Issue 5

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019 Vol. 65 Issue #5

Annandale High School’s

THE A BLAST

“HEADED FOR DISTRICTS” The girls and boys basketball teams prepare to end the season strong SPORTS 17

Informing the Atoms since 1954

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

Senior Career Fair to take place

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION OF ALEX BRENNAN BY JUDE NANAW AND MANNY PRECHT

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief

DO WE EVEN CARE?

As political tensions reach a new high amid the government shutdown, students appear to be uninterested According to a survey of 150 stuBY JUDE NANAW dents conducted by The A-Blast dur60% 52% 40% 26% Co-Editor in Chief ing R5 on Jan. 24, only 26% of AHS With the political world in turmoil as the government recovers from a partial shutdown with daily congressional gridlock, a President refusing to fold and a recent grueling Supreme Court confirmation battle in hindsight, it begs the question: “Are we paying attention?”

It is without doubt that political activity is at an all-time high with recent events taking place such as the March for Life and Women’s March drawing in fervent supporters of various causes and issues. However, it does not appear that a majority of the younger generation is engaged in or cares for the ongoing political discourse.

For instance, the 2018 Midterm Elections were highly publicized as having major voter turnout among young Americans. Despite this being the narrative, only an estimated 31% of individuals ages 18 to 29 voted in the 2018 Midterms. Although this

do not believe they receive enough political exposure

identify with a political party

exceeded participation from the same age group in the 2014 midterms (21%), it was still much less than the amount of votes cast in the 2016 presidential election where 51% of Young Americans voted.

“I primarily voted in the midterms in order to have a say in the issues that I care most about,” senior Zuhair Rahman said. “Simply voting can have a serious impact on my life which is why I encourage any students who are eligible to vote to have their voices heard.”

With such close proximity to the epicenter of politics in the United States, Capitol Hill, political engagement at AHS appears to be on the lowend when compared to past years.

In past years, both a Young Republicans and Young Democrats club were meeting and active at AHS. Students

follow political news once a month or less

have participated in a march or political event

who participated in these clubs completed activities such as campaigning door-to-door, phone banking and organizing events.

However, both clubs are now defunct as former Young Republicans sponsor Fred Zuniga retired last year and former Young Democrats sponsor Kellie Burke stepped down due to other commitments. Neither club has picked up steam or garnered student interest since.

“I think that there is a mix as far as student political engagement goes,” former Young Democrats Sponsor and Government teacher Kellie Burke said. “Some students think that it doesn’t matter and that they cannot impact politics and even if they are paying attention to what’s going on that they are not really going to make a difference.”

students have previously participated in political events such as marches or rallies. In spite of this, students opt to take different routes when attempting to have an impact on social or political issues.

Amid the partial government shutdown, an estimated 800,000 government employees have been furloughed. As the shutdown lasted six weeks, federal workers missed multiple paychecks and had their household budgets upended. Many employees did not have access to basic needs such as food and as a result, food groups have ramped up aid to these individuals.

At AHS multiple clubs and organizations such as Key Club, Red Cross, the National Social Studies Honor Society, BCAA, Mission Possible and more came together and began organizing a food drive in order to help those affected by the government shut down.

“There are several clubs who are CONT. Page 5

Throughout their high school careers, students often do not have the opportunity to thoroughly plan for the future and evaluate potential career paths. Usually caught up with studying, homework and projects, it is rare for students to be able to take these things into consideration.

However, the English department is attempting to change that narrative in order to better prepare students for what lies ahead of them. The first step they have taken in doing this is by planning and organizing the first ever Career Fair at AHS. English 12 students will attend the fair during Pride Time on Jan. 29 in the cafeteria.

Approximately 60 community members with various career backgrounds will be volunteering at the fair and will be meeting with small groups of students consisting of between three and five students per group.

“We are hoping that students will

“We’ve tried our best to match students up with people in their field of interest as much as possible.”

--KATHLEEN MATHIS

English Teacher

be able to make connections with the volunteers,” English teacher Kathleen Mathis said. “We’ve tried our best to match students up with people in their field of interest as much as possible.”

Volunteers at the Career Fair come from a wide range of career jobs and positions including franchise owners and small business owners as well as individuals that work in accounting, IT, management, education and more.

“We’ve got a wide range of experience from our volunteers,” Mathis said.

Students have been working hard to prepare their resumes, cover letters and e-portfolios as well as work samples that they completed throughout their high school career so that they can present to the volunteers what they have created and get receive feedback both career wise and portfolio wise.

“I’m excited about the career fair because I feel like it will give us students confidence for the future,” senior Sam Abourakty said. “I’m looking forward to receiving feedback because I really want to do well in my future and the volunteers at the fair can take me to the next level.”

Students prepare for Mr. Annandale

BY MIA ANTEZANA GARCIA Staff Writer

The Torpedo Factory in Old Town will host the Class of 2019 Prom.

Prom venue selected

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief With Prom being just under 70 days away, the Class of 2019 has decided on a location.

At a recent class meeting, it was announced that Prom will be taking place at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town, Alexandria on April 6.

“The Torpedo Factory was chosen as the venue because Old Town is super pretty so it is good for pictures,” senior Class of 2019 President Efrata Tecle said. “There are a lot of restaurants and places to eat as well.”

Formerly a naval munitions factory that was converted into an art center, the Torpedo Factory is a popular venue for various events including receptions, weddings and events such as Prom.

“It is an all around good central location to take pictures, eat and go

to prom without much of a hassle for transportation,” Tecle said.

It is expected that tickets will cost approximately $50, however the Class of 2019 board is attempting to reduce costs through fundraising.

Now with a reserved venue, the Class of 2019 board is beginning to plan out decorations and themes for the event.

“The theme we are going to be looking at this year is an enchanted garden featuring cherry blossoms because cherry blossoms will be at their peak at the time that prom will be taking place,” Tecle said.

With Prom being a one-time experience for students, many are looking forward to attending in the spring.

“I’m most looking forward to hopefully seeing everybody enjoy themselves at an event that we have been working on planning for months,” Tecle said.

Leadership students are preparing for the annual Mr. Annandale contest, taking place on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

Students anticipate who will be taking the title from last year’s winner Jack McCrossin. As a tradition, there will be 5 categories and segments the boys will be judged on: Mr. Elegance, Mr. Muscle, Mr. Spirit, Mr. Talent and Mr. Intelligence.

Any junior or senior could participate in Mr. Annandale, as long as they were among the first people to fill out the Google form that was provided to those who were interested in the contest.

This year’s contestants are seniors Alex Bellem, Samuel Berhe, Hangyul Chang, Idris Dahir, Matthew Dinh, Javonte Durr-Cannon, Cameron Foti, and Chadwick Gore.

“This is my first year participating, and I think I have as good a chance at winning as anyone else participating this year,” Chang said. “But I mainly just want to have fun, and I think it’ll be a good experience to add to my memories of senior year.”

“The contestants will be judged on a scale of 1 through 10 on their performances in the categories listed,” leadership teacher Jessica Arias said.

“We still aren’t sure of who the judges will be, but they will be looking for

preparedness, creativity, and humor.

I’m excited to see what fun ideas these participants come up with.”

Leadership students are anticipating the event.

“I’m very excited to be working on Mr. Annandale this year,” leadership student sophomore Alexis Granados said. “We make posters and take care of the decorations. We also make sure that everyone knows when to go on and that everyone is ready for the next category. I guess you could say we run the show.”

Granados also explained her knowledge of the judging process.

“Each contestant will be judged in different categories based on the act they choose to do. Each category has a

winner, and then at the end, the person with the overall votes will win Mr. Annandale.”

The different categories allow the senior boys to display their character and win the charm of the audience.

“The pageant is not really about beauty, but rather who does best in one specific category,” Granados said.

“One example would be Mr. Spirit, the contestants would be judged on who has the best spirit, another example would be Mr. Intelligence, the contestant would be judged who has the most Knowledge and so on.”

Tickets will be sold at the door for $5 and during lunches a week prior to the event.

COURTESY OF LEADERSHIP

The year’s contestants bring new talent to showcase for the crown

The ten participants from last year’s Mr. Annandale after the contest. The winner was Jack McCrossin (center).

2 EDITORIALS

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

History of March for Life 1973: Roe v Wade Roe v Wade was decided upon with a vote of 7-2 in favor of Roe. This legalized national abortions and women began using this to kill millions of babies since. Pro Choice supporters believe the woman has the right to choose an abortion.

Individual states can issue trigger laws, which ban abortions through the first and second trimester.

Jan. 1974: March for Life PHOTO CREDIT: ELIAS MOURA

The March for Life began as thousands of pro life supporters expressed their cause on a march around the Capitol. However, despite the thousands of people marching and protesting, congressional protection for the unborn was not in the foreseeable future.

1975 - 2005

Pro Life supporters marched from all around the U.S. on, Jan. 18. The teenagers and students shown above carried signs of all sizes to make their voice better heard.

March for Life 2019: Big success for a big cause

BY ELIAS MOURA Editorials Editor As I walked down 12th street with thousands of marching Americans, I thought of the 45 other annual March for Life events which have been taking place every year since 1974.

The intent was to raise awareness for anti-abortion policy and advocate for additional reform to abortion laws.

Our church group and hundreds of other groups were bundled up in the cold, chanting and marching to the capitol building.

The majority of those marching and the representatives, who spoke in Washington D.C. agree that these reforms should limit abortion to strictly cases where the mother’s life is in danger. We began the meaningful day with prayer in Capitol One Arena. The sights after the prayers showed the true power of the Freedom of Assembly, thousands of peaceful protesters walking side by side.

It was no doubt that the march was a success as expressed by the “love life choose life” and other posters that were held by more than half a million people as they marched between 12th and 14th streets.

church groups and/or youth groups. The I believe this is what’s needed to younger demographic has increasingly push for change in abortion laws. become more involved in events like the Since the march began, hundreds of March for Life and March for our Lives; thousands of Americans annually two different events but both wanting march against what they believe is change. immoral and wrong.

The march did an impeccable job Additionally, the march was a in embodying the stance of the propeaceful one and went as planned life generation, according to Jeanne specifically Mancini, March “The pro-life high proportion for Life’s president. of the young, “We march to build position is anti-abortion a culture of life, to religious, population. This end abortion and was summed up in protest of the but it’s more in one sentence, court’s deeply flawed based on which was the decision and its theme of this devastating effect on the sheer unadulterated year’s message children and families science of human life.” to lawmakers: across the country,” “Pro-Life is Prosaid Mancini --BEN SHAPIRO when describing Editor in Chief of The Daily Wire Science.” People believe this march the mission of the is a bunch of march. Unlike many religious people marching for their Bible marches, like the Antifa march back however, this year they’re making a in August of 2018, the pro-life march scientific point. had a more resonating feel as it was This is due to the rise in the usage of peaceful. On the other hand, marches new technologies in the medical industry. like the Antifa march feature physical Every single time that new technology attacks on opposition and the police is used, in ultrasound for example, it present who are just there to keep can be seen that each fetus, starting at people safe. conception is living and unique.

Many teenagers and college Along with the political and moral students attend the rallies with their

ideology behind the movement, those who were there were able to listen to the speeches of many pro-life public figures.

Some of which are representatives in the federal government like Vice President Mike Pence, and others, like Ben Shapiro, are simply popular political commentators.

Prior to the actual march, Ben Shapiro performed his daily podcast, The Ben Shapiro Show, on stage in front of thousands to express in short the beliefs of the march to everyone and why abortion is wrong factually and scientifically.

In addition, abortion, in fact, is the leading cause of death in America taking over 330,000 lives in 2018 alone. Abortion has claimed the lives of nearly 55 million innocent children in America and less than 1% are in cases of rape (source: CDC.gov and the Guttmacht Institute).

This means that during the vast majority of cases when abortion is performed, it is unnecessary and when left to nature, the baby would have been born healthy.

After expressing their freedom of assembly to the people of America, people attending the march were able to hear the opinions of many uprising pro-life voices in America, including some democrats like Dan Lipinski a representative from Illinois’ 3rd district.

Pro/Con: How is technology affecting society?

Technology has evolved since the beginning of time to better human life. Through the 20th and 21st century, technology has evolved in an exponential rate.

In no way has the problems of technology outweighed the benefits of it. It has helped humanity become closer and more aware of other nations.

This connection of the world has benefited nations’ economies and trade.

Transportation and travel convenience has become better. Safety with planes and cars are saving many lives. New sport cars, heavy trucks, and work vehicles help the work force.

In the medical field, many vaccines have been created to combat deadly diseases, which obviously saves lives.

Technology has helped the human race understand man things from the smallest of cells to the largest of galaxies. Probably the biggest effect people think of when mentioning technology is social media and the

Technology has benefited and helped further science and security.

SOURCE: NIEHS.NIH.GOV

BY ELIAS MOURA Editorials Editor

Technology has created an abundant amount of world pollution and worsened the environment.

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

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Cameron Foti Christian Reyes Matthew Dinh Ayman Elhag

AD MANAGER Ethan Zimmerman

ADVISER Alan Weintraut

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Kayla Holcomb

LIFESTYLES EDITOR Maryam Dereje

CIRCULATION MANAGER Ethan Zimmerman

Annandale High School Vol 64. Issue No. 5 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003

PEOPLE EDITOR Jamie Hamadeh

STAFF WRITERS Ladan Abdi Robin Han Jasmin Harris Bismaa Khan Fatima Mohamed Marian Osman Manoucher Precht Thonny Anwar Dilan Yousif Ivanna Perez Mia Antezana Garcia Jane Elkins Tyler Plank Abel Samson Patrick Brown Eyob Dagnachew Shyeim Campbell Jacqueline Claros Lopez Abraham Kebrom

EDITORIALS EDITORS Elias Moura Luke Elkins

ARTS EDITOR Galilea Sejas

COPY EDITOR Thomas Ray

INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Yabi Bereket

IN-DEPTH EDITORS Suad Mohamed Henry Hoang

HEALTH EDITOR Manny Precht

SPORTS EDITORS Alex Burita Eric Rivas-Martinez SPORTS X-TRA EDITORS Fares Ayoub Adam Shawish WEEKEND EDITOR Katie Pope

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jessica Salisbury ACADEMICS EDITOR Khadija Ahmed SPANISH EDITOR Frances Montevilla SPANISH ADVISER Mauren Hunt WEB EDITOR/MASTER Victor Nguyen

March 2009: Obama With the inauguration of President Barack Obama came his support of abortion.

Two days after Obama’s inauguration, hundreds of thousands marched in Washington in what was the largest March up till then.

2011 - Present In 2011, the 11th Congress was sworn into office. This Congress brought in many new pro-life elected congressmen and women. Fifty three members of Congress spoke in the 2011 march in support for the unborn. 2013 remembered the 40 year legacy of Roe v. Wade and the passing of March for Life president Nellie Gray. The 2013 event drew 650,000 people, which was the largest march to date.

Technology has created problems

internet. The internet has positive and negative effects on the world. The easily accessible, abundant amount of information has made finding information much easier. Social media has changed countless lives from making money to plain entertainment.

To use the mentioned social media and internet, computers and cell phones had come a long way. All these improve communications which benefits everything from businesses, to separated families, and safety.

The technological change may be seen as “robots taking over jobs,” however, on the contrary it’s actually creating more job opportunities and strengthening the economy.

The entertainment industry has boomed in all areas from Hollywood and movies, to video games and music, and to toys and sports.

When thinking about the effect of technology, looking back a hundred years or so shows the standard of living in society. It shows how far of a human race we have come and how much easier we have it now.

SOURCE: FAA.GOV

Technology has bettered society

In this timespan, supporters marched annually.

From blizzards in 1987 to the September 11 attacks, supporters continued to show up in the thousands. In 2005, March for Life’s mission took a turn. The family of Terri Schiavo, who suffered from starvation and dehydration, reminded supporters that the right to life not only applies to the unborn, but to all which includes the disabled and mentally ill.

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BY LUKE ELKINS Editorials Editor Technology in a way is beneficial towards our society, however it is causing more harm the more we evolve.

The first obvious reason is climate change. Pursing new technologies means we need to produce those technologies. This means all the factories are causing green house gases and are diminishing the earth’s environment. Fossil fuels and toxic fumes are released as a result of energy and forests are being destroyed.

Destructive weapons and weapons of mass destruction have been created by increasing military technologies.

Social isolation is becoming more and more of a problem due to hand held devices. People are learning to walk, drive, and do other things while texting which is dangerous for them.

Social skills have declined as a result of increased texting which is a shame in today’s society.

Health problems such as obesity and depression are becoming more common. Obesity is due to sitting on computers and video games for hours at a time. Now for convenience, people decide to take the bus or drive instead of walk or bike. More and more kids are inside playing on their Playstation instead of going outside.

This goes into depression which goes into social isolation. The lack of human contact can lead to depression, which it already has for millions of people. Studies show that technology makes some of its users addicted to it.

People can get restless and not feel the same when their cell phones are taken away from them.

Privacy is no more with technology.

Facebook, Instagram, and Google gather more and more information every day. Fake news and numerous threats are online and people must watch out for it. Technology is something that needs to be watched out and monitored.

Monthly Poll Look out for the next poll @theablast on Twitter to vote for the next issue!

22 people voted 63% said that they spend

most of their time on their cell phones.

22% said that they spend

most of their time browsing the internet on their laptop.

14% said that they spend most of their time on social media and video games.

0% said that they spend most of their time watching TV.

MUAZ NASHAR senior “I use my phone the most, because it’s always next to me. It’s also easier for me to check on things I need then and there. I use it to text people and to use social media.”

MARYMAN ATIQUE senior “By far I use my phone the most, because it’s the most easily accessible. Other than my phone, I sit on my laptop and watch Netflix after I finish studying.”

EDITORIALS 3

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

The flaws in the college admissions process

BY LUKE ELKINS Editorials Editor Now is the time of the year where high school seniors anxiously await responses from colleges that they’ve applied to, waiting to find out where they will be spending their next four years of education. As many who have been involved in applying to college know, the process is long and stressful.

There are many factors that cause this, that applicants feel can be improved.

1

SECRECY Colleges love to preach about their holistic review process, but the fact is, colleges are always striving to have the most diverse student body possible, whether that be based on race, gender, background, or legacy status.

Many more qualified students may be rejected from universities, even though their achievements in high school are certainly efficient to get in to schools, and they will never find out why. There is no denying there are some disparities in higher education, including race and gender, but does that mean more accomplished students should be punished?

This factor may be changing after Harvard Admissions is now facing a lawsuit on their admissions policy. The plaintiffs accused Harvard of effectively setting a restrictive quota for the number of Asian-American students it accepts, a claim the university denies.

The effect on college admission policies will depend on if the court may rule broadly and make new law on the issue, or hand down a narrow decision that affects only Harvard, but it may make admissions policies more clear.

Students have to spend money on submitted applications, sending transcripts, sending test scores, and ironically enough on financial aid forms.

It’s outrageous to spend this money on applications, when you will only end up going to one school. Even after you get in to a school, you have to submit a down payment “reserving” your place at the school. That’s not even getting in to the exorbitant money that has to be paid for college tuition, room and board, and other expenses. I kept track of every time I had to pay for something related to college applications, including paying to take the SAT, and the total came out to $870. That’s not even including the down payment for once you get into college, which is usually around $300. Colleges offer fee waivers, but that only applies to students who are in the free and reduced lunch program.

What is your biggest issue with the college admissions process?

HUNTER SCHINSTOCK senior “I would say that the amount of money that you have to pay for sending all the applications and test scores is the biggest issue. It’s ridiculous as you end up paying a lot for college anyways.”

3

STANDARDIZED TESTING The SAT and ACT are important parts of a college application.

A good score on one of the tests can make or break your college admissions decision. Students who are not good test takers, but are good students can suffer if they do not receive a good SAT/ ACT score. The only way to get a better The University of Virginia has received a record number of applications in the past two years, while their acceptance rate has dropped. score is to pay for test prep, which can cost hundreds or thousands of COMPETITIVENESS score. Among the top tier of public dollars. Spending three hours in a room At many of the elite schools and private institutions, applications taking a test is not a great measure in the country, applications have increased by one-third or more of how good of a student you are, four during the last five years alone. Yet, have increased an enormous amount, years spent in high school classes the available spaces have remained as more and more students feel the maintaining a good GPA is a much pressure to get into a Top 20 university. constant. More students than ever are better way to measure this. A high GPA The University of Virginia received recognizing that elite colleges provide a is a better way to measure potential pathway to success in life, and schools a record 24,950 applications applied college success considering it leads need to be able to admit all students to the early action deadline, a 15.9% students to develop good study skills that will fit in at their school. increase from the previous year. Last and teaches them how to work hard.

College admissions will never be a year, UCLA became the first university This is a lot better of a benchmark than perfect system. But there’s no denying to receive over 100,000 applications in your performance on one test. there are many flaws in the admissions a single year. Top schools like Stanford and Harvard have had to deny students process that can be solved if colleges put in the effort. who have a perfect GPA and SAT

4

2 Pacific plastic problem persists MONEY For institutions that have millions of dollars, the amount of money that has to be spent on applications is ridiculous.

NOAA.GOV

BY JANE ELKINS Staff Writer

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a gyre of debris in the North Pacific Ocean. eliminating the source of plastic, rather than cleaning up the waste.

This option would require a lot more effort from the world, and it’s probably one reason why Slat’s plastic-cleaning device drew so much praise. Many people saw this as their golden ticket out of accepting responsibility for the excess plastic problem.

It would require a fundamental redesign and innovation of the current economic standard for packaged goods from “consume and dispose” to “consume and collect.” This would require reusable packages and a highly increased recycling effort which would require a mobilization of consumers.

For many people, this is just way too much effort. Letting someone else solve the problem is the most convenient solution.

So it’s a good thing we have people

like Slat who are highly motivated to tackle problems affecting the world.

Slat has not let his critics get in the way, and remains focused on solving his goal.

“Considering the things we have been able to prove in the past few months and considering the problems that we have faced, they seem quite solvable,” Slat said, in an interview with NPR. “I’m confident that the team will be able to design appropriate solutions for this and that we’ll have the system back in the patch in a few months from now.”

Slat’s vision is to deploy a fleet of 60 more devices, essentially like a garbage truck fleet for the ocean. They would carry the plastics back to land, where they would be processed, recycled, and reused, and not dumped back into the ocean.

MAKIN’ THE GRADE

FRANCO KITILA senior “My biggest issue is the emphasis put on extracurriculars like honor socities.

They should not be considered as important as they are considering they don’t really do anything.”

Donald Trump’s border plan has hit a wall

BY LUKE ELKINS Editorials Editor Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic are pumped into the ocean, according to the Plastic Oceans Foundation. Approximately 90% of the world’s plastic items are never recycled, and many scientists believe every piece of plastic created is still in the atmosphere. The problem seems to be insurmountable, so when one person came up with an idea, many people praised them and backed their idea.

Dutch inventor Boyan Slat was an 18-year-old aerospace engineering student when he came up with his plan to clean the swirling mass of trash in the Pacific Ocean, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Now 24, he’s seen his ideas come to fruition.

Slat’s clean-up contraption consists of 40ft pipes -which are ironically made of plastic- that will be fitted together to form a long, snaking tube. Filled with air, they will float on the ocean’s surface in an arc, and have nylon screens hanging down below forming a giant floating dustpan to catch the plastic rubbish that gathers together when moved by the wind currents and waves.

However, his invention has suffered from pitfalls throughout its beta period. For one, he discovered plastic occasionally drifts out of its U-shaped funnel. He also discovered his creation is very frail, after a 60-feet-long end section broke off while being tested.

Slat believes he has the resources to improve his device, but many critics raised concerns over his project. Many critics believe the solution to plastic problems needs to be addressed by

IZZUDEEN YAHIA senior “I think the biggest issue is letters of recommendation. The reality is not everyone is close to their teachers like that. With many different classes with a lot of students, teachers can’t notice and have a relationship with all their students.”

The federal government shut down on Dec. 22, after congressional and White House officials failed to find a compromise on a spending bill that hinged on President Trump’s demands for $5.7 billion for a border wall. The government has been shut down for longer than a month, making it the longest shutdown ever.

It is the third shutdown in two years of unified Republican rule in Washington, and it will stop work at nine federal departments and several other agencies. Around 800,000 government employees are affected and have missed a total of two paychecks.

A couple of weeks ago, Vice President Mike Pence met with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, and senior House Republicans, searching for a solution to a logjam that President Trump has shown little interest in breaking, but it amounted to nothing. Any hopes of compromise is decreasing due everyone unwillingness to budge.

Both sides are trying to get the other side to blink and it’s obviously not working. This week is all about pressure and forcing the other side to blink. Yes, that’s been an unstated goal for both parties throughout the last month or so, but with real proposals on the table, real votes on the floor and real effects, the stakes will only become more acute.

All in all, the government shutdown has gone on for far too long and the proposal of the wall seems like a waste of

resources and taxpayer money and just seems like an unnecessary investment.

In general, building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is a bad idea. It would stifle economic activity and drain money that’s badly needed to create jobs, fund schools, and repair beaten-up roads. The future of border security lies in manpower and new technology, not medieval barricades.

The funding of the wall has also been a source of controversy, considering Trump’s initial claim that he was going to make Mexico pay for the wall. Mexico vehemently denied this, and Trump supporters went as far as making a GoFundMe in an attempt to raise funds for the wall.

It also is showing the President’s inability to comprehend trends and studies, as his administration overlooked the roughly 40 percent of the 11 million undocumented immigrants who live in the U.S. who became undocumented by overstaying their visas, not from border crossings. In fact, border crossing rates have gone down for twenty straight years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Even ignoring the statistics, there are still issues with civil liberties and environmental concerns.

President Donald Trump has dragged the shutdown on for far too long and it is clear that it will only go on for longer unless someone budges.

Democrats have made it staunchly clear that they are unwilling to budge on the issue of a border wall, while Trump has dug in his heels as well.

The future of the border wall, as well as the government shutdown has a cloudy future.

English students skype with actor Tony Cavalero

Robots delivering food at George Mason

A A C F

Box-sized robots are now delivering food to students and faculty on the George Mason University campus in Fairfax. Food services and facilities management company Sodexo has partnered with Starship Technologies to deploy a fleet of 25 robots, the largest autonomous robot food delivery service on a university campus in the country. Blaze Pizza, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts will be available, and all deliveries will cost $1.99.

Snow days Students and teachers have enjoyed two snow days and one delay in the past weeks as winter weather made its introduction for 2019. Snow days are always a nice break from school, and many students enjoyed stress free days with hot cocoa and sledding. With temperatures still hanging below freezing, more snow days could be in the forecast.

Bill to legalize casinos in Virginia advances Legislation to legalize casinos in Virginia is advancing in the General Assembly, but the odds of passage are still unknown. A pro-casino bill was approved with bipartisan support on Jan. 22. Many benefits include tourism, employment, charity and entertainment and tax revenues, although many negatives can include gambling addictions and higher suicide rates.

Cristiano Ronaldo tax fraud Star Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in court at Madrid, Spain on Jan. 22, and accepted a $21.6 million fine along with a two-year suspended jail sentence for accusations of tax fraud. Ronaldo was accused of having used shell companies outside Spain during his time playing for Real Madrid to hide income made from image rights.

Students in English 12 attended a Skype session with former AHS alum, actor and comedian, Tony Cavalero. The conversation took place during W4 and Pride Time on Jan. 24.

Tony is a main company member of The Groundlings in Los Angeles. He is a proud graduate of the Virginia Military Institute where he learned how to be a soldier and absolutely nothing about acting. Tony is also a founding member of the long-form improvisational group Robert Downey Jr Jr, whose monthly Saturday! Saturday! Show is an LA Times Top Pick.

Cavalero has been cast as Ozzy Osbourne in Netflix’s Mötley Crüe biopic, called “The Dirt.” The show will follow the band’s rise to international stardom in the 1980s, detailing the ups and downs on the way to becoming staples of the glam rock style and selling more than 100 million albums worldwide.

4 NOTICIAS DESTACADAS

Martes, Enero 29, 2019

POR BRENDA HUAMANI Escritor de Personal

CBS NEWS

A la temprana edad de 16 años, Cyntoia Brown, fue obligada a ejercer la prostitución. Ella fue víctima de tráfico sexual y fue violada varias veces a lo largo de un solo día.

En el documental de 2011, “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia Brown’s Story”, ella recuerda que fue violada por su proxeneta “Cut Throat” y que él le reveló que si ella se fuera, la mataría.

En 2004, la vendieron a un agente de bienes raíces, Johnny Mitchell Allen, de 43 años, quien la había llevado a casa y quería usarla para tener relaciones sexuales. Brown revela que ella tenía miedo de su comportamiento y lo mató mientras dormía.

Según CNN, “los fiscales afirmaron que Cyntoia Brown lo había matado mientras dormía y le había quitado dinero antes de escapar en su automóvil. Junto con esto, discutieron contra ella alegando que se trataba de una situación basada en un robo y no de autodefensa, como ella afirmó.

Ella fue víctima de tráfico de niños, pero la corte la vio como una prostituta infantil.

Brown fue juzgada como adulto,

condenada a la vida en la cárcel y fue elegible para libertad condicional después de 51 años encarcelada.

Este caso recibió mucha atención, incluido de las celebridades y los destacados defensores del gobierno a lo largo de los años en que Brown estuvo encarcelada.

El 7 de enero se anunció que después de cumplir 15 años en prisión, a los 30 años, el gobernador de Tennessee, Bill Haslam, le concedió clemencia por su caso.

“Ella es años luz hoy, como mujer, diferente de la persona traumatizada de 16 años que era”, Derri Smith, fundadora de la organización de sobrevivientes del tráfico de personas, dice: “Ella es mentora... una joven con problemas, trabajando en su título universitario... ella está planeando crear una organización no lucrativa para poder ayudar a otros jóvenes”.

Mientras encarcelada, logró obtener su título asociado en 2015 de la Universidad de Lipscomb. Desde entonces, no ha dejado de trabajar para obtener su título de bachiller.

Mientras encarcelada, ella ha hecho cosas como ayudar a las personas que pueden correr el riesgo de pasar su vida, como pasó la suya, en la cárcel.

El 23 de mayo, Cyntoia Brown tuvo una audiencia de clemencia sobre el asesinato de Johnny Allen, el hombre que la traficó sexualmente.

Nuevas leyes entran en vigor el día de Año Nuevo POR FRANCES MONTEVILLA Editor de Noticias El primer día del año nuevo muchas leyes han entrado en vigor en varios estados en EE.UU. Según los datos del Proyecto de Derecho Nacional del Empleo, hay un total de 19 estados y 21 ciudades que elevarán el salario mínimo, 8 de las ciudades ya han acordado elevarlo a $15/hora. La razón detrás del motivo de elevarlo es debido a los ajustes de costo de vida basados en el índice de precios al consumidor (CPI).

Christine Owens, la directora ejecutiva del proyecto, dijo, “Los trabajadores estadounidenses creen en el valor del trabajo — y los trabajadores merecen ser valorados. Es por eso que hay un apoyo tan fuerte para subir el salario mínimo.”

Sin embargo, el salario mínimo federal no cambiará, quedándose en $ 7.25 desde 2009.

El estado de California es uno de los estados que tiene la mayoría de los cambios a sus leyes. Las mujeres tendrán más oportunidades abiertas en corporaciones públicas con sede en California. Al fin de 2019, esas corporaciones tienen que tener al menos una mujer en el consejo de administración. Al

fin de 2021, tendrán que tener al menos dos o tres miembros femeninos.

Los seres humanos no son los únicos que verán cambios en California. Para los animales de acogida, tendrán la oportunidad de tener una familia y lugar donde vivir. Desde el primero de enero, las mascotas vendidas en tiendas de animales domésticos tienen que ser de refugios de animales o grupos de rescate.

Esto no es solamente positivo para las mascotas, pero también ayuda a los contribuyentes de California que pagan por alojar y eutanizar a los animales de acogida.

Aparte de California, el estado de Nueva York también tiene una cantidad significativa de cambios a sus leyes. El 6 de enero, la ley de retoma de drogas toma lugar. Esta ley dice que los fabricantes de medicamentos son responsables de retornar o destruir las sobras de sus productos.

Además, la ley indica que las farmacias también tienen que proporcionar buzones de correo y sobres de prepago para que sea más fácil para los individuales retornar las sobras de medicamentos. Además de luchar contra la crisis de opioides, esta ley también previene que las personas tiren medicamentos por el inodoro y dañen el medio ambiente.

800,000 trabajadores federales se ven afectados por el cierre del gobierno iniciado el 21 de diciembre de 2018, que llevó a las Escuelas Públicas y Públicas del Condado de Fairfax a tomar medidas para ayudar a las familias.

El Condado de Fairfax responde a los efectos del cierre del gobierno POR FRANCES MONTEVILLA Editor de Noticias El 22 de diciembre de 2018, el presidente Donald Trump anunció el cierre del gobierno federal. Dijo que el propósito del cierre era que quería fondos para el muro fronterizo entre EE. UU. y México.

Anteriormente, el cierre de gobierno más prolongado duró 21 días, durante la presidencia de Bill Clinton en 1995.

Sin embargo, lo que Trump no ha tomado en consideración antes de decidir cerrar el gobierno son los miles de empleados federales que quedan sin trabajar y recibir un cheque de pago.

Estos trabajadores faltaron a su primer cheque de pago el 11 de enero y faltaron a su segundo cheque de pago el 25 de enero. Según la CNBC, hay 800.000 que se ven afectados con el cierre, 380.000 están sin trabajo y 420.000 están trabajando sin ser pagados.

En Virginia, hay un total de 34,000 empleados federales. De las agencias federales, las tres principales que verán más afectadas por

el cierre del gobierno son el Departamento del comercio, el de la seguridad del hogar y el interior.

Como resultado, muchas personas han tomado medidas para ayudar a las personas afectadas por el cierre. Unas celebridades como Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen DeGeneres, los Harlem Globetrotters y Bon Jovi, han contribuido otorgando a los individuos trabajos complementarios, brindándoles asistencia financiera y proporcionando alimentos.

A nivel local, el gobierno del Condado de Fairfax y las escuelas públicas han brindado ayuda a las familias que tienen a alguien que trabaja para el gobierno federal.

FCPS promete que ningún niño pasará hambre, y por esa razón ayudará a los hijos de los empleados federales. FCPS se ha comprometido a llevar a cabo eventos de contratación de los que están interesados en participar como maestros sustitutos.

“Aproximadamente 350 empleados sin trabajo asistieron a nuestros dos primeros eventos de

POR BRENDA HUAMANI Escritor de Personal En el mundo de hoy, millones de personas en todo el mundo han aprendido a hablar un idioma romántico.

Todos estos idiomas se derivan del latín, como español, francés, italiano, portugués, y más.

Según El País, más de 550 millones de personas en todo el mundo hablan español.

Es el segundo idioma más hablado en el mundo junto al chino.

Al aprender los conceptos básicos de una lengua romántica como el español, las personas pueden viajar a varios países y tener la capacidad de comunicarse con otras personas que también han aprendido una lengua romántica.

Al tomar una clase de español, uno puede ampliar y mejorar su vocabulario ya que el inglés también es un idioma derivado del latín. Esto también abre una nueva forma de expresarse.

Los estudiantes inscritos en una clase de idiomas tienden a tener una mentalidad más abierta, ya que también se les enseña la cultura y las

Aparte de esto, el gobierno del Condado de Fairfax ha ayudado a proporcionar varios recursos en su sitio web. A partir del 17 de enero, los trabajadores del gobierno federal que aún deben trabajar en este cierre recibirán viajes gratuitos en el autobús del conector.

Aparte de la ayuda financiera, también han brindado asesoramiento a aquellos que luchan emocionalmente con la ansiedad del cierre. La Junta de Servicios Comunitarios de Fairfax-Falls Church aconsejó que las personas “se comprometan a cuidarse a sí mismas, busquen el apoyo de aquellos en quienes confían, controlen lo que puedan, sean amables con ellos mismos, desarrollen nuevas habilidades, limiten la exposición a las noticias, eviten pensar en cosas que no pueden controlar, tomen sus propios consejos y estén al tanto de los recursos locales.”

Sin embargo, usted también puede ayudar a las personas afectadas por el cierre del gobierno al proporcionar donaciones a organizaciones sin fines de lucro.

comunicación, sino también mi Español que aprendí tradiciones de otros países para ampliar mi conocimiento durante toda mi vida después alrededor del mundo. sobre la cultura hispana”, dijo de hablar inglés todo el día en La capacidad de poder mis otras clases”. entender otro idioma y Según el Censo de ser consciente de varias los Estados Unidos, culturas le permite a “Creo que sí, las personas de origen uno obtener información deben tomar hispano son el grupo importante que los étnico más grande del monolingües no puedan espano para país. Esto le da a las entender. que sean personas que no hablan Varias escuelas bilingües español una razón para primarias les están aprender el idioma. dando a sus estudiantes y La comunicación la oportunidad de multilingües.” es uno de los factores comenzar a aprender el idioma español desde una -- SEÑORITA MULLINS más importantes en edad temprana. De esta Profesora de español cualquier relación, ya sea profesional, de amistad manera, los estudiantes o incluso romántica. están aprendiendo un Maestra de Español, nuevo idioma cuando es Ms. Mullins dice, “Creo que la estudiante Abril Sanchez más fácil retener y procesar si deben de tomar español Quiero, “es una clase que información. para que sean bilingües y espero con ansia al final del En los Estados Unidos es multilingües.” día y donde puedo practicar una habilidad muy útil poder hablar tanto en español como en inglés ya que esto abre muchas más oportunidades que no se ofrecen a una persona que habla un solo idioma.Para algunos estudiantes que toman español también les da una ventaja cuando están aplicando a las universidades. ¿Cuál es su país de herencia?

“Actualmente estoy Mi herencia es asiática. Mis tomando Español BI ancestros vinieron de Polinesia. Pero no solo para mejorar luego emigraron a Madagascar. Ahí, mis habilidades de conocí a mi esposo que era un militar americano que estaba trabajando en la embajada de los Estados-Unidos.

decidió construir un plan detallado para secuestrarla.

Sin embargo, él no sabía su nombre hasta que la capturó.

Para las personas que atendieron la misma escuela secundaria, esta noticia fue un shock. Según E! Entertainment, Patterson fue votado como el “chico más tranquilo” de su clase de 2015 en secundaria.

El abuelo de James, Jim Moyer, dijo a ABC News que él era “un chico bueno y educado.” Sin embargo, la noticia sobre que ha hecho Patterson era un decepción de escuchar.

“Nadie sabrá nunca lo que pasó por su mente,” Moyer dijo. “No puedo pensar en algo en su vida El 15 de octubre de 2018, Jake Thomas Patterque podría cambiarlo tan son secuestró a Jayme Closs, una joven de drásticamente.”

Wisconsin de 13 años, y la encontraron viva el 10 de enero de 2019. otras visitas de amigos, donde tocaba música a todo volumen.

Hablando con los fiscales, Patterson dijo que un día, vio a Jayme subirse al bus y desde ese momento exacto,

CONDADO DE BARRON

En octubre 15, 2018, Jayme Closs, una niña de 13 años, fue secuestrada, nunca volviendo a ver el mundo por 88 días.

El 10 de enero de 2019, Closs fue encontrada por una mujer caminando a su perro en la ciudad de Gordo, una comunidad a 100 millas de su casa en Barron, Wisconsin.

El secuestrador fue identificado como Jake Thomas Patterson de 21 años.

Patterson fue acusado de su secuestro y el asesinato de los padres de Closs, James y Denise Closs. Según Today, los oficiales de Wisconsin no encontraron cargos criminales contra él.

Jayme recuerda que el día en que fue secuestrada,

un automóvil extraño se detuvo en el camino de entrada de la residencia de Closs, sosteniendo una pistola. Sin saber qué hacer a continuación, despertó a sus padres y su padre fue a abrir la puerta, mientras ella y su madre se escondieron en el baño. Lo que no sabían en ese momento fue cuando escucharon el disparo en el piso de abajo, Patterson había matado a James.

Patterson luego siguió para ir al baño, derribó la puerta y forzó a Denise a cerrar la boca de Jayme con cinta adhesiva, matándola después.

Jayme describió que Patterson la obligó a permanecer debajo de la cama sin comida, agua o ir al baño por 12 horas. Mientras la mantenía, Patterson tuvo una fiesta de Navidad y recibió

contratación, y reconocimos la necesidad de agregar un tercer evento para mostrar nuestro apoyo a nuestros vecinos que, en muchos casos, son padres de estudiantes de FCPS,” dijo la Presidenta de la junta escolar Karen Corbett Sanders en el sitio web de FCPS. “Queremos mostrar apoyo a los empleados federales sin permiso y que pueden estar buscando trabajo durante el cierre parcial,” dijo el Superintendente Scott Brabrand en el sitio web de FCPS. “Siempre hay una necesidad de maestros sustitutos, y nos comprometemos a trabajar con personas calificadas para acelerar su contratación.”

Además de proporcionar empleos secundarios a los empleados federales, FCPS también declaró el 8 de enero que proporcionarán desayuno y almuerzo a todos los estudiantes, incluso si el estudiante no puede pagar o tiene problemas financieros.

FCPS dijo que no habrá “vergüenza del almuerzo” y que el saldo no pagado se resolverá una vez que finalice el cierre del gobierno.

¿Por qué los estudiantes deben tomar clases de español en AHS?

Una chica de Wisconsin se encuentra después de 3 meses en cautiverio POR FRANCES MONTEVILLA Editor de Noticias

CONDADO DE FAIRFAX

Cyntoia Brown concedida clemencia después de 15 anos

Humanos de Annandale Señora McConnaughey Profesora de francés

¿De qué manera contribuye a la comunidad hispana?

Como profesora de francès, estoy dando la oportunidad a los alumnos de herencia hispana de aprender un tercer idioma. La lengua francés procede de la misma raíz del latín.

Por eso es muy fácil para los alumnos hispanos estudiar el francés . Cuando toman la clase de francés, ellos no aprendan solamente una nueva lengua pero también refuerzan las estructuras de sus propia lengua: el español ¿Estás orgullosa de la diversidad en Annandale High School?

Por supuesto. La diversidades una riqueza. No es sorprendente observar a los alumnos de varias herencias trabajando juntos para resolver problemas: con muchas perspectivas, muchos talentos y muchas soluciones.

Why is this page translated in Spanish?

This section was created with the intention of expanding our reach as a publication towards the growing population of Spanish-speaking students. As one of the most diverse schools in Fairfax County, Spanish has become the second most spoken language at our school, accompanied with an extensive ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program.

The goal of The A-Blast is to inform and entertain the largest possible group of readers. Las Noticias Destacadas is a collection of articles of relevant news affecting the hispanic community, written in Spanish. We hope that this section will allow the A-Blast to be a more inclusive and diverse newspaper.

NEWS 5

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Cast for Seussical the Musical decided

News briefs

The spring musical is a compilation of characters inspired by Dr. Seuss’ works

T.C. Basketball The Boys Varsity basketball team will play against T.C. Williams at home on Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the main gym.

Construction Construction on Medford Drive will begin next week. A new sidewalk will be installed from the AHS property line to Davian Drive.

BY MIA ANTEZANA GARCIA Staff Writer

Wrestling Tournament The varsity wrestling team will have their Gunston District tournament at home on Feb. 1 at 11 a.m.

Student Holiday There will be no school for students on Feb. 4. Classes will resume on Feb. 5.

Potomac Basketball GALILEA SEJAS

The cast of the spring musical has been announced. This year’s musical is Seussical the musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Auditions and callbacks were held from Monday, Jan. 7 through Thursday, Jan. 10.

“For the audition process people signed up for an audition on either Monday or Tuesday,” theater teacher Katherine Brunberg said, “Then they had to prepare a monologue or a Dr. Seuss poem as a song to show of their vocal talent and fit the style of the show.”

However, that wasn’t the end of the audition process. Some students were lucky enough to get callbacks.

“After the initial auditions on Monday and Tuesday about half the people were called back on Wednesday where they were asked to sing a specific song for specific characters they were being considered for,” Brenburg said “On Thursday, we had the dance called back where everybody that auditioned came and learned some musical theater style of dance and presented it. We then formed a cast list on everything that was presented.”

Brunberg also talked about what it was they were looking for in the students that auditioned.

“We were looking for big bold character choices and singing abilities,” she explained “Because even though this is a children’s musical the songs are surprisingly difficult, so people needed to have strong vocal talent. We also needed big physical choices. really expressive faces and people that would engage.”

For some students, the audition process was straightforward.

“We would go in and recite a poem

The AHS Theater Company held their first production meeting with all the tech designers on Jan. 16 to discuss any ideas and goals they have for the show before officially starting rehearsals. and then a little part of a song, then they would decide what would fit you best,” senior Kidus Haimanot said.

“To prepare I went through some of Dr. Seuss’ poems to see which one I most comfortable with because it’s important to know how to express the characters.”

Haimanot got the part of Yertle the Turtle and Orozco is a part of the ensemble.

Sophomore Miguel Orozco got a role in the ensemble of the musical. “We signed up for a time and then went in to say a piece of monologue and a sing a song,” Orozco said. “I felt very nervous during the auditions. I don’t recall

much of what happened while I was up there but I’ll be happy no matter the outcome. At least I know I tried my best.”

The leads for the musical are senior Kyle Dalsimer as The Cat in the Hat, junior Jack Dalrymple as Horton the Elephant, junior Claire Vaughn as JoJo and senior Emily Trachsel as Gertrude McFuzz.

Supporting cast members are junior Makayla Collins as Mayzie La Bird and junior Vera Miller, junior Savannah Gravitt, senior Rediate Zewdu, and freshman Amanda Weaver as the bird girls. The other cast members include

the Wickersham brothers played by sophomore Jackson Fornaris, senior Alex Ohene-Okae (also playing General Genghis Khan Schmitz, and junior Mariam Sesay.

Rehearsals for the musical will begin next week. We can expect bright colors, lots of fun energetic dancing, big silly characters and tears for this year’s musical. The performances will be on March 28 and 29 at 7 p.m and March 30 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets will be available online and at the door.

The Girls Varsity Basketball team will face off West Potomac at home on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the main gym.

Boys Varsity basketball will play away at West Potomac.

Student Holiday There will be no school for students on Feb. 18 to observe George Washington’s Birthday and Presidents’ Day.

Coffee House The next Coffee House will be held on March 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Clausen Hall.

Heritage Night Heritage Night will be held on March 8 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Admission is free.

This will take place directly after the Just World Festival.

Students believe they do not get enough political exposure CONT. Page 1 a part of the food drive we are organizing,” senior Hlina Wondwossen said. “We hope to receive a lot of donations in order to help people who are struggling find a meal everyday due to the government shut down.”

When it comes to the classroom, the survey revealed that 60% of students believe that they do not receive enough political exposure in school.

“I would think that most of the social studies teachers, especially History and Government, try to discuss why certain political events are taking place,” History and Social Studies teacher Jonathan York said.

“I think that if we talked more about politics and current events in class, more students would be interested.”

--ZUHAIR RAHMAN

senior

Many students believe that politics should be more often discussed in class in order to spark interest.

“I think that if we talked more about current events and politics in class, more students would be interested.

Typically in Government classes, current events are more of a focal point of the curriculum. However in other social studies classes such as history, current events and politics are less emphasized.

“Usually on Monday mornings in class, we try to discuss what went on in the news and current events,” York said. “However, we don’t spend that much time on it.”

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Politics and ongoing world events not being focused on in class is potentially a determinant in causing students to be politically disengaged. Nevertheless, student disinterest may be a result of current events not impacting them directly.

“I think some students are not engaged with politics because it does not affect them directly which causes them to tune it out,” York said.

In addition to not thinking they receive enough political exposure in class, the survey revealed that approximately 40% of students follow political news such as the Presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court only monthly or even less.

An overwhelming majority, 72% of students reported receiving most of their news via social media platforms such as Twitter. This can result in individuals receiving incorrect and incomplete information as they read news in snippets of 150 characters or less.

It is imperative for this dynamic to change in coming years as not participating in current events can be detrimental for students later down the line.

“Although it could be exhausting, keeping up with politics will always be really important to me,” Rahman said.

Coffee House attracts new talents

BY JUDE NANAW Co-Editor in Chief The Filament Literary Magazine hosted the fourth Coffee House event of the school year on Jan. 23 in Clausen Hall. Throughout the progression of the school year, Coffee House has not only attracted new audience members, but new performers as well.

Entrance to the event was $5 with baked goods and coffee available to audience members as well. Due to high audience turnout in previous Coffee House’s this school year, the event was moved from the Bistro to Clausen Hall in order to accomodate more audience members and to provide more room for performers as well.

“We are really excited about Coffee House for the rest of the school year,” Filament Co-Editor in Chief Evelyn Nguyen said. “The event is only growing and is getting bigger and better.”

Performances this time around included band performances, spoken word poetry, singing and duets as well.

After holding auditions on Jan. 9, performers for the Coffee House were selected. There were a total of 12 performances with some individuals performing multiple times.

The Coffee House opened with a performance from the band “Chicken and Waffles” who played their version of “Seven Nation Army” after being

introduced by the host for the evening, senior Ayman Elhag and junior Tarik Darweish.

The band composed of seniors Justin Phan and Milton Ramos, junior Noah Byrne, sophomores Nareg Boghosian and Jackson Fornaris and freshman Adam Shawish, played two more songs at the Coffee House including “Take Five” and “Whole Lotta Love.”

Senior Emily Traschel performed an original spoken word poem titled “Ten things every teenage girl should know before falling in love with a teenage boy.”

“My favorite part about performing is sharing my poems in front of people and hearing their feedback afterwards,” Traschel said.

Multiple duets were featured at the Coffee House including a performance by juniors Elvera Miller and Jimmy Le who sang “Sunflower.” Seniors Melat Habte and Mikal Cheffena also performed the song “Listen.”

Additional spoken-word poems were featured at the Coffee House as well such as “1077” by junior Kadijeh Janneh and “Handed down problems” by freshman Crubel Dawson.

There will be two more Coffee House’s set to take place this school year on March 6 and April 10.

Scan here to check out the video of Coffee House on our YouTube .

reviews

Call the number below for detials.

(571) 217-1441

8714 Village Square Dr. Alexandria, VA 22309 JUDE NANAW

www.titusdrivingschool.com titusdrivingschool@gmail.com Juniors Elvera Miller and Jimmy Le perform “Sunflower” at the Coffee House hosted by the Filament Literary Magazine on Jan. 23.

6 ACADEMICS

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Science Fair: ready for blast off

BY KHADIJA AHMED Academics Editor Throughout the past few months, students have spent time trading in their binders and homework for lab coats and safety goggles. However, this process has been taking place in a timely fashion for some but in a last-minute manner for others.

Sophomore Eva Gomez stayed ahead of the herd with her Science Fair partner when working on her project.

“We tried to get everything done early and worked together very well,” Gomez said.

Senior Maisha Maliha, who had to complete two Science Fair projects due to her double enrollment in science classes, is in a more complicated situation.

“I used my time wisely for physics, but for my biology project, I’ve been running into a lot of problems,” Maliha said.

It took a lot of work to get to the point of project completion. Gomez started working on her project months ago, but ran into some obstacles.

“We messed up the first time, so she had to redo the rest of the experiment by herself, which I made up for by doing the abstract and other paperwork by myself,” Gomez said.

In addition to having problems with her biology project, Maliha also needs to complete extra assignments that go along with the project portion due to

being an IB diploma candidate.

“The science fair projects are also internal assessments, so I have to write a paper too,” Maliha said.

The science fair process has changed over the years. Two years ago, there used to be a school fair in the cafeteria where all of the projects were presented.

“That gets to be problematic, especially when you build in snow days and the huge crowds of people, so now what we do is we have team fairs,” Chemistry teacher Nancy Kaegi said.

Although Maliha has not yet found out if she’s been selected for the science fair, Gomez and her partner found out on Jan. 7 that they were selected for the school wide Science Fair via a Google Classroom announcement.

“There were some really good projects, so I wasn’t really expecting getting selected,” Gomez said.

Some students are thrown in a loop in juggling their need for practice and other obligations.

“We aren’t really preparing because we’re both really busy right now. When there is time, we do talk about what we are going to do to make out project better and stand out,” Gomez said.

Students who place first, second or third in the biology, chemistry or physics in the school Science Fair will then have the opportunity to move on to the Regional Science Fair, which will be taking place at Robinson Secondary School.

Sophomores Han Le and Haleluya Worku practice presenting their science fair project in Nancy Kaegi’s R3 IB Chemistry I class. Le is shown holding one of their materials, a container with PVC pipes to fluidize the sand. They have both advanced to the school science fair phase, having been selected by their science teacher.

Check out these MYP projects Sophomores pursue their passions

BY KHADIJA AHMED Academics Editor The History of Sneakers,

“I knew my project was going

by Ayaz Ahmed

to be amazing, so I personal-

Ahmed decided to discuss

ly asked my teacher if I could go

sneakers for his project because

first and show the class some-

of their hidden depths. “I love

thing they never really learn

the backstory behind them and

about in school,” Ahmed said.

how a pair of sneakers can be

He attributes his success to fel-

sold for thousands of dollars,”

low sophomore Ryan Leach for

he said.

providing information about

Although he was really orga-

sneakers that couldn’t just be

nized with his project, Ahmed

found on the Internet, and to his

still had a few things left to do

English teacher Justina Butera

in overtime. Perhaps the proj-

for helping him stay organized

ect was worth the wait though,

and giving him inspiration on

with its composition of a video,

how to execute his research.

paper cutouts of shoe logos and

Ahmed proudly declared that

sneakers, and a raffle for a pair

his project was perfect and he

of shoes.

wouldn’t change a thing.

How do you bake the perfect delicacy? Call the right football play? Travel to the moon? Build a functional plane?

Every year, sophomores complete a MYP Personal Research Project, otherwise known as a Passion Project.

10th grade English teachers first introduce the concept to students with a sole question: “If you could come to school and learn about anything you wanted, what would you choose?”

The project contains three components: the journal, the product and the report. While the journals are an opportunity to keep track of progress, and the report is a detailed summary of research and reflections, the product is where students’ creativity can truly thrive. It can take any form a student

wants (like a video, book, song, experiment or game) in order to best communicate the findings.

After in-class presentations, teachers select a few projects to participate in the MYP fair.

It took place on Jan. 17, during W4. Although the fair was previously located in Clausen Hall, it was in the library this year. Although crowded, the fair hosted brilliant projects about topics ranging from video games to historical landmarks.

“My students learned from one another and enjoyed seeing the projects their peers created,” English 10 and 10 Honors teacher Justina Butera said.

Although one MYP fair is over, another is to come, this time comprising of English 10 Honors students. These students are still in the research phase of their projects but hopefully, their hard work will come to fruition later this year in their own presentations.

How to Play the Ronroco,

front of many people, especially

by Ana Triana

in a language that I am still

Triana chose to do her project

learning,” Triana said. Yet,

on the ronroco because she has

she was excited to show her

always wanted to learn how to

classmates the final results of

play an uncommon instrument.

her project for the rewarding

On top of that, her father has

culmination of time and effort

a background in ronroco music

that it was.

and has served as a teacher in

“Maybe my final presentation

the past few months.

would have been better if

She pushed herself to practice

I learned a better song for

the instrument everyday and to

my product,” Triana said in

keep track of what she needed to

retrospect. Her advice to others

improve upon. Fortunately, the

doing the MYP project in the

hard work paid off in time for

future is that they should find

the MYP fair.

something they are passionate

“I was nervous because it’s

about, so that it will be fun

not easy for me to present in

instead of like a chore.

Famous AHS Students Word Search

Neyda Villatoro kicks it in IB

BY KHADIJA AHMED Academics Editor

Q: What clubs are you in?

A: I am in Math, English, Social Studies, and French honor society, Red Cross, Mission Possible, and Girl Up. Q: What is your favorite IB subject?

A: It would have to be IB Biology because science has always been my favorite subject. Additionally, I believe science is essential for the future and it is really important to have a well rounded understanding of the world we live in.

IB Spotlight: Profiles of Diploma Candidates

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

A: IB has really taught how to manage my time wisely which I believe is an essential skill that can help me in college. Within the IB program, there is a lot of writing involved that could potentially help me in college and my future job.

Q: What is your extended essay topic?

A: The main question addressed in my extended essay is “To what extent has the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for quality education been effectively implemented in central Africa to increase opportunities for women?” I decided to do this topic because I believe there is a large gender gap in many countries when it comes to education. I strongly believe that by each country decreasing the gender gap, the country as a whole can become sustainable.

NEYDA VILLATORO

Q: What made you decide to get the IB diploma?

A: I have always been a very competitive and ambitious person. I knew I wanted to challenge myself throughout high school. So, when selecting my courses the majority of my classes were IB courses. Therefore, I decided to just do all IB. I thought it would look very good for college.

Senior Neyda Villatoro plays in a soccer game last season against the Hayfield Hawks, representing the Annandale Atoms.

Q: How have your friends and family supported you this year?

A: My family has always been very supportive.

While my parents are not fully aware of what the IB program, they always encourage me to do my best. My friends have been very great in understanding that my school work is very important to me. They always encourage me to try my best and help me relieve my stress.

Q: What colleges have you applied to?

A: I got into QuestBridge so I applied to thirteen colleges within the program. Outside of the program I have applied to three colleges which are Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond, and Pennsylvania State University.

Amanda Cromwell Bill Hamid Claire Gastanaga Dave Grohl Dylan Walsh James Clapper

Jim Acosta Mark Hamill Michael Vitez Ray Crittenden Rob Huebel Robin Jennings

HEALTH 7

Tues. Jan 29, 2019

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MANNY PRECHT

What do you think the school can do to make school lunch healthier?

JOHNNY MENA freshman “They should have fruit salads and a wider variety of vegetables. Also, reducing the sodium level would make the food more healthy.”

TJ HUTNAN sophomore “I think it’s already pretty healthy, however, I’d really like to see better food choices.”

RYAN CHAREST junior “The school could provide more organic foods that requries cooking on site instead of packedged, processed foods.”

VERA MILLER junior “School lunches could be healthier if their were more fruits and vegetables avaialble instead of fast food.”

HUBERT PALAZIOS senior “The school needs to stop serving us frozen foods and start serving us fresh food with real ingredients.

HEMEN BESUFEKAD senior “Including more vegetables on the menu is an easy way to make school lunches healthier. Also, chaning up the variety of foods will give students more healthy options.”

Students need to make healthy choices

BY MANNY PRECHT Health Editor As the long school day drags on, many students try to find some kind of safe haven where they can just relax.

For most students, the lunch room is exactly that place.

Students have an opportunity to talk to friends and, more importantly, take a 30 min. break from the heavy burden of pay attention in class.

Lunch is also a time where students fuel themselves with food that will give them energy until they arrive back home.

Some students are fortunate enough to bring lunch from home but a majority of students at AHS purchase lunch from the lunch lines.

Every day, students are met with the same problem; the choice between the healthy option or the unhealthy option.

Most students choose the unhealthy option which, dissapointingly, is the more accessible option.

Once their 30 mins. of freedom is over, students leave their safe haven with a bad taste in their mouths.

Processed foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt have become a mainstay of lunches in schools across America. Experts say these unhealthy school

meals.” and heavily processed foods, like corn lunches are a contributing factor to the The AHS lunch program is also dogs, tater tots, and cheese pizza. childhood obesity epidemic.

At AHS, the cafeteria offers plenty of making improvements to the quality An estimated 17% of children and healthy food to students. “We’re offering of the food that is provided. “Since the adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese beginning of my time working in FCPS a variety of deli items including salads, according to the Centers for Disease schools, the salads have evolved by addControl and Prevention. If schools serve vegetable wraps and healthy sandwiches,” said Michael Soleto, the Food Sering more variety for the students...I also unhealthy food, this could negatively vices Kitchen manager. “Also, students hear that there will be more changes affect anyone’s health which would in are also always able to order vegetarian coming as far as variety is concerned,” turn affect their academic performance.

Soleto said.

However, a change for the betLike AHS, the government ter comes with its challenges. There isn’t entirely ignoring the issue are many obstacles to improving “Most of the of unhealthy school lunches. The unhealthy school lunches, not the food that is Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 least of which is money.

(H.R. 4870) was introduced in ConSchools receive $2.68 for each provided is gress in March and referred to comfree meal served through the unhealthy and mittee. A key provision is a pilot proNational School Lunch Program, a gram for selected schools to offer federal meal program. That $2.68 processed. must cover payment not just for plant-based protein products and A possible the food, but also any labor, facility, nondairy milk substitutes. Although and structural costs a school incurs.

America’s school lunches have improvement Additionally, schools are mandatimproved since Congress strengthed to use part of that money for milk to school lunches is the incluened the standards for the national purchases. Not only is that money school lunch program in 2010, they sion of more fresh foods. not enough to help food services but have a long way to go.

However, a majority of the 65% of AHS students benefit from Although schools across America free or reduced lunch. still include unhealthy food in their school is on free or reduced Despite the many obstacles that menu, it is up the students to choose lunch so I don’t know if the schools face, their lunch program their food wisely. has experienced mixed results.

When health is concerned, it is budget will allow for a big Most menus now include more the students resposibility to make change in the menu. whole grains and more fruit and the healthly choice, as there are vegetable options and less salt. plenty of healthy food choices at --CYNTHIA NGUYEN But they also offer an abundance junior AHS. of factory-farmed animal products

Ketchup 10 cal.

2 g of sugar

Tru Moo Milk

Hamburger 254 cal.

5 g of sugar

150 cal.

51 g of sugar

Although including carbs and proteins, the hamburger is not the best source of nutrition, try a chicken dish instead

There are no health benefits to drinking chocolate milk instead of regular milk

Side Salad Apple 63 cal.

1.9of sugar

95 cal.

19 g of sugar PHOTO BY MANNY PRECHT

Many students order the side salad but not many actually eat it

Apples are ranked in the top 10 most nutrious fruits by many health experts

Should you eat it?

Rotisserie Chicken

Curly Fries

“The rotisserie chicken is the

“The curly friends are super

only ‘fresh food’ we have, the

texturally superior to the other

type of food that is freshly made

stuff like smiley fries and the

instead of looking preheated,”

straight fries. It looks fun

Ngo said.

and tastes just as good as the straight friends,” Ngo said.

There are many food choices availabe for students in each lunch line, but only so many options are actually good. Food connoisseur Duc Ngo weighs in, but are his favorites healthy?

Spicy Chicken Sandwhich “The spicy chicken sandwich is healthy. Spiciness goes well with the chicken and it’s bursting with explosive flavor. On the plus side, it’s available every single day too,” Ngo said.

Pizza “The pizza game has really improved as of late. However, it is still a tad greasy. The cheese is still plastic but the stretchiness and taste make up for it,” Ngo said.

Calories: 122 grams Fat Content: 3 grams

Calories: 250 grams Fat Content: 13 grams

Calories: 510 grams Fat Content: 21 grams

Calories: 285 grams Fat content: 10 grams

8 PHOTO

ALL PHOTOS BY JESSICA SALISBURY

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Junior Jason Canales practices playing new notes he recently learned in his Guitar 1 class. “I really enjoy making music, especially on the guitar, so this class is a lot of fun for me,” Canales said. “I learn how to do new things with this instruments every period.” Throughout this course, students learn the fundamentals of the guitar as they begin to develop and perfect new skills. Instruction given in this class emphasizes basic techniques, reading, progressions and music theory regarding the guitar.

Which electives should you take?

Freshman Mollyanne Nguyen and junior Katiala Fuente work together outside of their Studio Arts class to tape freshman Nhu Tran’s arm still, in position. “We are working on a sculpting project right now and taping her arm still is going to help us with that,” Fuente said. Throughout this course students develop skills in the areas of drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpting and digital media. Course content also includes art production, art appreciation and studies in visual culture.

Senior Trae Allen curls weights during his W8 Personal Fitness class. “I really enjoy this course because it allows me to exercise during school,” Allen said. “This class is also great because it is at the end of the school day for me which means I get to go home after rather than back to the classroom.” Personal Fitness is an elective physical education course that extends and deepens knowledge of fitness, strength training, physical conditioning, and lifetime health concepts, activities and knowledge to promote health and wellness. If you enjoy working out and want to learn how to build muscle the proper way, this may be a good class for you.

Senior Carlos Cabrera, who is in Culinary Arts 2, cuts butter for a demonstration during the Elective fair. “We are doing this to give upcoming students a glimpse of what this class is like, to see if they would be interested,” Cabrera said. In this course, advanced instruction in table service, baking, and management techniques are emphasized, while students create a plan for establishing a restaurant.

In their Theatre Arts class, students work on developing their improv skills. “Being able to work with my friends and my classmates is truly wonderful,” junior Theatre student Savannah Gravitt said. “We are always learning new things about theatre and ourselves.” This course is recommended for anyone who has an interest in dramatic literature, theatre history, technical theatre, artistic leadership and acting.

In his W8 Auto Tech 3 class, senior Steven Subu uses an impact gun to assemble a tire onto the Toyota Corolla he has been repairing in class. “This is one of my favorite classes because I love working with automobiles,” Subu said. “It is a lot more fun than sitting in a classroom for 90 minutes.” Through this course students learn and develop many skills that could be used later in life, and may even be given the opportunity to participate in local internship experiences.

In his Computer Technology Assistant elective, senior Nicholas Noranbrock works on downloading a new software onto is computer. “This elective is a lot of fun for me because I get to work on computers all period, which is something I have a big interest in,” Noranbrock said. This course is open to any students who have a fundamental level of computer hardware and software knowledge, and are interested in learning more.

In her Leadership class, senior Annisa Cheikh paints a poster for an upcoming Heritage Night interest meeting. “I think that Leadership is fun because we get to help create all kinds of events held around the school,” Cheikh said. Throughout this course students gain confidence while also developing communication and time management skills, as they set good examples for the rest of the school.

ARTS 9

Trachsel performs at a show with a tap company the Metropolitan Youth Tap Ensemble.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY TRACHSEL

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY TRACHSEL

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY TRACHSEL

Tues. Jan 29, 2019

During her sophomore year, Trachsel (left) is act and sings in Cinderella as one of the stepsisters, Joy, and freshman Claire Vaughn (right) as she is lamenting about Prince Christopher during the song, “The Stepsisters Lament.”

Trachsel performs last year during Broadway DessertS, “Out of My Head.”

Senior Emily Trachsel shines as a multi-talented artist

BY GALILEA SEJAS Arts Editor Senior Emily Trachsel’s schedule and life is anything, but perfect and stress-free; more than half of her classes consist of rigourous IB courses and a large workload from them. Aside from taking one of the most difficult classes available, Trachsel takes Theatre, Chorus and Creative Writing.

Her passion for the arts are not only exemplified through her schedule with the contrasting classes, she also does practically every single show for the Annandale Theatre Company.

Additionally, she dances for her own dance studio in her freetime.

“A lot of actors are concerned about how they will look, but she has the big picture in mind and wants to do what’s best going to serve the production as a whole,” theatre teacher Katherine Brunberg said.

Trachsel, like many other students, are able to participate in numerous art classes or find other ways to show their

passion about art in the many forms of it.

Art can be a means of expression to allow people to share their own ideas, interpretations or messages to the world, loved ones or to themselves.

When people think about art, or examples of art, they may see classify it under performing or visual arts.

What some people don’t consider is the language arts, specifically poetry.

Students are able to take Creative Writing as an elective course, where they can engage in units filled with poetry, journalism and short stories.

In these classes, they are able to express themselves through means that are seldom known to have a large audience.

“I think that poetry is the most raw form of art in a way, obviously this can be argued for any form of art,” Trachsel said. “It’s taking things that can’t be defined by words and defining through truly capturing whatever you’re trying to say, like an emotion, a feeling or a concept that you are trying to portray.”

For years, students have been

studying famous poets of their choice or already set in the curriculum from the poetry units in many English classes.

Though some students do not

“Arts can serve many different purposes.

It can make anyone a more empathetic and understanding person.”

--KATHERINE BRUNBERG

Theatre teacher necessarily favor these units filled with creative writing and analysis of notable poets, it’s always important to find a way or a time for a person to take a break from the typical high school day filled, some filled with long lectures by

teachers.

Poetry can serve as a way for one to express themselves through words and phrases if they aren’t artistically inclined.

“I feel like I would be able to express myself more easily and share it with people. I can write poems for people and give it to them, but I can’t just come up to somebody and do five pirouettes,” Trachsel said.

Poets would be able to specifically show others their various poems, without a need to explain it, since it can all be interpretive.

Even if a drawing has a thousand words, a poem can literally be a thousand words and still be as personal and require much interpretation.

“Anything is art. I truly believe that anything is art if you want to call it art, like a piece of dirt,” Trachsel said. “A lot of people, especially with poetry, look at it and they’re just like ‘huh, that doesn’t make sense, that’s not art,’ but it’s a lot different than that.”

All of the forms of art allows anyone and everyone to express themselves

anyway that they see fit.

If a student isn’t able to dance or song, they are still able to show their passion, ideas or opinions through other means.

“I think that being an artist has made her a better communicator, it has built her confidence as a leader,” Brunberg said. “She has become way more confident working in the different arts.”

Being involved in the any form of the performing, visual and/or language arts allows people to gain different skills that they would not be able to gain in a classroom setting.

It allows you to further your passions and gain a sense of your interests that would thus help strengthen your identity and/or personality.

“Sometimes I feel like when I’m writing poetry, I would have a different personality, but it’s who I am truly,” Trachsel said. “It’s not necessarily written on my sleeve and that’s what I love about poetry and maybe art in general.”

Artist Spotlight: aspiring art therapist senior Tammy Aquino What inspired you to pursue art?

“I saw other people draw but it didn’t really spark anything in me. I used to have some issues that I had trouble dealing with. I used to get bullied throughout elementary and middle school, since I didn’t have anybody to talk to. I would either read or write but I mostly would draw because it was an easy way to express myself.”

How would you describe your art style?

“I would describe it mostly anime type of style with cartoons. It mostly has stuff with a deeper meaning.”

When do you draw?

“I draw whenever I can. Back in freshman year, I used to draw when I was upset. Me and drawing have a love/hate relationship. I love drawing now, but back then I used to hate because I would draw everything depressing and graphic. Now I draw whenever I can, even if it’s in class. Drawing makes me more focused because I have ADD and it helps me pay attention. So I needed to tell my teachers this to make sure that they knew this information about me.”

How long would you spend on drawing or sketching?

“Nowadays, if it’s just a grayscale type of drawing, I guess I would spend at least an hour.

If it was with color, I would spend about three hours on it because I love shading.”

“This is piece is one of the few that I am proud of. I drew it of me and my boyfriend in the moment that we met,” Aquino said.

“In this piece, I drew my boyfriend and his best friend teasing me by eating a piece of pocky,” Aquino said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMMY AQUINO

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMMY AQUINO

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMMY AQUINO

Do you want to pursue a career in art?

“I either want to be an art teacher, professor or art therapist. An art therapist is basically an artist that helps you go through problems that you are dealing with. My side job would be a computer designer.”

“In this piece, I was venting and I was listening to, ‘Bird Song,’ by Florence and The Machine. The song talks about a bird that can’t keep itself still and always bothers you. My ‘bird’ is under the box while I guard it and while I was capturing the bird, it left marks on me. The bird symbolizes my depression and anxiety. The box is worn out because how I mishandled it, and the black splatter is the trail of the bird, meaning the bird was mishandled and affected by me,” Aquino said.

10 IN-DEPTH

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

IN-DEPTH 11

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Now is the time to prepare for summer Students enriched through internships

Journeys provide new experiences

Junior Emily Shawish extends interest in marine biology at National Aquarium

EMILY SHAIWSH

If there’s a certain subject that you’re interested in, and you need to add things to your college application, then an internship or volunteering opportunity might be the thing for you.

Junior Emily Shawish has been volunteering at the National Aquarium in Baltimore since June.

“I had been looking for internships and camps to do to make me more well-rounded, and I’ve been a member of the aquarium for a couple years.

When I saw the internship, I immediately wanted to apply," Shawish said.

The application process for the job was tedious.

First, Shawish had to mail in an essay explaining why she wanted to volunteer at the aquarium.

“I have always been interested in marine biology, so the essay wasn’t too hard,” Shawish said.

Next, Shawish had to come in for an interview.

Questions ranged from basic information to indepth ones having to do with marine science, climate change, and animals in general.

The last step of the application process was to give a presentation on a topic.

“The point of the presentation was so that the administrators could see how well I could communicate with an audience,” Shawish said.

While the internship was for an aquarium, applicants could give a presentation on anything.

Shawish, who is a member of the school’s orchestra, decided to do hers on music.

“I brought in my violin, played two short pieces, and talked to them about the impact that music has on our day to day lives.”

Shawish was accepted in the early winter, but she still had a lot of work to do.

She had to go to trainings during winter and spring.

“I didn’t start the actual volunteering until June of last year, but the trainings took place months before then," Shawish said.

The trainings served as a time for Shawish and other volunteers to understand their responsibilities.

It was also a chance for the administrators to see what the volunteers were capable of.

Shawish worked as a volunteer exhibit guide.

Junior Emily Shawish stands in front of an exhibit in the National Aquarium, where she works as a volunteer exhibit guide.

Local summer programs to apply to • Boy's and Girl's State Focus: Leadership Age Requirement: Must be a rising senior Where: Multiple college campuses in Virginia Duration: One week Fee: None Application Due Date: February 1 For More Information: Talk to your counselor

• Make sure you are aware of any fees or dues, and scholarships to help you pay them, ahead of time.

• Tell teachers, coaches, and advisors about teacher recommendations early so that they have time to write a great one for you.

• Have a friend look at your essays before you turn them in so you have a second opinion.

• Do research on the internship ahead of time so you know if you're truly interested or not.

• Be honest. Don't overexaggerate your accomplishments because there's a chance that they will be verified.

• Don't knock down any of your accomplishments. Even a small achievement is something to mention in your application.

• Make sure that you can commit before you apply. Most internships last the whole summer and start early in the morning. Don't take away someone else's chance if you can't dedicate that time.

• Look at the requirements ahead of time and make a list of everything that you need.

Senior Phillip Bartlow poses with a fish that he caught while deep sea fishing in Clearwater, Florida.

BRANDY LOPEZ freshman This summer, I want to start going to the pool more and making moves with different people. Last year, I went out a lot, but not as much as I want to this year.

RYLIE ZIMMERMAN sophomore I want to go down to North Carolina and go hunting with my parents.

ABBY KITILA junior Lately, I've been looking at a lot of summer programs that I could do. I'm going to apply to Girls' State and other things. I want to have more things on my transcript.

JAVONTE CANNON senior This summer I was planning to go somewhere new every week. I want to have new experiences and not be stuck doing the same things that I always do.

--PHILLIP BARLOW

senior

places, such as Illinois, Michigan, and southern Virginia. I like to be anywhere outdoors,” Barlow said.

Despite how short his vacation in Florida was, Barlow had nothing but nice things to say about it.

“I really enjoyed my trip, and I would go back there again.”

A vacation can be the perfect way to unwind and relax from a stressful school year. You don't have to go out of the country; all you need to do is find somewhere new to have new experiences.

• Go to the beach and relax in the sun with friends or family.

• Find a place to stay before you start planning

• Visit the country that your parents or ancestors are from.

• Take time to visit family members that you haven't seen in a while.

• Check multiple websites to make sure that you're getting the cheapest tickets available

• Have an authentic camping trip at Bull Run.

Summer jobs teach students new skills Senior Hemen Besufekad makes quick and easy money making pizzas at Papa John's

BY SUAD MOHAMED In-Depth Editor

• Smithsonians's YES! Teen Internship Program Focus: History, Science, Leadership Age Requirement: 14-19 Where: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Duration: Six to eight weeks Fee: None Application Due Date: January 31 For More Information: Visit the website

HAKIM IDRIS junior Right now, I have no idea what I plan on doing for this summer.

I know that I definitely want to hang out with my friends, but I'm not sure on any other plans besides that.

“Your trip is not going to be fun if you don’t plan it ahead of time,”

Top destinations to visit

• GMU's Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Focus: STEM Age Requirement: 16 Where: Multiple GMU campuses in Virginia Duration: Eight weeks Fee: None Application Due Date: February 15 For More Information: Contact Andrea Cobb at 703-993-7058 or acobb4@gmu.edu

HELLEN REYEZ sophomore I am interested in going back to my home country to hang out with my other family members and see how they are doing. I miss them a lot, and I haven't seen them much lately.

not be so lucky.

“Before you buy a ticket or plan a road trip, you should figure out where you are going to stay,” Barlow said.

Next, Barlow suggested that one should plan out activities to do on the trip.

“Your trip is not going to be fun if you don’t plan it ahead of time,” Barlow said.

Barlow, who has family members all over the country, takes many trips during the year.

“I also visit other family in other

• Pay attention to your new setting and make sure you adhere to any foreign rules.

Senior Hemen Besufekad (right) stands in front of Papa John's, where she worked for the summer, with her coworkers.

ERIC ALCANTRA freshman Last summer I went to Mexico, so I plan on going back again with my family. It was really fun, but I didn't spend that much time there.

If you need a break from Annandale, maybe a vacation should be on your list of plans for the upcoming summer.

Family, fishing, and fun. These were the elements of senior Phillip Barlow’s trip to Clearwater, Florida this past summer.

“I went there with my older brother, and we stayed with my uncle for nine days,” Barlow said.

Barlow and his brother took a plane, and were met by their uncle at the airport.

“My uncle is also our godfather, and it is always a lot of fun to spend time with him,” Barlow said.

While the main point of the trip was to spend time with his uncle, Barlow ended up doing much more.

“We went deep sea fishing and watched old James Bond movies,” Barlow said. “We also helped my uncle work on a car, his old 1973 Malibu.”

Planning a trip can be very stressful, especially if the traveler is unorganized or a procrastinator.

For Barlow, it was a quick and easy process, as he often takes trips to his uncle’s house.

“Not much planning or thought went into it. All that we had to do was buy plane tickets for us to be able to go there,” Barlow said.

Although his trip was easy to plan out, Barlow had some advice for others who might

Tips for future travelers

HEMEN BESUFEKAD

• Apply to as many as possible, so you have a backup if you don't get into your top choice

BY SUAD MOHAMED In-Depth Editor

• Bring extra money everywhere and make sure to wear sunscreen.

Tips to get the internship of your dreams

What are you interested in doing this summer?

Her role was to be on the floor, and be there to talk to visitor and answer any questions that they may have.

“The exhibits guides are there to help enrich the guests’ experience and to make sure that they leave with a better understanding of marine science," Shawish said.

This includes having conversations with visitors in order to engage them and getting them to understand the problems that the environment is going through.

“We’re supposed to make them think,” Shawish said.

When she first started in the summer, Shawish volunteered for two days a week. Her shifts were about four hours long.

“By the end of the summer, I had already worked for 116 hours,” Shawish said.

Now that the school year has started, Shawish’s hours have been cut back. She now works every other Sunday for four hours.

“The shorter hours are beneficial because it makes it easier to balance with school and other activities, like sports,” Shawish said. “But at the same time, it makes me kind of sad because I love being there so much.”

Ever since she started working at the aquarium, Shawish has further developed her love for marine science.

“The aquarium is easily my favorite place in the world. Everyone there is so passionate about marine science and protecting marine life. Seeing people like that every day makes me want to make a difference in the world,” Shawish said.

One other pro that Shawish mentioned was being able to see animals all the time.

"I loved the fact that I could go to any exhibit I wanted. One time, I was even allowed to go in and play with the dolphins."

This summer, Shawish plans on continuing her work at the National Aquarium. She has also applied to Governor’s School, and is also looking at other summer programs related to marine science.

“My advice for other people looking at internships and other programs would be to apply to everything that you can. Through an internship, you can make connections with people who can help you later in life. It also looks great on college applications,” Shawish said.

PHILLIP BARLOW

BY SUAD MOHAMED In-Depth Editor

Senior Phillip Barlow vacations to Florida with family and picks up new skills

EMMA KLIEWER senior I want to get out of my house this summer and do something fun. I'm thinking about going to the beach with my friends.

Tips for job applications and interviews • Make sure that all the information on your application is accurate before you turn it in.

•

Apply to multiple jobs at once, so that if you don't get accepted, you have other opportunities.

•

Before you apply, be sure that you have a way to get to your job.

•

Dress nice and appropriately for your interview.

Need some money for college or new clothes.

Why not get a job this summer?

Last summer, senior Hemen Besufekad worked at Papa John’s in Alexandria.

“I worked on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays,” Besufekad said. “On average, I worked for about five hours, and I was only paid $7 an hour.”

Despite the little pay she got, Besufekad was okay with her job.

“I didn’t work too much, and I wasn’t trying to make the money for anything serious, so I didn’t mind,” Besufekad said.

The application process for her job was quick and easy.

“I saw a sign that they were hiring, and I didn’t have a lot to do over the summer. I just went in one day and picked up an application.”

The application was like any other basic one. It asked for general information, references, and availability.

“If you’ve never had a job before, you shouldn’t freak out about references. They know this is your first job and don’t expect much. I just put down the extracurriculars that I participate in at school to show my work ethic,” Besufekad said.

After she submitted her application, Besufekad received a call from the manager asking to come in for an interview.

“The interview was as simple as the application. They asked basic questions: why do you want to work here? Why should we hire you?"

Besufekad said.

After the interview, the turn around from

prospective to employee was quick. The manager called within a few days and offered Besufekad the job.

While working, Besufekad dabbled in a bit of everything.

“None of the employees really have any specific titles, except for the managers. During my time there, I made pizzas, cleaned up the store, and worked the register,” Besufekad said.

When speaking of her summer there, Besufekad seemed indifferent.

“It was okay being there. Not perfect, but not terrible. It wasn’t a super fun job. I would have liked a higher wage, but the work wasn’t too hard and the people were decent,” she said.

One thing that made the job more enjoyable for Besufekad was the friends she made while she was there.

“My coworkers were very nice, and most of them were other high schoolers or in the same age range,” Besufekad said. “They were easy to talk to, so we all used to pass the time by talking about our lives and plans.”

Although she didn’t make much money, Besufekad did put her wages to good use.

“There isn’t anything that I really need, so I gave all my money to my mom to pay for bills,” Besufekad said.

Additionally, Besufekad was grateful for new work experience.

"Now I know small skills to use in future jobs," Besufekad said.

For other prospective employees, Besufekad has one piece of advice.

“Don’t waste all of your money on dumb stuff like food or movies. Use it to help your family or save for a car. Use it for important things.”

Open jobs in the area • Starbucks is currently looking for new baristas Age Requirement: 16 Address: 7922 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, VA 22102 Phone Number: 703-893-4209 • Kung Fu Tea is currently looking for new cashiers and baristas Age Requirement: 16 Address: 7931 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, VA 22102 Phone Number: 571-918-9788

12 INTERNATIONAL

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Around the world King of Malaysia resigns On Jan. 6, Muhammad V, the king of Malaysia, resigns from his job, after serving for only 2 years. He is the first monarch to resign from this job. There was no real explanation for the leave, which many did not see coming.

Protests in France

Executions in Sudan In a crime-ridden city in the Congo, an uncontrolled outbreak of Ebola has resurfaced. Since there social unrest in the Congo as well, spreading of this disease has increased rapidly. Over 100 people have died from Ebola, and 300 cases have already been admitted.

Tensions in Venzuela On Jan. 23, President Nicolas Maduro ordered all U.S. diplomats to leave Venezuela within 72 hours of him announcing this. His decision angered many people, including the oppposition leader Juan Guaido. Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, repsonded by saying they would not leave, and hoped the Venezuelan military will not comply with Maduro's words.

What countries have you already visited in the past years?

PHOTO CREDIT: MARYAM ATIQUE

For the past weeks, many French citizens have taken to the streets in protest against the rising prices of gas and an increase in taxes as well. On Jan.5, approximately 3,500 people protested in Paris, as compared to the mere 800 from the week before. The numbers continues to grow, and the government continue to worry.

Senior Maryam Atique visits Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan with her siblings and family members. This was one of the many sights she visited while there.

Vacationing in Pakistan

BY YABI BEREKET International Editor After visiting Pakistan back in 2013, senior Maryam Atique returned once again with her siblings on Jan. 2. Atique stayed in Multan, Pakistan with her grandmother and grandfather, who acted as her tour guide during her stay.

While in Pakistan, it was an eyeopening experience for Atique to remember what it is like to be surrounded by family, since most of them live in Pakistan and not the U.S. "I missed the idea of being in a family-oriented atmosphere. I loved being with my cousins a lot of the time," senior. We got to visit and tour the historical sights of Pakistan with them," Atique said.

The bustling streets in Pakistan was another major shift Atique had to get used to, as opposed to her somewhat routine and simple life in

BRIAN MERCADO freshmen "Last summer, I went to Cancun, Mexico with my cousins, aunts, and uncles. We stayed there for about one week. It was better than I expected. In the mornings, my cousins and I would go to the beach. At night, I got to try authentic tacos and exquisite Mexican cuisine. I hope to go back soon."

Senior Maryam Atique recounts her month long trip back home to Pakistan with family

BIRUK AYELE freshmen "I went to Sierra Leone four years ago with my family. We went for my parent's work, but it was a good trip. I liked the area which I was staying in because there were a lot of people who made us feel comfortable. One thing which was interesting was this ritual that was performed on the streets. People would wear masks and dance on the streets."

America.

“Being in Pakistan for just one day showed me how different street life in America is compared to Pakistan. The streets are much louder and busier, and never seem to quiet down,” Atique said.

Another difference which she noticed was the appericence and structure of the streets in Pakistan compared to the U.S. The roads did not have any dividers, making it seem as a hazard to those who are not used to it.

“Streets in the U.S. are much more clean, compared to the chaos of the roads in Pakistan,” Atique said. “They are very difficult to drive on since there is only one road where cars drive both ways.”

The pollution in the air and overpopulation were both shocking to Atique

as well.

Despite these things, Atique still made the most of her trip by not only visiting family, but by seeing tourist sights too.

“One of the tourist sights I got to see was a huge fort which was used by Pakistani soldiers in battles hundreds of years ago,” Atique said.

While staying in Pakistan, Atique took notice of the stylistic differences in how people dressed, compared to when she was in Pakistan in 2013. There was a mixture of both Western and traditional Paki dressed people on the street.

This was only one of the few similarities she picked up on while she was there.

“The restaurants in Pakistan were very diverse culturally. While there, I

AAMIRA CONTEH sophomore "A couple years ago, I got to visit Sierra Leone.

I had a chance to get to know my people better. I got to explore new lands too. I ate a lot of good food, and got to go to the beaches. There is a lot of rich history behind Sierra Leone, so every place that I went to had an interesting story tied to it. I loved the trip."

MARAMAWIT ALTASEB junior "I went to Ethiopia in 2013. When I was there, the main purpose was to visit my family and friends who were there. I stayed in Addis Ababa, which is the main city in Ethiopia. I got to see many of the churches which are very sacred to Ethiopia and its people.

I'm planning to go back again before college starts."

FERHAN JEMAL sophomore "I went to Ethiopia last summer with my mom.

I noticed some differences such as the new forms of transportation with trains and such that were just built. The government also built new pools, which shows that they are starting to care. I also saw my family who I missed."

ANDRES AGUILERA junior "I visited Bolivia when I was nine years old.

One thing I remember was how hot it was over there. Another memory I have was when I saw lots of different animals. I got to ride a turtle, which was kind of weird at first, but very memorable. Hopefully I can go back and visit sometime soon."

went to Mexican, Chinese, and American restaurants with my family, which was a little weird at first, but the food tasted good,” Atique said.

Some of the stores in Pakistan were the same as stores which could be found in America.

“It was really cool being able to go to a Nike or Adidas store in Pakistan because I thought these stores could only be found in a few countries,” Atique said.

All in all, a trip like this was something Atique had been looking forward to for months, despite the worry of having to go while school was in session.

“It was a little hard trying to balance both because I wanted to devote all of my time to seeing Pakistan,” Atique said.

“But my teachers posted assignments online, which made keeping up with school easier,” Atique said.

JASON MERCADO senior "I visited Bolivia back in 2012. I went mainly just to visit family, and it was my first time there too. It was a trip which allowed me to go back to my roots, and also allowed me to visit my family there. I really enjoyed the scenery, and seeing how beautiful my home country really is."

RUTH SEYOUM senior "I went to Jamaica back in 2018 over the summer. When we were there, we stayed in a resort, and we also went out to see Nine Miles, which is where Bob Marley was born and raised. We also got to visit some markets, where we bought toys for my cousins, and some shirts too. The water was so beautiful, it was a deep, clear blue."

Immigrant stories: coming to America How senior Jiafu Li made his journey from China to America

As it is for many immigrants, coming into a new country and attempting to live a new life has its difficulties, especially once you’ve already built a life for yourself.

For senior Jiafu Li, leaving Guangzhou, China at the age of 10 and having to restart his life, created difficulties for the first couple of years.

Li was not fluent in English when he first came to America in 2011, but was able to learn the language through attending school and practicing as much as he could.

This language barrier originally created difficulties for Li, being that it made it harder for Li to create new friends, and attempting to hold simple conversations was a struggle he faced as well.

“It took me about half a year just to learn how to ask my teachers to go to the restroom,” Li said.

Besides this one adjustment Li had to make, he also had to accept and adapt to his new surroundings at Annandale, Virginia.

“Another hard thing to adjust to was the lack of people on the streets,”

Li said. “Back in Guangzhou, the streets were always flooded with people and many stores, making it seem as if there was always something to do.”

These major changes which Li went through when coming here didn’t stop him from trying to make the best out of his new life.

“One huge thing I noticed was the change in diversity. In America, there are so many different looking people everywhere you look. It’s a nice change,” Li said.

He was also able to find bits of back home, here in America.

“I always miss the city lights at night in China. Thankfully, I am able to catch a glimpse of that whenever I go to Mosaic at night, which looks very similar,” Li said.

Despite the different looks in the streets and daily life, there were also significant changes in the way the school system worked in China.

“The schooling system is pretty strict. At the end of 12th grade, all students must take an exam which will determine if you’ve been accepted into college. You’re only allowed to apply to one university,” Li said.

On top of this, each school day consisted of 5-7 classes. Then each

year, every student was given their classes, leaving there to be no room for electives of their choice.

This increased the rigor and pressure that students felt in China, but was less of a concerning issue for Li when he came to America. “I can enjoy taking the classes I actually like, and I can choose my own pace in terms of levels,” Li said.

Li deeply misses many aspects about living in China, but it was with hopes of having a better life that brought Li and his family to America.

The political agenda in China was not one which aligned with what Li’s parents had planned for him and his siblings.

“Life in China was rather hard with a family of three kids and the single child act in effect,” Li said.

Restrictions had made life hard on Li and his family, so coming to America was the best choice Li’s parents had thought of.

These problems did not stop Li from wanting to return to visit family who he had left behind.

Despite the many ups and downs which Li had went through when transitioning to a new life, Li has been able to adjust, thanks to friends and family who continue to support him.

Senior Jiafu Li, on the right, talks to friend Kevin Lieu about upcoming tests.

PHOTO CREDIT: JIAFU LI

BY YABI BEREKET International Editor

LIFESTYLES 13

Tues. Jan 29, 2019

Different types of piercings ANTI-TRAGUS PIERCING An anti-tragus a piercing of the outer ear cartilage for the purpose of wearing jewelry. It is placed in the antitragus, a piece of cartilage opposite the ear canal. This piercing is not as commonly seen to be worn by people, but looks just as good. When getting this piercing, it can cost about $30-$50.

PHOTO CREDITS TO GARRETT PATTERSON AND HANSOL YOON

CONCH PIERCING A conch is a piercing of the cartilage of the ear for the purpose of inserting jewelry. There are two types of conch piercings, inner and outer.

The name is derived from the resemblance of this part of the ear to a conch shell. The earring is looped through the ear, rather than the typical style of ear piercings, where only the front of it seen. This can cost up to $45-$70.

Senior Garrett Patterson showing his left side of his face with a piercing on it.

NAVEL PIERCING

When getting your navel or belly button piercing, this is usually only seen on women and can take about 6-12 months to heal. It's a little more of a risky piercing in that it has a high possibility to be exposed to infections, unless carefully treated for. The cost is about $50-$80, depending on where you get it done.

Senior Hansol Yoon styles an ear full of piercings on her cartilage, lobe, and antritragus on her right ear.

How much is too much?

Multiple male piercings are now being accepted

BY BROOK FEKRU Staff Writer The current trend young men have been following has been piercing their ears and nose.

Although body modifications through piercings and jewelry have been associated with women, as times are changing that classification has lost its meaning.

“Many people think piercings makes guys look emo and I strongly disagree.

If you want a piercing go ahead and get a piercing,” senior Garrett Patterson said.

Traditionally, people associate piercings with women howver, piercings have been practiced by male’s for a long time.

According to Bustle, there has been archeological evidence that dates back to 30 BCE that suggests kings from Egypt, also known as Pharaohs, have used ear piercings and earrings to demonstrate their wealth and social class.

They used the type of metal used to make the earrings as a way to distinct

and classify different social class. For instance, men who are wealthy would wear gold, while commoners would use copper.

Native Americans have also used different piercings on the body to show affiliations to different tribes.

These piercings were part of identification and tradition in the Native American society.

In the early 1900’s it is also noted that sailors and pirates wore earrings for supersitional reasonings, such as a belief of better eyesight and hearing abilities.

All of these are just some of the pieces of evidences that show piercings among men is not something new, but instead something that has been practiced for a long time.

Although earrings were tied to the lower class, the negative connotation that were being affiliated with earrings increased during the 1900’s.

In ancient Rome, slaves were forced to wear earrings to show that they are of lower social status.

In ancient Greece, male prostitutes pierced and wore earrings. However, as times progressed negative connotations started being tied to ear piercings.

During the mid to late 1900s, different groups have used earnings to show affiliation to a certain group.

Nowadays, people have many opinions on the matter.

EARLOBE PIERCING

Prices may vary when getting your cartilage pierced, depending on what you use to get the piercing done. If you use a gun, the price is cheaper compared to the needle.

It costs about $20 if you use a gun, and about $55 if you use a needle, depending on where you get it done.

Male piercings are not as common as they used to be. They are also not as popular anymore.

When asked about earrings on guys, “It depends on the person and the type of earring, if it looks nice I think it adds more character to a person,” senior Rediet Efrem said.

Guys in the U.S. were not as open minded as they are now, earrings seen on men used to be subjected to attacks.

The ties of jewelry to women have been deemed insignificant in our modern lives, and instead have been used to celebrate masculine features among men.

Most parents were not comfortable with having their sons get piercings but are now getting around the idea of it and are letting them go for it.

Nowadays, you see earrings among many men such as celebrities like Michael Jordan, Justin Timberlake, Will Smith, and Bruno Mars.

Seeing many celebrities wear earring and nose piercings have helped many men gain the confidence to get them.

Many guys are now getting piercings due to this fact and they are proud of it.

CARTILAGE

Prices may vary when getting your cartilage pierced, depending on what you use to get the piercing done. If you use a gun, the price is cheaper compared to the needle. It costs about $20 if you use a gun, and about $55, depending on where you get it done.

NOSE PIERCING

The stud piercing is the most standard kind people get. This look is usually the least painful for the nose, and costs about $50 on the low end and about $60 on the high.

There are different variations of studs of rings which could be used for the piercing, but prices vary based on the style of the them.

Do you think it is normal for men to have piercings?

SELAM BOKU freshman "Yes, I am all for male piercings. I think they look really nice on them. I think nose piercings looks better on guys than any other piercing. I don't think pulling off any piercings for guys are any harder than it is for girls."

AAMIRA CONTEH sophomore "No, however, if you are getting the piercing on your ear, then I think it’s fine. Even when it’s on the ear I think it should only be one piercing, one piercing on both ears depending on your preferences. Unless you are Chris Brown, I don’t imagine a nose piercing to look good on anyone else."

HELEN ROJAS sophomore "No, In general, piercing are unattractive to me, male or female.

With males, it depends on why they have it, why they want it or what it means to them because if it’s just because, I don’t think they should get it."

KHAFIJAN BASHIR junior "No, I really don't get male piercing.

In my opinion I don’t see the point of it so I am not for it. However, I’m not against it either. It just depends on what the person wants."

REDEIT EFREM senior "No, because I am the type of person that generally don’t see the point in girls getting piercings, let alone guys. I don’t see any reason of getting a piercing, but if you feel like it and like it I don't see a problem in getting it for both girls and guys."

Fashion Spotlight: Tarishio Darwiesh, 11

Q: Where do you like to shop?

A: I like to shop at some places that I don’t want to give away but I also shop at places such as H&M, Forever 21, and Zara.

PHOTO CREDIT: TARISHIO DARWEISH

Q: What is your favorite accessory?

A: My favorite accessory has to be a watch.

You can’t leave the house without one.

Cologne comes second and rings are thirds.

Junior Tarik Darwiesh wears a faded black shirt with denim ripped shorts and black shoes.

Q: What is your typical outfit for school?

A: My typical outfit for school is jeans with a cool shirt and a sweater on top.

Q: What do you wear on bum days?

A: On bum days I just wear my slides with basketballs shorts and just whatever top I can find or Adidas pants because they are comfortable.

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

A: My favorite season to dress for is fall.

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

A: It takes me about 20 minutes to get ready for school and it would take me about an hour to get ready for an event.

Q: How much do you invest in clothing?

A: I don’t invest that much in clothes. I’ll only buy a piece if it really stands out or if I need that type of clothing.

Q: What is your favorite pair of shoes?

A: My favorite pair of shoes is my white Reebok classics, they go with just about everything.

PHOTO CREDIT: TARISHIO DARWEISH

Q: How did you learn to dress?

A: I learned how to dress from fashion pages on Instagram. I used to go to stores and buy random clothes and then I would try to mix and match them to make a clean fit.

Q: Do you dress to impress or for yourself?

A: I dress for a little bit of both, I like my outfits to stand out and busting fits is a feel good.

Q: Who is your fashion inspiration?

A: I don’t really have a fashion inspiration.

Darwiesh wears a brown jacket with a black striped shirt and black jeans and wears brown shoes with it.

14 PEOPLE

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Recognizing our custodians From cleaning to ensuring security, our wonderful staff does it all Our school custodians do a lot of hard work all over our school.

Although many may not know this, a custodian does more than just “clean” the building—he or she is the first line of defense in preventing the spread of illnesses and ensures a safe and healthy school environment.

One of their duties as custodians is to clean up and remove dirt and other debris from our school. In only three weeks, 1,000 students will track in a little under 25 pounds of dirt. Custodians work diligently to remove dirt and debris from your facility to promote a clean environment.

Not only do they clean up all rooms and bathrooms, but they also vacuum, polish, buff, and care for our carpets and floors which keeps them properly maintained and makes them last longer and look nicer.

Another function that our custodians perform is to promote a safe environment by ensuring that areas are clean, dry, and free from hazardous material or tripping hazards, custodians help prevent accidents and also the spread of germs.

They also help with air quality control, which allows everyone to breathe easily, free from allergens like dust.

The EPA reports that asthma, often triggered by airborne agents, costs U.S. students 14.7 million missed days of school a year.

According to the data, as of December 2016, AHS had seventeen and a half custodians on staff. Our school custodians staff numbers have changed slightly over the years.

In December of 2017 AHS had eighteen custodians on staff. We currently have eighteen and a half custodians on our staff.

Because our school custodians undergo training before they are hired, they bring cleaning expertise to our school.

Custodians have knowledge of proper cleaning techniques, products, and instruments that allow them to remove the maximum amount of germs. They also ensure only safe chemicals are used when cleaning.

Finally, custodians ensure you never run out of supplies.

They continually stock supplies that many take for granted. The next time you go to wash your hands, remember that someone made sure there were paper towels and soap for you to use.

As you can see, custodians are a necessity when it comes to safety, cleaning, and proper building maintenance.

The hard work they do affects everyone and we are lucky to have such great custodians at our school.

ALL PHOTO CEDITS JAMIE HAMADEH

BY JANE ELKINS Staff Writer

ROBERT EDMUNDS Building Supervisor

CONSTANCE DEMPAH Facilities Custodian

Robert Edmunds came to the county 12 years ago as custodian one. Three years ago

Constance Dempah has been a custodian at our school for three years. “One of my

Edmunds became the schools’ Building Supervisor. He is responsible for his team

favorite things about AHS is the staff such as the teachers and administrators

as well as cleaning up the school. In addition to this, he works with the security

as well as the amazing students.” Dempah’s job requires her to wipe the mirrors,

team to help keep the building as safe as possible. In his free time, Edmunds loves

sweep the bathrooms, and clean the toilets. Before working in the building, Dem-

to watch sports. Redskins in particular. Before working here, Edmunds was a brick

pah worked as housekeeper at Fairfax Hospital. Dempah decided to leave her job

layer for Parlinson Co. “What I like most about the staff is how dependable they are

at the hospital because the pay was not meeting her standards. She also used to

and how they are always ready to get work done,” Edmunds said.

work as a custodian at Holmes Middle School but Dempah got transferred to AHS.

THOUNG NGUYEN After School Custodian

CHARLIE AKOTO After School Custodian

Thoung Ngyuen is an after school custodian in the building. He is in charge of

Charlie Akoto is one of many custodians that take on the after school shift. Akoto

cleaning offices such as the clinic, the learning center, and the main offices. One

has been working here in the building for 11 years. Akoto loves the environment of

part of Nguyen’s after school cleaning routine is to dust the desks in offices as well

the building as well as the students and the staff that he works with. His job con-

as dusting and wiping the frame areas, he also helps out with sweeping the floors

sists of sweeping and mopping the school as well as taking the garbage out. Before

and taking out the garbage. He tends to get the job done quickly and helps out oth-

working as a custodian, Akoto worked with a small car business in Stafford as a

ers with their tasks. His favorite part of working as a custodian is being able to

driver. He still currently works with the car business but working here takes up

work with his friendly staff and chatting with the wonderful students.

the majority of his time.

HUMANS OF ANNANDALE Ever since I was young, I’ve always had a passion of helping people out and observing nature. This character of mine developed into a love for animals and people, one that has stuck with me till today.

Me, along with my brother and both of my parents, are proud latinos from the amazing country of Bolivia. My father alongside my mother were both born in Bolivia during rough times.

They both faced multiple adversities present in their small communities such as poverty, violence, and drug abuse.

They each, at an early age, respected their community and their culture while following their family’s ideals.

They took education seriously and focused on nothing more. Their dedication grew to much more when they both enrolled and attended college which is where they met.

Life in Bolivia became hard so my parents decided to look for new opportunities and that’s when they heard of the United States.

They packed their bags, said goodbye to their families and left for their new home.

They had basically given up their lives but did it for the sake of their future children: me and my brother.

With seventeen years of age, I find myself today living in the country of opportunities after my parent’s decision to give me and my brother better lives than back at home in Bolivia.

I play soccer both for my school and in my free time in addition to balancing it out with my involvement in clubs and societies at my school.

I am also in the process of completing the IB diploma which has its own requirements

WHO AM I? I attended: University of Richmond The extracurricular activities I did were: Theater, Student Government, and I was also the Orientation Counselor I was born in: Natick, Massachusetts Before teaching at Annandale: I would deliver patio furniture

JASON MERCADO Senior and difficulties.

I’m like everyone else but with a mission and with two important people, my mother and father, counting on me to succeed.

I, like my parents, have found an interest in the field of science, which has prompted me to look toward the path of medicine.

This path is uncertain, but it has brought me to the realization of my passion for human interaction and the need to address healthrelated issues.

With this motivation behind me, I would attempt to research methods of cost reduction in medicine in order to facilitate affordable and accessible health care, to support immigrants and disadvantaged communities within the U.S.

Favorite movie is: “A River Runs Through It”, directed by Robert Redford. The movie is about two brothers who live is Montana. They spend most of their time fly fishing.

My greatest fear is: Cleithrophobia. Cleithrophobia is the fear of closed spaces or being locked in an enclosed place.

I teach at Annandale because: When I was searching for schools to work at, it was the first school on the list alphabetically

What I do in my free time is: Watch any type of live event such as sporting events, concerts, plays, musicals, operas, speeches, whatever.

Favorite quote is: “All great men are dead, and I’m not feeling too well myself” – Mark Twain

This is the answer key to Who Am I? Use the QR Code app on your phone or camera.

SPORTS X-TRA 15

Tues. Jan 29, 2019

Girls tackle stereotype More female players join the grappling Atoms wrestling team Wrestling is a very high impact sport and it is extremely tough and hard on an athlete’s body. It is not really surprising that it is primarily linked to being a “boys’ sport.” Although clearly, it is a maledominated sport, that does not mean that girls cannot compete in it, too.

In fact, recently, the wrestling team at AHS has experienced a large growth in female wrestlers. In previous years, there hasn’t even been a single female wrestler but this year there is a total of six girls participating on the team.

“I like the fact that girls feel confident enough to come out and wrestle,” head varsity wrestling coach Joshua Damico said. “More and more girls all over the nation are picking up wrestling and I think it’s great that we are ahead of the curve.”

Sophomores Eva Gomez, Nicole Lopez, Breanna Sanchez, and freshman Izzy Teinfalt, Danielle Dean and Alex Cabrera are the girls who are currently on the AHS wrestling team.

“I tried out for wrestling just for kicks,” freshman Izzy Teinfalt said. “I eventually started conditioning with Coach Klein and slowly fell in love with the atmosphere. When the season started, I really enjoyed it and knew I made the right decision.”

The major growth in girls wrestling is not only at AHS, a recent participation survey by the Virginia High School League found that the number of girls competing in wrestling increased 18 percent from 2006-07 to 2015-16.

These increased participation of girls in the sport are greater than other NCAA sponsored sports such as crew, fencing, skiing, and riflery and in the NCAA emerging sports of rugby, sand volleyball, and horseback riding. In fact, women’s wrestling is reportedly

ADAM SHAWISH

BY JANE ELKINS Staff Writer

Sophomore Eva Gomez grapples sophomore Breanna Sanchez during a practice that was held in the matt room in the upstairs gym. one such as the fastest growing sports at the scholastic and collegiate levels.

Not only have more females started playing the sport, but respect for it at higher levels has increased in the past 15 years. According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, in 2004, women’s wrestling was recognized as an Olympic sport.

14 states and one US territory now sponsor a state high school championship specifically for girls wrestling.

“Most people would expect that I, as a female, would receive some sort of unfair treatment or discrimination,” Teinfalt said. “But it turns out that all the coaches and other wrestlers are very accepting and treat me no differently, and that really makes it a healthy environment.”

So far, the team has participated in eight meets.

“My record hasn’t been the best this year,” Gomez said, “But I can proudly say that I’ve beaten three boys so far.”

Why did you decide to join wrestling?

One of the things that makes wrestling so unique is that girls wrestle against boys at the wrestling matches simply because there is no team specifically for girls.

Although legally girls can try out for boys teams, in every other sport at AHS except for football, there are girl’s teams and boy’s teams. Several sports hold co-ed meets, such as track and swimming, but at those competitions, girls compete against other girls and boys compete against other boys.

EVA GOMEZ sophomore “I wanted to do wrestling because I have been doing martial arts since I was little and it always seemed interesting to me.”

DANIELLE DEAN freshman “I joined wrestling because I wanted a sport that would work on muscular endurance.”

BREANNA SANCHEZ sophomore “I joined wrestling because I like more competitive hands on sports. Instead of track and other sports, wrestling has a lot of different moves and I find that interesting.”

NICOLE LOPEZ sophomore “I joined wrestling because there are not that many girls in wrestling and I thought would be really cool.

I also thought I could bring more girls next year.”

“I can tell that a lot of my male opponents think that they can beat me really easily,” Gomez said, “All that really does is motivates me to work even harder.”

The team has an upcoming District tournament on Friday, Feb. 1 against Mt. Vernon, Hayfield, T.C. Williams and West Potomac at AHS and they could make it to the region tournament against Fairfax at Fairfax High School on Thursday, Feb. 7.

IZZY TEINFALT freshman “I joined wrestling because I wanted to try something new and I thought it was funny.”

Majority of students want Rams to defeat Patriots

BY EMAN JARADAT AND CASEY NGUYEN Staff Writer and Managing Editor On Feb. 3, the East will take on the West. The New England Patriots will battle the Los Angeles Rams in the biggest showcase in American sports: the Super Bowl LIII, which will take place in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons.

The vast majority of NFL fans in America want the Patriots to lose and for a new champion to rise, according to an SB Nation poll of almost 2,000 football fans.

This is also in agreement with the overwhelming majority of students and faculty at AHS. A poll conducted on Jan. 25 on The A-Blast Twitter page also shows that AHS feels the same.

“As a Rams fan, it feels great to finally see this team in the Super Bowl after a great season,” sophomore Nareg Boghosian said.

What was your favorite moment of the NFL season?

Along with students, teachers are also weighing in on the potential Super Bowl outcomes.

“I want the Rams to win, but I would never bet against the evil empire or Tom Brady,” history teacher Jonathan York said.

However, despite the majority of AHS hoping for a Rams victory, there are still a few individuals who stuck by the Patriots through thick and thin.

“I beleive on Feb. 3, the Patriots will go down to Atlanta, defeat the Rams and come home with the sixth Super Bowl,” sophomore Ayaz Ahmed said.

Many others also continually express that their loyalties lie with the Patriots by expressing entusiasm and providing encouragements.

“It feels good for the Patriots to be in the Super Bowl again,” senior Faris Vadakoot said. “Alot of people probably hate the Patriots or are just tired of seeing them in the Super Bowl, but you

can’t hate the hustle. They definitely deserved it.”

With both the Patriots and the Rams winning intense overtime games on Jan. 20 in the AFC and NFC conference championship games, history has already been made, as that was the first time both games in the final playoff games went into overtime.

This game will be very intense, as it will be repeating the Super Bowl XXXVI match-up, where the Patriots defeated the Rams. Although the Rams beat both the Cowboys and the Saints, the Patriots have a stronger interior offensive line than both teams, which may create a struggle for the Rams in terms generating pass rush.

“Tom Brady in my opinion is the best quarterback to every play in the NFL. He always manages to find a way to make a comeback in games where they are down,” Vadakoot said.

“Keep in mind he’s also 41 years old.

This season hasn’t been the best and he hasn’t been putting MVP caliber number, but he till manages to get the job done.”

Sean McVay, the 33-year-old Rams Coach, definitely does not have the experience over Patriots coach, Bill Belichick. Howevert, he is very innovative and is not afraid to take risks.

This courage that McVay possesses is exactly what could lead the Rams to

ZACK PACAK freshman “My favorite moment were these last two playoff games, the NFC and the AFC conference championships, because they both went into overtime. It was only the second time in history the AFC went into overtime.”

DANNY SALISBURY sophmore “My favorite moment of the NFL season was when the Colts killed the Cowboys.”

YEABSIRA SAHOU freshman “My favorite moment was when the Brown’s kicker missed the game winning field goal against the Eagles because I really support the Eagles.”

JUSTIN SCOTT sophomore “My favorite moment in the NFL season was Saquan Barkley’s first 60 yard run in the NFL against the Cowboys.”

win the game. Bill Belichick does have an excessive amount of experience, as he holds the record of five Super Bowl rings. However, confidence can sometimes get the best of coaches, as they are certain they will win that they do not recognize the potential of losing.

“The greatest weakness for the Rams throughout this season had been their defensive schemes against past heavy teams,” Ahmed said. “The Patriots meet these standards, which is why the Rams need to prepare as much as possible.

(LEFT) Rams quarterback Jared Goff will be appearing in his first career Super Bowl while Tom Brady (RIGHT) will be appearing in his ninth Super Bowl, having won five of them. Jared Goffs regular season stats were 64.9% completion rates, 4,688 yards, 32 TD, 12 INT, and 101.1 quarter back rating.

Tom Brady regular season stats were 65.8% completion rate, 4,355 yards, 29 TD, 11 INT, and 97.7 quarter back rating.

JIN KIM junior “My favorite moment of the NFL season was when the Patriots beat the Chiefs.”

JENNIFER CHAVEZ senior “My favorite moment is when Drew Brees broke the all time passing yards record.”

TARIK DARWIESH junior “My favorite moment of the NFL season was when the Saints clutched the dub against the Eagles because the Eagles decided to take the Redskins out of the game.”

MICHAEL BEHAILU senior “My favorite moment was when Patrick Mahomes ended the season with 50 touchdowns.”

16 SPORTS

Tues. Jan. 29, 2018

Track heads to districts 4x200 relays lead indoor track to a successful end of season at invitational

AYMAN ELHAG

BY ALEX BURITA Sports Editor

Senior Ayman Elhag races the 300 meter dash during the Montgomery Invitational on Jan. 12 where he qualified for states and placed second with a time of 36.30.

He also ran the 4x200 meter relay where they placed third with a time of 1:33.77.

Following a success at the Montgomery Invitational on Jan. 12, AHS indoor track prepared for their next and final invitational before postseason, the Winter Jacket Classic.

However, the Winter Jacket Classic was cancelled the day before the meet was to take place due to the cold weather making performance ineffective.

Some of the highlights from the Montgomery Invitational include a third place finish by the boys 4x200 meter relay out of the 53 total teams present at the meet. They earned a time of 1:33.77.

Additionally, senior Ayman Elhag placed second in the 300 meter dash finals with a time of 36.30 seconds.

This qualified him for the VHSL state championship, which will take place later next month.

“At Montgomery, we accomplished a lot and I am happy with the team’s performance,” coach Phil Harris said.

The Winter Jacket Classic would have marked the end of AHS indoor track’s rather short regular season.

Since the DCIAA Invitational on Dec. 1, there have only been four total meets, two of which have been invitationals.

“Due to the snow, we were not able

to improve as much as we would like as a team because we were not able to get out to do our workouts,” Harris said.

Now, instead of competing in the Invitational, the team will have to head directly into districts after only participating in three invitationals.

“Due to the harsh, cold weather, we planned to only take the girls and boys 4x200 relays who are trying to qualify for regionals and states,” Harris said.

“During this indoor track season, I have been seeing a lot of improvement with athletes’ speed and endurance abilities.”

--PHIL HARRIS

Indoor Track Coach Last year, during this same meet, the team found success as they placed ninth overall out of the 23 total participating teams and tied with Thomas Jefferson High School.

At this meet, just like the Montgomery Invitational, many of the relays found success. Both the boys and girls 4x200 and 4x800 placed in the top

10 out of every team participating in the meet.

This year, there were no other teams from AHS’ district that are set to compete in the Winter Jacket Classic, so it would have been hard to tell how the team will perform in the district championships.

Nonetheless, with very few meets this season, the Atoms are predicted to perform well as they placed third in the district for boys and fourth in the district for girls last year.

“Before the district meet, the team really needs to get out for more workouts, like ladder workouts that we missed,” Harris said.

With the cancellation of the meet, the team will have more time to be able to do just that.

If all goes as planned, the Atoms will be off to a successful postseason where they will advance to regionals and hop hopefully states.

“I think that we have a great shot at success in the district meet as we have a lot of talented sprinters who will win their events,” Harris said.

Wrestling looks to pin district championship Grappling Atoms overcome injuries Following their first invitational tournament of the season, the NOVA classic tournament, AHS wrestling has had an action packed season featuring many accomplishments along the way.

For their first home meet, they hosted C.D. Hylton and Lake Braddock for a tri meet. The Atoms lost to Lake Braddock by an overall score of 41-27, however, AHS won four of the eight individual matches.

Against, C.D. Hylton on the other hand, AHS lost by an overall score of 52-30 and won only three of the eight individual matches.

Then for their second invitational tournament, AHS headed to Woodson to participate in the Cavalier classic, where they placed ninth overall. Those who placed in that tournament for AHS include junior Dylan Weaver (first for 170 weight class) and junior Patrick Lee (third for 182 weight class).

AHS found success again when they headed to Langley High School for the Saxon Invitational tournament on Dec. 22. There, they placed eighth and beat both T.C. Williams and Mount Vernon, who they will soon face for the district tournament.

At the Battle at the Bridge Invitational on Dec. 28, the team placed 26th and were successful in many of their matches.

At their final invitational match of the season, varsity wrestling headed to

to Chantilly High School to compete in the Joe Verciglio Memorial Tournament.

During that meet, the team placed 26th despite not having as many wrestlers as usual, however, two wrestlers again placed in their respective brackets. Lee placed third and senior Kevin Reyes placed seventh in the 285 weight class. “[This year in practice], the team has improved on technique and confidence in the moves that they have been practicing in the practice room and translating them out onto the mat,” coach Joshua Damico said.

Now, the team shifts focus from broader area tournaments to district duals between T.C. Williams, Mount Vernon, Hayfield, and West Potomac.

So far, out of these teams, AHS has had a dual meet against Hayfield and Mount Vernon. They barely beat Hayfield by a score of 35-34 and lost to Mount Vernon by a score of 36-46.

During practices recently, the team has been going over different specific moves and situations that will best help them to be successful in the postseason. “[For postseason], we will keep practicing throughout the weeks to come to go over certain situations that are specific to the postseason and making sure that everyone is ready to go for the tournaments mentally and physically,” Damico said.

The next events for wrestling include a match at Fairfax on Jan. 22 and Pack the Pit, which is the equivalent of senior night, on Jan. 23.

Again, in both of these meets, the

team won many of their matches and looked strong heading into the postseason tournaments.

Additionally, the team has laid out specific accomplishments that will mark their season successful.

“For postseason, we are taking each match one step at a time and worrying about districts, regionals, and states one step at a time,” Damico said.

“Hopefully we can repeat our district title this year and if not, we are trying to get as many wrestlers as possible into the district tournament and getting as many as possible to move on to the state tournament.”

But, whatever happens during districts, regionals, and likely states, the team has seen some serious improvement “[Right now], we are much better in terms of technique than we were at the beginning of the season,” Damico said.

Next three matches: Feb. 1- District Tournament vs. Hayfield, Mt. Vernon, T.C. Williams, and West Potomac

COURTESY OF NICHOLAS BELLEM

BY ALEX BURITA Sports Editor

Feb. 7- Region Tournament @ Fairfax HS Feb. 8- Region Finals @ Fairfax HS

Junior Patrick Lee takes down an opponent during a district tournament at Mount Vernon High School on Jan. 16. The tournament was the second between all teams in the Gunston District and the last before the district finals.

Player profile: Amir Aburish January Athletes of the Month Q: What do you like about playing basketball for AHS and the sport in general?

A: I love basketball and it is my passion.

Playing for AHS has made it even better because the coaches taught me a lot and helped me develop in the game.

Q: How did you discover your interest in basketball?

A: In elementary school we used to hoop during recess. I just wanted to be better than everyone else in the game and then I realized that I really loved it.

Q: Do you train in the offseason?

A: I do work out often during the offseason.

I work out 7 days a week with different workouts. I might lift one day or run on the track, but I play basketball everyday.

Q: How do you feel the team’s season is going so far?

A: The season is not going the way we thought it would go, but we are starting to turn it around.

Senior Amir Aburish searches for a play to make during a game earlier this season.

Q: How long have you been playing basketball?

A: I have been playing basketball for a total of eight years.

Q: How long have you been playing for AHS? A: I have been playing basketball for AHS since my freshman year.

Q: Who is your favorite NBA player?

A: My favorite NBA player is Kawhi Leonard on the Toronto Raptors.

Q: How do you prepare for each of your games?

A: I eat with my brothers and listen to music.

FAUZAH KARGBO sophomore Basketball Sophomore Fauzah Kargbo is number 10 for the girls JV basketball team. She plays the position of forward and has been given the award for her successful performance in the passed few games.

MAXWELL LANHAM freshman Varsity Basketball “It feels good to be recognized for my performance this month. Playing basketball here has been a great experience because I’ve learned so much from the coaches and players who all support me.”

MATT TRAN freshman Swim and Dive “It is definitely fun being with a small team of friends and feels more like hanging out during practice. I am also grateful for receiving athlete of the month.”

DYLAN WEAVER junior Wrestling “I like Annandale wrestling because I get to compete in a sport that I love for a school I love. It feels great to be athlete of he month but you always have to be humble and keep working hard.”

Q: What do you think your strengths are as a player?

A: Overall, I am a good all around player.

I am good at defense and offense and am a leader on the court.

Q: What is your favorite college and NBA basketball team?

A: My favorite college team is Kentucky and my favorite NBA team is the Washingon Wizards.

Q: What is your favorite memory of playing basketball for AHS? A: My favorite memory is Stonewall because I hit a clutch three pointer and stopped their best player.

SPORTS 17

PHOTO CREDITS: RICH FINK

PHOTO CREDITS: RICH FINK

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Sophomore Jayden Joya is looking for the right time to pass the ball to her teammate to score against T.C. Williams.

Senior Abbey Yared dribbles the ball to score against Oakton.

Girls look to improve performance

Boys look to finish strong

BY MIA ANTEZANA GARCIA Staff writer On Jan. 18, the girls varsity basketball team lost to the West Potomac Wolverines by a score of 57-45.

On Jan. 22, they lost to Centerville 58-41, making it the seventh game that they have lost out of 16 games this season.

Despite their loss, the players continue to feel positive about the upcoming games and are looking to improve.

“I feel pretty good about the upcoming games,” sophomore Jayden Joya said. “I think that despite the loss our team had, we did pretty well and fought hard.”

Junior Annika Yungner reflected on the game having a positive perspective.

“I feel good about the games,” Yungner said. “We struggled some, but I felt that we gave it our best. Especially when one of my teammates was taken out on injuries.”

achieve these team goals.

“Before a game, we talk through our goals and run through our plays, then we focus by listening to music.

We prepare by practicing as a team before the game, but we all also have our different ways of focusing and preparing,” Joya said. “I prepare by listening to music that motivate me and getting good sleep.”

In regards to the approaching districts tournament, the girls believe they can go far.

“Right now, we are about four games into the season for the tournament. After playing each team twice, we get placed in the tournament based on wins,” Yungner said, “In past years we have not passed the first rounds, but this years I really believe that we can go far.”

The Atoms will continue practicing and giving it their all on the court. The girls have played two other home games after this one against T.C. Williams and Hayfield and haven’t came on top in any of those.

Throughout each game, it is evident that there can be room for improvement.

“Our defense was great, we had tons of steals, and were able to stop the majority of the driving,” Yungner said. “I think we can improve our free throws, and not rush our passes

“I think we could definitely improve on our communication skills.

I have personally been improving on a further shooting range.”

--JAYDEN JOYA

sophomore

or our plays.”

Meanwhile, Joya believes that the team can improve in other aspects.

There are a few methods in place to

BY ERIK RIVAS-MARTINEZ Sports Editor The boys varsity basketball team’s first games of January, the team had strong performances against Mt. Vernon and Woodbridge Senior.

However, when facing Hayfield and West Potomac, the games resulted in losses for the team. Against the Hayfield Hawks, the Atoms lost by a slim two-point margin. In addition, the Atoms were defeated by the West Potomac Wolverines in a home game.

In terms of the West Potomac game, the Atoms did not have a good start to the game because as the Wolverines were fast to score, putting up the first points of the game.

Despite the set back, the boys continued to give it their all and kept the margin close until they reached the third quarter. By then, the Wolverines had opened up a large lead.

“What went wrong was that we stopped rebounding the ball,” head coach Diedrich Gilreath said.

The players also reflected on their performances that night.

“I think what went wrong is that we came out a little too slow in the third quarter,” senior Alejandro Casquino said.

Even though the game did not go as planned, the players found various strengths as well.

“I wouldn’t change much,” Casquino said. “Just that we have to play hard all four quarters and not have any mental lapses.”

The team has had a decent season so far. With only three more regular season games remaining, it is the team’s goal to finish the season strong and then, start preparing for districts.

Gilreath does not expect to change much for districts because he believes that the team has already completed enough preparation during the regular season.

“We will not do anything different for districts,” Gilreath said.

“Everything we’ve done so far should prepare us for districts.”

The boys have played three other games since then against Centreville, T.C. Williams and Hayfield and have won one and lost the other two.

Current Winter Record Boys Basketball AHS vs. Fairfax 47-39 L AHS vs. Stonewall Jackson 66-64 W AHS vs. Falls Church 55-44 W AHS vs. Thomas Jefferson 73-45 W AHS vs. Robert E. Lee 104-41 W AHS vs. Oakton 65-62 L AHS vs. Lake Braddock 100-66 L

AHS vs. Washington-Lee 69-50 L AHS vs. Chantilly 78-64 L AHS vs. Colonial Forge 63-42 L AHS vs. West Springfield 57-53 W AHS vs. Hayfield 56-55 L AHS vs. Woodbridge Senior 66-54 W AHS vs. Hayfield 59-57 L

AHS vs. Mt. Vernon 75-44 W AHS vs. West Potomac 69-52 L AHS vs. T.C. Williams 61-56 L AHS vs. Hayfield 59-54 L

Girls Basketball AHS vs. Fairfax 53-49 L AHS vs. Justice 53-42 W

Swim reflects on season

BY ERIK RIVAS-MARTINEZ Sports Editor

KATIE POPE

On Jan. 25 and 26, the boys and girls varsity swim and dive teams went to Gunston District meet at Lee District Park.

The girls finished the Gunston District Championship coming in fourth place out of five teams with a score of 304. In addition, the Girls 400 m Freestyle Relay team finished in 3rd place.

Sophomore Madison Cruz finished in 3rd place in the 100 m breaststroke.

Senior Megan Lee took 3rd place in the 200 m.

The boys finished the tournament in last place with a score of 224 coming close to Mt. Vernon, who scored 232.

“Lots of swimmers dropped time and it was neat to see all the improvements of my teammates,” Cruz said. “Personally, I was very happy because I dropped time and qualified for Regionals.”

The swimmers looked to work harder in practices in preparation for districts.

“Prior to districts, we are given a Psych Sheet. This sheet shows us all of the times of the swimmers entered into each event,” head coach Victoria Douglas said. “With this knowledge, we are having conversations with each swimmer about what to focus on this week in practice and helpful tools for their upcoming swims. We are also doubling up the amount of drag they wear during practice and continuing conditioning.”

Junior Umi Hermann swims butterfly during a past meet.

The swim teams appeared to struggle in their regular season with both teams having a record of 1-6.

In their last meet against T.C. Williams, the boys lost 199 to 98 and the girls lost 178 to 131. Both were only able to come away victorious against Mt. Vernon, the boys winning 145 to 141 and the girls 200 to 103.

Although the season did not go as originally planned, many swimmers improved throughout the season and reached their personal goals. The season also made new bonds between the swimmers.

“Our swimmers performed outstandingly. They have collectively dropped a significant amount of time since their first day in the pool,” Douglas said. “Individually, some of our swimmers have dropped up to 45 seconds this season. Over half of the team has achieved lifetime best.”

Douglas believes that the teams have learned new things throughout the season, and worked hard to be where they are.

“They worked hard on conditioning and learning how to swim with drag, wearing extra layers, during practices.

Also, they took the smaller lessons that they learned each week from practice or the meet and applied them to the following week,” Douglas said.

The players also reflected on their season.

“My thoughts on the season are that there were lots of improvement all around and lots of swimmers dropped time from meet to meet,” Cruz said. “This season was also super fun to be around all of my teammates and create bonds.”

AHS vs. Falls Church 66-64 W AHS vs. Falls Church 63-55 L AHS vs. Thomas Jefferson 46-44 W AHS vs. Robert E. Lee 66-62 L AHS vs. Oakton 50-35 L AHS vs. Lake Braddock 60-37 L AHS vs. Washington-Lee 55-45 W

AHS vs. Chantilly 49-44 L AHS vs. Hayfield 67-51 L AHS vs. Mt. Vernon 55-36 W AHS vs. West Potomac 57-45 L AHS vs. Centreville 58-41 L AHS vs. T.C. Williams 67-55 L AHS vs. Hayfield 65-53 L

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18 ENTERTAINMENT

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Rapper R. Kelly, film producer Harvey Weinstein, artist Drake, and rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine (Left to Right, R. Kelly, Harvey Weinstein, Drake, Tekashi 6ix9ine), all been accused or convicted of sexual misconduct.

CELEBRITY MISCONDUCT CONTINUES Negative examples set by public figures impact students

BY ABEL SAMSON Staff Writer Public figures are looked to as ideal role models for the youth and many individuals in society. Figures such as professional basketball player LeBron James and actor Will Smith fit this standard, but with the occurance of recent events, we have been exposed to the complete opposite.

The entertainment industry has been full of sexual misconduct and it has been a reoccurring act since the late 20th century. Big names like artists R. Kelly, 6ix9ine, Usher, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, Harvey Weinstein and many others have been caught up with the law and facing legal reprecussions regarding sexual harassment.

So how common is sexual misconduct in hollywood? Based on a survey taken by USA Today, 94% of the 843 people surveyed say they have experienced harassment or assault. It is a frightening statistic that more and

Would you continue to support a celebrity accused of sexual misconduct?

more people are becoming aware of.

“Many women in today’s society are afraid to report abuse and people don’t understand why and how hard it is for some people,” senior Hlina Wondwossen said. “We fear that we will receive criticism and backlash if we report it.

People will say we are trying to ruin someone’s career, but they actually ruin it themselves.”

Of the people who do report their abusers, only 28% of the women say no improvement was made in their workplace, giving women another reason to keep quiet.

Harvey Weinstein, an American former film producer, was alleged to have sexually harassed and assaulted a “large” number of women, including actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd. Among the accusations are that he would force women to massage him and watch him naked. He would also offer the women exorbitant amounts of money in order for them to keep their mouths shut. Allegations from over 13 more women were published in the New Yorker magazine, which included three accusations of rape which he strongly denies.

The sexual harassment and assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein that shook Hollywood sparked women from other industries to speak up, and it has reached beyond the U.S. borders.

JON MILIAN freshman “Yes, because I would like the song because it is a good song not because of what the artist does or did.”

EMILY MARTINDALE freshman “Yes, but I would not listen to anything that they make after the allegation.”

“The Weinstein Effect” is what people call it, with the hashtag “#MeToo” used across social media. What does it mean? It’s the movement that has rippled across the globe, where women come forward to accuse famous and

“I believe that famous people are privileged and can basically get away with anything these days.”

--TAHID MAMUN, senior

powerful men and release decade-old accusations. From the UK all the way to India, powerful government officials have lost their jobs due to this movement.

Former R&B artist R. Kelly has been trending dramatically on social media platforms the past few months. Similar to the Weinstein accusations, women have spoken out regarding abuse that they endured from the musician. Kelly’s

ROBERT LATOUR sophomore “Yes, because the music would not change. I would have a different outlook on that person.”

SOPHIA BARABAN sophomore “No, I would not listen to them anymore because because that is support if you listen to them.”

alleged ex-girlfriend spoke out to BBC news, referring to the “nasty, degrading things” that he did to her in the yearlong relationship that they had a few years back. Kelly has a deep history of allegations; he has been plagued by accusations since the 1990s.

Back in 1994, Kelly, then 27, married 15-year old singer Aaliyah, who had lied about her age claiming she was 18. The marriage was declared invalid a year later in 1995.

In 2002, Kelly was charged with child pornography after getting caught with a video of him having intercourse with a 14-year-old girl. The trial took place six years later which caused controversy in the media. “I have lost all respect for him after learning about all the nasty things that he’s done,” senior Haley Moss said. “He is a monster in my eyes and there is no reason for him to not be in jail.”

In 2017 he was accused of trapping six women in a sex cult. An article published by BuzzFeed talks about Kelly allegedly seducing young women. He basically took over their lives, dictating what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sex when he records. In 2018, the victims of the cult spoke to the press, speaking on how they were traumatized for life due to the actions that Kelly performed.

Lifetime had their debut for the documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly”, on Jan. 3. In the series, women emerge and share their stories with the world.

They came forward with new allegations about his sexual, mental, and physical abuse. The show has made so much noise that R. Kelly is back under investigation.

Daniel Hernandez, known as rapper 6ix9ine, has also recently been caught up with the legal issues. He was sentenced to four years of probation for his 2015 sexual misconduct case on Sept.

18, 2018, on top of his attempted murder charge, which is 32 years to life in prison. Videos emerged of Hernandez committing numerous sexual acts on a 13-year-old girl at the time of the incident.

“I believe that famous people are priviledged and can basically get away with anything these days,” senior Tahid Mamun said.

Hernandez was initially given a one to three year sentence in prison, but was granted four years probation instead.

This happens with many famous names and people believe it’s because of the money they can pay to keep themselves out of jail.

HAKIM IDRIS junior “I would still listen to the songs because my music is solely selected on crank and not artist.”

SAMIR HUSSEIN senior “I would still liten to them because I like to separate art from artist.

Their music is seperate from their action.”

MIA MUNTU junior “No, because my conscious would feel so bad about listening to an artist who did something like that.”

VITALINA FUENTES senior “No becaue listening to an artist is a form of support. I woud cut all ties with the artist.”

The Wzrd debuts new style Rapper attempts to climb back to top with new album

Playlist of the Issue Going Bad Meek Mill (feat. Drake) Championships (2018) This triumphant reconnection between Meek Mill and Drake is about flexing their wealth and “Going Bad” on women and their enemies.

BY AYMAN ELHAG Entertainment Editor Just days ago, rap icon Future, also known Nayvadius Wilburn, tweeted the tracklist to his 20 song album the Wizrd. The tweet blew up all over social media after being shared thousands of times. The tweet was posted on Jan. 17 and the album released the following day.

The album had features from some of the hottest artists in hip hop today.

“The album is a statement

by Future,” senior Abu ElSadeg said. “People believed he was falling off but this put him back on top without a doubt.”

El-sadeg, a Future enthusiast, believes that this album is going to be that best rap album of 2019 although it is too soon to tell due to the release being recent.

However, the belief that the Atlanta native rapper, Future has been falling off the map was not incorrect.

According to Complex, the combined sales of Future’s last two albums, “FUTURE” and “HNDRXX,” was less than his platinum album “Dirty Sprite 2” “The Wizrd” has already topped the charts and has sold 130,000 units and over 12,000 hard copies in just its first weekend out. That number already closing in on the combined amount sold

a lot 21 Savage i am > i was (2018) 21 Savage raps about having “a lot” of blessings and curses in his life. He reflects on his upbringing, his dangerous lifestyle, and the pain and loss he has suffered.

Rapper Future (pictured above) poses for a picture in his photoshoot for his album The Wzrd.

by Future’s two previous albums.

“Of Course I bought the album,” El-Sadeg said.

“Future is the greatest rapper of all time in my opinion and I support him.”

El-Sadeg along with many others believe that this is Future’s best album to date and will help him regain his crown in the Hip-Hop industry and put him on the same status as notable rappers such as Drake and Travis Scott who have been consistently headlining national charts.

The album was not talked about by the rapper but was teased by the dropping of his single, “Crushed Up.” The single made it onto the Billboard Top 100 and was later

topped by another song on the album, “First Off,” which features superstar artist Travis Scott.

“It is textbook for a rapper who feels like he or she is falling off to feature a rapper that us ‘on top’ when trying to get back on top. This was a smart move by Future” said Elsadeg.

Future also featured his long time friend and rap artist Young Thug, and upcoming artist Gunna on his track, “Unicorn Purp.”

“That song is simply just a bump,” El-Sadeg said. “There is no way else to describe it.

Simple a banger.”

The album starts relatively mellow and slow with the track “Never Stop,” which is unlike any other Future

album. This demonstrates Future’s attempting to step out of his comfort zone by trying something unlike his normal style.

The album is then contrasted by the next track, “Jumpin’ on a Jet” which is more in-line with Future’s typical style of hardcore rap with intense beats and a hard base.

The only features on the album are two of the last five songs on the album. Future stated in a recent interview with Complex that he “wanted to put them last because they would help with sales but he really wanted to have this album to showcase his talent and tell all the haters that he is still on top.”

Swervin A Boogie wit da Hoodie (feat.

6ix9ine) Hoodie SZN (2018) A Boogie links with 6ix9ine and London On Da Track to talk about their wild and explicit life, parties, street cred, and a gorgeous girl.

WOW. Post Malone Single (2018) This song focuses on Post showing off his wealth, such as cars and money, to the people who doubted him before he was famous.

No Scrubs TLC FanMail (1999) “No Scrubs” earned TLC their second Grammy nomination for “Record of the Year.” It claimed the #2 spot in NME’s Top Tracks of 1999, but has recently regained popularity.

ENTERTAINMENT 19

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

Football player turns rapper

BY PATRICK BROWN Staff Writer

Annandale student pursues rap career Senior Trae Allen set to release debut EP

BY ABEL SAMSON Staff Writer High school is usually where you find out who you are as a person and what you are interested in. The same can be said for rapper “TraeSantana” as he has found a passion in music.

Known as Traimne Allen, he is currently a senior aspiring to be an artist that not many people have seen or heard of before. He chose the name TraeSantana because of the late rapper Fredo Santana who died about a year ago. He currently has two songs that he has released on SoundCloud, named

“18” and “Explosion.”

“I believe that my songs are very diverse and they have flows that not many people are used to hearing,” Allen explained. “I think that having a different flow than these other rappers is good because people get tired of the same old music.”

The artist might have just started releasing, but he was introduced to music since his childhood. “I’ve been into music since a young age and I have always tried making my own music,” he said. “I could never finish making a song but after my attempt I guess that’s when my barrier broke.”

Allen says that writing music is not as easy as it seems, claiming that writing his song “Explosion” took him over three hours to write. “I thought about giving up so many times because I suffer from bipolar disorder, but I never gave up and continued getting better at what I do,” Allen said.

On Nov. 20, 2018, Trae attempted to commit suicide due to severe depression, but he believes attempting such a act changed him. “I believe if I never tried commiting the act I would never be in this position of writing music,” Allen said. “I would’ve never found out how much music can impact people emotionally. My biggest thing is to help kids out there that suffered just like I did.”

He says that after this event, when he was placed in psychiatric hospital for three days, he had a lot of time to think about music and reflect on his life, and what he was going to do with it from that moment on. He also began to write a song in order to put his thoughts to paper, and he fell in love with the sounds and songs he was able to create in his mind.

Allen’s musical inspirations range from artists such as XXXTentacion, Tyler The Creator, and JuiceWrld.

“XXXTentacion’s music is beautiful to me and I love the flow that he creates,” he said. “JuiceWrld is another inspiration because he writes music about heartbreak and I have been heartbroken many times by females. Tyler The Creator is the biggest inspiration on me in my opinion. As a kid I wrote a song named ‘I’m Tyler’ based on him and I believe we are very alike.”

Allen also said he is finding new ways to market his songs and his projects, or create ideas for music videos.

He has most recently purchased a plan on Distrokid, which will make his music available on all streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and many more.

TraeSantana isn’t done yet, though.

He has new songs that he will be releasing soon on SoundCloud, called “Better Days,” Schizophrenia,”and “11/20.” Stay tuned and check out Annandale’s very own rapper today.

Instead of preparing for his starting quarterback position at Fayetteville State University, Jonathan Porter, better known as Blueface, is preparing for interviews with major labels and famous investors.

The Los Angeles, California native is now performing all over the country at sold out events with tons of screaming fans.

Porter’s unique style of rapping is different from any rapper in the industry right now. His flow is also different from any previous artist to make a significant impact in the Hip-Hop industry.

“I first heard about Blueface last year when ‘Thotiana’ came out. Why would I hate him? I can relate to his lyrics because his personal journey is similar to mine,” junior Jason Reyes said. “I dig his offbeat style cause it’s new and different. He’s a trend setter.”

The style of rap he uses is called “off beat” rapping and it sounds like it is, off beat. This unique style is very polarizing in the rap and hip-hop community.

Listeners either love the different style of flow or they hate it.

“I personally don’t listen to Blueface, because after seeing him rap on Twitter I can firmly say that he is complete garbage.” senior Samir Hossain said.

Regardless of what the haters of this new style say it can not be denied that Blueface is on the come up and is going to be the next big thing. He is the newest upcoming rapper from the ongoing golden age of rap.

Yearbook editor photographs rapper Shy Glizzy, among others

BY CHRISTIAN REYES Entertainment Editor Abu Elsadeg isn’t your typical high school student. He wakes up early, eats breakfast, goes to school, and works away on the school’s yearbook. Then he rushes home, grabs his camera, and drives to one of his favorite rapper’s private mansion party.

This wasn’t always the case though.

It all started last year, when Elsadeg decided to invest in a professional camera.

“A lot of my close friends saw it as something to have fun with,” Elsadeg said. “I could take tough flicks (pictures) of them and get them a lot of likes on social media like my friend Idris.”

By taking pictures of his friends first, Elsadeg was gaining experience and having fun with photography at the same time.

Later on, when he felt like he had the necessary experience, he began reaching out to smaller artists through Twitter direct messages.

After building his portfolio, he then direct messaged big name rappers like WillThaRapper and Shy Glizzy and impressed their managers with his work.

Shortly after, he was jumping backstage with Shy Glizzy and snapping pictures, or having dinner with E Glizzy, a member of Glizzy Gang and Shy Glizzy’s entourage.

One of Elsadeg’s pictures even got published to WillThaRapper’s Instagram account, which has more than 50,000 followers. Elsadeg also received a free sweatsuit from Smiley Glizzy’s brand, Jawara.

Throughout all his crazy experiences, Elsadeg remains humble. He plans to photograph bigger rappers, and is currently in the works with rapper Playboi Carti.

What movie are you looking forward to this year?

LEFT: YungManny. artist of “Moana,” “Ibuprofen,” and “Bonfire, Pt. 2” opens for Shy Glizzy, in which Elsadeg was allowed on stage to photograph the concert. Rappers included YungManny. MoneyMarr, and Shy Glizzy.

BELOW: Rap superstar Shy Glizzy performs live at Echostage in Washington D.C., where Glizzy is from. Elsadeg took this picture, and later joined Glizzy Gang, Shy Glizzy’s entourage, backstage for refreshments.

TOP: Recording artist WillThaRapper, most famous for his hit single ”Pull Up Hop Out,” poses for a picture being taken by Elsadeg.

Below: Rico Nasty, famous for hit songs “Pressin Me” and “Hey Arnold,” performs at a concert where Elsadeg was granted backstage access to take candid pictures for the rappers performing.

YOFTACHE HAILU freshman “Frozen 2 because I’m stupid hyped about the music and I love Elsa.”

MEGAN BROWN freshman “I want to watch Toy Story 4 so that I can say I watched the entire Toy Story series.”

RILEY ZIMMERMAN sophomore “I wanna watch Detective Pikachu because I like Ryan Reynolds.”

ALEXIS GRANDOS sophomore “I can’t wait to watch How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World because I get to let my inner child out.”

YOUSEF AL-SUQI junior “The movie I want to watch in 2019 is Glass.

I liked Split so I think I’ll like this movie.”

JANE KIM junior “I loved the Lion King when I was younger and I would like to see the live action version.”

DAZON HARRISION senior “I think my most anticipated movie will be End Game because of how Inifinity War ended.”

MAISHA MALIHA senior “I want to watch End Game because Infinity War was really good.”

20 WEEKEND

Tues. Jan. 29, 2019

RESTAURANT WEEK Check out these spots in Alexandria in special meal deals. A few of these deals are three course dinner for $35 or a dinner for two people for only $35. Although all 65 restaurants participate in those two For students who want to save money, deals, not all of them offer the lunch deal. but eat at nice places, head on over to 35 of the 65 restaurants provide lunch Alexandria and visit at least one of the 65 for one for $15 or $22. Even fewer restaurestaurants participating in the annual rants engage in brunch deals that are the Restaurant Week. same as the lunch deals. A small handAlexandria has many popular cities ful of ten restaurants provides a brunch with lots of things for the public to do like menu for one person for $15 or $22. explore, shop, visit museums, and more.

There are participating restaurants for However, one of the best things to do in even the pickiest of eaters. A wide variany city, especially Alexandria, is eat deli- ety of foods from different cultures offer cious meals with unique surroundings. delicious dishes from Southern Cuisine to It’s a new year, so it’s time to try new healthy, vegetarian recipes. Furthermore, things. Taste and experience a variety of Irish pubs partake in this unique week, great foods for great prices. Restaurant as well as Chinese, Italian, Thai, Indiweek lasts nine days, starting on Jan. 18 an, American, Mediterranean, Mexican, and ending on Jan. 27.

Greek, and other restaurants.

What is Restaurant Week? It is a comDon’t miss this great opportunity and munity function in which restaurants make a reservation online with the convefrom anywhere in Alexandria participate nient website, OpenTable.

BY KATIE POPE Weekend Editor

Murphy’s Irish Pub Irish • • • •

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ANDREW O’RILEY sophomore “My favorite restaurant is Chili’s because I love their chips and salads.

They also have good ribs and barbecue. I want try Smash Burger because it’s really close and my friends have been there and they say it’s nice place.”

MAX LEHANEY junior “I love to go to iHop because it varies in food. I could get onion rings and pancakes at the same restaurant.

I want to go to dice burger because it seems interesting, but I’ve heard negative comments about and I want to see for myself.”

VALERIA MOLINA senior “I like Charleys Philly Steaks because they add real ingredients and they make it right in front of you so you know what’s in your food. I want to go to the Cheesecake Factory because I’m curious what flavors of cheesecakes they serve.”

Hen Quarter

La Tasca

Southern

Spanish

$35 for 3-course dinner, $15 for lunch address: 801 King Street open Mon-Thurs. @11:00 to 10:00 and weekend days vary offers catfish, GF deviled hen eggs, shrimp & grits, warm brownie sundae OpenTable rating: 4.2 stars supports local artisan food producers

• • • • • •

$35 for 3-course dinner, $22 for lunch address: 607 King Street open Sun-Thurs. @11:00 to 10:00 and Fri-Sat. @11:00 to 11:00 offers croquetas, arroz abanda, paella valenciana, trufa de chocolate OpenTable rating: 4.2 stars decorated with drawings and a live band on Sat. nights @9:00 to 12:00

PHOTOS FROM FACEBOOK

•

$35 dinner for two people address: 713 King Street open Mon-Sat. @11:00 to 2:00 and Sun. @10:00 to 2:00. offers flaming Filet Mignon w/ Chive Butter, Sauteed Chicken in Pesto Sauce, Jameson Cake OpenTable rating: 4.4 stars

ALEXA CABRERA freshman “My favorite restaurant is Silverados because they have some good steak and a nice variety of food. I would love to go to Dice Burger because I like burgers and they seem like they’re better quality than Burger King.”

What is your favorite restaurant?

What restaurant have you never been to, but want to try?

Sunday in Saigon

Taverna Cretekou

Vietnamese

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• •

$35 for 3-course dinner, $15 for lunch address: 682 N. Saint Asaph Street open Tues-Sun. @11:00 or 11:30, closed Mon. and @2:30 to 5:00 on Tues-Fri. offers Châ Giò Gà (chicken, mushrooms, fishsauce), Bánh Xèo Chay (crepe, chay, onion, bean sprouts) OpentTble rating: 4.4 stars vibrant, modern, urban atmosphere

Bastille

Greek

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French

$35 dinner for two people address: 818 King Street open Tues-Fri. @11:30 to 2:30 & 5:00 to 10:00, Sat. @12:00, Sun. @11:00 to 9:30 offers Pastitsio (sirloin, ziti, bechamel sauce, parmesan), Galaktoboureko (custard pastry w/ filo & cinnamon) OpenTable rating: 4 stars live music, dancing, breaking plates on Thurs.

• • • • • •

$35 for 3-course dinner, $22 for lunch address: 606 N. Fayette Street open Mon. (Jan. 14, 21, 28), Tues-Sat. @11:00 to 10:00, Sun. @11:00 to 9:00 offers Beignets de crevettes (rock shrimp), GF Steak Frites, Crème Caramel au café OpenTable rating: 4.5 stars #halfwaytofriday; Wed. @4:00 to 10:00 special deals like $12 steak frites

King Street Tavern produces mediocre meals croutons.

Next out came the fried chicken and grilled rib eye off of the dinner special menu, and the Tavern Chicken Sandwich King Street Tavern is one of the many from the regular menu, but is also offered restaurants that participates in Alexanon the special lunch menu. dria’s Restaurant Week. This high end resProbably in attempt to enhance the taurant located on King Street inside of a fried chicken, it tasted abnormal and the Hilton Hotel offers a three-course dinner textures were not what is expected in fried meal for only $35 and lunch for only $22 chicken. It was very lightly fried, decreasper person. ing the crispness and oily, greasy flavor, The food served is hearty American but covered in spices and strange seacomfort food that reflects its elegant atmo- sonings. The actual chicken, though, was sphere through both the menu choices and cooked well and was tender. The fried the presentation of the food. The actual chicken came with mashed potatoes and taste, however is only average. vegetables. Fortunately, the mashed potaMy table ordered the brew fondue and toes palatable and the vegetables were the caesar salad. With the fondue came a drenched in a finger-licking sauce. delicious sweet sourdough beer bread, a The rib-eye was quite juicy and appealpretzel, and vegetables (carrots and celery) ing with adequate flavor. Overall the steak on a rustic wooden slab with a newspaper was average, nothing too fancy but also decoration. The texture of the cheese was not bland. On the side was the same vegecreamy and the bread and pretzel were table mix that came with the fried chicken, perfectly baked with a very satisfying flaas well as fried onions. These onions were vor. However, the cheddar cheese beer fon- certainly not traditional, but it in an enticdue was thinner than expected and it was ing and enjoyable way. They were lightrunny,. It just dripped off of the bread, ly fried strips of onions rather than rings, pretzel, and vegetables. The bread and kind of like a garnish, but extremely tasty. pretzel paired with the cheese quite nicely, Lastly for our main course was the Tavbut the vegetables certainly did not belong. ern Chicken Sandwich on ciabatta bread The crunch and bitter taste of the carrots with grilled queso fresco, tomato, aruguand celery dipped in a smooth and savory la, and a dill pickle on the side. It came as fondue clashed. three mini sandwiches with a side of beer The caesar salad was nothing to sneeze batter fried onion rings. The flavors were at, but really there isn’t much that can be pleasant, but the ratio of bread to chicken done with a salad to make it exceptionto arugula was poor. First off, bread tastal. King Street Tavern made the salad ed good, but there was definitely too much with butter lettuce rather than traditionof it. Secondly, the chicken was pretty dry al romaine lettuce and a decent dressing. and the spread on the bread was uneven What made it slightly better than normal and inconsistent. Finally, there was way caesar salads was the garlicky, crunchy

PHOTOS BY KATIE POPE

BY KATIE POPE Weekend Editor

The brew cheddar cheese fondue appetizer with a soft pretzel, delicious beer bread, and veggie sticks.

One option for the main course is the grilled rib eye steak with an exceptional fried onion garnish.

Lastly, the cheesecake with strawberry drizzle turns out to be a NY style slice that is simple and underwhelming.

too much arugula on each sandwich and the provolone cheese did not add much.

For dessert we ordered the cheesecake and bread pudding. The cheesecake was traditional New York style with a strawberry drizzle. We were quite excited to taste it, but to our disappointment it tasted similar to a boxed cheesecake from Giant. The drizzle wasn’t anything exceptional either, in fact it tasted like preservatives from a jar. The cheesecake factory definitely makes better cheesecakes.

Last, but not least we dove into the bread pudding which was warm and comforting. It was luscious and sweet, but it resembled the taste of a pleasing french toast. Fortunately, it wasn’t eggy and there were pecans which added flavor and a nice crunch.

Despite the subpar food, the decoration was elegant and sleek. This is not the type of restaurant to go to in sweats and a t-shirt, even though it is located in a hotel. King Street Tavern has a modern vibe to it with yellow undertone lights and lots of black and silver and dimmed decor, like the comfortable chairs. Even the bathrooms were elaborate and modern with automated toilets, paper dispensers, sinks, and soap dispensers.

The service matched the decoration and atmosphere of the restaurant; it was elegant and convenient, but a little bit boring. Our server barely talked, but they did their job quickly and efficiently. Our food came out as soon as we were ready for it, and the waiter was quiet, but pleasant.

Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant because the food lacked in flavor and uniqueness. But it might appeal more to those who are used to higher end foods and a fancy setting.