Issue 4 and Senior Issue

current

Keishla Morales

the

Thomas A. Edison High School

Thomas Edison High School • Volume 50 • Issue 4• 5801 Franconia Road • Alexandria, VA 22310 • June 6, 2014

the

current

what’s inside NEWS:

Edison welcomes new SGA (3) SAT changes are on the horizon (5) Edison imlpements new security measures (7) Holi festival colors Edison (7)

OPINIONS:

Opposing Viewpoints: Should school start at a later time? (8) Gap year popularity rises (10) Parking lot limitations irritate students(11)

FEATURES:

Inside Bryant High School (12-13) Kill boredom with 2014 summer bucket list (14) Students shine with secret talents (15)

SPORTS:

Statistics of Edison sports (16) Be a part of Edison forever: buy a brick! (17)

ARTS:

Reviews (18-19) The Evolution of Prom (4-5) Goodbye Seniors (2-3)

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES: The Current is online! Visit www.thecurrentonline.org or use your smartphone to scan the QR code for exclusive stories and photos not in print!

June 2014 | The Current | 2

The Current is a student-run publication serving the Thomas A. Edison High School community.

The Current Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Megan Grondine News Editor Frida Salmoran Assistant News Editor Megan Mowery Opinions Editor Jordan Brown Assistant Opinions Editor Judy Beauvais Features Editor Kelly MicKey

Assistant Features Editor Keishla Morales Sports and Managing Editor Tim Goeglein Assistant Sports and Online Editor Natasha Huynh Arts Editor Liam McElroy Principal Pamela Brumfield Advisor Kate McEnerney

Staff Writers & Photographers Sandra Abucejo Justin Askenazy Kyle Bevenour Austin Chavez Cesar Cortez Will Dobson Samantha Floyd Allie Harris Arda Ismail Juana Kuehnemann David Leavitt Kimberly Lopez Fiona Loughlin Hudha Marva Taylor Mayes Jennifer Miller

Caitlin Murnane Josephine Neulen Francisco Nieves Mackenzie Nolan Mikaela Pauly Ryan Pinkney Marjan Popal Maddie Poe Gaby Ruff Kristen Samuelson Ally Scott Marty Young

Submissions Policy: The Current welcomes pieces by outside writers. Students must include name and year. Faculty and staff must include name, position, and department. All other submissions must include name and relationship to Edison (i.e. alumni, parent, etc.).

For information regarding placing an ad, please email kemcenerney@fcps.edu or megangrondine@gmail.com Year-long subscriptions are available for $20. Subscription forms may be ordered via email at kemcenerney@fcps.edu. Subscription forms may also be picked up in room C-215.

Letters to the Editor are always welcome and can be anonymously submitted to room C-215 or e-mailed to megangrondine@gmail.com With any general questions regarding The Current, please email

news

Edison’s new SGA prepares for 2014-2015

◊ Student government officers inducted and begin planning for next year

A

s the end of this school year approaches, the newly elected student government officers have begun work for the 2014-2015 school year. The inaugural meeting was held in late May, and now that themes and spirit days have been decided, the team is ready to bring in a new year of achievement.

« Frida Salmoran, news editor

Kristen Samuelson

2016

new student government team at its inaugural meeting voting to ammend the

2015 Kristen Samuelson

constitution.

Kristen Samuelson

The

“I am really excited to have this opportunity to represent the class of 2016 and work with my fellow officers and classmates! I think that this upcoming year is going to be a good year for the class 2016, and I know that we are going to do big things.” -Tess Megret, 2014-2015 junior class president

Kristen Samuelson

“Thank you to everyone who believed in me from the start. Truly in shock and I am still shaking. So blessed #OurTimeRightNow. For the people who didn’t vote for me I hear your voices. And I’m going to work as hard as I can to be your president!” -Moe Negash, 2014-2015 senior class president

2017 The

new

SGA and SAC

sit together at a table and discuss the homecoming calendar

for next year.

2014-2015 Homecoming week spirit days Kristen Samuelson

Homecoming theme: Music Genres

“I’m really excited for next year and I can’t wait to start on homecoming. We are planning to get a jump on it over the summer. I’ve learned so much from homecoming last year, and we hope this year is even better!” -Halle Kaufax, 20142015 sophomore class vice president.

2015: Pop

2016: Rock ‘n’ Roll

2017: Hip Hop

Homecoming week: Tuesday, October 14 - Friday, October 17 • •

Tourist Tuesday

Woodstock Wednesday •

Theme Thursday •

Spirit Friday 3 | The Current| June 2014

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current

T

he Student Services Department is pleased to announce their new group counseling sessions.

Counseling groups give opportunities to students to share experiences, listen to other perspectives, and to examine new behaviors in a supportive learning environment.

“We are excited to introduce our new counseling sessions to service the needs of Edison’s students,” said school counselor Bobby Cardozo.

Borders and Drury (1992), journaling of counseling and development, reviewed 30 years of research and concluded that school counseling has a positive effect on students and is highly resourceful.

In addition, group counseling is regarded as the underlying role of school counselors by the American School Counselor Association.

“These new group counseling sessions will greatly impact the Edison community in a positive way,” said senior Heather Lawrence.

The counselors at Edison offer vari-

ous group sessions that began in the Spring of this year and will continue in the future.

Changing Families/Relocated Families is ideal for students with changing families, including loss and relocations.

Hear Me Out Group is a session for girls that centers on conflict management, leadership, and being a better student.

Bringing out the Brilliance and Post Secondary planning group helps motivate students to live up to their full potential.

Showing Up is Half the Battle deals with attendance concerns.

Lastly, Motivation is a small group that explores low academic achievement due to lack of educational commitment.

Edison’s counselors are open to suggestions on potential counseling groups in the future.

“I think these counseling sessions are beneficial because it shows how highly involved our counselors are and

“These new group counseling sessions will greatly impact the Edison community in a positive way”

Jennifer Miller

Edison’s counseling groups promote positivity

Counseling group sessions are held in thie Conference room in Student services.

Group sessions normally consist of 7-10 people. how much they really care,” said junior “The participation levels will inSuzannah Zelaya. crease if more people hear about these “They also help students work out sessions,” said junior Ricki Wood. their concerns and create solutions,” Students who sign up for these she added. These sessions help students counseling sessions will feel more strive in future careers. comfortable because being in a group “We hope to give our students the setting takes off the pressure. Being information and resources they need in in a supportive environment helps the long run,” said Cardozo. students learn new ways of relating people. Students are able to find ease All counseling groups are voluntary in realizing they are not alone in situaand sessions consist of 7-10 students. tions.

Students interested in signing up for one of these sessions can email their « Marjan Popal, staff writer counselors.

Students partake in Virginia state summer programs

W

ith summer approaching, many summer programs and internships that provide valuable insight and experience for students are gaining attention.

For students seeking summer programs, the state of Virginia provides many opportunities, three of which are Governor School, Boys State, and Girls State.

In 1973, Governor Linwood Holton created a residential program for 400 gifted students from all of Virginia.

Since then, the program has expanded and is now hosted at over 40 sites.

The Virginia Governor School programs include programs with focus

on Agriculture, Engineering, Marine Science, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, and Technology, Medicine/Health Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts.

American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State, created in the 1930s, are also summer programs offered in the State of Virginia. Boys/Girls State are set up to teach students about the functions of the government by creating a program where the participants run their own democratic government with their own rules.

This year, Edison will be represented at Governor School for the Arts by

Governor School

Boys State

Arts • Emily Flack Math, Science, Technology • Katheryne Chun • Melanie Pattison 4 | The Current| June 2014

• • • •

Hunter Vaught Karanvir Dillon Daniel Herrera Marcus Bazemore Girls State • Amelia Carr • Emily Murphy

junior Emily Flack, Governor School for Mathematics, Science, and Technology by juniors Katheryne Chun and Melanie Pattison, at Boys State by juniors Hunter Vaught, Karanvir Dillon, Daniel Herrera, and Marcus Bazemore, and at Girls State by juniors Amelia Carr and Emily Murphy.

These summer programs not only offer academic and educational opportunities, but also foster many social experiences.

“I look forward to staying at a university campus to see what college life might be like,” said Vaught.

Flack, when referring to Governor School, agreed, “I’m really looking forward to meeting a whole group of new people with the same interests as me. Everyone will have the same love of the arts, but each person will have approached those arts differently.”

However, earning the opportunity to be a part of these programs is not easy; it is a long road of applications, letters of recommendation, résumés,

among other elements of the process.

As Vaught explained it, “There was an interview process which included talking about myself, saying why I wanted to attend Boys’ State, and general knowledge questions about the camp, the American Legion, and Virginia state government.

It was a little awkward, but I guess the interview went well enough.”

“I think the application process was a great way for me to prepare for the college application. I would recommend getting involved with your school community and put hard work into your grades,” added Carr.

For those aspiring to take the initiative to participate in a summer program such as Governor’s School or Boys/Girls State in the future, Flack advises, “Just be ready to give it your whole effort. No matter what you’ll know that you applied and were able to put yourself out there.” « Frida Salmoran, news editor

“I recommend getting involved with your school community and put hard work into your grades”

news

SAT changes bring uneasy feelings ◊ Students face major redesign of the SAT curriculum The coming decades will likely see more intense clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivity in a smaller number of bigger cities and city-regions. What do they mean by “intense”?

A) Emotional B) Concentrated C) Brilliant D) Determined

D

o you know the answer? While this question may not be in the new and improved version of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), it is derived from one of the many mockeries of the Twitter accounts which target the SAT. In a recent announcement from College Board, the organization in which runs the SAT test, there will be changes for the SAT in the spring of 2016. The changes to the SAT are not a small matter either; these tests were seen as a determining factor in college admissions decisions. Students are constantly stressed about getting an average or above average score on these tests.

Average scores for the class of 2013, according to CollegeBoard, are approximately 496 for critical reading; 514 for math; and 488 for the writing. For the entirety of the SAT according to www. princetonreview.com the average score is about a 1500.

Important features of the redesigned SAT include continued emphasis and understanding on college and career readiness, greater emphasis on the meaning of words and how they contribute to the shape of the meaning, tone, and impact of a text, along with a system of right-only scoring. Right only scoring entails a point for each correct answer but no penalization for blank or wrong answers.

Along with the important features of the test being revised there are now

“How are you going to evaluate a student in four hours regarding their next four years?”

subscore reporting. The presence of subscore reporting gives the student, parents, admission officers, counselors, and the teachers.

The changes to the SAT include making the essay optional instead of requiring the twenty five minute writing assessment. In addition, the time for the essay is doubled to fifty minutes to relieve the time stress of the student. The doubled time allows for the students to write outlines; or in some cases complete and answer the question in its entirety. The essay is seen as a measurement of the students reading, analysis, and writing skills.

With the essay now being optional the SAT reports the results separately; with the scoring of the essay being from a 2 to a 8 (for each of the three traits).

With the SAT including multiple other sections along with the essay; such as critical reading/writing, and mathematics changes have been made to those sections as well. Derived from sources on collegeboard.org, changes are also within the critical reading/ writing, and mathematics sections.

Changes within the critical reading/ writing section include changing the name of the test to evidence based reading and writing which includes two separate sections. The evidence based reading is aimed to test whether the student is able to demonstrate college and career readiness when it comes to understanding literary texts;

whether it may be about US history or biology. In addition, the writing and language test aims to see whether the student is able to edit and revise literary texts The score reporting for this select test (evidence based reading and writing) can range from 200 to 800.

The redesigned mathematics section is measuring whether the student has fluency and the ability to apply the mathematical concepts to their college and career curriculums. The scoring for the mathematics section is the same 200 to 800 scale just as the evidence based reading and writing test.

“It is a wait-and-see game,” said career center specialist Iris Rivera. The new format of the testing will be new for the student and the college admission counselors alike. Mrs. Rivera ensures that the student has to practice with such resources as collegeboard.org in addition to free test preparation by going to the Edison Library homepage.

“How are you going to evaluate a student in four hours regrading their next four years,” said Rivera. Some colleges even allow the student to request not to take the test.

If the student has trouble understanding the new curriculum there are resources available on the College Board website with the url: https:// www.collegeboard.org/deliveringopportunity/sat/redesign. « Kyle Bevenour, staff writer

SAT Survival Guide • Do practice tests to understand the time restraints and type of questions within the test

Keishla Morales

• When it comes to the time when you have to take the test, do not worry. Worrying will not help and will only make you more nervous

With

the upcoming changes to the

the student to take.

SAT many

• Skip the questions that you are not postive on; skipping these questions will save you time • Take occasional mental breaks during the tests; but keep time restraints in mind

argue that the test will become easier for

5 | The Current| June 2014

the

current

Edison administration can’t lock us out Security implements new measures to protect students ◊

Charles Freitag.

A more extensive measure that has been implemented in Fairfax County Elementary schools, some Fairfax County middle schools and Fairfax County’s Mount Vernon High School in order to increase the security of the students. The schools print out badges for parents which then allows the parent to scan their badge outside to be allowed in the building. This then allows the security guards inside to see if that person has a criminal history and can then decide whether or not to release the student to them.

Often, when students see a fellow student who is running late outside, they will let them in out of politeness.

However, Deck advises against this.

“The whole purpose is to know what the purpose of that student is or that person. Of course the purpose of the student is to get an education, but sometimes you can look at a person, and think that they’re a student, but they’re really not,” he said. While the new security measures may seem like a hassle, they have all been implemented for safety and greater good of the Edison community.

Keishla Morales

concurrence with the new measures: “I think it’s an improvement because it allows teachers the flexibility to leave campus and come back when they need to; we just have to sign in and sign out. It also provides security because that way the doors aren’t open and you don’t have these strangers walking in on campus without permission. Some layer of protection is better than no layer of protection.”

These security measures are not so much to restrict and contain students, but to help protect them from intruders. “All it really is just precautionary measures that may slow the person down and save lives. Every time there’s a shooting you learn so much more that you can do to try to stop the shooter or control them,” said safety and security specialist Sherman Deck. The doors remain locked throughout the day to ensure the safety of students. However, this causes problems for certain students. “I’m sure that everyone wants to have free access to go where they want to go, so some students who like to leave campus will run into some problems if they want to come back in,” said security guard

Many

students face an internal dilemma when faced with someone who is knocking

on the door to be let in: do they do the polite thing and let them in, risking the fact that they may get reprimanded?

Can

students be sure that the person

knocking on the door is a student?

I

n the wake of horrific tragedies such as the Columbine shooting, Virginia Tech shooting, and Newtown shootings, public schools all over the country have increased security measures including public schools in Fairfax County.

Starting this year, many new security measures have been implemented.

After 7:30 am, for example, all of the doors that lead outside the building are locked, forcing students and other visitors to walk around to the front of the school to the main doors. However, not all students see the logic behind

this. “The locking of the door doesn’t really matter because the students are letting people in anyway,” said junior Eve Rakkhommana. Once there, visitors must buzz in and wait for the front office to unlock the front door.

The change is not only affecting students and visitors, but also teachers. Teachers now have a Microprox tag attached to their badges that enables them to scan it by a silver box near the door and unlock any outside door.

Government and Theory of Knowledge teacher Victoria Vergara expresses her

“Some layer of protection is better than no layer of protection”

June 2014 | The Current | 6

Out

of a total of

172

students surveyed during all three lunches,

believed that the new security measures are necessary, and they were not necessary.

84

90

students

students said that

« Keishla Morales, assistant features editor

news Edison explodes with color

T

his past weekend many Edison students showed their true colors.

On Saturday, May 31st, the colors of Holi graced the Edison community at the first Edison Festival of Colors.

The event lasted from noon until 3pm and consisted of many fun activities such as the throwing of colors, a water balloon throwing contest, and other fun games. The idea of bringing Holi to Edison was brought forth by junior and leadership student Antonia Petaccio who came up with the idea after visiting the DC Holi festival. “I believe that this event would appeal to everyone in the Edison community along with being a great way to celebrate the end of the school year,” said Petaccio. Petaccio, with the help of senior and fellow leadership student Katie Roberts, planned and organized the event. “We bought over 250 bags of color,” said Petaccio. Not one bag of color was wasted. Everyone including students, staff, and parents and got drenched in all the variety of colors.

The success of this event has led to the question whether the festival of colors will become an annual event. “I will be here next year and would love for this event to continue,” said Petaccio.

The festival of colors had a lasting impact on students in addition to raising $380 dollars; most of which will go towards the Got Hope walkathon.

“This event brought different cliques together,” said senior Jessica Samoy, an attendee of the event. Samoy’s statement describes the interaction that happened with everyone at the festival. At first everyone seemed to stay within their friend groups, but soon they got up in the music and fun, throwing the colorful gulal at everyone that was within reach. There was laughter, smiles and an overall happy

vibe during the festival that can only be expressed when the people of the Edison community come together.

The Holi festival is a religious Hindu celebration that focuses on universal brotherhood, breaking the barriers of discrimination, and enjoying the festival with others.

During the Holi festival Hindus attend a public bonfire, then participate in the main part of the festival where they spray colored water and powders (called gulal) on each other. The Holi festival is also a celebration of spring and glorifies the fertile land and good harvest. The festival is also a distinctive event for women because they are allowed a great amount of liberty that is usually not granted to them within the region. Rules become more lax during the Holi festival and things such as spraying random people in the street with water are acceptable.

While the Holi festival is a time for merriment, it is also a time to remember the religious ceremony. The main Holi legend teaches the moral that good triumphs over evil.

After observing the legend of Holika and Prahalad along with other traditions (seen as the fight of good versus evil) , the joyous chaos begins.

People buy the colored powders from stalls the day before in various colors.

The day of the festival everyone wears white which symbolizes purity and mourning. All of the colors symbolize a force in life and have significance.

Holi is about loving each other and good times. Edison’s festival of colors allowed student, staff, and parents to join in and welcome the unofficial start of summer to the Washington DC area. « Kyle Bevenour, staff writer and Keishla Morales , assistant features editors

All

pictures by

Morales

7 | The Current| June 2014

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current

Opposing viewpoints ◊Would later start times benefit Edison students?

Yes, students need more sleep

F

airfax county schools are considering later start times for the 2015-2016 school year. The school board has hired a firm to perform research of school systems with later start times to help see the statistics and trends of students at schools with later times.

The firm is mainly focusing on the well-being of the mental, physical and emotional health of students.

Later school times can be beneficial to students; it can give students extra time in the morning to get ready for school or any before school activities.

With later school times students can catch upon sleep and meet the minimum requirement of seven hours of sleep and have enough energy for long days and hectic schedules, which consist of school, homework, jobs, clubs, and family obligations.

It can be really hard when students get less sleep than school hours. Many students pull “all-nighters” or only get one to two hours of sleep. Many students don’t realize the importance of sleep, in fact while sleeping the space between the brain cells may increase which allows the brain to flush out toxins that build up while we are awake, according to National Institute of Health.

Many adolescents try to make up the sleep they have missed by sleeping in the late on the weekend. In fact sleeping extra hours to catch up does not help; it puts students in a chronic state of jet lag.

An adequate amount of sleep improves learning, memory, mood, performance in school, athletics and other extracurricular activities. It is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm and wake up earlier than 8:00 am.

Teens need about 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night to function best (for some it may vary). Most do not get enough sleep; a study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights.

After surveying 200 students, results showed they preferred the start and ending time 7:50-8:20am-2:402:50 pm the most. Many students still want to keep start times early because it will result into later times for dismissal. « Hudha Marva, staff writer

June 2014 | The Current | 8

No, it will only delay routines

I

believe that school does not have to open later and that the time we go to school now is appropriate. When you think about it though, does it really have to? Many of my fellow Edison peers that I have talked to about it are ferociously against it. Why? For starters, open school later will cause extreme bus congestion on the roads. It will cause students driving to school and even buses to arrive late at times due to middle schools and high schools starting simultaneously.

The point of this change, according to Fairfax County’s all-knowing School Board, is that students get more sleep through sleeping in a little more and that this will allow them to perform better in classes. Research and studies even show this improves test scores and productivity.

Wrong!

These “decisive” studies are only done on small groups of high schools. This is a big decision for a big group of people.

Think about it.

If you were given extra time to sleep, would you go to bed at the same time you do now, or would you stay up later working on homework or hanging out? I would definitely stay up later. For instance, if I was behind on homework, I believe I would stay up later to complete what needs to be done. This late bedtime for me would be supported with the fact that I know there is extra time to sleep in the morning. When you think about it though, this means there actually no increase of sleep time at all for me in this scenario!

Finally, there is the issue of after-school activities. When I talk to my friends and peers about this issue, it always ends up to one main wedge point on this issue. If school starts later, all after school activities such as sports, NHS, the arts, etc. will be moved later or removed altogether.

For me, being an athlete on the swim team, our practices might be in the morning for now on. These sudden and considerable changes would sweep throughout the different athletics, causing a ripple effect with homework and social time.

So, before you think that extra hour to sleep in the mornings next year will be bliss, think about the ripple effect and the displacement of so many routine things that it will cause.

Maybe sometimes, change isn’t always necessary. « Danny Ehrlich guest writer

STAFF EDITORIAL

T

opinions

◊ Edison security is necessary, but its implementation is not working

o be frank, the new security Edison has initiated this year is terrible. Not only is it completely futile, but it puts a damper on students.

Security says the new measures are designed to increase school safety; however, they fail drastically to do so.

Letting your friend who has a senior late start inside the school at 8:50 is forbidden and punished by a detention (if caught). Instead students must walk all the way to the front office to the one door buzzer controlled by the main office. The “hello, why are you here?” voice coming through that speaker swiftly opens the automated door with “Uh, yeah, hi, um, I’m here for school?”

So what’s the point? Any psychopath can improvise as a student, walk into the school, shoot up the main office (because that’s where students are immediately directed by the voice), and begin their saunter around our school.

Edison has always had cameras outside the building to monitor the parking lot, but now they’re actually being monitored. So, students, if you decide to leave during the school day, that camera will snap your license plate, giving license for security specialists to refer back to your parking permit registration and give your parents a call to alert

them of your absence. A junior who wished to remain anonymous cited one example of going to a doctor’s appointment during the day and her parents received a phone call alerting them to her absence. While the effort is certainly admirable, shouldn’t that time and money go toward a more tangible threat than students leaving for doctor’s appointments?

The 7:30 AM-lock-every-singledoor duty is meant to limit the amount of time an outsider can enter Edison, and coercively, to make students come to school on time.

If the administration is so intently concerned about students entering the school with weapons, why not install airport-like security at each entrance? Colleges provide students with easy access to campus buildings via student ID cards, Why not distribute student ID cards which students swipe through a card scanner that unlocks the door. Fairfax County that can be run through a card scanner could adopt this security measure to protect students successfully. to allow students inside a building, being caught. security is a measure FCPS and Edison like an “Eagle Pass,” similar to the The goal should be to stop the want to prioritize, they need to call college norm problem at its source, which is to upon parents and the community for of entering implement “treat those with how you financial and vocal support. buildings? wish to be treated” nationwide and give Sadly, these precautionary measures Some students support to communal mental health to contain violence and mass school may lose their programs. However, in this world, the shootings are completely necessary, but card, but they by their current implementations, these school security team needs to deal should pay for with the problems now. The school measures are completely worthless. replacements. security team should provide students Students still let other students inside.

ID required with some way of easy access into the Students still come into school late. entry would school as they wish but monitor the Anyone who wants to be let into the both make us safer and more items they bring inside with some sort school can be let inside by our own responsible. of metal detector installed in the doors. staff because bad guys often don’t look Are these measures expensive?

If the alarm sounds, then cause for or sound like bad guys. If someone Yes. However, that’s the hardest part concern is elevated-but only then. That is already insane enough to have the about installing security. Schools way, strangers who enter the building desire to shoot a mass of innocent constantly face limited budgets, and will be judged by the content of their children, then they’re insane enough FCPS is already dealing with deficits backpack--not their faces. to find a way inside the school without for the 2014-2015 school year. If

Anyone can be let inside by our own staff because bad guys often don’t look or sound like bad guys

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9 | The Current| June 2014

the

current Does a gap year put a gap in your future?

M

ost American students spend their four high school years working hard and preparing to head immediately to college. In this society, choosing not to attend college is practically kissing your career dreams goodbye.

But what about the students who have plans for their future but are burnt out by twelve years of primary education?

The most popular compromise would be a gap year. Gap years are extremely popular in Europe, specifically the United Kingdom.

Gap years are on the rise in the United States, as many students are feeling the need to come down off the pressure high that has motivated them through high school.

News outlets are often reporting on the dangerous stress levels among American students, and the effects of such are undeniable.

Mental illnesses and self mutilation due to stress are increasing epidemics among modern high school students, and some are looking for a way to decompress before they move on to pursue higher education.

“School doesn’t mesh well with some kids. It can be really stressful and too much for some kids to handle,” said English teacher Heather Brueggen.

“I think it’s sometimes necessary for students that really don’t know what they want to do. It’s better they take the year off then start something they’re

not ready for and get further behind than they would have been if they had taken the year off.”

Gap years are a great way to achieve this relaxed effect and to take a break from stressful and structured environment. Some kids use this time to travel or to figure out what they want to do as a profession.

The Journal of Educational Psychology reported that gap years can lead to higher motivation among students and studies have shown a direct link between kids who have taken gap years and high academic achievement in college.

“It allows students who aren’t quite ready to advance to the college level to sort of find themselves and figure out what they want to do. There’s a lot of pressure to go straight to college and then you end up wasting money and feeling a distaste towards the education system,” said junior Sarah VelascoKent.

Tufts University in Boston is offering a “One Plus Four Program”, which will pay for incoming students to take a year off before they graduate. They pair you with a service organization, but cover all expenses and encourage taking a year away from school.

There are now several schools in the United States who encourage and aid their students in taking a gap year.

However, there are dangers associated with gap years. Sociologists say that the more time kids spend away

Brunswick High School

◊ Gap years are an increasingly popular alternative to college after high school

Students

sitting respectfully at their graduation. into college some will take a gap year.

from school, the lower the chances get of them ever coming back.

After being away from a learning environment for so long, some high school graduates might lose any motivation for attending college. Kids can get accustomed to the freedom and calm of their years away from school and decide that they do not want to go back.

According to the Chicago Tribune, delaying college for even one year could mean an increase in tuition of eight percent or more. This hinders those who are forced to take a gap year due to financial reasons.

“I would never go back to any form of school. If I took any break, I wouldn’t go back after,” said senior Alexis Wallace. “I have a friend who graduated last year and didn’t go to

Although

most will go directly

college this year. He doesn’t want to go back and he told me not to take a year off. He said he’s having a hard time going back.”

“I would suggest a gap year to others, but don’t expect a fun time with no work,” said junior Juana Kuehnemann, who is currently in the middle of her gap year right now. “It’s a great experience though. It’s had a huge impact on me.”

Gap years, despite the promise of calm and freedom, may not be as beneficial as they seem. However, some students use time off school to refine themselves and their ideas for their futures.

“It’s like coming back from summer,” said Wallace. “It can be great, but only if you plan on making it great.” « Allie Harris, staff writer

Linda Hirschhorn

GAP YEAR FACTS

2011 Edison Hirschhorn

grad

Julie Hirschhorn

enjoys her trip abroad to

London, England. Although

is currently enrolled in college, many students use their gap year to travel.

June 2014 | The Current | 10

- An estimated 1.2% of American first-time college freshmen take a gap year - Taking a gap year is linked to higher motivation upon return to the classroom -90% of students who purposefully plan a gap year return to college -5% of colleges and universities have formal policies to allow students to defer admission for a gap year -In Norway, Denmark, and Turkey, more than 50% of high school graduates take a year off - Gap year students show a pattern of higher GPAs -Tufts University is offering to pay for housing and travel fees for gap year students. *All facts from Wall Street Journal and New York Times

The

the back staircase window, the last three rows in the back parking lot is

empty because many students are unaware that it is assigned for students.

This

up close picture of the last three rows of the back parking lot show how

This

is one of the many cars in the student parking lot that does not hang a park-

barren it is.

« Natasha Huynh, assistant sports editor and online manger

side parking lot along the c-hallway is designated for teachers, but is not

filled up most of the time.

From

Natasha Huynh

of the parking lot and students might complain about how far they are from the school doors,” said Deck.

The county, not the school, sets the price of $200 for a nine month parking pass. Even Deck thinks “$200 is too much to ask [high school] students to pay for parking”, he is willing to work with students who are not in the position to pay, “as long as you honor the payment plan [you and I] work out,” said Deck. He does not want to be the bad guy who “tows people’s cars or boot it” because then they would have to pay for those expenses out of their pocket.

For students who qualify for free lunches, a parking pass is $25, reduced-lunch students pay $100, and for students who drive mid-year or a semester, the price differs based on how many months are left in the school year.

There are approximately 1,854 students and 160 staff members at Edison; therefore, the parking lot on the side of the building (the current student parking lot) and Eagle’s nest should be for teachers and staff. Since roughly 150 parking passes were sold this year, and roughly 35 students park without a pass, the back parking lot would be more suitable for students to park in. It could also ease morning and afternoon traffic in the kiss and ride line.

Natasha Huynh

rriving at school after the 7:20 bell is hell because I have to go on a manhunt up and down the side parking lot to find a space. Students are not allowed to park in the Eagles’ nest because it is for the staff, so I can forget about driving over to that side of the building. I am only allowed to park in about 2/7 of the parking lot in the back of the building.

This is absurd, considering I paid $200 to guarantee that I will have a parking spot, while some people who have not paid park in a spot that could have been mine. It is not fair for students who paid $200 to have to park in the very back of the parking lot if they were not able find a spot in the student lot.

The misconception about the back parking lot is students think it is a staff only zone and that they will get in trouble for parking back there, but “[they] are allowed to park in the last three rows of the back parking lot” said Sherman Deck, Head of Safety and Security.

Although an easy solution could be to number the parking spots to correspond to students’ parking passes, Deck believes it could cause more problems than solve any. “[Students who are usually first] to buy parking passes, would be in a disadvantage in this situation.

The passes are sold and distributed in [sequential] order. Number one parking spot could be at the very top

Natasha Huynh

A

Natasha Huynh

Natasha Huynh

opinions Student drivers battle to find a parking spot

ing pass.

11| The Current| June 2014

the

current

TRUE LIFE

I go to Bryant

W

illiam Cullen Bryant Alternative High School is one of the twenty-nine high schools in Fairfax County.

For as long as I’ve known, Bryant has had a stigma attached to it. Derived by fear or simply being uninformed and fueled by stirring misconceptions, Bryant is thought to be an inferior and constantly hectic school of anarchy by

many students of other high schools.

However, after spending a day at Bryant shadowing senior Vanesa Cabrera, I know that is not the case.

Rather, Bryant Alternative School is full of self-motivated, responsible, hard-working students who, for some reason or another, have been placed in a program that has more flexibility

and thus aims to give students with various circumstances a “non-traditional” way to have access to the same opportunities as strictly-scheduled and managed “traditional” schools.

Bryant is not what rumors make it out to be.

« Frida Salmoran, news editor

“We have kids from all over the county, so we have a lot of different perspectives from kids with different feelings about their community. Once the kids come here, there is a sense of camaraderie here. They all march to a different drum. Project Opportunity is a teen mothers program. They come having a baby, a job, and they take care of all their duties before they come to school. It’s a tribute to them. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with them”

Carmen Urso Counseling at Bryant since it was built (27 years) June 2014 | The Current | 12

“I like working here. The small class sizes allow me to help each students’ needs. My experiences have been really positive because students who want to pass are hardworking, and I like the community collaboration” Hannah Poole First year English teacher

“I would say it’s surprisingly calm here” Rachel Albert Art teacher

centerspread “When I first came to Bryant, I thought it was going to be, like, bad school, bad kids. But it’s not really bad.

The teachers help you a lot. It’s a good school; there’s nothing to be scared of” Anthony Almanzar Senior

“It’s like any other school. You can’t expect paradise; everyone sees problems at school. [When I came here] my eyes opened to life” Dilshad Dosky Senior

“Everybody [here] has something to lose. This is your last chance. Bryant is your opportunity to fix what you messed up” Deliciah Jones Senior

“We cover material that is just as rigorous as any school in Fairfax county. The difference is the flexibility” Patricia Yanosek English teacher

“I love walking down this hallway. It’s a reminder to ‘never stop dreaming.’ Everyone has a crazy story. People normally don’t just come here. I went to Annandale.

I was an honor roll student. I wasn’t doing anything bad. I wanted to come here.

Annandale’s classes were too big and the girls didn’t like me. I was over the whole experience. The teachers here are like your family. There was this one time that I REALLY needed money. I was broke. A teacher offered to lend me the money.

They actually care about YOU as an individual here” Vanesa Cabrera “I would say it’s surprisingly calm here.”

Senior

“What I like about Bryant is that we are making an impact on students and helping them reach a goal. Some of these students, if we did not have an alternative program, would not be able to receive their high school diploma. The teachers work closely in building positive relationships with students. It gives me joy that we help these students to get a high school diploma no matter what barriers they may face in their lives” Larry Jones Principal

-art teacher Rachel Albert

13 | The Current| June 2014

the

current

ÂŤ Kelly MicKey, features editor

June 2014 | The Current | 14

best: The

of both worlds

features secret talents strike Edison

◊ The Current spotlights freshmen Roegner and Delardi

JENNIFER ROEGNER tap dancer

Roegner

performs tap dancing at a studio and

makes her inspiring mark each tap at a time.

she had to take a class with the studio to determine which level she would be placed in.

“I have to wear makeup for competitions. The cool thing about tap is that you can really wear anything.

Typically for performances I wear jeans,” said Roegner.

The freshman has enjoyed dancing from the moment she began. Roegner found herself constantly wanting to learn more, so she started taking private lessons when “the regular classes became too boring for me.”

With talent comes fear. “When I perform, I always worry if people are going to enjoy it,” said Roegner.

Hidden talent lurks everywhere in Edison, yet the student body knows very little of how these talents came to be.

“Anyone who went to Twain and remembers the talent show would After performing on stage, Roegner poses know,” said Roegner. for a photo with her tap dance team.

Jennifer Roegner

Jennifer Roegner

J

ennifer Roegner is a freshman at Edison High school.

Roegner’s hidden talent is dancing.

“Tap is my favorite form of dancing,” said Roegner. Jennifer started a love for dancing at age three.

Having an activity to do outside of school is fun, but each talented student still has school work to do. “I take classes after school and during the summer,” said Roegner.

When Roegner does her tap dancing, she says she feels free.

“Dance has always been a way I express myself, but when I tap, it’s different. When I’m mad, and I tap, it’s like those feelings go away and I’m not angry anymore. It’s a stress reliever,” said Roegner.

When Roegner began dancing,

KAYLA DELARDI

Kayla Delardi

K

Delardi’s

modeling photo gets featured in the

Super Models Unlimited

magazine.

dancer, model, pageanter

ayla Delardi is a freshman here at Edison High School. She has many talents that not much of us know about. “My hidden talent is dance, modeling, and pageants,” said Delardi.

Each talent Delardi has she started at a young age. “I started to dance when I was two, pageants when I was four, and modeling since I was a baby,” said Delardi.

Delardi is a student just like everyone else, but with these talents when does she get to focus on school? “It depends on the activity, it’s usually before school or over the summer. If I am in school and doing it I would do my homework in the car,” said Delardi.

Expression and attitude help Delardi excel at each of her talents. “ It makes me feel confident and its fun to do so it makes me feel happy,” said Delardi.

Each of Delardi’s talents requires some sort of application process to participate. “For pageants it is whatever, you do what you want. For modeling, you have to apply to a bunch of different agencies and they choose who they want. For dance, just join

a studio and do what you like,” said Delardi. Preparing for each of her talents is a large part of the overall experience. “For pageants you wake up really early and they put curlers in your hair, and you have to keep those in for three hours. Then they take those out and they do your makeup, it’s like intense makeup and it takes a long time. Then they do your hair and it’s poofy and pretty. After my hair and makeup is done, I get in my big dress and I go on stage to perform my different routines. For each one I have to change my hair, makeup, and my outfit,” said Delardi.

Delardi explained the pre-photo shoot experience for modeling to be: “They do your hair and makeup and you choose a random outfit and pose for pictures. If you need to change dresses, you change your makeup to match the dress.”

Delardi had many outside influences that motivated her to pursue these activities. « Judy Beauvais, staff writer

15| The Current| June 2014

the

current

CAN YOU KEEP SCORE? 5 0 0 + a t h l e t e s 21 6’ 6” 6’ 3” 1 4:15.80 eight 12 F a s t e s t ◊The Current researched statistics of Edison sports in the 2013-2014 seasons

3

counts in one cheer stunt

U17

United States’ U17 Women’s Basketball Team Trials Coach, Diane Lewis

players on the Va r s i t y Field Hockey team.

twenty

five

6

Edison teams made it to the state level competitions

Receiving touchdowns

by Ricky Todd WR

45

High Jump Record: J e n e l l GrierSpratley

total points scored by the Academic team

schools practice with the Edison gymnastics team

score shot by Northern Region golf qualifier, Skye Carlson g o a l s

inches

Edison teams made it to Regionall e v e l competitions

10

Ye a r s s i n c e t h e G i r l s Lacrosse team had made it past the Conference Finals

Strikeouts in a no-hitter against JEB Stuart HS, Conner Hall

107

16

Lightest wrestler: Robert Garnett

sixty eight

State rank of boys under-16 in Tennis, Matthew Phuong

raised by the field hockey team for Play4thecure

25-3

Girls Varsity Basketball: Best Record

Tallest female Varsity Volleyball: Amber Skalicky

41 106 lbs 4 $849

4700

mile time: Louis Colson

Home runs by softball player Madison S t u r n e r

participated in Edison sports this year Va r s i t y sports

S t a t e wrestling champion: B r o c k Jacobson

Swimmers who competed at the state tournament: SaraMeyer, Peren, Sarah Weinstein, and Francisco Nieves four Amanda

Tallest male, Varsity Basketball: Patrick Sherrill

s c o r e d by Girls S o c c e r leading scorer, K a t i e Roberts

2

high schools play on our Ice Hockey team

«Kelly MicKey, features editor

June 2014 | The Current | 16

sports

Edison High School Attn: Treasurer -- Commemorative Brick Program 5801 Franconia Road Alexandria, Virginia 17| The Current| June 2014

the

current Godzilla destroys theaters across America ◊ Godzilla finds new life since failing over a decade ago

screenrant.com

L

Godzilla

returns for the first time since the dismal

June 2014 | The Current | 18

1998

version of

Godzilla.

et them fight”, exclaims Dr. Ishiro Serizawa in the Gareth Edwards take on the famed Japanese movie monster. Godzilla satisfyingly brings the character back to it’s glorious atomic roots with a 21st century reboot built on top notch visual and sound effects that adds an element of mystery to the character, very reminiscent of classic horror flick, Jaws. This mystique isn’t shadowed, but rather plays a shadow to the sometimes not as stand out human storylines. It’s always there and it’s never forgotten.

These arcs do accomplish what they set out to do though by successfully keeping it simple and allowing talents like Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe to drive things forward. This is no flaw though, as this way of handling the character only creates white knuckle

tension that inevitably pays off for with a fulfilling ending that will have a cheering audience truly knowing why he his The King of the Monsters.

This new Godzilla manages to bring the focus of the movie back to the monster itself, rather than the troubles facing the people on the ground in the last American-made Godzilla from 1998. While that dealt with civilians trying to figure out the mystery behind the beast, this new Godzilla has the military trying to battle it instead. This is a welcome change, as it allows the focus to be on Godzilla rather than the people.

Godzilla manages to light up the screen in an otherwise decent summer movie season. It gives a payoff for anyone who wants to see destruction, something sorely needed this time of the year.

« Julia Kaiser, staff writer

arts

I’m a little cold after playing this T

he break-up album of the year, Ghost Stories has lead singer Chris Martin spilling his heart out to the listener. The separation from his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, clearly has hit him hard.

Coldplay produced another album much like their previous one, Mylo Xyloto, with less piano heavy tunes.

While what we expect from Coldplay are songs more like “Clocks” or “Yellow,” these are completely different.

“Midnight” is one of those songs you hear and ask why it was written.

The eerie auto-tune effects placed on top of Martin’s voice makes the words harder to understand and the strange EDM beat building up throughout the song creates an uneasy feeling.

Hints of the familiar Coldplay piano

is heard in “Another’s Arms” but then is drowned out by other instruments.

And then there is the other single “A Sky Full of Stars” which is co-produced by “Wake Me Up” DJ Avicii and you can tell. It’s nothing like any Coldplay song you have heard before. The chorus is full of unsteady beats that you wouldn’t think Coldplay would go with (and probably shouldn’t).

By the time you hit “O” at the end of the record you are thankful to finally hear that strong piano behind Martin’s voice. It’s something that seems unappreciated until this moment.

While all the songs are vastly different, the lyrics remain slightly similar. They are eloquent and well written but all seem to be saying: “I still love you and hope you take me back.”

The only song on the album with an actual upbeat tune that you could listen to in your car with the windows down

dirtywaternews.com

◊ Coldplay new album deprives listeners of good piano tunes.

Coldplay gets overly experimental in their follow-up to 2011’s Mylo Xyloto. point where you want to shake him and is “Ghost Story”, but only if you ignore tell him to shut up. the words.

This album was for sure a huge You can hear the heartbreak and disappointment from Coldplay. pain in his voice during all the songs and it does get kind of annoying to a

« Jordan Brown, opinions editor

19| The Current| June 2014

tion of Prom

prom

weren’t spending over $300 on their prom dresses Promposal präm-pō-zəl Athletic Trainer Janine Jenkins poses for a picture at her high school prom.

A word referring to a proposal by either a male/female to a prospective date for prom. “Promposals” can be as simplistic as passing a note or as elaborate as proposing with a flash mob of 10 friends in nothing but their underwear in front of the whole school.

1980-1990’s

Prom became the even of the school ar that everyone longed for the second sat down in their freshman English ses. Prom became an American rite of sage, a staple of teenage life endlessly cumented by John Hughes in all the great 80’s movies about high school.

dence Counselor ra Rotella poses her high school prom.

«Meg Mowery, assistant news editor

5 | The Current| June 2014

the

current

1894

The Evolut

Believe it or not, your grandparents probably w

The first evidence of a prom was discovered in a young man’s journal. Proms started off as a college level affair where the almost graduates were focused on learning proper table manners and social etiquettes.

TODAY

Nowadays girls start facebook groups months before the elaborate class-interrupting P promposals start. There are girls paying a dollar yea for every second they are on their party bus. Promthey doesn’t even seem like an option to some seniors,class it’s something that you are almost re- pass quired to go spend hundreds of dol- doc 1900-1940’s lars to have your picture taken at. g Prom was now documented in high

school yearbooks, although it was not English teacher the pinnacle of the high school social Heather calendar. No one went out to get special Brueggen clothes for prom, everyone just wore smiles at their “Sunday best”. At this point, prom her high school prom was a formal gathering of the senior

1950-1970’s

The post-war economic boom lead to the escalation from tea to tiaras as teenagers now were able to be elected prom king and queen. With those titles came the beginning of prom dress shopping, since prom king and queen were typically awarded to the best dressed in attenAdministrative dance. assistant Betty

class where tea was served and only a few people danced.

Science teacher Veatta Berry and JROTC Colonel Kurt Berry pose together at their prom in 1978.

Glaze models at her high school prom.

June 2014 | The Current | 4

Guid Laur at h

seniors

SENIOR EDITORIAL

THE CLASS OF 2014 SAYS GOODBYE AND GIVES A BIT OF ADVICE ON THE WAY OUT

et’s be honest: you either loved high school or you hated it. Rarely is there middle ground and by now, a lot of you know where you stand.

As a senior going to college next year, I can recognize I’ve made my share of mistakes. I’ve insulted the wrong teachers at the wrong time, written expletives on IB exams, and as you can see below, failed classes, I am a hardened veteran in the war I lost with senioritis. I’m not going to go into detail about the mistakes I made in high school though; rather I would like you to know what to do in the years to come.

If I was a more responsible student, I’d say that you should take full IB, slave away at working towards a cushy diploma, all leading towards going to a nice college. I’m not telling you to do that though. Try to make the most out of the high school experience; after all it only happens once. Full IB is a valuable luxury that Edison offers, but it isn’t for everyone; it sure as hell wasn’t for me. If grades and the future are the number one priority for you, I implore you to take as many IB courses

as you can stuff into your schedule. If you’re like me though and you’d rather look at what is directly in front of you and try to enjoy it as much as possible, make life easier for yourself and relax your schedule. Life is like driving on a highway at night; you can try to

I think it goes hand in hand with my aspirations (not that I have many).

Going to college is a big decision that not many are ready for. College isn’t for everyone, so like full IB, know who you are and know if it’s right for you. I know plenty of people who have gone

look far ahead down the road, or you can just see what’s in your headlights.

There’s nothing wrong with looking ahead, but know who you are, and know what’s best for you.

As for the future, that’s also up to you. I chose to go to VCU next year.

This was a decision I made because

on to do great things in the future, but I’ve also known people living content lives without a degree. Don’t let any teacher or parent tell you where you should go or what you should do with your life. You do you.

All this talk of the future has to tie back into high school somehow. The

Heather Brueggen

L

message I’m trying to say is simply this: try to figure out who you are early on so you can shape your high school experience to be as enjoyable as possible. I didn’t tailor my classes or experiences towards who I am, and that resulted in skipped pep rallies, skipped classes, a lack of school spirit, and an overall lackluster attitude towards high school. It’s your job to not resort to stupid methods like that so high school can instead be a time you can look back on. High school isn’t there to shape you, you’re there to grow and shape it around yourself.

To conclude this critique towards high school, I’d like to say for all the bad moments there were some good ones that shine through. Everything works itself out as long as you make the right friends, get along with the right teachers, and make the right decisions. The right decisions aren’t always the smartest or responsible decisions, but that’s not the point. The point is you’re only doing this once, so you might as well make it as good as possible. The choice is yours. « Liam McElroy, arts editor

Senior Choice Awards

Most Likely to be President

Kristen Erickson and Sean McIntosh

Attached at the Hip (Boys)

Wyatt Seligman and Eric Schmidtlein

Class Clown

Dina Alemu and David Beinhart

Attached at the Hip (Girls)

Muneeba Ahmed and Autumn Dawson

Most Artisitc

Anthony DePalma and Erika Gallagher

Best Singer

Bailie Peele and Jimy Portocarrero

Most Likely to be Famous

McKenzie Sterner and Pedro Silva

Life of the Party

Jamie Barr and Connor Haupt

Best Smile

Sarah Zaraket and Nathan Johnson

Biggest Flirt

Shantel Schexnayder and Brandon Mowery

Best to Take Home to Mom and Dad

Clara Peterson and Declan McDonald

Most Athletic

Troublemaker

Katie Roberts and Louis Colson

Cristina Torres and Brandon Mowery

Most Spirited

Parker Collins and Jonathan Castaneda

Cutest Couple

Abby Chan and Louis Colson

Most Changed Since Freshmen Year

Autumn Dawson and Declan McDonald

Worst Case of Senioritis

Julia Kaiser and Liam McElroy

Best Dressed

Kelly McConnell and Jonathan Castaneda

Campus Heartthrob

Shantel Schexnayder and Danny Riley

Best Hair

Aryam Btew and Timothy Owens

Most Likely to be a Dictator

Abby Chan and Vlad Martin

Biggest Heart

Clara Peterson and David Beinhart

Best Eyes

Caitlin Close and Jacob Michalik

Couple That Never Was

Grace Webber and Sean McIntosh

Strongest

Maral Tsolmon and Ethan Boisvert

Most Likely to Change the World

Khush Rajpoot and Pedro Silva

Teacher’s Pet

Heather Lawrence and Karim Gharbi

Drama Queen

Jamie Barr

Drama King

Kyle Bevenour

3 | The Current| Jun. 2014

the

current

From line leader to grad speaker: Mr. K on his graduation speech

Heather Brueggen

O

Karayannis

smiles after the grad

speaker invitation and poster reveal.

n June 19th, as parents, teachers, and seniors file into the Patriot center, social studies teacher and student government sponsor Chris Karayannis will be preparing to take the stage as the graduation speaker.

In October, Karayannis was voted on by the Class of 2014 to be their graduation speaker. “[The students] had been asking for Mr. K since the beginning of the year. I was like ‘you have to think of something that’ll get him to do it!’” said senior sponsor and English teacher Heather Brueggen. “We got with Choir and came up with the song they could sing without instruments. We thought we could do reasons why he should speak at our graduation and tie them to little gifts. All day we had seniors just

deliver them randomly.”

The proposal, planned and executed by members of the Class of 2014, was quite elaborate. It included the delivery of over one hundred gifts to Karayannis’s classroom throughout one school day. During his planning block, over one hundred seniors participated in a song and formal invitation to be graduation speaker.

“It was a surprise. It was incredibly humbling, very flattering,” said Karayannis of the event.

Edison’s broadcasting class filmed and uploaded the proposal to their YouTube channel. In a little over a week, the video had over 800 views.

Heartwarming displays aside, Karayannis is genuinely excited to be delivering the speech on graduation

day. “I love the senior experience! Its a big day! It’s a positive day, a happy day.

I enjoy being part of it.”

Karayannis has been a part of Edison’s graduations for many years.

He is involved in the organization and preparation and also acts as a line leader during the eevnt itself.

“In the survey we gave out at the beginning of the year, the students wanted Mr. K, hands-down. I know the kids are super excited. He’s impacted a lot of their lives,” said Brueggen.

“I love the transition. I love how genuinely happy and satisfied the kids are,” said Karayannis. “I just really like how it marks this passage. I love sharing that energy, that happiness, that emotion.” « Allie Harris, staff writer

“The average college student changes their major 2.3 times according to one of my deans. Don’t be afraid to study what you really want to and enjoy. not what is expected of you.

Something that surprised me when Igot to college is that I thought I knew how to study. I had all this free time and thought I could get away with studying at 11 PM. But it’s a significant amount of work that you have to complete on your own. Learn how to annotate well!” « Andre Sanabia, graduated from Edison in 2013 and attends UVA.

“There’s going to be a lot going on and being away from home for that long will be an adjustment for everyone. Don’t procrastinate on work but also don’t neglect time for fun. Get involved with the school (sports events, Greek life, or clubs). And if you share a dorm with someone, lay down some ground rules the first week.” « Chris Harris, graduated from Edison in 2008, graduated from West Virginia University in 2012.

“Don’t waste your time on something you don’t care about. Find extracurriculars you enjoy--sports, student media, the “put-bacon-on-itand-eat-it” club (yes, that’s actually a thing). Don’t expect friends to fall into your lap. It’s okay to feel a little lonely at first. It’s also okay to eat alone in the dining hall. Make an effort to get to know your professors and buy shower shoes!” « Sarah King, graduated from Edison in 2013 and attends VCU.

Winning first in Edison’s Got Talent freshman year! « Erika Gallagher

Caitlin Close

David Beinhart

Jamie Nicole Cabling Girls LAX! « Jamie Nicole Cabling

Posing with male cheer leading sensation Ethan “The Mac Daddy” Boisvert. « David Beinhart

Katie Roberts

Erika Gallagher

Jamie Nicole Cabling

reflect on their best high school memories

Sarah King

Chris Harris

Allie Harris

“Your last summer here, just make memories with your high school friends and with your family.

You’ll come back for a few days for breaks, but it won’t be the same. In college, get involved in as many things as possible so you can find out what you really like and dislike. You’ll only find that out by actually getting involved.” « Tara White, graduated from Edison in 2008, attended VWC, works as a coach and a substitute teacher.

Andre Sanabia

Things you should know after you graduate high school

“When the Edison girls soccer team beat Hayfield in overtime!” « Katie Roberts

Being on homecoming court with my bff « Caitlin Close

« Allie Harris, staff writer

Jun 2014 | The Current | 2

seniors

the

Thomas A. Edison High School

Thomas Edison High School • Volume 50 • Issue 4 • 5801 Franconia Road • Alexandria, VA 22310 • June 6th, 2014