Oakton Outlook Issue 5

VOL. 13 | ISSUE 5

Official Newspaper of Oakton High School

OUTLOOK

8. MEET THE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES an introduction of the prospective school board

21. HOW MANY AP’S ARE TOO MANY? evaluating an excessive academic course load

FEBRUARY 2019

25. SENIORITIS, A DISEASE W/ A CURE

ways to stay motivated as a second semester senior

editor

snailmail

editorial board

Dear Oakton, Second semester is here. Now, underclassmen prepare for another two quarters of tedium, teachers brace for test-prep season, and seniors nervously await their college decisions. It’s a difficult time to be or work in high school, for sure. But it’s important to remind ourselves that we’re now over the hump: the school year is halfway done and Spring is right around the corner. Until then, we can all keep trying our hardest.

The Outlook staff, keeping that in mind, is proud to present its February issue.

Here, we broadened our coverage of school events while keeping an eye on student life. For news about the schools goings-on, you can read about the Fairfax County School Board re elections (page 8), the debate team competing at Columbia (page 10), or the Cougar Time changes (page 11).

For news about Oakton sports, you can read about the swim team’s performance at districts (page 17) and how they’re preparing for regionals (page 18).

If youre for interested in student perspectives, on local issues you can read about how many AP’s are too many (page 21), student feelings on the county’s medication policy (page 23), and how extracurriculars have lost their integrity (page 27).

While the Outlook reports on Oakton, we also keep an eye on the world at large.

We’ve written about the government shutdown and how it could happen (page 14), the coming of Black History month (page 30), and the military ban on transgenders (page 12). You can also read about the history of Valentine’s day (page 33).

We also dive into culture with stories about how toxic celebrities like Chris Brown remain relevant (page 40) and how meme culture is affecting teen socialization (page 36).

In the outside sports world, you can read about the Alex Davis NBA trade (page 19) or about the gearing up of the NBA playoff race (page 20). You can also find news on the Super Bowl and the anticipation leading up to it (page 16).

The Outlook also prizes students opinions on worldly issues. For unique perspectives on these topics, you can read a feminist’s perspective on the controversial Gillette commercial (page 24) or about inefficiencies in a gun ban (page 22).

We’ve worked hard to bring you a wide array of stories at the open to the second semester, and will continue to work hard as the year marches on. The Outlook Staff is proud to present its February Digital Magazine.

We will see you next month.

editors in chief

jake neuffer ashleigh tain

editorial board

katerina faben riya jain emily bach courtney te zoe saugar payton wozny sahithi jammulamadaka

adviser acting advisor

elizabeth snyder joanna esty

staff writers amira bashir genevieve bavisotto sara boddie portia dai madelyn flickinger andres gonzalez katie le connor maloney alexandra martschenko claudia messina sebastian osea veronica preaskorn anabelle rosse cole starmer kariann tan asher tankel

elizabeth thompson nikhil trivedi abudukadier cainaipuguli katherine zevallos olivia garrone aubrey harrell sarah jeffries conor krouse william locklin haley longfellow kartik mukalla sally park zoe saugar zoe siamon pari abdollahi brendan bellingham wendy gao jacob rutzick

Editorial Policy: The Outlook is an open forum for student expression.

Unsigned editorials reflect the collective opinion of the Outlook staff.

Signed editorials represent the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Outlook or Oakton High School. Reader opinions are important to the Outlook and contributions are welcome. Make your voice heard by sending us a line about what’s on your mind. Letters to the editor may be sent via e-mail to efsnyder1@fcps.edu, or dropped off in Mrs. Snyder’s box in the main office or in room 258. The Outlook reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and content provided the meaning remains unchanged.

connect with us website

Ashleigh Tain and Jake Neuffer Editors-in-Chief

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drawing by gigi pham-ton

oaktonoutlook.com @oaktonoutlook @OaktonOutlook

interview and photography submissions are open to all

table of

contents

OAKTON OUTLOOK oakton news sadie hawkins snow school new classes at oakton next year meet the school board candidates science olympiad regionals results debate team takes on columbia so long, cougar time

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

politics a military ban on transgender people whitehouse fast food feast why did the government shut down? der spiegel repented

12 13 14 15

sports superbowl LIII oakton swim hits district states champs the anthony davis drama the race begins

16 17 18 19 20

opinion how many APs are too many? banning all guns, would it work? begging for revisions it’s really not that dramatic senioritis: a disease with a cure?

21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29

school to school the integrity of extracurriculars finding humanity at the border

indepth 30 31 32 33 34

black history heroes talking through social media the love month the false notion of winter sickness

a&e 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

winter TV shows it just be like that sometimes.

42 43 44

from politics to fantasy a balancing act: students with jobs an interview with jim hill

half alive and joan concert review books or technology?

feature

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OAKTON NEWS SADIE HAWKINS

alexandra martschenko staff writer

The Sexist History of an Empowering Event

I

n the age of feminism and self empowerment it’s shocking that we still consider Sadie Hawkins dances to be an emancipating and harmless school activity. The concept originated from a mid 1900s cartoon strip, Li’l Abner. The cartoon featured a girl named Sadie who was describes as too hideous to ever find a husband. Her father decided to hold a contest to finally find her someone before she got too old; he paid eligible bachelors to race each other while Sadie chased them and the one who got caught would be forced to be her husband. Readers caught onto the idea and before long colleges and high schools started holding Sadies dances to poke fun at the cartoon. After a few years, the original meaning was lost and people started to consider Sadies to be a chance for women to prove their independence.

But if we consider ourselves to be such great supporters of the modern women why do we put so much pressure on girls to ‘play the part of the man’ on this one day of the year. By delegating girls ask guys to just this one dance we bring about the assumption that for every other dance girls have to wait around to be asked by a guy instead

of taking the issue into their own hands.

Through this single event, women are encouraged to remain complacent through homecoming and prom because Sadies is seen as reconciliation for the other male orientated dances.

So why do we continue to support such a seemingly outrageous event?

Throughout the years the meaning of the event was lost in the craze of pseudo empowerment that falsely prescribed female power onto this originally defacing event. It’s time to let go of this long standing traditions of patriarchal pity and encourage girls to be independent at all times in their life, not just this one night a year.

It’s time to let go of this long standing tradition of patriarchal pity and encourage girls to be independent in all aspects of their life.

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SNOW SCHOOL

olivia garrone staff writer

How snow days are decided in FCPS

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ow that winter is in full swing, the word “snow” is a buzzword in schools all over the country. Students and teachers all over Fairfax County are stalking the weather reports and FCPS twitter to see if a school cancellation or delay is in sight. While everyone thinks about the final announcement, the text or tweet that announces that school is cancelled, what about the process behind it? How do snow days come to be? All of the burning questions are answered below.

Some people may think that if it is all about safety, the choice should always be on the side of caution; besides, most students love a good snow day, so why not cancel? However, it is never that simple.

“When we cancel school, it affects the lives of thousands of families,” said Dr. Brabrand.

Parents with elementary schoolers may need

Who is involved?

The FCPS advisory team meets to discuss the impending weather. This includes officials such as the FCPS Chief of Operations, Chief of Transportation, and Chief of Communications.

The final call, however, is up to the FCPS superintendent. Before any decisions are made, the team talks with local meteorologists and the people who clear the roads to get the full story of the weather situation.

“It is one of the hardest decisions a superintendent has to make,” said Dr. Brabrand, FCPS Superintendent. Luckily, FCPS is in good hands. ““I have been a teacher, a principal, and a parent, and I keep all of those things in mind when I make a decision.”

How is the decision made?

The advisory board meets about the weather situation the night before the impending weather, and/or the morning of, at 4:30 a.m., depending on the situation. When it comes to deciding on cancellations, delays, and early releases, there is no answer key. There is not a specific temperature, amount of snow, or wind mph that will automatically cancel school. It depends on the specific conditions of each individual day, and whether it would be safe to continue with business as usual at school.

“Safety is our primary focus,” said Dr. Brabrand. The most important factor considered is how safe it would be for students and staff to get to school, so the condition of the roads in the county are taken under heavy consideration.

They have to ensure the safety of not only kids who ride the bus, but walkers, and students who drive themselves to school as well.

County, Prince William County, and other counties in the DMV area vary in their cancellation policies is that every place slightly varies in the amount of snow or level of winds they recieve on a given day. Even within a county, there are different terrains, and conditions can vary.

Another big factor is the size and resources of a county. Dr. Brabrand explained that D.C. schools, for instance, do not provide public school buses like the ones that are free and accessible for the average Fairfax County student.

This means that when we have a day off, they might not, or vice versa, depending on the situation.

Do my tweets make a difference?

While angrily messaging Fairfax County about why school should be closed because of rain will not help anybody’s case, attempts to reach out are noticed. Dr. Brabrand explained that FCPS communications reads the community’s comments and concerns about the weather.

The next time weather speculation is taking place, remember to consider all of the factors that go into a snow day, from road conditions to wind chill. Snow days do not happen with a snap of the fingers; it has to be the perfect storm of conditions for a cancellation or a delay to happen. No matter what the decision turns out to be, FCPS is doing everything they can to ensure that students and staff are safe at all times.

to take the day off of work or pay someone to watch their kids for the day, both of which are not always possible.

And for some students, a school lunch is their only guaranteed meal for the day, so no school could mean going to bed hungry. There are a lot of factors to consider when weighing the pros and cons of a weather cancellation.

“Safety is our primary focus.”

- Dr. Brabrand, FCPS Superintendent

Why are Fairfax County Schools open when Loudon and Prince William are closed?

One big reason Fairfax County, Loudoun

Do you want more information about snows days in FCPS? Visit https://www.fcps.edu/resourcessafety-and-transportation/weather-cancellation-procedures

6 NEW CLASSES at OAKTON NEXT YEAR

zoe sauger editorial board sarah jeffries staff writer

Next year Oakton is offering new classes that will give you more opportunities to learn what your interested in. Read this story to learn about the new classes Oakton is offering.

I

t’s that time of year again where students go about picking their classes for the next school year. Oakton has a lot of classes to offer students, and is even adding more classes to their selection for this coming school year. Whether you are into science, English, or technology, there is definitely an elective at Oakton for you! Here are a few new classes that are being offered to Oakton students next year.

S

tudents at Oakton are lucky to be able to pick from a wide variety of classes at Oakton, and even a few more next year! Good luck to all students picking out their classes next year, and check out Blackboard for the list of classes and their descriptions!

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Genetics & Biotechnology If you love science and especially biology, genetics and biotechnology is the class for you. It is a science that teaches students the foundation of biotechnology, and goes into detail about findings in molecular genes. The class is expected to be structured just like any other science class with notes and labs. The labs especially will give students a chance to really learn hands on how genetics and biotechnology works. This class is great to take if you are interested in a career in research sciences and medical research. The class gives students the opportunity to learn about something new and help choose a major for college.

Japanese Oakton is offering Japanese 1 and 2 this year, taught by 10th grade English teacher Mr. Lawless. “We used to have Japanese at Oakton a long time ago,” he said, “we’ve just kind of been waiting for a good time to restart it, and we decided this year was going to be a good time to give it a try.” Japanese will be similar to other language classes. “It is a modern language, so it follows all the same things that you would see in a Spanish class or French class; you’re still doing reading, writing, speaking, listening, all those kinds of things.” Even though Japanese will follow the same structure as most language classes, it will differ in the writing and reading category. “Writing adds an extra element,” he says, “because you actually have to learn how to write and read characters instead of the letters that we’re used to seeing.” Testing, on the other hand, will remain the same. “PALs work exactly the same for all the languages,” he says. If you are interested in taking Japanese, check out the trifold in Mr. Lawless’s room, room 222!

Oceanography

Looking for a fun science class to take next year, or interested in the ocean? Your in luck because next year Oakton is offering an oceanography class for eleven and twelfth graders. Oceanography is not just about learning the different animals in the ocean but focuses a lot on the marine environment and the geography of the ocean. Addison Becker said, “I decided to take oceanography because I have been interested in the topic since 5th grade and have recently discovered that I can make oceanography my career. Since then, I have grown my passion about the ocean and am getting excited to take the class next year.” Oceanography is a great class to take for students who need a science that is more laid back, and help students find a career path they enjoy.

8 MEET THE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES Who will represent you from 2019-2023?

To most students, FCPS administration and policy-making outside their respective schools is a series of policies passed and resolutions debated - game pieces in the grandiose scheme of education, moved by shadowy hands attached to unknown faces. In actuality, these hands belong to twelve not-so-mysterious bodies that reside on the not-so-mysterious school board. All twelve seats are up for election this fall - one member for each of the County’s nine districts and three at-large members. Meet the prospective board members.

Abrar E. Omeish - At Large A graduate of the Robinson Secondary School Class of 2013, Omeish has worked on the campaign trails of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, and other local and state politicians.

She advocates for equity for students and teachers regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, age, or gender. She hopes to achieve her mission of “targeted universalism” as a member-at-large without the constraints of magisterial boundaries.

Ilryong Moon - At Large Moon is one of the incumbent at-large-members, seeking re-election for a fifth term.

He has served on the school board for 16 years, concentrating on issues such as language barriers and poverty. Immigrating to the United States in 1974, Moon recognizes the importance of quality education in student success and will continue to improve the Fairfax County school system.

Karen A. Keys-Gamarra - At Large Keys-Gamarra is the other incumbent atlarge-member running for re-election this upcoming November. She has extensive experience in law and community involvement and is running on a platform for increased teacher pay, expanded funding sources, and equitable education. Keys-Gamarra hopes to prioritize special education, military students, and student mental and emotional health.

Rachna S. Heizer - Large Heizer is a college professor at Texas Tech,

attorney, and most recently, member-atlarge candidate. A mother of a student with autism, Heizer hopes to make Fairfax County Public Schools more equitable for all students, regardless of ability. Alongside equitable education, Heizer advocates for strategic budget plans and green energy solutions for the school system.

Alicia E. Plerhoples - Dranesville Growing up in a middle-class family, Plerhoples worked hard in receiving her public education and attend Harvard College and Yale Law School. Currently, she is a professor at Georgetown Law School. Her career was founded on a strong school system, and she wants to provide the same opportunities to students in Fairfax County. If elected, Plerhoples will replace incumbent Jane Strauss.

Melanie K. Meren - Hunter Mill Having previously worked at the US Department of Education, Meren is running to be the Hunter Mill representative after incumbent Pat Hynes retires. She has two children attending schools in Fairfax County Public Schools and has advocated for educational policy as a parent for years, but Meren believes she can create more change as a school board member. She champions responsible public school funding and promotes connecting students with nature to enhance their education.

Karen Corbett Sanders - Mount Vernon Corbett Sanders is the current Chair of the school board and incumbent Mount Ver-

non representative. She believes that educational opportunities should be equal throughout Fairfax County regardless of magisterial district. Her campaign focuses on increasing opportunities in her district, updating outdated facilities, and implementing innovative solutions to solve issues.

Jung Byun - Providence Byun is running for Providence representative to replace incumbent Dalia Palchik, who will be running for Fairfax County Supervisor in the fall. Byun graduated from Carnegie Mellon and wants to increase student-professional interactions. She hopes to connect students, parents, and teachers across the community to build equity and address student mental health by raising awareness and supporting student-centered solutions.

Laura Jane H. Cohen - Springfield Cohen is a former preschool teacher and a substitute teacher in Fairfax County. A candidate for the Springfield District, Cohen would replace incumbent Elizabeth Schultz. A mother of a student with a learning disability, Cohen intends to decrease the learning gap between special and general education students. She also wants to enrich support for teachers and educators.

Note: Braddock, Lee, Mason, and Sully are not currently represented by declared candidates

wendy gao staff writer

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february issue

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD REGIONALS RESULTS A look into one of Oakton’s greatest turnouts this year (Astronomy) 5th place- Jiangong Zhang & Shryar Kiani 4th place- Srikar Cadgantam & Qinyuan Jiang (Chemistry Lab) 5th place- Neha Pavurulu & Shehryar Quazi 3rd place- Seonuk Kim & Allison Feeney (Circuit Lab) 5th place- Morgan Pham & Qinyuan Jiang 3rd place- Justin Guo & Megan Liu (Codebusters) 5th place- Ashley Young, Shehryar Quazi, Wen Ip 4th place- Connie Zhnag, Jason Borst, Carson Shin (Designer Genes) 4th place- Patrick Lee & Renee Pen 3nd place- Megan Liu & Minji Kang (Disease Detectives) 6th place- Morgan Pham & Renee Pen 3rd place- Carson Shin & Mahi Freya (Dynamic Planet) 5th place- Thomas Bae & Angie Zhou 4th place- Shehryar Quazi & Ashley Young (Fossils) 5th place- Irene Do & Minji Kang (Herpetology) 6th place- Srikar Vadgantam & Kritika Parthasarathy (Mission Possible) 6th place- Irene Do & Mahi Freya (Protein Modeling) 5th place- Irena Sun & Soni Bae (Sounds of Music) 5th place- Stella Ryu & Mirin Ryu 4th place- Vu Nguyen & Kritika Parthasarathy (Thermodynamics) 5th place- Patrick Lee & Qinyuan Jiang 4th place- Justin Guo & Minji Kang (Water Quality) 4th place- Seonuk Kim & Allison Feeney 2nd place- Patrick Lee & Jackie Yang (Write It Do It) 2nd place- Thomas Bae & Angie Zhou

On January 26th, Oakton’s Science Olympiad team took on regionals at Charlottesville High School. As a school, they took three teams, with each pair of students taking on three to four events. This year, Oakton’s team had one of their best runs and were able to take home second place overall behind Thomas Jefferson High School. This qualifies Oakton for one of the seats as a top three school in the district to qualify for States at the University of Virginia.

What is Science Olympiad?

Science Olympiad is an school organization comprised of students of all ages that are interested in STEM. In the school club, students compete in rigorous academic competitions, participating in a number of science- related events from herpetology to building towers. The competition is comprised of a wide variety of events broken down into two general categories; studying and building. Each pair is comprised of two to three students; each pair takes three exams throughout the course of the day and work together in figuring out material.

The competition features a mixture of studying events, in which students pair up in partners and take exams on science related subjects in a shared classroom with other students. Studying events are similar to school exams, in which students have an allotted amount of time to take the test and must only work with their partner and their allowed resources to gather information. The pair has a total of

50 minutes to take the test, using only a four function calculator and one front and back sheet with information related to the test.

Oakton spent a total of between nine to twelve hours at the competition, competing in a variety of study-based and building events against multiple schools in the district, including Thomas Jefferson High School, Fairfax High School, and Westfield High School.

Morgan Pham, a junior and medalist at Regionals recounts her experience at the competition. “Going to regionals was a great time to showcase the hard work we’ve done all season, I’m so proud of all of the team members for doing so well.”

The Oakton team did extremely well at Regionals this year, with almost all of its participants placing in the top 6, which qualifies them for a medal. In total, Oakton claimed 25 medals at Regionals with each medal coming from a pair of two or a group of three students on the team.

Overall, Oakton Science Olympiad (Teams A-C) should be very proud of themselves and their effort at Regionals! They brought home a large victory for Oakton and will be qualifying for States at the University of Virginia! Oakton wishes the best of luck to the Oakton Science Olympiad team in studying and preparing for States!

katarina faben editorial board

10 DEBATE TEAM TAKES ON

COLUMBIA An overview of how the Oakton debate team did at the Columbia University Invitational, one of the most competitive tournaments.

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n January 25th, the Oakton debate team had the opportunity to go compete at the Columbia University Invitational for the first time. This debate tournament was one of the few tournaments Oakton was attending that allowed them to compete for a bid to the ultimate debate competition, the Tournament of Champions (TOC). As only the best debaters get to compete at the TOC, receiving a bid is incredibly difficult. Stephanie Zhang (12) says that “to even make it to the elimination rounds at bid tournaments is an incredible achievement, since it demonstrates a level of competition with the best teams in the country.” The Columbia University Invitational was a finals bid to the TOC competition for Lincoln Douglas debate (debaters had to reach the finals round in order to receive a bid), and a quarters bid for Public Forum debate.

The competition had six preliminary debate rounds, which decided what debaters would break to elimination rounds. The top 32 teams in Public Forum and everyone with a record of at least 4-2 in Lincoln Douglas reached the

elimination rounds. Stephanie was able to make it to semifinals, where she lost to the second seed in the bracket. Lawrence Zhu (11) and his partner, Nathaniel Yoon, lost at octofinals on a 2-1 decision where they received a silver bid to the TOC. Although it was only the Lincoln Douglas (LD) debate team’s first time attending a progressive tournament, they did extremely well, with each debater receiving at least two wins.

Stephanie, who cleared to elimination rounds, said that she was not as involved in the practice debates that the team conducted. Despite this, she was still able to understand and debate the unique arguments and styles at the tournament due to her past experience in debate. As progressive LD has many argument types and styles that are similar to that of Policy (another style of debate), she was familiar with what she went against at Columbia as she was formerly a Policy debater. Stephanie said that her background in Policy debate not only helped her do well at Columbia, but also “allowed her to help other team members get up to speed with pro-

photo courtesy of Andrew Thong

gressive LD.” Lawrence and Stephanie, and many other debaters enjoyed attending Columbia as it was in New York City and was a new experience. As the tournament was ran by a debate team, many of the judges were experienced debaters and were able to evaluate rounds fairly. Furthermore, Stephanie says the tournament ran smoothly (logistically) for Oakton as chaperones Mr. Williams and Ms. Gao changed the train tickets (to get back home) several times “when it became clear that some of us would be staying later due to elimination rounds.” Stephanie says that attending the tournament was “a good reminder of why high debate is so awesome and why I think I’ll continue to be involved in debate in the future.”

photo courtesy of Wendy Gao

riya jain editorial board

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february issue

SO LONG, COUGAR TIME Opinions on the New Return Period

haley longfellow staff writer

Between 9:40 and 9:47 on school days, Oakton students will no longer be found debating whether they should pay their biology or government teachers a visit. Instead, students will be confidently heading toward a set class. This is due to the fact that Cougar Time has been replaced by the Return Period, much to the dismay of many students. Administrators figured that this change will help solve attendance issues and increase accountability without restricting students from having free time. Here’s what students have to say about the stricter structure that has been assigned to Oakton’s beloved study hall.

“The new Cougar Time system, much like Cougar Towne, will take a lot of getting used to…. from my understanding we have to plan out our Cougar Times at least a day in advance, which is inconvenient considering most students decide which teacher they want to see right before Cougar Time. I also feel as though there were so many other solutions to the attendance problem. My chemistry teacher has a sign-in for every student that comes in and I know the Library has a sign-in, too. A computer at the front of the room with the same program the Library uses also tracks attendance without this pass business. I think the only benefit is that we don’t have advisory smack in the middle of the week.” - Sydney Chen, sophomore

“The rule that teachers are not allowed to teach new instruction or assign new material [during the Return Period] is not being followed at all in practice.” - Gabriel Crutchfield, sophomore

“I really think it’s a positive idea, and I don’t mind giving up some mobility for the teachers to have some peace of mind. I don’t really need to see many teachers during Cougar Time, so I’m obviously not affected as negatively as other students. However, it doesn’t seem like visiting teachers would be a problem. Also, I used to not visit all my teachers, so the return period is really helpful for getting to know my other teachers better.” Elizabeth Sullivan, junior

“I think it’s annoying. Some of us need help from students in other classes and don’t get a chance to see them.

Although, as a senior, I don’t know if I care enough to want to implement change.” - Alisha Rao, senior

“The new Cougar Time is inconvenient, and it is punishing students who haven’t done anything wrong for the really small percentage of people who decide to skip [school]. It’s unfair and it wastes our time, especially when we’re already so busy.” - Cece Schmitz, sophomore

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POLITICS A MILITARY BAN ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE Trump’s push to denormalize transgender people in the military

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n January 22, the Supreme Court approved the Trump Administration’s request to ban transgender people from the military. The vote ended up being 5-4 among Supreme Court Justices, clearing the way for this ban to take effect very soon.

This policy was first announced by the president on twitter on July of 2017, but officially was announced in 2018 by the Secretary of Defense.

This comes as a huge blow to LGBT activists trying to push for better rights for trans people in the military, reversing all the progress that has been made so far.

In 2016, there were approximately 9,000 transgender service members in the U.S.A. 937 of those service members had officially been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the feeling of wanting to be a gender that is not your biological sex. Those numbers were acquired from President Obama’s official census of the armed forces. These statistics are troubling, as they show there are a significant number of people who will be affected by this sudden change. There are, however, certain transgender people who can join the military if they meet a set of requirements imposed by the government. Some of these requirements include: being stable in your

gender for 36 months before joining the military, being willing to join the part of the military for your biological sex, and military members who are diagnosed before this policy takes effect can serve in the military as long as they continue to receive medical treatment

transgender people in certain situations to be approved for military service. Many people who oppose this ban are calling this ruling a push by Trump to denormalize transgender people in everyday life. Throughout his presidency, it has been obvious that Trump is not for the integration of transgender people into society.

So what’s next for the people affected by this bill? There is still hope for transgender people in the military, as two bills, pushed by both the Republicans and Democrats, are calling for trans people to continue to be allowed to enlist in the military. Although both Democrats and Republicans backed these bills, the support has been (unsurprisingly) concentrated on the left. The most popular bill that has been proposed suggests reverting back to the old poliThis ruling isn’t a huge surprise, as Trump cy of “don’t ask, don’t tell”. This means that has been tweeting about implementing a anyone physically able and willing to join ban on transgender people in the military the armed forces can. Overall, this bill was since early 2017, with his administration a step in the wrong direction for transgender officially confirming the push to ban trans people in the military, but it does not mean people involved in active service in 2018. hope is lost.

The Department of Defense did state that they would be looking at appeals on a case-by-case basis, making it possible for

asher tankel staff writer

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february issue

WHITE HOUSE FAST FOOD FEAST

andres gonzalez staff writer

D

espite it being only a month into the new year; 2019 has experienced a hectic beginning due to the partial government shutdown.

The shutdown itself began on December 22, 2018 when Congress and President Trump reached an impasse over the president’s demand for $5.7 billion in federal funds for a U.S.–Mexico border wall. Several Americans were greatly upset by the government shutdown since multiple federal employees were without pay during the shutdown. Thankfully on January 25th the government has temporarily reopened until February 15th. As previously mentioned, multiple individuals were unhappy with the government shutdown because to them the entire situation was unnecessary and many people who were not involved with the disagreement had to deal with with the negative effects of the shutdown. However, there was one incident that took place during the shutdown which amused and perplexed many due to how absurd it was.

The Football Buffet As a reward for winning and becoming the champions of the College Football Playoff National Championship, Clemson Tigers were invited to eat dinner at the White House on January 14th. President Trump decided the triumphant college football team’s celebratory dinner should be comprised of fast food. Specifically there were hundreds of burgers, which naturally came thousands of french fries, from multiple fast food chains and pizza from Domino’s, fortunately there were also salads for the health consciousness. In a bizarre case of juxtaposition, all of these notoriously unhealthy foods were served in literal silver platters amidst a environment that contains a beautifully crafted mahogany table and multiple candelabras. It goes without saying that a location which is meant to project a feeling of professionalism and sophistication is the last place one would expect fast food to be served in.

Similarly, it's only natural that this event would invoke various reactions.

For the most part, many people either found the presidential dinner either incredibly hilarious or blatantly disrespectful. After all, President Trump did deem that cheap fast food was the most appropriate meal he could provide to this hard working team of champions. Although it is easy for one to dismiss this incident as a case of incompetence, when one begins to pay attention, they will realize that there more than meets the eye.

Why Fast Food?

Initially, one may believe the reason why President Trump chose to serve fast food is either due to personal taste or, to put it bluntly, because he is cheap. Both of these explanations do have merit. For the former, President Trump has made it very clear he is a big fan of fast food. This has led to some to accuse the president of projecting his favorite foods onto the Clemson Tigers. Others have stated that since President Trump was paying for the dinner, he did not want to spend too much money on it, so fast food was the obvious choice. Even though these two explanations do make some sense, as with everything nowadays, the real reason is much more political in nature.

Given that the celebratory dinner for the Clemson Tigers took place during the government shutdown, it’s not really surprising this seemingly insignificant event was meant to send as political message. “Because the Democrats refuse to negotiate on border security, much of the residence staff at the White House is furloughed — so the president is personally paying for the event to be catered with some of everyone’s favorite fast foods,” said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The narrative that was being presented was that since a large number of the required staff needed for this occasion were laid off on account of the government shutdown, which was partially caused by the Democrats in Congress, President Trump took it upon himself to pay for the dinner.

Image courtesy of WCIV

The Fallout On paper, President Trump’s plan was pretty clever; it would paint the president as being generous and reasonable while dealing with the difficult situation his unreasonable political opponents. However, what doomed this potentially shrewd political maneuver was the poor execution. Had the Clemson Tigers been presented with a meal that would've been appropriate for the occasion then everything would have gone smoothly. However President Trump ends up looking disingenuous and tactless since he decided to serve the college football team fast food, which has the negative connotation of being cheap and unhealthy.

14 WHY DID THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN? Discussing why the government was forced to shutdown, and how it affected people’s everyday lives

The longest government shutdown in history was finally ended a few weeks ago, coming out to a total 35 full days, easily surpassing the second longest shutdown, which was just 21 days. With all the terrible consequences of a government shutdown, many of us are wondering what exactly why it happened. What exactly happens when the government is shutdown, why does it happen, and how do you end it?

1 2 3

Why does it shut down?

The government shuts down when Congress and the president fail to agree on the funding bill for the year and don’t sign the 12 appropriation bills needed to continue funding the government. Without this funding, the government can’t carry out any operations. Congress and the president need to agree on a funding bill before reopening the government.

What happens?

When the government is shut down, all non essential operations, such as the postal service, TSA, Congress, the president, and more. Essential agencies will continue function, but most government workers are just sent home, or furloughed. If the shutdown is long enough, the employees stop getting paid entirely. With this recent shutdown, over 800,000 workers were furloughed without pay.

How does it reopen?

To get the government to open again, Congress and the president ust agree on a spending bill. In this particular shutdown, President Trump wants congress to fund his wall along the Mexican border, and Congress is refusing to. The finally come up with a spending bill, but President Trump only temporarily opened the government.

He warned that he would shut down the government again if Congress didn’t agree to fund his wall.

So while a government shutdown negatively affects hundreds of thousands of workers, it has to happen if the government can come up with a funding bill. Everything the government does requires money, and non essential services just can’t be afforded until the government has money. If Congress doesn’t grant President Trump the money to build his wall in around a week, or at least come up with some sort of compromise, President Trump promises he will shut the government down once again.

15

february issue

DER SPIEGEL REPENTED A prestigious newspaper,

And how it dealt with a reporter gone rogue jake neuffer editor-in-chief

T

he Spiegel building is a new structure. Built from glass panes and clean steel, it rises from the Hamburg waterfront like the poster child of modern architecture.

Now, it’s image is tainted by a scandal that has rocked one of Europe’s most prestigious news publications.

D

er Spiegel is a German news outlet which translates its work into English for international audiences. On December 3rd, 2018, it was revealed that one of Der Spiegel’s reporters had falsified stories relating to, among other things, the Syrian refugee crisis and life in Trump’s America.

The man in questions name is Claas Relotius. He was one of Spiegel’s most prized employees and a rising star in news journalism with honors including CNN’s 2014 German language Journalist of the Year, the 2017 European Press Prize, and the 2018 Deutscher Reporterpreis award. The paper is famous for producing gripping narratives and Relotius excelled in this writing style. He was known for producing some of the paper’s most emotional stories, developing what would be called the “Relotius sound.”

Relotius’ lies ranged from small fibs to major fabrications. In one instance, he mentioned a CD softly repeating “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty in a Texas abortion clinic. In another, he described a rural Americasn town administrator who had never seen the ocean. And in another, he recounted a conversation with a young Syrian would-be suicide bomber. None of these things, it appears, existed. The

lies persisted for years.

I

t was a story titled “Jaeger’s Border” that brought the flagrancies to light, where a co-reporter named Juan Moreno came to understand the extent of Relotius’ lying and, after investigating, brought him to confession.

Two residents from Fergus Falls, a Minnesota town said to bear an imaginary “Mexicans Keep Out” sign, wrote following the confession: “In 7,300 words he really only got our town’s population and average annual temperature correct, and a few other basic things, like the names of businesses and public figures, things that a child could figure out in a Google search. The rest is uninhibited fiction ... What kind of institutional breakdown led to the supposedly worldclass Der Spiegel fact-checking team [to] completely drop the ball on this one?”

H

ere was a news magazine bearing a reputation for producing Europe’s most artistic and reliable reporting. It carried the torch of the European left but was never popularly regarded as a partisan publication. On the contrary, it was famous for its robust fact checking department and progressive editorial-writer relationships. And now, it had to grapple with a prized writer gone rogue. When faced with this crisis, Der Spiegel acted decisively. They sacked Relotius and published a series of exposés into their own publication, answering, among other things, why it happened, how it happened, and the ramifications of the incident.

The exposés were brutal. One wrote, “Two locals fact-checked his reporting, and their verdict is devastating -a perfect example of how DER SPIEGEL’s editorial safeguards failed.”

Another wrote, of Relotius, “He produces beautifully narrated fiction.”

Critics of Spiegel had a field day.

A headline from Politico read, “Der Spiegel’s First Class Faker,” and one opinion from the New York Post read, “Animosity toward Red America too often trumps reporting the facts — a blind spot that leads astray the prestige press on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Such scandals have happened in the past, but this one comes at a time when modern newspapers face precariously low public trust. Der Spiegels mistake, it seems to many, has further delegitimized the press while giving ammunition to Germany’s rising right wing.

I

n their critiques, however, news outlets overlooked the faithfulness with which Der Spiegel covered its fumble. The paper went above and beyond in publishing where it went wrong and demonstrated serious intention to change - including suspending their editor-in-chief and putting warnings on their website as to the situation. Where some find the scandal as evidence of fake news, others find it as evidence of a model newspaper: one that makes mistakes that is is willing to own up to. Der Spiegel’s harsh repentance could forever put readers off, or might convince them of their trustworthiness.

18 SUPER BOWL LIII Could this have been the worst super bowl in history?

The 53rd super bowl took place on February 3rd, 2019. The teams playing were the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. This was the Patriots 11th super bowl and their 6th win.

By halftime the score was only 3-0, with the patriots winning. This was the lowest scored halftime in the history of super bowls. If you were thinking the boring game could be saved by a killer halftime show featuring Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi, chances are you got extremely disappointed. The show started with Adam Levine singing mediocre songs with boring choreography, leading into Travis Scott entering the stage and singing a portion of his song “Sicko Mode”. After Travis Scott finished his song “Big Boi” came on stage and sang a song with Adam Levine. After both guest singers made their appearance Maroon 5 finished with more mediocre songs. Most people who watched the halftime show said Travis Scott’s modified version of Sicko Mode was the best part.

“ “

Second half started and it was a little bit more exciting then first half. The longest punt in super bowl history was made by number six, Johnny Hekker. With four minutes and seventeen seconds left in the game, Gostkowski from the Patriots kicked a field goal, leading the patriots 13-3. This was the final score of the game. Tom Brady is the first player in history to win six super bowl rings (6), and holds the record for most super bowl appearances, which is nine.

There was some controversy between Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and and Travis Scott. Many singers including Cardi B declined the request of playing on the halftime show, so it came as a surprise when Travis Scott had agreed. As Travis Scott was getting backlash for agreeing to play at the halftime show, he announced that he donated $500,000 to a non profit organization called “Dreams Corps”.

Scott said, “I back anyone who takes a stand for what the believe in. I know being an artist that it’s

“Attending Fyre Festival was a better investment than going to this Super Bowl” @jonmachota on Twitter

“We got SPOILED by the last two Super Bowls.Who would have thought the Sean McVay team is the one that makes it boring?” @arialexander on Twitter

genevieve bavisotto staff writer

in my power to inspire. So before confirming the super bowl halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this donation. I am proud to support dream corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”

What are your thoughts on Super Bowl 2019? Did you think it was boring or not as bad as everyone thinks it was?

17

february issue

OAKTON SWIM HITS DISTRICTS

brendan bellingham staff writer

The Rowdy Cougz make a Splash to move Oakton to Regionals

O

akton swim has had quite a successful weekend at the District Championship. The weekend of January 26th was a pressing one for some of the 72 Oakton students that swim for the rowdy cougs. The fight for the top two spots at the district meet was fought between Oakton and their rival, James Madison.

Oakton’s mens team accumulated a total of 575 points at the meet, solidifying the first place position a full 80 points ahead of Madison. Our girl’s team barely fell short to Madison with 458 points total, a mere 17 points behind Madison.

The Oakton vs. Madison rivality crosses all sports due to our close proximity to the school. However, the Oakton swim team had greater turmoil against the Madison squad going into this season. The Madison women’s team was last year’s district champion that held Oakton back from the regional and state meets. This year our lady cougs beat out the competition and are moving on to state championships next week at George Mason after another win at regionals. Our men’s side has kept their position at the top of the leaderboard from last year’s district championship.

The district meet is divided into two days with prelims on Friday night and finals the following Saturday night. The divers compete earlier in the morning because of the mental stress.

“It was great knowing that all the hard work that we put in allowed us to win districts and have a a strong bet at winning regionals too” -Joe Wong (11)

18 STATES CHAMPS The boys swim team wins it all at this years state championship.

A

s the Oakton 2018-2019 Swim and Dive season comes to an end, some of our most talented swimmers are preparing to compete in the postseason championships. The hope is that these elite athletes can earn enough points to bring home championship titles for Oakton.

With the boys team having an outstanding regular season by winning all 8 of their meets and the girls team having an impressive 7 and 1 regular season, Oakton has the potential to receive top titles in the championships.

Already, the team has checked both Districts and Regionals off of their postseason agenda leaving only States before the season ends. The girls received runners up at Districts and third place in Regionals and the boys won both Districts and Regional Champs.

The boys undefeated record gives them a good possibly at winning States. Coach Parker Ramsdell, coach for both the girls and boys swim team, says that although the boys have won Districts and Regionals, it hasn’t been easy and teams such as Woodson, Battlefield, and Madison will give the boys team a run for their money. “We will need a

perfect weekend from our 9 guys to get us there,” Coach Parker explains, “but I believe they’ve got it in them.”

The boys state team is composed of 4 seniors, 1 junior, 1 sophomore, and 1 freshman. The girls will have 7 swimmers attending States including 3 seniors, 3 juniors, and 1 sophomore.

The Dive team will be up against tough competition but have the chance to score major points to help Oakton bring home the State champion title. The divers competing include Spencer Dearman, Joe Perreault, and Maddie Reese. Fast forward two weeks and the boys are now the 2018-2019 state champions! The girls got an impressive 4th place among many tough competitors.

The divers also had an amazing weekend with Joe Perreault receiving 4th place and Maddie Reese finishing in 5th place. With a more than perfect weekend and a lot of hard work, dedication, and most of all spirit, the cougar swim and dive were able to make history yet again.

maddie flickinger staff writer Courtesy of Oaton Swim and Dive Instagram

19

february issue

THE ANTHONY DAVIS DRAMA

T

Anthony Davis’ trade request has sent shockwaves throughout the NBA.

he Anthony Davis trade saga is completely unprecedented is modern NBA history. The best trade partner with New Orleans can’t trade with them due to a silly rule. While the team with the best assets who can currently trade for Davis aren’t willing to give the eight, yes eight, draft picks that the Pelicans have asked for. What do the Clippers, Knicks, and 76ers have to do with this saga?

Anthony Davis is undoubtedly one of the best players in the NBA and the fact that he is only 25 makes him one of the most valuable players in the league. His trade request wasn’t out of the blue persay, but no one was betting money on AD requesting a trade. His request sent every NBA team with any assets into a frenzy. However, there are a couple problems for teams even if they have the assets for Davis. AD has one and a half years left on his contract so the team that trades for him would need some assurance he would stay long term. AD has said he wants a big market. So that means LA and New York are prime destinations for Davis. The knicks had the assets, but the Pelicans weren’t interested in Kristaps Porzingis, who requested a trade. So the Knicks traded Porzingis for a promising point guard and cap space. At the time that left the Lakers, who were the favorites to land AD, and the Celtics as the only potential suitors.

Then the Clippers made a surprise move and traded Tobias Harris to the 76ers for future assets, including the 2021 Miami unprotected first round pick. Now the Clippers have the assets to make a very promising offer to the Pelicans. They have young talent in players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Landry Shamet to throw at the Pelicans. They have a lot of future draft picks stock piled from the Blake Griffin and Tobias Harris trades. Finally, they have some good veterans such as Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari. And with the Lakers supposedly pulling out of Davis trade talks the Clippers are looking like serious contenders for AD. What about the team with the most assets in the league, the Boston Celtics. Currently, the Derrick Rose rule, a rule that lets players who succeed early in their career sign for more money, prevents the Celtics from trading for AD. The celtics have a player, Kyrie Irving, who is currently signed by the Derrick Rose rule and teams can’t have two player on the Derrick Rose rule; Anthony Davis is also on the D Rose rule. Danny Ainge, the Celtics general manager, has told the Pelicans to wait until the summer when the Celtics can, hopefully for them, resign Kyrie and trade for AD. However, Boston was not on AD’s list of teams he would sign long term with, so no one knows what will happen with Boston.

The Pelicans have a major league altering decision to make and no one, perhaps not even them, know what they are going to do. All anyone knows is that this trade will have major effects on the league for years to come.

jacob rutzick staff writer

20 THE RACE BEGINS

kartik mukalla staff writer

Photos courtesy of Keith Allison and Verse Photography

A

s the start of the NBA playoffs looms, teams geared up by proposing trades to other teams, either to help offload assets, prepare for the future, or secure themselves in the playoff race or even as Finals contenders. While there aren’t any clear winners or losers as a result of it, this frenzy of deals has provided plenty of teams with completely new roster makeups for the better or worse.

For several Eastern Conference contenders, it was now or never at the trade deadline. With LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers, the path to the NBA Finals and even the championship seemed open for many of them. As a result, nearly every playoff contender except for the Boston Celtics made a key move in an attempt to improve themselves in a big way.

There are a few question marks for the Toronto Raptors’ move, despite the fact that it looks pretty good on paper. They traded Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, and a second-round pick for Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol has gained a reputation for playing at an all-star level, but for the past few years, he has found himself injured and unmotivated on a series of mediocre Grizzlies teams. At 34 years old, he has little athleticism left and has been trending downwards in terms of defensive play despite being named Defensive Player of The Year in 2013. Gasol’s calling card as of now is his nuanced offensive game, armed with a variety of post moves, inside shots, and even a soft touch from outside the three-point line. He will prove to be another weapon and star in a Raptors offense with Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry. Jonas Valanciunas has blossomed into one of the best interior defenders in the league and has a soft inside touch.

Memphis hopes that he will serve as a valuable mentor for rookie big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and a new running mate for star Mike Conley.

Additionally, the Philadelphia 76ers parted ways with Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, and a slew of future draft picks for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott. At first glance, it seems like the 76ers won the trade. Harris is a bonafide star, with a consistent shooting stroke, deft inside scoring touch, and great ball handling and playmaking skills for his 6’8” frame. He joins an already promising nucleus of lockdown defender Jimmy Butler, superstar center Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons, who has drawn comparisons to LeBron James with the quality of his play. Meanwhile, Boban Marjanovic is an absolute giant, dominating on the court at a 7’7” height. Despite some issues with stamina and perimeter defense, Marjanovic is a force with his shooting, rebounding and blocking skills in limited stretches of time. Mike Scott also provides some shooting off the bench.

For the Clippers, the loss of their best player has been eased by the talent they got in return. Landry Shamet is a promising young rookie with a steady 3-point shot and keen defensive instincts, and the draft picks they have acquired should be talented. Additionally, they have opened up salary space for two superstar-level players, but they can only wait until the offseason to see if the space will be taken by upcoming free agents such as Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant.

The Milwaukee Bucks made some moves as well. They acquired Nikola Mirotic from the New Orleans Pelicans for a relatively small price, and he has proven to be an amazing fit already in Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer’s spread-based offense. Mirotic has proven himself as a power forward with a deadly three-point shot and the ability to score in bunches. Along with Brook Lopez, the Bucks have found themselves yet another shooter with size that can compliment superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

However, some teams were not so lucky over the deadline. Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, unhappy with the team’s performance requested a trade and named the Los Angeles Lakers as his preferred team.

This left LeBron James and lakers president Magic Johnson scrambling together to put together a trade package for him, which involved a whopping 6 players along with 4 draft picks. However, the deal fell through, and the Pelicans are stuck with an unhappy superstar that doesn’t want to play for them and the Lakers hastily traded for Mike Muscala from the Clippers and Reggie Bullock from the Pistons, giving up promising prospects Ivica Zubac and Svi Mykhailiuk in the process.

The Sacramento Kings have made an unexpected playoff push this season when many NBA viewers thought they would continue rebuilding and acquiring draft picks. They made some moves to strengthen their team at the sacrifice of youth, acquiring steady scorer Harrison Barnes from the Dallas Mavericks and swapping the unproven Skal Labissiere for the more steady Caleb Swanigan with the Portland Trail Blazers.

When a team trades for a player but does not want him for salary or performance reasons, they can negotiate what is known as a buyout, essentially allowing the player to enter free agency. The Indiana Pacers bought out Wesley Matthews from the Knicks, and he will prove to be a valuable addition for a team that is desperate for his defensive and three-point shooting acumen.

While a few blockbuster trades have happened this year such as Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia and Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, the trade deadline saw some teams make steady moves towards improvement and some teams strike out in search of that elusive superstar.

21

february issue

HOW MANY AP’S ARE TOO MANY?

Breaking down the right and wrong reasons students take AP courses 1. Are you taking that many AP’s just for the boost of GPA? YES

NO

2. Are you taking that many AP’s because you are feeling pressured by your teachers, parents, or peers?

YES

NO

3. Are you taking that many AP’s while taking into consideration your schedule?

YES

NO

4. Do you have no interest in the AP course you have chosen to take?

YES

NO

If you said ‘YES’...

Reconsider the number of AP’s you’re taking as well as what subjects you have chosen. Would you be willing to You know yourself the bestt. If you find your parents or parents pressuring you, talk to them about your reasoning on why you do not want to take that course.

Plan our your next year’s schedule. Will you have the time to do all your schoolwork annd extracurricular? Take into consideration that AP classes take more effort as they are more rigorous You will soon lose motivation to work if you take an AP course you have no interest in which can cause your grades to go down

R

ecently, students have been selecting the courses they would like to take for the 201920 school year. For many rising juniors, seniors and even some freshmen and sophomores, students have confessed the immense pressure that accompanies course selection. Examples of the cause of this pressure includes the desire to take the ‘right’ classes or what they perceive is a sufficient number of honor courses or AP’s. Along with this pressure comes with students choosing all AP courses, some even taking AP’s online. So how many AP’s are too many? In addition to this, what are the ‘right’ reasons to take them? Is it really worth it to take that many AP’s?

Right reasons to take AP’s: You genuinely enjoy that subject and would like to go more in-depth with that topic Wrong reasons to take AP’s: To take the same courses as your friends You feel pressured to take a certain number of AP’s To get the extra weighted boost of GPA There isn’t a set number of AP’s that are deemed too many or too little. Some may not feel the need to take any AP’s at all throughout their entire high school career, which is perfectly normal,and some may take over fourteen AP’s, which is not necessarily a negative thing. If you feel like you’re intention behind taking the AP’s you have decided to take are genuine then go for it! But be sure that you’ll be able to handle the rigor of these courses.

Before finalizing your course selection, ensure that you would be able to balance your personal life, mental/physical health extracurriculars, and schoolwork. Will you have sufficient time to go to swim practice, eat dinner, do your homework, study for a test, and get at least seven hours of sleep? Since AP’s are more rigorous, expect more work to be given on a daily basis then honor or regular courses. Consider dropping an AP for a honor or regular course if you feel like you cannot handle your course load. Afterall, it’s better to get an ‘A’ on a regular course than it is to get a ‘C’ on an AP course.

Whether you decide to take no AP’s, a couple, or nearly all for the next upcoming school year, it’s your choice. But consider talking to your parents, teachers, and counselors for guidance if you feel overwhelmed.

photo courtesy of Anna Reinhart

sally park staff writer

aubrey harrell staff writer

22

OPINION

BANNING ALL GUNS, WOULD IT WORK? According to facts and logic it wouldn’t will locklin staff writer

S

ince the start of the twenty-first century, shootings seem to have gripped the U.S. stronger than ever and don’t seem like they are stopping anytime soon. School after school, town after town, no one seems to be safe in 2019, and despite the disagreements from both political parties, everyone in America is united in wanting to end the threat to citizens everywhere. But how can we peacefully stop violence and save the lives of future victims everywhere?

With the current divide between the Republican and Democrat parties, many people are split on how to end the crisis. A common idea is to ban all guns in America, which sounds good in concept, but there are many problems with this idea.

After all, an estimated 118 million households in America are gun owners, and who is going to be the one to pry their firearms from them and

cole starmer staff writer

how would they even accomplish such a task?

Would banning all guns even stop mass violence? Statistics show that crime is lower in areas with high gun ownership. For example, in most small towns in rural America, the majority of the residents own guns and crime is almost non-existent compared to the big cities in the area. Most guns used to commit crimes are bought on the black market and banning the legal purchase of firearms wouldn’t stop the underground arms market. Even if the world didn’t have guns, murders would still be committed with whatever could be found as well as ramshackle weapons made from whatever is available.

To even remove all guns from America, the 2nd amendment would have to be repealed.

Repealing an amendment is an arduous process

and would be a massive roadblock in the way of ending the existence of guns in America. To repeal the amendment, everyone has to be in agreement that the law should be destroyed, and with the current divide between the left and the right, it’s obvious that repealing the 2nd amendment is a fantasy. As said before, even if the 2nd amendment is repealed, the government will have to remove guns from the U.S populous, probably by force, which will definitely lead to more violence than leaving guns in America.

As tensions in the U.S. rise, the gun problem will always manage to linger in the background of the political landscape. Many solutions will be thrown about but it must always be remembered that the extremes of each platform are not an effective answer, and banning all guns in America will never become a reality.

23

february issue

payton wozny edictorial board sahithi jammulamadaka edictorial board

BEGGING FOR REVISIONS Invesitgating the current policy for bringing OTC and prescription drugs to school

S

ince the 1980’s the term ‘zero tolerance’ has been thrown around to describe the drug and medication policies in schools. While some argue that they’re too strict, and students shouldn’t have to go through such an arduous process just to take Ibuprofen, others say its required to maintain a drug-free and safe environment in our schools. Here are the opinions of people from the Oakton community about the drug regulations in FCPS. Fairfax County Public Schools sets all of the rules when it comes to bringing medications to school, so all schools across the county will have the same policies. All consequences for possessing, using, or distributing over-the-counter(OTC) and prescription drugs are outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities(SR&R) book. However, the specific consequences for bringing medications to school illegally vary from the type of drug it is(ex. OTC or prescription) and the circumstances around each case. While some may be handled on the school-based level, other situations may require referral to the Division Superintendent.

According to the FCPS rules, students may carry cough drops or throat lozenges as long as they’re in their original container and non-medication products such as eye care products, saline or contact lens solution, and skin care products. If necessary, students are also allowed to carry inhalers and epinephrine(epi-pens) with permission from a physician and authorization forms from a parent and the student.

However, students are not allowed to carry over the counter medications in their backpack, and the nurse cannot give them to students if they ask in the case of aches or cramps, if they’re not registered in the nurse’s offices. However, it’s recommended to take any medications at home, if possible, to prevent missing class. According to Mrs. Magnotti, about 40 students are authorized to carry their prescribed medications on them, and almost 140 medications(OTC and prescription) are currently kept in the school clinic.

Some think some revisions to the current policy could be helpful. Students believe they should be allowed to use OTC medications in the clinic for relief for headaches, muscle aches, orthodontic pain, or menstrual cramps because under the current policy their parent must fill out the required paperwork and bring in the medication. Even at local private schools, parents are able to fill out a form in the beginning of the year that gives the school authorization to give their student approved OTC medications that the school keeps in stock. An anonymous student says she doesn’t want to have to go to the nurse every time she gets a headache and miss class time. Although Mrs. Magnotti says, “Getting relief from pain relief medications would usually allow them to stay in school,” students are still missing valuable class time to walk to and from the clinic.

When asking a teacher at Oakton she said that she can see the pros and cons of both sides. “Zero tolerance policies I feel like can punish kids, that are otherwise good kids, severely, but I think it’s also very challenging to write a policy that can successfully target the right people without unfairly stereotyping more in further marginalizing other kids,” she said when asked about any changes to the policy she would like to make. She believes that the process for simple over the counter medications is a bit much, “Currently, you can’t have an over the counter medication in the clinic unless you have a doctor’s note. If you want to go to the doctor to get a note you’re going to have to pay at least $20 copay, in that sense, it’s a little cumbersome.”

Mrs. Lane thinks the current policy doesn’t need any revisions because “it really comes from a point of student safety. We want to make sure we would have control of any kind of substance a student would be putting in their body.” Bringing in medicines through the clinic is the best way to do this. Also, when students carry their medications on them without permission, parents are not always making the decisions as to when a student uses them. Mrs. Lane also noted that students carrying medications without authorization isn’t a huge issue at Oakton, and if it were the staff would look into ways to resolve that situation. When asked if she thought the process to register medication with the nurse should be shortened, Mrs. Lane simply stated, “we are taking the role of your parent,” and Oakton Staff cannot successfully do that without all of the information put into those papers. So, although the process may be lengthy, it’s worth it in the long run, for the sake of student safety.

An anonymous teacher said, “I have never personally seen a student self medicate in the classroom, and if I did I would have to do paperwork, and I would do it because I would hate to be a situation where a student took something and the kid got ill because it was an illicit substance, because I wasn’t willing to do my part, I’m always willing to do my part.”

KEEP

CHANGE

Fairfax County Public Schools has some strict rules on bringing medications to school. The main goal of these rules are to keep students safe, but has it gotten to the point of over-regulation?

“I think it would be nice if it were easier for students to check in over the counter medications with the nurse downstairs, but I can also understand how it can be challenging for them to keep track of over 2,000 medication bottles.”

-anonymous teacher

24 IT’S REALLY NOT THAT DRAMATIC A feminist perspective on the Gillette ad

O

n January 13th, Gillette released an ad using their long held slogan “The Best a Man Can Get” ut turned it around into an important message about internalized misogyny, saying “Is this the best a man can get?”

The ad shows boys fighting and sexual harassment in the media, among other important issues, followed by men solving these issues with young boys watching, all while a voice over is saying “We believe in the best in men. To say the right thing. To act the right way.

Some already are, in ways big and small. But some is not enough. Because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow.”

Of course, we really haven’t come as far as the ad makes it seem, and there has been a massive backlash from an insane number of people. The video already has over 1.3 million dislikes, while only having around 757,000 likes. Gillette’s brand director, Pankaj Bhalla said “We

expected debate. The ad is not about toxic masculinity.

It is about men taking more action every day to set the best example for the next generation.” Despite this, so many people have decided to boycott Gillette products and tweet about how they are being oppressed.

It is so obvious that these people complaining re so used to getting everything they want and being praised their entire lives. People are getting killed and constantly discriminated against, but so many people cannot deal with the fact that an ad on TV does not exactly correlate with their messed up idea of masculinity.

After taking a long time reading through the comment section (and trying not to throw the nearest object to me while doing so), I’ve narrowed down most of the complaints. So many people are complaining that if a similar ad came out targeting women, they would freak out. Women grow up in an environment where we are constantly criticized

zoe siamon staff writer

for everything we do, from how we dress to the way we talk to our intelligence.

I have actually seen many things in my time about how “women need to stand with other women” and of course, ads focusing on “mean girls” and bullying in general. Never once have I seen one of those ads and gotten offended, because they are not directly attacking me, rather advertising an important message. I think the point that so many people are missing is that this ad was not created to criticize every man out there, it was created to bring awareness to a very important issue.

Bess Kalb, a writer for Jimmy Kimmel, tweeted “If you’re mad at a razor for saying boys should be kind, that ad was exactly for you”, which is honestly a perfect summary for this whole situation. This ad was not created to be hateful, and I hope that people will come around to realize that.

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february issue

SENIORITIS: A DISEASE WITH A CURE

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enior year holds the best memories of our high school years and many different experiences. One of these is the dreaded senioritis epidemic. Everyone at some point reaches this point and is, in a metaphorical sense, “infected”. Some students, such as myself, were infected far earlier than their peers, as early as junior year. But we can’t give up now, seniors! I know it’s a struggle to wake up, to be polite and focus on your teachers, and especially to actually study for a test. But we can’t stop now.

For the past 4 years, we have constantly been driving off of ambition, and dreams (also caffeine… a lot of caffeine).

What many forget about is the drastic change beginning with college. While most are resetting, and resting now, with little focus on academics, these same students will have a harsh awakening on the first day of college 101 lectures. So, to allow for a light introduction to school next year, make sure to keep

up the focus in class.

I know personally how hard it is. I’m terribly sorry for falling asleep in your class, Ms. Benenson, it’s not personal — it’s just the senioritis. But seniors, make sure to keep up the good work. We are so close to the end, and every last bit of worthless information from high school should be attained!

Keep fighting through the sickness everyone.

Honestly, this dilemma is subjective to every student. For some it may be taking small doses of homework, and taking one step at a time. While this might not work for your schedule, I highly recommend it. A very common symptom of senioritis is becoming easily overwhelmed.

While this symptom is self induced, it can easily be mitigated.

As the curtains to high school are finally closing, as seniors we need to remember to keep up the work, as hard as it may be. Not only are we the role models for all students, but we are also practicing, and motivating ourselves towards the future. Always strive to be the best student possible, because after all the disease is curable. It’s a mental thing after all.

But as motivating as this article is, we all really know the truth.

Failure is imminent, the end is near.

How have you kept yourself motivated throughout senior year?

“I don’t let myself goof off often.

And caffeine.

Like, a lot of caffeine.”

- Jake Neuffer So what can we as seniors do to continue to stay motivated and keep our grades up?

Senioritis is commonly found in the seniors of every high school across America, and sometimes in the late year of juniors. So the question arises, is there a cure to this widely spread infection? conor krouse staff writer

26 SCHOOL

TO

SCHOOL

Academy classes: What’s so interesting about them?

Out of 27 people polled, 22% have taken or are currently taking an academy class

Madison High School students taking the bus to Marshall Academy for an academy

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akton High School offers many invigorating and interesting courses such as computer science, digital art, and anatomy, but there are still some classes not offered here at Oakton. What if a student is interested in dance or criminal justice? That’s what academy classes are for, but is it really worth it?

Although the majority of students do not take academy classes, they are a great option if you are very invested in a certain subject and want to learn more about it. There is a much wider variety of classes you can attend if you choose to take an academy class. Because academy classes are taken by students whose home school does not have the subject they are interested in, an anonymous freshman who takes an academy class at Marshall High School says “students would take that class because they are interested in it, thus making them enjoy the class to the point where it is easy for them.” Additionally, a student says that “it teaches a student to pick up concepts more quickly,” due to the fact that academy students have less time in the class because of bus transportation. Taking an academy class would benefit a student academically, as well as help them learn life skills.

In order to get to their class that takes place in another school, students ride a bus to and from Oakton that can take between fifteen to twenty minutes one way. This means that they will miss the first and last few minutes of a period. Because of this, the student will need to communicate with their teacher to make sure they don’t miss anything and will also have to work extra hard to catch up on anything they missed. A student who takes an academy class at Marshall High School says that one of the challenges of taking an academy class is that “you can miss the bus to and from academy.”

This would evidently provide issues for attending the class that you have after the academy class. The major issue of attending an academy class presents is transportation and how it affects the time a student has in class.

Academy classes provide a chance for students to learn about topics that they would otherwise not have had the chance to learn about at their home school, but would require them to work harder since they miss a little bit of class each time. An academy class may also feel more fast- paced since students may have to put more work in to learn things as they have a shorter time in class than they would a normal class. However, putting in the

extra effort would be worth it if a student is motivated to work hard.

With perspective of the benefits and disadvantages of academy classes, how does a student know if taking an academy class is right for them? If a student is very invested in a certain topic and is willing to put in the work, then they should take an academy class.

Oakton High School provides plenty of classes, but the one a student is interested in might just be an academy class.

portia dai staff writer

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february issue

THE INTEGRITY OF EXTRACURRICULARS Measuring the value of extracurricular activities to students ashleigh tain editor-in-chief

“We could do a much better job of emphasizing the fact that an extracurricular should be something you genuinely care about. As long as you’re passionate about what you’re doing the number shouldn’t matter.”

- Mandava (11)

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Productive and proactive are adjectives to define the algorithm of Oakton culture. Students are constantly in pursuit and seeking ways to accelerate themselves and their abilities to achieve and succeed.

Within the realm of academics, these efforts are easy to gauge through grades and other measurements of performance in class. Alternatively, extracurricular activities have become measured in quantitative magnitude and material value. In these scopes, it is important to regard room for error in the objectivity of these measurements. Genuineness and altruism are nearly impossible to connote in the sheer numbers and degrees that derive from these catalogs.

Extracurriculars contribute to the academic identity by providing a layer of humanity to students. Because numerical values and generalized letters only offer a limited and refined insight on students, extracurriculars work to prescribe a sense of responsibility, initiative, and external interest outside of the classroom. While sports often well demonstrates good skills of time management and team and collaboration skills, volunteer work demonstrates an ambition towards the community and means outside of personal interest. Further, a tailored assortment of activities can substantiate what a student is most passionate about pursuing, thus making their endeavors more re-

courtesy of OHS website

alistic and legitimate.

Shritha Mandava, executive VP of Virginia DECA, president of the honor council, membership director for Oakton Best Buddies, and more, reflects on her extracurriculars as activities that have great value to her. “Each of the extracurriculars I participate in definitely has an important meaning to me— I feel like there’s no point in investing time into something if you don’t care a lot of about it,” she says. The nature of DECA align with her own career interests and endeavors for the future while she enjoys working with the students in Best Buddies, “the people in the club are so incredibly kind. They are such genuine people and the buddies make me smile no matter what kind of day I am having.” Further, her work for honor council is propelled by a sense of responsibility and duty toward Oakton, “In taking my position, I became really invested in our mission and I felt like I could lead the club this year as the president— the students are all amazing and I feel like we have important role in the school.”

In this culture of competition, however, it is easy to note students who take advantage of the system and use extracurriculars to artificially stimulate their interests and pursuits. The interest of having another quantifying bullet on a college transcript has suddenly taken priority over finding and pursuing activities

that are of genuine passion or intrigue. “Honestly ever since my freshman year I feel like people have been so competitive about extracurriculars,” said Mandava, “some end up just doing extracurriculars to say that they do them rather than to actually make a difference. I think, in general, we as a whole could do a much better job of emphasizing the fact that an extracurricular should be something you genuinely care about. As long as you’re passionate about what you’re doing the number shouldn’t matter.” In this perspective, pursuits of extracurriculars have become less genuine, this being especially reflected in attitudes towards activities.

Many of these students use their narrowed interest as momentum to pursue their activities, and not only does this harm themselves but it stampedes over others who are more interested and more invested. This toxic cycle leaves those who are most deserving of recognition empty-handed while those who are greedily taking advantage of the system are seemingly reaping more reward. Thus, it is important to keep intention in mind when embarking on pursuits of extracurriculars and such activities. Being wary of genuine reason will help garner more experience and substance from these experiences that are designed to teach and educate unique values.

28 FINDING HUMANITY AT THE BORDER A true narrative on the life of one undocumented immigrant

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ou’re twelve years old. Beads of sweat cloud your vision, their existence an unfortunate but natural consequence of the 108 degree heatwave that scorns Arizona’s southwestern desert.

The grip of the wind feels inescapable, making each step more difficult than the last. This is your 7th day under the heat of glaring desert sun. Patches of sunburn produce cheetah-like spots across your face and shoulders. Your mother’s once-soft hand feels more brittle than it did before, the lines on her palms dried like the cracks in the earth beneath you. For a moment you question whether the heat between you is an unnecessary addition, if letting go of her hand for just a moment would provide a short-lived sense of relief. But, among the arid lands of the desert, she is the sole reminder of life.

In the distance, the boom of a loud crash shakes the earth. It reminds you of home, of the midnight awakenings to gunshots and the mid-day lockdown drills. You look to your mother for a sense of comfort, only to be met with a face of terror. You recognize it instantly - it’s become far too familiar in the past few months. She begins moving faster, pushing against the wind with a strength learned solely through experience. Camp is only a few miles away, she tells you. Safety is only a few miles away. For a moment you wonder what that must feel like, but within seconds you push the thought from your mind. Dreams like those are dangerous, you remember.

Far away you notice a glaring blue. It looks foreign against the dull, yellow sands, but nonetheless, you welcome the interruption openly. Your mother points to it with her right hand, and you nod in agreement. You can push forward for a few more miles, you think. Every muscle in your body begs for relief, but you know as well as she does that relief is no longer an option.

“These aren’t people. These are animals.”

Processing at the camp takes hours. Among you are many other foreigners, the majority of whom you can not understand. The cacophony of languages engulfing the air feels threatening, like each is fighting for its space in a place that simply does not

have enough room to host them all. The woman in front of you touches your head softly, presumably commenting on your sunburn. You offer a smile in return, and she realizes that you can not understand her. She smiles back.

You’re soon met by a short man with neatly-gelled hair. “Helinka monterast conal,” he says demandingly. You understand nothing. You look to your mother, hoping she will recognize the way his tongue wrapped around unfamiliar syllables. She doesn’t either. He begins gesturing with his hands, drawing shapes that look like a book, but don’t make much sense to you either. Your mother seems to understand though, and she hands him your citizenship papers. “Jalie porta low Honduras hap bole,” he continues, clearly irritated. He places a set of papers in your mother’s hands, writes your names on a paper, and hands you a number.

1872, it reads.

“These aren’t people. These are animals.”

Days and weeks pass, and it becomes increasingly apparent that trial is months, if not years, away. Your mother will often disappear during the day, only to return with a new number. You broke the 1,700s a few days ago, but it took a little over a month to do so.

Some children seem to have more food than others, but none of you have anything of sustenance. You spend the days scavenging for table scraps and playing with dirtied plastic toys. Your favorite is a small red bouncy ball. Another child, whose name you do not bother to learn, often plays with you during the day, when one of the parents is on the watch shift. Nothing about the foreignity of this place feels like home, much less like the safety you had anticipated, but nonetheless, it’s something. The lines on your mother’s forehead seem to be deepening as the days go by, as if they are slowly but surely being cast into the permanence of stone. She leaves sporadically during the day, often without telling you where she’s going, but rather that she’ll “be back soon.” Food seems to be dwindling down by the day, a fact that she attempts to mask from you by feeding you the same portion

sizes, despite their exponentially declining surface area on her plate. You pretend not to notice, it’s easier that way.

Food and work have dwindled away, and inside the confines of your tent, it becomes increasingly apparent that this residence can no longer be called home. Many of the other families have disappeared, presumably to go to new or old homes, but you have chosen to stay. 1192, your number reads. By the way the system’s going, that’s around another five months, assuming immigration doesn’t crack down more before then. The boy you used to play with left a couple of days ago, leaving you to bounce the little red ball against the crumbling walls of the holding camp. Sometimes when the light refracts correctly through the glass-panelled windows, your shadow tricks you into believing there’s a person behind the wall.

“These aren’t people. These are animals.”

This journey feels longer than the last one.

Each gust of wind sends you feet backwards, your muscles too malnourished and frail to fight its grip. Your mother holds your hand tighter than before, her hands thinner than they had been months ago, but nonetheless, warm. It’s colder now - the desert in the fall is a place no human wants to be alone. You don’t have the proper clothes anymore and your dirtlined tank tops are hardly conducive to the ghastly war waged against every second in the cold.

One more step, you tell yourself. You say it under your breath, hoping that your mother won’t hear it outloud and wonder if she could have done better - could have forced her ribs to stick out sharper than steakknives or accepted the singularity of cold in favor of a life of warmth. She notices, and looks to you. There’s nothing more that she has to offer but herself, a fact that you are as aware of as she. Still, she offers you her jacket, placing her backpack momentarily on the ground and unfurling her left shoulder from its sleeve. In the middle of the desert, alone and chilled to the bone, you learn that love is not enough to keep anyone warm.

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february issue

“These aren’t people. These are animals.”

The border doesn’t look like what you had imagined it would. There are no police officers scavenging every square inch of ground like bloodhounds in hopes of finding flesh. It’s merely a small, crusted-over fence and a collection of barbed wire. The border between safe and hunted is merely a collection of wood scraps and metal. As symbolic as it is sad, you and your mother both pause for a moment before crossing it. There’s a clear opening a few feet to your left, where someone else has evidently made way before. Nothing about the land on the other side is certain, but then, nothing about the land beneath your feet is either. Weighing foreignity is an impossible task, you realize.

lead you on move away from violence or circle back to it.

These hours are the most crucial ones, or so you’ve been told. If you can make it the first 48, you can keep going, they say. You have no sense of time, and the sun sets behind you at night, so tracking is almost impossible. But, your mother seems to be keeping track. She’s much better at that than you are.

Gripping your hand tighter than the wind, your mother pulls you to the left of the fence, where the opening allows you entrance. You don’t recognize the look on her face, it’s an odd concoction of fear, pain, and shame. She tries to shield her eyes from you, in hopes that neither of you have to acknowledge the task that you are performing. Methodically, you step over the fallen wire that coats the ground, and as your foot rests on new soil, everything feels the same. Nothing feels safe, nothing feels like home, nothing feels different.

That fear that you had hoped would the wind would sweep away at the border of safe and hunted doesn’t leave, and hunted is all that remains.

“Altrand, altrand, prost,” screams a voice in the distance. You freeze. Your mother freezes. In the middle of the desert, cold, tired, and hungry, your muscles refuse to move, bones refuse to bend together, tendons refuse to push and pull. Nothing could melt you. You are frozen, together, your tightly-wound palms the only source of warmth remaining.

“These aren’t people. These are animals.”

The grip of the wind continues to pull you back, but the weight of uncertainty pulls harder. There is nothing that you know about this place, about the soil or the food or the language or the people. Your very existence is like the wasteland that you endure, uncertain yet certainly so. You and your mother are alone, your only companion in foreignity is each other. Her fingers seem to be dragging you slightly rightwards, and you assume that there must be a city in that direction. You need lodging, food, and water, a fact that she is likely more aware of than you.

The traffickers always talk about being able to make the journey easier. At times, you wonder if it would have been the wiser idea to travel with them, but there’s no way of telling whether the roads that they

“These aren’t people. These are animals.”

Yellow is perhaps the most boring color in existence. You used to envy it, to marvel at it in the color palettes of sunsets and the petals of sunflowers, but here, it just feels boring. There is nothing of-

A woman with a shiny silver badge approaches you quickly, moving at a light jog despite your obvious inability to move. She’s probably a few hundred feet away, but in the seas of yellowness, she looks like she is right in front of you. She continues to scream and neither you nor your mother can understand what she is saying.

Still frozen, she halts in front of you, and begins to finish a conversation over an oddly-shaped black box. “Nrealty” your mother says, and the lady nods her head, clearly understanding what she is saying.

You’ve never heard your mother’s tongue wrap around syllables like that before. She must have learned it in the camp.

“Morl quarm opurtnir relk nire,” she continues, and the lady begins to write down her words on a small, torn notepad.

Only a few of the pages have been used, but they seem to have aggressive scribbles on them. Your mother and the lady go back and forth in jibberish for a few more moments before a large, black truck approaches from the distance. You zone their syllables out to watch it move closer, wondering if it carries safety or others that have been hunted. You slide your thumb

against the smooth part of your mother’s hand nervously, and move it faster and faster as the truck comes closer and closer. Finally, it too stops in front of you, and another woman emerges from the driver’s seat. She has slicked black hair and also wears a shiny silver badge. Your mother pulls you towards the truck, clearly trying to appease the foreigners that we have just met, and allows you to sit on her lap as you drive to yet another unknown location.

“These aren’t people. These are animals.”

You close your eyes on the ride, truthfully, in hopes that you can sleep before you arrive. Your attempts, however, are fruitless, and you arrive at a stout green building just moments after being placed on your mother’s lap. You don’t recognize it. It doesn’t look like anything you’ve ever seen before. You grip your mother’s hand tightly, and hop off of her lap, down the stair of the truck, and onto familiar desert footing. This, you think, feels familiar.

You follow the two women inside, curious as much as anything about what type of foreignity this new land holds. The white walls are lined with images of people that you don’t recognize, some of whom look like you, but most of which seem equally foreign. You turn the corner into a poorly-lit white hallway to meet a series of rooms, each outlined by dark-green trim.

As you lift your head to look at the detailing on the ceiling, your mother’s hand releases from yours, and the cold comes rushing in.

“I’ll be back in a second,” she says, “I just need to talk to these ladies for a little bit.” Standing beneath the loud ruckus of the heating vent, draped in your mother’s jacket, and now, truly alone, you are frozen. You aren’t a person, you’re an animal.

This piece was written in accordance with a true story from a US immigrant.

The quote repeatedly used throughout the story is from 45th president Donald J. Trump. It is taken from a press conference on immigration, in which he grouped undocumented immigrants with MS-13 gang members, then making the presented statement.

emily bach editorial board

30

INDEPTH BLACK HISTORY HEROES

African American groundbreakers throughout history Madame C.J. Walker Walker was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867 in Louisiana. Later on in her life, she developed a scalp ailment that caused a huge protion of her natural hair to fall out. This pushed her to invent a line of African-American hair products in 1905. With her husband by her side, she traveled the south, showing her products off for the masses. For the most part, she lectureed and demonstrated her “Walker Method.” This method involved using her own line of hair care products and her specfic steps for using promade, the brushes, and the heated comb. Through her detailed demonstrations and convincing pitches, Walker’s business was a quick sucess and soon spread through black communities. Her influence still lives in these communties today, with her techniques being used constantly.

Madama C.J. Walker gave confidence to the black population to embrace their natural hair and to know that it’s not something to hide.

Shirley Chisholm You may not have ever heard of this woman, but she set the foundation for ladies of color in Congress. Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn. Later on in life, when she attended Brooklyn College, many of her professors encouraged her to pursue a career in politics, but she denounced these ideas, claiming she had a ‘double handicap’ just because she was a black woman. After taking some time to be a nursery school teacher and settle down with her husband, Chisholm began to feel the urge to do something about the racial and gender inequalities in her community. In 1964, she campaigned as a Democrat and won a seat in the New York State legislature, making her the second black woman to do so. From there, she ran again, this time for a position Congress as a representative in 1968. Even with her self-proclaimed ‘double handicap,’ Chisholm won that seat, giving her the major accomplishment of being the first ever African-American woman to be elected to Congress. With her legislative power, Chisholm fought passionately for race and gender equality, the lower and middle class, and an end to the Vietnam War. Her undoubted determination in these issues gave her the nickname “Fighting Shirley.” However, being a representative wasn’t enough for Chisholm. She wanted something more: the presidency.

That, unfortunately didn’t go well, with her only getting a 10% vote in the primaries in 1972. This kind of outcome was expected by almost all Americans, since the Democratic party was almost all male and, even though she was an elected, respected representative, Chisholm was barred from public debates and discriminated against within her own party.

That didn’t put Chisholm’s fire out though. She fought for her and her district’s beliefs all the way up until 1983, when she retired from Congress. Though she may not be one of the most remembered political figures in history, Chisholm’s accomplishments and their influence can be seen today, especially in the new House of Representatives, which is the most diverse in history.

annabelle rosse staff writer

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february issue

Katherine Johnson

Since her birth on August 26, 1918, Katherine Johnson has had an obsession with math. Of course, this benefitted her throughout her life, making it easy to skip multiple grades. Soon she was enrolled at West Virginia State College and eventually graduated with a PhD in mathematics, making her the third African-American to do so. In 1953, Johnson and her family moved to Newport News in order for her to pursue a career in the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics). There, she spent the next four years analyzing data from flight tests. Later on, NACA shifted into NASA and Johnson was thrown into many research projects. One of her more memorable ones would be one she would co-author with engineer Ted Skopinski. This paper would make her the first woman in NASA to be credited as an author in a research paper.

In 1962, Johnson’s life took a turn for the better. For the space launch of John Glenn, NASA was utilizing giant IBM computers to calculate trajectory equations. However, these machines were prone to glitches and therefore the results had to be double-checked. In stepped Johnson and, armed with her talent for numbers, she helped make t­he Glenn mission a success. About 53 years later, Johnson was rightfully awarded for her contributions to NASA when President Obama awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can receive. Katherine Johnson laid down a fine path for young girls, especially African-American girls, that you can do anything… even send a someone to space.

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

- Jackie Robinson -

“ If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

- Shirley Chisholm -

Jackie Robinson On January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born. At that moment, nobody would’ve guessed that he would grow up to be one of the most famous baseball players in history. His talent begun to shine when he started attending the University of California, Los Angeles. There, Robinson excelled in baseball, of course, as well as football, basketball, and track. However, after three years, he withdrew from the college in order to help out his mother at home. Eventually, he joined the Army and became a second lieutenant. After a year in the service, Robinson got into some trouble for refusing to sit in the back of a military bus. Even though after that he was discharged from the military, this incident would help introduce Robinson to his future in activism and helping civil rights. Later on, while playing football in Hawaii, Robinson caught the attention of the Brooklyn Dodgers president, Branch Rickey, and that’s where his baseball career took off. Robinson was Rickey’s attempt to integrate the National Baseball League but of course there was obstacles. Constantly during games, racial taunts and slurs were thrown at Robinson, but, extraordinarily, none of that affect Robinson’s talent on the field. He went on to top the league batting averages, win the MVP of 1949, and lead the Dodgers to a World Championship victory. Once his time in the baseball world was over, he dove himself into civil rights activism and even made appearances with Martin Luther King Jr. To top it all off, in 1984, Robinson was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. His many accomplishments still show their effect today, from him being the first African-American to play in the NBL to his dedication to promoting civil rights.

32 TALKING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA FCPS using social media to hear student feedback and communicate

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any counties and schools are finding different ways to communicate with their students rather than just in school. Before kids were only able to talk to teachers in school, or if they get a chance they would email them because that was what they were limited to. Now, communication has been improved and kids have easier ways to talk to teachers outside of school. Schools are finding ways to better communicate with students by using a platform that kids are interested in: social media. They are taking advantage of it by making accounts to chat with students and hear their opinions on school decisions.

Fairfax County Public Schools are hopping on this trend and are creating social media accounts, including Twitter and Instagram, to better communicate with the students. Ryan McElveen, a school board member, is a great example of FCPS administration using social media to talk to students. He has an Instagram account where he updates students on what is going on in the county, allowing them to comment on his post and DM or direct message him.

This enables students to give their opinions and views on school board decisions. This is also helping them have their voice heard better. McElveen, and possibly other board members, can read these comments and use them to help make better and thought-

Photo credit goes to Facebook

ful decisions that will benefit the students.

He uses Twitter to make announcements, including school closings, which allows students who have their own Twitter accounts to see; students who don’t have Twitter are still able to see his tweets if they search him up. Having these platforms allows direct communication to students because they are near constantly on them. Parents are able to communicate with FCPS too.

Instead of sending emails about board decisions, tweeting about it is more efficient because it is a click away from everybody, including students. This is important because when schools send out emails, they send them to parents, not students, which does not allow them to know what is going on without parents telling them. This leaves them blind in school decisions. Using social media is smart because more people are on it and check it more than their emails.here are some negative sides of communicating with students through social media. One of them is that students can comment or say inappropriate things that might concern FCPS and make them believe that it might be something dangerous when it could just be a joke from a student. Also, students abuse the privilege of being able to comment on Mcelveen’s posts and DM him by saying things that push him into making decisions that don’t necessarily need to be made.

Photo credits goes to nytimes.

When decisions are made, some kids act negatively and say hateful and vulgar things that are inappropriate.

Even if there are negatives over using social media as a way to hear student feedback and commuPhoto credit to variety nicate with them, there are more positives. FCPS has a faster and more efficient way to talk to the kids and they get more opinions on things then just the parents. This is good because the county makes decisions that help the students and not just the parents. So, social media helps with that and makes students feel like they have a voice and that they matter. FCPS used something that people are interested in and used it in their favor.

katie le staff writer

Photo credits to variety

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february issue

THE LOVE MONTH

The evolution story of Valentine’s Day

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or many couples, there is one day of the year where all efforts of expressing love are put into motion. A day full of boxed chocolates, heart-shaped candies, fancy dinners, and flowers. Valentine’s day, named after Saint Valentine, falls on February 14th and has been celebrated for hundreds of years.

On Valentine’s day, approximately 150 million valentines day cards are shared, making it the second biggest card exchanging holiday next to Christmas. Although this holiday’s exact beginnings aren’t certain, there are many speculations and stories all including the Christian martyr Valentine or Valentinus, and it wasn’t until long after the day was dedicated that it became associated with love.

How it Began There are many stories as to how Valentine’s day came to be. One of which says that Valentine was a priest during the third century of Rome.

Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than men with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine saw this as wrong so, despite the outlaw, he continued to perform marriages. When the Emperor heard word of this he sentenced Valentine to be put to death.

Another story indicated that Valentine helped Christians to escape prisons where they were

beaten and tortured. Some stories say that he was a prisoner himself who fell in love with the jailor’s daughter who would visit him in his cell.

It is rumored that this is how the first Valentine signature was sent. When writing letters to the jailor’s daughter, Valentine would sign off with “From Your Valentine.” Although some believe that the date of Valentine’s day was established upon the day of Saint Valentine’s death, many others believe that it was because of the Roman Pagan Festival of Lupercalia on February 15th.

Lupercalia was a festival dedicated to Faunus, the god of fertility, and Romulus and Remus, the alleged founders of Rome. Valentine’s day was placed on February 14th in an effort to try to Christianize the festival. Although the festival survived for a while, it was eventually deemed “un-Christian” and banned from being celebrated.

How its Changed Although certain stories related Saint Valentine to love, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that Valentine’s Day was associated with love, too.

It started off as people believing that February 14th was the start of the bird’s mating season, which added to the notion that February 14th should be a day that celebrates love. Since its origination in Rome, Valentine’s Day has spread throughout America, Mexico, Australia, France,

and the United Kingdom. Valentine’s Day cards began to be exchanged in around the 1700s and it wasn’t until the 1840s when Esther A. Howland started mass producing Valentine’s Day cards in America. Around 85% of those cards were purchased by women. Seeing the success of mass producing these cards, multiple businesses followed in Esther’s footsteps.

From a Christian effort to ruin a festival to the most romantic day of the year, Valentine’s day has come a long way. Even if you aren’t in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can still be enjoyed. Given that it’s one of the biggest holidays in a few countries, there are all sorts of unique things you can buy for yourself. For example, multiple pretty looking chocolate covered strawberries are sold which you can take home and enjoy all to yourself. Overall, if you ever feel bad about being alone on Valentine’s day, remember that it was never supposed to be about love anyway.

claudia messina staff writer

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THE FALSE NOTION OF WINTER SICKNESS

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“Make sure you wear a thick coat so you don’t get sick!” How many times has your mom called that out to you as you’ve walked out the door? It’s a common mistake to think that the frigid winter temperatures are what’s causing the spread of illnesses, but cold weather isn’t the culprit.

Sickness like the cold, a small disease with symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, and coughing don’t help with low temperatures bad reputation. In reality, a common cold is caused by an airborne virus or being in close contact with someone that is a carrier. The same logic can be applied to other illnesses like bronchitis, the flu, and even pneumonia. Many people directly associated pneumonia with being in cold temperatures, although it’s actually a lung disease caused by ingesting bacteria from the air.

Many things, such as the name of the illness and common theories cause people to connect catching a cold to being in the cold weather. Of course wearing a coat is often a necessity due to the uncomfortableness of crisp temperatures, but an extra layer is not going to prevent the illness. The New England Journal of Medicine conducted an experiment to determine if wearing a coat helps keep the sicknesses away. The journal concluded that the kids that wore a coat and the kids that didn’t had the same result, neither group caught a common cold. This infectious disease in humans is mainly caused by two viruses.

Coronavirus and rhinovirus are extremely similar. Both are common virus’ that causes an infection in your nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most spread the same way other cold-causing viruses do, through infected people coughing and sneezing, by touching an infected person’s hand or face, or by touching things that infected people have touched. Almost everyone gets a coronavirus or rhinovirus infection at least once in their life.

So if colds are caused by viruses, why are they so common in the wintertime?

“Several explanations apply,” says William Schaffner, a preventive medicine expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He included a theory that winter leads people to spend more time indoors inside the “breathing zone.” Respiratory

viruses can spread easily from person to person within a radius of three to six feet.

In experiment done by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, guinea pigs were used to find that animals shed more virus in longer periods in cold temperatures. They also found that cold and dry conditions, such as those found in the wintertime, causes viruses to hang in the air longer, due to droplets of moisture evaporating, causing the pathogens to become lightweight. Our immune systems may also be more vulnerable in the winter, according to Pritish Tosh, an infectious-disease physician and researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Although wearing a coat has been proven ineffective for protecting us from the outdoors, that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. There are still plenty of different ways to keep yourself safe from illnesses. One of the main ways is to wash your hands as often as possible and refrain from touching your face. This is an easy way to prevent viruses from spreading to your immune system and possibly beginning a sickness.

Other methods consist of getting a sufficient amount of sleep, healthy eating, and sneezing or coughing in your elbow.

lizzie thompson staff writer

sara boddie staff writer

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february issue

WINTER TV SHOWS New & Returning

pari abdollahi staff writer

Game of Thrones 2019 brings so many new and exciting TV shows to Netflix and other streaming apps. TV shows such as The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones will premiere with a new season. These shows are planned to bring something new to the table with their new season. Russian Doll is also a new TV show that just premiered and has so many people interested.

The Walking Dead The Walking Dead is a TV show that first aired on October 31, 2010, and has been going on for 9 years. The TV show is based on a comic book series about a family and a group of other survivors trying to make their way through a zombie apocalypse. Last year on October 7th, 2018, the TV show premiered its 9th season which consisted of 16 episodes and split it in half, one half being aired in 2018 and the other airing from February 10th. The 9th season is the final season for lead actor Andrew Lincoln playing as Rick Grimes since the first season. The producers hope to feature some new actors in the new season.

Game of Thrones is a TV show based on George R.R. Martin’s best selling book series “A Song of Ice and Fire”. The series was premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011 and it is about two very powerful families fighting over the control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and to sit atop the Iron Throne. The 8th and final season of Game of Thrones will premiere April 14, 2019 and this season unlike the first 6 seasons which had ten episodes and season 7 which had seven episodes, will only have 6 episodes. This season will have original content not found in the books and will also adapt material Martin has revealed to showrunners about the upcoming novels in the series, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. The final episode is set to be released by May 19, 2019.

Russian Doll Russian Doll is a newly released TV show on Netflix created

by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, and Leslye Headland. The show is about a girl named Nadia that gets caught in a mysterious loop as she repeatedly tries to attend the same event as the guest of honor and dies at the end of the night each time, just to wake up the next morning unharmed as if nothing had happened.The TV show was released on the first day of February this year and currently has 8 episodes on Netflix.

The TV shows are releasing new, fresh content this year that seems to be interesting. Many viewers are excited for the release. Hopefully this new content lives up to the expectations of many viewers, but only time will tell.

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IT JUST BE LIKE THAT SOMETIMES.

HY YOU ALWAYS LYING -- EYEBROWS ON FLEEK -- BACK AT IT AGA

emily richardson editorial board

MN DANIEL - ITS AN AVOCADO - INTERNALLY SCREAMING - WHAT’

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february issue

GAIN AT KRISPY KREME - IN ME MUM’S CAR - WHAT ARE THOSE - YE

On the impact of social media on our daily conversations and interactions - and how our slang is different from the slang of the past

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xamining the intimidating influence of social media on our language and interactions as teenagers strikes only one phrase in my mind: ‘it just be like that sometimes.’ It really do. Social media really does just be like that in the control it has over us and our lives.

A piece of our daily lingo, — ‘our’ as in Gen Z and Millenials --‘it just be like that’ could be considered slang, however, our socalled ‘slang’ can hardly be called that anymore as a result of social media and the internet putting the spread and rate of change of popular culture into overdrive. Our new shared language is better described as ‘meme culture’, a more influential and dynamic subset of language than ‘groovy’ and ‘gag me with a spoon’ could ever shake a finger at.

Our slang comes with baggage, the necessity of a deep understanding of internet memes (exact definition: meme [n] a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied [often with slight variations] and spread rapidly by Internet users) and internet culture.

Take the aformentioned “it just be

like that sometimes”. It’s a common phrase, one heard ringing off the walls in places with high densities of teenagers (eg. Oakton High School) sourcing from a Twitter post incorporating not one, not two, but three distinct memes that only the most experienced user of social media platforms would recognize.

Another example, one wildly popular among Oakton students, at that, could be ‘tea’. Usually in reference to ‘spilling’, it is arguablly one of the most popular terms among younger internet users today — but, due to the sheer force of its influence, wide application and its relevance to countless internet references (kermit, Drag Race), calling it only a ‘slang word’ would not be specific enough. Meme culture, a subsequence of the prominence of social media, has gone ahead and changed the definition itself.

This idea is best demonstrated when examining the prevalence of Vine, the long-dead social media platform that at one time boasted six-second video clips that revolutionized Millenial and Gen Z popular culture. References to popular vines added hundreds of pages to our metaphorical slang dictionary,

one that was already chapters thick; ‘Road work ahead’. ‘Yeet’. ‘Welcome to bible study’. The quotes and jokes are endless, and have turned what was simply the new and shiny slang of our decade to a monstrous compilation of obscure references that only complete immersion could help an individual understand. In other words, most of our ‘slang’ is simply more than slang. More than words, they’re something we draw connections to.

This is evident in our behavior on social media and interactions online and in real life.

When you break them down, memes are simply trivia — knowing about them or not knowing about them will not hurt either way, but knowing can help, even increase your levels of dopamine when you recognize one (Healthline). Relatable content makes us feel happy and included in the masses, otherwise ‘with it’, as slang has assumedly done throughout history.

Memes have made this possibility far more of a reality than the ‘411’ ever could have. ‘Relatable culture’ and subsequent memes and references have given us something new to conform to.

T’S UP KYLE - WHAT UP IM JARED IM 19 - AND THEY WERE ROOMM

38 HALF ALIVE & JOAN CONCERT REVIEW An in-depth review of both bands’ mesmerizing performance kariann tan staff writer On a fairly cold day during the third week of January, I was fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity to review a concert - specifically Half Alive’s show with a feature of up-and-coming band Joan. Excited was how I felt to say the least, as I am undoubtedly a passionate fan of Joan while also being an avid casual listener of Half Alive. I had also heard of stunning reviews coming from concert goers with regards to Half Alive’s performance, regardless of the fact that this is their first tour ever.

The evening started out with Joan first emerging on stage at the DC9 nightclub. They began with “Stop and Stare”, a bop that infuses 80s-influenced synths and catchy guitar riffs. Their track seemed to have captured the audience’s attention though they were just an opening band, which is a feat for sure. Vocalist and guitartist Alan Thomas wowed many with his soothing vocals that never seemed to break despite the high notes he had to reach and sustain. One great defining moment of that show that allowed us to witness his skills would be in the track “i loved you first”, which functioned as their final song during their entire performance. The ballad represents a broken romance and heartbreak, which Thomas himself used as an opportunity to emphasize that particular pain using his voice. The crowd’s yells only increased in volume as the track went on, as I myself was shocked at his ability to wow everyone with the track itself.

“Their track seemed to have captured the audience’s attention though they were just an opening band, which is a feat for sure.”

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Soon enough, metallic, cold lights emerge from the darkness, awakening an unsurprising roar from the audience. This is it. This is the band that sold out a nightclub for the first time ever during their tour around the US. Out of nowhere comes members Josh Taylor, Brett Kramer and J Tyler Johnson, members of the up-and-coming band Half Alive. The people continue to yell, this time ever-increasing in audacity. The band begins with “The Fall”, a song crying out boldly for help in the midst of love and uncertainty. The lyrics translates well to a live performance, with electric vocals delivered by Taylor throughout the entire duration of the show. The audience was enraptured the entire time, as harsh purple lights enclosed the venue. What added on to their performance was two dancers, that hopped onto the stage to dance away what felt like a cathartic moment to everyone else in the room.

Taylor continues with a cover of “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, one that stirred up emotions within everyone else’s hearts surrounding Taylor himself. the energy in the room by the end of the song was pulsating with liveliness, as everyone awaited the next song. it all felt refreshingly intimate yet otherworldly, which is one way you can describe the entirety of the show. They bowed out with their smash hit “still feel” which features an interesting array of choreography that was most certainly influenced by their music video.

Overall, both bands put in an enormous amount of effort into the show. I felt like I never wanted to leave. I came out of the building very motivated and energetic, as the energy of both artists seemed to have seeped into my mind. That’s when you know that the show really was great.

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PAPILLON: A REVIEW

isabella riccardi guest writer

Insight of the French autobiography by Henri Charrière

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he year was 1931, the place was Paris, France. The war was over, and it’d be another eight years until another one started. People were laughing, drinking, and dancing the night away. People like Henri Charrière and his wife Nénette. It was this same man, also known as Papillon in the underworld of Paris, who was wrongfully convicted for the murder of a pimp on October 26, 1931. Charrière’s autobiography about his sentence to life in a penal colony of France is one of optimism, determination, and pure passion for what we strive for in life: freedom.

Once Papillon is sentenced to life in an internment camp, he only has one goal in mind: escaping the island. Once sentenced in Paris, he’s sent to multiple jails and camps where he’s prepared for the islands. He meets another inmate, Louis Dega, a small man of about 40. His befriending of Dega allowed him to have an ally on the island, which was desperately needed. Once he actually reaches the penal colony, he meets other inmates, such as Clousiot and Maturette. While Dega feigns psychoticism to escape the colony, Papillon partners with Clousiot and Maturette to escape the dreaded islands. This escape plan is one of many failed attempts to acquire his freedom, and it would take Papillon an exten-

sive 14 years to finally escape from France’s tight grasp on him.

Between harrowing escapes, attempts at freedom, and the human spirit being tested to it’s very limits, Charrière allows the reader to see, feel, and live his life as he did during his time in the prison. He goes into significant detail about each and every encounter he has, whether it be another prisoner, warden, guard, or quite literally anyone. He allows us to enter his world as he did, and brings about questions of humanity we either disregarded or diminished into nothingness. He questions the French government system, and how it affected his life and changed it forever.

His vibrant language gives way to a style of life barely anyone can relate to, while at the same time showing the harrowing effect the French prison can have on a person. He describes the death of those close to him as though he is losing a family member, describes the treacherous escapes as a matter of sanity or death, and describes his relief when he does escape as a god-given right to continue his life. He allows the reader to fully understand the complexity and gravity of each and every situation he is a part of.

“Papillon” describes the journey of one frenchman and his escape to freedom, but also allows one to live it as well.

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february issue

BOOKS OR

?

TECHNOLOGY Technology

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s the famous Albert Einstein once said:“It has become appalling obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Technology is a big part of humanity and is the reason why we’re this advanced today. Simply technology is now something we can no longer live without. But is technology is going too far? Today, in 2019 when we think of the word technology, we think about video games, TVs, phones, computers, and cool gadgets.

Books

How long has it been since you’ve seen someone reading a nice book out in public? If you look around, you will probably see other people on their devices. The most common device is smartphones, ipads, laptops, and others.

Back in the old days, books were the number one thing that people wanted to do during their free time. Books were used for homework, jobs, cooking, and much more.. Reading has many positive impacts on you. It can do mental simulation, stress reduction, knowledge, Vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, stronger thinking skills, improve focus and concentration, better writing skills, tranquility, and free entertainment. Now during this time, technology is the number one thing people think of when they need to look up for something.

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The Problems

Most of our friends are addicted to technology. Nearly everyone who comes in contact with the internet are glued to their devices and can seem impossible to disconnect. Online services like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube are the masters of manipulation by making these things so addicting, books to be far away from people’s minds. Technology can get in the way of people’s accomplishments and goals in life. And what makes it so depressing, is that it can sometimes isolate you from your friends and family. But some technology has changed us in negative ways over the years. It can cause distraction, too much screen time, being anti-social, huge negative impacts on social media, threats to human intelligence, car accidents, health problems and much more.

Technology or Books?

We’ve interviewed a few Oakton students and asked which one they preferred the most.

All of them choose technology, and their reasons were a little disappointing.

“I don’t like to look things up on books because it takes too long and books aren’t updated that much these days. They aren’t accurate. Technology is much more easy to use”. Says sophomore Matthew Zevallos.

One student also said, “I can’t imagine a day without technology, I have anxiety whenever I’m without my phone.” anonymous(9). Many people became too dependent on their devices, and being without it is a scary thought.

abudukadier zainaipuguli staff writer

“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, A librarian can bring you back the right one” -Neil Gaiman Why are books good for you?

Books are the number one thing that can exercise your brain and boost up your creativity. Books aren’t going anywhere around this time but in the future, who knows what might happen to them if technology keeps getting in the way. Books can boost your intelligence and as Dr. Seuss once said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Reading books can pull you into more knowledge and understanding. Books can help you with spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.

Some technology can be good to have in your life. Sure, there are positive aspects like cool entertainment, but books can be far better.

katherine zevallos staff writer y ba

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FEATURE FROM POLITICS TO FANTASY veronica preaskorn staff writer

B

Bharat Krishnan’s Story

Cover of Confessions of a Campaign Manger

harat Krishnan visited the Creative Writing class on January 10 to share his experiences as a professional writer. He’s completed two works which were both self published on Amazon. He’s an Oakton alumni, and, during his time there, he explored writing for the Oakton Outlook. After graduating high school in 2007 and college in 2011, he went on to work in politics. After leaving politics, he moved on to writing.

Krishnan started writing in grade school but never really thought of himself as a writer. In fact, he said, “I never really viewed myself as an aspiring author until 2015 when I was kinda transitioning out of a career in professional politics.” He had always wanted to write a political memoir after working in about a dozen states. He knew there was a story for him to tell about his experience. When he ended his career of professional politics, he decided to write Confessions of a Campaign Manager, which he self published on Amazon. Although he didn’t market or promote it, he soon realized people wanted to read what he wrote. After writing his first novel, he realized how much he really liked writing. He says, “After that, it kinda got into me that I like writing, and I like writing so much that maybe I could turn this into a side hustle. Maybe people would actually be interested in stuff I wrote.”

After the 2016 election, Krishnan had the idea to write a fantasy novel in the dessert complete with magic and odd animals. For this novel, Oasis, he focused on finding an editor he trusted, beta readers, and an appealing cover. He went through four drafts each with a drastically different start. He used reverse engineering to start from the end and work backwards to the beginning. “I think writing in particular, though, and storytelling is such an important field to develop. Creative writing is important in any field you go into,” He informed the class, “Being able to frame a story in a compelling way- to be able to form a narrative- that’s something incredibly powerful no matter where you go into.”

Bharat Krishnan hopes to continue writing and publlish many more novels. He doesn’t care about how long his books are as long as they have good content. After reading The Outsiders by SE Hinton, he decided he wanted to be a writer. He enjoys self publishing because it gives time to develop the plot. He’s currently working on a collection of Hindu mythology. You can find him on a website called Mailchimp where he sends an email with a story once a month to his subscribers.

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february issue

A BALANCING ACT: STUDENTS WITH JOBS

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ne of the most common things you’ll hear as a student with a job is “I don’t know how you make time for that” and about 99% of the time, the response is “I don’t.” You see, balancing life as a student is a bit of a struggle, whether you have a job or not. There’s 24 hours in a day, a good chunk of it spent a school, and how you spent the rest of the time is up to you. For some students, it’s time allotted to sports and extracurriculars. For a small percentage of the school population, it’s handling a job on the side. It can be strenuous, admittedly, to spend hours at school then spend another few hours working. It’s definitely not for everyone; but for those who are interested or wondering what the benefits are besides finally getting to say you’re not broke, I’ll provide a little insight as someone who works 3 days a week and has handled the pressure.

I think the first thing you have to ask yourself if you want to get a job is “Is it the right time to be doing this?”

and “Am I ready for this?”

Like I mentioned before, time management can be a real struggle. If you think you’ll have trouble completing all your homework for the week and maintain your job, then consider that seriously.

There’s also various other impacts to consider outside of academics. “I only work on the weekends and I’ve given up a lot of free time because of that,” says Lana Farkas, junior. “It has definitely had an impact on my social life.”

With all that in mind, you can always establish a routine that can lessen the stress of always having to be on top of your work. Employers are aware you are a high school student and you have other commitments. You can asked to be scheduled on a specific weekday or only on the weekends.

Then, try to complete your homework or schedule your other commitments around that day of the week. Another tip is to never try to leave homework for when you get back home from work. Trust me, that never ends well.

For most students, getting a job is all about the money and finally being able to afford things they want. While earning your own money and being independent is a wonderful feeling to say the least, getting a job also gives you exposure to the real world outside of high school. Learning to be professional, work outside of your comfort zone, and deal with crazy customers or managers is all in a day’s work. It’s something that can only be learned through experience. No matter how many times a person reiterates that customers can be crazy or inconsiderate, you don’t really know what they’re talking about until you have a rude old white lady scream at your face in the middle of the store (Pfft, not that I’ve had that happen to me before, no way).

Jobs are more of a learning experience than people tend to perceive it to be. It makes you much more prepared in the future when you move beyond a high school level job onto something bigger and better.

courtney te editorial board

44 maloney AN INTERVIEW WITH JIM HILL connor staff writer

An Oakton Hall-of-Famer for XC and Track

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ecently, we had the chance to interview Oakton’s very own Jim Hill about his experiences running cross country and track in high school, college, and professionally. Jim Hill has won five state titles, and the 1978 Cross Country state title. He made the World Junior Cross Country as a 17 year old and finished 12th in the world in Ireland. He has four Pac 10 Conference titles, two in Cross Country and two in the 1500, and won the NCAA Track and Field championships in Eugene.

Mr. Hill took inspiration from two of his siblings, his sister Diane and his brother Robert. He used to watch his sister, a sprinter who was four years older than him, run. Her relay team won the sprint medley relay at the outdoor state meet in 1975, an event which is no longer held outdoors. However, his brother Robert who was two years older, ran both cross country and track, and was thus a big influence. ”There were many times in my first two years in the sport where he dragged me out of bed for morning practice,” Mr. Hill said during the interview.

In high school, Oakton incorporated weight and strength training a few times per week during indoor and outdoor track in the late 1970’s and they still do, along with push ups, sit-ups, and other calisthenic exercises almost every day. During his college years, he did not do much in the weight room, but he did a lot of pull ups, bar dips, push ups and sit ups. He also did sprint drills at least once a week which helped his last lap speed a lot, he claimed. “I once closed a college 5000 meter race in 52 seconds for the last lap and could consistently run between 56 and 59 seconds in the last lap of races from a mile up to the 10,000.”

The sprint drills, some may call them strides, were more focused on the leg motions rather than the sprinting itself.

We also interviewed him on training habits, such as location, distance, and if sprinters should participate in cross country. On the topic of location, being indoor training versus outdoor, Mr. Hill described being indoors as “hamster wheel” versus being outside, saying the only time that runners should train indoors is when conditions are hazardous, such as thunderstorms or when the paths are iced over. When asked about how much a runner should train per day, he said there The Vintage Oakton SInglet Hill Keeps was no simple answer to the question.

He said he knew a runner who only ran 40 miles per week, which is far below the average of about 70 to 90 miles per week. He also noted that he knew runners who did up to 120 miles per week. He said the two important things to focus on were increasing the work load slowly, saying no runner should increase mileage by more than 10% per week, and to understand when

sebastian osea staff writer

your body needs to take short run or recovery days. He spoke about how he would run with his housemate who did not run track or run very fast, but could run at a very steady pace, which would help him recover on the days after hard workouts. Furthermore, we also asked him about the benefits of cross country to sprinters. Being friends with Jim A list of Hill's accomplishments Bush, the track coach at UCLA and USC who is one of the top 400 meter coaches in the world, advised him to participate in cross country workouts.

We also asked him about keeping ones progress in track when doing another sport. “If the sport is golf, you may have to do some running on the side.” We asked this question in particular because one of us plays soccer as a side sport. His suggestion was to work with the track coach to try to get in long runs and tempos in addition to soccer workouts.

Cross training in other sports such as cross country skiing would come in handy as well. What would be left then was getting one's stride back.

For college, he went to Oregon, which was and still is the premier distance running school (especially for US citizens). There, he claimed to have trained with American and Future World Record holders and future Olympic Champions. “I always did best in HS and College when I did the workouts my coach told me to do.” Coaches are nowadays better educated in the sport and know what’s best for both male and female runners.

One of the topics we asked him about were his pre and post-race rituals that he would partake in leading into his meets. He said that he would go over the race in his head while relaxed, like taking a nap or going to bed. He said he would go over the time he would need to see on the clock every lap to hit a specific time to help him with his pacing during the race. After every race, he said he would always jog two to three miles and relax with his teammates. He says to set yourself a realistic goal in training, and go over it often and you are more likely to achieve it.

In addition, he also keeps souvenirs from memorable races, that is, not including medals or trophies in his closet. One of these is an Oakton jersey that he ran in during his senior indoor and outdoor season.

In particular, a race in which he ran a 2 mile in 8:47 and 8:44 3200, which is still the state record. Additionally, he offered some wisdom to us: not everyday at practice nor every race is going to be enjoyable, just like life. Things that you have to work hard for will have much more meaning for you. “Be consistent, be positive with yourself and everyone around you, and set goals,” he says.

EDITORIAL BOARD: A series of monthly picks from the editorial board to our readers.

SHOW: SHAMELESS “A self proclaimed ‘dramedy,’ Shameless lives up to any and all hype it may receive. a balance of big-city drama and family values, Shameless is the perfect storm of emotional investment and pure entertainment. Irresistible characters and fascinating plot lines make all nine seasons of this show worth my highest recommendation.” - Emily Richardson

SONG: “I’M SO TIRED” BY LAUV AND TROYE SIVAN “There’s something about both Lauv and Troye’s voices that make this song so great. it’s definitely on the pop side—short and catchy with repetitive phases ranting about being sick of love, but it still manages to stand out as one of my favorite songs lately.” - Courtney Te

RESTAURANT: SWEETGREEN “Although also considered a fast food chain, Sweetgreen has revolutionized cuisine of healthy food that is filling and refreshing. As their menu cycles seasonally, their ingredients are always readily fresh and ripe and the best combinations and bowls are made tasty and ready.” Ashleigh Tain

SHOW: THE LEFTOVERS “When 2% of the Earth’s people disappear, how do you cope when there are no bodies, no last words, and no closure? Some say it was the Rapture and others just want to forget. The Leftovers is an exploration of loss, trauma, and coping. Characters act like real people and bring with them all the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of life. The show is available now on HBO.” - Jake Neuffer

SONG: “LET ME DOWN SLOWLY” BY ALEC BENJAMIN “It’s always a great feeling to find a song when is fun to okay in the car but also listen to on your own while studying. “Let Me Down Slowly” by Alec Benjamin has soothing and melodious rhythm with a unique voice. With music usually being separated between genres and types of music, Alec’s song allows you to have the best of both a rhythmic and calming song.” - Riya Jain

BOOK: “THE POET X” BY ELIZABETH ACEVEDO “This book about a young hispanic girl navigating her way through high school is sure to capture your heart. Fast paced and written in verse, it covers all topics ranging from body positivity to religion. The poetry perfectly flowed throughout the page creating a book that’s sure to make its mark.”

- Sahithi Jammulamadaka

EDITORS’ FAVORITES SHORT STORY: “DARKNESS INVISIBLE” BY WILLIAM STYRON

SHOW: PSYCH “This T.V show is about a guy named Shawn and his partner, Gus. Shawn pretends to be a psychic and solves crimes. This show is great for if you want something to watch that is not too intense. It’s funny and interesting, and is a good show to binge.” - Zoe Sauger

“In a harrowing story of a young man’s journey through mental illness, the voice fluctuates between light and heavy, vividly portraying the realities of bipolar depression, and making it my favorite short story to date.”

- Emily Bach

TRAVEL DESTINATION: WASHINGTON, D.C. “There’s no trip as calm and peaceful as a tour around our capital, sightseeing local monuments and Smithsonians. The Washington D.C. area is so close, yet there’s always hidden gems in the city, including small bookstores and fun places to eat at. With so much to do so close to Oakton, a seasonal trip to Washington D.C. is a definite must for all. ” - Katarina Faben