October 2014 - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Tech cetera
http://www.tjhsst.edu/supportingtj/ptsa/newsletter.htm
Hot links to the information for which you are looking…
Principal’s Letter
President’s Letter
I nfo from Other TJ Offices
Useful Link s
PTSA Update
Serving the TJ Com m unity
Academ ic New s
Class New s
New s R ound-up and Aw ards
Cam paign for TJ
TJ Boosters
Notew orthy Dates
October
2014
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Principal’s Letter
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Teachers, and Students,
We have had an excellent
start to our school year.
Amidst construction, we have managed
to run our schedule and activities
smoothly, including an exciting
homecoming week filled with pep rallies,
class floats, and spirited competitions.
Newsweek magazine also recognized
TJHSST as the #1 public high school in
America, an honor thanks to the
exceptional performance of our students
and outstanding mentoring of our
teachers. The Newsweek article was a
nice way to recognize our unique
learning environment beyond the
metrics they use to determine the
ranking. After all, the rankings can be
adjusted a few spots each year,
however our learning environment
continues to focus on inquiry, research,
problem solving, intellectual curiosity,
and social responsibility. Thanks to the
PTSA for providing the whole school a
special congratulatory treat – cake for
everyone!
We have begun our activities program
with over 150 options available to
students. We are noticing an increase in
interest in out-of-school programs run by
TJHSST Techcetera
students, particularly to neighborhood
elementary and middle schools. I
encourage those groups to utilize the
STEMbassadors network to get
started. Through STEMbassadors,
parent/teacher liaisons develop
relationships with community schools to
support after-school and evening STEM
programs, including those created by
our students. Alternatively, students can
use video-conferencing tools during 8th
period to interface with classrooms
remotely during our 8th period blocks.
We are building the Jefferson
Collaborative Inquiry and Research
(JCIRN) network this year to support
this approach. Students should contact
me if they would like to explore
collaborating with a school in this
manner.
This month we should start to see
completed portions of the construction,
such as a new visitors’ parking lot in the
front of the school, along with a new
main entrance through the dome in a
new main office area. We anticipate
student services on the 2nd floor will
also be completed and then a transition
later in the month for the new research
wing and geosystems and chemistry
addition. Very exciting! With these new
spaces, we are striving to expand our
innovation and resources available to
students. I thank you for your
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contributions to Support the Campaign
for TJ, and you can learn more about
our vision by attending the TJ
Partnership Fund events.
During the transfer to new classrooms in
October, we anticipate 1 or 2 days for
telelearn school days (learning remotely
through Blackboard) to enable safe
transfer and equipment setup. The
date(s) will be issued through Keep In
Touch once we receive a permit to
occupy the space, which could be as
early as mid-October and as late as
mid-November. Once we have
completed the transfer into newly
constructed spaces, we do not
anticipate further significant changes
during the school year as the unused
center courtyards and classrooms are
reconstructed. The renovation project
will continue through 2016, and a walkthrough video of some of the new
spaces is available on our renovation
website.
I look forward to seeing you at our Back
to School Night on October 8. As a
result of the renovation and the limited
parking, we will have two different shifts.
The first shift will be from 4:00-6:00 pm
and will be ONLY for the parents of the
Classes of 2015 and 2018 (9th and 12th
graders). The second shift, ONLY for
parents of the Classes of 2016 and
2017 (10th and 11th graders), will be
October 2014
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from 7:00-9:00 pm. Obtain your
student’s schedule and room numbers
in advance of the evening to make your
evening run more smoothly. The PTSA
meeting will begin at 6:10 pm as an
opportunity to speak with both
audiences in the auditorium. We realize
the restricted times create an
inconvenience for some families, and
we appreciate your cooperation as we
manage our facility under renovation
constraints. During the day students will
not be coming to the school building but
instead will be learning from home in a
telelearn anchor day, as activities will be
provided via Blackboard. We have
developed a FAQ webpage to
understand expectations.
Don’t hesitate to contact me (emglazer
at fcps.edu) with ideas for making TJ
an even better place for learning and
growing. Have a great October!
Sincerely,
Evan Glazer
Principal, TJHSST
FREE MONEY FOR TJ!
Last year, TJ earned $15,339.07 from Amazon purchases. We earn 4-15% of your purchase.
Just go to the TJ PTSA w ebsite and click on the Am azon icon before you shop.
Helpful Tip: After you click on the Am azon icon, save it as a “bookmark”
and you can shop directly in the future without going through the TJ PTSA website.
* * * *
Please Register/Renew Your Cards at Giant Food, Safeway,
& Harris Teeter:
We really need to increase our contributions from local grocery stores.
It’s free!
Giant Food at www.giantfood.com/aplus (ID #02307)
Safeway* thru e-Scrip at www.escrip.com (ID #154534149)
Harris Teeter at www.harristeeter.com/tie (select TJHSST from the drop-down menu)
TJHSST Techcetera
Page 3
October 2014
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President’s Letter
I recently attended a meeting of PTA
representatives from the Mason District
around TJ. One of the many interesting
comments was that many families don’t
know what the PTA does for their
school. On one hand, maybe that reflects a partnership between the school
and the PTA that is so close that it is
sometimes hard to distinguish between
the two. On the other hand, if families
aren’t aware of all the things for which
the PTA is responsible, it is difficult to
gauge the results of one’s contributions
of time and money.
Many of you know how busy TJ’s PTSA
has been over the summer and during
the first weeks of school. I hope you
know that your PTSA supports you
through…
• Planners: preparing the content and
layout over the summer and
distributing copies to all TJ students
during the first class meetings.
• Back to School “Green” Packets:
preparing the content over the summer, coordinating with other groups,
distributing hard copies at the
Welcome Coffee held before
Freshman Orientation, and posting
an electronic copy on the PTSA
website.
• Navigating TJ Panel for New Student
Parents: selecting diverse panelists
TJHSST Techcetera
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and key topics, moderating panel
and questions.
Back to School Bash: organized
event, including food vendors,
inflatables/games, and giveaways.
Teacher Welcome Back Breakfast:
food for all staff and gift cards for
faculty contests.
Student Directories: extensive data
collection and update, creating
supplementary materials, soliciting
advertisers, formatting and proofing
entire document (to be distributed at
Back to School Night).
Budget Advocacy: discussed the
impacts of budget cuts with FCPS
and School Board staff during the
summer.
Library Database Subscription:
renewed for this school year.
Utility (Golf) Cart: contributed to
purchase of replacement vehicle
used by security, sports, and other
TJ staff to move materials across
campus.
Umbrellas: recently purchased
additional umbrellas used by
students and staff on campus.
Newsletters: In addition to the
monthly Techcetera, the PTSA
creates the weekly This Week at TJ.
Both publications are full of
interesting and useful information.
TJ #1 Cake: Surprised students to
celebrate Newsweek’s ranking of TJ
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as the best high school in the
country.
Homecoming Dance: Recruit and
organize the many parent volunteers
necessary.
Most of these activities require the help
of volunteers, who all seem to have a
good time and get to spend time with
others in the TJ community. Please join
the PTSA and also consider
volunteering – you’ll find yourself
getting connected!
Back to School Night is coming soon. In
addition to visiting your student’s
classes, there will be time to join the
PTSA, volunteer, and meet with booster
group and Partnership Fund
representatives. PTSA members can
pick up their copy of the 2014-15
Student Directory. We’ll also hold a brief
general membership meeting to review
and approve our budget and goals for
this school year. Look for these
materials on the PTSA website.
I truly hope you and your family have
enjoyed the start of this school year. If
there is anything that I or the other
wonderful members of the PTSA
Executive Committee can do to improve
TJ, please let us know at ptsa at
tjhsst.edu .
Eric Malès
TJ PTSA President 2014-15
October 2014
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Info from Other TJ
Offices
Library
It’s been exciting helping freshmen,
seniors, and everyone in-between,
launch their research projects! Please
remind your students of the scholarly
electronic resources that are available to
them 24/7 – databases, e-books, and
research guides – at the library
website.
Research guides are created by the TJ
librarians, to guide students in their
research, through showcasing specific
resources targeted to a student’s
project. You’ll find a list of our guides
here.
Please email us at library at
tjhsst.edu if we can help or
support your child’s research needs.
Useful Links
TJ Partnership Fund:
TJHSST Home Page:
TJ Alumni Association:
TJ PTSA website:
Other:
FCPS Blackboard:
TJ Booster Organizations:
Academic Boosters:
http://www.tjpartnershipfund.org
http://www.tjhsst.edu
http://www.tjhsstalumni.org
www.tjhsst.edu/supportingtj/ptsa
http://fcps.blackboard.com
http://academics.tjhsst.edu/aboosters/
http://www.fcps.edu/kit
www.colonialathletics.org
www.fcps.edu/schlbd
www.tjbands.org
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/board
http://www.tjhsst.edu/curriculum/fa/choir
FCPS Keep in Touch (KIT):
Athletic Boosters:
Band Boosters:
FCPS School Board:
Fairfax County Supervisors:
Choral Boosters:
Crew Boosters:
www.tjcrew.org/
Orchestra Boosters:
http://arts.tjhsst.edu/orchestra/
Theatre Boosters:
http://www.tjhsst.edu/parentscommunity/boosters/theatreboosters/
Yearbooks are on sale now!
Visit the Yearbook Order Center Site and use order
number 13621.
If you order before December 31, 2014, your student
will receive a free name plate.
TJHSST Techcetera
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October 2014
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PTSA Update
Landscape Committee
The Cultivators of the Earth Club, in
conjunction with the TJ Landscaping
Committee, had a "Planting Day" to
beautify the Weyanoke Learning
Cottage area with colorful planters and
window boxes. The Club made beautiful
arrangements using rescued TJ plant
stock that the Club has been nurturing
during construction along with flowers
and potting soil donated by the PTSA.
Club co-presidents Grace Liu and
Javed Shaik (pictured) will be
organizing members of the Club to
adopt a planter for watering and care.
school is planned, and the Club is
seeking donations of large planters or
window boxes. Anyone interested in
donating large planters can contact the
Club faculty advisor Lona Klein (lcklein
at fcps.edu), or PTSA sponsors Shawn
Lukas (vslukas at aol.com) and Laura
Noble (lauranoble at cox.net).
Hospitality Committee
On August 28, at freshman orientation,
coffee and donuts were served in the
earlier morning, and on September 10
before the PTSA meeting, we served
refreshments for over 100 parents.
TJ was ranked as the No. 1 high school
in the nation by Newsweek. The PTSA
gave a surprise celebration party and
treated the whole school with cake.
PTSA hosted breakfast for the teachers
on August 26. Our Executive Committee
coordinated a nice treat, from cold cuts
and cheeses to variety of baked goods,
yogurts, fruits, tea, and coffee. The
faculty was happy to start the new
school year with a smile.
We served over 1500 pieces of cake on
Wednesday, September 17, in the break
between 7th and 8th period (at three
locations!). We're proud that we were
able to do it within a 15-minute time
frame!
Cultivators of the Earth Club co-presidents
Javed Shaik and Grace Liu
A second “Planting Day” to beautify the
Learning Cottages located behind the
TJHSST Techcetera
PTSA hosted breakfast for the teachers.
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Thanks to parents who volunteered to
help out at these events, and thanks to
the building supervisors, Mrs. Jenny
October 2014
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Lee and Mr. Junpel Yuan, who gave us
their unlimited support. Because of all
your help, we had great success!
PTA Reflections. Reflections
encourages students to explore their
talents and express themselves through
the arts. It also provides students with
the opportunity to create works of art for
fun and for recognition.
The purpose of Reflections is to
celebrate arts learning in the school
community. This program supports
student success and helps build strong
partnerships in the school community.
Students enjoying surprise celebration cake –
Thanks for making TJ #1!
Jane Hsu (tjhospitality2013 at
gmail.com), PTSA Hospitality Chair.
Reflections
Reflections is a program that students
can use to convey their feelings for the
topic through the arts. This year’s topic
is “the world would be a better place if..”
There are several benefits when
participating in Reflections. Studies
show that reading, language,
mathematical, thinking, and social skills
are improved when students participate
in artistic learning experiences such as
TJHSST Techcetera
The deadline for submission is Friday,
October 17, 2014. Submit your entries
to the TJ main office with a completed
student entry form.
Volunteer Coordinators are using to
manage the many volunteer needs of
the TJ community. It takes less than a
minute to fill out. For more information,
contact Volunteer Coordinators Sandy
Kumar and Robin Hatanpää
(ptsa.volunteers at tjhsst.edu).
Curious how some of our parent
volunteers helped at TJ last month?
Without our volunteers, it would not
have been possible to hold our
Navigating TJ panel, PTSA meeting,
cake serving to the entire school, 8th
period, JLC, Back to School Bash, and
Homecoming. Thank you volunteers!
How can you help in October? Read on!
For contest rules and forms, check the
Virginia PTA website. If you are
interested in learning more, or want to
get involved please contact Magi Kumar
at v.magikumar at gmail.com.
Serving the TJ Community
Volunteering Made Easy
Would you like to be on our list of
people to email when we have volunteer
needs at the school? Then input your
information in to this handy program the
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Back to School Night Volunteers
Needed
The PTSA will be distributing the 20142015 Student Directories during the
break between the Back to School Night
shifts. Parents will either collect a free
directory (with PTSA membership) or
purchase a student directory. We know
from experience that extra hands are
needed, and it is a great chance to
mingle with other parents. If you can
help, please send an email to Robin
(ptsa.volunteers at tjhsst.edu) with
BTSN Directories in the subject line and
October 2014
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indicate which session, earlier or later,
you will be attending.
Help Needed Scoring Freshman
Myers-Briggs
Each year in October, the Freshman
class takes the Myers-Briggs personality
questionnaire, and the counselors ask
parent volunteers to score the
assessments. On Wednesday, October
22, volunteers are needed in the library
from 9:00 am-11:45 am to score the
tests. Please plan to arrive by 9:00 am
so that you won’t miss the short
orientation on scoring the tests. Parking
is available along the access road after
8:45 am.
This is a great way to meet other
parents and help out at the school. If
you are interested in volunteering,
please click here. For more information,
please contact Robin Hatanpää or
Sandy Kumar (ptsa.volunteers at
tjhsst.edu).
BigSibs Parent Volunteers Needed
During JLC
Beginning, October 2, the BigSib
program would like to hold large
gatherings in Gym 2 during Thursday
mornings JLC time from 8:00 am – 9:00
TJHSST Techcetera
am. These bonding sessions are
dependent on parent volunteers, who
are needed to chaperone the students.
During the five Thursday mornings in
October, please consider volunteering
for an hour to help the BigSibs program!
Even if you can only assist ONE
Thursday in the month, your help is
invaluable. To volunteer, send an email
to Sandy Kumar (ptsa.volunteers at
tjhsst.edu) with BigSibs in the subject
line and let her know what Thursday
works for you.
ingredients whenever possible. We also
encourage parents to provide fruit such
as bananas, apples, and oranges for
bake sales. If you have a good recipe
for a healthy snack, please send it to
yongqing_lu at yahoo.com. We would
like to share with other parents through
PTSA website.
The following links are to events
organized by the United Prevention
Coalition of Fairfax County, an
organization that works to prevent
substance abuse by youth and young
adults.
Health & Wellness Corner
Effective July 1, the USDA published
science-based nutrition standards for
snacks and beverages sold to students
at school during the school day. You
can find the standards here.
DEA Prescription Drug Take Back
Day - Unified Prevention Coalition of
Fairfax County
"Marijuana Harmless? Think Again"
Community Event in Spanish Unified Prevention Coalition of
Fairfax County
Mark Your Calendars
When contributing to school bake sales,
please make sure you follow the new
standards when making or buying
goodies. For the benefit of our students’
healthy eating habits, we encourage
parents to strive to use healthy
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The final round for senior portraits will
take place October 27-30 in the
auditorium. Appointment cards should
be arriving in the mail in the next couple
of weeks.
Make-up pictures for underclassmen
will be on October 17th.
October 2014
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All Night Graduation Party (ANGP)
What is ANGP? The All Night Graduation Party is a HUGE celebration in honor of our TJ graduates. ANGP is designed to
provide a safe, drug-free, alcohol-free, fun environment for the entire class. It started in 1987 when the National Virginia
Graduation Project promoted an after-graduation party model aimed at addressing what had become an annual tragedy:
losing our high school graduates following post-graduation celebrations through the deadly mix of drugs, alcohol and driving.
Since then, schools in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington, and Alexandria have sponsored ANGPs. Essentially an allnight lock-in, the ANGP provides the newly-minted graduates with more than six hours of fun-filled activities, including games,
rides, food, entertainment, dancing, raffles, shopping, a casino and more! It is a great opportunity to relax and enjoy time with
their fellow graduates, one last time! This year’s ANGP will be held on the night of graduation, Saturday, June 20th, at a still
‘secret’ location, so stay tuned for future announcements! You can find information as it becomes available on our website.
Buy Your Tickets NOW! Tickets will be on sale throughout the year but will NOT be available at the door the night of the
ANGP. Tickets will be available at a DISCOUNTED price ($100) until October 8 (Back to School Night). Prices will go up to
$125 after October 8, so buy early and save! You will need parent and student signatures on the form. We cannot hold the
ANGP without 400 volunteer parents from ALL grades. Please sign up NOW to get your first choice of jobs and shifts. We
especially need to cover the early shifts when senior parents are at graduation. Besides, it’s FUN! Jobs range from Food,
Activities, Casino, Toddler Photos, Concierge, Decorating, Security, Mementos, Tickets, Prizes, Logistics, to Wrap Up. There’s
something for everyone to do, so don’t be left out! To sign up, please click here.
Please Donate! We need your time and talent AND treasures to make this year's ANGP a success. Due to the renovation, we
incur additional costs to hold ANGP offsite. ANY amount is welcome. Please consider a generous donation!
Champion ($500 or more)
Benefactor ($250)
Patron ($100)
Friend ($50)
Donations Mailing Address:
PTSA - 2015ANGP Fundraising
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
6560 Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22312
Questions?
Contact us at [email protected]
Please join us at our first organizational meeting on October 22, 2014, at 6:00 pm (location tbd)!
TJHSST Techcetera
Page 9
October 2014
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Academic News
Class News
Spanish News
2015 – Seniors
With the new school year well
underway, the Spanish Honor Society
(SHS) has already begun planning a
wide variety of activities for our
upcoming meetings. Just like last year,
we will be organizing the Big Sibs
tutoring program, in which members of
SHS tutor students that need help in
Spanish classes. Additionally, we plan
to maintain contact with the Hispanic
community in Northern Virginia through
various charity projects. Other exciting
activities planned include celebrations of
Hispanic culture through food, music,
and holidays, as well as presentations
by guest speakers. We are also thrilled
to announce the release of our new
website, which will be used by
members of SHS to keep track of their
attendance and service hours, as well
as to view important announcements.
Hard to believe but the Class of 2015
are seniors! It’s been a busy month for
the students with some starting senior
mentorships, others starting their senior
research lab projects at school, and of
course, everyone super busy working on
their college applications. Ahead of us
are a few busy months for college
application, so it is really important that
parents support and be patient with their
children during the application process
which can be rather stressful.
All of the officers, as well as our
wonderful sponsors, Sra. Gendive and
Sra. Mateo, are excited for the new
school year and what it will bring for
SHS!
Another important event that senior
parents have started planning is the All
Night Graduation Party (ANGP). The
event is funded by ticket sales so we
hope that everyone buys their tickets as
soon as possible. To do so, go to the
ANGP site for details on purchasing
tickets as well as how to volunteer for
TJHSST Techcetera
On the fun side, the seniors had a great
time getting ready for their last
Homecoming which everyone really
enjoyed. The senior float was amazing,
Homecoming court and Homecoming
King and Queen nominations were
exciting, and everyone had a great time
at the game and the dance.
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the event. Tickets are $100 if purchased
by October 8 (Back to School Night) and
$125 if purchased after. Everyone
always wants to go, so best to purchase
your ticket now. More details on the
ANGP will follow in the next months, but
we really need to have volunteers lined
up so planning can be done in advance.
Please look through the site for other
details about the ANGP.
2016 – Juniors
Sending out a big thank you to all the
parents who volunteered to chaperone
at the homecoming dance!
This year, TJ2016 will be sponsoring
weekend Kaplan/C2 test prep classes
as well as sponsoring the TJ Pi-Miler
again in March – both very big
fundraising opportunities. The class will
again be collecting ‘class dues’ from
each family, details to follow. It is my job
to keep you apprised of all fundraising
plans as they unfold, and I will do so
here monthly as well as via dedicated
emails, as needed. Stay tuned for
parent volunteer opportunities as well –
every event requires your help to be
successful. Thank you!
Jamie Korelitz
2016 Parent Liaison
JamiekorelitzTJ2016 at gmail.com
October 2014
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2017 – Sophomores
2018 - Freshmen
What a whirlwind September was!
Classes started, the students had lots of
fun at the Back to School Bash, cake
was served in celebration of TJ being
ranked number one, and Homecoming
Week was a spirited, fun time. Thanks
to all who helped at the Homecoming
Dance coat check.
Thank you to all the freshman parents
who helped with the Back to School
Bash, which was fun and well-attended.
Thank you as well to the parents who
helped with Homecoming festivities,
another enjoyable event for the
students.
We look forward to seeing all parents on
October 8 at Back to School Night. The
PTSA annual general meeting starts at
6:10 pm, and 2017 classroom visits
begin at 7:00 pm. The 8th is a telelearn
day for students.
Students will be released at noon on the
following Wednesday, October 15.
Sophomores will take a practice PSAT
that morning.
Look for an announcement soon about
an additional telelearn days that will
occur during the move into new
facilities, including the chemistry labs.
Please plan to attend Back to School
Night (also known as B2SN) on October
8. Due to space and parking
constraints, there are specific times
allotted to each class year. Parents with
9th or 12th grade students are to attend
from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. (10th and 11th
grade parents come from 7:00 – 9:00
pm). As part of B2SN, please plan to
attend the PTSA meeting, which will be
held in the auditorium, from 6:15 – 6:45
pm. We also encourage you to join the
PTSA if you have not done so already.
Nancy Yang & Silvija Strikis
2018 Parent Liaisons
chaonanyang at gmail.com
sstrikis at yahoo.com
Thanks for your support!
Ann Carr and Lan Fan
2017 Parent Liaisons
mandacarr at msn.com
fanlan at hotmail.com
TJHSST Techcetera
Page 11
News Round-Up and
Awards
129 TJ Students Named National
Merit Semifinalists
The following 129 TJHSST students
have been named National Merit
Scholarship Semifinalists:
Tara Abrishami, Arielle Ampeh,
Ganesh Arvapalli, Sreya Atluri,
Pranav Balan, Matthew Barbano,
Jacob Benheim, Samantha Cadd, Tim
Cha, Pooja Chandrashekar, Amanda
Chao, Lily Chaw, Austin Chen,
Zhongnan Cheng, Jiwon Choi,
Eduard Danalache, Corwin de Boor,
Joseph Doran, Emmett Dorlester,
Quynh Duong, Saroja Erabelli,
Jennifer Fang, Sean Foley, Remy
Freire, Quintin Frerichs, Sairisheel
Gabbireddy, Anshula Gandhi, Azman
Garcha, Ashvarya Garg, Shreyas
Garg, Hannah Gaudet, June Ge,
Conrad Gehrki, Alexis Gillmore,
Noemi Glaeser, Jacopo Gliozzi, Grant
Guan, Jessica Guo, Raewyn Haines,
David Harris, Hanna Hatanpää,
Caroline Heilbrun, Isabel Ho, David
Hu, Danial Hussain, Alexis Jenkins,
Alec Jessar, Ellen Kan, Jooyoung
October 2014
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Kang, Nolan Kataoka, Annika Kim,
Kiwan Kim, Leon Kim, Peter Kim,
Shilpa Kunnappillil, David Lanman,
Sang Lee, Kali Liang, Amanda Lim,
Lucas Lin, Grace Liu, William Liu,
William Long, Ethan Lowman, Austin
Ly, Billie Malès, Neha Manu, Nidhi
Manu, Daniel McKinney, Rebecca
Merriman-Goldring, Faazilah
Mohamed, Callan Monette, John
Morris, Claire Murphy, Hariank
Muthakana, Seanna Nam, Michelle
Namkung, Robert O’Connell, Janice
Ong, Winston Ou, Didi Park, John
Park, Matthew Park, Ranjani
Parthasarathy, Melanie Piller, Mary
Pollin, Sraavya Poonuganti, Yuvraj
Puri, Ramya Radhakrishnan, Sushma
Reddy, Sushrutha Reddy, Theodore
Richardson, Emily Rogers, Zane
Rossi, Anusha Saga, Katherine
Salamido, Matthew Savage, Bobbie
Sheng, Naini Shiswawala, Connor
Simpson, Siva Somayyajula, Eric
Sun, Peter Suzuki, Arianna Sze,
Kayvon Tabrizi, Sudhamsh
Tippireddy, Anna Tursi, Sai Uttla,
Anna Venetianer, Jonathon Vogel,
Nathan Vollbrecht, Zachary Wade,
Renee Wah, Gerry Wan, Kevin Wan,
Steven Wang, Zoe Wang, Anna
Weidman, Alexis Williams, Lilly
Wittle, Jessica Wu, Melissa Wu,
Christopher Yeung, Justin Yum,
TJHSST Techcetera
Parsa Zand, Ben Zhang, Zeming
Zheng, Derek Zhou, and Kyle Zhou.
TJ Researcher Named Google
Science Fair Regional Finalist
Junior Jake Cui, together with his
research partner John Han from James
Madison HS, was among the 90
Regional Finalists selected around the
world for the 2014 Google Science Fair.
His project aimed to improve Raloxifene,
a breast cancer prevention medication,
and its anti-carcinogenic effects by
synthesizing a combination treatment
with S-Equol, a compound found in soy,
to increase efficiency and overall
effectiveness.
Jake has been conducting research to
improve cancer treatments by reducing
side effects for two years. He was an
Intel ISEF finalist for his research in
2013.
Six TJ Students Named 2015 National
Achievement Semifinalists
Six TJHSST students have been named
2015 National Achievement Scholarship
program semifinalists in an academic
competition for Black American high
school students conducted by the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation
(NMSC):
Azeez Abdikarim, Arielle Ampeh,
Rebecca Clark-Callender, Theodore
Richardson, and Rollin Woodford.
Chemistry Team
Junior Jake Cui and partner named Google
Science Fair Regional Finalists
Page 12
The Chemistry Team ended the
2013/2014 school year with a bang. On
May 8, 2014, 22 dedicated TJ student
chemists took the Chem 13 News Exam
sponsored by the University of
Waterloo, Canada. Of the 2,455
students across Canada and the United
States that took the test, six TJ students
scored in the top 5% and received
recognition from the University as well
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
as a T-shirt. These students are Sayan
Paul (rank 11), Shrey Gupta (rank 11),
Matthew Barbano (rank 20), William
Zhang (rank 30), Winston Ou (rank
49), and Rohan Pandit (rank 103).
project in future summers, as well as
through the new Underclassmen
Independent Research Lab at TJ.
This school year, the Chem Team
welcomes Dr. Omar Acio as the
teacher sponsor. The officers, Matthew
Barbano and Jeremy Nathan (cocaptains), Grant Guan and Nandan
Srinivasa (teaching coordinators),
Pranav Balan and Rohan Pandit
(activities director) and Kaushik Murali
(webmaster), are anticipating another
great school year.
The Techniques Yearbook staff at
TJHSST is now accepting orders for
personal ads in the 2015 yearbook, so
it’s time to choose photos and start
working on your message of
congratulations, pride, and love. Group
ads are also available for purchase at
the half page and full page size.
Consider joining with other parents
and/or booster parents to create ads
that honor your senior’s involvement in
school activities like band or tennis or to
commemorate a special group of senior
friends. Perhaps your child is still close
with the kids they went to kindergarten
with or they have a special bond with
their youth group.
TJ SEAP Intern Wins First Place
Junior Patrick Ryan won first place at
the SEAP (Science and Engineering
Apprenticeship Program) research
presentation for the Bio/Molecular
Science and Engineering Division this
summer. As an intern at the Naval
Research Laboratory, Patrick tested
low-cost methods of explosive detection
in complex soil and surface matrices for
both human and autonomous use. In
addition, he developed an entirely 3Dprinted and spring-loaded soil collection
device to provide his research with a
means of implementation. Patrick hopes
to continue making headway with his
TJHSST Techcetera
ATTENTION
SENIOR PARENTS!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to
show your son or daughter how much
you care!
Sample yearbook personal ad
For more instructions and to see more
samples, contact Ms. Harris at EHarris1
at fcps.edu.
Page 13
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
Campaign for TJ //
Leading the Future
The Best Time to Support the
Campaign for TJ is NOW!
Pledge or Donate at Back-toSchool Night
Why is now the best time to donate?
• MOVE IN has just been scheduled for
mid-October. This is THE most
exciting time at TJ in over 25 years.
• Thanks to our community’s generous
donations, specialized equipment and
technology worth over $1M has
already been ordered, but without
additional funds the Research Labs
will not be fully outfitted.
• If you pledge this fall, you can pay off
your pledge over 4 years. For example, if you pledge at the Capstone
Partner Level ($1,000), you can pay
just $250/year. Pledges must be
TJHSST Techcetera
completed by December 2017.
• If you pledge or donate at the
Capstone Partner Level at (or before)
Back-to-School Night, not only will you
be able to place your name(s) on an
auditorium seat plaque when the
auditorium is renovated, but you will
also receive a Limited Edition
Jefferson pennant that evening.
• Those of you considering a larger gift
will want to make your pledge now
while a variety of Recognition
Opportunities are still available.
Here’s what the Campaign will
provide for TJ’s research labs:
• Cutting edge equipment, which opens
up new areas for research and makes
our students’ work more meaningful
and more valuable.
• Newer models, industrial-sized
versions, and duplicates of existing
equipment, which allow more efficient
use of class time.
• Upgraded computers, software,
printers, and scanners to speed up
processes and improve quality and
functionality.
Here’s what the Campaign will
provide for TJ beyond the labs:
• A new collaborative research network
(JCIRN) that will dramatically increase
connections between TJ students,
university researchers, and younger
Page 14
students throughout the region;
• New technology in every classroom
and throughout the school;
• Furniture for the school’s many new
common areas, which will promote
collaboration and socializing;
• Turf fields for our athletic program,
including one for community use to
make us a better neighbor (the county
is partially funding the fields, but a
significant private contribution is
needed);
• An athletic pavilion with bathrooms to
replace the inconvenient port-apotties;
• A fund to support major humanities
and arts purchases; and
• “Green building” improvements, some
of which may lead to research
projects.
Questions?
Visit our website. Read the latest
edition of our quarterly newsletter,
Newsworthy. Contact our Development
Director, Aristia (Tia) Kinis at akinis at
fcps.edu or 703.750.8317.
Consider joining others like you who
are passionate about TJ and want to
help make the Campaign for TJ a
success.
We hope your family’s school year is off
to a great start. Thank you for your
support.
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
TJ Boosters
Academic Boosters
Please mark your calendars for two important events on October 22. At 6:30 pm, we will have a brief
General Membership meeting in the
auditorium. That will be followed promptly at 7:00 pm by the Annual Academic
Team Funding Request meeting.
We invite all Academic Boosters
donors, members, and team parent
liaisons to attend the general
membership meeting on October 22nd
in the auditorium. We hope you’ll
stay after that meeting for the Team
Funding Request meeting!
This is the first time we’re opening the
Team Funding Request meeting to
members and donors. It’s a remarkable
opportunity to hear from our students
about their accomplishments last year
and their plans for this year. The Team
Funding Request meeting is an
impressive display of our students’
interests, talents, and ingenuity, and
we’d love you to join us!
If you haven’t joined Academic
Boosters for this year, please join or
TJHSST Techcetera
renew your membership now! Your
contributions may be tax-deductible, and
will be recognized on the Academic
Boosters website. Also check whether
the companies you work for match
donations – you can double the power
of your donation if they do!
We’ll be doing a critical round of
funding allocations just two weeks
after this meeting, so please show
your support now!!
This month, we continue to present the
leadership for 2014-2015 for TJ’s
academic teams. We also have some
results from early competitions. Stay
tuned – we’re just getting started!
Botball
Botball Co-Presidents: Harschal
Jariwala and Steven Wang
Chess
Co-Captains: Jeevan Karamsetty and
Brian Li
Teacher Sponsor: Dr. Gabor
Want the perfect way to end your week
of school? Come join chess club Friday
8th period B Block - players of all levels
are welcome!
Page 15
Congressional Debate
Captains: Victoria Bevard and Virginia
Sun
Congressional Debate, commonly
known as Student Congress, is a form
of debate that models the U.S.
Congress. Students prepare and debate
legislation on current affairs in a
congressional chamber of 12-24
students. This form of debate is highly
respected and recognized by all of the
debate leagues, including NFL, NCFL,
and VHSL. The TJHSST Congressional
Debate team is new at TJ, and we
welcome new members!
Both Victoria Bevard and Virginia Sun
qualified to VHSL States last
year. Victoria Bevard qualified to the
NCFL Grand Nationals last year,
breaking to the semifinals, and also
qualified to the NFL National
Tournament. This year both Victoria and
Virginia competed at the Wake Forest
Earlybird Tournament. Congratulations
to Victoria Bevard who broke to the
Finals round at Wake!
Congressional Debate meets Fridays,
8th period. The sponsor for
Congressional Debate is Marie Bakke,
who also coaches the Forensics Speech
Team.
October 2014
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Forensics Speech
Future Problem Solvers
Congratulations to Matthew Sun who
placed 6th in the nation in original
oratory at the NCFL Grand Nationals
Tournament in Chicago last May which
qualifies Matthew for the National
Individual Events Tournament of
Champions (NIETOC) held in May
2015.
FPS is a timed competition in which
participants develop thoroughly
researched, creative solutions to
problems faced by society today while
simultaneously envisioning how those
problems may take new shape in the
future. It is an enjoyable competition for
students who enjoy futuristic thinking
about technology solutions as well as
civic involvements since the solutions
often involve multiple groups across
society: business, government, private
individuals, scientists, educators, and
others.
th
Matthew Sun placed 6 at the NCFL Grand
Nationals Tournament.
The Forensics Team is busy getting
ready for our 2014-2015 season and
welcomes new members! Come by a
practice, Fridays, A & B blocks. We also
have a new website. Visit us!
TJHSST Techcetera
In June 2014, TJ's Future Problem
Solving teams advanced to the
International Bowl in Iowa. International
Bowl participants were Raquel
Sequeira, Jessica Wang, Pegah
Moradi, Coco Chen, Jessica Kim,
Sania Ali, Vivian Dong, and Christina
Zhao. All the participants gave great
efforts and represented TJ and the
Commonwealth of Virginia fantastically.
FPS is accepting new members to form
teams for this competition. With a
deadline of October 30th, we invite
interested students to come to
Wednesday B-block meetings to learn
more and register their 4-person team!
Page 16
After the International Bowl and the
election of our new officers last spring,
our efforts turned towards fundraising
and outreach. We held a car wash in
McLean and had a great time bonding
while raising money for the club. This
summer, we have also been working on
outreach to other schools in the area.
With the help of Outreach Officers
Christopher Hoang and Jessica Wang
and our dedicated members, we have
continued outreach efforts in Kilmer
Middle School, Marshall High School,
and Chantilly High School. TJFPS
thanks all of its members and
supporters, including the Academic
Boosters! More information about FPS
and club updates can be found at our
website.
Lincoln Douglas
The Lincoln Douglas team kicked off the
2014-2015 season with our most
successful tournament ever. At the
highly competitive national Wake Forest
Earlybird Tournament, four debaters in
Junior Varsity broke to octafinals (the
round of 16), while two Varsity debaters
broke to double octafinals (round of 20).
Of these, Allen Cheng made it to finals,
placing 2nd overall in LD Junior Varsity,
and Shreyas Garg made it to
semifinals, placing 3rd overall in LD
Varsity.
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
This level of success by a debate team
at TJ at a national tournament is
unprecedented. At a tournament with
more than 100 of the best LD debaters
in the country present, more than half of
the 11 competitors we sent advanced to
elimination rounds, and we came quite
close to winning the entire tournament in
both JV and Varsity. The other
competitors who advanced to
elimination rounds were Kevin
Livingstone, Sahith Malyala, and
Aakash Shukla in JV, as well as Jay
Gupta in Varsity. Vishal Tandale and
Ashwin Sivakumar also competed in
JV, and Aneesh Reddy, Kunal Shroff,
and Kaushik Venkatesh also competed
in Varsity. Almost everyone finished with
at least a 3-3 record; we are proud of
our entire team.
We are excited about our success at
Wake Forest and hope to achieve
similar results in approaching
tournaments such as WACFL 1, the
Walt Whitman Capital Beltway Fall
Classic, and the George Mason
University Patriot Games Classic.
Model United Nations
TJMUN is excited to announce its
leadership for the 2014-2015 school
year!
Secretary-General: Sreya Atluri
Under-Secretaries-General:
Aidan Hennessey-Niland and Becca
Merriman-Goldring
Senator: Cheryl Mensah
Arbitrator: Shohini Gupta
Activities Coordinators: Nora
Thompson, Giancarlo Valdetaro, and
Patrick Ryan
Crisis Czars: Will Frank, Vikram
Sardana
Fundraising Coordinators: Kritika
Singh, Shreya Bhatia, Abhi Mogili
General Meetings Coordinator: Abhi
Chadha
Historian: Claire Scoggins
Official Photographer: Will Ryu
Secretary/Mock Coordinator: Laura Chu
Treasurer: Noah Shin
Webmaster: Sudhamsh Tippireddy
Nations (WMHSMUN) conference in
Williamsburg from November 14-16.
Public Forum Debate
The Public Forum Debate team started
its 2014-2015 season at the Wake
Forest Invitational, a national
tournament hosted by Wake Forest
University. Over 130 Public Forum
teams participated, with 32 teams
breaking to elimination rounds. Two TJ
teams, Jeffrey Xia/Danny Wang and
Sudhamsh Tippireddy/Deepanshu
Singh were able to achieve winning
records, at 4-2 each. Three other teams
-- Dhruv Gupta/Srijith Poduval, Joe
Karaki/Jake Cui, and Shiraz
Chokshi/Rohan Suri -- also competed.
We hope to have a successful year in
other local and national tournaments.
We will compete in all five WACFLs and
in national tournaments such as the
Capital Beltway Classic at Walt
Whitman in October and the GMU
Patriot Classic in December.
TJMUN will be kicking off its national
circuit of conferences by traveling to
attend the William and Mary High
School Model United
TJHSST Techcetera
Page 17
October 2014
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Band Boosters
The TJ Band program is in full swing. We
encourage you to attend concerts and
support our musicians through our
fundraisers such as license plate frames,
2014 White House ornaments, spirit wear,
and grocery Scrip. Find out more and
support the Band Programs by going to our
website. Go Colonials!
Colonial Athletic Boosters
(CAB)
Freshman Football: The latest step in
the great TJHSST football tradition is in
place! After much hard work,
commitment, and a slow start, the new
Colonials have recently established
enough players to begin their season.
Five future stars joined the varsity
players for summer workouts, beginning
conditioning and weight lifting in early
July. Approximately ten freshmen began
August 4th, enduring the two-a-day
practices in part through the leadership
of the upper class players and due to
their commitment to continue the
tradition. While the initial group was too
small to fully execute plays, the
dedicated few focused on the key
fundamentals of football to improve the
TJHSST Techcetera
ever critical technique they would need
for blocking, tackling, and pass routes.
Coach Auerbach, the Head Freshman
Football Coach, back for his 12th year,
said “we started small, but as school
kicked off, the passion and excitement
of our team caught fire, and we were
able to recruit ten more athletes – and
now we have enough critical mass to
begin our season. I’m excited for the
potential they show – with their passion,
dedication to hard work and love for the
game, I have every confidence that the
freshmen will complete the season with
pride, fun, and a strong sense of
accomplishment – and continue the
great TJHSST football tradition.”
Varsity Football: Being part of a
football team provides many lessons.
Among these are the importance of
teamwork, discipline, and getting up
after you’ve been knocked down. The
TJ football team has been knocked
down a few times this year. Already a
smaller team in numbers than most of
their rivals, injuries have caused key
players to miss multiple games or to
play at less than full capacity. As a
result, many younger and less
experienced players have been pressed
into action on the varsity sooner than
ideal. Some teams might buckle under
Page 18
this adversity, but TJ hasn’t. The team
continues to improve and while the final
scores of the first two regular season
games were disappointing, they were
highlighted by strong team and
individual play that will be built upon
during the rest of the season.
The strength of this team is with their
senior class, many of whom rarely leave
the field. One such senior, Donny
Waymire, played at least three positions
on offense, was all over the field on
defense as a linebacker, and also
punted and returned kicks. He scored a
touchdown in the game against Stuart
and would have had two if not for an
official inadvertently stepping in front of
him. Unfortunately, Donny suffered an
injury in the Falls Church game that will
cause him to miss the rest of the
season. His presence on the field will be
missed greatly and our best wishes for a
speedy recovery go out to him. Jackson
Dubro is another do-everything senior
who rarely leaves the field except to
catch his breath. Jackson is the
placekicker, the starting running back, a
kick returner and a key member of the
defensive secondary - leading the team
in tackles in the Stuart game. When on
offense he runs behind a very talented
offensive line anchored by three seniors:
Conrad Gehrki, David Lanman, and
Parsa Zand. All three are also two way
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
starters on the defensive line. Conrad,
David and Parsa are joined on the
offensive line by Matt Heninger and
Ryan Bolton. Edward Zhou ably filled
in for Conrad when he had to miss the
Falls Church game due to injury.
The Colonial’s quarterback, junior Nick
Lemanski has already had several
highlight reel plays and scored at least
one touchdown in each of the first two
games. In the Stuart game he ran for
over 100 yards and in the Falls Church
game he led the offense on a superb 65
yard “two minute drill” drive at the end of
the first half scoring a touchdown as
time wound down to almost zero.
Freshman Volleyball: The freshman
volleyball team is off to a great start.
Having practiced together in the
summer, these 11 players had a great
opportunity to bond and start the school
year already having friends the first day
of school.
Coach Kinnary Shah is so proud to
have this team as her first ever as a
head coach. Captains, Simra Ali,
Rachel Li and Renee Li lead the team.
The team consists of Louise Hicks,
Chloe Anderson, Vanshika Nerala,
Sam Dasari, Aishani Pal, Jahnavi
Prabhala, Alicia Wang, and Shivani
Mullapudi.
Other performances of note include that
of junior Matt Conway who led the team
in both receptions in the Falls Church
game and tied fellow junior Vikram
Gupta for tackles in that same game.
September games played after the
deadline for this article include the
Wakefield and Marshall games. October
games include a rare Thursday (Oct 2nd)
home game against Fairfax, away
games against South Lakes and James
Madison the following two Fridays, a
home game against Langley on Oct 24th
and a Halloween night treat at McLean.
Please come out to cheer on your
Colonials!!
TJHSST Techcetera
victory in both. The regular season
began with two away games, losing 0 to
2 to Stonebridge and winning 2 to 1
against West Potomac. On September
10th won their first home game against
Langley High. The freshman team is
practicing hard for six more home
games and five away games.
Please come out and watch the
freshman team at TJ! Your cheers are
greatly needed!
JV Volleyball: In the August 21st
scrimmage against Annandale High
School, the JV team earned $60 for the
ALS Association (Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis) with 19 aces, 8 kills, and 3
blocks.
On September 8th, the team traveled to
West Potomac High where they won the
match 2 to 1. Next, they played two
home matches. During the first match,
they lost to Langley High School 1 to 2,
and then on September 15th the team
lost to Madison High 1 to 2.
Freshman Volleyball Team 2014
The team started out the season with
two scrimmages against Hayfield
Secondary and Annandale HS with a
Page 19
The official JV team roster is as follow:
Sophomores Jessica Wang, Kiersten
Paul, Tamara Drpic, Rachel Sequeira,
Sarah Hoback, Ana Sharma, Brittney
Fogg, Sania Ali, Meghna Sil and
juniors Wendy Wang and Katie Pruitt
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
The team elected Team Captains,
sophomores Tamara Drpic and Katie
Pruitt.
JV Volleyball Team 2014
The team’s intense 5 days a week
practices under Head Coach’s
Katharine Genton direction have been
working hard on conditioning and
fundamentals in preparation of strong
skills and team work for the next home
game vs. Fairfax High School.
JV Field Hockey: JV Field Hockey has
been hitting the field with determination,
lots of team spirit, and ready to take on
whatever challenge is ahead. Starting
out with an inspirational pep-talk from
team Captains Angela Goyal and
Gabby Huckabee gets the team
TJHSST Techcetera
encouraged and excited to take the
field! We started our season off with a
loss and two ties, but the team has
developed great sportsmanship skills
and positive attitudes. At J.E.B Stuart
High, the team kicked off the game with
the first goal of the season made by MyLinh Budzien and tying 2-2 in the end.
They then made a comeback against
Lee High School, winning 3-0 and had
great offense lined up in corner
formations.
The JV Field Hockey team is made up
of 11 new freshman players, including
two new freshman goalies, Masha
Goykhberg and Caroline Hatcher. Our
aggressive offense is made up of
forwards: Ausha Samant, Ramya Ravi,
Sneha Ravi, and Lucia Gomez. Our
midfields know exactly when to step up
and to block the opposing team’s
passes, which starts the game off at a
fast pace! Richa Gupta, Caelen
Barranta, Neha Khandelwal, and
Tishani Patel make up the midfield
positions, providing back up for forwards
and sure know how to carry the ball
down the field! Defense is made up of
My- Linh Budzien, Alexandra SoccioMallon, Meron Girma, Mahati Malladi,
as well as team captains Gabby
Huckabee and Angela Goyal.
Page 20
JV Field Hockey Team 2014
Photo credit: Martin Gomez
This team is full of TJ spirit and energy,
and had a great start to the season!
Let’s go Colonials!
Girls’ and Boys’ Cross Country:
Cross Country Teams opened the
season at the PR Kickoff Invitational.
The Freshman Girls, Sophomore Boys,
Junior/Senior Boys and Girls all took
third place as teams. Individual
highlights include Saurav Valeteth
winning the Boys’ Sophomore race,
Sherry Xie with a strong 6th place finish
in the Girls Freshman race, and Haley
Stumvoll taking 3rd overall in the
Junior/Senior Girls race. Other top ten
individual finishers for TJ included
sophomore Will Baxley, senior Katrina
Junta, and junior Nathan Riopelle.
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
and the DC XC Invitational on
September 27th.
Seniors Haley Stumvoll and Katrina Junta at
Monroe Parker
The following week, at the Monroe
Parker Invitational, the Varsity Boys, led
by the strong trio of Christopher Blagg
(20th), Nate Foss (21st) and Nathan
Riopelle (31st) who all completed this
three-mile race in under 16:25, tied for
fourth place out of 30 teams. In the Boys
JV race sophomore Will Baxley ran
away from the field in winning the race
by 40 seconds. In the Girls JV race
Nikita Sawant took ninth place and her
teammate Violet Felt was close behind
in eleventh place. The Girls’ Varsity took
fourteenth overall out of 28 teams, with
Haley Stumvoll’s strong eighteenth
place individual finish.
Cross Country team members and
parents, please send an email to
TJRunLiaisons at gmail.com if you
are not yet receiving team newsletters
and announcements. Check the
Athletics website and use the Cross
Country team link to see the current
schedule.
Senior Christopher Blagg and Junior Nate Foss
at Monroe Parker
Do you want to be part of our nationally
recognized rowing program? Do you
want to improve your physical
endurance, muscular strength, and get
in top physical shape? If so, join one of
the most competitive public schools
programs in the Nation - our TJ Crew
Team!
No prior experience is needed to row
with us. Every year we sign up
approximately 120 co-ed members in
our team, which include returning boys
and girls rowers and also a significant
number of first-time rowers to row in our
freshman and novice boats.
We invite all freshmen and upper class
novices and their parents to come to the
TJ Boathouse Open House at Sandy
Run Regional Park on Saturday,
October 11, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
This is a great opportunity for all
potential rowers and their families to
come see our facilities; visit with
coaches, veteran rowers, and crew
parents; and experience on-water
After this strong start to the season the
teams are hoping to improve on this
start in the coming weeks, including the
Oatlands Invitational on September 20th
TJHSST Techcetera
Crew Boosters
Page 21
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
rowing with our returning rowers in one
of our racing shells. We are very proud
of Sandy Run and look forward to
showing it off to all interested rowers
and parents. Please check our website
for details and directions to our
boathouse.
travel, fundraisers, communications, and
much more. Details for this event will be
posted on the team’s website.
Rowing is a spring sport. However,
many of our rowers (both boys and girls)
have already started rowing in
competitive/developmental teams with
the Resilient Rowing Club, on the
Occoquan. Our rowers will race this fall
in four regattas: the Occoquan
Challenge, the Occoquan Chase, the
Head of the Occoquan, and the Head of
the Schuylkill regatta in Philadelphia.
One boat of girls (eight) and two boats
of boys (eight and four) will be selected
to row in the prestigious Head of the
Charles Regatta in Boston.
and/or TJ Crew President Lee Wittle at
TJCrewpresident at gmail.com.
Parents are always welcome at the
Crew Booster Board Meetings, which
are held at TJ on the second
Wednesday of each month. The
October Board meeting will be held on
October 15 at 7:00 pm at TJ, Trailer
#10.
TJ Crew Practice Site at Sandy Run
The second event of the season is the
Crew Family Interest Night, which will
be held on Tuesday, October 21, at
7:00 pm at the Weyanoke Elementary
School Cafeteria. Weyanoke is walking
distance from TJ and across Braddock
Road from the Baptist Church. Parking
is available at the Weyanoke School.
Mark your calendars now for this
important event! A lot of valuable
information will be discussed, so it is
vital that anyone who will be
participating in this year’s TJ Crew
Program, students AND parents, be
present. We will talk about schedules,
TJHSST Techcetera
The official TJ Crew team training
begins on Monday, November 20, with
our winter conditioning program. In late
February, when the spring season
arrives, our team rows daily on the
beautiful Occoquan River at Sandy Run
Regional Park under the guidance of our
top coaches. For regattas pictures and
videos check out our webpage.
For questions, students should contact
the Crew Captains at TJMensCaptains
at gmail.com and TJWomensCaptains
at gmail.com. Questions may also be
emailed to our team’s head coach Kim
Ehrman at kimehrman at gmail.com,
Page 22
Did You Know????
It’s so easy! All you have to do is
shop at Amazon.com using this
special Amazon.com link, and the
PTSA earns 4-15% of most
purchases!
Questions? Email helenia.pan at
gmail.com.
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
Orchestra Boosters
Early autumn is always a busy time at
TJ and is especially so in the music
wing with students transitioning to a new
school year and a number of students
preparing for Senior Regional Orchestra
auditions. All orchestra students are
getting ready for the first concert of the
season, too. We encourage all families
to come out and enjoy the music
provided by TJ’s Philharmonia and
Symphonic Orchestras at the free
concert on Friday, October 17, at 7:00
pm in the TJ auditorium. We look
forward to seeing you there!
Looking further ahead, usher in the
winter season with the orchestra’s
grandest event of the year, the
Viennese Ball! This year’s ball will take
place on Friday evening, November 21,
at TJ; watch for more details as we get
closer to the date. Elegantly dressed in
finery, students (and interested parents)
waltz and polka to live music provided
by the TJ orchestra. Swing dance is also
featured! The admission charge
includes not only the dance floor, but the
delicious food and refreshments
provided by orchestra members.
Orchestra parents, watch for further
announcements on how you can
volunteer to help make this a
memorable evening.
TJHSST Techcetera
Orchestra Boosters help support these
and other events during the year. Learn
more about Boosters in your orchestra
student’s classroom at Back to School
Night, at our membership table during
concert night, or by going to our
webpage and clicking on the “Booster
membership form” link. Many thanks to
families who have already joined!
even in the face of danger. The comedy
was a smash hit from its premiere in
Broadway's Times Square Theatre on
August 14, 1928.
Other Club News
Drone Club
Theatre Boosters
Parents, please join TJ Theatre
Boosters and support the students
participating in drama. TJ Drama
produces 2-3 plays and/or musicals
each year, including student directed
one-act plays titled "The Annual Knight
of One Axe,” now in its 28th year. The
first meeting of the TJ Theatre Boosters
is Monday, October 6th, at 6:00 pm in
the Choral Room. New members are
being sought for volunteer positions.
Come and help support your student in
TJ Drama.
Drone Club starting at TJ! Arthur
Tisseront, Junior, started a new "Drone
Club" this year. The Drone Club will
teach all aspects of the positive use of
drone technology, drone safety, how to
build a drone, avionics, and more. Guest
speakers from the FAA and AMA, as
well as Kashmir World Foundation are
expected. Watch for announcements!
Students should email Arthur at
randommized at gmail.com** to
indicate their interest in the club!
** email address was misspelled in the
September Techcetera.
The first production this year is the play
"Front Page.” It will be performed
November 14 and 15 at 7:00 pm at TJ.
Written by Ben Hecht and Charles
MacArthur, "Front Page" is a play that
defined the modern stereotype of a
reporter as a hard-drinking, hard-boiled
journalist intent on uncovering truth
Page 23
October 2014
Click Here to Return to Index
Marketplace
Band Boosters
Show your TJ pride with a red, white
and blue license plate frame for your
car.
Also, check out the Fundraisers button
at tjbands.org for more opportunities to
help TJ’s great band program.
In addition to license plates, the Band
Boosters also offer the 2014 White
House ornament, Spirit Wear, Scrip
and Citrus for sale. (Citrus starts in
November.) Come see us at BTSN!
What is TJ’s Band Scrip Program?
Scrip is a fundraising program where
you buy gift cards to use at your favorite
stores, gas stations, and restaurants.
You pay face value for the gift cards,
and a percentage of your purchase
goes to support the TJ Marching
Colonials, Curricular Bands, and Winter
Drum Line and Guard.
How important is Scrip to TJ Bands?
VERY important! TJ Bands can earn
thousands of dollars in Scrip rebates to
help defray the cost of uniforms,
instruments, competition fees,
instruction, and trips. The key is for
ALL of our families to participate. If you
buy groceries, you can help!
Frames can include the TJ class year
alone (as pictured above), or for the
same great price of $20 you can custom
order your frame with additional class
years (for multiple children), school
name, team, club or slogan!
2014 White House Ornaments
See the License Plate Frames Order
Form for more details.
TJHSST Techcetera
Page 24
October 2014
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Noteworthy Dates
October 2014
4
6
8
8
8
13
15
17
17
17
21
22
27-30
31
TJ Boathouse Open House, Sandy Run Regional
Park, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Theatre Boosters Meeting 6:00 pm in Choral Rm
Telelearn Day
Back to School Night
4:00 – 6:00 pm Grades 9 and 12
6:10 – 6:50 pm PTSA Meeting in Auditorium
7:00 – 9:00 pm Grades 10 and 11
Crew Boosters Board Meeting 7:00 pm in T10
Columbus Day – School Holiday
PSAT – Early Release
Reflections Submissions Deadline
Make-up Photos for Underclassmen
Orchestra Concert 7:00 pm in Auditorium
Crew Family Interest Night 7:00 pm at Weyanoke
Elementary School Cafeteria
Academic Boosters General Meeting 6:30 pm in
Auditorium
Final Round for Senior Portraits in Auditorium
First Grading Period Ends – Early Release
3
4
11
14-15
November 2014
Student Holiday (staff development day)
Student Holiday (teacher workday)
Veteran’s Day – NO STUDENT HOLIDAY
“Front Page,” Theatre Production, 7:00 pm in
Auditorium
21
Principal’s Coffee 9:00 – 11:00 am
21
Viennese Ball
26
Early Release
27- 28 Thanksgiving Break
Don’t Forget!
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Sign up for (or update) the Student
Directory
Become a PTSA Member
Get involved & join the fun –
Volunteer!
Start earning FREE Money for TJ
Stay informed- Sign up for KIT and
Blackboard
6) Sign up to receive “This Week at
TJ” by clicking on link on the TJ
PTSA Home Page.
TJHSST Techcetera
Page 25
October 2014