THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECH || ALEXANDRIA, VA
TJTODAY
DEC. 15, 2017 || VOL 3 ISSUE 4 || www.tjtoday.org
THE MAGAZINE
6560 BRADDOCK RD. ALEXANDRIA, VA 22312
CAPTURING HOLIDAY SPIRIT
the
From 12:00AM to 11:59PM, this issue takes a look through the lens at the Jefferson community during the holidays
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ALL THAT GLITTERS AND SPARKLES Where to go and what to do during the holiday season
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EIGHTH PERIOD AND FREEDOM Sharing stories from 2:15PM to 4:00PM
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NET NEUTRALITY
Staff opinions on the benefits and drawbacks of repealing net neutrality
CONTENTS 06 All that Glitters and Sparkles EDITORIAL BOARD Ankit Agrawal Katherine Du Angel Kim Adithi Ramakrishnan
A look at holiday light displays at Jefferson and at local parks
Uzma Rentia Avni Singh Christine Zhao
SECTION EDITORS MiJin Cho
Alex Howe
BROADCAST EXECUTIVES Alexa Nguonly
Lynn Nguyen
STAFF REPORTERS Roja Ayyadurai Rena Cai Ashley Huang Sinha Joisha Tanya Kurnootala
Irina Lee Grace Mak Clay Reppert Sadhana Suri Prerak Thakkar Miranda Xiong
ADVISER Erinn Harris
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1. Glimmering in the night, a path at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens leads walkers past Christmas decorations. The half-mile path features a lakeside covered in lights and lights shaped to look like insects. 2. Chugging bags of chips, freshmen Saahil Singh and Kevin Zhang enjoy a snack during lunch. “My favorite part about chips is the satisfying crunchiness after stuffing chips in your mouth,� Singh said. 3. After arriving at Jefferson, Loudoun County students get off the bus. They had been on the bus for an hour.
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News
In-Depth
05 Holmes Middle School Latin Club
11 Mornings
16 A Period of Freedom
Junior creates club so middle schoolers can take Latin
How students prepare for and arrive at school
A look at the different activites Jefferson students do during eighth period
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14 Love to Lunch
20 Not Going Out of Style
Net Neutrality
Should net neutrality restrictions be removed?
Relationships students engage in during lunch
How we use social media and outfits to express ourselves
tjTODAY is the official newsmagazine of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology published by the journalism staff. 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.
NEWS || DEC. 15, 2017 03
NEWS BRIEFS A breakdown of events and activities to come in the Jefferson community
12.15.17 1. Amnesty Gingerbread Jailhouse Participants write letters during eighth period to foreign governments about human rights victims as part of the annual Write for Rights campaign. Participants also get to build a gingerbread jailhouse for free, and get one service hour for their work. Image courtesy of Flickr user terren
12.15.17 2. Oshogatsu A Japanese New Year’s celebration during eighth period. In previous years, there was a calligraphy performance, as well as Japanese food. All students are welcomed to attend.
BREAK 3. Student Government Association Survey The SGA had a town hall on Dec. 9 about the academic integrity policy and reform of it. They plan to further the work made in the town hall by surveying the student body for their opinions on the policy.
“I will uphold academic and personal integrity in the TJ Community” 3
NEWS
small world
BIG FUTURE
National Nanotechnology Coordination Office director speaks to students about Nanotechnology’s daily impact
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Grace Mak || STAFF WRITER
n order to spread awareness of nanotechnology and its impact on daily life, guest speaker Dr. Lisa E. Friedersdorf, director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, visited the Nanotechnology Club on Dec. 1 during eighth period. Friedersdorf has been involved in nanotechnology for nearly two decades, specifically targeting the advancement of technology commercialization through university-industry-government collaboration. As an advocate for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, Friedersdorf ’s goal is to increase interest in nanotechnology among students at the lower education levels. “Nanotechnology, obviously, is something I have a passion for and that’s my role at the [National Nanotechnology Initiative Program] and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office,” Friedersdorf said. “One of the things we’re trying to do is to promote awareness of nanotechnology at the high school level. We were really thrilled to hear that there was a number of students interested in nanotechnology, and we’re glad to come talk with the students here.” Not everyone who attended the guest speaker event may choose to seek a career in nanotechnology, but Friedersdorf ’s lecture looked at the benefits of nanotechnology both within the field itself and in other scientific fields.
Discussing applications of nanotechnology in scientific fields such as astronomy, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office director Dr. Lisa E. Friedersdorf gave a guest talk to the Nanotechnology Club on Dec. 1 during eighth period. “Nanotechnology as a whole is just very interesting because it’s so difficult to visualize and understand, and everything is happening at such a small level. I’m not sure if I want to study it in the future, but it’s definitely a very interesting field that is super applicable,” sophomore Kirthi Kumar said.
found particularly interesting was this self-repairing muscle,” Kumar said. “Basically, when the particles of the substance were cut, they would form back together without the need of a medium like heat or water, which is very applicable in prosthetics.”
In the future, Friedersdorf and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office have plans for similar events and programs that “I think that because nanotechnology is pervasive, it’s going to have promote studies in nanotechnology. application in every field so it really doesn’t matter what the students “My dream, honestly, is to have undergraduate clubs across the I talk to today choose to pursue,” Friedersdorf said. “As they move country and each of them reach out to their local high schools and forward in whatever field they try to pursue, perhaps there are set up junior clubs so that we have a bit of a scalability of outreach opportunities to use nanotechnology to improve or advance what and ability to raise awareness of nanotechnology,” said Friedersdorf. they’re doing.” “I would really love to see [the high school clubs] reaching out to This application of nanotechnology captured the attention of their local middle schools, whether it’s [through] a science fair or a students such as sophomore Kirthi Kumar. journal club, and do something to help raise awareness.” “It was very interesting. The lecture covered all the important discoveries or innovations in nanotech with respect to many fields-medicine, tech, and aerospace--but one of the innovations that I
NEWS || DEC. 15, 2017 05
a
passion
for
LATIN
Latin students start a club to assist Holmes Middle School students pursue their passion for Latin Nehal Chakraborty || STAFF WRITER
“My friend Lexa is setting up a club that will go to Holmes MS in the afternoon every other Wednesday to teach kids there some basics of Latin,” Old said. Junior Lexa Hummel, the founder of this club, has gone through a long process to bring the club into existence, starting all the way from last year. “At the end of last year, I called the after school activities director at Holmes and I sent them my resume,” Hummel said. “When I called him, he thought it was a very interesting idea and said, ‘Let’s talk about it next year and see if there’s any interest.’” When the after school activities director approved of her idea, Hummel moved on to execute the final steps of her plan in order to make her club available to the Holmes students. Describing Holmes Latin Club to interested students, junior Lexa Hummel introduces the club in Ms. Sandstrom’s classroom. While Ms. Sandstrom teaches Russian, she also sponsors the Musical Buddies club, which instructs Holmes students. Holmes Middle School Tutoring also goes to Holmes to mentor their students.
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“In the beginning of this year, we started working out the logistics. I went over to Holmes and talked to the after school activities director in person,” Hummel said. “Then I also needed to work on getting the eight period activity here and register it. And now [the club] is being advertised to the Holmes students,”
Hummel initially found it a bit difficult to coordinate transportation n order to teach Latin to students at Holmes Middle School after between Jefferson and Holmes. Soon after, she found a found a the discontinuation of the foreign language being offered as a teacher to sponsor her club while coming up with a solution for the course there, Jefferson Latin students assembled on Dec. 1 to transportation matter. discuss the initiation of the Holmes Latin Club. “I found out that there are a few other teachers who go to Holmes Holmes Middle School lost its Latin course as a result of during eighth period. [Mrs. Sandstrom] does musical buddies Annandale High School (AHS) halting its Latin program last year. and they go over to Holmes on Wednesdays,” Hummel said. “I The first meeting of the club, initially scheduled for Dec. 6, was approached her, it worked out, and now she’s sponsoring [our club],” cancelled, but the club’s first day of tutoring the middle schoolers will This club is an opportunity to gain more experience in Latin as well be Jan. 10, which students can sign up for via Intranet. as a way to give back to the community. Sophomore Annabel Li, a The Latin students at Jefferson are determined to preserve the Latin student in Certamen and Latin Honors Society, attended the language in the Holmes Middle School by directly interacting with interest meeting and was keen on idea of mentoring other students. students who want to continue learning about Latin. “It feels good to teach other people about Latin, especially since “Annandale High School used to offer [Latin] as a language… and [Holmes’] Latin program was shut down last year and a lot of people so the middle school had it as a language because they mainly feed still want to learn about the culture and community,” Li said. to Annandale. But when Annandale cut their program, the middle Old hopes she can apply her personal experience with early Latin school did too,” junior Madeline Old, a Latin student at Jefferson, programs to the Holmes Latin Club. said. “I remember when I was in elementary school, some kids from the Excluding Latin from the list of foreign language courses available high school came over and started a Latin club with us and taught to students could be a disadvantage to those who are interested in us some Latin and I remember I had a lot of fun with that. And Latin but aren’t able to pursue it in a classroom setting. The Holmes now I’m in Latin and it would be really nice to show other younger Latin Club would ensure that the middle schoolers can still be students the same good experience that I had,” Old said. involved in Latin, despite not being able to take the actual class.
ALL THAT GLITTERS AND SPARKLES
all that
G
t
HOLIDAYS || DEC. 14, 2017 07
Shining christmas trees and decorations adorn the pathway to the Reptile Discovery Center at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Over 500,000 environmentally-friendly LEDs were lighted as part of the ZooLights event running from November 24 to January 1. Thousands of visitors gather every year to participate in the music festivals, light shows, and performances hosted by the Zoo. PHOTO // Sadhana Suri
GLITTERSand
SPARKLES
ALL THAT GLITTERS AND SPARKLES
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1. Lights decorate each exhibit at the Smithsonian National Zoo as part of one of the many ZooLights events across the nation. 2. Two fluorescent pandas greet visitors at the entrance of the Smithsonian National Zoo. Families gathered to watch the lights as part of the annual ZooLights event, as the National Zoo hosted music performances and light shows. Over 500,000 environmentallyfriendly LEDs decorate the zoo from November 24 to January 1. 3. Illuminating the center of the half-mile path, a fountain of LED lights lightens up the night sky at the Meadowlark Walk of Lights in Vienna, Virginia. Last year, 75000 visitors made a trip to the gardens to view the numerous light displays.
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4. Amidst a display of holiday lights, a Death Star ornament hangs from the wall outside Design & Tech teacher Jared Seyler ‘s room. Seyler created the ornament out of a new 3-D printer that he acquired, adding to a list of holiday-themed projects he’s taken on over the years. “The first year I was here, our students had a little bit of extra time and they soldered up a wreath and that had LED’s on it. When I put it out this year, I think it was drawing too much current though and it was eating up the transformers so I put it out,” Seyler said.
5 M em g ta st ju w
LIGHT UP
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ent
he
HOLIDAYS || DEC. 14, 2017 09
6. Wrapped around opposing columns in the dome, nutcracker decorations greet visitors and students as they enter the dome. The administration first proposed the idea of holiday decorations to art teacher Tim Davis in 2016. For this year’s nutcracker decorations, artists in the Art & Studio Design 1 class used everyday materials such as table cloths, construction paper, plastic wrapping paper, and gold trimmings to create the designs. “Our admin team asked to decorate for the holiday because of the standing columns already there, it was a nice to walk in to. This year the students decided on four faces and even two women and two men. It was always traditionally men with mustaches,” Davis said.
6 5. Animated lights attract thousands of visitors to Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights. Senior Alexa Nguonly embarked on the Walk on a half-mile path through the gardens, transformed into a holiday light show. “The effort taken into the setup of the lights amazed me. They were strung on trees, across the grass, and on bridges. Decorating just my front door was a struggle for me so I can’t imagine what it was like to set up for them,” Nguonly said. PHOTOS // Christine Zhao, Sadhana Suri, Alexa Ngounly
em
UP
Local holiday light displays brighten the holiday season
ADVERTISEMENTS || DEC. 15, 2017
MORNINGS || DEC. 15, 2017 11
MEET YOUR CHALLENGE
1. Setting up the carts for the Physics Momentum Lab, Junior Mallory Brodnik pushes one cart on one end of the ramp while maintaining the other in the middle. Working with Mehran Sajjad, she prepares to gather data from four different collisions of the two carts on the lamp. “I thought it was very cool to see how the collisions conserved momentum.,” Brodnik said. 2).Testing in the IBET Commons, Freshman Navvya Vargese writes the SMARTER Essay for English 9. On the topic of APA citations and summarization , Vargese decided to write about a type of bacteria. “The SMARTER goals helped me improve
my understanding on citations and synthesizing information,” Vargese said. 3. Entranced by the momentum of the Tchoukball match, Sophomore Aditya Kumar reacts to the game between students in Coach Rechin’s 5th Period class. “We... have a friendly competition going between some of us in the class so I had... interest in the game,” Kumar said. 4. Working on the Mass of an Unkown Volatile Liquid Lab, sopohomores Sabrina Cai and her partner, Kathy Wu, works with an unknown liquid, water, aluminum foil and beakers in order to measure the mass of the liquid within their AP Chemistry lab.
MEET YOUR
1
You’re at school. Now what?
CHALLENGE 4 5. Within the Mobile Application Lab, Senior Niharika Vattikonda researches online for her political engagment app for constituents to interact more easily with local School Board. Through her role as the Student Representative to the Fairfax Country School Board, Vattikonda aims to create a valuable feature to constituents at her work.
“My goal is to have a single interface where constituents can read summaries of main action items, vote in polls about upcoming action items, and directly send emails and call-to-action viceos to their reps within the app,” Vattikonda said. 6. A bass player for both the Philharmonic Orchestra, Junior Aaron Wadha begins his 5th year of playing
5 the instrument. Along with four other bass players, he anticipates playing in the the orchestra in the upcoming concert on January 5th. “I think this upcoming concert is going to be pretty memorable. I’ll be playing for a while so we’ll see how it goes,” Wadha said. “It’s fun that you can always learn something new so I keep practicing.”
CLASS TIME || DEC. 15, 2017 13
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6 PHOTO // MiJin Cho, Christine Zhao, and Ankit Agrawal
LOVE TO LUNCH
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2. De-stressing in the IBET courtyard, freshmen Rakesh Pillai and Arjun Aggarwal laugh and talk during their lunch period. Following their biology tests, Aggarwal and Pillai goof off in an effort to relieve their stress. “We try to have as much fun as possible during lunch, and then it’s back to studying for the rest of the day,” Pillai said.
COURTYARD
KINGS and QUEENS
3. While laughing at a joke, Michelle Li talks and laughs with her best friends, Raunak Daga, Sadhana Thirumazhusai and Summer Wang. To this group of friends, lunch was an opportunity to let loose and take a break during the long school day. “Lunch is a time for me to let loose and relieve stress from my grades and classes. I eat so I forget my grades,” Li said.
4. Studying for her French quiz, freshman Eden Ethington sits on a bench in the IBET courtyard during JLC. While language is her best subject in school, Ethington’s study habits include a quick review of the information before the quiz. “Having JLC to be able to study for upcoming things is really helpful. It’s also an opportunity that other high schools don’t get and I’m really grateful for that.”
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PHOTO // Roja Ayyadurai, Katherine Du, Irina Lee and Grace Mak
1. Sharing food and talking amongst each other, freshmen Raunak Daga, Sadhana Thirumazhusai and Michelle Li relax on a bench in the IBET courtyard. In an effort to get some fresh air before heading back to their classes for the day, these freshmen sit outside during their lunch time. “Lunch is a time for me to be with my friends who I don’t always see and to have fun,” Thirumazhusai said.
LUNCH || DEC. 15, 2017 15
Clockwise: Sitting under the staircase leading to the physics commons, freshman Kelly Mao, Emma Small, Thomas Cuddy, Owen Grannis and Esha Katore eat lunch together. They, along with others not pictured, come primarily from two middle schools—Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg—but were brought together during the Back to School Bash. “It was the Back to School Bash and I was with my friend Nolan. We were hanging out and then I met all of his friends than we hung out at the football game,” Cuddy said. “Then we decided ‘Why not each lunch together?’.”
and 1
LOVE LUNCH
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for the
LOVE of
STUDYING
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1.In preparation for the upcoming vectors test, sophomore Dennis Tian helps his friends work through a problem near the math hallway. “I don’t think about much [in the moment],” Tian said. “I just do the problem.” 2. Before their AP Government test, seniors Grace Young (left) and Erin NewRingeisen study together. Their quizzes include questions on current events so NewRingeisen and Young must stay on top of the day’s news. “It’s helpful to bounce
information back and forth off each other,” Young said. 3. Multitasking in eating and studying in IBET commons, Freshmen David Kwabi-Addi also last minutes studies for his biology test later that day. Kwabi-Addi efficiently studies for one of his many tests during the week. “One of the things I love about TJ is they give you the freedom of what you want to do, whether it be hanging out with friends, playing games, or studying,” Kwabi-Addi said.
PERIOD OF FREEDOM
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A
PERIOD OF
FREEDOM PHOTO // Alex Howe, Sneha Joisha
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3 1: Senior Jainam Modh and Sophomore Madelyn Khoury practice at the Ballroom Dance Club. 2: Freshman Braxton Breed engages in a chess game during Friday A Block. 3: In Rotary Interact, a service club that does both local and International projects, Senior Kshamata Neupane uses her crafting skills to help the community. 4: Sophomore Eva DeCesare decorates a cookie at the Key Club, a service organization open to all students at TJ. 5: At the guitar club, Senior Sam Bove aptly plays his guitar. 6: Freshman David KwabiAddo plays bridge, an trick-taking card game played using a standard 52-card deck.
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ADVERTISEMENTS || DEC. 15, 2017 17
JUMPING INTO MOTION
JUMPING MOTION INTO
PHOTO // Angel Kim
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1. As the indoor track team waits in the cafeteria before taking team photos, junior Rithvik Gundlapalli and senior Ishaan Dey pass time by talking 2. After losing to the Annandale Atoms with a 53-48 final score, Jefferson’s JV basketball players cool down before discussing the game with their coach. 3. Cornered by Annandale players, JV boys basketball guard sophomore Justin Park looks for a Jefferson player to pass the ball to.
AFTER SCHOOL || DEC. 15, 2017 19
Beginning a new set of the workout, freshman Lauren Nathan ergs at the crew team’s winter training practice on Dec. 6
NIGHT LIFE
NEVER
GOING OUT OF STYLE It’s the evening after a long day, but you’re not ready to go home yet. Outfits and social media accounts may not define us, but they do help us express who we are.
photos from Danalache MiJin Cho || SCI-TECH EDITOR
OTILIA DANALACHE On junior Otilia Danalache’s Instagram page, there are photos of a variety of places, and a variety of outfits. Danache follows a number of individuals in fashion, and is inspired by a wide range of styles. “I don’t think I have one certain look that I go for, but when I get comfortable with something I do tend to wear it a lot,” Danache said. “But every year, every season, I look at new trends, and try to do new things with what I’m wearing.”
photo by W. Ryu
AESTHETICS || DEC. 15, 2017 21
Angel Kim || EDITORIAL BOARD
SAJNI VEDEREY
PHOTO // A. Kim
photos from Vederey
Junior Sajni Vederey’s outfis usually include bomber jackets and denim, though she also wears a wide range of styles.. She likes to wear accessoriesa selection or combination of thin chokers, bracelets and belts. “Fashion doesn’t define who you are, but it makes you feel confident,” Vederey said.
HAVE A HOBBY?
HAVE A HOBBY? Angel Kim and Prerak Thakkar || EDITORIAL BOARD AND STAFF WRITER
You’re done with work for today. What do you do next?
TAYLOR KYNARD: DIGITAL ART
Graphic by Kynard Sketching on her tablet, Freshman Taylor Kynard practices her art skills. Kynard especially likes drawing animals, but also creates 3D graphics. Nowadays, she draws in her spare time, usually on weekends. “I’ve had less time [to draw] since coming to TJ, but I’ve been able to manage it,” Kynard said.
PHOTO // P. Thakkar
Setting up a chess board, Sophomore Atharva Haldankar enjoys playing chess in his free time. He has been playing informally since first grade, and he especially enjoys the multitude of possible patterns in chess. “The beauty of chess has inspired me for so long,” Haldankar said.
ATHARVA HALDANKAR: CHESS PHOTO // P. Thakkar
AFTER HOURS || DEC. 15, 2017 23 PHOTO // A. Kim
KHUSHMEET CHANDI: MUSIC
Scrolling through her playlist, freshman Khushmeet Chandi listens to music. She enjoys listening to songs of many different genres and a variety of different languages. Recently, she has discovered songs by the Colombian singer Maluma.
FRANK TIAN: RUNNING Also a member of Jefferson’s track team, senior Frank Tian changes into his running shoes. “I enjoy running because of how freeing it is, like when you’re racing, for a split second everything else just melts away,” Tian said.
PHOTO // A. Kim
OPINION
LEAD EDITORIAL:
NET NEUTRA
F
The potential loss of net neutrality has dangerous implications
ree speech. Free press. Free assembly. All are rights we consider as given since 1791 -- and all are in jeopardy thanks to the potential loss of net neutrality.
mornings or during lunch without seeing at least five to ten students on laptops or on their phones. Students even take classes that are completely online, relying on the Internet for everything from instruction to assessment.
When we browse the Internet, we take certain aspects of it for granted. We assume we can access any website that piques our interest. We assume that our data companies will allow us to navigate to any site of our choosing, be it on a computer or a cell phone. We assume that when we connect to a wireless network, we are in control of our own experience. Net neutrality guarantees these aspects of the Internet; it prevents Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast and Verizon from changing our browsing speed or blocking certain content. Essentially, it keeps the Internet in our hands. But the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai, is seeking to end net neutrality. The FCC voted to send his plan forward in May, and a final vote took place on Dec. 14. The potential loss of net neutrality would have serious implications especially
To open the FCC E-Rate Modernization Workshop, Commissioner Ajit Pai addresses the audience. Photo courtesy of Federal
Limits on the Internet would have widereaching implications for Jefferson students. Picture having to wait even longer to log into Facebook to connect with a peer for a group project at one in the morning, or having to pay a fee to get research databases to load faster on a laptop. Imagine doing research for a presentation, but only being able to find the parts of the story AT&T wants us to see. This could be our future if we lose net neutrality.
at Jefferson, where the Internet is integral for communication and networking. Jefferson is also focused on principles of independence and student-centered learning -- the Intranet system is managed by student sysadmins, and students frequently collaborate online on school projects and presentations. It is impossible to walk through the hallways in the
Our generation in particular is heavily dependent on the Internet. Most adults got their first Facebook account in college or beyond -- we logged into ours in ninth grade. For some of us, entire chapters of our lives are chronicled on the Internet via social media, and we gain much of our information from the links that show up on our Facebook feeds. If Pai’s proposition goes through, we could lose access to huge
Communications Commission via flickr
OPINION || DEC. 15, 2017 25
A LITY
s
Photo courtesy of kevin via flickr
blocks of news just because Verizon or Comcast don’t want us to see it. Our news could end up being filtered through a lens, and we would perceive a clouded version of the truth. The loss of net neutrality would cripple our ability to objectively look upon the world and make rational decisions based on what we see. The loss of net neutrality would also negatively impact the opportunities available to each student based on monetary value. Low-income students who would be unable to purchase access to sites in a world without net neutrality would face an inequality of educational resources compared to middle and high-income students. Students might be able to access research databases at school through a school plan, but at home, they would be cut off from the cutting-edge research that Jefferson was meant to offer. Learning doesn’t stop when we leave the classroom, but net neutrality threatens even this essential pillar of education itself. A world without net neutrality seems like a page out of “1984,” but based on the FCC’s decision, it could become scarily real. In the present day, knowledge is power --we are able to change entire schools of thought by sharing what we know. Without net neutrality, we would lose not only our first amendment rights, but also the concept of truth. And we cannot help but shudder at the thought of a world without that.
An example of a how people may have to purchase internet if we no longer have net neutrality.
DESIGN // Sabria Kazmi
OPINION
PEN IS MIGHTIER
THE
THAN THE
KEYBOARD? Why handwriting facilitates better notes AVNI SINGH || TEAM LEADER
N
othing beats the feeling of opening a brand new notebook to the very first clean, pristine page and writing the first of many words. Though having different notebooks to take notes for classes can add more weight to your backpack than just carrying a laptop, handwritten notes allow for more flexibility and create less distractions compared to typed notes.
During a lecture where your teacher is at the front of the room and can’t see what’s on your screen, it’s easy to be tempted to browse through Facebook and catch up on what’s going on in the world outside of school. In a study with law school students by Jeff Sovern in 2010, 90 percent of laptop users were distracted by something online unrelated to the course for at least five minutes. Taking notes by hand forces individuals to pay attention so they can make sure they are writing down all the information you need. Typing notes may make it easier to catch more of what the teacher is saying, but according to a study by the National Public Radio, not being able to write down the lecture verbatim is actually beneficial in the long run. The time crunch forces you to sift through all the information you’re processing and write down the most important parts. The study also found that though students who took notes on laptops had more notes to study from, those who took notes by hand still performed better on assessments of the material. For visual learners, charts and graphs can aid in understanding material and seeing connections. When taking electronic notes, it is hard to capture the information from these charts in a way that is meaningful. If it’s a complicated flow chart with many arrows and boxes, it may be difficult to reconstruct it on Microsoft
OPINION || DEC. 15, 2017 27
Word or Google Docs without messing up the spacing or page breaks of your document. On the other hand, it’s easy to copy down charts in a notebook or on a piece of paper, summarizing the information so as to facilitate analysis. Those who think their writing skills could use some work could also benefit from taking notes by hand. In a study by Virginia Berninger, a professor at the University of Washington, elementary school students wrote longer essays with more complete sentences when they used pen and paper than when they used laptops. As mentioned before, writing by hand requires analysis and comprehension: two vital skills for creativity. Continuously exercising these two skills boosts the brain’s capacity for creativity, which can thereby improve writing. This is supported by the fact that brain imaging of some of the students in Berninger’s study showed a strong connection between handwriting and idea generation, as handwriting activates a unique neural circuit. With the presence of word processors, it’s easy to rely on them too heavily to make edits and correct mistakes. This ease does not exist in handwritten notes, and mistakes will not be caught until the author reads through the notes a second time. However, this can also be beneficial. By being forced to think about the order of letter, handwriters improve their sequencing skills, which are vital for recognizing the proper order of events.
To form letters to create words and sentences, writers employ a wide range of different skills. For example, spatial skills, which are necessary for writing the letters with the correct size and ensuring consistent spacing after each word. Writers also employ motor and visual functions to create each letter, which especially important when writers attempt to maintain calligraphy or even simply neat handwriting. Taking notes by hand is more beneficial for learning because it forces you to think. In the long run, everything processed and written down during the lecture will be clear in the mind for future use. Plus, it’s always helpful to go the extra step and do things like color-code notes or have a system of bullet points so they are neat and organized, making them easier to read through before assessments.
PHOTO // Sabria Kazmi DESIGN // Sabria Kazmi
CAPTION THIS
“
PHOTO // Alexa Nguonly REPORTING // Alexa Nguonly
[When you’re taking pictures of people, you have to interact with them in a way that brings out the person on the inside. You have to talk to them [and] get to know them beforehand so that they can act more naturally when they are in front of the lens.
[Photography] is a lot more than just clicking a button. You can make a statement with [posed] photos. If you are posing photos for a photoshoot, it is up to you what kinds of statements you want to make. You have to spend a lot of time thinking about planning, setting up props, and lighting, and just really thinking about the statement you want to make and how you are going to make it with your camera.
As a photographer, I can see what is important to me as a person based on what I am photographing. I place so much value on the people that are close to me and
photography has helped me realize that.
“
LULU LIN || WHAT I VE LEARNED