volume 51, Issue 8 may 22, 2013
Walt whitman High school
7100 whittier boulevard
Bethesda, maryland 20817
theblackandwhite.net
Four language teachers leaving, Leef to be new department head
photos by PAULA OSPINA
by Casey Noenickx
Senior Johnny Poffley, below, celebrates his new title as Mr. Whitman May 17. The evening included a talent competition, a formal wear pageant and a group dance number. Poffley’s talent was speed-painting a self portrait.
Spring Fair returns this week by popular demand by Samantha Zambri
The Spring Fair is returning May 23 with an exciting afternoon featuring student bands, games, rides, food trucks and more. “We’re really excited for the spring fair this year because we have more rides and all new games that suit everyone, from elementary school kids to parents,” said junior Kate Goldberg, chair of spring fair. “It’s the last day for seniors, with a pep rally to celebrate our success with LLS month, Powderpuff football and the spring fair, so we expect our students to be pretty excited.” Last year, the SGA decided not to run the fair because of finanical issues, sponsor Sheryl Freedman said. Most of the money the organization raised was given to clubs, and not enough was left over to front fair costs, she said. This year, an amendment was added to the school constitution mandating that a budget for fund requests be set at the beginning of the school year. Planning ahead this way ensures that the SGA has enough money to host the fair, Freedman said. Because the spring fair usually doesn’t yield a profit, the SGA had to save almost $10,000 to host it, Goldberg said. “Even though over a thousand people come to the fair, the event costs so much to put on that we don’t usually make it up,” she said. “We’re hoping to actually make a profit this year because we have many more rides and games and there was much demand for the return of the fair from Whitman students.” Fair fare will be available with food trucks,
including sweet treats like Ben & Jerry’s and Crepe Amor. The food trucks are one of the most highly anticipated features, but also presented challenges in the planning process, Goldberg said. “The hardest part was getting the food trucks to work together because they’re all pretty competitive. Other than that, planning the fair was pretty easy,” she said. Nine student bands have signed up to play so far, including Alligator Haters and Magnetic Symphony. There are still spots open for people to perform, said senior Nick Bode, who is in charge of public relations. The SGA is emphasizing publicity this year, just in case the public doesn’t remember the fair because of its cancellation, secretary Andrea McDonald said. “We’re creating list-serves for elementary schools, fliers and emails,” she said. “We rely mostly on word of mouth, so we’re hoping people will spread the word on their own.” While the fair is mostly an SGA responsibility, community businesses also play a big part, Bode said. “We personally run all of the carnival games, but we use mostly local restaurants and companies for the bigger things, like the inflatable games and rides,” he said. The fair starts at 4:30 and admission is $5. “It’s one of our biggest events and everybody loves it,” Bode said. “The weather will be nice, there will be good food, there will be a lot of games, and it’s a fun spring event.”
This June, students will have to say “au revoir” to French teachers Genevieve Maloney, Nancy Barmak and French and Spanish teacher Pam Garcia, as well as “adios” to Spanish teacher Derrick Ryan, as the four foreign language teachers embark on different journeys. Spanish teacher Rebecca Leef will be replacing Garcia as the resource teacher. The French teachers plan to retire this year and take time off for themselves, hoping to relax and travel in their spare time, Barmak said. Having already traveled much of the world, Maloney wants to travel around the U.S. in her retirement. Barmak, also ready for a change, hopes to spend more time between here and Florida, where her fiancé is living. Ryan is moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts to be with his fiancé. He hopes to find a leadership position for next year and is interviewing for a position as an academic advisor at Tufts graduate school, as well as coordinator or director in study abroad programs at three different colleges, including Northeastern and Suffolk, Ryan said. “It’s bittersweet,” Ryan said. “I’m ready for something a bit more challenging in my life, but I’m going to miss the people here more than anything.” continued on page
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Parent follows rise of Nats star in ESPN documentary Jess Atkinson filmed 20-year old phenom Bryce Harper for over a year by Parisa Davoodi
When teenage phenom Bryce Harper was called up from the minor leagues to make his major league debut with the Washington Nationals last year, filmmaker Jess Atkinson rallied his crew, flew to Los Angeles and touched down by noon April 27 to shoot Harper playing in his first game at 3:30 p.m. Atkinson, the father of senior Jessica Atkinson, directed “Bryce Begins,” a documentary about Harper’s life and his journey to play Major League Baseball. He followed Harper with his production company, 3 Penny Films, for 18 months before and after his debut with the Nationals and travelled to 12 different cities to film key moments and interview Harper and other players. The documentary premiered April 30 on ESPN. When he began filming Harper in 2011 for background material, Atkinson noticed a composure that baseball fans seemed to miss. At the time, Harper was surrounded by social media hype after he was ejected from a minor league game and blew a kiss to a pitcher after a home run, all caught on video. Atkinson, a former professional football player, created the documentary to clear up misconceptions about Harper’s character. “I thought there might be a disconnect between the perceptions of him that I knew were out there, versus the reality of him,” he said. “We kept shooting and kept delving and kept following, and it turned out to be a pretty great story.” continued on page
2 NEWS County struggles with math exams
4 OPINION Ser vice trips neglect local needs
10 FEATURE 13 Sports
13
16 Q&A
Beach Week
Alternatives
Alum hopes to start for Terps
with screenwriter and former FBI agent Tim Clemente