October 2013 by tjTODAY Online

tjTODAY

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

OCTOBER 10, 2013

When the Navy Yard was struck by tragedy, the Jefferson community reflected on the lost lives and the shooting’s impact. photo courtesy of the Office of the Secretary of Defense

by Sandy Cho and Ellen Kan News Editor and Managing Editor On Sept. 16, the United States was rocked by another mass shooting, a mere nine months after the deadly massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. This time, the attack erupted in the nation’s capital, where a lone gunman targeted civilians before being taken out by the police. At the Washington Navy Yard in southeast Washington, D.C., perpetrator Aaron Alexis took the lives of 12 people, leaving another three wounded and in critical condition. In response, the city took safety precautions by closing many roads and bridges, suspending flights out of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and locking down several schools and Senate buildings. The consequences of the shooting rampage were widespread, reaching into the Jefferson community. Fortunately, none of the victims were related to the students and staff. However, for several members of the Jefferson population, this attack hit too close to home. “My first reaction to hearing about the shooting was one of disappointment,” senior Allen Parker said. “It is always disheartening to hear of a tragedy such as this, especially given that they seem to be occurring with depressing frequency, and it makes me wonder what can be done to prevent these incidents.” Some students and teachers had family members who worked in the vicinity of the Navy Yard. In the case of junior Amanda Lim, her father, Chhay Lim, was working in the same building when the shooting began, and his office was separated from one of the shooting sites by only a thin wall. As the shooting rampage progressed, Chhay Lim and his colleagues locked themselves into a room. While hiding under an office desk, Chhay Lim found himself looking back on the horrific experiences he suffered during the Cambodian Civil War. It was only after two terrifying hours that a rescue team arrived to escort the employees out of the building. “I am surprised that I was very calm during the entire incident. I was able to think clearly to determine what I needed to do,” Chhay Lim said. “My experiences in Cambodia must have toughened me up and allowed me to calmly assess the situation during the

“Blurred Lines” stirs up controversy

VOLUME 29, ISSUE 1

School board adopts revised policy

tragedy hits home

Homecoming splurges P8-9

Navy Yard shooting.” Math teacher Maryann Donohue was also thrust into a worrying situation. Like Chhay Lim, Donohue’s son-in-law worked in the targeted building, but he and Donohue’s daughter were out of harm’s way, despite not being able to leave the Navy Yard due to the security shutdown. “I’m so grateful that they are all right,” Donohue said. “I feel unsafe, but I don’t want to live in fear. There’s this word in the Bible, ‘overshadow,’ and God told me to pray for Him to overshadow the places I was concerned about. I’ve been praying for him to overshadow our entire country.” Among the student body at Jefferson, the first harbinger of the widespread ramifications to come was an announcement that encouraged mentorship students not to travel to their research sites. Although none of the seniors conduct research at the Navy Yard, several work at locations nearby such as the Children’s National Medical Center, the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Because of the close proximity of such sites to the Navy Yard, school administrators and mentors decided it was in the best interest of the students to cancel mentorship for the day. “When the safety of our students is at risk, we make an assessment,” Mentorship Program Director and Science and Technology Division Manager Matthew Pearce said. “In this case, we did not have the information to confirm the D.C. area was safe, so we decided to keep our mentorship students bound for that area, in school.” Despite the recommendations from the administrators, some students, including senior Richard Wang, still decided to battle their way past the heavy D.C. traffic to their research labs. “Like most people, I was horrified. But, in the wake of an increasing frequency of mass shootings, it’s hard not to be desensitized to the violence,” Wang said. “I work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, so I didn’t think I was in much danger.” In the wake of this tragedy, students have begun to question the implications of attending a school in close proximity to the scene of such a violent crime. continued on p. 2

Male cheerleaders increase on squad

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by Yena Seo Social Media Editor For many years, Jefferson has been widely regarded as one of the best high schools in the United States. When its ranking slipped down to second nationally in 2012 and fourth this past year, students, teachers, parents and concerned citizens alike were quick to point fingers at what they thought was the reason for its dropped ranking. Jefferson’s admissions policy has long been under public scrutiny for the lack of diversity in the student population. A civil suit was filed against Fairfax County Public Schools regarding the pattern of exclusion of black and Latino students from Jefferson, while many of the school’s resources were diverted to tutoring and academic assistance. Over a third of the class of 2015 was recommended for math or science remediation. “Many students receive math tutoring outside of school and seek an accelerated math program throughout their elementary and middle school years,” Jane Strauss, a board member, said. “To make sure there is a good match between Jefferson-admitted students and the Jefferson-required curriculum, entering students must have a firm foundation, especially in algebra.” At Luther Jackson Middle School on Sept. 12, dozens of people gathered to discuss the proposal for the school board to adopt Policy 3355 on the admissions procedure for entry into Jefferson. Members of the Jefferson community, including physics teacher and Optics and Modern Physics lab director John Dell and Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) president Grace Becker, made remarks and offered recommendations to the school board. continued on p. 2

Physics classes separate based on calculus level by Alexis Williams Spread Editor Every year, curricular changes come to Jefferson. However, for this school year, many of the teachers in the mathematics and science departments decided that a change in policy would be the best educational tool for their students. These experimental classes have been arranged between teachers in both calculus and the physics courses. In the physics department, Adam Smith and Duncan Forbes split up their second period classes based on the students’ prior math experience. Smith has taken on the students in second period physics with no calculus experience, while Forbes is handling those who have already been exposed to some level of math beyond pre-calculus. “The physics teachers decided to split up the classes this year to better meet the needs of the students,” Assistant Principal Mary McDowell said. “We want the students who have the math background to understand calculus concepts in physics to be able to apply those concepts, while the ones without calculus experience will approach problems first from a pre-calculus solution. I expect both classes will continue to see different math approaches when the learning situation calls for it.” continued on p. 2

Jefferson bans sodas from most machines

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Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated

news

Kudos & Accomplishments

Winners for writing, photography and design contest announced

Senior Shayna Hume, junior Sandy Cho and Caroline Heilbrun and class of 2013 alumni Tahmina Achekzai, Amy Ahn, Arya Dahal, Sunny Kim and Mallika Patkar received individual prizes at the Writing/Photo/ Design Contest on Oct. 7.

Publications recognized by VHSL

tjTODAY, tjTODAY Online, Techniques and Threshold have been awarded Trophy Class Distinctions at the VHSL Regional Publications Championship in Fredericksburg, Va. on Oct. 7.

Garg receives scholarship from Nordstrom

Senior Nikhil Garg was presented with $10,000 and received a MacBook Air from the Nordstrom Scholarship Program on Oct. 4.

Students place first at National Cyber Security Competition A team comprising of senior James Forcier, sophomore Fox Wilson, freshman Samuel Damashek and class of 2013 alumnus Peter Foley placed first in the national Capture the Flag competition hosted by the MITRE Corporation and (ISC)² Foundation.

Penny elected as president of International Key Club

Senior Raeford Penny has been named the president of the International Key Club at the House of Delegates of the 70th Annual Key Club International Convention.

Students selected for Senior Regional Orchestra (SRO)

Seniors Elise Favia, Bryan Higgins, Irene Hwang and Kyu Kim, juniors Samantha Chu, Charlene Franke, Ethan Lowman and Anna Tsutsui, sophomores Aaron Geldert and Andrew Jiao and freshmen Juliana Gruver, Jillian Khoo, Adam Kim, Wonseok Song and Jennifer Steele are named to the Senior Regional Orchestra (SRO), while senior Caitlyn Carpio, juniors Arthur He and Bobbie Sheng and sophomore Jasper Treakle are named alternatives. Students who played in the SRO are qualified to audition for the All-State Orchestra, which will be held on Feb. 22.

Four National Achievement semifinalists recognized

Seniors Anthony Carrington, Hassan El Tinay, CheyAnne Rivera and Comfort Sampong are semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship program, which awards Black American high school students for their high performance on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT).

Sysadmin students and alumni wins at Data Science Bowl

Out of 45 teams consisting mostly of college students or professionals, two teams of Jefferson students and alumni from the Sysadmin program placed in the Data Science Bowl, which is hosted by University of Maryland’s Computer Science Department and sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton on Oct. 5. The team placing first place comprised of senior James Forcier, freshman Samuel Damashek and class of 2013 alumnus Peter Foley. The second team placed third and comprised of sophomores Timothy Cyrus and Fox Wilson, and class of 2009 alumnus Andrew Hamilton.

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october 10, 2013

School board adopts revised policy continued from p. 1 Several root causes of the issue of ill-prepared students were identified, including low admissions test standards and inappropriate weighting between the different portions of the entrance exam. “There are 20 percent of students who are really, really struggling with the core science and math curriculum,” Dell said. “It doesn’t mean they might not be interested in math or science, it doesn’t mean anything in the long run about their development, but it means they can’t take advantage of the really great things the school has to offer because they can barely survive the core curriculum.” Revisions to Policy 3355 were made to clarify the purpose of Jefferson as a high school and to change the admissions process itself, with the policy stating that students would undergo a “comprehensive, holistic evaluation process” which would establish “rigorous standards.” “I think the policy provides a description about what the School Board desires in candidates to attend TJHSST,” Principal Evan Glazer said. “The school’s interest is less on the policy, and more on the admissions process. We hope prospective students with exceptional talent in STEM can be identified more easily in the future.” Recommendations offered included creating a more challenging entry exam for students, particularly in the math section, and evening out the math and verbal portions of the test. Additionally, an “early admissions” option was presented to the school board for students who are considered to be extremely gifted or talented in the math and sciences. “Some of the most promising middle school math students are being denied admission to Jefferson,” Becker said. “There are also many bright students who are not succeeding in our accelerated STEMfocused curriculum, and while over half of our students are of color, there are still opportunities to increase diversity at Jefferson.” Several Jefferson students and alumni presented their experiences at the school. Senior Will Ashe, who serves as the Student Representative to the FCPS school board, demonstrated his support for the new policy, while class of 2012 alumnus Elliot Simon submitted a video shown at the meeting. “As a representative, I think it’s good that the community is speaking up. They are making themselves clear: they want a better system,” Ashe said. “As a student at

photo by Yena Seo Physics teacher and Optics lab director John Dell gives a speech at the school board meeting.

Jefferson, I think they are doing a good job in trying to preserve our reputation. I don’t know if I agree with all the points that were made, but I am appreciative of their input in the process.” To emphasize the blatant lack of diversity in the student population at Jefferson, members of the Coalition of the Silence, who filed the federal civil rights complaint, appeared in front of the school board. They stressed that there were distortions in the process, as well as racial bias, concerning entrance into Jefferson as well as Level 4 GT centers. “As long as the student population at TJ does not fairly reflect the diversity of the community the students are drawn from, we need to seriously analyze the causes and work on solutions to help alleviate the imbalance,” school board member Ilryong Moon said. Following the presentations and speeches given by teachers, students, parents and concerned citizens alike, the school board voted unanimously to adopt the new policy, paving a way for future Jefferson students not only to have exceptional quantitative skills, but also to be provided a higherlevel education in the subjects of science, technology, mathematics and engineering. “All the educational research shows that if students don’t have the opportunity to be exposed to challenging curriculum, many will never achieve at the highest levels,” Strauss said. “We have to make sure that FCPS provides all students, from kindergarten on up, with every possibility to achieve at the highest academic levels possible.”

Navy Yard shooting impacts students continued from p. 1 “I didn’t hear about the shooting until after my dad called to tell me he was okay,” Amanda Lim said. “It concerns me that something like this could happen in a place as secure as a government military base, because then it could easily happen at Jefferson.” On a larger scale, the Navy Yard shooting is just another one of the troubling calamities that have become more and more prevalent in the U.S., following on the heels of the deadly Boston Marathon bombing. Freshman Jeb Berger points out several changes that can be made to the law to reduce the frequency of mass shootings, such as instating a waiting period for purchasing guns and running background checks on buyers. “I think these events affect our community by jarring us awake. The same way Sept. 11 beefed up security in airports, mass shootings are bound to do the same,” he said. “This is especially true in D.C., where there

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are many government facilities. I live not far away from the National Guard building in Arlington, and George Mason was backed up from the traffic at the gate of the building to Columbia Pike, as the guards were doing full checks of the employee’s cars.” President Barack Obama has ordered for more investigation on security of Navy Yard, in hopes that events like this will not arise again anywhere. Changes are also being implemented across the country as states such as Pennsylvania, Connecticut and California tighten up safety procedures on military and naval bases. The Navy Yard reopened on Sept. 19, although the site of the shooting, Building 197, remains closed. “Many of my colleagues are still shaken by the experience and it will take a while before they get their sense of security back,” Chhay Lim said. “I found talking to each other about the incident and sharing the emotion of that tragic day was comforting.”

It concerns me that something like this could happen in a place as secure as a government military base, because then it could easily happen at Jefferson. - junior Amanda Lim

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Physics classes separate based on calculate level continued from p. 1 According to McDowell, this will help students to learn physics concepts in a way suited to their needs; however, the system will never be instituted on a larger scale. “There are a number of students every year that require extra help in physics, and we want to do everything we can to ease that, so when we see an opportunity we try to take it,” McDowell said. The physics teachers did not decide before schedules came out to switch the classes. When they saw that between the two classes there was about the same number of students in pre-calculus and in AB calculus or higher, they decided to make the change. Some students believe that this idea is unfair because classes will end up being taught at different levels. Another issue brought up is that the overall exchange is not being implemented throughout the entire department. “I do not think it is a good idea because they might skip over the basics and I would rather have the review of pre-calculus concepts,” junior Carolina Hatanpää, who was switched from Smith’s class into Forbes’s, said. Other students, however, believe that the separation will be a way to help students whose mathematical ability might not measure up to the physics courses’ requirements. “All of the physics teachers are exceptional, so I do not think it makes a significant difference,” junior Pegah Morahdi said. “It is nice to be around people in the same math level, though, because we all have an equal understanding of the subject matter.” In the calculus classes, teachers are instituting a similar sort of separation based on whether a student has already taken calculus. The teachers believe that this will help students who had AB calculus because those students will not need to spend as much time on review. “There are a lot of topics in BC calculus that are difficult, and students that have had AB calculus can move faster through review and spend more time on the harder concepts,” math teacher Marianne Razzino said. Most of the students that have already taken AB calculus were put in one of three classes being taught by math teacher Pat Gabriel. Unfortunately, not every student that has already taken AB calculus ended up in one of these classes due to number constraints. “We had a lot of students who had already taken AB calculus this year, which is why we originally decided to do it,” Razzino said. “Unfortunately, we cannot fit all of them into three classes.” Gabriel has already instituted several new teaching strategies to better meet the needs of the students in her classes. “One of the major reasons that students that had already taken AB calculus struggled in third quarter is that many of those topics are based on pre-calculus topics and it had been two years since they had those topics,” Gabriel said. “By going through material that students have seen before more quickly, we will be able to spend more time on third quarter topics, including some review of the pre-calculus concepts.” Gabriel has also customized her homework assignments to benefit her classes, which are entirely made up of seniors. “I decided to give my students a little taste of college,” Gabriel said. “College homework is often assigned in weekly problem sets and is graded for completeness and correctness. I am instituting this policy.” Many students are happy with the decision to separate the math classes because they believe it will help them learn the harder concepts. “I like it because we can move faster on the things we already know and spend more time on other things,” senior Maria Kanevsky, a second-year calculus student, said.

news

october 10, 2013

NEWSMAKERS Golf makes States

Renovation process accelerates Seniors named semifinalists

photo by Lindsay Williams

photo courtesy of Tony Xiao

The News The CoEd golf team placed second at The News Students observe as new renovation Regionals and will continue onto States for the first time updates continue to take place into the school year. ever. Backstory Outside the school is what looks like Backstory After ending the regular season with an a war zone, with mounds of dirt and metal beams lying impressive record of 6-1, the CoEd golf team continued to everywhere. Although the new dome is the most obvious dominate by placing second at the Regional Championship evidence of the work in the front of the school, there is also on Oct. 1 with a score of 321. For the first time in 20 years, a lot of progress behind the scenes, including changes to CoEd team qualified for Regionals. This year also marks electricity and plumbing necessary for the new structure. the first time in history the team will advance to States. “The schedule is flexible due to factors such as materials “I feel proud of my team for not only playing or weather, but the work is getting done on time,” Director spectacularly, but also coming together and helping each of Student Services Brandon Kosatka said. “For example, other reach their full potential,” senior Jaidan Ali said. they were supposed to do the bus loop before the end of In addition, junior Julie Luo was named the individual the summer, but they realized they weren’t going to be champion, finishing with a score of 72, while sophomore done in time for school to start, so they left that to start Nathan Chuwait placed third with a score of 73. working faster up front.” Due to Jefferson’s move to another district, players In the next month, changes will be made to the faced new competition at Regionals, no longer including construction process. Contractors will be starting night longtime rivals Langley and Madison High Schools. shifts in order to work on projects that could disrupt “This new conference set-up for the smaller schools classes, and there will be additional temporary walls. allows us to compete on a more level playing field than There are also going to be conversations about new trailers when we had to constantly go up against much larger by Weyanoke Elementary School as more of the school is schools, like Chantilly and Langley,” Head Coach John knocked down. Myers said. The current schedules plan for new additions, including The team believed that success was due to effort outside the new senior labs, to be done by the end of the year. of weekly practices and even before the season starting in However, students are not likely to notice the changes August. other than what they see, as the school day will not be “Compared to previous years, we got to play at a interrupted by the schedules that are planned for this year. different course and practiced a lot more this season,” “There is nothing in the building that is going to senior Chris Prak, a co-captain, said. “We have a impact the students. Students won’t even know what is competitive team this year and everyone contributed to happening, just like they didn’t last spring, because it is our success because we all have improved a lot over the being done after school hours,” Kosatka said. “The way years.” we started the year should be the way we finish the year, States will be held at the Meadow Brook Country Club the only difference will be the additions to the building.” in Richmond, Va. on Oct. 14 and 15. - Sandy Cho - Lindsay Williams

photo by Sandy Cho

The News Seniors Anthony Carrington, Hassan El Tinay, CheyAnne Rivera and Comfort Sampong have been named semifinalists for the 2014 National Achievement Scholarship program. Backstory Among the 28 students recognized in Fairfax County, Carrington, El Tinay, Rivera and Sampong are semifinalists representing Jefferson for the National Achievement Scholarship program. Under the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), this program recognizes students of African-American descent who score above a certain threshold on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) exam that is taken in the fall of the student’s junior year. “It feels really great,” Carrington said. “I’ve worked very hard to be where I am, so it’s nice to be honored.” At Jefferson, the semifinalists were notified through their counselors. They were chosen based on the highest-scoring participants in the region and are now able to compete for more than 800 scholarships that are sponsored by corporations, professional organizations, foundations and funds from the NMSC. “I can’t say I was jumping up and down for joy,” Rivera said. “But the prospect of winning money for college is always appealing.” Semifinalists who meet the academic standards and other requirements will be notified as finalists in late January. “I’m happy to be one of the semifinalists because I have the opportunity to get some financial help with the college process,” Sampong said. “We’ll see what happens.” - Sandy Cho

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opinion

tjTODAY Volume 29 Issue 1

2012 Pacemaker - NSPA 2013 Trophy Class - VHSL 2013 All-American - NSPA 2013 Gold Medalist - CSPA

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Shayna Hume

Managing Editor Ellen Kan

Online Editor Lindsay Williams

News Editor Sandy Cho

Opinion Editor Tommy Lunn

Sports Editor Stav Nachum

Spread Editor Alexis Williams

Entertainment Editor Anshula Rudhraraju

Features Editors Anjali Khanna Esther Kim

Social Media Editor Yena Seo

Staff Reporters Tara Gupta

Adviser Erinn Harris

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.tjtoday.org Send letters to: tjtoday.tjhsst@gmail.com

october 10, 2013

Newest admissions changes cause controversy in Jefferson community

Lead Editorial

with the ability to keep up with intellectually challenging coursework, comprehension of newly presented scientific information seems like an obvious way to measure potential. To many, measures such as increased mathematical difficulty or inclusion of scientific comprehension questions may seem overly fastidious. After all, it’s not as if droves of students are failing out of Jefferson. However, the goal of the admissions test is not only to make sure students who belong at Jefferson do not get overlooked, but also to ensure that it won’t admit students who engage in a futile struggle against the workload. While making the test’s math section harder and reducing the number of essays overall will help to discover applicants who don’t cause as much of a stir gradewise at Jefferson, the changes in the test will not resolve the inherent problems that surround the purpose of the school. Cliché as it is, to look into Jefferson’s future, it is necessary to acknowledge the past. When the school was created, no one knew what it was going to be like, because in order for a compromise to be reached, the explicit purpose of the school had to remain undefined, using vague words and phrases that influence into our mission statement today. Now, that initial controversy has found us once again as people ask what sorts of students our admissions test should be selecting. The current mission statement, as cited on the official website, is “to provide students with a challenging learning environment focused on math, science and technology,” “to inspire joy at the prospect

tj TODAY’s unsigned majority opinion On Sept. 12, the Fairfax County school board convened for a meeting, a primary goal of which was to discuss a series of changes in Policy 3355, which regulates the process for Jefferson’s admissions policy. After over an hour of speeches from citizens, school board members and coalition leaders, the board voted unanimously to approve the changes, most of which came down to mere words. Most prominent among these changes is the switch from the phrase “requisite quantitative skills” to “exceptional quantitative skills.” However, other alterations include the elimination of a “sliding scale” and the addition of the word “holistic.” The only question left, then, is what these seemingly insignificant changes in diction are going to mean for the Jefferson community at large. At present, the test is comprised of a math section, a reading section, two essays and a now-timed Student Information Sheet (SIS). The desire to refine this model comes from a series of controversies at Jefferson over the last few years. While “sticky” eighth periods are nothing new, in 2011, there was a period of time when anyone who did not meet grade expectations was required to attend such remediation blocks, leading to estimates of the amount of students struggling in mathematics as large as 30 percent. Some of the solutions being examined include reducing the amount of essay-writing on a test that is, after all, designed to admit students to a school for science and technology, and altering the mathematics portion of the test to be more challenging. While the new measure of a timed SIS seems like a futile measure of the desired characteristic, a new math section might be vital to differentiating between those who will be successful in Jefferson’s environment and those who won’t. Already, for the admissions test for the class of 2018, the math department is discussing an increased level of difficulty for the math multiple choice with Pearson, the company that chooses and prints the multiple choice for each year. However, the change that will cause the most upheaval is the first-time inclusion of free response math problems, potentially appearing as early as 2014. It is ironic that while so much controversy surrounds the mathematics section of the test, ‘mathematics’ doesn’t even appear in the school’s nomenclature, while science and technology’s only presence on the exam is in the writing section. If we’re interested in recruiting a student body

of discovery” and “to foster a culture of innovation.” None of those phrases require an “exceptional” talent for “quantitative thinking,” however those are the exact words edited into Policy 3355 this past month. A harder math section on the test will help, but it isn’t by any means a final solution. Moving forwards, it would be easy to spend years arguing and trying to pin down exactly what this school should be. But, looking at the facts, as an institution that is sending its graduates out into the world and has a finite number of slots to fill from one of the most academically successful areas of the country, there are certain realities we have to face. With interests as diverse as software engineering, exoplanet observation and science journalism all housed under the same roof, it is impossible to define what a “TJ student” is. But for students planning to competitively engage the modern world, being STEM-aware has been transformed from a choice to a prerequisite. Jefferson’s primary goal should be to prepare students for their undergraduate and graduate experiences starting with the selection of students based on comprehension rather than past knowledge, rather than focusing on bolstering its own statistics and alumni résumé. Currently, if you bring up the topic of the admissions test to any student, the result is inevitably a deluge of opinions with anecdotes ranging from ringing endorsements to fierce condemnations. Few people agree about the format of the test now, and few will likely agree even after further modification. However, these emphatic voices should be taken with a bit of perspective: after all, they got in.

Tara Gupta

Homeroom is an unnecessary waste of valuable time M o s t We d n e s days, you can walk into Jefferson and find people buzzing a r o u n d classrooms LINDSAY WILLIAMS during the last hour and a half of the day, having discussions, prepping for I-Nite or eating food brought in by a generous club member. But until the fourth week of school, students were stuck in homeroom, staring at a grainy movie screen, wishing to get ahead on work. Homeroom should be a place where students can spend time doing something useful. Instead, it has become a place where students rehash the same topics every period while they watch the clock slowly tick down to the end of the day. The tasks that were offered didn’t motivate students to be involved in the activity. For all of the homeroom discussions about people being more motivated when their work is useful, our work wasn’t taken seri-

ously. For example, we were told to write our ideas on how to improve the school on the board, knowing that even if they were read, they would unlikely be implemented. It would’ve been more beneficial to students to do homework. That’s not to say homeroom could never have a purpose. But the execution this year prevented it from being something productive. This year, there was more emphasis on participating in the discussions and topics through activities such as making posters and talking about the One Book— nonstop. One case of an event that could have been more organized with more preparation is the activities fair. Giving clubs time to prepare before the activities fair would’ve led to more organization and a more effective presentation for freshmen. Designating the time for the use of students working on banner, Musical Extravaganza and float would’ve allowed students to create amazing products without losing free time during lunch and out of school. Study halls could have helped students get a head start at the beginning of the school year so we could stay on top of things. The One Book is an important topic, and it’s helpful for students to discuss it to

get the full meaning of how it relates to our school. Homeroom is a good environment to do this, but nearly three weeks of picking apart the book doesn’t help students appreciate it more, especially when many haven’t read it. In fact, excessive discussions could cause people to become less engaged. Homeroom is also cited for being important to make sure that students get required forms for the rest of the school year in. However, three weeks is an wasteful amount of time for tasks that could be completed in one or two periods. Allowing students to start eighth period earlier would have an overall positive effect on the Jefferson community. Letting officers get their clubs up and running earlier would have given them more blocks to do actual activities relating to their goals. Struggling students who needed to catch up even in the earliest weeks of the year would have been able to go to tutoring sessions with their teachers to get the help they needed. Next year, the administration should think about how to let students more effectively use their time so that we can start performing at the high level Jefferson students typically do earlier rather than later.

opinion

october 10, 2013

Are the lines really “blurred?”

Congress: the people Po p u l a r s o n g c re a t e s c o n t ro ve r s y need to take o ve r i t s p o r t r a y a l o f n o n c o n s e n t priority You’ve probably heard Robin Thicke’s hit song “Blurred Lines” on the radio, while shopping or even on your own iPod. While the song was released in March, it took off over the summer, becoming one of the most popular songs worldwide. For 12 weeks, it held the number one spot on Billboard. The song’s catchy beat and lyrics make it obvious why it became so popular, but the true meaning of Thicke’s words are far TOMMY LUNN too often ignored. The practically nude women of the “Blurred Lines” music video are hardly shocking in today’s hip-hop, rap and other generally explicit music. It is instead Thicke’s actions and the lyrics themselves which are much more questionable. During the video, Thicke and the song’s featured artists Pharrell Williams and T.I. dance fully clothed with nearly-naked women who just cannot seem to get enough of these men. The video perpetuates the idea of women as sex objects and subordinate to men, but does not scream rape: that’s what the song’s lyrics are for. Let’s be honest: there are no “blurred lines,” between consensual sex and rape. And yet somehow, supporters of the song insist that the concept of “Blurred Lines” does not imply rape but instead represents receiving mixed signals. Those who think that the song is not offensive cling to the notion that Thicke is just being cocky, which is rude, but not atypical. Supposing that Thicke is just being haughty, the lyric “I know you want it,” seems to support that point. However, if a man has to repeatedly tell a woman that she “wants it,”then consent is likely not present. In the chorus of “Blurred Lines,” in addition to Thicke claiming he knows the women want “it,” he seems infatuated with the idea of having a “good girl.” The fact that he uses the term “girls” for grown women is ridiculous and misogynistic. That point aside, Thicke obviously wants to turn these “good girls” into bad ones, regardless of how he goes about it. Later in the “Blurred Lines” chorus is the line “the way you grab me, must wanna get nasty.” Now, it does imply that the woman is interested in him and initiating the flirting. Even if that was true, it gives absolutely no reason why any man can assume that she wants to sleep with him: the only consent is consent. In the second verse, Thicke asks, “what rhymes with hug me?” The line confirms that regardless of the true message of the song, a key element is the blatant disrespect of women and Thicke’s cocky attitude. As the song progresses, it shifts over to T.I.’s rap verse. T.I. glorifies rough sex and, as he puts it, “pimpin’.” The verse, however, uses such comparisons to the woman’s previous lover, to try and convince her to say yes. As with most of the song, the idea of forced consent is present, which, in other words is rape. The song ends with of the chorus, with Thicke “knowing” that she “wants it” and hating the “blurred lines” that have arisen.

All of these lyrics would only cross the lines of misogyny if there were not two key lines repeated over and over again in the chorus. Thicke switches from a theoretical voice to one in which he will make all of this happen. In the song’s chorus, Thicke sings “I’m gon’ take a good girl” and “can’t let it get past me.” With everything that he has sung about before as factors, Thicke “wants it” because of the woman’s attractiveness, circumventing consent, saying that he will get his way and that the opportunity is now. If there is any other summation of the song, it is not clear. What is obvious is that Thicke will do anything to get the woman to sleep with him, bypassing any consent that may legitimize the situation, something he does knowingly. In reaction to “Blurred Lines” and its video, a group of law students from New Zealand have posted a parody version onto YouTube. While the video is not as popular as the original, only getting a few million hits, it has certainly sparked quiet a bit of controversy. Many commentators consider it to be offensive for women to treat men like property; if the lyrics were just sung unchanged, maybe that would be the case. Thicke and “Blurred Lines” created an obvious double standard with his performance at the Video Music Awards in August. Even with Miley Cyrus’ scandalous new grunge look, she did not deserve the hate she received for twerking on Thicke at the awards show. Instead of acknowledging that a man in his late 30s singing about rape was essentially grinding with Cyrus, the audience focused on Cyrus’ “inappropriate” behavior and new hairdo. It comes as no surprise that a song about rape would be acceptable in a culture that shames women to a much higher degree than men for the same actions. However, the law students changed the lyrics to create a feminist, woman-power anthem. Yes, the parody version features fully clothed women controlling scantily clad men, but how different is that from “Blurred Lines” itself? And yet, YouTube decided to remove the video, citing it for being inappropriate. No, YouTube did not restrict the video to age-restricted access: they removed it. In that age-restricted domain is the “dirty” version of “Blurred Lines,” featuring topless women and an overall even cruder video. Apparently to the big wigs at YouTube, a man glorifying rape while bare breasts flash in the background is less offensive than women portraying a sexual dominance over men. Although the parody video was rather quickly put back up, the situation highlights a massive double standard in today’s realm of entertainment. Regardless of whether viewers marked the video as “offensive,” YouTube should have known better and left it up or taken down the video as well as the original – there is no other way it could fairly be done. Instead of listening to this song as if it were just more harmless pop, listeners should understand what “Blurred Lines” is about. The song undermines the seriousness and problems that result from rape. Even though “Blurred Lines” is an undeniably catchy song, by knowing Thicke’s message of rape, people may think twice when hearing the song. If the topic of rape is ignored in one of the most popular songs of the past few years, how is rape itself going to be taken seriously?

Tara Gupta

by Tommy Lunn Opinion Editor Due to a divide on the issue of Obamacare, Congress refused to create a budget for the government’s new fiscal year, leading to a partial government shutdown effective Oct. 1 and lasting until an agreement can be made. The insults have flown across the aisle as Republicans and Democrats blame each other for the impasse – an attitude that is at the root of many of the country’s problems. The immediate effects of the shutdown include approximately 800,000 government employees out of work and out of pay, with hundreds of thousands more working for no pay. Businesses in the Washington, D.C. area that rely on government workers and tourists to the nation’s capitals are facing profit losses, and towns across the country that are dependent on national parks are taking a hit. Even worse, experimental medical treatments done by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are at a standstill – potentially taking away life-saving cures from the ill. The fact that intelligence officers are not able to work makes the country more vulnerable to terrorist attack, and each of these problems will continue for as long as the government is not functioning. Despite this, conservative pundits have implied that the shutdown is trivial, with Fox News referring to it as a “slimdown.” Only time will tell what happens, but just with the shutdowns of years past, the results will likely not be pretty. The continuance of the shutdown is to be blamed on both parties – that goes without question. That said, much of the cause of the shutdown lies with Republicans such as Ted Cruz and his 21-hour pseudo-filibuster, which led the rest of the party to vote against passing a budget. Since a budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year could not be passed, the “non-essential” elements of the government have been shut down and are likely to be shut down until the debt ceiling deadline of Oct. 17. However, as the shutdown has progressed, the fault has begun to be shared by both parties. Even though the Republicans refuse to pass a budget in full, they have tried to get at least some of the shut down programs up and running again – which the Democrats in the Senate have quickly rejected. While it is fair that the Democrats are trying to push for Obamacare to be a part of the budget, there’s a point at which they need to look past party lines in order to fix immediate problems. The political games need to end. Both sides need to realize that they will never get all of what they want – that’s how the government works. So instead of hurting hundreds of thousands of American citizens, Congress should start working on being bipartisan, something we all know to be very difficult for them. John Boehner needs to tell the radicals in his party to at least listen to compromise; President Barack Obama needs to tell his fellow Democrats that in order to help Americans in the future, they cannot overlook those in the present. Both parties preach a message of being the best for the most people, so how about they at least begin to try. The government shutdown epitomizes perhaps the biggest problem in American politics today: partisanship. Yes, neither party has really ever gotten along with the other, but today’s level of intolerance is unprecedented. If both parties are willing to force Americans to deal with a shutdown because of the political tantrum they are throwing, maybe the American voting population should rethink their ballots when Election Day comes around.

sports

october 10, 2013

Redskins:

Racism or ritual? by Tommy Lunn Opinion Editor Although there has always been some backlash against the Washington Redskins’ name, it has mostly remained out of the picture. Now, however, the calls to change the name are amplifying. While at this point it is unclear what the team name’s future will be, both sides are loudly voicing their opinions. “I think the name is offensive, because the term, ‘redskins’ itself is degrading,” sophomore Riya Raavicharla said. “If a National Football League (NFL) player can be fined for use of a racial slur against African-Americans, why is there a difference for the name Washington Redskins?” Earlier this year, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper apologized for using a racial slur against an African American security guard while at a concert. The Eagles issued a fine against Cooper, whereas the NFL did nothing about it. Leading the pro-Redskins side of the debate are people such as team owner Dan Snyder, and according to a June Washington Post poll, 61 percent of the D.C.-metro area. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also stood by the team’s name arguing that the name is a symbol of pride, not racism. Likely for Snyder and Goodell is that the way that the team runs is as a business, and any name change might be a hinderance on that front. “I think the name is somewhat offensive, but I don’t think it’s offensive enough to merit a name change, as it isn’t meant offensively at this point,” senior Adam Friedman said. “The Redskins are a private organization, and unless some damage is done to Dan Snyder’s bank account, nothing is going to change.” On the other hand, the voice of dissent is growing much louder. The Oneida Tribe in New York is airing radio ads protesting the name, calling on officials and listeners to support the name change. “We do not deserve to be called redskins,” their ad reads, “We deserved to be treated as what we are: Americans.” In the Washington area, most people don’t even blink when they hear the word. Redskins jerseys and bumper stickers abound, and “Hail to the Redskins,” with its controversial lyric “braves on the warpath,” is not an uncommon tune. Very few acknowledge the fact that the term ‘redskin’ is akin to the more prevalent ‘n-word.’ “Not only is the name a slur that inflicts hurt on an already marginalized minority, its usage in a venue as large and as wide as the NFL normalizes the use of such a derogatory term,” senior Anwar Omeish said. The argument has been going on for decades, highlighting the sensitivity with which it must be approached. Clarence Page of the Orlando Sentinel wrote in 1992, “How would we react if the team was named the Washington Negroes? Or the Washington Jews? It is an actual racial epithet.” In the same year however, 89 percent of Americans supported the name, a figure that has dropped dramatically. After the Redskins’ ownership by Jack Kent Cooke was taken over by current owner Dan Snyder, the debate persisted. In 2000, the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism revived the topic in a letter to

Controversial ‘Redskins’ name leads to tension

Snyder, saying “’Redskin,’ as you must know, is a racial slur, evoking a sad history of U.S. treatment of Native Americans. The team’s logo, an attempt to evoke the proud warrior spirit of Native American culture, is a cruel mockery of a culture all but destroyed.” Typical of the debate up until its flaring up in the past few years, the topic was hushed and the Redskins continued to function normally. In October of 2012, the Washington City Newspaper reignited the controversy with its declaration that it would call the team the ‘Washington Pigskins’ instead of the ‘Redskins.’ In January 2013, Washington, D.C. mayor Vincent Grey gave the team the option of building a new stadium within the city limits. That proposal comes only if the team would be willing to change their name to something less derogatory. Continuing the political side of the argument, 10 members of congress sent Snyder a letter in May of 2013, urging him to change the team’s name. However, it remains unlikely that the name will change in the coming years. Additionally and perhaps stronger are the deep roots that the name ‘Redskins’ holds. To many, the name ‘Redskins’ represents a lot more than just the name of a football team, it is instead a sign of pride in both the team and the area. The touchiness of the issue arouse during the Virginia gubernatorial debate between Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cucinelli II, with neither candidate giving a strong opinion. If the team were ever to change names, the issue of what the new name should be would create yet another conflict. The problem with the Redskins’ name has often been discussed, but one of the biggest impediments standing in the way of any change is the lack of possible new names. “Maybe the name could be changed to that of one of the most historically significant native tribes that used to inhabit the D.C. area,” junior Aidan graphics by Shayna Hume and Stav Nachum Clotworthy said. Just as in the public sphere, in the world With such a strong Redskins presence in Northern Virginia, it is of the NFL itself, the debate continues not uncommon to see Jefferson students showing off pride for their on. The CEO of the Green Bay Packers team by wearing their favorite players’ jerseys. dismissed the Redskins’ name, saying, “It’s a name that’s very derogatory to a lot of showing at minimum acceptance for the questionable people.” At the same time, Redskins players themselves name. The debate is likely not going to end any time have been advised not to discuss the issue at hand, soon on either side.

sports

october 10, 2013

Man up for Cheer

Four male cheerleaders represent Jefferson’s cheer squad

Athletes review season highlights

Football

photo courtesy of Adi Suresh

“The Wakefield game was my favorite because while I was out there, I saw the team really coming together in a way that had eluded us before.”

-Junior Adi Suresh

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Cheerleading encompasses every- Any team can be successful without thing I’m not good at which can be male cheerleaders, but having them very stressful but also very rewarding. always helps. -senior Daniel Fontenot -junior Tony Baek

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I don’t care about the stereotypes, I enjoy what I do and I’m not going to let some stereotypes get in my way. -junior Daniel Suh

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Being in a mostly female sport is unnerving, but since there are other guys, I feel much more comfortable. -sophomore Kenny Chen

” ” ” ” Varsity cheer squad benefits from male members graphics by Sandy Cho and Stav Nachum

by Stav Nachum Sports Editor According to Hollywood, the cheer squad always consists of the prettiest, peppiest blond girls in the school. At Jefferson, however, four members of this year’s squad are daring to break this stereotype. While cheerleading remains a female-dominated sport at Jefferson, male cheerleaders are increasing in number each year. The addition of more boys in each consecutive year increases the number of stunts and their complexity. According to the team, the male cheerleaders are typically stronger, which allows them to provide a stable base to the lighter girls who are much better flyers. “If you look at the routine from two years ago and compare it to the one from last year, the difference due to guys is tremendous,” senior Daniel Fontenot said. “This year I think we’ve made a lot of forward progress as well, but we’ll have to wait until it comes together to truly see.” The cheerleaders are now able to perform one-legged stunts, in which the flyer balances on one leg, and basket tosses, where the flyer is thrown into the air and then does a trick before coming back down. “Male cheerleaders add some strength, silliness, jumps and fun

to the group of amazing people,” junior Daniel Suh said. “The team would still be successful without male cheerleaders, but just not as much. Once more guys joined, the team was able to do harder stunts and routines.” The stereotypes that seem to surround male cheerleaders not only at Jefferson, but for all high schools, seem to have no effect on the boys or the girls of the cheer squad. Although they have all heard of the stereotypes, none of them agree with these assumptions. “I think the stereotypes are extremely inaccurate. None of the guys on our team fit that stereotype. It’s the same thing if you go to a cheer gym: very few of the male instructors fit the description,” senior Sarah Shan, a team captain, said. “All the stereotypes do is discourage other guys from joining cheer, which is something they’re missing out on.” All of the cheerleaders agree that having more males on the team is beneficial for the squad as a whole and are loosing forward to the increase in male cheerleaders in the coming years. “First there was one, then three and now four,” Fontenot said. “I would really like to see guys joining earlier on, maybe in their sophomore or freshman year so they have less catching up to do.”

Sports teams work around renovations to practice by Stav Nachum Sports Editor Whether you look at the front of the building or walk through the halls of Jefferson, evidence of the renovations can be seen at every turn. These construction projects, however, do not solely affect the learning and environment at Jefferson, but also the athletic program. “When I first found out about the renovations I knew that sports would be affected,” sophomore Maitri Patel said. “I was not particularly looking forward to the alterations.” As a result of these construction efforts, all fall athletes have had changes in their practice schedules and locations. Some students even have practices at different schools, forcing them to quickly go to the locker room and walk or carpool to their new location. “For football practice, we are now on the baseball field since our old practice area is covered in trailers,” junior Salman Guliwala said. “While difficult for certain drills, it is better since there is less traffic as most students don’t walk through the baseball fields after school.” In addition to the football players’ relocation, the cross country runners are forced to take an alternate route when they run as a result of construction zones being off limits to students. The field hockey teams also have a complex practice schedule with three days a week on grass fields at Holmes Middle School and two days on turf fields at Mason District Park and Wakefield Park. Though irksome in some respects, this schedule also has its benefits. “A lot of field hockey teams only practice on turf, so they can’t play well on grass. Other teams that only practice only on grass so they can’t play well on turf,” junior Julia Casazza said. “But we get to practice on both, so we have become a more versatile team.” While some sports face the complications of farther distances to travel for practice, other teams have no practice space at all. The crew team still has no place to erg, leading to traditional eighth period practices being held in one of the courtyards. Further difficulties will become evident in the spring when all sports will be off campus. “While these obstacles do not affect the game performance of players, the true hassle lies within the travels to far away practices,” Athletic Trainer Heather Murphy said. “Students now have to carpool or

Field Hockey

photo courtesy of Maaike Blindenbach

“The West Potomac game was my favorite because we played together really well at times and we definitely fought for the win.”

-Sophomore Maaike Blindenbach

Cross Country

photo courtesy of Katrina Junta

“My favorite meet so far was the Oatlands Invitational because even though the hills were rough and you felt awful during it, you got a feeling of satisfaction after which was unlike other races.”

-Junior Katrina Junta

photo by Stav Nachum

The new crew team members erg in the courtyard during eighth pe-

walk to the fields, adding time to their already busy schedules.” One of the most important differences between this year’s practices and last year’s is the lack of athletic trainers in the fields that aren’t at Jefferson. Not only are students so rushed to get to practice on time that they don’t go to the trainers before practice, but also if they were to be injured at practice, there are no trainers readily available at the field. “If something happens, it is up to the coach to figure it out or many injuries will go unnoticed and unreported,” Murphy said. “This can lead to many harmful consequences.” These complications, though not an affecting athlete’s game performance, will prove a challenge to some athletes and sports. “It’s hard to focus on the sport and training itself when you constantly have to worry about where you can get out and run without distractions,” freshman Laura Chu said. “I’ll be running spring track, and it would be awesome if I could run with my team without having to worry about getting dust in our eyes.”

Dance Team

photo courtesy of Carolyn Ours

“My favorite routine was the one we performed at the Homecoming pep rally. It was different from our usual style, upbeat and a lot of fun to perform for a crowd.”

-Senior Carolyn Ours

spread

october 10, 2013

photo by Sandy Cho

photo by Shayna Hume

photo by Ellen Kan

photo by Sandy Cho

Clockwise from top left: juniors Jack Morris and Thomas Rogers asked their dates juniors Sophie Bennett and Taylor Quinn on Thursday of asking week; senior Stephanie Hoang pins a boutonniere on her date, senior Romain Debroux; juniors Chris Blagg and Will Long were nominated for “best dressed” on Tuesday for their costumes as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy from the television show “Spongebob Squarepants”; the winning float for Homecoming week was created by the class of 2015, with a total cost of $298.

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inner: 27.25

I spent $44 on dinner for my date and me. It was worth it because it’s not a regular expense. I don’t mind paying for a special occasion.

I spent $39 on my asking. It was worth the money seeing the surprised look on my date’s face when she walked in.

”

–junior James Jung

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–junior Gavin Moore

Nails: $21.67

Hair: $38.29

Graph displays the average Homecoming costs based on an anonymous survey sent out on social media to which 143 students responded. Average costs were calculated by taking the mean of every reasonable response in the survey greater than $0.

Asking Props: $14.00

Freshman Kathleen Kim spent $70 on her dress. and $40 on her shoes. For many girls, Homecoming dresses are a onetime outfit.

graphics and reporting by Shayna Hume, Ellen Kan, Alvin Shi and Alexis Williams

spread

Students and classes spend money on Homecoming for askings, spirit days and attire

by Alexis Williams

october 10, 2013

spread

october 10, 2013

Breaking the Bank

Spread Editor

omecoming is, for most students, a week to remember. Spirit week pep rallies, inter-class competitions and over-the-top proposals meant to surprise and delight. The big night arrives and students of all grades get dressed up, go to dinner and have fun at the dance, but all of this fun costs money, and many students find their wallets lighter following the festivities. Starting with asking week, students—mostly male—begin to spend money on props to impress their potential dates. Junior James Jung put together a candlelit scene complete with flower petals to ask his date, which cost almost $40. Another student, senior Ben André, bought an “Edible Arrangement” for his girlfriend, senior Liesl Jaeger, which came with a price tag of $70. “I wanted to do something really nice and unique for Liesl’s last Homecoming asking, and you can’t get much more unique than an ‘Edible Arrangement,’” André said. Many students spend additional money on costumes for the spirit week. As the competition heats up, costume costs can also add up for students hoping to win “best dressed.” Junior Chris Kang spent over $50 on his blue robot costume, which he unveiled at the Friday pep rally. “It is worth the money because if your costume is good enough and you win best dressed, you get to show off what you have done and spent time on,” Kang, who won “best dressed” on Friday, said. Other students cut costs by making costumes out of whatever they were able to find. Senior Taylor Yohe, for example, also won “best dressed” on Friday’s True Colors spirit day with a toga and items he already had at home. “Everything I wore was around the house. The bed sheet was in the closet and the jewelry was my mother’s,” Yohe said. Class councils also frequently blow their budgets during

$200

“ $100

Homecoming week. The Class of 2015, for example spent over $600 on Homecoming week for spirit props, Musical Extravaganza (MEX) props, float materials and banner supplies. “A lot of people think that the junior class was crazy for spending so much money on Homecoming, but I think it is worth the money because so many juniors had a great time during the pep rallies and that is what is most important to the officers,” junior Anant Das, the 2015 class president, said. But all of this is only a lead-up to the main event: Homecoming night. Girls get dressed up in their fanciest attire, which can cost anything from $20 to $200. Of the 143 people surveyed, the average cost of a Homecoming dress was $65, although some dresses were much steeper. Sophomore Kritika Singh, spent $370 on her Homecoming dress. “It was worth it because I love dressing up for events such as Homecoming, and I plan on wearing it again,” Singh said. Some girls, like junior Ariana Herbst, sought to get around this cost by buying dresses that were on sale. “I bought a new dress for Homecoming, but the store I bought it at was going out of business, so all of the dresses were 50 to 80 percent off. I ended up getting a great deal,” Herbst said. Girls also spent money on hair and nails. The average for those expenses according to the survey taken was $57. “I spent $70 on my hair. It looked awesome, but it didn’t last the night. I’m glad I did it this one time because it was cool,” senior Carolyn Ours said. On the other hand, many boys already own the suits they wear to the dance, but paying for their dates’ dinner, ticket and corsage added up and sometimes cost hundreds of dollars. Although boys typically buy a corsage for their dates, some students opted against the tradition “I didn’t buy a corsage this time because I am saving it up for prom, to make it more special,” senior Andrew Corzo said. Although the costs of Homecoming can be huge, from gaudy costumes to onlyslightly-more elaborate formal wear, for most people it is worth the cost. “It was worth it for me because I really liked the girl I was going with and we had a good time,” sophomore Jasper Treakle said.

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I spent $99 on my dress and shoes. It was definitely worth it to spend the money because I felt really good in the dress and it was really pretty.

Corsage: $25.30

photo by Ellen Kan

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I spent $44 on dinner for my date and me. It was worth it because it’s not a regular expense. I don’t mind paying for a special occasion.

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Dress: $60.73

photo by Shayna Hume

–freshman Timmy Chan

–sophomore Emily Cleland

Senior Ben André spent $400 on his suit for Homecoming. He owned it before this year, and bought it as an investment for formal occasions.

photo by Sandy Cho

My old suit was too small, and I did not want to go to my first school dance in that suit. I will probably need a suit for other events too.

I spent $39 on my asking. It was worth the money seeing the surprised look on my date’s face when she walked in.

”

–junior James Jung

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–junior Gavin Moore

Suit: $183.00

Dinner: $27.25

Nails: $21.67

Hair: $38.29

Asking Props: $14.00

Freshman Kathleen Kim spent $70 on her dress. and $40 on her shoes. For many girls, Homecoming dresses are a onetime outfit.

graphics and reporting by Shayna Hume, Ellen Kan, Alvin Shi and Alexis Williams

entertainment

Tip redefines motivation

october 10, 2013

TV show premieres entice viewers into new seasons

“How I met your mother”

photo courtesty of www.gadventures.com

by Anshula Rudhraraju Entertainment Editor It is not every day that an innocent traveler tries to sneak illegal pictures across the Tibetan border, much less bribe their way out of a Burmese prison, but for Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, the world’s most successful adventure travel agency, these are experiences that helped shape his unorthodox method of management. Tip revolutionized the way people think about business and travel and aims to blur the fine line drawn between work and happiness through his book “Looptail.” “Looptail” artfully expresses the concepts of intrinsic motivation and perseverance in a slightly comedic, attention-grabbing first person narrative. The narrative, which Tip falsely claims isn’t an autobiography, begins with the same choppy sentence style as any travel journal, but soon falls into a whirlwind of memoirs regarding racial discrimination and budding childhood business acumen. The tale soon ascends further in emotion and drama, creating a pseudo-fiction feel until the overly in-depth description of the ideals of G Adventures. Tip’s portrayal of G Adventures may fall a few words short of gloating but is essential to the rest of his personal account of the company’s success. G Adventures made its mark as a global travel company by providing a unique vacation cross backpacking experience that features interaction and involvement with the local community, a concept that the mainstream tourism industry lacks. In his novel, Tip emphasizes his focus on customer satisfaction and his constant struggle to drive G Adventures to the boundary of innovation while keeping strong work ethic and moral values. Much like Daniel Pink, author of “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” Tip believes in autonomy within a company. Tip takes autonomy to a whole new level by ruling out the term CEO from the G Adventures and offering the position to every dedicated customer-facing employee. Tip explores his rationale behind this decision in an almost thought provoking manner. Unlike Pink’s book, which was repetitive and direct, “Looptail” is a refreshing read that discusses the small changes that one company made in their push for success, from the eradication of the human resources department to the development of Haircuts and Hotdog day, a celebratory event held whenever G Adventures wins an accolade. But “Looptail” follows the story of just one man who made changes while striving for success, whereas “Drive” surveys many such scenarios. Although a majority of the book focuses on emphasizing Tip’s abnormal business structure, “Looptail” still succeeds in maintaining its almost interactive nature. Tip manages to pull through with a story-like manner with unique noteworthy anecdotes present in each chapter. The last section of the book delves into G Adventures ecotourism operating standards and it clearly shows what the company as well as Tip believe in. The chapter offers a final summary of all of the life lessons that Tip learned through his own personal adventures. Tip believes in reinventing business, finding passion and purpose in work, transcending industry and paying it forward. Well, at least that’s the looptail.

Coming Attractions photos courtesy of studio websites infographic by Anshula Rudhraraju

‘Great Expectations’ Oct. 10: USA

by Shayna Hume Editor-in-Chief The ninth and final season of “How I Met Your Mother,” premiered on Sept. 23 with its first episode, “The Locket.” Returning to the show are all of the main cast of characters, portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders. Starting where last season left off, right before Barney (Harris) and Robin’s (Smulders) wedding, this season was the first to include Cristin Milioti—the mother—as part of the main cast. The ninth season promises to stretch over the 55 hours leading up to the wedding. However, along the way, the writers weave a tale that draws all loose strings of the se-

ries together. Between Marshall’s anxiety to accept a job as a judge, Lily’s maternal frustrations and Ted’s desperation for matrimony, the episode managed to throw in many of the gags that were constructed throughout the series. While the gang moves hour by hour towards the wedding itself, viewers may find that the jokes have gotten cheesier and the plot twists more predictable, such as the groundless incest scare. However, the only real cause for concern I found in the premiere was the increasing onedimensionality of the characters, despite the fleshing out of the mother herself. This fall, it remains to be seen if this hit television series will remain strong , or be written off as a story that should have ended several seasons earlier.

“Modern family”

“Once upon a time”

by Sib Shewit Guest Reporter The new season of “Modern Family” brings new changes for the whole gang. With Luke and Manny starting high school, Alex already in panic about junior year, Cam and Mitchell celebrating the legalization of gay marriage and Claire going back to the work force, the onehour special season premiere was even more exciting than expected. One of the things that didn’t change were the hilariously cheap jokes made by Phil Dunphey, played by Ty Burell. The over-dramatic dad and husband was as oblivious and lovable as ever, and he shared a lot of great moments with Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) as they bonded over their sons growing up. Another promising character is Lilly Tucker-Pritchett (Audrey Anderson-Emmons) who’s only getting sassier with age. Overall, the season premiere dropped a few promising hints of what’s coming in future episodes, making season five look as funny as the last, but possibly more serious than the show has been in the past. Just by seeing how fast-paced and entertaining the first episode was, it’s safe to say that there is no reason to not tune in every Wednesday for further installments.

by Sophia Martinese Staff Reporter The season three premiere on Sept. 29 proved that “Once Upon a Time” is back in the game. For those who aren’t familiar with the show, it’s essentially about a curse that the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) has cast upon the fairytale land, trapping all of them in a modern day town where time sits still and no one knows their true fairytale identities. As usual in these types of plots, there is one person who has the power to break the curse, enlighten the characters on who they really are and destroy evil, thus establishing their fairytale world once again. Season one of the show was fantastically actionpacked, full of revelations and new fairytale characters in nearly every episode. By season two however, the show started to lose its luster (and most of its viewers) as the drama in the relationships between the characters became lame and fairly uneventful. Thankfully, the season three premiere gave the upcoming episodes new vigor. This season is sure to both excite and delight its viewers.

Jefferson drama prepares for Knight of One Axe “I was more than a little bit nervous before the auditions, by Anshula Rudhraraju as all my previous auditions had been cold readings,” freshEntertaiment Editor Jefferson students crowd around a table in the J-Lounge, man Juliana Gruver said. “But when I went into the audireading off of their script as they rehearse. They are bring- tion room, I was very quickly put at ease and had a great ing generations of a family from the 19th century to life in time.” One of the other one-acts, “Oh, What a Tangled Web,” is one of Jefferson’s annual one-acts, “The Long Christmas a short comedy following the story of a young girl who is Dinner.” Jefferson’s drama department will be putting on this se- caught in a web of lies while trying to cover up for her oldries of one-act plays on both Nov. 8 and 9 for the Knight of er sister. “Sure Thing,” another comedic story, shadows a stranger who is allowed infinite tries to meet his soul mate. One Axe. “I think that I’ll probably enjoy ‘Oh, What a Tangled Director Zachary Roberts will be directing “Oh, What a Tangled Web,” “Sure Thing” and “The Long Christmas Din- Web,’ just because I play a slightly larger character and I get ner.” The show will also be comprised of a one-act done to get into character a little more, and it is fun, comedic and by the drama class, as well as a student-directed play from very light-hearted,” sophomore Abby Peterson said. “OverShakespeare Troupe, a student-run eighth period club dedi- all though, I am really excited.” cated to the study and performance of Shakespeare related work. Senior Adam Friedman and junior Gavin Moore will be co-directing “Exit Pursued by A Bear,” a comedic death reel from some of Shakespeare’s tragedies. “One of the most fun parts to direct and watch were the fight scenes from ‘Macbatman,’” Friedman said, referring to the spring show by Shakespeare Troupe last year. “We decided that a show looking at some of the best deaths from Shakespeare would a great and entertaining way to get people interested.” Most of the students went through an audition process, performing a monologue in front of all of the directors. After the monologues, Friedman photo by Anshula Rudhraraju and Moore asked all the students to scream or make a noise that served as Jefferson drama department rehearses after school in the J-Lounge for “The Long Christmas an accurate representation of a person Dinner,” one of the four one-acts that will be performed for the Knight of One Axe. being murdered.

‘Reign’ season premiere Oct. 17: USA

‘Prism’

Oct. 22: USA

‘Ender’s Game’

Oct. 24 : Theaters everywhere

‘Thor’

Nov.8: Theaters everywhere

entertainment

october 10, 2013

Firehouse Subs adds spice to local fare by Tommy Lunn Opinion Editor A popular option for Jefferson students, Firehouse Subs is a solid choice for after school dining. Tasty sandwiches, a convenient location and decent prices highlight the attractive features of Firehouse. Friendly employees and good options overshadow the somewhat limited sandwich menu, the restaurant’s biggest downfall. The menu offers hot subs, cold subs and specialty sandwiches, but disappointingly only one vegetarian option. With the combo meal comes chips and a drink, both of which have a plethora of options unlike the sandwich menu. While all the sandwiches are solid options, some of the specials offer more flavor than their more standard counterparts. The ‘Hook & Ladder’ is a relatively average sub, with turkey, ham, and cheese as well as all the toppings; it’s good, but by no means great. On the other hand, the ‘Beef & Cheddar Brisket’ is savory and delicious – definitely a better choice. None of the sandwiches are especially greasy or tasteless, but the more interesting choices are often the better options. An important feature of sub sandwiches, the bread does not stand out, but it does not disappoint. For the most part, Firehouse has combined solid if relatively simple flavors. Overall, the service is good but fairly standard. The ordering process takes a little time, which can lead to long lines. When paying, the employee asks if you would like to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar and donate the difference. While somewhat pushy, it’s a good message and exemplifies Firehouse’s community ideals. After just a few minutes, the toasty-warm subs arrive, even when Firehouse is packed with customers. Firehouse offers more for the money than many other Jefferson-area restaurants. For slightly less than $10, Firehouse offers a good-sized sandwich, a medium drink with refills, and a bag of chips. Firehouse is cheaper than other Pinecrest options such as Hunan Kitchen and IndAroma, and about on par with Tropical Smoothie. If you do not want a whole meal, the subs alone are the budget-friendly price of around $6. Not a problem most of the time, the somewhat small interior can get very crowded after school lets out on Friday evenings. The inside of Firehouse is fairly standard for a fast food chain restaurant. Unfortunately, the seating is not overly comfortable and is a big downside for dining-in at Firehouse. That said, the restaurant appeared to be very clean and well kept, a huge bonus. The proximity to Jefferson is a great feature of Firehouse. Located in Pinecrest Plaza, the restaurant is within walking

The

VERDICT

Food Quality

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It’s raining meatballs: Hallelujah!

photo courtesy of www.cloudy-movie.com

photos by Tommy Lunn

distance. Firehouse is also very close to Menchie’s and Starbucks for a convenient after-dinner dessert or drink. Regardless of budget or driving limitations, Firehouse Subs is a very good option for getting food after school. Offering somewhat more variety than an average sub restaurant, Firehouse has sandwiches that can satisfy almost any appetite. While certain features are somewhat lackluster, overall Firehouse offers a better complete experience than most other nearby restaurants.

“

The subs taste really good and Firehouse is really close by, so it’s nice to go there during football games. - junior Kayleigh Vance Overall

”

Clockwise from top right: Firehouse Subs is located in Pinecrest Plaza; Firehouse Subs displays a clean and spacious interior; Firehouse Subs offers a variety of condiments; one of the variety of sandwiches offered at Firehouse Subs

by Yena Seo Social Media Editor “There’s a leek in the boat!” Upon watching the trailer for “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2,” this clever line and the other food-based puns had me sold. A sequel to the 2009 animated movie based on a popular children’s book, the movie follows protagonist Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) after his invention—the Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator—transforms the island of Swallow Falls into a food parody of Jurassic Park, where tacodile supremes, mosquitoast and watermelephants roam. While at times the film was cheesy and predictable, it was so in a childlike way, capturing both the tender innocence and youthful humor the first movie found success in. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” combined both kid-friendly slapstick humor and jokes catered towards adults, blending the two worlds to appeal to all audiences. The friendship between Flint and meteorologist Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) is innocent enough for children, but also presents an appealing sweetness that is sure to make even adults appreciate it. Additionally, food puns are plentiful; it’s hard not to fall in love with the adorable baby strawberry or the family of marshmallows. However, the jokes provided by Flint’s fisherman father steal the show, from his affinity of sardines to his large and charismatic unibrow. The only major fault with the film comes with the all-too-predicable villain, Chester V (Will Forte), who has been Flint’s idol since he was a young child. Chester’s every move can be calculated, and seems far too similar to other animated antagonists, particularly Charles Muntz in the movie “Up.” Although the plethora of food gags is humorous, the stunt can get old after a while, but is an excellent in making the younger audience members smile. Underneath the food jokes and aweinspiring colorful animations, the movie presents morals familiar to adults and children alike: cherish your loved ones, follow your dreams, be kind and stand up for what you believe in. With clever puns and lovable characters, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” does not disappoint, enabling the audience to be immersed in a world of talking animals, scientific inventions and shrimpanzees.

features

october 10, 2013

Students submit science projects to prestigious national competitions

Students celebrate their success through Siemens by Tommy Lunn Opinion Editor After months of hard work, many Jefferson students submitted their projects to the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology on Sept. 30. Under the guidance of Siemens coordinator and Chemical Analysis Laboratory director Brian Kennedy, most students began their projects near the end of junior year and finished them over the summer before the early September deadline. “Siemens is a secondary goal for me,” senior Tina Ju said. “I’ve always loved research and was so excited to just get an opportunity to work at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) this summer.” Over the summer, Ju worked with NCI advisers to find new antibodies for influenza H7N9 and MERS-CoV. “I think it’s super cool how I hear about H7N9 and MERS-CoV on the news all the time and then get to help combat these viruses through my experiments,” Ju said. Other students, such as senior Andrea Li,

chose to submit projects that they finished before their senior year. Li’s project examines how the interferon-alpha protein affects leukemia and breast cancer cells. “I think the best thing about Siemens is the fact that I can go back to work on the project that I still hold so dear,” Li said. Before the Siemens competition officially opens in May, students start the process by finding a mentor and a sponsor. When the project is finished, entrants are required to write a project report with an 18page limit. The detailed report must include the necessary features of a research paper: abstract, summary, analysis, discussion, and conclusion. When their research is complete, contestants register for the competition through the College Board and then Siemens. Finally, students must mail a hard copy of their project report and all required forms to the Siemens Corporation. “The best part of the process is submitting the materials and knowing that a company could potentially publicize all of our hard work,” senior

Tushar Govil said. Govil worked with Jefferson’s Computer Systems Laboratory to develop a project that would help sort and analyze information using Artificial Intelligence, allowing for more productivity in the same amount of time. On Oct. 18, Siemens will announce regional finalists and semifinalists. The Region 6 competition will be held Nov. 1 to 2 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The top projects from each region advance to the national level, for which judging will take place Dec. 6 to 10 at George Washington University. “Siemens can definitely get stressful, but I’m really glad I decided to pursue this opportunity,” Li said.

Intel Talent Search fosters scientific discovery by Esther Kim Features Editor With the month of July winding down, the application process for the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search officially opened its doors for high school seniors to showcase their innovative and cutting-edge projects in science. “Since Intel is the premier research competition for high school students in the United States, I thought I’d try my hand at submitting a paper,” senior Lucy Chu said. Garnering attention from numerous science aficionados, Intel Science Talent Search requires the applicants to propose the question they want to study and present deductions that possibly answer the question. Although the lengthy application process can easily exhaust many students, the competition offers immense benefits to its 40 finalists, which includes a trip to Washington, D.C., where students can present their projects to the outside world. “This is my last year at Jefferson, so I thought I would give it a shot at sending my senior lab project to the competition,” senior Priya Shankar said. Ranging from animal sciences to space science, the competition offers a vast spectrum of fields that students can choose from. The students are required to complete a 20-page project report, send in recommendations as well as transcripts and fill out an application. “I am currently in the process of filling out the application, which is a very extensive process because it includes several essays,” Chu said. “The most intellectually arousing and difficult prompt in the application is writing about a person who influenced me the most as a science researcher.”

Last summer, Chu interned at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, where she studied the structure of nucleosomes and participated in the process of building them. Chu believes that her participation in the competition will assist in her growth and evolvement as a science researcher. “I think that writing a research paper is a very important skill to have as a researcher,” Chu said. Every submitted research paper needs to follow a specific guideline provided by the competition, which includes an overview of the objective behind the project, a description of the methods and a conclusion to analyze the information. Despite its difficult process, Intel allows students to look beyond the norm and explore their ideas with precision and patience. Senior “Intel teaches students that science is not like the labs they do Tina Ju in science classes, in which everything works out nicely,” Mark worked at an Hannum, the Neuroscience laboratory director, said. “Rather, internship the science is a big process that takes a lot of time, planning, and summer before her senior year evaluation.” while preparAfter Nov. 13, the last date for submission, 300 applicants will ing her Intel be selected as semifinalists on Jan. 8, followed by finalist decisions and Siemens on Jan 22. submis“Recognition is just a byproduct of work,” Chu said. “My sions. work over the summer gave me a little taste of communication in the scientific world.”

Greater Antilles Exploration: Marine Biology student examines seafloor aboard the Nautilus ever, centers on exploring the region around Puerto other key target of geological exploration. This passage by Stav Nachum Rico for evidence of natural underwater hazards as- is crossed by many regular faults that are seemingly Sports Editor active, but as a result of current erosion the surface is In the greatest depths of the oceans lie mysteries sociated with earthquakes and other natural disasters. “I’ll be able to watch ROVs dive to into some of the vacated of recent sediments. that the human race has yet to uncover. A variety of “I will also be helping make bathyorganisms with atypical complexions and metric maps of the seafloor with a special shipwrecks from years ago litter the waters. software I received training for over the It is explorations such as the Greater Antilsummer,” Valery said. les Exploration, on which Oceanography This expedition was brought to the atLaboratory Director Lisa Wu and senior Katention of Wu when she received a phone tie Valery are embarking, that help uncover call last year asking if she had any interest these secrets. in wanting to submit student applications “I wanted to experience the magic of dofor this season’s exploration. After much ing groundbreaking exploration and research consideration, Wu presented the opportuin the real world,” Valery said. nity to the students in her marine biology Aboard the Nautilus, the scientists will use classes. a side-scan sonar surveys and remotely oper“In 2012, I urged my students to submit ated vehicles (ROVs) to explore the areas to their applications to the Honors Research the southwest, south and east of Montserrat Program and Julia Arthur, a junior at the where immense quantities of volcanic matetime, was one of six students selected for rial has entered the sea. Their main objectives the expedition,” Wu said. “That summer, are to define the areas of the seafloor and she returned from her expedition in the examine the response of the local biological Mediterranean with a new focus - excited communities. about the things she had learned and her “There are three different areas of disciability to apply her Jefferson studies.” pline that we are going to be studying,” Wu photo by Esther Kim This expedition is sure to be an advensaid. “There is going to be a focus on the geoSenior Katie Valery observes one of the aquariums in the marine biology lab. She will be ture for both Wu and Valery as they exlogical, the biological, and if we come across leaving with Lisa Wu for the Greater Antilles Exploration this year. plore not only the biological, but also the any shipwrecks we will not only focus on the geological aspects of the waters of Puerto historical information but also on their role in Rico. the architecture of forming artificial reefs for deepest parts of our oceans and make discoveries right “I will be learning about how exploration works ecosystems of organisms.” before my very eyes, as well as see parts of the seafloor in the real world and what it is truly like to discover Biologists aboard the ship will focus on studying that no human has ever laid eyes on,” Valery said. and collecting specific samples of the biological diverAnother important aspect of this trip is the exami- something that no one else has ever seen or even heard sity in deep-water corals. The geologists’ project, how- nation of the Mona Passage, west of Puerto Rico, an- of before,” Valery said.

features

october 10, 2013

Cutting out the Calories

Jefferson becomes a pilot school for the FCPS soda ban

Vending machines now sell diet sodas and juices to replace sodas.

by Anjali Khanna Features Editor Seeing drowsy students attempt to increase their energy with sugary drinks used to be a common sight. However, sugared soda has been replaced with coconut waters and vegetable juices, and Jefferson has begun to take notice. As one of the seven pilot schools in Fairfax County, Jefferson has agreed to replace most soda machine products with healthier options and as a result, many of the traditional drinks have been switched to healthier alternatives. Instead of calorie-filled, high-fructose corn syruppacked sodas, students are getting their hands on drinks that contain less sugar. “The Parent-Teacher-Student-Association (PTSA) advocated for the new machines, and I accepted them under the condition there would not be a soda ban,” Principal Evan Glazer said. “Instead, we now have a lot more variety in drink options available to students. I think the broader alternatives will support healthier lifestyles and differ-

ent taste buds.” With iced tea, V8 and Zico coconut water replacing their old favorites, students around the building have had varied reactions. “Honestly I don’t know what the PTSA is thinking,” sophomore Sahaj Sarda said. “They are ruining a steady source of income by replacing coke with coconut water and pushing students away from vending machines instead of towards healthier alternatives.” However, soda sales have not been totally banned during the school day, merely limited, as unhealthy drinks have only been decreased in number. Students have not only been skeptical of the new taste of the added options, but their prices as well. “What I am annoyed about is that everything is more expensive now,” sophomore James Woglom said. “Instead of being able to purchase canned soda for 85 cents, now almost everything is $1.50 and up.” The price range of products sold has increased substantially. The V8 vegetable juice beverages are being sold at $1.75 and the Zico coconut water products at $2.50 per bottle. Jefferson will continue to stock its vending machines with healthier alternatives until the end of the school year, when the soda ban program will be reevaluated. However, letting go of this new program might be harder than previously thought, as a 2012 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics by Sohyun Park, Bettylou Sherry, Kathryn Foti and Heidi Blanck indicates that soda and beverages high in sugar may be linked to a decline in grades in United States high school students. The study stated that 29 percent of students who answered a survey said they drink high sugar beverages at least once a day. Many of these students reported lowered academic grades, as well as sluggish

behavior and altered sleep patterns. Another study by Erin Green and Claire Murphy may indicate that the consumption of diet soft drinks may alter the brain’s ability to process the taste of sweet foods. The study, which was published in the Journal of Psychology and Behavior in 2012, tested the brain’s response to sucrose, the sugar found in regular soda, versus saccharin, a sweetener found in diet soft drinks. The midbrain, the right orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala were affected more by the saccharin in an fMRI scan, indicating that diet soda, when consumed regularly, decreases the brain’s ability to see the artificial sugar as a reward. Because of this, diet soda and obesity are closely linked. “The sugar and acid in sodas can lead to weakened enamel in the teeth and other dental problems. Although diet sodas may not contain sugar, they may still contain acid that can harm teeth.” Mimi Wu, a Registered Dietitian with a masters degree in Nutrition and Public Health, said. “This is the first time I’ve heard about the negative health effects of diet soda,” sophomore Jordan Ganley said. “I’d like to ask diet soda companies why the study is under wraps.” Major cities in the U.S. such as Los Angeles and Miami have set laws to limit the sale of all soda in school. On the other hand, in countries like Britain and France, soft drink sales in school vending machines have been banned entirely. However, FCPS will only reevaluate the pros and cons of having soda in the vending machines at the end of the year. Even with the discussion, not all students have taken a strong opinion to this new change. “I don’t really drink soda at school, so the soda ban doesn’t really affect me,” junior Orchi Banerjee said.

Sophomore designs a garden for Girl Scout project by Esther Kim Features Editor Sophomore Aly Luckett recently constructed a native species garden at Vienna Elementary School as her Girl Scout Gold Award project. “For my garden project, I planted native plant species— native trees, shrubs and flowers — with a team of younger Girl Scout troop members and students from Vienna Elementary and Kilmer Middle Schools,” Luckett said. The Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) holds its long legacy for nurturing leadership and cooperative skills in women. Members of GSUSA engage in projects that range from science to economics, offering them opportunities to interact with their peers and cultivate their leadership. “Girl Scouts provides fun, hands-on ways of giving back to the community,” Luckett said. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive, the member is required to organize an project which attempts to positively influence a prevailing problem in today’s generation. After participating in a cleanup event at Potomac River, Luckett was inspired to focus her attention on invasive species. After much research, Luckett decided to concentrate her project on fostering the growth of native plant species

while precluding the spread of invasive ones. “Invasive species can lead to dire consequences for the structure of natural ecosystems and negatively impact human and wildlife populations,” Luckett said. These species, which range from English ivy to autumn olive, are prominent hindrances of both natural and human environment. They monopolize the majority of the resources needed by native species and kill numerous trees that humans need for oxygen. In an effort to stabilize the ecosystem back to its original state, Luckett created a garden composed solely of native plant species such as butterfly milkweeds, azalea shrubs, and little bluestem grasses. “I am working with other Girl Scout troops, Vienna Elementary students, and other FCPS students to inform others of the importance of native species in ensuring our balanced ecosystem for the future,” Luckett said. Through her project, Luckett hopes to provide an initiative to prevent the growth of invasive species and let the public be more cognizant of the species’ detrimental impact. “I really want to see people moving away from planting invasive species in their gardens to native species,” Luckett said.

4125 Hummer Road, Annandale, VA 22003

photo courtesy of Aly Luckett

Sophomore Aly Luckett stands on the native species garden she created for her Girl Scout Gold Award project at Vienna Elementary School. Luckett hopes to spread the significance of native species in the environment.

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Use order number 13621.

14 Jefferson begins a series of annual features

foreign exchange programs by Ellen Kan and Esther Kim Managing Editor and Features Editor It has never been out of the ordinary to see unfamiliar faces and hear a variety of languages while strolling through the hallways of Jefferson. The week of Sept. 16 was no exception, as Jefferson students spent their time chatting about and vying for a glimpse of the exchange students from Spain. Although Spanish is the largest world language department at Jefferson, this is the first year that an exchange program has been organized. The campaign to bring Spanish students to Jefferson was largely spearheaded by senior Mya Abousy, the president of Jefferson’s Spanish Honor Society (SHS). After Abousy introduced the idea, a yearlong, collaborative effort between Jefferson and el Colegio Urdaneta commenced to make the proposal a reality. “The exchange program was hands down the most incredible experience that I’ve had at Jefferson,” Abousy said. “I’m a Spanish fanatic, so having someone my age to talk to 24/7 in Spanish was a dream come true.” The 15 visiting students, who study at el Colegio Urdaneta in the city of Bilbao, arrived in time to witness the escalating excitement of Homecoming week. Although they were initially overwhelmed, the students from Spain participated wholeheartedly in activities, from dressing up for Twin Day to attending the Homecoming football game and dance. “The people were cheering so much at the pep rally, and we have never seen anything like that before,” visiting student Borja Hernando said. “The atmosphere of the football match was also amazing.” While the students from Bilbao spent time sitting in on classes, they also toured attractions such as Washington, D.C., Great Falls Park and King’s Dominion. In school, they interacted with Jefferson students through discussions in the Spanish classroom, as well as through playing a friendly soccer match and participating in an eighth period cultural exchange activity with SHS on Sept. 25. The students from Bilbao observed several fundamental differences between the United States and Spain, such as the modes of transportation and styles of teaching. Most notably, Jefferson boasts a diverse student population that represents a multitude of ethnicities and cultures, while the communities in Bilbao are more homogenous and tightly-knit. “The people are what make a country special, and the Jefferson students really seemed to show American culture,” exchange student Jon Molina said. “I just fell in love with the United States.” The exchange program at el Colegio Urdaneta is coordinated by philosophy teacher Nagore Portillo, who accompanied the students to D.C. Portillo strongly believes in the importance of understanding other cultures. “It is very important to have the opportunity to know a culture from the inside,” Portillo said.“It is one of the most enriching experiences, and it opens your mind from a personal and linguistic point of view.” As with any situation involving different cultures, the students’ stays were somewhat complicated by issues such as different eating schedules and language barriers. According to Spanish teacher Margaret Gendive, however, these discrepancies ultimately did not detract from the experience. “There were clearly some cultural differences that created conflict, but I think they also provided healthy insights into an-

other culture,” Gendive said. “Through the exchange program, we can help students develop a world view and build relationships between cultures.” While the host students were able to practice their Spanish and make new connections, the students from Bilbao also benefited greatly from their immersion in American culture. “I really think that this exchange has been great for me as a student and as a person,” visiting student Maider Gatzañaga said. “I think that I have improved my English, and I have also learned a lot about other cultures, their food, their music and their thoughts.” Although the exchange students departed on Sept. 25, the interaction will continue in spring break, when Gendive and fellow Spanish teacher Nanette Mateo will take a group of students to Spain to experience the other side of the exchange program. Nearly all of Jefferson’s language departments, including Russian, Chinese and Japanese, host students throughout the school year. The next group will be 20 students from Lycée Roosevelt in Reims, France, who will visit Jefferson on Oct. 14. As a part of the program, the French exchange students will attend several classes with their host students and take the traditional tour of D.C. “After hosting a student last year, I found that this was a nice way to practice the language I was taking,” junior Carolina Hatanpää said. “A lot of the students have never been to the United States before, so I think they will have a great time visiting D.C.

october 10, 2013

and the Mall.” Some Jefferson students will offer the students additional opportunities to engage in American culture and entertainment, through events such as attending football games and visiting Mount Vernon. “When we actually get to meet the students, we will be playing French videos and songs to see what the French exchange students think of the cultural activities that we, as FHS, love to do at our meetings,” junior Alec Jessar, the president of Jefferson’s French Honor Society (FHS), said. “We plan to hold a reception so that those who are not hosting exchange students will be able to meet them.” The students from France will also join FHS on Oct. 23 for a special celebration. In previous years, the FHS and exchange students discussed the differences between American and French culture in this meeting. Although the French exchange students will only stay for two weeks, Jefferson students hope to gain numerous benefits from engaging in the program. French teacher Genevieve Delfosse believes that students will be prompted tolerate the cultural aspects of foreign countries with what they have read in the textbook, boost confidence in their speaking skills, and form special connections with the foreign students. “The students will form friendships that will last longer than the times they spent in the classroom,” Delfosse said.

Clockwise from top right: members of the Jefferson soccer team play soccer with the exchange students on the Jefferson football field; exchange students tour Washington, D.C.; students play cultural jeopardy with Jefferson’s Spanish Honor Society during eighth period.

photos by Ellen Kan and courtesy of Nagore Portillo

Students bid farewell to summer research and focus on academics by Anjali Khanna Features Editor Over a month into school, many students have put their laboratory coats on the hook and said goodbye to their bosses until the summer of 2014. Some, however, are continuing to their mentorship research during the year despite their school workload. In past summers, students not enrolled in summer classes tended to take up internship opportunities to fill their free time. Not only has this led to career opportunities, but also allowed the students to gain experience in the field before advancing to college level internships. “I met a lot of great people while interning, including the other interns and the lab directors,” senior Christine Mayuga said. “Hopefully, I even made some connections for the future.” Mayuga took an internship through the Aspiring Scientists Summer Research Program during the summer, a program at George Mason University for high school and undergrad students. Other opportunities offered by the College and Career Center include research opportunities to work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation as well as other STEM-related largescale organizations. Some non-STEM opportunities also included the chance to become a social media coordinator, help other students as a tutor or work for a political campaign. Senior Srikanth Chelluri also accepted an internship during the summer of 2013, researching in the the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Studies at George Mason University (GMU). Chelluri worked with memory and its consolidation processes, trying to reveal some of the fundamental facts of memory which most people take for granted.

According to Chelluri, internships outside the Jefferson lab teach networking skills vital for real work outside the high school or college environment. “Students work in a research facility that provides an environment which cannot be appropriately compared to Jefferson labs,” Chelluri said. “It gives you an outside perspective which can be hard to find when you’re immersed at the school.” Chelluri is continuing to work at GMU during the school year, unlike many students who only take up internships when school is not in session. Like Mayuga and Chelluri, senior Nihita Manem also researched in a laboratory over the summer, conducting polymerase chain reaction tests to develop a new method of in-vitro genotyping. “My favorite part was working with other graduate and undergraduate students because everyone was very helpful in teaching me about the technology available and about my project,” Manem said. “I am more familiar with a lab environment and how procedures work; I have learned how to use several new machines to conduct PCR tests and look at brain images.” Biology teacher Barbara Wood has seen many students go into careers based on their internships. “Actually, two of my previous students were accepted into a college-level NIH summer research program,” Wood said. “Many of my younger students take on internships with private hospitals, and with the United States Navy and Army.” While at Jefferson, one of Wood’s previous students found a treatment that cured a type of cancer in newborns. “Many of my students use their school research projects to help them secure summer lab positions and then eventually become eligible for internships,” Wood said. Mayuga, like many of Wood’s students, took prerequisites for her internship.

“I was excited to implement the lab skills and basic proteomics concepts that I learned in AP Biology and DNA Science in a professional environment,” Mayuga said. Beginning early, junior Anant Das also got an internship this past summer, but he does not plan on working between his junior and senior year. “I’m not really looking for another full-time internship because I have plans to go to National Latin Convention and take some business and engineering courses this summer,” Das said. “I am really interested in those subjects.” A survey given to all students about internships and job opportunities will be released for summer 2013 in the College and Career Center. Previous years’ surveys can also be viewed in the same location.

photo by Esther Kim

Senior Srikanth Chelluri works in the Neuroscience Laboratory, while continuing his internship with GMU.

october 10, 2013

culture

october 10, 2013

Expand Your

Jefferson students celebrate facets of Hispanic heritage by Yena Seo Social Media Editor Every Wednesday A-block, junior Lily Chaw works with the Hispanic Alliance club, where students from a variety of ethnicities—not necessarily Hispanic—gather to share their love of Hispanic culture. For the month of October, Chaw and Hispanic Alliance and Spanish Honor Society members are preparing food and care packages to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. “The main point is to have everyone bring in items for care packages, which we will donate to a Hispanic church so they can be distributed to Hispanic families in the community who need them,” Chaw said. Like Chaw, not all members of the Hispanic Alliance or the Spanish Honor Society are of Hispanic descent, and many of them are only partially Hispanic, or do not celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in their families. “My family doesn’t celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at all, but we try to keep our Hispanic culture present in our lives all the time, especially with Hispanic food, music and movies,” sophomore Paula Jaramillo, who was born in Colombia, said. Despite the small number of Hispanic students at Jefferson, members of the Hispanic Alliance and the Spanish Honor Society have found ways to celebrate and become more aware of Hispanic culture. In September, students from Bilbao, Spain, spent a week and a half with Jefferson students as part of an exchange program. “I think it’s important to be aware of Hispanic culture, especially at Jefferson due to the lack of Hispanic kids that actually attend the school,” senior Tessa Muss, who is part Venezuelan, said. “Seeing that Hispanic culture is growing in our country, it is our responsibility to become knowledgeable about it, so that we can practice tolerance and understand their cultural values. The Spanish Honor Society at Jefferson hosted an eighth period activity on Oct. 9 for guest speaker Mauricio Velásquez to talk to students about the importance of diversity among cultures in the community, and to help commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month. “I think it’s important that we learn about as many cultures as we can, since the community around TJ is so diverse,” senior Carolyn Ours, the treasurer of the Spanish Honor Society, said. “It’s great to be able to connect with people by knowing more about their culture and, in my case, language; you just have this much stronger bond from the start.” For the past several years, one of the major com-

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plaints targeted at the school is its lack of minority representation, particularly blacks and Hispanics. In 2012, a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against Fairfax County Public Schools, alleging that minority students were being shut out of the school. “It’s fine for the most part, but I don’t enjoy all the affirmative action hate occasionally being thrown my way: ‘Oh, you can get into any school you want because you’re Hispanic,’” senior Giovanni Jiminez, whose parents are part Bolivian and Puerto Rican, said. Approximately 23 percent of students who attend Fairfax County schools are of Hispanic heritage, yet only a small handful of these students are admitted to Jefferson each year. “I think most Hispanics at TJ that I know are only half or were born here, so being a full-blooded, immigrant Hispanic makes me feel special,” senior José Acuña, who immigrated to the United States from Bolivia, said. “It’s kind of cool to be a part of such a small group of people, at least compared to my base school, where Hispanics were the majority.” In the class of 2017, only 15 students of Hispanic heritage received admittance to Jefferson, further fueling the ongoing debate regarding the lack of diversity at Jefferson. “It bothered me at first and I wish we could have more Hispanics at TJ, but the lack of Hispanics at our school is more complex than it seems, so for now, it is what it is,” Spanish teacher Alexandra Pou, who lived in the Dominican Republic, said. “I love being a teacher, so it doesn’t matter who I teach.” As a result of the small portion of Hispanic students, some students find that this gives them even more motivation to try harder to succeed. “Somehow I feel more pressure to do well because there really aren’t many other Hispanic students,” freshman Tamara Drpić, whose family came from Bolivia, said. “The stereotype is that Hispanic people are lazy, lack ambition and don’t care about school or education, and this thought makes me want to prove to others that Hispanic students can be just as focused and ambitious as students of other ethnicities.” Though October is designated as Hispanic Heritage Month, many Hispanic students are proud to boast their culture every day they are at Jefferson, as a unique part of their background. “I’m Hispanic always,” Acuña said. “Not just for a month.”

I’m Hispanic always. Not just for a month. - senior José Acuña

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Bolivia

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We honor our culture through the food we eat, our close family relationship, and by staying informed by watching news broadcasts in Spanish.

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Freshman Tamara Drpić Nicaragua

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Hispanic people don’t typically pursue STEM education, and I hope to serve as an inspiration to other Hispanic children.

Senior Ricardo Tucker Spain

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I think it’s great, getting to spread the story of my Hispanic ancestors and teaching others about my family’s culture.

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Sophomore Jake Gonzalez

Clockwise from top left: junior Lily Chaw sets up display case to show off Hispanic heritage; senior Connor Phillips and sophomore Andrea Tse practice the cha-cha during ballroom dance club; senior Jamie Simon leads Hispanicthemed “Jeopardito” during Hispanic Alliance’s eighth period.

photos and graphics by Shayna Hume, Ellen Kan and Lindsay Williams