THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECH || ALEXANDRIA, VA
TJTODAY
MAY 10, 2018 || VOL 3 ISSUE 7 || www.tjtoday.org
THE MAGAZINE
6560 BRADDOCK RD. ALEXANDRIA, VA 22312
EYE on the PRIZE Competition, prestige and camaraderie. Inside what makes the Boys' Tennis Team undefeated
16
BOB MCCORMICK
Reflecting on past events that lead him to his current career and beliefs
26
EVAN STRONG
Taking ďŹ ne arts classes are worthwhile and possible
30
ESCAPE ROOM New club aims to design and create famed attraction
CONTENTS EDITORIAL BOARD Ankit Agrawal Katherine Du Angel Kim Adithi Ramakrishnan
Uzma Rentia Avni Singh Christine Zhao
06 Boy’s Tennis How do they continue dominating the competition year in and year out?
SECTION EDITORS MiJin Cho Alex Howe
Sabria Kazmi
BROADCAST EXECUTIVE Alexa Nguonly
Lynn Nguyen
STAFF REPORTERS Roja Ayyadurai Rena Cai Ashley Huang Sneha Joisha Tanya Kurnootala Irina Lee Grace Mak
Forrest Meng Anushka Molugu Sean Nguyen Clay Reppert Sadhana Suri Prerak Thakkar
ADVISER
1
Erinn Harris 1. Swinging at a tennis ball, junior Ryan Kim practices for an upcoming tennis game.. 2 Containing artwork by art students, the Art Gallery lets teachers and students enjoy work members of the community. 3. Displaying the student’s work, oceanography research posters like this one will be digitized in the near future.
3
2
News
Sci-Tech
Opinion
04 New Research Lab
18 Virtual Research Posters
24 Listening to Music
Teacher Brian Field named new Integrated Senior Lab Director
Oceanography lab implements digital posters to modernize presentations
Should we listen to music made by controversial artists?
In-Depth 10
Military Families
A look at the lives of Jefferson students with military backgrounds
Sports
Entertainment
22 New Soccer Coach
28 Art Gallery
Head coach Justin Johnson takes over for Sean Burke
Winning competitive art showcased for students to see
tjTODAY is the official newsmagazine of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology published by the journalism staff. The staff is deeply committed to a code of journalistic ethics that demands the exercise of accuracy, good judgment and impartiality. The content of tjTODAY is determined by the editorial board. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the staff of tjTODAY, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.
NEWS || MAY 10, 2018 03
Workload survey results reveal how much time students spend on coursework outside of class
Working Hard or Hardly Working?
Alex Howe || NEWS EDITOR
I
n order to investigate perceived workload, a subcommittee, consisting of teachers Denise Castaldo, Mark Hannum, Lee Ann Hennig and Szilvia Oszko, Assistant Principal Pam Gravitte and Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka, surveyed students and teachers in October and November using an online form. The subcommittee released the survey’s results on May 1 during a faculty meeting. The administration decided to survey the population due to concerns about student stress levels.
The survey found that 42% of Math 4 students, 52% of AB Calculus students, 44% of BC Calculus students, 47% of Biology students, 42% of Chemistry students, 40% of AP Chemistry students and 48% of Physics students felt that despite their work, they were unsuccessful in their classes. This could be explained by the use of self-ratings.
While the subcommittee was able to gather valuable information as a result of the survey, there is still a lot of work to do and people to consider before taking any major actions.
“I think we’re just barely scratching the surface as to what this information means, and we certainly haven’t made any decisions based on this information yet as to new “It’s very interesting that students are rating directions for the school or new things themselves in that fashion when they could for teachers to think about,” Hannum be very successful,” Hannum said. “Frankly, said. “What we’re hoping to do is to start what does it mean to be average here at TJ sharing information out and let the wisdom compared to the rest of the country? If you of the group start to figure out what is an come in completely average at TJ, you’re still appropriate course of action for this, which in the top 1% of the country. How could includes the students.” you claim that that is unsuccessful? It’s all relative.”
“This has been a long conversation that the school community’s been having,” Hannum said. “We’re worried about student stress levels, we’re worried about students having too much to do, and we wanted to The subcommittee plans to make a tool take an honest look at how the school was to analyze students’ prospective schedules. organized, the amount of work the teachers This will help prevent students from were assigning, and is that appropriate for the selecting overly burdensome schedules. classes and students as a whole.” “One of the suggestions we had was to The subcommittee looked into the amount build a web utility so as students start to of time students spent working on a class, as pick their classes, they can look up, I’m different students take different lengths of going to take this class, this class, this class, time to work. and this class, what is my total workload “I think one of the most important things look like, and is that something they want to do before they commit to the class,” we’ve learned is that we have to be careful about oversimplifying the problem by trying Hannum said. “This is not a unique thing; to give it a number when the number doesn’t other schools in FCPS do this. It’s a nice little web utility that I think, now that we do justice to the wide range of student have data, we can build something that’s experiences here,” Hannum said. suitable for us.”
Above: The table depicts a sample estimate for the time spent by students on classwork. It does not include seniors due to the large variety of classes they take. Acquired from a presentation given to faculty by Mark Hannum. Below: Reviewing old class notes, Freshmen Nishad Manohar and Teja Buddhavarapu prepare for a Math assessment during lunch.
NEWS
Brian Field becomes new Integrated Senior Research Lab Director Prerak Thakkar || STAFF WRITER
I
n order to provide a research lab that incorporates principles from the humanities for students interested in the humanities, Jefferson administration announced a new Integrated Senior Research Lab. The new lab is projected to open in the 2019-2020 school year. Inspiration for the lab came in part from the colonial quest, where
Jefferson principal Dr. Ann Bonitatibus met with student and teacher focus groups. “There was a lot of enthusiasm around the notion that traditional STEM labs have evolved over the years,” Bonitatibus said. “And what we know is that there are many students who are fabulous STEM students but the humanities is where their passions lie.”
NEWS || MAY 10, 2018 05
According to AP US History and AP Government teacher Brian Field, interest in the humanities shown by students also played a role in the decision. “I think part of it was actually with interest in the humanities with the research lab and everything,” Field, who will be heading the Integrated Lab when it opens, said. “That’s what started everything and that’s what developed some of these different ideas and exploring different avenues and this is where we currently are at.”
of entry point to the STEM research.” Similar interdisciplinary programs have been started in various universities throughout the country. “Some of [the labs] are a bit more specific, like at Penn State they are doing a Big Data social science lab,” Field said. “[And] across humanities we are seeing digital humanities labs. You also see innovation labs.”
While Jefferson is a science and technology oriented school, there are also many classes and programs offered in the humanities.
“I think the reason for that is a lot of business sectors and everything are looking for this type of thinking,” Field continued. “Of being able to critically think and pull everything together.”
“I think TJ is a very unique school in that we simultaneously are very STEM heavy,” junior Cameron Curtis said. “but we also have these great programs in the humanities.”
The labs will serve as a way for students to pursue their passions while also providing real life applications and research in STEM.
Curtis, who has a passion for both STEM subjects and the humanities, had suggested the idea of a humanities-centered senior research lab in an interview with tjTODAY editor Avni Singh.
“We now know [that] STEM is everywhere,” Bonitatibus said. “It’s not just in a lab, it’s not just in front of a computer. We’re really interested in seeing how that’s just an innovation for our school, to meet the needs of our students.”
“I approach this from a unique perspective because I am a computer science person and a history person,” Curtis said. “And there is a clear path for one of them [here at TJ] but not [for] the other.”
Before the lab will be opened, Field will be doing some research on the various models being implemented, and the best method to use here at Jefferson.
However, the new lab will primarily serve for multidisciplinary research, incorporating both STEM and the humanities, and not necessarily as for the humanities specifically. “We are a STEM school,” Bonitatibus said. “So we aren’t going to go in a direction of having humanities labs per se. However, we’re looking at ways of being able to tailor those research experiences for those students, who use music, art, social studies, literature, as a type
“What I’m doing is researching different models around the country,” Field said. “There are a lot of variations, and what’s really cool is that TJ has the opportunity right now to be involved in these discussions rather than just necessarily modeling off of them, because I think at the university level they are still trying to figure out what this looks like, and it’s cool to just be at the same point that the universities are at.”
Right: The tjTODAY article which discusses the need for a humanities-based senior research lab, featured in the October 2017 issue. Opposite: Integrated Lab Director Brian Field writes on the board.
of e th
S G N I K
ite p s n de k o i t i et strea p m d co ampion n a ss te ch a l c ains year sta t n i ma e fivem ea ntinu t s i enn e to co t ’ s Boy ressur p
C
e
IN-DEPTH || MAY 10, 2018 07
T R U O C Ch
ine rist
o ||
Zha
T IGA
ST
E INV
S ION
R ITO
ED
F
2
rom Marshall is Joe Lampman and from TJ, is sophomore Daniel Wen.” A muted round of applause erupts as they shake hands before a match in the sweltering Thursday sun.
1
Few attend games like these, freshman Kaien Yang said, despite the undefeated 9-0 record. From the atmosphere of the afternoon, few
“Even though we’re competitive, when we’re playing challenge matches and during tight matches, overall, we still joke around more than any other team. In terms of team dynamic, that’s what makes us different. We don’t really care as much, but when we need to care, we care a lot.” Senior Rishit Roy
would also be able to tell that this is the distinguished, lauded team that’s snatched the state title in tennis since 2013. It’s one of their last tournaments before the race to states begins on May 7 with the National District Singles Quarterfinals, where an expectation based in tradition pushes the boys to perform at their best. In that race, many spectators and parents are often left wondering: What makes the tennis team so strong? What makes boys’ tennis so undefeatable? According to former head coach John Myers, it’s hard to pin down one, if any, particular quality that leads to the team’s enduring success at the state level. THE PARADOX Once you look at how the players feed
off each other on the court, and how they regard one another within the team, the driving factors behind their performance are rapidly brought into view. The team is built on a series of constructive paradoxes: fierce intra-team competition starkly contrasts with the relaxed environment off the court, where players will joke around with each other, discussing game strategy and occasionally grades, and where their head coach, Jay Wickliff, will often accommodate his players’ schedule when formulating the practice week. “Even though we’re competitive, when we’re playing challenge matches and during tight matches, overall, we still joke around more than any other team,” senior captain Rishit Roy said. “In terms of team dynamic, that’s what makes us different. We don’t really
care as much, but when we need to care, we care a lot.” Negative reinforcement during practices can contrast with their attentive support during games, cheering each other on the sidelines and encouraging actions that would allow more players more opportunities to compete during matches. Several tennis team players, including Roy, attribute this dynamic to their ability to separate the teammate from the game. “For example, I play Alex, who’s the number four player on this team,” Roy said. “When I play him in challenge matches, it’s super competitive; it gets super heated. But then right after we shake hands, it’s done. There’s no anger between us, [we’re not] mad
2
IN-DEPTH || MAY 10, 2018 09 3
4
at each other that I beat him or even in questionable calling. What stays on the court doesn’t really transfer to what happens off the court.” COMPETITION An internal ranking system is also a major component of boys’ tennis. Over 50 players a year might try out for one of the 20 spots on the team, and from there, teammates will continuously play challenge matches against one another in an effort to move up the ladder. “We’re pretty competitive in nature; If you come to our practices, other teams will be thinking of how to improve or working together on team-building exercises, but since tennis is a one-on-one
sport, we just play each other all the time and we just compete based on who’s better,” senior captain Kashyap Addanki said. EXCELLENCE One of the greatest contributing factors to the tennis team’s performance, however, is simply the wealth of experience that players will have coming into the team. Junior Derek Ni, Yang, and Addanki all have six years of tennis experience underneath their belt while Roy has been playing club tennis with 4 Star Tennis for ten years. “If I had the players I [had cut here] at Edison, I would’ve had a winning team over there, but here I’m just cutting
1. Cheering on senior captain Rishit Roy during his match against Marshall High School, junior Joseph Rejive watches the events of the match from the sidelines. 2. Sophomore Daniel Wen serves the ball to his opponent from Marshall. 3. Sophomore Luke Ostyn measures the height of the net during a practice, which are optional. 4. Warming up before a match, sophomore Alex Chung hits the ball back to another Boys’ Tennis Member. 5. Senior Rishit Roy hits the ball back to his opponent. “In terms of Marshall, I think they’re the most competitive team in our district in that they have the best players,” Roy said. “So playing them is always fun and good hitting.” Jefferson went on to win the game 9-0. 5
players that are really good,” Myers said. “I’ve always tried to figure it out: they have motivated parents that put them in soccer or swimming, and when they get here, they’re good at soccer and swimming and apparently tennis.” As the team gets ready to qualify for state championships, their potential on the court is what they want to unleash. With a five-year streak of championship trophies, their expectation for themselves, the expectation to succeed at states, is what serves to drive the team forward. Their pride in their teammates and themselves is one of the many snapshots that complete the ultimate illustration of the boys’ tennis team. Pratika Katiyar contributed to this article
IN-DEPTH
STRIVING TO
SERVE
Senoirs open up about their goals in joining the military. Nehal Chakraborty || STAFF WRITER
N
urse, engineer, musician, chemist, translator, you name it. All Sophomore EJ Bach attended Army-Navy football games with these jobs are offered to college graduates who aspire to be his dad from a young age, which fostered a desire to be part of the a part of the US military. Multiple students at Jefferson plan tradition. on serving their country by pursuing their careers in the military. “We’ve been to multiple football games as a family, which is kind Senior Joshua Havermale, who is a soon-to-be military scholar, of a fun side of things. My dad is a graduate, so we go back and visit is determined to follow his father’s footsteps into the military and the Naval Academy and watch some football games. Over time, just pursue cybersecurity. Havermale plans on furthering his desire by seeing what my dad does on a daily basis is what pushes me to pursue attending the West Point Military Academy next year. His father, a [a military career],” Bach said. former US Army sergeant, sparked his enthusiasm for joining the For many families, deployment means moving from place to place military. wherever the parent is assigned. In Bach’s case, his dad was deployed “Being in the military all of his life, it shapes the way he is and the way he acts, and I think on some level this shaped me,” Havermale said. “When my dad came home, he didn’t stop being a soldier, his interests shaped what we did together. I remember going to Air and Space shows, military expos, military historical battlefields, naval Seabee museums, and once going to Philadelphia to see the U.S.S. Constitution. For me, it was a collective military experience that my father gave me, and I knew way before coming to TJ that I would join the military.” Another prospective West Point student is senior Margaret Covey, who was motivated by her father’s deployments to devote her career to her country. Covey, upon witnessing the kind of work her dad did, had a new sense of gratitude instilled in her, which is driving her to proceed on a similar path as him. “My dad [was] deployed twice, once when I was in second grade, and once when I was in fifth grade,” Covey said. “That’s when I really learned to appreciate what my dad did and what he chose to do with his life. If my dad was not in the military I don’t think I would’ve considered it, because I wouldn’t have been exposed to it.”
halfway across the world from the US, moving within states and from one end of the world to the other. “I’ve moved around quite a bit in my younger years, but nowadays he’s decided to stay more in the area,” Bach said. “I was born in California, moved to Pennsylvania, then to Japan, moved within Japan twice, and came back to the states. Ever since then, I moved around four more times [within the US] and came to Fairfax in 2014.” Other prospective military employees who don’t have family in the
Senior Margaret Covey practices using a rifle at the summer leadership experience (SLE) at West Point on Military day. PHOTO // Margaret Covey
IN-DEPTH || MAY 10, 2018 11 military became aware of the different jobs the military has to offer through other sources. Senior Sydney Harrington’s swim coach introduced her to the idea of joining the military.
“Career-wise, I’ve always been PHOTO interested in the Havermale navy in general, but // Joshua
“The swim coach messaged me to check out the Navy. There were a lot of benefits in pursuing it and we get a job right out of college,” Harrington said. These students are proceeding with their career interest by planning to attend military academies and study various topics in the field of science. Senior Joseph Waddington, along with Havermale and Covey, will be attending West Point next year. Waddington is currently interested in working in geospatial intelligence, which involves using maps and satellites to track down potential threats to the nation. “[West Point’s] program is like a high school, where you take basic classes, then you can focus on one once you get older in junior or senior year,” Waddington said. “I’ve been looking into geospatial intelligence. My dad has some friends working there and the NGA (National GeospatialIntelligence Society) is located near my house.” Havermale, upon attending Jefferson and taking computer science classes, developed an interest in cybersecurity, a recently emergent field which is crucial for the security any country. “As for why I want to pursue cybersecurity, it has to do a lot with recent political events,” Havermale said. “I don’t think it’s right that a country can attack and influence the U.S. political election, and I realize the cyber-warfare has become even more prevalent and dangerous in the near future. I feel that the best way I can help protect my country is to hopefully one day serve as an officer in the army specializing in cyber-security.” Harrington, who is going to the US Naval Academy next year has her eyes set on studying aerospace engineering. “I either want to be a service worker officer or a navy pilot. I’ll probably study aerospace Covey posing with her father. engineering in college. I feel like this the best way for me to make a difference in the world,” Harrington said. While not having a definite destination for college yet, Bach plans to apply for the US Naval Academy to study engineering.
Senior Joshua Havermale and his father, a sergeant first class, visit West Point. Joshua plans to attend the academy next year and join the military like his father and other relatives have.
“I found it more of an honor and a privilege that [my dad] showed me that lifestyle, because it inspired me to [...] follow his footsteps.” -Senior Margaret Covey
specifically engineering, sciencebased, which is why I decided to go to Jefferson,” Bach said. “I am going to try for the US Naval Academy; that’s where my dad went and I want to go there as well.” All in all, it is valuable for students who have been looking up to their parents and military officers to apply their interest in science to serve the country.
“Other people say, ‘It’s such a big sacrifice being home by yourselves and missing a parent,’ but I found it more of an honor and a privilege that [my dad] showed me that lifestyle, because it inspired me to want to do the same thing and follow his footsteps,” Covey said.
ADS
seniors your aphorisms are due
MAY 20 https://goo.gl/D42wff
IN-DEPTH
TOO WARM FOR SCHOOL? Greenhouse projects put on hold due to lack of cooling system and other modifications. Jefferson’s greenhouse is located in a courtyard accessible through the Turing Commons and language hallway. Angel Kim || SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
J
efferson’s greenhouse has been completed for over a year now, but has held few projects because it is unusable for a large part of the year.
Why? It still lacks an air conditioning system.
While the greenhouse is equipped with a heating system for the winter months, Virginia’s climate is too warm from spring until early fall, and many plants would not be able to withstand the temperatures, making it difficult to conduct longterm projects.
Wu has been in communication with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Design and Construction Services engineers and contractors to address the issue, holding meetings as questions arise. “I was really hoping [the air conditioning would be installed] by the end of this school year,” Wu said. “New drawings based on our last meeting are currently being made. After these are approved, a work order will be put in for materials and labor.” Greenhouse Club members currently spend club meetings planning what plants can be be grown in the greenhouse after construction is completed. According to former member senior Supriya Savaram, the club has also organized the greenhouse into two sections for academic research and more recreational use that would be open to all clubs.
“We were lucky to get the designers to include [the greenhouse] in our courtyard, but the entire electronics for the greenhouse was not completely established. So it’s functional and it works; we On April 29, ERC members visited the greenhouse, where basil have water, we have the area that plants were beginning to sprout. we asked for,” Oceanography and Geophysical Systems Research lab director and Greenhouse Club sponsor Lisa Wu said. “[But] it’s hard “We split the two sides of the greenhouse for student and to keep anything going. We want to not just plant plants for a few research groups and clubs and recreational use, and on the club and weeks out of the year, we want to keep projects going and we want recreational use side we put tables [for] pots of plants,” Savaram said. to be able to use it 12 months out of the year.” Jefferson originally had a greenhouse before renovation, where
IN-DEPTH || MAY 10, 2018 15 plants were sold for various seasons and events, such as corsages during Homecoming and herbs during the spring. It also held freshman IBET and senior DNA science lab projects. “The greenhouse was part of school tours and open house events and it was maintained during the summer months,” Wu said. “A pond was established outside the greenhouse with a small footbridge. Marsh type plants were grown along the edge.” Knowing that many plants would not be able to tolerate high heats in the upcoming weather, Environmental Resource Club (ERC) members selected a variety of different seeds to find which plants grow the best for an activity held in the greenhouse on April 20, in which they planted seeds in upcycled soda bottle planters. “[We] wanted to see which one would hold up the best. We got both flowers and herbs, so we got tomatoes, basil, mint and then some flowers,” ERC president senior Megan Lin said. “We were just like, ‘Let’s try a little bit of everything and see what works for next year.’” On the other hand, some projects are more dependant on reliable temperature controls. Geosystems teacher Shawn Stickler has been interested in using the greenhouse for aquaculture, or “farming in the water.” “When you’re dealing with aquaculture organisms, they have a very limited tolerance of conditions,” Stickler said. “Most students
[are] not aware of it, but there are students in the oceanography lab that are doing some culture [research], so we think once we get the greenhouse going, we’ll get some of the kids in oceanography and start doing some projects out there.” In any case, a functioning greenhouse provides a dedicated outdoor environment for environmental projects. “Greenhouses help ensure full sun exposure unlike putting them on windowsills or even sometimes on your porch because of so many potential sources of shade,” Lin said. In addition to air conditioning, other planned modifications to the greenhouse include shelving, a reverse osmosis system and new pipes to move water. Though these additions, along with delays in construction during testing, might make the process last longer, the greenhouse will be able to hold a greater variety of research projects as a result. “To maintain aquaculture projects, a reverse osmosis system is needed for water quality to remove the chlorine and chloramine that the County uses as a disinfectant in the water supply. New pipes are being added to connect to the aquaculture side and to bring water in that we can filter properly and use in our large tanks and caldwells,” Wu said. “At this time of year, construction cannot take place during AP and SOL exams. I know it has taken thyme, but when it is completed, it will be radishing.” PHOTOS // Angel Kim, TJHSSTerc @Facebook
2
1 3
1. The academic research side of the greenhouse is soon to go under construction. In addition to air conditioning, shelving and systems for aquaculture will be installed. 3. ERC’s planters were decorated following a cat theme. “Although it probably would’ve been easier to have just cut the bottles in half to use as planter, we’re trying to teach that upcycling can be fun and also everyone likes an aesthetic touch,” Lin said 4. Plants left in the greenhouse’s club-use side previously have dried out.
SCI-TECH
NOT MY TITLE MiJin Cho || SCI-TECH EDITOR
Head of Security Bob McCormick shares his values as a former professional athlete and President of Goodyear Marketing Division in motivating students to embrace hardships for future sucess
B
ob McCormick refuses to be defined by his title. The head of safety and security for the past 12 years, he represents values beyond his grip on the radio and his role in overseeing detention. Rather, he embraces a passion for mentoring and coaching as a former professional athlete, enthusiasm for communication through his marketing background and a love of learning as an engineer.
difficult time of my life was dealing with the loss of the person I consider to be the most influential [person] that I had on top of recognizing that I was not going to play baseball anymore.”
Starting a Basketball Program
McCormick continued his education with an engineering prospect then swiftly switched over to marketing for the Goodyear Tire Company. Twenty years after, he left Goodyear to starting his own His first passion shaped his endeavors as an athlete from the age of business, a program called Fairfax Stars Amateur Athletic Union six: playing baseball. (AAU) Basketball Program. “From the time I could remember standing up, I remember “I really wanted to [make the program] because my father had throwing a baseball,” McCormick said. “To me, it was a learning a big influence on my life and helped me with my athletics,” said experience- getting better and competing to get better.” McCormick.
Professional Career as an Athlete
The Fairfax Stars Program allowed McCormick to channel his With encouragement from his father, a former New York Yankees personal experiences into a professional environment. baseball player, McCormick began to play competitively in baseball, “[My experience in college] gave me the confidence to now talk to basketball and football at Fox Chapel High School. my own players. I’m really fortunate in all those things that happened “I was a four-year starter in baseball, three-year starter in basketball, to me in that now, I recognize issues in players, both at home and at and three-year starter in football,” McCormick said. “I’m a member school.” of my high school’s Hall of Fame. It’s an incredible journey and Safety and Security honor.” In the same way, he hoped to bring that level of guidance and McCormick took his passion for sports to John Carroll University mentorship in a new opportunity as an assistant security person at in Ohio, where he pursued a professional baseball contract. Along Jefferson. with his contract, he took part in the football and basketball teams as “What I recognized in the student body here was that they part of the Division III School. reminded me of my own basketball program in the sense that the Injuries students were incredibly motivated; they wanted to do their best. During his time training for football, however, he faced the most They had a pretty good idea of how to do that on their own, but… critical injury in his career. needed little pieces of guidance along the way,” McCormick said. “I was doing bench presses with something called Olympic bars. It was seven foot wide [with] weights on both sides. I had one hand on the bar and I looked like I had the other hand on the bar, but I didn’t really secure the right hand. [My spotters] let go of the thinking that I had it. The weight started to come down on my hand and I turned to get away from my head. When I did, I tore the muscles from my neck all the way through the hamstrings on both sides. It was like tearing a piece of paper,” McCormick said.
However, over his 12 years in the safety and security team, McCormick found fewer opportunities to connect to the student body due to a perception of his title. In order to correct this assumption, he emphasizes his role not as a disciplinary figure, but an investigatory one.
“It was the most painful thing I had gone through in my life,” McCormick said. “My whole life I wanted to be a professional baseball player. There was no one back in those days called relief pitchers like they have now. ”
McCormick plans to begin eighth period sessions on May 23 in hopes of sharing his experiences with injury and emotional hardship with students that goes beyond his role as the head of security, but as a supporter for their endeavors.
Soon after, McCormick received more shocking news: the loss of his father.
“Do not be afraid to fail, to learn, and to excel. What holds people back from doing extraordinary things is fear. It’s true in every block of life. Your extraordinary doesn’t have to be the same as my extraordinary, let’s embrace it,” McCormick said.
“When I walk down the hallway, [students] don’t see Mr. McCormick, someone willing to have conversations, but they see the title,” McCormick said. “[My job is] a fact-finding role and a safety The injury left McCormick in a body cast for over two weeks. Even role to keep the environment for them to be as safe and healthy as after recovery, the muscles in his lower back never regained their full it possibly could be. The toughest thing for me is to get them to strength, bringing his professional athlete career to a halt. understand and it’s hard.”
“Emotionally, it was crushing,” McCormick said. “The most
SCI-TECH || MAY 10, 2018 17
To read the full article, go to tjtoday.org
SCI-TECH
Bringing Oceans
T
raditional, old-school posters have been a time-honored tradition for many types of presentations. Whether it be stuttered, minute-long presentations from our elementary years or high-stakes international contest entries, their presence in academic life is undeniable. Now, with the help of internet resources, posters can be brought to an online, virtual platform. Jefferson’s oceanography lab got its first taste of online poster presentations through an unexpected visitor. “Last year, a visitor came in to [our] school from the American Geophysical Union, and her name was Pranadi Asher,” the oceanography lab director, Lisa Wu, said. “She runs the virtual poster competition and she thought that our posters were as good as some of the university ones, so she invited us to a trial because this particular competition was [for] universities.” Beyond being just a competition, each participant would get valuable feedback from other students in the contest. They themselves would be assigned to evaluate two or three other online posters, creating a cycle of helpful commentary. “The whole idea behind the [virtual poster showcase] is that scientists want to share their ideas but going to conferences is expensive,” Wu said. “So this got started as a way of ‘Well, you don’t have to go to San Francisco, let’s all see if we just meet virtually and share ideas and talk about what we’re doing.’” Despite being a new medium for sharing
nline
Jefferson’s oceanography lab participates in a virtual poster competition Grace Mak, Irina Lee || STAFF WRITERS
research projects with peers and professionals, seniors in the oceanography lab found very few differences between making a physical or virtual poster. “It’s essentially the same,” senior Nina Chung said. “It’s just that you don’t have to go through all of the inconveniences of printing because the posters that we use here at TJ take up to 10, 20 minutes to print each one, so it’s really expensive and time-consuming.” Though the students felt little difference, their lab director noticed minute changes in the way the seniors presented themselves, knowing that it would be seen and judged by others. Because they were filming themselves and knew this was going to be up for other people to see, they wanted it to be really good,” Ms. Wu said. “The difference is that they really thought about their script a little more; I did not make them do that.” Overall, students felt that participating in the virtual poster competition was a beneficial experience that opened their eyes to possible shortcomings in their projects. “I definitely would [consider making a virtual poster again at the university level],” Chung said. “There’s no drawback to it. You get to put your work out there for people to see and give feedback on so it’s a net positive experience.”
Top to bottom: Senior Timothy Lou records a video for his virtual poster presentation. “I wanted to share my current research progress with other people, virtually,” Lou said. In preparation for the virtual poster contest, senior Nina Chung records her presentation on modeling the structural complexity of coral reefs. “Seeing your poster in physical form as a trifold is pretty cool, but it’s just overall much less of a hassle to do it online,” Chung said. Photo courtesy of Ankit Agrawal
SPORTS 1 3
2
4
THE NEXT
? T I H G BI
ty i n u m m o c n rso e f f e J e h t n i y rit a l u p o p s ’ l l a b Base F WRITER
uri || STAF
B
Sadhana S
aseball is the third most popular sport in the United States, according to the Gallup News Center’s 2018 Sports Report. The Statista statistics portal reports that in the 2017-2018 season alone, over 493,000 high schoolers participated in their local school teams’ events and games.
Left: With bat in hand, freshman Max White prepares to hit a ball pitched by Yorktown High School’s pitcher.
culture.” And yet, at Jefferson, baseball remains a team with far lower participation rates when compared to others such as the swim or crew teams.
JV outfielder Joshua Fu attributes the lower participation in baseball “Baseball is definitely the most American sport in that it’s ingrained partly to Jefferson’s larger workload and time commitment to this in our history,” junior varsity (JV) first baseman pitcher Jae Canetti sport in particular. said. “The whole game is rooted in our culture - like a ‘sitting down “Baseball, while being interesting and packed with action, still with a hot dog to watch a baseball game with your dad kind of
goes slower than games of sports like football or volleyball, just by nature,” Fu said. “Plus, games happen twice per week, so the sport may not give much room for student participants to get as much studying done if they still want to get an adequate amount of sleep.” However, the sport isn’t as challenging as it may seem. “Baseball may seem really scary to newcomers or people inexperienced with sports in general. It’s got a big reputation in our country, so people think they need to be star athletes to play,” Fu said. “But that’s not true; just like with any other sport, anyone can become a baseball player if they’re willing to practice and love the game.” JV third baseman pitcher Arvind Rathnashyam agreed. “Baseball doesn’t require you to be a bodybuilder; the sport revolves around skill. Hitting a 90 mph fastball, throwing, fielding - all of these plays aren’t about muscle, but skill. What matters in baseball isn’t size or athletic ability or prior experience, but instead your will to keep at the game to acquire the skills you need to become a star player.” Still, participation in baseball as a player isn’t the only option for engaging with the sport and our team. “This year, we got three new additions to our JV managerial staff; only one of them had prior experience with baseball, yet they’re still out on the field keeping score and helping us win games just like anyone else on the team,” Canetti said. “Their support alone gets us, the players, more hyped about our games.”
SPORTS || MAY 10, 2018 20 here, how will they be convinced to join? It’s part of our job to spread awareness and get people excited about us.” To do this, players are considering bringing the sport to attention in the school via the building’s facilities itself. “The school itself could be more involved by briefly going over the scores and some highlights of the most recent game on the morning announcements for all sports, including baseball,” said varsity shortstop Zach Hershey. “We play Marshall, Edison, Falls Church, Wakefield, Stuart, and Lee for two games each season and are giving TJ baseball a great reputation, so it’s important to me that students and faculty alike know that, too.” Others agreed, also adding that changes in the team’s schedules might pose an additional advantage. “We’d probably be able to schedule practices in more ‘convenient’ times, per say, instead of starting at the times that other sports finish their practices,” varsity outfielder Charlie Dobson said. “If the TJ community had the chance to stay more updated on game 5 schedules by directly attending practices themselves, we’d definitely have higher chances of community involvement in the baseball program since more people would know how the team is doing that season.” The team hopes to eventually host fundraising events in the future.
6
7
The team plays with relatively small audiences; a typical baseball game can have as little as 15 - 20 audience members. To help increase fan turnout, players have considered a multitude of options. “We’ve definitely got to market ourselves better,” Fu said. “I myself only found out about our team because of a fair hosted by TJ; if people don’t know much about our baseball program
“Someday, I want us to have enough influence to be able to sponsor a mini-pep rally,” Rathnashyam said. “I think the team can start by organizing mini-fundraisers and such to work toward that goal.” Players remain passionate about the sport and intend to better their game; refusing to be discouraged, Jefferson’s baseball program works to improve the reception of both their sport and their team as a whole.
1: Sophomore Ryan Berry gets in position to steal a base as the pitcher from Yorktown High School begins to throw the ball. 2: Freshman Max White lifts his glove to catch a ball in order to get a player from the opposing team out. 3. Looking up at the ball, Sophomore Charles Sun runs to catch it in order to get the batter out. 4. Berry runs onto third base. 5: Assuming the position to pitch the ball, freshman Arvind Rathnashyam looks at the batter on ase as he prepares to pitch. 6: Freshman George Lewis squats behind Yorktown’s batter. 7: Sun run towards first base after batting.
“Baseball is called ‘America’s pastime’ for a reason,” Fu said. “I have reason to want everyone in our community to give this sport the appreciation it deserves.”
J
USTIN JOHNSON
Coach Justin Johnson on his love for the game and returning to coach his alma mater’s team
Tanya Kurnootala || STAFF WRITER
Just over ten years ago, boys varsity head coach Justin Johnson wore the Jefferson jersey as a player on the very team he now coaches. Having attended Jefferson as a part of the class of 2007, Johnson won the state championships with the soccer team his senior year. “That was a lot of fun. Senior year. we won district, regionals, and states which, you know for TJ, [is] pretty good,” Johnson said. In 2007, Jefferson’s soccer team had many strong players, which gave them an advantage as they advanced to compete at higher levels. At the time, Johnson played under the coaching of Sean Burke, who recently became head coach of Woodson’s varsity boys soccer team. “We had probably seven or eight of us who went on to play in college. Things clicked at the right time, we had good senior leadership, a good coach in Burke, and the ball bounced our way,” Johnson said. Johnson also explained how Burke has shaped the team and his role in the soccer program’s development. “When Sean took over the program [he] kind of changed the approach to it. There was a lot more ongoing involvement. We still have alumni games...he did a lot to build the program into what it is today,” Johnson said. Continuing his passion for the sport from high school, Johnson played soccer in Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa.. During this time, he coached youth camps in the area. “We’d run youth camps during the summer, help out with local clubs outside of Philadelphia,” Johnson said.
“I played all four years, so didn’t have a ton of time for coaching, but we reached out to some of the local youth clubs, that we’d play for their men’s teams, during the summer to run camps.” Johnson first came back to Jefferson to help out in an unofficial position, but was quickly encouraged to take on coaching the boys varsity team. His decision to start coaching can in part be attributed to the positive experience he had as a member of Jefferson’s soccer team in high school. “That’s part of the reason that I ended up coming back. Last year I was helping out [Coach Burke] with him leaving and some of the guys asked ‘Do you want to stick around?,’” Johnson said.
From left to righ: Seniors Scott Becker, Prateek Bardhan and Philip and Johnson wait to shake hands with the members of Yorktown High School’s team
Reflecting on Burke’s coaching, Johnson believes that the two have similar coaching styles, especially since Johnson himself was coached by Burke in high school. “In terms of coaching style [Burke and I are] pretty similar. Hopefully [we are] a well organized team working using shape to our benefit as opposed to individual talent,” Johnson said. Although Johnson has a full-time job as an engineering construction consultant, he made the decision to coach the team as a way to continue his love for soccer as well as give back to a community that gave him so many positive experiences and memories. “[Coaching] is the fun side gig. As you get older you’re not able to play everyday; coaching is a good way to stay active. It’s a great way to stay involved with the game that I played my entire life. It’s fun, and they’re a great group of guys, so I enjoy,” Johnson said.
OPINION
The ethics of consuming the work of embattled artists are not so black-and-white
OPINION || MAY 10, 2018 25
Y
ou drum your fingers along to the beat of the song that floods your ears through your headphones. You haven’t heard it before--it was a suggested track-- but it’s growing on you. In a snap decision, you open Spotify and hover over the “Add to Playlist” button.
Your eyes land on the artist’s name. Yesterday’s news headline circles back through your mind. It’s not a good one.
that they make; after all, we identify with music based on what it sounds like, not what it looks like. Regardless of our personal feelings towards music, it’s important to veer away from music produced by individuals that don’t deserve the monetary compensation. Especially in the social climate of the Me Too movement, we should avoid listening to artists that have been accused of sexual abuse and harassment; by listening to their songs on shuffle every few days, we are putting money into their pockets that they don’t deserve. There are plenty of artists with similar niches; if we make a commitment to avoid supporting known abusers in the music industry, we’ll very likely stumble upon artists with a similar vibe and less recognition but a clear conscience.
A mandate to boycott a certain artist’s music is dependent on the severity of that artist’s infractions, which creates an obscure gray Now, you’re not sure what to do. As the final beats of the song area: what infraction is too grave to come back from? If we do begin to fade away, you make a split decision. Add the song or enough digging, every singer has some problematic aspect -- every not? human being has said something at some point that he/she didn’t mean, or made a flippant comment many years ago that comes We tend to connect with music based on how it makes us feel, not based on the biographical information of the singer. And yet, back to haunt him/her. That doesn’t necessarily mean we should abandon listening to music altogether; each person’s threshold purchasing music created by a problematic individual presents a will be different, but there is a clear line between an insensitive significant ethical question. Is it permissible to support an artist who has done something less- comment and immediate apology versus a violation of another human being. Making a commitment to drawing that line --and than-acceptable because we can’t get his/her perhaps even finding undiscovered artists in the process-- is song out of our heads? essential to send a message to the music industry as a whole Often times, we connect with a piece of that we will not prioritize personal pleasure over human music before learning much about the rights. singer. Once we’ve memorized every When it comes to music, we can’t help what we lyric, it’s much harder to cut a song or connect with. But even as we listen with our artist out of our lives. We’re hesitant hearts, we must discriminate with our heads. An to let go of things that we like, so we incessant earworm isn’t worth buying into make excuses to avoid confronting the career of a known abuser, no matter the issue at hand. It’s also very how catchy the lyrics. Every artist is easy to not be aware of artists’ problematic per se, but some actions personal backgrounds and are inexcusable. It’s time to treat them as lives while enjoying the music as such.
OPINION
HOW TO
GRADUATE
Senior Evan Strong discusses how electives shaped his 4-year schedule
C
oming into Jefferson as a freshman, I heard all the stories of students working non-stop to achieve a sparkling GPA and resume, and assumed my path would be the same. Throughout my life, I’ve been reading music, singing and playing the piano, and I originally thought that some of that would have to end once I started attending here. I was interested in the artistic side of Jefferson, but I didn’t know how I would fit in all of my classes and graduation requirements. But at the beginning of freshman year, a conversation with Ms. Jennifer Mathews, our current choir and theatre director at Jefferson, changed my mind. She convinced me that the fine arts could fit into my schedule every semester, even at Jefferson. Since then, I’ve taken three summer courses (Computer Science, World History 1, and Online Economics & Personal Finance, in that order), got my prerequisites in for the Chemical Analysis Research Lab, and am on track to graduate with my TJspecialized requirements. I was even able to fit an international exchange program to Estonia last summer. But most importantly, I’ve taken four consecutive years of choir/theatre classes.
All that it took was a little planning and a couple of conversations with my counselor, making clear my passion for the fine arts. I prioritize the curricular fine arts because they make room in my schedule for doing the things I love. Instead of being grade-oriented, the classes only require you to perform your best and to learn from your mistakes. In choir, we have students from all grades and experience levels, from the mature seniors to the freshest freshmen. We all get to come together to make music, to sing until our voices blend into one beautiful sound. I know that every sixth period will hold something new, from singing broadway numbers to preparing for winter concert, and I find so much joy in the diversity and energy we have in each song.
OPINION || MAY 10, 2018 27
From left to right: Strong strikes several different poses from shows and musicals he enjoys, including some he himself has performed in. Strong has taken choir and theatre classes since freshman year after discussing his four-year plan with Ms. Jennifer Matthews.
I have also become very involved in extracurricular performing arts during my time in the music wing. I’ve sung in and directed both Show Choir and Man Choir, singing music like the classic “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel and Lady Gaga’s greatest hits. The theatre department has also been an open door, and ever since freshman year, our company’s musicals have been a great way for me to get on stage and commit my time to something else I love. From Ensemble Man Number Five in “Fiddler on the Roof ” to Marius in “Les Misérables,” my experiences with Jefferson’s theatre program have been thrilling and closely connected to our curricular classes: learning how to sing, act, dance (a little), organize, and teach music. All of these opportunities are possible through the curricular classes I’ve taken, and hopefully will continue for the incoming freshmen looking for an experience like mine.
Strong poses in an armchair in the Drama room. Strong enjoys fine arts courses, as they allow students to learn from their mistakes and improve upon them.
Looking back on my experience here, I am so grateful for the fine arts classes I took. They have allowed me to express myself not simply through words, but through song and acting. They have been a stress-reliever during the rougher times at Jefferson, opening my eyes to a world where there is more than checking SIS hourly and staying up late into the night. They have taught me to enjoy my days in high school, sharing wonderful memories with friends, performing for family in our many concerts, and, of course, learning how to sing. No matter where I go in life, I know that I will be supported by my fellow singers and actors, and I couldn’t ask for more out of a single class.
ENTERTAINMENT
G N I S S E R P X E S N O I T O EM
Sneha
Heller and Liu had their artwork and poems, respectively, displayed in Jefferson’s Art Gallery, along 4 -6 P.M.: EXTRACURRICULARS. 6-7 with works created by other P.M.: COMMUTE BACK HOME. 7-10 student winners. Every so often, P.M. OR LATER: HOMEWORK AND the Art Gallery showcases works STUDYING. created by various Jefferson With schedules packed to the brim at any students. Junior and Art Honor given hour of the day, it’s often difficult for Society member Luc Sequeira, Jefferson students to find a minute or two who is also the curator for the to invest some time in hobbies, especially Art Gallery, is regularly involved non-STEM ones. However, some glean with the gallery. inspiration from their jam-packed lives, seize “Mostly, it’s just been managing moments and memories, and transform them the gallery and putting things, into masterpieces. Sophomore Gabrielle taking things in and out,” Heller and senior Timothy Liu, who recently Sequeira said. “This last show, won awards in the Scholastic Art & Writing I worked together with [senior] Awards competition, did exactly that. Adithi [Ramakrishnan], who
Top: Many works are displayed in the gallery, currently which were created by students who won the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. Below, left to right: One of a collection of photos, senior Ash Rozzi’s “Becoming Me Series - Tie Triptych” shows masculinity and the transition towards it. In “Brain Works,” junior Jun Chong explores parts of his identity.
PHOTO // S. Joisha
Jo
ITER
FF WR
STA isha ||
was in charge of getting some poetry winners for Scholastic, so we worked together for figuring out where to put them and which pieces to use.” Art teacher Timothy Davis, who is also involved with managing the gallery, believes the gallery is a good addition to the Jefferson community. “I think it’s a plus for TJ,” Davis said. “I’ve been to a lot of schools in Fairfax County, and they don’t have galleries, but this has I think blossomed to an important space here in TJ, and students are able to actually see their work on the wall and how it would look framed and brings up the level of perfection for students, and I think a lot of the students who don’t have art enjoy coming in there and also the teachers.” Heller submitted her artwork “My Many Faces” to the competition, which is a combination of her faces drawn together to represent herself in different ways. Heller started developing her interest in art well before attending Jefferson in elementary school. She has been going to her art studio every week for six-to-eight hour sessions since the end of fifth grade. “I’ve always enjoyed it when
ENTERTAINMENT || MAY 10, 2018
arts e n i f e h ith t w s e c n perie x e e r a h ers s n n i w s Award g n i t i r &W t r A c i t “I think it’s kind of a catharsis make this piece that took me so Scholas where you do it and then it’s a long.’ But that motivates me to start the next one and start fresh.” Liu became more interested in writing poetry last year. Since then, he has written poems for his AP English Literature class and compiled his work into collections. Liu submitted many poems to the Scholastic competition describing his origins and future. “I like to carry a notebook around just so that I can scratch down lines I like or a collection of words, and normally, I just type it up,” Liu said. “I’ll just be sitting, and a line will come to me, like, ‘Oh, that’s nice. I’ll write it down.’ And if I really like one or one really works, I’ll dig deep and finish off the line. I sometimes use RhymeZone[.com] because I’ll try to find words that rhyme.” we had art class in elementary school--that one hour every week,” Heller said. “I really enjoyed that, so my parents encouraged me to try it. I started doing classes outside of school as well, and I eventually found the studio that I’ve been going to now, and that’s really helped me. The teacher there is amazing. She’s helped me so much as an artist, and I’ve grown so much.” Heller feels she has had many memorable experiences with art. “As I finish a piece, I feel so good because it can take months at a time, and when I’m near the end, I just want to finish,” Heller said. “I definitely lose a lot of my motivation near the end, but when I finish, I’m like, ‘I’m so proud of myself. I was actually able to
Liu believes that writing poetry has no specific end or beginning.
Left: Using different mediums, junior Rachel Eom has a piece “6:00 A.M.” In this work, she painted herself waking up to the sound of her alarm clock which often rings at 6:00 a.m. Below: In the gallery, there is a book with a collection of poems written by various Jefferson student winners. Senior Timothy Liu was one of the winners who submitted several of his poems to the competition, including “Tracks” and “Potstickers on a Monday Morning.” PHOTO // S. Joisha
release,” Liu said. “You don’t know what you do. You just sit down and you write, drink tea, write some art. It feels good at the end.” Heller and Liu both believe that art is very important, especially in a school like Jefferson. “Art is part of who we are,” Liu said. “It’s part of how we understand the world. Just because there are facts or laws doesn’t mean that we all interpret it in the same way. Art is kind of the way we can express these differences and build off each other. Art brings people together. I know that’s cliché, but even if you hate a piece or you love a piece, there is that interaction or dialogue between the artist and the viewer, and through that, you gain each perspective and learn something about the world.”
ENTERTAINMENT
CAN YOU
C S E Escape Room Club brings Jefferson an exciting challenge
Minjoo Song || STAFF WRITER
ENTERTAINMENT || MAY 10, 2018
T
HE ROOM IS DARK.
“I’ve done a lot of escape rooms and I thought they were really fun,” Schoenberger said. “After most of them, I was thinking, ‘Hey, that seems like it’d be a lot of fun to design!’ I figured that [Escape Room Club] was a perfect opportunity for me.”
Scattered about you are seemingly random objects. Cryptic symbols snake their way around the room’s walls and begin to make you feel claustrophobic. You comb through this increasingly unsettling environment and discover the best The low-stress problem-solving part: you’re locked inside… unless environment of an escape room you can figure out how to escape attracted in time.
? E P A C students to the club, causing it to gain momentum.
“I really like the challenge because you have to make all the puzzles from scratch, and you have to talk with everybody in the club to make sure that the puzzles flow logically,” Schoenberger said. “You have to make sure that they’re not too easy or too hard, that people are going to be able to get from one to the next. It’s like a giant puzzle, except you don’t have the pieces; you have to make all of them yourself and then put it together.” By building an actual escape room for students to try, the club will be able to let people experience firsthand the results of their meetings. It would also be a way to get students involved in a new club.
“I do think that it will help promote our club,” Duan said. “I feel like it’s really fun knowing “I feel like by building an actual This high-stakes, criticalthat there are a lot of people who escape room and showing it to the thinking environment is coming are interested in problem-solving school it kind of shows everyone to Jefferson via the new Escape at TJ,” Duan said. “But you also what exactly the club does.” Room club. want to come up with a fun way to Students are looking forward to Junior Alison Duan was inspired do that.” participating in the escape room to first start the escape room club The club now dedicates on J-Day. in March of 2018. its meetings to planning and “I really like puzzles and “I was playing a video game, constructing an interactive escape brainteasers, so I’m really looking actually, and it had this escape room to entertain students on forward to doing an escape room room theme,” Duan said. “I J-Day. with my friends,” freshman Reva was really interested in that, so I “We just started, but right now Hirave said. “It’ll be fun to get a wanted to implement that here at what we’re doing is just general little competitive and get to know TJ.” planning. We’re in the design each other better.” An escape room is an interactive process, so we’ve already come up The club hopes that their physical puzzle game in which with what puzzles we want to do,” escape room will be something all participants are locked in a room Duan said. “We’re having people students can enjoy. and must use strategically placed implement their ideas, and later on, objects as clues to find a way out. “Mostly it’s just something that’s we’ll construct the parts and put it Duan was not alone in her interest. supposed to be fun for people to all together.” As word spread, the club began to do and play,” Schoenberger said. The design process has proven attract more members, including “It’s a great challenge to do, and it’s sophomore Rayna Schoenberger. to be an exciting challenge for club a lot of fun to make.” members.
THE PRINCIPAL’S PRINCIPLES
“
“
PRINCIPAL
PHOTO // Alexa Nguonly REPORTING // Alexa Nguonly
I see [TJ] as a family that cares about each other, but just like at home when you think about your family, there are times when your family might feel stressed. THAT’S WHY WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL WELLNESS AND BALANCE IN OUR LIVES. When we come together as a family, some of us aren’t very well rested so we might say things we don’t mean. Just like in a family where there are brothers and sisters THERE CAN BE SIBLING RIVALRY. We lose a part of our childhood, we lose a part of our young adulthood, when we are so focused on trying to think about what our college degree is going to be and what our job is going to be and how much money we are going to make. We spend so much time focused on our ideal future INSTEAD OF LIVING IN OUR REAL PRESENT. Sometimes I look at private industry and I think about how cool it could’ve been to be an entrepreneur or a consultant, and to have a lot of autonomy to work in that industry. But from a life fulfillment perspective, [EDUCATORS] MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR CHILDREN. We make a difference in your lives because we believe in you being our future and to me, THERE IS NO MORE NOBEL PROFESSION THAN BEING AN EDUCATOR.
“
ANN BONITATIBUS || WHAT I VE LEARNED