The Highlander--issue5 by McLean High School

Look out teen drivers, teachers think the driving age should be raised. Read further on page 13

Check out page 12 to find eco-friendly gifts for everyone on your holiday list

A freshman makes the varsity basketball team, page 18

Learn how McLean ranked 55th in the nation, on page 2

Highlander

Volume 53, Issue 5

December 12, 2008

McLean High School; 1663 Davidson Road, McLean, VA 22101

Beloved custodian retires after 22 years

Assistant Principal Carney announces resignation Devan Kerley News Editor

Talia Roth Editor in Chief

You may or may not have noticed: the halls have been a little quieter, no one is riding that gray cleaning machine down the hallway and school events have one less photographer. But more importantly, a familiar face is missing. Students, teachers and administrators alike are expressing regret for the resignation of custodian Dang Truong after 22 years of service to McLean. “He’s a personality in the school,” guidance counselor Barrett Kashdan said. “You have a lot of faces in this school, but not every teacher, every administrator has a unique personality. You know Dang when he walks down the hall.” Truong is retiring just after turning 65 and said he is too old to work for much longer. “He’s tired,” head custodian John Fesperman said. “He’s worked hard and he’s tired.” Truong worked here for 22 years after moving from Vietnam, where he was in the service and worked as a police officer. He interviewed for the custodial job in 1987 and, according to Fesperman, Truong’s supervisor for all 22 years, he started out strong. “We liked him right at the interview because he was walking and picking up trash while we were talking on our way to the office,” he said. “He seemed very energetic and willing.” On Nov. 8, Truong delivered his notice of resignation to some of his closest friends at McLean. Truong will be officially retired in January, when the paid leave he is using up ends. Teachers, students and administrators have come to rely on Dang. “If anybody needs something, you call Dang,” Kashdan said. “He’ll do it, he always wants to help. He knows exactly what to do.” Dang always does more than you

need, Principal Dr. Deborah Jackson said. “No matter what you ask Dang to do,” she said, “he’s going to make it even better than what you asked.” Senior Jackson Langevoort is a Facility Technician for Fairfax County Public Schools and has worked with Dang on many different occasions. “He could pretty much get anything done,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a person, place or thing in this school he doesn’t know about.” For many at school, Dang has been a friend, in addition to a custodian. “He makes it his business to know the people in the building,” Kashdan said. “He talks to people, he’s intelligent.” Dang is also well known for his infamous Zamboni-like machine, actually called an automatic scrubber. “There’s nothing like seeing him chase someone on that zamboni,” Langevoort said. “I’ve had to dive out of my way my share of times.” Dr. Jackson will miss his work ethic and pride in his work. “Dang brings so much joy to everyone whose life he comes in contact with,” she said. “That smile he has is just infectious. When you see him coming, he puts a smile on your face.” Dang did more for the school than his custodial work, he also took photographs. Jackson said they called him their official photographer. “His photos were phenomenal,” she said. “[At] Every event Dang had his camera.” Truong will be missed for all of his different contributions to this school. “In a lot of schools you have custodians that come and go, it’s a job,” Kashdan said. “Dang made this into a passion. It was his school. He took pride in this school.” While Truong no longer works at McLean, he said he will, and already has been back to visit. “It looks like I’m not leaving,” he said. “I miss everybody, this week I came in three times.” He will be back especially to take pictures, definitely at convocation and graduation, but he will also come back if anyone needs his help. “Anything they need, call me, e-mail me, I come anytime.” According to Truong, the people in this school are second to only his family. Many people felt the same way about him. “Dang was unique and I was very fortunate to have had him in my life,” Jackson said. “I’m going to miss Dang not just as a colleague, but as a friend.” With his retirement, Truong plans to learn more about graphics on the computer and the computer in general. He will also, of course, continue with his photography. But the passion Truong puts into his work is hard to find, according to his colleagues. “I don’t want to downgrade the newer custodians,” Fesperman said. “But workers like Dang, they’re not out there anymore. They don’t go above and beyond.” “If you think about a family, Dang would be the family member that takes care of the family,” Jackson said. “He makes sure that the family is well fed. He makes sure that the family is nurtured, he makes sure the family is looked after and cared for.” “That is me,” Truong said in response to Jackson’s comment.

Assistant Principal Kimberly Carney announced her resignation on Tuesday in an email to faculty. Carney is moving to Hawaii to live with family and teach middle school. Her last day will be Dec. 16. Carney had been considering moving for “a while,” and when a teaching position opened up, Carney said she “wanted to make sure that I took advantage of it.” The announcement came as a surprise to many. “It wasn’t something I wanted to announce until it was final,” Carney said. She has worked at the school for two and a half years as the assistant principal in charge of the English, Social Studies, and Library Departments and as the sophomore class administrator. After working in administration, Carney said she missed teaching. “I’m really looking forward to working with kids in the classroom,” Carney said. “The heart of why I got into education is teaching.” Working as an administrator for the past few years, Carney said, “made me realize how much I miss being in the classroom.” Few were expecting the announcement. “I was surprised,” Helen Stephan said. As head of the Social Studies department, Stephan worked continued on page 4

Students, teachers grieve over former student’s passing

photo courtesy of Elizabeth Sparks Cody Thompson completed basic training in the Army Reserve after graduating McLean in 2008. Thompson passed away Dec. 1.

Moises Cazal News Editor

Former McLean student Cody Thompson passed away last Monday. Thompson, a 2008 graduate, had many friends and family within the community who are mourning his loss. Thompson’s mother recalls his liveliness and humor that always uplifted his peers. “He was wearing his army boots with socks up to his knees, long shorts and a T-shirt on while he was dancing in the middle of Eckerd,” mother Elizabeth Sparks said. “It’s the kind of humor he had.” Cody’s kindness and caring will be remembered. “He always wanted to make people feel good,” Olivia Michael said. “He had nicknames for everybody.” Sparks shares the same opinion about his kindness. “He always knew what to get me for my birthday and Christmas, because he listened,” Sparks said. “He was a good listener.” continued on page 4

NEWS

Highlander

December 12, 2008

Charity flows during Friends of Frosty program Shefali Hegde Reporter

photo by Mohammad Tavakoli Senior Annie Ruehlin, a Leadership student, counts toys that have been donated so far in the Friends of Frosty campaign.

It looks like a Toys ‘R Us exploded in the back half of English teacher Lori Wagoner’s classroom. A sea of boxes containing Barbies, Tonka trucks and Star Wars action figures line the walls. The mass of toys, donated by generous students, are the culmination of the leadership classes’ twelve-day long Toys for Tots campaign. The charity program aims to provide impoverished families in the region with new, unwrapped gifts during the holiday season. McLean’s annual Friends of Frosty program is going all out this winter. For the second year in a row, Leadership chose to collect toys for the Marine-sponsored Toys for Tots foundation. The collection process began on Dec. 1 and ends today. “We’re really pushing for it this year,” senior Scott Richardson said. “Especially with the economy as it is, what we’re doing is really important.” Boxes are set up in every classroom to encourage donations. A “Help McLean” sign blares from the local Starbucks, Books a Million and the CVS. “The whole community is getting involved,” said Lori Wagoner, the SGA sponsor. “The local businesses have been a lot of help. Even the non-SGA students are helping in the organization process.” As of Wednesday afternoon, Leadership had collected 1255 toys out of their total goal of 1800, or one for every student in the school. “Our response has been really high.” Richardson said.

“Just today, we counted 100 toys. We have more than any of the previous years, mostly because in the past we didn’t do such a great job of promoting the program.” The SGA’s high-reaching goal is in step with current dire circumstances. With a flagging economy and the recent surge of nationwide lay-offs, the financial burdens on low and middle-class Americans will be incredibly heavy this year. “It’s important that all children feel loved and wanted during the holiday season, despite their disadvantages,” senior Nina Peck, a Leadership student, said. “Whether or not they can afford toys is irrelevant. They should be able to play and be creative just like any other kids.” “We want to make sure every kid has the opportunity to wake up Christmas morning and see something under the tree,” Richardson said. Charity has become part of the holiday tradition at the school. On Dec. 19, McLean will compete with Langley in a “Cram the Can” drive, in an effort to provide goods for the near-empty local food banks. “We have such a good rivalry going here,” Wagoner said. “We want to channel all that energy into something positive. Our slogan is: ‘Beat Langley and Beat Hunger!’” At the end of the can drive, the totals will be weighed and a winner will be declared. “It would be better if you bring heavier cans. Beans instead of tomato soup, that kind of thing,” sophomore Leadership student Bijan Peters said. “We don’t want to lose on our home turf.”

McLean ranks 55th in nation in new survey Bryan Kress and Shefali Hegde Reporters

A report released by the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) on Dec. 8 positioned McLean High School 55th in rankings for the best high schools in America. The survey included 21,000 schools in 48 states. Excluding private schools and magnet schools, McLean ranked 18th in the nation and first in Virginia. The only Virginia school ahead of McLean was magnet school Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which ranked first in the nation for the second consecutive year, with 100 percent college readiness. Other Fairfax County schools Langley High School, ranked at 76th, and Woodson High School at 90th made the list. This is the second annual high school ranking by USNWR. The news magazine, with the School Evaluation Services (SES) used a new methodology to organize their rankings. Unlike last year, they included results for International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, which are the equivalent to Advanced Placement (AP) classes for some schools. “We included IB courses because they are generally accepted by colleges…since we’re measuring college readiness we thought it was only fair [to include it]. We were leaving

out an important part of college readiness,” USNWR’s Best High School rankings coordinator Robert Morse said. In the 2007 standings, McLean was not included in the Top 100. Morse credits this to the old methodology and student’s performance on state tests. The basic guideline was a school’s readiness for college. The two major pieces of criteria evaluated were the school’s overall performance on proficiency tests, and how well disadvantaged students fared. In the new system, if a school met requirements in those two areas, they were assessed based on AP participation and performance. McLean has a college readiness of 72.5 percent, with 83 percent of students taking at least one AP course. The scale for the rankings has some flaws to it. The survey bases its rankings on the amount of AP or IB courses a school has available, so if a large percentage of students joined an AP course, they would rank higher. A school could rank higher than another regardless of their academic achievements, as long as they have more AP course participation. Some students feel that the magazine’s use of AP exams is not a proper indicator of quality. “I’m glad that McLean was ranked so high, but I wish they had taken other things into concern. AP exams show we have hyper-driven, super-smart students, but what about the school and quality of teaching,

The most recent edition of the weekly newsmagazine U.S. News and World Report ranked McLean as the 55th best public high school in the nation.

in general?” sophomore Jacqueline Rose said. Morse argues certain aspects of school are immeasurable. “Things like quality can’t be measured or compared in a way that’s relative to other schools across the country,” he said. Although USNWR created a new methodology for this year’s ranking of the best high schools, it did not greatly affect McLean. However, with the school’s new ranking at 55th, the change could be attributed to the students and their overall improvement in school.

Administration encourages adherence to honor code Nikki Kaul Reporter

The honor code has been revitalized this year in an attempt to prevent cheating among students. Colored cover sheets with the McLean Honor Code written on them are distributed to classes for students to use during tests, which was proposed by mathematics teacher Adam Shipman. “The cover sheets are used as a steady reminder to students of the honor code and what it implies,” Shipman said. The administration endeavored to decrease cheating in the student body and make honest students feel comfortable in an academic environment. “We placed a lot more of an emphasis on the honor code this year because last year a lot of students and parents came to us to express concern about seeing students cheat,” assistant principal Kimberly Carney said. “They felt the honor code was not being taken seriously.” According to the Fairfax County Public Schools School Improvement Plan for 2008-09, students end up “cheating on exams through texting, looking on other students’ papers and calculators.” “Students cheat when they really need to pass a test so that they don’t fail a class,” sophomore Lauren Jarrett said. The apparent increase of unethical conduct provoked administration to enact alterations to discourage cheating and

The administration surveyed students and parents to get opinions on the issue of cheating, as part of the new push to renew the honor code’s importance. The survey is not yet closed, but the opinions of the 1121 who answered so far show that students as a majority are aware that the honor code is an issue at McLean.

Are students aware of and understand the honor code? 90% Yes 10% No

Have you

witnessed other students cheating? 70% Yes 30% No

Do students respect the honor code? 40% Yes 60% No

Have you report-

ed cheating incidents to a teacher or administrator? 12% Yes 88% No

promote understanding of the honor code. “This year, teachers give firsthand warnings in classrooms to students they may suspect of cheating before the honor code violation goes on a student’s permanent record,” Carney said. “In past years, when the violation went immediately on

a student’s school records, the students were unable to participate in school activities like McLeadership. They did not understand how serious the matter was, until when it came back to bite them.” Some teachers and students however feel that the honor code “obsession is spreading this year,” physical education teacher Joe Muskett said. The fear of failing a class is a predominant catalyst of cheating among students. “The honor code is good in theory,” Jarrett said, “but not so much in practice. The honor code is starting to lose its significance at Mclean. We now have cover sheets that were given to every teacher with the honor code policy on the front. It is useless and is just annoying students here at McLean.” The question that lingers around is whether or not the honor code is really benefiting anyone. “Some students see the honor code around too much, and they just start disregarding it completely,” Jarrett said. Students at McLean, like Jarrett, are asking why they are forced to adhere to the honor code when they are studious and obedient. “Ninety-five percent of rules are made for five percent of the population,” Muskett said. However, the other side states “in order to be a successful student in the long run, the information students produce has to be verified that it is their own work,” Shipman said.

December 12, 2008

NEWS

Highlander

New mural, “Tree of Life,” graces front lobby Devan Kerley News Editor

With students from dozens of countries and cultures, it’s an understatement to say McLean is a diverse community. This diversity is what the Art Honor Society wanted to convey with the mural, called the Tree of Life, they recently completed in the front lobby. “I hope it will serve as a reminder of our diversity and the school’s rich environment,” Swapna Elias, the National Art Honor Society sponsor and head of the fine arts department, said. “There’s more and more evidence of it [diversity] and it seems like something we should celebrate and acknowledge.” The mural was based on a design by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt. Elias and her mother-in-law Lynda Elias, also an artist, had attended a workshop where they learned how to create a mosaic with tiles. The tiles, with symbols of different world cultures on them, were collected from all over the world. The tiles that weren’t donated were made by the art students. Recycled pots, china, and mirrors added to the range of materials in the mural. The project was funded by the International Cultures United Club, which was the reason for the international theme. The location, in the front lobby of the school, was chosen by principal Dr. Deborah Jackson. “It’s the first thing you see when you walk in, so it sets the mood,” Elias said. Students spent a week after school putting the mosaic together after a month of creating the tiles. Though they worked off of a design, the result was not predictable. “You don’t really know how the tiles are going to fit together,” Elias said. “It’s a sort of photo by Mohammad Tavakoli process that evolves as you go.” Senior Juliana Burt, president of the Art Lynda Elias, a guest artist from Ohio, works on the Art Honor Society mural the Tree of Life, which symbolizes the diversity of the school. Elias helped the students with the Honor society, liked the concept of a mosaic. technique of creating a mosaic. “It leaves a lot of room for both creativity and

imperfection,” Burt said. Senior Sarah Kollmorgen, a member of Art Honor Society who worked on the mural, thought the final product was a success. “It looks amazing. It turned out twenty times better than I thought it would,” she said. The students had another goal in mind when they were creating the mural. “We wanted to emphasize the fine arts in the school,” Kollmorgen said. “We feel like they don’t get enough attention.” Elias hopes the mural will call attention to the art program and that “people will get excited about taking art next year,” she said. With large-scale budget cuts imminent, Elias fears that the fine arts department will suffer from cuts in funding. “I know that’s going to hit the fine arts department pretty hard,” Elias said. “It’s important to make clear that the arts are an important part of learning.” Few school-beautification projects have been completed in recent years. “In my experience and from what I’ve heard, nothing like this has been done for a long time,” Elias said. Burt attributes the change to Elias’s leadership. This is Elias’s first year as sponsor of the society, and “both of us have worked a lot more than they did before,” Burt said. Kollmorgen also credits the success to the change in leadership. “It’s more organized and we’re trying to be a lot more prominent in the school,” Kollmorgen said. The society hopes to do one big project, like the mural, every year, Burt said. Other departments have already approached the society with requests for artwork. For now, though, students are enjoying the colorful addition to the school, and the message it holds. “We hope people understand the symbolism of the whole thing,” Elias said. “We weren’t just making a pretty tree.”

Tell us what you think: Have you participated in a McLean college visit? “I have not been to a college visit... I have family that has already been in college and I find out from them what I need to know.” Troy Smith, junior

“I went to the William and Mary visit because I got to speak to the admissions officer and form a relationship.” Rebecka Hoffman, senior

“No, but I want to [go to a visit] so I can check out the colleges and see what I like.” Nina Peck, junior

Record low numbers of students attend in-school college visits Cat Davis Editor-in-Chief

Two, six, three, four, ten, one, zero. No, this isn’t a count off; these are just some of the record low numbers of students who reported to in school college visits in the college career center. Over the past years, college visits have proven to be very popular with upperclassmen because of the information obtained and the individual questions answered. However, attendance rates are now at an all time low. College Career specialist Isobel Rahn has been at McLean for fifteen years and has never seen such low average attendance rates. “I used to have lines out the door of people waiting to sign in,” Rahn said. “Not anymore.” Typically, over fifty students could be expected at a Virginia Tech visit, but this year when only eight showed up, Rahn knew that something was not right and “from there the numbers just continued to go down.” So are these visits just not beneficial to students? Not according to Senior Justin Burnam, who has attended three visits this year alone. “You can ask specific questions and meet with admissions officers who may be the ones to read your application,” Burnam said. In fact, Burnam is embracing such low attendance rates as “It’s like a private interview

because so few people are there.” Junior Vanessa Bretas agrees with Burnam because of the valuable, personal information conveyed. “The visits were very helpful. The representatives from the different schools gave a lot more information than I could have gotten online and they were able to answer specific questions I had about things I was interested in,” Bretas said. So far, 122 different schools have come into the college career center waiting to speak with students. Out of that 122, only 40 have had students to talk to. Translation? More than half of the admissions officers who come through McLean’s doors turn right back around without relaying any information about their college. “When I first started working [at McLean], I felt badly for admissions counselors [when students did not show up], but I learned that’s just what it is,” Rahn said. But for Tim Wolfe, one of Christopher Newport University’s admission officers, attendance rates change with the years. “At the schools I visit I see some fluctuations year in and year out—both up and down. It just depends on the particular school, the tendencies of that particular class—not to mention the characteristics of that specific day,” Wolfe said. “Overall—big picture—we have seen more high schools either stop offering visits, or restrict them to a manner that

isn’t productive.” Surprisingly, it is not just Fairfax County schools that seem to have a recent issue with attendance. “In other areas, we see fluctuations too,” Wolfe said. “It really depends on the culture of the school—do they promote the visits and encourage students to attend? If so, then we usually see fine attendance overall. Again, there might be fluctuations in a given year, but attendance remains steady from a longitudinal point.” Theses visits are not cheap for institutions either. “It is a budget issue,” Wolfe said. Colleges are paying the representative to come to the school; they are paying for transportation and hotel accommodations. Everything adds up, and if students continue to not show interest in the visits, colleges may move onto other means of communicating with High School students such as online chats and e-mails. “There is definitely a chance colleges will cut back on visiting schools in some instances. Every year we re-evaluate our travel to make sure we feel what we are doing is both effective and efficient,” Wolfe said. “Given the state of the current economy, and the resulting impact on college budgets, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ultimately see some colleges cut back on high school visits significantly, or even entirely.”

NEWS

Highlander

December 12, 2008

Man shot at Tyson’s Corner mall

Peter Behm Guest Reporter

photo courtesy of Blaire Holt Students remember Cody Thompson by decorating the rock with personal messages. Cody graduated from McLean in 2008.

Police shot an armed man at Tyson’s Corner Galleria on Nov. 15. Fairfax County Police responded to an emergency call from employees of Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant that there was a disorderly man in a parking deck outside the restaurant. A former employee of Maggiano’s, the man had come to the restaurant and “acted strange” according to police reports. The manager of Maggiano’s asked mall security to escort him to his car. The man was heading back to the restaurant with a handgun, when police intervened.

Police confronted the man and ordered him to put down his gun. When he made a motion to pull the weapon from his waistband, officers shot him in his lower body. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital. According to police, his injuries are not fatal. Initial reports in the media were that the gunman had been fired from the restaurant, but according to NBC Washington, he quit. In a report from the Washington Post, Eskil Amdal, a man who ate at Maggiano’s right after the shooting, said he believes the economic crisis contributed to the man’s actions. “It’s exactly like the movies,”

Amdal said. “It’s extremely sad.” Some McLean students were at the mall on the day of the shooting. Freshman Joe Maestri was in the Galleria at the time of the shooting but did not hear anything. When he left the mall he saw police tape and police in the parking lot. “I was shocked because I was right next to the restaurant at the time the police tried to arrest the man,” he said. Maestri said it would not stop him from returning to Tysons. Parents are concerned, however. A parent said that she’ll “have to think twice about letting my kid visit Tyson’s during the holidays if the security is that lax.”

McLean graduate mourned Carney leaving McLean for Hawaii (cont. from page 1) Cody’s family is proud of his academic accomplishments. “He graduated,” Sparks said jokingly. Cody also managed the Information Technology at CompuGain, loved designing websites and enjoyed to write creatively on his Facebook profile. “He was a computer geek,” Sparks said. For former girlfriend, senior Blaire Holt, everything about Cody will be remembered. “Our year together was really good, we had a really good relationship,” Holt said. “I don’t think there is only one thing I’ll remember. I will remember all of it.” Cody’s happy and outgoing personality helped friends keep the challenges during high school in perspective. “He was really funny, he was a jokester,” close friend and senior Olivia Michael said. “Cody was always flattering, he was really nice.”

While Cody went to McLean, he lived with his best friend Stephen Strickler. He fit in well into the family; even the little children regarded him as an older brother. Heidi Schwarztrauber, Cody’s “second mother” as he called her, plans to build a sanctuary in her backyard dedicated to him. Schwarztrauber says she misses Cody’s company. “It’s hard not to set a plate for him at the table,” she said. Friends who appreciated Cody’s kindness and love set up a support group on Facebook, attracting more than 450 members. The group serves as a way of reminding people that “you should let people know how much you care about them and you should carry that smile of Cody’s around,” Schwarztrauber said.

Jackson praised Carney’s work. (cont. from page 1) “There are leaders who, because of closely with Carney. “We their commitment to education hate to lose her. It’s hard and students, are considered outto say goodbye to someone standing,” she said. “Ms. Carney who’s been such a good is…one of the outstanding ones.” friend and such a good adThough she is looking forward ministrator.” to living in the “Aloha” state, CarPrincipal Dr. Deborah ney is leaving with mixed feelings. Jackson said via email that Students here, she said, are “the she was surprised when she best students I’ve had, and I’ve learned of Carney’s resignaworked at four different schools… tion but “I always encourage staff to take advantage photo by Mohammad Tavakoli it’s shocking how high caliber you are.” Working at McLean was a of opportunities to further “growing experience for me,” Carney said. their careers.” In Hawaii, Carney will teach middle school EngWhile at McLean, Carney founded Latinos Del Futuro, a club for Hispanic girls. She also worked lish, World History, and ukulele. Though Carney with the Teacher Leadership Grant program and the doesn’t play the ukulele, it is a required part of the curriculum there, so she will learn “one step at a time. McLeadership program. “For such a young administrator she’s certainly It’ll be interesting,” she said. Carney is looking forward to spending the winter made a huge impact on the school,” Stephan said. Until a replacement for Carney is found, a substi- months in Hawaii. Her New Year’s resolution, she tute administrator will fill her responsibilities. “I’m said, is learning to surf. “I’m going with a heavy heart but as soon as I see anxious to see who her replacement will be,” Stephan said. “Whoever they are, they have some big shoes to the beach it won’t be so heavy,” Carney said. fill—even though she only wears a size 7.”

Plummeting economy causes favorable gas prices Charlie Park Copy Editor

Recently, people have enjoyed fuel prices sliding down at the gas pumps. The U.S. average unleaded gas price per gallon reached $1.80, the lowest price in four years recently. It’s been only five months since the average hit the record high $4.12 per gallon July 17. AP World History teacher Richard Eyerly explained the decrease in prices. “There was low supply and high demands of gasoline, that brought the prices up,” Eyerly said. “In the last couple months, demands have gone down, which brought the price down.” The worsening job market is cited as part of the reason for a lower demand in gasoline. CNN reported that the economy has lost 1.9 million jobs since the start of the recession in December 2007, and The New York Times report the number of unemployed people has increased by 2.7 million-now there are 10.3 million out of work. The Department of Labor reported on Dec. 5 that about 533,000 jobs were lost in the United States. Consumer spending fell as a result, bringing about a lower demand of gasoline. Although the current gasoline price is in its

lowest in four years, there are circumstances where it may go back up. MarketWatch reported Dec. 6 that the crude oil price may increase next year because the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) may decide to lessen oil production on Dec. 17. “A consensus has formed for a significant reduction of production levels,’’ OPEC President Chakib Khelil told the Associated Press (AP). AP reported Dec. 6 that OPEC would not discuss how deep the output cut would be, but said it could be “severe,’’ and noted that some analysts are predicting cuts of as much as 2 million barrels per day. The shorter supplies of oil will bring higher prices at the pumps. “There will be a lower supply, but the demands will stay the same.,” Eyerly said. “So you will have a limited resource with large demand, which will bring the price up.” “Luckily my Saab is decently fuel-efficient, but I’ll have to drive less,” senior David Markoff said. “We can drill here, not necessarily Alaska, but we have lots of shore oil. Just like what Bush said, we should drill here.”

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Feb. 2008

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This year, the average U.S. price for a gallon of regluar gasoline has climbed to an all-time high in July. Over the next ﬁve months, the price slid down to the lowest in four years.

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EDITORIALS

December 12, 2008

Highlander

NOVA: Where the savvy students go Ned Burchfiel Managing Editors

Our school is in one of those strange areas where, if you tell your classmates that you’re going to a top-ranked community college, some of them will look down on you. In truth, attending Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC or NOVA for short) is one of the smartest education choices a McLean senior can make. “You’re going to get [professors] at NOVA who have the best education; they’re professionals in their field,” government teacher Ian Howell said. In a region like Northern Virginia, as Howell pointed out, there’s no shortage of qualified educators. That’s why the college is able to offer 160 different associate-level degrees. College costs are skyrocketing? Tell that to the students D U KE at NOVA, where those living on campus, according to Collegeboard.com, will pay less than $4,000 for a year’s worth of education. To put that number in perspective: you could attend NVCC for two years and buy an SLKClass Mercedes for less than the cost of two years at Randolph Macon College. Idil Hirad, who graduated a year early from McLean, is now able to finance all her own education at NOVA. “Because I could pay for it myself, I kind of just feel a little bit older, and, I mean, I’m going on my own anyway pretty soon,” she said. Hirad considers NVCC a “nice gateway” into a four-year school. True, if you’re looking for an intimate community with lots of students out on campus playing guitar, NVCC isn’t the place for you. This is a two-year school geared towards those looking for a great education at a great price. If your ideal “college experience” is one of football games and after-midnight beer parties, don’t bother applying. But, should you be undecided about your major, NOVA offers “the exact same courses and the exact same credits,” Howell said, as schools costing tens of thousands more. Hirad is

Duke!

UVA!

April 2, 2009

happy with her experience, saying, “I really like most of my classes here... it’s not about just the school in general; it’s the professor that you take.” Despite our high rate of matriculation (61 students from the class of 2008 decided to attend NOVA), I fear that many seniors won’t consider applying. Students here—and I am not innocent myself—often put more weight on a college’s name than they do on the school’s practicality. As a result, schools like Yale, Columbia and Dartmouth are venerated while NOVA gets none of the attention. If the Class of 2009 gave NOVA a serious look, I think many would be surprised by the caliber of its programs—and the transfer options students have to great colleges like William and Mary and UVA. Consider two students. One gets accepted into Harvard University and decides to attend. The other goes to NOVA. Judging by colleges alone, many of us would call the first kid the smarter of the two. (If they got into Harvard, they must be, right?) But somewhere in the selection process, the latter student realized that by Ned Burchfiel Northern Virginia Community College has a stunning array of classes and credits for an unrivaled cost. Based on that decision, I’m inclined to call the second student the brighter one. We’re lucky to live in a country with over 3,000 colleges and universities, but even luckier to live in a state where a college education comes at just $4,000 a year. I give NOVA an A in value.

Yale !

NOVA?

Controlling the temperature throughout the school Asli Uyanik Reporter

The faulty heating system at McLean High School leaves teachers yelling over the noise of the vents while students sit shivering in their seats. McLean High School employs an integrated Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system (HVAC). The system that’s used in McLean was designed and put up to bid for private companies. Bill Mutscheller, the FCPS Director of the Office of Facilities Management, said that FCPS chooses the company that agrees to do the job for the lowest amount of money. The HVAC system that is used in classrooms today at McLean has three options: warm, cool, or off. As specified in School Board Regulation R8534, the temperature range for schools is 70 – 76 degrees Fahrenheit as a standard set by the Office of Energy Management. With the “warm” and “cool” options, teachers cannot determine the temperature at which the room is set; they just guess depending on if the students complain it’s too warm or too cold. It would be much easier if the controller displayed the degree instead of making the teachers fiddle around with the controller to get to a comfortable temperature. In my opinion, I think the school uses the “warm” and “cool” settings to hide the fact that the HVAC system cannot keep the room in a set temperature. This means that the system will heat/cool the room until the setting is changed. Another issue with the system is that sometimes when it is on, the noise is so loud that it distracts both the students and the teachers. “Most of my teachers complain that they can’t hear the students over the noise of the heating vents. One of my teachers even used to put textbooks on the vent to muffle the sound so that we could hear her,” sophomore Nisha Rana said. It’s a common misconception that the reason the vents are so loud is because they are old.

Mutscheller said, “A school’s entire HVAC system will generally keep its original design until the school is due for its next renovation… it is the School Board’s goal to renovate schools on 20 to 25 year cycles. However, due to funding (bond-cap) limitations established by the County Board of Supervisors, school renovation cycles tend to be longer than the School Board’s goal.” McLean just underwent a renovation that ended 4 years ago. This poses two problems: we will not get another renovation until at least 2020 and the system will probably only get worse with time as the vents start to malfunction more than they do now. A quiet and more efficient way to heat the school could be setting up vents that are more commonly used at home and in businesses. The heating system could still be a HVAC system but instead of having the vents blowing the air upwards, they could be located lower to the ground which is the set up commonly used in houses and businesses and is quieter than the system used now. Also, it will heat/cool the room more efficiently. The vents lower to the ground blow the warm across the room rather than upwards which enables the room to become warmer quicker. This could not only save energy, but money as well because teachers will not have to keep the heaters working constantly. The quieter heating systems also will not disrupt class or muffle the voices of quite students. FCPS denies that it uses the cheapest design available. They say instead that they create a design and then put the job up for bid and they pick the company from there. If this is the case, then they should either create a better design that is

both quiet and has a temperature sensor to keep the rooms at a standard degree or they should use the heating systems that are commonly used in houses and businesses.

art by Kyana Afshar

EDITORIALS

Highlander

December 12, 2008

Who are we really cheating?

Alison Shapiro Editorials Editor

As soon as the teacher looks away for one minute, everybody turns to each other in search for the answers. When you’re stuck in a rut during a test, and you don’t know what to do, the person sitting next to you could be there to lend you some help. We all know we’ve seen this situation before. A student is frantic for the answer and knows that they need a good grade on the test, so their last resort is to cheat their way through it. Many students can admit they’re cheaters. Whether they want to or not, they’ve probably copied someone’s homework once or twice or peeked over at someone else’s test when the teacher wasn’t looking. Cheating is an issue at almost every high school, and no matter how hard administration tries to enforce an Honor Code, sometimes it doesn’t always stick. Cheating is not a concern when it happens a few times. It’s when you constantly copy homework, quizzes, and tests that it starts to become an issue. Sooner or later, all that work that you’ve yet to learn is going to catch up to you, and you won’t be able to survive college or life ahead. Each grade level prepares you for the one ahead. Middle school prepares you for high school, high school for college, and college for life. It may be easier, but not too wise, to cheat your way through middle and high school. But once you go to college, you’ll wish you never had memorized the answers to those final exams just to get that A. You’ll find yourself unprepared for the tougher college courses that may be harder to cheat through. But how does cheating benefit you at all? Obviously, you’re not doing your own work or thinking your own thoughts. You’re not able to expand your knowledge; you only take from others. Spanish teacher Linda Schultz said, “I don’t think [it] gives students any self-worth.” Schultz also believes that students can’t get satisfaction from their work if they’re not doing it on their own. Students probably cheat for many different reasons, but it seems like most students either feel too much pressure from parents’ expectations or they feel too much stress from all of their classes piling up on

their shoulders. “Some of [cheating] is being lazy, they don’t want to put the effort into studying, or they overextend themselves because they don’t budget their time,” Schultz said. Junior Gill Hunt agrees with Schultz about the reasons students may cheat. She agrees that students may be lazy, among other reasons. “I think students cheat because of pressure and not enough preparation,” Hunt said. And what if you get caught? You may be sly the first few times, but if one day you’re caught peeking at another person’s paper, that’s one big mistake permanently on your record. Colleges will look at that and think, “do we really want her/him at our school?” You may miss out on getting into a really great college because of your stupid mistake, and then you may not be able to get the job you want in the future. Who knew that one little mistake could ruin your future? “I’m very fair, but [students] get a zero on the test, or that part of the test, and a referral,” Schultz said regarding cheaters in her class. While you may be used to cheating through high school to get into college, there’s absolutely no way you can cheat your way through life. You’re on your own after college. You have to find your own job and you can’t trick your way into a promotion. There’s no way you can cheat off of someone else at your job. When you’re panicking and freaking out about something that you haven’t done, you have to figure it out on your own and you can’t rely on someone else to clean up your dirty work. You have to provide for yourself and earn your own money. You can’t pull a bank heist like in the movies and think you’re going to get away with it. All those years of copying other people’s work hasn’t prepared you to think on your own. Unfortunately, you can’t drag along your high school buddies all your life and beg them for the answers. When you think about it, getting into college for you was a lie. Those college professors let you in for your fictional grades that you didn’t even earn and they are going to expect you to do well in their university, but all you’re going to do is crash and burn without a reliable source to cheat off of.

Cheat Sheet A study by The Center for Academic Integrity found that almost 80 percent of college students admit to cheating at least once. According to surveys in U.S. News and World Report, 80 percent of “high-achieving” high school students admit to cheating. In a sample of 1,800 students at nine state universities, 52 percent had copied a few sentences from a website without citing the source. According to surveys in U.S. News and World Report, 51 percent of high school students did not believe cheating was wrong.

info courtesy of plagirism.org infographic by Ned Burchfiel and Alison Shapiro

A catastrophe regarding the College Board Prianka Das Advertising Manager

We all have to go through the process of taking the SATs, the SAT IIs, sending our scores, and the list seems to go on and on all in hopes of getting into the college of our dreams. This is all done by the big monopoly we know as the College Board. The College Board has complete confidence in their consumers, because high school students have no other option but to take their tests. What power does the College Board have to ask for large amounts of money from people for their exams and even more cash to send test results off to colleges? Also, how successful really is the College Board in determining the right and valid test questions that decide students’ futures? Who are they to decide? Colleges do not only look at the SAT score, so colleges do have other ways to gather and measure someone’s academic

potential, because I’m sure the College Board cannot measure it alone. The SATs do not cover a wide variety of subjects and therefore cannot possibly evaluate you as a person. Senior Zoon Tariq said, “I think there are three things for college admissions. One of them is SAT, GPA, and extra curriculars. The GPA and grades are the most stressed, since you spend the most time in it. You spend time with your grades and GPA for four years. It’s a lot of effort and work.” “Students pay considerable sums of money for their tests, and the scores can often determine a student’s future options. In such an influential industry, consumer rights are of utmost importance, and the College Board monopoly is a serious threat to many students’ interests,” said reporter Anne Widera in The Paly Voice in “College Board monopoly contradicts American ideals”. A monopoly is a company or group that takes total manipulation of prices. However, there are legal monopolies that are granted by the government, whereas the College

The

Highlander

Editors in Chief Cat Davis Talia Roth Managing Editors Ned Burchfiel Molly Welch Photo Editor Mohammad Tavakoli Online Editor Sarah Albani Advertising Manager Prianka Das Section Editors News Devan Kerley Moises Cazal Copy Editor Charlie Park

Board is currently being administered by former Gov. Gaston Caperton of West Virginia. Honestly, the College Board really has no other competition and may feel free whenever to heighten prices for test products. What other company deals with all the issues of the SAT and college preparation. They are gaining too many unfair benefits and taking ultimate control over their numerous innocent and unknowing consumers. Kurt A. Mueller, an attorney licensed to practice in Virginia said, “My gut answer is that it is not an illegal monopoly.” However, note that he did not say that it was not a monopoly. It may not be illegal yet, but with the College Board gradually getting more and more manipulative, I think it’s on its way to becoming harmful. I still however believe that the College Board is taking advantage of their customers. Even if the legality of the issue is doubtful, the College Board should be closely chaperoned to confirm their ways are indeed legitimate. ‘05, ‘07 CSPA Gold Medalist 08’ Silver Medalist

06’ NSPA Pacemaker finalist Hall of Fame 07’ All American winner

VHSL Savedge Award

http://www.mhspress.com

Circulation Managers Bridget Berry Paige Kinghorn Editorials Ali Shapiro Features Jasmine Mohandesi Sports David Berk Lizzie Masghara Assistant Sports Andrew Davis In-Depth Holly Betancourt Reporters Chris Herron-Venancio Ibrahim Jacobs Henry Kuhl Nikki Kaul

Bryan Kress Torin Liberthson-Brown Zenobia Morrill Cammie Meade Reza Masghara Daniel Jabbour Daniel Marx Rubina Sarkisian Asli Uyanik Shefali Hegde Adviser Amy Poe

Volume 53, Issue 5 Published 12 times yearly McLean High School 1633 Davidson Road McLean, VA 22101 703-714-5838

The Highlander is a public forum in which members of the school community can express themselves, discuss issues and exchange ideas. Printed at Silver Communications. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Advertising Policy: The Highlander sells ad space on each page of the paper except on the opinions pages, front page, back page and center spread. To Subscribe: Mailed subscriptions of the Highlander are available for $20 per year. E-mail highlanderstories@gmail.com for information. To Write a Letter to the Editor: Please e-mail highlanderstories@gmail.com.

December 12, 2008

7 The Twilight phenomenon stirs up controversy

EDITORIALS

Cr ssfire:

Highlander

Molly Welch Managing Editor

I never claimed to understand teenage girls. We cause drama as often as we make up; we cry over boys but hold out hope that we’ll find a good one. Most of it is pretty incomprehensible— but rather than confuse me more, teen fanaticism over Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight has given me some insight into what makes us tick. Sure, Stephanie Meyer’s no Shakespeare. The Twilight series is, by Shefali Hegde some standards, of questionable literary merit—the writing is sometimes Reporter a little unsophisticated, the plot stumbles over a few roadblocks, and some I thought I understood teenage girls. Really, I did. But this latest “literary” developcharacters are one-dimensional. But don’t write the series, or Stephanie ment turned Hollywood “film” turned cult following has not only belied this idea, it has Meyer, for that matter, off yet. destroyed it in such an irrevocable manner that I am feeling an estrangement from my For one thing, Twilight is written for a specific audience, namely (surprise) demographic—who have all incidentally seemed to turn into High School Musical/Hanyoung adults, specifically girls. Outside of this demographic, it’s hard to make a nah Montana/vampire-obsessing fan-girls. judgment on the merit of the books. But it’s no question that within this bracket, Because the fourth component and the movie adaptation were released within a few they’ve been wildly popular: on the first day after its release, Meyer’s fourth installmonths of each other, Twilight bement of the series, Breaking came the 2008 mass-phenomena Dawn, sold 1.3 million copof the teenage girl subculture. ies, and the Twilight movie But all of the hype, all of the rimade a stunning $70.55 diculous displays of obsession in million in its first weekforms of T-shirts, buttons, and end of release. Obviously, Facebook bumper stickers, hide people—a lot of people— an essential truth: Twilight is proare reading the series and digiously bad. It is literature in responding very strongly in its lowest-common-denominator its favor; it’s publishing and form, superficial to the core and cinematic gold. hoisting a redundant plot. But it’s not only among Despite this – every book in teenaged girls that Twilight the Twilight series has held the has had such astronomical #1 spot on the New York Times success. College students, Bestseller list, with a collective 13 moms, and tweens alike are million copies sold. And on Nowild for the story of a huvember 21st, 2008 Twilight was man girl falling in love with unleashed on the big screen, hitan admittedly gorgeous ting the top of the Blockbuster vampire, turning out in immediately and selling out at droves for movie premieres 80% of its screenings. and book releases. What Scariest of all is the accompaabout Meyer’s allegedly subnying cult-like frenzy. “Girls have standard writing gets womgone into vampire stalker-mode. en of different ages, levels They camp out at malls, form of education, and measures stampedes to get autographs, of experience rereading the scream things like “Bite me!” at books late at night? To say the actors. The whole thing is so that women are enraptured weird,” says Junior Grace Redsimply by the physical beaudish. ty of Meyer’s sparkly vamStephanie Meyer’s novel is a repires is, in my estimation, a gurgitation of an incredibly basic poor and unfair summation sci-fi / overblown romance story: of the motivations of womgirl meets boy, girl finds out boy en in society today. is vampire, girl and boy conveThe answer is that womniently fall “unconditionally and en connect to Twilight. It irrevocably” in love, boy saves girl, appeals to our most funthe end. damental longings, estabYet Stephanie Meyer, with her lished in childhood by fairy lack of literary talent, fails to pull art by Kyana Afshar tales and Disney romances, off even this most embryonic of for that “true love.” Whether it surfaces in our lives or arrives in the form of a vampire clamoring into our action-schemes. window at night (okay, whatever, read the book) is a different story. Regardless, such a broad and intense The ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ are cookie-cutter boring - no flaws, no personality reaction indicates that females, whatever age, can relate to Bella’s experiences. And if her character is a cliquirks, no depth that makes them even remotely relatable. Readers are mind ché, it makes it all the more easy for women to see themselves in her shoes. numbed by Isabella Swan - the most inane, aggravatingly clichéd narrator The shortcomings of Meyer’s writing aside, it’s obvious that the series conveys emotion very effectively, ever crafted – and her ridiculously flowery, excessive discourse throughout and that’s something difficult to teach in a writing course. People are more passionate about mythical vamthe novel. Bella’s eternal damsel-in-distress role, combined with Edwards’ pires and vampire-werewolf relations than they are about real-life events. So, okay, she’s not writing on the constant allegations that “She’s mine!”, places her as one of the weakest great philosophical female characters in recent history. Not someone girls can look up to, q u e s t i o n s of modern definitely not someone they can relate to. society or using the When Bella meets Edward Cullen, her angsty vampire soul-mate-toE n g l i s h language be, it gets even more disturbing. She spends paragraphs on end gushing to explore the darkover how dazzlingly handsome he is. I will spare you the excerpts, but est depths of human as a forewarning, almost all the sentences are like this: “The meadow, nature. At its core, the story is a fluffy, light read about a forbidden romance. But Meyer has a commendable so spectacular to me at first, paled next to his magnificence.” depth of emotion in her writing that many other authors lack. Really, though, it doesn’t have to be great litOr “His beauty stunned my mind - it was too much, an exerature; the story has brightened the lives of many a young adult and has certainly given a lot of girls higher cess I couldn’t grow accustomed to. standards for the men in their lives. And this vomit-inducing, completely unrealistic “beauty” is the Finally, if Twilight is a stepping stone into literature for many young people who usually avoid reading like entire appeal of the book. Meyer banks on the superficiality of her the plague, I’ve got no complaints about its literary merit. A lot of kids our age avoid written text as a rule, and, readers. That they be so blown away by how incredibly beautiful in fact, are bored stiff by the great philosophical questions of our time. We’re a visual generation, firm believers everybody is, they forget how bad the actual material is. Apparin the adage that a picture—or a video game, or a Facebook album—is worth a thousand (or more) words. Who ently, it worked. can belittle the series if it helps our generation get back into reading? Its adept use of literary devices or complex Does a book this devoid of quality really warrant thousands message isn’t why it’s been advertised in the McLean High School library for three straight months; it’s advertised of fan-clubs, one based in our school? Does a book that has there because it encourages kids of diverse interests to read. so tragically annihilated teenage girls’ perception of good litSo, snootiness aside, I hope that Twilight remains a fixture on the young adult literary menu. No, Stephanie erature really deserve to be advertised in the McLean High Meyer is not James Joyce, but who ever claimed she was? She caters to an audience who can connect with her School library for three straight months? Hopefully, the writing, and she’s reviving a long-dormant population of young readers. As long as girls keep pining after true New Year will mark the demise of the vampire craze and love, Meyer’s vampire heroes will be in high demand, and I’m okay with that. Twilight will soon be buried in our generation’s Best-

Twilight: all hype, no substance

Don’t be so quick to knock it

Forgotten Trends bin.

FEATURES

Highlander

December 12, 2008

The case of the notoriously hard class Disgruntled by over-achieving students when you can barely make the grade? Put the pitchforks down and take a step back. Sure, it’s frustrating when you get that D+ in your AP class. You could have managed a C if it weren’t for that one person, the curve ruiner. You know, the person that manages to always get a good grade no matter how hard the class seems to be. Stop the attack. We’ve done an in-depth investigation and asked the culprits for their advice for success in these hard classes. A spectacular grade in an advanced course is no longer a mystery. After taking a closer look, it turns out that there is no secret, no withheld information. It’s the same basic stuff we have all been hearing (and probably ignoring) since elementary school. Here are the techniques of over-achievers revealed. The following senior students are considered guilty of curve-ruining: Suspect #1:

Suspect #2:

Suspect #3:

Adam Scott

Jessie Nucho

Anthony Charles

Courses: Multi-variable Calculus, AP Literature, AP Statistics Study Tips: “Do NOT procrastinate, and if you do, just work hard until you get it done.” Interesting Fact: Adam has always had great study skills and been “fairly organized.” He spends about 3-4 hours a night on school work.

Courses: Multi-variable Calculus, AP Physics, AP Literature Study Tips: Do your homework. Learn the best way to go about the class and adapt to it. “Don’t procrastinate. Don’t wait until the end of the unit to understand the information.” Interesting Fact: Nucho developed her study habits a long time ago. For her “doing well has always been important.” AP Physics is her most challenging class. It’s not the overconsuming workload, but the rigorous nature of the work itself that makes it difficult.

Suspect #4:

Anna Kobylski

Courses: Multivariable Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Literature and AP Computer Science

Courses: AP Literature, AP Government, AP French, AP Statistics, Chamber Orchestra

Study Tips: Do all the work, listen to what the teacher says and pay attention. “Don’t save studying until the last minute.” Interesting Fact: It turns out he hasn’t always been on top of his game. “In 9th grade I got a couple D’s on some math tests and after that, I decided I never wanted that again and I cranked it up.”

Study Tips: In math classes, do your homework every night to keep concepts fresh in your head. “Don’t save all the work for one night.” Interesting Fact: Anna has played the cello with the McLean Chamber Soloists since she was a sophomore.

infographic by Jasmine Mohandesi and info by Zenobia Morrill

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December 12, 2008

Highlander

There are a lot of driving schools to choose from. The following are some of the things you should look for when choosing a driving school. Are They…: x Licensed by Virginia State Department of Motor Vehicles? x Teaching only in the State of Virginia (some states do not meet Virginia requirements)? x Experienced? How many years? (Should be at least 15) x A driving school (-or-) a licensing program? x Teaching on a parking lot (-or-) actually on the road with traffic? (How much of either)? Note: Less than ½ of one percent of the death toll takes place in parking lots x Scholarship oriented? x Members of the Better Business Bureau? x Members of Professional Driver Educators of Virginia Association (PDEV’s)? x Members of the National Association of Driving Schools (DSAA)?

IN-DEPTH

Highlander

2010-11 amounts to a game-changing $218,900,000

Budget deficit

e l i p s up

Holly Betancourt In-depth editor

and 34 students. One of the first activities expected to be cut is girls Despite the fact that Fairfax County is one of the gymnastics, a winter sport. By cutting gymnastics richest counties in the country, our school board is in the county will save $221,000. First year gymnastics the same position as many others who are also facing coach and English teacher Farris Gale attributes the a large budget deficit for next year. Our school board decision to cut gymnastics because it is a dangermust decide which programs may be cut without in- ous sport and there has been low participation. This terfering in the education of the more that 160,000 year’s varsity team only has five gymnasts. “It wasn’t students, thus having a negative impact on student my decision and I would like to see it come back next year.” Along with gymnastics, winter track is also in achievement. consideration for being cut The challenge will next year. be to balance next year’s A major change for teachbudget deficit for fiscal ers is that they may not reyear of 2010. Fairfax ceive cost of living adjustCounty Public School ments. Every year teachers administration has pro[Fairfax County] is going receive “step” raises based on jected that the budget to pack the classes. They the number of years they have deficit will be around been teaching and the num$218.9 million. But, save alot of money by inber of degrees they have. In this is nothing new. creasing the class size. the past theses adjustments Last year, the school have equaled about $1,500, board faced a budget -John McGinnis McGinnis. “[The possible deficit of $100 million. History teacher elimination of step raises adThey chose to raise class justments] is very, very, very sizes by .5 students, and bad for younger teachers and cut many of the sumit may discourage them from mer school programs. staying in education. [Fairfax With next year’s budget County] looses a tremendous deficit twice the size of amount of teachers because last years, more drastic of finances,” McGinnis said. In addition, because changes are set to occur. FCPS Superintendent Jack Dale has proposed of the downturn of the economy and money lost a three-tiered plan on how to balance the counties’ some teachers are putting of their retirement to teach budget. Tier one includes any program reductions for more years. History teacher Barbara Ruff had that would not dramatically alter instruction, and planned on retiring after this year but has delayed tier three being the most dramatic cuts. Total tier her retirement due to the downturn of the economy. one reductions would total $43 million, compared to She made the decision in the last couple of months $123 million and 775 positions in tier two. Tier three as she saw her retirement funds dwindling. “When I would bring the biggest changes, requiring a reduc- retire I’d like to travel, and you need a lot of money for that,” Ruff said. tion of $219 million and a loss of 1,500 positions. And things are not expected to improve anytime sSuperintendent Dale has said that class sizes may increase by as many as 2.5 students, changing the dy- soon with the recent acknowledgment by the Nanamics of the classroom. “[Fairfax County] is going tional Bureau of Economic Research that the US has to pack the classes. They save a lot of money by in- been in a recession for a year now. The final budget creasing the class size,” History teacher John McGin- decision for the fiscal year of 2010 will not be made nis said. He expects the class sizes to vary between 30 until May 2009, and will begin in July 2009.

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Highlander

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December 12, 2008

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December 12, 2008

Highlander

Romeo and Juliet production does Shakespeare justice

photo by Lizzy Sullivan During the final monologue of the school production “Romeo and Juliet,” senior Charlie Cook as Mercutio grabs and yells at senior Michael Robinson playing Romeo. The student actors perfomed three nights in the auditorium.

Jodie Awudetsey Guest Reporter

“How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night,” proclaims Romeo as he stands outside of Juliet’s balcony. And truly, the school’s production of Shakespeare’s classic tale of tragic love was “silver-sweet” with romance and passion as

they set this play in France during the Impressionist Era. “Romeo and Juliet” is the story of two young members of feuding families—the Capulets and the Montagues—who fall madly in love and, due to fate or unlucky circumstance, tragically commit suicide in the name of their love. The cast breathed new life into this old story with Impressionist paint-

ings projected beautifully onto their backdrop, symbolizing the complexity and hastiness of young love. Enhancing the uncertainty and tension of the plot, the gorgeous set was created by senior Jackson Langevoort and the set construction crew. The Escher-esque arrangement of stairs and elevated blocks was simple, yet effective in transforming the space from one setting to the next. Lighting, designed by Langevoort and senior Martin Zavala, was breathtaking with interesting features, including bulbs hidden within the blocks that allowed them to change color, and even a working chandelier that seemed to descend from the ceiling during the Capulet-hosted party. Senior Michael Robinson was a delight to watch as the swooning and swaying Romeo. His nimble movements and expressive line readings exhibited his understanding of the Bard’s antiquated language, which translated well to the audience. His counterpart, the fair Juliet (Vanessa Bretas), was also convincingly young and vibrant, showing a full range of emotion as she gracefully traveled across the stage. Although some characters’ lines were lost due to pitch or a fast rate, Mercutio, senior Charlie Cook and junior Angelica, Leila Goldstein, shone during their time on stage. Cook’s portrayal of Romeo’s fiery friend was both passionate and exciting as he utilized the large stage and his props to complete his characterization. Frequently he had the audience chuckling, despite the somberness of the play as a whole. Goldstein, though not having much stage time, was equally memorable as the illiterate, but adorable, servant in the Capulet household. Her facial expressions were appropriate and humorous. The Bard is a tough challenge for any high school to take on, but Mclean rose to the occasion well. The metaphors used in their set and backdrops were evident, well thought out, and it was clear that the cast had a genuine understanding of the script. Overall it was a gorgeous production that certainly did William Shakespeare justice.

President-elect Obama: stereotypical American father Cammie Meade Reporter

When President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will have thousands of people idolizing him not only because he is the first African-American president, but also because he is a very personable man who is very relatable to the typical American family. With a loving wife and two young daughters, he does many of the same daily activities that parents around the nation might do, such as dropping their kids off at school or running by the gym for a quick workout. Obama has been photographed playing basketball and leaving his children’s school in sweatpants and a baseball cap, very similar to what we may see around here. Although the Obama’s have tried to keep their family as normal as possible throughout the entire process, some of their hopes have been compromised because of security concerns that have come with Obama’s new job. David Welch, a McLean parent and the Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, has experienced similar situations. “I am a highly visible public servant and security is important,” Welch said. Welch added that security in the United States is not as strict as it is overseas. The family lived in Egypt for three years, and security was a concern while they were living there. “The kids had to ride in armored cars,” Welch said. Obama and his wife had initially expressed interest in having their two young girls, Malia, ten, and Sasha, seven, attend a public school in Washington, D.C. However, the family turned their sights to private schools in D.C. because security would be easier to handle at private schools where children of Presidents attended in the past. The Obama’s also connected to all of the dog lovers across the nation when Obama confessed that he had promised to buy the girls a puppy if he won the Presidential election. The family has decided to adopt a dog from a shelter, but has had to narrow their choices due to Malia’s allergies. Young children have been scarce around the White House in recent years. However Malia and Sasha should bring youth back to the nation’s capital. The many activities of the girls will allow parents around the country to relate to the president-elect and his busy schedule. Jean Davidow, a McLean mother, believes that Obama’s children have helped unite the public. “Young people in the White House will bring vibrancy,”

Davidow said. Although many see Obama as a typical American, he has just made history by becoming the first African-American President elected to office. Davidow believes that this may have connected the American public to the new man in town. “Everyone wants to be a part of it and everyone is excited,” Davidow said. “There is a lot of confidence that he will be able to bring change.” Part of this change began when Obama started to appoint his team of advisors. “His transition is moving quicker than ever,” Davidow said. “But it has to because he is jumping into a country that is in a recession and is involved with two wars.” Davidow believes that keeping the public informed is helping Obama relate to the public. “He is holding a press conference every week,” Davidow said.

The Obamas will also have to deal with a greater amount of press during the presidency, and many worry that it might affect the family. Welch however, doesn’t have to worry about that. “My family is a politicized family,” Welch said. “Our family life has adapted to that.” Welch wants his family to accept his position in the government. Welch admits that what Obama has ahead of him is very difficult. “He is the President of the United States,” Welch said. “He has to live in a bubble in the White House.” President-elect Barack Obama attends elementary school PTA meetings and kicks a soccer ball around with his kids. However, he will soon have to attend to the entire United States. “He is juggling a lot,” Davidow said.

Choosing the First Dog Although the focus since the election has been on the transition of Barack Obama into the presidency, many Americans are still eagerly awaiting the decision by the Obama family concerning the breed of their soon-to-be dog. Here’s types of dogs that some students and teachers at McLean recommend for the family.

Labradoodle Labradoodles are: -sociable -friendly -intelligent

odleinfo courtesy of http://labrado tion.php dogs.net/labradoodleinforma

“I think they should get a Havanese, it’s a really good type of dog and it’s really friendly.”

photo by Melanie Derwey

-Katie Shedlock Senior

“I think they should get a mix, like a labradoodle.”

info courtesy of http://www.k9 web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/ havanese.html

-Farris Gale 9th and 10th Grade English Teacher

“They should get a short haired golden retriever because they are sweet and really good with kids.”

Short Haired Golden Retriever

-Mary Covington Junior

photo courtesy of http:// eetdnews.lbl.gov/cbs_ nl/nl3images/White House.gif

photo by Martin Taylor

Havanese Havanese are: -very active -extremely sociable -good with children ov/dog/ /www.conservation.ca.g photo courtesy of http:/lishin gImages/steamer_open.gif geothermal/kids_teachers/Pub

Golden retrievers are: -trustworthy -lovable -easy to train photo by Kaitlin Jackson triever-breed.htm

.bigpawsonly.com/Golden-Re info courtesy of http://www

info and infographic by Cammie Meade

FEATURES

Highlander

December 12, 2008

Singing for

coffee during Mini-Conferences. “[Last year’s trip] was amazing, but I don’t feel that fundraising made a huge difference,” senior Rachel Ahearn said. “I would say only 5 to 10 dollars was taken off what we paid for the trip. I hope this year’s biology classes are more successful.” Shrinking Violets will perform a mixture of acoustic folk songs from their self-produced albums, “Let it Rain” and “Fragile.” Julia plays the viola and sings, while her husband, Darryl, does most of the song-writing and plays the guitar. The two musicians first met in 1993 when they were graduate students at the State University of New York School of Environmental Science and Sarah Albani and Jasmine Mohandesi Forestry. Darryl performed at the student bar every ThursOnline Editor and Features Editor Many know Julia Murdock as a high school biology day night. One evening, Julia asked if she could accompany teacher, but beneath her white lab coat, she holds a passion him in performing and he agreed. They continued playing for performing and a love for music. Tonight from 7 p.m. to together, and one year later, produced their first album to9 p.m., Murdock and her husband’s band, Shrinking Vio- gether, called “Let it Rain.” “The songs are all songs about romance gone wrong— lets, will perform at the AP Biology Fundraising Concert at which happens a lot in college and grad school,” Murdock Barnes and Noble in Tysons Corner Center. In addition to this event and selling their coffee and do- said. “A lot of artists will tell you that some of their best nuts for three hours last month during Mini-Conferences, writing comes out of the worst times of their lives—and that AP Biology students will be hosting the musical fundraiser was true for us.” In addition, some songs are ballad-like, and to defray costs for their upcoming field trip. They plan to tell stories. In 1997, Darryl Murstudy marine biology in dock proposed to Julia Key Largo, Fla. Murdock on stage, and the “The only way that couple was married a few we can really get money months later. They profrom the concert is if peoduced their second album ple use vouchers... to buy in 2003 while living in anything in the store,” Vermont. AP Biology teacher Julia According to Julia, the Murdock said. “We are songs on the album are hoping that, while peo“much more positive than ple are doing their holithe first,” with the excepday shopping, they will tion of one song she wrote pick up a voucher and in that is about the Sep. 11 the process, give money tragedies. “[The song] to the AP Biology field is sad but, it’s also really trip.” beautiful,” Julia Murdock AP Biology classes will said. Shortly after the alearn a certain percentbum’s release, Shrinking age of all revenue from Violets was asked to perpurchases made with form the song, “Be strong the vouchers, which are for me,” on Vermont State available in room Y223, Television. the main office, or at the The group has also had AP Biology stand at Barnes Julia Murdock and husband Darryl Murdock pose for the cover of their first album, “Fragile.” Murdock will be perform- many radio appearances and Noble. ing at the AP Biology fundraising concert tonight. and even opened for one Despite current ecoof Tom Rush’s shows, but nomic troubles, AP Biology students are still hopeful that tonight’s event will be suc- the band mostly performs at coffee houses. Their list ranges from cafes all along the east coast, including Vermont, Ohio, cessful in its money-raising goals. “I think that we are going to raise a lot of money,” Alex Massachusetts and Canada. The couple is most well-known in upstate New York. In 1997, they were nominated as the Manson said. “Mrs. Murdock has a beautiful voice.” “The economy is so hard hit now, that I feel like we’re “Best Acoustic Act of 1997” by the Syracuse Area Music maybe out of luck a little bit,” Murdock said. “I’m hoping Awards. “We aren’t really known here, and we hope to change that that people will still be willing to come out and at least buy in the next year or two,” Julia Murdock said. The duo has a little something.” The group expects to raise at least $500, which will all go another album in the works, but does not have an expected towards lowering the cost of $800 each AP Biology student release date yet. The next album will contain songs that rewould need to pay to attend the five day trip, scheduled for flect on the Murdocks’ journey through parenthood in the past eight years. the end of January. Tonight’s performance will be a mixture of these newer Students who attended last year fundrasied only by selling

sc ence

Teachers express opinions on teens driving Henry Kuhl Reporter

There is a rift between teachers and students on the issue of the teen-driving. Students feel like they have waited long enough and they are ready to get behind the wheel and on the road. But teachers feel like it would be better for students to wait until they are older. French teacher Michael Click feels that students do not need to be driving until they are 18. “If we’re trying to be more of a ‘green’ society, letting 16 year olds drive to Starbucks is counterproductive,” said French teacher Michael Click. “Imagine if everyone in China and India were to act like Americans! It’s not sustainable.” Many teenagers spend their first half of high school eagerly awaiting the freedom of driving. When they turn 15 and six months, they begin their journey to freedom. Each state has their own driving laws, chosen by the federal government. Virginia’s driving age is average compared to all the other states’ driving ages. Some states, such as South Dakota have their driving age as low as fourteen, while others, such as Massachusetts, make it as high as six-

teen, which used to be the standard age in most states to get your full license. The state does, however, recognize that young people are more likely to get in crashes than experienced drivers. In 1996, Virginia introduced the “graduated licensing system,” which places limits on the number of passengers a teen can have in their car, and gives a curfew for teens, until they reach age 18. These laws are supposed to reduce the number of crashes that teens get in. Some students think that getting your permit at 15 and six months is a great idea. “By the time I got my permit, I was definitely ready to start driving” Sophomore Eric Dindlebeck said. The majority of juniors and seniors do have their licenses or permits, but some aren’t allowed to drive. Many of these students are restricted by their parents. According to math teacher Karla Freeman, “The gift of driving a car is a huge privilege, and if you are not fulfilling your responsibilities at home or at school, I think it is very fair to take [the privilege]

McLean High School

To help the AP Biology class raise money for their Key Largo trip, cut out the voucher above and present prior to making a purchase at Barnes and Nobles. songs and music from both the “Let it Rain” and “Fragile” albums. Shrinking Violets will also perform a few covers (for artists like John Taylor), and possibly a few holiday tunes. “Our songs are all very heartfelt,” Julia said. Although CDs will not be for sale at the concert as part of a Barnes and Noble policy, they may be purchased online at: shrinkingviolets.org. Half of all CD sales directly benefit the AP Biology field-trip. Public donations are also accepted but they also cannot be made at the store tonight. “This is all about the marine trip and saving the oceans,” Julia said. “It’s not for Shrinking Violets, it’s for youth being educated to protect the environment—you guys are the future leaders.”

away.” While some adults may feel that a teen driving is wrong, the state of Virginia hasn’t and isn’t currently considering any changes to the driving age.

Art by Razan Khashoggi

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December 12, 2008

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SPORTS

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Athlete of the Issue Caity Flint Age: 17 Height: 5.6” Sports: basketball, soccer, powder puff

Statistics 230

Number of baskets made throughout high school

Number of goals scored in junior year

Number steals in 12 games

Number of touchdowns scored for powder puff

2008 All-district award winners First team All-district Cheerleading Chelsea Robinson

Sophomore swimmer trains towards the college pool Elizabeth Masgarha Sports Editor

Only as a sophomore, Putnam is only one second away from getting a qualifying time in the 200 meter back stroke that will For most athletes, high school is where it ends. With only make him a solid choice for recruitment. “It takes about half a year to shave off a second, so I’m in a select number of people able to play in college, and an even smaller number becoming professionals, the stakes are high in good condition right now,” Putnam said. “The time projected for me was supposed to be for my senior year, so because I’m order stay above and beat the other competitors. “I’ve been swimming since I was six, and every year it gets almost there now, I want to be even better before college.” The intensity of Putnam’s training has allowed his team at harder and harder,” said sophomore Charlie Putnam. Putnam, who has been swimming with Machine Aquatics Machine Aquatics to start competing at the Junior National since age nine, has worked endlessly to remain a top competitor level, making qualifications for competitions across the counso that he can pursue swimming for as long as he can. But this try. They also receive a small sponsorship from Speedo and discounts that allow them to purchase top of the line gear. Some desire doesn’t come without a little elbow grease. of which are also used by the U.S. Olympic team, like Laser “I wake up at 4 a.m. Racers, made of shark skin that is for morning practice five put together with laser technoldays a week, then I come ogy instead of sewn. back two days a week for Swim helps me stay motivated and use my time wisely Usually a middle to long disafternoon practice,” Putbecause I’m constantly working towards my goal.” tance swimmer, Putnam excels nam said. “Our practices at the 200 meter back stroke are about two hours each -Charlie Putnam and the 400 IM in competitions. and then a three hour Sophomore However, the 100 meter back practice on Saturday.” and 200 IM are also some of his Some may find this strong suits. schedule too extreme, but “I don’t travel more than four Putnam thinks it is the times a year, but it’s still great to reason for his current success and the foundation to help him achieve miss school and be with the team,” Putnam said. With all of the practicing and traveling, it would seem that his future ambitions. “My main goal is to be good enough to get recruited by Putnam would become disenchanted with the sport, but he UVA,” Putnam said. “Last year they drafted the top recruit in states it’s quite the opposite. “Swimming isn’t everything, if I want to go to a school like the NCAA, and they also have they Rookie of the Year swimUVA, I need to have the grades as well,” said Putnam. “Swim ming for them also.” Putnam, who has contacted the UVA coach is trying to train helps me stay motivated and use my time wisely because I’m and get the times that will make him wanted by the school. constantly working towards my goal.”

“

During high school, Caity has made 2nd team All-District for soccer her sophomore and junior years. She made the All- Defense team for basketball her junior year as well. She won MVP for soccer and MIP for basketball in 2008. Apart from her individual success, Flint also stepped up and was a team captain for soccer her junior year and a basketball captain her senior year.

Maddie Lehnert

December 12, 2008

“

Despite 0-3 start, boys basketball has high hopes for the season Andrew Davis Assistant Sports Editor

After losing key senior players like Tarek Ammoury, many students doubt the boy’s varsity basketball team’s ability to build on last season’s success. Last season the team advanced to the Liberty District Finals before losing to Langley. They also qualified for the regional tournament. All of this was done under then first-year head coach Kevin Roller. Despire this, Roller believes that his team is definitely capable of repeating last year’s success. He believes that the eight returning varsity players will form the core of the team, and lead them deep into the playoffs. “If the players show the same levels of commitment photo by Mohammed Tavakoli that they did last year, then we will definitely be able to Although they started off a little rocky, varsity basketball is deterrepeat our success from last season,” Roller said. mined to push through and be better than previous years. He also believes that the players that are new to the varsity squad will be able to make significant contribuThey have been able identify their weaknesses, and work on tions. Their commitment to the program over the last couple of years has convinced Roller that they are ready to make them in practice. “These three games have shown us where we need to be, and the leap onto the varsity squad. Many of the players also believe that despite the loss of Am- how we can get there,” Fitzgerald said. Many players admit that so far, the team has not played to its moury, the team will still be able to put together a successful season. One underlying sentiment is that the loss of such a good full potential. However, they have no doubt that they can right the ship, and continue their quest for a championship. They do player has only served to make the team stronger as a whole. “Losing Tarek has made us better as a team,” junior Sean not believe that their-less-than-ideal start is indicitive of how the Fitzgerald said. “It forces all five players on the court to pick rest of the season will go. The players see this bad start as a wake up the slack, and contribute more. We really have to look to up call, and are confident that they can correct their mistakes. “Right now the only way we can go is up, and the sky’s the everyone to play well this year.” The team realizes that this is a tough task, so they stage in- limit,” junior Jake Pierce said. The varsity team’s first home game is tonight against Centtense practices daily. They practice for at least two hours at a reville. They also have an upcoming home game against Langley time, and try to improve as a team. “The practices are pretty tough, we are running for pretty on Friday, December 19. This game will feature two competimuch the entire time, but they really do a lot to make us better tions between McLean and Langley. In addition to the game itself, the game will a feature a competition called “Cram the as a team,” junior Van Carver said. Despite this intense preparation, the beginning of the season Can.” This will be a contest between McLean and Langley stuhas not gone exactly as planned. The team is currently 0-3, and dents over who can collect the most cans. The players are hopeaccording to player, has not played to its full potential. How- ful that this will draw even more fans to the game. ever, the players have taken some positives out of these losses.

December 12, 2008

SPORTS

McLean students try their hands at coaching Ibrahim Jacobs Reporter

Many kids played sports for a local club or recreational team when growing up. Getting more practice before reaching the high school level can be very crucial, but all the practice means nothing if there is nobody available to coach. Now, students are getting a chance to approach a sport from a different perspective and give back to the leagues they grew up playing in. Recently, local house or recreational programs like McLean Youth Incorporated (MYI) Basketball have garnered large interest from high school coaches. Sophomore year is the first year of eligibility for coaching MYI. Many students choose to participate for community service hours, while some just do it to help out and have fun at the same time. “I get community service hours, and it’s fun coaching,” junior Crist Vans, a ninth and 10th grade MYI coach, said. “It’s fun being in control and winning.” Some challenges come with coaching a team against other adults and parents, some of whom may be more experienced and have less patience when it comes to student coaching. “Some of the parents made sure that their children didn’t get high school coaches. “But, many of the parents are grateful that their kids can interact and connect with us, because we are kids too,” sophomore James Oldenburg, a 7th grade MYI coach, said. Another problem faced by students is a lack of time. Trying to juggle schoolwork, personal time and after-school sports and clubs can be a time-consuming process. “It’s time consuming for me because I have track after school. On Wednesdays, I go from track to [basketball] practice so it is really time-consuming,” said sophomore Aloke Prabhu, a 4th grade coach-. It can also be challenging to keep younger kids entertained while playing. When kids are being coached by other kids, it can be tempting to goof off and pay attention less. While some age groups might be harder to deal with than others, having fourth graders is no small task.

Highlander

“The first practice was total chaos. At that age they are really hyper and it is sometimes hard to get them to listen. You can’t just walk in [the gym] and expect them to listen, you have to show them who is boss,” said Prabhu. Some strategies come in to play when dealing with younger children. “We play games and scrimmages to keep them entertained. We try to have fun while learning,” said Oldenburg. Others have found an alternative to coaching while still being involved in youth sports. Refereeing is one way to be involved while getting paid. Since coaches are hired on a volunteer basis, some students have chosen to pocket the extra money with refereeing as opposed to coaching. Sometimes it can be more rewarding to coach for free as opposed to being paid to ref games. Junior Doug Henderson said that it was definitely worth it to coach and that he recommends it for others who may be hesitant to become involved. In fact, some students feel getting paid can take away from the fun and competitive nature of the game. “I think that if I got paid I would take it way too seriously. When we don’t get paid we are just having fun coaching the kids,” said Oldenburg. Whatever the motive is, students are getting involved in the community and coaching younger kids, whether by refereeing or coaching. Maybe in a few years we will have some students come here and excel athletically because of a student coach they had several years ago.

graphic by Zenobia Morrill

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SPORTS

Highlander

Freshman to join varsity ranks Danny Jabbour Reporter

One would think that an athlete fresh out of middle school would not be prepared to play a varsity sport. However, when it comes to freshman Gordon Rogo, that is not the case. Rogo recently made the varsity basketball team for McLean. Gordon Rogo has been playing basketball since he was four. Brought up in a household surrounded by the sport, Rogo’s parents were very supportive. “Gordon kind of prepared himself,” Gordon’s father said. “We always stressed that what you do on the field reflects how you do in life and the three key things we tried to teach him were to be disciplined, be a team player, and humility.” Rogo plays shooting guard, and his major goal is to become a starter by the end of the season. “It’s an honor to play on varsity,” he said. “I’m playing against people who are physically stronger and faster, so it’s tough.” He has a rigorous practice schedule, and is fully committed to basketball.“It’s all about practice,” Rogo said. “I practice a ton. You have to everyday to become good, and when you practice you have to go hard. You have to push yourself to the max. I practice four hours a day on weekdays and I practice six to seven hours a day on weekends.” Being a freshman on varsity comes with a price, and you have to know your place on the team. “The older guys don’t mind me on the team but they push me around because I’m a freshman, but it’s all love,” said Rogo. Though they push him around, Rogo’s teammates have nothing against him. “I think that Gordon playing on varsity is a good experience for him,” senior basketball player Matt Baruch said. “He has a lot of potential to be a great player. He has size, athleticism and he knows what he’s doing on the court.” Rogo has high expectations this year, and thinks that McLean will be a good team. After high school he hopes to go play for a Division I college, particularly the University of North Carolina, and hopes to play in the NBA after that.

December 12, 2008

Wrestlers work without spotlight Danny Marx Reporter

There are no girls on the wrestling team. Jokes only boys would find funny are common. To keep this group of tough guys from becoming a rowdy bunch, Coach Mills, in his first year at MHS from Marshall and Harrisonburg HS, nominated four team captains: sophomore Andy Chung, junior Billy Dvorkin, and seniors Palmer Dickson and Will Freshman Gordon photo by Danny Marx Rogo shows the three Stanton. “It’s a big responsibility for me. I do the best I steps to dunking a Senior Will Stanton struggles to escape the pin of basketball. By getcan to keep everyone focused junior Billy Dvorkin. ting a good running and in line during practice,” start and jumping at says Chung, the sophomore a smorgasbord of fall sports. Notable the right time, Rogo, stand-out. dual-varsity athlete Will Stanton misses at 6” is able to put Physical contact, even in practice, the recognition he received during the the ball through the can have severe consequences. In the football season. “People would always hoop. With constant early stages of the season, juniors, Billy ask me about how the game went on Fripractice he says that you’re bound to Dvorkin and Ethan Arkin were fooling day night. Nobody ever asks me how my around in the wrestling room and Arkin wrestling meets go,” Stanton said. improve and reach The scant, stuffy crowds at wrestling got hurt. “He [Dvorkin] basically pushed this task. my head forward and I felt a really sharp meets are made up predominantly of pain in my neck. Then, I couldn’t move; parents and siblings. “Not too many stuI couldn’t get up. Later, an ambulance dents attend our meets,” Dvorkin said. came, and I went to the hospital. They “That’s understandable, ‘cause the meets thought my spine had moved,” a now last so long, and usually aren’t at Mclean. It would be nice if more people showed fully-recovered Arkin said. Risking injury is not the greatest of a up though.” Wrestlers compete primarily for McLean wrestler’s worries. The real sacrifices show up on the scale. “The way themselves, because the dynamics of to get in shape is by being active all the teamwork that anchor sports like foottime, and keeping a steady diet with a ball and basketball, do not apply to wreslot of fruits and veggies,” said freshman, tling. Though, at the end of everyday afMarvin Garcia. “Coach says we can’t ter an exhausting practice or a meet that eat at McDonald’s, and we can’t drink drags on forever, these boys become an even tighter-knit unit. “It’s an individual Coke.” The wrestling team is made up of sport,” Dvorkin said. “Together we are photos by Mohammed Tavakoli a mishmash of students who played enough to feel like a team.”

A New Year Ahead: Questions to Ask Yourself 1. Do I try and do what I know is the right thing, even if it’s not the easiest or what others are doing? 2. How do I want to be remembered by my high school teachers and friends? 3. Does thinking about how I want to be remembered change the way I think and act? 4. What does the expression “walk the talk” mean and what do I think of people who don’t? 5. Given this time of change, what did Gandhi mean when he said, “We must be the change we want to see?” The Safe Community Coalition cares about you and encourages you to know that you are the person most responsible for your future. When you “walk your talk” you are making daily choices that impact your life (and many times the lives of others). Your future is in your hands and we want it to be as successful as possible. www.safecommunitycoalition.net Copyright Elkind+Sweet Communications / Live Wire Media Reprinted by permission. Adapted from www.GoodCharacter.com

SPORTS

December 12, 2008

Highlander

McLean father appointed Wizards Head Coach David Berk Sports Editor

is needed.â&#x20AC;? Jordan and Tapscott had a close relationship through the team, but also because they grew up in the same area in Washington, D.C. and played basketball at rival high schools. In addition, after his first year of college at Tufts

straight to work to improve the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that the team does a lot of things well, but there are always aspects which you can work on,â&#x20AC;? Tapscott said. All he had when he arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m bringing a more defensive orientation to the team. in January of 2003 was a laptop, a cell phone, a notebook Good team play can always be most consistent on defense, and simple instructions: start an NBA franchise. In a matter and I want us to be known as a consistent of months, Ed Tapscott went from the orgateam. I am also trying to alter the culture of nizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first employee to one of nearly 600 the team, having the players become more employees. business like and consistent in preparation. This feat is only one of the many credentials Good preparation is a crucial part to beof the new Washington Wizards Head Coach. coming a better team.â&#x20AC;? Tapscott, father of junior Logan Tapscott, was Aside from games, Tapscottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite named to the position about three weeks ago thing about being a Head Coach in the after the team fired then Head Coach Eddie NBA is the practices. He revels in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;proJordan. cess of trying to improve, and of developing Tapscottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career in basketball first began in players individually and the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chemis1978 as an assistant coach at American Unitry as a whole.â&#x20AC;? versity. Tapscott has seen this opportunity as a Following eight years as coach at American, maturing experience and takes pleasure in Tapscott joined the front office staff of the New that fact. York Knicks. Tapscott subsequently spent one â&#x20AC;&#x153;This has absolutely been a growing exyear and half year stints with the Milwaukee perience for me,â&#x20AC;? Tapscott said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every exBucks and Phoenix Suns respectively before perience you have in your life is an opporbecoming the director of player development tunity for growth. The more challenging and an assistant coach with the Washington photo by David Berk the task, the greater the chance for growth. Wizards. It is a challenge to bring a team of profesBeing offered the head coaching job in Wash- Ed Tapscott, father of junior Logan Tapscott, was recently named the Wizards Head sional athletes together and so I have grown ington came as a surprise to Tapscott, who always Coach after the team relieved former coach Eddie Jordan. in doing so.â&#x20AC;? believed that he would â&#x20AC;&#x153;continue along the pathâ&#x20AC;? University, Tapscott coached the younger Jordanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer Tapscott believes that one thing people do not really of working in the front offices of various teams. know about his team is how smart the players are. â&#x20AC;&#x153;NBA â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was as big a surprise to me as to anyone else,â&#x20AC;? Tapscott league basketball team. Tapscottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new position changed his relationship with the players and professional athletes in general are smart,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a once in a lifetime chance, and I am quite fortunate to coach some of the best athletes in the world. I find players. He calls the relationship â&#x20AC;&#x153;a supportive and helpful said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most people think that they are just talented, but a one,â&#x20AC;? but one thing has the ability to sour this relationship: ton of hard work goes into what they do as well. It takes a the work completely engaging.â&#x20AC;? certain amount of real intelligence that has to go into their He was also, however, disappointed that Eddie Jordan playing time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After the first seven or so, it is hard. At that point, I look work. You must be intelligent to make split-second decisions was relieved of the position. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a disappointment that I received the position at how they perform in practice and their consistency, but and decisions in mid air. These players have to learn complex in this manner. I was saddened that Eddie was relieved. I there are always players who only like me a little and others plays and formations and how to recognize opposing formations. It truly does require a level of intelligence not evident thought he was a very good coach and a fine man, and I am who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like me at all for that game,â&#x20AC;? Tapscott said. Nevertheless, Tapscott believes he has the respect of his to many people.â&#x20AC;? very appreciative of the faith he showed in me. But unforIt is in part the hard work and intelligence of those around tunately, it is part of the risk of being a Head Coach in the players due to his outstanding credentials and report, and him that has made Tapscott want to return to the team next NBA. If you are successful in creating a winning team then the preexisting respect from his assistant coaching position. Without having to re-earn this respect, Tapscott went season if â&#x20AC;&#x153;the team responds how I hope and we improve.â&#x20AC;? itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better for you and if not, then people think someone else

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Highlander

SPORTS

December 12, 2008

photos by David Berk, Mohammad Tavakoli, Danny Marx and Rubina Sarkisian

“Our MHS spirit is seen in our fans

as well as our players. It will be exciting to be part of the rise of all our programs.” —Jim Linza New Assistant Director of Student Activities