January 2024—Silver Chips Print

silverchips A public forum for student expression since 1937 Montgomery Blair High School

January 31, 2024

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VOL. 87 NO. 3

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

MCPS superintendent called to resign

By Greta Andelman, Laila Andelman, Naomi Andelman, Abigail Greenberg, and Tharaa Izuagie Staff Writers On Jan. 22, MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight issued a statement declaring and responding to the BOE’s request for her resignation. “Officers from the Board of Education indicated last week their desire for me to step away from my role as superintendent, providing me with no justification for their request,” the statement read.

Mcknight added that the Board has never documented or communicated any concerns about her performance and expressed concern that the Board’s actions may be motivated by other factors.

When asked about the impact of the BOE’s call for resignation on MCPS schools, Chris Cram, an MCPS spokesperson, said that the well-being of students and staff will continue to come first. “It is vital to understand the remaining 25,423 employees are professionally focused on supporting schools, operating schools, and providing high-quality teaching and learning.

The business of education continues,” he wrote in an email to Silver Chips.

Following McKnight’s statement, the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) issued their own statement. “We understand that Dr. McKnight is claiming the board is offering no reasons for this decision. However, like the rest of the public, we are aware of serious problems with her leadership,” the MCEA wrote. “In declaring open war with the board, Dr. McKnight threatens to further

damage not only her own future, but also the board’s efforts to restore the public’s trust in Montgomery County Public Schools.”

The Board’s decision came amidst investigations into the handling of misconduct reports against former Farquhar Middle School Principal Joel Beidleman. Beidleman was accused of sexual harassment and bullying, with at least 18 allegations reported to MCPS dating back to 2016. Beidleman was promoted to principal of Paint Branch on June 27 before being placed on administrative leave in August. He was officially declared to no longer be an MCPS employee on Jan. 24.

On Jan. 23, the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General issued a report stating that Beidleman’s alleged misconduct was in part caused by shortcomings in MCPS’ oversight of complaints against him. A MoCo360 investigation found that the district was aware of the allegations against Beidleman before the summer of 2023, and a report by the law firm Jackson Lewis found that McKnight did not take timely action when she was informed of the complaints.

Dawn Iannaco-Hahn, a Farquhar Middle School and James Hubert Blake parent, was disappointed by the county’s actions concerning Beidleman. “I’m now to the point where I’m absolutely disgusted with everybody involved,” she said.

Iannaco-Hahn believes Mcknight should step down due to her mishandling regarding Beidleman, but the BOE should also take responsibility as well. “I definitely think that McKnight needs to just quietly resign and go on about her business.

But I also find it hypocritical that the school board is trying to pin it

all on Dr. McKnight. She’s complicit but they are all complicit,” she said.

A community member who has worked closely with McKnight and asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from the county said the board’s handling of allegations against Beidleman contributed to distrust in MCPS’ leadership.

“This entire situation now is … just eroding and degrading the confidence in Montgomery County,” they said.

The teacher’s union has long expressed a lack of faith in McKnight’s leadership, tracing back to a vote of no confidence in 2022, in which an overwhelming 94 percent of teachers reported a loss of confidence in McKnight’s leadership abilities. see MCKNIGHT page A2

SUPERINTENDENT MONIFA MCKNIGHT McKnight at a Jan. 25 Board meeting discussing the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

PHOTOS BY IAN GLEASON

MCPS COMMUNITY At the BOE meeting, community members gathered to rally support for different causes, MCEA PRESIDENT Jennifer Martin spoke at the Jan. 25 BOE including in response to the call for the superintendent to resign. meeting.

insidechips News.......................................... A2 Opinions.................................... B1 La Esquina Latina................... C1 Features..................................... D1 Culture...................................... E1 Sports ....................................... F1

NEWS

Historic Black Cemetery

Maryland Supreme Court hears landmark case. A4

OPINIONS

FEATURES

Social issues within the program harm students. B3

Purple line constuction on the Silver Spring road causes problems for residents. D4

Blair Magnet

Wayne Avenue

SPORTS

Fencing A look into fencing in the area.

F2

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A2 News January 31, 2024 NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by Jay Clouse Staff Writer

Wes Moore’s one time transportation infusion to ease budget cuts On Jan. 16, Governor Wes Moore announced the infusion of $150 million dollars into the state’s transportation system, which will face a $3.3 billion budget cut over the next six years. Paul Wiedefield, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), decided to cut the budget due to declining revenues in the state’s dedicated transportation trust fund. Most of the easement would be directed to aid locally operated transit systems and restoring highway user revenues. The transit systems and user revenues will provide the transportation system with much needed funds for upkeep despite budget cuts. This infusion will provide funds to important parts of the MDOT, especially for those who use its services.

Jawando withdraws from tipped minimum wage bill

Joel Beidleman no longer MCPS employee On Jan. 24, Joel Beidleman was officially declared to no longer be an MCPS employee. The former Farquhar Middle School Principal was placed on administrative leave in August after sexual harassment allegations came to light, but Beidleman denies allegations. Beidleman has not been paid since Dec. 18. Investigations have uncovered at least 25 complaints against Beidleman between 2016 and March 2023. It is unclear whether Beidleman was fired from MCPS or if he resigned. A Jan. 12 MoCo360 article also revealed that senior MCPS officials ordered Khalid Walker, Department of Compliance and Investigations (DCI) Coordinator, to reverse a report on Beidleman following his promotion to Paint Branch Principal last year. The report declared that Beidleman had violated the school system’s sexual harassment and bullying policies. After Walker’s protest and conversation with outside investigators, senior MCPS officials allegedly retaliated against him. Walker was locked out of MCPS computer systems and later transferred from his role as DCI Coordinator to the human resources department.

from MCKNIGHT page A1 Teachers still express concerns about McKnight, mainly due to the lack of clear communication from her administration. “[I want] true transparency. Not just giving lip service saying you’re transparent, but I want policies and procedures to be transparent,” Takoma Park Middle School teacher Natasha Bloom said.

However, not all community members blame McKnight for her administration’s lack of communication and believe she is committed to MCPS students. “Dr. McKnight cares so deeply for the students that I was very sad that this became a political kind of witch-hunt … We should be devoting all of our time and attention to making sure that you get what you get and not fighting cheap political battles,” past Montgomery County Council PTA President Paul Geller said.

In February 2022, McKnight took the superintendent position following her role as interim and deputy superintendent, which she had held since June 2021. McK-

night assumed office during a challenging period marked by the resumption of in-person learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and later faced more obstacles throughout her term such as the nationwide Fentanyl crisis.

On Jan. 24, members of Montgomery County’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) stood outside of MCPS’ central office with signs to show their support for McKnight. “I think there’s a permeated institutional structured racism. That’s the way I see it,” one member of NAACP told WUSA9 news.

Another concern is that the conflict between the board and McKnight will disrupt MCPS’ budget season. “Whenever you have a scandal like this that becomes public, it doesn’t do anyone any good. It certainly has tarnished the Board of Education. And it’s tarnished MCPS during a time that we’re going into critical budget negotiations,” Geller said.

The next steps are unknown, but teachers have concerns about the potential ramifications on the

PHOTO BY ANAGHA BHUVANAGIRI

CARVER EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CENTER Where MCPS central office is located and BOE meetings are held. school system if McKnight resigned. “Any big change like that at central office is going to cause disruptions to the schools and the school system. It’s gonna be a while before things get back on track,” Laura Sutter, the media specialist at Sherwood Elementary School, said. Teachers also have doubts about the future of the administration. “I am just wondering

what’s going to happen if and when the county ever does hire a good superintendent,” Sean Bramble, a Social Studies teacher at Blair said.

Iannaco-Hahn feels that the best resolution is for MCPS to have a clean slate. “We really need to just start over. I really think it’s the only way that we’re gonna get back to [what] MCPS [used] to be,” she said.

MCPS sued over alleged violation of Open Meetings Act

By Eloise Carter and Norah Wilson Staff Writers America First Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of local conservative journalists Matthew Foldi and Bethany Mandel against the MCPS BOE, Superintendent Monifa McKnight, and the then leadership team of MCPS Staff P.R.I.D.E on Nov. 13. The ongoing lawsuit claims that the defendants infringed upon the plaintiffs’ rights under the Maryland Open Meeting Act (OMA) and the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Foldi and Mandel requested damages against the BOE in the amount of $1,000 each, as well as anything else that seems proper to the court.

The OMA was established

in 1977 to ensure that both local and state public bodies made their meetings accessible to the community with limited exceptions.

Mandel identified that the primary impetus of the lawsuit was that Foldi and herself, among others, were not allowed into an MCPS BOE meeting held on June 27 where many community members discussed MCPS removing the ability for parents to opt their kids out of LGBTQ inclusive texts. “I wasn’t allowed in that board meeting … which is part of the lawsuit that we ended up filing because they closed the meetings, which is a violation of Maryland state law,” Mandel said in an interview with Silver Chips.

Hundreds of parents gathered in protest outside of the meeting.

Blair junior Jules Allen attended the board meeting and noticed the tension. “Outside you had the pro-

GRAPHIC BY ELOISE CARTER | DATA COURTESY OF MCPS

LEGAL FEES INCREASE MCPS’ non-special education legal expenses have increased 548.66 percent since the last fiscal period.

tests and the counter-protests … it was so much bigger than I thought it was going to be … It was really loud and there was a lot of shouting between groups,” she said.

When the meeting officially started, the people who had signed up for public comment and the few invited in went into the building.

I wasn’t allowed in that board meeting … which is part of the lawsuit that we ended up filing.

BETHANY MANDEL

On Jan. 16, Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando decided to withdraw from his formerly proposed bill, which would have raised the base minimum wage for tipped county workers. Jawando instead announced his support for a state effort to establish a secure minimum wage called the One Fair Wage Act of 2024. Currently, restaurant servers and bartenders receive $4 per hour. For those employees, tips are meant to supplement the rest of their wages. If an employee does not reach minimum wage through tips, their employer must pay the difference. Montgomery County tipped workers are three times more likely to have family income below the federal poverty line as compared to other workers in Montgomery County. The One Fair act would lower the amount of families below the federal poverty line by providing them with a stable income.

Mcknight fights to keep superintendent position

BOE member Lynne Harris noted that the space of the room dictates the number of people allowed in. “Literally as many people as could fit in that room were in that room. Having so many people in such a small space would be a safety issue,” she said in an interview with Silver Chips. Harris added that the BOE did not violate the OMA given that there are other methods to view the meetings. “Since the meetings are live streamed and then the video recordings of the meetings are … immediately posted on the website for anybody to watch … anybody could still see the business that was conducted that day, even if they couldn’t physically get in the room,” she said.

Mandel, who was at the protest, said that many people still felt ignored by MCPS. “I saw a video afterwards, because you can’t follow it when you’re outside … it didn’t sound like the members of the Board of Education were listening or heard what [parents and children] were saying,” she said.

The outcome of the lawsuit will depend on whether or not the meeting violated the OMA rather than the discussion topics of the specific BOE meeting. Iris Halpern, a civil rights attorney, explains that the case will not directly lead to

parents being allowed to opt their kids out of the inclusive materials.

“They’re really separate decisions that the school even after listening to their input could disagree with and say, ‘No, we’re not allowing kids to opt out. But you’ve had your piece in that,’” she said.

Before Foldi and Mandels’ lawsuit, three families filed a lawsuit against the school system, claiming that removing the opt out policy was a violation of their religious freedom. The court ruled against this motion, and upheld the BOE’s decision. Harris explains that there was never an official policy. “By law, there is only one thing that a public school student can be opted out of when it comes to mandatory curriculum and that is some pieces of … the health education and family life unit,” she said.

Mandel and Foldi are also suing because Mandel was blocked on the MCPS Staff P.R.I.D.E.’s X, formerly known as Twitter, account. The MCPS Staff P.R.I.D.E. group was made to be a social and professional network for MCPS teachers and other personnel who identify as part of the LGBTQ community. Halpern elaborated on social media’s role in the lawsuit. “I mean, Twitter and social media are a huge part of our lives … You want to be able to say whatever you want on a school system and not be censored in any way,” she said. The lawsuit also mentioned that blocking Mandel was not in accordance with MCPS’ “Social Media Best Practices for Employees,” a set of guidelines for MCPS employee social media use.

This case is the second related to the removal of the opt out policy and is one of many currently facing the county. The district’s most recent legal fees report shows that the non-special education legal expenses for the 2024 fiscal year through August were 548.66 percent greater than the prior fiscal year. The results of the lawsuit have not been released and the case is ongoing.

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January 31, 2024 News A3

Proposed bill to create crisis intervention teams

DAWN LUEDTKE

[Our goal is to] divert individuals away from the criminal justice system and into treatment, especially for minor offenses where mental or behavioral health disorders are underlying factors.

Cari Guthrie, a member of the board of directors of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing emphasized the importance of crisis intervention teams (CITs) and the training they go through. “CITs are more likely to listen to what our staff have to say and work collaboratively to work on next steps,” she said while testifying for the bill at the county hearing on Jan. 16.

The bill also aims to ensure that

ALLISON LIN

By Raunak Banerjee News Columnist On Jan. 23 the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, now with new member Bill Nye, unveiled the latest update to the Doomsday Clock. The clock is a physical indicator of how close the world is to “midnight,” a metaphor for the annihilation of humanity by its own hand. Based on the events of 2023, the clock is at 90 seconds from midnight for the second year in a row.

In response to growing concerns of nuclear warfare after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Doomsday Clock debuted in the Bulletin’s 1947 magazine indicating seven minutes to midnight. The design is minimalistic, having both hands and showing only the last 15 minutes

of the clock. Since then, revealing the time has become a yearly ceremony held in the last week of January. In 1991, the hands were the furthest ever at 17 minutes as a result of the end of the Cold War. In 2023, the clock was set to 90 seconds from midnight in response to the previous year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine; this was a record low.

For 2024’s reveal, nuclear warfare was the primary consideration for its declared time. Last summer, Russia considered the use of nuclear weapons to force Western supporters of Ukraine to retreat or surrender. Iran has also continued efforts to enrich Uranium to weapons grade and disregarded provisions set by the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the enrichment. Pakistan, India, and North Korea have all been expanding their nuclear arsenals with

U.S. and U.K. escalate Houthis conflict

44 37

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GRAPHIC BY DORIS WANG | DATA COURTESY OF NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS

Assistant Chief Administrative Officer representing Marc Elrich, testified in support of the bill, though raised concerns about resource allocation and prioritization. “We are facing a personnel resource deficit,” Stoddard said while testifying. “The county executive wants to ensure that the staffing is appropriately prioritized relative to civilian clinical response and the patrol officer shortages.”

Despite approval from a variety of community members, the bill has also seen some pushback. “It is a complex topic … There are folks who are still very opposed to police officers in any way, shape, or form,” Luedtke said.

Joan Butler, who has a family member with mental illness, explained her hesitance toward the idea of law enforcement within crisis response teams. “[Police involvement] can result in causing fear and trauma in the patient and ultimately lead to tragedy,” Butler said as she testified against the bill.

“Law enforcement can easily exacerbate the symptoms of a person experiencing a mental health crisis.”

Others added that the involvement of law enforcement could discourage individuals from seeking help as well. “Police presence could deter people from calling for help due to fear of arrest and could create an opportunity for the person in crisis to become further involved in the justice system,” Sharon Dietsche, a social worker and executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness MoCo said as she testified against the bill.

Public responses like the testimonies at the hearing allow legislators to understand the bill and its potential impact more comprehensively. “[I] look forward to hearing all of the feedback necessary to see if this bill is something we want to propose amendments for,” Councilmember Sayles said in an interview with Silver Chips.

After a period of public consultation, legislators will engage in discussions regarding the bill, focusing on potential modifications before moving forward.

no signs of stopping.

The rapid rise of AI this year was another one of the biggest factors taken into account. With ChatGPT bringing all eyes on AI, the field has gained international attention. As such, it has landed into the arsenals of various governments. Both war fronts in Ukraine and Gaza are seeing an influx of drones, which use AI algorithms to target and destroy military assets more efficiently. AI algorithms are also influencing war strategies, thus raising concerns of soldier safety and the ethics of these decisions.

Dictatorial governments have been using AI facial recognition technology to suppress dissent.

Though China has taken steps to reduce its AI policing, dictatorial ruling bodies such as the military junta in Myanmar will likely never stop.

This year’s Doomsday Clock also threw climate concerns into the spotlight.

2023 was the hottest year on record with land and ocean surface temperatures reaching 0.27 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the previous record set in 2016. The growing temperatures contributed to increased cyclone activity with over 78 major storms, 45 hurricanes and

typhoons, and a record low for the ice extents in Antarctica. Among the most notable climate disasters was the Hawaiian wildfire which killed 97 people, destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, and cost over $6 billion in repairs. In a similar vein, the Canadian wildfires destroyed over 45.7 million acres of forest which caused severe air quality issues across Ontario and British Columbia, as well as the East Coast and Midwest of the U.S. Depending on how 2024 goes, a year from now the clock will determine whether we have bought ourselves more time.

W AN G

Montgomery County Councilmember Dawn Luedtke introduced a bill in December to begin sending appointed Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services clinicians with police officers responding to mental health crisis calls.

The bill aims to allow clinicians to safely respond to mental health crises, enabling better deescalation of situations.

Teams of clinicians and law enforcement officers would safely respond to crisis situations that involve mental health, behavioral health, or substance abuse issues, and would result in joint deployment.

individuals who are experiencing mental health crises are kept out of prison and receive appropriate treatment instead. “[Our goal is to] divert individuals away from the criminal justice system and into treatment, especially for minor offenses where mental or behavioral health disorders are underlying factors,” Luedtke said in an interview with Silver Chips.

Clinicians assigned to a CIT are required to go through supplemental training. “Our licensed clinical social workers … [have] a 40-hour supplemental training … [a] de-escalation training, recognizing signs of behavioral health crisis,” Luedtke said.

Supporters of the bill agreed that CITs would more appropriately respond to individuals in crises, turning them toward treatment rather than legal jurisdiction.

“By providing proper training of crisis counselors … we can make sure that they are better equipped to handle situations involving individuals in crisis with empathy, understanding, and de-escalation techniques” Gino Renne of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994 said when testifying for the bill at the hearing.

Approximately 40 percent of inmates have a history of mental illness—37 percent in state and federal prisons and 44 percent in local jails, a rate double that of the general adult population, often detained for minor infractions such as trespassing, petty theft, or loitering.

The bill also included a multidisciplinary advisory committee meant to guide its execution and evolution, ensuring that it meets community needs. The advisory committee would include members both inside and outside of county government that would collaborate with community members and identify best practices to inform CIT’s procedures.

Earl Stoddard, the county’s

Compiled by Chloe Pegg Staff Writer

CI LU

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By Doris Wang Staff Writer

INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS

On Jan. 23, U.S. and U.K forces conducted another series of joint air strikes against military sites controlled by the Houthis, a Yemeni militia group. Spurred by the onset of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the Iranian-backed group, who retain control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, have been attacking commercial ships in and around the Red Sea. The strikes marked the continuation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which the U.S and international partners have taken confrontational measures to protect ships traversing this key trade route from Houthis. Not only have the U.S and British militaries intercepted missiles and drones targeting ships, but they have also launched strikes against military sites to hinder the Houthi attack ability.

While both British and U.S. leaders acknowledged that this bombardment has yet to stop Houthi attacks, both countries say that they will continue to attack until the Houthis stop. Meanwhile, Houthi leaders have consistently stated that the attacks will cease once Israel halts strikes on Palestinians. The conflict increases fears of a regional war and reflects the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israel and Hamas reach aid agreements

On Jan. 16, France and Qatar brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, including medicine and other basic supplies.

The first known agreement between the two warring sides since November’s weeklong truce will also provide medication for the 40 plus Israeli hostages with chronic illnesses, along with other medications and vitamins.

The U.S. is hopeful that further talks will lead to the release of the estimated 132 hostages still held in Gaza. Humanitarian groups continue to plead for more aid and a ceasefire as the Gaza Strip faces severe food insecurity and diminishing medical supplies.

Iran extends Nobel Laureate’s sentence

On Jan. 15, Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi’s family revealed that her prison sentence has been extended by 15 months.

This marked Mohammadi’s fifth conviction since 2021, and added on to her original ten-year, nine months sentence for allegedly spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

The 51-year-old won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her work fighting against the oppression of women in Iran. Her children accepted the award on her behalf and gave a speech smuggled out of prison. Despite spending most of the last two decades incarcerated for her activism, Mohammadi has continued to inspire change and speak from behind prison bars. The new verdict also banned Mohmamadi from traveling abroad and having a mobile phone for two years after serving her time.

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A4 News January 31, 2024

MCPS proposes Fiscal Year 2025 budget

By Greta Andelman Staff Writer

It’s important to have a stable workforce of committed educators who know the community, know their subject, and are really committed to their students.

JENNIFER MARTIN

MCPS Superintendent of Schools Monifa McKnight proposed a $3.32 billion Operating Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 to the district on Dec. 14, a $157.3 million increase from the $3.16 billion FY 2024 budget. The proposed budget covered funding for an employee association salary increase and cut operating costs of the central office, the office that hires staff and runs staff training, by 8 percent.

In FY 2024, $125 million of the budget came from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Program (ESSER), a federal emergency relief fund created to address the effect of COVID-19 on schools. The window to spend ESSER funding will end in September 2024, and ESSER will no longer provide funding to any U.S. district for FY 2025 as the effects of COVID-19 on schools decrease.

The loss of ESSER funds resulted in cuts to summer school, tutoring, and social-emotional programs like The Leader in Me program in the proposed budget.

However, $33 million worth of positions that were previously funded through ESSER will now be funded in the proposed budget, including money for social workers, psychologists, and restorative justice specialists. Ivón Alfonso-Windsor, the MCPS Director of Management and Budget, added that mental health resources and

support staff included in the $33 million were the items that members of the community advocated for the most. “Mental health support came up at almost every single forum, it came up at the student forums … we might be two years away from the pandemic but students are still recovering from the impact that virtual learning had,” she said in an interview with Silver Chips.

The recommended budget also includes $8.2 million for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2021 that seeks to elevate student performance through initiatives like expanding college and career preparatory programs and access to early childhood education. The $8.2 million in the proposed budget goes toward programs like the Preschool Education Program expansion, which increases the number of spots available for students to attend fullday preschool classes. It also goes toward paying the fees for students’ AP and IB exams, MCPS Student Member of the Board Advisory Council Chief of Staff and Blair junior Samantha Ross explained.

“What people don’t realize is that [the tests] are at a much lower cost than a lot of people think. It is something that is very, I could say ‘bang for your buck’ … [especially] in order to help students achieve at the level that AP or IB tests allow,” she said.

The Blueprint also aimed to make teaching salaries more competitive and mandated that teaching salaries start at $60,000 by July 2026. Separately, MCPS and the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) reached a tentative agreement to increase wages over a period of two years starting in 2023. According to Alfonso-Windsor, the MCEA agreement exceeds the Blueprint’s $60,000 starting salary requirement to remain competitive with other school districts. “The Blueprint says that … the minimum salary for a first-year teacher has to be $60,000, right? But we want to be ahead of that because if we’re paying $60,000, but Howard [County is] also paying $60,000 we’re going to be very much in competition. So every local agency is … [trying] to make it attractive for the teachers to come to their county,” she said.

In the MCEA two-year agreement, annual salaries of employees who did not work during the summer increased by $5,602, and salaries of employees who did work during the summer increased by $6,583 for the 2023-24 school year. For the 2024-25 school year, the MCEA agreement outlined that salaries will increase by an addition-

GRAPHIC BY GRETA ANDELMAN | DATA COURTESY OF MCPS

BUDGET BREAKDOWN MCPS proposed a $3.32 billion Operating Budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year with the majority spent on salaries and wages. al $2,918 for employees who do not work during the summer, and salaries will increase by $3,428 for employees who do work during the summer. MCEA President Jennifer Martin believes that the salary increase is vital to maintaining a staff of excellent educators. “It’s important to have a stable workforce of committed educators who know the community, know their subject, and are really committed to their students. You don’t want a disposable workforce of teachers,” she said in an interview with Silver Chips.

Overall, employee compensation, benefits, and insurance constituted roughly 90 percent of the recommended FY 2025 budget, Vice President of the Board of Ed-

ucation (BOE) Lynne Harris added. “Most of the increase in revenue from FY 24–25 is going toward the salary increases that we built into the association contracts with our three associations last year,” she said in an interview with Silver Chips.

Ultimately, before the county council approves the budget, the proposal goes through work sessions, meetings, and public hearings, and then a revised budget is produced. In the end, the county council determines the size of the MCPS FY 2025 budget, and then the BOE decides what will be cut if the recommendation is not fully funded. After, the board votes and finalizes the budget for the year.

Maryland Supreme Court hears landmark case BACC files lawsuit to protect historic Black cemetery

By Laila Andelman Staff Writer The Maryland Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Jan. 8 over whether investors could buy property on top of a historic black cemetery where enslaved people and their descendants are buried.

On Aug. 10, 2021, the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) filed a lawsuit against the Montgomery County Housing Opportunity Coalition (HOC), who had approved a letter of intent to sell the property of the Westwood Tower Apartments in Bethesda to investor firm Charger Ventures.

The property is part of a parcel of Moses Cemetery, which an archaeological consulting firm hired

by Montgomery County in 2017 proved was buried under the Tower parking lot. BACC claimed the

property could not be sold without court approval.

Ari Gutman, an organizer for BACC, believes the case also has serious ethical considerations.

“What does it mean when a government agency is essentially using public resources to commit such a heinous act, which is desecration?” he said. “A question for us internally is, are they just selling the parking lot? Or are they just selling the cemetery? Or are they also selling the people buried in the cemetery?”

The lawsuit was originally filed at the circuit court level, where Judge Karla Smith ordered an injunction to halt the sale between HOC and private investors. HOC then appealed the case to the Appellate Court of Maryland, where the judges sided with HOC. BACC then appealed to the Maryland Supreme Court. According to Steven

TAKING A STAND BACC members hold up signs to show support at the press conference.

Lieberman, an attorney representing BACC, this is the first time a case of this kind has gone before a state supreme court.

The basis of the oral arguments heard by the Maryland Supreme Court dealt with the interpretation of Maryland Statute 5-505. The statute reads, “An action may be brought in accordance with the Maryland Rules and a court may pass a judgment for sale of a burial ground for another purpose if: (1) the ground has been dedicated and used for burial.”

HOC argued that under the word “may” in the statute, property owners are not required to gain permission to sell burial grounds for another purpose. BACC argued that mandatory restriction comes from precedents of the statute, and that if the statute was enacted for public interest, the statute is mandatory and not permissive.

HOC has acknowledged the historical significance of Moses Cemetery and has stated that it is committed to preserving the grounds.

The organization works to provide affordable housing for residents in Montgomery County.

At a press conference held by BACC after the hearing, many speakers shared their perspectives of the case, including people who had family buried in the cemetery.

HOC did not hold a press conference.

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, the President of BACC, spoke at the press conference about the historical significance of the hearing and the goals of the case. “Our ancestors would have been arrested, had they tried to enter the Maryland Supreme Court. But today, we have come seeking justice for those who were murdered and worked to

PHOTOS BY IAN GLEASON

SPEAKING OUT BACC President Marsha Coleman-Adebayo addresses attendees at the press conference held after the hearing. death, and whose lives were stolen. dicator of what is right. “Many of Our ancestors are not for sale,” those buried in Moses Cemetery Coleman-Adebayo said at the con- are people who were enslaved and ference. who were murdered during slavery, Michael L. Blakey, co-chair of and they were dumped in the cemthe Commission for the Ethical etery, and the legal system at that Treatment of Human Remains of the American Anthropological As- point was completely OK with it sociation, spoke about the scientif- and even endorsed and facilitated ic lens of the case, and shared his these crimes,” Gutman said. “We opinions about the ownership of refuse to give the courts the only historic cemeteries. “For the last right to give justice or determine year [the American Anthropolog- what is right or wrong.” ical Association] has been going Though the ruling of the case will around the world, asking people only deal with the specific allotment what causes harm in the treatment of land, Lieberman believes that of human remains,” Blakey said at the decision will set an important the press conference. “Everybody precedent for the future. “There’s believes that harm is caused when a reason why this case was pulled. It descendants or the descendant community is not key in the stew- was pulled because this same issue ardship of those remains. Every- is coming up in hundreds of places body understands this to be true.” around the United States, and the Though the court has not yet re- whole country is watching this court leased a decision, Gutman believes to see what it does,” Lieberman that the decision is not the only in- said at the press conference.

January 31, 2024 B1 Opinions

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Amateur hour

BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD AN OPINION From overdoses in schools, to school safety procedures, to sexual harassment allegations, to the controversial opt-out policy, MCPS’ aversion to disseminating information has been the only element of stability in an unstable administration.

More information would have been helpful when students were waiting for a bus that would never come. On Jan. 16, MCPS announced that there would be a two hour delay the next day. However, the next morning, just 30 minutes before buses were set to arrive, the county canceled school. Some teachers were already at school and bus drivers were making the commute through dangerous and icy conditions. While the bungled snow day was an inconvenience, it was symptomatic of a larger problem—the constant waste of resources and stress on families due to the Central Office’s inability to inform stakeholders in a timely manner.

In the latest update to their comedy of errors, MCPS released their ambiguously-named “Phase 1” policy shift on Sept. 28 to update grading and reporting standards countywide, including a change to the 50 percent rule and attendance practices. The new changes were announced with no fanfare, students were not made aware of any updates, and MCPS never consulted with the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) or​​the Councils on Teaching and Learning. It was an odd decision from a county usually obsessed with data collection and stakeholder input. Still, after taking no feedback, these policy changes are going into motion on the first day

of the second semester rather than at the start of a new year. Outlines for “Phase 2” of the revisions have not been announced.

The original 50 percent rule prohibited teachers from assigning zeros, even if the student never submitted any assignments. The new grading and reporting guidelines state that “if a student does no work on the task/assessment, the teacher will assign a zero,” and teachers “may assign a zero” if they deem that a student “did not attempt to meet the basic requirements of the task/assessment.” Despite the early modification to policy at the end of September, teachers at Blair were only officially notified by Blair administration of Phase 1 on Jan. 22 through various department meetings, which gave teachers little time to consider how to implement these policy changes in semester two classes.

The new attendance guidelines stipulate that a student must be

present for at least half of a class to be marked present or tardy. This differs from the previous policy where a student had to miss 90 percent of a class to be marked absent.

The problem is that there has been no widely-publicized notification of these changes, even to teachers. If a student were to be absent when their teacher casually mentioned the new guideline, their first encounter with the policy could be a mark on their record—and any missing work during an unexcused absence could now become a zero.

Where are the countywide emails to inform students and parents about these crucial modifications?

When the Phase 1 revisions were initially proposed in September, MCEA asked that they be delayed until the start of the 2024– 2025 school year to allow for feedback and revision. Their request was denied by MCPS. On Nov. 15, Superintendent Monifa McKnight hired Nancy Na-

Editorial Cartoon

varro as a Senior Advisor for External Affairs in order to combat the ongoing wave of scrutiny regarding MCPS’ lack of transparency. In an announcement characteristic of MCPS, the report explained Navarro’s role using a slew of jargon that said absolutely nothing. “Navarro’s new role will focus on advancing the priorities of the Board of Education and the school system’s key priorities by fostering positive relationships with external partners, engaging in outreach to community stakeholders and collaborating with our Community of Practice as they recommend essential corrective actions across the system,” the report read.

No matter how many people McKnight hires to communicate the county’s message, MCPS leadership still has not taken meaningful responsibility for their numerous mistakes.

McKnight will continue to point fingers at the MCEA, the MCEA will place the blame on the BOE, and the BOE will circle back to McKnight. And round and round the cycle goes.

These abrupt changes to grading and attendance will come into effect amidst an ongoing spur between McKnight and the BOE, who is calling for the superintendent to resign. Perhaps, county officials are too busy leaking statements to the media and conferring with their lawyers to alert students of significant educational policy changes. The Silver Chips Editorial Board—a team of students—should not have to tell the professionals leading the largest school district in the state of Maryland to get their act together. This amateur hour in MCPS has gone on for SOPHIA LI far too long.

How to lose Title IX in 10 months

By Talia Egnal Ombudsman AN OPINION It has been over three years since Joe Biden was inaugurated.

Close to seven since Betsy DeVos overturned the Obama-era guidelines on Title IX campus sexual assault investigations. 66 Congressmembers called the ensuing guidelines “draconian” in a November 2023 letter.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prevents discrimination on the basis of sex in all levels of education, from preschools to universities. While most famous for its impact on women’s sports, the law guarantees equal educational opportunities and specifies that sexual harassment and violence count as forms of discrimination.

Reforming Title IX guidelines should be a top priority for this government before it is too late.

In 2011, then-President Obama advised colleges in a “Dear Colleague Letter” that if they did not take immediate action to properly handle Title IX investigations, they would be violating the law and could lose their federal funding.

To keep their funding, universities

established a system to investigate and punish sexual harassment or assault in university-run Title IX hearings.

These hearings are markedly different from criminal suits.

While students found responsible for Title IX violations could face a variety of punishments from that university, ranging from a warning to expulsion, the stakes are lower— the hearings take place before a disciplinary board rather than a jury, the panel cannot mete out jail time or financial punishments, and cases are normally resolved within 60 days. With these lower stakes, accused students do not have constitutional rights that a defendant receives in a courtroom; the accused does not have a right to remain silent or to have their attorney speak.

Additionally, there is a much lower burden of proof on the accuser.

Obama’s 2011 letter established a precedent for using a “preponderance of evidence” standard in such cases, a lower standard than typical of criminal courts. This evidence standard, normally used in civil suits, basically means that it is more likely than not that the accused was responsible for violations instead of the “beyond any reasonable doubt” standard in criminal cases.

As Trump himself has been accused by 26 women of sexual misconduct, varying from harrasment to assault to rape, it is no shock that his administration took immediate action to curb campus investigations into sexual harrasment.

In 2017, Trump’s Secretary of

Education Betsy DeVos revealed changes to Title IX guidelines that dramatically reduced the types of sexual misconduct that were eligible for punishment and allowed for a potentially traumatic cross-examination of the victim. The new policies also prevent university investigations of assaults that take place off campus, which make up an estimated 40 to 60 percent of all student-on-student assaults.

Students found responsible for Title IX violations could face a variety of punishments from that university, ranging from a warning to expulsion.

Candice E. Jackson, the head of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights under Trump, perhaps best stated the administration’s attitude towards victims of sexual assault when she told The New York Times, “The [Title IX] accusations—90 percent of them— fall into the category of ‘we were both drunk,’ ‘we broke up.’”

Biden promised swift action to undo Trump’s changes during his 2020 campaign, saying the guidline “gives colleges a green light to ignore sexual violence and strip survivors of their rights.” It has been over 1,500 days since he assumed the presidency. The Department of Education first said that a draft

of the new guidelines would be released April 2022, then May, then June. After the draft is released, the Biden administration indicates the new guidelines would be put out May 2023, then October 2023, and now March 2024. Once published, the OMB has to review the guidelines, which could take up to 90 days. The rules also must be published 60 days before they become effective. If the Department even makes their March 2024 deadline, the new standards might only become effective in September 2024, two months before the Presidential elections.

With any election predicted to be extremely close, reforming Title IX guidelines should be a top priority for this government before it is too late.

Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 silver.chips.print@gmail.com Winner of the 2019 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal, the 2021 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Association Crown, the 2021 American Scholastic Press Association First Place with Special Merit, the 2022 Columbia Scholastic Association Silver Crown, and the 2022 American Scholastic Press Association First Place Award

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Della Baer Julia Lian DESIGN EDITORS Dyan Nguyen Nora Pierce Caleb Plank MANAGING NEWS EDITORS Ava Bedaque Teddy Curtin MANAGING OPINIONS EDITORS Mandy Guo Viveka Sinha MANAGING FEATURES EDITORS Nora Pierce Sasha Vesensky MANAGING CULTURE EDITORS Sela Colavito Sophie Yohannan MANAGING SPORTS EDITORS Dyan Nguyen Eliza Warren OMBUDSMAN Talia Egnal COLUMNISTS Raunak Banerjee Eliza Warren Sophie Yohannan ENGLISH SENIOR WRITERS Raunak Banerjee Amen Lemiesa Sohccem Ruphael Nikki Tjiputra ENGLISH STAFF WRITERS Greta Andelman Laila Andelman Naomi Andelman Eloise Carter Jay Clouse Ethan de Brauw Rabira Dosho Max Erlebacher Evelyn Goldin Abigail Greenberg Tharaa Izuagie Zachary Karp Emily Kretschmer Carina Nicodemus Chloe Pegg Keelin Pegg Diego Santoro-Velez Auden Seigel Doris Wang Norah Wilson BUSINESS DIRECTORS Isabelle Mathiascheck Finnegan Oakes BUSINESS STAFF Rowan Boyce Ava Falcone Jackie Wang Edith Yang MANAGING ART EDITORS Dami Kim Sophia Li ARTISTS Rosalyn Fang Eric Le Mia Levings Allison Lin Kate McDonough Mina Ricotti Lucia Wang Chikara Yamagishi Jason Yu MANAGING PHOTO EDITORS Fiona Bondarev Raffi Charkoudian-Rogers Maia Turpen PHOTOGRAPHERS Anagha Bhuvanagiri Kenean Bizuwork Margot Buehler Ian Gleason Madeline Gold Rose Kepka Marin Lederer Jamie Lozada-McBride Maz Olson Naila Romero-Alston Dylan Warren SCPSPORTS EDITORS Caleb Plank Nikki Tjiputra MEDIA EDITORS Margot Buehler Madeline Gold PUZZLE EDITOR Madeline Gold OUTREACH COORDINATORS Anagha Bhuvanagiri ADVISERS Jeremy Stelzner

Silver Chips is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Unsigned editorials PHOTO BY ANAGHA BHUVANAGIRI represent the views of the editorial board and are not necessarily those of the school or of all Silver Chips members.

To contact Talia, Signed letters to the editor are encouraged; submit them to silver.chips.print@ email her at gmail.com. Letters may be edited for scombud@gmail.com space and clarity.

silverchips

B2 Opinions January 31, 2024

Should teachers be held accountable for their social media use?

PRO

Late last year, at least three MCPS teachers were put on administrative leave as a result of posts that they made on social media, all of which were related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, and deemed antisemitic. As more and more similar cases occur across the U.S., there has been an increase in discourse regarding if and how teachers should face consequences for posts they make on their personal social media.

Repercussions should be present for teachers who make public posts that contain or promote hate speech or misinformation as they can have damaging effects on students and community members who view them.

In the 20 years since Facebook was launched, it has become practically effortless for individuals to spread hateful or factually invalid comments across social media platforms.

Forms of communication and the breadth of people that can be reached have evolved, but policies, especially for educators, have lagged behind. This has manifested in severe misuse of social media by many people, including teachers, particularly relating to political content. “Social media has really exacerbated this issue [of culture wars in the U.S.].

There’s an awful lot of frustration, among superintendents, at least, about the misuse of social media and that’s at play in a lot of these cases,” Jay Goldman, the editor of School Administrator said. School Administrator is a monthly magazine geared towards superintendents in the U.S. There has been unnecessary outrage in response to public school teachers facing pushback for online activity. Public school systems should reflect basic guidelines of respect and professionalism, and a lack of regulation poses serious concern over how teachers are acting in the classroom. “It would be a disruption to the learning environment if there was a teacher making filthy, vile posts.

They would lose their relationships with students if they posted racist or discriminatory things on their social media, and that would interfere with learning, ” Blair biology teacher Charlie Demma said.

In the private sector, monitoring employee social media is commonplace, and often public school teachers have even more protection from their employer, especially via the First Amendment.

The First Amendment rightly protects teachers when it comes to posting about issues of public concern including topics such as class size, curriculum, or comments criticizing the school board or administration,

CON

Consequences must be put in place for teachers who make posts that could cause adverse impacts in the classroom.

Teachers have the right to express their own opinions and ideas, provided that their actions do not cause harm to students.

By Emily Kretschmer Staff Writer

By Doris Wang Staff Writer

AN OPINION

AN OPINION

unlike discriminatory speech and misinforAs educators, teachers have an immense mation which could cause harmful impacts responsibility in shaping future generations. in the classroom.

While teachers play a pivotal role in guiding In September, a public school teacher in students along their learning journey, they Massachusetts was fired for posting and lik- are still individuals with personal freedoms. ing posts that negatively targeted transgender Recent incidents in MCPS have raised quesstudent-athletes, critical race theory, and lat- tions about the boundaries between teachinx people. The teacher argued that her First ers’ professional lives and individual rights.

Amendment rights to free speech were vio- While it is important for teachers to uphold lated, but the court ruled against her, claim- a standard of conduct befitting to their proing that a balance must be struck between the fession, it is equally vital that they have their value of an employee’s free speech rights and right to free speech protected, permitted the school district’s responsibility to ensure their actions are not disruptive to their edadverse disruptions in the classroom are min- ucational environ- ment. imized. Because of the influence that teachIn December, ers can have on youth, educators are held to two teachers in a very high standard when it comes MCPS were put on to their actions both in and leave for addressout of the workplace. ing the Israel-Hamas “There’s a certain trust conflict, including and responsibility that Takoma Park middle comes with being a school teacher Angepublic school educala Wolf, who includtor. They’re public ed a Palestinian ralemployees who are lying cry in an email held to a pretty high signoff. standard of conduct,” Similar situaGoldman said. tions have happened Demma believes nationwide. In Texthat it should be comas, three professors mon sense for teachers were fired for making not to post hate speech political comments and misinformation. on social media and “Most teachers should criticizing their instituknow that if you work tions’ handling of the in the community, you COVID-19 pandemic. work with the public, In Wisconsin, an eleand you’re a little bit of mentary school teacha [visible and influener was fired in 2023 for tial] figure, you should criticizing the school’s always err on the side decision to cut a song that’s not going to cause called “Rainbowland” anybody any problems,” from the school’s spring he said. concert. Teachers’ rights Teachers must be to express themselves have LIN held accountable for LISON been alarmingly jeopardized even outL A wrongful online activity through employer m o n i t o r - side of schools, undermining the principles ing. Public school districts should implement of open discourse.

The sentiment that teachers’ expressions a policy to keep track of offenses of teachers publicly posting content that contains or are unfairly restricted is shared among stupromotes hate speech or misinformation. dents. “I think teachers are overly policed Based on a teacher’s number and severity of online on what they post,” Blair sophomore offenses, their contract with the school dis- Hayden Toole said. “If they’re not like trict should be terminated. This would both spreading hate speech or whatever, then I protect students and their learning, as well as don’t think it’s a problem.” the teachers’ right to speak on public conMany teachers believe they should have cern when reasonable. “Not that there aren’t positive uses of social media, but when it’s rights to express themselves. “I should have used inappropriately, it can really be divisive my full rights to free speech. That comes into play when we talk about what teachers post and troublesome,” said Goldman.

PHOTOS BY MADELINE GOLD

on their social media and accounts like that,” Blair history teacher Renee Patrick said, though she noted that she keeps her students and their parents in mind.

The growing political divide amongst educators makes it even more important that teachers are able to express themselves. This environment is especially sensitive when it comes to discussing controversial or critical social and political topics. As there is a growing trend of administrators scrutinizing educators’ opinions, teachers have become more likely to self-censor and avoid these subjects, limiting discussions on critical social and political issues.

Open discussion is not only important for teachers—it also benefits students, allowing them to engage in open dialogue and foster critical thinking and communication skills that can be applied to real-world situations outside of school. It is crucial that teachers are able to explore topics and encourage students to understand and debate real-world issues. Not only does this protect teachers’ freedom of expression, it also creates an environment that informs and prepares students for everyday life. “Discussions [about] the outside world are a great way just to see how everybody feels about what’s going on in the world and it’s good to talk about it and not pretend it doesn’t exist,” Blair sophomore Maria Espinal said.

Many teachers incorporate real life events into their teaching. “Right now in our political environment, [there are] so many connections … it would be silly to leave them out,” Patrick said.

While it is necessary to uphold a standard of professionalism at work, regulations should not affect teachers’ rights to express themselves and discuss controversial topics.

After all, teachers are more than their profession and their school district—they are individuals with their own sets of beliefs, opinions, and expressions. Overly strict controls on their personal expressions can lead to an infringement of their individual liberties, and teachers should not be penalized for voicing dissent outside of work.

Under the First Amendment, school districts are constitutionally required to allow teachers to speak on issues of public importance. This right extends to various platforms, including social media. Teachers possess a fundamental and undeniable right to free speech, and as long as their words are not harmful, they, as individuals, should have the opportunity to express their perspectives and contribute to public discourse both inside and outside the classroom.

voicebox All photos by Madeline Gold

“What [teachers] say online or what they say outside of school does matter because that reflects how they would treat their students.”

“To some extent you should be conscious of what you’re posting.”

“We just need to make sure that these teachers aren’t pushing their ideas, but they are allowed to [demonstrate] those ideas.”

DELINA BERHANU sophomore

IVY HOBBS junior

“Teachers are allowed to have their identity and share it with students … as long as they’re not forcing their beliefs on kids.”

VAN CAO senior

MICAH WOODWARD senior

silverchips

January 31, 2024 Opinions B3

Reevaluating reading instruction

By Carina Nicodemus and Chloe Pegg Staff Writers AN OPINION Blair English teacher Peter Lynch has seen the effects of MCPS’ backward approach to reading instruction in his freshman students. “When a kid jumps over a word, or sees a word they don’t know, and then puts that meaning on it immediately, then I can see frustration and confusion about not knowing that word. And I think that frustration, and that confusion leads to a lack of confidence in fu-

ture reading,” Lynch said.

Years earlier, when Lynch’s students were learning to read, MCPS was using Curriculum 2.0 for English Language Arts (ELA) instruction to comply with Common Core State Standards. Jennifer Lucina, the Reading Specialist at Glen Haven Elementary School, explained the approach MCPS took to literacy instruction. “If you got a word wrong, your teacher would say ‘Does it make sense? Does it sound right? Does it look right?

Let’s look at the picture. Let’s look at the letters in the word and try and figure it out,’” Lucina said.

This old approach has nega-

systems have not been teaching reading in an effective way. Since 2013, 32 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws or implemented new policies related to evidence-based reading instruction in the ELA curriculum. However, it was not until the 2021–2022 school year that MCPS finally switched their teaching approach to acknowledge what experts have been saying for decades—that teaching phonics in a serious, systematic way is critical to bridging reading gaps.

Melaika Brown, the supervisor of MCPS’ elementary ELA curriculum, explained MCPS’ approach as refocusing on the core reading fundamentals outlined by the National Reading Panel. “[There’s a] misconception that comes along with what we’re doing. We’re not moving to a more phonics base.

What we are doing is ensuring that there are five components of reading: awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension,” Brown said. “We’re elevating phonics instruction, but we are also ensuring that all five components of a reading instruction take place in school.”

Perhaps, this switch is the cause for the recent increase in MCPS’ reading scores. The Fall 2023 Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment results showed a 2.9 percent increase for kindergarten students meeting the benchmark, a 5.5 percent increase for first-grade students, and a 4.4 percent increase for second-grade students.

This is a step in the right direction, but what about the kids MCPS left behind? The kids that did not pick up reading quickly.

The kids who could not effective-

ly implement the guessing strategy.

The kids that needed at least 15 to 20 minutes of explicit phonics instruction. For those kids, this void has resulted in students who avoid reading and lack confidence in their abilities. In order to combat this deficit in his student’s skills, 9th grade English teacher Adam Clay has had to adapt. “I definitely have to do more vocabulary, preview the vocabulary before we start writing [and] reading or give a lot of background information, and then have them start reading … I do a lot of front loading because of that discrepancy. I think that’s the main thing,” Clay said.

The phonics method gives you the tools to figure out something that you don’t know.

PETER LYNCH

GRAPHIC BY CARINA NICODEMUS AND CHLOE PEGG | DATA COURTESY OF MCPS

tively impacted students’ reading, something Lynch notices when his class reads out loud. “Kids will come to a difficult word, and make a guess about it. And the guess will be off, but maybe they see the first two letters, and then associate that with a word that also has those same first two letters, and are sort of content with that word, but it’s not the word that’s on the page,” he said. Curriculum 2.0 for ELA instruction did not prepare students for success in literacy.

The way current Blair students learned to read under this curriculum also did not include systematic phonics instruction. Phonics is the method of teaching students to read and pronounce words by learning the characteristic sounds of letters, letter groups, and syllables. Karin Chenoweth, former MCPS parent and education columnist for the Washington Post, explained the importance of explicit phonics instruction. “It’s really clear from the science that most kids need explicit instruction in phonics … it doesn’t hurt anybody to have [those] 15 to 20 minutes [in] kindergarten or first grade,” Chenoweth said.

However, for kids who were not taught phonics, their reading strategies lack a crucial building block to understanding unknown words.

“The phonics method gives you the tools to figure out something that you don’t know. And if you’ve got the tools to figure out something that you don’t know, well, at least you now have a way to move forward,” Lynch said. “But if you’re just throwing a guess out at something that you don’t know, sort of like picking out a needle in a haystack, it might be more frustrating.”

Across the country, there has been a realization that school

Moving forward, MCPS must not only continue to improve the way they are teaching reading to elementary schoolers, but address and remedy the lasting impacts of subpar reading instruction on middle and high schoolers. “[It’s] all fine and dandy to start with the kindergarten and first grade kids. That’s great,” Chenoweth explained. “[But] we still have second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth graders who are struggling to read at a very basic level. And if you haven’t addressed that, you’re abandoning those children.”

Microaggressions mar the Magnet Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identity of the sources.

Since its inception in 1985, marginalized students in Blair’s Magnet program have faced discriminatory comments from their peers. The program was created as a separate academic space for students, but because of that isolation, discrimination can be perpetuated.

MARY

[It’s] kind of like a bubble, so I think certain behaviors can become normalized.

As a student in the Magnet during the 1990s, Acting Assistant Principal Rahman Culver experienced an entrenched system that alienated students of color, with offensive behaviors passed off as jokes. “A lot of times, alienation presented itself under the guise of humor,” Culver said. “There was a lot of satire at the expense of Black and brown students.”

Today, similar issues persist— minority students in the program often deal with microaggressions and outright bigotry from their fellow students. Magnet alumna Anika Rai reflected on her time at Blair, where she was targeted by misogynistic comments from several other students. “There were always

conduct cannot handle the microaggressions students frequently experience, administration must find an alternate method of resolution.

Ostrander explained that the current code of conduct emphasizes educating when an incident arises. But when most students are already aware that their behavior is problematic, simply telling them that their actions are wrong is not enough. Blair Magnet senior Natalia Argoti has overheard outright misogynistic comments from boys in the Magnet who actually acknowledged t h e sexist nature o f

students share most courses up to junior year, problematic behavior is normalized within an echo chamber. “I think when you have a group of people together for any reason … [it’s] kind of like a bubble, so I think certain behaviors can become normalized,” Blair junior Mary said.

This insularity not only perpetuates existing issues but because of the small community, students may feel reluctant to report their peers for harmful comments and microaggressions. “A lot of people recognize t h a t [offensive be-

their r e marks.

“They were like, ‘we’re so tired of this women are better than men propaganda,’” Argoti alleged. “They were [also] like, ‘I’m gonna be a little misogynistic right now and say it: men are better than women. They’re smarter, and this and that.’”

Of course, issues of discrimination at Blair are not limited to the Magnet. But due to the isolated nature of the program, in which

havior is] a bad thing and are very uncomfortable with it,” Quinn said. “But because of the fact that we have to see these people for four years … none of us want to say anything and burn bridges.”

Blair administration and teachers in the program have started making an effort to combat these issues. Magnet teacher Elizabeth Glenn created the Analysis of Equity and Identity in STEM class

I ISH

AN OPINION

a lot of comments made toward me, specifically [about] how I only got into certain [colleges] because I was a woman,” she said, adding that minority students endured similar behavior. “In my year, there were very few Black and Hispanic students in our program, and they did not feel like they had a space in the program or were allowed to kind of speak on these issues, because other people would comment on them only getting into the program because of their race,” she said.

Openly hostile comments are not the only issue. Much more common are microaggressions, which take place regularly and have a fair amount of plausible deniability, making them more difficult to combat. Blair Magnet junior Quinn, among other female Magnet students, feels as though many boys in the program treat girls as less competent. “The two of us [girls were] working on our role in a project. And [our male partner] was trying to micromanage [us],” she said. “It kind of felt like we were being pushed out of our roles because he didn’t think we were capable.”

The code of conduct cannot effectively deal with microaggressions like these, and according to Blair Magnet coordinator Peter Ostrander, it is up to teachers to manage instances of microaggressions that arise in the classroom. “We have to deal with those sorts of things and it’s really [about] making sure that the teachers in the classroom are aware that those things go on, and are looking for it,” he said. But teachers cannot always be aware of everything that every student says in their classroom. If the code of

CHIKARA YAMAG

By Sasha Vesenky and Doris Wang Features Editor & Staff Writer

with Culver to offer an elective that discusses inclusion in STEM. They decided not to make the course mandatory, as Glenn believes that while a mandatory class could inform students about the impact of their comments, the course currently provides a safe space for students who choose to take it. “Is it better to provide the space for students that need [it] or force the space to everybody?” Glenn said.

Lessons like these could open up more conversation about this topic and educate students about the impact of their remarks beyond the surface level. While it is encouraged by administration, there is no requirement for Magnet teachers to include lessons on inclusivity in class, and it is up to teachers how to include it in their curriculums.

“Mr. Ostrander … [is] working with teachers to try to promote inclusivity in [Magnet] classes,” Blair Diversity and Inclusion Instructional Coordinator Neha Singhal explained.

“But I don’t think it’s a set rule for all teachers.”

Moving forward, the administration should work on developing accessible reporting channels—such as an online resource with access posted in every classroom and guaranteed anonymity—that respect and protect students’ social dynamics.

Additionally, incorporating lessons on equity in STEM would open up conversations about challenges that different students face within the Magnet program. A well-rounded education includes more than data sets, coding, and experimental labs—it must involve understanding the value of other people and their unique experiences.

la

esquinalatina Representando la comunidad latinx desde el 2003

El 31 de enero de 2024

Volumen 21 Número 3

Toma nota de la moda

Estudiantes expresando la cultura a través del estilo Por Rose Kepka y Salomé Betancur Escritoras La moda es una expresión de la personalidad y cultura de cada individuo. Los varios estilos de Blair reflejan la diversidad de la población estudiantil. Aunque la mayoría de estudiantes eligen llevar ropa que prioriza la comodidad, con muchos pijamas y ropa activa, algunos estudiantes usan su vestimenta para expresar su originalidad.

Los estudiantes de Blair se visten con una variedad de estilos interesantes y cada estudiante encuentra su propia inspiración cultural. Algunos estudiantes toman inspiración de la moda del pasado, subculturas de música o de la red o de los estilos en su país de origen.

Malaika Kamwaki, una estudiante de Blair, puede ser vista en estilos excéntricos, inspirados en los años setenta con cuellos de piel y pantalones acampanados. Jillian Silver-Bigler, de undécimo grado, lleva ropa atrevida inspirada en los estilos alternativos de la década del 2000. An Tran, un estudiante de duodécimo grado y diseñador de moda, explica cómo su cultura vietnamina influye en sus diseños de moda y en su estilo personal.

Muestra fotos de su trabajo, incluyendo vestidos del estilo tradicional de las dinastías chinas. An dijo que su tiempo en la clase de ilustración de moda le ayudó en su desarrollo como diseñador.

Los estudiantes de Blair pueden tomar la clase de ilustración de moda para aprender sobre el proceso de diseño y mejorar sus habilidades de costura. La profesora de la clase, la Sra. Breeden, explicó que la clase le da a los estudiantes la oportunidad de “[trabajar] con una variedad de medios y materiales en nuestras clases para poder mostrar sus ideas”.

Para aprender más sobre la clase, pueden ver fotos de los traba-

jos de la clase en su sitio de Padlet con el código QR. Una diversa población de Blair celebra la moda, sin embargo la cultura de la moda ha pasado por diferentes miradas juiciosa del público. Algunas compañías han robado los diseños de minorías para producirlos en masa. Esto es común en textiles y diseños creados por los indígenas de Sudamérica y de culturas de África. “Se utilizan [textiles de Latinoamérica] bastante en la industria [de moda] de hoy porque hay bastante influencia de diferentes, ya sea diseños precolombinos, andinos, inca y mexicanos también” dijo Nicoll Botero, empleada del Museo de Textiles. Además, tendencias que empiezan en comunidades oprimidas se vuelven parte de la corriente dominante a través de las redes sociales y otros medios. “Las críticas que se le han hecho a tiendas como Urban Outfitters y Antrop-

minorías. “Bastantes personas en México hacen hermosos tejidos, pero nadie estaría dispuesto a pagar los $300 que le cuesta a alguien en México hacer algo más bonito y de mejor calidad”, dijo Botero.

Un estudiante de ilustración de moda, Amari, explicó cómo un estilo japonés llamado “gyaru”se inspira en moda y facciones de la comunidad afroamericana. “Se supone que el maquillaje [de algunas subcomunidades de gyaru] se ve como la imagen de una persona afroamericana y en su momento hubo controversia sobre ‘blackface’ (cara negra)”, explicó.

Blackface es una tradición racista de pintarse la cara para emular las características de las personas afroamericanas. Por eso, el estilo recibió muchas críticas. Sin embargo, otros tipos de estilos streetwear japonés en los años 2000 no tienen esas controversias y han influido en la cultura de moda moderna.

La revista de moda japonesa llamada “Fruits” (frutas), popularizada por la moda callejera Y2K, es tan popular ahora que la revista será relanzada por primera vez en décadas. Amari dice que el streetwear japonés es una de las influencias más grandes en su estilo personal.

Algunos estudiantes piensan que si un diseñador lo hace con respeto, está bien usar inspiración de otras culturas. “Gran parte de la moda se inspira en otras culturas. Entonces si le gusta o no, no creo que sea verdaderamente apropiación LIS cultural de alguien a menos que KIMBERLY SO ología, de tomar bastante inspi- sea un traje cultural con significado ración de artistas independientes importante [para esa cultura]”, dice sin nunca nombrarlos ni darles su Amari.

Como Blair es una escuela crédito”, Botero explicó. Las participantes estadounidenses blancas diversa, es natural que los estudide estas tendencias a menudo no antes tengan influencias de los estireconocen los orígenes diversos de los culturales de otros estudiantes. los estilos y la industria de moda Muchos estudiantes explican que gana dinero de la explotación de toman inspiración de estudiantes que ven por el pasillo o en sus

FOTO POR ROSE KEPKA

TEXTILES SE EXPONEN en el Museo de Textiles de la Universidad George Washington en Washington DC. clases. “Tenemos estudiantes que vienen de muchos lugares diferentes y todos van a traer sus propios estilos únicos basados en sus culturas”, explicó la Sra. Breeden.

Aunque unas tendencias no son tradicionales de una cultura, pueden tener orígenes de comunidades étnicamente diversas. Por ejemplo, estilos como streetwear, Y2K, pendientes de aro, y uñas acrílicas tienen orígenes en comunidades afroamericanas e hispanas.

Un estudiante de ilustración de moda, Ari, explicó que “Muchos [estilos eran] popularizados por los afroamericanos. Entonces, siento que aunque no lleve las cosas que mis antepasados llevaron en nuestra patria, todavía represento mi cultura”.

La moda es un vehículo de expresión personal. Los estudiantes usan su estilo personal para expresar su personalidad y cultura.

Muchos estudiantes toman inspiración de las redes sociales cómo Pinterest o Instagram y de las personas de su comunidad. Algunos estudiantes usan tiendas con ropa usada, como Goodwill, o Value Village y modifican su ropa para

crear sus vestuarios ideales en sus presupuestos personales. Amari explica “Muchos de los patrones que hay en línea, a menos que sea un gráfico específico, puedo hacerlo por mí mismo”. Crystal, otra estudiante de ilustración de moda, dice, “Tantas personas diferentes pueden llevar tantas cosas diferentes y se ven increíbles. Ni siquiera importa qué tipo de cuerpo tienes”.

Muchos estudiantes tienen la opinión de que la moda debe ser personal y creativa y que no debe ser limitada por expectativas o juicios. Ari explica este concepto a la perfección, “Odio vestirme para otras personas, lleva lo que quieras”.

Fotos de los trabajos de la clase de ilustración de moda

Creando nuevas costumbres Por Elizabeth Duarte Escritora La navidad es una de las festividades más grandes en el mundo.

Unos la celebran por religión y otros por tradición. Cada país hispanohablante lo hace de formas diferentes. Lo que todos tienen en común es ese sabor tan único y especial que solo los latinos saben darle a cada festividad. Aquí en Blair, los estudiantes latinos tienen su propia celebración.

Aunque la fecha oficial de la navidad es el 25 de diciembre, la mayoría de países latinoamericanos celebran la Nochebuena, el 24 de diciembre. Esa es una noche mágica para reunirse con la familia, contar historias y crear recuerdos inolvidables a lado de tus seres queridos. La verdadera magia es cuando el reloj marca las 12, cuando todos se abrazan y ocurren hermosos eventos de fuegos artificiales.

Cada niño siente esa alegría de ver el cielo lleno de colores y aunque para muchos a la medianoche termina todo, para los latinos ahí empieza la verdadera fiesta, con bailes, música, cantos y todo lo hermoso y divertido que nos identifica.

“Lo que más extraño de mi país en esta época es a mi familia.

Extraño tener esa cena con ellos y compartir momentos que quedan

marcados para siempre”, fueron las palabras de Esdras Reyes. Por eso, Blair decidió hacer algo al respecto.

Por segundo año consecutivo, algunos profesores organizaron una celebración temática de las fiestas en Latinoamérica. Este evento, que se llevó a cabo el pasado 21 de diciembre, constó con diferentes actividades. Además hubo galletas y chocolate caliente.

“Sabemos que, aunque seamos latinos, en cada país se hace algo diferente así que algunos de los profesores de Blair decidieron como cada año hacer una actividad que nos haga sentir incluidos y nos haga recordar cada bello recuerdo que tenemos de nuestros países”, explica Douglas. Jimenez, profesor de Blair. “Es muy importante para nosotros los profesores, entender que los alumnos necesitan un respiro, es muy difícil para ellos venir de un país diferente, cultura diferente, idioma diferente y empezar su vida desde cero entonces intentamos hacer actividades que los hagan sentir y saber que habemos personas que los entendemos y de igual manera hacerles saber que no están solos acá en este país, queremos crear una comunidad en la que ellos se sientan cómodos y seguros”, explicó Jimenez.

El sentido de pertenencia está ligado con el éxito escolar. Tal

como explica Patricia Gándara en su artículo “El potencial y la promesa de los estudiantes latinos”, “los estudiantes deben sentir un sentido

de pertenencia en la escuela si quieren ser realmente comprometidos y motivados para sobresalir”.

Este evento permitió que muchos estudiantes disfrutaran con la comunidad de Blair. “Mi parte favorita fue el baile porque me gusta aprender los distintos tipos de baile que tenemos dentro de la comunidad”, afirmó Redin Cardona. “Lo que agregaría para el próximo año es la comida, ya que es mi parte favorita de cada celebración latina”, comentó José Valladares.

La Sra Hiller, jefa del departamento de Desarrollo de lengua inglesa, explica la importancia de este evento, “Es realmente divertido ver a los estudiantes interactuar unos con otros, FOTO POR ROSE KEPKA la manera en la CELEBRANDO JUNTOS Los estudiantes del pro- que ellos juegan y grama ELD se reúnen para celebrar la Navidad. bailan es muy dife-

rente a lo normal de verlos dentro de los salones de clases, pero es divertido ver a los estudiantes disfrutar”.

Para muchos estudiantes de Blair que llegaron recientemente a Estados Unidos, la época navideña puede ser difícil. “Se que no es como normalmente lo celebran en sus casas pero estamos inspirados en las parrandas y posadas que se celebran normalmente en Centroamérica. Sabemos que para muchos estudiantes es su primera o segunda Navidad en Estados Unidos y sabemos que no es como regularmente lo hacen pero intentamos hacer cosas parecidas para que se sientan incluidos”, explica Hiller.

Buscar oportunidades para que los estudiantes se sientan parte de la comunidad no es tan solo una prioridad, sino una necesidad y se espera que este evento se vuelva cada vez mejor. Tal como explica Hiller, “Para el próximo me gustaría ver a los estudiantes más involucrados para organizar este tipo de eventos y que así sea algo más parecido a lo que ellos hacen en sus países, en este año fueron los adultos los que organizaron casi todo pero para el próximo año esperamos tener más ayuda de Líderes Latinx para organizar todo de una manera más original”.

silverchips

el 31 de enero de 2024 La Esquina Latina C2

El bum, bum que te hace mover Dos estudiantes de La Esquina Latina perfeccionan sus pasos de baile Por Lukas Barbieri y Axel Henrriquez Escritores Merengue, bachata, salsa y cumbia, son algunos de los bailes más importantes y conocidos en la comunidad hispana. Para este artículo, nos tiramos de cabeza en estos bailes del mundo latino para ser futuros bailarines profesionales. Por eso hoy nos cambiamos los zapatos y nos ponemos en mente de un bailarín.

KHADIJA RAMOS

El merengue es como montar una bicicleta.

Antes de embarcarnos en la épica aventura de transformar nuestros movimientos en arte, vamos a necesitar conocer la historia del baile. El baile ha sido una forma de expresión por más de 4.000 años.

Hay ejemplos en el antiguo Egipto, que se piensa que formaban parte de un ritual a sus dioses. A través del tiempo, diferentes culturas desarrollaron su propio modo de bailar. Por esta razón, todos intentamos, en algún momento, realizar el baile del gusano y es también la razón por la que nosotros estamos bailando hoy.

Para empezar, quisimos hacer lo más fácil: el merengue. El movimiento es mínimo pero tiene un tempo rápido, entonces es perfecto para comenzar. Durante la hora de almuerzo, nos reunimos con Sherlyn Gutierrez, de décimo grado, Khadija Ramos de undécimo, Krishna Diaz de noveno y Brian Chavez de décimo, en un salón de clase. Al principio, la coordinación fue un poco difícil y tratando de hacerlo con el tempo de la música, aún más. Para ayudarnos, Ramos dijo, “El merengue es como montar una bicicleta”. Con este dato, alcanzamos el tempo correcto y nuestros maestros de baile aprobaron. Con la ayuda que hemos recibido ya somos expertos en el merengue, pero nos falta un poco más para ser expertos en los bailes latinos.

El próximo baile era más difícil de aprender. La bachata se originó en la República Dominicana en los años sesenta. Sentimos que es un baile suave y sensual que está, en gran parte, caracterizado por el movimiento de las caderas. Con Romeo Santos retumbando en el fondo, nuestros profesores estudiantiles demostraron cómo hacerlo.

Cuando determinaron que estábamos listos y no bailando como unos pollos sin cabeza moviéndose de lado a lado, nos emparejamos y continuamos lentamente, moviendo más y más rápido hasta que se sintió como un torbellino. Cada último paso es un “tap” y un “pum” de las caderas. Muy pronto, estába-

FOTO POR MAIA TURPEN

RETUMBANDO ROMERO SANTO Chippers aprendiendo como bailar bachata. mos bailando con un vaivén fluido y pocas pausas. Pudimos sentir la alegría emanando del ambiente y la fluidez con que los otros estudiantes bailaban, demostrando horas y horas de práctica. Con dos bailes perfeccionados, solo faltaba un poco más para ir a una competencia de bailes latinos.

En comparación con la bachata, la salsa es más energética y el juego de pies es más prominente, en vez de las caderas. Los pasos básicos son más fáciles de aprender que la bachata, pero fue más difícil agregar los efectos. Originado en Cuba, con raíces en África y España, este baile involucra mayor movimiento de los pies y las piernas, con algunos movimientos de las caderas,

pero con menor uso de los brazos en comparación con otros bailes. Luego de intentar bailar salsa varias veces, podemos poner más de nuestra imaginación en los pasos. Con este baile aprendido, ya tenemos tres dominados, solo falta uno más.

Un baile donde es necesario usar la creatividad es la cumbia.

La cumbia tiene su origen en Colombia, de cuando los esclavos combinaron ritmos africanos con la música española. Cuando estás aprendiendo cumbia, es importante estar en ritmo con la música y moverse de izquierda a derecha.

La cumbia se sentía como si fuera un baile que se podría repetir hasta el fin del universo, con la novedad

de una vuelta de vez en cuando.

Con este baile, ya estamos listos para cualquier fiesta latina.

Además de todos estos bailes populares de Latinoamérica, aprendimos cómo bailar un baile folklórico de Guatemala. Con nuestro nuevo profesor de baile, Damian Lucas Tirado, de décimo grado. La primera vez que nos mostraron un ejemplo del baile, creímos que sería pan comido. El movimiento era lento y fácil mientras giraban por el salón, pero apenas un momento después, cuando lo intentamos, entendimos que el baile era mucho más rápido y complicado, así que luchamos para seguir. Para este baile tuvimos que trabajar unidos, como nadadores sincronizados. El ritmo de la música era calmado y melódico pero al mismo tiempo había un rastro de alegría, aunque no tanto como en los otros. Con este capítulo completo, finalmente pudimos descansar.

Aunque nuestras caderas estaban adoloridas, valió la pena.

Además de los bailes que logramos dominar, a través de nuestras interacciones con los bailarines, aprendimos mucho sobre la alegría que rodea el baile latino. Las canciones que todavía corren por nuestras cabezas nos han influido mucho. Si todavía no te has convencido a probar estos bailes, ¡insistimos en que lo hagas! Busca un video educativo en la red o pidele a un amigo, lo importante es que des el primer paso.

Corridas de toros: ¿ tradición o barbarie?

NAND EZ

no también reaniman la economía de la tauromaquia, que había ganado aproximadamente 400 millones de dólares cada año antes de la prohibición. Un torero colombiano con ganas de participar en los eventos de este

mente emocionados a ver los eventos. El Gobierno de la Ciudad de México está planeando el regreso de la tauromaquia en la Plaza de toros de México, el ruedo más grande en el mundo que sienta a más de 40.000 personas. Las acciones del gobier-

año, Juan Esteban Arboleda Gómez, comparte estas opiniones positivas, “Saber que el sueño está aún más cerca me empuja aún más,” dijo en una entrevista por NBC News.

Sin embargo, no todo el mundo está tan feliz con la legalización.

Una corrida de toros termina cuando el toro inocente es ejecutado por el torero, así que muchos activistas por los derechos de los animales denunciaron el fallo del Tribunal Supremo méxicano como un paso en la dirección incorrecta. La organización Animal Héroes dijo en una entrevista con CNN Español que la decisión del Tribunal Supremo para levantar las restricciones de la tauromaquia “logra la meta… [de] torturar animales por diversión”.

Curiosamente, los activistas contra el toreo ahora son la mayoría. Según El Mundo, un diario español, en 2012 casi 70% de los mexicanos querían prohibir la tauromaquia. La mayoría de estas personas son jóvenes, que generalmente luchan por el cambio social y ético más que personas mayores o tradicionalistas. Se puede ver la oposición creciente entre la población en algunos estados liberales, como Guerrero y Quintana Roo, que han excluido completamente la tauromaquia.

La popularidad del deporte está bajando no solamente en México, sino en todo el mundo.

Jorge Gaviño, un miembro del Congreso de la Ciudad de México, dijo en una entrevista con el periodico La Voz del Interior que “los festivales taurinos tienen cada vez menos seguidores”, porque los humanos han aprendido a reconocer el dolor de otras criaturas sin-

tientes. Cataluña, una provincia de España que levantó su prohibición de la corrida de toros en 2016, todavía no ha tenido ningún evento taurino. El gobierno colombiano votó por muy pocos votos para que el toreo siga siendo legal en marzo de 2023, provocando que cientos de manifestantes de los derechos del animal llenaran las calles para denunciar la decisión.

Los festivales taurinos tienen cada vez menos seguidores.

JORGE GAVIÑO

La corrida de toros ha sido un pasatiempo popular durante cientos de años en México, España y otros países hispanohablantes. La fuerte valentía y los movimientos astutos de los toreros atraen a fanáticos, turistas y aficionados para ver lo que mucha gente considera como una forma de arte.

Pero en los últimos años, un movimiento creciente de oposición ha llevado a prohibiciones de esta actividad por gobiernos locales, regionales, y aún nacionales. ¿Está desapareciendo este arte cultural e histórico?

Sus proponentes fuertes están luchando por retener la corrida de toros para que nunca se vaya a apagar. El deporte tiene orígenes en Mesopotamia, una región del Oriente Medio que hace miles de años estaba llena de civilizaciones humanas. Cuando los gobernantes de España descubrieron la corrida de toros en el siglo XII, disfrutaron el espectáculo y lo difundieron en México durante la conquista de la región. Después de cientos de años, cambios en las reglas, y revoluciones en los estilos de lucha de los toreros, el arte se ha convertido en una parte conocida de las culturas españolas y mexicanas. Adultos de mediana edad, ancianos y turistas asisten a los eventos de toreo en el verano en España y el invierno en México.

Uno de los proponentes al frente del conflicto, la asociación civil Tauromaquia Mexicana, argumenta que la suspensión de la corrida de toros destruiría el arte arraigado en la tauromaquia mexicana. Por eso, cuando la Suprema Corte de México levantó la suspen-

sión de las corridas de toros en la Plaza México el 6 de diciembre de 2023, tauromaquia Mexicana y otros amantes de la tauromaquia se regocijaron. La corte anuló una decisión legal que prohibió la tauromaquia en la Ciudad de México en junio de 2022.

Debido a la escasez de corridas de toros en el invierno de 2023, cuando la actividad normalmente sería la más popular, los aficionados están especial-

CINDI S HER

Por Jason Youm Escritor

Dadas las recientes tendencias a la baja, tal vez la corrida de toros vaya a desaparecer en los próximos años. ¿Pero hay una solución intermedia que guarda las tradiciones culturales sin matar al toro? Es difícil modificar el toreo para que sea humano y al mismo tiempo retenga la misma calidad valerosa sin matar al toro al final. Sin embargo, una variante de la corrida de toros, recortadores, se está volviendo más popular. En esta actividad, los toreros usan la acrobacia para esquivar y saltar sobre el toro en una manera fluida, pero nunca matan al toro.

Los toreros usan las mismas plazas de toros y muestran el mismo nivel de belleza artística a través de sus movimientos. Entonces, aunque el torero no gana decisivamente por desangrar el toro, la corrida de toros y los recortadores todavía tienen aspectos similares. Por eso, los recortadores retienen muchos aspectos culturales importantes.

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C3 La Esquina Latina el 31 de enero de 2024

Rebecca Balladares: Estrella deportiva Rompiendo las barreras en el rugby

Por Jaleih Cruz Escritora

REBECCA BALLADARES

Sé que sin hacer bien en la escuela no puedo lograr mis metas.

El deporte también está creciendo en Latinoamérica. Los Pumas, de Argentina, son el séptimo equipo en el mundo y semifinalistas en la copa mundial de rugby de 2023

gran compromiso y a veces le resulta difícil balancear la escuela y el rugby, pero Balladares explica, “Sé que sin hacer bien en la escuela no puedo lograr mis metas”.

Las escuelas a las que vamos solo tienen deportes como fútbol y volleyball, pero nadie nunca habla sobre el rugby.

REBECCA BALLADARES

Cuando se habla de deportes en los Estados Unidos, probablemente piensas en fútbol americano, basketball o fútbol. Sin embargo, el rugby está en aumento. Puedes ver esto en equipos de chicas, ya que se están formando nuevos equipos de chicas a un ritmo más rápido que los de chicos. A pesar de que los USA Eagles, el equipo nacional de rugby en los Estados Unidos, no están a nivel nacional ni son tan populares como los All Blacks de Nueva Zelanda o como los Springboks de Sudáfrica, que son los tres mejores equipos del mundo, el rugby en los Estados Unidos está avanzando. Esto se debe gracias al aumento de los equipos de escuela secundaria, equipos juveniles y equipos universitarios.

donde hubo otros dos equipos hispanohablantes en el torneo. Aunque el rugby no ha superado al fútbol en Argentina, aun con el éxito de Los Pumas en los últimos años, cada vez más personas en Latinoamérica siguen este deporte.

Esto presenta la pregunta, ¿hay muchos jugadores hispanos de rugby en los Estados Unidos?

Rebbecca Balladares, una estudiante hispana de la escuela secundaria Wheaton en el condado de Montgomery, es experta en este tema, con una amplia lista de logros. Desde los 12 años, ella ha viajado a muchos lugares para jugar rugby, como California, Florida, Irlanda y Nueva Zelanda, para jugar en equipos selectos.

Balladares es parte del club West Carroll Rugby Club y de la selección U18-7 de Estados Unidos, el equipo femenino de menores de 18 años que representa a los Estados Unidos a nivel internacional. El equipo de 7 es cuando se juega con siete personas en vez de 15. Su equipo, el club West Carroll Rugby Club, donde juega todas las primaveras, cuenta con sus entrenadores Tayler Schussler y Brian Melody. Para jugar con West Caroll ella tiene que conducir 1 hora y media, 2 o 3 días por semana. En su tiempo libre, ella también practica con sus hermanos en el campo de la escuela secundaria de Wheaton. Allí ella hace una variedad de ejercicios, como correr, practicar su abordaje y patadas.

Encima de eso, ella pasa mucho tiempo en el gimnasio desarrollando su fortaleza para jugar mejor. Es un

trenan y sus horarios”.

Aunque esta fue una buena experiencia para ella, vino con lucha y sacrificio. La balanza de escuela y rugby es difícil para ella. “Mis profesores no ofrecen suficiente apoyo, no entienden que estoy faltando todos estos días para representar a mi país, no para irme de vacaciones”.

Rebecca es muy exitosa en el rugby esto hace que se piense si hay muchas chicas hispanas en el rugby. La respuesta es no, la mayor parte de los jugadores de rugby en los Estados Unidos son blancos, este es el caso en todos los niveles. Balladares explica, “no hay muchos jugadores de rugby hispanos”. Ella explica que cuando está jugando o hablando con otras niñas, “la diferencia en nuestros

fondos económicos es muy evidente”. Aunque el deporte no es muy diverso, ella dice que ha tenido las mejores experiencias positivas con otros jugadores y entrenadores.

Rebecca explica que ella no cree que el área de Montgomery tenga una gran exposición a este deporte, “Las escuelas a las que vamos solo tienen deportes como fútbol y volleyball, pero nadie nunca habla sobre el rugby”. Ella piensa que si queremos que más niñas hispanas jueguen rugby, debemos exponer más el deporte, hablando de él.

Aunque su trayectoria al éxito ha sido difícil y ha pasado mucho tiempo entrenando para lograr sus metas, ella va a seguir trabajando duro y superando los desafíos que se presenten en el camino.

que combina la destreza artesanal con un misterioso propósito, invita a sumergirse en las profundidades de la historia peruana, desentrañando secretos enterrados y enriqueciendo nuestra comprensión de la compleja narrativa bajo la superficie de este país sudamericano. Una tierra de contrastes y diversidad, se erige como un país único repleto de riqueza cultural, histórica y natural.

En el corazón de los Andes peruanos se encuentra el emblemático Machu Picchu, una ciudadela inca que resiste el paso del tiempo.

Además de su importancia arqueológica, la región alberga a comunidades indígenas que mantienen vínculos profundos con su ancestral tierra. La fauna local, desde el majestuoso cóndor hasta la colorida mariposa, añade un toque es-

pecial a este rincón del mundo. La suave brisa de las noches frescas se mezcla con la calidez del sol que acaricia los picos de las montañas.

Las tradiciones peruanas son un reflejo de su vibrante diversidad cultural. Bailes tradicionales como la marinera y la danza de las tijeras son expresiones artísticas que encierran siglos de historia. La marinera es conocida como la danza nacional de Perú y tiene profundas raíces en la historia y cultura del país. Este baile tiene influencias indígenas, africanas y españolas, y se realiza en diversas regiones de Perú con variaciones en pasos y vestimenta.

La marinera se baila en parejas y es una danza elegante y estilizada que simboliza el cortejo entre un hombre y una mujer. Los bailarines llevan trajes tradicionales, y el baile se caracteriza por movimientos gráciles, el uso de pañuelos, así como por la expresión de emociones y sentimientos a través de gestos y movimientos corporales.

Este baile es una parte importante de las festividades y celebraciones en Perú, especialmente durante eventos como las Fiestas Patrias. La marinera ha ganado reconocimiento tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, y es una manifestación artística que refleja la diversidad cultural del país.

En otra forma de arte, la gastronomía peruana, reconocida a nivel mundial, presenta platos auténticos como el ceviche y el ají de gallina. El ceviche es una preparación de pescado o mariscos crudos que son marinados en jugo de limón u otros cítricos, lo que cura la carne del pescado al desnaturalizar las proteínas. El ceviche puede tener variaciones regionales y adaptarse a los gustos locales. En Perú, es común acompañar el ceviche con camote (batata) y maíz.

Las festividades, como la colorida Fiesta de Inti Raymi, revelan

la fusión de las antiguas creencias indígenas con la influencia española, creando celebraciones únicas y vibrantes. Inti Raymi (festival de Inti en quechua) es una celebración para el dios del sol, Inti. Según el cronista Garcilaso de la Vega, Sapa Inca Pachacuti creó el Inti Raymi para celebrar el año nuevo en los Andes del hemisferio sur. También se decía que la ceremonia simbolizaba el origen mítico del pueblo Inca. El primer Inti Raymi fue en 1412. Duró nueve días y estuvo lleno de bailes coloridos y desfiles, así como sacrificios de animales para agradecer a la Pachamama y asegurar una buena temporada de cosecha. El último Inti Raymi original fue con la presencia del Emperador Inca se realizó en 1535.

Aunque el festival se suspendió por muchos años, ha habido una renovación de las celebraciones y es una fiesta espectacular.

La historia de Perú se remonta a las civilizaciones preincaicas que poblaron la región. Los incas, con su avanzada arquitectura y sistemas agrícolas, dejaron un legado perdurable. En la actualidad, los indígenas, que a menudo hablan el quechua, mantienen su identidad cultural, contribuyendo al rico tapiz étnico del país. La lengua quechua, además de ser una parte esencial de la herencia peruana, es hablada por millones de personas en toda la región andina.

Perú, con su pasado enigmático y su presente vibrante, es una nación que cautiva a quienes la visitan. Desde las imponentes ruinas de Machu Picchu hasta la energía contagiosa de sus festivales, la riqueza lingüística del quechua y sus maravillas arqueológicas, Perú es inigualable. La fusión de historia, tradición y belleza natural convierte a este país en un tesoro que resplandece en la diversidad de su gente y su entorno.

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LA ESQUINA LATINA EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Zoë Kaiser Giselle Zelaya LA ESQUINA LATINA WRITERS Lukas Barbieri Yahaira Barrero Salomé Betancur Jaleih Cruz Bia da Silva Elizabeth Duarte Axel Henrriquez David Goulding Rose Kepka Jamie Lozada-McBride Naila Romero-Alston Maia Turpen Marta Vasquez Dylan Warren Jason Youm MANAGING LA ESQUINA LATINA ART EDITORS Yahaira Barrero LA ESQUINA LATINA ARTISTS Margarita Contreras Amaya Maria Espinal Angela Martinez-Gonzalez Evie Orcutt Kimberly Solis Jaime Lozada-McBride Cindis Hernandez LA ESQUINA LATINA ADVISER Maria Eugenia Tanos

Por Maia Turpen Columnista En un giro arqueológico que ha dejado a expertos y entusiastas perplejos, Perú ha vuelto a iluminar las páginas de su historia ancestral con el descubrimiento de 73 cabezas falsas de momias en una excavación reveladora. Estas réplicas meticulosamente elaboradas, que datan de una época aún por determinar, han arrojado nueva luz sobre las prácticas funerarias y las creencias culturales de las antiguas civilizaciones que poblaron esta tierra de maravillas. Este descubrimiento,

FOTO CORTESÍA DE ALAZNE GOVIER

LUCHANDO PARA GANAR Rebecca Balladeras jugando en un torneo en nueva jersey.

Rebbecca comenzó a jugar rugby cuando tenía 12 años con sus hermanos. Ella explica, “Cuando mis hermanos estaban en la escuela secundaria de Good Counsel, yo vi la comunidad de rugby y yo quise ser parte de eso.” Sus hermanos y su familia son una gran parte de su éxito y la han apoyado en todos los sentidos.“ Mi familia no viene de mucho dinero, mis padres han tenido que coger trabajos adicionales para poder viajar y participar en todas las oportunidades que me han ofrecido,” Balladares dijo.

Su experiencia jugando con el equipo nacional de rugby de Estados Unidos en Nueva Zelanda ha sido su mayor logro. “Mi experiencia viajando con USA rugby a Nueva Zelanda fue una gran lección de humildad, he tenido la oportunidad de jugar con niñas a niveles avanzados y viendo como ellas en-

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el 31 de enero de 2024 La Esquina Latina C4

La caída de Omegle

Los peligros de la falta de supervisión en el mundo virtual Por Yahaira Barrero y Zoë Kaiser Escritora & Editora-en-Jefe ADVERTENCIA: Menciones de pornografía infantil y abuso Cuando sólo aparecen nombres de pila, se han utilizado seudónimos para proteger la identidad de los estudiantes.

Le dije a mi mamá lo que pasó y llamamos a la policía y me quitaron la computadora.

DOLLY

El internet ha abierto puertas entre poblaciones, individuos y negocios, permitiendo potenciar la conexión y oportunidades para el usuario. Pero con el crecimiento de la red, la falta de barreras en línea permite al mismo tiempo la explotación de individuos vulnerables que utilizan la red. De hecho, el sitio de web Omegle cerró permanentemente el ocho de noviembre de 2023, a causa del acoso sexual hacia niños y adolocentes que ocurrió a través de la plataforma.

Desde su lanzamiento en 2009, su lema, “¡Habla con extraños!”, invitó a todos quienes querían usar el sitio a discutir, hablar, reír o cantar con cualquier persona que estaba usando el sitio al mismo tiempo.. El sitio incluía opciones para chatear y para hacer skip en las conversaciones. Con 23.5 millones de personas usando la plataforma semanalmente, la novedad de abrir

una computadora para hablar con un extraño atrajo a una diversa cantidad de usuarios. Había usuarios internacionales de varias edades, con un rango de opiniones, así que, por un momento, Omegle adoptó un ambiente emocionante y nuevo.

Pero las malas intenciones de una minoría en las plataformas, compuesto de pedófilos, abusadores, y explotadores, con la ventaja del anonimato, arruinó el breve instante de conexión sana.

“les gustan la mirada asqueada, las chicas pareciendo asustadas”.

Usualmente, el usuario depredador practica actos sexuales en frente de la camara, enseña un video explícito en su pantalla o hace comentarios inapropriados. Este tipo de interacción nociva es casi inevitable cuando un usuario quiere usar Omegle. Otro estudiante de Blair, Kerri Smith, describe su primer encuentro en Omegle. “Estaba con uno de mis amigos y estábamos en Omegle y vimos a este pequeño niño [realizando un acto sexual con] este hombre.

Fue horrible”.

Un estudiante anónimo de

Para nuestra generación, las experiencias traumáticas a través del internet son comunes, ya sea que haya sido una experiencia en Omegle o en otra red social. Para Eji Conger, un estudiante de Blair, Omegle ofreció interacciones horribles. Conger dice, “Chicos blancos me llamaban la palabra “N” y recibo eso con frecuencia [en Omegle]”. Además, Conger habla sobre los usuarios pervertidos que usan el sitio para obtener placer,

Blair, con el apodo Dolly, habla sobre su experiencia. En el verano de su octavo grado, Dolly, empezó a hablar con frecuencia con un hombre al que Dolly conocía de Omegle, en forma de chat y llamadas de video. “Básicamente hubo cierta manipulación y me tomaron fotos de estas cosas y no sabía que me estaban grabando”, Dolly explica. “Luego me los mostraron como chantaje para decir ciertas cosas en frente de la cámara”.

Dolly dice, ”corrí hacia el cuarto de mi madre. Estaba llorando; lloriqueaba, sollozaba. Estaba enloqueciendo y asustada. Y le dije a mi mamá lo que pasó y llamamos a la policía y me quitaron la computadora”. El impacto que este trauma causó nunca se resolvió, cada día Dolly

tiene que vivir con esta experiencia. “Dormí con la puerta cerrada durante mucho tiempo. Cambié todo sobre mí, definitivamente ha cambiado la forma en que percibo a otras personas y la forma en que me percibo a mí misma”, Dolly explica.

La caída de Omegle sirve como un aviso a todos los que navegan el internet que existen peligros que esperan en redes sociales o sitios de web con millones de usuarios. Dolly dice, “Estoy muy feliz porque está cerrado. Esto ya no le puede ocurrir a nadie más”.

MERCEDES RAMOS

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Santos. profesional que fue el primer jugador caribeño y 7. Muchos piensan que el brasileño ____ es el 5. Don ___ es uno de los representantes más es un jugador deenbásquetbol mejor jugador la historia del fútbol. latino a ganar importantes del genero musical reggaeton. la serie del mundo.

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January 31, 2024 Features D1/D2

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Neglected needs

Story by Auden Seigel and Nikki Tjiputra Art by Dami Kim Design by Eloise Carter and Keelin Pegg

Students struggle to get accommodations, some teachers reluctant to comply O

Federal policies such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) all guarantee disability rights within schools.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act established 504 plans, while IEPs stem from the IDEA. Jeremy Abarno, an educational consultant who coaches school leaders and heads of districts and networks on academic strategy in New York, explains that both plans secure the fairness of all students’ education. “[An] IEP or 504 plan allow[s] people with [physical and neurological] differences [to] participate fully, ideally, [and] totally in the educational process so that they can achieve the levels of their peers,” he says.

While 504 and IEP plans are similar, the important distinction is that 504s work to provide accommodations to students with disabilities in order for them to access everything other students can, whereas an IEP works to meet students’ needs to create meaningful academic progress in their learning.

Due to this distinction, the plans differ in the process for obtaining them. Shannon Farmer, the Section 504 coordinator of MCPS and former special education teacher, explains that the requirements for IEP

It’s not that students with accommodations are less capable, they just need those accommodations to be able to show what they know. So it’s really important that as teachers, we provide that.

Inaction at Blair

504s and IEPs together create a long, varying list of accommodations that teachers may have to implement depending on the learning disability of the student.

These vary from allowing for extended test time to speaking into a microphone connected to a student’s earpiece.

Many students at Blair have expressed their dissatisfaction with the way their accommodations have been handled. Blair senior Rivkah Gold, who has an IEP, states that teachers often make excuses to justify not giving several accommodations. “Teachers are supposed to give me a copy of notes. They’ll often be like ‘these notes are optional’ or ‘these notes are not a grade’ and treat that as an excuse not to give me the notes,” she says.

IEPs are more specific in their eligibility criteria compared to 504s. Farmer explains the distinction between what qualifies for a 504 versus an IEP. “Under IDEA there are 13 disability categories,” she says.

Those include autism, blindness, deafness, intellectual disability, speech or language impairment, and more.

“Under Section 504 [the qualifications are] much wider, meaning that it can vary. In order for [a disability] to be qualifying, it must substantially limit a major life

activity,” Farmer says. Gold qualifies for an IEP with her specific learning disability.

Blair senior Savannah Brown, who is deaf, says that she has had some issues regarding teachers not turning on closed captions in videos. “We had three different assignments on three different movies that we were supposed to watch in class, and there were no captions in the movies. And they made no effort, they just said ‘Oh, just go ahead and do the assignment.’ That happened on three separate occasions,” she says.

Ewing struggled when some teachers forced him to do assignments on paper, despite his accommodation to do work online. “I can’t write well for long periods of time, because of … issues with my hands, and they still continue to give me paper assignments, writing assignments, and not have me do it on the computer, and then not have an online version,” he says.

Dahlia Barnds, a former Blair student who transitioned to homeschooling, feels some Blair teachers did not know how to deal with students who needed accommodations. “Some of the teachers didn’t seem equipped to deal with non-neurotypical students who didn’t understand the way they were explaining [the material],” she says.

“When I got confused, they just re-explained it to me the same way that they had before.”

Blair sophomores Casey Pendergast and Emmeline Brown, who both have accommodations, founded the Blair Disability Rights and Support Club to create a space for students to talk about their disabilities as well as discuss how to fix these issues with accommodations at Blair. “I wanted to create a community that would make people feel safe and like their voices are heard regardless of what their diagnosis might be.

Also to sort of facilitate the work that Blair is doing for the disabled community because it’s an issue that’s really not talked about enough,” Pendergast says.

In their meetings, they share ideas for projects and goals for the year. “One project will actually be starting this week, [which] is working on petitioning the school to replace the elevator as it has in the past, and continually had issues with functioning. So we’re going to try and get that fixed,” Ari Joshi, a club member, says. Another goal the club has is creating an easily accessible resource with information for students with disabilities, all having personal experience with the complexities of the 504 and IEP plan. “We’d like to … create a guide for kids with 504s and IEP plans to try to help support them,” Brown says. The founders of the Blair Disabilities Rights Club are just a few of many students in MCPS that are not satisfied with the 504 and IEP process, as well as the implementation of accommodations in classrooms.

Blair staff

GRAPHIC BY AUDEN SEIGEL AND NIKKI TJIPUTRA| DATA COURTESY OF SHANNON FARMER

LACK OF RESOURCES There are 9,131 students deemed eligible for accomodations through an MCPS 504 plan eligibility meeting. MCPS has budgeted four positions to support the 504 process.

Though some staff do not always implement accommodations adequately, the reason is not that they are unprepared. Teachers at Blair go through multiple trainings at the start of every year in order to prepare to meet students’ needs the best they can. Some teachers also take classes over the summer that teach them how to better serve their students. Blair math teacher Hannah Coleman, who has taken these classes to improve her teaching practices, believes there are sufficient resources available to properly train teachers to deal with accommodations. “I can say that I feel adequately prepared [with] the resources that we’re given. I personally feel like I know how to administer accommodations and know what to do,” she says. “The resources are there and teachers are able to access those things.”

Still, when it comes to the classroom, Coleman explains that dealing with accommodations can be overwhelming. “There’s a lot to keep track of at any given moment within a classroom,” Coleman says.

Tony Mensah, Blair’s Resource Teacher of Special

Education, explains that challenges come from all students, not just those with accommodations. “[Education] is the hardest profession. Every day you come in and you are going to see a variety of different students with a variety of different needs and you are trying to address them to the best of your ability,” he says.

“Now, you are trying to provide accommodations. It is a daunting task.” However, Mensah believes that there are not any concrete issues with the implementation of accommodations at Blair. “Do I see something that’s

ble, they just need those accommodations to be able to show what they know. So it’s really important that as teachers, we provide that,” she says.

Inconsistencies

compared to IEPs, which Farmer connects to the difficulties she encounters as Section 504 Coordinator.

“There is funding associated with IDEA and special education that states are provided every single year,” she says. “Section 504 does not have that. There is no funding provided to school districts around that, which makes it very difficult considering there are still a lot of supports and services that need to be provided.”

Even when teachers and support staff make their best efforts to ensure that accommodations are met, there are barriers in the application process itself. The process of applying and receiving an accommodation is full of variability. Families first request an evaluation for an initial eligibility meeting, which MCPS must schedule in less than 30 days immediately following There is no funding provided to the initial request. Once it is determined which accommodation plan the student qualifies for, a team school districts around [Section is assembled to create the plan. 504s are created by 504,] which makes it very a team of people familiar with the child, which may include a parent, teacher, or principal. However, IEPs difficult considering there are are created by an IEP team which is comprised of and still a lot of supports and legally must include a parent, teacher, special education teacher, a professional specializing in the student’s services that need disability, and district representative. to be provided.

Farmer notes that a problem that often occurs during the planning process, is that teachers do not see a need for accommodations for a student who appears to be doing well with schoolwork yet struggles in other ways outside of school. “You might have a child that Moving forward has straight A’s, and [the student appears] to school Ultimately, students with disabilities are frustrated staff in their interactions with the student that they are with the fact that their accommodations are not always not substantially limited in a major life activity. How- met. Ewing says that for progress to be made with reever, the parents, when the child comes home from luctant teachers, stricter rules must be imposed. “[Get] school, see a completely different child. They see a teachers to be more compliant with actually listening child falling apart,” she says. “[It is] hard to put accom- to 504s and IEPs. At least for IEPs, I feel like there’s modations in place for something at school when the not enough discipline [for] teachers to actually listen,” school is not seeing the need.” he says.

However, Mensah explains that he aims for Blair Even before accommodations are obtained, Pendstudents to play a role in helping evaluate what accom- ergast wishes MCPS would take full responsibility for modations they need. “Student input is a factor. When making 504s and IEPs available to people of all backI have [IEP] meetings, I strongly encourage students to grounds. “Make things accessible,” she says. “It’s not be there, because hearing their voice is really import- that difficult in this day and age to make information ant in what we do in determining their future,” he says. as clear as it can be. A lot of families, whether they Sometimes, the difficult process toward gaining an come from financially rocky backgrounds, or they are accommodation and the inconsistencies in their im- immigrants, won’t know where to go or who to turn plementation can cause families to drop out of public to to help their kids, and a lot of students fall through school and transition to homeschooling or a private the cracks.” school. For Chene Barnds, Dahlia Barnds’ sibling, the Blair junior Caroline Bathon, who has a 504, agrees pressure of school ultimately led them to transition to that MCPS needs to work to ensure that accommodahomeschooling. “[School work] eventually just piled tions are accessible and implemented well by teachers. up and the pressure … where it’s like, ‘this assign- “[Addressing] it needs to come from MCPS as a whole ment is gonna determine the rest of your life, and if and the top-down,” Bathon says. you don’t do it perfectly, you’re gonna die,’” they say.

Bathon hopes that in the future, MCPS doubles Chene Barnds felt very relieved to transition to home- down on teachers following through with accommodaschool after going to Blair. “I meant to stay home for tions. “I would like MCPS to have a stricter policy in a day. Then, as soon as I wasn’t going to school, it was just such a relief. That day turned into a week and then place for teachers following this and being very clear to them that it is not an optional situation. You must do that week turned into two weeks.”

Farmer acknowledges that there are difficulties that it,” she says. “[Teachers] shouldn’t be following them arise in creating 504 plans and implementing them in just because they are MCPS policies, but because it is what is best for their students.”

MCPS, where there are 9,131 students who have been deemed eligible for a 504 plan through an eligibility meeting with the county. For those 9,131 5. Written plans are passed onto trained teachers who students, MCPS budgets just four positions to assist begin to implement accommodations in the classevery school, parent, and student in the 504 process: one coordinator, Farmer, and three instrucroom. Accommodations can change based on foltional specialists. MCPS Superintendent Monifa low-up evaluations using feedback on the student.

McKight’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025 will eliminate two of the three instructional specialist positions next year, leaving just two people to manage the 504 process.

4. Once the student has been deemed eligible for an The lack of financial reaccommodation, their specific accommodation plan— sources allocated to these positions in MCPS’ Central 504 or IEP—is written by an accommodation team.

Office only emphasizes the insufficient funding for 504s

SHANNON FARMER

504s and IEPs

plans are clear cut. “[IDEA] is very long, they have very specific provisions, very specific requirements that [are] laid out,” she says. Teachers are legally required under the IDEA to provide students with an IEP the accommodations outlined in their plans.

For 504s, Farmer explains how there is more gray area within the process of receiving a plan and implementing it. “Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is literally a paragraph long, so it does not cite specific things that need to be done,” she says.

HANNAH COLEMAN

n his first day of sophomore year, Bee Ewing was not able to take the school bus to Blair. Instead, he had to take a wheelchair-accessible Uber. Due to his disability, Ewing is unable to use the traditional school bus that MCPS is required to provide. While Ewing has an accommodation that requires an accessible bus to transport him, it was not fulfilled at the beginning of the school year. Instead of getting free transportation to and from school, Ewing had to pay $20 per trip. “Uber is just expensive and it was really not convenient, because it would take a while for the Uber to get [to my house],” he says.

Ewing is not the only student to face difficulties with accommodations, as many MCPS students face these obstacles everyday.

Student accommodations are adaptations or changes to an educational environment that help students overcome barriers presented by their disability. MCPS offers accommodations such as extensions on tests and assignments, note taking assistance, sign language interpreters, and many more which level the playing field for students with disabilities. However, due to the lengthy 504 and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) application process and teachers reluctant to comply, some students have found their accommodations have not been fulfilled appropriately.

materially wrong? No, I do not. I see a lot of caring people in the building who want to support kids,” he says.

Mensah reiterates that if a student is unsatisfied with how their needs are being supported, staff at Blair is there to help. “If the struggles [with learning] relate to not receiving the supports that they should be receiving in the classroom, then you can rest assured that I will work with my colleagues [and] with administration to make sure that those needs are addressed,” he says. Mensah runs the special education department and is responsible for ensuring that there are teachers available to support classes with students with IEPs. Makeyda Soriano, the resource counselor at Blair, explains that in the case of a teacher not following an accommodation plan, administration would respond in accordance with MCPS protocol. “If the case manager of the plan, which is the school counselor, is 3. Input on the student’s performance in school is made aware of a teacher not providing an accommodation legally, then the school counselor and the adgiven by teachers and counselors. ministrator would follow up with that teacher and their resource teacher,” she says. “The resource teacher would support that teacher in ensuring that the accommodation is understood and provided, because it’s a legal mandate.”

Coleman recognizes that teach2. Data is collected through testing done on the stuers have an important responsibility in giving all their students a chance dent to determine the extent of their disability. to succeed. “It’s not that students with accommodations are less capa-

1. Request an evaluation for an initial eligibility meeting. MCPS has 30 days to schedule the meeting.

The path to accommodations

D3 Features January 31, 2024

Silver Spring stage and screen

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Downtown venues attract diverse audiences

By Naomi Andelman Staff Writer

THE FILLMORE The concert space’s bar area features eye-catching wall art.

where it was a bunch of big names, and then after a while, it just kind of plateaued and we were doing okay,” he says. “But once [artists] realized how good our team was and the amenities that we had here, word of mouth travels fast, and they’re like ‘you should definitely make your stop to come to The Fillmore.’”

In addition to these big acts, The Fillmore hosts many budding artists. “[The Fillmore will] be the first marketplay of a lot of up and coming artists,” Laura Cross, The Fillmore Marketing Manager, says.

“I think that this is a great venue to see artists that are going to be those next arena acts, stadium acts, and it’s kind of your time to see them in a more intimate setting.”

It is being in this area, which is so culturally diverse, that really ensures that the programming that we do is so well received by so many members of the community.

JAVIER CHAVEZ

In the heart of Downtown Silver Spring, The Fillmore Silver Spring and American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center sit across from each other on Colesville Road. Both the concert space and historic movie theater create a space for concert-goers and cinephiles alike, reaching audiences far beyond Silver Spring, even past the Washington, D.C. area, and in some cases, outside the country.

The Fillmore Silver Spring opened in September 2011 and is a branch of The Fillmore San Francisco. The AFI Silver is an art house theater, playing independent films and classics in addition to new releases. The cinema operates out of what was the Silver Theatre, which opened in 1938. The theater closed in 1985 and remained emp-

ty until a renovation project began in 2001 before opening as AFI Silver in 2003.

Both venues have visually stunning atmospheres, differentiating them from other theaters and concert spaces. The AFI Silver’s ArtDeco style main theater is a work of art in itself and holds approximately 400 seats. Upstairs are projectors that can show 35 and 70 millimeter film in the main theater, a rare feature in cinemas today. The Fillmore’s 2,000 person capacity space holds chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and street art on the walls.

Backstage are painted bricks commemorating sold out shows, with names like Ariana Grande, Post Malone, Travis Scott, J.Cole, and SZA lining the walls.

Julio Bernal, Security Manager at The Fillmore, believes that big name artists are drawn by the venue’s hospitality. “When we first started, we had that initial pop

Whether to see artists big or small, The Fillmore draws in concert-goers from all over, helping to bolster activity in the Downtown Silver Spring area. “When the rumors were coming around that they were building [The Fillmore], the hype started building, it made [Downtown Silver Spring] a destination stop,” Bernal says. “We’ve had people say, ‘Oh, I came from England just to watch a show.’ They come here, they enjoy the restaurants [and] the little bit of shopping

PHOTOS BY KENEAN BIZUWORK

AFI SILVER Outside the historic Downtown Silver Spring theater. that we have here. We put life into this area.”

The AFI Silver also hosts nonlocals for their various film festivals, including the African, Latin American, European Union (EU), Irish, Caribbean, and Noir Festivals.

AFI Silver Associate Film Programmer Javier Chavez recounts the tremendous reach that some of their most popular festivals have.

“For [the Noir festival] we have people who fly from other states here to come watch the films,” he says. “[The EU festival] probably gets the most amount of people that come out, like several thousand people over about three weeks.”

Besides bringing in out-of-towners, the festivals also draw in local crowds. The AFI’s wide range of films takes Silver Spring’s diversity into account, bringing success to the theater. “It is being in this area, which is so culturally diverse, that really ensures that the programming that we do is so well received by so many members of the community,” Chavez says.

The Fillmore also finds success in hosting events across genres.

“People say that the DMV is such

a melting pot of … race, age, religion, [and] music genre. We kind of cater to everyone, so I feel like any given month on our calendar, pretty much anyone in the DMV can find something that they would want to come to. I feel like our success is kind of in the diversity of our calendar,” Cross says.

Blair junior Fiona Muir notes that the mix of shows contributes to the appeal of The Fillmore, which is just 10 minutes away from Blair.

“It definitely has a good variety of artists [and] a bunch of good people come,” she says.

Both establishments, however wide their reach, create intimate experiences for their patrons. “Instead of being lost in a crowd of 10,000 you’re lost in a crowd of 2,000,” Bernal says of The Fillmore.

The AFI Silver creates connections through their craft as well.

“I really love film. I believe film is an empathy machine, it’s a way to bring people together,” Chavez says. “So when I’m able to work with my team, to show a film that can impact someone’s life … that’s really rewarding.”

January 31, 2024 Features D4

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Support for the Purple Line wanes Wayne Avenue residents face ongoing construction

By Ethan de Brauw and Zachary Karp Staff Writers

I make a conscious effort to … not walk along what had been the backbone of our neighborhood ... I don’t see how our area will ever recover.

CHRIS RICHARDSON

“I had my doubts from the beginning,” Mansfield Road resident Chris Weiss says. “When I first heard about the Purple Line, I thought there was no way it was going to be on budget and on time, and it certainly hasn’t [been].”

Weiss lives just an intersection away from Wayne Avenue, a Silver Spring road that has undergone extensive Purple Line construction for the past seven years.

A 16-mile light rail line running from Bethesda to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County, the Purple Line began construction in 2017 and has caused consistent issues since. Throughout the process, workers have had to cut down trees, move parking lots, cut off sidewalks, and in January 2023, close two out of four lanes on Wayne Avenue. The project—initially projected to cost $5.5 billion and finish in 2022—now costs more than $9.4 billion and counting and is expected to finish in 2027.

To negotiate with the county on behalf of community members concerned about Purple Line construction, the Park Hills Civic Association (PHCA), a Silver Spring civic organization stretching from Sligo Creek Parkway to Dale Drive, joined the Residential Wayne Avenue Group for Purple Line Design (RWAGPLD), a multi-civic cooperative of four such associations operating along Wayne Avenue.

In response to issues with Purple Line construction, the RWAGPLD has brokered solutions with its designers. “We were successful in getting the county to invest more money into reengineering the Purple Line at the schools crossing Wayne [Avenue] and Dale [Drive], so what you can’t see is the fact that [we negotiated] it [to be] slightly narrower—a little less impassable [of an] intersection,” former PHCA president Chris Richardson says. “[We negotiated it to have] just a little bit more buffer space for part of that strip, and some other engineering improvements that make it a better design.”

Richardson believes Purple Line construction has had a devastating effect on local ecology.

“It’s … galling [to see] signs that say ‘greener future’ [or] ‘Purple Line, greener future.’ It’s hard to see what’s green about it when [you see] the hellishness of walking along the Purple Line way.

It’s completely devoid of trees,” Richardson says. “During the hot summertime, I make a conscious effort to … not walk along what had been the backbone of our neigh-

borhood. I feel like it’s completely lost; I don’t see how our area will ever recover.”

Silver Spring International Middle School (SSIMS) PTSA officer Paul Guinnessy, who lives on Deerfield Avenue, notes that noise from Wayne Avenue construction efforts can reach his house at high volumes from over a block away.

“Sometimes inside the house, I can clock 85 decibels of construction [noise] while it’s going on outside due to the Purple Line,” he says.

“That’s the reason I had to buy noise-canceling headphones; [it’s] because when I’m on calls with my office, it’s just too distracting to have thumping construction [outside]. It’s going on for eight hours while you’re trying to work.”

Purple Line construction is especially disruptive for students attending SSIMS and Sligo Creek Elementary School (SCES), both of which are situated along Wayne Avenue. “There are multiple routes to take [to the school], and there have been times this school year when none of the routes were accessible without passing underneath giant construction equipment,” Wayne Avenue resident and SCES parent Jen Kidwell says.

Mansfield Road resident and SCES parent Ashley Briefel believes that roadside hazards along Wayne Avenue hamper her children’s ability to safely travel to school. “I think we feel a little frustrated about how long this is going to be ongoing, how long it has already been ongoing, and … that there just doesn’t seem to be

a whole lot of concern for the fact that kids are traveling to and from school all the time across this construction zone,” she says.

Maryland State Delegate Lorig Charkoudian believes Purple Line construction delays are due to the public-private partnership between the state of Maryland and Maryland Transit Solutions, the group of civil contracting firms assembled to construct the Purple Line. “[Purple Line construction] is a public-private partnership, and I think that that is a huge mistake; I don’t think that we should have done that,” Charkoudian says in an interview with Silver Chips. “The theory behind a public-private partnership is that the private company takes on the risk and the public gets the benefit. But the reality

is [that] there’s never going to be a private company whose interest is shareholder returns that is going to take on a risk for the public.”

Despite inconveniences caused by construction, many residents along Wayne Avenue believe the future benefits of the Purple Line outweigh its present difficulties. “I think public transportation is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure [when] living in an urban environment … there’s a lot of things that I’m looking forward to,” Kidwell says. But the future of construction remains unclear: “Assuming it ever opens and it actually functions when it does,” she clarifies.

PHOTO BY MARIN LEDERER

WAYNE AVENUE A school bus drives past Purple Line construction in front of Silver Spring International Middle School.

Maryland program creates Service Year Option

By Carina Nicodemus Staff Writer Maryland Governor Wes Moore has spent his life in service as an Army captain and the CEO of the largest poverty fighting non-profit in New York: Robinhood. Now, as Maryland’s top executive, Moore is hoping to entice high school graduates to serve their communities as well.

The Serving Every Region Through Vocational Exploration (SERVE) Act, spearheaded by Moore in April, created a program that provides high school graduates with the opportunity of a paid service year to help their communities.

As the first state-based service year program in the U.S., the Maryland Service Year Option is similar to other nationwide programs such as AmeriCorp, YouthBuild, and Teach for America that connect people to volunteer services across the country.

Moore describes the new program as a new post-secondary pathway for Maryland high school graduates.

“People now know that when they graduate from high

school, they can go on to the workforce, they can go onto college, they can go on to trade school, they can go on to the military, but we now in Maryland have a new option. And that is to serve the state of Maryland, and we’ll help you do it,” Moore says in an interview with Silver Chips.

The SERVE Act created the Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI) to oversee the program, which helps young Maryland citizens find paths in impactful public service and equip participants with skills needed in the workforce. Participants are paired to work with a host site, which can be a government office, non-profit, or for-profit organization, that matches their interests.

They also focus on professional development by attending regional trainings to develop skills for the workforce and are mentored by a success coach. Day to day, participants do desk work, interact with the community, and lead and manage projects for their organization.

Any Maryland high school graduate ages 18 to 21 can apply for the service year.

The program accepted its inaugural

CHIKARA YAMAGISHI

COURTESY OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

THE INAUGURAL GROUP Wes Moore addresses crowd at the Service Year Option’s kick-off ceremony at the University of Maryland. group of 200 applicants and officially launched at the end of October. The SERVE Act mandates that the program expand to 2,000 graduates by 2028. Participants of the program will work at least 30 hours a week and be paid $15 an hour. Additionally, at the end of the year, there is a stipend of $6,000 that can be applied to tuition.

Gaithersburg resident Sam Wallace is a current participant in the Service Year Option and applied to the program to have a productive and meaningful gap year. Wallace is partnered with Cross Community, a non-profit based in Gaithersburg that works to advance resource and opportunity access for low income families in Montgomery County. “Everything that I have experienced

thus far has been overwhelmingly positive, from the mentorship that I’ve been receiving, the people that I’ve met, the opportunities that I’ve been afforded, as well as interactions that I’ve had with people around the community,” he says.

“Not only are we being given a service, but we’re serving others at the same time … we’re helping others by helping ourselves, and that idea seems almost paradoxical, but it’s extremely effective.”

Paul Monteiro, the secretary of DSCI, sees the Service Year Option as a beneficial resource for all graduates who are unsure of their next steps. “We want to make sure people are leaving our program with a clearer sense of what’s next for them and their role in the state,” Monteiro says in an interview with Silver Chips.

“These are future leaders of communities. These are future leaders of Maryland, and people that are more connected to help improve our collective state.”

One reason program participant Justin Peleska believes the program is so rewarding is because he sees his impact in the community. “One thing I truly can take away from this is that there is a need out there that needs to be fixed. And I want to do something further, that is going to deplete that need, so that Maryland can thrive,” he says.

Peleska currently is partnered with the non-profit Love Wins Movement, which runs food pantries and addiction recovery centers in Anne Arundel County.

Looking toward the future of the Service Year Option, Monteiro hopes to promote the program to the graduating class of 2024 as they plan their post-secondary lives.

“One of the things I’m most excited about for 2024 is that we can really share this opportunity with seniors while they’re still in school,” he says. “So that as they’re thinking about what comes next, after that walk across the stage, we can offer this opportunity as an option before they make other choices.”

Moore describes the appeal of the program as a way to help oneself and one’s community. “This is going to be a long term investment in your career and you’re going to be serving a society that needs you,” Moore says. “I believe strongly, that in this time of political divisiveness, where everyone is just trying to prove a political point, that service could actually help save us.”

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D5 Features January 31, 2024

Blair teacher visits White House to discuss AI’s role in education

By Laila Andelman and Evelyn Goldin Staff Writers

[AI] is something that students need to learn because it is impacting their lives. It’s shaping the way they think and the relationships that they make.

NORA BURKHAUSER

In some Blair classes, teachers are open about their disdain for artificial intelligence (AI), while in others it goes without saying that using machine learning like ChatGPT is forbidden. However, there is one class that does not shy away from AI, and in fact embraces it. In Room 328, students are hard at work coding programs and exploring the intricacies of AI. Nora Burkhauser, who stands at the front of the class, teaches Introduction to AI at Blair, which discusses the ever-changing technology with human-like capabilities.

The class covers coding with Python, machine learning and algorithms, and using datasets in order to train models. Burkhauser began teaching the class in 2021, and given AI’s constant evolution, the class adapts new concepts and implements them into its curriculum. With the introduction of ChatGPT, the class has had a larger emphasis on language models.

Though the course does not entail building an original AI model, students investigate models and explore their complexities.

Given AI’s widespread usage, Burkhauser believes the Introduction to AI class is helpful for all students, regardless of their interest in STEM. “[AI] is used for everything. So regardless of what your major is going to be, even like English majors or history majors … everybody [will use it] in one way or another,” Burkhauser says.

Burkhauser received an invi-

tation to participate in a White House event on Dec. 5 called “Teaching Inclusive AI in Computer Science.” The program took place during the Computer Science Teacher Association’s (CSTA) Computer Science Education Week, which intends to spotlight the growing field. “CSTA and the National Science Foundation put this group of people together to bring a spotlight or put a spotlight on AI education … [Policy advisors and government officers] were summarizing what their particular organization was doing in regards to AI,” Burkhauser says.

The program included panel discussions, keynote presentations, and speakers ranging from policy advisors to Amazon and Google executives. Burkhauser spoke on a panel titled “Voices From the Field: Educator Perspectives,” which consisted of four computer science teachers and a digital integration specialist.

Burkhauser was invited to participate because of her work on the frontier of AI education and her

active involvement in CSTA. “We have CSTA Maryland, and I’m one of the leaders for that … so at the national level, they had a conversation about who are the teachers that are doing stuff with AI and inclusivity, and so forth. My name came up,” Burkhauser says.

In addition to the conference, Burkhauser had the opportunity to lobby congress members about AI in education, and encouraged them to more heavily consider education when creating budgets.

Along with MCPS teachers Steffany Gonzalez Lizama and Heather Minneman, Burkhauser is creating a brand new AI class. The BOE has approved the course for a pilot, and some teachers have volunteered to pilot the lessons. The new course aims to be more accessible than the one she currently teaches. “The course that I’m teaching [at Blar] is specialized and expects a higher level of math and a lot of prior computer science experience.

This [course] will be more generalized so that all students will have it available to them, so that’s pretty exciting,” Burkhauser says.

As AI becomes more prominent in academic settings, some have raised concerns about its potential ramifications. Derek Willis, a lecturer in Data Journalism at the University of Maryland, notes that a problem with the growing use of AI among students is that they are too reliant on it and do not question the answers it gives them. “The problems that I see are problems of students being too credulous [and] too willing to accept the output of the generator of AI, and just sort of say[ing], ‘This is what it told me to do,’” Willis says.

PHOTO BY ANAGHA BHUVANAGIRI

BURKHAUSER TEACHES The Blair teacher runs an introduction to AI course.

Beyond academia, another problem that arises from AI is the increase of disinformation online, which can include deepfakes, which are essentially forgeries created using machine learning. According to a 2023 Pew Research study, only 42 percent of Americans were able to correctly identify what a deepfake was, while 50 percent said they were unsure.

However, classes like Burkhauser’s can help to combat the ignorance surrounding AI by demystifying concepts. This is increasingly important as AI becomes more ingrained into society. The AI market is expected to reach $407 billion in 2027, a 368 percent increase from 2022. “[AI] is something that students need to learn because it is impacting their lives. It’s shaping the way they think and the relationships that they make,” Burkhauser

says.

Blair senior Alma Zhong, who took Burkhauser’s AI course, says that gaining an understanding of the developing technology is critical. “I do think that the biggest goal that we have with artificial intelligence is to increase its [accuracy]. And so with that, we actually do need to strengthen our own knowledge and we need to innovate ourselves,” she says.

Burkhauser believes that it is imperative to educate students about AI given its influence. “What’s happened in the past year is eye opening, in that AI is changing the world … We have to be aware of it, so the more we know about it, the better.”

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January 31, 2024 Features D6

Women’s Rights March On Jan. 20, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. for the annual Women’s Rights March before marching to the White House. The march, held since 2017 on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, advocates for a variety of issues including reproductive freedoms, healthcare, education, and autonomy for women in the U.S. This year the theme was “Bigger than Roe” with a focus on abortion rights and the upcoming election year.

The rally was quickly disrupted by anti-abortion counter-protesters. After several speeches by pro-abortion rights presenters, verbal disagreements erupted and there was a physical brawl between a counter-protester and a protester. The counter-protester was removed by police, who trailed the rest of the event to prevent any more incidents.

PHOTOS BY ANAGHA BHUVANAGIRI

Local animal shelters face overcrowding

By Keelin Pegg Staff Writer

My sense just seeing that fosters are full, that the shelter is continually full—that tells me [it’s] bad.

STEPHANIE DEMOSS

Animal advocate Jill Barsky is desperate for someone to hear her pleas for help. “We are at more than crisis level,” she says, referencing the current overcrowding of animal shelters in Maryland.

The founder of Tailed Treasures of Maryland, a nonprofit rescue and trapping organization, Barsky has dedicated much of her life to rescuing animals, bearing witness to the serious plight currently facing rescue organizations. “It’s not talked about enough. [I would] if I could stand on my soapbox and scream it to the world that we are so overcrowded,” Barsky says.

The crisis facing the county is evident at Montgomery County’s county-run animal shelter in Derwood. Signs on the door read that the state of the shelter’s capacity is “critical” and “dangerously full.”

Inside, it is hard to find even one empty crate or cage. In light of the current overpopulation crisis, all adoption fees for animals in Montgomery County have been waived since Nov. 8.

For most in the animal community, it is clear that there is a serious problem. Stephanie DeMoss, a Silver Spring based cat rescue and Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) volunteer has also noticed this trend.

“My sense just seeing that fosters are full, that the shelter is continually full—that tells me [it’s] bad,” she says.

Montgomery County is not alone—nationwide, animal shelters and rescues are more full than they have been in years. Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit that tracks animal shelter statistics, estimates that there are nearly 250,000 more pets in U.S. animal shelters this holiday

season than there were at the same time in 2022. “Shelters are now entering their fourth consecutive year of too many animals coming in and not enough going back out into the community. So while this may not be the worst things have ever been, it is the worst they’ve been in many years,” Emily Tolliver, the Director of Communications and Design at Shelter Animals Counts, writes in an email to Silver Chips. “There is a lot that is currently impacting shelter populations—lack of staff, lack of volunteers, a veterinarian shortage, inflation, and much more. It’s many factors adding up to create this perfect storm.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has played a major role in the overcrowding crisis. In the early days of the pandemic, shelters benefited as adoptions soared, since people had more free time and pandemic benefits made having a pet more affordable. However, because of lockdowns, millions of pet-owners did not neuter or spay their animals, which in turn led to a flood of stray pets.

According to a 2019–2021 study by the University of Florida, around 3 million pets missed neuter and spay surgeries during the pandemic. This also fails to account for the community cat populations—which are not considered pets and are generally the main source of stray kittens—that were unable to get neutered or spayed during the early pandemic. Beverly Carragher, the trapping coordinator for the Montgomery County Community Cat Coalition, attests to the problem.

“The vets couldn’t do spay [and] neuter surgeries, because that was considered an optional surgery, which hit right during kitten season in March. So we could not get the outdoor cats spayed and neutered and they were reproducing out

PHOTOS BY KENEAN BIZUWORK

MONTGOMERY COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY The living conditions inside the shelter include, food, water, a litter box, and a bed. there,” Carragher says. “We’re still trying to recover from that.”

The end of the pandemic and the heightened inflation that followed also impacted animal shelters. Owning a pet has become unaffordable for many Americans as animal care costs have risen.

Overall the rate of adoptions has slowed and returns have grown, putting an increased strain on shelters. Some are also concerned that the situation could worsen as “kitten season”—a term that commonly refers to the time where cats predominantly breed and give birth— approaches. Niki Cochran, the program director of A Cat’s Life, a rescue in Prince George’s County, recounts the surge last summer and spring which led to many shelters reaching overcrowding status. “It was so much worse in kitten season in the spring, summer, and fall. I don’t know why. But there [were] just more cats and kittens than we had ever seen,” she says.

When animal shelters become overcrowded, they are forced to make hard choices. Because pub-

licly funded shelters are not able to turn pets away when they become critically full, euthanasia rates increase. Larger dogs, in particular mixes of “bully breeds,” take up the most space and tend to last longest in shelters. As a result, these animals are usually the first to be euthanized. Overall, this creates an increased need for fosters, adopters, and support from the community to help prevent these animals from ending up in shelters in the first place.

Mary Huysman, a volunteer that fosters animals in Washington, D.C. urges that even if community members cannot volunteer, they can still help. “There’s so many ways [you] can help. Just get involved however you can,” Huysman says.

Barsky reiterates the importance of getting involved in any way possible. “I really do think it is community that is the key to addressing this crisis,” she says.

E1 Culture January 31, 2024

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The Hollywood movie mill Why film industries rely on remakes

By Abigail Greenberg and Norah Wilson Staff Writers

‘Awesome, Austin Butler’s in it, I’m going to go see it,’” Carter says.

Hollywood film companies have become more risk-averse, and remakes limit the risk that comes with making original movies. Movie production is not only time-consuming but requires gambling millions of dollars; if viewers dislike the movie, studios may not be able to earn back what they spent. “The concept of either a totally new script that has no connection to anything else, or an unknown cast, is you have to spend a fortune to try [to] sell this new idea to audiences,” Rosewarne explains.

Many directors opt for remakes to appeal to younger generations.

They may remake older movies to add a more diverse cast and set of issues

relevant to the 21st century. “The idea of reintroducing a new generation to an old title means not only do we … get a new generation involved, but it means that in another 10, 15, 20 years, we’ll remake it again,” Rosewarne says.

The idea of reintroducing a new generation to an old title means not only do we … get a new generation involved, but it means that in another 10, 15, 20 years, we’ll remake it again.

LAUREN ROSEWARNE

The connections children make with movie characters stay with them throughout their entire lives, so that years later when a remake of their favorite childhood movie is released, they race to the movie theater. They recline their chair with popcorn in hand. Once the previews are finished, the lights dim, the famous movie title appears, the nostalgia hits, and they are able to connect with their beloved characters all over again, but this time with a brand new cast.

One heavily profitable corner of Hollywood are remakes, reboots, and franchises. Reboots are complete resets of a franchise or series, while remakes are a new version of an older film. Both keep important elements that resonate with viewers. The familiarity of a remake—whether it be through the title, a scene, or a song—tends to draw fans of the original movie to the box office.

Franchise action labels such as Marvel and DC Comics have been mass-producing remakes throughout the history of Marvel and DC films. Kelley Carter, an Emmy award-winning entertainment reporter, explains the importance of superhero movies to Hollywood.

“The superhero films have done so much for the [film] industry and so much for actors too,” she says in an interview with Silver Chips.

Since the beginning of the movie industry, films have retold familiar stories. Lauren Rosewarne, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne, describes how many of the first movies created

were based on plays. “The very first films are actually film versions of theater and literature,” she says.

Many classic Disney animated movies have been remade into live-action films, including “Beauty and The Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Mulan,” and “The Little Mermaid,” grossing anywhere from $69.9 million to $1.3 billion. In 2023, classic movies such as “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “Mean Girls,” and “White Men Can’t Jump” were also remade.

Remakes are sure to draw viewers and therefore make a profit.

“The audience doesn’t want to waste money or time on things that they’re not sure about, so that idea of going to the cinema and seeing something that you have a fairly good chance [of liking] is perceived as a better way to spend [their] money,” Rosewarne says.

Casting popular actors, like Timothée Chalamet in “Wonka” and Reneé Rapp in “Mean Girls,” is important in attracting viewers.

“You’ll go see a movie just because an actor that you know is in it. You may not like that particular genre, but you’re like,

Sandie Angulo Chen, a Common Sense Media reviewer and a media assistant at Blair, explains that the amount of time between different movie versions is important.

“I might always love the original, but I think there are some remakes that are legitimately really good. I just think enough time has to

KATE MCDONOUGH

pass, where it’s not in the same generation,” she says.

The most common way to connect generations within Hollywood is by remaking animation films into live-action ones. “You’ll love the animation as a child [and] now you’ll love the live-action film,” Rosewarne says.

Although remakes bring in a large audience, there are often mixed reviews about them. Rowan Sarkozy-Banoczy, a junior at Blair, believes movie remakes have potential, as long as they stick to the original storyline. “I think movies should be remade if they were to go above and beyond … [instead of] remov[ing] a lot of aspects that people liked and enjoyed. For example, Percy Jackson,” he says.

Sarkozy-Banoczy is not alone in his disappointments with remakes.

Blair junior Zachary Fleischer believes that Marvel and DC remakes lack originality. “[Marvel and DC movies are] all the same. It’s like a fight that [directors] take from the comic books or some other source.

None of it is original,” he says.

While Hollywood has the resources to create original movies, remakes allow filmmakers to be creative without the risk of losing money. “I think it has less to do with Hollywood running out of original ideas or feeling non-creative … it’s really just that filmmakers want a chance to put a spin on something that felt beloved and classic for them,” Carter says.

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January 31, 2024 Culture E2 theaters for Barbie. The careful, heartfelt recording of “What Was I Made For?” perfectly captures what the song is—a grappling with identity and lost innocence; a tired frustration with external standards; uncertainty and realization.

2. Album Of The Year

Nominees: World Music Radio (Jon Batiste), the record (boygenius), Endless Summer Vacation (Miley Cyrus), Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Lana Del Rey), The Age Of Pleasure (Janelle Monáe), GUTS (Olivia Rodrigo), Midnights (Taylor Swift), SOS (SZA) SOPHIA LI

By Sophie Yohannan Culture Columnist ‘Music’s Biggest Night,’ the GRAMMY Awards, is just around the corner, set to take place on Feb. 4. Many feel it hasn’t been a great year for music, but we’ve still seen some excellent work come out of the eligibility period—Oct. 2022– Sept. 2023—for the 2024 GRAMMYs. In the spirit of “Best of the Best,” I’m making some of my own picks for winners.

1. Record Of The Year

Nominees: Worship (Jon Batiste), Not Strong Enough (boygenius), Flowers (Miley Cyrus), What Was I Made For? (Billie Eilish), On My Mama (Victoria

Monét), Vampire (Olivia Rodrigo), Anti-Hero (Taylor Swift), Kill Bill (SZA) My winner: What Was I Made For? - Billie Eilish With the release of Barbie over the summer came an iconic soundtrack on which “What Was I Made For?” featured. A quiet piano refrain, often moving in line with Billie Eilish’s melody, opens and carries the rest of the ballad.

Eilish’s classic breathy delivery, a hallmark of the song, makes it feel, rightfully, like one big sigh.

Vocal echoes and a faint orchestral build subtly elevate the second half of the track, and likely coincided with the tearful eyes of every mother, daughter, sister, and friend in

My winner: SOS - SZA On her third album, SZA gets angry, self-deprecating, and smitten.

We see her signature candid and intimate songwriting and effortlessly flawless vocals supplemented by polished production on yet another cohesive album. Beyond these constants and her usual occupation of the R&B genre, SZA toys with pop, rap, rock, and indie elements in this latest release. “Ghost in the Machine” features indie-folk force Phoebe Bridgers, in a collaboration I never saw coming, but adored. “Nobody Gets Me” is slightly reminiscent of Taylor Swift.

“F2F” was highly controversial with its burst of rock. I just know she had fun with this one. SZA leans into uncertainty and turmoil through vulnerable lyrics that mirror fans’ own experiences (except perhaps that of killing an ex and his new girl), overtop infectious beats.

“Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop” to tell of a toxic relationship. In A&W, Lana bluntly narrates the version of the hurt behind the glamorous Americana image she has projected throughout her discography.

3. Song Of The Year

Nominees: Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, The War And Treaty

Nominees: A&W (Lana Del Rey), Anti-Hero (Taylor Swift), Butterfly (Jon Batiste), Dance The Night (Dua Lipa), Flowers (Miley Cyrus), Kill Bill (SZA), Vampire (Olivia Rodrigo), What Was I Made For? (Billie Eilish) My winner: A&W - Lana Del Rey A&W (American W**re), a seven minute track on Lana’s most recent album, holds a lot to unpack lyrically. The song is composed of two very different parts, both conceptually and sonically. The first has a more stripped-back indie sound consistent with much of Lana’s work. She writes of the loss of innocence SOPHIA LI and childhood and the shift to a young adulthood tainted by the oversexualization of women. She pivots to a hip-hop-trap sound that cleverly interpolates the 50s song

4. Best New Artist

My winner: Noah Kahan In just the past year, Noah Kahan has reached new heights of name recognition thanks to his 2022 album “Stick Season.” The native Vermonter often sings of his hometown and personal vulnerabilities, channeling his New England roots in this record characterized by modern-rootsy instrumentation, gritty tenor vocals, and a cabin-in-the-woods feel. TikTok was instrumental in pushing out Kahan’s music. It is partly through the virality of songs like “Northern Attitude,” “You’re Gonna Go Far,” and the title track, “Stick Season,” that Kahan gained the audience he has. Fans have been won over by his raw lyrics, woeful and bittersweet tone, and the folk-pop-indie sound he now brings to the more mainstream music scene. Through his work itself and his connection with listeners, Kahan has secured a spot on Billboard charts and in the current musical zeitgeist.

Open mic opens doors

By Jay Clouse Staff Writer

If you want people to listen to what you’re doing, then, you know, this is a place where you can come and do that.

JULES BLAND

In a small room with one window, a converted classroom in the School of Musical Traditions (SMT), a crowd quietly waits for the next act. Lights illuminate the center of the small stage. The performers are of all ages and levels, but a shared love of music emanates throughout the space.

Since 1972, the House of Musical Traditions (HMT), located in Takoma Park, has been selling and renting musical instruments from all corners of the globe. For many years, HMT has offered classes and one-on-one tutorials in its SMT branch. In 2023, SMT opened up a lesson and performance space called “Spark” at 7112 Willow Ave. Spark space hosts various community events for students to advance their musical abilities and for others to discover a new hobby or passion.

Every Tuesday night at 7 p.m., Spark holds an open mic, an event that has become popular. The open mics, called Rob’s Open Mic, are organized and hosted by Rob Hinkal, a musician from Baltimore who calls himself a “labor-of-love open-mic host.”

During a Rob’s Open Mic in December, Hinkal takes the stage with his guitar, cast in blue and purple lights. He moves with the confidence of a seasoned performer as he begins to strum, blending rock and roll with elements of old folk.

His fast-paced songs, played with a gritty vibrance, highlight folksy tales of sorrow and sadness. Hinkal talks to the crowd as if they are old friends, joking about recent news, and daily frustrations.

Hinkal hosts three open mic nights per week at various locations: a virtual open mic on Mondays, Tuesday’s in Takoma Park, and Thursday’s Baltimore open mic hosted at the Morsebergers Tavern. These different events all serve the same purpose—to share a love of music and to introduce audiences to new genres and styles.

For five years, Hinkal traveled and lived on the road with his partner, connecting with new people at open mics along the way. “We would go to an open mic and play for people and that was the way we got to know people.” Hinkal says.

After settling down, Hinkal began hosting music events to give back to the communities that supported him during his trip. “I decided that there were these amazing things all across the country, and that it was my responsibility to make sure there was something like that at home,” he says.

Many enjoy the environment that is created by Rob’s Open Mic. “I keep coming back because [Hinkal] fosters a very good room for an open mic,” Jules Bland, a local musician and regular of Rob’s Open Mics, says. “If you want people to listen to what you’re doing, then, you know, this is a place where you can come and do that.”

After warming up the crowd, Hinkal passes the mic to the first of many performers. The musicians, who vary in style and skill, show off what they have written and learned to their captive and kind audience.

Hinkal wants the performers to feel comfortable trying new things in front of an audience though he wants performers to respect the space. “It’s a safe space versus a throwaway space,” he says.

Many performers echo Hinkal’s sentiment about the open mic’s environment. “I feel comfortable coming, bringing new music, bringing old music, and I know I’ll be supported,” Maddie Desorchur, a consistent performer at Rob’s Open Mic, says.

Performers also like that SMT is a space dedicated to music, unlike many other open mic venues.

“Magic happens here. It helps that . . . the School of and House of Musical Traditions gives us a space to do it so we don’t have to go to a bar or a restaurant where most open mics are, and they have the TV blasting some sports . . . where most of the clapping that happens at those types of places is when somebody does a good job with the

ROB’S OPEN MIC Musicians perform at the House of Musical Traditions on Jan. 23. ball,” Bland says.

Rob’s Open Mic nights also serve as a free lesson for anyone willing to try. Not just a lesson in music, but one in confidence.

“We’re practicing doing this under the stress of [when] you’ve got a limited time and people are staring at you, which is different from being at home rehearsing your material.” Hinkal says.

Rob’s Open Mic is a liberating and open space for musicians to practice and perform their talents without fear of judgment or ridicule. “It’s a place where people can be heard, even if being heard isn’t their profession,” Hinkal says.

PHOTOS BY MADELINE GOLD

COURTESY OF ELIZA COOKE

Regeneron High School Science Talent Search Semi-Finalists

1st Place at the Maryland/ DC Regional High School Science Bowl Championship

1st Place at the DCSAA Tournament

Newly National Board-certified Teachers and Counselors

Jonathan Fan & Angela Wu

Blair Science Bowl

Blair Girls’ Wrestling

Keith Anderson, Allie Coyle, Michelle Elie, Nicholas Losekamp, Amanda McCrea, Puja Sharma

silverchips

E3 Culture January 31, 2024

If you give a mouse a book Inside Takoma Park’s vintage bookstore

By Sasha Vesensky Features Editor Up a narrow flight of wooden stairs, squished between two Takoma Park restaurants sits House Mouse Books and Vintage. The tiny bookstore is filled with books and vintage odds and ends: cigar boxes, vintage bookplates—labels for books where the owner’s name can be written—magnifying glasses, and bookends. On the wall is a ukulele and a sign reading: “Play us a song on this ukulele, get a discount!” Customers can also recite a poem from memory for a discount. Though tiny, the bookstore’s selection is diverse—one shelf holds a 1903 copy of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” while another holds an abridged score of Bizet’s “Carmen.”

Orly Keiner, the owner of House Mouse, opened the store in December 2022 after deciding she wanted to be more involved in the Takoma Park community. “I concluded through my own gut feelings and talking with a lot of people that

tomers of the shop is fun for me.”

To Keiner, used bookstores have a unique charm because of the unexpected hidden gems that can be found on their shelves.

She adds that many locals share this sentiment—the community response to House Mouse has been overwhelmingly positive. “I personally love used bookstores, because there’s always a treasure hunt element, like everything exists in a quantity of one. It’s kind of unpredictable and fun and exciting to walk in and never know what you might expect,” she says. “A lot of people agreed with me that this was the kind of shop that Takoma Park needed. It’s been amazing to meet all these new people … and feel the support and feel like I’m contributing in some way to the neighborhood.”

You’re supporting local community members, rather than a big box store.

SAVANNAH GOODE

ORLY KEINER

I personally love used bookstores, because there’s always a treasure hunt element, like everything exists in a quantity of one.

[Takoma Park] could use a little used book shop,” she says. “I kind of apprenticed with a bookshop in Annapolis for a little bit and figured out that I might be able to pull it off. I decided to give it a shot and found this little space and built a bookshop in it.”

Keiner had no previous experience with running a business, and a second floor used bookstore comes with unique obstacles. “The fundamentals were challenging: how do you establish a [Limited Liability Company]? How do you do marketing? How do you find your customers? How do you connect with them and appeal to them?

Making sure that I can have a reliable source of inventory is an ongoing challenge, because you never know what [books] you’re going to find,” she says. “Having a second floor shop has its own challenges, because there’s another hurdle of letting people know that you’re in the space.”

Being second-hand and vintage, House Mouse’s stock comes from a variety of sources. While most stores place bulk orders from publishers, Keiner hunts for books at estate sales, library sales, thrift stores, and private collections.

Keiner enjoys giving secondhand books a new chance to be discovered. “I like the process of giving objects a new life,” she says.

“Once they finish their time with a person or in a place, being able to give them a new home in the collection in the shop, and then watch them be found again by the cus-

Takoma Park resident Savannah Goode frequents the bookstore often and appreciates its singularity.

“I think it’s a really great addition … I really like going there for gifts.

And also just for our house, they always have really cool decor as well.

I think [the store] adds a lot of char-

PHOTO BY MARGOT BUEHLER

A COZY CORNER A House Mouse customer reaches for a book on a Sunday morning. acter [to Takoma Park].”

Goode emphasizes that independent bookstores are an important space and provide a place for the community to connect. “You’re supporting local community members, rather than a big box store, which is nice … It brings people together as well, because [they] can bond over it and meet up there.”

On June 27, People’s Book, another independent bookstore, opened down the street from House Mouse. Keiner says that she appreciates that Takoma Park now has new and used bookstores, and that due to their different objectives, the two bookstores are not in competition. “I think [People’s Book is] doing a great job, the shop

is beautiful … Our niches are very different. Most of what we carry is very different. So we’re not really direct competitors with each other.”

Keiner adds that independent bookstores are more special and personal because of the curated selection of books. “[With] an independent bookstore, you’ve got a personal touch, somebody has done some curation for you, they’ve narrowed down that world of infinite choice into something they think that you might appreciate as a member of that particular community,” she says. “I think that provides the human element that’s missing in the world of online commerce.”

Scroll, shop, repeat

The unsettling reality of hyperconsumerism fueled by social media

By Tharaa Izuagie Staff Writer AN OPINION

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their marketing claim of being “built for life.”

Daniel Benkendorf, a psychology professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology specializing in consumer psychology and links to environmental degradation, explains that Stanley’s social media business model focused on capturing users’ attention, influencing consumption patterns. “It was a deliberate campaign by the manufacturer to stimulate consumer demand, and it worked amazingly well. [It] created an uproar and stir of people [who] are really interested in these cups now, in a way that they weren’t before,” Benkendorf says. “I think that social media can really, and has increasingly promoted consumption and even overconsumption, because things have a way of catching on online.”

Benkendorf adds that endorsement by influencers—often seemingly ordinary individuals—makes a product appear more relatable to consumers. “We can associate with [influencers] because they’re in our social media world that we’ve curated, so when they start promoting things, it feels more genuine, even though it may not be, and that’s one of the reasons it’s really successful,” he explains.

In line with Benkendorf’s notion of identity signaling, this connection becomes pivotal for consumers who use their purchases to communicate their lifestyle choices to themselves, family, friends, and the external world.

Lili Miller, Blair junior, passionate advocate for sustainabil-

ity, and frequent TikTok user, explains that influencer culture thrives on presenting an idealized version of life, prompting followers to emulate their favorite influencers by buying promoted products. “[Influencers] build this following that wants to zone in and become this person. Then they push these products [through] brand deals and sponsorships,” she says.

If our goal is a more sustainable type of happiness and well-being, then we’re not going to find that in products.

DANIEL BENKENDORF

In a TikTok shopping haul video amassing over 6.6 million views, a 16-year-old confidently asserts, “These are the essentials that we all need for winter.” The creator’s room is a miniature shopping mall crammed with bags and boxes, each stuffed with the crème de la crème of skincare, clothing, shoes, perfume, jewelry, and makeup. As she showcases a plethora of products in a video over 10 minutes long, flaunting almost 100 items, the young influencer’s statements mirror familiar social media refrains—‘You need to get this product,’ ‘This is a must-have,’ ‘I’m obsessed with it.’

While once intended as a forum for connection, scrolling through social media has become associated with a never-ending cycle of shopping and consumption. The allure of the latest trends,

propelled by influencers, has normalized a rampant culture of overconsumption where acquiring products has become an insatiable thirst, perpetuating online consumerism.

In 2022, the Stanley Adventure Quencher Travel Tumblers experienced a surge in popularity. There was a 751 percent increase in U.S. sales that year after the brand introduced limited edition colors and formed partnerships with social media influencers and behemoth companies, including Starbucks.

The “#StanleyCup” hashtag has garnered over 6.9 billion views, featuring numerous videos displaying diverse collections of the reusable tumblers in various colors. However, creating scarcity through limited edition color drops, a frequent fast fashion tactic, contributes to overconsumption, as influencers’ urgency generated on social media platforms fuels a continual demand for these seemingly exclusive items despite

Benkendorf emphasizes that while material possessions may bring short-term satisfaction, the sensation is temporary. “As we get used to our lives with the new product, its ability to bring us satisfaction decreases. Psychologists call it the hedonistic treadmill, where you get on the treadmill, and you want something, and you acquire it, and then you get used to it, and then you just want something new,” he says.

Conveniently, viewers do not have to travel far to purchase many items influencers promote online.

TikTok introduced TikTok Shop to its U.S. users in September 2023.

This integrated feature allows users to discover and purchase products promoted in live streams, tagged in the content shown on their algorithm-driven “For You” page,

pinned on brand profiles, or marketed on the new “Shop” page. By facilitating commission-based marketing partnerships, this feature opens up additional revenue channels for creators on the app.

Emma Laviolette, Blair senior and Vice president of Green Club, explains that commission-driven advertising on social media platforms has heightened the pressure to make purchases. “Influencing has evolved to be … more lucrative.

It’s become a lot of advertisements everywhere all the time,” she says.

Laviolette adds that discreet advertising to meet disclosure requirements under a post can blur the line between genuine recommendations and advertising. “You could just put a hashtag ‘ad’ on something deep in the post’s caption, which still counts as letting people know that you’re advertising something,” she says.

The continuous stream of advertisements encourages users to impulsively purchase, contributing to a culture of excess. This excess consumption of goods leaves a substantial carbon footprint, depletes finite resources, and generates staggering amounts of waste. The insatiable demand for trendy products, fueled by unboxing videos, try-on hauls, and frequently changing fashion trends ultimately exacerbates the environmental crisis.

Long-term satisfaction and well-being come from fulfilling genuine psychological needs, such as social connections, autonomy, and authenticity, rather than possessions. “If our goal is a more sustainable type of happiness and well-being, then we’re not going to find that in products,” Benkendorf says.

silverchips

January 31, 2024 Culture E4

Chips Clips

DAMI KIM

Forgetful Flyers

Scan the QR code to the right to see the solutions to the January puzzles.

January Solutions

Five friends arrived at DCA before their flights. They all have flights that leave soon and got to TSA only to realize that they have forgotten crucial items! Help solve this logic puzzle by using the clues to the right to figure out each friend’s forgotten item, time until departure, and destination. Use the boz below to keep track of your answers as you solve!

MADELINE GOLD

1. The person whose flight is in an hour isn’t going to Sacramento.

2. The person who forgot their phone charger has a flight that departs in either 30 or 60 minutes.

3. The person whose flight leaves in two hours is not the person who forgot their toothbrush.

4. Of the person whose flight is in half an hour and the person who is flying to Sarasota, one forgot their watch and the other is Al. 5. The person whose flight is in two hours is not the person who forgot their sunglasses.

6. The person flying to San Antonio has a flight that departs before the person who forgot their phone charger.

7. Bob’s flight leaves an hour before Dave’s flight.

8. The person whose flight leaves in an hour and a half is the person who forgot their watch.

9. The person whose flight leaves in two hours is not traveling to Sacramento.

10. The person flying to San Antonio is not the person who forgot their sunglasses.

11. The person whose flight is in an hour is not flying to Salt Lake City.

12. Neither Bob nor Ed has a flight that leaves in 90 minutes.

Contact Puzzle Editor Madeline Gold at madeline.a.gold@gmail.com with the subject “Chips Clips January” with questions, comments, concerns, or any other feedback.

DAMI KIM

Paper Minis

Solve the following mini crosswords! The highlighted clues (in order from left to right by row) form one final clue to solve the whole puzzle.

Answer this final clue below!

Puzzle solution:

ACROSS 1 Additionally 4 Off-limits 6 Building block acids 7 Autumnal drink 8 Poetic tribute

DOWN 1 Follow 2 Zero 3 Symbol for opportunity 4 Hard or softshelled cuisine 5 Between

ACROSS DOWN 1 Many a Vegas 1 Photo session machine 2 Bug-to-be 5 “____ up, Doc?” 3 Mink’s marine 6 Main artery cousin 7 Mars explorer 4 Peter the Great, 8 Lead actor for one

ACROSS DOWN 1 Coffee sans 1 Muscle cream 2 Spry; limber 6 Sunak of the UK 3 Daisy-eque flower 7 Loft 4 Offspring 8 Lightning or pear 5 Foster the People 9 Brainy bunch hit “Pumped Up ____”

ACROSS 1 Pod member 6 Wes Moore’s predecessor 7 Bumbling 8 Grammar topic 9 Fragrant chem. compound

DOWN 1 Snow or Betty 2 Refines 3 Netflix hit show Night _____ 4 Pause; gap 5 PC key

ACROSS DOWN 1 Standard 1 Wizards’ #13 4 Flag holder 2 Graduate, for 5 Cocky short 6 Captain’s place 3 Longest visible on the ship wavelength 7 Go from blonde 4 Hunter’s target to brunette?

5 Doctorate

ACROSS 1 Facial spot 4 Helicopter part 6 Dodge 7 Model airplane material 8 “We’re ___ in this together”

ACROSS 1 White-bearded smurf 5 Finished; cut off 6 Duplicate 7 Similar 8 Miami Heat legend Dwyane

DOWN 1 Lively folk dance 2 Steer clear of 3 Tube pasta shape 4 “___ we there yet?”

6 Harsh bird call

DOWN 1 Hold off on 2 Pea or cacao containers 3 Vicinity 4 Country queen McEntire 5 Track shape

MADELINE GOLD

silverchips

F1 Sports January 31, 2024

Academics sidelined Colleges overfund athletics

AN OPINION Sports teams have become a prominent focus of universities across the U.S., attracting billions of dollars in funding and widespread media attention. This extensive capital provides for coaches’ salaries, travel fees, and facilities that have become the standard at the nation’s most competitive athletic conferences.

As of 2019, the NCAA reported $15.8 billion in revenue from Division 1 athletics. $2.9 billion went toward student scholarships, $5.5 billion toward administrative and coaching pay, and $2.6 billion toward athletic facilities. At many institutions expenditures exceed revenue—the median operating deficit was $18.8 million in the Football Bowl Subdivision, comprising over 100 Division 1 schools.

MATTHEW MILLER

It’s just literally taking money out of students’ and parents’ pockets and just handing [it to the] athletic department.

Additionally, revenue streams such as ticket sales, donations, endowments, and conference revenues only accounted for 44 per-

cent of the 2019 revenue report.

36 percent of revenue came from institutional and governmental support. It is critical to monitor athletic spending and assess whether it is a productive use of funds. In cases where it detracts from other areas and does not generate significant revenue, universities should rethink their budgets and better allocate funds.

In April 2022, faculty members from the University of Maryland (UMD) American Association of University Professors (AAUP) released an extensive report on the university’s finances. The report’s findings highlighted UMD’s large sport funding deficit which totaled $132.5 million from 2013 to 2020.

Matthew Miller, an assistant professor of Persian at UMD and lead financial investigator on the report, remarked on the school’s attempts to mitigate losses by implementing a non-optional annual $200 athletics student fee attached to tuition cost. “The university was putting money into athletics … transferring $9–13 million or something per year. It’s just literally taking money out of students’ and parents’ pockets and just handing [it to the] athletic department,” Miller said.

An annual fee is applied to all UMD students’ tuition to contribute to the university’s athletics.

From 2013 to 2020, UMD student fees subsidized over $100 million of sports funding. There is consistently a net deficit. In 2020 alone, the university spent more than $92 million on sports, nearly 10 percent of which came from student fees— an additional financial burden on students.

[The graduate student] union went on strike last year … they wanted better pay … I think that is objectively something they could’ve used the [athletic] money for.

BENJAMIN ANDELMAN

By Rabira Dosho and Evelyn Goldin Staff Writers

In 2014, The Big Ten—one of the nation’s premier college footballconferences—incorporated UMD. The conference offered UMD’s football team the opportunity to play on one of the nation’s largest stages, but not without financial strain. The same year that UMD joined the league, its athletic expenses reached $73 million, a nearly $10 million increase from 2013. The school’s athletic spending continued to grow until 2019 when it reached its peak at $108 million.

Universities are educational institutions at their core. But when priorities shift toward athletics, academic departments suffer.

Across the nation, there has been a decrease in tenure-track professors, with graduate students teaching undergraduate level courses instead. Unlike the tenured faculty, the graduate students do not have contracts that ensure fair wages and working hours. “So you have more students that need to be educated, but you’re decreasing the number of actual full-time permanent faculty,” UMD information technology assistant professor Dr. Greene

GRAPHIC BY EVELYN GOLDIN | DATA COURTESY OF UMD AAUP

said. “They’re performing labor as an educator for the University but their wages are so low.”

According to Greene, many teaching graduate students at UMD take on second jobs to accommodate their low wages. At the University of Michigan, graduate students who teach undergraduate classes went on strike in protest of their pay, among other issues. Michigan sophomore Benjamin Andelman believed that his school could have redirected their athletic funding to handle the crisis. “[The graduate student] union went on strike last year … they wanted better pay … I think that is objectively something they could’ve used the [athletic] money for,” Andelman said. “Right before final exams … [the graduate students] all went on strike and didn’t have office hours.”

Andelman said that sports have a major impact on Michigan’s reputation. “I think a lot of people

… might be new to learning about Michigan from the national championship,” he said. “The University of Michigan is a great school and it’s not just like a football party school.”

Despite their ongoing emphasis on sports, universities are still academic institutions. Though athletics can bring a variety of benefits they should not detract from other necessary expenditures. Miller explained that spending is an indicator of where the administration’s priorities lie. “It’s a question of values—budgets are moral documents.

As such, it reveals a lot more about what the administration thinks is important than all the words,” Miller said. Universities must not lose sight of their purpose: education.

silverchips

January 31, 2024 Sports F2 scenes felt realistic and riveting, a necessary element in emphasizing the history-making moments this team created. Though I knew the outcome of the game, I still felt my heartbeat quicken as I watched.

Bull Durham

DAMI KIM

By Eliza Warren Sports Columnist I enjoy a comedy movie, will occasionally agree to watch a horror movie, and always say yes to a good rom-com, but there is truly nothing better than lounging on the couch with a good old sports movie. I watched the most consistently highly ranked movie for a handful of sports and reviewed them, so when you find yourself in the sports movie mood, you know which one to put on.

Miracle

I decided to start with “Miracle,” which I knew would be a strong pick after hearing repeated praise for it. “Miracle” tells the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team and the road to their unexpected victory against the Soviet Union

in the semifinals.

If you are looking for a feel-good movie, this is the one for you.

“Miracle” tells the classic underdog story well— although I will admit that it would be pretty hard to mess up a movie on a story as remarkable and exhilarating as the 1980 U.S. team’s.

Nevertheless, I grew attached to the characters easily, felt an honest desire for them to win the game, and was glued to the screen for the entirety of the movie. Overall, a success in my books.

Out of the sports movies I have watched, “Miracle” does one of the best jobs with their in-action sports scenes. The game

As one of my mother’s favorites and a constant high-ranker, I knew I had to watch “Bull Durham.”

The movie focuses on the Bulls, a minor league baseball team, as they train a new hotshot pitcher with great potential, but who needs to be coached by the team’s older catcher. Although there are a good number of baseball scenes and I would definitely consider baseball a subplot in the movie, I would not categorize “Bull Durham” as a baseball movie.

More realistically, the movie is about both the main players and the women they are interested in.

The movie is quite entertaining and I spent much of it laughing, but it is rated R for a reason. Keep the rating in mind when looking for a good sports movie to watch with kids. However, if you are above the age of seventeen and looking for a movie to make you laugh, “Bull Durham” is a great choice—just not if you want an actual baseball movie.

Rudy

“Rudy” is about a young boy, Rudy, who dreams of playing football for the University of Notre Dame. However, Rudy does not

ing a professional soccer player, have the grades or the athleticism to get into despite the lack of supNotre Dame or play port from her Indian for their team. The family. movie follows him “Bend It Like as he attempts to Beckham” is exactly make his seemwhat one would expect ingly unrealistic from an early 2000s socdreams a reality. cer movie.

It is fun, easy to During the watch, and has an interestfirst three ing story in terms of depictquarters of ing the main character’s fam“Rudy,” I was ily’s cultural values. However, extremely KATE bored.

I it lacks the depth that the best MCD ONO struggled to stay fosports movies have. I strongly UGH cused through the seemingly recommend “Bend It Like flat plot and felt as if the actually Beckham” to those wanting to have exciting moments were given only a cozy night on the couch with pizseconds of screen time. However, za and ice cream, but when searchthe last quarter of the movie absolutely made up for the beginning. I ing for a life-changing and inspiring ended the movie grinning from ear sports movie, there are many betto ear—my heart was satisfactorily ter options. The soccer scenes in warmed. The fact that the story was “Bend It Like Beckham” are also based on true events only added to hardly believable and feel akin to my joy. I can’t say much more out a middle school soccer game on a of fear of giving the beautiful end- subpar field. ing away, but I suggest that everyone gives this movie a chance.

After watching all four movies, I was most surprised by their Bend It Like Beckham lack of playing scenes. Except for Soccer, despite its popularity, “Miracle,” I was let down has shockingly few good movies. by how little the sport itself When looking at ranking lists, is shown during realistic there appeared to be game scenes. For this no consensus on reason, “Miracle” comes the best soccer out on top as the mustmovie. There watch sports movie were hardly many for everyone. It has options on the lists, so instead I the stressful excitewent with a favorite ment, the sense of among my soccercommunity, the playing friends, “Bend beautiful playing It Like Beckham.” The scenes, and the classic soccer movie lovable charfollows a young woman acters. I highly named Jess as she works tosuggest that it be the star wards her dreams of becomof your next movie night.

En garde

A look into local fencing

By Max Erlebacher and Sohccem Ruphael Staff Writers “Fencing is just such a unique sport … It honestly has brought me so many opportunities that I could have never gotten if I didn’t fence,” Sophie Liu, a junior at Thomas S. Wootton says. Liu is a junior olympian in women’s saber fencing and one of many youth fencers in MCPS.

GREG KAIDANOV

It’s one of the best overall sports because it doesn’t work simply on your body, [but] it also works on your mind as well.

PHOTO BY MAIA TURPEN

DC FENCERS CLUB SILVER SPRING Children participate in an introductory fencing class.

The number of fencers registered with USA Fencing, a hub organization for the sport, is currently around 16,000—a nearly 50 percent decrease from before the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this, coaches across the country, including Kaidanov, want to make the sport more mainstream and accessible to the general public.

Sellar believes a key factor making fencing less accessible is its cost.

“If you want to continue fencing for a while, like I did, you really have to buy your own gear,” Sellar says.

“Gear consists of a uniform with multiple pieces on it and a blade …

If those break, you need to pay for repair, or sometimes you need to buy a new blade.” This, in combi-

nation with transportation costs for competitions and training fees, can add up to thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars each year for competitive fencers.

I was able to go last year … It was just super fun and honestly an amazing experience.

SOPHIE LIU

Fencers get their start at a variety of ages and for a variety of reasons.

Liu started fencing when she was 12-years-old, after getting injured during a soccer game. “My parents basically told me soccer isn’t really going anywhere, so you should probably try a new sport,” Liu says.

Ian Sellar, a fencer at Blair, shares a similar story. “My family friend happened to do fencing and they’d been wanting me to try it for a long time, so I finally decided to give it a shot,” he says. “Initially, my mom wanted me to play so she enrolled me in a fencing summer camp. I enjoyed it, so I kept doing it.”

To fencers, the sport offers a wide range of unique opportunities and a wealth of community. “Three girls [in the U.S. are] picked to travel to the World Championships, which is basically the biggest competition of the year besides the

Olympics,” Liu says. “I was able to go last year … It was just super fun and honestly an amazing experience.” Sellar believes the sport engages him in a welcoming community. “I always found everyone I was with to be fun. They accepted me,” he says.

Like most sports, fencing requires time and dedication in order to master. Many fencers practice at least two to five times a week and go to competitions monthly. “The ultimate principle is if you want to be very good at it, you need to really invest yourself in that sport,” Greg Kaidanov, head coach of the NOVA fencing club, says in an interview with Silver Chips. “[There is] a lot of physical conditioning, a lot of drill work, a lot of mental conditioning, a lot of visualization, a lot of foundational work.” Kaidanov’s club has trained two national champions—Graham Allen and Nadia Dreyer—and employs numerous nationally recognized fencing coaches.

In addition to the time commitment and hard work required from athletes, fencing offers many benefits to both kids and teens. For younger children, the sport teaches them teamwork and discipline.

“It’s one of the best overall sports because it doesn’t work simply on your body, [but] it also works on your mind as well,” Kaidanov says.

For teens, fencing is a great way to boost success in college admissions.

“A lot of the reason why people fence is because it is a way for you to not only do a sport and have fun, but it helps you with college,” Liu says. All Ivy League schools, with the exception of Dartmouth, have fencing teams looking to recruit successful high school fencers.

Despite its benefits, fencing has experienced a dip in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kaidanov, however, disagrees that cost is what holds more people back from getting into fencing, citing that other competitive sports, like soccer, have similar costs. He

believes the core of the issue is that fencing is poorly represented and marketed to the community. “It’s [about] getting people the opportunity to actually try fencing, to come into the club and do it at the local, very professional club. That actually expands [fencing] to much larger audiences,” Kaidanov says.

Despite its accessibility issues and rigorous time commitments, fencing is a richly rewarding sport for kids and teens across the country. “[Fencing] is very expensive, but in the end, it is very worth it,” Liu says. “Not a lot of people fence right now but it’s getting bigger and bigger as people have seen the benefits of fencing.”

silverchips

F3 Sports January 31, 2024

Blazers hit the slopes How local ski resorts measure up

By Sohccem Ruphael, Diego Santoro-Velez, and Auden Seigel Staff Writers As winter sets in, many people turn to their skis and snowboards.

When it comes to the resorts for winter sports enthusiasts in the D.C. metropolitan area, there are three that stand out: Liberty, Roundtop, and Whitetail. They are the three closest resorts to Blair, all located just north of Maryland’s border in Pennsylvania. These locations, all owned by Vail Resorts and accessible via the Epic Pass, offer similar experiences with their trails and amenities. However, due to less snowfall in the past few years, each resort has worked hard to try and become the top destination for skiers in the area. Silver Chips writers explored and reviewed each resort to offer advice for your next ski outing.

Whitetail

Whitetail first opened in 1991 in the Bear Pond Mountains of Pennsylvania and is considered the most popular resort within the Blair community. “[Whitetail] is the resort that most people know, recognize, and is usually consistently good,” Blair junior and snowboarder Nathan Ache says. Whitetail has the largest vertical of the three resorts, with 935 feet between its base and peak.

However, the resort’s terrain park is subpar.

“Right n o w , when they don’t have

Liberty

Since January 1965, Liberty Mountain has offered skiers a variety of runs with vertical drops of 620 feet. Though Liberty does not boast as large of a mountain as Whitetail, it is approximately 10 miles closer to Blair and offers a good mix of greens, blues, and blacks, making it a good choice for skiers of all levels.

During ski season, Liberty has the potential to be a front-runner among local resorts, however it too heavily relies on the factor of natural snow. Without good weather conditions, runs at Liberty can be filled with icy moguls and dirt.

Nevertheless, on a weekend with good snow, Liberty’s backside boasts an impressive array of blue, single black, and double black runs.

Liberty also falls short in terms of skiing infrastructure.

Unlike

ROUNDTOP MOUNTAIN RESORT Skiers enjoy the sunset views at Roundtop.

Whitetail and Roundtop, Liberty’s lifts are significantly out of date and can be an uncomfortable ride for skiers. In addition, the lighting at Liberty, in comparison to other resorts that offer nightsking, can be dim. At some points along the lift to the mountain’s peak, there are no lights.

Unlike the lifts, Liberty’s dining lodge gives off the most comfortable vibe. “I really like Liberty’s lodge. I like that it’s just very open; everybody’s in one place,” Ache says.

For skiers who enjoy breaks to refuel during their ski outing, the dining lodge is the place to be.

All three resorts include a lodge where they offer similar food options. Lodge menus contain staples like burgers, chicken tenders, soups, and a wide assortment of snacks and drinks. However, when it comes to dining besides the lodge, Whitetail and Roundtop pale in comparison with what Liberty boasts. Along with the lodge, they have a BBQ deck, which serves brisket and macaroni and cheese, Sneaky’s Pizza Pizzeria, and a bakery.

Whether you are planning a weekend getaway or just had a long day of hitting the slopes, all three resorts have lodging options on the grounds or nearby. Whitetail has one adjacent lodge and six total hotels and inns within 20 miles. Roundtop contains no resort adjacent housing but has five hotels within 10 miles.

However, Liberty excels in this category with three resort adjacent lodges and over 15 available housing options around 10 miles away.

Roundtop

Roundtop is more isolated than Liberty and Whitetail from the Silver Spring area, being 30 minutes farther north. This means it attracts more locals, creating a greater sense of togetherness. Blair senior Dylan Rawlins has always favored R o u n d t o p compared to Liberty and Whitetail due to the sense of comm u nity that has been ingrained within the resort.

PHOTO BY MAIA TURPEN

satisfaction of skiers. “There is a competition between Liberty and Whitetail for best snow making capability,” Ache says. “Roundtop is a little behind in that department.”

Even though Rountop’s snow production does not match the other resorts, Roundtop tends to have better slope conditions throughout the winter. “Since the mountain doesn’t face the sun, snow doesn’t melt as much,” Pucci says.

This season, Roundtop has had a total of 13 inches of snowfall, with a depth base of 12 inches as of Jan. 20.

Concluding thoughts

G “[Roundtop] is one of the best mountains I’ve been to in RO terms of community. On a ski lift you can meet people you don’t know, you can spend the day with them and it’ll be totally chill,” he says. Blair senior Adelaide Pucci, a four year ski instructor at Roundtop has grown to love the resort’s local vibe. “I’ve always loved the community because it’s not the biggest resort. A lot of people who go there are locals who live around the area so I kind of know everyone around,” she says.

If skiers can look past its longer commute, Roundtop is a viable choice. The biggest draw, its terrain park, is leagues above those of Liberty and Whitetail. “Roundtop has the best [terrain park] because [there are] actually big jumps and a lot more to do,” Blair snowboarder Rowan Sarkozy-Banoczy says.

The park often contains numerous boxes, rails, and other features, in addition to the jumps.

Although Roundtop’s location is farther than its two counterparts, its location gives it an advantage over Liberty and Whitetail since more snowfall is expected. Though the snowfall expectancy is higher at Roundtop, there’s still a snow shortage that fails to meet the YN SAL

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Early on in the 2024 season, conditions were looking grim for the three resorts with record warm weather and no snow. However, snowfall came a few weekends into January and hopes for the rest of the season have risen. Whitetail has opened the most terrain out of all the resorts, with 100 percent of their trails open as of Jan. 25.

Liberty has 85 percent of its terrain opened as of Jan. 25. Roundtop has more open terrain than Liberty, but is still missing some of its more advanced terrain.

I’ve always loved the community because it’s not the biggest resort. A lot of people who go there are locals who live around the area so I kind of know everyone around.

ADELAIDE PUCCI

KATE MCDONOUGH

much snow, they don’t have many features out and when they do, it’s not a very nice place to progress,” Ache says.

When it comes to runs, the mountain’s layout of lifts and trails splits up large crowds well, given that all lifts are open. On the frontside, Easy Rider Quad services green runs, while Whitetail Express Quad services the blues. Skiers can navigate their way to the backside off of Whitetail Express, where Expert’s Choice Quad services the blacks. The back side of the mountain contains three blacks, all with unique benefits: Bold Decision, the steepest run on the mountain, Exhibition, filled to the brim with moguls, and Farside, the longest run, geared for glade-lovers.

With the slow Easy Rider as an exception, most of Whitetail’s lifts make the journey up the mountain enjoyable; the lifts are fastest out of the three resorts, have foot-rests, and are comfortably padded.

Besides their mountains, Liberty, Roundtop, and Whitetail have other amenities to offer including dining and lodging. The biggest drawback from dining on the mountain, which goes for all the resorts, is the price. Be prepared to spend north of $20 on a simple lunch.

For skiers in the area, the winter weekend question is always, ‘Liberty, Roundtop, or Whitetail?’ But for Silver Chips, it is a no-brainer.

Given this year’s conditions and the overall reviews of each resort, we have decided that Whitetail is the best ski resort in the area. Not only does Whitetail have a great variety of runs and well-working lifts and lights, but the resort is consistent in its commitment to maintain snow for skiers.