Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
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February 5, 2016
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Winner of the 2015 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker
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Blair closes after snow By Dawson Do MCPS closed schools from Jan. 22 to Jan. 29 following a snowstorm that blanketed Montgomery County with an average of 26 inches of snow. A state of emergency was declared in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia after the large winter storm was projected to hit the midAtlantic on Jan. 22. Twenty-two inches of snow covered Four Corners, and prevented pedestrians from navigating the area and students from attending school. According to Principal Renay Johnson, building service staff arrived on Jan. 25 and 26 to start clearing the parking lot and building exits. With the help of county services and equipment, the roads and most sidewalks were cleared for students by the time students returned from their ten-day break. According to Johnson, PTA leaders went out into the community and notified the Board of Education and county council members of the conditions to ensure that students could safely commute to school. Even when the snow stopped falling and many roads were clear, MCPS still closed schools to students because of unsafe conditions. “I’m really pleased that MCPS listened to constituents, staff, parents, and community members and [said] ‘It’s not safe,’” Johnson said. MCPS has not yet made a decision about whether the school
year will be extended. According to Johnson, MCPS schedules 184 school days to account for snow days and still meet the 180 instructional day requirement of Maryland. Because the entire state of Maryland was closed for a state of emergency, Johnson said she thinks it is unlikely days will be added to the end of the school year. “Historically, we’ve gotten waivers because the entire state is shut down,” Johnson said. Many teachers have to cut out parts of the curriculum to account for the late start to the second semester. With AP tests starting in about two months, AP Language and Composition teacher Christopher Klein feels pressured to condense certain topics. “We are going to have to be more selective about our content and our instructional delivery,” Klein said. AP Chemistry teacher Eric Prange has adjusted to shortened years in the past. “I’m not that stressed about it because in the past few years, we lost like ten snow days in each year,” he said. After the end of the first semester, many students were free of academic responsibilities and could enjoy the break. “I spent the weekend shoveling snow with my friends and making extra money,” junior Eyobed Beyene said. Even Johnson enjoyed her time off in the snow. “I love snow − I’m one of those people who still go out and play in it,” she said.
Sankofa
GRIFFIN REILLY
FINISHING TOUCH Senior Haja Kalokoh and fellow performers sing, act, and dance as they rehearse for Sankofa, an upcoming show celebrating Black history.
Deportations and raids begin in MD By Luisa McGarvey and Grady Jakobsberg Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources.
GRIFFIN REILLY
SNOW DAYS A heavy snowstorm on Jan. 22 kept MCPS students and teachers out of school for a whole week.
Some apps stretch truth By Georgina Burros and Alice Park Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources. “Have you ever been adjudicated guilty or convicted of a misdemeanor, felony, or other crime?” Warren stares at his computer monitor. His cursor hovers over the two answer choices: “Yes” or “No.” Warren knows his response to this one simple question could have a considerable impact on his chance of admission to the colleges that read his application. His mind wanders to the citation on his record and his numerous run-ins
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with the law. “Colleges don’t need to know this,” Warren thinks, justifying to himself what he is about to omit. Shrugging his shoulders, he clicks, “No.” For seniors like Warren, responses on a college application can make or break their chances for higher education. Last year, the University of Maryland received nearly 28,000 applications for a class of just 3,975. With increasing pressure to stand out from the crowd, some seniors are willing to take the risk of lying on their applications.
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The Department of Homeland Security implemented a plan to use U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to target undocumented immigrants that entered the country after May 1, 2014 for deportation, starting in early January. According to PBS, this nationwide campaign gives ICE the ability to detain adults and children who have standing deportation orders from a U.S. immigration judge. Although these raids have not occurred in Montgomery County, local officials have shared their disapproval of the deportation of families fleeing violence in Central America. The campaign gives ICE agents authority throughout the whole nation, but raids have not been reported everywhere. “Right now there have only been raids in Georgia, in Texas, in Maryland, although it’s a nationwide program,” Robert Asprilla, the lead field organizer at CASA, said. CASA is a Latino advocacy and assistance organization. Although, there have been raids in Baltimore and Owings Mill, Maryland the raids have yet to reach Montgomery County.
According to a statement released by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, ICE raids are designed to take undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country after May 1, 2014 into custody. However, Asprilla believes that is not always what occurs. “[ICE is] saying they are targeting people they are looking for, but that’s not the whole truth,” Asprilla said. “So initially they are looking for somebody, but once they are let inside a house, they start getting everybody else that is there if they are undocumented.” According to junior Richard, these raids have led to fear in his
neighborhood. “I feel scared about what is going on around me because of the ICE raids. We can’t feel safe walking on the streets. We stay at home instead of going out,” he said. According to Claudia Quinonez, education organizer at CASA, the organization hopes that these waves of raids will not cause undue fear. “The previous thought the community had was to be afraid of the police, to be afraid of ICE, but now we have changed our tactics. Now we tell people to stand up for their rights even if they are undocumented,” Quinonez said.
see ICE page A2
CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA
VIGIL Community members gathered in front of the Supreme Court to advocate for immigrant families’ rights.
insidechips
CALEB BAUMAN
Life skills
Veg out
Prostestantes
Boys’ basketball
Students need to be taught everyday skills to succeed in the future.
Chips takes a look at the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants.
Luchando por los derechos de los inmigrantes.
The team has been working on their offensive strategy as they prepare for the playoffs.
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OP/ED B1
CALEB BAUMAN
FEATURES C1
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ENTERTAINMENT D1
COURTESY OF CASA
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CHIPS CLIPS D6
GRIFFIN REILLY
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LA ESQUINA LATINA E1
SPORTS F1