THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECH || ALEXANDRIA, VA
TJTODAY FEB. 13, 2019 || VOL 4 ISSUE 4 || www. tjtoday.org
THE MAGAZINE
SWITCH
A
ARCADE
from the
Gaming culture, despite its changes, thrives amongst mutiple generations at Jefferson
CONTENTS EDITORIAL BOARD Editors-in-Chief MiJin Cho Sabria Kazmi Online Managing Editor Shruthi Nyshadham
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CHANGING THE GAME The popularity and evolution of gaming at Jefferson
BROADCAST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Lynn Nguyen
TEAM LEADERS Justin Chang Pratika Katiyar Irina Lee Grace Mak
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STAFF WRITERS Vikram Achuthan Aafreen Ali Rose Du Zia Sun Sarah Wang Reena Wang Jessica Feng Tanya Kurnootala Connie Ryu Minjoo Song Tammy Ding Rhea Premanand
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ADVISER Erinn Harris 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.
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Feature
Sci-Tech
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I March For...
Regeneron Semi-Finalist
The females who stand with the 2019 Women’s March
Profiles of Jefferson Regeneron semi-finalists
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Stepping Up to Represent
Black Student Union shows African American culture through iNite
IBET: Integrated from Equally Torn
Longstanding IBET practices evolve to fit FCPS policy
CONTENTS AND ONLINE || FEB 13 03
Have You Seen Visit tjtoday.org for our lastest What We’ve articles as well as online versions of Been Doing? what you see in this issue. A BLEND OF NEW AND OLD
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Sports
Opinion
Entertainment
18 Siblings in Sports
22 New Voices
26
Three pairs of siblings within the winter sports programs
Lead Editorial: In Support of New Voices
Music enthusiasts share their love of weeknight concerts and atmosphere
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The Road to Recovery
Recovering from injuries during winter season
24 Welcome to the Real World The debate about internships for high school students
Concert Crazy
I marc
REFORM, US, EXPECTATIONS, CHOICES, YOU. INSIGHT, JOY, HELP. HOPE, A CAUSE,POWER, SAVIOR, IDEAS,RESULTS. GROWTH. RIGHTS, ADRENALINE,PROSPERITY,EMPOWERMENT, MY FUTURE. ALL women, A COMMUNITY, A BETTER WORLD, EXPRESSION,FREEDOM, Representation, Rehabilitation. LOVE, PHOTO // Mishka Philizaire
Outside the White House at the Women’s March, seniors Jiny Cho, Sheral Patel, Anvitha Chimata, and Mishka Philizaire hold up posters. This year was these seniors’ first time being at the march. “None of us had been to the women’s march in the past two years, so we really wanted to experience the activism at the Women’s March this year,” Philizaire said.
W
omen have been fighting for equal opportunities dating all the way back to 1848, starting with the Women’s Suffrage Movement. In 2019, the Women’s March is no different. A peaceful protest taking place annually, primarily in Washington D.C., but also in other big cities around the nation and even around the globe, the march not only protests equal women’s rights, but covers an umbrella of topics including immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, racial equality and religious freedom. “I think it’s about encouraging women to stand up for themselves, and fight for equality. It kind of works in a ripple effect, we are inspired by the example set by powerful and
PHOTO // Mishka Philizaire
March participators, holding posters of all kinds, gather to listen to music. More than twenty artists and bands signed up to perform at the march as cultural ambassadors. “I think my favorite part were all the posters. One said “even Ikea has better cabinets” or “this is my resisting b*tch face”. There were so many funny and creative ones,” Senior Siona Prasad said.
influential women who prove that change is possible,” senior Siona Prasad said. The Women’s March is not only local, but takes place across the nation and even across the globe. According to the Associated Press, in the first Women’s March that took place in 2017, there were several million participants across the nation, with more than 200,000 in D.C. alone. This year, more than 100,000 participants marched in Washington. Despite the shift in numbers, several student activists still participated. Senior Mishka Philizaire marched in hopes of making a point while also encouraging everyone to use their voice. “I think it’s important to participate in protests and marches because it’s one of the few ways we can make a difference in
FEATURES || FEB 13, 2018 05
ch for...
Amends. RESPECT, my FEELINGs. my SOUL. , LAUGHTER. Success. STRENGTH. , Happiness, TRIUMPH. Culture. Control. , CHANGES,VICTORY.SAGACITY. Potential. PEACE, MY FAMILY. Erudition. a purpose. , MYSELF, SATISFACTION. Good vibes. Fun. EQUALITY,EUPHORIA. Awareness. GLory. Pratika Katiyar || TEAM LEADER
PHOTO // Siona Prasad
PHOTO // Mishka Philizaire
During the 2019 Women’s March, seniors Kavya Parekh, Siona Prasad, and Neha Damaraju pose with a poster together. Prasad believes that the march results in more active citizens, as well as brings people together. “I think one of the misconceptions is that these marches are for telling policy makers to make change. I think that’s one goal, but more often they’re aimed at raising awareness and urging more people like us to get involved,” Prasad said.
Gathering at Freedom Plaza in D.C. to begin the march, Seniors Mishka Philizaire and Anvitha Chimata hold up posters they created for the march. “When I think of protests and marches, I think about the civil rights and suffrage movements, and they definitely succeeded in making a difference and that’s what I hope to do as I participate in protests and marches,” Philizaire said.
politics. Especially as students who cannot vote yet, protests and marches are important because it’s our way to pave a better future for the nation,” Philizaire said. Similarly, Prasad believes that more than just a political scheme, the march is a way for people to be more involved in the community and raise awareness to an array of issues. “The march inspires people to become more active citizens. That can be as simple as getting more people out to the polls to vote, or something bigger like helping with campaigns or running for office,” Prasad said. “I think the women’s march especially does a really good job in bringing together people who may feel alone in their beliefs. It’s a place where people can really speak out about what they feel strongly about.”
Often times, the word protest can give off a negative connotation. However, protests can be orderly while still making a point. Despite differences in political standpoints, many can still voice their opinions and take apart in peaceful protests. Philizaire realized this after the Women’s March, and said it was definitely a highlight for her. “After the actual march, we went to the White House and saw a bunch of protesters who were anti-Trump, and they were peaceful alongside the students who came to the White House wearing ‘MAGA’ hats. [It] gave me hope that despite the differences between the two parties, protests can still be peaceful."
CHANGING
G ME
THE
Mijin Cho, Sabria Kazmi, and Shruthi Nyshadham || Editors PHOTO // Sabria Kazmi
Video games remain a popular form of entertainment across age groups, but they have gone through modifications over the years
COVER STORY || FEB 13, 2019 07
S
tart on the hallway between the Franklin Commons and the College and Career Center and turn the corner to find a projection of Mario Kart on the wall. Take ten steps forward and find a group of four students huddling in front of the library with the Brawl Stars app open on their phones. Take the first staircase down and turn to the left. There, in the midst of foreign language classes, two students hold Nintendo Switches to play the latest Super Smash Brawl game on a small monitor placed inside of a cubby. This is the culture of gaming at Jefferson.
POPULARITY Over 150 million people play video games in the US alone according to the Entertainment Software Association. At Jefferson, students and teachers alike can be found playing everything from console to mobile games both at home and when they get a spare minute at school. The prevalence of gaming at school has even caused policy changes. As of Jan. 9, 2019, Dr. Ann Bonitatibus and the Human Relations Committee endorsed a gaming policy that allows for the use of school projectors and TVs for games during lunchtime. This was a reversal from last year, during which some students regularly brought their own projectors from home to play games after administration denied permission to use school equipment for that purpose. “Last year in the spring, a group of students asked if they were able to game in one of the commons areas during lunch,” Bonitatibus said. “We tried to limit it to every other week, because I felt that using FCPS resources may not necessarily be appropriate. I just wanted to see how that went.” The students’ ability to self-monitor and keep their gaming content school-appropriate won over Bonitatibus’s trust. “When SGA asked about it this year, I said, ‘Well last year,
nobody brought any complaints to my attention.’ I want to be able to trust students as long as [they] are able to do things that are school appropriate and respecting the space,” Bonitatibus said. “If [lunchtime gaming] is something that helps students relax, then I can support that.” The ability to play video games at school is also based on the formatting of the games themselves. “[Gaming]’s something that you can do really quickly and conveniently,” senior Ellen Chen said. “The games last a really short amount of time [so] each round is probably [a] maximum [of] two and a half minutes. If you do well, they can be a short as 30 seconds.”
WHY GAME? This ability to provide quick entertainment is one factor boosting the popularity of gaming, but the motivations behind it are really as varied as the games themselves. For junior Nathan Ma, gaming is a chance to escape from reality and chase success. “You’re in a virtual world where you can do quite a bit,” Ma said. “The accomplishments of the game, even if it’s superficial, just gives you this sense of achievement, and it’s a nice feeling. It’s something you work towards which kind of paid off.” Others, like Computer Science teacher Nicole Kim, developed a passion for gaming early on almost out of necessity, as a way to de-stress from academic work without relying on others. “I grew up in Korea so I studied too much -- [from] 7am to midnight -- then [I would come home and] really want to do something relaxing,” Kim said. “But there were no friend[s], at the time, to meet. Games were the most interesting thing.”
With her hand on the joystick of a Pac-Man arcade game, senior Liana Keesing plays the classic game as senior Jenny Pruitt wacthes. PHOTO // Sabria Kazmi
COVER STORY || FEB 13, 2019 09
Focusing intensely on a tiny screen, juniors Nathan Ma (left) and Danny Park (right) play each other in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a game they consistenly play at school during lunch.
PHOTOS // Sabria Kazmi
Tapping away on their screens, a group of seniors play a variety of games on their phones during a break between periods.
BENEFITS Gaming is not always a solitary endeavor, with some multiplayer games facilitating and even encouraging interaction between users. Sophomore Varun Asuri uses such interactions as a way to foster a sense of competition between old friends and new ones he met through the gaming community.
PHOTO // Sabria Kazmi
Focus and concentration are not the only disciplines enhanced through strategic gaming; Ma advocates that thinking uniquely is also a core element of success in mobile and console matches.
“Some games are similar to chess and they’re like, ‘Okay, he has these kind of moves that he can make, this certain stuff [you] can use. How are you going to combat that? What moves can you make in the future because of that?’ So some require you to think out of the box in that regard,” Ma said. “[And] there is the whole thing “I’ve had maybe two friends I don’t know personally, but I’ll play online with them. But mainly, I find my friends and have them come about hand-eye coordination, but I’m not going to pretend gaming is a better thing to build your reflexes than actual sports are.” over or play games with them [online],” Asuri said. “Most people think that video games [are] anti-social, but there [are] a lot of games that you can collaborate and go against your friends.” Competitiveness in the virtual sphere necessitates creativity and advanced reasoning when it comes to game strategy. Math teacher Corey Lightner, sponsor of Jefferson’s League of Legends gaming club, finds that concentration and dedication are the keys to being a successful player. “I think most games [require] a level of intelligence that people who don’t play don’t recognize. There’s a ton of strategy [and] thought that has to go into doing well,” Lightner said. “When you see people that are among the best at a game, it’s more than just, ‘Oh, I play a lot.’ That’s part of it, but it’s also [that] you’ve developed really good discipline and focus to maintain that level of skill all the time.”
DRAWBACKS
“It’s a nice break from everything in life, but I don’t think playing 24 hours past 10 days is healthy either,” Chen said. “If anything, that has a negative impact on my physical health.” This addictive nature of gaming means the onus is on the players to maintain a degree of balance in their lives and keep themselves from getting hooked. “You can kind of compare [gaming] to sugar. It’s nice, but too much of it isn’t good,” Asuri said. “If you get way too addicted [and] can’t go without it, then that’s a problem. But if you can have a balance, then it’s definitely nice to always be able to get that adrenaline rush you don’t normally get from other things.”
COVER STORY || FEB 13, 2019 11
EVOLUTION
“[My old friends and I are] actually have a gaming party that we’re setting up. We’re going to bring all our old X-Boxes and play Halo and old games” Seyler said. There are now many modern versions of classic games, so that even people who don’t have old consoles can play similar games to those from years before. In analyzing the comebacks of different series and genres of games, such as Pokemon and Nintendo, Asuri respects the longevity of those games that have continued to advance and adapt to modern technology. “Personally, it’s always nice to see old games that make new, improved versions because when they first came out, everyone liked them but eventually got bored of them,” Asuri said. “To see them come back with sequels and stuff [is] always interesting.”
Video game hardware sales made up
$6.9 Billion +
$
Courtesy of Business Insider
courtesy of Nielsen
50%
161.8 Million
Americans (or a half of the population) have a video game console. courtesy of Nielsen
Gameboy
While developers are constantly creating new video games, Seyler and his friends still enjoy playing their older games from time to time.
players monthly
118.69 Million
“I think it [has] become more accepted [to play video games]. I remember being in high school and playing the Pokemon games on the Game Boy with a friend, but we were kind of hiding. We didn’t really want people to know that we were playing Pokemon video games,” Lightner said. “That doesn’t seem to be so much of a thing anymore. I see kids here talk about [gaming] more than we did in high school.”
Image courtesy of Wikia
Nintendo DS
As the experience improved, attitudes toward gaming and the popular perception of those who engaged in it shifted as well.
91 Million
154.02 Million
“Growing up, you just pay $50 for the game and then you play the game. Now, most games operate on a subscription service or a DLC system or a loot system, so it’s less common to just buy a $50 game and have that be the whole experience,” Lightner said. “Even if you do buy a $50 game, there’s often stuff that comes out later you have to pay to download. A lot of games are free to play, and then you pay to buy stuff within the game.”
Minecraft is played by
PS 2
In addition to design improvements, Lightner has noticed that the economics of gaming has changed.
Stats
155 Million PS 2
“The first console that I remember having [was] a Turbo Graphics 16 and I would play the Smurfs game. And then I got a Sega Genesis and I would play Sonic the Hedgehog all the time. So that’s when I really started playing a lot more,” Design and Technology teacher Jared Seyler said. “On occasion, I’ll go back and revisit some of the old stuff. And it’s amazing how back then, you thought it was cuttingedge, like Nintendo 64 [was] 3D and everything. And then you go back and play and you’re like, ‘This is kind of terrible compared to what we play now’.”
Checking the
Units Sold
While video games today have become popular as home or portable devices around the world, gaming as we know it actually started in a twentieth-century research lab with the advent of Professor Higinbotham’s Pong-esque Tennis for Two. Since those humble beginnings, gaming has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry that spans numerous platforms from hand-held and web games to those based in virtual reality.
The Play Station 2 (PS 2) is the highest selling game console, followed closely by the Nintendo DS, and the Gameboy. Courtesy of wikipedia
STEPPING
UP
TO REPRESENT Jefferson’s Black Student Union stays true to AfricanAmerican culture through iNite Aafreen Ali and Claire Wilson || STAFF WRITERS
B
oom. Stomp. Clap. Stomp. You can hear the sounds from the next hallway over.
community have been previously exposed to step or have even stepped themselves, including Assistant Principal Volita Russell.
The members of the Black Student Union (BSU) move perfectly in sync, clapping and stomping to the lively beat. The energy is electric. This style of dance, called step, is a key part of BSU’s iNite performance act. iNite consists of many performances that reflect the cultures of their performers. BSU’s roots go a little deeper.
“I am a part of a sorority and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. It’s an African American lifetime sorority [where] we step,” Russell said. “I haven’t stepped in a while, but it’s part of our culture, part of what we do. It’s part of the tradition of being in a fraternity or sorority sponsored by the black Greek letter organizations.”
“In the black community, step is a traditional dance. We just wanted to stay consistent with these things that are African-American culture as opposed to just African culture,” senior Manna Haile, member of BSU, said.
BSU’s iNite performances have always reflected aspects of African-American culture at the time. In the past, when iNite was a much smaller event held in the Jefferson auditorium, BSU members danced, sang, sold cultural food at the food bazaar and modeled ethnic designs for the fashion show.
Step is a cornerstone in the African-American community. The dance style combines elements from modern dance and African ritual dances, making it a true product of African-American culture. Steppers use their whole bodies to stomp and clap, forming intricate rhythms. The dance has been a part of this culture for generations, dating back to the 1900s, when fraternities and sororities stepped to show school spirit. As such, many members of the black
“One time, they did ‘Dance through the Ages,’ like the history of dance,” counselor Andrea Smith said. “But they’ve done all different kinds of things. The step and the hip hop’s more recent.” Set to take place on Sunday, Feb. 10, iNite falls during Black History Month. This month, first proposed in 1969 and celebrated a year later, highlights African-Americans’ unique culture and contributions to society.
FEATURES || FEB 13, 2018 13 1. Together, seniors Sami Kale (far left), Neha Kosaraju, and Etaasha Jain practice some of the complicated steps of their iNite act. 2. During lunch in the IBET commons stairwell, senior Michael Yohannes rehearses his stepping for BSU’s iNite act. The steps, which include a lot of clapping and rhythmic body movement, must be perfectly on time to have maximum impact. 3. Slowly going through their steps, senior Alina Ampeh perfects some of her techniques during a BSU 8th period meeting. PHOTOS // Aafreen Ali, Grace Mak, Claire Wilson
“
It’s nice to see that people who aren’t black still want to be involved, senior Manna Haile said.
”
“It’s a time to think about what the people before you have done and the sacrifices they have made in order for you to get some of what you’re able to do, all the opportunities,” Smith said. Because Jefferson does not have as many AfricanAmerican students as other schools, BSU is multicultural, which changes the club’s perspective on Black History Month as a whole. For BSU members, the month is more about sharing their ideas about black culture and society rather than just celebrating it within their own communities. “It’s one of the rare points at TJ where you get to see representation from most cultures and I think it’s nice to see that people who aren’t black still want to be involved in it,” Haile said. To Russell, BSU allows students to have a place to build a support system and find kindred spirits. “I think it’s beautiful that [Jefferson has it],” Russell said. “Part of the objective is being able to build a network among each other, have support or resources, develop lifelong friendships, hopefully, [and] deal with any challenges that each other have based on their race or their culture.”
6
SPORTS
REGENERON
SEMI-FINALISTS Through the Regenron Science Talent Search, students push the boundaries of original research.
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rom the coupon collector problem to quantum decoherence, students at Jefferson have been able to share original research through the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Their findings have applications in the real world and prove their excellence in an ever-expanding scientific world Sonia Kanchan & Anuj Khemka || STAFF WRITERS
2
Lauryn Wu
Wu’s projects involving physics and quantum materials is just the beginning of what we will see of her, as she plans to major in physics and continue her research in college.
Abishek Allamsetty
Adam Ardeishar It started with coupons. More specifically, a math problem called the coupon collector problem, which Adam Ardeishar encountered last year at a math competition at MIT with TJ’s math team. “The people who wrote the contest, their solution was to brute force find the solution, which is not very satisfying,” Ardeishar said. And so, Ardeishar took measures into his own hand, connecting the problem to a statistics problem which takes on a similar format to the coupon collector problem but uses numbers known as gamma variables. “It’s related to a field of math called extreme value theory which is concerned with big deviations from the mean. This is relevant in, for example, stock trading,” Ardeishar said. In generalizing the problem, Ardeishar lent insight to how it behaves in numerous cases. Although he did not intend to showcase his results when he began the project, Ardeishar was recently announced as one of 40 finalists.
She didn’t believe her application was worthy. She believed it could’ve been better. Yet this senior’s high expectations left her with the title of a Regeneron scholar. Senior Lauryn Wu had done a previous research project relating to physics and quantum materials. Now, she wished to take it one step further. “I kind of wanted to take it to the next level. So I did another project, which is the project on quantum devices and find more applications in the real world.” Wu found that the materials she had discovered could pertain to quantum computers. “This could speed up research, like development of medicine and chemicals, financial modelings, and other necessary calculations,” Wu said.
3
With just a small change in temperature, powerful quantum computers can go from revolutionary to dysfunctional, and senior Abhishek Allamsetty set out to address “Through looking at lectures online, I was introduced to the problem of quantum decoherence. That really pushed me because I just wanted to know about this problem and how I could fix it.” Quantum decoherence is when quantum computers rapidly lose coherence due to slight changes in temperature from -270 C. In order to solve this problem, Allamsetty interned at the
SCI-TECH| Feb 8 2019 15 Joint Quantum Institute under Dr. Jay Deep Sau. “It was just really great -[Dr. Sau] gave me an office at UMD in the Joint Quantum Institute. I had my own board, [where] I would work there for hours and I decided upon a certain strategy,” Allamsetty said. Allamsetty eventually developed a machine learning decoder to minimize quantum decoherence with the end goal being the mass adoption of quantum computers.
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Caption: In the top row, from left to right, sits Wenbo Wu, Abishek Allamsetty, and Adam Ardeishar. In the bottom row, from left to right, sits AP Volita Russell, Lauryn Wu, Rachel Naidich, and Principal Ann Bonitatibus.
“Seeing that a company has said that ‘We do think that this can help people with rehabilitation’ [has] made me feel that even as a high school student, I can have an impact and so can anyone else.”
Grace Qi Rachel Naidich Knee injuries don’t usually have advantages, but for Rachel Naidich, her’s opened her eyes to the issues with physical therapy. “We’ve made so many advances in other medical fields, but my physical therapists haven’t really done much to analyze what is wrong with me, they just printed out like a generic plan for me to do at home,” Naidich said. In response to the issue, Naidich developed a device for the knee equipped with sensors to track the joint throughout physical therapy and rehabilitation. “If we’re constantly collecting data on people and their progress, we can start tailoring our treatment for people, and specialize our treatment to every individual patient,” Naidich said. This year, Naidich is continuing her research to refine the device for a local biotech company, which licensed the tech over the summer.
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Working on a project for so long led the project to lose importance in her life, but senior Grace Qi’s emergence as Regeneron semifinalist was an affirmation of her achievements. “I was so surprised because when you work on a research project, or anything really, for so long, it becomes not so special anymore. It’s like having dinner at an expensive restaurant every day,” Qi said. Qi’s project explores hair testing, an alternate form of drug testing, which allows for a longer window of detection.
Qi hopes to see this project applied in the real world, as it truly may be the deciding factor in someone’s life. “[Its] the tangible impact. A false positive test can mean getting your kid taken away from you, losing your job, etc. when you did nothing wrong,” Qi said.
Wenbo Wu
6 Senior Wenbo Wu, a biology-oriented student found his calling in the Jefferson Quantum and Optics Lab. While observing DNA sequencing devices and their lack of accuracy, Wu made the decision to delve deeper into their electrical parts, with the help of Dr. Luo. His project investigates the magnetic properties of electron band structures that some materials possess. This can be applied to computing devices that employ the electron’s spin. “I think that it’ll pave an electronics revolution of sorts, increasing the accessibility by lowering the costs of more efficient electronic parts,” Wu said.
BUT INTEGRATED BUT
EXPERIENCING
Longstanding IBET practices evolve evolve to to fit fit FCPS FCPS policy policy
Shruthi Nyshadham || Online Managing Editor PHOTOS // Ananda Kalukin
TRANSITIONS TRANSI-
S
alamanders. Deer poop. Microbial fuel cells. These IBET projects, just a sampling of the research that freshman are conducting this year, can transcend the classroom to become a kind of communal identity. This is the power of IBET, or Integrated Biology, English, and Technology, which has long been the foundation of integrated coursework at Jefferson. Each IBET is comprised of three sets of classmates, or rotations, who share the same teachers. Students often form lasting friendships within their IBET on their way to completing a year-long research project and learning unique skills born out of the intersections between subjects. “[IBET] taught me the skill of scientific research. I remember at the beginning of the year I had a lot of difficulty finding the balance between background reading and citable sources for papers,” senior Sarah Gold said. “Being in an IBET with a mini project and the main project meant we wrote four big papers. I got a lot of practice with those skills.”
SPLITTING UP IBET Due to staffing and scheduling changes implemented this school year, termed “split IBETS”, have disrupted the conventional format. “Our schedules said our rotation had Ms. Fisher, and the two other rotations had Mrs. Holman,” freshman Ashley Chen said. In Chen’s split IBET, all three rotations have the the same English and Tech teachers, but Biology is split between two instructors: Aubrie Holman and Jennifer Fisher. In another IBET, Tech is divided between Kristen Kucko and Darcie Jones. The new system was necessitated by Fairfax County Public Schools policy, under which teachers are contracted to teach only five classes a school year. “Many IBET teachers were teaching two IBETS, which gave them six classes. The county wasn’t paying them for this extra class,” Mark Hannum, the Jefferson Sci-Tech Division Manager, said. “Although the teachers who were teaching six [classes] were doing it because they loved IBET and the IBET system, fundamentally it was an unfair labor practice.” When FCPS declined to pay teachers for the extra sixth class required to carry two full IBETs, the split IBET system was born to reduce each teacher’s course load to the contractual five.
RESPONSE “Overall it has been a good experience, but it is really challenging to work in two different rooms,” Kucko said. “Sharing materials and supplies with other classes is challenging. Flexing with a split IBET is challenging.” Flexing is the practice of breaking up integrated classes in a way that doesn’t align with the bell schedule, often to deliver coordinated content without time constraints.
SCI-TECH || FEB 13, 2019 25 “Any change is difficult, and unsurprisingly, changing a program that has been around as long as IBET has fostered some additional challenges,” Hannum said. “Teachers are working hard to coordinate class instruction, the large scale IBET projects, and the very important social and emotional benefits of IBET.” In one such effort, Holman and Fisher initially coordinated to teach their classes together instead of following the split schedule. However, once Holman went on maternity leave, Fisher and Holman’s substitute teacher adhered to the split pattern. Surprisingly, they by-and-large don’t see tangible differences between the two systems. “It’s pretty normal. Whenever we talk about bio with anybody outside of [our rotation], they know we’re not on the same thing,” freshman Nitin Kanchinadam, a split-Biology IBET student, said. “It doesn’t really affect us that much.” In terms of instruction, students believe the quality of their teachers is more important to the classroom experience than which structure is followed. The fact that each rotation is still together, even if the IBETs they pertain to are split, further factors into this feeling.
IMPLICATIONS IBET friendships are more commonly formed within rotations than between them, so it makes sense that by preserving intra-rotation dynamics, split IBETS have managed to be a near non-issue among students. But the lack of backlash against upsetting the balance of IBET, one of the Jefferson’s most distinct and touted features, begs the question: how important, and how meaningful, are integrated courses?
Head to tjtoday.org to read more about the role of integrated courses in Jefferson’s curriculum. 1. Discussing the next steps of their data collection, freshman Taylor Nguyen plans with her classmates on how to observe the pools in preparation for studying salamander egg masses. 2. While surveying the pools for egg masses, freshman Colin Wang uses his phone to take a picture. 3. During their IBET field trip to Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, freshman Colin Wang and Franco Scartascini react to something in the distance before beginning their research.
TWINBrothers TWINFlags Sophomore twins Nathan and Aidan Harbison experience both the warmth and the annoyance of being on the color guard team together. Irina Lee & Connie Ryu || TEAM LEADER & STAFF WRITER
A
t once loving and competitive, the relationship shared between sophomore twins Nathan and Aidan Harbison is a unique mixture of snark and unspoken understanding. From something as small as racing home after school to playing video games against each other, Nathan and Aidan have also experienced friction from being too close too much of the time. “It’s a love-hate relationship,” Aidan said. “Nathan will give me a nice birthday card and then he’ll scream at me the day after.” Although the twins have shared innumerable firsts, color guard was not among them. Aidan was first introduced to the team sport by his sophomore friend, Suemin Yang, during the winter season of his freshman year. After enjoying it so much, he knew Nathan would enjoy it as well and convinced him to join him the fall season this year. “I enjoyed it because it was something I hadn’t done before,” Aidan said. “It was new to me. It was fun to get better at something that I’ve never done before. Like, seeing your progress in real time.” As usual, the toll of spending too much time with another person, no
matter how close the relationship, placed a strain on both. “If the season for fall [color] guard was any longer, I don’t think I would have made it,” Aidan said. “It gets to be a little much. I’ve known him my entire life and to stick with him for not only multiple classes, but then also to spend like three hours a day, three days a week after school with him is a little bit too much.” Even as the brothers complained in retrospect, both originally felt the loss from the lack of shared time after school. Before being on the team together, the twin brothers had not seen each other very often on a day-to-day basis, as both had conflicting schedules. “Normally, we just have different things going on, so we’re not home at the same time,” Nathan said. Ultimately, the twins couldn’t help but appreciate the extra hours spent being by each other’s side. “It’s a lot of fun to have someone you know doing something [with you] even if it’s your brother,” Aidan said. “Sometimes it’s a little bit annoying, but it’s also a lot of fun to have someone you know when you’re participating in anything.” For Nathan, his relationship with his
1 brother served as a foundation on which he could build friendships with others. “If you have somebody that you know, you can rely on them,” Nathan said. “But it also allows you to get to know other people better while still having somebody.” Beyond the more practical ease of commute, the twins agreed that this was one of several positives of the experience. As time wore on, Aidan found himself mirrored in Nathan’s progress. “It’s an easier default,” Aidan said. “It’s also fun to introduce someone that you know very, very personally to the sport whereas when Suemin introduced me to the sport, I was entering into it and I couldn’t see anything or my progress. But with Nathan, I could see how he reacted to the sport and it was similar to my first reaction which I couldn’t see.”
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SPORTS|| Feb, 13 2019 19
Sprinting
HOME
for
Twins in the same sport can spur one another on to greater heights Irina Lee & Connie Ryu|| TEAM LEADER & STAFF WRITER
Bigger, faster, stronger. Sibling rivalry often works more wonders than the toughest training regime. On any given sports team, members can motivate one another, but when a teammate is a sibling that lives in the same house and goes to the same school, this bond can transform into fierce competition. Juniors Ethan and Tucker Stanley have run on the cross country and track teams together since freshman year. Each enjoys the feeling of running individually, but in competition together, they know that they can find a worthy adversary in the other. “A big part of it is that when you’re racing or competing against other people you don’t know how good they are,” Ethan said. “But I always know that if I run with him, I’m going to have a good time.” This internal competition pushes both to do better in a way that friends never could. “Competing with him brings another level of competition,” Tucker said. “Sure, I want to do well in general, but I also want to beat my brother, which I usually do.”
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Caption: 1.While practicing cones, Nathan and Aidan Harbison improve basic flag handling technique. 2 . At an indoor track race, Ethan and Tucker Stanley finish the last stretch together 3. At a cross country meet, Ethan and Tucker Stanley run side by side.
The
ROAD RECOVERY to
Jefferson athletes bounce back from athletic injuries Aafreen Ali and Anuj Khemka || STAFF WRITERS
T
wo million injuries. 500,000 doctor visits. 30,000 hospitalizations. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, nearly 30 million American adolescents participate in sports, and a shocking number of these youth athletes get hurt every year. In one moment, one errant step, an athlete’s entire life can change.
Unlike Wadhwa, senior Danny Kim was not immediately aware of a significant injury when he received it. In Jefferson’s second football game of the 2018 season, he was trying to make a tackle and strip the ball from an opposing player when his finger bent backwards and gave way.
“When I first got injured, I really didn’t know how serious it One Jefferson athlete whose life was affected by a sudden injury was--I thought I’d just jammed my finger, and when I went to [Ms. was senior Aaron Wadhwa, who was at a state bhangra team practice Murphy], I actually just wanted to ice my finger,” Kim said. “But they when his knee took a sharp twist. quickly realized that it was something much more than that.” “I jumped up in the air and twisted my leg to the side. I heard a loud pop and couldn’t walk properly,” Wadhwa said.
Heather Murphy, the athletic trainer at Jefferson, diagnosed Kim with jersey finger, a condition in which the tendon in his fingers had ruptured. In Kim’s case, it was the tendon closest to the first joint on After being unable to sleep due to the pain, Wadhwa went to the orthopedic surgeon, where the doctor informed him that he’d torn a his ring finger, causing him to miss most of the football season. ligament in his knee and would need surgery. “It’s sort of depressing in a way, knowing that you won’t play again and watching everyone else practicing, going through all those hard “They went in and operated on it and removed a section of my times in games, while I’m just standing on the sidelines, just cheering knee,” Wadhwa said. “I was on crutches for a while.” them on,” Kim said.
SPORTS || FEB 13, 2018 21
Physical therapy was critical for both athletes throughout the recovery process. Working with nearby doctors as well as athletic trainers, Kim and Wadhwa completed stretches and exercises pertaining to their respective injuries. “I had to go through physical therapy for about six or seven months,” Wadhwa said. “While I was playing basketball and going to practices, I’d play, and it would be a lot of pain. So I’d have to do physical therapy and ice a lot to reduce that.” As the months passed, the injury subsided, and by April 2018, Wadhwa was no longer feeling pain from the ligament tear. Wadhwa continued to wear a knee brace for athletic activity until a dance performance in July 2018, when he finally removed the support. “I was the captain of a dance performance and so that was really refreshing because I think it was the anniversary of the injury. That was a good point for me because I [had] completely recovered and didn’t feel that pain anymore,” Wadhwa said. Kim, on the other hand, experienced far more uncertainty in a short period of time. “My doctor told me I’d be out for the whole season. Ms. Murphy told me that it would be very unlikely that I’d play again -- I was still hopeful but that was what everyone was telling me -- that I wouldn’t play again,” Kim said.
Close to the end of the six weeks, Kim found out his season was not over yet when his doctor cleared him to play the last two games of the football season with his splint. Murphy padded his splint to prevent his tendon from rupturing again. On Kim’s return, the Colonials went on to win their Senior Night game 28-0 and end the season on a high note. “Knowing that this is probably the last football I’m going to play in my life, it meant a lot,” Kim said. “That we did it all together, the seniors, and all the underclassmen that played, it just made the experience a lot better.” Although the injuries led to consistent setbacks and frustration, they also brought about positive adaptations in each player’s game. “The biggest thing I saw [change] in my game was probably patience. Just me doing physical therapy every single day, taking forever. Even if day 30 physical therapy doesn’t feel good, day 31 might be better,” Wadhwa said. “It taught me that patience is really important and so I saw that evolve in my game too because I’ll be patient with what I do on the floor.” Ultimately, both injured and healthy athletes are advised to maintain their physical conditions for their respective sports. “One of the best ways to prevent injuries is to be strong and flexible,” Murphy said. “Do not play a sport to get in shape, get in shape to play your sport.”
1. After school, senior Danny Kim receives consultation from Ms. Murphy for his injured finger. 2. Shortly after his injury, Wadhwa attempts to walk while using crutches for support. 3. As part of the therapy process, Kim presses his finger against putty from the athletic injury clinic. PHOTOS // Anuj Khemka and Dev Mittar
In Support of
New Voices
LEAD EDITORIAL
Proposed “New Voices” bill would provide valuable protections for student journalists in Virginia.
OPINION || FEB 13, 2019 23
Originally published online on tjTODAY.org on Jan. 23, 2019. Since then, the New Voices bill was struck down in committee on Jan. 28 with a vote of 5 to 3.
T
he paper here at school is mine to control.
about competitive research,and political issues that affect These nine words marked Principal Andy Campbell’s our student body. The “New Voices” bill would ensure that student writers all across Virginia have the same confidence statement to The Kansas City Star after student to tell stories like these without fear of censorship or other journalists at Harrisonville High School in Harrisonville, Mo. published an article on the district superintendent’s resignation legal consequences. Without such a mandate, student writers develop their craft either with the perpetual fear of censorship without Campbell’s approval of their story. hanging over their heads, or with the safety blanket of knowing This tension between student journalists and school their work will be reviewed and verified for integrity by others. administrators over who has the authority to determine what Neither prepares them for the world of professional journalism can be published is not unique to Harrisonville. Principal that lies beyond. Clarence Burton III pulled a story about the spread of a Even though we attend a school where the administration new drug at Fauquier High School in Warrenton, Va., citing respects and supports our freedom of speech, many writers concerns about the appropriateness of the topic. Even at our for tjTODAY still hesitate to cover controversial topics due school, where we receive steadfast support from administrators to fear of backlash. In one instance, a staffer wanted to speak and have the freedom to set our own agenda of content, journalists and sources alike worry about institutional blowback out about what she felt was an unfair dress code policy with a personal anecdote but worried about the repercussions she when discussing weighty topics. could face for writing an opinion piece on the issue. As formal A new bill in the Va. General Assembly could potentially legal protection for this type of free expression, the “New prevent student journalists from punishment from their Voices” bill would go a long way toward assuaging such fears. school’s administration. In response to the multitude of cases Publications also have strict and timely deadlines, ones that regarding student newspaper censorship, former journalists Delegate Chris Hurst and Delegate Danica Roem have would be extremely difficult to meet if a school administrator introduced a bill that would give student journalists free had to review every article before being published. tjTODAY speech protection. House Bill 2382, often referred to as strives to post on our website daily and publishes a 28-page the “New Voices” bill, would make it illegal for school magazine nearly every month. If any content had to be changed or removed due to the administration’s disapproval, it is likely administrators to censor student writing unless it is libelous, slanderous, invasive to an individual’s privacy, that our deadlines would not be met. Prior review guidelines also eat away at the time administrators have to fulfill their other or otherwise illegal. responsibilities for keeping the school running. According to the Student Press Law Center, 14 states across the country have already passed a version of the After looking at the language of the bill, the staff of “New Voices” bill into law. Remaining states, including tjTODAY strongly supports the passing of the new legislation. Virginia, currently follow the precedent set by the 1988 It would strike a balance between protecting student journalists telling important stories and ensuring misleading, defamatory, Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier case, in which the Supreme or incendiary content is still blocked from publication. Every Court ruled that a school can censor“articles that it student publication deserves the freedom to write about deemed inappropriate and that might appear to have the imprimatur [support] of the school”. This decision issues prevalent in their school community without fear of being punished. Journalism is a tool for positive change, and has set too vague a standard to guarantee free press protections, leaving the door open for the censorship the freedom to initiate that change by writing pieces on indepth subjects should not be reserved only for professional of content that sheds light on scandals or critiques publications. Student journalists deserve the same opportunity school administration. to wield the power of the press in order to raise awareness, At our school, we are fortunate to not require a push for progress, and make a difference. The New Voices bill prior review from administration before publishing is integral to providing students with this right and improving our online and print articles. This has encouraged us journalistic practices in public schools across the state. to cover complex and controversial subjects, such as Read the full article at tjtoday.org sexual harassment, mental health, ethical concerns ILLUSTRATION // Samantha Yap
WELCOME High schoolers all over the country scramble to get internships, but the question must be asked: Is the experience really worth it?
PHOTO // Praneeth Penmetsa
E
TO THE
REAL WORLD Annika Duneja, Zander Kuebler, Rachel Lewis || STAFF WRITER
veryone wake up. This is not a drill, this is the real world. this option. Recess is over, and we have to grow up. This is you choosing the life you have ahead of you, and there is no time to slack off. Again, I repreat, this is not a drill. Welcome to the real world. Fortunately, by participating in an internship over the summer, students can lessen their time constraints. Students who participated in a summer internship found that there was little to dislike. They reaped many of the benefits from full year Internships are a way for students to discover what having a internships — without added anxiety from having to balance job in an intriguing field entails. They provide learning opporinternship work with schoolwork. tunities, insight into future careers, and understanding into what Additionally, a student going into a real world job experience the real world is like. However, for students who must work may struggle to correctly manage their time. To remedy this, diligently to stay on top of their high school assignments, are some summer internships provide a structured schedule to keep the pressures of having an internship too much? students on track and working efficiently. Students who engaged For dedicated students, the answer is no. Before even partak- in an internship that gave schedule suggestions found it conveing in an internship, many students are required to undergo an nient, and said it assisted with time management. application process which may involve answering essay questions and obtaining a teacher recommendation. Despite this process, students who have participated in an internship say it was definitely worth it. Specifically, learning skills used in the So why are some students reluctant to do a summer internworkforce, working in their field of interest and actually apply- ship? Students who have participated in summer internships ing knowledge learned in school are invaluable gains. suggest that a genuine interest in the field and a willingness One of the determining factors when deciding whether to to commit to the internship’s demands will lead to a positive engage in an internship is time. Having to deal with transporinternship experience. However, a lack of commitment would tation to and from the location, working a full day, and doing result in the internship becoming only a burden. In addition work at home are worries many students have when considering to the work done at the internship location, there are often
SUMMER INTERNSHIPS
BACKGROUND
COMMITMENT
OPINION || FEB 13, 2019 25 video calls and other internship related tasks that, even during the summer, eat into students’ schedules. It’s because of this commitment that without enthusiasm for the internship, the rewards will not outweigh the costs. At that point, internships are no longer worth it.
THE REWARD Many students in internships who enjoyed their role and put in the time have found them to be great learning experiences despite the challenges. At its heart, the idea of doing an internship is absolutely worth it, providing insight to a possible futures for high schoolers. Internships, although valuable, require time and effort, but the significant obligations associated with internships are easier to handle during the summer. Most importantly, true passion is what justifies the time and labor commitments that accompany an internship. If a student enjoys a certain subject, and wishes to continue in that trajectory, they will find internships an ideal way to be introduced to a career in that field.
TOP THREE
INTERNSHIPS INFOGRAPHIC // Sidarth Ram, MiJin Cho
NIH -Bethesda, MD -Medical/Biotechnology -age varies based on program
SEAP
ASSIP -George Mason University -Hypothesis-driven Research -16 years-old and up
-Department of Navy -Technology in Defense Community -16 years-old and up
PHOTO // MITRE Corporations 1. Before entering the Capitol building and Library of Congress, Bank of America Student Leadership interns, seniors Dheeraj Jassal and Isha Kunnath and Jefferson alumna Maggie Kirtley, stand in front of the Capitol building, where they spent a week in a leadership summit to discuss public policy and meet Members of Congress. 2. Working on their research projects over the final weeks of summer, juniors Sarah Gu, Neeyanth Kopparapu, and Sanjana Meduri prepare for their final presenations for the MITRE EMerging Technology Department internship, where interns were paired with professional mentors.
DESIGN // Justin Chang
PHOTO // Sophia Kianni
PHOTO // Saanjh Khattar
CONCERT
B
right lights. A roaring crowd. Excitement in the air. The energy in the venue strategically allowing everyone to let go of their worries and simply absorb the music. Whether it’s Drake, Halsey or Travis Scott, many of us would give anything to go to a concert, to listen to these artists sing their hearts out, and in turn, forget about the truckload of schoolwork waiting back home. Sophomore Teja Valluri goes to concerts every three months, with around 50 percent of them occurring on school nights. “I try to finish the schoolwork I need to do whenever I have free time or if I need to, stay up later than normal to finish it, because concerts are worth it,” Valluri said. Concerts don’t lose their meaning for Valluri either. Each and every one is special, especially ones featuring Travis
Scott. “During a concert, I feel so hype, like I’m on top of cloud nine. Concerts are such fun and fast places. [Afterwards] I feel like I just had the best night of my life, even if it’s my tenth concert,” Valluri said. For sophomore Saanjh Khattar, it’s not just fun which drives her outings, but also her dedication and commitment to certain artists. “I go to see a lot of rappers that I’ve been listening to for a long time. My favorites ones have been Drake and Migos because I went with my brother and we have been his ‘OG’ fans for many years so it was special to go,” Khattar said. Khattar attends concerts once every two to four weeks, but the date she goes is determined by which artists are performing. Like Valluri, Khattar plans ahead when she
ENTERTAINMENT || FEB 08, 2019 27
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CRAZY Sonia Kanchan || STAFF WRITER
can, if she knows that there is an upcoming concert she has tickets for. Planning ahead allows her not to stress during concerts, and instead just live in the moment. “There’s no better feeling than when you’re in a concert because you can let go of all your other worries and just be in the moment with your friends and the artist,” Khattar said. Friends, in more ways than one, can be what makes or breaks a concert. “I usually go with my base school friends and my sister because they all have the same taste in music as me,” Kianni said. Kianni goes to concerts every month or two on average. She will usually go on weekends or over breaks, but if an artist she really likes is performing, she won’t miss it. Other than just going to concerts with friends, Kianni
The concert-goers of the Jefferson community enjoy the vibes of a wide array of concerts, especially those taking place on weeknights.
also finds joy in meeting new people there. “My favorite concert I’ve ever been to would probably be a tie between Chris Brown and Travis Scott because for both of those concerts I bought regular seats and ended up being able to get a free upgrade to front row because of people we made friends with there,” Kianni said. In between homework, quizzes and tests, applications for college and internships, and all those extracurriculars, Jefferson students need a way to lay back and let go. “Try to go to concerts more often. Trust me you’ll have a lot more fun and listening to music will never feel the same again,” Valluri said.
DEFINING YOUR
PHOTO // Lynn Nguyen REPORTING // Lynn Nguyen
OWN PATH
“
[Teenagers] just want to FIGURE THEMSELVES OUT and they just want to FIND THEIR WAY in this world. My job isn’t just to teach them math, but it’s to give them the LITTLE BIT OF WISDOM I have from my experiences. The things I do in the classroom - me singing to myself, me being silly, me poking fun at you all are calculated things to show you I’M A REAL PERSON WHO’S AFFECTED BY EMOTION.
Don’t let any teacher or any adult define WHO YOU ARE. Listen to us, because we’re going to stop you from making some mistakes. So take our advice, but learn to DISTINGUISH BETWEEN ADVICE that is for your well being, versus advice that’s trying to tell you who you should be. DON’T LET ANYBODY TELL YOU WHO YOU SHOULD BE.
”
MATH TEACHER
DAVID HILL|| WHAT I VE LEARNED