Issue 1

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018 Vol. 64 Issue #1

Annandale High School’s

“SERVES UP!”

THE A BLAST 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 www.thea-blast.org

Atoms volleyball team prepares for the season SPORTS 13

Informing the Atoms since 1954

Students adapt to schedule conflicts

COURTESY OF ALISON SCOTT

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief

Senior Alison Scott paints a Class of 2019 motto on a rock in the senior courtyard on Aug. 16. Seniors updated the courtyard with new paint to continue with school tradition.

Seniors rock the new school year As the Class of 2019 prepares for their final school year, incoming freshmen adjust to a brand-new environment at AHS

BY KIMBERLY VAIDES Co-Editor in Chief By now, freshman Joscelyn Ventura has found balance when it comes to time management for homework, marching band practice after school and a social life. The halls seem less scary, faces are more familiar, and relationships are growing.

Ventura is one of the many faces in the hallways of a school with more than 2,100 students.

Many first-year students are still adjusting to a new mascot, new responsibilities and a new environment that they will experience for the next four years.

As Ventura enters the second week of her high school career, she notes that it is different than what she had originally imagined.

Compared to Holmes middle school, AHS is a much larger in size, and in the first few days, it was difficult for Ventura to navigate where her classes were.

Surprisingly enough, there is no significant difference between high school and middle school for her.

“In middle school, they really

emphasized that high school is going to be really strict and tougher,” Ventura said. “So far it doesn’t seem that bad. If anything, it’s better than middle school.”

As some students start their high school years, seniors are coming to an end to theirs. On Aug. 14, several seniors came in to contribute to the redecoration of the senior courtyard despite the humidity and hot summer sun.

On one wall, seniors boldly painted their new class slogan, “doing b19 things.” Additionally, seniors freely plastered various, vivid colors on another wall and painted their other slogan, “sl19ght work,” on top.

“Being able to eat at the senior courtyard is significant because it shows in a way how much you have accomplished,” senior Leadership president Vitalina Fuentes said. “The past three years have not been easy for me, and I know it’s the same for a lot of other students.”

During the lunch blocks, seniors have started to indulge in their privilege of eating in the courtyard.

A new feature this year, for both freshman and upperclassmen, is the fifteen-minute break after the first period.

Since freshman year, junior Lee Le has rarely had the time to get breakfast

because of the late arrival of their bus.

“Since you’re not allowed to eat on the buses, it’s good to have a designated time for getting food,” Le said.

This new rule, used in AHS years prior, was enacted primarily for bus riders who did not have time to get breakfast before the first period.

“We hope that a lot of students will take advantage of that,” Principal Tim Thomas said. “We expect everyone to get breakfast first and linger later instead of lingering and going to get breakfast and being late to class.”

In coming years, the distribution of breakfast could be extended to other areas of the school other than the cafeteria during the break.

Another new adjustment students and teachers are growing accustomed to is the removal of the trailer quads behind the modular unit.

In total, eight classrooms have been relocated inside the school building, including Spanish and history classes.

Senior Isabella Domeneck has had at least one trailer class every year.

“I didn’t like the trailers because they are inconvenient and it takes too long to get there and leave,” Domeneck said.

Hall of Fame induction to be held

CONT. Page 3

JUDE NANAW

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief

Also being inducted in the first class of the hall of fame are state championship teams, coaches and administrators.

Teams to win first state championships for the Atoms including the 1965 football team; 1986 girl’s soccer team and the first undefeated Atoms football team from 1959.

Coaches Katherine Buck, Ed Henry and Katherine Russell and former athletic directors Bob Hardage and Rachel Peters are among staff inductees.

Former principal Jim Finch will also be inducted.

These AHS alum will all be attending the ceremony however, for those

being inducted that are deceased, a family member will be attending in their honor.

The official induction ceremony will take place at the Arlington Moose Lodge on Sept. 8 where inductees into the first class will meet. There will be anywhere from 60 to 80 attendees at the ceremony.

“We are looking forward to having our first induction ceremony,” Ellenberger said. “The alumni are also excited that it is finally happening.”

This new Atoms tradition will create excitement for future years to come.

--MARK VITELLI

counselor

“I had an issue with my schedule when it came to fitting HL Business into my schedule,” senior Aklesiya Abebe said. “I believe the problem was that the IB Physics class I was signed up for was really full which prevented me from being in either class.”

However, for students attempting to switch classes based off of preference after school has begun must wait for that process to begin until a few weeks into the school year.

As the days go on in the first weeks of school, Counselors will continue to discuss options with students in order to have them enrolled in their most desired classes.

“I have a really great counselor so I am confident that the issues with my schedule will be sorted out,” Abebe said.

The opportunity to change classes will begin on Tuesday, September 11.

This program allows parents to have complete access to their student’s grades and attendance records.

There will also be a table set up for The annual back-to-school tradition this in the athletic lobby where parents will be held tonight, Sept. 5. Overall the will be able to sign up if they fail to make night, will last about two hours with it to the lab. the first class starting at 6:10 and end“It is so important that parents are ing with the last class at 7:55. able to have that information about their “It’s a very exciting night, teachers children, especially when they want to really look forward to meeting parents,” support them throughout the school assistant principal Donna Higgins said. year,” Higgins said.

During the event parents are given Since this event takes a good amount an entire layout of of time, there will their child’s classalso be child care es from the teach- “Parents are welcomed available, courers themselves. tesy of the Key into all classrooms and They also are Club, for those informed about the are able to really get a who have youngdifferent types of er children. feel for what everyday material, assignIf parents ments, and activ- will look like for their wish to utilize ities that will be kid” this free care given or taught kids are to be throughout the --DONNA HIGGINS dropped of in the Assistant principal Clausen year.

Hall.

Parents are “There are many also encouraged to come to the athlet- activities available for the younger kids ic lobby between 5:30 and 5:50 p.m. to to play around in so we really encourage pick up their student’s schedule and a all parents to come,” Higgins said. “It’s school map. always a lot of fun.”

Parents will first visit all of their It is also very important that stustudent’s red day classes followed by dents themselves inform their parents their white day classes. about the event so they are aware of it Many teachers find this event to be and know when to come. one of the most important nights held “It really is a conversation startall year. er between students and parents,” HigAny time between 5:30 and 6:30 gins said. “It really allows them both to p.m. parents will also be given the establish good relationships between the opportunity to sign up for FCPS 24-7 teachers.”

Parent View in the IMS Lab, or room 18.

BY JESSICA SALISBURY Photo Editor

The Athletic Hall of Fame wall located in front of the main gym will unveil photos of inductees after the induction ceremony.

“Some schedule mistakes may not be seen until students come to school. We try to be as diligent as possible in working through those”

Back-to-school night tonight

New school tradition set to bring in decorated alumni for ceremony

Throughout all the years of existence and high-intensity of school spirit and tradition, AHS has never had an athletic hall of fame until now.

This past school year Director of Student Activities John Ellenberger made an effort for an installment of the first Atoms athletic hall of fame.

“With the tradition in this school and with all the great athletes and coaches that have come through here, I thought that an athletic hall of fame is something we needed to have,” Ellenberger said.

The first class of hall of fame inductees features former Atoms athletes including some of whom were also professional athletes, All-Americans, as well as an Olympian.

Inductees into the 2018 Atoms athletic hall of fame class will include current UCLA women’s soccer head coach Amanda Cromwell who led the Bruins to a NCAA Championship in 2013.

Other individual former AHS athletes being inducted include class of 1960 football player Sonny Utz and former MLB player Robin Jennings who played for a number of professional teams including the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies.

Trailer classes may seem like a challenge to reach during cold or hot weather, but the rigorous classes offered at AHS are part of the International Baccalaureate program.

“IB classes provide a student with the opportunity to challenge themselves with college-level material,” IB Coordinator Linda Bradshaw said.

AHS offers a wide range of IB classes from Literature to History, the Sciences and electives such as Visual Arts and Film, “College admissions counselors love to see IB courses on students’ transcripts because it shows that a student is a critical thinker and is globally minded,” Bradshaw said.

Last year, a total of 46 seniors were IB diploma candidates.

100% of all diploma candidates are enrolled in universities and/or military service.

As of this school year, 48 seniors are striving to graduate with the IB diploma and 50 juniors are enrolled as candidates.

With a new school year comes new schedules. As students begin to adjust to their new courses and teachers for the school year, it is inevitable that a number of students will face conflicts within their schedule.

Schedule conflicts typically include certain classes not being available, courses not fitting into student schedules, or more students signing up for a class than the cap allows.

When these issues arise students are typically called in by their counselors in order to adjust their schedules.

“If there are two classes that are happening at the same time and cannot fit into a schedule, all of those should be corrected by the first day of school,” counselor Mark Vitelli said.

When first-choice electives selected by students do not fit in to their schedules, tough decisions have to be made by students including having to switch to different class, dropping an elective and selecting a different one or even taking a course that does not fit into a student’s schedule online.

It is also possible for some student schedules to have to be adjusted past the first week of school.

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

Schools need to ensure the mental health of their students

ARMED AND TEACHING?

BY LUKE ELKINS Editorials Editor

Giving teachers guns is not the right way to deter potential attacks on schools

BY ELIAS MOURA Editorials Editor One of the major issues and topics being debated are in the country is the 2nd Amendment and gun violence.

There’s no denying that 2018 has had a lot of school shootings; with over a dozen since the start of the year, including the most infamous of the shootings at Parkland High School.

While the country is still mourning over those lost in the past school shootings, there are many attempting to brainstorm solutions to prevent these events from happening again in the future.

As a result, people such as President Trump and the NRA have been talking about arming teachers with guns, sparking up a new debate.

Should teachers be armed with guns in school?

In rural Virginia, Lee County was planning on arming its teachers.

The board unanimously voted to arm teachers in all schools on July 12.

Mike Kidwell, a Lee County board chair, was confident that there were no legal barriers. However he was

officer to take care of situations, like wrong, as Virginia Attorney General a shooting, not the teacher. Parkland Mark Herring said that schools do High School’s armed sheriff deputy not have authority to arm teachers. never encountered the shooter.

“State law does not allow schools to A school filled with guns could arm unqualified personal and for good be used as a reason,” Herring deterrent for said.

“State law provides keeping an Herring has options to employ security attacker away, a good point however, a as teachers do personal that has professchool filled not want to be sional training, state law with guns could armed. Facing also cause an low pay, high does not allow schools to occasional critisim, and arm unqualified personal accident. a diminishing and for good reason” Students will number of staff, feel uneasy teachers face --MARK HERRING knowing enough obstacles Virginia Attorney General that there as it is. Being are weapons armed and present. faced with the A student could grab the gun and responsibility with a gun is the last that’s dangerous for all ages, from thing teachers need right now. grade school to high school. Locking Being a supporter of the 2nd a gun in a safe would take a while to Amendment, it would be natural of open and to act properly. me to support President Trump’s The teachers should in no way proposal, but I don’t think that arming be forced to be armed and held the teachers is that great of an idea. responsible for a weapon in his/her Better ideas could be thought class. A law making this voluntary of for the improvement of security would have that are comfortable in schools. It’s the job of the police

carrying, able to carry.

The schools could also check for and require prior training and professional handling.

Teachers that have a military background or trained with a gun would become more inclined to carry.

I think the counties are better off hiring extra security for schools, as it would be cheaper than training and providing teachers with guns and experience.

Then again, the voluntary aspect of things comes into play as teachers that are already trained and have a weapon wouldn’t need to be provided such things.

There are many possibilities and schools to have ideas tested. New York City spends millions on security and officers in schools and in Texas, the Keene School District allows staff to carry and protect.

Some students believe that some teachers could get angry in class and overreact by grabbing the gun they are provided. While there are plenty of solutions being thought of and put to effect, I don’t believe, and others agree with me as well, that arming teachers isn’t the best of solutions.

Do you enjoy the new 15 minute/2nd breakfast break?

IBRAHIM JARADAT freshman “It’s a good idea I think because it gives time in the morning for those who want to get breakfast and I think it’s important because you need breakfast so you can have a fulfilling day.”

BEDI GHIRMAY freshman “I really like it, it helps me get to my classes while not having to rush and stress. It gives students an extra chance to get breakfast which is very important.”

SPENCER ROBSON sophomore “I think it’s good because it’s useful to eat breakfast in the morning so the extra time gives us the ability to do so.”

RAYNE THOMAS sophomore “I kinda like it because it gives us more time to talk to our friends before our second class starts. I also use the time to get to my class earlier to be more prepared.”

MIKE ROMEO junior “I think it’s alright because we have more time to get breakfast and some quick studying inbetween classes. I still think that people are rushing to their classes though.”

LILY LE junior “I think it’s a little useless as because it gives students too much time inbetween classes. It doesn’t take too much time to get from class to class. But it is helpful sometimes if someone needs to go to their locker or to eat breakfast.”

THE A BLAST STAFF CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF Jude Nanaw Kim Vaides MANAGING EDITOR Casey Nguyen NEWS EDITOR Jude Nanaw Kim Vaides

LIFESTYLES EDITORS Maryam Dereje PEOPLE EDITOR Jamie Hamadeh ARTS EDITORS Galilea Sejas HEALTH EDITORS Casey Nguyen

EDITORIALS EDITORS Luke Elkins Elias Moura

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS Jessica Salisbury

COPY EDITOR Ethan Zimmerman

ACADEMICS EDITORS Khadija Ahmed

IN-DEPTH EDITORS Suad Mohamed Henry Hoang

WEB EDITOR/MASTER Victor Nguyen

SPORTS EDITORS Alexander Burita Eric Rivas-Martinez WEEKEND EDITORS Katie Pope ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Cameron Foti Christian Reyes

Thonny Anwar Ayman Elhag Dilan Yousif Ivanna Perez Mia Antezana Garcia Jane Elkins Tyler Plank Abel Samson Adam Shawish Eyob Dagnachew Matthew Dinh Frances Montevilla Thomas Ray Kayla Holcom Shyeim Campbell Jacqueline Claros Lopez Mya Clyburn Abraham Kebrom Arzoo Marzi Hasan Royer

AD MANAGER Ethan Zimmerman CIRCULATION MANAGER Ethan Zimmerman STAFF WRITERS Ladan Abdi Robin Han Jasmin Harris Bismaa Khan Fatima Mohamed Marian Osman Manoucher Precht

Follow The A-Blast

JASON MERCADO senior “I believe that it’s a great addition because it allows students to get breakfast at a later and more convenient time rather than rushing. It also gives time for students to use the bathroom and to be more prepared for the next class.”

CAROLYN LEMENS senior “The new passing period is a waste of time.

While it allows some students to get breakfast later, it wastes time that could be used for W4 or other periods.

FCPS is concerened about us missing class so why would they take away class time.”

Students are affected by many mental health disorders daily.

Stress, anxiety and depression affect many students and can make it hard to effectively function at times.

It is important that students can seek out and receive help when they need it, as 50% of all cases of mental illness begin at age 14 according to the National Alliance on Mental Health.

The major root of stress, anxiety, and depression for many students is school work.

The buildup of school work is an issue for many students, who have to juggle assignments and due dates from multiple classes.

“I think teachers need to understand not to pile all of the workload at the same time,” senior Rohan Miah said.

Repetitive, unnecessary homework is something that needs to be addressed as well.

“Some teachers need to chill out with the amount of homework they assign,” senior Kidus Ayele said.

If students have mastered a concept they learned in class, they shouldn’t have to spend hours on such mundane tasks they already know how to do.

Another factor that gravely impacts mental health is nutrition.

The Harvard Medical School made an analogy of nurturing our body to when an expensive car functions best with premium fuel.

Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the human brain.

A bad diet can negatively affect the brain and worsens depression.

Miah believes FCPS can improve the selection of food they have for students in their county.

“In terms of food, the food is garbage, it’s worse than McDonald’s. I really think the food does have an effect on mental health and in general health,” Miah said. “If the cafeteria started moving towards a more healthy alternative, I think that would be way better for the students.

If we’re not getting proper nutrition we can’t function.”

That’s not to say FCPS hasn’t made strides in a positive direction.

This year, FCPS has worked towards addressing mental health by hiring psychologists for every middle and high school, but questions can be raised over whether that is enough to solve a growing mental health epidemic among teenagers.

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for youth, with 90% of suicides being caused by an underlying mental health problem.

Obviously, it’s not just an issue of “toughing up” or anything like that.

Mental health is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression, contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Cartoonist Corner

Annandale High School Vol 64. Issue No. 1 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 The A-Blast is an awardwinning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community.

Published monthly, The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day, or invades an individual’s right to privacy. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post.

Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be emailed to theablast2018@gmail.com or submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements.

All submissions become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2018.

ILLUSTRATED BY: ERNEST OWEN

PHOTO COURTESY OF IN.GOV

EDITORIALS 2

NEWS 3

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

AHS welcomes Class of 2022 Freshmen class attends event to navigate and prepare for school year

With the first week of the school year in the books, the new freshmen Class of 2022 is settling into and getting adjusted to school at Annandale.

With transitioning from middle school to high school being a significant leap for most, incoming freshmen had the opportunity to learn more about their classes and the school as a whole at freshmen orientation on Aug. 23.

The incoming class was met with cheers from the Leadership class and cheerleaders as many of them entered AHS for the first time.

Orientation began at the auditorium where staff members provided brief speeches and an introduction to the school to the incoming class.

After this, students proceeded to

GALILEA SEJAS

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief

On Aug. 23, freshman and new students gathered in the main gym to conclude their orientation with a lively pep rally and a class of 2022 group photo. go through their red day schedule and find out where all of their classes are located and get the chance to meet their teachers and classmates for the first time.

Leadership students and staff members lined the hallways to

provide the new students with directions to their classes.

After cycling through all of their red day classes, the freshmen went through the same process for their white day schedules as well.

Once they toured all of their

CONT. Summer

classes, the freshmen were directed to the gymnasium for a pep rally where the marching band performed school fight songs and cheerleaders performed alongside them.

The Leadership class also set up an entertaining game of musical chairs during the pep rally.

Principal Tim Thomas gave a brief speech to the Class of 2022, motivating the new class to work hard in their upcoming school year.

“I’m a big fan of the pep rally myself,” Thomas said. “Hearing the band perform, watching the cheerleaders and having leadership set up activities is just exciting.”

While talking to the Class of 2022, Thomas provided advice including tips on how to be successful.

“My main message to the incoming freshmen class is to keep things simple like doing their homework and coming to class on time,” Thomas said. “I would also really encourage everyone to find at least one adult in the building that they could connect with and have a strong relationship with.”

“While we are very proud of those students that embrace the challenge of pursuing the full IB diploma,” Bradshaw said. “Our mission to get every student to take at least one IB course before graduating.”

Regardless of being a candidate, approximately 444 students took 1,101 exams in 31 different subjects last May. The current largest enrollment of IB students this year is 208 students in IB Business SL. “I was already enrolled in Honors classes and gradually moving towards IB classes,” senior Bashudha Dhamala, an IB diploma candidate, said. “If I was taking IB classes anyway, I figured, I might as well do the diploma,” Students can begin to enroll in IB classes their sophomore year. Junior year is when students can begin to take the first part of an IB course that will lead into their senior year.

“Be careful what you pick for your HL and SL classes because you can’t really go back on that decision without any consequences,” Dhamala said.

No matter what classes a student takes, a student must strive to grow as a learner and put all of their effort into each of their classes.

“Teachers don’t just teach content; teachers teach to value learning. If there is one thing I would want people to leave with, is an appreciation for learning,” Thomas said. “That is when an educator is affected, not when they can teach their content, but when they can teach their students to love learning. That’s another level for success.”

All students should treasure these four years of high school.

As this new school year progresses, students are encouraged to get involved, aspire to reach new goals and maintain Atom Pride.

FCPS calls for increases to security and mental health Almost $3 million allocated to budget by school board

BY KIMBERLY VAIDES Co-Editor in Chief There are various factors that go into creating a safe and healthy academic environment for more than 188,000 students in Fairfax County.

In the wake of the Stoneman Douglas incident last February, security has been a raging topic amount students and faculty.

In AHS, students organized and staged a walkout in favor of the controversial topic of gun control.

“Things like the Parkland shooting have made students scared to come to school,” junior Cynthia Nguyen said.

“It’s a good thing that the county has taken the initiative to do this; these actions will make us feel safer.”

About $0.8 million of Fairfax County’s budget will be used to fund eight new positions, including security trainers and planners.

The goal is to increase tabletop exercises, which are used to determine each school’s plan for emergency situations.

There will also be videos and scripts shown to students regarding lock down drills and what to do in that situation.

Additionally, the mental health and well-being of a student are essential to their performance in school and

“The tabletop exercises will definitely make us students feel more protected at school.

Excersises like lock down drills will give us peace of mind for if the real thing happens.”

--LAMIS OSMAN

junior stability as a whole.

A portion of the budget approved by the Fairfax County School Board targets its improvement of health support towards middle schools and elementary schools.

“I feel like this is a great improvement because when kids grow up without getting mental help, it can impact their performance and character,” senior Yeni Ventura said.

Ventura has two younger siblings that attend Braddock elementary school.

“It is especially important for kids who need this support because of family problems or whatever the case may be. It can help them develop mentally,” Ventura said.

Approximately $2.16 million of the Board’s approved budget will add 18 psychologist and social worker positions to the county.

News Briefs Back to School Night The annual information session will be held on Sept. 5.

Late Buses Begin Late Buses will begin on Sept 5. For further information of the locations of late buses, go to student services.

Tag Day The band department will be collecting donations around the county on, Sept. 8 and Sept. 9 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Senior Pictures Senior pictures will begin Sept. 17 to Sept.

21. The schedule for the pictures are outside the Publications lab for seniors to find their times.

Atoms Football The varsity Football team will face off Robinson at home on Sept.

7 at 7:00 p.m.

Labor Day

Parking Permits Parking applications for students are due Sept. 7 by 3:00 p.m. A list of eligible students will be posted on Sept. 12 near the attendance office

There will be no school on Sept. 3. Students and staff will return to class on Sept.

4.

3-hour Early Release Students will have a 3 hour early release on Sept. 19.

ATC showcases fall production Anon(ymous) The Odyssey-inspired play follows the main actor, Anonymous, nicknamed ANON. He faces troubled times navigating through America after getting separated from his mother during a shipwreck.

Since then, he ventures forth all the while his mother was mourning over the loss of her son. As Anon travels around the country, he comes face to face with a variety of creatures and monsters from different locations.

“It has a huge ensemble and there’s a chorus of immigrants that are going to be doing a lot of stylized movements; all a representation of these places, instead of literal sets,” theater teacher Katherine Brunberg said.

The play won’t include as many complex and massive sets as seen in the theater department’s previous shows, like last spring’s musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

It will require the actors to be in tune with their own body, in order to reflect the setting and their surroundings accurately.

“The play will rely on a lot of the actor’s physical strength and how they can tell a story themselves,” Brunberg said.

The play requires the actors to have some level of physicality in order to create

Alumni Holly Rivera played Esmeralda in last year’s production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. a “suspension of disbelief,” for the audience, even more so than they have in previous shows.

In the past, the Annandale Theater Company discussed many topics and themes that are prevalent in today’s society.

In last year’s fall production of “She Kills Monsters,” there were LGBTQ characters, who portrayed some, not all, of the potential problems that people in that community may face.

By bringing this to the attention of the audience members the play, it allowed a conversation to begin about the LGBT+ community, and how society may treat them.

With this fall production, it will be centered around the issue of immigration in present day.

“It takes the Odyssey and shows a variety of struggles that American immigrants face,” said Brunberg.

As Anon is traveling throughout the country, he will meet various people with different backgrounds, such as West-African and Indian.

From his interactions with these people, he, along with the audience, gets a glimpse of how difficult their life is.

The play will be focused on showing the rawness of an immigrants situation, instead of creating a stereotype or caricature of one, as many theatrical productions do.

“I would want people to feel a little bit more knowledgeable about the immigrant experience,” said Brunberg, “I want to make them feel like their story is important enough to be told, on and offstage.”

The play will come out in the fall. Tickets and dates will be available soon.

KIM VAIDES

BY GALILEA SEJAS Arts Editor

GALILEA SEJAS

The new fall play tells a story about immigrants and represents the student population

The parking lot got larger after two trailer quads that were previously located their were removed.

Classroom quads removed

BY KIMBERLY VAIDES Co-Editor in Chief

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief Creative Writing students will have the rare opportunity to learn from a spoken word teacher and artist, Regie Cabico.

A spoken word pioneer, Cabico has had many television credits including Tedx, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, NPR’s Snap Judgement and MTV’s Free Your Mind. He has also won top prizes in three National Poetry Slams.

Cabico will be working alongside English and Creative Writing Teacher Soo Jin Lee in spoken word poetry workships.

The beginning unit for the Creative Writing class will be poetry where students will not only be writing poems but also performing in front of live audiences.

“I really want students to be engaged with the poetry unit,” Lee said. “I think that memorizing their poems and performing it in front of a live audience will make it more exciting.”

Through the wide-open window for

creativity in the class, students will be able to write their own poetry and perform it to their liking in a spoken word fashion.

“I hope that everyone will be empowered by the time they perform their own words because everyone has a story,” Lee said.

Spoken word poetry workshops will be taking place not only in the Creative Writing class but in the Strategies for Success class as well.

Creative Writing, a new class to AHS this school year has sparked interest from many students.

The class has an interesting and unique curriculum which intends to enhance and allow for more student expression through multiple forms of writing and literature.

With this being the first school year where spoken word poetry is available for students, there is strong hope that the program will continue to grow and branch out in coming years.

“It would be awesome if we have a spoken word club in the future or student communities for spoken word that naturally come out of what we do this school year,”

COURTESY OF SOO JIN LEE

Creative Writing introduces new spoken word poetry

Regie Cabico (above) will be visitng AHS and helping students in the creative writing class with spoken word workshops.

Lee said.

Ultimately, spoken word opens up opportunities for student expression through writing and performing while also encouraging students to work outside of their comfort zones.

“I want students to feel poetry is live and real so that they can embody it,” Lee said. “I also want them all to know that their voice counts.”

Spoken word performance dates Tues. Sept.4 Thurs. Sept 6 Mon. Sept 10 Wed.Sept 12 Thurs. Sept 20 (Final Performance)

In late June and early July of this year, the two trailer quads behind the modular unit were removed from AHS. In total, 8 classrooms were lost, but most teachers located in the quads have been relocated inside the school building.

The quads were transported to other schools in the county with a greater demand for classroom space.

The area originally occupied by the quads will now be used as additional parking space.

In addition to that, during the end of August, five of the small brown trailers next to the modular unit was removed.

The trailers were previously used as semi-storage units. Additionally, the conditions of the trailers were unsuitable to be used as classrooms anymore.

The area will eventually be plowed with new grass.

The removal the quads and trailers was not a school decision. Every school in Fairfax County goes through an annual review that measures how effectively a school utilizes their capacity.

Upon their review, it was noted that the trailers were not used as classrooms and could be removed. Moreover, the county noted that if the quads were removed, AHS could make up for the loss in the school building.

“We do have some teachers who are changing classrooms or sharing classrooms,” Principal Tim Thomas said.

“We are fortunate to be in a situation at Annandale where teachers can have their own rooms.”

There will be no guaranteed that AHS will regain additional trailers.

4 ACADEMICS

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

Meet the new faces of Annandale This summer Uphold taught at a program for Johns Hopkins University about crystals and polymers and also spent a lot of time at the beach.

This year, she is teaching Honors and IB Biology, replacing Zachary Minchow-Proffitt, who previously held the position for a year.

Uphold wants her students to know that she may speak a bit differently than them because she grew up in the countryside.

In her free time, she likes to swim, hike, spend time outside and try new things.

She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2012. This year will be her first instructing a high school class having been a middle school teacher in Uphold and her fiancé celebrate Father’s Day at the 2018 Ocean City Air Show in Maryland during this summer. previous years.

Harrison spent her summer with her daughter in Maui, Hawaii. Her hobbies are reading and traveling, the latter of which she got to do a lot of when she ran her hotel amenities manufacturing business.

Harrison will be teaching Marketing and Economics and Personal Finance. In addition, she will be the advisor for DECA, a cocurricular club for up and coming entrepreneurs, and hopes to help members of the club apply for the organization’s scholarships.

Harrison went to Radford University for her undergraduate degree and then got her Master’s at the University of Southern California. She has been working in Harrison and her daughter leap into thin air at 10,023 feet on top FCPS since 2012. of the Haleakala crater in Hawaii.

English, history: Constance McNair

Desrivieres went to Jamaica this summer with his wife and kids where he swam around, ate good food and was “lazy and happy.”

In his free time, he likes to draw, ride a bike, play with his kids, and coach.

This year, he is teaching Special Education Biology and Algebra I: Part I. He was previously an instructional assistant at Edison High School. He wants his students to know that he is approachable and they should always be comfortable with asking him questions.

Desrivieres went to Howard University and then went on to Virginia Commonwealth University. He is currently working in the Special Education Cohort Program Desrivieres takes a picture with his wife and two kids outside of in VCU. his house in Jamaica over the summer.

McNair participated in extended school year this summer, which is summer school for younger kids.

She worked with first and second graders at Laurel Ridge Elementary School and said that the program was a lot of fun but a lot of work.

This year, McNair will be teaching English 9 and World History II. She thinks students should know that she’s rooting for them and is always going to be there for them.

McNair got her undergraduate degree at Liberty University and then got her graduate at the American College of Education.

Her hobbies include running, coaching gymnastics, and reading.

This year will mark the start of her teaching career.

McNair and her father participate in a cancer awareness race this summer, in which she finished first in her age group.

Which teacher are you going to miss having from last year?

JUSTIN SCOTT Sophomore “Mr. Maglisceau (English), because he made his class fun and it wasn’t one of those classes where all you do is learn.”

LOREN JIMENEZ Sophomore “Ms. Dillon (English), because she’s involved with all her students and does a good job of making sure everyone is having a good time.”

COURTESY OF DANIEL DESRIVIERES

Mathematics: Daniel Desrivieres

TAYLOR POE Sophomore “Mr. Maglisceau (English), because he is funny, laid back, and cool. He helps a lot with work and is involved with students.”

DANI DAVIS Junior “Mr. Vaughn (Chorus), because he is a very supportive teacher and genuinely wants the best for his students.”

Tiya Ayele dances through IB

JAY PENDARVIS Junior “Ms. Mathis (English), because she always made lessons fun and the classroom environment was different than all my other classes.”

CHARLYNNA CHOO Junior “Chef Gloninger (Culinary Arts), because she cares about her students, and she is interested in their lives and problems.”

ANGEL CRESPO Senior “Mr. Aldenderfer (English), because I learned very well with him, and he was better than any other teacher I ever had.”

Back to School Word Search

BY KHADIJA AHMED Academics Editor

Q: What did you do this summer?

A: I spent time with my brother at Virginia Tech.

Q: What clubs are you in?

A: I’m in four honor societies (Science, Social Studies, English and Spanish), Black Cultural Awareness Association, Mission Possible and Key Club.

IB Spotlight: Profiles of Diploma Candidates

Q: What is your extended essay topic?

A: My topic for the extended essay is comparing how the three types of kinship (consanguineal, affinal and fictive) create a functional community for the drug dealers of El Barrio, New York and the Ju’hoansi of Botswana. When choosing two ethnographies, I wanted one of them to focus on an underprivileged community and reading about the drug dealers of El Barrio gave me exactly what I was looking for.

Q: How are you preparing for IB exams?

A: Since school just started I haven’t really been focusing on the IB exams, but I will most definitely study later on in the year.

COURTESY OF TIYA AYELE

Q: What is your favorite IB subject?

A: My favorite IB subject was Anthropology which I took last year. I really enjoyed learning about how different cultures have developed throughout time and the creative projects we were given.

Q: What skills do you think the IB program has taught you that can help you later in life?

A: I think the most important thing IB solidified in my brain is that at a certain point natural smarts are essentially futile if they are not paired with hard work. In programs like GT, it was easy to skate through by hardly putting time into the work but now hard work is what makes a standout student, not how “smart” they are. I think transitioning from relying on natural smarts to hard work can be very difficult so I am glad I became aware before college.

Senior Tiya Ayele poses for a picture after her group performance representing Ethiopia during a heritage event last year.

Q: What colleges are you applying to?

A: I’m pretty sure the typical response from Annandale students is UVA and Virginia Tech which applies to me.

I think they are very good in-state schools and I have heard they have good biology departments which is something that I am interested in.

Q: What advice do you have for future IB candidates?

A: Probably just do your homework. Once you become complacent in not doing homework once or twice, it’s easier to justify not doing other important things and that snowballs into a situation you do not want and could have prevented.

Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

A: I honestly don’t know where I see myself in ten years. Probably in a lot of debt. Hopefully, I’ve secured a good job after college and feel some sense of fulfillment.

HANGYUL CHANG Senior “Ms. Hardy (Psychology), because she engages with her students and makes the class atmosphere happy and positive.”

Academy Agenda Bell Blackboard Bus Cafeteria

Desk Hallway Laptop Locker Study Teacher

COURTESY OF CONSTANCE MCNAIR

Marketing: Heidi Harrison

COURTESY OF REBECCA UPHOLD

Biology: Rebecca Uphold

COURTESY OF HEIDI HARRISON

Twenty-six new teachers are being welcomed to the school this year

HEALTH 5

CASEY NGUYEN

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

Student turns on the “Do Not Disturb” accessory.

1. Maryland, 26% 2. New York, 30% 3. Connecticut, 30% 4. Virginia, 31% 5. California, 32%

SOURCE: THE JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION OF RUTH SEYOUM BY CASEY NGUYEN

States with the least teens texting while driving:

According to the IceBike, over 330,000 accidents are caused by texting while driving every year. This indicates that over 78% of all drivers are distracted becausee they have been texting while driving.

JUST WAIT TWO MINUTES Number of Virginia teenagers texting while driving is ranked among the lowest in the U.S.

BY CASEY NGUYEN Managing Editor On the morning of July 21, 2015, Charles Mauer and his 10-year-old daughter were on their way home from the Monticello library in Minnesota.

As they got close to home, they were struck by a 17-year-old teenager who ran a red light. The cause of their untimely death? The teenage, Carlee R. Bollig of Little Falls, Minnesota, who was texting on her phone while driving.

Due to her negligence, she not only killed two human being, but also faced four years’ license probation and 240 hours of community service.

This is a real situation that clearly demonstrates the outcomes that comes with texting and driving.

Despite numerous public awareness campaigns, very few teenagers acknowledge that texting while driving is a dangerous and idiotic risk that is not worth taking. Luckily, the teenagers in Virginia know better than to ae the risk.

The Journal of Adolescent Health released a new report in August and the results look better than many would expect. The report found that

How do you think you can solve or avoid texting while driving?

Virginia’s teenagers were behaving not only 64% of teenagers in South Dakota admit to texting smarter, but also more safe in comparison to those while driving. in other states in the nation.

The high percentage is due to many teenagers The study published that 38% of high school believing that sending text messages on their students admitted to being iPhones, sending snaps on guilty of texting while Snapchat and checking the “If you driving. latest Twitter or Instagram Virginia only reported cannot wait posts is completely okay.

31%, ranking to be the “There seems to be a stigma fourth state with the least two minutes among younger generations teenagers that text while to reply to a being addicted to technology driving nationally. and it definitely appears to ”I feel much more safe text, maybe affect the driving of some individuals,” On said. on the road now knowing you should Some teenagers may be that teenagers in the state willing to play the game of are acting responsibly while not be driving. Please chicken, but senior Hansol behind the wheel,” senior make smart choices.”

Yoon is not one of them. Yoon Vinh On said. “We should --HANSOL YOON has been a driver on the road continue to maintain and senior for the past five months. Due raise to higher levels.” to the extremely safe and Although, our state careful driving skills that she is practicing safe driving puts into action, Yoon has skills, that does not mean never been in an accident. Unlike teenagers in that other states are as well.

According to The Journal of Adolescent Health, South Dakota, she knows better than to test fate

MAKAYLA LOPEZ senior “Instead of texting, use the voice mode or app that is on the iMessage app. Honestly, just do not use it at all while you are driving.”

ABBEY YARED senior “I think you can spread awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. Whenever I am driving, I usually give it to my dad to hold for me.”

IOANA MARIN senior “Teens are kind of stupid, because they think that they can manage everything.

They just need to realize just how much of their attention is being distracted.”

ZUHAIR RAHMAN senior “By turning my phone off or putting it on silence mode. Keeping the phone far away from me, like on the other seat is also good. This works for me.”

ZAIN GHUL senior “I personally do not text and drive. To prevent it from happening, I usually throw it in the backseat or put the phone on ‘Do Not Disturb.’ Some people put their phones in the glove compartment.”

and risk her life.

“Not only are you putting yourself in danger, you are also putting others in danger just because you were impatient,” Yoon said. “It is selfish of people to text and drive. Not everything is about you; there are other people on this planet and there are others on the road who do not want to die.”

Despite the fines and even common sense for that matter, these reckless teenagers seem to never accept the concept that texting and driving is not a safe combination. According to a study conducted by the Ice Bike, about 11 teenagers die every day because they were texting while driving.

In a society that values technology so greatly, it is easy to understand the difficulty of keeping smartphones out of sight while driving. Teenagers today appear to be self-identified technology addicts.

Although we as a state are doing well in keeping our roads safe and secure, we must take action to further our progress and further our success.

JIAFU LI senior “It depends on the person, but you cannot pick up the phone. You can also turn the phone off or on silence, so you are not distracted.

I believe that you should trust your best judgment.”

SESEN BEYENE senior “There is an app that actually focuses on that where it disables your phone from allowing you to text while you are driving. I think people just need to download and do because it more than about you.”

KEVIN LIEU senior “Teenagers can be more responsible while they are driving.

For example, you can put your phone down or shut the phone completely off.”

Beat the flu before it beats you No sharing

Use tiger balm

Do not share drinks, food, mas-

Forget the chicken noodle soup

cara or even chapstick with

and blankets, tiger balm and

any of your friends. They may

eucalyptus oil are all you need.

have a mild case of the flu or

In many East Asian cultures,

the cold that you are unaware

many use these two remedies to

of. Due to this possibility, you

cure clogged up noses, stomach

should take precaution in shar-

and body aches. It works like

ing germs and saliva with your

a charm. Not only does it give

best buds, unless you want to be

off a delightful scent, but it also

knocked out in bed with a runny

warms up your body. Prevent

nose and red eyes right along-

illnesses by rubbing it on your

side them.

neck and chest every night.

Once again, the flu season is almost here. With school just starting, this means that the summer season will be coming to an end as well. This means that the days will begin to get shorter and the evenings will quickly get cooler as well.

With the start of cold weather, also comes deadly and sometimes, lifethreatening germs, such as the Type A and B viruses that cause influenza, or most commonly known as the “flu.”

However, it is not only the flu that you should take serious precaution in. You should also prepare for the common cold.

Due to the overwhelming amount of stress that you are facing because of school, your immune system may be affected. Thus, making you weak and likely to fall victim

to the cold, or even worse: the flu. Once this occurs, you will most likely be on best rest from a couple of days to even three weeks if you are unlucky enough to catch the flu. For these reasons, watch out for every sneeze and cough that comes your way, because you are at risk of contracting nasty viruses.

Many would ask you, “Have you had your flu vaccine yet?” One must admit that getting vaccinating should always be the first step in prevention. It is your best bet in battling the Type A and Type B bacteria. However, aside from vaccination, there are also many other precautions and preparations that can be taken. To prevent future sniffles and the piling of dirty tissues in your bedroom, follow these four unusual and straightforward steps to beat the flu and the cold before it begins.

CASEY NGUYEN

BY CASEY NGUYEN Managing Editor

CASEY NGUYEN

CASEY NGUYEN

CASEY NGUYEN

Four tips to prevent the upcoming flu!

Look, don’t touch

Bring on the pillows

Due to many students touching

Get a good night’s rest by placing

the handrails, lockers, and walls

one or two pillows on top of one

every day, there are a million

another. Propping your head up

germs on them. For this reason,

while you are sleeping assists in

make sure to not touch anywhere

clearing up your nasal passages,

on your face after reaching any of

ensuring that you are sneeze-

these locations. Use hand sanitiz-

free. Another benefit is that it is

er after touching anything. If not,

much more comfortable for your

head straight to the rest room to

head and beneficial for your back

wash your hands with soap and

and neck. Say goodbye to back

water afterwards.

pains and neck cramps.

6 PHOTO

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

N

ew year ew seasons

ALL PHOTOS BY JESSICA SALISBURY

Athletes put in hours of work outside of class hoping to make their season one to remember

TOP: Senior Karam Said stays hydrated during his game against Justice High School, “I like to drink water periodically throughout my workouts because it helps me stay energized, especially when I am tired,” Said said.

ABOVE: Senior Efrata Tecle (left) and sophomore Laila Lopez (right) anticipate the incoming ball. “My favorite part about playing is the feeling I get when we get a really good play off a save and everybody works together,” Tecle said.

Varsity assistant coach Don Colgan grabs junior Dylan Weaver by the head during an intense moment in the game against Justice High School, held on Aug. 24 resulting in a final score of 47 to 26, leaving the atoms defeated. “Coach was telling me that I have got to be mentally prepared and focused for whats to come,” Weaver said. “The game is not just physical.”

Senior Danica Tran prepares to serve the ball. “Whenever I serve I feel a little nervous at first but then I have to calm down and remember that my team is counting on me,” Tran said.

Several members of the varsity field hockey team relax and goof around together in between tournament games. “I love spending time with my teammates because it allows us to build trust between one another and that really shows on the field,“ senior captain Rebecca Tecle said.

Teachers and students receive a warm welcome by the enthusiastic varsity cheer squad on the first day of school, Aug. 27.

Varsity football coach Jewad Abdulhadi stretches out sophomore Danny Salisbury during practice. “I think that it’s very important that I stay loose whenever I exercise to avoid pulling any muscles,” Salisbury said.

Freshman Kate Chrestman lines up to swing her club. “To prepare for an upcoming match I usually go to the range at Pinecrest golf course and hit at least 300 balls weekly to perfect my swing,” Chrestman said.

Varsity volleyball coach Larry Lefbom strategizes with his team during a time out. “Having a good relationship with my coach is very important because it allows me communicate with him efficiently and develop a lot of trust,” senior Zain Ghul (pictured far left in glasses) said.

The varsity field hockey team gets some team bonding in over breakfast on the bleachers before their game. “I think team bonding is key because it allows us to feel more comfortable with each other and learn how to communicate and work best together,” freshman Lili Dalrymple said.

Before their match against Herndon High School, the varsity golf team poses for a photo on the golf course.

ARTS 7

PHOTOS BY GALILEA SEJAS

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

Senior Amber Untch leads the woodwind section of the Marching Band during Freshman Orientation on Aug. 23.

Freshman Jack Perloff plays Annandale Atoms fight song on the trumpet during the freshman orientation pep rally.

Band Leaders share their hopes, advice

Milton Ramos

Amber Untch

Samuel Berhe

Maya Champion

Hangyul Chang

DRUM MAJOR

DRUM MAJOR “Some advice that I would give to everyone in the band is to enjoy what you do, and work hard so we can have a good season. I hope to see in marching band is that the new marchers are having fun while doing something that I love.”

PERCUSSION CAPTAIN AND BATTERY SECTION LEADER

PICCOLUTES SECTION LEADER

“I tried out for the drum major position, just for the experience, and to try it out.

Fortunately, I tried my sophomore and senior year and I finally got it.”

TRUMPET SECTION LEADER AND BRASS CAPTAIN “Adjusting to the role as a leader was pretty flexible since I’ve had a leadership role last year. Advice I would give others is to just be yourself and be honest when it comes to earning leadership roles.”

“Advice I would give is to not procrastinate and have faith in yourself since you’re capable of doing anything on any instrument. A good attitude will set you up for success every time.”

Describe Marching Band in one word: “Community, because it really involves a lot of people from different backgrounds and not everyone is the same. You can say family also, because it’s connecting with Annandale and it allows everyone to get ready to play for AHS.”

Describe Marching Band in one word:

Describe Marching Band in one word:

Describe Marching Band in one word:

“Discipline, because we have to show up to rehearsal on time for hours and obey commands as a band. Everyone needs to perform the same way so we look good as a whole.”

“Underrated, becasue even though it’s not a sport and doesn’t seem hard, it’s a fun activity that more people should be aware of.”

Seby Gurreno

Connor Yi

Kathleen Lewis

Elisabeth Platt

LOW BRASS SECTION LEADER

FRONT ENSEMBLE SECTION LEADER

SOUSAPHONE SECTION LEADER

COLOR GUARD CAPTAIN

“Overall, it’s a nice experience and I hope to gain more confidence in myself and to better other people as well.I hope to see us achieve excellence, as my director says, and win some competitions and have a great year. ”

“I’ve become more keen to everyone in my section’s requests. Aside from this, I have to make sure that everyone doing their best, enjoying themselves and no one is falling behind.”

“I hope to see that Marching Band this year will have a positive effect on people, its reputation and by leaving a good legacy to the next generation of AHS marching atoms.”

Describe Marching Band in one word:

Describe Marching Band in one word:

Describe Marching Band in one word:

“Exciting, because never really know what you’re gonna do in the show and every year the music is different.”

“Fun, because during the season you get to make many new friends and hang out with them. You also help each other improve skills not just in music.”

“Rewarding, because you are able to see the band grow as a whole; you also are able to see yourself improve from the beginning of the process until the final product.”

“Frantic, because everyone is trying to have fun yet it’s a lot of work that we need to do to get everything done and ready for the show.”

“Being a leader isn’t just about telling others what to do, it’s about taking care of yourself too. You don’t necessarily have to be called a “leader” to do the right thing. It’s a choice, between right and wrong and everyone has the ability to make the right choice, so make the right choice.”

Describe Marching Band in one word: “Discipline, because we all need to be focused in order to reach our goals.”

Ilson Guevara Rivas

“Being a leader is harder than it looks, there’s nothing that can prepare you for being in charge of 15 people.

Marching Band isn’t a sports team, but it is an ensemble, a whole family.

I hope that for the years following, we stay as one unit.”

SUPPORT STAFF

Describe Marching Band in one word:

Describe Marching Band in one word:

“Family, because even though we aren’t blood related, everyone acts as a big annoyingly funny and loving family that I will remember when I’m older.”

“Fun, because I changed a lot last year and now I have a lot of fun under this position and in Marching Band in general.”

“I would tell the newcomers to practice and memorize their music early on in the practice, since it makes your life so much easier in the end. It’s one less thing to stress or worry about.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAX SPRABARY

Artist Spotlight: Junior Max Sprabary

“‘Calm before the storm’ This was taken at the beach right before a heavy thunderstorm hit.”

Why photography?

I got into photography because it was something I could do to not only express myself, but share my creativity with others. I normally photograph landscapes, animals, and insects but recently I’ve gotten into portraits.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAX SPRABARY

Do you want to become a professional photographer?

I take photography as an elective, but wouldn’t say I have the skills to become a professional quite, but in the future I’d like to try it out to see where it takes me. The class has definitely taught me some new things to improve myself.

What are you currently working on?

Well right now I’m just trying to build a portfolio but I have some projects that I’d like to work on soon regarding body positivity and other topics.

“‘Battlefield’ was taken on an old Gettysburg battlefield.”

8 IN-DEPTH

IN-DEPTH 9

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

AHS's freshmen survival guide A new student's blueprint to navigating and adapting to the high school life

Q&A with freshman Sydney Long Q: Where do you see yourself after graduation?

A: The first two days of my freshmen year have been really good. The days seem to go by a lot slower than I anticipated. Also, I thought I was going to get lost, but it was way easier than I expected. I'm really looking forward to the next four years.

A: After graduation, I see myself going to my dream school, Howard University. I want to study and major in criminal justice or psychology. I have been looking into that school a lot, and I hope I get accepted.

HENRY HOANG

A: I think I have adapted to high school really well. Especially since I know a lot of upperclassmen here already, so it has been a smooth ride.

Freshmen Sydney Long and Eldana Mengistu study from a notebook together in order to prepare for an upcoming quiz.

BY CASEY NGUYEN Managing Editor

Q: What is one thing you think you will have finished/done by senior year?

Q: How have you adapted to high school?

Q: Are you doing any sports currently?

A: Before senior year rolls by, I plan to practice writing college applications. I also want to finalize the lists of future colleges that I want to do soon. Lastly, I want to do something to build my college resume up, like join more clubs or try out for another sport.

A: Yes, I am playing freshmen volleyball. I like it a lot, and I plan on doing it over the next four years?

Q: What is your one fear coming into high school?

Q: Do you plan on getting involved in high extracurriculars?

A: My biggest fear of coming into high school is having a class that I wouldn't like because there would either be no one there that I could talk to, or a class that is just too hard for me.

A: I do plan to get involved. I plan on joining another sport during winter season. I am not sure which sport yet. I also want to join some clubs.

Q: What clubs do you plan on joining?

A: As of this moment, I am not sure. But I am looking into honors society for junior year, and maybe a volunteering club.

Do's and Don'ts

Freshman Kirubel Worku (left), who is 5'0'', and senior Hunter Shiflett (right), who is 6'2", stand back-to-back as Worku begins his four journey, while Shiflett wraps his up.

For Freshies 5

Freshmen year is infamous for being a year filled with fear, shyness, curiosity and obvious awkwardness. Not only are you in an entirely different school, but it feels like you are on an entirely different planet: high school. Say goodbye to your pre-teenager middle school days; you are finally a high schooler!

Sadly, movies and the media hype high school up to be a place filled with vampires, werewolves, cliques, mean cheerleaders, and love triangles. In reality, high school is much different than how the entertainment industry projects it.

However, this does not make high school any more comfortable. Four years can come and go in a blink of an eye.

But, when you are always making mistakes left and top, high school can feel like it lasts forever. These are a few of do’s and don'ts for freshmen year that will hopefully get you by.

Q: What are you excited for in high school?

A: As a freshman, I am really excited to meet new people and teachers at this school. Also, I am excited to keep playing volleyball! I hope the rest of the year goes by as smoothly as these past couple days have.

1

DON’T SLEEP LATE Staying up late and pulling all nighters to talk to your friends or catch up on the latest shows on Netflix may seem "cool," but it is not. In future years, you will have a horrible sleeping schedule, even if you do not procrastinate. Especially for the people who want to take IB courses or take an attempt for the IB Diploma, be prepared to run on four hours of sleep every day. Before you have to face that horrid tragedy, you might as well get as much beauty sleep while you still can. What is so "cool" about dark circles and acne? Nothing at all.

(Right) Sophomore Timothy Sue clarinet player practices with a PVC to better his handling skills and formation.

Get involved in extracurriculars ASAP How and why freshmen should join clubs and sports

BY SUAD MOHAMED In-Depth Editor As school starts up, students' primary and sole concern is their classes. Everyone sets a goal GPA, rushes to complete summer assignments, and sets up a neat binder for their core classes.

What most freshmen are forgetting is the importance of participating in extracurricular activities. These include sports, clubs, organizations, and honor societies.

You can discover and learn more about clubs on Sept. 7 during Pride Time in the downstairs and upstairs gym.

Although it may not seem like it, extracurriculars have a big impact on academics.

It is a bit early to start thinking about college applications for underclassmen, but it is important to know early on that grades are not the only thing colleges are looking for.

While one’s GPA and test scores are very important, colleges are also interesting in knowing who an applicant is as a person. This means that they are also looking for what you do outside of attending classes.

Someone who participates in a sport, club, or volunteers is more likely to win a slot at a school than someone who does not. Having a leadership role in a club looks even better on college applications.

Participating in a club or sport is will also help you improve your skills for classes.

When someone joins an extracurricular, they have to talk with others, make commitments, and do a lot of work. This will help in picking up important skills such as how to be a leader, working with others, and time management. The extra responsibility will help build character.

“Playing sports has helped me build upon my communication skills,” junior Emily Shawish said. “It has also helped me become a better leader, not only on the field, but also in the classroom.”

Extracurriculars also have an impact on your social life, too. Joining a club or trying out for a sport is the perfect way to meet new people who have the same interests as you.

“When I was a freshman, I played lacrosse and I did marching band. Last year, I did marching band, winter track, and track and field. My fall sport this year is cross country,” junior Cynthia Nguyen said. “I have made a lot of friends through sports, and we still talk even in the off season.”

Another benefit of doing extracurricular activities is that meeting so many people will result in a widening of your support system.

Whenever you are having trouble with something or you need someone to talk to, you have gained more peers and an adult through each extracurricular.

Joining extracurriculars is also good for the mind. While grades are very important, you should also be balanced and focus on your hobbies as well.

Having a game or a club meeting is an excellent way to take a break and relax. It is also a great stress reliever.

“Doing an extracurricular is a good way to build self confidence and a nice way to have fun,” Shawish said.

But while it is a good idea to join extracurriculars, it is even more important to make sure that you do not overwhelm yourself. Do not make commitments that you can not fulfill because that will just bring more stress into your life.

At Annandale, there are many extracurriculars that students can join. These include: The A Blast and Yearbook: Both of these extracurriculars are joined by signing up for the associated classes, Journalism and Photojournalism. The A Blast is the school newspaper and entails writing on any news topic.

Articles are put in the print edition, which comes out every month, and online. For The A Blast, you can also join as a freelance writer.

The yearbook entails taking pictures of school events and activities throughout the year. The yearbook can be bought at the end of the school year.

There are many sports student's can try out for. In the winter, there is, wrestling, gymnastics, indoor track, boys basketball, girls basketball, and swim and dive.

Spring sports include boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, track and field, boys soccer, girls soccer, boys tennis, girls tennis, baseball, and softball.

While it is too late to join a fall sport this year, sports that are available to join next year include volleyball, field hockey, football, golf, dance, cross country, and cheer leading.

To join a sport, you must complete a physical and concussion testing. Applications due dates, tryout dates, and green days will be posted on the Annandale Atoms website.

There are two main writing clubs: the Annandale Writing Center and the Filament. The Annandale Writing Center is a peer editing club. All students are welcome to come into the Center and get help with writing assignments. Tutoring happens during all lunches on red days and after school on Wednesdays. Applications will be available in

the winter and include a teacher recommendation.

The Filament is a magazine that contains students’ written works. Writers can write any creative piece to be put in the Filament, which is sold along with the yearbook at the end of the year. To join Filament, talk to English teacher Soo Jin Lee in room 270B. There are an abundance of Honors Societies available at Annandale. These include: National, DECA, Latin, Math, Art, Business, English, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, and Quill and Scroll.

Each Honor Society has its own requirements, including GPAs. There will be interest meetings later in the year regarding joining one.

Students can join band, orchestra, chorus, and theater by taking the associated class. All four extracurriculars do many shows during the year, along with fun things like field trips.

Leadership is a class taken by upperclassmen. Students in the class are in charge of being leaders in multiple school activities such as freshman orientation, pep rallies, summer fest. Applications are available towards the end of the school year, and it includes a teacher recommendation and interview.

Volunteering: Clubs that do volunteering include Atoms Red Cross, Green Atoms, and Key Club. Atoms Red Cross works with the Red Cross organization and does things like collect donated food to give to the needy.

Green Atoms is an environmental club.

Members do things like clean up the school garden and collect recycled items from classrooms.

Key Club is a group that offers a wide range of volunteering opportunities. Information about joining will become available soon.

Identity: There are many clubs that people can join to celebrate and learn more about their own and different identities. These include Annandale Bible Study, Black Cultural Awareness Association, Gay Straight Alliance, and Muslim Student Association.

A full list of extracurriculars, along with the sponsors and coaches names, can be found on the school website

Clubs and Activities Fair September 7th ---No Pride Time today--9:55 - 10:30 (9th and 10th graders) 10:30 - 10:35 Travel back to class 10:35 - 11:10 (11th and 12th graders) 11:10 - 11:16 Travel back to class

6

DO CASH IN ON SOME HELPFUL TOOLS There are many apps on your phone, some free and some that you have to pay for, that can assist you in the long run. A high recommendation goes out to Grammarly, which is an editing tool for your essays and other assignments. It is a fantastic application and will ensure you both a good grade and better writing skills. Another great tool is SpanishDict, an app that can be purchased with no cost. On this app, you can look up Spanish vocabulary and verb tenses. There is also a website. The last recommended app is Quizlet. Making flashcards may seem outdated and an extremely long process, but Quizlet allows you to test your knowledge and learn your tenses.

7

DON’T FORGET TO STUDY As every school year progresses, the harder classes become. Studying will help relieve the stress and will make classes become a breeze. Getting into this habit will set you up for future classes if you are thinking of taking any advanced or IB classes. But, this isn't just useful for high school, this will help you in College also. Studying with a friend will also help you and they can encourage you to do more and on the bright side, it won't be as boring.

8

DO BE PREPARED AND ORGANIZED Always make sure that you have the things that you need. Bring everything with you in your backpack. Homework, supplies, a snack, a water bottle, lotion - you can never be too prepared. You should also make a schedule of what you’re going to do everyday. Include homework, staying after school, practices, any meetings, and any places that you’re going to go to. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you never forget to do anything.

3

DON’T MAKE A WRONG FIRST IMPRESSION Do not try to start drama or beef your freshman year because it will follow you for the rest of high school. You will be known as the girl or guy who did this or said that. The safest option is to try to be helpful and friendly to everyone. This tip not only applies classmates, but it also applies to teachers as well. Teachers talk, so if you do something horrible in one of your classes this year, most likely all your teachers next year will know about it.

So, try to be on your best behavior.

4

DO MAKE AN UPPERCLASSMEN FRIEND Making a friend who is in a higher grade than you has many benefits. Not only can they inform you about the insider secrets of certain classes or teachers, but they can also give you fantastic guidance. Everything that you are going through now as a freshman, they already breezed through. Thus, they can provide their wisdom on specific problems that you might come across during the year.

Junior Peter Epperly is focused on the win that he just took in Fortnite, rather than doing homework during the school day.

How to deal with stress Tips on how to overcome stress and anxiety during the next four years

BY SUAD MOHAMED In-Depth Editor Starting high school comes with a lot of stress. Adjusting to a new school, worrying about classes and one’s future, and balancing a new schedule can cause anybody to have a bit of anxiety.

While feeling stressed is not the best thing in the world, you are not alone.

A majority of high school students deal with stress at some point in those four years.

In fact, a report published in Frontiers in Psychology noted that 49% of high school students deal with stress daily.

“I get very stressed towards the middle of the school year,” senior Hemen Besufekad said. “That is when teachers tend to assign big projects and due dates overlap.”

Although stress is common and perceived as normal nowadays, that does not mean that someone has to suffer and deal with it in silence.

Not dealing with stress brings a lot of problems such as depression, headaches, and stomach problems, and difficulty falling asleep.

These diseases can negatively impact someone’s life rapidly.

There are many things a person can do to alleviate the high levels of stress that come with high school.

The best thing to do at times of stress is to find someone you trust and talk to them. If

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HENRY HOANG

(Left) Senior Justin Perez, commanding officer of the marching band, works to improve his marching for their show "The Greatest Show."

HENRY HOANG

HENRY HOANG

HENRY HOANG

2

DO BE OPEN MINDED Just because you were in a particular ”posse” or ”squad” in middle school does not mean you cannot make new friends. With your arrival in high school comes new opportunities to meet people with similar interests as you. A great way to meet new people is by joining clubs and sports. Do not build up a particular viewpoint or perspective of the activity before joining. Just give it a shot.

Most things are as they seem. You might find yourself surprised when you enjoy yourself at a Key Club event or during the Swim & Dive team practices.

DON’T SLACK OFF College applications may seem to be in the distant future now, but it closer than you think. Make sure to raise and maintain a high GPA your freshman year.

This is a critical year where colleges can see just how much potential you have and what you can offer to them. For this reason, also join as many extracurricular activities as you can. Some great suggestions are Just World Interact Club, Key Club, Green Atoms and Mission Possible.

HENRY HOANG

Q: How is the start of your freshmen year so far?

Sophomore Sophia Agrafas sits in the hallway and works on a project. there is something on your mind that you can’t seem to figure out, that person can help you and make everything seem a lot better.

This person can be a friend, a parent, a sibling, and a teacher. You can also talk to the school pyschologist, Anne Brosnan, who's office can be found near the cafeteria.

What matters is that you trust them and they help in making you feel better and do not add onto your stress.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone, then the next best thing to do is to keep a journal.

Buy a nice journal that is a calming color, like blue or purple. Keep it in your bag at all times.

Anytime you are feeling stress, write about your problems and anything you feel at the time.

After you are done, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

The easiest thing to do when you have a lot of stress is to do deep breathing. Breathe in through your nose and count to four. As you hold your breath, count to seven. Breath out from your mouth and count to eight, and repeat.

Doctors also say that a good way to relieve stress is by chewing gum. Multiple studies have backed up the theory that chewing gum has a positive impact on one’s well being.

Pick a flavor that you like and always keep a pack around so that you can chew it at anytime.

Placing physical stress on your body is a great way of relieving any sort of mental stress.

Exercise releases a lot of stress hormones.

It will also improve sleep and boost self confidence.

You do not have to get a gym membership.

Simply run a few laps around your neighborhood or do yoga in your room.

Changing your diet might also help. Fill up on foods with omega-3 fatty acids, like eggs and fish. Green tea with lemon is also helpful.

Fatty foods, like chips and soda, will only worsen your stress, and they have no health value.

A cause of your stress could be caffeine.

Many people are sensitive to caffeine and they aren't even aware of it.

This can cause symptoms such as anxiety and a rapid heartbeat.

Cut down on things like coffee, certain sodas, and chocolate in order to alleviate these symptoms.

10 INTERNATIONAL

Wed. Sept 5, 2018

Around the world in only two months

BY YABI BEREKET International Editor To summarize senior Zain Ghul’s trip around Europe and the Middle East during this summer, it mainly consisted of: living in Airbnb's, riding on trains and visiting family.

Ghul originally planned to backpack around Europe with alumni sister, Serene Ghul, before heading off to a fellowship in Italy. They made a last minute decision to make this a trip with the whole family after their original plans fell through.

“My sister wanted us to travel across Europe all the way to Italy, where I would drop her off and fly home," Ghul said.

"She ended up not going, but we already bought the tickets; so, we went on the trip- and went with our parents,” Ghul said.

This was her first time getting to visit all of these European countries and getting to see er homeland Jordan.

This family vacation consisted of visiting nine countries in the Middle East and all across Europe in the span of a month and a half.

Her trip started on June 14, and first brought her to Jordan, which is located in the Middle East. The flight lasted for about ten hours, and stopped in London for layover. It then continued from there for another four hours.

“I spent two and a half weeks in Jordan and I stayed with my grandparents at their house” Ghul said.

From there, Ghul left with her family to Paris on June 29 to begin her trip of

backpacking across Europe. That flight from Jordan to Paris only lasted roughly four hours, giving them an advantage to start their trip a bit early.

While in France, Ghul stayed in a hotel in Paris, rather than a hostel or an Airbnb, which is what most of her trip consisted of.

“This trip was a fun opportunity for me and my family to bond over the low quality hotels we stayed at, especially the one in Paris,” Ghul said.

Despite having stayed in an inadequate hotel, Ghul had an amazing experience. She visited many of the wellknown sights, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and also got to see the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. All of these places are well known landmarks in France, and a common tourist attraction.

After staying in Paris for two days, she and her family took a train to continue their trip into Belgium, which is north of France.

Once in Belgium, she got to visit Grand Place in Brussels, which is the central square, and also visited the Manneken Pis. Onwards, she then left Belgium, and headed out to the Netherlands by train.

The Netherlands is located north of Belgium.

From the Netherlands, she headed to Germany, which was least of her favorite places to visit while on the trip.

“My least favorite place to visit was Berlin. I did not like it mainly because it looked a lot like D.C. Architecturally, there was nothing special about it,” Ghul said.

Though the setup of Berlin may not have reached her expectations, the history tracked behind Germany definitely did catch her attention.

“However, it was very cool to walk through the Berlin wall, which once separated east and west Germany in the 60’s,” Ghul said.

While in Germany, she also got to go into a university which included an observatory, which was something she was looking forward to.

Continuing on her journey, Zain Ghul also got to go to the Czech Republic, which was her favorite place to visit out of all the countries she went to during the trip.

“Prague was my favorite place to get to see during the trip. It was so beautiful and everything was cheap there” said Ghul.

“The architecture was stunning, and when walking across the Charles Bridge, you are able to see most of the city,” said Ghul.

Her trip then took her to Austria, Hungary, then lastly to Italy, were she spent five days with her family.

Since Italy was the most amount of days, she was able to see more sights than any other place, these tourist hot spots included the Colosseum, St. Mark's Basilica, the Rialto Bridge, and much more.

“I had a lot of fun with my family which I will never forget. This trip brought me and my family much closer together which was great” Ghul said.

Ghul hopes to be able to go back again next summer, so she can experience the sights once more.

PHOTO CREDIT: ZAING GHUL

Senior Zain Ghul visits nine countries total across Europe and the Middle East during the summer

Senior Zain Ghul visits the Palladium, an old church located in Prague.

Student visits family in the midst of crisis Senior Jude Nanaw visits Syria during the summer with tensions still in the air

Vatican knew of assault

PHOTO CREDIT: JUDY NANAW

Seven years of grueling war have left a country that was once the epicenter for tourism in the Middle East vastly different.

Syria and the nations citizens have had to undergo major lifestyle changes since the beginning of the war in 2011. Not going out at certain times when bombs were flying overhead, only going outdoors when absolutely necessary, etc. all became new parts of life in Syria.

However, with seven years gone by, there have been significant improvements to life in the country in certain areas.

For myself, this was my second time visiting Syria in the past three years with my mom and sister. For a majority of the time I stayed in the capitol, Damascus, where some of my family members live.

Just two years ago it was next to impossible to enter other major cities outside of Damascus such as Aleppo and Homs. However, this time I was able to enter these cities that were formerly major conflict areas.

In Homs, I got to scope out the total destruction of a significant part of the city that marked the beginning of the conflict.

Upon entering the city, I was taken aback by the endless rows of apartment buildings where families used to live, shops in the marketplace and various places of worship that had been completely obliterated by missiles and mortar bombs.

It was the same story with varying degrees wherever I went as there was damage to infrastructure that will take years to rebuild everywhere.

Despite this, social life and life as a whole in Syria has improved greatly

Around the world In August, it was discovered that nearly 700 children were sexually assaulted by over 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania since the 1950's. New evidence was discovered that the Vatican was aware of the alleged crimes that were going on. "I think it's inhumane for the church to do this," senior Hemen Besufekad said. "So many suffered through the aftermath of that, and are still feeling the effects," Besufekad said.

Located in Homs, Syria, apartment complexes that used to be a home for families have been destroyed by bombings within the area.

More people to get deported President Donald Trump ad his administration is soon planning to go to court in September to request sanctuary cities to detain people who need to get deported.

These cities are fighting against this due to American citizens getting deported as well.

PHOTO CREDIT: JUDY NANAW

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief

in the past two years. People are overflooding in market places, shops, malls, etc. and beginning to return to life as normal.

During my stay, I had the chance to visit some of the historical sites in Damascus.

I got to walk around the famous marketplace located inside of the old walled city of Damascus known as AlHamidiyah Souq.

When inside the old city, I also had the opportunity to view the historical and well known Umayyad Mosque and take a tour of the Azem Palace as well.

Throughout my stay I enjoyed attending the concerts of some well known Syrian musicians and singers.

To my surprise, there were thousands and thousands of people at these concerts which marked the great improvement of social life in the country.

In addition to this, I also did many things that I would typically do back at home such as going to shopping malls, stores, museums, etc.

Despite the significant improvements to the social scene in Syria and progress that has been made over the past two years, there are still many issues at hand.

Infrastructure and housing is set to take years to rebuild, the extreme inflation of Syrian currency lead the economy to a serious crash and there a still hundreds of government-installed checkpoints throughout the country that make travel a real hassle.

It is always interesting visiting Syria because I enjoy viewing a different lifestyle and drawing connections from one country to another.

Despite the hardships of the past ten years, life has improved profoundly for many while there is still large room for continued progress.

As part of their trip to Syria over the summer, senior Jude Nanaw visits the Botanical Gardens in Old Castle Damascus. This garden has over 200 species.

Mass shooting in Florida In the latest shooting in Florida, gunman David Katz shot and killed 2 people at a gaming tournament on August 28.

Two people were injured from the event. "One mass shooting is enough to know something needs to be done," junior Melat

Immigrant stories: coming to America

BY YABI BEREKET International Editor Maisha Maliha was only five months old when she first came to America from Bangladesh. She traveled by plane for 13 hours, and first arrived to D.C, with her mom.

Since she was young, she did not have any memories of her own about coming here, but she remembers stories from what her mom told her.

"I remember my mom telling me that we had planned to land in New York, but it was the same day that the twin towers were knocked over,” Maliha said.

It was unknown if other attacks were going to happen, so planes had to take a detour in order to keep the passengers safe.

“We ended up landing in Boston instead, and made our way down from there,” Maliha said.

Her father was already a citizen in America, so when her parents married, the process of coming to America wasn’t as complicated as it

is for most people.

Once her and her mom had landed in Boston, Maliha then made her way to D.C. and began her life in America.

For some people, trying to fit in to a new surrounding can be hard to adapt to, but the situation was different for Maliha.

“Thankfully when I was in D.C., my school was relatively diverse already, so trying to fit in was not very hard for me,” Maliha said.

Compared to schooling in Bangladesh, one major difference Maliha noticed was that teachers were the ones who would move around from class to class, as opposed to students moving around.

Since coming to America, Maliha has gone back to Bangladesh on two occasions.

“When I first went back to Bangladesh, I was 14 years old. It was to attend a bunch of weddings. Three of my cousins got married, and weddings in Bangladesh are a long process,” Maliha said.

In Bangladesh, a typical wedding has three different events tied to it,

which kept Maliha busy on her trip.

“In total, I ended up attending nine events in my two weeks there. I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the country through, ” Maliha said.

One main difference between America and Bangladesh that Maliha recalled was the traffic laws.

Despite there being traffic lights in Bangladesh, little to no people would actually use them to navigate through the streets.

“When driving around in Bangladesh, there aren’t distinguishable lines on the streets when driving, so people are just weaving around. It gets very dangerous,” Maliha said.

In spite of that, she still would like to return to Bangladesh soon with her family if they go back again.

“I would love to be able to see my family again next summer, I miss my family back home,” Maliha said.

After being in America for many years, Maliha is very thankful for the opportunities that she has here in America.

PHOTO CREDIT: VITALINA FUENTES

How junior Maisha Maliha made her journey from Bangladesh to America

Senior Maisha Maliha first came to America whe she was only five months old.

LIFESTYLES 11

Wed. Sept 5, 2018

Getting ready for the upcoming season look How has your changed?

Even as summer draws to an end, the warm weather calls for a cool look

We all know how fast summer goes by and how fast school starts again.

No matter the length the amount of money we end up wasting is unbelievable.

Yes, some of us had summer jobs but that money left as fast as it came.

Beginning of the school year means spending a lot of money. All the back to school shopping we need to do, from books to cloth.

Going back to school shopping means spending more money than you are used too. You spend most of your money on cloth.

Weather you dress to impress or you dress for yourself you are bond to spend a lot of money on cloth for your first few weeks off school.

Now we all understand this, however, the sad thing is we won’t be able to wear most of our cloth after a few more weeks.

With the weather change about to come soon, we'll be hitting the stores again for the new season.

Here are a few tips on how to save money this autumn and winter: • Stop buying cloths that aren’t going to keep you warm • No need to buy jeans again • Start thrift shopping more • Mix and match your clothing

We have all been there, either in the fitting room or picking up the piece of clothing from the racks wondering if it was going to keep us warm during the winter or not.

I’ve been there and trust me I’ve learned from my mistakes. Buying anything that doesn’t keep us warm just cause we think the jacket will do the trick is a big mistake.

This ends up wasting your money and you would just be wearing a jacket all day just to be warm.

Yes, you wore those jeans last season. It's fine wear them again. You most definitely don’t only own one pair of jeans.

As long as they aren’t old or look old wear them again. They are probably still new and fresh out either way. You can even wear your ripped jeans with tights or black leggins. Spice it up a bit.

Thrift shopping is actually a huge life saver and money saver.

You save so much money this way and you get nice clothing too just the way you like it.

Many people enjoy thrift shopping for the many benefits it brings. They are so many stores that you can thrift shop from. You can get almost the exact same top you find in store for a whole lot less.

Just cause it’s cold outside doesn’t mean your outfits have to be black and white. If you are a fan of dressing up spice up your outfits with colors and go look up new ideas off the internet.

senior "Since I walk to and from school everyday which means I had to always double up my dressing during winter. But now that it's summer I'm always wearing shorts and a loose top. I feel really comfortable walking to school now since I don't have to worry about how cold it is outside."

RAFFI KRIKORIAN

senior "I’m pretty much used to wearing sweatpants everyday and now it’s just like I can wear short sleeve shirts and shorts. Which is a major change from what I’m used too. I actually wish I could wear sandals too"

JEREMY BERRY

PHOTO CREDIT: MRYAM DEREJE

BY MARYAM DEREJE Lifestyles Editor

MELANIE GALLEGOS

senior "I’m not really a fan of dressing up no matter the season. So my outfits haven’t really changed at all. However now sometimes I do wear shorts here and there. "

Junior Savannah Gravitt dresses up for school wearing a green blouse, black shorts and comfy red boots.

What's your goal this school year?

Upcoming seasonal trends

KELLY ESQUIVEL senior "Since this is my senior year I want to focus on getting good grades, passing all my classes and passing all my SOL's. I am also in cheer and I hope to make it too regionals this year."

senior "My absolute main goal this year is too get into the collage of my chose. I have been working hard and building up my whole life for this collage. I also don't want to mix up my extra-curriculum and school work. This is my last year of high school and I plan to make it work even if it means working until I drop. Hopefully everything works out in my favor. "

PHOTO CREDIT: MRYAM DEREJE

DIANA VILLARREAL

Senior Lamyae el Mahjoub (left) wears a black skcater dress. While senior Rediet Efraham (right) wears a tank top with a plaid t-shirt on top and shorts.

BY MARYAM Lifestyles Editor

REDIET EFRAHAM

senior "This year is really important to me since it is my senior year. I want to graduate on time and get good passing grades. I also want to finish applying to colleges early."

Just like the bright sun flaring up the weather outside, the hallways of AHS are filled with students dressing up brighter and trendier.

Unlike the cold winter season where most students roll out of bed with sweatpants and sweaters, in this hot summer season students are looking more fashionable and modish.

Girls wearing skirts and colorful tops, while guys are rocking shorts and brighter shirts.

The reason to the change in clothing may be due to students trying to cope with this scorching August sun, wearing less and lighter clothing to allow their skins to breathe.

On the second day of school the hot weather escalated to a 100 degrees.

Shorts and skirts become a go to clothing garment, while sweaters and hoodies stay hung in the closet.

Another reason may be that it is the beginning of the school year.

Students are still filled with motivation and excitement to come to school and for that reason they make efforts on

their looks and appearance.

Looking presentable for the first days of the school year.

As school work starts to kick in and the stress starts to build on in a student’s life, the thought of being well groomed goes out the window.

They always say change is good, which is true especially in this case. The school is so much more brighter than ever before.

You may wake up everyday wondering how people are going to dress up and what you should go for.

Students have definitely been getting

more confident with their dressing this year. Students are showing more skin, adding more color and not covering up as much.

As the weather gets hotter and the smell of fall leaves don’t seem to come in the near future, the hallways of AHS will stay stylish and sharp.

At least until the excitement fades and the cold air rolls in, we are saying our temporary good-byes to sweatpants and welcoming brighter and cooler styles.

Fashion Spotlight: Asta Singui, 11 Q: How did you learn to dress?

A: I learned how to dress from my mother and grandmother, they both love fashion, my grandmother is also a fashion designer which is where I learned everything from.

Q: What's your favorite season to dress for?

A: My favorite season to dress for is spring because the weather is perfect and you can wear almost anything.

Q: Where do you like to shop?

A: I don’t usually go to shop at specific stores. I just shop everything and just look around until I find something I like.

Q: How long does it take you to get ready?

A: I have to know ahead of time what I’m going to wear in order for me to take less time getting ready. But for most of the time, I take an about 45 minutes to get ready.

Junior Asta Singui wears a yellow off shoulder crop top with a pair of ripped blue jeans and pairs it with heels.

Q: How much do you invest in clothing?

A: I usually tend to spend a lot when shopping, but I usually try to keep my limit at $100.

Q: What is your typical outfit for school?

A: It really depend on my mood. But it’s mostly as long as it has a crop top matched with it I don’t mind.

Q: What is your favorite pair of shoes?

A: I love any kind of vans, I just feel like I can wear them with any outfit I want.

Q: What do you wear on bum days?

A: On my bum days, I just wear a hoodie with black leggings which makes me feel cozy.

Q: Do you dress to impress or for yourself?

A: No I dress for myself because dressing up to impress people is stressful, and I’m already stressed.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASTA SINGUI

PHOTO CREDIT:ASTA SINGUI

Q: What is your favorite accessory?

A: I don’t usually go out without my earrings. They are my favorite pair of accessory, I don’t go out without it. It just feels like my face is plain when I’m not wearing earrings.

Singui wears a plaid jacket with a white altered crop top and light blue jeans paired with white vans shoes.

12 PEOPLE

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

GIRL POWER Three seniors take on Girls State at Longwood University this summer

Efrata Tecle, 12

Q: How did you find out about girls state?

A: I found out about Girls State because my friend who was a senior last year told me about her experience and all the friends that she had made there.

Hlina Wondwossen, 12 Q: How did you find out about girls state?

A: I found out about Girls State because my brother attended Boys State last year.

Q: How did you find out about girls state?

A: I found out about Girls State through my HOA class and friends in the class above me that had also gone to girls state in the past.

Q: What led you to apply to girls state?

A: I applied because I wanted to learn more about our government and this helped me learn more by bringing in guest speakers and holding mock elections.

Q: What led you to apply to girls state?

A: I applied because I talked to girls who attended last year and I had to write an essay about government in order to get in.

Q: What did you gain from the program?

A: I gained a lot of knowledge not only from the program but also from the girls. I also made friendships with girls that live around Virginia and we are all still in contact so that is pretty cool.

Q: What did you gain from the program?

A: I learned a lot about government and the processes of becoming a part of the government.

Ruth Seyoum, 12

Q: What are some activities you did at Girls State?

A: We ran for positions like governor, city council, and sheriff.

Q: What are some activities you did at Girls State?

A: We did a lot of activities like elections. We also got to hear more about the government from other guest speakers that came in to speak to us.

Q: Would you consider doing Girls State again if you had the opportunity to?

A: I would definitely do it again if I could.

Q: Would you consider doing Girls State again if you had the opportunity to?

A: I do not think I would do Girls State again only because we had to wake up really early everyday and walk a lot.

Q: What advice would you give to other girls that are thinking about going to the Girls State program?

A: Run for positions because it is so much fun and a great experience to have and you have nothing to lose.

Q: What advice would you give to other girls that are thinking about going to the Girls State program?

A: Make sure you are really interested in doing it before you apply or else you will end up being bored.

Q: What was the structure of the camp like?

A: The campus was really pretty and small, everything was walking distance from where we were.

Q: What was the structure of the camp like?

A: The campus was nice but it wasn’t extremely large.

Q: How will this help you get into college?

A: The experience gave me a sense of what college was like and also how this program looks really good on college transcripts.

Q: What was your daily schedule like?

A: Everyday we woke up at 7, went to breakfast, raised the flag, had meetings, went to dinner, retreating of the flag, held elections, and we normally went back to our dorms around 10 at night.

Q: What were the elections like?

A: The elections were long and tedious. There were certain guidelines that we had to follow during the election to make sure they were completely fair.

Q: How will this help you get into college?

A: I don’t know if this will help me get into college it was more of an experience for myself.

Q: What was your daily schedule like?

A: We got up early everyday and got breakfast and put up a flag and followed the schedule depending on what day it was.

Q: What were the elections like?

A: Elections were really long we stayed until around 1 pm finishing electing officials because we had to vote on each person out and there was also some conflict.

HUMANS OF ANNANDALE Growing up as a kid was never easy for me. When I was about 2 years old my dad ended up passing away, so I have only grown up with my mom, she’s given me everything that I have needed in my life.

As a kid, I went through a lot in school first with my dad passing away and also getting bullied in school. Having therapy for everything was tough, but I got through it. I grew up with around eight boys I never really had my sister around.

A couple of years later I met my sister but, overall I was always just with boys. I grew up as a tomboy mainly playing with tech decs. I played sports like basketball and soccer, but yet again, I was always surrounded by boys.

When I turned eight years old, we ended up getting kicked out of Arlington because they were going to rebuild the apartment complex we were living in at the time so, we had to move.

My mom found a place in Annandale so at eight years old I moved to Annandale Virginia, and I did not want to come to school here so I would whine and cry every day. My mom felt bad, so we ended up going to school in Arlington for one more year.

While I was I was in middle school my mom addressed some very tragic news to my family and me. She had told us that the doctors found a tumor in her brain.

Eventually, the doctors had found something more severe, although my mom’s situation was already terrible, it had only increasingly gotten worse.

They informed her that she had the

Q: What led you to apply to girls state?

A: I applied to the girls state program because I was interested in the government and I wanted to learn more about it and the way that it is run.

Q: What did you gain from the program?

A: I gained new insight on some highly debated topics.

Q: What are some activities you did at Girls State?

A: We voted and ran for different offices in the mock government.

Q: Would you consider doing Girls State again if you had the opportunity to?

A: I think it was a really good experience however I do not think I would do it again only because I realized that government is actually kind of boring.

Q: What advice would you give to other girls that are thinking about going to the Girls State program?

A: I would tell other people to apply and just go for the experience because it is interesting to meet that many different kinds of people all in one place at the same time.

Q: What was the structure of the camp like?

A: The camp was super structured and we had strict times for everything.

Q: How will this help you get into college?

A: It will help me get into college because Girls State is a prestigious program that looks good on applications.

Q: What was your daily schedule like?

A: Daily schedule included many meetings with our cities and voting sessions.

Q: What were the elections like?

A: Elections were long but overall an interesting process.

WHO AM I? I attended... .

TC Williams High School and Marymount University (both undergrad and grad school) The extracurricular activities I did were...

Orchestra, NHS I was born in...

Alexandria, Virginia My favorite book is...

Harry Potter Series

ISABELLA RODAS SOPHOMORE risk of dying and it was hard hearing that because having one parent is hard enough so I could not imagine how hard it would be having none. That whole situation messed up everything for me because I only had my mom in my life and like I previously said, my dad had already passed away.

While I was going through all of these problems, I had started doing things that I shouldn’t have been getting in to. They were not entirely wrong but knowing myself doing them was not like me at all. I had to get through it the same way that I got through everything else.

I am now in a better situation. Things are starting to go up-hill slowly which is a big turn around for my family and I.

Before teaching at Annandale....

I taught at TC Williams for 1 year (government and world history II). I also worked at Congressional Camp during the summer as a counselor for 6 years.

Why did you choose teaching...

I always loved history and working with kids so it all just kind of fell into place that way Favorite movie is...

Ugh this is so hard! Any Disney/Marvel movie is always up there so I guess right now Black Panther? The Harry Potter movies rank up there as well.

I teach at Annandale because...

I love the diverse population here at Annandale. It reminds me so much of where I went to school so I feel at home. I also love getting to learn about the different cultures of my students.

What I do in my free time is...

I hang out with my family and two dachshunds (wiener dogs!), read, hike, Netflix, the usual My favorite quote is...

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light” -Albus Dumbledore This is the answer key to Who Am I? Use a QR Code app on your phone or camera.

SPORTS 13

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

Volleyball looks to rebound Girls defeated by W.T Woodson Cavaliers 3-0 due to team miscommunication during game

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALISON SCOTT

BY CASEY NGUYEN AND ERIK RIVAS Managing Editor, Sports Editor

Senior Alison Scott bumps the volleyball against Falls Church on Aug. 9.

Which fall sport do you think is going to be successful this season?

TAYLOR NUGEN freshman ”I think volleyball has a solid team and they word hard during their practices and work well together as a team.”

BRENT SANCHEZ freshman ”I think football is going to have the most successful season, because we have been practicing hard.”

With a new school comes new challenges, as well as new captains for the girls varsity volleyball team. This year’s team is led by seniors Danica Tran and Zain Ghul. Their current starters Zain Ghul, Cerys Jones, Megan Johnson, Giselle Morales, Guinevieve Tran, and Madison Dixon.

The Atoms volleyball season is just beginning and the Varsity team has already played two scrimmages and three games. After falling to the Falls Church Jaguars on Aug. 9 in their first scrimmage and getting defeated by the W.T. Woodson Cavaliers. Despite their efforts, they also fell to WashingtonLee, Lake Braddock and W.T. Woodson once more. For all three past games, the girls lost 3-0.

The past scrimmages and games did not go as plan for the team. A main factor that led to their defeat was their lack of communication throughout the game, in addition to their lack of movement.

“We weren’t moving to the ball and we weren’t talking,” said senior Efrata Tecle.

At the home game against the Lake Braddock Bruins on Aug. 28, the girls understand that they did not do well on their first set. Noticing

PRINCE AGYEMAN sophomore “I think football is going to have the most successful season because we have been working hard since May and we’ve been waking up at 6 a.m. just to practice twice a day and we really have are eyes set on the prize.”

JAYDEN JOYA sophomore ”Volleyball, because we have been practicing really hard every day and practicing our routine.”

that something needs to be done, the girls strived to improve for their second set. Astonishingly, this occured.

Recognizing their mistakes in the first set, the girls made improvements in the second. By the third set, the Atoms finally started playing like a real team: one with plenty of communication and cooperation.

“We were not adjusting to the serves,” Tecle said. “In the third set, we all started to cover for each other, like pick up balls others weren’t getting.”

At the match that took place at W.T. Woodson High School against the cavaliers on Aug. 30, the Atoms lost all the three sets. In the first set, the Atoms lost 25-10. In the second, they also lost, but by 25-7. In the final set, they lost 25-4.

The team’s communication, once again, seemed like a factor of their loss. “I think we can improve on communication,” said senior Tiya Ayele.

“A lot of the points we lose could be solved by just letting are teammates know things they can’t see.”

Despite their poor performance in this aspect, there were also other aspects that they performed well in.

“We hit really well,” senior Zain Ghul said “Our serving was much better than it normally is.”

The girls are never disheartened by the score on the board, because they know that each game is a lesson of improvement for the next. The girls

HAKIM IBRIS junior “The fall sport that will have the most successful season without a doubt is boys cross country we have some of the fasts people I’ve ever met in my life.”

RAYMOND RAMIEREZ senior “I think cross country, because they have been running hard this summer and they got it in the bag and we got new freshman that know how to run and it will be a good season.”

like to showcase a positive outlook throughout all their games, doing loud cheers before the game begins and after each point is made.

With a record of 0-3, the girls remain optimistic about the rest of the season.

They know that a lot can be improved before their next game with South Lakes on Sept. 6. The team knows what areas they need to work on for their upcoming game and they are striving to improve in them.

This dedication to improve and hone their skills showcases their hard work and dedication towards volleyball. This same dedication and teamwork is also evident during their very spirited and fun games.

“We can definitely work on our passing and our serving. We need to serve tougher ball,” said Ghul.

The team also has clear goals to achieve for the season: to work as a team.

“Our goals this season is to work together and talk more and also to win more games than last season,” sophomore Laila Lopez said.

The next volleyball game will be against South Lakes at 7:15 p.m. on Sept. 6. The following game is against Falls Church at Cassel’s Sportsplex in Herndon at 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 8.

KELLY ESQUIVEL senior “Cheerleading, because we practice hard and are very motivated to succeed.”

IDRIS DAHIR senior ”I think golf is definitely going to be the most successful sport because obviously we have a world class golf team and everyone on it is D1 prospect.”

Field hockey looks to find consistency

BY ERIK RIVAS Sports Editor The Atoms field hockey season has just begun and the girls have already breezed through a couple of their first games.

This season’s new captains are senior Rebecca Tecle, junior Lindsey Keyes, junior Emily Shawish and senior Sarah Hawkins.

The team’s starters are Emily Shawish, Rebecca Tecle, Aiya Ismael, Annika Marigliano, Lily Le, Megan Brown, Lillian Dalrymple, Lindsey Keyes, Britney Tran, Annie Nguyen and Sarah Hawkins.

The girls have had a decent beginning

start to their season with a 1-1 record.

Their first game took place on Aug. 28 at Mt. Vernon High School. After a long two hours of hard work and sweat, the team made it out victorious over the Majors with a final score of 1-0.

The girls varsity field hockey team’s second game took place on Aug. 29 at Freedom High School.

There, they faced a tough game. Although they did not want to lose and kept playing tough, desperately searching for a victory, this did not occur.

Instead, the Eagles scored twice and the Atoms loss with a score of 2-0.

“I feel like the game went better in the second quarter,” said junior Lindsey Keyes.

The girls normally practice on a turf field and this led to a disadvantage.

“It took time to get used to playing on the grass,” Keyes said.

All though they did not perform up to their expectations, the girls did not have a terrible

night.

They instead believe that they improved on many necessary skills, such as working and communicating to one another.

“In the game, we did a better job of moving as one up and down the field,” senior Rebecca Tecle said.

Although they have only played two games in the season, the players know exactly what needs to be done in order to ensure future victories.

“Our communication all across the field is the first thing we need to improve,” Tecle said.

The next field hockey game will take place on Sept. 6 at Thomas Jeffeson High School as the Atoms face the Colonials.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRITTNEY TRAN

Atoms downed by Freedom Eagles 2-0 in intense match-up

Junior Lindsey Keyes dribbles he ball up the field in the game.

BY CASEY NGUYEN Managing Editor Q: What event do you normally participate in?

A: I have been running cross country since my freshman year.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve received?

A: The best advice I have received is to believe in myself. Running is something challenging to do, especially if you do it for back to back each season. You find it so easy to give up, but if have the right mind-set each day then you can continue to improve no matter what.

Q: How did you discover your interest in Cross Country?

A: Since I was in elementary school, they had a program that is well known called “Girls on the Run” and I enjoyed doing it.

Ever since then, my dad and I have always tried to run twice a week to stay in shape, so he motivated me a lot when it came to running.

Q: How have your friends and family support you?

A: My friends on the cross country and track team always cheered me on, which helps me a lot during races especially when I feel like I am dying. My family has also attended many of my races, which shows how much they care about me and want to see me succeed in what I do.

Q: Who is your favorite athlete and why?

A: My favorite athlete is Hunter Woodhall, because his story continues to motivate me each day. He was born with a congenital defect called “fibular hemimelia,” which led him to amputate both of his legs at a young age. He continues to run each day and has received many medals, which shows me how anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

Q: What is your daily training routine?

A: My daily training routine is attending practice right after school each day, and they last about two hours. Also, if we do not have a meet on Saturday, then we end up having another practice at eight in the morning.

Q: What or who inspires you to continue?

A: My coaches inspire me to continue each day. Coach Harris, Scarbrough, Ciccarelli, and Roe have all believed in me so much over the years, which helps me stay focused each season. They all have put in so much work towards me in helping me reach my goals, and for that, I am very thankful to have met them.

Q: What’s your favorite song to listen to before a meet?

A: My fave song to listen to before a meet is Remember the Name because it provides a great confidence boost.

PHOTO COURTESY VITALINA FUENTES

Athlete of the Month: Vitalina Fuentes

Q: What’s your favorite pre-game meal?

A: I eat an insane amount of pasta the day before a meet. I’ll eat about two plates of pasta, then look around in the kitchen to see what else contains a substantial amount of carbs.

Q: What’s your favorite part about Cross Country?

A: My favorite part about cross country is that I can do it with my friends. We all have to go through it together which makes me feel a lot better.

Fuentes runs her way to the finish line at Bull Run Park for cross country on Sept. 8, 2016.

14 SPORTS Boys XC prepares for Monroe Parker Invitational

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATOMS ATHLETICS TWITTER

Girls cross country begins its season

Seniors Ayman Elhag (1) and Oussama Bougria (33) go in for the tackle on defense against Justice High School on August 24.

Justice HS Wolves defeat Atoms Penalties cause a shaky first game

BY ALEX BURITA Sports Editor To kick off their 2018 regular season, the Atoms played their first game against the Justice Wolves on Friday Aug. 24.

Following preparation in the form of intense practices, the Atoms strived to hopefully defeat the much improving Wolves. Additionally, they viewed replays and created a game plan based on team strengths seen and mistakes in the opposition.

The Atoms, who won this game last year on Aug. 25 by a score of 33-24.

However, this year they did not obtain the same result as they lost the game by a score of 26-47.

Looking at the conference standings so far, the Atoms was the only team to lose their first regular season game out of four other teams. They are West Potomac, Mount Vernon, Hayfield, and T.C. Williams. The Atoms will play these teams (in order) the last four regular season games.

However, the game started a bit differently as senior starting quarterback Devin Gill was not cleared to play until Wednesday and was replaced by sophomore Danny Salisbury.

“Salisbury had played well in the scrimmage against Edison [last Thursday] and we had confidence in

Which fall sport will have the toughest season?

both guys,” coach Scott said.

Overall, though, it was a tough game for the Atoms on both offense and defense.

“Penalties really hurt us, it was a sloppy game by both teams,” head coach Michael Scott said.

Other than penalties, there are other specific places where Coach Scott has identified that improvement will need to be made to have a successful game against Woodson.

“We didn’t play very well up front both on offense and defense,” Scott said.

Another reason for why the game resulted in the way it did was due to the fact that the Wolves have “two very talented backs and an excellent receiver on offense,” Scott said.

However, the game did not completely go to waste as it provided as a learning experience early in the season in efforts to improve and have a more successful season.

“Every game, win or lose, is a learning experience. [From the game against Justice], we have to play with more discipline and execute better, on both sides of the ball,” Scott said.

Additionally, the game can be used to set attainable goals for the season and measure incremental improvements toward the team’s goals for the season. “[For this season], our goal is to get better every day and continue to improve, so we can be playing our best possible football in November. We are just focused on working hard every day in practice to strengthen all of our skills in all aspects of the game,” Scott said.

Overall, since last season, Scott noted on differences between the team now and then when taking into account of improvements made.

“It’s difficult to compare teams year

ISAIAH POWELL Freshman “Football, because they play multiple teams who are very good and coaches expect a lot from the players.”

JAYDEN JOYA sophomore “Volleyball, because we play tough teams like Lake Braddock and Woodson who are historically good and have good programs.”

NAZ NYADZAYO junior “Football, because we go against big schools.

The toughest game will be against Robinson.”

Sept. 7 hosting Robinson 7PM Sept. 21 hosting Fairfax 7PM Sept. 28 hosting WashingtonLee 7PM

BY ALEX BURITA Sports Editor The Atoms junior varsity and varsity girls cross country teams began their seasons with their first invitational on Saturday, Aug. 25, in the Great Meadow 5K, hosted by Colgan High School.

In total, the Atoms had eight runners go out to race, three of whom were freshmen running their first race.

“The Great Meadow Invitational went exceptionally well this year. I believe each runner exceeded expectations at the meet,” coach Phil Harris said.

The meet featured great races by

“This year, we have a strong group of freshmen that is willing to put in the work to make the team successful.”

--PHIL HARRIS

Girls XC Head Coach both sophomore Julia Ghiselli and freshman Daniella Dosen who both placed second in their respective races.

“With a rather young team this year, we have a lot of great freshman girls who come out with athleticism and are committed to improve in the sport consistently,” Harris said.

With an idea of where the team stands after the first invitational, Harris noted what must be done to prepare to have a successful season.

“I plan to have the team improve on their endurance through long distance runs at practice. I also want to do 800 and 1,000 meter intervals to work on speed and agility during races,” Harris said.

The Atoms’ next meet for both the boys and girls team will be at the 2.98 mile Monroe Parker Invitational at Burke Lake, hosted by Robinson High School. It will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018.

“The team will be well prepared to be successful in the Monroe Parker and will achieve greatly improved times since the start of the season,” Harris said.

From times earned during time trials for various distances, Harris adds that his goal for the team is to win the district and qualify for the regional meet.

However, there will be ample time to achieve this goal as there are still seven meets to go in the regular season before the conference meet.

Golf strives for a successful season

BY ALEX BURITA Sports Editor

ELENA LEOPOLD freshman “Football, because of their past performance against the same teams they consistently play, like Woodson. Also, the district is tough.”

to year, because we lost some really good players to graduation, however a lot of the returning players are better and we have many underclassmen who are really contributing,” Scott said.

Next Friday, Aug. 31, the Atoms will head to WHS to face the Cavaliers who, so far this season, look decent with a 14-7 win against an extremely tough South Lakes team. Last year, the Atoms defeated the Cavaliers, as well, by an uncomfortably close score of 14-13.

As for Justice, they will face an 0-1 James Wood team, who were battered in their 65-6 loss against Sherando, in which the Wolves are expected to have no difficult time winning.

The score of the game however could not be provided before the press time of this story.

Coach Scott planned to prepare the team for a tough Woodson team the same way he would prepare for any other game.

“We will prepare to beat them like all of our opponents. We break down their [Woodson’s] film, come up with our game plan [based on their errors], and practice to execute it,” Scott said.

Overall, hopes have not been terminated as the Atoms still have nine other games, four of which are against conference teams to keep their season alive.

Next three opponents:

Sophomore Julia Ghiselli finishes the Great Meadow state meet on Nov. 10 last season.

Both boys and girls golf kicked off a new season in their first match, hosting T.C. Williams on Aug. 7, 2018.

Since then, there have been for three other matches (all of which are in Annandale’s district) against West Potomac, T.C. Williams, and Mount Vernon in that order.

For AHS’ most recent match, they headed to Mount Vernon to face the Majors on Aug. 22.

However, performances during that match were defective for a number of reasons.

“We could have done better. We were all a bit flustered because we had not played there before. It was a blind course due to there being no score card to divulge the map and distance to the hole,” freshman Kate Crestman said.

Nevertheless, the match provides a learning experience for games at the Major’s unfamiliar course in the future.

With the first five matches already complete, performances have been assessed and goals set accordingly.

The matches gauged how AHS will perform in the future in the District Tournament and helped acclimatize everyone to the different courses that will be played on throughout the season.

“My goal for this season as a freshman are to lower my stroke count at each match and eventually break season

fifty this season,” Crestman said.

Crestman notes that her stroke count this season is already much improved since initially starting to practice in May, just a mere four months ago.

“I would love to qualify for the regional match to represent AHS in my next three years. But this season, I could definitely improve on accelerating through the hitting zone. I’m new to the game and I am trying to improve every day, but it has been a great year so far though,” Crestman said.

Additionally, improvement is almost certain to come as the majority of the team is composed of freshman, who are new to the game and are developing on a daily basis. “[With a young team] we may not win every match, but our game play and stroke count is getting better and better,” Crestman said.

Overall, golf will consistently look to improve in practices and matches leading up to the district tournament on Sept. 24 and 25.

Based on the results during the district meet, players that qualify will head onto the regional meet.

However, it is not often that the Atoms sends more than one player onto the regional meet.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATOMS ATHLETICS

After winning the Gunston District Championship last year, the boys cross country team qualified for the region 6C Championship at Burke Lake’s 2.98 mile course.

Here, the top runner, Mikyas Sahlu, placed 13th in the region with a time of 16:08.

Overall, the Atoms placed eighth in the region out of 13 teams.

Following the successful season last year with the addition of a group of strong freshman, Atoms cross country looks to go further this year.

“My goal is for the team to go to states this year and defeat vulnerable teams like Justice and Lake Braddock who have lost some great seniors,” sophomore varsity cross country runner Bennett Stenberg said.

Some of those seniors who have since graduated include Justice High School’s Natnael Asmelash, who ran a 15:58 and Lake Braddock’s Andrew Delvecchio, who ran a 16:03.

Both of these times were achieved at the Atoms’ regional meet last year. They placed third and seventh respectively.

In the Atoms’ region, 6C, the top three teams out of 13 qualify for the state meet.

It is much less of a question if the Atoms will get out of the district as only one team in the district of five will be eliminated. This year it was (and will likely be this year) Mount Vernon who last year did not even have a full squad of ten runners in the district meet.

The Atoms is are looking to shoot for third in the region, which would get them to states. Woodson and West Springfield are stacked and may be out of the question. But, the Atoms do not need to beat either of them.

Last year, Woodson and West Springfield put up an astounding performance and placed second with 69 points and third with 70 points respectively.

The only team who topped both of them last year was West Springfield, who due to graduation will likely not perform as well.

“My goal time is to achieve a 17:50 and I am preparing to help the team place top three in the region in order to get to states by working hard with the team,” Stenberg said. “Focusing on daily practices and workouts pay off big time in races.”

However, the next meet, boys cross country’s first meet, is the exact same course as that of the district and regional meet and will provide necessary experience to be successful in the district and regional meets.

The Atoms’ first meet of the season will be the Monroe Parker at Burke Lake on Sept. 8 including just about every team from the region.

An invitational at Hood College High School in Frederick, Maryland will follow a week after on Sept. 15.

Then, the last meet leading up to the biggest meet, Carleisle in Pennsylvania, will be the 5x2500 meter RVA relays in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEJANDRA NAVARETTE

BY ERIK RIVAS Sports Editor

Freshman Nicholas Lemens prepares to tee off in a match against West Potomac.

ENTERTAINMENT 15

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

YOUTUBERS BOX FOR TITLE

Students love ‘Crazy, Rich Asians’ GETTY IMAGES

BY CASEY NGUYEN Managing Editor

Logan Paul (left) and KSI (right) exchange blows during the third round of their fight on August 25. The fight consisted of six, three minute rounds.

“The biggest event in internet history” ends in draw

BY CAMERON FOTI Entertainment Editor After months of trash talk and ugly rumors, millions of online viewers and thousands in person watched two of the most popular YouTubers duke it out in the ring on Aug. 25. It was advertised as the biggest event in internet history, bringing in about 2 million worldwide viewers. The event was held in Manchester Arena, one of England’s most premier boxing venues, where 21,000 people from all over the world came to watch the bout.

Out of three judges, two scored the fight a 57-57 draw and the third judge scored it as a 58-57 KSI victory.

This highly anticipated boxing match between two YouTubers had ended in a majority draw after six, three minute rounds.

Cynics called this fight a staged event so that the fighters could pocket more money after the rematch.While others just enjoyed the bout between two amateurs and are looking foward to it again.

This fight came to terms after KSI, whos real name is Olajide “JJ” William Olatunji, challenged Logan Paul after his previous boxing match against Joe Weller, another YouTuber on February

3, 2017, which he won.

KSI is based out of England, as are most of his 19.5 million subscribers. KSI is from Watford, England and is known for his vlogs and rapping on his YouTube channel.

As for Logan Paul, he gained popularity by making short videos for the ap, Vine. Paul later created a YouTube channel and uploaded vlogs after Vine started to die down. Paul gained infamous global notoriety after posting a video of a man who hanged himself in the Japanese Suicide Forest. Logan Paul has now gained over 18 million on Youtube.

Despite the two million online viewers, more were expected to watch. The fight was being streamed live on YouTube for $10 but only about 830,000 bought the fight legally, while the others found pirated versions of the fight on other sites, like Twitch, one of YouTube’s biggest competitors. Seniors Hunter Shinstock and Fares Ayoub are of the thousands who bought the fight.

“I bought the fight because I watched a lot of Logan Paul before he uploaded the suicide forest video,” said Shinstock.

“I wanted to see him lose and see how he would act online after all the trash talk.”

The event featured seven fights, and all were announced by boxing legend Michael Buffer, all between popular

Youtubers.

Call Me Ham vs. Jrizzy Jeremy, Call me Ham wins!

MOMO vs. RossiHD, MOMO Wins!

JMX vs. Coach Richard, JMX Wins!

FaZe Sensei vs. overtflow, Faze Sensei wins!

AnEsonGib vs Jay Swingler, AnEsonGib wins!

Deji vs. Jake Paul, Jake Paul wins!

The fight started out extremely strong for Logan Paul, as he won the first two rounds easily.

“After I watched the first two rounds I thought Logan was going to win by a knockout, KSI seemed like he wasn’t doing anything right,” Ayoub said.

In the third, fourth, and fifth rounds KSI seemed to find his footing and began to land some strikes on Logan.

Every time KSI landed a punch everyone in the arena would go crazy, it seemed as if there was nobody rooting for Logan Paul.

As the fight progressed Logan started to get tired and his punches started slowing down. But in the middle of the fifth round the fight was close to being over as Logan Paul unloaded over 10 punches on KSI’s head and made him look helpless. Though, after the exchange KSI seemed unfazed.

“I thought the fight was over after those punches,” Ayoub said. “I was

screaming at my TV in excitement, I thought the official should have called the fight then.”

KSI rebounded in the final round by dominating Logan and forcing him to clinch onto to KSI in order to avoid punches. There was multiple times when the crowd and the announcers thought KSI was going to knockout Logan. The fight ended with KSI landing a strong jab that made the crowd go crazy.

“I thought the fight was even but I was thinking the judges were going to give the win to KSI because it was in his home country and he ended very strong in the final round,” Shinstock said.

After the final bell rang both fighters were celebrating with their teams and coaches as if they had won.

“Logan really showed the judges in the early rounds that he deserved to win, he used his height and reach to his advantage,” Ayoub said.

The trashtalk didn’t end there as Logan Paul called out KSI for his swelled eye that Logan gave him moments before. The two have agreed to terms for a rematch but have not determined a date or location yet, though the fight is rumored to be somewhere in America.

“The fight definitely lived up to the hype, it was a great fight,” Ayoub said. “I

On Aug. 15, 2018, Director Jon M. Chu and Producers Nina Jacobson, John Penotti, and Bradford Simpson released the film ‘Crazy, Rich Asians.’ This is a movie that features Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan and Awkwafina.

Crazy, Rich Asians’ is the first major movie production in Hollywood to have an all-Asian cast in 25 years. Due to the film marking an evolutionary period in Hollywood, the film is widely popular and defies all stereotypical plots in previous films with Asian characters.

Instead, the film is very contemporary and relatable to the everyday person.

As the title suggests, the movie follows Nick and Rachel, a couple that resides in New York City and who are madly in love. Nick believes that it is finally time, after a year of dating, for Rachel to meet his family back in Singapore and discover the truth about who he is: a man who comes from the most wealthiest family in Singapore. Once they travel back to Nick’s home country, their relationship is tested to the extremes: bratty and spoiled gossip girls and strict mothers.

This movie is not only hilarious due to very comical character, Peik Lin Goh, played by Awkwafina. A hilarious line that is said by Awkwafina is when she is providing advice to Rachel, hoping to absolve her of her adversaries. She says that Nick’s mother thinks that Rachel is an “ unrefined banana. Yellow on the outside, white on the inside.”

Overall, the film is extremely cheesy and comical. Not only does the film showcase the importance of family, but also the importance of understanding and respecting cultural variations among different people.

Twitter reacts to fight decision

Drake leads summer of music Playlist of the Issue

Rap beef, diss tracks, and popular albums filled summer 2018

KEEP IN TOUCH Tory Lanez (feat. Bryson Tiller) Single (2018) On Aug. 17 at midnight Lanez dropped the audio on YouTube then made it available everywhere else a little later in the night.

BY CAMERON FOTI Entertainment Editot This summer has been jam packed with popular albums from famous artists. The charts have been filled with big names and new stars. The summer has also been filled with our fair share of rap beef between artists.

It all began between Drake and Pusha T but ended quickly when Pusha called out Drake for hiding a child.

Drake ended up responding on his popular and highly anticipated album ‘Scorpion’ which released on June 29.

In mid August we saw Nicki Minaj battle the charts and call out other rappers like Travis Scott for padding their stats to make their sales look better. She is trying to prove to everyone that she is still the best female rapper there is, as Cardi B has been on her toes and trending.

We saw Meek Mill release his four song EP, ‘Legends of the Summer’ and Future release ‘BEASTMODE 2’ on July 6, Wiz Khalifa release ‘Rolling Papers 2’, and Denzel Curry release ‘TA1300’ in late July.

August was big month in music. Travis Scott started things of on August 3 by dropping ASTROWORLD, which was announced three years before. Rappers YG and Mac

HICCUP Amine (feat. Gunna) ONEPOINTFIVE album (2018) The song lacks much meaning but features a catchy hook and discusses the joys of life that both artists can experience given their success.

Drake (left) and Travis Scott (right) are the two artists who released the most popular albums this summer. The two pose for a photo together at Drake’s album release party in late June.

Miller also released their own albums on Aug. 3, ‘Stay Dangerous’ and ‘Swimming’. Trippie Redd dropped ‘Life’s A Trip’ on Aug. 10 after beefing with popular rapper, Tekashi 69. Female rapper Nicki Manaj dropped her album ‘Queen’ on Aug. 10. Finally, Young Thug released ‘Slime Language’ on Aug. 17.

Out of these major album releases 2 really stood out on the charts, Drake’s ‘Scorpion’ and Travis Scott’s ‘ASTROWORLD’.

‘Scorpion’ is Drake’s fifth studio album and is a double album, consisting of 25 tracks. It’s A-side is primarily hip-hop and rap, while the B-side is considered R&B and

pop. Drake executively produced the project himself in collaboration with long time friend Noah “40” Shebib and manager Oliver El-Khatib.

The most popular song on the album was “In My Feelings,” as it went viral as the “In my feelings challenge”, many celebrities participated. The album featured popular artists like Ty Dolla Sign, JayZ, Lil Wayne, Future, Nicki Minaj, and PartyNextDoor.

Fan reactions to this project were extremely good as all 25 tracks reached the Billboard Top 100 on July 14.

Travis Scott’s “ASTROWORLD” is his third studio album. It was released on Aug. 3, by Grand Hustle

Records, Epic Records and Cactus Jack Records. The album features guest vocals from Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean, Drake, The Weeknd, James Blake, Swae Lee, Gunna, Nav, 21 Savage, Quavo, Takeoff, Juice Wrld, Sheck Wes and Don Toliver, among others. The album did well commercially with over 537,000 units sold. This is due in part by bundling merch and the album, so if you bought Travis Scott merchandise you got the album. On Aug. 10, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

FEFE 6ix9ine (feat. Nicki Minaj) Single (2018) “FEFE” features a different flow from 6ix9ine, who seems to stray from his usual aggressive rapping style to a calmer more catchy vibe.”

SICKO MODE Travis Scott (feat. Drake) ASTROWORLD album (2018) “Sicko Mode” was released on Aug. 3 and refers to Travis and Drake’s work ethic, showing they’re a cut above the competition by going sicko or beast mode.

TSUNAMI Young Thug Slime Language (2018) Young Thug is an innovative trap artist who has shown his versatility from his signature rapping to crooning over pop type beats and Tsunami is no different.

16 WEEKEND

Wed. Sept. 5, 2018

Making Ice Cream at Nicecream

Snocream

Nicecream is an ice cream parlor in Old Town, Alexandria. The ice cream is made right before your very eyes with liquid nitrogen.

Location: Old Town, 726 King St. Alexandria, VA 22314 Yelp Rating: 4.0 stars Costs: $4.99 for a small Popular Flavors: honey lavender, spiced vanilla

Peterson’s Ice Cream Depot Pterson’s Ice Cream Depot is open from March to November. In addition to offering dog ice cream, they allow you to leave your mark with chalk on your way out.

Location: 7150 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124 Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars Costs: $4 for a regular Popular Flavors: pumpkin pie, pomegranate

If you are craving a sweet, refreshing treat not too far away, Nicecream is that perfect place to go. Sure, you could go to Baskin Robbins or the grocery store and pick out the normal, same old typical flavors of ice cream. But why spend your money on boring old ice cream when you can treat yourself to something special at Old Town, Alexandria that is handmade from a local shop called Nicecream?

They make the ice cream right in front of you... with liquid nitrogen. As you explore the cute little town of Alexandria, make sure you stop at 726 King Street and treat yourself.

As you decide what you want to order, employees like senior Rebecca Tecle dumps the ingredients into one of the multiple KitchenAid mixers on the counter, and then adds liquid nitrogen to solidify the mixture, resulting in ice cream. Nicecream’s ice cream is unique “because it just tastes better than other ice cream shops and I really like the consistency and it’s creamier and fun. Plus I like how they make the ice cream,” Tecle said.

Nicecream has a complex process of making the ice cream. The ice cream is made by a milk, cream, and sugar base and depending on the flavor. “For one of our more popular flavors, honey lavender, we pour the base in and take a teaspoon of lavender and squeeze a bottle of honey for two seconds. Then we pour in the liquid nitrogen and it goes from liquid to solid,” Tecle said.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

HILU ALIYI freshman I like mint chocolate chip because it has a great combination of flavors.

Senior Rebecca Tecle makes ice cream at Nicecream with the KitchenAid mixers and liquid nitrogen.

However, the flavors available in the shop vary day to day because they rotate the flavors. “My favorite flavor is definitely caramel latte because I love caramel and I love coffee and they put them together to make a really delicious flavor,” Tecle said. She highly recommends going to Nicecream due to its unique flavors, creamy textures, and high quality ice cream.

A 3 ounce small sized cup costs $4.99 while a regular 5 ounce cup cost $5.99. “The price may be a lot, but you know what the ingredients are and it’s being made right in front of you so there are n secrets about what’s in it. Also, it’s just a fun place to go,” Tecle said.

La Moo Creamy handrolls and makes the ice cream in front of you using a Thai-roll style process over chilled plates, adding toppings as they go along.

Location: 2501-B N Harrison St. Arlington, VA 22207 Yelp Rating: 4.0 stars Costs:$4.50 for a small Popular Flavors: key lime pie, rumo-way, monkey business

Casa Rosada Artisan Gelato Woody’s Ice Cream Casa Rosada Artisan Gelato offers ice cream for both you and your dog. They rotate flavors daily and they have a few vegan options.

Location: 111 S Payne St, Alexandria, VA 22314 Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars Costs: $4.99 for a small Popular Flavors: crema rusa, marron glace, sweet corn

Ice Cream Jubilee Ice Cream Jubilee is a winner of People’s Choice for best ice cream in D.C. The scoops are delicious as well as aesthically pleasing.

Location: 301 Water St SE, Washington, DC 20003 Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars Costs: $4 for a small Popular Flavors: blueberry pie, caramel popcorn, honey lemon lavender

Woodrow Lashley, age 72 and a retired mechanic started Woody’s Ice Cream shop, happily serving customers and dogs.

Location: 10435 North St. Fairfax, VA 22030 Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars Costs: $3.05 for a small Popular Flavors: mocha fudge brownie, heath bar crunch, amaretto biscotti

MADISYN DIXON freshman I love birthday cake ice cream because I really like when they mix in the sprinkles and it tastes like cake.

JASON DOCK sophomore My favorite is strawberry because I have a very strong sweet tooth and I like overly sweet things.

KATARYNA VEJCIK junior Rocky road is my favorite because it’s marshmallows and chocolate and I’m obsessed with chocolate.

Retro Creamery Retro Creamery serves their ice cream in brightly colored cones, adding their own modern take on 1950’s ice cream parlors.

Location: 2001 International Dr McLean, VA 22102 Yelp Rating: 4.0 stars Costs: $4 for one scoop Popular Flavors: maple bacon, tahitian vanilla, apple curry

Milwaukee Frozen Custard Boba & Bites Milwaukee Frozen Custard has 83 flavors to choose from. Their ice cream is made from Wisconsin cream and they have thrived for over 70 years.

Location: 13934 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy Chantilly, VA 20151 Yelp Rating: 4 stars Costs: $4.37 for a small one scoop Popular Flavors: girl scout cookie, lemon meringue pie

ELIAS SAFI freshman Mint chocolate chip is my favorite because it tastes good and I like the mint and pieces of chocolate in it.

La Moo Creamery

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE POPE

Nicecream

BY KATIE POPE Weekend Editor

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE POPE

Snocream started off in a food truck near Kmart, founded by Arturo Mei. Now it is part of a mini market called The Block. Snocream is refreshing, low calorie, shaved Taiwanese ice with a unique texture.

Location: 4221 John Marr Drive, Annandale, VA 22003 Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars Costs: $6.50 for a large cup Popular Flavors: mango, honey dew, milk tea

Boba & Bites is an Asian street food restaurant, but a lot of customers come for the soft serve in a fish shaped cone with mochi as a possible topping.

Location: 8191 Strawberry Ln #2 Falls Church, VA 22042 Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars Costs: $5 Popular Flavors: black sesame, matcha, sesame matcha twist, chocolate vanilla twist

MIKE ROMERO junior Plain chocolate because it’s a well known flavor along with vanilla except it actually has flavor to it and you can easily get it at a store.

MICHELLE CHHIM juniors Cookie dough because I like the cookie dough bits and pieceshat are mixed inside of it.

GARRETT PATTERSON junior I like mint chock chip because it’s a good balance between sweet and the bitter from the chocolate.