Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
A public forum for student expression since 1937
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June 1, 2017 VOL 79 NO 7
MCCPTA missing funds
Frozen in time
By Isabella Tilley and Gilda Geist
An internal audit of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA)’s checking account in April revealed that $39,000 had been withdrawn and improperly disbursed between July 1, 2016 and March 31. Police are investigating the case, which was brought to them on April 10 by former MCCPTA President Paul Geller. Questions surrounding the MCCPTA’s finances began in late January, according to current MCCPTA President Lynne Harris. “There were concerns raised about the MCCPTA finances at that time, because there were some monthly officer’s reports that were presented that claimed the organization began the fiscal year with a $23,000 deficit, which was untrue. The organization began the year with about a $12,000-$13,000 carryover from fiscal year 2016,” Harris said. According to audit committee member Laura Stewart, a board member raised questions about unusually large gaps in the sequence of check numbers in a board of di-
CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA
DANCING THEIR HEARTS AWAY Senior Mariz Mossad dances with 2016 alum Sascha Newton-Mason at Prom. Upperclassmen danced all night to cap off their high school career with a magical night to remember, frozen in time. Red was a popular color among soon-to-be graduates displaying their Blazer pride one last time.
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Blair mourns sudden loss of student By Serena Debesai
Freshman Mark Jean-Louis passed away suddenly on May 18 while in the hospital. The specific cause of death has not been formally disclosed. Blair students and staff were informed of Jean-Louis’ passing after an announcement made by Principal Renay Johnson on May 19. On May 26, several students attended the funeral of Jean-Louis at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Silver Spring. According to an email sent to parents by Johnson, the Jean-Louis family opened the service to the entire Blair community. Cards and monetary donations from students and community members were collected by the main office and presented to the Jean-Louis family at the funeral service. Many of Jean-Louis’ peers remember his vibrant and cheerful personality. “He was always in a good mood, and he would laugh at anything whenever you would speak to him,” freshman Jose Saquic said. Even students who were not close with Jean-Louis were shaken at the news of his death. “Even though I did not know him that well, I was still a little bit
shocked by it,” freshman Emmanuel Joanie said. “I am really going to miss him.” Grieving students and teachers were allowed to leave class to receive counseling services in the media center. “We had the open area in the media center for students that needed to be out of class to grieve or be with friends or meet with their counselors,” counselor Suzanne Bray said. “We had that space available for any student that needed it and that space was available throughout the entire day.” MCPS also mobilized resources to aid the counseling department. “We had counselors from a number of high schools and middle schools nearby come to help work with students as well,” Bray said. “We had school psychologists as well as employee assistance people here to deal with any staff that needed to process or talk it through.” Bray encourages any students who may be struggling to cope with the loss of Jean-Louis to visit the counseling office. “We definitely try to keep our doors open during those lunch periods, but students are able to come see us for that individual counseling anytime they need to,” Bray said.
Reflexión personal Creciendo sin padre y volviendo en una mujer fuerte. CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA
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CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA
COURTESY OF RENAY JOHNSON
SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS Softball and baseball tean members pose after softball defeated Bethesda-Chevy Chase and baseball enjoyed a walk-off victory over Walter Johnson on May 17.
Spring sports find postseason success By Henry Wiebe
Blair spring sports enjoyed especially successful seasons and deep playoff runs. Baseball, softball, and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse all landed key victories in high leverage situations. Baseball beat Richard Montgomery, Bethesda Chevy-Chase,
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and Walter Johnson to set a school record for playoff wins before falling in the Regional Finals to Northwest, the eventual 4A state champions. Softball also lost a close game to Northwest, who won the 4A state championship as well. Boys’ lacrosse also set a Blair record for playoff wins this season,
making it all the way to the State Semifinals before losing to Severna Park. Severna Park went on to claim the 4A Boys’ Lacrosse State Title. Girls’ lacrosse defeated Northwood, Springbrook, Paint Branch, and Eleanor Roosevelt before being bested by Severna Park in the State Semifinals.
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Controversial depictions of suicide in new Netflix show encourage dialogue.
How gender nonconforming athletes navigate a sports world defined by gender.
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LA ESQUINA LATINA C1
SAMI MALLON
FEATURES D1
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ENTERTAINMENT E1
COURTESY OF CLAIRE HIBBELN
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CHIPS CLIPS E3
SPORTS F1