April 2013 Issue

tjTODAY

THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 6560 Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312

APRIL 12, 2013

Part of a bigger problem Feds recognize drinking while driving as issue Virginia needs to address right now

photo illustration by Tahmina Achekzai and Arya Dahal

The security office keeps a breathalyzer to ascertain blood alcohol levels, and Fatal Vision goggles are used as part of Driver’s Education unit on DWI.

Tennis undefeated P 7

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 7

FCPS asks counties to contribute

by Mallika Patkar Editor-in-Chief Senior Sajala Shukla, a student from Loudoun County, was accepted to both Jefferson and the Loudoun Academy of Science (AOS). Ultimately, the Jefferson student body was the deciding factor.

“TJ had more of the community I was looking for,” she said.

Whether surrounding jurisdictions will be able to continue sending students to Jefferson after Superintendent Jack Dale proposed they contribute to the renovation bill is moot.

Dale’s proposal was approved as part of the FCPS School Board’s Capital Improvement Program for the Fiscal Year 2014. The renovation bill was originally calculated at $90 million before the bidding on the renovation was completed. The number has fallen to $67.44 million, but the estimations of per capita surcharges for each county are not finalized.

Students from Loudoun, Arlington and Prince William counties as well as Falls Church City currently attend Jefferson. Out of 1844 students, 325 come from these jurisdictions.

The counties will have the option to either pay in full in 2015, or to make annual payments over 30 years. Currently, contributing jurisdictions pay a fee that covers only operational costs.

The renovation will roughly double the size of the school. The TJ Partnership Fund is covering costs of the updates to technology infrastructure and laboratory equipment. continued on p. 2

7 to move on to ISEF event

by Tahmina Achekzai News Editor Officer Mark Harrington brought along several Fatal Vision goggles he’d borrowed from a driver’s education kit. TjTODAY editor Lindsay Williams attempted to walk a straight line in a simulation of a sobriety test.

“Everything was distorted and sideways.

The goggles gave me a headache,”she said.

The other staple of every public high school’s sobriety kit is a breathalyzer.

Although Harrington has no knowledge of a Jefferson student tested for drug or alcohol use while driving, there have been a number of cases of students coming to school under the influence or drinking on campus during his 10 years as the school resource officer.

“TJ students are aware of what they have to lose,“ he said. “Their level of investment is different from other public high schools.”

According to the most recently released Fairfax County Youth Survey, there was a 0.7 percent increase in alcohol-use and a 0.4 percent increase in binge drinking among students between the 2010-2011 and 20112012 school years. More underage drinking increases the risk of drinking and driving.

In 2012, 205 teens were arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI), as reported by the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD).

While the count of total arrests for DWI decreased from 2011 to 2012, the percentage of teenage arrests held steady at 8 percent.

For the area immediately surrounding Jefferson, the FCPD recorded 14 DWI arrests

in 2012, one of which was a driver between 15 and 20 years of age.

Teenage drinking while driving is a problem the U.S. Department of Transportation is trying to address across the country.

Virginia is one of 33 states deemed ineffective in dealing with the problem. As a result, they have had to divert funds from road and bridge construction to highway safety and drinking and driving programs.

Virginia ranks seventh highest in the amount of funds that needs to be diverted.

North Carolina is number two.

Harrington believes that students are putting themselves in significant danger by choosing to drink and drive. “We have high school students killed every couple of years.”

When the suspicion of student alcohol-use emerges, the administration and the police can both investigate to make sure students were not driving at the same time. Under federal law, however, police and school officials are not allowed to investigate together.

Principal Evan Glazer says when the administrators are presented with suspicion of student alcohol-use, they prefer to refer the situation immediately to Harrington.

“If we don’t catch them in the act of drinking, it is nearly impossible to incriminate them,” Glazer said. “In the case of alcohol, I would prefer the police deal with it because they have access to Breathalyzers.”

Coming to school under the influence can be especially dangerous for students due to the detrimental effects of alcohol on the brain.

One study published in the journal Psychology of Addicted Behaviors found that heavy drinking correlates with shorter attention spans among boys.

In girls, the study found poor spatial functioning, a quality which can be especially imperative at Jefferson because of its association with mathematics.

Because the teenage brain is not fully developed, teenagers are at a higher risk for fatal consequences. The under-development of the teenage brain is associated with higher risk of making harmful decisions.

“The part of the teenage brain that is fully developed is the limbic system, which deals with emotions and impulses,” psychology teacher Jo-Ann Muir said. “Sometimes the emotional part overrides the part that thinks things out.” continued on p. 2

by Jenny Chen News Editor From cancer research to scrutinizing of Earth’s magnetic field to analysis of fencing moves, the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair had it all. Out of the 285 projects showcased, however, only three stood alone as the Grand Prize winners and will advance to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), to be held in Phoenix from May 12 to 17.

All three Virginia Grand Prize winners were Jefferson students. Junior Andrea Li earned the Governor’s Award and first Grand Prize, junior Manotri Chaubal took the second Grand Prize and the team of juniors Rohan Banerjee and Archis Bhandarkar won the third Grand Prize.

“I think some of the things that made me stand out were the thorough background research that I did, my passion and energy for my project, and my presentation,” Li said.

Li studied the role of interferon, a protein in the nonspecific immune system, in minimizing the growth of breast cancer and leukemia cells.

She also won an award from the Virginia Biotechnology Association for the second year in a row. At the 2012 Virginia State Fair, she placed third in biochemistry. continued on p. 2

P8-9

P11

P13

P16

Fast food takes on green hue

Graduate performs at Black Cat in D.C.

DIVERTED FUNDS in millions

California North Carolina Indiana Louisiana Ohio Maryland Virginia Alaska

$70.5 $44.1 $40.4 $30.8 $27.6 $24.1

$21.4 $21.1

States are diverting funds to highway safety and anti-DWI programs.

source: Federal Highway Administration graphic by Tahmina Achekzai

Donuts are the new star on area menus

GIVE helps children in need of tutoring

2

news

Kudos & Accomplishments

TJ Cubing Team sets world record

The team of senior Chris Mercado, juniors Asa Kaplan and David Zhao, sophomores Albert Chuang, Peter Gunnarson, Alex Wendt and freshmen Eli Lifland and Devin Kim won the You CAN Do the Rubik’s Cube D.C. Area Rubik’s Challenge on April 6. They solved 25 Rubik’s Cubes in world record-setting minute and 39.2 seconds.

All-Virginia Band and Orchestra members perform in Harrisonburg

Jefferson musicians traveled to Harrisonburg to participate in the All-Virginia Band and Orchestra event from April 4 to 6. Qualifying orchestra students include seniors Gabrielle Chen, Andrew Jiang, Ian McConnell and Alan Wei, junior Irene Hwang, sophomores Charlene Franke and Anna Tsutsui and freshman Andrew Jiao. Band students include seniors Ryan Feng, Anu Goel, Alexia Kim and Keshav Mantha, juniors Josh Chung, Elise Favia, Bryan Higgins, Jung Huh and Kyu Kim, sophomores Bobbie Sheng, Ethan Lowman, Arthur He and Brian Junttila and freshman Jasper Treakle.

InvenTeam wins historic first at innovation competition

The team of seniors Kevin Huo, Mayank Mahajan, Avinash Ramesh and Sarthak Sahu won the People’s Choice Award, the first high school team to ever do so, and earned $1,500 at the Open Minds competition. The exhibition of teams’ products and companies took place at the Smithsonian Museum of American History on March 28. The team was sponsored by Neuroscience lab director and physics teacher Mark Hannum.

Forensics team takes third at states

At the VHSL State Forensics Tournament in Harrisonburg on March 23, senior Kyle Angelotti placed first in Impromptu Speaking, senior Katie Earl placed first in Dramatic Interpretation, and junior Miranda Callahan earned sixth place in Poetry Interpretation. The team won third overall.

Three students named Scholastic Writing Awards medalists

Juniors Emma Hastings and Anwar Omeish and sophomore Pooja Chandrashekar are Scholastic Writing Awards gold medalists. Omeish also earned the Creativity & Citizenship Scholarship and the American Voices Medal. They were honored locally on March 21 and will be recognized at Carnegie Hall in New York on May 31.

Computer teams compete at U.Va.

The Intermediate and Senior Computer Teams traveled to Charlottesville on March 23 for the High School Programming Contest, hosted by the U.Va. Association of Computing Machinery.

The Intermediate Team of juniors Ryan Jian, Doo Won Kang, Abraham Kang and Victoria Xia won first place. The Senior Team, which included seniors Alexander Grieser and Nand Kishore and juniors Muthuraman Chidambaram and William Moses, took third.

Future Problem Solving state finalists announced The Future Problem Solving state finalists include seniors Lauren Huang, Katherine Lee, Ian Lin, Arisa Smith, Christine Xu and Jessica Wang, juniors Andreas Butler, Parth Chopra and Aaron Zhao, sophomores Pegah Moradi and Melissa Wu and freshmen Joyce Duan, Christopher Hoang, MinJoo Kang, Andrew Li and Olivia Zhang.

tjTODAY Online

To see more news, visit our website at tjhsst.edu/studentlife/ publications/tjTODAY

april 12, 2013

Virginia to divert funds Science fair to deal with DWI problem participants continued from p. 1 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a standard alcoholic drink contains 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol. Drivers Education teacher Heidi Smith believes that Virginia’s laws against drunk drivers are simply not strict enough.

“If the consequences were more harsh, there would be a lot less people driving while intoxicated,” Smith said.

Underage drinking, a Class 1 misdemeanor, results in a fine of $500 to $2,500, community service, and up to 12 months in jail. However, once teenagers reach a blood alcohol concentration or 0.8, they are faced with the same consequences as adults.

Christopher Konschak, manager of the Virginia chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), says the biggest issue is a failure to communicate a consistent message to teenagers about the seriousness of alcohol.

“We really need to get one message being sent, and that starts at home,” he said.

Because of this inconsistency, MADD and FCPS try to reach out to parents. Schools work through Parents for Safe Teen Driving sessions.

“The session was a bit long, but it gave us the necessary information about driving regulations,” sophomore Jacopo Gliozzi said.

Smith also includes a unit on drinking and driving in her class for students.

“I’ve learned not to bark at them and how to make it more of a conversation,” she said. Smith opts for crash test videos instead of relying on blood and gore.

Junior Alex Le Floch sees the Drivers Education class as a re-enforcement service.

“In a metaphorical sense, Drivers Education puts a face to a name,” he said.

Some students do not believe classes and presentations are effective means of prevention against careless behavior.

“There are some people I know who drink,” sophomore Adrian Robertson said.

“But I don’t think it matters what you do. If people are going to do it in the first place, it’s going to be hard to change that.”

Commuting back home from parties always emerges as an issue. Word from a variety of sources suggests a new trend in party habits, “darties,” or day-time parties.

“Darties” allow teenagers to take advantage of the time when parents are away at work.

sweep States

photo by Tahmina Achekzai

School Resource Officer Mark Harrington guides senior Thrisha Potluri as she walks with Fatal Vision goggles.

“I’ve been asked to drink, but after saying no once, I wasn’t pressured again,” Le Floch said. “I feel like the chances of getting caught are too much to make it worthwhile.”

Until this year, Jefferson also had a Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club. Because most of the members graduated last year, it is currently non-existent.

But previous officers admit that when the club was alive, it was not very active.

“There was some drinking and drug use at TJ, but it wasn’t super prevalent, and what was going on was really well-concealed,” former SADD president Emily Crowe said.

“The officers didn’t care enough about the club and its mission, a feeling which probably stemmed partly from the relative absence of drinking and drug use at TJ.” Students who do feel passionate about teenage drinking have found alternative methods of working against such issues.

As a member of the Safe Community Coalition Youth Council, senior Saniya Suri goes from school to school to talk to students about the dangers of alcohol and drugs.

“As teens we think we’re invincible. It’s hard to tell others, ‘don’t do this,’” she said.

Still, she focuses on getting the facts out and helping teens understand her message.

“I do have friends who ‘experiment’ sometimes, but we think, at least they don’t party every weekend. And it’s sad that that’s what we have come to.” she said. “Drinking is so ingrained in our culture and society. It’s going to take a lot to change that.”

continued from p. 1 “My project this year is actually a completely separate project from last year,” she said. “It is stronger in the protocol and experimentation.”

In addition to her Grand Prize honor, Chaubal received an award from the Society of In Vitro Biology for her work on finding a less invasive and more accessible alternative to the extraction of stem cells from bone marrow.

She focused on the stem cells found within teeth as a possible substitute.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know there was a Society for In Vitro Biology award,” she said. “It was kind of astounding they did in fact find my project commendable.”

Seniors Suhas Gondi and Zach Hosseinipour and freshman Jake Cui were Grand Prize winners at the FCPS regional fair in March and also qualified for the Intel ISEF. Cui worked with James Madison High School freshman John Han on their project to combat cancer by combining an ancient Chinese herb with modern nanotechnology.

“I feel very lucky because I get to be exposed to some amazing research at an early stage which helps motivate me to continue research and try new things,” Cui said. “My partner and I are still doing lots of research on general topics like cancer and nanotechnology so we can have more detailed background knowledge for Internationals.”

photo by Arya Dahal

Junior Andrea Li explains her project to a judge at the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair.

Neighboring counties debate capital contributions continued from p. 1 Dale supports Jefferson remaining a regional Governor’s School.

“The strength of Jefferson is not only its science and technology curriculum, but its valuable partnerships across the region,” he said.

Loudoun County has the largest enrollment after Fairfax. According to Eric Hornberger, chairman of the Loudoun County School Board, it is too soon for Loudoun to make a decision.

“It is just too early to go into any specifics without more information first and foremost from Fairfax,” he said.

The budget that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors recently approved was $16 million less than their school board anticipated.

This will delay Loudoun’s plans to establish the Advanced Technology Academy, a school comparable to Jefferson.

“Our own Curriculum and Instruction Committee has only recently been analyzing plans to expand and further enrich our own Charles S. Monroe Technology Program as well as our AOS program,” Hornberger said.

Arlington County has been growing about 3.7 percent per year, according to Arlington County School Board member Noah Simon.

“We definitely support sending students to TJ,” Simon said. “But there is a $24 million budget shortfall this year, and at the rate at which we’re growing, we may find it difficult to contribute to extra capital costs.”

Simon visited Jefferson last month.

“

“I am grateful to Dr. Glazer for the tour,” Simon said. “I am a firm supporter of our partnership with TJ, and I want it to continue. Hopefully, budget won’t dictate that decision.”

Arlington offers comprehensive schools, such as H.B. Woodlawn. Some students believe opportunities at Jefferson cannot be found elsewhere.

“I’ve gotten to take courses which are not offered at my home high school,” senior Rachel Merriman-Goldring said.

According to Prince William County School Board Member Steven Keen from the Woodbridge District, Prince William will probably not sever their ties with Jefferson.

“Prince William County should definitely continue sending students to TJ,” Keen said.

“There is nothing like TJ anywhere else, even in our wonderful system. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t provide excellent opportunities for advanced programs in areas other than science and technology.”

Some counties have already pulled out, such as Fauquier County Public Schools, whereas others are considering reestablishing a partnership with Jefferson. The Alexandria City School Board planned to discuss reenrolling students, but the renovation premium may cut the conversation short.

“I believe this board was going to consider the topic in the coming months. However, with the proposal of the renovations, I am not sure if we can have a realistic conversation

TJ is not just a school, but a community for students to be rewarded with like-minded companions stretching from all around Northern Virginia.

- junior Billy Moses

”

for the future,” Alexandria City School Board Chairman Karen Graf said.

“We aren’t prepared to contribute to Fairfax County’s building needs at this time.

Unfortunately, the capital improvement issues will likely be the focus of our conversation about Thomas Jefferson instead of the learning opportunities that Governor’s Schools are supposed to afford the area.”

The FCPS School Board already appropriated money that covers the full cost of the renovation through a bond, even if surrounding jurisdictions don’t contribute.

Unlike Fairfax, the surrounding counties cannot ask their communities to approve a bond to pay the extra capital cost. Rather, the jurisdictions would need to appropriate operational costs. If the jurisdictions cannot pay the extra fee, they will no longer be given the option to enroll at Jefferson. Their slots would be filled by Fairfax students.

“I’m not sure there would be a problem filling all the spots. Fairfax students will be able to fill the void,” Dale said. “TJ receives over 3,000 applicants per year so there are plenty of kids interested in filling the spots.”

Many students are apprehensive of losing the network Jefferson creates.

“TJ is not just a school, but a community for students to be rewarded with like-minded companions stretching from all around Northern Virginia,” junior Billy Moses said.

The surrounding school boards have one year to make their decision. Students who are already attending will not be affected.

“It is in our school’s best interest that the participating school districts have the opportunity to send students here. TJ has a regional focus that supports our outreach programs and partnerships with businesses and universities,” Principal Evan Glazer said.

“I would love for even more school districts, such as Alexandria City and Manassas City to enroll here.”

news

april 12, 2013

NEWSMAKERS Talent Show acts impress

Students visit White House

3

Chess team vies in Nashville

photo by Sandy Cho

photo by Thrisha Potluri

photo courtesy of Yuyan Zhou

The News Senior Zach Ho performs in the “HipHop vs. Bhangra Dance Off” at the Talent Show on April 5. The show was hosted by the Class of 2013.

Backstory The annual event showcases students’ various skills. There were many vocal performances, as well as several dance and instrumental performances. One student recited a poem.

There were many impressive acts, such as a performance from TJ Service Choir, Sirens and other singing groups. There were two piano acts as well as a clarinet mix of Lady Gaga and a cello rendition of several Bruno Mars and Maroon Five songs.

The judges eventually announced that the winner of the performance was the “dance off” between two hip-hop dancers, Ho and senior Sekar Novika, and two Bhangra dancers, senior Saniya Suri and junior Kunal Khurana.

This dance began with a battle between contemporary hip-hop and classical Indian styles and ended with the hip-hop duo taking off their sweatshirts to reveal Indian-style shirts.

“I thought the talent show was really good. I loved how they mixed the cultures. It was really amusing when Zach and Sekar took off their sweatshirts and revealed their Indian clothing,” sophomore Helen Zhang said.

The second and third place numbers were also crowd favorites included a mix song of Bruno Mars and Maroon 5, and another dance number, a swing duet between Emory Ruscus and Arisa Smith.

“The talent show was amazing, especially Arisa and Emory’s dance,” sophomore Mona Bugaighis said. “They were really good.”

- Lindsay Williams

The News President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the audience at a “Women in History” panel reception at the White House on March 18.

Backstory The White House hosted the panel, featuring notable women in different fields. The event was held to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Seniors Tahmina Achekzai, Minh Bui, Saloni Chaswal, Allison Chou, Priyal Gandhi, Sam Hoegle, Mallika Patkar, Thrisha Potluri, Carrie Sun, Kaley Thornton, Michelle Wang and Mary Kim Weidman and juniors Anwar Omeish and Hannah Pho were selected to attend the event.

Students visited the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), where the “Woman in History” program was introduced by Tony and Obie Award winning playwright and actress Sarah Jones. The following panel discussion was moderated by MSNBC journalist Alex Wagner and featured Indian-American astronaut Sunni Williams, A&E Networks CEO Abbe Raven, WNBA star Tamika Catchings and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta.

“I was really inspired by Sunni Williams because she went through a similar path I want to pursue,” Weidman said.

After each of the women answered questions posed

by Wagner and shared their personal stories about how they got to where they were, the audience was directed to the East Wing of the White House. After delivering a brief speech to celebrate women’s progress in history, both President Barack Obama and the First Lady shook hands and greeted the audience before leaving.

“It’s really different seeing them in person than on TV,” Weidman said. “At first, I was excited to see them, because who wouldn’t be? But it wasn’t until I actually saw them in person that everything seemed surreal.”

- Thrisha Potluri

The News Sophomore Nihar Gudiseva and freshman Perry Feng play a practice game at the United States Chess Federation (USCF) SuperNationals V tournament. The tournament was held from April 5 to 7.

Backstory The chess team sent 12 players to Nashville to compete in the nationwide event. At the end of seven rounds, the team took ninth place in the main event. In the speed chess competition, the team earned seventh place.

“The team as a whole didn’t do as well as we usually do, but that’s because we weren’t as deep this year,” senior Andrew Freix said. “The top four scorers from the team are counted, so you need four players to do well.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad performance for the players we had.”

In previous years, Jefferson teams have consistently ranked among the top 10 teams at the national tournament, with the 2012 team scoring a third place finish and the 2011 team also ranking ninth.

“I would say our weakness is we are all really busy and don’t have much time to play in many tournaments, which makes it hard to improve,” senior Kartik Gupta said, “Chess tournaments are very time consuming and take all weekend since each game can last up to six hours in adult cash prize tournaments.”

According to the USCF, SuperNationals V broke the record for the most attended rated chess competition with 5,335 competitors.

“Our players are used to extremely large events, but it’s always a great feeling seeing so many kids interested in chess at all the different levels and age groups,” sophomore co-captain Jeevan Karamsetty said. “It is of course an unforgettable experience regardless of what ended up happening results-wise.”

- Jenny Chen

SAT Prep Exclusively for High-Achievers It’s no surprise that Honors Test Prep is the SAT prep program of choice for TJ students.

703-237-2665

Visit honorstestprep.com to review our complete ’12-’13 course schedule and learn about our SAT Course, SAT Essay Workshop, and PSAT/SAT Course.

s a t @ h o n o r s t e s t p r e p. c o m

“My son and daughter both took the Honors Test Prep course and both scored 2380 on the test. They reported that they were given individual feedback and error analysis in addition to applicable practice problems. It is obvious that Mr. Berk keeps up to date with the most recent changes in the test and is invested in the students’ achievement. I was glad to find a course tailored to high achieving students.”

Gail Gardiner, parent of TJ student, Class of 2010

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opinion

tjTODAY Volume 28 Issue 7

2012 Pacemaker - NSPA 2012 Trophy Class - VHSL 2012 All-American - NSPA 2012 Gold Medalist - CSPA

Editorial Board Editor in Chief Mallika Patkar

Managing/Online Editor Thrisha Potluri

News Editors Tahmina Achekzai Jenny Chen

Opinion Editors Michael Chao Arya Dahal

Sports Editors Sandy Cho Yena Seo

Spread Editor Sunny Kim

Entertainment Editors Jennifer Walter Lindsay Williams

Features Editors Amy Ahn Shayna Hume Alexis Williams

Staff Reporters Tara Gupta Esther Kim Arjun Nandra

Adviser Jennifer Seavey, MJE

Printer Silver Communications TjTODAY is the official newspaper of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology published monthly by the journalism staff. It serves as a vehicle for student expression and is an open forum of issues of interest and concern to the school community.

A full-year subscription can be purchased through the Thomas Jefferson Publications Package or by sending a check or money order for $20 to tjTODAY. The staff is deeply committed to a code of journalistic ethics that demands the exercise of accuracy, good judgment and impartiality.

The content of tjTODAY is determined by the editorial board.

Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the staff of tjTODAY, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.

Signed editorials and letters to the editor reflect the views of the authors.

TjTODAY solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed libelous, disruptive, obscene or otherwise inappropriate.

6560 Braddock Road Alexandria, VA 22312 Phone: (703)-750-8375 Fax: (703)-750-5010 Web site: www.tjhsst.edu/tjTODAY Online: http://www.tjhsst.edu/studentlife/publications/tjtoday Send letters to: tjTODAY@tjhsst. edu

april 12, 2013

Renovation costs shouldn’t limit diversity Lead Editorial students of these surrounding jurisdictions have to be filled by FCPS students, what is at stake? We would no longer be a regional Governor’s School and benefit from the amazing resources our jurisdictions’ students bring to the overall diversity of our student body. We talk about diversity a lot here. This type of diversity is an important part of who we are.

Jefferson garners top students from not only Fairfax, but Loudoun, Arlington and Prince William counties as well as Falls Church City. On our staff alone, three students commute from outside of Fairfax.

Students from outside of Fairfax are some of the best at this school. They not only enrich our classrooms, but are also some of the most involved students in research and student government. One of Jefferson’s four Siemens finalists this year is a student from Loudoun, for example.

If other counties were no longer able

tj TODAY’s unsigned majority opinion

Jefferson’s physical plant is going to nearly double in size by the end of the incipient renovation, but that comes with a $67.44 million price tag. Who’s to pay the bill when more than 17 percent of our students come from outside Fairfax County and the county’s residents are shouldering the entire burden through a bond bill?

Superintendent Jack Dale came up with a plan earlier this year.

Dale requested surrounding jurisdictions that send students to Jefferson to help share the capital cost of the renovation. Though many Fairfax officials view the sharing of renovation costs as a fair request, surrounding districts are concerned.

The proposal assigns a per capita surcharge to help fund the renovation between the jurisdictions that send students to Jefferson, fairly distributing some of the financial burden between FCPS and the surrounding counties.

We agree that FCPS shouldn’t have to pay the renovation costs in full. It is, after all, a common practice of Governor’s Schools to share the capital costs of renovations and other financial projects.

Unlike FCPS, however, surrounding jurisdictions cannot vote on a bond to pay the extra costs of sending their students to Jefferson. Instead, they will have to find money from operational costs. It is, therefore, harder for the surrounding counties to justify the extra capital costs. If surrounding counties are unable to pay the fee, they will no longer be able to send students to Jefferson.

If the 300 or so spots that go to

to send students to Jefferson, more Fairfax students would be given the opportunity to attend. However, finding some many additional FCPS students interested in Jefferson is not necessarily easy.

We don’t know that there are that many additional students in Fairfax as qualified and motivated as the ones Jefferson already accepts.

Our geographic diversity also allows for more partnerships with corporations and organizations. This opens up internship opportunities for our students.

The staff of tjTODAY believes that without our geographic diversity, Jefferson will lose its unique combination of resources and opportunities. Our students are, after all, our primary resource.

At the same time, sharing resources means sharing responsibility. We realize that the other jurisdictions have tight budgets, just as FCPS does, but we hope this doesn’t cause Jefferson to lose any of our juristictional partnerships that contribute to the integrated community we have striven to be.

Tara Gupta

Put food insecurity back on Congress’s table I sat down to watch one of my favorite shows in late February, expecting to have the usual fare of politics and humor characteristic of JENNIFER WALTER “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Instead, I listened to Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson, the producers of “A Place at the Table,” talk about their documentary on hunger in America.

Afterwards, interest piqued, I checked out the documentary. The next 90 minutes were a reminder of the dismal living conditions of millions of Americans. I haven’t been able to get those scenes out of my head.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the modern food stamp program that provides food assistance to families at or below 130 percent of the poverty line. Our area is heavily affected by the program. Washington, D.C. has more SNAP beneficiaries than any state in the union, with 150,000 people, a full 23 percent of the population, having received assistance from SNAP in December according to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

Virginia is better off, with only 11.4 per-

cent of the population relying on food assistance. On the surface, that sounds great.

People are hungry, but we are feeding them. The actual story is not so lovely.

The main issue in the United States is not outright starvation but food insecurity, the uncertainty of the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service, 17.9 million U.S. households, 14.9 percent of the population, suffered from food insecurity in 2011. This shortage hits women living alone, black communities and households below 185 percent of the poverty line the hardest. SNAP alleviates some of the problem, but does not address the gap between its 130 percent of the poverty line or lower policy and the reality.

SNAP was created with the optimistic ideal that no American should be at risk of hunger. How could we fall so far short of the reality?

Worse yet, the need for food assistance has been increasing as funding is cut. The number of SNAP participants has more than doubled in Rhode Island, Florida, Idaho, Nevada and Utah since 2008. Additional funding was provided in 2009 to help combat this increase, but the Recovery Act will end on Nov. 1. This loss will reduce the average SNAP money from an inadequate $4 a day to a measly $1.30 per meal.

So, what? No one in America is truly starving to death. Unfortunately, accord-

ing to a study by the University of Washington, 1,000 calories from high-energy dense foods, such as chips and pastries, costs more than 10 times less than 1,000 calories for nutritious low-energy foods, such as fruits and vegetables. The study also found that fruit and vegetables provide more base nutrients, such as potassium and Vitamin C, than base calories. On a food assistance budget, these expensive and energy insufficient foods are the first to go, causing long-term nutritional shortages. If a mother has to choose between letting go of nutritionally beneficial foods and letting their child starve, she will go for the chips and sugary cereal every time. Even with these cost-cutting measures, SNAP benefits are often reported to not last the entire month.

Listen. I am lucky. I have never worried about my next meal in my life. I imagine that many of you have never experienced food insecurity and don’t understand why it’s a big deal. But the fact is that millions of children are far worse off. It is ridiculous that a nation as well off as our own, a nation that can afford subsidies for oil, care for the elderly, and run a dying postal industry, cannot provide basic necessities to the poor.

Right now, we’re just tiptoeing around the issue, as if not discussing it will mean it isn’t happening. Let’s make a concrete change for the better and increase funding to SNAP. Food security is a right. We all deserve a place at the table.

opinion

april 12, 2013

Let’s recognize texting’s downside It has now become a daily routine among teenagers.

The phone starts vibrating, their fingers automatically shift to ESTHER KIM the radiant screen, and a long silence of hesitation and reluctance soon creeps in. It is the decision that every teenager struggles to make: should I reply to that text or not?

With the ever-increasing use of cell phones, texting has become a ubiquitous method of communication. But what we do not easily recognize and acknowledge are the hidden downsides of texting that are still in need of illumination.

Nowadays, it has become a common

teenage practice to ask a question about homework by simply pressing the “send” button on our brand new smartphones.

Although its simplicity is indeed alluring, in return, we are constantly losing the sense of empathy and understanding that we have once felt through the voices, the eyes, and the mistakes we are shown during face-to-face conversations.

According to a 2012 study conducted

by PEW Research Center, 64 percent of teens have admitted that they text on a daily basis while only 35 percent communicate through face-to-face conversations. If this trend continues on, it will take less than seconds for our generation to become a disconnected and emotionless society, or what Sherry Turkle, the founder of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, calls as the world in which “each of us is in our own bubble.”

The impact of texting also influences the most unexpected aspect of our lives— our own health. According to a Vancou-

ver Island Health Clinic, injuries caused by incessant text messaging are reported to be rising. The overuse of cell phones can lead to severe strain injuries and pain in the thumb, which definitely can be detrimental to numerous students at Jefferson who constantly use their hands to perform daily tasks.

The problem does not stop here. As a student who is still learning the usage and grammar of the English language, it is unavoidable to address that texting may be eradicating the fundamentals of our language. Instead of reinforcing the language acquisition process, texting is actually impeding it.

In fact, according to a 2012 study conducted by Drew P. Cingel and S. Shyam Sundar, the relationship between middle school students who regularly use abbreviated words in text messages and their scores on a grammar assessment exhibited a negative correlation.

The world today calls us the “digital natives.” We were the ones who first touched the beginning of technology, and we will continue to experience its advancements as time elapses.

But that does not mean that its hidden shadows should go unnoticed. I believe we are responsible for exposing the light as well as the dark of technology, starting out with the national teenage addiction, texting.

It could take months, years, perhaps even decades. But I believe that time has come for us to begin. For once, let’s place our phones where we aren’t aware of that telltale beep or buzz and start talking to each other.

5

inFocus:

What would you do if social media wasn’t available?

Freshman

Faith Ellen Lam “I would immerse myself in arts, writing, drawing and music. I would also spend more time in actually engaging with my friends.”

Sophomore

Jackson DuBro “I honestly don’t know.

Whenever I lose power, I go insane.”

Tara Gupta

Congress needs to jumpstart environmental reform Almost all climate scientists around the world agree that global climate change is occurring, and 97 percent believe humans are PETER MAHONEY a significant contributor to the problem, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers have evidence of rising ocean levels due to melting icecaps from increasing temperatures. Additionally, frequencies and intensities of extreme weather scenarios, such as Hurricane Sandy, are increasing.

Sandy brought massive flooding, an 11-foot storm surge, 80 mph wind gusts and heavy rain, resulting in widespread power outages, extreme flooding, and almost 100 deaths across just the Northeast. This storm crippled the New York and New Jersey transportation systems as well.

Congress is being far too resistant in enacting any legislation dealing with climate change. In 2011, for example, they took it a step further when they tried to pass a bill that would strip the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) right to regulate green house gasses.

In 2007 in Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA has the power to regulate these harmful gasses under the Clean Air Act, which defines green house gasses as pollutants. Though this bill

failed, it still showed the extent of the prob- emerge, these industries are forced to uplem we face. grade their machinery to be more environThe first step in confronting climate mentally friendly. This requires money and change is accepting it. I am not asking poli- lots of it. They now complain about the costs ticians to pass a hybrid car mandate. I’m of the new equipment and how detrimental simply asking them to acknowledge that the it is to the economy. The truth is they have climate is changing in ways that will greatly more than enough money, but they are affect our lives in the very near future and putting it towards politics instead of their that humans have a hand in what’s happen- equipment. ing.

These companies are throwing huge As of right now, there is no consensus amounts of campaign money toward canamong our elected officials that human ac- didates they know will vote against legislativity is a cause of climate change. The only tion aimed to reduce the impacts of climate argument they have against global warming change. This keeps climate change off the and climate change is that there isn’t enough agenda and lets huge corporations keep doevidence for them to believe it exists. The dis- ing what they want. agreement is not really because of disbelief, So, the root of the issue is simple -- corbut because of refusal to agree. porations with lots of spending power. If Politics is a game of survival. Re-election we can limit these corporations from “dois always in a politician’s mind even on the nating” huge amounts of money to camday he or she gets elected. Sadly, being elect- paigns or change the opinion of politicians ed in our country is based on money. With in office, progress can be made. Without the system we have now, the largest source the industries having to spend millions on of campaign money for politicians is from lobbyists and campaigns of politicians they corporations. Politicians count on these cor- want in office, they could put the money toporations for support and re-election, and wards upgrading their equipment to make many of these huge corporations hate the it environmentally friendly. idea of one thing: climate change. They know This concept is so simple. All it’s doing it exists, but refuse to acknowledge it because is cutting out the middlemen, lobbyists and their business relies on fossil fuels. campaign money, and directing the money These fuels are used to power factories, towards helping our environment. The part and they provide raw materials for products that vexes me about this situation is that I such as plastics. These huge corporations and other Americans aren’t asking for much. can’t separate the fact that climate change exWe’re not asking Congress to outlaw ists with the theory that humans are the lead- oil, stop natural gas collection, or offshore ing cause of it. They think if climate change drilling, We just need to agree our climate legislation were passed, it would destroy is changing, and we need to be doing sometheir business because of bans on fossil fuels thing about it starting now. and other important materials for them.

Also, as more stringent EPA regulations Peter Mahoney is a sophomore.

Junior

Alyssa Bruce “I don’t rely on social media that much. I’d probably use my time for outgoing activities like sports and art projects.”

Senior

Gene Gonzalez “It wouldn’t impact my life that much considering I don’t really use social media.” graphics and reporting by Michael Chao and Arya Dahal

6

sports

New coaches share goals for spring season

Girls’ tennis Marca Grau and Simon Harrington

“The potential that we’re seeing on the court is strong. The girls come out ready to fight.”

–Grau “We are trying to look at the game from alternative strategic points of view, such as solid net play.”

–Harrington

Boys’ lacrosse Rob Duca and Jackson Kibler

“I think we have a lot of talent here. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish.”

–Duca “I played lacrosse in college with Coach Duca and I’m excited to get back into the sport I love.”

–Kibler

Girls’ softball Antonio Bravo and Michael Hrabak

“I’m excited that the girls work hard every practice and play their hearts out at every game.”

–Bravo “The team is confident and enjoying playing together.”

–Hrabak

JV boys’ lacrosse Ethan Propst

“I’m excited to teach lacrosse and instill my knowledge to the younger generation.”

–Propst photos and reporting by Sandy Cho

april 12, 2013

Soccer players head into trouble

Concussions become concern for a new group of athletes

by Yena Seo Sports Editor Before the start of every game, senior Sam Hoegle warms up, drinks from her water bottle, and participates in a team huddle with the rest of the girls’ varsity soccer team. However, unlike the other players, Hoegle sports a Full90 Premier Headguard to protect her in the case of any injuries.

Hoegle has worn the headguard for over a year, after a dangerous incident in which she was simultaneously hit in the face with a ball as well as hit on the other side of her head by another player’s arm.

“I started wearing it after I got my second concussion,” Hoegle said. “My concussions weren’t really that bad, but I just didn’t want to get another, worse one.”

Concussions are prevalent in many contact sports, particularly football, and are a type of traumatic brain injury that shakes the brain inside the skull and causes it to bruise.

Until recently, however, concussions caused by soccer collisions didn’t seem to get much media attention.

In 2012, the National High School SportsRelated Injury Surveillance Study reported 92,171 concussions in high school soccer for the 2011-2012 school year.

Symptoms of concussions vary and include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness and visual and balance problems.

Athletes should seek urgent care when they suffer from slurred speech, seizures and neck pain.

Often times, concussions are the result of getting hit in the head by another player’s head or limbs, or falling on the ground head first.

However, recent studies have shown that “headers,” or hitting the ball with one’s head, can lead to head trauma and possibly result in concussions through numerous subconcussive blows.

According to a study published in late 2012 in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. Inga Katharina Koerte, a neuroradiologist at Harvard University and Brigham graphic by Tahmina Achekzai and Women’s Hospital, soccer players who repeatedly hit the ball with their heads may cause damage to their brains, even though it may not result in a concussion.

Koerte examined brain scans of a dozen German professional soccer players and found a pattern of damage to their brains that had a strong resemblance to the brains of patients with mild traumatic brain injury. Using diffusion tensor imaging, a high-resolution MRI technique, researchers saw changes in the frontal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain, regions responsible for higher order thinking, memory, attention and visual processing. Koerte’s team observed that the white matter, the interior portion of the brain that carries signals from nerve cells to the spinal cord, had suffered damage and could not restrict the movement of water molecules within the brain tissue.

“Given that soccer is the most popular sport in the world and is extensively played by children, players should be

aware that they may be putting themselves at some risk for developing brain injuries,” Koerte said. “Our results should be taken into consideration in order to protect soccer players, and limiting of heading the ball may be one thing to be discussed.”

A new study led by neurologist Anne Sereno published in late February, researched the effects of headers on 12 female varsity soccer players through an iPad app measuring the cognitive function and response time of the players after practice and 12 female non-contact sports athletes. The tests displayed 30-to-50-millisecond changes in response time, which is in line with mild traumatic brain injury.

Roughly 40 percent of soccer concussions are the result of collisions between players, while approximately 13 percent are due to headers, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

At Jefferson, six of the 25 head injuries in boys’ and girls’ soccer since 2010 were due to headers, while eight were headto-head injuries. Four injuries, all from goalies, were the result of being kicked or kneed in the head.

Senior Chris Piller, a goalie for the varsity boys’ team, recently suffered a concussion at a game against Falls Church High School on March 11. After he dove to get the ball, the Falls Church forward kicked him in the head.

“As a goalie, I don’t generally head the ball,” Piller said.

“However, I am taking time off of practice and games and getting rest.”

Junior Seong Jang was hit in the head by a soccer ball during his freshman year, when a senior practicing corner kicks accidentally kicked the ball into his head. Jang suffered a concussion for approximately three weeks.

“The obvious danger with heading the ball would be that it can cause trauma to the head,” Jang said. “However, of all the players I know, most of them got their concussions by being hit unexpectedly or clashing heads with another player rather than by heading a ball.”

Female soccer players are twice as likely to get concussed as males, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that in high school sports, football has the highest number of brain injuries, while girls’ soccer is secondhighest.

“The girl’s neck is usually thinner and weaker than a boy’s, so the head will move more under impact,” varsity girls’ head coach Luis Gendive said. “Heading technique is part of prevention, because too many players don’t know how to head the ball properly.”

At Jefferson, athletes are monitored everyday by the athletic trainer through impact tests and symptom checklists, and are excused from school work, homework and sports participation. Athletes here typically take 14-31 days to recover from concussions and follow a five-stage return-to-play protocol.

Sophomore Stav Nachum suffered a concussion at a travel game on March 23, when she was hit at the back of her head by another player, causing her to fall forward and hit the front of her head on the ground.

“I don’t remember much of what happened, but that’s what my teammates and coach said happened,” Nachum said. “I’m currently still recovering from my concussion by resting from sports and not doing anything too strenuous on the brain.”

To protect themselves from head injuries, athletes have the option to wear headguards. Full 90 Sports, Inc. is currently the largest global manufacturer of headguards, and produces the Full 90 Performance Headguard, which Hoegle wears. Several professional soccer players also sport headguards during games, notably Petr Cech, the goalie for the Chelsea Football Club in the Premier League.

The headguards meet and comply with FIFA, US Soccer and National Federation of State High School Associations regulations. A study conducted by Scott Delaney of McGill University found that players not wearing protective soccer headgear were 2.65 times more likely to suffer a concussion than those who did, and also stated that the frequency of lacerations, contusions and abrasions was reduced in players wearing headgear.

“I like the headguard because I’m definitely not as worried anymore,” Hoegle said. “It does help absorb impact and keeps me from worrying as much.”

However, many athletes who have suffered concussions continue to play soccer without the protection offered by the Full 90 Performance Headguards.

“Athletes will sometimes be unsportsmanlike and go after the players wearing headguards, since they’ve usually already had a concussion before,” athletic trainer Heather Murphy said. “Because of this, a lot of kids won’t wear the headguards because they’re afraid the other players will go after them.”

While the tests conducted by researchers are too small to be considered definitive, the studies do show that repeatedly using your head to strike a ball may create some amount of damage, especially when headers are at much faster speeds.

“I think most of the head injuries are difficult to avoid,” Piller said. “Soccer is a very physical game, and there will always be strong competition to win headers.”

sports

april 12, 2013

7

Boys’ tennis strives to remain undefeated

by Sandy Cho Sports Editor Having pulled off the impressive feat of qualifying for Regionals several seasons in a row as well as currently holding an undefeated record of 9-0, it is safe to say that the Colonials boys’ tennis team is formidable.

photo by Sandy Cho

Freshman Edward Zhao practices his forehand during a practice match on April 2.

With the return of their several top seniors, including No. 1 senior Chris Vrabel and No. 6 senior Ian Lin, and the addition of a surprisingly large number of strong freshmen, the team has been performing very well into their season, even capturing victories over their long-time rivals, Langley and McLean high schools.

“This year we are excited to have senior Chris Vrabel back at No. 1 singles and doubles. He is the game changer for us,” Coach John Myers said. “Last year, we couldn’t beat McLean and this year, we were able to eke out a 5-4 win over the team that replaced us as Liberty District Champions last year.”

In addition, unlike last year, where there were only four freshmen, this year, the team welcomed 10 freshmen. Two freshmen, in particular, Mark Prettyman and Nikhil Ramachandran, are ranked as No. 3 and 4 on the team, respectively.

“One great thing about having about 10 freshmen on the team is that we are always pushing the upperclassmen to become better because we are very motivated and high school tennis is a new experience for us,” Prettyman said. “This helps the whole team get better.”

Despite their previous success, the

team was disappointed as they were unable to qualify for States last season after being able to qualify for the previous two seasons.

“We’ve had no problems winning the Liberty District and the Northern Region, but when it came to states, we were always affected photo by Sandy Cho by poor conditioning,” junior Freshman Abishek Bhargava prepares for a backhand during a practice match Julian Nguyen on April 2 at Wakefield Park, one of the courts the team uses bi-weekly. said. “But this year, because we have been eating more, our team has, I think we have a very good we will be healthy and ready for the chal- chance at capturing the state title, somelenges that are ahead of us.” thing unheard to many players, as Deep The team’s ultimate goals this season Run has captured this title three years are to continue an undefeated record and consecutively,” Ramachandran said. “I’m qualify for States, as well as beat rival excited for the rest of the season, and it’s schools. great to see that we are still, and hopefully “Given the incredible talent and depth will be, undefeated.”

Softball and baseball teams look to improve performances

by Sandy Cho

by Yena Seo Sports Editor Sports Editor The varsity softball team has had its fair share of obstacles to overThe past few seasons have been rough for the varsity baseball team with come. Coming off a 2-13 regular season record last year and the disappointing records. Currently holding a better record from last season, 4-7, loss of key players, the already small team has had to shift players the team is hoping to improve their game, especially with the surprisingly large around and make accommodations for this season, which is curnumber of seniors on the team. Compared to last year where the team had only rently 1-2-8. three seniors, this time around, there are 12.

“Our team has only 11 players, and we were forced to shift to “This year, we mainly have seniors who have a lot of experience, so we will brand new positions, which has certainly been a big adjustment,” be able to capitalize on their past experience,” junior Alex Monahan said. senior Rachel Dyment said. “It’s a little scary, though, only having The team must overcome the obstacles and difficulties that plagued them 11 players.” during past seasons, such as issues with pitching, hitting and the offense in One of the deficits that comes along with having a small team general. In fact, last season, they were unable to win a single game in the is the possibility of having to forfeit games if players are injured.

Liberty District.

Senior Charlotte Sheridan is the only pitcher for the team, and is “I think that was a result of the strength of the other teams in our district, often referred to as the “Princess” by her teammates as it is essenand our lack of experience in general,” senior Alex Dalzell said. “We have a tial that she stays as healthy as possible. During a game against lot more confidence we should be beating these teams, and I think that will Washington and Lee High School on March 13, two of three intranslate into more success on the field.” jured players had to fight through their pain to avoid forfeiting.

Updated practice facilities and brand new field equipment, such as por“Almost half of the team spends the first 20 minutes doing table batting cages, will make it easier for the members on the team to imsome sort of rehab in the trainer’s,” Dyment said. “The season prove and practice their techniques. The members will also benefit from the has been very cold thus far, which is dangerous because it’s guidance of head coach Craig Lewis, assistant coach Eric Williams, and the difficult to stay warm and loose during the game.” addition of new assistant coach Matt Heffron.

Though the players are faced with daunting circumstances “Coach Heffron offers incredible wisdom in many subjects, from outand what appears to be an uphill battle, a new coaching staff, fielding to hitting, to even the subtle art of stealing,” senior Bill Swift said. comprised of coaches Michael Hrabak and Antonio Bravo, is It may be hard for the team to emerge from the difficulties that held them ready to tackle the challenges. back last year, but Lewis is positive that the team will do better this season, Several additions to the team as well as valuable returning believing in the seniors and improved returning players. players offer hope for the team. Two freshmen, Maya Pabilonia “We play in a tough league with strong competition so every game is a chaland An Smith, have proved to be assets to the team, particulenge. The team knows how to play baseball, but they need to be mentally folarly Pabilonia, a “slapper,” or a batter who can run as she makes cused 100 percent of the time,” he said. “I think with 12 seniors, we have good contact with the ball to shorten the time to first base. Sheridan is leadership and a good amount of talent.” equipped with a variety of pitches and speed, while junior Clara Lewis sees other improvements in addition.

Pitts, playing catcher and center field, offers a great arm and a “Our pitchers have worked hard in the offseason to improve, and they powerful hit. are keeping us in games. This is a big improvement from last year.”

“While we haven’t won many games so far, some of the But it’s the players themselves who are most motivated to pick scores against strong schools have been very close,” junior Elthemselves up and show what they are capable of.

Seniors Charlotte Sheridan and Mookie Goodlen Mulé said. “We’ve been showing dramatic improvements, “We have not had a great record my first three years of TJ baseball, son are both pitchers. especially in our hitting, and will hopefully start winning some but the team we have this year has the capability to change that,” senior more games.”

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photo illustration by Sandy Cho

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8

spread

april 12, 2013

spread

april 12, 2013

Fast and GREEN:

9

Can takeout vendors encourageC less waste ?

by Sunny Kim

A

Spread Editor

s soon as tjTODAY reporters walked into Chipotle Mexican Grill (7110 Old Keene Mill Rd., Springfield), they were greeted

by the brown and orange signs indicating all the ways in which the restaurant sought to be more environmentally-friendly and healthy in obtaining its

s ’ e y e p o P

Popeye’s packages chicken and french fries in thin paper boxes of varying sizes and uses plastic cups for the coleslaw.

McD

s ’ d l ona

photos and reporting by Sandy Cho, Arya Dahal, Sunny Kim, Thrisha Potluri and Yena Seo graphics by Sunny Kim

Counterclockwise from top left: McDonald’s green statistics displayed on top of the trash can; recyclable packaging of McNuggets meal, snack wrap and Hot & Spicy McChicken sandwich; grilled chicken Caesar salad and its packaging; a collage of the recyclable signs on each packaging material; recyclable paper bag used for packaging.

ingredients.

“I saw a board that said that the food was organic and didn’t have any chemical additives,” senior Arya Dahal said.

Chipotle is one of many restaurants that put in the effort to have a positive impact on the environment.

Its eco-friendly methods range from their recyclable paper bags and napkins to organic ingredients.

“The main reason I go to Chipotle is because the food is awesome, but I would say that being green is a nice bonus,” senior Amy Hwang said.

Chipotle has a project called Food With Integrity, which highlights its commitment to “changing traditional fast food culture by serving customers the very best ingredients, all raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers.” With this project, 40 percent of the black and pinto beans served at Chipotle are organically grown. Also, the project has reduced more than 140,000 pounds of chemical pesticides since 2005.

In addition, the bowls, napkins and paper bags used to package the food are all recycled and recyclable. By using 100 percent recycled content in its napkins, Chipotle saves over 22 million gallons of water per year. The reusable red plastic trays and the reminder on top of every trash can to not throw them away also reduces the restaurant’s waste.

But upon visiting one of many Chipotle restaurants, the reporters noted that no recycling bins were out for the customers’ use, and all the recyclable packaging was stuffed into an overflowing trash can.

According to Suman Kaur, a Chipotle employee, the garbage is separated and put into recycling in the back. Not only that, the store donates leftover chicken and steak every Friday to Aid Africa and reuses the carnitas and barbacoa.

However, Kaur noted that the store’s method of disposing of the used soy bean oil is to simply dump it down the drain.

A n o t h e r p o p u l a r fast food restaurant is McDonald’s. Even though it doesn’t have the big “green” presence that Chipotle has, the restaurant has specific methods to encourage environmentally friendly behaviors.

“Every week, we change the oil,” Monica Rios, who is the manager at McDonald’s (7600 Little River Tpke., Annandale), said. “We put the oil through a machine to clean it, and we send it away to be disposed of.”

According to the corporate McDonald’s’ website, its franchises work with Restaurant Technologies, Inc. (RTI) to implement a bulk cooking oil delivery and retrieval program.

Through this program, fresh cooking oil is delivered to the

restaurants in bulk, and waste oil is collected and taken back to be sold to a variety of vendors, including biodiesel companies. On average, each restaurant recycles nearly 11,600 pounds of used cooking oil per year. The bulk delivery of the oil also reduces the waste the restaurants produce.

McDonald’s also recycles corrugated cardboard in addition to recycling cooking oil.

The two items alone represent nearly 35 percent of the total waste by volume generated by the restaurant.

“The bags are all recyclable. The plastic bags we use are biodegradable. The cup holders are also recyclable. Basically everything we use is recyclable,” Rios said.

Even so, we did not see any recycling bins at the location we visited.

“It’s nice to see McDonald’s making an effort to be greener with all the recycling logos on boxes and bags. Although I do wish the place had recycling bins for the packaging, they still make me want to go more often than places that don’t try to be more environmentally friendly,” said sophomore Sandy Cho, who frequently visits the restaurant.

Popeye’s (7043 Little River Tpke., Annandale), yet another popular fast food restaurant, offers one environmentally-friendly option that Chipotle and McDonald’s don’t: a recycling bin.

“When I walked into Popeye’s, it was fairly clean,” junior Yena Seo said. “But when I went to go dispose of the trash once I was done eating, I noticed that many of the other customers had placed recyclable items into the trash can which was already very full.”

Similar to Chipotle’s method of lessening waste, Popeye’s offers plastic baskets and trays for the customers who choose to dine in the store. For takeout, thin paper boxes of varying sizes are used to package the chicken, and plastic cups are used to hold the coleslaw.

On The Border (11880 Spectrum Ctr., Reston), while not considered a fast food restaurant, uses some of the methods that are similar to the ones used by the fast food restaurants such as Chipotle and McDonald’s. It also has a growing takeout business.

Like Chipotle, On The Border separates the garbage to be recycled. In its case, the boxes are separated out to be recycled. Its oil disposal method is similar to that of McDonald’s.

“We keep the oil out back, and the company comes to pick it up,” Fred Stretch, a manager at the restaurant, said.

For On The Border takeouts, mostly recycled Styrofoam containers are used. But according to the Department of Public Works, Styrofoam packaging isn’t recyclable at the residential level. In addition to not being biodegradable, Styrofoam that is used in food packaging is usually contaminated by the food it holds and requires cleaning before the recycling process, which makes the process economically less viable.

Still, Chipotle, McDonald’s, Popeye’s and On The Border all have their own methods and policy to potentially leave behind a smaller footprint, even though some of them are succeeding in doing so more than others.

“It would be nice if all the area fast good restaurants could emulate Chipotle’s commitment, but just controlling waste would be a good start.”

Sandy Cho, Arya Dahal, Thrisha Potluri and Yena Seo contributed to the reporting for this article.

hipo

tle M

exica

n Gr

ill

Counterclockwise from top left: trash can designed to remind customers to not throw away the reusable plastic trays; sign indicating the environment-friendly ways the ingredients are obtained from as a part of the Food With Integrity project; recycled paper bags and napkins; reusable plastic trays and thin plastic paper; packaging of the burrito bowl, burrito and guacamole; recycled statistics printed on the Chipotle napkin.

Based on their eco-friendly methods, each restaurant was ranked on their “greeness.”

On The Border

Eco-ignorant

On The Border uses Styrofoam food packaging, which usually requires cleaning before recycling, adding the cost the makes the process economically less viable.

Eco-neutral

Eco-friendly

Eco-passionate

10

entertainment

Dysfunctional family drives new Haddon novel

april 12, 2013

Docu-discussion

Award-winning documentaries draw increasing attention from the entertainment community photo courtesy of amazon.com

by Shayna Hume Features Editor In the wake of death, no new life blooms. Or at least, not on the surface of Mark Haddon’s new novel, “The Red House.”

The novel’s plot centers around Richard, a wealthy doctor, inviting his estranged sister Angela for a vacation, but despite the ensuing tensions that are the focal point of the plot, by the end, it appears as if nothing has changed at all.

Haddon’s newest history of a dysfunctional family follows closely on the heels of the themes of, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” his best-seller from 2003. However, where “The Curious Incident” told the story through the eyes and voice of an autistic child, this novel takes a more conventional point-of-view.

“The Red House” begins with a family disaster: the death of Richard and Angela’s mother. Her demise tinges the rest of the novel with a darker tone and is a constant catalyst for the plot.

Over the week through alternating points of view, Haddon reveals each of the characters and their struggles in an artful collection of snippets of song lyrics, excerpts of letters and a fanfare of unresolved history.

Angela, mourning a still-born child, cannot comprehend the behavior of her children, and her unfaithful husband, Dominic, struggles with the fact that he is not able to support his family. Their children Alex, Daisy and Benjy struggle from everything from hormones to zealous religious devotion.

On the other hand, Richard attempts to please his new step-daughter, the vengeful and promiscuous Melissa, and his second wife Louisa. Though this mélange of viewpoints allows us insight into the characters’ minds, it doesn’t leave us room to sympathize with any of them.

By switching viewpoints and baring the grudges of each individual to us, Haddon makes any kind of preference among them a “lesser of all evils” kind of affiliation.

Another area where readers might think “The Red House” has failed would be in its lack of any ending at all. However, it is in that respect that “The Red House” succeeded completely. In painting a family portrait that doesn’t resolve itself just because the novel is over, Haddon again dips into an unparalleled sense of realism.

The story that Haddon weaves is not remarkable for its characters or for its plot, but for its power to provoke introspection.

Despite its multitude of viewpoints, within the novel’s characters Haddon manages to find something to hook all of his readers enough to persuade them to still pay attention when the point of view switches.

Despite the lack of an ending, the conclusion of “The Red House” is surprisingly satisfying. Though there is little foreshadowing of the future of the family and no great changes in surface character relationship, there is a distinct difference between the mindset that you begin and finish the book with that makes the task of reading it well worth the lengthy investment.

Coming Attractions infographic by Lindsay Williams

‘5 Broken Cameras’

‘Imposter’

‘Searching for Sugarman’

photo courtesy of oscar.go.com

photo courtesy of imposterflim.com

photo courtesy of sonyclassics.com

by Michael Chao Opinion Editor “5 Broken Cameras” is the latest in a long line of powerful documentaries to have released in the last several years. It tells the story of a Palestinian father and cameraman, Emad Burnat, and his struggle to reclaim land that was taken from his village by Israeli developers.

Palestinian life is rarely captured in the movie industry, and almost never with such success. “5 Broken Cameras” shatters these conventions. Made almost entirely from footage Burnat captured with his five personal cameras, this documentary provides an unfiltered account into the many ethnical and political conflicts that surround life in Burnat’s home village, Bil’in.

Each camera represents a phase in Burnat’s life as each one eventually meets its demise either at the foot or a stun grenade of an Israeli soldier.

The audience is thrown right into Burnat’s chaotic life; they witness the birth of his youngest son, Gibreel, the construction of a wall that separates Bil’in from its stolen land and the Israeli army shooting live rounds at the villagers despite their peaceful protests. Burnat follows the stories of many of his village friends and even captures live footage of them being arrested and shot in the leg, all for trying to reclaim their rightful land.

Perhaps the most touching part of the story is Gibreel, Burnat’s youngest son.

Gibreel was born a regular and innocent child, only to witness and be tainted by the violence of war. His first words were “soldier” and wall”, something that is truly indicative of the times that he grew up in.

“Broken Cameras” is an exemplar of resilience and friendship; it shows that the villagers of Bil’in were not discouraged by the many arrests and eventual deaths of their friends and relatives.

They found the strength within them to continue fighting for what they thought was right and not giving up an inch in doing so.

Despite the whole film being spoken in Hebrew and Arabic, the subtitles and vivid imagery is more than enough to keep the audience involved and rooting for Bil’in and its citizens.

Nominated for an Academy Award and winner of several awards at the Sundance Film Festival, “5 Broken Cameras” is well worthy of its accolades. Everything in this documentary, ranging from the music to the message is both powerful and moving. Emad Burnat and his five broken cameras have captured and created a masterpiece, something that should most definitely not be missed.

by Michael Chao Opinion Editor “The Imposter” is an award-winning 2012 documentary that tells the story of Nicholas Barclay, a 13-year-old boy who disappeared from Texas in 1994. Barclay is supposedly found in Spain over three years later but returns a complete polar opposite of his old self, including a different personality, eye color and accent.

Claiming to have been kidnapped for a child-slave sex ring among highranking military officials, Barclay is welcomed home by his family with open arms. But what really happened during these three years?

Directed by Bart Layton, and produced by Simon Chinn of “Man on Wire” fame,“The Imposter” follows Barclay’s story mostly through the narration of Frédéric Bourdin, a 23-year-old con man revealed to be impersonating Barclay.

Bourdin himself is a well-versed and arrogant con-man; he is very confident of his abilities and shows no remorse throughout for what he did to Nicholas Barclay’s family. Bourdin’s air of arrogance and pride is highlighted by the documentary’s clever sequential placement of scenes and interviews that progressively portrays all the conflicting parts of Bourdin’s temperamental personality.

In the well-directed reenactments of Bourdin and his escapades throughout the years, the audience is truly able to experience and witness what the emotions of everybody involved were. Ranging from relief to disbelief, every mood is captured and acted to perfection.

Beyond the fine scene editing and plot set-up, “The Imposter” questions the taboo boundaries of family morals.

It tells the story of a family in crisis and how they chose to bury their secrets in order to reconcile, no matter how dark the secrets are. Towards the end, “The Imposter” mentions an anecdote about Barclay’s brother, who committed suicide, and raises questions as to what really happened behind the closed-door mourning sessions in the Barclay family.

This documentary hits home by making the audience think throughout its entirety. Its many twists and turns will keep anybody watching at the edge of their seats, thinking they have the whole case figured out.

Don’t be turned off by the relatively small budget and low level of advertising hype surrounding this documentary.

The film received top honors at the Miami International Film Festival as well as Sundance and is one of the best I have seen in recent memory. Be sure not to miss “The Imposter.”

by Arjun Nundra Staff Reporter The camera follows a car as it sweeps down a mountain road in South Africa, accompanied by the strumming chords of “Sugar Man” by Rodriguez. An excited South African journalist, Stephen Segerman, begins to relate the tale of a mysterious singer who gained success with an unexpected audience and the hunt to find him.

The tale follows two fascinating paths.

The first through the smoky bars of impoverished 1970s Detroit and the other through socially repressed apartheid South Africa in a search for the man behind the music, fueled by rumors of a dramatic suicide on stage.

Malik Bendjelloul’s “Searching for Sugarman” is more than the complicated story of Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican-American songwriter who never attained fame in the United States. It is a critique on the fickle nature of fame. Why was Rodriguez, whose music resembled that of many famous songwriters of the time, passed over?

His dark, brooding lyrics adroitly reflected the social and cultural situation in Detroit at the time, but his music sold few copies in the U.S. It was a different audience that appreciated Rodriguez’s music. The South African youth of the apartheid era, in an attempt to rebel against local social restrictions, listened to Rodriguez lament the situation in Detroit and found parallels half a world away.

A deft mix of lonely Detroit streets and panning South African vistas provide the backdrop for Rodriguez’s story, almost illustrating the difference in his reception in both countries. Rather than creating a new soundtrack, songs from Rodriguez’s albums “Cold Fact” and “Coming from Reality” are used to provide somber, dark undertones to the story.

By not revealing Rodriguez or his family until the end of the film, Bendjelloul preserves a sense of mystery and an aura of loneliness. The alternation between South Africa and Detroit gets confusing at times, which ironically serves to illustrate the confusion Segerman and his friends felt in their search.

“Searching for Sugarman” is an uplifting tale of unexpected success from an unlikely source. Bendjelloul’s artfully crafts film guides viewers through stories in two countries, often jumping between them.

Rodriguez’s story is one that astonishes viewers accustomed to instant information sharing. In the Internet age, such a huge information disconnect is even less likely than it was in the 1970s.

For a thrilling tale of latent luck, “Searching for Sugarman” is the film to see.

‘Scary Movie 5’

April 12: Theaters everywhere

‘Defiance’

April 15: Syfy

‘Right Place Right Time’ April 16: iTunes

‘Oblivion’

April 19: Theaters everywhere

‘Don’t count on forever’ April 19-20: Jefferson

entertainment

april 12, 2013

11

Alum cultivates musical talents

by Jennifer Walter Entertainment Editor Thao Nguyen, lead singer of alternative folk rock group “Thao and the Get Down Stay Down” and Class of 2002 graduate, performed at the Black Cat on March 20 in Washington, D.C. After taking a yearlong break in San Francisco, Nguyen was back on tour to promote her new album “We the Common.”

“This new album was a lot about wanting to be a participant in my own life and wanting to be a better part of my community and my family. A lot of it was about harnessing that collective energy and people taking care of each other,” Nguyen said.

“It’s not really about failed relationships and more about how I could be better in general.”

The song that inspired the title of the album “We the Common (for Valerie Bolden)” was inspired by Nguyen’s talks with women prisoners while working with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP).

“I’ve always been interested in women’s advocacy issues,” Nguyen said. “They asked me to fill in with an advocacy group last year.”

The CCWP advocates against racial and gender violence in the prison industrial complex. Nguyen’s interest in social justice groups like the CCWP was encouraged during her time at Jefferson by former English teacher Mary O’Brien.

“I’ve seen a development in her own passion, not just in her music, but in her desire to make an important contribution to society by working with women in prisons,” O’Brien said.

Nguyen continued to show an interest during college, where she majored in sociology and women’s studies at the College of William and Mary. At this time, she also met drummer Willis Thompson and bass guitarist Adam Thompson. Joined by Frank Stewart, Nguyen went on tour after college, eventually stopping in Seattle and San Francisco.

The album is coupled with three promotional videos.

“I knew I had to do some sort of promotional element, and my management had been talking about doing something behind the scenes. I found the idea underwhelming. I don’t know if anybody’s particularly interested in what guitars I play on what songs,” Nguyen said.

Instead, the videos poke fun at Nguyen’s creative process and her relationship with the media.

“I wanted to show more of a personality of me and the band and that we don’t take ourselves seriously when we don’t have to,” Nguyen said.

This fun-loving attitude can be traced back to Nguyen’s time at Jefferson.

“My senior year of high school, I skipped class and would just practice speed skating in the hallways,” Nguyen said. “Everyone just sort of rooted me on. No one ever yelled at me.”

While at Jefferson, Nguyen went by the name Theresa. With the encouragement of her roommate at William and Mary, she decided to return to her Vietnamese roots.

“I realized it was really stupid to have an American name that’s not my given name,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen first experienced name difficulties in kindergarten, when other children mispronounced her name as “Towel.” She then requested to be called Theresa.

“I just wanted so badly to assimilate, which I think is a failure of our culture.

It was just really important at that time, you know, growing up as an immigrant,” Nguyen said. “I actually can’t stand to hear it.”

A brighter memory from her time at Jefferson included her first performance.

“My first real show was the TJ talent show my sophomore year. I had written

a few original songs, and my friends and I sang them” Nguyen said. “I think I got second place.”

While still at Jefferson, she went on to record four songs and perform in one show at the Jammin Java, a popular music club and cafe in Vienna.

“I used to play with my friends all over the area,” Nguyen said. “My mom would let me drive all over. We would go to open mic nights ever week. We would stay up really late and then go to school the next morning.”

Thao has worked with Laura Veirs, Tucker Martine, the Portland Cello Project, Andrew Bird, Mirah and Johanna Newsom. Her tour ended on April 8 with a performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, but she will be back performing on May 25 for Musicfest at the University of Denver.

photo by Lindsay Williams

Thao Nguyen performs at the Black Cat on March 20 in Washington, D.C.

Thao brings unique sound to Black Cat lie Ford and The Sound Outside, an indie rock group on tour with Thao Nguyen. A few stragglers still trickled in.

The band kicked off the performance a little after 10 by taking advantage of the Black Cat’s massive speakers and excellent acoustics. The sound level was bumped up another notch with “Holy Roller,” when the audience sang along to the chorus.

The thought-provoking lyrics were matched by Nguyen’s energy. On several occasions, Nguyen turned her back to the audience to focus solely on beating out music from her guitar.

While the vocals could be described as a bit whiny, when combined with the banjo, guitars and vibraphone, they provided an u n c o n ve n t i o n a l and compelling sound.

The performance was a bit of a homecoming for Nguyen, who grew up in Fairfax. She played to the crowd, mentioning her D.C. heritage and time working at Potbelly in the city. The fast food chain offered her free sandwiches, but not free milkshakes, to the lamentation of the crowd.

I can only hope that Thao and The Get Down Stay Down will bring their atypical musical style back to photo courtesy of Lauren Tabak the D.C. area in Class of 2002 graduate Thao Nguyen is the lead singer of alternative folk rock band Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. the near future.

by Jennifer Walter Entertainment Editor We slip into the line on the street behind a chatting couple in their mid-20s. Two scanned tickets, stamped hands and some stern reminders of the club’s zero tolerance of underage drinking later, and we are in.

The Black Cat is a music venue in Washington D.C. that specializes in independent and alternative music. While it’s no Verizon Center, the club is still large enough to pack a couple hundred people, as it did on March 20 for the performance from Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, an alternative folk rock group.

The floor was already packed from the opening act, Sal-

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www.safecommunitycoalition.net

12 Spotlight on: alumni

features

april 12, 2013

Where are they now?

Class of 2009 graduates will marry in June

photo courtesy of Chrissy Franzel

Markwalter and Franzel will get married on June 1 in Georgia.

by Alexis Williams Features Editor When Class of 2009 graduates Daniel Markwalter and Chrissy Franzel revisited Jaleo, the restaurant they ate at before their senior prom and the ice skating rink where they had their first date, it set the stage perfectly. Later that night, Markwalter proposed in his driveway, and Franzel accepted.

The road to this moment could have led them to very different places.

After senior year, they decided to attend colleges a great superlative to receive,” Markwalter said. separated by a long distance. Markwalter headed to Bucknell Things almost turned tragic, however, when Markwalter University in Lewisburg, Pa., while Franzel went to Agnes became sick late last year after he and Franzel were engaged.

Scott College in Decatur, Ga. They decided to try to maintain Markwalter was experiencing flu-like symptoms when he was their relationship. hospitalized because his condition became life-threatening.

“We talked very openly about our While Markwalter was sick, Franzel left school decisions and separately came to the to stay with him at the hospital for 10 days. conclusion we did not want to break up.

“It was a living nightmare. Seeing Daniel on I don’t think it ever really crossed our life support, praying for his life and carefully minds to do so. We both felt we had a digesting every word the doctors said became my strong connection and wanted to continue new reality. And that reality was indescribably to nurture it,” Markwalter said. terrifying,” Franzel said.

Franzel and Markwalter met on Fortunately, Markwalter recovered and the Jefferson freshman orientation day, when wedding is set for June 1. The ceremony will be at they found out that they were in the same Agnes Scott College.

IBET. Franzel was almost immediately “The most special part of the wedding will drawn to Markwalter, but even though be the ceremony, especially the vows. We will they worked on the same IBET project, promise ourselves to each other before God, they did not start dating until they were surrounded by our closest family and friends,” juniors. After that, however, they did not Franzel said. break up at all.

As a honeymoon, Franzel and Markwalter are “Daniel and I are sure to communicate going to a family-owned cabin in Georgia.

Photo courtesy of tjTODAY whenever a potential problem arises.

“The cabin is owned by family and I have a lot It isn’t always easy, but our honesty of good memories there,” Markwalter said. and openness with each other keeps While at Jefferson, Franzel After the wedding, they have decided to go our relationship healthy and positive,” and Markwalter were voted to graduate school in the same city. Franzel will “next Jim and Pam” as their Franzel said. pursue a PhD in chemistry, while Markwalter will senior superlative.

They were voted “Next Jim and Pam” be attending medical school. Both feel that their as their senior superlative, a reference to a decisions were affected by their time at Jefferson. couple on the TV show “The Office.”

“Jefferson taught me to love interdisciplinary work,” “It was actually very meaningful to receive the superlative. Markwalter said. “I owe everything to the time I spent there.”

Jim and Pam share a really great relationship, and I thought Franzel also feels that Jefferson has shaped her decisions. it was wonderful to be compared to them, not to mention “My experience at Jefferson helped me become a capable that they had their fair share of tension before dating, just as scientist, and my teachers there inspired me to study Chrissy and I did. As a big fan of ‘The Office,’ I thought it was chemistry in college,” Franzel said.

Students travel on cultural spring break trips Machu Picchu provides students with glimpse of ancient mysteries

Exchange students share holiday traditions with host families

by Alexis Williams Features Editor The mysteries of the lost city in the clouds, the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, remain undiscovered by many.

During spring break, however, Jefferson students visited Peru to learn more about this ancient site. Accompanied by Spanish teachers Alex Pou and Nanette Mateo, students visited the Peruvian cities of Lima, Cuzco, Puno and Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu.

The highlight of the tour was the overnight stay at Aguas Calientes, which allowed students multiple days at Machu Picchu, the most famous Incan ruin due to its large size and interesting features. While there, students had the opportunity to hike up to Intipunku, the Sun Gate, which is one of the highest points with a view of the city of Machu Picchu.

“It was very misty on the way up to Intipunku, but just as we were about to leave, the mist cleared and we had an amazing view of the city of Machu Picchu,” freshman Emily Flynn said.

Machu Picchu was not, however, the only taste of Incan culture that the

by Lindsay Williams Entertainment Editor Freshman Cheryl Mensah had never had crepes before she went to France. She loved them so much the first time she tried them she kept buying crepes from street vendors. Finally, her French host student told her that they could make the crepes themselves. On the last day of her visit to France, Mensah woke up early to the smell of crepes and helped her host family make them.

“I think we ended up making around 40 crepes or so that day, and they were delicious, but it was sad at the same time, because we all knew it was one of the last meals we would be eating together,”Mensah said.

This experience was part of the student exchange program between Jefferson and the Lycée Roosevelt, a high school located in Reims, France, which is about an hour away from Paris. Students hosted French students when they came last October and had the opportunity to go stay with French families this spring.

“It was a better experience having known my student beforehand as I was more comfortable with her family, and they seemed very enthusiastic to finally meet me,” junior Luke Barbano said.

The Jefferson students stayed with their host families over the weekends and attended a French high school for three days. They attended classes and ate in the school’s cafeteria.

“The school was really different. The distance between the teacher and the students is much more formal, and there is almost no

Junior CheyAnne Rivera hikes up to Intipunku, the Sun Gate, in Machu Picchu, Peru. photo by Alexis Williams

students received. Cuzco, the ancient capital city of the Incas, featured many different ruins such as the “Head of the Puma” ruin called Sacsayhuaman (pronounced “Sexy Woman”) and the Sun Temple, which is now a Catholic monastery but holds many relics of the Incas.

“I loved the Sun Temple because you could see the Incan architecture mixed with the Spanish influence,” sophomore Daniel McKinney said.

Students also got to experience preIncan cultures when they stopped at Puno, a city in the southern highlands of Peru on the coast of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. While there, the students visited the Uros Islands, manmade islands composed of reeds found in the lake.

“It was a very weird feeling, walking on top of the reeds floating on water.

You could feel the current beneath you,” Flynn said.

One of the challenges that students faced in Peru was the high altitude.

Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Puno are all at fairly high elevations, especially Puno. To combat this, students made sure to keep hydrated and use the local remedy for altitude sickness, a tea made from coca leaves. Some students even brought prescription altitude sickness medicine for the trip.

“I brought prescription altitude sickness medicine in addition to ibuprofen in order to avoid altitude sickness symptoms.

The altitude sickness pills really came in handy, because even when I was on them I got headaches easily and often experienced tingling in my fingers and toes. I imagine the symptoms would have been much worse without them,” junior CheyAnne Rivera said.

Students also found that they missed certain unexpected things about America such as tomato sauce, electrical outlets and food variety.

“I really missed having clocks and trash cans. They did not have a lot of those around Peru at all,” McKinney said.

discussion in classes. Students can leave campus whenever they want. In some ways, it was more like a university than a high school.” sophomore Paris Mitzfield said.

Students were with their host families over Easter, so they were able to learn about the different traditions French people have.

“They eat a lot of chocolate on Easter. We also ate lamb for lunch, which is an Easter tradition. The holiday is mainly celebrated at lunchtime and in the afternoon there,” sophomore Heather Lukas said.

The trip was sponsored by French teacher Genevieve Delfosse, who works with Aurore Rambourg at Lycée Roosevelt to make the exchange happen. They plan on continuing the program next year.

“The importance of the trip is the cultural discovery and really seeing that what you learn in class applies in real life. Students can create friendships that last, which is the best difference between commercial travel and exchange trips,” Delfosse said.

The Jefferson students also toured Paris, visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Champs Elysées.

“Everything looks like a piece of artwork in Paris. We would walk past beautiful buildings and ask our teacher what building it was, and she would tell us that it’s just someone’s house, a store or even a restaurant.” junior Sib Shewit said.

Sophomores Heather Lukas, Carolina Hatanp‌‌aa, Edi Danalanche and Alec Jessar and junior Brian Clark stand in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. photo by Lindsay Williams

features

april 12, 2013

Dreaming of

13

Donuts become the ‘it’ sweet to order around the greater D.C. area Farmers, Fishers, Bakers Migue’s Magnificent Mini Donuts Caramel beignet

Best Rasberry beignet

Not so good

Farmers, Fishers, Bakers may not sound like a doughnut shop. But, hidden in their vast menu, is the title “Fried Dough.” Underneath, visitors can find “Uncle Buck’s Beignets,” a beignet-style doughnut eaten for breakfast or dessert.

These delectable treats come in small servings, but include enough taste for hundreds of desserts. Biting into a thick, crispy, powdery coat reveals an incredibly soft, buttery inner layer. Neither too greasy nor dry, the beignets are a perfect balance.

Unlike some other beignets, FFB doesn’t drown the dough in the powdered sugar, instead opting for a light sprinkle – making for a less overwhelming dessert.

Accompanying the doughnuts are three syrups, chocolate, caramel, and raspberry.

The freedom to pick syrups is appreciated – especially because the raspberry may be a little strong, or the caramel a little bland.

No matter how many servings you order, you’ll always want “one more,” whether to experiment with the toppings, try to figure out the secret ingredient, or to simply indulge in the wondrous bliss of the beignets again.

Address: 3000 K Street NW Washington, D.C., 20007

Birch and Barley A posh restaurant in the heart of D.C., Birch and Barley may not be expected to have great donuts. But surprisingly, that is one of the items that their Sunday Brunch is famous for.

The donuts are soft, warm and delicious.

They are richer and thicker than normal donuts because they are made of brioche dough.

The lemon poppyseed donut is very citrusy, but not very lemony. However, the poppyseeds add a nice texture.

The bacon-toffee donut doesn’t have as much

Migue’s Magnificent Mini-Donuts is a street-vendor type venue. The doughnuts are fried on a conveyor belt in front of customers the moment they are ordered – making it fresh and warm in one bite.

They have a gently sweet tinge to them. A faintly crispy, golden brown outer layer coats a soft, fluffy pillow of dough inside. A few of the doughnuts were a bit raw on the inside, but because they are made on the spot, customers can ask to fry them for a few more seconds.

Though the doughnuts are limited to a few flavors, such as vanilla or red velvet, a variety of toppings – including sprinkles, powdered sugar and a number of syrups, are available for customers.

However, because the doughnuts are already sugary, it is easy to overdo the condiments. The doughnuts are not completely filling, but make a tasty snack to munch on while walking through downtown D.C.

Plain with sprinkles

Not so good Best

Plain with chocolate and sugar

Address: 635 North Carolina Ave, Washington, D.C., 20003

Address: 1337 14th Street NW, Washingtion, D.C., 20005

toffee flavor as it could have, but the bacon is delicious and adds an interesting dimension.

The semisweet chocolate donut is more bittersweet than semisweet, but still good. It is served cold in order for the chocolate to set, which makes it slightly denser than the other donuts.

Overall, the donuts were a delicious treat for breakfast.

Semisweet chocolate

Not so good

Best

Bacon-toffee

photos and reporting by Tahmina Achekzai, Jennifer Walter and Alexis Williams

14

features

april 12, 2013

Jefferson goes GREEN

Recycling initiative works Renovation to promote to change paper standards green building practices

by Shayna Hume Features Editor Currently, paper used at Jefferson has zero post-consumer recycled content. The Environmental Impact Club sponsored a two-week switch in mid-March to a more environmentallyfriendly product in an attempt to push their recycling initiative.

“The paper we are trying to make the change to has 30 percent post-consumer recycled content, which means that 30 percent of the materials used in the paper have been recycled by regular paper consumers like you and me,” junior Eric Bo said.

Bo is in charge of the Environmental Impact Club’s Recycling Initiative and supervised the school-wide switch.

While the recycled paper is around 7 percent more expensive, the club also encouraged teachers and administrators to cut their paper usage to maintain the current expenditure.

“Each teacher needs to slightly reduce their paper usage, by about 67 pages a week, in order to reach our goal,” Bo said.

There are already many institutions that use from the 10 to 30 percent recycled paper standard, including the Fairfax County government. The federal government currently uses a standard of 30 percent.

“Until everyone has Kindles, iPads, etc, we need to use paper, but we should make sure the paper we do use meets the sustainability standards set by the federal government,” Amanda Hurowitz, sponsor of the Environmental Impact Club, said.

Hurowitz also advises that students take some measures as well, such as limiting the number of copies of assignments that they print out at school.

“The library used to go through an insane number of reams of paper before it was moved upstairs,” Hurowitz said.

The Recycling Initiative began working in the middle of last year, but this is the first year that it has run as a pilot program adhering to the 30 percent standard.

“We want to commit and make the switch full-time to more eco-friendly paper,” Bo said.

by Shayna Hume Features Editor The efforts of the Environmental Impact Club aren’t just limited to Service Week each year. In addition, they support Jefferson’s renovation effort.

“Over the past few years, Environmental Impact Club members have been working actively with the architects of the upcoming renovations,” president of the Environmental Impact Club, junior Robert Young, said.

Renovation changes that support the club’s green efforts include a solar water heater, rain water cisterns, low-flow toilets, solar tubes, efficient heating, Low-E windows, occupancy sensors and increased day and hallway lighting.

“The Environmental Impact Club has been a part of the process for some time, and fortunately many of the added on features are already part of the FCPS renovation process,” Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka said.

Many of the improvements Jefferson will be getting fall under the qualifications for the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Program in Virginia. If Jefferson gets the qualification it will be a “green” school.

“It’s really pretty incredible how significant the changes will be. We’re going from being an ancient school with some pretty terrible environmental impacts and very bad efficiency, and in every area we’re improving substantially and updating to modern standards,” Young said.

During the process of FCPS renovation, many green practices are the standard.

However, those aren’t the limit to changes Jefferson will be able to receive.

“It includes upgrades to the physical plant with both improvements to the day to day operations as well as being more environmentally conscious overall,” Kosatka said.

One of the renovation changes, an interactive display that will show Jefferson’s energy usage, will be helpful to see if the improved energy measures are enough to counteract the increase in school size.

“If it turns out that the improved efficiency measures are not enough, we are planning on appealing for more solar panels to generate enough electricity to keep our energy usage at or below current levels,” Young said.

Vegetarian lifestyle gets a tryout

Left to right: junior Vaidehi Patel eats vegetarian food from the cafeteria; Principal Evan Glazer eats a scone in a photo from his blog during Vegetarian Week.

by Shayna Hume Features Editor The Environmental Impact Club sponsored a Vegetarian Initiative led by juniors Emma Gee and Madie Reinsel from March 11 to 15 as part of Service Week.

The initiative focused on letting fellow students try out a vegetarian diet while learning more about its benefits.

“Being vegetarian offers both environmental and health benefits. The way meats are prepared imbues them with a lot of fats and sodium. As for environmental benefits, raising livestock is less resource efficient because in addition to growing plants, you have to raise the cows that eat the plants,” Gee said.

In addition to the benefits of being a vegetarian, many students find they prefer that lifestyle for religious or animal rights reasons.

“Many people, when exposed to the information, are astonished by the atrocities committed on ‘factory farms,’” Reinsel said.

Throughout Service Week there were approximately 100

students participating in the Vegetarian Initiative in a competition for baked goods. Some of them plan on trying out a vegetarian diet in the long run. In addition, several school teachers and administrators lent their support including Principal Evan Glazer, who ran a blog through the Jefferson website of his vegetarian meals.

“Amanda Hurowitz encouraged the faculty to take part in vegetarian week,” Principal Evan Glazer said.

Glazer, who had never been vegetarian before, posted about his experiences as a vegetarian and images of the variety of meals he ate.

“The big realization about being vegetarian is one, that sometimes people aren’t sensitive, and they may not realize that the vegetarians’ diets are restricted, and two, is that people who aren’t vegetarians don’t realize that there is this whole world full of robust flavors that vegetarians are privy to as a result of seeking out these vegetarianfriendly restaurants,” Glazer said.

Many students at Jefferson are already vegetarians and eat a mixture of food brought from home and food from the school cafeteria.

“I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life. I find being a vegetarian beneficial because I can spare animals from being slaughtered, and it has been proved to increase lifespan and reduce risk of foodborne illnesses. I would definitely recommend it because it’s a safe and healthy diet,” sophomore Ramya Radhakrishnan said.

For one day during Service Week, the school cafeteria offered vegetarian burgers. Typically, however, the cafeteria does not have as wide a selection of vegetarian alternatives.

“It’d be great if they could have more varied options on a longterm basis,” Reinsel said.

photo courtesy of Principal Evan Glazer

Hybrid cars focus daily attention on green measures

by Shayna Hume Features Editor The campus community powered down for a day on March 15. Power Down Day not only concluded Service Week 2013, but was also part of an ongoing effort to conserve energy by the Environmental Impact Club.

In addition to many teachers conducting class without their lights, many of the school’s hallway lights were switched off.

Power Down Day follows a tradition of energysaving efforts at Jefferson including a number of installed solar panels.

However, certain members of the campus community focus on green measures every day as they drive to school.

Limiting carbon emissions t h r o u g h automotive technology is Reduction in energy a priority to consumption some.

Chemistry It is currently difficult to teacher Hadan measure Jefferson’s precise enK a u f f m a n ergy use. This year, there was drives a Prius an error of ±3%. with multiple environmental infographic, graphics and photos by Shayna Hume

Power Down Day:

9%

components including energy-capturing magnets in its wheels and an automatic gear shift that saves energy on inclines.

“I’ve always tried to get cars with good mileage and in 2004, I got this one as soon as it came out,” Kauffman said.

Junior Carolyn Ours and senior Arisa Smith also drive Toyota Prius hybrids. Ours hasn’t received her license yet but got the hybrid shortly after receiving her permit.

“When we have the technology to help the environment, I think we should definitely take advantage of it. As humans, we can’t be perfect all the time, but we can at least do the simple things. For me, I know that doing my small part to help the earth is as easy as driving my car,” Ours said.

In addition to driving a Prius hybrid, Smith also recycles at school and home and is president of the Environmental Science Club.

“The concept of a hybrid car is really cool. The environmentally conscience aspect of the Prius has always been appealing,” Smith said. “It’s something

that takes little time but has a huge impact.”

Chemistry teacher Hadan Kauffman drives a 2004 Toyota Prius.

april 12, 2013

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