June 2015 - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and

TECHCETERA
JUNE 2015
President’s Letter
Principal’s Letter
Dear Parents/Guardians, Teachers, and Students,
Congratulations on making it to the end of another
great school year! I would like to thank the teachers,
staff, and parents who have guided the Class of 2015
through a successful journey. Our graduates have
endured a lot, especially putting up with
construction for two years, and fortunately they
have experienced parts of the new additions,
including significantly enhanced research labs.
Some of our teachers have also made it to
“graduation” as they retire to a new pathway ahead
–hopefully on a beach, a golf course, at a musical, a
ballgame, or a cultural extravaganza with friends and
family. Please take a moment this month to thank
our retirees who collectively have given over 140
years of service to TJ, and over 180 years to FCPS.
continued on page 2
HOT LINKS TO THE
INFORMATION FOR WHICH
Y O U A R E L O O K I N G ….
Noteworthy Dates
Academic News
PTSA Committee Updates
Serving the TJ Community
Campaign for TJ
Class News
News Round-Up and
Awards
TJ Boosters
Other Student News
Marketplace
Useful Links
“Keep TJ Weird”
For those of you who don’t know this reference,
Austin, Texas, has a bumper sticker campaign to
"Keep Austin Weird." Austin is world-renowned as a
unique place – a reputation created long before
Franklin BBQ and the SXSW music festival. The roots
of that culture go back to the sixties and seventies,
when Austin was a much sleepier and funkier place.
Since then, a lot of that uniqueness has been
overtaken by development and explosive growth –
and spawned the slogan.
A number of people see TJ similarly threatened by the
pressures of high school rankings and the college
arms race. In response, I’m proposing a few new
slogans to maintain and restore TJ’s uniqueness:
Keep TJ Friendly. Although folks are probably tired of
hearing this from me, my favorite part of TJ is the
amazing, supportive social environment, which I
believe is primarily due to the incredible students.
The support and collaboration, discouraging negative
competiveness within the school, and the friendliness
across all classes just don’t exist in many high schools.
Keep TJ’s Arts, Humanities, Extracurriculars, & Social
Commitment. As a science and technology school
with college-level academics in STEM subjects, it is
sometimes easy to forget that TJ also excels in nonSTEM areas … not to mention the wealth of
extracurricular offerings … and a commitment to
giving back to local communities. One strategy to get
something out of all elements of TJ is to approach TJ
as a regular four-year high school. And that means
not limiting oneself to AP academics. How about
sports, music, clubs, volunteering? To paraphrase a
current TJ junior, how many of us look back on our
time in high school and value the academics to the
exclusion of everything else? I’ll admit that I didn’t
initially think of TJ as a regular four-year high school,
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Principal’s Letter continued from page 1
Ms. Teri Davis, Physical Education
Mr. Jeff James, Physical Education
Ms. Jenny Lee, Head Custodian Supervisor
Mr. Michael Stueben, Science and Technology
Dr. Michael Walker, Science and Technology
Dr. Barbara Wood, Science and Technology
Our veteran teachers and staff members have
shaped TJHSST into a community of great ideas and
opportunities, and we wish them a fulfilling
retirement.
Before the school year is out, we celebrate our
students’ research at tjSTAR, the Symposium to
Advance Student Research, on June 9 with an all-day
conference with student presentations, design
competitions, tech exhibits, interactions with STEM
professionals, alumni speakers, and more. The
symposium is intended to inspire students and give
them a sense of what they can accomplish at TJ and
beyond and also give our community a sense of the
rigor and innovation in our students’ work. Parents
of presenting students (mostly seniors and
freshmen) should discuss and approve professional
attire that should be worn by their student during
the day. Parents of student presenters are welcome
to attend their child’s session but please attend only
during that time period. Parking is extremely limited
due to construction, and as a result, parent parking
is restricted to off-campus in the local neighborhood
or by shuttle service from Wakefield Park. Provide
yourself an additional 30-45 minutes to
accommodate the offsite parking arrangements.
Parents of non-presenting students should discuss at
home the types of sessions their student should
attend. I suggest you look at the offerings provided
on the online registration, reflect on the topics
related to future learning opportunities in research
at TJ, and then locate student and professional
speakers in those fields.
As we embark on the summer, construction activity
will elevate so much that we will need to restrict
access to the main building. If you need access to the
TJ facility or grounds for a specific reason, please call
ahead (703-750-8300) just to make sure the space is
not occupied by construction. Our summer school
June 2015
and Middle School Science and Technology Institute
will be offered at Woodson High School. We also
have a strong interest in volunteerism at nearly 65
neighborhood summer STEM programs (mostly the
second half of July). Students can get involved by
viewing the information posted to the student
intranet or parents can contact stembassadors at
tjhsst.edu.
As we head into the next school year, we will notify
the community through KIT and post to our
homepage information about summer reading and
other assignments to prepare students for their new
classes. We will also provide more guidance about
changes in bus pick-up locations (to move from high
school to middle schools), and adjustments to our
weekly calendar, including moving JLC to Monday
following lunch. You can also expect updates about
construction, such as the completion of the
gymnasium and locker rooms. Near the end of
semester one next year, we will open much more of
the new construction in the center of the building,
including an IBET wing, humanities classrooms,
world language classrooms, a lecture hall, the
library, courtyards, and more. Plenty of good times
lie ahead.
I hope you have a wonderful summer filled with
excellent learning experiences through culture,
mentorship, service, and joy. Don’t hesitate to
contact me at emglazer at fcps.edu to share good
news and offer ideas to improve our school
community.
Sincerely yours,
Evan Glazer
Principal, TJHSST
Note Date Change for
Final PTSA Meeting
of the School Year
(in the cafeteria)
Monday, June 8 – 7:00-9:00 pm
Refreshments served at 7:00 pm and meeting begins at 7:30 pm
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Presidentt’s Letter continued from page 1
Useful Links
TJHSST Home Page:
http://www.tjhsst.edu
TJ PTSA website:
www.tjhsst.edu/supportingtj/ptsa
TJ Booster Organizations:
Academic Boosters:
http://academics.tjhsst.edu/aboosters/
Athletic Boosters:
www.colonialathletics.org
Band Boosters:
www.tjbands.org
Choral Boosters:
http://www.tjhsst.edu/curriculum/fa/choir
Crew Boosters:
www.tjcrew.org/
Orchestra Boosters:
http://arts.tjhsst.edu/orchestra/
Theatre Boosters:
http://www.tjhsst.edu/parentscommunity/boosters/theatreboosters/
TJ Partnership Fund:
http://www.tjpartnershipfund.org
TJ Alumni Association:
http://www.tjhsstalumni.org
Other:
FCPS Blackboard:
http://fcps.blackboard.com
FCPS Keep in Touch (KIT):
http://www.fcps.edu/kit
FCPS School Board:
www.fcps.edu/schlbd
Fairfax County Supervisors:
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/board
but nevertheless, our daughter has explored many of the
elements of TJ, not just STEM academics. Based on our
family’s TJ experience, one can pretty much take the high
level of academics for granted.
Insulate TJ Students from the College Arms Race. I hope
that TJ will resist the growing pressures of the college
arms race. Let’s encourage TJ to be a place in which
teenagers are nurtured to try new things; pursue
passions over resume-building; choose sleep over higher
grades; have fun; and become healthy, self-confident
young adults.
Support TJ Student Health and Wellness. High school
parents concerned about student health and wellness
have a new motto, which is "Push, Don't Crush." I know
that I’ve struggled with the differences between
supporting, pushing, and crushing – and in our family, my
wife, I, and my daughter probably each have different
definitions. I know many TJ students feel crushed, and I
suspect that most TJ students will do just fine without
much pushing at all (actually, they’re going to do a lot
better than just fine).
Keep TJ’s Partnerships. Operating this extraordinary place
requires a special set of partnerships between the school
administration, teachers, staff, students, parents, the
Partnership Fund, booster groups, and the PTSA. Many of
these partnerships depend on volunteer time, as well as
funding. I thank you for your generous support of the
PTSA, in particular, this year. I know that we have served
the school well, and I'm confident that the PTSA role in
nurturing and supporting the school will only grow
stronger.
I thank you again for the opportunity to serve TJ and this
community. The wonderful, committed PTSA leadership
team made it easy for me to do my job. The school
administration and staff continue to welcome the PTSA
as genuine partners. I hope that TJ is on the verge of a
new era once the renovation creates a physical
environment that will further foster the intellectual
environment, as well as other qualities. I know that the
PTSA is in great hands with the new team that comes on
board later this month, thus, to appropriate an
expression associated with Thomas Jefferson (that my
successor tracked down), "My name will become
Haines." (source)
Eric Malès
TJ PTSA President 2014-15
June 2015
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DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER
UNTIL YOU
HAVE LOOKED AT YOUR
CALENDAR FOR JUNE 20!!!
Please, please, please find some time to help
with the All Night Graduation Party (ANGP) on
June 20.
We still have 150 volunteer spots that have not
yet been filled!
If we do not get the volunteers we need, we
will be forced to cancel the event.
JUNIOR, SOPHOMORE, FRESHMAN AND RISING
FRESHMAN PARENTS are encouraged to
volunteer during any time period, however you
June 2015
are especially needed during the 6:00pm –
10:00pm time slot. This is the time when senior
parents will be attending graduation. This is an
excellent (and no-pressure) opportunity to see
how the ANGP kicks off before your child’s class
participates. We especially need security
volunteers – this is an easy yet vital part of our
ANGP. Security volunteers make
sure the students are not
congregating in the hallways or
entering areas that are off limits.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
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Academic News
Library News
For Parents of Graduating Seniors: please see the
message below from NoodleTools. Your student has
used NoodleTools for research projects throughout
their four years at TJ. If your child would like to
purchase an individual subscription to use
NoodleTools for college and maintain access to their
TJ projects, NoodleTools is offering the special below:
Many students "grow up" with NoodleTools, and we
look forward to supporting the leap to college. Ensure
continued access to existing high-school projects, and
be prepared for that first college research paper. For
a limited time, graduating high-schoolers are eligible
for a special promotional rate! Only $15 for access all
the way through September 2016. Students can sign
up themselves, or parents can help out. Click here to
learn more.
We wish your graduate much success and happiness
in their future endeavors. We know they will shine!
French Honor Society
Shortly after the flutter of activity surrounding AP
testing died down, TJ’s French Honor Society (FHS)
performed one of its most anticipated events: the
induction ceremony for new members. The event was
held on May 20, when eager members-to-be
gathered in the Einstein commons during eighth
period. This year, the FHS was happy to induct 32 new
Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors into its
prestigious honor society. Once this year’s officers
were introduced to the incoming members, the
ceremony proceeded with the reading of the FHS’s
pledge, the distribution of formal certificates, and
finally, ended with an informal performance of La
Marseillaise.
Old and new members are equally excited about the
new additions to the club. “FHS is a club focused
around its members. The level of their involvement
directly affects the number and quality of large
activities we are able to hold. Whether thinking of
iNite, J-Day, or an ordinary meeting, the members
and their individual personalities and contributions
June 2015
An FHS inductee receives a warm welcome into the society
from Madame Delfosse, club sponsor.
to the larger group are what truly make FHS the club
it is today,” said Sydney Parks, current Historian of
FHS. With this in mind, we all look forward to seeing
how the society evolves during the coming year. As
for the remainder of this school year, officer
elections are to be held later in the month of May,
and FHS will have a table during J-Day featuring
delicious francophone treats!
New members sing “La Marseillaise.”
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German Grillfest and Awards
Ceremony
The TJ German Program celebrated one of its most
successful years at the annual Grillfest and Awards
Ceremony in May. Two Juniors, James Park and
Ajay Iyer, won the grand prize in the National
German Exam and received a 4-week all-expensespaid trip to Germany. Earlier this year, Matthew
Kaufer was awarded a 10-day STEM study trip to
Germany in a nationwide contest of the GoetheInstitut. Congratulations to Michael Vanderlyn,
who was selected to attend the Virginia Governor’s
Academy this summer.
A big shoutout to all students who won the Gold
Award on the National German Exam: Way to go, TJ
German!
Level 1 Gold Awards:
Michael Stepniczka, Ian Moritz, Wassim Omais,
Sharmila Roychoudhury,William Zhang, Nitya
Agrawal, Nan Baker, Arthur Browne, Naitian Zhou,
Grant Hollinger
Level 2 Gold Awards:
Fatima Gunter-Rahman, Liam David, Naman
Baraya, Violet Felt, Ian Sutcliffe, Lionel Binder, Sam
Bove, Sam Case, Albert Jang, Maya Omais, Ian
Carr, Kody Stremick, Oliver Bishop, Jakob
Blindenbach, Dakota Do
Level 3 Gold Awards:
Helen Poe, Matthew Kaufer, Rachel Martinka,
James Park, Ajay Iyer, Charles Ruiter, Disha Jain,
Markus Koeniger, Katherine McLaughlan, Ryan
Gottwald
Level 4 Gold Awards:
Tristan Oaks, Peter Gunnarson, Saurav Pattanayak
We are also proud of the 22 new members who
were inducted into the German Honor Society this
May:
Ajay Iyer, Violet Felt, Caroline Cox, Kody Stremick,
Dakota Do, Nikhil Daga, Ian Carr, Sam Case,
Stephen Cambell, Neha Khandelwal, Jelena Liu,
Helen Poe, Kamron Soldozy, Abhishek Mogili,
Fatima Gunter-Rahman, Matthew Kaufer, Rachel
Martinka, Maya Omais, Saurav Velleleth, Albert
Pan, Markus Koeniger, and Charles Ruiter
We celebrated the successes of all students in the
June 2015
German Program with a delicious grill buffet
featuring brats, potato salad, sauerkraut, pretzels,
spätzle, Kaiserschmarrn, strudel, nutella crepes,
cake, and an assortment of German chocolate. A
great feast to end a great year! Thank you to all
participating families!
PTSA Committee Updates
Health and Wellness
AP Exam Snacks
During the first two weeks of May, PTSA provided
snacks to all the TJ students who took AP exams
during every exam’s 10 minute break. This is the
single biggest event PTSA does that directly benefits
our students. Not allowed to take in any snacks of
their own into the exam rooms, students need food
and water supplements during the break to finish
the long and intense AP exams that often take more
than 2 or 3 hours. Thanks to all the parent
volunteers who spent time to get the snacks ready
in all testing locations that sometimes spread out
the entire school building. Thanks to the parents’
generous donations of money and variety of fruits
and homemade baked goods that satisfied many
hungry stomachs. Thanks to our assistant principal
Shawn Frank who offered his office for our snack
items storage. We could not have done it without
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all the help we received.
Serving the TJ Community
Good Articles in the Media about Parenting:
New York Times, “Love and Merit”
“Children are bathed in love, but it is often directional
love. Parents shower their kids with affection, but it is
meritocratic affection. It is intermingled with the
desire to help their children achieve worldly success.
Very frequently it is manipulative. Parents
unconsciously shape their smiles and frowns to steer
their children toward behavior they think will lead to
achievement. Parents glow with extra fervor when
their child studies hard, practices hard, wins first place,
gets into a prestigious college.”
NPR On Point, “With Pressure to Succeed, High School
Suicides Rise”
“A growing body of research highlights the
importance of how kids feel and how they manage
those feelings, or not. Emotions drive attention,
learning, memory, and decision-making. They affect
relationships and psychological well-being. Learning to
handle emotions well is especially important in
adolescence, a time when neural networks are being
sculpted that will influence behavior patterns for life.”
Wishing all TJ families a successful school year and a
happy relaxed summer!
Yongqing Lu
[email protected]
Health & Wellness Committee
Volunteer Opportunities
TJ VOLUNTEERS are the BEST!
Thank you on behalf of the PTSA for:
 the hours you spent proctoring an AP exam
 the time you spent driving to TJ
 the money you spent on AP snacks
 the time you spent hauling water and
snacks to locations around the building
 the food you donated to the Teacher’s
Luncheon
 the time you spent responding to emails or
making a signup genius
 reaching out to an incoming parent
 organizing a welcome party for incoming
Class of 2019
 contributing to the monthly Techcetera
 contributing to the weekly This Week at TJ
 attending a meeting
Results of Namaste's School-Wide
Fundraiser for Nepal Relief Aid
A big thank you from the Namaste team to everyone
who donated to the #BeTheChange campaign
fundraiser for relief aid in Nepal. As a school
community (student body, staff, and multiple clubs
which donated on their own), we have raised $3500,
far surpassing what we thought was an ambitious
goal of $2000. We've truly been able to make a
difference in the world, and it wouldn't have been
possible without each and every parent as well, so
thank you.
June 2015
 volunteering in the College Career Center,
helping at the Front Desk , helping with 8th
period activities or being a JLC monitor
 chaperoning a field trip or Prom
 the money you donated to a worthy TJ
cause
 chairing/participating on a committee
 reaching out to teachers during Teacher
Appreciation Week
 attending a PTSA meeting
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An attempt on my behalf to estimate the hours
above proved impossible. And a THANK YOU
doesn’t seem to always cut it…So ask yourself –
have you made a friend volunteering, have you
connected with a teacher, have you made a student
smile, have you walked down the hall amazed at
what these kids can do, have you felt good about
yourself? That is why we VOLUNTEER.
Calling all Volunteers for tjSTAR
The PTSA welcomes the help of few good men and
women to help set-up (June 8) and organize the
lunch and staff the Hospitality Suite during tjSTAR
on June 9. We will need volunteers in several
different time slots. If you can't volunteer, please
consider sending in food donations for our visiting
lecturers and participants. CLICK HERE for the
signup.
Senior Parents: Contribute to Senior tjSTAR Lunch Donate or Volunteer
Help feed our 422 seniors during their lunch break
the day of June 9, tjSTAR. The Partnership Fund is
contributing sandwiches to the event, but we need
your help to make this lunch extra special. CLICK
HERE to contribute home baked or store bought
food, make a cash contribution, or volunteer.
This Week at TJ
Do you enjoy reading the weekly email This Week at
TJ? Would you be interested in serving on the This
Week at TJ team, a group of volunteers who collect
and work on separate parts of the issue each week?
All of this work can be done from home by sending
a couple of emails and using the nifty Constant
Contacts program. For more information, contact
Robin Hatanpää (hatanpaa6 at gmail.com).
Renovation Update
The following construction activity will occur this
summer at TJ: Minor Road will be shut down for
widening and new power service; the softball field
will be down for new lighting, dugouts, and press
box renovation; the main gym, locker rooms, and
custodial addition will be completed; work will
continue on the art bump out, the library, the
humanities and the design tech additions; work on
the floor of the dome will begin; the existing 2nd
floor slab inside the new main entrance will be
removed.
If you are in the area across the next few months,
please be aware of the heavy site activities occurring
outside the building.
Also, across the next few weeks, please do not drop
students off near the staff parking lots in the
morning.
Please direct any questions regarding the renovation
to Assistant Principal Shawn Frank: sjfrank at
fcps.edu.
Freshman Wins National Award in Reflections Arts
Freshman Kyle Gatesman received a National Award of Excellence in Reflections Arts
for his music composition. Only three National Awards of Excellence are given each year
out of thousands of high school entries nation-wide.
At the state level, Kyle received an Outstanding Interpretation award, and Senior
Rebecca Merriman-Goldring received an Award of Merit in photography.
June 2015
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THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
CAMPAIGN FOR TJ // LEADING THE FUTURE
QUESTION #3: WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO THE PARTNERSHIP FUND’S
TJSTAR RECEPTION?
A: For a “Taste of tjSTAR,” our mini-science fair, with seniors representing TJ’s 13 research labs.
B: To hear our student keynote speaker, Pooja Chandrashekar, TJ ’15.
C: To meet and learn more about our very special Tommy Award recipients, Amazon Web
Services VP Teresa Carlson, and Longfellow math teacher Vern Williams.
D: To socialize with other parents, corporate representatives, and TJ faculty and
administrators.
If you’re catching on, you know the answer is “E: All of the above.”
REGISTER for the tjSTAR Reception Today
THANK YOU, PHONATHON DONORS: The following parents pledged or donated during our Campaign for TJ
Phonathon Appeal, helping make this our most successful Phonathon ever:
Anonymous (4)
Chris & Christine Morin
Alan & Elizabeth Bacon
Arun & Shaila Muralidhar
Robert Begotka & Ignacia Moreno
Vinh Nguyen & Amanda Le
Wen & Lorna Chang
Hugh & Lisa Quinn
Raj & Shashi Chappidi
Kartik & Lavanya Ramakrishnan
Wonjun Choi & Seunghee Lee
Anna Ryjik
Douglas & Anita Damron
Eric & Kim Sherrock
Yi Du & Sandy Mo
William & Patrizia Shin
Myung & Stephanie Han
David & Susan Thistlethwaite
Il Jang & Miyoun Song
Nagesh & Jayashree Vattikonda
Sreenivas & Sandhya Karpurapu
Astrit & Mariana Veizi
Shahnoor & Tasneem Khan
Feng Xie & Xueqin Tian
Hyok Khang & Jiyeon Nam
Sheshagirirao Mallepally & Ramapriya Malelpally
Sahaya Arul Arulanandam & Sugirtha Vincent Solai
Srinivas Chodavarapu & Kiranmai Nandarapu
Allen Homnyom & Sourichanh Phetxomphoue
Jinyoung & Hyangran Lee
Kaylee Kim
James & Jianhui Liu
Peng Lei & Susan Li
Ben Li & Yan Liu
Ken Zhang & Jane Wang
Phil & Julie Koh
Hongwei Li & Xiuli Shen
Charles & Jennifer York
Nam-Cheol & Mili Kim
Min ho Kim & Yeonjoo Seo
Jihoon Yang & Heewon Bong
Steven Y & Jeannie Yee
Yong Xun & Yanyan Feng
Remember, it’s never too late to donate. All “Campaign for TJ” donors who make their pledge by June 30, 2015 (the
end of our fiscal year) will be listed in the 2015-2016 Back-to-School issue of the TJ PF newsletter, “Newsworthy.” So
please send your check or pledge/donate online today!
Have you heard the latest TJ news? Your June “Newsworthy” is now online!
Questions about anything Campaign-related: Contact Samantha Courtney in the PF Office at scourtney at fcps.edu or
703.750.8317
Thank you, parents, for all you do to support TJ.
– The Partnership Fund, TJ’s non-profit foundation
June 2015
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News Round-Up and
Awards
Technology Student Association Wins
State Honors
On the weekend of May 2, the TJ Technology
Student Association won the Arvid W. Van Dyke
award for the most outstanding High School in
Virginia for the third year in a row. The Technology
Student Association looks forward to moving on to
the national competition in June. The following is a
list of events that placed top three at the state level
and the Technology Student Association members
who participated in these events:
Chapter Team Level II - Written
(Lucas Lin) - 2nd place
Chapter Team Level II
(Jagan Doodala, Lucas Lin, Matthew Savage, Kyle
Herndon, Ellis Tsung, and Danial Hussain ) - 3rd
place
Software Design Level II
(Matthew Savage, Kyle Herndon, Zach Wade, and
Danial Hussain)-1st place
Principles of Technology Level II
(Justin Redman, Matthew Savage, Kyle Herndon,
and Danial Hussain)-1st place
System Control Technology Level II
(Peter Zhao, Siva Somayyajula, and Suchet Taori )
- 2nd place
Technical Sketching & Application Level II
(Kyle Herndon) -3rd place
Technology Bowl Level II
(Michael Krause, Soham Ray, Rohan Pandit) - 1st
place
Webmaster Level II
(Matthew Savage, Ellis Tsung, Zach Wade, and
Danial Hussain) - 3rd place
William T. Reed Most Competitive Technosphere
Participant Award
(Mathew Savage)- 2nd place
(Kyle Herndon)- 3rd place
Debating Technological Issues Level II
(Raksha Pothaprada and Sruthi Jayaraman ) - 1st
place
(Navya Kalale and Pranavi Nara) - 3rd place
Desktop Publishing Level II
(Varun Iyengar)- 2nd place
Future Technology Teacher Level II
(Katherine Barbano)-1st place
Geospatial Technology Level II
(Asha Krishnakumar, Jiaxuan Qin, Siva
Somayyajula, Justin Redman, and Ruiran Xun) - 3rd
place
On Demand Video Level II
(Navya Kalale, Sruthi Jayaraman, Pranay Singh,
George Perry, Jagan Doodala, and Justin Redman)1st place
June 2015
2015 Grads –
Check out
STUDENTLIFE2015.COM
for a chance to win
a $1,000 shopping spree
and receive 20% your entire purchase
at a participating local
Bed, Bath & Beyond.
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ALL NIGHT GRADUATION PARTY
Saturday, June 20, 2015
The ANGP will take place at the Spring Hill
Recreation Center at 1239 Spring Hill Rd., McLean,
VA. The party starts at 10:30 pm. Students must
arrive by 11:45 pm. The doors close at midnight and
no students will be admitted after that time. If your
student has purchased a ticket and has not arrived
by 11:45 pm, you will be notified. There are no
paper tickets. Check here to see if your child’s name
is on the guest list. Bring a swimsuit and towel, but
no additional cash is necessary.
The party ends at 5:00 am, Sunday June 21. Sleepy
students make unsafe drivers. We recommend that
students do not drive home as they will be very
tired in the morning. Please pick your child up no
later than 5:15 am.
ATTENTION TJ PARENTS! WE URGENTLY NEED
YOUR HELP!
It’s not too late! Please, please, please consider
volunteering. We still have 150 volunteer spots that
have not yet been filled! If we do not get the
volunteers we need, we will be forced to cancel
the event. Although JUNIOR, SOPHOMORE,
FRESHMAN AND RISING FRESHMAN PARENTS are
encouraged to volunteer during any time period, we
especially need you during the 6:00pm – 10:00pm
time slot. This is the time when senior parents will
be attending graduation. This is an excellent (and
no-pressure) opportunity to see how the ANGP kicks
off before your child’s class participates. We
especially need security volunteers – this is an easy
yet vital part of our ANGP. Security volunteers make
sure the students are not congregating in the
hallways or entering areas that are off limits. It’s an
easy way to be involved. We also need many more
SENIOR PARENT volunteers for the 1:30 am – 5:30
am shift on Sunday, June 21. Did you know that
volunteering to work the ANGP is the ONLY way
parents will be allowed to be a part of the
celebration? That’s right, unless you are a parent
volunteer, you cannot attend the ANGP. Don’t miss
June 2015
out on the fun of celebrating graduation with your
son or daughter (without the tissue box!). CLICK
HERE TO SIGN UP!
MONETARY DONATIONS
In addition to volunteering, parents can help make
the ANGP a success in other ways as well. Because
of the renovations at TJ, we must hold the party at
an outside site, which results in extra costs. As a
result, the ANGP steering committee is seeking
monetary donations for the ANGP. Please consider
donating any amount, small or large, to help us
make the party a success. All donations are tax
deductible and go directly to help defray the cost of
the party. Your donation will be recognized on the
ANGP website as well as on the Donor Wall of
Recognition at the ANGP. Click HERE to donate via
PayPal or a credit card or HERE to download the
donation form.
FOOD DONATIONS FOR THE ANGP
Again, because of our offsite location, we are
unable to prepare food for the ANGP onsite. Some
of the food will be catered, but as you can imagine,
that is quite costly. To keep our expenses down, we
are asking EVERY senior family to consider a food
donation. Please click HERE and select a donation.
SILK TIES AND SCARVES – JUST $30!
tjSTAR is just around the corner. What better way
to show your school spirit than with a TJ silk tie or
scarf as your student presents his/her research at
our annual scientific symposium? These fashion
essentials can also be worn on game day or to the
sports banquet for student athletes, academic
competitions, college interviews, and of course,
graduation. They also make great Mother’s/Father’s
Day gifts. You can pre-order online using PayPal.
ANGP TICKETS - $125
Last chance to buy a ticket! New extended deadline
until June 10! $125/student. Students will not be
able to buy tickets at the door. Ticket forms are
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available here. Please remember that BOTH the
student and one parent need to sign the form.
The TJ PTSA is committed to ensuring that all
students can attend. If you need financial
assistance, please contact your guidance counselor.
All requests are kept confidential.
Our students certainly deserve a fun-filled event
with all their fellow TJ seniors.
LAWN SIGNS - $20
Senior Parents: Congratulations Graduate Lawn
Signs are available for $20. Click here to purchase
one via PayPal.
SENIOR PICNIC: June 17, Practice Field, 2:00pm.
THERE IS A MANDATORY MEETING FOR
ALL VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY, JUNE
13, AT 10:00 AM AT SPRING HILL
RECREATION CENTER, 1239 SPRING HILL
ROAD, McLEAN.
TJStar: June 9
LAST DAY OF CLASSES: June 16
GRADUATION REHEARSAL: June 18, Gym 2.
Students will be required to be at the rehearsal by
1:00pm at the latest in order to see where they will
sit during graduation and practice various parts of
the ceremony. Attendance is REQUIRED.
GRADUATION: June 20th: Patriot Center, George
Mason University, 7:00pm.
Congratulations to all our students on their college
decisions!
Class News
2015 – Seniors
HARD TO BELIEVE -- THIS IS THE LAST TECHCETERA
ARTICLE FOR OUR KIDS!! Congratulations to
everyone (students and parents both)! Please note
some very important event/dates:
SENIOR DUES: Please make sure you have paid the
dues which are used for important events, including
graduation. If you have not paid already, please
submit a check for $100 made out to TJHSST and
put ‘Class of 2015 Dues’ along with the student’s
name in the “For” line. Students can drop them off
in Dr. Osborne’s trailer (32).
ALL NIGHT GRAD PARTY (ANGP): WE REALLY NEED
VOLUNTEERS! Senior and non-senior parents
(friends and family) can volunteer. Please help!
Sign up here. Questions: contact the ANGP cochairs Lisa Savage and Ginger Bugaighis at
tj2015angp at gmail.com. Without the required
number of volunteers, the event cannot take place.
June 2015
2017 – Sophomores
Three more weeks of school!
Is your student going to Hershey Park with the
sophomore class on the 18th? If so, please consider
chaperoning. Parent chaperones are still needed for
this trip. Air conditioned buses will depart TJ around
10:30am on Thursday, June 18, and return around
10:00pm. Please sign up here.
Sophomore parent help is also still needed for the
All Night Graduation Party (ANGP), a huge
celebration that provides TJ graduates with a
fabulous, safe, drug-free, alcohol-free environment
after the graduation ceremony on June 20.
Sophomore parents are especially needed during
the 6:00pm to 10:00pm shift while senior parents
are attending graduation. Please sign up here.
Thanks for your support of the class of 2017!
Ann Carr and Lan Fan
2017 Parent Liaisons
mandacarr at msn.com
fanlan at hotmail.com
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2018 – Freshmen
Thank you for making the Freshman Lock-Up such a
success. We would like to especially thank the Class
of 2018 Faculty Sponsors, Mike Auerbach and Chuck
Dela Cuesta and all of the Class of 2018 student
representatives for working so hard to put together
a fun bonding event for everyone. Of course, the
event could not have happened without the many
parent volunteers who kept things running
smoothly all night long.
The Lock-Up should be our last all night event until
the All Night Graduation Party in 2018! For that
event, our class will be seeking parent volunteers
from other grades. To set our class up on a good
course, please volunteer for this year’s ANGP, which
will be held at Spring Hill Recreation Center on
Saturday, June 20. You will have fun and meet
other TJ parents! If you are available, please sign up
here.
For next year, the Class of 2018 parent
representatives will be Nancy Yang and Clarissa
Maribojoc. Silvija Strikis will be PTSA President in
2015-16 and hopes to rejoin the class parent
representatives in the junior year in time for some
serious fundraising for prom and graduation.
Congratulations to everyone for completing the first
year at TJHSST! Feel free to contact us if you have
any questions over the summer.
Nancy Yang & Silvija Strikis
Class of 2018 Parent Liaisons
chaonanyang at gmail.com
sstrikis at yahoo.com
Parent Information Relating to Special
Education
All these opportunities are free unless noted.
The FCPS Parent Resource Center (PRC) helps
parents of students with disabilities. It sponsors
workshops, has a lending library, and has Parent
Liaisons to help solve problems. They also post (on
their website) the 2e Twice-Exceptional Newsletter,
which provides information on supporting gifted
June 2015
students with disabilities. Visit their website here.
English: 703-204-3941 Español: 703-204-3955.
Decoding Dyslexia VA Presents: Too Little, Too Late.
We Can Fix This Together!
Wednesday, June 10, 6:30-8:30pm, St. Matthew's
Church, 8617 Little River Tnpk., Annandale
Come hear two panels: A panel of experts in
dyslexia, education and legislation; and a panel of
dyslexic students, experts themselves, to describe
what it is like to navigate our current educational
system. Registration is not required, but is
encouraged. Click here.
CHADD: Children and Adults with Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
The West Fairfax CHADD Parent Support Group
meets each 2nd & 4th Thursday at 7:30 pm (June 11
& 25) in Room 201 at Fairfax Church of Christ, 3901
Rugby Road, Fairfax. Contact Sharon at 703 7164646 or clintob at aol.com.
Oakton Parent Support Group meets the 4th
Tuesday of each month at the Oakton Library, 10304
Lynnhaven Pl., Oakton. Contact: maureen at
adhdcoachforparents.com
Support Group for High School Students with ADHD
meets the first Sunday of each month 3:30 - 5:00
pm, 4031 University Dr., Fairfax, enter on South St.
No parents!
Call 703-403-3335 to enter the building. Contact:
coach at BrainRelief.org (703) 641-8940
Support Group for Parents of Teens and Young
Adults with ADHD
Meets the 3rd Monday of each month (June 15) at
7:30 pm at Fairfax Circle Church 3110 Chichester
Lane, Fairfax. For more information: phone/text
703-489-4626 or ocgreulich at aol.com
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness builds
better lives for those affected by mental illness.
Oakton Family Support Group meets on the 1st
Thursday of each month, 7:30-9:00 pm
Rm 9 of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of
Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd.
Contact: Joanna Walker at 703 620-2633 or
Joanna.naminova at gmail.com
For other Family Support Groups visit this site.
Page 13
TJ Boosters
ACADEMIC BOOSTERS
Once again this school year, Academic Boosters has
helped support TJ’s nearly two dozen academic teams.
We’ve had to dip into our reserves to help fund the
sponsors’ travel to key competitions and help support
student registration fees.
We need your help! Your contributions are taxdeductible, and may be matched by your employer.
Join us today – click here.
BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD
Biology Olympiad has been having an exciting
year. Ninety-five of our students took the USABO Open
Exam in February. Twenty-six of those students scored
within the top 10 percent nationwide and qualified as
semifinalists: Shomik Ghose, Aaron Gu, Fatima GunterRahman, Elizabeth Hu, Andrew Huang*, Tarun Kamath,
Anish Karpurapu, Peter Kim, Kavya Kopparapu,
Chelsea Li, Jeffrey Liu, Kevin Livingstone, Prathik
Naidu, Jessica Nguyen, Matthew Park, Ranjani
Parthasarathy, Neeraj Prasad*, Raghav Ramraj, Nikhil
Sardana, Ashwin Srinivasan*, Katie Tam, Aadith
Vittala*, Lawrence Wang, Ethan Wu, William
Xu, and Tiger Zhang. (Students with asterisks by their
names scored more than one standard deviation above
the national average.)
Neeraj Prasad qualified as one of the 20 finalists in the
United States Biology Olympiad competition. The
National Finals began on May 31, so we will have the
results in September.
CHEM OLYMPIAD
Fifteen students competed at the Chemistry
Olympiad local exam in March. They all received honors
or high honors. Participants were: Janice Ong, Joyce
Tian, Tiger Zhang, William Zhang, Nirman Shankar,
Winston Ou, Michael Yue, Lawrence Wang, Fatma
Gunter-Rahman, Aaron Ho, Kaushik Murali, Kevin Xu,
Prathik Naidu, Michael You, and Hitesh Yalamanchili.
Of these competitors, Janice Ong, Joyce Tian, and
Lawrence Wang competed at the National Exam in
April. Janice Ong was selected as one of the top 20 in
June 2015
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the nation, qualifying her to attend the boot camp at
Colorado Springs in June.
CHESS TEAM
This year, our chess team put on its best performance
to date at the K-12 Nationals tournament in Ohio. Not
only did we clinch second in the blitz tournament
with a score of 36.0 (compared to last year’s score of
33.0), but we also placed second in the main event
with a score of 20 (compared to last year’s score of
18.5).
In addition to a strong performance by our team as a
whole, several individuals also had phenomenal
performances. Sophomore Isuru Attanagoda
achieved a wonderful score of 9.0/12 in the blitz
tournament, and team captain Jeevan Karamsetty
tied for 4th with a score of 10.5/12. Jeevan
Karamsetty also swept the main event, dropping only
one game, which earned him second place (6th based
on tiebreaks). Benjamin Lyons and Isuru Attanagoda
finished close behind him with a score of 5.0/7.
However, none of this would have been possible
without the help of Academic Boosters. Their
continued contributions to our team have proved to
be absolutely pivotal for our success. We are thankful
for all the help they have provided.
COMPUTER TEAMS
TJ computing team students placed first in the
University of Maryland High School Coding
Competition in April. The following Senior Computer
Team students won first place at the competition:
Samuel Hsiang, Christopher Morris, Allen Cheng, and
Haoyuan Sun. They finished all eight problems in just
over two hours, out of the allowed three hour
competition. They were the only team that finished
all eight!
FORENSICS SPEECH
At this writing, the Forensics Speech Team has
competed in the NCFL Grand Nationals Tournament.
It also recently hosted its Annual SpeechFest, which is
an opportunity for the students to share what they
have been working on during the year with other TJ
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students. We hope to inspire others to excel in
public speaking. The team is also working on a JDay fundraiser and team and a t-shirt fundraiser.
Congratulations to our 2015-2016 Captains &
Officers:
Matthew Sun, Captain, Non-Interp Events
Virginia Sun, Captain, Interp Events
Namita Dongre, Communications Officer
Tara Prakash, Recruitment Officer
Julie Lee, Treasurer
Victoria Bevard, Extemp/Impromptu Training
Coordinator
FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING
Thanks to the continued support of Academic
Boosters, TJ FPS had a great time at the Virginia
Future Problem Solving State Bowl, held April 17-18
in Norforlk, VA. TJ FPSers had the honor of winning
awards in many events, including Senior Division
Community Problem Solving, Global Issues Problem
Solving, Action Plan Presentation, and Scenario
Writing. The first place winners will compete in the
FPS International Bowl in June, held in Ames, Iowa.
Congratulations to the following students for their
achievements in the 2015 VAFPS State Bowl:
Global issues problem solving
1st place
(Senior division): Joyce Duan, Christopher Hoan
g, Minjoo Kang, and Olivia Zhang
2nd place (Senior division):
Sania Ali, Rayana Matin, Raquel Sequeira, and
Jessica Wang
Honorable mention (Senior division): Pegah Mor
adi, Christina Zhao, Ramya Radhakrishnan and
Melanie Piller
Honorable mention (Middle division):
Nathan Chen, Robert Lee, Justin
Zhou and Jennifer Li
Honorable mention (Middle division): Simra
Ali, Maddie Min, Shriie Ganesh and Bharath
Alladi
Honorable mention (Middle division): Mounika
June 2015
Chilukuri, Ashley Lin, Leila
Mabudian and Supriyah Maddineni
Community problem solving
1st place:
Michael Tang and James Ma with “TeChonnect”
Scenario writing competition
1st place: Melanie Piller
2nd place: Sharon Liu
3rd place: Ramya Ravi
Presentation of action plans
1st place (Senior Division): Pegah Moradi,
Melanie Piller, Ramya Radhakrishnan and
Christina Zhao
Honorable Mention (Senior Division): Saroj
Chintakrindi, Isaac Iyengar, Julian Vallyeason,
and Jay Warrior.
Honorable Mention (Middle Division): Linda
Diaz, Grace Yang, Elizabeth Li and Dean Zhang.
Many thanks to Jenny Zhu for all of her help during
our travel weekend. She nominated Melissa Wu
(our FPS VP) for the Wythe Award (given to team
members who make significant contributions to the
team and to FPS). Her nomination essay reflected
Melissa’s work mentoring Kilmer and her years
serving in multiple officer roles, and won Melissa the
award -- against 80 other essays!
And we ALL congratulate Pegah Moradi, our fearless
president, for winning the FPS $1000 scholarship!
Congratulations, Pegah, for 4 years of FPS skills in
problem-solving, MEMORABLE presentation plan
acting, and for your four years of building our club,
supporting your coach, and helping extend FPS to
Kilmer!
The club recently held officer elections for the 20152016 school year. Congratulations to our newly
elected officers:
President: Jenny Zhu
Vice President: Isaac Iyengar
Secretary: Minjoo Kang
Treasurer: Saroj Chintakrindi
Co-Publicists: Mihir Patel and Frank Tian
Competition Chair: Nathan Chen
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Novice Coordinator: Dean Zhang
The positions of Competition Chair and Novice
Coordinator are new positions this year. Students are
also applying for appointed officer positions, such as
Webmaster and Scenario Writing Coordinator (also
new positions). We’ll publish the full list of officers in
the September Techcetera.
In addition, with J-Day coming up, FPS is busy
preparing its J-Day booth. J-Day is an annual field-day
event at TJ for students to spend time with friends
and relax, and clubs will usually sell goods or host
games as well. TJ FPS’ J-Day booths have enjoyed
great success in past years. Last year, TJ FPS’ Chinese
food booth sold out in approximately 10 minutes! FPS
club members and officers are busy preparing to
make this year’s J-Day another great success.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS (MUN)
USAPHO exam. Amit Gupta received a bronze
medal on the USAPHO exam.
PhysicsBowl:
Samuel Hsiang placed 1st for Division 1 in region.
Shankar Balasubramanian and Charles Wang
placed in the top 100 internationally in Division 2.
SCIENCE BOWL
Congratulations to the TJ Science Bowl Team of
Janice Ong, Ross Dempsey, Franklyn Wang, Tiger
Zhang and Matthew Barbano, who competed in the
U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl in
Washington D.C. from April 30 through May 4, 2015.
Lead by their coach, Ms. Mary Ann Donohue, the
team played against the top students from 68
schools across the nation and won 2nd place bringing
home $1000.00 and a trophy for the school, as well
as individual medals. The team also enjoyed
adventure tours of Yellowstone National Park.
Congratulations to the newly elected MUN
Secretariat for 2015-2016:
Secretary-General: Will Frank
Undersecretaries-General: Abhi Chadha and
Cheryl Mensah
Senator: Will Ryu
Arbitrator: Laura Chu
We’ll publish the full MUN officer corps in the
September Techcetera!
PHYSICS TEAM
This year many TJ students participated in two
physics competitions - the United States Physics
Olympiad (USAPHO) and the Physics Bowl both
sponsored by the American Association of Physics
Teachers (AAPT). Many students were nationally and
internationally recognized for their performance on
these two exams. Here is a summary of the awards
won:
USAPHO:
Shankar Balasubramanian, Allen Cheng, and Charles
Wang were invited to camp. Shankar
Balasubramanian, Ross Dempsey, Allen Cheng, and
Charles Wang received gold medals on the USAPHO
exam. Samuel Hsiang received a silver medal on the
June 2015
Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Ernest J.
Moniz, and Under Secretary for Science and Energy, Dr.
Franklin Orr, presented the trophy and check to Thomas
Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
STUDENT CONGRESS
Congratulations to our Student Congress
competitors who, in partnership with TJ’s LD, PF,
and Policy teams, won the VHSL State Debate
Championship. We were thrilled that four of our
Congress competitors qualified to the Congress
Super Session: Victoria Bevard, Nash Hemrajani,
Leela Ramineni, and Kaleb Marioghae.
Congratulations to Victoria Bevard, who placed 4th
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in the State. We also had students compete at the
National Speech & Debate Association Virginia District
Tournament, with Virginia Sun placing 2nd in the
House, and Victoria Bevard placing 1st in the Senate
and advancing to the NSDA National Tournament in
June. As we prepare for our final two national
tournaments this year, we are extremely pleased with
the success of this young team, started just this school
year. We have grown from two students who began
the year to twelve actively competing students, the
largest team in northern Virginia!
We look forward to expanding and developing our
team next year, and we welcome our 2015-2016
Captains and Officers:
Captain: Victoria Bevard
Captain: Virginia Sun
Training Coordinator: Nash Hemrajani
Training Coordinator: Sharon Lui
Training Coordinator: Rini Sarkel
Recruitment/Communications Officer: Kaleb
Marioghae
Fundraising Officer/Treasurer: Leela Ramineni
VARSITY MATH TEAM
Varsity Math Team has enjoyed several successes
recently. Two teams participated in Purple Comet,
an online, international, team competition. A sixperson team of Sam Hsiang, Sam Kim, Alec Zhang,
Allen Cheng, Saroja Erabelli, and Kevin Lin captured
first place in the high school (enrollment of 1201 +)
division. A two-man team of Sushruth Reddy and
Robin Park earned an honorable mention.
VMT also competed in ARML Local, a national
competition on April 25. The competition included
team, individual and relay rounds. TJ “A” placed
second (losing the first place tie-breaker to Star
League A-Star Air from Santa Clara, CA.). Freshman
Franklyn Wang had a perfect score on the individual
round and went on to win the tie-breaker with a
blistering time of 88 seconds. His nearest competitor
required 266 seconds for the same question.
Finally, we’re celebrating the culmination of the
AMC-AIME-USA(J)MO competitions. TJ had another
great year, qualifying 118 students to take the AIME
exam.
Eighteen TJ students earned the privilege of taking
the two-day, nine-hour proof-based exam. No other
school in the country had more qualifiers. USAMO
qualifiers were: Allen Cheng, Saroja Erabelli, Kyle
Gatesman, Sam Hsiang, Akshaj Kadaveru, Ildoo
Kim, Sam Kim, Kevin Lin, Winston Ou, Robin Park,
Sushrutha Reddy, Emilio Sison, and Franklyn Wang.
USAJMO qualifiers were: Katherine Cheng, Danny
Guo, William Sun, Lilian Wang, and Jeffery Yu.
VHSL 2015 State Debate Tournament Congress Team:
(from left to right, front row:) Leela Ramineni, Victoria
Bevard, Sharon Liu
(from left to right, back row) Mrs. Marie Bakke-Coach, Nash
Hemrajani, Kaleb Marioghae
June 2015
While none of our students was a USAMO or
USAJMO winner, four of our students did well
enough to be invited to attend the Mathematical
Olympiad Summer Program. Sam Hsiang, Akshaj
Kadaveru, Katherine Cheng, and Lilian Wang will
attend this intense, three-week training program.
VMT’s last competition of the year took place in late
May at Penn State. Students look forward to ARML.
Not only is it “great fun,” but students get to meet
math friends from all over the East Coast.
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BAND BOOSTERS
TJ THEATRE BOOSTERS
Interested in Acting or a Behind-theScenes Tech Role?
Come to the TJ Drama Banquet – Thursday, June 4,
in one of the commons rooms at 7:00 pm.
This event honors students who have participated
in TJ theater productions with a special salute to
Senior students. Incoming Freshmen interested in
drama and their parents are welcome to attend to
become acquainted with students and parents.
The event is potluck - please bring a dish to share.
Contact annaryjik at gmail.com for more details.
ORCHESTRA BOOSTERS
Many TJ Orchestra members joined with others in
Band and Chorus for a Memorial Day weekend trip
to Orlando, FL. They participated in clinics and
other musical learning opportunities, while
enjoying sights and activities unique to the
Orlando/Disney area. Many thanks to the teachers
for organizing the trip, and to the many parent
chaperones who made it possible for so many
students to attend!
The last performance for the Orchestras will be on
Friday, June 12, at 7:00 pm in the TJ Auditorium.
Everyone is invited to hear these wonderful
musicians and to see 13 Seniors take their final
bows. Please join us for food and beverages at a
reception following the concert.
Fine Arts trip to Disney: TJ Bands joined forces with
the rest of the performing arts departments for a
fun-filled Memorial Day weekend at Walt Disney
World in Orlando, FL. The students attended a clinic
with musicians at the Epcot Center and the students
were then able to enjoy the parks. The trip would
not have been possible without the hard work and
coordination of Mr. Foreman and the rest of the
band department as well as the help of our parent
chaperones!
Spring Concert a success: TJ’s Symphonic Wind
Ensemble and the Symphonic Band provided the TJ
community with a lovely evening of music on Friday,
May 29, highlighting the culmination of a wonderful
year for the band program. The concert was a fitting
send-off for our graduating seniors.
Congratulations!
First Marching Band Interest Meeting to be held
June 4, 6:00 pm: Perhaps one of the most decorated
ensembles at TJ, the Marching Colonials provide a
wonderful after school opportunity to build
teamwork, enhance musical skills, and create lasting
memories of your TJ experience. In addition to
marching with either the woodwind or brass
sections, there are opportunities to participate with
the drumline, colorguard, and percussion battery
(guitar, keyboard, drums). No experience is
required and the percussion and color guard units
do not require enrollment in curricular band. Mr.
Foreman and section leaders will be available at the
interest meeting to discuss commitment
requirements, schedule and allow interested
individuals to work with the units they are
interested in. The students have also created a
video that discusses key aspects of the TJMC
experience. Check it out here.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free
to contact the Orchestra Boosters any time at
tjorchboosters at gmail.com.
June 2015
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For more information on how to support TJ's band
programs, please see our website or email president
at tjbands.org.
New Band Spirit Year now available! Many thanks to
graduating senior Maya Chung who designed a new
logo for TJ Bands spirit wear. Sweatshirts, lounge
pants and t-shirts featuring the new design are now
available for sale. If you are interested in purchasing
spirit wear, please contact secretary at tjbands.org.
Thomas Jefferson Marching Colonials perform at US
Naval Academy.
Drum Majors Selected for 2015-2016 Marching
Band Season: Congratulations to the following
individuals who have been selected to lead the 2015
Marching Colonials:
Head Drum Major - Bradford Case
Assistant Drum Major - Ryan Burns
Field Major - Sydney Dayyani
Band Boosters Need Your Support!: The band
boosters support TJ's wonderful curricular bands
(Symphonic Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble,
Percussion Ensemble, and Jazz Band) and extracurricular ensembles (Marching Band, Drumline,
and Color Guard) through volunteer and fundraising
activities that help provide student scholarships,
purchase equipment and supply uniforms. The Band
Boosters are in need of parent volunteers to assist
with critical activities. Please consider volunteering
to help Band Boosters make the 2015-2016 School
Year a success! Positions include:
• President or Co-President of the Band Boosters
• Curricular Bands Uniform Alterations
Coordinator
• TJMC Coordinator
• TJ Bands Social Media and Technology
Coordinator
• TJ Bands Photographer/Historian
• TJMC Camp Coordinator
• Fall/Spring Concert Refreshments Coordinator
• TJMC Equipment Driver
• TJ Winter Showcase Coordinator/Concessions
Coordinator
• Fall Fundraiser Coordinator…..and many more!
June 2015
COLONIAL ATHLETIC
BOOSTERS (CAB)
TRACK AND FIELD
The season is now in the home stretch as the postseason began with Conference Championships held at
Edison High School on May 12 and 13. More than 20
of our athletes will be advancing from the Conference
Meet to Northern Region Championships. A number
of our athletes have already attained the State meet
qualifying performances, which is a tribute to the hard
work these athletes have been putting in and to the
guidance that our coaches have been providing. Both
the Girls and Boys teams took second place at the
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Conference Championships, with Boys missing first
place by one point. Outstanding individual
performances at this meet included Monique
Mezher taking 1st place in the pole vault, Haley
Stumvoll winning the 3200 meter run, Charlie Guan
taking 1st place in the 110 meter hurdles, Saurav
Velleteth winning the 1600 meter run, and Nate
Foss taking first in the 800 meter run.
Seniors Charlene Franke, Mary Pollin, Haley Stumvoll,
and Emily Moschella at Penn Relays.
GIRLS TENNIS
The Girls Tennis team once again earned the title of
Conference Champions this spring. They finish the
regular season with an impressive 12 victories and
will continue to compete in pursuit of the Regional
Title.
TJ faced Marshall HS, their most worthy opponent,
in the last match of the regular season. The teams
met earlier in the season, and Marshall prevailed,
but on this occasion the ladies were determined to
turn the tide. That afternoon only the impending
storm was more menacing than the Marshall lineup.
Senior Christopher Blagg and Junior Saurav Velleteth at
the Leslie Sherman Invitational.
In addition to these great performances, State
Championship qualifiers include both the Girls and
Boys 4x800 relay teams, Saurav Velleteth 1600
meters and 3200 meters, Nate Foss 1600 meters
and 3200 meters, Christopher Blagg 3200 meters,
Nathan Riopelle 3200 meters, and Haley Stumvoll
3200 meters.
The Northern Regional Championships were at UVA
this year on May 25-26. The State Championship
Meet will be In Newport News this year on June 5-6.
Thanks again to the coaches for all of their hard
work and long hours this year, and thanks to the
parents for coming out to our meets, rain or shine!
June 2015
Playing on court #2, Junior Ankitha Yanamandra
steamrolled over her opponent. Freshman Keely
Wan had a very sound victory on court #4. On
courts #1 and #3, Senior Anna Venetianer and
Sophomore Jelena Liu successfully closed out their
sea-saw matches. Also playing singles were
Freshman Anita Ho and Junior Chantal Iosso.
Just as the singles matches were completed, the
rain finally began to fall, the doubles matches would
have to wait for another day. Having secured 4 of
the 6 singles contests, TJ positioned itself well to
overtake Marshall. The victories of second doubles
team of Liu/Wan and third doubles Anita Ho with
Senior Melissa Wu gave TJ a 6-3 win over Marshall.
Also playing were first doubles Venetianer/
Yanamandra. With that victory TJ was crowned
Conference 13 Champions once again. Anna
Venetianer advanced to the conference semi-finals
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in singles and doubles with Melissa Wu (subbing
for Jelena Liu who was taken ill and was unable to
compete). Also advancing to the doubles semi-final
rounds were the team of Wan/Ho.
Ryan Morris and defensive starters Jackson DuBro,
Addison Dunn, William Long, and Jake Nash.
TJ’s offense came alive in the second half of the
season, scoring nine goals in the last six games. In
the win at Marshall, Jason Stanne found the net on a
breakaway and Ryan Morris scored on a header off a
Ben Bae assist. Against Stone Bridge at home, Nick
Brady found the net with an assist from Danny Wu.
The offense really kicked into gear in the last game
of the regular season for the win against Annandale.
First, Jackson DuBro headed the ball to score off a
Jake Nash assist. Next, Ben Bae’s free kick found the
back of the net. Then Nick Brady on a breakaway
found the left corner for the 3rd goal of the evening.
Fionntan Thinnes got in on the action, as he
redirected a William Long throw-in for another
score. Finally, Jackson Zagurski went one-on-one
with the goalie and found the net for the final score
of the night.
Celebrating the Seniors
Congratulations to the girls tennis team on the
completion of a great season and best of luck in
their continued quest for the Regional Title.
Gooooooooo Colonials!!!!
The boys celebrated Senior Night with a win against
Stone Bridge. We wish Seniors Mehmet Aslan,
Sammy Bennett, Nick Brady, Jackson DuBro,
Addison Dunn, Nikhil Gupta, Seth Jaffe, William
Long, Eric McCord-Snook, and Ryan Morris all the
best! And a special shout out to team managers
May Thinnyun, Lily Chaw, and Annie Thomas! Thank
you!
The Capitol Conference tournament gets underway
with a home game against JEB Stuart and then on to
Regional action. Good luck Coach Burke and Boys
Varsity Soccer!
Girls Tennis Team enjoying Senior Night.
BOYS VARSITY SOCCER
Boys Varsity Soccer finished the regular season with
a 5-8 record. All five wins were shutouts -attesting
to the strength of senior keepers Nikhil Gupta and
June 2015
Senior Addison Dunn fights for the ball with Sophomore
Jason Stranne chasing the play.
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double plays. Holly Frank has played tough infield as
well, filling vacancies while playing with a dislocated
finger the last two games of the regular season.
Senior Ryan Morris looks to receive a header from
Sophomore Ben Bae.
VARSITY SOFTBALL
The TJ Varsity Softball Team entered conference
play on April 21 with a win against Stuart High
School. The team proceeded to claim wins over
Edison, Falls Church, and Wakefield to finish their
conference schedule with four wins and three
losses. Their success gave them a 4th place regular
season Conference 13 finish and home field
advantage when they hosted their first conference
quarterfinals game on May 18 at TJ. This is the first
time in more than 10 years that the Lady Colonials
have hosted a conference playoff game.
The Lady Colonials have been playing solid defense
and their bats came alive in their seven conference
games. The team’s batting average leaders are
Captain Jessie Heise (.600), Allison Roush (.538),
and Captain Kayleigh Vance (.529). When the top of
the line-up gets on base, they are stealing bases, led
by Jessie Heise (12) and An Smith (11), which sets
up the 3, 4, and 5 hitters who lead the team in RBIs
– Kayleigh Vance (8), Allison Roush (6), and Jessica
Guo (6).
On defense, Diana Zavela has pitched every game,
recording 34 strikeouts. The Lady Colonials’ outfield
has been steadily improving all season, with Marie
Jones, Lauren Berry, Maya Parker, Pooja
Rathnashyam, and Molly Schindler tracking down
fly balls and backing up the infield. The infield has
been playing solid defense with a seasoned
combination of Kayleigh Vance, Jessie Heise, An
Smith, and Jessica Guo, who have turned three
June 2015
Allison Roush rounds third base headed for home.
The Lady Colonials celebrated Senior Night with a
win against Wakefield. Seniors Jessica Guo, Jessie
Heise, Kayleigh Vance, and Pooja Rathnashyam
were honored by their team and the fans for their
leadership, dedication and contributions to the
softball program.
The Lady Colonials have had a successful 2015
season and they enter the post season with great
motivation to keep the season going.
TJSB Seniors Jessie Heise, Jessica Guo, Kayleigh Vance,
and Pooja Rathnashyam celebrate Senior Night.
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starting pitcher in the area. Senior Jack Maillett
hurled a complete game, 110 pitch win over South
Lakes. Senior co-captain Sam Veroneau proved his
arm strength throwing lasers from center field to
catch runners at the plate during multiple games.
And Junior Alex Cintron showcased his aerobatic
moves playing the hot corner of 3rd base,
particularly in the game against Marshall.
The Lady Colonials on Senior Night.
VARSITY BASEBALL
The 2015 varsity baseball season can be described
as the tale of two conferences. The season was
divided between teams from the former Liberty
Conference and the new Capital Conference 13
opponents. The first half featured all away games
against baseball powerhouse schools such as
Stonebridge and Madison. The second half saw the
completion of the new home baseball stadium and
the team engaged in much more competitive games
against our new conference opponents.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Craig Lewis and
assistants Eric Williams and Greg Myers, the team
prepared for the season and most of the games in
the TJ gym and the Holmes Middle School field.
Following construction delays, the shiny new home
baseball field was christened on Senior night, with
two games left in the regular season.
The Colonials graduate nine Senior leaders: Coby
Benheim, Kent Bommer, Joseph Doran, Sahil
Laheri, Jack Maillett, Nikhil Srinivasan, Peter
Suzuki, Christian Tae, and Sam Veroneau. Four
Juniors provide a heavy team contribution including
Patrick Beck, Alex Cintron, Amir McGettrick, Frank
Sammartino. The squad is rounded out by three
Sophomores: Jenna Greenwalt, Ankush Joshi, and
Chris Liu.
The season featured many memorable moments
including Sophomore Jenna Greenwalt highlighted
by local media as the only female varsity baseball
June 2015
The team picked up their hitting the second half of
the season, batting 0.130 points higher against
Conference 13 opponents over Liberty district foes.
The season saw the Colonials hit an astounding 17
doubles, many bouncing off of outfield fences.
Senior Sam Veroneau christened the new TJ ball
park launching the field’s first home run over the
left field fence in the home opener.
The team appreciates the fan support throughout
the season, especially the home-opener crowd on
Senior night, and looks forward to the 5A
Conference 13 playoffs.
GIRLS VARSITY LACROSSE
The T.J. varsity lacrosse team is having a great season
and enjoying spending so much time together. Their
"Tacky Tourist" spirit day was a particularly big hit!
GIRLS JUNIOR VARSITY LACROSSE
The season concluded on a high note for the team!
Much improvement was made individually as well as
a whole. The girls worked hard all season long and
fought in every game. In practice, the team worked
on ball control and focused on limiting turnovers,
stopping fast breaks, and supporting the ball. The
girls also worked on shot selection and placement,
learning to recognize better angles for their shots. In
each game this season, the girls demonstrated an
increase in their knowledge of the game as well as
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their skill level. Overall, the girls had a great season
and we’re looking forward to another fun year!
The first win of the season was recorded against Lee
High School with a 9-7 final score. Anna Lulushi,
Lucia Gomez, and Maddie Min each scored twice
for the Colonials. Caelan Barranta, Melanie Le, and
Caroline Nguyen each added a goal. Tina Wang
made 8 saves in goal. Louise Hicks was awarded
Player of the Game for her outstanding efforts on
defense. The girls also played a great game against
Fairfax High School, with only a five goal deficit.
Anna Lulushi, Lucia Gomez, and Maddie Min each
scored twice for the Colonials. Caroline Nguyen
added a goal for TJ. Against Marshall High School,
Tina Wang recorded a career high 13 saves in goal.
CREW BOOSTERS
TJ Crew has finished another memorable season this
year, despite the wild and wicked weather that led
to soggy races, delays, and numerous race
cancellations. The boys’ and girls’ boats participated
in nine regattas, which culminated with the Ted
Phoenix Lower Boat Championship Regatta on May
2 and the Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championship
(VASRA, or States) on May 9 on the Occoquan river,
the prestigious Stotesbury Cup Regatta (Stotes) on
May 15-16 in Philadelphia, and the Scholastic
Rowing Association of America (SRAA) National
Championships Regatta (Nationals) on May 23-24 in
Camden, NJ.
Five TJ Crew boats earned medals at the States:
Men’s Second Eight (silver), Men’s Junior Eight
(silver), Women’s Third Eight (bronze), Women’s
Fourth Eight (gold), and Men’s Third Eight (bronze).
Also, four TJ boats qualified for Nationals in NJ:
Men’s First Eight, Men’s Second Eight, Men’s Junior
Eight, and Women’s Freshman Eight. In addition,
five TJ Crew boats qualified for semi-finals at the
prestigious Stotes (Women’s First, Second, and
Freshman Eight, and Men’s Second and Junior
Eight), and Men’s Second Eight went to the final,
where they finished fifth. Men’s Second Eight had a
remarkable end-of-season, finishing third in the
finals at Nationals, and medaling with bronze.
TJ Women’s Second Eight qualified for the semi-finals at
the prestigious Stotes Regatta in Philadelphia.
Congratulations to all our rowers for their
dedication to crew, hard work, and enthusiasm! For
regattas pictures and videos check out our webpage
http://www.tjcrew.org/gallery.
TJ Men’s Second Eight medaled with bronze at Nationals
and finished fifth at the prestigious Stotes Regatta.
June 2015
A big Thank You to our enthusiastic and dependable
parent volunteers for supporting their kids at Sandy
Run practices and at the regattas! Parents are
invited to learn more about the TJ Crew and the
many ways the TJ Crew Boosters support the team
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at the monthly Board meeting, to be held on June
17 at 7pm at TJ Trailer #10.
Marketplace
TJ Logo Ties and Scarves
TJ Logo Ties and Scarves are the ideal accessory to show
your school spirit! Perfect for academic competitions,
tjSTAR, game days, or any of the other multiple times
students must dress for presentations. They also make
perfect Mother’s Day/Father’s Day gifts! Both the ties
and scarves are 100% silk. Click here to download an
order form or purchase one via PayPal.
TJ Men’s Junior Eight medaled with silver at States. A big
shout-out to Dr. Glazer and his family, for coming to cheer
on TJ Crew at the Occoquan River!
Our last event of the season is the End of Season
Picnic, on June 14 at Lake Accotink Park, where we’ll
celebrate TJ Crew’s 26th season, and say goodbye to
our 20 seniors who are graduating this year. Best of
luck to Sara Mueller and and Peter Zablocki who
will be rowing for Wellesley College and Yale
University, respectively, and Lily Wittle who will be
coxing for University of Miami in the fall!
Congratulations to all our seniors! You will be
missed next year!
POST A YARD SIGN
Other Student News
A section for articles on achievements outside of
TJHSST, submitted on behalf of students.
Show your pride and support of your student’s
accomplishments and hard work. Orders are being taken
for yard signs congratulating the Class of 2015 for $20.
Click here to download an order form.
Junior Elected to Girl Scout Council
Board of Directors
Junior Alison (Aly) Luckett was voted onto the Girl
Scout Council Board of Directors as a Board
Member-at-Large. Her one-year term as the Teen
Board Representative will begin on October 1,
2015. Alison is a life-long Girl Scout who is currently
at the Ambassador level. She has earned her G.S.
Bronze, Silver, and Silver Trefoil awards. Also, she
has earned her G.S.Gold Award, the highest award
in Girl Scouting
June 2015
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Hello Parents!
The 2015-2016 TJ PTSA Directory is going ONLINE.
June 2015
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Noteworthy Dates
June 2015
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Jazz Cabaret
Marching Band Interest Meeting, 6:00pm
Drama Banquet, commons room, 7:00pm
Choir Spring Show
Band Concert, Auditorium, 2:00pm
PTSA Meeting, Cafeteria, 7:00-9:00pm
tjSTAR
Deadline to buy ANGP tickets
Orchestra Concert, Auditorium, 7:00pm
ANGP volunteer meeting, Spring Hill
Recreation Center, 10:00am
Crew End of Season Picnic, Lake Accotink Park
Seniors’ last day of CLASSES
Senior Picnic, Practice Field, 2:00pm
Crew Booster meeting, 7:00pm, TJ Trailer #10
Graduation Rehearsal, Gym 2, 1:00pm
Baccalaureate, Auditorium, 7:00-9:00pm
Class of 2017 trip to Hershey Park, 10:30am to
10:00 pm
Last day of school early release – have a great
summer! 8:30 am – 1:50 pm
Graduation, Patriot Center, 7:00pm
All Night Graduation Party, 10:30pm
Father’s Day
All you have to do is volunteer for one of the 150
spots not yet filled for the All Night Graduation
Party. It’s easy and fun! See page 11 for details.
**************
If we do not get the
volunteers we need, we will
be forced to cancel the
event.
**************
Shopping for Graduation or Father’s Day?
Shop and Earn Free Money for TJHSST!
Shop at Amazon.com and earn free money for TJ.
Please bookmark this site on your browser and use it every time you shop!
Questions? Email Helenia Pan at helenia.pan at gmail.com.
June 2015
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