Issue 6

A

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL

the VOLUME #59 ISSUE 6

Hottest Headlines NEWS

features the legalization of marijuana in Colorado See page 4

4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 470

Informiing the Atoms siince 1954 4

TUESDAY, JAN. 21, 2014

(703) 642-4229

College bound to GMU Five-year long college prep program helps first generation seniors into George Mason

BY DESTINY GAMMON Co- Editor in Chief

PEOPLE

profiles various LGBT students from AHS. See page 6.

COURTESY OF @_JACKSM, @LIVFORFOOD, XAVIAR ARIAS

HEALTH finds natural beauty product alternatives See page 7.

ACADEMICS discusses the effects of poverty on academic success See page 9.

Around this time of year, AHS seniors are completing college applications, while some are even receiving early admissions offers from universities, but a select few of AHS students have known about their college opportunities since seventh grade.

Seniors Xavier Arias, Jackey Mendez, and Jose Rivera are avid members of a program called EIP, or Early Identification Program, which is a college partnership program with George Mason University. EIP’s mission is to “Improve students’ access to higher education and quality of life by providing academic enrichment, personal development, and community engagement programs that produce global citizens.”

Programs like EIP have granted a handful of students direct access to higher education opportunities.

This program comes at a time in which President Barack Obama is pushing to increase the ability for low-income students to gain higher education.

“We want to restore the essential promise of opportunity and upward mobility that’s at the heart of America,” President Obama said. “To that end, young people, low-income students in particular, must have access to a college education.”

According to Xavier Arias, a select group of students were chosen by their seventh grade counselors to enroll in the program.

“There is an application that you have to fill out and only a few of the kids nominated get chosen to be a part of the program,” Arias said.

“When you make it in, Alumni are expected to go to all the required events including college prep courses, SAT prep and Leadership workshops.”

“EIP” continued on page 5

2015 Budget estimate released

PHOTO

AHS prepares for increased financial cuts next year

lets students share stories with their furry friends.

See page 13.

LIFESTYLES visits Auntie Te’s Consignments See page 14.

Tuesday, Jan. 21 – Auditorium Block for Broadway Desserts Rehearsals – Basketball vs. W. Springfield (4/5:45/7:30 p.m.) (Boys Home, Girls Away)

The bell rings and students being to file into their class, filling up seats that stretch all the way to the back wall of the Driver’s Ed room.

The temperature in the room rises constantly – there are 49 students in one Driver’s Ed class.

“The room is too cramped, there’s not enough room for the kids to move around, It’s uncomfortable,” Driver’s Education teacher Patrick Hughes said. “You can’t give kids individual attention that they may need.”

These changes in class size have led to many problems at AHS within the learning environment.

“There are more distractions, more things that I can’t control that I used to be able to control,” Hughes said.

“The large class sizes prevent individual students from getting attention from the teacher,” junior Peter Baek said.

The overcrowding of classes is only one way that the budget cuts have

NGUYEN CAO

BY JAROD GOLUB News Editor

Earlier in the school year, Garza spoke to high school students about the FY budget plan.

affected AHS. The 2015 FY budget calls for a class size increase of at least one more student, straining AHS faculty even further.

“All of the destaffing has led to us having to take more students, it makes the teachers have double the work,” Hughes said. “There should really be more physical education teachers. I mean to put this many kids in a class to me, doesn’t make sense.

“The school should hire more teachers or use other teachers to help balance the kids out,” Baek said.

In order to hire more teachers, the county would have to move money around to fund teachers’ salaries, or approve the budget increase proposed

by Superintendent Karen Garza.

Budget Garza released the proposed Fairfax County budget for Fiscal Year 2015. Inside the budget, there

are ideas put in place to fund for the enrollment growth.

For the 2015 school year, the county is facing a $140 million shortfall of the budget needed to match expenditures. This will lead to a general need to cut programing or find more funding.

“The FY 2015 Proposed Budget uses a shared approach of reducing expenditures and requesting additional revenue while protecting the classroom and programs for students as much as possible,” Garza said.

In order to counter the shortfall, Garza is asking for $2.5 billion in funds for the county. This is $59.4 million, or 2.4 percent higher than the 2014 proposed budget. However, the Board of Supervisors is not likely to approve this large of a request.

The cost drivers for the budget increase are, according to the proposal enrollment growth, Retirement System Rate Increases, Health Insurance Rate Increases and Step Increases for employees.

“While we have reduced and streamlined our operations over the past several budget cycles, we are facing a number of increased expenditures that are beyond our control, including annual growth “Budget” continued on page 5

– FCA Meeting (Atom Time) (Bistro)

– SOL Retakes (TBD) – WIDA Testing (Clausen Hall) – 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. - APS Toastmasters Club (Room 75) – 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Atoms 5K Meeting (Cafeteria) – 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - PTSA Meeting (Library)

Top stories On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to view the uploaded online content for the sixth issue of The A-Blast .

Student speaks with House of Delegates Senior Lewis Folli introduces plan for better Virginia through non-profit organization

BY SUMMER AYOUB Staff Writer Mr. Folli goes to Richmond.

Senior Lewis Folli, as well as other high school students across Virginia, are working to raise awareness about the harms of tobacco and the effects that smoking and obesity can have on the community in an organization called Y Street.

“Basically we’re just tr ying to m a k e Vi rgi n i a a h e a l t h i e r s t a te,

POLL On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “QR Code” to vote on the most recent poll.

t h ro u g h c a m p a i g n s a n d r a i s i n g awareness,” Folli said.

Y Street, a youth-led organization with over 1,500 members, promoters, activists and leaders, works to make a healthy and clean community for teenagers and adults by creating different campaigns aimed at decreasing the rate of tobacco use.

Folli’s work with the organization has led to many multiple awards

COURTESY OF LEWIS FOLLI

– IB English Orals (Teacher will give date/time for each student’s exam.)

(Neighborhood Center)

“Folli” continued on page 5

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “ QR Code” to view the photos from Spirit Week and the Winter Pep Rally.

SCORE UPDATES On your smartphone, scan this code using the application “ QR Code” to follow The A-Blast to get the latest updates on AHS athletics.

Do you think the division of group work is fair?

“Yeah, because one person shouldn’t get the whole project it’s always divided equally.”

— Laura Contreras freshmen “I think it is fair and effective, but I think the teacher should always give the option of working alone.”

— Trevor Boynton sophomore “My view is that group work is neither good or bad, it just depends on the members involvement.”

— Smarti Tangchandeng senior

Jan. 21, 2014

Mindy kaling was on the front of Elle, but it was only a black and white head shot

BY SHAMAIM SYED Editorials Editor The fashion magazine Elle is known for its popular cover that includes numerous famous and inspirational women. But Mindy Kaling, star and creator of the hit FOX TV show The Mindy Project, whom doesn’t have the perfect zero size figure, was cut down to only a face shot.

Elle’s point of cutting her body and turning the photo into a head only and black and white picture only implied one thing – something is wrong with her. Many critiques said that the reason she didn’t a full waist color picture, was because she is an Indian American and her body according to Hollywood standards, is “fat” and not fit to be on the cover.

In the past, Elle has included cover pictures of Blake Lively, Victoria Beckham, Taylor Swift and many others, but what do all of these pictures have in common? They are all colored pictures of at least half their body. It just doesn’t make sense because you want to believe that magazines don’t look at your body, but the truth is that this all people seem to care about.

This not only puts a bad impression on women, but teenage girls who actually seem to look up to these actresses. By implying that their body doesn’t fit or belong on the cover is only conveying a wrong message.

According to Social Issue Research Center, at least 80% of women over the age of 18 are unhappy with the reflection that they see in a mirror. This is usually the result of what society has implemented in our society. Whenever I read opinions on how magazine covers are just showing beautiful skinny girls, I always looked over it and never thought that it was actually true.

But something like this where Mindy Kaling’s

WWW.NYDAILYNEWS.COM

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EDITORIALS Elle covers up its own cover girl

Mindy Kaling on the recent Februaury issue of Elle magazine

picture was purposely changed into a black and white photo, emphasizes that the reality is skinny perfect girls are what’s “in.” Apparently you have to be a certain color too, because being Indian is not something that is acceptable on the cover of the magazine. The magazine could have made the cover in color, but instead decided to turn it into a colorless photo. This just shows what we are actually teaching younger girls to believe is the idea of a model.

Even though many of her fans did criticize the cover, Kaling went on the Late Show with David Letterman and stated that “I was, for the first time in my career, on the cover of a fashion magazine, which is such an awesome, nice thing.” Though it may not be a big deal to Kaling, it has seemed to

spark up a lot of debate.

It may be something for her to be prideful over, but shouldn’t Elle magazine or Mindy make a statement at how the picture really has nothing to with her body size and the color of her skin?

Obviously since they didn’t point to the specific critiques only means that the truth was that it did affect what went on the cover of the magazine. The magazine only issued this statement to clear up the controversy, “Mindy looks sexy, beautiful and chic, we think it is a striking and sophisticated cover and are thrilled to celebrate her in our Women in TV issue.”

Am I the only person that would love to see her full body? I love Mindy Kaling and I think she is an amazing actress and a person in general. To think Hollywood has to make everyone look pitch perfect is really annoying. Instead, I wouldn’t mind seeing actresses or models who don’t fit into the “perfect” ideal look and are just who they are. I probably would have praised Elle magazine for having the courage and understanding that your body is really your body. The whole controversy deserves all the attention it has gotten.

I don’t understand how some people are actually saying this commenting on Mindy Kaling’s weight and color is actually dissing her, instead of helping her. When people commented on Kalling’s cover it was mainly to make a point at how we are doing something wrong. Instead of telling people - women specifically that their body size is not acceptable on the cover of a magazine, they should be promoting to love and accept yourself.

It’s a problem that has been reoccurring for years and years and yet there still isn’t a change in anything and we are still living on the same standard of having the perfect and beautiful body. Overall, I am trying to say that if we want to actually see girls loving their body and loving who they are then we need to change the people that seem to establish what is perfect. That means magazines need to realize that showing an oversized girl is capable of being on the cover of the magazine is perfectly fine. Size and the color of your skin shouldn’t determine whether you are on the cover of the magazine or not.

Should you snitch on your group?

“Yes, because I like how everyone gets their own responsibility.”

YES

— Chelsea Barrett senior

BY CHRISTINE TAMIR Editorials Editor

QUOTE COLLECTION The A-Blast wants to hear your opinion. Your response to the following question might be features in our quote collection:

What is your opinion on the issue of Mindy Kaling?

E-mail your responses to ablast.editorials@gmail.com

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to read “A myth about AHS”

If you’re like me, hearing the teacher announce an upcoming group project causes you premature stress. You’re a try-hard and everyone knows it – especially your group members. They gleefully stare at each other, exchanging high-fives while you sink lower into your seat.

They know you’re a perfectionist and that you work hard for your high grades, and they’ll exploit that to the fullest.

By the deadline, your group members’ only contribution is adding their names to the finished project, and gracefully accepting the A you worked so hard for. Is this fair? Absolutely not. It’s credit that they don’t deserve for work that you’ve done.

The other option is to tell your teacher, a huge taboo in high school politics. It’s the best alternative – one that ensures that you aren’t shouldering the burden of two or more students. It’s the most advantageous choice for you.

If you put forth all the effort to complete a project, then you should receive credit for that. The only way to ensure you get the credit you deserve is by telling your teacher.

In the event your teacher tells you that there’s nothing he/she can do about that, then you’ve at least

made sure that they’re cognizant of the amount of effort you’re contributing to the assignment.

It’s possible that they’ll take that into account when grading the assignment, giving you more leniency for singularly completing a multi-person project.

Let’s face it, a lot of high school students are lazy. If they actually complete their portions of the assignment, then they’ll give it minimal thought, resulting in poor quality that will lower your grade.

If you’re as much of a perfectionist as I am, you’ll end up redoing their work.

It’s better to tell the teacher now. It saves you a lot of stress and effort, and teaches your peers a valuable lesson in group work – that everyone is required to work.

NO

BY SHAMAIM SYED Editorials Editor I personally love working in a group. I think it’s a great way for all the students to come together and say their opinions and even correct mistakes that you may have not caught. By working in a group you get a variety of options along with expanding your thoughts. Just like everyone, I have been put in a group where there was at least one member who made no contribution.

They were the slacker and though they did nothing, they still received the same grade as the students who put in all the work. But the truth

Staff Editors in Chief: Omnia Saed Destiny Gammon Managing Editor: Joe Sehrer Editorials Editors: Shamaim Syed Christine Tamir Copy Editors: Mark Slough Bailey Oliver News Editors: Bayley Brill Jarod Golub In-Depth Editors: Andrew Peters Omnia Saed Sports Editors: Melanie Bennett Conrad Shartel Sports Xtra Editors: Erin Johnson People Editors: Chloe Loving Kiara Patino Weekend Editors: Gaby Camilli Priya Adhikary

International Editors: Nuhami Mandefro Entertainment Editors: Ayah Oweis Megan Ryan Lifestyles Editors: Diana Quezada Phuong Nguyen Health Editors: Berta Tarqui Photography Editors: Alex Zernik Cayley Byrne Ad Manager: Chelsea Alfonso Circulation Manager: Biruk Negash Art Editors: Melissa Stamp James Barker Academics Editors: Aniqa Rashid Linus Bumbaca Web Editor/Master: Jared Lefbom Head Photographer: Olivia Lafferty Head Videographer: Nadia Elgendy

Staff Writers: Nancy Evora Andrew Nunez Benny Le Mery Bernene Luka Fernandez Sabrina Hawa Kailyn Garay Maria Baragano Marin Masson Noah Nelson Cynthia Weiner Sean To Hezekiel Yonas Daniel Yenegeta Tara Ashi Yesenia Blount Sacha Cameron Efstathia Carayiannis Hussein Salem Marilyn Rivas Soulisa Pathammavong Kayee Lynch Arzoo Marzi Ashna Viswanathan Photographers: Tiffany Huynh Videographers: Medhane Berihun Fahmi Mohammad Amir Mohammad Rahel Tecle Alejandra Iriarte

is, that’s life. Out of the high school realm, in the real world and with a job you will have to work with people who don’t care about the work and instead of ratting them out to your boss, you will have to go on with it. You won’t be able to go to your boss and complain about all your coworkers.

It’s a problem in the world, with most of the people and you are just going to have to live with it. The whole point of group projects is so students learn about working with different people - whether they don’t contribute any work or contribute all the work. The whole idea of working in a group is that you have to be able to work with all the different types of people. This is the only way you will learn the whole point of working with people.

Another thing to remember is that if the person in the group is really bad and lacks any motivation to do any work then you need to learn to confront them and tell them to contribute some time and effort.

You should talk with your whole group and divide up all the work evenly and assign a specific job to each person.

You need to learn to tell the person what’s going on, before going and telling the teacher. Students should learn to take action and initiate it themselves. In this process the student would become more independent, learn resposinsibilty and get their portion of the work done.

Mohaned Zyoud Andrew Gonzalez Alex Lewis Ashley Britton Alexia Sung Summer Ayoub Adviser: Alan Weintraut

Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, Virginia 22003 email: theablast@gmail.com

Vol. 60 No.5 Jan. 21, 2014 fax: (703) 642-4299

The A-Blast is an award winning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community. Published every three weeks, The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day, or invades an individual’s right to privacy. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2013.

EDITORIALS

Jan. 21, 2014

Five myths about AHS Debunking widespread beliefs that perpetuate the school’s negative reputation

Do you think this generation has morals or is immoral?

BY BAYLEY BRILL AND CHRISTINE TAMIR News Editor & Editorials Editor

“I think it doesn’t.

[You can see it on] occasions like when someone gets in trouble and chooses to talk back or not.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF @AHSHYPESQUAD

1. Our sports teams aren’t very good Many other FCPS schools think only of AHS’ football team who had a 1-9 record this season.

But many fail to recognize the school’s teams who have actually succeeded in their recent seasons.

This year the varsity field hockey team was 10-7, which was the most successful fall sports team at AHS thus far. The boys basketball team is currently undefeated at home. Both the boy’s and girl’s lacrosse teams last spring had winning records, with the girls lacrosse team finishing 10-5 and the boys team finishing at 10-8.

These records are very similar to others in the county such as Lake Braddock SS and Woodson HS, whose boys lacrosse teams finished last season 6-6 and 11-5, respectively.

When people in FCPS think of AHS sports, the first teams that come to mind are the ones with the worse records. For instance, our track team saw many members compete at the state level, shatter school records and even have a few athletes go onto college track, but the team hardly received recognition for its achievements.

2. The graduation rate is low The graduation rate at AHS from the class of 2013 was 89.8 percent according to the Virginia Department of Education. Compared to schools with similar demographics, like Falls Church HS, J.E.B. Stuart HS and Robert E. Lee HS, the graduation rate was actually higher than these respective schools. The graduation rate at Falls Church is 85.6 percent, Stuart is at 84.3 percent and at Lee is at 89.9 percent according to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

3. The test scores at AHS aren’t high compared to other similar schools The test scores at AHS are similar to other schools in FCPS with similar demographics. At AHS, only 3 percent of students failed the Reading SOL last year, compared to 7 percent at Robert E. Lee, 6 percent at Falls Church and 2 percent at JEB Stuart HS according to US News. At AHS, only 7 percent of students failed their Math SOL, compared to 12 percent at Lee, 9 percent at Falls Church, and 18 percent at Stuart, according to

One myth is that we don’t have spirit. However, the AHS Hype Squad enthusiastically supports our basketball team.

US News.

However, the stereotype is true when it comes to college entrance exams. According to a FCPS news release, AHS posts relatively low SAT scores in comparison to the rest of the county. The average AHS student’s SAT scores in each of the three subjects are in the 483 - 522 range, whereas the average FCPS student posts scores in the 554 - 579 range.

4. There’s no school spirit Despite what other schools and some students think, we do have school spirit. Over the last year, Leadership has created multiple spirit days in which the majority of the school has participated in such as Merry Monday and Crayon Box Friday. In addition, most home basketball and football games have a “theme” that the student section will follow, such as a blackout or whiteout. This is a great show of student solidarity in displaying a lot of spirit.

AHS even has a student ‘hype squad’ to rally support at boys varsity basketball games, where students pack the student section to loudly

encourage the team, even storming the court after the recent win over Lake Braddock SS. 5. Everyone hates each other While many students claim to hate the rest of the student body, it’s plain to see they don’t mean it. In actuality, students always walk around with each other before, after and during school. Just like at a typical high school, AHS students primarily associate with other members of their sports teams or clubs. With that clique-type of association comes a light-hearted type of competition between certain clubs or teams, but no groups harbor any strong dislike towards one another.

Of course, there is animosity between individuals, but that’s typical of hormonal adolescents. In short, there’s nothing atypical about the social milieu of AHS. For the most part, everyone is reasonably supportive of one another.

Older generations falsely claim that Generation Y doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong

STOPBULLYING.GOV

BY CHRISTINE TAMIR Editorials Editor

Generation Y has brought attention to social issues like bullying through social media.

generations fostered connections with each other through face-toface contact, we now stay connected through social media.

Besides staying connected with each other, social media allows us to stay connected to issues throughout the world. For example, according to CNN, people donated over $43

— Moises Lazo freshman

“I think that we do have morals.

A lot of them are different from what they were and we haven’t discovered them yet.”

— Tyler Keyes sophomore

“I think it depends on their family background and the infuence other people have on them - their surroundings.”

— Tho Tran junior

We’re not immoral – just different

We’re allegedly self-absorbed, superficial, obsessed with technology and, now, immoral. Meet Generation Y, a collection of youth with no guiding principles or manners. We’re hopelessly addicted to virtual forums, like video games or social media, and the majority of us are headed for prison.

That’s the perspective of many members of the past generations. Our generation is rife with people with their noses in their phones rather than in books, teenage mothers and intense video gamers among other things. There is a grain of truth in those stereotypes – as with many stereotypes – but there are also reasons why our generation is acting this way.

The truth of the matter is that the millennials are adapting to a new world that our forebears didn’t grow up in. We’re always on the Internet because that’s how we connect with others in our generation. While past

3

million to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake by texting the Red Cross. We utilize our social media in philanthropic efforts.

We’ve created whole new sets of manners to fit our world – we now have Twitter, Facebook and texting etiquette. While it may seem as if we’re ignoring the world for a

superficial and virtual realm, that’s not actually the case. We’re becoming more connected to our peers through the web.

Generation Y is more collaborative than it’s ever been, and that especially shows through our video gamers. The vast majority of gamers work in teams to accomplish the game’s objective or defeat another team. The fact that that’s done as entertainment – even though our parents claim it wastes time - speaks to our inclination to be cooperative whenever possible.

In a similar vein, this generation is becoming far more accepting of differences. Surveys show that Millennials are much more accepting of people with different ethnicities, religions and sexualities than our parents and grandparents. We’re far more accepting of different people than the previous generations. The development of acceptance is due to the increasingly diverse country that we live in.

As we’ve become more accepting, we’ve also become more aware of social issues. Generation Y is more involved in matters like LGBT politics and bullying. It’s undeniable that bullying has occurred since the beginning of human interactions, but the gravity of the effects were never as acknowledged and addressed as they are now, thanks to our generation.

Rather than being called immoral, it’s more fitting to recognize the Millennials as adapted for a different world.

“I think this is a debate of nature vs. nurture. Some of our generation has morals, some don’t, so it’s a mix.”

— Kristina Nguyen senior

“I think that this generation has morals because people know the difference between right and wrong.”

— Morvarid Behziz IB math teacher

“My experience here [tells me that] students have morals. It depends on their family.”

— Roberto Obando IB math teacher

Taught to be humble, forced to boast Cultural contradiction leaves young adults with confusion upon entering the ‘real world’

BY CHRISTINE TAMIR Editorials Editor The Amish operate under the principle of “gelassenheit,” a concept that ensures that members of the group behave in such a way that benefits the group rather than the individual. As a result, the Amish aren’t self-serving individuals - they’re humble members of the group.

To a degree, the rest of the U.S abides by gelassenheit as well. The culture values the same thing - humility. For the most part, we tend to look favorably upon modest individuals. They’re perceived to be more easy-going, friendly and respectful - all character traits that make a person likeable.

In fact, our culture teaches kids to be humble. Elementary school students are taught to be nice to those who don’t have what they have. Their spats in the sandbox are resolved by telling them to share their toys, essentially teaching them to be cooperative rather than self-serving. We’re taught that altruism is an admirable trait, and that acting in your own interests is not.

To some extent, individuals are expected to cover up their success, rather than take pride in them. For instance, students who perform better on tests than their peers are expected to keep their scores private in order to make sure the rest of the class doesn’t feel bad about their scores.

In theory, this indoctrination of humility is great. In actuality, it’s not how our world works.

Fast forward to a student’s last year in high school, when they begin applying to colleges and for jobs. A college application is an opportunity to show off to admissions counselors, and list everything you’ve done that would earn you a spot in that university. A resume is exactly the same, but with less essays. In short, it’s boasting about your own achievements.

That contradicts everything our culture has taught us about how to act.

We’re meant to be quietly proud of our achievements, not flaunt them. And it’s a contradiction that leaves a lot of us behaviorally stunted upon attempting to enter the real world where we have to act in our own self-interest.

If we operated according to what our culture values, we wouldn’t mention many of our achievements, resulting in an incomplete view that will stunt a resume or application.

Teaching people to be humble is fine, but that doesn’t mesh well with the actual world dynamic.

On your smartphone, scan this code above using the app “QR Code” to view tips on how to prepare your IOP.

NEWS

4

Jan. 21, 2014

Marijuana approval rate rises

News Briefs Atoms Writing Center bake sale The Atoms Writing Center will be holding a bake sale on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 2:00 p.m. in front of the cafeteria.

Annandale Bible Study Annandale Bible Study will be holding a meeting on Friday, Jan. 24 from 2:15-4:30 p.m. in Clausen Hall.

Broadway Desserts The chorus department will be holding their annual Broadway Desserts in the Auditorium this year on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The 2:00 p.m. preformance will also have preformances from the Poe and Holmes Middle School choruses as well.

Class of 2014 Chipotle fundraiser The class of 2014 will be holding a fundraiser at the Chipotle in Fair City Mall on Monday, Jan. 27 from 2:00-6:00 p.m. No flyer is needed.

Pathways Connection Students who were accepted into the Pathways program have a meeting Monday, Jan. 27 during Atom Time in Clausen Hall.

Second Quarter ends The second quarter will end on Wednesday, Jan. 29, and the following Thursday and Friday will be teacher workdays.

Key Club Meeting Key Club will be holding a meeting after school on Monday, Feb. 3 at 2:15 p.m.

Students think medical marijuana should be legal in VA

BY BAYLEY BRILL News Editor Walking down the main hallway at AHS you can sometimes smell the faint twang of sweet burnt earth. It’s the smell of marijuana, which seems to sometimes linger in the school’s hallway by the main gym. If you were to ask around, not everyone will admit that they’ve smoked marijuana before, but many of them will agree it should become legal.

This is a new trend which has become more prominent in the past ten years, being marked by the recent legalization of pot in Colorado and California. According to a PEW Research study, in 2002 only 32% of the public approved of the legalization of marijuana, with a 61% disapprove rate. But in another recent PEW research study, marijuana now has a 52% national approval rate.

“I think it should be legal because there are no reported deaths with weed, physically better than cigarettes and alcohol and it’s commonly used,” sophomore Danny Nguyen said.

The question of marijuana’s legality used to never be a questionbefore 1911. Marijuana, or cannabis, which is its actual name, was legal in the United States. It was only after 1911 when Massachusetts banned it that other states began to as well.

Following Massachusetts, from 1915 to 1927 ten other states banned the use of cannabis; but Virginia didn’t.

Medical cannabis has been used since 2900 B.C. during the Chinese dynasty. Cannabis was legal in the U.S. until 1937 when

the Marijuana Tax Act was passed that made “possession or transfer of cannabis illegal throughout the United States under federal law, excluding medical and industrial uses”. Medical marijuana wasn’t banned in the U.S. until 1942.

In 1996 California decriminalized medical marijuana and Alaska, Oregon and Washington state followed two years later. Currently there are 20 states which have legalized medical marijuana.

And now, there is a movement among the millennials to not only legalize the use of medical marijuana in Virginia, but also at the federal level. But many don’t realize how difficult it will be to do.

“Virginia has a lot of conservative church-goers who don’t want to legalize marijuana,” senior Dong Kim said.

Virginia is traditionally a very conservative state and people who live in Virginia, especially Southern Virginia, do not all necessarily want marijuana to be legalized. Last year, Delegate David Eaglin proposed a study that would analyze the selling of marijuana at Virginia ABC stores. It was not passed by the subcommittee.

“It would work as long as the banks immediately take the legally obtained drug money to prevent money laundering [from ABC employees],” Kim said.

While many believe that Virginia should legalize marijuana, many also believe that the cost government efforts to stop the use of marijuana are more than they’re worth. But despite this large majority of the population, many still believe that total legalization is far away.

“There’s too many conservatives in Virginia for it to be legal [soon],” Kim said.

Celebrities also contribute to the sudden turn of the country’s pro-

Celebrities like Miley Cyrus openly smoke marijuana and influence teenagers’s drug use.

marijuana stance. Young adults see pictures of celebrities smoking pot on Instagram. Pop singer Rihanna is known to post pictures of herself smoking marijuana and recently Miley Cyrus has been seen smoking marijuana on stage at her recent concerts.

Celebrities influence younger people by their actions. If teenagers see their favorite celebrity smoking marijuana, they would be more likely to try it because they would want to imitate that celebrity.

While some celebrities are known for living a drug oriented lifestyle, other celebrities speak out against marijuana and other drug use.

Singers like Cassadee Pope and Bruce Springsteen have spoken out against drug use, and stay drug free for their fans.

“Teenagers are very affected by famous people. If they are seen using pot, it would influence teens to smoke.

If [celebrities] go against weed, it would be very beneficial,” sophomore Annie Stout said.

While in many parts of the country the legalization of marijuana is becoming a reality, for Virginia this possibility is unlikely. Despite the millennials and their progressivethinking, along with multiple celebrities who glorify smoking marijuana, Virginia is still very conservative and it is very unlikely for any bills to pass in the Virginia Senate or through a public vote.

Broadway Desserts take home stage Chorus performance anticipates debut

BY BAYLEY BRILL AND JAROD GOLUB

News Editors

Collaboration

The AHS chorus’ will be hosting their annual Broadway Desserts on Jan. 23-25. The concert will be at AHS this year instead of at George Mason University , which is traditionally where it has been hosted.

“Because of some personal connections, initially it was not that expensive for us to host it there. But last year, we paid over $7,000 to be there,” chorus teacher Jessica Irish said.

The purpose of Broadways Desserts is meant to be a fundraiser for the chorus program, but because of the high cost, they just broke even.

“We had to basically sell out [each show] just to make ends meet,” Irish said.

This year the chorus boosters bought a stage extension for $14,000, which will extend the stage past to the first two rows of the auditorium.

Broadways Deserts is a cabaretstyle show. Chorus students sing solos and duets, along with their class ensembles.

“I’m singing ‘Secondary Characters’, ‘Amazing Mayzie’, ‘Tale of Gertrude’ and the Les Miserables medley with Annandale Singers,” junior Caitlin Odom said.

The audience is also involved

AHS will observe Collaboration on Thursday, Feb. 6. The schedule will be: W2/W8/W6/Atom Time Students will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m.

Date for a Cure changes sponsors

Report cards Report cards will be distributed during W4 on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Second Quarter ends The second quarter will end on Wednesday Jan. 29, and the following Thursday and Friday will be teacher workdays.

Atoms Writing Center bake sale The Atoms Writing Center will be holding a bake sale after school on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 2:00 p.m. outside of the Cafeteria.

Club yearbook pictures Yearbook will be taking club and organization pictures from 2:00-5:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Annandale Bible Study Annandale Bible Study will be meeting on Friday, Feb. 7 from 2:15-4:30 p.m.

Later start time updates On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to view the S.L.E.E.P. website.

Leadership takes over AHS tradition

BY BAYLEY BRILL News Editor Date for a Cure, an AHS tradition was put into jeopardy this year when the Science National Honor Society decided to have another fundraiser in place of the event this year. But Leadership decided to use the fundraiser because of its popularity.

“We thought it was a fun, well liked even so we decided to continue it as our winter community service,” president of Leadership senior Melissa Pratt said.

Last year SNHS made a total of $600 from the event. The admittance traditionally is free, but a $2 donation was preferred.

“I like watching all of the girls in

in the show. They sit on the stage at tables and are brought desserts throughout the performances.

Traditionally there were three shows over the course of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. This year, they have added a fourth show to accommodate the lesser seating available in the auditorium. They will also have overflow seating in the top balcony in the case the first floor is too full.

relationships forced into paying more for boyfriends because we all know they’re going to buy them, so we bid them up for fun,” senior Lailumah Faisal said.

This year the auction will be held in the same format as in past years, with only junior and senior boys participating in the auction. Only junior and senior girls are allowed to bid on the boys.

Tradionally at Date for a Cure the boys will out walk out and the junior and senior girls will bid anywhere from a one dollar minimum, to as high as they would like to go. Last year, the highest bid was placed on Noah Fitzgeral for $100, the highest bid in the fundraiser’s history.

Many students find this a fun way to spend Atom Time while helping out a good cause.

In the past, all of the money raised went to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. It is still unknown if it will still go to the Lymphoma Society,

The four shows this year will be on Thursday Jan. 23 at 7:00 p.m., Friday Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday Jan. 25 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The matinee performance on Saturday will also feature ensembles from Poe and Holmes Middle School. The chorus students enjoy performing with the middle schoolers.

“It’s an honor to sing with the middle schoolers. I remember when I sang with the high schoolers, and

it’s a lot more important to them than people realize,” senior Jose Rivera said.

There will be presale tickets available online at annandalechoirs. org for $15. The mattine presale tickets cost $10. The regular admission price will be $20 and the mattine will cost $12.

Alumnis Joey Rainey participated in Date for a Cure last year and dressed up to get

or another charity of Leadership’s choice.

“I’m really excited to be doing Date for a Cure because I want to help out the cause and be involved,” senior

Lewis Folli said.

The auction will be held on Feb. 19 in the upstairs gym during Atom Time. All grades are invited to come.

NEWS

Jan. 21, 2014

Garza asks for 5.7 percent Facing shortfall, superintendent asks for large increase “Budget” continued from page 1 in student enrollment, an increase in health insurance rates, and an increase in the required contributions to the Virginia Retirement System,” Garza said.

Each of these things will factor in to the amount of money that is going to be allotted to the schools by the county.

Funding 71.9 percent of the revenue will be funded by the Fairfax County government, while the rest is funded by state and sales taxes from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In the proposal, Garza has asked for a 5.7 percent increase in taxpayer funding, however, the Board of Supervisors has stated that they are only willing to give a two percent increase.

“I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere near 5.7 percent,” School Board member Elizabeth Schultz (Springfield) said.

With the Board of Supervisors only approving a two percent increase, cuts may end up being a difficult decision that the School Board has to make.

During a meeting on Monday January 13, School Board members expressed their fear about the decisions that may have to be made if enough funding is not received.

“We might not get it [the funding], and we may have tough decisions to make, but I agree that this [two

percent] is not enough,” Board member Kathy L. Smith (Sully) said.

Expenditures FCPS is the largest school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the 11th largest in the United States. With the growth in enrollment and Increases in the Health Insurance and Retirement System Rates, the amount of students affects the spending of the county.

Enrollment in Fairfax County school system has increased by over 20,000 students since 2006, reaching a number “more than the total enrollment of Alexandria City Public Schools,” FCPS stated in the press release. The county is projected to be at a total of 187,994 students for Fiscal Year 2015.

According to the budget proposal, when the expenditures are organized by program about 85.9 percent of the budget goes towards instructional programs.

A l t e r n a t i v e l y, w h e n t h e expenditures are organized by category 88.6 percent goes towards paying FCPS employees.

Other programs funded by the county include: additional support for programs such as Head Start, school health, school resource officers, school crossing guards, after-school programming, field maintenance, and recreational programs.

level, along with a decrease in the number of custodial positions on all levels.

FCPS will be cutting 731.2 positions, 468.7 of which will be from classrooms.

“Last year AHS lost 17 teachers,” Hughes said. “Many of those teachers came from our Physical Education department.”

In addition to the cuts, FCPS will also be asking for $4.2 million in new or increased fees.

Many of these fees will be attached to IB and AP testing and community use of Fairfax County facilities.

As the budget is debated all of these categories will come into the discussion.

Public hearings on the FY 2015 budget will be held by the Fairfax County School Board on January 27 and 28, and a budget work session on Jan. 30.

The School Board will present its budget to the County Board of Supervisors on April 8.

The

problems of enrollment growth, Retirement System Rate Increases, Health Insurance Rate Increases and Step Increases for employees are not problems that will just go away.

The county and the school board will have to keep dealing with these problems for years to come unless they can reach an agreement with the board of supervisors.

“Next year we’re going to have these same problems, time after time after time,” Garza said in the press release.

Cuts In order to save money, the county and the School Board have been forced to make cuts and take other money saving measures on top of the cuts that they have already made.

Cuts for Fiscal Year 2015 include a reduction of assistant principals on the elementary and middle school

Board rereviews sleep initative

BY BAYLEY BRILL News Editor With more support for the Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal, or S.L.E.E.P initiative, FCPS students are closer than ever to having a later school start time. In 2009 the FCPS school board turned down a proposal to start the school at 8:00 a.m. and only moved some elementary and middle school times back by 20 minutes. But in June of last year, the newly elected school board passed a resolution to make later start times a priority.

FCPS held a workshop on Jan. 12 to discuss the upcoming 2014-2015 school year and many of the board members expressed interest in moving the start times back. Six of the twelve current school board members were a part of the S.L.E.E.P initiative, whose sole purpose is to advocate for later start times in FCPS. They are currently trying to push back the county’s bell schedule so school would start at 8:00 a.m. or later.

“I would like to have later start times because it would be really beneficial to get an extra hour of sleep,” sophomore Annie Stout said.

The idea behind a later start time is that if school gets pushed back an hour later, students

are no longer getting on busses at 5:45 a.m. to get to school at 7:20 a.m. In a recent FCPS study, two in three FCPS students are severely sleep deprived, meaning they lose two or more hours of sleep that they should be getting a night and one in four FCPS teenagers suffers from symptoms of depression.

Later start times also brings into the question of safety. Because students are getting up so early to drive, they are putting themselves and others at risk.

Driving drowsy is just as bad, or worse, as driving drunk and counties with earlier start times have higher teen crash rates than those who don’t.

“Driving while drowsy or driving when there isn’t much light out could cause a lot of accidents,” freshman Matthew Vogus said.

Another point the school board mentions is of 95 school counties in the state, 72 of those start on or after 8:00 a.m. Many question why FCPS starts so early when other countries start much later and are able to accomplish the

same goals both academically and athletically.

“An hour isn’t that big of a difference for athletics,” Vogus said.

One major problem the school board has had trouble finding an answer to is the budget. FCPS is facing a $120 million shortfall next school year, and many aren’t sure of how FCPS would be able to pay the expenses of changing later start times.

A possible solution would be to gradually change all of the school’s start times so the county wasn’t drastically affected all at once. Last Thursday AHS was the backdrop for a story on the SLEEP initiative, and Principal Vincent Randazzo would like to be a part of a test group if it proved to be a good fit for the school.

“The decision will be a collaborative discussion between the staff, the cluster, and the division.

I would be up for it if we decide it’s a good fit to pilot us.”

A benefit to being an early test school, if it was a possibility, would not only allow AHS students to be some of the first students in the county to try out the new schedule–but would allow other schools to see AHS’ opinions and views on it.

“I would like to be a test school if they had any because AHS has a diverse student body and many walkers and people who drive,” Vogus said.

While later start times have yet to be approved, it appears to be looming in the near future for FCPS students.

5

Students meets with legislature continued SUMMER AYOUB Staff Writers

multiple awards including his most recent, the Atoms Impact Award for inspiring the Annandale Community “through good deed and word.”

“I felt great knowing that my efforts are being noticed by the wonderful teachers and staff at AHS,” Folli said.

According to the award, Folli has been “nothing but humble, kind and thankful” while “always displaying incredible maturity, work ethic and a true kind nature.”

After receiving such an award, Folli has words of advice for future and rising AHS students who hope to gain such an honor themselves.

“Get involved and take advantage of all of the opportunities you have here while you still have them,” Folli said.

Along with other members Y Street, Folli met with the Virginia House of Delegates and introduced information on their plans to make Virginia a healthier state.

“We presented the information in a folder,” Folli said. “It contained all the data that had been collected, surveys and events held in the past.”

Throughout the meeting, Folli spoke to several Virginia House delegates, such as AHS Delegate Kaye Kory.

According to Folli, he and the other members were very eager to get on the floor and talk about what they “believe should be happening in Virginia.”

“I was so honored when I was introduced on the floor to speak to the House of Delegates,” Folli said.

First generation students striving for success “EIP” continued from page 1 Established in 1987, EIP has served over 1,000 students who have graduated from the program, providing access to educational resources for middle and high school students who will be the first in their families to attend a college or university.

According to Arias, starting the summer before their Freshman year of high school the students attended a three-week long session on the GMU campus. During this annual prep course, teachers from high schools all over Fairfax County come together to prepare them for the first semester of the next year. For instance, if a student was planning on taking Geometry their sophomore year, the session would prepare them for the course load that comes along with the class.

“EIP was extremely beneficial because it helped me a lot with getting good grades, good SAT scores and gave me good writing skills for essays and resumes for college applications,” senior Jackey Mendez said. “Without this program, I would not have strived for the best and I wouldn’t have gottenaccepted into GMU.” As well as the summer programs, mentors attend AHS on Wednesdays to tour the school as well as helping EIP students. According to Arias, the mentors help the students complete their school work as well as checking up on their academic statuses.

At the end of the program. if you have completed it, you get guaranteed admission to GMU

as long as you stay out of trouble and keep a 3.0 GPA,” Arias said. “Overall, I think it was a helpful program and it helped me stay focused in school while making friends from all over Northern Virginia that I met through summer programs,” Arias said.

While many AHS students continue to work on their college decision-making process, EIP candidates have the ability to stress less due to their participation in the program.

“I see everyone stressing and I really don’t know how it feels to stress about college,” senior Jose Rivera said. “Mason was my dream school and being stress free about getting into college feels awesome.”

Knowing he is the first to attend college in his immediate family, Rivera realizes the importance of the next chapter in his life.

“It puts some pressure on me, but it’s ok. I have responsibilities towards my grades and my family,”

Rivera said. “This program has helped me in so many ways. If it weren’t for this program, I would not know anything about college.”

Mendez, too, feels as though being an EIP candidate brings with it responsibilities.

“I feel honored being a first generation student and I feel like I have a lot of responsibilities because everyone in my family knows I’m capable of achieving my goals,” Mendez said. “I have to stay focused and determined.”

In regards to future generations of EIP candidates, Mendez holds high regards towards the program.

“Younger students should be completely committed to EIP because it is such a life saver,” Mendez said. “EIP prepares students for every hardship you may face when you enter high school and it helps with preparing students for college.”

Story of the day

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to view the story of the day on www.theablast.com.

6

Does Annandale nurture an accepting environment?

“We have a lot of different clubs. The counselors are caring. I feel comfortable here.”

PEOPLE

Taking the step Sophomore Vincent Rollins has re-defined himself and is confident in his sexuality

BY CHLOE LOVING People Editor

— Jordan Adams freshman “No one really makes fun of them. They just accept as they should be. I never feel judged at school.”

—Peter White sophomore

“We do an okay job because everyone is pretty united.

We have different races, different sports and all kinds of people.”

— Michael Velasquez junior “I think Annandale is accepting to a certain extent.

People are judgmental in their own ways. Since we are high schoolers certain aspects become routine like being gay.

It’s a trend.”

Jan. 21, 2014

Frizzy hair, oily skin and slumped posture all bring back terrible memories of puberty. While many battled sweaty palms, sophomore Vincent Rollins was forced to come to terms with a much bigger dilemma.

“Relatively around 6th grade I had the idea that I wasn’t straight. I always hung out with girls and felt more comfortable with them. When they would start talking about boys,” Rollins said, “I would get involved in the conversation too. I would give my feedback and then I got the idea ‘oh, I like boys’.”

After being raised by a conservative family, he realized the very real risk that his family would not accept him. He comes from a mixed background of Caucasian, Spaniard and Bolivian descent. His family members come from an older generation and are fairly conservative.

Not only did he fear ridicule within his own family, but he also understood that his sexuality would cause him to stand out from his peers.

Elementary school proved to be a struggle for Rollins as he was often made fun of for the way he acted.

“I just didn’t want to be gay and I wished for that every day.”

As he got older, he realized the society surrounding him began to mature along side him and noticed a higher level of tolerance in the school setting. He found friends who understood how to love him for who he was. Rollins found some comfort from his peers while attending Poe Middle school. He found that he was more easily accepted.

“I told my friends first because my family, they absolutely hate it,” Rollins said.

As he felt more at peace with himself while at school, he felt the need to discuss the subject

to his family. However, it was very unlikely that the acceptance he was seeking would be found.

“I remember one time my mom asked my family what they would do if they found out I was gay and they said they would send me to a hospital to get me fixed,” he said.

Regardless of the reactions that could result, he decided it was time to be honest with his mother.

She responded fairly strongly and decided to take his phone away. As her only child, Rollins felt a sense of obligation to live up to his mother’s expectation.

“After a couple of days she came to terms with it and realize there isn’t anything else that can happen and she really accepted me,” Rollins said, “[being gay] wasn’t an option. I was born this way.”

While it has been four years since first revealing the truth to his mother, Vincent still feels the need to treat the situation with sensitivity.

“When I am with her I don’t really talk about it because I know it makes her uncomfortable. I don’t talk to her about boys because she doesn’t know what to say about it. I just talk to my friends about that kind of stuff.”

Due to the nature of his family and their intense views on homosexuality, Rollins has only come out to his mother. However, he never finds the need to change his personality or hide the way he expresses himself.

“I don’t know how they have never talked to me about it. I am the same around them, I just don’t talk about boys or any feminine things. I don’t know how they don’t know. You can just tell. I am always the same around them,” he said.

He has learned to be proud of who he is.

Aside from being a cheerleader, Rollins is a confident young man who surrounds himself with supportive friends.

“In the locker room, no one cares. They are all so comfortable with me. I already told them I find them all unattractive,” Rollins said.

“We don’t mind. He is a person and he should be able to live his life the way he wants.

He is a great friend. I love him just the way

he is,” sophomore Schuyler McCleary, a close friends of Rollins’, said.

As a young adult who has experienced unique situations, Rollins understands the difficulty in being open with homosexuality.

He used his own judgment to decide when the timing would be best for him to share his secret. He encourages others to wait for the right time as it can be a crucial moment in a teen’s life.

“If they aren’t ready to come out, don’t. You have to find people that you trust and you know for a fact that they won’t judge you and they will be there to support you.”

Rollins said.

Rollins has a bright future ahead of him. His peers find his presence to be a joy and many couldn’t imagine their lives without him.

He hopes to one day become a stay at home dad and raise a family.

Students break the silence Students share their unique connections to the gay and bisexual community

—Destiny Anderson senior

Upcoming Events in the DMV

Fakhra identifies herself as bisexual. She recently came out in December and told her mom. She is currently dating a girl but she has occasional interest in boys.

Salinas officially came out as a lesbian in eighth grade.

Even though her family stems from a mixture of Catholic and Bolivian traditions, they accept her as being homosexual.

Up until coming out, Salinas experimented with several heterosexual relationships.

“I don’t care what other people think. It is my life and my friends already know,” Fakhra said.

“If you aren’t sure about your sexuality don’t rush into a relationship, don’t force yourself to like a girl or a guy because that’s not going to work out for anyone because you are going to end up hurting the other person,” Salinas said.

Day of Silence April 11 The National Day of Silence calls students to take a vow to dedicate this day to silence. The day promotes an end to the bullying of LGBT kids.

Daniela Salinas junior Le himself identifies as homosexual and he is also president of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). The club meets every other Wednesday in room 275. The GSA aims to raise awareness about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans gender) issues and help society to better support the LGBT community.

They publicize the Trevor Project which is a help hot line for suicidal teens who help teenagers throughout hard times. They occasionally meet with other schools’ chapters of the GSA and plan to collaborate with them in the future.

Capital Pride Parade June 6-8 Washington D.C. The non-profit organization, known as ‘Capital Pride’, helps the LGBT community to educate society. Their biggest event is the annual Capital Pride Parade.

Nadia Fakhra sophomore DC Front Runners Pride 5K June 6 Washington, DC Founded in 1981, the DC Front Runners club has included gay and lesbian runners of all ages and abilities. While they have weekly runs, they host the Pride 5K.

Baltimore Pride June 13 Charles St. at Read St. This celebration is for LGBT and was founded in 1977. They provide support and aim to educate the community. They annually host a high heels race.

“It is important because every school should have a safe place. For LGBT kids, it is important for them to know there is a place where they are accepted” said Le.

While White herself is not gay, her mother is a lesbian. She came out several times yet retreated due to ridicule from family members.

After a marriage and having two daughters (including White), she decided to get a divorce and then officially declare herself as a lesbian.

Her mother is set to get married to her partner in a month and White is very excited.

“My advice is if you are not comfortable with the way your parents have decided to live their lives or with the way your family life, you should go to whoever is making you uncomfortable and talk to them.

Get the story from their perspective,” White said, “Your family loves you the way you are and you have to be

Caitlin White sophomore

Todd Le junior

The trend of becoming organic or all natural rises Looking on the back on a shampoo bottle, you may find words like methylchloroisothiazolinone, propylene glycol and formaldehyde in the list of ingredients. Not only are they difficult to pronounce, but most consumers do not know what they are.

Many believe that great benefits will come from using organic or all natural products. How many of these labels are true and is there even a difference between them?

All natural, organic, vegan, paraben free and cruelty free are just some of the labels that are plastered on health and beauty products. Many do this to appeal to consumers who are looking for an alternative to regular products that may contain chemicals.

Many students use regular drugstore shampoos and soaps because of the cheaper price and easy access.

However, cheaper does not always mean better.

Sodium lauryl sulfate is common ingredient found in shampoos, especially drugstore brands. It is used as a foaming agent.

Sulfate is also found in laundry detergents which is used as a foaming agent. It is frowned upon by many because it can lead to dry hair and may irritate skin.

Some use products with sodium lauryl sulfate, but experience no effects, while many chose to switch to sulfate free products and see significantly better results.

Junior Shira Steinberg has recently started ordering all natural beauty products.

“I started using natural products because I realized all of the chemicals I was putting on my

PHOTO COURTERSY SHIRA STEINBERG

BY BERTA TARQUI Health Editor

Junior Shira Steinberg displays some of her all natural beauty that she orders from Chagrin Valley Soap.

skin and hair. The skin is our largest organ in our body and I wouldn’t put those chemicals on any other organ so why would I put them on my skin?”

Cosmetics are portrayed in a negative way because of the recent discovery of dangerous chemicals being used as ingredients.

The FDA has reported that many popular lipsticks contain lead, a toxin that disrupts the nervous system, hurts red blood cells and hinders bone growth.

Arsenic is also found in many makeup drugstore products like foundation, eyeliner and lip tints.

Being exposed to arsenic in high levels can lead to arsenic poisoning. Poisoning increases the chances of liver, lung and kidney cancer. Low level exposure can cause hearing problems and even stunt growth.

After hearing all these problems of regular,

chemical using brands, some may be turned off with the thought of all the hazards of products they use regularly. Some might choose to go all natural or organic to know what goes into their bodies.

Many get the impression that it is better all around to avoid drugstore brands, but are there any problems when using all natural?

A frequent problem when purchasing organic or natural products is knowing whether the “natural” ingredient is safe. Consumers see a natural label and quickly purchase it, even if they do not know what is in it. This is no different than purchasing the drugstore brand and not knowing the ingredients.

According to WebMD, there is no real way to know if the ingredients in a product are “natural”.

“Unfortunately, shopping for natural doesn’t guarantee you won’t find those ingredients in your products. Because the government hasn’t defined the term ‘natural,’ no regulations exist about what products can and cannot contain”.

Just because a component of a product is “natural” does not mean it is better for your skin or hair. People can still experience irritation or allergic reactions.

Despite the complications that can come with switching to natural products, some find great benefits such as smoother complexion and healthier hair.

Since using natural products, Steinberg has seen a change.

“My skin and hair is a lot softer and more moisturized. They have helped with a lot of skin problems I’ve had like acne and rosacea,” Steinberg said.

To find real “natural” beauty products start local. Locally made, cosmetics and shampoos are easier to figure out if they are true to their label because you can find out about the seller easier and what goes into making it.

You can also make products yourself so you are in control and can easily modify the ingredients.

7

DIY: Crayon Lipstick Lead may be found in lipsticks; try this lipstick that is safe because it is non-toxic and simple to make

BERTA TARQUI

HEALTH All natural vs. regular products Jan. 21, 2014

You will need: -A pot -Glass bowl or jar -Petroleum jelly or coconut oil -Small container -Crayon of your choice -Wooden stir stick or plastic fork/spoon -Knife -Optional: Essential oil

1. Take your knife and cut the crayon of your choice down the middle.

Natural and organic brands Cosmetics

Badger Mineral Lip Tints and Shimmer Badger, a family-owned business, makes all natural products including this lip tint. It contains ingredients such as beeswax and aloe which are safe for a body.

Where to buy: www.badgerbalm.com

Skincare

Eminence Soy Blueberry Body Wash Cleanses and aids skin protection.

The main ingredient is blueberry juice and it also contains corn oil which softens the skin.

Where to buy: www.eminenceorganics.com

Hair

Perfect Hold Hair Spray Chemical-free hairspray can be difficult to find. This infuses plants to make a spray that is safe for your hair. Perfect Hold Hair Spray Where to buy: http://www.intelligentnutrients.com/

2. Unwrap the crayon and make sure there is no extra paper. You can cut the crayon into smaller pieces if you want.

3. Take your pot and fill with one inch of it with water. Place the bowl in the middle and over low to medium heat.

Place the crayon in the glass bowl and wait for it to melt.

4. After the crayon starts melting add 1/2 of teaspoon of petroleum jelly or coconut oil. Double it for the full crayon.

Suki Correct Coverage Concealer Suki’s concealer will cover up imperfections while healing skin underneath. It will reduce oil and fix damaged skin. One of the top ingredients is sunflower seeds which is filled with vitamin E.

Eminence Cucumber Mint Scrub Helps restore skin health using natural ingredients such as sweet almond oil, peppermint oil and Where to buy: www.eminenceorganics.com

Fair Trade & Organic Citrus Conditioning Hair Rinse This conditioner is perfect for those who want to stay away from synthetic ingredients. It is mostly formed by different types of oils such as lemon oil and olive oil to prevent dry hair.

Where to buy: www.drbronner.com

Where to buy: www.sukiskincare.com

Origins Multi-Grain Makeup This makeup contains pomegranate, goji berry and sunscreen. Your skin will look healthier and less dry.

Where to buy: www.origins.com/index.tmpl

5. The crayon and petroleum jelly should melt and you can add essential oils if you want a scent in your lipstick.

Eminence Tropical Vanilla Body SPF 32 Sunscreen can be filled with many chemicals, but this sunscreen uses ingredients like shea butter zinc oxide which blocks sun rays while healing skin.

Where to buy: www.eminenceorganics.com

Harmonic Shampoo Paraben, silicone and sulfate free, this shampoo is great for all hair types. It cleanses your scalp and at the same time it strengthens it for healthy hair.

6. Take out your small container and fill it with your new safe lipstick. Mix colors to get your desired color.

Where to buy: http://www.intelligentnutrients.com

Not as they seem: fake natural products Aveeno Products Aveeno claims to use all natural products, however with some of those ingredients they add sulfates such as sodium cumene sulfonate which can dry out certain hair types.

The Body Shop This company claims to use earth products, but one of their most popular shampoos contains a type of paraben. Parabens are a type of preservative which is not natural or organic.

Zia Natural Skincare Zia says they are natural and eco-friendly, however they have different types of parabens such as ethylparaben and preservatives such as phenoxyethanol.

Four tips for healthier eating On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to view tips to help you make a meal a little healthier.

8

ARTS

Jan. 21, 2014

Lights, Camera, Alumni

The Works of Jordan Aman

Above: Barker’s newest short film, Escalation, examines the growth of conflicts. Below: Barker directing on set of Escalation last March.

Ping Pong Summer is premiering at the Sunday Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Below: Riddle on set with fellow cast members. Riddle played a bully named Dale.

Alex Barker - Class of 2006

Andy Riddle - Class of 2013

I attend Syracuse University’s Visual and Performing Arts College, with a focus on Transmedia and Film Direction. With art classes, there is the expectation of being proactive. Creativity, just like any skill, continues to improve the more you work on it. In college, professors expect you are there because you want to be, not simply because you have to be. But with that expectation comes a great sense of independence. It is a time for experimenting what works and what doesn’t in your work. College is a great incubator for discovering those ideas and skills - and many are found through collaboration with fellow artists.

In high school, I was into performing arts. I participated in Marching Band, Theater and the IB Film class.

My one regret was never giving Chorus a shot. High school taught me that everyone plays a part. Everyone can bring about a significant contribution when working on something greater than oneself. In theater, filmmaking and music - they all provide a wonderfully high stakes situation. The show or production is only as good as the team itself.

It’s a positive force in keeping everyone accountable in working together, from the day-one freshman to the accomplished senior.

Winning States my senior year for Marching Band has to be one of my favorite memories of high school. To witness us go from very uncoordinated freshman to mentoring the younger musicians our senior year and achieve the best award a band can receive in Virginia (that is until this year. Kudos Marching Atoms!) was a testament to the countless hours we all put in together as a band family.

The other memorable project was my senior film Hamilton. Erica Satten & I had no idea the story would go anywhere. It was a fun and unexpected ride receiving some press from the Fairfax County Film Fest for our work, and there’s great satisfaction that comes from friends and fellow students genuinely enjoying themselves while watching a story you’ve put together.

I am now a freelance filmmaker, producing short subject documentaries and promotionals for different organizations. Recently, I’ve been dabbling in cutting movie trailers and actor’s reels. My film Escalation is complete and it will be submitted to multiple film festivals throughout the country. I plan to continue to refine my craft. Filmmaking takes patience and a lot of time. Each day I try to exercise my mind narratively - whether reading a story, watching a movie, listening to director’s commentary or writing. Presently working on a few new stories I hope to bring to the screen over the next 5 years through my role as a collaborative director.

If you want to pursue your artistic dreams and you know in your gut that it’s something that you want to try, give it shot now. I knew many friends and colleagues never gave something they loved a try simply because it would ‘look stupid’. Don’t fall into that trap if that is what’s stopping you. We all crawled before we walked. Even if it requires you working another job to make it work (as I am presently), the arts have a funny way of seeping into the rest of our

Kevin Tran - Class of 2013 I currently attend Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in theatre performance. In college, it’s like the real deal. I am being classically trained every class in the Stanislavsky method of acting. The theatre department at VCU prides itself on encouraging their students to be self-sufficient. The professors teach you the process and in the end you have to utilize them yourself.

At AHS, I was in shows and did some improv activities in class. Thankfully, I also learned a lot about the technical side of theater at AHS, which helps with my major.

I always loved doing the drug awareness plays at Annandale. Those were so much fun to perform in. I believe that the cast and I always made it entertaining, though not straying to far from the seriousness that it represents. Also, I’m a pretty humble guy and I don’t like to brag, but remember the spring pep rally of 2010 when the theatre people did a flash mob? And I totally stole the show with my little crumping/twerking bit. That was memorable.

Many people are unsure if they want to follow their dreams of majoring in an art. If it’s something that you love then I say go for it. Dream big, do big! Everything requires hard work, time, and patience. Then it’s a guaranteed you will find some amount of success.

Forgive the cliché Disney message I’m sending here, but commit to your art. Don’t be in it with expectation of finding fame and fortune. Just commit to being great at whatever your passion is.

I plan to take my talents to Hollywood and find success in film acting. And maybe also

Alay Tedla - Class of 2011

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to visit the Red and White Golf Classic website to sign up.

I am currently attending Virginia Tech. I’m in an a capella group there called Naturally Sharp. There’s definitely a lot more freedom and flexibility versus high school chorus in that we choose rehearsal times that are convenient to everyone, and we get to choose what songs to arrange/perform. Some of the songs we perform include Wake Me Up (Avicii), Backstreet Boys, No Diggity, etc. Chorus (Men’s Chorale/Annandale Singers) The AHS choral department helped train certain skills that I would need in my a capella group like sight-singing, reading music and arranging songs. Broadway Desserts and Singing Valentines were definitely the most memorable events I took part in at AHS. They were probably the two events I had the most fun participating and singing in.

Even if you don’t decide to major in that certain art you love in college, there are tons of groups and clubs that can help you continue whatever it is you love. Definitely do it.

In the future, I may join local a capella group or try my hand at songwriting, not quite sure yet but I know that no matter what, music will still be in my life.

I attend NOVA so it’s easier to keep up my acting career. There is a lot more independence in college to do what you like and want to do.

Everything is up to you to do. Studying and learning depends on you, though in classes they teach you the majority of it, you have to do more work on your own.

At AHS, I took Chorus, Band and Theater. I remember learning some music theory in band, but not thinking it had much of a purpose in life. As it turns out, it is very helpful now and will be for anyone who is going to study music in college. I also learned from the theater program that things don’t always work out as planned and you have to go with the flow of things.

Each performance had its own special memory in its own way. That being said, winning Jury Prize at the annual AHS Film Festival my senior year for “The Steve and Andy Show” was pretty cool. We went in not expecting anything, just wanted to make people laugh and show off our creations. It was an amazing surprise.

As fun as arts are, always have a back up plan and that it doesn’t come easy. I’m very lucky to have gotten a lead part in a movie, but I still don’t know what is to come, and I have a back up plan. Most people think it was just handed to me, but little do they know that I have been professionally acting since the age of 6 and finally got my first big role at the age of 17. It takes time, patiences and a support system, but once you get there it’s so worth it.

I plan on continuing to audition for acting roles and moving forward in my acting career. If that doesn’t work, I may just become a chipotle taste tester.... Yeah.

Jordan Aman Class of 2011 I now attend Florida State University and I’m working on my BA in visual art. All of my course work is visual art, including 6 hour figure painting class. We are taught to tell stories through images and creatie a narrative through images and symbols. All my other classes out side studio classes are visual art. AHS helped build portfolio. I am now taking five studio classes and one bio lab this semester. More independence and indepth. 6 hours per studio a week. 30 hours. Homework is to paint. A lot of work but exactly what I want to do.

In high school I was a part of the IB Art program and Photography classes. Both of those classes were great. Ms. Harper was a great teacher and was always supporter. Ms. Stevens was also very supported. They both pushed me to do my best.

The IB art program does a great job setting you up for college. IB art projects are very similar to the requirements needed to get into the program.

It forced me to build my own personal work.

In college, it helps to have an end goal. You don’t want to get lost in arts school. When you are there you need to work hard to get the products you want. Everyday is about making a new painting. If you focus on that one painting, you can get better each time, always improving. If you are passionate about art, you will find success.

However it depends on your definition of success. You may not be rich, but you can succeed in being a talented artist and loving your job. It can be a hard life, but it can be worth it. If you do it long enough you will become successful.

I’ve been looking to get on an artistic team for music and art festivals like Electric Forrest etc. Behind the scenes stuff, setting up lights and art around area. I want to be behind the planning of it. Somewhere where I can be creative and keep doing what I love.

Not only do I continue to paint, but I am a member of the FSU circus, on of only two college circuses in America. In the circus, I do flying trapeze and acrobatic jump rope. FSU one of two schools to have it. No animals, but still fun. 120 students put on a show in the spring.

Kevin Muller - Class of 2011

After high school, I started off at NOVA, but soon realized that a college art program wasn’t what I was looking for. I wanted to hone my ability to draw and paint classically, like the old masters did. College didn’t offer that. So, I took a year off and really thought about what I was going to do, and through little research I found out about all these ateliers dedicated to classical realism. And there was one that caught my foremost attention, The Water Street Atelier, which is the core program of The Grand Central Academy of Art, located in New York and founded by Jacob Collins, one of the leading classical realists of our time.

The academy’s program of study is based on that of the 19th century French ateliers. Each student is required to make cast drawings from life for the whole first year, or until the instructors think you are ready to move onto painting.

The second year is dedicated to painting from casts, and drawing from the human figure. Finally the third and fourth year are dedicated to exclusively paint from the figure. During the four years, the main focus of the student is “form”; in other words, creating a three-dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface. To answer your other question, it is independent I’d say, but unlike high school, students don’t get to do their own thing until they have mastered their technique.

In high school, I took a photography class with Ms. Stevens. Too bad I was never too good at that. So, I stuck to the IB art program with Mrs. Harper and Mrs. Stark.

The IB art program was essential in my preparation for what I do now. It gave me the freedom to really find out what is like to be an artist. Although I’m still a student, the program I’m in is full-time (from 8am5pm), and a lot of the students usually stay nights. My art teachers at AHS were critical for my decision of becoming an artist, because before AHS I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, until Mrs. Harper asked me if I wanted to be in IB art, and of course I said, “Yes!” The most unforgettable memory I have from the art program in high school is when I traveled to New York with my parents, Mrs. Harper and Ms. Stark to receive a national medal that I was awarded by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards when I was a senior.

I don’t have my future all figured out; a year and a half ago, I didn’t have it either, and now I’m here. Who knows what the future will bring? I’ll keep working hard, and try to be the best that I can. What I do know is that after school ends I’d like to be living exclusively from selling my artwork!

In the school that I’m in, I’ve learned that anyone, absolutely anyone, with enough passion and dedication can learn to draw and paint. So, if you’re doubtful of your future in art, because you think your skill level is not where you want it to be, there are many schools that can help you change that.

That being said, it isn’t easy. But when has anything worth achieving been easy?

ACADEMICS

Jan. 21, 2014

Closing the achievement gap Poverty affects academics Out of the 25 high schools in FCPS, AHS falls second only to JEB Stuart when it comes to highest poverty rate among schools in the district.

In AHS, more than one-half (52%) of the students receive free or reduced lunch, but many more live close to the poverty line and are not able to afford certain things as a result.

Poverty among students affects the ability for students to receive high scores because of a lack of resources or time.

“For a project, if you need something and you don’t have it, you are affected a lot,” junior Sharmeen Rais said. “For example, we’re doing a science fair project, and we don’t have the right equipment and don’t know how to get it from outside either.”

Many students have a hard time accessing materials for school, especially when it comes to costs related to book purchases.

“Our teacher said we don’t have it, so we can’t work on our project, so that affects our grade. If we don’t have it, and since the school can’t afford it, we can’t do anything about it,” said Rais.

With the recently approved proposal of having $500,000 for 13 of the most high-poverty schools in FCPS, it will provide for an improved budget for Advanced Academics and overall improve the status of schools.

Rais believes that even though there is a given budget, there should be fund-raising activities by student, for students. This would be for academic related projects, that would be able to provide and pay for small fees for books, school supplies, etc.

CHLOE LOVING

BY ANIQA RASHID Academics Editor

Low-income students tend to struggle in finding ways to manage their situation and studies.

Some may believe that economic background and the ability for schools to pay for supplies has to do with how well a student is able to learn and achieve good grades, but others think differently.

“Honestly, I don’t think socioeconomic backgrounds affect student’s grades,” junior Rana Abouelhagag said.

“It is understandable on some aspect, but I believe that anyone is capable of achieving high grades and scores if they set their minds to wanting to live a better life or improving their way of life.”

Many organizations and campaigns push for improving national elementary through high school education with a significant poverty rate, but based on minorities found in the school.

According to the Education

Commission of the States, Black and Hispanic students are “much more likely to fall behind in school and drop out, and much less likely to graduate from high school, acquire a college or advanced degree.”

When calculating test performances of various schools, or finding the poverty rate of different districts, race is the very first factor that is looked upon.

“I think academic performance is more affected by socioeconomic factors,” IB Biology and Anatomy teacher, Francesca Mast said.

Both students and teachers realize that when looking the performance of students, race is not the major variable that should be considered.

“The questions are: Are they able to get to school? Do they have the resources to get to school? Is it a priority

for parents to support their education at home?”

These questions bring about the idea of how the “achievement gap” should be defined and how it can be closed.

“I see more students being affected by the stress that comes from worrying about lack of the essentials, such as safe shelter and food,” said Mast.

These ideals are seen in other states as well, and race is being used less as a reason for poor academics.

“I have taught in a couple different states and I see the same socioeconomic factors affecting students no matter what state they are in,” Mast said.

Poverty affects students in other ways, especially when it comes to managing time between finding ways to take care of yourself as well as your studies.

“If your family is going through a hard time, I think getting a job to pitch in and help as much as much you can is probable,” junior Jessica Alba said.

With most students of poorer background working part-time or sometimes multiple jobs, it becomes hard managing the homework load or even staying after school to be tutored for classes that the students are struggling in. This results in lower performance on tests such as SOLs. “Because a job is taking a lot of your time is divided between that and studying, your grades might suffer,” said Alba.

Maintaining good grades and succeeding is school is the main goal for all students, but this can’t be done without focus on the resources that are available to all students.

“Education is truly the key to moving forward in life, but we have to make sure we are helping to adress the basic needs such as food, shelter, and safety for students first, so they will be free to focus on their education and learn,” Mast said.

How to deal with college rejection letters • Don’t remain in a state of frustration. Being rejected by a college you wanted to go to is certainly disappointing, but don’t let emotions overcome reason.

Criticizing the college that rejected you or giving up aren’t solutions that will help you in the long run.

• Teachers or other people that wrote recommendations can assist you in applying for another college, so be sure to thank them and0 to contact them later. By doing this, you will have resources that you can rely on in the future.

• Think about a college you can realistically get into. Even if the top college you wanted to go to rejected you, there are still colleges out there that have high quality education that will be willing to accept you.

• Find something to take your mind off the rejection. Going out and taking a break from the stress can put you in a better position to think and make decisions. However, don’t use this as an excuse to stay at home and do nothing. Find something constructive that you can do, like community service.

• Express your thoughts in some way. Talk with teachers, parents, counselors and your peers about it. Write all your thoughts out on paper. By putting your thoughts into words, you will spend less time being distracted during the day.

• Don’t place blame on anyone.

You may be frustrated with the college that rejected you, but that doesn’t mean they have a personal grudge against you.

Colleges often get so many good applications that they have to reject some regardless of their quality.

• On the other hand, don’t think it’s all your fault. If you keep up your self esteem, you’ll have a better chance at getting into another college.

27% Percentage of students in FCPS who qualify for free and reduced priced meals.

20,550 Students in FCPS under the age of 18 come from low-income families.

74% Percentage of students in AHS who are of an ethnic or racial minority.

25% Percentage of students that are economically disadvantaged who were accepted to four-year colleges.

45% Percentage of students in AHS who are economically disadvantaged.

Vocabulary Words EPHEMERAL adjective Enduring a very short time; short-lived.

• Consider why your application was rejected, and how you can improve it. If there are things that you want to include for the next application, note it down.

IMPUTE verb Lay responsibility or blame for, often unjustly.

Knowledge often extends beyond its own subject

LINUS BUMBACA

BY LINUS BUMBACA Academics Editor

Various skills relating to Geometry are a key part of classes involving art and drawing.

like math or history.”

Overall, subject departments focus on their own curricula, but the teachers in them try to work with other departments when they can. However, there are limitations to subject interaction at AHS. “I think it would be great if subjects had more interconnection,” Tyndall said. “There are many reasons why that doesn’t happen. One is time. It takes time to coordinate with other departments, and our own planning time isn’t coordinated to do that. We do have collaboration days, but we usually just collaborate with teachers in our same area.”

“Another reason is that there are so many curricula. If I wanted to coordinate with the math department, my IB Physics 1 students aren’t all taking the same math. The students may all be at three different levels of

By the numbers: AHS and FCPS economics

• Plan for future rejections.

You may be rejected by other colleges, but keep looking ahead. If you are prepared for possible rejections, you will be able to move on more easily.

Overlap of skills reinforce material learned in class

To some students, every class covers its own separate subject, but certain subjects have connections with each other that are helpful for students to understand. Skills that are learned in some subjects can be valuable in other subjects, even long after the skills and knowledge have been learned.

“Math and Chemistry come hand in hand,” sophomore Tran Nguyen said.

“It does come in handy, it gives you a sort of reference.”

Subjects that focus on teaching general skills, such as Math or English, give students the preparation and background knowledge that they need for subjects like science or history.

“I think I’m fortunate to teach Physics,” teacher David Tyndall said, “as Physics is related to every other topic.”

Tyndall teaches IB Physics 1, IB Physics 2 HL and IB Physics 2 SL. “It is helpful that the IB program has a lot of crossover,” Tyndall said. “I teach students about vectors. It’s wonderful when students say they already learned about it in math. We don’t plan that, but it is helpful.”

Each subject has its own department that works together to decide on what is going to be taught. However, the science department has its own individual departments within it.

“The science department is different,” Tyndall said. “We have sub-departments for Physics, Chemistry, or Biology. We definitely have interaction between sub-departments, but not as much as I would want with other departments

9

math. In IB Physics 1, I have a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors.”

“I work with other Physics teachers every day and we exchange ideas,” “My job would be much more difficult without others to bounce ideas off of and share resources with. We do try to talk about ideas that show up in all our curricula,” Tyndall said.

“For example, the idea of energy is present in all our subjects. It’s difficult to coordinate with any department.”

Not all skills are going to be useful for every class, but having outside knowledge and making connections can help students understand the content better.

“I use context clues in History and English to understand what’s going on,” sophomore Vy Lam said.

“Students who study Latin can often make connections with words because they know the roots,” Tyndall said.

Useful knowledge and skills can even be found outside of core classes.

“Sometimes I’ll see stuff on TV,” Nguyen said, “then later in history class we do something similar to that.”

“I’ve seen that students who take electronics courses come into Physics ahead of the game,” Tyndall said, “especially when it comes to circuitry.”

In subjects like math or science, the knowledge and skills that are taught are used throughout all of a student’s high school years. For example, information that was taught in Algebra becomes a significant part of the Geometry curriculum.

The writing skills that students learn in English can be applied to almost any different subject. Essays and analysis in history, lab reports and notes in science and grammar in language courses can all be affected by a student’s experience in English.

“Spanish and English have similar word structure,” Nguyen said. “It helps in English when we work with grammar.”

Tyndall tries to relate what he teaches in Physics to other subjects and areas of science.

“The more connections that are made, the more interesting the class is,” Tyndall said. “Students remember and relate to things better when they can draw connections to other things.”

While making connections assists some students, others find it easier to put their focus on just the class they are in.

“I don’t think it’s helpful,” freshman Billal Kamara said. “Certain skills are meant for certain classes. You really can’t blend them together. Teachers try to make connections, but it doesn’t really work out.”

Regardless of a student’s learning style, there are skills that are worth remembering later on.

“Knowledge is like a web,” Tyndall said. “It’s stronger the more strands there are between things.”

FORTUITOUS adjective Coming or occuring without any cause; accidental.

HACKNEYED adjective Repeated too often; over familiar through overuse.

OSTENTATIOUS adjective Intended to attract notice and impress others; pretentious.

REVERENCE noun Profound respect and esteem mingled with fear and affection; disposition to revere.

How to prepare for the IB Individual Oral Presentation On your smartphone, scan this code above using the app “QR Code” to view tips on how to prepare your IOP.

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Popular tweets from Pope Francis

INTERNATIONAL

Era of Pope Francis Students embrace the Unorthodox Pope

“Dear young people, Jesus wants to be your friend, and wants you to spread the joy of this friendship everywhere.”

BY NUHAMI MANDEFRO International Editor

“If money and material things become the center of our lives, they seize us and make us slaves.”

It’s been a little over a year and Pope Francis has drastically changed the face of the Catholic church and religion. Pope Francis has continuously appeared on the news for boldly addressing topics previous popes have never considered discussing.

The majority of students in AHS consider themselves Catholic and his controversy affects many students with different religious views.

“I find that Pope Francis has done a great job reaching out to the youth, Catholics or not, and has brought faith back to much of the world” Senior and Roman Catholic Lily Montes de Oca said. “I think Pope Francis’ idea of accepting all sinners may have a more effective approach in terms of youth.”

Junior Soriya De Lopez associates herself with atheism, yet she expresses her deepest respect towards the new pope.

“I like him from what I’ve heard about him so far because he does seem to be trying to reach out to people of all backgrounds by sending messages of wisdom and peace beyond the church.”

Junior Jenny McCann is a Roman Catholic who is very fond of Pope Francis. She admires his courage and is inspired by his compassion towards everyone and humility. “I think he’s one of the best Popes the Catholic Church has been given in a long time. He seems to be a leader who is genuinely concerned with spreading God’s love and helping the poor, which are what the primary focuses of the Church should be.”

Like the Pope, McCann

“Dear young people, do not be afraid of making decisive choices in life. Have faith; the Lord will not abandon you!”

“Where we find hate and darkness, may we bring love and hope, in order to give a more human face to society.”

“Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace!”

No elderly person should be like an “exile” in our families. The elderly are a treasure for our society.

With the “culture of waste”, human life is no longer considered the primary value to be respected and protected.

Guatemala is very different from other countries. Guatemala has pyramids made by the Mayas. You can have good vacations in my country. I was born in Guatemala. The United States is the only country that I have ever visited. The United States has many opportunities. In my country, we don’t have a lot of opportunities because the economy and the government are not doing so well but the food is very good.

The economy in my country is not good. Some people have to work hard every day to have enough money for their own family. In the U.S.A., it is easier to find a job because of the good economy.

The United States has a good economy, that is why people from other countries come to live and work here.

The government in my country does not help the community. In the United States, the government helps the community by giving them health care.

The government in Guatemala does not provide health care for the community.

In America, government does everything to make the community safe, and to make the country a better place to live.

Guatemala has many types of food.

Some of the Guatemalan food has been around for a long time. I miss the food from my country because it tastes really good. The United States has different types of food too, some of the food are, pizza, hamburgers, french-fries etc.

Guatemala and the U.S.A. are similar in terms of their food tasting really good.

Final facts about Guatemala versus United States are that both countries are exciting because they are similar and different in some ways. The United States it is not like my country because the government provides health care for the community. Guatemala is similar to the United States in some ways like the food. The U.S.A. also has an economy which is stronger. Guatemala economy is not like that; it is very weak.

The United States is not like my country, but I like to live here. You can learn new things in the United States, and get to meet a lot of nice people from different parts of the world.

Pope Benedict XVI vs. Pope Francis ~ Became Pope after the of the death of Pope John Paul II

~ Became Pope the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

~ Views of his Catholic beliefs and views are not found online

~ Much information found online about his Jesuit background

~ Didn’t reach out to the public and was instead very “quiet” and hands off during his time in the Vatican

~ Trying to reach out more to the public and make people have connection with religion especially with the youth

~ Believed that Muslims were allies because Catholics and Muslims both strongly believe in God

~ Allies with Muslims and believes that Catholics should view wars as caring more for people, especially the poor

~ Believes that the topic of abortion and gay marriage disturbs the more important topic which is religion. Agrees with Francis but never really explained his point publicly though ~ Women play a role to help keep the church together ~ Like most of the previous popes, Benedict has not created any controversy and has been low key

~ Publicly believes that abortion shouldn’t be focused on but rather the church,that he has no right to judge gay people and that divorce and remarried shouldn’t receive Holy Communion ~ Believes that women should play a big role in the church but not as a priest

Compiled by Chelsea Alfonso

What are your thoughts on Pope Francis?

“I think he’s a real improvement.

I like Pope Francis more than Pope Bennett.”

— Amanuel Kalaye Sophomore “Who’s the Pope?

I can’t think of him at the top of my head.

I’m sorry, I’m concussed.”

— Katie Pecak Sophomore

— Jabril Mohammed Sophomore

Coming to America On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to visit the website to sign up. Read more about Coming to America

believes the Church should stop fighting and spread God’s love. McCann tells the A-Blast that she believes that ideology has been lost due to the war the Church has been fighting with society on modern issues. “With a leader like Pope Francis, people will be drawn back into the church without the papacy having to compromise it’s opinion on any of the modern controversies.”

Pope Francis has reached out to millions of people outside of the church as well.

Pope Francis has been praised for his embodiment of St Francis of Assisi. “[St Francis of Assisi] was a man of peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation” Francis said. On January 2014, Pope Francis shocked the world being the first pope to publicly talk about issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and divorce. Francis boldly said that he will not judge the gay community because he believes it is God’s job to judge us. He also said that he wished the church would start focusing more on worshiping the Lord and not on abortion, contraception and other sexual “wrongs”. Finally, he supported the decision of divorce when the relationship is toxic and unhealthy for a home. This goes against the initial belief that started in the Catholic church hundreds of years ago.

With mixed reactions from the Vatican and extremists, there has been efforts to tarnish the Pope’s reputation through fake blogs and misquoted statements. On the other hand, many others around the world praise his courage and beliefs. Some have started to reconsider the Catholic faith and are returning to the church. With such leadership and stardom, Pope Francis was named the most influential and best dressed figure of 2013.

“I think that he is taking an optimistic approach through his words and actions by focusing more on bigger things instead of just ridiculing subjects such as gay rights, which can be seen as negative in that society” Lopez said. “He seems to be a man of peace and acceptance who is willing to step into modern world issues instead of being stuck in old values. “ Pope Francis’ popularity and love comes from the fact that he preaches with a wise voice. His ability to adapt our mentality is the main reason why Francis will go down in history.

“I am particularly inspired by his humble and non judgmental statements about homosexuality; pointing out that it is not his place to condemn them as sinners when he is a sinner himself” McCann said.

“The Pope is a very good person. I like him even though I am Jewish.”

~ Named one of the most controversal popes

Photo Courtesy by The Monitor

Coming to America: Guatemala Vs Unit

“Do not be afraid of failure, do not be afraid of falling, In the art of walking it is not falling that matters, but not ‘staying fallen’.”

Photo Courtesy by The Telegraph

Nuhami Mandefro

To see more tweets, follow him @Pontiex

Genar Raymundo misses Guatemala but loves it here at AHS.

Jan. 21 2014

Pope Benedict meets Pope Francis in 2007 to support Prophet Mohammed after “evil” accusations. This establishes their friendship before and beyond the Church.

“I don’t know much about him but I have heard of the controversy surrounding him about gay rights.”

— Diva Chowdhary Junior

“I still have respect towards the new Pope even though I’m Muslim.”

— Raza Hamid Junior

Compiled by Noah Nelson and Nuhami Mandefro

PHOTO

Jan. 21, 2013

Atom’s Best Friend

13 Teacher’s Pet History teacher Thomas York has a yellow labrador named Dexter.

Meet Jackson!

What was your first pet?

KAYTLIN HOPKINS junior Jackson is an adorable, four-month-old, Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy who belongs to junior Kaytlin Hopkins.

He was adopted from a special breeder in Lynchburg, VA. “We just looked up his type of dog breed to see if there were any puppies available in Virginia,” says Hopkins.

While being interviewed, she couldn’t stop talking about how sweet she thinks he is. “I can’t stand it, he is so cute,” Hopkins said, “and he always makes these cute grunting noises.”

“My first pet was a fish named Hamza.

I named him after myself.”

— Hamza Khatib freshman

“My first pet was a brown and white cat named Fluffy! She was so cute, I loved her.”

Meet Manta!

— Jeanine Barakat sophomore

GABBY PAYNE junior “My first pet was a hamster named Chester.

He was fat.”

“Man’s best friend” can come in all shapes and sizes, and for junior Gabby Payne, it comes in the form of her horse Manta.

Payne comes from a family of horseback-riders, and each of her family members has their own horse.

Payne’s family got their horses in Fredericksburg, VA when she was young and she’s been an avid horseback-rider ever since.

— Aaron Boyd sophomore

Meet Jack!

CARLY POTTS senior Senior Carly Potts recently added a new member to her family: a young cat, Jack!

The new addition to the Potts family is only three months old. Jack was adopted “from a lady in Fairfax,” Potts says. He’s a playful and growing boy, so Carly and her family are looking forward to many happy years in the future with Jack alongside them.

“Frex was the name of my first pet. He was a German Sheperd.”

— Omar Haddou junior

“My first pet was a Shih Tzu dog named Mimi. I had her for five years.”

— Pong Ittisukananth senior

Meet Mocha!

DINI MOHAMUD sophomore Say hi to sophomore Dini Mohamud’s cat Mocha!

Mocha has been a part of Mohamud’s family since 2012, after his first cat, Muffin, got too old to live a stable life with them, so they had to give her away. Before they gave her away however, she had babies and Mocha was one of them!

Dini and his family decided to keep Mocha, and they’ve been together ever since.

Mocha loves to sleep, but he’s also very playful. “He likes to play with balls and wire,” says Mohamud.

Ryan McElveen: Twitter sensation On your smartphone, scan the QR code using the application “QR Code” to view a slideshow of photoshopped pictures of FCPS employee Ryan McElveen.

Cons

They are expensive. Some starter kits from the electronic cigarette company Blu sell for around $70.

They do contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.

The affects of using pure nicotine are unknown. It could be potentially dangerous.

Due to the wide online market, it is easy for children under the age of eighteen to get their hands on the product.

Do you believe that e-cigarettes are an acceptable alternative? “ I think they’re not as harmful as regular cigarettes because they don’t let off smoke.”

Hylton freshman “ I don’t judge people who smoke, but smoking is kind of gross, even with e-cigarettes.”

—Sarah Woodward sophomore

“No, I don’t like it when people smoke and being around people that smoke.

E-cigarettes give them an excuse to smoke more often.”

—Amber Scaff senior “No, because either way it’s bad for your health.”

—Susan Lin senior

On your smart phone, scan this code using the application “QR code” to read about the best and worst dressed celebrities at the Golden Globe Awards.

“I don’t understand why some people feel that it is [acceptable] and expect [so much] commentary,” Laime said.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SUZIE LAIME AND SUSAN LIN

Local hidden gem Forget retail, shoppers can find high quality used items at Auntie Te’s consignments

BY DIANA QUEZADA Lifestyles Editor

—Korey

yourself and not others.

Top Left: Senior Faith Paletti demonstrates the repetitiveness of a person sticking their touch out for no reason in their selfies.

Top Right: Duck faces should be outlawed on social media as illustrated by seniors Suzie Laime and Susan Lin. Bottom Left: A rich kid from the controversial blog swimming in a pool of champagne in a recent post.

Are you budget conscious when it comes to adding new clothes to your wardrobe but don’t want to spend time browsing through old and worn clothes at thrift shops? Then Auntie Te’s consignment store might spark your interest. Here you can find gently worn, name brand clothing at low prices located just inside Bradlick shopping center.

It is hidden gem in Annandale that is often overlooked. Auntie Te’s sells a variety of name brand clothes, shoes and handbags for women of all ages. They also sell home décor and jewelry.

Popular brands such as Michael Kors, Free People, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci, Prada, Coach, Chanel and Anthropologie

can all be found within a student budget.

According to the Auntie Te’s website, “The store is clean, trendy, upscale, and suitable for all women. They have a friendly and informative staff... I always go there to get my retail therapy and am never left unsatisfied!” customer Sydney E. said.

“It really is a gem for shoppers. How I’ve never known about this place is beyond me!

Everyone should definitely stop in,” customer M.L. said.

Auntie Te’s has more to offer than just finding quality bargains. If you have brand name clothing in good condition, feel free to drop off your use items at the store. You will receive a 50% commission if your items are purchased by other customers.

Auntie Te’s allows you to dress in style for a steal. Keep in mind that no one will have the same outfit as you. In this economy, you can’t afford to break your wallet trying to shop for clothing items.

DIANA QUEZADA

They are smoke-free because users aren’t actually ‘smoking’. This means that there is no harmful gas breathed in and no smell to affect others.

Besides clothing items, the store carries a wide selection of home decor.

DIANA QUEZADA

E-cigarettes do not contain the chemicals that tobacco does. The only thing in the cartridge is nicotine, which is even optional.

Mirror selfies and duck faces are very old and are annoying if they fill up a newsfeed. You don’t always have to be funny online to catch others attention, the best thing is to be yourself.

DIANA QUEZADA

Pros

It’s after school and students are on their phones. They are busy browsing the news feed on their Twitter and Instagram accounts, only to find it clogged with selfies and drama.

Social media has evolved to an outlet where oversharing and overhyped trends go hand in hand.

With that in mind, certain things should never done online.

For instance, selfies. We all love them: from President Obama to Kim Kardashian and the average student.

Taking selfies among students has become a competition to see who can post the most pictures and receive the most attention in return.

“I’ve had my fair share of selfies, but I don’t think you need to be posting a picture all the time. It’s too much.” sophomore Mahlet Ayele said.

Students will do anything for as many “likes and favorites” from their friends. It’s common to see girls slap on buckets of mascara and lipstick like they’re going to a photo shoot. Some will even wear revealing clothing and check their “selfie lighting” for that extra “wow-factor.”

Excessively staging pictures and sharing them online are bad habits.

Instead of making a good impression, people are labeling themselves as eyesores.

Repetitive poses like the duck face and sitting on a sink to make certain areas of the body more attractive.

They do not look photogenic and anyone can mistakenly infer that someone is getting ready to kiss their cellphone or in a desperate need of a bathroom break.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY FAITH PALETTI

Smoking during the Golden Globes? Many stars such as Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Leonardo DiCaprio were seen puffing on electronic cigarettes during the awards show. More people are turning to this substitute for smoking.

E-cigarettes are advertised as being healthier and can be used in many places smoking is not allowed. They come in a variety of flavors such as cherry and vanilla.

The latter is very appealing to the younger generation with the lack of difficulty it takes for a teen to purchase e-cigarettes. Although this may sound like a harmless substitute for smoking, there are both pros and cons to take into consideration.

PHUONG NGUYEN Lifestyles Editor

“It annoys me when a girl takes a picture of herself with obviously cleavage showing. If flaunting breasts weren’t enough, it’s annoying to see captions that are just calling for attention,” senior Suzie Laime said. “[I hate it when people take] pictures of themselves in the bathroom captioned with a cheesy quote with no relevance to the picture,” sophomore Lara Raid said.

According to Laime, girls are not always the repetitive and obnoxious ones on social media, guys are no exception.

“Guys sometimes have annoying photos, Laime said. Some guys constantly keep posting pictures of themselves shirtless. Yes, you’re proud, but why do you always have to remind us?”

The “chicken wing” is another repetitive pose. Come on people, there thousands of other poses known to man and all you can think of is pumping your arms out like you’re about to flap your wings?

Aside from poses, there has been recent controversy on wealthy teens and young adults showing off their money in a Tumblr account called the “Rich Kids of Instagram.”

These rich twenty-somethings post selfies of them swimming in a pool of champagne jumping off their yachts to anyone who pays attention.

Students like Laime frequently encounters such posts from students and she’s disgusted by the pointless attention seeking concept.

“Do you really think that if you post pictures of designer stuff people will [notice you]? What your real friends might think. Some people will just like you only for your stuff,” Laime said.

Many students can agree that social media has gotten too personal among teens. When online, focus on

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN AN

Socially Obnoxious

Teens love to show off, but there are many habits that should be broken online

E-cigarettes

Jan. 21, 2014

COURTESY OF HBENJAMEIIII

14

LIFESTYLES

Auntie Te’s is not your average secondhand store. Shoppers can find fashionable items at

I n a r u s h ? A u n t y Te ’s h a s convenient store hours. Stop by and check out what what the store has to offer.

• Take time off to relax and unwind at Instyles Nails & Spa • Affordable prices for medicures and pedicures • Add an additional spa manicure special for $22 • Enjoy deep hot rocks massages • Great for mother and daughter bonding

17

SPORTS Swim and dive reflect on season Jan. 21, 2014

Seniors look back on their last swim season

Track shows skill at inter-squad meet PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES BARKER

BY DANIEL YETEGA Staff Writer As the winter season for the AHS swim and dive teams comes to a close, with only one more meet left, the head coach and team reflect back on the seasons ups and downs. The team’s record has not been as successful as last year, with boys having a record of two wins and four losses and girls five losses and one tie.

“Our team lost two really good boys on the dive team this year,” senior Allie Vogus said.

“So compared to other schools it has been harder for us to compete or even compare to them because the skill levels just are not the same.”

However, there have been much positive athletic development.

“Individually, there has been much improvement. There have been numerous dropped times and many personal bests,” head coach Ryan Smith

Senior Kaitlin Martindale swims the 500 free during the meet against T.C. Williams High School.

said.“Hopefully this will continue through the end of the season.”

“I have improved in freestyle and lost a lot of time compared to last year,” sophomore Jon Paletti said.

Even with various improvements individually and as a team, there are still some key skills that are still an issue. “Turns in general can still

improve, as well as endurance,” Smith said. “If these are worked on then I believe times will drop even more than before.

This past Friday, the team held their annual senior night at South Run Rec. Center. It was a time to honor the seniors who have worked very long and hard to accomplish their goals in and

out of the pool.

“I have been looking forward to senior night since my freshman year,” Senior Lizzie Manthos said. “It was a bittersweet time because I also do not want the season to end. It has been awesome being a part of such an amazing team and it is sad to see it end.”

What is your favorite swim memory?

Michael Segrecci

Allie Vogus

Travis Swann

“My favorite memory of swim is flaunting my amazing body at the winter pep rally this year.”

“My favorite memory of dive is when Pat McCann broke his hand in practice freshman year.”

“My favorite memory of swim is my rude awakening freshman year and all the team traditions.”

Marissa Reynolds

Noah Wolfenstein

“My favorite memory of swim is meeting the love of my life Brandon Marwah.”

“My favorite memory of swim is sometimes forgetting to breathe while swimming.”

Wrestlers look forward to being Girls basketball reflects on strengths and in the AHS spotlight weaknesses of season

BY CONRAD SHARTEL Sports Editor

COURTESY OF THE ANTENNA YEARBOOK

BY CONRAD SHARTEL Sports Editor The embodiment of school spirit, Pack the Pit draws a roaring, cheering crowd yearly to watch and support the Grappling Atoms. This year’s pack the pit on Jan. 29 at 7:00 p.m. is not expected to disappoint.

“We are going to have the band. We are going to have the dance team. We are going to have anyone who wants to be a part of it. It is going to be a neat night,” head coach Keith Sholders said.

Pack the Pit is an event that goes back to 1990 when the Atoms versed Yorktown. Back then, there was packed house at the event, and the same is expected for this year.

“Pack the Pit is really about the school,” Sholders said. “It carries on the spirit of the school and brings the school together.”

There were many Pack the Pits against Fairfax, which is why they are bringing back the old tradition of playing the Rebels.

“They are a pretty tough team this year, which is no different from past years,” Sholders said.

Attendees can look forward an exciting night that will be kicked off by the Atoms’ JV Tigers taking on the Fairfax Rebels. They will be followed by the youth league Annandale Mat Rats vs. the Fairfax Police Club. Last to go will be the main event, the Grappling Atoms vs. the Fairfax Rebels. The first 175 people through the door will also receive a free t-shirt.

Pack the Pit is a sporting event that seems to draw out the school spirit in everyone. It

Anouar Sakta, 12, wrestling an opponent from Washington and Lee during last year’s season.

has been since it began over twenty years ago. The wrestling team is hoping for a great crowd that night.

“Win or loss, we want everyone there.

Hopefully we win, that makes it better, but we want everyone there cheering us on,” Sholders said.

Sholders’ prediction for the night is that the team will not fall to the Rebels too easily.

“The Grappling Atoms are going to come out victorious,” Sholders said. “And we are going to find a way to win.”

Like every sports team, the girls varsity basketball team has had both triumphs and defeats this season.

Coach Patrick Hughes’ goal this season was to try and beat every team in the district and make it to regionals.

“I think that their biggest strength is the motivation the girls have to do well,” said Coach Hughes. “They get along well together and play well as a team.”

Although there has been more losses than wins in their record, overall the girls have played extremely well compared to previous seasons. Their toughest game was against T.C. Williams High School. They were down by a significant amount of points, but the girls did not give up and had a tremendous comeback, losing only by 6 points.

“We have had many bumps in the road with our turnovers, but we need to make sure to look forward so we can play better the rest of the season,” Coach Hughes said.

The team does not waste time comparing to other district teams. They keep all their focus on their own team to make sure they spend every second possible thinking about how to win their next game.

“We like to compete with, not compare with other teams because it helps us stay focused,” Coach Hughes said.

The girls work tirelessly on their individual and team improvement during practice.

“We all try to be leaders on and off the court and I think that is what makes us look forward to our games because we know we are doing our best,” senior Jazmine Gomez said.

The girls look forward to finishing out the season strong. and a different sport the other season.

Atoms victorious in double overtime

The AHS track team held their own inter-squad meet on Monday, Jan. 14. The meet was designed to enable the runners to get another meet under the belt after a previous meet was cancelled due to snow.

“We held the meet to allow the runners to compete with each other and prepare for our last regular season meet and the conference,” JV sprints coach Philip Harris said. “It’s important to get the extra practice for the last meet after one of our other meets had to be cancelled.”

The runners treated the intersquad meet as a competitive meet, taking down times and reflecting on their performances.

“I think I did well in the meet,” senior Gabriel Lajnef said. “It was able to show me the improvement I have made throughout the season.”

Not only was this meet for practice, it also allowed the runners to compete with each other for remaining spots for the conference meet.

“It gave them another opportunity to prove their talent,” Harris said. “We wanted to see if anyone else had the potential to qualify for the conference meet.”

The team looks forward to using these talented runners to compete against the tough conference on Thursday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 25.

“The runners have definitely shown improvement,” Harris said. “I think we can use this improvement in most of the runners’ last meet and for those who go on to the conference.”

Junior Ravyn Hankinson agrees, adding that “the team has been showing a lot of improvements at invitationals so I have high hopes for the performance at the conference.”

Alumni Postcard Ahmed Bile 1. What is your favorite memory of AHS track?

“I have two favorite memories from my time running at AHS. The first being winning the state championship as a team for the first time in Annandale’s history. The second was winning a national title 3 weeks later in the 800m in my last high school race ever.”

2. What is track like at Georgetown? is it more chalenging? More fun?

“Overall, track is far more challenging at Georgetown.

The training is much more intense and frequent, however I think I have adapted pretty well. It is also a lot of fun being able to train with guys as good if not better than you day in and day out.”

3. Why did you choose track in general?

“I initially chose track as a means to get in shape for soccer. After a few weeks I realized how much I loved the sport and decided to quit soccer to fully focus on cross country and track. My dad ran professionally in the 80’s and 90’s and so I was always exposed to the sport, however he never pushed me to do it.

Growing up watching his old tapes and races, I kinda knew I would run one day, but i never thought I’d have the success I’ve achieved.”

BY OMNIA SAED Co-Editor in Chief With .2 seconds winding down on the clock, senior Grant Gittins heaved the ball in the air as the buzzer sounded. The double-overtime thriller, which was later contested by the Lake Braddock Bruins, resulted in an 80-78 Atoms win.

“The team really stuck together and fought through a lot of adversity and we all rallied around Steven’s injury and won the game,” senior forward Gittins said.

Hoping to extend their undefeated record at home, the Atoms started the game plagued with turnovers and bad passing. And with a Lake Braddock team dominated by size, rebounding was key. By the end of the third quarter the Atoms trailed the Bruins 47-54.

But with a late-surged rally by senior Michael Tran (#0), timely three-pointers by junior Point Guard Austin Hall and key players stepping up to the plate, the Atomic Boys climbed back into the game, tying the score with 2:30 on the clock.

Late fourth quarter, with only 14 seconds on the clock and a Bruin possession of the ball, the Boys were able to defend the court tying the game and sending it into overtime.

Once again the Atoms found themselves trailing in overtime and the Bruins, who were up by two with less than five seconds on the clock, began implementing their game-winning procession as Bruin players took a knee mid-court.

Yet, with seconds on the clock and a late contested rally by the Atoms, Senior Steven Schwartz (#13) was flagrantly fouled on and laid injured on the ground.

Schwartz suffered what reports now say is a bruised pelvic bone. The game was momentarily stopped as the room fell in silence as students watched him being carried off into an ambulance.

With a second on the clock, the game resumed as Senior Grant Gittins (#32) took two free throw shots for the injured Schwartz. With an enormous amount of pressure on his shoulders and resounding “Steven” chants, Gittins made both free throws tying the game and sending it into double overtime.

Playing to a lively crowd on its feet, the Atoms found themselves in a bitter back and fourth match-up with the Bruins who once again took the lead.

With .2 seconds on the clock to the end of the game, Grant Gittins took a buzzer beating shot leading to the win, 80-78.

The win was later on contested by the Bruins who recorded the game as a win.

Before the play ensued, Lake Braddock Had Coach, Brian Metress, called a timeout to talk to referees in confirming that the only shot the Atoms could make, that could

BY CYNTHIA WEINER Staff Writer

4. What advice would you give a student doing AHS track this year?

Grant Gittins gets hoisted in the air after making the buzzer-beating win again Lake Braddock

count, would be a tip. In reaction to a confirmed response, Metress positioned his 5 tallest players next to basket.

In Section 5-2-5 of the National Federation of High Schools rulebook it is stated that, “When play is resumed with a throw-in or free throw and three-tenths (.3) of a second or less remains on the clock, the player may not gain control of the ball and try for a field goal. In this situation, only a tap could score.”

However, when Gittins made the shot, the referees signaled a win in favor of the basket.

The play, which was later reviewed by the Head of the Virginia Officials Association, was ruled to be illegal. However, the Atoms win could not be overturned as it was the ruling made by the referees on the court, which is final.

Nonetheless the Atoms are determined to prove their place and their win.

“I hope we continue to stay together and fight for one another and make it through to the district tournament,” Gittins said.

The Atoms Boys now remain undefeated at home and have a 10-4 record.

“I have two pieces of advice for anyone looking to run track and field at AHS. First, it’s hard, second, you’ll want to quit after about 48 hours. You shouldn’t. Half of it is showing up, and once you put the work and the hours in, that’s the only way you’ll succeed in the sport, there aren’t really any short cuts in endurance sports.

Second, Coach O’Hara is a cross country and track Guru/ genius, just do what he says!”

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Best Annandale Selfie Olympics entries

ENTERTAINMENT Learning from Girl and Guy Code Jan. 21, 2014

Popular MTV2 show and its spin-off entertain while giving out advice

BY DANIEL YENEGETA Staff Writer

Junior Kaitlyn Cambell set up a volleyball net in her bathroom or her selfie. Her selfie was featured on the Selfie Olympics twitter page.

Seniors Destiny Anderson and Rebecca Yohanes entered The Selfie Olympics when they took this bathroom selfie.

Junior Cody Reagan created an optical allusion by tying his iPhone to a clear string in this selfie.

Shows like Guy Code and Girl Code on MTV2 help teenagers through the awkward transition from childhood to adulthood.

The hour long show features a cast of comedians and TV personalities In a recent episode, actress Nicole Byer comedically demonstrates how girls apply mascara. giving their opinions on three different topics. In most cases, the because it’s funny and true. I don’t topic they are talking about. topics are geared towards a younger want other people to pee next to me.”

A lot of the comedians on the show teenage audience.

Every episode, three topics are give little pieces of advice hidden Just last year a spin-off called Girl discussed by the panel. Some topics within a slew of jokes. Many students Code premiered, which is focused are involve everyday problems, have favorite “pieces of advice” given on what women should do. Things like why there’s no shame in being by the comedic cast. discussed on the shows include embarrassed; other topics are a little “”Drive a big truck so you can puberty, the first date and being stranger, like why being a nerd can pick up even bigger women” is one of broke. my favorite quotes,” junior Christina be a good thing.

Even though Guy Code and its One downfall to the show is that it Lee said. spin-off, Girl Code, are largely made can be crude at some times, making it “I like Nicole Byer’s joke, “Nobody’s up of jokes, there are tips and pieces awkward if you’re watching it around perfect *whispers* except Beyonce,”” of advice that many teenagers and your parents. junior Fabby Ramirez said. young adults remember and learn One thing that Guy Code and Girl In the show, the comedians are from. set up in front of a green screen Code do well is combine their advice “Avoid using urinals next to that eventually becomes a random with jokes. Both of the shows have others,” junior Michael Velasquez drawing. There also funny drawings cast members that make the show fun said. “I like that piece of advice and illustrations that links to the to watch, including comedians, radio/

tv personalities, and celebrities. Some of the fan favorites include model/ actress Melanie Iglesias and radio host Charlamagne Tha God. “My favorite girl from Guy Code is Melanie Iglesias because she’s really pretty and she’s smart too,” sophomore Darwin Canales said.

There are sometimes celebrity appearances, like Melanie Iglesias and Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino.

Other comedians team up, like Lil Duval and Charlamagne Tha God. Lil Duval is known for being the outgoing, loud stand-up comedian while Charlamagne is the quiet but hilarious radio and TV personality.

“My favorite person is Jon Gabrus,” sophomore Aaron Boyd said. “Because I agree with what he says and he’s funny.”

Although many believe Girl Code aired first, Guy Code actually started first and Girl Code is a spin-off. Guy Code premiered on November 15, 2011, and has been recently renewed for a fourth season. Girl Code made its debut on April 23. 2013 and is in its second season.

“I’ve been watching since season one,” senior Leidy Gonzalez said. “I like it because it says truth.”

New episodes of Girl Code appear on MTV2 on Tuesdays at 11 pm; Guy Code’s fourth season starts up again in April.

Students give out their girl code and guy code life

Tricia Liller, senior

Salvattore Ames, senior

If a girl has something in their teeth or looks bad you should tell them. That’s girl code.

Dress how you want to dress and be confident. Girls like confidence.

Junior Rodrigo Coimbra went to great lengths to take a good selfie for The Selfie Olympics.

Best Selfie Olympics from around the world

Faith Paletti, senior If you call dibs on a guy, he’s yours. You probably screamed “DIBS!” really loud and embarrassed yourself when you saw him, so you deserve him.

Khalid Kandeh, senior Start saving money from early because girls have expensive tastes.

A lucky fan got the chance to take a selfie with Beyonce at a recent concert.

Beza Yoseph, junior

Andre Wright, junior

Do whatever makes you happy and forget about everyone else. Also, give out good vibes, because what goes around comes around.

Deny everything. If you’re accused of anything by your girlfriend, deny it all. Deny, deny, deny.

Pittsburgh Penguins centerman, Evgeni Malkin somehow was able to snap this selfie in the middle of a game.

NASA astronaut, Mike Hopkins, snapped a crazy selfie when he was performing repairs on the station.

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to read a story about The Selfie Olympics.

Hime Kebede, sophomore Try to stay low key. If something happens to you don’t tell the whole world, keep it to yourself. Don’t put your business out there, and know who to trust.

Sabrina Huynh, freshman Wait for the guy to text you first. You don’t want to seem desperate.

Cory Pringle, sophomore Never date girls that are in your close group of friends. It will make things awkward while you’re dating and after you break up.

Bryan Benavides, freshman The only time guys should ever hug is during a sports game, any other time is awkward.

ENTERTAINMENT Why do we like One Direction?

Jan. 21, 2014

The popular, hearthrobs catch audiences view, but why?

BY THIA CARYIYYANIS Staff Writer With three No. 1 albums, two world tours and millions of screaming fans across the globe, British boy band One Direction has taken the world by storm. Since they were formed on the X-Factor UK in 2010, they have become the world’s biggest boy band.

Their first album, Up All Night, was the fastest selling British album in the US since The Beatles. Their upcoming Where We Are stadium tour sold out in less than 10 minutes.

Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan originally started out as individual acts on the X-Factor UK. Later at the bootcamp stage of the talent show, all five boys were told their journey ended.

Little did they know, judge Simon Cowell suggested that they form a vocal group out of Styles, Horan, Malik, Tomlinson and Payne.

Thus, the newly formed One Direction began its journey to pop stardom.

The original “British Invasion” began with The Beatles in 1962 when they released their first single, Love Me Do, and two years later, they were international superstars. Following the The Beatles was the American pop group The Beach Boys. With their fun and upbeat lyrics, they

The One Direction band has rose to fame as the latest boy band.

quickly gained international success.

Boy bands all throughout history have captured the hearts of young girls everywhere, but one question remains- what’s their secret?

Looks certainly add to the success of most bubblegum-pop bands through the ages. “All boy bands are good looking,” freshman Erin Lundy said. “Their songs are really fun and enjoyable too.”

Talent has always been a questionable element for some boy bands. The Wanted and One Direction can get away with boring lyric repetition and predictable beats, but since they’re “cute”, so obviously they’re going to be successful in the music industry.

“For example, One Direction are supposedly really attractive to girls,” sophomore Grant Rollins said, “but without that, they’d have nothing.”

Earlier groups such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Jackson Five without a doubt had loads of talent. But they do fit into the classic boy band stereotype of matching outfits and stiff choreography, something that has not gone away with time.

“My favorite thing about One Direction is their personality,” junior Kristel Franjie said. “Their concerts look so fun and they always mess around with each other on stage. They don’t have that typical boy band feel about them. They like to have fun.”

One Direction is definitely known for their on stage jokes and amusing lyric changes. They might not be the most talented in the business, but they sure know how to get the attention of their fans.

One Direction has one of the biggest fan bases out there, but that isn’t always a good thing. The boys have reported fans trying to sneak into the band’s hotel rooms by hiding in trash cans or even scaling the walls of buildings.

“Their fans can go crazy for, like, no reason,” junior Rachael Allshouse said. “Some of them are just psychotic.”

The Wanted and One Direction fans have been known to be very hostile towards each other. After Twitter fights between One Direction member Louis Tomlinson and The Wanted member Max George, a rivalry between the two bands and their fandoms formed.

The fans of some boy bands can tend to be extremely dedicated to their idols, but that’s only because they’re the “lovable yet idiotic British

AHS Remembers their Boy Bands

1960

1960 Most Famous Hit: “Hey Jude” Band Includes: Ringo Star, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon.

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to listen to The Beatles Come Together”.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 18) Things will get harder than usual for you, so it could be a good time to skip school and take it easy.

Sit back and relax and you should be back and focused soon!

Pisces (Feb.19- Mar. 20) You’re kind of clueless about what is going on in your life right now. You should be because the right person hasn’t entered the picture yet. Maybe you should start to talk to your friends more and see what’s important to you.

Aries (Mar. 21- Apr. 19) Someone in your life is going to irritate you, but try not to worry about it. If you worry about them too much, you just might miss out on an amazing opportunity.

Taurus (Apr. 20-May 18) Your energy is off the charts and amazing, which can make you more attractive so don’t be surprised if someone starts to romanticize about you. It could be romantic, professional or just friends.

Your communication isn’t at its prime right now, it may be frustrating and annoying, especially with family. But with time it should ease up for you soon. .

“I like The Jackson 5 because they introduced a new style of groovy music that is really fun to listen to. My favorite is Michael Jackson” —Doreen Amoaful junior

Beach Boys 1961 On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to listen to The Beach Boys “Surfin in the USA”.

1970

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Whatever has been troubling you lately, think through and find resolutions to repair what is wrong.

Your brain in on fire so make sure you make the best of it. You may or may not become a millionare.

Leo (July 23- Aug 22) Invest! Your financial side is showing right now and is on point so make sure you use this ability to youradvantage.

Maybe save some money and invest wisely. May the odds be ever in your favor.

“I like Menudo because of the heavy influence of my Mom and she is in love with them, so I had my fair share of them. My favorite is Ricky Martin because he was apart of the original group. ” —Daniela Rambal junior

Virgo (Aug.23-Sept.22)

1980 New Editon

THE JACKSON 5

1978

1970 Most Famous Hit: “ABC” Band Influences: Michael Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Jermaine Jackson.

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to listen to N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye”.

New Kids on the Block 1984

MENUDO

1990

1985 Most Famous Hit: “If You’re not Here” Band Includes: Nefty Sallaberry, Carlos Meléndez, Fernando Sallaberry, Óscar Meléndez and Ricky Meléndez.

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to listen to The Jonas Brothers “Burnin’ Up”.

“I like the Jonas Brothers because Nick Jonas is a singer, Joe Jonas is beautiful, and Kevin is good at guitar. I will always be a Jonatic.”

—Keila Montiel sophomore

Horoscopes

Gemini May 21- June 20)

“I like the Beatles because I like their songs, their looks, and their style. My favorite member is John Lennon.”

—Jeffery Montano sophomore

THE BEATLES

19

“N’Sync was my favorite band when I was younger because I was the right age to be a teeny bopper. My favorite is Lance Bass because I thought he was cute.”

—Julia Hannemen teacher

Focus on the people around you and take care of them.

Use some of your energy on small scale projects like cleaning the house or doing homework. Your energy is fantastic and make sure the people around you feel it!

Libra (Sept.23-Oct. 22) Chill out, maybe take off somewhere alone or with a special someone. You’re energy isn’t really with the rest of the world and a bit off.

Just relax and you’ll get back on track soon.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Be happy! Some awesome news should be coming your way sometime soon. It should make you happy for the rest of the month at least.

Use this good information, it could get you somewhere and give you the edge you’ve been looking for.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You have the power to handle problems that are going on that no one else can. Yes, it might get annoying but it will be done before you know it so you can enjoy the fun stuff!

Backstreet Boys 1993

N’SYNC 1995 Most Famous Hit: “Bye Bye Bye” Band Includes: Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass.

2000 JONAS BROTHERS

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan 19) Something happens to you that isn’t quite right. It is weird but it will be in your best interest to check it out.

The truth might surprise you, as well as weird you out.”

2010

2005 Most Famous Hit: Burnin’ Up Band Includes: Joe Nick and Kevin Jonas

ONE DIRECTION

The Wanted 2010

2010 Most Famous Hit: “Story of My Life” Band Includes: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to read more about each of the bands featured on the timeline.

JAN 22

Waka Floka Flame at Howard Theatre at 8:00 p.m.

JAN 30

J. Cole at Dar Constitution Hall at 8:00 p.m.

FEB 6

Justin Moore at Patriot Center February 6th at 7 p.m.

FEB 13

Rebelution at The Fillmore Silver Spring at 9 p.m.

FEB 21

Kings of Leon at Verizon Center at 8 p.m.

FEB 21

Lady Antebellum at Patriot Center at 7 p.m.

F

un itness

Many students get their weekly exercise outside of the gym. The DMV is filled with exciting and fun activities that you can enjoy while breaking a sweat.

COURTESY OF CARL DEEDS

Upcoming Concerts

Jan. 21, 2014

COURTESY OF REEM LAKKIS

20

WEEKEND

Reem Lakkis

Carl Deeds

Belly Dancing

Hunting

COURTESY OF SUREYYA GOKTURK

Sophomore Carl Deeds likes to backpack on the weekends. He also loves to fish, hunt, shoot, mountain bike, and just generally be outdoors. He hunts deer, squirrels, and doves, sometimes alone or with his family and friends. “I hunt because I enjoy it, it’s an American tradition and I’m trying to keep it alive, and it puts food on the table,” Deeds said. He hunts on his family’s property, or friend’s property.

COURTESY OF MOLLY GORMLEY

Junior Reem Lakkis goes to Sahara Dance in DC, on the weekends to belly dance. “I’ve been taking classes since I was younger and I love it so much because it’s so cultural and sexy,” Lakkis said. Belly dancing works out abs, legs and arm muscles and oblique muscles. The dances are set to authentic Arabic and Middle Eastern music. “I used to go belly dancing with my mom, but now I do it more by myself,” Lakkis said.

Molly Gormley

Sureyya Gokturk Acrobat Class

Skiing

Sophomore Molly Gormley enjoys skiing on the weekends. Her favorite places to ski are Whitetail, Wisp, and Seven Springs Resort. Last year, she traveled with her family to Park City, Utah, where they skied the slopes for a week. “I normally ski with my family or friends. I love skiing because it’s a tradition in my family, and speeding down the slopes is really fun for me.”

Senior Sureyya Gokturk has taken several acrobat classes on the weekends, along with senior Jennifer Nguyen. The class starts off warming their muscles before going on the ribbon. “It was a super fun class and a great experience, but definitely a lot harder than I thought,” Gokturk said. “The class requires a lot of flexibility and upper body strength.”

Skip the gym, take a class Dozens of different types of boutique fitness classes in the area steer kids away from the gym ZUMBA

KICKBOXING

FEB 23

Justin Timberlake at Verizon Center at 8 p.m.

FEB 23

Young the Giant at The Fillmore Silver Spring at 8 p.m.

What: Kickboxing fitness classes mimic the moves of a kick-boxer and choreograph them to music.

It often incorporates kicking, punching, jumproping, and fast footwork. This is extremely high intensity and energy and works on coordination and muscle strength.

Where: Stroga (Drop Ins: Prices range), Vanguard Gym ($19.99 for 3 classes), Gold’s Gym (Membership required)

2014 class bulletin

What: Zumba is a high energy, high intensity aerobics class that incorporates fast paced latin music and dance. It is a great class to take with friends, the mixture of fitness and dance makes it a very fun workout. This cardio workout can help you burn anywhere from 350-900 in one class.

Where: Xsport Fitness (membership required), CoCoFitness (Drop ins: $16), Kazaxe by Azuka-Bom (Drop ins: $5)

BOOT CAMP What: Boot camp classes are a great way to get a high intensity work out in a group setting. They combine high intensity cardio workouts with muscle training such as weight lifting all guided by a trainer. A typical class might incorporate exercises such as squats, pushups, and running.

Senior spirit packs are on sale! Money for it is due by Jan. 14.

Where: Fitness on the Run (Drop Ins: $25), Bodies by Sidney (Drop Ins: $25), Phoenix Fitness-GTown Boot Camp (Drop Ins: $15)

Graduation countdown: 147 days!

Make sure to let Robin Roth at the Career Center know what schools you’ve been accepted to, so she can put it up!

YOGA OGA

PILATES

On your smartphone, scan the above code using the application “QR Code” to look at a restaurant review of Legal Seafood.

What: Pilates is a body conditioning routine that combines muscle strength, flexibility, endurance, and core workouts. Pilates includes a series of different poses and workouts on a mat.

W What: Yoga is a type of spiritual meditation that tests your strength, flexibility, flexibility, posture, and balance. It is good for or both your mental and physical health lth and rather low intensity. Yoga classes are offered for all in ddifferent levels including ing beginner and eexpert so there is a class ss for everyone.

Where: Little River er Yoga (Drop iins: $20.00), Sun and Moon Yoga Studio (Drop ins: $15-$20), 5-$20), 532 5 Yoga (Drop ins: $20)

Where: Fuse Pilates (Drop Ins: $19), Studio Be Pilates (Drop Ins: $18), Lifetime Fitness (Membership Required) —Compiled by Priya Adhikary and Gaby Camilli