The Churchill Observer

Volume 36 - Issue 8

Friday, May 25, 2012

A National Blue Ribbon School

CHS ranked best high school in Maryland

By Julia Greenzaid Online Breaking News The May 2012 U.S. News and World Report awarded CHS first place out of 232 Maryland High Schools and ranked it 57th in the country for academic performance and preparation of students for college.

According to USNews.com, a school must be awarded a national gold or silver medal to be eligible for a state ranking.

“The survey was based on, among other indicators, state assessment data and participation in college-level classes; areas where Churchill certainly is doing very well,” MCPS spokesperson Dana Tofig said. “Of course, these types of rankings certainly have limitations and do not indicate every-

thing that makes Churchill—and all of our high schools—great places to learn.”

Along with being the top Maryland public high school, CHS is also a National Blue Ribbon School.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the National Blue Ribbon is awarded to schools in which the achievement gap has narrowed and where students achieve high academic goals.

“Churchill is the only high school in Potomac to have received the National Blue Ribbon Award since 2007 because of our high achievement and the great work that students do,” Principal Joan Benz said.

According to an April 28 Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC)

article, 196 of the nation’s 3,125 large school districts saw a significant improvement in stan-

raised independent of the school,” Fisher said.

The sign was supposed to be installed earlier this semester, but because of delays the sign was not able to be put in place on schedule.

“We did not want to proceed until we had support from all of the various stakeholders and the community,” Fisher said. “We had to work with several utility companies, different governmental departments and through the MCPS process for all the necessary approvals.”

A local nursery has volunteered to donate landscaping for the land surrounding the sign.

Many other schools in the area have made the transition to digital signs including Wootton, Walter Johnson and Richard Montgomery.

The sign will include colorful engraved tiles created by the Instrumental and Choral Departments as well as the class of 2011. These tiles are contributions from the CHS community and symbolize their connection to the school.

By Josh Denicoff Production Editor

By Lara Fu News Editor

dardized test score results.

Highland Elementary in Silver Spring improved the Maryland State Assessment

(MSA) test scores of a large proportion of students who live in poverty and students who do not speak English at home by a significant margin since 2009. Because of this, the AJC accused the school of cheating.

Principal Joan Benz feels the AJC’s questioning of Highland’s integrity is unprofessional.

“What is so sad is that they read into it,” Benz said. “How dare they make these observations. There is no validation of cheating, and this is irresponsible journalism.”

According to Benz, it is easier to raise test scores in schools that have more room for improvement because test scores will dramatically increase with the right resources.

Schools starting out with high-

er test scores do not have as much room for improvement.

MCPS Superintendent, Dr. Joshua P. Starr, was also insulted by this cheating implication and strongly believes Highland Elementary worked hard to deserve their award.

In an April 30 statement posted on the MCPS website, Starr stated that Highland’s gains resulted from a motivated staff, administration, and the training, support and resources it needed to succeed.

Additionally, according to a May 9 Gazette article, the performance improvements were the result of transferring a successful principal from a wealthier zone to Highland who implemented new reading strategies with personalized instruction.

Donna Redmond Jones, principal of Rosa Parks Middle School and former CHS assistant principal, has attended Starr’s book clubs throughout the year and believes they are a great way for MCPS educators to communicate.

“It’s important to me to read about the skills and attitudes that educators need to cultivate in 21st century learners,” Jones said. “I enjoy having an exchange of ideas with people who have a variety of perspectives.”

This month, Starr discussed Tony Wagner’s book The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New

Survival Skills Our Children Need.

In the book, Wagner covers the collaboration and communication skills he believes are most important in the real world, as well as the skills he believes are not useful.

“I don’t consider test-taking to be a useful skill,” Wagner said. “No employers hire or promote on the basis of a standardized test score.”

Because of this, Starr is choosing to deviate from former Superintendent Jerry Weast’s goals of pushing students to achieve higher standardized test scores.

Instead, Starr wants to focus more on the relationship between teachers and students.

“When I talk to students about the teachers they like the most, they always say it’s the ones who cared about them,” Starr said.

“What’s most important is that our kids are engaged and having fun, and they’re learning to love learning.”

Principal Joan Benz agrees.

“What happens between students and teachers in the classroom makes the difference,” Benz said. “When you have a great teacher, it really improves the ability to learn.”

Fundraising efforts Superintendent Starr’s book club make sign a reality focuses on skills not scores After four years of planning and fundraising, a digital sign is set to replace the current brick one at the corner of Tuckerman Lane and Gainsborough Road by the end of May. The digital sign will promote upcoming events as well as create a stronger visual appeal for the community.

“Changing the message on the current sign is not efficient, and the message becomes old,” said Michael Fisher, co-chair of the Character Education Committee.

“Our messages will be more in number and up to date.”

The sign will display the accomplishments of students, teachers and sports teams and will also inform the community of upcoming productions, events and announcements.

According to a press release by the Character Education Sub-Committee of the PTSA, the funds for the sign have come from the classes of 2009 and 2011, the PTSA, the Booster Club and the Music Department.

“All of the funds were

Superintendent Joshua Starr held his third book club meeting April 24 to advocate his desire to encourage MCPS teachers to focus on critical thinking and communication skills instead of simply improving test scores.

“I’ve been doing book clubs as a way to introduce some new ideas,” Starr said. “After doing the first two meetings on broader issues, I wanted to turn to education.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER CRAM.

Starr emphasizes critical thinking and communication.

News Metro Fares Increase

Features Strawberries and Chocolate

PAGE 6

PAGE 8

Students face increasing costs of taking the Metro.

It’s strawberry season. Check out some recipes that blend these delicious treats.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

By Dana Harris Online Opinions Editor

Arts Avengers Avengers delivers a great experience for viewers.

PAGE 14

See Book Club, 2

News

2

Teachers flip classroom

By Ilana Berger News Editor

fortable with the flip and others will continue with the status quo,” said Staff Development teacher Deanna Svreck.

Some students see the advantages In the spring of 2007, Colorado teachers Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron of the flip, but others are skeptiSams became pioneers not only in educa- cal about whether it is realistic. tion technology, but in the way teachers The flip allows students to be more interact with their students by inventing independent, but with the added independence comes added responsibility. the flipped classroom.

“If I can get a comfortable place at home Bergmann and Sams began by record i n g l e s s o n s u s i n g s c r e e n I could listen to the recorded lesson quite capture software and posted them well,” sophomore Chris Mainwaring said. online so that students could access “Other students will get distracted because them at home. In their rural town in if they’re immature, then they will probColorado, students often miss class due ably get bored and goof off.”

Whether the flip is a good fit for to sports and other activities.

Students found that viewing the CHS, other technologies such as activotes on the lessons Promethean at home Bergmann and Sams moved board are was more passed learning to high engagement available effective learning where immediate feedback to benefit t h a n occurs naturally. students in sitting ways that are through more interaca lecture tive than the in class, traditional because they could now spend class time PowerPoint during class. “ Th e b i g g e st b e n e f i t s o f P r oasking their teachers questions and methean software are the activotes,” getting work done.

“We were rushing through the Svrcek said. “The activotes provide material in class and going really fast immediate feedback to students and but nothing stuck,” said Bullis AP data to the teacher on student unCalculus teacher Stacey Roshan, derstanding in the moment. Learnwho now flips her own classroom. ing cannot happen without feed“There wasn’t enough class time back. Bergmann and Sams moved for lectures, but they have to be passed learning to high engagement done. Now, they can ask their class- learning where immediate feedback mates questions instead of listening to occurs naturally.”

According to Bergmann and Sams, me talk the whole time.”

Multiple factors must be taken into their goal is for students to be the consideration when deciding whether best learners possible and to truly this would be an effective method understand the content in their classes. When students grasp the concept for CHS. “Due to the involvement of technol- that teachers are on their side, they ogy, there will be some teachers com- respond by doing their best.

“

-Deanne Svreck

theObserver

Friday, May 25, 2012

You Oughta Know...

The Observer is spanning the globe to fill you in on noteworthy national and international news.

1 WTC tallest in NYC

By Dana Youngentob News Editor

Even though the oldest CHS students were just in second grade when the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11, many still remember the day’s events. Now, the memorial building, 1 World Trade Center (1 WTC), which began construction in 2006, has become the tallest building in New York City.

1 WTC, also known as the Freedom Tower, was designed PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

by David Childs. It 1 WTC will be 400 feet taller than the Twin Towers became the tallest s k y s c r a p e r i n N e w and 500 feet taller than the Empire State Building.

Y o r k C i t y A p r i l 3 0 , s u r p a s s i n g years after the initial attack. the Empire State Building, which “I think this new building is a stands at 1,250 feet tall. good idea because it represents According to a May 3 Bloomberg h o w A m e r i c a h a s r e c o v e r e d N e w s w e e k a r t i c l e , t h e W T C h a s from such a tragic event,” junior already reached 1,271 feet. When Georgia Jiang said. “The victims the building is completed in 2013, will never be forgotten.” it will be 1,776 feet.

In addition to 1 WTC, five According to an April 30 CNN o t h e r W T C b u i l d i n g s a r e a l s o article, the new WTC building being built for tenants to lease. surpassed its height achievement 1 W T C h a s a l r e a d y l e a s e d exactly one year after the killing of s p a c e t o C o n d é N a s t , a t r a v e l Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind m a g a z i n e , a n d C h a d b o u r n e & of the 9/11 attacks, and about 10 P a r k e , a l a w f i r m .

Superintendent holds third MCPS book club From Starr Club, 1 In his book, Wagner’s seven survival skills which students need to learn to survive in the real world include critical thinking and problem-solving, collaboration across networks and effective oral and written communication.

Starr, however, understands that for certain classes that culminate in a year-end exam, such as AP and IB classes, it is difficult for teachers to incorporate survival skills without sacrificing test preparation.

“I really want to hear from our teachers and students about how they’re doing that,” Starr said.

Some AP teachers feel they are already incorporating these survival skills into their curriculum as well as preparing students for the AP. According to AP Language teacher Jennifer Poness, discussion can help prepare students for AP tests.

“More and more the tests are geared towards critical thinking skills, and discussion is a good forum for students to express their opinion on material instead of passively taking in information,” Poness said.

Starr plans to hold more book club meetings next year, and he encourages interested students to attend.

“I would love it if kids came,” Starr said. “Kids, adults, whoever wants to come. They’re open to anybody.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER CRAM.

Most Book Club members are adults, but Starr encourages students to attend.

News

Friday, May 25, 2012

theObserver

CHS bids farewell to retiring staff members Guidance Counselor Mary Lou Galpin

Teacher John Kochowicz

By Ariana Etessami Staff Writer

PHOTO BY SPENSER EASTERBROOK.

After working at CHS for 31 years as both an English teacher and a guidance counselor, Mary Lou Galpin will retire in June.

According to Galpin, she first envisioned becoming a counselor when she was in high school. After seeing a film about abused children, she decided that being a high school counselor was a great way to help kids.

Now that Galpin is retiring, she plans to move to Florida with her son.

“My son just bought a house and a boat in Key West, and I’m going to go deep-sea

fishing with him,” Galpin said.

Galpin’s peers and students recognize both her accomplishments and ability.

“I respect her greatly because I know she is a lifelong learner and her every intention had students at heart,” Principal Joan Benz said.

According to junior Sayeh Ebrahimian, Galpin gave great advice on what classes to take to manage stress, and she will be missed.

Galpin will especially miss the personal relationships she had at the school.

“I’ll miss the friendships of the students, parents, counselors and faculty,” Galpin said. “All of my memories of CHS are wonderful.”

Guidance Counselor Peggy Fahey After 20 years of helping students feel comfortable at CHS, guidance counselor Margaret “Peggy” Fahey will be saying farewell to the school that she has come to call home.

Fahey will be leaving CHS to pursue

PHOTO BY ARIANA ETESSAMI.

personal interests.

“I finally decided I wanted to retire while I was still energetic enough to have more adventures in life,” Fahey said.

Fahey will be missed by the many students who loved coming to her for valuable advice, including junior Rebecca Shaw.

“She really cared,” Shaw said. “I loved how she genuinely seemed interested in her students’ affairs.”

Although she has proven to have left a mark in the hearts of many Bulldogs, Fahey’s journey didn’t start at CHS but at Tilden Middle School 38 years ago, where she worked alongside Principal Joan Benz.

“I first met Fahey when I was an administrator at Tilden and she was a math teacher,” Benz said. “I will miss her; she is a lifelong friend.”

One of the things that Fahey will miss most about working as a counselor at CHS is being around the hustle and bustle of teenagers.

“I will definitely miss the students and the energy you get when you walk into a high school,” Fahey said.

“I’m lucky that it’s fun to come to work.”

Of course, there are some things Fahey can gladly say goodbye to.

“I won’t miss waking up at 5:30,” Fahey said.

PHOTO BY ARIANA ETESSAMI.

Secretary Carol Benesh

By Spenser Easterbrook Editor-in-Chief Carol Benesh has worked at CHS as a paraeducator, financial assistant, principal’s assistant and secretary in the main office, and after more than two decades of work, she will retire at the end of this year.

Benesh began her most recent role at CHS, part-time secretary in the main office, in 2003 in order to finish her college degree.

Once Benesh retires, she plans to work as a substitute teacher.

“I want to spend more time with my family and enjoy my hobbies,” Benesh said. “I hope to travel more, do volunteer work and become a substitute teacher to use my college degree.”

Benesh’s colleagues will miss her presence in the main office.

“Her inner beauty is almost indescribable,” secretary Angela Polis said. “Mrs. Benesh is very organized. She has a good, dependable work ethic.”

Benesh has truly enjoyed her experience working at CHS. “I love working with all the staff, students and parents,” Benesh said. “I

PHOTO BY SPENSER EASTERBROOK.

have made life-long friendships here and I cherish every friendship. I love working with all the staff, students and parents.”

News by Numbers

8,400: shuttlecocks that will be used in the London 2012 Olympic games.

5.5: number of gallons of ice cream the average American eats each year.

12: days left of school

By Stacey Stein

After more than a decade of serving the CHS community, Social Studies and Bridge Program teacher John Kochowicz will be retiring from his teaching career.

Kochowicz hopes to use his new free time to pursue other hobbies.

“I look forward to having more time for travel, volunteer work, and relaxation at my place in Rehoboth Beach,” Kochowicz said.

Kochowicz has had the opportunity to work in two different departments, in which he was able to channel his interests and desire to help his community.

“I’ve always had an interest in history, and channeled that into being a teacher,” Kochowicz said. “A major challenge has been to meet the needs of students with a wide range of abilities.”

Kochowicz’s colleagues will miss his vibrant personality.

“He has developed positive relationships with students, parents, and staff,” Bridge resource teacher Jan Shapiro said. “He has an awesome sense of humor and always enjoys a good play on words.”

Throughout the 13 memorable years of teaching at CHS, Kochowicz has left a mark in the lives of many students and staff members.

“I will miss the day-to-day interaction with staff and students,” Kochowicz said.

85,000,000: tons of paper used annually in the U.S.

Opinions

4 The Churchill

Observer Editors

theObserver

Friday, May 25, 2012

Flip method offers new way of teaching

Editors-in-Chief Spenser Easterbrook Stacey Stein

Chief Production Manager Natalia Derechin News Editors Lara Fu Dana Youngentob *Jane Zankman *Yash Nigam Opinions Editors Joe Nolan *Jessica Gold *Elizabeth Campbell Observations Editors Nicole Malament *Emma Crutchfield Sports Editors Matt Raab Zoe Forster *Katie Gauch *Yash Nigam Arts Editors Jamie Lescht *Angad Kanwal *Jessica Gold Features Editors Emily Birnbaum Brittany Goodman *Elizabeth Campbell *Brett Sachs Photography Editors Ben Fox Aaron Hubberman Erica Spaeth Jane Zankman Fact Checkers Ilana Berger Jordan Janis * Production Editors

Managers

Advertising Manager Aileen Choi Archive Managers Catherine Goohs Julia McDermott Business Manager Danny Gordon

Circulation Managers Julia Heimlich Danielle Kiefer Contest Manager Howard Palmer Public Relations Jordan Maser Julia Reagan 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.

At the height of the Information Age, we have at our fingertips what is perhaps humanity’s greatest invention: the Internet.

This technology reduces all kinds of human feats, from the rapid spread of ideas to chatting with a friend across the world, to the simplicity of a few keystrokes. It is truly the envy of all past generations. Yet, what do we have to show for it?

In education, the true potential of the Internet has not been fully realized. Besides allowing teachers to show students the occasional Discovery clip, the sole use of this great invention thus far has been Edline, which allows students to fret over when their teachers will update the latest grade. That is, until the “flip classroom” entered the national discussion. If implemented at CHS, the novel idea of flipping the role of class instruction and homework will allow students and teachers to benefit from all the advantages of the Internet and revolutionize the way we learn.

The flip classroom model, credited to Aaron Sams and Jon Bergmann, calls for an end to the lecture. Class lessons are posted

on the Internet, where students watch the videos at home in preparation for work to be done the next day in class. The traditional lesson is flipped: lectures are assigned for homework and homework (and any remaining questions about the lecture) becomes class discussion.

The first advantage to this system is increased student attention. Who wouldn’t prefer watching a video to working out tricky problems alone?

Asking students to go home and learn a lesson may seem more daunting than asking them to finish the odd numbers of a worksheet, and that is exactly the point. The status quo at CHS requires teachers to teach the lesson in class first and then assign homework.

While this is a great way for students to solidify the lesson through actual problems, most CHS students know that this is only theoretical – there is no incentive for the student to complete homework.

BSERVER O OPINION

Internet not for self-esteem boost

By Jessica Gold Production Editor Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the prettiest of them all? “Not you, you’re so ugly. Get off the Internet, you attention seeker.”

With the simple click of a button, a video is sent spiraling into the hands of opinionated strangers. Naïve teenage girls with low self-esteem post videos on YouTube in an effort to have the entire world determine their external beauty. Why do these girls make themselves such easy targets? What causes this crave for self-worth?

The power of bullying does more than break down the walls of a person’s morale; it can lead the victim to believe the bully is right.

Over time, constant intimidation causes self-doubt and the sting of rejection pushes girls to have a “pity party” in the hopes of repairing their self-esteems.

According to a Feb. 12 ABC News article, every girl knows that other people’s opinions are not important, yet the curiosity of what others think drives them to turn to others for self-assurance.

It is depressing to witness countless videos on YouTube asking the same pathetic question: “Am I pretty or ugly?” Even more shocking is how many people view these videos.

Many students glance at a few math problems and figure they know the material well enough to skip the entire assignment.

To prevent this erroneous logic, teachers incentivize students with grades by threatening to check the homework for points, but this only causes hurried copying of the answers, not necessarily learning.

A flipped classroom makes the student want to learn the material because he or she knows that the teacher will not explain the lesson. In order to partake in the class discussion, the student must have grappled with the lesson at hand. And there is no hiding the fact that a student did not learn the lesson when he or she struggles with classwork the following day.

Most importantly, the flipped classroom’s online videos allow students to take pride in their studies. A CHS teacher is limited to 45 minutes to cover the lesson and make sure everyone understands. The slower students inevitably fall behind, failing to absorb information as

According to a March 9 Washington Times article, the most popular video has gathered an audience of nearly 5 million people. The short video features a 12-year-old girl calling herself “ugly and fat” as she showcases a slideshow of pictures to help people determine her physical appearance.

Mixed messages, ranging from encouraging comments to crude and bitter remarks are obviously no surprise here.

People do and will get away with saying almost anything because there are no direct consequences to their actions.

According to guidance counselor Beverly Lubenetski, once people put something online they are opening themselves up to negativity. In addition, when people are constantly looking for attention, receiving negative attention is better than none at all.

Teens handle pressure in numerous ways to cope with the constant fear of rejection. Some rely on technology to provide them with the answers while others use direct confrontation.

Looks have become so prevalent in today’s society that we lose the real sight of the greater aspects of life. People need to stop gazing in the mirror and start looking within. People should be more accepting of who they are, not what others tell them they are.

CARTOON BY JONATHAN LEE

more gets piled on top of them.

Online videos can go at the student’s own individual pace.

Besides guaranteeing that all students are on the same page, the fact that they learned the lesson on their own initiative provides students with a sense of self-worth and pride that is essential to learning. Rather than leaving at least three or four students confused after each lecture, the flip model produces more responsible students.

One legitimate concern exists about forcing students to stare at the computer screen rather than at a teacher, as a flipped classroom limits teacher contact. While students will be spending more time in front of the computer, CHS students will attest to the fact that not all teachers’ lectures are the embodiment of human interaction.

If CHS students and teachers want to make the most out of the time they have in the classroom, the flip model is the answer.

No other method of teaching provides students with the confidence they need to succeed.

A Letter to the Editor I first met Nachu Bhatnagar in the fall of 2010 shortly after his cancer diagnosis when I was assigned as his home instructor for English. Nachu was a passionate student of history with a stunning intellectual drive.

During the next seven months Nachu embarked on an intense study of two books, devoured political commentary, analyzed current events and popular culture, and critiqued the performance of candidates in the early Republican debates.

Nachu loved many books, but by far his favorite was Max Brooks’ World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. As many high school students know, the book is a fictional account of a modern day, worldwide Zombie attack.

Nachu described the book as “deep and cerebral” because it “talks about the world, culture, change, how people handle things and how people are,” while at the same time providing “an interesting veneer of the Zombie apocalypse.” He prized his copy of

the book so much he refused to write in it so as to keep it “pure,” and even though he had read it 30 times, he eagerly selected World War Z for our study of English.

Now as literary genres go, Zombie lit was for me uncharted terrain: What is a Zombie, anyway? I wondered. I then created a chapter study template to identify essential questions: What does it mean to be a human?

Is it right to abandon morality for survival? Is it ever justifiable to destroy art in the name of ideology? Is it unethical to persuade people to buy what they don’t need? Nachu thrived on analyzing human motivation and was quick to connect events in World War Z with real-life, scenarios, past and present.

In a way, I’m still reading with Nachu. This spring I began reading a book by Harry Turtledove, one of Nachu’s favorite authors. When I read it, I remember my special student and friend, and imagine his thoughts.

Mrs. Pam Brown

Have a comment, question or story idea? Contact us at churchill.observer@gmail.com

Friday, May 25, 2012

Opinions

theObserver

CISPA bill would violate Dress code must be online privacy rights more strictly enforced

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

CISPA wants to protect network security, but the bill goes too far.

By Matt Reback Staff Writer For the millions of people who use the Internet every day, privacy may no longer be guaranteed if the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) becomes law.

Passed by the House of Representatives on April 26, the controversial CISPA allows for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and certain manufacturing and technology companies like Facebook. The stated aim of the bill is to help the U.S. government investigate cyber threats and ensure the security of networks against cyber attacks.

While the aims of the bill are admirable, the extreme lengths it goes to to ensure this security is invasive. The bill has riled up heated opposition from Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian to GOP Presidential candidate Ron Paul, who are speaking out to preserve what little privacy is left on the Internet.

5

By Katherine Michael Staff Writer

According to an April 25 Huffington Post article, the bill is currently in the U.S. Senate and will require significant modifications if the law is to be signed by the President, who has already issued a veto threat.

While national legislature is so frequently passed without the notice of high school students, the potential repercussions of this bill becoming a law demand the national spotlight.

Although bills are already in place to preserve privacy, such as the Wiretap Act and Electronic Communications Privacy Act, CISPA would still be too invasive.

In simpler terms, CISPA can be likened to the Watergate scandal.

Instead of wiretapping the Democratic National Headquarters, CISPA taps the Internet traffic of the entire country.

After all, limited freedom in exchange for protection is a key tenet of “the social contract,” a philosophical idea that requires the erosion of privacy rights in exchange for protection by the government.

However, Locke and Hobbes certainly did not intend for their idea of a social contract to be taken to this extent. It is our duty to resist laws that we feel are unjust and in violation of our social contract. As enthusiastic and passionate high school students, we have an even greater responsibility to resist.

According to an April 26 article on the ACLU website, numerous protests have already been staged against the bill. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued an anti-CISPA and pro-privacy statement following the vote in the House.

According to ACLU legislative counsel Michelle Richardson, cyber security does not have to coincide with an infringement on privacy. It can be difficult for the government to restrain itself once it receives expansive national security authority.

Respond to this bill by protesting, writing letters to Maryland’s Senate delegates or starting a petition. This is a cause that is worth making a fuss over, because your privacy is on the line.

for boys to wear their pants unusually low, but this odd sense of fashion reveals just what teachers do not want As a student walks down the halls of CHS, to see: their underwear. Girls are often what does he see? Bra straps, underwear, tube blamed for revealing too much skin, tops, hats and sunglasses. These are just a few but boys are rarely reprimanded for of the many dress code rules students violate. wearing their pants too low.

According to freshman Isabella Wu, Students are supposed to wear clothes that provide appropriate coverage of the there appears to be no dress code at all. upper and lower body. This means no see- Students dress the way they like and through shirts, revealing tops, low-riding nothing is done about it. Even teachpants or booty shorts. Unfortunately, by the ers have worn unprofessional clothway students dress, it gives the impression ing such as short skirts and revealing that CHS does not have a dress code at all. tops. Fearing hypocrisy, these teachers According to the CHS Parent and never report students who disobey Student Handbook, students will be dis- these guidelines.

Many girls show up to school on warm ciplined if they do not follow the dress code. Even so, very few students get in days with their stomachs showing, which trouble for violating these guidelines, is a direct violation of the dress code, which states although that the midit seems section of the that the body and the majority rib cage must of the stube completely dent popcovered. Even ulation is though wearbreaking ing belly shirts them. Admight make ministragirls feel cool, tion does it is too disnot harshtracting to the ly enforce educational t h e s e environment guideand therefore lines, so a violation of students the CHS dress will keep code. breaking CHS stuthe rules. dents often A c wear clothing cording to advertising alassistant cohol, drugs school adand other illegal ministrator substances John TayStudents lor, admindo not take istration PHOTO BY KATHERINE MICHAEL. the dress code does not seriously bego search- Many students violate the dress code on a cause they do ing the regular basis without fear of repercussion. not see others hallways for dress code violations, but they will do being punished for it. The lack of enforcement makes it socially acceptable something about it if they see it.

Students are hardly ever penalized in students’ minds to dress this way.

Despite administration’s lack for these violations, so administration of discipline, many students are must not be looking hard enough.

While girls are generally thought well dressed and follow the proper of as the dress code rebels, the boys protocol. As for the others, they are equally guilty. The most common should cover up and follow the violation with boys is the visibility of dress code or, hopefully soon, sufunderwear. Apparently, it is in style fer the consequences.

of attending an all-female school are too good to ignore.

At women’s schools, students are encouraged to major in traditionally maledominated fields such as math and science.

According to essortment.com, an archive of articles on topics such as health and business, women’s schools graduate women in math and sciences one-and-a-half times more frequently than co-ed institutions.

All-female universities also concentrate on teaching women how to be successful through intensive mentoring.

Experienced women, such as school administrators and counselors, offer career advice and help students get ahead.

Overall, students encounter an enormous amount of support and academic encouragement at women’s colleges. They learn the skills essential to excelling in their futures.

But last year, only two students at CHS chose to attend an all female-college. This year, prospective students should let go of their skewed predispositions and give one of the 78 all female colleges in the United States a chance. They may find that always having men around isn’t so important.

Many all-women colleges encourage their students to major in male-dominated fields such as math and science.

Students should consider single-sex colleges

By Emily Birnbaum Features Editor Barnard College is a sprawling green haven in the middle of New York City.

Its alumnae include famous politicians, actors and writers. Despite its impressiveness, few CHS students will even consider Barnard because it is all-female.

Only three percent of women in the country attend women’s colleges. But of all of the female members of Congress, 30 percent went to all-female schools. Of all the female CEOs of major companies, 20 percent attended schools like Barnard.

In light of the disproportionate success of women who attend all-women colleges, the stigma attached to such an experience needs to be eliminated.

The rap against all-women colleges is harsh and narrow-minded: attendance makes it impossible to meet men, women become catty when there are no men to distract them and women’s colleges are attended only by women who like other women.

These stereotypes are greatly exaggerated and usually wrong. The advantages

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

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News

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Astronomical phenom predicted to occur June 5

By Bhaavya Srivastava Production Editor On June 5, one of the rarest events in astronomical history will occur: a transit of Venus.

According to NASA Eclipse, a website run by astrophysicist Fred Espenak, a planet’s transit occurs when it passes across the face of the sun. Only the transits of Mercury and Venus can be viewed from Earth. This year’s transit will be visible on the East Coast on June 5 from around 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Venus will look like a small, black dot moving across the face of the sun during the transit, and as it passes into the sun, its atmosphere will be visible.

“The alignment only occurs about twice in 129 years, with an eight year interlude in that time,” astronomy teacher Clinton Sandford said. “The last transit was in 2004 and happened on the East Coast early at sunrise.

The next transit after 2012 will occur in 2117.”

According to NASA, transits of Venus

are rarer than transits of Mercury because Venus’ orbit is larger than Mercury’s. They have occurred only seven times since the invention of the telescope in 1608; in 1631, 1639, 1761, 1769, 1874, 1882 and 2004.

“Astronomers tested Newton’s laws of motion and gravity and Kepler’s laws of planetary motion to determine the distance to the sun from Venus during the 1760s transit,” Sandford said. “The Venus transit data was then extrapolated to all planetary motion and distances. The true size of the solar system was discovered, and it was huge.”

According to an interview with astronomer Jay Pasachoff on the National Geographic website, transits of Venus have also helped astronomers calibrate spacecraft and observe Venus’ atmosphere.

Some CHS students are also planning on viewing the transit, although mostly for pleasure.

“I was at the science and technology

fair in DC last week and was informed about the transit in one of the NASA booths,” junior Alexandra Wung said.

“I’ve been interested about astronomy ever since I can remember, and I found that it would be an amazing experience.

I am also planning to go to a transit party, where there will be many people with special equipment.”

Both NASA and Sandford caution against viewing the transit directly with the naked eye.

“Indirect viewing, like during a solar eclipse, is the safest way to view the transit, such as using a pinhole through a paper with a magnifying glass, binoculars or a small telescope,” Sandford said.

According to NASA, sunglasses do not provide enough protection from the rays of the sun. Special viewing filters such as number 14 welder’s glass or other “eclipse shades” are available for safe viewing.

legislation,” Yarrow said. “Hopefully, the Board of Directors may one day feature student cluster coordinators or committee chairs sitting alongside adults.”

According to Gilman, out of 46,000 PTSA members, fewer than 2,000 are students. However, there are 45,000 high school students in the county.

“Increased student involvement would be a tremendous asset to our locals and would add to the voice in which MCCPTA speaks for our children, parents and schools before our elected officials in Rockville, at the Board of Education and in Annapolis,” Gilman said. “I would also hope that involvement today would just be the start of active, life-long involvement as today’s students grow to become tomorrow’s parents and educators.”

Yarrow is hopeful that students will reach out and get involved in their local PTSAs. “I look forward to seeing more students at meetings,” Yarrow said. “If students want to have a say in their education, they ought to get involved. Journey out to a PTSA meeting or join your student government. Few realize how much of an impact they can have on MCPS.”

By Tiffany Trankiem Staff Writer

However, the precautions required to view the transit do not deter from the awe of the spectacle.

“I always find inspiration for my poem writing through nature and just the wonders of this universe,” said Wung, who is planning on writing a poem for the occasion. “I think the experience itself is enough to write an exciting poem, but the biggest factor will be how it will look and how I will be able to watch such a unique wonder.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA.

When Venus crosses the sun, its atmosphere will be visible.

First student elected to M e t r o f a r e s s e t t o MCCPTA executive board increase this summer

By Stacey Stein Editor-In-Chief

A Richard Montgomery freshman, Richard Yarrow, was elected as the first student officer of the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA), even though some voters did not realize they were voting for a student.

According to an April 30 Gazette article, some delegates who were voting did not realize that Yarrow is in high school.

During the election, Yarrow was nominated by Susan Fleck, co-coordinator of the Montgomery Blair area, then added to the slate. Since candidates are not required to introduce themselves, some were not aware that Yarrow is a student.

However, according to MCCPTA president and CHS parent Janette Gilman, many people knew Yarrow was a student ahead of time.

“Richie regularly attended MCCPTA meetings and generally was the only student in attendance,” Gilman said. “Many of us got to know him over the year.”

Although MCCPTA members are skeptical that Yarrow is up to the task of serving as recording secretary, he is confident that he will be able to do a good job and bring a unique perspective to the position. He has experience with the SGA, the Montgomery County Junior Councils and the Maryland Association of Student Councils.

“Age is not the same as ability,” Yarrow said. “I believe that a student can be just as well qualified as a parent or teacher. In particular, MCCPTA needs much more student involvement in order to better advocate for student needs.”

Along with keeping records, Yarrow hopes to increase student involvement in the organization.

“MCCPTA should try to include students in the committees, and should consider student opinions when reviewing

PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD YARROW.

Yarrow presents an award at a General Assembly meeting.

When school ends, many students will travel into the city by Metro for work and leisure, a practice that will soon become much more expensive when the Metro system increases fares this summer.

Fares will vary based on how far and on what day one travels. Basic fares will rise from $1.95 to $2.10 from 5 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the weekdays, and midnight to closings on weekends. When the trip exceeds more than three miles, the rate will increase from $5 to $5.75.

Parking rates will also increase by 25 cents.

For more information, visit http://www.wmata.com/fares/.

PHOTO BY TIFFANY TRANKIEM.

Senior Sarah Weckerling uses Metro to go into D.C. on the weekends.

Observations

Friday, May 25, 2012

CHS athlete commits

By Zoe Forster Sports Editor

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What’s Online?

@ www.thechurchillobserver.com

Opinions:

Learn about your rights when it comes to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Congratulations to junior Crispin Muessle for committing to play soccer at Bucknell University, a Division I Patriot League school.

Muessle has been playing soccer for 11 years and plays midfield and forward Muessle also currently plays for AC Bethesda. After starting out on CHS JV soccer, he was moved to varsity and has played there since. Good luck on becoming a Bison.

Features: Students’

misuse of hand sanitizer is putting them in danger.

PHOTO BY ZOE FORSTER.

Arts: Check out Park Potomac’s newest venue Sugo Cicchetti.

Blogs: Dana Harris

discusses her morning routine and Ben Schick covers the NBA MVP.

CHS Programming Northwest junior John team finishes sixth Mannes elected as SMOB

By Nicole Malament Observations Editor

By Nicole Malament Observations Editor

Congratulations to the programming team for coming in sixth place at the University of Maryland Programming Contest April 21. The team completed a series of nine challenges against 33 other teams. The team won $400 and plans to compete in the competition again next year.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.

Senior competes in America Math Olympics

By Nicole Malament Observations Editor Congratulations to senior Chris Hazard for competing in the United States of America Math Olympics (USAMO) April 24.

Only 500 of the 12,000 students who competed in the American Math Competition qualify for USAMO. The results are released next month and if Hazard places in the top 12 he will have the chance to compete in Argentina this summer at the International Math Olympiad.

PHOTO BY NICOLE MALAMENT.

June Calendar Friday, June 1

SGA Elections

Saturday, June 2

SAT

Monday, June 4

Exam Review Day

Tuesday, June 5

Exams 1 & 2

Wednesday, June 6

Exams 3 & 4

Thursday, June 7

Exams 5 & 6

Friday, June 8

Graduation/No school

Monday, June 11

Exam 7 and Makeups

Tuesday, June 12

9th Grade Orientation/Last Day of school

Congratulations to junior John Mannes of Northwest High School for being elected as the 35th student member of the Board of Education April 25.

John won the election with 62.8 percent of votes out of 64,677 student voters.

Q. What made you want to run for SMOB? A. I began working in school SGA around fourth grade and served as SGA president of Kingsview Middle School in eighth grade. If I learned anything from these experiences it was that I much preferred the legislative side of student advocacy. When you see problems that need to be solved, sometimes the best thing to do is to jump right into the mess and try to get things solved. Then you can actually be part of something rather than simply walking around and complaining about things.

Q. What are some goals you hope to accomplish as SMOB? A. I will be sitting down with various legislators over the summer to work on re-introducing SMOB voting rights and a few other key pieces of youth-related legislation. I want to take a different approach so we don’t wind up with the same result as this year. Finally, I want to look

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCPS.

into changing the current Attendance Intervention policy into something that actually works to the advantage of students.

Q. What is your favorite hobby?

What do you do for fun?

A. I am an avid golfer. Last summer I had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club and have to say it was one of the most defining and fun events of the year. I also enjoy biking and running. If any of the things above can be done with friends, it usually makes them a hundred times better.

The Churchill Observer would like to thank the following Patrons for their support Courtney B. Banks Julia Birnbaum Deborah and Jeffrey Birnbaum Lisa and Mark Cantor Chip and Kathie Carpenter The Chen Family Lisa Friedman Clark Sue Demske Robert Demske Don Demske Todd Denicoff Andrea and Kirk Denicoff Paul Dermont Gregg and Nan Easterbrook Nadim Elhage The Farooqis Andee and Jon Forster Harry Fox

Dorothy Gauch Laura and Joel Greenzaid Robin and Mason Harris Susan and Robert Haynes Lynne and Neil Hazard Naveena Hemanth Steven and Gail Hubberman Dan and Jan Jablonski Klaradal Swedish Antiques and Gifts Michele Koenick Nancy Kolodin Ellen and Alan Lescht Barbara Lieber The Lunceford Family Joe and Jill Kale Wendy and Kyle Mackie Beth and Peter Maser

Julie Mayer Janet and Richard Mayer Randall and Stacie Mayer Kathryn Mayer Lauren and Chris Mead Ted and Dee Michaels The Nolan-Kemp Clan Melissa Phillips The Reagan Family Jody and Jim Reitzes Holly (Hannah) Robertson The Robertson Family Laura Roseman The Rotter Family Martha Shannon Mark A. Smith The Smith Family The Srour Family Joy and Stuart

Stein Albert and Marcia S t e i n b e rg Sara Swenson S a r i Ta f t Sonya and Joel Ta u b i n i e m Mady and Bobby Vermut Elayne Weisberg Andrew and Patricia Weiss Staci and Gary Weltmann Joy White Kathi and Ed Whitman Peggy and Paul Young Dana Young Rachel Zankman David and Susan Zankman

Features

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Strawberries and chocolate prove to be sweet combo

By Jordan Janis Archive Manager Katie Gauch Production Editor

April showers bring May chocolate chips and strawberries. Every May, people across the country grow excited for two reasons: National Chocolate Chip Day (May 15) and National Strawberry Month.

In order to celebrate the chocolate chip, it is important to know its origin.

Dietician and food lecturer Ruth Wakefield, who was locally known for her desserts at her Toll House Inn in Whitman, MA, accidentally created

Chocolate Chip Strawberry Cream Pie Ingredients: 1 small box of instant vanilla pudding and pie filling 2 cups of whipped cream 32 oz. fresh organic strawberries, sliced thin ½ cup of current jelly ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips For the Crust: Make or purchase chocolate chipcookies or chocolate chip cake

Directions: For the Crust: 1. Process the chocolate chip cookies or cake in a food processor to a fine graham cracker appearance.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the cookie crumbs with the butter.

In an 8” pie pan, form a crust going up the sides.

4. Bake at 350°F for 8 - 1 0 min. and let cool.

the chocolate chip at the Inn in 1933.

While making a chocolate butter cookie, Wakefield ran out of baking chocolate and substituted it with chopped pieces of a Nestlé chocolate bar, expecting the chocolate pieces to melt in the dough while the cookies baked.

However, instead of spreading into the cookies, the chocolate chips remained intact and dotted the golden brown cookies. When these “Toll House Crunch Cookies,” now called “chocolate chip cookies,” became locally popular, sales of Nestlé chocolate bars increased in the area. Nestlé decided to provide for easy cutting on its chocolate bars, print Wakefield’s

recipe on the label of every chocolate bar and give Wakefield a lifetime supply of Nestlé chocolate.

In 1939, Nestlé created the commonly known “chocolate chip” by shaping the chocolate to allow easier baking of the chocolate chip cookie.

In addition to celebrating chocolate chips on May 15, May is also the national month for nature’s candy, strawberries.

According to a 2010 Med Guru article, a site for health information, organic strawberries are high in antioxidants, vitamin C and total phenolics, which are essential nutrients needed for healthy bodies. Also, higher levels of benefi-

For the filling :

Strawberry Chocolate Cake

1. Make the vanilla pudding according to box directions.

2. Make 1 ½ cups of whipping cream (adding 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla).

3. Gently fold the pudding and the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the mixture.

4. Fill the cooled crust with the pudding/cream mixture.

5. Slice strawberries thin and place on top of filling in a circular fashion.

6. Warm ¼ cup of currant jelly until liquid and lightly brush onto edges of strawberries.

7. Place ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips in a plastic bag and warm in hot water until melted.

8. Snip one edge of the plastic bag and squeeze and drizzle onto strawberries.

Ingredients: Box of chocolate cake mix 3 eggs 1¼ cup water 1/3 cup oil Premade vanilla icing 1 lb. strawberries ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. Add chocolate cake mix, eggs, water, and oil into a large mixing bowl.

3. Beat at medium speed for two minutes.

cial nutrients like zinc, boron, sodium and iron are present in the soil where organic strawberries are grown.

Strawberry picking season is from mid-May to early June. A fun activity during this season is picking strawberries in one of Montgomery County’s three strawberry farms: Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Homestead Farm in Poolesville and Rock Hill Orchard in Mt. Airy.

Strawberries are a perfect match with chocolate chips, as they add a healthy touch to the sweet chocolatey delights. Here are two easy recipes to celebrate May that include strawberries and chocolate chips.

6. Ice one cake with vanilla icing.

7. Cut the leaves of strawberries and slice most of the strawberries into thin slivers. Place these strawberries on top of the iced cake.

8. Gently place the cake without frosting on top of the iced cake with strawberries. Ice the top cake.

9. Cut four strawberries into halves and place each half evenly around the edge of the top of the cake. Slice toward the top of one strawberry, not completely cutting the strawberry, so the strawberry has five thin layers. Place this strawberry in the middle of the cake.

4. Pour batter into two 9-inch round cake pans.

10. Place the chocolate chips on the outside of the circle of strawberries and around the center strawberries.

5. Bake the cakes for 25 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool.

Check out the Observer website for a video on how to make chocolate covered strawberries!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Features

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theObserver

Junior’s company explores skating culture

By Elizabeth Campbell Production Editor

As students walk the halls at CHS, they may wonder why students are wearing shirts or patches that sport the letters “IDH.” “IDH” stands for “illdownhill” a skate company started by junior Evan Cook to express his love for skating. IDH’s website offers skating news updates for the East Coast skating scene, including videos, pictures and summaries. IDH also sponsors skating across the US. “Illdownhill is a skate company that I started this past summer after riding down the biggest hill in my neighborhood and being stoked out of my mind,” Cook said. “I was skating down the hill and thought that was ill and then came up with the idea: illdownhill.”

Cook is not the only CHS student involved in the company; junior Steven Miller is the web specialist and logo designer. IDH also receives help from Jacob Loso and

Nick Pedro, not CHS students, who write for the IDH blog.

“Evan has really good ideas but is not always sure how to implement them,” Miller said. “He presents ideas and I help him refine them.”

Besides offering news and advertising for upcoming skating events, the IDH website also sells merchandise including t-shirts, stickers and denim patches. IDH merchandise demonstrates the blog’s popularity at CHS and even boasts followers throughout the country.

“There are people who support IDH from Pennsylvania to California,” Cook said.

Money earned from products allows Cook to reinvest in his company because he makes his own patches and t-shirts while he orders the stickers online. He screen prints the merchandise using a hand-printing technique that involves the use of a stencil.

Cook only started skating a yearand-a-half ago but has already become immersed in skate culture.

According to Cook, skating is a

PHOTO BY NIK RAMIREZ.

CHS students show off Illdownhill merchandise, available on its website.

“personal progression of skill” where you can “see yourself evolving, making strides to your goal.”

Cook plans to continue his work at IDH.

“I want to be able to provide coverage for the East Coast skate scene, continue to provide affordable apparel, and promote a sense of excitement in the skating community,” Cook said.

of better.

“I thought it would help by taking my mind off bad things and focusing on something else,” said sophomore Sarah*, who also asked that her real name not be used. “It didn’t help. It just made it worse.”

CHS students and staff can help reduce this epidemic. For example, they can create a more supportive environment where people who self-harm are encouraged to seek help.

“People have nobody to talk to,” said sophomore Michael, who asked that his real name not be used. “CHS should have a more open environment where guidance counselors go out and help more people.”

Guidance counselors are trying to be more welcoming so that students will come to them for help.

“Rather than kids coming to the counseling office, we can go to where students gather,” Lubenetski said.

“I’m open to suggestions. We try not to be judgmental.”

Health classes can also aid in the effort by focusing on how to cope instead of emphasizing why self-harm is wrong.

“In health class, instead of lingering on and on about the bad topics like self-harm, they should talk

about realistic coping methods people will actually use,” Sarah said.

Some students feel the administration is trying to help, but failing.

“A teacher talked to me one day,” Sarah said. “The administrators made it worse. They made me feel like an idiot for what I was doing and the way they looked at me made me feel like dirt.”

Not only are administrators working to help students under these circumstances, but they are also willing to work on recognizing the problem and making it better.

“As admins, we do the best we can to understand and be empathetic in these situations,” Taylor said. “Knowing how to respond is what we work on with the counselors because that is what they are trained to do.”

Victims feel that staff needs to work harder to ensure students feel safe and respected when they discuss cutting and getting help.

“It is very important to make sure we don’t talk down to young people, and that we listen and try to understand,” Zachik said. “What they need is respect. They are being open to us.”

Teenagers who self-harm should know how to get help

By Skylar Whitman Staff Writer

A psychological addiction such as cutting or burning can be just as powerful and dangerous as a physical one like smoking cigarettes. An addiction to self-harm overpowers the brain and takes control of the body. When teenagers bottle up their feelings, they sometimes take it out on themselves, and once they start, they often cannot stop.

What many teenagers do not know is that they are not alone in how they feel.

According to the website, To Write Love on her Arms, which is dedicated to raising awareness for self-harm and suicide prevention, more than four percent of the population has self-harmed.

In many cases, adolescents selfharm because they are influenced by an outside source.

PHOTO BY LIZ CAMPBELL.

Guidance and the administration urge depressed students to seek help.

“Sometimes young people don’t think to cut until they read about it in a book or see it on a TV show and realize that they can do that too,” said Dr. Albert Zachik, the Children’s Mental Health Director of Maryland. “It’s a copy-cat effect.”

Some other reasons behind self-harm include loneliness, anxiety, depression or an inability to express feelings. Cutting or burning may relieve stress or make people feel in control of their life.

“I do it to relieve stress,” said sophomore Chloe, who asked that her real name not be used. “It’s the only pain I can control. I get angry with everyone, and I feel like it takes it away.”

School pressure is one of the main reasons that high school students self-harm.

“Often, student concerns are related to workload and the stress of rigorous classes,” assistant school administrator John Taylor said. “The school can assist by working with teachers to reduce these.”

In reality, self-harm can add stress to everyday difficulties. Students may find it taxing to hide scars from loved ones and struggle through the pain that they endure due to the cuts or burns on their skin.

“You shouldn’t do it,” Chloe said.

“It’s really impulsive and there are a lot of long-term consequences. I have a lot of scars. The worst is having to wear certain clothes to cover up and it’s embarrassing. It limits things you’d normally be able to do.”

Not only is cutting addictive, but after someone starts, they are likely to realize it makes them feel worse instead

Feeling down and having the urge to self-harm?

Call the Suicide Hotline (1-800-SUICIDE) Text “TEEN” to 839863 (between 8:30pm and 12:30am) Call 1-800-273-TALK

10

Features

By Jamie Lescht Arts Editor Sophomore Jamie Bonan lives in constant fear of a simple object: a balloon. Instead of being able to turn her head away at the sight of this inflatable item, she begins to panic and loses her composure. This is no normal fear, it is known as a phobia.

The term phobia is generally associated with words like claustrophobia or arachnophobia, the fear of small spaces or spiders, but students and staff prove that a person can have an irrational fear of anything, ranging from bridges to balloons to cold water, which often leads to hyperventilation and loss of self-control.

“Driving on bridges, I feel like I have less control so I start to have a p a n i c attack,” AP Psychology teacher Katelyn McMahon said.

“My palms get sweaty, my breathing g e t s really quick and I get a little dizzy.”

According to local psychiatrist Susan Rich, when people come face-to-face with t h e i r

theObserver

Friday, May 25, 2012

phobia, their body is hardwired to have an extreme reaction.

Symptoms include uncontrollable shaking, heart racing and an impending sense of doom.

This is due to a tiny part of the brain known as the amygdala. One of the functions of the amygdala is to program a person’s body to respond to a situation based on that person’s prior response in similar situations.

“The amygdala programs that memory or event and the response to that memory,” Rich said. “It goes back for us physiologically, like say if a little kid touches something hot, it’s programmed in the amygdala with that feeling of hotness.”

English teacher Shelley Perrett’s phobia of vomit is due to a traumatic experience.

“About three years ago, I had a plant on my windowsill in my classroom and I went over to the plant and saw something in it,” Perrett said. “I thought it was oatmeal and I touched it, but it was vomit. Someone had thrown up in my plant and then I got sick and was throwing up as I was running down the hall.”

According to Perrett, this experience has affected her so much as to change her daily wardrobe.

Now Perrett tries to wear turtleneck shirts as much as possible to use the neckline to mask any potential

stench of vomit.

Though some people m able to pinpoint the exact tim place their phobia evolved, fears can be the result of an childhood memory and for B this was the case.

Bonan believes her fe balloons developed when sh still in elementary school and her mom’s office in New Y balloon in the office popped, c Bonan to feel like she was out of the window. Ever sinc Bonan cannot be in the same ro a balloon and screams and run at the very sight of one.

On the contrary, not all p are the result of a tragic experi According to Rich, some p are learned behaviors of ch from their parents when they a young age. If a parent displa in front of a child, the child ma have a phobic reaction.

“The child has the thought p that if mom’s not here to prot and she’s falling apart, I’m go fall apart too,” Rich said.

Despite the hopeless fee person experiences when confr their fear, phobias are highly c “Phobias are something I l treat because they are so trea Rich said. “You identify wha

process tect me oing to

eling a ronting urable. love to atable,” at was

Visit the Observer website at www.thechurchillobserver.com or scan the QR code below to watch students and staff talk about their phobias.

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kind of food.”

Other students may close their eyes or try to cover up their fear.

Senior Alyssa Combs has an extreme fear of spiders and whenever she sees a spider, she quickly grabs a cup to cover it up.

What people do not realize is that phobias can be overwhelming enough to restrict daily activities as essential as driving.

“In the past I have actually used a policeman to help me get across the bridge,” McMahon said. “I can sometimes ride passenger, but most of the time I just try to shut my eyes and not think about it.”

Phobias can be the barricade between people living lives to the fullest and isolating themselves to avoid being terrified.

People e v e n suffer mockery about their involuntary reactions to what other people view as ordinary objects.

“It’s really tragic,” Bonan said.

“I can’t go to birthday parties, I can’t see clowns ever, I really can’t be in the same room as a balloon.

People make fun of me for it, but I am not a freak.”

OR K

ear of he was visited ork. A causing falling e then, oom as ns away

the trigger and you let the person experience the same thing with some education to it. You can extinguish the past experiences through natural play and activity.”

In certain cases, a doctor will use a technique called immersion to abolish the phobia. Immersion is when one puts a person and his or her fear together to see if a positive experience can occur.

Immersion is not successful in all cases, however.

Rich used the immersion technique on herself in an attempt to extinguish her fear of heights.

Rich went skydiving and ended up having a positive experience. On the other hand, if Rich were to go skydiving and break her leg, her fear of heights would only evolve.

Despite all these available treatments, many people with phobias attempt to handle their fear in their own way.

Junior Molly Gondelman has a fear of Jell-O, a food product that is too popular to avoid.

Because Gondelman is surrounded by friends who eat Jell-O, she developed a tactic to prevent herself from gagging uncontrollably.

“I can’t look at Jell-O when people are eating it,” Gondelman said. “I just imagine it’s another

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may be me and many n early Bonan,

Features

Friday, May 25, 2012

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Features

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Students turn to blogs for self expression

By Ben Fox Sports Photo Editor

One of the most common complaints from teenagers is their lack of a voice.

Many teens cannot vote, have little sway in national affairs, and believe that the opinions they attempt to share are downplayed by those who believe that they know better.

Teens have had enough. Thanks to popular blogging websites, such as Blogger, Tumblr and WordPress, which give students an easy and accessible outlet to voice their opinions, more and more teens are starting their own personal online blogs.

There are many reasons for students to blog. Senior Samara Green, who posts to huffingtonpost.com/samaragreen, enjoys the control that she has over the content posted on her blog.

“I like having the freedom to write whatever I want and have it be either formal or informal,” Green said. “You can write about anything from major world issues to your

favorite television show.”

According to Green, many people who read her blog have given her feedback on her posts.

“On The Huffington Post website, other users can write comments on the posts that I’ve written,” Green said. “I’ve gotten some comments where people agree with me and like what I’ve written, and also people that disagree and want to give their own opinions.”

Blogs not only showcase what a teen currently believes in, but also how his or her way of thinking has changed over time.

Junior Olivia Lee, who runs the Tumblr page carelesswonderland.tumblr.com, believes that her blog reflects how she has evolved during high school.

“You can tell how I have changed through my blog,” Lee said. “It’s a really good representation of my mindset.”

No two blogs are the same, and the unique features on sites like Tumblr are what attract some to begin blogging. Junior Sofia Roman uses her Tumblr page to display drawings that she has made

over the past year.

“Since I’m such a disorganized person it’s good for me to have a place where I can keep all my drawings in case I want to show them to people,” Roman said. “I once lost a sketchbook and even though I may have lost the physical drawings, I still have the scanned versions on the blog.”

For some, it can be intimidating to know that anyone who has an Internet connection can read their blog.

According to Lee, those who are thinking of starting a blog should “jump into it head first” and “never take baby steps.” Instead of being nervous about what others may think, teens need to think of a blog as something “for you and you only, and no one else.”

Green also advises new bloggers to never shy away from controversial or unpopular topics.

According to Green, some of her most popular posts have been about topics such as gender stereotypes and the lack of global citizenship in schools.

“You have to write about what you believe

Roman shows drawings on Tumblr.

Despite the increase of veganism in the United States, controversy still surrounds this lifestyle choice. Roth’s book has caused an uproar of disapproval as critics claim young children are not ready to make this life-changing decision.

“Some people think it’s insane to abandon the standard American diet, but they are simply unaware that it can be done with improved health,” Roth said. “Others find it inappropriate to discuss the truth about animal agriculture with children.”

The book features graphic illustrations, some depicting animal cruelty in laboratories.

According to an April 26 Daily Activist article, critics say the book brainwashes children and misrepresents the controversial subject.

However, Roth stands by her book and feels strongly about the benefits of educating kids about choices from an early age.

“It is important to give youth the information they need to make educated choices.

Kids can’t make choices if they don’t know

there are any,” Roth said.

Roth began veganism at the age of 21 in an attempt to match her eating habits with her strong interest in justice and equity.

Sophomore Elise Levy also found that veganism was her preferred choice of lifestyle after discovering the cruelty animals endure.

“I was a vegetarian for two years and then became a vegan at age 14,” Levy said.

“I just didn’t want to contribute to an industry that systematically abuses and kills other living creatures.”

Both Roth and Levy have found it surprisingly easy to keep up with their vegan lifestyle.

“People always think that it’s really hard to find vegan food, but it’s not at all,” Levy said.

“There is almost identical vegan replacement for pretty much everything.”

Vegan substitutes include veggie burgers instead of traditional hamburgers and soy milk instead of regular milk.

Veganism can also have health benefits. According to a May 2009 Medical

New Today article, going vegan decreases the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

“The benefits are endless,” Roth said. “I stopped getting colds and tonsillitis, had tons of energy and felt like my body was running on clean fuel, so I never turned back.”

Many also wear vegan clothes and shoes.

“Everything I wear is either vegan or used,” Levy said. “I’m fine with wearing leather products from thrift shops, since my money isn’t going to the people who actually kill animals.”

While many people may criticize veganism, vegans are often satisfied and comfortable with their lifestyle choice.

New vegan clothing and food lines appear on the market every day. Vegan clothes and shoes can be found online at a specialty website called veganstore.com.

“Veganism is good for the environment, animals, health and for me,” Levy said. “It was good for my conscience. I honestly can’t think of any cons.”

in even if it may not be popular,” Green said.

“The more controversial a view, the bigger a reaction you will get.”

Blogs have become the new teenage diary, but unlike personal notebooks, blogs are something that anyone with Internet access can view. Whether these blogs are personal and inspirational or political and worldly, it is clear that they will inspire a new generation of thinkers, dreamers, artists and writers.s

PHOTO BY BEN FOX.

Author encourages youth to consider veganism

By Allie Curwin Nicole Weltmann Staff Writers

While the thought of life without ice cream, hamburgers and pizza may seem horrific, vegans adopt this diet as their preferred lifestyle.

According to Ruby Roth, author of Vegan is Love, a book that encourages young children to consider adopting the vegan lifestyle, the population of vegans in the U.S. has doubled since 2008.

Vegans do not eat or wear any animal products including meat, dairy, leather or gelatin.

“Going vegan really opens one’s eyes to the power of our daily choices,” Roth said.

“When you learn how our actions affect the public realm, animals, the environment and the people around the world, it makes you more conscious of yourself and others.”

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Montgomery County rapper rises to fame

By Greer Smith Staff Writer

In the past, the Montgomery County community has been relatively untouched by the hip-hop world. Of local hip-hop artists, D.C. native Wale is the only successful one, until now. Gaithersburg has birthed a rising star, rapper Logic, who may change the face of hip-hop.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREER SMITH.

Montgomery county native Logic is launching a hip-hop career.

Born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II in Gaithersburg Jan. 22, 1990, Logic did not grow up with a privileged lifestyle. He was born to an African-American father and Caucasian mother, who raised him alone.

According to Logic, his mother had a racist attitude towards him. She constantly put him down, called him racial slurs and was abusive. Her poor parenting cost him his good education from a young age.

“My mother took me out of school in the fifth grade because they said I had emotional problems,” Logic said in a phone interview. “In actuality, my mother had a lot of problems, mental and life problems, and would put her business out there to people, and so they thought I had problems too.”

Even though he returned to school in eighth grade and performed well academically, his high school education did not go smoothly. He was expelled from numerous schools in the MCPS school system, leading him to drop out of high school.

“I skipped school starting in tenth grade,” Logic said. “I started doing badly and failed every class but English, so they kicked me out of school, they gave up on me.”

Logic left home at 17 with no money to

support himself, so he got two jobs. When he was not at work, he wrote and produced new music. Eventually, a friend took Logic in, allowing him to spend more time on his rapping. He gave up all the free time he could spare each day to work on his music.

“I still work 12 hours a day, no matter what day. No Christmas. No birthdays,” Logic said Logic first started rapping under the name Psychological and made one mixtape by the same name. He then shortened his name to Logic and released three mixtapes, Young, Broke, and Infamous in 2010, Young Sinatra in 2011, and Young Sinatra: Undeniable April 30. Each has been more successful than the last in showcasing his talent and showing fans the artist Logic really is.

His fans also know him as Young Sinatra, in tribute to one of his greatest inspirations, the late singer and actor Frank Sinatra. Sinatra had the same blue eyes and boyish appearance as Logic, so the rapper found it the perfect persona to adopt. His fans are even called the Ratt (Real all the Time) Pack, after Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack.

Logic manages to create lyrics filled with meaning and passion that tell story after story, all to catchy rhythms.

“People think rap is not poetry but it definitely is,” Logic said. “Great thought goes into every single word.”

Through his talent and image, Logic is rising fast to fame. His most recent mixtape, Young Sinatra: Undeniable, received over 100,000 downloads in less than a week. He performs all over the country in sold-out shows and is planning a summer tour.

Some may question his talent and ability to serve as a role model. He is a high school drop-out entering a field of music known for harboring gang bangers and advocating sex, violence, and drugs, but Logic believes in himself and his dream.

“I think education is extremely important, but I didn’t have it so I got into music,” Logic said. “It was the only place I could vent.”

A talented, intelligent musician and hard worker who came from poverty to a place where he has over 30,000 followers on Twitter and screaming fans chanting his name, Logic serves as inspiration and motivates fans every day to achieve their dreams.

“No matter what you want to achieve in life you need persistence, determination, and to want success more than your next breath,” Logic said. “Most people wouldn’t literally die for what they want, I would.”

Strange Clouds starts off with “Bombs Away,” a slower paced song with narration by Morgan Freeman. This track is mainly about making sacrifices to reach success and embracing triumph once it is reached. Freeman’s voice adds a level of completeness to the song, making “Bombs Away” one of the most memorable tracks on the album.

The album switches gears in “Ray Bands,” in which B.o.B channels his inner thoughts and feelings in an ode to the carefree life of fame and an insult to the women interested only in money and tabloids.

The next three tracks, “So Hard to Breath,” “Both of Us,” featuring Taylor Swift and “Strange Clouds,” featuring Lil Wayne, all revert to the slow, melodic tracks B.o.B became famous for. The presence of

Taylor Swift will push “Both of Us” to be a strong candidate for a Top 40 song.

The rest of the album is a mix between faster and slower rhythm songs, with newly released fast-paced single “So Good” leading the charge.

Strange Clouds ends with a heartfelt and emotional song “Where are You (B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray)” in which the rapper struggles to find his identity as a musician. The passion and emotion found in the track remind listeners of rapper Eminem’s hit “Stan” in which he told the story of an obsessive fan.

Overall, Strange Clouds is a great sophomore album to an impressive debut by B.o.B. Even those who are not fans of the hip-hop genre will find something to love in Strange Clouds.

B.o.B’s talent shines through in sophomore album Strange Clouds.

B.o.B follows debut with strong sophomore album

By Angad Kanwal Production Editor

When The Adventures of Bobby Ray hit the market two years ago, it launched the career of Atlanta-based rapper B.o.B. With his sophomore album, Strange Clouds, released May 1, B.o.B proves he deserves to be called one of the top artists in the hip-hop music industry.

With Strange Clouds’ mix of inspiring lyrics and catchy beats, it’s on its way way to becoming one of the top selling albums of the year.

All songs on the album have different themes. The blend of fast, upbeat tracks with slower inspirational songs provide the album with the perfect balance to appeal to a variety of audiences.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

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Friday, May 25, 2012

‘Avengers’ delivers action-packed entertainment

By Sonia Shekar Staff Writer

Combine a comic book fanatic’s greatest fantasy with an all-star cast and expert execution, and you get The Avengers. This action-packed film pulls the fantastic pop-art world of comic books out of the page and flawlessly brings it to life on the big screen.

Wasting none of its two hours and 22 minutes, The Avengers begins with gusto as Loki (Tom Hiddleston, War Horse), Thor’s power-hungry and greasy-haired younger brother, steals an all-powerful energy source, the Tesseract, from the secret defense agency known as SHIELD. To retrieve the Tesseract and prevent Loki’s conquest of the galaxy, SHIELD’s director, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, The Other Guys) unites the most powerful heroes under one name, The Avengers. Getting Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark

Ruffalo, Shutter Island) and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson, Iron Man 2) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, Thor) to work together, however, proves to be quite a challenge.

As this unconventional and dysfunctional team works out their differences, the audience is treated to enthralling backstories and an ingenious script, all the while being kept on the edge of the seat by Loki’s maniacal antics. Among the battle scenes that elicit wide-eyed stares and gaping mouths are clever bits of humor that leave viewers falling out of their seats.

When multiple characters and backstories come together in a single film, the attempt to make the plot cohesive often detracts from each individual role. This is not the case with The Avengers. Each hero holds his own amidst the action and brings a set of unique qualities to each scene.

Although director and writer Joss Whedon makes sure that no hero outshines the other, Iron Man seems to

receive an inordinate amount of screen time, but that’s nothing to complain about. His character, intrinsically chock-full of witty remarks, offers an amusing break from the other, more traditional heroes.

Iron Man and the Hulk command the battle scenes, which leave the audience giddy with excitement.

The non-stop action for most of the movie has been set up so well that it does not come across as drawn out or overbearing in the least. The abundance of superheroes in fact, allows for a frequent change of scenery, creating new and unique situations well before any others have a chance to get old.

The Avengers truly encapsulates all the wonder and excitement of the comics and presents them in a way that anyone can enjoy. It is so engaging that the audience can hardly wait until the credits roll to start applauding this ultimate superhero movie that readily delivers an unforgettable experience of epic proportions.

Comics are brought to the screen as superheroes work to save the planet.

dying originality and expressive lyrics.

From their award-winning debut album, Hopes and Fears, to their upbeat EP Night Train, this group is never afraid to take risks and experiment with their sound.

However, with the release of their new album Strangeland, their flawless track record of ingenuity has reached an abrupt halt. Not only is the album drenched with meaningless lyrics, but the musical structure of nearly every track is predictable. The lead singer, Tom Chaplin, fails to radiate his true talent by delivering most of the songs in an impartial manner, lacking the commitment and believability that usually make their songs fantastic.

Commencing the album with “You Are Young,” the group preaches about how the young are naïve when it comes to love, while them encouraging not to

give up because love is everything.

Although the message might be correct, the song itself was overdone, causing the audience to feel empty.

“Disconnected,” the fourth song on the album, displays the band’s lack of creativity through repetition of the cliché “the blind leading the blind.”

The album worsens with the track “Sovereign Light Café,” where Chaplin sounds like a cabaret singer on the Carnival Cruise Line. Following the “Sovereign Light Café” is “On the Road,” which sounds like a song from the early 1970s. Proceeding “On the Road” is “The Starting Line” where Chaplin sings about a girl with whom he wishes to start a relationship, but she has been scarred from her previous relationships.

In the ninth track, “Neon River,” Chaplin sings the song without

giving the lyrics meaning. After “Neon River,” the band speeds up the album with the song “Day Will Come,” a track that sounds similar to Coldplay’s new work.

Although most of the songs are mediocre, some of the songs on the album stand out and give a taste of the old Keane. “Black Rain” and “Sea Fog” display the softness and vulnerability Chaplin’s voice retains. “Watch How You Go” is a beautifully written song about Chaplin’s loss of a lover.

This album is just one of many examples of a great band with a great sound who sold out to pop culture. Now they have become just like every other Britsh alternative band in the industry, filled with mediocrity and poor in ingenuity.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA SNOWDEN.

Keane disappoints with latest album ‘Strangeland’

By Kara Phillips Staff Writer

During their long-standing career, Keane has continued to astonish their fans by creating albums filled with un-

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

‘Strangeland’ lacks the emotion that normally sets Keane apart.

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Friday, May 25, 2012

After strong start, tennis Girls lacrosse wins third finishes second at counties regional championship

By Danny Gordon Business Manager

The boys tennis team finished second in the MCPS Boys County Tennis Tournament May 10. Junior Kevin Chen and sophomore Matthew Fine both finished in first place.

“The team had an outstanding year,” coach Benjamin Woods. “The players learned and improved each match.”

With the exception of 2011 alumnus Kevin Chu, all players returned from last season. Freshman Elliot Thaker, who finished second in the county tournament, feels this worked to the team’s advantage.

“Since the beginning of the season we all went in hoping to get a shot at the county title,” Thaker said. “Every one of us worked hard throughout the year

and it is finally paying off.”

The team had a strong 8-0 start, defeating every opponent including rival Whitman.

According to Thaker, Whitman was one of the team’s most difficult opponents.

“All of our players preformed to the very best of their abilities,” Thaker said.

After strong play for the majority of the season, the team stuttered at the end, losing two of its last four games to Wootton and Bullis.

According to Thaker, Wootton was the most difficult team that CHS faced all year.

Several players including Fine, Chen and Thaker advanced to the Regional II Tournament held May 11-16.

“I am looking forward to Regionals,” Thaker said. “With all of our preparation and motivation I know that we can win.”

PHOTO BY BEN FOX.

Sophomore William Szamosszegi returns a shot at county finals May 4.

By Zoe Forster Sports Editor

The girls lacrosse team won its third consecutive regional championship against Sherwood 20-19 May 19 and is headed to the state semifinals.

“Our offense was settled and organized which helped us score a lot, and we didn’t force the ball into the goal,” junior Emily Muscarella said.

The team was down by two goals at the end of the first half. Senior captain Mairin Hall was being triple-teamed by Sherwood and was having a tough time getting to goal. Juniors Bailey Boyland and Muscarella stepped up their game to help carry the team to victory.

Prior to this, the team won its second playoff game against Blair 21-16 May 14.

“By the end of the first half we really starting picking up the momentum and from there on out they didn’t really have a chance,” sophomore Carly Shapiro said.

The team had a rough start but pulled away in the second half with help from senior captains Madelyn Flax and Hall, who scored 7 and 6 goals respectively.

Senior goalie Alex Fox had some great saves, which helped maintain the lead and keep up the team’s energy.

Previously, the Bulldogs won their first playoff game against team rival Wootton May 11 with a 10-9 victory.

It was a back and forth game until the Bulldogs finally put it away with a goal from Flax on a free position with one minute and 36 seconds remaining in the game.

The team finished off the regular season with a tough loss to Quince Orchard 12-10 May 4.

The team started out slow and struggled to pick up the momentum as the game went on.

“One of our best players Mairin Hall was out sick and we were missing some

other players due to the stomach bug,” Shapiro said. “I think we psyched ourselves out because we knew some of our starters were missing.”

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs crushed Springbrook 21-3 on their senior night, May 2.

All the seniors started out the game with high energy. The team performed well considering Fox had to leave parts of the game to perform in the chorus concert. Sophomore goalie Leah Pitman subbed in for Fox for parts of the game.

“We had a JV goalie come in and she did a good job,” Hall said. “Our defense played well and didn’t let them get a lot of shots off. We had a lot of different people score and make assists.”

The Bulldogs play Westminster May 19 in the state semifinals.

“The girls really want it, especially the seniors,” coach Gjeldum said.

UPDATE: The girls lacrosse team lost to Westminster in the state semifninals May 19, with a final score of 18-8.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISSY KENNEDY.

Senior Mairin Hall shoots in a 20-19 victory against Sherwood May 19.

With win over Sherwood, boys lacrosse wins region

By Brett Sachs Production Editor

As the regular season came to an end, the boys lacrosse team steamrolled into the postseason. The Bulldogs entered the playoffs, which began May 11, as the number one seed.

The team won its first regional championship in a decade May 16 in its 12-6 win against Sherwood. The Bulldogs dominated almost the entire game. Senior captain Brian Moritt and junior captain Matt Leonard both assisted in the victory.

“Our whole team, both offense and defense, has come together,” senior captain Cameron Moshyedi said. “We’ve finally accomplished what we’ve been working on all season.”

Prior to advancing to the regional finals, the team defeated rival Wooton, 9-6, May 14.

According to junior Kevin Hann, it was the first time in six years that the Bulldogs had beaten the Patriots.

“It feels like a burden has been lifted off our backs finally beating them after such a long time,” junior Ian Pollekoff said.

Beating Whitman in their first playoff game 14-12, the Bulldogs set a high

PHOTO BY AARON HUBBERMAN.

Senior Ricky Morse, freshman Louis Dubick and junior Morgan Rhodes celebrate after a goal against Sherwood in the regional championship. standard for their playoff run.

“We played a hard fought game against the Vikings and definitely set our tone for the postseason,” junior Harry Criswell said. “Our goal is to make it to states, so we are focusing on one game at a time.”

In its game against Watkins Mill May 7, the

team, led by sophomore Matt Moshyedi’s five goals, finished the game with a score of 15-3.

“Moshyedi has made our attack unstoppable since he has stepped up,” junior Connor Martin said.

Continuing their winning streak, the Bulldogs beat Quince Orchard 10-5 May 4.

According to senior captain Tyler Wooster, even after such a huge win, the team makes sure to stay grounded.

“Now that playoffs have started, we realize that we need to work even harder to achieve our goals,” Wooster said. “I know we have what it takes to go all the way.”

Led by junior goalie Peter Hurd and assisted by all around defense, the Bulldogs beat Springbrook May 2 with a score of 10-3.

“All of our defense has really stepped up since Tyler Wooster came back from his injury,” Martin said.

The Bulldogs worked to boost the team’s sentiments for their upcoming games after a damaging 10-9 loss to Wooton in double overtime April 25.

“We need to come out fired up for every game and realize that if we don’t give it our all, it could be our last game,” Wooster said.

The team plays Westminster in the state semi-finals May 19.

“All of the hard work we have put in has finally paid off, but we’ve still got a lot more work to do,” senior captain Cameron Moshyedi said.

UPDATE: The boys lacrosse team lost to Westminster in the state semifinals May 19, with a final score of 14-10.

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Track achieves personal Crew finishes strong at goals set for Penn Relays states in its second season

By Katie Gauch Production Editor

Select runners from the CHS track and field team participated in counties May 9 at WJ and the Penn Relays April 26-28 at the University of Pennsylvania.

At Counties May 9, the girls finished seventh overall, scoring 38 points, while the boys finished third overall, scoring 60 points.

Freshman Lucy Srour finished third in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:23.71, and senior Will Conway finished second in the 800 with a time of 1:57.19. Sophomore Kyle Beatty finished first in the boys pole vault, and senior Nadim Elhage finished first in boys shot put. Sophomore David Kaplan finished second in the discus throw.

Although the varsity boys are losing two state champions, Elhage and Conway, coach Scott Silverman is proud of his team and is glad that he is seeing signs of improvements.

“It’s going to hurt that we are losing two state champs on the boys side, but most of the girls are coming back,” Silverman said. “Last night showed me we are moving in the right direction.

At Penn Relays, freshman Julia McDermott, sophomore Emma Coleman, junior Jenny Lewis and senior Taylor Caulk rep-

resented the girls and finished the 4x100 in 51.25 seconds. Srour, McDermott, Lewis and junior Mary Lee Lawrence also ran the 4x400 in 4:17.26.

“It was good because we knew we weren’t going to be able to win it or anything, but we beat our goal time which was exciting,” Srour said.

For the boys team, Conway, junior Jemuel Phillips Spencer, junior Mike Hammer, and senior Micah Phillips Spencer ran the 4x400 with a time of 3:30.78, while Jemuel, Michah, Hammer and Junior Kyle Veator ran the 4x100 in 44.80.

The runners were not expecting to win, so they set a time to focus on instead. Since the Penn Relays are such a large event, the coaches were not looking to put any pressure on them.

“At Penn Relays, when we set a goal time for the boys, if they didn’t make it, we would joke around with them saying we would leave them at Penn,” Silverstein said.

Elhage was the only CHS athlete to be registered in an individual event, shot put. He threw a distance of 4802.50, ranking 18th in the event.

“We just want the team to have fun and we want to build camaraderie,” Silverstein said. “It’s a fun experience.”

PHOTO BY BEN FOX.

Junior Jemuel Philips-Spencer (left) races against other MoCo athletes.

PHOTO BY ALISA DAN.

Despite relative inexperience, CHS crew won first place and four gold medals at the Head of Anacostia Regatta. The girls came in third in the state.

By Guransh Singh Staff Writer The boys crew team finished fifth in the state finals after winning in the semifinals. The girls finished third overall.

The team returned 38 rowers and has matured quickly since its inception in 2010. The state meet, however, was an uphill battle because of the team’s relative inexperience.

“For a two-year program, most teams would not even go,” coach Brad Smith said. “Our competition had been training for four years.”

The team continues to improve with the help of Smith, who is a crew veteran with 20 years of coaching experience.

“As a start-up crew, the second year is hard,” Smith said. “I immediately saw that so much work was needed to even get them up to other crews at their level.”

Crew practices focus on team chemistry and rowing technique. Rowers must

train frequently and rigorously in order to succeed in competitions.

“All of the private school teams row as many as five times a week,” sophomore Dominic Singer said.

“However, we only row three times a week.”

Even so, the team has enjoyed moderate success, winning first place and four gold medals in the Head of Anacostia Regatta earlier in the season.

“Quite frankly, those who survived the rigorous training did very well,” Smith said. “The weak fell by the wayside and those who survived far exceeded my expectations.”

Next season, the team hopes to push its members harder to take the team into its next stage of development.

“We’re going to lose a lot of great friends, but we have great rowers moving up to varsity that we are excited about,” junior Charlie Morris said.

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Baseball eliminated by Softball team out after QO in extra inninngs first round of playoffs

By Matt Raab Zoe Forster Sports Editors

PHOTO BY AARON HUBBERMAN.

Matt O’Lone bats against Wootton in a May 11 2-1 playoff victory.

By Ben Schick into counties. Although they struggled in the first half of the season, the team has improved Online Sports Editor The baseball team lost a close game in the second round of the county playoffs May 15, losing 5-4 to Quince Orchard in extra innings.

The Bulldogs took an early 4-0 lead in the third inning, but the Cougars came back and forced the game into extra innings. The Cougars scored the winning run off of a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning.

“It was a hard loss,” senior captain Ian Shemer said. “What made the loss the toughest was that it was the last time we’ll get to play with our friends in high school.”

Previously, the Bulldogs overcame an early 0-1 deficit to defeat rival Wootton 2-1in the first round of county playoffs May 11.

Senior Matt Kogan pitched all seven innings, giving up just four hits. The Bulldogs scored both of their runs in the third inning after Wootton gave up one of three errors with the bases loaded.

The Bulldogs overcame a rough 3-6 start to the season to post a 10-8 record heading

in both individual and team play.

“Everyone was trying to find their role,” Blackwood said. “But I think as of late everyone is stepping up and doing their job.”

The Bulldogs knocked off Sherwood in a 6-3 win May 7 after an 11-2 win against Clarksburg May 3.

The team put together a strong run at the end of April, finishing the month with a fourgame win streak. They beat Wheaton 20-0, Gaithersburg 10-4, shut-out Wootton 1-0, and pulled out a win against Walter Johnson 5-4.

According to senior center fielder Nick O’Brian, despite a few issues in the beginning of the season, team chemistry improved and players play began to together.

The strong performance down the final stretch of the season put the Bulldogs in good position going into the playoffs.

With the season coming to a close, the Bulldogs are losing nine seniors.

According to Shemer, there are a lot of shoes to fill, but the goal is still to win a county championship next season.

After a slow start, girls softball continued to struggle through the end of the season. The team finished the regular season with a record of 4-1-13, after suffering several blowout losses in the second half of the season.

The Bulldogs lost to Clarksburg 11-1 in the first round of the playoffs May 10.

“We played Clarksburg a week before and it was closer,” sophomore pitcher Nora Cleary said. “We all felt prepared.”

The playoff loss was preceded by a tie to Rockville 4-4 May 9, ending the regular season on a higher note. Although the team has had a rough season, according to Cleary, this season has been about younger players gaining experience.

“We’ve definitely improved,” said Cleary. “We’ve cut down on errors

throughout the season.”

Coach James Collins also feels the experience this year will help the team later.

“We only have two seniors to replace,” Collins said. “It will be hard, but we have a lot of underclassmen who know what they need to do for next year.”

Previously, the Bulldogs lost 10-1 to Sherwood May 5, 6-2 to Clarksburg May 3, and 4-0 to Blake May 1, with a win over Wheaton April 28.

“We didn’t play very well,” junior captain Katie Jenkins said. “But we recognized our mistakes and will learn from them.”

The team also lost 4-3 to Gaithersburg April 25, 13-9 to Wootton April 24 and 14-9 to Walter Johnson April 21.

The team is considerably young, however, and is optimistic about its prospects for upcoming seasons.

“I’ve improved since the first half of the season,” Cleary said. “I’m excited for next year and the season following.”

PHOTO BY AARON HUBBERMAN.

CHS softball was unable to gain momentum and finished the season 4-1-13.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Sports

Northwest ends coed volleyball’s playoff run

By Stacey Stein Editor-in-Chief

Coed volleyball’s season came to an end May 8 with a 3-1 loss to Northwest.

“We couldn’t really pull everything together,” junior Adrianna Lee said.

“Our defense was also lacking and our offense suffered because of that too.”

In the second round of playoffs, after winning two sets against Poolesville, the Bulldogs dropped the third set.

“We got blocked a lot in the third set,” Lee said. “After that we really picked it up and started to change our offense. We also picked up our defense in the fourth set, and started talking more than we did in the third set.”

They were able to make a comeback to defeat Poolesville in the fourth seat, winning 3-1.

“This game was pretty intense,” Lee said. “I think we worked together really well at this game; it was probably one of our best games of the season.”

Previously, the Bulldogs beat Einstein in their first playoff game.

They won their first three sets,

sweeping the Titans 3-0.

“We’ve been playing great all year,” coach Michael Endler said. “We have no weak spots.”

The team ended regular season play defeating B-CC April 30, Blair April 27, and Whitman April 25. In these games, the team dropped just one set to Blair.

“At the end of the season, we actually weren’t doing so well,” Lee said. “We had some easy games toward the end and I feel like we were kind of slacking, but we still pulled through in the end and made sure we did what we had to do to win.”

Coed volleyball is graduating six seniors, including three starting boys. They will look to current players as well as newcomers to make improvements for next year.

“We will definitely try to improve our blocking and defense in general, as well as our serving since we are generally a weak serving team,” Lee said. “We’ll try to improve all around, including running a quicker and more powerful offense to supplement our defense.”

PHOTO BY BEN FOX.

Fans cheer on the Bulldogs after they drop a set to Poolesville.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX CHIANG.

The Bulldogs fell to Blair, putting their playoff aspirations in jeopardy.

Boys volleyball falls in first round of playoffs

By Matt Raab Sports Editor

Boys volleyball lost 3-0 May 2 to undefeated Wootton in the first round of the playoffs, bringing its season to a close.

“We reached our goal of getting to the playoffs,” junior Alex Chiang said.

“Hopefully we’ll be back next year.”

Sophomore Brian Chen also felt the team achieved many of its goals.

“Even though we lost it was a good experience for us,” Chen said.

“For a team that just started, we did exceptionally well.”

This is the second time in three seasons the Bulldogs have been knocked out of the playoffs by Wootton.

“They’re one of the best teams in the county,” Chiang said.

The Bulldogs had a rough end to their season, losing 3-0 to B-CC April 30. The team finished with a 5-6 record that was just enough to get them into the playoffs.

A loss to Blair April 27 put the team’s playoff hopes in jeopardy as it headed down the final stretch. The game that night left the Bulldogs with

a 5-5 record, putting pressure on the team to pull out a win in its final regular season game to secure a playoff spot. The Bulldogs were ultimately the last place 16th seed.

In contrast to the spirit dampening loss to Blair, the 3-1 victory on Senior Night April 25 provided a major boost to the team. With an enthusiastic win, the Bulldogs solidified their chance at a playoff run by establishing a winning record.

The team has suffered from inexperience due to a significant loss of returning players. The Bulldogs finished the season on a three-game losing streak, often facing more experienced teams.

“Wootton happened to be at a much higher skill level,” said Chen of the playoff match. “We played our hardest and that’s what is most important.

Despite the losing record, the team finished in a stronger position that last year, which has raised expectations for the young squad. Chen looks forward to future seasons with the team.

“I’m proud of the team,” Chen said.

“We struggled a lot and got down a lot but we managed to get through.”

Volume 36 - Issue 8

By Emilie Plesset Online Editor-In-Chief She is known as one of the best players in the county. Junior shortstop Katie Jenkins, co-captain of the softball team, has coaches throughout the county gushing over her offensive and defensive capabilities.

Katie has been captain of the team since she transfered her sophomore year from Holy Cross, where she played on the varsity softball team.

“Katie is a winner and a playmaker,” said softball coach and computer science teacher James Collins. “She attacks every sport she plays with 100 percent effort and determination. She does all she can to make those around her better players. She helps other players, offers to work with others and leads by example.”

According to co-captain senior Sarah Adams, Katie is excellent at hitting and uses her knowledge and understanding of softball to react with poise in difficult situations.

“Katie has played a lot of high level softball,” Adams said. “She is always really positive and she likes to help people with their skills if they don’t know how to do something.”

Her athleticism and teamwork have not only been noticed by her team-

Friday, May 25, 2012

mates, but also by her coach.

According to Collins, Katie only made two errors all year and ended the year as one of the leaders on the team in her numbers of runs, scores and stolen bases, with a batting average of .620.

“She is one of the best athletes I have ever coached—including boys sports,” Collins said. “She has great body control, a lot of speed and quick reflexes.”

Katie also plays softball for the Frederick Heartbreakers with girls from all over the Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia area. She previously played for the Virginia Shamrocks but stopped because of the intensive traveling.

Katie started playing baseball when she was 2 years old and switched to playing softball when she was 10 years old.

“My dad played baseball in college,” Jenkins said. “He was the one that got me into sports.”

Katie is also on the girls basketball team and has been playing basketball since third grade. However, she feels she is better at softball and hopes to pursue the sport in college.

“I think softball is just so much a part of my life,” Jenkins said. “It’s just kind of second nature. I have grown up around it.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE JENKINS.

Junior Katherine Jenkins has been a captain since she transfered from Holy Cross her sophomore year. She hopes to play softball in college.

Ultimate Frisbee is state runner-up in second season

By Lauren Price Online Arts Editor It may be just a club sport, but this year’s Ultimate Frisbee team, the Discos, is a force to be reckoned with. The team finished its season with a 7-2 record, coming in second place in the state championship, a six-game tournament held May 12-13.

Led by two captains, senior Peter Heilbron and junior Evan Rheingold, the team kept a positive outlook throughout the season.

“The team has a better record this year because we got a lot of new athletic kids and some talented underclassmen,” Rheingold said.

The team has 25 players, although only seven play on the field at a time.

Positions include handlers, who throw the disc most of the time; short cutters, who catch short throws, and deep cutters, who catch long throws. The co-captains are primarily the handlers. Short

Boys Lacrosse

cutters include juniors Joe Nolan, Will Sickles, Johnny Hein and Leo Blooston.

Hein and Blooston also double as deep cutters, along with senior Joe Haynes and junior Eric Gelling.

“Ultimate is team-oriented, and people can play each position as they are needed,” junior Justin Schumacher said.

The boys were formally known as the Frisbros, but looking for a change from last year, they changed their names to the Discos. The club is not school sponsored, and so they pay for their own uniform, fields and equipment.

The team participates in a league for the entire Washington Area.

CHS’s Ultimate Frisbee team has been around for two years, and they don’t plan on going away.

“Our team keeps improving year by year as more people keep returning for another year of Ultimate,” Schumacher said. “More and more people are returning from previous years, and the more you play the better you get.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICE THOMAS.

Since the team’s inception two years ago, the Discos have improved each season, leading to their second-place finish at states May 12-13.

The boys made a run to the state semifinals where they lost to Westminster.

Baseball

The Bulldogs fell to QO in the second round after a win against Wootton.

Track and Field

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Boys finished third, and girls finished seventh at counties.