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Students test
poorly on
English final
By Ethan Wang
Students in all grade levels performed
poorly on first semester on-level English
exams, according to a score report calculated by Pinnacle, Blair’s computerized
grading program. Freshmen and sophomore scores were particularly low, with
no on-level student in either grade receiving an “A” on the final and the majority
receiving a “D” or below.
English resource teacher Vickie Adamson said that poor performance on the
on-level finals is not a new concern and
that on-level students have experienced
difficulties with the exam in past years
as well. This year, however, she was able
to assess student performance across the
board after receiving training for Principal Viewer, a Pinnacle tool that provides
a breakdown of student scores according
to letter grade.
Adamson said she believes the main
explanation for the low test scores is that
the on-level English exam can be as difficult as the Honors exam. She said that the
county has tried to standardize the difficulty of finals for all classes to match that
of the English High School Assessment,
making the on-level exam much harder
than the class itself and extremely challenging for students. “It’s not that these
students aren’t learning,” she said. “It’s
that there’s a difference in intensity and
level [between the final] and what we’re
teaching.”
Keith Anderson, who teaches onlevel 10th grade English and Advanced
Placement English Language, explained
that reading comprehension is the primary obstacle for on-level students and
the underlying reason for why students
struggled on the exam. “Both the final,
and more importantly the HSA, are essentially reading exams,” he said. “The
school knows this, and that’s why there’s
Blair receives HSA grant
By David Meyer
Blair received a $94,980 grant to further
efforts to improve High School Assessment
(HSA) scores this year, according to Principal Darryl Williams. The state-issued grant
came in response to Blair’s failure to make
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the second straight year.
According to Williams, the State School
Improvement Grant will provide extra instructional materials and staffing to help
meet AYP this year and improve test scores
on all HSA exams. Of the four HSA tests —
English, algebra, government and biology
— only English and algebra are factored into
AYP performance.
As part of the 2001 No Child Left Behind
Act, all schools in the country must pass standards for specific student subgroups to make
AYP and receive federal funding. Blair failed
to meet passing rates in the Limited English
see HSA GRANT page 11
CHRISTINA MULLEN
Board adopts
FY 2009 budget
Political parade
By Jesse Gonzalez
PHOTOS BY ELSA HAAG
Clockwise from top: Martin O’Malley, Bill Clinton, Anna Van Hollen, the daughter
of Congressman Chris Van Hollen, and Michelle Obama speak to constituents.
see BUDGET page 12
see ENGLISH FINAL page 11
OP/ED 2
The MCPS Board of Education voted
unanimously to adopt Superintendent Jerry
Weast’s $2.1 billion operating budget for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 on Feb. 5, adding an
amendment to fund ongoing middle school
reform initiatives.
According to Shirley Brandman, vice
president of the Board, the amendment was
funded by redirecting money originally earmarked for increasing the number of lunch
and recess aides at elementary schools.
Board members voted on Weast’s proposal after two public hearings and two evening work sessions in January, during which
members worked with employee associations
representing teachers, support professionals, administrators and, for the first time, the
Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA).
Brandman said that this year was also the
first time the Board organized the budget
work sessions around its seven academic priorities, ranging from strengthening familyschool relationships to optimizing resources.
Board members introduced a priority and
then examined the budget to ensure that it
was addressed, Brandman said, rather than
simply evaluating the proposal as a whole.
According to Brandman, the most visible
Primary colors
ROSIE KALLER
Ta k o m a P a r k
residents enjoy
a bake sale held
outside a polling
station during
the Feb. 12 Potomac primary.
Over two million
voters from Virginia, Maryland
and Washington,
D.C. participated
in the vote.
Fighting against financial fears
By Elena Gooray
Where only first names appear, names have been
changed to protect the identities of sources.
Senior Nelson Palomo runs over his
list of tasks for the evening. There’s geometry homework, biology, algebra — and this
month’s rent, which he must pay by himself.
As a financially independent student, Palomo is accountable not only for his academic
responsibilities, but also for his own housing,
food and transportation. And as a native El
Salvadoran, he has found that the ability to
provide for himself — to fulfill the American
dream — is not easily attained, especially
during a fragile time for the U.S. economy.
According to Barbara Goldberg-Goldman,
founder of the Affordable Housing Conference of Montgomery County, the county’s
economy reflects a growing nationwide financial strain, particularly in the local housing crisis and rising cost of living. Even as it
becomes increasingly difficult to rely on the
see INDEPENDENCE page 19
insideCHIPS
A toxic trend:
Break up to make up:
Teen girls are
closing the gender
gap — but in a
way that may
pose a significant
threat to women’s
health.
Governor Martin
O’Malley and
Board of Education
president Nancy
Grasmick end a
months-long political standoff.
see page 4
see page 8
SOAPBOX 7
NEWS 8
FEATURES 15
Darfur divestment:
All-star support:
Students for
Global Responsibility continues
its divestment
campaign to stop
the genocide in
Darfur.
Like Hillary
for president?
Samuel L. Jackson
does, too. Find
out which celebrities are endorsing
which candidates.
see page 11
see page 22
ENTERTAINMENT 21
CHIPS CLIPS 26
LA ESQUINA LATINA 27
SPORTS 29
2 EDITORIALS
silverCHIPS
March 6, 2008
Keeping up
motivation as well
as enrollment
If only forcing people to do something could make them want to
do it.
Unfortunately, a group of Maryland senators appears to be caught
up in this naïve thinking. Led by Baltimore City Senator Catherine
Pugh, the legislators have proposed a bill to raise Maryland’s legal
high school dropout age from 16 to 18 in order to keep students in
school until they are responsible enough to make an informed decision. But what these lawmakers neglect to consider is that requiring
students to stay in school for another two years will only cultivate
bitterness and do nothing to motivate them to succeed.
For students to truly benefit from high school, they must apply
themselves in their classes, strive for high grades and start preparing for life after graduation. But for struggling students, every day
at school presents new frustrations that make them long to escape.
While these students clearly need encouragement to stay in school,
they will remain disengaged from their classes if they feel they are
only being urged not to drop out before they turn 18 because of a
legal requirement. As in almost any situation, being told “You have
to do it” rather than “You can do it” can be painfully disheartening.
At-risk students who feel demoralized by a stricter dropout
policy would no doubt have difficulty graduating on time. Many
would likely drop out as soon as they reached the eligible age (which
could certainly occur well before the end of their senior year). In the
workplace, an 18-year-old high school dropout is still closed off to
most of the same opportunities as a 16-year-old high school dropout.
Unless educators work to help students plan their futures, keeping
students in school until they turn 18 does not automatically open
doors. In light of this, the cost of hiring additional teachers and adding classrooms to accommodate students who wanted to drop out
— estimated at over $200 million annually in a study conducted by a
state task force — proves unwarranted.
Pugh counters financial concerns surrounding the bill by asserting that because a large percentage of prison inmates are high school
dropouts, the state can actually save money by reallocating funds
from juvenile detention facilities toward education. However, it
would be foolish to assume that 18-year-old dropouts would be less
likely than 16-year-olds to break the law, especially when 18 states
have already set the dropout age at 18. Furthermore, Pugh seems
rather hasty to assume that dropping out of high school causes
delinquent behavior and that forcing students to stay in high school
would keep them out of jail. If anything, legally binding students to
stay in an environment they find frustrating could make them more
likely to resist authority.
The key criterion for ensuring that all students gain a complete
high school education is eliminating resentment toward the school
system. Only by instilling in students a passion for learning can educators and lawmakers alike persuade students to finish high school
the way they should finish high school — of their own accord.
silverCHIPS
silverCHIPS
Montgomery Blair High School
51 University Boulevard East
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Silver Chips phone number: (301) 649-2864
http://silverchips.mbhs.edu
Winner of the 2006 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Award
Silver Chips is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the editorial board and are not necessarily
those of the school. Signed letters to the editor are encouraged. Submit your letter to Lauren
Williams’ mailbox in the main office, to room 158 or to [email protected]. Concerns
about Silver Chips’ content should be directed to the Ombudsman, the public’s representative to
the paper, at [email protected]. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.
Editors-in-Chief...................................................................................................Hareesh Ganesan, Cate McCraw
Managing News Editors...............................................................................................Sarah Kinter, Laura Mirviss
Managing Features Editors................................................Nathan Goldstein, Lingfeng Li, Ankhi Thakurta
Managing Opinions and Editorials Editors...................................................Maddy Raskulinecz, Jasleen Salwan
Managing Entertainment Editors............................................................Cassie Cummins, Caitlin Schneiderhan
Specials Editor..........................................................................................................................................Molly Reed
Managing Sports Editors.......................................................................Dylan Baird, April DalBello, Jonas Shaffer
Production Manager................................................................................................................Maddy Raskulinecz
Managing Design Editor................................................................................................................Christina Mullen
Design Team.....................................................................Cassie Cummins, April DalBello, Ankhi Thakurta
Managing Photography Editors....................................................................................Rosie Kaller, Andrea Lynn
Managing Art Editor..........................................................................................................................Alex Demarais
Public Relations Director..................................................................................................................Amanda Pollak
Print-Online Coordinator...................................................................................................................Boris Vassilev
Ombudsman.........................................................................................................................................Jonas Shaffer
Fact-Check Supervisor.........................................................................................................................Sarah Kinter
Newsbriefs Editor........................................................................................................................Adelaide Waldrop
Extras Editor.....................................................................................................Hannah Wolfman-Arent
Executive Business Director..........................................................................................................Meghan Cadigan
Executive Communications Director........................................................................................................Steven Lu
Executive Advertising Director.................................................................................................................Julie Brice
Public Relations Executive........................................................................................................................Maile Zox
Business Staff.....................................................................................................Sally Huang, San Lam, Phillip Scott
Page Editors..............................................................................................................Neva Bowers, Lindsay Brewer,
...............................................................................................................................................David Fegley, Ian Gold,
....................................................................................................................................Jesse Gonzalez, Elena Gooray,
..............................................................................................................................Christopher Hsing, David Meyer,
...................................................................................................................................Rutvij Pandya, Stefanie Robey,
...................................................................................................................Sahar Shahamatdar, Adelaide Waldrop,
......................................................................................................................Ethan Wang, Hannah Wolfman-Arent,
................................................................................................................................................ Carol Yang, Meng Zhai
Spanish Page Editors....................................................................Esther Akinnagbe, Sandra Brizo, Juan Orellana
Spanish Page Copy Editor..................................................................................................................Dora Gonzalez
Spanish Page Writers.........................................................................................Esther Akinnagbe, Sandra Brizo
Editorial Writers......................................................................................................................Jasleen Salwan
Photographers.........................................................................................................Elsa Haag, Solena Laigle
Artists................................................................................................Andy Holmes, Abraham Murrel, Tom Stokes
Sports Writers......................................................................................Dylan Baird, Nathan Goldstein, Greg Kohn,
.......................................................................................Amanda Pollak, Jonas Shaffer, Anshul Sood, Rachita Sood
Professional Technical Adviser....................................................................................................Anne Wisniewski
Adviser............................................................................................................................................Lauren Williams
The necessity of advertising profit
Business money, no matter the source, makes Chips possible
In its long history, Silver Chips
has printed controversial feature
stories, disruptive news updates
and even hotly contested sports
pieces and entertainment reviews.
But never can I remember in
my four years at Blair an advertisement that had people talking. And
that was exactly the case this past
month.
In the January and December editions, Silver Chips
ran the debated advertisement on page 24, a page specifically designated for ads.
Sandwiched in between an
ad for a photography studio
and dentistry practice was an
ad for Birthright.
In bold letters stretched
across the top of the ad
space, the advertisement
asked: “Do I really want to
have an abortion?” In smaller type, it then reads: “You
need information. Let’s discuss your options.” The text
is also supplemented with
two pictures of some visibly
distressed girls, presumably
deciding whether they want
to terminate their pregnancies with an abortion.
Most people only
glanced over the advertisement, but some began
circulating rumors about
the company’s practices. Although
the pregnancy service claims to
offer “professional, confident and
caring” treatment, whisperings of
unethical and unusual procedures
by Birthright found their way into
Blair’s hallways. They included allegations that Birthright promotes
untrue propaganda that aims to
essentially “brainwash” women
into not having an abortion.
It’s not up to Silver Chips to
decide if these assertions are true
or false. It’s also not up to this
newspaper to solicit an advertisement from an abortion clinic to
effectively counter the “influence”
this advertisement may have.
Silver Chips would be impossible
to produce without the advertising
money the business staff earns each
year, and we can’t possibly force a
company to choose to purchase an
advertisement or sacrifice valuable
advertisement space so that there is
a sense of moral equity.
Advertisements differ from
any other article printed in the
Ombudsman Jonas Shaffer
newspaper. Before the Silver Chips
Editors-in-Chief decide to prublish
a particlar story, they must first
consider whether it is an accurate
and objective portrayal of the facts.
Before an opinion or editorial
endorsement is printed, the fivemember editorial board must ensure that the entire editorial is wellsubstantiated and consistent with
the views of the paper. In doing so,
we ensure an evenhandedness in
a matter that directly concerns all
of our readers — a matter separate
from financial responsibilities.
But the same approach cannot
apply to advertisements. Ads fill
the pages of Silver Chips because
we are paid by individuals or
Web Exclusives
Look for breaking news, updates and sports beats on the new
Silver Chips Online:
• The state wrestling finals at Cole Field House
• Review of the spring musical, “Beauty and the Beast”
• Boys’ basketball season wrap-up
• Results of SGA’s second annual charity challenge
businesses to share their message.
There is no decision-making process for advertisements, aside from
where to place them.
The Silver Chips business staff
actively solicits ads from all possible sources. The solicitation process is indiscriminate because the
paper could not stand if it was not.
Indeed, by using indiscrimnate policies, we strengthen
the editorial policy that we
do not endorse any ads we
print. By casting a wider
advertising net, Silver Chips
invariably reaps greater advertising revenue, a necessity
for any newspaper to meet
the expenses of production
and distribution.
With that wide scope of
potential businesses, it’s expected that there would be a
range of businesses good and
bad, big and small, national
and local, who would be
interested in purchasing ad
space. It’s not the decision
of the Editors-in-Chief to decide whether each company
is worthy of being printed.
There is no threshold of business success that advertisers
must reach before they can
make the pages of this paper.
If they have the means to pay
for an advertisement, and do
nothing to disrupt the environment
of school (for example, no ads
teaching kids how to cheat), their
ads will be printed.
Silver Chips can’t promise that
all of the advertisements will help
make individual judgment calls,
just like we can’t guarantee that
the opinions voiced in the editorial
page are in agreement with your
own beliefs.
But it’s essential to understand
that without the advertising revenue, Silver Chips would not exist
as we know it. Their services may
challenge your values. Their offers
may upset your core beliefs. But
as the saying goes, the show must
go on.
Letters to the
Editor
Voice your opinion!
Submit letters to the
editor to room 158, silver.
[email protected] or
Lauren Williams’ mailbox
in the main office.
silverCHIPS
PRO/CON
March 6, 2008
3
Should schools continue to group students
by ability into three levels?
On Feb. 11, a group of American Studies students attended a conference hosted by the Montgomery County Education Forum (MCEF) to discuss the long-term consequences of separating
students into “on-level,” “Honors” or “AP” classes. Students are often separated in elementary
school and placed on “tracks” that determine their course selection through high school.
Jesse Gonzalez says YES
Jasleen Salwan says NO
Tracking works when the jump is made from theory
to practice.
Tracking puts students on a path to mediocrity and,
ultimately, failure.
When a bridge breaks, no one runs to
blame the concept of a bridge. No one
orders, for fear of another collapse, that
all bridges be destroyed and construction
of new bridges be ceased. Obviously, the
bridge itself is not the problem — the fault
instead lies with the engineers who failed
to make the structure sound.
But this simple notion seems to be lost
on many school administrators, who are
quick to pin problems in education on the
ideas behind tracking — grouping students by ability and performance — rather
than the schools’ execution of those ideas.
When built correctly, schools that use tracking can help to close the achievement gap
and provide a path to advanced learning
for all students, regardless of race, gender
or socio-economic status. If the bridge is
built wrong — as it is in many schools that
attempt ability grouping — it will fall.
At its core, tracking is not the monster
that many make it out to be. Instead, it
is the idea that students should be able
to learn at their own pace, that they will
have higher self esteem when working
with peers who are at their own skill level,
that educators can focus and teach better
when their pupils have similar abilities and
that a one-size-fits-all classroom setting is
doomed to monotony and failure, as most
one-size-fits-all ideas are.
In order to understand how to make
the jump from solid theory to effective
practice, one must first recognize the
shortcomings of the current practice, and
then correct those flaws. One of the largest
concerns is how students in “lower tracks”
are educated in contrast to their “highertrack” peers. Students in “gifted and
talented” classes are given the best teachers and most enriched lesson plans,
while the others — often perceived,
however unintentionally, as “ungifted
and untalented” — are usually stuck
with less experienced teachers and
a weaker curriculum, as found in a
1985 study by Jeannie Oakes published in the Yale University Press. It
is an unjust practice that leaves many
students behind and finds no support from either side of the tracking
debate.
But this is not, contrary to what
opponents of grouping believe, an
inevitable outcome of tracking. The
problem instead lies with teachers
and curricula. When these factors
are taken into account, according to
a 1982 study by James and Chen-Lin
Kulik, “the effect of grouping is nearzero on the achievement of average
and below average students; it is not
negative.” Students in grouped systems are not harmed any more than
their ungrouped counterparts.
Though this information dispels
some myths about the supposedly
inescapable downsides of tracking, it
is still far from the type of equity that
proponents of tracking strive for. It is
unfair that the “gifted and talented”
group of students benefits from the
current system while the others are
simply “not harmed.” Again, this is
something that can be improved with
refined execution of grouping, something
that one county school has been bold
enough to try.
Five years ago at Rock View Elementary
School, proficiency in the eight subgroups
established by the No Child Left Behind
Act ranged from eight percent in the
limited English proficiency category to 80
percent for white students. Today, due to
the school’s masterful execution of tracking, proficiency exceeds 72 percent in each
subgroup. Class assignments are flexible, and students are frequently assessed
and reassigned to different performance
groups. No student is ever “demoted” at
Rock View — if they are struggling, they
simply receive additional help to catch up.
Teachers are able to focus and devote more
time to their students because they are all
on a similar level. Students do not feel
held back or in over their heads.
Still, despite this strong evidence to the
contrary, some argue that separating students by ability is detrimental and counterproductive. But these critics condemn
students to a one-size-fits-all education
that fails to accommodate diverse learning
styles. When county officials ordered Rock
View to stop tracking in 2005, test scores
dropped. The next fall, when grouping resumed, test scores jumped and hit all-time
highs for the school.
It is all too clear that any supposed
problems with tracking are not in the system’s fundamental ideas, but rather poor
implementation. When executed correctly,
these systems yield incredibly beneficial
results, and when they are disposed of,
students suffer. With the facts speaking for
themselves, it’s surprising that there is any
debate over the subject at all.
On-level. Honors. Advanced Placement (AP). We’ve grown so accustomed to
these categories that we sometimes forget
we no longer carry the labels of our “track”
after graduation. But when these categories become etched in our minds, certain
students — especially those deemed “atrisk” — lose the confidence that they will
ultimately need to shed those labels and
develop a niche in the workplace.
Struggling students are often placed in
remedial classes. And while these classes
aim to help students get back on track with
the standard curricula, they actually push
students back. English resource teacher
Vickie Adamson explained at the MCEF
conference that remedial classes hold
students to lower standards than regular
classes, instead of providing appropriately
challenging and motivating coursework.
Moreover, surrounding at-risk students
with other students who have failed classes
only serves to constantly remind them that
they belong to a below-average group,
making for a demoralizing environment
that discourages working to move up to
higher-level classes.
In addition to holding hardworking but
struggling students to low standards, onlevel and remedial classes are often the last
resort for students with discipline problems. As a result, diligent, well-behaved
students — who clearly need an environment conducive to learning — are often
instead placed in a classroom with frequent
distractions.
And whether teachers reprimand
students in the classroom or send them
to an administrator, disciplining students
detracts from crucial time that could be
spent learning — and the remaining time is
often dedicated to teaching to the test. Because Blair failed to meet Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) standards under the federal
No Child Left Behind Act for the second
straight year in 2007, it is understandable
that teachers are concerned about the High
School Assessments. But we must never
lose sight of the fact that teaching to the
test is a last resort, and it should come
only after doing everything possible to
help students succeed under the original
curriculum. Putting students in a remedial
class and subjecting them to a last-resort
teaching method does nothing to lend
depth to their education.
De-tracking classes can place students
who need more motivation in intellectually stimulating environments. Although
students who are accustomed to onlevel coursework may find Honors or AP
coursework challenging, they deserve the
chance to meet a higher bar. Adamson’s
American Studies class, an Honors credit,
contains students handpicked to represent
diverse academic backgrounds — from
students whose schedules are full of AP
classes to those who have never taken a
class above on-level. Working together,
the students make sense of advanced texts
such as William Faulkner’s The Sound and
the Fury, with everyone contributing their
own background knowledge to discussion
— just as people in the workplace bring
individual strengths to the table.
Even as administrators face pressure
to meet AYP, the county should encourage schools to design de-tracked courses.
Through these classes, teachers can instill
in students of all academic backgrounds
the confidence they need to rise to new
challenges.
CHRISTINA MULLEN
4 OP/ED
silverCHIPS
March 6, 2008
A problem uncorked, but unsolved
Increased substance abuse in teen girls is misdiagnosed
By Elena Gooray
An opinion
Apparently a drunk teenage
girl has become the new face of
gender equality.
According to a 2006 survey
conducted by the National Center
on Addiction and Substance
Abuse (CASA) at Columbia
University, girls between the ages
of 12 and 17 are now at equal or
higher risk for substance abuse
than boys of the same age. This
is the first time girls’ substance
abuse has exceeded that of boys,
and it comes at a time when overall rates of teen substance abuse
are decreasing.
In a Feb. 10 article in The
Washington Post, a number of
public health experts cited the
expansion of gender equality as a
key explanation for these conflicting trends. They claimed that
increasing opportunities for girls
leads to a rise in both positive and
negative behavior. But considering how significantly the increase
in substance abuse is outpacing
progress in the workforce — and
considering that girls’ drug and
alcohol use often reflects emotional insecurities — burgeoning
freedoms hardly seem like the
primary factor. Viewing girls’
substance abuse as a consequence
of female liberation will only help
disguise the true problems behind
this disconcerting trend.
Current inequity in compensation underscores a troubling
contradiction in the gender equality theory. According to a 2006
article published by the Society for
Human Resources Management,
the wage gap between men and
women is closing slowly and this
sluggish pace is at least partially
because of gender discrimination.
Even more disheartening is a 2005
study by Cornell University that
found blatantly preferential treatment toward men in the workforce. While mothers in the study
were less likely to be hired (and
for lower wages) than childless
women, fathers were more likely
to be hired and offered an average of $6,000 more in salary than
childless men.
This disparity raises an important question about attributing substance abuse to changing
roles in society: As teen girls are
rapidly closing the gender gap for
substance abuse, why are women
so slowly accomplishing positive
changes in the workforce?
Evidence suggests that physical and emotional differences
between genders may account for
the rise in female drug and alcohol abuse. According to Women
under the Influence, a 2006 book
published by CASA, girls have a
lower tolerance than boys for tobacco, alcohol and drugs, and they
can become addicted faster. Girls
are also more likely to use drugs
to lose weight, relieve stress or
boredom, improve their mood, reduce sexual inhibitions, self-medicate and raise their confidence.
Issues of self-esteem may affect
girls to a greater extent because
girls tend to have a less healthy
body image, according to a 2005
article in the American Journal of
Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
Ultimately, motivations for
substance abuse are rooted in
physical and psychological differences that make addictions a
greater emotional threat for girls.
Only substance abuse treatment
— therapy, prevention programs
and medical attention — can help
girls overcome underlying reasons for drug and alcohol abuse.
Currently, only eight percent of
American women who need substance abuse treatment receive it,
according to Women under the Influence. State governments need
to allocate more funds toward
substance abuse programs.
And teenage girls have an important role, too. Some girls claim
that partying is a valid means of
rebellion against a double standard, namely that society judges
girls more harshly than boys for
reckless behavior. While these
teens may have a legitimate concern about unfair expectations, the
fact remains that substance abuse
is destructive for both genders,
and will not alter expectations or
gain respect for women.
Society must be wary of emphasizing the impact of female
liberation on teen girls’ substance
abuse, lest this issue be dismissed
as an unavoidable side effect of
gender equality. It is crucial that
we recognize substance abuse for
all teens — but particularly for
young women — as a problem
demanding a serious response.
More treatment programs are
needed to prevent young girls
from seeing bottles of liquor as
the best relief from bottled up
concerns.
ADELAIDE WALDROP
Battling a persistent achievement gap Cutting more than just funds
Minority students must not be fazed by peer pressure
By Jasleen Salwan
An opinion
Blair prides itself on its
diversity. The student body
represents over 60 countries.
Almost any language can be
heard in the chatter between
classes on Blair Boulevard. But
as students pointed out in a
panel discussion on diversity
last Friday, the eclectic pattern
of skin tones moving under
equally colorful flags rearranges itself with the turn of
every classroom doorknob. When the halls
are clear, look inside any
one classroom at Blair
and it would be hard to
guess that the school’s
racial make-up is among
the most evenly distributed in the county.
Blair and other high
schools across the country have long struggled
to bring an end to the
disproportionate enrollment of white students
in high-level classes and
minorities — particularly black
and Hispanic students — in
low-level classes. Although
schools should be commended
for developing minority outreach programs to repair the
damage inflicted by decades
of discrimination, minority
students must also accept personal responsibility to elevate
their groups.
It seems obvious that
minority students should
encourage their peers to work
diligently in their classes.
But shamefully, disparaging
remarks can still be heard
in Blair’s halls. Students
must recognize that telling
high-achieving fellow black
students that they are “acting white” or labeling them
“Oreos” (black on the outside,
white on the inside) only
fortifies institutional barriers that already impede their
own people from advancing in
school and later in the workplace. Whether these selfdeprecatory comments spring
from jealousy or a concern that
Students cannot afford
to succumb to pressure
to settle for mediocre
grades or classes below
their caliber.
their friends will lose their
cultural identity if surrounded
by white peers, they are simply
unacceptable.
Students on the receiving
end of prejudice from members of their own race cannot afford to succumb to the
pressure to settle for mediocre
grades or classes below their
caliber. Instead, they should
defy stereotypes by challenging themselves at school and
preparing for a successful
future. These students should
also continue promoting
awareness of racial issues by
organizing discussions such
as last week’s panel. Fostering communication among
students helps resolve conflicts
and enhances racial sensitivity,
as well as reminding minority
students of their goal to gain a
stronger presence in rigorous
classes, universities and jobs.
And while black and Hispanic students remain in the
minority in advanced classes,
they often shoulder the unfair
responsibility of representing their entire race. Students
largely unfamiliar with
people outside their
own culture tend to,
albeit unintentionally,
generalize the behavior of the few minority
students they do know
to the overall group. If
more minority students
enroll in high-level
classes, however, their
presence alone can call
attention to the gross inaccuracy of stereotypes
grounded in anecdotal
observations of a mere
two or three students.
Dispelling stereotypes
in the face of pressure from
both inside and outside one’s
culture or race is an enormous
responsibility. This pressure, coupled with the stress
of rigorous course material,
explains the hesitance of many
gifted minority students to
move up from remedial or
on-level classes. But despite
the obstacles, these students
must leave their comfort zone
and enroll in challenging
courses — if not to realize their
personal potential, then as part
of a duty to their people.
Magnet budget cuts would destroy program
By Maddy Raskulinecz
An opinion
The Magnet develops some
impressive talents, but what exactly
makes it so special? One could argue that Magnet students are merely
that smart, but a smart student can’t
get anywhere in math, science or
computer science without experienced teachers and specialized
courses of study. And due to budget
cuts, these may fall by the wayside.
To combat the county’s $400
million deficit, the fiscal year (FY)
2009 budget approved by the
MCPS Board of Education on Feb.
5 includes provisions to downsize
the Magnet teaching staff by six to
12 positions. According to Magnet
Coordinator Dennis Heidler, this
means Magnet teachers will no
longer have two planning periods
(most others in the county have only
one), and they will have to start
teaching non-Magnet classes.
This, in turn, leads to the central
conflict: the possibility that, with
fewer teachers teaching more classes, highly specialized courses with
low enrollment could be eliminated.
And it is precisely these courses that
make the Magnet special.
The Magnet draws students with
a strong interest in math and science
because it offers not only broad bases of knowledge in these subjects,
but also the opportunity to study a
narrow field in a depth unavailable
elsewhere in Montgomery County.
The Magnet only accepts 100 students each year, and naturally some
of these narrow fields have only
a handful of interested students.
Nonetheless, to remove these classes
would be to rob the Magnet of its
There’s no denying that the The
basic appeal, even if it only forces 50
students to take something else.
Linear Algebra, Origins of
Mathematics, Complex Analysis
and Discrete Mathematics — each is
only offered one period this semester, each with 15 or fewer students
enrolled, and each is likely to get the
axe if courses are indeed cut. It may
seem insignificant by the number
of students it affects, but the idea
that a program devoted to math and
science could potentially run out of
available math classes before senior
year is a travesty of what a magnet
program should be.
Upperclassmen taking extremely
advanced classes would not be the
only ones affected by the proposed
budget cuts — the extra planning
period lost is crucial for freshman
and sophomore teachers to coordinate their curricula. So, in the
end, with every year of the Magnet
compromised, it seems incorrect to
assert that the integrity of the program would remain intact.
The Board of Education has attempted, in the FY 2009 budget, to
make cuts that affect only a small
number of students, and this is
admirable. The cuts they did make,
however, may cripple classes central
to the Magnet curriculum, classes
that are essential to the Magnet’s
identity as a program and classes
that attract students looking for
specialized courses of study. When
County Executive Isiah Leggett
and the County Council review the
proposal the Board of Education has
approved, they should consider reducing the county’s deficit in ways
that do not impede the education of
some of its most enthusiastic math
and science students.
silverCHIPS
March 6, 2008
OP/ED 5
SAT jr. should be funded for juniors
In the face of several budget cuts, MCPS should elect to fund only junior PSATs
By Stefanie Robey
An opinion
CHRISTINA MULLEN
At the end of last month, MCPS decided
to end the eight-year policy of funding
PSATs for underclassmen in exchange for
funding the 2008 test for sophomores and
juniors. However, with the sinking economy driving budget cuts for the 2008-2009
school year, the school system should
instead save money by funding PSATs for
juniors alone.
The proposal to provide 11th graders
with a free PSAT test was brought to the
County Council by Pam Moomau, Walter Johnson cluster coordinator, during a
budget work session on Jan. 23. It later
received backing from a group of principals, and the Montgomery County Council
of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA)
is scheduled to vote on the change in February. Yet considering the proposal’s logical
appeal, it’s only surprising that it took the
county eight years and a reduced budget to
consider it.
According to Moomau in an interview,
students who haven’t paid to take the
PSATs during junior year in the past have
often been those for whom college is not a
serious option. After all, the PSATs don’t
affect grades or graduation. They’re no
more than a preliminary set of data sent
to colleges and a popular tool for colleges
that are recruiting. In other words, your
PSAT scores are to be blamed for the three
propaganda-filled letters you received from
Quinnipiac College, all within a week of
each other.
But as worthless as the letter from
Oberlin may seem to the student who
thinks she’s destined for MIT or Harvard,
one student’s junk mail is another student’s
golden opportunity. And as ridiculous as
the quantity of college mail may seem for
students who don’t see college as a plausible next step, not taking the PSATs means
closing themselves off to opportunities they
might not consider otherwise — opportunities that, in the long run, might prove quite
beneficial.
For students who lack the financial
means to attend college, taking the PSATs
during junior year can provide not only
a wealth of information about managing
higher education on a budget, but also a
potential financial solution for the situation. Besides being the source of college
propaganda, PSAT scores are also used to
determine the winners of various scholarships, most notably the National Merit
Scholarship Program.
In fact, the main argument for funding
underclassmen PSATs is to identify students who may need extra help on the SAT.
However, because the PSATs are designed
for juniors, interpreting scores of younger
students can be difficult. Grade level matters in educational diagnosis, just as age
or gender plays a role in a medical evaluation. Students of different grade levels
cannot accurately be held to a uniform set
of standards.
Perhaps even more pertinent to the
debate than the effectiveness of PSATs as a
diagnostic tool is the necessity of their use
as a diagnostic tool. When the mandatory
sophomore PSAT was first instituted, the
county did not have data from statewide
tests such as the Maryland School Assessments and High School Assessments to help
monitor student progress. With those assessments now in place, the county is better
equipped to analyze student performance
and does not without wasting money on
funding for underclassmen PSATs.
And county dollars, no longer squandered away on unnecessary testing, can
then be put to much better uses. For
example, MCPS can now contribute funds
to the Magnet and other MCPS programs
which have suffered as a result of county
budget cuts.
But regardless of the fact that free
sophomore PSATs are an unnecessary drain
on the budget, the county’s decision to
finally begin funding PSATs for juniors is
certainly a commendable first step, and will
provide all Montgomery County students,
from those Harvard-bound since the second
grade to those apathetic about the college
admissions process, with the same possibilities.
The right to Ride Free
Student Ride On fare should be free election day
By Maddy Raskulinecz
An opinion
Counting on young voters to take an
interest in campaigns, register to vote and
make it to the polls is not always realistic,
but the solution can be as simple as extending special bus programs to cover days off
from school. To boost voter turnout and
inspire the region’s younger demographic
— a group targeted by candidates in this
presidential race — Montgomery County
should allow free Ride On access for students on election days.
Maryland’s Feb. 12 primary election was
an exciting event for high school students
throughout the state — students who
weren’t yet 18 but will be by the general
election in November got the chance to cast
their votes. This change may not have dramatically increased the number of voters in
the grand scheme of the Maryland population, but it certainly increased the number
of high schoolers at the polls — previously,
only seniors with early birthdays could
vote, as opposed to the many more who can
vote now.
Less than a month before election day,
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett withdrew his proposal to suspend the
Kids Ride Free program, which lets students use the Ride On and some Metrobus
routes free of charge between the hours of
2 and 7 p.m., prompting a collective sigh
of relief from Blair’s sizeable bus-riding
population.
But on primary day, many Blazers found
themselves not only trying voting for the
first time, but for those without cars — by
logical extension, the very same students
who catch the Ride On home from school
— trying to find a ride. To make matters worse, Feb. 12 proved to be a day of
treacherously icy weather. Looking back,
it makes perfect sense to link the new voting age and the continuation of the Kids
Ride Free program together, and give the
youngest voting demographic a free ride to
the polls.
The Kids Ride Free program is currently
restricted to days when students are in
school. Primary day and election day are,
of course, days off from school. However,
due to the inclusion of 17-year-olds in the
primary election, many more high schoolers might have used a free Ride On as a
mode of transportation to get to the voting
booths on Feb. 12.
The Maryland primary has come and
gone, but Leggett and the County Council can still do their part to facilitate teen
voting in November by extending the Kids
Ride Free program to include the day of
the general election. By providing students
with a method of transportation to get to
the polls, they would encourage students
to become more active in the political
process.
In an election where young voters have
become campaign targets, everyone wants
to reverse low voter turnout. This year, the
opportunity to do so is unprecedented, and
now we’ve got more power than ever — all
we need is a ride.
ANDY HOLMES
6 ADS
March 6, 2008
silverCHIPS
silverCHIPS
SOAPBOX
March 6, 2008
SOAPBOX: Blazers speak out
Which team do you want to
advance to March Madness?
Should information on homosexuality be included in the
sex-education curriculum?
see story, page 31
see story, page 8
“I don’t think so because if you’re homosexual you should already know what information you need, and some of the sex-education classes teach information that some
homosexuals might not agree with.”
-freshman Samantha Miskiri
“I think Duke. They just work together and they have good chemistry. [University of North Carolina]
is my favorite team. I think they’ll
make it because they have that
one center, [Hansbrough], and he
works so hard.”
-sophomore Marvin Valdez
“I think they should teach homosexuality in sex-ed classes because there are more
gays and lesbians out there. We are human beings as well. My personal reason for
this is that I would like for people that are considered straight to know how we feel
about our sexuality.”
-senior Loren Lane
“I want Georgetown, I like [University of North Carolina] and I
really like Kansas. These teams are
really the elite. They can beat all
their opponents with ease and they
have good defenses.”
-sophomore Cameron Reed
“It should because there are more open homosexuals than there were before and it’s
more accepted than it was before. MCPS should be allowed to teach whatever they
want.”
-freshman Felicia Konneh
“I want Georgetown or George
Mason to win because they’re the
local teams here and they’re good
too. I just don’t want Duke to win.
-sophomore John Morales
Should the drop-out age be raised
from 16 to 18?
see story, page 10
“Yes, I believe that raising the dropout age from 16 to
18 is a good idea. Since there are more teens recruited
nto gangs and other violence, once they are educated
till they are 18, they (the students) have more ability to
make educated choices.”
-sophomore Karun Rai
Should teachers voice political views in class?
see story, CENTERSPREAD
“I think that teachers should be able to express their views at
times, just not to pass judgement on students that might sometimes see differently.”
-junior Erika Tidwell
“No, I don’t think there should be an increase in the
drop-out age because students will either stop going
to school if they are serious about dropping out or it
won’t matter because by the time most students are 18
they will have already graduated.”
-freshman Alma Baste
“It’s not right at all because they shouldn’t
press their own views on their students, because they can influence what people think. They shouldn’t be biased. Their job is to
educate, not to shape students’ political views.”
-sophomore Janeth Castro
“They shouldn’t be allowed to drop out until they’re
grown up and on their own. They shouldn’t have a sayso. It should be their parents’ decision.”
-senior Marquaine Green
“In NSL class that’s all you talk about anyways. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not relevant or appropriate in math
class because it’s too off-topic. Basically, to sum it up, anything
outside of a social studies class would be off-topic, and thus not
appropriate.”
-senior Chris Sanchez
“If you’re 18 and you know that you’re not doing good
in school and know that you won’t make it, it should be
your choice. It’s your future. It should be the same for
16-year-olds.”
-senior Keith Rivers
chipsINDEX
1657
32
7
28
is the largest amount of SSL hours a
current Blair student has accumulated
percent of Blazers have filled out an NCAA
bracket
percent of students have made a monetary political contribution
MS-13 tags were found in bathrooms between Feb. 25 and Feb. 29
5
47
167
800,000
Bibles were found in teachers’ classrooms
hours of rehearsal were spent per person in the two weeks
leading up to the premiere of Beauty and the Beast (Mar. 7)
Paper Valentines were sold by the Future Educators
Association to benefit the Red Cross
Dollars were collected for the Donna Edwards campaign
Compiled by by Hannah Wolfman-Arent with additional reporting by Saba Aregai, Deepa Chellappa, Sophia Deng, Arlene Gao,
Ashley George, Urja Mittal, Poorna Natarajan, Rebecca Novello, Sina Shahamatdar, Michelle Shen, Warren Zhang and Sam Zucker.
Quote of the Issue
“ ”
Living by myself, I don’t
have someone always
watching over me. I
like to be free.
Nelson Palomo, a senior
see WORKING ALONE TO KEEP A HOME,
page 19
7
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8
Sex-ed curriculum debate ends with ruling in favor of MCPS
NEWS
March 6, 2008
Critics lose lawsuit against lessons on homosexuality, but say they have not given up their fight
By Sarah Kinter
The Montgomery County Circuit Court
ruled in favor of MCPS on Feb. 1 to keep
new curriculum changes in eighth and tenth
grade health classes. Representatives of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum (CRC)
and the other groups that filed the lawsuit
said they have not given up the fight to remove lessons on homosexuality and condom use.
Circuit Court Judge William J. Rowan III
issued his decision after hearing arguments
presented by each side of the suit on Jan. 16,
ending nearly three years of debate over the
new curriculum. CRC first petitioned the
curriculum in May 2005, when it brought
suit against the county in a United States
District Court. Since then, CRC and the
other petitioners from the most recent legal
struggle — Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays
and Gays (PFOX) and the Family Leader
Network — have been challenging the curriculum through MCPS, the state and federal courts.
In an MCPS public announcement,
MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast said he is
pleased to be finished with the legal battles
surrounding the curriculum. “Unfortunately, a small group of opponents has forced us
to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars
to defend this curriculum in legal proceedings,” he said. “We hope that we can move
forward with our primary mission — educating children.”
According to Weast, the new lessons im-
plemented countywide this school year have
been successful, with 95 percent participation in the eighth grade and 97 percent participation in tenth grade. Students in both
grades must have written parental consent
to participate in the new lessons.
The Circuit Court case is the result of
an appeal of the State Board of Education’s
June 2007 decision to uphold the MCPS
Board’s approval of the new curriculum.
Maryland State Department of Education
representative Bill Reinhard said that the
state continues to support the curriculum’s
implementation. “The state board ruled that
the Montgomery County school board did
nothing wrong when it instituted the program,” he said.
According to PFOX Executive Director
Regina Griggs, PFOX and the other petitioners will not end their efforts to remove
the new lessons, but need to regroup before
moving forward. “We’ve decided to sit back
and discuss this,” she said. “We want to
have a better understanding of the judge’s
decision before doing anything.”
The petitioners argued against the sexuality lessons, contending that “there is substantial medical testimony showing that
homosexuality has not been established as a
characteristic that one has from birth,” and
the MCPS lessons are therefore inaccurate,
according to Rowan’s memorandum opinion on the case. Rowan concluded that it is
“within the legal purview of the school to
include or not include lessons regarding the
origins of sexual orientation.”
RUTVIJ PANDYA
Classes to report grades on standardized tests
O’Malley withdraws bill to
remove State Superintendent Program provides database for teachers to analyze student data
By Sahar Shahamatdar
Governor Martin O’Malley
announced at a news conference Feb. 4 that he has ended
his effort to oust State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick, asking legislative leaders to strike
down a bill that would have
rescinded Grasmick’s extended
term.
According
to
O’Malley
spokesperson Rick Abbruzzese,
the governor and Grasmick said
they will work cooperatively on
policy priorities, including signing bonuses for principals in
troubled schools and efforts to
expand vocational education.
Abbruzzese
said
that
O’Malley believes the bill
would have delayed the advancement of education priorities, and therefore decided to
withdraw the bill. “In that spirit, Dr. Grasmick and I have had
a real good talk and a direct talk
about the need to come together
and work to improve education
for the future,” O’Malley said at
the conference.
O’Malley and Grasmick
shook hands before leaving the
conference. “I’m delighted to
be here today and talk about
consensus also,” Grasmick said.
The legislation that O’Malley
originally supported would allow his appointees to the State
Board of Education to decide
whether Grasmick would retain
her position beyond this year.
According to Abbruzzese,
the “Grasmick Bill” would have
extended Grasmick’s current
term until next December, allowing O’Malley enough time
to appoint new members and
gain a majority in the 12-member State Board. The Board
would then vote on whether to
allow Grasmick another term or
dismiss her as superintendent.
O’Malley’s disputes with Grasmick began during his years
as Baltimore mayor, before he
was elected governor in 2006.
The relationship reached a low
in March 2006, when Grasmick
and Maryland education officials attempted to seize control of 11 struggling Baltimore
schools that had been targeted
since 1997 for failing to meet
state standards.
The Bridge Plan — an initiative that allows students who
fail the High School Assessments multiple times to complete an alternative project —
furthered the tenison as all four
of O’Malley’s appointees to the
Board voted against the plan,
and the governor expressed
concerns with the program.
The Bridge Plan passed with
Grasmick’s support.
Conflict between Grasmick
and O’Malley intensified inDecember when Grasmick was
awarded a four-year extension
by Ehrlich’s appointees on the
Board six months before her
contract was due to expire.
O’Malley made public statements that month about his intentions to remove her.
The feud has drawn sharp
criticism from Republicans who
said that the governor would be
abusing power by delaying the
Board’s decision until Democrats held a majority, and state
politicians, such as Senate Minority Leader David Brinkley,
applauded the governor for his
decision. “I think it’s wise,” he
said following the news conference. “It’s also in the interests
of our schoolchildren.”
was first piloted in Algebra classes in 2005 in an effort to improve
Biology and National, State and scores on the Algebra High School
Local Government (NSL) teachers Assessment, and that it was introfor honors and on-level classes will duced last year for English final
begin reporting student scores on exams.
unit tests and semester exams to
MCPS Science Curriculum SuMCPS as part of Achievement Se- pervisor Anita O’Neill said that
ries, a program designed to grade following the program’s success
tests and anain Algebra and
lyze
student
English, a team
performance.
of technology
Both courses
experts
and
will now use
curriculum
standardized
staff
decided
unit tests writto introduce it
ten by the
to Biology and
county.
NSL teachers in
AchieveJanuary. “The
ment Series, a
implementanational protion of AchieveMCPS Curriculum Supervisor
gram provided
ment Series for
by the ScanBiology is part
Anita O’Neill
tron Corporaof the countytion, scores the
wide initiative
tests of indifor this techvidual students and compiles all nology,” she said. “[It is] aimed at
the results in a central database. allowing teachers to quickly anaTeachers, department heads and lyze assessment data to improve
administrators can then access the instruction.”
database on the Internet to analyze
Science resource teacher Sumscore reports for specific students mer Roark said that all county
or classes and identify areas of courses using Achieveweakness.
ment Series, including
According to Yakoubou Ous- the newly-added Biolmanou, MCPS Achievement Series ogy and NSL classes,
technology consultant, there are must give standardized
three types of reports available. county-written
tests.
Teachers can view a classroom There are nine countyreport that displays the scores of made multiple choice
individual students in the class unit tests for biology
and compares them with county classes this semester and
averages, a standards report that four unit tests for NSL Summer
breaks down scores by each unit that have both multiple
objective and an item analysis that choice questions and written redisplays performance on specific sponses. The Achievement Series
questions.
software automatically scores mulOusmanou said that Achieve- tiple choice Scantrons, but teachers
ment Series has already been used are still expected to grade the writto analyze testing data from Alge- ten responses and report the scores
bra and English classes throughout manually.
the county. He said the program
Roark said that the standard-
By Ethan Wang
It allows teachers
to quickly analyze
data to improve
instruction.
ized unit tests used for Achievement Series are the same for all
three levels of Biology — ESOL,
on-level and honors. However,
teachers of the higher levels of
the course may add supplemental
questions on unit tests that will not
be reported to the county. Roark
said that Achievement Series will
not be implemented in Advanced
Placement biology classes. NSL
classes work in a similar manner
according to NSL teacher Candace
Thurman.
Ousmanou said that, overall,
teachers across the county seem to
be very pleased with the Achievement Series program. “We have
received a lot of feedback and
most of it has been very positive,”
he said. English resource teacher
Vickie Adamson agreed, saying
that the program allows teachers
to track progress for their entire
class and shows how well each
student is meeting county standards. “It’s really useful and helps
us see exactly where students are,”
she said.
Thurman, however, said that
she takes issue with the additional
constraints that Achievement Series might create for
teachers. She said she
dislikes the fact that
teachers using the program must now give
county tests instead of
being able to write their
own, and is afraid that
the program will lead
to more data scrutiny
Roark
and
county-imposed
constraints. Roark said
that she sees both the benefits and
the drawbacks of Achievement Series, and is uncertain whether Blair
teachers will find the program
helpful in the longrun. “This is the
first year we’re doing this, so we’re
not sure how useful this is going to
be,” she said.
silverCHIPS
NEWS
March 6, 2008
9
Required tech courses to change across state
Technology curriculum to be refocused on engineering in accordance with national standards
By David Meyer
Courses available to fulfill the state’s
high school technology education credit will
change beginning with the class of 2012,
part of an effort to conform to new standards geared toward engineering according
to MCPS Director of Career and Technology
Education Shelley A. Johnson.
The courses that qualify for credit will be
limited this fall to Foundations of Technology and Introduction to Engineering. Two
additional courses — Principles of Engineering and a technology-computer science
hybrid class — will be offered beginning in
the fall of 2010. The current required classes,
such as Software Applications and Computer Programming, will continue to be offered
as electives.
Marquita Friday, lead specialist for Career
and Technology Education at the Maryland
State Department of Education (MSDE), said
that although the state has required students
to fulfill a technology education credit since
1992, national standards were not imposed
until 2000.
After these national standards were adopted, MSDE created a technology education
program that the State Board of Education
approved in 2005 for use in all school systems. According to Friday, the local school
systems are asked to “align” their courses to
state and local standards for all subjects.
Friday said the change is partly because
of the efforts of Project Lead the Way, a national organization dedicated to increasing
interest in engineering-related professions.
The program was founded in response to
high drop-out rates of college students en-
rolled in engineering programs. Friday said
that many see this trend as a sign of the United States’ diminishing ability to compete in
technology development with other world
powers. “America is losing its international
standing in science, technology, engineering
and mathematics,” Friday said. “The government is telling us we need to increase the
pipeline.”
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
it has become more difficult for the United
States to bring in foreign talent, and Friday
said Project Lead the Way helps fill this void
by presenting engineering in an accessible
and engaging manner. She said that this will
help spread knowledge of engineering technology to more students. “One thing we like
about Project Lead the Way is that it is for 80
percent of the population,” she said.
The state chose to implement elements of
Project Lead the Way because the program’s
courses meet all national standards, according to Friday. Students graduate from the
program after taking 550 hours of its five
pre-engineering classes.
According to Johnson, MCPS will offer
two Project Lead the Way courses — Introduction to Engineering and Principles of Engineering — at the high school level. After
completing one of these courses, students
will have the option of graduating Project
Lead the Way by completing the program’s
three other courses at Thomas Edison High
School of Technology. These advanced engineering courses will eventually be offered
at more schools, but the process is still in its
initial stages, she said.
Seven of Montgomery County’s twentyfive public high schools have already been
CHRISTINA MULLEN
approved as Project Lead the Way sites,
according to MCPS Coordinator for Technology Education William E. Ball. He said
that the other 18 schools, including Blair,
are currently developing the teaching and
infrastructure necessary to accommodate
Project Lead the Way courses. According to
Johnson, schools must pass national criteria
related to infrastructure and teaching materials to start the program.
The change could also alter the curriculum of Blair’s Magnet program, but the specifics of this change are not yet final. Johnson
said she is working to make sure the change
does not have a negative impact on Magnet
students. “We will work to identify courses to meet the needs of the students in the
Magnet,” she said. Ball has been working
directly with the Magnet program to modify
their curriculum.
De-tracked students speak on panel Bridge to Algebra II created
American Studies students relate experiences at MCEF breakfast
By Lindsay Brewer
Liaison for Leadership Develop- atmosphere more welcoming once
ment, attended the breakfast. they get there.”
Nine students in English re- Other guests included Associate
Adamson sees American Studsource teacher Vickie Adamson’s Superintendent Erick Lang, social ies as an opportunity for students
American Studies class attended studies resource teacher George to take an honors class, even if
a Montgomery County Educa- Vlasits, Docca and Jack Esformes, they are not accustomed to rigortion Forum (MCEF)
a government teacher ous courses. “My responsibility
breakfast meeting on
who successfully cre- is to create an open door [so stuFeb. 11 to discuss the
ated a de-tracked class dents] can cross over to honorsconsequences of trackin Virginia.
level classes,” she said.
ing students in MCPS.
Guests discussed the
Board of Education member
Board of Education
benefits of de-tracking Christopher Barclay, who was
member Judy Docca
and encouraging inte- not able to attend the breakfast,
may invite the same
gration, as well as the expressed concern over the way
students to share their
obstacles that must be in which students are selected to
experiences in the class
overcome to achieve enter gifted and talented classes.
with other members of English teacher
this goal. Suggestions “We need to continue to assess
rhte Board.
Vickie Adamson
for successwhether [the Raven
According to MCEF
ful de-trackStandard Matrices Test]
co-chair Evie Frankl, tracking is ing included reaching
is necessary to deter“rigid grouping by performance out for parent supmine whether a child
on a set of tests or by achievement port, training teachers
is gifted,” he said. “I
level that winds up impacting properly and enrolling
do not feel at this point
students’ present and future edu- enthusiastic students,
that this is the best procational opportunities.”
according to Cohen.
cess.”
Adamson’s students were
Docca said that she
S e n i o r Te r r a n c e
selected to speak at the event would like American
Hamm, a student who
because Adamson handpicks stu- Studies students to Sara Cohen
spoke on the panel,
dents for the class regardless of speak at a Board of
felt that the manner
academic background. The class is Education meeting about their in which MCPS determines a
Blair’s only deexperiences in student’s track can limit that
tracked course,
the class, but student’s academic potential
meaning onshe has not and believes that de-tracking
level, Honors
formally in- can improve students’ academic
and AP stuvited them to futures. “The long-term goals of
dents are all
speak. While de-tracking are to level the playing
enrolled in the
she supports field — they want to deemphasize
class.
t h e i d e a o f the ranking of students,” he said.
Students
de-tracking,
The students that attended the
spoke as a pans h e s a i d i t breakfast said they felt that sharel about their
would require ing their experience in American
experiences in
a great deal Studies would help to create more
Senior
the de-tracked
of effort from de-tracked classes in the future.
Terrance Hamm
class. “One
both teachers, “It allowed us to feel like our
of the benefits
c o u n s e l o r s voices were being heard,” Hamm
of these deand the ad- said.
tracked classes is that you end up ministration. “We need to look
According to Adamson, adwith people you might not end up at the leadership and education ministrators from Walter Johnson
with in a normal class,” senior Sara ability of some of the students have taken an interest in the idea
Cohen said.
around us and invite them to try of de-tracking some classes, and
Former Blair Principal Phil- for more challenging classes,” she contacted her to expand the effort
lip Gainous, who is now MCPS said, “and we have to make the in their school.
The long-term goals
of de-tracking are
to level the playing
field.
MCPS to offer supplementary course next year
at the meeting and critiqued the
current state of the curriculum.
Giles said that the curriculum
MCPS high schools will offer
“Bridge to Algebra II” next year, framework at the meeting called
a new introductory math course for too much emphasis on difdesigned to help struggling stu- ficult Algebra II concepts. With
dents prepare for the rigors of the its focus on HSA preparation,
he said, the Algebra I course has
full Algebra II course.
The course will be available become overly simplified and has
to students who received a D or not adequately prepared students
higher in geometry. Math teach- for Algebra II.
The Bridge class, Giles said,
ers recommended students for the
Bridge course during registration, will supplement Algebra I and
though students may still choose hopefully boost performance
to take the full Algebra II class once students enter the full Algebra II course. The course will
with parent approval.
The new course is designed target sophomores struggling in
to combat poor performance in geometry, so that the majority of
on-level Algebra II — at Blair, the next year’s classes will be filled
Algebra II final exam is the most by juniors.
The new curriculum will confrequently failed math exam.
Math teacher John Giles said there tinue to be developed in the comhave been some Algebra II classes ing months. Scarano said that she
in which only one student passed will continue to hold meetings
the final, and believes this new with teachers and the Curricumath course is necessary to boost lum Advisory Council, who will
achievement in the difficult class. ultimately approve the class this
summer. According to
Dr. Grace Scarano,
Scarano, getting teacher
MCPS coordinator for
feedback is especially
secondary mathematimportant. “We are
ics, who is leading curtrying to get input from
riculum development,
as many stakeholder
said the county recoggroups as possible,”
nizes that students are
she said. The first quarnot performing up to
ter of the curriculum
standards in Algebra II.
must be completed by
“We are hearing from
May 19, and the curteachers that students Math teacher
riculum will continue
are not as prepared as John Giles
to be developed during
they should be for Algebra II,” she said. “This is a way the summer.
Giles said that it will not be
for them to be stronger.”
Scarano led an informational difficult for teachers to adapt to
meeting on Jan. 30 for 11 county the new curriculum. He said
math teachers and county officials teachers acknowledge that this is a
to develop the Bridge to Algebra II necessary course and an important
curriculum. Scarano said that the prerequisite for the challenging
course is a combination of Algebra Algebra II class.
Mandatory training for new
I review and an introduction to
Algebra II concepts. She said that Bridge to Algebra II teachers will
teachers provided valuable input be held over the summer.
By Laura Mirviss
10 NEWS
silverCHIPS
March 6, 2008
Maryland legislators attempt to raise dropout age
Proposed bill would increase the compulsory attendance age in Maryland schools from 16 to 18
“They shouldn’t be given the life-changing
decision before that time.”
Senator Jamie Raskin of District 20 is supA group of Maryland senators led by Senator Catherine Pugh of Baltimore City intro- portive of helping students stay in school
duced a bill on Jan. 31 that would raise the because they do not get needed attention.
age of compulsory school attendance from “These kids are usually jettisoned and forgotten about,” Raskin said. He is wary but
16 to 18.
Current Maryland law allows students open to Pugh’s approach, though he would
to drop out of school at age 16 with paren- like to further understand the bill first.
Pugh said that similar bills have been
tal permission, and Pugh has said that she
wants to increase the age to 18 to reduce the introduced over the past couple years, and
though the bills
number of students
were generally supwho make that deciported, they were
sion. If approved,
never passed bethe bill would take
cause of financial
effect beginning with
concerns. A state
the 2009-2010 school
task force consistyear.
ing of 50 educators,
The bill would
lawmakers
and
not apply to private
community leadschool students or
ers researched the
home schooled stuState Senator
effects of increasdents, and according
Catherine Pugh
ing the age in 2007.
to Pugh, students
According to their
who are married, in
study, 24 states had
the military or have
a record of violent behavior would also be not increased the dropout age because of
exempted with parental consent. Any stu- purely financial concerns. Maryland school
dents who have already dropped out at age systems would also have to hire over 1,000
more teachers and add 571 more classrooms
16 would not have to return to school.
The bill would require students to attend for the 21,000 extra students who would be
a public school, participate in alternative ed- in school if the dropout age was raised. The
ucational programs such as home school or additional expenses would total an average
private school or receive a General Equiva- of over $245 million dollars for Maryland
lency Diploma (GED) until age 18. Until that public schools each year.
The same study also found that high
time, parents would continue to be responsible for helping children get an education, school dropouts comprise 41 percent of the
and the government would continue to take nation’s prison inmates. Pugh said that the
responsibility for them. “A child is still con- government must pay for corrective action
sidered a child until they’re 18,” Pugh said. if dropouts get in trouble with the law af-
By Carol Yang
They shouldn’t be given
the life-changing decision
before that time.
CHRISTINA MULLEN
ter leaving school. She said that instead of
spending $40,000 a year per student in the
form of incarcerations, only a fourth of that
cost would be necessary to keep those same
teenagers in public school. According to
Pugh, by keeping students in school, those
students would be less dependent on social
services, which would decrease the overall
state budget. To solve the funding concerns,
Pugh has suggested shifting funding from
juvenile justice to public school educational
resources.
The Education, Health and Environmental Affairs committee held the first reading
of Senate Bill 436, “Age of Compulsory Attendance” on Jan. 31. A subsequent hearing
was scheduled for Feb. 26, but it was later
cancelled and postponed to March 5.
At-large race for Board narrowed to two candidates
By Sahar Shahamatdar
After current at-large member Sharon
Cox opted out of the race for MCPS Board of
Education (BOE), Montgomery County voters cast their ballots on Feb. 12 to advance
two candidates to the general election. Phil
Kauffman and Tommy Le won the primary
race with 50,582 votes (34 percent) and 37,260
votes (25 percent) respectively, according to
an Election Summary Report compiled by
the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Cox was first elected to the BOE in 2000, and
ran for reelection in 2004. Currently she
serves as the chair of the Policy Committee,
and will continue to do so until the general
election in 2008.
Phil Kauffman
After losing
to current Board
President Nancy
Navarro in the
2006
general
election, Kauffman said he is
now confident
that his experience — as an attorney,
parent
COURTESY OF PHIL KAUFFMAN
and PTSA activist — will allow him to win the At-Large position in the 2008 race. “I would like to put
my experience to work for all the students in
our county,” Kauffman said.
Kauffman said that his first priority is
middle school reform, and that he hopes
to improve the current curriculum. “Our
middle school students deserve a challenging educational program that helps prepare
them for high school,” Kauffman said. By
extending learning opportunities and after school programs for struggling middle
school students, he believes that they can
get the additional help they need. “There
are still too many students entering high
school without achieving even minimum
proficiency in reading and mathematics,”
he said. “They will benefit from additional
structured support.”
Along with boosting student involvement, Kauffman believes that parent and
community involvement is crucial for success. “There is a definite link between actively involved parents and successful students,” he said. As a parent volunteer and
PTSA activist since 1993, Kauffman feels he
understands how to create new initiatives
or reform old programs such as the Par-
ent Academy, as well as encourage further
communication between parents and school
staff. “I support regular town meetings so
that the community can voice their concerns
about our schools,” he said.
One of the topics he wants to discuss during such community meetings is the budget.
“We owe the taxpayers of Montgomery
County an honest assessment of how their
money is spent,” Kauffman said. Because of
the county’s current financial crisis, Kauffman believes that all MCPS programs should
be reviewed and assessed on a regular basis.
“This will determine whether the expenses
of maintaining those programs are justified
by the measurable gains in student achievement,” he said.
CHRISTINA MULLEN
Tommy Le
Le
Tommy
After an unsuccessful campaign in 2006
against Shirley
Brandman, Le rebounded to take
the last position
in the primary
race, beating out
Alies
Muskin
— a candidate
COURTESY OF TOMMY LE
endorsed by the
Montgomery County Education Association
and favored to win both the primary and
general elections. Le believes that his math
and engineering background will allow him
to boost the MCPS science and math curricu-
CHRISTINA MULLEN
lum, as well as help the Board become more
responsive to the Montgomery County community.
By training educators to employ more
innovative teaching methods, Le said that
students will not only learn more but also
remember the topic. “If the lesson is fun or
interesting, the students will understand as
well as retain the information,” he said.
Le believes the MCPS curriculum requires
too many standardized assessments that
force teachers to spend more time teaching
to the test than teaching students the core
concepts of a subject. “Tests once in a while
are effective to measure students’ progress,”
he said. “But if we choose to focus on them,
students will never fully understand a subject.”
Beyond revising the curriculum, Le wants
to raise student interest in their academic futures and push for more personal accountability on dealing with drugs and alcohol.
“Students also need to learn about morals
and what is takes to be a good citizen,” he
said. Le believes that regular consultations
with counselors would be beneficial, but
said there are not enough counselors to effectively help all students. “Increasing the
number of school counselors would be the
first thing that school officials can do to help
students be more responsible,” he said.
Unlike Kauffman, Le rates the performance of the current Board as fair or poor,
explaining that without proper input from
the community, members cannot fully assess the needs of students. “Except for Mrs.
Navarro, other members are just coasting
along and letting the superintendent implement whatever he wants,” Le said. “What
we need is community involvement.”
silverCHIPS
NEWS 11
March 6, 2008
Blair receives grant to raise HSA scores Finals failed
State money intended to help struggling Montgomery County schools meet AYP
from HSA GRANT page 1
Proficiency subgroup last year, and by less
than one student in the Special Education
subgroup in 2006. If Blair does not make AYP
for the third straight year, it will be classified
as a school in need of “corrective action,” action that could result in staffing, scheduling
or curriculum changes.
Other high schools and middle schools
also received grants to improve HSA scores,
but Blair received the largest grant in MCPS
because of its size, Williams said.
According to Williams, the grant will
fund the new part-time positions of literacy
coach and parent community coordinator.
The literacy coach will analyze testing data
and work with teachers from various depart-
ments to improve test scores, and the parentcommunity coordinator will be responsible
for improving communication between the
school and the community regarding AYP
and other important issues. Williams said
both new positions will provide additional
help wherever it is needed.
According to English resource teacher
Vickie Adamson, Blair now has a total of three
literacy coaches. She said that these coaches,
which are assigned to different departments
within the school, work with teachers to develop better teaching strategies for reading
comprehension. These strategies include assessing text, activating prior knowledge and
using context clues, and are meant to enhance
students’ ability to understand text. “Instead
of just saying, ‘Read chapter six,’ [teachers]
CHRISTINA MULLEN
have to anticipate the problems their students
will face,“ Adamson said.
The grant also provides for the purchase
of more laptops, software, reading books and
audiobooks for English and ESOL classes,
and will help compensate for the cost of
professional development for English, ESOL,
reading and math teachers.
The MCPS Central Office notified Williams on Oct. 8 that Blair was eligible for
the grant because it failed to make AYP for
the second time. He said he worked with a
group of teachers within a span of three days
to compile a proposal, which was approved
with minor changes.
Williams said that he does not think placing such great emphasis on standardized tests
is in the best interests of students, but that
raising performance is necessary for Blair’s
future. He said the negative consequences
of missing AYP far outnumber those of focusing the school’s attention on meeting the
requirements. “I don’t think it is fair that
we have this label, because you have good
results [at the school],” he said. “The staff
knows we’ve got a lot of great things going
on, but we need to make AYP. It will pay off
in the long run.”
Blair’s great challenge is bringing its ESOL
students up from elementary to high school
reading levels in just four years, Williams
said. The ability to make AYP varies from
year to year, he said, because the school must
demonstrate progress and improvement
regardless of the literacy rate of its current
ESOL students.
Williams said that the administration will
soon begin making public announcements to
remind students of the upcoming tests, which
will be administered in May. Teachers have
also been encouraged to meet with struggling
students in academics — particularly those
failing HSA subjects — and that the county
has been working closely with Blair to improve scores by holding monthly meetings
with the administration. “We tell them what
we’re doing, then tell them what support we
need,” he said. “They have to help any way
they can.”
from ENGLISH FINAL page 1
been a big push toward literacy.”
Anderson added that difficulties
with reading comprehension are compounded over the years, making it hard
for teachers at the high school level to
dramatically improve student performance. “If you fall behind in fourth
grade and are not caught up by sixth
grade, the chances are you will be at a
significant disadvantage for the rest of
your life,” he said. “The intense literacy
work they get is only going to hit the tip
of the iceberg — not jump them three
grade levels in one year.”
Ninth grade English teacher David
Goldberg said that students are also
unfamiliar with timed test taking, and
that he will try to better prepare his
classes this semester by giving them
more practice with timed assessments
and activities. “The big issue is just
having students be familiar with timed
writing and comfortable with the test,”
he said.
Anderson said he plans to focus less
on test-taking strategies and more on
“teachable” aspects of the exam such
as grammar, punctuation and writing,
as well as encouraging his students to
read more. “I [will] try to make them
read as much as possible in class, because not a lot of this is happening at
home,” he said.
Adamson agreed that the English
department should work to better
prepare students for finals. However,
she explained that part of the problem
lies with the final itself as the exam does
not match the difficulty level of on-level
classes. “We should give [on-level students] a test that more accurately tests
what they’ve been taught,” she said.
According to Adamson, other
schools across the county also had poor
performance on the English final, but
Director of School Performance Bronda
Mills said that she was unaware of the
problems.
County divestment bill proposed
MCPS students promote bill to help end genocide in Darfur
By Meng Zhai
Students for Global Responsibility (SGR) helped persuade the
Montgomery County Council to
propose a bill divesting county
pension funds from companies
that do business with the government of Sudan, an effort to reduce
the government’s resources and
help end the genocide in Darfur.
The Genocide Intervention
Network (GI-Net), an organization
dedicated to helping protect civilians from genocide, estimates that
the conflict in Darfur has caused
hundreds of thousands of civilian
deaths, and displaced over 2.5 million. “[This bill] sends a clear message that we know what they’re
doing, and we’re not going stand
for it,” said SGR co-President Benjamin Simon.
According to Simon, a majority
of the council members, including
Marc Elrich, Roger Berliner, Valerie
Ervin, Nancy Floreen and George
Leventhal, sponsored the bill and
introduced it on Feb. 12. The
proposed bill would prohibit the
Montgomery County Employees’
Retirement System from investing
money in companies conducting
business in Sudan. “We want to
make sure that if we have money
invested, we take it out,” Elrich
said. Simon said that the county
divestment will end 30 days after
the president announces to Congress that the violence in Darfur
has ended and that rehabilitation
in the region can begin.
There would be approximately
two dozen companies affected by
the bill, including many foreign
oil companies such as PetroChina,
according to Simon. “The bill is
essentially going to deprive the
Sudanese government and their
closest allies tens of millions of
dollars,” Simon said.
Simon and other SGR members
will attend the public hearing for
the divestment bill on March 4 at
1:30 p.m. along with approximately thirty students from different
schools across the county. According to Simon, four people will testify in favor of the bill and address
concerns other council members
may have regarding the divestment, including a student from
Magruder and Northwest and a
member of GI-Net. “It’s really important that we have a big show of
support of this bill,” Simon said.
Simon estimates that the process
for the bill will end in late April if
it is passed, as it will go through
a subcommittee council floor vote
and be signed into law by County
Executive Isiah Leggett.
Simon said that in the past three
months, schools from all over
Montgomery County including
Magruder, Gaithersburg, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Northwest,
Quince Orchard, Rockville, Walter
Johnson, Richard Montgomery,
Silver Spring International Middle
School and Montgomery College
have been working with Blair
to promote the bill. “One of the
things I liked about this was that
this came from students — it’s a
good lesson in civics,” Elrich said.
“They had to lobby the council.
They had to build the support
for it. It’s a very practical way to
learn how to use activism to pass
legislation.” According to Elrich,
after Simon and others exchanged
phone calls and e-mails with Elrich proposing the idea for the bill,
Elrich spoke to other council members and the bill was drafted.
Simon said that he was originally conducting a personal campaign to persuade MCPS to divest.
“Once I found out MCPS had already divested, I pointed the campaign towards Montgomery County as a whole,” Simon said. Since
then, Simon and students in SGR
have actively tried to persuade
council members to introduce the
bill, by sending postcards and letters, making phone calls and organizing sit-ins. “He’s really been
the person who’s been working on
it for two years,” said George Vlasits, a sponsor of SGR.
According to Simon, Montgomery County will be the second
county in the country to divest
should the bill pass, following
Los Angeles County in California.
“Divestment is one of the major
campaigns to end the genocide in
Darfur,” Simon said. Maryland
has already divested funds in the
Maryland State Retirement and
Pension System from companies
in Sudan and hopes that Montgomery County’s divestment will
encourage other counties to do
the same. “Hopefully all of us together, it’ll amount to something,”
Elrich said.
PHOTOS Courtesy of BEN SIMON
Clockwise from top: SGR members and other MCPS students pose
with Councilmember Marc Elrich. Junior Vanessa Hoy and senior
Benjamin Simon address the Takoma Park City Council.
12 NEWS
silverCHIPS
March 6, 2008
Board approves Weast’s Operating Budget
Board adds amendment allocating funds for middle school reform initiatives
from BUDGET page 1
effects of the FY 2009 budget for county high
schools will be the expansion of the International Baccalaureate program to Kennedy and
Seneca Valley, the extension of the Poolesville
Magnet program to 11th grade as its first class
begins its junior year and increased assistance
for ESOL students with interrupted educations — students who come to MCPS after
having been out of school for an extended
period of time.
The FY 2009 budget is only a 5.6 percent
increase from the previous fiscal year, representing the lowest increase since 1997, said
Marshall Spatz, director of the MCPS Office
of Management Budget, and Planning. This
is due in large part to the county’s $400 million deficit, and Brandman said that while the
Board is generally satisfied with the budget,
some goals were not included due to financial
constraints. “There are many more things on
our wish list,” Brandman said. “But we have
to be conscious of the fact that the county is
looking at a deficit.”
As a result, initiatives such as increasing the number of high school guidance
counselors, was introduced as part of the
FY 2008 budget, will have to be put on hold
until next year, Brandman said. Tom Israel,
executive director of the Montgomery County
Education Association — a teachers union
that worked with Weast on the original proposal — said that teachers unions also have
residual concerns such as lowering class sizes
in middle and high schools, but recognizes
that the Board’s budget is impacted by the
area’s sinking economy. “The changes afoot
in middle schools are a real priority for us,”
Israel said.
Spatz said that despite the county’s fiscal
problems, the budget will “continue improving student performance, and continue programs that we have in place now.”
The Board’s budget allocates about $5.3
million for middle school reform initiatives
in ten different schools. There are currently
five middle schools in Phase I of the initiative, which was introduced in the FY 2008
budget and became effective this year. While
Weast’s original proposal allowed for an additional nine schools to join the process for the
2008-2009 school year, the Board decided to
expand the initiative to ten. As a result, the
number of additional lunch and recess aides
for elementary schools for next year was cut
from 16 to four.
Also included in the $5.3 million is the
development of 21 innovative courses in other
middle schools. This is part of $10.2 million
in initiatives to improve student achievement,
including improvements in special education,
middle school reform and adding new assistant principals and school counselors.
The majority of the budget is designated
for staff support, with 89 percent allocated
for salaries, benefits and negotiated pay
increases for MCPS employees, Spatz said.
Other significant portions of the budget —
each representing approximately two percent
— are reserved for instructional materials
and textbooks, school utilities and tuition
payments for the 650 students with special
needs who attend private schools in Montgomery County. According to Spatz, while
different amounts of money are allocated for
elementary, middle and high schools, spending is “roughly even per every pupil” in the
school system .
The Board’s budget request was sent to
County Executive Isaiah Leggett on March 1,
and Legett will present his recommendations
to the County Council on March 15, Spatz
said. The Board will have another meeting to
discuss the budget with Leggett, and after a
series of hearings and workshops the Council
will vote on the MCPS budget and send it to
the Board to be finalized.
CHRISTINA MULLEN
Police, security monitor parking lot
Feb. 8 police presence described as a precautionary measure
we hear word about a fight, we’ll
show up and try to break up or
disperse anything before it happens,” he said.
McCullagh also said that the
Feb. 8 police presence at Blair
was connected to a stabbing that
occurred weeks earlier near the
Long Branch Community Center
in Silver Spring.
The police force that came to
Blair as a preventive measure
was anticipating an act of retaliation in response to that incident,
community. According to Welsh,
MS-13 and LVL have been major
In anticipation of a possible
players in the local crime scene for
gang-related altercation, as many
approximately ten years and three
as five police officers and seven
years respectively.
Blair security guards and adminCounty police statistics show a
istrators monitored the University
rising tide of gang activity in the
Blvd. parking lot near the Ride
past year, though it has tempered
On bus stop Feb. 8. According
in recent months.
to Principal Darryl Williams, the
At Blair, Williams said that
police presence was a precautionhis administration tries to take a
ary measure taken in response to
proactive stance against gangs at
suspicions of a possible fight and
the school. “We do a very good
no arrests were made.
job of making sure there is no gang
Six males, at least one of
activity in this building,”
whom was wearing a Blair ID,
he said.
were pulled aside and forced
Wi l l i a m s s a i d t h a t
to sit on a nearby sidewalk
this goal is accomplished
according to student witnessthrough building trusting
es. They were subsequently
relationships between staff
searched and questioned by
members and the student
police before being released.
body and by giving stuThe four police cars arrived
dents alternatives to gangs
shortly after 2 p.m. and monithrough school-sponsored
tored the area until approxiactivities and clubs.
Youth
Violence
Prevention
Coordinator
mately 3:45 p.m. Williams
Welsh said that young
Luis Cardona
said that the administration
people join gangs in an
was alerted beforehand about
attempt to fill a void. Bethe police presence outside the
sides providing security,
school. He then went outside
he said that gangs provide
to the University Blvd. parking lot Welsh said.
an ersatz sense of community with
Because the stabbing occured other gang members.
with a group of security guards
and administrators and spoke on park property, the Montgomery
Luis Cardona, Montgomery
County Park Police addressed the County Youth Violence Prevention
with police officers on the scene.
Sergeant Chuck Welsh, head situation. According to Lieutenant Coordinator, stressed the imporof the county’s Gang Task Force, Karen Petrarca of the Montgomery tance of the county’s recent focus
monitored the situation alongside County Park Police, the person on street outreach initiatives. He
a group of Task Force officers charged with the stabbing is cur- described the Crossroads Youth
and other members of the county rently being held in custody.
Opportunity Center in Silver
Welsh confirmed that the stab- Spring as an outlet where youth
police.
Lieutenant Robert McCullagh, bing was gang-related.
can learn to work out their probThe two gangs involved in lems without resorting to violence.
one of the officers present at the
scene, emphasized that the police that incident – Mara Salvatrucha “We try to get involved to help
presence was primarily a deter- (MS-13) and Los Vatos Locos (LVL) mediate and resolve the conflict,”
rent against possible violence. “If – are not new to the Silver Spring he said.
By David Fegley
We try to get involved to
help mediate and resolve
the conflict.
CHRISTINA MULLEN
silverCHIPS
CALENDAR
March 6, 2008
13
Black history month
NEWSBRIEFS
Obama wins Blair’s mock primary election
The Young Democrats club sponsored Blair’s first mock presidential primary in early February, allowing students to vote for a candidate at tables in the Student Activity Center in the days leading up to
Maryland’s official election.
After the three-day election, 407 students had submitted votes and
Barack Obama was announced the winner at the post-primary party
with 66.58 percent of student support. Hillary Clinton came in second
with 14.5 percent, and John McCain followed with 3.93 percent. The
Young Democrats conducted the primaries to raise political awareness among the student population, particularly during an election
when the race’s front-runners are courting the youth vote.
Special Education representative to join SGA
The Student Government Association (SGA) plans to add a Special
Education representative to the cabinet by second semester, according
to SGA President Molly Martinez.
The representative will be chosen by Special Education Resource
Teacher Lisa Davisson and appointed by Martinez, and the addition
will mean that every department is represented in the SGA.
Blair clubs sell paper hearts for the Red Cross
The Future Educators Association (FEA) and Technology Student
Association sold paper hearts outside the Student Activity Center
Feb. 11 through 15 to raise money for the American Red Cross, according to FEA sponsor and Human Services Professions Academy
lead teacher Lisa Seid.
Each heart was $1, and sales benefited the Red Cross’s “Have a
Heart, Save a Child” program for the Measles Initiative. The Measles
Initiative is a partnership of charities working to reduce worldwide
child deaths from measles. Seid hopes to make a $600 profit.
Ride On bus fares increase 10 cents
Ride On bus fare increased 10 cents on Feb. 14 from $1.25 to $1.35
to match Metrobus fares. Fares will remain $1.25 for riders using a
SmarTrip card, also in accordance with Metrobus prices.
This increase is part of County Executive Isiah Leggett’s budget
savings plan to help raise Montgomery County’s revenue. The resolution was passed in the County Council on Feb. 12 with a vote of 6-2.
The Council justified the increase in a news release, saying that the
change would help reduce confusion for riders, who would have to
keep track of separate fares.
County Council president Marilyn Praisner dies
Marilyn Praisner, former president of the Montgomery County
Council, died Feb. 1 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda after complications during heart valve replacement surgery.
Praisner, who represented District 3 and was in her fifth four-year
term, was 66 years old and the Council’s longest-serving female member. She was a former member and president of the MCPS Board of
Education prior to serving on the Council.
GUIDANCE CORNER
Resource counselor Marcia Johnson reminds students to register
for AP exams, scheduled for May 5-9 and 12-16. Juniors should also
register for the May SAT by March 29.
SOLENA LAIGLE
Senior Tobi Adeoye answers questions about tracking in the Montgomery County school system during last week’s panel discussion in honor of black history month.
March 9 - Spring Musical Beauty and the Beast; 2:00 PM
March 11 - Advisory Day
March 18 - Magnet Research Convention 6:30
March 19 - Eleventh Grade Parent Meeting 7:00 PM
March 21 – No School (Good Friday/Purim)
March 24 – No School (Easter)
March 25-28 - Spring Break
April 1 – April Fools Day
Dr. Seuss’
Birthday
April 3 - Advisory Day
April 4 - Marking Period Ends
April 7 - No School - Professional Day
Newsbriefs compiled by Adelaide Waldrop, with additional
reporting by Anshul Sood, Kevin Tang and Ya Zhou.
HONORS
• Senior
Louis
Wasserman
was named one of 40 finalists in
the annual Intel Science Talent
Search. Wasserman received a
$5,000 scholarship and a trip to
Washington D.C. where he will
present his research to nationally
recognized scientists in March.
• Blair’s Ocean Bowl Team
–– senior Chris Silberholz and
juniors Elizabeth Fang, Charles
Kong and Sean McCanty –– were
awarded third place at the 2008
Chesapeake Bay Bowl.
• Sophomores Jacob Hurwitz,
Nils Molina, Jennifer Wang and
freshman Andrew Das-Sarma
helped Blair place first and second
in the 2008 Loyola College High
School Programming Contest.
• The Boys Swim and Dive Team
were the 2008 MCPS DIvision II
champions.
THE Calendar if finished - just waiting for Tom to convert his pictures
into TIFFS - which is being done at the moment. The calendar will be
here momentarily.
• Seniors
Ashley
Cantave,
Keisha Carr, Malcom Foley, Sean
Mbachu, Rehana Mohammed
and Betsir Zemen have become
National Achievement Finalists
in the National Merit Scholarship
Program.
• All 43 of Blair’s National Merit
semifinalists were named finalists
in the National Merit Scholarship
Program.
• Seniors William Burton, Benjamin Lee, Nilan Schnure, Ryan
Waldman, Thomas Warner, Julie
Zhu and Christina Zou, were chosen as Presidential Scholar candidates for their academic achievement and/or excellence in the
arts. These seven blairs are among
the 48 candidates in Maryland to
be selected for their exceptional
scores on the math and critical
reading sections of either the SAT
or ACT.
CHRISTOPHER HSING
14 ADS
March 6, 2008
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o say that senior Steven Sugar is a
fan of comic books is something of
an understatement. Unlike other
high school students who turn to
colorful cartoon strips for minor
amusement, for Sugar, they’re an all-consuming passion.
And they’re also a career.
With continuing advancements in the
technological age, emerging artists are better equipped now than ever before to widely
advertise and distribute their work. Though
conventional wisdom may dictate that a
long and successful career usually precedes
notable sales, many young artists are defying these assumptions by taking an interest
in the artistic market. The ranks of today’s
creators therefore accommodate a new demographic: the high school student. Combining their creative passions with a steadily
growing business savvy, these young artists
are preparing themselves for entry into the
fickle and highly competitive art industry.
More than a pastime
Sugar says that he has always been attracted to comics and pop art. In middle school,
his love for the Star Wars series drove him
to start sketching many of the characters. “I
drew epic space battles, and that’s what got
me going,” he says. He continued to draw
pictures and develop characters through
middle school, a pursuit that he says was
supported by many of his friends. “I received a lot of encouragement,” he says.
March 6, 2008
In high school, Sugar has spent his years
commuting between Blair and Albert Einstein High School’s Visual Arts Center (VAC),
an intensive fine arts magnet program that
draws talented students from high schools
across the county. It was at Einstein that he
refined his skills and found the confidence to
begin his own projects. Sugar also believes
that he was inspired by his sister Rebecca,
who attended the VAC before him and aspires to be an illustrator.
Sugar made his first comic book for a
project in his freshman physics class. He
did his best to address the requirements of
the assignment, but also strove to make the
work stand on its own. “I knew it would be
my first comic,” he says, “[and] I didn’t want
my first comic to be a school assignment.”
Sugar distributed several copies of his work
to friends for no charge in an effort to get his
name out.
VAC art teacher Jane Walsh says that she
has had many students go on to pursue artistic careers. Many of them have also had
gallery shows and sold commissions, though
Walsh admits that the market can be challenging territory for young artists. She says
that the best way for students to immerse
themselves in the market is by taking advice
from their teachers. In the VAC, Walsh regularly tells her students about current gallery
openings and contests.
Working to improve himself with help
from Walsh, Sugar wrote and illustrated
h i s first comic book, a creation called
“Bolts,”the summer after soph-
ABRAHAM MURRELL
FEATURES 15
omore year. Sugar says that at the time, he teacher and I studied for a year and a half,”
was in a very good position artistically — af- she says. Steel thus acquired a strong founter spending two years in the VAC and mak- dation in the arts which enabled her to puring several trips to comic book conventions, sue the field more seriously later on.
he was confident enough to embark on a seriWith a keen interest in art ignited, Steel
ous artistic endeavor. The San Diego Comic began dabbling in different disciplines and
Convention was particularly stimulating, as took classes in pottery, jewelry-making and
it brought together
weaving.
“I was
scores of prospecgambling a bit,” she
tive artists hoping to
says.
Ultimately,
sell their work. “If
Steel decided her
there’s ever a place
true passions lay in
to be inspired, it’s
textile design and
[there]” he says.
purchased a loom
Through the asto support her projsistance of his father,
ects.
who owns a graphic
Managing
two
design
business,
professions,
Steel
Sugar printed copies
thinks that her life
of “Bolts” to sell for
represents the volasenior
approximately three
tility of the industry.
Steven
Sugar
dollars a copy. He
“It’s really hard to
began distributing
make a living,” she
his work and earned
says. Because most
more than three hundred dollars in the pro- people do not have a strong background in
cess.
the arts, she says the work of most artists is
For junior Jean Fan, however, the road to not always understood, and therefore not in
becoming a photographer was less direct. demand. “Every medium has its own idFan says that she began experimenting with iosyncrasies, and there aren’t many people
mediums such as charcoal and paints early who understand that,” she says.
on, but frequently found she lacked the conAnd while students like Sugar and Fan
centration to finish her compositions. This opt for traditional artistic mediums, othled to her interest in photography, a field ers prefer more specialized lines of work.
that she initially thought would be less try- When presented with the opportunity to
ing than traditional artistic disciplines. “I paint or snap pictures, sophomore Bobby
thought photography would be a faster Lanar will usually decline — he’d rather be
and easier method of self making chain mail by purchasing tiny aluexpression,” Fan says. minum links and connecting them to create
“Though as I get more complex, connected masses of metal. Lanar,
and more involved with who is involved with a medieval historical
photography, I’ve learned reenactment society, indulges in his passion
that that’s totally not the for history and craft by creating elaborate
jewelry.
case.”
Fan bought herself a
Lanar started experimenting with chain
digital camera for Christ- mail linking in 2007 when he purchased an
mas in 2005 and began old, damaged suit of armor from eBay for
experimenting.
Using $100. Undertaking this first major project,
an outdated editing he employed knowledge from research on
software from 1991, the topic to repair the suit. By the time the
she began refining her project was finished, Lanar knew that he
pictures. After master- wanted to make more. “I was enthralled,”
ing the software in 2006, he says.
Today, Lanar makes jewelry and sells it
she created an account
on deviantArt, a website to his friends, but spends most of his time
that allows artists to post putting together foam weapons and chain
their portfolios freely and mail for his reenactment group. Lanar says
comment on the that he realizes he occupies a unique niche
works of others. in the art world, but he isn’t sure whether or
Fan does what not he wishes to pursue the craft on a professhe calls concep- sional level. “I consider it a serious hobby,”
tual photography, he says.
a style of shooting
that combines comBasic instinct
plex concepts with unique
aestheticism. Her images
In spite of the inconsistencies of the inare whimsical and of- dustry, Steel says she will continue to be an
ten surreal — a headless artist and respond to her inner drive. “Premodel waters a tall, knob- dominantly, I’m an artist,” she says. “That’s
by-looking plant, while a where my spirit is. I’m kind of split — I like
simple composition en- teaching, but I teach to earn a living. If I had
titled “Ovary” features a it my way, I would be an artist all the time.”
Though she is uncertain whether or not
pear balancing on a naked
stomach. “I believe art in general needs to she will become a full-time photographer,
be more than a pretty picture,” she says. “It Fan knows that she would like to continue
needs to also convey a worthy thought or a with her passion and sell her work. She plans
concept. Also, conceptual photography of- to sign a contract with deviantArt when she
fers the best of both worlds: a shallow aes- turns 18 and sell prints of her photography
thetically, pleasing exterior and a deeper, for profit. In this manner, Fan believes, she
thoughtful message,” Today, Fan’s page on will be able to pursue a career in addition to
photography.
deviantArt has over 130,000 hits.
Sugar, on the other hand, is certain that
he wants to be a professional artist. He will
An unreliable prospect
be attending the Rhode Island School of
Students like Sugar and Fan aspire to en- Design next year, and hopes to realize his
ter the art industry in some measure, but the dreams of becoming an animator or illusuncompromising realities of the field pres- trator. Though Sugar understands the unent themselves daily to Hilary Steel, a local certainty of his chosen path, the appeal of
textile designer and teacher at the Potomac leaving an enduring, creative mark behind
School. Steel says that she was originally far outweighs any hesitation. “I really like
inspired by a textile design class during her the idea that I can make something that will
senior year of college. “I had a really great last longer than I do,” he says.
I really like the idea that
I can make something
that will last longer than
I do.
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CENTERSPREAD
March 6, 2008
Teaching
Beyond the
textbook
By Rutvij paN�
The Bible might seem out of place
among geometry textbooks, but both sit
on the desk of math teacher Karen Brandt.
Brandt, who reads from the Bible every
morning, chooses not to leave her faith outside the classroom. She describes herself
as a dedicated Christian, and says that her
religion occasionally influences her instruction — but always, she says, in a positive
manner. “My beliefs only shine through in
my responses and encouragement to students, through my sincerity and personality,” Brandt says. Brandt cautions that there
is a fine line between expressing one’s political and religious views and preaching, an
important distinction in academic settings.
Jason Springs, professor of philosophy
and religion at American University, says
that the extent to which religion and politics
are incorporated in school has long been
a debated issue among scholars and students. Formal separation of church and
state is required in public schools under
the First Amendment, yet ideological discussions often arise daily in classes. While
some students do not mind such overlap,
others may feel that a teacher is imposing
his or her personal views on the curriculum.
For many of Blair’s instructors, maintaining the appropriate degree of separation between personal convictions and neutral classroom instruction is an everyday challenge.
Keeping faith at a distance
Brandt regrets that teachers and students cannot mention their faith in the
classroom, believing that schools should
embrace all religions. “[Teachers] cannot
put up a poster or make a positive remark
that even hints at faith without violating
school rules,” she says. While politics and
religion don’t often mix with mathematics, the two often find themselves in the
same equation — one teachers of other
subjects try often to balance.
For history teacher Kevin Moose, his
personal faith often corresponds with his
classroom agenda. A unit of the world history curriculum requires teachers to discuss
the Catholic and Protestant reformations of
the late Renaissance, a period of religious
and intellectual transformation in Europe.
Moose, who was raised in a Catholic household and attended St. Bernadette’s School
across the street from Blair, still finds it hard
to fully engage in some aspects of religion
addressed in his lectures. Married to a Lutheran, he says he calls himself “at times,
a struggling Christian,” divided between
two different sects of the faith. “It is challenging to balance my Catholic faith with
my Lutheran involvement, and what I was
taught while growing up at St. Bernadette’s versus other religious ideologies,” he says. Nonetheless, he says
that he maintains neutrality in the
classroom and a degree of openness with his own beliefs when
teaching students about the
historical implications of
division in the Church.
Striking a balance
Moose believes it
is important to inform students of his
opinions to further
discussion,
but
also necessary to
accept their different ideas. “I am
sensitive to all my
students’ beliefs, and
because Blair is so religiously and ethnically
diverse, I feel it is important not to alienate
anyone through my teaching style,” he says.
“I want them to be comfortable in my class.”
Throughout his teaching tenure, Moose
has been introduced to many new ideas
from students — some of which he has even
accepted as his own. “As I teach and talk
to students, I enjoy learning about all philosophies,” he says. He notes that last semester one of his students recommended he
read a few Buddhist writings from the Dalai
Lama on religious conflict and the path to
God. “The number one way to breakdown
cultural misunderstanding is to speak with
members of other faiths, especially students,” he says. He explains how he still
cannot fully come to terms with some tenants of different ideologies — for example,
the belief of reincarnation in Hinduism and
Buddhism — but says that he sees value in
all religions. “I even like to say that the older
I get, the more Buddhist I become,” he says.
Springs believes that an open approach
can be beneficial in certain classes. “Because
in such courses [as history] we are often engaging in sensitive, potentially explosive issues, teachers can get students to think critically from all sides of an argument,” he says.
He also adds that there is an important distinction between impartiality and neutrality.
He says that individuals cannot be neutral,
as they will inherently make critical judgments on certain course topics. Still, he says
that impartiality can be achieved, although
it is “a hard balance to strike.” According to
Springs, impartiality means treating each of
the various faith traditions selected for investigation as equitably as possible, in terms of
attention devoted to each, and integration of
charitable interpretation and critical analysis.
Springs says that how much a teacher
distances his or her faith from students is
a matter of individual discretion. “Personally, I choose not to wear my religious
commitments on my sleeve,” he says, explaining that there is an inevitable dynamic
of authority between students and professors. If teachers reveal personal beliefs, he
says, they run the risk of unintentionally
swaying pupils toward particular political
camps or religious convictions. “Teachers
should be aware that their opinions can influence students’ comfort levels and willingness to participate in class discussions,
which are crucial to all courses,” he says.
“A different pedagogy”
The
Silent minority
by Molly Reed
Bruce
VanSledright, professor of history and social studies education at the
University of Maryland, believes that teachers can generally only stray so far from the
curriculum and common interpretation of
textbook instruction. “There are always
some limits on how much political risk
they can take in the classroom,” he says.
Before coming to UMD, VanSledright
taught high school U.S. history and says that
he occasionally found himself challenged to
maintain a proper balance. “I knew teachers
who didn’t want any ambiguity, and so they
came clean with their opinions and were almost transparent,” he says. “I was on the
other end, however, and my reason for withholding was that it wasn’t really important
where I stood — rather, it was more important
where the students wanted to stand,” he says.
VanSledright adds that in a healthy
learning
atmosphere,
keen
students
will often question a teacher’s instruction based on subtle biases that may
arise in conversation of curriculum.
A former student once questioned social
studies teacher Candace Thurman on the
first day of class, asking about her intentions in her NSL government course. “He
asked me if [the class] was going to be ‘another one of those liberal, left-wing seminars in foreign policy’,” she says. Thurman
was not entirely surprised by the question, and says that she interpreted his curiosity as a positive sign that her students
were actively engaged. “Sometimes I even
play the devil’s advocate just to stir students’ interest in different topics,” she says.
She says that if a class debate is particularly sensitive, she is likely to let students know
where she stands. Nonetheless, she says she
doesn’t want to prevent students from voicing their own opinions. “I always try to keep
an accommodationist approach,” she says.
VanSledright believes that some teachers take advantage of the freedom they
have with instruction, and says that by
presenting their own views, instructors
can excite students about course material.
“That’s just a different pedagogy,” he says.
But in the end, he says, it is almost impossible for a teacher to withhold personal
views in class. “There is always that possibility that our own opinions will seep
through in the course of instruction,”
VanSledright says. “Biases affect all of us, including teachers, and we would be lying to ourselves if we
didn’t accept that fact.”
It was supposed to be a
celebratory moment. One
picture, captured forever in
the yearbook, a flash freeze
for the future. But the 2005
group photo of the Young
Republicans was infamous
for an entirely different reason — a paper bag. One of the
members had chosen to hide
his identity, forever satirizing the
shame and isolation often associated with being a conservative at Blair.
In an area so close to the center of the
nation’s politics, students develop their
political beliefs at an early age and defend
them adamantly. But in an overwhelmingly
liberal school — a school where more than 80
percent of voters in the student primary run
by the Young Democrats supported Barack
Obama or Hillary Clinton — conservative
students are outnumbered. Instead of speaking up and expressing their opinions, these
students conceal their ideas to avoid being
singled out and isolated from their peers.
The sound of silence
Senior Ashley Cantave says that she
was pressured to avoid political discussion
early on in high school. In 2005, during
the mock congress for CAP sophomores,
Cantave sat in a crowded room of debating
students but feeling completely alone. The
topic up for discussion: stem-cell research.
“I didn’t raise my hand for that topic at
all,” Cantave remembers. “I felt so out of
place.” She says that even though some
students opposed the research, she knew
they were only playing devil’s advocate. “I
couldn’t speak up because people would
know that I meant what I said,” says Cantave.
Cantave says her political views are
based on strong Christian beliefs — beliefs
that have influenced her choice to oppose
abortion, gay marriage and other issues that
go against traditional values. Even though
Cantave admits she is not “open-minded,” she says that going to Blair has made
her more tolerant of the liberal viewpoint.
Tolerance is one of the ideas touted by
licensed Maryland psychologist William
Shore, who has counseled many students
who feel disconnected from their school
environments.
He says that narrowmindedness is a problem that appears on
both sides of the political spectrum, but
remains key to a strong political system.
When tackling problems with discrimination in his sessions, Shore often quotes
the Founding Fathers, who he says understood the true meaning of democracy, by
saying, “It is a hollow democracy at best
that does not practice the art of tolerance.”
Senior Cody Burton would have the
entire American system of democracy revamped, but his views often remain hidden.
As a self-proclaimed paleo-conservative,
Burton believes in a limited federal government that “stays out of the economy and
gives most powers to the states.” Highly
critical of the current system, he believes
that many government offices should
be closed and bureaucracy eliminated.
Burton, too, has experienced the silencing pressures of classroom discussions. “At
times, during history classes, I have sat silently and not spoken for fear of being shouted
down,”
he says.
Instead,
he
kept his thoughts
to himself and turned
to the Young Republicans club as an open
arena. But with weekly
attendance seldom reaching six students and no
influx of new recruits,
Burton decided to disband
his club in 2005. “We just
didn’t get the critical mass
required to be a real club like
the Young Democrats,” he says.
Holding his tongue
With no such outlet to express his beliefs,
senior Mark Choi says that he often vented
in classes, sometimes starting political debates with his friends. Choi soon found how
few students shared his beliefs, and that he
wouldn’t be able to change others’ views.
To benefit the class as a whole, Choi says he
has given up his voice altogether. While in
U.S. History this year, Choi seldom offered
input during discussions because he didn’t
want to cause hostility. “It’d be better for
the students if they can have their lessons
undisturbed, rather than hear an argument
that doesn’t lead to anything,” he says.
Although he disagrees with some of
the ideas presented in his classes, Choi
says that it is ultimately up to the students to choose what they believe and
that he doesn’t want to impede the
process. “Even if their lessons are biased, it’s their education, and I don’t
want to interfere with it,” he says.
One of the subjects that he felt
was presented with the most political slant was conservative economic policies. During class, the
topic of leadridden toys
made
in
China came
up,
and
many of the liberal students began
to bash conservative
politics with their “loose
economic restrictions.”
Choi wanted to say
something in opposition, but stopped
himself. “In lessons
like this, some parts get left out,” he says.
Even outside the classroom, Choi says he
has learned to hold his tongue. “I won’t start
a political discussion unless it’s someone
that I’m comfortable with and that’s okay
with me as a person,” he says. Although
he has the constant feeling of being “different” from his friends and peers, Choi says
that he now has a quiet confidence in his
own viewpoints that others cannot disturb.
Cantave, on the other hand, is still very
sensitive to what others say about her beliefs. She says that she avoids touchy subjects with her friends because of the awkward and uncomfortable feelings that ensue.
Although this purposeful silence prevents
arguments, Cantave knows that it also
distances her from others.
“We’re putting up a wall
between our friendships,” she says.
And while her
more liberal peers are
able to speak freely about
certain topics because they have the
backing and support of others, Cantave
feels she just can’t speak up. She says she
is naturally shy and avoids confrontation,
and she is fully aware of the wealth of information that others will use to oppose her
religion-based views. “I can’t say anything
because my views are wrong,” she says.
For cases like these, Shore has a bit of advice that he likes to dole out to patients. He
says that, though teens can often feel alone
and separated from their peers, it is far
worse to feel disloyal to oneself. “The worst
disconnect is from the Self,” Shore says.
“When others ridicule or reject you, dig
deep, remind yourself what you are made
of, what your passions are, who you love,
who are your real friends.”
18
ADS
March 6, 2008
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FEATURES 19
March 6, 2008
Working alone
to keep a home
Blazers support themselves
in a weakening economy
from INDEPENDENCE page 1
economy, students like Palomo
know they can count on one certainty: high costs of financial independence in a land of decreasing
financial opportunity.
Keeping house and
home(work)
According to Palomo, having
to juggle school and work often
demands overwhelming effort
— though his life was marked by
hardship long before he reached
the United States. In 1989, when
Palomo was a year old and living
in El Salvador, his mother died in
a grenade explosion that was part
of the whiplash of the Salvadoran
Civil War. A year later, his father
left for California, leaving Palomo
in El Salvador with his paternal
grandmother. It was after his
grandmother injured herself in a
car accident that he worked for the
first time, with his grandfather in
the El Salvadoran bus system.
Father and son were reunited in
D.C. when Palomo was 17, but his
father soon divorced his second
wife and returned to El Salvador.
Palomo says he was not comfortable staying with his stepsiblings
or stepmother, with whom he says
he never got along. Rather than
live with a family he barely knew,
he made up his mind to pursue
independence.
While reading advertisements
at bush stations, Palomo found a
Takoma Park family looking for
someone to rent a room. He moved
in, got a job as a busboy at a Spanish
restaurant near Chinatown and put
all his energy into working, only
entering Blair after receiving encouragement from his aunt. “When
I came here, I was only thinking
about getting a job, not going to
school,” he says.
Erica, a senior, says she felt the
same way when she came to the
U.S. from Guatemala. Threats of
gang violence against her convinced
her parents that the only option
was for her to move to the United
States. “I didn’t want to start school
here. I didn’t like this country, so I
thought I would only be here for
six months,” she says. But when
those six months turned into a year,
she decided that she wanted to get
her high school diploma and she
enlisted her sister’s help in enrolling at Blair.
Like Palomo, Erica says that the
difficulties of balancing work and
school often leave her exhausted.
She works five hours every day
after school, 10 hours on Saturdays
and five hours on Sundays at a
small linens store in Langley Park.
She usually gets home around 10
p.m. and is too tired to finish her
homework, but the long hours are
necessary if she is to afford the room
she rents from a family in Takoma
Park.
Erica survives on $300 a week,
or just $15,600 a year. According
to Goldberg-Goldman, the median
annual income in Montgomery
County is $94,000, though that
amount usually goes toward supporting entire families.
Goldberg-Goldman says that
wealth distribution in Montgomery
County closely mirrors that of the
U.S., making it an ideal study of national economic difficulties. “This
county has great affluence on one
side, poverty on the other,” she says.
“It’s a microcosm of the nation.
That’s why the effects of economic
strain are seen so greatly.”
According to Palomo, many
of his basic needs have become
more expensive in the past year,
particularly food and metro fare
cards. Sometimes he has even had
to increase his hours at his job to
cover all his expenses, working as
many as 35 hours a week and often
sacrificing schoolwork so he can
support himself.
A few weeks ago, he came home
from work at two in the morning
and stayed up all night to do his
biology homework. Palomo’s allnighter resulted in his sleeping
through his entire first period the
next day. His teachers, he says, are
relatively understanding about his
schedule and sometimes
extend the deadlines for assignments. And while he admits the
difficulty of his situation, Palomo
hesitates to complain — because
ultimately, he says, the choice of
financial independence was entirely
his own.
has also revealed the truth about
life in the U.S. “Everyone in El
Salvador thinks that the U.S. is an
easy country, but you really have to
The costs of freedom
work hard here,” he says.
Palomo would like to eventuAfter his father’s second divorce, ally return to El Salvador, to build
Palomo moved in with his uncle, a home for himself and his paternal
but soon learned that he wanted to grandparents. He doesn’t know
live without a guardian. “Living how he will reach this goal — but
by myself, I don’t have someone he may receive a little help from
always watching over me,” he says. changes in Montgomery County.
“I like to be free.”
Goldberg-Goldman says she
Erica moved out of her older is confident about proposed solusister’s home two years ago seeking tions for current financial problems.
the same
“Despite
flexibility.
the gloomShe felt that
and-doom
her sister,
forecast,
whom she
I’m optilived with
mistic,” she
when she
says. Prifirst arrived
vate sector
in the U.S.,
incentives
imposed
and new
too many
funds may
restrictions
relieve the
Senior
on her, and
housing
that her
crisis, the
Nelson Palomo
brother in
most pressVi rg i n i a
ing issue in
was even
the county
stricter. So two years ago, she and a factor in determining the
informed both of her siblings that overall course of the economy, she
she wanted to support herself. explains.
Since then, she says, she has taken
Erica is counting on her own
control of her life, making the most self-sufficiency, which she says has
of the freedom she so values. “I developed in the past few years and
just decide I want a change,” she made it easier for her to get by on a
says. “I can do what I want.” For low salary. Just a few hours before
her first couple years of financial she has to leave for work — and
independence, this meant frequent just a few months into what may
changes of residence: she spent a be a financially trying year — she
year in her first rented room, ten doesn’t let the threat of the next bill
months in another and then eight faze her. “For now, I’m okay,” she
months in a third.
says. Then she pauses and corrects
When seeking a new home, Erica herself. “Well, not really — but
does not turn to her family for help, almost.”
a reflection of the rift that developed
when she became indepedent. “At
first I didn’t want to ask my family
for help, so they were like, ‘Fine,
A c c o rd i n g t o J o A n n
if you think you can do this, go
Barnes, membership and fiahead,’” she says. “Now I can’t renance chairman in the Montally ask them. I had my pride, and
gomery County Coalition
it was silly of me.”
for Financial Literacy, finanHer brother sometimes gives her
cially independent students
money, but she has mostly dependover the age of 18 are subject
ed on her own efforts, experiencing
to the same rules for governmoments of need that have taught
ment aid as all adults. They
her the importance of financial
may receive cash assistance,
responsibility. She says that when
food stamps and medical
she first lived on her own, she rarely
support depending on their
had enough money to buy herself
level of need, she says. She
dinner, which made her realize
has never encountered a
that she constantly needs to plan
financially independent stuher finances and budget herself at
dent under the age of 18 and
the beginning of every week. “You
believes such a teenager to
can’t live without food,” she says.
be rare. “It’s never come
“I always have to be thinking about
across my desk,” she says.
money.”
“Typically we only deal with
Palomo says that being finanminors as part of a family.”
cially independent has taught him
more than fiscal responsibility — it
Everyone in El Salvador
thinks that the U.S. is an
easy country, but you really
have to work hard here.
LIVING AS ADULTS
IAN GOLD
studentsSPEAKOUT
How would you describe the state of the American economy?
Senior Olivia Bozik:
“The price of gas is
ridiculous. It fluctuates, but keeps going
up. As students, we
have to be really careful and it’s a bummer
because this really
affects how much we
can drive, especially as seniors.”
Junior Jason
Glasgow-Jackson:
“I feel like the
American economy has been
going down for
a while. In order
for improvement
there needs to be
some big change in the near future.”
Sophomore Nneka
Chime: “The nation’s
economy is just terrible right now. My
personal expenses
have been affected
and by the time we
are old enough for
the real world, the job
market will have suffered a lot.”
Senior Michael
Willems: “Everything I buy
is imported. I
actually spend
more on gas than
on other expenditures. Unless
we make drastic
changes, it might even get worse.”
Information and photos compiled by Rutvij Pandya and Solena Laigle
20 ADS
March 6, 2008
silverCHIPS
silverCHIPS
ENTERTAINMENT 21
March 6, 2008
Sunday morning, never a drag
Two intrepid reporters pay a visit to Perry’s Drag Brunch
By Caitlin Schneiderhan and Cassie Cummins
Art by Alex Demarais and Abraham murrell
Cassie: The second mass was over and
I was gone. I dashed out of the heavy, mahogany doors, down the steps (heels clickityclacking on the pebbled walk) and into the
car. Making sure my curls were intact, I raced
through the streets of D.C. to meet Caitlin.
Yes, I was 15 minutes late, but is it my fault
that Holy Trinity Church and Perry’s Sunday
Morning Drag Brunch are on opposite sides
of town?
Caitlin: The last place I wanted to be at 10
a.m. on a Sunday was circling the embassies
in Adams Morgan searching for a parking
space. When I finally found one — approximately 50 million miles
from Perry’s — I ran back
to Columbia Avenue and
headed straight for the
growing line of middleaged women standing outside the restaurant.
I didn’t know what to
expect. How many people,
when faced with something
called the “Sunday Morning Drag Brunch,” would?
But as soon as Cassie and
I heard about this place
from a friend, we knew that
this would have to be yet
another Caitlin and Cassie
adventure.
Since that day, Perry’s has given Knox
an stage to perform on without worrying
about the bills. “This was just a hobby,” she
says. “Now it’s lucrative!” Her other jobs as
celebrity makeup artist and interior designer
allow the financial freedom to strut the stage
as Beyonce. “My other jobs pay the bills,” she
says. “This one buys me shoes and pays for
itself!” Since Knox’s closet is home to over
220 pairs of shoes, her claim is a striking testament to just how lucrative the performing
parts can be.
Cassie: Caitlin and I sat at opposite sides
of the table. She was in a booth and I was in
men and dancing with women who held up
single bills for her to collect. Cassie and I
watched grinning as she slipped off the floor
and was replaced by the energetic Knox as
Beyonce, whose crazy antics had the audience
laughing and clapping along.
It was during this number that I leaned
over to Cassie and whispered, “Why can’t I
have legs like that?”
a chair — also known as the money seat. I
was out in the open, more likely to attract the
attention of one of the fabulous queens who
love nothing more than to “interact” with
their audience. Fortunately, I developed
a technique to avert their attention. Each
time one of the entertainers would walk by,
I would pick up my glass of water. If they
dared to stroke my hair or pull me out of my
seat to dance, they would no doubt make me
spill my beverage.
I drank a lot of water that morning.
Caitlin: We sat in the restaurant for about
an hour, eating and talking, before the first
performer (a queen named — no joke — Ginger Glamour) made her appearance. Decked
out as Janet Jackson, “wardrobe malfunction”
and all, she rounded the tables, laying across
the laps of the few uncomfortable-looking
performing as Shakira with such popular hits
as “Hips Don’t Lie.” She sips a frosty strawberry daiquiri as she rearranges her wig. The
name “Sophia” has been scribbled across the
top of the mirror in scarlet lipstick.
There’s a reason why Reyes looks so
comfortable lounging in this stairwell in the
bowels of Perry’s: she’s been a regular fixture
at the restaurant, singing and dancing, since
the very first drag brunch 16 years ago. And
her involvement doesn’t end once the music
stops. Reyes worked as a hostess for the
venue for several years before deciding to
pursue her drag career. “The manager loved
it when I came to work in drag,” she says.
“It was like a kind of advertisement. People
would see me and immediately make the connection. They’d ask me, ‘Hey, isn’t this the
place where they do the drag brunch?’”
Hips don’t lie
Sophia Reyes rests in front of a mirror after
spending an energetic few hours dressing and
These boots are made
for walking
Beyonce is on this morning, strutting across the
floor in different brightly
colored gowns for each
number, belting out the
high notes and swooping
to the low ones with effortless ease as she stops to pat
a small, slightly confused
baby on top of the head.
Her audience is clapping
along with the music and
holding up single bills,
which she collects and deposits on the mantelpiece
as she makes her rounds.
Her face is alive with the
thrill of performing, strutting her stuff with an obvious confidence that viewers
cannot help but admire.
But it isn’t really Beyonce up there. No, it’s Riley Knox (whose stage name is the Epiphany
Bloomingdale), a transgender drag queen
who is one of many to find a stage awaiting
her at Perry’s Drag Brunch.
And it was because of her striking resemblance to the famous pop star that Knox discovered her passion for performing. “I was
forced into it!” she says, laughing. “I didn’t
want to, but my friends ordered me to do it —
they wouldn’t take no for an answer!”
Despite her reluctance to get on the stage,
she felt invincible the moment her heel struck
the floorboards. “I was bit by the bug,” she
says. “I could be uninhibited under the stage
lights. I mean, I look like this every day,”
she says, gesturing to the lime-green sparkly
dress she’s sewn for herself and snakeskin
high heels that even Carrie Bradshaw would
find challenging. “But I wasn’t afraid.”
Though Knox has been in the business half
as long as Reyes (seven years to Reyes’ 20),
she has found that recognition is not restricted
merely to Perry’s patrons. “You get noticed,”
she says. “And not just because people think
I’m Beyonce. I was once on a date with a guy,
and some random girl came up and told me
that she’d seen me perform and loved it,”
Knox laughs. “I just wish I’d told the guy that
I performed before the girl came up!”
As one might expect, the life of a transgender drag queen is not devoid of problems
and conflict. The woman who makes Reyes’
costumes was nearly killed for being openly
gay and transgender when she
lived in Mexico, a threat that
precipitated Reyes’ move to the
United States. But despite the
dangerous prejudice that each
of these performers faces, Knox
and Reyes maintain sunny outlooks on life.
“The hardest thing I have
to deal with is probably just
keeping up with Beyonce,”
says Knox, who is not only on
a first-name basis with the pop
star but also knows many of
her band members and backup
dancers. “She’s always changing her hair or her clothes,
coming out with new songs
and dance numbers. People
expect the Beyonce of right
now, not of last month, so I have
to deliver.”
Reyes agrees that the most
difficult thing about performing is learning just how to play
the crowd. “Sometimes people
like older music, sometimes
they want new,” she says. “I
have to do two or three numbers to really gauge what they
want.”
But the secret to their success
is not in the little tricks that
they’ve picked up from drag
mothers like Xavier, the queen
who brought drag to D.C. 25
years ago. It’s not in getting
the right crowd or even just
being in the right place at the
right time.
No, for Knox and Reyes,
success lies in the love of performing. “It’s a lot of fun,” says
Knox. “But it takes a strong
person to get onstage. If you
don’t love to perform, this business will
weigh you down. It will steamroller you.”
She grins, and her smile is as bright and sunny
as Beyonce’s. “You have to be strong. You
have to be tough. You have to be yourself.”
I will survive
Caitlin: At about 12:30 p.m., the show had
reached halftime and Cassie and I decided
it was finally time for us to leave. Grinning
at the waiters, we walked down the steps of
the restaurant to the street below. Both of us
blinked through starstruck eyes, and if we
squinted it was just possible to imagine the
sequins of a sparkly dress coating the grimy
urban landscape.
We walked back to my car singing. Our
hips don’t lie, after all.
Skirting around traditional fashion
Celebrity drag turns on film and television come in all shapes and sizes
It is a curious occurance in modern-day pop culture
that many male celebrities have appeared in skirts.
They range from those whose names are legend to
those who have done it more for fun. These skirtwearing guys can be divided into categories, though,
for easy reference, and we’ve done just that.
The acclaimed: This category includes actors who
donned drag and won major awards for their performances. Dustin Hoffman was nominated for an Oscar
for “Tootsie,” and Robin Williams won several lesser
awards for “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Hilary Swank gets an
honorable mention for her Oscar-winning transgender
turn in “Boys Don’t Cry.”
For kicks: “Saturday Night Live” is infamous
for getting celebrities into skirts, and one of their
greatest coups was Hugh Laurie of “House, M.D.”
Of course, some do it for the shock value — Rudy Guiliani at the 2000 Mayor’s Inner Circle Press Roast.
To be cool: Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson,
David Beckham and David Bowie have all rocked the
skirt. Notice something about all those names? All
those men are cool!
silverCHIPS
22
Presidential hopefuls receive the political star treatment
ENTERTAINMENT
March 6, 2008
A helpful guide to what would be the ideal celebrity endorsements for the 2008 race for office
By Caitlin Schneiderhan
Everyone’s doing it. It’s the new peerpressure, this endorsement of political candidates — at least, it is for celebrities. From
Chuck Norris for Huckabee (go figure) to
Hugh Hefner for Clinton (conflicting views
if ever there were any), celebrities are jumping on the political bandwagon
left and right.
But
sometimes our beloved Presidential candidates
need a bit of
help to find the
perfect celebrity
endorsement.
While
Obama
may be basking
COURTESY OF MSNBC MEDIA
in the support of
Oprah Winfrey,
perhaps he needs to find someone a little more
edgy…a little more unsuspected to bring his
campaign to the next level. Here is a helpful
guide to the ideal celebrity endorsements for
Presidential candidates in the 2008 election.
Barack Obama
Read
any
profile of Barack
Obama, and the
writer is sure
to mention this
promising young
candidate’s
age. Sure, 46 is
fairly young for
a
presidential
candidate — it’s
COURTESY OF THE ATLANTIC
why he’s always
referred to as
the “young Congressman from Illinois.” So in order to
dispel any doubts about his age and experience, who better to endorse Obama
than a very old person? Seriously, how
much more experienced can you get?
For starters, Obama should try to tap into
the fame and genius of Peter O’Toole. Unfortunately, O’Toole falls into the category
of “practically ancient,” so it might be wise
for the “young” politician to pick him up
while he still can. Sooner is better than later,
in other words. Of course, if it were plausible, he should
go for someone
older than old
— someone no
one would see
coming — someone dead. Reagan,
perhaps.
He may have
messed with the
economy, but he
gained valuable
experience in the
COURTESY OF THE BLOG FILM
process, something Obama’s
PR managers could tap into while they
market him to voters across the country.
John McCain
Who could do a good job of endorsing
such a complex
political candidate as John McCain, Vietnam
veteran and politician extraordinaire? You have
only to look past
the realm of reality to see that an
appropriate celebrity endorser
lies even within
COURTESY OF DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
the realm of
the candidate’s
own
name.
That’s
right.
John
McClane.
Just think about it. The rough-edged,
down-and-dirty cop who stands for truth,
justice and the American Way, not unlike Su-
perman (who is unavailable to endorse McCain because his tendency to wear tights and a
cape doesn’t really fit McCain’s conservative
principles). Perfect. McClane’s not afraid to
drive a car into a helicopter if it means saving
the good ol’ U. S. of A. from cyber terrorists,
a do-it-yourself attitude that would certainly ring true with McCain’s strong support
base. And McCain’s slogan would
be a no-brainer
if he had McClane to endorse
him.
“Yippee
kay yay” — you
can fill in the rest.
Hillary Clinton
This revolutionary political
COURTESY OF THE NY OBSERVER
candidate markets herself as
“Hillary,” perhaps to make herself seem
more like the everywoman (or to distance
herself from the other Clinton). But this image may leave more to be desired — perhaps
what Hillary needs to expand her support
base is someone rougher, less lily-white.
Someone like Samuel L. Jackson Because
he’s The Man,
that’s why. In almost all of Jackson’s movies, he’s
kicking butt and
taking names, and
perhaps that’s the
edge that might
do Hillary’s image
good. And even
if she loses the
presidential race,
having Jackson’s
COURTESY OF COMMERCIAL APPEAL
support will, in
the words of Mr.
Jackson himself, make sure that she “doesn’t
go out like some punk.” When he said it,
Mace Windu was thrown from a skyscraper after losing an arm in an epic lightsaber
battle at the end of the latest Star Wars movie. Hardcore. Imagine what a little hardcore-ness could do for Hillary’s campaign!
Mike Huckabee
A presidential candidate who doesn’t
believe in evolution has perhaps not seen
the light of the
podium since
the 1800s, but,
s u r p r i s i n g l y,
Mike Huckabee
is going strong,
steamrolling his
way
through
the South. It’s
difficult to find
someone who
can truly represent the slightly
COURTESY OF THE INFORMER
scared feelings
that this man
evokes in many a patriotic voter, but one
springs to mind as the perfect match. This
celebrity has it all: fame, money, his face in
the tabloids every other week. What more
could a presidential candidate ask for in a
celebrity endorsement? What more could
a presidential candidate ask for beyond…
the ever-so-fabulous Michael
Jackson? With
such a Hollywood pariah on
his
campaign
train,
Huckabee will be able
to appeal to all
those liberals off
the Bible Belt,
the ones that
seem to conCOURTESY OF MEDIA OUTRAGE
tinuously evade
his
clutches.
And just think — if you vote for Huckabee, you might even get a free visit to
the Neverland Ranch! Just…be sure to
leave your little brothers at home, okay?
silverCHIPS
ENTERTAINMENT 23
March 6, 2008
Senior how-to: Sticking it out through June
Thoughts on how to keep second semester seniors busy throughout the rest of the year
By Cassie Cummins
Humor
As soon as your final first semester exam ended, you were overcome
with extreme fatigue. All motivation exited your body like air from
a balloon. It was predictable, it was
inevitable — it was senioritis.
That time of year has come yet
again and the epidemic that strikes
every spring semester has already
begun to claim Blair seniors on
every floor of the school. Despite
its routine visits, the disease has
yet to be cured. And more than
likely, it never will be. So if you
cannot cure it, simply deal with it,
man! Here are several things to do
with all the sitting around time you
now have that is too often devoted
to watching Law and Order reruns
or making the hourly rounds on
Facebook.
could surprise your teachers and
classmates by dropping literary
references into your conversations
throughout the day. For instance:
if a class is to get out of hand, you
might yell, “This is not Lord of the
Flies! Settle down!” Or, suppose
you ask someone what classes they
plan to take next year and they tell
you they don’t know, that they
don’t know what they want, you
might say, “Oh, how very Invisible
Man of you!” People will literally
chased over the past four years. Of
all the things you are able to do with
your newfound spare time, this
may be the most fun. It might be
difficult to track them all down (if it
were easy you would have actually
taken them to school) but that is half
the fun. Once you have compiled
them all, go ahead! Line them all
up and see how you’ve changed (It
can be a real confidence booster to
realize that you don’t have to walk
around school with that hair cut
Thought 1
Read all the books you never
got the chance to read over the
course of your high school career.
We mentioned the idea in our last
issue, but surely you laughed and
thought to yourself, “I have not the
time!” But now you finally do. And
don’t even pretend like it would be
some monolithic challenge to get
your hands on a copy of whatever
book you’re thinking about. Lazy!
You never returned any of your
school books anyway. And if you’re
really enthusiastic (yes, it is a bit of
a stretch), start a book club! Okay,
that was a joke. But actually, you
have to find some way to pay back
all of those ID obligations.
Thought 3
Create a 12-step program for
kicking the caffeine habit you’ve developed over the years but no longer need. We’re all victims of it. You
know what I’m talking about — coffee, Red Bull, diet coke, that green
stuff…caffeine. But the good news
is, you don’t need to partake in this
destructive behavior any longer. As
our good friend Ben Franklin once
said, “Early to bed and early to rise
makes a man healthy, wealthy, and
wise.” Healthy, yes. Wise, perhaps.
But wealthy? Bonus! And I dare
say, that of all people, Ben should
know what he’s talking about. We
can depend on Ben for power
and we can depend on Ben for
this!
Thought 4
ALEX DEMARAIS
gasp at your plethora of knowledge.
Thought 2
Go on a scavenger hunt for all of
the IDs you’ve involuntarily pur-
anymore).
Next, take all thirty-some IDs to
school with you and sell them to the
underclassmen who have forgotten
theirs. See? Good fun. Plus, this
kills two birds with one stone. We
all know that you will eventually
Organize your sock
drawer. Not only does
that rhyme, but it’s a
d a r n
good idea! Doesn’t it bother you?
Waking up, putting on socks (often
times one stripped and one solid because you could not find a complete
pair) and wishing that you could
clean the drawer that they live in?
It might seem like a rather menial
task, but those are exactly the kinds
of odd jobs you get done in a time
when there is nothing else to do.
Separate by color, degree of stink,
whatever. If you do not like this
idea or do not wear socks (EW) —
you can always clean
between the
keys on your
keyboard, another token task
of The Bored.
Thought 5
Get a
h o b b y.
I s n ’ t
that
how
Tidd l y winks
was invented?
Some ridiculouslybored second semester
senior was in desperate need
of something to do with his or her
time? Thought so. Tiddlywinks is a
fascinating sport. Apparently there
are championships — that thing’s
legit. Hey! You could become a
Tiddlywink World Champion if you
set your (what can only temporarily
be called an uninspired) mind to it.
If you wished to go a different route,
perhaps you could invent some
equally obscure hobby: ultimately
extreme hop-scotch or super battle
of the dominos, just about anything
you can imagine. Creating a new
hit game could make you famous,
And the Silver Chips reporter goes to...the Oscars
What you didn’t see on TV: A peek into the red carpet glitz and glamour of the 80th Annual Academy Awards
By Adelaide Waldrop
In first person
With the writers’ strike finally over, Tinseltown gathered on Feb. 24 for the 80th Annual Academy Awards. Cameras snapped
feverishly, capturing the biggest stars of
Hollywood’s moviemaking industry as they
walked down the red carpet to the Kodak
Theatre. And in that same theater, I was
having the most unexpected and amazing
night of my life.
Map to the stars
It isn’t every day that a high school student attends the Academy Awards. But I am
family friends with John Swallow, former
vice president of visual effects for Universal
Studios and a member of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “Uncle”
John had extra tickets to the Oscars.
When he invited me to go, I was thrilled.
Attending the Academy Awards was something that only happened to me in my
dreams, which also included a thriving career as a movie star and a marriage to Jude
Law. But suddenly this suburban 16-yearold would be brushing shoulders with the
most famous people in Hollywood.
Black tie only
In preparation for the Academy Awards,
Hollywood shuts down many of the roads
surrounding the Kodak Theatre. The famous red carpet is actually on top of a street.
Many of the shops on Hollywood Blvd. and
Highland Ave. closed for the few days when
both streets were subject to Oscar security.
Since we drove a personal car to the event,
we had to take a roundabout route along
closed-off streets until finally arriving at
a security checkpoint. There, our car was
thoroughly searched before we were let out
and directed into the security tent.
After walking through the scanner, I
emerged onto the red carpet. The first thing
I noticed was the screaming. About 200 people were sitting in bleachers overlooking the
carpet, and were all cheering as Regis Philbin
interviewed various stars. I was directed
onto the right side of the velvet rope, separating me from the stars who were the focus
of all this hubbub. I walked slowly along the
carpet, hoping some photographer would
accidentally capture me along with some Alist nominee. In the end, I managed to get a
barely recognizable fraction of my face in a
picture with John Travolta (see left).
The red carpet led to the entrance of the
Kodak Theatre, where there were even more
photographs being taken. I proceeded up a
flight of stairs to the main hall, where guests
were directed up another flight of stairs for
drinks and hors d’oeuvres personally prepared by the master chef Wolfgang Puck.
Walking around on this floor was treacherous due not only to the multitude of people, but also to the long dresses with trains
that were dangerous tripping hazards, es-
pecially for those of us wearing high heels.
Eventually were shuffled off to their seats at
their various levels, and I proceeded to my
seat on the floor.
The show
The Kodak Theatre is an extraordinarily
large venue. With three upper tiers and a
large floor, it seats 3,400 people. I looked
around the theater as I waited for the show
to begin, I noticed several people walking
around, dressed up like everyone else but
wearing large badges that read “seat filler.”
The Academy wants the awards to look
good for television, so they employ various
people to fill any empty seats.
The rest of the show is similarly designed
to cater to viewers at home. The lights came
up every time the show returned from a
commercial break or someone in the theater
was shown on screen so the theater audience
would be visible on television. Needless to
say, the lights were going on and off nonstop
all evening.
During commercial breaks, just as Jon
Stewart said, the audience sits around and
converses with one another. Many people
leave the room to stretch their legs and use
the rest rooms. Around the third to last commercial break of the show, I decided to do
the same. Worried that I might get locked
out, I hurried to the ladies’ room. I kept my
ears open for any announcement that would
warn me when it was time to go back. Hearing none, I walked back to the doors of the
theater. But apparently they did not broadcast warnings during commercial breaks,
and I was too late. I could not get back in
to the theater.
Luckily, since the show was close to its
end, the segments were shorter and the
commercial breaks more frequent, so I did
not have to wait too long until I was able to
reenter. As I did, many of the Oscar winners
from the segment before came in as well.
Even they had to wait to get back into the
theater.
Seeing stars
Celebrities dotted the audience everywhere, and I got the chance to see many stars
throughout the night, but one experience
surpassed all others. After the ceremony, as
I was standing with a group of people chatting about the show and how it went, someone beside me remarked on another group
of people adjacent to us. I turned to look
and saw George Clooney standing a couple
feet from me. My heart stopped.
The first thing I noticed was how he was
even more attractive in person. I gasped and
turned to my Uncle John, who encouraged
me to go talk to Clooney. But I couldn’t. I
was too petrified, and was only able to hold
my breath as George walked past me, making contact with my arm on a molecular
scale.
The second thing I noticed was how
short he was. I am 5’10”, but in my moderately high heels I towered over him. Other
stars had similarly surprising appearances.
When Katherine Heigl nervously presented
an award, I couldn’t believe how tall she
was. And her dress, which appeared red on
camera, was actually bright orange.
Unforgettable
Attending the Academy Awards was like
entering another world, a world of lavish
evening gowns, tailored tuxedos and beautiful celebrities. As someone who had never
attended before, I found the sight was pretty
overwhelming. But the rest of the guests
seemed generally less impressed. It was as
if most of the people there were used to this
kind of splendor and extravagancy and had
little to remark about. It’s hard to imagine,
but people can even get desensitized to the
Academy Awards.
But as I walked out of the Kodak Theatre
and waited for the valet to bring our car, I
knew that no matter what, I would never
forget the night I attended the Academy
Awards.
24
ADS
March 6, 2008
silverCHIPS
silverCHIPS
ENTERTAINMENT 25
March 6, 2008
‘
Silver picks: THE DMV s Best
BY Ian Gold
While the region is widely known for the Mason-Dixon line and having what
used to be the longest continuous over-water steel structure (the Chesapeake Bay
Bridge in 1951), the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) have much
more to offer. From folk-pop sensation Eric Hutchinson to go-go hipster Wale, local
arts in the region offer something of interest to all Blazers.
Eric Hutchinson
Reaching number five on the iTunes top sellers list might not be shocking for stars like Kanye
West or Kelly Clarkson, but for Blair alumnus
and aspiring musician Eric Hutchinson, it was
huge. Reminiscent of G. Love and Prince,
Hutchinson’s folk-pop music combines witty
and sarcastic lyrics with bouncing rhythms.
Hutchinson has independently released two
EPs (short albums) and his most recent, first
full-length studio album “Sounds Like This.”
Hutchinson had signed with Maverick, a major
label, to record and release “Sounds Like This,”
but he was dropped after the label was bought
by a larger company.
Hutchinson went on to independently record
his album, which received rave reviews from
Perez Hilton, the infamous celebrity gossip
courtesy of erichutchinson.com
blogger of perezhilton.com. Hilton’s comments
helped “Sounds like This” reach the fifth spot on the iTunes Top Albums list, and Best Buy
later agreed to sell 25,000 copies of the album nationwide.
Key Track: “Food Chain”
WALE
With a unique mix of mainstream
hip-hop and DC-based go-go, Wale
looks to be the first major breakout rapper from DC. Wale, whose real name is
Olubowale Folarin, was born in Virginia
to Nigerian parents and spent the majority of his childhood in DC and Maryland.
After graduating from Quince Orchard
in 2002, he signed a production deal
with Grammy-winning producer Mark
Ronson’s Allido Records. The self-dubbed “Ambassador from
the Capital” recently announced that he
will soon release his next mixtape, “The
Mixtape About Nothing,” as a follow-up
to “100 Miles & Running” produced by
Nick Catchdubs in 2007. Wale garnered
courtesy of musicremedy.com
attention from the national hip-hop
community in 2007, beginning with his performance alongside hit French techno
group Justice at last fall’s MTV Music Video Awards. Wale then released his most
popular single so far, “Nike Boots,” and the subsequent remix with “rapper-eater”
Lil Wayne. He also gained nods for impressive remixes for a diverse group of
artists including Chris Brown, Lily Allen, M.I.A. and Saigon.
Wale is hard to stereotype — he’s not the ordinary gangsta rapper (Gorilla Zoe
or Yung Joc), and yet he doesn’t preach philosophy (Common or Talib Kweli). He
raps more about Nike Dunks or raw denim jeans than gang warfare or politics, and
his rhymes are filled with unique, offbeat wordplay. And as Kanye West broke out
several years ago as a preppy, self-conscious rapper (something unheard of at the
time), Wale seems poised to be a star despite his background as a suburban-bred
sneakerhead with his throwback hip-hop vibe.
Key Track: “Ice Cream Girl”
Silver lights
Although a hip-hop producer, rapper, classical pianist and three
rock musicians may not seem like the most likely combination for a
band, Silver Lights pulls it off. Formerly know as Silver Dollars, the
band started as a hip-hop production group, combining programmed
beats with live instrumentation. They then began to record their own
music and tried to merge the polar worlds of rock and rap. Including Blair alumni Ben and Ryan Martinez, Silver Dollars’ laid-back,
genre-fusing style draws many comparisons to other hip-hop bands
such as The Roots, Heiruspecs and Citizen Cope (who also began his
musical career in DC).
Key Track: “Milin’ High”
CITY AT PEACE
courtesy of iac.com
THE WIRE
Already in its fifth and final season, “The Wire” is a criticallyacclaimed HBO television drama set in nearby Baltimore. Each season focuses on a different theme — “the War on Drugs,” reform, city
politics, failing education systems and the local media. “The Wire”
blurs the line between good and bad, black and white, and allows
for a more complex portrayal of urban life. The show is unusual in
its ability to portray cops, drug dealers, murderers and politicians
equally as both heroic and sinister people. “The Wire” is not a puzzler like ABC’s “Lost” or soap opera like CW’s “Gossip Girl,” but
rather a dramatic novel with a beginning, middle and end.
This series is the brainchild of David Simon, author and coproducer of the TV show “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets”
courtesy of hbo
which became a six-year, award-winning NBC series. Simon also
wrote “The Corner,” which inspired an award-winning HBO miniseries that he helped to create. “The Wire,” which
is mainly filmed in Baltimore, has also been partially produced, written and directed by George Pelecanos, the
best-selling novelist and Silver Spring resident whose DC and Maryland-based crime novels include The Midnight
Gardener.
The Wire airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
While Shakespeare and theatre
may be villains in
the lives of many
high schoolers,
performers at
DC’s City at Peace
work to address a
number of issues
that face today’s
society, including racism, sexism, homophobia,
poverty and youth
violence. Teenagers from ages 13
through 19 work
together to learn
more about themcourtesy of AJ King, city at peace
selves and conflict
resolution, and after months of discussion and group
activities, the cast creates and performs an original
musical.
City at Peace uses theater as a vehicle to address
many of society’s biggest problems. Founded in 1994,
the organization brings together an extremely diverse
cast in an attempt to transcend social and race divisions.
By working with people from radically different backgrounds, actors are able to broaden their perspectives
and confront their prejudices. The program has quickly
expanded since its conception in D.C., and City at Peace
programs are now in Los Angeles, New York City, Baton
Rouge, Charlotte, Santa Barbara, Israel and Cape Town,
South Africa.
BEYOND the Boulevard
Movies
“Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” (PG-13)
— Amy Adams is back, fresh from her acclaimed role as the ditzy-but-strong fairy-tale
princess in “Enchanted.” In this film, which
also stars Frances McDormand, Ciaran Hinds
and Lee Pace, she plays an aspiring actress
and singer in the 1930s. She takes on an older
woman , Miss Pettigrew (McDormand) who
has recently been fired from her position as
governess. Adams’ Delysia Lafosse helps
Miss Pettigrew come out of her shell and live
a little (Mar. 7).
“Horton Hears a Who!” (G) — If the exclamation point at the end of the title isn’t enough
to point out that this will be a delightful
childhood romp through the fields of Dr.
Seuss’s imagination, the fact that the two actors doing the voices for the main characters
are Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, masters of
frenetic comedy, should. Carrey is the voice
of Horton, a gentle elephant, who hears voices
coming from a tiny world on a speck of dust
on a flower. He then decides to do whatever
it takes to protect the flower and the people
on the tiny world (Mar. 14).
DVDs
“Awake” (R) — If you remember this movie
from when it was in theaters, it’s probably
only because the plot description made you
vow never to have surgery, no matter how
serious the medical problem. This boring
Hayden Christensen-Jessica Alba flick about
the consequences of “anaesthetic awareness”
was in and out of theaters so fast that it was
more a ghost than an actual film. The general
terribleness of the movie is just further proof
that whatever wonderful things Christensen
may be, “actor” is definitely not one among
them (Mar. 11).
Pete Francis of Dispatch at the 9:30 Club,
Mar. 11, $15
“Enchanted” (PG) — No one went to see
this movie for Patrick Dempsey or even
James Marsden. No, crowds flocked to this
massively-pleasing Disney movie for Amy
Adams as the adorable Giselle, forced from
her fairytale land into the brutal real world of
New York City. Lucky for her, she has a pair
of McDreamy arms to tumble into until she
discovers how to be an empowered woman.
It’s cutesy, yes, and at some parts it’s difficult
to tell whether the filmmakers are spoofing
the Disney formula or not, but ultimately it’s
fantastic (Mar. 14).
The Mountain Goats at the Black Cat, Mar.
22, $15
Concerts
Alice Smith and PJ Morton at the Black Cat,
Mar. 9, $15
The Gutter Twins at the 9:30 Club, Mar. 20,
$20
Barnum and Bailey Circus at the Verizon
Center, Mar. 27-30, $14-95
Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z at the Verizon Center,
Apr. 6, $49.75-150.75
To buy tickets, call (202) 423-SEAT or visit
http://www.ticketmaster.com
Beyond the Boulevard compiled
by Caitlin Schneiderhan
26 CHIPS CLIPS
RUSH HOUR
by Adelaide Waldrop and Caitlin Schneiderhan
Famous discoveries
silverCHIPS
March 6, 2008
Spring training
ACROSS
1.) Free State Symphony
Orchestra, for short
5.) Writer of I, Robot,
______ Asimov
10.) Windows Media Players, for short
14.) For ____!
15.) Aids
16.) In Oz, the witch from
this place gets hit by a
house
17.) Preferred mail carriers
at Hogwarts
18.) In _____ days
19.) “Don’t get mad, get
____”
20.) A Catholic may do this
with a vice until Easter
23.) A medical tube
24.) “This is __ ____ _ntry”
27.) Deep blue
31.) A grayish color
32.) A lot
35.) What you don’t want
to have in Poker
38.) One in France
39.) Permanent body
marking, for one
40.) Keep Texas Beautiful,
for short
41.) Popular circus act
43.) Easy ____
44.) Kind of
45.) He parted the Red Sea
47.) Phonetic spelling of
by Andy Holmes
popular winter coat
50.) A type of bread for
short
54.) Popular food eaten
during Passover
58.) Cop on the drug beat
60.) Beauty and the Beast
is ______ as old as time
61.) Obey
62.) AP Biology teacher at
Blair
63.) Belonging to Harry
Potter reporter, Ms. Skeeter
64.) Illinois Royal Rangers,
abbr.
65.) American league division series, for short
66.) Alcoholics Anonymous has 12 of these
67.) What lawyers build
up
DOWN
1.) Multiple enchanted
princes
2.) If you’ve got a tear,
you _____ __ up!
3.) To put on burns
4.) “Mary-Kate ____ stars
__ Bridezilla!”
5.) Lots of pancakes!
6.) Me
7.) Worldwide chain of
shoe stores
8.) Undesirable hairdo
9.) The type of way in
which CSN goes about
things
10.) What we do to our
teeth when we’re angry
11.) Yummy chilly snack
12.) For your information
13.) Venereal disease
21.) Betcha can’t have just
one!
22.) Inspector of gamefixing controversy
28.) Full of all sorts of
makeup
29.) To journey far and
wide
30.) The first part of an approximation
32.) City in Arizona
33.) A satirical newspaper
34.) A new sort of stick
39.) Urdu work
43.) Clairvoyant
46.) A time period
48.) Multiple leaders of
Russia
49.) “Satire” misspelled
51.) Sinhalese for “golden
shower tree”
52.) These will make you
very intoxicated
53.) Famous rapper
58.) They’re listening to
your phone conversations
59.) Without exception
SUDOKU
COURTESY OF WWW.WEBSUDOKU.COM
The Inferno: Nine levels of the SAT
by Andy Holmes
The Inferno
by Andy Holmes
silverCHIPS
LA ESQUINA LATINA
El 6 de marzo del 2008
27
¿Crees que el Reggaetón tiene un efecto
negativo en los jóvenes?
Reggaetón es un género de música que es una mezcla del hip-hop, reggae y música latina. Al
igual que hip-hop, reggaetón ha causado controversia por las letras que pueden ser consideradas inapropiadas. Además de las letras, los bailes tal como el “perreo” que son asociados con
el reggaetón causan preocupación por su contenido sexual. Sin embargo, la popularidad del
reggaetón ha incrementado mayormente entre los jóvenes.
Esther Akinnagbe dice SÍ
Sandra Brizo dice NO
El contenido del reggaetón es demasiado negativo e
influyente entre los adolecentes latinos
La música como forma de arte es más
antigua que la escritura. La diversidad de
los géneros de música nos ayuda a apreciar
las culturas extranjeras y los diferentes intereses que ellas aportan. El reggaetón se ha
enfrentado a mucha controversia debido a
su contenido sumamente obsceno y violento
por dirigirse al segmento de la sociedad que
más se deja influenciar por los medios de
comunicación: los adolescentes.
Aunque los reggaetóneros disminuyen
la gravedad de su contenido explícito por
medio de su arte, la mayoría de ellos no se
involucran en la violencia. Por ejemplo,
Daddy Yankee mantiene una imagen decente y familiar cuando está endosando una
compañía o producto. Los artistas que han
ganado fama y riquezas por medio del reggaetón pueden ser modelos positivos para
los jóvenes de pocos recursos que quieren
sobresalir y tener éxito.
El reggaetón contiene letras sumamente
inapropiadas para los jóvenes cuyas opiniones mayormente están basadas en la
música que ellos escuchan. Hoy en día,
los adolescentes son el grupo demográfico
más impresionable y con más importancia
para el comercio. Según un estudio de la
Comisión de Comercio Federal (FTC), los
afro-americanos y los jóvenes hispanos son
los grupos más receptivos y menos cínicos a
los anuncios y a la prensa que otros grupos
demográficos.
El reggaetón es particularmente perjudicial porque además de su contenido , el
género está dirigido a este grupo impresionable, especialmente los adolescentes
hispanos. En los pocos años que el reggaetón
ha existido, se ha popularizado más que la
salsa, merengue, y bachata en muchos de los
países hispanohablantes.
Cuando se escucha el reggaetón, hay otras
preocupaciones además de las letras machistas que éstas tienen. Hay una cantidad de
letras y canciones con temas de violencia y
actividad ilegal. Aunque cada generación
tiene un género de música que es percibido
como inapropiado y vulgar, el reggaetón se
El reggaetón ha atraído a más jóvenes hispanos que
ningún otro género de la música latina
ha confrontado con excesiva controversia
porque en realidad este estilo de música es
muy inapropiado y vulgar para el público.
El problema con el reggaetón también
es causado por las letras y bailes sexuales
que degradan a las mujeres. En canciones
como “Toma” por Pitbull, a las mujeres se
les refieren como objetos sexuales. Es una
vergüenza que haya un género basado
casi por completo en la humillación de las
féminas, y que encima de esto este género
sea el preferido de los adolescentes hispanos.
“Boricua, Morena, Dominicano, Colombiano,” cantan las mujeres. La canción
continúa, Daddy Yankee rapeando, “Todo
mis Latinos en el block ahora stand up.”
Esta canción, “Oye mi canto,” fue el primer
video musical de Reggaetón que salió al
aire en Music Televisión (MTV), y llevó al
género a un nivel más alto. Después que
el video salió al aire el reggaetón tuvo una
erupción musical.
Conocido por su ritmo rápido y de
letras expresivas, el reggaetón continúa en-
Por otro lado, los bailes, particularmente el
perreo, son basados en posiciones sexuales
que humillan a las mujeres. Es muy difícil
imaginarse el futuro de los países hispanos
cuando la mayoría de los jóvenes están
cantando esas canciones y no creen estar
actuando de una forma inhumana. Los
reggaetóneros deben de tener acierto en la
selección de los temas y a la misma vez ser
concientes de que sus actitudes influencian
a otros a través de su música.
frentando adversidad de parte del público.
Los oponentes alegan que es una mala
influencia en la juventud Latina. Aunque
algunas de sus letras un sido explícitas,
sus artistas son nada menos que modelos
apropiados.
Mirando atrás hasta los años cincuenta,
han habido géneros de música que han
sido controversiales, atrayendo atención
por su estilo nuevo y único. En los cincuenta y los sesenta el público apuntaba el
IAN GOLD
dedo hacia la música rock. Mientras que
en los setenta era la música disco. Después
del rap el reggaetón ha empezado a recibir
la presión alrededor del mundo.
Artistas como Daddy Yankee nacido
Raymond Ayala, son una influencia
positiva en la juventud de hoy porque son
ejemplos primordiales de personas que han
trabajado duro para obtener un puesto en
esta sociedad. Daddy Yankee en particular,
nació en un caserio de San Juan y ha sido
capaz de trabajar para llegar a un lugar,
creando una vida nueva para él. Historias
como éstas pueden servir de inspiración a
los jóvenes de hoy porque en ellas pueden
encontrar similitudes.
Los artistas del reggaetón en sus canciones dan sus opiniones de temas pertinentes, así como la corrupción en la política y
el crimen en las calles. Esto aumenta el interés y el conocimiento de los jóvenes a estos problemas y los efectos que tienen en la
población Latina. Un ejemplo en relación
con la expresión lírica de sus canciones es
Vico C, quien usa la música para expresar
su punto de vista en el uso de drogas y la
injusticia entre las clases sociales. Al igual
que el hay muchos mas que recuren hacía
la música para desahogar sus opiniones.
“No matter your race because you
know you’re Latino,” (No importa tu raza
porque tu sabes que eres Latino), N.O.R.E.
continúa demostrando que sobre todo el
reggaetónune a las personas con un solo
ritmo. Mezclado entre todo el movimiento
y las melodías se encuentra algo más, que
es la capacidad de relacionarse con muchos
grupos de personas que están atraídas a un
mismo ritmo.
La juventud latina ha llevado a interesar a otros grupos en su música algo que
nunca antes había sucedido. Todo esto es
gracias a la creación de la combinación de
la música americana y la jamaicana que
ahora es llamada reggaetón. El reggaetón
ha llegado no solamente para dejar una
huella en el camino de la música sino para
quedarse.
túOPINIÓN
“Es sexo en la pista de baile. Esta
basada en vender sexo.”
-senior Bradley Harmon
“Yo creo que no todos los mensajes son positivos. El uso de palabras degradantes hacía las mujeres deshonran las relaciones.”
-maestra practicante
Emma Aguilar
“Reggaetón solo es un escape
de un problema más grande. La
música no es el problema, nunca
lo ha sido. Los jóvenes y sus padres necesitan aceptar la culpa de
sus propios problemas.”
-senior Whitney Skippings
“No creo que ningún género de
musica tenga un efecto negativo.
Todo depende en como usted lo
percive.”
-maestra de Ingles
Michelle Gross
“Como no lo entiendo no creo
que reggaetón tenga un efecto
negativo. Entonces, si yo no entiendo, no puede efectarme.”
-senior Malcolm Foley
Información recopilada Sandra Brizo y Esther Akinnagbe, fotografia por Alex Lutz
28 ADS
March 6, 2008
silverCHIPS
silverCHIPS
SPORTS 29
March 6, 2008
Wrestlers advance
Two Blazers head to states
145-lb weight class.
Kebede went 28-5 in season play and deMarch 1, SHERWOOD –
feated Quince Orchard junior Phil Valencia
Two Blair wrestlers, senior captain Ber- (17-13), 5-2, in the first round and pinned
eket Kebede and junior Alhaji Janneh, will Magruder junior Chris Ralli (27-9) late in
advance to tomorrow’s state tournament af- the second period for the second round victer finishing in the top four for their respec- tory. He lost to rival Sherwood junior Stetive weight classes at the Maryland 3A/4A ven Gamble (30-0) on a pin in the Regional
West Regional tournafinals.
ment held Friday and
Janneh, with
Saturday at Sherwood
a season record
High School.
of 28-6, defeated
Kebede won secRichard
Montond place in the 152-lb
gomery
senior
weight class and Janneh
Ross Lary (21-6),
won fourth in the 171-lb
12-7, in the first
weight class.
round, but lost to
Junior Kekura Musa
eventual
cham(25-11) and senior cappion senior Brian
tain Haben GhebremeWittenberger (Daschel (25-7) also placed
mascus). He then
fifth and sixth, respecpinned Magruder
tively, in the 125-lb and
junior
Jimmy
140-lb weight classes.
Hughes (20-14) in
Senior captain Phine
23 seconds in the
Ulysse boasted a record
first consolation
of 27-7 for the season,
round, but lost
but sprained an ankle
to Walt Whitman
during the first round,
sophomore Taylor
which left him with a
Leighton
(24-7)
default loss to Northby default in the
west junior Greg Hammatch for third
ilton (18-5) in the 160-lb
place.
SOLENA LAIGLE
weight class.
Musa pinned
Junior Miche Ulysse Junior Alhaji Janneh wins back points
his first opponent,
(20-10) also competed
Magruder junior
in the regional tournament, but lost in the Kevin Coffay (20-10), halfway through the
first round to eventual runner-up, Damas- third period, in the first round, but lost to
cus sophomore Zeke Gammill (28-6), on a Churchill senior Anthony Vito (32-3), 4-2, in
pin halfway through the second period, and the second round.
he later lost to Paint Branch freshman GarIn the consolation bracket, he lost to
rett Hoover (22-10) on points, 11-4, in the Wootton freshman Shane Bramble (20-15),
By Amanda Pollak
SOLENA LAIGLE
Senior captain Haben Ghebremeschel (25-7) tries to bring an opponent to the mat
11-2, but defeated Coffay again, this time
11-2, to take fifth place.
If a wrestler in the 125-lb weight class is
injured, however, Musa will advance to the
state tournament in their place.
Ghebremeschel beat rival Springbrook
senior Joffrey Alicdor (26-7), 6-4, but lost
to eventual champion, Paint Branch senior
Steve Miller (32-1) 21-3 in the next qualifying round for the finals.
He lost to Bethesda-Chevy Chase senior
John Genova (28-7) 12-3 in the first round
for third place and to Northwest junior Tyler Luckett (19-9) by default in the match for
fifth place.
The 2008 Maryland Public Secondary
Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA)
Wrestling State Tournament will be held
March 4 at 2:30 p.m. at University of Maryland’s Cole Field House.
Boys’ relays triumph at state championship
Blazers score points in all six events entered, boys place fourth
By Rachita Sood
Feb. 19, PG SPORTSPLEX –
On a successful night for the
Blair indoor track team, the boys’
4x200-meter relay team placed first
at the 4A Maryland State Championship, and the 4x400m relay took
home the silver medal with second
place in a loss by .28 seconds. With
athletes entered in only five events,
the boys’ squad racked up 30
points by placing in each event for
a fourth place finish of 23 teams.
The boys scored points in all five
events with a stellar performance
from junior Jonathan Haughton,
who ran on both sprint relays and
placed fifth in the 55m dash and
third in the 300m dash, earning
two and six points respectively. Senior Nilan Schnure placed fourth
in the 800m run for four points,
and senior co-captain Johanna
Gretschel, the only member of the
girls’ team to qualify for the state
meet, placed sixth in the 800m run
for one point.
Haughton started strong for the
Blazers, advancing to the final heat
of the 55m dash with a time of 6.82
seconds in the preliminary round.
Despite not feeling well during
the race, the sprint-star ran a 6.78
second split in the final heat to put
him in fifth place overall.
Two events later, Haughton returned for the 300m dash, where
he was seeded to run in the fastest
heat. Against tough competition
and with little recovery time from
his two previous races, Haughton
ran a 36.38-second 300m for third
place, giving the Blazers their first
taste of metal by clinching a bronze,
the first of three medals Haughton
earned on the night.
In an unofficial poll on track web
site MoCo Running, users picked
Blair for first place in the 4x200m
relay, the next event in which the
RACHITA SOOD
The triumphant Blair Indoor Track team poses with new medals after the successful tuesday meet.
Blazer boys participated. Haughton ran the opening leg in a blazing 22.51 seconds before handing
off to senior co-captain Louis Varella. Varella maintained the Blazers’ lead and passed the baton to
senior Chris Grindley, who rounded the 200m track for a neck-andneck exchange to senior Mohamed
Mansaray. Mansaray pulled away
down the backstretch, bringing
Blair the state title in 1:31.73 seconds, .73 seconds ahead of trackpowerhouse Eleanor Roosevelt
High School.
The boys’ 4x200 relay has excelled all season, placing second
in the Montgomery County Championship Meet and first in the 4A
West Regional Meet, but after analmost disqualification and eleventh place finish at last year’s indoor state championship, the boys
were excited to succeed at the state
level. “We’ve been working hard
all season, and it paid off,” Varella
said. Haughton echoed the cocaptain’s sentiments, saying, “We
finally got some respect.”
In the next event — the 800m
run — Gretschel and Schnure
ran solid races to place sixth and
fourth respectively. Gretschel began her race at the back of the pack
and steadily moved to the middle,
but was boxed in by other runners
until the final 200 meters. Sprinting
down the backstretch, Gretschel
passed two runners to finish in
sixth place at 2:23.50 seconds.
Schnure stated strong at the
gun, coming through the first lap
in third place before settling into
fourth behind the lead pack of
three runners. Schnure finished in
2:01.25 seconds.
Schnure returned one event later for the boys’ 4x400m relay with
Haughton, Grindley and Varella.
Haughton again took the lead leg,
maintaining first place into the
handoff to Grindley. Grindley kept
Blair’s lead in the first 200 meters,
but was nearly caught in the final
55 meters for a neck-and-neck handoff.
In the third leg, Schnure fell
back to second place but regained
the lead 300 meters in. Varella began the anchor leg in a close second place and brought Blair the
lead halfway through his first
lap. But as Varella and C.H. Flowers High School’s anchor runner
rounded the final turn, Varella
briefly stumbled and the competitor surged a few paces ahead for
the lead. Varella gave pursuit in
the final 55 meters, but ultimately
could not match C.H. Flowers and
claimed second in an overall time
of 3:31.31 seconds, .28 seconds behind the gold.
Despite the close finish in the relay, coach Ralph Penn was pleased
with the results of the meet. He
noted the Blazers’ resilience during
the meet, as several athletes competed in multiple events. Haughton ran five races and brought
home a bronze, silver and gold
medal, and Schnure competed in
the 4x400m relay less than 20 minutes after his 800m race. Penn also
commended the team for scoring in
every event entered and stated that
the Blazers have the skills to win
high-profile meets, but need more
athletes to compete. “If we can get
more people in more events, we
can start winning some of these big
titles. But we got a good amount of
points for the few events we ran,”
he said. “I’m hoping that based on
these results, we’ll get more interest in the track team.”
30 SPORTS
silverCHIPS
March 6, 2008
Winter sports season in review
By Dylan Baird
Girls’ Basketball
Ice Hockey
Regular Season Record:
5-15
Leading scorers
Ashley Arnold (Jr.)
Kalisha Holmes (Sr.)
Regular Season Record:
3-8
Leading scorers:
Ben Kastner (Sr.)
Alex Sandberg-Bernard (Sr.)
Tobi Adeoye (Sr.)
Playoff success:
First round: Defeated by Walter Johnson, 44-62
Players to watch next year:
Jenny Williams (Jr.)
Janet Henkai (Fr.)
Players to watch next year:
Jens Josephs (So.)
Logan Schwebel (So.)
Pierce Marston (Fr.)
ELSA HAAG
ELSA HAAG
Junior Ashley Arnold pushes the ball
down court.
Sophomore Logan Schwebel carries the
puck across the ice.
The girls’ basketball team bested their record from last year, finishing the regular season
with five wins. Under the direction of first-time head coach Erin Conley, the team has begun
to build a program that will continue to develop in future years. Though senior co-captains
Meghan Cadigan, Kalisha Holmes and Christina Mullen will be missed, the team will look
to juniors Ashley Arnold and Jenny Williams to lead next year and freshmen Janet Henkai
and Sarah McMillian to step up as rebounding and scoring threats. The team fell in the first
round of the state playoffs to Walter Johnson, but the underclassmen will be expected to
improve further next year after another season of experience in Conley’s system.
Starting the season with four consecutive wins, Blair ice hockey made a push for a respectable record, going 2-2 in their last four games. Offensive powerhouses senior Alex SandbergBernard and sophomore Jens Josephs put together a strong end to the season with both
scoring multiple goals in the team’s final games. However, freshman Pierce Marston and the
rest of the team’s defense could not make up for lost super-star goalie, Robbie Ginsberg, who
graduated last year after starting four consecutive seasons. The hockey team never lost the
support of its fans, however, who were present in great number at every Friday home game,
despite complaints to the league by other teams.
Boys’ Basketball
Swimming
Regular Season Record:
5-17
Leading scorers:
Milton Colquehoun (Sr.)
Issy Melton (Sr.)
Regular Season Record:
Boys’ record: 7-0
Girls’ record: 4-3
Most recent meet:
Metropolitan Area
Championships
Boys: 6th place
Playoff success:
First round: Defeated Blake
Bengals, 56-52 (OT)
Swimmers to watch next year:
Players to watch next year:
Leon Sampson (Jr.)
Wayne Henderson (Jr.)
Allison Arai (So.)
Jeff Lin (So.)
ANDREA LYNN
Junior Leon Sampson soars upward.
Despite a losing record, the boys’ basketball team has shown drastic improvement over
last season. Nearly every loss has been decided by single digits, and most have been decided in the fourth quarter. The Blazers have also garnered several decisive wins against strong
teams like Gaithersburg and Richard Montgomery. Senior co-captains point guard Milton
Colquehoun and shooting guard Joe Dubuche have done a admirable job leading the team
through the season’s adversity, and senior Issy Melton and junior Leon Sampson have used
extremely athletic play to muster productive offense as well as stout defense down in the
low post. After the playoff win against Blake, the team faced Wootton on Tuesday night.
SOLENA LAIGLE
Sophomore Jeff Lin between strokes.
Blair’s swim and dive team has been phenomenal this year, improving in all areas of
their game. The boys’ swim team was once again dominant, defeating every team in their
division, while the girls have also posted an incredibly strong season. The divers, headed
by seniors Francisco Segovia and Nikolas Reineke have had an incredibly successful season,
as have the swimmers. The attitude has been exceptionally effective in motivating younger
swimmers into action, leading to a well-balanced team. The boys won Division II while the
girls tied for fifth. Combined, the team took second at the divisional meet and only lost one
meet throughout the entire season.
Wrestling
Indoor Track
Regular Season Record:
8-5
Leading scorers:
Bereket Kebede (Sr.)
Haben Ghebremeschel (Sr.)
Phine Ulysse (Sr.)
Most Recent Meet:
State Championship
Boys: 4th place
Playoff success:
8th place in Counties
Next Meet:
Nike Indoor Nationals
(3/15-16)
Prince George’s Sports and
Learning Complex
Players to watch next year:
Alhaji Janneh (Jr.)
Miche Ulysse (Jr.)
Players to watch next year:
Jonathan Haughton (Jr.)
Chris Grindley (Jr.)
SOLENA LAIGLE
Senior Haben Ghebremeschel prepares
to take down his opponent.
Blair wrestling put together an outstanding season, posting one of the best records in
Blair wrestling history. They wrestled with a mostly healthy team, getting unexpected help
from some of the younger, more inexperienced players. The relied heavily on senior cocaptains Bereket Kebede (152) and Haben Ghebremeschel (140), Charles Chikelu (215) and
Phine Ulysse (160) to get the team a majority of its points. All of these wrestlers wrestled
to their potential, combining hard work and sheer determination, to dominate almost every
team they faced. In postseason, Kebede and junior Alhaji Janneh placed first in their weight
classes at the Maryland 3A/4A West Regional Tournament and will continue to states.
CHRISTINA MULLEN
Mohammed Mansaray runs a leg in the
4x200m race.
After winning the state 4x200m title, the boys’ relay team will head to Nike Indoor Nationals to represent Blair and Maryland. Anchored by strong individual performances by
junior Jonathan Haughton and senior Nilan Schnure, the boys finished fourth in the state.
The return of injured senior co-captain Louis Varella will bring the team more success in the
outdoor track season. Senior co-captain Johanna Gretschel finished sixth in the state in the
800m run and will lead the girls’ team through a challenging season in Division II. If indoor
track is any indicator of what the spring season has in store, Blair is on track to become one
of the best track teams in the county.
silverCHIPS
SPORTS
March 6, 2008
by Nathan Goldstein and Jonas Shaffer
UCLA
MEMPHIS
Two years removed from the NCAA Finals and just
one from the Final Four, the Bruins are in good shape
to make their third straight trip to Indianapolis. When
they’re on, UCLA can play lockdown defense like
no other and they are capable of putting up enough
points to win tight games. Though their three losses
have come to extremely athletic teams (USC, Texas and
Washington), the team can run with anyone so long as
guards Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook are on
the floor. Freshman Kevin Love
will be counted on in the low post
to provide much of the scoring.
A ranking as the consensus number one team in the
nation, an undefeated record, a 47-game home winning
streak — it all went poof! when Tennessee visited Memphis on Feb. 23. The 66-62 loss ended the Tigers’ bid for
a perfect regular season and highlighted the Achilles
heel of the team that they had managed to protect for
so long: free throw shooting. The Tigers, who had been
shooting 56 percent from the free throw line for the season, shot just 47 percent from the free-throw line, undermining a superb performance
from freshman point guard Derrick Rose.
NORTH CAROLINA
Front-runners
Carolina’s dominance over the
last three years has continued this
season, with the Tar Heels currently at first in the Atlantic Coast Conference and number two in the country.
Depending on the outcome of their final regular season
game against top-ranked and in-state rival Duke, head
coach Roy Williams and the 27-2 Heels should be a
one seed in the tournament and a favorite to win it all.
With key sophomore point guard Ty Lawson due to return from injury by the tournament starts, the North
Carolina starting five — starring junior forward Tyler
Hansbrough and sophomore shooting guard Wayne
Ellington — will be a force to be reckoned with.
WASHINGTON STATE
NOTRE DAME
The Cougars were one of the talks of the college
basketball nation when they began the season 14-0,
but have managed to post only a 8-7 record since their
opening salvo. The team’s defense and excellent guard
play, however, will make it a contender come March.
Against an explosive USC team, the Cougars held highflying freshman O.J. Mayo and the Trojans to a mere 50
points. Head coach Tony Bennett has revived the program since taking over after his father retired from the
same position, and will rely heavily on seniors Derrick
Low, Kyle Weaver and Taylor Rochestie to improve
upon last season’s second-round exit
from the Big Dance.
The team that many didn’t expect to do much with
the players that many didn’t expect to do this well
keeps on chugging along. The team is 22-6 on the
year, 12-4 in the Big East, and just 1.5 games back from
first place in the league. Anchoring the Fighting Irish
is 6-8 wide-body Luke Harangody, who has averaged
a double-double for the year (21 points, 10 rebounds)
and regularly produced eye-popping statlines, as he
did recently against Louisville (40 points, 12 rebounds).
Junior guard Kyle McAlarney can shoot it from anywhere, but prefers the long-distance route — he hit
nine of 11 three-pointers in a recent
game against Syracuse.
Dark horses
VANDERBILT
After beginning the season 16-0
and being one of five undefeated
teams left standing in week nine,
Vanderbilt disappeared following
losses in four of their next five games. But the Commodores have bounced back over the last few weeks,
winning seven straight including a thriller at home
against then-number one Tennessee. Vanderbilt’s methodical offense, led by senior guard Shan Foster and
freshmen center A.J. Ogilvy, makes them nearly impossible to stop when the outside shots are falling. If the
Vanderbilt team that beat Tennessee shows up for the
entire tournament, they may be the ones cutting down
the nets come April 7.
picture of player
TEXAS
Surprising the nation after losing 2007 National Player of the
Year Kevin Durant to the NBA, Texas has handled the
opposition en route to a 24-5 record and ninth place in
the country. The Longhorns are looking to reach the Final Four for the second time in head coach Rick Barnes’
nine-year tenure, and will likely earn a one or two seed
in the field of 65. Sophomore point guard D.J. Augustin leads the team with nearly 20 points and six assists
per game. His quickness creates opportunities for the
rest of the team — especially A.J. Abrams and Connor
Atchley — to get open looks, and they’ll be relying on
him to make plays when the game is on the line.
LOUISVILLE
Louisville has consistently performed well under head coach Rick
Pitino and this year is no different
— the Cardinals are in first place in
the Big East with a 24-6 overall record. Although they
were predicted to be one of the top teams in the country, Louisville’s three key losses to Dayton, Cincinnati
and Seton Hall led many to doubt how far they could
go in the tournament. Lately, however, the Cardinals
have been on fire and have won nine straight games,
most by decisive margins of victory. Their balanced
five-man offense and consistently stout defense have
made them a team that no top seed will want to face
come tournament time.
TYLER HANSBROUGH
D.J. AUGUSTIN
The Tar Heel known as “Psycho T” has been playing
out of his mind this season, and if not for the presence
of Beasley, would have already locked up every player
of the year honor imaginable. Even with the hallowed
history of the Tar Heels, few have been as productive as
Hansbrough. His average of 23.4 points per game this
season is the best since Charles Scott in 1969-70. He is
already in the top five among highest-scoring juniors
in Atlantic Coast Conference history for career points.
In addition to his work in the
paint, he also leads the team in
steals (45).
The super sophomore from the bayou Country
(New Orleans) has been a blessing for the Kevin Durant-less Longhorns. After a season of playing second
fiddle to the 2006-07 consensus player of the year, Augustin is performing well enough on and off the court
to accomplish the rare feat of All-American status as a
student and an athlete. His Longhorns have lost just
four games all season, and just two of their last 13. As
quick as anyone on the court, Augustin cuts into the
paint at ease, converting layups and feeding the open man
(5.8 assists per game).
MICHAEL BEASLEY
Players to watch
Beasley (Kansas State) is arguably on top of one of the most
impressive freshmen classes college basketball has ever
seen. Currently averaging around 26 points and 13 rebounds a game, Beasley has already broken the record
for number of double-double games as a freshman (25).
Many are comparing his ability to carry his team to that
of Carmelo Anthony, who willed Syracuse to the 2003
national championship. Even though Beasley’s supporting cast is far worse off than Anthony’s, it will be a
joy to watch him in the game’s brightest spotlight.
KEVIN LOVE
Love (UCLA) has already
established himself as one of
the best big men in the league — and he’s only a freshman. Love is averaging a double-double (17 points, 11
rebounds per game) but it is his court skills that make
him so impressive. He can hit the three, handle the ball
and convert down low. Not only does Love do it all
offensively, but he is also an extraordinary rebounder
with the ability to throw court-long outlet passes. With
UCLA’s talent, it’s likely we’ll be able to watch Love for
more than a couple tournament games.
31
sportsCHIPS
March 6, 2008
silverchips.mbhs.edu/section/sports.php
Boys’ basketball squad surges past Bengals
Blazers advance on clutch free throws, defense
quarters of play just to fall
short in the fourth. This
time, cheap fouls and
Blair ’s inability to grab
defensive rebounds had
allowed Blake back into
the game.
However, in a new
trend for the Blazers, Blake
would never extend their
lead to more than four.
Between senior co-captain
and guard Milton Colquehoun and junior forward
Michael McClain, Blair hit
eight consecutive clutch
free throws to regain the
lead, 40-36.
With less than three
minutes remaining, both
teams visibly turned up
the energy, vying to extend their seasons. A
presence all game, junior
center Leon Sampson sent
a Bengal shot attempt in
the other direction, which
senior guard Quentin
Snively turned into two
points. Blair’s cohesiveness was highlighted on
a brilliant combination,
where McClain ball to
Snively at the top of the
key, who quickly found
senior forward Rex Jarrett
ANDREA LYNN
Junior Mike McClain drives to the basket in Saturday’s 56-52 overtime win wide open for the lay-in
against Blake. McClain finished with eight points on 8-8 free throw shooting. for a strong 45-40 lead at
the 40-second mark.
The boys’ team played Wootton in the second round on Tuesday, March 4.
But Blake responded
but riding a three-game winning with a daggering three-pointer, only
By Greg Kohn
streak, will travel to Wootton on their second of the game. Then,
March 1, NELSON H. KOBREN Tuesday for the second round of two consecutive Blair turnovers
GYMNASIUM ––
and an ill-timed flagrant foul found
the playoffs.
After squandering a ten-point Blake with the ball, the score tied
The boys’ varsity basketball lead in the third quarter, the Blaz- at 45-45, and the clock stopped at
team overcame the Blake Bengals in ers found themselves down for 17.4 seconds.
the first round of the regional play- the first time with seven minutes
“It was nerve wracking,” Mcoffs on Saturday afternoon, winning left, 33-32. This was not a new Clain said after the game. “We
56-52 in an overtime thriller. The situation for Blair; all year, the were winning, then we lost the lead,
Blazers, now 6-17 on the season team has dominated the first three then we gained it back. We’ve had
insideSPORTS
Boys’ relay and wrestling
see page 29
Updates on the wrestling team and
outdoor track squad as they prepare
for state championships.
Winter sports wrap-up
see page 30
A look at how Blair’s winter sports
teams fared this season and what
their loyal fans can look forward to in
the coming year.
Bracketology
see page 31
For college basketball enthusiasts and
casual fans alike, the NCAA tournament never fails to excite. Nathan
Goldstein and Jonas Shaffer give a
team-by-team anaylsis to help you
create the perfect bracket for 2008.
trouble all year doing that - and
suddenly we had to do it again.”
On the inbounds, Blake drove
to the basket where Sampson was
waiting. He rejected the attempt
and the game went into overtime.
In the extra period, Colquehoun
and McClain again executed from
the line, with senior center Issy
Melton adding a pair as well. Blair
built up an similar 54-49 lead wijth
31 seconds left, but this time Blake’s
three-point attempt was off the
mark. The Blazers held on, 56-52.
“It’s great to be on this side of
such an intense game,” said Colquehoun, who finished with a gamehigh 18 points. “It’s just great.”
Head coach Mark DeStefano
thought Blair’s defense and ability
to make plays ultimately foiled the
Bengals. “We had our share of mistakes, but when we really needed
to make a play, we did,” DeStefano
said. “And keeping a team like
Blake to 17 points in the first half really says something about how our
team played defense today.”
In the first quarter, Blair jumped
to an early lead. Sampson, who put
up 14 points, established his presence early, dominating on the offensive boards and repeatedly giving
the Blazers second chances. Melton
worked the paint as well, driving
hard to the basket. Meanwhile
Blake was egregious from beyond
the arc, missing all 13 attempts in
the first half. The Blazers led 16-8
at the end of the quarter.
Later in the first half, Blake tried
to increase the pace of the game
with a series of fast breaks. Blair
had no difficulties responding to
the faster tempo, but suffered on the
defensive boards, allowing Blake
too many second chances. Colquehoun hit a big three to extend Blair’s
lead to 21-12, but a short Bengal run
resulted in a 22-17 halftime score.
The Blazers mounted their larg-
est lead, 29-19, on a half-court pass
from McClain to an open Melton
under the basket. But Blake continued to capitalize on offensive
rebounds and Blair turnovers to cut
Blair’s lead to 29-27. The Blazers
held a slim four-point lead going
into the fourth quarter, and just one
minute in found themselves trailing
for the first time in the game.
Clutch play down the stretch,
however, ensured that the Blazers
would proceed to the second round
of the playoffs for the second year in
a row, where they will face Wootton.
“We know what’s in front of us,”
DeStefano said.
Editor’s note: Blair’s game at Wootton ended too late for this edition.
Highlights
Leading Scorer:
Milton Colquehoun
(18 points)
Leading Rebounder:
Leon Sampson
(15 rebounds)
Play of the game:
Junior Mike McClain
passes the ball to senior
Quentin Snively, who
finds senior Rex Jarrett
in the paint. Jarrett finishes the lay-up to give
the Blazers a 5-point
lead near the end of the
fourth quarter.
Player of the Game:
Leon Sampson
(14 points, 15 rebounds)
Lady Blazers fall to Wildcats in first-round match-up
By Anshul Sood
March 1, TILDEN MIDDLE SCHOOL
GYMNASIUM ––
The girls’ varsity basketball team (5-18)
fell to the Walter Johnson Wildcats (7-16) in
the first round of the regional playoffs. The
Blazers fought hard on defense and executed
well on offense, but the Wildcats picked it
up in the second half, going on to win by a
score of 62-44.
Despite the final result, it was the Blazers
who started off hot. The Wildcats controlled
the opening tip, but the Blazers struck first
off a three-pointer by senior guard Kalisha
Holmes. The Wildcats responded with four
points off of a great inlet passes. But the Blair
defense stiffened, forcing five turnovers in the
quarter and holding the Wildcats to only eight
points. On the offensive side, Blair was able
to break Walter Johnson’s full court press and
move the ball around well on offense. The
Blazers ended the quarter ahead, 13-8.
The beginning of the second quarter saw
much of the same. The Blazers forced three
turnovers early, but were unable to convert.
Despite the missed shots, they maintained a
five point lead, ahead by a score of 17-12.
But then the Wildcats responded. After
a pair of buckets, Walter Johnson added a
three-pointer to go up 19-17 with three minutes remaining in the half, a lead they would
keep for the remainder of the game. The
points were part of an 11-0 Wildcat run that
put them ahead 25-20 at halftime.
Junior Ashley Arnold started out the second half with two made free throws, but the
Wildcats responded with a quick four points,
continuing their offensive display
They were able to hit numerous shots
and get to the foul line. Junior guard Jenny
Williams tried to spark the Blazers with an and we improved as a team also.”
Holmes also saw the team improve and
acrobatic reverse layup, but the Wildcats
were able to add to their lead, and ended wished the team well next season. “This year
the quarter ahead 36-30, still a potential two- was a big improvement,” she said. “Our oncourt chemistry got better. Our final record
possession game.
But the fourth quarter belonged solely really doesn’t show how well we played. We
to the Wildcats. They scored in all possible scored more and defended better.”
ways: on the fast break,
from midrange jumpers, three point shots
and from the free throw
line. The game ended
62-44, and the Blazers
left with an emotional
loss to end the season.
Seniors Meghan
Cadigan and Holmes
thought the team played
well, but just could not
finish the game strong.
“We came out really
aggressive, but we let
up in the second half
and didn’t play tough
enough defense,” Cadigan said.
“There was so much
passion throughout the
game,” Holmes added.
“But we lost that at
times and just could
not keep it up.”
After the game, head
coach Erin Conley told
the team how proud of
them she was and how
much they improved
over the season. “This
season was a real learning experience for us,”
MOLLY BRUNE
she said. “Everyone
improved individually Junior Ashley Arnold finished with 13 points Saturday.