The Bulldog - March 2014 Issue by Brian Mitchell

The Bullis School 10601 Falls Road Potomac, MD 20854

Bullis School

The Bulldog March 2014

Issue 3

INSIDE:

Data-mining in the digital age: does online privacy still (or did it ever) exist?

News

Pages 2-3

Online portfolios will capture student development

Features Pages 4-5

By Brian Mitchell Editor-in-Chief

Entrepreneurship teams launch prototypes

Arts

Pages 6,7

ALEC FINK

Bulldogs win third consecutive IAC title

Coach Kelly’s squad finishes with a perfect 12-0 record in IAC play and the #1 ranking in the metropolitan area Draw your best Bullis scene to win $50!

Opinions Page 8,9

When do game cheers cross the line?

Sports

Page 10, 11

By Alec Fink Sports Editor Head coach Bruce Kelley and the Boys Varsity Basketball team finished off an impressive season by beating Episcopal in the IAC Championship game 63-52. Being the #1 seed in the tournament, the Bulldogs had the luxury of a first round bye and playing in front of their home crowd in both games. On Friday, February 21, the Bulldogs hosted Georgetown Prep in a rematch of a very close game: one Bullis only

Backpage

Faculty basketball lineup

son. We also picked it up on defense and created turnovers leading to easy buckets,” said Russell Sangster (‘14). The team headed into the locker room with confidence and returned to the court with the same intensity as the second quarter. With each school’s crowd cheering passionately, the Prep fans were silenced when Sangster threw down a ferocious dunk and all but ended the game as Bullis punched its

See BASKETBALL Page 10

Administration rolls out Thursday Enrichment reading program By Gabe Melrod Staff Writer

New baseball bleachers unveiled

won by two points despite being heavy favorites. The boys got off to a sloppy start characterized by turnovers and missed layups and free throws. Although the game was tight after the first quarter, Bullis asserted its dominance over Prep in all aspects of the game. The offense began to click and the defense was causing all sorts of problems on the other end, as the Hoyas went on a crucial scoring drought. “We started to share the ball on offense and were constantly looking for the open per-

With all the technological distractions available to students these days - not to mention the significant amounts of assigned reading in classes - the activity of reading for pleasure has fallen by the wayside. This poses a serious problem for our generation, though, as it has been proven time and time again that pleasure reading activates essential parts of a student’s developing brain, increasing critical skills like comprehension, retension, and vocabulary.

To mitigate the effects of an ever-decreasing interest in pleasure reading on the Bullis student body, two department chairs have joined forces and initiated a required Enrichment reading program. Lisa Vardi (History) and Amanda Lombardo (English), along with the support of colleagues in their respective departments, designed the program over the course of the year and successfully launched it two weeks ago during a Thursday Enrichment block. Initially, the program only applies to the freshmen class, but there

are plans to extend it to the sophomore and junior classes as well. For Vardi and Lombardo, it was clear that reading for pleasure among students has taken a backseat to the electronic age. Rather than curling up with a good book, students use their laptops and smartphones to watch Netflix, Snapchat their friends, and play addicting games like Flappy Bird. But years of study have shown that the leading way to boost one’s vocabulary, ACT/SAT

See KAFFIR BOY Page 2

Recent investigations into the NSA’s collection of personal data on millions of people across the world have drawn immense publicity and concern over privacy. But far less known are the equally troubling operations run by advertising, marketing, and data-mining firms. Employing techniques ranging from loyalty cards to targeted social media advertisements, private companies systematically gather very personal information that you unknowingly submit on the Internet. Name, e-mail, address, phone numbers, friends, family members, age, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, shopping habits, browsing habits, health concerns.... hundreds if not thousands of online and offline data points are linked, processed, and sold to corporations, governments, and even criminals. The scope of this personal data mining likely exceeds that of the NSA scandal, yet the industry is almost entirely unregulated and consumers lack basic knowledge of what these opaque firms know about their identities. The industry of aggregating and selling personal data is referred to as “database marketing.” One of the major companies in this field, Acxiom, processes more than 50 trillion data transactions per year and claims to have an average of 1,500 pieces of data on hundreds of millions of Americans. Acxiom then combines these data into digital consumer profiles (aka your identity in byte format) and sells these profiles to its clients, which include credit card issuers, retail banks, telecom/media companies, insurance companies, and many, many more. You may be skeptical as to

See BIG DATA Page 9

News

THE BULLDOG

Kaffir Boy kicks off Enrichment reading lineup Continued from front page

scores, and general knowledge is through reading. It was thus imperative for Vardi and Lombardo to take a stance and revitalize the Upper School’s engagement in reading: “We were concerned that kids just don’t seem to have, or make the time for reading,” said Lombardo. “And may not even be aware of the important benefits of reading outside the classroom.” Needless to say that when they first heard about the program, the freshmen class had mixed reactions.That is, some students heard the words “required reading” and immediately thought “more schoolwork.” The program’s founders, however, state that this is not the mission: “Our goal is to create a reading culture in the Bullis Upper School where students want to escape into a good book,” Vardi explained. “Studies have shown that students who read books for pleasure 200 minutes per week increase

GABE MELROD

(Left to right) Amanda Lombardo, Corwith Cramer, Rachel Newman, and Lisa Vardi design the Enrichment reading program to foster a love for reading and improve vocabulary and standardized test scores among students.

their background knowledge, and vocabulary comprehension and SAT/ACT test scores dramatically.” Once the program is in full throttle, students will naturally improve a range of skills while exploring any topic, fictional genre, or author they want. But in order to provide structure throughout the launch, Vardi and Lombardo decided it would be best to assign the first book. They chose author Mark Mathabane’s 1986 au-

B U LLI S S C H O O L’S

THE BULLDOG The Bulldog is a student-run newspaper made to not only inform students about school information, but also to provide a forum for student expression. Many of the articles are written by the Journalism class, however we accept articles from the entire student body. The Bulldog reserves the right to edit and change submitted articles as we see fit or if they do not meet our specifications. If you have an article you wish to submit, send it to TheBullisBulldog@gmail.com. The Bulldog will not publish anonymous letters, or anything deemed libelous, obscene, or in poor taste.

Editor-In-Chief Brian Mitchell

Advisor Brad Kosegarten

News Editor

Arts Editor Amanda Greenberg

Rachel Weinberger

Opinions Editor Andrew Smith

Sports Editor Alec Fink

Social Media Director Matt Hansan

Culture Connoisseur Jonathan Laetsch

Staff Writers Carly Steren Gabe Melrod Owen Caulfield Katie DeVries Jonah Nielsen Charlotte Traver Stanford Becton

tobiography, Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa. Kaffir Boy is fitting for a pilot novel because it combines the social and historical contexts explored in non-fiction with the deeply moving language of literature. The book thus exposes freshmen to various genres of writing, a key goal of the Enrichment reading program. Unfortunately, because of all the snow days this year,

the program had difficulty taking off. But with the few reading sessions that the students have had, there has been a range of feedback in regard to Kaffir Boy and the program as a whole. Gabrielle Whittleton (‘17), for example, states, “I don’t really mind reading to be honest but the fact that we have to read during Enrichment is a little annoying. Sometimes I need to see a teacher and instead of seeing them during Enrichment, I have to go after school because I have to read during Enrichment.” Others, however, praise the first few reading sessions: “The book Kaffir Boy is really good,” said Allison Bass (‘17). “And I think it works well as a beginning book for us. I liked it a lot because it was very informative about the Apartheid and gave an interesting view of it.” In order to keep students focused during the reading periods and ensure that they are absorbing the books, the program has students take small comprehension quizzes on a website called Ac-

GABE MELROD

celerated Reader. High scores on Accelerated Reader are great, but the program hopes to produce measurable improvements in students’ vocabulary and standardized test scores over the next few years. While time will tell the actual efficacy of the Enrichment reading program, Vardi, Lombardo, and their support staffs deserve praise for taking bold action to save the sacred activity of pleasure reading from a techinduced extinction.

E-portfolio to track student growth By Matt Hansan Social Media Director

Bullis is introducing a new program next year that will provide students with a place to store all their work.This online portfolio has been established to document students’ personal and academic growth and further improve the Bullis educational experience. The e-portfolio is an online portfolio that will allow students to share what they’ve accomplished and worked on. The material that a student puts in their portfolio can range from academic work, to projects, to extracurricular activities, and even athletic accomplishments. This is important for future students who will be able to clearly see their development and improvement throughout their Bullis years. The e-portfolio will better allow students to self reflect and visualize their academic growth. College Counselor David Weiner, a member of the board that is overseeing the project, is excited about the new e-portfolio: “The e-portfolio should act as a tool for students to focus on what they’re really passionate about, and what got them really excited in-

tellectually during their time in Upper School. The hope is that students will get one more mechanism to express themselves through the e-portfolio.” The administration hopes that the new e-portfolio will do the following: - Emphasize learning as a process. Students are encouraged to make mistakes and learn from them. The e-portfolio will highlight the student’s accomplishments, but will also emphasize that learning how to improve from your mistakes is a big part of the learning process. - Encourage students to take responsibility for learning. Students will be expected to update their e-portfolios throughout the year. Occasionally, advisory time will be used to work on the portfolio but students are encouraged to update it consistently. Teachers hope students will take responsibility for working on the portfolio outside of school as well. - Foster reflective learning through documentation of academic and social growth. A key goal of this program is for students to be able to self-reflect on their accomplishments and growth. The new program is designed for students to clearly see their transformation. - Help students define, personalize, present, and celebrate their development. The e-port-

folio offers a new platform for students to clearly represent what they’ve accomplished and how they’ve improved throughout the years. “The e-portfolio is built around the core values and is designed to help students reflect on their own growth in those areas--in the classroom and out,” Ms. Chehak said. “[The e-portfolio offers] the opportunity to reflect on the way their work embodies the core values, to identify the ways in which they have grown, and to celebrate all their hard work and Bullis experiences!” The e-portfolio will be a part of every grade. In the beginning of the year, students will most likely write goals, then track their progression throughout the year at achieving these goals. In the late spring, students will be expected to post a short reflection, simply talking about how the year went and what they accomplished. Overall, the e-portfolio will offer students a platform to keep all of their personal accomplishments, big events, and other academic successes, thus allowing them to witness their development throughout their time at Bullis.

News

THE BULLDOG

2014-2015 will bring record number of new classes By Charlotte Traver Staff Writer

Throughout the course of this year, teachers and students have collaborated to create a wide variety of classes that will be offered next school year. This will be the largest selection of courses Bullis has ever seen, with a range of studies from App Development to Marine Biology to Classical Mythology. Students and teachers alike are anxious to learn about what each will entail. The Bulldog would like to include that although this article only highlights some of the new classes, all new classes offered in the 2014-2015 school year will provide a unique and enriching learning experience.

Cultural Collisions in 20th and 21st Century Literature

Marine Biology Course Goals: Students will apply content from chemistry, biology, physics

and environmental science to the study of marine science; as well as, design a marine aquarium research experiment and report their findings in an abstract.

Course Description: Marine Biology is a survey course focused on the study

of marine life and ecosystems, focusing on the impacts humans have on the marine environment. Labs, including dissections, and field investigations will familiarize students with specific marine ecosystems and organisms. Students will maintain a salt-water aquarium ecosystem for utilization in research projects. Students will have the opportunity to work closely with the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network throughout the trimester and can sign up for the St Kitts Global Studies field trip for additional fees.

Course Description: Students will examine works from diverse cul-

tures while exploring the roots and ramifications of cultural conflict and shifts. Units include the relationship between tradition and modernity, the pressures of cultural assimilation, and the results of increasingly global interconnectivity. Cultural Collisions will build upon themes introduced in core English courses and will continue to develop the skills of close reading, critical analysis, broad synthesis, and academic writing. Units include “From Tradition to Modernity,” “Globalization,” and “Cultural Assimilation.”

Type: Second or third trimester elective

Type: Third trimester elective

Humanities and Global Studies Signature Program

Decision Theory (Math) Course Description: This course teaches students to apply mathematical

Course Description: Students’ participation in the Humanities and Glob-

Type: Trimester elective; open to juniors and seniors

Type: Full-year Prerequisites: American Humanities Seminar

reasoning to competitive encounters in real world situations. The main focus of this course is the mathematics of decisions, Game Theory. This branch of mathematics focuses on the application of mathematical reasoning to competitive behavior. Game theory has applications in many different fields of study including, economics, politics, law and biology. Students will be exposed to classic finite games and learn how to calculate payouts and player advantages. This will lay the basis for exploring 2-person zero-sum games, opening the possibility to explore many complex situations in which people need to understand all perspectives of a conflict to determine their best strategy.

Honors Latin American Studies Course Description: Honors Latin American Studies is an elective oppor-

tunity to explore pertinent issues regarding the people, culture, and history of Latin America. The course will examine different issues, including: the colonization of Central and South America; the distinctions between terms such as Latino and Hispanic; the history of the Cold War and how Latin America was used (and even abused) by democratic and socialist regimes; and the economics of Latin America as each country has sought its own way forward into the 21st century. Assessments include presentations, debates, tests, and essays, culminating in a major research project. Readings come from a textbook as well as contemporary newspapers, magazines and journals from Spanish-speaking Latin America. Apart from some introductory readings from a textbook, this class is conducted entirely in Spanish.

Type: Two-trimester elective Prerequisites: Spanish III or H Spanish III

English • Cultural Collisions • Poetry of Revolution Mathematics • Decision Theory

al Studies Signature Program will culminate with a year-long, independent project which they design, develop, and implement. Although topics will vary widely, this course will provide the necessary structure and guidance for their work. Each student will employ their acquired skills to see a project through from the beginning proposal to the final presentation and defense delivered to a panel comprised of teachers, administrators, and mentors from their chosen field. Throughout, students will elicit feedback of peers and adult mentors, will communicate with professionals in their field, and will document their creative process.

Classical Mythology Course Description: This course offers a general introduction to the sa-

cred stories, or myths, of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Through readings, lectures, and class discussions we will examine the myths as they are transmitted to us in ancient literature (epic, tragedy, etc.), as well as the visual arts (vase painting, sculpture, etc.). Students will analyze ancient myths, investigate what those myths tell us about the ancient world, and explore themes and motifs, which relate to the modern world. Moreover, students will equip themselves with the background necessary to make modern literature, philosophy, religion, and art more intelligible and meaningful.

Type: Trimester elective offered all trimesters

“We’ll be looking at Greek and Roman myths, stories of war and sacrifice, and examining what makes a hero. It’s all in English and good fun.” – Mr. Green

Social Studies • Global History • Honors Global History

Foreign Language • Honors Latin American Studies

Science • Physics: Methods • Physics: Quantitative • Anatomy and Physiology

Tech & Engineering • Creative Coding • App Development • Robotics II

• Marine Biology Fine Arts • Dance Composition I & II • Dance II • Acting II • Introduction to Theatrical Production • Theatrical Production and Design II • Advanced Theatrical Design • Contemporary Practices • AP Art History

Signature Programs • Audition Repertoire and Porfolio Prep • Modern Problem Solving • Honors American Humanities Seminar • Humanities and Global Studies Capstone • Visual and Performing Arts Capstone • Classical Mythology I, II, & III

Features

THE BULLDOG

Entrepreneurship teams race toward $10k final prize By Owen Caulfield Staff Writer

Every business and product originally started out as a small idea by a person or a group of people. This is exactly what students in the Entrepreneurship ‘Signature Program’ are doing; coming up with a small idea and expanding it into something bigger. So far a total of six different groups have began to develop their own innovative product, and all but two teams have developed a prototype that can be tested by potential consumers. According to Entrepreneurship Coordinator Marc Steren, each group operates as a legitimate business: “They hold board meetings, have budgets and are trying to bring their products to markets. They own intellectual property, interact with customers and are competing not only against each other but with real competitors who exist in the current marketplace.” Groups have also sent out prototypes and look to receive feedback from potential customers. “We are interested in customer feedback so the faster these prototypes are available the better off the team will be. With feedback, the teams can adjust their products to what customers actually want, not what we think they want,” Steren explained. Students have been well prepared and educated on a lot about how businesses work: “I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to run a start up, and even with three other people, it’s pretty challenging,” said Andrew Oglander (’14). “The class is great because it’s preparing me for what I’d like to do one day, which is run a business.” As students enter their products into market, they hope to generate success and build off of their prototypes. At the end of the year, the six teams will present their idea to Head of School Dr. Gerald Boarman, Entrepreneurship Coordinator Marc Steren, and numerous program mentors, all of whom will select the best idea.

Noti

PicShare Alec Fink, Brandon Kay, Mika Liu, Anderson Folsom A social media app that allows a user to place a picture with a general idea on a blank canvas. Other users can add their own photos that match the concept of the original canvas, creating a collage. The app’s goal is to connect users across the globe with photo collages, and give them the ability to like and comment photos, as well as search for collages.

Noti (Andrew Oglander, Dana Martin, Matt Hansan, Paul Mavrikes) Ever wanted to connect with any friends who may be at the same live event as you, but find it difficult to do so? Noti fixes this common problem, by giving users the ability to find out which friends are at the same event. “We feel that we are fulfilling a social need by connecting friends at social events,” stated Paul Mavrikes (’14).

THEPICSHARE.COM

Above is the login page to PicShare, a social media app that allows friends to collaborate and share collages

ANDREW OGLANDER

The above user interface wireframe highlights Noti’s core feature - locating friends at sports events and concerts

Kanga Stadium Trash Bags

Pearl Toothpaste Tablet

Brian Kelley, Cody Branchaw, Daniel Ayre, Matt Peel, Rayna Tyson Trash piling up at sports events can become a problem. Kanga Stadium Trash Bags aims to collect all of trash generated by the food and other items used by spectators. The Kanga team has already tested the trash bags at various Bullis basketball games and is currently engaged in talks with a minor league baseball arena and leadership of the Atlanta CODY BRANCHAW Hawks. Exhibited above is a Kanga Sta-

dium Trash Bag model, which will lead to cleaner sports arenas.

Cristina Avila, Emma Goldberg, James Barlia, Jindu Chiazor, Ogulcan Atakoglu Toothpaste is a major necessity for everyone, and Toothpaste Tablet is looking to make the process of brushing one’s teeth easier. They plan on making a small sized tablet that can attach to toothbrushes and become activated by water. The product will end the messiness of toothpaste and optimize the amount of toothpaste used. It will also be extremely practical for younger kids and frequent travelers.

JAMES BARLIA

Sketches of the Pearl Toothpaste Tablet, which aims to bring convenience to the dental hygiene market.

Helping Hands Ben Catt, Kirby Porter, Nick Matzelevich, Rebecca Mazer, Rob Trone It is often hard for teachers to navigate the challenges associated with learning disabilities. Helping Hands is a mobile application and website that aims to enhance the learning experience for students with disabilities by allowing teachers to easily supervise the student’s progress: “We are helping kids with learning disabilities by monitoring their progress sequentially each day, to track their improvement,” explained Rob Trone (’14).

Check It Out Alec Bertero, Blake Priddy, Carly Steren, Nebe Samuel, Taylor Burris Check It Out is a mobile application that improves the grocery shopping experience by displaying an interactive store map that directs users to the location of various items. Potential revenue streams for Check It Out include data collection and a paid app with premium features. TAYLOR BURRIS

Check It Out’s user interface seamlessly directs users to the location of items within a grocery store.

Features

THE BULLDOG

Committee searches for new Upper School Principal By Rachel Weinberger News Editor Bullis has started the process of finding a new Upper School principal after Andrew Delinsky announced he is leaving Bullis at the end of the year. Although finding a replacement will be hard, the Upper School Principal Search Committee has been working diligently to accomplish the task for next year. Andrew Delinksy has taught at Bullis for 11 years and he will be dearly missed by students and faculty. He was previously an English teacher at St. Albans and the Fay School outside Boston. Now, Mr. Delinsky plans to bring his new skills to the Head of School position at the Peck School in Morristown, New Jersey. There are multiple steps in the arduous Upper School principal search. The Upper School Principal Search Committee is comprised of six administrators, including Dr. Reidy, Ms. Chehak, Mr. Pollicino, Ms. Gray, Mr. Dickie and Dr. Giles, along with teachers Ms. Hosmer, Dr. Badraslioglu, Ms. Terwilliger and Ms. Darling. The Committee has been assigned to find three to four attractive candidates for

the position. To limit the competition, numerous phone and Skype interviews take place, resulting in the best three or four candidates. Once the pool of candidates is whittled down, the candidates will visit campus for a face-to-face interview with a set of parents, selected student government representatives, and instructional staff and administrators who will be working closely with the principal. After evaluating each interviewee, Dr. Boarman will take all the recommendations into consideration before announcing his final decision. The new principal must have certain qualities to make him a proper fit for the job. Ms. Chehak would like to see him be able to manage change, support the faculty and be an effective collaborator and communicator and actively work with and understand the students and parents to encompass the position as “nurturer of the whole Upper School”. With Mr. Delinsky setting the standard so high, the search for the perfect principal will be a carefully planned one. “We are looking for someone who really values working with students, faculty, and families in a school like Bullis,” explained Ms. Gray. “We are looking for a person who has

PECK SCHOOL

Our beloved Andrew Delinsky heads to the Peck School in NJ, leaving big shoes to fill in the Upper School principalship. been a classroom teacher and also an accomplished administrator. Probably the most difficult aspect of the search is striving to find someone who has the ‘intangibles’ that will keep the Upper School the happy place it is: wisdom, kindness, a calm demeanor, a caring attitude, and (I hope!) a great sense of humor!” A great deal of planning will be needed to make the transition in Upper School authority an easy one. The students will have to become comfortable with the new principal over time, just as they have with Mr. Delinksy. “Next year will build the faculty as a team because we’ll all be pulling together

more than ever as the new member of the leadership team learns our culture and community,” said Ms. Chehak. “Hopefully, new ‘blood’ will excite the students and engender pride in Bullis so the new principal immediately understands how awesome we are!” Ms. Gray also thinks the transition to a new Upper School principal will be exciting: “There is the sadness in saying goodbye to such a respected leader as Mr. Delinsky, but we are all so thrilled to see him go on to be a Head of School. Our new principal will be eagerly welcomed, and I have no

doubt that our amazing community of students, staff and parents will be incredibly supportive and enthusiastic in welcoming our new US leader. I imagine that he will spend lots of time ‘listening’ and getting to know the community and all of us in it.” Students are unsure but excited for the expecting changes next year as they wait to hear the results of the search. But one thing can be said: it will be hard to move on from the familiar. “I am excited for a change, but it’s still really sad to Mr. Delinsky leave,” said Cherise Fraser (’15). “I hope the new principal can interact with us the same way he did.” “You always see Mr. Delinsky around, he gets to know each and every one of us at Bullis,” said Sophie Roberts (’15). “I am sure the new principal will be the same and I’m excited for the change.” “I am excited to see what new ideas and opportunities the new principal will to Bullis,” added Katie Panzer (’16). “I know there will be many positive changes that we will all adjust to!”

Darling invigorates female participation in STEM By Carly Steren Staff Writer It seems that since time immemorial, males have dominated the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. Indeed, high school and university programs and STEM-focused workplaces are disproportionately comprised of male students and employees. But as Bullis expands its own STEM Signature Program, Coordinator Faith Darling has prioritized the motivation and incorporation of female students into STEM offerings. Although Darling always responds to praise with the utmost humility, her efforts are helping redefine STEM’s long-standing reputation as a male-only realm. With a background in math and economics, Darling is no stranger to fields with unequal gender representations. She worked at the Federal Reserve, for example, with a group of 14 men. When Darling attended architecture school at The Ohio State University, it was her first exposition to a truly coed STEM environment. As she pursued topics of interest, Darling’s strongest role model was her mother, who also happened to be a

math teacher. Darling found that throughout her time in the STEM realm, the stigma around girls entering the field was very strong. She reflects that not all girls were as comfortable as she was to break down the barriers. “Girls have been underrepresented in the STEM fields from the beginning,” explains Darling. “There has been a stigma centered around STEM that it is nerdy, and a field for men to control. The best way to include girls into the field of STEM is to introduce it when they are young, before they are taught the stigma, and that is

what we are trying to do here at Bullis.” Darling has created a strong initiative at Bullis to involve girls in STEM - from the second grade all the way through the twelfth grade. In the Lower School, she has bought STEM related games such as “GoldieBlox,” a company that was in fact started by a female Stanford graduate with the direct mission of combining story and construction to get young girls building. The second purchase Darling has made is the game “Roominate,” which also happens to have two female

engineers as CEOs. With Roominate, girls build dollhouses outfitted with the wiring for lights and ceiling fans. Roominate thus teaches basic circuitry skills in an exciting way that connects with many young girls’ interests. Middle School females interested in STEM can opt into tech majors and work with another technology Darling has introduced called “Makey Makey.” This activity gives girls a set of tools from which they can make any instrument they wish using STEM technology. In the future, Darling

BRIAN MITCHELL

Eleni Baker (‘14) and Paulina Rubin (‘14) implement a new idea for Bullis’ lunch lines under the guidance of STEM Coordinator Faith Darling.

hopes to attract middle school girls to STEM with a program in which they make their own “wearable technology” - clothes that require both fashion and STEM skills. Finally, in the Upper School, Darling’s program to incorporate girls into STEM centers around mentoring projects in the STEM Capstone Lab. Paulina Rubin (‘14) and Eleni Baker (‘14), for instance, are working to improve the lunch room experience. Specifically, the Rubin-Baker duo are applying queueing theory and other systems engineering principles to problems such as overcrowding and inefficient line movements. Mei Li (‘14) has the other female project in Darling’s Capstone class. She is making a chair for schools that is comfortable, durable, and comprised of 100% recycled materials. Darling summarizeds her efforts to break down the stigmas associated with girls in STEM thusly: “We are trying to bring opportunities to our students so they can work with groups and mentors that are strictly women, by doing so we are working to break down the barriers between men and women in the STEM fields. At Bullis the students are able to see a number of women in high power STEM positions, we hope this helps to break the barrier down.”

Arts

THE BULLDOG

Embrace the season of love with Jon Demand’s top 3 Rom Coms By Jonathan Laetsch Culture Connoissuer

Every year come springtime, the question of love fills the minds of many. Some ponder if true love exists while others are truly in love. Some give in to love’s siren call and others fan it off. The Hollywood film industry has discovered the profitable side of people’s ambivalent love feelings and the universal fire that implementing love into their movies can spark in audiences from around the world. Now, while the genre of romantic comedy has brought forth a multiplicity of films, finding ones that stand out among the notoriously unoriginal and far-fetched storylines is difficult. With the three romantic comedies listed below, I hope to spare you from the cliché rom-com experience. Instead, I have compiled a list of films that explore love from a diverse perspective. While Pretty Woman approaches the topic in fairytale fashion, Knocked Up reveals how love can unite two seemingly opposite personalities. I hope you enjoy the list that I have carefully picked out for you, and I guarantee that the three movies below will make you dream of falling in love…

Pretty Woman (1990) Beverly Hills. With high-end couture stores lining the streets and multi-million dollar properties lining the perimeter, the famous district of Los Angeles exemplifies glitz and glamour like no other city in America. The city is the perfect setting for the plot of the critically acclaimed picture film Pretty Woman (1990), directed by Garry Marshall (New Year’s Eve), in which Los Angeles hooker Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) catches the attention of wealthy businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) when he asks her for directions. Stunned by her beauty, Edward proposes to “hire” Vivian to accompany him to all his social gatherings. With a deposit of $3,000 and unlimited access to his credit cards, Vivian agrees. She soon finds herself trading in her old lifestyle for a more opulent one, all the while falling in love with Edward. Pretty Woman is homage to the endless possibilities of life and one of the most established works of the romantic comedy genre. What makes Pretty Woman so unique is the fact that it approaches the topic of love in a different fashion. The film confronts the viewer with the idea that love knows no social boundaries. Julia Roberts delivers an incredible performance, packed with comical situations that emerge when Vivian, as her sassy self with a street mentality, clashes with the decorum of her new upper-class lifestyle. Rather than demonstrate Vivian’s journey as a struggle, Pretty Woman portrays it as a transformation. This is what makes the movie so special. This is what makes the movie timeless.

COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

Crazy, Stupid Love (2011)

COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

Crazy Stupid Love, featuring a stellar cast of Steve Carell, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling, is a refreshing comedy that follows Cal Waver (Steve Carell) after his wife (Julianne Moore) confesses to cheating on him. Under the false impression that his marriage was going well, Cal finds himself completely caught off guard by the news. He moves into his own apartment and drowns his sorrows by visiting a local bar and announcing his situation loudly. The bar also happens to be the territory of handsome bachelor Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling), who preys on beautiful women with the goal of uncommitted sex. With his warm charm and witty pick-up lines, Jacob can get any girl, any time. Noticing Cal and feeling pity for his broken marriage, Jacob takes him under his wing and teaches him the ways of a womanizer. He has Cal trade in his dorky haircut for a salon trim and his khakis, New Balance shoes and cord aroid blazer for a clean suit piece and Italian designer shoes. With Cal’s newfound style comes new confidence, and Cal quickly learns how to talk women into sleeping with him like never before. But realizing that sex with strangers is not what he wants in his life, he tries to win back his wife and better all the things that were wrong with their relationship. Crazy Stupid Love is refreshing and humorous on the outside but on the inside it holds a deeper message: love can be explosive, magical, and confusing, but most of all love can happen to anyone and change their life for the better.

Knocked Up (2007) Love often catches you by surprise and romantic comedies underline this with a clear trend: opposites attract. This is the case in acclaimed director Judd Apatow’s hilarious rom-com Knocked Up (2007), which stars the beautiful Katherine Heigl (The Ugly Truth) as Alison Scott, a career-orientated women who struggles to let loose, and Seth Rogen (Superbad) as Ben Stone, a (who would have guessed) laid back stoner who lives off insurance money from a past injury. The two meet at a local nightclub, and as is often the case in romantic comedies, the drunken night ends with sex. Alison and Ben wake up the next day with a headache and a deep sense of regret. Once the hangovers vanish and clear thinking returns, both realize that they have little in common and are clearly not made for each other. Little do they know that their lives are already intertwined, as Alison finds out she is pregnant and Ben is the father. Promising to support her through the pregnancy, Ben nudges Alison into starting a relationship and they dive into one marked by awkwardness and struggles, tears and laughter. As seen in many romantic comedies, Knocked Up’s core message is that it is possible for anyone to find love. Apatow displays the stark contrast between Alison and Ben’s lifestyles and personalities in such a humorous and in-yourface manner that one cannot help but smile when the two collide. Despite their differences at first, love prevails; and as the two begin thinking more about how their relationship will affect the upcoming baby, they decide to better themselves and try harder to get the relationship to work. Fortunately, it does.

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Arts

CALLING ALL BULLIS ARTISTS! CREATIVELY CAPTURE THE BULLIS LIFESTYLE TO WIN $50

Grab some colored pencils and draw your most imaginative Bullis scene in the free space at the bottom of the page

Snap a picture of your drawing with your smartphone

E-mail your picture to thebullisbulldog@ gmail.com

We at The Bulldog will select the most creative drawing to win a $50 Potomac Pizza gift card

Check out these examples from Katie Panzer (‘16) and Paul Mavrikes (‘14) for inspiration.

KATIE PANZER (‘16) PAUL MAVRIKES (‘14)

Opinions

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A spirited8 ‘Dogpound’ clashes with IAC rules By Andrew Smith Opinions Editor

Bullis students have always looked forward to school sporting events as a time to show off their school spirit and cheer their teams to victory. The basketball fans who piled in the gym’s “Dogpound” this year expressed this same sense of spirit, coordinating dress themes among the student body and starting chants to motivate Coach Kelly’s squad. So this year’s Dogpound was like any other year – at least this was the thought until Bullis administrators repeatedly approached the front rows of the bleachers and issued stern warnings against the cheers the Dogpound had come to think of as tradition. Did the administration overreact to entirely playful cheers? Or did students not recognize that their chants were excessively provocative? In short, at what point do game cheers become inappropriate? At IAC basketball games this season, heads of the student section initiated a variety of cheers against other teams they thought to be creative, encouraging, and within the domain of a long-standing Dogpound tradition. Against Landon, the students roared, “Landon, the school that knows their boys,” to the tune of “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”; against St. Stephens St. Agnes, the favorite cheer was “O how I hate the Stagnes Stains” to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” While the administration seemed to ignore some of these same chants during football season, they would have none of it in the gym, frequently castigating the Booster Club’s leaders and shutting down chants labeled excessive, antagonistic, and even against the core principles of Bullis. Additionally, administrators threatened to throw out any student who continued to disobey their warnings. Despite the presence of chants directed at the opponent team and fans, the student section directed the majority of its cheers toward its own team. Rhythmic stomps and shouts of “Defense!” electrified steals, blocks, and forced turnovers; unified cries of “I believe that we will win!” really did carry the team to a perfect IAC record; and popular chants asking Coach Kelly to put in crowd-pleaser and three-point extraordinaire Nebe Samuel (’14) could be

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The Dogpound intends for its coordinated themes and creative chants to inspire its team to victory. But when do cheers cross the line? called nothing but motivational and communityoriented. Therefore, some students felt that the administration’s reactions placed disproportionate emphasis on the negative cheers in comparison to the more prevalent positive ones. However, the student body must understand that the administration is required to abide by a strict set of IAC rules. Specifically, these rules state: “The School Administration should: Encourage and promote friendly relationships and good sportsmanship throughout the school by requiring courtesy and proper decorum at all times, by acquainting students and others in the community with ideals of good sportsmanship, and by publicizing these concepts and attitudes so that all members of the school community will understand and appreciate their meaning.” According to Boys Athletic Director Andres

Parra, Bullis tries to embrace the league rules by “stay[ing] away from personal attacks, names, numbers, or something that calls out the individual player, and also slogans of other schools.” What the IAC does not understand is that this is a competitive league in which teams feed off the red-hot emotions of their respective student sections. There is inevitably going to be cheers that some may see as unsportsmanlike – and the worst of these do warrant an administrative intervention – but cheers like this have long been central to the atmosphere of high school sports events. Moreover, every student section in the IAC uses similarly “controversial” cheers so no matter what school is playing, there is going to be something said that does not comply with the IAC’s code. Yet, there can still be sportsmanship and friendly relationships between intra-league schools even if both schools have a loud and proud student section. That is what high school sports are all about - two rival schools empowering their classmates by expressing both their desire to win and their desire to see the other team lose. Contrary to what the IAC thinks, negative feelings that exist between schools do not arise out of ephemeral student section cheers but from who wins and loses. I thus believe that the fault is not with Bullis, but with the whole IAC. The rulebook is totally unrealistic for high school sports. We are being treated as if we are in middle school and anything even remotely negative is erroneously labeled an aggressive, personal attack. Furthermore, the IAC rules don’t take into account the passion of competition. When two rival schools play against each other, the cheering sections significantly influence the outcome of the game by demonstrating school spirit and disrupting the flow of the opposing team. It’s not only part of high school sports culture but of The student sections are a part of that and when two rival schools are playing the cheering sections are important to the outcome of the game. Both sections want to show their school spirit and the best way for them to do that is by being loud and disrupting the flow of the other team. It is part of the high school sports culture, and the IAC’s policy should be reevaluated over the coming years.

Bullis should offer individual fitness and yoga activities By Katie DeVries Staff Writer

Bullis states that all students, regardless of their skill level, should have the opportunity to participate in athletics. Bullis defines athletics as team sports or activities (i.e., dance and cheer) and suggests that participating in team sports ensures that every Bullis high school student develops skills and appreciation for athletics. There is no argument that physical activity has multiple benefits for high school seniors. The United States Department of Health recommends that children and teenagers have at least 60 minutes of physical activity per

day. Some high school students, however, are uncomfortable participating in team sports or trying out for a sports team. Yet, these students still deserve the opportunity to participate in a credit activity that involves physical fitness. Bulls should offer noncompetitive physical activity options such as fitness classes and yoga. At this time, Bullis doesn’t offer individual physical non-competitive activities for credit. Bullis notes that their small size does not allow unlimited activity options for students; that is, a certain number of students are needed for any Bullis offered activity

to become a reality. Thus, Bullis prefers to invest its resources in team-based activities to promote teamwork as well as individual fitness. Nevertheless, non team sport and physical activities would also develop students’ physical fitness. Physical activity for high school students has benefits that are important to all areas of school life. The Centers for Disease Control reports that physical activity in adolescents improves their strength and endurance, reduces anxiety and stress, and increases selfesteem. If Bullis offered a wider range of physical fitness options, more of its

students could reap these benefits of fitness related activites. Non-competitive physical fitness, yoga, and other programs focus on individual fitness and greatly benefit the students’ body, mind, and stress level. Stress is a major problem for students, so by offering credit classes in yoga, Bullis could help students manage their stress levels as well as improve their physical fitness. Although we have a smaller student body that does not allow for unlimited activity options, Bullis is one of the only private schools in the immediate area that does not offer individual fitness or yoga class-

es as an activity offering. Schools such as St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, the Potomac School, and the McLean School all offer individual physical fitness, yoga, and/or outdoor physical education as athletic options for credit for their high school students. Bullis should be encouraged to extend its physical activity options to include non-team, non–competitive options. By offering more options, it is likely that additional students will participate in physical activities and enjoy the benefits of physical activity including better health and less stress.

THE BULLDOG Opinions 9

‘Big Data’ necessitates major changes to privacy policies Continued from front page how your social media activities are so valuable to data brokers. Who cares what statuses you’re posting or what you’re commenting on, right? Wrong. Imagine how a health insurance company might react to viewing your caloric intake on a social-fitness app, how often you check in to your local gym using Foursquare, and what you eat based on your Instagram posts. When considered individually, each piece of information seems inconsequential; but, when aggregated, these data create a larger picture of your identity that companies like that health insurer can use to make deci-

sions about you. In almost all cases of online data mining, the individuals are unaware that they are being tracked. A description of such operations may be squeezed in at the very end of an insctuable privacy policy that consumers usually ignore when signing up for a new service or buying a new product. Thus, while data-mining may not be technically illegal, it certainly seems unethical. Of course the easy answer to these problems is to opt out of social media and Internet use; however, this is hardly realistic in today’s digital age. What we need is a modernization of our consumer protection laws to match the rapid

advancements in technology. Government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission are investigating data brokers and calling for more transparency in the industry. But consumers cannot wait for the government to act; instead, those of us concerned with privacy must hold a fire to these private corporations. At the minimum, consumers should have the ability to view what data companies have collected about them and opt-out of future datamining. Engagement with this issue is critically important, as it will be our generation’s job to avoid insidious violations of personal privacy in the future.

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The sites and apps you love are not as innocent as they seem - data brokers collect the personal information you enter online and sell it to a variety of commerical and governmental clients for big bucks.

Improving advisories - is more or less structure necessary? Point: Stricter guidelines should be in place to ensure student participation By Rachel Weinberger News Editor Maureen Martin and Janet Gerson reshaped the advisory curriculum this year to better help students connect with a teacher and classmates outside their regular class day, and to build character through the meaningful discussion. The idea is there, yet advisories are becoming increasingly lenient in following the discussions laid out by Martin and Gerson, so they have been less effective. There should be stricter guidelines to ensure participation to mutually benefit all advisors and advisees. If there is engagement during advisories, then students will become more active members of the Bullis community, as well as increase the interaction and comfort level between students and teachers. One major issue is that many students aim to complete unfinished homework or catch up on the latest gossip, instead of involving themselves in the planned discus-

sions. The advisory system is assessed every two years and one of the focuses this year was to engage students more in discussion on relevant weekly topics. For example, February covers “Diversity”, October covers “Community” and November covers “An Ordinary Hero”. But with an unfocused agenda, students lose attention, and it affects the feedback that they provide and receive during their Tuesday and Friday advisory meetings. Sometimes important topics such as homecoming, the honor code, community service, course selections, minimester sign-ups and Thanksgiving basket assignments are discussed and student opinions are valuable to the succession of such events. It is important to stay on task, so advisories should tighten the grasp on their weekly meetings to ensure the success of their goals. Advisories focus on students’ academic success as part of the curriculum, which is valuable to both the student and teacher. “I can reflect and talk about

my grades in my advisory, which is really helpful because I can figure out what I need to do better in and how,” said Leah Cohn (’14). When students withdraw themselves from the discussions and interactive activities with the other kids, they are missing the connections that they could be building with the students and teachers alike. As an active participant, Kyah Ayers ’15 has valued her Tuesday and Friday meetings, “Ms. Gray, the guidance counselor, is my advisor and it was a really good opportunity getting to know her!” The feeling is mutual for teachers. Ms. Gerson, the French teacher, said, “One thing I like about advisory is that I get to know students who are not in my classes.” It is an opportunity for students to open up to classmates as well. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of people I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet otherwise in my advisory,” said Brittani Campbell (’14) . “I love being able to talk

and hang out with people I usually don’t see during the day,” added Teddy Sullivan (‘15). Getting to know each other is a vital component in taking the full advantage of Bullis. Interaction between different genders and age groups emphasize the importance of individuality and acceptance, as well as helps make Bullis more welcoming to a wider variety of students. Yet, if students are unengaged during these time periods of interaction then they miss out on the purpose of them. Advisories also help students understand the core values at Bullis and what it means to be an active member in the Bullis community. For example, the core value integrity, an advisory meeting focused on the consequences of plagiarism. National Honor Society members were asked to define the lines of plagiarism and cheating, as well as discuss scenarios that were debatable. During another advisory meeting, student tutors visited the advisories and

talked about good studying tips for upcoming exams in the fall, which emphasized the core value, resourcefulness. “I believe it was helpful to have the student tutors come because they had previously taken some of the exams and provided some good pointers for us,” Jonathan Holland (’15) said. “They introduced different resources we could use to help us succeed on our exams.” If advisories followed their designated discussions all the time, then students could become more familiar with the regulations and policies that are oriented at Bullis. Advisories were implemented to help build connections, develop character and ensure academic success, as well as encourage students to be active members of the Bullis community. Except, lack of control with the direction of the designated discussions has not allowed these objectives to make headway. Therefore, advisories should enforce these weekly guidelines that are posted for them on Haiku to benefit the whole advisory and

Counterpoint: Open dialogue about topics relevant to student life will maximize interest By Matt Hansan Social Media Director A student’s advisory is an important part of their time in high school. Advisors are there to help students with tough decisions and lead them in the right direction. Discussions in advisory are supposed to lead into valuable conversations between students about assigned topics. Most of the time, though, students disregard those assigned topics to have discussions about topics that they come up with themselves. These self-driven conversations about relevant topics to student life engage students

more than the assigned topics. The administration should therefore consider restructuring or destructuring advisories to maximize time for studentled dialogue. Mr. Zimmer’s advisory is known to be one of the shining examples of student-driven discourse, with a high level of participation among its junior and senior advisees. In fact, Zimmer’s advisory infamously attracts students from other North Hall advisories. Clearly, those advisories’ strict adherence to the assigned plans did not spark their advisees’ interest. By contrast, these visiting students state that Zimmer’s

advisory is more active and focuses on topics that pertain to the daily life of a teenager. Zimmer’s philosophy is that “all newcomers are welcome, as long as they contribute - or else they have to go.” Zimmer does this to encourage everyone to talk and be involved in the discussions. He explained that the assigned topics are often used as backups in case students aren’t talking on their own. He continued to say, however, that it is rare that he has to use the topics, noting that “in general, his advisories’ conversations are very good.” In the future, the faculty

should still suggest plans for advisory sessions; but it ought to be the right of every advisory’s students to either follow those plans or have constructive conservations about other topics related to teenage or student life. Senior and junior advisories are most likely to adapt to this proposed structure; since upperclassmen have been together for multiple years, they are probably more comfortable speaking without a specific script about issues that affect their community. Freshmen and sophomores should be able to talk about topics important to them, but they are more likely going to

need the assigned advisory topics to “break the ice.” Zimmer disagreed with the idea of having a more strict structure to advisories: “The stricter structure wouldn’t be good because I like having options of what to talk about, but also it’s good to have the assigned topics as a backup.” It’s simple - if students are comfortable talking freely in advisory, they are going to enjoy the time a lot more than if the topics are simply assigned by the higher-ups. Looser structure will continue to lead to better discussions and participation during advisory.

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Senior basketball players finish IAC champs Continued from front page ticket to the IAC Championship game with a 74-58 victory. Making it to the championship was not enough for the Bulldogs. They had done what was already expected of them and would not settle for anything less than one last IAC victory for the season. That did not mean it would come easy, as Episcopal showed up in the big moment.

Throughout the entire game, both teams exchanged threepointers and the score remained close until the fourth quarter. As Bullis became more physical on the offensive glass, the Episcopal shooters lost their touch. With less than a minute left in the game, Coach Kelley let the starters take a seat on the bench after a job well done. The crowd roared with appreciation for the dedication each player

put into the season as the final seconds ticked off the clock. After shaking their opponents’ hands, the players joined the student section in elation on the court. Continuing their celebration, the team hoisted the IAC Championship trophy and cut down the nets, marking the end of this historic season. “Through the years, I have seen myself grow as a player and person on and off the court

while seeing my teammates grow as well. This championship is different than the others because this year we needed everyone to win it,” said Aaron Briggs (‘14). For senior players Aaron Briggs, Austin Brown, Jamaal Greenwood, Brian Kelley, Nebe Samuel, Russell Sangster and Andre Walker, there is no better way to finish their career at Bullis. They were the team to complete the extraordinary three-peat and have lots of memories to look

back on. “Going out on top is extremely satisfying and gives me a sense of comfort knowing that I strived to be the best and now it shows with three banners on the wall,” said Sangster. Next year will be challenging for the Bulldogs, not only to live up to high expectations, but to play without the leadership in their seven seniors who head off to college.

Baseball field features brand new bleachers By Jonah Nielsen Staff Writer Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Camden Yards and… Bullis Bulldogs Stadium? Thanks to extensive work, money and effort, Bullis’ new baseball field will now be considered one of the best stadiums in the IAC. The upcoming season’s expectations are mile-high for the Bulldogs, who are hungry for their first IAC championship in school history. In terms of sports facilities, Bullis School has one of the best reputations in the state, thanks to their outstanding football, soccer, and lacrosse fields. However, the one athletic area often overlooked by the Board of Trustees has been the baseball fields: two run-down, old fields which stand out from the other, beautiful and up-todate stadiums and facilities Bullis has to offer.

That all changed last September when Bullis began work to bolster their baseball facilities and keep them up to par with the rest of the fields. The first improvement was the introduction of underground dugouts, giving the fields a much more professional and realistic feel. Since then, Bullis has continued to work tirelessly to improve their unfinished project and this season they will unveil their second major feature in as many years. The new stadium features an all new, state-of-the-art seating section sure to make attending a baseball game a much more enjoyable and relaxing activity. The new viewing arrangements come with a plethora of improvements and updates, as the seating capacity goes from 40 crammed spectators to 350 avid supporters in under a year. Furthermore, the new bleachers depict the classic “grand stand”

style seating you would find in major league stadiums: there are seven rows of foldable plastic molded chairs equipped with cup holders to further improve fan experience. Additionally, the school has improved the spectators’ safety by building a see-though mesh backdrop that will block dangerous foul balls from potentially injuring a fan, without inhibiting their view of the game. As amazing as these new features are, they are long overdue and should have been started several years ago, as Todd McCreight, Business Officer at the Bullis School noted in an interview: “The board determined half a year ago that this was something we needed to get done fairly soon.” When the project finally began it hit the ground running and after 300,000 dollars in capital and plentiful construction work, the school hopes to

unveil the new look stadium on March 6th: Boys Varsity Baseball’s first home game of the season against Walter Johnson. For coaches and players, the massive increase in game attendance will add a sizeable amount of pressure: something that can greatly affect the game. Players will welcome a much finer and more concentrated spotlight, as crowds may potentially triple or quadruple in size. When asked about the effects that pressure can have on a player, Bullis starting pitcher Ben Webster (‘15) said, “You have to be tough mentally. If you are weak, you just won’t be able to play.” For coaches, a different, yet just as heavy, type of pressure will be felt, as win-loss standards for Bullis baseball reach an all-time high. “Expectations for us to play well, perform, and get the results we need are certainly there because of that added pressure,” said head coach Brian Lumpkin.

The new seating adds to an already extensive list of improvements Bullis has made on its major sporting facilities over the past couple of years. Additionally, while many students feel the administration favors football first and all other sports second, McCreight assuredly stated this was not the case. “There has never been a rank order. Each year we put together a list of improvements we think the school needs and we take that to the Board of Trustees who choose what they think will best improve the school,” said McCreight. This year, the Board favored baseball and has made the improvements necessary to revive the once dilapidated Bullis baseball facilities.

Athlete Spotlight: wrestling champ Blake Matthews By Stan Becton Staff Writer

Over the past two years, Bullis student-athlete Blake Matthews (’16) has flourished as a wrestler; he has won two IAC championships, finished in the top four in last year’s state tournament and advanced to prep nationals last year. Matthews realized how much fun wrestling could be when he began in second grade. Three years later, he went undefeated and understood his potential. By continuing his success on the wrestling mat, he has begun to reach that potential with even more time to improve. Matthews attributes his success to his hard work and dedication during the offseason, often training with his dad who constantly videotapes his son’s matches. “My dad always puts up with my shenanigans,” said Matthews. “He takes me to all [the] different camps during the summer, he takes me to workouts, he lets me workout in the basement and buys me all the weights I need. He really is what starts

my success.” Blake’s offseason training helps him be the best wrestler physically once the season begins. However, he also has mental fortitude as a wrestler as well. “I go into every match with the mentality that no one’s going to be able to stop me and I’m going to give this person everything I have until the last second,” said Matthews. Never doubting himself, Matthews always uses his skills to lead by example. His role as a leader has increased on a team with nine new wrestlers. On leading by example Blake noted, “It really shifts the emotion during a match when you go out a pin a really good guy or defeat a guy who’s better than you. It shows [the team] that they can do anything. It’s showing the teammates that if you work hard, you can achieve it.” Despite his leadership role and success, Matthews remains humble. He recognizes no matter how many IAC championships he wins,

there is always room for improvement: “I‘d like to work on my neutral and shot defense a little bit more because a lot of the upper level kids are stronger and they have the ability to sprawl.” Putting in the extra work when no one is looking is what will allow Blake to reach his goals: wrestling at the collegiate level. Although sophomore year is early in the wrestling recruiting process, Matthews has already received a few letters from Division I universities. In addition, he has a goal of being a national prep champion wrestler and a high school All-American. Blake strives for his goals on and off the mat as his hard work in the classroom has made him an Honor Roll student. Matthews has exceeded expectations during his two years wrestling at Bullis. He has defeated some of the best wrestlers in the area early in his career. The sky’s the limit for Blake’s future.

BULLIS SCHOOL

Blake Matthews (‘16) won his second consecutive IAC championship this year.

SPORTS

THE BULLDOG

An inside look at Bullis’ spring sports teams By Alec Fink Sports Editor Now that all the winter sports teams have finished off their seasons, it’s time to look ahead to the next set of athetics at Bullis. For the boys, there’s baseball, tennis and lacrosse, while the girls’ sports are softball and lacrosse. In addition to the gender-separated teams, Bullis offers co-ed track as a spring activity as well as the golf team, which has not seen a female player in a while. Here’s a quick look of what to expect for each team this spring.

Boys Baseball CHELSEA WIDERLITE

Coaches: Brian Lumpkin, Joe Teets, Frazier Stowers and Keith Gordon Senior Players: Owen Caulfield, Jeremy Epstein, Matt Hansan, Gerald Horn and Andrew Smith, Last Year’s Results: The Bulldogs had a very good team last year, but failed to finish off their successful season as they lost their IAC Semi-Final game in extra innings. This Year’s Hopes: The baseball team is using last year’s bitter ending as motivation for the upcoming season. They hope to compete in all their games and reach the IAC Championship game: a game they hope to win. They have pitching, offense and defense, bringing excitement to this year’s team. Quote: “Everyone is well motivated and excited for this upcoming season and I can’t wait to get on the field and try and win the IAC,” Ben Webster (‘15). Team Fun Fact: Matt Hansan (‘14) is notoriously known as, “SnapMatt,” for his excessive amount of snapchatting on the team’s trip to Florida during 2013 spring break.

Boys Lacrosse Coach: Robert Pollicino, Jeff Bellistri, Ben Donahue and Sean Crow Senior Players: Alex Robinson, Rashaad Wise, Russell Sangster, Joe Stucky, Ben Catt, Greg Lovegrove, Nick Matzelevich, Clay Cosimano and Rob Trone Last Year’s Results: Last year, the Boys Lacrosse was led by many talented senior players. The team battled through a challenging year and lost in the IAC Semi-Finals. This Year’s Hopes: With the loss of key position players, the 2014 team has big shoes to fill, but have young, promising talent. Although they may encounter issues with having a

The 2013 Girls Varsity Lacrosse team poses for a photo on their annual spring break trip to Florida. young team, the Bulldogs have a lot of leadership and passion in their locker room. They hope to make a deep run in the IAC Tournament and compete with every team they face. Quote: “We’re looking to make a deep run in the playoffs that will hopefully allow the eight seniors to win Bullis’ first ever championship,” Alex Robinson (‘14)

Golf Coaches: George Mavrikes and Ben Brundred Senior Players: Daniel Ayre, James Barlia, Alec Bertero, Alec Fink, Isaac Fried, Justin Hoch, Paul Mavrikes, Blake Priddy, and Ryan Siegel Last Year’s Results: Last year, the golf team had an upand-down season. They had the skill to be a good team, but other schools, like Landon and Georgetown Prep, were better. The IAC’s did not go as well as expected, but the boys gained experience and only got better after last year’s season. This Year’s Hopes: This team has a great mix between experience and young players. In the past few years, the golf team has had very solid finishes. This year, they hope to build upon their past successes and minimize their errors. Golf is an individual sport, but the competition between players to score better will make this team the best it can be. Quote: “We have some underclassmen who have major potential to have sting showing… we are most looking forward to the IAC Championship Tournament,” said Paul Mavrikes (‘14). Team Fun Fact: Blake Priddy’s chances of making a “golf boys” picture are about the same as getting a hole-inone.

Girls Softball Coaches: Heather Patterson and Rick Burge Senior Players: Carly Bass, Eleni Baker and Sandrita Borckardt Last Year’s Results: The Girls Softball team did not win a whole lot of games in the regular season last year. But as most say, “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” To their credit, the girls made it to the ISL Semi-Finals. This Year’s Expectations: The team was very satisfied with how they finished last season and would like to make it back to where they finished: the ISL Semis. Once they are there, who knows what will happen? Quote: “This year we’re going to be pretty small, but we’re looking to win some games,” said Eleni Baker (‘14) Team Fun Fact: After a player hits a homerun, the rest of the team exits the dugout, waits at home plate and picks up the slugger.

a little rough, but we have all improved with the hopes of doing something special this year,” Kasey Countee (‘14)

Girls Lacrosse Coach: Kathleen Lloyd Senior Players: Jane Beightol, Laura Brundred, Leah Cohn, Kendall Hay, Dana Martin, Caitlin McMahon, Rachel Weinberger and Chelsea Widerlite Last Year’s Results: The 2013 Girls Lacrosse team had a very successful season as they worked very hard as a team and accomplished their goal of winning their division banner. The keys to their performance were team chem-

istry and dedication to victory. Bullis was very proud to see them reach their goals and play hard each game. This Year’s Expectations: Coming off a season like last year, the Bulldogs are hoping to stay in the upper division when this season is all said and done. They will face many good teams and hope to compete in all their games and experience victory as often as possible. Quote: “[The upper division is] going to be a challenge for us but we have a lot of young talent and leadership to do well,” said Laura Brundred (‘14). Team Fun Fact: The girls lacrosse team sports the latest and greatest concussion-preventing helmets while they play.

Track Coach: Joseph Lee and Torrance Zellner Senior Players: Carl Leacock, James, Gabby TielmanFenelus, Taylor Burris, Simone Glenn, Tyamonee Johnson, and Ashley Deleonibus Last Year’s Results: While the boys experienced difficulty accomplishing their goals, the girls won the ISL Championship. This Year’s Expectations: The girls are looking to repeat as champions. They have great skill and work very hard every day. Same with the boys; last year has sparked motivation and they too are looking to bring a banner to Bullis. Quote: “I’m really excited to see the team expand in size and I’m sure it will expand in wins!” Amala Nixon (‘15). Team Fun Fact: Simone Glenn is a nationally ranked runner.

Boys Tennis Coach: Steve Miguel and Gary Kittay Senior Players: Kasey Countee, Darian Hashemzadeh, Brian Mitchell, Anderson Folsom, Scott Bettigole Last Year’s Results: Having lost four key seniors from the season before, the team struggled. They finished fourth in the IAC with a 3-10 record. This Year’s Hopes: Although last year was not as successful as they hoped, the team has high expectations this year: contend for an IAC title by putting in hard work day after day. Quote: “Last season was

MATT HANSAN

Andrew Smith (‘14) and Matt Hansan (‘14) hope to end their Bullis baseball careers by winning the IAC championship.

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THE BULLDOG

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Scouting Report: Faculty Basketball Team

Head Coach: Dr. Gerald Boarman In his fourth year as head coach of the faculty, Boarman looks to improve upon his 2-1 record. Known for high-pressure defense and a fast-paced offense, this guy plays to win. He has recruited the best staff members Bullis has to offer, and they are motivated to defeat the 2014 senior class in front of the rest of the school on Friday, March 21.

Corwith Cramer Colby College ● Position: SG ● Handedness: Right ● PPG: 4.3 ● FG%: 9.5 ● AKA: Tarzan Comments: If this game were played outdoors, we would all be in serious trouble. However, it will be played on artificial surface and may confuse Cramer. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the new environment.

Bruce Kelley Catholic University ● Position: SF ● Handedness: Right ● PPG: 12.9 ● FG%: 35.4 ● AKA: BK Sr. Comments: A lot of energy, a lot of smiles and a lot of high fives: that’s the mantra of BK’s game. He knows the game better than anyone else on the court and his jump shot and ball handling skills are exceptional. We will most likely see one of his own players defend him, which could set up a very interesting fatherson matchup.

Andrew Delinsky Franklin & Marshall College ● Position: PF ● Handedness: Right ● PPG: 10.3 ● FG%: 21.7 ● AKA: Uncle Drew Comments: Captain of the faculty team, who is known for his intelligent play. In his last year, Delinsky is looking to end his Bullis career with a win. Will most likely give a rousing motivational speech to his team before the game given his public speaking experience.

Duruhan Badraslioglu University of Marmara School of Medicine ● Position: PG ● Handedness: Right ● PPG: 1.7 ● FG%: 8.9 ● AKA: Fancy Pants Comments: Handles the ball well, makes good passes and plays tough, but lacks the ability to guard taller players and his post-game is weak. You do not want to see this guy on the free throw line, as he has perfected his shot using advanced physics equations. NOTE: He CAN fly and some have speculated that he is Batman...

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