silverchips A public forum for student expression since 1937 Montgomery Blair High School
December 5, 2023
Young people respond to Oct. 7 aftermath Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources. In response to ongoing tensions between Israel and Hamas, students at college campuses around the nation have refused to remain silent. At universities such as Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard, passionate supporters of both Israel and Palestine have protested and flooded social media platforms, sparking further conflict and controversy. These students add to the hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. voicing their discontent with the situation in Israel and Gaza, as well as the Biden Administration’s response. On Nov. 4, tens of thousands filled the streets of Washington, D.C. for a pro-Palestine march demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. 10 days later, tens of thousands took to the same streets to show their
insidechips News.......................................... A2 Opinions.................................... B1 La Esquina Latina................... C1 Features..................................... D1 Culture...................................... E1 Sports ....................................... F1
VOL. 87 NO. 2
SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
ZOO LIGHTS The Smithsonian Zoo is covered in holiday lights during the month of December.
By Ethan de Brauw and Auden Seigel Staff Writers
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solidarity with Israel. Alex Spero was one of a bus full of Cornell students who joined demonstrators at the March for Israel in D.C. After a Cornell junior posted threats online to kill Jewish students, Spero and his peers decided to join the D.C. protest in support of Israel. “It’s important … staying with Israel and marching against antisemitism … during troubled times,” he says. John, who marched for Palestine in D.C., is an organizer of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Maryland (UMD), which aims to educate the student body about injustice in Palestine. “Protests [and] sit-ins [that] attract attention are really valuable. Demonstrations unite people and [are a] public display of our resilience,” John says. John adds that the outbreak of war in Gaza has increased interest in the SJP’s cause. Prior to Oct. 7, there were nine months of protests in Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government pushed through a law that attempted to cancel the Israeli court’s ability to block government actions and appointments. The Israeli Su-
preme Court then faced the choice of accepting the law and losing their power, or potentially having Netanyahu’s government ignore the court’s ruling, leading to a constitutional crisis. This led to hundreds of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets between January and October 2023. On Oct. 7 Hamas—a Muslim fundamentalist and terrorist group in control of Gaza—bypassed Israeli defenses and killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and abducted over 200 hostages, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and called up 300,000 reserve troops to prepare for combat. Later that day, Israel began a bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 15,000 people, or more than one out of every 200 Gazans, a population mostly made up of women and children. On Nov. 24, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire for the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. On Nov. 30, the bombing resumed.
NEWS
FEATURES
Enclave Tenants Association
Tenants at the Silver Spring apartment complex protest unfair living conditions. A2
see OCT. 7 page D5
Outdoor Ed
MCPS environmental education program celebrates 60 year anniversary. D3
PHOTO BY MADELINE GOLD
Blair girls soccer makes history By Eloise Carter and Dyan Nguyen Staff Writer & Sports Editor On Nov. 17, Blair students, staff, and families packed rows of seats, equipped with signs and red apparel, to cheer on the girls’ varsity soccer team at the Loyola University Ridley Athletic Complex in their state finals game. The fans were on the edge of their seats as they waited for the team to step onto the field. This was the first time in program history that the team made it to the state finals. The journey to the finals started approximately three months earlier, during preseason. To prepare for their season, the team played eight scrimmages and had practices six days a week. Senior midfielder Elizabeth Poulson believes that it was the preseason where the team built their bond and chemistry for the year. “We definitely had some struggles [during preseason], but we really came together [by the end] and felt more like a developed and connected team,” she says. CULTURE
Women in the Arts Museum
Following renovations, D.C.’s National Museum of Women in the Arts reopens. E1
By working out the kinks in preseason, the team was able to exhibit outstanding performance in their regular season. “We had our best start ever. We won our first nine [games] in a row. We were perfect at home. A record that can’t ever be broken,” Robert Gibb, Blair girls’ varsity soccer coach says. The team’s regular season ended with a 10-2 record, losing to top schools Whitman and Churchill. Driving this success was the team’s dynamic. “Every person [was] able to trust each other with everything and [was] communicating on and off the field, even on the bench. We set the tone for each other,” sophomore striker Meron Koro says. Junior midfielder Natalie Mullens notes a balance between dedication and the joyous environment of the team. “It’s kind of interesting, because we are going for this super competitive, win it all kind of thing, but as a team we are very silly, very fun,” she explains. see GIRLS’ SOCCER page F1
SPORTS
MCPS booster clubs
Differences in booster club funding across the county creates sport inequities. F2