October 2011

tjTODAY

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

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Obama magic on campus

RIP

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 2

White House picks Jefferson for site of America Invents Act signing, and everyone scrambles to meet security challenges

by Sara Asad and Mallika Patkar News Editors he brightly painted SGA-made banner read “Homecoming, Mr. President?”

As Barack Obama entered the building from the side parking lot on Sept. 16, he spotted the sign near the wrestling room.

“Can I bring Michelle with me?” he asked.

The unexpected presidential visit, planned with only 48 hours notice, created a unique opportunity for many Jefferson students and adults to experience the power of a leader considered charismatic and accessible.

Senior Rebecca Hyndman felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as she uttered the words, “Please join me now in welcoming the president of the United States, Barack Obama.”

A patent holder for her invention of in-floor storage, Hyndman was chosen to introduce the president before his signing of the America Invents Act in Gym 1.

T

“I don’t like drawing attention to myself, and this was totally the opposite,” Hyndman said. “It felt like my heart was beating in my throat.”

Hyndman was among the key students and administrators who prepared for Obama’s visit. Principal Evan Glazer was informed first and was in charge of handling the overarching visit preparations.

“I had a role in selecting attendees,” Glazer said, “as well as coordinating the various administrative jobs.

The Secret Service and White House staff managed the security and involved administrators in the preparations.

Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka and Director of Student Activities Shawn DeRose were involved in the building security and setup preparations.

“We were there to ensure that the White House Staff, Secret Service and third-party vendors had everything they needed for the event. We also answered questions about the school building and personnel,” DeRose said.

Kosakta and DeRose stayed overnight Thursday in order to secure the building and prepare for Friday’s event. This was not the first time DeRose helped plan for a presidential visit. In 2005, DeRose helped prepare Stuart High School for President George H.W. Bush’s speech on No Child Left Behind. DeRose used his past experiences to help facilitate the preparations at Jefferson.

“We didn’t have to stay the night,” DeRose said, “but we did. I knew from experience about the type of support needed for events like this. A lot of the schedule is fluid. It’s really a lot of planning for a 1- hour event.”

Security measures dictated by the Secret Service and FCPS security ranged from arranging a decontamination room to designing the student parking on the field as an artificial barrier around the school.

“The Secret Service said the idea is to minimize movement because it minimizes safety violation,”Kosatka said.

In addition to the security presence, continued on p. 2

Clockwise from top: President Obama addresses the importance of innovation and his jobs bill before signing the America Invents Act; senior Rebecca Hyndman describes her patented in-floor storage invention before introducing the president; Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), standing next to Louis Foreman, CEO of Eventys, Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont, senior Karishma Popli and Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.), takes a picture of the America Invents Act; sophomore Will Ashe, senior Emilie Fortman, juniors Julia Anderson and Allison Chou wait anxiously to shake hands with the president.

photos by Sara Asad and Mallika Patkar

SPORTS

Siblings have teams in common P7

ENTERTAINMENT Pottermore craze keeps rabid fans in anticipation P10

FEATURES

HPV vaccine controversy re-ignited P12

TRADITIONS Hispanic heritage is multi-faceted P16

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news

october 11, 2011

156 seniors receive National Merit Semifinalist recognition

Kudos & Accomplishments

TjTODAY nominated for NSPA Pacemaker vTjTODAY is one of two FCPS

newspapers honored with a National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) nomination for the Newspaper Pacemaker Award. TjTODAY will be recognized in November at the JEA/NSPA Convention in Minneapolis.

Lee awarded gold in International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) v Mitchell Lee competed in the

USA Mathematical Olympiad team, which placed second in the 2011 IMO. All students in the team, including Lee were awarded gold medals in the competition.

Xia and Kim place in Math Prize for Girls competition vSophomore Victoria Xia took first

photo by Mallika Patkar

First responders share reflections on 9/11 On Sept. 16, board members (from left to right) Glen Klein, Mike Kenny and Joe Wittleder of the FealGood Foundation visited Jefferson during eighth period. The SGA sponsored the event in order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The first responders, including John Feal, the founder of the FealGood foundation, discussed the psychological and physical effects 9/11 first responders have been dealing with since the catastrophe in 2001. Students wrote letters to specific first responders in their first period classes.

place at the Math Prize for Girls competition held at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. Xia won $25,000 in prize money while freshman Jung Yoon Kim placed fourth and won $2,000. Selection of students for the competition was based on American Math Competition (AMC) scores reported by applicants from which the top 300 were invited to compete for $49,000 in cash prizes.

Nine students named NASP semifinalists vOmer Ahmed, Rheem Brooks, Ch-

antelle Ekanem, Adrienne Ivey, Michael Maccannan, Stephanie Pitts, Alexandria Sutton, Mickeal Taylor and Bryan Williams have been named semifinalists for the 2012 National Achievement Scholarship Program (NASP). NASP recognizes high-achieving black students and provides an opportunity for the semifinalists to continue in the competition for almost 800 Achievement Scholarship awards worth over $2.4 million.

Students win silver prize for Doors to Diplomacy vJuniors Victor Shen, Cody Silver-

man, Takeshi Mochida and sophomore Chris Prak won silver prize for the 2011 Doors to Diplomacy Award for their web project on charity organizations. The competition, organized by the U.S. Department of State, awards web projects that best communicate the importance of international affairs and diplomacy to youth. Team Sunshine was competing with 341 teams from 30 countries with its web project: “Americans’ Favorite Way to Reach Out and Help Others.” Students were sponsored

by Peter Gabor for the competition.

Four alumni win NLE Scholarship v Class of 2011 graduates Katie Lin

(Carnegie Mellon), Evan Liu (Carnegie Mellon), Thomas Woodruff (U.Va.) and Kevin Zhou (Yale) were awarded the National Latin Exam Scholarship Award in recognition of their achievement in Latin studies over the past four or five years.

Students were selected based upon their recommendations and essay and whether they will pursue Latin (or Greek) studies in college.

Students and alumni published in NVWP anthology vSeniors Mary Sun and Peter Town, Junior Taylor Gelinas-Galaise and Class of 2011 graduates Emily Goldfein, Albert Tholen, Mircea Cernev, Lisa Junta and Sara Suarez were published in Northern Virginia Writing Project’s anthology, “Falling for the Story.” The contributing Teacher Consultants for the NVWP were Roger Green, Susie Lebryk-Chao, Emily Orser and Jennifer Seavey.

photo by Mallika Patkar

Students reach out to shake hands with President Obama after his presentation.

Visit highlights innovation continued from p. 1 Network Support Administrator Peter Morasca installed several separate phone lines in the building as required by the Secret Service.

“White House staff wanted their own direct phone lines. Fifteen phone lines were installed

by Verizon on Thursday and removed the following Tuesday,” Morasca said.

Entering the building from the wrestling room, Obama was led to Room 145 where students who were selected late Thursday afternoon presented their senior technology projects to the president.

“The science and technology lab directors offered project ideas to share with the president. The White House staff selected four, to make the experience more personal,” Glazer said.

Seniors Connor Hann and Bina Kakusa represented the neuroscience research lab’s long-term project on the Electroencephalography (EEG)- controlled wheelchair. Hann and Kakusa spent time after school Thursday to prepare for their presentation.

“Bina and I spent a lot of time trying to get [the wheelchair] working for the presentation.

Though we were able to fix some problems, the chair was not fully operational,” Hann said.

Students who also presented were Nick Allegro, Brett Offutt and Chris Mills for the TJ Sat Cube; Megan Clark for robotics, and Alexandria Sutton for the Oceanography lab.

“It was pretty unreal because we only get to see the President on TV so meeting him was interesting because the charisma you see on TV was there in real life,” Kakusa said.

After listening to student presentations, Obama went to Gym 1 where he spoke to a select number of senior classes, SGA class officers, faculty and government VIP’s about the American Invents Act and its importance for increasing jobs in America.

“It will improve patent quality and help give entrepreneurs the protection and confidence they need to attract investment, to grow their businesses and to hire more workers,” Obama said.

The America Invents Act is the first major change to the patent since 1952. The act streamlines the patent filing process by adapting the first-to-file system and offering electronic filing systems. With this act, court cases involving patents are easily resolved by showing which party was the first to file

instead of the previous format, first to invent.

While the president signed the act into law, political and corporate luminaries, as well as Hyndman and senior Karishma Popli witnessed the historic moment from the stage platform.

Popli was selected to represent the student body on stage because of her One Question grant project on social responsibility.

“I provided solar lamps to rural village schools in India and Africa to help over 2,000 students study effectively at night where there is no electricity,” Popli said.

Political dignitaries present on stage were Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Rep. Bob Goodlatee (R-Va.), Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.), Becky B lank, the acting Secretary of Commerce and David Kappos, the Director of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In addition, corporation executives included Louis Foreman, CEO of Eventys, Jessica Matthew, CEO of Uncharted Play, Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont and John Lechleiter, CEO of Eli Lilly.

“It makes patents do what they’re supposed to do and makes it easier for businesses to invent something which leads to stimulating the economy,” said Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and former head of the Human Genome Project.

“In my experience as a researcher, I think this act will make it easier to invent and solve indeterminable arguments.”

Although there was interaction between many students and the president, some students were disappointed that the president was unable to interact closely with the majority of students.

“I thought it shouldn’t matter whether the teacher had a sixth period class. It was unfair how some classes had seniors and underclassmen, like AP Statistics, while other seniors didn’t get to go,” senior Kwan Lee said.

As space was limited for the event, Glazer first extended the invitation to fifth period senior classes whose teachers did not have another sixth period class. As more seats became available, classes that were placed on a waiting list were granted access.

“It was a great event, but the most disappointing part was that we couldn’t get enough seats for all of our seniors and staff members. Everyone in the school wanted to be there, but we had to make the gym look presidential. It couldn’t look like a Homecoming pep rally,” Glazer said.

Peter Ahnn, Reece Anderson, Skyler Anderson, Sakethnath Are, Catherine Ayres, Jawahar Baddula, Leif Bakke, Weina Bao, Matthew Baron, Divyalakshmi Bathey, James Bradbury, Connor Brinton, Matthew Bujor, Meredith Burkle, Edward Cai, Robert Campion, Amelia Carolus-Hager, Abhishek Cauligi, Alex Chen, Yong Min Cho, Rachel Chuang, Megan Clark, Callan Corcoran, Yang Dai, Mary Dilworth, Adrienne Doebrich, Austin Dunn, Claire Egan, Timothy Eklund, Elizabeth Ellor, Matthew Ferrell, Erika Fitzpatrick, Luke Gessler, Samuel Girvin, Rachel Goldstein, Dasith Gunawardhana, Stewart Hahn, Connor Hann, Gina Hansen, Emily Harmon, Helen Hastings, Anna Hicks, Mingming Hu, Lydia Hylton, Rebecca Hyndman, Rabia Idrees, Aleena Ijaz, Allison Ivener, Daniel Jacobson, Seiyoung Jang, Yon Jang, Emily Ji, Elizabeth Johnson, Tushar Kamath, Daniel Kang, Sheila Kaushik, Andrew Kim, Soo Jin Kim, Alice King, Kyle Kramer, Priya Krishnan, Rachel Kumar, Vansh Kumar, Varun Kumar, Richard Kuzma, Ian Ladner, Elaine Lee, Mitchell Lee, Cynthia Li, Jerry Li, Rasia Li, George Liang, Guanmei Liang, Jongyeop Lim, Zeming Lin, Eileen Liu, Samuel Luo, Jonathan Lykins, Jahnnavi Madiraju, Omeed Maghzian, Colleen Maher, Usnish Majumdar, Govind Mattay, Lizaveta Miadzvedskaya, Maxim Miroff, Ananya Mishra, Junsung Na, Aakansha Nangarlia, Austin Neuberger, Aimi Nguyen, Ellen Nguyen, Jacqueline Nguyen, Samuel Nicoll, Owen Nugent, Alexander Park, Sruthi Poduval, Aravind Ponukumati, Michael Poussard, Rithvik Prasannappa, Marvin Qian, Sarah Rachal, Rafa Rahman, Kelsey Rainey, Pranava Raparla, Taylor Reffett, Peter Reischer, John Renner, Christopher Rom, Benjamin Rosenblum, Katherine Sanders, Sonica Saraf, Graham Schmidt, Wooram Seok, Anita Shammee, Daniel Shanker, Peter Shao, Victor Shao, Allen Shi, Yueyi Shi, Jake Shields, Srishti Shrivastava, Benjamin Silverman, Alisha Sindhwani, Sameer Singh, Nicholas Skeen, Seungin Sohn, Suganya Sridharma, Arjun Srinivasan, Mihir Srivastava, Heather Storeride, Mary Sun, Anjali Taneja, Nathan Thillairajah, Eric Tobin, Benjamin Torczon, Peter Town, Stefanie Van Rafelghem, Elisabeth von Spakovsky, He Wan, Esther Wang, Michael Wattendorf, Zachary Williams, Paul Wolfteich, Eunice Wu, David Wyman, Ryan Yan, Alexander Yang, Glenna Yu, Katherine Yu, Patrick Yu, Stephen Yuan, Kerry Zhang, Yuqing Zhang, Zhereng Zhang, Stacey Zhou and Xintian Zou.

photo by Mallika Patkar

President Obama shakes hands with senior Karishma Popli after his speech as DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman looks on. Popli was chosen because of her One Question grant project.

Although not all students could attend the event, Jefferson was chosen deliberately to highlight its focus on fostering the creative spirit leading to job creation.

“The visit highlighted the inventive culture of our school. Our students are inventive in research, curriculum, partnerships, even in Homecoming costumes,” Glazer said. “As our mission statement says, the culture of innovation defines us as a school and as a people.”

news

october 11, 2011

NEWSMAKERS Feng debuts on WUSA9

The News

photo courtesy of Ryan Feng

Junior Ryan Feng records his sports theme for dc.highschoolsports.net at Golden Sound Studio in Kensington, Md on Aug. 31.

Backstory Feng’s instrumental song, “Champion Sweat” was chosen to be the new theme for the Toyota Game Night Report, the weekly high school football show on WUSA 9.

“I got my inspiration from watching football highlights and ESPN music intros,” Feng said.

Feng produced his theme on his own. Once he won the contest, he rerecorded the theme in the Golden Sound Studio in Kensington, Md. with a professional producer.

“It was definitely great getting a taste of what I am going to pursue later in life. The producer and I worked together on the track to make it better for television.”

Feng said. “I felt really proud and lucky to be sitting next to him.”

Feng’s YouTube channel, sharkf3ng, includes electronic remixes in addition to original songs that Feng produces. Feng hopes to get 1,000 subscribers by the end of the year.

“YouTube is the best way for people besides my friends to hear what I’ve made, and hopefully like it and subscribe. My YouTube channel is pretty new, but I want it to go far,” Feng said.

Feng has been pursuing music for the past 10 years and is seeking music production as a career.

“I love music because it takes you to a whole different world. It’s just you and what you hear. Music helps me focus and puts me in a better mood,” Feng said.

Feng’s theme will be played until the end of this football season.

“Champion Sweat will be played on TV for high school sports highlights this season,” Feng said. “It’s an awesome feeling knowing that people will be listening to something I produced in my own room.”

-Mallika Patkar

Glazer gets engaged

The News

photo by Colleen Marshall

Principal Evan Glazer and his fiancé Jennifer Palazzolo enjoy the Homecoming football game on Sept. 26.

Backstory On the morning of Sept. 11, Glazer and his long-time girlfriend Palazzolo met for brunch. Afterwards, when they both went back to Palazzolo’s home, she had a big surprise waiting for her.

“I sprinkled rose petals all over her place,” Glazer said.

After a little over two years of dating, Glazer proposed to Palazzolo. She said yes.

Palazzolo and Glazer, who met online via eHarmony, have many things in common.

“She is from the Midwest, so we both have similar roots and heritage and grew up around similar people,” Glazer said.

They bond over activities such as hiking and travelling and enjoy exercising together. They also like watching movies together. The last movie they watched was “Taare Zameen Par,” a Hindi film about a young boy overcoming dyslexia.

Palazzolo attended the Homecoming game with Glazer and she has also come to past Jefferson events.

“This is the first high school football game I’ve been to in a really long time,” she said. “I did come to Relay for Life last year, with all the tents out on the field and the kids walking around the track.”

While a date has not yet been fixed for the wedding, the couple is planning to tie the knot during summer or fall of 2012.

“I’m from Michigan so a lot of the work will be setting it up from a distance,” Palazzolo said.

- Lakshmi Chandran

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

Visit honorstestprep.com to review our complete ’11-’12 course schedule and learn about our SAT Course, SAT Essay Workshop, and PSAT/SAT Course.

703-237-2665

sat@honorstestprep.com

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

Gail Gardiner, parent of TJ student, Class of 2010

Cuccinelli visits

The News

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photo by Mallika Patkar

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli addresses students on Sept. 30 about health care reform.

Backstory Cuccinelli, the current attorney general of the Commonwealth, visited the Teenage Republicans club during eighth period to discuss current political issues including health care and Medicaid fraud.

“It was great getting to know what’s going on locally in our state government,” freshman Mary Pollin said.

During his address, Cuccinelli voiced concerns about the health care reform law passed in May 2010.

He believes that the universal health care mandated by the federal government limits individual freedom and conflicts with the Constitution.

“We are protecting the U.S. Constitution from the federal government,” Cuccinelli said.

That same day, Cuccinelli filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in the health care lawsuit. The petition contends that Congress does not have the authority to compel people to buy a private product by enacting an insurance mandate and penalty.

“The federal government has never regulated commerce and never told the citizens what to buy. This case is about liberty, not health care,” Cuccinelli said.

Cuccinelli defended the Commonwealth’s lawsuit as the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act (VHCFA), passed prior to the federal health care reform law, states “no resident of the Commonwealth…shall be required to obtain or maintain a policy of individual insurance coverage.”

“We passed the Health Care Freedom Act in Virginia before the federal government,” Cuccinelli said. ”Although supremacy has always trumped state law, that is not the case if the federal law is unconstitutional.”

- Sara Asad

College Application Essay Workshop

Learn to: >Choose the best essay topic >Marshal information to present the best self-portrait >Compose essays which reflect your voice and experience >Maximize writing techniques for future college work >Adapt your college application essay for different schools and scholarships Visit www.dalbytestprep.com to register.

Click on “College Essay” Classes held in McLean, Va. Call 703-356-2728 for more information.

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opinion

october 11, 2011

Will cameras improve security?

tjTODAY Lead Editorial tj TODAY’s unsigned majority opinion Volume 27 Issue 2

2011 Pacemaker Finalist 2011 Trophy Class - VHSL 2011 All-American - NSPA 2011 Gold Medalist - CSPA

Editorial Board Editor in Chief Rabia Idrees

Managing Editor Colleen Marshall

Layout Editor Anna Hicks

News Editors Sara Asad Mallika Patkar

Opinion Editors Joshua Baquedano Noah Yoo

Sports Editors Michael Chao Jenny Chen Jennifer Walter

Spread Editors Amy Ahn Lakshmi Chandran

Entertainment Editors Shayna Hume Claudia Lovegrove

Features Editors Tahmina Achekzai YouNa An Arya Dahal Sunny Kim Thrisha Potluri

Staff Reporters Tara Gupta

Web Master Thrisha Potluri

Adviser Jennifer Seavey, MJE

Printer Silver Communications TjTODAY is the official newspaper of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology published monthly by the journalism staff.

It serves as a vehicle for student expression and is an open forum of issues of interest and concern to the school community.

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

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

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

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

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

Fairfax County high school principals made a proposal just four weeks ago that caused an uproar throughout the school community.

Parents, administrators, teachers and students have been forced to choose sides in a debate that has resurfaced after many years. The topic is one of our favorites: student privacy and safety.

The proposal was submitted by 27 principals, including ours, Evan Glazer.

The proposal recommended the use of security cameras on the interior of schools.

The idea germinated after food fights at Centreville, West Springfield and Robert E. Lee High Schools this past year. The issue is of such importance that it was the only topic discussed by the Human Relations Committee on Oct. 4.

The belief among administrators is that the cameras will help deter mob activity, bullying, drug dealing, theft and other such behaviors.

Opponents of this security measure argue that the cameras won’t deter students, but simply make it easier to incriminate them. They also argue that cameras are a violation of student privacy.

So where do we stand? There is a divide among members of our staff regarding certain aspects of the issue. Some editors supporting camera placement and others oppose it. This variation in opinion mirrors the general student population and reflects how complex an issue this is.

We all acknowledge that cameras are indicative of a lack of trust between administrators and students and can leave students feeling violated. Cameras on the interior of campus buildings would likely burden the already sensitive relationship between administration and the student body.

Those of us opposed to cameras believe they would create a forced environment in schools that would make students feel uncomfortable.

Furthermore, cameras may be practical as an idea, but might not prove as effective as they sound. Students who want to violate the rules will find ways around the extra security

as has been true in the past.

Those of us in favor of cameras hold that the protections that cameras offer outweigh their disadvantages in many instances. Cameras allow school buildings to be monitored against both in school threats and threats from outsiders who can easily gain access to school buildings which are open all day and during the evening. They also shorten investigation time significantly after incidents on school campuses.

We believe that even if the school board votes in favor of cameras in cafeterias and common areas of schools, each school must analyze their individual situations before taking any action.

Cameras in Jefferson’s cafeteria would

be impractical and a waste of resources.

Cameras in areas such as the junior lounge or audlob, as recommended by Glazer, may prove a more suitable option. Jefferson teachers have also suggested that cameras be placed in all hallways leading to labs housing expensive equipment.

Another concern specific to Jefferson is the fact that our renovation is about to begin in two years. It would be impractical for us to invest money in the installation of cameras that will have to be reinstalled in different locations after the renovation.

Basically, we believe that cameras would prove useful to increase our safety standards. We are not convinced, however, they are worth the expense or will even help deter inappropriate behavior.

Only time can tell if this additional security measure will prove valuable.

Tara Gupta

Assessing the legacy of 9/11 Every year on Sept.

11, the country renews it’s interest in that fateful day that changed our lives.

L a s t JOSHUA BAQUEDANO m o n t h ’s 10th anniversary of the attacks was no different.

Many high schools around the country held events to commemorate the anniversary. Jefferson hosted first responders from the Feal Good Foundation. Students wrote over a thousand letters to first responders, reminding them of our appreciation for their bravery. Langley High School’s Young Republican club planted 2, 958 American flags as part of a 9/11 memorial. New York’s Stuyvesant High School, located just blocks from Ground Zero, hosted alumni events, in addition to participating in larger gatherings in nearby Battery Park.

I spent that Sunday morning browsing CNN’s website, coming across a video of their coverage of the day as it happened.

I watched as a normal news day turned into the horror that we remember. It included the initial report of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, as well as the chilling live shot of the second plane crashing into the towers.

What surprised me most about the footage wasn’t the speed at which new facts came to light (compared to 2011, the

news was being broken at a snail’s pace).

In fact, the most shocking thing about the video was just how long it took for the word “terrorism” to be uttered.

The second plane hitting the tower could not have been a coincidence, but it was still flabbergasting to hear the anchor theorize about possible navigation malfunctions being the cause of the crashes. When the first reports of possible foul play appeared, the anchor Leon Harris came across as shocked, as if he never could have imagined the thought of America being attacked.

This contrasts sharply with the way we live our lives today. One example is this summer’s earthquake. Immediately upon feeling the rumbling, I recognized we were in the midst of a rare earthquake.

However, it only took a split second for a more sinister thought to occur: the possibility that the shaking I felt was the result of a bomb.

You can call me paranoid, but the lack of innocence in the age in which we live is a direct result of Sept. 11. But how long are we going to live with it? Every year, the anniversary is met with tributes, moments of silence and displays of support for the victims and their families. Our generation carries these burdens and will continue to do so for a long time. However, eventually there will come a year when the anniversary won’t be that big of a deal.

If you don’t believe me, look at the last time our country’s borders were attacked prior to Sept. 11, 2001. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the impetus for our nation’s entry into World War II. It didn’t carry

the same magnitude of civilian death as 9/11, but it was just as defining a moment for that generation as 9/11 was for ours.

But how many people today can name the “date which will live in infamy?”

The 10th anniversary of Pearl Harbor was not met with the same media coverage as last month’s anniversary. According to the Baltimore Sun, “the actual commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attack was rather low-key in comparison to the [10th anniversary of 9/11].” President Harry S. Truman vacationed instead of appearing at commemorative activities.

Granted, it is true that the media wasn’t as prevalent and far reaching as it is today, but the lack of memorials was no doubt influenced by closure that surrounded the event. America had fought and defeated the Japanese in World War II, and by 1951 turned its attention to the threat of communism.

Meanwhile, today we are still fighting two wars connected to the events of Sept.

11, preventing the attacks from fading from memory.

At some point the day will come when 9/11 is no longer at the forefront of our minds. Whether it is spurred by the end of terrorism (not likely), or the passage of time I do not know.

What I do know is that until that day arrives, it is important to teach future generations what happened on that day.

This is a tricky prospect, as kids don’t understand that this kind of evil exists in the world. My hope is that they can learn these lessons, while still maintaining the innocence of childhood that our generation was robbed of.

Facts should be core HPV debate

MARY SUN AND CINDY ZOU

“Vaccine.” What comes to mind?

The eradication of smallpox. The polio vaccine.

Now think “government-mandated STI (sexually transmitted infection) vaccine.”

Throw in some of the GOP candidates’ incendiary rhetoric, and you have what has transpired as a key issue in the recent presidential debates. Amidst the political volleying and propagandist flirtations, perhaps the real question is the validity of the HPV debate from a scientific standpoint. Should it be used as a political football in the upcoming election?

In light of candidate Rick Perry’s 2007 gubernatorial mandate that required HPV vaccination for sixth grade girls in Texas, his opponents at the Republican debates have leapt to the offense. The barrage consisted of Michele Bachmann’s emotionally-loaded diction, “...to have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat out wrong,” and Rick Santorum’s liberalization of the Perry campaign, “that is some-

thing I’d expect from Barack Obama, not someone who says they’re a conservative.”

Though government-mandated vaccines have a long history of controversy, the HPV debate is especially heated. Because HPV is sexually transmitted, conservatives have cited compulsory inoculation as an incentive for adolescent promiscuity, and the image ramifications of partisanship have led Bachmann and others to exploit it as a reputation glosser.

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). It affects the genitals, mouth, and throat, and could cause genital warts, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), cervical cancer, and other less common cancers.

According to the Center for Disease Control, at least 50 percent of sexually active individuals of both sexes will contract genital HPV at some point in their lifetime.

Because of these concerns, two vaccines have been developed to provide immunity from HPV: Cervarix (by GlaxoSmithKline) and Gardasil (by Merck). To fuel the fire, a former top Perry aide later became a lobbyist for Merck and purportedly had pressured Perry to make the executive mandate.

According to the CDC, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has received 18,727 reports of adverse events from 32 million doses of Gardasil., the vast majority (92 percent) of which were deemed “non-serious,” meaning those not involving death, life-threatening disorders, permanent disability, or hospitalization.

Whether serious or non-serious, however, the CDC has clarified that cases reported

by VAERS may not be indicative of causality.

Furthermore, it states that “based on all of the information we have today, CDC recommends HPV vaccination for the prevention of most types of cervical cancer.”

Allowing for the slight chance of longterm adverse effects of the comparatively new HPV vaccine, evidence has demonstrated it to be safe. Yet those like Bachmann, in an effort to portray themselves as the moral victors, the preservers of conservative values and the protectors of liberty, have made claims formulated only for emotional appeal and anecdotal evidence targeted at the vaccine itself.

Yes, the debate was about the ethics of a government-mandated STI vaccine, but Bachmann’s baseless claims have further vilified the vaccine and could deter parents who may otherwise have made informed decisions for their children.

Ultimately, the debate regarding the HPV vaccine boils down to ethics: Would a government- mandated HPV vaccine save lives, or is a compulsory vaccination for a sexually transmitted infection inherently unethical and infringes upon parent choice?

If politicians wish to denounce the drug itself, then any evidence they cite should be grounded in legitimate research. Rhetoric laced with pathos should not be loosely utilized to mislead voters. A potentially beneficial vaccine, one that may improve public health, should not be stigmatized merely for political and economic ends.

Sun, a senior, is the founder of NextGEN Policy. Zou, a senior, is the group’s publicist.

Tara Gupta

College rankings are overvalued Application season is upon us; transcript forms are being sent in and SAT prep books have been shut for the final time.

NOAH YOO But the question isn’t where you’re applying – it’s why.

For many, the methodology is simple: college ranking websites. Institutions classifying universities into lists for parents and prospective students for years. The recently published list for 2011-12 by US News and World Report only affirms their expectations.

However, these lists give students and their parents unrealistic views of what colleges are ‘acceptable;’ before you decide that it’s only worth your time to apply to Ivy Leagues, and the University of Virginia, consider how exactly these lists are being compiled.

If prestige is your top priority, by all

5 Should you opinion

october 11, 2011

means, continue on your way. Many rankings weigh schools based upon their endowments and don’t take student opinions into account.

It’s important to consider your strengths and interests when picking colleges, rather than whether or not someone will recognize the name.

What’s more important – applying to schools that allow you to pursue your passions and won’t put you into massive debt after your graduation, or being able to tout that you’ve applied to Princeton and Columbia?

Then again, parents do want to brag about the celebrated universities that their TJ children are applying to.

Schools aren’t meant to be compared on just numbers. Going to a top-ranked school doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be able to find a job, and it’s idiotic to think that going to a lesser-ranked school means that you’re destined for flipping burgers.

Ranking lists always include facts such as acceptance rates and student-to-faculty ratios. These are good for giving you a sense of your chances and how large the school is, but they’re only ever complemented by the school’s brochure summaries.

One Jefferson graduate from the class of 2010 attended U.Va. his freshman year before transferring to the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts. This student’s decision was formed based on visits and conversations with students.

“From a TJ perspective, it makes very little sense to go there based on rankings alone,” he said. “Most of my opinions were formed from actually talking to people there.”

He also found out during his time at U.Va that rankings didn’t say everything. “Class consists of having a stream of information being fed to you, and then showing once in a while to regurgitate this information onto paper,” he said. “At Olin, the professors teach you how to think.”

Of course, this is the reason that counselors emphasize the importance of visiting a college and talking to older friends there before applying or attending. Sure, the rankings might say one thing – but after you spend some time there, you may feel another way.

Your decision of where to spend the next four years of your life shouldn’t be based on numbers alone. Disregard college rankings, acquire enlightenment.

vote GOP?

I never thought I’d live to see the day when I agreed with Sarah Palin on something.

Now, before the liberal gods strike me down, let me explain.

Palin, the most talked REBECCA EDELSTEIN about non-candidate, answered crowds at a Tea Party rally in Iowa on Sept. 3 by declaring that she saw “more room” in the Republican nominee field for others to run.

For once, the ex-Alaskan governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee (known for her many less-than-intelligent quotes – Paul Revere “worked” for the British), is right.

Among the declared Republican candidates, I find it hard to choose even one that could possibly run our country without serious repercussions, the least of which would be a mass exodus of Democrats to Canada.

To pick a front runner in the GOP field is not as easy as it seemed a month ago. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who surprisingly led the pack last month, seems to have lost his mojo. We can’t say how the N-word on his leased ranch site will affect his campaign in the long run, but for now, he’s looking less viable as a candidate.

Unfortunately, Perry is nothing compared to the candidate we have come to know and (cough) love as Ron Paul. If you haven’t heard him speak, you really should, just for giggles; his beliefs are almost parody-like. He is by far the closest thing to an anarchist the GOP nominee field has, claiming that FEMA and TSA should be abolished.

Several other very familiar faces dot the GOP nominee field, included former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Minnesota Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann. Gingrich, it seems, has lost his gusto. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t want to debate the other nominees, claiming the moderator was trying to turn the nominees against each other. That’s why it’s called a debate. And Bachmann - if she isn’t a witch, she’s a Tea Party member, and that’s just as bad in my book. She has attacked Perry for requiring that girls in Texas receive the HPV vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer - probably the only good thing Perry has done.

Then there is former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. He is very conservative and has a lot of children.

Former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney didn’t get enough of the nomination process in 2008, so he’s back to heap on seconds.

Compared to his competition, I guess he’s not so bad. He, at least, doesn’t want to abolish Social Security. However, there was that minor thing he said about how stopping off shore drilling would stop coal plants and hurt the nation. And that other time he admitted to believing “in a lot of what the Tea Party believes in.”

Herman Cain, who you probably hadn’t heard of before this race started (due to the fact that his title is simply “the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza”), is now in the race as well. His win in the Sept. 23 Florida straw poll seemed to have taken him by surprise almost as much as everyone else. Convinced he may have a chance, he has started about all those African Americans who won’t vote for Obama if he’s in the race. While that would be quite an interesting theory to test, I’ll pass.

And last, there’s Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah. He, admittedly, is not so bad. He believes in science (unlike Perry, who warned against fixing our economy based on unproven science), and seems to have simple, conservative views, which, though I may not agree with them, they are certainly a relief from the radical candidates he stands against. Unfortunately, he doesn’t stand a chance.

What about our dear New Jersey Governor Chris Christie? He announced on Oct. 4 that sadly, “now is not the time” for him to run for President. It took all I had not to shed a tear. So why is everyone still talking about him? Apparently, “not running” doesn’t necessarily mean not running. Stay tuned.

So, all in all, Palin is most certainly right.

There is room for a smart, non-radical, capable, Republican leader in that group. Not her, by all means, but someone else. That is, if such a Republican exists.

Edelstein, a senior, is president of Young Democrats.

6

sports

october 11, 2011

Skins inspire hope in fans

It is game night, and the bleachers are packed with screaming fans. Sweatdrenched players race down the field toMICHAEL CHAO wards the holy grail of football, the ball itself. The tension is palpable, as both teams are on the cusp of either an inspirational victory or a heartbreaking loss.

This scenario is eerily similar as all of the Redskins’ games have been decided by a one possession score or less, with the exception of their season opener. It is notable that all of the Redskins victories have come against divisional or NFC West teams.

Ahh, the NFC West... Widely considered to be the weakest division in the league, the NFC West boasts a division that didn’t have a team with a winning record last year. On paper, it seems as if the Redskins have been taking advantage of an easy schedule and jumping off to a 3-1 start. I beg to differ however, as the stat sheet only tells half the story.

In their home opener, the Redskins scored 28 unanswered points to take the game by two touchdowns. In their win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Redskins fought back from an eight-point fourth quarter deficit to capture their second straight win. In their lone loss against the Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins held Tony Romo and his explosive offense out of the end zone for the entire game. In their previous win over the Rams, the Redskins dominated the entire game by holding Sam Bradford to just a 64.5 passer rating.

What are the Redskins doing so well to get them their best starting record in three years? Their fifth-ranked defense, led by linebackers Brian Orakpo and London Fletcher, is dominating opposing teams.

Their three-headed rushing attack, consisting of Tim Hightower, Ryan Torain, and rookie Roy Helu, ranks seventh in the league. With a record of 3-1, they are the consensus to win the NFC East this year.

However as the weather gets colder and more harsh, so does the Redskins’ schedule. Games against the Bills, Patriots, and 49ers pose a major threat as Washington tries to keep its hot streak alive. Injuries can devastate a team; a blown Rex Grossman knee can easily change the face of the offense.

With so many possible roadblocks to get over, should the Redskins Nation expect anything short of a postseason trip?

As a die-hard reskins fan, I think that notion is preposterous. As displayed in their recent throttling of the Rams, the Redskins are playing with great poise and swagger.

XLVI, Lucas Oil Stadium, the Superbowl, words that Redskins fans have not heard in a long time, are all still very alive at this moment.

Golf season ends on a high note

by Jennifer Walter Sports Editor Junior Alex Sands sets up a shot at the Twin Lakes Golf Course. He positions his feet, takes a practice swing and sends the ball flying down the course, adding to his total score at the Serv Pro Invitational.

“I have been playing golf since I was really young and have always enjoyed playing competitively in tournaments and matches,” Sands said.

The invitational took place in midAug. with the golf team taking 11th place out of the 24 teams. Sands earned the top score for the Colonials over the two-day tournament with a score of 154.

“Alex Sands has developed an allaround game that has made him one of more consistent golfers this year,” co-ed golf coach John Myers said.

Sands’ improvement mirrors the overall progress this year’s team has made over last year’s player mix.

“This is our best year out of my four years at least,” senior and co-captain Michael Serron said. “I don’t think we’ve done this well since 1995, when we last won Districts.”

At Districts the team placed in third behind Langley and Madison. It was not among the top two of the eight teams that went on to Regionals, but the team still improved from their seventh place finish last year.

During the regular season, six golfers from each team play nine holes on a course.

The four lowest scores at the end of the game are added together to form the final score.

Practices take place at Pinecrest Golf Course, just down the road from campus.

The team tries to get in three practices, but players sometimes consider themselves lucky to make practice once a week.

As a result, players practice on their own time and are currently working on organizing team practices in the spring.

However, school practices and matches are usually preferred as they are paid for by the school, thanks to a fundraising effort the team launched last year.

“Fees for playing golf depend,” Sands said. “When playing in matches and practice, it is taken care of by the school. However, when playing on your own, you have to pay for green fees, a cart, if you take one, and your equipment.”

Equipment fees can also pile up when players outgrow their old irons and drivers. A light weight bag is also vital to dealing with player fatigue while walking around all 18 holes.

Despite its title as a dual gender team, the co-ed golf team has only one girl with 12 boys. The rest of the girls are put on the same team and coached by Myers’ son, Steven.

“Girls’ golf is only for girls, while co-ed golf is primarily boys with about one girl, depending on the school, on each team. In

co-ed golf, the girls play from tees that are closer up, as well,” Sands said.

The co-ed team’s final record was 4-4, an improvement over its 2-6 score last year.

The girls’ team had a record of 3-3.

“Our biggest surprise is freshman Julie Luo, who is our number one golfer right now,” Myers said. “She has a great swing and always drives the ball straight. She is very mature and fits right in with our older group of guys.”

Luo also qualified for the State Tournament as a single player after shooting a 152 at the Regional Golf Tournament on Oct. 4 and 5. Luo could have chosen to participate in the girls’ state tournament but instead decided to try her luck at the boys’ tournament.

“Not only is Julie a great golfer she also has what it takes to play with boys, and that, my friend, is moxie. The sky is the limit for this kid,” assistant co-ed coach Heidi Smith said.

One important factor to Luo about the game is the time between each shot.

“You have so much time before shots,” Luo said. “You can think of anything.”

However, this extra time can present difficulties as well. Luo faltered on the 16th hole of the Regional Tournament after scoring a double bogey, a golf term for being two above the expected number of strokes needed. She managed to recover her game at the next hole by sinking a birdie, or one below par.

Serron faces similar difficulties, but his advice is simple.

“Don’t let one hole get the best of you,” Serron said.

Serron’s commitment to maintain a cool head and to improve overall has helped him to improve with the rest of the team.

However, that doesn’t mean that he’ll get an amazing score every game.

“You can’t always have a good day in golf,” Serron said. “Even pros have bad days.”

photo by Jennifer Walter

photo courtesy of Lifetouch photo courtesy of Alex Sands

Top: Sophomore Hana Chan watches the path of her golf ball. Bottom left: Junior Alex Sands practices his swing on the course. Bottom right: the girls’ and co-ed golf teams create a group photo.

Fall season stars lauded by coaches

FOOTBALL

Field Hockey

Cross COuntry

Volleyball

Kevin Karn

Rheem Brooks

Andrew O’Shea

Angela Liu

”He worked hard in the off-season. He led by example. He cared not only about how his performance would impact the team, but about the performance of the team.”

”She is doing an outstanding job as a leader on and off the field, challenges the team to be better in practice, and is very consistent in games.”

”He is a great kid and one of our best runners. He is always putting forth his best effort and improving his performance.”

”She is incredibly dedicated, very positive, and an inspiration to all her teammates, a very talented girl on and off the court.”

-Amanda Kelly Varsity Field Hockey Coach

-Jeff James Cross Country Coach

-Helen Smith Varsity Volleyball Coach

-Ken Kincaid Varsity Football Coach

graphics and reporting by Michael Chao, Karn photo courtesy of Colonials Athletic Boosters

sports

october 11, 2011

Keeping it all in the family

7

Sibling athletes share experiences on the same sports teams

by Jenny Chen Sports Editor When Eli Manning entered high school, his brother Peyton had already graduated and left behind a legacy of 92 touchdowns and an abundance of football honors to live up to. Now, 12 years later, the two are both NFL quarterbacks and among the most well-known sibling duos in professional sports.

Like the Mannings, Colonial athletes are keeping it all in the family. Across six of the seven fall sports, nine pairs of siblings are members of the same team.

It is a common trend that the younger sibling does a sport because of a good word that the older sibling has put in.

Sophomore Josh Fang attributes his decision to get involved in football to the influence of his brother, junior Jeff Fang.

“I probably wouldn’t have joined the team if he hadn’t,” Josh said. “But he enjoyed freshman football so I went along.”

Junior Michelle Wang had a similar experience when she decided to try out for volleyball.

Her initially poor impression of the sport, gained only through gym class, changed greatly when she joined senior Nancy Wang at volleyball camps and lessons.

“I was in sixth grade and my impression of volleyball was not good since we had 20 people on each side of the court,” Michelle said, “so at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do volleyball.”

Sophomore Matt Wattendorf runs on the cross country team with his brother, senior Michael Wattendorf, but made his decision to do the sport for a different reason.

“I originally tried out for cross country to prove I could do everything Michael could,” Matt said.

Another common reason why siblings pursue the same sport is that it eases the burden on parents. Because siblings practice together, transportation is made convenient.

As for freshmen Alyssa and Ariana Herbst, cheerleading was a natural choice of sport because they had cheered together in middle school.

“It was definitely a reassurance that I wasn’t starting out by myself,” Ariana said.

The Herbst sisters are not the only pair that has past experiences together.

Sophomore Lizzy and senior Caroline Woods, were on the same field hockey team in middle school and both wanted to continue the sport.

On the field, the Woods sisters take their places together on defense. Because of their relationship, communication comes naturally between them and they positively impact each others’ performance.

“I really trust her with the ball, and we have a bond that comes from living together,” Caroline said.

In addition to providing a foundation for trust, the long-established connection between siblings allows for a more relaxed environment.

Nancy and Michelle utilize this advantage when playing volleyball together.

“She doesn’t have to worry about being too blunt photos by Jenny Chen when critiquing,” Michelle Above: Matt and Michael Wattendorf run down the track said.

In the same way though, at cross country practice. Below: Michelle and Nancy Wang practice setting in volleyball. a greater openness between

siblings can have a negative effect as well. sister on the same field, track or court is “It’s easier for me to show my a factor in both improving performance frustration with Michelle than with the and continuing the sport. other players,” Nancy said.

“Lizzy is always there to back me up,” Other sibling pairs take on a more Caroline said, “and I am always there to competitive approach to being on the back her up.” same team. A desire to excel above the other is a common force that motivates both siblings to work harder. Junior Charlotte and senior Katherine Sheridan demonstrate this effect.

“Katherine helps motivate me to train over the summer so I’m ready for cross country season during the fall because she actually likes to run,” Charlotte said.

“She’s really fast so training with her helps me get faster.”

Participation on the same team provides benefits outside of the game as well. Alyssa and Ariana rely on each other not only during practices but also at home to improve their cheerleading.

“There were so many [cheers] to learn, so we made a game where one person starts the cheer and the other person has to start the cheer immediately after,” Alyssa said. “It’s a lot more fun than it sounds.”

Along these same lines, playing the same sport is a way for siblings to bond. Freshmen Alexis and Lindsay Williams enjoy being part of the dance team together.

“It’s really fun to have my sister on the team because we can help each other and there’s only two other freshman on dance team besides us,” Lindsay said.

It’s not always smooth sailing though.

The Williams sisters point out that because they are twins and therefore look alike, it is sometimes difficult to be on the same team.

“Since people cannot tell us apart, when they are giving us critiques, they just say that the twins are doing this wrong instead of giving us each our own critiques,” Alexis said.

Beyond the fall season, some siblings part ways and take part in different sports.

Unlike her sister, Lizzy, Caroline plays lacrosse in addition to field hockey. photo illustration by Jenny Chen Despite rivalry or conflict, it is agreed that having a brother or Alyssa and Ariana Herbst execute a shoulder sit.

8

spread

october 11, 2011

What is your opinion on FCPS’ new online textbooks?

spread

october 11, 2011

9

Jefferson and county take different roads to innovation

Ben André Sophomore

“Generally, I don’t really use online textbooks, but I feel like when I use them, they are a lot more convenient because you can search things.”

Mashal Wakilpoor Senior

Junior Anna Hwang uses a Livescribe Smartpen to take electronic notes while recording the lecture for her physics class.

by Amy Ahn and Lakshmi Chandran Spread Editors

“I think TJ should get online textbooks because my AP Gov class has access to the online textbook, and it’s helpful especially when you only need a computer instead of multiple textbooks.”

Eddie Zhao Junior “I think online textbooks would be a bad idea because students would be more likely to become distracted and do other things on the computer.”

Olivia Sorto Sophomore

“It would be convenient because if you slip up and forget to bring your textbook, you have a resource.”

Junior Nipun Singh scurries in the hallway, dodging his way around the students carrying backpacks much too big for their bodies, all while trying not to hit anyone else with his own.

“I’m always being run into, not because I’m in the way, but because my backpack is filled with textbooks and because I’m so small,” Singh said.

Fairfax County Public Schools has implemented a new program this year that will replace the cumbersome textbooks with a more student friendly alternative. After running the successful pilot program last year, the county has decided to get rid of social studies textbooks and use online versions for the 20112012 school year. These online textbooks are available for all core social studies courses for grades 7-12.

There are many benefits to having online textbooks, according to Karin Williams, Director of Operations and Strategic Planning in the Instructional Services Department for FCPS. “Online textbooks allow for personalized learning. The built-in features like the interactive maps will make learning come alive for all students, ” she said.

Although this innovation clearly has many benefits, there could be a downside.

“There are many benefits to a digital curriculum.

However, I for one have never found the artificial glow of LED screens as engaging as real paper books,” junior Tom Hay said. “There is also the increase in temptation to deviate from the directed assignments.”

While the rest of the county forges ahead with this social studies initiative, Jefferson will have to wait because of its advanced curriculum.

“Only standard level social studies courses in Fairfax County are using the online textbooks. Advanced Placement courses are still using books,” said Social Studies Department Chair Rebecca Glatter. “At TJ, since both Advanced Placement and honors courses use an Advanced Placement level textbook, we are using books.”

Although Jefferson has not yet instituted the online textbooks, many courses throughout the school have made other technological changes and advancements.

$3,910,748.20

With programs such as Mathematica, Google Moderator and WebAssign already in place in classrooms around the building, the Jefferson community is embracing the overall technological shift in FCPS. For the juniors taking Physics 1, Google Moderator is a technological change that makes the task of preparing for tests and finishing dreaded WebAssigns a little bit easier. WebAssign is an online tool used by students and teachers that provides multiple practice problems for math and science courses and also delivers instant grading.

The Google Moderator allows students to post questions about the chapter they are currently covering that other students, as well as the teachers, can help answer.

“With the intervention of technology such as Google Moderator and some of the features on WebAssign, the educational experience is returning to a bit more of the personalized one-on-one with teachers that is often most effective,” Hay said.

The Physics department is also piloting a new tool this year called Smartpen. The Smartpen allows students to take notes on interactive dot-paper that allows the pen to record lectures and play them back later when key words are pressed.

“We have only used it for a day, but it helped me a lot. It’s like having a class outside of the classroom,” junior Anna Hwang said.

Teachers also utilize SMART Boards as well as many other technologically advanced programs to make learning more hands-on. Many science classes throughout the school can be seen using Vernier Software & Technology, which puts resources such as sensors, data loggers, and graphing/analysis software in the hands of students for more efficient experimentation.

“The type of technology that enhances understanding and visualization of concepts is most helpful. For

“

example, in physics, different devices are used to measure velocity and acceleration of objects by detecting them with sensors,” junior Woo-Ju Kim said.

Chemistry courses currently use this technology to record measurements such as absorption of light particles and levels of pH while physics courses use it to measure velocity and acceleration.

Science and social studies classes are not the only ones that are applying technology in the classroom.

“Currently mathematics is undergoing the textbook adoption process. It is possible that online mathematics textbooks will be adopted this year for purchase next school year,” Williams said.

Mathematics courses at Jefferson have already started moving towards a more technology-based learning.

In Multivariable Calculus, the program Mathematica is used to help students visualize 3-D objects.

–junior Tom Hay “It’s really useful to visualize 3-D objects because it’s really hard to do in our heads,” senior Bryan Williams said.

Most math courses don’t require much besides a basic graphing calculator.

“We use it because our calculators can’t handle all that madness,” senior Dylan Keightley said.

Jefferson also uses technology in ways that other schools in the county have not yet implemented. The idea of telelearning was piloted last year.

Telelearn days are opportunities for students to work from home during teacher in-services and eventually on snow days.

This option can be accomplished in many ways. A number of humanities teachers conducted Blackboard discussions on topics they would have discussed in class that day. Other more science and math related courses provided online simulations to take the place of labs or experiments that would have been conduct-

There are many benefits to a digital curriculum. However, I for one have never found the artificial glow of LED screens as engaging as real paper books.

”

ed during class.

“I love Telelearn! I hate how teachers throw a ton of material at us so fast to ‘catch up’ after a missed day.

But Telelearn is perfect because it doesn’t consume your entire day off, so you still keep the fun,” sophomore Miranda Callahan said.

The research labs are also making great technological leaps. The Oceanography Lab is currently remotely maneuvering and obtaining data from unmanned laboratories through the Internet. This allows them to manipulate testing instruments and techniques.

The procedure also has buoys placed that send information to Oceanography Lab Director Lisa Wu’s cell phone.

In the Biotechnology lab, students have access to the NIH (National Institutes of Health) supercomputer. With the supercomputer, they are able to look at images of viruses such as H1N1 and HIV. “[Students] are trying to figure out how vaccines interact with the surfaces of viruses in order to strategically design more effective vaccines,” said Biotechnology Lab Director Andrea Cobb.

Many tech labs throughout the school are also using resources such as Skype and FaceTime to hold video conferences with professionals to assist with students’ research projects.

In various places in the school, such as the online room in the library, the auditorium, and the principal’s conference room, high-quality video conferencing is available for communicating with schools all over the globe.

“This is very high-quality video conferencing. It’s not like Skype,” said Network Support Administrator Peter Morasca. “It allows us to hold conferences with schools all over the world. The Humanities Division did it with a school in Oxford, England, and the Astronomy lab did it with a school in Korea.”

With all these changes in progress, there are bound to be many more in the near future.

“I do feel that it’s inevitable we will be adopting electronic textbooks,” said Principal Evan Glazer.

“When the technology is more affordable, I see a day when students are issued a laptop with an e-reader on one panel rather than textbooks. It’s just a matter of time.”

The ViewSpace in the Planetarium lobby provides students with continually self-updated data from Internet-fed digital signage technology.

Online textbooks <10%

$4,620,094.40

PRINT TEXTBOOKS >90% PRICE OF ONLINE TEXTBOOKS FOR THE COUNTY

Jefferson’s Smart Buoy is put on display in the Marine Bio room with a photo of President Obama viewing the project.

According to Karen Meaney, analyst for Simba Information, across the country, online textbooks account for less than 10 percent of the textbook market for elementary and secondary schools.

PRICE OF PRINT TEXTBOOKS FOR THE COUNTY photos, graphics and reporting by Amy Ahn and Lakshmi Chandran

10

entertainment

october 11, 2011

Fuller’s sequel not for fans of ‘Dogs’

by Anna Hicks Layout Editor Alexandra Fuller’s 2001 novel “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” has been a nonfiction favorite for a decade.

The compelling true story of Fuller’s childhood growing up in war-torn Africa now has a prequel, “Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness.”

The original memoir is a candid portrayal of Fuller’s personal struggles, family life and the sociopolitical unrest of the 1970s and 80s, bringing to life her story with clean, honest prose and humor.

From the black limbs of the msasa trees to the landmine-strewn streets leading to the grocery store, Fuller describes her childhood world with beautiful – and sometimes violent – clarity.

Throughout the novel, Fuller is a scrupulously honest narrator, relating her the members of her family’s faults as well as their strengths, most notably when describing her more-often-than-not drunk mother, Nicola Fuller. This honesty is captured again in “Cocktail Hour,” but from the perspective of Nicola.

“Dogs” tackles cultural and political issues from the simple, unbiased perspective of the child Fuller was at the time, describing with alarming detail the normalcy of the violence and racism that transpires around her. “Cocktail Hour” does much the same, with the main difference being the switch in narrators.

Though Nicola’s distinct voice in the prose reflects this change, content-wise, “Cocktail Hour” feels much the same as “Dogs” did – though the novel is, on its own, almost as brilliant as the first, it does not feel entirely new. “Cocktail Hour” provides interesting back story and family history for fans of “Dogs,” but beyond that, it falls just slightly short.

Fuller brings both memoirs to life with a frank humor that is at times downright hilarious. In “Dogs,” Fuller writes, “When I was younger I used to believe it was called [Greenwich] ‘Mean’ time because it was English time. I used to believe that African time was ‘Kind’ time.”

“Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” is the effortlessly insightful memoir of a woman whose story is not only important, but profoundly enjoyable from cover to cover. Readers can enjoy “Cocktail Hour” for its similarity to “Dogs,” but shouldn’t expect anything new.

Pottermore unleashed to muggles

by Shayna Hume Entertainment Editor “Seven books, four houses, and millions of dreamers.” Said as succinctly as only an Internet meme can, these three statistics represent J.K. Rowling’s bestselling series, now taking its first steps into the online realm in an interactive website known as Pottermore.

“It’s been over four years since the last book came out, and I think the audience is hungry for more,” freshman Pegah Moradi said.

Although Pottermore officially opens this October, its first members have been active for almost a month. These members were given their beta accounts during the week of July 31 to Aug. 6, as a million people around the world completed the Quill challenge.

“I was so excited to get in early!” said Georgia Underhill, a sophomore at Tuscarora High School, “I could be all like ‘I blew up my cauldron today, and you didn’t!’”

During the Quill challenge, a clue pertaining to each of the seven books was revealed every day for a week, and the first members to complete the puzzle were given their early access.

“The Quill challenge was difficult, not because the clues were hard, but because you had to get onto the Pottermore website at the right time,” sophomore Yena Seo said. “I was in summer computer science at the time, and my entire class would check the website every half hour.”

A lot of controversy has already been created over the beta accounts. Those who did not complete the Quill challenge have found that they can get what they want—for a price. Thousands of accounts have been put up for sale on eBay, ranging from dollars to hundreds of dollars in prices.

This online black market has reached such a point that the official blog of the website, The Pottermore Insider, stated, “Do not buy, sell, or transfer Pottermore early access accounts. [It] is expressly prohibited in The Magical Quill promotion Terms & Conditions.”

Those who already have accounts, however, have been eagerly participating in official online spirit days, coming up with slogans such as “We put the HISS in history”by Slytherins and”We’ll huff and we’ll puff, but we won’t blow your house down because we’re nicer than that” from a Hufflepuff.

As these witches and wizards explore the world set before them, illuminating facts have begun to come forward.

Some are the

whims of Rowling’s novels, such as why the number “4” was in the Dursley’s address, However, many are fundamental to the series we thought we knew so much about.

“J.K. Rowling has said several times that she has back stories for almost all her minor characters and has hinted at a future encyclopedia, so it’s amazing to get to see more of the world that we all love,” sophomore Anwar Omeish said.

Not only is Pottermore yielding insights every day, it gives die hard Potter fans the chance to explore Diagon Alley, to be sorted into a house, and to have a wand choose them. But despite these activities, many beta members are beginning to complain about the lack of personalization.

“People are going to get annoyed with not being able to choose anything.

The audience of Pottermore has spent 14 years being in their own houses and making their own wand. It’s frustrating to spend all that time telling yourself you’re a Gryffindor and being sorted into Slytherin,” Moradi said.

That isn’t the only complaint with Pottermore. The dueling experience, which many people looked forward to, has been postponed to an unknown date. Because this is the only multiplayer activity on Pottermore, many are questioning whether Pottermore will be able to retain its popularity.

“While I think the hype will die down fairly quickly, I’m sure Potter fans will continue using the site,” said senior Catherine Ayres.

The long time fans of Potter confirm this, giving the impression that no matter what happens to Pottermore, they are not close to abandoning the series yet.

“The fans of Harry Potter are fans because they love reading the books.

More Potter-related reading, like with this site, is awesome for us,” sophomore Stacey Chobany said.

Even when Pottermore opens to the public, only the first book will be available until 2012 when the Chamber of Secrets is rumored to be unlocked. Active users of Pottermore may wait eagerly for that day, but for the fans who aren’t captivated by the idea of waiting months at a time to browse every detail of Rowling’s imagination, Pottermore might turn out to be an anti-climactic overdose of the Potter phenomenon.

“Pottermore is more like a reading tool for younger kids than an interactive website for our age group, and I think that’s going to hurt it,” said sophomore Emma Puranen.

photo courtesy of Penguin Group

Coming Attractions infographic by Colleen Marshall

Footloose

Oct. 14: Theaters Everywhere

Rucha Bhat Junior, Hufflepuff

“I was shocked. I thought I was going to get Ravenclaw, but then I realized that just because you don’t hear about Hufflepuffs doesn’t mean that they aren’t great. I’m proud to be a Hufflepuff!”

Anwar Omeish Sophomore, Gryffindor

“When I was taking the test, I was nervous, because I already had so much Gryffindor stuff, and when I got sorted into Gryffindor, I got so excited.”

photos and graphics by Shayna Hume and Claudia Lovegrove

Paranormal Activity 3

Oct. 21: Theaters Everywhere

Coldplay CD

Oct. 24: Stores Everywhere

Hello Headlights

Oct. 30: Jammin Java

Foo Fighters

Nov. 11: Verizon Center

entertainment

october 11, 2011

11

‘50/50’ is more than half good

Ice cream lovers find something great at

by Anna Hicks Layout Editor

by Shayna Hume and Claudia Lovegrove Entertainment Editors Two interconnected rooms filled with the shadows made by Tiffany lamps in every color and size imaginable, Serendipity 3, recently opened in Georgetown, looks more like a fanciful bakery than a restaurant with a movie named for it.

Located at 3150 M St. NW, the location is perfect for tourists, shoppers, and anyone with a tremendous sweet tooth.

Once the menus are handed out, it’s no surprise why this restaurant is so famous.

The back page of the menu is filled with semi-normal sounding meals and drinks under the label of “Serious Food.”However, the entire front page is plastered with different desserts, most of them with deadly sounding names.

The most prominent of these fall under the “Drug Store Sundae” category, where you can find such things as the Forbidden Broadway Sundae, the Carrot Cake Sundae, the Red Velvet Sundae, the Deep Fried Oreos and Ice Cream Sundae and many more.

When we ordered, we chose some of their most popular desserts: the Black ‘N White Sundae, the Red Velvet Sundae, the

d Oreos Deep Friee Cream and Ic

Deep Fried Oreos and Ice Cream Sundae and their classic treat — the Frozen Hot Chocolate.

All of the desserts were delicious and lived up to the huge reputation that Serendipity 3 has created for itself, however, many of them seemed only to differ in one or two aspects.

The Black ‘N White Sundae and the Deep Fried Oreos and Ice Cream Sundae differed only that one of them contained marshmallow cream and fudge, whereas the other had the so-named-after deep fried Oreos.

Serendipity’s classic piece, the Frozen Hot Chocolate, was less extravagant than could be expected, though that might only be because of the rest of the montage set before us.

The Red Bull logo on the wall made a stark contrast to the more elegant lighting and princess style fonts. However, that downside was definitely overwhelmed by the quality and variety of the desserts that Serendipity 3 has to offer.

The desserts were great, but the service was not. Even making a reservation was a hassle. We were put on hold after every question we answered. Something

Frozen Hot Chocolate

that should have taken two minutes took 15. Once we arrived and sat down, it took about 15 minutes for our waiter to start paying attention to us. It took another 15 minutes for him to come back, and he did not have the full order. Three waters were ordered, but only one ever arrived.

The difference between the people inside the restaurant and those walking by outside is astounding. Inside you are surrounded by tourists, couples celebrating their anniversaries and, of course, birthday parties, while just outside, college hipsters and designer label-covered fashionistas strut by.

The reason the restaurant is mainly full of tourists and special occasion parties is obvious. Serendipity 3 is a famous, fantastic place. It is also fantastically overpriced.

It’s not just the $25,000 hot chocolate, the $1,000 sundae or the $69 hot dog either.

It’s the home of three world records for most expensive sundae, hot chocolate and hotdog, respectively.

The regular food is almost equally as expensive. Three sundaes and a hot chocolate will run about $60. With entrees and drinks, that would have been more than doubled.

Black ‘N W Sundae hite

photos by Claudia Lovegrove and Shayna Hume, graphics by Anna Hicks

photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

A comedy about cancer? That fact alone puts “50/50” at risk of either coming off insensitive and crass or coming off profoundly unfunny. Tagged as a “feel-better” film, “50/50” fulfills expectations for a comedy with the grace, charm and emotion of a drama.

A word of warning: The film is rated R for language, sexual content and drug use. It’s got a few cringe-worthy sexual moments that might dissuade younger-than-17 viewers from going to see it with their parents, but the overarching themes are generally parent-acceptable.

“50/50” stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as amiable 27-year-old everyman Adam, a low-level but hardworking reporter at a news radio station. Also at the station is Adam’s happy-golucky best friend Kyle, played by well-known comedian Seth Rogen of “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express” fame. Upcoming starlet Bryce Dallas Howard (known best for her roles in “Twilight” and “The Help”) plays Adam’s starving artist live-in girlfriend Rachel, who throughout the film manages to achieve a bizarre combination of both neediness and neglectfulness.

Adam’s average life takes a turn for the worse when he learns that the back pains he’s been complaining about are the result of a rare form of spinal cancer – and his chances? 50/50.

From here, the film spirals into a carefully crafted balance between emotional strain and hilarity, beginning with the introduction of five characters who bring some of the funniest and most poignant moments to the film – Adam’s constantly-worrying mother (Anjelica Huston), his awkward but endearing medical student therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick), and his good-natured “chemo buddies,” brilliantly played by Serge Houde, Matt Frewer and Phillip Baker Hall.

“50/50” pulls off the seemingly impossible.

It is a comedy about a sensitive, inherently unhappy topic, but through skillful writing, dexterous acting by lovable star Joseph Gordon-Levitt and knock-out performances by the supporting cast, it manages to be both sincerely funny and a film whose outcome viewers truly care about.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted comedy to watch just for laughs, this movie is not what you’re looking for. “50/50” transcends the regular bounds of its genre and becomes something entirely new.

12

health

october 11, 2011

HPV vaccine comes back into sharp glare

by YouNa An and Arya Dahal Features Editors Seven Republican presidential hopefuls stood behind their podiums during the Sept. 12 debate that eventually turned the glare of public opinion back on a hot button topic: the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

In the debate and on NBC’s Today Show, Rep. Michele Bachmann claimed that the vaccination for HPV “can have very dangerous side effects.” Bachmann also criticized the 2007 executive order given by Texas Gov. Rick Perry mandating the vaccination for pre-teen girls in his state.

Since then, more research has brought to light the growing concern over the number of ways the virus might affect both men and women. It appears to no longer be a genderspecific problem. However, the public seems confused by the many conflicting reports.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, affecting at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There are currently two FDA-licensed HPV vaccines: Gardasil and Cervarix.

The controversy behind Perry’s 2007 mandate starts with Gardasil’s manufacturing company, Merck. Merck donated almost $30,000 to Perry’s gubernatorial campaign prior to his mandate. The Washington Post also noted that the company gave more than $380,000 to the Republican Governors Association.

Bachmann addressed this donorrecipient relationship, questioning if the mandate was “about millions of dollars and potentially billions for a drug company” or about the preservation of human lives.

According to the CDC, Gardasil and Cervarix help prevent more than 150 HPV strains, approximately 40 of which are sexually transmitted. The vaccines also aid in preventing cervical cancer, expecting to affect approximately 12,000 women in 2011.

Virginia is the only state to have mandated the HPV vaccine.

The Commonwealth’s 2007 mandate requires girls to get vaccinated for HPV before entering sixth grade, with the opt-out option with parental permission. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, although 24 states introduced a legislation to mandate the vaccine, only the District of Columbia followed Virginia’s lead.

Junior Julia Anderson disapproves of this mandate.

“It’s good to get vaccinated, b u t

ske

tche

s by

You N

it’s not right for everyone. People might not be sexually active or it might be for religious reasons. [The mandate] was a big mistake,” said Anderson. “The government can’t force services on other people. It’s not constitutional.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, Gardasil and Cervarix effectively prevent infections from HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 and types 16 and 18, respectively. These strains cause approximately 70 percent of cervical and anal cancers.

Studies also show a correlation between HPV and oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the upper throat, according to an article just published this month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

As for men, HPV and its symptoms stay silent and eventually clear out on their own, as noted by the Science News. Because of recent studies on the HPV’s effects on men, the CDC is considering a recommendation for men to get a HPV vaccination.

The vaccines became a health concern due to political limelight on the issue. Parents are becoming increasingly wary of the side effects of Gardasil, which allegedly include muscle weakness, blood clotting and death. However, no evidence has been found that directly links Gardasil and these rare symptoms.

The CDC states that out of the 35 million people vaccinated with Gardasil, about 19,000 had adverse side effects. Only 8 percent of the 19,000 were considered “serious.”

Although the reports of serious side effects are limited, there are confirmed reports of fainting after the vaccine injection, and the CDC recommends that people sit or lie down for 15 minutes after the shot.

The cost of the vaccine is another big issue for the state and parents to handle. An HPV vaccination requires three shots over the course of six months, and costing up to $400. The Federal Vaccines for Children program and other private insurance programs cover the vaccine, but still considerably burdens families, according to the New York Times.

The young age of the vaccine recipients has also been debated.

Some think that administering the vaccine to children between the ages of nine and 12 is a premature act that only makes children more aware of sex. Sophomore Nadege Aoki disagrees.

“Teenagers are having sexual interactions at an earlier age and in order for the HPV vaccine to have any effect, they must get it early on,” Aoki said. “This is deterring parents because they think getting a vaccine against an STD is somehow encouraging their children to have sex - personally I think that running the risk of your child developing cervical cancer is just a little bit worse.”

Perry cited this very same reason for demanding the mandate during the Republic debate, commenting that the vaccine was “about trying to stop a cancer and giving the parental option to opt out.” He also mentioned a lobbyist for this vaccine, a 31-year old woman dying from cervical cancer.

As a backlash to Perry’s comments, Bachmann argued that HPV vaccines cause mental retardation.

Pediatricians around the country fired up due to this claim.

The president of the American Academics of Pediatrics, O. Marion Burton, released a statement denying the vaccines’ alledged safety issues. Sophomore Jonathan Leidenheimer supports the backlash.

“There is no legitimate reason not to give people this vaccine.

Even if 9-year olds aren’t having sex, at some point in their lives they may and so we might as well ensure they all get the vaccine before they get the disease,” Leidenheimer said. “It wasn’t like I was going to support Michele Bachmann, anyway.”

aA

n

graphics by Sunny Kim information from cnd.com

A guide to getting your nails done

Shellac, a 2010 nail color innovaton, competes with the existing two types of manicures: regular polish and sculpted gel. Here is a look at how they compare:

Normal nail polish

Pros

Cons

Sculpted gel Pros

Cons

Shellac Pros

Cons

Removal time: 5 minutes

Service time: 60 minutes

Wear time: 14+ days

Service time: 60 minutes

Service time: 30 minutes

Unable to sculpt

Brush-on

Wear time: 3 to 7 days

No odor

Removal time 30+ minutes

Wear time: 14 days

Price for a mani: $30 - $40

Thin layers

Long dry time

High shine

Filing and buffing necessary

Removal time: 10 minutes

Difficult to do it yourself

features

october 11, 2011

Students share PSAT study tips

by Sunny Kim Features Editor It was the day before the Preliminary SAT (PSAT), also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), which took place on Oct. 12, 2010. With no homework due the next day and an early release to look forward to, the sophomores and the juniors prepared for the standardized test in their own ways.

Senior Daniel Kang, who is now a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, simply opted for having a good night’s sleep, working out and eating a good breakfast.

“Since the PSAT is mostly logic-based and isn’t designed to test specific facts and concepts, an hour of sleep the night before is worth 10 times as much as an hour of studying,” Kang said.

The sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT on Oct. 12, which, much like the SAT, measures students’ critical reading, math problem-solving and writing skills. According to the College Board website, the best way to prepare for the test is “spending your school years taking challenging academic courses and reading widely.” Based on an Intranet poll of 87 students, 36 students said that they actually study specifically for the PSAT while 51 students said that they don’t study for it at all.

A total of 156 seniors made it to the semifinalist level of the competition this year. Senior Sam Girvin took four practice tests in preparation.

“Once, I took a free diagnostic test designed to get students to sign up for tutoring, but I scored well enough on it that they said I probably didn’t need it,” Girvin said.

Taking practice tests wasn’t the only way for Girvin to prepare for the PSAT. “I reviewed the stuff from sophomore year English. Mr. Williams’ SAT review worksheets were really excellent,” Girvin said.

All Jefferson students take the PSAT during their sophomore year as a practice before the real thing during their junior year. No matter how well the sophomores score on the PSAT, they are ineligible to receive the National Merit Scholarship.

Junior Tom Hay laments this fact.

“I did well enough to qualify for the scholarship during sophomore year, and that was pretty exciting,” Hay said. “The only negative thing I can really say is that I was a little disappointed that it didn’t count for real.”

As a student who didn’t manage to make it as the National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, senior Kwan Lee regrets kicking his reading habits early.

“Something I wish I had done is to stay in the habit of reading regularly,” senior Kwan Lee said. “I sort of stopped recreational reading earlier in high school, so the only reading I did was the work I had to do for school.”

Junior Harshini Pyata thought that the writing part was the hardest section on the PSAT. “I never had any exposure to the types of questions that appeared on the writing section of the PSAT,” Pyata said. “I might do some practice writing questions and go through some vocabulary words before taking the test this year, but I don’t think I’ll be studying much more than that.”

No matter what kind of method students use to obtain the highest score possible on the PSAT, it is just a small part of their academic career.

“Whatever happens happens,” senior Rachel Chuang said. “The PSAT is important, but sometimes I think we put too much of an emphasis on the standardized testing.”

photo illustration by Tahmina Achekzai

? ? ?

13

photo illustration by Tahmina Achekzai and Sunny Kim

Applicants prepare for competition

by Sunny Kim Features Editor For some students, summer means a time for their brains to cool down after 10 rigorous months of school, but not for senior Hayden Chun. He spent the past two summers at the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) in Washington D.C., working on his project on Raman spectroscopy.

“Understanding the physics behind my project was difficult, so I spent many days in my first year at SEAP reading journal articles,” Chun said, “but when I returned this past summer, I was much more familiar with the methodology, so I was able to spend more time conducting research.”

The season for two of the most prestigious science research competitions in the nation is here, and the application deadline for one has already passed. The application deadline for the Siemens Competition was on Oct. 3, and all parts of the application for Intel Science Talent Search must be received by Nov. 16.

In the Siemens Competition, students can earn from a $1,000 scholarship as a regional finalist up to a $100,000 scholarship as a national finalist. For the Intel Science Talent Search, each semifinalist will receive a $1,000 award, and each finalist will receive up to a $100,000 award, along with a free trip to Washington, D.C. Chun submitted his project to the Siemens Competition.

“I see Siemens as a great opportunity to present my work, which is also in the process of being submitted to a nanotechnology science journal,” Chun said.

Raman spectroscopy, which Chun bases his research on, is a method of identifying chemicals by collecting scattered laser light.

“Raman spectroscopy essentially gives us a molecular ‘fingerprint’ spectrum, which gives us information on exactly what chemicals are present.

This method can hopefully be used in the future for many applications ranging from cancer diagnosis to even explosive detection for the military,” Chun said.

But this process is currently inefficient outside of a controlled laboratory environment. Chun addressed this problem in his project by designing a special surface to detect molecules, which would help enhance Raman signal up to a billion times. His “plasmophotonic array” design patterns thousands of goldcoated nanopillars in a special arrangement to increase signal strength and reproducibility.

Chun hopes his project will be as successful as possible in the Siemens Competition.

“It would be great if the Siemens judges consider my project to be a ‘finalist’ material, but no matter what

happens, I’m happy that I took this opportunity to share my research,” he said.

Senior Jacob Miller, who is planning to participate in the Intel Science Talent Search, started his project this year in late June at Georgetown University Medical Center under his mentor Asst. Professor of Neuroscience Tim Mhyre.

Miller is studying the relationship of two possible Alzheimer’s disease risk factors in an effort to better understand the genetic pathway of the disease.

Although research has linked a number of genes to Alzheimer’s disease risk, there is currently a lack of effective treatments to this ultimately fatal disease, and diagnosis can only be made once largely irreversible damage has occurred in the brain.

“Ultimately, the genotyping research I am conducting may play a role in developing antecedent biomarkers for the disease, possibly setting the path to establish a test for the disease before the fatal progression of the symptoms begin,” Miller said.

Miller’s in-school sponsor, Neurobiology teacher Paul Cammer, anticipates prediction, rather than diagnosis, of the disease with this study of the new genes.

“One possibility for this project is that it will create a new marker for Alzheimer’s disease that will better predict who might be more susceptible to the disease in their later years,” Cammer said.

In addition to helping early diagnosis of the Alzheimer’s disease, Miller hopes to do well in the competition.

“I’ve never competed in a competition like Intel, so I’m trying not to have unrealistic expectations,” Miller said. “It would be great, however, if I could be a semifinalist.”

Unlike Chun and Miller, junior Kristina Hu plans to submit her project to both Intel and Siemens. In her project, she used computational methods to determine how the concentration of certain DNA repeat patterns differ among four fruit fly chromosomes. The full mutation of this gene is the most common phenomena that causes mental disorders in humans and Hu’s research might discover the potential culprits for genetic diseases still unknown.

Hu worked on her project with Asst. Professor of Environmental Epigenetics Bernardo Lemos of Harvard University through the Research Science Institute (RSI) and decided to participate in both Intel and Siemens because RSI alumni had been known to be successful in those competitions.

“It would be nice to be a semifinalist from either competition,” Hu said, “though it’s much less about winning and much more about the experience.”

14

features

october 11, 2011

Competition fuels Homecoming photos by Arya Dahal, Sunny Kim and Mallika Patkar

T

he students plunged into school and class spirit as the class competiton heated up during Homecoming week, which lasted from Sept. 19 to 23. The competi-

tion involved the best dressed male and female on each day of the week, Musical Extravaganza, banner, money wars, canned food sculptures, class cheer, T-shirt design and float construction. The seniors scored first place with a total of 3,135 points, and juniors ranked second with 1,880 points. The juniors were in last place with a total of 0 points until Friday, when they turned it around and got their head in the game.

3,500

2012

SENIORS

2013

JUNIORS

2015

FRESHMEN

2014

SOPHOMORES

3000

2,500

Seniors Rishi Malhotra and Varun Kumar provide live music during their class’s Musical Extravaganza.

Senior Helen Hastings and junior Allison Chou discuss class scores while the Thomas Jefferson mascot watches.

2000

1,500 Junior JiSoo Song lipsyncs to a song while he and junior Alexia Kim dance during their class’s Musical Extravaganza.

1,000

Freshman Katya Plotnitskaya hangs upside down on freshman Lily Chaw during their class’s Musical Extravaganza.

Sophomore Miles Oakley shows his range of emotions through his dancing on Friday.

Juniors Emory Ruscus and Amanda Hicks swing dance during their class’s Musical Extravaganza.

Senior Matthew Callahan paints a banner around the letters “To Infinity and Beyond.”

500 2012

2012

2012

2012

Juniors Ryan Feng and Michelle Wang dance to “Nice Guys” during their class’s Musical Extravaganza.

2015

2015

2014

2014

2015

2014 2015

2013 2014

2013

2013

Tuesday

Wednesday

Monday

2013

Thursday

Friday

15 WISE, TWIST or WILD: How do I choose? features

october 11, 2011

by Tahmina Achekzai Features Editor Three acronyms, three clubs, three women-focused programs. Many students don’t realize these eighth period options have a different focus.

WISE, TWIST and WILD started on Sept. 30 this year, and the question to ask is, “Which one of these three vividsounding options should I choose?”

Among the long list of clubs on the Intranet, these clubs may be similar only in their sound.

photo by Tahmina Achekzai

Juniors Michelle Wang and Sajala Shukla introduce WILD at the interest meeting.

“I don’t know the difference. I just know they exist,” sophomore Kinsey Moser said.

“We all have different goals that the club revolves around. So when they say it’s all the same, it makes us feel like our goals aren’t important,” said Arisa Smith, a junior who commits Friday A Blocks to WISE. “Women in Science and Engineering” (WISE) started out as only a handful of people, but in just one year, they increased their numbers to over 70 members.

WISE meets twice a month to work with fourth grade girls from Weyanoke Elementary School, conducting laboratory experiments in biology, chemistry, physics and technology. “[We want] to get more elementary school girls interested in science and engineering and try to come to to TJ and study these subjects in college, ” junior Nalini Singh, a co-president of WISE, said.

After a Halloween-themed kick off, the 25 to 30 Weyanoke girls come to Jefferson and work with their assigned “buddies.” The activities range from strawberry DNA extraction to studying chemical reactions when cooking with chocolate.

Singh understands why many people get the clubs mixed up. “We’re similar in a lot of ways, especially WISE and TWIST; our goals are aligned with each other.”

However, TWIST only works with elementary school kids once a year, at their annual Techstravaganza event. The club also welcomes guest speakers and conducts experiments.

“We try to keep our activities broad, and tutoring is not regular for us,” junior Divya Bhaskara, the webmaster, said.

TWIST members join together in the spring to push the school’s signature STEM outreach event forward.

TWIST takes full responsibility for Techstravaganza, coordinating with Principal Evan Glazer to get more elementary schools involved, hosting the majority of the booths at the event, and raising enough money to provide

materials for the other clubs.

TWIST’s efforts to raise money – including contacting organizations and making PowerPoint presentations – paid off. They received $2,000 from Women in Technology (WIT), $250 from SGA, and became a Slivoskey grant finalist.

TWIST also organized 16 clubs and companies to hold lab stations at Techstravaganza in addition to their own 28 tables.

With more advertising, TWIST members raised the number of participants from 600 to 1,000 children and families.

While it’s true that WISE and TWIST focus on getting girls interested in science, “Women in Leadership and Development” (WILD) doesn’t include any science or mathrelated activities.

“WILD promotes the ever-changing identity of women throughout society and the world,” Michelle Wang, copresident of WILD, said. “We strive to educate and empower women through charitable events, workshops and guest speakers to inform the public about the value and importance of being a woman and a leader.”

WILD held several drives last year, including a Halloween costume drive for Reston Interfaith and a gift card drive for the Ronald McDonald House.

Its most successful effort was the “Teens for Jeans Drive,” where WILD partnered up with Aeropostale and Do Something to collect jeans for homeless adolescents. Filling 13 trash bags with jeans, the club collected a total of 273 pairs.

“We would love for more girls, especially freshmen or sophomores, to join and help out,” said Amanda Nelson, the other WILD co-president. “We’re working on creating a website with materials pertinent to high school girls, records of our workshops, notes from our speakers, and general announcements about what WILD is doing.”

Whether students decide to spend their Friday at WILD, TWIST or WISE, they can be assured a different experience at each club.

Students turn toward clubs to learn about business

by Tahmina Achekzai Features Editor The right side of the cafeteria last Wednesday A Block was home to 150 students engaged in an interactive exercise that asked them to solve a problem, create a business model, and design a product.

After a period to percolate over ideas and plan a presentation strategy, three groups addressed the entire room. The winning plan was “Jefferson’s Bagels,” where the students would sell bagels, Starbucks and other breakfast foods in the Audlob during JLC. While other high schools in Fairfax County have a business department, Jefferson students must channel their enthusiasm into eighth period activities.

Two places where students go to get their business fix are Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Thomas Jefferson Investment Club (TJIC).

“Whether you want to be a mathematician or a veterinarian, you will always be surrounded by business,” junior Ben Hsu, the vice president of TJIC, said.

Senior Mayank Jain, president of FBLA, realized that even though he may not be able to take a business management or marketing class, he can dedicate 45 minutes every week to a club that helps him better understand business.

With over 100 regular members, FBLA is one of the largest clubs at Jefferson. The officers try to incorporate many opportunities for real life experience into their activities.

Every winter, over 30 members go on an overnight trip to New York, where they visit the Financial District with stops at the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank. This year they are planning to visit ExxonMobil’s southern headquarters on Gallows Road in January.

Most students are familiar with FBLA’s Market Place,

when the cafeteria is filled with members hawking their homemade wares to hundreds of students.

Fundraising is something many of the members already have experience with. At the March of Dimes March for Babies, FBLA regularly earns regional fundraising recognition.

Still, Jain has even higher hopes for this year.

“Because we have three returning officers from last year, we’ll be able to be more effective and plan events farther in advance.”

While FBLA devotes their club to all things business, Investment Club focuses on a specific field rather than broad concepts.

“We do more specialized activities geared toward teaching our members investment strategies and technique to make them more informed and more successful investors,” Rajendra said.

Thomas Jefferson Investment Club (TJIC) meets every Friday B Block.

Senior Laki Rajendra, the president, chose to join during his sophomore year. “After the first few meetings, I was excited by how much I learned and was surprised at how interesting investing, which most people consider to be a boring topic, could be.”

Investment Club meetings consist of a variety of activities relating to business and investing. They also give lessons on investment concepts and stock presentations, where club members introduce stocks they think would be beneficial to purchase.

Though TJIC does not participate in a traditional fundraiser every year, the club finds other ways to give back to their community with their improving investing skills.

TJIC is an active lender for Microplace, an organization which offers loans to entrepreneurs in third world countries.

The club also won a One Question grant for Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), which they incorporate into their decisions.

Putting so much thought into these decisions helps students get ready for the future ahead of them. Jain knows business can be applied to anything.

“Even if you don’t end up starting your own business, you’re going to be dealing with other people and selling your products or ideas, which is what business is really all about.”

photo by Jennifer Seavey

During last year’s trip to New York City’s Financial District, FBLA students visit the iconic bull near Wall Street.

Education

Arlington Blvd., #100, Math and science specialty 8408 Fairfax, VA 22031 Staff of specialists Phone : 703) 789-4134 apeducationcenter@gmail.com Small group classes Classes made to suit each student’s needs

Education Staff Dr. Joo Young Yoo (Texas A&M), English

Ms. Hye-Yeon Park (MIT), Math, Biology

Mr. Albert Kim (U-Penn), SAT English

Dr. Rudra (Georgia Tech), Math & Physics

Mr. Jose Ascarrunz (Carnegie Mellon), Math

Dr. Paul Chung (Georgia Tech) Chemistry

Dr. Hyun-Jin In (MIT), Math & Physics

Dr. Ruth Jacobsen (Michigan) Chemistry

SAT II & AP Subjects Math II

Chemistry

Physics

Biology

Calculus

US History

Math Competitions AMC 8

AMC 10

AMC 12

AIME

Veteran scientists with experiences at research labs can help students with science fair and research projects as their mentors.

16

tradition

october 11, 2011

Coming from across the Latino sphere, Jefferson’s Hispanic students celebrate their unifying month

by Thrisha Potluri Features Editor

S

alsa dancing to Latin music, seniors Nicole Gonzalez and Hector Salazar Gianella twirled around

Junior Daniel Matson

Venezuela

Junior Gabi Johnson

Brazil

Senior Saul De la Barra

Sophomore Caitlyn Carpio

Senior Stephanie Melendez Ramirez

Senior Nicole Gonzalez

Bolivia

El Salvador

Puerto Rico

Cuba & Puerto Rico

Junior Crystel Calderón

Junior Sebastian Lerner

Sophomore Luke Barbano

Freshman Andrea Donate-Perez

Junior Christina Shincovich

Senior Daniel Mares Zarate

Sophomore Ricardo Tucker

Senior Mia Jimenez

Colombia & Paraguay

Venezuela

Puerto Rico

Colombia

Cuba & Spain

Mexico

Nicaragua

Ecuador & Dominica

Sophomore Julia Suarez

Junior Giovani Basurto

Senior Hector Salazar Gianella

Sophomore Daniel Carballo

Cuba

Bolivia

the cafeteria on Oct. 7 during the Hispanic Heri-

tage Month Celebration. Gonzalez and Salazar Gianella are co-presidents of Hispanic Alliance, which sponsored the event.

This year marks the 43rd anniversary of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on Sept. 15. Lasting until Oct. 15, this “celebration” began in 1968 to celebrate the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18. Columbus Day, also known as Dia de la Raza falls on Oct. 12.

Jefferson’s Hispanic community encompasses students from many different countries in Latin America, such as Columbia, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, El Salvador and Paraguay.

These students each bring different customs and traditions to create a unique and diverse blend of Hispanic culture.

However, some people have trouble distinguishing between the terms Latino and Hispanic. Hispanic refers to people from a region that was once under Spanish rule.

People from Mexico, Central and South America, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic are considered to be Hispanic. On the other hand, Latino refers to countries that were once ruled by Europeans.

“It is difficult to figure out which is which. The important thing is: What are people from those areas calling themselves? Most people in the region refer to themselves first by their country of origin and then by the term Latino or Hispanic,” said Alexandra Pou, sponsor of Hispanic Alliance and a native of the “DR.” Although Spanish is the main language spoken in many Latin American countries, countries such as Brazil speak different languages. Junior Gabi Johnson, who is part Brazilian, speaks some Portuguese, which is the main language in Brazil.

“I’m not that bad at speaking Portuguese even though I’ve never been formally taught, but I understand it more than I speak it,” Johnson said. “It irks me a little that even though Brazilians don’t speak Spanish, people tend to still assume that it’s a Spanish speaking country.”

Even in Spanish speaking countries, there are many variations due to regional dialects and colloquialisms.

“There are many regionalisms, and those words are only known to the people of that country. Whenever I speak to Nicole in Spanish, we both learn new words or phrases. Sometimes I say “miechi” meaning “darn it,” and [Nicole] says “diantre” which means the same thing,” Salazar Gianella said.

In addition to variations from different countries, words from Native American languages are also part of the Spanish language. One example of this is Guarañi, a native language originating in Bolivia.

“There are a lot of different indigenous groups in Latin America, so people mix Spanish and tribal languages.

It’s like Spanglish, but actually Guarañol,” junior Crystel Calderón said. “In Paraguay, Guarañi is widely spoken so some Guarañi words are actually considered as proper Spanish.”

Calderón, whose parents are from Paraguay and Columbia, celebrates a fusion of traditional holidays.

For Christmas and New Year’s holidays, she and her family celebrate Paraguayan style.

“We fuse the ideas and traditions from these places, and we get the best of the best,” Calderón said.

Like Calderón, junior Sebastian Lerner, who is Columbian, celebrates holidays traditionally.

“I take part in some Colombian traditions. For example, in my house, we open presents on Christmas Eve at midnight, because that’s the way it’s done almost everywhere in Colombia,” Lerner said.

Junior Christina Shincovich, who is from Puerto Rico, celebrates American as well as Puerto Rican holidays. One indigenous holiday they celebrate is el Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos.

“This tradition entails going outside and gathering grass in a box for the camels that the Three Kings ride on.

Puerto Rican culture and language have been heavily influenced by America because of the close relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. So, in addition to this holiday, we also celebrate American holidays such as the Fourth of July.”

“There are many cultural differences in Hispanic culture – most importantly food,” Pou said. “Everyone in America thinks we all eat tacos, but they are actually Mexican food.”

Every Latin American country has its own signature food. In Argentina, empanadas are very popular. In the Caribbean, people mainly eat rice and beans. El Salvador is famous for its tortilla dish called Pupsa.

“Typical Puerto Rican and Cuban food includes plantanos, empanadillas, ropa vieja, tostones, tropical fruit, yucca, flan, a lot of seafood and much more!” Gonzalez said.

The Hispanic population has generally been underrepresented at Jefferson. In the past four years, the Hispanic application rate has been under 8 percent, and the acceptance rate of Hispanic students has been under 3 percent of total admissions.

“Student Diversity Initiative (SDI) works closely with the PTSA Diversity Committee. Our students tutor middle school students on Saturdays for the test prep program and serve on the student panel for Counselor Outreach Day. They also travel with the Admissions Office, which gives presentations to parents and students,” said Tonya Lathom, SDI sponsor.

The TJ PTSA Diversity Committee, the Diversity and Engagement Curriculum Team and the Admissions Office work in conjunction with student groups, such as Hispanic Alliance, Black Student Union and the SDI to increase diversity at Jefferson.

“We try to help our community by mentoring Hispanic students,” Gonzalez said. “At Weyanoke Elementary, we tutor in math and science to get these kids excited about their education and the bright futures they have ahead of them.”

Peru

Cuba & Puerto Rico

Photos, graphics and reporting by Thrisha Potluri