May 2019

THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECH || ALEXANDRIA, VA

TJTODAY MAY. 3, 2018 || VOL 4 ISSUE 6 || www. tjtoday.org

THE MAGAZINE

ONE Perspectives on the place of reading and how to make time for it FOR THE

BOOKS

CONTENTS EDITORIAL BOARD Editors-in-Chief MiJin Cho Sabria Kazmi Online Managing Editor Shruthi Nyshadham

06

ONE FOR THE BOOKS An analysis of the culture of reading at TJ

04

BROADCAST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Lynn Nguyen

TEAM LEADERS

12

Justin Chang Pratika Katiyar Irina Lee Grace Mak

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

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.

26

18

Entertainment

In-Depth

26

04

Bullseye

Book review of fantasy novel Sherwood

Animal Rights: Soar to New Heights

Profile of animal rights activitist June Ok

12

Dear Friend

Little Miss Sunshine members write letters to friends around the world

CONTENTS AND ONLINE || MAY 3 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.

NEW AP PRE-REGISTRATION

COMMA CLUB

FBS VIRGINIA STATE BOWL

Submit a Letter to the Editor WHY WRITE A LETTER?

HOW DO I WRITE A LETTER?

• You want to speak out.

• You want to persuade others.

• You want to be heard.

• You have an idea.

• You want to educate the public

Sci-Tech

Sports

14

18

From Child to Leader

Girls tennis team experiences expansion of the team

16

20

New passions for in science fairs

• Visit www.tjtoday.org.

• Select “Get in Touch’ on the top menu.

• Select “Submit a Letter to the Editor.”

• Fill out the form and click submit.

Players Galore

Techstrav planning is in full swing

The Reward in Research

Letters should be no more than 300 words, refer to a specific article, and include the writer’s full name and email address.

Through the Playbook

The breakdown of the roles in the boys varsity lacrosse team

Opinion 22 The New Way of Conversation Lead Editorial: Discussions in the age of social media

20

The Paper Debate

The debate between the use of paper and new technology in the classroom

Photo Courtesy of June Ok

In front of a Smithfield slaughterhouse, where over 33,000 pigs are slaughtered per day, protestors line up.

Among rows of protesters, June Ok glares as trucks carrying pigs enter the slaughterhouse.

ANIMAL RIGHTS Ananda Kalukin || STAFF WRITER

HEIGHTS

SOAR

TO NEW

Animal rights advocate senior June Ok makes her goal of ending animal cruelty a lifelong mission.

H

undreds of people line up in front of the United States capitol in Washington, D.C on a sunny day in August. They are not sightseers.

They are animal rights activists. Their goal: create a life free of animal cruelty. Jefferson senior and animal rights advocate June Ok stands alongside this crowd as they wave signs urging people to end animal abuse.

Ok’s quest to end animal abuse began when she was in seventh grade, after she saw footage of a slaughterhouse.

“Back in seventh grade, I was scrolling through Youtube and then this footage of a slaughterhouse came up.” Ok said. “It sort of just clicked for me, and it was like the disconnect in my brain between farm animals and and animals we love, like dogs and cats, sort of broke, and so I went vegetarian that day.”

In February 2019, Ok co-founded the Our World Long Lived (OWLL) Foundation, previously known as Help Our Animals and Planet (HOAP). Although the organisation is mainly focused on animals, it also incorporates environmental- and human-focused projects.

“The [OWLL] foundation integrates the different pillars of the Earth - the environment, humans and animals. It’s not just an animal rights-like organization, but it’s trying to accomplish all three aspects of it.” Ok said.

PHOTO // Grace Mak Holding a sign advocating against animal slaughter, Ok stands proudly for her cause.

The OWLL Foundation is currently trying to ban the sale of fur in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. So far, a petition by the foundation to ban fur has collected about 1,500 signatures in Loudon and 500 in Fairfax.

FEATURES || MAY 3, 2019 05 The organization plans to take the petition to the Loudoun and Fairfax County Boards of Supervisors in late April or early May.

“Less than 1 percent of the amount of money that the government uses to subsidize animal products is used on produce, and people just don’t have access to produce and plant-based products, which makes “We are currently doing campaigns to ban the sale of fur in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.” Ok said. “We made a petition online veganism less accessible. So I think that’s a big problem. Shifting those subsidies from the more unsustainable animal products to as well as in person go around to get signatures from people in plant-based products would be a big step.” Ok said. apartment complexes, as well as at universities like George Mason.

And we’re also doing protests in front of Tyson’s Galleria, where they Ok believes that animal consumption takes too many resources. sell fur, and other places.”

While there are enough plant-based products to feed the world, animal products take away from those resources.

In addition to her work with the OWLL Foundation, Ok participates in animal rights protests and Anonymous for the Voiceless (AV), an organisation dedicated to ending animal abuse.

“Through demonstrations, we aim to expose the industrial exploitation of animals to the public and offer a new perspective on the way we view animals.”

Ok said. “Several of us activists wearing Guy Fawkes masks stand in a square formation, holding up screens playing footage of the horrific abuse that animals endure behind the closed doors of animal agriculture and other industries. Passersby interested in the footage stop and watch, and we explain the footage and the ideas behind veganism.”

“It takes a lot less resources to produce plant based foods. By feeding that to animals and then eating the animals we look like, it’s very inefficient, and we lose a lot of energy and resources. Currently, we produce enough plant-based foods to feed the entire world. By feeding it to animals, there’s obviously this discrepancy there.”

“THE SUFFERING OF

HUMANS

DOES NOT MAKE THE SUFFERING OF

ANIMALS

About one third of Americans believe animals and humans should have equal rights.

The OWLL foundation focuses on improving human and animal conditions. “[Critics] try to pit animal rights against human rights, but they fail to realize that they’re both very interconnected. The suffering of humans does not make the suffering of animals okay,” Ok said.

Ok has more plans for the future. In college, she hopes to be more involved in AV, rescues, - SENIOR JUNE OK and possibly start a YouTube channel to educate The average American ate 222 pounds of people about animal abuse. She is also working to promote red meat and poultry in 2018. This year, meat production in the U.S. veganism with city gardens. is predicted to total 103.3 billion pounds, which is a new record. Ok “In terms of veganism, we’re also trying to start these inner city encourages veganism to reduce this level of consumption. school gardens.” Ok said. “There’s something called food deserts “A lot of times, we don’t want to think about the animals that end where people don’t have access to fresh produce. We’re trying up on our plate, we just want to enjoy our food, enjoy the moment, to make that possible. As we gain more traction and get more but by really considering what happens behind closed doors and donations, we hope to try to make those products available.” what happens in these industries that we can try and align our actions She also aims to improve the large difference in government with our goals.” Ok said. “Ultimately, as consumers, the future of subsidies for animal and plant products. these industries [and] the future of these animals are in our hands.”

OKAY.”

INFOGRAPHIC // Aafreen Ali and Sid Ram

The Vegetarian Society

General Club Information Meetings: Friday 8th Period B Block

What’s New? The Vegetarian Society is transitioning into the Animal Rights Club (ARC).

What ARC does: - Spread awareness about the exploitation of animals in several industrues - Discuss the moral and ethical dilemma surrounding veganism and vegetarianism - Raise funds to organize and run projects to benefit animals

Tips from the Officers: What are some isconceptions about going vegetarian/helping the environment?

“You don’t have to go completely vegetarian or vegan in order to make a significant impact on the environment,” junior Angeli Mittal said.

“In my [opinion on] nutrition, I feel like it’s not that hard to be conscious of what you’re eating,” junior Sweta Parajuli said.

Photo Courtesy of June Ok The Vegetarian Society officers pose for a picture in the dome. (From left to right) sophomore Lilia Smith, junior Anjeli Mittal, junior Sweta Parajuli, and senior June Ok.

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COVER STORY || MAY 3, 2019 07

A

ny procrastinator knows the last day of summer break is for cramming in the summer assignments you’ve had weeks to complete.

This often includes reading (or for some of you, SparkNotes-ing) a book for humanities classes. During this coming break, however, students will no longer be assigned summer reading as a result of a new school policy eliminating mandatory summer assignments. In the wake of this change, it’s worth considering the role of reading—both in and outside of school—in the Jefferson community.

Ch. 1 The News This new rule gives students an opportunity to have no homework over their break, but it also strongly impacts English classes that normally incorporate summer reading assignments into their course.

Junior and senior English teacher Maria Gilbert has had a similar calendar for her classes after years of teaching the same courses, but now must adjust her schedule and find a way to fit in time to read what would have been a summer book into the school year without overwhelming students.

“I know for a fact that it’s going to shift everything over, and I’ll have to make some really hard decisions about either eliminating books or changing books because of their length,” Gilbert said.

Having to adjust her calendar was not Gilbert’s only concern though, she felt that having all students read a summer book was a unifying experience for students.

“It’s really nice to start the school year with a book already read and to be able to talk about books and be excited about books and learning how to analyze books,” Gilbert said. “It’s nice to have that shared text, that shared experience, even if it’s just reacting to characters and to stories. It’s a bonding experience that can be established early on.”

Although in favor of no school assignments over summer for most subjects, sophomore Muhurto Rahman appreciated having summer reading.

“Most of the books that I’ve had to read for summer reading were always relatively interesting and filled up boring summer days. They didn’t take too much out of my summer either,” Rahman said.

The change to no summer reading does not affect him much though because he plans to read on his own instead.

“I read during the summer on my own, usually philosophy or something recommended to me by a friend,” Rahman said. “Not having summer reading just means that I’ll be reading for fun instead of school, which doesn’t make that much of a difference.”

Laura Gersony, 12 PHOTO // Sabria Kazmi

COVER STORY || MAY 3, 2019 09

Ch. 2 The Reader A 2019 tjTODAY survey of Jefferson students found that nearly 97% of them read for fun more frequently before high school. This fact resonates personally with senior Laura Gersony, who found that the rigorous Jefferson schedule left her little time for books.

“I stopped in freshman and [the] beginning of sophomore year at TJ, because my schedule kind of prohibited that,” Gersony said. “[But] at some point during my sophomore year, I made the decision that my learning was not going to start and end in the classroom.”

Finding the time to make that a reality required a hint of creativity.

“I think the secret is carrying a book around at school. There’s downtime built into certain classes when you finish a test or a quiz and have 20 minutes with nothing to do,” Gersony said.

“That accumulates over time. Plus, [I read] a bit before I go to bed. So it adds up, and it doesn’t add too much strain to my schedule.”

Where did the go?

READING

Benefits of Reading on Students

#1 Better skill acquisition (speech, memory, etc.) #2 superior grades and analytical thinking #3 a desirable life (as measured by income, profession, employment)

reading for fun declines around ages

Gersony’s determination to prioritize reading culminated in a book club she co-founded with fellow senior Samantha Yap last year. It has also transformed Gersony’s view on the role of reading in personal development.

“I think my reading began as just something I found amusing,” Gersony said. “But eventually, it transformed into an activity in which I really understand my purpose in the world. [It gave me] a greater sense of what I, as an individual, should do with a privilege I’ve been given. Now that I’ve gotten older, I understand more, and that knowledge translates into action.”

Similar to Gersony, freshman Micaela Wells sometimes also struggles to balance her love of reading with Jefferson’s intense workload.

“In eighth grade, homework didn’t take a very long time, so I was reading a lot more. [Now] I read only half as much, maybe less,” Wells said. “Homework is the biggest factor that prevents me from reading. I might finish a book in a week, or I might not have time to pick up a book at all during the week.”

Wells has taken to doing homework in a book-free space to avoid distractions, using that anticipation to read as motivation to get her work done faster. In that way, she can take advantage of the opportunities books give to explore perspectives beyond personal experiences.

“A lot of people talk about really liking TV shows, [but] I feel like that’s the same feeling I get when I read a book. I feel like when I get into a book, I become the character. I get new experiences without having to actually go out and make those experiences happen for myself,” Wells said. “It’s a glimpse into a different life that I wouldn’t necessarily want to have.”

8-9

2019 TJ student survey

with 121 student responses

57.9% 35.5% indicate no time in their schedule to read for fun

read for fun

Not a fan of books sometimes reads reads depending on the book tries to read to no avail reads often but not for fun

96.7%

3.3% 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 0.8%

of students read for fun more frequently before coming to TJ

As reported by the U.S. Department of Education

INFOGRAPHIC // MiJin Cho

With a book in her hand, senior Laura Gersony approaches Head Librarian Anne Applin to check out a book.

Gersony is passionate about reading and makes time to read throughout the school day.

PHOTO // Sabria Kazmi

Ch. 5 The Teachers “I feel about reading the way I feel about breathing, because it’s something that I do every day and with pleasure,” Jefferson English teacher Susie Lebryk-Chao said. “I always have a book with me—if I’m caught waiting, in a parking lot, or for an appointment. I have books in different rooms in my house— bedroom book, living room book, basement book.”

Ch. 4 The Hopeful Consistently ranked one of the top public high schools, Jefferson is known for its rigorous curriculum. It is not a surprise that students feel they have less time to read after starting school here. A recent student poll found that 57.9% of students want to read but feel they don’t have enough time for it.

Despite feeling a lack of free time, some students are still trying to push themselves to read more. Senior Atharv Gupta feels he has an opportunity to read more now that he’s into the second semester of his last year here, but explains that for most of his time in high school it was difficult to make time.

“I used to read a ton as a kid. I think that’s the case for most people here, a lot of people used to read a ton just in their free time, even outside of school,” Gupta said. “When I came into TJ though, that sort of stopped, mostly just because of workload. It requires a conscious effort, to make time out of every day when there’s so much else going on.”

Gupta was able to continue to read by making time for it during breaks from school instead.

“Whenever I would travel, my family goes to India often, I would always bring books with me, and I would go through two or three there,” Gupta said.

The reason he wants to make a conscious effort to read more now is because of the feeling reading gives him.

“There were times where, as a kid especially, I would pick something up and I could just like not put it down. And that feeling is really interesting to me,” Gupta said. “I always enjoyed reading about different stories, fiction or nonfiction, and learning about things. I would always get really engrossed into it, and that’s something I enjoyed a lot growing up.”

Reading isn’t only for enjoyment though, Gupta feels it is a skill that can help you in life.

“I feel like reading is just an important thing to do,” Gupta said. You see a lot of successful people and people who are very talented, and they always tell you, ‘You should continue reading.’”

She has seen that many of her students share that love for reading, even if they lack sufficient time to pursue it.

“I find that the majority of TJ students are devoted readers,” Lebryk-Chao said. “Every year I hear from [them], especially my seniors, ‘I used to read so much in elementary school and the summertime, [but] the workload here sometimes means I cut back on my reading.’ I think we’re all really glad to get back to reading. Whenever I hand out new books, there’s an excitement in my sophomore and senior classes.”

Given that Jefferson focuses on STEM education, it’s especially important that students have the opportunity to read more literary texts as well.

“You have to read a science article really carefully, but that’s different from reading a poem or a novel, where I think you’re immersed in another world,” Lebryk-Chao said. “The language makes a difference—it’s the difference between reading about a novel and reading the novel.”

Regardless of the style or purpose of the prose, Jefferson history, government, and philosophy teacher Monte Bourjaily sees reading as a dialogue between the reader and author.

“It’s an opportunity to have conversations with people you might not otherwise be able to talk with. I can have a conversation with Plato right now just by opening his Republic and reading it. I can ask him questions, and by thinking about what he’s saying, I can get him to answer. The power of reading also demonstrates the power of writing. What’s written can be kept indefinitely, and can be considered by anybody, giving them the capacity to grow.”

Bourjaily believes that approaching reading in this way, as an immerse, formative experience, can help build connections with others’ ideas.

“The power of reading is in the consideration and refinement of the ideas of others, because our own ideas come out of our engagement with those that have been shared with us,” Bourjaily said. “It’s not linear, but you have the opportunity to create your own new understanding by extending those ideas and making them have meaning for you.”

COVER STORY || MAY 3, 2019 11

Ch. 6 The Librarians The librarians at Jefferson understand students find it hard to fit leisure reading in during school, but they believe there are ways to do it. One way is to read small chunks of a book before going to bed.

“It’s nice to make reading for fun the last thing you do in the day because if you have all your class deadlines on your mind, and you’re staying up late doing your homework, it can be harder to fall asleep,” librarian Katrina Oskoui said. “You can sleep better if you have a nice story in your mind.”

Head Librarian Anne Applin also believes reading right before you sleep is beneficial because it’s relaxing. Reading can decrease stress levels by about 68%, according to a University of Sussex study.

“It’s just so magical to pick up a book and be transported somewhere else,” Applin said. “To a different place, to a different time, to different people and their experiences and struggles.”

Oskoui believes reading helps students not only by relaxing them, but also by improving their reading comprehension skills. According to a study in the Research Journal of the American Association of School Librarians, “pleasure-readers” tended to have better reading comprehension and standardized test scores than non-pleasure readers, as well as overall increased knowledge levels.

“Most mistakes on standardized tests and college entrance exams are from reading mistakes,” Oskoui said. “[It’s] not [that] you didn’t know how to read that graph on the ACT, or you didn’t understand the math, it’s mostly a mistake in reading.”

Applin points out an additional advantage to reading is beter understanding school reading material.

“Reading and comprehension are skills that need to be developed and maintained. You need [those] skills in order to read more difficult pieces of work, like primary science journals and higherlevel college textbooks,” Applin said.

Ch. 7 The Conclusion Not everyone reads outside of school, but those who do may enjoy a wealth of benefits. Studies from the University of Toronto and Yale University found that reading improves open-mindedness and cognitive functions, and can even prolong one’s lifespan. In light of this, it’s never too late to pick up reading.

“My commitment to reading was something that developed over the course of my junior and senior year in high school. Prior to that, I read as little as I was required to, [because] reading wasn’t fun for me,” Bourjaily said. “Maybe that’s an admission against interest, but I want people to understand that it’s okay to bloom late, to come late to reading, but come to it with the conviction of the converted.”

Getting started can be as easy as choosing an enjoyable topic and seeing where it leads.

“Read something that you genuinely look forward to opening up and flipping through,” Gersony said. “It can be anything. There’s no such thing as a good book or a book that you should be reading.

You should be reading what you want to read. And that’s, I think, the best place to start.”

1. 1984 George Orwell 2. I, Robot Isaac Asimov 1

2

3

1. Freakonomics Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt 4. Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand

4

5. Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand

5

TOP Picks from Us recommended books from the community

6. The Righteous Mind Jonathan Haid 66

7. Brave New World Aldous Huxley 8. The Broken Ladder Keith Payne 9. Grit Angela Duckworth 7

INFOGRAPHIC // MiJin Cho

8

9

NEWS

Dear

Friend,

Little Sunshine members open up about friendships formed from sending letters around the world.

Nehal Chakraborty & Sindhu Ragunathan| STAFF WRITERS

I

magine that you live on the other side of the world, maybe in Romania or even Japan. What do you think your life would be like? What kind of school would you go to and what holidays would you celebrate?

You can find those answers right here at Little Sunshine, an eight period club at Jefferson. Little Sunshine gives members an opportunity for students to write letters to other high schoolers in different countries to learn more about foreign culture, family traditions, and academic life.

Club president Lilia Qian takes the responsibility of searching for high school contacts while accepting club member’s suggestions for various countries including China, Romania, France, South Korea, Spain and Japan.

Each member then maintains correspondence

with a high schooler through handwritten letters. Quian typically collects all of the letters in one envelope and takes it to the post office. She uses funds earned from JDay to pay for postage. “[The letters] are mailed in one envelope to my house, and I bring them to school and distribute them,” Quian said. “I try as much as possible to deliver letters in person, just because I like meeting people in the club.”

Club member Cathryn Li, who writes to a student in China, found similarities between herself and her pen-pal such as sharing favorite hobbies and foods. However she writes that her favorite part of this activity is receiving small ‘gifts’ of knowledge.

“It’s really cool to learn about another country, like sometimes it just hits me that I’m writing to

FEATURES| May 3 2019 13

Caption: 1. Through the creation of letter collages, senior Lilia Qian can reflect on all the relationships that have developped worldwide this year through Little Sunshine 2. Sophomore Ellie Chang pens a letter during a Little Sunshine meeting 3. Writing letters to their pen pals, Anne Nguyen and Vi Nguyen share stories 4 Anne Nguyen pens a letter to a friend.

someone who’s on the other side of the world,” Li said.

Last summer, Quian visited a high school in China, where she got students’ contact information for Little Sunshine. From those contacts, Quian started communicating with a girl named Fei Xiangyi, also known as Sandy Fei. “There’s one girl I’ve been texting over the summer. During our exam season, we share pictures or encouragement. It’s good to understand someone who’s going through the same struggles as a student, but in a different city,” Quian said.

Quian and Fei have found similarities between themselves in their academic and personal lives -even finding a shared favorite author.

“She wants to go to college to study humanities,” Quian said. “She also writes her own novels, she’s really into historical fiction. There was a time when I used to really like Chinese historical fiction, so I would read English translations.”

Over the summer, Quian has the opportunity to visit Fei’s high school. Quian goes on to describe the school life that she observed there.

“She makes a lot of commentary on how school system is run over there. She thinks it’s too rigid,” Quian said. “I saw a lot of things that were nice about school over there. They have a very human way of thinking about school. After lunch time, they have a period of rest where people can take a nap, so it’s not just getting through the school day. They live at school, so they have a residential way of thinking about it.”

Quian was able to gain a unique perspective of not only a student’s life, but also of Chinese culture. In fact, through her conversations with Fei, Quian came to recognize numerous differences between Chinese and American traditions that she wouldn’t have realized without Fei’s first-person account.

“I think that in Chinese culture, there are certain values that don’t align with American values. It’s stereotypically known that [Americans are] individualistic and that we pride ourselves in our freedoms,” Quian said. “In Chinese culture, they have a very complicated way of back and forth manners. Even though Chinese people get a bad reputation for being rude or mannerless, the manners are just very different, and it goes beyond the stereotype.”

Expanding more on misconceptions about Chinese customs held by Americans, Quian explains some of the cultural phenomena in China that are unfamiliar to U.S. residents.

“I think Chinese culture is hard to process for people who aren’t from China. It seems that they tend to be, especially in cities, very abrasive and you have to fight your way to get into everything, whether if it’s fighting through your way to get on the subway or the metro,” Quian said.

Although people of Chinese descent may come of as rude, Quian explains that there is intense competition to get ahead due to overpopulation.

“They say that once we have developed to a certain point, we can slow down and develop manners and culture. All those things are taking a backseat to economic success-minded development,” Quian said.

After learning so much from communicating with Fei from the other side of the globe, Quian’s eyes were opened to a whole other type of lifestyle. It’s easy to get caught in daily activities in Jefferson, but all students can seize the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and open themselves up to the world.

“Getting wrapped up in a bubble at TJ, it’s really easy to get caught up in the school day. I think that you have to come out of it and see that there’s other stuff going on,” Quian said. “Just writing a letter to somebody else and having it come back, you realize that things operate so differently [halfway across the world].”

SPORTS

From

Child to

LEADER

Techstrav planning is in full swing Tanya Kurnootala, Anushka Molugu & Nidhi Chilukuri || STAFF WRITERS

W

ords cannot describe the excitement I feel when I visit each booth and observe how engaged both the student volunteers and children are in making science come to life.”

For junior Jialin Tso, treasure of Techstrav’s finance team, Techstrav has been the launchpad for her interest in STEM since the fifth grade, and her experiences from a young age drove her to make Techstrav a success.

“I was inspired to join TWIST ever since I found out they organized Techstrav,” Tso said. “I wanted to be part of TWIST so that I could help organize Techstrav and inspire kids in the same way that the student volunteers back then inspired me.”

Since 2015, Techstravaganza, Jefferson’s annual STEM fair run by TWIST, has gone above and beyond to make sure that students cultivate an interest in STEM through hands-on activities and demonstrations. Junior Michelle Song, the co-president of TWIST and a Techstrav supervisor, explains that her love of the event stems from the children involved.

“There was one point when there was this little kid at a booth and he was sitting down…riled about DNA and writing notes. It was just so cute,” Song said.

Being an active member of TWIST has also allowed Song to build relationships with both members of the club and the club’s sponsor, Dr. Sonia Del Cerro. She recalls one memory that stands out to her in particular.

“I went to Walmart with Dr. Del Cerro and one of the seniors from last year, and we went shopping for some lab supplies. It was so funny just because we had to take basically everything they had in stock for certain materials,” Song said.

In order to make the event a success, however, there is a lot to handle, from sending out booth forms for other clubs to participate to getting sponsors to finance the fair.

Ultimately, “I choose to be a part of Techstrav because I like the end result,” Song said. “I really like being able to see the kids have fun and I love seeing all the interactions.”

Caption: 1. Giving a presentation at a TWIST planning meeting, Meghana Malyala helps . 2. A collage of past activities hosted by Techstravaganza. 3. A sheep dissection done by Neuroscience Society.

“

I want to inspire kids in the same way the student volunteers back then inspired me.” -Jialin Tso, 11

”

SCI-TECH| May 3 2019 15

BUILDING A STRONG

FOUNDATION

Neuroscience Society: Neuroscience society will have children build their own model neruons from craft supplies.

Chemistry Team: Chemistry team will be conducting a redox reaction llab.

“It’s just to spark their joy and [for them to] say ‘Hey, this cool,” Chesmistry team activities coordinator Shubham Ghoda said.

Sid Ram|| Social Media Manager

THE

REWARD Sonia Kanchan and Anuj Khemka || STAFF WRITERS

IN RESEARCH Through their years at Jefferson, students have not only come across new research, but have also discovered new passions, furthering their motivation to compete in science fairs

M

olecular biology. Animal sciences. Embedded systems. Just three categories of STEM, displayed at Jefferson’s science fairs. Just three of the categories that students carve out hours for. Just three of the categories that students create innovative projects for.

Since their freshman years, sophomore Maria Izzi, junior Divjot Bedi, and senior Korrina Gidwani have all been a part of science fair culture at Jefferson, the avid participation amongst many students in the Jefferson and other science fairs. Over their time at Jefferson, they have dedicated time to exploring scientific discoveries and presenting their work to audiences of all sizes.

MOTIVATIONS Gidwani first began her science fair career at Jefferson with a project based on what she had learned in Design and Technology, and she notes that throughout her four years, incorporating information learned in her science courses has remained a constant.

“And I just had a fantastic time, trying out new statistical tests, and just stepping out of my comfort zone to apply my classroom knowledge in a different setting,” Gidwani said. “So I figured that that was a great way to just gain some hands on experience and learn more about what I’m learning and plus. So that’s why I decided to continue with all four years and just incorporate different information from my new classes and or incorporate that into my new projects.”

Gidwani also notes that science fairs have enabled her to explore her passion for medicine, and Izzi echoes this idea.

“I found that through research I could explore many different fields of science and see which I enjoyed more,” Izzi said. “When I was younger, I participated with my friends as well, and I found that collaboration to be one of my favorite parts.”

SCI-TECH || MAY 3, 2019 17 Similarly, Bedi found that his science fair lit a spark of interest in research that continues till today.

“After my first science fair, I found myself really interested in science and developed a passion for research. Creating a breakthrough discovery and enhancing existing human knowledge sparked my curiosity and intuition,” Bedi said. “With this newfound fascination, not only did I find myself competing in science fairs, I began attending scientific seminars and poster sessions to learn more about the latest developments in science.”

For Izzi, competing in the science fair “After my first science fair, I found myself really gave her more than interested in science and developed a passion for the opportunity to satisfy her curiosities research. Creating a breakthrough discovery and -- Izzi also received enhancing existing human knowledge sparked the chance to conduct research in a my curiosity and intuition.” -Junior Divjot Bedi university lab.

“After freshman year, just the opportunity to conduct research in a university lab with professional mentors was an incredible experience,” Izzi said.

BEYOND SCIENCE But for both Gidwani, Izzi, and Bedi, the benefits of completing science fair projects stretch far beyond the realms of science. Gidwani highlights how science fair has brought out how competitive nature and problem-solving skills.

“It’s made me more competitive because it showed me how much I want to improve my own performance over time. And I’ve just worked hard to improve my presentation skills and my public speaking skills my ability to answer the judges questions,” Gidwani said. “Another way it changed me would be I really just become a better problem solver. Because I have stepped out of my comfort zone, it’s really allowed me to think creatively and figure out different ways to approach scientific problems.”

Meanwhile, Izzi touches on how competing science fairs has helped her improve her preparedness for competition.

“I learned that you can never be too prepared when I was asked a question by a judge that I found difficult to answer.

I thought I knew as much as possible about my topic, but I realized that having the extra research on hand would have benefited me,” Izzi said. “Sometimes the outcome that most people predict doesn’t actually occur, and we have to be prepared for all possible results.”

Nearly every scientist, both budding and professional, has experienced hardships throughout their research, and for Bedi, these obstacles have been amongst the most impactful aspects of his science fair career.

“I feel that the greatest contribution that science fairs have brought to my life is persistence. Throughout the research portion of my project I found myself continually frustrated because of systematic errors in the data and results that I couldn’t quite fully explain,” Bedi said. “Yet, because I remained persistent, I always found a new way of analyzing the data which ultimately generated novel findings.”

PHOTOS // Anuj Khemka, Sonia Kanchan

PLAYERS Girls tennis team experiences expansion to accommodate increased interest and more younger, talented players

GALORE Aumena Choudhry and Rhea Premanand || STAFF WRITERS

D

uring a casual walk in the spring, just outside of Jefferson, the sounds of tennis balls bouncing and colliding with rackets can be heard. This year those sounds have amplified in volume as the tennis courts have experienced a lot more “wear-and-tear”. Instead of supporting its accustomed 12 pairs of feet, it is now expected to accommodate 26 pairs.

At Jefferson, both the girls and boys tennis teams had undergone significant changes throughout the years. Last year, the boys team expanded to create a junior varsity team, in addition to the varsity team. This year, the girls team followed, expanding from 12 spots on the tennis team to 26 spots to accommodate the large number of freshmen that tried out for the team.

Rankings Within the team, tennis players are ranked according to their performance. These rankings then determine who plays at the singles and doubles matches.

“Not everyone on the tennis team plays. The way that matches work is that we have six singles matches and three doubles matches and we rank the players from one to 26, and it’s like a ladder and you can challenge above and the rankings will shift,” senior Joyce Liu said. “The top six play singles; the number one from our school plays the number one from the other school. For doubles, six people play; typically it’s one and two, three and four, and five and six play doubles; you can rearrange within that.”

While the rankings do impact who attends competitive matches, other players are given the opportunity to play at exhibition matches. Although the exhibition matches do not count towards the score (similar to scrimmages), they allow players to improve upon their abilities.

“Typically, with matches that aren’t as competitive, we will give other people the opportunity to play singles or doubles, just because we want everyone to get the opportunity to play real high school matches.” Liu said.

In the girls tennis team, each player is ranked from 1 - 26, and their standing influences the matches they play in. Those with higher rankings tend to play in more matches, but it rotates regularly to allow each player the opportunity to play at a tennis match.

“Since we have 26 team members and at the most 12 people can play, not everyone on the team can play at every match,” junior Trishya Pagadala said. “Our coach will try to get as many people as possible to play, and often if someone can’t play a regular match they will get to play an exhibition match.”

This rotation allows players to improve their skills with every practice, and is guided by the girls tennis team’s coach, Brandon Ward.

“Teammates will tend to play less often than in previous years, which is inevitable with a larger team, but everyone gets the opportunity to practice and compete. Our coach, Brandon Ward, is always willing to put anyone in the match if the circumstances allow,” Liang said. “With so much strength and depth in our team, our ranked 20th player can take on the ranked 1st player in some teams.”

SPORTS || MAY 3, 2019 17 said. “To put it in perspective, there are generally three to five players from each grade by this year. There are five seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and 13 freshmen; so basically there is a freshman for every returning player.”

Potential Problems

Reasons for Increase The reason for the sudden increase in size of the girls tennis team is mainly attributed to the larger interest shown from this year’s freshmen. Due to the bigger pool of people who tried out for the team, it was decided that the team’s size would be expanded.

“The captains made this decision with the coach, and it’s just due to the fact that we had so many incoming freshmen try out this year,” Liu said. “I think it just has to do with the fact that a significant increase in number of freshmen this year have previously been playing tennis. There isn’t really a correlation besides that. All players on the tennis team have been playing growing up and need experience in order to make it in.”

One reason why so many freshmen tried out was because many had been playing tennis since they were young, and wanted to continue their interest in high school.

“I’ve been playing tennis since elementary school, so the TJ team was the logical next step, and my coach really encouraged me to try out,” freshman Rae Trainer said.

In previous years, the amount of underclassmen interest has remained fairly constant. This year, the significant increase in underclassmen interest led the coach to decide to open up more spots on the team.

“It didn’t make sense to cut some people, so Coach decided the best solution was to keep more people on the team,” junior Cathy Liang said.

Although the expansion of the team allows for greater inter-competition and growth amongst players, it alters the balance of players from each class.

“This year was the first year we had such a big team of 26. In the past it’s been about 12 people. It was mainly because there were many more freshmen who tried out this year,” Pagadala

Larger teams can also potentially lead to uneventful practices due to the limited amount of space on Jefferson’s tennis courts. However, this does not seem to be too much of an issue as players tend to not limit their practice time to the court.

“Bigger teams will often lead to difficult logistics, and trouble with practice space, but this hasn’t been an issue this season,” Liang said. “Especially since some team members play outside of school, we’ve never run out of space on the courts.”

In regards to expanding the tennis team further by spreading awareness about it through bake sales and such, it seems as though many students are already aware of the sport. As with any team, girls tennis displays a lot of spirit towards this sport.

A larger team has boosted this spirit and the players’ morale.

“The expansion of the team helps bring enthusiasm and spirit to the team,” said Liang. “I think everyone on the team will gain a community in our sport, and learn a lot not only about tennis, but about teamwork and the competition mentality.”

1. In preparation for a powerful serve, junior Sonika Vuyyuru throws the ball into the air. 2. Pausing for a brief moment of time, freshman Yeefay Li causually tossess a tennis ball into the air before returning to her opponent. 3. Facing off against an opponent from Wakefield, junior Cathy Liang forcefully returns an opposing serve.

PHOTOS // Justin Chang, Rhea Premanand

Through the Playbook

Members of the Jefferson boys varsity lacrosse team break down their roles on an offensive play

Anuj Khemka, Claire Wilson || STAFF WRITERS

John Jones Situated towards the boundary of the field and just in front of the goal, midfielder and sophomore Caden Philips positions himself on this play not only to provide an open man but to ensure that Jefferson will maintain possession of the ball. “You always want to balance the field and get behind the goal when there’s a shot, because in lacrosse, if there’s a shot and it goes out of bounds, whoever’s closest to the ball when it goes out of balance retains possession. Mid[fielder] 3 is covering the back so that if the ball does go out of bounds he’ll be there and it’ll be our ball,” Philips said. “It’s kind of a weird concept and not a lot of other sports use it.”

John Jones As two of the attack aim to draw defenders on the play, midfielder and junior John Jones cuts to the outside with the intent of getting open and in shooting position. “So what midfielders [1 and 2] are trying to do is when the defense gets drawn down, they’re cutting outwards to get open.

And ideally, the attack is going to draw a slide from either midfielder 1, his defender, or midfielder 2’s defender,” Jones said. “And that point he can hit midfielder 1 or midfielder 2. And they can make a fast catch and shoot from probably 12 yards out. And that’s a really good shot in lacrosse terms.”

PHOTO// Anuj Khemka

Coach Aaron Hensley The diagram shown in the top right corner is an invert play, in

which an attacker behind the goal attempts to play the ball to

open a scoring opportunity. The play, designed by coach Aaron Hensley, was used by the team for the 2018 lacrosse season and is designed to constantly force the defense ot move and readjust. “Whenever you’re coming up with a new play, you always want to make sure it forces the defense to slide to move. You always want the defense to move and have to readjust,” Hensley said. “And why I have it spaced out like this is because when you’re thinking of plays, you want to think of how you can make the defense have to slide the furthest.”

SPORTS || MAY 3, 2019 21

A diagram detailing the movements of offensive players on Jefferson’s boys varsity lacrosse team.

The play, known as an invert play, seeks to draw defenders away from their assigned target in order to give players open scoring opportunities. The diagram lists the attackers and midfielders role when they are in possession of the ball. Below, players describe Coach Aaron Hensley’s play design in further detail.

PHOTO// Pratika Katiyar

David Mead From his place behind the goal, attacker and junior David Mead (12), must dodge and run to the left before passing it to any of his offensive teammates or swiveling around and shooting the ball straight into the goal.“My job as the one dodging with the ball is to at least distract the defense and hopefully get by my defender. If I get by my defender, then the defense would slide to me, and once they do slide, that would mean that one of my teammates would become open, and then I could pass to them,” Mead said. “So my job would be initiating the scoring opportunity, and then making the correct decision after reading what’s going on on the field.”

Aiden Carrol PHOTOS// Antonio Martin

`

Although not moving to get open on the play, attacker and sophomore Aiden Carrol’s position at Attack 3 is nonetheless vital to the play. Carrol’s job is to act as a dummy and draw a defender towards him so that other players can get open for Mead, the attacker behind the goal, to play the ball to them and possibly put them in a position to punch the ball into the net. His crucial offensive role to the team helps the play function. “I’m not the main look here,” Carrol said. “My job is to make sure that they’re looking at me, so they’re not looking at [the other guys]”.

The New WAY ofCONVERS Discussions in the age of social media

SATION

OPINION || MAY 3, 2019 23

LEAD EDITORIAL:

I

n the age of social media, a discussion is no longer a discussion, but a thread. A thread of comments, reactions, and, often, raw responses to previous statements. Navigating such a network effectively and safely requires a level of flexibility and respect -- values that are frequently misplaced or missing within the current online forum.

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are especially vulnerable to situations where one topic may lead swiftly to another, turning commenters into victims and harassers. Given an electronic device and the freedom to access thousands of online sites , social media users can misread boundaries and cross into hazy territory. In doing so, they become part of an inherently toxic, unregulated environment.

Mob mentality is the main fuel that feeds this toxicity.

Once an idea, debate, or concept gains initial support by commenters, spectators join in on the trend through the concept of normative social influence.

As peer encouragement and consensus become the underlying goals of the conversation, the starting forum can be not only misleading, but detrimental to the health of a conversation.

No longer facing a person, but a blaring screen of a laptop or mobile device, those who engage in online conversation face the ultimate flaw of the electronic age: the loss of empathy in communication. Online atmospheres and indirect feelings are hard to read, and the missing emotional connections to those in conversation can misdirect the flow of appropriate responses and turn volatile within minutes. In essence, there is no way of knowing if the person on the opposite side of the screen is crying or laughing without hints.

In order to counter the dangers of an unrestricted conversation, the core solution is to remember the humanity that is hidden within the threads of social media. Without an authority to regulate online communication, we must police ourselves. Focus on simple communication that sticks to the topic at hand, not the person behind the comments. Use intuition.

Use logic. Be kind. And if the conversation goes awry, think about what you would do in a face-to-face interaction -- walk away.

PHOTO// Sonia Kanchan

74 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more engaged in science class during the paperless unit.

The use of webbased learning tools resulted in students showing increases of up to 4o Percent on standardized assessments.

OPINION || MAY 3, 2019 25

THE

PAPER D EBATE Aafreen Ali, Sonia Kanchan || STAFF WRITER

Schools across the country are debating whether traditional paper or new technology should dominate classrooms

BULLSEYE MEAGAN SPOONER IS AN AMERICAN NOVELIST WHO GRADUATED FROM HAMILTON COLLEGE IN NEW YORK. SHE IS THE AUTHOR OF THE SKYLARK TRILOGY, A SERIES OF YOUNG ADULT FANTASY NOVELS, AND CO-AUTHOR OF THESE BROKEN STARS, THE FIRST OF THE SCIENCE FICTION STARBOUND TRILOGY.

Photos from Meagan Spooner

R

obin would’ve liked it.”

In “Sherwood”, the latest novel by New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner, Robin of Locksley dies unexpectedly while fighting with King Richard on the crusades. He leaves his betrothed, Lady Marian, without a husband and distraught, not to mention the people of Locksley in chaos. Marian, who experiences fits of hysteria after hearing of Robin’s death, rides out into Sherwood Forest one night to find her maid’s outlaw brother, Will, concealing herself in Robin’s clothing. However, once word gets around that “Robin Hood” has been sighted in the forest, she cannot back out of helping Will. She has to continue living this secret identity, and escape from officials seeking “Robin Hood,” who is wanted by the law.

Overall, I thought the book was very well-written. Each scene was described in vivid detail - not only could I imagine what the scenes looked like, I could smell, touch and hear what was happening in the story. This kind of writing allowed me to transport myself into the story. However, the details were a little too much in the beginning, when scenes were more drawn out than those later in the book. It took some time to get to the point, and while I appreciated how transformative the details were, it made reading the book a slow process. The latter portion of the book was where most of the action happened, and reading each scene was as good as watching them unfold on a screen in a movie theater.

ENTERTAINMENT || MAY 3, 2019 27

With stunning visual descriptions, Meagan Spooner’s young adult fantasy novel, “Sherwood’, a unique take on the tale of Robin Hood, hits its mark.

Claire Wilson || STAFF WRITER

Personally, I wouldn’t have expected someone to put Marian in Robin’s shoes. She’s always been in the supporting character role whenever I’ve heard stories about Robin Hood. It’s a clever deviation from normal extensions on well-known tales. The unique angle is nice because it provides a different perspective on all the issues Robin Hood faced in the original tale, as well as a whole new set of issues.

descriptions and the way they talked, I felt like they could’ve been real people. Marian’s character was the most developed, but it was done really well from the beginning. When Spooner described Marian’s fits in the beginning of the book, I got a sense of what kind of person Marian was. Everything Marian said and did helped me get a more complete picture of her.

Even though I enjoyed “Sherwood” in general, there were a few things I didn’t care for. I disliked a few of the characters in the book.

Marian’s suitor, Sir Gisborne, is kind of annoying in that he always seems to show up at the wrong moment.

Marian’s friends Alan, Will, and John don’t use the most appropriate language sometimes. Also, the injuries that occur during some of CLAIRE WILSON Additionally, the plot flowed the action sequences are nicely overall, but it was a described in detail, which is slightly difficult to stomach if you don’t bit choppy due to the flashbacks placed in between some chapters. like blood.

These flashbacks don’t directly advance the main plot, since no one Overall, I enjoyed reading “Sherwood”. I normally don’t care for in the story is remembering them, but they’re helpful later in the historical fiction novels, but reading this book has convinced me to book. They show that Marian lost not only her lover but also her give the genre another chance. Before reading it, though, consider closest friend when Robin died. This develops Marian’s character brushing up on your knowledge of medieval times and the story of because most of her actions mirror how Robin acted.

Robin of Locksley. Knowing what he was like when he was alive in What impressed me most was how authentic Spooner’s characters the original tale is crucial to understanding key plot points throughout were. The book is set in medieval times, and between the characters’ “Sherwood”.

It’s obvious that gender differences play a huge role in this book.

In fact, the dedication of the book is specifically to girls. Marian faces many stereotypes as a woman, such as not being allowed to ride alone or carry a visible weapon.

The message that Spooner intends to send through these experiences of Marian’s is clear and easy to pick up.

“NOT ONLY COULD I IMAGINE WHAT THE SCENES LOOKED LIKE, I COULD SMELL, TOUCH AND HEAR WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE STORY.”

PHOTO // Lynn Nguyen REPORTING // Lynn Nguyen

THE POWER of

FAMILY

“

If something happens, where I get a really bad grade even though I studied really hard for a test, or just something bad happens, I’d think that not having [my mom] in the building would definitely [make] things feel different. YOU DON’T HAVE THE ONE PERSON IN THE BUILDING YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO NO MATTER WHEN, IF ANYTHING HAPPENS.

MOTHER & SON

EVERY DAY, I’M DISCOVERING, I’M LEARNING SOMETHING NEW ABOUT THIS YOUNG MAN [WHO] IS MY SON. It could be stuff that he does, or that he says, or a story that one of his teachers I run into in the mail room shares, or something like that, and IT IS HEARTWARMING. IT REALLY IS.

”

Dr. JirariScavotto & Zakariyya Scavotto || WHAT I VE LEARNED