The Churchill Observer- December 2014

Friday, December 19, 2014

Volume 39 - Issue 4

A National Blue Ribbon School

MCPS freezes budget to save funds for next year

By Ana Faguy News Editor Sammi Silber Editor-in-Chief CPS announced Nov. 24 a temporary budget freeze that will affect staffing and purchasing in schools throughout the county.

According to a Nov. 24 memo, MCPS announced that a budget freeze would become effective Dec. 1 in order to save money for the upcoming school year and to prevent a funding gap in next year’s operating budget.

After the budget went into effect, Starr requested a $2.4 billion budget for the 2015 fiscal year Dec. 9.

The budget will put strict restrictions on filling

job positions at schools, contractual services and supplies and materials.

According to the same memo, vacant staff positions will have to be filled by employees within the school system, and contractual services are suspended except those dealing with emergency repairs and other necessities.

Supplies like textbooks can still be bought, but food, drinks and other expenditures are frozen.

CHS was well prepared for whatever restrictions the county named, according to Principal Joan Benz, with the exception of professional staff development and the equipment structural budget.

According to Benz, the budget works on levels. The first level has to do with staff members and staff development, and the second

level has to deal with purchasing equipment and supplies.

“We have been very good as far as planning to use what we have in our funds,” Benz said.

“The biggest surprise was this first level. We have people who signed up for training and can’t go.”

Although the freeze stops schools from buying supplies and employing new teachers or principals, the budget is not expected to harm how MCPS functions, according to the MCPS senior communications specialist Gboyinde Onijaja.

“Dr. Starr [hopes] that the expected savings from the spending restrictions will help increase the district’s fund budget,” Onijaja said.

“The restrictions apply to budget items not directly related to instruction, and so this freeze will not impact school instruction.”

abuse allegations and ensuring that parents stay informed is a key part of the process.

“I don’t know what direction those principals were working with, but I know that policies are very much in place that as soon as you have any indication that there is an inappropriate situation, you’re supposed to report it immediately, and usually it gets communicated to parents as well – even if it’s just an allegation,” Benz said.

While Benz acknowledges that keeping parents informed is critical in cases of child abuse, she believes that it is also important for schools to be mindful of ongoing investigations when disclosing information to parents and community members.

“When an investigation is going on, I think the school system has to be careful that it does not look like they are determining that the person is guilty before they have had due process,” Benz said.

For this reason, the first step that principals follow when dealing with child abuse cases is usually to report them to MCPS central office officials, who then advise the school on how to proceed with the case and how to coordinate with

law enforcement and parents moving forward.

Benz believes that MCPS’s protocol for dealing with child abuse cases is appropriate and that the procedures and policies do not have to change, as long as people follow them.

Senior Kalina Simeonova, on the other hand, says there is generally a lack of transparency in how MCPS makes its decisions and that it is the responsibility of administration to keep students and parents informed at all times.

“I think it’s essential for principals to communicate effectively with parents, students and community members,” Simeonova said. “The fact that a school withheld information about a child abuse case is very disturbing. If school administrators expect us to be honest and responsible, then they should definitely be held to the same standard.”

Although the lack of communication by school officials in recent child abuse cases is alarming to many, Starr and the rest of MCPS leadership have taken steps to ensure that it does not happen again in the future.

“I created a work group that includes staff, communi-

ty members, and representatives of the police, Child Protective Services (CPS) and the state’s attorney’s office, to review our regulations, policies, and protocols and help us develop training and resources,” Starr said in the press statement. “This builds on our already strong relationship with the police, CPS, and the state���������������������� ’��������������������� s attorney����������� ’���������� s office. �������� I appreciate their partnerships and their commitment to children.”

County officials also held a training session for all MCPS principals Nov. 17 to reinforce the protocols for when there is an allegation of abuse and to review the expectations for communicating with parents. The meeting followed up on a training session done in October of last year, in partnership with the police and CPS, which reviewed protocols for monitoring and reporting allegations of abuse.

“I think this issue is extremely important,” Benz said. “We not only want students to feel safe in their schools, but we also want parents to feel that when their children are in school they are being protected from anyone who would want to abuse or treat them inappropriately. I think communicating effectively with parents is very high on the priority list of what principals have to do.”

M

In light of recent incidents involving inappropriate behavior conducted by two MCPS staff members, some county officials are questioning whether principals are taking appropriate measures and doing enough to communicate with parents on matters regarding staff behavior.

“In my 3.5 years as superintendent, I have seen our schools and offices handle [child abuse] matters appropriately,” Superintendent Joshua Starr said in a Dec. 4 press statement. “A vast majority of the time, we get this right. However, recent incidents have caused me to believe that there is more we can do to improve our processes and procedures. The safety and well-being of our students is too important to accept the status quo.”

Starr’s concerns stem from recent child abuse scandals involving staff members at John T. Baker Middle School in Damascus and Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown.

Substitute teacher Jose Pineda, 50, was arrested in mid-October after an allegation that he inappropriately

touched a Clemente student.

Pineda was charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of third-degree sexual offense.

Earlier that month, security camera technician John Edward Epps Jr., 44, was arrested for inappropriately touching a Baker student; he now faces assault and sex offense charges.

According to a November 2014 WJLA article, Epps Jr. has worked in 58 Montgomery County schools over the last six months and was previously charged by prosecutors in D.C., Maryland and Pennsylvania for sex-related offenses in 2001, 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Although Epps Jr. was arrested Oct. 7, Baker Principal Louise Worthington did not notify parents or community members of the incident until after ABC 7 News broke the story nearly a month later. Once the story broke, administrators rushed to send letters home to parents detailing the incident.

But the damage was done, and many parents are criticizing MCPS for attempting to cover up the issue.

According to Principal Joan Benz, MCPS follows a strict protocol when dealing with child

Elementary School Construction MCPS plans to build a new elementary school, opening in 2017.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MCPS.

News

Features Drowning in College Apps Why seniors are applying to a record number of colleges.

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Arts Arclight Cinemas Opens New movie theatre opens at Westfield Montgomery.

PAGE 15

PHOTO BY ARJUN SWAMINATHAN.

By Pablo Roa Production Editor

PHOTO BY DANIEL MIYARES.

Sex abuse cases raise questions about county policies

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News

Friday, December 19, 2014

theObserver

Silver Diner lets schools ‘eat well, do well’

By Danielle Kiefer Features Editor Milkshakes, burgers and fries are not the only thing you can get at the Silver Diner. With their “Eat Well, Do Well” program, every time you eat at a Maryland, Virginia or New Jersey-based restaurant, a portion of the proceeds will go towards local schools.

“Every time a guest swipes their card, a percentage of their meal is donated to a local school,” said An, who manages the Silver Diner in Rockville.

The money raised helps fund fitness clubs, new gym equipment, organic gardens and any other health-and-fitness-related programs to fight against childhood obesity.

Participating schools include CHS, Watkins Mill High School, Herbert Hoover Middle School and Robert Frost Middle School.

“I think fitness programs for students as well as adults are very important,” Principal Joan Benz said.

According to Frost Principal Joey Jones, Frost was able to start an Organic Garden Club because of the EWDW program.

“Students and staff learn about the meaning of ‘organic’ foods and their benefits,” Jones said. “Students in the Organic Garden Club learn firsthand information as they participate in the hands-on experiences.”

According to the Silver Diner’s website, since the program began, the Silver Diner has donated over $500,000 to over 100 participating schools, and schools earn on average about $1,300 per year from this program.

The Silver Diner also helps raise money for schools through “Run the Diner” night fundraisers, where they donate 20 percent of sales to the school and students can work side-by-side with the staff as hostesses and waiters.

“We have had several fundraisers at the Silver Diner,” Jones said. “It’s a great program. Also, it promotes school spirit and community when families come together over dinner to support the school and each other.”

Participants who purchase an Eat Well, Do Well (EWDW) card will be benefitting both themselves and schools in the area. By purchasing and linking their EWDW cards to their school, five percent of the check is donated to improving that school’s

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM MCPS.

New school opens in ‘17

By Katie Gauch Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO BY DANIELLE KIEFER.

Silver Diner’s “Eat Well, Do Well” program strives to help local schools. nutrition and fitness programs. In addition, card-holders will be offered exclusive offers and discounts.

According to An, anyone can participate in EWDW by signing up for free and submitting their name, date of birth and email address to the diner’s website.

“We use the email address to send you a coupon that you can use for a free entree and a free dessert for your birthday,” An said. “Throughout the year, whenever we do any promotions or change our menu, we like to invite the guests to come in and we offer them a coupon.”

An additional perk to purchasing an EWDW rewards card is that ev-

ery five visits within three calender months, the card-holder will get $5 off of their meal.

“That will stack with the amount of cards at your table, so if you and your dad and mom each have one, on your fifth visit, it’ll be fifteen dollars off of your check,” An said. “You can also reload the card with cash so you can use it as a gift card.”

Many students at CHS find that this would be a great opportunity for helping their schools and also getting some benefits for themselves.

“I think it’s really helpful for the community and great that they’re trying to help schools,” senior Jackie Plesset said.

According to the anonymous source, he has engaged in graffiti before, mainly as a way to entertain himself. In addition to drawing on the walls, he has also urinated on them, also as a form of entertainment.

Meanwhile, in the girls’ bathrooms, students feel that the graffiti is less prevalent, but still present.

According to junior Julie Thomasian, it just depends on where you go.

“I think the worst bathroom is the one across from the auditorium,” Thomasian said. “Some of the graffiti is disturbing and appalling.”

The bathrooms that have been painted black are a test drive to see if students can respectfully occupy a space.

Walls painted black to combat graffiti

By Fiona Asbury Opinions Editor

The walls of the men’s and women’s bathrooms next to the second floor staff lounge were permanently painted black Nov. 20 in an attempt to cover graffiti.

According to building service manager Angel Delgado, it is still undecided whether or not all of the other bathrooms will follow suit, as building services does not know whether it will be effective.

Many measures were taken before the issue reached this level.

“The walls were cleaned and painted many times,” Delgado said.

According to Delagdo, graffiti is a prevalent problem at CHS, though some bathrooms are worse than others.

Some students feel that at CHS, the main issue is what the graffiti says.

“A lot of the graffiti I see on the walls of the boys’ bathroom is objectifying women and [female]shaming,” said a junior who wished to remain anonymous.

PHOTO BY FIONA ASBURY.

CHS building services painted the bathroom walls black to cover up graffiti.

Though plans for a new elementary school in Rockville are starting to emerge, the new school isn’t expected to open until the 2017 school year.

The elementary school will be located at the Montgomery Country Children’s Resource Center at 332 W. Edmonston Drive.

“The school is being built because enrollment in the Richard Montgomery Cluster has grown significantly and some of the elementary schools are overcapacity at this point,” Public Information Officer Dana Tofig said.

Although there is no name for the school yet, it is expected to be a feeder school to Richard Montgomery, joining the cluster of other elementary schools such as College Gardens, Ritchie Park, Beall and Twinbrook.

However, boundary lines are still being made to accommodate the incoming 600-740 students.

According to a November 2014 Gazette article, the school will have a total of 27 classrooms, two of which will be pre-kindergarten, five of which will be kindergarten, and 20 of which will fill first through fifth grade.

With an estimated budget cost of $35.4 million, schools officials are hoping to get state and county funding to start building. If the City of Rockville provides funds, some of the money will be used to accommodate a larger gym, as is seen in other new Rockville elementary schools.

Community members and parents gathered with architects and staff officials at Richard Montgomery Nov. 5, Nov. 13, Nov. 20, and Dec. 9 to discuss the two options for the school’s building projects.

Safety is a concern for those who live close to the expected entrance of the school. For now, the cars in the drop-off lane are expected to line up along a row of parking spaces, which will be reserved for staff.

Also discussed in the meetings were designs for the school in order to meet the required LEED silver certification.

According to notes from a Nov. 12 MCPS memorandum, “green” roofs, geothermal system ground source heat pumps, recycling during construction, low-water use plumbing devices, and noise control will be encouraged.

Construction is expected to start in the beginning of 2016.

Friday, December 19, 2014

News

theObserver

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Broken heating system makes weather inside frightful

heat and air conditioning systems experience are common, the time period before maintenance repairs the system can create an uncomfortable setting for

teachers and students as the heat can be unbearable.

The classroom conditions led some teachers and students to believe that CHS administrators may have taken

too long to respond to the problem.

“The classroom felt like a sauna,” junior Brighid Dunn said. “It was also worse because everyone was dressed warmly since it is winter.”

Although there is a waiting period for maintenance workers to come and fix the system, the heat decreased throughout the school after Dr. Benz’s announcement.

Some still believe there is work to be done in order to avoid a repeat of this situation in the future.

“There are plenty of steps that need to be taken so that changes can be made,” Modern World History and Philosophy teacher Evan Rosenthal said. “However, I do feel that the school took the necessary steps to help to remedy the situation.”

As of Dec. 15, the heating and air conditioning systems are not fixed.

According to business manager Lisa Wellek, she held a meeting with representatives from both the Maintenance Department and Energy Management to discuss the ongoing problem with the systems.

“I felt it was important to get everyone in a room together to explain the situation,” Wellek said.

“We developed a ‘plan of attack’ from which permanent solutions can be developed and attempted.”

proposed facilities in Greenbriar Park was revalidated by the 2005 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan (LPPRP). The July 2012 PROS Plan reiterated again the shortage of large rectangular playing fields noted in the 2005 LPPRP, as well as identifying a lack of basketball courts in the Travilah planning area.

Greenbriar is classified as a local park and is intended to provide recreational facilities and open space for the wide-ranging community. The park will include the interpretive playground, a natural grass rectangular playing field, a basketball court, an extensive trail network, a 70-space parking lot and more.

The area for 5-to-12 year olds will include a play fort and tower including slides, a zip line and a tire swing, intended to resemble the Piedmont plateau. This is a region which takes up one-fourth of Maryland’s total area and is bordered west by Blue Ridge Mountains and east by the Fall Line.

While there are many specific features aimed at younger children, the park will have

something for everyone.

“I would anticipate that teens will love and will benefit from all of the new facilities, particularly the volleyball and basketball courts, the large playing field and the trails,” Komes said. “The seating areas will provide lots of great spots to just chill out.”

This playground is also intended to teach the community about Potomac’s natural environment. Interpretive and educational signage will describe water movement through the Potomac watershed. The signage is intended to describe the important role each person in the community plays in protecting our natural resources.

According to AP Environmental Science teacher Gary Rogers, learning about ecology in an outdoor setting is a great way to connect students to science content learned in school.

“An interpretative playground that connects the young learners to the scientific principles of nature will go a long way towards sparking their desire to learn and become good stewards of our environment,” Rogers said.

Some CHS students find the playground intriguing because it is an

opportunity to learn about their local environment on their own time.

“This way we can voluntarily learn about the environment in a fun way,” senior Aaron Nadler said.

Other students see this playground as a great way to educate younger children about their impact on the environment.

“It’s smart to introduce the watershed to the younger age, because they will be able to know how to prevent it from being more damaged,” senior Alan Ha said.

“Almost all of the watershed’s pollution comes from us, so if more people are aware of what we are putting down our drains then we can stop pollution one at a time.”

According to Komes, the nature theme is evident throughout the entire park as many features in the park are made from local natural resources.

“Fieldstone walls and boulders will be located as seating elements and focal points contributing to a strong sense of place,” Komes said.

“All of the new plant material is being grown in the Park Department’s Pope Farm Nursery and is predominantly native to the region.”

By Isabel Dibble Online Observations Editor CHS continues to experience maintenance problems with the heat and air condition systems, leading to faculty and students sweltering in classrooms.

Hot conditions in the classrooms began Nov. 17 and lasted until Nov. 21 when Principal Joan Benz announced that maintenance fixed the heating and air conditioning systems; however, the problem returned shortly after.

“A mechanical piece was fixed, but it is now broken again,” Benz said Dec. 8. “The system has been an ongoing problem.”

When CHS finished remodeling in 2002, new sections of the building, such as the guidance hallway, were built and a new heating and cooling system was added. However, the heating and air conditioning throughout the old parts of the school remained the same, causing problems between the two.

According to building service manager Angel Delgado, the problems created between the two systems is common and can easily be fixed. Mechanical equipment can experience problems at any moment, be it related to either an electrical or mechanical problem.

Although the problems that the

PHOTO BY ISABEL DIBBLE.

Junior Bridie Dunn struggles to concentrate in class despite the heat.

Park brings Potomac watershed from surf to turf

By Eugenia Cardinale Production Editor

Children in the Potomac area will soon have a place where they can learn about their local environment in an interesting and interactive way with the opening of the area’s first interpretive playground.

An interpretive playground is one designed around a specific theme.

The theme of this playground is the Potomac watershed and how water moves through it to the Chesapeake Bay. The playground will be part of Greenbriar Local Park which is scheduled to open in the Travilah area in Fall 2015.

“The idea for the concept came from the park itself,” project manager Linda Komes said. “A lovely stream meanders through the park property within a wooded stream valley.

Over 15 acres of the 25 acre park will be preserved as existing forest; an additional two acres will be planted as open meadow areas.”

According to Komes, a 1998 Park, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan recognized that the area had high recreational needs that were not being met. The demand for the

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LINDA KOMES.

The site for the interpretive playground is currently under construction in the Greenbriar Local Park and is expected to open in Fall 2015.

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The Churchill

Observer Editors

Editors-in-Chief Katie Gauch Sammi Silber

Chief Production Manager Katie Clem News Editors *Ana Faguy *Gil Jacobson Opinions Editors Fiona Asbury *Alissa Li *Eugenia Cardinale Observations Editors *Alissa Li Features Editors *Julia Heimlich Danielle Kiefer *Thomas Atkinson *Kim Rooney *Pablo Roa *Hannah Yasharoff Arts Editors Madison Hurr *Julia Heimlich *Emiliana Cardinale *Eugenia Cardinale Sports Editors Michael Fox Julia McDermott *Hannah Yasharoff *Eugenia Cardinale *Ross Tanenbaum *Emily Raab Photography Editors Jasmine Baten *Pablo Roa Fact Checkers Eugenia Cardinale Ariel Levchenko * Production Editors

Managers

Advertising Manager Balbina Yang Business Manager Daniel Miyares

Opinions

Public Relations Thomas Atkinson Hannah Yasharoff Adviser Kelly Knarr

Our Policy The Churchill Observer is published monthly by the students of Winston Churchill High School, 11300 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, Md. 20854. Advertising and subscription rates are available by e-mailing churchill. observer@gmail.com. Advertisements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff, faculty or the student body.

Every effort has been made by the staff to assure that the news is accurate and free of bias.

Editorial opinions are those of the Observer staff, and personal commentaries and cartoons reflect the opinions of their writers.

Letters to the editor must be signed, and assertions must be documented upon request.

The Observer is a public forum for the purpose of expressing the views of and informing the Churchill student body.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Chromebooks cause more harm than good The typical school day includes going to class, listening to lectures and taking notes.

But what if that giant backpack full of papers and notes disappeared and was replaced with one computer?

This is a reality, CHS, and it’s called a “Chromebook.”

Chromebooks, Google drive accounts, and Google classrooms are driving through CHS—Big Brother style. We’re talking about a 1984-style computer that keeps track of every word you type, every website you visit and every single thing you do.

According to a July 2014 memo from Joshua Starr to the Montgomery County Board of Education, MCPS will be rolling out 40,000 devices throughout schools in the 2014-15 school year in order to enhance “collaborative, Cloud-based learning.”

In theory, it is a good idea because it would make it easier for students to collaborate and communicate with their teachers without the mess of papers. However, it should not get past the pilot program because Chromebooks and the hijinks that come with them are overly intrusive, confusing, inconvenient, expensive and harmful to the studentteacher relationship.

The Chromebooks also have a very eerie anatomy. Not only do they work through the Cloud, where teachers can see every keystroke, they also feature a webcam, an unnecessary component for a schoolsponsored device.

Teacher controls can even

extend to controlling students’ sleep schedule indirectly. By setting inflexible electronic deadlines, teachers can force students to complete assignments before a designated deadline.

Gone are the opportunities to finish up leftover homework at lunch and catch that precious extra hour of sleep. Instead, students are going to burn the midnight oil and hopefully make up that sleep somewhere during the school day.

It’s common knowledge that CHS students average five hours of sleep on a good night, so why inflict added pressure and rob them of much needed rest for the sake of an assignment that could have been turned in during a normal school day?

Students aren’t the only ones who have to put up with Chrome-

books’ complicated system either. Chromebooks have made life problematic for CHS staff as well.

Teachers now have to change teaching styles and lesson plans to integrate the Chromebooks.

Courses are always evolving and changing, but the added variable of Chromebooks throws a wrench into the structure.

In addition, Chromebooks are incredibly expensive, and the money to pay for the laptops would perhaps benefit other priorities at the school.

According to the memo, the 40,000 Chromebooks will require $15 million in funding from the Operating Budget for the upcoming school year.

Instead of pitching in tons of money on Chromebooks, why not update the computers we already have or

put the money towards the underfunded Arts programs There’s no need to waste money on devices that provide a watered-down version of basic computer functions.

Chromebooks are merely going to impair student learning in the long run. While it seems like typing is the way to go— it’s faster, easier to read, easier to access and even easier to use in group projects—writing by hand offers benefits that virtual learning cannot begin to replicate.

In addition, typing up notes weakens students’ ability to remember significant material over time.

According to psychologicalscience.org, a website dedicated to discussing the science behind psychology, students who type their notes are less likely to remember conceptual material than those who hand wrote their notes.

Looking purely at the testcentered classes that many CHS students take, it’s more beneficial for students to hand write their notes. Typing them up might be easier now, but come AP and exam time, CHS students are going to feel the burn.

Cheating is also likely to ensue from this change to electronics. It’s easier to access the assignments, but now it’s also easier to access the vast vault of information the Internet offers, making it much easier to copy and paste answers rather than formulate original responses.

Although Chromebooks are meant to enhance our education, they do far more harm than good.

tion, students can be segregated in a variety of ways. There is an age-old law of humor: all comedy is based on misery. Consequently, some of the most successful jokes, tend to push the most boundaries and draw laughs at the expense of someone or something. These jokes, however, also tend to be the most offensive.

For people who want to be funny and who like to make friendly jokes, this causes a dilemma. They now have to make different jokes with different people, and because of this they will want to associate more with those with whom they can be the most open.

We are not by any means condoning distasteful jokes or significantly degrading a single group.

However, stereotypes do exist and jokes that merely highlight an existing stereotype should not be silenced. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is taking place.

This is where the segregation happens; when people are afraid of what they can or can’t say, they begin to settle with those who they are least likely to offend.

In this respect, political correctness functions as an indirect form of censorship in students’ daily lives. Society’s suppression of certain topics deemed inappropriate to discuss directly limits a student’s expression of his or her ideas. A fear of being thought of as racist, homophobic, or rude prevents a student from asking questions or making observations.

When people cannot voice their opinions to other people because

of a fear of offending, they have to watch every word to be certain that they are not hurting somebody’s feelings.

However, joking is only the beginning of the issue. Political correctness becomes infinitely more dangerous when it starts being implemented in everyday conversation.

This is where political correctness begins to act as societal censorship. When people cannot say what they want to say, when one cannot disagree with another person because that person is a member of a minority, it stifles debate and it creates boundaries between people.

This has two effects. First, it reduces the public discourse to lowest common denominator – the things that everyone can agree on, which tend to be the least important issues and the least important topics that one can discuss; if everybody agrees on them, there’s nothing left to talk about. Second, it breeds animosity between the members of a majority and the members of a minority.

The power of one person to veto the speech of an entire group is never well-received. When we say to a white person, “No, you can’t talk about violence in the inner cities, you have no idea what it’s like,” that person will, rightly so, get angry. He’s being silenced, being told that his opinion doesn’t matter.

So what does that person do?

He stops associating with those

silencing him. He starts to only communicate with those just like him, and the ones most likely to be just like him tend to be of the same ethnic group.

This is a sadly common and terrible scenario and it contributes to a complete sterilization of our public discourse; all opinions are no longer debated, all disagreement is immediately stifled, all ideas are now limited to those that already agree with them.

Now, each idea has its own faction, and each faction is only familiar with its own idea. This engenders conflict as each group, acting on extremely limited knowledge and with a very dogmatic position, tries to simultaneously impose its own doctrine upon people.

Furthermore, each group is now afraid of accepting the ideas of other groups and reacts aggressively to any attempt at communication because now, everyone gets offended by everything.

This may seem like taking an idea to its logical extreme, but it’s not; it’s already happening. Look at #CancelColbert or at #GamerGate. Look at the controversy surrounding the Mike Brown case, where you are either proMike Brown or a racist. Finally, look at our own school.

People aren’t ever going to stop saying offensive things, so the best thing to do is to stop getting offended by them. Political correctness is nothing more than censorship under a different name. It’s time to stop it.

PHOTO BY SAM LEE.

BSERVER O OPINION

Political correctness only leads to conflict

By Fiona Asbury Circulation Managers Opinions Editor Emiliana Cardinale Emily Wang Ariel Levchenko Fact Checker Contest Managers Nathan Gertler Arielle Gordon

theObserver

CHS is an extremely diverse school. Starting in Kindergarten, students are taught to understand and respect other cultures, until acceptance becomes second nature. However, the obsession with being “politically correct” has become far too powerful a force in dictating the interactions between students; it is a hindrance rather than an asset to life at CHS. It is common knowledge that some words and phrases are simply “off-limits.” However, as time has gone on, this list seems to have grown exponentially.

The attempt to remain politically correct has thus created a culture in which every questionable word one utters can be considered offensive, making it nearly impossible to engage in a controversial debate.

According to Principal Joan Benz, political correctness has a strong base at CHS, where it is a means for creating respect for everyone in the community.

However, in the halls of CHS, students themselves select the groups in which they discuss certain topics in order to minimize offense. This results in the slow separation of students, creating more harm than that which the original intention sought to avoid.

Depending on the conversa-

Opinions

Friday, December 19, 2014

By Noah Salzberg Online Features Editor Rape. It is a disgusting word, accompanied by an even more disgusting connotation. It is something that we do not like to even think about.

Yet, believe it or not, it is something that our culture inadvertently promotes.

We live in a “hookup” culture, where kids make out and have sex with one another at random parties without establishing any sort of intimacy or romance. We laud men for their sexual exploits and ostracize women for doing the same. We act without regard to any further consequence and blame our past digressions on our inebriated states of mind.

We allow ourselves to act foolishly and blame it on alcohol, drugs or anything we consume that can impair our judgment. Yet, is it right of us to solely pin the weight of our actions o n one party for something that both parties ambiguously gave consent to do?

Sex consummates the strong emotional bond between two people. Yet, when the two people are inebriated, their ambiguous consent cannot justifiably be labeled as rape.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, rape is defined as “forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion as well as physical force.”

I am not going to defend any sort of rape that adheres by its textbook definition or anything of a similar content matter. I will never defend any person, man or woman, who uses violence or a threat of violence, nor anyone who takes advantage of someone who is unconscious.

But, women should not use their own intoxicated state as a call for rape in cases of ambiguous consent.

I have heard countless stories of women in the media who, when impaired, give consent to another inebriated individual, wake up the next morning regretting whatever had happened and claim to have been raped.

At a certain point, responsibility should also fall on women. Women cannot label whatever it was that they did the night before as rape when they gave consent. It is unfair to the men, who after having consensual sex, are ostracized by their community for a heinous crime which they did not truly commit.

I am not saying that men have the right to go out, get drunk, find other drunk women and have ambiguously consensual sex with them. I am saying that women do not have the right to get drunk, sleep with any man,

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theObserver

Thoughts on Rape Culture and wake up the next morning with regrets and use rape as a scapegoat instead of taking responsibility for their actions.

There is a public misconception that there is a finite set of victims and perpetrators in regards to rape. The public, due to the countless news stories played out on national television, seems to always classify women as the victim and men as the rapist.

This is far from the truth.

According to The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), one in 33 males have “experienced an attempted or completed rape” by women and/or other men.

Yet, recent research in the journal JAMA Pediatrics also found that men and women carry out sexual violence

52 cent.

T h e tween the shows that not right tion. While of males r a p e d tremely to the one

a t similar rates: males at percent and females at 48 per-

discrepancy betwo statistics something is with the situathe number who have been seems exlow compared ratio of women, must understand that multiple factors may skew the data.

For instance, many cases of rape go unreported due to the severe emotional and psychological effects that come with having been raped. Victims prefer to repress these memories rather than relive their moments of terror.

Males can be embarrassed by the thought of being the victim when, in today’s society, men are lauded for various sexual exploits and are expected to be powerful. By reporting themselves as victims, males feel that they will be viewed as weak, which may explain why the number of males who report having been raped is significantly lower than that of women, while both genders carry out sexual violence at similar rates.

As a senior going off to college next year, I am fully aware of the growing problem of sexual abuse and rape on college campuses. Yet, I, along with other young men, am fearful of false allegations of rape.

We need to establish a middle ground where both men and women take responsibility for their actions and are in control of the situations they put themselves into. We need to stop discouraging men from speaking out against rape by not pressuring them to maintain a powerful image.

If you are going to regret your actions, just avoid doing them. Say no definitively and realize that when there is ambiguous consent, you are responsible for your own actions.

Women should not use their own intoxicated state as a call for rape in cases of ambiguous consent.”

By Julia McDermott Sports Editor

Since I was 4 years old, my parents have been teaching me not to talk to strangers. Don’t interact with anyone you don’t know. Don’t let someone take you somewhere without us. Don’t accept anything from a person if you don’t know who they are. But since I was 4 years old, I have learned that sometimes I can’t help but break those rules.

I am an ambitious, college-bound senior girl. I am excited for my future, for the nights out in college, the new friends and the new independence that living away from my parents will bring. As far as school, I am ready.

My teachers have given me test after test, assignment after assignment that mimics “college level” material.

But as I live in a suburban town, hang out with friends that I have known since elementary school and attend a remarkably safe, relatively crime-free high school, no one can prepare me for the staggeringly reality of the fact that according to a 2014 National Institute of Justice report, I have a one in five chance of being sexually assaulted in college.

A girl is never allowed to fully relax. No matter the party, the people she is with, or how safe she may feel, there is always that daunting risk of becoming part of the thousands of girls who are sexually assaulted at college every year.

According to a Dec. 2014 Time Magazine article, there were 5,983 college sexual assaults in the 2014 fiscal year, a number probably even unrealistically low due to sexual assault being “one of the most underreported crimes.”

Women as a gender have a one in four chance of being sexually assaulted or raped over the course of their lifetimes according to a 2006 National Institute of Justice survey, but why are the statistics so high for such a concentrated time period? The answer lies in the college culture that America prides itself in.

Women are constantly being objectified, encouraged to wear the most minimal of clothing and drink more alcohol than is safe, all to win the approval and admiration of the males who are letting them into parties based on the aforementioned criteria.

The modern college female is constantly faced with the decision of whether to submit to the social norms and party expectations of her classmates while sacrificing her own ability to fully protect herself, or to make more conservative choices in regards to outward displays of promiscuity while sacrificing social status.

It is a shame that girls who are only looking for a night to let go after a week of classes face more stress when “relaxing” at the end of the week, than they do during the grueling hours of class.

However, this culture is unlikely to change. Boys will continue to objectify the girls that walk through the door of a party, party-goers will drink until all judgments are lost, and girls will

“

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continue to be raped and sexually assaulted, all within university gates.

When any student commits to attending a school, they are agreeing to the unspoken promise that they will be safe and protected in their new home. So the real problem lies in how colleges choose to deal with this issue when female students come forward about sexual assault.

The party is over, the hangover has passed and when a young sexually assaulted female student is sitting in her dorm wondering what her next action should be, she is often faced with a sad truth; it is, in many cases, unlikely that the university will take serious action to combat the crimes committed against i t s students.

According to a Nov. 2014 N e w York Times article, only 35 percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to the police in 2013.

It is not uncommon for victims to be accused of shaming the school and disgracing its reputation, ruining their own in the process.

Most colleges use a “college judicial process” where a board of college administrators decides how to penalize a student.

According to a Feburary 2014 article, published by the nonprofit Center for Public Integrity, when sent through college judicial processes, only 10 to 25 percent of accused assailants are permanently kicked out after being accused, despite the fact that over 130 colleges have received federal funding to combat sexual assault.

Female victims are constantly being seen as “attention seeking” and “pity hungry,” when merely trying to voice their stories and effect a change in their community. And that, above all else, is the disgusting truth about college sexual assaults in America and is what will continue to perpetuate and encourage them.

According to the Center for Public Integrity article, up to 90 percent of all punishments dolled out by colleges for sexual assault are described as “minor sanctions.” All the victim leaves with is the stigma of being “the girl who cried rape.”

It is a practice that is shameful to the students, teachers, administrators and institution of American education itself that females cannot feel safe on their own campus, especially appalling when, according to a Nov. 2014 New York Times article, more than 90 percent of campus rapes are committed by a relatively small percentage of college men — possibly as few as four percent — who rape repeatedly, averaging six victims each, who could be stopped after the first victim by stronger legislation.

I am a female, college-bound, high school senior, and when I look at my future, I am faced with the frightening reality that if I am included in the 20 percent to experience sexual assault or rape, there is most likely nothing I can do about it.

It is not uncommon for victims to be accused of shaming the school and disgracing its reputation, ruining their own in the process.”

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Opinions

theObserver

Friday, December 19, 2014

Immigrants deserve chance at ‘American Dream’

By Pablo Roa Production Editor For hundreds of years, immigrants from around the world have come to the United States in search of a better life and to live the “American Dream.”

In recent years, however, strict deportation laws and a broken immigration system have forced millions of hard-working, undocumented immigrants to live in constant fear: a forced return to the place they sacrificed so much to leave. Fortunately, many of those immigrants will finally be able to live in peace thanks to President Barack Obama’s recent executive order on immigration.

Obama’s order protects millions of men, women and children from being deported to countries that have been riddled with poverty and violence for decades. Nevertheless, immigration has always been a hot-button issue, and Obama’s unilateral action has drawn great criticism not only around the nation but also right here at CHS. The day after Obama announced the order, several CHS students took to social media to voice their concerns with the President’s agenda, criticizing him for “letting all the Mexicans stay for free” and “granting amnesty for criminals.”

It should be noted that neither of these blatantly ignorant comments is true – nor were many of the other equally-uninformed comments that were overheard in the hallways throughout the day.

The fact that many CHS students were vocal about the order is not surprising, given that most of us have been fed a strong ‘anti-illegal’ rhetoric our entire lives. Be it from adults or from media, it’s not unusual for undocumented immigrants to be characterized as lazy freeloaders, or even criminals, who are only here to cause problems and steal jobs.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that some CHS students are so vehemently opposed to Obama’s order. That being said, it’s very easy to criticize something that you don’t know much about. Before painting the President’s action in the worst light possible, it’s important to realize exactly what his executive order will do.

The order, which the President announced Nov. 20 during a primetime address to the nation, would delay deportation for an estimated 4 to 5 million

undocumented immigrants, most of whom are parents of children who have been U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents for at least five years.

Obama’s action also expands the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, extending legal status to an additional 290,000 undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children prior to 2010. The 2012 DACA program previously provided protection for 1.2 million undocumented immigrants, bringing the total to roughly 1.5 million after the executive order.

This is not amnesty, nor is it “letting them stay for free.” Those who benefit from this order will have to reapply every three years in order to avoid deportation and are not granted citizenship or residence simply because they are protected under the order.

Undocumented immigrants who are granted a legal reprieve from deportation must still apply for citizenship like every other immigrant, and as Obama said in his speech, they must go to the “back of the line” if they wish to do so.

Obama’s executive order ensures that families will not be split up and that hard-working undocumented immigrants – most of whom, according to Pew Research, have been in this country for over 13 years – are not forced to return to the poverty and violence they escaped in coming here.

Also, many of those protected by the order will be given work permits, and the order will also make it easier for those who invest in the US and those who pursue science, technology, engineering and math degrees to obtain visas.

This also does not mean that they will steal our jobs, since many undocumented immigrants work jobs that most Americans are not willing to do anyway. What it does mean, however, is that millions of people will be able to work freely without fear of arrest or deportation, while also contributing to the U.S. economy by paying taxes and providing services in the work force.

The best way to help solve the immigration crisis in this country is to prevent illegal immigration from happening in the first place. Obviously, that is much easier said than done, but Obama’s order will help accomplish that goal by adding resources to

PHOTO BY PABLO ROA.

President Obama recently announced an executive order that states that immigrant families will no longer be split up through deportation. strengthen security at the border.

The main criticism that Obama has received for his action on immigration is that he acted unilaterally, without any legislation from Congress. But, as the immigration crisis grew in the last year and climaxed this summer when the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally skyrocketed, Congress refused to act, so Obama had to take matters into his own hands.

In fact, the Senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration bill over a year ago that would have accomplished much of what Obama is trying to do with his executive order.

But the House of Representatives not only didn’t pass it – they refused to vote on the bill altogether.

It’s a painful irony that a nation built on the backs of immigrants would spend so much money and time trying to kick out diligent immigrants. Through his executive order, Obama is ensuring that millions of hardworking people can stay with their families and contribute to American life in a positive way.

In the isolated Potomac “bubble” that we live in, it might seem like the immigration crisis are too far away to warrant our attention. But that simply is not true. Immigration law affects millions of people throughout the country, even some right here in MCPS. According to Laura Newton, MCPS Director of the Division of School Counseling, Residency and

International Admissions, the number of unaccompanied minors entering MCPS increased dramatically this year, with 330 Salvadoran, 62 Guatemalan, and 179 Honduran students enrolling in MCPS from July 1 to Sept. 5. Seventy-eight of those students enrolled through the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Obama’s executive order will go a long way in improving the lives of immigrants in the US, but it is not a permanent solution. While 5 million undocumented immigrants can rest assured that they will not be forced to leave the US any time soon, the other 6.2 million undocumented immigrants who are not protected by the executive order will still be forced to live in the shadows until Congress passes legislation to solve the issue once and for all.

While it does not fully solve the problem, Obama’s executive order is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. In the coming months, many politicians will try to dismantle the President’s order and jeopardize the American Dream not only for millions of the country’s hardest workers, but also for millions of children around the nation and in MCPS who are trying to get the fair education they deserve. One can only hope that those politicians remember that America is a nation of immigrants, that it always has been, and that it always will be.

not ready to hear. Just as students throughout MCPS don’t learn about family life until fifth grade, adult subjects, such as domestic violence should be taught to children when they have had time to develop.

The dolls also include another odd sticker: stretch marks. Yes, stretch marks.

According to teenshealth.org, stretch marks can develop on teens’ skin during puberty as the body changes faster than the skin can grow.

This is normal and prevalent in teens, but children playing with the dolls will not know what stretch marks are. Children will then become curious about such a sticker and ask their parents about the nature of it, forcing parents to explain bodily changes that children of that age may not be ready to understand.

This idea is not that children should not be learning about these things, but at such an age, we need to conserve the innocence, creativity, and purity of children as they are still developing into who they are

and learning about the world. It is the parent’s decision when a child is ready to learn about these topics, not a doll manufacturer’s. We do not need to force them to perceive stretch marks as normal at their young age.

Changing a Barbie doll will not have immediate effects on changing children’s view on what is normal. In fact, adults and teens are the ones who need to change their view on what is normal. Though these stickers represent flaws, children are not learning through the Barbie what is normal and what is not. They learn through society and the media.

These outlets tell children what they should and shouldn’t look like. Children trust what others say, rather than seeing a Barbie doll. This brainwashing seeps into the minds of teens and middle-schoolers, causing judgment and bullying, and making one feel ashamed of one’s body.

The creators are trying to help this effort by starting with children, but it should instead start with adults.

I’m ‘normal’ girl in a Barbie world: too soon?

By Katie Gauch Editor-in-chief When I first read about the recent creation of the “Normal Barbie,” I was confused. What was wrong with old barbies that their appearance had to be changed? What did my childhood collection of 246 Barbie dolls ever do to make them the victims of their own plastic surgery?

With toymaker Nickolay Lamm’s online release Nov. 19, Barbie dolls now have competitors: Lammily dolls.

“The normal Barbie” is shorter and curvier to resemble the average American woman. The purchase of a Lammily doll can also be upgraded for $5.99 to include a 38-pack of “real life” stickers, such as cellulite, acne, stretch marks and bruises. Although the realistic proportions of the doll could have a positive impact, the doll itself will do more harm than good.

When a child is looking through the multitude of stickers, he or she may see bruises that they can put on

the doll. Everyone has bruises, and bruises are considered a relatively normal bodily mark on one’s skin.

But in this case, this sticker is very dark and disproportional. Although bruises can develop from non-violent acts, the creators of the doll were probably referencing a much graver subject: the prevalent mars that victims of domestic violence have.

By this, the creators are making it seem as if domestic violence bruises are considered normal. People need to keep in mind the audience of these dolls. In a society with heated debates and chilling stories of domestic violence, innocent children need to be protected from such mature topics.

According to an excerpt from the book Age Determination Guidelines: Relation Children’s Ages to Toy Characteristics and Play Behavior, from birth to 12 years old, children are the most curious about complex concepts they seek to clarify. Therefore, stickers on these dolls would only spark a premature discussion of topics children are

Friday, December 19, 2014

Observations

Senior runs marathon

By Katie Clem Production Editor

Senior Daniel Gordon competed in the Philadelphia Marathon, finishing with a time of 3 hours and 37 minutes on Nov. 23. He finished 2,051 out of 10,362 entries, and 19th in his division.

Gordon undertook an aggressive training schedule in preparation for the race. Gordon ran cross country this past fall season and also participated in longer supplementary runs over the weekend.

“It is really worth doing and definitely an extremely memorable expe-

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rience,” Gordon said. “It was one of the cooler things that I have done in my life, and I strongly recommend it to everyone.”

Band and orchestra concert Jazz, show choir perform

By Alissa Li Observations Editor CHS’ Band and Orchestra held concerts in the auditorium on Dec. 9 and 11, respectively. They both performed eclectic pieces, each with a diverse sound and meaning, like “Cordoba” from top band and “Memoirs of a Geisha” from orchestra.

“These concerts are a platform for us to get together with a common goal: to make beautiful music

By Alissa Li Observations Editor Sherwood High School held a Jazz and Show Choir Showcase on Dec. 12 featuring show choirs from all over MCPS, including CHS’ Showstoppers, Simply Irresistible and Jazz Ambassadors. Show PHOTO COURTESY OF CELINE NAKPIL. choirs each performed in front of a and share it with others,” senior panel of judges which gave groups Celine Nakpil said. “It’s really a score and provided personal tips that simple.” and critiques.

“I think [the Showcase] was definitely helpful because it made us dig in and work really hard on our set which will put us in a really

PTSA photo competition

By Alissa Li Observations Editor The PTSA is holding a national level photo competition under the theme of “The world would be a better place if…” CHS photography students senior Chris Cochran and juniors Mara Kaplan and Laura Toro were selected by the PTSA to advance to the county round of the competition.

If selected in the county round, they will be given the chance to compete with students within the region and eventually the entire nation.

“I was excited to try to really put a deeper meaning behind my picture,” Cochran said. “I had the idea of just showing one arm helping up another and thought it fit the theme well.”

Monday, Jan 12

Exam 7 7:25-9:30 a.m.

PHOTO BY TATIANA HEWITT.

good place come competition season,” said senior Showstopper Christina Hnatov. “It was also super fun because everyone was up there giving their all, and we fed off of each other’s positive energy and had a blast together.”

CHS chorus winter concert

By Alissa Li Observations Editor The Choral department held a winter concert in the Auditorium Dec. 15. The choirs Showstoppers, Simply Irresistible, Jazz Ambassadors and Voices of a Generation performed a variety of songs for the upcoming holidays. The choirs have been preparing for this concert throughout the second quarter, rehearsing in class and during lunch.

“The best think about [concerts] is actually just performing, being

on stage and showcasing ourselves to an audience of our families and friends,” senior Showstopper Sloane Momsen said. “We all love to sing, so doing so is always fun.”

Tuesday, Jan 13

Wednesday, Jan 14

Thursday, Jan 15

Exam 4 7:25-9:30 a.m.

Exam 2 7:25-9:30 a.m.

Exam 1 7:25-9:30 a.m.

PHOTO BY CHRIS COCHRAN.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIM ROONEY.

Friday, Jan 16

Exam 8 Exam 6 Exam 3 10:00-12:05 p.m. 10:00-12:05 p.m. 10:00-12:05 p.m.

Make Up Exams

8

Features

theObserver

Friday, December 19, 2014

A look into the MCPS hiring and firing process

By Gil Jacobson News Editor Teachers are an everyday part of students’ lives. They come in many forms and some are more loved than others. Students may wonder how those less-loved teachers obtain and keep their jobs.

This month, the Observer investigated CHS’ process of hiring and firing teachers, a process which begins at the county level.

“In general, the county allots us a specific amount of staffing,” assistant principal John Taylor said. “We look at the teachers we already have on staff and determine if we need to hire, or if somebody’s leaving, if they need to be replaced or if we can replace them.”

Most teacher hirings occur during several set times each year. According to Taylor, these include an annual job fair that MCPS holds for teachers looking to move within the county, and the end of every school year when MCPS goes through all of their staff.

“They might have 100 Spanish teachers and they’ll move them around so that they fill all of the slots at the different schools,” Taylor said.

“If we have an opening and they have an extra teacher at another school, that teacher will come to us.”

Once that occurs, CHS is allowed to hire staff on their own to fill any remaining openings.

According to Taylor, Human Resources keeps an electronic database, from which Dr. Benz chooses candidates to interview based on who has met the basic requirements.

PHOTO BY GIL JACOBSON.

Teachers must meet six standards laid out in the Professional Growth System Handbook. Those who do not are placed in an assistance and review system.

“Usually, the department head, the administrator in charge of that department, and if we can, a couple of teachers from that department, will sit in an interview panel,” Taylor said.

“They’ll interview and score each candidate. Based on the scores, we’ll put forward a name.”

Firing a teacher, on the other hand, is a separate process, which is not as simple as walking into a classroom and saying “You’re fired,” to a teacher who is underperforming. This is mainly because teachers are unionized.

According to social studies resource teacher Rodney Van Tassell, teachers receive a formal evaluation based upon six standards during each of

their first three years of work in MCPS. The six standards, endorsed by the Montgomery County Board of Education, deal with a teacher’s commitment to students and their learning, knowledge of content and ability to deliver it to students, effectiveness in creating a positive learning environment, method of assessing students, commitment to their professional development, and professionalism.

According to Van Tassell, if teachers receive favorable reviews in each of their first three years, they obtain tenure.

“After this, they are formally evaluated every three or five years depending on their years of service,” Van Tassell said. “If teachers receive a ‘below

letters and other things,” Zimmerman said. “Students feel if they apply to more schools, it’ll increase their odds, which is completely not true.”

According to Zimmerman, the problem lies not in the sheer volume of applications, but in the students’ refusal to research their own individual needs and the various opportunities each school offers.

process where you do self-analysis [to find] what environment is right for you; instead, they’re applying to certain schools for random, superficial reasons.”

Several CHS seniors seem to validate her claim. Kapoor is applying to 15 schools, some of which, she readily admits, are not exactly the right fit.

“There are some colleges I’m only

standard’ evaluation by their principal, they are placed in the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program.”

According to Taylor, PAR is a performance review panel of MCPS teachers and leaders that inspects each case to decide whether a teacher should be given additional support or be removed from their job.

According to the MCPS TeacherLevel Professional Growth System Handbook, PAR is a “mechanism for maintaining system-wide quality control and ensuring that all MCPS teachers responsible for teaching students meet MCPS standards of performance.”

According to Van Tassell, PAR is meant to help under performing teachers improve rather than to fire them.

“MCPS has consistently sent the message that all students can achieve on a high level if provided with the proper supports,” Van Tassell said. “PAR is no different.

MCPS has a long track record of training underperforming teachers to become expert educators.”

This process is uniform and does not differ between CHS departments, nor between schools within the county.

“All professional teachers within MCPS are held to the same six standards,” Van Tassell said.

CHS students generally agree that teachers are held to strict enough standards when it comes to whether or not they keep their jobs.

“I do know that [MCPS] considers student opinions and their performance in class,” senior Brenda Mokua said. “I would assume that if the students are complaining about the teaching style and performing poorly, then MCPS would assess the situation strictly.”

CHS students drowning in college applications

By Daniel Miyares Business Manager

Senior Tiffany Russo stares blankly at the all-too-familiar webpage, flustered. In front of her, 18 tabs appear, each of them corresponding to a certain college, each of them entailing an arduous amount of supplemental essays and other information for her to provide. She, like so many other seniors at CHS and across the country, is drowning in a digital wave of college applications.

Many seniors are finding that the time commitment required for college applications is burdensome and takes away from their ability to apply themselves elsewhere– academically and socially.

“If you apply to more schools, it’s all the more difficult to focus on your activities,” senior Elina Kapoor said.

“You’re juggling a lot of balls and don’t want them all to fall down.”

CHS counselors see more and more students each day, overwhelmed by the stress of applying to so many schools.

“I definitely think it increases stress to some degree,” counselor Makeyda Hilliard said. “At the end of the day, you will go to one school, and only you can determine your success.”

According to College and Career Coordinator Luana Zimmerman, although the average number of schools CHS seniors are applying to has remained relatively constant at around seven to eight, many students are following a larger, national trend.

“Across the country, the number of schools kids are applying to is going up because schools are marketing them by free applications, interest

PHOTO BY DANIEL MIYARES.

Senior Tiffany Russo, along with many other students, is growing frustrated with the excessive work that comes with college applications.

“I think oftentimes, students make very superficial analyses of their college lists, instead of looking at what’s good socially, what’s good academically, and what’s good economically,” Zimmerman said. “Students are losing sight that this should be a

applying to because they’re close by, safeties, or because my parents went to them,” Kapoor said. “I can see myself as a part of all the other communities. I didn’t really ‘see myself’ at UMD, but my parents said, ‘It’s in-state, why not apply?’”

According to Russo, who is applying to 18 universities, “might as well” is the name of the game.

“Some of them, I could actually see myself in the school, some of them my parents told me to apply to, and some of them, I’m not too positive about, but I’ll wait to hear back,” Russo said.

In any case, the increase in the volume of applications has caused a windfall for colleges and universities, according to Zimmerman. The more applications an institution receives, the more selective it can appear to boosters and lawmakers.

“It’s all a business,” Zimmerman said.

“I had my eyes opened by the Dean of Admissions at Case Western: admissions statistics come into play in their bond rating to pay for new buildings and facilities.”

This desire for selectivity on the colleges’ part leads to a vicious cycle, as applicants feel the need to increase their odds through more and more applications, in turn, colleges appear more and more selective.

According to a member of the counseling department, parents play a role in this cycle, encouraging their children to apply to schools that may not be realistic or the right fit. They “grew up in a different era” when competition between applicants was less cutthroat across the board.

According to Zimmerman, it is important to remember the self-analysis that goes along with determining which schools to apply to, quantity aside. The application tsunami boils down to selectivity on both sides.

“The universities are being very selective in admitting you, but you are not being selective in your choices of where you’re applying,” Zimmerman said.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Features

theObserver

9

Breaking the silence: working to end teen suicide

Katie Clem Production Manager Alissa Li Observations Editor

In recent years, it seems that the phrase “teen suicides” is appearing more and more frequently in newspapers, magazines and social media. Along with all this attention, suicide rates are climbing.

Families are devastated and communities are shaken. However, this rapidly increasing rate does not show any signs of stopping.

According to the official webpage of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education organization (SAVE), between 1952 and 1995, suicide in young adults has nearly tripled.

Suicide is also the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

These statistics, while alarming, do not begin to describe the grave situation at hand.

According to a nationwide poll conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which surveyed public and private high school students in the US, results showed that 16 percent of students reported seriously considering suicide, 13 percent reported to creating a plan, and eight percent reported attempting to take their own life in the 12 months preceding the survey.

To put that in terms of CHS students, that would mean approximately 167 students have attempted to inflict self harm to the extent of death in the past year.

So this begs the question: what can be done to improve this situation?

One of the organizations seeking to prevent these tragedies is UMTTR, founded by CHS 2014 alum Erik Roberts. After the passing of his close friend and CHS student Evan Rosenstock, Roberts decided to make a change by creating UMTTR. “Unfortunately, it has taken years to stamp out similar social stigmas [like those against depression],” Roberts said. “Today, people are not afraid to wrestle the bottle out of someone’s hand before entering a vehicle, but are still uncomfortable with the idea of talking about depression and the sad repercussions that come with it.

If our community wants to stop the increasing numbers, we have to be more open to discussing.”

Unfortunately, many teenagers fear being ostracized and therefore

PHOTO COURTESY OF UMTTR.

The UMTTR organization is one group working to prevent the tragedy of suicide by encouraging others to talk about depression. see high school as a time to fit in, rather than to speak out.

“People with depression often fear social alienation,” Roberts said. “We are afraid that people will think we are weird or that something is wrong with us and then they’ll abandon us. This is sometimes a gross reality that needs to stop. People avoid talking about charged topics unless they have reason to believe that what they say will be agreeable.

What we need instead is open, honest dialogue in which both people with and without depression can freely talk about how they think others can help.”

However, in order to prompt discussion about depression, students must be educated on the issue of what depression is.

According to National Institute of Mental Health, depression is when feelings of periodic sadness begin to interfere with daily life and seriously affect one’s personality, thoughts and emotions.

To a certain extent, this is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. However, often misconstrued, depression is not caused by one single chemical being too high or too low, but instead, millions of chemical reactions that regulate everything from mood to perceptions. With this level of complexity, chemical imbalances are more common than most people think.

“That [chemical] imbalance, I think

may exist—in varying degrees—in everyone, and can be exacerbated by negative events, trauma or anything of that nature,” Roberts said. “While depression is a product of factors beyond our immediate control, preventing depression and helping people overcome it is completely within our control. We can stack the deck such that the positive thoughts and those chemicals in the brain that induce those feelings begin to overtake the negative ones.”

There is a difference, however, between being suicidal and experiencing suicidal thoughts.

There are numerous external factors that can worsen the pressure put upon teenagers.

Consuming the majority of teenagers’ lives, the education system puts a great deal of stress on students. Especially as standards rise, students are expected to balance perfect grades along with multiple extracurricular activities in order to remain competitive for college.

“So much stress has been put on the future, kids forget to enjoy the present,” said senior Elliot Thaker, who is an active member of UMTTR. “I know that sounds clichè, but that’s the easiest way to explain it.”

With so much stress, when kids start to fall behind, it can be easy to lose sight and feel like your future is

crumbling when it’s not.

Culture is another external influence. Songs such as Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” beautify suicide in a way similar to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, a novel extensively studied in AP Literature.

Social media and news also popularize suicidal thoughts, which, while increasing awareness of the topic, can also create a kind of chain effect.

“They gain a lot of attention, in communities, schools, even on the news,” Thaker said. “Obviously it is important to get the news that it happened out, but once somebody commits suicide, everybody talks about all the good things they did: the attention is all positive. So kids who are already depressed get the idea that they’ll be hailed as the person they don’t see themselves as--so they do it, resulting in a domino effect.”

There is a fine line between being suicidal and having suicidal thoughts.

However both situations can be improved through open conversation between peers, teachers and families.

According to Roberts, as a community, we need to help each other and show each other that we all care.

“I have other friends who have been through depression, and I just offer to talk to them whenever they need it,” senior Sara Chang said.

“And tell them you care because that’s forgotten a lot of the time—how much other people care.”

According to Help Guide, a nonprofit organization, ways to help loved ones who are going through this dark time period include: 1. Letting the person know that you care, and that they are not alone 2. Avoiding saying that it is all in the person’s head 3. Being there for the other person 4. Talking to a counselor 5. Reporting it anonymously 6. Calling the Maryland Suicide Hotline: 1-800-422-0009 7. Calling the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 8. Calling the Montgomery County Crisis Center: 240777-4000 9. Telling a teacher It must be understood that depression is a serious condition that cannot just be “fixed.” Hiding the problem also will not make it go away.

Features

10

Veronica Espinoza Alter Ego: Triple Threat Occupation: Performing Arts volunteer, substitute teacher, First Vice President of the PTSA.

Friday, December 19, 2014

theObserver

Heroes. Whether a crossing guard, a local firefighter or that helpful neighb lives easier. Here at CHS, we have our own fair share of heroes: people who

it can be. Like superheroes, their identities are not always revealed to the p exceptional and influential contributions to the CHS community.

Sylvia Horowitz

Alter Ego: Super

Occupation: Sho

Special Powers:

Special Powers: Omnipresence

Secret Lair: Wh

Secret Lair: Anywhere in CHS

Backstory:

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studies an

and Ph.D. in Educational

lawyer fo

Computing and Instructional

before retir

Design, Espinoza decided

as a subs

that she wanted to be more involved in raising her kids, CHS alumna Paula and senior Daniel.

She began

Larry Tanenbaum Rober

as a classroom volunteer at Beverly Farms Elementary School, working her way up to a room parent and eventually the PTA president. At Hoover Middle School, she was in charge of the Multicultural Fair before becoming the First Vice President of the PTSA at CHS. She has taught students of varying ages —from kindergarten to graduate school at Purdue University—since she was 24, and

Alter Ego: Ste

Alter Ego: Super Dad

Occupation: Booster Club President strong

Special Powe

Booster

working con

Club, sports teams, and the CHS athletic

Secret Lair: B

department to meet each team’s needs; raising

Backstory: Jo

funds for the athletic department and maintenance

30 years an

Special Powers: communication

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between

the

of their facilities Secret Lair: Room 126, Athletic Facilities

for 20. He

here for thr

Backstory: Tannenbaum graduated from CHS in 1969 and

the next fou

was the softball team representative to the Booster Club while

Wheaton, M

teaching 11

his daughter, Alexis, played softball before he was asked to be

Schools. In

years ago.

the club’s president at the end of the 2012-2013 school year.

Specialist, h

This is Tannenbaum’s second year as Booster Club President.

technician a

began substitute

Friday, December 19, 2014

Features

theObserver

By Gil Jacobson News Editor Hannah Yasharoff Social Media Editor

bor from down the street, they make our everyday go above and beyond to make our school the best

public, but most CHS students know them by their

Patrice Thomas

Alter Ego: Ms. Frizzle from “Magic School Bus” Occupation: Secretary, first point of contact for visitors in the school, in charge of end-of-the-school-year awards program and other special projects

Sub

ort- and Long-Term Substitute Teacher

: Remembering Names

herever she is needed Horowitz started out teaching social

nd later worked as a criminal labor

or the Federal Government for 30 years

ring and returning to teaching, this time

stitute.

rt Jones

ealth

IT Systems Specialist

Special Powers: Decorating the main office desk for special occasions--notice the “ocean” theme for Homecoming’s Tropical Tuesday, or the filled cornucopia for Thanksgiving? All Thomas.

Secret Lair: Main Office Backstory: Thomas formerly taught chemistry at a private high school and science at a variety of nature centers. several years.

She was also a lobbyist for

Additionally, she assisted with the

costumes for both CHS and Hoover Middle School theatre productions, gave science lectures at Hoover, and was a CHS cross country and track mom for six years, organizing 16 end-of-the-season banquets before her children left CHS.

She went back to working in

around high school-aged children.

Alter Ego: The Motivator

ers: Ensures every computer at CHS is in

ndition.

Back of the Media Center

ones has worked in MCPS for more than

nd has been doing computer-related work

Occupation: Composition Assistant Special Powers: Improves students’ writing and builds their confidence through editing and helping with problem areas; helping English resource teacher Emily Goldberg run the English Honor Society

e first started at CHS in 1979 and worked

ree years before serving in the Navy for

ur years. He has also worked at B-CC,

Montgomery Blair, and Paint Branch High

n addition to being an IT Systems

he has worked as a media services

and taught theatre and television.

JoAnn Constantinou

a high school because she likes being

Secret Lair: Writing Lab (Room 230) Backstory: Constantinou used to be an editor for Marriott International headquarters, but needed a part-time job with more flexibility.

She started at CHS thinking it would

be temporary, but loved it so much that she stayed and is now in her 11th year here.

11

12

Features

theObserver

Friday, December 19, 2014

Take the ‘Observer’ Potomac holiday house tour

By Michael Fox and Thomas Atkinson

The holiday season is here and what better way to express love for this festive time than to decorate your house? The Observer toured Potomac to find houses that are bursting with holiday spirit and interviewed members of each house.

We will begin our tour from our very own CHS. Take a right onto Tuckerman Lane and head straight until you reach Falls Road, where you turn left and then right onto Winterset Drive.

As you follow this road to the end you will be amazed at the glorious display of blow-ups and lights. This is the Ely house, home of senior Danny Ely.

“It’s a lot of fun. The kids enjoy it, and my whole family loves the experience.

It makes it a special time of the year,” owner Donna Gramm said.

“It’s a season to celebrate no matter what nation you are from, or what religion you are. We are all equal, and we want to celebrate our families and our friends so we want to invite them over. The lights outside are to show the celebration of the season and how it’s great to be celebrating this time of the year,” Fallahi said.

PHOTO BY THOMAS ATKINSON.

“It’s fun, and I like people to enjoy it. A lot of the little kids like it,” Danny’s father Lowell said.

“When I first married my husband 15 years ago. He is Catholic and I am Jewish, so we decided that we would compromise. We have lights outside during both Hanukkah and Christmas.

They are white and blue lights to make the house look pretty, and we have Jewish stars, a Hanukkah bush and a Hanukkah tree (just a green pine tree decorated with blue and white ornaments) and we also put gifts under the tree for Hannukah. Once Hannukah is over, we keep the bush up through Christmas, and we decorate more with the Christmas ornamentation in order to celebrate for my husband.”

“When my oldest son was young, we decided to go get some blow-ups from Wal-Mart and that started it.”

“We do this every year because it’s a tradition. My daughters and my oldest daughter have been doing this since about 17 years ago when we met Jimmy, my husband.”

“We do it outside just like we normally do. We put lights on the house, on the trees, on the bushes and we also do it all over the inside of the house. We have garlands, wreaths and Christmas trees. We have three Christmas trees this year. It’s beautiful with all of the Christmas decorations bringing the holiday spirit up.”

“We added more bushes. We changed the lights on the trees outside.

We changed them from white to red.

It added something different.”

PHOTO BY THOMAS ATKINSON.

“Just being around the kids, opening presents and every year repeating the tradition.”

“Probably the blow-ups. They’re so big and everyone notices them.”

Next on our tour, we get back on Falls Road and go towards the Potomac Village and make a left onto Oaklyn Drive. Following this road for a few minutes, we will then make a right onto Potomac Station Lane; this is the Huntington household, home of sophomore Genevieve Huntington.

“As a child, we played games for Hanukkah. We celebrated each night by lighting the Menorah, and with a small gift. We didn’t do too many decorations because, unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of Hanukkah decorations available in the stores, which makes it all the more fun now.”

“The outdoor lights. When we pull up to our house, it looks so beautiful and special. It makes everybody happy to realize that the holidays are almost here.”

“The holidays just make me really happy, and they give me a chance to bond with my family,” Genevieve said.

“When I was younger, my sister and I would race to the advent calendar every day to put the velcro ornaments on a tree.”

As we look for our third house, we will turn onto Falls Road and make a left onto Oakland Drive, just past the Village. We will go a couple blocks and turn left onto Avenel Farm Drive, approaching the Gramm household.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FOX.

“For Hanukkah, I think it’s lighting the menorah and playing with the dreidel. For Christmas, it’s waking up Christmas day morning and having a big family breakfast together. I usually make the same thing each year so it stays special. Then I love watching the kids open up their presents. It’s really mostly about tradition.”

We conclude our journey with a very short travel just a few houses down. If you continue on Avenel Farm Drive, you will see the decorative house of owner Hamid Fallahi.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FOX.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Arts

theObserver

13

Give the gift of time and service this season

By Emiliana Cardinale Eugenia Cardinale Production Editors As the weather becomes chillier and everyone is filled with holiday cheer, let’s not forget that this is the best time of year to give back and volunteer.

“The spirit of the season is to do things for other people,” SSL coordinator Wendy Tilles said. “Giving back is a great way to bring the holiday spirit into your own personal life.”

1. Gift wrapping at Barnes and Noble and Barston’s Child’s Play Enjoy wrapping gifts? Love books? Put that passion to good use!

Volunteers are needed to wrap gifts at Barnes & Noble and at Barston’s Child’s Play, both in Rockville. Donations will go to the Literary Council of Montgomery County (LCMC) which is running the event. Sixteen volunteers are needed on Dec. 19 and Dec. 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The age requirement for this event is 15 years old. However, this opportunity is not SSL pre-approved. For more information students can contact LCMC Communications Director Shelley Block at info@literacycouncilmcmd.org.

“The Literacy Council is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to support our services,” Block said. “With a small staff and limited budget, volunteers are essential to our operation. Students who volunteer to wrap packages during the holiday season are filling a critical need.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DHARMARAJ RAGHAVAN.

The holidays aren’t all about new sweaters and toys. They are about charity, too.

celebration. On Dec. 21, from noon to 5:30 p.m., 35 volunteers are needed to help greet and check guests in, tend to the campfires, work on crafts, make lanterns and more. Students must be 14 years or older to participate if not accompanied by an adult. This opportunity is SSL preapproved. For more information students can contact Montgomery Parks volunteer services and partnerships coordinator Lynn Vismara at Lynn.

Vismara@montgomeryparks.org.

“We encourage students to volunteer at this type of event as we love the energy that students bring to our nature center festivals,” Vismara said. “The changing of the seasons is very important to the natural world, and we want to share our excitement and joy about it with others.”

gifts for donations at Montgomery Mall near Santa’s Workshop Dec. 19 through Dec. 24, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The funds raised will be donated to Friends of Patients at the NIH and Special Love/Camp Fantastic. These organizations help patients through financial emergencies and help kids with cancer through camps and weekend retreats. Six volunteers are needed for each day. Volunteers must be 16 years or older, and this opportunity is SSL pre-approved.

For more information students can contact Friends of Patients at the NIH representative Therese Draddy at draddyepub@verizon.net.

“Any student who knows how to wrap gifts or organize packages is encouraged to volunteer,” Draddy said. “I believe people focus on giving back during the holiday season because it’s a time of giving gifts to family and friends.”

drives in the past, is holding a holiday sandwich and toy drive at Fox Chapel Elementary School. Sandwiches from the drive will be going to Sheppard’s Food Table, and toys will be going to D.C. Children’s hospital. Volunteers can come and help run the drive Dec 20 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you cannot stay and volunteer, you can donate clothes or food to the drive instead. Sixty volunteers are needed. Volunteers must be 12 years or older. This opportunity is SSL pre-approved. For more information students can contact Samsthan Board DirectorDharmaraj Raghavan at draghavan2012@gmail.com.

“Many of us have a good time during the holiday season, and we feel that we should give a similar experience to other people as well,” Raghavan said. “We feel that giving toys to the child is the least we can do to put a smile on their face.”

2. Holiday gift wrapping at Montgomery Mall

3. Holiday Season Sandwich and Toy Drive

4. Winter Solstice Celebration, Brookside Nature Center

Here’s another opportunity for students with gift-wrapping skills.

Volunteers are needed to wrap

The D.C. Metro Sai Samsthan, a non-profit organization that has organized several food and clothes

Students who are interested in nature can volunteer at the Brookside Nature Center’s winter solstice

5. CKA/Wolverine Holiday Classic Students who are passionate about helping local sports teams can volunteer to work at the CKA SAVE Project Holiday Basketball Tournament at Watkins Mill High School December 26 and 27. Volunteers will need to work the concession stand as well as host the teams. CKA SAVE Project, a non-profit organization aimed at helping students and those who work with them through educational and professional development, is also looking for students and adults who have experience working the game clock and announcing. Five to 10 volunteers are needed for both days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Volunteers must be 16 years or older. This opportunity is SSL pre-approved. For more information students can contact CKA SAVE Project President Keith Adams at ckasaveproject@gmail. com.

“We try to provide students an opportunity to work in the world of athletics and business so they can get a taste of experiential learning, which we believe, can assist them in the future,” Adams said.

By Ana Faguy News Editor

number one free app in the US as of Dec. 5, beating out Facebook, Instagram and Candy Crush Saga.

With six categories: history, entertainment, science, geography, art and sports, Travia Crack has something to satisfy everyone’s interests. A rainbow-colored screen greets users and instructs them to spin the wheel. After spinning the wheel, users are randomly assigned a category and asked to answer a question. If the subject is not their forte, they can pass and spin the wheel again, keeping users glued to their phones as they wait for a streak of luck.

Trivia Crack gets brains moving

and thinking about all different kinds of topics in short periods of time, requiring thought and knowledge of arbitrary facts.

Another intriguing aspect of Trivia Crack is that users are given the option of playing against friends or against someone random. Thus, Trivia Crack has become a type of friendly competition among friends.

“I started playing a month or two ago because my camp friends told me about it,” senior Jon Shay said.

“Some li ve far away, so it’s a way of keeping in touch with them. It is addicting because it is competitive, but there is also l u ck i n v ol v e d so people keep t e s t i n g their luck and knowledge, like gambling almost.”

Some students see this as just another fad that will eventually

pass, just as so many gaming apps previously have.

When junior Juli Malacane initially downloaded Trivia Crack, she played for three hours and then deleted it. She does not have high hopes for the app’s future.

“I’d give it a few weeks,” Malacane said. “It is fun, but soon enough it will become old and repetitive like most apps do.”

CHS will have to wait and see how long this trend looms in the halls and classrooms, but until then expect to see lots of colorful screens and shouting kids all addicted to answering trivia.

Addictive Trivia Crack keeps students guessing Candy Crush, Words with Friends, Angry Birds and Temple Run are just a few of the gaming apps that enthrall CHS students everyday in the halls, at lunch and even during class. These games have been pushed to the backseat ever since the new app Trivia Crack popped up on the gaming radar.

Trivia Crack is the latest addiction consuming CHS students. It is your average trivia app with a few twists, and it is attracting more and more people every day.

According to gamasutra.com, an online game developer magazine, Trivia Crack has been ranked the

14

Arts

theObserver

Friday, December 19, 2014

CHS students can’t wait to travel ‘Into the Woods’

PHOTO BY KIM ROONEY.

Students who have seen the Broadway play are excited to see what the movie brings.

By Kim Rooney Production Editor Be careful what you wish for, especially if what you wish for is a mash-up of famous fairy tales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood.

Originally a Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Into the Woods, to premier Dec. 25, is Disney’s latest in its trend of live-action films.

“All of it looks like it’s going to be action-packed but still have a nice Disney plot to it,” senior Reena John

said. “There will be some element of romance and magic, and it will all come together with the live action fairy tale elements. It will be really awesome.”

The musical version debuted at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986 and on Broadway in 1987. However, adapting musicals to screen can be challenging.

Audiences are limited to what the director, Rob Marshall, elects to show, which worries some fans.

“Movie musicals are different from real life musicals, which is why people don’t like them as much,” sophomore Sara Miller said. “You

can’t see the whole stage, so you can’t see the whole story, and there’s a disconnect.”

The musical itself is based on The Uses of Enchantment, a book by Bruno Bettelheim, which analyzes fairy tales through the lens of Freudian psychology. The book includes psychoanalytical readings of the aforementioned tales along with Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

“It would probably make more sense as to why the stories came to be,” senior Bahareh Farahifar said.

“Like why Cinderella wanted to go to the party so much and why the characters interact the way they do.”

However, some do not believe that Disney will follow the darker symbolism that Bruno Bettelheim suggests in his book. Instead, they believe it will favor the light-hearted and happy ending-style for which Disney is so well known.

“I’ve already seen Into the Woods on stage, so I know the twists and turns, but I think that Disney will change some aspects,” junior Jillian Tyson said. “I won’t give away any spoilers, but this musical does go into some pretty dark places. The movie is PG, so it’s probably going to be a bit lighter than the original show.”

With four live-action movies in the past year and five scheduled for the upcoming year, Disney is taking on a new focus with films such as Cinderella; Tomorrowland; McFarland, USA and The Jungle Book. The audience that grew up with the Disney Renaissance has reached its teens and twenties, and Disney seems to want to grow up with it.

“It’s cool how Disney is venturing

into this new area,” senior Antonia Gaviria Roso said.

While there was a brief surge in live-action Disney films in 2011, this new wave features adaptations of previously animated Disney movies.

With Maleficent, Disney’s reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, grossing over $7.57 million worldwide, this trend will likely be a huge success.

“I grew up with all the classics on VHS, so Disney movies hold a lot of good memories for me,” senior Kaitlin Cruz said.

If Disney is nervous that nostalgia alone will fail to carry this movie, the well-known cast should placate its fears. Featuring Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Johnny Depp as the Wolf, Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince and Meryl Streep as the Witch, Into the Woods boasts a list famous and beloved actors and actresses.

“I’m really glad that Chris Pines is in it,” Farahifar said. “Meryl Streep is really good, and I love Anna Kendrick. I don’t have any doubts about any of their acting.”

The trailer offers glances at each of their characters and teases its viewers with bits of singing, all while revealing the basic plot: each character harbors a wish, and the Witch offers two of them, the Baker and his wife, the chance to fulfill theirs. To do so, they must gather ingredients, which the other main characters possess.

“It looks really interesting and well done,” Gaviria Rozo said.

The bar has been set high for Disney, but many fans are optimistic that they will rise to the challenge.

“I really adore this musical,” Tyson said. “I wouldn’t want anyone other than Disney to make a movie adaptation of it.”

“For someone so young to have such a great concept of how to visually capture story material—it can only be attributed to his focus and passion for cinematography,” Selman said. “He’s someone who can sit down at a table with people twice or three times his age and talk with them as equals—and he is always working hard to find interesting and inventive ways to do his job.”

As for the future, Gray plans to continue down the path he’s started, wherever it may take him.

“First and foremost, I want to learn as much as I can,” Gray said. “Whether or not this involves film school or college education is really a matter of opinion, and it’s an opinion that I’ve yet to form. In 10 years, I’d be very impressed with myself if I was the director of photography for at least one over $1 million film. As far as what I do after that, that’s up in the air. My life dream is to become a member of The American Society of Cinematographers and be able to give back to aspiring cinematographers like me.”

Places, places! Senior successful as cinematographer

By Madison Hurr Arts Editor Lights. Camera. Action. Senior Aidan Gray does them all. A skilled cinematographer, he tells unique stories from behind his camera, turning mere ideas into complete cinematic works. While most students are sitting in their sixth period class, Gray leaves school after his half schedule and starts working.

Once he leaves school, he goes from student to Director of Photography at Cue93 Studios, a film production studio which he co-founded in March with former media services technician Scott Selman. At his intern job, Gray works on lighting, design, filmmaking and editing for everything from commercials to documentaries.

“My personal philosophy is that the world is too big to film from one angle,” Gray said. “My favorite part of what I do is that I get to tell stories from unconventional perspectives, whether it be by avant-garde lighting or different experimental techniques.”

Gray worked on a short film with Cue93, “An Accidental Memoir,” which was selected for the world premiere at the New York City Fifth Annual Independent Film Festival in October.

The film follows the story of a traveling book that links the personal histories of a group of strangers, thus creating an “accidental memoir.”

“Seeing the film premiere felt great,” Gray said. “However, watching it play wasn’t really the best part—it was knowing that we took a risk and dove into something head first, not knowing or expecting anything to come from it. And to get the call that we got

into NYCIFF and realize that we succeeded as a creative team—that was probably the best part.”

As with all things great, Gray’s cinematography career had humble beginnings. He became interested in film in the fourth grade, when he and his friend Pablo Roa started a show on YouTube called “The Pablo Show.”

According to Gray, at that point, he knew that film was what he wanted to do, and it was just a matter of specializing and performing harder jobs from there.

“As long as I’ve known Aidan, he’s known exactly what he wanted to do and what it was going to take to get there,” Selman said. “Obviously anyone can pick up a camera now and tell a story, but it’s about how you tell that story and your process that really makes it something special.”

Aside from “An Accidental Memoir,” Gray recently filmed an entry for the Doritos “#CrashtheSuperBowl” advertisement contest. Some of his other past projects include the films: “SixtyFour Squares,” “Another Superhero Story,” “The Silence,” “Unplugged,” “Times of Their Lives,” and “A View to Die For.” As for the present, Gray is currently in post-production for Cue93’s “To Neptune, on the Night Before the End,” a longer film that he started shooting in July and is projected to be released in January.

Cue93 crowd-funded around $4,155 on Indie Go-Go to fund talent and equipment expenses for the crew and the nine-person cast.

At the age of 17, Gray’s versatility as a cinematographer is astounding, according to Selman.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AIDAN GRAY.

Senior Aidan Gray (left) and Scott Selman (right) founded Cue93 studios. One of their films was selected for a New York Film Festival.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Arts

theObserver

15

ArcLight Cinemas makes big-screen debut at mall

By Arjun Swaminathan Online Arts Editor

Grandiose, dazzling and sparkling are all words that come to mind as one enters ArcLight Bethesda, the new movie theater that opened Nov. 6 at the Westfield Montgomery mall.

As ArcLight Cinemas’ first location outside of California, the luxury of the 16-screen behemoth is a stunning contrast to the previous mall theater, a small, dark and gloomy two-screen facility.

With no box office, a variety of cosmetic improvements and brand new customer services, ArcLight Bethesda provides moviegoers with a whole new experience.

The moment moviegoers enter the theater, they are introduced to an innovative and convenient ticket buying process.

Viewers must reserve and pay for specific seats in advance, either online or at machines set up in the theater’s entrance area. This speeds up the procedure dramatically and also drastically reduces the length of ticket lines.

“The idea of reserving tickets beforehand is great because in normal movie theaters if you happen to go to the movie late it is extremely hard to find a decent seat,” junior Austin Yang said. “This eliminates that problem.”

On the opposite wall of the entrance area, show times are displayed around a clock that hovers over people walking by. The ambitious theater design also adds a fancy café and bar in addition to the regular concessions area, allowing visitors a place to rest and relax while waiting for their film to start.

“I thought the concessions were really organized and clean,” junior Elya Nassaj said. “The décor is a

PHOTO BY ARJUN SWAMINATHAN.

ArcLight Cinemas opened in Westfield Montgomery in early November. The movie theater provides many perks that differ from normal movie theaters including online, reserved seating and a cafe. little much, but it still makes the place look great.”

As for the show itself, one cannot help but feel satisfied with the experience.

ArcLight differs greatly from other movie theaters by removing bothersome advertisements that usually run prior to a viewing, since the theater skips directly to previews instead and starts at the scheduled time. Polite employees tell viewers to be respectful and to silence cell phones instead of a voice on the screen, and the show itself runs smoothly on a high definition screen.

“The theater is smaller with a bigger screen, which I like because you feel closer to the screen wherever you sit,” Yang said. “The sound is incredible.”

Despite its great atmosphere and convenience, ArcLight is not without its drawbacks. In addition to paying for relatively expensive tickets costing up to $13.75 per adult, moviegoers are required to reserve seats in advance, and anyone who arrives late for their viewing is not allowed to be seated.

According to junior Monica Oves, having to reserve seats is “too much

work” for one movie.

Although ArcLight Bethesda may have minor inconveniences, it remains a vast improvement over the mall’s old theater, which was small, crammed and bland.

Moviegoers will gaze around in awe at its splendor and magnificence before they enjoy a great show.

“Watching a movie at ArcLight Bethesda turns into a fun little experience that you can enjoy with your friends,” Nassaj said. “I definitely recommend everyone go at least once to see if they like this whole new thing.”

16

Sports

theObserver

Friday, December 19, 2014

Bulldogs have advantage with two varsity teams

By Danny Gordon Staff Writer

For the first time in school history, the coaching staff of the CHS hockey team has decided to create a second varsity team, adding to the previously existing JV and varsity teams.

Recently, the team has seen an influx of skilled players, and thus, a second varsity team was added to accommodate all of the additional talent.

“I like this better than two teams, especially with the amount of talented kids we have,” said varsity-two junior Sam Beloff. “No one who is a varsitylevel player is forced to play JV.” The teams are divided solely based on merit, with the top 15 players on the varsity-one team and, the next 15 on varsity-two and the remainder on JV. According to varsity-one head coach Ray McKenzie, the addition of another team “was simply a matter of numbers.”

The supplementary varsity team allows younger, developing players a chance to gain valuable in-game experience and additional ice time against more challenging opponents than they would face at the JV level.

“There are a lot of good kids that tried out this year,” said senior and varsity-one captain Ross Allen.

“Having two teams is a good way for everyone to not only get time, but also improve their hockey.”

The new team has helped younger kids grow up and quickly develop into varsity caliber players.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSS ALLEN.

Senior and varsity-one captain Ross Allen shoots for the net during a match up against B-CC. According to Beloff, they go into every game expecting to compete, even against top tier teams.

The varsity-one team is off to a 4-0 start, including a 6-1 victory over the reigning state champion Wootton varsity team Nov. 14. The varsity-two team is off to a 1-2-1 start, having lost to Wootton varsity 5-2. Both teams play in the same

varsity league, but varsity-two is not eligible for playoffs.

According to Allen, a key to the varsity-one team’s success is its chemistry, which has developed over the past few seasons of playing on the same team together. The team’s only goal this season is to win a state championship.

The varsity-two team will give the younger players the chance to develop into

a winning team with similar bonds.

The additional team will be reevaluated at the end of the season, but it will most likely be continued.

“It has been phenomenal for the development of our players, especially the freshmen and sophomores on the varsity-two team,” McKenzie said.

“They receive much more playing time and against the best competition.”

Pep band to perform University of Maryland during winter games basketball starts strong

By Nathan Gertler Contest Manager

PHOTO BY EMILIANA CARDINALE.

Pep band sign up sheet is now outside the Bridge office, suite 166.

By Emiliana Cardinale Production Editor The Bulldog fight song blasts from the sidelines of a CHS basketball game as the pep band plays to support the team.

Special education paraeducator Bruce Krohmer has brought a drumline and a pep band to CHS basketball games for four of the last five years.

Students looking to support CHS basketball can join again this year.

“I like to support our teams, especially basketball because they don’t get nearly as much support as football, and I think they deserve it,” Krohmer said.

While there are no confirmed games for the pep band, the drumline will be playing at six basketball games, three boys’ games and three girls’ games.

The dates for these games have yet to be confirmed.

“Drumline is signed up for six games,” Krohmer said. “I’m trying to get a pep band to do a few more of the games.”

Students interested in the pep band can contact Krohmer or sign up in the band room or the Bridge office, suite 166.

“It’ll be very easy musically,” Krohmer said. “There won’t be a lot of music to read. People who haven’t played much shouldn’t have to worry about that.”

According to Krohmer, another reason the pep band is a valuable experience is because learning to be in a pep band may aid them financially in college, as many college pep bands pay their members.

Members of the pep band get into games for free as well as getting seats that are extremely close to the game itself.

“It’s really exciting because you sit right at the sidelines,” Krohmer said.

steam when he returns from his fractured wrist. Wells was averaging 16.5 points per game, leading the team in scoring before he suffered his injury, and was adding 4.8 The University of Maryland men’s basket- rebounds per game as well. ball team has gotten off to a sizzling 8-1 start According to Wilson, even though this season, and has returned to the AP Top 25 they have gotten great production from College Basketball their guards so far this poll for the first time year, they will since the end of the need a big man 2009-2010 season. to step up.

Maryland curWith the loss rently ranks as the of seven-foot-one 19th-best team in center Alex Len, the country, hauling who was drafted in wins over tough by the Phoenix opponents such as Suns in the first Arizona State and round of the NBA 14th-ranked Iowa draft last year, the State on its road to team will definitewinning thg CBE ly need a big man Hall of Fame Classic to step up in place tournament. of him. Six- foot“They have got11 sophomore ten off to a better forward Damonstart this year simply te Dodd looks to because this year’s fill in that space, team is better than currently averagprevious years,” juing 4.8 points per nior Johnathan Wilgame, and five reson said. “They seem bounds per game to be smarter players as he transitions PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS. on the court, they to a starter this listen to their coach season. more, and they have a very deep bench.”

Head coach Mark Turgeon, in his Key to its success this season has been fresh- fourth-year at the helm of Maryland man sensation, point guard Melo Trimble, who basketball, will look to lead Maryland is averaging 16.4 points per game, along with to success in the Big 10 as well as an 2.9 assists. He has also added a deep threat to appearance in the NCAA tournament, the Maryland offense with his consistent ability something Turgeon has not been able to shoot from long-range. His speed along with to do in his first three years. his shooting ability has been wreaking havoc The depth and the talent of this young for opposing defenses so far this season. yet experienced Maryland team should Even without senior guard Dez Wells, who propel them into a lot of success this was a key player for Maryland last year, the season, and could take them into a very team has started well, and will look to gain deep run into the NCAA tournament.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Sports

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theObserver

New divisions end Wootton rivalry

By Nathan Gertler Contest Manager

If you ask any student at CHS who our biggest rival is, there is no doubt they will all give the same answer: Wootton. To give both CHS and Wootton a chance to see the rivalry, CHS sports teams should play Wootton twice every season but, unfortunately, that will no longer be the case.

In the past, Wootton has been in the same division as CHS in the 4A South division including sports such as basketball and soccer. However, last year Wootton was switched to the 4A West division. This was not their choice, but rather, MCPS’ policy.

“MPSSAA and MCPS athletics put together all of their schedules on a two-year cycle,” athletic director Scott Rivinius said. “The past two years have been part of a new cycle.

The two-year cycles that MCPS has implemented have a negative impact on the actual athletics and school spirit within the two schools, splitting perennial rivals such as Churchill and Wootton, and putting them in opposite divisions.

Big-time rivals such as Northwest, Quince Orchard, Kennedy and Springbrook are in their same respective divisions, so why should CHS and Wootton be separated?

“Last year the regions were split into sections,” Rivinius said. “CHS and Wootton are both now in 4AWest region but CHS is in Section I and Wootton is in Section II.” Instead of randomly splitting the region like MCPS did last year and switching teams from divisions, MCPS and MPSSAA should place teams in certain divisions based on records.

The Wootton boys basketball team was placed in a much more competitive division last year with powerhouses

tion, then it should be a no-brainer that Wootton and CHS should be in the same division, considering the fact that they are approximately five minutes away from each other.

Wootton should be in the Bulldogs’ division because it’s the biggest and most intense game of the season for both schools. These Wootton-CHS games no doubt attract the biggest spectators and fans from both schools.

There should always be two games a season between the two in order to give both schools PHOTO BY NOAH SALZBERG. both fan bases Senior Ire Obebe practices his dunks during warmups. and a chance to see it.

Magruder and Gaithersburg, and they By putting Wootton back in the did not fare well. Wootton finished the same division as their competitive season with a 1-9 record in their new counterparts, CHS, MCPS would division and 5-16 overall on the sea- be bringing back the intense school son. Two teams from CHS’s division, spirit that exists whenever these B-CC, and Walter Johnson, finished two traditional rivals match up 1-9 in their divisional play, so Wootton against each other. should be placed in a division where Having already lost to Wootthey have more equal opponents. ton this season, CHS boys basThe teams in every division are k e t b a l l w i l l n o t h a v e t h e o p getting stronger each year, especially p o r t u n i t y t o e x a c t r e v e n g e o n the 4A-West division, in which the t h e i r c o u n t e r p a r t s t h i s s e a s o n , teams are already superior to most a n d w i l l h a v e t o w a i t u n t i l n e x t teams in the county. season when the two teams will According to Rivinius, schools are p l a y e a c h o t h e r a g a i n . primarily divided and set up based One meeting per season, not on school location, and the dividing including the playoffs, between line between divisions is basically these two colossal rivals, espe right between CHS and Wootton. cially in a major sport like basketIf MCPS is basing their division ball, is detrimental not only to the placements based on school loca- players, but the fans as well.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL DIBONO.

Athlete Commits

By Michael Fox Sports Editor Julia McDermott Sports Editor

Congratulations to senior Danny Dibono for recently committing to play lacrosse for the University of Detroit Mercy.

After starting to play in third grade, Dibono has always loved lacrosse, and has been playing attack on CHS varsity since his freshman year. After receiving offers from Clark University and Albright College, he decided to continue his passion for lacrosse and study engineering at UDM. “I knew that I wanted to play lacrosse in college because I just love playing it, and it’s the greatest thing in the world,” Dibono said. “I really like the atmosphere that the team has, and I wanted to be able to get an education while still playing lacrosse.”

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Friday, December 19, 2014

OSPN: Winter’s top five hardest plays 5.

By Michael Fox Sports Editor In the world of sports, many debates focus on how difficult a sport is to play compared to other sports. The debates have continued, so the Observer weighs in to share its opinion on the top five hardest things to do in winter high school sports.

1.

Landing a Successful Dive: Although many see it as just jumping into a pool, it is actually more complicated than it seems.

Divers need to time their routine, make sure they don’t mistime the jump and finally have the courage to go head first into the water from heights as tall as one meter. An extremely difficult task, divers make it look easy with preparation and tons of experience in the water.

Junior Bridie Dunn: “Diving is, in my opinion, the hardest mental sport because there is a lot of danger involved.

You have to have trust in yourself and your abilities to do it right.”

3.

Basketball Players Sinking a Contested ThreePointer: Having only one defender to beat for a basketball player isn’t that hard of a task to accomplish for a 6’3” talented jock. However, with only three seconds left on the shot clock, and the threat of a turnover looming, the play becomes much more difficult. No high school athlete can make a long-range three-pointer every time, especially with a giant defender ready to block his shot.

Junior Michael Yazdani: “I get nervous sometimes, but with so much practice and repetition, it makes it easier to get buckets. I try to get my defender off balance so it is easier for me to elevate and get him off of me so I can get my shot off.”

4.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY WEINSTEIN.

Taking Down your Opponent: Wrestling takes power, strength and endurance, all of which are aimed toward the goal of bringing an opponent to the ground.

Wrestling also requires technique, which is learned with practice. A wrestler must try to take down his opponent in a way to conquer his opponent. Taking down an opponent requires strategy, execution and finally, quick thinking, which are all hard essentials to combine.

Senior Giulian Groce: “Before a match, I’m nervous, but then I step on to the mat and I think I might as well get it over with. I get pumped when we shake hands, and if it’s a good match, then the people before me get me pumped up. I like to think to myself what strategies I’m going to use in the match.”

Getting the Ace: During a volleyball match, the teams rally back and forth to win the point, but it all begins at the same place: the serve. Serving the ball initiates the rally and begins the point. If the server can ace the other team on the serve, it’s an incredible accomplishment because they don’t need to battle it out for a gruesome point with spikes and sets. Acing someone may seem easy, but it truly is a challenging feat.

Senior Sara Chang: “The hardest part of serving is getting the serve in. It’s the only part of volleyball you have complete control of because there is no one else to blame if you mess up. The toss has to be the right amount in front of you, and the height has to be perfect for it to go over the net and in. It’s really difficult to ace someone because you have to think about so much at once.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLOTTE GRABE SORIANO.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIDIE DUNN.

2.

Controlling and Shooting the Puck on the Ice: Gliding across the ice so graciously is what highly trained hockey players are famous for. Most people have learned to ice skate, but only hockey players can shoot the puck across mid-ice to a teammate who can place the puck in the back of the net. These athletes manage to make it look like they learned how to skate before they learned to walk. Having this kind of coordination and mobility on such a slippery surface makes the sport exclusive to the stick-wielding athletes who play it.

Junior Mark Weinstein: “You have to keep your head up. I’ve played a lot of hockey in my life, so the skating comes naturally. I take notice of the gap between us, I examine my defender, see how well he skates backwards and his size. Then I make the decision of what I want to do next. In most sports, you do tasks similar to shooting and passing, but with hockey, you’re on the ice.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIA GERTLER.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GIULIAN GROCE.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Sports

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theObserver

Managers need more than 30 SSL hours

By Cristian Edwards Staff Writer

PHOTO BY EMILY WANG.

Toilet papering houses is used as a form of initiation for some sports teams.

Team bonding or hazing?

By Emily Wang Circulation Manager

Hazing is most commonly associated with fraternities, but do CHS sports teams haze?

“Hazing is the same thing as bullying or being abusive, often associated with initiation on athletic teams,” Principal Joan Benz said.

CHS currently has no policy regarding hazing. However, MCPS does. Every athlete must sign a student athlete participation form which states, “hazing is prohibited at all times... [and] may lead to immediate dismissal from a team.”

There have been mixed opinions from students as to whether there is a hazing culture at CHS, and some believe hazing is harmless.

“I have noticed many different forms of hazing across the different sports at CHS,” swimmer Colton Neubauer said.

“I believe the ‘hazing’ is more for fun than to embarrass the athlete.”

Others think hazing is a virtually nonexistent part of the CHS sports culture.

According to sophomore junior varsity volleyball player Allison Lu, she has not seen hazing or inequalities between the upperclassmen and the underclassmen.

Though there is no evidence of intense hazing at CHS, freshmen and sophomores team members still may face nonviolent hazing.

“On baseball, we make the freshman do all the field work and we tease them a

lot,” junior Jacob Storch said.

Some sports teams try to have team bonding, such as pasta dinners and sleepovers, which are not centered on humiliating the freshmen.

“Each year usually the upperclassmen host a spaghetti dinner the night before a meet in order to carb up for the race,” cross country runner Alexandra Conway said.

It is often hard to distinguish between when something is all in good fun and a team bonding moment or when something is hazing and detrimental to the team atmosphere.

According to athletic director Scott Rivinus, team bonding activities cross the line into hazing if people feel they did not have a choice and the experience was uncomfortable or negative.

Getting accepted and fitting in are major reasons students endure hazing. As a new member, underclassmen are likely to feel that they have to prove themselves in order to be accepted into the team.

“There is an adolescent, young person attitude that no matter what, they want to join a group of people or team,” Benz said Initiation at CHS sports may include verbal abuse, push-ups and toilet papering, according to various sources.

“Toilet papering someone’s house is unacceptable,” Rivinus said. “I would classify that as more vandalism than hazing. Forcing someone to toilet paper would be more along the lines of hazing. This would be an action we would discourage among our athletes.”

If you put together six-two hour practices a week for nine weeks, then how many hours should you get? I’ll tell you one thing, it isn’t only 30 hours.

According to CHS SSL coordinator Wendy Tilles, there was a rule change as of this school year for team managers and SSL hours. Last year, managers were able to receive as many hours as the coach thought necessary, or none at

“

more than 30 hours of SSL for his service to the team.

“I work one or two games a week for a total of up to four hours of service,” Sorkin said. “If you add all that up, it should be more than 30 hours.”

Each student in MCPS needs 75 SSL hours to graduate, and helping out a school team is a very good way to support the school and surpass the required number of SSL hours.

“I don’t really have that many hours,” Sorkin said. “I wanted to be a

Some managers do more work than others and put in a lot of hours,” Rivinius said. “I do not think the limit should be 30 hours.”

all. If the coach thought that the manager should receive 100 hours for their duties, then they had the power to give them that many.

Athletic team managers should receive more than the current cap of 30 SSL hours per sports season, and instead should be able to receive an amount that they deserve or their coach deems appropriate.

“Team managers/statisticians may receive a maximum of 30 hours per sports season, which is awarded at the end of the sports season,” said CHS SSL coordinator Wendy Tilles. “Before last year, they could not earn SSL for this.”

Every sports manager’s role may be very different depending on their designated position as a manager, but they nevertheless work strenuously, cleaning up after the team and organizing and helping the team during practices.

Junior Ryan Sorkin is a co-team manager for the varsity basketball team, and believes that he should earn

team manager so I could gain as many hours as possible.”

Although the 30-hour rule might not be very suitable for managers, according to athletic director Scott Rivinius, team managers were not allowed to receive SSL hours until the 2013-2014 school year. He speculates that it may have been that before the new rule was put in place, limiting SSL hours to 30, managers were abusing the limitless amount of SSL hours they could obtain.

However, some oppose the rule because it does not fairly represent the student’s work.

According to Rivinius, there shouldn’t be a cap or restraint to the number of SSL hours a team manager can receive; it should be up to the coach to decide.

“Some managers do more work than others and put in a lot of hours,” Rivinius said. “I do not think the limit should be 30 hours.”

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Volume 39 - Issue 4

By Hannah Yasharoff Social Media Editor Winning states. For most high school athletes, it’s the ultimate goal of senior year, a culmination of four years of hard work and dedication.

Senior Kali Becker is no stranger to such success. As a freshman, Becker won both the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Diving Championship (Metros) and the Maryland State Diving Championships at the University of Maryland, College Park, breaking a 14-year-old pool record by 22.50 points.

“That was really cool,” Becker said.

“It came down to the last dive, and I had to do a really good dive to win it. It was so much fun, too. I was the youngest one out there and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m 15. The rest of the people here are 18, so whatever happens, happens.’”

Her former swim and dive coach, Brendan Roddy, who will not be coaching CHS swim and dive again this year due to his new role as the Art Department resource teacher, recalls a similar memory from Becker’s experience at Metros.

“She had stiff competition from a senior girl from another school and the two of them were dive for dive until the very end,” Roddy said. “I remember Kali nailing her last dive and we just knew

Friday, December 19, 2014

that she won. We waited for the results, and there was a little bit of crying.”

Roddy also recalls being impressed with Becker’s maturity after winning the meet.

“The part that stands out is that then she was asked to be interviewed by a website,” Roddy said. “I think she was 14 at the time and listening to her talk, it didn’t sound like a 14-year-old anymore. It was like a winning athlete, not just a young kid. That was very cool.”

Becker began her diving career at age 8 and also played soccer until she was in eighth grade.

According to Becker, her original goal as a kid was to swim and play soccer at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, but she realized that she would not be able to participate in two Division I sports at the same time.

She now coaches diving during the summer at East Gate Swim and Tennis Club, the pool where she began diving.

“I’ve been coaching there since I was in sixth grade,” Becker said. “I’ve been going there forever. That’s where I started. That’s where I saw other kids diving and decided I wanted to try that.”

True to her original goal, Becker will be diving Division I for the Tar Heels next year.

“I’ve been in love with UNC ever since I dove there,” Becker said. “I have so many

PHOTO COURTESY OF KALI BECKER.

After breaking high school records, Becker heads to UNC in the fall. friends on the team it feels like a family.”

Becker signed her letter of intent to officially dive for UNC Nov. 12.

“When she was able to make a decision and then be so happy about it, I was happy in turn,” Roddy said.

According to Roddy, Becker’s diving skills have consistently been exceptional.

“It wasn’t like she came in and then suddenly jumped up to be this great diver,” Roddy said. “She came in being a great diver, but she has a really good ability to understand her body in the air. She’s also really athletic. She’s very strong for her size. She’s not the biggest of people, which helps in diving: you flip faster and are able to do things that someone who’s taller may not be able to do.”

Although diving is very much an individually-scored sport, Becker credits much of her success in the pool to the rest of her swim and dive team.

“Everyone’s so supportive and

they’re all such great teammates,” Becker said. “There’s no way I would do as well during the season without them.”

As a captain this year, Becker will have a big role in motivating the team, which Roddy does not believe will be a difficult task for her.

“She was always energetic, always bouncing around, everyone liked being around her,” Roddy said.

Becker’s current coach, math teacher Christopher Tappis, also has high hopes for Becker this season.

“Kali is a phenomenal diver, but she is also a great leader on our team,” Tappis said.

With next year at UNC in sight, Becker has a different list of goals for this season.

According to Becker, she is motivated this season by three main goals: “finish out strong,” “qualify for Nationals again,” and “prepare to train in college because it’s a lot different, a lot harder.”

to execute the game plan more consis- play to their highest potential. tently than less experienced teams.”

“Even the sophomores will have to However, this correlation is not law. very quickly adapt to playing varsity A team like CHS can pull off incredible because everybody is going to have to things if the players come together and play at a high level,” returning junior commit to a game plan.

Jonathan Wilson said.

“Every practice is an opportunity for Team chemistry is incredibly imthem to get better individually and as a portant to team success, and hopefully team so that’s the team’s what they’re ability to play going to need as a team will to do: come to make up for practice every their lack of day wanting experience. to get better,” “Whether Bean said. or not we are It won’t be able to come easy to maintogether as a tain the conteam will be sistent level vital for the of excellence outcome of that varsity rethis season,” PHOTO BY JAKE CERTNER. quires, and to Wilson said. do it, everyone With only one senior on the team, the boys “We will reon the team will focus on gaining experience this year. ally have to will need to play as a team

if we want to be successful.”

The Bulldogs have started the year 0-3, and their lack of varsity experience has proved to be a major obstacle for the team’s offense. Scoring only 36 points against Paint Branch and 21 against Wootton, the team will have a lot to work on moving forward.

According to Bean, the biggest issue from the first few games has been turnovers and he wants to see the team “cherish each possession,” moving forward.

The team is continuing a positive outlook, focusing on the beginning of the season as something to work off of rather than forget.

“Our young guys showed great poise and effort,” Bean said. “We definitely had some promising moments to build on.”

Fortunately there is a long season ahead of the Bulldogs and plenty of time to figure out a winning recipe as the team gets more aquanted with the varsity level.

“We have a lot of new young players, and we just need to get used to the competition,” junior Danny Silver said.

Young boys basketball team working to rebuild

By Jake Certner Staff Writer

With only one returning senior this year, the boys varsity basketball team is incredibly young but chock full of new talent, ready to prove that hard work can transcend age.

“We are all learning,” lone returning senior Calvin Kamara said. “Whether young or old, being coachable is the difference.”

As a senior, Kamara is proof that anyone of any age can be an asset to a team. He was pulled up to varsity his freshman year and started for the team his sophomore year. The Bulldogs this year have quite a few players in a similar position, but Kamara knows first-hand that even underclassmen can make a difference on a varsity team According to Kamara, the new kids have what it takes to win and, “once they start to click, the sky is the limit.”

According to varsity basketball coach Robert Bean, teams full of seniors “tend

Team records* Girls 2-2 boys 0-4

Wresting 1-1

*AS OF 12/16/14

Swim and Dive Boys 2-0 girls 2-0

Track and Field Next meet 12/30

FOR UP-TO-DATE SCORES AND STATS, FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ CHS_OBSERVER.