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ASSASINATION OF BENAZIR With the death of Bhutto, Pakistani elections, and the free voice of Pakistan, are deeply changed and limited

WEATHERTODAY Mostly Sunny

700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003

703-642-4229

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008

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10-11

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FROM PASSING TO PREGNANT

A STEP BEYOND POTS AND PANS

GLOBES FLOAT OUT OF ORBIT With Golden Globes canceled, Hollywood begins questioning what will happen with the Academy Awards

Art students investigate the malleability of manipulating ceramics and their clay creations

Teens shed light on high school life weighed down with the extra burden of children

Popular choral show draws record auditions, numbers

High: 40 Low: 28

LUNCHTODAY

Chicken Tenders w/ rice, Teriyaki Meatballs Rice Bowl, Deli Line, PB&J Sandwich, Pizza Line, Salads, Yogurt w/ Pretzel

Girl was abducted near 3700 Hummer Rd.

NEWSBRIEFS

BY PAUL MATHIS Co-Editor in Chief

Sophomores invited to Parent/Student night

COURTESY LINDA NGUYEN

Sophomores and their parents are invited to the “Sophomore Parent and Student Night” on Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Clausen Hall. “Sophomore Parent and Student Night” is a tradition at Annandale High School, where Randy Doss, Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Life at Guilford College, will provide a presentation on the college experience.

Seniors should turn in college news The Career Center is asking all seniors who have received acceptance to any college or colleges to share this information with Robin Roth.

Roth will post a bulletin board inthe Theatre Lobby celebrating all of these college acceptances, a long-standing tradition of the Career Center.

Top culinary institute visiting Bistro The Culinary Institute of America will be visiting the Bistro today, Jan. 15, during R5/ W8 Flex. The CIA offers a four year degree program in several culinary and hospitality areas.

All students who are interested in attending are encouraged to go to the Bistro during this time.

Ask Chef G for a pass. A pass will be available on each student’s Family Connection account if asked.

Members of the Menʼs Chorale, Joey Mazarra, Carlos Galicia, Kevin Fields, and Daniel Kwon perform the Broadway number, “It Takes a Woman,” from Hello Dolly. Students auditioned for over 70 pieces, but only around 40 of those pieces were in the show.

Desserts breaks new ground Competition increases as students audition over 70 broadway pieces

BY NATHALIE SPITA News Editor The annual AHS Choral Department performance of Broadway Desserts took place on Saturday, Jan. 12 and Sunday, Jan. 13 at the George Mason University Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall. Both nights were sold out.

“In my second year here [at AHS] I started Broadway Desserts as a way to give students the opportunity to perform Broadway music; it is also a great fundraiser for the Choral Department,” said Choral Director Carleen Dixon. The annual show consists of performances from the talented students performing songs

from various Broadway musicals.

Some performances were comical, such as “Hakuna Matata” sang by John Odom and Michael Lazaar and “If I Were a Rich Man” performed by Daren LopezVillanueva, while others were emotional such as “You’re Daddy’s Son” sung by Hanna Navarette. Broadway Desserts consists of two Acts. Act I is geared to more modern and current Broadway music in comparison to Act II which consists of more traditional and older Broadway music.

This year’s Broadway Desserts was everything but ordinary for the participants.

The Choral Department had about a week and a half from the day of auditions to the

actual day of the performance to prepare.

“It is an incredibly short period of time to get together a performance of this complexity,” said Dixon. “The numbers had to be performance ready at auditions. There was no time really for them to rehearse after auditions.”

On top of the unusually small amount of time Dixon was faced with the fact that over 70 auditions took place and about only 40 were able to be chosen. “There were no bad numbers so it was hard to choose from,” said Dixon. “It seemed to me that students were better prepared this year than they had ever been.”

Abortion 11% Global Warming 12% Healthcare 10% Immigration 15%

Iraq War 18% Social Security 8%

Taxes 9% Other 17% This survey was distributed on Jan. 10 during B, C, and D lunches. Of 500 surveys distributed, 401 were completed and returned.

“ASSAULT” continued on page 5

Also on page 5, a map of the area where the AHS student was abducted and assaulted

AP Cooley leaving AHS “I am going to have to assume responsibility and operation of the school,” said Cooley. “I am going to have a lot more Assistant Principal Brandon Cooley freedom than I would have in my curwill be leaving AHS to pursue a carreer rent position.”

Cooley was hired in 2001 as an opportunity in Bensalem, Penn., which is located just outside of Philadelphia. “At Assistant Principal, concentrating on first I will be in a leadership position, and Marketing, Business and now English then on July I will become the principal and Special Education. “Academically, the departments of Bensalem High have improved, School.”

I improved the Cooley will have lines of commuto adjust to the new nication between school district and people and built adjust to the extra strong relationresponsibilities that ships,” said Cooley accompany the posiwhen asked of his tion. Cooley accepted achievments at the position because AHS. it was “financially “I learned a a better situation” and closer to his Brandon Cooley has served as an Assis- lot, both good and bad,” said Cooley. family, which hails tant Principal at AHS for seven years.

“I’ve seen things from New York but is currently living in Pennsylvania. that work and some things that don’t Cooley also added that the cost of living work. I have learned a lot of things from in Bensalem is much lower than that of different principals.”

Cooley said that his biggest chalNorthern Virginia.

Cooley will be leaving in early Feb- lenge in AHS was when “students that ruary, “They didn’t give me the option I’ve worked with didn’t take advantage of leaving at the end of the year,” said of certain opportunities.

Cooley. “They wanted me to learn their “AP” continued on page 5 system before starting a new school year.”

BY MOHAMAD ELBARASSE Co-Editor in Chief

MOHOMAD ELBARASSE

What issue is most important to you when considering which candidate to vote for?

A 20-year-old AHS student was sexually assaulted yesterday at approximately 6:30 a.m. while walking on the 3700 block of Hummer Road, near Pleasant Way, while approaching her bus stop. The girl was abducted and sexually assaulted by an unknown man described as wearing all black clothing with gloves and a mask. She was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with minor injuries.

Director of Student Services Steve Sengstack said in an email sent at 2:49 p.m. yesterday, “It is important that students and parents be vigilant and aware of the need to take precautions while on their way to and from school.

“Students should go directly to their bus stops and stay with the other student there. Students who walk to school should consider walking in pairs, especially in the morning before sunrise.”

A police report was issued to AHS staff at 3:09 p.m. yesterday, shedding light on the details of the occurence.

Freshman Joshua Sarker, who rides the same bus as the girl who was sexually assaulted and picked up near the same bus stop, said, “I sometimes walk home, but now I’m going to take the late bus instead of walking. I was surprised and scared when I first heard, it is horrible that something like that would happen.”

Freshman Nadia Alchaar, who also rides the bus and is picked up in the same area said, “I don’t feel safe now about walking in that area.

“DESSERTS” continued on page 5

Society of Women Engineers open house The Society of Women Engineers at the University of Virginia will host a high school visitation weekened on February 23-24 as part of the Engineering Open House. There is a cost of $45 to attend to cover fees, meals, and other accomodations.

Also young women who would like to attend must apply, and applications are due on Thursday, Jan. 31. Students will be notified of acceptance by Thursday, Feb. 7.

Applications are available online at http://scs.student.virginia.edu/ ~uvaswe/ or in the Career Center.

Student assaulted walking to bus stop

Putting IB science to the test Group 4 students take on pressure to make discoveries

BY PAUL MATHIS Co-Editor in Chief As the school year nearly hits dead center, IB students everywhere are reeling under the pressure and confusion of in-depth investigations in each of their subjects. In IB math, the dreaded portfolio awaits; in IB history, the Historical Investigation takes top priority.

Senior Spencer Leslie loads up a rifle used for In IB science classes, the proverbial experimentation in his Group 4 project. kiss of death is the Group 4 project, an interdisciplinary, student-led investigation on the Annandale community,” said Neil of scientific phenomena either through the Jarvis, IB Environmental Systems and IB data collection of students themselves or the Design Technology teacher. “Before, kids data collection of an outside source, on which were picking topics that dealt with research that affected Thailand or Cambodia. We analysis is done.

However, at AHS, science teachers really wanted the students to work on the have molded the Group 4 project into being AHS community because it would be more something more than just another hurdle in interesting for them.”

Group 4 is very malleable in terms of the IB spectrum. The investigation is a wellcoordinated, monitored and structured study what schools can make of it. In the past, at of scientific problems within the Annandale AHS, Group 4 has ranged from being an incommunity itself, turning the run of the mill school field trip to a presentation on which science fair task into a blanket analysis of the the student decides his topic and his group scientific state of the environment of the high members. school the students study within.

“GROUP 4” continued on page 5 “We really wanted students to work

KYLE WHITE

VOLUME #54 ISSUE 7

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL

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EDITORIALS

Transgender article hits a high note I am writing this to tell you and Shriya Adkahiry and Galiha Gani that the article and accompaning scientific information about Transgender was one of the most intelligent and fact based articles I have seen on this subject. The fact that it was done by high school students is even more impressive.

As the sponsor of GSA, and a life long believer in respect for all people irrespective of race, religion, age, culture, sexual identity, etc.- the need for the words to be said, and the general public’s awareness raised is still valid. It has changed dramatically since I was in high school 50 years ago! But people still hang on to old myths, and cultral/religious superstitions. Your courage in tackling a subject like this, and Michelle’s courage in speaking out to help dispell preconceived ideas is awesome. You have my utmost respect.

I thank you on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves...the students who are not allowed to speak up and be who they are because they are scared of the social implications and possible family rejection and reprisals.

This newspaper has never ceased to amaze and delight me with it’s professionalism and high standardscongratulations to the whole staff for a real important gift in any season...the truth!

“Hate is a learned behavior...”

-Linda-Lee Slesinger, MA Special Education Teacher GSA Sponsor

Kat’s Corner Woman kills four children in South East D.C. Almost seven years ago we heard the story of Andrea Yates, the mother of five who killed all of her children after being convinced that they were possessed by demonic forces. Once again, we’ve found ourselves reading yet another story about a mother gone mad, this time in the District.

Banita Jacks was charged with three counts of felony murder and one count of first degree murder in the deaths of her four children whose remains were found on January 9th after officers arrived at her home to serve her with an eviction notice.

Like Yates, Jacks also claims that her children were possessed by demons. Police are now saying that the children could have been killed as early as May. The real question is how four children could have been missing for as long as seven months before somebody noticed that something was wrong, and nobody did; they were found because of an eviction notice.

Mayor Fenty announced that atleast 6 people would lose their jobs for their inability to respond. In a news conference on January 14th, Fenty played recordings of concerned teachers and social workers that called a local hotline urging there to be some sort of action. The calls expressed concern about abuse, drugs and homelessness, but the investigation stopped after the callers were unable to provide an address. Fenty says the calls came in around April, a month before examiners believe the girls were killed.

How long would those bodies have been decomposing in that house had there not been an eviction notice?

This case should definitely spark reform in not only the D.C. school system (which was ranked last among all states in the Quality Counts report published January 9th), but also in the Department of Social Services. I definitely credit Mayor Fenty with his quick action in removing the people who indirectly let these girls die.

The bottom line is that this case is the perfect example of the messy results of careless employees. If they had continued with their investigation, there is a chance these girls wouldn’t be skeletons right now.

Jan. 15, 2008

Student apologizes for plagiarism

BY AMINA MOHAMED Former Editorials Editor

Letters to the editor

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In this letter, I sincerely apologize for my actions in the A-Blast regarding the theft of articles from Ahram newspaper and fabrication of letters. In my actions I have betrayed the trust of my teachers, colleagues and family.

Yet, in the moments when I contemplated the results of my actions, I never once thought I would cause harm to my teachers and colleagues. I suspected all the impairment would fall upon me. There is no meaningful explanation to my dreadful actions. There is no excuse for the disgraceful actions I have committed.

Presently, now that I am attempting to recover from the disease I have brought forth upon myself, I would do anything possible to alleviate the injury I have caused. There truly will be no greater excruciating lesson in my life than the one I have learned by committing this act.

This incident will guard me from conducting anymore disgraceful actions throughout my life. I have truly learned a valuable lesson from this unpleasant experience.

Nonetheless, while I am truly sorry, the destruction caused by my actions, has already occurred and regrettably, there is nothing I can do to ameliorate it.

Yet, I offer my most sincere apologies from the inner depths of my heart to all those who I have harmed.

I have affected in particular my colleagues at [the A-Blast.] I apologize that I have caused them frustra-

tion, anger, disappointment, and more importantly shame. Yet, while I offer my apologies, I understand that it is presently futile in comparison to the heavy burden of my actions.

While in the past, I have been able to conquer and overcome my failings, I have been confronted with an enemy I cannot surmount or even attempt to combat. It is the foe of shame and disgrace; a foe which brought me tremendous harm. However, with this harm I have been taught a valuable life-changing lesson which will haunt me for the rest of my life.

I agonizingly declare that there are no excuses to my dreadful actions, for I have brought shame upon myself.

Yet, sadly, I have brought shame upon this magnificent newspaper and the truly brilliant people who work on it. I am truly shameful and inglorious.

Former Prime Minister assassinated

the religious extremists but a different set of equally intolerant forces who took her life.

Therefore, al-Qaeda is just a name which can be used to mean everything or nothing. It will now be difficult to find out who exactly killed Benazir - especially when the government made sure they washed away all evidence in the twelve hours following the murder.

Musharraf, with whom Bhutto tried futilely over the past three months to forge together a power-sharing arrangement, must immediately call for an independent international investigation into her assassination, led by FBI officials, to prove the extent of complicity from Pakistan’s police and intelligence services in her death.

This is the most critical decision he can make as a gesture of national reconciliation with bereaved Pakistan Peoples Party workers to avoid the appearance of conflict with his ongoing service as president, and to prevent Pakistan’s descent into civil war or an internally led millitary coup.

The Pakistan People’s Party should select a new candidate such as Aitzaz Ahsan and start campaigning as soon as the mourning period for Benazir is over.

The Election Commission should allow Nawaz Sharif, as bad a choice for Pakistan as he would be, to run in the election so the democratic activism can take hold once again.

But this is not just an individual’s death; it is also the killing of the only national party in the country.

The fact that Benazir had held the Pakistan People’s Party together also means that the party - in a condition representative of Pakistan as a whole - suffered from over-centralization and over-personalization. This combination of institutional and political failure underlines how important it is that politicians and civil society in Pakistan now carefully consider their options.

The military and its cronies will have to be forced to withdraw before democracy takes root in the country.

As long as they refuse, the path of Pakistani politics will remain extremely bloody.

The recent assassination of Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has sparked uproar in Pakistan

BY SARAH SHAMI Staff Writer

Flaming automobile shells and crumbling remains of buildings alongside roads covered with shattered glass and half-burnt political banners, both men and women crying over the future of their young country; this is the scene I have grown all too accustomed to seeing on blaring television sets. The nation of Pakistan is in total disarray following the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

During her two terms in office as prime minister, Bhutto earned a reputation among many as an arrogant, and corrupt politician, bringing Pakistan to the brink of financial ruin on more than one occasion.

And now it seems her third and final term has left the country in a complete frenzy with no end in sight with the most common scenarios being Civil war or another military coup.

In fact for many urban and educated Pakistanis, Benazir Bhutto’s political career was finished in 1996 when for a second time a government that she led was overthrown, though the grounds of her corruption were never thoroughly proved. Moreover, the political deal she had struck with Musharraf meant that cases against her in the Swiss, Spanish and British courts were in the process of being withdrawn.

Some approved of Bhutto’s political move. Arguing that since the military in Pakistan cannot be simply be wished away, political forces have to negotiate their way to power with the defense forces and then try to change the system from within. This was termed the country’s “transition to democracy.”

However such a transition is not possible without some basic changes in Pakistan’s government such as

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on Dec. 27th during a rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

the military’s withdrawal from politics. The country can’t become a true democracy unless a balance is established among the various institutions of government.

Sadly, Benazir Bhutto’s tragic death proves that no transition to democracy is possible without some fundamental changes in the political system. The negative forces are too strong to allow any political player to establish him or herself.

The day after the assassination an accompanying suicide-bombing took around sixteen more lives, and has been followed by even more violence across the country leading to 58 deaths. But a clear political judgment can already be made: that in the end, it was not necessarily

Rules of Thumb Kaine looking to toughen up on sex crimes Governor Kaine announced on Jan. 1 that he will encourage the General Assembly to spend an additional $450,000 a year on state crisis centers. Kaine also said that he will try to change the system so that victims of sexual offenses will not have to take lie detector tests and instead can have their protective orders processed immediately. One in ten adults report being victims of sexual violence.

Rule: carry pepper spray

Bubble Wrap workers complain about popping Workers at a Bubble Wrap packaging company have started complaining about the “pop pop” noises coming from a police shooting range located right near the factory. Sealed Air, which makes the infamous Bubble Wrap packing, has asked that the Mayor adjust the police shooting schedules, but seeing as how the range has been there for over 55 years, the probability of that actually happening is slim.

Rule: wear wax earplugs

Woman killed after sending text while snowboarding The body of 35 year-old Monica Davis was found at the bottom of a rocky pit in the German Alps on New Year’s Day after she fell over 500 ft to her death. Police say she sent a text message on her cell phone to her friend right before her plunge.

Rule: keep phone at home

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

Vol. 53 No. 7 (703)642-4229 January 15, 2008 email: thea-blast@thea-blast.org fax: (703)642-4299

Staff Editors In Chief: Mohamad Elbarasse Paul Mathis Managing Editor: Sarah Waiter News Editors: Kelly McGarey Nathalie Spita Editorials Editors: Lara Coulter Kat Reach In-Depth Editors: Shriya Adhikary Aya Saed Sports Editors: Walter Smith Greg Young Sports Xtra Editors: Lyndsay Jacobs Marisa Tordella People Editors: Waliha Gani Weekend Editors: Claire Bui Caroline Merz International Editors:Bewketu Tamir Annika Jessen Entertainment Editors: Jeff Dean Avery Adcock Health Editors: Vanessa Cerro Rachael Burnett

Academics Editors: Logan Miller Amy Steinbeuchler Art Editors: Nena Buck Tigist Tamir Webmasters: Erik Vu Matt Camilli Graphics Editor: Adam Kasdorf Video Editor: Gus Nielsen Videographers/Editors: Michael Craig, Tim Reynolds, Kyle White and Evan McGurrin Photography Editors: Matt Johnson Laura Simpson Copy Editor: Kyle Knoche Ad Manager: Meredith Rutherford Circulation Manager: Amy Stevens Adviser: Alan Weintraut Online Staff: Stacey Irwin Staff Writers/Photographers: Laith Abu-Taleb, Laura Ambrosio, Emma Whitmyre, Jerry Solomon, Adeel Shams, Charlie Simpson, Tanya Bellingham, Omar Mayassi, Carlos Garcia, Sarah Shami, Brooke Barlow and Drew Flowers

The A-Blast is an award winning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community. Published every three weeks, The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day, or invades an individual’s right to privacy. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2008.

EDITORIALS Iowa wrongly chooses Huckabee Jan. 15, 2008

Voters fall for the presidential contender’s religious-ruled preachings and “cool” facade

BY LARA COULTER Editorials Editor The results of the Iowa caucuses held on Jan. 5 have revealed that Republican Iowa residents are considerably out of touch and out of their minds.

Reigning with 34% of the vote, the Iowa caucuses defined formerArkansas governor Mike Huckabee as the voters’ preferred choice for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election. Huckabee beat out Mitt Romney, who placed second with 25% of the vote, and Fred D. Thompson who lagged behind in third with 13.4%.

Strangely, in contrast to claims that Huckabee’s unfortunate victory in Iowa was a surprise, it could actually be easily foreseen.

In recent weeks, Huckabee’s popularity had been rising in the polls while other candidates simultaneously slowly began to decline.

His success in suckering gullible voters into believing him to be the relatable easy-going bassguitarist with an off-beat sense of humor gave him just the edge he needed to pull through Iowa victoriously and dominate the polls over more qualified and more serious Republican candidates such as Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.

Besides succeeding in creating the “cool” and humble image Huckabee aimed for, he is also attractive to religious conservatives for his strictly Christian mindset on issues. Yet consequently, for this reason Huckabee alienates all non-Christians and by keeping solely to what he believes is Christian and although claiming otherwise, also being intolerant of all views opposite to his.

Huckabee, a former pastor and president of the

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Arkansas Baptist State Convention, has obviously led a life dominated by Christian teachings, and it is no surprise that that same formula has been injected in his own views. Many other politicians admit that their religion often guides the way they perceive issues and how they conduct themselves in their personal lives.

Faith and religion are obviously very important to most people, including many politicians who credit their faith in aiding them in retaining their morals and personal-expectations.

However, Huckabee, unlike other politicians, seems unable to find any degree of separation between his faith and his policies. He lets religion dominate his perspective on all issues and mandate the way in which he sees all topics of controversy. His religion, in a sense, is his sole policy.

Huckabee admits so himself. He states on his campaign website, “My faith doesn’t influence my decisions, it drives them… I don’t separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.”

This blending together of religion and politics seems to contrast a little thing the Constitution calls “Separation of Church and State.” This states that no laws can be established which uphold the practices and beliefs of any religion, and its application towards Huckabee is not nearly as far-fetched as it may appear.

Huckabee has clearly affirmed his inclination to let Christianity “drive” his political choices and legislative decisions. And if his own decisions in his professional job as a politician are driven completely by religion, then isn’t this a complete counteraction of the principle of Separation of Church and State?

Of course, religion has guided many of our past leaders towards making monumental decisions.

However, unlike them, Huckabee is dominated rather than guided by his religion.

How can a leader who lets a religion completely dictate his own policies to such an extent possibly ever bring himself to be self-reliant enough to tolerate and consider the views of others?

Do we want a president who passes laws simply

Which presidential candidate do you prefer?

“Hillary Clinton, because I think she is most qualified to be president.”

—John Mark junior

Republican Mike Huckabee recently gained an unfortunate surpise victory in the Iowa caucuses held Jan. 5.

because something coincides with his religion? Do we want a president who is so controlled by Christian laws that he is incapable of creating legislation which compromises between the public’s wishes and his own opinions? Do we want another president whose own pig-headedness is enough to drive the entire nation into the ground? Or in other words, do we really need another George Bush?

For the entire nation’s sake, and even for the sake of those who were moronic enough to vote for him, let’s hope Huckabee never comes close to fulfilling his goal of creating a nation where the Bible is higher than the law and religion dominates common sense.

“There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967.” These words proclaimed by a hopeful President Bush echoed in the ears of every Palestinian on Jan. 9.

To the shock of every Zionist and supporter of Israeli expansion, the BushAdministration has radically shifted its position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, urging Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands.

This change, although shocking to all and unprecedented by any U.S. foreign policy, has been somewhat gradual. In 1989 former President Bush also urged Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.

Sadly, urging is the farthest Bush Sr. got.

In a speech made in 2002, Bush called for a “a viable, credible Palestinian state.” Bush now believes that Palestine should be independent and separated from all other nations including Israel.

President Bush has now backed a plan to compensate the refugees who were forcibly removed from their property in 1967. In addition to the compensation, Bush has also started using the word Palestine instead of Palestinian authority. This signifies a tremendous change in the views of the Bush administration in that they are recognizing Palestine as an independent entity, completely detached from Israel.

Such a move was completely unexpected because of the U.S.’ history of favoring and supporting Israel.

During his speech, Bush also made many more bold and progressive statements. In addition to ending the occupation and pushing for compensation, Bush reiterated that Israel must ensure “that the state of Palestine is viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent.”

Bush did not delve into the subject of Jerusalem, being careful not to anger any of the religious groups that covet the land. Both the Jews and the Muslims want

Mo’s

Mindset Opinion

BY JONAH WILLIAMS Staff Writer The term “doping” is no longer reserved for athletes and their steroids. Along side the jocks and champions injecting themselves with dangerious medications for a muscle boost are the straight-A students and overacheivers hoping for a mental jump by the same means.

A study conducted by the University of Leicester has clained that student usage of drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall are having a direct effect on the educational sucess of students globally. The study also speculated that the main cause for the misuse of these drugs are parents who misdiagnose their children with learning disabilities, specifically ADHD, and then buy the drugs online.

This is only one of several studies to have come to the conclusion that students are abusing drugs intended to treat ADHD. A similar University of Michigan study revealed that 8% of students had confessed to taking stimulants that were non-described in the hopes of increasing their mental capabilities.

Another study done by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence revealed shoking evidence that the number of prescriptions for Methylphenidate, a drug inteneded to lessen the effects of behavioural disabilities, had doubled in usage in just the time period of one year.

Academic doping has become increasingly prevalent in today’s competitive school system.

As opposed to the individuals who abuse these drugs

to get high by snorting them, academic doping is done to increase focus, concentration and mental stamina.

Misguided parents can be credited towards being the main cause of academic doping in schools. If their child’s grades begin to slip, parents, in their eagerness to assist, pursue the possibility that it is the fault of a medical condition such as ADHD and will put their child on medication in hopes that it will help them concentrate.

But the true blame for the over-spread of ADD and ADHD medications are the doctors who mis-diagnose their patients with these disorders. It seems nowadays that a student cannot simply lack focus or drive, but

—Devin Duenas senior “Barack Obama, because he has facts that back up the policies he wants to enforce. And unlike other candidates, rather than dwell on the past, he looks towards the future.”

President Bushʼs meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Ammas have radically changed his perspective on the land dispute between Israel and Palestine.

Bush’s main deviance from Clintons plan is on the subject of Jerusalem. Clinton said “Jerusalem should be an open an undivided city, with assured freedom of access and worship for all . . . what is Arab should be Palestinian... what is Jewish should be Israeli.”

Perhaps these statements made by the president will stick, after a long and arduous process maybe there will be peace, maybe. All the democratic hopefuls repeatedly talk about change, how about change that counts?

When children are raised without hope, when pessimism seems like the most appealing disposition, when a war has literally been raging for over half a century, that would be a time for change.

—Lauren Jimenez senior “John Edwards, because he seems like the most neutral of all the candidates.”

—George Odoi senior

Prank message reflects poor taste

mohamad.elbarasse@thea-blast.org

must have a learning disability. And unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth. These conditions in fact only really affect 5-7% of the American school-age population.

In this manner, students who did not require the drugs were using them, but rather than recieving treatment for a non-existent disorder, they were gaining an edge academically over other students.

Most students surely would take any chance they could to increase their potential intelligence to boost their grades. As only a high-school student could understand, the rapid incline in GPA standards and the growing comeptition pool has made the pressures of gaining entry into college more severe then they have ever been.

However, the negatives of academic doping severely overshadow the benefits. When the prescription drugs are used on individuals without ADHD, there have been reports of side effects such as difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, irritability, stomach aches, headaches, tremors and even mild hallucinations.

Using any medication, especially one that is unneccessary and non-prescribed, also carries the dangerous risk of evetual dependency and addiction.

This cycle has a very bleak outlook for the future.

As more students begin to use academic enhancement drugs, others will feel the need to do the same to level the playing field once again.

This cycle will continue and as technology becomes more advanced there is no end in sight for academic doping. This puts the people who do not wish to “dope up” at an increasing disadvantage, especially as new drugs become available.

Additional reporting by Lara Coulter

Students have been discovered using drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall to enhance their school performace.

“I’d choose Barack Obama. He seems more promising, and I think he has a better reputation than other candidates.”

“Barack Obama, because he represents change, which is just what our country needs. He has also remained truthful to the American public.”

High school students use pills to gain edge Medication intended for ADHD is now being used by students for an academic edge

—Eli Sloane junior

—Ngan Hoang senior

By Mohamad Elbarasse Jerusalem as their capital.

Now as a registered voter I must analyze these words and search to see if there is any substance to them.

How much weight do promises and proclamations from a lame duck carry? Am I supposed to believe that any progress made during Bush’s last year won’t be lost as soon as the next president who doesn’t want to carry the title of being an anti-Semite walks into office? How much of Bush’s trip to the Middle East is an attempt to build a legacy as he is on his way out?

As Bush concludes his eight-day tour around the Middle East, he has attempted to create bonds between warring peoples and further the U.S.’ influence in the most oil ridden countries.

How successful was he in his trip? Only time and a new president will tell.

It is not unusual for a president to try and create a lasting legacy before leaving office.Almost every president has attempted to set at least one thing right before their departure, but more notably former president Bill Clinton tried to plant seeds of peace in the Middle East between Palestinians and Israelis shortly before leaving office.

Bush is reenacting Clinton’s final actions before he left office almost step for step. During Clinton’s final year he set out on a peace initiative, which would prove fruitless.

Like many of the proclamations Bush has made, Clinton called for “a sovereign, viable Palestinian state.” Clinton also called for compensation for refugees paid for by the international community.

“Barack Obama, because he seems very popular and appeals to the interest of most people. I don’t think his inexperience will be a problem.”

lara.coulter@thea-blast.org

Bush dumps Israel to side with Palestine President George Bush shifts sides in the ongoing PalestineIsrael land-rights debate

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jonah.williams@thea-blast.org

It seems that some people lack a clear perception of the difference between what is defined as funny and what is blatantly offensive and rude.

Following my family vacation over winter break to Miami, Florida, to visit relatives, my family and I came home to discover a very unwanted Christmas present. Spanned across the red bricks of our entire front porch in pink chalk lay the words “Merry Christmas, Jew,” with the word “Jew” in large emphasis. What may seem as a harmless prank to most people was much more than that to me.

I felt complete embarrassment. Every person to stop by our house in the past week had seen the word “Jew” on our doorstep while my family remained blissfully unaware of the events occurring at our house. I am in no way ashamed of being Jewish, but I think it’s understandable that I do not want it plastered across my front porch.

Immediately following were feelings of anger towards the person who had such a capacity for cruelty that they thought anonymously writing “Jew” on my doorstep would be funny.

I apologize if one might think that I lack a sense of humor, but in no situation do I find writing “Jew” on someone’s doorstep humorous.

Just as writing a racial label on the house of a black family or hateful sexual terms in front of the yard of a homosexual couple’s yard is obviously wrong, labeling any person in front of their home shows one as having a sick and distorted sense of humor. Home is one’s haven, and no one person should be faced with hurtful messages on their home as I was.

So I’m speaking out. It was not okay that someone wrote “Jew” on my doorstep, and it is not okay that the person responsible thought it acceptable to write on my parent’s home. I believe that my family and I deserve an apology.

Much like the perpetrator’s childish choice of writing their message in pink chalk, their choice in actions also showed immaturity as well as a strong lack of sensitivity.And really, if one chooses to do something anonymously, then they obviously were aware that their actions would bear negative consequences.

- Lara Coulter Editorials Editor

NEWS

Black history bowl interest meetings to be held

There will be interests meetings to form teams for the annual Black History Bowl on Monday, Jan. 14 and Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 2:15 p.m. in Room 266. Team members are still needed for all classes. A cash prize will be awarded to the class that wins the Bowl.

Last year’s event was won by the Class of 2010. Early sign ups are encouraged.

Boys tennis interest meeting to be held

Aboys tennis interest meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16 in Room 279. Please be there by 2: 15 p.m. Attendance is mandatory for all boys wishing to play tennis in the spring.

Deadline for payment of senior dues approaches

All Senior Dues must be payed by Thursday, Jan. 24. Please see Ms. Vining in Room 249 as soon as possible with any questions. Students on the payment plan need to submit their second installment by Jan. 24. If dues are not paid by this date, your name will be placed on a waiting list and you will not be guaranteed a spot in the graduation ceremony.

“Itʼs Academic” team set to compete on televised show

EMMA WHITMYRE

The AHS “It’s Academic” team will tape a televised segment on Saturday, Feb. 2 for Channel 4. The episode will be aired on Saturday, April 5.

Team members are working very hard to prepare for this anticipated event. During weekly Friday practices with sponser Meghan Saladino, the participants review packets of trivia questions, and try to memorize as many as possible.

However, memorizing is not key for Sophomore Thao Nguyan this activity, answers a trivia question. due to the wide range of topics that will be covered.

“It’s really just trivial stuff. You can’t really study for it,” says sophomore Thao Nguyan.

Despite the inpratictility of the topics and the intense competition, team members still manage to have a good time.

Junior Eli Sloan expressed his happiness with the program, saying, “I think it’s alot of fun. I know alot of weird facts.”

—Emma Whitmyre Staff Writer

These questions were used in a recent “It’s Academic” practice meeting. Test yourself to see how many you can answer.

1) Who was the 19th century German social philosopher who was one of the founders of modern socialism and communism?

2) What is the monetary value of all of the country’s goods and services produced within a period of a year?

3) What is the front part of the body that contains the stomach, intestines, digestive organs, and some reproductive organs?

4) What is the largest living land bird?

5) How many different ways can 7 cars finish a race in first, second, and third place?

BY SARAH SHAMI Staff Writer As the lights dimmed, AHS students anticipated yet another informative International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, an event which has been an annual occurence for the five yaers that the school has offered the IB program.

Invitations were extended to all IB diploma and certificate candiates to attend the ceremony held on January 3 in the lecture hall. Among the many distinguished guests attending the program was Dr. Cecelia Krill, a cluster three superintendent.

The program was seperated into two segments. The first was a question and answer session during which students in the process of earning IB diplomas had the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to the program to past graduates. The second part was the actual distribution of the IB diplomas, which took so long to process because the IB grades had to come back before the diplomas could be awarded.

The majority of speakers on the panel were graduates from the class of 2007; however one participant was brought back from 2006 to provide a more experienced persspective. In order to earn an IB diploma, each student had to complete six subjects, a minimum of three had to be Higher Level courses, write a 4,000 word extended essay, participate in the Theory of Knowledge class and satisfy the requirement of at least fifty hours in each area of CAS (Creative, Action, Service).

The participants in the panel included Michelle Tran andAmanda Nguyen who attend the University of Virginia and Brendan Fields and Dana Hardbower who each attend The College of William and Mary.

The majority of questions had to do with how the students dealt with time restraints and managed to complete

REBECCA CLAYTON

The PTSA will be sponsoring a Sophomore Parent and Student Night on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Clausen Hall.

Randy Doss, Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Life at Guilford College, will be presenting an informational presentation. The program will feature material about fouryear college admissions, as well as involve role-playing as admission officials who must choose students from mutiple authentic application packets.

IB Diploma recipients (from left) Brandon Fields, Dana Hardbower, Michelle Tran, and Amanda Nguyen answer questions about the International Bacchalaureate program. Harbower was selected as the closing speaker because of her high GPA.

all of the necessary requirements to earn the diploma while still maintaining a healthy social life.

“The IB program helped me with balancing time and the college workload,” said Tran.

Some current students questioned the importance of some necessary components of the IB diploma. “Theory of Knowledge is what you make of it. It is basically a different way of learning something and seeeing how you learn it,” said Tran. However, there were other graduates who disagreed. “Personally, I thought I knew myself well enough to decide who I was and how I learned things,” said Hardbower.

Another popular topic was the extended essay. Many current students were wondering what sort of things they would be required to write about.

“You have to pick something that you love to write about,” said Tran.

The program ended with a speech given by Dana Hardbower, last years IB diploma recipient with the highest grade point average. During her speech, Hardbower briefly touched on what IB truly meant to her and the perspective and moral obligation she gained through the process of earning her IB diploma.

Governor’s school IB Model UN AHS student applicants await news from the prestigious summer program

BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer

Club members participate in annual event held exclusively for county schools high school MUN clubs. They supplied their groups with debating topics such as the status of slum dwellers and eliminating The tension was palpable as students, the gender disparity in primary and secondteachers, principals, mentors, and parents ary education. These topics were carefully alike filled the auditorium of Gar-Field discussed and debated during the two day Senior High School. After a brief presenta- conference.

SeveralAHS students were in attion about diplomatic relations and closing the communications gaps between nations tendence and offered their opinion on the given by Lieutenant Colonel James Collins, event. Junior Spencer Smith was placed on the OAS the anticicommittee, pated event which was for began. With IB Spanish the bang of students. a ceremonial “It was just gavel and like Spanish warm wishes class, accept from Brian that it lasted Gomez, forever and Secretary people spoke General of much more the event, the clearly,” he third annual Model UN members, assigned to the World Health Orgasaid.

International nization Commitee discuss pharmaceutical patent rights.

SophoBaccalauremore Anthony ate MidAtlantic Sub-Regional Coalition Model Slimp, who served on the United Nations United Nations (IB MARC MUN) confer- Environmental Programme committee also offered his opinion saying, “It was not ence began.

Soon after, the delegates from sixteen as good this year. I didn’t have a partner and different IB schools dispersed to go to their the topics weren’t as interesting.”

The weekend ended with little sucess. individual committees. These commitees, ranging from the GeneralAssembly Social, Unlike last year, the commitee failed to Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee secure a single commitee win. However, for novices to the Historical NATO Crisis many members are looking forward to next commitee for experts, were officiated by col- year, and hope to win a prized gavel. lege students who had competed in their

BY KELLY MCGAREY News Editor

Three months ago AHS students began preparing resumes for the Virginia IB governor’s school, one of the most prestigious supplemental schools in the state.

Because of the quality and eminence of the school, being accepted is extremely difficult.

The school is only able to accept several hundred students before reaching its required limit.

Only 130 students from across the state will be accepted in the area of humanities, while even fewer can be accepted in other subjects such as the 30person limit for math, science, and technology.

Students from AHS are required to compete with other students across the state through the submission of carefully prepared resumes in order to gain admission into this prestigious school.

These resumes include recommendations, special honors, qualifications, and perhaps most importantly, an original essay written by the student. However, this Junior applicant Claire Garney prepares lengthy essay was considher resume for Governorʼs School. erably easier than what was initially anticipated, according to various stuTakele. dent writers.

The program also gives students the “It wasn’t too hard, but I just didn’t opportunity to experience college life. know what to write about because the “It [the IB Governor’s school] is held at subjects were kind of broad,” says junior Virginia Tech and I really wanted to see Claire Garney, an applicant for a humani- what college life was like,” explains junior ties position at the school. applicant Kim Duong.

Junior Imran Macmillan, another apThe governor’s school is held on various plicant, agrees, “The essay I did was on a college campuses across Virginia includfamous quote and whether I agreed with ing Lynchburg, Virginia Commonwealth it or not. It wasn’t that hard, but it took University and Virginia Tech. Students about a week to finish.” spend the month of July living in dorms In addition to the essay, awards or and are responsible for getting to various scholarships received by the student classes throughout the day on time, just could be added to the resume. “I had done like other college students. research in botany before for the science Currently, AHS students are anxious fair and placed for it, so I put that down,” to see whether or not they will be accepted. says Takele. She is also involved with Applications have made it past the local several honor societies including science level that includes Annandale and much and business, which could also be placed of northern Virginia, and are now being on the school application. reviewed at the state level.

This tedious process could ultimately “Right now I am in the process of result in acceptance to a one month state- adding up scores from every school so funded school program during this coming they can be sent on to the state,” explains summer. Accepted students will be given coordinator and guidance counselor Jenan in depth education on a topic of their nifer Ferrara. interest ranging from sciences, to humaniUnfortunately, not all applicants will ties, to technology. be accepted. Already, some have been In addition to this, participation in this denied entry to the summer program. program can be placed on college resumes Sophomore Michelle Kinzer was by the students in the future, adding to offered a position in agriculture at the the chances of being accepted by them. school but was denied a spot in her subject Furthermore, an added bonus for the of interest, humanities, in order to leave students is that the program has been room for junior applicants. “All that work described as fun. to apply but it went to juniors,” she stated “My friend had told me about her with disappointment. However, “the good experience [at IB Governor’s school] news is I can use the same essay next and it sounded really exciting,” describes year,” she said.

B-ball heads South Varsity Boy’s Basketball team moving on after 1-2 record in Deep South Classic

BY NATHALIE SPITA

News Editor While everyone was enjoying their winter break, the AHS Varsity Boys Basketball team was breaking a sweat in their annual tournament, The Deep South Classic in Atlanta, Georgia.

The team traveled by bus down toAtlanta on Dec. 26, and stayed until Dec. 28. The Atoms first faced Brookwood High School from Atlanta who hosted the tournament.

“The host team tries to pair themselves with a team that they know they can beat,” said senior Eric Etherly. “You know when you play the host team they think that they are going to win so you have to prove them wrong, so we did.”

The Atoms won 80 to 74. In their next game they played Dacula High School from Atlanta, to whom they lost 44 to 64. The last game of the tournament was played against Etowah High School from Georgia. The Atoms lost 68-76, finishing the tournament with a record of 1-2.

“They were all tired and conditioning came into play the last game,” said Head Coach Anthony Harper. Though theAtoms

didn’t excel in the tournament, the team members still felt confident. “I think we did a good job and we did a lot of team bonding,” said Etherly who feels the team has grown stronger because of the tournament.

“Overall I think we let the refs get underneath our skin a little,” said Etherly. “The refs tried to make it as hard as possible to win games.”

Despite losing two games, Harper feels it was a good experience for his team. “It was a good tournament, it gave the boys a different style of play,” said Harper.

GREG YOUNG

PTSA to welcome sophomore parents

Five Class of ‘07 graduates honored in ceremony and receive IB diplomas

KELLY MCGAREY

NEWS BRIEFS

Jan. 15, 2008

IB graduates recognized

CHARLIE SIMPSON

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Members of the boyʼs Varsity Basketball team practice before a recent game.

1) Karl Marx, 2) Gross Domestic Product, 3) abdomen, 4) ostrich, 5) 13

Answers:

NEWS

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Jan. 15, 2008

Singers deliver delectable performance “Broadway Desserts” from page 1.

Though there was a shorter amount of time to prepare for the show, the Choral Department still had been more prepared and highly delivered in the performances. “Everyone worked really hard considering we only had less than 10 days to put the show together,” said junior Glenda Ngo. Due to the high number of cuts that had to be made, many students were faced with the fact that their parts were left unchosen.

Sophomore Julie Jurenas first auditioned for “Taylor, the Latte Boy,” but lost the song to Anna Marcois, a senior.

“Caroline Dunlevy tried out for a solo, but she did a group number instead,” said junior Tess Carter.

“The whole experience for everybody is really fun and great,” said Ngo. “This year we had a lot more emphasis on everybody’s individual songs and their acting which I thought made the show better and we got even more compliments, it was a magical experience.”

“I thought it was better than past years because it was shorter and the songs were more fun. I am greatly looking forward to next year’s,” said junior Hanna Navarette.

Dixon expressed deep appreciation for the amount of help she received for Broadway Desserts. “I would like to thank all my assistant directors, Stephanie Glotfelty, Lindsey Mitchell, and student directorAlaina Talley. It is a great team effort and I just had great support of everyone,” said Dixon. “I tried to put together a

program that has variety, that has some balance, some up tempo numbers, group numbers, some solos, that include students from freshmen through seniors so that it is entertaining show and it is representative of the choral department.”

Editor plagiarizes over 20 editorials

NEWS BRIEFS MARC Model UN winners announced Winners from the OAS committee at the MARC Model UN conference the weekend of Jan 12.

1st place delegation- Honduras (Yanize Justiniano and Jacqueline Argueta) 2nd place delegation- Nicaragua (Luis Inarra and Carla Carranza) Honorable Mentions- El Savador (Emily and Parker Koppleman) and Guatamala (Flavio Almurrio-Moya

Renowned newspaper disgraced

LINDA NGUYEN

BY KYLE KNOCHE Copy Editor

Junior Jane Rabinovitz and Senior Alaina Talley who is also this yearʼs Student Director of Broadway Desserts perform Make Your Own Party.

Sexual assult occurs in Annandale community “Sexual assult” continued from page 1.

I was really surprised by the issue, it is pretty shocking. Usually these kinds of things don’t happen in our neighborhood.”

The assault follows a series of sexual assault cases that have occured throughout the Fairfax County and Arlington County areas. Most recently, a 57-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the Falls Church area on Jan. 8.

However, Fairfax County police, have not made any connections between this incident and the others, according to NBC 4 News.

Annual Science Fair approches

Junior Co-Editorials Editor Amina Mohamed was recently found to have plagiarized at least 22 letters to the editor and editorials over the past 18 months, predominantly from The Los Angeles Times and Al-Ahram, an Egyptian newspaper. Mohamed declined to comment, but she did write an apology, printed on page 2.

Senior Lara Coulter, Mohamed’s co-editor, first uncovered the fraud when she Google-searched a sentence from one of Mohamed’s stories.

“I kind of knew what was going to happen before I did it, but I was still shocked. I didn’t really believe what I was seeing,” said Coulter. Upon realizing that the story, as well as its headline, had been copied verbatim from the site of Al-Ahram, she reported it to the Co-Editor in Chief of the paper, senior Paul Mathis.

Over the course of the next few days, Mathis and the other Co-Editor and Chief, senior Mohamad El Barasse, set out to find how many of Mohamed’s articles had been plagiarized.

“We went through everything she ever wrote for the paper. We went through the backlogs of stuff that’s not even online, laid out everything and searched,” said Mathis. “It was clear that all she had done was copied and pasted from the Internet.”

Ultimately, it was determined that of the 24 articles published in Mohamed’s name, only two potentially were written by Mohamed. Mohamed was removed from the staff and her position was filled by senior Kat Reach.

“Nothing like this has ever happened here,” said Alan Weintraut, the teacher “Review classes are an excellent way for students to adviser of The A-Blast.

“This is the single worst pass their retakes. thing that has happened with the paper in the 14 —PaulLitwinetz years I’ve been here.”

AHS Assessment/Test Coordinator “Amina is not the kind of student to do this because of a lack of intelligence. She’s too smart for this, and that is one of the reasons why this deception was able to go on for so long,” said Weintraut.

As a consequence, The A-Blast will have to return multiple awards such as the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association Third Place Best in Show earned in Philadelphia last fall, the VHSL first place award from last year and the nomination as Columbia Scholastic Press Crown Finalist for 2008, commending the paper as one of the 30 best in the nation.

“The A-Blast has such a strong tradition of being one of best newspapers in the country. It’s one of the premier activities that AHS has that puts the school’s name on the map,” said Mathis. “This is as if we were state football champions and realized half the team was on steroids – but this is not a local, regional, or even statewide thing, it goes beyond that: I don’t think people recognize the national prominence of The A-Blast.”

Another aspect that this issue may affect is college admissions for those on staff.

“Seniors on staff are applying to colleges across the country and there is no doubt that they were using The A-Blast as a major high school achievement. This is devastating to our reputations and hurts our college aspirations,” said Mathis.

“It’s disappointing to the whole staff because of how hard we worked. It’s unfair how one person’s actions will affect all of us and our work will have been partially in vain,” said El Barasse, Co-Editor in Chief of The A-Blast.

“Not only did she lie to us, but she stole someone else’s hard work.”

“The whole situation is sad: for Amina, for the staff of the paper, for the school. This is a stain on our reputation,” said Weintraut. “It makes us all a little more sharp, more self-aware, and encourages us to make sure we all look out for each other so that this won’t happen again.”

Annandale High School annual Science Fair will be held on Friday, Febrary 1 in the cafeteria from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

STAND for Conscience to hold meeting

Make 2008 the final year for genocide in Dafur and Sudan. Join STAND for Conscience which will meet on Wednesday Jan. 16 at 2:10 in room 269B.

Green Atoms make difference

The Green Atoms have taken on several projects to make the school more eco-friendly. The Enviromental Club has applied for a grant to recycle alumminum and plastic and its goal is to get this started throughout the whole school. On Jan. 23 the Green Atoms will be cleaning the neighborhood church and its surronding grounds after school.

They have also been currently holding other important projects including asking teachers to volunteer their classes on the first flex of every week to collect recyling bins. The Green Atoms recently planted trees and other greenary throughout AHS’ grounds and is in the process of planning different projects and events for Earth Day which will be taking place in April. If interested in taking part in any of the projects and events come become a Green Atoms and joing the Enviromental Club which meets the first and third Wednesdays of each month immediately after school in room 216. For more information see Joelle Rudney or via email at Joelle.Rudney@fcps.edu.

“

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The sexual assult occured Monday, Jan 14 while an AHS student was walking to her bus stop.

MOHAMAD ELBARASSE

Assistant Principal to resign to pursue career opp.

Assistant Principal Brandon Cooley will resign in early Febraury to become a principal in Bensalem

“AP” from page 1 People after seven years, are just like family.”

“The students at AHS give the school a real world feel because of the cultures and challenges that each student brings,” said Cooley, “leaving the relationships I’ve forged with students and staff will be the biggest challenge.”

Cooley has been at AHS for 7 years in the

same position. “This is the longest I have sat still in one area,” said Cooley.

Cooley is known for his close relationships with students and constantly cheerleading the New York Yankees during all lunches.

Cooley’s duties atAHS included supervising lunches and bus departures, assisting teachers within his assigned department and assisting the principal.

For your planner!

TODAY

• SOL retakes in Cafeteria/Clausen Hall • FCA weekly huddles in Band Room (6:50 a.m.)

• Robin Hood Rehersal in Auditorium (2 to 5 p.m.)

• Musical Auditions in Black Box Theatre (2 to 5 p.m.)

• PTSA meeting in Clausen Hall (2 to 5 p.m.)

Wednesday

• SOL retakes in Cafeteria/Clausen Hall

• Robin Hood Rehersal in Au ditorium (2 to 5 p.m.)

• Musical Audit ions in Black Bo x Theatre (2 to 5 p.m.)

• Heritage Nig ht Auditions in Room 213 (2 to 5 p.m.)

• NFICEP Traiin ing in Library (5 to 10 p.m.)

Th

Sciences students apply skills to real world This year, the theme of all group 4 projects is waste and waste management. From this general area, many students have developed interesting topic ideas.

“Our group had to pick a topic that worked for all of the fields – we needed a suitable subject,” said Colin McGuire, 12, an IB Physics student who is studying nuclear waste management for his group 4 project. McGuire, after data collection is completed, will focus on the breakdown of nuclear waste in the environment, and what, physically, nuclear waste is. “I’ll leave it up to the environmental systems students to figure out what will happen with nuclear waste in the environment,” he said.

One of the wonders of the group 4 projects is its ability to congregate students specializing in different areas of science in order to develop a multifaceted analysis of any given situation. Science teachers this year ensured that such collaboration took place on a latitudinal level, assigning groups rather than allowing students to pick their own. The feedback to this added operation has been mixed. Groups seem to be more balanced, but as Jarvis explained, there are now new forms of “infighting.”

“The success of IB’s goals in each of these projects depends on the students involved,“ said Miller. “Some people have really taken advantage of it, but some students do not take it seriously at all.”

Kyle White, 12, an IB Physics student who is orchestrating with his group the innovative project of investigating copper and lead waste from gun bullets and shells in outdoor shooting ranges, voiced complaints about group member assignments and the lack of some students to take their projects seriously.

ursday

• Sophomore Parentʼs Night in Cafeteria (7:30 p.m.)

• Robin Hood Rehersal in Au ditorium (2 to 5 p.m.)

“The partners are assigned which is a sad factor in the process of putting together the project,” White said. “I know a lot of students who are really pscyhed about their group 4 projects paired with other students that don’t really want to work or just don’t care about their group 4 subjects.”

For those that are ready, as long as they have a path, Group 4 seems to be worthwhile. “I think that group 4 is worth the time if you collect the right kind of data, and know what you want to do,” said McGuire. “It really helps you apply what you’ve learned on a new level.”

re • Musical Auditions in Black Box Theat (2 to 5 p.m.)

Hall • SOL retakes in Caferteria/Clausen

Friday

• SOL retakes in Caferteria/Clausen

Mon. Jan. 21

Hall

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Student

Holiday)

Tues. Jan. 22

Hall • SOL retakes in Caferteria/Clausen • FCA weekly huddles in Band Room (6:50 a.m.)

• Robin Hood Rehersal in Auditorium (2 to 5 p.m.)

•Guidance Midd le School Visits (7:30 p.m.)

Wed. Jan. 23

KYLE WHITE

“Group 4” continued from page 1.

“IB is very, very open as to how you do the Group 4 project,” said Jarvis. “The only major thing that they are very strong about is that it has to be a collaborative endeavor.”

Throughout IB training, IB science teachers voiced that they had heard of schools carrying out the project in one overnight stay at school itself. Students all spend the night within their classroom walls, grinding away at making scientific discoveries together as one group and producing a certain result before 24 hours has elapsed.

“The main reason why we do not do it that was is that you can’t really do in-depth research during a 24-hour period,” said Jarvis. “Yes, it is one night, and yes it is easier, and we used to do a sort of hybrid version of this.”

Instead, AHS students are guided into devising a project of their own with four other group members, each, ideally, from a different IB science class. During the first quarter, a conference is held in which students are introduced to the year’s theme, and revealed to their assigned partners. The students then have to develop a topic that their group will study, and begin devising a project plan.

“It’s meant to be an interdisciplinary project that allows students to do individual research on which students take the initiative,” said Richard Miller, IB Environmental Systems teacher. “It can be experimental, or it can be using the data of someone else and completing an individual analysis. We came down to assigning a central theme to avoid a lot of the confusion.”

5

Senior Spencer Leslieʼs father shoots the gun at a shooting range. The group which consists of Senior Matt Camilli and Kyle White are measuring the waste of copper and lead shells of the guns and the effects on the enviroment.

• SOL retakes in Ca •Robin Hood Re ferteria/Clausen Hall hersal in Audit orium (2 to 5 p.m.)

•Guidance Midd le School Visits • Varsity Math Meet in Cafeteri (7:30 p.m.) a (2 p.m.)

Thurs. Jan. 24

•Guidance Midd le • Second quate School Visits (7:30 p.m.) r en •8th Grade Paren ds ts Night in Audit orium/ Cafeteria (7:30 p.m.)

• SOL retakes in Caferteria/Cla usen Hall

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Living his passion Senior Erik Etherly expresses his dedication to basketball

BY WALIHA GANI People Ediotr

COURTESY OF ERIK ETHERLY

He is feeling jittery and the adrenaline rush and excitements are permeating through his mind. He surveys the crowd and prepares his mind and body one more time. Even with all the anxiety and butterflies dancing in his mind, he knows the ball, the court, this game—are all his.

Standing at 6’7, with long, slender fingers that seem to possess a natural proclivity to play, senior Erik Etherly is the quintessence of a passionate and overly ambitious 18 year-old teenager, who is on the road to make his goal of becoming a NBA [National Basketball Association] player come to life.

Like many athletes who naturally seem to be exceptionally talented at what they do, Etherly’s skills for basketball seem to have just evolved naturally ever since he was three.

“It was just natural ever since I started. I’ve been the leading scorer on almost every team I’ve been on. It just seemed I was made to play the game,” said Etherly.

He is from Michigan where he first began playing the sport that would guide the rest of his life. From the start, even his mother believed he was “just made to play the game.”

“I just always knew from the start that he’d make a great basketball player—he was always different from the other kids.

His hands and fingers were so big, he was always taller than the other kids—he just looked like a basketball player,” said Lynece Etherly.

Etherly describes his current life as nothing but basketball.

“I eat, sleep, drink—live basketball. When I’m taking a break, my attitude totally changes—I just don’t feel right when I’m not playing basketball,” said Etherly.

One of the greatest inspirations that drove Etherly to keep playing was his grandfather.

“My grandfather always believed in me. My goal is getting to the NBA because that’s what he always wanted of me—every game I play is dedicated to him. I’m doing it for myself, but for him Senior Erik Etherly has been playing basketball since the age of five. Basketball is the nucleus of Etherlyʼs life. “I sleep, drink, eat—live basketball,” said Etherly. He hopes to be in the NBA[National Basketball Association] after also because this what he always wanted,” said Etherly. college.

Though Etherly has only been injured twice—broken ankles upsetting, Etherly has created a belief that helps him move on. and wrist—he took these injuries as a way to motivate him fur“I’ve always had the philosophy even when you do bad,okay, shrug it off, it’s over. ther.

“I looked at it as motivation. I thought to myself, “They had to trip me because they It’s done. There is nothing you can do to change it, just work for the next game,” said had to find someone to stop me,” said Etherly. “That shows my passion because both Etherly.

Though Etherly prides himself on his overall performance, he strives to improve of those injuries, I was supposed to be out a lot longer, but my body would just tell me, every game.

‘There is no way you could stop playing basketball.’”

“I am always somewhat upset with myself because I always feel like I could have done As Etherly grew older, the nucleus of his life has became basketball, basketball and something better—even some of my best games, I always say to myself, “I could have more basketball. Nonetheless, Etherly holds no remorse.

“If you want to be good—you can do other things, but if you want to be great at done this better, this better—there is always something better,” said Etherly.

Etherly’s coach at AHS, Anthony Harper, notes that though Eric has the potential, something, you have to focus on just that one thing—pretty much go to school and play he can make improvements. basketball—focus on those two things and rest my body to play more basketball.”

“Eric has definately improved from his freshman year, but there are a lot areas where “Because I played for so long, all the teams already know who I am, there is no surprise. I’m always the first person to get pointed out, people are like, “watch him, watch he can improve at. I think if the right button is touched, he can step up and play harder,” said Harper. When asked about his other hobbies asides basketball, Etherly could not him…the pressure goes away—you get used to it.”

“Pressure is always there, but it’s in all in your mind. I always try to have a strong think of anything that he enjoys.

Laughing, he said, “I don’t do much besides basketball. It’s always something do with mental game because basketball is more mental than physical, so if you let stuff like pressure get to you, you’re not going to play—you’re almost trying to will every shot in basketball—practice or games.”

One of the down points about dedicating his entire life to basketball is that it interferes the basket, you end up doing too much,” said Etherly.

Asides from learning about time management skills to balance school and basket- with his relationships.

“I tell them beforehand how it’s going to be—that basketball is what I am. Then ball, Etherly learned that playing basketball has taught him mental and emotionall when they get mad because I’m strength. not spending enough time with “It teaches you to get over bethem, I have to be blunt, too,” ing tired because even when you’re said Etherly. tired, you still have to play, being Unlike mostAmerican teenagtired—it’s just not an excuse,” ers, Etherly prefers not to attend said Etherly. “It teaches you how parties. to control your emotions because “I live on basketball.I don’t too you’re never going to play a perfect much— I don’t go to many pargame—it’s just not possible—there ties. Even when I do have time, is always something you could I don’t have the energy—loud have done better. If you let small music, people—a lot of times I’m little things get to your head, then too mentally worn out.” you start to doubt yourself and His hard work and dedicathen you don’t play well.” tion have paid off two months Like many professions, Etherly ago when Etherly received a full says that showing emotions while scholarship to play basketball at playing basketball only leads to Northeastern College. weakness.

“The scholarship was offered “You have to be able to control to me back in the summertime— your emotions and you can’t show had about 15 schools offer me full your emotions either. If somebody basketball, but I narrowed it down sees that you’re mentally not Loyola in Maryland., Marist Colprepared because you’re angry or lege in New York and Northeastyou’re pouting because you missed ern College,” said Eterly. a basket, they’re just going to atWithout a doubt, Etherly tack you the whole time and get NATURAL continues, “I know if I work hard you more emotionally wrecked,” Left: Senior Erik Etherly began playing basketball at the age of five. “It just came to me—Iʼve always been enough, progress, I know I’ll make said Etherly. good at it.” Right: Etherlyʼs grandfather was an inspiring figure to Etherlyʼs passion. it to the NBA.” Though taking any loss is always

?

• I attended Princeton

music.

• In my spare time I like spending time with family and friends

• I have traveled to England, Italy, and the Caribbeans

• My motto is “Show up.”

• My favorite season is spring.

• I was born on May 23, 1941 in New York, New York.

• My favorite part about teaching is student discussions.

• My motto is “Be kind to everyone.

You never know what theyʼre going through.”

• My favorite season is spring.

• I was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

motives.

Compiled by Waliha Gani If you know the answer to “Who am , p g

“Shaq because he’s the coolest player ever and he’s 10 times bigger than anyone else.”

—Irving Henderson sophomore

“Gilbert Arenas because he is an inspiration to young people.”

—Robin Scot junior

“Gilbert Arenas because he’s a really good point guard.”

—Carrie Verga de Dios freshman

“[Tracy] McGrady because he’s the first person I saw a game of.”

—Kevin Won homore

“Garrett Hall is a beast and my personal hero.

He’s just golden in everything he does”

—Max Kirkman sophomore

Celebrity Birthdays for January 29 Oprah Winfrey, 1954

5 Robert Duvall, 1931 9 Richord Nixon, 1913 14 Benedict Arnold, 1741 14 Albert Schweitzer, 1875 15 Pierre S. DuPont, 1870 16 Aaliyah, 1979 18 Kevin Costner, 1955 21 Emma Bunte, 1976 Izabella Miko, 1981 23 Tiffani Thiessen, 1974 24 Neil Diamond, 1941 24 Robert Burns, 19 8 Elvis Presley, 1935

• I like to listen all types of music

and Latin America.

—Majid Jamialahmadi sophomore

• I have taught at AHS for 13 months

• I majored in English

• In my spare time I like to read

“John Welsh and Kevin Garnett because they’re my heroes.”

Who am I? • I attended University of Virginia

Affairs.

Who are your favorite basketball players?

Last Issue’s

Who am I?

• I have taught at AHS for 8 years.

7

everyday.

Anna Kate Prum

SPORTS XTRA

A

8 Jazz it up, drop it low

Whats your favorite hip-hop move?

COURTESY OF THE ANTENNA YEARBOOK

—Jake Barnes freshman

“

Freshman Megan Loman and sophomore Samantha Lugar perform for the team during one of their practices.

—Martin Miller junior

The dance team participated in their first competition of the season placing first in hip-hop.

Get personal with the dancers Samantha Lugar

Megan Loman

“Soulja Boy because it’s an easy dance for people to learn.”

sophomore

freshman

—Renee-Jones senior Loman

“Chicken Noodle Soup because it’s the most original and I can do it the best.”

—Nick Bush senior

Popular hip-hop dances One Two Step by: Ciara

Crank That

by Soulja Boy

Walk it Out TWO STEP

How long have you been dancing?

4 years Why did you start?

A friend of my sister is a dancer and she showed me a part of her dance and I thought it looked fun so I started taking classes.

What is your favorite kind of dancing?

Jazz because I like the turns, the music, and the techniques we do to the music.

What is your favorite part of dance team?

I like being with all my friends and performing at the football games.

Do you dance with other teams?

No, but I do take dance classes at a studio occasionally.

What is the hardest part of dance team?

Some of the technique we do across the floor and in the beginning of the year it was hard for me performing at the first football game.

What is your favorite dance move?

Turns because they are a lot of fun.

Are you going to continue dancing after high school?

I don’t plan on pursuing a career in dance, but it would be fun to take some classes every once in a while.

-compiled by Brooke Barlow,staff writer

Carly Eike

How long have you been dancing?

I danced for one year in first grade but didn’t dance again Lugar until dance team my freshman year.

Why did you start?

My mom danced when she was younger and I loved watching her dance.

What is your favorite kind of dancing?

I really like hip-hop. We all get into it a lot and its just fun to do.

What is your favorite part of dance team?

I really like how close we are as a team. It’s so different form any other sport.

Do you dance with other teams?

Nope, just AHS dance team.

What is the hardest part of dance team?

Actually practicing. We like to talk a lot and sometimes it hard to start practicing.

What’s your favorite dance move?

I really like the lawn-mower, so original.

Are you going to continue dancing after high school?

I don’t think so, maybe some classes but nothing serious.

junior, captain

Eike

How long have you been dancing?

Since I was 3 so around 14 years.

Why did you start?

Both my older sisters danced.

What is your favorite kind of dancing?

Jazz because there are so many different moves.

What is your favorite part of dance team?

My teammates. They are so fun and it’s great getting to know each other.

Do you dance with other teams?

Not anymore, but I used to dance at a studio.

What is the hardest part of dance team?

Staying in shape and working hard.

What’s your favorite dance move?

Any leap or jump.

Are you going to continue dancing after high school?

I’m going to try to, at least through college.

-compiled by Lyndsay Jacobs,Sports Xtra editor

-compiled by Marisa Tordella,Sports Xtra Editor

Shake it, don’t break it The AHS dance team begins every practice with at least thirty minutes of stretching. The dancers understand how important it is to get loose before they begin dancing.

The first step to stretching is to warm-up. TheAHS dancers warm-up by doing simple dance moves that do not strain their muscles.

Stretching muscles with out warming up can be dangerous. If muscles are cold while being stretched they can rip or tear.

After their muscles are warm, the real stretching begins. Stretching improves flexibility, which allows dancers to move easier and reduces the chance of injury. The dancers also benefit from stretching because it reduces soreness after practice.

Stretching also improves muscles range of motion.

With an increased range of motion, dancers can perThis stretch targets the gluteous muscles form more advanced moves.

which get used mostly in hip-hop dances.

This stretches your hamstring and also allows you to roll your ankles.

MARISA TORDELLA

“The Heisman because I have to push girls away from me.”

COURTESY OF THE ANTENNA YEARBOOK

—Joesph Turner sophomore

”

MARISA TORDELLA

“One, Two Step because it rocks so hard,”

lead by their coach.

Although dance may fall under the category of a competitive sport in a technical sense, critics say it is not a sport. Sophomore Christopher Yurko agrees. “Dancing does not test the limits and training your body to be athletic.”

There is a three-week process from the beginning of

BY BROOKE BARLOW learning a formation until it is ready be performed at Staff Writer halftime. Formation is the final step where the dancers “Work it, make it, do it, makes us harder, better, are placed to stand. Most routines are not repeated, but a faster, stronger!” few are. About every three weeks, the dance team learns Whenever you hear these Kanye West lyrics, visions a new routine. of the AHS dance team performing their main routine The dance team incorporates many different dance at the halftime show of a football or basketball games, moves in their routine. “We mostly use hip-hop, jazz and may come to mind. Decked out in their flashy costumes, pom,” said Hertel. they are one team you cannot ignore.

Lugar’s favorite style of dance is hip-hop. Another Unlike many other sports, dance team lasts for two dancer, freshman Megan Loman, prefers jazz to the seasons, rather than one. other styles.

The team has been practicing Head coach, Lorrie Robson, since beginning of the summer. choreographs most of the rouThey also had to attend a threetines. But two seniors on the We are all really close day, dance training camp in Ocean dance team, Hertel and senior City, Maryland. During those days, Becky Lallande, choreographed and we spend a lot of time the dancers were expected to learn their most recent dance to music and memorize three different by artists Will.I.Am, Missy Elliot together. dances. and Kanye West.

“I had an awesome experience The expectations for the at camp with all my friends,” said —BethHertel season have been met in many sophomore Samantha Lugar, “ we senior areas. “I just wanted the girls to had a lot of team bonding time and work together as a team,” said we grew a lot closer.”

Robson, “and I think they have Girls on the team agree that for the most part.” they have a stronger relationship than most other On Dec. 1, the dance team competed at Potomac teams at AHS. High School. There are a wide variety of dance categoSenior Beth Hertel boasts about their bond, “We are ries each high school can compete in. AHS entered in the all really close and we spend a lot of time together. We hip-hop, jazz and pom category. They were judged on basically tell each other everything and whatever is said their technique, showman ship, enthusiasm, outfits and stays there.” their memorization of the dances. “We placed first out Anormal dance practice usually consists of a five-min- of ten other high schools all over Virginia in the hip-hop ute warm-up followed by stretching for thirty minutes. category.” said Loman.

One type of stretching they do is sitting in the splits for Their next competition is at the end of January and a minute on each side. are hoping to earn another first place finish.

In order to be in shape they also do about 20 push-ups With their season soon coming to a close, the beat and sit-ups every practice.Afterwards, the team practices of “Stronger” will slowly fade away and the girls will their routine repeatedly until the end of practice. remember the days they danced whenever they hear For a cool down, they do series of abdominal exercises the lyrics, “Better, faster, stronger!”

MARISA TORDELLA

—Rebecca Melendez sophomore

Jan. 15, 2008

Dancers show off their flexibility and strength while busting moves on the dance floor

“Soulja Boy because I get to snap my fingers.”

“Pop, Lock, and Drop it because it looks vicious.”

t

This stretch is for your groin. The groin needs to be loose when you have to spread your legs.

by Huey Loose hamstrings and flexible ankles allow dancers to move easily with out injury.

This is a very crucial stretch for preparing for the splits. The dancer moves from this position to her elbows for a further stretch.

This is the splits. Dancers have to hold this position for a minute on each side and in the middle

MARISA TORDELLA

MARISA TORDELLA

MARISA TORDELLA

Pop Lock and Drop it

MARISA TORDELLA

by Unk

This strech is for your back. Back muscles need to be loose for bending during dances.

ACADEMICS

A

t

Students take pride in JROTC

BY AMY STEINBUECHLER Academics Editor Everyday, a group of dedicated AHS students prepare for take off to attend an Academy class. But this isn’t just an ordinary session. It is the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, also known as AFJROTC. One may have noted several students walking through the halls of AHS wearing what appear to be a military uniforms.

AFROTC students are required to wear the provided uniforms every Wednesday and Thursday.

“On Wednesday we wear ‘Basic Combat’ uniforms and on Thursday we wear the ‘Blues’,” said Senior Hans Silvera.

Currently seven AHS students are enrolled in the AFROTC program, including David Bickerstaff, Sharmean Kim, Justin Nguyen, Allen Sei, Hans Silvera, Swaray Ume and Nhan Tong.

The AFJROTC is offered at Chantilly High School. Students have the option of riding the bus or driving themselves to class.

“I would rather have class at Annandale but leaving is good because you get out of school,” said Senior David Bickerstaff.

The course, held from 9 a.m. to 11

a.m., covers material such as Air Force history, military policies, flight and navigational principles, rocketry, space vehicles, geography, cadet management and aerospace careers. Sessions are held in the classroom everyday except for Friday.

On Fridays students participate in physical training, called P.T..

“My favorite part ofAFJROTC is the P.T. [physical training],” said Silvera. Bickerstaff enjoys the field trips and drills.

The AFJROTC program is a two-year course and does not require students to join the military nor does it hold them to further commitment after the course.

The course is, however, beneficial to students who plan to attend military acadamies, join ROTC programs in college, apply for ROTC scholarships, or go straight into the military with higher rankings.

“I joined the ROTC because it would help me get a better rank in the Air Force,” said Senior Sharmean Kim. Silvera plans to use the course to gain more respect and integrity. The course has already helped Silvera with organizational skills.

Students who complete the course are also able to pursue military careers with not only theAir Force but also with theAir Force Reserves, Army Reserves, Navy Reserves, Marines Reserves, the United States Army, Navy and Marines.

Students can also advance in careers in business management, meteorology, computer science or engineering.

Many of the students enrolled in the program plan on joining the military after high school but face obstacles on and off the

David Bickerstaff, 12 Q: Why did you join the Air Force JROTC? A: “I joined beacuse I plan on going into the Air Force in the future.”

Q: What do you think of the uniforms?

A: “They’re okay.”

Q: Whats your favorite part of the course?

A: “I like the field trips, drills and ceremonies.”

Q: What do you plan on doing after you fin ish the AF JROTC? A: “I plan on enlisting into the Air Force.”

Q: Would you prefer leaving school and going to an Academy class or would you rather stay at AHS? A: “Stay at Annandale, but leaving is good because you get out of school.”

Q: What do your parents think of your commitment?

A: “They support me.”

Q: Finally, what do you not like about JROTC? Why? A: How boring it can get. Sometimes I don’t feel like I learn anything new.”

Q: Does your family have a legacy in the military?

A: Yes, they’re both were in it. My mom was Navy and my dad was a Marine.”

Do you think JROTC is a benefit to young people?

“Yes, it is a good benefit because it is helping out their careers, education, and their future.”

----Mohamed Kamara sophomore LOGAN MILLER

AHS students recieve elective and military credits for enrollment in AFJROTC

9

Students, from left to right, seniors Sharmeam Kim, David Bickerstaff, Hans Silvera, and Allen Sei wear their “blues” to school as a part of their academy class, Air Force JROTC.

drill field. Getting his parents on board with the idea of the military was one challenge Kim faced. His parents don’t recommend joining the military but he plans on pursuing his dream.

On the other hand, some students are following in that parent’s footsteps. “Both my parents were in the military. My mom was in the Navy and my dad was in the Marines,” said Bickerstaff.

Requirements to be a part of the AFJROTC include: a G.P.A. of 2.0, wearing the mandatory Air Force uniforms, having the ability to perform physical training, and

Hans Silvera, 12 Q: Why did you join the Air Force JROTC? A: “I wanted to be in the military, learn the history of the military and get basics of what the service is going to be like.”

Q: What do you think of the uni forms?

A: “I think they’re great.”

Q: Whats your favorite part of the course?

A: “ My favorite part is the physical train ing.”

Q: What do you plan on doing after you finish the AF JROTC? A: “I plan on joining the Navy ROTC.” Q: Would you prefer leaving school and going to the Academy class or would you rather stay here?

A: “I prefer going to Academy because I learn to plan my future and master my skills and it is my last year at Annandale.”

Q: What do your parents think of your commit ment?

A: “They are proud and happy for me .”

Q: Does your family have a legacy in the military?

A: “My uncle is a Sergant in the U.S. Army.”

working in competitive environment. Students are not required to shave their heads but must maintain a short haircut, off their necks and ears.

Despite the stressful challenges these students face on a daily basis, after they complete the AFJROTC two-year course, they “No, because it can consider the mission accomplished. leads people off Additional reporting by Logan Miller

Allen Sei, 12

----Sammy Qabazard sophomore

“Yes because they can learn to do different things and they go through expeiences that are beneficial toward life.

Q: What do you think of the uniforms?

A: “ The uniforms are okay and people like it.”

Q: What do you plan on doing after you finish the AFJROTC? A: “I plan to join the Army and continue in college.”

Q: Do you prefer leaving school and going to an Academy class or would you rather stay at AHS? A: “I prefer leaving school.”

Q: What do your parent think of your commitment?

A: “They think it is a good thing.”

Q: What do you not like about JROTC?

---Hans Silvera senior

course thinking they can just join the military.”

Q: Why did you join the Air Force JROTC? A: “I joined because I want to join the military in the future.”

Q: Whats your favorite part of the coures ?

A: “I like when we learn about the main people in the Air Force and when we march a lot.”

“You learn how to be a better person, more respectful around people, integrity, history of the military, and life skilles.”

----Kelsey Knoche frashman “Sure, why not. It teaches leadership skills, life skills, and discipline if nothing else.”

’ ----Gabiel Romano health teacher

This Day in History...

•1955 - USSR ends state of war with German Federal Republic •1967 - Superbowl I: Green Bay Packers beat Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10 in LA Superbowl MVP: Bart Starr, Green Bay, QB •1973 - President Nixon sus pends all U.S. offensive action in North Vietnam •1974 - “Happy Days” begins an 11 year run on ABC

www.memomine.com

Jan. 15, 2008

•1977- Coneheads debut on “Saturday Night Live” •1994- Queen Elizabeth falls off her horse & breaks her left wrist brainyhistory.com; scopsys.com

Brain Buster A man was found murdered one Sunday morning. His wife immediately called the police.The police questioned the wife and staff and was given these alibis: •The Wife said she was in bed reading a book.

•The Cook claimed she was cooking breakfast.

•The Gardener claimed he was planting seeds.

•The Maid claimed she was getting the mail.

•The Butler claimed he was polishing the silver.

•The police instantly arrested the murderer.

Who did it and how did they know?

-www.riddle-online.com

Answer: The maid killed the man. She claimed she was getting the mail, but the mail does not come on Sundays.

12

Would you consider getting a tattoo, why or why not?

“Yes, because a tattoo looks nice and might not always represent something gang related.”

HEALTH

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Jan. 15, 2008

True colors of tattoos Students express their views on body art and health risks

—Moe Henry sophomore

“Yes, because it looks nice on you if you get a cute design and it has your name or someone you love.”

—Ghisela Vargas junior “Yes, because it looks cool and it represents the kind of person you are.”

—Luis Avila senior

Think before you ink!

•Step 1: Make sure that getting a tattoo is what you really want, do not get it on a whim • Step 2: Carefully decide what you want the design of your tattoo to be and show it to the tattoo artist •Step 3: Have a well drawn tattoo stencil of your design •Step 4: Test your tattoo for about a day to make sure it is the right size and is placed where you would like •Step 5: Find a tattoo artist who is experienced and skilled. Ask for their portfolio to see the quality of their work •Step 6: Be well rested and relaxed the day you get your tattoo to make it easier for the tattoo artist to do a good job •Step 7: Keep your tattoo clean by washing it four or five times a day with a mild soap and lightly patting it dry with a towel.

After you have had the tattoo for three to four weeks, keep it moist to prevent dryness and protected from the sun.

www.tattoojohnny.com

Non-permanent body art Henna A popular form of non permanent body art is known as henna. Henna is a form of paste which causes a temporary stain on your skin. It is best used in earthy colors to not causes irrations to the skin.

Facts about body art —Thirty-six percent of people ages 18 to 25, and 40 percent of those people 26 to 40, have at least one tattoo, according to a fall 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center.

—The National Geographic News stated in April 2000 that 15% of Americans were tattooed (or approximately 40 million people).

—According to the American Society of Dermatological Surgery, they stated in 2005, that of all the people they treat with laser and light therapy, only six percent are getting a tattoo removed.

—A 2006 a study done by the journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 24% of Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed. The survey showed that about 36% of Americans age 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo. source: www.vanishingtattoo.com

COURTESY OF ALLYSA GRAY

“No, because I would not want to degrade my body like that, and my parents would not allow it.”

COURTESY OF PERISHA PARIS

—Thao Nyugen sophomore

TATTOOABOUT.COM

“No, because I have a really low tolerance for pain, and my parents would kill me if I got one.”

Senior Perisha Paris (left) got her first tattoo at the age of 17, Allysa Gray (right tattoos), began getting body art at the age of 16. Gray got an “A” as a tribual design, “I got it because I thought it would be nice way to symbolize my name,” said Gray.

What is still not so evident about tattoos is exactly what our youth is injecting into their skin in the name of art and self-expression. Years ago when tribes used tattoos, their dyes were made from natural substances, many of today’s tattoos contain a number of metallic salts, organic dyes or plastics suspended in a carrier solution for consistency of application.

“I would never get a tattoo. They have substances that could potentially be harmful to our body in the long run,” said junior Jose Jimenez. In Europe over 40% of organic colorants used in tattoos are not even approved for use on the skin as a cosmetic ingredient.

Many of the chemicals used are originally intended for use in printers and writing inks, as well as in the use of automobile paints. Tattoos can penetrate the skin so much that in some cases tattoos will not even be destroyed by severe burns.

In the U.S., the FDA regulates some of the ingredients worn on the skin, vitamins, drugs and food additives ingested to the body, but it does not regulate the countless toxic inks that are put under the skin.

“The FDA is not regulating what people choose to put on their body. We are dealing with a matter of blood and body fluids and the government is just turning their heads at this growing problem,” said junior Daniel Loo. “I actually did a lot of research before I went to get my tattoo. I needed to make sure it would be something that I wanted and that it was something special, said Paris. “I researched everything from my tattoo to the tattoo shop.

I needed to make sure that it was nice, clean and regu-

lated.” With teens getting involved in tattoo parties and getting tattoos without parental consent, this growing trend is putting the health of young teens at a greater risk.

The one question that is being asked is why is our youth engaging in such risky behavior? At times with no knowledge of the consequences.

“I didn’t do any research before hand. I knew the people who owned the shop, it was called Rebel Tattoo in Front Royal, but when I got there they broke it all down for me and I trusted them completely,” said senior Alyssa Gray.

Concerning aging and the appearance of the tattoo once the body grows through the years, “Sometimes I think about Tinkerbell. At times I feel like I should’ve gotten it on a different place. I think about what will happen when I get pregnant. But I am not planning on it any time soon so I don’t worry about it much,” said Gray.

“The fact that body art is growing with such rapid popularity makes it even more important to protect people from bad practitioners and potentially deadly toxins,” said Jimenez. Aside from the countless side effects such as infections, scarring, mutations, birth defects, cancer, allergic reactions, and keloid formations. Some students still shun the idea of getting a tattoo.

“All the dangers and possibilities of things going wrong is just not worth it. I can’t image something being important enough to permanently have it inked into your body,” said Loo.

Could bottled water be hurting you?

Some students choose bottled water over tap despite effects on the environment

BY BEELAN YONAS Staff Writer “I work at Giant and literally every single purchase made at the checkout is always bottled water,” said junior Catherine Nguyen. Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water in 2006. What most consumers do not know is that the shipping of bottled water causes unecessary pollution to the environment. The Earth Policy Institute claims that it takes around 1.5 million barrels of oil to make plastic bottles, and 90% of plastic bottles are not recycled.

Junior Adanech Debeli said, “I prefer bottled water because it’s safer. It’s cleaner [than tap water] because they purify it.”

But is it really cleaner than tap water? After all, that is part of the promise of bottled water manufacturers, that they are selling water that is better than that which is running from public faucets. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) revealed in a fouryear study that more than 25% of bottled water is actually tap water. It may be purified or sent through an additional treatment process, but is essentially from the same place that the water that runs through our pipes at home descend from.

“That’s a big shock to me,” said junior Robin Scott, who always carries a water bottle with her. “I might just get water from the water fountains.”

Bottled water and tap water have different standards and guidelines to follow, the limits for tap water being stricter than those for bottled. The NRDC went even as far as to admit that they have no evidence to back up the myth that bottled water is cleaner than tap, finding contaminants above state limits in 22 percent of the bottled water brands they studied. Most bottled water, 60-70 %, are not even regulated federally or held by the standards that FDA (Food Drug Administration) sets because they are only sold and purchased within their state, so the federal quality standards are not applied to them.

While city tap water has standards pertaining to chemical contaminants in the water, various bacteria like HPC (Heterotrophic Plate Count), and the cancer-causing pthalate goes unregulated by the FDA for bottled water. Brands like Poland Springs, Dannon, and Glacier Springs were found to have over abundances of HPC bacterial growth and Perrier, the largest bottled water company in the world, was found to have a high level of pthalate in some of their bottles.

Junior Mohammed Humza likes to only drink These figures are not representative of Aquafina. “I only drink Aquafina because itʼs the whole bottled water industry, where refreshing and its pure water.” many of the companies follow all the VANESSA CERRO

—Oscar Reyas freshman

The cultural resonance that the tattoo world has made on youth today is completely visible. The craze and rave for tattoos in the name of art and self-expression has increased and become more popular than ever.

But this sudden increase in popularity should be of no surprise at all especially when even the media glorifies this “tattoo culture.” Miami Ink, LA Ink, and Inked are some of the popular TV shows that portray this new rising trend.

Centuries ago tattooing was used as a form of art by tribal societies for religious purposes and as a natural part of life. Since then, Western culture has now appropriated the meaning and significance of tattoos making them no longer a taboo topic.

To many, the reasons for getting tattoos include celebrating events, remembering the death of a loved one, a way of showing commitment to a life partner, or simply as a decorative symbol of self-expression, individuality, and uniqueness.

“I got mine because I am crazy. I’m a risk taker and it was something I always wanted,” said senior Perisha Paris.

“Everyone in my family has tattoos and I don’t let things scare me. I am actually about to get another one.” Paris already has a tattoo of a star with the Capricorn zodiac sign. The one common link between all people who have tattoos is that every tattoo has a story behind it.

“I have three tattoos. I got my first one on my 16th birthday. It is an old English “A” with a tribal design around it. I got it because I thought it would be a nice way to symbolize my name,” said senior Alyssa Gray. “My second tattoo is of Tinkerbell. My third tattoo is a memorial tattoo for my dog that passed away. I had that dog for 12 years. I felt that by getting a tattoo of him, he would always be with me,” Said Gray.

COURTESY OF ALLYSA GRAY

BY CARLOS GALICIA Staff Writer

guidelines and restrictions, but the NRDC still recommends to drink from reliable water bottle companies.

Many, like sophomore Susan Al-Suqi, find it “more convenient to carry a water bottle.

Nguyen agrees, “you can just grab a bottle and go.” It is more of a convenience for them and much easier than having to fill up water from the tap, which they still believe is substandard to the quality of bottled water.

“I never drink tap water. It tastes gross and it has that chlorine taste in it,” says junior Michael Chung. That chlorine taste, that can cause reproductive problems and miscarriages, is one of the faults found in tap water by the NRDC, showing that tap water is not without its problems. In 2001, the NRDC conducted tests on tap water, ranking the water quality of Washington D.C. as fair, out of the grades, excellent, good, fair, and poor.

The more noticeable and frequent problems were high levels of lead, pathogens, chlorine, and toxic chemicals like arsenic.

The researchers at NRDC recommend filters to purify the water flowing out of the tap, claiming that over time, it is less costly than having to buy bottled water.

For some students, like freshman Bethlehem Solomon, these issues are of little importance to them. “Tap water, bottled water. They taste the same to me.”

It seems many students have the opinion that as long as water quenches their thirst it does not matter where it comes from.

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Jan 15, 2008

13 Chef’s Orders

It’s the beginning of class, the students get dressed, and pull out their knives, cutting boards, pots and pans.

It’s cooking time! Culinary Arts teacher Chef Gloninger sets her students to work on different meals and creations. She teaches 3 classes, which meet both red days and white days.

“I love when the students get what they are doing and seeing them grow a passion for food and cooking,” Gloninger said.The students prepare many types of food and often have visitors eat in the Bistro for special events. Currently, the Culinary Arts Program is hosting a fundraiser offering pre-paid meals for home. Any student or faculty member can order the food offered by the Bistro, pay for it, then pick up a hot meal for home.

What meal is your favorite to make and would recommend to your peers?

“I recommend seasoned tuna salad with a dill seasoning. I really like fish and it’s easy to make and tastes good, which makes a good meal.”

—Que Le

junior LAURA SIMPSON

“Baking pastries like cakes and brownies is a really fun thing to do, just the whole sweets category in general is my recommendation.”

—Angie Kim

junior

Junior Adam Bergen works in the kitchen.

“Stirfried steak with rice is a good choice because it is easy to cook, tastes good, and is healthy for you.”

—Judy

Elahi

senior

TANYA BELLINGHAM

“Miso marinated salmon is different from what we usually make and it was for a special event.”

—Kevin Fitzgerald

senior

“Making bread, which starts as poolish before it is baked, it’s really fun to roll and it is something that I have perfected since last year.”

—Mary Morris

senior

LAURA SIMPSON

Above: The culinary arts deparment has a large storage room. The company Lets Dish donated $500-$700 dollars worth of food to the department. Left: Junior Edwin Hernandez helps package five platters of food. Right: Juniors Kadir Mohammad and Stacey Walker place bread in the oven to bake.

LAURA SIMPSON

Senior Mary Morris egg washes a tray of sandwhich rolls.

TANYA BELLINGHAM

TANYA BELLINGHAM

More Pictures

TANYA BELLINGHAM

Left: Junior Que Le places chicken on a sandwhich roll with a pair of tongs. Above: Two students engage in the “tearful” process of chopping onions. Right: Senior Veronica Ramirez pepares sandwich rolls for baking.

TANYA BELLINGHAM

TANYA BELLINGHAM

LAURA SIMPSON

Chef G shows her students how to perfect a mango pie at the beginning of class.

Students clean up the counters after cooking in order to keep the kitchen sanitary.

Compiled by Laura Simpson

Do you think Benzir Bhutto’s son will be able to be an effective leader Pakistan?

“I don’t know, I mean his mom was pretty good, but he lacks experience. He can’t be worse than the prejudice now.”

—Aya Ibrahim freshman “I don’t know.

He’s really young, but his mom was a great leader so he could be okay.”

—Mark Spicer sophomore

“I don’t think age matters.After all king Tut was even younger than Bhutto’s son, and he did just fine.”

—Spencer Smith Junior

“I’m concerned about his maturity, he had a good role model but without experience I’m a little concerned.”

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Jan.15 , 2008

Sports express culture

Indian students at AHS become nostalgic when playing cricket away from home

BY CHARLIE SIMPSON Staff Writer

The game of cricket traces its roots to the heart of England during the height of the British Empire. The sport spread through this empire as far east as Indonesia, south to Botswana, and as far west as Guyana, as well as outside of the British empire to places such as, Australia, France, and much of the rest of Europe.Today, the sport is still spreading around the world and growing in popularity. Over forty member countries participate in the cricket world cup, and individuals around the world will consistently tune in to watch.

The United States is no exception to this extensive diffusion of the sport. The U.S. has its own Cricket World Cup team, national and international teams, Back in India, crickand is represented in the International Cricket et is like a religion,it’s Council, or ICC. NumerousAmericans watch cricket more than just a sport. on TV, and cricket sporting equipment can be found It’s like football here-Nithin . in most large sports stores within the U.S. Pari senior It is therefore no surprise that cricket has swept into Annandale as well. The great diversity of Annandale and AHS makes this an ideal location for the fostering of new or foreign sports.

Nithin Pai, a senior at AHS plays cricket, and enjoys watching professional competitions such as the World Cup. Pai’s interest in the sport can be attributed largely to his Indian heritage and background.

“Back in India, cricket is like a religion, it’s more than just a sport. It’s like football here,” he explains. “It was in my family, we all play, so I like it,” he says, “but most importantly, it’s fun.”

It is for this reason that he continued playing in the U.S. and have maintained an interest in the sport. However, he, and other fans of cricket, has found some difficulty in playing the sport here in Annandale. There is only one purpose built cricket field in Alexandria, located in Morningside apartments that it seems all local fans of the sport know of.

The inconvenience of this single field has required creativity and resourcefulness from Annandale cricket fans wishing to play.

Not having an available, proper field presents a problem because, similarly to other sports, cricket requires a specifically proportioned field for a good game to be played.

The field consists of an outfield marked by a boundary, an infield, and a close-infield where the majority of the action occurs.

Within the close-infield, a bowler representing one of the two teams attempts to knock over a wicket of three pegs while a batsman representing the other team attempts to protect them. The batsman simultaneously works to score runs by hitting the bowler’s ball outside of the boundary, or by switching positions with a second batsman at the other end of the close-infield.

Meanwhile, the fielding team keeps the ball in play and tries to prevent the batsman from hitting the ball outside of the boundary. At the conclusion of the game, brought on by the finishing of a set number of innings, the team with the highest number of runs will win.

The sport of cricket is most easily compared to the largelyAmerican sport of baseball, but also contains elements of bowling, lacrosse, and soccer. However, one element of cricket is similar to all other sports; friendly rivalry.

“I like that it [cricket] has the spirit of competition,” says Bhadrou Nair. “You have to keep your head above the field and make big decisions all the time. It keeps you thinking.” Consequently, Nair’s favorite professional teams are those that show the same adoration of competition. “I watch if SouthAfrica is playing,” he says, “they have a fighting spirit. They never give up without a fight.”

Televised professional cricket is accessible in the U.S., but it’s not as easy as tun-

“

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ing into more mainstream sports such as football or soccer. To view up to date cricket matches, fans of the sport will subscribe to cable or satellite foreign channels or international sports networks.

This inconvenience, similarly to the lack of fields in Annandale, does not stop fans of the sport from watching. “We watch it everyday,” said senior Masih Tamim, a recent fan of the sport. Masih has not always played cricket, and became interested through his friends.

He serves as an example of how the sport is spreading, as well as rising in popularity here in Annandale and across the U.S. “People who play cricket go to different countries and tell them about it, and they like it so it, becomes more popular,” explains sophomore Deepak Gahlot. Gahlot is sure of the rising popularity of cricket. “There’s always more teams coming on,” he says.

Pai agrees, “It will be getting more popular in years to come.” Others, however, are not so sure.

“I don’t think so,” responded Bhadrou Nair when asked whether he believes cricket’s popularity would continue to grow. “For one thing there’s already football [in the U.S.]. When you have a big sport like that, the others stay small.

Even Pai agrees to some degree, “It is popular here, but not that popular,” he admits.

Whether cricket continues to spread as expeditiously as it has before remains questionable, but the sport has indisputably established strong roots here in the U.S., as well as Senior Nithin Pai within AHS. With poses to show how the recent creation of cricket players hold cricket leagues withthe bat used in the in the Annandale game. Cricket is a community and the sport very similar to baseball, a favorite constant spreading American pastime. of traditions and cusAlthough it is not as toms from people to popular, students people, it seems enstill partake in this tirely likely that the game of physical and intellectual skill. sport will continue to thrive here and elsewhere.

NITHIN PAI

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INTERNATIONAL

World News ASIA

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressed the world’s media for the first time since he was named to take the place of his mother. He asked the media to refrain from interfering with his studies at Oxford University. He claims that his “experience to date is limited… I intend to learn.” Zardri has criticized the lengths that reporters have gone to find the details of his personal life, reiterating the fact that he is at Oxford to study. His goal is to learn as much as he can before he steps up as the PPP chairman. He denies suggestions that continuing the Bhutto “dynasty” conflicted with democracy the country is trying to obtain.

Student response: “I think he does deserve privacy from this because he already has enough to deal with, his studies and his mothers McDermott death and the intrusion of the media would just complicate things.

------ Junior Katherine McDermott

America Officials expelled 500 people from the communist party for violating China’s “one-child” policy. They have begun a more serious crack-down on parents who have violated this policy. City residents are allowed to have only one child, while rural residents are allowed to have two.

Many wealthy chinese residents have just paid the immense fines for having more children than the government allows. The government wants to stop these violations in hopes of controlling their population and their economic growth.

Student Response: “Yes, because it helps students understand what they are having problems with and if they need more help then Jamialamadi they can get it.”

----- Junior Sahar Jamialamadi

A country inflamed, future of democarcy in jeopardy

BY BEWKETU TAMIR International editor Leaders are the driving force of democracy, and for Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was the epitome of a politician who strove to bring change to the country. Though many people believe the former prime minister of Pakistan was corrupt, they don’t deny her courage and charisma. The assassination was followed by violence. 500 cars were torched as well as 13 banks, seven gas stations and two police stations. Not all Pakistanis resorted to rioting and violence; thousands of people paid their last respects in a marble mausoleum that Benazir Bhutto was placed in beside her father.

Bhutto’s supporters pointed their fingers at President Pervez Musharraf for not providing her with the appropriate security to protect her. They believe Mushrraf failed to provide adequate security for the situation while others say that he actually orchestrated the killings. Musharraf claims that he had nothing to do with the murder of Benazir Bhutto and that al-Qaida was in fact responsible for her death. The government promises to hunt down and kill whoever is truly responsible for her death.

Wolf Blitzer interviewed Bhutto a few months before her death, asking her why she puts herself through such

Student tries to adapt from life in Bolivia AIDA SALAMANCA Junior I remember it like it was yesterday when I arrived here from Bolivia.

When I first came to America, it was very weird.

My dad told us we were going to come here and he set up all the papers for my sister and I, and then we were ready to go. He wanted us to go toAmerica because he used to work here and wanted us to see the country and how different it is. He also hoped for us to have a better future with an opportunity to work and study. When I first got here, it was really tough; the different people, the different culture, how they dress. At first it was hard to adjust to the culture, but after living here for three years, I got used to it.

I went back to my country for a year and wanted to go back toAmerica because I liked it here better. I do not like my country as much because the things they do here are

dangerous situations. She replied that she feared for her life almost every day, but she was willing to sacrifice her life for the benefit of her people. This showed the world that Benazir was working for a better Pakistan, ignoring the fact that many people were strongly opposed to her return. Her campaign ended with her death, but her memory and her goals for her country will live on the hearts of the Pakistani people.

“I was not surprised, I was rather concerned,” said social studies teacher Mary Richardson. She believes the assassination has raised concerns in Pakistan as well as in the rest of the Middle East.

“I knew it was coming, because she was a popular politician,” said sophomore Aishwarya Venkat. In addition, she also believes that Pakistanis need a better leader, but that America should not get involved.

“I am not surprised at all I think that it [the assassination] was going to happen anyway,” said junior Samantha Romano.

“We [the U.S.] can not solve all the problems in the world,” said Richardson, contemplating the possibility of future U.S. involvement. “We can not go around violently overthrowing governments, or we will have many little Iraqs.”

Pakistan has been one of the biggest allies of the U.S. in Southern Asian since the Cold War. As a result, anything that happens to Pakistan affects the U. S. “The most important thing in Pakistan is the need for stability, we need a government [in Pakistan] that can keep stability,” said Richardson.

different from there. The way the housing is here is better because you have a refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a washing machine, but there you do everything by hand.

I had friends in Bolivia, but I was 11 or 12 when I moved to America. When I arrived here, we lived in an apartment for four years and now we live in a townhouse, and are more comfortable living here. We have made big improvements since we first came here with nothing. We slept on the floor and some people lent us blankets and pillows. It was hard getting used to that. We bought stuff from the Salvation Army.

The first day I went to middle school was hard because the people were very different and the classmates made fun of you if you did not know the language. Some white girls made fun of me for that because my dad signed me up for harder classes, and the teacher would assign books to read and I did not know the language. The teachers were nice to me and would give me something to improve my writing and reading. Once I started to learn more and understand more of the language I was happier because I could defend myself and help others that did not know the language.

WWW.OUTLOOKSERIES.COM

Uncertainty in Pakistan after Bhutto’s death

— Angela Siler senior

Bhuttoʼs assassination brought waves of riots from her supporters. For some supporters her death is sign of death of democracy.

“On the other hand the people have to feel comfortable with the leader. The bottom line is to bring an election that is fair, and honest,” said Richardson.

“Assassinations are always destabilizing factors,” said Richardson look at the Pakistan situation.

“I worry about civil war, that is the reason we need to work with the Pakistanis,” said Richardson. What we are seeing is a power struggle, it is a sign of a nation on the verge of war, a nation in crisis. For Pakistanis civil war is not far from home, distraction is near, and it is the responsibility of the international community to cool off these tensions.

Kam moved to U.S. from S. Korea for a better education SOOJIN KAM Junior I was kind of nervous coming here because I had never been to America before.

My family already living here made me more calm and I felt more comfortable because there were a lot of Koreans in this area. I have a lot of family here and they have helped me a lot. I came to America from South Korea to get a better education, like everybody else. I came about four years ago with my whole family: my parents and my brother. I was about thirteen- or fourteen-years-old. We just came here to study.

Even now it is really hard for me to study in English and everything is in English. I spend more time studying and doing my homework than people who were born here. When I first came, I stayed after everyday with teachers. It was fine because a lot of the teachers really helped me.

I did not have any issues or bad problems because I took ESOL classes. All of my classes were ESOL except for P.E. On my first day of school, there was a girl who

was Korean who helped me go to classes. So my first day of school was okay.

In Korea, we had to go to school until four o’clock and stay after to study.

In school, the students stayed in one classroom and the teachers came to the students in the classrooms, but here you have to actually go to the classes. Then we went to an academy school. Everyone went there after school.

We learned every subject: English, Korean, math, history. I used to come back home around 10 p.m. Here we come home at 2: 30 p.m. and I have more time to spend for myself. I like it better this way. There is a lot of transportation in Korea. Most of the people there walk to get to places, but here you have to try and get a ride. I lived in Incheon. There, they have a lot of high buildings and apartments and here there are smaller buildings. It is a big city there.

It was more convenient for me living in Incheon because everything was close by. I think I’m going to visit there after graduation.

Jan. 15, 2008

ARTS

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Beyond the stress ball

BY STACY IRWIN Staff Writer Ceramics, one of the many art classes available at AHS, is relatively unknown to most students.

“I’ve talked to a lot of kids and they had no idea we even have a pottery class, I was a little shocked,” said senior Brittney Fettenberger.

The class, taught by Ann Harper, focuses on helping students develop the technical skills of ceramics.

“Once you get the technical skills nailed then you’re good to go,” said Harper. After the students have learned the technical skills “then the creativity starts.”

The class is beneficial for those who are “not good in two-dimensional work,” who “can use ceramics as an outlet for their creativity,” said Harper. “Clay is an easily malleable medium to build things with. It can be organic, it can be geometric, it can be used for architectural forms, and for some people utilitarian things. It’s like any other art form: you have to have a personal vision.”

“It’s not like Computer Graphics, where everyone wants to join,” said sophomore Thao Nguyen.

This may be due to the fact that art room.

The purpose of pit-firing is to the ceramics students, unlike other art students do not have their work produce a different outcome with displayed around the school. There is the ceramic work. However, due to security and safety reasons the art no space to display the 3D objects.

The room that is currently the department was unable to make the downstairs copy-room was originally pit-firing ambition a reality.

In previous years the class has conan art room, which would have been an ideal place to display 3D work. ducted an end of the year art auction.

However, since the copy machines oc- At this event the students’ leftover cupy the room the ceramics class no work is auctioned off and the students keep the longer has “that money from opportunity anytheir sales. more,” said art I have talked to The aucteacher Catha lot of kids and tion is “well erine Stark. attended,” Harper they had no idea and “a hopes to be able we even have a very nice to create some event,” said type of display pottery class.

Harper. for the ceramic —BrittneyFettenberger Many class’s work in the find making future.

Senior ceramics “I think that a therapeutic if other students were able to see the work of the ce- endeavor.

“Some people take yoga, but in ramics students, they would be more aware that it is a class,” said Stark. this case you just take your anger out She also thinks that if the work of the on the clay,” said sophomore Emily class was displayed, it would “pique Huamani Jimenez.

Others in the class agree, “It their interest” in taking the class.

Another idea that the art depart- relieves stress and really gets your ment could not progress with due to mind off everything that’s going on,” regulations was pit-firing. The location said Fettenberger.

The stress relief and the qualities that the arts teachers were considering was the area around the back exit one acquires from creating ceramics from the are, “almost like meditation,” said Harper. “A lot of the kids enjoy it for that reason.”

In Ceramics, students use hand-building or a pottery wheel to make works.

Fewer students use the pottery wheel, as it is more difficult. “In order for a person to be good at throwing a pot on a pottery wheel, you need to stay incredibly focused,” said Harper. When using the pottery wheel it is necessary beforehand to “set up everything and prepare more,” said Fettenberger.

The process the students follow to make ceramics begins with the planning of the ceramic works, with both the concept and thumbnail sketches of the work. After this, the production occurs, taking anywhere from one hour to two weeks depending on the intricacy of the work.

The work is then air dried for about three days before going through its first kiln firing, also called a bisque firing, which takes place for 48 hours. Finally the work is glazed and goes through a second kiln firing, called a glaze firing, and becomes glazeware.

“

Craft corner: Money origami 1 Fold the dollar bill “hot dog style”

2 Unfold; making sure your crease is visible. Then refold each side into your previous crease line.

(Be careful not to overlap the sides)

”

Untitled (clay) Brittney Fettenberger Senior

3 Turn the bill over so the words “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” are visible. With the same end from the previous step, fold the corners in so they meet the centerfold. This is the formation of the “collar”

4 From the opposite end of the “collar” fold inward about 1/3 of the length of the bill. Be sure to make a sharp crease.

5 Fold once more in the same direction.

If the fold from step 5 is correct, you should be able to easily tuck the fold under the “collar.”

6 Unfold the folds made in step 6 and step 5.

TIGIST TAMIR

Ceramics students put time and effort into molding clay

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Senior Eun Young Park is one of the students who enjoys the Ceramics class offered at AHS.

7 Keeping a finger on the collars, unfold the bottom.

Artist in the spotlight: graphics AHS student expresses her creativity through Computer Graphics class

BY SARAH SHAMI Staff Writer

TIGIST TAMIR

Entering the Computer Graphics room, one cannot help but notice the vibrant movie posters and witty magazine covers plastered over the walls as a tribute to both the artwork and artists who made them. One particular piece of artwork caught the attention of Computer Graphics teacher Ann Harper.

“I think you should look at her work,” urged Harper. “She is a good student.”

The “good student” she was referring to was Daniela Guevara, a sophomore taking the class for the first time but already capable of mastering the skills necessary in the fast paced computer graphics class to create beautiful artwork.

Though her expertise is not computer graphics, she enjoys the class.

“I enjoy sketching mostly eyes and even human body parts like hands and things of that nature,” said Guevara.

Though Guevara enjoys sketching she wanted a new approach to art. Because of that she signed up for the class. “I did not want to take Visual Arts because I wanted to try something new,” said Guevara.

Guevara’s passion for the visual arts stems from her earlier years, “I’ve been drawing since “I like anything that has to do with arts, photo, and design.” says Guevara exper- I was a baby. As soon as I could hold a marker I would draw for hours, and ever since I’ve been essing her love for art. Guevara feels that “Vulgar” is one of her best works. drawing,” said Guevara.

Guevara says that she draws what she knows, “I don’t really have a particular artist that inspires me but I do like to look at art, but basically I just draw what I see and what I like,” said Guevara.

In terms of inspiration for her art, Guevara says it is possible to find it anywhere. “I like to look at objects and make them as real as possible using whatever medium I can get my hands on: clay, paint sketching and so on. It’s more about how I perceive things and I can easily be influenced by my mood or even a song,” said Guevara.

When at home Guevara says art can even interfere with her homework at times. “Sometimes when I’m at home I will get so preoccupied with doing artwork that I am unable to finish up my homework, which isn’t really that good, but when I get inspired or bored I just start drawing and sometimes I can’t stop,” Guevara said with a laugh.

The feedback for Guevara’s work is mostly positive, as both students and faculty are able to view her work; her creations are some of the best works in her class. “In terms of the design of the magazine it looks almost professional, like it could really be a magazine cover or something but still at the same time it looks creative,” said Junior Alaa Dahab, after looking at one of Guevara’s projects.

Future plans for Guevara include a career that is related to art. “I like anything that has to do with art, photo, and design. I am good at anything that I can use my hands on. I want to definitely incorporate art into whatever career I plan on pursuing. It is a must if I want to remain happy,” said Guevara.

Her advice to amateur artists is to simply draw what they see around them. “I would recommend anyone to just pick up a pencil and just draw what you see. People say that drawing is a talent that not everyone possesses but I do not believe that. I think that if you just look at the object that you want to draw for enough time and really take it in then you will be able to draw it,” said Guevara providing motivation for all the up and coming artists unable to believe that they, like her, can create a beautiful piece of art.

8 Now, make a fold at the crease made in step 5, (the one farthest from the “collar”) so that the end meets the crease from step 6.

9 Fold sides in

10 Take the two inside corners and fold them outward.

11 Fold in half towards “collar”.

Tuck and fold under “collar”. You have now created a dollar bill shirt!

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Gymnastics Under the Radar UnknowntomostAHSstudents, the varsity Atoms gymnastics team has performed to standards higher than expected. With a total of five gymnasts on the roster, recognition at a school with more than two thousand students does not come often.

But even with the lack of spectators and fans, these girls keep up their effort and perform to the best of their abilities. Sophomore captain and last year’s district champion Elizabeth Flint leads the young Atoms team through the competitions.

She has also won the last three competitions. “[There are] definitely not any Annandale students at the meets,” Flint said Flint of the fan attendance. “I think that, at the most, there have been five students.”

In preparation for the meets, the gymnasts have demanding practices at Lake Braddock Secondary School.

They travel together on the activities bus to Lake Braddock with the Swim and Dive members who are dropped off at Wakefield Recreation Center. Each practice lasts one and a half hours where the gymnasts practice for the four events: Vault, Bars, Beam, and Floor. One or two routines are practiced for each event during practice and then it is closed with a clean up session, when they put the equipment back in its place.

The biggest upcoming competition for the Atoms’ gymnasts is the district championship meet on Feb. 1st. Flint looks to repeat as district champion and the team hopes to improve upon last year’s finish.

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Jan. 15, 2008

Swim speeds past T.C.

Led by sophomore Sean Smith and senior Amy Fleming, the Atoms defeat T.C., prepare for Spartans

BY SCOTT PLUNKETT Staff Writer The AHS swim teams continued their district domination the past two Fridays against T.C. Williams and Robert E. Lee, after nearly pulling upsets against district powerhouse Lake Braddock. The Atoms easily defeated the T.C. Williams Titans on Jan. 11 with monster 131 and 107 point wins. The boy’s team won with a final score of 223-92 and the girl’s team outscored the Titans 210-103.

Two weeks ago the Atoms meet against the Bruins went down to the last relay for the boy’s team, where the meet ended with the Atoms losing by a mere nine points, with a final score of 153-162. The girl’s made the meet much closer then previous years and ended coming up short with a score of 133-181.

The close losses differ from previous years such as the 2005-2006 season where the boys lost by 111 points.

“It definitely gives us hope for the future,” said junior Anna Davis.

Many on the team are optimistic after the Lake Braddock meet despite the fact they lost, such as sophomore Michael

Armstrong.

“Our close loss to Lake Braddock shows that we can compete with the top teams in the district and region like West Springfield,” said Armstrong.

The team has a big meet this Friday against the West Springfield Spartans who are currently atop the Patriot District standings after defeating a depleted set of Lake Braddock teams a few weeks ago. The meet is the team’s last of the season before the District, Regional, and State meets and is also senior night.

The meet would have a huge impact on the standings going into the Patriot District meet and could potentially move the Atoms into a three-way tie for first. The team has been preparing for the upcoming meet at its daily practices at the Audrey Moore Recreation Center.

“The kids who come to practice are working really hard and improving every week,” said sophomore August McCarthy.

When asked how he thinks the team will do against the Spartans on Friday, McCarthy confidently responded, “We have a very good chance of beating those wimps.”

Head coach Bruce Fisher has a more reserved view head-

LINDA NGUYEN

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SPORTS

Assistant Atoms Swim and Dive coach April Brassard instructs the swimmers on technique at a practice before the meet against T.C. Williams. The boys and girls, combined, are 10-2 on the season.

ing into the meet saying, “On paper they’re stronger then we are, and would beat us by around 30-40 points, but there are a lot of unknowns in swimming such as health and motivation so we could upset them if we have a strong meet.”

Along with winning Friday night the Atoms are also hoping

to qualify their 200 medley relays for regionals, which are within a second and a half for the boys, and four seconds for the girls.

“They certainly have the capabilities [of qualifying],” said coach Fisher.

TheAtoms are rapidly evolving into one of the powerhouses of the Patriot District after being

Winter Track stays undefeated in meets

- by Walter Smith

BY ADEEL SHAMS Sports Editor

NFL Game Preditctions

One of this season’s biggest surprises was the resurgence of the Green Bay Packers, led by the ageless wonder, Brett Favre. Perhaps an even bigger surprise was the ability of undrafted free agent running back Ryan Grant, who ran for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Seahawks in the NFC divisional playoffs.

Somehow, the Giants managed to upset the Dallas Cowboys in their first playoff game following a spectacular 13-3 season. Maybe they will be able to pull another win out of an even more hostile stadium, but it won’t easy.

The deciding factor in this game is the Packers’ home field advantage. It is exceedingly rare for a visiting team to visit frigid Lambeau field in mid January and manage to come away victorious. With the inconsistency of Eli Manning even in favorable weather, the big question is whether or not he will be able to maintain his recent success.

Prediction; Green Bay, 31-21

Varsity Head Coach Phil Harris gives the various runners their running assignments in practice. The Atoms are undefeated in their meets so far this year.

Facing stiff competition so far in the winter season, the young Annandale Boys varsity track team continues to perform well under the leadership of head coach Sean Miller.

“We have improved a lot (compared to last year),” said sophomore mid-distance runner Daniel Blasser.

“Most of our newcomers aren’t freshmen but sophomores,” said senior Sierra Peralta.

“Because the sophomores are already experienced from other sports, it helps them in track. It is like getting freshmen on steroids.”

The boys team has gone undefeated after the first three meets, the midpoint of the winter season. Facing rivals such as JEB Stuart and Lake Braddock, along with former Patriot District rival Robinson, the Boys Varsity team has defeated the strong competition in the first half of the season.

“We have improved throughout the year, but the competition will continue to get harder,” said sophomore Nathan Clayton.

“In practices, we group individual runners with people that run about the same pace so they motivate each other, so every

practice is like we are simulating a meet,” said Peralta Three meets remain on the schedule before Districts, which are scheduled to be held at Episcopal High School on the sixth and eight of February.

Mid-distance captain, junior Daniel Ejigu said, “We are looking toward our next meet (January 18th at Thomas Jefferson Middle School).”

While the coaching staff, along with players comment on the great improvement the team has experienced through the first half of the winter season, the question remains how far the key players can carry the overall team in Districts and possibly into Regionals.

“I am expecting the 4 x 800 meters and 4 x 400 meters (relay) to go to the regional’s,” said varsity head coach Miller, who also predicts having up to ten boys making regional’s.

The strong competition has provided valuable experience for the young team, as finishing the season undefeated how now become a viable goal. “The young varsity team is stepping up,” said sophomore Daniel Ejigu.

Girls battle to a .500 record after 2 wins Atoms even record at 6-6 after a 41-36 nail biter against Lake Braddock on Friday and face 2-9 Hayfield Hawks on Tuesday But the Atoms still need to improve in several areas. The offense is one of these areas. Currently, the girls’ team In the closest victory for the girls’ is having trouble moving the ball down basketball this team this year, the varsity the court, committing several turnovers Atoms held off the Bruins Friday night in a every game.

They showed promise in the high scor41-36 showdown. The girls started off slow at Lake Braddock, finishing the first half ing South County game, where the Atoms losing to the Bruins. But they got back into scored 25 points in the first quarter alone, it, tying the Bruins in the fourth quarter scoring a total of 69 points in the game.

“The South County game taught us and eventually taking the lead. TheAtoms a lesson,” said McRae. held that lead, winning a hard “We got ahead, but they fought game by five points. came back towards the “It was supposed to be end and it wasn’t as close,” said senior captain good of a game because and key player Jenna McRae. they came back.”

“The first half was slow, but in Coach Williamson the second half we got back also believes that the into it. In the final quarter, Atoms need to improve we were able to take the lead in team rebounding and and we hung on.” limiting fouls on defense.

This was the fourth win TheAtoms have been out in the last five games and the McRae rebounded by all but a few second straight district victory for the Atoms. After two big losses in the of their opponents this season.

Tonight, the Atoms take on the HaySixth Annual Raytheon Bulldog Bash Holiday Tournament to Bullis and West- field Hawks in their fifth district game. field, the varsity girls rallied to win the final The Hawks have struggled this year, two games against Washington & Lee and holding a 0-4 district record. Outside of the district, the Hawks have won only Freedom by solid margins.

“We played hard in all four games,” said two games, one against Falls Church and head coach Cleveland Williamson finishing the other against McLean, bringing their total record to 2-9. the tournament with a record of 2-2.

BY GREG YOUNG Sports Editor

SARAH WAITER

Green Bay vs. New York

GREG YOUNG

New England vs. San Diego The Chargers will travel to Foxboro for the second time this season to try and avenge their 3814 week 2 loss at the hands of the Patriots and earn a trip to the Super Bowl. Since their week 11 loss to the Jaguars, the Chargers have gone on an eight game winning streak, but that compare with the undefeated season of the Patriots.

The key matchup in this game is Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss against Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who intercepted Peyton Manning 4 times in two games. If Cromartie is able to shut down Moss and the rest of the Patriots defense is able to force some turnovers from Tom Brady than the Chargers may have a chance.

With the Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers, tight end Antonio Gates, and running back LaDainian Tomlinson all listed as questionable on the team’s injury report, it remains to be seen if they will play.

Prediction: New England, 31-27

a middle-of-the-pack team a few years ago. With wins this Friday they can cement themselves in the top three in the district among teams that compete at the state level.

Junior Leslie Burns prepares to shoot a free throw against South County. The Atoms are currently 6-6 on the year after winning two straight district games.

Although the Atoms will be favored against the Hawks, the competition in the Patriot District has changed substantially over the past years. With the addition of South County Secondary School, Hayfield has lost students and athletes, decreasing the competitiveness of the Hawks teams across the board.

But no opponent is to be taken lightly.

Coach Williamson and his players know the importance of every game in a 22 game season. In order to continue their strong play and finish 13-9, the goal of the team at the start of the season, theAtoms need to take every game seriously, including those against teams that are 2-9.

SPORTS

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Jan. 15, 2008

Atoms stun Bruins

BY GREG YOUNG Sports Editor After the Atoms’ 86-74 win over the Bruins, there seemed to be a collective energy around the team that hadn’t been observed around basketball in quite some time. The Atoms had finally closed the deal and upset one of the top ranked teams in the Patriot District, a team that the Washington Post picked to finish second in the District, and it appeared to make the statement that the Atoms are one of the top teams in the District as they improved their record in the District to 3-1.

“Lake Braddock is one of the better teams in the division,” said head varsity coachAnthony Harper.

“It’s a good win and something to build off of, but we still have a long way to go.”

In the game, the Atoms were lead by their superstar, senior Erik Etherly, who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. The Atoms were also boosted by the return of their swingman, juniorAllan Stalp. Stalp had been out for theAtoms against T.C. Williams and West Springfield, and his injury had forced Harper to place senior Jay Washington into the starting lineup. Although Stalp was clearly not fully recovered from his ankle injury, he was still able to take a lot of the pressure away from freshman D’Angelo Boyce, who was forced into a point guard role for the Atoms.

“For me, having Stalp back helps me get open a lot,” said Boyce. “For everyone else though, it adds depth and takes a lot of the pressure off.”

“I just want to come back and make a contribution,” said Stalp.

One of surprising players for the Atoms this year has been junior Jordan Anderson. He has

Stars Of The Future A glance at the AHS JV and freshman sports

Freshman Mens Basketball Head Coach: Kevin Fox Record: 5-0 Next Game: 1/15 vs. Hayfield Players to Watch: Greg Nielsen, Ronnie McCory, Henry Cooper Nielsen

Player’s Outlook: “We are playing pretty well this year,” said Nielsen. “Mainly, we have really good players on the team. We’ve scored a lot of points this year, and our press defense is doing very well. However, we need to run and learn more plays.”

JV Mens Basketball Head Coach: Daniel Porter Record: 2-3 Next Game: 1/15 vs Hayfield

LIFETOUCH

Etherly leads team to suprising 86-74 win over 7-4 Lake Braddock with 21 points and 7 boards

given the Atoms team added defensive intensity and rebounding ability.

“Anderson plays with a fearless attitude,” said Harper.

Before the stunning win against Lake Braddock (7-4), theAtoms had to travel to South County to battle the Stallions. In the game, the Atoms were lead by Etherly and two clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter by Stalp and beat the Stallions, 68-65.

“I don’t think that we played all that well,” said Etherly. “But, we rebounded well as a team. We also had much more balanced scoring.”

One of the problems that have been plaguing the Atoms all year has been the rebounding, and that was prominent in the Atoms loss on Jan. 3 against TC Williams, 91-76.

“We need to box out more,” said Stalp. “Basically, we’ve been trying to out-jump people, but because we are smaller, it doesn’t work out.”

“Rebounding is all about attitude,” said Harper.

“Right now, it has just been Erik rebounding and everyone else chipping in, we especially need our guards to help out more in rebounding.”

However the bright spotlight that is featured whenever TC Williams is the opponent fazed the Atoms. The Titans opened up the game on a 20-2 run. After that point, however, the Atoms outscored the Titans by three for the rest of the game.

“Basically, our team was not ready for the crowd,” said Etherly. “People are always pumped up against T.C., and I thought that at times, we played scared.”

“Our team believes that we can play with anybody,” said Harper. “We just have to keep doing what we are doing, improve our rebounding and defense, and we can keep getting better.”

The Atoms battle tonight for second place in the Patriot District against Hayfield. Hayfield is 7-3, with a 3-1 record in the Patriot District. The Hawks feature a solid overall team led by sophomore guard Brandon Winbush, who is averaging Junior Allen Stalp drives to the basket against South County. In Stalpʼs first game back from an ankle injury, he hit 2 clutch threes and over 10 points per game.

McQueen

Players to Watch: Joesph Turner, Yousef Sammy

the Atoms beat the Stallions, 68-65.

Player Outlook: “We are now finally starting to get chemistry with the new player, Karl Ziegler,” said McQueen. “We are getting stronger every time we play, and we hope to continue throughout the year. One thing that we need to work on, however, is not getting into foul trouble and executing plays better.”

Wrestling wins 4 straight meets The AHS wrestling team hit several speed bumps at the beginning of the season, but following their most recent meet at Conestoga, has began, “putting the pedal to the metal,” said varsity coach Keith Sholders.

“We started the season out rough but as a team we’ve been growing a lot. We’ve just been getting stronger and stronger,” said sophomore Ricky Adams. Achieving a strong work ethic across the entire team is one of coaching and the team’s key goals.

“We’ve worked extremely hard and we’re eliminating the people that aren’t willing to work hard,” said Sholders. “We’re getting there, the team’s almost all on the same page now”.

“We’ve had a lot of teamwork,” says Ricky Adams.

“We’re always motivating each other. We do it as a team now.” The support of the team is extremely important to the development of the strong disposition required to win a match.

“You just have to get that mentality that you’re not going to lose,” says Adams.

He attributes his broad success during the season, including placing seventh at the teams most recent meet, Conestoga, to that mind-set along with weight training, running, eating right, and getting in shape.

In addition to a positive mentality, the team will need to make further improvements to succeed later in the season. Varsity wrestler and sophomore Stacey Anderson believes that to improve, “some people will need conditioning, but for others it’s technique.”

The team is young, largely made up of juniors and

sophomores, meaning experience is lacking.

“The only thing that’s been bad is that we’re all young so a lot of us don’t know all that many moves yet,” said junior Victor Njomo.

“We’ve done pretty good, but we’re still learning a lot,” said junior Stacey Anderson.

To remedy this lack of experience coaching has placed the team in the greatest number of meets possible.

“We’re going to as many matches as we can get.

Matches are what really makes you better,” said Sholders.

This included the most recent varsity meet, Conestoga, in Pennsylvania. The meet pitted AHS athletes against some of the top wrestlers in the country.

“That was some tough competition,” said Victor Njomo.

“Everyone up there has been wrestling for like eight years or more,” says Stacey Anderson.

The coaching staff hoped that the difficulty of this meet would give valuable experience to the generally inexperienced team. The team has only one senior in Senior Jesse Kruse works on his wrestling technique durits starting lineup, Jesse Kruse. ing practice. Kruse is the only senior on the team.

“Conestoga’s one of the toughest tournaments in the country. It was a lot of good experience. A lot of guys ability to win, but the coaches have stayed cautiously fell during that meet but that’s where you can improve optimistic about future success. yourself,” said Sholders.

“Winning districts is attainable,” said coach Sholders.

The team will need to make these improvements to “Anything’s attainable. It’s just all about working hard mentality, technique, and experience in order to succeed and to keep believing in ourselves, motivating each other, at there season goals. Team members hope to win the and setting goals.” district and place within the top four in the region in order to progress to the state level of competition.

“We’ll be the best in the district, and next year too,” says Victor Njomo. The athletes have confidence in their

FCPS School Board undercuts sports The

Final Word Sports Column

By Greg Young

Well, it looks as if FCPS superintendent Jack Dale is up to his old tricks again, with this latest ploy to try to sneak money away from sports programs around the county.

After The A-blast and several local newspapers reported on some of the more ridiculous aspects of Dale’s proposed budget cuts including his proposed elimination of freshmen sports, I was optimistic about the preservation of AHS sports as we know them. My hope was confirmed when Kaye Kory, the school board representative from Mason District, called some of the cuts “ridiculous.”

It was to my shock then, when I turned to NewsChannel 8 on Saturday night to see junior Cason Kynes and senior Mary Bermingham being interviewed about a proposed $50 activity fee to participate in all sports. Alas, it again appears that Dale may be trying to sneak something through the budget of which he doesn’t fully understand the consequences.

First, let’s go over the details surrounding this situation. Currently,

Fairfax County, along with most of the for a moment, 4 out of every 10 students state of Virginia and the rest of the coun- need help from the county in order to aftry, is facing a declining real estate prices. ford lunch every day.

It is one thing to impose this type of fee This is bad news for our budget situation, as over 70% of the school budget is from at a high school like W.T Woodson High personal property or real estate taxes. So, School, where only 5% of its students are as a result, Dale is being forced to make on free or reduced lunch, but a whole budget cuts in order to meet the expected different thing entirely to impose a $50 budget shortfall. Additionally, FCPS has dollar fee on students who have trouble been forced to deal with a 1% increase in affording lunch.

Granted, I would think the student population. that AHS would have some One of the solutions that Dale type of ability to pay the fee is expected to prose is a $50 dolfor students that would have lar fee for athletes to particpate serious trouble affording it. in sports. This fee would add But the problem here is approximately $2.7 million to that the damage that an the budget, in a part of a $45.6 activities fee would create million package to help solve the may already be done. budget crisis.

For an underprivileged Now that I’ve deluged into the student, a $50 fee may nuts and bolts of this proposal, let Tessie Wilson just scare them away from me explicate on why this is a terdoing a sport, even though they could rible idea for Annandale sports.

First, the fees that athletes already get the fee waived. Adding a fee could have to pay in order to remain competi- also potentially cause confusion, as some tive in sports can already add up. For a lot students may fear that the fee would not of sports, athletes have to buy their own be paid for.

Additionally, it may be embarrassing shoes, gear, and pay fees for workshops and other activities that foster improve- for the student to admit to anyone else, ment. A $50 fee on top of all these costs even a coach, that his family cannot afford a $50 fee. For someone who is consideris excessive.

But the real reason why this is bad for ing participating in sports, this type of fee AHS sports lies in the demographic infor- may be the thing that scares them away mation ofAHS. Annandale currently has from participation. And if there is even over 40% of our students on either free or the slightest threat of this happening, the reduced lunch. Think about that statistic school board needs to seriously consider

the consequences of this happening at all schools.

And let’s be serious here, saving $2.7 million may seem like a lot, but in a county this large it is not a huge amount of money at all. In fact, imagine it this way: if we were to tax every adult in Fairfax County the amount we would need to raise the budget enough to eliminate the activity fee, it would involve raising each adults taxes by less then $10!

In fact, streamlining the Pre-School teacher’s work schedule, one of the major options being considered by Dale and the rest of his minions, would save $5.9 million .

Luckily, this small piece of the budget may be on its way towards being noticed by most of the FCPS parents. Though The Washington Post may have been overly sympathetic to Dale in its reporting about the budget shortfalls, it did bring attention to this fee along with other potential solutions.

The School Board is scheduled to have a public hearing on February 6 concering this budget proposal, and I would like to fully encourage anyone who wants to speak on this or any other issue with the budget to attend.

Author Email: gsy987@verizon.net

Freshman Girls Basketball Head Coach: James Ynson Record: 1-3 Next Game: 1/15 vs Hayfield Players to Watch: Britney Terry, Jenna Balicki, Adrian Williams Balicki

GREG YOUNG

BY CHARLES SIMPSON Staff Writer

17

Player’s Outlook: “We’ve all gotten a lot better this season,” said Balicki. “However, we still don’t have the connecions yet. We’ve gotten better at defense, moving the ball, and shooting, but we need to work on setting our screens and making precise passes.”

JV Girls Basketball Head Coach: David McRae Record: 3-2 Next Game: 1/15 vs. Hayfield Adcock

Players to Watch: Tania Ghods, Jane Aman, Izzt Yaroch, Alley Adcock Player’s Outlook: “We are doing really well. We beat South County and it was their first loss of the year,” said Adcock. “We have really good team chemistry this year.

We are also all at about the same level, so everyone contributes to the team. We still need to work on our shooting.”

JV Wrestling Head Coach: Dick Adams Record: N/A Next Match: 1/17 vs. Woodson Mizouri

Players to Watch: Yari Mizouri, Brayan Pazo, Jake Sanborn Player’s Outlook: “It has been hard work with Adams and the other coaches that has helped me improve,” said Mizouri. “I push myself in everything i do. I also go to practice every day. Because this is my first year, I need to work on my form overall, there is a lot that I still have to learn.”

All records taken courtesy of www.annandaleatoms.com

18 Which One Tree Hill character are you?

1.What is your idea of a perfect weekend? a. shopping with friends b. going to a book signing of your favorite author c. going to a concert d. singing karaoke with friends e. playing basketball 2.If you could summarize your personality in one word what would you say? a. diva b. scholarly c. complicated d. caring e. selfish 3.You would summarize your past realationships as: a. crazy b. great but overwhelming c. hurtful d. barely any e. nothing compared to what I have now 4. The most important thing in your life is: a. your friends b. your family c. your hobbies d. your significant other e. your athletic team MostlyAs: you are: Brooke Davis. Not only are you ambitious but you drive the guys crazy.

Mostly Bs: you are Lucas. You have both an intellectual side and a funny side.

People always turn to you for help.

Mostly Cs: you are Peyton. Music is your passion. You may seem different but your creativity will pay off.

M ostly Ds : you are Haley. You are very concerned with your studies. You have a kind heart.

Mostly Es: you are Nathan. You are a great athlete while being deeper than most think.

Students vie for coveted tickets

BY KATIE VU AND KELSEY PRICE Journalism 1 Students After weeks of anticipation, kids of all ages were lucky enough fulfill a huge dream: to attend a Hannah Montana Concert. Miley Cyrus, who plays 15 yearold Hannah Montana on her hit Disney Channel TV show, breezed through the Verizon Center Monday night. Her millions of fans also got to listen to the Jonas Brothers throughout her many costume changes.

The “Best of Both Worlds” concert tour had been sold out for weeks as tickets were in high demand for her millions of fans. Freshman Carly Bouchard, was one of the few lucky girls who got tickets as a late Christmas Present.

“I love Hannah Montana’s music and her Disney Channel TV show. When my Dad asked if I wanted tickets, I jumped at the chance to see her live in concert,” said Bouchard.

Unfortunately, not all kids were as lucky as Bouchard. Sophomore Stephanie Burns, who owns tons of Hannah paraphernalia, was crushed after she discovered that tickets were all sold out.

“I was really upset,” said Bouchard, “I wanted to go so badly and heard that it was a great concert. I even entered five different contests trying to win tickets!”

Since Cyrus is never the kind of girl to let down her fans, a concert movie is now playing in theatres everywhere. The movie is a 3D version of her concert tour, which parents can buy hassle free online at movietickets.com.

Some people payed thousands to see Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) on tour

ENTERTAINMENT

Cashmere

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Jan. 15, 2008

There’s only Mafia’s City One Tree Hill

BY AVERY ADCOCK Entertainment Editor

Thought your life was going to end after Sex in the City finished? Do you still crave the T.V. life of shoe-crazed socialites living in the chaotic world of New York City? Put down that tissue and turn on the T.V. because ABC’s new Cashmere Mafia is the answer to your prayers.

The soon-to-be obsession debuted on January 6 at 10 p.m. on ABC. In the midst of the painfully obvious writers strike, Cashmere Mafia is a breath of fresh air. If you are like me, a loyal fan of Desperate Housewives, you were less than impressed with the “climatic” newest episode. However, Cashmere Mafia was very entertaining.

The producers of Sex in the City, Darren Star and writer Kevin Wade have struck gold with this new hit.

Many may say that Cashmere Mafia is a direct copy of Sex in the City, but that’s because it is

supposed to be.

The show depicts the lives of four best friends living and working in New York City. The four characters mimic the Sex in the City starlets. Although they have different love lives, jobs and even sexual orientations they all share one thing: they are on top of their game.

Whether the CEO of a company or the top executive of a marketing firm, they all do not let anyone, especially men, stand in their way.

Even though the cast does not have the star power and spunk of the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, it does have the witty comedy of Sex in the City, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty.

Their Ivy League educations provide an aspect that Sex in the City lacked.

We all remember Lucy Liu from Charlie’s Angels. If you thought she was great in that movie, wait until you see her now. In the first episode alone her character, Mia, gets engaged and then broken up with.

Frances O’ Connor plays Zoe, who is constantly struggling to balance a high powered career with married life and children.

Juliet (Miranda Otto) made the feistiest appearance when she informed her husband that she was going to give him a dose of his own medicine after she finds out he had been having an affair. Caitlin (Bonnie Somerville) is the youngest and most free-spirited of them all. She is torn between men, women, and having a career.

No matter if you were a Sex in the City fanatic or have never heard of it, Cashmere Mafia will channel the inner diva in everyone.

BY AVERY ADCOCK Entertainment Editor

One Tree Hill fanatics, like myself have been waiting for the newest season of the hit show for what seemed like forever. The wait is over and the verdict is in: the new season is better than ever.

The premier episode had more going on then the O.C., Laguna Beach, and Gossip Girl combined. The CW kept viewers in the dark for a long time as to whether or not they were even coming back with a new season, however viewers everywhere are thanking graciously.

Set four years after they graduated high school everyone has changed and nothing will ever be the same. Nathan (James Lafferty) and Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) have a fouryear-old son and are dealing with Nathan’s accident. Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) is an accomplished writer that cannot seem to muster up the inspiration for his second book.

Brooke (Sophia Bush) is the most successful of all, but is it worth it?

Even with her dream of a fashion line finally being realized she finds that being on the top is a lonely place. Peyton (Hilarie Burton) struggles with being assistant to the assistant to a record executive and still has feelings for a familiar One Tree Hill castmate.

With all the surprises in the first episode the season is only destined for success. One Tree Hill is about a group of friends that live in a small town in North

Carolina. With big dreams by their side they all venture out into the world and find that life in Tree Hill was better than they thought.

The producers have finally figured out that viewers caught on to the fact that they are portraying 20-year-olds as high school seniors. The best part about the new season is that the cast has matured, as has the audience.

If you thought love triangles and murders were not enough this season the drama will be better than ever. With Kevin Federline as a guest actor things are only going to get even more juicy. Even though it is hard to first time viewers to fully understand the twisting and complicated plot of love affairs and deception this season things are starting new. One Tree Hill is definitely the new guiltiest pleasure.

It seems that with every season comes more and more problems with Nathan and Haley.

Maybe this season the relationship will finally end. From the first episode you can see that Peyton and Lucas will be rekindling their previous relationship. The question is: will Lucas revert to his double-timing ways, considering he has a new girlfriend?

It did not seem possible that the music that One Tree Hill has become famous for could get any better, but it has.

No matter if you are a first time viewer or a loyal follower One Tree Hill is a must-watch show of the new year.

Kite Runner lacks depth found in book two boys and not enough on the the time, both thought they present time. It seems like the would return to their homesomewhat boring monologue of land sooner rather than latthe kids drags on for an hour, er. Thirty years later,Amir is and then when I checked my an accomplished writer still watch, I was right. living in America. When he The unkown actors certainly gets word that he has to do not help. The adults in the travel back to Afghanistan film are much less convincing he journeys home. than their pint-size counterFaced with the ever-presEntertainment Review parts. However, I have to say ent force of the Taliban,Amir that the story throws you for a realizes how much his native

By Avery Adcock loop. Without the climatic endcountry has changed.And in the best part of the movie The Kite Runner is based on the book by Khaled Hos- ing, the movie would never have received the rating it did. and the book Amir returns seini.

After reading The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, I have to be honest, I really almost everyone would say that a movie simply would not with something he would never did feel bad about giving any do the book justice. After seeing the DreamWorks produc- expect.

The movie captures the hearts of the viewers, however it critism to such an epic tale. The fact is that the story is tion I agreed with that statement. lacks descpritive details. The book almost paints much better than the acting, but you still feel quite differThe Kite Runner tells the story of two boys, Amir The Kite the picture better than the movie. ent after the end. If the writers would not have left out so and Hassan, who are living in Kabul,Afganistan, beRunner At times the movie is hearth-wrenching much the movie would have been a hit. fore the Soviet invasion in 1979. Despite being from At the end of the movie you cannot stop from feeling as you sit through the grotesque stoning of two socially different families, the two boys are bound children in Kabul. Despite the glimpses of Os- compelled to feel for the people still living in the war-torn in an undeniable friendship. Little do they know, car-like success the overall effect of the movie is country. they have more in common than they think. underwhelming. The problem is that the movie After the Soviet invasion, Amir is forced to flee to bases too much of the plot on the childhood of the America with his father. Like many otherAfghans at

Ave’s Favs

C+

Moon is eclipsed by crime formula Paul On Prose

This is how she does away with the constant nagging, and the latter dementia (her mother was mentally ill and suffering from colon and breast cancer) which most daughters simply move away from, forming their own families with husbands and children. The book concerns itself with the twenty-four hours following the act of murder.

Of course, the message is that mother Book Review never truly goes away. Helen’s father tells her as a child that “The moon is whole all the time, but we can’t always see it. What we see The first line of Alice Sebold’s new novel, The Almost is an almost moon or a not-quite moon…We Moon, is out to catch you just like the initial sequence of plan our lives based on its rhythms and her second novel, The Lovely Bones, is out to catch on: tides,” through which Helen comes to the with brutal realization and admittance, Sebold’s narrator, conclusion that “The idea that my mother a Helen Knightly, says “When all is said and done, killing was eternal like the moon….Dead or alive, my mother came easily.” With such concise quip-making, a mother or the lack of a mother shaped one’s whole life.” Thus, through killSebold already ravels her readers in the bare bitThe Almost ing her mother, Helen realizes that ing truth of death, and with dry humor.

Moon her mother will always affect her, However, far from the poignancy that Sebold’s even beyond the grave. In fact, the importance of last novel harbored, The Almost Moon proceeds a mother, Helen realizes, is so integral to a child’s from this line in almost ludicrous absurdity in life, that she thinks “of the uncared-for bodies that regards to the thoughts and actions of Helen. Selay strewn in the streets and fields of Rwanda or bold presents the troubled and tried relationship Afghanistan. I thought of the thousands of sons of a mother and daughter, one through which and daughters who would like to be in the position the daughter suffers from being labeled never I was in to have known exactly when their mothers died, good enough, never thin enough and never pretty enough.

Except, instead of coming to terms with her mother, like and then to be alone with their bodies before the world many hormonal adolescents do, Helen murders her, “in the rushed in.”

How touching; Helen, a professional art-class model same way you would turn the light off in an empty room.”

C-

who, after killing her mother travels to her best friend’s house and not finding her home, has sex with her best friend’s son, finally discovers the true beauty of a mother figure in all lives, even of those of African genocide orphans.

The psychology of this novel is frightening, in that Sebold can distance herself so far from the actual psychological repercussions of death and yet know she has fashioned a best-seller. Readers and Barnes & Noble dwellers have devoured, and will continue to devour this novel for the sake of its straightforwardness, the dry humor of its writing, its message canned through a brutal act of murder that avid followers of CSI: Miami and have come to feed on.

But Sebold’s novel is ill-constructed (it reads as any wannabe free associative work, without the purpose) and illogical to the point of complete madness. Her portrait of a committer of matricide is so unbelievable (immediately after killing her mother, Helen has her ex-husband drive over from California to help put her mother’s body in the freezer) that no matter what the ultimate message is, it is not worth conveying through her blog-like language of nonsensicality. I can only hope that daughters everywhere will not go try “finding” the significance of their mothers.

ENTERTAINMENT

A

t

Jan. 15, 2008

National Treasure is fool’s gold

19 Horoscopes Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18)

Gus’s

Belligerent friends want to tear you from your friendly nature. Be true to who you are and win battles with words, not swords.

Garbage Movie Review

By Gus Nielsen

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

The Dean’s List will not be given this issue because of the lack of any decent movies coming out. Instead, I will totally trash National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Welcome to Gus’ Garbage.

I am going to liberate you from the presumption that this is a good movie. The film is about Ben Gates, the world-renowned treasure hunter from the first National Treasure. Gates found a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence, then found a bunch of treasure in New York somewhere.

Now his great-grandfather has been accused of being involved in the Lincoln assassination, and he must find some more treasure to clear his name. The team, comprised of Gates, his dad, his ex-wife, his friend who also happens to be a tech genius, and eventually is mother, breaks into Nicolas Cage is lucky enough to catch the secret service on their day off as he steals from the president in the Oval Office.

Buckingham Palace, steals a tablet, the breaks into the The lacking here was simply in the plot. There were no Oval Office at the White House and tries to steal some does not know anything?

Secondly, there is a city of gold beneath Mount Rush- continuity issues, but that is expected of Hollywood films. more stuff. The chase eventually leads them to Mount Rushmore, where of course the Lakota Indians have built more.An entire city, of just gold and riches and secrets, with There was nothing dazzling about the cinematography, an incredibly intricate system of mazes, booby traps, locks an incredibly complex system of drains and water, built by except for some nice nature shots.

The overall feeling I got leaving the theater and dams that protect the lost city of gold which lies beneath the Lakota Indians? I don’t think so. The Indians was, “At least I got to eat some nachos.” I didn’t were able to do some pretty nice stuff, but this is Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt.

National feel like talking about why the movie was so good, Everything works out for everyone in the end, and none just too far out there.

Treasure: or why I would see it again. Instead, I thought of Third, They only go to three places before they Book of of the team gets arrested for kidnapping the President of the how ridiculous it was and how I would best be able find this city. A quick visit to France, then a car Secrets United States or climbing on top of Mount Rushmore. to formulate those rants into this one. chase in England, then Washington, D.C., and First of all, the most heinous thing of the movie is in Hollywood as a whole has turned away from its title. This “Book of Secrets,” which contains explana- Mount Rushmore. If it was only going to take realistic plot lines that toy with human emotion. me a week to find this crazy treasure with one tions to every conspiracy and mystery in America’s history Instead of exploring the human psyche Hollywood (including JFK), directs them to the treasure, which they book from the Library of Congress, I would not is trying to enamor audiences by exploring the be writing this criticism. find ridiculously easily. depths of the secret passages in Mount RushAlso, why would the President carve a bunch The book begs the question, if we knew about JFK, then more. of faces to try and conceal this city?

Four faces of our great wasn’t the government involved? Why keep it a secret? If the answers to all our mysteries are in the book, why center Presidents carved into rock is not the most inconspicuous culture on the fact that our government façade for this lost city.

D+

American Gladiator

A Vacant Golden Globes

The butt kicking reality show is back, where hulky gladiators take on average contestants

BY OMAR MAYASSI Staff Writer

Gladiator Crush is packing more than just a pretty face on Mondays at 8 on NBC.

exciting way.

Aside from the mighty yet humorous gladiators, the whole point of the show is for the contestants (two girls and two guys) to compete in four events and then the eliminator.

Each event tests the contestant physically and mentally. The events test their toughness, strength, smarts, and quickness. The eliminator tests all these elements in one huge obstacle course. The first contestant to cross wins and the other contestant is eliminated from the whole competition.

The show not only has great contestants and hilarious gladiators, but they have outstanding hosts. The Hosts are Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali. These two have so much energy within them they make the whole American Gladiator environment viable and present.

Sudoku

“Say good-bye, say good-bye to Hollywood.” Eminem was right when he rapped this line because the tension between the WGA’s strike and the big T.V. Networks and movie production studios have now reached a whole new level of dispute. The Golden Globes and NBC as a result of this conflict have decided to format the award show as a news conference.

The Golden Globes were being boycotted by the SAG (Screen Actors Guild). The Golden Globes and NBC feared that protesters would ruin the show if it was filmed in its traditional manner. Also, no actors or actresses were going to show up due to the fact that they want to support the WGA’s strike. The SAG knows that without the writers for their movies or T.V. sitcoms they would not have had the great success that led them to the Golden Globes.

“The SAG is doing a good thing,” said senior Jennifer Valdez, “their supporting their opinions and making a powerful statement towards the cause of the WGA strike.”

Some of the big name actors who would have boycotted the awards were: Julia Roberts, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, Keira Knightley, Jodie Foster, George Clooney and Denzel Washington. The result of these stars not showing up to the Golden Globes would’ve meant very low ratings for the show, which is already fading from the important award show that it once was.

“If no one is going,” said sophomore Yousef Samey, “then what is the point of having it. NBC should not air it because I believe no one is going to watch it.”

An interesting story is of Keira Knightley, whose mother is a writer whom is on strike, so Knightly is not only supporting the strike, but she is also supporting her mother.

“I feel that Knightley is doing the right thing,” said Samey, “she is fighting for what she believes in and for her mom as well.

She is risking her job for her mother, that is awesome.”

Ironically some students at AHS have never liked the Golden Globes so it will not affect them at all. All award shows have found it hard to capture the same large audience that they once drew.

“I do not, and have never liked, the Golden Globes,” said Valdez, “It is really boring to watch. There is always something better on TV [than the Golden Globes].

Will the SAG’s support help end the WGA strike? Or will this just be a small dent not affecting the outcome of the WGS strike? Only time will tell, but many people want this strike to end so their beloved shows like House, 24, and Grey’s Anatomy can return to the primetime. But most networks are not that worried about bringing back these shows because they have found that if they replace these shows with reality shows then they can save money, and the shows are just as popular.

Aries (March 21-April19)

You’re a strong indivudal, but leadership from your seniors is somethingthatcannotbe underrated. Learn from their lessons before they affect you.

Taurus (April 20-May18)

Life’s challenges seem to be avoiding you. Take some time to catch your breath, but use this time to get ahead. Life is easy when you’re leading the race.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Your inquisitive nature to other seems more like gossip. Its okay to want to learn, but be careful when distinguishing between what’s public and personal.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Don’t be a hermit, get out and be sociable. Be open to new ideas, events and friends. A party this weekend would be the perfect spot to start.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Things seem to be going your way, as a result of your ambition and drive.

An award looms in your future.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)

You question your new relationships because of romantic interests of the past. Nothing will be resolved until you confront the skeletons in your closet.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

The dreariness of winter has taken its toll on your body and mind. Its okay to be a hard worker, but don’t forget your sometimes healthy lazy nature.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Love tends to avoid you because your aggresiveness threatens others, but a passionate Leo can match your fire.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

A weak attendance by actors and actresses of the SAG at the Golden Globes will overshadow performances such as Emile Hirschʼs leading role in Into the Wild.

Venegence seem to fill your mind. Its better to forgive and forget because and eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Directions

WWW.DAILYSUDOKU.COM

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

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

WWW.DAILYSUDOKU.COM

American Gladiator is finally back (with help from the writer’s strike)! We all know the show because of all the re-runs on ESPN classic, that have left us dreaming of this day because it is a fun show to watch with mild cracks of humor spewing from the gladiators’ mouths and out the T.V. speakers to the audience’s ears. But this new American Gladiator is better than the last time this show was on.

The comedy of the new 2008 version has been elevated to new heights and there is even more insight into who the gladiators are and what they are like.

The rules are all the same but there are new events such as The Wall and Earthquake.

The Wall involves contestants trying to climb to the top while having gladiators chase them and trying to knock them down into the water. The Earthquake involves the contestant and the gladiator wrestling with each other on an unbalanced platform the first one to fall loses.

The gladiators are funny, furious, and full of energy. The fan base is huge, shown by the enormous audience with poster rooting on their favorite gladiator.

The female gladiators are: Venom, Fury, Stealth, Siren, Crush, and Helga. These women are not your ordinary girls because they are packing some serious punch. The male gladiators are: Titan, Mayhem, Justice, Militia, Toa, and Wolf.

All of these characters have their own personality, but Wolf seems to stand out from the crowd. Wolf is funny because he howls about every five minutes to pump up the crowd and says great corny lines such as, “I’m smellin’blood, and I’m gonna eat ya.” This quotation immediately got the crowd pumped up, but in a joyful

BY OMAR MAYASSI Staff Writer

Rather than dwell on the couples that surround you, search for your own companion.

Search for someone, because someone might be searching for you.

Cautious and prudent you avoid the dangerous traps that your work load can throw at you. Keep on this steady course.

20 Contact a local group in your area JCC of Northern Virginia 8900 Little River Turnpike Fairfax, VA 22031 Phone: 703-323-0880 Universalist Unitarian Church of Arlington 4444 Arlington Blvd Arlington, Virginia 22204 Phone: 703-892-2565 Capital Baptist Church 3504 Gallows Road Annandale, VA 22003 Phone: 703-560-3109

5 Senses for January

WEEKEND

A

t

Jan. 15, 2008

What would Jesus do...

On the weekends?

Students incorporate faith into their everyday lives by seeking religious activities Name: Michael Rosenstein Grade: 11 Religious Affiliation: Judaism Name of Synagogue: Beth El Q: Are you a part of a youth group?

A: I am not part of a specific youth group but have taken part in activities with a group called the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), which is a youth group for teens. I also take part in a lot of activities at the Jewish Community Center in Northern Virginia and serve as a camp counselor there over the summer.

Q: What types of activities do you do in your religious community on the weekends?

A: There are many activities that kids can get involved with in the Jewish community, -either through their synagogue, the JCC or youth groups like the BBYO. Parties for special events are held for Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays, but are not just limited to religious celebrations. There will be a Superbowl party coming up and several travel programs are offered to college kids.

Q: Is your group open to anyone who is interested in joining?

A: The BBYO is limited to only Jewish members but the JCC is open to anyone who is interested in joining. I am also the President of the Jewish Culture Club at AHS and that is open to anyone in the school.

Taste

Name: Tim Hepburn Grade: 11 Religious Affiliation: Christian Name of Church: IBC-Immanuel Bible Church

La Tasca 607 King St. Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 703-812-9120

Hear Hip House Scenario 3287 M. St. NW Washington, D.C.

Q:Are you part of a youth group?

A: Yes, it’s called the X-Factor Q: What types of activities does your youth group do on weekends?

A: First Friday of the month there is a movie night with my small group, Bible Study.

Q: Can you list some specific events/trips/ gatherings you have done in the past?

A: Retreats in the fall and spring, trips such as ski trips, movie nights, leadership training, and special speakers have come in.

Q: Is your group open to anyone who is interested?

A: Yes Q: Are there any other groups that you can become involved in with your church?

A: Yes, other bible studies Q: Which types of activities do these groups do?

A: Fun ones! Mini Olympics, bible memorization, lock-in’s, community service, movie nights, laser tag, and hiking.

See 27 Dresses Rated PG-13 Genre: Comedy and Romance

Smell Hike Wakefield Park 8100 Braddock Rd. Annandale, VA 22003

Name: Tori Clodfelter Grade: 9 Religious Affiliation: Unitarian Universalist Name of church: Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington Q: Are you a part of a youth group? Does it have a specific name?

A: Yes, but it does not have a specific name.

Q: What types of activities does your youth group do on the weekends?

A: We meet every Sunday, and have lock-in’s, retreats to fun places, visits to other UU churches, have movie nights, and parties.

Q: Can you list some specific events/trips/ gatherings you have done in the past?

A: We have gone to Hemlock, visited Mount Vernon church, and had a movie night.

Q: Is your group open to anyone who is interested in joining?

A: Yes Q: Are there any other groups that you can become involved with in your church?

A: Our church offers performing and visual art opportunities, as well as political action groups.

Q: Which types of activites do these groups do?

A: We have performing arts activities and we sponsor and host political and social action events.

Name: Skylar Leslie Grade: 12 Religious Affiliation: Baptist Name of Church: Capital Baptist Church Q: Are you a part of a youth group?

A: I am a student leader and the teen worship leader. I help our youth director with planning and other responsibilities. I also sign in the teen band for our evening service Q: What types of activities does your youth group do on the weekends?

A: Our youth group has a fun night at least once a month. We also have Word of Life, our Sunday eve teen service Q: What are some specific events/trips/gatherings you have done in the past with your church?

A: We have had student life at Daytona, host all nighters, Word of Life, a Christmas banquet and a 30 hour famine.

Q: Is your group open to anyone who is interested in joining?

A: Of course, we are a very unique group of people. There is no cookie cutter teen so there is no cookie cutter group member.

Q: Are there any other groups that you can become involved in with your church?

A: We gather with other sister churches for events and were trying to partner with Immanuel Church for 30 Hour Famine Q: Which types of activities do these groups do?

A: The same types of things, like all nighters, 30 hour long camps.

Touch Paint Your Own Pottery 10417 Main St. Fairfax, VA 33030

Fri., Jan. 18 8x10, Baltimore 8 p.m, Price: $27.50

Marilyn Manson

Thurs. Jan. 24 Rams Head Live!

8:30 p.m.

Price: $55

Q: What types of activities does your youth group do on the weekend?

A: There’s a lot of Qur’an memorizations, and classes of hadiths and the lives of the prophets.

Q: Can you list come specific events/trips/gatherings you have done in the past?

A: Some enter the Muslim-Inter-Scholastic Tournament (MIST). Others go hiking to the nearest mountains. We also plan interfaith activities.

Q: Are there any other groups that you can become involved with in your church?

A: Yes. Q: Which types of activities do these groups do?

A: Usually broken it’s broken into two groups. There is one for boys and one for girls. Each group plays sports, have fun activities for kids, prayer nights etc., just like above!

What’s On The Restaurant Guide

By Claire Bui and Caroline Merz

Gordon Biersch Lupe Fiasco Sun. Jan. 27 Sonar 8 p.m.

Price: $22

Angels and Airwaves Sun., Feb. 10 Rams Head Live!

7 p.m.

Price: $27.50

Please note: although this is not an alcoholic haven, Gordon Biersch is known for their brewery. This German food chain has a delectable taste for food as well as a very pub-like atmosphere.

Upon entering on a Wednesday afternoon, there is no wait and service is very quick and efficient. Given any other days one may not be as fortunate, such as a week night or weekend.

For being located in the interior of a busy shopping mall, it was designed so it replicates a pub but on the edges of the restaurant are tables with more light, emulating a more outdoorsy setting. Raised booths separate parties, making the dining experience more exclusive and private.

The lunch menu was more sparse than envisioned but had a wide variety ranging from about eleven sandwich choices, and wide spread of salads and appetizers. For a lunch menu though, there were many choices and a large variety of different tastes from pastas and stirfrys to pizza.

The best deal on the menu was the half roasted turkey sandwich with choice of soup or salad. But because there were two of us, we opted to purchase both the roasted turkey sandwich and house salad as two separate items.

Service was half decent but tended to lag behind the appetite. There were plenty of staff available but to re-

ceive our lunch took about 20-25 minutes. For a salad and sandwich it seemed a bit obscene but perhaps we are just two very hungry girls who were very anxious to continue shopping.

Before we started getting too impatient, the colossal sandwich came surrounded by a huge heaping of garlic fries and the house salad was enough for a meal on its own (this opinion would vary according to appetite of course).

Food style closely resembled that of a Silverado or other Great American Restaurants chain; classic American cuisine with a mix of Asian (stirfrys) and German (beer and meat entrees).

The sandwich was layered with fresh ingredients and the tender chicken nicely complimented the tangy sauce which was tangy enough to keep the dish exciting.

Garlic fries were the cherry on top of this sundae. Beerbattered and served hot, they had a slight hint of garlic but nothing overpowering to scare off a date or dinner guest.

It was also a nice touch how the salad dressing was served on the side, leaving it up to the customer. The meal left us feeling satisfied but not sick…always a plus.

Though situated in the midst of a hectic shopping mecca, customers will find a getaway in the seclusion of the restaurant’s aura. It is a world of its own in that one will find themselves forgetting the busy metro lifestyle surrounding them. Lighting from the mall makes you think that through the windows is a town or outdoor setting, not a commercial plaza.

Family friendly yet suitable for a nice night out with family, friends, or a date. As far as dates and paying for your date (guys, take a hint!) appetizers range from $3.95-12.95 and entrees from $9.95-24.95.

CHRIS GLASS

Chris Brown

Name: Navila Rashid Grade: 12 Religious Affiliation: Islam Name of the Mosque: Baitul Mukkharam/Mustafa Center

CLAIRE BUI

Upcoming Concerts

Above: Beer-battered garlic fries are a popular side order to many of the various entrees. Below: Gordon Biersch Restaurant and brewery combines a dark pub feel with a light exterior of the Tysonʼs Corner shopping mall.

Location: 7861 L Chain Bridge Rd McLean, VA 22102 (703) 388-5454

Food: Service: Decor: out of 4 stars