silverchips A public forum for student expression since 1937 Montgomery Blair High School
June 6, 2018
SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
Elevated lead levels found in MCPS water
VOL. 80 NO. 7
CONGRADULATIONS, SENIORS
By Mindy Burton NEWS EDITOR
The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Drinking Water Testing Program found elevated lead levels in at least 12 of 21 schools that were tested. The majority of the schools with high lead levels are in Silver Spring and Gaithersburg. MCPS spokesperson Derek Turner said that the water supply to the affected fountains were cut off following the test results, according to The Sentinel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a lead level limit of 20 parts per billion in drinking water, and some schools had levels over three times the national limit. Water fountains in Eastern Middle School had a concentration of 65 parts per billion, and two fountains at Gaithersburg Elementary School had levels of 83.6 and 253 parts per billion, according to Bethesda Magazine. East Silver Spring Elementary School released a letter to
AVERY BROOKS
THE tend
FINAL GOODBYE Seniors gear the dress rehearsal. They take
up for their graduation ceremony their class photo in the Nelson H.
on June 5 as they atKobren Memorial Gymnasium.
see LEAD page A3
wins, A look at the craziest promposals of 2018 Softball then loses By Mindy Burton NEWS EDITOR
It is that time of year again when students make punny posters, send their dates on scavenger hunts, and even buy pizzas on pizzas just to ask a special someone to the epitome of the high school experience: prom. While some people would be satisfied with just a sign, these Blazers did the most for their promposals.
Ryan and Amy
COURTESY OF RYAN HOLLAND
PUZZLING THROUGH PROM Seniors Ryan Holland asks his girlfriend Amy Forsbacka to with a puzzle lasting several days.
A self-proclaimed puzzle nerd, senior Ryan Holland planned an elaborate scavenger hunt to ask his girlfriend Amy Forsbacka to prom. Holland started planning the promposal long before it happened, making unique puzzles related to their relationship. “I started over spring break and I promposed about two weeks after,” he says. “I
made [around] four puzzles. It was pretty fun.” On the day after her birthday, Holland presented Forsbacka with a card that contained the first clue. Once she solved the clue, she was directed to her friends for the next piece of the puzzle. At the end, she found Holland with an official promposal poster. Holland admits that he was worried Forsbacka would be frustrated to have to go to such extreme lengths to be asked to prom, but was later reassured that she had a great time. “My biggest fear was that she was going to find it annoying that she had to solve all these puzzles, but I had her friends … updating me throughout the day and they said she was just having so much fun,” he says. “She just disregarded all of her schoolwork that day and focused
against Howard
By William Donaldson EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
BLAZER FIELD, MAY 21—
As the sun set on over five hours of softball, the varsity softball team lost 2-0 to Howard in their regional final. The loss came after an 8-2 win against Urbana in the sectional. The bizarre scheduling of a playoff doubleheader was caused by a series of rainouts of all the games scheduled for the previous week. The Urbana matchup was a personal affair for the Blair sports program, looking to avenge the varsity baseball team’s loss to the Hawks in their own sectional. With members of the baseball team in attendance
see SOFTBALL page F1
see PROM page D4
silverchips Alumni Hall Opens Blair renames the auditorium to Alumni Hall. AVERY BROOKS
NEWS A2
A4
SALLY ZHAO
OP/ED B1
Cinco de Mayo
Adderall at Blair
Una opinón sobre de como este día ha sido comercializada en los Estados Unidos.
Adderall users and dealers talk about the experience of Adderall
C3
LA ESQUINA LATINA C1
AVERY BROOKS
D3
FEATURES D1
Queer Experience LGBT students share their experiences. AVERY BROOKS
CULTURE E1
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Silver Chips Print @silver_chips @silver.chips Silver Chips Print
CHIPS CLIPS E5
SPORTS F1
A2 News silverchips Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 Phone: (301) 649-2864 Winner of the 2015 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Winner of the 2018 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown
Editors-in-Chief: Adenike Falade William Donaldson La Esquina Latina Editors-inChief: Amanda Hernández Jasmine Méndez-Paredes Managing News Editors: Mindy Burton and Miranda Rose Daly Managing Op/Ed Editor: Lucy Gavin Managing Features Editors: Elise Cauton and Marlena Tyldesley Managing Culture Editor: Arshiya Dutta Managing Sports Editor: Camden Roberts
silverchips
June 6, 2018
MCPS postpones implementation of new curriculum JHU audit reveals major flaws in Curriculum 2.0 By Lucy Gavin and Hannah Lee OP/ED EDITOR/OMBUDSMAN Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has delayed the replacement of Curriculum 2.0 following the curriculum review by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Institute for Education. The summary of the audit revealed major flaws in the English and math curricula. MCPS postponed the new curriculum due to conflicts with key staff members and one of the companies who submitted a bid for the new curriculum, Discovery Education. MCPS commissioned a review of Curriculum 2.0 this year, specifically focusing on Kindergarten through Grade 8, to better under-
dations focus on Kindergarten through Grade 8 for the ELA and math, written, taught, and learned curriculum. The evaluation team, which consisted of the JHU Institute for Education Policy, Student Achievement Partners, and Lengel Educational Counseling, found that fewer than one-third of students mastered their assignments in either ELA or math, and student work samples did not consistently show mastery of the learning standard. Based on the focus group analysis, a version of the Common Core Knowledge and Practice Survey, teachers in general do not have positive views of Curriculum 2.0, and chose to supplement it with additional lessons and assignments from other sources. Separate of the audit’s findings,
Lang the Associate Superintendent of the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs and James Fliakas supervisor for English and Language Arts in the Department of Secondary Curriculum and Districtwide Programs, were retiring from MCPS and intend to take positions at Discovery Education, one of the companies that submitted a bid for the new curriculum. Smith ultimately decided to restart the RFP in an effort to preserve confidence in MCPS from the community. “We [MPCS officials] were concerned that the community would feel that there wasn’t transparency in the progress given that there were two staff members who intended to take positions from an organization that had submitted a bid,” MCPS Senior Communications Special
Curriculum 2.0, for the 2018-19 school year while they reopen the selection process and work collectively toward a new curriculum. Although MCPS officials are still in the process of restarting the RFP process and receiving bids, they are unsure as to the direction of the curriculum after those plans. “It’s too soon to say,” Onijala said. “I think we will have a better idea of if they plan on having the schools pilot it as we make decisions and roll it out, but that’s not information that is determined at this time.” There may be some community members who do not agree with the county’s decision to postpone as it would mean students would be taught Curriculum 2.0 for another year, which the JHU audit deemed as deeply flawed.
Ombudsman: Hannah Lee Newsbriefs Editors: Mindy Burton and Miranda Rose Daly La Esquina Latina Editor: Lourdes Reyes Valenzuela Staff Writer: Anson Berns Executive Business Directors: Siena Butters and Olena Zelinsky Business Staff: Alyssa Ma Olena Zelinsky Ray Mizoui Siena Butters La Esquina Latina Writers: Yesenia Sorto Yesenia Cruz Nayely Bonilla Oseguera
Student work samples show that fewer than a third of students their assignments in either ELA or math
Managing Media Coordinator: Aidan Lambiotte Managing Photo Editor: Avery Brooks Photographers: Amarins Laanstra-Corn Chaminda Hangilipola Elia Griffin Hannah Schwartz Jedediah Grady Sami Mallon Managing Art Editors: Sally Zhao Seoyoung Joo Artists: Ivvone Zhou Tiffany Mao Managing Design Editor: Hannah Lee Puzzle Editor: Bennett Coukos-Wiley Copy Editors: Catherine Rodriguez Deeya Garg Ollie-Angel Nono La Esquina Latina Advisor: Dianette Coombs Advisor: Jeremy Stelzner
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 Jeremy Stelzner’s mailbox in the main office or to silver.chips.print@gmail.com. Concerns about Silver Chips’ content should be directed to the Ombudsman, the public’s representative to the paper, at ombudsman.silverchips@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.
JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
stand how to help all student reach their potential, according to an email from Chief Academic Officer Maria Navarro. MCPS intends to restart the search process for the new curriculum in the 2018-19 school year. The Board of Education received a report of the findings of the audit on March 22, which revealed the inconsistencies of Curriculum 2.0 in providing an efficient education for MCPS students. Although the audit found positive aspects in the curriculum, such as how students did meet the learning goals for Curriculum 2.0 and the material aligned with the goals and expectations, the curriculum as a whole was lacking in sufficiently educating students to a proficient performance standard. The JHU audit evaluated MCPS’ curriculum in English Language Arts and math for Kindergarten through Grade 8 by comparing MCPS to Maryland state academic standards. JHU examined practices such as “on-site classroom observations; analyses of student work; survey data of the views of stakeholders; and focus groups with stakeholders; and focus groups with teachers, principals, and central office staff,” according to the summary of the JHU audit. The reviews and recommen-
HANNAH LEE
“teachers have expressed concern that Curriculum 2.0 does not adequately meet the needs of their special education students or students with limited English proficiency.” One of the main considerations the makers of the audit suggested was to “design and implement a multi-year phase-in of newly selected K through 8th-grade ELA and math materials over a period not greater than the next three academic years,” which includes adopting an external curriculum. MCPS is looking at an option to implement new curriculum in Algebra 1 both middle and high schools. Other high school curricula areas and grade levels are not impacted at this time. Although MCPS planned to roll out the new curriculum before the 2018-19 school year, Superintendent Jack Smith recommended that the Board of Education rescind the current RFP so that a new one can be created in a process beginning next school year. As it was explained in a letter to the MCPS community by Chief Academic Officer Maria V. Navarro, the process was postponed to address “unanticipated issues in the selection process.” In a separate letter to MCPS staff, Navarro stated that the new curriculum was to be postponed because two staff members, Erick
Gboyinde Onijala said. “Dr. Smith wants to ensure that the mcps community trusts this process and believes that we are being as transparent as possible and the best way to do that is to start the process over again.” MCPS has decided to continue to teach the current curriculum,
“We understand that there are concerns about the challenges faced with the current curriculum,” Onijala said. “MCPS is going to continue to provide professional development for staff that will focus on addressing some of the concerns that were cited in the curriculum review.”
87% of math teachers use self-developed materials
JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
HANNAH LEE
June 6, 2018
News A3
silverchips
Lead levels above EPA recommendation from LEAD page A1
parents, students, and staff members on May 4 to inform them of the lead. “One or more drinking water outlet(s) had the lead levels at or above the … recommended action level of 20 parts per billion,” James Song, the director of Department of Facilities Management, wrote. “The drinking water outlet(s) with the lead levels at or above the action level … have been removed from the service.” Principal Matt Johnson of Eastern Middle School similarly released a letter explaining the results of the testing to parents and describing the next steps in the process. “After retesting, the next step is the development and implementation of a remediation plan based on the test results. The typical measures include replacement, permanent removal, or the installation of a filtration system,” he wrote, according to Bethesda Magazine. A November 2017 Maryland law forced the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to require periodic lead testing in each water fountain in all schools, which must be implemented by July 1, 2018. Turner said that the MCPS Board of Education hired engineering and testing contractors from Intertek PSI and KCI Technologies to begin testing in February, according to The Sentinel. MCPS’s water quality had last been tested over ten years ago, between 2004 and 2007, according to WTOP. There were also elevated lead levels found at Summit Hall, New Hampshire Estates, Pine Crest, Strathmore, Veirs Mill, Rock View, and Rolling Terraces Elementary Schools. Sligo and Parkland Middle Schools and Northwood were also affected. The water report for Montgomery Blair was released on March 12 after multiple days of testing throughout February. The report revealed that none of the 74 fountains had elevated lead levels. The lowest score was less than 1 part per billion and the highest was
MINDY BURTON
MCPS DRINKING WATER TESTING PROGRAM
15.8 parts per billion. Lead can be harmful to humans, especially children, by negatively affecting brain development, according to the Blair report. “Lead has been historically used in plumbing, paint and other building materials. Lead is released into the environment from industrial sources and fuel combustion,” the report said. “Most lead leaches into drinking water from contact with plumbing components such as faucets and valves made of brass or lead-containing solder. The purpose of this [Maryland law] is to establish a program to minimize the risk of exposure to lead in
drinking water outlets at schools.” Once testing is complete, water fountains containing water with high lead levels will be removed and further corrective measures will be considered. “Any drinking water outlet with test results above the EPA action level will be taken out of service and remediated,” the MCPS Division of Maintenance website said. “Once MCPS has completed drinking water testing to comply with MDE regulations, all test results data will be analyzed and additional measures will be evaluated, including remediating additional fixtures and instituting a
lower action level.” Capital Improvements Program Chair of the Montgomery County Council of ParentTeacher Associations Laura Stewart said to WTOP that the high lead levels could be attributed to corrosion in the water fountains or contamination in piping. “A lot can happen in ten years,” she said. “They put everything out in the system and I appreciate that.” Parents concerned about the effect of lead contamination on their child should ask their doctor to test their children’s blood for lead, according to the EPA.
Up and Coming June 15 Last day of school for students
June 18 Last day of school for teachers
June 21 Report cards mailed
September 4 First day of school
Student and Teacher Awards & Honors Senior Morgan Casey earned fourth place at the Maryland 4A state meet for the 1600 meter event.
Senior Ben Miller and juniors Anson Berns and Ian Rackow won the It’s Academic Championship and Intercity Championship.
Junior Brendan Elliot won first prize in the Washington, D.C. regional entrepreneurship competition.
Senior Samerawit Kelkay was a Comcast Leaders and Achievers scholarship recipient.
DFDFD Seniors
Michael Wright III and Benedict Kargbo and junior Raul Gonzalez were recognized for their successful internships at Holy Cross.
Senior Mengming Luo and junior Daniel Schaffer represented Montgomery County at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
Sophomore Amanda Liu won the second place $10,000 essay prize for the Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.
Seniors Josie Brane-Wright was the Regional 4A North 3200 meter champion.
Social studies teacher Kevin Shindel received the MCPS Board of Education Distinguished Service Award.
Senior Michael Yin was selected as one of two U.S. Presidential Scholars from Maryland.
A4 News Newsbriefs Hogan to sign bill to offer free Governor Hogan signed a bill on May 8 that will grant free community college tuition to qualifying families starting in fall 2019. According to NBC Washington, the bill will provide $5,000 scholarships for students from families making less than $125,000 or from single-parent households making less than $90,000. Students must also have a minimum 2.3 high school GPA. Eligible students interested in the scholarship must enroll fulltime in a Maryland community college within two years of graduating high school or earning a GED, apply for all other available financial aid, according Montgomery County Media. Dr. Bernie Sadusky, Executive Director of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC) sees the legislation as a step toward further developing Maryland’s economy. “MACC congratulates the 2018 legislature for its leadership and investment in Maryland’s economic future by passing a program to help more Marylanders prepare for a rapidly changing labor market,” he said in a news release.
MCPS earns low grade on Healthy School Food Report Card Healthy School Food Maryland, a nonprofit and business coalition, gave MCPS a “C+” rating and tenth place overall for their lunch program. The organization judged all 24 of Maryland’s school districts, with Howard County earning the highest score of an “A+” due to their locally sourced and healthy foods. Furthermore, the scores are based on the school systems’ level of transparency, on how they prepared their cafeteria food, and menu variety. Despite the low score, Montgomery County was praised for banning chemical additives and preparing 40 percent of their food from scratch. MCPS also performed better than last year, where they earned a “C” and came in 14th place overall.
MCPS employee accused of sexually assaulting three family members A Gaithersburg High School staff member was arrested on May 9th for sexually assaulting three of his family members, two of whom are underage. Ancelmo Osmin Diaz worked as a building service employee, and turned himself into authorities after one of his victims went to authorities. Gaithersburg High School Principal Christine Handy condoned Diaz’s behavior and assured parents that his actions did not take place on school property. “The charges are not related to his role as a Montgomery County Public Schools’ employee and the alleged abuse did not take place on school property,” she wrote in a statement to parents. “Nonetheless, the alleged behavior described in these charges is upsetting and unacceptable.” Newsbriefs compiled by Adenike Falade and Elise Cauton
June 6, 2018
silverchips
Alumni association renames Blair auditorium
Alumni gather to celebrate the rededication and Blair By Adenike Falade EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ditorium’s name two years ago before it was finalized this year. According to Mark Levin,
AVERY BROOKS
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER The Montgomery Blair High School Alumni Association change the name of the auditorium on April 22. Dozens of alumni gathered outside of the newly named Alumni Hall, formerly known as Blair auditorium, on April 22 in a celebration of Blair’s history. The Montgomery Blair High School Alumni Association decided to change the name to give graduates a sense of pride in their school and to implement a fundraiser related to the new name. The alumni association began the process of changing the au-
Democratic candidates come to visit Blair students By Anson Berns STAFF WRITER
22 of the 33 Democratic candidates for the at-large positions on the Montgomery County Council visited the Media Center on April 18. They spoke to potential voters, received input from the student community, and recruited volunteer assistance for their campaigns. Issues including youth voting, gun violence, and economic plans for the county were the centerpieces of the discussion. The event was organized by senior Ben Miller of the Young Democrats club. Miller explained that the event was to promote involvement in local politics among students. “One of the big things we do at Young Democrats is encourage political activity at Blair,” he said. The meetup was just the latest Young Democrats event; the club has also sponsored forums on issues like homelessness as well as voter reg-
class of 1966 and president of the Montgomery Blair High School Alumni Association, the county’s extensive approval process was the reason for the wait. “It has to go through at least four committees that I know of and then a couple of the superintendents have to sign off on it also,” said Levin. The wall directly in front of Alumni Hall was also rededicated as the Wall of Honor. It is intended for families and friends of graduates istration drives and weekly political discussions. The event also served to familiarize students with the candidates in the County Council race, which— because of recently instituted term limits and a surge in political activism under the Trump administration—has far more candidates than usual. “The goal of the event was to take this very complicated [and] overwhelming race [like] the County Council at-large race with [33] candidates provide an easy, accessible way for people to meet the candidates and to understand what they represent,” Miller said. Students sat at tables around the media center as candidates cycled around the room. Each candidate talked briefly about their positions and political motivations before opening up a larger dialogue with the students about what they want to see in local politics. Candidate Will Jawando said the meeting was important because of its promotion of the civic process. “An event like this, hearing from the candidates, talking about the issues that are impacting students and members of the community,” he said. “That’s all gearing you up to voting and ... staying [politically] active the rest of your life.” Freshman Will Forman, an intern for Jawando’s campaign, said that events like the candidate meet-
AMARINS LAANSTRA-CORN
REACHING OUT TO STUDENTS Candidate Will Jawando discusses student issues on April 18th in the Media Center.
to purchase commemorative tiles that are placed over the brick wall. The proceeds from the tiles will go towards the alumni association’s scholarship program and special needs fund, according to the association’s website. Levin already hailed the fundraiser as a huge success. “Just in the first two months, we had over a hundred and fifty graduates donate money and put tiles on the Wall of Honor,” said Levin. Bernice Fones, a 1946 graduate, commended the alumni association for changing the name, but she hopes to see the Wall of Honor developed even further. “I just hope they get … more names because there are many, many people graduating from Blair,” said Fones. Levin believes that the new addition will help make graduates feel that they have made a lasting impact on the school. “Blair has been a part of them and this would be [a] chance for them to be a part of Blair,” said Levin. Junior Luna Warren first noticed the Wall of Honor and the Alumni Hall sign above the auditorium when she took an AP exam. “I noticed the plaques on the wall first… I think it’s cool they are honoring the alumni,” said Warren. The first event held in the newly named Alumni Hall was the final performance of the Pirates of Penzance, just following the dedication ceremony, on April 22. Jammy Platky, a 2003 graduate, respected the alumni associa-
tion’s decision to honor all Blair alumni. “I think a lot of times, when they pick one person it’s not necessarily as all-inclusive as dedicating something to alumni as a whole, so I think it’s pretty cool that they are doing this,” he said. Platky’s family has attended Blair for generations. His mother, Robin Platky, is a former Blair office secretary who retired in 2017. The association hosted the event as a gathering for alumni to reminisce about their high school experiences with others. There was a table set up with old yearbooks, newspapers, and mementos from previous years for attendees to look at. Towards the end of the meeting, Levin discussed the history of Silver Spring, Montgomery Blair, and the school. He highlighted namesake Montgomery Blair’s achievements during the Civil War. After Levin spoke, Principal Renay Johnson presented Blair’s recent accomplishments to the visiting alumni. “Eighth graders can choose which high school they want to attend, and guess which high school they choose? Blair!” Johnson said. Johnson also boasted about the many top government officials that have visited the school, including former President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. She also mentioned the success of various sports and academic teams, specifically the Science Bowl team.
up are important to help young activists get more information on important issues. “I think [kids at Blair] are politically active enough; I just don’t think they’re completely educated on the issues,” Forman said. He compared the event to the recent March For Our Lives walkout, saying, “we get it, but at the same time we don’t understand everything about the issue.”
beliefs.” Libertarians Jasen Wunder and Kevin Caldwell are both running for Congressional seats, with Wunder hoping to represent Maryland’s 8th district and Caldwell hoping to represent the 6th. Libertarian Shawn Quinn is a candidate for Governor, aiming to replace incumbent Larry Hogan, and Republican candidate Tony Campbell is running for the national Senate. About ten people attended the forum, sitting in a semicircle of desks set up surrounding the candidates. Among the attendees was sophomore Jason Kaplan who was there out of curiosity. “I was interested to hear what these candidates, who may or may not be involved in our state in the future, had to say,” he said. Candidates addressed a range of topics from school safety and prevention of police brutality to mass incarceration. Wunder suggested increased security measures to protect students in schools. “I would like to see more armed guards [and] safe zones in the schools,” he said. Others thought that the responsibility should be on students. “[Security] starts at the local level. It starts with you guys,” Quinn said. “You guys are in the school, you see people bully on people, you know when someone brings something to school they shouldn’t have … you can’t be afraid to have a place to go and report things you see that could put your life in danger.” Quinn, an ex-sheriff, shifted the blame from the police system when questioned about how to prevent police brutality, “Every organization has 10 percent bad people … the police are no different,” he said. Taking a different perspective, Wunder suggested arming the police with non-lethal weapons. “[I’d look into] less lethal ways of containing a situation, there’s a lot out there with pepper spray, rubber bullets, tasers,” he said. “I’d rather them tased than shot.”
Young Republicans club hosts candidate forum for student voters By Camden Roberts SPORTS EDITOR
The Young Republicans club organized and hosted a forum to host various candidates for Maryland state office at Blair on April 17. The forum included three Libertarian candidates and one Republican candidate who each spoke about their platform positions. The forum was moderated by Young Republicans president Karely Alcantara. The event was hosted to introduce potential new voters to candidates and to make the Young Republicans club more visible to Blair students. “[I hoped to give] students that are eligible to vote this year in November knowledge about the candidates,” Alcantara said. “I’m hoping [students] get a chance to meet candidates … meet the people in the Young Republicans club, and get to know [our]
June 6, 2018
silverchips
Should celebrities act as role models?
YES:
NO:
They hold power over fans ‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston managed to get almost every girl in the 90’s to cut their hair in a bob, and recently, in 2015 many fans participated in the #KylieJennerChallenge, trying unsafe ways to get lips as plump as the reality TV star’s famously full lips. Rapper Kanye West recently shocked America when he said in an interview with TMZ that slavery was a choice because African Americans were enslaved for centuries. These are just a few examples of the enormous power celebrities hold over fans, and pop culture, as almost every young child has grown up with a celebrity crush, someone they have obsessed over, and wanted to emulate. But not all celebrities use their elevated status and popularity to set a good example and benefit society. CelebriCHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA ties hold an immense power By Miranda Rose Daly o v e r NEWS EDITOR young impressionable fans and they have a responsibility to set a good example. Take Yara Shahidi, best known for her role as Zoey Johnson on ABC’s Black-ish and spin-off show, Grown-ish. Shahidi uses her voice and position of power to stand up and help girls and young women. She is vocal in fighting stereotypes about black people and seeing a diversity of black characters on the small screen. Shahidi also fully embraces her black and Iranian heritage and tries to encourage girls to love themselves for who they are. She partners with many organizations, such as “Do Something”, an organization that helps young girls enter into the STEM field. Soccer superstar David Beckham is another example of what a celebrity can do right. Beckham has encouraged his young fans to play sports, maintain a healthy diet and get involved in their communities. He is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, with a special focus on UNICEF sports programs, spreading enthusiasm for sports and staying active throughout the world. In 2015, Beckham also launched “7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund” to commemorate ten years as an ambassador. Beckham started the fund to raise awareness for violence and other issues affecting children, according to the foundation. Celebrities also misuse the power and impact they have as role models, one of the most extreme examples being Kanye West. With 28 million Twitter followers the rapper went on TMZ and said that he thought slavery was a choice. “When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice.” This disgraceful lie outraged many fans of all races who felt betrayed by his words. Because of the influence West has on the industry, he has an obligation to his
Kasey Hammon freshman
Opinion B1
They are their own people
fans to tell the truth and to stay informed on issues. West backtracked his claims on Twitter. “To make myself clear. Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will,” he wrote. “My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved. They cut out our tongues so we couldn’t communicate to each other. I will not allow my tongue to be cut.” YouTuber Logan Paul is another example of someone who has abused their public platform. Paul, who has a subscriber count of 15 million and whose audience is primarily young teenage girls, has an obligation to post appropriate content and act responsibly on and off camera. The vlogger amassed controversy in January when he posted a video with a dead body in Japan. The place where he filmed the video, the Aokigahara forest, is known as a place where many people choose to commit suicide according to Karen Nakamura, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. His actions prompted criticism from the media, while some called for him to delete his account. His brother, and fellow vlogger Jake Paul, is hardly any better. Paul is known by his 8.5 million Youtube subscribers for intense energy and crazy stunts. He regularly posts videos of himself with friends making fun of his neighbors and promoting other reckless activities. Corporations also know the power of celebrities and use that to promote their brands.
Pursuing a passion isn’t always driven by an aspiration for money nor recognition. In fact, many musicians only find success after years of strict dedication to their craft. Yet despite all the hard work celebrities put in, society still judges them—not by their contributions to their field but by their capacity to be role models to young people. Famous people have no social obligation to be upstanding role models because they are not responsible for someone else’s children; parents are responsible for their own kids. Above all else, celebrities and entertainers should be appreciated for their achievements in their line of work. It is ludicrous to judge a doctor based on their ability to make other people laugh or a comeCHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA dian on their ability to heal By Adenike Falade t h e EDITOR-IN-CHIEF sick, and yet this sort of misaligned judgement is commonplace when famous people are mentioned in the media. Take Nicki Minaj. After the release of her risqué Paper magazine cover, parents took
Kylie Jenner has more than 108 million followers and according to a social media analytics firm, Jenner’s posts are now worth more than $1 million. Instead of merely profiting off of her fame Jenner and other celebrities must use their status for the common good. Because their presence in the world is so highly documented, celebrities define our culture. They have a choice to use their name and influence to enrich our lives and promote a better world, or just chase money.
to Twitter to call her photoshoot “disgusting” and a poor example for children. One Twitter user wrote, “This is not what I would EVER want a child to aspire to. I’m ashamed of the way you’re misusing your platform.” What people fail to acknowledge in their accusations of her character is that she is not obligated to live the lifestyle that parents want their kids to emulate; her only accomplishments that people should be concerned with are those related to the music industry—and she has plenty.
voicebox
Ten Grammy nominations, seven consecutive BET Best Female Hip-Hop Artist award wins, and four Billboard Music Awards are just a few of Minaj’s dozens of awards and nominations. In 2015, Minaj also advocated for modern sales metrics that would count streaming as well as album sales. She hasled the female rap industry for years now, and yet she was voted the second worst female role model by parents in a 2015 UK survey. Her songs are clearly labeled as explicit and are likewise meant for mature audiences. It is reasonable for parents to be wary of their young children listening to Minaj’s raps about sex and drugs, but measuring her success based on her palatability to young children is a horribly skewed metric. In fact, female celebrities like Nicki Minaj are constantly and unjustly labeled as role models and subsequently shamed for making a mistake. In a 2018 interview with Vogue, Rihanna talked about being labeled a role model at the start of her career. “That title was put on me when I was just finding my way, making mistakes in front of the world. I didn’t think it was fair…” she said, “I was the same age as the girls who were looking up to me. And that’s a really hard place to be in as a teenager.” People attacked Miley Cyrus for twerking on stage and Rihanna for wearing skimpy clothing, but they have nothing to apologize for. Failing to live up to society’s expectations of a female role model is no crime. In fact, the people who need the attitude adjustment are the parents that place such strict expectations upon celebrities. It is their responsibility to keep their child away from content that they deem inappropriate, not any one famous person’s. Karen Stephens, the former director of the Illinois State Child Care Center and instructor in child development for the ISU Family and Consumer Sciences Department, wrote in a column that parents are some of the most influential role models in a child’s life Stephens also wrote that being a role model is an effective parenting step in getting a child to listen and emulate them. In a 2002 study by the University of Michigan, children typically favored role models that they knew personally over media role models. Parents must realize that they have the power to raise their kids in the way that they please SEOYOUNG JOO and no celebrity could ever replace the influence of a mother or father. Celebrities are not the tempting criminals that parents think they are. They make hit records or film hit movies or do whatever it is that they do to warrant their fame, but not to lure children into following their sometimes questionable lifestyles. They are just living their lives and following their dreams. Parents should look elsewhere for someone to babysit their kids.
Joris Van Straelen junior
Jason Lott freshman
Naomi Nichols freshman
Jordan Wallace junior
“Yes, I think it depends on the person... Bill Gates for instance, ... he’s a role model. ”
“No, They are just normal people, they are just rich and famous, they are nothing special.”
“No, We don’t live like they live. They have a lot of money. ”
“No, They can act however they want, and kids don’t have to follow them”
AVERY BROOKS
“Yes, Because they have a wide audience, espeically since a lot of them are kids.”
B2 Op/Ed
silverchips
June 6, 2018
Voluntourism: Are you really helping?
The voluntourism industry may be doing more harm than good
By Marlena Tyldesley
FEATURES EDITOR
Every summer, hordes of students set off for foreign countries on service trips. Many claim to be bringers of relief to the poor members of the communities they visit, leading with their hearts and inspiring others to be as gracious as they are with their time. In reality, they often do not fulfill the goals they tell peers they will accomplish when they leave to save communities. As you set off on your service trip, the most important thing to know is that you are probably not qualified. Students are sent all over to do construction without any experience. Volunteers rarely receive any training beforehand because the trips are not long enough to effectively prepare participants. Pippa Biddle wrote a piece for the Huffington Post entitled ‘The
Problem With Little White Girls, Boys and Volunteerism’ about a service trip she went on in high school, where she outlined exactly how unqualified she was to be building houses in Tanzania. “Turns out that we, a group of highly educated private boarding school students were so bad at the most basic construction work that each night the men had to take down the structurally unsound bricks we had laid and rebuild the structure so that, when we woke up in the morning, we would be unaware of our failure,” she said. The local community members—who you paid thousands of dollars to help—spending their nights redoing your work instead of sleeping is alarming. Furthermore, your presence in their community might be keeping locals from getting jobs. Martin Stevenson, a traveler based in Malaysia and a speaker at Wild Asia’s ‘Voluntourism: Are the extra hands helping?’ Responsible Tourism Event at ITB Asia in
soapbox Could there be anything wrong with traveling to a foreign country to help people? “I think it is a good thing for people to help others in any way they can” — Mizan Arum, sophomore
“...there are some problematic aspects of it... [such as] people who spend a lot of money to travel in luxury on a trip that is supposed to be humanitarian” — Willa Falvey, sophomore
Singapore in 2014, talked about the time he called Oxfam, a charity for the fight against poverty, to see if he could help in a service trip over the summer. The woman who answered his call asked if he had a degree. He said no, but asked if he could dig a well or something instead. Oxfam was not interested, and let him know that someone in the area was perfectly capable of doing that; he would need more qualification to make a real difference. “We can give a local person a wage to do that,” the woman told him. “Call us back when you’ve finished your degree.” She hung up on him, and Stevenson did not blame her. “...Rightly so,” he said. “What use was I to them? I had no skills, no training.” If you are, in fact, qualified to do the help that is needed, your next obstacle will be finding a corporation free of corruption. According to Simon Hare, the development director of the British charity Globalteer, the service industry can be financially-driven instead of morally so. “There are small local outfits as well as big corporations who see volunteering as a way of driving profits rather than an integral part of a long term strategy for communities with real needs,” he says. “At best this can make volunteering a waste of time and at worst it can actually be harmful.” And, finally, even if you successfully fulfill those criteria, the fact remains that you will only be around this community for a couple of weeks.
You may form meaningful relationships with people, but you will leave soon after. According to Gabriel Popham, a writer for Reuters, the breaking of those bonds can seriously harm the people living in already-disadvantaged communities. “Critics warn the lack of oversight means volunteers can easily … form bonds with children in need that are short-lived as they quickly move on,” he says. IVVONE ZHOU So, if you are going on a service trip: consider why you are going. If it is for a college application, that is fine, as long as you acknowledge it. When it comes down to it, for you, it is a vacation. There is nothing wrong with that, it is just crucial that you know it. We in this country and in high socioeconomic levels have allowed ourselves to think we are offering significant help to developing countries by arriving for two weeks, doing service we are not qualified to do, and forming bonds with people in need who we will leave once our trip is up. It is a white person saviorcomplex and we need to get over it. If you do still want to participate in meaningful service on your vacation, power to you. Just make sure that you heavily research the organization you are helping. Ensure that the help you offer will actually reach those in need. If you want to do service more permanently, consider the Peace Corps or another organization where you are dedicated longterm. Either way, enjoy your summer vacation and make sure to check your privilege.
A stand for the huddled masses, yearning to breathe free
Why Montgomery County should fund immigration lawyers By Mindy Burton NEWS EDITOR
Montgomery County touts its diversity— being a rare majority minority county in the state of Maryland—as a flagship for its acceptance and provision of a safe haven for undocumented immigrants. Maryland, as a whole, is known for having a large immigrant population, where 1 in 7 residents is an immigrant, according to the American Immigration Council. There are over 125,000 United States citizens in Maryland who have at least one undocumented family member, and there are more than 8,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in the state. In a recent debate, Montgomery County Council members proposed a $373,957 plan to give lawyers to county residents at risk of deportation, but have received large pushback. The county’s plan would reallocate money from the general fund created by taxes to the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. Montgomery County needs to put its money where its mouth is by funding lawyers for immigrants at risk of deportation. Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has been vehemently opposed to immigration, especially with those that cross the border illegally. His attempts to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program have put thousands of residents in danger of deportation. He paints them as criminals and threats to American society; however, living as an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal offense but a civil one, meaning that the crime does not endanger the public. Recent events endangering immigrants may have a national effect, but Montgomery County should work to protect its own resi-
dents. Funding immigration lawyers is critical to fulfilling the county’s responsibility to its people and the councilmembers’ political promises. An imbalance in the national budget between immigration enforcement and courts has “led to a bottleneck of more than 600,000 pending cases before the immigration courts and a state of chaos that negatively impacts all involved,” according to University of Texas Clinical Professor of Law Denise Gilman. The lack of funding in courts leads to an inability to docket cases, so many individuals cannot learn where the hearings will be held. “There is no right to government-appointed counsel in immigration cases, so most migrants are unrepresented and struggle to navigate the proceedings alone,” Gilman said in
a review. Immigration courts are a stressful experience, especially when overshadowed by the Trump administration, and people who may not have a fair chance can be forced to testify for themselves, even if they do not have the help of a lawyer. All undocumented immigrants, even children under the age of 18 who are charged with violating immigration laws—such as those protected by DACA— do not have a right to appointed counsel. Therefore, minors who do not have the financial means to obtain a lawyer or legal knowledge, and who may not have control over their immigration status, can still be prosecuted in court and sentenced. Similarly, individuals who do not speak English
MINDY BURTON
and lack legal representation must testify for themselves in court, giving them a clear disadvantage. Aside from the county’s moral obligations, there are numerous economic benefitsto the budget in supporting undocumented immigrants. A similar program in Baltimore has already taken place to aid their undocumented residents. In March, their spending panel approved a $200,000 plan to pay for the attorneys whose role would be to “[defend] immigrants against federal deportation lawyers,” according to The Baltimore Sun. Advocates for the program noted that individuals who represent themselves are significantly more likely to lose a deportation case than if they had been assisted by a lawyer. Moreover, natural-born children whose parents are deported become the responsibility of the government, causing more issues in the budget. Baltimore City Council President Bernard Young advocated for the money to “help keep families together and prevent children from being abandoned,” according to The Baltimore Sun. “If their parents are deported, who’s going to take care of them? They become orphans,” he said. “Then they are in the system which costs us more money.” According to Young, funding lawyers to help protect these parents could actually reduce government cost, as opposed to the alternative. The success and devotion to their residents and community members displayed in Baltimore should serve as an example to Montgomery County. As a place with tremendous influence and passion for its people, it is only right that the county stays true to its claims and protects its residents by funding defense lawyers for undocumented immigrants.
silverchips
June 6, 2018
Opinion B3
My Blair: Personal Column Change the legal gun-carrying age Editor’s Note: Erika Rao’s eleventh grade English class submitted personal columns commenting on the ongoing debate surrounding gun control and school safety improvements in America. The following column is a selection from a student explaining their stance on the issue and how the issue affects them personally. If you or your class wants to submit a personal column, email silver.chips. print@gmail.com! The Editorial Board will read through all submissions and determine a selection. AVERY BROOKS
By Ekram Aman IN FIRST PERSON
AVERY BROOKS
By William Tawamba GUEST WRITER
In the United States today, a teenager as young as 18 years old can walk into a gun store and legally purchase any gun they want. Teenagers that can’t even drink an alcoholic beverage have the right to bear arms. I’m almost 18 years old and I wouldn’t feel comfortable carrying a gun at all. I don’t think I’m mature enough to handle a gun, especially when in situations I would be trying to use it. In my opinion, 18 years old is way too young to be carrying around a firearm. There are lots of solutions for this problem. I did research on ways to improve gun laws. The one law that stood out to me and that needs to be implemented is that the legal age to carry a firearm should be increased to 25 years old Between 2009 to 2016, there have been 156 mass shootings. Since January 1 2018, there have been 18 school shootings. This is a huge problem that needs a solution. I recently participated in a walkout at my high school, where we walked out of class and went all the way to D.C. by walking and taking the train to the White House to protest the lack of gun reform. Students around the U.S. are still protesting today. There should be no reason why a kid should be scared to go to school. Now that I researched and found out that 18 year olds can carry a gun legally, I feel unsafe coming
to school. Anyone can walk into my school with anything—guns, bombs, etc.— and get away with it. This is a huge safety problem for our schools. When I heard about the Florida shooting, I thought about how many innocent children died. I was saddened. In Australia, you can’t buy a gun legally if you’re 18 or under and they haven’t had a mass shooting since they changed that law and other gun laws. Increasing the legal age to carry a gun to 25 would be a smart and effective solution here in the U.S. Even the president says that the legal age to carry a firearm should be at least 21. This seems like a great idea, but the interpretations of our 2nd Amendment allow for people to carry guns at the age of 18; even though you can’t even drink or rent a car at the age of 18. I find it unbelievable how you have to be 21 and up to do everything else but to carry a dangerous weapon that is made to kill, you can be a teenager. Another argument is that guns can be used for sports, like hunting. So, by changing this law people will not be able to hunt or participate in a sport that uses guns until the age of 25. I think if you’re killing animals for fun or sport you shouldn’t be buying guns anyway because you have no problem with killing. This law really could change and save a lot of lives of innocent Americans. There is proof that changing the legal age to carry a gun is the best decision and works, like in Australia. This is why I believe in changing gun laws.
What do you think? Feel free to access our feedback survey to tell us what you think about Silver Chips! Scan the code below with a QR reader app, or use the URL http://www.chipssurvey.com/
Corrections: April 2018 The article on A1, “MCPS parent arrested for child pornography,” was incorrectly labeled as a jump to page A3. That article concluded on page A1. The corrections section in the April edition was incorrectly labeled as “Corrections: March 2017.” They were corrections for the March 2018 issue. The insidechips for “Sports Beat” incorrectly directed the reader to find the story on page E3, rather than F3.
B4 Editorials
silverchips
ABC: Don’t make a “Roseanne“ spinoff
Comments? Questions? Email silver.chips.print@gmail.com!
The first season of ABC’s reboot of “Roseanne,” a hit sitcom from the 1980s and 90s, drew widespread critical acclaim for its ability to address and confront politics from both conservative and liberal points of view. It attempted to incorporate elements of contemporary American culture—a gender non-conforming character and a young, black granddaughter—while also addressing issues faced by working class families. After having achieved enormous ratings throughout the season (the pilot was watched by 18.2 million people), “Roseanne” seemed poised to enjoy similar success in its renewed second season—until Roseanne Barr, the show’s lead, posted a racist tweet prompting ABC’s executives to pull the plug on production. ABC made the right decision to cancel a show which elevated a racist woman, but would be making a terrible mistake if it launched a spin-off of the show that had any involvement from Roseanne Barr. We should be quite clear: Barr’s tweet last week was not the first problematic one to have surfaced on her account. In the past, she has tweeted links and videos that reference prominent
conspiracy theories, including the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy that inspired a man to enter Comet Ping Pong, armed, under the illusion that he was part of a rescue mission. The tweet that ultimately ended Barr’s show, an attack on former Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett that Silver Chips will not print due to its content, is part of a pattern of invective that Barr has launched against a slew of others. Before returning to network television, Barr had made a habit of putting those across the aisle ideologically in her crosshairs. Although “Roseanne” is not the only member of the cancelled show’s production team, which includes dozens of other workers, ABC’s cancellation of the show demonstrated that they would not stand by and allow someone with bigoted ideals to continue to front one of their flagship shows. Due to the reality that all of the characters in “Roseanne” could be Barr’s intellectual property, a spin-off would most likely require her oversight and production input. Any further involvement from Barr on the network, however, would continue to promote a prejudiced person’s voice on a national platform.
June 6, 2018
Editorial Cartoon
SALLY ZHAO
A snippet into next year’s paper
You might have gotten used to Laura Espinoza’s headshot on this page for the past six cycles, but the face behind those pictures is one of the many changes being made for next year. From the new logo printed up on the masthead to the new font, there are a lot of improvements being made to the paper as we prepare for our 81st year. There is a whole new set of writers, editors, photographers, artists, and business
2018-19 Ombudsman Hannah Lee
AVERY BROOKS
staff lined up for the following year, stronger than ever. We are all ready to serve you by striving to create the best version of our paper. That being said, representing the many voices of our community and making them satisfied with what they are reading is our primary motive behind all of our work. One of our major changes is renaming the Entertainment section as Culture in order to properly address the clearly present
cultural issues within our society and community, we found that it is absolutely necessary to dedicate a section to do so instead of fitting it under the category of “entertainment.” Awareness is the first step in solving a problem, and we hope our future articles can do this for you. Since our past sports editor, Henry Weibe, officially graduated yesterday, “Weibe’s World” is now “Camden’s Yard,” and for opinions from our new Culture editor, you can read “Arshiya’s Aesthetics” every cycle to hear about Arshiya’s opinions on current cultural and entertainment topics that are relevant in society. As an extremely overdue change, La Esquina Latina is finally having its front page in color. Whether you are reading La Esquina Latina as a native Spanish speaker or to put your Spanish skills to the test, we hope you enjoy the color photo and art elements alongside the articles. Make sure to also check out the QR code with English translations to all of our articles. Most importantly, we want to show that we see a lot of importance in making sure our Latino community’s representation has a larger presence through our paper. Silver Chips’ writers, photographers, and artists have made yearly changes to design and writing aspects every year to better fit your preferences in order to provide the most easy to read, enjoyable, and efficient experience while reading the paper. They might not change your life, sure, but we hope you take our need for your opinions of the paper just as seriously as we take our efforts to serve you in the best way possible. That being said, the changes you see in this edition are not set in stone for the
entirety of next year. Through the surveys, the staff and I can get a better idea of which changes to revert back to the previous version or keep. Most people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but to us, the beauty of the paper is in the eyes of the readers. As I have and will always emphasize, please do not forget to keep in touch with me from now on. Did you find an error in this article? Do you want us to make any further changes? Would you like to submit a personal column? Whatever your concern is, we can easily touch base through Twitter, email, or in person if you want to talk to me as an Ombudsman, design editor, writer, or even as a friend.
To connect with Hannah, email her at ombudsmansilverchips@ gmail.com or message her on Twitter @chipsombudsman, or fill out the Silver Chips reader survey at http:// www.chipssurvey.com/
español C1
silverchips
6 de junio, 2018
La Esquina Latina
Silver Chips el 6 de junio, 2018
Celebración cultural
Noticias breves El fin del TPS para los hondureños
AVERY BROOKS
ARTE
CUBANA
Artista
afrocubano,
Manuel
Mendive
exhibe
sus
obras
de
arte
en
el
Kennedy
Center.
La verdad detrás de la celebración del Cinco de Mayo Cómo los EE.UU comercializaron esta celebración Por Amanda Hernández EDITORA EN JEFE
Una opinión
Para muchos estadounidenses, el Cinco de Mayo es una celebración vibrante que consiste en beber cervezas y tequila, escuchar música mariachi, y vestirse con sombreros y ponchos. Sin embargo, la mayoría de estas personas no saben el verdadero significado del Cinco de Mayo y promueven estereotipos de la cultura mexicana. Además de eso, es muy irónico que la gran cantidad de mexicanos que residen en México ni celebraran dicho día. ¿Confundidos? Yo también. Teniendo en cuenta que muchos estadounidenses celebran el Cinco de Mayo con tal prominencia, es importante que la gente entienda la verdadera historia detrás de tal celebración. De acuerdo con el noticiero CNN, “El Cinco de Mayo no es el Día de la Independencia de México…[además,] Cinco de Mayo marca la fecha de una victoria militar mexicana [de la ciudad Puebla] sobre Francia [en 1862].” La popularidad de Cinco de Mayo en los Estados Unidos, empezó durante el movimiento chicano en 1960. Activistas como César Chávez y Dolores Huerta trabajaron con la intención de fortalecer los lazos culturales entre México y los Estados Unidos. Ahora, más de 100 años después de la batalla de Puebla, el Cinco de Mayo se ha manifestado en la cultura estadounidense. A medida que la popularidad creció y los estadounidenses comenzaron a invertir; muchas corporaciones tomaron nota y comercializaron productos relacionados con el Cinco de Mayo con la esperanza de obtener ganancias. Un ejemplo son las empresas como Corona que se han aprovechado del día de celebración para aumentar sus ventas. El Cinco de Mayo ha sido manipulado por compañías estadounidenses ignorantes que resultan en estereotipos dañinos. Cada vez que más y más compañías se
vuelven descuidadas con respecto a las representaciones inexactas y despectivas de la cultura mexicana, es inevitable que el ciclo continuará. Jonathan Rivas, un estudiante del grado once, dice, “Aunque no celebro
SALLY ZHAO
el Cinco de Mayo, los medios de comunicación perpetúan la idea de que solo porque soy hispano, probablemente lo celebró también.” Rivas tocó otro tema muy preocupante; el hecho de que hay personas que creen que todos los latinos, sin importar de qué país sean, celebran Cinco de Mayo o son mexicanos. Jennifer Martínez, una estudiante de herencia mexicana y en el grado nueve, explicó su opinión sobre los prejuicios negativos de los mexicanos, “Lo que más me frustra del Cinco de Mayo es que ciertas personas piensan que está bien promover la intolerancia en contra de los mexicanos.” La normalización de los estereotipos mexicanos no solo está presente en los medios, sino que la sociedad también presta atención y se ajusta a tales suposiciones. Sin
importar si eres de linaje mexicano o no, es probable que te hayas encontrado con algún tipo de acto perjudicial basado en tu raza o etnia. Por incómodo que sea hablar de eso, sucede de manera constante y debe terminar. Se supone que las escuelas son ambientes seguros para los estudiantes, independientemente de su raza, etnia, estado socioeconómico, orientación sexual o cualquier otra categoría. Sin embargo, las escuelas son el lugar donde muchos estudiantes latinos se ocupan de las ideas preconcebidas de sus etnias de primera mano. “A veces pienso que ciertos maestros le dicen a los estudiantes latinos [sin saber de que país son], ‘feliz Cinco de Mayo’ debido a una falta de comprensión,” dijo el estudiante del grado doce, Frank Sandagorda. De acuerdo con un reportaje conducido por el Condado de Montgomery, hay aproximadamente un 33.5 por ciento de estudiantes hispanos matriculados en Blair. Independientemente de ser un estudiante, maestro, u otro miembro del personal, es importante que las personas se alejen de la ignorancia y sepan quién y qué celebra Cinco de Mayo. Aunque muchos latinos están conscientes de los generalizaciones de que la economía y sociedad de los Estados Unidos se alimenta, no se hace mucho al respecto. La gente de todo el mundo continúa reconociendo el día como día de fiesta sin ningún conocimiento de por qué la fecha es históricamente importante. En lugar de quedarse atrás, permitir que el desconocimiento corra libremente y causar estragos, los latinos deben mantenerse unidos y luchar contra la idea comercializada del Cinco de Mayo. A medida que los Estados Unidos avanzan para aprobar legislación sobre DACA y TPS, para muchos latinos es crucial entender cómo las empresas estadounidenses se han aprovechado la cultura mexicana para fortalecer la economía de un país que desprecia inmigrantes latinos. Si queremos cambio en nuestra sociedad, es importante expresar nuestras opiniones y ser más activos políticamente para combatir el maltrato de latinos.
La administración del Presidente Trump dejó la comunidad latina impactada cuando anunció el 4 de abril que el Estatus Temporal de Protección (TPS) para los hondureños terminará en dos años. Justo después de la cancelación del TPS para los salvadoreños, más de 57,000 hondureños tendrán que regresar a su país en el año 2020. El gobierno federal estadunidense ofrece protección bajo de TPS a ciudadanos de países sufriendo de conflictos políticas, económicas y desastres naturales. Honduras fue unos de los países beneficiados por el TPS después del huracán Mitch en 1999. De acuerdo con El Impacto Migratorio, “El huracán Mitch fue unos de los huracanes más peligrosos [dejando] millones de familias hondureñas sin hogar.” Después de este devastador momento, la Agencia de Seguridad Nacional estadounidense brindó el TPS para las personas impactadas. Hoy en día muchos hondureños habitan Estados Unidos bajo el TPS desde hace 20 años. Estos hicieron y formaron sus vidas en los Estados Unidos con nuevos empleos y criaron a sus hijos en este país. Además, se acostumbraron a la nueva vida que Estados Unidos les brindaba se acostumbraron al sueño americano. Ahora que el TPS fue eliminado, los beneficiarios hondureños están buscando opciones para sus futuros y los de sus hijos. Para los hondureños el pensamiento de dejar sus hogares los ha dejado a borde de desesperación. La seguridad nacional sólo ha dado hasta el 5 de enero del 2020 para que los hondureños con el TPS permanezcan legalmente en el país o regresar a Honduras. DACA: ¿Cuál será el destino de los soñadores?
Los beneficiarios de DACA, llamados Soñadores, están luchando por su futuro en este país. El 24 de abril del 2018 el Tribunal del Distrito de Columbia encontró la propuesta del presidente Trump para la terminación del programa DACA ilegal. Este programa protege a los inmigrantes de ser deportados, les da permisos de trabajo e incluso la oportunidad de poder estudiar. En septiembre del 2017, el mundo se les derribó a los soñadores inmigrantes cuando el Presidente Trump y su administración anunciaron el fin de DACA. El reciente caso judicial reanimó a los soñadores con la increíble noticia de que no estaba de acuerdo con la decisión del administración Trump. El tribunal ordenó que la administración siga aceptando solicitudes de renovación de parte de los soñadores e incluso de nuevos solicitantes. Aunque el tribunal hizo esta orden, también decidió que suspenderá este mandato para nuevos solicitantes por noventa días; ya después de este periodo se decidirá si se aceptarán nuevas solicitudes. Los soñadores que fallaron en enviar sus solicitudes de renovación antes del 5 de marzo, tendrán la oportunidad de poder renovar una vez más. Con la orden del tribunal, DACA tendrá unos meses más de vida y lo soñadores podrán seguir adelante con sus rutinas. La lucha por el destino de DACA y sus miles de miembros sigue desconocido y los soñadores siguen con el alma en la mano mientras tratan de vivir la única vida que han conocido. Las noticias breves fueron escritas por Nayely Bonilla Oseguera y Yesenia Cruz
C2 español
silverchips
6 de junio, de 2018
No más excusas: Puerto Rico necesita más ayuda y apoyo Manifestaciones revelan la frustración de muchos habitantes en el país
Por Amanda HernándezJasmine Méndez-Paredes EDITORAS EN JEFE
Las manifestaciones violentas que se llevaron a cabo recientemente en Puerto Rico han demostrado la frustración de la población puertorriqueña contra las medidas de austeridad que ha impuesto el gobierno a consecuencia del desastre que el huracán María dejó atrás. El 1 de mayo muchos estudiantes se unieron en marcha en intento para llegar a las oficinas de la Junta de Control Fiscal en el centro de San Juan. Al estar en camino, la policía intervino y bloqueó la ruta de los manifestantes y de allí empezó el choque entre los ciudadanos y los oficiales policiacos. Este enfrentamiento de violencia aumentó hasta el punto en que la policía utilizó gas lacrimógeno contra los alumnos protestantes. Hace diez meses que el huracán María azotó la isla de Puerto Rico pero aún hay habitantes en las zonas montañosas que no han superado del desastre. A consecuencia de la falta de suficiente ayuda financiera de FEMA y otros organizaciones que proveen asistencia humanitaria, el gobierno de Puerto Rico ha incrementado la matrícula universitaria para los estudiantes y posiblemente quiere hacer recortes de beneficios para reducir su déficit de presupuesto. De acuerdo con las agencias de desastres de Puerto Rico, aproximadamente un 2 por ciento de la población (23,000+) todavía no tienen electricidad. Las agencias culpan a la negligencia de la dificultad de llegar a las áreas remotas donde residen la mayoría de las personas. No solo han pasado meses desde el huracán María, sino que es evidente que las agencias estadounidenses enviadas a Puerto Rico no funcionaron tan diligentemente como
dijeron haberlo hecho. Aunque es comprensible que las áreas de rango montañosas sean difíciles de llegar, no hay excusa para privar a las personas de los recursos esenciales. A medida que el Caribe se prepara para la nueva temporada de huracanes que comenzó el primer día de junio, las agencias de desastres en Puerto Rico están luchando para brindar atención adecuada a las líneas eléctricas. Un mes atrás, el 8 de mayo, el Comité Senatorial estadounidense de Energía y Recursos Naturales se reunió para discutir sobre la situación de Puerto Rico. Hace tres semanas que FEMA y el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército (USACE) detuvieron sus esfuerzos en proveer ayuda financiera para Puerto Rico. Con aproximadamente 23,000 personas que aún permanecen en la oscuridad, no es ético ni moralmente correcto que FEMA y USACE salieran de Puerto Rico sin proporcionar asistencia a los puertorriqueños necesitados. En respuesta a los testimonios de FEMA y USACE declarando sus retiros, el Senador Martin Heinrich de New México (D), dijo lo siguiente, “No puedo imaginar un escenario en el que más de 20,000 tejanos o más de 20,000 floridanos estuvieran sin electricidad y que FEMA tomara taldecisión. Creo que eso es reprensible.” Hay una cosas que decir con certeza, y es que Heinrich tiene razón. ¿Por qué es que aunque los puertorriqueños son ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos pero no reciben los mismos beneficios como un estado en necesidad de asistencia humanitaria? A Puerto Rico se le concedió territorio en 1898 después de la guerra Hispano Americana. Aunque a los puertorriqueños se les otorga la ciudadanía estadounidense y votan en primarias parciales, la isla aún no se considera un estado. Ya sea que Puerto Rico se convierta en
JASMINE MÉNDEZ-PAREDES
un estado de los Estados Unidos o no; lo más importante es ayudar a más de 23,000 ciudadanos y garantizar un alivio de emergencia de calidad para los próximos meses. El director ejecutivo de Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica (PREPA), Walter Higgins, declaró que PREPA se está preparando para la temporada de huracanes con simulacros de emergencia. Ahora, semanas después de que Higgins afirmó que Puerto Rico estaba en el camino de la recuperación, el país aún enfrenta incertidumbre a medida que se acerca la temporada de huracanes. De acuerdo con Liza Millán, una oficial del Departamento de Salud, “Ellos [oficiales] tuvieron que comunicar informalmente durante el huracán. Cuando digo ‘informalmente’, quiero decir que nada fue escrito y no hubo responsabilidades asignadas.” Sin ningún plan de emergencia, miles de puertorriqueños fallecieron debido al falta de recursos. En lugar de retirarse de Puerto Rico y
concentrar los esfuerzos en los simulacros de emergencia, PREPA debería pedir ayuda externa, ya que los Estados Unidos aparentemente están descuidando el bienestar de más de 23,000 ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos. Los apagones de electricidad son algo con que la ciudadanía ha aprendido a vivir. Lo que Puerto Rico necesita ahora es el apoyo continuo de los Estados Unidos y sus agencias. Obligar a un territorio a adherirse a la constitución del país dominante y negarse a proporcionar ayuda es desagradable. Independientemente de lo que uno pueda sentir sobre el estado de Puerto Rico como territorio de los EE. UU., es importante que el gobierno de los Estados Unidos y los directores de las organizaciones de asistencia humanitaria se den cuenta de la obligación que tiene de ayudar a las 23,000+ personas que aún necesitan asistencia. Como una comunidad latina, es crucial apoyar a nuestros ciudadanos puertorriqueños durante esta época de angustia e incertidumbre.
¡Estudiantes seniors latinos han dejado su huella en Blair! Las hazañas de estos estudiantes pueden influenciar a la comunidad
Por Lourdes Reyes Valenzuela
EDITORA
Al llegar el final del año escolar muchos estudiantes latinos del grado doce se arrimaron a sus últimos días en la escuela secundaria. Cada senior tuvo la oportunidad de crear sus propias vivencias y recuerdos durante los años en Blair. Estas experiencias muchas veces tienen un gran impacto en la vida de estos alumnos e influyen en las decisiones que ellos hagan en el futuro. José Jacinto Ortega, Alyssa Berrios y Oscar Cortez son ejemplos de estudiantes seniors que han aprovechado los cuatro años al máximo al participar en actividades que benefician a la comunidad de Blair.
diantes que han venido de otros países a que se involucren en muchas actividades como el programa en el que estoy,” dice Cortez. Viendo los frutos que ha dejado esto en su vida, Cortez invita a otros estudiantes latinos a seguir en sus pasos.
festivales de videos documentales.” Ella también, ganó un premio de conexiones de raza de la Universidad Princeton y todo fue con la ayuda de un mentor en la organización sin fines de lucro Gandhi Brigade. Berríos brinda información sobre la organización
Oscar Cortez Desde muy joven, Oscar Cortez estuvo consciente de las injusticias en su país de origen, Guatemala. Motivado por ver tales injusticias de primera mano, Cortez solo tenía una cosa en mente. Cuando llegó a los Estados Unidos en 2013, Cortez decidió que iba a aprovechar cada oportunidad que se le diese. Un año después, él se enteró de un programa policiaco que le iba a cambiar su vida. “Siendo policía yo podría hacer las cosas como se deben allá [en mi país],” menciona Cortez. Estando en este programa Cortez pudo adoptar responsabilidad y respeto. Además el estar en este programa lo ayudó más a desarrollar su inglés. Al terminar la escuela, Cortez tiene planes de asistir a la universidad por dos años y cuando termine quiere comenzar su carrera de policía. Cortez anima a todos los estudiantes a sacar provecho a las oportunidades que ofrece el país y la escuela. “[Exhorto a todos] los estu-
CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA
José
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Alyssa Berríos Alyssa Berríos es una estudiante en Blair de ascendencia salvadoreña y mexicana que usó su creatividad para hacer documentales informativos durante sus años en Blair. Sus documentales más reconocidos tocan temas acerca de la responsabilidad de los policías y la migración. Berríos comenta acerca de sus obras documentales, “A causa de esos dos documentales, yo he tenido la oportunidad de ganar muchos
durante
su
hora
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almuerzo.
que le ayudó a desarrollar sus documentales, “Gandhi Brigade es una organización... que ayuda a estudiantes de escuelas intermedias y secundaria a utilizar la tecnología para expresar sus voces y opiniones en diferentes temas.” Además de la experiencia que tuvo en este programa, Berríos explica, “Al yo entrar a este programa, no conocía a nadie pero en fin ellos fueron los que han influenciado mi vida... [también] pude aumentar mi autoestima y confianza.” En los próximos meses, Berríos tiene planes de irse a Montgomery
College y especializarse en los estudios de comunicación. Al luego ella quiere transferir a la Universidad de Maryland o a la Universidad de California en Los Ángeles.
José Jacinto Ortega
Inspirado por música cristiana con ritmos de todos tipos, José Jacinto ha participado en obras de teatro y otros eventos escolares. Jacinto Ortega es un estudiante que no aprendió a tocar el piano en la escuela, sino por sí mismo. Sin embargo, él ha tocado para la escuela y ha tomado clases de piano para aprender a leer música. Su inspiración por el piano se basa en su fe, “Lo principal que me a echo tocar piano es poder adorar y alabar a Dios porque es la única manera en la que siento ser yo mismo.” Para Jacinto Ortega, su fe es muy importante y juega un papel principal en su vida y decisiones, al igual que en la de otros estudiantes de Blair. “[Tocar el piano] es algo que quiero continuar aún después de graduarme y hacer cada vez mejor,” commenta Jacinto Ortega. Seguir tocando el piano sigue en los planes de Jacinto al igual que seguir sus estudios. La señora Hernández-Cata, la maestra de piano, es quien lo ha ayudado a leer música e incitado a participar en actividades escolares con su talento. Los estudiantes reflexionan sobre sus años en Blair y comienzan a prepararse para sus vidas después de la escuela secundaria. Aunque algunos decidan continuar sus estudios y otros ir directamente a la fuerza de trabajo, sus vidas como estudiantes siempre tendrán un impacto en su futuro como jóvenes adultos. Al hacer sus actividades, Cortez, Berríos, y Jacinto Ortega se han fijado en como representar a los latinos en la escuela y incitarlos a seguir el ejemplo, haciéndose los años en Blair unos de los mejores de sus vidas.
español C3
silverchips
6 de junio, 2018
Predicciones para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA Rusia 2018
¿Qué país se convertirá en el nuevo campeón mundial?
Por Yesenia Sorto y el Equipo Editorial ¡Solo faltan pocos días y estará por empezar el mayor evento futbolístico que se celebra cada por cuatro años! Este verano muchas familias latinas se sentaran en sus hogares a ver qué equipo se llevará el título de campeón del mundo en la Copa Mundial de la FIFA Rusia 2018. Fútbol es un deporte que ha sido parte en la cultura latinoamericana por varias décadas. La Copa Mundial es uno de los campeonatos más vistos por los latinos y alrededor del mundo. Países de todo el mundo tuvieron que luchar con todas sus fuerzas y dejar todo el campo de juego para tener un puesto para ir a Rusia. Sin embargo de las seis confederaciones de fútbol afiliadas a la FIFA, solo unos equipos pasan a competir en Rusia o en el país que corresponda dicha competencia. Cada confederación de fútbol tiene un número específico de equipos que obtienen el boleto a Rusia o algunos les toca ir a repechaje. El bicampeón de la Copa América, Chile, es uno de los países latinoamericanos favoritos que se perderá el mundial tras quedar eliminado en el campeonato cuando se enfrentó con Brasil (3 a 0). Perú es uno de los equipos que ha impresionado a muchos fanáticos de fútbol. Aunque Perú no se clasifica tanto como Brasil, Uruguay, Argentina o Colombia, Perú definitivamente hizo todo el mundo quedarse con la boca abierta cuando le dieron al equipo Nueva Zelanda un sabor de derrota en un repechaje venciendolos 2 a 0. En la confederación de la CONCACAF (Confederación de fútbol de la Asociación Norteamericana, Centroamericana y del Caribe), todo el mundo se sorprendió al ver la eliminación de los Estados Unidos. El partido de los Estados Unidos contra el equipo Trinidad y Tobago empezó con un jugador de los Estados Unidos Omar González, ha-
ciendo un gol a su propio equipo en intento de cambiar la dirección del balón. Entonces
[jugar] porque son mis jugadores favoritos,” dijo Mendoza.
SALLY ZHAO
Trinidad y Tobago reforzó su puntaje con otro gol y en la conclusión del partido, Estados Unidos fue eliminado de ser partícipes en la Copa Mundial. En las próximas semanas, estudiantes latinos de todo el mundo estarán haciendo sus predicciones sobre quién ganará la Copa Mundial Rusia 2018. A medida que más y más equipos muestran su fuerza y resistencia, muchos estudiantes se han quedado al margen. Equipos como Argentina y Brasil se han convertido en los dos equipos más favoritos de los estudiantes de Blair. Roney Mendoza, un estudiante del grado once, piensa que los equipos que pasarán a los octavo de final son Colombia, Francia, México, Argentina, Brasil e Inglaterra. “Estoy emocionado por ver a Messi y Neymar
De acuerdo con las predicciones de Mendoza, Argentina y Brasil llegarán a la final y el campeón será Brasil, “ya que son los equipos con mejores jugadores”. Al contrario de lo que piensa Mendoza, Celvin Villeda del décimo grado, predice que los equipos que llegarán a la final serán Brasil y Alemania. Villeda también piensa que los que pasarán a la semifinal serán Argentina, Alemania, Portugal y Brasil. Aunque muchos estudiantes tienen varias opiniones sobre quién ganará la Copa Mundial, su amor por fútbol motiva su determinación de seguir jugando y ver los torneos. Cassandra Gómez, una estudiante del grado doce, cree que “Brasil, Argentina, Alemania y Francia se enfrentarán durante las semifinales.” Aunque Gómez no sigue al
fútbol tanto como sus compañeros, ella sabe que los cuatro equipos mencionados tienen jugadores fuertes. Ella dice, “Si tengo tiempo este verano, definitivamente me sentaré y miraré los juegos para ver si mis predicciones fueron precisas.” Calificando este año pasado contra Alemania, creo que Argentina ganará como campeones de la FIFA 2018. Los siguientes en segundo y tercer lugar respectivamente serán Alemania y Brasil. Después de el último partido contra Alemania en FIFA 2014, es probable que Argentina haya intensificado su entrenamiento y esté más preparada que nunca para derrotar y enfrentar una vez más a Alemania. Los jugadores que yo quiero ver son Lionel Messi y Ángel Di María. Me encanta la manera en que ellos juegan, dado que están en el mismo equipo Argentina. Espero que ambos resaltan su fortaleza como futbolistas y lleven al equipo argentino a la victoria. Una de las escuelas mas diversas del condado de Montgomery es Blair, la cual cuenta con una diversidad de deportes para los estudiantes. Blair es una escuela deportiva donde hay más de veinte deportes para escoger, el fútbol siendo uno de los más populares y que se les ofrece para los muchachos e igualmente para las muchachas. Recientemente, los administradores de Blair incluso han permitido torneos de fútbol para los estudiantes durante las horas de almuerzo. Ya que el comienzo de la Copa Mundial se acerca, los fanáticos del fútbol apoyarán a sus ganadores predichos con mucho entusiasmo. Check out the translated Esquina Latina articles for yourself with this code! Scan the QR code to read in English.
Fechas importantes: 9 de junio
14 de junio
15 de junio
15 de junio
El examen de ACT
El comienzo de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA
Fecha límite para entregar la solicitud para el “Spanish Honors Society”
Último día para los maestros subir las calificaciones
15 de junio
17 de junio
Último día del año escolar 2017-2018 para los estudiantes
Día de los padres
21 de junio
21 de junio
Distribución de las tarjetas de calificaciones
El primer día del verano
silverc
June 6, 2018
Increase in SAT testing durin follows decline in national part Story by
William Donaldson Elise Cauton Design by Hannah Lee Art by Sally Zhao For a few weeks every year, testing dominates Blair’s schedule. Class time is decreased so that students can sit for a number of voluntary and required assessments. During the fall and winter, College Readiness Day allows students to take the Preliminary SAT (PSAT), Accuplacer, and more, while APs and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). remain staples of the spring testing season.
Testing a pilot program
This year, for the first time, Montgomery County paid for students’ SAT and ACT tests, through a new program called SAT School Day. This year’s school budget allocated funds to cover the cost of one SAT or ACT Saturday test for all juniors in the county. SAT School Day, which is administered in conjunction with College Board, however, extended this provision by allowing high schools across the county to decide if they wanted to give the SAT during school hours or only provide waivers to take the test at another date. High schools also had the option to do a combination of the two and allow students to decide which option they preferred. At Blair, students took the test on April 10 during school hours. This program, according to MCPS and College Board officials, was established to ensure that testing opportunities are available to all students regardless of economic status. Likewise, it was supposed to “ensure more students apply to a best fit college,” says Maria Alcon-Heraux, a College Board media relations official, in an email response. According to Alcon-Heraux, more than 250 school districts in the nation participated in SAT School Day. “Ten states, [including] Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia administered the SAT during the school. That’s in addition to more than 250 school districts,” she writes in an email response. The number of states and school districts participating in SAT School Day has steadily risen since the 20142015 school year, during which only three states and just over 110 school districts offered the program, according to Alcon-Heraux. Scott Murphy, the director of the Department of Secondary Curriculum and Districtwide Programs for Montgomery County, says that the county decided to pilot SAT School Day this year to follow the lead of other school districts across the nation. “Knowing that the SAT School Day was an option and that it was sort of growing across the country, we wanted to offer the opportunity for schools,” he says. The College Board believes that by providing the test free of charge for students at their schools during school
hours, more students will be college-bound. “A growing body of evidence shows [that] offering the SAT at no cost to students during the school day propels more students into college,” writes Alcon-Heraux. One specific study supporting the claim was conducted by Joshua Hyman, an assistant professor of economics and public policy at the University of Connecticut. Hyman found that providing college entrance tests during the school day increased low income students’ enrollment into four-year colleges by 2 percent and is more “cost-effective than traditional student aid” such as Head Start and school finance reform at “boosting postsecondary attainment.”
The College Board and Montgomery County To understand why school districts are providing SAT and American College Testing Program (ACT) waivers, in addition to offering the SAT during the school day, it is necessary to look back to the early 20th century. The presidents of a dozen leading universities created the College Board in 1900 to standardize the college admissions process. In 1926, College Board placed professor Carl Brigham in charge of a committee to develop a test that a wider range of schools could use. This test became the SAT and is now one of the tests required for college admissions to many schools. Thirty years later, as more students sought to pursue higher education, the ACT was developed as another standardized test to use during the application process. Created in 1959, the ACT continued to expand its area of impact and usage among student applicants. Montgomery County officials met with representatives from both College Board and ACT to discuss logistics of the SAT School Day. Murphy characterizes several meetings with the representatives as extensive. The exams offered by College Board, which include the SAT, PSAT, Accuplacer, and AP tests, are all administered by schools to students. High schoolers are required to take either the SAT, ACT, or Accuplacer before they graduate according to the state College and Career Readiness and College Completion Act (CCRCCA), passed in 2013. College Board also emphasizes the advantages of states engaging in an SAT School Day contract with the organization. These contracts allow educators to more closely track the testing progress of their students while also providing additional support to states and districts in order to ensure “smooth implementation,” according to the College Board website. While College Board lauds the recent success of SAT School Day and the increase in districts providing it to students during school, the number of students signing up to take Saturday SAT tests has been in decline over the past decade. A 2014 Washington Post analysis found th at in 29 states “there were fewer SAT test-takers in the high school class of 2013 than there were in the class of 2006.” In comparison, ACT test taking only declined in three states during the same time period. Studies from 2016 indicates a decline in SAT test-takers as well. The blog Education Week found that though SAT administration during the school day program increased nearly 90 percent between March 2015 and March 2016, student participation in national SAT testing days decreased by 22.6 percent in the same span.
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Despite participation, concerns persist
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Because this is the first year the SAT School Day ran, there were logistical glitches that hindered the facilitation of the program. Logistical organization must be precisely enforced in order to ensure that all students are able to test smoothly and securely. Much of this responsibility falls to the administrators within each school charged with overseeing the operation of SAT School Day. Despite the extra workload they took on, though, the county did not pay administrators for the overtime they put in to operate testing at their schools.
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Murphy admits that there is an extra burden on those that organize the tests in their respective schools, and is open to concerns that they may have in future years. “Test coordination is a load on our administrators, so we’re cognizant of that, trying to get feedback from them about what additional supports would help,” says Murphy. Beyond the fact that administrators were not paid for their work on SAT Day, there is also the concern of overtesting. Legislation from the Maryland General Assembly, called the More Learning, Less Testing Act of 2017, requires that all school districts limit the amount of time spent on standardized testing to 2.2 percent of all class time each year. The Less Testing Act is why Montgomery County no longer has final semester exams, and replaced them with quarterly assessments throughout the year instead. With the act, the total amount of testing time amounts to less than 26 hours of standardized testing each year in all elementary, middle, and high schools. The legislation, however, only applies to state mandated testing, which only includes the Accuplacer, Maryland High School Assessment (MHSA), Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA), Maryland School Assessment (MSA), and PARCC. However, students often take standardized tests for more than the state intended. “The 2.2 percent does not include college readiness tests like that that students elect to take. [The legislation] really is talking about mandated tests,” Murphy says. The AP testing that takes place during for two weeks of instructional time in the month of May, the PSAT during College Readiness Day in the fall, and now the SAT during SAT School Day are all not part of
the standardized testing mandated to be cut down by the 2017 legislation. To account for any potential concerns about over testing, Montgomery County allowed schools to provide either waivers for Saturday testing or delay instructional time to offer an in-school SAT. The decisions were ultimately left up to each individual school’s administrative team. Blair’s administration, headed by Principal Renay Johnson, chose to offer the SAT in school and supply waivers to students who wanted to take the ACT. If the mandate considered these required exams, along with AP and other standardized tests every year, the amount would exceed the 2.2 percent requirement. The SAT School Day was enacted both in following with national testing trends and so that low income students, such as those on Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS), would have access to the tests required for higher education, according to Murphy. Before the SAT School Day was implemented this year, students on FARMS were allowed to receive six waiver forms in total from the testing organizations themselves: two waivers for SATs, two waivers for SAT Subject Tests, and two waivers for ACTs. At Blair specifically, 376 out of 778 juniors sat for the SAT on April 10th. Of the 202 students on FARMS in the junior class, 86 took the in-school SAT; only 44 percent of the low-income students in the junior class took the free SAT. The SAT School Day was instituted to encourage low income students to take the SAT and provide waivers to students. “SAT School Day gives eligible low-income students … access to tangible benefits like college application fee waivers and free SAT score sends which removes additional barriers around applying to and enrolling in college,” writes Alcon-Heraux. These benefits, however, were also available before the program was implemented. Though nationally dubbed ‘SAT School Day,’ students at all MCPS schools, whether or not they were on FARMS, could also request a voucher for a national testing of the ACT. At Blair, only 21 students requested a voucher for ACT testing. Montgomery County has representatives from both the College Board and the ACT employed within the school district. Silver Chips attempted to reach out to the College Board representative but was referred to College Board’s media relations department. Multiple attempts by Silver Chips to get the contact information for the county’s ACT representative went unanswered. Due to the ongoing synthesis of data on Montgomery County’s participation in SAT School Day, Silver Chips was unable to acquire official data from either the county or College Board with specific numbers for each of the schools that took part in the program.
D3 Features
silverchips
June 6, 2018
Tackling the testing season with Adderall
The drug phenomenon hits home in Blair’s hallways By Marlena Tyldesley FEATURES EDITOR
Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources
As SAT and AP season rolls around, Adderall dealers at Blair are flooded with requests for the drug. The academic uses for the drug are simple: students are able to become less distracted and study longer. The drug is designed for people with Attention -Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and is not intended for widespread use. Nevertheless, students manage to get their hands on it every year. The market for Adderall in high schools is an increasing phenomenon and economic opportunity for dealers and users at Blair. Adderall releases an unnatural amount of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. If the person taking it has ADHD, their brain balances out to normal levels of Dopamine, but for someone without the disorder, the medicine gives them a surge of happiness, a high. It allows them to study longer, focus, and power through tests like the SAT. According to the Addiction Center, “Adderall is an addictive prescription stimulant with effects similar to cocaine.” Those who are not prescribed Adderall but take it regularly are at a high risk for addiction because of the drug’s dopamine release into the brain. Nick is an Adderall user at Blair who described the effects of Adderall on him as giving him a hit of happiness. “It helps you in school and so you do all these amazing [things],” he says. “You study for like 6 hours, you feel like a god and your family is happy, your teachers are happy, you’re happy.” The high does not last, though. “Then you crash and you’re like ‘I feel miserable because this [expletive] is a stimulant and it’s
just crashing my entire world,” Nick says. Nick is not the only high schooler to discover the high-inducing qualities of Adderall. According to an article published by US News and World Report, high school Adderall usage is on the rise. “...The usage of Adderall among high school seniors in 2015 reached 7.5 percent – among the highest usage levels for prescription, over-the-counter and illicit drugs other than marijuana,” the article states. This overuse is primarily to achieve higher academically, according to the Teen Treatment Center Adolescent Addiction Care. “...many teens report taking these medications because they believe it will help them do better in their academics,” the site reads. With an increase in demand for Adderall
SALLY ZHAO
among high schoolers, some students have realized the potential economic gains they can make by dealing the drug. Chadley was prescribed Adderall a couple of years ago for his ADHD, but did not like the effect it had on him. “It made my heart [expletive] pound out of my chest,” he says. “It didn’t help me focus at all in school. It made me focus on little things like picking at my hangnails.” Chadley then decided to deal his medicine instead of taking it. “I would just snag the pill in the morning and pocket it and save them up and then sell them to people,” he says. In addition to the high people get from Adderall, some students take the drug before important tests. “During testing time, there’s a massive increase in people who want Adderall,” Chadley says. Some of those students
do not normally do drugs, but turn to them for testing situations. “People come to me in massive numbers when testing time is in range,” Chadley says. “They do it specifically for bigger tests cause they figure it will improve performance.” While some dealers do have ADHD and are prescribed Adderall for that reason, the drug is easy to get your hands regardless of whether it is needed. “I think a lot of people don’t actually have ADHD but they struggle in school,” Nick says. “You can get a prescription for [Adderall] without actually taking an ADHD test.” And for users, dealers are all over. “Adderall’s super easy to get,” Chadley says. “You can pretty much just walk through the halls and ask people and people will generally have it.” The effect Adderall has on people varies. Nick, who does not have ADHD, finds that it is a highly addictive substance, more so than alcohol or marijuana. “I can come up from weed easily,” he says. “But with Adderall I just really want to do it again. It’s like a primal thing like I really need this to function and do my work.” On the other hand, Chadley does not feel the effect of Adderall as strongly because it treats the lack of focus that he has. “Alcohol is more addictive, weed [is] also more addictive for me,” he says. “But then again I have ADHD, so I don’t really feel the effects as much.” For those who do become addicted to Adderall, the withdrawal process is daunting. According to Addiction Center, “the brain of an addicted person is dependent on Adderall … without Adderall, addicted people often feel tired and mentally foggy.” Despite the rough withdrawal and all that he has experienced with the drug, Chadley’s advice to students is strongly positive. “Do Adderall,” he says. “It’s really fun. It’s a good time.”
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Prom-ising a night to remember Seniors leave their creative mark
from PROM page A1
totally on that, so I think she had a lot of fun doing it and by the end of the day, she was happy that it was nice and personal and creative.” Holland originally planned to have sixteen helpers—eight of his friends and eight of her friends—but as people began to hear about his plan, more and more volunteered to help. “It ended up being closer to like 25 or 30 people who were involved in some way, even though it’s not what I had originally planned, but it was fun,” he says.
Simran and Hannah
Senior Simran Krishna-Rogers also chose an elaborate promposal with a personal touch to ask his girlfriend senior Hannah Kannan to prom. On a warm day in April, Kannan suggested doing an activity outdoors like going for a hike. Little did she know, Krishna-Rogers had already staged his promposal along their route at Great
Falls. Kannan was surprised when she came upon Krishna-Rogers holding a sign, alongside four of her friends each holding a pizza from different restaurants. Each letter of “prom” was spelled out in kale on one of the four pizzas. While this promposal would be perfect for any ordinary pizza lover, it was specifically meaningful to Kannan as different components of their relationship had been layered into the plan. “Great Falls is the place that we went on our first date,” she says. “And then usually when we go on a date we go to pizza places, so each pizza was from a different place that we’ve been to on a date.” The kale was meant as an inside joke about Kannan’s extremely healthy eating habits.
Jason and Marike
Senior Jason Amboo’s promposal was a more public event, occuring in the middle of Blair Boulevard. He designed a large banner with the words, “You’re so frickin’
soapbox
COURTESY OF HANNAH KANNAN
What was the craziest promposal that you saw this year? “The friends of the girl being promposed to placed a Reese’s peanut butter cup on each step of the staircase . . . the guy held up a candy themed sign.” — Reethi Padmanabhan, junior “Promposals are quite fun to watch; the crazier they are, the louder and more interesting they are.” — Tyler Huang, junior
PROM ON YOUR hold pizzas from
PIZZA? various
Krishna-Rogers locations to
precious when you smile, come with me to prom, it’ll last a while” to ask senior Marike Pinsonneault to prom. The banner hung in the main stairwell. Amboo actually had trouble planning his promposal. He had originally thought to ask Pinsonneault at the spring pep rally but could not due to administrative issues. Then, the day before he promposed, attendance secretary Ms. Fus announced that students planning to do elaborate promposals in the hallway must tell her so that she could alert security. “My original plan doing it during pep rally was a total bust because my advisor was like, ‘we can’t do it because
and ask
four of Kannan
his friends to prom.
of administrative reasons.’” Amboo says. “Then I had to think of a new way.” Amboo arranged for one of Pinsonneault’s friends to drive her to school so that she would enter from the correct entrance on the teacher side. Once she read the banner, her friends dropped down signs that each contained a letter of the word “prom” and a question mark. Through great extents, these seniors made their promposals one to remember by incorporating personal details and going to extravagant lengths. These creative ways helped them to score a date to prom — maybe you should consider one next year!
Unlocking our space
Lack of room causes administration to remove lockers By Arshiya Dutta CULTURE EDITOR
Of all the struggles of attending an overpopulated school, Blazers know how hard it can be to find a seat at lunch. Principal Renay Johnson sees this as a problem and has a solution in mind. Blair has always been a large school, but the 2018-2019 school year is expected to bring in more students than Blair has ever had. Currently, according to Principal Johnson, Blair has about 3100 students, and next year the school will have closer to 3300 students. This increase in the student body has spurned faculty to make some changes to accommodate the new students. One shift will be the lockers. The lack of space in the cafeteria forces students to sit on the ground between the freestanding lockers in the main hallway during lunch. “My friends and I have often had to rush down to lunch to secure a table before too many people arrived, and there are always students sitting on the floor or by the lockers on Blair Boulevard which gives the school a congested feel,” says freshman Tatiana Beltran. The issue is only exacerbated during periods of rain or inclement weather, when even more students stay inside during lunch. To solve this issue, Johnson has taken to Twitter polls. She asked if students use their lockers or not, to which most responded that they do not. Consequently, Johnson has called for the removal of the freestanding lockers across from the media center by the upcoming school year. Incoming ninth grad-
COURTESY OF HANNAH KANNAN
KELLEY LI
ers will still be guaranteed a locker, but those in tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade will have to request a locker online over the summer. Johnson plans to involve members of the community in the design process. “I’m going to send a message out soon to see if students and parents want to join me to help design the place,” she says. Some ideas that students have suggested for the space include the addition of bistro-style tables, lounge seating, and charging stations. Johnson will also be assembling a group of people who are interested in assisting her in the design process. “I’ll start a committee with students and parents and staff members to design it. And everything should be in place for the start of the school year in the fall,” she says. In addition to removing the lockers, Blair will experience a few other changes over the summer of 2018. The school will add two new portables and convert one of the computer labs to a classroom, with Chromebooks and laptops instead of desktops. This plan also includes new laptops and software for students, in addition to the current Chromebooks. “It’s called tech modification and [the county would] come in and just update the technology, and update the software,” says Johnson. Many students are in favor of this tech update, as many have experiences of them being too slow. “The Chromebooks now are beat up and are painfully slow so any new software sounds like a good plan,” says Beltran. These are only a few new changes that will be made for next year’s Blazers. With the influx of new students and changing student body, the school is also changing to accommodate them effectively.
June 6, 2018
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Living with pride in 20gayteen LGBT students chronicle experiences at Blair and beyond By Camden Roberts and Will Donaldson SPORTS EDITOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The local and national victories of the LGBT community in the 21st century have headlined newspapers and demanded public attention. Sodomy is no longer criminalized, same sex marriage is legal, and transgender students who fit into the gender binary in Montgomery County can legally use the bathrooms and locker rooms that fit their identity. All of the problems plaguing LGBT youth must have been resolved, right? If only it were that simple. These legal changes must be reinforced by changes in social values and how we view each other as human beings. Too often, gay people are boxed in by suffocating, ignorant, and offensive stereotypes. We set out to hear from other LGBT students at Blair about their experiences with sexuality, gender, stereotypes, and LGBT culture.
Stereotyping a community
LGBT youth are pressured into satisfying numerous stereotypes throughout their lives. Women who play contact sports, specifically
male participants to be an expression of their sexuality, and force animated and loud stereotypes on male actors. Junior Justin Gross, who identifies as gay and is a part of Blair’s stage crew, finds that more than anything, theater is a group of open individuals. “They’re accepting, they’re chill with whatever,” he says. “[It has] provided a very comfortable community to exist in.” Nonbinary senior Eden Treado came out before they considered themself a musician, but now finds that the stereotypes fit them. “I’m just kind of embracing it, because I like both of those aspects of my personality [queerness and musical ability], and combining them just seems like a natural thing,” they say. Gross’ other experiences, growing up religious, attending a Catholic middle school, and confronting his own sexuality, have allowed him to develop a mental toughness to rebuff any stigma he faces. “If people have a problem with [the way that I express myself], I just brush it off or don’t notice it in the first place because I’m too busy being myself,” he explains. Like Gross, however, Kitchen has learned to move past the hurt caused by homophobia and stereotypes: “I brush it off,” she says.
COURTESY OF AMINA KING
SUITED UP Amina King poses in uniform with teammate Simran Thakkar Barba notes that at Blair, people tend to want to hang out with gay guys purely because of their sexuality. “[Being gay] is something that’s kind of praised, [people say] ‘He’s gay! I want to hang out with him.’ But it’s usually just for that and not really ‘Oh I’m trying to be your friend,’” he says. Where straight people sometimes fall short, having friends in the LGBT community can provide important support and understanding for LGBT youth. “Having a community of people like yourself is really useful and protective, so you always have shared experiences,” Treado explains.
Embracing identity and battling hate
COURTESY OF CARLOS BARBA
JUMPING FOR JOY Carlos Barba leaps on the sidelines of the Blair football field. basketball and softball players, are often assumed to be lesbians, trending towards the butch end of the lesbian spectrum. These athletes are seen as varying so far from traditional gender norms that they are assigned ‘masculine’ traits such as an attraction to women and a non traditional gender presentation. While there is nothing wrong with fitting into this stereotype, it is harmful to assume that all must. On the opposite end, men in sports traditionally played by females tend to be seen as flamboyant and effeminate. Stereotypes surrounding sports like dancing and cheerleading automatically label the men participating as gay, and can restrict gay men by encouraging them not to pursue activities they might otherwise enjoy. For gay junior Carlos Barba, however, joining the cheer squad was the easiest way for him to assert his sexuality. “Because I’m gay, I was far more comfortable joining cheer,” he says, “I actually thought of it as like ‘Oh this is going to be a great way for me to, especially [with] new people, introduce the fact that I’m gay.” Similarly, theater and music also tend to attract stereotypes. Many mistake the expression and energy that acting requires from its
Finding friends and romance
Stereotypes about LGBT people fuel heteronormativity, the idea that places heterosexuality as the default and cements gendered concepts of love and attraction. Setting these strict stereotypes often make social setting far more difficult for those who do not fit neatly into the mold. Lesbian freshman Amina King believes that her femininity makes her seem unattainable for potential suitors. “Potential partners [might] assume that I wouldn’t like them back because they assume [I’m straight],” she says. Bisexual junior Megan Burke also finds that the way she presents could restrict her chances. “I’m pretty femme … everyone’s usual assumption is ‘oh, that girl’s definitely straight,’” she says. Being perceived as a gay man in contemporary culture also comes with stereotypes in social settings. “Gay best friends” are used as commodities for heterosexual female friend groups to add a male perspective to traditionally female topics like appearance, fashion, and, of course, boys. Barba notes that at Blair, people tend to
Though specific stereotypes can be damaging, some are loosely rooted in truth. When we bring up the stereotype about female basketball players, Burke laughs; “Oh my God, it’s so true … I’ve never been on a basketball team where there wasn’t at least one person who wasn’t straight.” Bisexual sophomore Quan’ell Kitchen feels the same. “In the WNBA, there’s a lot of gays,” she points out. Stereotypes can also provide a feeling of community. King, a junior varsity softball player who also participates in theater productions, feels that it has helped her establish herself as a person. “I’ve met other LGBT people in softball and in theater, and it was kind of helpful to meet other people like me, who like other things that I do,” she says. In some cases, it even provides an easy code for coming out. Like Barba, Gross finds that saying he is in theater is an easier and simpler replacement for coming out as gay to every new person he meets. In the Silver Spring community, blatant homophobia is less common, but this does not mean that microaggressions do not remain. King is familiar with the view of ‘gay’ as an insult. “[I am aware] of everyone around me … how they see me as a person who identifies as gay—and it is hurtful, obviously,” she explains. Similarly, Gross remembers an incident in which a homophobic slur was used towards him, even though the speaker wasn’t aware Gross was gay. “I did something dumb and he called me [a slur] and it was just a stranger,” he says. Religious beliefs are often a source of homophobia, even at Blair. Gross’ Catholic schooling taught him that homosexuality was immoral. “I was constantly told that it wasn’t okay to be gay,” he says. Kitchen faced religious-based homophobia from family members after coming out to them. “[My dad] wasn’t okay with [my sexuality] because he’s all about God and he said the devil makes people certain things so they
could go against God,” she says. Some prejudice is not exclusive to straight people. Biphobia is all too common in the LGBT community, and can make it more difficult for people to realize and accept their identity. “Some people don’t think that bisexuality is real, and they’re like ‘Oh you have to choose because you can’t like both,’” Burke explains. Bisexual women in particular are often characterized as attention-seekers who are faking bisexuality to gain popularity which creates a sense of uncertainty in questioning individuals trying to discover their sexuality. “I was just talking to one of my other bisexual friends about this the other day,” Burke notes, “We doubted ourselves for so long because we were like ‘Am I really just doing this for attention?’ … I felt so bad about myself because I would be like ‘Am I faking this, because I feel like I’m not?’ But I really didn’t know.”
Support A foundation of support can be invaluable to LGBT youth. In schools, much of this comes from peers and teaching staff. Unfortunately, we found that much of the support that teachers can provide LGBT students comes from their own experiences and not from formal training. “The only way that we’re equipped to [help LGBT students] is our own sensitivity as adults [and] parents … most of the sensitivity or capability of interacting well with our students on gender and sexuality issues and identity are what we bring from our personal experience,” says Lisa Moran, a special education teacher. She admits that there is a desire among some staff to be better prepared. “When you’re talking about larger issues … what you do when these issues come up in the curriculum … how to be sensitive to those issues and [how] to support the students, we definitely do not get nearly enough training for this. I would like more.” Apart from teachers, fellow students can also provide support for their LGBT peers. When asked what advice they would offer straight people who want to show their care for LGBT friends, most interviewees said the same thing—be supportive. “Let them know that you’re here for them, and if they need anything … that you’re there for them,” King advises, “If someone does come out to you, let them know that it doesn’t change how you see them,” Gross suggests that listening may be the most important step. “When straight people have maybe done something that is at least passingly homophobic or transphobic and someone calls you out on it, [they should] just take a moment and listen and learn about what [they’ve] done and how it’s problematic … take it as a learning experience,” he says.
CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA
ACTING
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Gross
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#FreeMeek spirit goes past Meek Mill’s courtroom doors
Blazers of Note
Why the Philadelphia rapper represents a growing movement for prison reform By Anson Berns STAFF WRITER JEDEDIAH GRADY
Jansikwe Medina-Tayac Sophomore
Over the past year, sophomore Jansikwe Medina-Tayac has made sure to let her voice be heard in not only her community, but also to the youth all over the nation. From contributing to the People’s Climate Movement to being co-president of One Blair, Medina-Tayac’s role as a student activist is wide ranging. Her passion for climate change, indigenous women’s rights, and promoting feminism, has led her to create documentaries and give speeches at youth conventions. Her documentaries and speeches led her to become of the the first-prize high school east winners in C-SPAN Classroom’s StudentCam documentary contest and meet Leonardo DiCaprio. For the future, Medina-Tayac hopes to continue making documentaries and more events for One Blair. Her favorite part about being a student activist is meeting others who share her passions. “It think my favorite part is meeting new people and seeing all the people that are involved in the movement,” she said. “It’s just interesting to see where everyone is coming from and all their walks of life and it’s just kind of refreshing to see other people getting involved and standing up for what’s right.”
On April 16, an inmate from Chester State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania called in to CNN to speak with anchor Don Lemon about the racial injustices of the American judicial system. He lamented the unfair truth that he, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson—who were forcibly removed from a Philadelphia Starbucks earlier in the month—and black men throughout the nation, are consistently denied equal protection under the law. When Lemon asked whether he had optimism for his own case, he responded
March interview with Rolling Stone), the true importance of Mill’s story transcends the personal details. The #FreeMeek hashtag has surged in popularity and should not slow down just because Mill is no longer behind bars. Hopefully, Mill’s situation will turn the eyes of the nation to prison reform, improving the conditions of inmates, reducing inmate labor, simplifying penal rules and clarifying punishments, and the overall treatment of prisoners as humans. America’s prisons are overcrowded and overwhelmingly stuffed with the poor and racial minorities, many of whom do not have the same resources to fight injustice as Mill. One of the most obvious solutions to the problem of mass incarceration is fixing
increasing focus on eliminating lingering racial prejudices which included firing 31 high profile members of his department. “Change is never easy, but DA Krasner was given a clear mandate from the voters for transformational change,” Krasner’s spokesman Ben Waxman said in defense of the move. Krasner was instrumental in Mill’s release but does not plan to stop there. In March Krasner’s office released a memo of planned policy initiatives. “These policies are an effort to end mass incarceration and bring balance back to sentencing,” read the memo. This is one of the most prominent and significant initiatives to bring about prison reform from within the system in recent memory. For all the recent news of walkouts, pro-
the racial bias of the justice system. Despite black people only constituting 12.3 percent of the national population, 34 percent of prisoners are black. All it would take to reduce the prison population by 40 percent would be arresting blacks and Latinos at a comparable rate to whites. Fortunately, the signs of a changing tide are already apparent. In November 2017, former civil rights attorney Larry Krasner was elected as District Attorney for Mill’s home city of Philadelphia. Krasner immediately initiated a drastic shift in the department,
tests and public anger, Mill and Krasner may represent a new kind of activism in the Trump era. Demonstrations and emotions alone do not effect change. Political involvement also comes from the Meek Mills of the world, that leverage their own hardships and celebrity into powerful motivation, and the Larry Krasners, who devote themselves to changing the world from public office. Meek Mill may be free, but thousands more are still behind bars, and the cause of legitimate prison reform will not be realized until they get the justice they deserve.
AVERY BROOKS
Rachel Martin Junior
From learning classical piano since she was six years old, junior Rachel Martin applies her musical knowledge to her hobby of singing. Ever since middle school, she started performing alongside her friends at Silver Spring International’s coffeehouse and McGinty’s Pub. Martin’s performances widely range throughout her community, as she is currently part of InTone and has performed at the Electric Maid multiple times in the past year. Although music has been a part of Martin’s life starting from her childhood, she started performing at venues with encouragement from her friends. “My friend, Marlena, started telling me about places to perform such as Electric Maid,” she said. “I wanted to try it out.” Martin still gets nervous at her performances despite her built up experiences over the years, and her favorite part of singing is not what happens during each performance, but what happens after. “Usually, before and while I’m singing on stage, I get really nervous and sometimes am scared to even go on stage,” she explained. “When people tell me how well I did after I perform, that gives me confidence to want to sing even more in the future.”
By Hannah Lee
with a familiar cynicism for the system: “I’ve never had anything done in my favor in that courtroom.” To the judicial system, the prisoner was just another belligerent black man. To the program’s listeners, he was Robert Rihmeek Williams, also known as acclaimed rapper and public figure Meek Mill. Mill’s case began in 2007 when he was sentenced to a short stint in jail and seven years probation at just 19 years old. Mill has been on probation ever since, culminating in a two to four year jail sentence for a drug testrelated probation violation last year. The Byzantine probation rules and overly harsh punishments, as well as Mill’s celebrity status, has galvanized the public in his defense. Celebrities such as Philadelphia 76ers owner Michael Rubin, who wrote a letter in support of Mill back in the fall, 76ers center Joel Embiid, rapper Jay Z, and comedian Kevin Hart all voiced their virulent support for Mill. Although the Pennsylvania Supreme Court released Mill on bail on April 24, his fight is not over. Since the widespread publicization of his case, Mill has become more of a public activist, taking to the media to discuss the importance of voting and other social issues regarding people of color. While a large part of Mill’s resentment for the prison system stems from a personal vendetta against Genece Brinkley, the judge that has been in charge of his case (whom he angrily referred to as “that woman” in a
NIAMH DUCEY
June 6, 2018 International Newsbriefs Raul Castro steps down as Cuba’s leader On March 11, Miguel DiazCanel was elected to be the next President of Cuba. Longtime Cuban leader Raul Castro, officially announced that he would willingly cede power to Diaz-Canel on April 18 who has been the acting president since that date. Fidel Castro, Raul’s brother, famously led Cuba’s revolution in the 1950s and was president until his brother assumed the position in 2008. For the first time in 70 years, the nation is not being run by a Castro which marks a significant shift for the country.. “People in Cuba really haven’t processed yet what it means to have a government without Raul or Fidel leading it,” said Yassel Padron Kunakbaeva, a Marxist blogger, to the Associated Press. “We’re entering unknown territory.”
France Refugee Bill In late April, The French government passed a rigid new immigration law affecting refugees. One part of the law proposes a one-year prison sentence for individuals caught attempting to enter the country illegally. The bill also increases the length of time illegal immigrants can be detained and shortens asylum application, making it harder for migrants to be granted asylum. The nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch has called out the new law because the shortened asylum application deadlines may hurt vulnerable migrants because they “would be the ones most likely to miss the deadline,” according to Human Rights Watch to BBC News. This bill is in response to the influx of refugees taken in by European countries, many of whom are Syrian citizens fleeing the the civil war. According to Pew Research Center, one million Syrian refugees have migrated to Europe since the Syrian civil war began.
Stop pitting female recording artists against each other
How female rap criminated against By Miranda Rose Daly NEWS EDITOR
Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Bhad Bhabie were all nominated for the first ever Billboard Music Award for “Top Rap Female Artist” a month ago, how ‘bout dah? Danielle Bregoli, otherwise known as Bhad Bhabie, is a social media star who got her start when a video of her disrespecting her mother on Dr. Phil went viral in early 2017. Soon after the video became popular on social media, Bregoli turned to the music industry and released her first song at age 15 in August 2017. It peaked at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Bregoli’s nomination has sparked controversy and questions about her legitimacy as a musician, particularly the issues within the rap music industry that led to her nomination alongside established stars like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj. Part of the reason why Bregoli was nominated for the award is because of the underrepresentation of female stars in the rap industry. The industry is male-dominated, and there is not a large pool of well-known, chart-topping, female rappers to fill this year’s third nomination slot. Eight of the last ten winners of the “Top Rap Artist” awards at the Billboard Music Awards have been male and Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj have been the only female nominees and winners for the last ten awards. This year’s nominations were also all
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By Arshiya Dutta CULTURE EDITOR
Arshiya’s Aesthetic is a monthly column where Culture editor Arshiya Dutta expresses her opinions on anything and everything culture and entertainment.
artists are disin the industry
male. In October 2017, Minaj called out the industry’s sexism on Twitter. “In any field, women must work TWICE as hard to even get HALF the respect her male counterparts get. When does this stop?” she wrote. Minaj also commented in an interview with T Magazine about the disproportionate rise of female and male rappers in the industry. “I got to prove myself a hundred times, whereas the guys that came in around the same time as I did, they were given the titles so much quicker without anybody secondguessing,” she said. Throughout the early 2000’s, until Minaj emerged in 2010, there have been few female MC’s to reach the same prominence as the Lil’ Kims or Lauryn Hills of the 1990’s. For the better part of a decade, Minaj was the only dominating female in her field, releasing hit track after track and proving that women can be just as prominent as men. However, in the summer of 2017, Cardi B surfaced as a new face in rap, with her hit single, “Bodak Yellow.” The song became the first number one solo on the Billboard singles chart by a female rapper since Lauryn Hill’s “DooWop (That Thing)” in 1998. Minaj took to Twitter to give Cardi B a heartfelt shoutout for the award. “Congratulations to a fellow NEW YAWKA on a RECORD BREAKING achievement. Bardi, this is the only thing that matters!!! Enjoy it,” Minaj tweeted.
Skeptics did not quite believe Minaj, as speculations about a feud between the two rappers began to rise. Many were quick to believe the rumors of the two rappers fighting because female MC’s are too often pitted against each other in the media to sell their magazines. Minaj and Cardi have both denied accusations of any “beef,” such as negatively referencing each other in songs as people have suggested. Cardi has even said that she doesn’t know what will stop these speculations. “I feel like people wouldn’t even be satisfied even if me and [Nicki] was making out,” she said, “I feel like people just want that drama.” Nicki in a sincedeleted tweet, agreed with the statement. This feud that never was is a
perfect example of the sexism that lies within the rap industry. Male rappers are never pitted against each other in this manner, yet women are constantly faced with this double standard. Female artists have been convinced that drama is the only thing that sells. Between the “who wore it best?” and “which artist is better?” questions, pop culture constantly promotes a narrative that women must tear down other women in order to attain an ounce of the media attention men receive. Although sexism is rampant throughout the music industry, it is refreshing to see female rappers like Minaj raising awareness and pushing back to help a future of female rappers who follow in their footsteps.
In April, rapper Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for his album titled “DAMN”. While this success is largely one for K-Dot and his fans, it is also one for the rap community, as no rapper has ever won the Pulitzer Prize until this year. The album is Lamar’s fourth studio album, featuring 14 tracks produced by Anthony Tiffith, Mike Will, and numerous other producers. The album has experienced major success in
the music industry. In addition to winning five Grammy awards, “DAMN” dominated Billboard charts worldwide with hit singles “Humble”, “Loyalty”, and “Love”. In essence, the album is a celebration of the black experience, exploring all facets of being black in America. Lamar hones in on topics such as police brutality, racism, violence, crime, poverty, and more, similar to the themes in “To Pimp a Butterfly”. Lamar masterfully ties in his genius in lyricism with personal vignettes of growing up in Compton, making this album a modern classic. In the past, the Pulitzer Prize has been exclusively awarded to classical works from European artists, or jazz. Giving the award to a hip-hop artist officially raises hiphop to the same level of genres of music; it establishes that rap is art as much as any other genre is. However, a lot still needs to be done for complete inclusivity. It is a well-known fact that the Grammys often snub the achievements of black artists while awarding
white artists. While the Grammys regularly nominate black artists for subcategories such as best rap/ hip hop album of the year, they rarely award black artists for cross-categories, like best album of the year. Take Adele winning best album of the year for “25” over Beyonce’s “Lemonade” in 2016. Even Adele acknowledged how ridiculous that was, saying “what the f*** does she have to do to win album of the year?” We can only hope that the Grammys will follow suit of the Pulitzer Prize, even though “DAMN” didn’t win album of the year last year either. This historic accolade is one that will resonate for years. While the greatest rapper of all time is still technically up to debate, this win for Lamar establishes his spot in the top rappers in the game. With his storytelling and talent, Lamar captures an essence of what it means to be black in modern America. “DAMN” is an unforgiving, modern masterpiece and deserves endless praise.
North Korea to dismantle nuclear program In a historic meeting in late April, Kim Jong-Un and Moon JaeIn, the leaders of North and South Korea respectively, decided that the Korean peninsula would begin dismantling all nuclear weapons. They also discussed a peace treaty between the two nations, which North Korea required in exchange for removing their nuclear arsenal. The peninsula has been separated in two since the Korean War in 1953. The meeting marked the first time a North Korean leader had stepped foot in South Korea since the war. The next step in North Korean peace relations is a summit meeting with the United States. President Trump wrote a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un calling off the summit on May 24. However, now “officials from both countries have been scrambling to salvage the summit meeting and keep it on track for June 12 in Singapore,” according to the New York Times.
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June 6, 2018
Edited by Camden Roberts and Avery Brooks
This final installment of our 80th anniversary retrospective series covers the 2010s. Over the eight years of this decade, we at Silver Chips have progressed closer and closer to our vision of the ideal high school paper through excellent local news coverage, deepening investigative work, and an ever-expanding Spanish section. As local newspapers like the Gazette faded away over the past decade, the importance of Silver Chips as a news source for the greater Blair community has quickly grown, driving us to broaden the reach of the paper. In recent years, Chips has received national attention for its coverage of student walkouts and other major events. We hope you have enjoyed these past eight archival editions. After 80 years, Silver Chips stands as one of the nation’s leading student papers, and we have no doubt that the coming years A late 2014 protest in downtown against the St. Louis grand jury’s failure to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who murdered Michael Brown. will bring us to even greater heights. SAME-SEX WEDDINGS TO BEGIN JANUARY 1 Dec. 20, 2012 Same-sex weddings will officially be able to begin in Maryland on Jan. 1. Lawyers for the state had previously said that Jan. 4 would be the first day same-sex couples could have a marriage ceremony, due to the fact that Jan. 1 is a holiday, and there is a mandatory two-day wait before the marriage license takes effect. Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler rules on November 29, however, that couples could get a marriage license as soon as Governor Martin O’Malley formally ratifies the law upheld by Maryland voters in last month’s election, which he did soon after, on Dec. 6. According to Wbaltvf. com, the marriage licenses will not actually go into effect until Jan. 1. Mary Washington, a Baltimore representative for the Maryland House of Delegates said that many couples wanted to get married on Jan. 1 because they felt it was symbolic.
Dec. 17, 2014
VIDEO AMERICAIN CLOSES Dec. 20, 2012 Video Americain, an independent movie store in Takoma Park, stopped rentals on Nov. 11 and will close its doors in late January. The store will be selling its stock of about 15,000 VHSs and 16,000 DVDs until its closing. Its co-owner, Barry Solan, credited online movie rentals and stores like Netflix and Amazon with the store’s demise. “We’ve been in business about seven years and had a great run but finally the technology is in place to destroy the video store,” Solan said. At the height of their career, Solan, with his co-owner and wife Annie, owned six different stores along the Atlantic seaboard, located from Newark, Delaware, his home town, to Norfolk, Virginia, but after the Takoma Park location closes, the couple will have only one store left in Baltimore.
THE HOT SIDE OF YOGA Oct, 7, 2010 I found that intense discomfort on physical challenges during class actually does more for my mind than my body. When pouring every ounce of attention to pushing my knee straight while keeping my fingers interlocked and balancing on one foot, there is little concentration to spare for anxiety about the test tomorrow, the latest nasty gossip, or the project due in a week. Seeing the fifty-something-year-old woman in front touch her head to her extended knee while I hopped around in circles like something out of Looney Tunes did little to encourage a positive attitude.
A DETOUR TO SUCCESS June 3, 2011 It is not easy to move against a cemented educational system; for many former Blazers, dropping out of high school was not a trivial decision. It meant leaving the familiar world of Blair and entering the “real world.” Grace Marston, a CAP junior at Blair in 2007, decided to drop out of Blair because she felt that she didn’t belong in the Blair community and her ideas didn’t fit in with those of her peers. “I felt really socially isolated when I was at Blair,” she says. “I didn’t have my own personal group of friends. I was just like a wanderer.” Marston says that she began to seriously consider dropping out after reading the book, “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer- a true account of a college student who gives up a materialistic life for a chance to explore the Alaskan wilderness. Marston felt that she could A questionable achievement; Silver Chips covered the small demographic of sturelate with the book in a way that her dents who choose not to finish high school for various reasons peers couldn’t. June 3, 2011
SEARCHING THE WORLD FOR A STRONGER CONNECTION Dec. 17, 2014 Turna first met James at a party. “He ended up sending me a friends request on Facebook, and I accepted,” she says. He poked her on Facebook, she poked back. After they reached 100 pokes, they celebrated and James asked her to play 20 questions. “We kept getting to know each other,” she recalls. “[We] started watching shows while FaceTiming.” They saw each other again unexpectedly at another party, the second and final time they met offline. “I guess I fell for him then,” remembers Turna.
DOWN THE HALLWAY, DOWN THE AISLE Mar. 8, 2012 Before becoming his fiancee, Lucy had been Rick’s girlfriend for four years. Rick, who is three years older than Lucy, had already given her a “promise ring” to symbolize his promise to someday propose to her. In the weeks before Christmas, Lucy began to suspect that Rick was planning a proposal. “He would give me little hints, and would always say ‘I already have your Christmas present,’” she says. For senior Herlinda Delgado, however, the question of marriage came as a surprise while on summer vacation. “[My boyfriend and I] were at the beach, playing our guitars, when all of a sudden he popped the question,” she says. Seventeen-year-old Delgado says that becoming engaged was an experience that distinguishes her from her friends. “It’s unique, especially at my age,” she says.Although Delgado says that she got engaged at a younger age than she had expected, she is happy with her decision to say yes. “Getting engaged was fun,” she says. “Though I thought I’d be much older, have a career and have graduated.”
Artist Nathan Gamson’s interpretation of reading text while under the influence Oct. 7, 2010
Chips Clips E5
silverchips
June 6, 2018
A Preposterous Puzzle by Bennett Coukos-Wiley
Across
system
1. They may wobble to and fro
15. French address (abbr.)
5. A millimeter of mercury
18. Organization that
9. Times _____
establishes World Heritage
14. Lung infection
Sites (abbr.)
16. Large hairstyles
21. Sweet chick
17. It describes the sequel to
22. Raise
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
23. Literary heroine
19. Milk type
24. Deduce
20. Halliday’s avatar in “Ready
25. Automobile
Player One”
29. States reached by 10-12
21. D.C.-based source of White
year olds
House news
30. Lash
26. Christopher Robin’s donkey
32. Where love can be found,
27. Meteorological radiometer
sometimes
(abbr.)
33. What 3- and 30-down do
28. Type of nobleman
35. The second most traded currency
29. Vestiges
36. Dispenses (of)
31. Part of a movie’s marketing
37. Mucus
strategy
39. Tail expression
34. Part of a movie’s marketing
42. Hot water source
strategy
43. Scott Pilgrim’s ex’s
38. Makes afresh
44. Fleecelike
40. Bankrupt
45. Photographer Adams
41. Triple DES
46. “You _____ up!”
42. Mr. Paul or Santa, e.g.
47. “Faster ______ speeding
44. D.C.-based source of White
bullet”
House news
50. One who might 39-down
48. Closed at ______ 49. Disease that causes AIDS
59. Big name
4. Big ___
50. It describes the sequel to
60. Ripped
5. Model, infinitively
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
Down
56. Resin used in varnishes
9. It’s also known as Freedom Fri. 10. Former actors’ union
6. How some sandwich fillings are served
(abbr.)
57. Mineral extraction structure
1. Lifesaving pen prefix
58. The 10th President and
2. ___ Arbor
7. ___ Grande
12. “Well, _____ here!”
Vice President
3. Dem.’s opponent, often
8. Weather-viewing tools
13. Former mobile phone ID
11. Wild rose
51. Camp up-and-comer (abbr.) 52. Basic D&D manual 53. Symbol for torque 54. P <-> Q (abbr.) 55. Outdoor game featured in many FPSes
Sudoku (hard) COURTESY OF WEBSUDOKU
BAKING SODA
TIFFANY MAO
To see the answers to the crossword, scan this QR code or visit www.tinyurl.com/ may18xword
MOLDING OVER
SALLY ZHAO
June 6, 2018
Sports F1
silverchips
Softball falls just short against Howard Blazers falter in second game of playoff doubleheader
from SOFTBALL page A1 to cheer them on, Blair exchanged early blows with Urbana. Urbana jumped out to an early lead, with their second batter tripling and then scoring on a passed ball. Blair’s response came in the bottom of the second off the bat of junior Maia Greene Chang, whose double knotted the game at 1-1. The two teams battled it out defensively, and going into the top of the 6th inning the Blazers had a 3-2 edge over Urbana. Blair, however, was not content with a one-run lead. The offense exploded in the bottom of the 6th, with a series of hits followed by three consecutive walks. The Blazers capped off the inning with a two-run single that extended their lead to 8-2. With only three outs left to get, junior pitcher Courtney Wyche allowed allowed a walk and a hit to consecutive Urbana hitters on before closing out the game. As the Blazers sought to slam the door on a talented Urbana squad, the Howard softball team arrived to play the winner of the first match-up. Before beginning the regional final, however, the Blazers took a 30 minute break to refuel before the nightcap of their doubleheader. Greene Chang said that the late offensive outburst helped calm the team down as they entered the final inning of the game. “It just gives everyone more confidence, and it’s just a whole boost,” she said. “Then at the top of the 7th inning, because we were the home team, we were just really relaxed which definitely helped everyone.” With the sun closing in on the horizon and a new gaggle of fans cheering from the grass beside Blazer Field, Blair came up to bat against Howard in the top of the first inning but were unable to get any runners on base.
SAMI MALLON
PITCHIN’ Junior Courtney Wyche winds up to throw a pitch during softball’s May 21 doubleheader. They won the first game but lost the second. Wyche took the mound again for the second game, shouldering the hopes of a team and a fanbase hoping to advance to the state championship for the second time in three years. Howard, however, proved to be a difficult game from the start. With two outs in the bottom of the 1st, the Lions put two runners on
base with a single and a walk. Looking for the third out, Wyche’s pitch escaped Greene Chang’s grasp and the runner advanced to first on the dropped third strike This error proved to be fatal for the Blazers. With the bases loaded, a passed ball
followed by a wild pitch allowed two runs to come in and score for Howard. Wyche put an end to the two-out rally, but the damage had been done and Howard took a 2-0 lead into the second inning. Those two runs were the only runs scored in the whole game. Howard’s pitcher shut the Blazers down, allowing only a few walks and stranding any runner who got on base. Howard’s defense also proved to be stellar, with their right fielder throwing out a few Blazers at first on potential opposite field base hits. After their first inning jitters, Blair also settled into a defensive groove. Though they offered Howard the occasional chance, the defense always shut the door before Howard could score any more runs. The second game. proved to be a tense and exciting matchup, with the best team prevailing. Fans offered the Blazers one last standing ovation as they headed out to left field after the game to talk with the coaches. Varsity softball fell just short of states after an impressive regular season portfolio. The Blazers won their first twelve games of the season, and finished with a record of 14-5. Blair made regular appearances in The Washington Post’s Top 10 of softball teams in the DMV area. With the combination of youth and the experience of returning juniors, the team’s prospects are bright for the 2019 season. Greene Chang believes that the team, only graduating four seniors, will overcome some of the adversity they faced this season in order to find success next year. “Next year we’re going to want to stay more intense in the beginning [of games], but all in all we really just want to keep the momentum going,” she said. “We had an amazing team bond and good support and confidence in each other.”
F2 Sports
silverchips
Tried and true tryout tips
June 6, 2018
How to get ready for fall sports
By Elise Cauton
FEATURES EDITOR
As school comes to an end, many students wind down their responsibilities and start relaxing for the summer. But for some students, summer is a time to prepare for fall tryouts. For the Blazers thinking about trying out for a sport next year, here are some coaches’ tips to make the most of the upcoming break.
Football
Cross Country
Cross country focuses more on endurance, which has to be built up over a period of time. For students trying out for cross country, head coach Mike Zick recommends consistently running over the summer so that students become accustomed to the exercise. “A big thing for incoming freshman ... or just new runners, is to just get comfortable running, a couple miles at a time,” Zick says, “Get out there and see if you can run for a few minutes at a time … run for fifteen minutes without walking [or] twenty minutes without walking [or] thirty minutes without walking.” Besides running long distance, athletes can also cross train by doing squats, deadlifts, burpees, and pull-ups. Zick recommends these exercises, especially if students get tired of running. “Cross training can definitely be really helpful, especially if students want some additional strength training” he says, “I encourage kids to definitely do those exercises if they have access to a weight room.” Zick emphasizes the importance of properly stretching before a run and cooling down after one. A common injury for distance runners is shin splints, micro-tears on the lower part of the leg caused by impact or bad form, which can be caused by landing too heavily or overstriding. To prevent this, he suggests “stretching your calves really well.” Zick also recommends icing and mild painkillers to help with soreness and inflammation, especially during the first week of
training.
Girls’ Soccer
To be successful in soccer requires agility, as well as endurance. Varsity girls’ soccer head coach Robert Gibb expects next year’s tryouts to be very competitive as more experienced players come to Blair. “Because the quality of the player that has been coming to Blair seems to get better and better this would be probably one of the most competitive years for making the team than we’ve ever had,” he says. To prepare for tryouts over the summer, Gibb stresses the importance of exercising during the summer, especially to get acclimated to practicing in the high temperatures. “[Players] need to be [used] to, not only being out in the sun, but exercising out in the sun,” he says. “If you sit in the air conditioning all summer and suddenly [play] for three hours in that kind of heat … [you will] be unable to function very well.” Gibb believes that team dynamics are a critical part of the sport, and values players that work well together and easily accept feedback. “[Players] need to be able to work together as a unit, and they need to trust each other,” Gibb says. “I’m looking for players that work hard, who are coachable.” Going into tryouts, athletes should have some degree of experience and be able to accurately pass and control the ball with agility. They should also have a sense of what their strengths are and where they work best on the field. Gibb prefers players who know what position they play best and play it confidently. “I have players [say] ‘I can play anywhere,’ which usually is not
a good thing even if you can because that means you don’t really play anywhere,” he says. “I would rather you said that ‘I’m in the midfield’ [or] ‘I’m defense’ so you have that mentality on the field.”
O G JO OUN SEOY
Physical conditioning plays an important role in football, and much of it takes place in the weight room. Head football coach Andrew Fields notes how the nature of the sport reflects the workouts players should do. “Football is a very physical stop-and-start sport, so the exercises that go along with that would match the expectation of being able to stop, start, fall down, [and] get up,” Fields explains. Some specific strengthening exercises he suggests include squats, bench presses, power cleans, and deadlifts. To help players keep up with the quick pace of a game, Fields also recommends short sprints and agility runs. A healthy diet is also necessary to make sure that students are playing to their fullest potential. Fields urges players to maintain balanced diets by staying hydrated and avoiding fried foods. “Try to [eat] more of the lean [meats], and protein, and vegetables, and things like that,” he recommends. Fields says he does not make cuts based on ability and believes that a student’s commitment to the sport is one of the most important qualities of a good player. “A kid can be small and slow and weak, but if he’s giving effort, and he’s got a good attitude and he’s there every day, he will be part of our program,” Fields says. Students should keep
in mind that attendance at practice and conditioning sessions will help them be more successful in the sport. “I always tell kids that [if they] want to be great high school football players, they have to be here,” Fields says, “That’s my only advice. The best players that we have, and the best players I’ve ever had, they commit themselves to the task at hand.”
F3 Sports
silverchips
June 6, 2018
Finishing up the Finals
Team analysis and overview of the NHL and NBA Playoffs By Miranda Rose Daly NEWS EDITOR
Playoff season is here, and with the postseasons of both the NBA and the NHL, the next few weeks will prove to be thrilling and actionpacked. The Golden State Warriors are playing in the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fourth straight year. LeBron James will return to the finals for his eighth consecutive year, holding the weight of his team on his shoulders. Simultaneously, the quest for Lord Stanley’s cup is underway, with the final series pitting newcomers Vegas Golden Knights against the number one seeded Washington Capitals. The Golden Knights have had a magical first season smashing records and becoming the first expansion team since 1960 to make it to the championship round during their first seasons in the NHL, NBA, MLB or NFL.
Last hoorah in Cleveland?
This might be the last year for LeBron James to sport his Cleveland jersey, as his contract expires at the end of this season. But “the King,” as he has been affectionately nicknamed, is not leaving his city without a bang. For the last 13 years, James has dominated the playoffs-, he has yet to lose in the first round, and has only lost in the second round twice-- in 2006 and 2008. He has also collected three championship titles. With the combined power of James and a then-healthy Kevin Love the Cavs were able to overcome a tumultuous regular season. Since the February trade deadline where the Cavs traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Channing Frye, Dwyane Wade, Iman Shumpert, Derrick Rose, and a 2018 firstround pick for George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr, they have looked more insync. The team went 11-2 in the 13 games before the end of the regular season. They have played consistently mediocre in the playoffs, sweeping the Raptors and holding off both the Pacers and the Celtics in game seven. The Cavs managed to hold the number two seeded Celtics to only 79 points in game seven despite not having an injured Kevin Love. Kyrie Irving did not get a chance to battle his old team as a left knee injury left him out of the playoffs.
NBA
Dub Nation
The reigning NBA Champions, the Warriors, secured the second seed in the Western Conference, despite only winning 58 games and missing stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant for a combined 45 games this regular season. Throughout the postseason, the Warriors have excelled, quickly winning both the first round against the San Antonio Spurs and the Semi-Finals against the New Orleans Pelicans, 4-1. The Splash Brothers, made up of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, were reunited in the second game of the conference finals against the Pelicans as Curry returned to the Warriors from an MCL injury for the first time all postseason. He immediately put to rest any speculation that he might come back rusty after putting up 28 points in 27 minutes. In the conference finals, faced with elimination, The Warriors battled the Houston Rockets in an exciting game, capitalizing on a three-point drought by the Rockets to win the game 101-92. The Rockets missed 27 straight three-point shots in the second half, setting a league record for most consecutive threes missed.
Final series: new Fast and Furious franchise?
The final series had not even started before the two all-star teams broke records. Golden State and Cleveland are the first teams in NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL history to meet in four consecutive championship series. The series will pit James’ dominance against the team chemistry of the Warriors. The Warriors have three-point shooting and pass-work on their side as they challenge the James’ individual brilliance minus his longtime sidekick, Irving. This year’s Cavaliers have struggled far more than they did in the past. Their losses this season have ranked the Cav’s in 29th out of 30th this regular season, which in turn has put a lot more pressure on James. Pressure that took him no time to overcome. In the first game of the Finals James ended with 51 points, a career playoff high and became the sixth player in NBA history to record 50-plus points in a Finals game. The last player to achieve this feat was Michael Jordan in 1993. James also recorded eight rebounds and eight assists but had to settle for a 114-124 loss in overtime. Another monumental moment in the game came with 4.7 seconds of regulation left in the game. The score
was tied and J.R. Smith, Cavs guard, dribbled the ball until the clock ran out instead of shooting for a possible game-winning basket. Cleveland blew a big opportunity in this game, and they may not get another if they continue with mistakes like these. The Warriors, having won two out of the last three matchups, are the favorites to win this series. They have four all-stars and arguably two of the best top five players in the league. The Warriors have so many elements on their side, as opposed to just James’ solo endurance and talent to bring the Cavs back from the brink of elimination. They have three-point shooting, quick movement of the ball, pass-work on their side, and they have averaged 1.143 points per possession in the third quarter of games this postseason. As long as they do not fall behind too early in the game or at least are able to come back in the third quarter, the Warriors will be able add a back-to-back championship record on their belt.
Can Vegas defy the odds?
Although the Vegas Golden Knights are the NHL’s newest team, goaltender Marc Andre Fleury is no playoff newcomer. This former Penguins starter and three-time Stanley Cup champion posted a .937 save percentage in the 2018 playoffs. He is supported by his team’s strong offense, led by centers William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. With Fleury’s game six shutout against the San Jose Sharks, the Knights clinched the second round, and cruised through the conference finals with the Winnipeg Jets, winning 4-1. The Golden Knights have won 13 of their first 16 playoff games through the first three rounds.
Can Ovie overcome?
Hope springs eternal in Washington ever since the Capitals finally won a second round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then made the Stanley Cup final appearance for the first time since 1998. For the last two years, the Capitals have suffered heartbreaking losses as to the Penguins, so this season brought a much-needed win for the fans. Captain Alexander Ovechkin is arguably one of the most dominant players in recent NHL history, but in his 14 years with the Caps he has not yet managed to lead the them to an Eastern conference final win, let alone the cup final, until now.
MIRANDA ROSE DALY
The Caps are riding the hot streak of goaltender Braden Holtby, arguably the MVP of the Caps playoff run, with a playoff save percentage of .922. The Caps also have impressive young talent like forward Jakub Vrána, Lars Eller, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, who suffered an injury in game two of the series, but came back in game three, and scored off of Fleury with a low-blocker shot.
Final series: Caps in 6
The two regular season matchups between these two teams have gone to Vegas, who also quickly took the lead in the Final Series to win the first game 6-4. But, the Capitals were able to bounce back, winning the next two games 3-2 and 3-1, respectively. Besides Pittsburgh, there is no other team in the NHL that Fleury is more knowledgeable about than the Washington Capitals. He has defeated them in countless playoff games, and is experienced in defending against their offensive strategies. Although Golden Knight
players have years of experience in the league, this is Vegas’ first year as a team, so they do not have as much experience playing together. Ovechkin has posted phenomenal numbers this playoff year, he has scored 22 points in only 19 games. But, he is not the only member on his team to get into double digits. Kuznetsov is leading the league with 24 points. Backstrom and John Carlson both have 16 points, T.J. Oshie has 15, Lars Eller has 14 and Tom Wilson has 12. Kuznetsov is also averaging 4.1 shots per game. This offensive inferno is what will set this year’s playoffs apart from the others in recent Washington history. Only Pittsburgh has scored more goals per game in the postseason and Washington beat the Penguins, their long-time rival, in game six. The Capitals also have an advantage in power-play goals, which will help push them over the edge to win their first Stanley Cup.
“Camden’s Yard” is a monthly column where sports editor Camden Roberts expresses an opinion on current events in sports. Growing up (almost) in DC, I’ve seen the Washington Capitals do many things. I’ve seen them come close to losing to a wild card team in the first round—two years in a row. I’ve seen them break the city’s heart in a second-round, home-ice game seven. I’ve seen them boldly, annually claim that “this will be our year!” Before this year, I don’t think I’d ever really seen them win. Games, sure. But watching Evgeny Kuznetsov’s arms flapping like wings after his goal to clinch the series against Pittsburgh, that was the first time it ever felt like an important, significant win. Watching Alexander Ovechkin throw his head back in joy after a game seven shutout felt unreal. When I started planning this column, when I knew that I’d be making Wiebe’s World my own, I thought this would be a eulogy. I thought it would be me bidding farewell to the Caps’ season, good but not good enough. Instead, this is a love letter. The last time the Caps appeared in a Stanley Cup Final was 1998, where they were swept easily by an almost comically overpowered Red Wings roster. Sure there are other teams that have gone longer without, some that have never made it, but none of those teams have been so consistently good. The Capitals hold eleven division championships, ten of those since ‘98. For years, we have had the pieces for a championship team. We drafted Ovi in 2004, Backstrom in 2006. Braden Holtby has put this team on his back for six years. Until now, none of that mat-
tered. The Capitals roster this year wasn’t even the strongest in recent memory. There is no reason that they should have made it past Pittsburgh this year, except that they did. Winning game six, on Pittsburgh ice, injected a life into Caps fans that I have never seen before. The conversation surrounding them shifted from half-hearted attempts at optimism to real, true hope. If we don’t win the Cup- we’ll survive. The Capitals have finally proven that they do have what it takes to win playoff games that count, and that’s a mindset that won’t leave them- won’t leave the fans- next year. This is the Capitals roster that pushed the team out of the second-round plateau they’ve been stuck in for so long. That means something. On the other hand, Vegas is a young team. Their fans don’t have the years of playoff disappointment that DC does. They don’t have the pent-up frustration of a city that has gone 40-odd seasons without a single Cup win. The “golden misfits” narrative is compelling, but they can wait their turn. After game six of the Pittsburgh series, Holtby told the gathered media, “We wanted to give our city more … more doesn’t mean a conference final, more means a Stanley Cup.” This city has been aching for another chance for twenty years and it’s finally here. With each coaching change, each call-up from Hershey, each regular season win, this city and this team have been building up to this moment. I love this team and I love this city, and as Ovi put it in an emotional on-ice interview after clinching the conference final, “We deserve to win.”
F4 Sports
silverchips
June 6, 2018
Spring sports coming to a close
A roundup of playoff season for spring sports By Arshiya Dutta
Boys’ Lacrosse
CULTURE EDITOR
Girls’ Lacrosse
Facing a tough season this year, girls’ lacrosse ended the season with a record of 1-11. However, the team’s losing record did not bring them down, as players strived to improve their game throughout the regular season. In the playoffs, the team faced an unfortunate first round loss to Paint Branch, struggling to keep pace with their opponent. Despite this, the team was successful in getting all the new players on board with the pace of the game. By playing well and improving throughout the season, the team believes they were able to reach their fullest potential for playoffs. Junior Isabella Hunt says, “The amount that we progressed throughout the season was great.” Rather than give in due to their unfavorable record, the team is determined to improve their game in the off-season by training in the winter. The team is confident that they will have a season of growth and passion next year as well.
Boys’ lacrosse experienced immense success this season, as they have effectively trained newcomers on the team. In the regular season, the team pulled off a 9-6 win against Wootton, which was monumental. Blair Boys lacrosse had never beaten one of the county’s “W” schools until this season, who tend to have very strong lacrosse teams. The team’s final record was 5-9, after losing the first game of the playoff round to Paint. Playoffs were quick for boys’ lacrosse, as the team lost in the first game against Paint Branch 9-6. Senior captains Haron Adbaru and Hank Groberg believe that with the loss of 17 seniors and two important players due to injury, the team was much weaker than it was previously. Their hopes of success in the playoffs were not as high as last year, according to junior Calvin Bruwlheide. “Our bracket was really tough this year”, he says, “We didn’t expect to make it as far as last year, but it was a fun season”, he says. Regardless, they commend many of the new players on the team for stepping up and doing well in their playoff run. The team will start workouts in the summer to train new players who are interested in boys’ lacrosse.
Gymnastics
At Counties, gymnastics faced off against eight schools in their division and ultimately placed fourth. Gymnasts on the team are on various USA Gymnastics (USAG) levels and usually cannot directly compete with each other due to the range in skill level. At Counties, however, only higher-level gymnasts were selected by the coach to participate, which allowed Blair gymnasts to go head to head in the meet. Junior Sami Mudd says that on an individual level, each gymnast was able to showcase their personal abilities effectively during the meet. “For our skill set individually, we each did our very best,” she says. Earlier in the season, the team suffered from injuries, but luckily many of the gymnasts, including Mudd, were able to recover enough to participate. “I’m expecting better next year but I think we did okay despite the injuries,”, she says. Mudd also notes that the team kept its spirits high during their meets. “It’s an adrenaline rush”, she says “and it’s Counties, so we want to put it all out there [and I think] we did well. We brought a lot of energy.”
Softball
Softball once again demolished most of their competitors in the regular season and were regularly ranked by the Washington Post as one of the top high school softball teams in the region. With a record of 16-2, the team only lost to Sherwood and Wootton in the regular season. In the playoffs, the team made sure to keep their physical and mental game strong. Junior Maia Greene-Chang says that “going into the playoffs, we were really confident and had lots of energy”. With a first round bye, they went on to beat Paint Branch in the second round. The team exhibited their best game of the year against Urbana in the sectionals round because of their great offense and communication, according to Greene-Chang. They went on to win 8-2.. Greene-Chang believes that their passion to win helped them do so. “We wanted it so badly we won,” she says. In what would turn out to be their last playoff game, the team faced Howard in the regional finals. Greene-Chang believes that team was tired from the previous game, which contributed to their eventual 2-0 loss.
JEDEDIAH GRADY
SAMI MALLON
SAMI MALLON
STANDING STRONG Junior Isabella Hunt plays defense in a varsity lacrosse game.
HOLDING IT DOWN Junior Cassia Williams-Rogers attempts to get on base.
CO MILESPLIT
AVERY BROOKS
EYE ON THE BALL Senior Eddie Montero squares up to make contact.
SPEED DEMON Junior Sam Rose Davidoff dashes down the track in 4x8 relay.
Boys’ Tennis
Coed Volleyball
Boys’ tennis also experienced immense success in their playoff rounds, and saw many players continue to higher level tournaments. Their record was 7-5 this year, including divisionals. In divisionals, all four singles players qualified for the quarterfinals of their respective tournaments. Two doubles then went on to regionals, one of which lost in the quarterfinals and the other lost in the round of 16. They had strong team unity this season, and the players were able to make the most of their practices. “I think as a team we were closer than [last year],” says Junior Haydn Gwyn. “The matches were also pretty helpful in preparing for postseason because we got to see the opponents we would be facing,” he says.
inside SPORTS
Baseball
Varsity baseball’s regular season record was 10-7, earning them third place in their division. During their regular season, senior captain Sebastien Kraft believes that the team’s strengths were their dedication and communication between players. Entering the playoffs, they were able to win 14-0 against Northwood in the first round. Kraft says that the team’s burst of power stemmed from their spirit and dedication to making plays. “It was fantastic,” he says. “We were really committed to winning [the game] and we did. “To help with team spirit entering playoffs, junior Nick Dent began bringing kazoos to games for the bench to celebrate good plays. Unfortunately, the team faced a disappointing second round loss to Urbana, losing 8-0. According to senior captain Zach Dunne, the team is hoping for another solid season next spring and will remain optimistic. “We want to show people that we are the best team in the county”, he says.
Varsity softball loses in regional final see page F1
Coed volleyball had an incredible winning season, going 12-2 through the playoffs and winning their division for the first time in Blair history. They went on to lose to Sherwood in the semifinals. According to junior Fiona Haverland, they lost to Sherwood because “[they] psyched [themselves] out.” She says, “We had lost to them before so when we started losing again we sort of panicked.” In terms of technique, the team has several strong players in every position who carry the team. Throughout the regular season, the team was effective in their defense, blocking, and covering. Many players on the team are able to play multiple positions, which, according to Haverland, “helped [them] when [they] had to improvise or during scramble plays.” The versatility of players on the team is a unique trait of Blair volleyball that Haverland believes helped them dominate divisionals.
Tryout tips for the upcoming fall season see page F2 SEOYOUNG JOO
Track and Field
Track and field ran against all teams in division 4A during the regionals. The team sent several runners to states, including seniors Josie Brane-Wright and Morgan Casey, who at regionals won the two mile and mile, respectively. Junior Sam Rose Davidoff believes that the team stepped up at regionals, saying, “Our coach always tells us to peak at the end of the season, and we did that.” Despite the meet being cold and rainy, the team’s performance was outstanding. Regionals are a crucial part of the track season, so runners usually relax their workouts which is called doing a taper. “Once you do well in regionals you are off to the big leagues. Regionals is where we do a taper. It’s a meet that we care a lot about”, says Davidoff. The 4x8 relay with juniors Davidoff, Luca Cannuscio, Abou Sow, and Nate Kinyanjui, placed second in regionals, qualifying for states and later, nationals.
NHL and NBA final predictions see page F3
Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
Disclaimer: Don’t try these at home!
silvertips
June 4, 2018 VOL 1 NO 1
Something funny & tippy
Blair Bucket List
By Hermela Recommendesha and Helpry Wiebe
We love Blair so so SO much and our experience would not have been complete without doing ALL of these things.As we look back on our time at Blair, we realize that these tips really shaped us into the valedictorians we are today. They will guide us as we move on to the next chapter of our lives: jail. Already graduated? No worries! Simply tweet Ms. Johnson saying that you can’t possibly graduate without completing our Blair Bucket List. 1) Go A-E in at least one class. Most of you are doing this already. 2) Go to the roof. Now it’s going to be difficult to get there, but we trust you to figure it out. SAMI MALLON
3) Take a day off and swim in the fourth floor pool. See Ms. Fus in the attendance office for tickets. 4) Play hot potato with a security guard’s taser. They love it!
5) Fun science project: Put aluminum foil in the school microwavel! 6)
Actually
use
your
locker.
7) Need a computer for college? Steal a desktop. Hide it in your backpack and make a quick escape.
8) Meet and get an autograph from the fire technicians. 9) Late to class? Park in the SAC! Have fun! Editor’s Note: Silver Chips is not responsible for any damages incurred
TIPPING THE SCALES Senior Cate Chisholm collects tips for college one penny at a time after performing her one-lady snorkling act in broad day light above sea level. Exciting!
Get lit with these party tips!
By Emm Crossultation and Serena Debadvice
What time is it? Summer time -- and that means party time too! Well, for some of you, the partying season is every season. Unfortunately, not all parties are created equal, but that is why we are here. As party animals, Emma and I have used our experiences to come up with some tips for making your function as lit as possible! 1) Always remember to tweet out
as possible. The more profane, violent, and misogynistic the lyrics, the better. It isn’t a real party unless the whole neighborhood can feel the bass shaking their mattresses! 3) Invite the craziest kids at school. We mean that one kid who would jump off the roof if they had enough people tell them to. It’s not a rager unless one kids ends up in the hospital. If you’re lucky, the local
fined and you’re off the hook! A few government jobs may be lost in the process, but we all make sacrifices for the party lifestyle. 5) When 12 rolls up head straight for the bushes and remain there for at least three hours. If you get lonely, befriend a squirrel to keep you company. If you need to pee, hold it. Worst-case scenario and all of the bushes are full, drop
MENGMING LUO
Life advice as told through girl’s bathroom graffiti By Leila Jackspinion and Erin Namojudgement
CARLY TAGEN-DYE
PARTY perfect
THE NIGHT party? Don’t
AWAY Ever worried worry! Silver Tips
the address for the venue, include invitation details on Snapchat, and make sure to repeatedly post information on Instagram. You want to make sure that the optimum number of random drunk strangers can turn up to make sure the venue gets absolutely trashed. 2) Invest in some excellent speakers and turn up the music as loudly
NEWS 1
OPINION 2
about has
news may even cover it and you’ll get the recognition you deserve. 4) Make sure your parents are there for supervision. In the event that the authorities do show up (which of course will never happen if you follow our tips) they can’t discipine you if a responsible adult is present. Along as the adult admits to providing the alcohol, they get
SENIOR WILLS 3, 7
how the
to guide
throw for
the you.
where you are and play dead. 6) If you are forced to interact with cops, make sure you have practiced reciting the alphabet forwards and backwards to let them know that you’re completely sober. When faced with the dreaded breathalyzer, simply hold your breath. They can breathalyze without any breath right?
ARCHIVES 7
At Blair, you don’t have to go far to find astute words of advice. Some of Silver Chips’ best Silver Tips are written in silvertipped sharpie in girls bathroom stalls. They range from encouraging sayings of support to tips on understanding yourself to … well … not so much tips as angst. Many of these quotes we have grown to love and appreciate over the years at Blair have been erased by building services as they are technically vandalism, but some have held out in such key locations as the 160s bathroom by the SAC and the 250s bathroom. 1) “Where there’s a will there’s a way <3,” 160s bathroom. This self-explanatory quote found on the first floor is simple yet so meaningful. 2) “Ur grades are in no way an accurate reflection of your actual
intelligence,”
160s
bathroom.
This quote reminds us that in an intense academic environment, it is important to remember that grades only reflect one kind of intelligence, the kind that will get you get you into college. 3) “If best, can than
you know you did your you did. No one else expect anything more that,” 250s bathroom.
So if you’re ever feeling stressed about your grades or you just need a burst of inspiration to get you through the day visit the girls bathrooms to find these hidden gems.
Editor’s Note: Silver Chips in no way encourages any kind of vandalism, especially on school property. We do, however, appreciate the sentiments expressed by these quotes, written by some of our own Blazers.
SENIOR DESTINATIONS 4-6
SENIORS 8
2
silvertips
June 4, 2018
RelationChip Advice By Gilda Geidance and Isabella Tippy With Gilda’s actual relationship experience and Isabella’s dedication to watching the Bachelor and listening to psychology podcasts, Gildabella Gilley is perfectly qualified to answer all your relationship problems. Q: Hi, I’m a senior and I’ve liked the same person for months. I think the person might like me back. The problem is that I am a fool and don’t know how to talk to people and I am going to graduate soon. I still kind of want to tell them how I feel, but it is definitely too late. A: Bring them to college with you and hide them under your bed. I’m sure your roommate won’t mind if it’s for love. Q: How do I stop being so clingy? A: If you don’t want your significant other to feel smothered by your affection, there are lots of little things you can do to play hard to get. You could try waiting for them to text first, but if you still feel like you’re being too clingy, try breaking up with them. Then you definitely won’t seem clingy!
Bad Medical Advice
ART STAFF
Q: My significant other wants to start holding hands two days a week, but I’m not ready for that sort of thing. What do I say to them? A: Holding hands twice a week is a big step, and you need to make sure you’re ready for that kind of
commitment first. If you’re not, you have to set boundaries. Don’t be afraid to tell them you need space and that you want to take your relationship slow. Also, you could try telling them you’re waiting to hold hands until marriage.
Q: My boyfriend loves to wrestle. He wrestles all day and all night. Sometimes I think he would rather have wrestling as his girlfriend than me. When I ask him about it he says, “No days off��grind �never� stops��� pedal ��to the metal��.” I ask him, “How did you just speak in emojis?” But he ignores me and goes back to wrestling. Should I dump him? Should I take up wrestling? A: First I want to let you know that you’re not alone; this problem comes up a lot in relationships. Here’s what you should do: Challenge him to a wrestling match. If he wins, he gets to keep wrestling. If you win, you get to choose a new sport for him. Maybe badminton or muggle quidditch.
Q: So the other day I was looking through my friend’s phone, and I saw texts that said she has a crush on me, but I only want to be friends with her. What do I do? A: Are you sure this isn’t your fault? You might have been leading your friend on, by doing flirty things like being nice and talking to her. In the coming weeks, try to make it really obvious that you’re
By Olivinput Gonzalez and Cole Greenformation
Visiting the doctor’s office is important to our health and wellbeing, but too many visits and the bills start to stack up. So how can you get the medical help you deserve, without losing the cash you need? Worry no more! Silver Chips’ has the cost-free medical guide that you deserve. Weight Loss Traditional dieting is great way to lose weight, but it can often be expensive and hard to follow. But with Silver Chips’ intuitive, and 4/5-doctor-recommended diet, you’ll never worry about weight again. Simply chug down a few tapeworms, and you can eat anything you want! It may seem like your body is decaying, but what you see is weakness leaving the soul.
Eye Surgery Why go to the doctor to fix up your vision when you can just ... EYEBALL IT. Check the nifty graphic below to see Silver Chips’ new and improved Lasik eye surgery method. Wart removal Everyone knows that warts can be nasty, but is it really worth it to spend all that money on getting it removed? Think again! Why get that bump on your hand lasered off when 45 minutes in a microwave will work just as good. Just stick your arm in, crank that baby up to the “defrost” setting and voila! Wart free.
ents, but unfortunately our government isn’t too keen on birth control. But don’t worry—Silver Chips has a solutions that’s been passed down our families for generations. If you think you’re pregnant, swallow some watermelon seeds and it’ll grow instead of the baby! Bonus: you don’t have to pay for your fruit anymore. Vaccine Does your child need a vaccine, but you’re worried about the cost. Simply mix the full venom dosage of a grown Black Mamba into your child’s orange juice and let nature sort it out.
Birth Control None of us want to be teen par-
ART STAFF
Soluciones para la procrastinación By Michael Hernandex and Sofia Munoz Como alumnos en el grado 12, hemos tenido mucha experiencia con la procrastinación. Entre tener que escribir ensayos, hacer proyectos, o preparar para una presentación, han habido muchos momentos en los cuales nos hemos encontrado sin motivación para avanzar en nuestro trabajo. La escuela secundaria nos ha servido como una práctica antes de la universidad y ya sabemos cómo ser un estudiante efectivo y evitar las horas de trabajo en pánico. Aquí compartimos con ustedes unos de nuestros consejos para como combatir contra la procrastinación.
ART STAFF
Nuestro primer consejo es siempre hacer todo la noche antes de la fecha límite. Esto les dará tiempo para hacer lo que quieran con una motivación increíble. Es ideal hacer todo bajo presión un con una lámpara a las 3 de la mañana. Los animales noc-
turnos apreciarán la compañía. Segundo, trabajen al frente del televisor. No hay una mejor manera de concentrarse sin la emoción de un buen partido de fútbol. Para proyectos grandes, recomendamos que planifiquen hacerlos con un partido intenso, como el Clásico. Les aseguramos que su atención va a estar completamente dominada por el ensayo que están escribiendo. Tercero, cuando estén leyendo sus libros pónganse sus audifonos a todo volumen y escuchen su artista favorito. Leer al ritmo de “Despacito” te pondrá a bailar y hacer pasar el tiempo más rápido. ¿Honestamente, quien quiere aprender de gente que murió hace mil años sin la voz de J. Balvin en el oído?
June 4, 2018
3
silvertrips
SENIOR WILLS We, ALEXANDER DACY and OLIVIA GONZALEZ, of sound minds and bodies do hereby bequeath: To Will and Adenike: Our beloved kingdom. May your stories be in on time, headlines punny, late nights productive, and staffers kind. We leave you our time management powers and editing skills; may you get enough sleep! Take good care of our extensive family tree, and we can’t wait to see the paper from afar :) To Mindy and Rosie: Perfectly timed breaking news and punny late news emails. To Lucy: Great art skills and the power to take on sketchy policies. To Elise and Marlena: Stories that meet word count, lots of mall santas, and amazing centerspreads. To Arshiya: The most creative section and the power to make Blazers woke. To Camden: All of the luck in the world for D.C. sports teams and the ability to shine a light on women’s sports. To Hannah: The power to inspire budding journalists and connect with Big Blair. May you finally publish the manifesto! To Aidan: Our social media accounts, mean tweets videos, and lots of QR codes. To Avery: Beautiful photo stories, a timely staff, and the end of the courtesy of epidemic :) I, OLIVIA GONZALEZ, do hereby bequeath: To Marlena: My sanity :) Don’t stress too much and remember you’ve always got a place to stay in NYC. To the juniors: Treat the red bendy chairs well. May your front page jumps always be correct! NOSOTROS, MICHAEL Y SOFIA, dejamos: La Esquina Latina en las manos de Amanda Hernández, Jasmine Mendez-Paredes y Lourdes Reyes-Valenzuela, chicas sumamente capaces de
tomar nuestro lugar. A través de este año hemos visto el gran trabajo y desempeño que ellas han tenido hacia nuestra sección. Nuestro más atesorado consejo es que siempre salgan de su área de confort para producir trabajo de calidad. Esperamos que logren todo lo que nosotros no pudimos. Las vamos a extrañar y esperamos ver todo su trabajo desde nuestras respectivas universidades.
arrive at 8:15 each day next year, To Anson: I leave my bible To Sam and Matt: I leave the legacy of the Batman, follow in its footsteps. I, LAURA ESPINOZA, of fantastic mind and body, hereby bequeath: To Hannah Lee: The coveted position of the Ombudsman. May you wield your power for good, spread journalism to the community, and bring glory to the Silver Chips WE, GILDA AND LEILA, do name. Don’t lose sight of your hereby bequeath: goals and try not to let seTo Mindy and Rosie: We leave nioritis catch up to you! you the most exciting, newsTo Noah Gleason: A ball of worthy section and endless tape and a 4/49ths (almost) new ways to spell late news. wrench. I can think of no We know that you will do an one better to lead this team amazing job! to Detroit. Please pay for my Love, flight out there, so I can watch Gildeila (Gilda and Leila) y’all win Einstein! Most of all, good luck leading this group WE, SERENA AND ERIN, of hooligans. bequeath: To Shwetha Kunnam: The To Lucy: We leave the most “My Favorite Junior” award. thought-provoking and inYou are a fantastic, inspiring fluential section of the paper: human being who is going to Op-Eds. Use these six pages do amazing things. I am going wisely, and never underestito miss you so, so much; I love mate the importance of a well- you, my child <3 written opinion piece. Never To Nate, Khushboo, Itamar, give up (and run a tighter Gautom, and Talia: The future ship than we did)! of robotics! I expect to come Love, Serin back and see you all stacked with medals, trophies, and I, ISABELLA TILLEY, do blue banners. bequeath: To Elise and Marlena: I leave WE, EMMA CROSS AND you the features section. Have HERMELA MENGESHA, fun lmao. bequeath: To the girls’ cross-country The best section in the paper, team: I leave you my desire to entertainment, to Arshiya. The be better than the boys’ team. haters will try to bring our If you don’t do better than down… them next year I won’t come back to visit. I, EMMA CROSS, bequeath: To the boys’ cross-country To Poms: I can’t wait to see team: I leave you my wisdom you guys thrive. You guys and maturity. Some of you have so much potential and need to grow up. have made my experience To Madeleine Tilley: I do on poms amazing these last NOT leave you my side of the four years. Continue to fight room. through the long practices and make me proud. I, COLE GREENBERG, bequeath: I, HENRY WIEBE, bequeath: To Marlena and Max: I leave To Charlie: I leave you the my trusty golden compass, Wiebe legacy. Don’t mess up. which will guide you to the To Camden: I leave you THE auditorium side doors as you most important section of
Silver Chips. To Noah, Amarins, and Ruby: I leave you endless Cedar squad moves. From ALEX: Thanks for the memories. We, KAREN AND ARIEL, bequeath: To Siena and Olena, We leave you the success of business staff and wish you all the best in dealing with people and money. To Ray and Alyssa, Good job kids. It was a blast. We out. I, SIMRAN, bequeath: To: Olena and Siena Bizniz Staff Yeah From MORGAN CASEY: Rebecca, Keep being the incredible person you are and make the team even better than I could. Love you to the moon and back! From MAYA HAMMOND: Addie, you’re wonderful in every single way. Keep being you, fhockey needs you! Love you more than words From AISSATOU: HAM!!! From MATT MORRIS: It’s been real. From JOSEPH: There’s plenty of time to glow up in college. From DEBORAH YEBOAH: #AbeeeGaillll #AbeeeGaillll #AbeeeGaillll #AbeeeGaillll #AbeeeGaillll From ANONYMOUS: Wishing everyone good mental health. If it gets to be too much take a break! You deserve it. From ANONYMOUS: Stay in sch0ol kids.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
silve
June 4, 2018
A tip of the cap to Gutama Abadiga Montgomery College Jeremy Abarca Montgomery College Najwa Abdella University of Maryland, College Park Najat Abdella University of Maryland, College Park Bontu Abera George Mason University Benjamin Abramson Colby College Sam Acuff Working in Ireland Haron Adbaru Yale University Emmett Adler Ithaca College Rudy Aguilar Cabrera Working Elmer Aguilera Hernandez Unknown Oluwapelumi Akinpelu Unknown David Akpan Unknown Grissely Aldana Garcia Unknown Phirrps Alexandre Unknown Madeleine Allou Pace University Erik Almonte Montgomery College Yoni Alonzo Tobar Unknown Christian Alvarado Perdomo University of Maryland, College Park Katherine Alvarado Quinteros Unknown Bryan Alvarez Unknown Valeria Alvarez Quintanilla Unknown Jorge Amaya West Virginia University Kevin Amaya Diaz Montgomery College Jason Amboo Montgomery College Olivia Amitay Boston University Rina Amores Urrea Unknown Kerstine Amouzougan Unknown Keshaun Anderson Enlisting in the Air Force Beza Arega Unknown Jose Arevalo Parada Montgomery College Dagmawit Asfaw Montgomery College Natnael Assefa University of Maryland, College Park William Atkinson-Meyer Unknown Benjamin Auslin Stanford University Yasmith Ayala Montgomery College Erik Ayala Ayala Unknown Enat Ayele Northwestern University Yahana Ayikoe Unknown Aida Ayuk Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Abdul Aziz Baig University of Maryland, College Park Dimitri Barahona-Rubio Unknown Tyler Basa University of Maryland, College Park Shesh Batni University of Maryland, Baltimore County Victor Batres Posada Unknown Perry Beamer University of Maryland, College Park Marcello Beatley University of Maryland, College Park Carly Beck Towson University Bereket Belay Unknown Yeymy Beltran Unknown Jonathan Benaye University of Maryland, College Park Rosy Benitez Montgomery College Anthony Benitez Unknown Christian Benny Unknown Helvine Berinyui Montgomery College Alyssa Berrios Montgomery College Haleluya Beyene Montgomery College Wongelawit Beyene Unknown Kyesse Bidzimou Barry University Kaleb Bikila Unknown Anthony Birdzell University of Maryland, Baltimore County Iyanu Bishop Hampshire College Julia Bliss University of Vermont Margot Bloch Gap year, then University of Maryland, College Park Dalya Block Gap year in Israel Everest Bloomer University of Maryland, College Park Nathaniel Bodner University of Colorado, Boulder Aissatou Bokoum Winthrop University Joel Bonilla Martinez Unknown Josephine Brane-Wright Gap year, then Oberlin College Tori Brezell Montgomery College Ashanti Brinson Unknown Layla Broderick Columbia College Chicago Reid Brown University of Maryland, College Park Demetria Brown Montgomery College Leona Brown Montgomery College Namir Bruck University of Maryland, College Park Tran Bui Montgomery College Tai Bui Montgomery College Micah Burton Wilkes University Ayeron Butler Allegany College of Maryland Valeria Cabrera Alcantaro Unknown Jennifer Cabrera-Villegas Unknown Leslie Caceres Menjivar Unknown Erminie Cajou Morgan State University Jonathan Calderon Unknown Braden Callahan Wayne State University Jennifer Canales Montgomery College Mainor Canales Unknown Vanessa Canales-Ramos University of Maryland, College Park Akash Canjels University of California, San Diego Christy Canjura Notre Dame of Maryland University Lien-Dai Cao Catholic University of America Reilly Caprioglio Gap year, then University of Maryland, College Park Maria Carias Montgomery College Enrique Carpio Unknown Lillian Carranza Montgomery College
Stephany Carrasco University of Maryland, College Park John Carter University of Maryland, College Park Morgan Casey University of Maryland, Baltimore County William Castro Montgomery College Adonne Ceus Montgomery College Prem Chandrasekhar University of Maryland, College Park Elder Chapa Ramirez Unknown Brandon Chavarria Gap year, then Montgomery College Jason Chavez Montgomery College Victor Chavez Marquez Montgomery College Brenda Chavez Rogel Unknown Aiyana Cherry University of Maryland, College Park Catherine Chisholm Occidental College Christine Cho University of Maryland, College Park Noah Chopra-Khan Tufts University Tanjum Chowdhury Montgomery College Mahima Chowdhury Pennsylvania State University Sade Cobey Alabama A&M University L’Shana Cobey Wilson College Eli Cohen Colorado State University Aaron Collantes Correa Unknown Mohamed Conteh Montgomery College Alexa Contreras Montgomery College Johana Contreras Unknown Celia Conway Northeastern University Charlotte Cook Virginia Commonwealth University David Cookson Towson University Willitta Cooper Bowie State University Heidy Cortez Gap year, working Oscar Cortez Ortega Montgomery College Jacob Craft Stevenson Institute of Technology Paul Craig Montgomery College Gabel Cramer Clark University Emma Creekmore Fordham University Michael Cressman Unknown Emma Cross University of Maryland, College Park Andrew Cruz Unknown Anthony Cruz Unknown Jaime Cruz Rodriguez Working Karla Cubias Mercado Montgomery College Chanell Cuello Montgomery College Jennifer Cueva-Diaz Montgomery College Guangqi Cui Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alexander Dacy University of Maryland, College Park Mehana Daftary Yale University Jigyasa Dahal Montgomery College Natalie Daly Clark University Troy Daniels Montgomery College Diane Dao Montgomery College Michael Darkwa University of Maryland, College Park Nashton Datis Bowie State University Aidan Davis-Mercer Appalachian State University Abigail Dawit Towson University Serena Debesai Stanford University Brook Dejenu Montgomery College Gianna Jade Del Vecchio Cornell University Nicolas Del Vecchio Yale University Jordan Delgado Temple University Christina Delgado Unknown Kalkidan Demelash Unknown Beruk Demssie University of Maryland, College Park Romeo Depaso Towson University Karen Depenyou University of Maryland, College Park Axelle Dia Howard University Mohamed Diallo Towson University Yonsi Diaz Guardado Working Lyla DiPaul Loyola University New Orleans Amoni Dixon Montgomery College Franck Djoumessi University of Maryland, College Park Le Do University of Texas at Dallas Joshua Dominguez St. John’s University Zavian Dorah Unknown Thalie Dunkel-Bayogha Unknown Zachery Dunne Trinity University Ankitha Durvasula Duke University Jace Eaton Tulane University William Ederer Arizona State University Chris Elien Towson University Douglas Escobar Rivera Montgomery College Daniela España Montgomery College Ilda España Washington Adventist University Laura Espinoza Harvard University Jessica Esquivel Nava Unknown Christelle Etienne Towson University Sophia Falvey Oberlin College Makenslay Faudoas Unknown Katie Faust-Little Hampshire College Alya Fawal Gap year, then Birmingham-Southern College Natnael Feleke Unknown Alex Feliz Jr. Montgomery College Stephanie Feliz Moya Brightwood College in Beltsville Isabel Fenton Bates College Hildana Ferede American University Donna Ferreira Montgomery College Christopher Fiala University of Maryland, College Park Joanna Filostin Unknown Charles Flack Montgomery College
Vanessa Flores Montgomery Co Carloe Flores Aragon Unknow Leslie Flores Bermudez Unknow Luz Flores Dominguez Workin Ivan Flores Escobar Montgo Jacob Foley-Keene Univers Tyler Fong University of Ma Derrick Fonkeng Montgomery Co Isabella Formoso Pennsylvania Sta Amy Forsbacka St. Mary’s Colleg Robert Fortiz Working Emily Fox University of Ma Britney Fraser Montgomery Co Xavier Frederick Wilkes Universit Zoë Friedman Emory Universit Miriam Fuentes Romero Marylan Sofoniyas G Eyesus Unknow Dondi Gancayco University of Ma Bobga Gang Towson Universi Sarah Gao Princeton Univer Nestor Garcia Montgomery Co Jennifer Garcia Temple Universi Beamlak Gebre Montgomery Co Binyam Gebreselassie Unknow Gilda Geist Brandeis Univers Gabrela Geleta Johnson and Wal Andrew Gerbasi Stevenson Unive Isadora Germain United States Air Karina Gervacio Unknown Kalina Gibson University of Ma Lukas Gilkeson DePaul Universit Mary Mae Gilligan George Greyson Gilmer-Hack Unknow Robert Giron Jr. Catholic Univers Ablade Glover Unknown Solyana Gobena Montgomery Co Charles Goldman Georgetown Uni Edgar Gomez Montgomery Co Ana Gomez Unknown Keila Gomez Rivas Workin Jonathan Gomez Rodriguez Miriam Gomez Romero Workin Raul Gonzalez Montgomery Co Olivia Gonzalez New York Unive Samuel Gonzalez Perez Unknow Kira Goo University of Co Jedediah Grady Morehouse Colle Samantha Grant University of Sou Julian Gray Rider University Margaret Gray Rochester Institu Cole Greenberg Northwestern Un Grace Gretschel Towson Universi Elia Griffin The New School Jamie Griffith University of Ver Candice Griffiths Montgomery Co Beverly Grijalva Unknown Henry Groberg University of Tex Charles Gryder University of Wa Tuyet Gunter Gap year, then M Sushanth Gupta University of Ma Nestor Gutierrez Gap year, then M Bryan Guzman Gap year, then H Lonneke Guzman Nuez Unknow Joanne Ha Boston Universit Osman Haboub Montgomery Co Dawit Hagos Unknown Simon Hailom Montgomery Co Salome Hailu Lycoming Colleg Rosangele Hall Montgomery Co Maya Hammond New York Unive Ryan Handel Brown Universit Chaminda Hangilipola Savanna Oumou Hann Towson Universi Alexandra Happy Univers Daniela Harvey Unknown Molly Havens Notre Dame of M Marissa He University of Ma Julia Henderson Bates College Luis Hernandez Gap year Alex Hernandez Montgomery Co Michael Hernandez Univers Antoni Hernandez Unknow Santos Hernandez Amaya Unknow Raynier Hernandez Diaz Unknow Marvin Hernandez Flores Gap yea Jose Hernandez Gonzalez Unknow Grace Hildebrandt Univers David Hinds University of Tor Jaya Hinton University of Sou Valerie Ho Cornell Universi Grace Hoggarth Towson Universi Ryan Holland University of Cal Dylan Holmcrans Unknown Soyoung Hong University of Ma Catherine Horowitz Oberlin Anna Howell University of Ma MeiJade Hsu University of Ma
Destinations 4/5
rtips
o the Class of 2018!
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y ornia, Los Angeles
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Jason Hu University of Maryland, College Park Hemerson Huinil Huinil Montgomery College Mohsan Hussain Alabama A&M University Mohib Hussain Montgomery College Zeeshan Hussain Montgomery College Abdureuf Hussein Unknown Madeleine Hutchins University of Maryland, College Park Bryan Huynh University of Maryland, College Park Jose Jacinto Ortega Unknown Leila Jackson Elon University Niyah Jackson Hampton University Shameika Jackson Towson University Kristina Jacob Unknown Rahul Jain University of Maryland, College Park Mohamed Janneh Unknown CJ Jeanice Catholic University of America Nina Jeffries University of Maryland, College Park Kevin Jiang University of California, Los Angeles Kanani Jiang Towson University Sebastian Jimenez Conoz Unknown Sarah Jobe The University of Kentucky Divya John University of Pittsburgh Rebecca John Unknown Miles Johnson Montgomery College Moira Johnson University of Missouri, Columbia Devernae Jordan Unknown Dorine Josselyn Unknown Bianca Jovel-Larios Montgomery College Elias Juarez Alonzo Unknown Duresa Kadi Unknown Honor Kalala Macalester College Hannah Kannan University of Pennsylvania Aminata Kante Morgan State University Benedict Kargbo Morgan State University Kaleb Kassa Unknown Jared Kauffunger Unknown Brandon Keels Unknown Samrawit Kelkay Unknown Fouad Kemal Unknown Adil Keri Unknown Clara Kershow University of Vermont Samuel Kessler Unknown Haden Kettler Virginia Commonwealth University Zeshan Khan Montgomery College Aaliyah Khan University of Maryland, Baltimore County Zeenat Khatri Unknown Mikhail Khrenov University of Maryland, College Park Jake Kibunja University of Maryland, Baltimore County Elliot Kienzle University of Maryland, College Park Jerome Kiger Montgomery College Noah Kim University of Southern California Frank Kimbembe Washington Adventist University Quinn Kirk Gap year, then University of Maryland, College Park Tyler Kitts University of Maryland, College Park George Klees Unknown Jacob Koch-Gallup University of Southern California Sahil Kochar University of Maryland, College Park Nikita Kodjak University of Texas at Austin Andrew Komo Massachusetts Institute of Technology Bable Kone Towson University Sebastien Kraft Pennsylvania State University Simran Krishna-Rogers Oxford University Aviah Krupnick Bard College Neha Kunwar Unknown Lynn Kusmin Oberlin College Etienne Kwamen a Yakan Montgomery College Abigail Landesman University of Maryland, College Park Corey Lanham Gap year, working Gustavo Lara Not disclosed Cynthia Lauredan Montgomery College Loc Le Montgomery College Tyler Leas Towson University Esther Lee Boston University Gillian Lee University of Maryland, College Park Caitlin Lee University of Maryland, College Park Edward Lee Virginia Tech University Nicole Leon Unknown Ileana Leonor Matute Working Brenna Levitan-Garr University of California, Santa Barbara Reigan Lewis Xavier University of Lousiana Sabrina Li University of Maryland, College Park Laura Lill Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music Helen Lin University of Maryland, Baltimore County Aidan Link Enlisting in the Army Onderous Linson Montgomery College Avery Liou University of Washington Pamela Liriano Unknown Nelson Lizama-Torres Unknown Simone Llanos St. Mary’s College of Maryland David Lopez Montgomery College Maria Lopez Montgomery College Joana Lopez Trinity Washington University Brayan Lopez Unknown Wotzbeli Lopez Diaz Unknown Maria Auxiliadora Lopez-Mejia Montgomery College Nancy Lorenzana Borja Montgomery College Hans Louis Montgomery College
Curie Lu California Institute of the Arts Elbi Lucas-Amaya Montgomery College Mengming Luo Gap year (Americorps), then University of Maryland, College Park Amanda Ly University of Maryland, College Park Uro Lyi University of Maryland, College Park Jason Maa University of Maryland, College Park Marilin Madrid Montgomery College Merlin Madrid Montgomery College David Maduako Unknown Henry Maher Case Western Reserve University Marley Majette George Mason University Cesar Maldonado Garcia Unknown Samantha Mallon Western Kentucky University Joshua Malone NHTI - Concord Tiffany Mao University of California, Berkeley Deyvis Marquez Hernandez Unknown Omar Marriaga Montgomery College Kevin Marroquin Montgomery College Magda Marroquin Vincente Unknown Xochilt Marroqun Martinez Unknown Trinity Martin Montgomery College Jesse Martin Mount St. Mary’s University Connor Martin University of Michigan Fernando Martinez Montgomery College Tamar Martinez Unknown Karen Martinez Claros Unknown Marcelo Martinez Claros Unknown Isabella Masale Unknown Madeline Massinga Seattle University Falla Mathieu Unknown Sarina Matson Cornell University Skylar Matuska Elon University Aran Mazariegos University of California, Santa Barbara Demba Mbodje Slippery Rock University Margaret McCarthy University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Bridget McCaw University of Kentucky Jordan McDougall University of Maryland, Baltimore County Alayna McFadden Goucher College Jordan McGregor Montgomery College Kayla McKenzie Montgomery College Zoe McKnight St. John’s University Noelle McKoy Xavier University of Lousiana Jada McNeil Unknown Douglas Melendez Alfonzo Montgomery College Mariela Melgar Cruz Montgomery College Jose Membreno Roque Unknown Jessica Mendez Gap year, then Montgomery College Roxana Mendez University of South Florida Juventino Mendez Gomez Unknown Iftu Mengesha Montgomery College Hermela Mengesha University of Maryland, College Park Abrham Mengistie Unknown Brianna Menson Santa Clara University Alex Mentzell Montclair State University Henry Merklein Columbia College Chicago Joseph Merrill Towson University Casey Middleton Gap year (Americorps) Bennett Miller University of Chicago Tommy Min Unknown Pierre Moglen Boston University Lydia Mohamed University of Maryland, College Park Suraya Mohamud New York University Juan Molina Vasquez Unknown Elias Monastersky University of Maryland, College Park Jennipher Monroy Montgomery College Dustin Mons Montgomery College Francis Montecinos Castro Unknown Marc Monteil Sewanee: The University of the South Julian Montero Unknown Stephanie Montes De Oca Occidental College Braedon Moomey Gap year in The Philippines Mikaela Moore University of Pittsburgh Brenda Morales Unknown Karla Morales Unknown Leslie Morales Alvarenga Montgomery College Tomas Morales Romero Unknown Francisco Morales-Reyes University of Maryland, College Park Erik Moran Montgomery College Christian Moreira Martinez Montgomery College Also Moreno-Daniel Unknown Sheyniah Morgan Clark Atlanta University Matthew Morris University of Delaware Benjamin Mourad Gap year Joseph Muder Salisbury University Rose Mulugeta Unknown Sofia Muñoz Scripps College Chowdhury Samiha Muttakin Unknown Benjamin Namovicz University of Maryland, College Park Erin Namovicz University of Maryland, College Park Jemma Natanson Warren Wilson College Erika Navarrete Montgomery College Nelson Navarro Cubias Unknown Eldana Negash Unknown Stuart Nevans Locke Rochester Institute of Technology Raina Newsome University of Maryland, College Park Winnie Ngankam Montgomery College
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Senior Destinations, continued!!! Jenny Ngo Montgomery College Edilma Romero Marroquin Unknown Antoinette Ngo Ntomb Unknown Andy Romero Peralta Unknown Rudy Ngougni Notre Dame College Ingrid Romero-Fabian University of Maryland, College Park Aline Nguyen Montgomery College Ariel Roos Georgia Institute of Technology Cyndi Nguyen Montgomery College Anthony Rosario Unknown Dylan Nguyen Montgomery College Mia Rothberg Macalester College Richard Nguyen Montgomery College Aritra Roy University of Maryland, College Park Tommy Nguyen University of Maryland, Baltimore County Octavia Russell Towson University Vy Nguyen Working Augustin Saah University of Maryland, College Park Chinh Nguyen Unknown Suyapa Sabillón Amador Unknown Yueqi Niu Unknown Dilhan Salgado Carnegie Mellon University Raquel Nolasco University of Maryland, College Park Carlos Salgado-Aquino Gap Year Ifrah Nur Montgomery College Jeffrey Salpekar Unknown Erin Obaonrin St. John’s University Eliza Salzman University of Florida Cecilia Ochoa Notre Dame of Maryland University Latyr Samba Bowie State University Henristote Okombi Lycoming College Victoria Sampson Syracuse University Nora Olagbaju Howard University Bethlehem Samuel Towson University Akanimoh Olayinka Unknown Leslie Sanchez Unknown Melissa Olivar Montgomery College Kenia Sanchez Alvarado Montgomery College Victor Omokehinde University of Maryland, Baltimore County Frank Sandagorda Montgomery College Elizabeth Orellana Gap year, then Montgomery College Emanuel Sankoh Unknown Yoni Orellana Moreno Unknown Jacob Santangelo University of Maryland, College Park Deicy Ortega Hernandez Unknown Catherine Santos Unknown Moises Ortega Lopez Unknown Kayla Schaible-Bediako Unknown Veronica Ortega Posada Montgomery College Emma Schillerstrom University of Miami Juan Ortiz Montgomery College Elijah Schulman University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Erick Pacas Guerra Unknown Hannah Schwartz Spelman College Joshua Park Johns Hopkins University Anish Senapati California Institute of Technology Anthony Pasternak University of Maryland, College Park Michelle Servin Montgomery College Maraki Paulos Montgomery College Yuang Shen Unknown Roberto Paz Montgomery College Wendy Shi Yale University Kevin Peachey Virginia Tech University Yeison Sical Dubon Working Gabriel Perez Lopez Unknown Jerilyn Sical Ramírez Unknown Heidy Perez Osorio Unknown Hamzah Siddique University of Maryland, Baltimore Lisbeth Perez Osorio Unknown County Andres Perez Romero Unknown Arman Siddique University of Maryland, College Park Nelson Perez-Escobar Unknown Matthew Siff Grinnell College Ruben Perez-Gamez Unknown Lewam Siltan Towson University Naylah Perodin Loyola University Maryland Vincent Justin Sinfuego Duke University Sam Phan American University Noah Singer Harvard University Ryan Phillip Montgomery College Nikita Singh Vanderbilt University Kimberlie Phung Tran University of Maryland, College Park Julia Smith Montgomery College Jocelyn Pineda Membreno Montgomery College Maxwell Smith University of California, Santa Barbara Henry Pineda Reyes Unknown Anthony Smith-Davis Montgomery College Marike Pinsonneault Dalhousie University Soliana Solomon Montgomery College Elexzene Plain Towson University Ecda Sorto Alvarez Enlisting in the U.S. Navy Stormie Poindexter University of Maryland, College Park Emily Soza Unknown Briana Powell-Cooper The American Musical and Dramatic Academy Will Speaks St. Mary’s College of Maryland Isabel Present Northeastern University John Spiezio University of Maryland, College Park Darien Price Lafayette College Carolyn Subramaniam University of Maryland, College Park Julian Prudencio Unknown Xavier Suchar Case Western Reserve University Sofya Albina Puyul Unknown Elaine Suh Boston University Marc Quintanilla Coreas Unknown Sofia Swamy Montgomery College Mohammad Rafsun Unknown Alix Swann Spelman College Dalva Ralda Unknown Yonatan Tadesse University of Maryland, College Park Alison Ramirez Trinity Washington University Carly Tagen-Dye Pratt Institute Genny Ramirez Lopez Working Siddharth Taneja University of Maryland, College Park Uzi Ramirez Martinez Gap year, then Montgomery College Hector Tapia Montgomery College Jennifer Ramirez Paz Unknown Vivian Tarbert Smith College Jyotsna Rao California Institute of Technology Chelsea Tarquini Montgomery College Isaac Rattey University of Maryland, College Park Winston Taylor Lincoln University Jessica Raymundo Montgomery College Christian Taylor Montgomery College Ckloudia Rebeiro Unknown Neva Taylor Hofstra University Taishima Reddick Allegany College of Maryland Saba Teferra Montgomery College Markeeta Reed North Carolina Central University Senait Tekie University of Maryland, College Park Aidan Reilly University of Maryland, Baltimore County Zufan Teklemariam Unknown Raquel Revelo Unknown Saraswati Temple Montgomery College Yenny Reyes Gap year, then Montgomery College Liuel Tibebe Washington State University Victor Reyes Montgomery College Kidus Tilahun Unknown Jackson Reynolds University of Maryland, Baltimore County Isabella Tilley Stanford University Alia Rice Hampton University Lokesh Tiwari University of Maryland, Baltimore County Rebecca Rich Brandeis University Lilu Tolla Unknown Thomas Ritti Montgomery College Antonia Torfs-Leibman University College Maastricht Nancy Rivera Montgomery College Artemis Tosini Carnegie Mellon University Alcides Rivera Villegas Unknown Katherine Tran Montgomery College Anna Rives University of Colorado, Boulder Suong Tran Unknown Zamon Robinson Howard University Eden Treado Ithaca College Odalys Robles Gap year, working Lindsey Trejo Montgomery College Richard Rodas Marquez Unknown Dagmawi Tseyaye Montgomery College Priscah Rodenhuis Dickinson College Aidan Tydings-Lynch Montgomery College Ada Rodríguez Montgomery College Mina Tzoukermann Occidental College Efrain Rodríguez Unknown Odalis Umanzor Marquez Unknown Lesly Rodríguez Unknown Pamela Umanzor Villalta Unknown Christopher Rodríguez Pineda Montgomery College Shriyash Upadhyay University of Pennsylvania Ariana Rodriguez-Gamez Montgomery College Edivel Valdez Montero Montgomery College Alexis Romero Capitol Technology University Junior Valdez-Amaya Unknown Angie Romero Unknown Annika Van Sandt Occidental College Mitchell Romero Gomez Unknown Jason Vargas Montgomery College
Duma Vasquez Diaz Montgomery College Adeola Vassall Unknown Jacqueline Vela Montgomery College Joselyn Velasco Unknown Fernanda Ventura Towson University Kenia Ventura Velásquez Unknown Sherri Vester Unknown Glendy Vicente Diaz Unknown Enyi Villagran Unknown Yuris Villatoro Unknown Christopher Wang California Institute of Technology Enya Wang Johns Hopkins University Margaret Wang Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lydia Wang Rice University Alex Wang University of Maryland, College Park Makhi Washington Montgomery College Alex Wasti Montgomery College Lea Watkins-Chow Oberlin College Leo Webber Ithaca College Ray Weng Cornell University Leo West Alma College Dwight Henry Wiebe Georgetown University Ahkeila Wilkins Unknown Deanna Williams Delaware Valley University Aaliyah Williams Montgomery College Errol Williams Montgomery College Eleanor Williams University of Maryland, College Park Abbigail Willis Brigham Young University Jillian Wilson Savannah College of Art and Design David Wilson Unknown Brennan Winer University of Maryland, College Park David Witten Vanderbilt University Samuel Wolde Coppin State University Alazar Wolde Unknown Hana Woldegiorgis Unknown Yonas Wondimagegn Montgomery College Nathaniel Worku Montgomery College Michael Wright Unknown David Wu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Elaine Wu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Katherine Wu Stanford University Zan Xu University of Maryland, College Park Robert Yang Not disclosed Heldana Yared Pennsylvania State University Deborah Yeboah Cornell University Michael Yin Harvard University Yonathan Yohannes Unknown Daisy Yu University of Maryland, College Park Jeisson Zacarias Unknown Daniel Zaman Montgomery College Estid Zecena Unknown Luis Zelaya Pineda Montgomery College Alice Zhang Massachusetts Institute of Technology Janny Zhang University of Maryland, College Park Ariel Zhang Yale University Annie Zhao Yale University Oriana Zwerdling Parsons School of Design
BEN MILLER
Check out the interactive map of all of the places where our seniors will be headed next year!
June 4, 2018
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Junior Superlatives Most likely to make a living writing “Jane the Virgin” fanfiction: Mindy Burton Most likely to drop out of college to pursue mall santa-ing: Marlena Tyldesley Most likely to file a defamation lawsuit against RAM: Arshiya Dutta Most likely to expose MCPS for being sketchy: Lucy Gavin Most likely to clone Bryce Harper for “science”: Rosie Daly Most likely to write Marvel screenplays: Adenike Falade Most likely to not work on Black Friday: Elise Cauton Most likely to be a Washington Capitals groupie: Camden Roberts Most likely to somehow acquire a White House Press Pass: Hannah Lee Most likely to get referred to counseling for excessive hugging: Will Donaldson
Archives
Edited by Bentip Miller and Laura Suggestinoza
The seventh installment of our 80th Anniversary retrospective series looks back on the century as a whole. From wings to mass hysteria, Silver Chips spent much of the century covering groundbreaking technological advances and massive social changes. The paper also tackled the divisive, ongoing question of when weather should lead to cancellations, and the parental response to such incidents.
January. Lawsuits brought by the students’ parents forced MCPS to take tougher preventative measures this year. Despite last year’s tragedy, Stelzner is worried about the kind of precedent closings like this could set. “If we’re closing for barely a foot, what comes next? Closing for six inches?” Stelzner questioned. “Closing for one inch? Closing for wind? Where does it end?” FIRST FEMALE STUDENT ENROLLS AT BLAIR, MALE HYSTERIA ENSUES Sept. 11, 1938
MCPS FUNDS REAL WINGS TO AID WHITE FLIGHT May 14, 1978 For the past several years, hundreds of white students have fled diverse schools like Blair in a phenomenon known as white flight. Last week, the Board of Education approved a measure to help these fleeing students by purchasing them actual wings. “We’ve noticed that so many of our students work really hard to get out of integrated schools, and it is only right that we make it easier for them,” Board spokesman Jeremy Stelzner said. “These new wings will save kids the hassle of picking up and moving and allow them to simply flap their way out.” Blair recently received 40 pairs of sevenfoot long composite wings, and yesterday, administration distributed a guide on how to properly use them. The guide encourages students to climb to the top of C Building and leap when the wind is right. “On a bright Spring day with a smooth westerly breeze, a student jumping from Blair should be able to easily reach WJ or B-CC with these new wings. Maybe even Whitman,” Stelzner commented. “If the wind is going the other direction, an enterprising student could shoot for Sherwood
EMORY DAWN
Sophomores Ellen Cotton and Cambert Rogers study outside for their upcoming STOOD exam. April 20, 1891 instead.” Although some student groups have expressed concerns that the new wings will lead more students to bail on Blair, sophomore Janet Snakehole is not worried. “The way I see it, the faster these people leave, the better!” BLAIR CLOSES AFTER 13 INCHES OF SNOW, PARENTS SCOFF Dec. 3, 1953 Last week, an early-winter clipper blanketed our region in a thick, thirteen-inch covering of fluffy white snow, shuttering
schools and pushing kindergarteners and seniors alike outside to enjoy a beautiful snow day. However, some parents were not pleased with MCPS’s decision to cancel school. “I cannot fathom why they kept kids home,” concerned parent Jeremy Stelzner said. “Back in my day, we’d go to schools through blizzards, floods, fires, sandstorms, riots, acts of God, everything. With nambypamby closings like this, our kids will go soft.” The county decided to close schools after three Wootton students disappeared while walking to school during a blizzard last
Students and staff across the building were shocked when a lithe, feminine figure walked through Blair’s doors on the first day of school last Tuesday. Previously open only to men, Blair is now piloting MCPS‘s gender-integration initiative, which began after a study released by Johns Hopkins University hypothesized that girls can, in fact, contribute to society. Senior Jeremy Stelzner was pleased to hear about the enrollment of Ethel Beavers, Blair’s new student. “I’ve never actually talked to a girl before,” he admitted. “I’m excited to show her around and really get to know her.” The girl had mere seconds of peace before a shout of “Girl!” echoed across the campus and incited a stampede, leading to four hospitalizations and significant property damage. Administrators quickly realized that having a female in the building would pose a significant distraction for male students. Within the hour, a dress code was instituted that prohibits skirts or dresses that end above the ankle, makeup, necklines below the ear, or the wearing of any colors on the visible or infrared light spectrum. “It is our responsibility to ensure that students have a safe, productive learning environment here at Blair,” Vice Principal Burt Macklin stressed. “Even if we’re going to let girls have an education, they still must remember their place and cover up accordingly.”
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THE GRADUATING SENIORS OF ROOM 165!!!
Silver Chips Seniors 2018 1. Olivia Gonzalez 2. Alexander Dacy 3. Noah Chopra-Khan 4. Hermela Mengesha 5. Emma Cross 6. Erin Namovicz 7. Leila Jackson 8. Laura Espinoza 9. Isabella Tilley 10. Cole Greenberg 11. Serena Debasai 12. Gilda Geist 13. Elias Monastersky
14. Henry Wiebe 15. Chaminda Hangilipola 16. Sami Mallon 17. Honor Kalala 18. Ben Miller 19. Aritra Roy 20. Sofia Muñoz 21. Michael Hernández 22. Jedediah Grady 23. Karen Depenyou 24. Julia Henderson 25. Hannah Schwartz 26. Ariel Zhang
27. Marissa He 28. Carly Tagen-Dye 29. Avery Liou 30. Tiffany Mao 31. Brennan Winer 32. Divya John 33. Will Ederer 34. Ben Auslin 35. Ben Abramson 36. Elia Griffin 37. Matt Morris 38. Brenna Levitan-Garr 39. Simran Krishna-Rogers