May27

The Pitch May 27, 2015

Eli Kane

Shashank Narayan were elected

6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814

won second in the state of

Senior

Juniors and

Gideon Epstein

Volume 60, Issue 8

& respectively, for

Maryland

in the

Junior Achievement Essay Scholarship Contest $10,000

winning

Walter Johnson High School

is the all recognition time top

in the state of Maryland in

player

Maryland

Wildlife QuizUp Preservation World Jack Ferry Club Wildlife children in achieved which helped clothe

in Chicago from

MAY 29-31

ip h s d n e i fr walk with

$8,000

Photo courtesy of Kuo-Kai Chin

and current

Quizbowl plans to take on some of the top competition in the nation including Richard Montgomery following last year’s tense game between the two teams.

Gedion Zelalem was granted US citizenship and can

high school

US Olympics

now play for the Photo from Flickr/Kieran Clarke

WJ Alum Gedion Zelalem advances the ball in a game with Arsenal.

in the and the

Sophomore Blayne Schenk and Tilden graduate D.J. Orino pose for a photo before the walk.

National Academic Quiz Tournament

completed an Eagle Scout project

in the state at this year’s Photo courtesy of Lexi Franks

is headed to the

Afghanistan.

Former WJ student Best Buddies Arsenal midfielder t o p f und ra is ing

was the

national

Fund

Sophomore

from the

Quizbowl

World Cup

What’s Inside: News 2-4/Opinion 5-8/Feature “Senior Section” 9-12/ A&E 13-16/Sports 17-20

NEWS

Pitch

the

2

MAY 27, 2015

Former history teacher Mike Williams returns as commencement speaker

By Anja Shahu

The school day had just ended when former WJ history teacher Mike Williams first walked into the school. As he passed through the hallways, he took the time to acknowledge all his former students and coworkers with a quick salute or hug, even stopping to converse with a few.

“I am so excited that you are our graduation speaker,” said senior Monique Mendez to Williams. She had met Williams during her freshman year.

In response, Williams smiled and asked her about how her senior year was going.

Six years ago, Williams was the Master of Ceremonies (MC), also known as the staff speaker, at graduation, which was a role that was focused on keeping the students at ease. When the senior class officers asked him to be the commencement speaker this year, Williams accepted the honor knowing his task would be very different.

“As the commencement speaker, you are looking for those nuggets of wisdom that you are giving to the students,” said Williams.

After going to school in MCPS, graduating from Howard University and receiving a Masters Degree from Northwestern University, Williams became a professional soccer player and started going to different schools to give talks and demonstrations as part of his soccer team duties. His interactions with the kids made him realize he wanted to be a teacher, and in 2002, Williams started teaching history at WJ, while also coaching the boys’ varsity soccer team from 2005 to 2012. After he stopped teaching at WJ last year to go to Chile as part of the Fulbright Distinguished Award for Teachers, Williams realized that the part of his job he loved the most was working with the students.

“I miss interacting with the students on a daily basis and challenging them, seeing them rise to the occasion,” said Williams.

Williams was also one of the founders of Minority Scholars program, a movement that has spread to 17 high schools and offers minority students leadership opportunities to help close the achievement gap.

While Williams was an integral part in the program’s

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear Pitch Readers,

Photo by Anja Shahu

Mike Williams will be returning this year as the Class of 2015 Commencement Speaker

creation, he credits all its success to the students.

“To see the students grab hold of something and be at the forefront of creating change is what is most inspiring for me than anything else,” said Williams. “I have been at it from the beginning, but it is the kids who always amaze me, surprise me, excite me and inspire me.”

Williams first got the idea to travel abroad to Chile from the Minority Scholars program. He researched the achievement gap in Chile to help create a global solution that would close the achievement gap all around the world. Williams said he hopes to see the achievement gap closed in the near future.

“I really want to see us close it, and not just here at WJ and not just here at Montgomery County, but I want to see it closed throughout [the world],” said Williams. “I want us to figure this out, because in my mind, it is the greatest civil rights issue of our time.”

While Williams has his own dreams for the future, he hopes his commencement speech will inspire the class of 2015 to follow their own dreams.

“I am hoping to leave [the students] with something that they will carry on when they leave WJ and leave the commencement and carry around with them to college and beyond,” said Williams.

Thank you for tolerating our articles all year!

We appreciate your support and were honored to write for you.

In our final issue we covered an array of topics.

News starts it off with coverage of the Baltimore riots, profiles of staff members leaving and an interview with the commencement speaker, Michael Williams. Opinion says goodbye to the seniors with the senior sign off as well as several final columns as well as a new segment, “Charging the Mound.”

Feature compiled a list of seniors’ post graduate plans in the senior scatter and recognizes some special seniors in the senior standouts. A&E did a blind water test, featured the new restaurant in G-square and had blurbs for several internships. Sports takes a look back through the WJ sports year, recognizes several seniors and features Crew.

Have an amazing summer and a prosperous rest of your life.

Farewell readers, Your 2014-2015 Print Editors-in-Chief Selma Stearns, Ben Resnick and Audrey Marek

Gov. Hogan’s budget cuts cause outrage in Montgomery County

By Gideon Epstein This past November, Gov. Larry Hogan was elected to the highest office in the Maryland executive. As he was thrown into office in the middle of the legislative session, Hogan was forced to make quick decisions that would reflect his own views while allowing Maryland to flourish. The “Old Line State” is known for fostering liberal politicians and strong public schools.

Hogan, the second Republican governor of the state in 46 years, has made serious budget cuts to education, among other things, in order to end the trend of tax increases in Maryland.

Despite the budget cuts, Hogan recognizes that education has to be a priority in Maryland. In a recent press discussion based around his first 100 days in office, Hogan gave his take on education in Maryland.

“Education has got to be one of the most important if not the most important priority for state and local government,” said Hogan at the press conference. “It is where a big chunk of money goes [and] where we invest a lot of money in, but we have not solved all the problems.”

Hogan said that since 2003, during the previous two gubernatorial administrations, education funding has doubled to $6 billion. Maryland’s old budget allocates much more resources towards education than other states.

“If we cannot restore the economy, it is going to be difficult to maintain the quality [of education] we want to keep,” he said.

The final budget after the first legislative session re-

flects Hogan’s sentiments about the economy. It slows the rate of increase in education spending that former Governor Martin O’Malley enacted. According to U.S. News & World Report, the projected spending will decline by just under $150 million.

Despite the decrease in education spending, Hogan would like to fully fund the planned budget in the future.

“If we can add to the increases we already put in

Photo by Gideon Epstein

Adminstrators, MCPS board members and state senators gathered at WJ for a press event on May 5 to urge Gov. Hogan to release the education funds he is withholding.

for education, and find more ways to help our kids, without bankrupting our state, I’m all in favor of it,” said Hogan.

The Maryland State Education Association has taken action by starting the “Don’t Shortchange Maryland” campaign to combat the Governor’s actions.

On May 5, a press event was held at WJ to call on Hogan to release the education funds he is holding back. According to the organization, the education shortchanges will result in $17.7 million cut from MCPS. That entails $2,400 cut per classroom within the county and over 400 educator positions would be in jeopardy. The event was filled with powerful individuals within the state and county: interim Superintendent Larry Bowers, state Senators Jamie Raskin, and Principal Jenifer Baker, all urging Hogan to release the funds.

Following the event, the members of the campaign who were present all signed a letter to Hogan asking him to release the funds he has held back.

There was a clear focus on carrying on the high level of education that MCPS has offered for decades.

President of the MCPS Board of Education, Patricia O’Neill, was present, asking the other attendees to work towards the worthy cause.

“We are here to raise our collective voices, to urge Gov. Hogan to do the right thing,” she said.

Hogan has said that he does not plan on reversing his decision on education funding, possibly causing more outrage throughout the county and state.

Pitch

the

MAY 27, 2015

NEWS

3

Baltimore Riots resonate with people far and wide

By Joshua Lang and Izzy Salant

F

erguson, New York City, Baltimore, North Charleston-- the locations of the latest racial pro tests. In less than a year, the level of civil unrest has skyrocketed due to police confrontations that have led to the deaths of four African American men, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray and most recently, Walter Scott.

One of the most recent incidents hit close to home in Baltimore in late April. The protests were a direct result of the death of Freddie Gray after police apprehended him and he later died in custody. This death sparked protests for about 11 days, leading to about $9 million in damages, according to TIME Magazine. Within the first couple of days of protests, the Mondawmin Mall and a Baltimore CVS were severely damaged and looted. Rocks and other debris were thrown at police officers and their vehicles. Personal property was damaged in all the chaos and many people were forced to leave town to avoid the violence.

According to the International Business Times and Baltimore Police Chief Anthony Batts, at least 15 officers, were hurt in the incidents. It was also stated that officers were being hit by rocks and bottles among other projectiles.

People respond to the events in Baltimore President Barack Obama said in a press conference that the protestors who were setting property on fire and looting stores should be treated as criminals. BBC reported that over 200 people were arrested, 100 cars were set alight and 15 buildings were destroyed on the first day of riots alone. Obama went on to say, “[The violence] is not a protest, [that violence] is not a statement, they are stealing.”

Nicolas Atencio teaches Honors Peace Studies at WJ, which has given him the opportunity to analyze current and past events that have involved the unjust treatment of groups of people. He explained that in order to combat racism, people need to be more educated on the subject. He also gave insight into why he believes racism really exists.

“It is human nature to treat whatever is the ‘other’ differently,” he said. “What we don’t understand we tend to not treat well. I would say it is an unfortunate aspect of human nature.”

Atencio added that empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is a major aspect of racism, yet it does not usually extend beyond friends, family and those like-minded.

Many large protests are types of civil disobedience, or the willed refusal to obey laws of a government or power. Atencio has looked at numerous events involving civil disobedience from the Salt March in India to the protests in Poland during the Cold War. “[Events like these happen] really [in] any event that involves people rising up,” he said. “You can take a look at events in the Middle East in recent years and countless others.”

The violence hits home The Choral and Symphonic Orchestra festivals were scheduled to take place in Baltimore from April 27 to May 1. “[The ensembles that competed on Mon. May 4] were able to attend State, since the rioting did not begin until after [Freddie Gray’s] funeral that morning,” said music teacher Kelly Butler in an interview with The Pitch Online. “When things became more violent on Monday afternoon, they canceled all of the band and orchestra groups through Wednesday.”

According to Butler, it was originally stated that another venue was trying to be located for the choral groups on May 7 and 8, but on the evening of May 5 it was announced that another location could not be found.

These festivals were going to be the last for WJ seniors. Members of the music community at WJ were disappointed at the cancellation of states because it was an event they had been looking forward to for some time, since it was a chance to compete on the state level and a chance to showcase talent.

Other than the cancellation of the festivals, the WJ community was affected in other ways, as WJ alumni attending schools in Baltimore have seen firsthand the riots’. Nate Gruber, Class of 2014, attends Towson University, and though he was not near the center of the action, he still experienced repercussions of the riots.

“Because of the curfew, night classes were cancelled for a week,” said Gruber. “I have a class at 7 [p.m.] so that got cancelled once. The library was evacuated once. There were several protests on campus that

sometimes slowed things up in terms of getting from place to place.”

WJ Alumna Nell Quinn-Gibney attends University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

“We’re a 20-minute drive from Baltimore, but we could see the smoke from the city,” she said.

Gruber had a personal connection to the protests, apart from being in Baltimore.

“One of my former roommates took part in the protests, but not the riots. For him and a lot of people it was about the excitement and being a part of something more than about the actual issue,” he said.

Gruber said the he did not know any of the victims.

Quinn-Gibney also said she knew people who took part in the protests, but not the riots.

The media coverage During the riots, media outlets rushed to cover the riots, giving the American public a view into what was going on in Baltimore.

However, in many people’s opinion, they didn’t tell the whole story and many were upset with the media coverage.

“They got people excited [about] the riots and I think encouraged more people to take part who wanted to be a part of history,” said Gruber. “They focused a lot on the violent aspects of the protests. Most of what was going on was peaceful protest, but the media really only covered the riots because it was more interesting.”

Quinn-Gibney also expressed her disappointment with the media coverage.

“The media did an awful job, focusing solely on the violence of the riots and ignoring the millions of protests and the community efforts,” she said.

Atencio agreed with Gruber and Quinn-Gibney about the media coverage and explained the problems that the media caused and the mistakes it made.

“I think [the coverage] definitely promoted a negative image of the black community in Baltimore and nationwide by focusing on the violence and not asking deep questions about why people were using violence or spending time on the thousands that did not use violence,” he said.

Photo courtesy of flickr.com/chuckp

WJ says farewell to faculty in Counseling Department Staff member, Lee Swantkowski, retires after 13 years

By Sally Tuszynski Lee Swantkowski has been working as a teacher for 30 years, 13 of those at WJ, and as this year comes to a close, so does her career.

Teaching the Alternative Level One class Swantkowski goes beyond academics with an added desire to aid her students emotionally. She works with students who are struggling for various reasons such as academic challenges, problems at home or students who have transferred from another school.

“We are like a big family,” said Swantkowski. “It’s like a home base for [my students] and they come to me for everything. I’m like a mom, a warden, a teacher and a counselor,” Unlike teachers of academic classes who are bound to a more rigid curriculum, she has had the opportunity to focus on forming unique relationships with each of her students, catering to their individual academic and emotional needs. With classes capped at about 15 students, each student had Swantkowski’s undivided attention and care.

“The program is all about building their self-esteem, [building] their self-advocacy skills, helping them build their confidence, introducing them to kids they would normally never talk to,” said Swantkowski.

Swantkowski grew up knowing she was going to be a teacher as numerous family members were teachers before her. She began on a different path than counseling, however, studying to be a physical education teacher at George Washington University. Playing volleyball as a college sport, Swantkowski thought that PE was her calling, but ultimately she changed her mind and went on to counseling, where she found her niche.

“I can’t imagine doing anything else honestly. I love [my student’s] energy, they keep me young. They are the future; it’s so great to see them and know they are going to go out there and do great things,” said Swantkowski.

Next year she is going to be living in her beach house in Delaware to reflect, relax and try something different, but she will not be able to stay away from WJ for good. Swantkowski plans on coming back at least to

visit or maybe to help out subbing as well, but feels that she is leaving WJ in a good place.

“I will miss this school dearly. I will definitely come back to visit. [The hardest part about leaving is going to be] the kids, and of course my friends,” said Swantkowski. “But mostly [I will miss] the time I spend with the students [because] they are so crazy and funny.”

Swantkowski’s success comes from taking a different approach as a teacher. While many teachers focus on testing and content, Swantkowski focuses on her students’ emotions in order to find a way she can best help them thrive. “[I want my students to know they] can be whatever [they] want to be as long as [they] don’t give up,” said Swantkowski. “I tell them to just push, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and always give back. It’s not all about academics for me, it’s about personal and emotional growth.”

the

Pitch 4 WJ bids farewell to staff members NEWS

Athletic Director, Sue Amos, retires after 20 years at WJ

By Ally Orndoff After being part of the WJ community for 20 years, Athletic Director and P.E. teacher Sue Amos is retiring. Amos is looking forward to the free time, but at the same time she will miss the kindheartedness of all the staff and students.

“The students are really friendly. They say ‘hi’ to me in the hallways. The parents are also friendly,” said Amos. “Students really just want to see if I remember their names, but overall it is just a very friendly community.”

Amos began her career when she was 20 years old as a P.E. teacher at Key Junior High School in Montgomery County. After one year, she transferred to Magruder High School where

Photo by Janey Tietz

After 20 years as part of the faculty, Amos will be retiring and leaving WJ. Her position as Athletic Director will be taken over by Tom Rogers.

she taught for 16 years, Amos also coached various sports teams in her time at Magruder. Amos then was assigned to Kennedy High School where she became the Athletic Director and remained there for five years until she came to WJ. She has been at WJ for the remainder of her career.

Amos has made an impression on all of the students and staff members she has come across over the years.

“Ms. Amos is a very respectable woman with a huge passion for her students inside the classroom and out...she will be missed by all the Madcows,” sophomore Naiya Ray said.

Rod Fry, one of Amos’ colleagues, will also miss her. “[Amos] was an excellent teacher and was [a] very important [member] on her staff. She took initiative, she was professional, she worked with people,” said Fry. “Overall she was a very good friend and I will mostly miss her friendship.”

Although Amos will miss the students and staff tremendously, she is looking forward to traveling and focusing on her hobbies which include scuba diving and skiing. She is also currently renovating a beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Del., which she is looking forward to finishing.

MAY 27, 2015

Building Services member, John Brooks, retires after 29 years

By Lily Smith In September of 1986, John Brooks, a member of the Building Services team, began his career at WJ. Throughout the years, Brooks has bonded with the students and staff and will be very much missed by the community. After 29 years of dedicated work, he has decided to retire.

Brooks said he has thoroughly enjoyed his years at WJ. “[My favorite part about working at WJ is] everything; the staff, the students, the building, the construction, the community,” said Brooks.

While in building services, Brooks worked with a variety of people and was described as being very sociable.

“In my younger years I interacted with the students a lot, in the middle of my years, I interacted with a lot of parents, and at the end, I interacted a lot with my staff,” said Brooks.

Andre Tyree has worked with Brooks for almost 30 years in the building service department. Over the years, Tyree and Brooks have developed a close relationship.

“I have been working with him for so long that we have become friends. [I will miss] his friendship, his leadership, but mostly his personality. He’s a nice guy to work with,” said Tyree.

Working as a building service employee can be hard at times. Brooks described some of the challenges he faced during his career.

While Brooks won’t explicitly admit to the intense work ethic he has obtained in his time working at WJ, his stories clearly reflect his dedication to his job.

“One year, during the spring, I fainted while we were out in the sun because I was really dehydrated,” he said.

After many years of coming into work day after day, it is Brooks’ time to depart.

“I’ve [worked] 45 and a half years --I’m 64 years old, and my body is shutting down, so that is telling me it is time to go,” he said.

Brooks will undoubtedly be missed— if not for his illuminating smile, than his unwavering, work ethic.

Photo by Janey Tietz

Brooks will retire after 29 years with Building Services.

English teacher, Pitch advisor Sylvie Ellen prepares move to Texas

By Audrey Marek and Selma Stearns Sylvie Ellen has been teaching at WJ for 10 years. Most current students know her as an AP English Language and Composition teacher and advisor to The Pitch, but over the course of her time here she has also taught Honors English 9, Honors English 11 and English 11.

She married her husband, Matt Herberg, on Mar. 28 in Florida. Herberg is an ear, nose and throat surgeon completing his residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The two intend to move to Texas to allow Herberg to work at Fort Hood, one of the largest U.S. military installations in the world.

“There was a chance we were going to go to Korea, or North Carolina, Georgia, or even Alaska,” said Ellen. “Then they told us, ‘you’re going to Texas.’ So we’re going to Texas.”

The pair will be in the Killeen area, which is about an hour north of Austin.

“Austin is a cool city, it’s very up-andcoming with music and art and restaurants, so that sort of urban environment will be pretty close to where we will be living,” said Ellen.

Herberg will likely be working at Fort Hood for three years, but he and Ellen are unsure of their plans after that point.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Ellen. “I’d like to come back [to Montgomery County], if that [is] possible.”

Ellen had several offers for teaching positions in Texas, ranging from AP English Literature and AP English Language to English 9. She has chosen to continue teaching AP Lang and 11th grade at Killeen High School, however she does not have plans to teach jour-

nalism. Working with a publication is something she will miss in Texas.

Although the Texas school system is similar to MCPS, Ellen will have to make many adjustments in her new life.

Killeen has a much more dry, arid landscape than Washington D.C., and she has also heard about the warm and friendly Texas hospitality, which she has kept in mind as she prepares to relocate.

“I’ve heard people are friendly, and

very warm and welcoming, and I’m sure that will be nice,” said Ellen.

Though she is excited for this new chapter in her life, Ellen is also sad to leave WJ and Maryland behind.

“This has been my home for 10 years, so the idea of leaving is hard,” she said.

Ellen hopes to take some of her experiences from WJ with her to Texas.

During one of her job interviews, she was asked what she would contribute to the school.

“I want to bring a sense of comfort, because that’s sort of what I have here,” said Ellen. “I want to bring a sense of ease to my new students and my new school because yes there’s stress and anxiety associated with high school, but it doesn’t have to be that way all the time and if I can make my students feel comfortable, it might be easier for them to learn.”

The Pitch would like to thank Ms. Ellen for her tireless dedication and support. The staff and publication will miss her greatly next year.

Photo courtesy of Sylvie Ellen

Newlyweds Ellen and Herberg pose at their recent wedding in Palm Beach, Fla. Due to Herberg’s relocation with the Army, Ellen will be leaving WJ to teach in Texas.

the

Pitch

MAY 27, 2015

OPINION

“Summer break” is an imposter

By Bess Bloomer

Rating teachers is not helpful

By Charlie Kanter

Everyone wants to know what a teacher will be like before they have them. It’s nice to get some sense of the person who you will be stuck with for an entire semester, and find out what kind of teacher they are. Last week, my older brother looking at some of the reviews of some teachers from the university he will be attending next year, and he showed me some teacher reviews on a “rate my professor” website.

For many teachers, there were long paragraphs of praise and admiration.

But for some teachers there were harsh comments about their courses, and sometimes even personal attacks. It was somewhat shocking at first, until I realized that anything goes on these websites, as there is complete anonymity and no consequences. After seeing this, I hoped I would not find a similar website for WJ teachers. Though this seems like a good idea in theory as source of feedback for teachers, its application to high school would be unreasonable and unneeded.

Firstly, teacher-rating websites are mainly used for the purpose of helping college students decide which classes to take. This aspect is somewhat useless in high school, because for the most part you cannot choose many of the classes you take or the teachers you get. In terms of electives, you can always just ask a friend or an upperclassman who has had that teacher before what they think of the given teacher.

Ultimately, these websites just put stress on teachers. They do not need to worry about hurtful reviews of their class or even personal attacks, which these websites undoubtedly induce.

For the most part they work hard enough, and the last thing they need is untraceable online criticism. Websites like these allow for people to hide behind anonymity, and say things they otherwise would not say in person. If you have something to tell your teacher, go up and talk to them. We should not have to hide behind our computers.

Of course, teachers need feedback.

They need to know how they can change their courses to best fit the children they teach. But websites like these are not the way to go. Many teachers at school ask for feedback from their students anyways. And those who don’t ask for it are not rejecting it either. Teachers would love to hear helpful feedback and compliments, which these websites do have. But why not tell them yourself?

Especially as school comes to a close, you should not be scared to tell a teacher you have enjoyed their class, or even if you have had issues with it.

Times used to be simpler, when the days were filled with lying on the beach and soaking up some sun rays, or anticipating the countdown until going off to sleep away camp. These days, however, many students are spending their free time over summer break in an office or lab, trying to complete some missing SSL hours or to impress colleges with an internship or job. Ironically, even when kids are out of school, they are still letting education’s cunning and invisible hands manipulate what they do, say, or think.

Our forward-focused society encourage thinking one step ahead of the competition, and feeds students mounting pressure to outshine their peers when it comes to getting accepted into colleges and building a future for themselves.

Thus, there are external factors at play in a student’s decision of how to spend their summer.

When students feel as if they have not “made something” out of their two and a half month vacation, the result is extreme inferiority. It seems like from every corner, others are commenting about how excited they are for their new job, or about going on a fantastic trip somewhere exotic-sounding and far away. So when someone hears about all of these extraordinary excursions and summer plans, it has the potential to make them feel less productive or depressed about how they are not pursuing something “special” or “good

enough.” Some external factors, such as the massive explosion of social media usage, can help to explain this pattern of inferiority. Students feel as though they can hide behind screens and fall into anonymity, and this increases the amount of peer pressure other members of the media community feel. When one is exposed to others constantly updating the story of their lives through social media, one can’t help but set up a comparison between his or her life, and those of his or her friends.

What some need to realize is that they can make their summer anything they want it to be; it’s their break and thus their time. That means anything can be noteworthy, if one believes it is.To some people, that could be volunteering at a local shelter, or heading to the neighborhood pool with a group of friends.

Because much of this issue is brought on by peers and is society-based, the act of trying to find something “extraordinary” to do over summer is unfair and out of an individual’s conscious control. By placing students’ options for their summer in a narrow and society-determined box, their freedom is limited in spending their time in what they truly wish to do. Students should not feel inferior when investing time in their unique passions. Rather than being scrutinized for perfection like a lab rat under a microscope, they should be allowed to take summer break for what it really is: a vacation.

THE STAFF

5

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Audrey Marek, Print Co-Editor Ben Resnick, Print Co-Editor Selma Stearns, Print Co-Editor Amanda Gross, Online Co-Editor Marissa Nardella, Online Co-Editor ADVISOR Sylvie Ellen, Print and Online NEWS Izzy Salant, Print Editor Gideon Epstein, Print Assistant Editor Anna Hovey, Online Co-Editor Kelly Chartrand, Online Co-Editor OPINION Nick Williamson, Print Editor Charlie Kanter, Print Assistant Editor Zoey Becker, Online Editor FEATURE Anja Shahu, Print Editor Kevin Lu, Print Assistant Editor Leila Siegel, Online Editor ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Annika La Vina, Print Editor Mary Kate Greening, Print Asisstant Editor Evan Candelmo, Online Co-Editor Zack Shapiro, Online Co-Editor SPORTS Jake Weinischke, Print Editor Patrick Jorling, Print Assistant Editor Kevin O’Leary, Online Editor Grant Weaver, Online Assistant Editor COPY EDITORS Suejean Han Daniel Flesch ART Steven Judge PUBLIC RELATIONS Shashank Narayan, Social Media Consultant, Business Manager Gideon Epstein, Assistant Business Manager STAFF WRITERS Emma Higgins Allie Miljanic Joshua Lang Daniel Flesch Meg Tamara Bradley Stein

Daniel Leonard Iris Vukmanovic Kara Gordon Kathryn Van Artsdalen Suejean Han Janey Tietz

CONTRIBUTORS FROM JOURNALISM 1

Sydney Albert Owen Krucoff Bryce Auster Alex LaFontaine Sam Bernstein Izzy McMullen Brynn Blizzard Noah Meyers Bess Bloomer Ally Orndorff Charles Bloomer Andrew Resnick Adrian Campos Elianne Sato Jeffrey Cirillo Miriam Sieradzki Tess Hayden Lily Smith Sally Tuszynski Andrew Horick Emma Zwick Rohan Karim The Pitch is published eight times a year by the students of Walter Johnson High School, population of 2,234 and located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20814. Advertising and subscription rates are available by calling 301-8037184. Opinions represent those of The Pitch staff and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff, faculty or student body. We welcome letters, articles, photographs and artwork, to be submitted to room 193 or e-mailed to thepitch@walterjohnson.com. The Pitch is an award-winning paper that works towards providing the student body with accurate, as well as credible, information.

AWARDS

Illustration by Steven Judge

Many students feel pressured to do something noteworthy over the summer because of what their peers are doing. They need to realize that it is their time, and if they want to relax, that is perfectly fine.

Columbia Scholastic Press Association Marylander Award Newspaper Division C 2011 American Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic First Place Press Association 2011 Gold Medalist 2009, 2013 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Medalist Columbia Scholastic 2014 Bronze Medalist 2011

Pitch

the

6

OPINION

MAY 27, 2015

Charging The Mound features staff members going head to head over a relevant topic in the WJ community.

This month’s issue: The impact of the Student Member of the Board (SMOB).

The SMOB is a valuable asset to our school system

By Sam Bernstein

By KatherynVan Artsdalen

By Suejean Han

Although the SMOB has less power than the superintendent or other county executives, they still hold great leverage and influence throughout the county.

A common criticism of the SMOB is that they have no voting rights on the MCPS budget and, therefore, no real power to incite change. However, there are substantial non-budgetary priorities that the SMOB may participate in. In an interview with Churchill’s newspaper The Churchill Observer, current SMOB Dahlia Huh detailed an important change she took part in: the rollout and integration of 40,000 Chromebooks to thousands of students in various grades.

Recent SMOB-elect Eric Guerci expressed a desire to implement a “Bring Your Own Device” policy to increase technological immersion for students in school. Guerci also plans on creating a task force with the superintendent to examine student workload and its effect on student well-being. Both of Guerci’s priorities—outlined in the 2015 SMOB Voters Guide— are within his power to complete, since they do not require money from MCPS. The position and importance of SMOB has become legitimized by the ability of candidates to execute and oversee complex reforms in schools, as well as the willingness of students to participate in voting. While SMOBs are not able to grant the wishes of every MCPS student, they are able to provoke important and useful changes throughout the entire school system.

The value of the Student Member of the Board (SMOB) lies in the learning opportunities and realworld experiences the position provides – for both the SMOB and MCPS students.

The student selected as the SMOB experiences being an elected official and represents more than 150,000 students in the county.Through their position, SMOBs learn the balancing act of performing their duties, representing their constituents and being a full-time MCPS student. They learn how to collaborate, compromise and create policy with important leaders. The SMOB position helps prepare SMOBs for real world policy-making and government positions, as well as helping them improve their communication and leadership skills.

The selection of the SMOB is an invaluable learning opportunity for all MCPS students, and does not just benefit the one student voted SMOB. The right to vote for the SMOB provides MCPS students with real-world experience in the voting process.Voting for SMOB is a valuable opportunity for students to practice making informed decisions, get a taste of the election process and be proactive in exercising their rights.

The SMOB is a very important aspect of MCPS. Students should appreciate being represented on the Board of Education and recognize the real-world experience the position provides for them.

I am sure Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) Board of Education is superb and is capable of making decisions on the student body’s behalf, but do they really understand what students want?

In Montgomery County, students vote for a fellow student to represent them on the Board of Education, and this student representative is called the SMOB (Student Member of the Board). The point of having a representative government is to make sure the wants and needs of the constituents are met. The MCPS Board of Education will not effectively meet the needs of students without a representative from the student body, because only the students know what’s best for them.

The SMOB is like our congressman/woman who understands what we, the students, want and why we want it, because they too, have similar interests as us as they are also Montgomery County students. Students finally have someone who understands their perspective and is willing to fight for them at the government level. Although SMOB elections are boring to many students and many don’t actually ever listen to the candidates’ speeches, we should pay more attention because the SMOB is our only advocate who understands.

By Tess Hayden

By Bess Bloomer

By Brynn Blizzard

After the recent Student Member of the Board election, some students are wondering how useful the SMOB actually is. Though representation itself is a good thing, the SMOB is essentially useless because he or she has no monetary power and therefore cannot get funding for their ideas. Even if the SMOB has great ideas for a project which would benefit students, if the project does not get funded, it will not happen, so the SMOB therefor is powerless. If the SMOB did receive funding for an idea, they might still have limited power because the money granted to him or her could be given for a certain use only. In this case, the SMOB would not even have full control over their own projects. Even in this scenario, the SMOB’s power varies and is left up to chance.

If the SMOB could gain more control over the funding of projects, maybe he or she would have more power in representing the students.If the SMOB could do that, they could have more money to get their ideas accomplished and could even help prevent or enforce the ideas of other members. For now though, the SMOB does not have enough control over monetary matters to be useful in representing students.

If you were to ask any student what they spend their free time doing, you may get answers along the lines of texting or checking a social media app. The current Student Member of the Board (SMOB) Eric Guerci is taking full advantage of this growing social media phenomenon among today’s younger generation, and has progressively become more active on social media.

One can definitely look at social media as an undeniable asset to a SMOB’s career, however, surely there can be “too much of a good thing.” Despite many obvious benefits, social media has a largely undiscussed dark side; excessive use can potentially place a person’s unique identity and presence in jeopardy, causing them to become too reliant on technology to discuss important ideas and thoughts. Eventually, this may even lead to the development of a SMOB who rarely interacts face to face with others in meetings, and what would a student leader be if not empathetic and easy to communicate with? If the issue of depersonalization becomes too serious, the SMOB may get too caught up in refreshing the latest app and lose sight of his or her main purpose of being the sole voice of the MCPS student body. When a SMOB’s main form of reaching out to the county becomes via an artificially lit screen, it is easy to forget that media can warp a person into merely a two dimensional face.

The main purpose of the SMOB is to effectively represent the student body, and for that to happen there must be some type of communication or exchange of feedback between them. Yet the largest extent to which the impact of the SMOB is directly communicated to students is primarily once the term is over and the new election begins. By that point, most of the students could not really care less. They are too interested in what the new candidates will promise to change in the upcoming year, despite the fact that they most likely will not hear much about them after the election.

For the most part, the SMOB acts separately from the student body. Most students would probably not be able to name one significant change the SMOB has created, even if there were changes made. If the impact of the SMOB is not known to the students, then the students will not be able to communicate with the SMOB their opinions on those changes. This lack of communication prevents the SMOB from doing its sole purpose – representing the students.

The SMOB is an unnecessary part of our county’s Board of Education

the

Pitch

MAY 27, 2015

OPINION

SENIOR SIGNOUT

7

PITCH SENIORS: Top (left to right): MK Greening, Bradley Stein, Izzy Salant, Ben Resnick, Allie Miljanic, Kathryn Van Artsdalen, Daniel Flesch Bottom: Janey Tietz, Kara Gordon, Selma Stearns, Emma Higgins, Kelly Chartrand, Audrey Marek, Jake Weinishke Not pictured: Suejean Han

Photo by Charlie Kanter

Student Name (First and Last)

What I’ll Remember About WJ

MK Greening Bradley Stein Izzy Salant Ben Resnick Allie Miljanic

All the wonderful experiences with people I met through S*T*A*G*E, Book Club and Pitch.

All the involvment I had, from morning announcements, to Pitch, to S*T*A*G*E. The fantastic memories of friends, the Pitch, running track and cross country and community.

The great people I met who molded me into the person I am today, as well as the WJ and APEX communities.

Kathryn Van Artsdalen Daniel Flesch Janey Tietz Kara Gordon Selma Stearns Emma Higgins Kelly Chartrand Audrey Marek Jake Weinischke Suejean Han

Seeing my hard work pay off in my classes being on the volleyball and swim teams, and being with friends I’ll miss memories and connections made with friends and faculty. High school goes by fast, cherish it.

I will remember all of the amazing friends that have helped me make it through high school.

The great times with friends, school events, and the intense wildcat spirit I was surrounded by.

Ben Resnick.

I’ve had an amazing time in S*T*A*G*E and made friends that will last me a lifetime.

The Varsity Cheer team and all the great memories I made while being part of a champion squad.

The inclusive community, amazing clubs, the Pitch (of course), and the friends and connections I made.

Growing as a person, fun times with friends in and outside of school, the Pitch and the amazing community.

The relationships I made and how each relationship’s unique influence on who I am presently.

The Pitch Opinion

Playing volleyball and softball, the Pitch, and amazing techers who helped me to get involved.

As this is the last issue of the Pitch this year, it is important to take the time to recognize the achievements of some amazing seniors. We look at the colleges they will be attending, their athletic achievements over the four years and an array of other achievements the class of

2015 has achieved.

While it is great to honor the seniors it is important not to overlook the accomplishments of the other three grades at WJ this year. There are many standout underclassmen who have accomplished a lot this year so we should not forget

about their successes.

So as a quarter of the school moves on to new challenges, the fate of WJ is still in good hands with talented and ambitious underclassmen.

8 College is just

the

Pitch

OPINION

another move

Lessons learned at WJ are meaningful

By Ben Resnick

By Selma Stearns

I have moved across the Atlantic Ocean three times in my life, and now I am about to embark on my fourth international move.

I lived in Nairobi, Kenya when I was By Selma born, andStearns at the age of three and a half I moved to Kensington. I lived here until winter break of sixth grade, and elementary school is a time I remember fondly. I am still close with many of the kids I met during this time, and the supportive community of Kensington Parkwood Elementary School (go Soaring Eagles!) helped nurture me into a confident young adult.

Then came the most melodramatic transition of my life.The day my 11-yearold self left behind all of my friends to move 3,961 miles to Dakar, Senegal was a day of hysterics and dramatics.

Eventually I got over it though, and living in Dakar was a life-changing and eye-opening experience, and I would not give it up for the world.

Most recently, I moved back to Kensington right before freshman year started. I had no idea what to expectI remembered some people from elementary school but I knew there would be many unfamiliar faces in the hallways. For a year, I was just “that girl who moved back from Africa,” but I found my niche and I now have some of the best friends I have ever had. I became close to so many people these past four years, and I have developed relationships that I hope will stretch far into the future.

The last and most daunting change will be leaving for college in Oxford, England.To keep myself from panicking, I remind myself that going away to college is difficult for everyone, and we are all in the same boat.All 539 members of the class of 2015 will be in a different situation next year, and whether it is a geographic change or simply a mental one, we all need to brace ourselves for the biggest change of our lives thus far.

No matter how upset I was at the time, every major change in my life has made me a better and stronger person. So seniors, keep in mind that while moving away from friends and family may be daunting at first, it is the first step to some of the best and most memorable experiences of your life.

MAY 27, 2015

Do not forget the present when looking towards the future

By Audrey Marek

From the time I entered WJ, the focus was on the future. It is easy to view the successes and failures of high school based solely on what comes after, and treat these four years as a means to an end. I am extraordinarily happy with that end. Next year, I will be attending Cornell University, and I have the education I received at WJ to thank for that. But I have WJ to thank for more than just what comes after it.

I want to say thank you for my time here. Sure, I have complained about homework assignments and the lack of paper towels right along with everyone else, but the truth is I have loved it here, and I will not ever forget this. So thank you WJ, for the book club meetings and the after school writing club. Thank you for the classes in everything from yoga to comparative government. Thank you for the teachers who have stuck with me through it all, and the friends I have grown to love. Thank you for this newspaper, which I have become so invested in I am not sure how to let it go. Thank you for the homecomings and proms. Thank you for everything you have given me, building up one day at a time so that I did not realize just how much there was until now, when I am

trying to let go of it all.

Because it is easy to think about the classes and clubs as points on a college resume, it is easy to flatten them out into a four year list that expresses achievement but no emotion. But that is not what my time here has been. Movies and TV shows from “Mean Girls” to “Sixteen Candles” try to capture the special emotions and experiences we feel during our time in high school, because no matter what we go on to do, we will always remember our high school years.

So even though the pressure is on to figure out what you are doing with your life, where you are headed next or what you want to be when you grow up, do not forget to make some memories while you are here. If there is one thing I know about this school, it is that there is something for everyone. Reach out and join a club, take a class you are not quite sure about, talk to someone new.

As one of my college essay prompts informed me, “UNC Professor Barbara Fredrickson - an expert in positive emotions - has defined love as ‘micromoments of connection between people, even strangers.’” In the grand scheme of things, your time at WJ is a micro-moment. Connect.

As I get ready to leave for college, I feel as if I know what is to come and that I am ready to excel. I will be going to Case Western Reserve University and running cross country and track. How different could it be? But I am sure I will be faced with numerous challenges, like I was my first months at WJ. I can remember vividly coming to orientation four years ago, a little innocent five-foot-five, 95-pound freshman who had no clue what in the world to expect. I still recall being in awe when I did not have to eat lunch in the cafeteria and I still can hark back to my first cross country practice when I thought going for a five mile-run was an impossible task.

Looking back on the early days of my WJ career puts a grin on my face as I realize how far I come and how much I have grown. I realize that in the hallways and classrooms of WJ I was able to flourish and become the man I am today. At the same time, this alarms me because of all the new situations and tasks I will be put in the next few years.

For four years I have been doing my job, whether it be working hard on the track, taking a leadership role in my various activities or studying for my classes. But at the same time I was unknowingly developing the skills necessary to be successful later in life.

The ability to learn and adapt was probably the most valuable thing WJ taught me (sorry Mr. Miller, it was not the inelasticity of demand) and I know it will be critical in my future endeavors.

I am incredibly grateful for all the life lessons I have learned and I know they will take me far in the future.

The future is wide open, opportunities are all around us.We have been prepared, tested and challenged by teachers and assignments. In the upcoming months and distant future it is important for us to remember our roots and morals that WJ has taught us as they will be a foundation for our success.

As I walk through the hallways of WJ for the last time as a student, I will be walking out with a smile on my face and a diploma from one of the best high schools in the country. I will be ready to face the world with lifelong friends I can trust and lessons that will last me a lifetime.

Students need to focus on experiences over checking boxes

By NickWilliamson

This summer, many students will be heading out on college visits, researching what schools may be the best for them or even starting their college applications. Throughout the entire process, it can seem like what colleges are looking for are students with perfect GPAs, stellar SAT or ACT scores and enough extracurricular activities to

leave one hour of sleep in between each day. The top universities may require you to be an inch away from a breakthrough to curing cancer or to have previously held the record for “most turtles saved in one month”, though being the current record holder is a plus. This can be overwhelming for some students, who do not realize that what makes them attractive to colleges is the passion they have for the things they do and not simply checking off as many boxes as possible.

Rather than focusing on pleasing colleges, students need to focus on what makes them happy and what they enjoy doing. This is beneficial for a couple reasons, the first being that when students do ultimately go off to college, they

will have interests that can be explored further in a college environment. College is a community, and people who are passionate about their interests will have an easier time getting involved in their new community than people who mainly signed up for activities because they think they will look good. Colleges will appreciate students’ passion for what they do, not what they attend.

It is also important that students get satisfaction and enjoy what they do. At the elementary school video club where I volunteer, working with the kids is worth much more than the SSL hours I earn or the fact that I can use it when applying to colleges. In the past, I have been able to work with kids with a variety of personalities on projects like a

clay raccoon we made for a video one year. Even though it kept falling apart, just being around the kids and interacting with them was extremely entertaining and fulfilling. I would rather have things like that to look forward to every week instead of multiple activities that I barely enjoy but feel that I need to do in order to impress a university with how much I can do in one week.

In the mad rush to impress the school of their choice, students can forget that the most important part of a college application is themselves. Rather than focusing on impressing admissions officers, focus on pursuing your own interests and others will see what makes you impressive.

the

Pitch

MAY 27, 2015

LAST NAME FIRST NAME Abah Cindy Absolon Lucas Aguilar Carlos Akbar Kyla Albert Maayan Arai Eric Arons Danielle Atanesyan Diana Ayirebi Sam Azulay Tal Baer Dana Baloscky Neal Bang Johannes Bassin Emma Batista Grace Battle Greg Bergey Matthew Bernstein Josh Bezherano Itai Bhat Mateus Biesecker Erin Bigot Nicolas Bishop Wade Blanchard Benjamin Blumberg-Woll Leo Bock Ella Bodenreider Coline Boone-Lewis Evan Boyd Erica Braviak Caroline Broun Emma Brown Aaron Bruno John Burgett Noah Burk Emily Burklow JP Byanjankar Ranish Byrnes Annie Cachau-Hansgardh Madeleine Caggiano Peter Cain Zack Calderon Melissa Cambier Dylan Campos Adrian Cardoni Alexa Carlisle Joel Carter Olivia Cave IV Billy Charlip Emily Charlton Nemo Chartrand Kelly Chavez Jonathan Chen Miao

Cho Choi Christensen Christian PLANS Church Mount St. Mary’s U Cirillo Wheeling Jesuit U Clark MC Clarke Erasmus U, Rotterdam Coleman Carnegie Mellon U Collier UMCP Connors UMCP Cotter Lycoming College Coughlin Gap year/workforce Couvreur Pierce College Crenca UMCP Curtin Pennsylvania State U Curtis St. Olaf’s College D’Agnese Tulane U Danco La Salle U Daniere Shenandoah U Dapaa RI School of Design Daza Indiana U De Matos U at Buffalo SUNY Devine MC Diaz Martinez College of W & M Dolan McGill U Dorfman Towson U Duggan U of New Mexico Echeverria Denison U Elkes Lewis and Clark College Ellsbury UMCP Emden Pennsylvania State U Engelhardt U of Tennessee Erazo Stanford U Espinosa Oberlin College Fakri U of Georgia, Athens Fanaroff Washington College Fatemi Cornell U Feldman Pacific Lutheran U Findeisen U of Mary Washington Finkelstein Bucknell U Firestone Colby College Fisher UMCP Flesch San Diego State U Forrest U of Richmond Frazier Medical Technician Frishman Gap year Fykas MC Galli US Naval Academy Gancz CCBC Gancz U of Pittsburgh Garcia Perez Belmont U Garcia-Rojas UMCP Garfinkel UMCP Pennsylvania State U MC UMBC

Yeon Wuseok Kevin Matt Stephen Melanie Michael Sabrina Jamila Maddie Ben Keith Kate Sebastien Meredith Michelle Christina Ugo Katelyn Ivan Kwame Matthew Willian Carder Victoria Sloan Alexa Rachel Sephan Katharine Julia Corey Perry Kevin Maxx Laila Jamie Nicole Larry Isabel Clara Danya Charlie Daniel Alex Marijka Jordan Panos Matteo Naomi Abigail Marta Daniela Ryan

FEATURE

Gnammakou Goodman Gordon Graham Grant Green Green Green Greenan Greenberg Greening Griffin Griffith Guion Güiza Gupta Habermeier UMCP Hafiz The Catholic U of AmericaHahn McDaniel College Hairston Middle TN State U Han UMCP Haner U of Texas at Austin Harari U of Virginia Harmon Carnegie Mellon U Harris Harvard U Harrison U of South Carolina Havens St. Mary’s College Hayden UMCP Herold Hampshire College Herrera Frostburg State U Higgins U of Rochester Hill U of Mary Washington Holmes UMCP Holton UMBC Howard Pennsylvania State U Howie Towson U Hudson Ohio U Illahi Vanderbilt U Ishida Pace U Jackson McDaniel College Jacobs MC Jacobson MC Jaffe U of Georgia Janus MC Jerison MC Jiang Skidmore College Joe Pace U Johnson U of Georgia Johnson Marshall U Jones MC Jourdanet Gap year Jung Salisbury U Kahkonen UMCP Kammula Towson U Kane UMCP Karama College of Charleston Kato Carleton College Kaumbutho College of Charleston Kendix U of Virginia Kim Boston U Kim MercyHurst U Kirsch St. Mary’s College Kone MC Kosasih UMCP Kritz UMCP Kuritzky U of Chicago Lange U of NC, Chapel Hill Lapa U Nebrija Lavine MC Lebron UMCP Lee

Stephanie Jake Kara Sabrina Jakarrik Marcel Paul Caroline Michael Omer Mary Kate Hannah Erin Nicole Maria Radhika John Arif Nathan Chris Suejean Sam Melissa Emily Michael Mayson Philip Sam Isa Alejandra Emma David Kristen Victoria Misra Maggie Tully Nurani Naomi Breanna Josh Sam Ben David Emily Gordon Megan Dominique Mackenzie Ellis Ben Seungyeon Katie Sesha Eli Afraah Ryo Gloria Evelyn James Beom-Sik Nathalie Yan Crysshelda Solomon Amy Jackson Molly Emily Julianna Samantha

9

UMCP MC UMCP St. Mary’s College Army MC Towson U U of Dayton MC Maastricht U UMCP Pennsylvania State U UMCP SCAD MC UMCP MC UMCP Virginia Wesleyan College Inderdisc Center Herzliya UMCP UMCP Emory U McDaniel College U of Mass., Amherst UMCP MC Ithaca College UMCP Brigham Young U Marymt. Mnhttn College Extracurricular activities Paul Mitchell The School American U MC U of Connecticut, Honors Workforce UMCP Middlesex U Workforce Pennsylvania State U UMCP U of Wisconsin UMCP Boston U UMCP MC Art Institute of Arlington East Carolina U Indiana U of PA U of Alabama Vanderbilt U MC Cornell U Dickinson College American U Studying in Japan Towson U Denison U UMCP UMCP Colby College UMCP UMBC UMCP Rice U Kenyon College MC Scripps College Northeastern U UMCP

For more, continue to page 12!

Pitch

the

10

FEATURE

MAY 27,2015

Nicole Guion

By Emma Zwick

While many students choose to go to a state or a small liberal arts school, senior Nicole Guion decided to take a different path. Next fall, Guion will attend Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). “[I want to do] something within advertising or visual communications or something where I could express stuff to an audience. I think that [SCAD will] have really good options, especially because it’s a worldwide known school. It’s really versatile,” Guion said.

As a four-year photography student, Guion has found a love for taking photos, but she wants to expand her knowledge to other arts.

“There are going to be classes that are really focused on specifics, and there are a million different options in all different areas of art for classes,” Guion said.

Guion realized that the positives of SCAD would outweigh the negatives. She will not have the traditional college experience that many of her peers will, but she will have the opportunities necessary for her future in the work world.

“Visiting the campus was really important, because I kind of got that sense of ‘I can see myself here’ and when I was on a different campus I was like ‘these people seem really nice, but it’s just not for me.’ It’s like too dull or there isn’t anything I could like get into here,” said Guion.

Katie Porter

By Andrew Resnick

This fall, senior Katie Porter will be taking her rowing talents to Knoxville to join the University of Tennessee’s (UT) crew team. Porter, who has been a key member of the crew team at WJ for the past four years, is enthusiastic about joining the team at UT. “I really like the team and love the coaches,” Porter said. “It’s really cool that all of my teammates are from all over the place. I’m the only one from Maryland, so it will be a lot of fun.”

For many college athletes, there is a clash between academics and practice, but for Porter, this struggle is the least of her worries because UT rowing provides the help required for academic success.

“At WJ, we had 27 hours of practice each week, [but] at [UT] we only have 20 hours of practice a week,” said Porter. “Plus [UT] gives great academic support. I have to go to mandatory tutoring sessions and study hours. If you are having trouble academically, there will always be someone to help out.”

Above all though, Porter wants to prove herself to both her teammates and the nation.

“I really want to make a statement,” Porter said. “I want to make people realize that WJ crew isn’t just a small team from Maryland, that WJ crew produces good athletes. I want to make a point.”

Jamila Coleman

By Allie Miljanic

When you first meet Jamila Coleman, she appears to be quiet and shy, but ask her one question about her plans for college, and she lights up as she mentions her home for the next four years: Harvard University.

Coleman said she believes the novel she wrote for her senior capstone project might have made her application stand out. “[My novel] is a young adult fantasy novel about a girl who is the descendant of Circe from the Odyssey. It follows her adventures as she discovers her heritage and learns to control her supernatural powers,” said Coleman.

She chose the school after her “Visitas” trip, which is a Harvard tradition where students get to explore what life is like on campus.

“I met so many interesting and fantastic people there, and to have the opportunity to learn and grow with them for the next four years – I could not pass that up,” said Coleman.

With a great love of both the sciences and humanities, Coleman is going to do a concentration in Biology with a secondary in English.

She believes her education from WJ, including her participation in the APEX program, has prepared her for college, and she is really looking forward to her future.

Sammy Gilligan

By Jeffrey Cirillo

Many students may think their only option after high school is college, but senior Sammy Gilligan is embarking on a path that some student have not considered. He is joining the military.

After graduation, Gilligan will prepare for active duty in the Marine Corps. Before heading off to Basic Training, or “boot camp”, the military’s notoriously demanding training program, there are plenty of hurdles to overcome.

“First you have to take your medical exam,” said Gilligan. “Then you go to the Delayed Entry Program, which is basically a boot camp for the boot camp. After that, you go to boot camp for three months.”

Gilligan said he was inspired to join the military by his cousin, who served for four years. However, he explained it was also a personal decision.

“Honestly, I didn’t really want to go to college immediately,” said Gilligan. “I’m kind of sick of school, and I want to take a break from that.”

After the military, Gilligan plans to attend college and eventually become a history professor. By enlisting in the military, he is chasing his goals without following the traditional path. “[A lot of students don’t realize] you can go to college whenever you want to,” said Gilligan.

“Just because a lot of people go after high school doesn’t mean you have to.”

the

Pitch

MAY 27, 2015

Lea Widemann

By Miriam Sieradzki

Photos by Audrey Marek and Iris Vukmanovic

The last few months of high school are a crucial time in seniors’ lives, as many are frantically weighing their college options and making plans for next year.

Senior Lea Widemann is planning to live in Germany next year and attend either University of Heidelberg or University of Cologne. Widemann will be spending her time taking university classes, interning and improving her German.

Widemann’s wants to live in Germany to spend time with her extended family while also taking advantage of her dual citizenship and figuring out if she wants to continue her education in the U.S. or in Germany. In Germany, Widemann will experience a completely different educational system and application process than she would experience in the U.S. “The system on the whole in Germany is less competitive because people don’t need to compete for scholarships or admissions into prestigious schools,” said Widemann. “Here, there is a lot of pressure to go somewhere prestigious and that exists to a lesser degree there.”

While Widemann appreciates the cultural diversity and flexibility in America, she is anxious to experience the benefits of German life and culture, such as the public transportation and food.

“Another benefit is it’s easy to hop on a train and be in a different country in just a few hours,” said Widemann.

Nathalie Kirsch

By Elianne Sato

FEATURE

Matthew Daza

11

By Kevin Lu

Senior Matthew Daza will be attending Vanderbilt University in the fall of 2015. Daza made this decision after debating between Vanderbilt and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after receiving the Chancellor’s scholarship from Vanderbilt.

The scholarship provides full tuition for each year with a one-time use $5,000 stipend to use towards research, summer study abroad or another activity.

“The Chancellor’s scholarship considers outstanding leadership, strength of character, academic achievement and a deepseated commitment to diversity and social justice,” said Daza.

Daza received this scholarship after doing a separate application on the Vanderbilt website.

According to the U.S. News and World Report rankings, Vanderbilt is ranked 16 in the 2015 ranking of National Universities. Its tuitions and fees are $63,532.

Daza said he probably would not have been able to attend Vanderbilt if he hadn’t received the scholarship.

“I think that great teacher recommendations and wellthought out essays made my application stand out,” said Daza.

“My counselor, [Dennis] Reynolds, really helped me a lot during the college application process.”

Daza has not decided what his major will be yet, but he does know that he will be studying in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“I had a great time at WJ,” said Daza. “I will forever be a wildcat at heart.”

Many students decide to go to liberal arts schools. Senior Nathalie Kirsch chose a liberal arts school after seeing its benefits, including small classes and a strong community feeling. Colby College, where she will be heading next fall, offered her the opportunity to focus on neuroscience and sports, two of her fields of interest.

“I’ve always liked science, and neuroscience is basically the intersection between biology and psychology, which are both things I really like,” said Kirsch.

Kirsch hopes more people will look into going to liberal arts schools.

“I think people shouldn’t dismiss liberal arts; [instead] they should look into what they have [to offer],” said Kirsch. “Liberal arts is good for people who don’t have one specific interest area.”

Colby is actually one of the few liberal arts school to offer programs specializing in research. Kirsch has been accepted into their Presidential Scholars research program, which allows students to conduct research with PhD professors. Only the top five percent of applicants are accepted.

Kirsch is also passionate about sports.

“I also want to maybe do club sports like fencing and join the huge outing club at Colby,” said Kirsch, who has been in both WJ Track and Cross Country and hopes to play Division III sports at Colby

Maryland Students: 150

Top 4 most popular colleges:

DC

UMCP - 75 Montgomery College - 33 UMBC - 9 Towson University - 9

International Students: 16

Graphic by Audrey Marek

Japan - 1 Netherlands - 2 Israel - 5 Canada - 3 Spain - 1 Chile - 1 United Kingdom - 3

Pitch

the

12

FEATURE

MAY 27, 2015

9 e g a p m o r f d e Murtha u n Mark Colorado State U i t n New Justin Harvard U Co Newman Scott UMCP

Lehman Lemus Lenoir Cestelos Leoni Leslau Li Lieb Linder Logie Lorenzetti Luger Lupo Lyubimova Ma Mader Mafut Malloy Manning Manogue Maranville Marek Markowitz Marshall Martinez Masison Mattapallil Mattingly McCann McCann McCarty McGill Mckennirey McMaster Mehlferber Melo Mendelson Mendez Miljanic Mlilo Mochizuki Mollitor Monroe Moore Moore Moore Mora Moreno Mota Motazedi Moura Mullin Murdoch

Nguherimo Nickoloff Maurice Florida State U Jenny George Washington U Niyonkuru Nomura Paul UMCP Norris Diego UMBC Ella Inter. Center of Herzliya Nyangwenyo Okada da Silva Jessica Towson U Okocha Catherine MC Orjuela Ryan U of Delaware Orosz Monique Undecided, England Orsak Claire U of Arizona Oxman Yuval IDF Palmer Sam UMCP Pardo Angelina UMCP Paredes Qunkun UMCP Garrett Eastman School of Music Parker Parsell Carolina Unknown Erin Sta. Barbara City College Patrick Pavicevic Ryan U of Pittsburgh Perim Thomas U of Miami Pinto Jonathan Pennsylvania State U Plotkins Audrey Cornell U Poling Joshua U of Mass., Amherst Popescu Alexis Louisiana State U Porter Lindsay Drexel U Portillo Matthew UMCP Rabin Neha UMCP Radstake Amy U of South Carolina Rahman Meaghan Elon U Rao Nick Mount St. Mary’s U Ratnasinghe Hannah UMBC Raviv Katie College of Charleston Raviv David UMCP Resnick Audrey U of Georgia Reyes Madison St. Vincent College Rodriguez Daniela College of W & M Rodriguez Solomon Drexel U Roh Monique Midwestern State U Rowe Alexandra Emory U Royster Miranda UMCP Hitomi Sta. Barbara City College Rue Cormac U of British Columbia Rush Saez Ian Gap year Salant Sam Towson U Salvatore Trenton U of Miami Taylor Virginia Commenwealth U Sanders Saphire Mark Anthony U of Virginia Schecker John MC Scheele Ricardo MC Schiponi Sahar UMCP Schmidt Raphael U of Michigan Scobell Jacob U of Mass., Amherst Sharma Julia U of Miami

Joel Stefanos Fabio Kento Yapheth Christine Vinicius Gloria Daniel Dora Danielle Ron Kaylee Daniela Sebastian Daniel Nadia Dominique George Alex Doron Leah William Roxana Katie Nicole Sam Damiaan Enver Vikram Brian Nir Yuval Benjamin Victoria Tyler Isela Julia Nathaniel Shawn Devonte David Daniela Izzy Scott Grace Mason Sarah Emily Jenna Annie Malcolm Shaswot

U of Colorado, Boulder St. Mary’s College Pace U Pennsylvania State U UMCP U of Mass., Boston Case Western Reserve U Navy MC UMCP West Virginia U IDF Howard U UMCP George Mason U UMCP U of Southern California Morgan State MC Beloit College MC Parsons School of Design UMCP UMCP U of Tennessee Gap year/workforce Pennsylvania State U UMCP UMBC UMCP Virginia Polytechnic U IDF UMCP Case Western Reserve U U of Chile Gap year MC UMCP Roanoke College Howard U Savannah State U U of Vermont UMCP U of Mass., Amherst College of Charleston Meredith College McDaniel College New York U U of Tennessee Stevenson U Pennsylvania State U Lehigh U U of Delaware

Shatkay Sherman Ship Shukurova Siegel Silinsky Simon Sipes Skelley Sloate Smith Smith-Hanke Spak Sparks Sponaugle Stavrou Stearns Stein Stubin Stubin Sukharev Suter-Bull Tanasovich Tang Teicher Teicher Thangada Tietz Tietz Timmons Tobar Tomsej Trostinetzky Tsach Tsanova Tugarinov Tuli Tuncer Vickery Virts Vogel Wainer Wajsowicz Macrae Walter Wasden Weinischke Wellhofer West Whitescarver Wilcove Williams Willis Wimbush Wolfand Wu Xie Xu Xu Yang Yaniv Yi Yockel Yoon Young Zinngrebe Zisk Zlotnitsky Zucker

Ruth Mary Hannah Nisso Sammy Leah Rebecca Amanda Hailey Lily Conrad Krista Katie Michelle Isabella Thomas Selma Bradley Peter Paul Alex Eric Tara Amanda Sarah Hannah Naina Janey Grace Brendan Rebeca Samuel Julianne Omer Liana Nicol Kismet Megan Hannah Austin Dani Julian Isabella Alec Al Jake Kaleigh Sydney Colin Hannah Zach Elizabeth Destiny Arley Toby Jane Daisy Annie Brian Yotam Christina Elizabeth Sang Won Ryan Lukas Jonathan Kai Coby

UMCP Loyola Marymount U U of South Carolina UMCP UMBC UMCP Brandeis U Towson U West Chester U Fordham U New Mexico Tech.

Swarthmore College U of Michigan Boston U MC Nursing U of Pittsburgh U of Oxford Marymt. Mnhttn College UMCP UMCP UMCP Clark U UMCP UMCP Elon U Quinnipiac University Salisbury U UMCP UMCP MC St. Mary’s College UMBC Sarah Lawrence College IDF Intelligence Division UMCP McGill U Temple U UMCP St. Mary’s College MC U of Florida American U St. Mary’s College UMCP MC U of Missouri Virgina Tech Haverford College UMCP UMBC Towson U MC Army UMCP U of Colorado, Boulder UMCP Dartmouth College Purdue U UMCP UMCP George Washington U Villanova U MC UMCP American U Reed College New York U Columbia U

the

Pitch

MAY 27, 2015

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

13

Water Wars: Students taste water bottle brands

By Mary Kate Greening

Does bottled water really have a better taste than tap water? Does expensive water, like Fiji, have a more refined taste than a generic store brand? And can you really taste an added mineral? The Pitch gathered senior girls Naina Thangada, Julia Roh, Nurani Illahi and band teacher Ms. Andrea Morris to participate in a bottled water taste test. We gathered five different types of waters (Smartwater, Fiji, Giant brand Electrolyte Enhanced Water, Giant store brand Acadia and school tap water) and put them into unmarked cups. The participants were asked to guess which kind of water was in each cup. To our surprise, the clear winner was the Giant brand Electrolyte Enhanced Water.

How does it taste?

How does it taste?

Julia:

“This one doesn’t have

Nurani: “It tastes like water...”

Ms. Morris:

weird after taste.”

as bad of an after taste as the first one.”

“This one tastes Nurani:

“Kinda has a

like number one, but, like, less better.”

After the reveal

After the reveal

2 was Fiji?

Nurani: “Number Really?”

Julia:

Ms. Morris: “It was kinda bad.”

“I feel like I haven’t been missing out on bottled water.”

Nurani:“Oh, that wasn’t as bad.”

Photo from flickr, cristalle.valenzuela Photo by Mary Kate Greening

How does it taste?

How does it taste?

Naina:

tastes expensive, Naina: “This definitely”

Julia:

“Fiji! Right?”

Ms. Morris: “This has something added to it, like a mineral.”

“I think it tastes bad.”

After the reveal

After the reveal

Julia: “This one was good.”

“Disappointing.”

Ms. Morris:

Ms. Morris:“Did I not say there was a mineral in number 3?”.”

Naina: “Ooooohhhh.”

Photo by Mary Kate Greening

Photo from flickr, sandrino

How does it taste?

Naina: “Tastes like a pool.”

Julia:“This one’s like, worse than the

first one.”

Nurani: “This is toilet water.”

Ms. Morris: *spits back into cup*

After the reveal

Naina: *Disgusted face*

“So this was the water the Nurani:school provides for students?

Rank.”

How about water from the water fountain?

Photo from flickr, Matthew Stones

Pitch

the

14

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MAY 27, 2015

Stay busy and earn SSL hours during the break with summer volunteering opportunities

Israel Fest

By Meg Tamara

When: May 31 1-5 p.m.

Where: Rockville Town Square

Come celebrate Israel’s 67th birthday with entertainment, food and music. Taste Israeli food, learn about Jewish culture and treat yourself to authentic Israeli crafts and jewelry. Contact Rockville’s JCC for volunteer opportunities and assist in helping staff members manage Jewish and Israeli culture activities, oversee balloon animals and face painting and supervise the homeland food buffets from authentic Israeli restaurants like Israeli Harvest.

By Meg Tamara

Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB)

When: June 71-21 Where: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center 8633 Colesville Rd. Silver Spring, MD

Grab a group of friends to help end hunger.The CAFB donates and distributes food to hunger-relief organizations across the D.C. area. Volunteering opportunities include packaging, organizing food and cleaning. Volunteer hours are flexible and are accommodating to any schedule, and volunteers and their parties must register to volunteer based on available time slots on a monthly basis.

By Charles Bloomer

If you’re a fan of movies, then this is the perfect spot for you. The 2015 AFI DOCS Film Festival is five days long. It takes place at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, as well as other landmark venues in D.C. With an ultimate goal of providing entertainment and connecting the audience to inner mechanisms of film, AFI DOCS is one volunteering opportunity you don’t want to miss. The film festival also offers SSL hours doing randomly assigned six-eight hour shifts throughout the event, with volunteer orientation being held before the festival, in which you receive training for those shifts and meet with documentary film enthusiasts.

By Sydney Albert

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

When: Yearly Where: Capital Area Food Bank 4900 Puerto Rico Ave., DC

2015 AFI DOCS Film Festival

For a fun and unique volunteering experience, help the Smithsonian Institution during their annual Folklife Festival. Volunteers will help with a variety of activities, such as conducting surveys, helping stage managers, participating in the audiovisual documentation of performances and assisting with the general administration and production support. Applications received by June 7 receive priority. The actual festival will be held on the National Mall June 24 through June 28 and July 1 through July 5. Volunteers would be needed before, during and after the festival, and volunteers who serve an 8-hour shift will be qualified for a meal voucher to be used during their shift. Volunteers must be at least 16.

When: June 2428, July 1-5 Where: U.S. National Mall 900 Ohio Dr. SW Washington DC

the

Pitch

MAY 27, 2015

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

15

New restaurant ‘Not Your Average Joe’s’ to open in Georgetown Square

By Bradley Stein

Since Hamburger Hamlet closed at the end of 2013, people have wondered what new establishment would takes its place and when. Last summer, it was announced that a new restaurant, Not Your Average Joe’s (NYAJ), would take over the vacant spot. Set to open in July of 2015, NYAJ is a casual Americanstyle restaurant with several locations throughout the Metropolitan area. The first NYAJ location opened in 1994 in Mass. The Bethesda restaurant will be the second NYAJ location in Maryland, with the first being in Gaithersburg.

Like Hamburger Hamlet, NYAJ is a sit-down restaurant, so it most likely won’t be an option for students to eat

at during the 45-minute lunch period, however they can grab a bite to eat on a Friday or Saturday night. Also, while the NYAJ website claims one of its goals is to have great prices, the restaurant is a little on the expensive side for teenagers. The NYAJ equivalent of a regular cheese burger costs $11 and a pizza with one topping costs $10. Most other entrees cost around $20.

NYAJ’s menu has what you would expect of an average restaurant like soups, salads, burgers and pizza. However, the restaurant’s menu also boasts quite a few non-average options including edamame dumplings ($8), Vietnamese salmon ($19) and cheese steak egg rolls ($10).

The restaurant also features many enticing desserts as well.

One of these items is the “peanut butter thing” ($8) which is described as being NYAJ’s “claim to fame” on their website.

The dessert is described as “peanut butter and chocolate chunks folded into vanilla ice cream and rolled into Oreo cookie crumbs, Photo by Janey Tietz

The new establishment is undergoing construction and has replaced Hamburger Hamlet.

Photo by Janey Tietz

A sign announcing NYAJ is looking for hires sits on a partition as the restaurant undergoes construction for its summer opening.

topped with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with hot chocolate and caramel sauces tableside.”

The dessert menu also features carrot cake, lemon tiramisu, key lime pie, raspberry sorbet and molten chocolate lava cake. All these desserts cost $7.50.

There is also a different menu for

those who are gluten free and those prices are not much different from the normal menu.

All in all, NYAJ is a little on the pricy side, but it promises to be a delicious dinner restaurant for teenagers in the area.

Sudoku

Answers found on www.wjpitch.com

Cartoon by Steven Judge

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Pitch

the

16

MAY 27, 2015

Local DJ culture gains popularity Wyderko said DJing intrigues him because a DJ works with essentially a blank canvas.

Over the last couple of years, DJing seems to have “You this whole sound bank...and it’s all become the next big thing in worldwide pop culture blank,” hehave said.

“It’s like when you think about a and as time goes on, more and more music lovers sculpture everyone starts off with just a big slab jump on the DJ bandwagon. This style of music has of clay.Your sculpture’s in that piece of clay, become so popular and innovative that it has directly you just have to removethere, all the bits and pieces and touched the lives of students. add things and twist things around, that’s basi“DJing is the easiest thing ever,” said local DJ, se- cally what you do. You’re trying to and put everything nior Jimmy Wyderko, who performs under his stage together like a puzzle, and make it sound good.” name, DJ Yammi. “Anybody can do it. The skill of However, DJing isn’t just about mixing other being a DJ comes from being able to pick good songs people’s music together, it involves the individual that go well with each other and match with each DJ’s music as well. To Wyderko, DJing involves other. But the actual mechanic, being able to match adding his own flair to different tracks. a beat, is really easy.”

“That’s the whole point: Playing some of your According to DJ senior Billy Cave, DJing is most own stuff,” said Wyderko.

“I’ve made songs specifisatisfying when he sees the audience react to his cally to transition from one song to anmusic. other.”

“Feeling the energy of the crowd one Nevertheless, Wyderko said time, you’re hooked for life,” said he isn’t ready to share some Cave. “Even if it’s just one perof his music on its own. son moving their head a little “I don’t really show a bit, that makes me smile every lot of people my work time. Even if it’s just that one because...it’s kind of person, knowing that your a personal thing,” said music touched that person is Wyderko.

“I don’t recool.” ally want to start showBoth DJs cite their start ing people my [original from being curious about this music] until I know it’s new form of popular music. really good.”

Although it started as a casual Cave on the other hand, interest, it quickly developed is enthusiastic about sharinto something more for both ing and performing his muWyderko and Cave. sic; he has a new Extended Play Billy Cave “I kind of just decided I wanted to try (EP) of his own music releasing in it on my own,” said Wyderko. “I thought it June or mid-July would be a good skill to have, and I heard you can “I always had an ear for music, and in the future make money [DJing] in college.” if I thought this was going well for me, I would Cave said his longtime friend and former WJ stu- definitely just perform,” said Cave. “There’s no dent, Alex Young got him into DJing.Young is now a better feeling well-known DJ who has toured with popular names like a drug.” in the world than performing. It’s like Lido.

Be it for personal enjoyment like Wyderko, or “I thought [I would] give it a shot, because I didn’t to share with friends, Cave had some parting adknow what it was all about,” said Cave. “After trying vice for those who want to get started in music or it I just loved it.”

DJing.

Besides being a great way to make money, DJing is be original and have fun,” said Cave. “Don’t also a fun pastime. Both seniors juggle school work, try“Just and sound like someone else. It’s cool to be extracurricular activities and DJing in their busy influenced, but just keep doing what you think schedules. sounds good and someone out there will think it “I practice in my basement all the time,” said Cave. sounds cool too.”

“I have my setup down there, I have a studio in the house, and I just mix all the time; for no one, just by myself. If someone came in and saw me I’d probably look so weird.”

By IrisVukmanovic

“Feeling the energy of the crowd one time, you’re hooked for life.”

Photo from billycaveproductions.com

Senior Billy Cave performs at WJ “Glo” in front of many students and faculty members.

Pitch

the

MARCH 23, 2015

SPORTS

17

Pitch

the

18

SPORTS

MAY 27, 2015

Weed woes:

Efforts to keep sports marijuana-free are backfiring

By JakeWeinischke The debate regarding the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana has created quite the buzz in pop culture.

Major sports associations such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Basketball Association (NBA) all employ strict rules with hefty consequences to athletes who test positive for marijuana. However, in an effort to keep their leagues free of recreational drug use, league

officials are actually compromising the quality and prestige of their respective sports.

Just this year, the Oregon Ducks entered the National Championship game as the favorite over Ohio State until two of Oregon’s star players tested positive for marijuana and were subsequently suspended.Without the likes of redshirt freshman wide receiver Darren Carrington and senior special teams player Ayele Forde, the Ducks went on to lose to the Buckeyes by the score of 42-20.

The game was initially projected to be decided by one touchdown, but because of the loss of two players it turned into a lopsided, uninteresting win by Ohio State. Carrington recorded 37 receptions during the regular season for a total of 704 receiving yards while Forde accumulated 12 tackles and forced a fumble on special teams. Clearly their marijuana use was not negatively impacting their game nor was it harming anyone else. By contrast, the NCAA’s decision to suspend both of them inevitably hindered the level of competition in the National Championship game.

Furthermore, in 2012 Jon Singleton,

a Houston Astros top-prospect, tested positive for marijuana and following a second failed test was suspended for 50 games. What the MLB did not realize is that in trying to punish Singleton, MLB was actually punishing itself. In an age where sports fans craving offense have been progressively turned off by the pitching-dominated sport of baseball, suspending an up-and-coming slugger is not in the interest of MLB and its affiliates in terms of garnering interest in the game.

Moreover, unlike various other banned substances in sports, marijuana is not performance-enhancing. Additionally, in the grand scheme of atrocities committed by college and professional athletes, marijuana use should not be at top of league officials’ priorities. Just last year, Baltimore Raven’s running back Ray Rice was suspended for only two games initially after knocking out his then fiancé Janay Palmer in an elevator. The standard suspension in the NFL for testing positive for marijuana is four games as decided upon by the collective bargaining agreement. So apparently hitting the bong is a worse

offense than hitting a woman, according to the NFL. Not only are sports leagues’ marijuana policies subtracting from the quality of their respective sports, they are also failing to embrace the potential positives inherent to marijuana. According to a study conducted by the Hebrew University in Israel, a cannabinoid similar to the active ingredient in marijuana has shown signs of being beneficial in treating brain injuries. It goes without saying that brain injuries top the charts of issues plaguing sports leagues, the NFL, National Collegiate Athletic Association Football and the National Hockey League in particular. Why reject a potential solution to such an urgent problem? It’s time for league officials to ask themselves why marijuana is so criminalized in sports.

Photo from flickr, Brett Levin

WJ Crew sails to state championship title, collecting four gold medals for four-man boats, the first time ever by a public school,” said Bales.

When Lupo first joined the team, they were trying their hardest not to lose.

Now, the team has gone to Nationals two years in a row, earning fifth place there Photo courtesy of Sam Lupo Last year, WJ Boys Crew became the first public school team to ever win the league championship for four-man boats. last year.

“This success Above, this year’s team gathers for a group picture after capturing the state title. requires serito US Rowing rules. They raced against ous dedication by all the rowers, and

By Daniel Flesch bigger and potentially stronger boys in a shared ambition to reach the Finals WJ Crew collected four gold med- the JV category, because both Maryland of the National Championships,” said als at this year’s Maryland State Cham- State and DC League Championships do Bales. pionship. For the second year in a row, not have an official Lightweight Both of Members who row for a top boat Crew’s Novice 8 won. The novice is WJ’s four-man boats have been invited must maintain this work ethic. Accordcomprised of boys who never rowed before, so typically most are freshmen.

“There are two main factors for this success, our coach who pushes and trains like we are a college team trying to win, that means hard every day with a strict schedule, and he is always pushing us to do better and giving us good to the National Championships. Third ing to the upperclassmen, this work goals,” said Lupo. “The second part is year coach, Davis Bales, acknowledges motivation is necessary to beat their the hard work we put in.” rivals. the growth of the team.

The lightweight 4 team has three soph“Our toughest competition in Mary“This success is a continuation of last omores and one senior, none of whom year’s success, when WJ Boys Crew land are BCC and Whitman High can weigh over 150 pounds according won our League Championship trophy Schools, as well as the boys’ Catholic

“This success requires serious dedication by all the rowers, and a shared ambition to reach the Finals of the National Championships. ”

school DeMatha,” said Bales.

The team has practice six times a week where they start every day from 3:30 p.m. on the water until 6:15 p.m. off of it. They do lots of race pieces and try and get as fast and strong as they can while, always keeping a race mentality.

This rigorous routine helps build the team’s endurance to withstand the inevitable fatigue from racing. The team also works on test pieces a lot and races against each other to find the fastest boats and keep everyone on their toes.

They practice year round always with the goal of getting faster.

“To maintain this success we have to keep pushing harder and harder to keep ahead of the teams that we have quickly passed,” said Lupo. “[Other schools] want their top spot back and so they train harder… which means we have to train twice as hard to stay ahead.”

The team is also getting a good flow of new rowers, many of whom are already fast.

“Our novice boat beat Gonzaga last week and Gonzaga is a powerhouse and nationally talked about,” said Lupo. “But the more new fast blood we get in, the faster the team will be.”

Crew’s Novice 4, Varsity 4 and Lightweight 4 also collected gold medals at the Maryland State Championships.

the

Pitch

MAY 29, 2015

SPORTS

19

Noah Burgett leads boys swim team to state title

By Bryce Auster Senior Noah Burgett has had a very accomplished high school athletic career as a swimmer. Since his freshman year, he has been one of the top performers on the WJ swim team. He has been a finalist in Metros and States all four years, as well as being WJ’s best swimmer at the butterfly stroke over the last two years. Burgett has also been on a number of championship relays.

Burgett started swimming when he was seven years old for the Tilden Woods Swim Team, and immediately fell in love with the sport.

“I always loved being in the water and the people on the Tilden Woods team were so fun and inviting,” he said.

At WJ, Burgett is well-liked by his teammates, who voted him team captain his junior and senior years.

“He was a great captain and helped lead our team in terms of spirit, cheers and determination in the pool,”

said Swim and Dive coach Jamie Grimes. “He was always supportive of the other swimmers.”

Apart from being supportive of his teammates, Burgett also has a strong work ethic. He believes there is a reason for his high motivation.

“I hate the idea of letting my teammates down, so I always try my best in a race,” said Burgett.

Burgett has also demonstrated that he is a team player, doing whatever it takes to help the team succeed. He would even swim in events that were not his best.

Although this is the last year Burgett will swim for WJ, he will swim for Cornell University next year, continuing his strong career.

Photo courtesy of Andy Ship

Senior Noah Burgett has been a finalist at States and Metros all four years of high school.

Exceptional senior athletes recognized for devotion, talent in spring season Itai Bezherano prepares for next step at SUNY Buffalo

By Noah Meyers In his years at WJ, Senior Itai Bezherano has always been a driving force for the cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track teams. Bezherano has been running competitively for the last four years but has been running for enjoyment since the fifth grade. His love and passion for running has helped lead WJ to numerous titles and accomplishments.

Like any experienced runner, Bezherano has many pre-race routines and customs that he likes to do before the race.

“I eat pulled pork the night before; I wear specific clothes for racing; I drink a shot of beet juice two hours before; I wear a rainbow headband and I eat a bag of Skittles if I have a good race,” said Bezherano.

Next year, Bezherano plans to attend the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, where he will continue his athletic career. However, the recruiting process for running wasn’t easy. Athletes usually have to reach out themselves to gain exposure, which can include filling out recruitment questionnaires and waiting for long periods of time to hear back.

“The recruiting process was really tough…You have to be ready for rejection and keep every option open,” said Bezherano. “I eventually got a call from the Buffalo coach and we really hit it off. I visited the campus and by the time I left, I knew I was meant to be there.”

Bezherano hopes that the effort he put forth in high school will yield similar results in college.

With the entire summer left, he has a lot of time to continue improving his stamina so he can be in the best shape possible in the fall.

Photo courtesy of MoCo Running

Senior gymnastics captain Monique Mendez completes successful career

By Owen Krucoff

Senior Monique Mendez is capping off an excellent run with the WJ gymnastics team. In this season’s first five meets, Mendez won the all-around competition four times. On March 26 at Whitman High School and on April 16 against Blair High School and Blake High School at Blair, she swept all four events: the floor exercise, balance beam, uneven bars and vault. She was also one of the team’s two senior captains. However, her proudest gymnastics achievement came at last year’s MCPS championships.

“Last year, when I won beam at [the county championships], WJ as a team won too. It was a huge accomplishment, it wasn’t expected at all. That was probably one of the happiest days of my life,” said Mendez.

Montgomery County is the only county in the state that competes in gymnastics, therefor that county title was as high of a championship they could win. Mendez has been participating in gymnastics since she was just two years old, but shortly before high school, she suffered a setback that forced her to stop full-time competition.

“When I was 13, I broke my back, so I had to quit [my yearround team],” said Mendez. “Once I got to high school, I learned that there was a gymnastics team, so I decided that I was just going to do that [instead of full-time competition].”

Her best event by far has been the beam, which she placed first in at all but one of those first five meets. Mendez also said that her relationship with her younger teammates is the best part of the gymnastics experience. “[My favorite part of being on the team] is having a strong bond with the girls, because a lot of them are underclassmen, and they don’t really know a lot of upperclassmen to look up to, and I like being that positive role model for them,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Monique Mendez

Sports 20

Sports editor Jake Weinischke questions athletic associations’ policies regarding marijuana.

What’s Inside

18+19

The Pitch profiles three senior athlete standouts.

MAY 27, 2015

Year in Review

Wildcats finish a successful year of athletics

(From left to right) Photos courtesy of Andy Ship, yearbook staff, MoCo Running, Kyle Madden, and Erica Boyd

(From left to right) Senior Matty Daza prepares to dive into the pool for WJSD, senior Danielle Orsak performs a gymnastics routine, senior JP Burklow runs for the boys cross country team, senior Kyle Madden dekes out a defender for boys soccer and senior Erica Boyd dribbles down the court for girls basketball.

By Patrick Jorling

Boys Swimming

The boys swim team capped off a dominant seaIn the 2014-2015 school year, WJ sports had strong performances from teams across all three seasons. son by reaching its ultimate goal: winning a Maryland From standout individuals to teams making strong playoff runs and winning state championships, the Wildcats state championship. Carried by a strong senior class, were once again one of the strongest athletic programs in the county. Dominant performances from standout the boys only lost one dual meet before placing first at seniors and the emergence of strong underclass performers both demonstrated how athletes have developed the state meet. over their four years, and how bright the future is for WJ athletics. The Pitch profiled five of the teams that “The seniors did a really good job this year leading stood out the most this year, as they achieved impressive accomplishments. the team,” senior captain Matty Daza said. “We got the underclassmen pumped up for their races which was really talented underclassmen and a lot of potential to really important because of how close the meets were Boys Soccer work with.” seeded.”

Boys soccer carried on its recent success as one of The team finished up their season with another Ending the year with the state championship is althe county’s powerhouses with another strong season strong performance at the county championships, this ways rewarding, but for a team with relatively low in 2014. With an 11-4-2 record, the boys were once year placing second behind a strong Sherwood team. expectations from outsiders coming into the season, again a force to be reckoned with in the county. A “We did well all season, and of course it was a lit- capturing the state title was even more satisfying for newfound comfort level with their second-year coach, Hector Morales, helped propel the group to success. tle disappointing since we won the championship last this group.

“It was the greatest feeling I’ve had in high school,” “This year was the second year for our coach [Hector year, but given the amount of talent there was on the Sherwood team, I think the fact that we were able to Daza said. “Ending the season with the state title was Morales] and I think that helped,” senior captain Jackkeep up with them says a lot about our team,” Aguilar even more rewarding for me and the team because we son Lange said. “The returning players had continusaid. were not expected to do so well. It was a great way to ity and were familiar with the coach and he was more end my swimming career.” familiar with us as opposed to last year where it was a new experience for everyone. “ Girls Basketball While it may not have been up to the standard of Coming into the season with a strong senior class Boys Cross Country reaching three straight region finals, Lange still beand a tight-knit group, girls basketball had high expecOnce again, the Boys Cross Country team had a lieves they sustained the program’s recent success in tations. The team certainly delivered, going 19-6 and strong season. Anchored by a strong senior class as 2014.

“I think we did continue the success of the program,” advancing to the regional semi-finals. Anchored by a well as some breakout runners, the team once again he said. “Obviously, the ultimate goal each year is to strong starting group as well as depth off of the bench, came up with strong results and was one of the counwin a state championship, which we were unable to the girls were able to breeze through their regular ty’s best. season schedule, which included getting an upset win Coach Tom Martin credited senior class leadership do, but I think it was still a successful year.” over traditional powerhouse Wootton. as well as a strong work ethic as keys to the team’s “We had a really strong starting five all season,” success. Those values helped propel the team to many said coach Lindsey Zegowitz. “The girls got into a nice impressive results, including a first place finish in the Gymnastics Gymnastics continued its recent success as one of the rhythm. We also had the best bench I have ever seen.” Varstiy “F” race at the Manhattan Invitational in New The girls carried that success into the playoffs, where York City. top teams in the county with another strong season in they defeated division foe Richard Montgomery 58-33 The team carried that momentum into the regional 2015. Coming off of a county championship in 2014, in the first round, and upset rival Churchill 52-49 in meet, where they placed fourth. While that placement the team lived up to their potential as they defeated the second round before bowing out to the eventual did not fulfill their ultimate goal, Martin was happy division rival BCC twice, Blake and Springbrook, as region champions, Whitman, in the region semi-finals. with the way the team ran, as it was an improvement well as Gaithersburg and Blair. Their only regular sea“We had a great season,” Zegowitz said. “The girls over their performance at the county championships. son blemish came in a dual meet with Sherwood and won more games this year than a basketball team at The team’s strong finish to the 2014 season as well as Whitman, in which they placed second.

“Coming into the season, we knew we had a strong WJ has won in a very long time. They have a lot to be a strong returning class point towards a good season in 2015. team from the get-go,” coach Erika Aguilar said. “Not proud of.” only did we have some of our top competitors comAndrew Horick and Alex LaFontaine contributed to this ing back, but we realized early on that we have some article.