Vol. 48 » Issue 6

volume 48, issue 6 NON-PROFIT ORG. U. S. Postage PAID Permit #6754 Bethesda, MD

march 1, 2010

Walt whitman High school

7100 whittier boulevard

Inside Look

Bethesda, maryland 20817 photo by

CAROLINE LIPPOLD

2 NEWS

#1

Maryland’s rank among country’s high schools for AP passing rate.

8 OPINION The disasters and triumphs of Chat Roulette.

9 IN-DEPTH modern

family

14

FEATURE

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So now students can feel more connected to their incoming class and university well before stepping foot on campus.

19 ARTS

Oscars predictions from Danny Parris

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GIRLS SWIMMING DOMINATES METROS by caroline lippold The girls swim team clinched their first-ever Metros title the weekend of Feb. 24 at the 46th annual Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships.

On the girls side, captain Danielle Schulkin, a senior, set a Metros record in the 100-meter butterfly with an automatic All-American time of 55:07. Schulkin later teamed up with co-captain Lauren Poore, sophomore Reia Tong and freshman Charlotte Meyer to win the 400-meter freestyle relay by over four seconds.

On the boys side, captain Serge Gould, also a senior, finished second in the 200-meter individual medley.

Unlike dual-meets, Metros requires swimmers to compete in a preliminary round for each of their events. The top 20 swimmers from preliminaries advance to finals where the top 10 swimmers are placed in the “A” heat and the next group of swimmers compete in the “B” heat. 

theblackandwhite.net

Analysis: Scoring handicap knocks 3 high schools out of U.S. News top 100 by jessica gelfarb and james dionne Throughout the Bethesda community, Whitman is known for its overachieving students, extensive extracurricular activities and top- notch teachers. For two years, U.S. News and World Report acknowledged these accomplishments and recognized the school as one of the top 100 in the nation. But when the magazine released its new list this December, Whitman was missing, dropping from number 44 in 2009 to an honorable mention in 2010. Also missing were Churchill and Wootton, two other Maryland high schools included in the magazine’s top 100 last year.

Baffled by the drop, school administrators and parents searched for an explanation. U.S. News analyst Robert Morse published a blog Dec. 18 on the magazine’s website, entitled “Why Three Montgomery County Schools are Honorable Mention.” Morse explained that Whitman, Wootton and Churchill didn’t meet criteria for test performance improvement in English and math HSA’s in 2007-2008, the year on which the 2010 rankings are based. This means that though most Whitman students scored extremely high on the HSA’s, the scores weren’t high enough to counterbalance the generally lower scores of students with free and reduced meals (FARMS), who make up a small percentage of the school’s student population.

Because only 1.9 percent of the total student body in 2007-2008 - the lowest percentage in the county - was a part of the FARMS program, the students considered to be in poverty would have needed to score higher than students at a school with a higher student poverty rate. U.S. News uses this methodology based on the premise that schools with fewer FARMS students face fewer challenges than schools with numerous FARMS students.

“We measure how the students in poverty are performing relative to expectations,” Morse said in an interview with the Black & White. “Whitman has a very low ‘poverty’ percentage, so the bar was set very high.”

Montgomery Blair High School, the highest ranked MCPS school, had one third of its see

RANKINGS page 3

Per year credit requirements go into effect next school year

by alex zimmermann

Next school year, students will have to earn a minimum number of credits each year in order to advance to the next grade level.

The current policy only requires students to have earned 22 credits in a specified number of courses before the end of senior year, but next year students will also have to earn a certain number of credits by the end of each individual year. If they fail to pass the required

courses, students will have to make up the credit by repeating the grade or attending summer school.

If students choose to not attend summer school, they cannot be promoted to the next grade and must retake the failed course the next year.

“It gets more demanding as it goes along,” principal Alan Goodwin said. “It’s almost more of a reminder of the way things should have been all along.”

The aim of the policy is to ensure that all students take the four courses that correspond to the four HSAs—

biology, algebra, English 10, and Government—before their senior year.

“This isn’t an additional requirement,” said Carol Blum, MCPS director of High School Instruction and Achievement. “We’re just trying to make sure students take courses early enough to be prepared for the HSA before senior year.”

Although a recent Education Week study revealed see

CREDIT page 12

SGA Boy Auction raises over $4220 for LLS

by stephanie haven and rachel nussbaum A few hundred wound-up girls and a few token guys spent some serious dime in the first ever Boy Auction Feb. 25, where the SGA raised over $4220 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Emcees junior Rachel Norris and senior Mel Schwed auctioned off the 21 dates to the crazed audience.

Enthusiasm ran high as the boys showed some classy dance moves and pretty dapper outfits to entice bidders.

When the boys strutted on stage and the emcees read their bios, girls howled “Ow ow!” and screamed in excitement.

Bidding started between $10 and $20 and reached as high as $440 for a cookiebaking date with Connor Gordon, Miles Davis and Bryan Joel.

Junior Danny Parris’ video intro took a humorous look into what motivated the boys to participate in the auction and what they expected from their dates.

“It was supposed to be funny, not a serious date date,” said sophomore Sarah Backenstoe, who is co-planning the event. “It’s more like groups of people could buy a group of guys for fun.”

Boys used a variety of tactics to raise the bidding. Senior Sam Lilek, who offered swing dancing lessons as his date, danced with a stool. Senior Richard Scordato went full out in his yellow argyle golf outfit, complete with high socks and 9-iron, and junior Jeff Gruen, with the assistance of classmate Ben Golan, beatboxed along to a rap.

“We encouraged anyone to buy the boys, including their friends, instead of making it just about a date,” Norris said.

The concept for the auction came from a “One Tree Hill” episode where they had a Boy Toy Auction. While the television Boy Toy Auction was flirtatious and sexual, the SGA tried to make their

photo by

KEEGAN BARBER

Juniors Bryan Joel, Miles Davis and Connor Gordon pose on stage during the Boy Auction. This date and 20 others helped raise thousands of dollars for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

auction silly and fun.

The grand finale stunned the crowd with the surprise auction of assistant principal Kathy McHale’s parking spot.

Junior Nicky Kaufman bought the coveted spot for $550.

While the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s high school hero, Tim King, was too sick to come out to the boy auction, he was in people’s minds as they came out to support his cause. 

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news

march 1, 2010

Maryland leads country in AP scores

Burst pipe destroys both gym floors

Teams, P.E. classes may be without gyms through spring season

By Rachel Lerner Winter sports teams have had to trek across the county for rescheduled practices and games. The P.E. department has had to hold classes in the cafeteria and computer labs, and now spring sports can get ready to add themselves to the list of people bemoaning the Feb. 1 pipe burst that flooded both gyms with gallons of hot water, causing $215,000 worth of damage.

This damage may keep the gyms closed until the end of the spring season, athletic director Andy Wetzel said.

“I opened the doors, and it felt like a sauna,” he said. “The steam was unbelievable.”

The administration went into emergency mode, first calling Bethesda Maintenance to bring in fans and then the county, whose contractors and insurance adjustors deemed the floors unsalvageable.

Principal Alan Goodwin said the new floors, covered by MCPS insurance, will have a space built below them so they can dry out in case of a leak.

It’ll take at least two months to get the gyms back in shape, so until then, the P.E. department will hold classes in the wrestling room, cafeteria, auditorium and, as soon as possible, on the fields and courts outside.

Goodwin said the P.E. department has even found students to assist t in clearing snow off the basketball courts and track.

By Jess Littman

photo by

JESS ICA LITTMAN

Maintenance workers strip gym floors. Repairs will take two months and cost over $200,000.

“They’ve been creative,” said Goodwin, laughing.

Winter and spring sports teams have had to be flexible. Instead of teams playing on the same day, games are now scheduled for separate nights.

Finding practice space at gyms across the county has been extremely difficult for winter sports teams, Wetzel said.

“If a school doesn’t have a game, they have practice,” he said. “There is just such a lack of available gym space.”

Teams haven’t been able to practice at Pyle’s gym, which flooded a few days after the Whitman flood. Boys and girls basketball teams have had to be resourceful, practicing everywhere from Westland Middle School to senior Kenny

Wine’s indoor gym.

Junior Clara Kelly, who plays on the varsity team, said that the gym problem is not going to alter the dynamic of the season, but she’s disappointed with not being able to play on her home court.

“We go all the way out to Magruder, and no fans come,” she said. “It just sucks because we’re actually good this year, but we don’t have the support of our home fans.”

Even after the snow melts, practice fields will be too soggy to use, so spring sports teams are looking into renting batting cages and indoor turf facilities.

“This has been a terrible inconvenience for teams,” Wetzel said. “But we’re doing the best we can.” 

Maryland high schools led the nation in the number of students passing Advanced Placement tests last year, according to a Feb. 10 College Board announcement.

With 24.8 percent of students in the class of 2009 passing AP exams, up 1.4 percent from 2008, Maryland topped the rankings for the second year in a row.

AP tests are graded on a scale of one to five, where three is a passing grade, and a four or five generally earns college credit.

MCPS tries to get students to sign up for AP classes by encouraging them academically and recommending advanced courses to them, according to MCPS spokeswoman Kate Harrison.

“Closely following student performance data and using information from tests like the PSAT…can help educators discover students who would benefit from AP classes,” Harrison added.

In 2009, almost two-thirds of Montgomery County students took an AP exam, with 48.7 percent earning a passing score.

At Whitman last year, 82.3 percent of students took at least one AP test, with 75.2 percent earning a passing score, more than three times the overall rate for Maryland. Only Wootton and Churchill surpassed Whitman within MCPS. New York, which used to lead the nation in the number of students passing AP exams, came in second to Maryland, with Virginia rounding out the top three. 

O’Malley unfreezes tuition for public Maryland universities by sahil ansari After a four-year freeze on in-state tuition, Maryland public university students may face a three percent increase in tuition next year as part of governor Martin O’Malley’s 2011 state budget.

Facing a $2 billion budget shortfall, O’Malley decided to end the tuition freeze he had promised to implement in the 2006 gubernatorial elections.

Despite the increase, some prospective students think the university will still be a more cost-friendly alternative to other private colleges.

“Going to an in-state school in Maryland is still probably going to be the cheapest option for most of us,” senior Jacob Newman said. “I don’t think that the price increase is going to be enough for some not to attend at all, but it depends on how much tuition is raised.”

Currently, the in-state tuition cost at University of Maryland is $8,053 per year, which means a three percent increase would be less than $250 more.

Others find that despite the economic problems the state is facing, in-state schools shouldn’t be the ones to have to raise tuition.

“I know it may be necessary for the college to increase prices to keep up with the necessary spending, but this may become a problem,” said Cassey Elder

(’09), now a freshman at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

“Think about the people who don’t have the money to throw down $21,000 in a year. Even a little bit of increase makes a difference to those who are taking out loans for their full tuition. We aren’t getting any more services for the extra money we are putting in.”

Unlike Newman, Elder said she thinks increased tuition may play a role in college decisions.

“There are a lot of people who are deciding to go to college or not, and this may become the deciding factor, which is not a good thing,” Elder said. “It should be all about the education.”

However, Jeff Smith, the Associate Director of Admissions at St. Mary’s, doesn’t think that the governor’s decision, however it will directly impact the school’s budget, will be a deciding factor for students.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s going to affect admissions here,” Smith said. “I think that most students are doing their college search, and they hopefully know the value of an education and especially a St. Mary’s education.”

After a 30 percent tuition increase during his term, former governor Bob Ehrlich instituted the freeze after pressure from O’Malley and other Democrats in 2006.

In 2006, in-state tuition in Maryland was the sixth

graphic by

highest in the nation, whereas now, after remaining constant for three years while other states’ tuitions have risen, it is predicted to be the 21st highest, according to the University of Maryland’s school newspaper, Diamondback. 

by rachel nussbaum Administrators alerted parents to several incidents of vandalism around the building and in the surrounding community through WhitNet Jan. 25.

In the past few years, graffiti has appeared only in bathroom stalls, except for the occasional etching on outside building walls, said assistant principal Kathy McHale. But, vandals have concentrated their graffiti in the music department’s storage and practice rooms, recently writing on walls with chalk and scratching various surfaces.

“We weren’t happy,” instrumental music director Terry Alvey said. “We didn’t appreciate it because it’s costly to repaint the surfaces.”

“In my five years of being here, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen that,” she added.

In each practice room and on doors and walls, vandals wrote “Chato de Shamrock.” The name refers to the protagonist of Danny Santiago’s story, “The Somebody.” Included in the 10th grade English curriculum, the story tells of a young boy

who affirms his identity by marking his name around the city.

Administrators have always taken vandalism seriously, McHale said, but Security hasn’t taken any further actions to catch the vandals. When security officers get an alert about graffiti on campus, they immediately check for students who have recently left the bathrooms, view nearby security camera tapes and interview suspected students.

“There’s always a consequence and some sort of restitution,” McHale said.

If the defacement is malicious, administrators enforce more severe punishment.

“If it says something violent or about race, then we suspend,” principal Alan Goodwin said. “If it says ‘Jonny hates Mary,’ then it’s detention.”

If the student has vandalized property multiple times, then administrators increase the punishment to fit the crime, McHale said. In rare cases police are involved and might make

ELENA TOUMAYAN

arrests.

If the defacement is easily removed, like the chalk in the practice rooms and in many bathrooms, then the student usually faces little disciplinary action.

“If it happens again, then we’ll have to look seriously at it,” Alvey said. “And if kids are taking classes down here, they won’t be able to use them. We’ll lock them.”

In addition to the increase in graffiti inside the school, administrators have also noticed a swell in vandalism on the outside of the building, McHale said. 

march 1, 2010

news

Scoring bar set ‘very high’ for Whitman, Churchill, Wootton continued from page

photos courtesy

BRUCE WITZENBURG

Capital Improv, Urban Pranksters spice up D.C. life with public spectacles

By Sahil Ansari Bruce Witzenburg strolls up to the steps of the Smithsonian in downtown D.C. with a guitar case in one hand and a tin can for money in the other. He opens his case and, to the surprise of many passersby, pulls out a plastic Guitar Hero guitar.

After minutes of nothing more than silently jamming on the plastic controller, he is joined by a Donkey Conga player and a man with a Dance Dance Revolution mat. Yes, this is actually happening.

Over the last three years, Capitol Improv, previously known as the D.C. Defenestrators, has organized head-turning, laughout-loud worthy events located on and around some of D.C.’s most well-known landmarks.

Capitol Improv first formed as a part of the Urban Prankster

network, a global group run by New York City’s improv group, Improv Everywhere. Witzenburg, Capitol Improv’s head organizer, moved to D.C. a few years ago.

With a background in stand-up comedy and performing, he was ready to begin making his mark on the city.

“D.C. is a great location because there’s always a populated area to perform and bring smiles to many people’s faces,” Witzenburg says. “I have met some of the most amazing people in the D.C. area doing something that I love.”

A long time fan of Improv Everywhere, Witzenburg immediately became involved in what was then called the D.C. Defenestrators (Defenestration: the act of throwing someone out of a window) and has since headed 12 “missions” and been an integral part of several more. see

IMPROV page 13

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population on the free and reduced meal plan.

Even with this “handicap,” almost two thirds of Blair FARMS students passed the 2007-2008 Biology HSA, while less than one third of Whitman FARMS students passed. Those tests were not considered in the rankings calculation however.

The fact that Whitman’s test performance index wasn’t high enough to qualify it as a top high school begs the question: Are teachers and administrators doing enough to support disadvantaged students?

Social studies teacher Colin O’Brien teaches a “Get Organized” class for students who need help completing assignments and managing work.

“With so many high flyers and high achievers,” he said, “it’s easy to put all of our attention into them, but Whitman would be at a loss if all we did was focus on them. We need to make sure students aren’t falling through the cracks.”

Though a significant percentage of FARMS students didn’t pass their HSA’s, assistant principal Kathy McHale noted that the school is focused on helping these students.

“We see what we need to do to get the kid back on board,” she said. “Sometimes all they need is a little push.”

The school boasts several programs to assist students.

High School Plus, an afterschool program, gives students the opportunity to retake courses that they failed. Students in need of math support can take Algebra 1 over two years. To prepare struggling students for the HSA’s, the school designates a teacher in each subject.

Biology teacher Sue Kite helps students working at a remedial level to prepare for the Biology HSA through afterschool study sessions.

Students who meet certain criteria are eligible to attend the sessions, which Kite holds once a week starting in April. Kite also builds practice HSA days into the on-level biology curriculum to provide students with extra support.

But while many teachers go above and beyond to help students, the school lacks a formal program for helping struggling students pass the four HSA tests, a requirement for high school graduation.

Beth Rockwell, who heads the English department, said that aside from teachers providing individual help, her department has no special program to assist students struggling to pass the English HSA. Social studies resource

teacher Robert Mathis said much the same about NSL prep, though he noted that the department provides some afterschool tutoring in the weeks leading up to the test.

Last year, MCPS introduced the “Seven Keys to College Readiness,” a plan that encourages students to take a more rigorous schedule than graduation requirements necessitate in an effort to better prepare them for college.

Still, principal Alan Goodwin doesn’t see college as the end goal for all students. Preparing students for post-high school jobs and professions is more important than forcing students down a path that isn’t necessarily conducive to their success, he said.

While over 90 percent of Montgomery County students attend college, only 53 percent of them finish within six years.

“This suggests that not everybody should be pushed down the college track,” Goodwin said.

“There are kids that would really blossom and prosper in a trade.”

School board president Patricia O’Neill noted that the county does take steps to help those students who aren’t necessarily college-bound, including offering career internships. While no MCPS school made the top 100, she added, she’s confident that MCPS schools effectively serve their students. .

“I’m not concerned about the ranking, she said. “I’m sure it’s disappointing for high school principals, and I’d like see all of our schools ranked, but I fault the U.S. News’ methodology.”

While much is made of how Whitman’s omission from the top 100 will affect the perception of its reputation, local real estate agent Jane Fairweather doesn’t think that the drop will have any impact on the real estate market in this area.

No matter what statistics are released, Fairweather says that the school will always maintain a strong reputation.

“One thing Whitman has going for it is this incredible myth that doesn’t die,” Fairweather said.

“There is a strong belief whether documented or not, factual or not, that it’s the best high school among the Bethesda high schools.”

While Goodwin agrees that Whitman remains a top-tier school, he believes that there is still work to be done.

“I don’t think we ever do enough to help our at risk kids,” he said. “Every summer, the leadership team gets together to come up with new things to do. We’re always looking for new ideas. There’s no doubt we haven’t solved all of our problems.” 

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news

march 1, 2010

Ban on texting while driving not effective in preventing accidents, study finds

By Nikhil Gupta

Toyota defects cause recalls, confused owners left in lurch By zach schloss Due to a recent slew of recalls, millions of Toyota owners worldwide have been forced to bring their cars into their local dealer.

Toyota officials have announced multiple recalls for issues including ill-fitted floor mats, faulty accelerators and faulty brakes. The company is now scheduling repairs with customers who own the defective models, some of which are as old as 2005. Each repair only takes a few hours so most people have not been terribly inconvenienced.

“I have not lost as much confidence in Toyota as a lot of people have,” says David Elfin, a Whitman parent whose family has owned various Toyotas since 1991. “If I had to buy a car tomorrow, I’d probably have to think about it some, but assuming I have no problems with this car going forward, I probably would not hesitate to buy another one.”

In fact, Elfin thinks the problem has been overstated.

“I think people are panicking a little bit,” he says. “Yeah, there have been some incredibly traumatic, awful stories, but when you consider how many Toyotas are on the road, the number of people who have been affected [personally] is infinitesimal.

They may have tried to bury [the issues] in the sand beforehand but once the media got a hold of it, they seemed to have done everything you’d want them to do.”

Many people accuse Toyota of ignoring complaints from customers

and then being slow to inform customers of the scope of these problems.

A recent investigation performed by Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. discovered over 2000 reported cases of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles involving 16 deaths and 243 injuries.

Some local customers have experienced these problems firsthand.

“My brakes had a problem only once during a slippery rain storm that seems similar to what they described in the news stories,” says Lynn Wegman, a Whitman parent and faithful Toyota and Lexus customer. “I tried to brake gradually but the car kept going and did not brake until I slammed the pedal down—then it came to a jarring halt.”

But the real problem seems to be that many people are disillusioned by the recalls and the tragic stories of those who have been physically harmed as a result of their Toyotas.

“It’s just dismaying to have a car that has this potential problem,” says principal Alan Goodwin, owner of a new 2010 Camry.

Goodwin is concerned with the general safety of the cars, although he has never experienced any problems of his own.

“If I had a lot of money I would get a different car right now, but I don’t. I assume this repair will be fine and then the next time I buy a car it may not be a Toyota. I might go back to Honda. I never had anything like this happen with Honda.” 

Handheld cell phone bans have not been effective in preventing car crashes. A new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute revealed that “We were surprised by the results,” said Russ Rader, spokesperson for the Institute.

“We’ve done previous research that shows that handheld cell phone bans do reduce handheld cell phone use, but this is the first time we are looking at crashes.”

The research group conducted the study by examining insurance claim reports for car damage before and after state bans on handheld cell phone took effect. After comparing two years worth of crash claim records in four areas of the United States, the institute released a four-page report concluding that state bans did not reduce the number of claims.

The researchers at the institute said they do not know for sure why the number of crashes remains unaffected despite the ban. In fact another HDLI report from 2005 found that hand-held cell phone use makes a driver four times as likely to crash.

As soon as researchers discovered the results, they began to brainstorm possible justifications for the inconsistent data.

One theory is that drivers are switching to Bluetooth devices, which are still allowed under the ban, but have been found to be as distracting as hand-held devices.

“Hands-free cell phone use has the same risk of crashing as hand-held use,” Rader said. “If people are responding to the bans by switching over to hands-free devices, they aren’t actually reducing their risk of crashing.”

Senior Jillian Shainman believes that the reason crashes haven’t reduced is that cell phones are only one of the many distractions drivers face.

“For students, sleep deprivation is a major distraction,” she said. “Some people have iPods in their car. Anything that averts someone’s eyes from the road can be a distraction and cause accidents.”

However junior Michael Nimerovsky noted that people are simply ignoring the ban altogether.

“No one cares – they just [use their phones] anyway,” he said. “I know plenty of people who text while driving. I’m pretty sure they know it’s illegal.”

Peter Newsham, assistant chief of DC Police, confirmed Nimerovsky’s observations, saying that police officers catch many drivers using their cell phones to talk or text each day.

“There may very well be a problem with enforcement,” Newsham said.

“The number of people using their cellphones may be so large that it is hard to enforce effectively. Another issue may be that the penalty for disobeying the ban isn’t great enough, so people don’t have an incentive to follow the law. All of these are possibilities.”

Newsham says that the best way to solve the problem of cellphone use is to stigmatize it, casting the bad habit in a negative light through advertising. This was how the police combated the problem of drinking and driving years ago, and could be effective in ending this practice as well, he explained.

The HDLI is conducting follow-up research.

“Perhaps it’s that distracted driving is bigger than cell phones,” Rader said.

“Maybe there are many factors distracting drivers and causing them to crash. That is the focus of our research this year – to try to untangle this mystery.” 

Fewer teens on the road? Check their busy schedules Introduction of provisional licenses may account for drop; only 30 percent of 16-year-olds held full driver’s license in 2008

By Sahil Ansari Do teens no longer care about driving?

Has the once cross-generational symbol of teenage liberation taken a backseat to various other priorities for many 16-yearolds across the country? According to the Washington Post, the answer is yes.

In a Jan. 24 story, the Washington Post suggested that there has been a large drop in teenagers getting their driver’s licenses and stated that this is mostly because students simply don’t care about driving as much as they once did.

They based this assertion on recently released data compiled by the Federal Highway Administration, which showed that about 30 percent of 16-year-olds held driver’s licenses in 2008 compared 44.7 percent in 1988.

While the data seems to clearly suggest an undeniable drop in the number of teens pursuing their licenses, Rob Foss, the director of the Center for Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says otherwise.

Foss says that the trend, as documented by the Washington Post, is inaccurate

because “intermediate licenses,” like the provisional driver’s license in Maryland, have only existed since 1996. The federal data, however, only considers full licenses in their statistics, which Foss says means as many as 50,000 teens with provisional licenses in his native North Carolina are unaccounted for.

“The drop is merely in what is counted as licensed,” Foss says. “The size of this effect is different in different states, so the Federal data are pretty much impossible to interpret, and most researchers who study young drivers now know not to trust those data.”

However, while the Washington Post emphasized lack of interest over lack of time, the latter seems to be the driving force among the few unlicensed teens.

Beginning last year, teens must be 16 and nine months to get their licenses, an increase from 16 and six months. Before 2005, teens only had to be 16 and four months to get their licenses.

Also in 2005, the number of practice hours required increased from 40 to 60, including 10 hours at night.

Thatcher Ladd, one of the few seniors to have put off getting his license until

now, didn’t do so because of a lack of interest, but because of a lack of time.

“Junior year was pretty tough,” Ladd says. “I thought I could lessen my 1966 44.7% of 16-year-olds workload, and Driver’s Ed was the first thing to cut out of my schedule.” hold a driver’s license For a school full of hard-working, extracurricular-laden students, 1988 Provisional driver’s blowing off the driving process isn’t license created unreasonable—but it’s definitely not without its disadvantages.

With no older siblings at home to drive him around, Ladd has been 2005 A g e r e q u i r e m e n t deprived of the independence of raised 2 months, driving that many high school students consider essential. Even practice hours raised though he originally aimed to from 40 to 60 start the driving process with others in his grade, he fell 2008 30% of 16-year-olds behind quickly and now has hold a driver’s licenses to call his friends for rides all the time.

“Did it seem right at the time? Sure,” 2009 Age requirement raised 3 Ladd says. “Do I months regret it now?

Absolutely.” 

Driving Timeline

march 1, 2010

news

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First Lady: ‘Let’s Move’ against childhood obesity

By Rachel Lerner For those who’ve been skirting cafeteria nutrition guidelines by stocking up on the brownies and chips, listen up – favorites like french fries may soon disappear from under the heat lamps.

Michelle Obama and her “Let’s Move” initiative promote revitalization of school lunches. The initiative aims to ease the high American childhood obesity rates and ties in to President Obama’s reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act which would provide $10 billion in federal funding to help supply students with nutritious school lunches.

“Without effective intervention, many more children will endure serious illnesses that will put a strain our health-care system,” President Obama said in a press release. “We must act now to improve the health of our Nation’s children and avoid spending billions of dollars treating preventable disease.”

MCPS Food and Nutrition supervisor Marla Caplon said the changes to MCPS will be minimal because the school system already meets all of the federal standards.

But, she said a nutritional obstacle MCPS will have to overcome is meeting new sodium standards, which may be lowered this year.

Cafeteria manager Karen Phillips explained that everything Whitman offers is both low fat and trans-fat free, excluding Little Debbie snacks. She also said that

Whitman is able to offer more healthy options than other county schools have more students on the Free and Reduced Meal Program. This is because the FARM program only allows students to purchase the basic lunch package, which does not include such a-la-carté items as a salad bar.

Caplon explains that FARM students have limited choices because the county is only reimbursed on meals that contain at least two ounces of meat or meat substitute and a cup of fruit or vegetables from at least two different sources. In cases where a student purchases a-la-carté items, the federal government won’t foot the bill.

“If a student is making the meal themselves there is no way to tell if they are actually meeting these guidelines,” she said.

A favorite, average meal of most Whitman students is cheese dippers with salsa, french fries, fruit snacks and chocolate milk. This amounts to 725 calories and 20.5 grams of fat. According to healthcentral.com, an average person should have about 2000 calories a day and 40 grams of fat, so this typical school lunch would account for about 37 percent of daily calories and 51 percent of their daily fat requirements.

“We are proud of our long record of serving safe and nutritious meals,” according to an MCPS press release.

Philips also adds that there are some students who still choose to eat badly, avoiding the healthy options

The “average lunch” 725 calories, 20.5 grams of fat = 37% of daily calories 51% of daily fat

Requirements based on 2000 calories and 40 grams of fat daily intake

offered at the cafeteria in favor unhealthy alternatives.

A lunch time survey of 30 students revealed that even if healthier foods were offered in the cafeteria, 78 percent of students would still pick unhealthy favorites.

“I would pick a brownie over a banana any day,” one sophomore said. “I don’t think that’s every going to change, no matter what the cafeteria offers.” 

Debate breaks TOC qualifiers record at Harvard tournament 10 Lincoln-Douglas competitors earn second bid in prestigious national competition Feb. 15

By Molly Kaplowitz The debate team made history at the Harvard National Forensics Tournament Feb. 15, when the largest number of Lincoln-Douglas debaters ever qualified for the prestigious Tournament of Champions in May. Ten Lincoln-Douglas debaters from Whitman qualified for the TOC. Scarsdale High School in New York held the previous record, with nine students attending the tournament.

To qualify for the TOC, LincolnDouglas debaters go through a series of elimination rounds and must earn two bids. At the Harvard competition,

debaters had to advance through eight rounds in order to qualify for TOC. “The fact that we broke the record for number of debaters qualified to the Tournament of Champions really speaks to the fact that not only do we have one or two talented kids, but our team has a depth that a lot of other schools are lacking,” sophomore Stephanie Franklin said.

It’s in part thanks to senior Ben Lewis, Lincoln-Douglas debate captain, that Franklin earned her second bid to enter the TOC. In one round of the tournament, Lewis was slated to face Franklin. Since teammates can’t compete against each other and Lewis was a higher seed, he

would have progressed to the next round ahead of her. Instead, Lewis gave up his seed so Franklin could advance and have the opportunity to earn a bid for TOC. “After I found out I had qualified to the Tournament of Champions, it was obviously a great individual achievement and I was really happy, but to know that I had allowed us to break the record just made it that much more of a great experience,” Franklin said.

Franklin added that she was particularly thankful to Lewis for helping her get the bid and contribute to breaking the record.

Coach Anjan Choudhury cites that this isn’t the first time Lewis has gone out

of the way for a teammate.

“Last year, as a junior, Ben gave up his spot to the NFL Nationals–as one of only two students to receive that honor in the state of Maryland–so that a senior on our team could go,” said Choudhury.

“So, [this time] I wasn’t entirely surprised.

That said, there are very few people I’ve ever met with Ben’s character.”

In toal, 20 Whitman students qualified to the TOC. Six Public Forum debaters and four Student Congress debaters will join the 10 Lincoln-Douglas debaters at the TOC. In addition, there is another congress debater and six to eight more Public Forum debaters who could gain at-large entry to the competition. 

better scores. better choices.

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Last January, I predicted CollegeBoard's new Score Choice policy might cause some confusion in the upcoming application year.

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Many colleges are allowing students to choose which scores they wish to submit; others are requiring for students to send all scores. Some are asking for all scores so they can then "Super Score" (recalculate a student's score using the highest individual Critical Reading, Math, and Writing score from multiple test-days); others will only consider the highest score from a single test-day. And those were last year's policies. Who knows what colleges might do in the 2010 application

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6

opinion

march 1, 2010

Cell tower benefits outweigh possible risks

by Stewart Longsworth

A proposed T-Mobile cell phone tower on school grounds has triggered plenty of controversy. A group of parents and nearby residents vehemently opposed to a cell tower believes the radiofrequency waves emitted will cause cancer—and other health problems—over a long period of time. T-Mobile has snapped back, defending their towers with studies and questioning the validity of contrary evidence. This debate is just one example of a larger issue facing communities across the country, and without long-term studies that will take years to complete, it is a debate with no answer.

While this debate over cell towers may be confusing, it is missing a simple truth: if we look around us, there are radio wave emissions everywhere, from gigantic radio towers to TV sets. In the big scheme, one weak cell tower would be relatively harmless. On the flip side, a cell phone tower would bring better service to the area and money to MCPS. Ten other schools in MCPS have already installed cell towers on school grounds, and Whitman’s PTSA should approve the same.

Evidence of health effects is often speculative; cell phone towers “might” cause cancer, “could” pose a danger to our children and “may” be an unappreciated threat.

A few studies correlate radio wave exposure to a higher rate of health problems, but long-term studies will take years to prove or disprove the danger. Meanwhile, an international conference of radio-communication health experts held at the beginning of February concluded that there is no evidence for health effects from exposure to radio waves.

Opponents compare cell phone towers to smoking, saying the full health risks of smoking were unknown

photo by

SARA ALLEN

Many nearby residents are vehemently opposed to installing a T-Mobile cell phone tower on school grounds.

50 years ago. While this analogy might put things into perspective, radio waves from cell phone towers are nothing like the toxic smoke inhaled from a pack of cigarettes each day. Most cell sites emit less than one percent of the maximum exposure the Federal Communications Commission allows, and T-Mobile

claims their sites emit less than a thousandth of a percent, making a tower less dangerous than cordless home phones and WiFi routers. Even if FCC limits are too high, as many claim, cell towers are within safe emission levels recommended by experts. Ultimately, cell phones and two-way radios inches from us are bigger concerns than a weak antenna 150 feet above our heads and hundreds of yards away.

Putting a cell tower on school grounds has many advantages. T-Mobile users in the area would get a boost in coverage within a current dead zone. In the future, other cell companies may add extensions to the cell tower to increase their coverage as well.

The athletic fields are the most ideal site for the proposed tower. The cell tower could be built into an existing light pole instead of towering over the neighborhood, keeping the tower as far away as possible from people’s homes and minimizing exposure to radio waves.

Finally, T-Mobile would pay $24,000 a year to MCPS, two-thirds of which would be split between Whitman and its cluster schools. With Montgomery County’s $401 million budget shortfall, schools need extra revenue more than ever.

Radio waves surround our area and many others around the nation. While it’s understandable to worry about the effects of these waves, a cell phone tower at Whitman isn’t going to be the straw that gives all of us cancer. Instead, it would probably be one of the least worrisome sources of radio waves around. The PSTA should approve the construction of a cell tower and rest assured that they are not condemning the next generation to death by cell tower. 

School should limit activities to increase participation

by Stephanie Haven A boys basketball game: $3. Whitman Idol admission: $5. Homecoming tickets: $17. Amadeus: $8. Attending a public school: not really priceless. Even though Whitman is located in an affluent area, it remains a public school. Therefore the administration and the SGA have an obligation to keep costs down for students and spread out school-sponsored events over the course of the year, diminishing the demand of time and money on students.

In particular, the month of February is filled with an overwhelming number of events and activities, from Battle of the Beards and Whitman Idol to Haiti fundraisers. It may be that Whitman students are lazy or just suffer from a bad case of indecisiveness but, with so many events happening within the same month, it’s impossible to expect solid participation at each event from students who already have too much on their plates.

For example, there was SGA’s “Seniors Eat-In for Haiti” fundraiser. In theory,

the event was a sound idea: instead of spending money on lunch in Bethesda, seniors would pack lunch one day and donate the money they would usually spend to support the Red Cross’ Haiti relief efforts. But, because the SGA and other organizations at school had been holding so many other fundraisers students were donated-out and, as a result, no one showed up for the event.

And, even if the sheer number of activities and fundraisers doesn’t seem overwhelming, the prices might. Between the more than $33 it would take to simply attend Coffee House, Whitman Idol, the Boy Auction, dodge ball, a boys and girls basketball game, a wrestling meet and Amadeus, in February alone, students’ wallets are stretched thin. As a result fewer students participate in each event, and the events generate less revenue.

And, even if events can’t be rescheduled, there are ways to reduce admission to events while simultaneously increasing participation. Boy Auction and dodge ball, for example, charge for participation in addition to admission. Rather than double-charging students, more people

would attend if the event itself was free. The larger audience would provide a greater opportunity for other methods of gaining revenue including signing up for a dodge ball team or bidding on the boys.

Therefore, the overabundance of school-sponsored events, activities and fundraisers overwhelm students who don’t have an unlimited amount of time or money. This inevitably leads to less participation in these activities across the board, meaning less revenue for the organizations sponsoring them. To increase participation, the SGA and other organizations should be mindful of overwhelming students and hold fewer fundraisers, spreading them out over an entire year. 

Clarification: Kenwood Country Club was listed as one of the top five sledding spots in the previous snow supplement, but sledding is actually prohibited on their grounds.

48, Issue 6 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.

Unsigned editorials convey the opinion of the Black & White editorial board. Signed opinion pieces reflect the positions of the individual staff. Opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Walt Whitman High School (WWHS) or Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

The Black & White encourages readers to submit opinions on relevant topics in the form of letters to the editor. Letters must be signed to be printed, though names will be withheld upon request. The Black & White reserves the right to edit letters for content and space. Letters to the editor may be placed in the Black & White mailbox in the main office or the editor’s mailbox in room B211, or may be emailed to 2010blackandwhiteprint@gmail.com.

All content in the paper is reviewed to ensure that it meets the highest levels of legal and ethical standards with respect to material that is libelous, obscene or invasive of privacy. Accuracy is of utmost importance to the Black & White staff. The address of the Black & White Online Edition is <www.theblackandwhite.net>. The online edition contact is 2010blackandwhiteonline@gmail.com.

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march 1, 2010

opinion

7

State should forgive snow days, not extend school year

by Zach Schloss

The Snowpocalypse. Winter Break 2.0. Snowmageddon. No matter what you call the barrage of snow that blanketed the D.C. metro area at the beginning of February, it all meant the same thing to students: no school.

However, for parents, teachers and county officials, the issue was more complex than that. Throughout the season, the county has come under fire for how officials have dealt with the snow.

Residents claimed plows took too long to clear major roads, parents attacked the county’s decisions regarding school closures and administrators debated the merits of potentially extending the school year.

Still, the county did an impressive job of dealing with the snow considering the tenuous circumstances. Not since the President’s Day storm of 2003 has the area faced such severe winter weather. D.C.’s cumulative snowfall for this year has exceeded 60 inches, making it the area’s snowiest winter ever, according to the Washington Post.

People who contend the county did a poor job of clearing roads and bus stops fail to look at the situation realistically.

During a typical storm, the county relies on 200 employees, 175 pieces of equipment and 35,500 tons of salt and sand to remove snow, according to the MCPS web site. But because the snow was so heavy and there was much more of it, workers had to use more resources and heavier machinery than usual to remove it. This means that it took more time, money and machinery to clear the same number of roads, highways and cul-de-sacs.

Another issue is that some parents disagreed with the county’s decisions to close school on certain days.

Although the county’s decisions tended to be a bit preemptive— specifically the decision to close school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the second snow even started falling on Tuesday, Feb. 9—these early decisions allowed students and parents to plan ahead for the impending storm.

Also, the county correctly predicted the conditions of roads, most of which weren’t fully cleared until the following Monday.

But those issues are now in the past.

The current debate revolves around whether to make up the 10 missed school days and, if so, how. According to MCPS’s current contingency plan, we

photo by

should have an extra week of school at the end of the year.

In a perfect world, there would be a way to make up every cancelled school day. But it’s simply not practical. Many students travel at the beginning of summer, either for leisure or for summer jobs and camps, meaning their plans could conflict with the extra school days.

Plus, these make-up days would be after exams, and students would have little to nothing to do. Administrators also note that make-up days can cost up to several hundred thousand dollars per day, and, considering the budget problems MCPS

SARAH CRAIG

is already facing, making up these days isn’t the right option.

The Maryland Superintendent rightfully stated in a Feb. 13 Washington Post article that schools should be permitted to hold fewer than the 180 required school days. The Governor, however, will have to make the final decision. Hopefully, he will keep in mind the excessive costs associated with make-up days, as well as their uselessness, and choose to excuse them, ending the debate—at least for this year. 

Abstinence-only sex education: an uneducated investment

by Kevin Hoogstraten Tucked away in the Senate’s 425,000-word healthcare reform bill is a provision so unlikely that even the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), was surprised to see it make the final version. The clause would give states $50 million to spend on sexed programs that exclusively promote abstinence as the way to prevent teen pregnancies and STDs. Recent studies have proven that these “abstinence-only” programs are ineffective, and Congress should drop the provision before passing the bill.

What makes this legislation so unexpected is the combination of a Senate controlled by Democrats— traditional opponents of abstinence-only sex education— and the new administration. President Obama essentially eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only programs in last year’s budget after they enjoyed more than $150 million per year in funding under Bush. The move was praised by many liberals as a switch from religion-based to science-based teaching, and rightly so.

Abstinence is certainly the best and only sure-fire way to avoid pregnancies and STDs, but abstinence-only programs overlook life’s truths. The fact is, teens have sex: 47.8 percent of American teens reported having had sex on the CDC’s 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Abstinence-only programs fail to instruct sexually active students on protecting themselves from sex’s dangers

because they refuse to discuss the value of birth control, safe sex, and condoms.

These programs don’t include information about birth control because abstinence-only education supporters think that discussing the information would encourage premarital sex. However, teachers of programs that do include birth control information make sure to discuss the consequences of irresponsible,

“

The fact is, teens have sex: 47.8 percent of American teens reported having had sex on the CDC’s 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

”

unprotected sex and to warn students that contraceptives are never totally effective. Teens already know the basics about condom use, the morning-after pill and other contraceptives, so there’s no harm in merely making sure their knowledge is correct. Condoms don’t have a 100 percent success rate, but they’re certainly better than doing nothing or using prevention incorrectly.

Recently released data collected by the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute shows that in 2006, at the height of funding for abstinence-only programs, the pregnancy

rate for teens aged 15 to 19 rose for the first time since the 1980s. After sharply decreasing in the 90s, a drop widely attributed to increased birth control use, the pregnancy rate began to level off and eventually rose 3 percent in 2006. This is no coincidence: abstinence-only education is no match for more comprehensive programs.

Similar studies, with one questionable recent exception, have all reached the same conclusion: abstinence-only education does not prevent sex. The studies, done by nonpartisan organizations and in some cases ordered by Congress, have found that though the percentage of condom use is consistent among all teens, those receiving comprehensive sex education knew slightly more about STD prevention and correct use of contraceptives. A study published this month in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found abstinence-only education to be effective, but its “abstinence-only” program only encouraged delaying sex until teens felt ready and didn’t bring up morality or religion, like most programs do.

Comprehensive sex-ed programs don’t want to encourage teen sex, but merely to help reduce its risks through education. Though programs that include an emphasis on abstinence can be effective, those ignoring the alternatives are merely ignoring reality. Congress should side with the overwhelming evidence and halt federal funding for abstinence-only programs. 

ombudsman

Citizen journalism connects people to media by sarah houston Over the past decade, viewers, listeners and readers have become much more than just an attentive audience. Now more than ever, we are seeing regular people inserted into all forms of media. The popularity of reality shows is at an all time high on stations like MTV (“Jersey Shore,” anyone?), high school students are being discovered on online sites such as YouTube and MySpace, and newspapers and other new sites are using citizen journalists to augment and improve their reporting.

Citizen journalists come in many different forms, but all of them in one way or another add to the journalistic process.

Technology columnist Mark Glaser of PBS describes citizen journalism as, “people without professional journalism training [who] use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others.”

Newspapers have incorporated this “citizen journalism” in their pages to lure readers by utilizing writers and reporters who know what it’s like to be in the reader’s shoes, to give the point of view of the person experiencing the event, not just the journalist.

These “journalists” are people who are interested in what’s going on around them and take the initiative to evaluate information, form an opinion, and spread ideas that might have been overlooked without their voice.

Since reporters can’t be everywhere at once, citizen journalists can bring us important information when writers can’t. These men and women are even more critical now that print journalism is

suffering drastic cutbacks and readership levels are declining.

Important and shocking events have been captured on digital cameras and cell phones by regular people and shown across the globe. Although journalists can’t always be at the scene in time, they can use these important pieces of information to present an accurate story. When the latest presidential elections took place, many of the stories came directly from citizen journalists.

National Public Radio used their vast audience to help cover the 2008 presidential election. President and CEO Vivian Schiller says NPR worked with the

blog TechPresident.com and a group of volunteer software developers on NPR’s VoteReport project to create a way for people to report on their voting experiences via Twitter, text messaging, voicemail and an iPhone app.

Because NPR couldn’t cover every aspect of the election, they used thousands of different stories found through VoteReport and combined them to create a truly diverse and in depth look at what was going on. NPR even brought citizens on air to debate about specific elements of the election so they could truly report on what voters were thinking.

PBS’s Glaser notes that some journalists complain that these citizens don’t have the proper training to report. But many readers gravitate towards the idea that people without journalistic training can still have a voice in our media outlets.

The Black & White has incorporated this concept in the past few years. Although we have a dedicated staff of photographers, many moms and dads have submitted photos to go into the paper and online.

The staff should encourage parents (especially ones with fancy cameras) to take more photos at sports games because we all see those parents cheering their kids on and snapping photo after photo. Why not put their efforts to good use?

The Spectator should also use online sites like twitter to report scores from the sideline as the game is being played. That way, students can know what’s happening even if they aren’t at the game.

The B&W should follow the efforts of major newspapers everywhere and bring more average citizens (or students) into the journalistic process.

Our job as a school paper is to be the voice of the student body; why not involve them in it while we’re at it? 

8

opinion

march 1, 2010

Bethesda Ave. should become pedestrian walkway

by Rachel Nussbaum

Anyone who has visited downtown Bethesda, especially since the opening of Sweetgreen, Georgetown Cupcake and Five Guys, has probably witnessed at least one or two pedestrians dashing across Bethesda Avenue to get their salad, cupcake or burger fix. To avoid these pesky pedestrians, cars are forced to brake abruptly, usually eliciting a honk or two from the drivers behind them.

Bethesda Avenue is constantly congested and usually filled with pedestrians who disregard traffic laws when crossing the street. To make the area safer and more community-friendly, Bethesda Avenue should be turned into a pedestrian walkway.

Over the next 14 months, drivers and pedestrians can temporarily test-drive this idea. The development of the parking lot next to Ourisman Honda and across from Barnes & Noble into an apartment complex will shut down most of that block of Woodmont Avenue and part of Bethesda Avenue.

Cars will not be able to go from Wisconsin Ave. to Arlington Rd., said Dave Dabney, executive director of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, which will effectively show the county what a full-time pedestrian walkway would

resemble.

If a pedestrian-only Bethesda Ave. is as successful as Bethesda Lane, another road-turned pedestrian walkway, then the county should consider turning Bethesda Ave. into a pedestrian rightof-way permanently.

A pedestrian zone would also increase the safety of Bethesda Ave. Pedestrians are regularly seen dodging cars and risking their safety, Brett Cooper, an employee at the Bethesda Apple store, said. He believes that people already treat it as a pedestrian walkway. Most people don’t respect traffic laws or crosswalks, Dabney seconded.

Besides safety, the Partnership has turned the street into a functional space before for events such as “Strut Your Mutt” and the Fine Arts Festival. Due to these successes, the Partnership is considering doing so more regularly on the weekends—and could hold more events more easily in a permanent pedestrian-only zone.

Five hundred people enter Bethesda through the Capital Crescent Trail every hour on a nice Saturday or Sunday, Dabney said, from stroller-pushing moms to speed-walking grandparents.

If the Avenue was pedestrian-only, they could safely take full advantage of its shops and restaurants.

N This map shows the blocking of Bethesda Ave. for a pedestrian walkway, which would increase safety and possibly revenue.

Many people do depend on Bethesda Ave. as a main thoroughfare. But, this traffic could simply go one street over and use Elm Street instead.

Or, drivers could p a rk i n t h e underground garage replacing the lot next to Ourisman Honda in Bethesda, which is perfectly situated for a pedestrianonly zone.

Although the street parking on the Ave. will be gone, the new garage, and the garage on Elm Street, will outweigh the loss. Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns the Bethesda Row property, contracted with Colonial Parking to open a garage under Lebanese Taverna to accommodate patrons and apartment-

Grey Area!

by Jamie norwood and zach shloss Set up your webcam, go to ChatRoulette.com, click “accept” and before you know it, you’ll be face-to-face with strangers from all over the world. If you don’t like what you see (and trust us, that’s your most likely reaction), you can simply hit the “next” button and move on to a new and potentially creepier user.

Chat Roulette, the newest Internet sensation, is a great way to meet new people… or scar yourself for life. The website simply pairs you up with a random stranger for a video chat. Whether you end up chatting with a group of hormonal 13-year-old girls or a lonely 40 year-old-man, chances are you’ll be reaching for the keyboard.

Don’t get us wrong, you can meet some pretty cool people: a college-age Briton, an adolescent Irish lass or even someone from down the street. Good conversation (with a few profanities mixed in) and cool people (with your occasional shirtless old-timer) are sure to provide some laughs.

But be prepared to shield your eyes and click the infamous “next.”

For one reason or another, many guys find it amusing to share their… gift… with you via webcam. If you’re willing to take that risk, Chat Roulette can provide a one-of-a-kind experience.

While surfing Chat Roulette, you’re able to see, hear and type messages to the random people (and other things) you’ll encounter. Have some fun with it; make up a fake persona.

Try out a foreign accent or a new name. Even pretend like you know the person from summer camp or an old school. Here’s your chance to start over.

Looking for love? There are plenty of single people on the site. Think about being able to tell your kids you met your better half in between conversations with a drunken middle-schooler and a giggling Scottish man. True love at its finest!

So, if you haven’t yet experienced the wonders of ChatRoulette. com, we suggest you check it out. Just don’t be surprised if you find that “next” button a little too useful. 

Read all over...

by Elena Toumayan

dwellers. This little-known garage on Elm Street is actually cheaper than meter-parking in most situations.

Additionally, the garage next to Chicken-Out currently has entrances and exits onto Bethesda Avenue and Elm Street.

Even if the entrance on Bethesda Ave. was turned pedestrian-only, the cars could still use Elm Street to get in and out.

Bethesda Ave. should be converted into a pedestrian walkway. Walkers would be more able to safely use the area, and drivers woul be saved from the frustration and dangers of jaywalking pedestrians. 

Students, parents, counselors should avoid teacher shopping

By Jamie Norwood We’ve all heard it many times: “you can only change your schedule if you’re switching levels.” Although no-teacher-switching is the official policy, it’s rarely enforced. Somehow, every semester, students still head down to guidance to “shop” for their favorite teachers.

Administrators say that students who want to switch their teachers just for their own satisfaction will always be turned away.

But students and parents seem to think this rule doesn’t apply to them, and guidance counselors cede to their wishes.

Montgomery County policy strictly prohibits any changing of schedules after the semester begins. Before the semester starts, however, guidance counselors do their best to serve their students and will do what they can to alter schedules for their students’ preferences.

Students should learn to deal with their teacher assignments and adapt to different teaching styles. Parents should understand the burden their requests place on guidance counselors and stay out of the process—at least when students only want different teachers.

Pampering students in this way creates chaos. The administration and guidance department work diligently to compose the master schedule, trying to fit students into their selected classes with prescribed class sizes for teachers. Parents and students disrespect their efforts by expecting and even demanding schedule changes.

Transferring in or out of a class after the classes have been leveled leaves some classes full and others, well less than full.

This is unfair for teachers with bigger classes compared to others.

Aside from switching between levels and classes, the master schedule should be locked from the get-go. Assistant principal Jennifer Webster says when students are switching in and out of classes, the whole process of leveling becomes complicated and makes it difficult to stay accurate with the maximum cap size. If guidance counselors don’t bend the rules for any one student, then they’ll have much less of a hectic situation as the semester changes.

Naturally, we would all like to switch to teachers who give less homework, but that’s an organizational nightmare and logistically impossible. Guidance counselors and administrators should stick to their guns and not bend the rules and students should bite the bullet and just accept their class schedules as they are. A no-teacher-switching policy should be strictly enforced for all students at all times. 

march 1, 2010

in-depth

modern family

9

Mrs. Smith cooks dinner

as Mr. Smith arrives home from work and little Betsy and tiny Tommy play ball in the backyard.

A white picket fence surrounds their indistinguishable brick house, located on a perfectly paved cul-de-sac.

This is the 1950’s, and the Smiths are the prototypical nuclear family—two parents, two kids, and a golden lab. Fast forward to today and each Tuesday and Thursday (and every other weekend) little Betsy and Tommy eat microwavable pizza in front of the TV while they wait for their (single and looking) dad to get home from work. During the remainder of the week, the siblings are welcomed home by their stay-at-home step dad and new (artificially conceived) baby brother.

The conflicts and attitudes that now define the 21st century have drastically altered what was once thought to be the idyllic family structure. The nuclear family of the ‘50s has gone out the window and, for better or for worse, the family dynamic has changed.

For one, divorce has become increasingly prevalent. In the United States, almost 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce, the most of any country in the world according to the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. In fact,

Divorce Magazine reports that 37 percent of American children do not grow up with both biological parents.

Perhaps the most notable example of changing values is gay marriage, which has become legalized or otherwise accepted in 17 states. Hardly even a topic of discussion 50 years ago, gay marriage has introduced a new kind of family dynamic. Adam and Eve have become Adam and Steve. What once would have dropped jaws and elicited confusion—two dads or two moms—is becoming more widely accepted as a new and equally valid type of family.

The increasingly globalized economy has also affected the family dynamic.

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for dad to commute to Los Angeles for the day to attend a conference or for mom to take the train to New York every week. According to the Word Press, the number of workers commuting more than an hour every day has increased by 50 percent between 1990 and 2000. While for some families, a parent’s absence at the dinner table isn’t

a problem, for others, it can diminish communication and sever family ties.

In addition to the increased divorce rate, greater acceptance of same-sex marriage, and elongated commute times, our family roles have also evolved. Dad is no longer the family’s sole provider. The once stayat-home mom has exchanged her apron for a pants suit and briefcase. Women now comprise 63 percent of the U.S. labor force, versus 44 percent in 1950, according to Humanresources.com.

But amidst all these challenges, the perseverance of the American family has shone through. Who knows? Maybe 20 years from now, little Betsy and Tommy will have families of their own. How the values and behavior of their families will compare to ours is anyone’s guess. 

by Sahil Ansari, Jamie Norwood and Zach Schloss

10

march 1, 2010

in-de

soccer practice 4:30-6:00

family 8:00

Mom gets home from business trip

Tommy’s recital 7:30 MD

As family obligations increase, dining room table gathers dust

by Julia Weingardt “It’s really hard for our family to find time for immy has soccer at 6 p.m., Julie has pottery dinner because my brother and I now work, and at 6:30 p.m. and Jacob has basketball at we don’t get back in time for dinner,” Perl says.

7 p.m. on the other side of town. Sound “When we do eat together our parents pretty much familiar? Today’s families are busier than just ask us like the necessary questions like ‘how ever, and consequently, the once-essential family was school?’ and we really just want to be doing dinner often slips to the bottom of the to-do list. other things.”

Junior Nikki Heimberg’s family doesn’t eat Though a number of American households— together most nights, 14 percent, according to a University of but that doesn’t affect Minnesota study—no longer acknowledge their relationship, its importance, the family dinner has Heimberg says. proven itself as a key indicator of teen “My dad works success. According to a 2005 study by late and with all of the the National Center on Addiction and Of households don’t activities we have going Substance Abuse, teens who eat dinner with their families at least five times per acknowledge the importane on we’re just on the run,” she says. “That’s week are 40 percent more likely to get A’s of family dinners the way it’s always and B’s in school and are significantly less been, and we’re still likely to abuse drugs. The same study notes that teens who don’t have frequent family dinners really close.”

While Perl’s and Heimberg’s situations seem are three times more likely to smoke marijuana and three and a half times more likely to abuse to be the norm, American families are beginning to realize the true importance of the family dinner. prescription drugs.

Still, some families find it difficult to schedule Fifty-eight percent of 12- to 17-year-olds said they time to eat together when their schedules are ate dinner with their families at least five times a week, up from 47 percent in 1998, according to overbooked.

Sophomore Sarah Cutler’s family makes an the CASA study.

The media seems to emphasize the importance effort to eat together at least four times a week.

But with two younger siblings each participating in of family meals as well, perhaps a throwback to equally time-consuming extracurricular activities, earlier times. Stouffer’s released an ad campaign last year encouraging parents to eat dinner that’s easier said than done.

“I have Hebrew school, my sister has with their kids, and numerous organizations gymnastics, my brother has wrestling—it’s just and parenting blogs are urging families to eat together. If you’re a little late catching on to the very hectic,” she says.

It may be tough, but many families say that idea, don’t worry—it’s easier than you think, child finding 20 minutes to eat together is well worth development teacher Marjorie Eiserike says.

“Even if it can’t happen every night, I think the sacrifice. For the Cutler family, dinner is the time for everyone to catch up and talk about their it’s important for families to choose one or two nights a week that are kind of sacred,” she says. day.

“It’s nice because I wouldn’t really see my “It doesn’t have to be a big elaborate ordeal.”

In the Cutler household, the three kids switch parents during the day because we’re all just running around all the time,” Cutler says. “We off cooking dinners. Some of the most popular definitely wouldn’t know so much about what’s menu items include homemade macaroni and cheese, Vietnamese noodle soup and ceviche. going on in each others’ lives.”

“Get your kids to make dinner—you’re doing Cutler’s parents agree that dinner is the time to enjoy one another’s company. “We always try them a favor,” Rosenthal says. “They learn how to to find some interesting political or current event cook and how to plan.”

Even if your family doesn’t possess any to talk about,” Cutler’s mom, Dale Rosenthal, says. “Even if we never manage to actually find culinary talent, getting takeout still provides a something, it’s good to just be able to sit around quality family experience, Eiserike says.

“If a family dinner is ‘let’s go to McDonalds and talk.”

But for junior Gavi Perl’s family, dinnertime and pick up food,’ then that’s fine every once in a together has become less important as she and her while,” Eiserike says. “It’s not so much the food; it’s the whole family sitting down together.”  siblings have grown up and become busier.

J

14%

Marriage rate per 1,000 population Divorce rate per 1,000 population % of births to unmarried mothers Teen birth rate per 1,000 Average age of men at first marriage Average of women at first marriage Average age of women when have first child Average family size

U

6.5 3.0 40.9 33.6 27.4

7.

4.

39 41 26

25.9

25

33.3

25

3.13

2.

what is a

modern

Christina Davis, 12th grade “I think that any family can be considered a modern family. There’s no set criteria for that.”

Susan Buckingham, English teacher “I think a family us a group of people who are either related by blood or by choice.”

Edem Dzotefe, 10th grade “I think the modern family is a divorced family.”

March 1, 2010

epth

11

Betsy’s Birthday!

dinner Dad’s weekend

U.S.

China

Italy

Brazil

.3 .9 9.7 1.9 6.6

8.2 1.8 23.8

5.4 0.27 6.7 30

0.26 45 28

5.0

22.1

27.1

26

5.2

-

28.7

21

.59

3.2

2.6

-

n family?

Taylor Ricketts, 9th grade “I feel like a modern family is a mom and a dad and their kids.”

Cynthia Skelton, English teacher “A family is a group of people who have chosen to have relationships with each other.”

More and more families separated by miles as parents move away for work

‘Now, we have what are called ‘extreme commuters,’ who travel two, three or four hours a day, one-way,.’ --Maria Mastria, author of “Conquer the Commute”

by carolina millan-roncheti or most teenagers a lunch date with their parents usually wouldn’t be a highlight of the weekend. But senior Gabby Mahdesian cherishes any moment she can spend with her dad, who works in Los Angeles and only returns to Bethesda for two or three weekends every month.

In recent years, a combination of suburban growth and advancements in travel and communication has contributed to an increase in the number of parents who work in one city or state and whose families’ live in another. This way of life can pose challenges for those involved.

Commuting to work began with the creation of suburbs in the 1950s. However, as closer suburbs became saturated and property values increased, longer commutes became the norm for those seeking better housing and educational opportunities, explains Marie Mastria, a psychologist who authored “Conquer the Commute: Tools for the Road and Life” and founded the coaching program “Commuter-Assist.”

“Now, we have what are called ‘extreme commuters,’ who travel two, three or four hours a day, one-way,” she says. “‘Cross country commuting’ is less common and tends to happen to people with higher-end jobs who don’t want to give them up.”

Mahdesian’s family originally moved to the D.C. area from Los Angeles when her father, Michael Mahdesian, got a job at the White House. After 7 years, he returned to working for the family company, Servicon Systems Inc. based in California. However, the family decided to stay in the D.C. area, so Michael has made the coast to coast trip two or three timesa month for the past 10 years.

“Both my mom and I didn’t want to move to L.A. when he got his job there because Whitman’s a great school, and we have lots of friends here,” Gabby explains. “They had moved to the east coast before and [my mom] didn’t want to move her life one more time because of his job.”

Junior Emily Madden’s father commutes home by train every weekend from his job as an attorney in New York

F

City. Mastria explains that keeping notice a drastic change in her family life, the commuting parent involved in the as she already took care of her children household is critical to prevent family on a daily basis when her husband relationships from deteriorating. worked in D.C., and arrived home late Additionally, home parents need to be in the evening. understanding and avoid overwhelming “The one thing that changes is commuter parents with the week’s that you don’t have a good cop, bad problems as soon as they get home. cop situation when there’s only one Both Whitman families have remained parent; I was all rolled into one,” she together over years of commuting by explains. “But you have to make sure to adhering to this advice. be independent enough to do it.”

“I feel that [my dad’s] really involved Mastria says that children and their because he comes to my performances non-commuting parent often become all the time, even if he has to come home much closer as they spend significant on a Tuesday, and he calls almost every amounts of time together, and both night to talk to me for about 20 minutes,” Emily and Gabby count their mothers Emily explains. “I don’t really know how among their closest friends. Commuting much a dad would usually be involved parents, on the other hand, risk having with that kind of stuff, but I think he weakened relationships with their does a really good job being there, which children and increasing resentment on is important.” the children’s part, Mastria adds.

Emily’s mom, Linda Madden, adds “There’s always this thought of what that though the overall amount of would have been if he’d been there all time these spend together may have the time,” Emily says. “But the fact that decreased, the quality of the time they he tries so much makes it hard for me spend together has improved. to feel resentful toward the fact that he’s “When Michael was still here, he not here.” often had to work on the weekends Gabby says that growing older because his job required it,” she says. has helped her cope with her father’s “Once he moved to his work to New York, absences. he really pretty much never worked on “When I was younger I would miss the weekends—he would come home him more,” she says. “I wasn’t used to and be totally involved in the kids’ it and when you’re younger you have a activities.” whole lot of free time, so I’d wait around Although for him and miss both Michael him. I definitely Even though I don’t see him M a d d e n got upset when and Michael he missed my every day, when I do see him its Mahdesian birthday. Now much nicer; it’s more special. I remained I know that if get excited when he comes home involved he misses my because it’s only twice a month. in their birthday, we’ll children’s do a family lives, they -Gabby Mahdesian, senior c e l e b r a t i o n do note that either the their wives have a larger impact on day- weekend before or after.” to-day family activities.

Overall, Gabby says she doesn’t “Most of the big decisions we made all resent how the commuting affected her together, but my wife did the everyday— relationship with her dad. making sure they got their homework “Honestly, I think the relationship done and making sure there was dinner got better,” she explains. Even though on the table,” Michael explains. “My wife I don’t see him every day, when I do see did that, almost like she was a single mother, for those three or four days him its much nicer; it’s more special. I get excited when he comes home because during the week.”

However, Linda Madden didn’t it’s only twice a month. 

“

”

feature

12

MArch 1, 2010

Sex party host causes stir in neighborhood Promoter of “Long Live the Kink” must stop charging admission, follow zoning laws

by Zach Schloss On Tone Drive, off River Road, a stone’s throw from Whitman, neighbors refer to house, number 6304, as “the castle.” The stone house, with a rose -covered window and a British flag jutting out from the balconyabove the doorway (is that right?), looks like it jumped from the pages of a fairy tale.

But if you were to venture inside that house, this vision—along with your innocence—would almost certainly be tarnished.

Welcome to the residence of Paul Pickthorne, a selfdescribed “kinkster from the other side of the pond.”

This is where the red-headed Briton hosts monthly BDSM—bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism—sex parties.

Pickthorne recently received a zoning violation warning from the county for running a commercial enterprise in a residential neighborhood because he charges for admission to his parties. Pickthorne’s antics came to light after a Feb. 4 article came out in the Washington Post, detailing his sordid soirees.

Senior Nick Barton lives a few houses down from the castle and finds the situation a “little weird.” He says it’sbecause Pickthorne hosts the parties late at night and into the early morning, that most neighbors don’t notice.

But Barton often gets home from work late at night and says the neighborhood is usually alive and packed with cars on party nights.

But in many ways, Pickthorne has been a polite neighbor. He even developed a solution to the problem of his guests’ cars taking up neighborhood streets.

According to multiple sources, Pickthorne had his guests park in the Unitarian church on Whittier Blvd. and had a shuttle bus bring them to his house.

Despite Pickthorne’s peculiar hobbies, none of the neighbors has ever had a problem with him.

“The guy who owns the house is actually really nice,” neighbor Cecelia Marquez, a junior, says. “He offered to fix my garage. He’s just not exactly what I expected him to be.”

Both Marquez and Barton say that their families didn’t have much of a problem with the antics going on down the street, especially since the noise level remained low.

Pickthorne takes his business seriously and even runs his own website, www.britishluckypaul.com, where he posts dates and themes for parties as well as links to the classes he teaches on party-throwing. The site, which displays the motto “Long Live the Kink,” features links to sites that sell sex accessories and “British Lucky Paul” t-shirts. The website warns people to only enter if they are 18 or older, and for good reason, as much of the material contains sexual references and imagery.

Pickthorne’s business has expanded. Now you can even follow Paul on Twitter.

But as far as the future of Pickthorne and his tenants go, things seem to have calmed down. And as long as he

photo by

SARAH KLOTZ

Residents call Pickthorne a good neighbor and nickname the sex party location as “the castle.”

stops charging admission, public officials say Pickthorne is doing nothing illegal.

“It is very important for BDSM practitioners to be able to gather in peace among other adults,” wrote Susan Wright, spokesperson for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, on Pickthorne’s website. “Paul is an educator who travels around the country volunteering his time to teach safe sex skills. What he does in his private life in his own home should not be the concern of anyone else.” 

Changes in credit policy mandate per year requirements continued from page

1

that the MCPS graduation rate is tied for first among the nation’s 50 largest school districts, Blum said that the ultimate goal of the policy is to improve four-year county graduation rates. Although the policy mandates that students meet certain requirements before moving on to the next grade level, Blum said that the policy could improve

graduation rates by ensuring seniors have earned enough credits and met all state requirements in time to graduate.

“If students fail the HSA in their senior year, they run out of time to do bridge projects or retake the course,” Blum said.

Although the new policy will impose stricter requirements, school principals will have the final say in whether a student will advance to the next grade.

“I can speculate that they were

Seniors beware!

by julia weingardt After a stressful junior year, most students look forward to catching “senioritis,” a condition characterized by chronic procrastination, lack of motivation and a plunge in academic performance.

But seniors beware—your slacking could send your acceptance letters down the drain.

According to the National Association of College Admission Counseling, over one-fifth of colleges reported having rescinded an admission offer in 2008. Reasons for the withdrawal ranged from disciplinary issues to falsification of application information, but the vast majority—65 percent—of admissions revoked were because of poor final grades.

“I definitely feel less of an urgency to go to class considering that my grades don’t matter so much now,” an anonymous senior says.

This attitude may be contagious, but seniors shouldn’t forget about the section of the application that’s due after admission.

“Your application isn’t complete without the final transcript,” career advisor Janice Marmor says. “Colleges don’t like the idea that they think they’re getting one thing and then get something else in the end.”

So while senioritis can be tons of fun, a severe case could disrupt more than just your free time. To avoid that senior slump, here are a few tips: Drink only caffeinated drinks, at least 3 times a day—this will postpone the caffeine crash until late at night, after you’ve done all of your homework.

Do your homework—who cares if it’s illegible?

Don’t underbook your schedule—you will be bored to tears and will resort to napping.

Keep at least one eye open at all times so that you don’t fall asleep in class. Plus, you can pretend you’re a pirate. 

finding more and more seniors who were called seniors but were not able to graduate because they didn’t have the requirements,” Goodwin said. “One of the ways a state and county is judged is by their graduation rates.”

Although the new policy would likely not cause scheduling issues, Goodwin said it could place some older students in classes traditionally designed for students in lower grade levels.

However, according to Blum, repeating

a grade level or attending summer school, might be worth it for students on the verge of not graduating.

“Some people are concerned that if someone isn’t promoted to the next grade and can’t go to homeroom with his friends, there may be some social consequences,” she said. “But another person said that it would be worse if they got to twelfth grade and realize they can’t graduate.” 

Lack of UMD housing necessitates admission for spring semester

BY JAMIE NORWOOD The University of Maryland typically accepts 5,000 freshmen each year. But only 4,000 will be admitted for the fall, leaving the remaining students to start in the spring semester.

The university decided to admit students solely for the spring semester seven years ago, says Barbara Gill, assistant vice principal for enrollment planning and undergraduate admissions.

“Our enrollment is over capacity in the fall semester but lower in the spring so we started admitting more students for the spring semester,” she says. “We then got a lot of complaints from parents and students, so we created a program called Freshman Connection.”

This is the fourth year of the Freshman Connection program, a program in which spring-bound students are able to catch up with their credits by enrolling in UMD courses and utilizing campus resources in the fall.

A senior girl was accepted into the spring semester but has mixed feelings about living off campus.

“The Freshman Connection program could be great,” she says. “If someone was very passionate about going to Maryland it would be a great option, but I would prefer to get a real college experience living on campus and being a part of the entire student body.”

While some do see the Freshman Connection program as a great opportunity, others think differently.

“I would feel like a fraud,” the girl says. “You’re kind of stuck in the middle, you go to UMD but you have designated hours separate from the other students and your own housing. Not too appealing.”

If the senior girl decides to enroll at Maryland for the second semester, she would consider other options rather than be a part of the Freshman Connection.

“I would probably go to another school for the first semester and then transfer my credits,” she says.

While attending Maryland solely for second semester doesn’t appeal, she encourages other students to try it out.

“It’s a great school and a good buy,” she says. “But personally, I want to feel more a part of the community, and I know I wouldn’t feel 100 percent at home if I joined the Freshman Connection Program.”

Gill notes that although Freshman Connection provides students with courses similar to those admitted to the university, students committed to the program don’t have access to on-campus residency.

“The university offers courses through what we call extended studies,” Gill says. “These are programs at a non-traditional hours taught by Maryland faculty to make up for their lost semester.”

While only about 75 percent of UMD students are from Maryland, nearly all the students accepted solely for the spring semester are in state.

“Students admitted from out of state often have applied to many other schools,” Gill says. “Accepting state residents for the spring semester is our way of giving Maryland residents more options.”

During the application process, multiple committees review students’ applications before deciding whether to accept the applicant for the fall or spring semester.

“The hardest part is when we decide who we want to generally admit,” Gill says. “The group of students admitted to the fall semester is generally more competitive academically.”

However, Gill notes that when looking at the range of GPAs and test scores for the fall versus the spring, there are some overlaps.

“It’s just that we don’t have space in our main freshman classes and in the residence halls so we offer students housing in off campus apartments.” 

See more at TheBlackandWhite.net ● News: Hallway flood disrupts Feb. 23 dismissal ● Opinion: What happened to healthcare? ● Blogs: Textbooks as dry as this headline

March 1, 2010

feature

13

Trend: Downloading textbooks The Black & White buys itself a man by stephanie haven and rachel nussbaum Awkward is a relative term, we like to believe. But on the night of Feb. 25—the night of the boy auction— awkward reached a whole new level.

Some claim they did it for charity. Some claim it was a joke. Some were just really passionate about finding true love.

But we—we were on a mission. Given the generous sum of one hundred dollars, we were told to buy a boy, let him take us out and chronicle it all for the Black & White. Of course, for bdubbs. We were also told to not let anyone else know about it.

What we were not told about, however, were the weird looks that would come at us from every direction, like a million little hot whispers. Or the blinding flashlights that somehow didn’t block out those looks.

We understand why some girls were literally bouncing in their seats or shaking as they gave their information to the organizers. One girl could barely write down her own name from the excitement, to give you some idea of the situation.

But that’s okay, because it was all in the interest of fighting cancer. And fight some girls—and guys— definitely did. Tension was high as people with flash lights ran up and down the aisles figuring out which girl had upped the others’ bids. Maybe it is the competitive nature of girls that made them bid ridiculous sums for dates. None of us is that desperate, hopefully.

Our smarminess may be because we were outbid twice. Or maybe it’s because now we have to explain why, exactly, we were bidding on guys we sit in front of in English class every day but don’t actually know (sorry, Adam Goode!)

Honestly, we were awkward, embarrassed and giggling too much at things that weren’t that funny.

Like Joelle Levinas getting outbid by her little sister for Kevin Cecala, Joelle’s boyfriend. Okay, that was pretty funny.

We were getting more and more nervous. We would put up the pamphlet, lucky (?) no. 42, to bid and take it down, multiple times. Finally, we panicked. Our options were limited and so was the cash supply. We gave it one last go and came away victorious, trembling with adrenaline.

You may know him by his half-emo, half-just lazy black hair, “classy” glasses and quirky personality.

We know him as Nate Eckland: the man, not quite the legend. But one hundred percent awesome, and $85 later, we got ourselves a $15 date to California Tortilla and a movie.

The bidding continued, but we could finally breathe, and appreciate just how ridiculous the entire situation was. Two words: choreographed routines.

More words: Bryan Joel, Miles Davis and Connor Gordon performed a nearly synchronized dance number—and in matching sunglasses, no less.

Yet, in spite of the altruism, there was a downside to the boy auction. Imagine how much more ego-tastic the guys who got high bids are going to be now. How will they ever handle dating for less than $300? Well, I guess that’s the toll of being hot and likable.

Phew, date procured. Next problem: going on what may be the most awkward outing of our lives. Actually, the problem was just being able to steady our knees and walk out of the auditorium.

Stay tuned for part II: the date. 

by Becca Andrasko

College students are often concerned with budgeting – budgeting their time, their resources and their money.

Online textbooks, or eTextbooks, and renting textbooks offer the newest way for college and high school students to conserve all three of these assets.

These eTextbooks usually cost up to 50 percent less than traditional textbooks. CourseSmart.com boasts the largest selection of online textbooks, with 9,061 textbooks currently available in 1,010 course areas. The average college student spends about $1000 per year on textbooks, often one of the largest expenditures after tuition and room and board, according to the New York Times. The average savings for an eTextbook user is a whopping $67.34.

“Budgeting/expenses is definitely a major concern,” Nikki Brand ’09, a freshman at University of California at Berkeley, explains in an email. “I’m already paying so much money for tuition and housing, so I try to limit my outside spending to necessities, including textbooks.”

The average college student spends about $1000 per year on textbooks, which represents one of the biggest expenditures after tuition and room and board, according to the New York Times. However, the new eTextbooks can save a college student up to fifty percent on their textbook expenses.

Plenty of websites, like Campusbookrentals. com, allow users to download large selections of instant textbooks through a variety of mediums, from downloading a personal computer to portable devices like iPhones, iPads or BlackBerries.

While most high school students borrow textbooks from their school, students often don’t want to add the

weight of a textbook to their already hefty backpacks.

Some teachers require that students bring their textbooks to class every day, so some students, like junior Justin Cinkala, use online textbooks.

“I use the online Biology book to help me with my class if I forget my textbook,” Cinkala says.

His biology teacher, Melanie Toth, recommends that her students use the online book, because it has interactive features that the print edition lacks. Some online textbooks are free, like the one used by AP Biology classes.

While most high school students use the print edition of their books that the school provides, more and more college students are often renting or downloading textbooks from websites or dealers, such as CengageBrain.com.

Cengage Learning, one of the largest textbook publishing companies in the nation, began renting books to students at the beginning of this school year at about 40 to 70 percent the cost of a new book. Cengage Learning’s rental program was piloted this year in several college bookstores, including at U.C. Berkeley and University of South Carolina.

Through these programs, students have the option of renting a book for 60, 90 or 130 days and, at the end of the term, have the choice of buying or returning them. The publishing company also runs the site CengageBrain.com, which sells and rents textbooks, both in electronic and printed form.

Brand’s school is one of the first colleges to promote textbook rentals in their campus bookstore. While she has never rented a textbook from the school store or online, she says that her friends do take advantage of the rental and used books offered through the school. 

Urban Prankster network goes pantless continued from page

3

So how do Witzenburg and his friends do it? How has Capitol Improv put stuffy, corporate D.C. into the national headlines with its hilarious antics? The answer is simple: an enthusiastic community and some long nights of organizing— sometimes reaching up to 50 hours a week.

“When missions are in the works, the time commitment can grow considerably depending on the mission,” Witzenburg explains.

“The amazing thing is how much of a community effort it is. Things that would take a single person months or years to accomplish take the group as little as a couple of days because there are so many hands on the complex projects we’re doing.”

Witzenburg, who works full time at the Patent and Trademark Office, is a self-proclaimed “starving standup comic,” and although he says he has loved every mission he has been a part of, some have especially satisfied his craving for a comedic outlet.

In 2008, the group paraded one of their “agents” through D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival surrounded by screaming fans and fake paparazzi, with no motive other than getting some attention.

This January, Capitol Improv conducted the third annual “No Pants Ride.” And it’s exactly what it sounds like—Metro cars packed with boxer bearing Washingtonians who

photos courtesy

BRUCE WITZENBURG

Whether it’s a snowball fight or a pantless Metro ride, Capital Improv members say their missions never fail to be rewarding.

“just forgot their pants.”

For fans outside of D.C., Capital Improv documents most of their missions on Flickr and YouTube.

The popular videos, complete with zoomed in reaction shots and dramatic music, have a range of comments—some praising the group’s sense of humor, and others questioning its patriotism.

Noah Guthman, a junior at the Field School, first found out about Capitol Improv by watching some of its videos online. He then participated in the group’s “Conga Line Tours” as a saxophone player in a back-up band for a phony dancing tour in the heart of D.C. “D.C. has duck tours, bus tours, walking tours, segway tours, so why not a conga line tour?” Guthman says.

For the event, Capitol Improv went all out, Guthman says, complete with nametags, signs, pamphlets and even fake tour guides.

The event was a success, as measured by the number of confused glances and amused smiles.

“We got a lot of funny looks, which is the goal,” Guthman says.

“Making people say ‘What’s going on?’”

Guthman, like Witzenburg, was drawn to the event for one main reason – he’s a performer.

“Everyone’s out there for the same reason, as performers who aren’t afraid to make fools out of themselves,” Guthman says. “It’s a group of fun people, and Bruce, who’s very clever and funny, is the perfect guy for this.”

Most recently, the group promoted the Feb. 6 snowball fight at DuPont Circle on Feb. 7—a do-over of the December snowball fight foiled by a gun-wielding policeman.

Popularized through Facebook and Twitter, the event attracted over 2,000 people suffering from cabin fever.

Whether it’s a snowball fight or tour fraud, Capitol Improv members say their missions never fail to be rewarding.

“When you pull off a mission and get that perfect reaction where someone can’t help but crack up or stare in confusion or watch in awe to a mission that we do, it’s a very big rush as a performer and as a planner for the mission,” Witzenburg says.

“It means we’re doing something that people really enjoy, and we’re doing it well.” 

14

Feature

march 1, 2010

Facebook groups spur early networking

by Stephanie Haven Thick envelopes seem to be a thing of the past. And it’s not because fewer people are getting accepted to college. Instead of waiting by the mailbox, seniors are repeatedly clicking the refresh button for their e-mail inboxes, anxiously hoping for the words, “Congratulations and welcome” to pop up in an e-mail from their top-choice college.

And, just like that, the digitized college experience begins. Next step? Changing your Facebook status to announce your acceptance and joining the group “[Your College of Choice Here] Class of 2014.” Newly accepted students proceed to “friend” each other and get acclimated with their soon-to-be peers, all before the second semester of senior year.

“I said if I got in I would put it up on Facebook,” senior Stefanie Rhode said. “Not only was it nice to have so many congratulations from my current friends but then there was the added support from the University of Pennsylvania Class of 2014 group where I’ve gotten to know some of my future classmates.”

While the first day at college is always daunting, Facebook discussion boards allow students to get to know some of their class before freshman orientation packets even come in the mail.

“They reassured some worries I had,” Brown University-bound senior Vera Carothers said. “You get a feel for the kind of people in your class and you get questions answered, so, in general, it makes it a more positive experience.”

Facebook also provides a unique opportunity for students who are on

sports teams at their colleges to form friendships with their teammates before training starts. Middleburybound senior Brandt Silver-Korn even got in contact with a future teammate who used to be his competitor.

“When I was 10 years old I ran in the junior Olympics and I saw the name of the kid that always used to win on the Middlebury Facebook group,” Silver-Korn said. “I haven’t spoken to him in 10 years and it was really cool to get to know him again and time we get to be friends instead of competitors.”

Further digitizing the postadmission experience, some schools use websites to match roommates before students come to school in the fall. URoomsurf.com, launched Feb. 1 2009, allows students across the country to find a same-sex roommate from their school by filling out a survey that will match them with similar students at their college.

“I [started at] the University of Miami in August 2004, and Facebook did not exist,” said ECampus managing partner Justin D.B. Gaither. “So back then, everyone came in without really knowing anyone else. Now you have sites like URoomSurf that let students network months before going to college. So now students can make friends, find people with similar interests, and just feel more comfortable and connected to their incoming class and university well before stepping foot on campus.

The internet has been great for all of this.”

The University of Georgia, even created its own roommate finder called “Dawg House,” which they strongly recommend for new students and incoming freshman.

FREE CHIPS AND QUESO!

“We feel like it has been a positive change where students are much more satisfied with their roommates when they find each other on their own,” said Shay Davis, Director of Residence Hall Administrative Operations. “Our research and national research shows that a third party trying to match roommate pairs is less likely to make students happy than if they have control over the process.”

Piloted in 2004, the Dawg House allows students to create a profile and characteristics about who their ideal roommate would be.

“The Dawg House makes students take more ownership, which I think is really important,” Davis said. “Students used to blame their unhappiness with roommates on the housing department. Now they take matters into their own hands if they aren’t satisfied. I want their experience to be great, and I know that this will only enhance the process.”

The increased popularity of Facebook and roommate websites like URoomSurf and Dawg House have personalized the system to allow students to request roommates without having to meet their peers firsthand. Getting to know peers before the fall semester not only makes the transition from high school to college easier for seniors, but also helps them get used to the different way of living.

“The Facebook groups opened me up to seeing who I am going to be with and the people I will be friends with,” George Washington University-bound senior Nikki Murarka said.

“It made the process more real, tangible and exciting. College now feels less like a crazy idea and more of a reality.” 

See you at the Bethesda cal tort!

Just show your Whitman ID to the spunky cashier and the Bethesda California Tortilla will give you FREE Chips and Queso anytime you buy a burrito, quesadilla or 2 tacos.

YEE-HA! California Tortilla - Bethesda 4862 Cordell Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 654-8226

March 1, 2010

feature

TOP TEN

15

FREE GEORGETOWN CUPCAKES

BY Juliet Mullins Because of their journalistic integrity, five dedicated writers (actually, four enthusiastic cupcake connoisseurs and one dedicated writer) ventured to Georgetown Cupcake every day during class for three weeks in order to analyze and rank Georgetown Cupcake’s TOP TEN FREE FLAVORS.

Cookies and Cream -

Georgetown Cupcake give-aways

BY Jamie Norwood Two words that everyone loves: “free” and “cupcakes.”

Yes, it’s true, Georgetown Cupcake is giving away free cupcakes every single day this year. All you need is the secret pass code.

Here’s the catch: you have to follow them on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook.

Log onto Facebook, search “Georgetown Cupcake” and click to be a fan. And there you have it: “Today’s secret (Not-on-Menu) FREE cupcake is…”

Owners Sophia LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis created the free cupcake promotion as a fun way to gain business.

“The two owners decide the flavor each day, but we take suggestions on our Facebook and Twitter pages.” Bethesda manager Jessica says. “It’s a lot of fun for the customers.

A lot of the time they’ll buy a cupcake too.”

The cupcakery bakes approximately 100 of the secret flavor daily and gives them away on a first come, first serve basis.

“We definitely run out of the flavor a lot,” Jessica says.

Students are catching on fast, logging onto Facebook each day just in time to pick up a cupcake after school.

“I think that they have a great marketing campaign,” junior Hannah Sherman says.

“Subsequently, I think the rate of diabetes in Bethesda will significantly rise as more and more people find out about this.”

Senior Susannah Savage, an employee, encourages people to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

“We think it’s a great way to get people into the store,” she says. “We also wanted to bring back flavors that people really enjoy, not our six standard cupcakes that we sell every day.”

Free cupcakes everyday for a year— it’s almost too good to be true. But Georgetown Cupcake sees it as a business opportunity.

“People love it, and it’s an awesome way to gain business,” Savage says. “And who doesn’t want a free cupcake?” 

Cookies and Cream fully deserves its number one spot. Despite protests from loyal fans of Chocolate PB Chip, Cookies and Cream stands strong with the little bits of Oreo mixed in its base and frosting, with pieces placed perfectly on top.

Chocolate PB Chip-

Chocolate PB Chip elicits mixed reviews; it really just depends on your opinion towards massive amounts of peanut butter. Peanut butter chunks paired with chocolate cake, smoothed over with a light peanut butter icing, is not for those of faint culinary heart.

Pumpkin Spice -

By far one of the least heavy of the bakery’s offerings, Pumpkin Spice tricks you into believing you aren’t consuming hundreds of calories—for a split second. With a pumpkin bread base and topped with maple frosting, it’s a refreshingly healthier (or at least you can tell yourself that) alternative to the sugar-filled treats that leave you wondering whether you’re eating a cupcake or a hunk of pure butter and sugar.

Caramel Apple -

Caramel Apple was the November cupcake of the month, and from then on, I was in love. When the cupcake made its debut on Georgetown Cupcake’s Twitter as the day’s free cupcake, I couldn’t have made it out of Whitman faster. The texture of this treat resembles that of an apple crumb cake, but with a caramel core and caramel drizzled on top, it’s like Salted Caramel’s hot cousin.

Strawberry-

Strawberry was such a successful free flavor that it became one of February’s flavors of the month. Yet another cupcake with small bits of the key ingredient—in this case, strawberry pieces—dotting the cake and frosting, this is a cupcake that you can feel a little less bad about scarfing down (because hey, you’re eating fruit). This flavor sparked a trend, inspiring the two popular flavors Chocolate Strawberry and Strawberry Lava Fudge.

Maple -

The thought of pouring maple syrup into your mouth may occur when you hear the name of this cupcake. But fear not, although a little sweet, the Maple cupcake makes for a fabulous twist on the flavor.

Toffee Crunch -

how s y t i l a e r ” s r e t e Sis k a c p u C “ r i a TLC to

by Hailey Siller Rather than walking to Bethesda for a Georgetown Cupcake, you’ll soon be able to observe the secret behind the store’s huge success from the comforts of your living room.

Georgetown Cupcake owners Sophia LaMontague and Katherine Kallinis will star in their own reality TV series premiering on TLC in July. The show, “Cupcake Sisters,” focuses on the day-to-day activities of the cupcake bakery.

“Cupcake Sisters” joins other TLC food shows such as “Cake Boss,” “Ultimate Cake Off,” “Little Chocolatiers” and “Craving Comfort”--a new show which explores America’s comfort foods.

According to TLC’s Press Release, “Cupcake Sisters will go beyond the frosting to uncover the secret of Sophie and Katherine’s success and follow the challenges they face as the business rapidly expands and is poised to explode on the national scene.”

Manager Jessie Conradi and LaMontague declined to comment when asked about the details of the show, citing the terms of their confidentiality agreement.

Employee Molly Schwartz (‘08) says that the filming is exciting and that the crew is really trying to get to know the employees.

“Hopefully the show will portray how fun it is to be at Georgetown Cupcake and how much we really care about what we do,” she says.

The crew began filming on Valentine’s Day weekend, which was also the business’ two-year anniversary. They will continue to film throughout April.

Georgetown Cupcake opened in 2008 as D.C.’s first and only cupcakery and now employs over 60 people and bakes 3,000 to 5,000 cupcakes a day, according to TLC. 

Georgetown Cupcake describes Toffee Crunch as a “toffee cupcake with toffee-infused vanilla frosting topped with crushed Heath Bar.” This cupcake doesn’t deem itself anything special until the Heath Bar toppings are included, but once they are, this cupcake could begin to top many people’s lists.

Strawberry Lava Fudge- Strawberry Lava Fudge was created as an accident, but still an accident worth adding to our Top Ten. A variation on

the classic strawberry, this cupcake adds a core of lava fudge. The only problem with this combo is that there’s a little too much going on the cupcake. Also, a word to the wise: bring plenty of napkins when eating this one; lava fudge in your mouth – heaven, lava fudge on your mouth — not so hot.

Salted Caramel-

After eating my first Salted Caramel, I felt like I had just finished off an entire Thanksgiving dinner and the table. If you’re craving sugar and don’t mind heavy caramel-drizzled butter cream frosting, go for this one.

ChocolateBirthday-

As much as I love birthday cake, I could’ve made this one with a ‘just add water’ mix at home. This cupcake, while still amazing because its free, tastes exactly like the millions of cupcakes and cakes floating around Whitman on any freshman girl’s birthday. 

16

feature

march 1, 2010

Lifetime PTA member Bonnie Perkins organizes Post-Prom as vice president of Montgomery County non-profit

by Ryan Hauck On this year’s prom night, almost 13,000 Montgomery County students will forego drunken revelry in favor of good, clean post-prom fun, all thanks to Bonnie Perkins.

Perkins, the mother of three Whitman graduates, is the vice president of Montgomery County Project Prom/Graduation, a non-profit group she co-founded in 1992 to organize Post-Prom events for high schools throughout the county. However, Perkins’ influence at Whitman extends beyond post-prom; she is also directly and indirectly responsible for various Whitman traditions like Coffeehouse and Homecoming hallway decorating.

Since Montgomery County Project Prom/Graduation formed 18 years ago, there hasn’t been a single alcoholrelated prom night death in the county.

“It’s a great feeling,” Perkins says. “If we just saved one child, if just one student said, ‘Hey wait a minute, I heard that lady says we shouldn’t do this,’ that would be worth it. But when we have 13,000 students who now make the choice to come to these events, it’s incredible.”

Perkins has devoted her time to this unpaid position ever since a prom night accident 21 years ago changed her life.

On April 21, 1989, at 10:30 p.m., Britton Chichester, for whom the prestigious Chichester Sportsmanship Award is named, was speeding home from a prom party, trying to get to his house before his parents. He had been drinking, but none of his friends prevented him from driving. He crashed his car under the American Legion Bridge.

His parents, who were on their way home from Virginia, saw the wreck and stopped to investigate, only to discover it was their son.

Three years later Perkins began organizing postprom events in an effort to keep teens safe.

The idea behind Post-Prom is to provide a free event for all Prom attendees that would keep students away from alcohol and off the roads. Attending students must sign in and out before coming and going, and cannot return after leaving. The event runs from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Students may attend Post-Prom without attending prom.

Organizers entice students into attending Post-Prom through numerous activities and prizes. This year’s

Olympic-themed Post-Prom will feature, among other activities, an obstacle course, a moon bounce and prizes ranging up to a laptop or a small college scholarship.

Montgomery County Project Prom/Graduation works with police officers, who will be on patrol and armed with breathalyzers outside the event. The organization also trains local limousine drivers to recognize signs of intoxication.

Perkins is fond of recalling a 10-year Whitman high school reunion one of her daughters attended, and the message she relayed to her mother afterwards.

“She said, ‘Mom, all of them asked about you, and said thank you for saving their lives.’”

In 1994, yet another fatal drunk driving accident inspired Perkins to take further action. Junior Elizabeth Clark lost control of her BMW, crashing it into a tree on River Road over Labor Day weekend. She and another girl were killed. Two other passengers were injured.

“I decided then and there that the kids needed a place to go to be together,” Perkins says. “That’s when I created the ‘We Believe in Our Kids Event.’”

Perkins held the first event in the school cafeteria, with no money, four parent chaperones and a DJ. Nonetheless, the event was an incredible success, with over 200 students in attendence. Eventually “We Believe in Our Kids” evolved into “Friday Night Live,” an event held after football games with barbeques, DJs and outdoor movies. “Friday Night Live” in turn morphed into “Coffeehouse,” long before the Save the Music Foundation became involved with the event.

During this time, Perkins also worked closely with the leadership classes on the quadrennial “Every Fifteen Minutes” anti-drunk driving event.

Along with fighting drunk driving during her time as a high school parent she helped reform Homecoming to attract more students. When then-principal Jerome Marco originally refused to allow hallway decorations, Perkins stepped in to convince him otherwise.

Marco’s successor, principal, Alan Goodwin, first met Perkins in 1999 when he was an assistant principal.

“I was impressed by her determination and commitment,” Goodwin says. “It’s wonderful to see such dedicated parent involvement. It’s always been positive.”

After Perkins’ last daughter graduated, the school made her a lifetime member of the PTSA. “A lot of these things I did are still going strong,” she says. “I’m still very much the Whitman mom.” 

photo courtesy

BONNIE PERKINS

Bonnie Perkins presents the highlights of Post-Prom and planning to parents at the senior parent meeting.

Post-Prom Highlights: 1. Tons of free food (subs, baked goods, etc) 2. Giant moon bounce 3. Record a song in the music booth and take a CD home 4. Toilet-bowl racing 5. Inflatable octacle course 6. Having fun with friends in the wee hours of the morning!

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SAIC is the largest school-museum campus in the U.S. Photo by Kirk Gittings, The Art Institute of Chicago, Modern Wing.

march 1, 2010

arts

Avatar controversy illustrates critic overreaction to cigarette smoking in PG-13 movies by sahil ansari Cruella DeVille without her cigarette?

Popeye without his lopsided pipe? Not quite the same.

Today’s films are riddled with scenes of drugs, sex and violence. Everything from movies intended for children, which often have subtle innuendos aimed at making parents chuckle, to war movies, which are usually chalk-full of bone-chillingly realistic gore, are changing the modern moviegoer’s experience. Seeing how movie ratings have clearly changed over the years and have become much more lenient towards material once considered indecent, it’s ludicrous that some movie-goers have been campaigning to give movies featuring tobacco use an R rating.

The recent controversy surrounding smoking in the PG-13 film, “Avatar,” provoked both strong protests and equally adamant rebuttals.

Critics of the character Grace Augustine, a brash, cigarette-wielding environmental scientist, slammed the movie for its portrayal of excessive tobacco use and deemed the character a poor role model for kids. The main critics, members of a group called “Smoke Free Movies,” which has protested all smoking in films and goes so far as to claim that “any film that shows or implies tobacco should be rated R,” argued that minor drug use, like cigarette smoking, shouldn’t be featured in movies that kids could legally buy a ticket for and go see.

First and foremost, this complaint, which is focused on a very petty issue considering the wealth of much more substantive problems plaguing modern cinema, violates the true expression a director is entitled to.

As Cameron stated in an interview with

the New York Times, the criticized character’s rude, self-damaging behavior had artistic merit with respect to the film, as she was supposed to devalue her human body as compared to her “avatar.” As much as members of the “Smoke Free Movies” initiative would love the character in Avatar to be a well-mannered, god-fearing and vice-free woman, it simply would not be fitting for the character.

The beauty of the best artistic endeavors comes from their realism. While I by no means have a right to tell parents how much of the real world they should expose their kids to, when examining something like the rating system, it’s only fair to examine it in the context of our society. Kids are just as, if not more likely, to be negatively influenced by the hundreds of cigarette advertisements in magazines and the thousands of people smoking on the street than by a fictional character in a film.

Now while puffing a cig now and then is hardly grounds for an R rating, the Motion Picture Association of America should certainly pay close attention when films cross the line and begin to truly promote self-destructive behavior.

Case in point: Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” Apart from the language and violence, this film’s R-rating was wholly justified by its characters’ heroin use. A far more reasonable expectation for a higher rating would be films like Titanic, a PG-13 film with nudity and death, and even the Indiana Jones series, many of which are rated PG despite the violence.

Today, whether or not people like it, standards are changing—Dorothy ain’t falling asleep in fields of poppies no more. In the midst of all the blood and gore, cursing and sexuality that pervade today’s PG-13 films, cigarettes should hardly be parents’ primary concern. 

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17

American Idol: Quit While You’re Ahead

by Julia Weingardt The screaming, the golden tickets, the crazy wackjobs who think they can sing. It was all pretty entertaining—but come on Fox, it’s getting old.

It’s not just the audition madness of American Idol that’s getting repetitive. The show is in its ninth season, which means nine years of Ryan’s perfectly spiked hair and skinny ties, nine years of Randy’s “Yo dawg I wasn’t feelin’ it man” comments and nine years of Simon’s boring t-shirts and equally boring insults.

The opening rounds of the show have really become all about the judges, when in fact they should be focusing on the singers. In the earlier seasons, the judges told contestants that they were pitchy or that they were out of tune. Now the remarks consist of Simon rolling his eyes or Kara slowly nodding her head with her eyes watering in amazement. A judge’s job is to critique, but clearly this group has decided to leave that up to the voice coaches.

The only real improvement this year is the addition of Ellen DeGeneres, who adds a comedic aspect and a bit of an “every man” vibe to the show. Her comments are both witty and constructive, and her spontaneous personality brings a much-needed element of originality to the show.

There seems to be a trend in Fox’s judge selection over the past few seasons. Paula goes a little kooky, so Fox brings in Kara for a trial season. Next thing you know, Paula’s out, so now they’ve brought in Ellen—all in preparation for Simon’s departure next season.

Simon should be ecstatic. He’s jumping off a sinking ship and landing on a much cooler British one. Rumors have it that he’s introducing the talent search show “The X-Factor” to America and bringing Paula Abdul with him. America has waited long enough for the “Cabdul” showmance to continue, and the X-Factor’s success in the U.K. is a promising sign for the show’s American debut.

As if this wasn’t enough, Idol’s ratings are dropping.

Coverage of the Winter Olympics beat the U.S audience ratings of American Idol—making it the first show to do so in six years—and also marking the end of an era.

Idol is famous for discovering talent. It’s served its purpose and provided the world with some laughs and some good voices. Nonetheless, its time has come and gone, and it’s time to let the bevy of competitions take over in the talent search.

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18

arts

Ticketmaster, Live Nation merger nearing completion by parissa jaseb Two giant music competitors—Ticketmaster and Live Nation—have officially announced that they are joining together and will formally merge some time this year. The merger was proposed (and approved) in order to provide cheaper tickets and better deals, which has other live music vendors fearing a monopoly. The one huge entertainment company, Ticketmaster/ Live Nation will now handle ticket sales, live music, concert venues and tours for artists.

Following the concerns of a monopoly, the U.S. Justice Department stepped in, requiring Ticketmaster to license its ticketing software to an entertainment group called Anschutz, the country’s second most well-known concert manager and promoter. The aim of this mandate is to create at least one other strong competitor for Ticketmaster/Live Nation to work with.

“Perhaps even more troublesome however,” Steven Pearlstein, business columnist for the Washington Post wrote, “is that in order to provide sufficient competition to a bigger and more vertically integrated Ticketmaster, the government has put itself in the position of playing midwife to two other vertical mergers—one involving Anschutz, the other Comcast—making it even more difficult for small venues and independent promoters to survive.”

Since customers still fear the price of tickets skyrocketing, many worry over how the merger will impact ticket sales and distribution.

march 1, 2010

Illegal song downloads on the rise

by Jamie Norwood

graphic by

NEILL ROBERTSON

Seth Hurwitz, who owns the popular local music venues Merriweather Post Pavilion and the 9:30 Club, said that this merger could result in higher prices across the board.

“It will force bands to make decisions based on big national all-or-nothing-offers instead of considering each market carefully,” Hurwitz explained.

Talk of the merger started last February, and even then concerns about higher ticket prices and lack of competition in the box office business had been voiced.

In December 2008, Live Nation began selling tickets for bigger venues and bands, previously having only booked small bands at local clubs and bars. Live Nation soon gained celebrity clients, exerting more influence on the music industry.

Ticketmaster, the world’s largest ticket seller, finally faced some sizable competition. A mere six months after Live Nation burst onto the scene, the company was taking 16.5 percent of the Ticketmaster’s ticket sales, according to Irving Azoff and Eric Korman, the CEO and president of Ticketmaster, respectively.

They both believed the two companies would benefit from a merger, instead of facing constant competition from one another.

Sophomore Sarah Backenstoe called the merger a “positive thing” and said that it would reduce prices.

“If the companies work together to keep scalpers out, it would keep ticket prices down,” she said. 

Looking into the D.C. jazz scene...

BY SAHIL ANSARI AND ZACH SCHLOSS

Above the din and chatter of the crowded street, senior Aaron Seeber can hear the sound of two saxophones. As a piano, upright bass and drum set join in, he finds himself immersed in a world of blowing changes, improvisation and broken time. A stomping ground for passionate artists, Washington, D.C. has established itself as home to some of the finest jazz clubs and musicians in the country.

“U Street is where all the jazz is,” Seeber says. “If you go there after 8 p.m., everything is jazz. It’s pretty surprising because most people think D.C. has a dead jazz scene, but you go there and a lot of the stuff that they’re playing is stuff that’s considered to be pretty modern jazz.”

Popular jazz clubs such as Bohemian Caverns, Cafe Nema, Twins Jazz and U-Topia all call the U Street area home. On a typical weekend evening, the area is saturated with the sound of live music until nearly four in the morning.

Seeber, who plays drums and has participated in everything from the Maryland All-State jazz ensemble to combos made up of the area’s top players, says he has played jazz in D.C. around 30 times. With the help of his mentor, professional saxophonist Paul Carr, he has landed gigs at U Street venues, other clubs like HR-57 on 14th Street, private parties and even some embassies.

Twins Peter and Will Reardon-Anderson (’05) frequently played at clubs and other venues in the area, including Peter’s favorite, the Kennedy Center—gigs they say provided them with invaluable experience.

“When we were in our junior and senior years of high school, we had a car so we could drive down there,” says Peter, who, along with his brother, is currently working toward his master’s degree at the Julliard School in New York City. “You can’t really learn to play jazz without going out and doing it. You can only practice so much before you need the actual experience.”

Peter says his experiences in D.C. readied him for the overwhelming jazz culture in one of the world’s jazz hubs, Manhattan.

“It kind of prepared us for New York a little bit because New York is like [U Street] in a lot of places,” Peter says. “There are dozens of jazz clubs here and different places to play. We’re really fortunate to have D.C. That’s really what got us started and made us decide that we wanted to do this for a living.”

Although not especially known for its jazz scene, D.C. has always possessed a jazz-centric culture. In fact, jazz legends like D.C. native and renowned bandleader Duke Ellington and trumpeter Miles Davis all frequented the local venues in their heyday.

“The energy is kind of electric,” Carr says.

According to Carr, U Street was revitalized a few years ago, a change that brought about the emergence of several new jazz clubs.

“The closest thing it reminds me of is New York City in the ‘80s, when you could just walk up and down the street and could go to different jazz clubs,” he says. “Especially in the summertime, there are people walking around and you can hear the music just out of the windows.”

Drive about two-and-a-half miles from U Street, down New Hampshire Avenue, and take a right onto M Street towards Wisconsin Avenue and you’ll reach Blues Alley, not only the most popular live jazz establishment in all of D.C., but one of the most renowned clubs in the world.

Founded in 1965, Blues Alley is the oldest dinner-serving jazz club in the nation. Tucked away in an alley off of a side street in Georgetown, artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Ella Fitzgerald have performed within its walls.

“Blues Alley gets all the big names,” says Seeber, who has had the privilege of actually playing there before. “Really well-known international musicians play there.”

In fact, students frequently rely on professionals in the area to tutor them in jazz music and draw them into the scene. Since Carr, a musician and educator, first arrived in D.C. in 1983, he has dedicated vast amounts of his time mentoring promising young jazz musicians. A frequent player at all the popular clubs in the area, Carr transferred to Howard University for the sole purpose of playing straight-ahead jazz, a widely accepted style of jazz especially popular in D.C. With a focus on engaging younger, developing musicians in the world of jazz, he started the Jazz Academy in 2002, an audition-only group of high school students that lands gigs all over town.

The Jazz Academy also sponsors a summer camp, known as the “JAM Camp,” to which Carr brings musicians he knows from across the country, including famous saxophone player Branford Marsalis.

“I wanted to have a place where I could teach young players about jazz in a formalized camp setting, and I wanted them to play with professional musicians,” Carr explains.

The Jazz Academy attracts students from all across the state, including many from Whitman, with its various opportunities to both study music and play gigs. It has won the Silver Spring Jazz Festival high school competition three times, and held the first annual Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival on Feb. 19 this year.

“Some of the most famous musicians in D.C. came to play and it was really cool being surrounded by all these jazz musicians all the time.” 

photo by

SAHIL ANSARI

A junior boy has downloaded thousands of songs to his iPod, but he has never paid for music. Limewire, Rhapsody, Kazaa. The list of downloading sites goes on and on. Paying for music these days is almost unheard of.

Over 95 percent of music downloaded in 2009 was done so illegally, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Bethesda psychologist Adam Klein believes illegal downloading is popular because it’s easy and accessible.

“It’s the experience of the thrill, the feeling of getting something for nothing and beating the system,” he says.

Even though 90 percent of teens surveyed during a 2008 Microsoft News Center study believed that stealing a bike warranted punishment, only half thought that any sort of penalty should be attached to illegally downloading music.

Klein notes that if presented with the opportunity, most people will take the easy way out. He relates stealing music to navigating the complexities of high school.

“Getting into college and going to college,” he says. “This is being in the system. But then there’s the group of kids who cheat the system by skipping class.”

One junior girl says she regularly uses Acquisition.com to download free music.

“I wouldn’t steal from a store because I see that as morally wrong,” she says.

“Downloading music is different because it’s so much more accessible.”

In today’s world, new methods of downloading emerge regularly. The newest, Dirpy.com, allows users to rip the audio from a YouTube video, and transfer it directly to their iTunes library.

A majority of students see nothing wrong with using these websites.

“I think there’s bigger problems out there than music being downloaded,” sophomore Emilia McNally says. “I like Dirpy because it’s quick and easy; it goes straight to your iTunes.”

People are prone to illegally download, or as Klein sees it, beat the system.

While students assume illegally downloading music has few negative repercussions, Dave Bett, a design director at Sony music who has worked with artists like Bruce Springstein and John Legend, understands its consequences.

“Reality check: some very talented person poured his or her heart and soul into writing and recording that music,” he says. “It’s their livelihood. They didn’t intend for it to be free. They need to get paid like anyone who’s doing a job. So… it’s stealing.”

Bett explains that because this generation has grown up downloading music, they are removed from the visceral experience of albums.

“The art is totally superfluous when it’s downloaded illegally,” he says.

Lawyer Mark Schneider was a client for the Recording Industry Association of America, a company that represents major music labels, including Sony and Universal. He explains that stealing music is considered acceptable because it’s not a physical action.

“When you steal a bike you steal it from somebody,” Schneider says. “As well as depriving the bike maker of a sale.

But when you steal music, you are not depriving anyone who bought the music of anything. You are only depriving the music maker of a sale.”

The Institute for Policy Innovation concludes that music piracy has cost the music industry $12.5 billion in revenue and 71,060 U.S. jobs.

Schneider believes that people feel comfortable illegally downloading music because they can’t immediately see the effect it has. However, if illegal downloading of music continues, Schneider asserts that it will result in the death of the music industry.

“No money, no music.” he says. “A few big super stars like Lady GaGa, Pink and Beyonce can make a go of it, but what about everybody else?” 

march 1, 2010

arts

19

Applying to conservatories: a whole different story by adam glazer and ryan hauck Music emanates from below the floorboards late into the night. Its 2 a.m; a figure attacks the piano, her fingers frantically flying up and down the keys.

To some this may sound a little crazy, but for Maryam Kheirbek, this is the sound of her college application.

For most students, there is little they can do during the college application process but labor over essays and debate over which teachers will write them the best recommendations. Most of what will get them into school, their GPA and test scores, is already finalized. But for students who apply to prestigious conservatories, hundreds of hours of practice comes down to a 10 minute live audition.

“When you apply to these conservatories, it’s basically a whole other layer of work, because you have to apply regularly and write all the essays, and then you have to go and do the auditions,” says Andrew Dahreddine, who applied to nine schools for acting. “It’s much more work than people think.”

The typical audition involves an interview followed by two to four pieces—or monologues for actors—but requirements differ from school to school.

“The auditions are definitely the biggest component,” Kheirbek says about the process. “There is a lot of preparation even before senior year. You want to practice until you think ‘this is the highest level I can perform at.’”

Preparing for these auditions are particularly time consuming. Kheirbek practiced her audition pieces seven days a week for five to six hours a day preparing for her audition at prestigious conservatories like Juilliard, Peabody and Eastman. A typical day consists of her finishing her homework in the basement, starting piano practice at five or six and ending at 10 or 11 at night.

“I practiced really hard the week leading up to the audition,” says Sarah Blush who auditioned at four theater conservatories. “The night before I didn’t do anything else; I just read my monologue a million times.”

Most students agree that intense stress accompanies the audition process.

“It’s stressful in all aspects: financially, time-wise,” Dahreddine explains. “You put the time in before the audition practicing the monologues, and then afterwards you have to go to the schools.”

“Scheduling the auditions themselves are a little bit stressful, because all of the schools go to New York for one weekend to audition, so you have to schedule around that,” he continues. “Luckily, I could do three in D.C., but the other six I had to carefully map out which school I could do when.”

But Dahreddine considers himself lucky compared to others who have to go through the process.

“I got off easy, only missing one day [of school],” he says. “Some people go to all their schools individually, and they missed a ton.”

Sarah Blush says the process was

photo by

especially hard because she had to add travel and practice time to her numerous other extracurricular activities, such as directing the Talent Show and acting in Amadeus.

“I have to learn lines not just for the auditions but for the show, and I have music on top of that,” Blush says.

Blush also says that applying to conservatories proved difficult because the counseling department has less experience with guiding students through the process than they do for more conventional universities.

“I felt a little bit alone,” she adds.

Guidance counselor Fran Landau

Bigger doesn’t always mean better:

Nominees diverse but uneven in larger Best Picture category by adam glazer With the 82nd annual Academy Awards approaching fast, it seems like a good time to look back on the movies that were released in the last year and think about which will have classic potential and which should best be forgotten.

This year has been a good one for films, maybe not a great one, but definitely a new and interesting one. This year’s Oscars, which will start at 8 p.m. Sunday on March 7, will be the first in more than six decades to feature 10 Best Picture nominees instead of five. Critics of the change claim that the switch back to 10 nominees is merely a marketing ploy to sell tickets and DVDs with a “nominated for Best Picture” sticker on them. But hopefully, the higher number of nominees will add diversity.

This year’s nominees span a variety of genres, including everything from James Cameron’s blockbuster hit, “Avatar,” to the critically acclaimed Pixar film, “Up,” to the heartbreaking and powerful “Precious.” Though all the films have their share of memorable moments and quality directing, two front-runners stand out for their refreshing perspectives.

“The Hurt Locker,” directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who has never directed a film of this caliber before, arguably has the best acting of the year with the portrayal of soldiers in Iraq. The subtlety of the performances by Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty as a bomb-diffusing squad is impressive, and they do a great job

conveying their characters fear and courage when enemy fire.

Long, well-developed scenes aren’t often seen these days because of audiences’ short attention spans, but “Hurt Locker” doesn’t shy away from using long shots. Far from losing the audiences’ attention, the day-by-day filming of the soldiers diffusing bombs that have the capability to destroy whole city blocks gives the film an almost documentary feel at times. A movie with no frills that presents an apolitical perspective on the war, “Hurt Locker” deserves to join the ranks of other highly-esteemed war movies like “Saving Private Ryan.”

Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” a feat of cinematic satire and B-movie n o s t a l g i a, f e a t u r e s m a s t e r f u l portrayals of vengeful JewishAmerican G.I.s and maniacal Nazis who are too smart for their own good. While quirkier than typical Oscar’s fare, the lengthy orchestrated conversations between characters that have become a Tarantino signature are refreshing and keep the film competitive. It’s also fun to watch Brad Pitt with a deep southern accent and Tim Roth, nicknamed “The Bear Jew,” bring the pain to some evil Nazis.

While the much-hyped “Avatar” has the potential to revolutionize special effects, employing jawdropping 3-D in ways that no one has ever seen before, the plot and the acting are easily forgettable.

Without the 3-D effects, “Avatar” would be just another movie playing at the local multiplex. As far as war movies go, “Avatar” has

SARAH KLOTZ

Music teacher Wayne Chadwick records with students who plan to send CDs to colleges.

a few undeniably cool scenes, but I much prefer the realism of “Hurt Locker.” “Avatar’s” boy-and-girlfall-in-love-but-can’t-be-together and young-hero-switches-sidesand-helps-the-underdogs/natives plot has been remade thousands of times, albeit never in 3-D before and you can easily bet money on the outcome if you’ve seen “Dances with Wolves” or “Pocahontas.”

Another movie that doesn’t deserve the award is Peter Jackson’s “District 9,” coincidentally another sci-fi film. While the acting is better than that in “Avatar” and the special effects are of a ‘high level’, the movie itself seems like a summer time action movie that has no business even being considered for Best Picture. While fans of the movie consider it an obvious metaphor for apartheid, and I agree that the reversal of roles, where humans enslave aliens, is intriguing, the movie doesn’t build enough on these concepts.

Still, both “District 9” and “Avatar” deserve commendation for their depictions of aliens, which are usually either over-the-top or cliché. The tall, blue people of “Avatar” were perfect inhabitants of their lush environment, and the prawn-like aliens of “District 9” also fit their trash-covered slums.

But while “District 9” began well with imaginative aliens and their attempted relocation by the South African government, it quickly lost momentum and fell apart.

This film would have had a chance to be considered a Best Picture contender, but unfortunately, they don’t hand out awards for Best First 30 Minutes. 

The best of the rest...

Supporting Actress: Mo’nique Supporting Actor: Christopher Walsh Makeup: Star Trek Sound: Avatar Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker Animated Feature: Up Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman, Up in the Air Documentary: The Cove

agrees that counselors are unable to assist students applying to conservatories as fully as they can students applying to national universities or liberal arts schools.

“It’s a much more complex process,” she says. “We definitely don’t hold their hand through it.”

Although the students know that auditions are hit or miss, Kheirbek says she feels confident that her hard work will pay off.

“I get less nervous when I’m prepared,” she says. “I’ve done as much as I can.

Whatever happens, happens.” 

A second opinion: Danny Parris picks his winners Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious” Why: The Oscars always love a comeback, and Mo’nique’s transformation from pedestrian showings in movies like “Phat Girls” and “Domino” to her powerful performance in “Precious” will unquestionably be rewarded by the Academy.

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side” Why: The race for Best Actress can be narrowed down to Carey Mulligan from “An Education” and Sandra Bullock from “The Blind Side.” I give a slight advantage to Bullock, whose movie grossed 25 times the amount of Mulligan’s.

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart” Why: Bridges has won almost every single notable award leading up to the this year’s Academy Awards, and he is long overdue for an Oscar after four previous nomination, but no wins.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker” Why: More than 90 percent of the time the Directors Guild award and the Academy Award for directing go to the same nominee. If the Directors Guild picked Bigelow, then so will I.

Foreign Language Film: The White Ribbon Cinematographer: The Hurt Locker Film Editing: The Hurt Locker Art Direction: Sherlock Holmes Visual Effects: Avatar Original Song: “The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart Original Score: Up Costume Design: The Young Victoria

20

ARTS

Date Lab

march 1, 2010

It could be the start of something new. This Valentine’s Day, the Black & White matched up two seniors and two juniors.

Let’s take a look at what happened during their blind dates.

BY Jamie Norwood and Kirstin Baglien

Evan Burnes and Susannah Savage 5:30 p.m. Starbucks

Ned Daryoush and Emily Madden 7:30 p.m. Cosi

About the Daters

About the Daters

What’s your type?

Ned: I like a girl that’s got some class, who’s intelligent and savvy but at the same time a fun person to be around.

Emily: Someone easy to talk to, nice, interested in sports.

What’s your type?

Evan: Chill, with a subtle yet refined sense of humor.

Susannah: I don’t know if I really have a “type”—but I definitely like guys that are funny and intelligent. Also, the guy has to be confident. Confidence is really attractive in boys.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Ned: Friendly, smart, respectful.

Emily: Outgoing, motivated, friendly.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Evan: Tall, dark and handsome.

Susannah: Friendly, quirky and passionate.

Do you have any hobbies?

Evan: Playing Frisbee and watching Iron Chef.

Susannah: I play trombone. I also watch Law and Order all the time. Whenever there’s a Law and Order marathon, I’ll probably be watching it.

On a Saturday night you can typically be found…

Evan: Somewhere in the corner.

Susannah: Watching a movie with friends.

On a Saturday night you can typically be found…

Ned: With friends or family (specifically my dad).

Emily: Going to Bethesda to the movies and dinner with my friends or my sister-in-law.

Do you have any hobbies?

Ned: Not any that I can think of.

Emily: I do musical theater. I also root for Duke and Maryland.

The Play-by-Play The Play-by-Play Evan: I felt pretty good about the date—I was pretty confident that it would be fun.

We met up at Starbucks. I was 15 minutes late.

Susannah: I wasn’t nervous at all. I got there first, so everyone that walked in the store must have thought I was a little strange, considering I kept staring at whoever was coming in.

Evan: I thought she was really nice and very fun to talk to. I told her how I won an Oreo-stacking contest in third grade, and then she challenged me to stack Oreos. I won 38 to 37.

Susannah: We went to Giant to buy a bunch of Oreos, since he told me a story about how he won an Oreo-stacking contest when he was 8 or something. We had our own contest, and I won 39-38.

Evan: We went to the metro and took the red line to the zoo. We then saw the panda that was leaving, and subsequently stocked up on panda merchandise.

Susannah: Then we found our way back to the designated Starbucks after narrowly escaping a fire on the red line and talked for an hour.

Evan: We talked about a lot of stuff, such as sports, the state of the union, and the corruption of the college application process. Then I walked gallantly into the sunset.

Susannah: I would say the date was a 7.5-8 [out of 10], because he was so easy to talk to. I thought it was going to be really awkward, considering it was a blind date, but it wasn’t at all. I had a really good time!

Evan: I would rate it around an 8. I had a very fun time and the pandas were awesome. And how could you not enjoy stacking Oreos?

Ned: I wasn’t really sure what to expect because I had no idea who it would be, and I’ve surprisingly never been to Cosi. These two things made me feel kind of uneasy going into it.

Emily: I was nervous. It could go badly if I didn’t know the person at all; it could be really awkward.

Ned: I got to Cosi maybe 5-10 minutes before she did. It was really weird because they kept trying to take my order, but I was trying to explain that I was with someone else. I did a lot of staring blankly at the entrance, waiting for someone that I knew or recognized.

Emily: There weren’t a lot of other people there so I saw him as soon as I came in.

I was excited because I knew he was really nice, but I had never gotten a chance to get to know him before.

Ned: When she got there I was very relieved because I know that she has an awesome personality.

Emily: We sat at a table against the wall and both ordered chicken pesto sandwiches. While we were waiting for our food there was some interesting music playing. Ned started tapping the drum beat on the table and then he explained that since he plays Rock Band so much he just randomly taps beats.

Ned: We talked about the super bowl, TV shows, pretty much everything.

Emily: Ned and I talked about our families and our relationships with our siblings.

Then we talked about sports and stuff.

Ned: There were a lot of times where we just had nothing to say. There were a few awkward pauses but nothing too bad. On a scale of 1-10 I would give it a 7.5, something like that.

Emily: I would probably say an 8. Nothing really went wrong, and nothing embarrassing happened. It went pretty smoothly.

Ned: It was fun, we had a lot to talk about. She is a very nice and kind girl. 

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