October 2018 by tjTODAY Online

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

TJTODAY

OCT. 30, 2018 || VOL 4 ISSUE 2 || www. tjtodayday.org

THE MAGAZINE

6560 BRADDOCK RD. ALEXANDRIA, VA 22312

you are

not alone A semicolon is used when an author could have chosen to end their sentence but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life.

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

Th;s is Us A compilation of stories and lessons from those who have experienced mental illness

BROADCAST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Lynn Nguyen

TEAM LEADERS Justin Chang Pratika Katiyar Irina Lee Grace Mak

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.

In-Depth

Sci-Tech

Emotional Expression

Esha Khator has a passion for poetry

Cultivators of Beauty

The motivation behind members of the Cultivators of the Earth club

CONTENTS AND ONLINE || OCT. 30 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. FOOTBALL TEAM LACKS NUMBERS FOR NEXT YEAR

THIS YEARS FRESH, NEW HOMECOMING: BEFORE AND AFTER

Submit a Letter to the Editor WHY WRITE A LETTER?

THE FIRST MARVEL MOVIE TO STAR A FEMALE LEAD

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HOW DO I WRITE A LETTER?

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Sports

Opinion

Entertainment

More than a Sport

What’s in a Crown?

Pumpkin Spice

Recruiting female golfers for a championship team

Lead Editorial: What is the purpose of homecoming court?

tjTODAY staff and school faculty pumpkin spice taste test

The Gold Standard

The dance techniques behind success in Color Guard

Cents over Sense

Is the cost of college applications reasonable?

Horror Movie Habits Quiz

Find out which Friends character you are based onhow you act during scary movies

The Art Of

EMOTIONAL

EXPRESSION Sophomore Esha Khator’s exploration of the intricacies of poetic language Grace Mak || TEAM LEADER

“I am wearing dark glasses inside the house To match my dark mood. I have left all the sugar out of the pie. My rage is a kind of domestic rage.” The audience falls dead silent as Esha Khator, a freshman at the time, begins to recite lines from Suzanne Buffam’s “Enough” while gazing out toward the panel of Poetry Out Loud judges in front of her. Throughout the year, she will progress to the school round, where she will compete with Jefferson’s top contestants from each grade. Even as she prepares for her second time in the competition, Khator will still remember the poem as a stunningly poignant work of art, one that, among many others in the past, has continued to drive her passion for poetry. Khator, now a sophomore, began exploring her poetic nature at an early age, opting for the nuances of poetic language to rather than the directness of dry papers. “I’ve been interested in poetry since I first learned to write,” Khator said. “Instead of writing essays or stories when I was in second grade or first grade, I’d write poems because I found it so fun to rhyme. Eventually, I started reading more poems that didn’t rhyme or were more complex. They made me feel things, and I thought that was so cool that you could be so creative [through poetry].”

For more, visit tjtoday.org.

With myriad literary devices weaved into the stanzas of a poem, she found that creating such masterpieces allowed her to portray even the simplest of ideas in a more elegant and sophisticated manner. “The same words you could use to write an essay could be used to make something so much more beautiful. [In poetry,] you can use words to have multiple different definitions and meanings and you get the point across in a prettier way than you can essays.” Oftentimes, Khator looks for intensely emotional pieces that she can understand and empathize with. “When I read poetry, my main goal is to feel exactly how the author felt writing it,” Khator said. “I make eye contact, but in my head, I’m imagining myself in whatever scene the poem sets.” While Khator plans to continue furthering her own devotion towards this art of expressive language, she believes that others who are brave enough to take the plunge into the world of poetry will receive valuable benefits in return. “Participating in Poetry Out Loud and reading poems has really improved my vocabulary and expression control,” Khator said. “I think others should get into poetry writing because it’s a great way to express yourself using a lot less rules of writing.”

IN-DEPTH || OCT 30, 2018 5

th;s

NEWS || MAY 10, 2018 03

The semicolon represents more than a punctuation mark, but a movement to bring awareness to mental health issues. It brings together the stories of survivors in celebrating hope of recovery from depression, suicide, addiction and more. The following stories are a few of many.

is us MiJin Cho and Sabria Kazmi || EDITORS- IN-CHIEF PHOTOS // MiJin Cho

sarah goldberg An emotional rollercoaster. Snowballing thoughts. A relentless source of insecurity. For senior Sarah Goldberg, mental illness is not new. It first took form in her early school years, when she was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD. “I’ve been in therapy since I was in third grade,” Goldberg said. “I freaked out over things a lot more than other friends. [I was] worried about everything all the time… I wasn’t able to focus much in class.” After the diagnosis, Goldberg sought out professional help from psychologists and psychiatrists, who taught her coping mechanisms for anxiety and prescribed medication to help with her attentiveness. “Medication doesn’t make it so that [ADHD] goes away completely, but it just makes it so that it’s much more minimized. That’s why I need to both have extensive therapy and medication. I learned a lot of techniques [in dealing with anxiety], things to stop that process in its tracks,” Goldberg said. However, in graduating from middle school, Goldberg faced changes in the school setting. First, she no longer had the accomodation to leave the classroom to walk around the school, and instead, she was to seek student resources directly in times of high stress. Additionally, her transition to high school led to heightened stress and pressure to succeed academically. “I kind of freaked out a little bit,” Goldberg said. “I felt really insecure about the fact that I had to use all of these accommodations, even though I had a mental disorder. After that, I fell into a little bit of a depression spiral. Anxiety sometimes can take the form of depression. It’s not depression per se, but it certainly fills in a lot of boxes.” These particular depressive symptoms brought out the worst of her thoughts. “I started having thoughts of ‘I want to go to sleep forever,’” Goldberg said. “That thought process, while it might not seem like it’s suicidal thinking, it is, technically. I talked to my therapist and she was very worried. I was able to recognize this was not something good, and I was able to walk out of it.” Taking her therapist’s suggestions, Goldberg then turned to winter guard as a support system. “Joining marching band has helped me through my anxiety. I was not good at taking criticism, but I have this amazing instructor [who] made me realize that people who are giving me feedback in my life are not saying, ‘I hate you,’ [but] they are saying, ‘I care about [you] and I want you to do better,’” Goldberg said. In embracing the mix of techniques from her counselor, therapist and guard instructor, Goldberg began to forge a path of success with her illness. Now, she turns to the Jefferson community to bring validation and rally support for those facing similar adversities.

COVER STORY || OCT 30, 2018 9 “I really think of myself as someone who has come a long way, [but] when I see the atmosphere that TJ has right now, it kind of makes me really sad. There’s all these people who don’t have the same access [or] the same resources that I do. I feel that we need to spread awareness and we need to say, ‘It’s okay if you’re struggling because you can succeed, even if you feel like you’re at the bottom of the pit, you [can] crawl out’,” Goldberg said.

cameron curtis “Depression is like trying to wade through water instead of walking on land. It’s like having your glasses fog, but not being able to unfog [them]. You’re stuck in this kind of situation.” Diagnosed with major depressive episodes as a sophomore, senior Cameron Curtis describes his depression as messy and inconsistent. It comes in the form of episodes and symptoms that increase with stress. “My story with depression [is]... not entirely because of TJ, but they have been exacerbated by TJ,” Curtis said. “I came in without the same academic footing a lot of people had so I was trying to play catch-up for most of my freshman year. My situation got a bit complicated because my parents were going through a separation at that point.” As pressure from school increased and family dynamics changed, Curtis found himself withdrawing from his activities and academic pursuits. “The difficulty about depression is that oftentimes the symptoms and the causes overlap. Being depressed gives you that mental cloud, and you end up doing worse on tests and quizzes and academic projects, which can oftentimes only exacerbate the depression which exacerbates the grades. It’s [a] positive feedback loop in the worst possible way,” Curtis said. Those symptoms lingered. They fed into a spiral until, eventually, his mother led him to seek treatment with a psychologist and psychiatrist. “A big turning point for me was when I finally got my mind around the whole idea that [depression] is not a moral failing, but this is a disease like any other. It makes it a lot easier to discuss, a lot easier to diagnose, [and] a lot easier to engage with,” Curtis said. Since then, Curtis has received regular treatment and therapy. In going through this process, he relays a message of hope and courage in emphasizing that mental illness is not a personal failure, but a disease worth creating a conversation around. “If you suffer from depression, you are not alone,” Curtis said. “Depression is very unique and personal sort of thing. My case will not be indicative of most others, but it is a story.”

nora thompson

There’s nothing you can do. You’re stuck. Jefferson alum Nora Thompson has a clear memory of feeling this way when she first realized she had anxiety. “I have such a vivid memory of finding myself just sitting on my bathroom floor crying and not being able to move,” Thompson said. “I hadn’t ever experienced something so physical before. Realizing that there’s nothing I could do about it, that really terrified me.” Thompson later came to learn that what she experienced was a symptom of a mental illness. She sought help, and ended high school with a therapist that had a big impact on her. A metaphor her therapist used for mental health was a reference to the ancient Japanese culture of creating pots. “When the pots broke, instead of throwing away the pots or trying to fit them back perfectly, they would mend the pots with gold to sort of showcase the flaws and realize that the pot is still beautiful,” Thompson said. “That resonated with me a lot, like learning to live with this mental illness, as opposed to trying to forget that it exists or wash it all away completely.” Since she herself was reluctant to start, Thompson encourages people to be patient when seeking therapy. She also acknowledges that not every therapist will be the best fit for you. “It’s okay to not like your therapist. They’re there to help you, and if they’re not providing services that you want, it’s definitely okay to leave,” Thompson said. Her message to those who see someone else struggling with mental illness, is to believe and support them. “To anyone that feels like [mental illness is] something that they are struggling with, I believe you,” Thompson said. “I think just having people say that to me just made so much of a difference. [For] someone that has friends that are experiencing mental illness, [let] them know that you hear the things that they’re saying and believe them. [This] can sometimes do more than trying to solve the problem.”

elizabeth sherrock

A mess. That was the state in which Jefferson alum Elizabeth Sherrock’s anxiety left her during her senior year. The issue began with feelings of heartbreak after hearing the girl she liked was dating someone else. Her emotions began to take a physical toll. “They were hanging out and being physically affectionate. I still feel so stupid about this, but that was what would trigger me and my anxiety attacks and all that.” After her initial emotional breakdown, Sherrock found herself having many panic attacks over things she didn’t expected to bother her. “I would suddenly have panic attacks over the smallest things, whereas it didn’t really happen before. I remember we had to write a movie review for AP Lang class and I couldn’t do it. And I just started freaking out. I had to go to the bathroom to calm myself down… I was a mess… I would never get that panicky over an assignment like that [before].” Sherrock found that putting space between her triggers and herself helped, even if it meant not participating in all aspects of an activity that she loved. “I cut myself off from those two people,” Sherrock said. “I left a bunch of group chats that we were in together. I also had to isolate myself from my other friends who I loved, but I would no longer be seeing messages between the two of them that would remind me of everything… Just being away from them helped.” Sherrock also gives credit for the better state she’s in now to her friends for helping and checking in on her. However, she recognizes that mental illness is not something that just goes away completely. It’s something you learn to live with. “[The experience] lowered my threshold for like things I could handle,” Sherrock said. “Overall it’s better, but it’s still there; it never really went away fully. And I feel like that’s one of the things that people need to remember about mental health. Even though the overall situation can be better, little things can remind you or set you off again.”

COVER STORY || OCT 30, 2018 11

th;s is us

Looking back to their experiences at TJ, alumni Nora Thompson (Class of 2017), Elizabeth Sherrock (Class of 2018), and Eke Wokocha (Class of 2016) share their stories with mental health and provides outlooks in coping with stress for current and prospective students.

eke wokocha

Mental health is complex. So complex that sometimes people don’t realize they are suffering. Jefferson alum Eke Wokocha didn’t realize what he had gone through in high school could be considered depression until he took an autobiography class last year. “I was forced to reflect on my past life experiences,” Wokocha said. “I noticed there was an anomaly at the end of my sophomore year… my ultimate low. That was the point where I would stop showing up to school, almost entirely. I made a joke that I had somehow acquired senioritis around that time… I now would call it… a point where my mental health was not where it needed to be.” For Wokocha, self-blame played a major role in delaying the recognition of his mental illness. Comparing himself to his peers, he wondered why it was difficult to put effort into school. “It’s complex because it just feels like I might just not be trying hard enough; I might just be too lazy,” Wokocha said. Wokocha explains that the competitive environment at Jefferson can cause people to overwhelm themselves.

MENTAL HEALTH

NUMBERS

million Americans have a mental health condition

7.7%

of youth had no access to mental health services through private insurance

1in 5 8%

“Especially at TJ, you can start to feel like you need to do everything,” Wokocha said. “If someone else is doing something, you’ll feel like you have to do it too. At the end of the day, that just ends up spreading yourself out too thin, which leaves you susceptible to what you could call snapping.”

will get the help they need

Wokocha believes listening to how other people with similar issues dealt with their situation can be extremely helpful, so he is sharing his story and urges others to share theirs.

of all teens have an anxiety disorder

“[When] people share their stories and you realize that some of their story coincides with parts of your story…, you can understand that maybe they went through something similar. And then from there, [you] can also see the things they did, which you might be able to use to help yourself as well,” Wokocha said. “That’s is why I believe it’s beneficial to share your story when you’re ready.”

If you are in crisis, text NEEDHELP to 85511, call 1-800-273-TALK, or dial 911 Information from Mental Health America and Paradigm Malibu

ankita vadiala For senior Ankita Vadiala, the world started losing its color during sophomore year. “My depression was kickstarted by the stress of freshman year and the long-lasting shock of the middle school [to] TJ transition,” Vadiala said. “All of a sudden, things were much harder. I noticed that I started feeling down for no reason sometimes, even when I was with friends.” Those symptoms held tangible consequences as her grades fell drastically. To cope with changes in her academic performance, Vadiala began to seek resources from Student Services. Through meeting with the school counselor, psychologist, and social worker, she slowly began to build the courage to bring up the situation with her family. “It took me half the year for me to open up to my parents and a lot of time for me to convince them that something was really wrong. That’s where I started finding a name for it. Depression,” Vadiala said. In building a support network beyond her school and home, Vadiala forges a path of endurance through weekly therapy sessions in her battle against depression. Now she asks for the students at Jefferson to recognize that the people around them may hold stories similar to hers, each searching for their own solution. “At TJ, I’ve noticed a lot of people who think they have to make it on their own at all times,” Vadiala said. “A lot of [them have a] fear of stigma or fear of what their family’s going to say. They end up suffering in silence. My number one piece of advice is just don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s always a support system if you look in the right place.”

rayna

schoenberger

Perfectionism, to junior Rayna Schoenberger, is a source of anxiety. “I [have] always been a perfectionist,” Schoenberger said. “The problem was, perfection at TJ is essentially unattainable yet I was trying so desperately to get there. But nobody’s perfect and you inevitably mess up. Then the anxiety takes over.” Breaking that cycle came in the form of learning to take on a new perspective regarding her own performance. “[You have to learn] to show yourself that this is not a problem. If you realize that you’re catastrophizing, you try to put it in perspective. It’s a lot easier said than done and it takes lots of time,

but [you should try] to rationalize something when you start to get really anxious,” Schoenberger said. Schoenberger utilized rationalization and sought advice from a psychologist. From there, she learned to identify her triggers and to find peace within herself. “My biggest thing would be [to] remember that it’s okay to not be okay,” Schoenberger said. “A lot of this process is trial and error, but it’s all you can do. You just have to remind yourself that you’ve made it this far, try to challenge negative thoughts when you find them, and trust that you’ll get through this.” Schoenberger takes this mentality and hopes to embrace a culture of empathy. “I felt comfortable enough admitting to other people that I was really struggling,” Schoenberger said. “I’ve had people like come to me in really horrible states and I’ve gone to other people in the same thing. I can promise that you are not a burden.”

maria abramova Depression is not pretty. Junior Maria Abramova experienced this first hand when she transitioned into high school without the comfort of familiar faces from middle school. In trying to adjust to the new high school environment, Abramova’s academic standing began to fall. By the middle of her freshman year, the school notified her that she did not meet the required unweighted 3.0 GPA. While she was able to improve her grades, the heightened pressure she felt for academic achievement resulted in drastic changes in her mental health. “At the same time my grades went up, my mental health went down dramatically because I was more under pressure and I felt more like a failure,” Abramova said. “I started starving myself. It was just not good; it was not pretty.” Abramova sought outside treatment for anxiety and depression, but none of the methods of treatment seemed to work. Medication is what turned things around for her. “With antidepressants, it just went away naturally. And then one day at the end of my sophomore year, I just kind of stopped taking antidepressants,” Abramova said. Abramova shares her story to express her belief that mental illness needs to be approached differently. She emphasizes that therapy is not for everyone because mental illness is not a one size fits all. “I’m not saying don’t get help, but there’s so many considerations,” Abramova said. “Talking about your problems will not always help solve them. I wish that therapists would actually give more advice [in a] more individual way. I wish there would be strategies to help resolve those mental issues by yourself.”

COVER STORY || OCT 30, 2018 13

CULTIVATORS OF Justin Chang || Team Leader

BEAUTY

ith less than an hour remaining until the end of school, senior Ananya Pathapadu grabs some gardening tools and puts on a pair of gloves ready to begin the period. It is here that Pathapadu, along with her friends and classmates, will care for the flowers and shrubbery in the facade of the school, preserving its beauty and aesthetic appeal. Though Cultivators of the Earth was

Seniors Ananya Pathapadu, Gopika Pillai and Yujung Lee find relaxation and joy at Cultivators of the Earth

not recognized as an “official” club by the school until this year when it took on the roles of Greenhouse Club, Pathapadu first got involved in the club last year through her HUM II English teacher, Mrs. Klein, who introduced the prospect of participating in the club. Soon after, Pathapadu found herself as a regular member of the club, participating various activities ranging from planting flowers, pulling weeds, and

watering the garden around the school. Pathapadu continued to attend the club’s weekly meetings to pursue her hobby of gardening without taking up time outside of school. In addition, many Cultivators of the Earth participants, including Pathapadu, pointed out several benefits of the club’s activities. lot of fun and gardening is something that I personally enjoy. Because of TJ and the workload we have, I don’t get to do it year round,” Pathapadu said. “So, if I can take a part of my school day and set that aside for gardening, that’s a great way to spend my time It’s also really de-stressing.” Aside from the enjoyment that the club provides, Pathapadu strives to give a good, appealing impression of Jefferson through direct works to the school. “We contribute to the beauty of our school and I think there’s a lot of clubs that do things on the inside, but when any person or any visitor walks in, the first thing they see is the big dome, the grass on either side, and our flowers on either side, and that brings beauty to how our school looks,” Pathapadu said. Similar to Pathapadu, senior Yujung Lee was also introduced to Cultivators of the Earth through her HUM II English teacher, Mrs. Klein, after learning that she was the sponsor of the club. Due

IN-DEPTH || OCT. 30, 2018 15

to commitments for other activities, however, Lee was initially unable to join Cultivators of the Earth during her sophomore year, but eventually managed to do so by the next year. “I’ve always wanted to join this club since sophomore year... I saw my friends carrying pots outside of school and planting them, but I didn’t really have a chance to do it because of other commitments,” Lee said. “But actually, Ananya and I were in the same HUM II

and we realized Mrs. Klein was sponsoring the club, so that’s how it got started.”

the plants, we were motivated by [their efforts] and so we continued to participate in the club,” Lee said.

Though both Lee and Pathapadu were initially skeptical of the club, they both realized the beauty and joy of participating in Cultivators of the Earth through both firsthand and secondhand experience.

In a highly competitive environment, Lee shared the importance of the club and what it has to offer among the other extracurricular activities at Jefferson.

“As we started the club and interacted with the seniors who were taking care of

“[Participating in Cultivators of the Earth] is definitely relaxing and that’s part of the reason why I come to this club. It also gives students the opportunity to show their passion and love towards their school and it’s the only that takes care of the school’s appearance itself,” Lee said, “And that’s really important because people pass by the school everytime, and even if they don’t know what our school is like, it’s really important to give that first impression.” For more, visit tjTODAY.org. 1. Senior Ananya Pathapadu surveys the coneflower bed for any weeds. 2. Senior Gopika Pillai uses a plier to cut the tips of dead flowers among rosepink flowers. 3. Senior Yujung Lee checks on the progress of her work after checking for any weeds in the garden bed. PHOTOS // Justin Chang

MORE THAN A

Justin Chang || TEAM LEADER

PORT Despite recent success, coed and girls golf teams struggle to find more female golfers

ot. Enough. Girls. As surprising as it sounds, this is what plagued Jefferson’s golf program for several years, creating a new set of problems that had to be tackled and overcome. Following the graduation of key senior players, both the coed and girls teams looked to find replacements through eighth periods, freshmen previews and other mediums, but faced unexpected problems. “We always try to actively recruit new freshman girls during preview nights, and we sometimes ask around in our grade to see if anyone’s interested in joining,” senior Theresa Kim, captain of the coed and girls teams, said. “Golf season also starts in August so it’s somewhat difficult to publicize during the summer when everyone’s away on vacation.” Head coach John Meyers cited additional reasons, noting how the level of dedication and experience needed beforehand presented a commitment issue that incoming freshmen and possible upperclassmen recruits were unwilling to make. “We have the freshman previews for the eighth graders and we get twenty people that want to play, but then they realized that you need to know how to play great beforehand, that we can’t teach you how to play, and that you also need to own your own set of golf clubs,” Meyers said. “It’s not like on the football team where they give you all the equipment you need. [Golf] is a difficult sport and here in Jefferson it’s very competitive.”

THE PROBLEM With the coed golf team winning six consecutive district championship titles and placing third in the regional championships this year, there is no doubt that golf is one of the most successful sports at Jefferson. However, this also goes to show the level of skill and technique that must

SPORTS || OCT 30, 2018 17 “Golf is a difficult sport and you need to learn as a young child in order to be really competitive in high school. We can’t teach it to you,” Meyers said. “It takes a lot of background in order to be a player so it is a difficult sport to pick up.” To reach and attain a level of proficiency seen among the members of the coed golf team, players must rely on a number of resources including private coaches and country club memberships, which could prove to be costly for students interested in joining the golf team. “Golf is a highly skill-oriented sport in that it takes years to develop a working swing. Your entire body must be synchronized and you must pay attention to every single detail in your swing because the smallest defect can make everything go wrong,” Kim said. “Then you need the resources to help maintain and improve your golf game which can get really expensive. Not everyone can afford a private coach, a country club membership, and all the

expensive equipment you need to play. So those who join the team are people who have had previous exposure and support, and it’s rare to find such people.” Many, including Kim, believe that the problem extends far beyond Jefferson and exists in areas all throughout the country due to the looming stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding golf. Kim also noted the lack of opportunities for girls to solely compete in tournaments and matches not dedicated for the coed team. “For the lack of girls specifically, it’s not just a TJ issue. Schools all over the county are having a difficult time gaining membership for girls golf. Golf is still somewhat a male-dominated sport and the stereotypes and perceptions that surround golf do not help,” Kim said. “So what I’ve noticed is that there are fewer opportunities for girls to even compete because a lot of the schools can’t form teams to have tournaments and matches solely for girls. As a result, there are even fewer incentives for girls to join the team.”

CHALLENGES On top of this, Meyers believes various extracurricular activities offered at Jefferson and rigorous academic courses is one of many factors that draw students away from getting more involved in the golf program. “The ones that we’ve had have been playing pretty much all their life, so we know that they are good, but it’s also another thing to find people that the golf bug will bite them so that they will want to go out and practice,” Meyers said. “The other thing that happens is when I got a bunch of players on the team, they get caught up in a whole bunch of another new activities they have at Jefferson that they don’t have at a lot of other schools. They get distracted and they also find other activities that they’re probably more interested in.” Though the issue might not seem immediate and significant, the problem of not having enough girl players on the coed and girls golf team is still widely felt by both players and coaches. With the season winding down in a few weeks, Meyers pointed out the advantages of having a greater number of girls on the coed team and shared his goal for the upcoming season.

1. Senior Theresa Kim, captain of both the coed and girls golf teams, tees off during practice after school at Pinecrest Golf Course. 2. Junior David Luo hits a greenside bunker shot during practice at Pinecrest Golf Course. PHOTOS // JINY CHO

“One of the great things about golf is that I like to have a good girl golfer on the coed team because they can play [on both the Boys and Girls Team],” Meyers said. “There’s a definite advantage playing on the boys team because the women’s tees are shorter. They play from a shorter round than the guys do, so even if they aren’t playing that great, they still have an advantage. It helps the team to have a good girl player, so my goal with the team is to develop a good girls golf team for next year.”

GOLD THE

STANDARD The role of ballet and contepmorary dance in color guard performances

Irina Lee || Team Leader

or many people, the Color Guard is a necessary part of every half-time show. Its flashy performances, filled with the skillful manipulation of flags, rifles, and other props, bring undeniable flair and draw appreciation from many a corner. Elegance, however, is in some respects a less visible portion of their routine. Certainly, most would assume that show, especially when paired with the more militaristic aspect of the marching band, had limited connections to the grace of ballet. A closer look at each training session, however, reveals an opposite truth. From basic elements such as tondues and turnouts to larger considerations such as posture and overall cohesiveness, ballet and other forms of dance form a large part of every routine. “A lot of the more advanced Color Guard work in the field - they incorporate parts of hip-hop, urban, [and other] more contemporary things,” Senior Guard Captain Eli Kauffman said. “[For example] last year, we had a body roll emulating snakes for the jungle show.” Kauffman fel that ballet was so essential to Guard techniques that he began taking weekly ballet lessons at the end of his sophomore year in an effort to improve his work on the field. “I took ballet classes to get better at guard. The biggest thing I got from it was posture. [When] I understood the posture in ballet, I got to understand the musicality of guard.” Color Guard junior Jane Wang also experienced the benefits of a ballet background. “Posture is really important, not only in the dance part, but everything,” Wang said. “If you toss you have to have good posture, if you catch you have to have good posture.” Above all, it is important to note that shows performed by the Color Guard are constructed, not of props, but of

SPORTS| Oct 30 2018 19

8 details. Every minute motion is scrutinized, especially in competition, and even something as small as breathing can become a point of contention. “When you get good enough, you’re told to match body quality,” Kauffman said. “You should breathe in on these counts and out on those counts to mimic what your body is doing, and you want to copy what everybody else is doing.” To say that the color guard has reached its maximum potential for lyricism, however, would deny the transformative aspects of the art as a whole. “Back in the day, this West Coast group decided, you know, ‘we’re not going to mark the indoor show with boots, we’re going to wear dance shoes,’” Kauffman said. “So that transition is still happening today. And we’re still getting even crazier and crazier dance aspects [today].” 1. Senior Sarah O’Shay tosses her flag tosses her flag into the air. 2. Coach Joyce Su, alumn of Jefferson and Guard instructor leads the team out. 3. Senior and captain Eli Kauffman whirls his rifle end-over-end. 4. Junior Jane Wang, one of the soloists this year, shows off the Holy Grail. The golden props reflect the Color Guard’s theme of “Gold Rush.” 5. Junior Victor Xia prepares to toss his rifle. 6. Senior and Color Guard captain Eli Kauffman finishes off a leap. 7. Jane Wang lifts the Holy Grail high into the air. 8. A view of the Color Guard from the sidelines, moments before the start of their performance. Photos courtesy of Jiny Cho, Ananya Bagai, and Lifetouch.

LEAD EDITORIAL:

What’s

Crown? in a

A look into the purpose of Homecoming Court

oday I am sad and disappointed in our school James W. Robinson Secondary School administration, for denying me and my best friend Christian the title of Homecoming Kings,” a student from Robinson, a Fairfax County school, tweeted on Sept. 11. A couple of weeks later, the same student tweeted that the rule preventing king/king or queen/queen pairs from being on homecoming court had been changed, and he was proud to have been a part of making it happen. Jefferson also recently changed the nomination process for homecoming court to be based on couples rather than individuals, and now students can nominate same-sex couples. While we support this equality in principle, we question the notion that the process should be about couples at all.

It’s not really clear when homecoming court became a part of homecoming, but now it is a widely recognized tradition. At first glance it seems harmless. Just a little fun for couples at the school, a chance to ride around the track in a convertible and have your class cheer for you. But taking a second look, there is a lot of potential harm hidden beneath the veneer of glitzy romance and class spirit. In fact, it’s a dilemma explored in nearly every high school movie: the most popular girl at school is determined to win queen and feels threatened when the new girl becomes competition, or some version of that scenario. The takeaway is homecoming court is a popularity contest. It’s true that we can claim the same of any process that involves voting. For example, many students believe that Student

Government elections are popularity contests. The difference is that those elections have a purpose; the criteria for why you should vote for someone is, ideally, that you think they would do a good job serving in the role for which they are running. A role with clearly stated responsibilities. Homecoming court has no such criteria. There are no universally identified reasons to vote for a couple, leaving the vote to be entirely based on popularity. The question then becomes, is the chance that a few people might get their feelings hurt really worth abolishing the tradition all together? And to that, we don’t have an exact answer. We do, however, believe there is an alternative that fits much better with the idea behind homecoming in general: school spirit. We suggest to simply add criteria to the homecoming court nomination. There should be a reason why someone is nominated, and that reason should involve school spirit. Is it likely that a popular person will be the one voted as most spirited in the class? Yes, it is, and there is really no stopping that from happening in any type of voting process based on public opinion. But making this change will at least ensure there is, in principle, a reason why someone gets that fun ride around the football field.

Robinson and Jefferson, we applaud you for changing your homecoming court rules to be more welcoming to all types of couples. But we ask that you go one step further. Rather than having it be a popularity contest between couples, let’s make homecoming court a way to recognize what the entire celebration is really about: coming together for school spirit.

OPINION || OCT 30, 2018 21

PHOTO // Sabria Kazmi

CENTS over

SENSE College costs start piling up in the application process Shruthi Nyshadham || ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR

hat’s worth your $1000? A cross-country plane ticket, the latest flat screen TV...or perhaps, as some seniors are finding out, college application fees? The cost of college has steadily increased over the past several decades, with average tuition now ranging anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 depending on the type of institution. But before ever setting foot on a college campus, most families find their wallets taking a hit from the astronomical cost of college applications.

BACKGROUND In some sense, every step of the application process involves a price. Taking standardized tests: somewhere between $50 and $65 for SAT or ACT, depending on whether the essay is included, and $26 per SAT Subject Test. Sending test scores: $12 for each College Board score report and $13 for each ACT report. Sending grades from Jefferson: $5 for each transcript request after the third. Submitting applications: around $40 to $85 per school. And in a cruel twist of irony, completing CollegeBoard’s CSS Profile to be eligible for aid from certain prestigious but often expensive universities: $25 to begin, and $16 for each additional school. Many families use books like these to find scholarships and financial aid to ease the burden of college tuition. Similarly, certain testing and application fee waivers exist to help eligible families pay the costs involved in the college application process.

Long story short, tracing through the application process reveals just how expensive it really is. With the

average Jefferson student now applying to 9.7 schools according to transcript office manager Samantha Wolf, the financial burden of applications alone can exceed $1000, never mind money spent on college visits, multiple attempts for standardized tests, and AP exams. So why do these costs exist? And, perhaps more importantly, are they justified?

TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS FCPS regulations dictate that the Jefferson transcript office collect a $5 processing fee, but the office directs all of that money toward class funds. This seems at least partly fair: students receive the benefits of the money they put in. The question remains, however, of why those who apply to more schools and therefore pay more transcript fees must shoulder a larger burden of this cost. If the money isn’t going toward supporting the extensive administrative efforts involved in putting together each transcript package, there’s no reason why the fee should be contingent on the number of transcript requests.

STANDARDIZED TESTING But even so, the cost of transcript requests is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to application expenses. The bigger issue involves the third-party organizations that are critical to college admissions, including CollegeBoard and ACT. In the current system, these companies operate as a kind of duopoly. Most colleges still require either the SAT or ACT standardized test as a component of the admissions package, giving CollegeBoard and ACT free reign to set their own prices. The majority of prospective college applicants have no choice but to take at least one of the tests, meaning that as long as both companies maintain similar prices, there is no other market competition to limit what that price can be. As a result, it’s easy to bleed families dry of their money through testing and score report fees.

OPINION || Oct. 30, 2018 23 Even worse, CollegeBoard has a monopoly on certain aspects of the application process, such as the CSS Profile for scholarships and SAT Subject Tests. Who’s to stop CollegeBoard from arbitrarily increasing the CSS Profile cost from $25 to $30, or the Subject Test cost from $26 for registration plus $22 per test to something more?

The other reason cited for application fees is that they deter students from applying to numerous colleges for the sake of it, instead forcing students to choose wisely and apply

Part of the problem is that little transparency exists about where funds given to these third-party companies go and how they are used. As most score reports are sent electronically to universities, it doesn’t make sense for their $12 or $13 cost to be for shipping. Nor does it make much sense for the money to go toward score report processing, considering that both CollegeBoard and ACT have full-time employees who presumably receive salaries to do just that. So what purpose does that leave? There doesn’t seem to be an easy answer.

APPLICATION FEES Perhaps the most expensive part of the admissions process comes from colleges themselves: the application fees. U.S. News reported that the average application fee among the schools it ranked was $43 in 2016. However, more selective and highly ranked universities charged an average application fee of $75. After sending brochures, holding information sessions, and conducting college tours to kindle students’ interest in their schools, why do universities then penalize students who decide to apply? There are typically two main arguments for the reason behind application fees. One contends that they are necessary to mitigate the administrative cost and effort associated with reading applications. But just as with CollegeBoard and ACT, colleges have salaried admissions officers who are paid to review applications. So shouldn’t the administrative cost of applications be covered by the salaries of the employees involved in that process?

Jefferson students turn in a Transcript Request Form (TRF) for every school to which they want their transcript and school report to be sent. Based on an FCPS regulation, each TRF after the first three is $5.

only to schools they would consider attending. But in most cases, the supplemental essays required by schools using the Common Application are deterrent enough; it’s rare that an applicant would waste time thinking about and writing these supplemental essays for schools that he or she didn’t want to attend. Given this, there seems to be no need for colleges to have a monetary deterrent as well. For those who wish to pursue higher studies, college is an invaluable source of education, information, and opportunities. The institutions involved in the application process should make it easier, not financially prohibitive, for students to obtain these experiences.

TRACING THROUGH

COLLEGE APPLICATION COSTS SAT w/ Essay

$35

Transcript Requests

$169

Most students take it twice, $65 each

Average TJ student submits 9.7, $5 each after 3rd one

$25 flat fee, $16 for each additional school

$130

CSS Profile

$1054

$74

$120

$526

Most students take 2, $22 flat fee + $26 each

$12 each for TJ average of 9.7 applications

$43 average fee , $75 for more selective schools

Subject Tests

Score Reports

Submitting

And all of that is just for applications... Information from CollegeBoard, USNews, and Jefferson transcript office manager Samantha Wolf

BASIC The

PumpkinSpice

Digging into the true origins of this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grace Mak || TEAM LEADER signature flavor

umpkin Spice. Two little words that are seemingly so insignificant, yet they invoke an immense medley of reactions: Starbucks baristas shudder in horror, basic all-Americans squeal out of delight and their fellow citizens flee from the room in disgust. Despite the varied responses the flavor receives, ranging from pure adoration to raging animosity, pumpkin spice has become an unshakable staple during the Autumn season, taking over the aisles of every store. From hot beverages and pastries, to candles and even Nike

Senior Sabria Kazmi samples one of the 23 items that the tjTODAY staff tried out during their pumpkin spice taste test held after school on Oct. 10. Freshmen Catherine Pak and Manya Phutela dig into a box of Pumpkin Spice flavored Cheerios.

sneakers, the pumpkin products are in every nook and cranny. Surprisingly, the spice typically contains no actual pumpkin, in spite of its name. A blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes allspice, pumpkin spice is what gives all fall pumpkin desserts and beverages their flavorful snap.

The origins of this unique spice go back much further than Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes and traditional Thanksgiving pie.

ENTERTAINMENT || OCTOBER 30 2018 25

Most BASIC of All Highlights from tjTODAY’s Pumpkin Spice Taste Test 2

1. Entenmann’s Pumpkin Spice Donuts “Combines the best of donuts and pumpkin spice,” senior Shruthi Nyshadham said.

In 1995, a candle company began the fall pumpkin spice trend, releasing a pumpkin

spice-scented candle. Small coffee shops across America began releasing pumpkin spice beverages and by the early-2000s, the Pumpkin Spice Latte was born. Since then, the pumpkin spice craze has only gotten even crazier. Making a comeback every fall, pumpkin spice has become an icon of autumn, to the point that even one whiff of a Pumpkin Spice Latte creates nostalgia for the season. With pumpkin spice making its way into the scene once again, the tjTODAY staff conducted a taste test, searching for the best basic pumpkin spice flavored items on the shelves today.

“The frosting makes me wish pumpkins were extinct,” freshman Catherine Pak said.

21. Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts 22. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffeecake 23. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

For a more detailed taste test report, visit tjtoday.org.

As early as 1620, American settlers were using such flavor combinations in primitive forms of pumpkin pie consisting of stewed pumpkins, milk, honey, and spices. The name “pumpkin spice” for this blend of flavors did not actually become popular until 1936, when the Washington Post published recipes for pumpkin spice cakes as ideal family desserts. By the 1950s, spice companies such as McCormick were commercially selling “pumpkin spice”, allowing cooks to broaden their horizons and experiment with the flavor in other dishes, such as squash and sweet potatoes.

2. Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer 3. Little Bites Pumpkin Spice Muffins 4. Pumpkin Spice Cookie Spread 5. Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream 6. Pumpkin Spice Swirl Bread 7. Pumpkin Spice M&Ms 8. Pumpkin Spice Instant Oatmeal 9. Pumpkin Spice Frosted Mini Wheats 10. Pumpkin Spice Coffee 11. Pumpkin Spice Cheerios 12. Pumpkin Spice Granola 13. Pumpkin Salsa 14. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Coffee 15. Pumpkin Spice Nonfat Greek Yogurt 16. Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Black Tea 17. Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cheesecake Filling 18. Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes 19. Pumpkin Spice Premium Cold Brew Coffee 20. Iced Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

tjTODAY

Prese

When getting extremely scared while watching a horror movie, you… A.) Immediately turn off the movie and watch something else B.) Hide behind a pillow or a blanket and cover your ears C.) Keep watching, even though you know you won’t be able to sleep at night D.) What do you mean? I don’t get scared. E.) I don’t think I’d watch a scary movie in the first place. They just don’t make sense. F.) I won’t have time to get scared when I’m multitasking!

A friend spoils the movie you’ve been waiting to watch. What do you do in return? A.) Make a sarcastic comment to defend yourself B.) Talk to all of your other friends in secret about a movie you know that friend has been dying to watch C.) Be petty and spoil a different movie for them D.) Let karma take care of it E.) Mope about it F.) Never let your friend live it down

Your favorite ‘Netflix’ snack is… A.) Mac and cheese B.) Pizza C.) Cheesecake D.) Oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies E.) A turkey sandwich F.) A fancy five course meal

Your go-to Halloween costume is… A.) A cute animal costume B.) My best friend… get it? C.) Myself, I don’t have time to dress up D.) Superman/Superwoman E.) A meme F.) Any costume will do, as long as I outdo my friends

Mostly A’s: You’re Chandler, just like sophomore Yash Sinha! You are the epitome of sarcasm, and you’re definitely the class clown. Mostly B’s: You’re Joey, just like sophomore Muhurto Rahman! You are usually the life of the party, and are very friend oriented. Mostly C’s: You’re Rachel, just like freshman Kat Kosolapova! Besides being a fashionista, you’re also a hard worker.

PHOTO // Geoffrey Chandler via Flickr

Mostly D’s: You’re Phoebe, just like sophomore Ikhlaas Bhat! You are fearless, and an out of the box thinker. Mostly E’s: You’re Ross, just like sophomore Teja Kocherla! You’re a very logical person, and your sarcasm is on par.

PHOTO // NBC via Wikipedia Commons

Mostly F’s: You’re Monica, just like senior Tiffany Zhang! You love being a host, and it is your mantra to multitask.

ENTERTAINMENT || OCT. 30, 2018 27

Sophomore Teja Kocherla

Sophomore Yash Sinha

Senior Tiffany Zhang

WHICH FRIENDS CHARACTER ARE YOU

ents...

BASED ON YOUR

HORROR MOVIE HABITS? Pratika Katiyar || TEAM LEADER

Freshman Kat Kosolapova

Sophomore Ikhlaas Bhat

Sophomore Muhurto Rahman

STUDENT PHOTOS // Sonia Kanchan

Character photos courtesy of NBC via Wikipedia Commons

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WE’RE ALL IN THIS

TOGETHER

PHOTO // Lynn Nguyen REPORTING // Lynn Nguyen

“

If I didn’t have an older brother, I probably wouldn’t be good at anything. He always teaches me stuff, and I really like that. We basically call every night - WE HAVE THIS TRUST IN EACH OTHER that we’re not going to tell our parents. If I need to get [something] out, I just tell him and he tells me the same thing about his life. I know he can trust me, but I think that’s only there because I trust him - it’s mutual. He won’t [trust me] if I don’t do it back. So that’s one thing I learned - I HAVE TO BE TRUSTWORTHY IN ORDER FOR ANY OF THIS TO WORK.

[My parents] are just like a different level supportive. [THEY] GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO DO ANYTHING [FOR ME] on an everyday basis. If I am finishing work and I don’t want to ride the bus because I don’t get work done on the bus, they drive me to school. They’d go out of their way to do things like that, even if they have to drop everything. I LEARNED THAT I NEED TO DO STUFF MORE FOR THEM AS WELL. Whenever I have time, I actually do stuff for them, which is something I wouldn’t have done before if they hadn’t done that for me. Every Saturday, I go to my temple, and I do volunteer work there the whole day. We teach younger kids our language [and] different classes throughout the day, and then we help older people and give food to everyone. I know most people here [myself included] all have have privileged [lives], we have [a] good place to stay. And so, thinking about the PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE THAT, I realized for myself THAT IF I DON’T HELP THEM OUT, THEN I FEEL REALLY BAD - that’s what I know about myself.

SOPHOMORE

”

YANA PATEL || WHAT I VE LEARNED