The Churchill Observer- March 2015

By Eugenia Cardinale Production Editor Isabel Dibble Online Observations Editor Due to budget cuts, MCPS schools will face staff reductions and class size increases next school year.

The Montgomery County Board of Education, employee associations, the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) and interim Superintendent Larry Bowers are working with elected officials in Annapolis to try to restore some of the $25 million of reductions made

Friday, March 20, 2015

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Cuts will affect jobs, class size to the budget and to minimize layoffs.

“The Board and I recognize that this news is unsettling and creates uncertainty at a time when our district is going through a leadership transition,” Bowers said in a March 9 press statement. “We believe we are taking a responsible, thoughtful approach, and we know that MCPS staff will continue to serve our students well.”

More than 150 staff positions will be reduced by increasing class sizes at all grades levels.

In high schools, average class sizes will increase by 0.5 percent at schools with higher free and reduced-price meals (FARMS) at other schools, including CHS. “For us high school teachers, if classes increase by one, that means we really have five additional students because we really

teach five classes,” AP Human Geography teacher Adam Field said. “That negatively impacts the amount of time we have to devote to assessing and grading students’ work.”

Students will also be impacted by the increase in class sizes.

“Students will not be able to pay attention when even more of their friends are around,” sophomore Samuel Yosef said. “When learning in big groups, there is less of that one-to-one teaching that many students prefer.”

Other positions being held back include ESOL, special education, and staff development teachers, as well as media assistants.

“As a staff member, none of us like to hear the word budget cuts,” special education teacher Aaron Vactor said.

“People lose jobs, and these

cuts can change lives.”

While interim Superintendent Bowers remains “hopeful” that the County Council can fund the Board’s budget, the Board has decided to start preparing for cuts now before the County Council approves the budget in May. “The hope is that the cuts do not happen,” Field said. “I think that MCPS is trying to do the best they can to give people time to prepare in case they are affected by a cut.”

According to Bower’s March 9 press statement, principals received information for next year and will notify the school of how it is being impacted.

Many hope that MCPS will handle these tough decisions.

According to Assistant Principal Doreen Brandes, decisions are still being made and staffing is “still in flux.”

HYA hosted several public forums March 4 and 10 in which students, teachers, parents and community members had the opportunity to voice their concerns with the superintendent search process and provide input regarding what qualities they would like to see in potential candidates.

“Public input is an important part of the superintendent search process and we encourage all community members to let their voices be heard,” O’Neill said in the statement.

“This will be a chance for our students, staff and stakeholders to tell us what they are looking for in the next leader of MCPS.” Principal Joan Benz attended a forum with fellow MCPS principals similar to the public forums offered to the community and believes that involving the community is critical to finding a superintendent that can better serve everyone involved.

“I think it’s very good because it provides transparency and gives all stakeholders a chance to give input,” Benz said.

Benz also believes that the same level of community outreach should also be a key part of the new superintendent’s administration.

“I would love to have a person who is going to be highly visible and highly

accessible, so that people can talk to that person, not only through groups and organizations, but also individually,”Benz said. “I want someone who really loves children and who will come to the schools, interact with them, and interact with staff members as well.”

When it comes to wanting more transparency within the school system, Benz is not alone. While many acknowledge the Board’s efforts in keeping the community informed in the superintendent search process, some believe that the county is nowhere near as transparent in other equallyimportant situations, like Starr’s resignation.

“I would like more transparency from the Board about what exactly happened and why Josh Starr is not with us anymore,” said an MCPS parent at a forum at Walter Johnson High School.

While many of those who spoke at the forums stressed the importance of the new superintendent maintaining transparency, others said the new superintendent should be selected based on his or her ability to handle key issues including the growing student population, concerns with student mental health, and the advancement of LGBT rights

within the school system.

Some CHS students would also like to see the new superintendent reduce the MCPS’ dependence on standardized testing and focus on other, equallyimportant aspects of school.

“I would want a strong leader who is willing to promote the joy of learning as opposed to the promotion of maintaining and raising test scores––a culture I have been immersed in since middle school,” senior Maya Rao said.

While most in the MCPS community have differing opinions as to what they would like to see in the new superintendent, the general consensus seems to be that whoever is selected must work hard to maintain MCPS’ reputation as one of the best school systems in the nation. Through their extensive nationwide search and community outreach, the Board and HYA hope to find a superintendent who will do just that.

“Our vision is to inspire learning by providing the greatest public education to each and every student,” O’Neill said. “We look forward to working with our staff, students and community to find the best superintendent who can help us achieve that vision.”

Ever since Joshua Starr announced his resignation as MCPS superintendent Feb. 3, the Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) has been working to find his successor.

Although Starr’s resignation and the transition to interim Superintendent Larry Bowers went smoothly for the Board, finding Starr’s replacement will not be as easy. It will be a broad, nationwide search that could last several months and could leave the county without a permanent superintendent for the rest of the school year.

Nevertheless, BOE president Patricia O’Neil is confident that a new superintendent will be in place by July 1.

“I want to assure our community that the Board is committed to finding an outstanding superintendent who will lead our efforts to provide all students with a world-class education,” O’Neill said in a Feb. 3 press statement.

Leading the search for the new superintendent is Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), an executive search firm that assisted MCPS in its last two superintendent searches in 1999 and 2011.

Last month, the Board and

News PARCC testing begins Students, staff respond to demands of testing schedule.

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Staff get access cards

By Isabel Dibble Online Observations Editor CHS staff received access cards that will allow them to use card scanners outside the school to enter the building during certain hours.

CHS will now be locking doors during the school day, with the exception of 6:45 to 7:30 a.m. when students arrive.

“The most important effect of the cards is that they bring a greater level of safety to the school,” Principal Joan Benz said.

MCPS representatives installed computers which will provide screens to show who is outside the front door. Students and visitors who do not have access cards will have to be buzzed in from the main office to enter the school.

“Elementary schools have already had these cards for about a year,” Benz said.

According to sophomore Ben Birnbach, locking the doors is a good idea because students will feel safer knowing that a random person cannot enter the school without being buzzed in.

Although many students agree that the doors being locked increases safety, others view the idea of waiting outside to be buzzed in as an inconvenience.

The door access card system went into place March 9, and it may take time for CHS staff and students to adjust.

AP Psychology teacher Jared Pulliam, however, believes the transition should not be too difficult.

“The cards are a precautionary measure,” Pulliam said. “The cards help make the school more safe.”

PHOTO BY KATIE GAUCH.

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Peers sources of strength in mental health program

By Lauren Roseman Staff Writer

This year, the National Honor Society (NHS) is bringing the suicide prevention program Sources of Strength to CHS in order to bring awareness to recognizing suicidal signs in students.

Every year, the NHS selects a topic to advocate for, and this year the students chose to focus on suicide prevention.

According to NHS president and senior Lucy Srour, suicide prevention has become a concern in recent years, especially since the unexpected death of then-sophomore Evan Rosenstock in 2013.

“Evan’s death two years ago shocked this whole school,” Srour said. “Since he was in our grade we felt the impact even stronger, so we wanted to represent him and show that he is a part of our class, and we will never forget him,” Srour said.

Dr. Benz recommended the Sources of Strength program to Srour after hearing representatives speak at a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) event. Sources of Strength is based on a grant founded by NAMI, which started in North Dakota in 2000.

Now, Sources of Strength has spread to

PHOTO BY LAUREN ROSEMAN.

The National Honor Society is bringing a new organization Sources of Strength to CHS to help those struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts. other communities.

Sources of Strength’s goal is to help limit suicides throughout the community by spreading “hope, help and strength” through strong relationships and support systems.

These strong relationships will be

built by 75 peer leaders in CHS. Teachers specifically recommended these leaders, which comprise a diverse group of students.

According to NHS Adviser Jamie Frank, the peer leaders will reach out to students to spread the messages of

suicide prevention.

Peer leaders went through an intense training Feb. 27 for the first step in the Sources of Strength process. The training focused on the importance of teamwork and the recognition of the strengths of others.

“I learned how much I don’t know about the people I go to school with and how much the little things that you can do to help someone really affect their outlook,” said peer leader and junior Jameelah Khadar.

According to Srour, Sources of Strength was chosen for its unique approach that allows students to get help from peer leaders rather than adults.

The next step of the program will be to have a meeting with the leaders to establish a messaging campaign to raise awareness for teen suicide. The campaign will tie into the NHS week dedicated to fundraising for suicide prevention.

More students will be trained in future years so that the program can continue into the next years with new peer leaders. CHS is one of four MCPS schools participating in this program.

“I feel it is a great fit for Churchill, and I only hope it will give all the students strength and support,” Srour said.

Mandatory PARCC affects scheduling, class time

By Emily Wang Circulation Manager Balbina Yang Advertising Manager

More than 500 CHS students participated in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests this month.

According to a February 2015 MCPS letter, PARCC provides a better measurement of whether students are prepared for college once they graduate from high school.

“The PARCC assessments are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and will measure the essential literacy and problem-solving skills that students need to be successful in college and careers,” MCPS Public Information Officer Dana Tofig said.

PARCC consists of two components with the Performance Based Assessment (PBA) in March and the End of the Year Assessment (EOY) in late April. Maryland is currently one of 14 states that have implemented PARCC. The PARCC assessments will eventually replace the High School Assessments (HSA), but this year, students will take the Biology and Government HSAs and the Algebra I, Algebra II and English 10 PARCC. Not only are HSAs being replaced, the manner of taking assessments are changing as well. The PARCC is administered electronically on computers or Chromebooks.

According to assistant principal Joshua Neuman-Sunshine, taking the tests electronically is the future of testing.

However, the difficulties that come with starting new tests statewide have led to problems with PARCC’s implementation. For instance, students have complained about taking the math portions online.

“The math PARCC assessment was quite frankly, needlessly complicated,” sophomore Eowyn Pak said. “It would’ve been much easier to complete it if it were a paper test instead of a digital one.”

While many days of school were missed due to the PARCC, scheduling was not a problem.

“The snow days pushed testing originally scheduled for March 5 and March 6 to March 9 and March 10,” Neuman-Sunshine said. “We did not have testing scheduled on those days, so it worked well.”

Some students did not know there would be PARCC assessments starting March 3 because of snow days the week prior.

“Only one reminder had been given to us the Friday before the test and nobody alerted me when I followed my normal schedule,” sophomore Alexander Chung said. “I sat in class and didn’t even realize I missed it until lunch when someone told me.”

The main offices informed students who missed the testing the day before to report to testing rooms March 4. To fix additional absences for the math PARCC, makeup assessments took place March 12.

Along with missed notifications, difficulties with the computers lead to students’ inability to take the tests, forcing them to retake it on a different day.

For example, sophomore Mory Gould could not take the PARCC test because his login was not working.

“We have had a few minor technical issues working with a new testing program.” Neuman-Sunshine said.

Another unforeseen consequence of PARCC tests was the fact that the computer labs would be unavailable for teachers’ use which affected teaching plans.

“It disrupts the momentum of learning and teaching when a class has to move to a different room or the routine or lesson plans need to be changed to accommodate the test schedule,” AP Chinese teacher Yih Lee said. “Students are not able to stay focused and teachers lose precious instructional time.”

Due to the weather conditions affecting school days, students are worried about how much class time they will miss due to PARCC testing. Both the math and English portions are taken over the span of two days, requiring three hours and twenty minutes and five hours for each, respectively.

“I was unfortunately unable to attend the first four periods,” Chung said. “I am now behind in a couple of classes because of missing lessons which can really impact my understanding of a concept.”

PHOTO BY BALBINA YANG.

Information Technology specialist Robert Jones and assistant principal Joshua Neuman-Sunshine have overseen PARCC implementation this year.

With the transition from the HSA to the PARCC, students are wondering about the possible changes in graduation requirements.

According to a MCPS flyer on the PARCC, all students will be required to have taken and passed a HSA or PARCC in the following subjects: Algebra 1, English 10, Biology, and National, State and Local Government. Seniors and juniors taking Algebra 1 or English 10 will take the PARCC, but do not need to pass in order to graduate.

Starting in 2016-2017, students enrolled in Algebra 1 or English 10 must take and pass the PARCC as a prerequisite for graduation. Students

who took but did not pass the HSA in the past will be able to retake the HSAs this year. Seniors this year will still have to pass all HSAs in order to graduate.

“There are no re-takes for PARCC,” Neuman-Sunshine said. “If a student misses the PARCC tests we are holding make-up test sessions.”

Students have commented that this year’s PARCC seemed harder than previous years’ HSAs. The rigor of the PARCC will allow staff to better evaluate the readiness of students for college.

“This being the first full year of PARCC implementation, no one knows exactly what to expect,” NeumanSunshine said.

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MCPS’ seven snow days plows plans, schedules

By Jordan Janis Online Editor-in-Chief A staggering seven snow days this winter have affected CHS students both inside and outside of the classroom, from standardized test preparation to extracurricular activities being cancelled.

With the state requirement of 180 school days per year, the county has decided as of March 20 to stick with its original contingency plan by extending the school year three days to June 17.

“Our plan, at this time, is to follow the plan as outlined in the contingency calendar,” said MCPS senior communications specialist Gboyinde Onijala. “We currently are not exploring any other options beyond adding the days to the end of the school year.”

While adding days to the end of the school year allows students to make up the three extra snow days that surpassed the four day limit built into the MCPS calendar, it does not fix many of the negative effects the snow days had on academics and community activities. For example, additional instructional days at the end of the school year do not make up for the time lost preparing students for AP and HSA exams, which have inflexible dates.

“If you teach APs, you’re bound by the test and the day of the test doesn’t change,” AP World History and AP Psychology teacher Christopher Forney said. “The valuable time is lost.”

To make up for the seven lost instructional days, AP teachers are prioritizing the most important information for the tests and assigning homework for material that they cannot cover in class.

Many students, however, feel prepared for these standardized tests because of the capability of CHS teachers.

According to senior Cece Wallerstedt, the fast-approaching AP exams combined with the amount of work students have

missed have brought about more student stress, but her teachers “have done a good job prioritizing information and assigning work to do at home to make sure all the material is covered.”

Not only have the snow days increased students’ workloads and challenged preparation for standardized tests, but they have also caused cancellations of numerous extracurricular activities.

The CHS winter play Almost, Maine cancelled its opening night Feb. 21 and closing matinee March 1 due to inclement weather.

According to director and drama teacher Rachel Gates, a snow day and a cancellation of after-school activities caused two missed rehearsals, so she cancelled the opening night due to concerns about the preparedness of the show and the threat of more inclement weather for the weekend.

“The actors were up to speed and the tech crew had built things, but they only just started working on the lights, so I had huge concerns about what it would look like if we put it on with just two scheduled days before the opening night,” Gates said.

While Gates chose to cancel the opening night, she was forced to cancel the final matinee because an ice storm caused the closure of school buildings during the time of the play. The play could not be rescheduled because the auditorium is booked months in advance for Blast rehearsals.

According to Almost, Maine stage manager senior Jackie Spang, while the cancellation of the show was unfortunate, the two successful shows that ran “allowed many people to come out and see it.”

The fate of Almost, Maine may be considered lucky compared to how SGA’s Churchill’s Got Talent fared.

After being rescheduled twice because of snow days, the SGA had to completely cancel one of its biggest money-making

PHOTO BY JASMINE BATEN.

Snow days eat up time and cause cancellations of traditional school events. events.

“We couldn’t put the show on because the contestants would not have had enough time for rehearsals,” said SGA secretary and senior Rachel Rabinovitz. “The problem is that the auditorium is only available on certain days, so we can’t reschedule the show again.”

The cancellation of Churchill’s Got Talent upset the students participating, who were looking forward to showcasing their talents.

“It was disappointing,” said senior Annie Fang, who was going to sing while senior Billie Sun played the piano. “Churchill’s Got Talent is one night where we can support our friends and just appreciate the sheer amount of talent in our school beyond what we may see on a regular basis.

Everyone, especially the seniors who won’t get another chance next year, had something truly special to bring to the table.”

According to Rabinovitz, the SGA is disappointed that Churchill’s Got Talent will not run this year

and is trying to figure out a way for the contestants to still perform in order to display their talents.

Despite the loss of Churchill’s Got Talent, the SGA will still present its male pageant, Mr. Churchill, though this event was also rescheduled to April 1 due to snow.

According to Rabinovitz, the change of date of Mr. Churchill did not cause as much extra stress as Churchill’s Got Talent did, though rehearsals will now be more difficult to schedule around spring sports.

While the county’s plan to add extra days in June does not offset these challenges to academics and other activities, some feel that it is the only way to make up for the lost days.

“I don’t see much sense in extending the school year by only two or three days, but I understand it to try to help get everything in that is needed by the students so that they can be successful the following year,” Ernst said. “Extending the year is probably the best way to get extra days in, and I would rather have them do that than cut spring break short or remove some other holidays.”

powerful establishment in fundraising and organization,” Schiller said.

As for the Republicans, Schiller believes that it would benefit the party to nominate a governor. “[Wisconsin Governor] Scott Walker seems promising for his solid conservative credentials and his ability to be elected in a heartland blue state,” Schiller said.

On the other hand, senior Megan Armstrong does not see Clinton surviving a primary due to her past presidential primary track record and her relationship with the Benghazi scandal.

“However, I find it very likely that she will run when observing her recent comments and when I take into account her past presidential bid,” Armstrong said.

On the Grand Old Party (GOP) side, Armstrong believes Bush, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to be potential candidates, but feels that Christie will be undermined by the “Bridgegate Scandal,” in which he was accused of closing lanes of traffic on the George Washington Bridge leading to major traffic delays and upsetting commuters.

According to Armstrong, however, the scandal will not be a major deciding factor as Christie also has a history of achieving bipartisanship. One such example was his response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012 in which he set aside political differences with President Obama in order to effectively provide help to those people living in areas affected by the storm.

Senior David Fitzgerald believes that issue-wise, a candidate’s stance on ObamaCare and tackling the threat of

ISIS will be important in determining each party’s candidate.

“As far as candidates go, I will vote for Rubio if he runs because he has support from both parties which will allow things to actually happen,” Fitzgerald said. “Since the GOP controls the House and Senate, I think a Republican needs to be President so stuff can actually get done.”

For students looking to become more politically involved in the next election cycle, there are a variety of both partisan and nonpartisan opportunities locally available.

According to senior Jackie Spang, students looking for partisan opportunities should contact their candidate’s local campaign headquarters, which is what she did in 2012.

“They are always welcoming and appreciate any help they can get,” Spang said.

AP NSL teacher Lallitha John suggests that students interested in being involved in a nonpartisan manner volunteer with the Montgomery County Board of Elections. The Board of Elections has several programs for high school students including Future Vote, where students can earn student service learning (SSL) hours.

According to Board of Elections Public Information Officer Margie Roher, Future Vote participants engage in administrative and outreach tasks, in addition to helping election judges at polling centers on Election Day and during early voting. Students who are 17 and older can also serve as election judges.

“They participate in election judge training and then they can get paid to serve on Election Day,” Roher said. “Or they could elect to receive SSL hours for that.”

Students interested in participating in either of these Board of Elections programs are encouraged to fill out an online application at 777vote.org.

CHS students react to upcoming presidential election

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, Scott Walker and Elizabeth Warren. begun to voice their opinion on desirable

By Ana Faguy qualities in a presidential candidate, the Gil Jacobson most important issues of the next election News Editors and who the candidates will be.

This past fall, voters headed to the polls to cast their ballot in the 2014 midterms, but as the doors closed on the election, another opens: the fast approaching 2016 presidential election.

The political sphere has been buzzing with excitement since contenders started to make their names known as early as 2013. While no major contenders have officially announced their candidacy, a few have ruled out a presidential bid.

According to a January 2015 New York Times article, Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee in 2012, will not be running.

Meanwhile, several CHS students have

Junior John Dorsey sees former Republican Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as likely candidates.

“I don’t agree with Bush, but he’s a competent moderate and he can work with Democrats,” Dorsey said. “Clinton is incredibly qualified, and if she runs her campaign well, we could get four to eight years of a skilled negotiator who can pick up where Obama left off.”

Senior Cyrus Schiller agrees with Dorsey about Clinton running on the Democratic side.

“She has widespread appeal and a

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Opinions

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Friday, March 20, 2015

New standardized test no walk in the park

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

Managers

Advertising Manager Balbina Yang Business Manager Daniel Miyares

Circulation Managers Emiliana Cardinale Emily Wang Contest Managers Nathan Gertler Arielle Gordon 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.

ILLUSTRATION BY KEVIN HO.

At this time of year, with AP exams fast approaching, students are left scrambling to finish curricula, master skills and salvage their third quarter grades.

However, some students, mainly sophomores, were required to put their current classes on the back burner while they fulfilled the senseless mandate of the state: PARCC assessments.

PARCC assessments are a new test that will be replacing the HSA, Maryland’s current graduation requirement exam.

The PARCC assessments differ in that they are administered on a computer and are much more complex in terms of how students must solve problems.

As the tests are a new concept, there was much confusion surrounding graduation requirements, test-taking techniques and the logistics of test administration. The mess that was PARCC calls into question the wisdom of sacrificing valuable classroom and learning time for poorly- planned testing.

Those students who had to take the tests were not allotted a time during the school day in a specialized schedule for the event. Instead, students had to miss their core subject classes in order to take the tests, a hindrance for students in a school year that has been riddled with snow days and delays.

According to assistant principal Joshua Neuman-Sunshine, the time required for the test varies depending on the subject. The total amount of time to administer the Algebra 1 and 2 tests is about three hours and 20 minutes. The English 10 test is spread over two days, with a combined total of five hours.

After missing as much school as we have due to weather, the last thing students need is more absences from class. Maryland public school officials need to determine if their short-term tests are really more important than students’ long-term learning.

Under the administration of the HSA, the entire school worked around a specialized schedule that ensured that testtaking students would not be behind their classmates once the test was finished. By requiring certain students to miss class, but allowing others to attend, the state is essentially denying students educational opportunities.

According to the PARCC Assessment Overview, there will be two parts of the tests, one in March and one in April.

Thus, students must go through this ordeal not once, but twice.

Current sophomores will also

be taking Biology and Government HSAs this May, so the amount of state testing one student is subjected to for the year is far greater than it needs to be.

The PARCC Assessments are not only detrimental to the learning of students who have to take them, but also to students and teachers who must work around them. Teachers who needed labs during the time of test administering had to forgo the instruction they planned and postpone certain lesson plans, affecting all students in their classes. Teachers who had large percentages of their classes absent due to the testing also had to work around the tests in order to ensure that their classes were all on the same page.

Had the tests been better planned, with time designated for testing in which no classes were missed, the entire event could have been as seamless as HSA week has been in the past.

Besides the obvious issues with scheduling, the tests’ technology had its fair share of flaws.

According to several students who took the tests, there were issues with logging on and other technical aspects of the test. In one class, students could not log on and were required to miss an additional

day of class to make up the test.

Neuman-Sunshine acknowledged that there were indeed “minor technical difficulties,” but he believes that the tests in general went relatively well.

Taking the tests online, especially the math portions, was also difficult for students.

Though students were provided with scratch paper, they were required to show work on the computer, an arduous feat for students accustomed to doing their work on paper.

According to MCPS Public Information Officer Dana Tofig, electronic testing is the testing of the future.

However, in order to ensure that students perform well on these tests, they should have been adequately prepared for this new way of administering tests.

The idea of a new form of testing that better prepares students for college and careers is not a bad one, if instituted properly, as education systems must constantly undergo reform and advancement.

The problem with the PARCC tests was that this transition was applied in a way that made the tests a burden for all students and teachers involved. This experience can serve as an example for the future. Tests should be planned out to be as unobtrusive and easy as possible.

By Sammi Silber Editor-In-Chief

Association of America Foundation, students who take journalism courses in high school earn higher grades throughout high school and their freshman year of college.

They also score higher on the ACT. Although many may point out that journalism is a dying job field and that it is incredibly hard to find work with a degree in journalism, it is actually flourishing more than other jobs.

According to an April 2012 Forbes article, while the national unemployment rate for college graduates was 7.7 percent, the unemployment rate for journalists with graduate degrees was only 3.8 percent, showing that the field of journalism provides many more job opportunities.

My time on the Observer staff has also given me many useful skills. I find it easier to complete my English essays and engage in writing, and the Journalism program has also helped me figure out what I would like to study in college. Not only has it given me resources on which to build a career, it has also given me a family and a place of belonging.

In addition, journalism is how you get all of your news. Every second that you use social media,

watch TV, listen to the radio or skim through the newspaper you are receiving news. The ones who provide that news are journalists. If there was no journalism, there would be no news, and you would know nothing that is going on in the world around you.

Although bloggers and tweeters are seen as reporting news, journalists are the ones who truly report the news.

Without journalism, we would not have the truth. Honesty is probably the most important part of journalism; as journalists, it is our job to get the facts and deliver the truth to every story to the public.

Thankfully, as journalists, we have the First Amendment, which allows us to deliver the whole truth and nothing but the truth, despite the severity of the situation or story. Journalists cover the truth throughout a huge range of issues, from drugs in schools to political corruption,

and despite the impact, fear nothing when reporting the absolute truth.

Though some journalists, like NBC’s Brian Williams, have reported false news, this is the exception and not the rule, and NBC’s decision to suspend him shows the unwavering emphasis the journalism community places on reporting the truth.

According to a March 2014 USA Today article, journalism serves as a watchdog role, meaning that journalism is a way to watch over government and other organizations, such as in the case of police corruption.

Never think that journalism is not important, because in all honesty, it is one of the most significant parts of your daily life. Without journalism, you would not know what is happening around you. Remember, journalists are the ones who hold accountable those who power the world.

BSERVER O O PINION

Look around, journalism is everywhere Whenever we turn on the TV, listen to the radio or even pick up the newspaper we are retaining news. Journalism is obviously, therefore, involved in our everyday lives. However, many of us are ignorant about how important journalism truly is.

In the past year, journalism has become an incredibly dangerous field, to the point where some refer to journalists as an “endangered species.” After physical and verbal attacks on journalists, including ISIL’s executions of journalists, the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January and the backlash from Brian Williams’ false stories on NBC Nightly News, it is time to remember the importance of this dying field and how our words should not be censored, but instead appreciated.

First, journalism is incredibly helpful in life. Taking journalism in high school gives you many advantages over the average student. First off, you learn how to improve your writing, and this affects your overall academic performance.

According to the Newspaper

Observer February Corrections

-The “Athlete of the Month” article incorrectly depicted a picture of Charlie Butler instead of Andrew Kurapov.

-The “Excuses, Excuses” front page story incorrectly stated that .002 percent of students were exempted, rather than two percent.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Opinions

theObserver

5

Abercrombie case exposes religious discrimination

By Jasmine Baten Photo Editor

“Apologies, but you can’t work here because we think you may be too religious.”

This not-quite-word-for-word statement nonetheless captures the general sentiment given by an Oklahoma Abercrombie and Fitch store when it refused to hire Samantha Elauf, a then-17-year- old Muslim girl wearing a hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women after puberty.

The refusal sparked a controversy, eventually resulting in the Feb. 25 Elauf vs. Abercrombie Supreme Court case regarding religious discrimination in hiring policies. The court ruled in Elauf’s favor, stating that the store should have pursued possibilities of accommodation as it wasn’t Elauf’s responsibility to do so.

Though the court’s verdict may seem like the obvious answer, it’s one that brings up the elephant in the room issue—despite the United States being a diverse nation, much of the country is ignorant. This ignorance is reasonable up to the point where it can be construed as discrimination. Even though CHS is in the middle of a diverse, liberal area, it’s important that students and staff be aware that discrimination runs deep and is everywhere.

It’s essential that students take it upon themselves to become educated adults because the main issue here is that the Oklahoma Abercrombie store claimed it didn’t fully understand that Elauf’s hijaab had religious meaning.

According to a Feb. 25 Guardian article, Elauf was refused the job without being told why. When she inquired, she was told that she didn’t meet the store’s “Look Policy.”

Let’s take a moment to think about this. The store didn’t understand her religious garment, which is understandable in a place with very few Muslims. But to not understand to the point where it reaches the Supreme Court is not ignorance. It’s just discrimination.

A case pertaining to religious

PHOTO BY JASMINE BATEN.

Court case plantiff Samantha Elauf posts pictures on her public blog, showing her unique sense of style while wearing her hijab. discrimination in hiring processes seemed open and shut. If it went to the Supreme Court, then that means there was truly deliberation over whether or not Elauf was wronged.

So now when Muslim girls who wear a hijab go out to find jobs, will they have to deal with the same dismissive mind-set? Will they have to fight against ignorance, discrimination, and complacent attitudes towards the prejudice?

It’s very likely. But it’s certainly not fair.

The United States prides itself on 49.5 million school children reciting a pledge that ends with “liberty and

justice for all” daily. It’s time that this nation lives up to the label.

There is no excuse for not knowing the religious significance of a hijab, because in a world with Google, it could have been explained in a few paragraphs. The store not knowing translates to the store not caring.

And that not caring can really only mean one thing. The store knew what the hijab signified, but chose not to hire Elauf simply because it did not want to hire a Muslim.

To make the matter a little more infuriating, there really was no other reason why Elauf wasn’t hired. She has a fashion blog, called StyleSetter, where

she posts her trendy outfits and reviews her designer accessories.

To put it simply, she has taste, and enough of it to be creative with Abercrombie’s “Look Policy,” which she would have likely have followed and just worn an Abercrombie scarf as her hijab.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Council (EEOC) sued Abercrombie on behalf of Elauf, claiming that the store violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal to “fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual ... because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

Though there will always be prejudice in the world, it’s almost unbelievable that religious discrimination in the workplace still has to be addressed on a national level in 2015.

Because of its time in the Supreme Court, the case has brought attention to an important issue— our society’s default defense mechanism against anything foreign— discriminate and then declare innocence by claiming ignorance.

The court’s verdict reflects this country’s values introduced in the Bill of Rights and reinforced in numerous clauses indicating separation of church and state and equal opportunities for citizens.

The Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 was passed to protect U.S. employees from discrimination in the workplace based upon race, religion, sex, or nationality.

According to the Daily Developments in Equal Employment Opportunity Law Archives, the store fell short of its Equal Opportunity Act duties.

In an area as diverse as MCPS, it’s easy for students to feel as though this case was just an anomaly, but it’s important to see that this case really does affect people in all areas of the nation. In this case, the court made the right decision, and there’s only progress from here.

The solution is clear—be aware and open-minded, and the world has a chance of becoming a better, less prejudiced place.

The wheels on the bus go round and round, too fast

By Yash Nigam Online Opinions Editor

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN COURIER GAITHERSBURG.

MCPS uses cameras to monitor the safety of other drivers and prevent vechicles from crossing the bus when the stop sign is extended.

Recent studies show that MCPS bus drivers are being cited more and more often for reckless driving. Many bus drivers fail to understand the repercussions of exercising poor judgment.

Their slightest deviance from road safety rules has the potential to permanently alter the fates of all children aboard. Therefore, MCPS needs to expediently enact measures to minimize reckless bus driving in order to protect students’ well-being.

According to a February 2015 ABC News article, camera footage obtained

by ABC News reveals many MCPS bus drivers running red lights, making haphazard lane shifts and not stopping at stop signs. Bus drivers have even been caught speeding in school zones up to 18 miles per hour above the speed limit.

While MCPS maintains that it closely monitors the proficiency of its drivers, it is still not taking advantage of advanced technology that would force bus drivers to err on the side of caution.

According to a September 2013 USA Today article, many school systems

across the country use real-time GPS tracking systems that automatically flag drivers for making abrupt movements and. more importantly, for speeding.

If MCPS truly regards the safety and security of its students as its topmost priority, it will bear the costs of such technology to make it easier and quicker to identify reckless drivers.

The driving records generated by real-time GPS tracking should be made accessible to parents so that they can assess whether it is safe for their children to ride the bus.

Those who view extra bus safety precautions to be unnecessary argue that bus drivers usually exercise more caution than parents who, according to the ABC News article, are proven to be far more reckless.

However, these people fail to recognize that bus drivers are each responsible for, on average, more than 50 children. Their greater responsibility leaves less room for error, thus increasing the need for extra safety measures.

Given that MCPS is nationally reputed as a model school system, it needs to keep up with other districts in ensuring the safety and security of its students.

6

Observations

Debate team finals

By Sammi Silber Editor-In-Chief

Members of the CHS Debate Team reached the final nights of Debate Team finals in Montgomery County. Out of 400 teams, CHS made it to the top 16 finals.

Freshman Daniel Pyo and sophomores Jack Zhaou, Matt Suh, Jeffrey Yin, Sai Sreenivasan and Jennifer Chen all participated in the first night of finals Feb. 25. Sreenivasan and Chen moved on to the second night of finals March 5 and ranked seventh in Montgomery County.

“A lot of our team graduated last year, but we still did extremely well,” Debate Team sponsor Jared Pulliam said. ”

The CHS Forensics clubs recently competed at the Montgomery County Forensics League and placed sixth overall in the county March 14. The Forensics Club allows students to practice their public speaking and debate skills and aims to refine students’ argumentative abilities and make them more effective communicators.

Seniors Miranda Catsambas and Annie Fang placed first and third respectively in the Dramatics category.

“It was really a worthwhile experience because of the rare opportunity to get together with different schools and hear what they have to say in terms of interpretation, subject matter, and emotional appeal,” Fang said. “Winning the award was the culmination of

PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER CHEN.

everything I put into the club, especially because I refounded it and I’d like it to be my legacy.”

The Observer is updating its online content EVERY DAY! Check it out on www.thechurchillobserver.com

It’s Academic semi-finals

By Katie Clem Production Manager

The CHS It’s Academic club has proceeded to the semi-finals in hopes of ultimately winning the game show finals, the date of which has not yet been decided.

The team competes in the quiz bowl game show on NBC 4 Saturday mornings against various schools across the metropolitan area.

Their goal is to answer as many questions correctly regarding different school subjects such as literature, science, music, and math.

The team recently won 685-260-455 in each category against Landon and Washington Latin School, respectively.

“We’ve worked really hard to make it

PHOTO COURTESY OF YASH NIGAM.

this far,” senior captain Yash Nigam said.

“My teammates and I are now working even more diligently and hope that we can retain our winning streak.”

Senior Capstone exhibit

By Taylor Stansbury Staff Writer PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNIE FANG.

By Peter Durand Staff Writer

Senior Pablo Roa’s Capstone Exhibit, titled “Journeys,” will be displayed in front of the media center until March 25.

“I chose photography not only because it’s my concentration for the Arts Academy, but also because it’s one of my greatest passions,” Roa said. “I love taking photos of a variety of things, and my Capstone exhibit gave me the opportunity to use everything I’ve learned over the last four years in photography class and to put my work on display for a large number of people.”

PHOTO BY TAYLOR STANSBURY.

Student wins art award

By Ben Dross Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CIVITANS CLUB.

Senior earns scholarship

Senior Marisa Lu won the National Award of Excellence in the Visual Arts Category for her artwork in the PTSA Reflections contest. The theme of the contest was “The world would be a better place if.”

Contestants must submit their art in one of the six categories to be evaluated at the county, state, and national level.

Lu’s artwork was one of the three pieces recognized in the Visual Arts category.

“Of course I’m grateful,” Lu said “I’m still working to improve my art.”

Junior meets VP Biden

By Madison Hurr Arts Editor Senior Erik Johnson was selected for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he will be attending next fall. The scholarship covers the expense of a four-year undergraduate study and funds summer enrichment experiences.

Criteria for selection include moral force of character, leadership, physical vigor and academic achievement. Only three percent of nominees are selected for this scholarship, and Johnson was one of fewer than 20 students to be nominated by the UNC Admissions Office. He is also the only CHS student in the past 10 years to be awarded this prestigious scholarship.

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Sports equipment drive Leveling The Playing Field, Inc., an organization that collects athletic equipment and distributes it to underprivileged children, will run a drive with the Civitan’s Club from March 25 to April 30. They will be collecting used sports equipment in bins placed around the school for children who cannot afford equipment themselves.

“I love the title because that’s what we’ll be doing, leveling the playing field,” Civitan’s sponsor Joan Zuckerman said.

Friday, March 20, 2015

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Forensics club places

By Jasmine Baten Photo Editor

theObserver

By Ben Dross Staff Writer

PHOTO BY MADISON HURR.

Junior Zack Spielman met Vice President Joe Biden at the White House during a ceremony for the passing of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act Feb. 10. The Act helps individuals with disabilities by giving them special ABLE accounts, which are similar to that of a college savings account or retirement accounts.

“It gives people with special needs and their family’s savings for the future,” said Spielman’s father Stuart Spielman, who helped in bringing the ABLE Act through congress. “The act gives people with disabilities more opportunities.”

PHOTO BY BEN DROSS.

March 3 also marked a day where many got together to “Spread the Word to End the Word,” pledging to end insults and raise awareness for those with mental disabilities.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Features

7

theObserver

Distracted driving: It can wait — The Do’s and Don’t’s of Driving —

By Michael Fox Sports Editor It can wait. Any text, any call, any drink. It can wait. Distractions while driving can be subtle, yet life-threatening: all it takes is half a second to make a mistake.

Whether it’s drunk driving, texting while driving, eating while driving or blasting the stereo, it’s obvious that teens tend to be the most reckless drivers on the roads and the most vulnerable to distractions.

According to distraction.gov, approximately 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in 2012, a nine percent increase from the 387,000 people who were injured in 2011.

Junior Collin Schmitz is one student who has been subject to distractions as he drives.

“For me, it’s speeding or getting mad at other drivers,” Schmitz said. “Distracted driving is absolutely unnecessary and anything can wait.”

There are many different types of distractions that can occur on the roads, but a few specific ways of irresponsible driving stand out.

Eager teens are the ones who are excited to be out on the streets, but their inexperience while driving makes them want to explore the roads and sometimes try new things behind the wheel. This is why some teens find it exhilarating to try to race another friend.

“When I work patrol, we get quite a few calls to check out drivers squealing wheels, racing through neighborhoods or racing through parking lots quite often,” CHS School Resource Officer Amy Homrock said. “Young people have a feeling of ‘Nothing can happen to me, I’m invincible,’ and unfortunately that can have damaging consequences when you think nothing can happen to you.”

New drivers may find this dangerous behavior entertaining, when in fact it can cause real harm to other drivers.

According to senior Ross Allen, students recklessly street race in merging

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FOX.

Many CHS students have passed the driving test and earned their license but may be tempted by dangerous behind-the wheel habits. lanes in order to see who will beat the other to the single lane.

Street racing can divert the driver’s attention because rather than paying attention to his or her surroundings, they focus instead on beating their opponent.

Another poor habit that student drivers have developed is listening and changing music while driving.

“The worst thing students do while driving is that they listen to loud music and socialize with other friends,” junior Austin Yang said.

Almost every student listens to music while driving, and having to fight over the auxiliary cord can distract drivers from the road.

Junior Ally, who asked that her real name not be used, admits that she has some

addictive phone habits while driving.

“When I drive, I use my phone a lot,” Ally said. “Sometimes I’ll even look things up when I’m driving, which is bad.”

With all of today’s new technology, it is understood that students, along with many others, face the temptation of texting while driving.

Even though using a hand-held device is illegal while driving, it does not seem to stop people.

“I try not to have bad habits while driving,” Allen said. “I usually ask someone in my car to read texts for me if there is another person. If not, I occasionally check my phone when stopped at a light.”

The worst thing a driver can do is to drive under the influence.

Whether under the influence of alcohol or other illegal substances, drivers can cause at least one person’s life to be in danger when that intoxicated person gets behind the wheel.

“I don’t think driving under the influence is worth the risks, but I see why, when you’re under the influence, you feel the need to drive and want to get home and not make your parents think anything,” Ally said. “We live in a time where we are always on our phones, and our friends are always driving high, and we see other people driving high.

We become very comfortable with these things which is wrong because there are so many risks that people don’t realize they are taking.”

Sam, who also asked that his real name not be used, has driven a car while intoxicated. While he knew that he was under the influence, he still decided to drive his car.

“My vision was off when I was driving, and I didn’t realize it,” Sam said.

“So whenever I thought that I was in the middle of the road, I actually wasn’t. I remember almost getting into an accident because I lost my focus for a little bit and almost hit the guy coming towards me.”

Sam has also driven high and has been in the car with another high driver.

“When I was in a car with someone else driving high, I felt different,” Sam said.

“I had complete trust in them, and when it’s not you driving, you don’t have the responsibility for the other people in the car. I didn’t have my car with me, so when I had to get home, there was no other option except to go in the car with him.”

Distracted driving is and will continue to be a huge issue on the roads. Although police officers try to stop drunk drivers and texting drivers, people will always feel the need to send that short text to a friend, or drive that short distance because they are feeling “okay to drive.”

“The worst thing a young driver can do is to become complacent and feel like they are very familiar with the roads and feel like they don’t need to be as attentive to the roads,” Hamrock said. “But statistically, most accidents happen within a very short distance of where you live, because you are complacent. Because you know that stop light is coming up, you say, ‘Oh no one ever stops there’, and the one time that you make that decision to blow past it, boom, there’s a T-bone accident.”

8

Features

theObserver

Friday, March 20, 2015

MCPS works to create ‘I, too, am MCPS’ video

By Jasmine Baten Photo Editor

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HUMANS OF CHURCHILL.

Students hope to promote diversity with new “I, too, am MCPS” video.

These days, it seems like the world has too many problems and there is nothing kids can do about it. Controversial issues like feminism and racial discrimination can barely be discussed in the adult world without whispers and immediate judgment, so it may seem like kids can’t do anything but live in the world that’s been created for them.

However, B-CC seniors Makde Hailu and Orlando Pinder didn’t let that stand in their way. Instead, the students created “I, Too, am B-CC,” a video detailing the challenges of being a black or Hispanic student in MCPS. The video is based off of a similar “I, Too, am Harvard” video, where minority students revealed startling facts about being faced with racism on campus.

“When I say that I’m half black, they’re like, ‘Well, that’s obvious. But what are you?’” a biracial Harvard student said in the video. “Then when I say I’m half white, they’re like, ‘Really?’ I’m the whole package—I’m not just one and not just the other.”

The video sparked a fire in students across the nation who have also had to deal with discrimination. Within months, “I, Too, am Cambridge” and “I, Too, am MIT” were released, and Jan. 17 brought “I, Too, am B-CC.” “The campaign on the Ivy League campus aimed to expose the harm of racial stereotypes and ratify the spot that minorities earned there,” said B-CC senior and producer Makdes Hailu. “We took that idea of the harm of racial stereotypes and applied it to the achievement gap here.”

According to fellow B-CC producer and senior Orlando Pinder, who is also featured in the video, the string of “I, Too” videos as well as activist movements like “’Black Lives Matter’ started the conversation, and we’re just trying to carry it on.”

Though the CHS community is diverse and accepting, many students have encountered similar situations.

“One time, when I was in fourth grade, walking home from school with my little brother, and someone yelled at us to ‘Go back to our own country,’” junior Neha Kaul said. “I was so confused—we were born here.”

CHS students feel that it is an important conversation that needs to continue.

“America is known as a melting pot, so we need to truly be one and learn to respect other cultures and nationalities,” junior Maya Kohli said.

Now an “I, Too, am MCPS” video is in progress. The plan is still in its preliminary stages, but progress reports indicate that it will be similar to the “I, Too, am B-CC” video.

“The purpose is similar,” Hailu said.

“It aims to expose the harm of racial stereotypes, bring awareness to the achievement gap, and propose solutions to these problems.

The “I, Too, am MCPS” video is working through the Minority Scholars Program (MSP), which works to spread awareness about the achievement gap and encourage academic achievement.

Though CHS is not currently a part of the MSP, it is looking to join soon.

“We have had active conversations about joining the program,” assistant

principal Brandi Richardson said. “In the meantime, we have other programs to recognize our diverse community, such as Shades of Elegance and the International Student Association.”

Producers hope to include schools from all over the county to expand the movement and tackle racism in an educational environment.

“It’s relevant and affects classmates and friends,” Pinder said. “In places like Montgomery County, it’s harder to fight because it’s not as obvious as someone hitting me. Sometimes I would prefer that because it’s a lot easier to point and say, ‘That’s an issue.’ The stuff we see isn’t as obvious and will be denied as being a racial thing.”

“I, Too, am MCPS” will provide such students with a way to express their feelings and spread awareness of subtle, everyday forms of racism.

“We want to shed light on the reality that some students experience,” Richardson said. “By showing awareness, we can move toward embracing our similarities instead of highlighting our differences.”

“I, Too, am MCPS” will provide students with an opportunity to confront the issue and spread awareness about racism.

“To many, it might seem like the issue of racial discrimination isn’t something that poses tangible problems—but it does,” Hailu said. “It’s time we address this for what it is by tackling it head on with an exposé instead of beating around the bush like we’ve done for so long. By addressing this problem as a county, we are automatically a step further towards solving it.”

CHS parent negotiates U.S. relations with Cuba

By Emiliana Cardinale Production Editor

When Roberta Jacobson travels to Cuba or Miami, many people approach her to show their gratitude for the U.S.’s new plan to re-establish domestic relations with Cuba.

Jacobson, a parent of senior Gil Jacobson, has been the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs since 2012. She has also worked in the U.N. as the principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs and Director of the Office of Mexican Affairs and has had other positions in international affairs.

“When I was in college, I realized that I loved political science, so I became a political science major, and I knew I wanted [a career in] international affairs,” Jacobson said. “I think part of that was growing up in the Watergate age and realizing how important it was to have good, clean government.”

Jacobson is the highest ranking person in the U.S. Department of State who works solely on Western Hemisphere affairs. She runs the Bureau of Western Hemisphere affairs and has 10,800 people working for her.

“We have relationships with all of the countries of the hemisphere except for Cuba, and we’re moving towards having full diplomatic relations with Cuba too,” Jacobson said.

“My job is to supervise and manage as much as I can in those relationships and report those to my boss, the undersecretary for political affairs and the Secretary of State.”

In Jacobson’s career she has had many proud moments, but her biggest accomplishment may still be in the near future.

“If we actually get to a point where we open embassies in Cuba, and Cuba opens an embassy here, that’s probably going to be the biggest one,” Jacobson said.

Currently, Jacobson’s serves as a negotiator when it comes to the relations with Cuba. Another aspect of her role

is implementing the president’s policy to try to reach full diplomatic relations.

“I think my role is to be tough in those negotiations and stand up for American principles of human rights and universal principles,” Jacobson said.

According to Jacobson, some people may be misinformed about the diplomatic relations with Cuba.

“A lot of people criticize that we’re moving towards those diplomatic relations, but it doesn’t mean we approve of the things that Cuba may do,” Jacobson said. “It just means that we think it’s better to be talking to them about it than to be isolated from both Cuba and many of our neighbors who do have relations with them.”

Jacobson is the first women to ever be Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

“In 2012 when I was appointed to this job, I really didn’t think there were that many firsts still left,” Jacobson said. “I thought women had pretty much gone through most of those glass ceilings.”

Jacobson had worked for three female Secretaries of State by the time she was appointed to her current role— Madeline Albright, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton.

“Every day when I go into my conference room to meet with my officers, I see this whole wall full of pictures, and it is a wall full of men,” Jacobson said. “It kind of reminds me that I’m the first.”

Despite being the first female to take this job title, Jacobson has rarely experienced discrimination because of her gender.

“On a couple of occasions I’ve felt a little bit of machismo or gender discrimination, but very rarely in my career,” Jacobson said. “I’ve been pretty lucky, and I’ve had really great women mentors my whole career.”

Up to this point in her career, Jacobson is particularly proud of two achievements. The first is her role in the Merida initiative with Mexico, a program that helps Mexico combat drug cartels and criminality.

“I was really proud of that because it

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERTA JACOBSON.

Roberta Jacobson, senior Gil Jacobson’s mother, serves as the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. was something I started working on when I was a director in Mexican affairs and continued working on when I was deputy assistant secretary,” Jacobson said. “I kind of conceived it and worked on it with the Mexican government at all levels. I think it’s made a real difference in the way we work with Mexico on fighting drugs.”

The second thing she is particularly proud of is an initiative called “100,000 strong in the Americas,” which aims to increase the number of exchange students between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We’ve raised $3 million in funds to create new partnerships between Latin American and Caribbean schools and U.S. universities and community college, and our numbers are growing in terms of student exchanges,” Jacobson said.

According to Jacobson, staying informed about politics and the government is important because of how interconnected the world is today.

“I think today more than even in the past, the world’s a smaller place,” Jacobson said. “Last summer, for example, there was a crisis of unaccompanied

children coming from Central America because they were fleeing violence or fleeing the destruction of their communities and family structures or lack of opportunity and poverty. Some of those very same unaccompanied children came to Montgomery County and are in Montgomery County schools today.

Things that happen around the world affect not just us as a country but us as a community right down to the county level, and I think that we all need to know more about what’s going on in our world so that we can be better citizens of our state and county.”

For Jacobson, understanding other perspectives is the first step to bettering our world.

“I think that in the end whether it’s economic needs or political needs, we have to understand other countries’ perspectives because working together is the only way to tackle them,” Jacobson said. “No country can end up just doing things alone anymore, and I think you have so many more tools to enable you to do that, and I hope you’ll take advantage of all of them.”

Friday, March 20, 2015

Features

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9

Q & A: The ‘Observer’ hangs with Rosie

PHOTO COURTESY OF EVAN ROSENTHAL.

Modern World and Philosophy teacher Evan Rosenthal started teaching at CHS two years ago and has made it his mission to increase school spirit.

By Hannah Yasharoff PR & Social Media Editor At 5’5”, social studies teacher Evan Rosenthal blends into the halls of CHS easily, but his unwavering positivity and infectious spirit make him anything but invisible.

Affectionately called “Rosie” by many of his students, Rosenthal has helped revolutionize the way CHS students and staff look at school spirit. When asked about doing this interview, Rosenthal assured me that I could stop by any time, any day of the week.

“My office hours pretty much never end,” he told me.

This is perhaps the best testament to Rosenthal’s work ethic: his energy and willingness to participate in school events has become contagious. You might know him as a Modern World History or AP Psychology teacher, as the freshman class sponsor, as the leader of the CHS Goon Squad, a group introduced to bring more spirit to lesser-attended sporting events or even by his online presence with his Twitter account, @HanginWithRosie.

Whatever side of Rosenthal you’re familiar with, you’ll recognize his undying determination to make CHS a better place to learn. During his “never-ending” office hours, Rosenthal sat down and gave the Observer an

exclusive chance to hang with Rosie.

The Churchill Observer: You came to CHS last year and pretty immediately established yourself as a teacher with a lot of spirit. Where did all that spirit come from?

I think that, honestly, I’m just the loud person. Even before a lot of students knew me, I would always just walk through the halls and give people high fives. My belief in the importance of school spirit, I think, really stems from my high school experience at Sherwood, which was very, very community based.

Everybody just went to everything.

Then when I went to the University of Maryland, the student body was incredibly involved. But when I really saw it coming through was in my first teaching experience. I taught at Westminster High School in Carroll County, and I saw a student body that always dressed up for things and just loved being at school. Not just for the academic portion, but for the enjoyment of being around friends and being goofy and recognizing that you’re 16 years old, and it’s okay to be outside the box.

Your Twitter account has gained a pretty steady following with CHS students, but teacher Twitter accounts are still pretty rare. How do you think being accessible online both helps students in the classroom and in extracurricular activities?

Here’s the interesting thing about Twitter: I think that because it’s a new

form of media, a lot of people are afraid of it. It’s a weird place. People can comment on anything; you don’t have to have a name and a face behind a comment. But I think that it does two things: the first thing that it does is that it provides students a way to directly get in touch with me when they need it.

For instance, I’ve had students ask review questions for AP Psych, or Modern World History, where my phone goes off and I can respond right away. It also really gives students a better sense of who I am. It makes me more relatable as a person.

That’s who I am. I’m just real. I’m just straightforward and to the point, and I think students respect that. I think there are a lot of teachers who do that and more and more teachers are using social media, and now that we have Google Chromebooks and Google Classroom and all this stuff, there are just new ways for teachers and students to communicate and make education awesome.

Where did the name “Hangin’ With Rosie” come from?

[Laughs.] I just thought it would be like, ‘You’ve got a question? You’re hanging with Rosie.’ There was also this really good TV show when I was growing up called Hanging With Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Cooper was the cool, hip teacher, and everybody loved him, and I thought, ‘Yeah, that could be me.’ He was also really tall, but I’m not that.

You became the freshman class sponsor this year. What has your experience with SGA been like?

The freshmen are great. It’s really cool to kind of be in charge of introducing high school to them and showing them the way that high school should be: energetic and exciting.

You also started the Goon Squad this year to increase enthusiasm about athletics, specifically for girls basketball. Why did you start the squad and what was the process like?

I have to give all props in that to [varsity girls basketball coach] Ms. McMahon for the idea. I think that she just came to me because I’m a loud person, and I get really excited about that kind of stuff, but really the

reason why Ms. McMahon wanted to start it was because she also saw this need for more student engagement.

My hope is that that idea really catches hold in the school and more and more people want to be a part of it. This sounds so ridiculous, but I don’t want to be like the [Walt Whitman High School spirit squad,] Whitmaniacs. I want us to be better than that. I want us to be bigger; I want us to be louder; I want us to be a stronger student body.

Not just in athletics, but I want us to be more supportive of everybody across the board.

Another new development is your lunchtime spirit sessions. What was the idea behind that?

That actually just got approved, officially for us to be able to do that more often. My Philosophy class helped me come up with that. I’m just trying to find new ways to make school cool. I’m just giving another venue for students to feel that school isn’t all about academics, which is incredibly important, but just to relieve some of the stress and have a good time.

You’re obviously working very hard to develop school spirit outside of the classroom. How do you balance that with also teaching during the day?

For me, I think they really go hand in hand. I believe in the importance of academics and students taking classes that really push them, but most students would say that they’re more engaged in school when their friends are around, and then they’re happier when they have to go to class.

Teaching and learning are both more natural when you’re having a good time in the classroom.

You’re already doing plenty, but are there any new spirit plans in the works?

Here’s a funny thing I always tell students: my goal is that in five years, when you open up the yearbook for the inside front cover to just say ‘Evan Rosenthal, CEO of Churchill.’

But seriously, I just think that we all play our role here in this school, and if my role is to be the guy that just rallies support, I’m cool with that. I don’t think there’s any ‘next,’ I just want to see Churchill—the school, the students, the teachers, everything— just be the best it can be.

be with family, travel, learn another language, slow life down and enjoy it. I no longer wanted to be in a high tempo, stressful environment.”

CHS felt like a good transition into the new life that he wanted to lead.

Burke’s ambitions now include becoming an MCPS teacher, focusing his attention on the elementary school level.

Starting this summer, Burke will be attending graduate school through the University of Maryland with

the dream of obtaining a Master of Education (M.Ed.) with a certification in elementary education.

While settling into his new job, Burke especially looks forward to the new people that he will be able to interact with in the CHS community.

He enjoys hearing about their experiences and perspectives on life.

“There are plenty of people at the school who add color to life, and I can’t ask for much more out of a work environment,” he said.

New staff member brings life lessons to CHS

By Katie Clem Production Manager After serving six years in the U.S. armed forces, new staff member Matthew Burke looks to pave a new trail in the field of education.

Burke came to CHS this year from Gaithersburg Elementary School because he aspires to become a teacher and gain more experience teaching at the secondary level.

Before joining the teaching community, Burke served in the U.S. Army from 2008 to 2013.

He did his training to become a Field Artillery Officer at Fort Sill, OK, and was then stationed at Wainwright, AK. While in Alaska, his unit was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012.

Burke became interested in teaching while in Alaska, where he served as a volunteer in the Literacy Council of Alaska. There he tutored a young student in mathematics and English, which sparked his passion for teaching.

“One of my favorite aspects of being an Army officer was that I was required to train and develop soldiers,

so making the transition to education was an easy one to make,” Burke said.

“I believe in service to the community and our country, so when I decided to leave the military, I knew I wanted to work in that capacity.”

While many upperclassmen struggle with college decisions, Burke always knew what he wanted to do with his life.

“I have always felt the need to serve,” Burke said. “As a kid when I saw something in a movie on the military, I remember thinking, ‘That is what I want to be.’ The amount of intellect, perseverance, grit, athleticism and resourcefulness required of military leaders is unrivaled by any other profession.”

Burke began his military career when he first joined the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (JROTC) at Magruder High School, and received a full scholarship to Radford University in Virginia through its ROTC program.

However, after years of serving, he felt ready for a change.

“Leaving the military was a difficult decision to make,” Burke said. “As I continued to mature, my ambitions and what I thought would make me happy had changed. I wanted to take time to

PHOTO BY KATIE CLEM.

Paraeducator Matthew Burke is a veteran who served in the Army from 2008 to 2013. His plans include becoming an MCPS teacher.

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Features

theObserver

Friday March 20, 2015

Potomac goes global with Snapchat geofilters

By Maya Rosenberg Staff Writer With the creation of its very own Snapchat geofilter, CHS has joined the ranks of thousands of locations ranging from L.A. to New York.

Snapchat’s geofilters are illustrations that usually portray the culture or some of the local area and are available to users taking photos at a certain location. CHS’ geofilter bears the school’s name in blue with “Bulldogs” written in green underneath.

“I like it because I feel it boosts school spirit,” sophomore Lindsey Levy said. “It makes the school feel more like a community.”

General areas like Potomac and Rockville have their own, but it is unique for a high school to have one.

According to senior Laura Werber, who created the “Potomac” geofilter, submitting the design was quite easy.

Snapchat provides online instructions on their website for creating geofilters. The website also includes designing tools

What’s your emoji?

New emojis to come with iPhone update

By Daniel Gordan Staff Writer Teens send thousands of texts every month, many of which contain emoticons, popularly referred to as emojis, because they make it easier to convey their emotions and get their point across.

Emojis originated in Japan where picture messages were becoming increasingly used as a medium for communication in the early 2000s. In 2011, Apple incorporated emojis into its keyboard to facilitate communication for users across the world.

“When you text, you can’t show tone or emotion very well,” junior Kendall Wong said. “Also, emojis can highlight a certain feeling your text is not saying.”

With emojis as the newest form of expression, it is surprising that they currently fail to represent so many different types of people, including minority groups.

According to junior Liam Lehr, the current emojis “exclude black people.”

Apple intends to fix this issue with its new updated operating system iOS 8.3, which will be released this spring.

such as Photoshop and a unique geofilter illustrator software.

With all the tools available through the site, it just takes some creativity, and an awareness of what represents the area you’re designing for.

“Don’t create something to impress everyone because there’s no way you can make everyone happy,” Werber said. “Just make something fun, creative and new.”

Some think that the geofilter applies more to the students than the building itself.

“The geofilter doesn’t exactly represent the school as well as it represents the students,” freshman Alex Henoch said. “The kids in our school have a lot of spirit, and I think the geotag really shows that.”

Students also use the geofilter on their Snapchat story, an element of the app that allows you to post a photo for 24 hours.

Freshman Carissa Wu and her friends think the filter is cool, and use it frequently on their stories.

“I think it’s a creative way to show school spirit,” Wu said.

The new geotag allows students to show their school pride and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

“Students definitely like the current design, and they will continue using it,” Henoch said.

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The update contains 300 new emojis, including an assortment of emojis representing different ethnicities, an increase in same-sex couples and an additional 32 country’s flags.

Apple pledged to create new emojis in March 2014 when public outcry reached a peak for ethnically inclusive emojis. A petition on dosomething.org and celebrity pressure from pop star Miley Cyrus forced Apple to make a change.

According to Lehr, he thinks that people are overreacting by protesting, but he still does plan to use the new diverse emojis instead of the current ones.

According to a 2015 CNN Money article, Apple cares about diversity and releasing new skin tones was not as simple as just releasing a new update, so it has taken some time.

By simply pressing and holding on any emoji in the people section,

s n b a a S i o t S s fl

t r s the user will bring up a panel of different skin tone options to choose from that cover the entire range of the Fitzpatrick scale, which was developed by dermatologists to show the spectrum of skin colors.

According to senior Olivia Shannon, she is happy about the change because it will “let people be people” and better express themselves.

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Friday, March 20, 2015

Features

CHS students casually throw around words like “bae,” “on fleek” or “swag”, but for many adults, this baffling slang is a major language barrier between them and the millennial generation.

Each generation comes with a new set of slang terms that confuses adults, but this is a new generation with new words. Everyone needs help understanding, and the Observer Dictionary is here to provide it.

“I am confused by teenage slang, not just because they are new and made up words, but because words that are nouns are used as verbs and verbs as adjectives,” CHS parent Caroline Sailer said. “Often, it’s hard to tell if it’s a ‘good’ meaning or a ‘bad’ one. For example, I hear kids say things like ‘that was so ratchet.’

Some other words I hear teens say which are confusing are bae, fleek, swag, goals and baller.”

Teachers are also baffled by this alien language, and are regularly confused by what their students say.

“Every time I ask a kid what ‘sice’ means, I get a different answer,” CHS teacher Valerie Mainwaring said. “Then there’s ‘savage,’ which I think means ‘cool,’ and ‘or nah,’ which I think is a contraction for ‘or not.’ ‘Yeet’ has me beat.”

This dictionary is for any student, parent or faculty member who just cannot keep up

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“Yeah, that was so savage!”

Yeet: A phrase often said when you take something away from someone.

Example: “I was reaching for a slice of pizza and Jimmy beat me to it and said ‘Yeet!’”

ILLUSTRATION BY BROOKE WEINER.

All about that bae: Teen lingo goes mainstream

By Brooke Weiner Staff Writer

theObserver

the lingo of today.

Sice: To save or reserve for someone.

Example: “Hey, sice me a slice.”

Bae: Stands for “before anyone else.” It is also a synonym for significant other.

Example: “Yeah, bae is taking me to Max Brenner’s tonight.”

Or Nah: A way of saying “or not,” used as an ultimatum in a question.

Example: “Do you have a bae or nah?”

I literally can’t even: Something frequently said to let others know that they are stressed or unhappy and are having a difficult time dealing with the current situation.

Example: “I failed my English test, and my mom won’t let me go out. Ugh, I literally can’t even.”

On fleek: Synonym for perfect; looking good.

Example: “Girl, your eyebrows are on fleek!”

Swag: The coolness or confidence that one exhibits.

Example: “I got so much more swag than Jimmy.”

Goals: Jealousy in a certain aspect of someone else’s life.

Example: *sees cute couple* “Literally relationship goals.”

Baller: Someone who is popular, wealthy and very successful.

Example: “Jake aced his math test, and Jenny said she would go out with him. He’s such a baller.”

Savage: Something that is hardcore and awesome.

Example: “Did you see that backflip?”

Features

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Friday, March 20, 2015

theObserver

Teachers share past jobs before becoming Bulldogs

By Fiona Asbury Opinions Editor Contrary to students’ popular beliefs, CHS teachers have lives outside the school walls. A typical teacher’s existence consists of more than grading papers, updating Edline and responding to countless emails from students. Even more surprising is the fact that teaching, for some staff, is not a first profession. A fair amount of CHS teachers experienced careers in other fields before becoming the teachers we now know and love.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES NUGENT.

Science teacher James Nugent has had his fair share of experience in the professional world, from processing sales at a women’s clothing store to tutoring juveniles in science in the Rhode Island prison system. However, his longest pre-education profession was his 21-year stint in the U.S. Navy.

According to Nugent, due to his time in the Navy, he has “literally been all over the world.”

In terms of memorable experiences, the Navy supplied him with plenty.

According to Nugent, stories that stand out to him include rescuing a parakeet and eight crew members from a burning tanker, spending two weeks under the sea, sitting atop nuclear armed projectiles and taking off in a helicopter from the deck of a ship, among many others.

“I’ve seen the power of the ocean and

will always respect, fear and love it,” Nugent said.

Nugent also spent a year living behind the huge minefield surrounding the base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before it held prisoners, as part of a command in charge of training ships to be used there.

In a brush with fate, Nugent avoided the 9/11 Pentagon attacks because at the time, his office was undergoing reconstruction, and he was working a mile-and-a-half away while it was being completed. Otherwise, the plane would have hit Nugent’s office in the Pentagon.

Nugent decided to give up the Navy and pursue teaching in 2004 in an effort to allow his wife to pursue her own career.

“I don’t have to worry about killing anyone,” Nugent said on discrepancies between his professions. “And better yet, no one is trying to kill me.”

Though his two careers are very different, Nugent has been able to carry skills with him from his time in the Navy into his teaching.

“I have genuinely loved both of these careers, and I have a passion for doing them as well as I can,” Nugent said.

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement as a teacher, but I’m working on it, just as I did in the Navy.”

The transition has provided Miller with an unpredictability not found in her previous career.

According to Miller, teachers “never have the same day twice” and she values the opportunity to move around and interact with many people.

“I still help work toward a product,” Miller said. “In publishing it was always the next issue of the magazine, but in teaching it is that finished essay or the AP exam.”

PHOTO BY JASMINE BATEN.

English teacher Jennifer Miller majored in English in college, with a concentration in publishing. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked briefly in the copy department of Scholastic, Inc. and as a copy editor for a tech magazine in New York.

According to Miller, she was handed the first two books of the Harry Potter series her first day working for Scholastic and was told to edit the third book before it was published.

That’s right, she carried around a manuscript of the third Harry Potter book in her bag and pulled it out to read on the subway.

However, Miller sought more excitement and interaction at work.

“Working for the tech magazine, I found that my weeks were all the same, and I wasn’t overly excited about the traditional nine-to-five office job,” Miller said. “I’ve always had a passion for writing and literature, so if I wasn’t going to stay in the publishing world, teaching English felt like the next logical step.”

Before teaching, social studies teacher Adam Field worked in store management for Hecht’s, a department store which has since been bought by Macy’s, and in store management and the buying office for Macy’s.

According to Field, some interesting experiences from his time at Macy’s include the “swanky” parties he was able to attend, such as when a new fragrance was being released.

“During Thanksgiving of 1984, I got to be a part of the Macy’s Day parade,” Field said. “I didn’t get to walk in it, but

I got to be a celebrity escort and escort very famous celebrities…three Smurfs.”

While at Hecht’s, Field experienced an interesting encounter with a strippeddown man in his stock-room office, who claimed to have thought to be in the fitting rooms. He also witnessed a shoplifting incident in which he attempted to chase down the shoplifters and watched as the getaway car drove off—with stolen plates from his own car.

As exciting as these experiences were, Field found the profession unfulfilling.

Prior to becoming a teacher, science teacher James Fishman was a marine scientist both at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, where he was involved in the research of habitat restoration of bay grasses in the Chesapeake Bay, and at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in Miami, Florida, where he researched grasses in Biscayne Bay and Tampa Bay. “I swam with cownose rays, [have] been chased by dolphins, gave a piggyback ride to a seahorse, and got stung by lots of jellyfish,” Fishman said.

As part of his job, Fishman analyzed data, submitted reports and

Prior to his 10 years of teaching, social studies teacher Paul Jacobson worked a total of 25 years in retail management, 15 for Peoples Drug, which has since been bought by CVS, and 10 for Bed Bath & Beyond.

“I started at Peoples at 16 at the soda fountain, then worked my way up through college at UMD, where I ran cross-country and track,” Jacobson said. “I became a manager after college and managed the 24-hour location in Bethesda.”

While in retail at Peoples, Jacobson had to work on Christmas. However, he logged even crazier hours at Bed Bath & Beyond, working at one time for over 24 hours to get the Rockville store ready when it first opened.

According to Jacobson, he found retail to be “quite boring and not intellectually challenging,” filled with hard work and long hours. After his younger brother made the switch from retail to teaching social studies at Whitman HS, Jacobson decided to do the same.

He went back to UMD for two-anda-half years to get his education degree while he was still working at Bed Bath & Beyond.

He finds teaching to be “much more satisfying,” and he enjoys the break in

“I have an MBA, and I worked hard, but did not feel I was giving back to society,” Field said. “I like working with teens, so I went back to school.”

Despite the obvious differences between the two professions, both jobs involve long hours, high pressure and management of groups of people.

“Teaching allows for a more normal life and a more set schedule,” Field said. “It keeps me young.”

published in scientific peer-reviewed journals, dedicating much of his time to the Chesapeake Bay. His transition into teaching came about when Fishman was given the chance to share his research at local high schools and enjoyed it so much he decided to make it a full-time job.

“Even though fieldwork was physically demanding, teaching is a much more difficult career,” Fishman said. “I have to make far more decisions per day.”

According to Fishman, both professions require the ability to work with others in a professional community. However, he feels that teaching enables him to better benefit society.

PHOTO BY PABLO ROA.

Paul Jacobson worked in retail prior to teaching at CHS.

July and August, along with the opportunity to get snow days off.

Working in retail has helped him learn to deal with people and the public and to be committed to success, skills that he has been able to use as a teacher.

“I am continually doing new things and learning new things,” Jacobson said.

Despite their memorable experiences in previous careers, the teachers at CHS have chosen to pursue teaching as a way to give back to the community and educate the future of our country.

It is each teacher’s unique skillset that creates such a diverse staff at CHS.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Arts

theObserver

13

Long-awaited Divergent sequel finally flies into theaters

PHOTO BY MADISON HURR.

Fans of the Divergent trilogy are excited to see the second installment in action.

By Madison Hurr Arts Editor Tris Prior’s world is a post-apocalyptic Chicago where everyone is categorized into five different factions based on their personalities. If you lived alongside her, would one faction define you or are you divergent?

Insurgent, the long-awaited sequel to

Veronica Roth’s Divergent, is being released March 20. Insurgent features Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Shailene Woodley, The Fault in Our Stars) and her love interest Tobias “Four” Eaton (Theo James, Underworld: Awakening) as they embrace their divergence together and endure a war amongst the factions.

“I’m expecting a more action-filled and more emotionally intense movie, one where I can see Tris’s growth and maturity,” senior

Antonia Gaviria said. “I felt like I saw that in the books as I read them and seeing it in the movies would be really cool.”

Members of Tris’ society are born into factions and have only one opportunity to switch at the age of 16. The factions include: Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave and Erudite for the intellectual. In rare cases like Tris’, no single faction serves as a match and thus the person is deemed “divergent”—a threat to the faction system.

Since Shailene Woodley cut her long locks for her part as Hazel Grace in John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Tris sports a short haircut in Insurgent, leaving some students a bit confused. Is that still Tris?

CHS’ loyal Divergent fans believe so.

“I completely think Shailene’s short hair fits Tris’ character,” Gaviria said.

“It shows her strength and maturity and goes along really well with some other themes in the story.”

Some issues with casting may also be revealed. After The Fault in Our Stars came out last June, Woodley and Ansel Elgort, who plays Tris’ brother Caleb in Insurgent, became well-known for being the perfect, star-crossed couple of John Green’s creation. Will it be weird to see them on screen together again, not as lovers, but as siblings?

“It was really strange seeing them all lovey-dovey in The Fault in Our Stars after watching them act like siblings in Divergent,” junior Ayda Soltanian said. “In The Fault in Our Stars, they had a special bond

which is uncomfortable when transformed into a brother-sister kind of bond.”

Some fans take the criticism even further to say that casting Woodley as Tris was a mistake.

“While the physical aspect of a character tends not to be an issue, this isn’t the case for Tris,” junior Angela Pu said. “Her short and thin body is a defining aspect of her and her development: becoming stronger both mentally and physically, showing that she is more than what she seems. With Shailene Woodley, she comes out already seeming strong and capable, taking away from the buildup.”

While some students found Woodley as Tris a poor choice, others found the casting to be perfectly fine.

“The actors were able to capture what I felt when reading the books and put it on the big screen in a really believable way,” Gaviria said.

The Divergent movie was a hit, grossing over $288 million in box office sales, as was the book trilogy, which sold over 11 million copies in the U.S. as of March 2014, according to Hollywood Reporter, an entertainment news website.

Despite its popularity, some critics believe the Divergent series has paled in the face of other young adult dystopian novels like Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy.

Regardless of the disagreements over casting and criticism of being cliché, the Insurgent movie has high expectations to live up to.

like them, and every outfit I saw caught my eye in one way or another—even on background characters,” Tyson said. “The set was more beautiful than I can describe.

The kingdom and palace were huge. I felt like I was there! “ One possible disappointment could be the lack of actual singing in the movie. Unlike Into the Woods, it was not a true movie musical, but it featured a lighthearted lullaby sung by Cinderella and her mother. Versions of original songs “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” are also included in the end credits, sung by

Lily James and Helena Bonham Carter, respectively. However, the score followed the ups and downs of the movie perfectly, from Cinderella’s escape to her dancing alone in the attic.

With a modern remake bringing the story and the magic back to the forefront of fans’ minds, Cinderella was and remains a Disney classic.

“I’ve watched it so many times since I was a little girl, and have continued to watch it as I’ve grown up,” Miller said. “I believe Cinderella is a fantastic role model who teaches little girls to keep on dreaming and believe in themselves.”

Live-action ‘Cinderella’ proves to be the perfect fit

By Kim Rooney Production Editor Cinderella’s infamous glass slippers have seen the silver screen six times since the movie’s original release in 1950, but Disney fans never seem to tire of them.

After theatrical successes Maleficent and Into the Woods, Disney continues its live-action trend with the release of Cinderella, directed by Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh (Thor), in theaters March 13.

“There was not one second that didn’t enchant me,” junior Jillian Tyson said. “It is more magical than I can ever put into words. Out of all the Disney live-action remakes, this is by far the best.”

While Maleficent garnered attention for its progressive views of the good-evil dichotomy, Disney seems to be retreating back into its conservative foundations, sticking to the old-fashioned classic with which many grew up and fell in love.

“It’s really interesting that Disney is remaking some of the classic movies into live-action films,” senior Emma Tower said. “It’s kind of cool to see your favorite characters back on the screen in a new and different way.”

Disney was so confident in Cinderella’s success that the teaser trailer it released May 2014 was a minute-long clip of the glass slipper. That was all Disney fans got until November 2014, when Disney released the first of two full-length trailers featuring scenes laced with magic and beauty that bring the classic fairytale into the 21st century.

Although Cinderella is often thought of as among the most conservative Disney classics, with Prince Charming saving Cinderella from her abusive family, fans have held hopes that Disney will continue with its progressive trend.

“It seems like the trailers mostly portray parts of the movie that are the same as the original fairytale,” sophomore Jenna Wang said. “I wish they would have shown more new twists they put on the story—maybe it’s their way of keeping it so that we would have a surprise.”

While there were not many surprises, the plot and characters were enhanced

to add personality and depth. Instead of the one-dimensional caricatures that have become staples for fairy tales—handsome princes, evil stepmothers, innocent girls—Cinderella shows more of each character, making them more believable and ultimately more enjoyable to watch.

“They were all well-placed changes,” junior Jillian Tyson said. “It kept all the heart and magic of the original, and I’m honestly so happy it was remade the way it was—it’s a newer version of the classic tale, but no less magical.”

If Disney had any doubts about Cinderella’s success, it compensated with a well-known cast; Cinderella features Lily James (Downton Abbey) as Cinderella, Helena Bonhom Carter (Harry Potter) as the Fairy Godmother, Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) as Prince Charming, Cate Blanchett (Lord of the Rings) as Lady Tremaine and Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) as Cinderella’s mother.

“Richard Madden looks about as charming as they come, and Lily James looks just like Cinderella,” Tower said.

“Also, Cate Blanchett was a fabulous casting choice for the evil stepmother.”

With seasoned actors and actresses playing the lead roles, it’s no surprise that the characters seemed to come to life on screen. Each showed incredible emotional and acting range without crossing the border into sentimentality, and the few occasions where they did were wellplaced and understandable considering the character’s personalities.

“The acting, just like everything else in the movie, was impressive,” Hertz said. “Cate Blanchett and Lily James were outstanding. Blanchett’s acting as Cinderella’s stepmother was realistic and solid.

Lily James also did great. She made me feel like it wasn’t even an act.”

The special effects, costumes and set design only served to enhance the movie. The costumes and set design were both lovely; intricate details keep the audience captivated every moment, and the special effects were truly magical. The movie did the dress transformation sequence justice, and Walt Disney would smile seeing his favorite piece of animation brought to life.

“I have never seen costumes quite

PHOTO BY KIM ROONEY.

Cinderella, like other Disney live-action films, puts a twist on the original tale.

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Arts

theObserver

Friday, March 20, 2015

Big Sean’s ‘Dark Sky Paradise’ surpasses expectations

By Arjun Swaminathan Online Arts Editor

Featuring brilliant introspective lyrics and outstanding production, Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise is a standout record that surpasses expectations and leaves listeners wanting more.

Sean’s third studio record was released Feb. 24 and sold 173,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week.

Artists featured in the album include Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, Ariana Grande, John Legend and Chris Brown.

Dark Sky Paradise opens with a riveting intro in “Dark Sky (Skyscrapers),” as Sean delves into his past and how it has shaped his life. The reflective tone continues on “Blessings” and “All Your Fault,” which feature Drake and West, respectively.

The next song, “IDFWU,” provides a stark contrast to the contemplative attitude of the first three tracks with its commercialized beat and superficial hook. “IDFWU” doesn’t ruin Dark Sky Paradise, but it doesn’t feel as if it belongs with the rest of the album.

“Play No Games” serves as a laidback anthem for men who try to win the affection of women and includes crooning from Brown and singer Ty Dolla $ign. In “Paradise” and “Win Some Lose Some,” Sean returns to brooding as he discusses the benefits and drawbacks of fame and the way it has affected him as a person.

In “Stay Down,” Sean delivers a shoutout to friends who have stood by his side as his lifestyle has become more extravagant and erratic. “I Know” features an interesting back-and-forth between Sean and singer Jhene Aiko over the male and female perspectives

in a relationship. “Deep” proves to be a haunting commentary by Sean and Wayne on how personal doubts and the doubts of others can destroy one’s career.

The regular edition of Dark Sky Paradise ends with its two best songs in “One Man Can Change the World” and “Outro.” “One Man Can Change the World” features Sean explaining how people such as his mother and grandmother have inspired him and why one should respect the words of one’s elders through a mesmerizing piano instrumental. The rapper follows this up with positivity in “Outro” by rapping about having an upbeat outlook toward the future.

The album’s bonus tracks live up to their name, serving as a gift to listeners’ ears. Sean discusses how people in his life changed after he became famous in “Deserve It” and “Research.” The rapper then provides closure and advice on how he dealt with these changes in “Platinum and Wood.”

Throughout the record, Sean’s vastly improved lyricism compared to his previous albums is on display as he utilizes double meanings, nifty flows and slick wordplay to entertain listeners.

In addition, he effectively adds meaning to his verses by detailing the struggles of his rise in the hip hop industry and how he overcame personal problems.

Vocals by featured artists on the album prove to be excellent as well. Brown delivers an enthralling hook on “Play No Games,” West smoothly combines autotune with

emotion on “All Your Fault,” and Grande displays her talent and range as she harmonizes with Sean on “Research.”

Perhaps the most impressive part of Dark Sky Paradise is its instrumentals.

Producers such as West, Mike WiLL Made It and DJ Mustard provide a variety of contrasting moods ranging from mellow to excited with a combination of high-pitched, old-

school samples and new thumping electronic beats. On nearly every song, the background music seems to tell a story of its own even as it meshes almost perfectly with Sean’s lyrical flow.

Dark Sky Paradise is a tour de force full of dazzling production, brilliant lyricism and breathtaking vocals. If CHS students are on the lookout for new quality music, Sean’s latest album is definitely worth a listen.

China Gourmet Bistro manager Vivien He said.

China Gourmet Bistro offers a wide variety of dishes, allowing everyone to find something that they like. The large menu offers several seafood dishes in addition to several types of meat and poultry dishes, including duck. Dishes such as duck are not common around the CHS area, offering customers a different type of meal.

“Our specialties are our Peking Duck, Cantonese Style Roast Duck, Three Cup Chicken, as well as our Whole Fish dishes,” He said.

In addition to offering a wide variety of dishes, China Gourmet Bistro offers many meals for customers with special dietary needs

or restrictions. All of their food is made without Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer commonly used in Chinese food, which many people are allergic to. Almost any dish can be made gluten-free and the menu offers almost 20 vegetarian dishes.

“We have a very flexible kitchen,” He said. “We can cook basically anything on our menu gluten-free at the customer’s request, as well as accommodate any other dietary needs.”

Upon eating at China Gourmet Bistro, I was pleased. The interior of the restaurant was nicely decorated and the staff was friendly. We had steamed chicken dumplings, soup, two chicken dishes and a seafood dish. The portions were large enough to feed a family of four and still leave leftovers

for a welcome afterschool snack.

All of the dishes were served as advertised. The Chicken with Vegetables had a variety of fresh and delicious vegetables and the Cashew Chicken had a good mix of chicken and cashews, neither ingredient overpowered the other.

Students have been pleased with the quality of food from China Gourmet Bistro.

“You can tell that the ingredients that they use are fresh,” junior Cess Jegbadi said.

China Gourmet Bistro is a convenient place for students to go for lunch. It is close to CHS and opens at 11a.m. They also offer several reduced price lunch specials from 11a.m. to 3p.m. Monday to Saturday.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

Big Sean released his third studio album in February. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first week and has received positive feedback.

New restaurant brings Chinese food back to Potomac

By Arielle Gordon Photo Editor

China Gourmet Bistro is the newest Chinese restaurant to try its hand at Asian cuisine in the Cabin John Shopping Center.

It is the third Chinese restaurant to occupy 7945 Tuckerman Lame in recent memory; a product of frequent restaurant turnover. Previously, China Jade Bistro was open for about two years, and Jade Billows was there for 20 years before that.

“We have a modern Asian menu that includes a fusion of Asian dishes.

However, as our name suggests, we mainly specialize in Chinese cuisine, Americanized or traditional Chinese,”

Arts

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Extra Extra! Clever ways to reuse your ‘Observer’

By Katie Gauch Editor-in-Chief

1, 2, 3, 4….18, 19, 20. Done. Just like that, you finished the newest edition of the gripping and informative Observer. Now what?

Don’t worry. Here are some unique ways to recycle your favorite articles for when spring starts, March 20.

Get your news did

Girls, listen up. Stop painting your nails with pastel pink, lilac and teal colors alone to get that springy look.

With this easy design, you can always have words from your favorite articles on the go by imprinting them straight over a color of your choice.

What you need: Nail Polish (light color) Cup Base Coat Rubbing Alcohol Nail Polish Remover/Q-tips A copy of the Observer Steps: 1. Cut out a favorite Observer article into small strips.

2. Put a base coat on to show the color more vibrantly.

3. Paint each nail with the color of choice. Apply a double coat, if desired, and a top coat as well.

4. Once your nails are completely dry, pour just enough rubbing alcohol to cover your nail into a cup.

5. Dip your nail into the cup for about 15 seconds. Make sure the nail is completely immersed into the rubbing alcohol.

6. Remove your finger from the cup and immediately press the Observer strip onto the nail firmly for about 20 seconds.

7. Remove carefully and apply another top coat.

8. Repeat steps four through seven for

each nail until all are Observer-fied!

“I’ve always thought this was a unique idea to use newspaper as nail polish opposed to one color,” senior Charli Lilienfield said. “My favorite colors to use under the newspaper would be pale colors

by Essie. Using pale and light colors as a base coat helps make the newspaper stand out and adds your personality on your nails.”

Let the facts coast in

Ever get tired of using the same boring coasters for those summery drinks every year? Don’t worry; if there’s a paper, there’s way. Take clips from your favorite articles throughout the year and make unique-Observer themed coasters to sit back and relax with.

What you need: Tape Scissors Plastic bag A copy of the Observer Steps:

1. Take four sheets from the

newspaper and cut each one vertically in halves for a total of eight strips. If you want the coaster to pop, use some of the colored pages.

2. Fold each strip in half and crease well. Make sure the folds are tight.

3. Creating the coaster is like creating a weave: lay two strips next to each other.

4. Place one strip perpendicular to the other two strips, going under one strip and on top of the other.

5. Continue step four until there are four horizontal strips and four vertical strips with the weave layout (over, under, over, under). Make sure the strips are packed closely together.

PHOTOS BY KATIE GAUCH.

You are able to reuse the Observer for many tasks, including gardening.

6. To finish the end of each strip, fold the

bottom of the strip up and crease the fold.

7. Fold the top of the strip and tuck the strip under the horizontal strip.

(You may need to cut the strip based on fit).

8. Repeat steps six and seven until all the edges are secured.

9. Cover in a plastic bag to protect the paper from getting wet.

“I think they could be really helpful when my family has friends over for dinner or when my family is relaxing outside,” sophomore Mina Jeremic said.

“Each one is unique and different.”

Bag-server

You step into CVS and what do you see? Gift bags that are over-priced with a typical design. Whether it’s a birthday present, Easter candy or a graduation gift, save your money and make an Observer bag that will make your style on fleek.

What you need: Hole puncher Glue String or ribbon A copy of the Observer

bottom side ONLY. 6. Reach inside the top and press the bottom to create the base of the bag.

7. Punch two holes on each side at the top (about 8 cm away) and tie the string to create two handles.

“I think it looks awesome to store gifts in newspaper because there are a bunch of words and pictures all over it,” junior Andrew Footer said. “It’s kind of abstract.”

Don’t soil the paper

What’s black, green and blue all over? An Observer soil pot. Make as many of these tiny pots as you want to for a mini garden that will grow fresh herbs to add to your meals and drinks.

What you need: 6 oz. can Scissors Tape A copy of the Observer

Steps: 1. Take one sheet from the Observer and fold it along the original fold.

2. Fold the top down about 1 cm and glue the inside. Spread glue on the exterior and fold one more time.

Crease and press tightly.

3. Fold the top down about 4 cm, and then flip and fold in the opposite direction. Do this to the bottom also.

4. On each side, press the middle part in, fold and crease. This will start the inside of the bag.

5. Repeat steps two and three to the

Steps: 1. Cut one sheet in half and fold each half in thirds.

2. Leaving about ½ of an inch on the bottom, roll the can over the newspaper tightly. Tape to secure.

3. Fold the bottom in and tape. Make sure there are no holes or gaps so the soil stays in. Adjust the width from the bottom to the can if needed.

4. Remove the can and flip over.

“I would totally do that,” junior Alexandra Conway said. “With the right amount of tape it would work.”

Next time you finish reading the Observer, do not even think about recycling it or throwing it out. CHS, go all out and proudly style the Observer in fun and useful ways.

way to just really let everything go,” Cohen said.

According to senior Ximena Tellez, the best part of Blast is the experience of being on stage and spending time with friends.

“People should come to Blast

because it allows students to express themselves in a non-academic way,” senior Antonia Gavaria Rozo said.

Blast: Opposition opens March 20. Shows are also on March 21,22,27 and 28. Tickets are now available at www.wchsarts.com, and prices range from $15 to $20.

‘Blast’ returns for its 26th year with ‘Opposition’

By Sai Sreenivasan Staff Writer It’s opening night and the crowd is buzzing. But when the lights hit the stage, silence fills the air. Blast begins.

Blast has been a unique CHS production for 26 years and returns to the stage with this year’s production of Blast: Opposition. Matthew Albright, CHS choral director and Blast director chose the theme to present something completely different from past productions. With the theme of “Opposition,” Blast presents songs such as “Hot and Cold” by Katy Perry and “Black or White” by Michael Jackson. These songs range over several decades and aim to offer something for every member in the audience.

“We’ve got music from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and today,” Albright said. “These are arrangements that are currently done by contemporary composers.”

Students are featured in every number and each play an important role in the production. After-school practices occur daily and students put a lot of effort into making the production spectacular, according to sophomore Cami Cohen, who is the lead in the song “It’s Raining Men.” According to Cohen, Blast is a huge commitment, and a lot of time and effort goes into the production.

“We usually rehearse until 5 p.m., but during tech week, rehearsals go until 10 p.m,” Cohen said.

The tech crew and pit also contribute greatly to the enormous production. During the week before opening, the entire Blast crew stays late to make sure everything is well prepared. Even though Blast requires a lot of effort, the end result is worth it for the performers.

“It’s a chance to show your personality on stage and is a fun

PHOTO BY SAI SREENIVASAN.

Blast performers rehearse “Girl on Fire” for the upcoming show.

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CHS Bulldogs? That has to mean boys...right?

By Hannah Yasharoff PR & Social Media Editor

“Come out to the basketball game tonight to support your Gentlemen Bulldogs!”

Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? No one would ever feel the need to refer to a boys team as “gentlemen.” Why then, do we still use the term “lady” to let our peers know we’re talking about a girls team?

According to the official Title IX website, Title IX is “a law passed in 1972 that requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding.” As a federally-funded educational program, high school athletics legally must be equal. Referring to one of your soccer teams by the school mascot and the other as the female version of that mascot is not equal. Period.

Of course, the people who use the term “lady” aren’t being intentionally discriminatory, ignorant or downright sexist. The prefix “lady” in college and high school athletics has a long history that dates back to well before the introduction of Title IX, but is now a very outdated idea.

For the most part, NCAA women’s programs have gotten rid of the term “lady” in their team names. The most notable use of “lady” comes from the University of Tennessee, where every women’s team but one dropped the prefix to become the “Volunteers” last November. The women’s basketball team remained the “Lady Vols” to honor the tradition established by former coach Pat Summitt, who led Tennessee to eight NCAA championships and holds the record for most wins in NCAA history for either a men’s or women’s team.

Understandably, Tennessee wants to honor such an iconic coach in a special way, but continuing a tradition that is offensive to some is not the way to do it. Tradition is, of course, also the main argument used in the case of keeping the name of the Washington Redskins, which will inevitably be changed because it has been proven that people find it offensive. Plus, the argument “We’ve been doing this for a long time” doesn’t exactly equate to “This is a good idea and we should keep doing it.”

While none of the girls sports teams here at CHS officially use the word “lady” in the same way that Tennessee

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GAZETTE.

Junior Bethany Dubick

INFOGRAPHIC BY HANNAH YASHAROFF.

did, the term is used often to differentiate between the girls and boys teams.

According to an Observer survey of 40 CHS students, 90 percent of the student body has heard the term “Lady Bulldogs” at one point or another from a member of the CHS community, and

the most common uses of “Lady Bulldogs” come from team apparel, students themselves, and media coverage (including several past Observer articles and coverage by the Daily Dose).

The good news about these results is that they all derive directly from the

By Gil Jacobson News Editor

By Jasmine Baten Photo Editor

Congratulations to junior Bethany Dubick who recently committed to play lacrosse at Oberlin College beginning in the spring of 2017.

Only having started lacrosse four years ago, Dubick has played varsity lacrosse for CHS since her freshman year. She chose Oberlin because of its great lacrosse and science programs in addition to its diverse student body.

“I am looking forward to being on a team, getting great coaching and helping to make the team the best it can be,” Dubick said. “Academically, I am looking forward to being around people who are as curious and interested in learning and discussing subjects as I am.”

Dubick had 18 goals, 10 assists, 12 ground balls, three draw possessions and four takeaways last season.

“Bethany is a dynamic player, confident and motivated to succeed,” head coach Jamie Frank said. “She has worked extremely hard to become one of the most dominant players on the field.”

Congratulations to senior Lucy Srour who recently committed to run track and cross country at Brown University next year.

Srour has been running track for four years, competing at the regional and national level with the CHS varsity cross country team.

“I started running freshman year for Churchill, and it’s definitely changed me as a person,” Srour said. “It’s made me stronger and more resilient both physically and mentally.”

Srour chose Brown University for its welcoming environment.

“I really like New England, the coach was really nice, and I felt like I fit in with the teams,” Srour said.

Though undecided about her major, she looks forward to being a part of Brown’s track teams.

“I just got added to the team Facebook group, and it’s so exciting to be a part of a team that’s so serious but is still fun and close-knit,” Srour said.

Athletes Commit

student body. They are all things that we, as students, can fix ourselves. It isn’t an issue of budgeting or persuading administration that they need to make a change.

This is a simple case of changing the words we use to change the way people think. If you’ve taken AP Psychology, you know this as “framing.”

Although this might seem like a trivial matter to some, using “lady” in girls sports perpetuates the idea that girls’ sports are inferior to boys sports. Take, for example, the case of the University of Maryland’s basketball program. You can find the women’s team on Twitter with the handle “@umdwbb” and the title “Maryland WBB.” Maryland Women’s Basketball. The men’s team, however, gets the coveted handle “@TerrapinHoops,” and the vague yet empowering title “Maryland Basketball.” You know that Maryland Basketball means men’s basketball. I do too.

This perfectly showcases the problem with the way we differentiate between male and female teams. The problem with these separate perceptions is that it subtly suggests that the boys teams are the ones actually representing the school, while the girls teams are a level below.

In a November 2014 column by USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan, Aimee Mullins, a former Women’s Sports Foundation president noted that “it’s symptomatic of a larger pattern of women’s programs being viewed as the stepchild of the men’s programs. It demeans the seriousness of the women’s program to use the term ‘lady.’ These women train the same hours. It’s not a cute pursuit.”

After collecting survey data for this article, I was disheartened to realize that only 54 percent of students agreed that the term “lady” should be discarded. A few minutes later, however, I received a Facebook message that gave me hope.

“I can’t believe I never noticed how weird it is that we specify ladies and not men,” senior Miranda Catsambas said after completing a survey for this article.

“It just goes to show that even someone who is aware can still be oblivious to some things that contribute to sexism.”

Awareness is the key to making this change. If we can make our fellow classmates aware that this term is offensive or improper, we can stop it from being used. There are no more excuses for referring to female athletes in a different way than we refer to male athletes. Male or female, we all represent CHS. We are all Bulldogs. It’s time for everyone to be treated that way.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOCO RUNNING.

Senior Lucy Srour

Friday, March 20, 2015

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CHS dives into States

By Richard Ying Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEIANNE REIDY.

Senior WeiAnne Reidy and teammates celebrate after winning their first national championship title at the 2015 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championship.

Senior skates toward win

By Hannah Yasharoff PR & Social Media Editor

When senior WeiAnne Reidy was 4 years old, she fashioned pretend ice skates out of cardboard, a medal out of dental floss and duct tape, and pretended to win a national gold medal for figure skating, just like her idol, Michelle Kwan. Thirteen years later, she won one herself.

Reidy won a national gold medal with the Washington Figure Skating Club’s DC Edge intermediate team at the 2015 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships in Providence, RI on Feb. 26.

“My mom and I joked that maybe one day I’d go to the National Championships and win a gold medal, but 13 years later it happened, just a little differently than I imagined— I won it with 13 other athletes,” Reidy said.

This was DC Edge’s first year as a team at the intermediate level, and a majority of the team had never been to nationals.

“We were complete underdogs,” Reidy said. “The score we had to beat was so high and above our personal best, so I thought there was no way we would even place. When our score popped up, the only emotion I had was relief.”

Reidy credits this win to her team’s

undeniable chemistry.

“Our team is the most diverse team in the country,” Reidy said. “We are all very different people, but somehow it all meshes together. Now we are an inseparable family. We won nationals because we went into our season with the same mindset: start unknown, finish unforgettable.”

After graduating this spring, Reidy will attend the University of Maryland in the fall. She plans to continue skating competitively, although that was not always the case.

“I don’t see how I can stop now,” Reidy said. “I’m better at skating than I am at walking. I hope to keep skating for the rest of my life, and I’m looking into coaching as a continuing side job.”

The road to nationals was a challenging, albeit rewarding experience for Reidy, who woke up at 4 a.m. to practice, worked with a physical trainer to increase her hip flexibility, and gave up spending time with friends. As one of the oldest members of the team, she also learned valuable leadership lessons.

“This season changed so much about me,” Reidy said. “All in all, I learned that to make an impact, you need to be different and you have to devote yourself entirely to accomplishing your goal.”

The CHS diving team went to the State Diving Championships Feb. 20 at the Eppley Recreation Center, with Elaina Faerber winning the girls diving event. The MPSSAA State swim meet at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex was originally scheduled for the same date but was moved to March 11 due to weather.

“Since the beginning of the year, one of the goals for our girls team has been to win states,” head coach Chris Tappis said. “We have never won a state championship in swimming, so it would mean a lot to get that first state title.”

Going to states has become commonplace for the CHS Bulldogs, but winning is a greater challenge.

According to Tappis, the girls team finished 5-0 overall, winning Divisionals, Metros, and Regionals, while the boys team finished 3-2 overall, coming in third at Divisionals, sev-

enth at Metros and fifth at Regionals.

According to swim team captain senior Chris Cochran, most of the state qualifiers practice five to eight times a week, preparing more with their club coaches and teams than the CHS team.

According to freshmen Sanjay Wijesekera the boys have tremendous depth lead by captains Cochran and fellow senior captain Colton Neubauer. The girls team is led by senior captains Rachel Caplan and Elaina Gu. “The girls team right now is the best they have ever been,” Wijesekera said. “They won the D1 and metros meet untouched and unstoppable.”

The girls team ended up winning their first state title, scoring 288.5 points, while the boys came in 7th.

“Overall we swam really well and had a fun time doing it,” junior Katie Wright said. “It’s great to be a part of such a close team. We really are a family.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEB LINDSEY.

The girls swim team stands with coach Chris Tappis after its win.

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Frisbee looks promising with new co-ed team

Remaining in the same male league as previous years, the state championship-winning and formerly all boys team officially merged with the girls team for the 2015 season to create a singular co-ed team, after having only two female members in 2014.

“Going co-ed allows the girls who still want to play an opportunity to play,” senior captain Emet

Zeitz said. “The best thing about frisbee is just playing the game.”

During the 2014 season, girls team captains senior Jess Taylor and CHS alumna Taylor Srebnick wanted more of a challenge, so they decided to try out for the boys team. After making the cut, both girls played for the boys team for the rest of the season.

“Playing with the girls is like playing with any other guy,” Zeitz said.

“They made the team because of their skill, so there’s no difference.”

This year, in an effort to keep the level of intensity high for both sexes and to provide a resolution for a limited number of players remaining on the girls team, the captains of both teams decided to join together as one team, instead of having girls split between the boys and girls teams like last year. This year, as part of a co-ed team in a boys league, the girls playing for the Bulldogs will rarely, if ever, be playing against other girls.

“It has been interesting and challenging joining the guys team,” Taylor said. “Being one of two girls on the team last year, it was a little intimidating. You place higher expectations on yourself and try to meet the guy’s standards, but it is a lot of fun once you get to know all the goofy Frisbros, and they aren’t intimidating once you really spend a lot of time with them.”

According to senior Jake Smith,

the addition of girls this season has been an improvement, not only to this season’s team, but to CHS Frisbee as a whole.

“It’s a lot of fun having girls on the team, and it makes me feel like I’m part of change and progress in the program,” Smith said.

As a boys team, CHS frisbee has won the state championship title in 2013, and looking forward to the 2015 season, the team captains are both excited and hopeful for what the coed team can bring to the field.

The combination of strong leadership and top talent from both sides will make the Bulldogs a threat against any possible competition.

“An advantage of frisbee going coed is that there is only one team practice, so the team can become cohesive while playing as a unit,” Taylor said. “The best thing about frisbee is the team chemistry. You really have to know your teammates and figure out their strengths and weaknesses so you can use the strengths in a game. We all become a family and just have fun.”

With this attitude and the promise of a fresh season ahead, both sides are ready to join together and work hard toward a united goal, another state championship with a new coed team.

“Not many teams that compete have girls,” Taylor said. “It would be an honor to win states with girls on our team representing Churchill.”

pleton said. “I am the contact point with all the medical information that comes into the building. I am the person that directs information recommended from the doctor to the athletic director, the administrator, the counselor and the teachers.”

According to Rivinius, if a student receives a head injury in a practice or game, he or she is removed from the playing field and told to see a medical professional to evaluate his or her condition. A licensed health care provider must then fill out the Medical Clearance form found on the MCPS website, which diagnoses and clears the student of a concussion after reevaluation. Once cleared by a doctor, the

student must complete the return to play protocol which takes a minimum of six days to complete and eases the athlete into activity and participation at practice.

“Concussion awareness is much better than it was even a decade ago,” Rivinius said. “The awareness is at all levels of sports from youth to the professional level. I think we have a much better understanding of head injuries and will continue to try to be the best we can to help prevent and treat head injuries.”

According to Stapleton, the consequences of concussions are serious.

It takes longer to recover after the first concussion and there are additive effects of multiple concussions

that can cause long term brain injury such as seizures and even death.

“The protocol makes sure that you are cleared and that your concussion is healed before you go back to play because if you go back in the game with a concussion, it can kill you,” Stapleton said.

Junior Madison Farrand plays hockey outside of school and is one student who has dealt with the concussion protocol. She feels it is important to communicate with the school when a concussion takes place.

“Getting a concussion has made me realize that you need to be smart about sports and injuries and take time away from the sport in order to recover,” Farrand said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESS TAYLOR.

Senior Jess Taylor and teammates reach for the frisbee during tryouts for the ultimate frisbee spring season March 9 at Buck Branch Park.

By Julia McDermont Sports Editor When the CHS frisbee team takes the field for a match of ultimate frisbee, it differs from most other competitors. Unlike the majority of their competition, the Bulldog squad has both male and female Frisbros, making it one of the area’s only coed teams.

Head injuries raise awareness about concussion protocol

By Jonathan Greenzaid Online Sports Editor The running back explodes down the sideline with a burst of speed.

His sight is focused on the end zone.

CRACK. The running back collides with the linebacker. The running back is one of three million people who report a concussion annually in the nation. March is brain injury awareness month, so how does CHS protect and accommodate students with concussions?

CHS complies with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) policy COMAR 13A.06.08, which lays out guidelines and protocols that students and athletes must follow when they have a head injury.

Since the policy went into effect June 2013, coaches and teachers have more knowledge on the subject of concussions than ever before.

“It is a lot better in terms of identifying head injuries, treating them and protecting athletes,” athletic director Scott Rivinius said. “These protocols are dictated by the state and have made a positive difference in athlete health.”

The MSDE bill requires coaches and physical education teachers to complete concussion training, athletes to complete a concussion return to play protocol and the school system to ensure appropriate academic accommodations to students with concussions.

According to school nurse Deborah Stapleton, appropriate academic accommodations are symptom based. For example, if a student who has a concussion has headaches in school, then he or she should be allowed rest breaks, or if a student’s processing speed is not as fast as normal due to a concussion, then he or she should be allowed extended time on assignments.

“A positive attribute is that accommodations are implemented to students who have concussions,” Sta-

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKICOMMONS.COM.

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GoPro cameras to revolutionize sports watching

By Cristian Edwards Staff Writer

The company GoPro made a video earlier this year in which the best NHL players were given GoPro cameras to put on their helmets and told to showcase their talent on the ice. The point-of-view shots the cameras offered may have the power to change sports coverage forever.

With the advancement of technology in the sports entertainment industry, through high definition cameras and multiple cameras covering the action, the unique perspective of the player has never before been available to the viewer. GoPro intends to change that.

According to Todd Ballard, Senior Director of Lifestyle Marketing at GoPro in a Jan. 23 article on GoPro.com, GoPro intends to push the boundaries of video content with all team sports, and wishes to improve the perspectives of all activities.

GoPro has made an effort to change the viewing perspective of all activities, such as rock-climbing, snowboarding, hockey and basketball, by constructing little cameras that connect to shafts or headsets. With GoPro’s recent advancements, it will be easier for their cameras to be more widely used, and how they should use GoPros more often with high-level sports.

These advancements can vastly improve the experiences of many sports fans around the world by offering a unique point-of-view perspective.

Senior Evangeline Pergantis uses GoPros to capture all of her memories, including cheerleading football games and hanging out with her friends.

Pergantis likes the camera’s ability to show a panoramic view of whatever she is doing.

“You can do whatever with a GoPro, from chilling at home or traveling,”

PHOTO BY EVANGELINE PERGANTIS.

Senior Evangeline Pergantis uses a GoPro camera and “selfie stick” to capture the entire cheerleading team.

Pergantis said. “Whatever you do with the camera, you can always make a cool video.”

The National Hockey League was the first to take the next step by officially announcing a North American partnership with GoPro, made earlier this year on Jan. 23, in the hopes, according to their website, of “delivering hockey fans unique perspectives of the game.” They also announced their intention of putting GoPros on players’ helmets.

According to a Jan. 23 NHL.com article, Bob Chesterman, NHL Senior Vice President of Programming and Production, said that GoPro gives

the NHL the ability to showcase the “beauty and intensity” of hockey, and brings NHL fans closer to the game.

Tweets and comments on GoPro’s YouTube video display fans’ excitement for the merger.

“I think it will be very interesting for the viewer to get a better understanding of what I see and how I track pucks,” said New York Rangers’ goalie Henrik Lundqvist in Go Pro’s video.

Although the GoPro’s cameras are very versatile, they could become a burden for the individuals wearing them, and the $400 camera could possibly become damaged during the activity. In addition, the cameras’ bat-

tery life is short, so replacement of the batteries is a concern, and people may require experts for the difficult camera settings GoPro offers.

Many activities individuals want to capture on the GoPro cameras involve rigorous actions that need more than one angle, but a GoPro camera placed on an individual’s head can only produce one angle. Also, the camera could become altered during the activity and could pose a burden for the individual to try to fix it.

Despite the obstacles presented by GoPros, the perspectives GoPros offer could change the whole media outlet in every sporting event.

forced to practice in the gym and halls, creating a chaotic mess of cramped space and changing practice times.

CHS has seven spring sports teams, and when there is snow on the ground—as there often is during the first few weeks of March—all seven of these teams are forced to share our two gyms for all practices. There simply is not enough time or room for CHS teams to effectively prepare for the season, which is why the school needs to obtain a new indoor facility for practices.

According to senior lacrosse player Derek Altobello snow and cold forces JV and Varsity lacrosse “into a smaller area for a shorter amount of time,” causing them to “not be able to do the same things,” that they would with outdoor practices, thus they are less prepared for the season.

It is hard enough for CHS coaches to take new teams and get them gameready by the time the season starts, but when they are limited for time and space it becomes a nearly impossible task. Even tryouts become difficult when outdoor warm weather sports either play inside or in the freezing cold. It is for this reason that fall sports, like football, get a full week of outdoor tryouts, yet sometimes spring sports have only one day inside to make decisions.

Outdoor sports are not meant to be played in a basketball gym. Ideally, practice could just be held on CHS’ outdoor facilities. However, when the weather interferes there are plenty of nearby rentable facilities, like Rockville Sportsplex that would serve as a much more effective solution than stuffing all our spring sports teams

into the gyms.

According to CHS track senior captain Lucy Srour, being inside makes it hard to “get long runs in,” and the “inside surface is much harder on your body,” which can leave runners more sore and less ready for the season.

Just because our indoor facilities are a subpar alternative to being outside doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as a good indoor facility.

The advantage of somewhere like Rockville Sportsplex or Champions Fieldhouse, is that it is specifically designed to support indoor athletics.

They have turf fields, plenty of room, and equipment that allow teams to play as though they were outside.

According to Mark Dager, a junior on boys tennis, separate facilities “would be really helpful,” because then we “could actually play our sport.”

Tennis had their tryouts delayed a full week because they cannot play at all inside our gyms, and had nowhere to go. This means that they lost a full week of preparation and playing together.

There is no reason that spring sports need to be put at a disadvantage due to weather. As a school and a community, it would not be that difficult to secure somewhere better for our teams to hold more effective practices and tryouts. Although our hardworking coaching staff does a great job preparing our teams even when they have to go inside, it would make the lives of everyone involved easier if the facilities at their disposal were more suited for the drills they need to run to get the teams ready.

Indoor practices do not work, let the Dawgs out

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF FRITZ.

In preparation for tryouts Feb. 28, boys lacrosse players shoveled their practice field Feb. 25, only to have school closed the next day due to snow.

By Jake Certner Staff Writer As someone who has participated in baseball every year at CHS, I have experienced first-hand the effects cold and snow have on tryouts and practice. Every year I have been here it has been an issue. In fact, the past two years tryouts for outdoor spring sports have been forced inside by snow. You can’t hit or throw real base-

balls inside, and there is not enough room to do most fielding drills. It is incredibly difficult to truly showcase your skills for a short amount of time when you are playing a sport meant for a large field on a high school basketball court.

Spring sports are meant to be played outside in warm weather without snow on the ground. However, due to the fact that seniors leave too early for Montgomery County to push the season back, spring teams at CHS are

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Winston Churchill High School 11300 Gainsborough Rd. Potomac,MD 20854

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www.thechurchillobserver.com

Volume 39 - Issue 6

Friday, March 20, 2015

By Emily Raab Production Editor After moving from Canada at age 9, senior Colin Mackey began swimming at a local pool as a way to keep cool during the blistering Maryland summer.

Eight years later, he’s still swimming for that same pool, Country Glen, and is an exceptional member of the CHS swim and dive team.

“My favorite part of swimming would definitely be the the camaraderie of the teams that you become a part of,” Mackey said.

A former hockey player, Mackey seriously committed to swimming his freshman year. County Glen coach Geoffrey Schaefer initially encouraged Mackey to take up swimming competitively.

“I saw great potential with Colin at an early age and wanted him to develop his talent and take it to the next level,” Schaefer said.

The top sprint freestyler for CHS, Mackey also swims middle distance freestyle, butterfly and backstroke.

“Colin’s best event is 50 freestyle because he has tremendous top-end speed,” swim and dive coach Christopher Tappis said. “His size helps in that event too.”

According to Tappis, the most memorable moment of Mackey’s senior season was when he anchored the 400m freestyle relay against Richard Montgomery Jan. 10, going into his leg approximately 2 seconds behind the opposing anchor, and beating him to win the event.

At the 2015 Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships, Mackey placed ninth in the 50m freestyle, going 22.10 to shave .9 of a second off his best time, and eleventh in the 100m freestyle, qualifying for USA Sectionals in both events.

He also participated in the 200m and 400m freestyle relays and was CHS’ top point scorer.

In addition to CHS and Country Glen, Mackey has trained with Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC) and under coach Sue Chen with Machine Aquatics on the National Training Team at the UMD site.

“I believe that it’s Colin’s physical and mental strength that make him the exceptional student athlete that he is,” said Colin’s mother, Maureen Mackey.

“He has the focus and dedication to be able to rigorously train for hours every day regardless of what else is going on.”

Junior Lily Payton has been swimming with Mackey since elementary school and admires him for his hard work and perseverance.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEB LINDSEY.

Senior Colin Mackey swims 50 m freestyle during Metros Feb. 7.

“He is a phenomenal swimmer because of his attitude,” Payton said.

“He is not one to complain and is always ready to race and do his best.”

Mackey is also known for his friendliness and sense of humor.

“He is likeable and funny,” Schaefer said. “His swimming prowess only adds to the fun that we have.”

Next year, Mackey will attend Cornell University where he intends

to major in biomedical engineering.

“I’ve never been the fastest kid out there, but the biggest part of becoming successful in swimming, or any endeavor, is understanding how to take that next step to reach your goals,” Mackey said. “I can say that I’m completely content with what I have accomplished because I know that I always tried my hardest.”

Hockey shoots its way to another State Title

By Gil Jacobson News Editor

The CHS Varsity One hockey team defeated Marriotts Ridge 10-0 in the 2015 Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL) 2A championship at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel Feb. 27.

This is CHS’ second state championship victory in three years.

“We had a great group this year,” head coach Ray McKenzie said of the team.

CHS also set a record for most goals (10) scored in a state championship.

Senior captain Justin Vagonis believes that the bonds between players contributed most to CHS’ victory, in addition to depth and stamina.

“Whether it was getting up at 4:30 a.m. for practices or having team dinners together, we were like brothers,” Vagonis said. “This enabled us to play in sync with each other and just have

fun doing it.”

Vagonis will miss the team’s traditions most next year.

“We would give out our back-up jerseys to girls on game day, dress up on game day, and have team lunches and dinners all the time,” Vagonis said.

“Spending time with the team was always fun.”

Senior captain Ross Allen was honored with MSHL’s Yvon Labre award. Allen had three goals and two assists Friday.

According to Allen, the award is given to those individuals with significant achievements in hockey, academics, and community service.

“It means a lot to me to be recognized for this award,” Allen said. “It shows that all of the hours of hard work that I have put into everything I do have paid off for me.”

Many CHS students came out to support the Bulldogs in their state champi-

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK WEINSTEIN.

The CHS hockey team poses after its championship win Feb. 27. onship victory.

According to senior Tiffany Russo, every seat was filled and everyone there was very spirited.

“It was a Churchill vs. Wootton game times 10,” Russo said.

Despite losing eight graduating seniors at the end of this year, fellow

Team records* Boys First Game

Boys First Game 3/20

3/20 Girls First Game 3/20

teammates do not consider next year to be a rebuilding year for the team.

“We will still have plenty of upperclassmen on the team and plenty of talent to win us games,” junior hockey player Mark Weinstein said.

“I would say we are reloading more than rebuilding.”

*AS OF 3/18/15

Boy s Firs t Gam e Boys First Game 3/20 3/20 COED First Game 3/20

Girl s Firs t Gam e 3/20

Track and Field Next meet 3/24

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