The Black & White Vol. 56 Issue 6

FEATURE

FEATURE

DESTINATIONS

Alaskan students study near Arctic Circle

Artist spotlight: musician Mitch Fechter

Class of 2018 future plans

PAGE 12

Walt Whitman High School

PAGE 16

PAGE 9

7100 Whittier Boulevard Bethesda, MD 20817

Monday, May 15, 2018

Volume 56, Issue 6

MCPS continues principal search process

by MIRA DWYER

Students dance at prom, which was held at the Bethesda North Marriott May 4, and play games and win prizes at an Alohathemed post-prom held in the school gym. The night went well, with an estimated 300-350 seniors attending, according to senior class sponsor Todd Michaels. Photos by ANNABELLE GORDON.

The county is in the process of selecting the next Whitman principal after Alan Goodwin announced March 19 that he will retire at the end of this school year.

The time frame for applicants to submit resumés closed April 10. Of those who submitted resumés, MCPS identified three to five of the strongest candidates to complete a structured interview before a panel of community stakeholders April 27.

The panel was comprised of approximately 16-24 people, with four to six people from each stakeholder group: students, parents, Whitman staff and MCPS staff.

In the interview, each candidate had 30 minutes to address five questions, three of which were presented by MCPS’ Human Resources department. The other two were based on an online survey that was filled out by community members throughout April about what characteristics they want in the new principal.

The community has been especially vocal about their desire for a continuity of Goodwin’s accessibility and warmth with students, staff and parents, said Jennifer Webster, director of the Office of School Support and Improvement of High Schools for MCPS. “What he brings is an openness with the kids, a trust of the kids and a willingness to let them act, lead, grow and make mistakes while trying to make things happen,” Webster said. “We need someone who can continue that spirit and belief in kids but also has high expectations, while still being able to be a politician.”

After the candidates interviewed, the panel discussed their reactions and any follow-up questions or concerns they had. There was no back-and-forth between the candidate and panel, and the panel had to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Community members were glad the process included a diverse group of stakeholders but had concerns about the rigidity of the interview.

“There are a lot of people at that preliminary interview, a lot of different folks, which strikes me as good,” parent Jim Kretz said. “But the fact that there isn’t interaction between the panel and the candidate strikes me as bizarre.”

Continued on Page 2

BOE approves Whitman turf field despite controversy

by CHRIS ATKINSON, THOMAS MANDE and JESSIE SOLOMON After repeated delays, the Montgomery County BOE approved the construction of Whitman’s turf field April 24. The field will be installed immediately after the spring sports season, and will be ready for use in the fall, MCPS official Essie McGuire said.

At the April 24 meeting, controversy erupted over the proposed infill material, ZeoFill. Several community members testified before the Board with concerns about ZeoFill’s safety and durability, and others emailed the BOE with similar concerns.

“I believe we don’t have the research,” Burning Tree Elementary School physical education teacher Susan Loftus said at the meeting.

“Don’t experiment on children; find the research.”

The County Council man-

dated in 2015 that all new MCPS turf fields use a plant-based infill; however, after hearing issues with plant-based infills drying out, the Council decided to restart the bidding process, MCPS Public Information officer Derek Turner said.

This time the county requested Zeofill infill—made from clinoptilolite zeolite, a naturally occuring mineral.

“It’s a material that is natural, so it meets the spirit of the resolution of the county, but it’s also well adopted so we’re not testing out something that’s completely unheard of,” Turner said.

ZeoFill infill has risen in popularity in the last three years, following the industry’s movement away from traditional crumb rubber. The product was first used in California and has since been used in a number of other states.

Criticism of the proposal focused on the fact that ZeoFill is relatively new, and there are no

long term studies proving zeolite is safe. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, emailed the Board the day before the meeting, challenging them to provide evidence of studies showing that zeolite is safe for daily use by children.

“There are several types of zeolite but they all have one thing in common: there are no publicly available data indicating that they, or any other materials used in artificial turf, are proven safe for longterm use by children or adults,” Zuckerman wrote in the April 23 email.

Others have also raised concerns about the durability of the material. Industry leader FieldTurf doesn’t use the product because they don’t feel they can offer a warranty on it and count on it lasting 10 years, company representative John McShane said.

Bruce Bagley is a consultant for a professional association of

soil scientists and acted as an independent consultant to FieldTurf.

Bagley predicted that extensive foot traffic would cause the material to break apart and become increasingly powdery. After prolonged material breakdown, he said the infill would be “like concrete.”

The Gilman School, a private school in Baltimore, has had problems with their zeolite- based infill.

“The zeolite we had on our artificial service has broken down and became almost a paste,” athletic director Laurie Bristow said. “It caked up a lot and then clogged the holes in which the drainage occurs, so that causes a reduction in drainage and also ended up making the surface harder.”

After just a year of using the field, Gilman’s contractor FirstForm said they had received a “bad batch” of zeolite and replaced the infill, Bristow said. However, the same problems continued with the new zeolite infill. More work will

be conducted on the field this summer.

The school intends to keep its zeolite and is working to find solutions to their problems, Bristow said.

Despite the concerns voiced by community members, MCPS officials remain confident in ZeoFill. While the product has not been in use long, it’s been vetted by the ASTM, an international standards organization. Major industry organizations such as the Synthetic Turf Council and American Sports Builders Association have also rated zeolite as a safe and legitimate infill material, said Jerry Harper, general manager of Act Global, the company subcontracted to build Whitman’s field.

“If we felt that it wasn’t a safe product, we wouldn’t even entertain doing it,” Harper said. “If we felt like it wasn’t going to last, we wouldn’t entertain doing it either.”

Continued on Page 2

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briefs

MCPS excels on AP exams

by EVA HERSCOWITZ The 2017 MCPS graduating class took more AP tests and scored higher on these tests than all other Maryland counties and other states, according to a March 23 county press release.

Two-thirds of MCPS graduates took AP exams, compared to half of Maryland public school graduates and 38 percent of graduates across the nation. Fifty-two percent of students who took exams earned a three or higher on at least one test. This rate is 20 percent higher than Maryland public school graduates and 30 percent higher than graduates across the nation.

“We should be proud that our students are outperforming their peers across the state and the nation, but we also know there is more work left to be done to make sure that all students are prepared for success after high school,” Superintendent Jack Smith said in the release.

Former student member of the board Matt Post attributes these successful results to MCPS’s equitable AP strategy.

“We’re going through every school to find the barriers that exist between underrepresented groups and advanced courses, then tearing them down,” Post said. “As we continue to open access to students who have previously been shut out of these courses, the average AP score and AP participation rate will increase.”

County surveys community on calendar preferences

by ERIC NEUGEBOREN MCPS surveyed community members throughout April to decide which days students should have off from school in the future.

After Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order mandating that the school year start after Labor Day and end before June 15, there have been fewer possible days to have off from school.

The county also faced complications with changing demographics and now have to accommodate more religions, Student Member of the Board Matt Post said.

“For a long time in Montgomery County, we’ve had operational closures for our two Jewish holidays,” Post said.

“But since we’ve started doing that, the demographics have changed pretty profoundly. The real problem is that we don’t have enough data to [know] whether or not religious holidays justify an operational need.”

County officials designed the 2018-2019 school calendar to satisfy the needs of Muslim students by including a teacher professional day on Eid al-Fitr. Still, this is different from an operational closure, which allows teachers to have the day off. Junior Ziyad Kamal, who celebrates Eid, believes the measure is unfair for some teachers, but credits the county for considering other religions.

“It’s important so that nobody feels discriminated,” Kamal said. “Everyone should feel equal and valued.”

BOE names first MCPS school after LGBTQ activist

by NAREN ROY The school board voted 6-2 to name a new Richard Montgomery cluster school after gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin April 12. The cluster school, located in the Hungerford section of Rockville, will be the first school in MCPS to have an openly LGBTQ namesake.

A 12-person naming committee composed of mostly parents ranked Rustin fourth on the final list of name preferences submitted to the county March 15. Other proposals included four other African Americans as well as the name of the Dogwood tree, which the committee ultimately ranked second behind first choice activist-author Lillian Brown.

Many students are excited about the diversification of school naming in the county.

“It’s awesome since now the kids at that school are going to learn about the person for whom their school is named, which will finally introduce some LGBTQ history and education into the curriculum, especially since [now] it’s just lacking,” junior Urban Seiberg said.

Mark Eckstein Bernardo, the parent of two students who will be attending the new school, led several parents in the movement to use Rustin’s name.

“Rustin’s a powerful name for these marginalized [LGBT] kids and families—it’s a name that represents them.

I mean, names for gender nonconforming and transgender names are like a bible,” Bernardo said. “It might be uncomfortable for people, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

News

Turf to be installed before fall season Continued from Page 1 Harper said he had heard Gilman had received the wrong type of zeolite in the first batch that needed to be replaced; he believes their continued issues likely stem from maintenance problems, he said.

Act Global has installed more than 10 ZeoFill fields in California, and has yet to hear of

any problems with the infill, Harper said.

The Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown has three Zeofill fields. While the fields have only been in use since March, the staff has been extremely happy with them so far, executive director Trish Heffelfinger said.

It takes about six weeks for the ZeoFill to work its way into the the fibers, during which time it rests on

top of the fibers and can get white dust on the players’ shoes, Heffelfinger said.

However, once it’s fully incorporated, you can’t see the infill at all, and the Zeofill remains set in the fibers, eliminating the “splash” that comes with crumb rubber infill, she said.

Heffelfinger said ZeoFill’s pros—no pellet splash, cooler surface temperatures and natural origin—outweigh the drawback of its

integration time.

“It’s certainly something I would recommend to others to install,” she said.

Many Whitman community members are happy to have their long awaited field.

“We’re thrilled,” sports booster club president Elissa Ginsky said. “This has been in the process for three and a half years, and I think it’s going to be great for our athletes.”

BOE will announce principal May 21 Continued from Page 1 Based on the feedback the panel offered, Webster will propose the names of the top two or three candidates to MCPS superintendent Jack Smith, deputy superintendent Kimberly Statham and Associate Superintendent of Secondary Schools Darryl Williams to interview. They will select the final candidate and present the decision to the BOE. “At the end of that, it’s my job to listen to which of these candidates resonated,” Webster said. “If people feel strongly about one candidate or another, positive or negative, it becomes very apparent, and when there’s division over a candidate, that can be easily seen.”

With so much concern about Goodwin’s retirement and the selection of a new principal, there have been many questions about the identity of the candidates, executive vice president of the PTSA Mercedita RoxasMurray said.

“There’s certainly lots of deep sadness that Dr. Goodwin is leaving because he has so much respect from this community, not only from the parents, but also from the students and staff,” Roxas-Murray said. “I’ve heard a lot of parents asking ‘how are we going to select’ and ‘who is going to select’ because everyone wants to have their voices heard in the process, but I do believe that people generally trust those who are driving that process.”

The BOE will announce the new

principal during its public meeting May 21 at 6:00 p.m.

Use this QR code to view a video about community members’ hopes for the new principal on our website: www.theblackandwhite.net

New classes to offer contemporary lessons in humanities, STEM fields

by REBECCA HIRSH and JEREMY WENICK Four new classes across the English, science and foreign language departments will be offered as elective courses next year. English teacher Omari James will teach both Media in Society and Culture in Literature; biology teacher Mira Chung will teach Biotechnology and Bioengineering; and Italian teacher Olga Mancuso Moscato will teach Latin.

Media in Society and Culture in Literature

Both classes will be one semester long, with Media in Society being offered first semester and Culture in Literature offered second.

Media in Society will focus on how different media outlets affect our culture and perceptions. The class will be discussion-based to allow a more relaxed setting, James said.

“My ideal would be classes where students are engaged and interested but don’t feel like there’s a lot of high stakes pressure,” he said. “I just want to have a space where we can sit down and talk.”

James anticipated 15-20 students, but 30-35 students have registered. To compensate, some of the activities will have to be adapted, and the class will break up into smaller groups for discussions, James said. Registration for Culture in Literature has not happened yet.

Culture in Literature will examine how the world of writing affects our society in the same ways as Media in Society, but will approach the conversation by assessing acclaimed literary publications.

Many students are excited for the opportunity to discuss these topics of interest in a class with James.

“For both years that I’ve had Mr. James, he’s prompted kids to really think and try to discover things,” junior Sydney Maggin said. “These discussions have definitely been my favorite part of my English career at Whitman, and taking a class that is structured around them seems like such an incredible experience.”

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

The class will focus on biomimicry, prosthetics, ergonomics and ethical concerns surrounding editing genomes and genetic engineering. Chung started the class after students expressed interest.

“Bioengineering is a booming field,” she said. “You may be the ones majoring in these topics in college and creating solutions to problems that the older generations haven’t been able to solve due to lack of technology and resources. Now that we have so much of those, it’s great to offer a class where we can start delving into it.”

A surprising 89 students registered for the class next year, expanding the course to three classes. As of right now, Chung is the only teacher for the course. She’s worked with

science resource teacher Don DeMember to create a curriculum, which will be updated and improved after next year’s students give feedback on the course.

Latin

Mancuso Moscato, originally from Italy, learned Latin when she was 10 years old. Although Latin is rarely spoken outside of Catholicism, the language is still used in writing.

The course has about 30 students registered for next year, which will fill one period. Mancuso Moscato hopes learning the language will make students more analytical thinkers.

Latin is most commonly used now in medical and legal documents and is thought of as a “higher-level” language, Mancuso Moscato said. She is most looking forward to the energetic students who will be in the class.

“The most important thing is that it creates a sort of order in your mind,” she said. “The ending and structure for words change a lot so you cannot speak lightly. You really have to think about what you’re saying.”

NEW CLASSES NEXT YEAR Semester Classes Media in Society

Culture in Literature

Full Year Classes Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Latin

Graphic by NOAH GRILL Icon courtesy Noun Project

News

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

MCPS finds elevated levels of lead in 21 school fixtures

by REBECCA HIRSH and ZOE KAUFMANN New laboratory tests commissioned by MCPS revealed elevated levels of lead in water from cafeteria sinks, high-traffic drinking outlets and faucets across MCPS. Twenty-one fixtures from 15 schools indicated levels above 20 parts per billion—the standard the EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment have set as the threshold for remediation.

As this story goes to print, all 205 MCPS schools have been initially tested, and of the 60 publicly available reports, 17 drinking outlets at 12 schools—one high school and 11 elementary schools—tested above 15 ppb. In elementary schools, the vast majority of these outlets are “bubblers,” or drinking fountains attached to classroom sinks, intended for student use.

15

schools have at least 1 fixture above

20 ppb

The highest levels were at Gaithersburg Elementary School, where one classroom’s bubbler registered four times the limit at 81 ppb, and another registered at 253 ppb.

“It’s a concern as a parent, but I feel that the school is on top of this

and that we’re working with the appropriate people within MCPS to address this,” Gaithersburg Elementary School PTA president Carolyn Garvey said.

“They’re able to do a lot more advocacy at that level. The school administration can only do so much. It’s in the hands of the [county] and it’s up to them to be addressing it as well.”

Lead likely entered the water through contaminated pipes and other plumbing materials, EPA environmental engineer Valerie Bosscher said. In previous years, MCPS has relied on water-quality tests from the companies that supply MCPS with water, MCPS environmental team leader Brian Millikan said, which some say can overlook sources of lead within schools.

The testing comes as a result of a state bill passed last year requiring all Maryland schools—both public and private—to check water for lead and copper contaminants every three years.

The last complete test of MCPS’ water was between 2004 and 2007, and only new building additions or remodels have been checked since.

MCPS sub-contractors finished initial testing April 30 and plan to finish the second round of testing by June 30.

Only schools with water fixtures that exceed 20 ppb of lead will be retested.

Concerned parents and community members, however, contend that the standard for remediation is too lax for water drunk mostly by small children, who are more susceptible to the negative effects of lead.

“There is no clear ‘safe’ level in water, because we believe that any elevation in the lead level in your body is likely to have at least some degree of negative effect,” pediatrician Jim Mattey said. “Even low levels of lead in the blood are associated with lower IQ scores, higher rates of attention deficit disorder, academic problems and conduct disorders. There have also been associations with reduction in growth during childhood and kidney disease as

one gets older.”

MCCPTA committee leader Laura Stewart, who has previously advocated for a stricter standard in MCPS, was shocked by the high levels of lead discovered.

“I feel like Montgomery County should be a leader on this, and if we’re going to be a leader we need to try to get those levels down,” Stewart said. “The ultimate goal is one [ppb] or less, but the reality is five [ppb] would be a more reasonable goal in this case.”

After the test results are released, MCPS will create remediation plans, which will most likely include the removal or replacement of contaminated fixtures to minimize students’ lead exposure, Turner said. The county will make the necessary changes over the summer to avoid disrupting class time.

“There are very few that have levels above the action-level, but we don’t want to be complacent,” MCPS Public Information Officer Derek Turner said. “We want to continue to test and put ourselves on a cycle of testing so that we’re never in a position where we don’t know the status of the fountains and faucets in schools.”

Whitman, Whittier Woods Elementary School and the rest of the Whitman cluster were tested April 23—except for Carderock Springs Elementary School, which was tested April 16—but the results have not yet been released as this story goes to print. Principal Alan Goodwin predicts the school’s levels will be low due to the newly-installed water fountains.

“It’s always a concern because it can happen, but I’m not expecting any elevated levels,” Goodwin said.

“It’s an important story, but we just don’t know until the results.”

New safety measures planned for Whitman’s back entrance Community support is split on the State Highway Administration’s plan to improve the safety of the Braeburn Parkway and Pyle Road intersection with River Road by the exit near Whitman’s baseball field. Members of the surrounding neighborhoods gathered in the auditorium April 23 for a meeting held by Bannockburn Civic Association representative Richard Volta.

A majority of the over 200 Bethesda residents in attendance voted in support of designating a school zone on River Road near both the Whittier Boulevard and Braeburn Parkway exits of the school.

The State Highway Administration announced its funded plan to turn the temporary traffic plastic bollards into permanent concrete curbs at Braeburn Parkway intersection March 29. The plan also includes a pedestrian-activated traffic signal at Pyle Road.

The temporary traffic improvements were implemented in April 2017 following multiple accidents at the intersection, including a fatal crash involving a Whitman family in February 2016.

There’s already a pedestrian crossing at Pyle Road, but this plan would add a traffic light that will remain green until pedestrians activate the light by pushing a button and stopping vehicular traffic while crossing, SHA official Charlie Gischlar said. He estimates the construction will be mostly completed by the end of the year and completely finished

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ty to get a traffic light there.

It needs to be there yesterday,” one resident said. “We can get it next year. If we fight and argue over the overpass and everything, we will be here for five more years and nothing’s going to get done. It doesn’t mean that more changes can’t come later; it just means that we need something now.”

The meeting began with

“

by REBECCA HIRSH

It doesn’t mean that more changes can’t come later, it just means that we need something now.

- community member

by spring 2019 in the case of bad weather or other issues.

A majority of community members voted in favor of the pedestrian-activated signal at Pyle Road, though opinions were split on the part relating to the Braeburn intersection, as many people felt that a more drastic change would be more effective. Proposed solutions include having a pedestrian bridge over River Road, a traffic light intersection installed or closing the Braeburn intersection altogether.

“We have the opportuni-

an introduction from principal Alan Goodwin and then a brief summary of background information from Volta. The floor then opened for an hour discussion session for the community to share their two-minute opinions on the changes. Many testimonies were touching, relating the issues back to students—past, present and future—and even one woman’s own near-death accident at the Braeburn intersection.

Although the community voted on the SHA’s proposal, the plan doesn’t

need community support in order to be implemented. The SHA is under no obligation to adhere to the opinions of the community, though there is a strength in numbers, Volta said.

“We have significant leverage as a group — a unity --of concerned residents and elected leaders,” Volta said. “On the other hand, the SHA has the legal authority, the expertise and the resources to do what they want. But we can affect what they want to do.”

Many students use the back entrance to enter and exit school in the mornings and afternoons.

The SHA’s solution will enable a safer transit in the future, students said.

“It’s a lot better that they have a more permanent solution because the current fix is really short term,” sophomore Alex Robinson said. “In terms of the Pyle Road crossing, I walk home from school sometimes, and it’s really dangerous to cross that road because cars don’t stop. This fix is really good, especially since there’ve been accidents.”

briefs

3

Record number of county candidates

by NAREN ROY Thirty-eight candidates are running for the four open atlarge seats on The Montgomery County Council. The end of the 2014-2018 term meant three of the four office-holders had to retire due to recent term limit legislation passed in 2016, inviting a variety of challengers.

This is the most candidates the at-large race has ever seen.

“Usually, you might get 10 or 12 candidates, but even that’s pushing the outer edges,” former council member Mike Knapp told Bethesda Magazine in February. “The exciting thing is that it shows a lot of pent-up demand and especially if you look at the breadth and diversity of those people running, it’s really cool.”

From one informal Bethesda Magazine online survey from February, top-polling candidates included incumbent Hans Riemer, radio host-producer Steve Solomon, Gandhi Brigade Youth media director Evan Glass, who previously ran for county council district in 2014 and former Obama administration employee Ashwani Jain. While some candidates have held political office or run for office before, many have not and include lawyers, realtors, community advocates and more.

Attorney Loretta Garcia decided to run about a year ago, motivated by her wish to give back to the county where she raised her family and worked in county government anti-discrimination work.

“Running is a really crazy process, so I just have to stay grounded and realize that I’m committed to making the county a better place to live and work,” she said. “Hopefully a lot of people feel like they’re involved in the process for the first time, or again after many years of not being involved.”

The 33 Democrats, four Republicans and one Green party candidate are campaigning over the next weeks leading up to the June 26 primary. The top four candidates of each major party will then move into the general election season.

Five classes cut for next school year

by ERIC NEUGEBOREN Administrators cut the Theater, Global Issues, AP Physics 2, Italian 1 and AP Art History classes for next year after fewer than 20 students signed up for the classes.

The cuts disappointed most of the teachers, like art history teacher Jean Diamond and theater teacher Danielle Fus. Theater only ran for one year.

“There are lots of different ways to be talented, and we aren’t all great artists and singers so it was a fun way for students to get their art credit,” Fus said. “But I’m obviously disappointed. It’s a good outlet for people who don’t have that outlet otherwise.”

They also upsetted some students, like freshman theater student Hank Harris who had signed up for another year of theater.

“For me, I like to plan my schedule and have an even balance of academic classes and art classes,” Harris. “Having an arts or academic class cut can throw that out of balance.”

The Italian 1 class could only have happened if administrators decided to combine multiple levels of the language into one class, but this would’ve caused logistical problems, prompting the cut.

Despite disappointment from teachers and students, Goodwin said there is only so much money given for staff members, which justifies the cuts.

MD 2018 legislative session approves bills

by IVY XUN Maryland’s 2018 legislative session, which ended May15, approved numerous pieces of bipartisan-backed legislation.

Governor Larry Hogan deemed it one of the most successful session in the last four years, reported the Washington Post.

The Democratic-controlled session in Annapolis passed laws that will ban conversion therapy, increase the state subsidy for Metro by $167 million annually and set aside $380 million in taxes from insurance companies to mitigate healthcare premium rates, among others.

The session was marked by cooperation between both parties. For example, Governor Hogan backed Democratic mayor Catherine E. Pugh’s compromise bill that targets repeat violent offenders with stricter prison sentences.

On gun safety, the legislators strengthened gun control laws with a bill that would ban bump stocks and other rapid trigger devices. One approved bill will provide funding for increase police surveillance in public schools and install lockable classroom doors. Lawmakers also passed “red flag” legislation which makes it easier for judges to confiscate firearms from individuals deemed dangerous.

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The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Q&A

by JESSICA BUXBAUM The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting April 16 for their coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and their ongoing investigation of possible links between President Donald Trump and Russian officials. Ashley Parker (’01) was one of 11 contributors toward the Post’s award-winning series of 10 stories.

Parker joined the Post in 2017 and now works there as a White House reporter, after working 11 years as a political reporter for the New York Times.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

The Black & White: What does it mean to you knowing that your work contributed to the Post’s Pulitzer Prize?

Ashley Parker: It feels both totally surreal and totally exciting all at the same time. I started at The Post basically at the very beginning of January 2017 right around when President Trump was sworn in, and so for me personally, I just feel incredibly lucky and incredibly grateful that I was thrown on such an amazing story with such a talented and collegial group of teammates.

Ashley Parker (’01) of The Washington Post on their Pulitzer Prize

B&W: Since the beginning of your career, how has your job as a reporter and a journalist changed in the context of a Trump presidency?

AP: Throughout my entire career, even as I started covering politics, I never wanted to cover the White House. I thought it seemed kind of boring, controlled and constrained, and there were just so many other stories I wanted to do. I used to think, at least in theory, that [covering campaigns] was more free-wheeling and exciting, and it kind of has these larger than life operatic characters, but the Trump White House right now has that feel. I feel like there’s no bigger story than President Trump and his administration and in a lot of ways as a reporter covering it, there’s some of that same excitement and some of that same cast that you more traditionally imagine around a campaign and not in a more disciplined White House.

B&W: Do you think you and your colleagues realized the gravity of the story when you first began your reporting? Did the idea of this coverage being Pulitzerworthy ever cross your mind?

AP: I can only speak for myself, but I don’t think the idea of prizes, and certainly not a Pulitzer, was on any of our minds or was a driving force. I have to say what our execu-

Officials pass new school safety, gun reform legislation With six mass shootings nationwide over the past year, the debate over the accessibility of firearms has escalated. Republican lawmakers have proposed arming more people to confront any gunmen, while others favor gun control legislation, including a ban on bump stocks and assault weapons.

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Hogan had designated for school construction, would finance the changes.

“Classrooms should never be a place of fear for our children,” Hogan said in a Feb. 28 press release.

“No mom or dad should ever have to worry when they send their kids off to school whether their son or daughter is going to come home safely.”

“

by ERIC NEUGEBOREN

Classrooms should never be a place of fear for our children.

- Gov. Larry Hogan

Maryland officials have also begun to address the issue; since the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, state and local officials have passed bills and resolutions aimed to increase school safety, limit gun access to domestic abusers and prevent the arming of teachers.

School Safety

Gov. Larry Hogan proposed spending $125 million to enhance school security just two weeks after the Parkland shooting.

The money would go toward reinforcing doors in all schools and implementing panic buttons so authorities can react to emergency situations quickly. Income from state casinos, which

Local officials have also ensured that teachers don’t become armed. The Montgomery County Board of Education passed a resolution March 28 on the issue.

Board member Patricia O’Neill proposed the resolution after community members emailed the board about their thoughts on the issue.

“I worry about children accidentally getting ahold of guns and teachers getting nervous,” O’Neill said.

“The money is better spent on making our buildings more secure and providing more mental health support to students.”

The passing of the resolution means that there will be no further discussions on the issue unless a bill is proposed in the Gen-

News

eral Assembly.

“I think it’s a great resolution,” principal Alan Goodwin said. “If any money is spent, it should be for extra security.”

Gun Control

The state senate passed a bill March 20 to ban the sale of bump stocks, one week after state delegates passed a similar bill. Bump stocks are attachments to firearms that allow people to shoot rounds faster. They were most recently used in the Las Vegas shooting last October.

“There’s really no good reason for anyone to possess them,” Delegate Bill Frick said. “There was pretty broad consensus on banning the sale.”

The General Assembly passed two additional bills, and both bills received bipartisan support. The first requires convicted domestic abusers to surrender their guns, while the second allows judges to take guns from those who they believe pose an immediate threat.

“If we make it harder for people like domestic abusers to get guns, it will also make it harder for them to commit crimes,” sophomore Clara Koritz Hawkes said. “Having laws like what Maryland is proposing right now are really important to pass.”

Zoe Kaufmann contributed to this report.

tive editor Marty Baron said to us, which is, ‘We don’t cover this president any differently than we would cover any other president.’ But I do think we very quickly realized, as did our colleagues and competitors at The New York Times and our other friends in journalism, that the Russia story was a big story.

B&W: People have began throwing around guesses of indictment or impeachment. From your own reporting on Trump’s behavior, what are your predictions? Where do you see all of this going?

AP: I have no idea. One thing I learned very early on covering Trump is to stop making predictions because my instinct is almost always wrong. Also, Mueller’s team is incredibly private and leak free, and anyone who tells you they know what’s going on is merely guessing and surmising and reading the tea leaves. But I don’t think there’s anyone who could possibly know the objective truth of where he stands with his investigation right now.

B&W: There are comments on The Washington Post from practically all over the world thanking The Post for the work they do and congratulating them for their 2018 awards. What does that mean to you

Alumna Ashley Parker, a White House reporter for The Washington Post, contributed to coverage that won the newspaper a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting this year. Photo courtesy ASHLEY PARKER.

knowing that your work has that kind of global appreciation and impact?

AP: I’m going to quote Marty Baron again, and I apologize, but he’s just very wise and very quotable. So he always says, ‘We’re not at war with this administration, we’re at work,’ which I think is very true. We certainly don’t see ourselves as an opposition to the Trump White House, but one thing that’s been really gratifying for me as a political reporter is, for whatever reason, how many people are so engaged with the news, with what’s going on in Washington, with what’s happening in the White House, in government agencies and with the work that reporters are doing and the stories that we’re writing. I think it’s just incredibly gratifying and exciting that so many people are interested in our political process, in our journalistic process and in our democracy.

BW &

the

Opinion

The Black & White is an open forum for student views from Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda, MD, 20817. The Black & White’s website is www.theblackandwhite.net.

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The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Superintendent: bring back final exams at upcoming BOE discussion Two years ago, MCPS eliminated final exams, making it easier for students to maintain their higher grades by making quarter grades trend upward. Since then, the county has faced complaints from students and teachers alike who believe that the system doesn’t prepare students for higher education.

This spring, MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith will meet with the BOE to discuss the future of the grading system.

Board members had hoped quarterly assessments would be a good replacement for exams, but these have already been phased out in some subjects, like foreign languages.

Even though exams contribute to an already-problematic overtesting concern across the county, the superintendent should request that the BOE bring back exams. Bringing back final exams would prepare students for college exams and give teachers necessary time to grade quarterly assignments during exam week.

Exams, which are prevalent in college courses, require students to recall content from the entire semester. Without semester exams in high school, students in non-AP classes aren’t required to retain information from the beginning of the school year and can forget the information shortly after learning it. This could be harmful for students in college, who regularly take cumulative exams, Emory professor Jeff Heller said.

In fact, 36 of 47 students surveyed across all grade levels said they don’t feel prepared for college exams and are encouraged to try less.

Not being required to retain information can even harm those who don’t follow the traditional college route. Learning to memorize can expand people’s creativity and ability to focus.

The current system also does a disservice to teachers who used to grade their numerous end-of-semester assignments during exam week. In a survey of 20 teachers across all subjects, all of them said they favor the return of exam weeks to avoid having too much to grade at the end of the semester.

Admittedly, the presence of exams can contribute to the overtesting of students. Students are required to take numerous standardized tests, like the PARCC and HSA to gradu-

ate. In 2015, The Washington Post reported that the average high school student spends over 21 hours on standardized testing By eliminating final exams, board members hoped to decrease such testing to comply with a 2017 Maryland bill aimed at capping the amount of standardized testing hours per year.

But final exams are far more valuable than other forms of testing. They require students to recall information from an entire course, thus preparing them for future exams in college. If there’s a test to eliminate, it shouldn’t have been the ones that most prepare students for success.

Since students are always trying to prepare for their futures, they should be exposed to a similar learning environment to that of college. The current grading system places a larger burden on teachers and inadequately prepares students for the future; the county should go back to a system that benefits everyone.

Staff Editorial

77%

of students surveyed don’t feel prepared for college based on the current system

30

HOURS LOST

for grading because of the elimination of exams

Graphic by IRIS BERENDES-DEAN

Arming teachers could increase casualties

by JENNY LU In light of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, politicians and citizens are advocating for different measures to prevent further tragedies. These measures range from banning assault rifles, to arming students with rocks to giving school staff guns.

School systems nationwide have begun advocating for stricter gun control laws in response to the shooting.

The BOE unanimously passed a resolution Feb. 26 prohibiting the arming of teachers—other school districts should

follow their example.

In 20 states, the law allows teachers to carry guns; 14 of these states have districts containing at least one school with armed teachers, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

Although some people think arming teachers may be safer, guns in schools will only increase the risk of a casualty.

Allowing teachers to carry weapons increases the potential threat of violence by adding another weapon into a dangerous situation. Having a gun in every single classroom is dangerous.

In fact, just a month after the Florida shooting, a California teacher’s gun

Statistics courtesy MASS SHOOTING TRACKERgraphic by LANDON HATCHER

went off during a lesson on gun safety March 14 and injured three students, The Washington Post reported.

In the event that there’s an intruder in the school, there’s little certainty that teachers would be able to react immediately or shoot accurately. Even policemen, who are well trained to respond to such situations, have been seen to run or duck for cover when facing an actual threat, said an officer who responds to active shooters.

According to a 2008 RAND Corporation study on the New York Police Department, the average hit rate under chaos for trained cops is just 18 percent, especially when they’re running from the source of gunshots. This statistic is already alarmingly low, even for trained officers. Teachers—especially those who have not received prior training—shooting guns in a classroom will put students at a far higher risk than the perpetrator.

Proponents of arming teachers may argue that once teachers are well trained, accidents such as guns going off in class will not be a problem.

But training all teachers to use guns is expensive and time consuming. The school district would have to pay for guns, ammunition and training courses.

Instead of paying teachers to learn how to use guns, the schools can invest in better security such as metal detectors or heightened visitor security.

Most importantly, teachers themselves may not feel comfortable having a gun on their person at all times, Spanish teacher Fabiola Katz said. Additionally, carrying a gun could potentially harm teacher-student relationships—as students may feel uncomfortable developing a friendly relationship with teachers who carry guns on their person.

There are many other ways for students to be protected within a school building, but allowing teachers to bring guns to school isn’t the answer.

Opinion

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

6

Put parallel parking back on MD driver’s test

by HANNAH FEUER Almost every permit-holder in Maryland breathed a sigh of relief in 2015 when the Motor Vehicle Association announced it would remove parallel parking from the test to get a driver’s license. But these same drivers are now breathing in nervous spurts as they try to parallel park for the first time, alone, after they’ve gotten their license.

By including parallel parking on the driver’s test, the MVA guaranteed that people would learn the admittedly difficult skill. Now that it’s been taken off the test, people who should learn to parallel park aren’t bothering.

In order to ensure drivers are prepared for every situation, the Maryland MVA should reinstate parallel parking on the driver’s test, reversing their 2015 decision not to test the skill.

Without being required to learn how to parallel park, students may avoid driving in places like the District of Columbia where they know squeezing between two cars on the curb is inevitable. In an informal lunchtime survey of 30 students with their drivers’ licenses, only 12

felt comfortable parallel parking.

To be competent enough to get a driver’s license, people are supposed to be prepared to drive in all situations and places—including big cities where parallel parking is a necessity, says John Townsend, spokesperson for the American Automobile Association’s MidAtlantic region. It’s absurd that a driver would be deterred from going somewhere simply because of the lack of parking options.

Not only is not testing the skill impractical, but it’s also potentially

dangerous. It’s a safety hazard if a new driver needs to parallel park and has never practiced the skill with an experienced adult in the car. In the same survey, only half of the students had attempted to learn how to parallel park before taking their driver’s test.

Almost 65 percent of parking crashes involve vehicles backing into or pulling toward a curb, which are maneuvers associated with parallel parking, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan.

MVA spokesperson Buel Young told The Washington Post that parallel parking was removed from the test for efficiency; he claims the reverse two-point turn tests similar skills. In reality, parallel parking is unique from simply backing up and turning, which is why many suspect the real reason for the MVA’s decision was to decrease failure rates on the driver’s test and subsequent wait times. But as annoying as long lines at the MVA can be, driver’s tests aren’t supposed to be designed so people

can pass them; they’re designed to test drivers’ skills and ensure our roads are safe.

Parallel parking will continue to be taught during some required in-car driver’s education classes.

But if parallel parking isn’t tested, students don’t have to master the skill—whether it’s taught during in-car lessons or not.

Parallel parking is a necessity for all drivers. Not requiring students to learn this vital skill does them a disservice.

Student voices on mental health Editor’s Note: Over the course of the past year, Whitman students and administrators have made efforts to address mental health issues among students, from scheduling mental health awareness presentations to promoting an SGA-sponsored app.

As student journalists, we’re proud of the role we get to play in facilitating these conversations by providing the space for two student opinions in this issue. Both are staff members who have chosen to omit their bylines due to the personal nature of their stories. As always, the opinions they voice are their own and do not represent the position of The Black & White.

Change the way you talk to people with anxiety For me, anxiety is like my thoughts are a car that’s been set in park, but someone is pressing all the way on the gas pedal; everything is revving out of control, but I’m not making any progress. It’s like I’m trapped on a rollercoaster, and the seat belt is way too tight and I just want to get off. Saying this out loud makes me want to scream. Just writing it makes me sweat.

I’m telling you this because the mental health presentations, run by the Mental Illness Awareness Campaign Team at Whitman, didn’t say everything I think they should have. While I agreed with many of the statements on how to best communicate with someone who has anxiety, I think there’s a lot more to say. There’s a better way to address someone with anxiety that reminds them they’re bigger than the illness— but doesn’t pry too much, or say anything too artificial.

So many students walk around with the burden of anxiety: according to a Black & White survey conducted last year, 40 percent of Whitman students suffer from mental illnesses, while nationally that number is only 20 percent. And anxiety affects nearly 33 percent of the school.

Some people are going to be triggered by social situations, others by schoolwork and others by something more specific. To someone who doesn’t have anxiety, their reactions might seem ridiculous. But to someone with anxiety, it’s hard to control. The mental health presentations said this, but I’ll reiterate: in this situation, telling someone to just “calm down” or “stop overreacting” isn’t going to help them. In fact, it will probably only make them frustrated because they feel like they can’t do that.

Instead, someone should be reminded that they’re stronger than their anxiety. Tell them that what they’re feeling isn’t the reality. One of the most motivational things I’ve ever heard is that I can’t let anxiety live my life for me. If I feel like I can’t start my homework because it’s so overwhelming, I need someone—or hopefully someday just myself—to remind me that I can start my homework, and my anxiety is just trying to trick me.

My anxiety lives in me permanently, like the characters in the Disney movie “Inside Out.” The anxious voice is gruff, rude and cries a lot, and the normal voice is my normal, calm self. When the anxious voice is yelling at me, I need a way to remember I can overpower those feelings.

Saying things like, “Don’t worry, you’re not going to fail the test,” or “Everything is going to be fine” isn’t as effective as it sounds. Truthfully, everything might not be fine—there is no way to guarantee that it will be. It sounds sad, but it’s helpful. It’s in the person’s own power to to make sure that everything is going to be fine. Instead, say things like, “You can get through this,” or “You have the power to do this.” These statements are uplifting, and they give the person something to think about in that moment. Just saying “you won’t fail this test” might just add to that person’s pressure because they want to please you.

Anxiety can be really difficult to deal with at Whitman. To truly help out a family member or friend that’s struggling, you have to be careful what you say. But, it’s possible to conquer bouts of anxiety—the person just needs some encouragement.

40%

33%

of students suffer from a mental illness of students have an anxiety disorder graphic by JANA WARNER Statistics from a 2017 Black & White survey

Administrators should provide safe spaces for students with panic attacks My heart was pounding, pounding in my chest—escalating, accelerating. Too fast. My vision blurred, and I could feel myself shaking. My whole body felt hot, like it was on fire, and I couldn’t form a coherent thought to save my life.

I rushed into the hallway and looked around, terrified. I didn’t know what to do.

While I was scared of strangers seeing me in this state, I was also scared of people I did know seeing me. I couldn’t handle having somebody near me, let alone talking to me.

I ended up hiding in the second floor bathroom for twenty minutes, locked in a stall, standing straight up and trying desperately to calm myself down.

I don’t have panic attacks at school regularly, but when I do, I don’t know where to go to calm myself down. I try to go to my counselor, but the times I’ve gone and she hasn’t been there, it’s made everything worse. I’ve felt like my one chance at finding a safe place has been ripped away.

Because panic attacks require time and space for the person to calm down, administrators should work with teachers to create a list of open, staffed classrooms that will serve as a safe space for students experiencing anxiety or having a panic attack to go to when they feel overwhelmed.

Resource counselor Kari Wislar could reach out to teachers to ask who would

be willing to open their classrooms during planning or lunch periods. Counselors could then share this list with students they know have anxiety or panic attacks, or post the list on a wall in the counseling office so the classrooms are easily accessible by any student who finds themselves in need.

While Wislar said she would prefer for students to talk to a different counselor if theirs isn’t available, she agrees that there should be a safe place for students to go.

To ensure the system wouldn’t be abused and to secure student safety, students could be required to check-in with a counselor, or have the teacher hosting them send them an email.

Counselors and administration support the idea. Wislar, principal Alan Goodwin, and assistant principal Kristen Cody said they would be open to help create the system for next year, and about a dozen teachers have already expressed interest in being part of the program.

No other student should have to stand in a cramped, dirty bathroom stall, or stand outside their counselor’s office with their whole body shaking as they struggle to take a breath. Mental health problems are increasing across all grades—ensuring that students in crisis always have a safe space would be a good step in the right direction for supporting these students.

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The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Feature

Cold War codebreaker shares stories after 60 years Whitman grandma translated Russian code for NSA On a cold winter morning in 1953, the early days of the Cold War, Joan and her co-workers waited for the bus, like many others across the country. The unmarked vehicle picked them up in a spot different than the previous morning’s and transported them to a nondescript, massive building six miles outside of the District of Columbia.

At the end of the shift, they’d learn the next day’s pick-up spot.

Joan—the grandmother of a Whitman student—spent three years working in that building, passing security checkpoints every morning to gain entrance to her cubicle, where baskets of paper scraps covered with Russian code waited.

It was there, within the creamcolored façade of Arlington Hall, the Army codebreaking facility, that codebreakers translated Soviet ciphers for the National Security Agency.

Those codebreakers were prohibited from speaking about their work for 50 years after the fact, so Joan has been free to talk about her experiences for the last 10 years.

A few months before that chilly morning, Joan had graduated from Boston University, where federal agents had interviewed every person in her undergraduate Russian class.

“They never told me who they were,” Joan said. “Turned out it was the NSA.” Students didn’t know what the interviews were for, let alone that

the NSA was conducting them, but the agents offered Joan, who was by then fluent in Russian, a job in the District translating Soviet code.

The process was tedious: at the beginning of shifts at Arlington Hall, codebreakers were given up to 50 slips of paper, each with five Cyrillic letters and breaks in between each sequence. The code itself wasn’t difficult—every letter was simply substituted for another letter along a set pattern—but it changed constantly. They translated on two fronts, figuring out which letters had changed and then putting the whole sequence into English.

“

to crack three more). The more they knew about Russian culture and current events in the Soviet Union, the better they could make connections and figure out the code.

“That was it; you just sat there all day figuring out, ‘Does this make sense?’ You watched for sentence patterns because it had to be a sentence, even though the letters had been changed,” Joan said. “Being good at crossword puzzles and things like that was a pretty good thing, and having a pretty strong Russian vocabulary and sense of the grammar and the sentence structure was important.”

That was it: you just sat there all day figuring out, ‘Does this make sense?’ You watched for sentence patterns because it had to be a sentence, even though the letters had been changed.

- Former code breaker Joan

Codebreakers started by looking for the Russian for “I give” or “I send,” which most messages started with and looked for recognizable names or places to decipher more letters (Joan loved messages that included the word “Warsaw,” because it was bookended by two of the same letters and allowed her

“

by ZOE KAUFMANN

The workplace itself was secretive; codebreakers were discouraged from sharing information with each other or forming relationships.

Each worker had their own cubicle, the confines of which dictated the workplace atmosphere.

“There were certainly 50 people on my floor, but you weren’t

supposed to talk to each other,” Joan said. “Because we were surrounded by this shroud of secrecy, you liked the people you worked with, but you didn’t really know them well, and you didn’t develop too many friendships or long-term relationships. People tended to get moved around a lot.”

The NSA also offered a job to Joan’s husband, a fellow BU student, when they recruited her. His posting was different than his fiancée’s job in the District; as an intercept operator, he was stationed in the British Zone of divided Berlin, intercepting Soviet messages for codebreakers like Joan to decrypt back in the U.S. Because of the secretive nature of their work, Joan and her husband couldn’t discuss the specifics of their jobs with each other. Although they shared stories afterwards— Joan recounted that her husband, who wasn’t good with directions, once mistakenly transmitted a message that a Russian platoon actually in Finland was entering Paris—at the time Joan didn’t even know what her husband was doing for the NSA. “I think I knew at the time, but all the signs were missing,” Joan said. “I couldn’t write to him except over an APO number because no one was supposed to know he was there. The Germans knew he was there and the British knew he was there, but no one else knew he was there except me.”

After three years working for the NSA, Joan’s husband returned

from his posting, and they moved back to Boston. She got a degree in library science, became a housewife and then worked as a librarian in the local school system. She and her husband became parents, then grandparents, but the secrecy around their former jobs remained.

“My husband used to tell people that he used to be a Morse code transmitter, but nobody ever really asked me, and I never really volunteered the information,” Joan said.

The aura of secrecy was so strong that even 60 years later—10 years after the mandatory 50-year waiting period for discussing such classified information had lapsed— other former codebreakers whom Joan met later were still reluctant to discuss their old work.

In fact, Joan’s most exciting memory from her tenure as a codebreaker involved such unspoken codes of conduct. One night, she recalled, there was an important breakthrough, and another codebreaker stood up in their cubicle, shouting “I got it!” The lights dimmed and Joan heard a roar: NSA cars leaving the Hall, driving to the White House or the Pentagon to address whatever urgent secrets the translated message had revealed.

“We were never even supposed to have noticed that it happened, but we weren’t stupid. We were curious, but whoever found it never admitted,” Joan said. “Those few years were very interesting.”

Arts & Entertainment

9

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Artist spotlight:

Senior Mitch Fechter writes score for play Photo courtesy of MITCH FECHTER

Sitting at his computer, senior Mitch Fechter focuses on his latest song. He clicks and adjusts the tempo, then adds melody and a bit of piano. It might be 1 a.m. on a Tuesday with first period just hours away, but he won’t be finished any time soon.

Fechter wrote the score for Whitman Drama’s winter play, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” after the school was denied the rights to the play’s soundtrack. In six short weeks, he wrote 23 songs, totalling 51 minutes of underscoring for the play, which was performed March 1-3.

“I thought the music complemented the show very well and heightened the emotional impact of many scenes,” senior Lucas Polack said.

Fechter, who’s never had any formal musical training, began composing music in 2008 by just playing around with his computer software. Composition took him a long time to learn, but it ended up becoming one of his favorite activities, he said. Even though he hopes to minor in music technology in college, the most formal training he’s had is taking AP Music Theory this year, he said.

“It would’ve been a lot quicker if I had

taken lessons or actively tried to learn, but just through years and years of trial and error I learned to write,” he said. “It’s easy to put in a lot of work when it’s really fun.”

He’s always loved music because the composition makes sense in his head, he said.

Taking AP Music Theory helped Fechter learn the names and most conventional ways of doing things he mostly already knew how to do, AP Music Theory teacher Heather Borsum said.

“He was a very good student anyways, a very good musician,” Borsum said. “A lot of the assignments he completes don’t just check the boxes for, ‘Oh that’s correct,’ but they actually sound good. It’s kind of a different level.”

Senior Molly Albert, who worked on sound for “The Curious Incident,” has known Fechter for a long time and always enjoyed his music. Albert was impressed by the time and dedication that he put into “The Curious Incident” soundtrack, she said.

“I’ve listened to all of his songs before, and I knew how good his work was, so I thought bringing him in would be a really good idea,” Albert said. “I knew he was capable of producing good music. The standard that we as production staff for the show had

already set was pretty high, and I knew he could meet those expectations, if not exceed them.”

“

It would’ve been a lot quicker if I had taken lessons or actively tried to learn, but just through years and years of trial and error I learned to write.

- senior Mitch Fechter

“

by CAMERYNN HAWKE

Fechter and Albert worked with the rest of the production staff to figure out what type of songs he should compose. The production staff gave him artistic license, and Fechter ended up writing most of the songs on his own, with limited guidance from production, he said.

He emulated the slow build of emotion

in Peter Robinson’s “World” to develop the atmosphere and tension, he said. He also drew inspiration from the texture and sound of “New Age | Dark Age” by Karma Fields.

Fechter wrote his score after only listening to a 30-second preview of the original score to understand the texture, but didn’t listen to more to ensure he wouldn’t accidentally plagiarize, he said. Some songs in the electronic score were upbeat and energetic while others were more pensive.

This play was the first Whitman Drama production with a student-composed score.

Fechter was proud of the final product and how seamlessly everything came together, he said.

“I’ve written music before, I’ve done digital distribution of songs before and I’ve done live performances before, but this was a particularly interesting and fun project for me to do because it was like nothing I’ve ever done before,” Fechter said. “It was super cool to be a part of; I was just one piece of the whole puzzle of the play.”

The score is available on SoundCloud, under his username, MitchellFechter.

Anderson House opens new Hamilton exhibit “Alexander Hamilton’s American Revolution” welcomes musical to D.C.

Since its January 2015 Broadway debut in, “Hamilton” has become a pop culture sensation, winning 11 Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy. The musical’s distinct hip-hop soundtrack helped it gain popularity in the mainstream music scene. Washingtonians can now see the musical “Hamilton” at the Kennedy Center between June 12 and Sept. 16.

The Society of the Cincinnati, an organization dedicated to commemorating heroes of the U.S. independence movement, opened the “Alexander Hamilton’s American Revolution” exhibit at the Anderson House in the District of Columbia this March. The exhibit, which will be on display until Sept. 16, gives an in-depth look at the life of

Alexander Hamilton himself, emphasizing his contributions to the American Revolution.

“The musical is extremely well-known at this point, and people in this area love the arts,” curator Emily Parsons said. “For the people who aren’t that familiar with the history, we just hope that they can walk in to theater with more context.”

Located on the first floor of the Anderson House near Dupont Circle, the exhibit covers Hamilton’s life in the U.S., beginning with his move from Puerto Rico to New York City in October 1772.

Many historical documents, books and even Hamilton’s holster pistol are on display to illustrate his role in the revolution.

“It’s great to learn about our founding fathers, especially since

the musical has been crazy popular in the past few years,” Dianna Yang, a visitor from the District, said. “I really like learning the history, so this is a great place, because

“

“

by YIYANG ZHANG

easier to follow if they understood the history.

“I wasn’t interested in Hamilton prior to the show. I knew he was the face on the $10 bill, and I’d known about the treasury system he

It’s great to learn about our founding fathers, especially since the musical has been crazy popular in the past few years.

- D.C. resident Dianna Yang

Hamilton was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati.”

Students who were lucky enough to see the musical enjoyed the show overall, though many agreed that the plot would’ve been

set up from NSL,” junior Charlotte Sienkiewicz said. “I think it would be in people’s interest to know a little bit of his background or just what was going on in that time.”

Visitors can understand how

Hamilton’s policies shaped the nation post-American independence and appreciate the musical for its historical relevance—not just its catchy soundtrack.

“You can really see Alexander Hamilton’s character progress as you follow the exhibit, and I’m sure it’s also conveyed through the musical,” Yang said. “A lot of the interesting moments are in the details, so it’s hard to completely follow through without knowing what’s exactly happening—I think the exhibit provides that context.”

“Alexander Hamilton’s American Revolution” is on display from March 15 to Sept. 18. The Anderson House Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Admission is free.

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The Black & White|May 15, 2018

In-De

Rethinking ADHD:

Challenging perceptions of attention def

by EVA HERSCOWITZ AND HANNAH FEUER During his freshman and sophomore years, senior Ben Gorman couldn’t focus. He would lose concentration while taking a test, only to regain focus five minutes before the bell rang.

His friends told him his inability to concentrate might be a symptom of ADHD, but it wasn’t until his lack of focus caused him to fail several math tests that he got a professional diagnosis

and a prescription for Adderall.

Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are brain conditions that make it difficult for students to focus on tasks for extended periods of time. While ADD is characterized by a failure to maintain focus and pay attention to detail, students with ADHD also exhibit hyperactive behavior, which often manifests in

Rethinking ADHD

8/30

Whitman Students associate add/adhd with creativity

Junior Ari Goodfriend’s Attention Deficit Disorder just may kickstart his screenwriting career.

Goodfriend, an aspiring screenwriter, has epilepsy, and this neurological disorder has caused him to develop ADD. After losing concentration in class last year, he made up an elaborate story about a schizophrenic teenage girl who discovers clues to crimes in her psychotic episodes. Goodfriend began a journal to compile stories he creates when he loses concentration. One day, he hopes to turn these stories into a screenplay.

“The whole story developed in my mind, and then the bell rang. I was like, ‘I need to write that down,’” Goodfriend said. “A lot of the time I’ll think of stories while I’m zoning out and I’m like, ‘I might have failed the pre-calc test, but at least I know more about the main character.’”

To Goodfriend, his ADD is both “a blessing and a curse”: it heightens his creativity, but hinders his academic performance. While medical experts have long regarded ADHD/ADD as a treatable condition, some in the field are beginning to challenge conventional thinking by contending that these disorders enhance creativity, exist to an extent in all adolescents and should be treated without medication.

fidgeting and impatience.

But the image of a restless student struggling to focus doesn’t tell the whole story. Students with ADHD/ADD, medical professionals and neurologists are beginning to rethink traditional notions of the disorder, as well as the ethics of using stimulants to enhance academic performance.

believe the disorder is overdiagnosed, especially among boys.

Hyperactivity often overlaps with behavior that boys traditionally exhibit. As a result, boys are diagnosed with ADHD at twice the rate of girls, the National Resource on ADHD stated on their website in 2017.

“A lot of the symptoms of being hyperactive and disruptive have historically been associated with young boys,” Gorman said. “There’s a danger we’re overprescribing, when being a boy, hopefully, is not yet a diagnosable condition.”

Like Goodfriend, many students with ADD and ADHD, along with medical experts, also observe a link between these disorders and creativity. But the notion that ADHD or ADD yields out-of-the-box thinking contrasts with common stereotypes. In an informal lunchtime survey of 30 students, just seven associated these disorders with creativity.

Acosta said that many ADHD/ADD patients express an interest in the arts. Acosta, who specializes in developmental disabilities, often sees children with these disorders who have an interest in painting, music or theater.

“Kids with ADHD are very creative and many kids are very artistic,” she said. “One interesting observation is that they feel like they’re free to develop their creativity when they’re not taking medication.”

ADHD/ADD or normal ALTERNATIVES childhood behavior?

TO MEDICATION The distractions of technology and pressure to participate in multiple activities have contributed to shorter attention spans among adolescents, a symptom of ADHD that’s evident in a neurotypical child. Hyperactivity, a lack of focus and forgetfulness are normal adolescent traits, child neurologist Dr. Maria Acosta said, and this behavior doesn’t necessarily indicate that an adolescent has ADHD. Some parents may assume energetic behavior is a symptom of a learning disability and press for their child to get tested, said Michael Hochman, who studies clinical medicine at the University of Southern California.

“When kids are young, they may be active, they may have inconsistent attention spans, they may be hyper at times. That’s a normal part of being a child,” he said. “There’s certainly a gray area that’s created a lot of room for interpretation of who has the diagnosis, which has opened the door for groups that have incentives to diagnose more children with the condition.”

The number of children diagnosed with ADHD has risen 43 percent in the past 10 years, according to a 2015 George Washington University study.

The rapid increase has prompted some experts to

To alleviate symptoms, most teens diagnosed with ADHD take prescription stimulants like Adderall and Concerta, although some take non-stimulant medications. Stimulants increase dopamine and neurotransmitters in the brain, which improves concentration.

The medications often come with side effects.

One college sophomore (’16) notices a loss of appetite when he takes Concerta.

“When I take my meds I have a much easier time focusing, but my appetite completely disappears,” he said. “There are some days I just forget to eat.

It’ll be 5 o’clock, and I can’t figure out why I’m in such a bad mood and then I remember I haven’t eaten all day.”

These medications come with side effects: rapid heart rate, loss of appetite, weight loss, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Some medical professionals advocate alternative approaches to treatment.

Alternatives to medication include spending time outside, behavioral therapy and a healthy diet.

“Just to throw medications at the problem, rather than use counseling, which is long-run, safer and just as effective, ignores the problem,” Hochman said.

epth

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ficit disorders A junior arrives at her ACT testing location, a bag of supplies in hand. She’s brought all of the items recommended by the ACT website: a few pencils, her testing ticket, her photo ID and a snack for the break. But nestled in between these items lies her secret weapon: unprescribed Adderall pills. When her score comes back in a couple weeks, she’s happy to see she’s improved—though she’s not sure how much of the boost can be attributed to her drug use as opposed to her tutoring sessions.

Chances are the junior wasn’t the only one taking unprescribed Adderall in the testing room; in the same informal survey, 56 percent of students reported knowing someone without a diagnosis who has taken study drugs before a standardized test.

Use of unprescribed stimulants among students poses an ethical dilemma: whether using the drugs is a health hazard and serious cheating offense, or a valid way to increase concentration.

Ethics

One senior girl also took Adderall before her SAT. Though she considered her actions cheating, she felt gaming the system was necessary to perform well. After taking the stimulant, her score rose by 100 points.

The trend continues into college, where 20 percent of students report abusing prescription stimulants, according to a 2014

survey by the Partnership for a Drug-Free Kids. One college sophomore with ADD said he’s given individual pills to friends about a half dozen times, but never sold the pills for money. He doesn’t mind when people who aren’t diagnosed take Adderall; to him, the medicine is as benign as a cup of coffee.

Others are not so accepting of the ethical implications. Because students with ADHD take medicine to put them on an even playing field with neurotypical students, abusing ‘study drugs’ harms students who have real learning disabilities, Goodfriend said.

“When there’s a handicapped parking space, you’re not supposed to go take that parking space,” he said. “The fact that people are manipulating medication is unethical in so many ways. You’re not allowing the people who really have disabilities to be valid.”

Taking study drugs unprescribed may also have the opposite of the intended effect. Because amphetamines are meant to target a deficiency of dopamine, students who naturally make enough of the chemical may find themselves overloaded and gearing their focus toward a secondary task. Senior Rory Nevins said he’s heard of students taking Adderall to perform well on tests, only to end up spending their time obsessing over their pencil.

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whitman students know someone who has taken a “study drug” before a standardized test

whitman students think using ADHD/ADD drugs without a prescription is ethical

When occasional use becomes addiction

Despite their motivation, students who take Adderall without real need for the medication are also at much higher risk of becoming addicted than a student with a diagnosis, Acosta said. Consistent use may habituate the brain to an outside boost of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine—chemicals that act as part of the brain’s reward system. As a result, users’ brains may stop producing these chemicals on their own, leading to depression, irritability and, ironically, an inability to concentrate.

The New York Times staff writer Casey Schwartz described her battle with Adderall addiction in a 2016 magazine article. At the height of her addiction, Schwartz would root through medicine cabinets and trash cans to find discarded pills. For Schwartz, her self-described “Adderall hours” produced an academic and physical high.

“Adderall wiped away the question of willpower,” Schwartz writes. “Now I could study all night, then run 10 miles, then breeze through that week’s New Yorker, all without pausing to consider whether I

might prefer to chat with classmates or go to the movies.”

Schwartz’s Adderall use eventually developed into a life-threatening dependence and a diagnosable drug-problem. When she initially gave up Adderall, she experienced symptoms of withdrawal typical to those of drug abusers.

Acosta cautions students from taking unprescribed Adderall. Even taking the drug to enhance academic performance can lead to addiction, she said.

“Studies have shown in patients with ADHD, the medicine works in different areas of the brain than students without ADHD,” said Acosta. “It’s a false perception that if you take it you’ll get better grades. You’re facing the risk of taking a medication for something that you don’t have.”

Considering the possibility of addiction, the ethics of recreational use remain ambiguous. Despite recognizing the potential for addiction, one senior girl says she will continue to take unprescribed Adderall.

“It’s not that it makes you smarter, you just become really invested in whatever you’re doing,” she said. “You’re like ‘okay, I’m ready to grind.’”

Statistics from a 2018 Survey of 30 Whitman students Graphics and Artwork by SOPHIE DEBETTENCOURT

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The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Feature

Alaskan students learn in close-knit, culturally aware classes

by SYDNEY MILLER I sit down and look out the window at an entirely white landscape. Kids shuffle in wearing just T-shirts, while I’m shivering with three layers of shirts and long underwear under my jeans— the average high in March up here is just 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

The clock hits 9 a.m., and the students begin reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, first in English, and then in Iñupiaq, an Alaskan Native language.

While many juniors visited colleges over spring break, I toured a different kind of school: the public school my aunt and uncle teach at in Kotzebue, Alaska. It’s 30 miles above the Arctic Circle and has a population of 3,245 people.

Kotzebue Middle High School has 321 sixth through 12th graders, overwhelmingly Alaska Native, specifically Iñupiaq.

The elementary, middle and high school are all housed in the same building. Elementary classes have about 18 students, middle school classes have anywhere from 4 to 18 students and an average high school class has 15 students.

“

One of the major benefits of living somewhere like Kotzebue is that you can give kids so much more individual attention because the classes are so small.

- math teacher Signe Stanton

“

“One of the major benefits of living somewhere like Kotzebue is that you can give kids so much more individual attention because the classes are so small,” high school math teacher Signe Stanton said.

I shadowed both my uncle’s middle school classes and Kotzebue sophomore Madison Troyer in her classes through the week. Troyer’s English, biology, history and German classes all relied heavily on computer use through Canvas, the same platform myMCPS uses. Every Kotzebue student has their own MacBook Air, provided by the district, and every Kotzebue classroom has a SmartBoard in the front of the room which hooks up to the computer.

But it became apparent that while Kotzebue’s technology is equivalent to Whitman’s—and in some cases, even superior—the school itself and its culture is very different. Unlike Whitman, the rooms are smaller, and the furniture is mismatched.

However, many teachers don’t stay in rural Alaska for very long, said Michael Johnson, the Alaska State Education Com-

missioner. As a result, schools in Kotzebue and the surrounding villages have a high teacher turnover rate. A number of the teachers I spoke with are first-year teachers in Kotzebue. The high school science teacher hadn’t even been there the whole year; he was hired at the end of the first semester when the previous teacher suddenly left, something students say is fairly common.

In many classes, teachers preferred to give students the opportunity to learn at their own pace instead of trying to keep everyone on the same page. These classes were typically the ones where the students were given less structured, Canvas-based assignments. However, teachers said the looser class structure can distract students. In science and history classes, students are often off task, playing computer games instead of doing their work, with little to no punishment from teachers, even though the students’ likelihood of completing their work at home is minimal.

“We never have homework,” Troyer said. “We just have classwork, and if we don’t finish it in class, we just tell the teacher we need more class time for it.”

Not all teachers follow this method; the math and English teachers tend to take a more direct instructional approach. Both days I was in these classes, they taught the class in a more traditional way, with minimal work time.

“You have to find a way to engage them, or they’re not going to want to learn,” Stanton said. “And I think the best way to do that is to talk to them, interact with them and work through problems with them.”

But having less teacher oversight doesn’t mean that students aren’t learning, guidance counselor Scott Martin said. Martin believes the different attitudes about learning reflect the culture in the students’ homes rather than flaws in the teaching style.

“Other aspects of life, such as working and hunting, are more important to the culture up here,” Martin said. “In some cases, a kid’s parents will simply hunt and fish for a living. But there still are lots of kids who want to learn despite that, and I think that’s great.”

When I went ice fishing Thursday evening, I saw many families out on the frozen sea, either fishing or riding snow machines, a tribute to the strength of Iñupiaq culture.

That culture leads many Kotzebue students to stay close to home after high school; the Red Dog Mine, the largest zinc mine in the world, is 90 miles north of Kotzebue and attracts workers from Kotzebue and the surrounding villages. Many of Troyer’s classmates want to work in the mine after graduation, she said.

“No one I know wants to go to college,” Troyer said. “They all say they’re just going to jobs at the Red Dog. That’s their plan.”

This is reflected in the school’s statistics: even though the high school’s graduation rate is 86 percent, only about 25 percent of students go on to college.

Habitual absenteeism and a lack of motivation is chronic for many students. Teachers and students both said that at least one stu-

dent out of about 15 would probably be absent from each of their classes on any given day.

“Being absent is a big thing here,” freshman Ayiana Browning said. “Kids just don’t want to go to school. They sleep in and don’t come, or they go home early because they’re just done.”

Still, there are students who love school and learning, though there aren’t many advanced classes or clubs to encourage them.

The most common way students expand their learning is through ACELLUS: a national curriculum of online classes meant to supplement lessons for kids who are being homeschooled. The classes, which are paid for by the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, are available if the school doesn’t offer a specific course, such as a foreign language, or to supplement an existing course and challenge a student.

Troyer took the history and algebra ACELLUS classes last year, and she’s currently enrolled in an online college-level German class from Brigham Young University. The district’s online classes aren’t widely advertised, so students need to take the initiative to access these opportunities themselves, Troyer explained.

“It’s been really useful to have my online German class because there aren’t any languages offered here,” she said. “But I realize that not everyone can have that. For the class I’m doing, I had to go out and find it on my

own, and my parents have to pay for it.”

Students can also participate in the Alaska Native Science and Engineering program, where they can study STEM at the University of Alaska Anchorage over the summer.

Browning will be a part of the program for her third time this summer.

“It’s so fun and cool, but you do have to be comfortable with working hard and trying in STEM subjects,” she said. “They advertised it when we were eighth graders, and a lot of kids went, but a lot of the kids don’t come back. Last year when I went, it was just me and one other kid in my grade there.”

My time in Kotzebue was eye-opening.

It was refreshing to spend a week in a place where people weren’t obsessing over their grades or numerous college applications, students had a heightened appreciation of their heritage and community with the option of weekly Iñupiaq culture classes, and classes were small enough to allow students to get one-on-one instruction. I could go outside at 5 p.m. on a Thursday and see a whole community of kids, elders and everyone in between on the ocean ice fishing and riding dog sleds. The Iñupiaq values and traditions are essential to life in Kotzebue, and they create a strong sense of community and belonging.

“I really love how my culture is so celebrated here,” Browning said. “We respect our elders and respect the Iñupiaq values, and to me, that’s just as important as having good teachers and doing your homework.”

The author spent spring break shadowing students and teachers at Kotzebue Middle High School in Kotzebue, Alaska. The school, shown above, sits 30 miles above the Arctic Circle.

Photos by SYDNEY MILLER.

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Feature

13

What the hecka? DECA juniors place in nationals Competitions test marketing, entrepreneurship skills

by CAMERYNN HAWKE It’s 3 p.m. at DECA’ s largest competition, and two members of Whitman’s team walk into a competition round and transform into advertising directors for Sue’s Cupcake Store. They, along with another team, have 10 minutes to create an imaginary marketing campaign and then 10 minutes to present their campaign in front of judges. Just like a real marketing team, only one campaign can attract the most business.

“

my name in a crowded stadium,” Fratantoni said. “It seemed like everything happened so fast that I didn’t have time to process it.”

Whitman’s DECA club is one of 3,500 high school chapters in the country. The club has 130 registered members and provides strong business education for students.

Although many people question “What the hecka is DECA,” the full name (“Distributive Education Clubs of America”) no longer has any meaning.

Most members of the DECA

“

It provides travel opportunities to states and nationals, it provides business opportunities and I’ve gotten to know a lot of business leaders.

- DECA Executive Vice President Thomas Fratantoni

This entrepreneurship marketing project is a typical scenario at a DECA competition, where high schoolers compete against each other in mock-business situations.

At DECA’s largest conference, the International Career Development Conference, which took place April 21-24, the team sent 11 members and broke records when one member placed in the top ranking.

At the ICDC, junior president Ben Meron received a medal for doing well on the test portion and executive vice president Thomas Fratantoni placed second overall in his restaurant management competition.

“It was so incredible to hear

team participate in series, team or written events. While most club members compete in individual events, the entire team works together to prepare for competitions, Fratantoni said.

“It’s such a unique experience,” Fratantoni said. “It provides travel opportunities to states and nationals, it provides business opportunities and I’ve gotten to know a lot of business leaders. It’s just such a great atmosphere.”

Every year, the club travels around the country, competing in categories like business, finance, entrepreneurship and marketing.

Students compete against each other in real-life scenarios and

prepare short pitches or solutions.

A panel of judges decides which person or team wins that specific event.

“Our competitions are a lot like job interviews or a lot like business pitches, so that really helps me in my endeavors outside of the club,” Fratantoni said. “I’ve already seen the progress that I’ve made transfer over to different things.”

To prepare for competitions, sophomore Nathaniel Zitner practices public speaking in front of the officers and completes practice multiple choice tests as a part of series events in competitions. He joined the club because he’s interested in pursuing a business career in the future, he said.

Officers and upperclassmen teach younger members that the key to succeeding in competitions is coming up with clever

ideas and remaining confident in their own ideas in front of the judges, Manes said.

Before competitions, the club holds meetings every other week to practice role plays, practice with test questions or listen to guest speakers from local businesses.

Advisor Demitra Marafatsos attends every meeting and has been working with the club for 27 years.

She stays in contact with many former students and would trust some of them to run companies for her, she said.

“I really enjoy seeing the students transform into young entrepreneurs and travelling with them and having the seminars and opportunities that we go to, and I love the competition as well,” Marafatsos said. “I like seeing the kids really put themselves out, really maturing.”

Many members agree that the skills they’ve learned through DECA are skills they couldn’t have learned anywhere else. Zitner says that DECA has taught him to be more confident and think quickly.

Because of the rigorous competitions, club members are constantly being challenged to push themselves even further.

“My favorite part personally is that it has really taken me out of my comfort zone. Public speaking, networking, these competitions aren’t things I typically enjoy or look to do, but they’re a very important part of the business world and really any career I may want to go into or anyone may want to go into,” Manes said. “Having the ability to learn these skills, push myself, is really an invaluable thing and something I couldn’t imagine my high school experience without.”

team competitions are two people Series events are individual written events are prepared in advance

Graphic by JULIA RUBIN

Senior Hwi Yeo first in family to commit to college

by EVA HERSCOWITZ This article is the second in a three-part series documenting senior Hwi Yeo, a first generation, low income student, and her college search, admission and adjustment process.

On the first day of WesFest, Wesleyan University’s two-day-long admitted students weekend, senior Hwi Yeo was met with passionate student activists, diversity of thought and a tight-knit community of students of color—three elements she often felt she missed out on in high school as one of Whitman’s few first generation, low income students.

“

I really appreciate that multicultural perspective, because diversity is a thing that is pushed a lot everywhere.

“

- Senior Hwi Yeo

“I got to meet other admitted students as well, and I got to meet other students like me, and that was very surprising to me, and it was also very heartwarming to see,” she said. “Sometimes, I’m like, ‘Why am I the odd one out?’ And it was at Wesleyan that I got to meet a bunch of students who could relate to me.”

Yeo will be the first in her family to attend college this fall. After a stressful application process complicated by financial aid requests and both anticipation and guilt for leaving her single mother and brother in the fall, Yeo formally committed to Wesleyan April 20.

Yeo received financial aid packages from several private schools that would reduce the university’s tuition to lower than that of University of Maryland. Wesleyan awarded her the most financial aid and waived her deposit fee, which influenced her decision to attend the university. Wesleyan’s inclusive environment also attracted Yeo to commit.

Yeo narrowed her decision down to Wesleyan and a private college in Boston. Ultimately, the decision came down to diversity: Yeo didn’t want to feel uncomfortable in the college’s homogenous student body, she said.

“When I looked into the school, I felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea of going there because the atmosphere that the school was projecting toward students of color and lower income students made me a bit uncomfortable,” Yeo said. “The community of people who come from socially-marginalized backgrounds is very tight, but I didn’t see that it was very welcome on campus.”

Wesleyan, on the other hand, showed an active commitment to diversity. Wesleyan admissions officers sent Yeo an early write, or a likely letter, before they released regular decisions in March, and the dean of admissions wrote her a personal note on her acceptance letter. That, and the fact that Wesleyan’s Admitted Students of Color program also covered the cost of her WesFest visit, were welcoming gestures that Yeo appreciated as a first generation student.

During her time on Wesleyan’s campus, she had the opportunity to talk to other academically-motivated students about topics that aligned with her academic interests.

Almost a month after she visited Wesleyan, Yeo still remembers the name of every student she met and every conversation she had.

“I got to talk with people who wanted to do nothing but listen and learn. I didn’t have one dinner where I was bored,” she said.

“I really appreciate that multicultural perspective, because diversity is a thing that is pushed a lot everywhere, but you only see so

Yeo commited to Wesleyan University, where she plans to study biology and biochemistry. Yeo appreciated Wesleyan’s commitment to diversity. Photo by ANNABELLE GORDON.

much places that will actually do everything they can to create a diverse environment for people to learn, and this is a school that truly cared.”

Correction: the first article in this series mistakenly identified Yeo as Chinese. Yeo is South Korean.

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Feature

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Junior Kalia Dell graduates early to study medicine

by YIYANG ZANG While most anatomy students are hurrying to finish their weekly article homework, junior Kalia Dell is already asking high-level questions related to the various medical journals she’s read this week.

Though still technically a junior, Dell has fulfilled all of the graduation requirements and will graduate in May with the class of 2018.

Next year, she will study biomedical engineering at George Washington University on a pre-med track. Ever since surviving a serious skiing accident when she was 12, Dell has been determined to work in the medical field.

Dell decided in August

to graduate early after interning at GW’s Cardiovascular Physiology Lab over the summer. One of the main reasons she chose to graduate early is so she could get more experience in a lab rather than a classroom. Dell also continued her internship throughout junior year, working with Professor Matthew Kay from GW’s biomedical engineering department.

“I started working with people in the lab, and it’s such a collaborative learning environment because it isn’t just plug and chug,” Dell said. “I just knew that’s where I wanted to go to school, and I love my work there.”

In order to graduate

early, Dell had to fit in all her college testing and final graduation requirements through online classes while taking two classes at Whitman and working at her lab for the rest of the day.

Dell’s friends describe her as passionate, driven and determined. They’ve supported her decision and have watched how hard she’s worked throughout the year.

“If anyone can handle it, she can,” senior Ellie Trainor said. “It gives her a head start on a strenuous career path, and I think she’s too precocious to have enjoyed another year in high school. It’s the best choice she could’ve made.”

Anatomy teacher Melanie Hudock has taught Dell

for two years, for both anatomy and as the coordinator for her science internship. She finds Dell mature beyond her years because of her ability to dive deep into high-level medical topics and her success with hands-on learning.

Hudock believes in Dell’s work ethic, has been continually impressed by her knowledge of medicine and agrees that being in a college environment will be beneficial for Dell.

“She’s getting to be in a lot of new research, and they talk to her like she’s one of them. She fits there, and it’s where she needs to be,” Hudock said. “Some say it’s really hard for high schoolers to know what to do with their life, but Kalia does.”

Junior Kalia Dell sews in an aortic heart valve at the VA hospital. Cardiovascular-related medicine sparked Dell’s interest in the field; she will go on to learn biomedical engineering with a pre-med path at George Washington University. Photo courtesy KALIA DELL.

Kids learn language, culture at Saturday Chinese school Walk into school on a Saturday afternoon and the building is far from quiet and empty. The air is alive with cheerful Chinese conversation, the cafeteria is abuzz with parents practicing Tai Chi and the second floor classrooms are filled with students learning Chinese.

For the past 15 years, the Whitman building has hosted the Tzu Chi Chinese Academy, a school that teaches Chinese language and culture to children from ages three to 18, drawing students from all over the greater Washington area on weekends.

The school teaches reading and writing in Chinese and Chinese culture, including traditional customs, festivals and manners. It also hopes to improve its students as people, principal Susan Chen said.

“Overall, we want students not

only to gain knowledge about their language and culture but also as a human being, to have a purified mind that they can be a better person and also have a positive influ-

“

the extracurriculars, where the students can choose between a variety of Chinese sports, arts or martial arts.

Stephanie Ho, a freshman at

My favorite part is the people that I’m around. I’ve been with them forever, so I basically know everyone, and they all know me, so we’re like a big family.

- Glenn Burnie freshman Stephanie Ho

ence on society,” she said.

Each week, the students take four different classes. The first two focus on learning Chinese, the third focuses on culture and character building and the last is dedicated

“

by THOMAS MANDE

Glen Burnie High School, drives an hour from her home in Baltimore every Saturday to attend the Academy, a trek she’s made each week since first grade.

“My favorite part is the people

that I’m around,” Ho said. “I’ve been with them forever, so I basically know everyone, and they all know me, so we’re like a big family.”

Ho already spoke Chinese when she first came to the school, which she said was the case for most students there, but has improved her reading and writing.

She has also enjoyed learning more about Chinese culture—both traditional and modern—and feels the Academy has brought her closer to her Chinese heritage.

The character emphasis of the education has been most beneficial, Ho said. She’s learned a lot about productivity and time management, important skills that don’t receive the same level of focus in her traditional school.

The school is part of the broader Tzu Chi organization, an international humanitarian aid group.

Because of this, the students’ learning often includes some element of charity, Chen said. The students do an annual Thanksgiving drive and donate the supplies to nearby homeless shelters, elementary schools or churches.

The school also provides services to parents during school hours, including Tai Chi and classes focusing on improving parentchild relationships. Some parents also teach at the school; all teachers are volunteers.

Everyone within the community is supportive, even towards people they don’t know, junior Katherine Luo, the only Whitman student at the school, said.

“It’s a really big family,” Luo said. “It’s just a good vibe. There’s not much negative feelings or anything, because we’re all just here to have fun and learn Chinese.”

Local group trains emerging female politicians

by EVA HERSCOWITZ Last fall, 15 Maryland women—all politically-interested Democrats—met for the first time in a Rockville conference room.

Some had served on school boards and committees, while others had no prior political experience. Many had successfully managed businesses and families, but lacked the confidence to campaign for a leadership position.

Yet by the program’s end, half of them ran for political office, and of those women, 70 percent won.

In its 225 years, Maryland has elected a total of eight women to the U.S. House of Representatives, one woman to the U.S. Senate and no female governors. After noticing this trend, a committee of female Democrats introduced Emerge Maryland in 2012, Executive Director Diane Fink said. The program is one of 24 state programs created by Emerge America, which began in 2005.

Emerge Maryland aims to reduce the lack of female political representation by training women Democrats for political office. With less than six months until the 2018 midterm elections, 30 Emerge alumnae are set to appear on ballots across Maryland.

“Having equal representation in every level of government is important so that diverse voices can be heard, diverse decisions can be made and important legislation that affects the constituency in ways that haven’t been addressed in the past can be addressed,” Fink said.

Each class of women meets twice a month over the course of six months. Current politicians, former participants and campaign alumnae train women on seven key topics: public speaking and communication, fund-

Members of Emerge MD’s graduating class attend a political workshop. A committee of women created Emerge Maryland in 2012 to train democratic women for elected office. Photo courtesy MIMI HASSANEIN.

raising, media and messaging, networking, campaign strategy, field operations and questionnaire and endorsement. Trainees also visit the Maryland Senate and mock-fundraise to emulate the campaign process.

For female high schoolers interested in politics, Emerge provides an opportunity to amplify women’s voices in government.

Senior Rabhya Mehrotra is interested in running for political office in the future. During her college search, she looked for schools that had programs like Emerge, she said.

“Going into college, one thing I was evaluating was whether they have these sort

of programs,” Mehrotra said. “I do think it’s important because there are so few women in political office.”

Montgomery County board member Mimi Hassanein applied to Emerge in 2013 after family and friends encouraged her to pursue politics. Though initially skeptical, Emerge gave Hassanein the confidence to run for Montgomery County’s Office of Community Partnerships, she said. She was elected in 2014 and will run for reelection in 2018.

“I always did a lot of volunteer work, and people were always telling me, ‘Mimi, you should run for public office.’ I didn’t

have the confidence. As an immigrant I’d never been involved with politics back home, so I didn’t really know what to do,” Hassanein said. “Also as women, we don’t think that we have the capability. But Emerge gave me confidence. Emerge helped me.”

Though victory isn’t guaranteed, participants leave Emerge with a group of both political allies and close friends, Hassanein said.

“When we graduate, we become sisters, and we help each other with fundraising and campaigns,” she said. “We’ve created a sisterhood.”

Crossword

The Black & White | May 15, 2018

15

W C R O S S R D

“Where we droppin’ boys?”

by CAM JONES ACROSS

1. What Cam Newton does after scoring a touchdown 5. Ancient indigenous people to the Americas 10. Baseball officials 14. Longest hymn poem written to sun-disk deity: Great Hymn to _____ 15. A form of musical theatre 16. Singer Kelly 17. Crazy, in Caracas 18. Fortnite location consisting of three warehouses 20. Large species of deer 21. Corn unit 22. Tranquil or peaceful 23. Body of water in center of the Fortnite map 27. Flowers symbolic of Valentine’s Day 28. Slang refuse 29. Bread in Bengaluru 31. Things one is imprisoned for 34. When one’s laughing so hard they can barely say anything, abbr.

35. Association of Classical Christian Schools, abbreviated 39. What a Fortnite player must do to make it to the next circle 42. Aquatic plant that blooms during eutrophication 43. Likely or appropriate 44. Villain of Marvel’s Infinity War 45. Rousseau: “Man is born ____, and everywhere he is in chains” 46. “Retail Row” has two of these 47. Type of shelter used by some Native American tribes

51. Technique used during rugby kick offs 55. Piece of jewelry thought to ward against danger or evil 57. Fish eggs 58. Something you need to update on your iphone 60. Ten dollar Fortnite accessory consisting of tiers of rewards 63. The one in 23-across has a chest 64. Plagiarized Bethesda pizza chain?

65. Types of cars you hire for prom, slangily 66. Common drought animal 67. First name of professor Saks who gave a TED talk on mental illness 68. Repent one’s sins 69. _ ___ the sign, music lyric

DOWN

1. One of NASCAR’s most famous drivers, forname 2. Bikini or Marshall 3. Inviting 4. ___Distinguished Site: B&W Award 5. Uni-, or bi-, for example, in AP Statistics 6. Hurry, in Huelva 7. Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, abbreviated 8. Course which requires one high school credit 9. Simon ____ 10. In ____ where babies develop 11. What a dejected person does 12. Lying flat 13. Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Wikipedia

19. Academy award nominee Bruce 21. Class of organic compounds that contain an oxygen atom bonded to two alkyl groups 24. Oxygen, Amercium, Fluorine, Sulphur to chemists 25. One who uses a lot of yarn 26. Used to refer to a group, identifying each person separately 30. If you are confident that your team will win you may place ___ on the outcome 31. Balkan nation, in Olympic scoreline 32. Stanley Steemer cleans them 33. To fly through the air 35. Popular gaming console in the 70’s 36. Awake or responding 37. ___-magnon 38. Text messaging service component, abbr.

40. Grad degree for a gym teacher?

41. Popular burger joint, ______ Shack 45. To touch 47. Object often surrounded by chairs 48. Send a message to someone, electronically 49. Soft paste used to seal windows 50. Famous Singer, _____ John 52. Filmmaker Welles 53. A number of turkeys 54. Furry native Australian animal 56. American rapper born Winston Taylor Rogers III 59. Mull (over) 61. Dessert consisting of filling surrounded by a crust 62. Love, in Lima 63. Measurement of body size

Muhammad Zaki Agung Coventry University

DESTINATIONS

Valerie Akinyoyenu Yale University

Lars Crovetto Soholt University of Maryland

16

Theodore Akpinar Brown University Molly Albert Middle Tennessee State University Charlotte Alden University of British Columbia Giovanni Amodeo University of Maryland Courtney Anderson University of North Carolina Wilmington Danielle Anderson Rollins College Alice Aubert École Polytechnique Abigail Audas Boston College Amar Aulakh University of Maryland - Baltimore County Atharva Avhad Pennsylvania State University Claude Ayo University of Toronto Bente Backer Rutgers University Eleanor Baker University of Maryland Arianne Banda Boston University Francisco Barahona Pelaez Returning to Spain Carsten Barnes Columbia University/Sciences Po Christopher Barnhard Army Nicholas Baron University of Michigan Jacob Bartolomei University of Maryland Anna Bautista The Hill School Gregor Bayburtian University of Maryland Gabriel Bayona Sapag University of Maryland Pablo Bayona Sapag University of Maryland Konstantin (Koki) Belikow-Crovetto University of Maryland Claudia Beltran Arguelles Charles III University of Madrid (Spain) Asmara Benson Howard University Samuel Benton Montgomery College Iris Berendes-Dean University of California - Davis Danielle Berman University of Maryland Casey Bettencourt University of Maryland Iakov Beylin Undecided Shankar Bhat College of Wooster Miguel Bishop-Torrago Gap year Charles (Tiger) Bjornlund Junior hockey Clark Boinis Butler University Kelsey Bonham Colgate University Grace Brennan Barnard College Leonardo Brisigotti Boston Architectural College Caroline Brody University of Pittsburgh Christopher Brown The New School of Drama Zachary Brown St. Mary’s College of Maryland Helena Buarque De Macedo Loyola Marymount University Sarah Bucher College of Charleston Rodrigo Bulhoes Gap year Hugo Burbelo Oxford University Morgan Burdick University of East Anglia Emma Busch University of Massachusetts Amherst Alexander Butman University of California - Los Angeles Maya Caceres University of Kentucky Chelsea Cahill University of Georgia Christopher Cahill University of Colorado - Boulder Courtney Cahill University of Georgia Camille Caldera Harvard University Paloma Calvar Moreno University of Francisco de Vitoria Andres Cantero Clavero Charles III University of Madrid Devin Carone University of South Carolina Taryn Carone University of Maryland Maria Carriedo Rosado Salisbury University Claire Carrington Gap year Vaulx Carter University of Pittsburgh Salome Castro Rojas Leiden University Benjamin Caudron de University of Notre Dame Coquereaumont Jacqueline Champagne Saint Joseph’s University Kasey Chatterji-Len Columbia University Hanna Chaudhry Drexel University Jessica Chelst Miami Univeristy of Ohio Boyang Chen Purdue University Natalie Chen Scripps College Ava Chenok Occidental College Sophia Chirico College of William & Mary Kyle Cho Elon University Faiza Chowdhury University of Maryland Yexun Chu University of California - San Diego William (Cal) Cibel University of South Carolina Joseph Cloud Syracuse University Anna Colabewala University of Maryland Ethan Collett Working Alexander Cooper Indiana University - Bloomington Joshua Cooper Taking A Levels in UK Joshua Corbin Montgomery College Jordan Cornelius Towson University Mackenzie Costley University of Colorado - Boulder Lauren Cox University of Pittsburgh Alexa Crist Cornell University Ray Crist Dartmouth College

Lucy Cronin Skidmore College

Isabella Cruz-Hill University of Wisconsin - Madison Clare Cunniff Elon University Siyamthanda Dalton York University Ekaterina Damskey Eckerd College

Mary (Claire) Hisle Salisbury University Yarden Hofer University Of Stockholm Brooke Holden Virginia Tech Adam Hollies University of Rochester Madison Holt Indiana University - Bloomington Benjamin Horton University of Maryland

Gauri Dandi Northeastern University

Ethan Hughes Ithaca College

Emma Davis Tufts University

Maya Humeau University of Colorado - Boulder

Amanda Day Oberlin College and Conservatory Madison Day University of Maryland Evan de Castro Virginia Tech Fernando De Leon Maduro American University Laura De Ravin University of Maryland Kyle Deeds Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg Xavier Del Cerro Aguilar Gap year Grace DeLeon University of Maryland Piper DeLeon St. Mary’s College of Maryland Kalia Dell George Washington University Beverly Dempsey Gap year Harrison Desimone University of Colorado - Boulder Samantha Dial Boston College Catherine DiGammarino University of Massachusetts Amherst Lilly Ding University of Maryland Molly Ding University of Maryland Abdou Diouf Mount St. Mary’s University Diksura Dissanayake University of Maryland Anas Djibet Université de Montréal Ethan Dodd Yale University Katerina Dorian University of Virginia Kaan Dramagil University of Maryland Hannah Dritschilo University of Maine Elise Druehl Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Kyra Du Wellesley College Walter Durall Seton Hall University Sebastian Duran New York University Leticia Edelweiss Andrade F University of Florida Teixeira Gihini Ediriweera Montgomery College Katrina Eichhorn Montana State University Lauren Eisel University of Vermont Jenan El-Hifnawi University of Maryland

Kodi Hunter Arizona State University John Luke Iglesias University of Maryland Adam Isaacs Montgomery College Sophie Isbell Pace University Shinnosuke Ishiyama Gap year Ines Izquierdo University of Michigan Ann Morgan Jacobi Wake Forest University Lily Jacobson University of Rochester Amal Jafrani Carnegie Mellon University Amanda Jaley Montgomery College Lia Janeiro University of Tampa Erik Jensen Georgetown University Yuning Jiang School of the Art Institute of Chicago Neha Jodhun George Mason University Brandon Joe University of Maryland Connor Johnson Syracuse University Bready Johnston Dickinson College Kasija Jovanovic Pennsylvania State University Duncan Jui University of Miami Lisa Kalnik University of Pennsylvania Eden Karacan San Diego State University Diego Karns Marymount University Versana Kataria University of Maryland Baltimore County Elliot Kelly Duke University Grace Kemper Towson University Freya Kemper Brown University Jayson Khaghani University of California Santa Cruz Caleb Kim Princeton University Andrew Kim University of Maryland Baltimore County Junichi Kobayashi Gap year William Koenig University of Vermont

Joshua Engels Rice University

Luka Kosanovic University of Maryland

Amanda Erdman Tulane University

Madeline Kostopulos University of South Carolina

Diego Iñaki España Manzanilla Salisbury University Andrew Ewing Lehigh University Gabrielle Eyres University of North Carolina Wilmington Kesli Faber Clark University John (Jack) Farren Pennsylvania State University Mitchell Fechter Tulane University Luyang Feng Pennsylvania State University Sofia Fiscella University of Pittsburgh Emma Forde University of Michigan Athena Forney York College of Pennsylvania Lily Friedman University of Michigan

Patrick Kramer DePaul University James Krauland Belmont University Theodore Kroeger Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Thomas Krush Tufts University Adam Kupfer Transition Training for Independence Kyle Layman University of Michigan Devon Lee Colgate University Johnna Lee Cornell University Sharon Lee University of Maryland Lauren Lerner University of Wisconsin - Madison Rachel Lerner University of Virginia

Dylan Furst University of Maryland

Jared Lesley University of Maryland

Runjia Gao Emory University

Aiden Lesley University of Wisconsin - Madison

Alexander Garner George Washington University Haley Garton Elon University Emma Gatten Brigham Young University Gabrielle Gillard University of Miami April Ginns Brandeis University Grant Glazier Carnegie Mellon University Katia Goldberg University of California - Davis Paola Gonzalez Hernandez University of Monterrey Annabelle Gordon Syracuse University Maxwell Gordy University of California Los Angeles Benjamin Gorman University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Joanna Gray University of South Carolina Miriam Greenlee Cuesta Undecided June (Meimei) Greenstein Undecided Richard Grinschgl University of Richmond William Grinschgl Gap year Francisco Guerrero Badillo University of Southern California Brooke Gumataotao University of California - Davis Vimathi Gummalla University of California - Berkeley Dana Gurland Virginia Tech Nicholas Habibian University of Maryland Skye Hamilton Montgomery College Su-Yun Han University of Maryland Kevin Hatcher Savannah College of Art and Design Campbell Headrick St. Mary’s College of Maryland Robert Hedberg Fordham University Stefan Heller University of Maryland Abigail Hemmersbaugh Villanova University Elene Henning Indiana University - Bloomington David Hermes Lehigh University Hope Hilsenrath Pennsylvania State University

Tatiana Lesme Segovia Internship Jacqueline Lesser University of Connecticut Andrew Leung Emory University Ho Yin (Calvin) Leung University of Maryland Reed Leventis Princeton University Benjamin Levin University of Maryland Elea Levin University of Wisconsin - Madison Max Levine Washington University in St. Louis Jared Levine Tulane University Eden Levit Pennsylvania State University You (Leo) Li Dickinson College Yingzhe Liu Johns Hopkins University Braden Longstreth University of Wisconsin - Madison Eduardo Lopes Monterio University in Portugal Eliza Loberbaum Riverview School Isabella Lorence Yale University Sofia Luzuriaga Virginia Tech Clara Lyra Duke University James Mackall University of Maryland Nathaniel Magnus Indiana University - Bloomington Luxman Maheswaran University of Maryland Cormac Mahoney George Washington University Jackson Makl Pennsylvania State University Tucker Mandigo Alfred University Alexander Manes University of California - Berkeley Jianxiang Mao Rutgers University Nora Marcus Gap Year, Tulane University Zoe Marder Case Western Reserve University Joao Mares Nosseis Gomide Montgomery College Dmitry Markov University of Maryland Ben Marks Pennsylvania State University Jacob Marmol University of San Diego Liam Marshall University of California - Los Angeles

17 Sabrina Martin Northwestern University Nicole Martino University of Maryland

Dylan Reid Bowdoin College

Michael Straus International Christian University Andre Su Miami University

Matthew Renzi Self-directed services

Paula Masi Fleytas University of Maryland

Joshua Rich University of Maryland

Neelan Mathivannan University of Maryland

Carlos Richardson University of Maryland

Olivia Matthews Vanderbilt University

Ava Sukhenko University of Alabama Madeleine Sullivan University of Washington

Bernardo Rico Indiana University Bloomington

Philippe Mazanov University of Maryland

Pearl Sun University of Michigan

Andres Rodriguez-Katakura University of Southern California

Cole Mboijana Northeastern University Tristan McAlister Gap year

Gabrielle Svec University of Wisconsin - Madison

Owen Roegge The Taft School

Yiran Tang George Mason University

Patricia Rojas University of Salamanca

Patrick McCallum University of Michigan

Pia Angela Tanhueco Salisbury University

Anielka Romero Montgomery College

Elisa McCartin Georgetown University

Zoe Taswell University of Michigan

Barbara Ron-Giron Montgomery College

Shane McLeod Boston University

Lily Tender St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Matthew Rones Macalester College

Aidan McNulty University of Cincinnati

Mark (Aaron) Titlebaum Berklee School of Music

Adelaide Rood University of Vermont

Rabhya Mehrotra Yale University

Zoe Tompkins Franklin and Marshall College

Julia Rosenstein Washington and Lee University

Genevieve Meier University of Miami

Elise Trainor New York University

Matthew Rosenthal Montgomery College

Zara Memon Wellesley College

Eleftherios (Nik) Tritsis San Diego State University

Dylan Rothschild Georgetown University

Lauren Meyer University of Richmond

Christiana Turay Bowie State University

Liam Rotzoll Gap year

Ellen Middleton Providence College

Benjamin Tutt University of Oxford

Timothy Ruskowski Shippensburg University

Ayanna Millett Montgomery College

Jeylan Ulusan University of California - Santa Barbara

Carly Russell Syracuse University

David Karenovich Miroshnikov Montgomery College

Andrew Vige University of North Carolina Wilmington

Madeline Russell University of Miami - Ohio

Lucia Mitnik Pennsylvania State University Melika Mohammadi Emory University

Claire Ryan Mount St. Mary’s University

Preetha Vikram University of Maryland

Emmet Ryan University of Maryland

Carmen Molina Acosta University of Maryland

Bruno Vipulis San Diego State University

Nicholas Rychlik American University

Manon Morise HEC Montréal

Cecilia (Priya) Voetsch Pennsylvania State University

Elias Saletan Bates College

Marina Moura Da Silva Montgomery College

Anneliese von Pechmann Colorado State University

Alexander Sanson College of Charleston

Hojin Mun Virginia Tech

Sarinah Wahl University of Maryland

Armon Sari Goucher College

Ayzhan Murphy University of Maryland

William (Luke) Walker Salisbury University

Sydney Schneck University of Vermont

Valerie Myers Montgomery College

Bram Wallach Pennsylvania State University

Rachel Scherr Maryland Institue College of Art

Victor Myers Montgomery College

Julia Warker Georgetown University

Lindsey Schneider University of Maryland

Harpreet Nagi George Washington University Esmée Najafi University of Colorado - Boulder Amy Nankin Tulane University

Haruka Wantanabe University in Japan

Jaime Sepulveda Mozo Virginia Tech

Daniel Weber Tufts University

Kathryn Shaffer North Carolina State University

Robert (Max) Weinberg Miami University of Ohio

Ryan Shaffer Virginia Tech

Vivek Nathan University of Maryland

Jasmine Shaibani Harvey Mudd College

Rory Nevins University of Chicago

Jasmine Shakir University of Miami

Cameron Newcombe Dartmouth College

Hannah Weisman Vassar College Theresa (Tess) Wellington University of Arizona Luke Wengle James Madison University

Julia Shaver University of Georgia

Kien Nguyen University of Maryland

Lillian Whalen University of Vermont

Samuel Shiffman University of Wisconsin - Madison

Aldo Ninassi Undecided

Nicole Wilder University of Georgia

Andrew Shiman Washington University

Colin O’Boyle University of Washington Bridget O’Brien Fairfield University

Aaron Witkin Haverford College

Camila Silvana Towson University

Carter Witt University of Colorado - Boulder

Michelle Silver Davidson College

Kathryn O’Halloran University of Florida

Alexander Wofford Undecided

Andrea Silverman University of Michigan

Briann O’Hara University of Georgia

Patrick Wright Tufts University

Sean Silvia University of Southern California

Anna O’Connell University of Maryland

Cheng-Han Wu University of Maryland

Matthew Simpson University of Virginia

Christopher (Baillie) Olin University of Maryland

Nuocheng Wu Rutgers University

Kevin Simpson West England University

Malvina Oprisan Undecided

Emily Xu Wake Forest University

Rachel Singer Georgetown University

Ethan Xu University of Maryland

Kelsie Oshinsky University of Maryland

Archana Singh University of Maryland

Mark Oussoren Indiana University Bloomington

Saul Singleton University of Southern California

Boris Palmade Arizona State University Christopher Patch University of Rochester

Yixuan Xu Case Western Reserve University Yuwei Yang Washington University in St. Louis

Zoey Singleton Champlain College

Zain Yaqub Indiana University

Lili Sipos University of Bristol

Madeline Pechilis Tulane University

River Yearwood Gap year

Chloe Sitrin University of Michigan

Luca Pedrazzini University of Maryland

Kiana Yeganeh University of Maryland

Jamieson Skilling Elon University

Michelle Pei Ithaca College

Hwi Yeo Wesleyan University

Mary Katherine Skilling University of Georgia

Josephine Pepe New York University

Seo Yeon Yoon King’s College London

Alexina Skoff University of Georgia

Alina Peterson University of Notre Dame Aditya (Adi) Pillai University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Luca Piwonka Duoc UC Lucas Polack Johns Hopkins University Maxwell Powers Ithaca College Samuel Powers Muhlenberg College Yun Qi University of Maryland Joao Pedro Quaglia Bartholomeu Returning to Brazil Fermandes

Jennie Yu Barnard College

Caroline Smith University of Georgia

Katherine Zarate University of Michigan

Adam Smith University of Washington Madeleine Smith Tulane University Peter Smitham University of Maryland

Brittany Zeldow University of Minnesota Yuang Zhang University of Southern California Aaron Zhao Pacific College of Oriental Medicine

Zachary Snowden-Moore Montgomery College Abigail Snyder University of Michigan

Charles Zhao Gap year

Jordan Sohn University of Oregon

Qi Zhou New York University

Qingyang Song University of Maryland

Terry Zhou Univerity of Rochester

Emma Sorkin Bowdoin University Eleanore Spies Northeastern University Joseph Squeri Jr. University of Virginia

Skye Quist Montgomery College Emma Rabley Wellesley College Zion Rayburn Susquehanna University Hamir Ranade University of Maryland Tess Ravick Boston University

Jonah Zwillinger Tufts University

Federico Stadthagen University of Maryland

A note on “Destinations” The Black & White would like to thank the seniors for

Leonard Steger Johns Hopkins University Sarah Stein Northwestern University Caleigh Stenger University of South Carolina

Katherine Redd Montgomery College Lena Redisch University of Connecticut

Dora Stojanovic University of Maryland

providing the information necessary to compile this list.

was unable to contact some students, and others requested

Robert Stone Self-directed services

to be left off the list.

We regret any inaccuracies that may “Destinations.” If you would like to make a correction, please email blackandwhitevol56@gmail.com and we will update your changes on our website. Find our interactive online map on www.theblackandwhite.net. be present in

University of Connecticut

Most Popular Senior Destinations

65

20

13

University Montgomery Gap Year College of Maryland

We

apologize for the incomplete status of the list; our staff

12

11

University Penn State of Michigan

18

Sports

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

COLLEGE SPORTS DESTINATIONS Lena Redisch University of Connecticut

Zara Memon Wellesley College

Abbi Audas Boston College

Dylan Reid Bowdoin College

Freya Keto Brown University

Matthew Rones Macalester College

Jordan Cornelius Towson University

Melika Mohammadi Emory University

John Luke Iglesias University of Maryland

Josh Engles Rice University

Claire Hisle Salisbury University

Amanda Erdman Tulane University

Diego Karns Marymount University Graphic by JULIA RUBIN and JANA WARNER. Icons courtesy of The Noun Project.

VEGECITY A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOUNDED BY A WHITMAN STUDENT WE SELL A VEGETABLE GROWING KIT THAT INCLUDES TOMATOES, SQUASH, CUCUMBERS, AND GREEN BEANS

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US AT JAREDLAPIDUS@YAHOO.COM

Sports

The Black & White|May 15 , 2018

19

Athlete of the month: Rower Freya Keto commits to Brown

by CAMI CORCORAN For senior Freya Keto, the journey to becoming a Whitman record-holder didn’t take long. She hadn’t touched an oar before her freshman season, had never used the word “ergometer” in a sentence and surely didn’t know her way to the Potomac boathouse by heart.

Now, however, she rows yearround and can practically erg in her sleep.

Having committed to Brown University for crew earlier this year, Keto holds the fastest individual time in Whitman history for a 2,000-meter piece on an ergometer—an indoor rowing machine— at 6:59.2 minutes. Much like a mile time, a 2k is used to gauge a rowers speed and stamina. The average 2k time for the Whitman girls team is about eight minutes, putting Keto a full minute ahead of the pack.

“I lead mainly by example,” Keto said. “I work extremely hard and seek to show others how to work hard and how that directly translates to their improvement.”

Not only is her time the fastest in Whitman history, but she’s also one of the team’s most valuable rowers. Keto has been a driving force in Whitman’s first boat for all three years that she’s been on the varsity squad, head coach Kirk

“

“

Senior Freya Keto (far right) competes in a regatta with boatmates. Competing requires coordination and trust between team members. Keto will continue rowing on the Brown University crew team. Photo courtesy FREYA KETO.

team to a very high standard and is constantly inspiring the team to be better,” Zarate said. “She encour-

In all my years of coaching, I’ve never had an athlete work so intensely.

- coach Kirkland Shipley

Shipley said. Keto works especially closely with this year’s coxswain Katie Zarate.

“Freya holds herself and the

ages the team to work out even on days where we’re unable to practice to keep fitness levels high.”

Shipley is in his 17th rowing

season at Whitman. He’s worked with countless student athletes over the years, but Keto truly stands out.

“Freya works extremely hard.”

Shipley said. “In all my years of coaching, I’ve never had an athlete work so intensely.”

Rowing puts a strong emphasis on the teamwork. Members must work together and remain in sync to obtain the best results. For Keto, the best moment of her Whitman rowing career was when the 2016-2017 team came in second at the Stotesbury Cup, the largest high school rowing regatta in the world. To bring home the second place win, each team member had

to completely trust the eight other boat members, Keto said.

“You have to been able to relax, focus and move with the women in front of you,” Keto said. “Internal focus within your own boat is crucial.”

Leadership of the team is necessary on and off the water. Due to Keto’s unparalleled skill level and the individual nature of her training, it was a challenge at first to lead the team. However, over the past years she’s become a stronger leader.

“Freya’s demeanor and personal drive can sometimes be seen as intimidating especially to some

of the younger rowers,” Zarate said. “But her high level of selfmotivation and the pride she has in the sport is inspiring to the whole team.”

Keto is known within the team for her unmatched effort and dedication to her training. Her ability to completely focus on getting better and faster allows her to be the athlete she is today.

“Freya only has one speed: it’s go all the time.” Shipley said, “She has such high expectations of herself and the team that she goes to a place that few others can match.”

Sophomore turns from animal therapy to competitive riding Abby Green gallops hopefully towards National Horse Show

by ELYSE LOWET Sophomore Abby Green leans forward in her saddle, puts her heels down, wraps her legs around her horse and tightens her muscles as her horse leaps over the first rail.

The horseshoes slam against the ground, and Green’s focus intensifies as she concentrates on her 10 remaining jumps. She lets out a sigh of relief once her horse clears the last rail. After the last competitor finishes, Green anxiously waits to hear the judges announce her name in the top eight.

Competitions like this one are typical for Green, who now “shows” almost every weekend. She started horseback riding when she was seven years old to combat her anxiety through animal therapy. As Green rode more, her love for the sport grew, she said.

“I really liked it, so I kind of made it a hobby when I was younger,” Green said. “I was really excited about it, and I was obsessed with horses. Eventually I got more serious, and I moved to my third barn. My first one I learned how to ride, my second one I learned how to compete, and this one, I’m seriously competing.”

“

“

I like it because I get to work on myself while doing a competitive sport.

- sophomore Abby Green

Competitions are divided into three divisions: equitation, hunters and jumpers. Equitation is when riders are judged on what they look like going over jumps, hunters focuses

on the horse’s technique and jumpers focuses on speed. Judges use a 100-point scale for each division—a good score is anywhere in the 80s, Green said.

She predominantly competes in the equitation division, practicing five days a week at Lohman Stables in Poolesville with trainer and owner Alan Lohman to perfect her technique on the horse.

“I’d say it’s definitely harder than people think,” she said. “It happens really fast. You have to have good position to get over the jumps, you always have to find your perfect distance and you use your rhythm and your straightness which is from your legs, arms and body.”

Green’s favorite part of riding has been the growth she sees in herself as she’s progressed throughout the years, both physically and mentally.

“A lot of mistakes I make on the horse can relate to things I need to work on outside of riding, like my anxiety,” she said. “I like it because I get to work on myself while doing a competitive sport.”

Her riding friends notice her self awareness as well.

“She always has a positive attitude and is super energetic all the time, so she definitely inspires me to have the same energy and attitude toward my riding,” said Bethesda Chevy Chase senior Margo Tack, who trains with Green.

Lohman said Green’s knack for riding combined with her talent, dedication and determination sets her apart from competitors.

“Abby’s biggest strength is that she has a natural feel for the horses,” Lohman said.

“Horses like her ride, and she has a good feel for what’s happening with them.”

Green hopes to ride in college, so she’s working on perfecting her position in order to get recruited. Last year, Green competed in the Washington National Horse Show in the

Sophomore Abby Green rides horses competitively, after an experience with animal therapy as a kid turned into a love for the sport. Her attitude, talent and dedication set her apart from her competitors. Photo courtesy ABBY GREEN.

District of Columbia and placed 13th, missing the cutoff for the finals by half a point.

She aims to return to the National Horse Show this year with her horse, Luna, and place in the top eight at other big competitions.

“I definitely want to compete and hopefully qualify for regionals or finals in the Big Eq,” Green said. “I’m going to try to work really hard on my position and getting to know Luna better, so I can navigate the courses really well.”

20

Sports

The Black & White|May 15, 2018

Alum to compete in American Ninja Warrior Former canoeing champion aims to qualify for finals

ing years of experience mentally preparing for high-level competition,” Ross said. “My weaknesses would be having too much fun and not concentrating.”

Jim, Ross’ father agreed that his mindset as an elite athlete will help set him apart on the show. Other competitors work regular day jobs and treat being an athlete as a hobby,

“

The hardest part is making a three minute video. You have to talk about yourself for a minute and then basically show off for the other two.

- Gavin Ross (’14)

by MAX GERSCH Gavin Ross (’14) is clinging on by his fingernails. His fingers grasp onto a ledge that’s just one inch wide. He must make it to the next ledge, or else he’ll plunge into the water below. The water spells defeat. The next ledge offers an opportunity to advance on American Ninja Warrior.

On the show, contestants must navigate through a series of demanding obstacles, ranging from the Warped Wall, where contestants are required to run up a curved 14-foot wall, to the Salmon Ladder, where contestants must jump a pull-up bar up numerous rungs on a ladder. The contestants are timed as they make their way through the obstacle

course, and the fastest 30 finishers from the city qualifying rounds advance to the city finals, where the 15 fastest advance to the national finals.

The show’s producers called Ross April 16, offering him the opportunity to compete in the Philadelphia City Qualifying round May 11-12.

Ross first applied to be on the show in 2017 after he turned 21—the minimum age requirement. He was denied, but when he reapplied in 2018, he was accepted.

“The hardest part is making a three minute video. You have to talk about yourself for a minute and then basically show off for the other two,” Ross said. “I talked about being a sprint canoeist and trying to make the

Rio [Olympic] team, as well as how many national championships I’ve won and how it would translate over well for Ninja Warrior.”

Ross has won numerous national championships in sprint canoe since he was a teenager. Canoeing, Ross said, is a natural base for Ninja Warrior. The sport keeps your bodyweight light, which helps during a course that frequently requires you to hang off precarious edges while also giving him phenomenal upper body strength.

Ross recently started training specifically for the competition by working out up to three times a day at Dynamite Gymnastics in Rockville.

“My strengths would be having upper body strength, having good balance and hav-

“

Gavin Ross practices handstands in preparation for American Ninja Warrior. Ross will compete in the Philadelphia City Qualification rounds May 11-12. Ross has competed in sprint canoe events since he was a Whitman student. Photo courtesy GAVIN ROSS.

but for Ross, competing is part of his DNA. “Gavin is tenacious,” Jim said. “Face it, nobody can make someone do all the work to be the best in the United States at a sport or become an American Ninja Warrior. Canoeing helped teach him that he needed to work hard just to stay in the boat.”

Ross’s goal for the competition is to make it to the national finals, which are held in Las Vegas after the city finalists have been selected.

“I mean you always try and win, but it would be really cool for me, it being my first time on the show, to make it to Vegas,” Ross said. “Right now that’s the goal, but also just to have fun.”

Ross is also looking forward to carrying the flag for canoeists while on air. He will be the first canoeist ever on the show, and his teammates are excited about the prospect of their sport garnering national attention.

“I haven’t stopped smiling since I got the call,” Ross said.

Freshman finds second family on cheerleading team

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At tryouts, athletes are required to demonstrate their knowledge of a cheer and a dance. They learn this through a video, sent by varsity coach Kristi McAleese, made by professional cheerleaders who perform the routines at a very fast pace.

Mitchell’s mother, Gena Mitchell, asked varsity flyer Gracie Horn if she could help Mitchell learn these routines by recreating the videos at a much slower pace.

Horn has known Mitchell for sever-

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by JESSIE SOLOMON

Tryout day is approaching.

The 15-year-old constantly goes into her room to practice the cheer she has to master in preparation.

She doesn’t practice in front of her family, friends or coaches until the routine is absolutely perfect: a standard she sets for herself. This is how freshman Devin Mitchell spent part of her summer preparing for cheerleading tryouts.

It was Coach Mac’s welcoming and family-like community that made this experience possible for Devin.

- Gena Mitchell

Mitchell, who has Down syndrome, already knew the basics of the sport before coming to Whitman; she had been a cheerleader for several years.

“I’ve been cheerleading with Special Olympics since I was eight,” Mitchell said.

She loves every aspect of cheerleading: the uniforms, the pom-poms and the friendships that form. But to reach this point, Mitchell worked extensively to prepare for the cheerleading tryouts in the fall.

al years; she went to middle school with Mitchell’s older sister.

“She’s hardworking,” Horn said. “She just wants everything to be perfect, and I think that really shows in the effort she puts in.”

But while Horn was more than happy to help her prepare, coach McAleese emphasized that Mitchell would be held to the same level of competition at tryouts in order to earn her place on the team.

“She had a background in cheerleading already, so of course that does give her a little more

of an advantage over people that don’t come in with a background,” McAleese said. “She was still held to the same expectations as everyone else.”

The cheer squad has a communal atmosphere; they’re a very supportive and cohesive group, newcomers say.

“It was Coach Mac’s welcoming and family-like community that made this experience possible for Devin,” Gena Mitchell said.

“Whether Devin would make the team or not was unknown because Coach McAleese treated her like every other person trying out.”

During the season, the bonds between teammates and coaches grew tremendously. Though Mitchell was shy at first, she became more outgoing and open as the season continued, and she knew that her squad supported her the entire way. Her hard work helped her become an active member of the team.

“When she first came in, she was overwhelmed, and she wouldn’t even come to the cafeteria and sit with us,” Horn said. “Then over time, she came out of her shell progressively and really started showing us that dazzling personality that she has.”

During the summer, Mitchell will travel to Chicago with Special Olympics Cheer to celebrate and participate in the 50th Anniversary

Freshman Devin Mitchell is a flyer for the JV Cheerleading squad. Throughout the season, Mitchell was an asset to the team. Photo courtesy GINA MITCHELL.

of Special Olympics. While she won’t be able to participate in the team camp the Whitman team attends, she will join her fellow teammates in the fall for the upcoming season.

The group’s unconditional support for each other is what makes

this team so special, Gena Mitchell said. She had also never seen her daughter more driven or enthusiastic about something before JV cheerleading.

“I love my team so much,” Mitchell said. “They are all so nice, and I made tons of great friends.”