Saxon Scope issue 2 by Aimee Cho

THE SAXON

Issue 2, Vol.48 October 2012 Langley High School 6520 Georgetown Pike

SCOPE

OCTOBER 2012

BACK IN BLACK Unifying Langleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

PHOTO BY NA HE JEON

Color Day spectrum

We partied in the USA...

Page 5

Obama or Romney? The Langley vote...

Sticker shock: the enormous cost of being a senior...

Page 12-13

Page 16

Football is in the Howerton blood... Page 19

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OCTOBER 2012

THE SAXON

IN THIS

SCOPE

ISSUE 12

4 5

Editors-in-Chief:

Aimee Cho Cathy Kiess

Executive Design Editor:

Na He Jeon

Executive News Editor:

Amirah Ahmad

News Editor:

Alex Krial

Executive Feature Blair Purdy Editor: Feature Editor:

Sara Guglielmo

Executive Opinion Riley Cosgrove Editor:

DEAR SAXONS, A

fter a multitude of ballots sent to the history teachers, the election results are finally in. Turn to page 14 to find out which candidate took the Langley vote. Thanks to all the history teachers and students that participated in this mock election, we counted more than 800 votes. During the grueling process of counting ballots, we noticed certain interesting trends (other than the fact that some people wanted to elect the Redskins’ QB president.) We went into this mock election thinking that Romney would take the lead because the Langley community is peppered with Romney signs. Most of the population, however, begged to differ and went for Obama big time. After counting endless piles of ballots, we now have a new perspective and admiration for those who volunteer to count the ballots and deal with organizational nightmares. The presidential elections, as you all know, are extremely important to the country. If you’re 18, you owe it to yourself and America – vote! Neeka Eghbali Staff Writer

Katherine Rohloff Staff Writer

Susie Kim Reporter

NEWS

1619

4 Inspired youth 7 Orchestra gets “Spirited Away” 8 Delinked friendships

FEATURE 11 A hot date 12 Mock election 2012

Executive Sports Editor:

Emily Flessas

Sports Editor:

Lizzy Weingast

Business Editors:

Veronica Smith Tyler Seckar

Online Editor:

Harris LaTeef

Copy Editors:

Neeka Eghbali Katherine Rohloff Matt Smith

Senior Staff Writers:

Li Chien Leila Raminpour Justin Speros

Staff Writers:

Ben Cross Avani Hedge Daniel Levetown Billy Orme

Reporters:

Mana Afsari Brandon Arcari Brendan Coffey Ellie Cross Haley Curtis Alex De Thier Shrey Dua Ilene Goudarzi Micaela Grassi Sabir Hathiram Abdullah Jamil Susie Kim Joey Malpica Cayhan Movaghari Chris Name Olivia Salamone Nate Shafer Taylor Snyder Daniel Stone Bijan Todd Gabrielle Wantula

Adviser:

Jennifer McAdams

OPINION 16 Pricey $enior year 18 Controversial spirit video

SPORTS 19 The Howerton legacy 23 Nats postseason review

The Saxon Scope serves students, faculty, and the Langley High School community. Editorials express the opinions of the editorial board. All by-lined editorials reflect the opinions of the reporters and/ or artists. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to submit material for publication. The Saxon Scope, under the directions of the advisor, reserves the right to withhold or edit material submitted for publication. The Saxon Scope will not print material found to be in poor taste or detrimental to one’s character. Names may be held upon request. Letters may be placed in the Saxon Scope box in the office or brought to room 114. The newspaper is published monthly. Newspaper reporting, typesetting, layout, photography, and computer graphics designs are done by the journalism classes at Langley High School, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean, Virginia 22101. (703)287-2797. FAX (703) 287-2797 or e-mail saxonscope2013@gmail.com & saxonscopeonline@gmail.com.

news

October 2012

Counterclockwise from top: John Poyner (12), Jaques Mariotti (12), Matthew MacDonald (12) and Jack Reilly (12) watch the pep rally on the stands. Students like Sydney Sasser (11) embraced spirit week leading up to the homecoming dance. The class of 2016 helped bring school spirit, wearing the appropraite attire for each spirit day. completely dominated the juniors with a score of 310. “We all really wanted to win again to show our senior pride,” said senior Kady Kriner.

The Class of 2013 seniors celebrate their second win in a row at the Langley Powderpuff game.

-Reporting by Alex De Thier, Nate Shafer and Chris Name

efore their blood runs ice cold with the frights of Halloween, Science Honor Society urges students to give blood while it’s nice and warm at the Langley Blood Drive. This year’s theme is Halloween inspired, with a vampire as its motif. For two decades, the Science Honor Society has been organizing the drive in partnership with INOVA Blood Donor Services for local hospitals. Members of Science Honor Society dedicate a total of 10+ hours: 3 for decorating, with an additional 8 hours from the blood drive itself. According to Ms. Mary Landis, between 200 and 350 pints are generally donated during the drive. This year, however, leaders of Science Honor Society are expecting 250 students, all older than 16 years old and at least 110 pounds. “Blood donation is an aspect of medicine that relies solely on the kindness of strangers,” said Ms. Landis. The drive will be all school-day on Friday, October 26th in the Aux Gym. -Brendan Coffey, Reporter

WINNING FATHER DAUGHTER DUO

Annie Mae Weiss (9) and her father, accomplished skater Michael Weiss, rehearse together.

ost people would be terrified performing in front of 8,000 people, but for freshman Annie Mae Weiss it’s no big deal. Weiss has been singing since she was six, and has even recorded songs in a studio. Weiss is looking forward to singing in a charity show that her dad, renowned skater Michael Weiss, will be hosting in Atlantic City. The show will be taped to air on Nov. 18. Her father will perform an ice skating routine while she sings “Don’t You Remember” by Adele. “I’m very excited because I have a chance to become famous,” said Weiss. To prepare, she has been practicing extremely hard and attending private voice lessons once a week. Weiss is happy to be sharing the spotlight with her dad, and is looking forward to performing. “It will be weird seeing myself on T.V.,” she said. Many people are rooting for Annie and looking forward to seeing her on television. “I think she’s pretty cool, and I’m proud of her,” said freshman Mollie Schulman. -Lizzy Weingast, Sports Editor

OUTSTANDING SENIORS

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURA ROMAN

Last month, a small committee of teachers reviewed teacher nominations and picked two winners.

Rachel Stone side from peer helping, honor societies and SGA responsibilities, Rachel Stone is no stranger to lending a hand. Stone, an AP Spanish student, gladly agreed to help a non-English speaking student this year by dedicating her Saxon Times and Wednesday mornings to help the new student adjust to Langley. “Her priority is to help others and she’s already shown that in the first month of school,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Elizabeth Rosario, who has taught Stone for three consecutive years.

Hannah Tappan ast year, she transferred to Langley from Stone Ridge in Bethesda, MD. Now Tappan is a New Student Ambassador, she welcomes new students to the Langley community. Over the summer, she set up a Facebook group so that any of the new students could ask questions. She invited them to the tailgate of the first game of the season, helping the students learn about Langely’s activites and meet other students. “She made such an effort to make them welcome,” said Ms. Julie McGreevy, Tappan’s counselor. -Leila Raminpour, Senior Staff Writer

Rachel Stone (12) tutors ESOL students during Saxon Time.

Hannah Tappan (12) has made a huge effort this year to welcome new students.

PHOTOS BY HARRIS LATEEF

A fixture in the Langley courtyard, a cherry tree believed to be over 45 years old will be cut down in the courtyard during the upcoming teacher work days. “I love this tree because I see the seasons change every year,” said Ms. Kiersten Conrad, whose classroom is adjacent to the tree.

PHOTOS BY LIELA RAMINPOUR

rom cowboy hats to camoflauge to girls playing football and guys sporting cheerleader uniforms, Langley saw it all during homecoming week. It was pride in the good old USA and a push for “unity” that really brought Saxons together. A sea of black at the homecoming pep rally proved “the student body’s ability to come together as one, instead of being divided into separate grades,” said sophomore SGA representative Kyle Macdonald. Saxons seemed to take the “Party in the USA” theme to heart by breaking out the red, white and blue big time. “It shows showed how patriotic our school can be,” said freshmen student Taylor Hosley. Meanwhile Saxon girls took to the grid iron for a Powder Puff game. Students gathered around to watch the class of 2013 (who beat the seniors last year) battle the class of 2014, for the title of powder puff champion. The class of 2013

IT’S IN OUR BLOOD B

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL WEISS

SAXON SPIRIT WEEK RE-CAP

PHOTO COURTESY OF MS. CONRAD

4 NEWS OCTOBER 2012

INSPIRATION ON THE RISE Junior creates global non-profit

BLAIR PURDY EXECUTIVE FEATURE EDITOR nova Fairfax Hospital is rated number one in the Washington D.C. metro area for its excellence in cancer treatment.They are known for their top medical staff and state-of-the-art equipment. However, junior Jason Cui found one major flaw in its system: teen cancer patients just weren’t getting the emotional support they needed. “Due to the fact that they were trapped in a hospital setting 24/7, I realized that they lacked the full social experience that all teenagers are able to go through,” said Cui after working with

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROSIE BROCK

Jason Cui (11) and Tyler Zimmerman (11) at the Inova Fairfax Hospital.

the teens one-on-one this past summer. To fix this problem, Cui created Youth Inspire, a non-profit organization designed to connect and motivate teen cancer patients throughout their treatment. “This provides patients with the comfort and familiarity of teen support that is often absent in a hospital setting,” said Cui. A patient at Inova Fairfax Hospital plays with his new Lego set from Youth Inspire. The first aspect of the two-part non-profit president Ezzy Siriam says that with the additional is a program called “Teens Helping Teens.” It help from the Langley community, Youth Inspire involves teens all around the world taking pictures “would like to set up a rotating schedule for with the signature Youth Inspire sign. This hospital visits in order to provide regular support raises awareness for the cancer patients’ lack of for the pediatric cancer center.” emotional support around the globe. For every “My favorite part about working picture taken, charitable organizations donate $1 with the kids at Inova is being able to brighten to Youth Inspire. So far Youth Inspire has collected up their day, and just having a really fun time,” over 300 photos through their Facebook page. said junior Youth Inspire member Rosie Brock. Members of Youth Inspire also Moving forward, the leaders of Youth make visits to the pediatric oncology wing of Inspire hope to expand their ideas of teen care Inova Fairfax Hospital, where they directly and support in the Virginia area, to become interact with patients: playing sports, video nationwide, and eventually universal. “As long are games, and board games among other there are hospitals with teen patients, there will activities. be always be a need for Youth Inspire,” said Cui. With Cui’s creation of a Youth Inspire club at Langley, his peers have played a large part in making Youth Inspire happen. Club vice

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OCTOBER 2012

First person: student gives homecoming a thumbs-up

RILEY COSGROVE EXECUTIVE OPINION EDITOR y homecoming group’s motto for this year can be summed up in a few words by the wise Hannah Montana: “Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock.” We applied this to every part of the night, especially the “Party in the USA” Langley homecoming dance. It seems the SGA tapped into Miley’s lyrical genius as well. The SGA sold over 900 tickets this year, a couple hundred more than last year’s sales, probably because of all the hype about the professional planner. The lighted stage for dancing, is also about your mind-set when you walk in: engaging DJ, multiple photographers, and the if you enter the dance thinking that it’s going to be lackluster and boring, then big projector screens with “Party in the USA” on them “The planner made a huge there’s no way you’ll enjoy it. Sophomore Alex Shapiro prevented the atmosphere from difference and if they get said, “I went into the dance “feeling like another awkward dance in the gym,” according one next year, I’ll go again thinking it was going to be better than my first dance last year, and it to junior Tori Robinson. for sure.” definitely was. The planner made The SGA tried to make -Alex Shapiro (10) a huge difference. If they get one the dance feel special, and I think next year, I’ll go again for sure.” they succeeded to an extent. I went to the homecoming dance my It’s difficult to chalk up my good time at the dance just to the efforts of the SGA and freshman year also and swore it off forever after that. In hindsight, I probably administration because it definitely helps to be a shouldn’t have been so quick to apply this senior and to go in a group with close friends. Enjoying the school dance experience to every following year because being a socially awkward freshman whose favorite dance move was the “hair dryer” (in which you ruffle your own hair) definitely wasn’t the recipe for a good time at a school dance. Attending the dance and giving it the benefit of the doubt was the best decision my group made for homecoming this year. Senior Anne Gent hopes “great homecoming dances are a tradition that our senior class leaves behind.” Thanks to the SGA for giving me a great last homecoming, and an even better first one to our freshmen class.

1. This year’s homecoming dance included glow sticks and encompassed all grades. 2. Students were able to dance up on raised platforms.

Party plans ELLIE CROSS REPORTER ired of only selling 700 tickets a year for Homecoming, out of a possible 2,000, this year the SGA decided to take things to a new level, by hiring a company called Electric Entertainment to plan the entire dance. Homecoming featured a DJ booth, dance platforms and light shows in order to give the dance a club-like feel. The plasma video screens and graphic displays also displayed featured texts from students. In an effort to get students excited about the dance, the DJ who played at homecoming also made an appearance at Langley during lunch on the Monday before the dance. Various songs including “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Shots” blared on the stereo in the cafeteria, prompting several brave students to dance and sing karaoke. “I liked the songs! They should have it for the whole week before homecoming,” said freshman Lindsay Van Houten. Even upperclassmen had second thoughts about homecoming being boring. “I went because it sounded like all of the stuff they had there was going to be a lot better than in years before,” said junior Grant Mintz. However, not everyone was expecting something extraordinary. “I thought it was probably just something SGA told everyone to get students to go. I didn’t know if it’d really be that entirely great especially compared with the previous year,” said sophomore Caroline Jackson. Whether students were persuaded by Electric Entertainment to attend homecoming this year or not, one thing everyone might be surprised to know is that the cost wasn’t much higher than in the past. The typical dance is about $5,000, and Electric Entertainment’s fee was just slightly more.

3. Seniors Lori Kealey, Max Chernoff, Lucy Gunter and Cal Jadacki pose with the DJ. 4. The school offered free glowsticks to the over 900 students who attended the dance.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRE DELLA CORNA

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OCTOBER 2012

OPPAN ASIAN STYLE O

SAXONS FOR PSY

rchestra performs pop and traditional eastern music

T PHOTO BY NA HE JEON

L-R: Charlie Wang (12), Paul Li (12), Hoonie Kim (11) and Justin Nguyen (11) performed “Gangnam Style” at the orchestra concert. performed “Gangnam Style.” Eastbound started with the humorous name of “Hoonie and the Kimchi Kids,” after their lead singer, junior Hoonie Kim. “I wanted to sing it because it’s “Gangnam Style.” Everyone wants to sing it,” said Kim. The orchestra conductor, called “Doc” by his students, was skeptical about playing “Gangnam Style” at first. Unlike other songs, “Gangnam Style” needed a pop singer, pop dancers, electric guitarists, and a drummer. Because Doc thought moving drums up and down the stage would be too much work, the concert ended up not having a drummer. However, he eventually supported playing the song. “I don’t think Doc really knew about ‘Gangnam Style,’ since he doesn’t surf the Internet as much as we do. But we showed the dance to him live, and he loved it,” said Kim. “Doc is really interested and open to changes,” said Wang. “When a student comes up with a nontraditional idea that seems interesting, he just goes with it.” “It’s not only for Asians - it’s about entertainment for everyone,” said senior orchestra member Alexandra Fraley.

PHOTO BY NA HE JEON

PHOTOS BY NA HE JEON

Chigaya Sakai (12) got the orchestra the rights to the soundtrack of “Spirited Away,” allowing her to play the songs on the piano for the concert.

Dr. Scott McCormick agreed to have the “Asian” concert after years of demand from the members.

NEEKA EGHBALI & SHREY DUA STAFF WRITER & REPORTER he music is blaring during lunch, but not one student is dancing. Suddenly, students jump out of their seats, run towards the designated dance area and start flailing their arms and jumping up and down, trying to copy PSY`s famed dance move. Rapper PSY (pronounced sigh) has made his mark all over the world with his hit single “Gangnam Style,” and Langley is no exception. While the lyrics of the song are Korean, what truly stands out to Langley students is not the hysterical dance moves, but the way Gangnam is depicted. Gangnam is a wealthy neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea that is commonly known as a party city. According to sophomore Tristan Cho, by day the citizens of Gangnam work regular jobs, but by night they light up the night with karaoke and dancing, making Gangnam look something like New York City. The video features PSY dancing as if he is on an imaginary horse, flailing his arms and stomping his feet. “It definitely makes Korean culture more unique. I like to think of it as an example of our generation getting closer together through music rather than a sudden spread of Korean culture,” said sophomore Justin Yi, who is a Korean-American. Like many Langley students, junior Julia Pennington has embraced the Korean culture brought on by this phenomenon. “I can do the dance flawlessly. I’m now a fan of Korean music,” she said.

PHOTOS BY BIJAN TODD

NA HE JEON & BRENDAN COFFEY EXECUTIVE DESIGN EDITOR & REPORTER nstead of playing the typical Beethoven in black-and-green velvet dresses, the Langley Orchestra this month will perform anime music and folk songs in kimonos and hanboks. The Langley Orchestra recently booked its first-ever Asian concert, performing both traditional and modern Asian music. “Asian members of the orchestra have long insisted on an ‘Asian concert.’ I thought if I delayed it any more, there would be a mutiny,” said orchestra conductor Dr. Scott McCormick. The initial planning for the concert started when senior Chigaya Sakai, a pianist in the orchestra, found and purchased raw music scores for “One Summer Day,” an original sound track from “Spirited Away,” by contacting a music rental service in Japan. “Spirited Away” is an Academy Award-winning Japanese animation by Hayao Miyazaki, the “godfather” of Japanese animation. Many Asians in the Orchestra, including senior Charlie Wang, were ecstatic. Longtime fans of Miyazaki, they had always longed to play the original soundtracks from his movies. Although the “Asian concert” was partly a fan concert for Miyazaki, the repertoire included a wide spectrum of Asian songs: Pokemon tunes, original sound tracks from “Mulan” and “Memoirs of a Geisha,” along with traditional Singapore and Korean songs. “We tried to incorporate as many cultures as possible, and put some songs that Americans can relate with – like ‘Mulan’ and ‘Memoirs of a Geisha,” said Dr. McCormick Additionally, the students figured that an Asian concert would not be complete without “Gangnam Style,” the viral YouTube sensation by Korean pop singer PSY. Eastbound, an all-Asian student band,

NEWS 7

8 NEWS OCTOBER 2012

FAMILY MATTERS Students claim de-linked classes lack the “family” atmosphere PHOTO COURTESY OF HEATHER SHAPIRO

SARA GUGLIELMO FEATURE EDITOR

p until last year, a typical scene in a sophomore history class might have gone something like this: Madison Chapman walks in to Mr. Jackson’s room carrying a huge box, all of her classmates are eager with anticipation. She puts it down on his desk, opens up the box, and bam a cake...with Mr. Jackson’s face on it. Chapman would have collected the money during English, which she shared with those same classmates. However, scenes like this are no longer common, now that humanities have been de-linked. In the past, linked humanities for freshmen, sophomores and juniors meant that the same set of students had English and history together, and teachers were paired to have the same sets of students. Students are now to free choose humanities classes separately instead of as a package deal, but many miss the close connections with classmates that came as a result of having two classes together. “My class became really close. We obtained a family atmosphere throughout the year,” said sophomore Brittony Trumbol. Freshman year is the most important year to make good friends, and seeing the same people

PHOTO BY AIMEE CHO

Students in Ms. Broad’s 3rd period and Mr. Kuhn’s 7th period last year had holiday parties and inside jokes.

Last year, Ms. Roche’s 3rd period and Ms. Shapiro’s 4th period celebrated the end of the school year with movies and treats.

every day helped students build these enduring friendships. “I still have many close friends from freshman year humanities because being able to see them each day allowed me to build relationships with them,” said junior Natalie Fahlberg. In addition, linked humanities helped students feel more familiar and comfortable with each other. “It feels much more like a community when you see the same people often, and it facilitates discussion, which is vital in humanities,” said senior Aishvar Radhakrishnan. However, not everybody misses

linked humanities. “De-linked humanities has allowed me to be in classes with more of my friends,” said senior Tom Giddings. “Having less classes with the same people has enabled me to get to know more of my classmates,” added senior Mujtaba Wani. Freshman, sophomore and junior students who opt to take the highest level humanities classes (two honors for freshmen, one honor and one AP for sophomores, and two APs for juniors) still have their humanities classes linked.

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Fading away ‘Color Day’ recedes as

OCTOBER 2012

NEWS 9

‘Blackout Day’ prevails

Color Day became obsolete as a majority of the student body wore black to support the new-found tradition, while only a few dissenters wore their class colors.

he center of the cafeteria was empty. Chairs and backpacks were scattered around the tables. In each of the cafeteria corners was a huddle of color-clad students, one grade in each corner. With one movement, the entire cafeteria erupted into a paint and food fight, splatter painting the cafeteria. This was Color Day at Langley in 2010, the year that the en- out Day was not nearly as eventful. tire school lost its homecoming pep rally. A few incidents of mustard and ketchup Before being officially discontin- thrown on freshman and the presence of ued in 2009, Color Day was a tradition on the a few colored shirts seemed to be all that Friday before homecoming, when each grade was left of this controversial tradition. dressed in its respective color: freshmen green, “I’m actually a little sophomores yellow, juniors blue and seniors red. bummed. I think that if no one is haStudents “colored” or “tagged” younger class rassed or hurt, then Color Day could members, who were often slathered in paint. be fun,” said freshman Kerry Bush. The result was what the admin- “This year there were only a istration called “school sponsored haz- few incidents of paint in the bathrooms, ing,” and vandalism in Langley Oaks. but overall, Mr. Ragone has gotten the Every year there school more unified,” are some dissenters who go “I personally don’t mind Color said Head of Safety and all out in their class color, Day, but it is what the adminis- Security Mr. Mark Rogers. but most people - if they This year, in order to suptration wants” wear color at all - choose port Blackout Day, honor so-Shy Daraeikia (12) to show their class pride cieties and clubs required their in a flash of a hair ribbon or colored accessory. members to wear all black -- if the look of dis Now that the class of 2012, the dain from most teachers that deters many stulast class to experience Color Day, has gradu- dents from donning class colors wasn’t enough. ated, some believe it has been phased out “I think students often wore their class entirely. Blackout Day, which was cre- colors to show their class pride. However, what othated to replace it, has begun to dominate. er people may see are students supporting vandal “The Color Day that I experienced my ism,” said government teacher Mr. Micah Herzig. first year was awful. It was mean, terrible and just In addition, the student board of this disgusting. Since then Color Day has gotten much year’s new Mentor Program required all mentors better every year, this year has been the best,” said to wear black on Blackout Day, with the threat of sophomore Assistant Principal Ms. Jessica Statz. removal from the program if they did not comply. Mustard Anyone? Mr. Ragone said, “I think a lot Unlike in 2010, this year’s Black- of it depends on the student leaders,” when asked why he thought that this year’s Color Day was not as dramatic as in previous years. Would you have enjoyed Color Day? Essentially, SGA decided not to rock the Color Day boat. SGA President, senior Shy Daraeikia, commented, “Last year was a suc11% cess based on the fact that most kids wore their No blackout shirts and participated. I personally Yes don’t mind Color Day, but it is what the admin89% istration wants, so instead of fighting them ev*Out of 100 ery step of the way, we make the most of it.” students -Online Editor Harris LaTeef also contributed to this story

PHOTOS BY NA HE JEON

CATHY KIESS & GABY WANTULA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & REPORTER

10 NEWS OCTOBER 2012

PROCRASTINATION NATION Methods to prevent chronic procrastination

How many hours do you spend procrastinating? 6% 13% 24%

5+ 3-4 1-2

57%

POLL BY JOEY MALPICA AND JUSTIN SPEROS

plots out the websites you visit most frequently. Senior Sami Schreiner “wasn’t surprised” when she recently used “RescueTime” and learned she spends most of her time on Facebook. “This will motivate me to start my homework sooner,” she said. If you get most distracted on your phone, the iOS6 iPhone update offers a “Do Not Disturb” function that turns off notifications for social media and texts, a favorite of students like senior Olivia Sisson, who turns on If this scene seems familiar, it’s time for a procrastination the setting at 3:45 every day intervention. when she begins her homework. and getting everything done before you have fun. “I am accountable for a set time “I put away anything each day that I have to start working,” she said. distracting,” said junior Mac McDermott. Apps like “Wunderlist” and “TeuxDeux” Sophomore Connor Kianpour for both Android phones and the iPhone allow added, “I divide everything into manageable you to make categorized to-do lists. If you’ve tried chunks. I sit down and designate time all of these suggestions to no avail, the Android during the day to do part of each thing.” app “Stop Procrastination” offers audio hypnosis Whatever method you use, (seriously) to break you of your bad habits. procrastination is something that can be avoided If these high-tech methods aren’t for you, if you put your mind to it. So go do your there’s always the old-fashioned way: just focusing homework...right now.

The approaching holiday season is a time to enjoy family and friends and to reflect on our good fortune to be part of the Langley High School community. The Safe Community Coalition encourages everyone to take time over the holidays to engage in meaningful conversations that focus on good health, positive influences and good decision making.

~ Safe Community Coalition Board of Directors and Staff

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA SALAMONE

RILEY COSGROVE EXECUTIVE OPINION EDITOR t’s 6 p.m. on a Thursday night, and you’re thinking it’s probably time to start your homework. But first, you put out a quick tweet about how annoying your assignments are. You “favorite” enough Tweets that you’ve reached the limit of acceptable stalking, so you move on to Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Finally, you decide to start your homework. It’s 11:30. If this is pretty much play-by-play of your Thursday nights, consider this your intervention. Procrastination is a curable sickness (much like “tanorexia” or the unhealthy need to have orange skin), and a myriad of new apps for your computer and phone will do all the work for you. For example, the site “RescueTime”

feature

October, 2012

SAX N MATCHMAKER Blind date sparks new friendship

Justin Briggs (11)

BILLY ORME STAFF WRITER

ith its swift assembly line and serve-yourselfsoda station, Chipotle -- as everyone knows -- is a lovely establishment that screams ambiance and romance. What better place to pair up two fine young Saxons for an old-school blind date? Maybe they came for the burritos, or maybe they came for love. One thing is for sure, junior Justin Briggs and senior McKenzie Malpede were the best of sports as the Scope tried once again to make the perfect match. Come with us on this magical journey, where we will answer the question on everyone’s mind: Did sparks fly between Justin and McKenzie? Was their chemistry and love in the air? Or did the two walk away feeling like the rest of us do after a big TexMex meal -- vaguely disappointed and filled with regret at having eaten an entire day’s calories in a single sitting. The bloat factor seemed to be on Justin’s mind as he pushed through the glass doors, sauntered up to the line and ordered the manly “Burrito Bowl” as he awaited McKenzie’s arrival. This was to be his first real date ever, and anticipation was high. Cue McKenzie -- who you can just imagine in Hollywood slow-mo, as she lifts the entire mood of this fast food wonderland. The sun

About me: I like to hang out with my friends during my free time. I play lacrosse for Langley and love it. Three words to describe me would be athletic, fun, and exciting What I look for in a girl: I like girls who know how to have a good time, make me laugh, have a cute smile and dress well.

is shining bright on her glossy hair. She looks like a straight dime -like a girl who’s just stepped out of a Crest commercial. The sea of customers parts, and McKenzie makes her way to the front of the line, where she is given a free meal just because she is so obviously superior to the rest of us. Yes, that’s correct; she did indeed get a free meal just for her looks. It takes more than a few moments for Justin to recover from his obvious jaw drop, his awkward stare at McKenzie’s radiant beauty. What’s next? Why of course, the thoughtful, deep, some may say “monumental” conversations that all teenagers aspire to have at classy chain restaurants. Sitting down, the stunning pair

11 McKenzie Malpede (12)

About me: I love to play tennis during my free time. Three words to describe me would be enthusiastic,compassionate and outgoing. What I look for in a guy: I want a guy who is athletic, funny and sweet and who treats me well.

go over the things they have in common, such as sports and a love of fun. They run through the usual topics: what a pain it is that everyone at Langley is so grade obsessed, how they are both deep spirited individuals. In the end though, the date didn’t go down as a Matchmaker homerun. McKenzie was looking for a more rugged type. Our sincerest apologies, Justin, though he seems to be covering nicely and prowling the halls unscathed. The takeaway for everyone here -- there are plenty of fish splashing in the Langley sea.

Before How are you feeling? Justin: I’m pretty amped. I’m always down to go out with babes. I’m coming off a pretty rough weekend so I’m looking to bounce back with this date. I also love Chipotle so this should be good.

Would you go out on another date with him/ her?

McKenzie: I’m not quite sure about this date because I’m pretty shy. I hope he’s hot though. I have pretty low expectations right about now.

Justin: I plan on going on another date with her. McKenzie is definitely my type except she’s a lot nicer than most girls I go after. I hope she had a lot of fun.

After

McKenzie: Justin is a very nice guy, and he definitely has some of the characteristics I look for in a guy, but I don’t think he’s the guy for me. I want him to know I had a lot of fun though.

How did the date go?

Justin Briggs (11) and McKenzie Malpede (12) eat burrito bowls at Chipotle in the Tysons Corner Mall.

McKenzie: The date was awesome, he was a perfect gentlemen. He was easy to talk to because he is very outgoing and I liked that about him. We talked about school and what we like to do.

Justin: The date went really well. Our conversation flowed. I thought I got to know McKenzie a lot better than before, and it was really easy to pay attention because she is so pretty. We talked about personal interests and school stuff.

-Additional reporting by Ilene Goudarzi and Olivia Salamone If you know someone who would be interested in being set up in a future Saxon Matchmaker, email saxonscopeonline@gmail.com.

12 FEATURE

OCTOBER 2012

FEATURE 13

WINNER 14% of the Romney voters were not Republican

OBAMA

MALE

FEMALE

eniors Cynthia Ding and Jenna Smith like to talk on the phone – a lot. Ding estimates that she’s made about 250 calls since the beginning of the school year. But Ding and Smith aren’t gossiping and swapping secrets. They’re calling on Northern Virginia voters, to persuade them to re-elect President Barack Obama. As President and Treasurer, respectively, of the Langley Young Democrats Club, Ding and Smith are extremely active in politics and Obama’s campaign. Their main duties as club officers include canvassing, making phone calls and leading current events debates. “I really liked getting involved this year, rather than just sitting around and complaining,” said Ding. “It’s been an interesting experience, you really get to know the electorate.” “Everything is less abstract when you meet people who pay taxes, who have real opinions,” said Smith, who also worked for Obama’s Organizing for America campaign last summer for 20 hours a week, registering voters and helping with the campaign. With the election coming up so soon,

COURTESY OF BETH RICHARDSON

AIMEE CHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ROMNEY

ince RG3 and Batman aren’t on the ballot to become the next president -- much to the disappointment of some students included in a recent Scope mock election – we found that President Barack Obama would overtake his Republican challenger Mitt Romney and become the next president by a healthy 15 percent margin.With the help of the history department, we surveyed 810 people – just under half of the school. Along with polling Langley students on their choice for the country’s 45th president, the Scope also took a look at some major young activists now furiously working for the two presidential hopefuls.

42.6% 57.4% Young Democrats

MITT

MALE FEMALE

Beth Richardson (12) met President Barack Obama in 2011. the two realize that there is no time to waste. “I feel relatively confident, but nothing’s for certain. Anything can change,” said Ding. According to Smith, the canvassing efforts are going well. Of course, she and the other club members have encountered the occasional angry call recipient. “[When we call,] there’s a pretty wide spectrum of happiness and yelling,” she said. “Someone threatened to report me to the police once.” Junior club member Tim Kostelancik added, “There’s always going to be the occasional Republican who’s overzealous about their cause, and they’ll shout you down.” “I called one guy, and he pretended to have a seizure,” said junior member Jiho Kim. However, for the Young Democrats, the

54% (

7% (59 votes ) OTHER 39% ( 31

otes) OBAMA

437 v

*Poll out of 810 Langley students

4 vot

es)

*Data compiled by Neeka Eghbali, Susie Kim, and Katherine Rohloff

ROMNEY positives more than outweigh the negatives. “While I was registering voters at NOVA Community College, I talked to a veteran about how much ObamaCare has helped him, and has allowed him to stay on his parents’ insurance plan. It was the most inspiring moment I’ve had,” said Kostelancik. All four of the students plan to continue being involved in future campaigns. “Virginia is very important to the election,” said Kim. “I like having an influence.”

Young Republicans

e’re going to meet Mitt Romney tomorrow. Seniors Matt McCann and Brad Jeter say this so matter-of-factly they could be talking about the weather, or what they’re going to eat for lunch. Of course, as co-presidents of the Young Republicans Club, they’re used to meeting such important political figures by now. McCann and Jeter first became involved

9.6% of students 12% of students have have parents with different political parties split political parties than their parents *All results tallied by studetns and do not represent official results of any kind

52.9% 47.1% COURTESY OF MATT MCCANN

BARACK

Mitt Romney and Matt McCann (12) in 2011. in politics in eighth grade, when they volunteered for the John McCain presidential campaign. “Over the last four years, I didn’t really like the direction the country was going in, so I became more active,” said Jeter. Their main duties as Young Republicans Club presidents are to coordinate phone calls and campaign volunteer efforts for the club’s 50 members. “There’s a lot more young conservatives than you’d think,” said Jeter. “We promote local activisim and being involved. Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican or Independent, you should be involved,” added McCann. McCann also works as a field coordinator for Virginia Delegate Barbara Comstock’s campaign

office, where he organizes canvassing and door knocking. “We knock on the doors of a lot of really avid Republicans. They’ll invite you into their house and talk to you about how we need to turn the country around,” he said. Thanks to their connections with Delegate Comstock, McCann and Jeter have had the opportunity to meet Congressman Frank Wolf, Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss and Romney himself – several times. “Romney’s a big guy. He’s a lot bigger than you’d think,” noted McCann, who first met the presidential nominee back in 2009 at one of Delegate Comstock’s election fundraisers. “He’s also a really nice guy, more personable than he seems on TV.” McCann and Jeter, along with fellow Republican senior Clayton Kennedy, most recently saw Romney when they attended a rally in Leesburg on Oct. 17. As the election draws closer, the two are staying optimistic. “I’m confident for Romney. It looks like things are falling into place for him to win,” said Jeter. Still, they have their work cut out for them in the remaining weeks before the election. “Working with Barbara Comstock, I’ve learned that you have to fight every day like it’s your last,” said McCann.

LAYOUT BY NA HE JEON, ILLUSTRATION BY NA HE JEON

17% of the Obama voters were not Democratic

14 FEATURE

OCTOBER 2012

SILLY KIDS, TWITTER IS FOR EVERYONE Teacher tweets humor, history and homework AVANI HEDGE & MICAELA GRASSI STAFF WRITER AND REPORTER

PHOTO BY BIJAN TODD

our phone buzzes, but when you check the message it’s not from your friend or even your mom. It’s tonight’s history assignment, the sender? Your teacher. During her three years at Langley, history teacher Ms. Melinda Conner has made a lasting impression with her use of a technology service to text homework assignments to her students.

Ms. Conner uses various sources of technology to connect with students and help them learn.

“I use a program called Celly that can be used to text reminders,” she said. She also uses Ms. Connor uses Twitter to share her personal life, history tips, and advanced technology even witty remarks about current events. in her classroom. “During one class I had them pull out their phones and vote on in and asked when the Fallopians attacked something in class and I pulled up the results on Mesopotamia… and I was like ‘well no that’s the SMART Board.” not right, it was the Phoenicians.’ Fallopians “With Celly she gives us test hints are actually part of the female anatomy,” she which are really helpful,” said freshman Sammy said, “Sometimes I have to put my head on the Russell. podium because I’m laughing so hard.” Maybe it was her “real world” experience that In her free time Ms. Conner likes to made Ms. Connor a tech junkie, Ms. Conner cook, throw parties, read, go to the movies and went to Fairfax High School and graduated from travel. “I think London is my favorite. I like all James Madison University before completing her the history and plays, and I like all that British masters at George Mason. However she didn’t culture,” she said. become a teacher just yet. “I worked on Capitol Students seem to have a new love Hill for a while as a legislative assistant for a of history after attending Ms. Connor’s class. Congressman. I enjoyed it, but teaching was a “Students at the end of the year say that they better fit for me.” never liked history until my class and that’s what Because history has the potential to I love to hear,” she said. “I try to get them to love become complicated, Ms. Conner works hard a subject that they didn’t like before.” to make history enjoyable. “One girl came

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HarRis LaTeef & Alex de Thier Online Editor & Reporter ou’re absent-mindedly scrolling through your Twitter timeline, paying little attention to the hundreds of thoughts your friends are sharing. Suddenly one of your friend’s tweets catches your eye – something like,“I’m so tired of this, maybe you’d all be better off without me.” More and more often, teenagers are looking to the Internet for attention. They do this by posting unsettling things, such as hinting or even directly claiming that they are on the verge of running away or hurting themselves. “Once, I saw someone Tweet ‘I’m just so sick of it all, I’m done.’” said senior Max Chernoff. The lowdown on subtweets “I can’t stand you,” “You’re such a joke,” “I can do such much better than you.” These tweets are all examples of subtweets, one of the many functions of Twitter. “Subtweeting” is when a user refers to somebody in their tweet without directly mentioning their name. Usually subtweets are negative, and aimed to either indirectly inform the person that the tweet is about some emotion or thought, or to receive attention or sympathy from followers.

A prime example of this is New Jersey teenager Kara Alongi, who made headlines last month after tweeting that she was being kidnapped, when in reality she was attempting to run away. Langley students have seen similar messages posted on their friends’ social networking accounts. “I believe it’s a desperate call for attention,” said freshman David Fouladi. “You’re asking everyone to say ‘Don’t do that, we care about you.’” “It’s alarming the things people will do for attention,” said junior Evan Anthony. “They could be scaring people who care about them.” Many teenagers have learned to take these posts with a grain of salt. “They just want people to pretend to care,” said sophomore Sofi Lewis.“If everything I read on Twitter were true, then Kanye West, Rihanna and Justin Bieber would all have been dead for the past year,” added sophomore John Mafi. Senior Tara Hosseini has seen plenty of these disturbing tweets, everything from “I hate my life, can it get any worse?” to “I’m fed up with everyone and everything.”

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OCTOBER 2012

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October, 2012

GRAPHIC BY NA HE JEON

opinion

However, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to shell out thousands of dollars for senior year. Homecoming, prom, college, SAT’s, and the paramount Beach Week all define senior year, but so do the price tags that come with them. I hope I’m not the only one who thinks that my estimated total cost for senior year of $14,000+ is a little much for a mere nine months of schooling. Yes, these are memories that will last forever, and I understand that

people in our area like to live the “rich life.” But in no way does that mean that we should spend fourteen grand especially when there are others out there who need that money a lot more than we do. In the grand scheme of things, do I really want to spend $25 dollars on a boutonniere for my date, that A: is just super awkward to try to pin on him, and B: will be thrown away about 5 hours later? No, but we’ve been told that these are important moments and events for us, so it’s okay to think that, as Puff Daddy would say, “It’s all about the Benjamins.” Have fun Googling that one. Bottom line: we have seriously jeopardized our priorities. We can still have a great senior year without the credit card swipes and open wallets. If most of the nation can do it, then we can too. Just to further prove my point, here’s a little list I compiled for you all of the average cost for a girl’s senior year.

CAUGHT ON TAPE Is the spirit video just an inside joke for seniors? s a senior, I’ve had my fair share of spirit videos and this was the best to top off the last homecoming in high school. (Don’t get me wrong, freshman year’s spirit video was pretty entertaining, with a journey to find the lost spirit of Langley, who ended up being an actual peppy student and continuous references to a stereotypical TJ student. ) As this video’s epic music grew louder and the five senior students descended into Mr. Ragone’s office, it seemed as though everyone, myself included, was eager to see what all the hype was about.

OPINION 17

ALEX DE THIER REPORTER

LEILA RAMINPOUR SENIOR STAFF WRITER

NO... A

OCTOBER 2012

In the past years, the only faces we saw in the video were the SGA, fall athletes and Mr. Ragone. But this year, it was different. I was surprised to see a few freshmen and sophomores here and there, enhancing the feeling of unity. The video provided the right amount of comedic relief, not just from the ridiculous things that the five seniors did but with the references to a number of school-wide inside jokes. My one and only complaint about the video is the length; the suspense seemed to go on and on. Or maybe it was the fact that I desperately wanted to know who the chosen one was. All in all, hats off to the SGA, who thought outside of the box to put together a video that both represented Langley and got the student body riled up for spirit week.

YES... L

oud music, cheerleaders dancing and yelling to pump up the crowd, and Otto the Saxon’s high-fives for every student that enters. The pre-Spirit Week pride rally began with a welcoming, upbeat vibe for both under and upperclassmen, but ended with one of exclusivity. A big cause of this shift was the spirit video. The video was creative and funny, but at times, the students’ laughter was forced. Naturally, the spirit video production crew was dominated by members of the class of 2013, but I thought that they could have done a better job with including underclassmen in the jokes. Being a sophomore, I didn’t get the humor behind a fair amount of the film’s antics. I can

only imagine how it was for the freshmen, just a month into high school and even more out of the loop with these senior-directed “had to be there” jokes. Isn’t Langley’s spirit week all about bringing the student body together? Watching a montage of senior jokes doesn’t make me feel pumped up for spirit week or unified with the student body: it just makes me wish I was a senior so I could appreciate the video (and for a lot of other reasons of course). All in all, the video was well made, and I’m sure the seniors enjoyed it. Whether the rest of Langley did too is debatable. There will always be a strong sense of exclusive pride within the senior class, just as there will always be streaks of red within the sea of black clothed students on Unity Day.

L-R: Alex Ehat (12), A.J. Scalia(12), Justin Speros (12) and Matt Shumway (12) in this year’s spirit video.

COLOR ME CRAZY Color day isn’t so bad after all A

LI CHIEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

ll attention was on the kid standing in the middle of the court. One by one, he called out each class to represent themselves. First freshmen, then sophomores, then juniors. And, of course, the seniors. The air was filled with the roars of untamed students. The juniors were standing on their feet and the seniors were making the trademark “X’s” with their arms. The bleachers rumbled like an earthquake. This was my freshman experience at the Color Day pep rally. It wasn’t techni-

cally called “Color Day,” but it sure felt like it. Being part of the first generation of Langley students without a Color Day, I can only imagine what the actual Color Day was like. My freshman experience is probably as close as I’ll ever get to one. Instead I now have to get hyped up about unity and coming together as a school, which doesn’t sound very exciting. Wearing black also demonstrates this “unity.” But having everyone wear black is like having everyone wear a uniform. If I had to come to Langley every day dressed up in a buttondown and tie, I would throw up in my mouth. Our clothes give us an identity. And when that identity is taken away, we become nothing more than just an-

other teenager in the Langley student body. The real reason why people look at Color Day so negatively is because of all the vandalism. Tagging students and property has given Color Day a bad reputation over the years. The administration has good reason to ban color day because of this. But we can make a difference. If we keep the tagging to a minimum and show the administration that we can wear our colors respectfully, then maybe we can bring Color Day back. It requires a sacrifice, but it’s better than no color day. I understand that Principal Ragone is always doing what is best for Langley. However, in my opinion, the eradication of color day is unnecessary and destroys our Langley culture.

18 OPINION

OCTOBER 2012

ONE SHOT YOU WON’T FORGET How one picture can define a whole year MANA AFSARI REPORTER

little to the right, a bit more to the left, chin up, and drop the personality. Across the years, countless photographers have, sometimes forcefully, sat me down and taken my picture in this uniform manner. I’ve been told picture day is a

“lovely” reminder of how you change from year to year, but I would have to disagree. Are we students, or convicts taking mug shots? The latter sounds more like picture day to me. True to its definition, I can see how I’ve grown physically throughout the years, but there’s no emotion or personality in these pictures.

From left to right: Mana Afsari in her school yearbook photos in 1st, 7th and 9th grade.

Everyday feelings like heartbreak, jealousy, or on the brighter side, the laughter from inside jokes you share with your friends - I doubt anyone could get all that from a yearbook picture. If you take a look at a yearbook without knowing the people in it, you probably won’t be able to distinguish the cliques, figure out who likes who, or even spot the lacrosse players. When you’re thirty, it’s unlikely that you’ll take a look at your yearbook and remember what happened in the moments before the picture. I for one have tried to not be part of this uniform system, but in my attempts to not be awkward or fake in my pictures, I’ve ended up looking like a dazed rabbit, blinded by their flashing camera lights. Granted, picture day is exciting for some. Put on some more makeup, spend some more time combing your perfectly fine flow, and maybe even wear that dress you bought but never felt bold enough to wear. But me? I’ll pass on the mundane “memory”-maker they call picture day. PHOTOS BY MANA AFSARI

seniors bust a move

Senior class takes annual Dave and Buster’s field trip EMILY FLESSAS EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAUREEN MARSH

to Tootie-Fruity, we took a break for lunch. Our prizes consisted of one gieading up to the annual senior field trip to Dave Nachos, mini pizzas, chicken ant giraffe, four teddy bears, one angry and Buster’s arcade, my expectations were low. tenders and fries awaited us in an all-you- bird, six bracelets, and one giant slinky. All I had heard from can-eat buffet style format. I wasn’t crazy Quite a successful day if you ask me. past seniors were complaints about the food, but it was definitely edible. I saw other students dragging giant bananas, about how quickly they ran out of mon- And back to the games we went. Un- panda bears, disco balls, and other random prizes ey for games, how gross the food was and fortunately, one of my friends lost her swipe onto the charter buses taking us back to school. how boring and expensive their day off was. card in the commotion of moving all around. Overall, Dave and Buster’s was not a Nevertheless, at I shared mine with her bust, it was a fun day for seniors to take a break Langley, field trips don’t for the rest of the after- from college apps and bond with their fellow come around everyday, so Dave and Buster’s is essential- noon, and between the two classmates. I didn’t want to miss out. ly a glorified Chuck-E-Cheese, of us we still didn’t run When we arrived in except for adults. Needless to out of money. I still had Rockville, Maryland after a fif60 points left when it say, we seniors went crazy. teen minute drive and pulled up was time for us to leave. to the giant complex housing the A ton of people surarcade, I was pleasantly surprised. It was massive. rounding me had amazing luck, spinning a Walking up three escalators was worth wheel and winning 1000 tickets in one turn. it, and once we were given our swipe card with a Many people collected tickpre-set amount of money the games finally began. ets in an “every man for yourself ” fash Dave and Buster’s is es- ion, but I pooled mine with some sentially a glorified Chuck-E-Cheese. friends so we could win big at the end. Needless to say, us seniors went crazy. Once teachers started coming We had the entire game center to our- around warning us to turn our tickets in, it selves, and it felt like there was an unlimited amount was a mad-house rush to the weighing station, of options – we didn’t even know where to begin. where tickets were turned into buying points. From Left: Seniors Blair Purdy, Elissa Purdy, After making rounds through the en- My friends and I managed to rack Cathy Kiess, Emily Flessas, and Maureen Marsh tire place, playing everything from skeet ball up 6,678 points, which we split among us. after returning from the trip to Dave and Busters.

sports

October, 2012

The legacy Lives on

From 1930 to 2012 the Howerton family has dominated in football

Elton “Sig” Howerton It starts with Grandpa, a hard-nosed All-American lineman who played at Randolph Macon, Virginia Tech and William and Mary. Elton “Sig” Howerton was a part of the United States Navy, as well as a soldier in the Korean War in the late ‘50s. “A man who never touched a football until freshman year in high school became an instant star; his natural athletic ability astounding everybody,” said son John Howerton. After playing throughout college, Elton let his football career come to a close, turning down offers from notable teams such as the Steelers and the Redskins to play pro.

John Howerton

Towering on the sidelines every Friday,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOWERTON FAMILY

Jim Ford, Coach Howerton`s father-in-law, won two national championships playing with Notre Dame.

is Elton’s son, John Howerton (varsity Head Coach at Langley.) He’s upheld the tradition by joining football at the start of freshman year, at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County. He then went on to dominate the fields in college, and was named an Honorable Mention All-American player at Shepherd University in West Virginia. “The camaraderie you build with the guys on the field is like nothing else, that idea that no matter what happens your guys are there to help,” said Coach Howerton.

varsity football team, holds nearly every weight lifting record at Langley. He is a two-time AllDistrict and All-Region performer, and a onetime All-State team player. He was chosen for the Virginia State Top 25 Team as a junior and is expected to be chosen again, according to Coach Howerton. In the classroom, he has an overall GPA of 3.98 and shows no signs of losing motivation and persistence. His hope is to play Division I football in college, and perhaps even go pro.

Jim Ford

Tyler Howerton

Even Coach Howerton’s father-in-law was highly successful football player. Jim Ford contributed to the football heritage, playing center for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the late ‘30s. He paused his career to fight in World War II, but returned after the war and continued playing. His team won two national championship titles in 1946 and 1947. Since then, he has been a loyal head coach at TC Williams High School in Alexandria for the past 20 years.

Let’s not forget the future, too. Tyler Howerton is currently an eighth grader at Cooper Middle School and will be a freshman at Langley next year. He has already gotten a head start in the weight room but, like everyone else in the family, is waiting until next year to start playing organized football.

Jack Howerton Next in line for the football tradition is current Langley senior Jack Howerton. “Jack is a total machine and monster on the line, in the weight room, and in the classroom,” said senior Will Chapman. Jack, an offensive lineman on the

“Sig” Howerton, Coach Howerton`s dad, played through college and came close to a professional career.

Even Principal Matt Ragone has high regards for Coach Howerton. “The most meaningful thing isn’t the lessons he teaches on the field, but also off the field. He has a great impact on making these kids ready for life.”

John Howerton, current head Langley football coach, recieved an Honorable Mention at Shepard University.

Jack Howerton, son of Coach Howerton and LHS senior, controls the field while holding weight lifting records here.

PHOTO BY BIJAN TODD

CAYHAN MOVAGHARI REPORTER ay the name Howerton to anybody in Fairfax County who knows football, and they’ll know who you’re talking about. The name Howerton represents a tradition of excellence in football programs throughout Fairfax County over many decades. More specifically, the name is synonymous with star offensive linemen. Two Howerton men are currently at Langley, varsity football Head Coach John Howerton and his son and senior offensive lineman Jack Howerton. However, the Howerton name first earned its prestige many years earlier.

20 SPORTS

OCTOBER 2012

AMY WELCH

Senior and captain Amy Welch made the Langley dance team as a freshman, a continuation of the dance career she began at age five. Despite nerves, a love of performing has kept her enthusiastic during pep rallies and halftime shows. “She is enthusiastic and driven. She is the first to arrive and the last to leave, always giving 110%,” said Coach Ellen Johnson. “Amy brings energy and positivity to every practice. She keeps us all going!” added senior teammate Lexie Slye. Whether they are throwing a DTDP (dance team dance party) or “reppin’ #teamtwerk,” the dance team dynamic is always animated thanks to Welch’s energy. Welch looks forward to the rest of the year with her teammates and more memories to come.

PHIL NOVACKI

No other Saxon has meant more to the football team this fall than do-it-all senior Phil Novacki. Standing at 6 foot 3 and tipping the scales at 220 pounds, Novacki is arguably the most versatile player to ever walk the halls of Langley. Through six games, that rare versatility has been on full display, as Novacki has dazzled as a playmaker on offense, finding the end zone seven times. He also starts at linebacker on a defense that utilizes his impressive combination of strength and speed. “Phil is the complete package,” teammate Kyle West said. “He’s capable of playing any position on the field, even quarterback. It’s remarkable.” According to Aaron Yi, another teammate of Novacki’s, his four touchdown outburst against district power Chantilly proved that he is one of the best players in the region. “Nobody could stop him that night,” Yi stated. “It was fun to watch.” Do not expect this to be Novacki’s last season putting the pads on, either. He is receiving high interest from several Ivy League institutions and should play at the next level.

AUDREY VOORHEES

Senior Audrey Voorhees was a key component to her team’s success this season. “Audrey is one of the hardest working players on the field. She’s a natural leader and a tough athlete. Overall, a great girl and an awesome field hockey player,” said Coach Jennifer Robb. A well-liked player, Voorhees always supports her teammates. Although she wasn’t on the field during the double-overtime senior night win against Marshall, she kept the team spirited and encouraged throughout. “Whenever I need to talk or just be around someone, I know Audrey is always there for me,” said senior teammate Jessica Weaver. One of the season highlights for Voorhees was the annual McLean game. The rivalry has made these match-ups competitive because “everybody knows everybody,” Voorhees said. “I think she is a strong midfielder and holds our team together both on and off the field. She is a true leader,” said senior teammate Rosie Mahoney.

OCTOBER 2012

SPORTS

RACHEL ZMUDA

From her first tee shot to her final putt, junior Rachel Zmuda was the heart of the Lady Saxon golf team. Beginning the season with an impressive score of 86, Zmuda led her squad to a flawless 9-0 record and received several individual accolades. “Rachel improved so much from last year to this year,” said senior Adrienne Schmidt, a girl whose exceedingly high level of experience allowed her to become a member of the boy’s golf team this season. “She worked so hard in the offseason and I’m proud of her.” According to senior teammate Cathryn Pickei, Zmuda’s hard work was not limited to just the golf course. “Rachel helps organize so many team-related things like dinners and what not,” Pickei stated. “She’s a real leader and we’re lucky to have her.” As far as college recruiting goes, Zmuda’s coaches and teammates believe she’ll have a healthy amount of options at the next level.

MAUREEN MARSH

In her four years at Langley High School, senior Maureen Marsh has been pivotal to the varsity volleyball team’s success. “I think Maureen is the player all of us daydream to be. She brings the whole team together with her endless encouragement and positive energy. Her strong mentality defines her as one of the strongest players on the court,” said senior teammate Catherine Baek. Maureen first fell in love with volleyball in seventh grade, when she played at Flint Hill. Now a senior captain, one of her biggest accomplishments has been getting the team to work together smoothly. “Maureen is our organizer. She makes sure everything that needs to get done does. On the court, she leads by example.,” said Coach Susan Shifflett. Throughout the season, Marsh has motivated the team to keep their intensity level high during all games. “I try to always keep a positive and upbeat attitude. I know that we play our best when we are relaxed while staying aggressive, but an entire match can be tiring, so I do my best to encourage everyone and bring a lot of energy on the court,” said Marsh.

JUMP START This fall sports season, the Saxon Scope chose nine outstanding athletes to profile. These athletes have stepped up and went above and beyond expectations. They have been chosen for their hard work and dedication to their team. With strong leadership qualities these nine athletes helped to lead their teams to successful seasons.

Reporting by Emily Flessas, Justin Speros, Taylor Snyder, Ilene Goudarzi, Ben Cross, Abdullah Jamil, Sabir Hathiramani, Cayhan Movaghari Photos courtesy of Lifetouch, Yearbook, Ed Lull, Amy Welch, Phil Novacki, Field Hockey, Jessica Miles, Derick Paxton

ALESSANDRO SHAPIRO

Usain Bolt and Forrest Gump are just a few of the famous runners who keep sophomore Alessandro Shapiro trekking through rigorous practices every day. “I like to run and get better at it,” said Shapiro. Shapiro is a second-year runner with lots of passion for his sport. “I am really impressed with his work ethic, and that’s what sticks out to me. I am excited for him in terms of how much he has improved and how much potential he has to improve for the rest of his high school career,” said coach Gifford Krivak. Shapiro’s teammates can attest to his determination and dedication. “Last year Alessandro had a 21 minute 5k time, but now he has a 17 minute 5k time. He holds the number one varsity spot on the boys team and pushes himself every day,” said sophomore teammate Anthony Verghese. Shapiro plans to continue showing his passion by running throughout the rest of his high school career. If given the chance, he aspires to run for either Virginia Tech or the University of Virginia.

CHRISTINA KONZIAS

With help from teammates and coaches, senior cheerleader Christina Kontzias has made huge improvements over the past years. By practicing and teaching herself new and more difficult skills on the trampoline and learning new tumbling tricks, Kontzias reached a new level in her cheer career. Teammate Morgan Ladd says, “Christina is a really amazing teammate she’s always so positive and inspiring. A little while ago she was asked to try a floor tuck for the first time and she just went for it and got it down in two days!” Even though Kontzias was recently concussed and unable to cheer, she still went out to the Varsity competition to cheer on her teammates from the sidelines. Kontzias is a true team player. “I’m flattered to be athlete of the season but I think all the girls deserve some recognition for their dedication and hardworking,” she said.

JESSICA MILES

With her recent success at the Junior Olympic Nationals and her plans to run in college, senior Jessica Miles has surpassed all expectations for a high school cross country runner and captain. “Jessica is just an incredible leader. She has done an excellent job of teaching everyone on our team what it means to be good cross country runner,” said senior teammate Elissa Purdy. “She practices at a high intensity and the rest of the team follows her example.” Langley girls cross country has come just short of winning a districts title for the past three years, and with the competition right around the corner Miles is keeping her expectations high. “I think my proudest moment for cross country will come this year when the team finally pulls through and wins districts,” Miles said. “Ever since she set foot at practice as a freshman, she composed herself,” said Head Coach Giffard Krivak. “We have high hopes for her and I have no doubt that she’ll help our team come district time while making an individual run at getting to state finals.”

DERICK PAXTON

Think of a typical three year old: the first image that comes to mind probably isn’t a little boy running through his house with a plastic golf club breaking everything in sight. For senior Derick Paxton, however, this was the start of an accomplished golf career. Now a co-captain of the varsity golf team, he is one the best players in the Liberty District, ranking sixth out of about 60 other golfers. Derick also scored a course record of 63 (best score shot on that course) in a MAPGA tournament at Herndon, and won the Stallion Classic at Laurel Hill. “He works really hard; he’s focused and really dedicated,” said sophomore Stephen Bonnacci. Paxton’s dad has been a strong influence in his life by encouraging his participation in golf and hockey. This season, Paxton took his skills to the next level. “Derick had a great year; he won five tournaments this summer and fall,” said Golf Coach Al Berg. Under Paxton’s leadership, his team won its third straight Liberty District championship this season. “The best part about playing is just getting out there on the green and hitting the ball across the crisp grass,” said Paxton, who hopes to become a professional golf player in the future.

22 SPORTS

OCTOBER 2012

DANIEL LEVETOWN STAFF WRITER

Saxon Men

PHOTO COURTESY OF DERICK PAXTON

he boys golf team had a highly successful 10-1 season this year, pummeling the field at districts and winning with 591 points. “We’ve done it like 15 times in a row, so it’s not a big deal,” said junior Chris Brugge. However, it all came to an end after a devastating loss at regionals. On the first day of the regional tournament, the Saxons stood in third place. Partway through the tournament, they were two strokes behind Chantilly and one stroke behind Madison. Suddenly, the Langley boys were left in shock as Madison and Chantilly girls golfers walked onto the fairways, and took their places. The Chantilly and Madison tactic was a strategic one, used by the coaches so they could play their best female golfers and drop their weakest men. Also, girls are al-

The boys’ varsity golf team took home the district title for the third year in a row.

lowed to tee closer, which gives them an advantage. Although this is legal under golf rules, it is a highly unusual tactic in high school golf. However, the tactic worked the Saxon men fell behind their coed rivals after the first day of competition. Torrential rains put an end to the second day of competition before it even started, and the Langley boys were not given the chance to make up the one stroke they needed to improve their position to second place and qualify for the Virginia State Championships. Although the result wasn’t what they were hoping for, the Saxon men didn’t let the loss bring them down.Three Langley players, Chris Brugge, Justin Nguyen and Edric Wung ,qualified and played in the State Tournament as individuals, and Edric Wung finished third. All in all, the golfers were satisfied with the season. “We were worried this year because we lost two or three of our best golfers to graduation. Fortunately, five or six guys have stepped up and more than filled the gap,” said sophomore Wil Tobola.

Saxon Women

Capping off an undefeated regular season, the Saxon Women’s golf team demolished their competitors, winning the District Championship Tournament held at Hidden Creek Golf Club on Sep. 29. Throughout the competition,

HITTING THE BOOKS

PHOTO COURTESY OF VERONICA SMITH

hole in one The Langley golf teams takes regionals head on

Varsity women’s golf had a strong season, continuing their run to the state finals. the Saxonettes crushed their drives and paced their greens, completely outplaying their closest competitor, South Lakes, and beating them by more than 20 strokes. “The win definitely inspired our team,” said senior team captain Kate Fitzgerald. “Hidden Creek is one of the most difficult courses we’ve played this year, and for the team to do so well was a great boost of confidence.” In the regional tournament, senior Cathryn Pickei shot the lowest (best) score, outpacing the field to bring home first place for the Saxons by beating South Lakes’ top ace by one stroke. Fitzgerald and Coach Bob Haynes are both expecting similar success next year. “ All of the girls have gotten better, a solid improvement by all of them. We have many high-quality golfers, but juniors Rachel Zmuda and Veronica Smith are distinguishable.” “[Zmuda and Smith] have been a really strong influence over the team. Not only have they played well, but they play fair and strong,” added Fitzgerald.

Freshman football mandatory study hall put in place

TAYLOR SNYDER REPORTER up assignments, adding nce the bell rings at 2:10, step in to the caf- who wanted to find a way to keep students busy look eteria and you will find yourself surrounded and out of trouble between the end of school and technology could be a fix to make it a much more productive period. by freshmen. This year, all freshman football play- the start of practice. ers are required to attend a man- The study hall was also designed to give datory study hall from the end of players a chance to get all their homework done, school, until practice starts at four. since most people don’t get home until 8 p.m. Just imagine havStudy hall is a good idea ing your entire team surin theory, but it’s all rounding you, with the “Its fun, but it’s hard to get work done.” up to students to deexpectations to actually cide how much study-Johnathan Canfield (9) get work done. ing actually gets done. There’s a ton If the parents and of distractions. It’s way too easy to get off task, coaches were able to quiet the students down which makes it difficult to do your homework. more, it would not only keep everyone on task, Most of the time I can complete some but not affect any of the kids around them that are work, but let’s be honest. How productive can you trying to complete homework. be when you’re working with all of your friends? Maybe if we had computers “It’s fun, but it is hard to get work more often, people would be able to fin- Freshman football players have a mandadone,” said freshman Jonathan Canfield. ish more work. Since all my classes have on- tory study hall each day, starting right after The idea originated from the coaches, line textbooks, and I need Blackboard to school until practice. PHOTO BY TAYLOR SNYDER

FOOTBALL SEASON FLASHBACK

OCTOBER 2012

SPORTS 23

A look back at the plays that took us to 4-4

The Saxons offensive line prepares to stop Madison from reaching the quarterback. The Saxons lost to Madison on a last second missed field goal.

Running back Philip Mun lines up, preparing for a big play against Chantilly. The Saxons ended up losing this game 34-35.

Running back Philip Mun rushes past Yorktown linebacker Alex Rockelli. The Yorktown Patriots defeated the Saxons 24-14.

Running back Philip Novacki jukes his way past Saxons defenders Alex Baradari and Thomas defenders at the Stone Bridge game. The Saxons Dungan make a play against Marshall. The Saxons crushed the Marshall Statesmen 58-8. went down to Stone Bridge in a 27-6 loss.

PHOTOS BY BIJAN TODD

Quarterback Nick Casso warms up before the second game against TJ. He helped the Saxons win the game 14-6.

WANT MORE... FOOTBALL? HOMECOMING?

PHOTOS BY BIJAN TODD

We have over 500 pictures.... Go to www.saxonscope.com to see them all

24 SPORTS OCTOBER 2012

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Nationals’ stellar season creates buzz at Langley MATT SMITH COPY EDITOR

COURTESY OF CLARE DABALDO

fter seven long years, they’ve finally reached the promised land. The Washington Nationals have not only made the playoffs, but have also claimed the National League’s top seed with a 98-64 record, which was also tops in all of the majors. The Nationals achieved this feat–going from a mediocre team last year to the best team in the league this year–by getting key contributions from young phenoms like Bryce Harper and Stephen Langley students meet the Nationals’ mascots. Strasburg along with savvy veterans, such as Adam bench and one of the best bullpens in LaRoche, who finished fourth in the National baseball,” said junior Rashad Shakib. League in home runs, and Edwin Jackson. Despite the remarkable The Nationals were good on offense, magnitude of the turnaround, at least a as they ranked near the top of the majors in few people at Langley saw this day coming. most team categories, including ranking tenth “I predicted that they out of 30 teams in runs scored would do well. I know no and ninth in batting average. “I predicted that they would do one believes me, but for my son and I, our goal was for well.” Exceptional Talent them to get to the playoffs,” -Principal Matt Ragone owever, it was their pitching said Principal Matt Ragone. that was truly dominant. T h a t ’s The Nats finished second in the league in a pretty bold statement considering that, since ERA, or Earned Run Average, and fifth in the Montreal Expos moved to Washington in the league in quality starts, which is when the 2005, the Nationals haven’t had a winning record. starting pitcher completes six innings of work With success, though, comes without giving up more than three earned runs. controversy. This season marked the first time It’s not just the starters on pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg would pitch the team that have done well, though. from the start of the season since coming back from “They have such a deep “Tommy John” surgery, which Strasburg needed to repair a torn ligament in his elbow. Because of the toll a full season could take on Strasburg, the Nationals decided to shut him down before the season ended, forcing him to miss the playoffs. he morning They also did the same with another one of their after the Napitchers, Jordan Zimmerman, the year before. tionals’ heart Langley students seem to agree breaking loss, that the Nats’ decision to force their ace to junior Paul Hemiss the playoffs was the right one, though. fner woke up to “It was the right move because a picture of his it worked for Jordan (Zimmerman),” face on the cover said senior Nationals fan Jessica Miles. of the Washington Rashad seems to agree. “You’ve got to Times. Hefner was at the game with his look at the big picture for the upcoming years. mom, dad and older sister. While in the stands The Nats are one of the youngest and yet one of the best teams in all of baseball.” reacting to the loss, he was photographed with a Bitter Ending depressed demeanor; the picture was later pubespite all the talent on the team, the Nats’ lished in the “Washington Times” and on Yahoo. season came to a disappointing end when they Every Nationals fan had to lost their first playoff series against the St.Louis take in the tough loss, but for Paul the Cardinals. With the series tied 2-2 and the Nats up loss felt even worse the next morning. 7-5 in the ninth inning, closer Drew Storen, who “The loss was harder after seeing my is normally calm and composed under pressure, picture in the paper because it seemed like I was imploded and gave up four runs, sealing the loss. the face of the fans’ reaction,” said Hefner, who Even without a playoff series victory, had no idea that the picture was being taken the Nationals had the great season that fans all at the time. Throughout the week, Hefner reover DC had been hoping for ever since they moved to Washington. ceived various emails and Facebook messages from people saying they had seen his picture.

PHOTO BYLIZZY WEINGAST

BIG LOSS HITS HOME

PHOTO BY CATHY KEISS

BIJAN AND DANIEL TALK SPORTS: CHELSEA VS. BARCELONA

Bijan: This year in European soccer, Chelsea and Barcelona are both at the top of their respective leagues. Daniel, in your opinion, who do you think is better in a head-to-head matchup? Daniel: No question, I’d take Barcelona. In the past decade, Barcelona has won three champions league titles, one club world cup, one European Super cup, five La Liga titles, one King’s Cup, three Spanish Super Cups, and they were named best team of 2011. It’s obvious that Barcelona has been the most dominant European team, and still is today. Bijan: I disagree completely. In the past five years, Chelsea has won two English Premier League championships, going against high competition that includes Manchester United, Arsenal, and many more. Also, this past year, they won the Champions League, defeating a group of very high-caliber teams, including Barcelona. Daniel: While Chelsea is in a tough league to compete in, Barcelona has it just as tough, going against teams like Real Madrid, which includes one of the world’s best players, Christiano Ronaldo. Another reason why Barcelona is the better team is because eight out of their 11 starters, including Lionel Messi, have been playing with each other since they were teenagers, which builds extraordinary chemistry. Messi, who is the starting striker, has received three straight World Player of the Year Awards. Also, this past season, he scored 73 goals, a world record. Bijan: Chelsea also has a star-studded lineup, which includes old experienced players, as well as young, fresh talent. Frank Lampard and John Terry, who are 34 and 31 years old respectively, and both starters on the English national team, both bring a sense of leadership to the team. Lampard, a starting midfielder, has received the FIFA world player of the Year, UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year, as well as two Premier League Player of the Year awards. There are many rising stars on Chelsea, including starting forward and 21-year-old Edin Hazard, who has played in seven games, and has two goals and four assists. Daniel: Those are all valid points, but Barcelona’s style of play is much more fluent and highly praised than Chelsea’s is. They are able to keep the ball and move it around more efficiently, which could easily overpower Chelsea. This could be a factor in their chances of winning another UEFA Champions League title.

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October, 2012

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