tjTODAY
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 6560 Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312
Marching Band P3
SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
VOLUME 30, ISSUE 1
PORTRAIT OF A
COMMUNICATOR
COLLABORATOR
SELF-DIRECTED
GLOBAL CITIZEN
CRITICAL THINKER
CREATIVE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL
GRADUATE
FCPS explores goals for graduates by Ellen Kan Print Editor-in-Chief As the school year begins, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) looks forward to implementing the Portrait of a Graduate, an innovative collection of educational qualities that the county hopes every high school senior will internalize by the time they graduate. FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza introduced the Portrait of a Graduate soon after she was appointed to her position in July 2013. The initiative serves as an extension of the School Board’s three student achievement goals: to pursue academic excellence, to develop essential life skills and to demonstrate responsibility to the community and the world. “We’re beginning to craft the future of our school system,” Garza said in a March 5 video interview. “We ultimately believe that the Portrait of a Graduate will drive how we need to redesign ourselves into the future through strategic planning.”
Garza formed a task force in Fall 2013 to convert the idea into reality. Approximately 70 parents, teachers, administrators and business leaders were invited to participate. With the help of EdLeader21, an education network headed by CEO Ken Kay, the task force pinpointed five essential qualities for student growth, which include being a communicator, collaborator, global citizen, creative and critical thinker and self-directed and responsible individual. Jefferson is already working the Portrait of a Graduate into the school’s goals. According to Principal Evan Glazer, the staff collectively chose to focus on a single area: aiding students in becoming better communicators. “When the staff met for an in-service day late last spring, teachers in collaborative teams drafted what they wanted our students to learn and be able to do next year,” Glazer said. “When the administration reviewed all of those goals, continued on p. 2
New eighth period policy set in place
photo by Stav Nachum
by Stav Nachum News Editor After a hectic year for eighth period absences, the administration has created a new set of guidelines for the 2014-2015 school year. With these new rules in place, the administration hopes that students will be able to manage their eighth period attendance more wisely. “We noticed something was wrong with the old system when students didn’t mind showing up for Lost
and Found,” Principal Evan Glazer said. “We thought it was time for a change.” As with previous years, students must sign up for eighth period by 12:30 p.m. Those who do not sign up will be placed in a mandatory administrative study hall. This eighth period study hall is not detention, but allows the school to keep track of where students are. The rule that bans call-ins will also be carried over from continued on p. 2
Freshman Mei Baek signs up for eighth period through Intranet.
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Golf prepares for post-season
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New teachers share literary favorites
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photo illustration by Stav Nachum
Research options open for underclassmen by Esther Kim Opinion Editor Traditionally, the majority of in-school independent research projects take place in senior research labs, where the student researchers apply their four years of accumulated knowledge to a specific project of their interests. Starting this school year, underclassmen will also have the opportunity to pursue research. By joining the new Underclassmen Independent Research Laboratory and its affiliated eighth period club, Jefferson Research Initiative Program (JRIP), underclassmen will conduct their own research projects during first and eighth period. This offers them an opportunity to engage in a laboratory environment before senior year. “JRIP will give underclassmen the opportunity to pursue their own research and to understand what they are going into when they go to the science and tech labs as seniors,” Dan Burden, the faculty sponsor of JRIP, said. The laboratory will provide students with resources after the opening of the renovated research wing this fall.
Jefferson welcomes new administrators
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Projects will focus on one of three categories: computer science, experimental research and development and engineering. Over the summer, interested students drafted proposals, which explained their motivation and the procedure for their research projects. They sent their proposals to Burden for approval when the school year began. As of Sept. 10, Burden has received between 10 and 20 proposals. By participating in the program, the underclassmen will gain exposure to the research environment of senior labs. At the end of the year, students will conclude the program by presenting their projects at the science fair. In conjunction with the Underclassmen Independent Research Laboratory, JRIP will provide students with additional information sessions about professional research, in which the members will discuss scientific literature, train for oral presentations and learn about safety and scientific writing. The club will also present relevant topics such as ethics continued on p. 2
Staff holds inaugural summer photo contest
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news
september 17, 2014
tj TODAY Volume 30 Issue 1
2013 Pacemaker - NSPA 2013 Trophy Class - VHSL 2013 All-American - NSPA 2013 Gold Medalist - CSPA
Editorial Board Print Editor-in-Chief Ellen Kan
Online Editors-in-Chief Sandy Cho Lindsay Williams
Design Editor Alexis Williams
News Editor Stav Nachum
Opinion Editor Esther Kim
Features Editor Anjali Khanna
Sports Editor Akhil Waghmare
Entertainment Editor Kate Deng
Business Manager Esther Kim
Adviser Erinn Harris
Printer Silver Communications TjTODAY is the official newspaper of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology published monthly by the journalism staff. It serves as a vehicle for student expression and is an open forum of issues of interest and concern to the school community. 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. Web site: www.tjtoday.org Email: tjtoday.tjhsst@gmail.com
FCPS explores RENOVATION goals for graduates CORNER
continued from p. 1 the pattern that resonated in approximately 40 percent of the teams was associated with the Portrait of a Graduate goal tied to communication.” Some collaborative teams have goals that align with Jefferson’s emphasis on the communication aspect of the Portrait of a Graduate. “As an administrator, my job is to help us, as a school, think about the larger vision of how to improve students’ abilities to communicate,” Assistant Principal Scott Campbell said. “All of our teachers are content area specialists, but this doesn’t necessarily make one a specialist in evaluating good communication. My goal is to support teacher efforts and give them access to resources they need to improve this skill in students.”
The Portrait of a Graduate is on the agenda for the School Board meeting on Sept. 18. FCPS will not move forward as a system until the initiative is endorsed, but many schools outside of Jefferson have already begun to incorporate aspects of the Portrait of a Graduate into their own plans. “We have a very strong education system in Fairfax County, so the Portrait of a Graduate did not have to address any problems,” FCPS Chief of Staff Marty Smith said. “Instead, it’s a way for us to help the community understand that in our schools, we have always been focused on more than just students walking away with facts and figures. The Portrait of a Graduate is just a way to codify this as the world of education evolves.”
Research options open for underclassmen
continued from p. 1 and opportunities for intern- opportunities for advanced ships. Although the two pro- studies and gaining handsgrams are affiliated with one on experience in a laboratory. another, they function as two “I believe that the earlier separate organizations. and more involved you get “The JRIP program aims into understanding the reto set the fundamentals and search world, the better off equipment that will support you are,” Burden said. “Just TJ students with what they the experience itself can realneed, unlike ever before,” se- ly help you understand how nior Matt Park, the founder to think critically and like a of JRIP and the managing researcher. The earlier you director of the club, said. “It’s start, the better.” a chance for student researchers like me to venture out into self-driven research.” Through their partnership, the Underclassmen Independent Research Laboratory and JRIP will enhance students’ prior knowledge about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) rephoto by Sandy Cho search, proSenior Matt Park, founder of JRIP, conducts viding more research for Neuroscience Research Lab.
• New ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES located behind the dome in front of the building are almost ready for move-in. • An EXTRA LABORATORY opens for independent student research in the left wing of the building. • Cubbies surround what is planned to become the NEW SOPHOMORE LOUNGE behind the new eighth-period lab in the left wing. • The NEW STUDENT SERVICES OFFICE SUITES move directly above the new administrative offices, on the right side of the second story. • NEW PROTOTYPING AND ROBOTICS LABORATORIES are nearly ready for
use, complete with garage-style doors for transportation of lab creations.
graphic by Anjali Khanna and Stav Nachum
New eighth period policy set in place continued from p. 1 last year. However, the eighth period office recognizes that there will be cases in which a student must meet with their teacher at the last minute. In these situations, teachers are expected to communicate directly with the eighth period office. "I didn't find the policy confusing, but I was just forgetful when it came to eighth periods," senior Ruhee Shah said. "Hopefully this new system works." This year, the eighth period office will use a new quarter policy to determine placement in Administrative Detention (AD), the double-block activity formerly known as Lost and Found that prohibits sleeping, talking or eating. While students still have two weeks to clear an absence with the eighth period office, they will be assigned to AD if they accumulate two or more absences in any quarter. If students receive another absence before the quarter is over, they will be assigned to a second AD session as well. Students will not be excused from AD for any reason, and failure to show up will result in a referral to the grade level administrator. Students will continue to
receive an email before AD informing them of their situation, giving them a deadline to clear any incorrect absences. “The goal for this new policy is to deter students from showing up to administrative detention. We would rather they sign up for eighth period activities and have them attend without breaking rules,” Glazer said. “We want students to enjoy their eighth period experience, but we also need them to follow through with the expectations we have set in place.” Yearly totals will influence referrals and affect privileges such as leadership, parking and mentorship. Students will get referrals if they fail to show up to an assigned AD session; get assigned to three ADs in one year; get five or more absences in any quarter; or get 10 or more absences in one year. "Our hope is that the system is easier to understand, and that with a better understanding, far fewer students get assigned to detention," Eighth Period Coordinator Joan Burch said. "We would like to see no one assigned to detention—there are much better uses for your time and ours."
wThis year's One Question bring a host of new changes by Anjali Khanna Features Editor In past years, the One Question program has worked to engage students in discussion about some of the issues Jefferson students face every day through the One Book. This reading requirement accompanied a thought-provoking question voted on by a committee of students and teachers. This year, however, the One Question committee has decided to make some changes to the One Question program, including the removal of the One Book portion of the traditional summer assignment. The committee, led by Russian teacher Betsy Sandstrom and Assistant Principal Scott Campbell, is comprised of a group of students who have an interest in increasing school-wide discussion of relevant issues in the Jefferson community. These students, who helped facilitate the school-wide voting on this year’s One Question, will be in charge of coordinating eighth period activities which support the themes embedded within the question. Most recently, the student steering committee designed an “I Am” poster activity which required students to write about redefining stereotypes based on their interpretation of this year’s question. “The idea behind the ‘I Am’ activity we did in
homeroom, which was created by one of the students on our student steering committee, was to encourage students to start a discussion on stereotypes,” Sandstrom said. “Even if they decided not to turn their response into the One Question committee, the act of completing the activity and putting the stereotype on paper made it more real and powerful.” The “I Am” activity proved to be more than a success, as the committee received hundreds of responses from students of all grade levels, which are now posted around the school. “Don’t be alarmed if you don’t see your response up on the wall just yet,” Sandstrom said. “We plan to cycle out the responses every few days until everyone’s poster has been put on display.” In addition, the student steering committee, which will meet during eighth-period, plans on hosting a school-wide, all-day One Question event similar to “Flow Day” of last year. Although there will no longer be a keynote speaker from the One Book, the committee plans on choosing prominent speakers based on how they relate to this year’s theme, chosen by senior Brandon Kim. “I chose the question because I have kind of struggled in the past, and still do, with trying to find my passions and how I could pursue them in an envi-
ronment like TJ, and how our current society might inhibit me from doing so,” Kim said. “I have also observed this in many people in the TJ community, and I was hoping I could challenge the people at TJ to be happy with what they are doing.”
photo by Kate Deng
Asked to reflect on this year's One Question, students completed the "I Am" poster activity during homeroom, and their work is currently displayed around the school.
sports
september 17, 2014
DANCE vs CHEER
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Uniforms
Dance has several uniforms to match the style of dance. Cheer has two different uniforms, but they are similar styles.
Skills Dance is ballet-based with a focus on leaps and turns. Cheer is gymnastics-based with a focus on stunts and jumps.
Season Dance Team only does home games but does both fall and winter. Cheer only does football games, but they do both home and away.
Performances Dance peforms at half-time before marching band. Cheer leads cheers on sidelines during games.
Cheer and Dance Team seem similar, but in fact are very different and distinct teams that value different skills.
Photos, graphics and reporting by Kenney Chen, Emma Gee, Anjali Khanna, Bailey Knight, Susie Lee, Alvin Shi, Alexis Williams and Lindsay Williams
CoEd golf prepares for Conference 13 Tournament
TJMC looks forward to upcoming competitions
by Sandy Cho Online Editor-in-Chief After concluding the regular season with a record of four wins, one loss and one tie, the Jefferson CoEd golf team is gearing up for Districts, also known as the Conference 13 Tournament. This year, the tournament began Sept. 16 and continues today at the Greendale Golf Course in Alexandria, Va. Since the fall of 2013, athletes have been training at various golf courses and updating their clubs to stay at the top of their game. “Players from last year have really worked hard to practice over last school year and the summer, so we have some really good players this year,” senior and captain Julie Luo said. Though the team needed to replace the five seniors who graduated, juniors Albert Zeng and Millen Anand, sophomore Christine Wang and freshman Min Kang joined Luo and junior Nathan Chuwait to form the top six golfers. “Nathan and Julie have always been leading the team, but we’ve also had some new players, such as Min and Christine, who
by Akhil Waghmare Sports Editor On Sept. 20, the Thomas Jefferson Marching Colonials (TJMC) will compete at a USBands competition, part of a national chain of competitions that encompasses over 700 high school marching bands. The group, which contains almost 100 members, is the six-time defending USBands State Champion and has been recognized on the national level. This year, TJMC’s show is titled “The Transcontinental Railroad” and consists of music from “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (Patrick Gilmore), “Fanfare for the Common Man” (Aaron Copland), “Billy the Kid Ballet Suite” (Aaron Copland) and “Rodeo, Four Dance Episodes” (Aaron Copland). At such competitions, the show is judged on various aspects including the music, visual appeal and audience reaction. TJMC started practicing the show in early June. Mandatory practices called “home camp” started three weeks before school began and lasted nine hours per day. The
are up there and posting great scores,” junior Peter Andringa, an alternate, said. Head Coach John Myers believes that success from last year’s post-season inspired players, especially as they face new rivals after Jefferson’s move to a different district. “Since we no longer compete with Langley and Madison, now we must face Stone Bridge and Briar Woods in regional play,” Myers said. “Since we don’t see them often, we really do not know what to expect, except they know that TJ is no longer the pushover that did not do well in the post-season. Stone Bridge, in particular, will be ready for us since we defeated them on Senior Day last week.” The team hopes to continue this success by placing high enough at the tournament to advance to Regionals. “The team is doing better due to the continued success of Julie and Nathan. They have really inspired the team to work harder in the off-season and on their own,” Myers said. “I think we are prepared for the next couple of weeks with a squad that has a good mix of players from freshmen to seniors.”
highlight of summer practices takes place in early August at a camp in Orkney Springs, Va. “The best thing about being in marching band is certainly our August away camp in Orkney Springs,” junior Bradford Case, a field drum major, said. At Orkney, TJMC members get to practice for the show and get to know other members of the band, an experience everyone enjoys. “The number one reason to join marching band is the people,” senior and head drum major Maya Chung said. “Music and hard work bring us all together, but it’s fun to work hard with 100 of your closest friends.” Students in TJMC are confident they can do very well with this year’s show and are setting high goals. “Our biggest goal is to qualify for the finals at Bands of America Regionals hosted at the University of Delaware in October,” senior Sage Teasley, a section leader for low brass, said. “We always try to perform and practice at as high of a level as possible and lay down solid shows everywhere we go.”
We accept: poetry, prose, music and art Submission details coming soon!
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september 17, 2014
Autobiography
New teachers discuss their favorite reads Other favorites:
Kurt Waters Social Studies “‘Siddhartha’ by Herman “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck Hesse is a book about “The Good Earth” by Pearl Buck an individual’s journey but also life’s “Mud, Sweat, and Tears” by Bear Grylls journey. As teachers and students we are in the process of finding out who we are and how we can contribute a verse to the poetry of life. We are all on journeys and it is a story abbout a journey.”
“Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck
Nancy Glover English “‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote is suspenseful. It was the first crime book I ever read, and it was the first book that ever hooked me in. For the first time ever I paid attention to the elements that make a good story. ” Other favorites:
“Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett “The Storyteller” by Jodie Picoult “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana De Rosnay “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad “Brave New World” by George Orwell
Amy Lampazzi Math “I like ‘Unknown Quantity’ by John Debyshire because it tells a lot about the human side of mathematics, and it ties mathematics with the rest of history.”
Karilee Schmitt Math “I like ‘Gone with the Wind’ because since I am a math teacher, I like to have the answer to a problem, but for enjoyment I Other favorites: like having the “To Kill a Mockingbird” by story with more Harper Lee personal rela- “Harry Potter” by J.K. tionships.” Rowling
Other favorites: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee “Owl at Home” by Arnold Lobel “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madleine L’Engle “Harry Potter” series by J.K.Rowling
Other favorites: “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss
Other favorites: “Rabbit Run” by John Updike “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling “A Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
Thomas Rudwick Computer Science “‘City of Thieves’ by David Benioff is my favorite because it’s very actionpacked and historical, and also has great prose.”
Rocio RayasAbundis Spanish “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende is an extraordinary narration of the complex political situation that Chileans experienced when the country went from a democracy to a dictatorship in 1973.
Jay Wickliff Social Studies “‘Shogun’ by James Clavell is my favorite book because I am fascinated by international relations in history and the interplay of different cultures.”
Other favorites: “I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala” by Rigoberta Menchu “I Hate English” by Ellen Levine and Steve Bjorkman “The Little Prince” by Antoine de SaintExupery
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september 17, 2014
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y of a Teacher Other favorites:
“The Sandman” by Neil Gaiman “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking “Freakonomics” by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis
Isaac Carey Math “‘The Millennium Problems’ by Keith J. Devlin is my favorite math book because it is a very approachable overview of the great unsolved problems in mathematics. It is the next generation’s outlook on math and where it’s heading.” Other favorites: “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy by Stieg Larsson “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith “The Beak of the Finch” by Jonathan Weiner “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
Jennifer Lowery Music/Drama “‘Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy’ by Robert Journain is my favorite music book because it discusses the psychology of music, how we listen to it and why, and how it makes us feel a certain way.”
Bruce Averill Mentorship Director My favorite book is “Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History” by Stephen Jay Gould because Gould’s fascinating thesis is that life evolved by chance. Most of the animals that are found in groups of shale never made it beyond the pre-Cambrian period. The question is, why? If we were to do it all over again, would life today be the same as it is?” Other favorites: “Every Since Darwin” by Stephen Jay Gould “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy by Stieg Larsson “Lord of the Rings” series by J.R.R. Tolkien “2312” by Kim Stanley Robinson photos, graphics, and reporting by Alexis Williams and Ellen Kan
Other favorites: “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini “Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (And How to Take Advantage of It)” by William Poundstone
Josephine Romeo Social Studies “‘Trouble in Mind’ by Leon Litwack is my favorite history book because it is really beautiful to read, which isn’t common in history, and the author takes an approach of discussing everything from religion to economics in that life.”
Other favorites: “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins “Chronicles of Narnia” series by C.S. Lewis
Mian Chen Chinese “‘Unbroken’ by Laura Hillenbrand is my favorite because its a biography and what happens sounds like a fictional movie but it’s real.” Other favorites: “Room” by Emma Donoghue
Other favorites: “Shogun” by James Clavell “A Soldier of the Great War” by Mark Helprin
Brian Grzelkowski Social Studies “‘The Three Musketeers’ by Alexandre Dumas really ignited my passions for history and other cultures as a child. It caught my sense of adventure and history and foreign worlds.”
“Longitude” by Dava Sobel
Dennis Loo Math “‘How to Solve It’ by George Polya is a classic. While it’s primarily aimed at solving math problems and uses math problems as its examples, many of its techniques can be applied to the process of problem solving in general. I reread it periodically to think about how I can teach people to think.”
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features
september 17, 2014
New courses bring diversity: Advanced classes offer academic opportunities by Kate Deng Entertainment Editor Every year, Jefferson tweaks classes, student course loads and curricular concepts. This school year is no different. Along with the new and renamed core semester math classes, the course selection has been enriched with more classes in a wide variety of subjects. Web and Mobile Application Development classes are new post-Advanced Placement (AP) semester courses offered to former AP Computer Science students. The classes are taught by Peter Gabor (web), Ria Galanos (mobile) and Paul Kosek (web and mobile). Students in Web and Mobile App Development use an abundance of different computer languages to develop software solutions. Students find themselves in real-life situations where they must collaborate with other stu-
dents in order to design working applications. “I decided to sign up for Mobile and Web App Development because I feel that applications are becoming increasingly important in our daily lives,” junior Sahaj Sharda said. Another new programming-related course is Concrete Math, taught by Peter Gabor. The course teaches the unique intertwining of computers and coding from a math perspective rather than a programming perspective. Probability Theory, a new replacement for the old Numerical Analysis class taught by Phil Ero, is one that is typical of any university. It teaches the fundamentals of probability and is an important foundational class for taking any advanced class that uses randomness such as advanced economics and financial modeling. “Probability Theory is something exciting. There are people in the class who are smarter than me - I’m just more educated - and are truly interested in the class. It adds a new dynamic,” Ero said. AP Art History, taught by Jill Zupancic, provides a solid foundation and knowledge of all types of art such as architecture, painting and sculpture. “I’m looking forward to getting out of the classroom together and into museums to see tan-
gible pieces that previously only existed on a screen or in a ridiculously heavy textbook,” Zupancic said. Additionally, Ancient Civilizations is a new full-year history course taught by Haywon Yi that offers insight into the history of the ancient world’s major cultures. This course is only offered underclassmen and can be used to fulfill history credits. The course is different from normal history classes because it only focuses on a relatively short time period, from pre-classical through post-classical era Afro-Eurasia, covering a plethora of ancient civilizations, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome and China. “I think the students at TJ can benefit from the new courses because it has more of a variety of subjects to fit everyone’s interests,” freshman Uzma Rentia said. “I am interested in Computer Science, so I may look into taking Web and Mobile Application Development in the future.”
Jefferson reacts to new freshmen math classes by Akhil Waghmare Sports Editor For the Class of 2018 and beyond, Jefferson has introduced a new math class progress structure, in which freshmen take an introductory statistics class, followed by a semester class determined by previous experience and teacher recommendation. Some students used the summer to finish the introductory statistics class, which allowed them to jump straight into the other new classes. Those who have completed Algebra 1 will place into Math 1, those who completed Geometry can take either Math 2 or Math 3, and those with Algebra 2 credit choose between Math 4 and Math 5. There are two major reasons for the change. “All students previously were not given a foundation in research statistics,” Principal Evan Glazer said. “Students who were not taking Algebra 2 did not receive the background unless by chance it was introduced in biology, and that might have been in various levels of depth.” Many students in the Class of 2017 faced this challenge. “I believe that an introduction to statistics from the math department could improve the quality of
statistical analysis conducted,” sophomore Amit Gupta, who took Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus BC as a freshman, said. Even the students who had the statistics supplement in their math class last year are excited about the new changes. “I’m a big fan of these changes,” sophomore Devan Kowdley said. “We did a unit in Algebra 2 around statistics, but I think going in depth with these topics gives a good foundation for students.” Concepts such as variability and statistical tests are an integral part of the various research projects at Jefferson, including freshmen Integrated Biology, English and Technology (IBET) projects. The new statistics class should give all incoming students a chance to learn these fundamental skills. In the past, many students had trouble adjusting to the rigor of math classes at Jefferson, which also prompted the change. “We identified that students have varying levels of readiness when they begin at our school,” Glazer said. “For example, in Algebra 2/Trig, 15 percent of the students had a lot of difficulty keeping up, and they would have been better served starting in a class that was beyond Geometry but not yet Algebra 2. They were not quite ready for
the pacing of our curriculum.” The new semester classes are designed to give freshmen the opportunity to find a class that allows them to be successful from the very beginning. Some incoming freshmen, however, still do not grasp the importance of the new change. “It was kind of confusing to know which math you were in,” freshman Kashyap Addanki said. “I feel that the transition is sort of unnecessary, but I understand that they did it to make them all into semester classes to accommodate Research Stat 1.” Although the new structure has just been introduced into the curriculum this year, the idea has been around for 10 years. “When the new courses were first proposed years ago, the change wasn’t implemented because the need for consistent statistics was important but the amount of work, time and money involved to develop the courses and make the change was too much,” math teacher and division manager Marianne Razzino said. “However, with the desire to make the math sequence more flexible in the past few years, the semester course sequence was brought up again and this time it was implemented.”
graphics by Esther Kim
Making the Right Decisions: Academic policies promote integrity
photo by Esther Kim
Students collaborate to conduct a chemistry experiment during class. Student Advocacy Guidelines encourage students to actively participate and work responsibly in group assignments.
by Esther Kim Opinion Editor As students scurry through their four years of high school, they live under the constant pressure of academic success as they challenge themselves to keep up with Jefferson’s rigorous academic standards. In the stressful process, students may face the ethical dilemma of weighing their academic performance with the preservation of their integrity. In order to prevent such instances from occurring, the administration is promoting Student Advocacy Guidelines. These recommendations outline the specific meth-
ods students may employ to effectively balance their coursework while abiding by their personal ethics and the Jefferson Honor Code. As an extension of the school’s continuing efforts to instill academic and personal integrity in students, the advocacy guidelines list multiple student rights that attempt to provide more flexibility in their academic lives at Jefferson. “As a deterrent from dishonest behavior, advocacy is the important first step in managing ethical conflicts associated with integrity,” Principal Evan Glazer said. First introduced last year and promoted extensively since, strategies to raise awareness range from distributing brochures to publishing the guidelines on student agendas. In addition, Student Government Association (SGA) and Class Council officers have publicized student advocacy to increase student awareness in the school community. “The big issue that the Student Advocacy Guidelines tackle is dismissing the myth that teachers at TJ are unapproachable,” senior Anant Das, SGA president, said. “I can say with utmost confidence that faculty members are not only approachable, but also have the students’ interests in mind and are here to help them solve their problems.” The advocacy guidelines specify the methods students may take in times of critical academic assistance or when they are in an urgent need to modify their exam schedules. For example, students have the right to request for a test date change if they have more than two major exams or projects due on the same day, although honoring the request is at the discretion of the individual teacher. Furthermore, all students are encouraged to collaborate responsibly for group assignments, and they are al-
lowed to ask questions and consult past assignments for future reference. The guidelines also emphasize the right to review assignments and exams, and they recommend that teachers return tests and quizzes within one week of test date, and essays and lab reports within two weeks of due date. “I think these guidelines will help students better manage their time and feel more prepared for class,” junior Sophia Moses, a member of the Honor Council, said. “The guidelines stress self-advocating and proactively working with teachers, which I think will be great for students.” In addition to the implementation of Student Advocacy Guidelines, the administration will also be expanding its effort to aid students’ education through a “Less is More” philosophy, which gives students the option to drop an elective in order to focus on another class in which they may be struggling. “For any student who performs below a C in their classes, we will set up a meeting with them and recommend they reduce a class in their schedules so they can improve their chances at being successful,” Glazer said. With their heavy workloads, students will inevitably run into situations of high stress during their four years at Jefferson. The administration hopes that, with the options outlined in the Student Advocacy Guidelines and a “Less is More” initiative, students will be able to succeed at Jefferson while still following ethical tenets and integrity. “I hope that the Student Advocacy Guidelines will help move the TJ culture to one consisting of high academic integrity,” Das said. “They will help students realize that there are healthy option for them in stressful situations.”
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features
september 17, 2014
piloting by Stav Nachum News Editor By the time renovation is completed, the improved building won’t be the only new addition to Jefferson. The administration and faculty are also working to enhance the Jefferson experience through the Jefferson Collaborative Inquiry Research Network (JCIRN), an electronic platform that supports collaborative efforts for research and outreach. The Jefferson administration has two main goals for JCIRN. First, JCIRN aims to increase Jefferson’s positive influence on elementary and middle schools in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Northern Virginia region, and beyond. This collaboration will focus on inspiring a love for research; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and learning in all students in the community. The second goal is to provide Jefferson students with access to cutting-edge global research opportunities through partnerships with international universities, labs and other secondary learning institutions. “Through JCIRN, we want to create a vehicle to support students’ research with collaborators from anywhere around the world, such as schools like TJ around the country,” Principal Evan Glazer said. “We also want to support collaboration in an outreach prospection to schools around the country. Students in our school come from five counties yet currently we only foster relationships with schools nearby, but JCIRN will allow us to expand.” The initiative allows students to work with research institutions and mentors through using new network tools, connecting students to remote databases and providing new instrumentation. This program also expands storage
JCIRN
TJ Partnership Fund starts new research assistant program for students doing research in the upcoming year. graphic by Anjali Khanna photos courtesy of tjpartnershipfund.org
for proje c t s ; allows for remote access to network software; stored files, and video communications; provides an additional tool for research on devices, systems and software; and contains a secure digital conference room that students can use from home on their own private computers. The administration hopes to get students involved in using and developing JCIRN, and also begin building the capability to match the student needs with teleconferencing, project space, mentorship help and a database of resources. “This school year, our intent is to have a working prototype of JCIRN by having students create collaboration in research projects and clubs establish collaboration for research projects,” Glazer said. “By 2016, we want to build a capacity so that anyone interested in outreach or collaborating with a TJ student can log on, fill in a profile and be able to identify who they could be matched with at our school for potential collaboration.” In addition to helping students improve their educational and research experience, JCIRN also provides many perks for the faculty. New network tools such as virtual classrooms for video conferencing and remote access to high-performance computing can be used to record virtual classrooms or teleconferences for student use.
Most importantly, however, JCIRN can help promote and create meaningful relationships between high school students, teachers, researchers and younger students. In addition, JCIRN will facilitate the establishment of tutoring and mentoring programs for geographically remote schools in an effort to increase learning not only at Jefferson, but in the rest of the world. “I truly believe we can create a tool that works for students and teachers at our school, helps us to reach out to schools around our region, and honestly start to shift the paradigm about how education is done in high schools,” Assistant Principal Scott Campbell said. “We are the first to try this and we have more resources and ability to pull this off than anyone else in the country, so I am excited to see what we create.” Overall, JCIRN is a one-of-a-kind engine that connects students, teachers, administrators, alumni, parents, community partners, research partners and the business community into an integrated and secure platform centered upon a goal of learning. “We need you to be a part of JCIRN so that we can support your work, but also so that we can learn what works and doesn’t work and what it is that you really want and need out of an electronic platform like this,” Campbell said. “We are creating this for you, so we need you to guide our efforts.”
Faculty members answer questions about new roles for the school year Shawn Frank - Assistant Principal Q. What are your goals at TJ? A. My goals are to just experience the whole TJ culture, to learn from the teachers, the students, the parents, the whole TJ community, to gain experience doing a bunch of new cool things that you can probably only do here. Q. Why did you decide to switch from Chantilly to TJ? A. I’d been at Chantilly for several years, I think that you really evolve and grow from change, and that was really it. Q. What’s one other thing you want the TJ Community to know about you? A. I’m a man of many interests, so you can talk to me about Star Wars and Star Trek. I do both.
Monica Meeks - SRO Q. What is your favorite part of being an SRO? A. I’m brand new to being an SRO, but my favorite part so far is the social aspect of it. I like to engage with people and in my last position, there was a lot of negative engagement. This has seemed to be a really positive experience for me so far. Q. What’s your guilty pleasure? A. I have coffee every single day with cream in the morning and a glass of wine almost every day when I get off work. Q. What is one thing you want the TJ community to know about you? A. I’m a big football fan. I love sports and football is my favorite, so I’m a chick who loves football. photos and reporting by Ellen Kan and Lindsay Williams
Valerie Palmer - Counselor
Q. What are your goals at TJ? A. I know that college is a big deal especially at TJ. I’m going to make sure that all my students are well prepared so that they can get into the colleges of their choice. Q. What is your favorite part of being a guidance counselor? A. I love seeing students succeed in the academic environment as well as in their personal lives. There are personal goals that you all have for yourselves that we like to help foster. Q. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you? A. Probably Anne Hathaway. She has a lot of the characteristics that I think would portray me pretty well.
Scott Campbell - Assistant Principal Q. What are your goals for your new position as assistant principal? A. I want to make the student experience better at TJ and support our teachers so they have an experience that makes them want to come back each day. Q. Press shuffle on your phone and tell us what the first song is. A. “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. Q. What is your Myers-Briggs personality? A. ENFJ. Q. One thing you want the TJ community to know? A. I’m still Mr. Campbell. You can put a different title behind me, but I’m not letting that change who I am as a person.
Classes begin Homecoming preparation “We have so many enthusiastic and talented students who give countless ideas, suggestions and input into our planning.” - freshman Lilian Wang
2018 FroshComm member
Freshmen
“If we can get everyone together and keep working, we’ll do great in this year’s Homecoming.” - sophomore Laura Chu 2017 Class President
Sophomores “Although I’m not in charge of it this year, I am really excited for float because we come together as a class and make something bigger than ourselves.” - junior Kunal Naik 2016 Class President
Juniors
“As seniors, everyone is willing to put time towards the various events, which makes planning much easier. But in the end, it comes down to bugging people on Facebook to make sure things get done.” - senior Danial Hussain
Seniors
2015 Class President
photos and reporting by Anjali Khanna and Esther Kim
8
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september 17, 2014
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This summer, the staff of tjTODAY held the inaugural summer photo contest, offering “In rural C ambodia, I an opportunity for photographers fo I am to be able to ask und out how lucky in the school to showcase their skills. ‘What are tonight?,’ in we stead of ‘A From adorable little girls to breathtaking re we eatin eating g tonight?’” landscapes, students in the community did not fail to show off the beauty of their summers. Many photos were taken in exotic locations, but some of the best came from students finding inspiration from local surroundings. The contest opened June 28 and ended Aug. 30 for final judging. Photos could be submitted through the website, tagged on Facebook and hashtagged with the tag “#tjtoday” on social media websites Instagram and Twitter. Seniors and Online Editors-inChief Sandy Cho and Lindsay Williams judged all of the photographs without a filter based on several criteria, including overall aesthetics, color, subject and composition. Winners were announced weekly on tjtoday.org and of these, one grand prize winner, freshman Alexa Nguonly, received a free publications package, which includes a copy of Jefferson’s yearbook, literary magazine and science magazine. Nguonly’s powerful photo was selected as the final winner because of the expressive human subject who portrayed the poverty of rural Cambodia. Approximately 100 photos were submitted for consideration.
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