The Black & White Vol. 55 Issue 3

THE

B&W

MEGA crossword Top 10 teams in last 10 years An inside look at teen pregnancy

December 2016

Fighting cancer: Whitman’s real-life

superheroes

THE

B&W LETTER from the editors

The Black & White is an open forum for student views from Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda, MD, 20817. The Black & White Online Edition can be found at www.theblackandwhite.net. The app can be downloaded by searching for “The WW Black and White” in the app store.

Signed opinion pieces reflect the positions of the individual staff and not necessarily the opinion of Walt Whitman High School or Montgomery County Public Schools. Unsigned editorial pieces reflect the opinion of the newspaper.

All content in the paper is reviewed to ensure that it meets the highest level of legal and ethical standards with respect to the material as libelous, obscene, or invasive of privacy.

The Black & White encourages readers to submit opinions on relevant topics in the form of letters to the editor, which must be signed to be printed. Anonymity can be granted on request. The Black & White reserves the right to edit letters for content and space. Letters to the editor may be emailed to theblackandwhitevol55@ gmail.com.

Recent awards include 2013 CSPA Gold Medalist, 2012 Online Pacemaker, 2010 CSPA Silver Crown and 2010 Marylander Award.

The Black & White volume 55 will publish six newspapers and one magazine. Annual mail subscriptions cost $35 ($120 for four-year subscription) and can be purchased through the online school store.

Print Editor-in-Chief Print Managing Editors Online Editor-in-Chief Online Managing Editors Print Copy Editors Online Copy Editor Headlines Editor News Editors Feature & Arts Editors

Opinion Editor Blogs Editor Print Sports Editor Online Sports Editor Multimedia Editors Heads of Production Production Manager Production Assistants Online Graphics Editor Business Managers Photo Director Print Photo Assistants Online Photo Assistant Social Media Director Calendar Manager Webmasters Senior Columnists News Writers

Feature & Arts Writers

Opinion Writers

Sports Writers

Multimedia Writers Adviser Assistant Adviser

Josh Millin Rachel Friedman Norell Sherman Jason Grill Anna McGuire Avery Muir Sophia Knappertz Naomi Meron Celia Hoffman Kelly Mema Mary Dimitrov Jennah Haque Justin Baker Camryn Dahl Allie Lerner Emily Schweitzer Tanusha Mishra Natachi Onwuamaegbu Carolyn Price Ezra Pine Noah Clement Natalie Welber Abby Singer Sebi Sola-Sole Ann Morgan Jacobi Iris Berendes-Dean Emma Davis Meimei Greenstein Charlotte Alden Simi Gold Ali Misirci Tomas Castro Annabelle Gordon Valerie Myers Rachel Hazan Matt Farr Aaron Titlebaum Caleb Hering Anthony Breder Michael Gorman Luke Graves Valerie Akinyoyenu Lily Friedman Anna Gray Lily Jacobson Carmen Molina Julie Rosenstein Andie Silverman Pearl Sun Abbi Audas Hanna Chaudhry Ava Chenok Aiden Lesley Elea Levin Sabrina Martin Abby Snyder Jennie Yu Tiger Björnlund Camille Caldera Elisa McCartin Michelle Silver Emma Sorkin Kyle Layman Ben Levin Amy Nankin Sam Shiffman Joey Squeri Daniel Weber Eli Saletan Nicholas Confino Louise Reynolds

Photo by TOMAS CASTRO

In its first two editions, the B&W magazine showcased the best the Black & White staff had to offer, and we believe the same can be said this year. We’ve continued to mix hard-hitting stories with lighter pieces—and a spotlight on local cuisine, of course—but we’ve also taken a few steps to focus on some of the little things, from fonts to bylines.

There are so many people to thank for helping see this magazine through. This magazine would be 32 blank pages without the dedication of our writers, section editors and copy editors, who devoted countless hours to interviewing, reporting, writing, reading and rereading every story in this publication. Furthermore, we’re grateful for the artistic eye—that we often lack—and commitment of our production heads, Sebi Sola Sole and Abby Singer, and the rest of the production staff.

We’d also like to thank our adviser, Mr. Confino, for his ambition and dedication to this publication, and Mrs. Reynolds, for seeing the magazine through for its first two editions and instilling in us the knowledge we needed to produce a magazine with her just down the hall.

Putting out the B&W has been a rewarding experience in every regard but would never have been as incredible without the sense of community on this staff.

Beyond thanking the staff for their hard work, we’d like to thank them for being our family. Flat week flies by when we’re surrounded by compassionate and motivated people, and working together never ceases to teach collaboration and companionship.

So after over a month of intense work, we’re proud to present the third edition of the B&W magazine. They say the third time’s the charm; we hope you think so, too.

Josh Millin Editor-in-Chief

Rachel Friedman Managing Editor

Norell Sherman Managing Editor Cover photo by TOMAS CASTRO

Table of Contents 4 Bethesda’s homeless community 6 Slam poetry 7 Q&A: Rep. Raskin, Sen. Van Hollen 10 NIH internships 11 Students with cancer 14 Mega- Crossword 16 Sexism in debate 17 Back to Pyle 18 Teenage pregnancy 25 Team camps 26 Windsurfing 28 Whitman’s top 10 teams 31 Opinion: teaching slavery

8 20 22 30

4 FEATURE

Faces of Bethesda’s homeless community

by Lily Friedman

Photo by TOMAS CASTRO Many students encounter Jim, who normally sits in front of this wall in downtown Bethesda, but few people know his background. The Housing and Urban Development Department’s 2015 survey found that there are about 1,100 homeless individuals in Montgomery County.

Jim’s last name has been withheld for his privacy.

In the fabric of the Bethesda community, each person spins a single thread. But some people weave their stories on the fringes of the “Bethesda bubble,” unnoticed by most of the community.

Community members Charles Duffin and Jim lead harrowingly different lives, but both men live within the seemingly invisible fiber of Bethesda’s ever-changing textile: homelessness.

Though homelessness is present in Bethesda, many students feel uncomfortable discussing the topic at Whitman.

While some students encounter homeless individuals and say a quick hello or donate spare change, students still overlook homelessness because the homeless community doesn’t play a role in their everyday lives, freshman Stephanie Rodriguez said.

“People just don’t always talk about homelessness because wealthier people don’t see homeless people regularly,” Rodriguez said. “Personally I would love to help with homelessness, but I’m just not sure how I could help because I don’t see many homeless people on the streets.”

Some students may not see home-

less people every day because only 103 individuals live on the streets in Montgomery County, but there are over 1,100 homeless individuals in the county, most of whom live in shelters, according to a 2015 Point in Time survey conducted by the Housing and Urban Development Department. The survey found that out of the 636,000 homeless individuals nationwide, about one in every 636 lives in Montgomery County.

But the presence of homelessness in Bethesda still may not alter the stereotypes some Whitman students assign to homelessness, sophomore Matthew van Bastalaer said.

“Because Bethesda is so wealthy, we can create the stereotype that homeless people will spend any money you give them on alcohol or drugs,” van Bastalaer said. “This might be true for some people, but students here use it as more of an excuse not to help people out.”

Others, however, think that the area’s affluence contributes to a kind atmosphere, homeless D.C. resident Mike Davison said.

“I come into Bethesda a couple times a week because people are wealthy,” Davison said. “People here have more money to spare, so I find

them to be pretty generous.”

FROM THE RING TO THE STREETS

It’s difficult to pinpoint a single traumatic incident in a person’s life.

For some students, taking a daunting calculus class equates to their biggest feat. Others have faced more difficult obstacles or aren’t able to pick one event at all. But Duffin can procure his worst moment almost instantly.

When Duffin was 22 years old, he was shot in the head while visiting friends on the Natchez Indian Reservation in Colorado. The injury abruptly ended his professional boxing career and dismantled his dream of visiting every state west of Nebraska, he said.

Even today, Duffin’s face is sullen as he describes how the event uprooted his goals and career path 24 years ago.

“I was undefeated at that point.

Nobody could beat me in the ring,” he said. “After the shot, I came back to Bethesda to recuperate and kind of just stayed here.”

The repercussions of Duffin’s injury not only prevented him from boxing but also from working less dangerous jobs, he said.

“I tried working, but I really couldn’t,” Duffin said.

5

“A lot of the stereotypes about homelessness that people have are driven by misinformation.

When you don’t interact with these people, you can form any opinion you want about them, but many guests here are just kind people.”

-Bethesda Cares volunteer

Facing severe mental trauma from the shooting, Duffin struggled with both loneliness and paranoia around unfamiliar people on the streets.

“It was tough living on the streets with mental health issues, and I was sometimes scared for my future and of other people, but luckily I had help,” Duffin said.

With support from his family in Colorado and friends in Bethesda, Duffin got an apartment after 21 years of homelessness; still, he never forgets how drastically his life changed in one moment, he said.

“I used to have seizures every day when I came back to Bethesda,” Duffin said. “About two years ago I went out West again to see my family, but it wasn’t the same as before the shot.”

Now, Duffin frequents Bethesda Cares’ Saturday luncheons where many volunteers honor Duffin and his counterparts’ strength recognizing the difficulties of their living situations.

“A lot of the stereotypes about homelessness that people have are driven by misinformation,” a Bethesda Cares volunteer said. “When you don’t interact with these people, you can form any opinion you want about them, but many guests here are just kind people.”

MILITARY HERO TURNED HOMELESS

Jim is a middle-aged Bethesda resident. He served in the United States Army for six years. He wears a burgundy hat, likes the spicy sauce at Nando’s and always knows the perfect time to score the free Georgetown Cupcake.

He’s also been homeless for 18 years.

Despite the stigma polarizing homeless people, individuals like Jim interact with non-homeless Bethesda residents every day.

While Jim used to work as a mechanic in Bethesda, the injuries he sustained overseas in Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War eventually hindered his ability to work, he said.

“A little after I came back, I had my leg amputated, which stopped me from working,” Jim said. “I procrastinated and didn’t go to the Veteran’s Association fast enough, and now I’m homeless.”

Because he spends most of his time in downtown Bethesda near the Bethesda Row parking lot, Jim has developed relationships with many stores owners and restaurant managers. Many days, people come in Nando’s Peri-Peri to buy him his spicy

chicken, Nando’s Peri-Peri manager Anita Wong said.

“Jim comes in most days to use the bathroom and is always very smiley,” Wong said. “A lot of people who work around here know him too and come in to buy him food.”

Regardless of the community’s generosity, living on the streets presented Jim with major challenges that many non-homeless people overlook.

The Veteran’s Association helped Jim by providing him with food and medical services, he said.

“I didn’t think about it when I was living in a home, but a lot of times when you break down physically on the streets, it causes you to break down mentally, too, until you don’t trust anybody,” he said. “I finally got hooked up with the Veteran’s Association so I’m okay now, but it’s been a difficult ride.”

While Duffin, Davison and Jim’s backgrounds differ drastically, their perspectives, combined with those of other Bethesda residents, shop owners and volunteers, weave together the fabric of Bethesda. Sparking conversations across social lines is difficult, but the person asking you for spare change may have more to offer than you’d think.

6 FEATURE

Slam poetry: an outlet for self-expression

by Natachi Onwuamaegbu It usually starts with a cough, a clearing of the throat, a smile and some nervous laughter. The audience snaps and claps, stomps and whoops, trying to lend confidence to the nervous poet.

Then the words come out. Sometimes rhyming, sometimes broken, they blend together in a mix of stanzas, words and lines, telling stories, telling secrets and telling failures.

Poets tell folk stories, weaving tales with their tongues, meshing one word into three more until you have no choice but to follow their voice from start to finish.

most popular destinations for performances.

After Whitehurst finishes speaking, the room falls dark; a single spotlight shines on a familiar face. Some participants in the audience shuffle their papers, some look up expectantly.

“There are only five rules,” Mary Bowman, poetry host of Busboys and Poets, tells the participants of the open-mic night.

The rules are simple, she explains. A piece can’t be too long, respect is mandatory, hate speech is impermissible and the space must remain safe for all audience members.

“Oh, and have fun!” Bowman concludes.

A series of D.C. locals take the stage.

Whitehurst is followed by a middle-aged man with a plaid sweater vest. In the two hours of the open-mic night, dozens of people from all around the D.C. area deliver heartfelt, personal declarations. Heeled shoes follow moccasins follow no shoes. Everyone is welcome.

Poets tell folk stories, weaving tales with their tongues, meshing one word into three more until you have no choice but to follow their voice from start to finish. The slightest jolt in diction catches you off guard; rushed sentences leave you on edge.

The night ends with a man in a fur coat, sporting a long red beard and a knit cap. He calls himself Motorcycle Jesus. He’s a selfproclaimed slam poetry star and he floats ¨like a motherf*****g astronaut.¨ He speaks of youth and death, the death of African Americans and the death of soci-

Angelyn Whitehurst, a homeless 62-yearold, uses poetry to voice overlooked stories in her community: death and violence. She ety. During his last poem, he shrugs off his shares her story at Busboys and Poets, a local jacket and shakes out his hands. His words cafe in D.C. blend and mix, telling a story of pain: his pain “How much longer do we holler, yell and is the pain of others. He begins to chant, alscream? Another human being has died,” most at a whisper.

Whitehurst asks the crowd. “To others, he ¨All I see is dead bodies¨ he clutches the was a statistic and line item, detailed in the microphone and stares straight ahead. ¨All I budget with a name and number, waiting regsee is dead bodies.¨ istered and certified, in timeless limbo, to be served.”

She stands, arms raised clutching a crumpled paper in her hands. Her voice cracks, and she lowers her arms in defeat.

“Rest in peace, my brother.”

Slam poetry is an outlet for self-expression. It’s a movement. This form of spoken word puts equal emphasis on writing and performance and is believed to have been influenced by Beat poets like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Mark Kelly Smith, a Chicago poet often known as “Slampapi,” created the first ever National Poetry Slam in 1990.

Slam is generally social and not competitive, and it’s usually shared in casual settings like open-mic nights Slam is on the rise in the U.S., especially in D.C., a hub of social and political movePhotos by NATACHI ONWUAMAEGBU ments. Many poets present at cafes and bookstores, either in slam competitions or openTop: Poet shares personal story during slam performance. Above: Chris “Poetryzchyld” Thomas hosts mic nights; Busboys and Poets is among the the weekly open-mic night at the cafe Busboys and Poets.

7

Q&A with SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN and REP. JAMIE RASKIN

Photo courtesy CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

Photo courtesy JAMIE RASKIN

Interviews by Abby Snyder Jamie Raskin will represent Maryland’s of longtime Maryland Senator Barbara with both Raskin and Van Hollen to dis8th District in the 115th Congress. His Mikulski. Van Hollen will join Senator cuss their goals and plans for the legislapredecessor, Chris Van Hollen, stepped Ben Cardin to represent Maryland in ture. Answers were edited for space and down from the House to run for the seat the Senate. The Black & White sat down clarity.

Bay, confronting climate whole range of fields includchange and addressing the ing the environment, investB&W: What was your ment in science, and better The Black & White: problems of a very broken What was your reaction to finance system—Citizens reaction when you found economic policies and results the election, both to your United was a disaster for our out you won the election for for working Americans. We victory and to Donald democratic process, and that Congress? need to invest in infrastrucJamie Raskin: I was ju- ture, and I hope that will be Trump’s? needs to be changed. I’ve Chris Van Hollen: I was also focused on the issue of bilant, but then, moments an area of real collaborahonored to receive support educational opportunity and later, people started telling tion and consensus between from so many Marylanders trying to make sure that we me that it was very possible Democrats and Republicans in this election. I thank all of have an affordable college that Trump would win, and in this period. We need to those who placed their confi- system and a good system then the night just spiraled dramatically reduce greendence in me, and pledge to all of community colleges for downwards from there. house gas emissions; we need Marylanders—whether they people who want to develop One of the best nights of to try to rectify the destabisupported me or not—that their skills outside of a four- my life became one of the lization of our climate sysI will fight for Maryland’s year college. We need to worst nights of my life. I’m tem. That is an urgent priorinterests every day. The elec- make sure that college is af- thrilled about the prospect ity that just cannot wait four tion of Donald Trump was a fordable for everybody, and of going to Washington to years. In general, we have deep disappointment, and it we need to make sure that we defend the values and priori- to protect people’s demowill take a lot of work and provide options for students. ties of the great people who cratic rights, the right to vote live in Montgomery, Fred- and the right to participate. determination to prevent his administration from rollB&W: Anything you erick and Carroll County. ing back the progress we’ve want to add or anything you B&W: How do you and B&W: What issues do the rest of the House Demmade on civil rights, eco- want to say to the Whitman you plan to advocate the ocrats plan to work with a nomic opportunity, environ- community? mental protections, women’s CVH: First I want to most for in the House of Republican majority to inrights and so many other is- encourage Walt Whitman Representatives? fluence legislation?

JR: I have to play defense sues. I will fight back against students to continue to reJR: I prided myself on any attempt to turn back main engaged in the po- on a number of things, and bipartisanship in Annapolis, the clock on these issues. litical process. Regardless I have to play offense. On and that is a legislature that of their political views, it’s defense, I have to defend all works on a bipartisan prinB&W: Your predecessor, crucially important that we of our racial, religious and ciple. Despite the fact that we Senator Barbara Mikulski, hear student voices. It’s re- sexual minorities that are have Democratic majorities, has been very influential on ally important that students under attack in America, we incorporate Republican the Senate Appropriations recognize that they have a and I will not yield one cen- ideas and criticism and pass Committee. What do you stake in the decisions that timeter in terms of the civil legislation that’s been introplan to focus on? are being made in the United rights and civil liberties and duced by Republicans. And CVH: There’s been a lot States Senate and the United equal rights of all our people. a lot of my legislation was of areas I focused on that I States Congress, as well as, of We need to defend all of the done on a bipartisan basis. want to build on, including course, the White House and progress we’ve made in the protecting the Chesapeake state and local governments. Obama presidency across a

Senator Van Hollen

Representative Raskin

8 FEATURE

Let's taco Chipotle

Rockville

Chipotle Bethesda

Los Cuates

G&M

Washington, D.C.

Bethesda

Gringos & Mariachis Qdoba

Rockville

Bethesda

California Tortilla Takorean

Washington, D.C.

Both restaurants had delicious tacos with excellently seasoned chicken, so it came down to convenience and ambiance— Gringos had a modern yet authentic vibe, and it’s in Old Bethesda, which beats the trek to Georgetown any day.

Qdoba Rio Grande

Bethesda

Although Taco Bell had a convenient drive-thru, the quality of its ingredients didn’t match the high standards of Chipotle’s food. For the tastier grab-and-go, Chipotle is the move; we’ve forgiven them for their E-coli mishap.

While Qdoba might not be worthy of date-night, its soft-shell tacos beat those of Uncle Julio’s in terms of flavor. The chicken and veggie tacos at Qdoba burst with flavor, while Uncle Julio’ chicken tacos left a bad aftertaste.

Cal Tor Sometimes new isn’t always better. While Takorean’s Korean twist was certainly distinctive, it was a stretch.

California Tortilla’s classic style and convenient location won us over.

KEY: Red- Mega-chain Blue- Sitdown Green- Single-shop Orange- Joint

G&M

Gringos & Marachis

Taco Bell

After searching the streets of D.C., the never-ending Rockville Pike, and our bougie Bethesda Bubble, we found the best restaurant in D.C. and Maryland to celebrate Taco Tuesday.

We selected first-round matchups at random. At each restaurant, we tried two types of tacos: chicken and veggie, except at Chaia, which has an exclusively vegetarian menu. We considered four factors when ranking each restaurant: cost, location, taste and service (with

Gringos &

Qdoba

WINNER: Gringos & Mariachis

9

'bout tacos

by Mary Dimitrov, Jennah Haque and Sophia Knappertz

aesthetic)—it would be a lie if we didn’t say that free guacamole swayed us as well. The restaurants are categorized as sit-down, mega-chain, single-shop and local chain; all restaurants besides sit-down classify as grab-and-go, and we’ve defined a “joint” as having multiple local locations.

Please note that the following decisions are based solely off the general sentiments of the writers on the byline, not the entire Black & White staff.

Jaco

El Centro District Taco Unfortunately, the dining experience at El Centro wasn’t enjoyable. While we didn’t sit down and eat at District Taco, its many locations and customizable menu makes it perfect for a tasty graband-go if you ever get sick of Chipotle or California Tortilla.

Georgetown

District Taco Washington, D.C.

Fish Taco

Jaco Mariachis

Jaco

Even though Fish Taco is in a more convenient location for students, Jaco provides a distinctive taco experience. To top off the surf-shop vibe, the tacos were outstanding; with an above average tortilla and an explosion of flavor, Jaco knocked out its competitor.

Bethesda

Jaco Georgetown

Cactus Cantina Washington, D.C.

Surfside Surfside Gringos & Mariachis not only had the most flavorful tacos but also a traditional aesthetic with a modern twist. Both the veggie and the chicken tacos were packed with flavor, making it a great dinner stop for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. Gringos’ presentation, even in a measly to-go box, was absolutely stunning. With a welcoming staff and a convenient location, Gringos & Mariachis stole the show.

In this unexpected upset, Surfside came on top for several reasons. Cactus Cantina missed the mark; soggy tacos aren’t delicious. While Surf Side is definitely a casual-dining experience, it had a signature flavor.

Surfside Georgetown

Oyamel

Oyamel The ambiance of both of the restaurants proved Insta-worthy, but Oyamel offers a wider variety of taco choices. With more of an authentic feel, Oyamel is a great stop before a Wizards game.

Washington, D.C.

Chaia Georgetown Photos by SOPHIA KNAPPERTZ & TOMAS CASTRO

10 FEATURE

Students explore authentic experiences in NIH internships

by Anna Gray

Photo courtesy MICHAEL AZIMI

As students binge-watch hospital drama TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, some strive to follow in the footsteps of Meredith and McDreamy by joining the medical field themselves. Instead of watching brain scans on Netflix, some students are analyzing them at one of the world’s leading medical facilities, The National Institutes of Health (NIH).

There are currently 21 Whitman interns at NIH, including junior Eden Levit and seniors Michael Azimi, Carina Greenberg, Jessy Kline, Maya Rosen and Claire Sandler.

Day at the Lab: Expectations vs. Reality

In labs, students work alongside professional researchers who have dedicated the majority of their lives to NIH; the environment feels professional yet open for learning, Sandler said.

“When I first started my internship, I was overwhelmed by how smart everyone was, and I felt very out of place being a high school student surrounded by these published people,” Sandler said. “But I learned how friendly everyone was and willing to help whenever I needed them.”

Kline, an NIH intern for two years in a pediatric oncology lab, often shadows her boss when she goes to radiology, runs blood samples, analyzes tumor samples and goes to meetings. She’s also running her own project developing a cell line for further study.

She explained that while the labs can feel bleak, nurses keep decorations up and sometimes patients come into the labs to see the cells being grown for them.

Though she may only be a senior in high school, Kline doesn’t feel less capable than others in her lab, she said.

“I didn't realize how much I could contribute and do without college or grad school,” Kline said. “I plan most of my own experiments, and I participate in meetings frequently. I didn't realize I would be treated as an equal.”

Students stressed that the time commitment to their internship made juggling schoolwork difficult but manageable. Rosen usually arrives at NIH at 1:30 and gets home around 4:30.

“This internship has given me better time management skills,” Rosen said. “I’ve become

better about doing my homework when I have free time at school.”

Ms. Hudock: Science Matchmaker

Students seeking an internship turn in applications before second semester of their sophomore or junior year detailing their science classes, internship interests, extracurriculars and work experience. Science internship coordinator and anatomy teacher Melanie Hudock works as the cupid between students and NIH, creating suitable pairs based on students’ interests, time commitment and personality.

After Hudock organizes the matches, she supervises the pairs and checks on her students in their labs.

“It’s interesting to see real-world applications to what we do in school,” Hudock said.

Hudock had an internship at NIH her senior year of high school but said it cemented her desire to become a teacher instead of a researcher—she couldn’t see herself in a lab every day.

“I took anatomy sophomore year, and Ms. Hudock always talked about her science interns, and I thought it sounded like something I might be interested in,” Rosen said. “I had already taken a majority of the science classes at Whitman, so I decided I wanted to have an internship senior year.”

experiments aren't like your basic chemistry or biology labs that we do in school. There’s little to no room for error.”

Looking Forward

Students said their internships at NIH will impact them for the rest of their lives and prepare them to pursue a career in medicine.

“I hope this internship will help me shape and excel in my medical career, as well as learn more about myself,” Levit said.

Azimi, who also wants to be a doctor, said he felt lucky to have NIH in such close proximity to Whitman so it can help him figure out if he wants to pursue medicine. Kline agreed, and said that this internship gives her important connections to the medical field if she ever wants to return to NIH in the future.

“I'm set to be published in February, so that will really help me in my goal to go to medical school,” Kline said. “But it's also challenging work, so I hope and think it has made me more hard-working and compassionate.”

Kodak Moments

The average high school student doesn’t have the same opportunities to observe medicine as those of NIH interns.

“One of the most interesting things I got to experience was watching my mentor engineer a device to go inside a CT scan which mimics a traumatic brain injury without hurting the person at all,” Greenberg said.

Sandler is currently working in a cancer research lab which tests the ability of certain drugs to treat cancer DNA. “My favorite moment was when my experiment actually worked correctly for the first time,” Sandler said. “Laboratory

Currently, there are 21 students working at NIH.

Students participate in experiments such as testing drugs to treat cancer.

11 FEATURE

Battling cancer: three students share journeys

by Pearl Sun Photos by TOMAS CASTRO

12

I

sat face-to-face with three students and asked them questions about their cancer stories; I think it’s safe to say I was an emotional mess during each conversation. At times I smiled; at times I couldn’t look them in the eye; at times I wanted to cry. Cancer narratives often oversimplify the patient’s battle to the journey of a hero who defies one-in-a-million odds and overcomes the impossible. And while these three students are nothing short of fearless survivors, there’s so much more to tell, like their Chipotle cravings or their newfound expertise in hematology. These are their stories.

Junior Olivia Matthews

H

earing the diagnosis is like a slap in the face; it takes a moment to process, and the aftermath is perplexing and painful. When Matthews was diagnosed in June 2016 with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, even though she was sitting in an oncology clinic for cancer patients, the revelation was still jarring, she noted. Hodgkin’s lymphoma is an immune system cancer that compromises the body’s ability to fight infections.

“It was shocking and also scary,” Matthews said. “The first hour was very emotional because it was me and my parents coming to terms with what we had just heard. At this point there’s thoughts running through your mind like, ‘what if it’s really bad’?”

On the first day of treatment, doctors administer an entire dose of chemotherapy. The patient’s immune system flushes out the medicine for the next four to 10 days, which causes intense nausea.

“They gave me very powerful anti-nausea drugs the first time I had chemo,” Matthews said. “I actually spent three days in the hospital from getting admitted to the ER overnight because I just couldn’t stop being sick.”

Chemotherapy lowers both white and red blood cell counts, taking a harsh physical toll on the body. It left Matthews feeling physically drained. Prior to having cancer, she was a strong athlete and loved playing sports, but the chemotherapy rendered her unable to play tennis or swim.

“There was actually one point where I was so badly in need of a blood transfusion that when I was trying to make myself breakfast, I almost passed out trying to get a waffle from the toaster,” Matthews said. “So then I called my brother and made him get it for me.”

The strenuous mental battle with chemotherapy can be overlooked because chemotherapy has such a clear physical impact, but it exists: Matthews described her anticipatory dread before getting chemotherapy.

“You know in an hour you’re going to feel really poorly,” Matthews said. “So it’s hard to go in there and be like ‘alright, it’s fine’ because you know it’s not really fine.”

In the earlier stages of her treatment, Matthews was still getting used to her hair loss; she would sit in the waiting room wearing a scarf tied around her head, feeling sick and self-conscious. But one day, as she sat down and prepared herself for the next dose of chemotherapy, a little boy, who was also a cancer patient, walked past and cheered her up.

“I was just on my phone waiting to be called, and this little kid in a stroller comes in with his friends and he just looks at me and goes, ‘she’s pretty’,” Matthews recounted. “It was a little thing, but this was the first time I had gone there after I lost my hair, and I looked sick and here’s this little kid just freely voicing his opinion. It made me really rethink things.”

It was incredibly important to have friends and family by her side, Matthews said. When she was feeling tired and couldn’t move, they provided a welcomed distraction.

“I was pretty much on the couch every day, but [my friends] Jonah and Hope were really helpful,” Matthews said. “They would get me whatever I needed, and if I was having trouble with anything, they would talk me through it.”

“ Even though people who go through this experience might look or seem different, they’re still the same person.”

-junior Olivia Matthews

It was hard for junior Hope Hilsenrath to watch her close friend going through cancer, but she tried to be there for Matthews, she said.

“It was hard on her body, but she is the strongest person I know,” Hilsenrath said. “She never even complained.”

Along with growing closer to her friends and family, Matthews has also learned not to make unwarranted assumptions or judge others. At the beginning of the school year, people around Matthews didn’t know she had cancer, and they would ask her why she wasn’t around.

So she made it very clear to her friends to treat her the same way, she said, because enough had changed already.

“You never know what people have going on, so don’t assume anything,” Matthews said.

“Even though people who go through this ex-

perience might look or seem different, they’re still the same person.”

And she’s still keeping her head up. Matthews finished chemotherapy in September and completed radiation therapy in early November.

“Yes, you’re going through an awful situation that no one should have to go through, but there are upsides to it,” Matthews said. “You meet amazing people and you come out with a better perspective. If you keep that in mind while going through it, it makes it easier.”

Senior Jaiwen Hsu

H

su was 11 years old when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer.

“The diagnosis brought a lot of confusion as opposed to fear,” Hsu said. “You know, being 11, I really didn’t know what it meant to have cancer. I knew it was serious, but I really didn’t know what to expect.”

Hsu’s cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and prescription medications, caused a range of taxing symptoms. Hsu spent time in and out of the hospital for about a year and had a total of 39 rounds of chemo as well as a surgery. He was often unable to eat, sleep or even watch TV. “I was usually too sick to move,” Hsu said.

“Physically, it felt like a combination of having poison needled into you while being hit with a freight train from multiple sides.

But Hsu discovered little things along the

his sophomore year—that it was actually Tcell leukemia. And after that, it took a couple weeks for it to sink in, he said.

“It was pretty scary because the doctors said if I had gone to school the next day, I could have had a stroke in class,” he said.

At one point after his diagnosis, Simon thought he was having an actual stroke in school, displaying symptoms of a swollen tongue, difficulty writing with a pen and only being able to smile with one side of his face.

But it turned out not to be an actual stroke— just a very rare side effect.

Juniors Matthew Simon and Olivia Matthews and senior Jaiwen Hsu have differentcolored ribbons that represent the different types of cancer they had.

way that have helped him remain positive, despite the situation.

“Believe it or not, I developed a craving for Chipotle that really powered me through hard days,” Hsu said.

“It’s made me notice the things that people often take for granted.”

-senior Jaiwen Hsu

And even though he was angry at first, after many treatments, Hsu gained a mature perspective, turning his resentment into gratitude.

“It’s made me notice the things that people often take for granted,” Hsu said. “If one of my friends spilled something, I would be less likely to get angry. I try to advocate that to the people around me. That we shouldn’t sweat the small stuff.”

Junior Matthew Simon

T

he first signs of cancer Simon noticed were swollen lymph nodes, which looked like enlarged bumps on the body. But his pediatrician didn’t diagnose his symptoms correctly, and he found out—one day before the first day of

“You feel like you’re different from everyone else, you have to go to the hospital and have little time to be with friends, and you can’t be part of any clubs or sports.”

-junior Matthew Simon

To complete his sophomore year, Simon met with principal Alan Goodwin every day after school to discuss his schedule and catch up with schoolwork.

“He handled it very well,” Goodwin said.

“He appreciated our support, and he’s very strong. He had to put up with a lot and kept pushing himself through it.”

Simon lost about 22 pounds from his treatments, which caused a range of symptoms, including temporary diabetes from one medication.

It’s tough to talk about the experience, Simon said, because he’s tried to forget about a lot of it. But he’s found that it’s easier to manage with humor. He joked about the terrible hospital food, which he said made Whitman’s cafeteria seem like a five-star restaurant.

“When you have to go through such an awful situation, you kind of have to joke about it to get through it,” Simon said. “So that’s what I do.”

Simon also explained the science of blood loss associated with chemotherapy. With fewer white blood cells available, the body is left more susceptible to diseases; with fewer red blood cells available, patients experience dizziness and fatigue. From all his visits to the hospital, he’s become quite the expert in hematology, Simon noted.

13

While having to endure an exhausting physical battle, he’s also had to face emotional difficulties that were less visible but just as severe. At first, he felt anger and even jealousy.

“I felt jealous of everybody else because they all got to live their lives,” Simon said. “But I had to, and still have to, be very health-conscious. It’s also very worrisome because you never know what can happen; you have to be worried if the medicine is working.”

Cancer also imposed isolating social restrictions on him, Simon said.

“You feel like you’re different from everyone else, you have to go to the hospital and have little time to be with friends, and you can’t be part of any clubs or sports,” he said. “I had to take a year off from crew.”

Throughout his battle with cancer, he’s experienced more than most people his age, he said. Fighting cancer has taught him to be more appreciative of things he previously never noticed and he’s been inspired by other cancer patients.

“A lot of the little kids at the hospital had much worse situations than I did, but they were still able to be happy,” Simon said. “They were really cute, playing with their little toys and riding around in little cars, even though they were attached to an IV pole. That was both extremely depressing but also very inspiring.”

Even strangers have provided motivation for him in tough times.

“I saw this one guy walk in, and he was completely jacked, with really curly hair,” Simon said. “He sat down, and they stuck a needle in his arm, and I realized he was a patient there. So that made me feel better because it showed me if that guy can look better after going through cancer, I could too.”

Although these accounts are reported as accurately as possible, the cancer experience can’t be replicated through words; it’s something a person can’t understand when put simply.

As Matthews, Hsu and Simon sat down to speak about their experiences, there was one thing they all noted, something incredibly powerful: they said they were lucky.

“I was lucky that most of my treatment happened over the summer,” Matthews said.

“I was actually lucky to have enough energy to go to school; many people with cancer can’t do that,” Simon said.

“I realized that there were kids going through situations much worse than mine,” Hsu said. “I was lucky, and the cancer had made me stronger.”

14 CROSSWORD

“625: A Crossword Odyssey”

by Justin Baker and Joey Squeri DOWN: 1. Sacred object often associated with spirits or animism 2. A musical with no spoken dialogue 3. Steinbeck novel set in the Salinas Valley 4. Poetry competition 5. Make amends for 6. “Put it on my ___” 7. ___ love, ___ life 8. Manager, abbr.

9. UN division that oversees labor rights, abbr.

10. Basketball position typically associated with “big men” 11. Actor known for his role in Parks and Rec 12. What you do with an oar 13. “You know what it is: black and ______” 14. To intensify 15. Exclamation of grief or disappointment 16. Reckless, impulsive 17. The science guy 18. Colorful variety of parrot 19. When a textbook has many writers beyond the first 20. Open pavilion often found in Buddhist temples; also the name of a DC Thai restaurant 21. Hot, dry, having little rain 33. “A long time __ in a galaxy far, far away” 35. Chemistry rule for valence electrons 37. Many female sheep 38. Disease that threatened China in the early 2000s, abbr.

41. One should drive under the speed ____ 42. Top English soccer league, abbr.

43. How to express amusement in an internet conversation, abbr.

45. Beverage conglomerate that creates Brisk, Mountain Dew and the titular Cola 47. Consumed food 49. Protective material placed in front of a door on which one wipes their shoes 51. 2000 lbs 52. A long-handled box for carrying bricks 53. Evidence proving someone was elsewhere while a crime occurred 54. Mrs. Havisham’s house in Great Expectations 55. ESPN play-by-play sportscaster Dave _____ 56. Mucus 57. German midfielder who has

played for Bayern and Madrid, ____ Kroos 58. 95-story London skyscraper 60. Feeling blue or down is to be ___ 61. Pattern on many flannels 66. HP’s liquid gold 67. Chinese principal of the universe associated with darkness and the earth 69. Rate that you expend energy at rest, abbr.

71. Female chicken 72. Having two aspects 73. How many houses of legislature Iran has 75. Predatory fish whose skeleton is composed of cartilage 77. Walkway between seats 79. Famous surrealist 80. A musical group of two people 82. Lou Gehrig’s Disease, abbr.

83. “Spiderman” creator Stan ___ 84. Bert’s counterpart on “Sesame St.” 88. “Black Beatles” musician __ Sremmurd 89. Skateboarding trick where the rider and their board are both airborne without use of hands 91. What you can do by lying in the sun 92. Moist 93. Cassius Clay’s adopted surname 94. Business structure combining aspects of partnerships and corporations, abbr.

95. Places of worship in A Song of Ice and Fire 96. The degree you get from business school, abbr.

97. Inquire 98. Where a pig lives 99. What BP spilled 100. “Watch me whip, now watch me __ __” 102. Bookstore: “Politics and _____” 103. Put down 104. Florida city in Northern Florida 105. Wrath, anger 107. Rotations per minute, abbr.

110. The police are its long arm 111. Group promoting worldwide water access, abbr.

113. Challenge someone to do something 114. Danny Brown’s October 2013 album 117. The Romanovs 118. How you test for cervical cancer: ___ smear 119. Daughters of Zeus presiding over the arts and sciences 120. Possessing many years 121. Bug spray company

122. In a state of doing nothing 123. Beetle Bailey’s abusive superior 124. Ostrich relative 126. Chess rating system 127. Chinese dynasty following the Zhou 129. Harding administration’s famous scandal 130. Frozen princess with ice powers 131. Public disturbance typically characterized by group violence and destruction of public property 133. To ____ is to figure out how to do something 135. Medical research center in Bethesda, abbr.

137. Yellow citrus fruit 141. International organization focusing on sustainability reporting, abbr.

142. Noah put two kinds of each animal on this in the Bible 143. Situation in which two runners appear to be exactly even when they cross the finish 145. Yiddish phrase expressing exasperation 146. School cop official title, abbr.

147. A public broadcast of information for everyone’s benefit, abbr.

149. Obtain or secure 150. City that is at war with Greece in the Odyssey 152. To court someone is to ___ them 153. To sum two numbers is to __ 157. Finally 159. 2014 Pac-12 champions 160. Light shade of brown 161. A Passover dinner 163. Go Quickly! Make ___!

165. Scombrid fish prized in sport fishing 167. Cloud-based analytics start up 168. A person who operates something 169. Fleetwood Mac song from the Tusk album that got Stevie Nicks sued 170. When a hot beverage is served cold instead of warm 171. Harry Potter journalist ___ Skeeter 172. Black & White feature writer ____ Levin 173. A large amount 176. Sudan president ____ al-Bashir wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity 178. A high European mountain 180. If you were to spell out the sound of the letter “D” 182. Avenue, abbr.

183. Greek tragedy later used in

Freud’s theories: Oedipus ___ 184. Psychometric theory also known as Latent Trait Theory, abbr.

185. ΣΔΤ sorority’s English letter abbreviation ACROSS: 1. Fingers of the feet 5. The type of bomb Truman chose to drop 11. Force open 14. Deserve something 18. Elevated area of land with flat top 22. Gemstone form of Silica 23. What your headphones do when you set them down 24. Fish eggs 25. Kill, defeat 26. Test to get into a college in Australia, abbr.

27. Tape manufacturer 28. Fairy King in A Midsummer Night’s Dream 29. Tool used for piercing holes 30. What you put things in when not using them 31. Slang form of California 32. AP Lit and Honors US History teacher 34. A small child 36. What you use to walk a dog 38. Varieties include Caesar, Cobb, Kale and Chicken 39. CCP leader responsible for the Great Leap Forward 40. Type of pen 42. Someone who will become president soon is the President-____ 44. Nocturnal bird of prey 45. A dog’s foot 46. NYC toy store ___ Schwarz 48. Former Mexican economic policy: ______ substitution 50. Go-to conversation topic when among unfamiliar people 53. Egyptian snake 56. A written instruction to ignore an edit on a paper 58. Not large 59. Technical term for a sixth sense, abbr.

62. When one responds to injustice with injustice, one _____ to the enemy’s level 63. LA Angels baseball team, abbr.

64. A mass of tissue 65. When you successfully strike a baseball and get on base 66. Boot-shaped country 68. They justify the means 69. Very small pieces 70. “___ ring to rule them all” 71. Accessory for the head

15 72. The leader of a mafia 74. A raised platform 76. Shakespeare writes in ____ pentameter 78. Dating app 80. The act of scoring by placing the ball through the hoop rather than shooting 81. Breathe in 85. Someone from Ireland is ____ 86. Used at the end of a list 87. Country bordering Qatar, abbr.

88. Musician ___ Stewart 90. Notifications 92. Trump wants one of these 95. Latin name for the sun 96. Spanish word for “bad” 97. Soccer club that Ozil plays for 98. Male offspring 101. Math term for an oval 104. The Washington monument is this type of Egyptian structure 106. Property that causes an object to stay in motion 108. An involuntary habit 109. A re-creation

112. To bother is to ___ 113. Female deer 115. Our feeder middle school 116. Canadian capital 117. What you drive a golf ball off of 118. Buddy, friend 119. Female parent 121. Moves upwards 125. Low or hollow places 127. Solid 128. English province in Northern Ireland 132. What covers your teeth 134. Whitman principal ____ Goodwin 136. Large primate 137. Psychedelic drug, abbr.

138. Biblical prophet and high priest.

Also one of the crossword creator’s middle names 139. Country bordering Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil 140. Expression of surprise 144. A hunter in Greek mythology 146. Perceive 147. Texas city El ___

148. Crew training machine 149. Another term for the top floor or attic 151. Bashful 152. Heats 154. Past tense verb form of “to spit” 155. High speed data coverage outside of wifi, abbr.

156. Native American tribe in North Dakota 158. The set of spiritual folkways developed from the African diaspora 160. Underlying natural order of the universe described by Laozi 161. An act that violates religious commands 162. A single point of ink 163. King of Judea during the events of the New testament 164. Rap group from Compton 166. Texas Christian University, abbr.

169. What a policeman uses to signal that they want you to pull over 172. Ethanol is ____ alcohol 174. A term of agreement often used in group voting

175. An electrode through which current flows into a polarized electric device 177. The opposite of a base 178. Used to treat a sunburn 179. Advertisements, abbr.

181. Tacky, gaudy 186. When you add additional things, you add ___ to the total 187. A network of blood vessels 188. Creator of the HBO series “Girls” ____ Dunham 189. A group of tennis games 190. To do more than is necessary 191. Alternate Latin name for cupid 192. The sixth month of the year on the Hebrew calendar 193. Not the present or future 194. Informal way of referring to a t-shirt 195. To be beside something is to be ____ __ it 196. An approach to web design that considers the size of the viewer’s screen, abbr.

16 FEATURE

Sexism in Debate

by Sabrina Martin

Photo by ELISA MCCARTIN

After a debate round, Naba Khan (‘16) expected to hear feedback about her argumentation and rhetoric. But instead of receiving the same constructive comments as her male counterparts, she faced sexist criticisms that challenged her intellect and remarked on something entirely irrelevant to the round—her nail polish.

“A judge once told me that I should make sure that my nail polish wasn’t chipped after a round,” Khan said. “At the Tournament of Champions, we ran an argument about the benefits of investing money and resources into women’s health, single mothers and families.

One judge shut us down, calling us ‘girls’ and claiming that it was ‘hilarious to say that women are good with money.’”

While debate has historically been reserved for men, the activity has progressed to welcome females; however, women in debate nationwide, including Whitman debaters, continue to face sexism. Female debaters remain disheartened by the reality that judges complain about the pitch of their voices, degrade their knowledge and criticize their looks.

“Judges will just be like you’re ‘catty’ or too bossy, but males will be seen as assertive. You want to be emotional so you can affect the audience, but if you’re too emotional then you’re vulnerable,” junior debater Rabhya Mehrotra said. “So there are a lot of factors that we have to take in account that our male opponents don’t have to. I know I make my voice purposefully lower, and I make sure that I’m very cautious about showing emotions in rounds.”

As of Dec. 2, Mehrotra and her partner in Public Forum debate, Elisa McCartin, rank 72nd in the nation but are in the minority of top-ranked female pairs. Last year, not a single girl-girl team was ranked within the top 20 debaters.

Like Mehrotra and McCartin, Julia Gilman (‘16)—a highly-ranked debater and Khan’s partner—felt marginalized in debate culture.

“Gender has a big effect on the way your judge or opponents in a round perceive your arguments and style,” Gilman said. “The majority of nationally-ranked teams are male-male partnerships, with very few female-female partnerships highly ranked or winning tournaments.

While I have seen some blatant sexism, most of the effects result from subconscious perceptions.”

In addition to the apparent sexism at competitions, Mehrotra also noted that gender inequality exists during debate practice. While male teammates are supportive of girls on the team, they may not realize they make sexist remarks and are part of the problem, she explained.

Mehrotra attributes much of this sexism to “mansplaining,” when a male explains something to a female in a condescending manner.

“There’s a toxic culture of masculinity in debate,” Mehrotra said.

Sophomore debater Daniel Harris agreed that female debaters face a double standard. He added that judges should be responsible for reducing their biases to stop sexism and should be trained to punish behavior deemed as sexist.

“It’s how we perceive women and men as having two different personalities and having to act two different ways,” Harris said. “If we ignore the fact that one person’s a man and the other is a woman and just let them debate and use whatever personality they want in a round, I think that will help solve the issue.”

To overcome the underlying prejudices, debaters should be able to give anonymous feedback to their judges or opponents who make sexist remarks, sophomore debater Jacqueline Lydon said. While Whitman Debate should attempt to systematically attack sexism, the team is rather progressive, she added, because members have engaged in continuous discussions of how sexism impacts females on the team.

Although the majority of Whitman debate’s student leadership is female this year, girls report that sexism prevails. Mehrotra worries that sexism in debate might discourage many girls from joining; however, this same lack of female debaters has motivated Mehrotra to show her community that girls are just as talented.

“It’s kind of a reinforcing cycle; when there’s all this sexism, even really good female debaters don’t make it to the top that often and so young girl debaters don’t see those female debaters making it to the top,” Mehrotra said. “When you have no role models, it’s really hard because you have to try and be your own role model.”

Elisa McCartin is an opinion writer for Volume 55 of the Black & White. Naba Khan was online Editor-at-large and Julia Gliman was a news editor for Volume 54.

17

BACK TO PYLE: A SECOND CHANCE

by Anna McGuire

Photo by Rachel Hazan

A

sk most students about their middle school experience, and you’re likely to hear a mix of groans and fond memories. For many, thinking back to Pyle recalls times of embarrassment and awkwardness. But for others, middle school was filled with highlights: Outdoor Ed, a lack of homework and artificially-colored slurpees.

Though I’m one of the many students whose middle school experience was less than positive, I decided to give Pyle another chance. I slapped on a Lululemon headband, swallowed my pride and decided to follow around Pyle eighth grader Eli for a day.

After finishing my French test, I headed over to Pyle around 10:30 a.m. Strangely, I was feeling nervous and even a little selfconscious, despite the fact that I graduated almost four years ago. But as soon as I walked into the main office, familiar smiles greeted me. Two secretaries checked me in and escorted me to my first class of the day—band.

As someone who was a full-time member of the Pyle Orchestra and has continued to pursue music at Whitman, I’m familiar with public school music classes. And as someone who was less-than-stellar at playing cello, I’m also familiar with the musical capabilities of most middle schoolers. So I was more than pleasantly surprised when the full band quickly transitioned into a musical arrangement inspired by the motion of a train.

Part of what I love about the music community a t Whitman is the close-knit atmosphere and the professionalism we’re expected to maintain; it

was encouraging to see that Pyle has also instilled those same values. Pyle’s band teacher Ms. Johnson filled the entire room with her infectious enthusiasm. She didn’t simplify anything; students were expected to understand dynamics, complicated rhythms and advanced musical terms. Eli followed her lead and kept up with the fast-paced class, which stretched over 90 minutes due to block scheduling.

As I followed Eli to his next class, I was surrounded by his fellow middle schoolers as they rushed to their next class with binders in tow.

We walked into Ms. Adams’ honors geometry class, and cheesey posters with puns related to pi and table groups welcomed me.

Ms. Adams gave everyone, including me, an MCPS-created quiz. After I struggled to remember the Side-Angle-Angle postulate or conjure up any geometric proofs, I decided to accept my fate and read “Crime and Punishment” instead. Eli, however, passed the test with flying colors.

Next came the part of the day I had feared most: lunch. Eli and I raced down to the lunchroom, hoping to grab the most coveted spot at his lunch table. I sat directly in the middle of 20 of his closest friends—boys who were more than happy to pepper me with questions about Whitman or share details about their earlier classes. The cafeteria was much smaller than I had remembered; the growing student population forced the addition of more tables, some even on the stage. I was slightly disappointed to see the

slurpees were no longer offered in the lunch line, but all that was forgotten once I sunk my teeth into a warm, soft pretzel.

After saying goodbye to all of my new eighth grade friends, Eli and I returned to math—the Pyle schedule splits students into four different lunches during a single period. Ms. Adams helped the students through complicated problems from an MCPS-created packet, which is part of the new curriculum. As she assigned another page of homework for the weekend, the entire class pulled out their planbooks to diligently write it down.

Finally, we headed to Eli’s English class to round out our day. But instead of seeing Dr. Baisely, we were greeted by Ms. Degross, a frequent substitute and staple of my time at Pyle. Eli and his classmates met in reading circles to discuss “The Giver,” a book I remember loving in eighth grade. However, because of a new focus on persuasive speaking in the curriculum, students spent the second half of class preparing to give speeches on controversial topics. Finally, the bell rang and students streamed into the hallway.

As I walked out of Pyle, laughter and friendly conversation filled the hallways as students raced to their buses. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Eli reunite with his friends, excited to share his upcoming weekend plans.

As hard as it is for me to admit, I really enjoyed my time at Pyle. So before you mock the next middle schoolers you see in downtown Bethesda, take a trip back to Pyle; you’ll be surprised at the welcome you receive.

18 FEATURE

Teenage Pregnancy: balancing school and a baby

by Pearl Sun

Photo by TOMAS CASTRO

19

I

nstead of feeling relaxed during her spring break in 2013, Alejandra Diaz De Leon (‘14) felt nauseous and uncomfortable. Her symptoms wouldn’t stop, so she drove to Johns Hopkins Hospital where a doctor delivered shocking news: she was pregnant.

The news was disheartening; De Leon was completely lost. Her parents’ religious beliefs didn’t allow De Leon to consider an abortion, and she didn’t have the heart to terminate the pregnancy even if she wanted to, she said.

In retrospect, she admitted that she should’ve been more practical in taking precautionary actions, she said.

“I was foolish to not realize I could actually get pregnant and that this is something that can happen to every girl,” De Leon said.

“I really wasn’t prepared. I mean I had seen it on TV, but I never thought it would happen to me.”

The U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate out of all developed countries, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There were 24.2 adolescent births per 1,000 female teenagers in the U.S., 17.8 per 1,000 in Maryland and 12.3 per 1,000 in Montgomery County in 2014.

“I was foolish to not realize I could actually get pregnant and that this is something that can happen to every girl. I really wasn’t prepared. I mean I had seen it on TV, but I never thought it would happen to me.”

- Alejandra Diaz De Leon (‘14) For pregnant students, MCPS doesn’t offer maternity leave like it does for teachers, but students can apply for Interim Instructional Services (IIS), formerly known as Home and Hospital Teaching.

Through IIS, students who are unable to attend school due to a physical, medical or emotional condition can receive instruction from an MCPS teacher who comes to their home, allowing them to keep up in academic subjects. Students are allowed IIS for six weeks, but if a complication arises, the program can be extended. ¨We encourage girls to stay in school to-

wards the beginning, and leave IIS towards the end [of their pregnancy],” health specialist Linda Goldberg said.

When De Leon found out that she was pregnant, she was motivated to turn her life around. She started paying more attention to her grades and putting more effort into her schoolwork, despite being criticized by others around her. Many people were shocked to find out De Leon was planning to keep her son, she said.

“It was so hard; at first I wasn’t doing well in school,” De Leon said. “But when I found out I was pregnant, I did all I could to pass school. I knew I was doing it for my son.”

De Leon gave birth to her son Mateo when she was 17—a senior at Whitman— and it completely changed her worldview.

“I have to think about my baby in everything I do,” De Leon said. “Your life changes when you have to think about a baby that didn’t choose to come into this world—you owe them everything.”

After giving birth, she returned to school, and her teachers congratulated her for passing. Principal Alan Goodwin told her, “I knew you could do it,” and that meant everything, she said.

De Leon took care of her son, Mateo, with his father, Luc Wijnen (‘14), for a year until she moved to Mexico. When Mateo turned two, Susan and Marcus Wijnen, Luc’s parents, started taking care of him in the U.S. to give Luc and De Leon an opportunity to finish their studies.

The pregnancy was most definitely a surprise to them, Marcus Wijnen said, but after the initial wake-up call, they began planning with De Leon and her parents. They’ve tried to be supportive, and Mateo has brought them a lot of joy, they said.

Marcus called Mateo a “happy accident.”

Regarding unplanned pregnancies, the situation is manageable and it’s important to find the best plan of action for the parents and child, he said.

“The best option is to avoid being pregnant too soon; it’s easier to wait until you’re in a position to take care of a child,” Wijnen said. “But once the situation occurs, accept the situation and make the best out of it.”

Mateo is a blessing, but he’s a blessing with great responsibilities, De Leon said.

“What I ask a lot of girls my age who are considering having a child is if they’re ready to change their whole lives for this little human that has to be taken care of every single day,” she said.

For sexually active teenagers who aren’t ready to take on the responsibility of children, contraceptives can be an excellent choice, De Leon said.

Gynecologist Cherie Marfori recommends that teenagers always use condoms and an additional type of birth control to be safe.

“Condoms are the only thing that prevents STIs,” Marfori said. “But they’re only about 90 percent effective for birth control, so I would suggest adding another measure.

This can be birth control pills or a longer-

acting form like an IUD.” But access to preventative health services might diminish come January with the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which gives 47 million women access to birth control.

“I have to think about my baby in everything I do,” De Leon said. “Your life changes when you have to think about a baby that didn’t choose to come into this world—you owe them everything.”

- Alejandra Diaz De Leon (‘14) Senior Natalie Cohn is worried about the possibility of the Trump administration repealing the Affordable Care Act; birth control is used for more than just preventing pregnancy, she said. Some students use birth control for cramping and other menstrual cycle symptoms.

Changes to birth control policies aren’t definite, however. Trump and his administration may not be able to easily change birth control policies without facing backlash, CVS pharmacy technician Mary Elizabeth said.

“I don’t think they can change the rules that easily,” Elizabeth said. “Hopefully it won’t be possible with people fighting back.”

De Leon believes that birth control should be made easily accessible to all females in need of it, she said. She currently lives in Mexico where birth control is very expensive.

“I think women should have the right to choose whether we use birth control or not, and it shouldn’t at all be expensive,” De Leon said. “We should be able to take care of ourselves without having to pay so much for it.”

For students who have unplanned pregnancies, De Leon’s advice is for them and their parents to have open dialogue on the situation.

“It depends on what the family believes in, “ De Leon said. “But I do think parents should have that talk and not be so surprised by it if it happens so that their daughter or son isn’t scared to come forward.”

Disclaimer: the photo was staged and the subject is an actor.

20 SPORTS

M A R I A N O Z A M Senior Mariano O Zamora pirouettes to R perfection A

by Kyle Layman

I

In San José, Costa Rica, most of senior Mariano Zamora’s friends grew up playing soccer.

But rather than spending time on the field, Zamora took to his aunt’s dance studio.

Zamora began his training at Jazzgoba Dance Academy in Costa Rica when he was nine years old and has continued to master his craft over the past several years. Four years ago, Zamora brought his talent to Bethesda and, most recently, to Whitman Drama.

At the CityDance School and Conservatory in Maryland, Zamora practices a variety of dance styles including contemporary, hip-hop and acrobatics, and he performs at various highprofile recitals and competitions.

During summer break, he travels back to Costa Rica to perform with Jazzgoba Dance Academy.

Zamora credits his aunt and cousin for fostering his passion for dance.

“I would watch their performances and get so jealous,” Zamora said. “I just wanted to be on stage with them. So one day I asked my aunt if it was okay for me to take lessons, and she was thrilled.”

Being a male dancer in Costa Rica, however, isn’t as popular among boys as it is in the U.S. “Dancing in Costa Rica is different—it’s not as popular as it is here. It is very small, and it was a cultural shock for a boy to dance,” Zamora said. “Guys only play soccer, so it was really weird for a guy to dance.”

Nevertheless, Zamora continued to follow his passion, and in 2012 he performed in his first competition with Jazzgoba at the American competition New York City Dance Alliance, where he advanced to the regional competition in Orlando.

After four years of dance education in Costa Rica, Zamora moved to the U.S. and began training with CityDance School and Conservatory at two of the studio’s locations—Strathmore and American Dance Institute.

At the conservatory, Zamora follows a rigorous rehearsal schedule.

“I do ballet every day for at least an hour and a half, then I have modern and contemporary or jazz for an hour and a half,” Zamora said. “We have hip-hop twice a week, then we have classical ballet partner twice a week.”

Enjoying the expressive elements of dance, Zamora strives to connect with his audience through different emotions that he incorporates into his dances.

“I can use my body to get out feelings from within,” Zamora said. “I also love music and putting movement to it.”

Zamora has brought his distinctive style to a variety of high profile events and competitions, including performances with the CityDance conservatory; DreamScape gala; Jump, the largest dance convention in the world; the 24seven dance convention; and at various events in New York.

“The biggest two dance competitions I’ve been to are the Dance Awards in New York City that’s every summer and NYCDA,” Zamora said.

For the past three years, Zamora has placed in the top 10 for teen male in Dance Awards; in 2014, he was the runner up in NYCDA. More recently, Zamora added another project to his resume: a Whitman Drama production.

Zamora joined Whitman Drama when senior Adrienne Kafka asked him to perform in a play about Helen Keller that she choreographed for One Acts last spring. After a positive experience in One Acts, Zamora decided to audition for the fall musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

“He was in the cast and performed as an ensemble member, but he had a lot of solo dance sections,” said Kafka, who was the dance captain for the musical. “It’s pretty rare to find amazing high school male dancers, but he definitely has a future in dance—he has incredible jumps and is really expressive through his dancing.”

Performing in drama productions has had helped Zamora feel more connected to the Whitman Drama community and pushed

him to consider a career on Broadway, he said.

To pursue a future in dance, Zamora will be auditioning for Juilliard in February and hopes to make a career out of his passion for dance.

“I hope to get into a company, hopefully do some concert work, but also be on Broadway and eventually start choreographing and have my own studio or my own company,” Zamora said.

21

Scan this QR code through Snapchat or by downloading a free QR scanner app to watch Senior Mariano Zamora dance in his studio.

Photos courtesy NATALIA HARVEY PHOTOGRAPHY

www

22 SPORTS

‘We are Spartan’

G

by Amy Nankin

“Go ahead. Tell me that I’m not good enough. Tell me that I can’t do it because I will show you over and over again that I can.”

This motto, featured on the Spartan Race website, is what drives thousands of competitors every year to push themselves through grueling conditions—jumping over pits of fire, crawling under barbed wire and running through knee-high water—to test the limits of the human body.

Spartan Races, intense obstacle courses centered around the idea that anyone can become a champion, have drawn in many competitors, including Whitman’s own. Juniors Carter Witt, Max Gordy and Sophie Isbell all compete in Spartan Races, and in 2017, English teacher Omari James will register for his first Spartan Race.

Juniors Carter Witt, Max Gordy and Sophie Isbell compete in three types of Spartan Races with various obstacles

Photos courtesy SOPHIE ISBELL

“Go ahead. Tell me that I’m not good enough. Tell me that I can’t do it because I will show you over and over again that I can.”

S

Spartan Races are held all over the United States with courses in parks, recreational areas and stadiums. Competitors can participate in three types of Spartan Races: the Spartan Sprint, a three-mile race with over 20 obstacles; the Spartan Super, an eight-mile race with over 25 obstacles; and the Spartan Beast, a 12-mile course featuring more than 30 obstacles.

“The hardest thing for me personally was the length of the races in between the obstacles,” Gordy said. “When you’re not climbing or lifting something, you’re running up and down mountains and hills and through creeks and mud, and it can get exhausting.”

The extreme stamina and mental endurance required to compete in these exhausting races prompts competitors to adopt a positive and determined mindset.

With this widespread sense of motivation, Spartan Races have become a way to foster the growth of a community of all ages and athletic backgrounds.

“I heard about the races through a friend and decided to test one out,” Isbell said. “I kept participating in them because my teammates are fantastic, and we always have so much fun. Everyone in the Spartan community is super supportive and nice.”

Dedication to the Spartan community motivated Gordy, Witt and Isbell to complete their first trifecta—finishing all three different types of races in one year.

“The trifecta gave me a huge sense of

satisfaction because the body of work that I’d completed was so much greater,” Gordy said. “I spent a lot of hours training and running, and I could finally have something to show for it; the sense of achievement and accomplishment that I felt afterwards was really satisfying.”

The amount of preparation for races varies for each athlete and depends on the intensity and length of the upcoming competition. Isbell said she runs trails and does burpees to improve stamina and strength.

“Spartan races have made me realize that the goal is not always the finish line.”

-Junior Sophie Isbell But for competitors who aren’t as inshape as many high schoolers, the Spartan Race company created Spartan SGX: the official Spartan Race training program equipped with Spartan coaches, obstacle specialists and, as of December, a Spartan gym in New York. This “Couch to Sprint” plan aims to make the Spartan community more inclusive by proving that anyone can

23

complete a Spartan race.

“I gained more of an appreciation for the importance of a community in this type of sport,” Gordy said. “By the end of it, the people who are running the longest races are extremely dedicated and really want to be there, and I didn’t realize how motivating an environment like that could be.”

The motivational Spartan environment captivated English teacher and personal trainer Omari James after he heard about the races from Isbell, one of his students.

After a positive experience in the Tough Mudder competition—a similar obstacle course race—James decided to look into Spartan races, as well.

“Now that I’ve done Tough Mudder and found this competitive side of myself that I never knew was there, I really want to challenge myself to do something even harder next time,” James said. “Sophie talking about Spartan Races really pushed me over the edge and made me realize that I really want to do this.”

James plans to compete in his first Spartan race in 2017, and Witt, Gordy and Isbell hope to continue competing in years to come.

“Spartan races have made me realize that the goal is not always the finish line,” Isbell said. “It’s about helping others along the way. Competing in these races has made me a more positive, supportive and encouraging person, and I definitely plan to continue them in the future.”

24 AD

SPORTS 25

Team camps create bonds, camaraderie between teammates

by Sam Shiffman

Photo courtesy JULIA ERDMAN

After a long day of scrimmaging, the girls basketball team still had work to do—not on their skills or fitness, but another matter altogether. A few hours later, 200 copies of coach Peter Kenah’s face covered the walls of his dorm room.

Along with the girls basketball team, boys basketball, football, cheer, field hockey, and poms all attend team camps over the summer, each with their own spirited traditions.

Lasting two to three days, team camps are held at college campuses and help teams build chemistry, practice new plays and get in shape for the upcoming season.

“They are important for team bonding and camaraderie and they refresh you on the playbook and fundamentals,” senior football player Jackson Parker said.

Along with improving team dynamics, living in close proximity to teammates helps foster traditions that players look forward to every year.

Girls Basketball For the girls basketball team, the best

part of team camp at Virginia Tech isn’t the long days of scrimmaging against top-area teams, but rather the traditions, like pranking their coach after the last practice of the day.

“We get super creative and everyone gets really into it,” junior Carter Witt said. “One year we covered his entire floor with cups full of water and he had to spend hours getting it all out of his room in the middle of the night.”

In addition to plastering pictures of

Kenah’s face on his dorm wall, the team also made a “beach” in his room, with sand, beach balls and a kiddie pool.

However, before the pranking begins, the team scrimmages for three days against teams they don’t play during their regular season. Going up against top competition during the summer at camp helps the team in the winter, players said.

“When the season starts, everyone already knows each other pretty well and has played together,” Witt said. “Team camp is where the team dynamic for the entire season really gets set.”

Cheer Every August, the cheer squad spends

three days at Shepherd University in West Virginia going over stunts and fundamental skills.

Upon arrival at camp, team captains create spirit sticks to encourage positivity and team spirit. Spirit sticks are typically made out of paper towel rolls and are decorated with Whitman-themed decorations and sparkles.

“We have a few of them, and at the end of every day, someone with a spirit stick gives it to someone else who they think has been working hard, staying positive,” junior Vaulx Carter said. “If you drop one, it’s bad luck for the rest of the season.”

Traditions like spirit sticks and team dinners help the squad come together and bond with new teammates.

In addition to the spirited traditions, the team spends about nine hours a day working on new routines under the direc-

tion of the Shepherd coaches.

“My favorite part of camp is how much we get to stunt and condition because we get professional cheerleaders to help teach us new skills and improve significantly in a very short amount of time,” senior Grace Hering said.

Football In the last week of July, the football

team goes to Shepherd University and has six practices during which they go over basic plays and fundamentals. Mastering the basics at camp lets the team spend time on complicated concepts when practices officially start in August.

After the last practice of each day, athletes gather to watch players give their teammates haircuts.

“Everyone is around the table where the person is getting the haircut,” senior Jack McClelland said. “Carter Hughes is the best at giving them, so he cuts, and then he has other people looking at the person to make sure the haircut is even.”

The haircuts include mohawks, rat tails and words shaved on the side of a player’s head. The distinctive styles distinguish Whitman players from other high school athletes at the camp.

“They create a team identity that separates us from the other teams,” junior Elliot Kelly said. “It helps everyone see themselves as a part of Whitman football and not just any sports team.”

Sam Shiffman is on the varsity football team.

26 SPORTS

Photos courtesy DOM STATER

Bethesda to Miami: a windsurfer’s story

by Ben Levin

A

s the final bell rings on Friday and students shuffle out of school, sophomore Dom Stater rushes to the airport to head to Miami Beach—for the second time this month.

Stater is a competitive windsurfer on the United States Youth Olympic Team and represents the U.S. in international competitions throughout the year.

“I go to five or six big competitions a year, like Europeans or Worlds,” Stater said. “But my biggest accomplishment as a windsurfer is qualifying for next year’s

Youth Olympics in Israel.”

Stater fell in love with the sport at a young age after watching windsurfers in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“I lived a street away from the Rio de la Plate, and I would always see kids around my age windsurfing,” Stater said. “My mom used to do it as a hobby and thought it’d be great for me to try it.”

Slightly wider than a surfboard, a windsurf board is equipped with a large sail and handle called a boom. Surfers control the sail using the boom, and, in cases of little

wind, they pump the sails in order to pick up speed.

Windsurfing competitions are divided into several categories including freestyle, slalom and wave racing. Each category includes a range of races with various constraints on equipment, board designs and board sizes.

“I compete in one-design techno racing, in which everyone’s equipment, board and sails are the same size,” Stater said.

“Techno is also the design class used in the Youth Olympics.”

27

Sophomore Dom Stater travels to Miami twice a month to practice windsurfing as a member of the United States Youth Olympic Team.

In the most recent Youth Windsurfing World Championships, Stater placed first in two of her races.

“The wind and current conditions were perfect, and I listened to everything my coach had recommended,” Stater said. “As soon as the race started I was already in front of everyone.”

Stater trains individually using off-shore workouts sent by her coach Leandro Spina, the director of U.S. Windsurfing, who coaches all Olympic qualifiers. Stater also travels to Miami twice a month for team practices.

“We wake up early in the morning to rig up our sails at the marina, then go in the ocean with the coaches,” Stater said. “We practice all of our racing techniques for about three hours, sometimes twice a day.”

Spina is one of many mentors; Stater also had several coaches in Argentina who helped her learn the basics of the sport, she

said.

Windsurfing is more prevalent in South American countries than in the United States, but the emergence of windsurfing in Stater’s generation has increased the sport’s popularity in the U.S. “We’re seeing a new generation of kids taking up the sport today,” president of U.S. Windsurfing Jerome Samson said. “But it’s still a sport for all ages. We just had a world championship in Florida where the youngest competitor was 10 and the oldest 78 years old.”

The all-inclusive aspect of windsurfing gives Stater the chance to interact with a diverse group of athletes.

“It’s great to be able to travel and surf at all of the unique competitions,” Stater said. “But what I like most about it is meeting the different people all across the world.”

28 SPORTS

The top 10 Whitman sports teams of the last decade

by Joey Squeri

In the last 10 years, Whitman sports teams have won nine state championships, had 12 players named to a Washington Post All-Met first team and had one Gatorade state player of the year. One Whitman team recorded an undefeated regular and postseason, while another won a state title in a game they were projected to lose by over 20 points. A third team team blew out an opponent that was ranked number one in the nation by a score of 4–1. With all of those feats in mind, here is my list of the 10 best Whitman teams from the past decade.

10

2009 Football

8-3 The 2009 football team posted an 8–2 regular season record, sending the team to the playoffs for the last time to date. Highlighted by a double-overtime victory over Seneca Valley, the squad won games over top opponents like Northwest and Gaithersburg. Quarterback Henry Kuhn, running back Kevin Cacela and wide receiver Michael Flack led a high-powered offense that scored 28 or more points four times. Despite losing in the first round of playoffs to Paint Branch, the team still recorded the most wins under current head coach Jim Kuhn.

9

8

7

6

2016 Boys Soccer

2012 Baseball

2014-2015 Girls Basketball

2007 Golf team

15 - 3

17 - 3

23 - 1

N/A

Although they fell short in the regional semifinals, the 2016 Vikings posted some of their best wins in the program’s history. After pivotal wins over Georgetown Prep and Dematha, the Vikes beat St. Benedict’s Prep of New Jersey for the first time in school history in a 4–1 upset. Forwards Andreas Djurhuus and Adam Deutchman led the team in scoring with 14 and 11 goals, respectively, and Djurhuus and defensemen Dylan Reid made Maryland’s all-state first team. The squad finished the season 34th in the nation according to FAB50 soccer rankings.

In their best season in school history, the 2012 baseball team set school records in wins, winning percentage and playoff victories.

All-Met player Michael Flack anchored the team in both batting (.360 average) and pitching (7-1 with a 0.43 Earned Run Average) the whole season. He pitched one of Whitman’s greatest seasons on the mound, throwing four complete games, striking out 70 batters and throwing a no-hitter against Sherwood. The squad performed well in the playoffs, making it to the regional final, but they ultimately fell to Northwest 4–3.

With only one loss on the season the 20142015 girls basketball team is the best of the n on - st ate - ch ampi on teams.

Second-team All-Met guard Abby Meyers and honorablemention All-Met guard/ forward Marie Hatch led an unstoppable offense—which helped win four games by over 40 points—to a perfect 21–0 regular season record. On a collision course with top-ranked Eleanor Roosevelt since the beginning of the year, the Vikes met the Raiders in the state semifinals, and fell 48– 30 to end their season.

Photos courtesy MARK GAIL, DOUG KAPUSTIN AND DYLAN REID

The 2007 golf team set a state record at the time with a two-day score of 596 strokes, snagging the school’s only golf state title. Led by the four-man team of Louis Spear, Steven Fisher, Alex Kamargo and Michael Kamargo, the squad dominated Montgomery County play, finishing atop the Yachmetz division over Churchill and Wootton.

The Vikes won the district tournament, sending the team to states as the low-qualifying school. However, at states, the squad came from behind late in the second day of competition and upset perennial champion Churchill for the win.

29

1

5

2014 Boys soccer team

15 - 3 - 1 The boys team showcased their best offense to date in their most recent state title team. Led by first team All-Met forward Davey Mason, who led the team with 16 goals and 10 assists, and second team All-Met forward Aaron Tannenbaum, the Vikes tallied four or more goals on eight different occasions. The group dominated division play, beating rivals Churchill and B-CC and topping Walter Johnson twice. Their season came to a stunning finish with a 4–1 blowout of Chesapeake High School in the state championship, capturing the team’s third title in six years.

4

2013 Girls soccer team

16 - 1 - 1 The Vikes’ defense shut down all opposition in the first year of the team’s back-to-back state championship run, recording 13 shutouts in 18 games. Emerging from a highly competitive section of the state bracket, the Vikes met Catonsville in the state finals, where they recorded another shutout in their 2–0 victory. Defender Clare Severe and midfielder Aliza Wolfe combined to score 16 goals on the season and were each named first team All-Met, while head coach Greg Herbert earned coach of the year honors.

3

2005-2006 Boys basketball team

2 2015-2016 Girls basketball team

24 - 3

24 - 3

The 2005-2006 4A state basketball championship was supposed to be a blowout: the juggernaut Eleanor Roosevelt vs. the underdog Whitman Vikings. But it wasn’t. In a back-andforth battle, the Vikes prevailed 39–38 after the Raiders missed a potential game-winning layup. Shooting guard Michael Gruner led the team with 23 points in the contest and averaged 19.9 points per game during the regular season. The Washington Post named Gruner a first-team All-Met alongside NBA superstar Kevin Durant and named head coach Chris Lun coach of the year.

Boasting a starting lineup including four college recruits, the 2015-2016 girls basketball team brought home the group’s first state title in over 20 years.

After struggling with a tough opening schedule against private school powerhouses like St. John’s and Georgetown Visitation, the Vikes closed the year on a 19game winning streak that ended with a 71–55 win over Western in the state championships.

First team All-Met guard and Princetoncommit Abby Meyers scored a game-high 21 points while also leading the Vikes in scoring during the regular season, averaging 21.6 points per game.

2014 Girls soccer team

17-0 With arguably the most dominant season in Whitman sports history, the girls team stormed past each and every opponent they faced on their way to a perfect season.

The squad recorded 11 shutouts and their season culminated in a 1–0 victory over Ellicott City’s Howard High School in the state finals. Led by midfielder Clare Severe, who secured both the Washington Post All-Met player of the year and the Gatorade state player of the year honors, and first team All-Met forward Emma Anderson, who scored the game’s only goal, the Vikes captured their second consecutive state championship.

30 OPINION

Voices

Administration needs to restrict Guy Poms

by Elisa McCartin Whether it’s an energetic dance performance at Battle of the Classes or rowdy pep rally festivities, the senior boys Guy Poms squad is undoubtedly a lively presence around Whitman. But if Guy Poms continues to run under limited administrative regulation, the group will harm the school environment more than help it.

In response to what has now become a tradition of raucous behavior, Guy Poms should be subject to tighter administrative control, including being held to the same dress code as every other student and limiting their classroom interruptions.

Currently members are free to decorate

Stress: shake it off

by Michelle Silver

After a 46-minute math test accompanied by panic, stress and headaches, fleeing the classroom is probably first on your agenda.

The bell rings, but instead of stepping out into a hallway full of chatter, you hear your favorite song start to play.

Immediately, your mood improves. Playing music in the hallway is one of the many simple ways to make a school day more pleasant.

Throughout the academic year, stress seems to constantly hover over students. While some school-wide stress-relieving activities have been implemented, like bringing in dogs and playing movies during lunch, more should be done to create a positive school environment that reduces anxiety and stress.

Here are some ways we could improve school days.

Music in the hallways

Music is a lively and enjoyable way to uplift students and teachers while also helping to improve productivity.

their bright pink Guy Poms t-shirts with cutouts exposing their midriffs and chests. The administration only regulates the names printed on the back of the Poms’ t-shirts, principal Alan Goodwin said.

This lack of regulation of Guy Poms’ intentionally provocative attire represents a double standard in dress code enforcement. MCPS policy prohibits clothing that is “revealing,” and female students would likely be chastised if they were to wear similar outfits.

By exercising such leniency in the dresscode, the school is inadvertently reinforcing unequal societal expectations regarding how women should dress: guys can wear whatever they want, but girls are expected to follow strict rules.

In addition, by allowing Guy Poms to interrupt classes, the administration has turned a blind eye to educational disruptions. Guy

Music helps office workers think about the present and stay focused, Dr. Theresa Lesiuk of the University of Miami told the New York Times after conducting research on the effects of music on worker productivity.

The SGA has discussed playing music between classes over the PA system to help brighten students’ days, SGA member Sophia Tomkins said. It’s a way to help students temporarily forget about their hectic lives and focus on uplifting tunes to clear their minds before the next class.

Classroom of the Week

There’s nothing better than a classmate or teacher bringing in food for the whole class.

It’s a way to give students a small energy boost without disrupting class instruction for an entire period.

To promote this activity, the administration could hold a raffle for a “classroom of the week.” In this raffle, all classes could enter, and at the end of the week one class would win a small food party with food of the students’ choice.

In previous years, school-wide opportunities for class parties have been successful, like the “5 Dolla Holla,” which gave classes

Poms notoriously charge through the hallways on pep rally days, barging into classes to loudly chant and sing. Each interruption both halts teaching and leaves students distracted.

Even when classes resume, students still hear Guy Poms storming through the hallways. It’s hard to move forward with the class after such an interruption, an anonymous teacher said.

To keep students focused, the administration needs to reconsider allowing Guy Poms to run through classrooms.

Guy Pom Michael Choi said he acknowledges that the administration holds the right to restrict Guy Poms, but he argues that the squad only generates little disruption compared to their high level of spirit and that their customized attire has become a tradition.

But even if their disruptions are infrequent, the administration is still letting an extracurricular group adversely affect the educational environment. Moreover, just because dress code leniency has become a tradition for guy poms, the administration isn’t justified in continuously reinforcing outdated gender norms.

Guy Poms is certainly a popular group that has become a pillar of school spirit at Whitman, but the administration needs to keep their lively presence in check and keep the team operating within the rules of the school.

the opportunity to win a few boxes of donuts if everyone brought five dollars to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Events like this act as simple ways to raise money for a good cause while improving student moods during the school day.

Happiness Day

Last year, the SGA hosted “Today for Tomorrow,” a two-day event emphasizing the dangers of driving under the influence. While the first day involved an emotional and serious assembly, the second day allowed students to enjoy activities like playing Giant Jenga or throwing pies at teachers to emphasize the benefits of making positive choices.

The second day of “Today for Tomorrow” should be recreated to give students a break from stressful school days and the chance to have fun with friends. Since the event would only happen once a year, it wouldn’t detract from pre-planned school events and teaching time.

Academic pressures and after school activities can easily overwhelm students. It’s time that Whitman helps students shake off their stress.

Slavery: the chapter left out of MD textbooks

31

By the Numbers: Slavery in Montgomery County, 1800

by Camille Caldera

In 1790, Montgomery County had 6,030 slaves—over a third of the county’s population at the time—according to Maryland State Archives. I didn’t know this until a few weeks ago. But I should have.

While some students may find it disturbing to accept that our county was founded by slave owners and that, for almost a century, 30–40 percent of the population was enslaved, it’s vital that students learn this reality.

We’re often told that learning history is important to ensure that we never forget it; this holds true for our local history. For this reason, the MCPS Office of Curriculum should provide teachers with resources to teach the history of slavery in Montgomery County to supplement the statewide curriculum.

Striving to emphasize diversity, the writers of the current county social studies curriculum were deliberate in their inclusion of the experiences and perspectives of both free and enslaved African Americans throughout lessons on American and Maryland history, social studies curriculum supervisor Maria Tarasuk said.

Teachers may supplement this with information on the county’s history, but it is often a challenge to locate these primary sources, Tarasuk explained.

The county should take on this challenge, providing teachers with the materials to teach local history. Fourth, fifth and eighth grade history—which cover exploration, colonial America, the American revolution, eighteenth and nineteenth-century life and the Civil War—can often feel irrelevant to students’ lives. Relating early American history to Montgomery County’s history will give students a direct connection to the material.

Nationwide, curricula cen-

tered on local history that utilize local resources and locations have grown in popularity as an innovative method of supplementing standardized history curricula and keeping students engaged, Professor of Education at Rice University Linda McNeil said.

Students in Montgomery County also have a rare opportunity to learn about slavery and African American history, given our county’s history of slavery and our proximity to the nation’s capital. Teachers and students could take field trips to the littleknown local Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art Gallery and the historic Woodlawn Plantation and Underground Railroad Trails, both of which preserve and emphasize the history of slavery in the county.

Increasing the curriculum’s focus on African American history is even more relevant in light of today’s fight against police brutality, the mass incarceration of people of color, and the rise

percent of free residents: 60% percent of enslaved residents: 40% according to Scholastic Teacher magazine. But the history of slavery in our county is a harsh reality that residents of all ages should understand.

While some students may find it disturbing to accept that our county was founded by slave owners and that, for almost a century, 30–40 percent of the population was enslaved, it’s vital that students learn this reality. in hate crimes and racial slurs.

Studying slavery demonstrates how power has been used and abused in the past and exemplifies successful and unsuccessful strategies of resistance, McNeil explained.

Some teachers fear that elementary school is too soon to introduce students to slavery,

Lessons on the local history of slavery need to be incorporated into early grades because the current high school U.S. History curriculum—which most students learn—begins post-reconstruction, which is after slavery was abolished. Also, incorporating supplementary lessons into the high school curriculum is dif-

ficult due to standardized testing constraints, while there is more flexibility in elementary school.

Elementary school teachers can begin conversations about slavery with picture books— such as “Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky,” by Faith Ringgold, a story that follows a girl’s journey on the underground railroad, which ran through Sandy Spring and other parts of Maryland—and other classroom-friendly resources.

It’s inaccurate to teach the history of Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland or the United States without discussing slavery. Curriculum writers and teachers should ensure that students have the opportunity to learn their local history—even if this history proves difficult to teach. Only with an understanding of past and current oppression can we hope to change the future for the better; these efforts must start at home.