Issue 3

Page 1

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017 Vol. 62 Issue #3

Annandale High School’s

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

“SENIOR STARTS CAREER AS AN ENTREPRENEUR”

Informing the Atoms since 1954

PEOPLE 14

IB Exams will cost students BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief The new FCPS policy states that the county will now pay for only six IB/ AP exams. Any additional exam will have to be paid by students. The official policy was created in hopes of covering the new deficit from the budget. “I think students are frustrated because the policy is retroactive and had students been told last year I think they would have made a more informed decision,” IB Coordinator Linda Bradshaw. “I really think the policy should have started this year because that is not fair to the seniors.” Most students take less than six IB exams, but IB diploma candidates often take seven IB exams, and the test count is cumulative over a student’s FCPS academic career.

TIANA REAMS

SIT DOWN TO STAND UP The varsity cheerleaders take a knee during the national anthem at an away football game against the Mount Vernon High School Majors on Oct. 20.

Students protest racial injustice during Homecoming Junior Ammy Valdivia stared intently ahead as she linked arms with her fellow varsity cheerleading sisters. The crowd grew quiet as the choir began singing the national anthem during the Homecoming game. Looking at each other, the girl’s began kneeling. One by one. Valdivia took in a deep breath as she stepped down, bracing herself for some sort of backlash. She, along with the others, remained kneeling for the entire anthem. The varsity cheerleaders kneeling during the anthem as part of a movement of student athletes who protest racial and social injustices in America. “With everything going on in America it didn’t feel right to stand for the anthem. A lot of people on the team have been faced with some type of discrimination, even a few days leading up to the football game,” junior Isatu Kargo said. “We asked ourselves ‘why should we stand for a country that doesn’t respect people of different races?’” These conversations started long before the Homecoming game: in the locker room, car rides home, walks to practice and back again. The girls on the team each cite their own personal reasons for kneeling, but the cheer team, like many other high school sports teams, were inspired to take a knee during the national anthem by professional athletes. “I was inspired by hearing about football players kneeling during the anthem,” Valdivia said. “It actually takes a lot for me to kneel, because I always have the people who fight for our country in mind, who I give all respect to.” An increased number of

TIANA REAMS

BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief

The Stuart High School cheerleading and football teams take a knee during their Homecoming game last year. professional athletes of all sports have joined former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality especially after President Donald Trump’s heated comments against athletes who knelt during the anthem. Kaepernick’s protest began over a year ago when he sat on the bench during protests, but he later transitioned to kneeling, saying that he was doing so to show more respect for military veterans, which later turned out to be a much more iconic pose. He cited his reasons for doing so because he was not going to “stand up to show pride in a flag or country that oppresses people of color,” Kaepernick said in a press conference after first sitting out during an anthem. Kaepernick, like several other athletes who have sat out during the anthem, has received a lot of backlash

for not standing during the national anthem. Many people believe sitting out during the anthem as disrespectful, especially to veterans and those who serve. “If you want to protest Trump that is fine, but I think kneeling for the anthem is not the way to go about it,” said senior Hunter Swedish. “I just think there are too many people risking their lives for us. Standing for the anthem is our way to respect them.” The girls on the varsity cheerleading team do not take kneeling lightly, rather, many of them are very aware of how their actions could be perceived, but they believe that kneeling holds a greater purpose. “I don’t mean to disrespect those who have fought for our country. I respect those people so much, but I take a knee because it’s my freedom to

do so, and I just feel like this country has showed a lot of disrespect towards me, towards my family and towards other races,” Valdivia said. More athletes, both professional and high school, joined Kaepernick’s peaceful demonstration during the anthem when President Trump called any player who took a knee a “Son of a bitch.” He further told NFL owners to fire players who refused to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Although more athletes began to sit after Trump’s inflamed comments, those who are protesting claim that they are sitting not because of Trump, but what Trump’s comments represent: a reality where minorities’ voices are suppressed and are attacked for protesting. The movement to take a knee during the national anthem or to stand with arms locked in silent protest follows a long tradition of sports stars standing up for what they believe in. Some have accused this movement of being unpatriotic and that politics should be kept out of sports. “It is about respect for our flag and respect for our soldiers, our first line like our fire fighters, police officers as well,” Swedish said. However, protests against national symbols has not been isolated to just kneeling during the anthem, but students have also acted out by not participating in the pledge of allegiance. Senior Cecelia Joseph has not stood for the anthem all year, which she cites as her way to protest racial injustice in the U.S. “I think people perceive people who sit as disrespectful and think See PROTEST page 4

“I really think the policy should have started this year because it is unfair to the seniors.” --LINDA BRADSHAW

IB Coordinator

The exams will save the county approximately $600,000. A fraction from the county’s $2.8 billion budget. Students who choose to take one or more AP/IB tests beyond the six FCPSfunded tests will be charged a fee of $93 per AP test and $119 per IB test. Senior Sammy Wondwossen is one of the frustrated IB Diploma Candidates who is taking seven IB exams because he took the IB Business exam last year. “I already have to pay for senior dues and college application fees, so paying for an exam that is required for my diploma is just upsetting,” Wondwossen said. Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals must submit a consent form and will not be charged for any of their exams. However, students who still face financial trouble and are not eligible for free or reduced lunch are encouraged to go to Bradshaw in her office. “If you come to me, I will figure out a way to cover it whether we have a school-wide fundraiser,” Bradshaw said. “If you want to take it we will make it happen.” Although the price might be a deterrant for seniors to take the exams, administrators are still encouraging students to take the exams. “We are absolutely encouraging students to keep taking these exams because the experience of just sitting for the exam is worthwhile” Bradshaw said. “Plus you have the added bonus of possibly getting potential college credit.”

Freshman classes become acquainted with the Writing Center

BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief Freshman classes are being given the opportunity to learn more about the Atoms Writing Center. The Writing Center has requested freshman English classes to come in during W4 and learn about the Writing Center services. “Our hope is that they will get an introduction to the writing center, learn about what it’s like, get some actual experience, hopefully they will see how useful it will be and hope they will come back on their own,” Writing Center advisor Stephanie Hanson said. The center will be outlining the different uses for the center, and how the center will be able to help freshmen in the future. They give the freshmen an outline of the program, and then go through a sample tutoring session

for the freshman. They are doing so in hopes of connecting freshmen to new resources that are not commonly utilized in school. During the Pride Time sessions, the freshmen will either have their own assignments to be looked over by the tutors, or they will be given assignments by the center to further understand how useful the services of the Atoms Writing Center are. “We are hoping to get ever freshmen through the doors of the Writing Center doors,” Hanson said. The program will continue through December when all of the freshman classes will be seen. However, there have been some conflicts with the freshman classes and freshman orientation seminars during W4. “We hope the freshmen will find our center useful and will continue to come back all through high school,” Managing Tutor Shirley Chu said. The center has been looking at this initiative since last year. It hopes that

the freshmen will find value in their services. “I guess the inspiration started last year in the spring once we had out new batch of tutors,” Hanson said. “We started targeting in on what would be useful for each grade level and we tried to implement that in the spring, but it wasn’t enough time to get it all done. This year we figured let’s start with the freshmen right off the bat.” The freshmen will be working with the student tutors who will explain the Writing Center and how it can be utilized by students. “The Writing Center is a useful tool in the school, and we want to make sure that the freshman are not intimidated to come,” Chu said. The freshman in the program have found the tutoring helpful as well. “It is a really helpful experience to better my writing,” freshman Melita Nkemee said. “I have new experience with grammar rules such as where to put quotes and periods.”

ASEAL SAED

Writing Center partners with freshman classes

Writing Center tutor senior Mariam Mohamed tutors freshman Melita Nkemee with her OEA paragraph during a session.


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