Vol. 48 » Issue 2

volume 48, issue 2 NON-PROFIT ORG. U. S. Postage PAID Permit #6754 Bethesda, MD

October 12, 2009

Walt whitman High school

7100 whittier boulevard

Bethesda, maryland 20817

Whittier shooting prompts school lockdown

Inside Look

News

50% Increase in the risk of crashing when a driver is texting. Pg. 2.

Opinion

Victim in critical condition after gunshot wound to neck

Teachers should not give homework on Jewish holidays. Pg. 6

In-Depth

A look at the testing industry and its role in the college admissions process. Pg. 8

Arts Tailgate recap. Pg. 15

SPECTATOR “What we need is a small group to start a spirited revolution that others will follow” -Whitmaniacs senior Bill Bode

theblackandwhite.net

by megan dwyer and STEPHANIE HAVEN Montgomery County police reported a handgun shooting on the 6800 block of Millwood Road the evening of Oct 8.

The victim, a 53-year-old man, was shot around 7:30 p.m., after he pulled into his driveway with his wife. Police found him with a photo by JENNA MAHAFFIE single gunshot wound to the neck Why so Seniorous? Tim Proser dons joker-inspired makeup to go along with the senior theme for this year’s Battle of the Classes. Other highlights from this year’s Spirit Week included the Viking’s 34-12 triumph over Blair. inside his garage, according to police spokesperson Lucille Baur. He was taken to Suburban Hospital.

Police report that the victim is in critical condition. A source close to the family said his condition had improved.

Dress-up days, Battle of the Classes highlight this year’s Spirit Week Because the Whittier Woods neighborhood is directly in front night.

They also announced the homecoming By victoria scordato and sarah craig court. Juniors Mike Neubauer and Julia Cline of Whitman, the school went into Sporting slippers, bathrobes and in some cases, were crowned prince and princess while seniors lockdown. Police helicoptors spotted onesies, students kicked off Homecoming week John Son and Mel Schwed capitalized on their the suspect fleeing on foot down Goldsboro Road. Police also used on Sep. 29. That afternoon, SGA representatives, incumbency, winning king and queen. bloodhounds to search for the suspect Varsity football beat the Blair Blazers 34-12 with the help of volunteers from each grade, decorated their hallways in honor of their in the homecoming game Saturday, improving who they described as of medium respective superheroes. Seniors transformed to 4-1 on the season. After going up 14-0 early on build, dressed in dark clothing and the main hallway into Gotham City, while, two touchdown passes from quarterback Henry wearing a mask.

Police blocked roads and limited juniors went green by channeling the Hulk. Kuhn to wide receiver Michael Flack and tight Sophomores were a little confused, boasting end Danny Lee, the boys went into halftime up access to the community during the pictures of spiderpig, instead of Spiderman, 14-6. By the end of the third quarter, the Vikings search, Baur said.

The junior varsity football game and the freshman hallway looked “incredible” doubled their point total, eventually winning had just ended, and police notified the game 34-12.

This game marked the fourth in orange.

Battle of the Classes came Thursday and with win for the Vikes this season, launching them coach Jim Kuhn about the shooting it a victory for the seniors. Most students showed to third place in the Montgomery County 4A nearby. Officers escorted the players into the building for lockdown. their support by wearing class t-shirts, but some division.

Principal Alan Goodwin received And now for the final hallmark of homecoming went above and beyond the call of duty and came in full superhero uniform. Social studies teacher week – the dance. This year’s color scheme was a call from athletic director Andy Kirk Shipley went all out, donning a ski helmet, black and gold, and the hallway dripped with Wetzel and called Educational goggles, tights and cross-country tank to become streamers. Administration tightened security Facilities Officer Arnold Aubrey to “WhitMAN.” Finally came Friday – the day of the with more police officers on hand and a sign- the office. Goodwin announced the out sheet for students from other schools. Code Red at 7:55 p.m. pep rally and the homecoming football game.

Black & White staff members The pep rally marked the Guy Pomz debut Homecoming fell on an earlier date this year, performance, while senior MC’s Kevin Cecala and so students were able to dance the night away were in the building at the time and see SHOOTING page 2 Jenna Mahaffie pumped up the crowd for that without needing to bring a parka. 

Students get riled up for Homecoming

Student hacks Pinnacle, changes grades MCPS schools report Online security system also faltered last year when hackers intercepted teacher passwords through spam email messages.

by Alex Zimmerman MCPS technology staff are currently analyzing the computer security system after a Whitman student hacked into the Pinnacle grading system and changed several grades Sept. 23.

Administrators informed those teachers whose grades were changed as soon as they discovered the breach, principal Alan Goodwin said. The hacker didn’t destroy any data, assistant principal Jennifer Webster added.

After discovering a gap in the security system, the student was able to access several teachers’ Pinnacle accounts, the software teachers use to update students’ Edline accounts. The student didn’t log into the account via a staff member’s network account, Webster said.

Administrators declined to specify how the student was disciplined.

This incident is one in a series of recent breaches of the MCPS virtual security system. Over the last year, email spammers have found ways to steal several Whitman teachers’ computer passwords and access their email accounts.

“They actually were using our accounts,” information technology system specialist Greg Thomas said.

“They could have 100 computers logged in with the same MCPS email account sending millions of spam emails.”

Such identity thefts also prompted AOL to block

all emails from MCPS accounts, assuming they were spam addresses.

“In some cases [account thefts] have resulted in people not being able to send emails to AOL,” Thomas said. “Once a criminal group has even one account that they can use, they start using it to send a thousand spam emails out. When AOL sees all this spam from MCPS they block [incoming mail from] MCPS.” Spammers accessed MCPS accounts by asking for and receiving teachers’ password information, Thomas said. Several teachers received emails that claimed to need password information to fix an error in their MCPS email accounts. The teachers responded with their passwords, thinking it was the proper way to update their accounts. Thomas sent a notice to teachers to disregard these emails and affected teachers’ passwords were changed, but the spammers did not stop the solicitations.

“You could have all the security in the world, but if I know you have a dog named Fluffy and try that for your password then the security is useless,” Thomas said. “So we try to encourage teachers to change their passwords on a regular basis.”

Although teachers have received warning of the solicitations, there is likely no way to locate the source of the emails.

“It was probably a criminal group in Russia or something,” Thomas said. “We’d never be able to find them.”

increase in absentees Over 500 students stay home sick from Churchill Oct. 8

graphic by VICTORIA

SCORDATO

Fewer than 10 percent of students absent is considered average. When absence levels exceed this percentage, schools are required to contact the county health depart-

2

NEWS

october 12, 2009

Residents told to stay inside as police search for shooter

‘3 Green Moms’ create stylish, reusable ‘lunch skins’ from pastry bags

by Hailey Siller Twenty million plastic baggies are thrown out every day in school cafeterias, according to one of the “3 Green Moms” founders Kirsten Quigley. Potomac moms Quigley and Cristina Bourelly, along with Los Angeles designer Jennifer Stoller, wanted to limit this wastefulness.

The moms tried to create a product that would encourage kids to become more eco-friendly and therefore created “lunch skins,” dish-washable, lightweight and durable product to replace the traditional plastic baggie.

“Kids are the best trend setters and the best messengers for change,” Quigley says. “We want to give back to schools to help them invest in greener things too.”

The lunch skins are made of recycled pastry bags, an inexpensive and readily available material. The moms spent more than three months creating the skins and getting them ready for production.

“I thought [the product] was fantastic because I had been packing my son’s lunch using Tupperware, and I never had the right shape to fit everything,” customer Sharra Weasler says. “Lunch skins allow you to fit everything into a compact lunchbox.”

The most popular sandwich sized-lunch skin is sold for $8.95 in about 30 stores including The Blue House,

from

photo courtesy

KIRSTEN QUIGLEY

Three area moms launch a reusable lunch bag company.

Creative Parties and Lad and Lassie. The lunch skins can be personalized or sport unique designs. The most popular patterns are blue sharks, followed by red apples and polka dots.

“With the lunch skins we have sold since January we have replaced about 1.2 million plastic baggies,” Quigley says.

The moms value helpful business tips from their see

GREEN BAGS page 4

New laws ban texting while driving, take effect Oct.1

by James Dionne photo by

Two new laws that take effect in Maryland Oct. 1 prohibit texting while driving and allow speed cameras in school zones and some work sites.

Police can now pull over drivers who they see typing and sending messages and fine them up to $500. However, the law does not prohibit viewing messages. The Maryland law follows the example of other states with similar bans.

A comparable ban in Orange County, California prompted a 70 percent decrease in the number of people texting while driving, according to the American Automobile Association.

Texting while driving increases accidents and is a danger to the driver texting, as well as other drivers. The risk of a car accident goes up by 50 percent if the driver is sending text messages or e-mails, according to another study by the AAA. Delegate Jeffrey Waldstreicher, a Montgomery County democrat, and Delegate Frank Turner, a Howard County democrat, proposed the bill last year. It passed 43-4 in the Maryland legislature in March.

Because officers must witness the driver sending messages to pull him or her over, the law will be difficult to enforce.

Despite this, officer Aubrey believes it’s possible.

SARAH KLOTZ

SHOOTING Page 1

were locked in room B211 for about 35 minutes. Goodwin called newspaper staffers during the lockdown to update them on the situation and let them know that it was safe to continue working.

Goodwin lifted the Code Red around 8:30 p.m., after police helicopters swept the area and determined that the shooter had fled the scene.

“It seems that it was a short period of time to be on a Code Red, but they obviously have more information than we do,” Goodwin added.

Police officers continued to patrol in front of the school and around the parking lot for the next hour.

“We had been assured that our students would be safe,” Goodwin said.

Around 9 p.m he sent a mass telephone message to assure families that students still at school were safe and that the code red lockdown had ended.

Montgomery County police advised residents that evening to stay inside while the shooter was still at large, according to resident Melanie Wine.

Administrators considered cancelling school Oct. 9, but decided to remain open after the police confirmed that the neighborhood was clear, assistant principal Jennifer Webster said. Police remained in front of the victim’s house all night and throughout the following day.

Goodwin attended a meeting at another local school in the morning of Oct. 9, but stopped by Whitman first to convey a sense of normalcy to the community.

This was only Code Red ever enacted after school hours in Montgomery County, Goodwin said.

County officials questioned Goodwin about his response to the incident and will use his experience in developing a protocol for situations like these.

“It was definitely unusual and a bit frightening,” he said. “School officials have been asking me how it went and any suggestions that I have.”

The victim, who works at the International Monetary Fund, is the father of two college students, both of whom graduated from Whitman.

As this issue went to press, the story was still developing. 

The new law prohibits sending text messages while driving, but drivers can still view them.

“Yes, it can be enforced,” education facilities officer Arnold Aubrey said.

“You’d be surprised what we can see people in cars doing.”

While the law is a serious attempt to reduce negligent teen driving, some students believe it simply isn’t enough.

“Even though teens know that it is wrong or can yield disastrous results they still continue to do it,” senior Arjun Chhabra said. “The only way to stop it is to have serious implications like suspending licenses.”

The other new law that took effect earlier this month adds speed cameras to Maryland roads in school and work zones, in hopes of increasing safety.

The number of drivers traveling 10 miles per hour or more above the speed limit decreased by 70 percent in areas with camera enforcement, according to a 2008 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Montgomery County.

The new speed camera law is based on a pilot program that has been in place in Montgomery County since 2007. The success of the pilot program in increasing safety, along with the $33.2 million in revenue generated, resulting in statewide enactment.

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October 12, 2009

News

3

First shipment of H1N1 vaccine arrives at regional health clinics by stephanie haven Through next spring, Montgomery County residents will have access to free clinics around the state once the county’s Department of Health and Human Services has enough H1N1 vaccines to supply multiple clinic locations.

Within the state, Giant, CVS and some doctors’ office – deemed community vaccinators – will receive shipments directly from the Centers for Disease Control.

Thousands of the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine was shipped to some state health centers and doctors’ offices starting Oct. 6. Because of the restrictions on the number of doses allocated to each state in the first shipment, Maryland was only able to order 35,400 doses.

By the first week in January, the CDC estimates that approximately 3.4 million Maryland residents will be vaccinated. Within the first week, there will be about 60,500 people vaccinated within the state.

The vaccine is free, but private providers may charge up to $15 to administer the shot.

The nasal spray is only recommended for people ages two to 49. Within this group, some of the high-risk patients – pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions – will not be able to get the nasal spray because the nasal spray contains a small amount of the live H1N1 virus. There is a very small chance patients who receive the nasal spray could get sick, therefore, already ill people are restricted from this form of vaccine.

High risk groups include pregnant women, children with chronic diseases, health care officials, adults with health problems – obesity, asthma, diabetes – and young children between six months and 24 years old. These demographic groups will be given first priority in receiving vaccines.

“Everybody needs to understand that they can get vaccinated, but we are starting with the target groups because it’s coming in different quantities and will be limited in the beginning,” said Mary Anderson, public information officer for the county health graphic by ELENA TOUMAYAN department.

The doctors at Pediatric Care Center, located off of Old Georgetown Road, began to get requests for the H1N1 vaccine months ago, but because of the uncertainty about when the vaccines will be shipped and how many there will be, they’ve had to turn people away.

“We want everyone to get the vaccine as soon as they can because it will take a while to develop immunity, and the virus is already around in the community,” PCC

New cases of MRSA crop up on sports teams across county

by James dionne photo by

SARAH KLOTZ

H1N1 vaccines will be administered across the state at various locations, such as the new CVS Minute Clinics.

doctor and Whitman parent Jim Mattey said. “We intend to give it when we can get it, but we don’t know when that is. People should be in touch with their pediatrician and watch for public information of public cites where it will be available.”

If children have already received the seasonal FluMist, they must wait a minimum of 28 days before receiving the H1N1 nasal spray. With the seasonal and swine flu shots, the time between injections doesn’t matter.

“H1N1 is a new virus, and we don’t know how it will act,” Anderson said. “Right now it has been pretty mild, but we don’t know if it will stay that way or start to increase or decrease. The amount of media attention has been good because it has gotten people to understand that there are things that everything can do to prevent illness.”

The United States Department of Health and Human Services approved four H1N1 flu vaccines Sept. 15. Health experts encourage people to get both the seasonal and swine flu vaccinations. 

When one football player first saw the few bumps on his knees, he didn’t give it a second thought.

“I really didn’t think there was anything out of the ordinary,” he said.

But a few days later, the rash had worsened. He showed the mysterious inflammation to his coaches, and head coach Jim Kuhn confirmed his suspicion: the rash was a symptom of staph.

Within the past month, two student athletes at Whitman have been diagnosed with a type of staph called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a potentially hazardous bacterial infection that caused a scare in the MCPS community at the beginning of last year.

While staph can be dangerous if untreated, recovery is normally rapid once the infected person begins a course of antibiotics. The player received a diagnosis of MRSA Sept. 11, the Tuesday before the Walter Johnson game, but was cleared to play that Friday.

The infection is easy enough to detect.

“Staph bacteria, including MRSA, can cause skin infections that may look like a pimple or boil and can be red, swollen, painful, or have pus,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

The infection can be as minor as simple bumps and boils but can lead to more serious consequences such as pneumonia or blood stream infections.

“The disease can be transmitted any time there are close quarters and people are together,” said school community health nurse Julie Olson.

S p o r t s t e a m s p r o v i d e j u s t s u c h a n environment.

“It’s always a bigger risk in contact sports like football and wrestling, but it could be a problem for basketball because you have players posting each other up,” Kuhn said.

MRSA has also infected other athletes across the county this fall.

Since the start of the school year, Northwest and Walter Johnson each reported a case of MRSA. Both instances involved athletes. Thus far, the county has not issued any staph-related public warnings.

Administrators are taking the necessary precautions to keep both athletes and the rest of the student body safe, principal Alan Goodwin said.

“We’re doing extra cleaning of the gym and locker room and then just crossing our fingers,” he explained.

Kuhn encourages his players to clean their equipment and wash their practice clothes on a daily basis to diminish any chance of infection in the bacteria-prone surroundings.

Currently, Goodwin said, the infection is wellcontained in the school, and no infected students are presently contagious. 

Moms create green ‘lunch skins’ C 1 ontinued from page

young kids regarding the companies’ target customers. Bourelly says the involvement of their own kids teaches other kids to be environmentally friendly, resulting in positive long-term effects. “[Our kids] have seen the excitement and hard work that goes into developing an idea like this and taking it to the next level,” Bourelly says.

Quigley and Bourelly also want to keep the lunch skins simple to ensure they are used correctly.

“This product, we hope, makes it very

easy and convenient to be green so that anyone from a toddler to an adult can reuse it and use it everyday of the week and do their part to be greener,” Bourelley says.

Weasler, on the other hand, says she would like 3 Green Moms to expand and start selling products like environmentally friendly napkins.

“They really created something that is totally unique that didn’t exist before,” she says. “It’s just a much better item that makes it more convenient and environmentally friendly than just the Tupperware or containers,” she says. 

4

news

october 12, 2009

Students bring new life to greenhouse Nikhil Gupta Most people walk by the greenhouse without turning their head, expecting it to be dull and uninteresting. But one student hopes to change his peers’ minds.

Senior Taylor Denchfield is leading an effort to renovate the greenhouse in the hopes of bringing it to its full potential.

“I think a lot of people take the greenhouse as a joke right now because it hasn’t been well maintained,” he said. “When you look in, you just see dead plants. I plan to fix that, to keep the plants alive and add color so that we can spark some interest.”

Denchfield chose to undertake the greenhouse renovation as part of an internship program with the science department that requires him to complete an annual project.

Currently Denchfield and faculty sponsor Melanie Hudock are the main two members of the greenhouse team.

“My dad owns a nursery and landscaping company, so I have access to lots of resources,” Denchfield said. “With my knowledge and resources, I think I have a lot to offer.”

When Denchfield became the greenhouse student manager his junior year, he made fundraising his top priority. In the spring, he sold fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers to staff members, and according to Hudock, it was a great success, bringing in more than $200.

Because the spring fundraiser went so well, the team plans to hold more plant drives this year. On Oct. 5, Denchfield sold chrysanthemums to teachers after a large

faculty meeting as part of a fall drive, selling around 40 plants for a $40 profit.

“While it may seem like these are small amounts, they’re all we need,” Hudock says.

“We’re not trying to build a huge treasury, just raise enough money to continue renovating and managing.”

Denchfield plans to open the drive to the community within a few weeks. The greenhouse team also hopes to hold seasonal fundraisers throughout the year, selling poinsettias in the winter and assorted flowers in the spring.

Though Denchfield has mainly completed inexpensive preliminary projects so far, such as cleaning up debris and painting the floor, he plans on more ambitious projects during the upcoming year. First, he wants to replace the old furniture and expand the aquarium he began to install last year by adding fish tanks along the windows. Most importantly, he plans to fix the heating and cooling system, which used to fluctuate between extreme heat and cold, causing the plants to die.

While the team members don’t know exactly how much these projects will cost, they say further fundraising is a must.

Hudock explained that this years’ upgrades are part of a larger, multi-year project to revive the greenhouse and make it more accessible to students.

“We hope that as the renovations continue, more students will get interested and become involved,” she said. “Who knows? This could become a place for students to hang out during breaks and eat lunch.” 

photo by

NIKHIL GUPTA

Senior Taylor Denchfield leads the effort to revitalize the greenhouse, currently in disuse.

HSA requirements don’t affect graduation rates Stephanie Haven Of the more than 60,000 high school seniors in the state of Maryland last year who had passed all required coursework, only 11 were unable to graduate because they failed the HSAs. School board members and lawmakers had originally feared that the bar was set too high, and thousands of seniors would be prevented from graduating.

“This achievement was the floor, not the ceiling,” said spokesperson William Reinhold, spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Education. “In the course of the next year we will be looking at ratcheting up the difficulty level in some way, but this is a good start and shows that students and parents took the test seriously.”

Last year was the first students were required to pass the HSA in order to graduate. In Maryland, 68.2 percent of seniors had passed all four of the HSAs: biology, government, algebra and English. About 15.6 percent of students achieved a minimum combined score of 1602 on all four tests. This option allows students who do poorly on one of the tests to graduate.

graphic by

NEILL ROBERTSON

“The general feeling from MCPS is that because sophomore English classes to prepare them for the only 11 students were prevented from graduating the HSA because the county’s objectives prepare students bar should be set higher,” said Kate Harrison, public for the test.

“The HSA is necessary to distinguish schools that information officer for MCPS. “Superintendent Jerry Weast has said multiple times that he feels that the can perform well from schools that perform badly and need help,” Stewart said. “Even if multiple choice tests HSA is not a high stakes test.”

Principal Alan Goodwin said that Whitman aren’t the best assessment of a student’s achievement, currently has an intervention system in place to help they are the most practical to standardize the system students at-risk of not passing the HSA. Depending at some level.”

State officials also announced that in MCPS last on HSA changes, Goodwin advocates changing how year, 23 out of 25 high schools met the state standard the students earn diplomas. “ I h a ve r e s e r v a t i o n s a b o u t t h e p o l i c y o f for adequate yearly progress, a tool used to measure standardized exit exams when it comes to at-risk on how well Maryland schools meet the No Child students,” Goodwin said. “Especially if the tests get Left Behind Act goal for 100 percent proficiency in more difficult, we will do everything in our power to all schools by 2014. Because the HSA is only given provide interventions to help the students. Tiered in Maryland, schools around the country measure levels of diplomas may help these students in the adequate yearly progress with different standardized methods. future.”

To achieve adequate Rather than make the test yearly progress, schools must more difficult, Reinhold said This achievment was the meet standards in a number that the state will look into of demographic groupings, allowing fewer waivers and floor, not the ceiling. including white, black, eliminating or restricting the Hispanic, native American, combined score option to -William Reinhold, Department Asian, multiracial, economically raise standards. Because state of Education Spokesperson disadvantaged, limited English officials have just begun to and special education students. analyze the data, they aren’t This year, Springbrook and sure what other changes will Northwood did not meet the standard and will be occur, he said in a telephone interview.

Some students oppose the practice of placed on the school improvement list if they fail standardized exit exams because they only to meet the standard for two consecutive years. measure how well students can take The Maryland Department of Education removed Montgomery Blair High School from their school tests. “ T h e H S A s t a n d a r d s a r e improvement list because they achieved adequate meaningless,” senior Jane Kessner yearly progress for two consecutive years.

At the same time, the county’s high school said. “It’s hard to see the effect at Whitman because no one studies, and graduation rate fell from 89 percent to 87 percent everyone that I know passes. Because a lot in 2008, the lowest since 1996, dropping the county of Whitman kids take AP NSL, they don’t to eleven out of the state’s 24 school districts. But, have to take the government HSA as long graduation rates fluctuate between years because of students who repeat a grade, move away or come as they score a three on the AP test.”

Other students think that the HSA is a after the start of high school, according to Ronald reasonable test for assessing who should A. Peiffer, Maryland deputy superintendent for academic policy. be able to graduate.

Last year Montgomery County as a whole failed “The HSA is fair because it is easy to pass as long as you pay attention in to meet the state standards for elementary, middle, school,” junior Ben Delia said. “If you can’t and high school students because special education pass them then you should work harder in students didn’t meet the target on standardized tests.

According to the Washington Post, the setback has no school.”

English teacher Corie Stewart, who foreseeable affect on Montgomery County’s ranking teaches honors tenth and honors eleventh grade, said in the country. 

that she doesn’t have to change how she teaches her

“

”

October 12, 2009

Feature

When student, teacher relationships go too far networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

Newsoutlets across the country report Hang out by social studies teacher instances of teachers being suspended Greg Herbert’s classroom for a while and you’re bound to hear a few shouts of “Hey or even fired for posting obscene or inappropriate messages or images Herbie” echo off the walls.

English teacher Nechellar Franklin online.

The issue has become so prevalent can be found eating lunch with two students, discussing everything from that many counties are discouraging Buzz Lightyear to one student’s therapy their teachers from “friending” students at all. sessions.

Math teacher Michelle Holloway has As teachers and students have developed more informal relationships a Facebook, and although she doesn’t over the years, many wonder if and use it to communicate with students, she where a line should be drawn between is Facebook friends with some of them a p p r o p r i a t e a n d u n p r o f e s s i o n a l and says she wouldn’t see a problem with talking to her students through the site. interactions.

“I think I’ve seen a general easing of The problem for her lies elsewhere.

“I have noticed that I don’t really want formal interaction between teachers and to see what students are saying to each students,” says Herbert, who has been teaching for almost nine years. “Students other,” she says. “I don’t want to know kind of go off of the tone that teachers that. So I find I don’t go on often.”

Cell phones have also contributed to set. If the teachers are more relaxed, the more relaxed relationships between then you see that in the way teachers and that the students students. address them.”

I had a co-worker who had Savage and The Center her both for Teaching and students cut her grass for extra havesister the cell Learning at the phone numbers credit.

University of of multiple Georgia supports -Nechellar Franklin teachers, and H e r b e r t ’ s send and receive assessment, English Teacher texts from them saying that on occasion. informal teacher“I sometimes student interactions have become the norm in the U.S. and use their numbers,” Savage says. “It’s for that students often approach their sports-related stuff, not school-related.

Like one time over the summer before teachers as if they were other students.

Some students and teachers see school started, my sister, a friend and I got together with one of our old teachers for nothing wrong with this trend.

“I think it’s good to just treat your lunch because we had her phone number. teachers like they’re normal people, and It sounds really weird, but it wasn’t.”

Franklin notes that the younger to have them just treat you like a normal person too,” senior Susannah Savage a teacher is, the more casual their relationships with a student tends to be. says.

“I know when I was in high school, One area of technology that has most of my teachers were significantly increased student-teacher interaction outside of the classroom is social older so there was no desire to have any interaction with them. But I have noticed

5

by Zach schloss

“

”

graphic by

ELENA TOUMAYAN

Student/teacher interactions have become more casual, but sometimes they can cross the line.

the younger teachers and the students tend to bond.”

But this bond can go from innocent to indecent if taken too far. Franklin witnessed a few controversial studentteacher interactions while teaching at a high school in Georgia before she came to Whitman last year.

“In Georgia, several cases were publicized of inappropriate studentteacher interaction,” she says. “I had a co-worker who had students cut her grass for extra credit.”

Students also note some situations they find questionable.

One junior says that his friend used to get rides home after school with a teacher on occasion. He personally did not see the problem with it but understands that many would see it as a bit peculiar.

Savage also says that she has met one of her teacher’s children and that her sister has even babysat for them.

Mathis says he would be hesitant to hire a student as a babysitter because of

the mixture of private lives and business lives it entails.

“You know the old saying ‘Don’t mix pleasure with business?’” he says. “This The line becomes less clear when these teachers are also coaches.

“As a coach, I get numbers from my kids and we text updates regarding soccer games and practice schedules,” Herbert says. “But that kind of enters into a gray area between teachers and students because some people don’t understand the limitations.”

Despite feeling close to many of her students, Holloway also recognizes that a line exists between friendship and disrespect.

“I always make the joke, ‘Look at the size of my desk. Now look at the size of yours,’” she says. “We’re different.

I command a certain respect from my students because I respect them as well.

I think it’s important to reciprocate that respect to the students, and I think that they know how far they can go with you.” 

6

opinion

October 12, 2009

More field trips will enrich academic experience destinations minutes away. Government students can go to the Capitol, art and music students can visit the High school students in Montgomery County could galleries or the Kennedy Center, and physics students use a few more field trips. The benefits of taking a day can travel to the Air and Space Museum. These to immerse students in active learning are not lost on opportunities deserve the time they take away from teachers, yet the amount of work required is often too classrooms.

Unfortunately, field trips are difficult to wedge into intimidating, and transportation can cost too much.

For field trips to be a practical alternative to classroom a tight schedule and require a large amount of planning. instruction, county education officials need to train MCPS has a long list of guidelines and forms teachers teachers on how to plan trips, and parents need to lend have to fill out to get approval for a field trip. Most of these steps are essential to a field trip’s success, but a hand.

Field trips elevate education from passive to active require hours of organizing and paperwork, especially learning. Instead of taking notes in biology or U.S. with large numbers of students. The NSL trip to the Capitol may not even occur this year history, students can because of the sheer amount of time study actual ecosystems According to an MCPS survey and energy required to plan the trip. on a trip to the taken last year, 98 percent of Also, transportation can be Chesapeake Bay or the teachers agreed that field trips expensive. While school buses cost Civil War battleground support their curriculum. Teachers less, they can only be used between at Antietam. Field 9:30 and 1:00, far too little time for trips are breaks from also believe field trips don’t most field trips. Most students from the classroom, and interrupt education, as 90 percent wealthier school communities can pay undoubtedly make a said that field trips didn’t affect for charter buses, but Title I school lasting impression on students may have to rely on financial grades. students through vivid assistance, transferring more costs to and engaging learning the county during a time when the experiences. Teachers agree: according to an MCPS survey taken last year, school system is cutting back.

Educators shouldn’t just give up and let students 98 percent of teachers agreed that field trips support their curriculum. Teachers also believe field trips don’t miss out; they can address these two issues by training interrupt education, as 90 percent said that field trips teachers and involving school communities. Schools should follow the advice of policy evaluation specialist didn’t affect grades.

There are no excuses for a school system so close Christina Yuknis and offer in-school field trip training to our nation’s capital not to capitalize on such great to teachers. Such training would make MCPS guidelines clearer and easier to follow during the planning process.

By Stewart Longsworth

“

photo by

Most importantly, though, teachers should reach out to parents for assistance. Many parents would love to help teachers organize fun learning opportunities for their children. If a parent oversaw the paperwork and permission forms for each field trip class, teachers could more easily complete the planning process. Along the same lines, parents on a firm financial footing probably would be willing to give an extra five or ten dollars to pay for students who can’t pay to attend.

If they are too much work for teachers and too much money for students, field trips are always going to be impractical. Yet field trips provide activities that reinforce classroom learning. If parents pitch in to help plan and pay for field trips, then students will enjoy hands-on learning that gives them a real sense of the subject they are studying. 

“

County policy should prohibit teachers from assigning homework over the Jewish high holidays

By Jessica Littman

the entire day in synagogue, and celebrating with their families leaves little time for The high holidays, Rosh Hashanah and homework. Social studies teacher Colin Yom Kippur, are the most important events O’Brien also points out that if such students on the Jewish calendar. These holidays allow want extensions on assignments, they have Jews to celebrate their new year and atone to disclose their religious beliefs to the for their sins. MCPS should create a policy teacher, which is something they should not that clearly prohibits teachers from assigning be forced to do.

Most teachers give extra work that disrupts the time around the holiday observance of these for students to complete holidays. assignments, but this As of now, MCPS gives non-Jewish students has no definitive more time to complete the policy on assignments assignments than those who given over the Jewish are observing their holidays. holidays. This year, Jewish students are then the superintendent’s pressured to complete their office sent an e-mail to work ahead of time or at principals reminding them that teachers graphic by ELENA TOUMAYAN the last minute so they can observe the holidays should assign less Junior Keren Tseytlin says she knows she homework over these holidays and “be sensitive” to students who have problems can ask for extensions around the holidays but feels uncomfortable doing so because with their assignments.

However, students who celebrate the she has to single herself out. She adds that holidays cannot do any work at all during when she has to make up assignments over them. These holidays call for Jews to spend the holidays, they are in addition to the work

ERICA BLOOM

AP Environmental Science students examine striped bass on their field trip to the Chesapeake Bay.

she gets on regular school days. And because the two holidays are close together, the work tends to pile up. This puts unfair pressure on her and other students in similar situations because of their religion.

O’Brien and math teacher Susan Wildstrom say they try to limit work over the holidays, but it’s difficult to do this without limiting lesson plans. The problem here is not teachers giving assignments, but MCPS letting them. When teachers are told they can give limited amounts of homework, they usually do in order to keep up with the curriculum. If the MCPS policy becomes more definitive in limiting assignments over the holidays, teachers would not be allowed to give homework. MCPS should also adjust the curriculum to accommodate fewer assignments over the holidays without putting everyone behind.

An MCPS rule strictly limiting assignment due dates that conflict with religious observance would go a long way in accommodating students who actively practice their religion without the stress of school getting in the way. 

Corrections: In Issue 1, we incorrectly attributed the following:

sThe “Into the Woods” photo from rehearsal was taken

by Keegan Barber, not Sarah Klotz. s“Students transfer from private to public schools” was written by Julia Weingardt and Andrew Wyner, not Becca Andrasko.

48, Issue 2 Volume 2009-2010 The Black & White is published 10 times a year by the students of Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20817. The Black & White is an open forum for student views. Subscriptions for the 2009-2010 school year include the Black & White and The Spectator. Pick-up subscriptions cost $20 and mail subscriptions cost $25. The newspaper aims to both inform and entertain. The editorial board establishes Black & White policy.

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october 12, 2009

opinion

7

More confidentiality in college application process Current transcript request system makes students’ college choices public knowledge

By Kevin Hoogstraten Applying to college stresses out most seniors. The transcript office amplifies this stress by leaving a list of where students apply to colleges in plain sight. The Black & White wrote about this issue two years ago, yet the problem still exists. Administrators should change the transcript request process to give seniors some well-earned privacy.

Transcript request policies vary slightly from school to school. At Whitman, seniors applying to college have to submit various forms along with a transcript request card to registrar Susan Katz. They also have to write their name along with the colleges they are applying to on a clipboard in the transcript office to help the registrar keep track of transcript requests. This clipboard can be viewed by anyone in the office.

Instead of this system, students should be given index cards to fill out with their college choices. This simple solution would ensure confidentiality for all students.

Students aren’t supposed to look at the clipboard, and an adult is normally in

the transcript office, but seniors can still see other people’s choices while writing down their own. Students uncomfortable with the process can ask Ms. Katz to start a new list after their colleges, but only some students are aware of this option.

Switching to index cards would provide the necessary tracking information and eliminate privacy concerns altogether.

Under this system, seniors would write their name and the colleges they’re applying to on a single index card. Ms. Katz would keep the card and allow students to add to it as they apply to more colleges.

The index cards would be filed in a secure location, safe from prying eyes.

Wootton, Richard Montgomery and other high schools file transcript requests without a tracking system such as ours, yet they still manage to send transcripts to the colleges and universities where students are applying to. While the idea of preventing errors in the transcript system is well intended, the privacy needs of students must be respected.

College application choices are highly personal. Students could be applying to

photo by

SARAH KLOTZ

The clipboard in the transcript office requires students to leave their list out in the open.

certain schools for financial or academic reasons and not want anyone else to know, or they could simply want to keep their decisions private.

Using the clipboard may be efficient, but the transcript office can implement a new system quickly and easily, with just as much success. 

Tiered diploma system would help uphold HSA standards

By Stewart Longsworth One-third of all Maryland seniors failed at least one part of the Maryland High School Assessment last year. It might not be good news, then, that the test prevented only 11 students in the class of 2009 from graduating who had earned all other required credits.

Many students graduated through “bridge” projects, the minimum combined score or receiving waivers.

The HSA tests students on the most basic concepts they need to know to graduate, says Biill Reinhold, a spokesperson at the Maryland State Department.

Educators are doing students a disservice by allowing them to circumvent the intentions of NCLB and giving diplomas to individuals who didn’t reach the standards expected of a high school graduate.

To solve the problem, the Maryland State Board of Education should create a tiered diploma system that gives lowerlevel diplomas to people who didn’t pass the HSA. This gives additional prestige to students who pass all four HSA tests, while still allowing those who use alternatives to the HSA to graduate. Through such a system, the HSA

would fulfill its duty by filtering out students who haven’t learned the material.

Judging by HSA results, 31.8 percent of Maryland students didn’t meet the baseline the HSA establishes in one or more key areas. About half of those ended up earning the minimum combined score.

Students are getting away with not learning the basics in one subject as long as they do well in others.

This is comparable to mixing a failing grade in English class with A’s in algebra, biology and NSL to produce a B in all four subjects.

Meeting the minimum combined score does show a degree of competence but not in all core subjects.

Students who only meet the minimum combined score deserve a different diploma to show the student met basic requirements but didn’t attain the mastery required for a full diploma.

About 5 percent of all students complete bridge projects outside of class to graphic by neill robertson demonstrate competency in areas they failed. These projects are especially important to special education students and students who struggle to speak English. But bridge projects vary vastly in difficulty, from the equivalent of an algebra worksheet to growing plants and collecting

data for biology. Unlike the HSA, bridge projects have inconsistent and generally more subjective standards.

Schools need a consistent measure to find areas that need improvement, and bridge projects don’t satisfy that need.

If bridge projects could be measured against the HSA, then they could count for a full diploma. But until education officials streamline them completely, bridge projects don’t warrant a full diploma. Bridge projects should instead be rewarded with a diploma that indicates cursory understanding.

Waivers that excuse students from passing the HSA provide yet another way for students to compensate for failing scores. School boards handed out waivers to 531 students for everything from irregular schedules to family problems. Implemented last October when 9,000 seniors had still not met their HSA requirements, the waivers are essentially used to boost graduation rates, the Baltimore Sun reported. In this context, waivers were never meant to be a long-term solution for students who struggle to graduate, and the State Board of Education would be wise to remove the option all together for future classes.

The HSA sets a standard understanding of core subjects students must have. Leave it at that, and the HSAs are a useful tool to improve Maryland public schools; try to force students around the test, and pretty numbers will cover up the fact that students still don’t know the basics and are now getting diplomas for it.

Different diploma levels allow students who struggle with the HSA to still graduate, while making a distinction between students who meet and don’t meet the state’s fundamental standards. 

Student publications should focus on students

ombudsman

by Sarah Houston

You hear about it in school hallways and office cubicles, it’s written about in every paper from here to Timbuktu, feared by those overprotective moms armed with hand sanitizer and tissues: the dreaded swine flu.

We all know that swine flu is a big deal. No matter who you are, you’ve heard about it on the news, over the Internet, and in your community.

But in the last issue of the Black & White there were four different articles about this important, but exhausted subject (that’s not even counting Spectator).

Don’t get me wrong, I think that the articles were interesting and well written respectively.

But the B&W is catering to a body of students who read the paper not only to be informed, but to be entertained.

“Sometimes the paper focuses on a single issue that dominates its pages,” says senior Rachel Umans. “Perhaps swine flu does not merit four articles. I don’t know many people who would read through that much text on one subject.”

Most students get the Washington Post at their house and have easy access to local and national news.

So where does that leave us underdog school papers? Since we only print a paper about every three weeks, we surely can’t compete with national newspapers. No one wants to read about something that was “so last week.”

And although we have an updated online site (that you all should sign up for!), it can’t be updated

every 30 minutes like other daily papers. Instead of trying to compete with the big dogs, we should use the one thing we have over them: students.

Why do we read the paper? Most people would say it’s because they can see articles about their friends or themselves. They like the fact that their name is in print, even if it’s just a small quote.

So instead of having several stories about swine flu, we should try to find unusual stories about local students and the Bethesda community. The front

page story on the air guitar championships is a great example. Many readers complimented the story and pictures on the front page because it was quirky and unique to this area.

The Post isn’t going to writing a story about a former Whitman dad playing an air guitar at the 9: 30 Club. But we can.

So I challenge the writers and editors of the publication to dig deeper and find more stories that make students take a second look. Look for students or teachers who have passions outside of school that people may overlook and write about that. Or, look for Bethesda events that go uncovered and the people who make these events happen (there are a lot of Halloween festivities coming up).

If the paper chooses to keep writing multiple stories about subjects covered by national news outlets, the readers will simply stop reading the articles. Let’s be honest, if you could read a short news brief on the latest story the day it happens, why are you going to read a 600-word article later?

And readers, if you want to see stories about your friends or even yourself in the paper, speak up. Tell anyone you know on the paper about your story idea, and the chance is that the editors will seriously consider it. Our goal is to cover what’s going on in the community before what’s going on in the world.

We all love pigs. We all love the flu. Wait, that’s not right. But, we do not love hearing about a flu that has already been talked and written about for the last few months. So next time choose a different route, and try to fit that pig graphic in somewhere else (I’m thinking a restaurant review.....). 

8

october 12, 2009

in-de

It’s as easy as bubbling

by Carolina Millan-Ronchetti The next time you’re flipping through a seemingly endless stack of SAT vocabulary words, you should appreciate the fact that at least they’re not in Greek or Latin.

Since the College Board administered its first college entrance exam in 1901, tests like the SAT have evolved and adapted to the changing times. The College Board, a membership association that now includes 5,400 schools, colleges and universities, made major revisions to the SAT in March 2005 after public prompting by Richard Atkinson, former president of the University of California system. Board members, who regulate all aspects of the program and services, added a writing section, eliminated analogy questions and made the score out of 2,400 rather than the classic 1,600. So what other changes has the SAT undergone since its inception?

The College Board first introduced a college entrance exam in order to simplify the application process and help high school students transition to college. The 1901 test consisted of essay examinations in English, French, German, Latin, Greek, history, math, chemistry and physics. It was taken by about 900 students, 300 of which were from New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey alone, according to the Public Broadcasting System.

In the following years, the College Board increased its outreach and developed and administered the first “Scholastic Aptitude Test,” now called the

“SAT Reasoning Test.” Eight thousand students took the first SAT in 1926, which primarily consisted of multiple choice questions on nine sub-tests of verbal and math content.

“The SAT revolutionized the college application process by enabling students to apply to any number of institutions without having to sit for entrance examinations at each college or university,” College Board spokesperson Kathleen Steinberg says. “Additionally, the SAT has enabled students to provide evidence of their academic credentials without regard to family background and despite inconsistent grading systems and curriculum standards throughout the nation’s high schools.”

Although most people associate the SAT with only the College Board, the Educational Testing Service, a nonprofit organization, plays a major role in the production and distribution of all College Board tests. The College Board, the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, created ETS in 1946, ETS spokesman Tom Ewing explains.

“At the end of World War II, all the soldiers who were returning to America from the war were able to go to college through the GI Bill,” Ewing says. “The numbers of test-takers skyrocketed to the point where the three major testing companies of the U.S. of the time decided that they needed to have one organization to oversee the daily running of the test.”

ETS designs and develops examinations like the SAT and the AP exams, while the College Board sponsors the programs.

First, the College Board surveys teachers across the country to figure out content specifications for the SAT, Steinberg explains. Then, ETS staff write most of the actual questions based on t h o s e specifications and finally, the College Board’s committees review all the questions and test the final product on students.

ETS also administers the SAT in over 6,000 test centers and controls test security, Ewing says. Although the College Board is ETS’ largest client, ETS also develops tests like the English language assessment, the TOEFL, and K-12 assessments for eight states including Maryland’s HSAs. Since 1926, the College Board has modified the SAT multiple times to reflect what and how students learn in high schools and trends in testing, Steinberg says. Originally, the SAT asked more questions, so a student would need to solve about three questions per minute to complete the test within the time allotted.

Today, the average is less than one question per minute. Previously, the SAT had questions asking for antonyms and double definitions, but currently there is more emphasis on vocabulary in context of

passages and longer reading sections.

Every SAT has an unscored experimental section, either verbal or math, which allows ETS to see how students respond to questions depending on their demographics, Ewing says. The SAT is a constant work in progress, and ETS officials use the SAT’s experimental section to improve fairness.

“If we find any questions that are unfair to certain groups, we toss them out,” he says. “Every change that’s been made has been made to improve what the test measures: the ability to reason out questions rather than remember a number or formula.”

Application process diminishes import by julia weingarDt

rejected based on one data point, like SAT scores.

“We have 26 different Starting as early as admissions factors that can middle school, students be considered—and grades begin to prepare for college and test scores are just two,” entrance exams through Gill says. standardized test practice Aside from test scores and lessons that “teach to and grades, the rigor of a the test.” While parents, student’s schedule as well teachers and counselors stress as the application essay, are the importance of testing, important admission factors. students and families Other factors often don’t know admissions officers exactly how college The real issue is that admission consider include admissions officers is not an exact science. You can’t extracurricular use the scores. activities, community American colleges predict with 100 percent certainty involvement and use tests like the who’s going to be successful and ethnic background.

SAT and the ACT to who’s not going to be successful.

Some schools evaluate an applicant don’t even require because they’ve been students to submit the key predictors of -Barbara Gill test scores. At Alyssa a student’s success Ellowitch’s school, in college. Barbara UMD Director of Undergraduate Muhlenberg College, Gill, director of Admissions submitting test undergraduate scores is optional. admissions at the University of Maryland, contends that test prep is Ellowitch, the Associate believes that while scores necessary so that students Director of Admissions, says are often indicators of future don’t fall behind others in their that the school’s test-optional success in college, they region. “College Board says decision came only after seven alone don’t determine an that test prep doesn’t really years of researching the tests help, but truthfully I don’t as predictors of success. acceptance.

“What we decided was we “The real issue is that believe it,” Landau says. “I’ve admission is not an exact seen scores go up after kids wanted to be a school that was more focused on giving science,” Gill says. “You can’t have taken prep courses.”

Students also need to students the opportunity to predict with 100 percent certainty who’s going to be consider the weight admissions put their best foot forward in the application process,” she successful and who’s not going officers give the tests.

In an article in Bethesda explains. “By putting more to be successful.”

Although many students Magazine last year, admissions emphasis on high school take rigorous classes or splurge officers from around the records and by requiring a for expensive tutoring sessions, country agreed that the graded high school writing Gill says that students should application review process is sample, [students have] a prepare for the tests, but not multifaceted. Even at Harvard, better opportunity to put their no application is immediately best foot forward.” to an extreme extent.

“

“The tests are really designed to tell admissions officers what students have learned over a very, very long time period,” Gill says.

“Cramming just a couple of weeks before or enrolling in a very expensive class really counteracts what the test is supposed to test.”

Fran Landau, who heads the guidance department,

”

october 12, 2009

epth

9

Post columnist Jay Matthews discusses AP with teachers, students Andrew Wyner

Since the introduction of AP courses in 1952, most people believe that only top students should take that level.

Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews believes otherwise. He is a strong proponent for all students taking AP classes because of his study on Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. At Garfield, 85 percent of students come from low-income households, and most students

don’t take advanced classes. But when several teachers encouraged students to take AP courses, scores were surprisingly high.

Mathews believes that if teachers take on-level students and work with them, they can greatly improve test results. But at many schools, only top students are accepted into AP classes.

Mathews sat down with the Black & White Oct. 1 to discuss the state of AP courses and education. Juniors Clara McCreery and Heather Menefee; teachers Prudence Crewdson, Kirk Shipley, Bob Mathis and principal Alan Goodwin also participated.

Black & White: Do you think that the number of kids taking AP classes should be limited?

Prudence Crewdson, English teacher: No, I think it’s not a realistic thing to even suggest at this point. Some years ago Montgomery County made a ruling saying that said any student with the interest or motivation to take an honors class or AP class could. There’s this consequence – at a school like Whitman you have encouragement for kids to take more and more AP classes.

Jay Mathews: I think there are two factors going on. Number one – it’s essentially required by selective colleges that you take APs now. The second thing, particularly in schools like this, is that this is a school full of kids who want to get into top colleges. They know they have to take APs.

graphic by

ELENA TOUMAYAN

tance of SAT But, depending on applicants’ individual schools and regions, their transcripts and course loads are weighed against the opportunities available to them and their peers. Forty five of the top 100 high schools in America, selected by US News and World Report, are East Coast schools. That’s not to say that students receive a lower quality education in other parts of the country, but that different areas have different standards.

College couselor Kristin Junkin, founder of College Counsel LLC, says that students who are from areas with greater financial opportunity are expected to perform higher than other students.

“In my experience, the colleges Whitman students apply to every year typically know that strong candidates come out of Montgomery County, and they are used to seeing academic records and scores above national norms,” she explains.

Ellowitch, however, believes that all students should have the same admission requirements, regardless of where they’re from.

“The expectation would be that the student would take advantage of the curriculum as best they can she says, so that regardless of what they’re given or what they’re school offers that they’re making the most of it.” 

Kirk Shipley, history teacher: I agree, but I have two concerns. One is that Whitman is clearly not your average school in the country. Point two is that for Whitman particularly, all of the kids pushing to take APs oftentimes dilutes the classes that aren’t APs. I feel that in a classroom you should have the access to higher, more capable students and lower able students. The mix of those brings the lower up and also teaches the higher kids something.

BW: Would forcing all students to take AP classes, when they wouldn’t otherwise, be helpful or detrimental to the students?

Clara McCreery, junior: I don’t think it’s about not being ready; I think a lot of it is more about the motivation.

The kids in AP Literature go into the class knowing that it’s a lot of work and they are

ready for it. Other kids would rather be spending their time playing sports or doing science.

Heather Menafee, junior: I think that if everyone was required to take the AP level it would cause a sense of giving up. You’re giving over because there are people who have different priorities and people who have been convinced that they’re not capable and they’re going to end up in these classes with teachers who have the same expectations as they had before.

photo by

DANIELLE BLOCH

KS: In this instance, Washington Post education columnist Jay Matthews sits down and this may just be with teachers and students to discuss the merits of testing.

Whitman, one of the things is the students going into this if you’re getting too many 1’s and 2’s, environment are not used to failing, which considering the student set you have, then I feel does a tremendous disservice to later there’s a concern. on in life.

JM: Have you ever run across that JM: Does that hurt them situation? psychologically or strategically?

Bob Mathis, social studies KS: I would say the majority no, resource teacher: Not in a long time, because I tell them it’s okay to fail. There but yes. Teacher left, scores went up, is no doubt it’s okay to stumble. enrollment went up. What’s wrong?

Parents should be complaining to the Alan Goodwin, principal: Some school about test scores. Rarely done. of our kids, when they first take an AP BW: A lot of what you write about class, they get their first B or C. One of our is how any high school student can take challenges here is to open up as many AP AP classes. Why do you believe that an possibilities, but the counselors have to average high school student should be able work with the students and their parents to take a college level course? to counsel them not to take too many APs because that creates a level of stress; the JM: Well, we all hear in your formative balance is challenging. years as people, when I was in my formative

years as an education reporter in the early BW: Do the challenge index ‘80s, I spent those five years at a school and other rankings affect how you in east Los Angeles called Garfield High approach the entire AP system?

School which was the exact opposite of Whitman High. Eighty-five percent of the AG: There’s no doubt that there is students at that school were low income. pressure in the county to increase AP Considered the absolute pits of American enrollment. I’m lucky in this school that education. I stood there, amazed, for five we don’t have to overly cajole students to years as I watched in the teachers who take AP because it’s a community where completely rejected the widespread notion they are going to do anything they can to that kids from that type of background enhance their resume. couldn’t do AP; couldn’t do anything close to AP. At the end of watching what was JM: Do you habitually look at the AP going on for five years, it took me a long results from each teacher, each year and time to figure out what was going on, look to see if someone is not pulling their I had the glimmerings of a story I had load? been following ever since. I mean, it has changed my life. What they were doing AG: [Bob Mathis] is the head of social there was having high expectations for all studies, so he will look at the results. Also of the kids. 

graphic by

JULIA WEINGARDT

10

In-depth

OCTOBER 12, 2009

Test scores gain importance in admissions, schools could become ‘test prep factories’ Carolina Millan-Ronchetti You’ve spent hours in SAT prep classes, bought all the books and stressed out endlessly over one four-hour test.

But looking back, did you really learn anything? At least two national education groups say “no.”

The College Board claims that the SAT tests students’ knowledge of subjects that are necessary for college success: reading, writing and mathematics. However, as an increasing number of students stress over their test scores, educators wonder whether the tests actually measure students’ abilities.

The National Center for Fair and Open Testing argues that standardized tests only assess test-taking skills. FairTest, as the group is known, is the only organization in the nation that monitors standardized and aptitude tests for fairness and accuracy. They maintain that colleges and other institutions give test scores an unprecedented and undeserved amount of importance during the admissions process.

Similarly, the Independent Curriculum Group, an organization that promotes student-centered learning, notes that standardized testing drives teaching much more than in past years, says Bruce Hammond, executive director of ICG.

“The United States has gone test-crazy,” FairTest spokesperson Bob Schaeffer says.

“We overuse standardized tests, and we misuse test results far beyond what their own promoters say they can do.”

In addition to college admissions, an increasing number of gifted and talented programs, scholarship awards and financial aid opportunities base eligibility on standardized test scores.

“Competitions like the National Merit Scholarship competition, where the only way you can be eligible is if you score in the top one percent of your class, are based on a test score,” Schaeffer says. “That’s not a merit scholarship, it’s a test-taking scholarship. Kids whose parents can buy them test prep courses have a huge advantage. The kids who need least the money get the most of it.”

As schools focus more on meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act with progress measured through standardized tests, FairTest worries about how America’s schools will be affected.

“The overkill, the misuse and overuse of standardized tests has turned some schools into little more than test prep factories,” Schaeffer says. “The goal is not learning or mastering subjects but simply getting higher test scores.”

There are alternatives to taking the

SAT or ACT, Schaeffer says. More than 835 four-year colleges and universities admit all or many of their students on a test-optional procedure, including 34 in the top two tiers of national liberal arts colleges. Five dozen more colleges have made SAT and ACT scores optional since the introduction of the new SAT in 2005. Schaeffer, who also moderated a workshop on test-optional admissions for the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, expects the number of colleges with test-optional admissions to continue to grow.

“In test-driven schools, students tend to collapse and lose interest after the test,” Hammond says.

Although ICG schools do prepare students for standardized tests, the emphasis of their academic classes is not on these tests, Hammond and Breen say.

“The best learning is project-based rather than test-based,” Hammond says.

“When students learn for a test, they soon forget the material. When they learn for a project, they remember it much longer. Think about your most meaningful academic experiences. Do you remember taking a test as a peak academic experience? Now think about the projects you did. Aren’t those more vivid?” 

With more test prep courses, more pressure

Students relinquish free time to improve test scores, college chances Becca Andrasko Junior Bryan Mooney taps his pencil rhythmically on his desk, glancing at the clock. It’s almost time for band practice, and he’s stuck in a classroom learning more about the finer points of geometry than he ever wanted to know. Mooney is sitting, taking a SAT prep course designed to refresh students’ memory on subjects ranging from grammar basics to polynomial functions.

SAT and ACT prep courses help students master certain test-taking strategies in order to help them succeed on those college entrance exams. Since March 2005, standardized test prep has grown from a $310 million industry to a $4 billion one, with exponential growth in the online sector especially. Enrollment in SAT prep company Princeton Review’s online classes grew 15 percent in 2008 alone. According to The Washington Post, affluent parents around the country spend an average of $100 million a year on SAT prep-related courses for their children.

How much free time does SAT prep take?

Test prep can take many forms, from lessons with an online tutor in Bangalore, to prep books or tutoring through phone calls. Junior Tayler Esherick studies independently for the SATs using online Questions of the Day, prep books and online timed practice tests.

“I have a lot more work to do,” she says. “It’s another thing for my mom to be on my back about. It’s manageable, but it’s just more for me to deal with.”

Each week, Esherick spends about four hours of her free time per week studying independently for the SAT. When she signs up for a test, however, she plans to add about four hours per week to the time she already spends preparing for the test.

“The rules of my household are that if I don’t get it done, I won’t be able to do my extracurricular activities,” Esherick says. “It’s not taking away from my schoolwork, but it is taking away from my social life.”

Are students pressured to do SAT prep work?

Some parents pressure their children to take SAT prep courses and do extra work in preparation for the test. Esherick’s mother, the director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Maryland, pushes her daughter to succeed on the SAT, Esherick says.

“My mom is really big on SAT Prep and has me do a bunch of questions everyday because she wants to make sure that I’m prepared,” Esherick says. “She’s worried that I’m going to push it aside until the very end, and she doesn’t want me to cram for the SAT.” photo by SUSAN RUSSEL Most students start

6 prep test books =

$120

SAT prep some time during the beginning of their junior year, says Cindy Albrecht, a private SAT math and science tutor and mother of junior Matthew Albrecht.

Is private tutoring the best option?

Phil Pine is the president and cofounder of Capital Educators, a popular SAT prep company in the area. At Capital Educators, students work in small classes and complete exercises like timed drills with the teacher’s help. By giving students time in class to practice the skills they learn, Pine makes sure that students receive the least amount of homework possible from the program.

“I find that for a lot of high school students, finding the time to do that extra homework on top of schoolwork takes a lot of discipline,” Pine says.

Group classes also simulate the atmosphere in the room during testing, a valuable tool for preparing for the real test.

“We’re able to give practice exams in a very realistic setting with other kids in the room – you’ve got the kid tapping

his pencil and one coughing loudly and another one sneezing,” Pine says. “I find that when students take exams on their own or with a private tutor, the experience isn’t quite as realistic.”

One advantage of private tutoring is personalizing a session according to what the student doesn’t know so the student can get more out of the lesson, Albrecht says. However, private tutoring can be expensive, and usually ranges from about $150-350 per hour of instruction.

“Private tutoring is not different based on the content,” Albrecht says. “But if you have a large group of people, they don’t have the time to check if the student understands the technique.”

Confidence can build as students work with a tutor and see their baseline scores increase, Albrecht says.

“If I can help someone improve their score, I think they feel better about themselves,” Albrecht says. “But I don’t think that learning how to take a standardized test has much application beyond doing well on the test. Which score is more indicative of intelligence: the one before the class or after?”

october 12, 2009

Feature

11

Darr Beiser takes his camera to the streets for USA Today Zach Schloss At the conclusion to his victory in Super Bowl XLIII, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger jumped into his teammates’ arms, as the stadium erupted around them.

Thanks to Darr Beiser, a photographer for USA Today, moments like these will never be forgotten.

Throughout his career, Beiser, father of junior Peter Beiser, has captured some of the most fascinating people and significant events in American history.

The stairwell of his home is lined with pictures of himself at various ages, posing with Presidents Reagan, Clinton and Bush. The den walls are covered with awards and plaques recognizing him for his photojournalistic achievements.

Meeting every president since Ronald Reagan is something he could have only dreamed about while growing up in Arizona, almost 2300 miles from the White House.

“President Reagan was just about the most charming and likeable guy,” says Beiser, who joined USA Today when it first started up 27 years ago. “Clinton was also incredibly charming. He always found something to compliment. He’d say ‘I like your tie.’”

He has also met the Reverend Billy Graham, Robin Williams and even some of his own childhood idols.

“Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were heroes of mine, and I got to meet them later in life,” Beiser says. “I felt very lucky to get to meet them. I’ve met a lot of the sports greats over the years.”

Beiser says many of the famous figures he meets go out of their way to make him feel important.

“They just sort of turn the table and make me feel interesting, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘You’re the President.

I’m nobody,’” he says.

But Beiser hasn’t been impressed with every star he’s encountered.

“Sometimes the big sports stars and celebrities don’t have a lot of time for you and they make it very obvious,” he says. “One that sticks in my mind as not being very generous with his time is Alex Rodriguez.”

Beiser has covered breaking news stories like the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, but he has also covered everything from the World Series to the Olympics to the Super Bowl. The shots he captured of American Dan Jansen’s legendary fall while speed skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics got picked up by news outlets across the country. But being so close to the action has put Beiser in some precarious situations.

“I was covering the World Series in 2001, and I was hit by a foul ball. I lost consciousness briefly,” he says. “It was a high fly ball. I thought it was going into the stands, but apparently the wind blew it back in. It bounced right off my head.”

Beiser got his start working on his high school newspaper and even won a national award for photography as a senior; it sits in his den next to awards from the NFL and MLB Hall of Fames.

“When I was in high school, someone on the newspaper staff found out that I had a decent camera and said, ‘Would you like to take some photographs for the paper at the football game Friday night?’ and I said, ‘Wow, you’re going to give me the film. I don’t have to buy it?’ That was such a treat for me,” Beiser says. “When I saw the pictures in the paper and [the staff was] really happy with them, that’s when I got hooked.”

Beiser later became convinced that he wanted to pursue a career in photojournalism while working on the Arizona Daily Wildcat at the University of Arizona.

Beiser didn’t discover journalism.

Journalism discovered Beiser.

“I was looking for sort of a creative outlet. I didn’t have any luck with music

photo courtesy

DARR BEISER

Darr Beiser, a USA Today photographer, captures the action at the Obama inauguration.

and I didn’t feel that I had any bigger talents and then I just sort of stumbled into photography and found that I really liked it,” he says.

But like many in the newspaper business, Beiser acknowledges that his profession has been hit hard by the recession.

“It’s really tough,” he says. “It hit close to home with my old newspaper [the Tucson Citizen] closing, but even closer to home when we had to go through furloughs where we had to take weeks off without any pay.”

Beiser sees himself continuing to work for the USA Today for years to come, even if it’s primarily for its website. But no matter how it all works out, Beiser loves knowing he has been a part of something really special—at least for his own generation.

“Newspapers have been very important parts of the lives of people my age and older, but younger people are not ever starting with the newspaper,” he says. “In the long term, I find it hard to imagine people of the younger generation being tied to the papers the way people my age are.”

Beiser has cherished his experience working for USA Today and claims it has given him the opportunity to meet some of the most remarkable people in the world.

“One of the most amazing people I’ve ever met was a mom in Austin who has four kids with various types of autism” he says. “And, my gosh, her life is so hard having to deal with those kids. It’s often times the real, regular people I get to meet that are the most interesting.” 

Whitman Wheels Sahil Ansari

Amid the sea of Nissans, Hondas and Toyotas that dot the Whitman parking lot, there lie a few hidden gems that are more than just the typical modes of transportation.

Vehicles that catch the eye and stir the heartstrings. This is their story...

Giovanni Russo: Moped Known to many as the guy who struts the halls of Whitman with helmet in hand and a leather jacket that would put the Fonz to shame, senior Giovanni Russo is the proud owner of an authentic Italian moped.

Russo, who moved to Bethesda from Rome before his sophomore year, bought his Piaggio moped last year as an alternative to a car.

“In Italy, mopeds are used much more than they are here,” he says.

According to Maryland state law, you don’t need a license to drive a moped as long as you’re 16, and the vehicle doesn’t exceed 30 miles per hour.

Russo says that people approach him and compliment his ride.

“People say ‘Oh it’s cool,’ you know!” he says.

However, the thrill of riding a moped inevitably poses a risk. Last fall, while riding home, Russo hit and killed a deer. Luckily, he suffered only a few scratches, and his bike is now back in commission, as good as new.

And for anyone interested–the moped will be up for sale when Russo moves back to Rome this June.

Nick Merlene- ’77 Chevy Pickup Undeniably one of the most legendary cars at Whitman, senior Nick Merlene’s sea-green 1977 Chevy pickup undoubtedly stands out in the parking lot.

Both his father and brother have driven the truck, which is a hand-me-down from his great-grandfather, and it has the dents to prove it.

With front headlights held on with wire and a rear window covered with stickers including “Jerry is Jedi” along with hunting stickers from the ‘70s, Merlene’s truck is as vintage as it gets.

His memories of the truck go back long before he could actually drive.

“I used to ride in the back to go trick-or-treating,” he says.

The truck boasts rust that would make Pappalardo’s station wagon jealous and a broken speedometer, but the apparent defects just add to the truck’s rustic charm.

“I get a lot of compliments,” Merlene says. “Everyday someone new comes up to me and tells me how much they like it. A few people even want to marry it…which I guess is kind of weird.”

And a car as memorable as Merlene’s could never go without a name–“Big Green Monster.”

Dan Pappalardo: 20-year-old Volvo Sure, a 20-year-old Volvo station wagon doesn’t have quite as much allure as an Italian moped or a vintage Chevy pickup, but to senior Dan Pappalardo, it’s just as special.

Pappalardo’s car, a 1989 model, boasts a trunk that doesn’t close, an antenna that broke off years ago, a useless speedometer and a rust hole the size of a toddler’s head.

After being deemed too unsafe for the beltway and unusable to his dad, his parents awarded Pappalardo the car when he got his license this year.

Of course having a car from a previous generation has its downsides. Once, while driving to a bass lesson in D.C., Pappalardo’s un-closable trunk slowly began to open, sending his upright bass sliding straight towards the asphalt.

“It just doesn’t want to close anymore!” Pappalardo says, pointing towards his trunk latch.

But hey–a car is a car. And as Pappalardo says, “Who needs airbags?”

photos by

Sahil Ansari

12

Feature

october 12, 2009

Meade downloads software to avoid speeding fines

by Sahil Ansari As he’s driving down River Road, senior Ricky Meade’s music is interrupted by a voice coming out of his phone: “Speed camera in one mile.”

Meade uses Trapster, one of the many brands of legal software that alerts drivers of upcoming speed traps, red light cameras, speed cameras and school zones.

As of Oct. 1, speed cameras in school and work zones across Maryland, will make software like Trapster even handier.

Trapster, free software that can be downloaded to GPS devices and smart phones, uses information from users to compile a map of speed trap locations.

Meade has the program on his iPhone,

and finds it a helpful for avoiding costly tickets ever since it came out last spring.

“It helps a lot when I’m going somewhere unfamiliar,” he says. “It’s also very helpful to keep money in my pocket.”

He believes since people slow down for speed cameras anyway, Trapster simply lets drivers know those locations where they should be careful, saving them from a hefty ticket.

Speed cameras were first installed to ensure public safety, placed on roads with high accident rates and high incidences of speeding, according to Richard Harrison, who workds in MCPD’s Traffic Division Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit.

Currently Montgomery County has 65 speed cameras installed throughout the

area.

After one year of use, citations issued by fixed speed cameras decreased by 78 percent, while the number of collisions within half a mile of a speed camera decreased by 28 percent and collisions involving an injury or fatality decreased by 39 percent, Harrison says.

Harrison doesn’t mind GPS programs like Trapster since they help drivers adhere to speed programs.

“If people want to place a GPS device in their vehicle and that makes them slow down as they approach a speed camera, we are good with that,” he says. “This shows that we are changing driver behavior and they are slowing down.”

Security plans to step up lunch patrols for underclassmen

by Jamie Norwood A sophomore walks casually through the main doors towards the parking lot, trying to stay cool, calm and collected. Her heart pounds as she slides into her friend’s car and her shoulders stiffen as a security guard walks by. But her friend pulls out of the spot and within ten minutes they’re strolling down Bethesda Ave. She didn’t think it could be that easy.

Contrary to the school’s policy, seniors aren’t the only ones leaving campus during fifth and sixth period.

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors all seem to make their way past the security guards to grab a bite to eat during lunch period.

Assistant principal Jennifer Webster acknowledges that security hasn’t been able to catch everyone in years past, but this year will be different.

“Security will be locking the back gate,” she says.

“We’re responding to the fact that we simply don’t want younger kids going out.”

Junior Raychel Johnikin has been sneaking out to lunch since her freshman year. After two years of leaving campus undetected during her lunch period, she got caught for the first time this year.

“I was going out to lunch the other day,” Johnikin says. “It was the first time a security guard has ever asked me for my pass. I tried to pretend I was just getting something out of my car but apparently they saw me pull into the parking lot.”

At first Johnikin had to go in for lunch detention with one of the security guards and didn’t think anything of her punishment until she found out that it lowered her

photo by VICTORIA

SCORDATO

Security plans to catch more underclassmen sneaking out to lunch by locking the back gate and checking for lunch passes.

chances of qualifying for a parking permit next year.

Security guards say they check for lunch passes daily but only catch a couple of students without them each week.

Security guard Paul Marshall feels accountable for

the underclassmen that sneak out.

“If someone goes out and somethng bad happens to them, it’s our fault,” Marshall says. “We’re responsible for each and every student.”

He explains that the security guards can tell which students are seniors by a few weeks into the school year and have little leniency for those who aren’t.

“If we don’t see a pass, we don’t let them go,” he says.

“And we never let it slide. We ask for passes every single day. Students see us standing around and decide not to leave campus.”

But seniors often go days without having to show their lunch passes, believing that security guards don’t take the whole process seriously.

“Realistically, security never actually checks,” says senior Nick Merlene, who goes out to lunch on a daily basis.

Webster recognizes that with over 1,800 students, checking each and everyone trying to leave campus is tough.

“It’s a large school and a large campus,” she says.

“It’s true we can’t catch all of them.”

The administration plans to continue punishing underclassmen caught leaving campus for lunch, starting with lunch detention and a call home.

In the rare event that an underclassman is caught sneaking out for a third time, he or she will face the consequence of not getting a lunch pass for their senior year.

“It’s obvious when an underclassman tries to leave campus for lunch,” Webster says. “We’ll catch them eventually. 

October 12, 2009

13

FEATURE

Put down that cone, pick up Fro-yo

Say goodbye to ice cream cones and hot fudge sundaes. It’s time to embrace the new healthy trends. Over the past year, several frozen yogurt (otherwise known as “fro-yo”) shops have satisfied Bethesda residents’ sweet tooths with their nutritious and delicious treats. by jamie norwood

Yogiberry: With three locations in the district (Cleveland Park, Olney Town Center and Rockville Federal Plaza), four different fro-yo flavors and 24 different toppings, Yogiberry is a definitely a hot spot for frozen yogurt. Customers can choose from green tea, original, berry or chocolate flavors and a wide variety of topping options, ranging from pineapple to “cap’n crunch” to butterscotch. This is the only frozen yogurt joint that offers a “shaved ice” option, which consists of any yogurt over a syrupy serving of shaved ice and an option of up to three toppings. Yogiberry does get a bit pricy, charging $6.33 for a large yogurt with three toppings.

le: t s a C i Yog

. .

Yogi Castle on Darnestown Road in Gaithersburg offers frozen yogurt and a variety of unique combinations including New York cheesecake, cookies and cream and butter brickle. Their self-serve aspect offers more excitement and personal choice.

Yogiberry’s contemporary environment serves as a cute place to snack on tasty treats after school with friends. Frozen yogurt goes for $.39 per ounce, a really great deal!

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Tangys weet:

S

Tangysweet in Dupont Circle wins hands down on atmosphere. The stylish, chic yogurt bar was designed by an award-winning architecture firm, “Kube,” and serves green tea and pomegranate flavors—all original to Tangysweet. These flavors are complimented simply by a variety of fresh berries.

A small yogurt with three toppings costs $5.50. For those who aren’t fans of fro-yo, be sure to check out their exceptional smoothies. Definitely worth the metro ride to Dupont!

. photo from

GOOGLE MAPS

n:

gree t e e w

Although Sweetgreen (on Bethesda Ave.) offers only one flavor, their original frozen yogurt is subtle yet satisfying. With the option of Agave nectar, granola, fruit and chocolate chips, customers are guaranteed satisfaction with their purchase. Charging $4 for a small and $6 for a large yogurt with three toppings, Sweetgreen is not particularly cheap. Not only does Sweetgreen offer their healthy and delicious yogurt, but their salad bar presents a wide variety of fresh and organic salads and wraps.

Laxbro-ology examines the lingo and the look

by Rachel Nussbaum A button-down polo shirt or, on laundry day, a lacrosse penny. A patchwork pair of shorts. Dark sunglasses.

A lanyard. The uniform of the “lax bro” is universal and carries with it very unique connotations.

This year, the “lax bro” stereotype appears to be on the uptick, resulting in widespread popularity, as evidenced by the emergence of sites like Brobible. com and InsideLacrosse.com, as well as Youtube videos like “The Ultimate Lax Bro,” which features the illustrious Brantford Winstonworth It has become so popular, in fact, that during Spirit Week, the girls cross country team decided to personify the spirit of lax bros through their clothes, language, and attitude.

To actual lacrosse players, the cause of this popularity surge is self-explanatory.

“Lax bros are chill. We do chill things,” senior Patrick Slawta says. “Simple as that.”

But what really is a “lax bro,” even?

“Being chill, being bro and playing lax,” junior Vivian Yang says.

Junior Charlotte Goldman considers Whitman’s upper-middle class demographic to be a strong factor that contributes to its bro-ness.

“Our proximity to Landon, plus the East Coast is just like bro central,” Goldman says.

But not everyone is taken with the overconfident attitude that is so characteristic of the “lax bro.”

“Basically, they think they’re really better than anyone else,” senior Leah Gobin says. “Like Landon and all those guys, they think they’re superior to everyone because they play lacrosse.”

Another aspect of the lax bro image is flow, a characteristic which Goldman

describes as being 100 percent chill and 1 percent hot air.

“Broflow,” Goldman says. “It’s the flow, it’s the rage, and it’s the rage and the flow. It’s the haircut where it just comes out from under your hat and curls up at the end a little bit.”

Indeed, this “mad flow” could be considered the crucial element in a lax bro, much like the Element X that gives the Powerpuff Girls their edge. And not unlike the Powerpuff girls, who were a one-in-a-million occurrence, Slawta considers true lax bro’s to be few and far between.

“Only a select few have the ability to pull off the lax bro, obviously. Some kids try and fail horribly, but others can back up their efforts with flow and tilt and many other attributes of the lax bro,” he says.

But, there is another option for the chill-impaired.

“Take bromine supplements,” sophomore Julie Elfin says. “It’s the way to get lax.” 

Beef Up, Broski So now that the mystery of the lax bro, similar to Bigfoot in both enigma and hunger, has been explained, it’s time to learn the lingo. Doing so will insure that your chill bro lax status is secure.

Broflow: The hairstyle usually rocked by bros. Easily recognizable, look for hair that flips and turns with ease. For example, Figure 1.

Bro: Don’t be deceived. When a lacrosse player calls a fellow player, or sometimes even just a friend, a “bro,” they don’t mean brother. These days, “bro” can pass as a greeting, a sign of pleasure (“Brooo, no way.”), or even as a sentence filler. So in your next English speech, don’t say “um.” Use “bro.” You’ll sound super chill.

Spoon: Also known as a lax wand, a term of endearment from a laxbro to his lacrosse stick.

Lax: Lax originally referred to the sport that started it all, lacrosse. As Urban Dictionary puts it, “Lax: now used as abbreviation for the best sport invented; lacrosse. Spring is cool only cause of lacrosse!!!” And there you have it.

Lax sesh: Not just a lacrosse game, a lacrosse game between bros. Pretty much anytime a bro and his bros pick up their spoons and throw around a lax ball.

Bromine: A supplement taken to enhance one’s bro-ness.

photo courtesy

BALTIMORE SUN

14

Arts

Movie remakes: Don’t make them

by Ryan Hauck Any Hollywood director knows that the true secret to ruining a perfectly good film is to remake it.

Almost since the dawn of cinematography itself, filmgoers have faced a disturbing influx of mediocre adaptations whose only purpose appears to be to tarnish their classic predecessors. The past few years have produced some of the most notorious offenders: “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “The Taking of Pelham 123,” “Death Race,” “I Am Legend,” “Disturbia” and most recently, “Fame.”

The penultimate title on that list is particularly troublesome because it represents the most offensive breed of film: bad remakes of Alfred Hitchcock films.

The main issue here is that Hitchcock and today’s directors are opposite sorts of people. Hitchcock famously believed that a bomb going off is not as suspenseful as a bomb about to go off. But modern day imitators ostensibly believe that a bomb going off looks really, really cool.

Even good directors have failed in this venture. Gus Van Sant, for example, always dreamed about making the movie “Psycho,” but that’s the problem: he didn’t make “Psycho.” Hitchcock did, and to this day the “Psycho” remake remains a lonely, unfortunate blotch on Van Sant’s otherwise impressive resume.

Yet the march of Hitchcock remakes continues, with James Bond veteran Martin Campbell’s remake of “The Birds” slated to come out within the next two years. Thankfully production has stalled, and hopefully this travesty will never reach theaters or fund the director’s next disaster.

The saddest part about this trend is that it reduces the legitimacy of filmmaking as an art form. If someone were to repaint the Mona Lisa, five hundred years from now the original would remain iconic, and the remake would be irrelevant.

Now if the painter were to justify their version as action-packed or “grittier” than Da Vinci’s, they would be ostracized from the art community. Especially if his model were Shia LaBeouf.

Similarly, an author’s enjoyment of the novel “Catch-22” does not give them the right to rewrite the book. Unlike with films, such a venture would be seen as blasphemy in literary circles, even if Megan Fox made an appearance as Nately’s Whore.

Worst of all, if directors continue to make remakes, years from now we’ll keep seeing the same movies come back around and around and around. What we need are original, creative and intelligent films. So directors, make your own movies, not your hero’s and certainly not Alfred Hitchcock’s. 

Opinion:

OCTOBER 12, 2009

Into the works: How directors choose plays

BY RACHEL LERNER The emotional ballads of “Les Miserables” or the happy-go-lucky tunes of “Annie?” The classic love story of “Romeo & Juliet” or the unconventional relationships of “Spring Awakening?” The comedy of “Guys and Dolls” or the serious tone of “Rent?”

These are the kinds of considerations that high school drama directors must take into account when choosing a production.

“The show has to challenge, educate and enlighten every branch of the music theatre program,” director Christopher Gerken explains.

Gerken says a challenging play helps prepare students for high-end conservatory colleges and even at the professional level.

Jessica Speck, the drama director at Churchill High School, agrees.

“I approach the choosing of the play with a much more defined rotation of play types so that each student in their four years at Churchill has the potential to be exposed to each,” she says.

Others argue that cast size should be the primary factor in play choice.

“I don’t like ‘Into the Woods’ because since it’s such a small cast, people who deserved to make it, didn’t,” a current cast member says.

Gerken argues that “Into the Woods” gives every actor a leading role and a lot of responsibility, which he believes the students this year can handle.

“If we didn’t have as strong seniors as we do, I wouldn’t have picked ‘Into the Woods’” he adds.

Gerken also has to keep fiscal feasibility in mind since the school and county budgets don’t set aside funds for the drama department. Whatever the drama department spends on a musical, they must earn through box office sales and donations.

A school also has to purchase a license before putting on a play. The cost of the license depends on how long the play has been off Broadway, how many tickets are sold, how many shows the school is planning to put on and how much the tickets cost. Whitman’s license is higher than other schools because it has one of the biggest auditoriums in Montgomery County.

Despite winning “Best Musical” in 2008, Gerken says that he doesn’t select plays with Cappies in mind. The Cappies are a national awards program through which local high school critics choose winners in categories such as best actress in a musical, best stage crew and best orchestra. Whitman won “Best Musical” in 2008.

Nathaniel Adragna (’09), a former Cappies critic, explains that to be successful in the Cappies program, a director should keep student ability and talent in mind.

“The director should not only see what might be an interesting or enjoyable show, but also what their resources are cast- and crew-wise,” Adragna says.

In the end, personal preference also plays a large factor in what play Gerken chooses.

“I personally have to like the show I’m directing,” Gerken says. “There are certain shows I will never direct at Whitman.”

He grins, adding, “Oklahoma, for example.” 

Young Hollywood starlets, go put some pants on!

Teen stars should recognize role-model status, set positive examples for impressionable youth by kirstin baglien Disney Channel stars smile innocently at the camera while advocating environmental change, young celebutants strike a pose in their sequined dresses and bubblegum-pink heels and clean-cut actors dutifully wear milk mustaches for wholesome magazine ads.

But far from being squeaky clean, some young celebrities raise eyebrows and break laws as often as they attend charity events. Whether it’s Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus in question, many of these stars act inappropriately and set terrible examples for young fans.

They should recognize that their poor behavior can have negative effects on the people who look up to them.

At the Teen Choice awards, Miley Cyrus shocked fans when she danced provocatively around a pole during her performance of “Party in the USA.” This incident occurred not long after her controversial photo shoot with Vanity Fair in which she posed halfnaked with only a blanket covering her.

Cyrus isn’t the only Disney Channel star who has acted out. Naked photos of High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens were leaked onto the internet not once, but twice.

Young people follow the day to day actions of these celebrities. Recently, many Whitman students have gotten Twitters in order to follow every move of their favorite stars. When these stars act inappropriately, they send the message that it’s okay to act out. When

these stars dress inappropriately, fans are led to think that they should as well.

In more extreme cases, when stars leak naked pictures of themselves, many fans may follow in their footsteps.

Sexting has become a very recent and unfortunate trend in high schools and the actions of these celebrities might make it seem acceptable.

And behavior only gets worse. In 2006, police arrested Nicole Richie for driving under the influence of alcohol, but later proved her to actually be driving under the influence of marijuana and Vicodin. Less than a year later, police booked Lohan twice for DUI charges in a two year span and again for possession of cocaine, which they found in the starlet’s pocket.

There are many young stars whose behavior is similar to these two cases. Paris Hilton was also booked for a DUI, Chris Brown was arrested for abusing his girlfriend Rihanna and Amy Winehouse was arrested on suspicion of assault.

Drugs, drinking and driving, battery. Celebrities can do whatever they want - freedom of choice, right?

Wrong. These stars are role models for younger kids and they are abusing that privilege.

However, this is not the rule; not all young stars create controversy. Dakota Fanning and Selena Gomez are constantly shed in a good light for their ageappropriate behavior.

Young Hollywood needs to calm down and act its age. Being in the public eye means that millions of kids watch and learn from their every move, and whether they like it or not, stardom comes with responsibility.

Celebrities need to act like the role models that their fame requires of them. 

october 12, 2009

arts

15

Homecoming tailgate boasts soda, socializing, spirit Parissa Jaseb A football whizzes through the air as groups of seniors unload fold-up chairs from the trunks of their cars.

Empty bags of chips lay crumpled up on the pavement, while students line up for hot dogs and burgers.

The homecoming tailgate was Oct. 2, the Friday night before the homecoming football game. The Whitmaniacs created the event in hopes of increasing school spirit by bringing the school closer together.

Senior Erica Bloom planned it with the help of seniors Danny Shannahan and Gabby Mahdesian.

“Originally seniors Ross Olchyk and Aaron Schifrin started it off with Tailgate Tuesdays, and we saw all of them hanging out outside during lunch,” Bloom says. “So we figured before the game it would be a great activity for Whitman.”

Around 50 students attended the event, which consisted of two or three big groups of tailgaters. Since the students could not grill on school property, they moved closer to the sidewalks so they could use their grills at the tailgate.

Senior Aaron Schifrin attended the event and thought the event went well compared to past tailgates.

“It was better that there were separate tailgate

photo courtesy

ERICA BLOOM

Students gather in the parking lot to socialize before the game

groups,” Schifrin says. “It was good company, along with a good atmosphere.”

Groups of guys played football to keep themselves entertained while waiting for more food to be made.

Freshmen Brent Kreutzberg was one of many playing around with friends in the parking lot, throwing around a football and having fun.

“It’s something to do,” Kreutzberg says. “It was very laid back for just hanging out with friends and messing around.”

The Whitmaniacs hoped to have more students from all grades participate in the tailgate, but the majority of the group was upperclassmen. Sophomore Stephen Rodan noted that upperclassmen have cars and can bring food and grills.

“The underclassmen would mostly just mooch off everyone else,” he says. “That’s what I did.”

Nancy Mornini, the sponsor of the Whitmaniacs, supported this event and was thrilled to see the members so into the tailgate.

“I think it sounded like fun. It was not something I could chaperone, but I encourage the school spirit,” she says.

The spirit was very high before the game; people let loose and went back to their childish roots, scootering around the parking lot, racing and having a great time.

Juniors Michael May and Rachel Norris enjoyed taking part in the activity.

“It was pretty chill. I beat Rachel in every race we had, but she denies it,” May boasts. “It was probably the most fun I have had before a football game.” 

Students remake film club Ryan Hauck

TO P 1 0 Everyone knows homecoming is a night to remember, and this year was no exception. The week was filled with unforgettable moments from Sam Lilek in Guy Pomz to Sonnabro in his PJs. Making their second appearance in the paper this year (our editors assure us this won’t become a regular column), is the unstoppable trio of Ansari, Mullins, and Scordato.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Every year we expect a mind-numbingly dreadful hallway from the underclassmen, but this year they couldn’t even meet our already ridiculously low expectations. What exactly were those black things? Peanuts, bowties?

Get it together, kids.

“Pajama Day” again provided a perfect day for students to either a) roll straight out of bed and go to class b) pull off dirty sweatpants without being ridiculed or c) come in only their tighty-whities and claim “This is what I sleep in!”

Administration doesn’t exactly welcome dress code defiance and chest hair, but this year, Guy Pomz managed to push the boundaries even further.

Thanks, J-Klit.

Teacher Pomz was a masterful combination of beauty, skill, and artisanship…or at least it would have been, if it had happened.

For better or for worse, this year’s senior hallway certainly burned a powerful image into the minds of anyone who walked into the main entrance during homecoming week. The vivid painting of the Joker left some students and teachers with soiled trousers.

Drumline’s first performances of the year at the pep rally and the football game got everyone pumped up. “Whitman drumline–you know!”

Jeff Gruen, who is quickly becoming known for his infamous pep rally entrances, did not disappoint this year with his Superman appearance. Sources report hearing several gasps from female audience members.

Nobody thought a friendly game of broom hockey could draw so much blood. For more information, just talk to Michael Flack or Alex Hysong.

Seniors triumph in Battle of the Classes. ‘Nuff said.

And the number one most “explosive” part of homecoming week was without a doubt the firework spectacular during the third quarter of the homecoming football game. The only thing better than the fireworks themselves was seeing Mr. Wetzel zoom towards the chaos as fast his golf cart could take him.

In a darkened A-223, four junior boys debate the funniest example of TV movie censorship while WALL-E stacks trash on the Promethean board in the background.

“The best has got to be in ‘The Big Lebowski.’: photo by KEEGAN BARBER ‘This is what happens when you find a stranger Members of the newly revived film club watch and discuss movies like ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ in an attempt to attract a broader audience. in the Alps!’”

“I don’t know. In the second ‘Die shown last year, which I think appealed Hard’ they changed the line to ‘Yippee- to all of five people at Whitman,” Parris Ki-Yay, Mr. Falcon.’ And there wasn’t a says. “I feel like this year we’ve worked character named Mr. Falcon.” hard figuring which selections we want These students are members of to chose, and we’ve chosen movies like the Film Club, created by Campbell ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ and ‘Raiders of McCarthy, Nima Mohseni and Danny the Lost Ark.’” Parris. The club meets Wednesdays Social studies teacher Andrew to watch and discuss films, often with Sonnabend, a veteran of previous film humorous results. clubs, sponsors this year’s club as well.

Currently the club has 10 members, He believes that the members’ but Parris expects that the club will be demeanors differentiate this club from more successful than in the past. others.

“We bribe people into coming to “They are more light-hearted,” meetings with candy and popcorn,” Sonnabend says. “They don’t take Mohseni says. themselves as seriously.”

“And verbal threats,” junior Will Jobst Along with discussing movies, the jokes.

Film Club will hold a film festival this Club founders also plan on reaching spring, for which students can submit a larger audience by focusing on films their own work. that they believe can appeal to the whole “Every year they try to set up a festival student body. and it doesn’t really work,” Parris says.

“Movies like ‘Citizen Kane’ were “But we’re prepared to go all out.” 

The forecast good for “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”

by Tim Freeman

The popular toddler book has returned to entertain the same generation a decade and a half later.

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” proves to be an entertaining and lighthearted film which, unlike the picture book it was based on, appeals to viewers of all ages.

The animated film version differs from Judi Barrett’s 32 page picture book by adding Flint Lockwood, a zany teenage scientist voiced by Bill Hader, a romantic connection, giant zombie gummy bears and a whole host of new and wacky characters. Some may view the movie’s extreme alterations as traitorous to the book, but directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are able to pull it off by sticking to the novel’s photos courtesy ERICA BLOOM original premise while packing in tons of hilarity.

The drumline preforms during the homeThe premise of the movie is simple: coming football game. Their constant presence throughout the week supplemented an eccentric but lovable scientist invents a machine that is initially well-received, spirit and pumped up students.

but soon spins out of control, forcing the inventor to destroy what he created.

The quirky and awkward protagonist falls in love with Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), a cute and nerdy reporter who covers up her smarts with a ditzy demeanor. Other minor characters who add countless hilarious moments and perpetuate outlandishness throughout the movie include a talking monkey, an enterprising mayor, a former child star living in the past and a physically imposing police officer, voiced by Clubber Lang.

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is a fast-paced and eccentric comedy that appeals to all ages. All of the dynamic minor characters add comedic absurdity and shock value, making the movie even more enjoyable. The film stays true to the original novel while introducing a multitude of new sub plots and characters. The movie, rated PG, is currently playing in most movie theaters in the area including the Bethesda Regal and Montgomery Mall. 

16

Arts

Q&A

octobEr 12, 2009

with the

Homecoming King and Queen

By Jamie Norwood The glory! The fame! The honor! It’s what every kid dreams of: Homecoming Royalty. The Black & White sat down with the wise Mel Schwed and venerable John Son about what it’s like to reign for the second year on Homecoming Court.

Black & White: What was your first reaction when you heard you were nominated?

John Son: I was like, okay. I kind of expected it.

Mel Schwed: I thought it was cool, but I was more amused at Jon Son’s campaign.

MS: Absolutely nothing, except a sash and a tiara.

BW: Why do you think they chose you?

JS: I think that half the people voted for me as a joke and half because they liked me.

MS: I think they wanted me and John to win again.

BW: How would you describe the other winner?

JS: Mel’s great; it was pretty cool to win twice in a row with her.

MS: Diva! Not joking.

BW: What do you think of the whole Homecoming court ordeal?

JS: I guess it’s cool and I appreciate that people voted for me, regardless of the motivation.

MS: I like that it’s a high school tradition, but it’s really not a big deal.

BW: What will you remember most about winning JS: That I won.

MS: How fun Homecoming week was this year, and how well the senior class came together for school spirit.

BW: Who did you vote for?

JS: Sean Hyatt and Sarah Houston.

MS: I nominated Ryan Coan and Stacy Cho. BW: What was the first emotion you felt when you won?

JS: Happy.

MS: Amused.

BW: What do you think comes with the title of Homecoming King/Queen?

JS: Great responsibility.

BW: How would you describe the other candidates?

JS: Sexy and handsome.

MS: Awesome.

BW: How does it feel to win twice in a row?

JS: I wasn’t sure I would actually win, because basically I didn’t think it was possible to win two years in a row.

MS: It was cool, but I was more excited that John Son got his glory again.

BW: What would you like to say to those who voted for you?

JS: Since I did like winning, I’d like to say ‘thank you.’

MS: You da you da best. photos by

SGA “ ” SPEAKS

Aaron Schifrin PRESIDENT

Luke Rozansky VICE-PRESIDENT

ERICA BLOOM

Will Brownlee TREASURER

the leaderSHIP never sinks

announcements:

•Thanks to everyone who helped make Homecoming a huge success!

•First general assembly meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21. during 2nd period.

Lily Durston SECRETARY

Julia Weingardt SECRETARY

Class Officers:

‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13

Mel Schwed, Nina Slesinger, Brant Silver-Korn

•Blood drive scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 4.

• Get info about upcoming events from SGA website @

whitmansga.com

Zach Schloss, Hannah Sherman, Rachel Norris

Ari Kaper, Danny Milzman, Melissa Kantor Leslie Schwed, Valerie Acker, Lindsey Herschfeld