THE LANCE
We Believe.
We Will Succeed.
The student newspaper of Linganore High School
Volume 51, Issue 6
12013 Old Annapolis Rd. Frederick, MD 21701
LHS Engineers Lead the Way Will Foreman
these projects should of Engineering, Digital Electronics, for Introduction to Civil Engineering Engineering Design. & Architecture, and Introduction to Engineering Design Engineering Design & Development. is the first of a fiveProject Lead the class program at Way is a nationwide Linganore called program that Project Lead the Way teaches engineering (PLTW). The program to students from was introduced to elementary school Linganore as part through high school. of the Maryland Schools in all 50 initiative to prepare states and D.C. have students for careers PLTW programs, and in science, technology, for good reason -- the engineering, and U.S. Department math, often called of Commerce STEM. The five PLTW estimates that jobs in classes offered at science, technology, LHS are Introduction engineering, and to Engineering math (STEM) will Design, Principles grow 17 percent by 2018, which is nearly double the growth for non-STEM fields. Students who complete the program feel prepared for a STEM career.
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Ping pong ball launchers, hydrogenpowered cars, mini power plants, clock timers, electronic dice-rollers, mini golf courses, programmable marble sorters -- these are all things being designed and built here at Linganore High School every day. Students at all grade levels get the opportunity to challenge themselves to imagine out-ofthe-box solutions for open-ended problems. Any students who are interested in
photo by Will Foreman Justin Richmond, Will Eckard, and David Wynne present one of their POE projects.
Read the full story at http://lhslance. org/5M0DW
What’s behind the scenes of the morning announcements? Isabella Marcellino Reporter
Junior Marissa de LaViez signed up for the class again this year. She said, “It is really unique and not like any other class.” The class offers the opportunity to work with intricate equipment that is used in prestigious news stations.
Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, and Barbara Walters all got their start pursuing a broadcasting career in high school and college. These reporters had digital communication training before advancing to the “big leagues.” The Digital Communications students are experiencing their first taste of fame, starring on the morning announcements five days a week. The primary goal of the Digital Communications class is to produce and record the morning announcements for the school to broadcast during second period. The class, which is offered to ninth through twelfth graders, began two years ago and has been growing. In addition to the morning announcements, they work together to create videos and interviews to highlight different parts of the school. photo by Isabella Marcellino Read the full story at http://lhslance.org/gUMpm
Digital Communications student Andrew Baughman presents the weather in front of a green screen.
February 2014
Underhill joins the social studies staff
during that time. Fast forward a few months, and a second child later and I was getting the itch to come back to work for FCPS. photo court. of L. Underhill “Luckily, Mr. Kehne also Jane Sullivan needed a teacher to Reporter start in January... so There is fresh face it was fate I guess,” in the Social Studies Underhill said. “Being around department and and older her name is Lauren adults Underhill. She is students has been returning from a wonderful for me and three-year sabbatical. my family. No more In 2010, Mrs. baby brain! No really, Underhill left her the staff and students teaching position at at LHS have been the Brunswick Middle best people I have School to move to ever worked with so Cardiff, Wales, with far. I really mean it.” her Welsh husband She “always has and to raise her a positive mood,” children. said junior Dillon “We traveled Mitcham. throughout Great Britain as well and Read the full story at had our first child http://lhslance.org/ojjlT
15th Annual Mr. Linganore contestants Read the full story at http://lhslance.org/0c9T8 Mike Adams Luke Amatucci Dan Beck Joe Dirndorfer Jack Garabedian Payton Girod Luke Hubbard Chase LaPilusa Matt Raabe Matt Sauerhoff Joe Schiller Mark Shiderly Cazmier Tymoch John Valett Nick Weinel
Be there! LHS Auditorium March 8, 7:00 p.m. “Happily Ever After”
News / Opinion Shrinking French classes affect future speakers
One language is not enough
¿Hablas español? Parlez-vous français? Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Kristina Baskin Reporter
Learning a new language is an important part of today’s society; it allows communication among people of different backgrounds and cultures, and learning a new language broadens horizons and opens new opportunities. However, a dangerous pattern of under enrollment in middle school suggests that high school foreign language — and foreign language study post high school — may suffer. This year New Market Middle School cut most of its funding for its French program, resulting in only one 21-student class. Compared to the previous year — one 7th grade class of 28 students and two 8th grade classes with a combined total of 32 students — that isn’t much. Many other middle schools across the United States have also decreased funding for or entirely cut language courses. This may not seem critical due to the fact that most high school students have extensive l a n g u a g e p r o g r a m s including AP courses. But what does this mean for fluency? “I think [ l a n g u a g e learning] is e x t r e m e l y important,” Mrs. Dragana Blonder, a French and English teacher, says. “People are communicating more; they are connected more…there is a need to understand other cultures…there are more opportunities as well for people who speak a foreign language. It is an asset.” “I was disappointed, sad and frustrated [that funding was cut],” says Mrs. Jennifer Burke, Language Arts teacher and instructor of NMMS’s single French class. “We live in an amazingly interconnected world in 2014, and English is not the only language spoken… The US education system needs to recognize the need for world language instruction.” A secondary language is an important career asset in today’s society, yet with language courses labelled as “electives” in middle school and only two language courses needed to graduate high school, not much emphasis is being placed on learning a new language.
Read the full story at http://lhslance.org/vmisA
photo by Samantha Buckman Catharine Dietrich (right) and Ky’wri Shakir (left) work on translating a text from their Spanish textbooks. Samantha Buckman Reporter
Quieres aprender un idioma nuevo? If you could read this, which only some students in this school could, you have taken at least one of the multiple Spanish courses that is offered in high school. Becoming bilingual is one of the most important decisions a teen can make in life. A growing number of careers depend on bilingual speakers. With an increasing Hispanic population, being bilingual will
ease communication as well as lead to more job opportunities. Some of these include government, law enforcement, m a r k e t i n g , healthcare, and even gaming. There are other career opportunities, and the benefit of knowing a second language can become apparent at any time. Bilingualism may give one candidate for a job or position in a university an edge over another candidate. Job opportunities
will expand to those that are bilingual, and so will communication ease in our changing society. And teens don’t have to go far for a supreme education in this language–they can become bilingual by utilizing free courses in high school! The importance of Spanish should not be overlooked. According to the American Census Bureau, in 2013, 8.7% of Maryland’s population was Hispanic, while in the United States the overall percentage is 16.4%. In Maryland, the growth has been rapid, with population of minorities increasing 46% in 2012, evidenced by a survey conducted by the state of Maryland. Read the full story at http://lhslance.org/yxRXJ
French students make video, win cash Jessica Steves Reporter
Five Linganore students—seniors Bridget Dolan, Jack Garabedian, Tyler Graham, and Jessica Long, as well as sophomore Rhiannon Wiland—won third place in the National French Week Video/Animation Contest with a video titled “French in New Markets”. The contest was hosted by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). They won 100 dollars and six certificates — one for each of them, and one for their school. The video was filmed in an otherwise empty classroom, with some desks, a few chairs, a cellphone, and a bubu (a type of male clothing popular in Senegal) as the only
props. Rhiannon Wiland acted as the camerawoman, and the rest of the participants were actors. Dolan, Graham, and Long play the part of American businesspeople having a conference and attempting to find new markets for their products. Deciding on Africa, they pick up a phone and call an African businessman (Garabedian) to negotiate business deals. However, the African businessman doesn’t speak English. Dolan attempts to communicate with him in Spanish (Dolan is the secretary of the Spanish Honor Society). Unfortunately, the African man doesn’t understand Spanish either. Finally, one actor attempts to speak French
with the African businessman. This is a romance language that the businessman understands, and they settle down to haggling. Every year, the AATF hosts two online contests that are available to every high school student in America. The contests are meant to challenge both the creativity of Frenchspeaking students, as well as their grasp of the language that they are learning. “[The contest] is a great opportunity,” says Mrs. Dragana Blonder, French teacher. “There are not many other opportunities for students to speak French outside the classroom.”
Read the full story at http://lhslance.org/yFKVU
Entertainment Save Mr. Banks OR LHS artists win many does he save YOU? Scholastic Art Awards
Rachel Walker
Rachel Walker
Rachel Walker
Rachel Cleveland
LHS artists won 22 awards in the Scholastic Art Awards. The winners include Annee Lyons with an honorable mention, Lauren Wolff with an honorable mention, Alexi Day with a Silver Key, Meghan McKee with a Silver Key, Laura Schumate with two Silver Keys and two honorable mentions, Rachel Cleveland with a Gold Key, McKenzie Ridgely with a Gold Key, Rachel Walker with three Gold Keys and an honorable mention, Megan Newcomer with three Gold Keys, two Silver Keys,and two honorable mentions.
Laura Schumate
Rebecca Downs Reporter
Megan Newcomer
Rachel Walker
SAT: Three little letters that strike fear in every teen Andrea Huston Reporter
Across the nation, students panic: SAT prep, college applications and recommendation letters. So this is senior year fun? This is a stressful time, but count on one thing: increasing SAT scores. One route many students take is getting a private tutor. This way, students are not crammed into large rooms with unfamiliar faces listening to broad and generalized directions. English teacher Mrs. Deborah Carter is a tutor for students preparing to take the SATs. She says, “Every single student is going to be different.” There is no “best plan.” With a tutor the student can focus on the particular sections that give them the most trouble.
Carter’s advice to all students taking the SAT is, “there are no short cuts. Read all you can get your hands on, and when you are taught grammar and vocabulary, actually study it.” Another tool for FCPS students is the Virtual School, with the college exam preparation
Photo courtesy of MCT campus.
(CEP) material that was setup last fall. Teachers, parents and students received a Find Out First notice that explained how the school works and the tools that are set up for them. This can still be found on the FCPS Virtual School website. SAT prep is $30 and it
provides preparation for the ACT, SAT and Advanced Placement tests. “Many student learners prefer to have immediate feedback about their performance,” said the principal of the Virtual School, Dr. Stacey Adamiak. Since the school is all online, students can take the test multiple times. On the other hand, it’s difficult for many to stick to a study plan if there is no specific teacher or time for learning. Adamiak also said the website “can show your strengths and weaknesses using data.” This way students can examine their weak points are and study that section until they feel comfortable for the next SAT. Read the full story at: http://lhslance.org/ hHwAQ
Saving Mr. Banks isn’t really about saving anything— except a time slot in your schedule to see this movie before it is out of the theatres. Time is running out! Saving Mr. Banks (PG-13) is a drama starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers. The film takes place in Los Angeles during the year 1964. The film is the untold true story behind the making of the beloved children’s movie Mary Poppins. Walt Disney (Hanks) is determined to keep his promise to his daughters to make a movie out of the little book they loved about a nanny named Mary Poppins. Twenty years after making the promise to his daughters, Disney is able to convince P.L. Travers (Thompson)
to agree, but she has a few conditions to this agreement. She does not want Disney to change her legacy into a “rosy-cheeked animation,” which is almost exactly what Disney planned to do. In her eyes, Mary Poppins is a practical, serious nanny, not some magical Hollywood machine. Despite himself, Disney allows her script approval. Travers makes the process as painful as she possibly can. Ms. Travers had a list of things to get rid of including one of the actors, the music, the animations, the romance between Mary Poppins and Burt the chimney sweep, and Banks family house. She picks fights with Disney, the Sherman brothers who are in charge of music, and Don Dagradi who is the layout artist. As she is working on getting her way on the script, she has many flashbacks to her childhood. She remembers the events leading to her father’s illness and her mother’s near suicide. Read the full story at: http://lhslance.org/6dDGr
It’s Grace without the “daily”
Olivia Goldstein Editor
Internet phenomenon Grace Helbig debuted her new channel It’s Grace, on January 1. The channel already has 1.4 mllion subscribers and counting. Read the full story at: http://lhslance.org/RAvh9
Read the full story at:
Sports Wrestling team looks to make a run in the post season It will not be an easy competes in the 160 pound ride, as Cameron and his weight class. The Frederick fellow teammates will have News Post recently ranked to wrestle a challenging field Ellis and Harner third in Moving in a positive of competition. Alongside their respective weight direction, wrestling has had one of their strongest teams in years as they prepare to make a run towards states. Coming off wins February 1st against Boonsboro and Century, led by senior Cameron Harner and juniors Nick Ellis and Devin Brosenne, coach Chad Ellis is trying to drive his team to make a postseason run. Cameron, who competes in the 138 pound weight class carries a 25-4 record (as of February 4th) and is feeling confident about his chances going into the postseason as he seeks to photo courtesy of Judy Riley do what he does best: keep Senior Cameron Harner (left) defeats a Westminster opponent. winning. “Personally, my season Cameron are juniors Devin classes. has been going well. I’m Brosenne and Nick Ellis, Junior Jake Vannoy hoping to get four more also waging their own said, “Technically anybody wins before going into the war on states. Brosenne can make a run at states; postseason and place well competes in the 182 pound your record doesn’t have to at states,” said Cameron. weight class while Ellis be good, as long as if you get Org. Pub. Feb. 7, 2014 Kyle McFadden Reporter
Unified bocce ball team wins regional title, heads to states Org. Pub. Feb. 7, 2014 Angelica Burr Reporter
Unified Bocce ball team practice on a Tuesday afternoon definitely has a different atmosphere than any other sports practice. Ms. Susan Delizia, the Bocce ball coach, who also works in the special education department, greets everyone with a warm smile. Everyone knows each other, and there’s no competitive atmosphere. Senior Mary Kate Hall describes the team as “Good
photo by Angelica Burr Mary Kate Hall (left) and Trent Cope (right) practice after school."
sportsmanship with lots of support from everyone.” She also says that “being on this team is the best decision I’ve made in my high school
two wins at counties.” “Coach Chad always tries to push us to keep getting better while creating a fun environment by making us play games like volleyball and soccer. He pushes us hard but definitely doesn’t overwork us,” says Harner. Harner, Vannoy and the whole wrestling team have worked over the offseason to improve their repertoire of wrestling techniques. “I’ve been trying a lot of new stuff like some throws and other things that I didn’t do last year and it’s transitioning well,” said Cameron. “Everyone is different. Some kids are fast and like to shoot low when other kids are all throws and are bulky. It’s just hard to adapt to that,” says Cameron. Linganore thrives in the middle weight classes of 138-195 where Cameron Harner, Nick Ellis and Devin Brosenne fit in.
career.” Her partner, a smiling senior, Trent Cope, says that being a part of the Unified bocce ball team has helped him gain more confidence and meet and make lifelong friends from other schools. photo courtesy of Jack Rammling Robyn Lafferty, Jackson Rammling holds the lead in the 200 mother of Erin Individual Medley Lafferty, who is on the team, says, “I see Unified Sports as a bridge for all kids to enhance Org. Pub. February 8, 2014 their confidence and Jack Rammling Graphics Editor shine.” The swim team finished their Read the full story at http://lhslance.org/FUCHj disappointing season on January 29. They will proceed to the county championships February 8, then regionals, and then to states. Although the small team cannot claim a victory, with the exception of the girls only win against Brunswick, they can claim outstanding individual performances. One outstanding swimmer on the boy’s team is senior Cazmier Tymoch. He has yet to break the record in the 50 freestyle. Coming in at a 23.74 seconds, he is only milliseconds away from the school record at 23.3. Scan to visit Sophomore Michelle Carter’s swimming lhslance.org style in the 500 meter (a long race), is to start The Frederick County Public slow and finish fast, creating excitement for all School system does not observers. She is proud of her participation. discriminate in the admis“The team is always friendly and inviting.” sion, access, treatment, or employment in its programs “Without a doubt the events that get the and activities on the basis most excitement are the relays,” says Carter. of race, color, gender, age,
Swim team seeks reconstruction
The Lance Staff
Advisor Mrs. Natalie Rebetsky Editor Olivia Goldstein Editor/ Webmaster: Noah Ismael Page Design Will Foreman(1) Jessica Steves & Kristina Baskin(2) Rebecca Downs & Angelica Burr (3) Olivia Goldstein(4)
Reporters
Kristina Baskin Samantha Buckman Angelica Burr Rebecca Downs Will Foreman Andrea Huston Isabella Marcellino Alyssa Mattison Kyle McFadden Julia Peigh Jack Rammling Jessica Steves Janie Sullivan
national origin, religion or disability.
Read the full story at http://lhslance.org/5isEe