Same which was released in 2013. This album passed one million sales when it was released. In the album Take Care, my favorite song was "Take Care".

"Marvin's Room" was also a quality song. The fact that Drake featured in a lot of good songs, it shows how his reputation is high up. Some rappers look up to Drake, and would do anything to have him featured in their squad.

My favorite song in Nothing Was The Same was "Come thru". I also like the song "Hold on, We're Going Home." I like how Drake can switch from a song with a message, but then go to where he's rapping about his accomplishments. I also feel like every award he has received is well deserved, and also well earned.

Drake has many different songs that are arguably the best songs of the year, and he will continue to write and rap great music. Many people would agree with me that Drake is possibly the best rapper in 2015, and was a top dog in 2014. I feel like Drake was the best rapper of 2014.

Drake is a humble hardworking guy, and I appreciate all the work he puts in the studio to make some awesome verses. I love how Drake was the only rapper to be ever compared to Kanye West. He has been in the rap game for while now, and for a newcomer to come in and take the spotlight, its a very big thing. Kanye West has great songs and is a very talented rapper, but Drake has recently made some great songs, and deserves the title of best rapper.

Selma awes audience

From College Dropout to the controversial Yeezus, Kanye West has managed to capture the attention of millions for over a decade.

The Atlanta-born, Chicago-raised rapper started his career off by making beats, until one fateful car accident which nearly ended his life. He claims that this accident was a "blessing in disguise"." Ever since, West has vowed to make music like every day was his last.

Every album he creates is much different from the last. College Dropout was the album that helped him skyrocket to the top of the hip-hop scene in the early 2000s - along with producing the highly regarded Jay-Z album, The Blueprint.

All of these works mixed with West's charisma and outspoken mindset, helped him rise very quickly. Each album he has crafted has its own sound.

West has made a name for himself with his music and mouth. West is usually judged for being too "arrogant."

This is based largely on his actions at the Video Music Awards in 2009, when he took the microphone from Taylor Swift and claimed Beyonce deserved the award.

It was later revealed that West was drunk at this event, and still heavily dealing with his mother's passing not long before the VMAs. Every celebrity has moments similar to this one, where they may act out. It seems as if West, over all other celebrities, has received the most flack for this one fiasco.

His most controversial album to date, Yeezus, received very mixed reviews. Some claimed his arrogance was off-putting, especially on songs such as "I Am A God".

Others, saw it as a very artistic expression of today's rap music, and intertwined it with EDM (electronic dance music, however Yeezus' interpretation of it is more like electronic death metal).

One of his more mainstream songs, "Heartless," involves more electronic instruments, such as the keyboard and autotune. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (MBDTF) is one of West's albums that received a lot of recognition for its artistic approach and overall flawless

musicality.

The of the songs from the album, "All of the Lights," is an example of the many influences MBDTF revolves around, including pop, rock and hip-hop. West directed a short film to accompany MBDTF, which reached 15,000,000 views and counting on YouTube.

West's audience is based largely on each album. By this, I mean that there are some who may love Late Registration, but despise Yeezus. No one album is like the other, however this still does not result in much of a divide in the fanbase. West's music can reach everybody one way or another; even my mom really enjoys 808s and Heartbreak.

Today, his influence has spread to the fashion world.

After every album, West switches up his style, causing many others to mimic him. Recently, West and his wife, Kim Kardashian, had photo shoots for high-end fashion brand Balmain.

I am personally a huge fan of West's collaborations with French fashion brand, A.P.C. He also collaborates with Adidas and is a huge factor in Adidas's success in 2014.

Unlike many rappers, West is not reluctant to voice his opinion, as can be observed on one of his most infamous interviews on "Sway in the Morning." He is well aware of his talents, but will still pay homage to rappers such as Tupac Shakur, whom he said he looks up to, and Drake, whom he said owned the summer of 2014.

West recently released "Only One," a song that was written to be as if West's now deceased mother, Donda West, was speaking to him. The song features production from former Beatles member and rock legend Paul McCartney. Kanye West's new album is slated for a 2015 release and there is big talk that a song featuring Drake and The Weeknd could be released at any moment.

Kanye West has made an impressive transformation from being a struggling college dropout to achieving success as a rapper, songwriter and fashion designer. He has influenced pop culture for 11 years and continues to do so today.

Movie brings civil rights movement to new generation

BY JAROD GOLUB Co-Editor in Chief On the heels of the Golden Globes where Selma received four nominations and only took home one award - for Best Original Song (Glory by Common and John Legend) - it is still the most important movie out right now to see. In a society and a time where we must still assert that black lives matter, Selma plays an important role in reminding us about the racist history that our country has.

In the wake of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, it is more important now than ever that we remember our past in order to better the future. By introducing a new generation to the Civil Rights Movement, Selma has the ability to do this.

The movie opened nationwide on Jan. 9. The film, from director Ava Duvernay, follows the path to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the difficulties that were faced getting to that point.

The film depicts Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s (David Oyelowo) relationship with President Lyndon Baines Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) and the different paths that they wished to take towards this goal. By working with James Bevel (Common) of the Southern Christian Leadership Convention (SCLC) and now-Congressman John Lewis (Stephan James) of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), King succeeded in planning and carrying out a march from Selma, Alabama (AL) to Montgomery, AL, the capitol.

Johnson, on the other hand, wanted King to wait. He believed that in order for black voting rights to be achieved, other issues would have to be addressed first.

In the film, Johnson is portrayed as having a rocky relationship with King and tiring of the pressure that King put on the issue of voting rights.

However, in reality, Johnson was a strong supporter of black voting rights and had a better relationship with King than the film suggests.

Because of this, Selma has received criticism for its treatment of the white roles in the film, such as Johnson, Alabama Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth) and Sheriff of Selma, AL, Jim Clark (Stan Houston).

Oyelowo (second from left) as King, pictured leading the second march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

However, this is not true. While there were white antagonists in the characters of Wallace and Clark, there were also whites who were sympathetic to the black cause depicted in the film, such as Viola Liuzzo (Tara Ochs). Liuzzo is relatively unknown in the Civil Rights Movement despite her very active role in the Selma protests.

The brunt of the film chronicles the three attempts by protesters to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge and begin their five day, 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery.

On the first attempt, King was not there, so the march was led by Rev. Hosea Williams (Wendell Pierce) and Lewis. At the foot of the bridge, Alabama state troopers waited alongside Clark's police forces to stop the marchers. After asking the marchers to turn back, the troops and policemen began assaulting the men and women. This date, March 7, 1965, became known as Bloody Sunday.

"The film will serve as a constant reminder of the past that America has, one that must not be forgotten. " In one of the most memorable scenes from Selma, King leads the protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the second time along with Williams and Lewis.

This time, rather than get attacked and beaten again by Alabama state troops and Selma police, King kneels down and leads the protesters in a prayer before turning around and going back to Selma. This scene speaks measures about the impact that King had on the movement as a whole as well as the trust that was put in him.

DuVernay's Selma seeks to emphasize the black leadership of the movement, both women and men,

and this is done almost perfectly through Oyelowo's portrayal of King.

Oyelowo steals the film by capturing a side of King that is rarely seen - the side that was unsure of himself. This can clearly be seen by a conversation that he has with his wife, Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo) where he feels caught up in the "fog of death".

The fear that King felt is very real, and that is something that Oyelowo expresses very well throughout the film. This, combined with his ability to match the presence that King had while giving a speech provided for a breathtaking performance.

Not only does Oyelowo perform well, but Stephan James as John Lewis also captures the audience.

James expertly shows the struggle that Lewis had to go through when deciding to march. SNCC, the organization that Lewis was a part of, refused to participate in the first march on Bloody Sunday, and Lewis was left to march alone with the SCLC leaders. James and Oyelowo also work well in tandem, depicting the relationship that King and Lewis had with one another. James may have faced more difficulties than Oyelowo too, seeing as Lewis is still alive.

Overall, the film exceeded the expectations set upon it despite a few historical inaccuracies. By introducing King to box office and critical acclaim - the film has a 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes - DuVernay has enabled Selma to take its place as one of the most important films to hit the theaters in recent memory.

The film will serve as a constant reminder of the past that America has, one that must not be forgotten. The same reminder that is given by the bridge that the protesters marched over 50 years ago, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, named after a Grand Dragon in the Ku Klux Klan.

It is for this reason, that Selma is the movie to see. Not only for its cinematic beauty, but for its historical, and present importance as well.

DONATE YOUR VEHICLE TO THE AHS AUTO PROGRAM

The Annandale High School Auto Program needs your vehicle. By donating, you may be able to deduct up to the full value of your vehicle.

The process is fast, easy and helps the best automotive program in Fairfax County Public Schools. To schedule your donation, please call: Joe Desio, instructor, 703-642-4212 or email at jfdesio@fcps.edu

20 WEEKEND

Jan. 20, 2015

Your 2015 Going Out Guide

Get out of your winter funk and experience all that the D.C area has to offer you

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When: Jan. 21 at at 8 p.m.

Where: Verizon Center Cost: $41 and up

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When: Monday-Thurday: Noon until 6 p.m., Friday-Sunday: 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Where: F Street NW, Washington, DC Cost: $13 and up

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The Daily Show

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When: 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Where: 800 F Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20004 Cost: $14 and up

When: All day, any day Where: 1850 West Basin Drive SW, Washington, D.C. 20024 Cost: Free

When: Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.

Where: The 930 Club: 815 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 Cost: $53 and up on StubHub

When: Jan. 29 at 10:30 p.m.

Where: The 930 Club 815 V Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 Cost: $63 and up on StubHub

MLK Memorial Pretty Little Liars actress is performing songs from her new Pop-Country album Road Between. See you there -A

Lucy Hale

When: Feb. 3 Where: Filmore Silver Spring 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Cost: $60 and up on StubHub

The writers of The Daily Show perform a political-satire based stand up routine on their tour!

Satisfy your classical theatre guilty pleasure! or experience something new at the Mariinsky Ballet.

Nothing beats a classical performance by some of the best musicians in the country from the National Symphony Orchestra

When: Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.

Where: Sixth and I Synagogue: 600 I Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20001 Cost: $75 and up on StubHub

When: Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Kennedy Center Opera House: 2700 F Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20566 Cost: $101 and up on StubHub

When: Jan. 31 at 8 p.m.

Where: The Kennedy Center Concert Hall 2700 F Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20566 Cost: $90 and up on StubHub

Mariinsky Ballet

One of the most anticipated movies of 2015 is finally here! go see 50 Shades before it's too late.

When: Feb. 13 Where: All theatres Cost: Average movie ticket price of $12 and up

When: Feb. 6 Where: All theatres Cost: Average movie ticket price of $12 and up

50 Shades of Grey

Spongebob

Amazing sushi and Japanese Cuisine!

Go healthy and choose Mediterranean at the Family owned Eleni's Greek Taverna.

Clyde's is an allAmerican restaurant with a wide variety of classy eats. You seriously can't go wrong with their menu!

When: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. until 2 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m. until 2 a.m.

Where: 8332 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182 Cost: All entrees are $11 and up

Nat. Symphony

Who lives on the couch in old sweatpants? Not you if you stop watching Netflix and go watch the new Spongbob Movie: Out of Water in 3D

J- Lo has a new movie and it looks... Creepy.

The Boy Next door is all about suspense and stalkers as it hiots theaters in 3 days!

The Boy Next Door

Clyde's

Learn about Martin Luther King Jr.'s battle for civil rights where a national park ranger is available from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. daily for information sessions!

One of EDM's most popular artists is coming to town!

When: Jan. 23 Where: All theatres Cost: Average movie ticket price of $12 and up

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Anything and everything about spy stories, undercover missions and master deception may or may not be found at The International Spy Museum.

Borgore

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Spy Museum

Caps

Local rap concert also featuring Kehlani, Kool John and Jay Ant!

G-Eazy

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When: Jan. 28 at 8 p.m.

Where: Verizon Center Cost: $77 and up

When: Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Verizon Center Cost: $34 and up

Want to meet your favorite celebrity? You can see them here, made of wax at Madame Tussauds the wax museum.

Madame Tussauds

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Come support your local Hockey team as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins!

Monster Jam

Wizards

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An epic show of big trucks doing stunts and smashing stuff. Perfect for a guys' night or a family outing.

The Wizards are actually good this year, so go watch them take on the Oklahoma City Thunder!

Eleni's

Monday-Friday 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Where: 6131 Backlick Road Springfield, VA 22150 Cost: All entrees less than $20

Osaka

When: MondayThursday: 11:30 a.m.until 2:30 p.m., Friday: 11:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., Saturday: noon. until 10:30 p.m., Sunday from noon until 9:30 p.m.

Where: 6701 Loisdale Rd. Springfield, VA 22150 Cost: All entrees are $25 and below

Class of 2015 Bulletin To-do List: January Edition 71 days until all college notification letters are delivered!

Attend the girls varsity basketball game tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Pack the Pit is at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28! Be there!

147 days until graduation