The Black & White Vol. 54 Issue 1

volume 54, Issue 1 October 1, 2015

Walt whitman High school

7100 whittier boulevard

Bethesda, maryland 20817

theblackandwhite.net

BOE decision to end final exams produces mixed reactions

T

by rachel friedman

photo by TOMAS CASTRO

he MCPS Board of Education voted to end high school final exams starting Sept. 9 next school year, prompting both praise and protest.

The Poms team performs during halftime at the football game against the Landon Bears Sept. 11. Under the new leadership of former Pom captain Alexa Ciesinski (‘11), the squad has gained a new spark. For the full story, turn to page 14.

Alumni band signs deal with D.C. label

by Gabe Kahan

Growing up in the D.C. area, University of Michigan sophomore Aaron Ginns hopped from venue to venue playing with various bands during high school at the Field School. In the middle of his freshman year of college, he finally decided to form his own band. Six months later, he stumbled upon three talented Vikings.

This summer, a representative from the up-and-coming D.C. record label Split Tape Records dropped by Ginns’ house to watch a rehearsal with his new bandmates Colin Mitchell, Fidel Cano and Jake Parsky—all 2015 graduates. With Mitchell rocking out on drums, Cano thumping the bassline, Parsky shredding on the guitar and Ginns singing his heart out, their performance was well-received and now the newly formed band is going to sign a record deal with the label.

“Aaron’s just a great performer already,” Split Tape Records founder Sam Philips said. “Especially in front of a crowd he knows how to play to an audience and get them actively involved the show. I’ve only seen [the full band] once, but they were all solid musically.”

On a search for the best of the best in the area, Ginns first contacted Mitchell a little less than two years ago, after seeing videos of him drumming and hearing impressive reviews from all over. Mitchell seized the opportunity and suggested Cano and Parsky as possible band members.

“Through people in the area and

other musician friends—every time I’d ask them ‘who do you know who’s a good drummer, a good guitarist,’ consistently these guys’ names came up,” Ginns said.

The trio had played together countless times, performing in Whitman bands like the Cream Faced Loons and at events like Talent Show and Coffeehouse.

The three Vikings met Ginns at his house in March 2014 to see if they worked well together. Before long, the group developed chemistry and the Aaron Ginns Band was born.

That spring break, they toured local venues and rehearsed regularly.

“We all work well together and our blend is really nice because we know how one another plays, so it’s easy for us to connect musically.”

-Colin Mitchell (‘15) This summer the group reunited and Ginns decided to pop the question: was signing with a label of interest to the three of them?

“Of course we were very excited about that,” Cano said. “It was a great contract. They’re a very young record label, so they’re open to letting the artists do what they want and giving us a good share of the

profits.”

Split Tape Records will be booking gigs for the band, promoting their music on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and other music sharing networks as well as finding the band time in the studio, all in exchange for billing under the band’s name.

“It’s really exciting to have someone who is promoting your music,” Cano said. “We’ve all done a lot of performing before and we had to do all the promoting ourselves, and to be honest we don’t do a great job.”

They’ve started off playing the kind of ‘90s feel-good music people our age grew up on, Ginns said.

Their sound is closest to pop-rock and parallels artists like blink-182 and Simple Plan.

Although the artistic process is a collective effort, Ginns does the majority of the songwriting and vocals.

“I’ll come with an almost-completed song, but it doesn’t sound like the band until everyone gets their hands on it,” he said. “It’s definitely not a one man’s job.”

Putting together everything from typical, angsty teenager tunes to simple love songs, the group tries to produce music that audiences can sing along to and connect with.

“We’re all the same age, so the connection that we have as friends translates to the connection that we have as musicians,” Mitchell said.

“We all work well together and our blend is really nice because we know how one another plays, so it’s easy for us to connect musically.” continued on page

The county decided to phase out final exams in order to maximize instruction time, limit excessive testing, monitor student progress and provide ways other than a formal test for students to demonstrate knowledge, the MCPS website says. Instead, at the end of each quarter students will have a final assignment in the form of a test or project.

“I think the Board is trying to address an issue of overtesting,” said social studies resource teacher Bob Mathis. “I do believe that is a problem.”

In place of exams, MCPS will create a new system of grading, using either averaged quarter grades, trend quarter grades, final in-class assignments or averaged quality points, where each grade holds a different point value. Under the current system teachers average grades from two quarters and an exam that accounts for 25 percent of a student’s final grade.

MCPS has already taken steps to reduce standardized tests this year. Students who are required to take PARCC and HSA tests this spring won’t have final exams in June in those subjects. They will also only take PARCC once at the end of a course, not twice like last year.

“That’s what pushed a lot of high school principals over the brink, is to have to have all those months and days go to testing,” principal Alan Goodwin said.

“Dropping the ones associated with PARCC makes sense. I don’t know if dropping all of them makes sense.” continued on page 3

Overcrowding escalates in MCPS

by tessa klein

More and more students are being crammed into classes this year: NSL teacher Colin O’Brien’s eighth period has 38 students, despite a 36-person limit for the class. Chemistry teacher Jasen Gohn’s third period has 35.

Whitman isn’t alone. Overcrowding is an issue in the entire county now that MCPS has to accommodate its largest enrollment ever, with more than 2,500 new students this year. Enrollment increases of more than 17,000 over the past ten years have made it impossible to build schools and additions fast enough to keep up with the county’s constant growth.

“I can hardly name a part of the county that isn’t facing growth,” said Bruce Crispell, who directs long-range planning for MCPS. But enrollment increases aren’t the only challenge. A $53 million shortfall in its 2015-2016 budget has caused MCPS to make hundreds of staff cuts. At Whitman, the limit for class sizes has risen from 28 to 30 for English classes this year, yet many classes are still over capacity.

The higher student-to-teacher ratio makes one-on-one interaction difficult when a student has a problem, staff development teacher Suzanne Johnson said.

“I think everything is less organized and it takes longer for the teacher to get control of the students, so it slows the class down a little bit,” said sophomore Cameron Newcombe, a student in O’Brien’s 38-person class.

The larger class sizes present different challenges for different subjects. Spanish teacher Rebecca Leef faces problems teaching classes with as many as 37 students.

10

continued on page

2

Inside Look Bell Times Analysis Page 2

Opinion: End Early Decision Page 5

A school day around the world Pages 8 and 9

Students work on political campaigns Page 11

Whitman loses two top athletes Page 15

2

News

October 1, 2015

New ACT essay results in far from standardized reaction which students should have an informed opinion.”

With the new essay comes an updated scoring system. The essay will be graded on a scale from 1-36, rather than 2-12. Four subcategories of the essay will each be graded separately on a scale of 2-12 to provide a more detailed score, according to the ACT website.

“All the perspectives had different viewpoints, but they weren’t clear if it was a pro or con.”

-senior Ivori Liu Students have mixed reactions to the new essay.

“I liked it better,” senior Max Palermo said. “It made it easier to structure the essay with the three perspectives given. [This essay is] definitely an improve-

Packed district prompts new B-CC middle school by jennah haque

The BOE announced this spring that the county will build a new middle school for the B-CC cluster in Kensington due to overcrowding at Westland Middle School. Westland administration believes that the school, scheduled to open in 2017, is necessary despite mixed reactions.

“We have more than 200 students over capacity, and we run four lunches,” Westland Principal Allison Serino said. “The B-CC community is in need of a second [middle] school.”

Students who attend Chevy Chase and North Chevy Chase Elementary will feed into the new middle school rather than Westland.

A section of Rock Creek Hills Park has already been cleared for the school, with construction set to begin later this fall. The school will accommodate 950-1200 students.

The location selection process sparked opposition from councilmembers and residents.

Montgomery County Council members voiced concerns about the school’s hilly terrain, smaller size, close proximity to busy roads and $52.3 million price tag.

“I just think that we could build a better school for $52 million,” councilmember Marc Elrich said. “The kids deserve the best school that we can provide, and I think this site is going to create problems.”

Opponents signed petitions and filed lawsuits to halt construction, but efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.

Chief Operating Officer Andrew Zuckerman guaranteed that the school will be up to the same standards as any other middle school in the county.

“You can be assured that [the new school] has been designed and will be staffed to provide students with high-quality instructional programs,” Zuckerman said in a letter to the B-CC community.

ment from the old format.”

The essay was a better test of writing ability because it required more collected thought and organization, junior Tamar Jacobsohn said.

On the other hand, some students found the new prompt too complicated.

“While the extra time helped, I thought it was more confusing,” senior Ivori Liu said. “All the perspectives had different viewpoints, but they weren’t clear if it was a pro or con.”

It’s unclear how colleges will react to the modified test.

“We don’t yet know whether

these changes will make the writing test more relevant to colleges,” said Laura Registrato in an article for Prepscholar. com. “Ultimately, colleges won’t change their policies until the 2015 new ACT Writing test has been administered a few times, to see what the scores end up reflecting.”

Many schools found the old essay nonreflective of students’ writing ability, she said. The ACT claims the new version offers a deeper insight into writing quality.

While making these modifications, the ACT repeated its

commitment to limiting drastic adjustments.

“Innovation and continuous improvement … without the need for radical change,” the ACT website reads. “At ACT, we apply innovation at a responsible pace, always keeping our clients in mind.”

With this change, students looking to take the ACT should be safe from other alterations for a while.

“I’m not clairvoyant, but there’s currently no evidence suggesting that the ACT will undergo other major changes in the immediate future,” DuFresne said.

Overcrowding in MCPS continued from page

1

“In a world language class, it’s definitely more challenging because you can’t get to all the kids to hear everyone speak in the language,” Leef said. “It’s a lot of people, but I do think working in groups helps to make the class not seem as big.”

Biology teacher Janice Bauroth has problems with labs in her largest class of 35 students.

“With a lab science class, it gets complicated because they’re trying to do hands-on stuff with limited resources,” Bauroth said. “They’re not as engaged as they might be if they had smaller groups.”

In the past, elementary schools have been the most challenged by overcrowding, due to private school transfers, an increasing birth rate and new young families in the county. As these students are aging, they ‘re now causing strain on the middle and high schools, Crispell said.

Construction is now focused more on secondary rather than elementary schools. There are plans for an expansion of Whittier Woods in upcoming years, and schools across MCPS are using relocatable classrooms as a temporary fix for crowding.

“We have over-enrollment at Pyle and Whitman, so we’re planning additions,” Crispell said. “There’s nothing in the capital budget yet for funding, so

right now, the schools are projected to stay over-capacity.”

Already, two computer labs and a section of the WAUD have been converted into classrooms this year. Four relocatable classrooms will be requested for next year, but even that eventually won’t be enough, principal Alan Goodwin said.

Huge incoming classes from Pyle have the potential to exacerbate the problem if overcrowding isn’t addressed by the county. At Pyle last year, the average grade size was 493 stu-

dents, about 50 higher than the average grade size four years ago.

The current eighth grade at Pyle has 521 students, and typically class sizes increase by about 40-50 students at the ninth grade level because of new international students and transfers from private schools.

“We’re going to be taking out the senior class, which is under 500, and it’s going to be replaced with a grade that’s much bigger,” principal Alan Goodwin said. “So we’re really stuck.”

graph by IRELAND LESLEY

by rachel friedman

Beginning with the September test, the ACT introduced a longer and more thought-provoking essay to accompany the multiple choice sections of the test.

The essay prompt requires test-takers to compare three perspectives on an issue and establish their own positions in 40 minutes, rather than taking a simple pro or con stance in 30 minutes.

The new essay also focuses on larger societal issues such as the balance between public health and personal freedoms, rather that the old edition’s focus on teenagers’ simple problems and everyday experiences, PrepMatters tutor Andrew DuFresne said.

Despite the increased complexity of questions, the new prompts still relate to student life.

“I think it can be argued that these questions are still extremely relevant to the lives and experiences of today’s teenagers,” DuFresne said. “The essay prompts appear to be questions about

MCPS student enrollment has increased by more than 17,000 students in the past 10 years. This has made it impossible to build schools fast enough to keep up with the growth. Numbers projected are for 2015.

News

october 1, 2015

3

An alarming change: one Students, teachers mostly lukewarm on later start time student’s perspective by naomi meron

Debate over school start times has loomed large over the last few years, but now that the changes have taken effect, students and teachers are learning to live with the shift.

To help students get more sleep, the Board of Education voted in February to start and end high schools 20 minutes later. Their decision has received mixed reviews.

“Although 20 minutes may not be ideal for extending sleep time for all high school students, it is a move in the right direction,” BOE president Patricia O’Neill said in a public announcement in February.

Not all students, however, view this adjustment as an improvement. A loss of time for homework and extracurriculars is the main complaint from students since they now have to work later in the night.

“School feels longer, homework gets pushed back, and I go to sleep later,” junior Sabrina Gooptu said.

Additionally, delaying the start of school has caused students and teachers to travel during the height of rush hour.

“There seems to be a lot more traffic in the morning,” science teacher Janice Bauroth said. “I have to leave at the same time [as before].”

Assistant principal Jerome Easton notices other problems from the late release. “[The students] get home later each day, which can be problematic, par-

ticularly for those who have to watch a younger brother or sister,” Easton said.

Other schedule changes include the delay of the media center closing from 3:00 to 4:00. The staffing for these hours was funded by the Whitman Education Foundation.

Some teachers and students like the new schedule. Even if students and teachers don’t get more sleep, the extra time in the morning relieves stress, social studies teacher Andrew Sonnabend said.

Sonnabend isn’t alone in his support.

“I feel less horrible than I normally do during the day,” sophomore Kelsie Oshinsky said.

Even with the pressures of schedule changes and adjustments, many feel that the switch in start times has an overall positive effect.

“It’s not like the last three years where I had to rush out the door,” senior Makiko Miyazaki said. “I have 20 [more] minutes in the morning. That’s very helpful.”

Scan for a video of student reactions to start times on www.theblackandwhite.net

by Jay Silver

Yesterday morning, as I lay in a slumber, my alarm clock slowly crawled toward 7:00. But unlike previous years, it moved past the old threshold and rang instead at 7:20 in an earth-shattering din.

Although MCPS’ decision to push school start times back 20 minutes may have seemed insignificant at the time, trust me, the impact is huge—especially for a senior who doesn’t particularly want to be at school in the first place. And though I’m not going to provide a solution—treat this column more like the my Declaration of Rights and Grievances—here are a couple of my thoughts on the change.

First, the positive: the extra 20 minutes in the morning. Do I actually gain more sleep as a result? Sometimes. Does it give me more time to tie up loose ends of homework? Absolutely—I’ve used the extra time for homework three mornings in the past school week.

Now, the negatives: First, the day seems to crawl by significantly more slowly than past years. First period now takes an aeon to complete, ending at 8:30 instead of 8:10.

My mental clock, like most other sophomores, juniors, and seniors’, is set to the old schedule and I feel more like I’m traversing the desert with Moses and the chosen people for forty days and forty nights instead of sitting in school for eight periods.

Second, lunch has never seemed further away, making me grumble in more ways than one. The time shift makes me hungrier way before my designated lunch period.

When I reach for my brown paper bag in third period, eating the apple doesn’t seem it’ll cause any ripples. Then, after shoving chips down my gullet at the ripe time of 9:45, I start to see the way that the change in start times has ravaged my lunchbag.

After finishing off the sandwich in fourth period, I realize my premature eating cause the last two periods of the day to grind up an agonizing crawl. Snickers’ recent ad campaign that stressed that “you aren’t you when you’re hungry” couldn’t be more accurate. When you’re hungry enough to feel like you’re James Franco in 127 Hours, your palate is trained to accommodate eating foods that should be saved for lunch but are consumed in the ungodly hours of the morning. The depravity!

With any change in MCPS policy, there’ll be complaints—and bell times are no exception. And though I’ve dished out complaints on the change as of late, I might just adjust to it and eat my words.

Central Americans adjust to new lives in MCPS

by Avery Muir

The real names of the students and their schools have been withheld to protect their privacy.

Three years ago, Anna chose to give up a life with her mother in the Dominican Republic for better opportunities in the United States. Now a senior in MCPS, she’s just like anyone else—she plays volleyball, works at a bakery after school and hopes to become a dentist.

Montgomery County saw an influx of enrolled students coming from Central and South America last year. Margot Dionne, a Black & White reporter, visited an MCPS high school last September to talk to student immigrants and hear their stories. I recently went back to the same school with Margot to see how those students have adjusted to their new lives in the U.S. When we visited the school, we found that there wasn’t as big of a spike in ESOL enrollment this year. One teacher speculated that more students will enroll this winter as students with “transient housing situations”

move into the area. While recent immigrant families are settling down, they tend to move often as their financial situations improve, she said.

Clara, a student from Honduras whom Margot spoke to last year, is not at the school anymore; she moved away in the middle of last winter.

Students who immigrate either alone or with siblings often meet up with family members who have already established lives in America.

Anna left her home in the Dominican Republic with her brother and sister, and moved in with their father, who had come into the country when she was younger. She answered me in English for a few questions, but in Spanish through a translator for the rest. She told me about her brother, her job at the bakery and how she’s thinking of trying out for the volleyball team, seeming settled and happy.

“There’s a lot more freedom in school here,” she said. “You can use your iPods, color your hair and paint your nails, and in the Dominican Republic you can’t do

that. It’s really strict there.”

About a month ago, Anna and her brother returned to their old home in Santo Domingo. They saw their mother for the first time in two years, after only being able to connect through daily phone calls.

“It was very nice and I cried a lot,” she said.

Another student, Daniel, is now 16 and living with his mom, who originally felt more like a distant aunt to him. He left Peru last year to escape a toxic relationship with his father and to get to know his mother, who had been living in the United States since he was a baby. He met her for the first time last year, but now feels more comfortable around her, he said.

Over the past year, Daniel and Anna have both been working on improving their English. Not only are they moving out of some of their ESOL classes into Englishspeaking classes, but they also both have jobs and are starting to think about the next step—college.

For immigrants, the cost of college can be hard to handle, es-

pecially if they also need to work to help support their families. For undocumented immigrants, college may not even be a possibility.

“We have a lot of students who feel like they have to work, so college is not always a priority, although we encourage it and say that it is possible to do both,” a resource teacher at Daniel and Anna’s school said. “But some students have a goal and they know exactly what they want to do and they’re going to finish high school, go to college, and have their plans made out that way.”

Under the Dream Act, the 250,000 undocumented immigrants in Maryland can be given in-state tuition rates as long as they meet certain requirements, including attending high school in Maryland for at least three years before college. In some other states, undocumented students are ineligible for in-state tuition, but that doesn’t keep them from applying for financial aid or scholarships.

At Daniel and Anna’s school, ESOL teachers, counselors and parent coordinators collaborate

to guide and support immigrant students.

“These kids have a lot of needs,” the same teacher said.

“The priority is to provide them a safe place where they can feel comfortable to learn English, get them into English classes as soon as possible, get the students graduated, and offer them resources to prepare for college.”

For Anna and Daniel, college means more than just a better future. It’s also a chance to reunite with their families.

Anna wants to bring her mother to the United States. She hopes to start a stable career and one day be able to get her mother a visa. Daniel aspires to become a doctor after college so he can pay for his grandparents to emigrate from Peru.

Navigating this new way of life has been difficult, but Daniel says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I want to do something with my life,” he said.

To read last year’s story, go to the print archive on www.theblackandwhite.net for Volume 53, Issue 1.

Final exams removed from curriculum starting next year continued from page

1

Many students feel final exams didn’t accurately test student knowledge.

“I think that final exams aren’t a fair indicator of our year and are a complete waste of time and stress,” junior David Rechtman said. “How will you do just depends on how much time you spend studying.”

Dropping final exams should prevent students from abusing the current system.

“Up until now, for some of these kids, it doesn’t matter.

‘I can flunk this exam and I can still get a B in the class,’— that’s unfortunately been the attitude,” foreign language teacher Isabella Kyser said.

Some speculate that students with accommodations will particularly benefit from the change.

Special education students often do well in class, but struggle when they have to sit through the lengthy exam, said Laura Safran who teaches special education English.

While many teachers recognize overtesting as an issue, cutting semester cumulative tests could lead to other problems. They worry the quarter assessments won’t be sufficient in testing total course knowledge and students won’t be prepared for their college futures.

“I’m worried if this is the best interest for kids, for grading and for college,” Mathis said. “If you’ve never had to sit there and do a two-and-a-half-hour test, it could be a rude awakening.”

Some teachers are also worried about finding time to grade without exam week.

“While I think an extra couple of weeks of instruction is a good thing, it’s really nice to have that time at the end of a school year to finish grading papers and projects,” said English teacher Emily Glass. “Without that time built into our day I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

MCPS’ sudden decision to end exams was unsettling

due to the limited community input, some teachers say.

“Forget the outcome, I just think there wasn’t much processing done by the public,” Mathis said.

MCPS started looking into eliminating final exams over the summer when the Board’s Policy Management Committee began to develop alternatives to two hour exams “in response to parent and community interest in reducing the amount of testing and maximizing instructional time,” the MCPS website said.

Public comment on grading alternatives is welcome on the MCPS website.

While seemingly drastic, the decision likely won’t affect Whitman students too much in the long run.

“Our kids do well— you’re going to do well whether you have a semester final or not,” Mathis said. “It doesn’t make or break you.”

4

News

October 1, 2015

Google Classroom introduced to teachers, students

By Avery Muir

in a Twitter-like feed.

“I know students like to use technology,” Spanish teacher Fabiola Kastenhuber said. “So I thought it would be a great tool to communicate in a different way and maintain contact.”

But, for teachers who already use Edline to post links or class materials, Google’s version may seem like an unnecessary change.

“I’m not sold yet on the advantages of it over Edline,” social studies teacher Andrew Sonnabend said. “I don’t love the Twitter feed-style layout of it, but I’m not going to say I’m not going to use it. I still need time to check it out.”

While the two programs are similar, students can work directly on documents attached to assignments on Classroom, a feature Edline doesn’t offer. Assignments can be turned in over the Internet , whereas with Edline students can only view the

assignment or worksheet. The teacher can comment or grade the assignment electronically with Classroom, eliminating the need for a paper copy.

However, some students find this function more an annoyance than an asset, especially when software glitches and problematic WiFi slow the app’s efficiency.

Classroom runs through the internet, so it only functions when computers are connected to WiFi. When the connection is slow or spotty, opening, saving and turning in documents can become problematic.

“Google Classroom is fine for some things,” junior Sierra Johnston said. “But turning in assignments seems like it would be really simple, and then isn’t.”

Other students prefer to turn in work online because it keeps all of their documents in one place.

“With Classroom you can get a feed, and everything’s a little more accessible,

freshman Kalia Dell said. ”You can see your assignments and turn them in online.”

Last year, Pyle switched to Google Classroom for most academic classes, so freshmen should already have experience with the new system.

MCPS has tried to adopt different programs over the last few years to ease online communication in the most cost effective way possible. Since the county now widely uses Chromebooks, laptops that run completely through Google, Classroom is a natural accompaniment.

“I can distribute papers, I can distribute links, and I’m not spending time at the Xerox machine. It’s just a little more efficient,” English teacher Michelle Quackenbush said. “But I think we’re on a learning curve and trying to figure out what works with it, and when we should avoid it.”

“It updates a lot faster, and it’s easier when [teachers] send out assignments because you get them right away.”

-sophomore Freya Keto

“I personally don’t go on it at all. I’m used to Edline and it works well, and Google Classroom is just unnecessary. Everything is already on Edline.”

-junior Olivia Meyer

“It’s kind of annoying having to use both [Edline and Google Classroom] for some classes and not others.”

-junior Jack Feigin

“If we can provide students and even faculty, to a certain extent, alternatives on where they can work, I think that would be helpful.”

-social studies teacher Andrew Sonnabend

photos by MICHELLE JARCHO

Google Drive. Google Chrome. Chromebooks. Now, add Google Classroom to the list of indispensable tools for a paperless school.

Google Classroom is an online forum where students can receive assignments and communicate with their classmates and teachers. Teachers can choose to adopt the new program this year, but it could become mandatory next fall as a replacement for Edline.

Like Google Drive, Classroom is a cloud-based application, meaning it’s accessible from any phone or computer via Gmail instead of from a physical computer hard drive. The program saves all edits online so documents and projects can seamlessly sync between computers at school and computers at home. Classroom also includes a stream function so all posts from the teacher or classmates can be seen

October 1, 2015

opinion

5

cartoon by SEBI SOLA-SOLE

Staff Editorial

Early Decision unfair, gives wealthy luxury of choice

by Jason Grill

ter for Education Statistics reports.

Students who apply ED must do so without knowing how much aid they will receive, surrendering their ability to compare aid offers if they are accepted.

As a result, students who know they’ll need aid often choose not to apply ED, losing the luxury of choice that wealthy students get. There’s an inherent unfairness if some students can pick any college while others are forced to wait so they can be guaranteed aid.

Some colleges have added simple and accurate financial aid calculators to their websites, but this trend hasn’t spread to every college and these calculators can’t guarantee any aid. And some schools may allow students to get out of their ED agreements if their family is able to prove the offered aid package isn’t enough. However, such instances are rare, and only serve to show how difficult the application process can be for less fortunate students.

With tutors, standardized test preparation companies or private college consultants, the wealthy have the upper hand in the application process. Education should put everyone on an even playing field, regardless of their financial status—and Early Decision plans are only tilting it further in favor of the rich.

Only 30 percent of Americans are able to administer CPR, according to the American Heart Association.

Because of this, thousands of people who collapse from heart attacks or breathing difficulties are put at risk every year. A first-aid training requirement in health classes could remedy this situation by teaching an entire generation of students a vital life skill.

Starting this year, school districts in Maryland have added CPR training and automatic external defibrillator instruction to their curricula.

But this limited instruction isn’t enough. A first-aid certification means students would be able to perform CPR and respond to common emergencies, inluding burns and cuts, and head, neck and back injuries.

Nearly 383,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur annually, with 337,040 of these occuring at home. CPR can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival—but only 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander, the American Heart Association reports.

Students who have taken first-aid certification classes say they finish the class feeling more prepared for an emergency situation, since they get hands-on experience practicing on dummies—an activity that could easily be incorporated into the health curriculum.

A first-aid class takes only six hours, or one week of health classes. While every unit of health is important, a first-aid certification is just as necessary and could easily be squeezed in.

First aid also fits in well in the online curriculum.

Since most of the training takes place through videos, little classroom instruction is needed. The only in-class time would be spent practicing first aid on dummies.

Thirty percent of people wouldn’t feel confident to try to save a life, according to the American Heart Association, but this could change. If students learned first aid, our generation would be lifesavers, not bystanders.

For more on college affordability, turn to the next page for a Q&A with education expert Richard Kahlenberg.

photo by SPENCER ADAMS

Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but higher education always seems to favor the wealthy. Most students aren’t as fortunate as Whitman students, and they get priced out of opportunities in the application process that are available to their wealthier counterparts. One of these benefits is Early Decision (ED).

ED allows wealthy students to apply and be accepted into college earlier. But, it denies most students higher acceptance rates at schools they want to go to, because colleges don’t guarantee financial aid before the ED application deadline. To prevent this inequity, colleges should guarantee financial aid to students in need before the ED deadline.

ED plans are binding agreements, meaning students must attend the school if they’re accepted. Approximately 450 colleges have an ED option, according to the College Board.

In 2012, the national ED acceptance rate was 62 percent compared to 52 percent for regular decision, according to US News and World Reports. Wealthy students who can afford to apply ED have a higher chance of getting into their top choice, based on these numbers.

Financial aid plays a huge role in where many students choose to go to college. 85 percent of all students applying for a four-year undergraduate degree require some type of financial aid, the National Cen-

To save lives, make first-aid training mandatory

Volume 54, Issue 1 2015-2016

The Black & White is published five 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. Students and staff can pick up the paper free of charge. Mail subscriptions cost $35. The newspaper aims to both inform and entertain.

Signed opinion pieces reflect the positions of the individual staff. Opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Walt Whitman High School or Montgomery County Public Schools.

The Black & White encourages readers to submit opinions on

PRINT EDITION

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Editor-at-Large Copy Editors Writing Coach Headlines Editor News Editors Feature & Arts Editors Opinion Editor Sports Managing Editor Sports Editors Production Head Production Manager Production Assistants Graphic Artist Business/Circulation Managers Photo Director Photo Assistant

Margot Dionne Trevor Lystad Spencer Adams Elsa Björnlund Ben Katz Jesse Cao Jay Silver Julia Gilman Sarina Hanfling Gabe Kahan Rose Pagano Grace Steinwurtzel Josh Feder Arya Hodjat Anna Marcus Ireland Lesley Sonia Chen Abby Singer Sebastian Sola-Sole Olivia Sun Aaron Dalal Margo Sweat Michelle Jarcho Rachel Hazan

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 blackandwhitevol54@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 News Writers Mary Dimitrov Rachel Friedman Jennah Haque Tessa Klein Naomi Meron Avery Muir Feature & Arts Writers Justin Baker Camryn Dahl Sophia Knappertz Emily Schweitzer Norell Sherman Opinion Writers Jason Grill Anna McGuire Tanusha Mishra Natachi Onwuamaegbu Sports Writers Michael Gorman Luke Graves Josh Millin Ezra Pine Carolyn Price Columnists Peter Hoogstraten Ariel Plotnick Naomi Ravick Bryna Steele

of the Black & White Online Edition is <www.theblackandwhite. net>. The online edition contact is theblackandwhiteonline@ gmail.com.

Recent awards include the 2012 Online Pacemaker, 2010 CSPA Silver Crown, 2010 Marylander Award, 2008, 2005, 2004 NSPA Pacemaker Online Award Finalist; 2002 NSPA Pacemaker Award; CSPA 2008 Silver Crown; CSPA 2005, 2008 Gold Medalist Award; Quill & Scroll George H. Gallup Award 2000-2008; 2005, 2004 NSPA All-American Award, 2004 MSPA/Washington Post Advisor of the Year Award.

ONLINE EDITION Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Editor-at-Large Copy Editor Eidolon Manger Social Media Director Feature & Arts Editors Multimedia Editor Feature & Arts Writers

Multimedia Writers Webmaster Adviser Assistant Adviser

Caleb Friedman William Arnesen Naba Khan Jacob Blitz Sophia Higgins Leor Rosen Hayley Segall Lindsay Wytkind Julian Robinson Celia Hoffman Allie Lerner Kelly Mema Grace O’Leary Noah Clement Matthew Farr Natalie Welber Kevin Huberty Louise Reynolds Nicholas Confino

6

opinion

october 1, 2015

Should MCPS have final exams?

By Tanusha Mishra

Q&A

by Tanusha Mishra

Richard Kahlenberg, an education expert at the Century Foundation, discussed the pressing issue of college affordability with the Black & White. President Barack Obama, and presidential canidates Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio and Bernie Sanders have all released plans addressing the issue. Check out the details of their plans at www.theblackandwhite.net. The following responses have been edited for length and clairty.

Black and White: Should the government be actively involved in subsidizing college education, as plans

by Sanders, Clinton and Obama intend to do?

Richard Kahlenberg: Absolutely. We all benefit when our fellow Americans are better educated. That’s why everyone pays for primary and second-

ill-prepared for college, where their GPAs depend on exam scores.

Equally important, the difference in student achievement across schools will be now be less obvious. In 2013, 30 percent of Whitman Algebra 1 students failed their first semester final exam, whereas 88 percent of Watkins Mill students didn’t pass, according to the MCPS press release. It’s harder to accurately compare MCPS high school disparities without final exams, so the county won’t be able to direct its resources to the schools most in need.

The BOE argues that, without finals week each semester, the resulting instructional time will benefit students. But an additional week of school is barely enough time to cover one unit in math or write one English essay, and the to-be-determined exam alternative will take up instructional time as well at the end of each quarter.

Instead of avoiding the real problem—low percentages of students passing the math and other exams—the BOE should consider the long-term impacts on students and reverse their decision.

When MCPS announced the phasing out of high school final exams beginning next semester, high schoolers around the county rejoiced. Exams are a huge source of stress for students because they often put the weight of a student’s entire semester grade on a single test.

Semester exams are currently worth 25 percent of students’ semester grade, and the two quarters are each worth 37.5 percent of the grade. This weighting system means that students’ semester grades will come down to how well they perform on one test or exam. For example, a student who gets an A one quarter and a B the next needs an A on the exam to get an A for the semester.

Students’ grades should be based on performance over the course of an entire semester, not on just one cumulative test. MCPS should change the grading system to the first proposed option in their press release, making both quarters worth 50 percent of the semester grade. This al-

lows students who struggle with testing, but know the material well to still get a favorable grade for the semester.

Final exams take up a week of school each semester and review takes up even more time. Without exams, this time can be used to further study concepts that students struggle with.

Proponents of final exams say they’re necessary to prepare students for college. However, students will still be taking plenty of exams, just not the county ones. The state mandates exams like the PARCC and HSA for multiple classes, and 68 percent of students take at least one AP exam during high school, said MCPS spokesperson Dana Tofig.

By getting rid of semester exams, MCPS has furthered its goal of preparing students for life in college and beyond by giving students more time to learn while relieving a source of stress.

N O

By Jason Grill

Education expert Richard Kahlenberg discusses college affordability ary public education, whether or not they have children in the public school system. The same principle applies in higher education.

B&W: How would you rate the plans from best to worst?

RK: I particularly like President Obama’s idea of free community college. Right now, we are seeing a growing economic divide within higher education, where middle and upper class families send their children to four year colleges and poor and working class families used community college.

Separate schooling for rich and poor is rarely equal.

One good thing about the free community college plan is that it is likely to be attractive to people from across the

socioeconomic spectrum and bring a richer economic diversity to two-year colleges.

B&W: Is there a different, more effective, solution to this issue? (which none of the candidates have brought up) RK: In addition to addressing finances, we need to address inequities in admissions to colleges. At selective colleges, rich kids outnumber poor kids 14 to 1. We need affirmative action for economically disadvantaged students of all races, and an end to legacy preferences, which advantage the already advantaged children of alumni.

Turn to the previous page for an opinion piece on Early Decision policies.

photo courtesy RICHARD KAHLENBERG

Y E S

In 2013, just 6 percent of MCPS students in Bridge to Algebra 2 passed their first semester final exams. This isn’t unusual—a majority of students fail every year. From 2009 to 2013, over half the students enrolled in Algebra 1, Bridge to Algebra 2, Geometry and Algebra 2 failed their first semester exams, according to a press release by MCPS in May 2013.

Luckily, Board of Education members have a solution: no more final exams, so no more students failing. Instead of solving the problem, the BOE is now pretending there isn’t one.

The BOE should revisit their decision to scrap final exams because the new situation leaves students ill-prepared for college and hides disparities within MCPS. Final grades in college are based primarily on midterm and final exams. In high school courses students have one exam per semester, and that grade comprises only 25 percent of the semester grade—smaller assignments make up the bulk of the grade. Without cumulative exams, MCPS students will be

Richard Kahlenberg is an education expert at the Century Foundation. He agrees with President Obama’s idea of free community college.

The truth about homelessness: it’s not what it seems

by Natachi Onwuamaegbu

You recognize the dirt-ridden, malnourished men and women shaking their old McDonald’s cups on the street.

Do you notice how you walk just a little faster, how you hold onto your bag just a little bit tighter, how you look just a little straighter ahead? They notice. They notice your glance shift away and your mistrust and your change in pace and your guarded position, because they too are human.

I had an experience this summer that made me re-interpret the word grateful. Before my three-week service program on civic leadership course in Berkeley, California, I believed people were 100 percent responsible for the fate that befell them. If people werehomeless, it was because they didn’t work hard enough. They were going to use your money to fuel their drug addiction.

But over the course of the three weeks, I met homeless people and those who advocated for them, and I volunteered at sites and led projects, all associated with homelessness.

And I learned that I was wrong.

On the second day of the program, my friends and I saw a dirty, smiling man stroking his matted beard, seated at the bottom of the stairs to the subway. My first thought was to race past him, avoid eye contact and clutch my bag.

But, our assignment was to stop and interview all different types of people. So I stopped and said hello.

He introduced himself as Doc. When I asked why, he responded, “Because I’m a pediatrician, why else?”

Three days later, we visited the Boys and Girls Club Tenderloin chapter, a national organization that provides after school care for kids for five dollars a year. Most of the children were there because their parents could not afford a more expensive day care. The site director told us many of their parents worked for 12-18 hours a day and could barely afford their rent, let alone child care services. Many of the parents asked for money in their off hours.

Homeless people, just like the kids’ parents, often have jobs or are looking for work. According to the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that specializes in urban issues in the DC area, 44% of homeless people have a job.

During the second week of our program, we met a man in blue jeans and a cable knit sweater. He looked like one of the usual speakers who came in to discuss social justice with our program. But when he said he’s been homeless for eight years, I was in complete shock. He not only worked for the organization he was speaking on behalf of, but also worked in a fast food place on the side, which still wasn’t enough to pay the bills and keep him off the

park bench.

We later worked with the organization this man represented, the Street Sheet. The organization spreads news pamphlets about homeless life in San Francisco.

We interacted with countless homeless people coming in the headquarters, distributing the newspapers so they could sell them. A great deal of the homeless people seemed grateful for a way to stop begging. Many considered selling the newspapers as a career.

At the beginning of the third week, we are asked to discuss our personal beliefs. Ranking our opinions from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”.

We were asked whether we thought that homeless people are homeless because they didn’t work hard enough.

Before that week I would have instantly agreed. I had never truly met a homeless person.

But we had met people. From working at a soup kitchen to cleaning up a group home, we had seen impoverished people struggling to get their life together. We had heard how embarrassed they feel to be asking for money and how grateful they feel when they get a dime.

By the end, I chose “strongly disagree.”

And for that, I am ever grateful.

october 1, 2015

Ads

7

OCTOBER 1, 2015

8

in-de

Explore a School Day Around the World

By Justin Baker, Luke Graves and Sophia Knappertz

limited to the terrain. Across the world students From the urban sprawl of Chinese cities to the attend schools far different from ours, so here’s a rocky shores of Spain, the world varies in un- quick rundown on schooldays from some counimaginable ways. But, these differences aren’t tries around the world.

photo courtesy of MARIUS GOBET

Spain- Siestas and Lunch

Siestas and Lunch Mexico: Overpopulation Alejandra Diaz De Leon got a real wake up call when she heard she would have to set her alarm for 5:00 a.m. to make the first 7:20 a.m. class at high school in Mexico.

Leon spent her first three years of high school at Whitman before moving to Mexico City, where she graduated from the Conomat School. Due to Mexico City’s dense population (about 15,000 people per square mile), students are required to leave their homes an hour earlier than they would in the U.S. to avoid congestion.

The early start can negatively affect a student’s performance.

photo courtesy of MASATAKA MORI

“Vocational training is the most popular option, 70 percent of students do it. For many, vocational training is just a balance between two or three days of school, and for the rest of the week working with a company.”

-Senior Marius Gobet, attended Gymnasium Kirchenfeld in Bern, Switzerland

“It’s frustrating to have to wake up two hours before schools starts,” Leon said. “You don’t even feel like picking up a pencil.”

Recently, Mexico has faced challenges with their public education system. Because the majority of the government’s education funds are allocated to Mexico City, schools in rural areas of the country are poorly maintained and see lower attendance.

In 2013, it was estimated that only 49% of Mexican students graduated high school, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Have you ever complained about not being able to leave school for lunch like the seniors? If so, consider moving to Spain.

In Spain, no students eat lunch in school. During a school day consisting of fewer, but longer classes, they have a half-hour “siesta”, or break at 11:30, but no lunch period.

San Augustín High School sophomore Guillermo García says this is based on the eating patterns of Spanish students; many families eat lunch and dinner considerably later than Americans do.

For example, lunch may be as late as 2:30 or 3, and dinner as late as 9:00, causing lunch to be excluded from the school day.

Instead, students eat lunch after school ends, giving them the flexibility of eating at home or at neighborhood restaurants.

García prefers the Spanish style of lunch for the flexibility of eating options it gives him.

“Having lunch at school might be more convenient,” he said. “But it tastes so bad. It’s better to have lunch at home, you can eat what you want.”

Brazil: No Homework Junior Beatriz Bertolino used to be able to take a two-hour nap before dance rehearsal and not have to worry about the hours of homework waiting for her.

Bertolino went to the Bretanha School, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for five years before moving to Bethesda in July. Along with a block schedule, Brazilian students don’t receive mandatory homework assignments and if homework is given, it isn’t graded.

“It’s your responsibility to learn

photo courtest of PIMSHINE BHANARAI

“My school had six days per week, from monday to saturday.

It makes me exhausted, but you get more opportunities to meet your friends and participate in more school activities,” -Sophomore Masataka Mori, attended Kaisei Academy in Tokyo, Japan

Spain :

“For high school we separate for 2 majors. Students majoring in a science focus on Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Another major is based on language and arts.”

-Pimshine Bhanarai (15’), attended Patumwan Demonstration School in Bangkok, Thailand

the material and be prepared for exams given at the end of every month,” Bertolino said.

There’s also no need to worry about learning new schedules or room numbers at the start of the semester because teachers travel from room to room to the students.

“Being in the same classroom all day with the same kids makes it so much easier to make friends,” Bertolino said. “Everyone gets really close because you spend all day together.”

OCTOBER 1, 2015

epth

9

Iran: Prayer In Schools WJ Senior Erfan Afrang attended Alborz High School in Tehran, Iran for his freshman year, and moved to Bethesda in 2013.

Alborz, a private school in downtown Tehran, is one of more than 22,000 high schools in Iran.

More than 95 percent of Iran’s population practices Shi’a Islam, which is the state sponsored religion. The school sets aside times for prayer in the daily schedule to accommodate this, Afrang said.

Religion plays an even

greater role in public schools.

In 2013, a school district in Tehran began stationing a member of the clergy at every school in the city. This effort has grown steadily and is now common in school districts across Iran.

“Having a member of clergy at schools gets students understand the Islamic rules in Iran,” said Afrang. “That rule was created so kids would stop questioning it.”

Israel: No Electives We often tailor our school schedules to what we’re interested in, choosing electives and other courses we want to take, but in Israel, this is not the case.

Personalization of schedules is more restricted in Israel. Students don’t choose most of their classes— instead, they have two choice courses, and the rest are mandatory subjects such as English, math, Israeli literature, Hebrew, Israeli history and Biblical study.

Uriah Aroch, a student at Tihon Ben Zvi Public School, in Kiriat Ono, Israel, said that course options are limited

and competitive.

Students may select from assorted science courses and foreign languages courses for their choice periods. Placement and recommendations for these courses depend on a student’s past grades and scores.

Aroch said his grades and scores helped determine his selected course recommendations and decisions.

“Because my math and English grades are good and I learn them on the highest level, I took chemistry and computer sciences,” he said.

“It’s a pretty good system.”

China: Gao Kao In the U.S., students stress about the SAT or ACT, but at least they can relax knowing the effects will only last through college. But in China, students stress about their own major test, the Gao kao, and the effects last a lifetime.

Junior Zihui Jin moved to Bethesda in 2014 after spending 10th grade at The Second High School of Beijing University in Beijing, China.

Instead of the SAT or ACT, students take a standardized test called the Gao kao. Due to limited enrollment spots in university programs, the Chinese government created the nationwide university entrance exam to determine which schools a student can

attend.

“You spend the whole three years of high school preparing for the Gao kao,” Jin said. “You take it after 12th grade.”

Only students who score in the 70th percentile and above can attend one of the nation’s universities, and those who score above the 90th percentile can attend one of the nation’s top-tier universities.

The catch is that the exam can only be taken once.

“It’s your only chance,” Jin said. “You take it once. If you fail—if you have a headache that day—you don’t have a future at a university.”

Cultures blend in U.S. international schools

G

By Norell Sherman

uttentag!” a Japanese student says to a German student.

“Bonjour!” a Spanish student says to a French student.

Such a mix of cultures only happens in an international school.

Junior Charlotte Caldwell and freshman Beatrice Piche have both experienced the culturally diverse student life in international schools in the D.C. region.

Before transferring to Whitman for her freshman year, Caldwell attended the German School of Washington D.C. for six years. The German School strives to act as a bridge between various cultures, with a focus on German-American relations, according to their mission statement.

“We all speak German, but it was interesting because a lot of people had lived in different places all around the world, like South Africa, Norway and Egypt,” Caldwell said. “There were connections from all over the world.”

Meeting individuals from across the globe was an eye opening experience for Caldwell, she said, and the home-cooked cafeteria food certainly trumped Whitman’s chicken nuggets and Doritos. The smaller school size of only 500 kids made it easier to develop tight-knit relationships with her peers.

But after six years, Caldwell decided to come to Whitman.

“While I was at the German School, I just felt I didn’t have a say in the difficulty and variety of what I was learning,” Caldwell said. “My flexibility was limited in the classes I was taking, and it was difficult to find classes that fit my strength in a subject because they are all one level.”

For some, international schools are a better fit. Beatrice Piche is a freshman at Lycée Rochambeau, a private French international school in Washington D.C., and has never attended an American school. Piche emphasized the Lycée Rochambeau’s unique teaching style.

“I believe the French system is different in the way it has a ‘spiral’ way of teaching,” Piche said.“In other words, we will learn something, review the next year, and maybe two years later, go over the principles again as a way of ingraining the process in our minds.”

At Lycée Rochambeau, tests are graded on the basis of “justification.” Instead of simply getting points for the correct answer, students are graded on the thought process they use to achieve their response.

The most appealing part about Lycée Rochambeau is the integration of multiple languages and cultures all in one area, Piche said, “All over the school building, you will see projects funding trips to Latin-America for the Spanish department, posters for plays set up by the French department, and the literary magazine set up by the students that receive entries in five or so different languages,” she said. “It’s absolutely amazing.”

feature

october 1, 2015

photo courtesy AARON GINS

PHOTO BY MICHELLE JARCHO

10

Left, Fidel Cano (‘15) plays AWOLNATION’s “Sail” during the 2015 Talent Show. Right, Colin Mitchell, Fidel Cano, Aaron Ginns and Jake Parsky pose at the Velvet Lounge, where they performed.

Local D.C. label signs alum-based Aaron Ginns band continued from page

1

Distance is an obstacle: Parsky is enrolled at UMD College Park, Cano attends MIT in Massachusetts and Mitchell goes to the McNally Smith College of Music in Minnesota.

“Now we’re all in college across the country, so whenever we have a long weekend that coincides with all of us we get together and tour places,” Cano said.

“We’re trying to see if we can play in establishments that are close to one another’s colleges.”

The members are also considering recording segments from the comfort of their dorms and then sending them to one another to record over.

“Aaron mixes them to make them sound good,” Cano said. “Every recording that we have right now and every recording that will come anytime soon is him getting it all together and polishing it.”

Each band member is looking to get slightly different things out of the record deal. Studying engineering in school, Cano plans to keep music as a permanent hobby, while Ginns and Mitchell see the band as the beginning of a career in the music industry. Parsky plans to eventually release his own material once he gathers some experiences.

“Looking forward, I plan to see this band through for as long as it works out,” Parsky said. “But I also want to start my

own band and get some of my own songs out there once I know the industry a little better.”

“You can take it very seriously—and we do— but at the end of the day if you’re not having fun it’s not worth it. ” -Aaron Ginns But whatever happens down the road, the record deal is something to celebrate.

Mitchell particularly remembered one practice session.

“We were just all so locked in,” he said.

“The solos that Jake and Fidel took were incredible and Aaron was singing so hard.

We knew if we got this record deal, it could be something of legends.”

The band currently has no upcoming gigs, but plans to get together as soon as school allows—sometime around winter break. You’ll most likely see their name floating around U Street venues in D.C. “It’s just been pure fun,” Ginns said.

“You can take it very seriously—and we do—but at the end of the day if you’re not having fun it’s not worth it. ”

New year, new teachers: meet the fresh faces

by Justin Baker

Omari James

Subject: English Classes: Honors 9, AP Lang About Mr. James: New English teacher Omari James used to have 4000 followers online, but now he has 150 followers in the classroom.

James came to Whitman after teaching at Quince Orchard for two years. He began teaching English in Howard County.

During his time in Howard County, James maintained a photoblog about his adventures on a 2012 Harley Davidson.

After he gained a substantial fan base, he stopped maintaining the page in order to focus more on teaching.

James has loved his day-to-day classroom experiences.

“I can’t imagine doing anything besides teaching,” James said. “I love to see that unique realization students have when they start to see things from a new perspective. Every day in the classroom is different, and there are moments that are heartfelt and touching.”

Ryan Derenberger

Subject: English Classes: Honors 10, AP Lang, Test prep About Mr. Derenberger: Many teachers struggle integrating technology into their curriculum , but one of the newest teachers has it down.

English and test prep teacher Ryan Derenberger runs a SAT prep site, KilltheTest.com, that allows students to review vocabulary and strategies for the SAT. He has taught for five years at Frank-

lin High School in Howard County and has even been hired to write the next edition of the Language of Composition English textbook.

Derenberger didn’t consider teaching for a career until college.

“I never really liked high school English, but I loved college English classes,” Derenberger said. “I’ve felt that I can bring that style to the high school environment.”

Kathleen Bartels

Subject: Spanish Classes: Spanish 1, Spanish 2

About Ms. Bartels: Whitman has a new musical aficionado with interests in violin, Irish fiddle bands and folk music. But she won’t be plucking a single string during school hours.

Foreign language teacher Kathleen Bartels taught Spanish at WJ for three years before moving to Whitman this year. Before that she taught Spanish in New York, Connecticut and DC. She hopes her passion is apparent in the classroom.

“I have a PhD in Spanish Literature,” Bartels said. “I think a lot of students see I’m into my subject.”

Ben Tylka Subject: Science Classes: Honors Biology About Mr. Tylka: The newest biology teacher, Ben Tylka, is not actually new to Whitman.

In fact, he started his career here in the spring of 2011, teaching Matter & Energy classes part-time while working on a Master’s degree at UMUC.

Tylka returned to Whitman in the fall of 2011 to finish his internship under biology teacher Janice Bauroth and earn his Master’s in teaching. He covered periods for chemistry teacher Ann-Marie O'Donoghue before being hired to teach 7th and 8th grade science classes at Silver Spring International Middle School for two-and-a-half years.

After a year away from teaching to take care of his one-year-old son, Tylka is back at Whitman.

“There is a reason I chose to return,” he said. “I knew I would have an opportunity not afforded to most teachers: to work with amazing, motivated young adults.”

Tylka hopes his experiences at Silver Spring and Whitman will enrich his teaching methods.

“Having such a diverse background from teaching at different levels in different environments, I have a good understanding of the diversity of learners in my classroom each year,” Tylka said. “This helps me form a connection with my students much more easily than when I was a first-year teacher.”

Anysia Tin Subject: French Classes: French 1, French 3 About Mrs. Tin: Drawing. Playing musical instruments. Watching Netflix.

Taking selfies.

You may think I’m describing your friends’ interests, but these are the hobbies of Whitman’s new French teacher, Anysia Tin. Tin, who enjoys taking care of her twoyear-old daughter and two dogs, has come to Whitman after both French and Spanish at various area schools.

Tin is enjoying Whitman so far and has been struck by Whitman students’ work ethic and persistence.

“I think Whitman is a fantastic school,” she said. “ I've been constantly impressed

at my students' interest in learning and willingness to work hard.”

Mira Chung Subject: Biology Classes: Biology About Mrs. Chung The science department now has a food connoisseur in its ranks. New biology teacher Mira Chung loves talking about food in the classroom, with a particular passion for cheese-based dishes.

Chung moved to Whitman this year after teaching internship classes, biology and chemistry courses for two-and-a-half years at WJ and BCC. She’s a Sperry’s enthusiast (she owns ten pairs), and has recently taken up rock climbing.

Chung has high hopes for the year, and has enjoyed her experience with her freshman students.

“I really like Whitman so far,” Chung said. “The school vibe is very similar to Walter Johnson, which is where I went to high school.” Chung said. “It’s been a fun experience with the freshmen.”

Check out the teachers’ full interviews on www.theblackandwhite.net. Photos by Michelle Jarcho and Annabelle Gordon. Photo of Ben Tylka is courtesy of Ben Tylka.

Scan this for a video of the interviews on www.theblackandwhite.net.

october 1, 2015

Feature

11

photo courtesy CALEB MARISON

Students help political campaigns over summer

Caleb Mairson (far left) stands with other Bernie Sanders campaign volunteers in Iowa. Mairson helped get Sanders’ name out, both over the phone and in person.

By Emily Schweitzer

It’s one thing for students to learn about the political process in a classroom, but it’s another to experience this exposure firsthand. This summer, senior Caleb Mairson volunteered for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Mairson and his father, Alan, spent a week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa campaigning and getting Sanders’ name out, both over the phone and in person. Mairson’s activism, while relatively short, gave him insight into the election process and solidified his desire to pursue politics as a career.

Mairson had been keeping up with Sanders in the news for much of the election cycle after discovering their views coincided. He appreciates that Sanders doesn’t take money from super PACS and has showed consistency in his views on gay marriage since the 1970s.

When his father suggested they work on the Sanders campaign, Mairson immediately agreed and the two were soon in contact with the head of the field office in Marion, Iowa.

Mairson’s responsibilities in Iowa ranged from canvassing to calling local residents. Because it was too early in the campaign to push the vote for Sanders, Mairson focused on whether or not people were going to caucus, and for those who were, what issues they supported.

While going door-to-door, Mairson was exposed to ideologies that deviated dramatically from the liberal Bethesda he was used to.

“I knew there was a ‘Bethesda bubble,’” he said.

“But I didn’t realize the extent to which it existed.

In rural Iowa, the views are completely different.”

Not knowing what to expect, Mairson was worried people wouldn’t be interested in Sanders

six months prior to the elections. At first, the canvassing process was nerve-wracking for him, but after around 15 houses, he felt more comfortable and even connected with a few of the locals—one woman in particular, he said.

“There was one woman who had actually lost her home in the financial crash of 2008,” Mairson said. “Her house was foreclosed. You hear about it in the news, but to actually meet someone who was affected by that directly is sad.”

While he can only hope that his time in Iowa impacted voters, Mairson is certain that he made lasting memories with his father.

“We made calls together and knocked on doors together,” he said. “It was a good bonding experience.”

Mairson wasn’t alone in his activism—several other students contributed to the political scene this summer. Students did everything from canvassing for Democratic district Senator Jamie Raskin to lobbying for girls’ rights through Girl Up, the United Nations Foundation’s teen girls campaign.

Junior Claire Liu interned for Senator Raskin and helped increase publicity for his election for Congress in Maryland’s 8th district in April.

“I researched all of his donors, made signs, went to the events, and got the word out,” Liu said.

Luke Pinton, internship coordinator for Senator Raskin’s campaign, said that involvement in campaigns helps prepare teens for real world jobs.

“What they did this summer was learn how to be a better activist and a professional,” Pinton said. “I think it’s extremely beneficial for them and I would encourage every young person to get an internship.”

Why I wear Chucks

by Jesse Cao

A friend asked me the other day why I wear Chucks. This was something I had never really thought about before.

The Converse All-Star was introduced in 1917 as a basketball shoe for the sport’s most elite players. They caught on quickly as basketball player and salesman Charles “Chuck” Taylor travelled the country teaching clinics and selling the All-Star shoe in high schools. As he went, he made improvements to the design, which originally had a shorter front piece and fewer eyelets than the modern version.

Soon, the All-Star was renamed the “Chuck Taylor All Star” and had become a staple of professional basketball. It was even the standard-issue training camp shoe for the US Army during WWII. Artistic subcultures later grabbed on, with people like Kurt Cobain and members of The Ramones popularizing Chucks in their circles.

Today, you can find Chucks just about anywhere. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler wore them all through the 2013 Golden Globes, they’re still big with the artistic crowds, and they’ve become a staple of teenage girls’ fashion.

We’ve all got different reasons for our fashion choices. Some of us pick our clothes purely for comfort, some of us do whatever our friends are doing, and some of us design our outfits to look like those of our favorite celebrities.

For me, like writing or movies, fashion is all about evoking images and emotions. And so I wear Chucks because I’m addicted to the things that the sight and feel of them make me think of. It’s the folk singer on the road, stopping at a rest stop and everyone sees where he’s been. It’s the painter in Brooklyn with splattery multi-colored jeans and nothing to do today but create. It’s the poet on stage screaming for his generation. It’s Rocky jogging through Philly, it’s the college English professor giving his favorite lecture and feeling absolutely alive.

Chucks do this for me—they’re the perfect film strip, bringing up a set of images that excite me. It’s a feeling of satisfying consumption, the feeling that you get listening to your favorite song or watching a movie that’s perfect for the occasion.

Chucks aren’t really comfortable, and they’re a grand hassle to get on and off. But whatever your reason for wearing them— be it mob mentality, their value as a symbol for certain images, or because you just think they look nice—I say that’s reason enough.

by Emily Schweitzer

Washington sports fans are familiar with the Verizon Center, FedEx Field and Nationals Park, just like Whitman sports fans are familiar with Jerome M. Marco Stadium—or at least they should be.

Dr. Jerome Marco was the Whitman principal for 29 years from 1975-2004, and the football stadium was named in his honor in 2004. Marco, who passed away in 2012, strived to personally connect with students and help them achieve both academic and extracurricular success.

Marco influenced both the students and staff at Whitman.

Foreign language teacher Isabella Kyser, who worked under Marco for two years, recalled

his care for the students and the school.

“He wanted to maintain the integrity of the academics, but he also believed in the extracurriculars,” Kyser said. “He was good at emphasizing and upholding that kind of balance.”

Many of Marco’s wishes for students parallel principal Alan Goodwin’s. The pair worked alongside each other as principal and assistant principal for four years before Goodwin became the principal of Pyle in 2003.

“We both really love our job and students, and highly respect teachers and staff,” Goodwin said.

The stadium was named after Marco in keeping with the tradition of naming civic structures

photo courtesy MCPS BULLETIN

Ever wondered...

Who is Jerome M. Marco, our football stadium’s namesake? after people of importance, history teacher Wendy Eagan said.

“It’s traditional to honor previous principals,” Eagan said.

“It’s a sign of respect.”

“We both really love our job and students, and highly respect teachers and staff.”

- Principal Alan Goodwin To gauge how many current Vikings had heard of Marco, the Black & White conducted an in-

Jerome Marco was principal for 29 years, from 1975-2004. The football stadium was named after him in 2004 when he retired.

formal survey and found the majority did not know who Marco was or that the stadium was named in his honor. However, many students were curious.

“I think it is really important for everyone to find out what Marco did and why his name is on our stadium,” junior Claire Nagelhout said.

Students should take the time to appreciate the school’s

history and the people who impacted it before this generation, Kyser said. She believes it’s important to remember Marco’s commitment to the Whitman community.

“He’s a big part of the history of the school,” she said. “You should know about your school and be proud of those kinds of things—like a principal who cared enough to stay that long.”

Feature

12

october 1, 2015

Summer jobs: Students trade pencils for paychecks Sophomore Katia Goldberg: Sophomore Katia Goldberg went from working with little kids at an art camp to helping eight-year-olds improve their tennis skills over the summer.

Since she was 13, Goldberg has worked at the Glen Echo Park’s Fine Arts Camp.

“Doing the same projects every week got kind of repetitive,” Goldberg said. “But it’s fun helping little kids out with arts and crafts projects. It’s like second nature to me.”

After earning 120 SSL hours over two weeks at Glen Echo, Goldberg moved on to work at a Landon tennis camp. There, she earned $10 an hour, working for seven hours a day for three weeks. Goldberg coached 3-6 year-olds, known as “the minis,” for one week.

“Working with the minis for a week really tested my patience,” Goldberg said. “That age just doesn’t listen.”

photo courtesy KATIA GOLDBERG

Freshman Harrison Carter: Instead of dealing with obnoxious customers or hunching over lab tables, freshman Harrison Carter got to hang out with his friend all summer—as a job.

He helped take care of 20 yearold Patrick, a good family friend who has intellectual disabilities, for $10 an hour.

In a typical day they would solve math problems together or complete puzzles before going swimming to cool off, Carter said. Following lunch, the pair would sing their favorite songs to each other and finish off the funpacked day with reading, usually Dr. Seuss.

“Making [Patrick] smile and just having a great time with him made my day,” Carter said. “It also helped me be more patient

and courteous in everyday life, not just around him.”

Sophomore Katia Goldberg plays with her campers. This summer, Goldberg worked at a summer camp that she attended as a child.

Junior Jaiwen Hsu: Earning $15 an hour, 14 hours a day, junior Jaiwen Hsu spent just over a month crammed in a lab at Northeastern University in Boston this summer. His supervisor assigned him a problem, usually to identify different elements in crystal structures and manipulate them, something that piqued his scientific interests, he said.

“Once I solved the problem I’d finally be able to go home,” Hsu said. “I’d just write up my findings so professors at the university could access the information.”

After learning how to perform extra-diffraction, the process of breaking down crystal structures and identifying elements, Hsu taught other interns the process.

“The project showed me how much there is to be discovered,” Hsu said. “The problem solving skills I learned will stick with me. I’ve never had another experience like that.”

Freshman Sophia Kundanmal: Freshman Sophia Kundanmal threw on her blue Baskin Robbins t-shirt and khaki shorts this summer to sell ice cream to perspiring customers.

Making $9 an hour, Kundanmal served people everything from the classic vanilla chocolate chip to more eccentric flavors such as candy corn. Only working three hours a day made it a stress-free work environment, she said.

“Little kids would come in and try so many samples,” Kundanmal said. “They would get so excited over flavors they liked and their reactions to ones they didn’t like were priceless.”

Senior Hannah Newcombe: NIH: the long, daunting building in the middle of Old Georgetown Road is just a traffic inconvenience for most. But for senior Hannah Newcombe, it’s a place of scientific discovery.

Working under Dr. Suk See De Ravin for 8 weeks, Newcombe helped develop gene therapy at NIH. Newcombe’s work helped provide treatment for patients with chorionic gonadotropin and beta polypeptide, autoimmune diseases that attack your genes.

Newcombe also assisted in lab procedures involving flow cytometry, a cell staining process that visualizes and identifies cells

photo courtesy TIM RUSKOWSKI

BY Sophia Knappertz

While some of us worked on our tan by the pool, traveled to Eastern Europe or binged watched “Orange Is the New Black” on Netflix this summer, other students decided to test the waters of the professional world.

Sophomore Tim Ruskowski at work at the Wetlands Institute. Ruskowski talked to visitors about species living on wildlife conservations and animals inhabiting the Atlantic coastline.

and cell components to test how organisms regulate proteins.

Although Newcombe wasn’t paid, the experience helped solidify her interest in genetics, she said. She plans to explore more of the field in college.

“Learning the basics of scientific research and how to interact in a more professional environment was a great introduction into the professional world,” Newcombe said.

Sophomore Tim Ruskowski: Sophomore Tim Ruskowski spent a month and a half explaining marine wildlife conservation to visitors at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, New Jersey this summer. He earned 50 SSL hours while exploring one of his passions.

After preparing salt marsh trail walking tours in the morning, Ruskowski would man the Touch Tank, a hands on exhibit full of live starfish, sea urchins and other sea creatures. He talked to visitors about species living on wildlife conservations and animals inhabiting the Atlantic coastline.

“People always need to be educated on marine wildlife conser-

vation, even when you’re older,” Ruskowski said. “It’s amazing being around such interesting creatures for 4 hours a day. You see just how much we can learn from them and their habitats.”

Senior Tyler Thornton: Living on fried chicken, potato salad and watermelon, senior Tyler Thornton and his fellow River & Trail Outfitters river guides led a total of 13 tourist groups down the Shenandoah River this summer.

He and his co-workers inflated rafts every morning in preparation for the trips down the rapids, one at 9 a.m. and one at 2:30 p.m.

With six years of white water kayaking experience under his belt, Thornton is certified by the American Canoe Association in “swift water rescue.” Because of his certifications, River and Trail Outfitters paid him $45 per trip rather than the typical $35.

“Being on the river everyday with people who love it as much as you do makes the whole day better, even if you have to deal with customers who don’t understand why they have to paddle,” Thornton said..

Junior Zoe Zmola on fast track to graduation Zmola’s intense courseload allows her to receive diploma with seniors in June

by Kelly Mema

Prom, senior prank and graduation.

These are exclusively senior experiences— unless you’re junior-turned-senior Zoe Zmola, who will be graduating with the class of 2016 this June.

After years of a rigorous schedule, Zmola will be the only junior to graduate next semester after only three years of high school.

“In seventh grade, I was planning out my high school schedule and realized I could fit all my classes within three years at Whitman,” she said.

Zmola asked her parents, who jokingly suggested she follow through with it. Although Zmola’s father, Carl, also graduated high school a year early, he was skep-

tical of his daughter’s plan.

“We supported her, but didn’t necessarily encourage her because it’s a lot of work to graduate early,” Carl Zmola said.

“I learned not to be discouraged by social norms through this adventure. It’s exciting to graduate a year early and be recognized as a senior.”

-Zoe Zmola In her first two years of high school, Zmola tackled an eight period day with no lunch, and junior and senior level classes.

Her sophomore year, she juggled three science classes. Because four English credits

are needed to graduate, Zmola is currently taking a supplementary English credit online.

The process has been relatively seamless, despite the increased workload and stressful nights, Zmola said. However, there have also been challenges along the way including the installment of PARCC exams and removal of the English HSA. Zmola also had to balance extracurriculars like piano for ten hours a week, debate for five, and a cheer team outside of school for 15-20 hours a week.

Zmola said received encouragement from friends, family and teachers, has helped her remain motivated throughout the process.

“If she’s ready to do it and she’s finished everything, why not?” science teacher Melanie Hudock said. “She’s got the skills and the work discipline to handle it; she is a very conscientious student.”

It’s rare for students to attempt this demanding effort, but for Zmola, it has become natural as she planned for five years

and persevered through obstacles, she said.

“It’s not very common,” Career Information Coordinator Anne Hutchens said.

“There may be one or two that do it every year at most, and for various reasons, but it’s a case by case basis, and if it works for them, I support it.”

Like all seniors, Zmola is in the process of completing college applications. However, in addition to the application, she must write a 250 word essay on the Common Application about her decision to not follow the standard high school path. She has also gotten teacher recommendations from Hudock and math teacher Michelle Holloway.

In eight months, Zmola will walk out of DAR Constitution Hall with the seniors, diploma in hand.

“I feel accomplished seeing it all put together,” Zmola said. “I learned not to be discouraged by social norms through this adventure. It’s exciting to graduate a year early and be recognized as a senior.”

sports

october 1, 2015

Viking soccer stars play college ball

by Michael Gorman

are doing well. We checked in with four ViAdjusting to college sports is one of the king alums to hear about their college soccer biggest challenges a young athlete will face, experience. Although Emma Anderson, Jeff but the 2014 Viking state soccer champions Rosenberg, Clare Severe and Aaron Tanen-

baum have dealt with intense training and tougher competition when they started playing at their respective colleges, they’ve begun to embrace their roles.

Jeff Rosenberg, Colby College

“There was definitely a transition period. The soccer is much faster and more physical and not necessarily as pretty, which I’m getting used to, and I’m still learning.”

photo courtesy JEFF ROSENBERG

photo courtesy CLARE SEVERE

Clare Severe, Lehigh University

“The team has been super welcoming and luckily, I’ve been able to find my role and get some playing time. The biggest differences between high school and college soccer lie in the physicality.

I’m pretty much the smallest and youngest guy on the field so I’ve definitely had to change my playing style a little bit.”

photo courtesy AARON TANENBAUM

“College pre-season was much more difficult than high school pre-season was. You’re playing against girls in their 20’s who are bigger and stronger with a lot more experience. It was pretty exhausting the first few days, but eventually it slowed down.”

photo courtesy EMMA ANDERSON

Emma Anderson, Columbia University

Aaron Tanenbaum, St. Mary’s College “The beginning of the season has been great. Coming into pre-season was an easy transition, [due] in part to the work I had done over the summer and the type of guys on the team. It has the feel of playing for your high school, except the opponents are much faster and stronger.”

13

By Josh Millin

1,500 miles. Fourteen bikers. Seven countries. Four weeks. One incredible journey.

Over the summer, junior Grace Hering cycled across Europe with Overland Summer Camps, an adventure and exploration program. Along with eleven other campers from around the U.S., Hering biked through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and France, ultimately finishing her journey in Spain.

The Overland website describes the trip as a challenging ride with incomparable beauty. Hering agreed; the cyclists passed through quaint European villages and crossed the breathtaking Swiss Alps.

“We stopped in some really amazing tiny European towns, straight out of picturebooks,” Hering said. “The first town we really got to spend time in had canals, windmills, beautiful cobbled streets—the works.”

Other students who were on the trip also enjoyed the scenery. Absorbing the serene landscape was the highlight of the trip, said Natalia Frumkin, a senior from Los Altos, California.

“The most rewarding part of the trip was reaching the top [of a trail] and enjoying the view of the entire route we had traversed,” Frumkin said.

However, the rugged Swiss Alps are more than a step up from the local Capital Crescent Trail. Hering has always enjoyed casual biking, but had to train to develop the stamina required for the trip.

“I had to train up a while before hand, with 20 to 50 mile rides until I got used to consistently biking long distances,” she said.

“You needed to prepare yourself for the mental task of going slow, and pushing yourself for hours on end.”

On top of the tremendous distance covered every day—about 70 miles—strenuous conditions pushed Hering and the bikers even further.

“There was a huge heat wave in Europe during the whole challenge, and most days, the temperature was 100 degrees or more,” Hering said. “There was more than one hospital trip, but everyone pushed through to accomplish this awesome trip.”

The trip ended on a Barcelona beach with a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. “After [crossing] all those mountains, the Alps, Pyrenees and crossing all those countries, our one goal was to jump into the water,” Hering said. “We sprinted on our bikes to the beach, and took our front wheels off so that we could make it the whole way with our bikes.”

For Hering, the swim signified something more—the connection the group made over the course of the month.

“Running into the Mediterranean felt like one of the best achievements of my life,” Hering said. “It really bonded the group, knowing that we made the whole journey together.”

graphic by ABBY SINGER

Junior Grace Hering crosses Europe on two wheels

Hering started in the Netherlands and her made her way to Barcelona, stopping in several European cities along the way. The trip took four weeks and spanned 1,500 miles.

sports

14

october 1, 2015

Former Pom captain Alexa Ciesinski (‘11) returns as coach

photo by MICHELLE JARCHO

By Anna Marcus

Sophomore Pom Nora Marcus holds teammate Madi Day as she stretches, with new coach Alexa Ciesinski looking on. Ciesinski, a 2011 alum, graduated from Wake Forest last spring, where she was a member of the dance squad.

After leading dances on the football field and basketball court in 2011, one former Pom is back at it, but this time, she’s on the sidelines.

Alexa Ciesinski (‘11), who graduated from Wake Forest last spring, has taken on the position of Poms coach this year as the youngest in the team’s history. Ciesinski hopes to make the team’s dances more intense and intricate while bringing back a sense of cohesion the team previously lacked.

“I have a few big mottos,” she said. “One is a really hard work ethic, which all the girls have to bring every day; another is open communication, I need them to feel comfortable to talk with me; and the most important is that we are a family.”

Despite being only 23, Ciesinski is no rookie when it comes to leadership and dance. During her sophomore year, she transitioned from a rigorous ballet program to Poms, hoping to pursue team-oriented dance. She was given her first taste in choreographing as captain of the squad her senior year.

At Wake Forest, Ciesinski was on the dance team. She had practices and performances seven days a week, and took on the role of captain her senior year.

Ciesinski came back to the Bethesda area after college looking for a full-time position at the NIH when a Poms mother contacted her about the possibility of coaching. Her love of dance and Poms made the acceptance a no-brainer, and her experience with the team gave her high expectations for the season.

“I knew that they were all highly motivated and willing to put in the effort to change a lot of things from last year to this year,” Ciesinski said.

Right off the bat, Ciesinski revamped practic-

es, making the girls work harder on their physical and mental strength and technique.

For fitness, Ciesinski has made running, strength conditioning and stretching a staple of her two-hour practices, which helps the girls keep their energy levels high during performances.

“She’s kept the practice time really productive and positive,” senior captain Judith Gertzog said.

To bring a serious atmosphere back to the team, Ciesinski requires team members to execute the dance successfully in an audition if they want to participate in that week’s performance.

The auditions are typically held three days before a performance and are a way to ensure that the girls are taking practices seriously and memorizing their dances.

As a result of Ciesinski’s intense coaching style, the team has already started to notice positive changes in their abilities and performances.

“We’ve become much stronger as a team this year,” senior captain Lia Pomerenk said. “We’re a lot more skilled, and we push ourselves a lot more.”

Ciesinski’s toughness and dedication has earned her both the respect and love of the team.

“I love our coach this year,” junior Claire Brodsky said. “She is so determined to improve our team and is so passionate about dancing.”

While Ciesinski is pushing the girls to their limits so they’ll perform well at competitions, the results of these competitions don’t hold much weight to her.

“The numerical values don’t mean anything; it’s the attitude at the end of the year,” she said.

“It’s how everybody feels as a team at the end of the year that is the most important to me.”

Officiating, not playing: Students referee local soccer leagues by carolyn price

Most of the time when senior Carli Riibner and juniors Kevin Kaufman and Ella Segal stepped onto a soccer pitch throughout their lives, it was as a player.

But recently, their roles on the field have dramatically changed.

Riibner, Kaufman and Segal now work as paid referees for local youth soccer leagues on the weekends. Kaufman and Segal work for DC Stoddert, while Riibner referees for MSI Classic.

All three referees have soccer backgrounds, and enjoy the job because it’s a satisfying way to make money while staying involved with the sport they love.

“I played soccer so much as a kid so I knew it was going to be really easy for me, and I knew it was going to be something that I could do on my own time,” Kaufman said.

To become certified, prospective ref-

erees have to go through a short training process where they watch videos and powerpoints in a classroom before taking a written test.

Kaufman and Segal referee 10-through13-year-olds on Stoddert recreational teams, while Riibner refs 12-and-13-yearold MSI Classic players.

The referees have the ability to pick which games they’ll oversee that weekend from a list emailed out to them at the beginning of the week. When they arrive at the game, they make last-minute preparations and check the fields.

“If I’m at the first game I need to inspect the field to make sure it’s safe [by] looking at the goals, walking on the field to make sure there’s no ditches or sharp objects,” Segal said.

While Kaufman and Segal work alone on the field, Riibner is a sideline ref, so she works with two other referees, the center

ref and the other side ref. As a sideline ref, Riibner makes offside, corner kick, goal kick and possession calls when the ball goes out of bounds on her side. Although she makes these decisions, the center ref, a more experienced adult, has the final say over the calls.

“Usually we get a warning if we know it’s going to be a rough game, if the coaches are aggressive,” Riibner said. “So, usually they would put me on the other side where the coaches aren’t so that the more experienced person who the coaches wouldn’t talk back to was on their side.”

Because referees have the power to eject players, coaches and even parents, they’re typically respected. However, all three student refs have experienced back-talk from on and off the field.

“There was one guy who was very aggressively yelling at me in French,” Segal said. “However, my four years of French

did not help me understand what he was saying.”

Kaufman has had similar experiences, but quickly discovered he could deal with disruptive spectators by threatening to eject them from the game.

Despite the occasional consequences of being a ref, all three students said they enjoy their job, and have gained valuable leadership skills and confidence from it.

“You have to be assertive,” Segal said.

“You can’t let people’s complaints get to you.”

Kaufman said working as a referee has helped him improve his own attitude on the field.

“It helps me understand soccer from a different perspective,” Kaufman said. “I used to be one of those kids that would definitely yell at referees a lot and get mad at their calls, but having that other view of it has definitely been helpful.”

By Ezra Pine

In the biggest tennis matchup of the season, first singles player Carina Greenberg did something that few others could: put up a fight against Wootton’s two-time defending state champ, Miranda Deng.

Greenberg, a junior, earned the number one singles slot on the girls tennis team this year, and she’s hoping to improve an already strong team. Greenberg moved from Austin, Texas this year, bringing with her many years of tennis experience.

“I definitely started to notice [Deng] getting irritated and nervous when I made it 4–5,” Greenberg said. “But she’s a pretty mentally tough player.”

While Greenberg ultimately lost the match 4–6, 2–6, her ability to compete neck and neck showed her promise.

Greenberg credits her success to her aggressive playing style.

“The strongest part of my game is moving people around and attacking the net when I get the opportunity,” she said.

Greenberg is expected to play a major role on the squad, facing the opposing team’s best player in every match. Coach Jasen Gohn thinks she could be key to the team’s success at states this year.

“I expect her to play at states in singles if it turns out she’s one of the top two in the county,” Gohn said. “Having her makes the entire team stronger.”

Greenberg also has a strong presence on the court.

“She is a very good player,” second singles player Sarinah Wahl said. “We are able to learn our mistakes from her and try to improve ourselves.”

Greenberg was introduced to tennis at age eight by playing with her best friend, who was already a skilled player. By 11, Greenberg was already tak-

ing lessons and competing in regional tournaments.

Before she moved, Greenberg was ranked 38th in the United States Tennis Association for her region. After her move to the Mid-Atlantic region, she hopes to rise in the rankings despite tougher competition.

“My goal is to play as many [tournaments] as I can and get my ranking up here,” Greenberg said. “Hopefully, [I can] play in college one day.”

This fall, Greenberg has already won several local tournaments, but lost in the semifinals in last weekend’s U-16 Maryland state championship tournament.

On the courts, her perseverance is her biggest asset.

“My favorite part of watching her play is her sheer determination,” Sonya Spielberg, Carina’s mom said. “She can be down several games or a set and she never gives up.”

photo by ABBY SINGER

Junior Carina Greenberg serves up fresh talent on girls tennis

Carina Greenberg serves during a singles match against Blair Sept. 28.

Greenberg won in straight sets, and the team beat the Blazers 7-0.

october 1, 2015

Former Whitman athletes opt out of senior seasons

by Ezra Pine and Michael Gorman

Star athletes Jake Kuhn and Davey Mason always found a way to impress fans and college scouts alike, whether on the football field, basketball court or soccer pitch. Unfortunately, the Vikings will now have to look elsewhere for electrifying plays.

Neither athlete will be playing for Whitman this year. Kuhn transferred to St. Maria Goretti High School, a private school in Hagerstown, to play basketball, and Mason will play for the Bethesda-Olney Soccer Academy, which prohibits him from playing on the Whitman team.

Kuhn’s started thinking about a private school transfer to after he tore his ACL while going up for a pass in the first game of the 2014 football season. This summer, he officially made the decision.

The injury forced him to miss the 2014-15 football and basketball seasons; instead, he spent his rehab time doing physical thera-

photo courtesy JIM KUHN

Kuhn, Mason take talents to new places

15

photo courtesy ADAM PRILL

sports

Jake Kuhn dribbles past a defender in a summer league matchup. Kuhn, who reclassed as a junior at St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, has received three offers from Division I colleges.

py and weight exercises.

“I gave up playing football after I had the injury to my knee.

I decided to pursue basketball in college,” Kuhn said. “I realized that to give [football] up, although I love it, was my best option.”

“His college offers were as class of 2017. [None] of those offers would be on the table if he had stayed here.”

-Jake’s father Jim Kuhn Since then, he’s turned his focus to basketball, and hopes to play for a Division I school in college.

Kuhn enrolled as a junior for the class of 2017, which will give him an extra year of experience and training before college.

“MCPS was not going to let

Davey Mason dribbles past a Chesapeake defender in last year’s state finals.

After committing to play at Georgetown, Mason has decided to play for the Bethesda-Olney Academy rather than at Whitman for a final season.

him stay two more years and play basketball,” said Kuhn’s father and Whitman football coach Jim Kuhn said. “Goretti has enabled him to reclassify as a junior again.”

Jake plays every day in showcases with kids around the area who are being recruited to D-I schools. This allows college scouts to watch recruits play and workout.

“Every day when he works out, there’s four or five college coaches in the gym from all over the country,” Jim Kuhn said.

Jake currently has three D-I offers, from Mount St. Mary’s University, the Air Force Academy and St. Francis College.

“His college offers were as class of 2017,” Jim Kuhn said. “[None] of those offers would be on the table if he had stayed here.”

The future looks bright for Jake’s basketball career.

“Wherever it takes me, I can’t wait,” Kuhn said.

Mason’s future became more

clear-cut when he committed to Georgetown University over the summer. Coaches there thought the Bethesda-Olney Academy would better develop Mason’s skills and monitor his growth more closely.

“The experience for Bethesda is much different, [and] playing for Whitman was so much fun. But Academy is great soccer-wise and provides a lot of opportunity.”

-Davey Mason He will only be able to play for the Bethesda-Olney Academy because the Academy doesn’t allow their players to play for their school teams.

“Georgetown wants me to

play Academy because the level of play is higher, and an assistant coach at Georgetown is also an assistant at Bethesda,” Mason said.

Other Whitman players have taken this path in the past, including recent graduate Aaron Tanenbaum (‘15), who played Academy his junior year before returning to the Whitman team his senior year. Tanenbaum is playing at St. Mary’s College of Maryland this season.

“It’s a bummer to leave it all behind during your final hurrah of high school,” Tanenbaum said.

Although he is satisfied with how his soccer career is going, Mason may have taken a different path if he chose a college other than Georgetown.

“I probably wouldn’t have chosen Bethesda if Georgetown didn’t want me to,” Mason said.

“The experience for Bethesda is much different, [and] playing for Whitman was so much fun. But Academy is great soccer-wise and provides a lot of opportunity.”

by carolyn price After junior Lisa Cebula mounts a horse, she doesn't sit in the saddle like most riders would. Instead, she does handstands, cartwheels and splits while the horse moves, and a backflip to dismount.

Cebula participates in equestrian vaulting, a form of gymnastics and dance on horseback. Equestrian vaulters perform tricks on a horse moving at various speeds— a walk, trot or canter, depending on the experience of the vaulter.

At age seven, Cebula attended a horseback riding camp at Rickman Farm in Boyds, MD. It was there that she first saw vaulters doing tricks on horses and was immediately intrigued.

“She quickly realized she liked vaulting far more than just riding, in part because it was a unique sport, and there was no one else she knew who vaulted,” Cebula’s mother Eileen Carr said.

Since then, Cebula has traveled to the same farm in Boyds every Sunday morning, where she practices with Great Falls Vaulters club from 9 to 11:30. Cebula begins practice with conditioning and cardio, and then transitions to rehearsing her moves on a barrel, which resembles a horse’s back. The barrel allows Cebula to perfect her moves before at-

tempting them on horseback.

Cebula is taught by experienced vaulters, including American Vaulting Association gold medalist Jennifer Williams.

“The coaches are really supportive, but they also care about the horse,” Cebula said.

“They’re not going to let you do something that could injure the horse.”

The Great Falls Vaulters compete in at least three competitions each year, mostly held in horse parks or large farms in Virginia.

Cebula competes individually, in pairs or in a group of three riders on a single horse, performing a one minute routine in front of a panel of judges.

Routines consist of basic moves like seat, stand and flag, and are accompanied by more complex moves, like the ones used to mount and dismount the horse. In a seat, the vaulter straightens his or her arms out to the side while sitting on the horse similar to the way a typical rider would. In a stand, they stand directly on the horse’s back. While both of these moves require incredible balance, the more difficult flag requires the vaulter to position herself on her left knee and right hand, and then extend her right leg back and left arm forwards.

Although vaulting is quite physically taxing, the competitions are a great way to bond with other vaulters, Cebula said.

“There’s not any team to team rivalries or anything,” she said. “Everyone’s always willing to help each other if something goes wrong.”

Though the sport is generally considered safe, vaulters are still susceptible to injuries. Cebula broke her arm as the result of a fall when she was ten. Due to the risks, a big part of the sport is being able to trust the horse, Cebula said.

“It’s the bond between the vaulter and the horse that’s really special,” she said. “Because you’re not just sitting on the horse, you have to put so much trust in it.”

Because vaulting has been a constant in her life for so many years, Cebula has learned valuable life lessons from the sport, and made friends with vaulters from across the country.

“Through vaulting Lisa learned to be a good teammate, to listen to coaches, to care for horses and to step out of her comfort zone,” Carr said. “As a result of being a competitive vaulter, Lisa is more confident and poised in all areas of her life.”

photo courtesy LISA CEBULA

Junior Lisa Cebula competes in equestrian vaulting

Junior Lisa Cebula performs a move known as ‘scissors’ during a competition.

Cebula learned of equestrian vaulting at age seven.

Sports

16

October 1, 2015

by luke graves

Junior Patrick Khaghani wants to go to France—not to visit family or the Eiffel Tower— but to become a world champion.

In August, Khaghani won the classic race in the 2015 Wildwater National Kayaking Championships in Bryson City, North Carolina. Khaghani now hopes to participate in the 2017 Canoe Slalom Senior World Championships in France.

Khaghani posted a time of 13:59.3 in the two and a half mile race across whitewater, beating the runner-up by 14 seconds.

“I knew I had an excellent race, and excellent lines through the rapids,” Khaghani said. “The best part was that I passed two

people who started ahead of me.”

Khaghani also finished fourth in the sprint, where paddlers had to navigate 450 meters of whitewater rapids.

Khaghani has been training alongside B-CC alum Jacob Siegel (‘15) for the past two years. They spent the last year preparing for the national championship and a regional qualifying race.

“Going into this race, Jacob and I trained and hung out like best friends,” Khaghani said. “Before this, it was always me catching up to Jacob, but training for this race, it’s been him trying to keep up with me.”

Most of their training took place on the Potomac River, consisting of short sprints and rigor-

photo courtesy PATRICK KHAGHANI

Junior Championship kayaker Patrick Khagani sets sights on world title

Junior Patrick Khagani battles the surf as he paddles at the U.S. Nationals Team Trials Sprint. His kayaking prowess has boosted his hopes of partcipating the 2017 Canoe Slalom Senior World Championships in France.

ous upstream paddling.

Khaghani's performance in the championship brought him international attention from the Italian Canoeing Federation, who invited Khaghani to join them in Italy for training next summer.

Khaghani now hopes to ride the current of his recent success.

“[Winning nationals] makes me want to push myself and my friends to compete at the next world championships in France, in two years.” Khaghani said.

Khaghani and Siegel will participate in the team trials this winter to qualify for the world championships. Although mak-

ing the team will be difficult, Khaghani and Siegel are prepared for the challenge, they said.

“Patrick will push himself harder than anyone else,” Siegel said. “He likes to have fun out there, but he really likes to push himself and go as hard as he can.”

W C R O S S R D

Pork Chops

By William Arnesen

ACROSS

1. Decay 4. US lang. for the deaf 7. Proposed constitutional addendum guaranteeing equal rights for women, abb.

10. Electric fish 13. Reddit free-for-all sesh 14. Honey comb inhabitant 15. Short for Leonard 16. Inhabitant of Vietnam’s western neighbor 17. Scary French pumpkin?

21. Travel the circumference 22. Ice Age Sloth 23. Insect-slurping mammal 24. Amount of electrical power 28. Married woman title, abb.

29. Munster Baptists, prefix 30. Southern Italian metropolis 34. Grain 36. Sixty sec.

37. Gmail setting “___ ___ an alias” 38. Direction opposite the Austin concert 39. Local state coll.

40. Be careful 41. Samsung IT

42. Incredible 44. Disposable gloves material, plural 46. Roman holiday of flowers 51. Study of America’s past, abb.

52. Largest land animal 57. Trust me 58. Before 59. In fashion “___ mode” 60. Year, in Tegucigalpa

DOWN

1. Indian monarch 2. Taliban leader Mullah or actor Sharif 3. One who sells Mexican food on the street 4. Plentiful 5. Origins of a tree 6. Unless 7. Dory actress Degeneres 8. Respond 9. “Hard Knocks Life” orphan 10. Negative one, subatomically 11. Gallant Fox rider 12. Follows cruise or pocket 18. Stop 19. Overseas Housing Allowance, abb.

20. Like a trolley 24. Defunct bank, casually 25. Snowball’s Orwellian home 26. Clothing 27. Fencing sword 31. Actor Jude 61. Quite, in Edinburgh 62. N. Italian nation 63. Land and house dealers org.

64. Female descendants of the 1776 gen.

65. Cubit 32. And others, in a citation 33. Singer Bareilles 35. Of the Urbervilles 43. Small Great Lake 45. Integrates Surface Hourly Observations, abb.

46. Destinies 47. Guy who fixes the cooler, casually 48. Eric Clapton song, girl’s name 49. During conflict 50. Outlet with logo as US’s bird 53. Long Range Acoustic Device, abb.

54. Italian volcano 55. Telecom mogul Xavier 56. L8r g8r