The Highlander - Issue 1 - October 2016

the

highlander

Volume LXI • Issue 1 • October 2016 • McLean High School thehighlandernews.com • @MHSHighlander

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CONTENTS NEWS

3

4-5

FCPS revises grading policies Club Updates

7

Astronomy class encourages experiential learning

8

New faces arrive among counselors

9

Of mice and McLean

10

20/20 vision on the 2020 class

IN-DEPTH 22-25

Caution: Sitting to death

OPINIONS 31

Editorial: Vote ‘yes’ for meals tax referendum

32-33 Crossfire: Should athletes be able to speak up about sensitive issues?

FEATURES

34

FCPS makeover fails to hide enduring flaws

11

Reid Era begins at TheatreMcLean

35

Technology hurts academic achievement

12

Fall brings college visits

13

36

Pokémon Go! getting out of hand

10 Qs with Laura Venos

15

Veganism: a cure for the incurable

16-17

Highlanders of the Issue: Douglas & Jonathan Palumbo & Jack Turley

18-19

Trump vs. Hillary

A&E 20

Students and faculty make their mark

21

Review: Light Between Oceans

26-27

D.C. fusion restaurants

28

Battle of the Phones

29

App-etizing mobile games to download

30

Battle of the Fans: Frank Ocean’s Blonde

26-27

39

SPORTS 37 38

Girls volleyball continues to impress Baseball brawls

39

Sophomore makes a splash

41

Underfunded athletic training

42

Student-athletes switch it up

43

Athlete of the Issue: McCord Meyers

44

The Finish Line

15

43

Dear McLean, Welcome to another year of The Highlander! On behalf of our staff, we’d like to send a warm welcome to all freshmen and transfer students. We look forward to another great year and hope to continue the legacy left for us by last year’s editorial staff. The Highlander would not be possible without you, our wonderful readers and peers, so thank you.

The start of every year comes with many new changes, so make sure to check out our News section for a comprehensive look at changes to the county’s grading policy and information on some lesser-known clubs in Club Updates.

Tune in to our A&E section for the return of Battle of the Fans and a look at places to eat around D.C.

highlander

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Letter from the Editors

Volume LXI • Issue 1 • October 2016 • McLean High School thehighlandernews.com • @MHSHighlander 1633 Davidson Road McLean, Virginia 22101 Editors-in-Chief

Carlyn Kranking, Ingrid Morse & Melanie Pincus

Design Editor-in-Chief

Bryan Chung

Managing Editors

Sri Medicherla, Sanskriti Neupane, Young In Seo & Aisha Singh

Photography Editor

Shanzeh Umerani

Website Editor-in-Chief

Sophie Mariam

Copy Editor

Imani McCormick

Section Editors News Editors

Christine Cheon & Siddarth Shankar

Opinions Editors

Rustin Abedi & Helen Bloom

Features Editors

Anjalie Chauhan & Olivia Mooney

A&E Editors

Alex Mandanas & Shanzeh Umerani

Our In-Depth this issue addresses the physical, psychological and academic dangers of spending long hours sitting every day.

Sports Editors

Colin Edson & Ed Walters

Don’t forget to look for our recurring pieces every issue: Highlander of the Issue, 10 Questions, Crossfire, Editorial, Athlete of the Issue and The Finish Line.

Seth Eshraghi Jessie Friedman Tyler Grobman Miranda Johnson Kyuree Kim Jiwon Kim Justin Kim Maren Kranking

As always, we welcome any feedback you have for us.

Stop by R133 or email thehighlanderstaff@gmail.com with any questions, comments or concerns. Until next issue, use thehighlandernews.com to stay informed on everything McLean. Go Highlanders!

Sincerely, Carlyn Kranking, Ingrid Morse, Melanie Pincus & Bryan Chung

Reporters

Adviser

Anjali Kumar Amanda LaPorte Sophie Mariam Kon Matheoudakis Julia McElligott Samantha Morgan Anna Murphy Laura Opsahl-Ong

Jackson Payne Michael Redding John Roth Jack Stenzel Eva Zarpas Conor Zeya Catherine Zysk

Lindsay B. Benedict

Editorial Policy: The Highlander is a designated public forum in which students can express themselves, discuss issues and exchange ideas. School officials do not exercise prior review on this publication or its online counterpart, and student editors are in charge of all final content decisions.

Advertising Policy: The Highlander sells ad space on each page of the paper except on the front cover, Opinions section and In-Depth article. The staff reserves the right to reject any ads it deems libelous, obscene, disruptive or otherwise inappropriate.

To Submit a Letter to the Editors: Please e-mail it to thehighlanderstaff@gmail.com or bring it to room R133.

The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject to laws concerning obscenity, libel, privacy and disruption of the school process.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

‘15 Pacemaker Finalist; ‘15 All-American; ‘12, ‘13, ‘14 First Class; Hall of Fame

Cover photo illustration by Shanzeh Umerani & Bryan Chung

‘15 International First Place; ‘‘14, ‘16 George H. Gallup Award ‘16 Crown Finalist; ‘15 Gold Crown Winner ‘05, ‘07, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15 CSPA Gold Medalist

‘14, ‘15, ‘16 VHSL Trophy Class; ‘11, ‘12 First Place Winner; VHSL Savedge Award

Printed by aPrintis

FCPS revises grading policies

NEWS

New rules permit retakes and acceptance of late work Siddarth Shankar News Editor new school year has brought changes in FCPS’s grading policies. The revisions are meant to better reflect grading trends across the nation, with a goal of reducing the impact of a single low score on a student’s average grade. “[There was a] need to have a more standard policy across the county,” said Jane Strauss, Dranesville Representative for the Fairfax County School Board.

Four committees of principals, teachers, parents and students across Fairfax County crafted the new policies. The committees met over two years to discuss these changes.

“We want to give students more than one opportunity to show mastery [and] just want to do what’s best for kids,” said Sara Wheeler, McLean’s assessment coach, who was a member of the committee of teachers who discussed grading changes. “The policies were intended to be loose enough that each course could tailor the policies to meet their own needs.”

As part of the revisions to the grading policy, students will have the opportunity to retake assessments in which they score below an 80 percent.

They will also have the chance to turn in late work at the end of the quarter and receive a maximum score of 50 percent for

A

Change

the assignment if they make a reasonable attempt to complete the work.

Some students hope the new retake policy will help improve their grades and allow for better mastery of the content.

“I think the retake policy benefits the students [because] they will study more and actually end up understanding all [of ] the course material,” junior Caroline Brunner said.

Other students appreciate the opportunity to make up for a bad test day.

“It allows a chance to salvage your grade,” junior Ryan Murn said. “It’s giving that person a chance to still be able to catch up.”

Some teachers also support the new retake policy.

“We want you to learn the material, and we’re willing to give you an extra chance to do it,” math teacher Crissie Ricketts said.

Ricketts has offered retakes on a caseby-case basis in the past, and also offers test corrections to her math classes for up to half credit back.

“I’m obviously pro giving these kids a second chance. It’s all about what you can learn. If you can demonstrate learning next month versus today, that’s fine with me,” Ricketts said. “I’m really hopeful that it takes some of those kids that struggle through some tests and it helps them boost their grade.”

Changes to FCPS’s Grading Policies New Policy

1

Late work will be accepted to document mastery/learning

2 3

Homework may not account for more than 10% of a student’s quarter grade Class participation grades must be based on quality of responses

4

Extra credit cannot be given for noncurricular activities

5 6 7

Other teachers, however, are opposed to the retake policy due to the burden it creates.

“For history in particular, it’s costly.

Creating good test questions, as well as reading and grading student written work is a matter of scores of work hours,” history teacher Dylan Wedan said. “When I heard about this policy, I was depressed for a few days [and] I felt horrified and personally offended.”

Wedan, however, does still sympathize with students.

“Occasionally, [low scores happen] because something came up, in which case your teacher is bad if they don’t make an allowance for that, or you didn’t put in the work. Most times it’s that second,” Wedan said.

Many students are also against the retake policy.

“The retake policies are unnecessary because you don’t get retakes in life and students shouldn’t have that opportunity [to retake a test],” sophomore Mara Kessler said.

Despite differing opinions on these changes, FCPS plans to see how the new policies will effect students.

“We will have to see if [the committee] found the right approach [and] I am sure there will be more feedback at the end of the school year as to whether [the policies] meet everyone’s needs,” Strauss said.

A single assignment cannot be worth more than 30% of a quarter grade A chance to retake major assessments is provided to students scoring below 80% A reasonable attempt to complete work should not be given less than a 50%

Percent Support*

Grade*

96.00%

A

62.00%

F

64.00%

D

34.00%

F

82.00%

B-

88.00%

B+

62.00%

F

*Based on a survey of 100 students Page design by Anjalie Chauhan & Siddarth Shankar

OCTOBER

3

Club Updates Carlyn Kranking, Editor-in-Chief

[

D

espite the threat of rain, McLean students gathered on the football field to advertise and sign up for clubs on Sept. 1 at the first annual Celebrate McLean event. While most students can easily recognize groups like McLean Swim and Dive and McLean Debate, few know about some of the more unique clubs the school offers.

[

000101 1001000 1001001 0011001000001 1001110 010010 1001001 1010011 0001011000001 1010100 000101 1001000 1001001 001100 1000001 1001110 010010 1001001 1010011 000101 1000001 1010100 000101 1001000 1001001 001100 1000001 1001110 010010 1001001 1010011 000101 1000001 1010100 000101 1001000 1001001 001100 1000001 1001110 010010 1001001 1010011 000101 1000001 1010100

1010100 1001000 1000101 1001000 1001001 1000111 GIRLS 1001000 WHO CODE 10011001000001 1001110 1000100 T 1000101 1010010 1001001 1010011 1000111 1010010 10001011000001 1010100 1010100 1001000 1000101 1001000 1001001 1000111 1001000 1001100 1000001 1001110 1000100 1000101 1010010 1001001 1010011 1000111 1010010 1000101 1000001 1010100 1010100 1001000 1000101 1001000 1001001 1000111 1001000 1001100 1000001 1001110 here will be 1.4 million jobs in computing-related fields by 2020, according to Girls Who Code’s website. U.S. college graduates are on track to fill 29 percent of them.

Women, however, are on track to fill only three percent.

“The image most people have of a coder is a nerdy man with glasses, even though programming was a field pioneered by women: Ada Lovelace was the first programmer,” senior Sophie Roth-Douquet said.

Roth-Douquet and senior Vanessa Barlow are co-presidents of McLean’s chapter of Girls Who Code.

Girls Who Code is a national organization that seeks to narrow the gender gap in the technological world. This issue strikes close to home for Roth-Douquet and Barlow.

“Although all the problems women face in the programming world seem distant to high schoolers, [Barlow] and I found the gender gap even here at McLean,” Roth-Douquet said.

Roth-Douquet is a Computer Systems student herself, and is the only girl in her class.

4

So far, 57 girls have demonstrated interest in McLean’s Girls Who Code club, and the co-presidents said they are excited to see their club expand.

“Our main goal is to give girls exposure to things they have never seen before, whether it is behind the scenes of making an app or designing the cover of a web page,” Barlow said.

With an abundance of jobs in technological industries, it is pertinent that girls learn coding skills, according to RothDouquet and Barlow.

“Coding is the new literacy, and this club is a great way to learn coding as a supplement or even a replacement to the programming classes provided at the school,” Roth-Douquet said.

The club meets on alternating Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Interested students may speak to Karyn Kolly, McLean’s Business and Information Technology teacher and Girls Who Code sponsor.

NEWS

1

1

1 0 1 0 1 0

Feel the Beat — Swing Club dancers practice their skills after school on Sept. 23. The club meets weekly on Fridays to learn new steps and practice what they know.

(Photo by Carlyn Kranking)

BOOK CLUB

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enior Tina Hashemi has been involved in book clubs at her school since fifth grade. As president of McLean’s book club, she leads club meetings one Thursday each month to have meaningful conversations about literature from a variety of genres.

“We talk about the plot, what we thought about [the book], the characters and their motives, as well as the author’s motives [and] historical context. We also try to apply it to our everyday lives,” Hashemi said.

At each meeting, the club members vote for the next book they will read. For information on how to join the club, speak to Hashemi or librarian Joan McCarthy.

“If you’re the type of person that loves Socratic seminars but hates the fact that you’re graded, I would join the club,” Hashemi said.

SWING CLUB

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wing music plays in the courtyard as pairs of students practice steps they have learned, stepping in time to the music and laughing.

“Swing club is really fun,” senior Charles Fang said.

“Even though I have absolutely no dancing skill whatsoever, I can still enjoy myself there.”

Every week, club members begin their meetings by reviewing what they went over the previous week or learning new steps. For the rest of the meeting, they practice in pairs or as a group to perfect their skills.

“Swing dancing itself is upbeat and quick, and a great skill to have on your belt,” senior Avery Kang said. “It takes some patience to learn, but once you know it, especially the cool moves, it’s a truly fun and satisfying experience.”

Fang finds that the club provides him with good exercise without leaving him exhausted.

“It helps me relax after a long week of school,” Fang said.

Swing Club meets every Friday after school in the cafeteria or courtyard.

Page design by Carlyn Kranking

OCTOBER

5

Join the McLean Crew Team!

Highlander Patrons As a student-run program, The Highlander would like to thank all of our generous supporters who make it possible to print our newmagazine. Listed below are this year’s contributors. We would also like to thank all of our anonymous supporters.

Gold ($200+)

Membership Meetings on 10/18 and 11/9 mcleancrew.org

Silver ($100+)

The Zeya/O’Grady The Abedi Family Family The Mizusawa Bronze ($50+) Family Susie & David Venkat & Sadhna French Shankar Brian Wilkerson If you would like to become a patron, please send a check to: The Highlander McLean High School 1633 Davidson Rd. McLean, VA 22101

Astronomy class encourages experiential learning New class starts with five sections, uses observatory

Melanie Pincus Editor-in-Chief

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wo years ago, the observatory in the cafeteria courtyard was in disuse. The large telescope inside the dome needed major repairs, and the inside of the building was disorganized.

“We had to resurface the mirrors, we wanted to buy a camera and we needed a new focuser, which is where you put the eyepiece in [because] that was broken,” parent volunteer and hobby astronomer Juergen Klenk said.

This year, the observatory is open, and McLean is offering five sections of astronomy as a class. Astronomy teacher Dean Howarth, who also sponsors the astronomy club, said he is glad he and science teacher Jeffrey Brocketti worked to establish the class for this year.

Howarth, Brocketti and Andrew Diller are teaching astronomy this year.

“I was a bit worried that at McLean, people aren’t that interested in electives unless they’re AP or Honors, but at the same time astronomy has this sort of eternal level of interest in people that goes unfulfilled in many cases,” Howarth said. “I am pleased that it still exists here and that so many students were sort of like, ‘you know what, it’s not AP, but I’m still going to take it because I’m interested,’ which I find is very rewarding, and I’m glad that we did it.”

Senior Bella Marku is the copresident of the astronomy club, and she enrolled in the class this year.

“I’ve been really passionate about astronomy probably since I was in elementary school,” Marku said.

“I’m really glad that I’m getting the opportunity to take it as a class because it’s going to go more in-depth than

what we would be able to do just in the club, and I’m glad people are going to be able to have that opportunity now.”

Marku said it is hard to determine what draws so many people to astronomy.

“I think it’s a topic that doesn’t really get covered in-depth [in elementary school]...and it’s really captivating because it’s learning more about our universe,” Marku said. “I think people want to grab onto an opportunity to learn more about it than they did in grade school.”

“I firmly believe the first time someone looks through a telescope and sees the rings of Saturn... they’re pretty much hooked after that.”

-Astronomy teacher Dean Howarth

Howarth said he hopes the class will encourage students to make use of resources in the region.

“The big thing that I really hope works is that there are so many resources in this area that it’s insane not to exploit them, not only the resource we have at the dome, but I think it’s desperately sad that people will go through four years of high school and maybe go on one field trip,” Howarth said. “We are trying to get the students who take the astronomy course to...get out, do something, experience it firsthand.”

Senior Madeleine Walker said the experiential aspect of the class makes it more engaging. “[My teacher] adds a lot of untraditional elements to the class, like he really is trying to get us to go out to the planetarium at WashingtonLee [High School] and using our own observatory to have a hands-on approach to the class, which makes it more vibrant than if we were just doing notes and stuff,” Walker said.

Klenk said students can gain new perspectives by learning astronomy.

“Earth is really tiny, and we live on this miniature planet somewhere out there in a sea of mostly nothing, but there are still some pretty interesting other structures,” Klenk said.

Class activities will sometimes run concurrently with club events.

“We’re going to try to run [class and club events] simultaneously because some people are like, ‘Oh, I can’t, I have six APs, I can’t sit in the class,’ so we still want to enfranchise those people,” Howarth said. “When we have things like sky watches, they’re open to anybody in the school. Naturally, for the course, attending those adds a component to your grade. It’s almost like the lab aspect of a science class.”

Howarth said he thinks learning astronomy can spark a lifelong interest in the subject.

“I think [the class] started off with a bang, and I think the more we get into it...the more people [will] realize that this is kind of unexplored territory and it’s kind of interesting,” Howarth said.

“I firmly believe the first time someone looks through a telescope and sees the rings of Saturn...they’re pretty much hooked after that.”

Page design by Bryan Chung Photo of sky at astronomy club’s Sept. 22 sky watch courtesy of Andy Broom

OCTOBER

7

New faces appear in student services

Counselors share their first impressions of McLean Justin Kim Reporter

A

s high school students begin the college admissions process and polish their GPAs, standardized test scores and extracurricular activities, their counselors serve as meaningful mentors who can ease students’ transitions into college. Counselors Gregory Olcott and Brook Dalrymple have arrived at McLean High School with their own sets of hopes and expectations for the students they’ll be counseling.

A Fresh Start — Gregory Olcott is eager to

New

to the Office — Brook Dalrymple traveled over 2,800 miles from her previous job in California to McLean. She replaced counselor Kevin Burke this year. (Photo by Eva Zarpas)

meet his new students. Olcott has four years of counseling experience in Montgomery County Public Schools. (Photo by Shanzeh Umerani)

A

fter almost four years of counseling at Montgomery County’s Forest Oak Middle School, Gregory Olcott has replaced counselor Barrett Kashdan.

“I was very, very sad to leave my [old] students... I definitely shed some tears over leaving them,” Olcott said.

Olcott said working with high schoolers is a new opportunity for him.

“This [jump] to me is a new challenge, and it’s a new opportunity for me to develop professionally,” Olcott said. “I had not [had]... as much experience working at a high school.”

As a new counselor, Olcott said he aims to facilitate communication between students, parents and himself. He especially wants to get to know his seniors, whom he will be writing college recommendations for soon.

“We try to encourage all the seniors to give us student-parent questionnaires, teacher comment forms, resumes [and to] stop by [and] get to know...me as much as possible.”

He encourages students to come down to his office and interact with him, even if it’s only for a brief chat about themselves.

“Seeing all those students out there means they want to meet me, so it gives me confidence that I’m doing my job well,” Olcott said. “When I see 15 students all lined up outside my office, I go, ‘Yes!’” Olcott’s students said he is helpful and open.

“He...suggested many other approaches to problems I may have,” junior Gyeongjae Kim said.

B

rook Dalrymple arrived at McLean High School from California as another new counselor for the 2016-2017 school year, taking over for counselor Kevin Burke. Dalrymple said her new role hasn’t been a huge change for her, even though it required crossing the country. “[The old high school] was in the Silicon Valley...[and] definitely very comparable to McLean in a great way,” Dalrymple said.

As a new counselor, getting acquainted with her new students could be a challenge.

“She’s nice, but I feel like she might not know me as well because I only have two years of high school left,” junior Ryan Woody said.

Dalrymple has been trying to get to know her students, especially her seniors who have limited time left at McLean.

“I haven’t [gotten] to experience them grow and develop... but I rely heavily on the student-parent questionnaire [for college recommendations],” Dalrymple said. “My advice for those who haven’t submitted [their questionnaire] is to do [a] good job of explaining their pathway in high school.”

She is also trying to get to know her seniors through their teachers.

“For me, it comes down to reaching out to teachers...to make sure that I’m accurately portraying the students,” Dalrymple said.

“I take my job [seriously] with writing the best letters as I can... so making sure I have the best information about them is really important.”

Page design by Justin Kim

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NEWS

Of Mice and McLean McLean deals with its mouse problem Laura Opsahl-Ong Reporter hile working after school with some students, yearbook teacher Meghan Percival spotted a mouse darting across the room. Percival and her students screamed before calming down and naming the furry creature Despereaux to ease their fears. The next day, Percival took action.

“When I told the people in the main office and in activities, they immediately called the county, and they called an exterminator, and while we did have some signs of the mouse —mouse poop and whatnot—they seemed to take care of it,” Percival said.

Percival is not the only teacher to have faced this problem. Mice have become a serious issue at McLean.

In a recent survey of 30 McLean teachers, 12 said they have seen mice or signs of mice in their classrooms. While 37 percent of teachers surveyed said that they have had problems with mice in the past two years, some have dealt with the furry creatures in the past few months.

“Since I’ve taken over in July, we’ve had some teachers who’ve complained about— not necessarily seeing the mice, but seeing evidence of mice in the area,” said Greg Miller, the new director of student activities.

W

40%

Miller advises against eating in the classroom in order to resolve the issue.

“I would recommend that all teachers and students try and avoid eating in your classroom, and if you are, clean up after yourselves,” Miller said. “That’s the biggest thing. I think they probably get attracted to crumbs.”

Being able to mitigate the problem could decrease costs for the county and take away the stress teachers get from needing to deal with a class rodent.

Athough it seems like a simple solution to a recurring problem, many McLean students see banning food in class as a disruption. “[Eating in class is] something that I think most people do at McLean,” junior Sania Shahid said. “Since they don’t have enough time because their lives are so busy, they’re forced to eat whenever possible.”

Shahid also argues that eating in class can help students focus on their work.

“For a lot of people it improves the classroom environment because it makes you slightly relaxed, which allows you to do what you need to do. It just allows kids to be comfortable in the environment and that helps them study a lot,” Shahid said. “So I think as long as it is contributing to their education and is not a distraction to anyone, why not?”

allow 70% offoodteachers in class

of teachers have seen mice or signs of mice in their classroom

37% Survey of 30 teachers

OCTOBER

Most teachers seem to agree. Twenty-one of the 30 teachers surveyed allow students to eat food in their class, usually with the understanding that students are responsible for cleaning up after themselves.

Since putting an end to eating in the classroom seems infeasible, the school will most likely continue using its traditional methods of getting rid of mice.

“If the teacher notices mice in the classroom they’ll talk to me and I’ll fill out a work order that goes to central office, so it’s really the responsibility of Fairfax County to come in and take care of the problem,” Miller said.

This method of communication has been working out fairly well, according to Miller.

“I would say the county has been really good from my experience. If I put in a work order they’re usually here within a day or two and usually I don’t get the complaint again from the teacher, so I assume that they’re doing the job,” Miller said.

Percival concurs with Miller’s analysis.

“Our custodial staff does an amazing job of responding...they do an amazing job trying to keep the schools clean,” Percival said. “People are trying their best to respond to it, because if you see one mouse we know that there are more.”

of teachers have had mice in the past two years Infographic by Bryan Chung Page design by Laura Opsahl-Ong

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20/20 vision on the class of 2020 Maren Kranking & Julia McElligott Reporters

How did your high school expectations compare to your experience?

Cora Eaton

Thomas Balistrere

“One of the expectations that I had was that no one was going to be nice to the freshmen, which hasn’t really been true.

All of the upperclassmen on the volleyball team have been super nice to me.”

“I was expecting [my teachers] to be friendly with a good sense of humor, and they are.

Everyone is really nice and accepting. I was also hoping [my classes] would be pretty hard so I’d have a challenge, but they aren’t as hard [as I thought].”

Valeria Rubio

Mitch Palombi

“I definitely didn’t expect for there to be so many students since my old school was pretty small. I also expected to get lost the entire first week, but the colored hallways and signs with the room numbers on them definitely helped.”

“I thought that I was going to get a lot of homework and that all my teachers were going to be old and mean. But I don’t get as much homework and I have more time to do it, and my teachers are a lot nicer and they help me a lot.”

Longfellow MS

Our Lady of Good Counsel

born the same year these movies debuted: & same year these songs came out:

= 5 freshmen

sports team

31% of freshmen are involved in the performing arts 10

freshmen

%

O Lo ng fel low

534

MS

varsity

“Complicated” by Avril Lavigne

3% not he 1 ngfell from t f Lo ow

from Longfe llo are

w

freshmen on a fall

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Lilo & Stitch

87

43

Longfellow MS

“How You Remind Me” by Nickelback

cat

2002

International School of Kuala Lumpur

13%

20%

26% 41%

private school other public school foreign country other

Photos by Eva Zarpas Page design by Maren Kranking & Julia McElligott

NEWS

Reid Era begins at TheatreMcLean

FEATURES

Phillip Reid adds his style and expertise to theater program

Ready for Rehearsal — Sophomores Ruby Larimer and Russell Reed laugh while rehearsing with Reid in his office.

(Left photo by Alex Mandanas) As a senior, Reid played Horton the Elephant Seussical in 2005. (Right photo courtesy of Instagram account mr.reidfanpage)

Alex Mandanas A&E Editor heater students perceive their teacher, Phillip Reid, as caring, goofy, creative and a part of the family.

“Reid is kind of like that really energetic, outgoing uncle that you see twice a year,” sophomore Abby Covington said.

If Reid is “that uncle,” then his students are his bold and eccentric nieces and nephews.

His students form a unique community of over a hundred, where the worries of chaotic high school life can be left at the door, and art can be practiced in a nourishing environment.

Reid said his primary goal is to encourage students to be the best they can possibly be on and off stage. “[My goal is] to make them feel more comfortable about themselves, to feel secure in making bold choices and to not be afraid of failure,” Reid said.

This caring, bona fide attitude hasn’t gone unnoticed. It provokes trust from his students and supports his hands-on teaching style.

“On those worksheets counselors give out [that ask] to ‘put down the name of a teacher who you would trust to talk to,’ I put down Mr. Reid. Honestly, he really is the teacher I would go to,” sophomore Jordan Prather said.

Reid also had a special theater teacher in high school: Ed Monk of Chantilly High School. Reid found his passion for theater in fifth grade when he played the king in his

T

in Chantilly High School’s production of

school’s production of Robin Hood. He only had one line, but Reid said the experience was life-changing.

“I said my line and everyone started laughing, and I was like, ‘I can do that? I can entertain people?’” Reid said.

Reid continued with theater camps and middle school theater until he reached Chantilly High School and met Monk.

“He really helped me discover how wonderful theater could be and how it can change the world,” Reid said.

He then went to Virginia Commonwealth University and acquired a performing arts degree.

Reid toured the country performing, and then found that teaching at theaters with educational programs was rewarding. From there, he developed a career in education.

“It just sort of evolved. I really loved performing and teaching at the same time, but eventually, I really wanted to take what I learned as an actor and transfer it to students,” Reid said.

Last year, he landed a part-time job at McLean, working with Chip Rome, who has since retired. Now Reid has full control of McLean’s drama department. Rome taught him the clerical, administrative and logistical aspects of running a high school theater department.

“Now I can take that information and bring my own style [of theater] to it,” Reid said.

Reid creates a collaborative environment when it comes to constructing shows.

Students contribute creatively and run certain aspects of the production. Reid enlists tech heads, choreographers and actors, who are expected to do everything in their power to make the production as great as possible.

The first production of the season is Don’t Drink the Water, a political comedy written

by Woody Allen. The play takes place in an American embassy in a communist Cold War country in the 1960s. The play follows a lively American tourist family who seek refuge in the embassy after being accused of espionage by the local police. It will be exhibited Nov. 18-20.

“Don’t Drink the Water is right in my wheelhouse. I love these classic comedies that have a little bit of vaudeville, slapstick and satire,” Reid said.

The winter show, The Children’s Hour, takes a different direction. It is a drama by Lillian Hellman about how a trouble-making student at an all girls boarding school fabricates a rumor about her two teachers.

“We switch onto The Children’s Hour in the wintertime, which is a very heavy drama that will have a lot of creative output from students,” Reid said.

The Children’s Hour will be showcased Feb. 16-19.

TheatreMcLean has been in a transitional phase for two years, but Reid said it has now settled down.

“We’re a big family, we have fun, we’ll yell and fight with each other, but in the end, we are together creating art and it’s an awesome place to be,” Reid said.

Page design by Alex Mandanas

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Fall brings college visits

Admissions representatives come to meet with students Kon Matheoudakis Reporter uring these autumn months, many students will attend college visits hosted by a variety of universities such as Yale, Duke, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Mercyhurst University and Meredith College.

Career center specialist Laura Venos believes that college visits are worth attending because they provide students with the opportunity to access information that would usually only be available at visits to the physical college.

“One hundred and fifty colleges visit every year and they are a convenient way for students to learn about colleges,” Venos said.

College visits are relaxed and casual. Most visits only attract a handful of students, with the exception of large, public universities such as UVA and Virgina Tech which require the space of the auditorium.

A majority of visits consist of an admissions representative explaining why their university is unique and why its philosophy and way of life is a better fit for students than other universities.

An information session is followed by a Q&A session. Questions generally range from financial aid to whether or not AP credits are accepted.

“Visits are worth going to if the students have done preliminary research on a college,” said Nick Hinkle, senior director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon University.

Some schools offer onsite admissions.

These are not information sessions. Rather, they consist of admissions representatives updating seniors who have applied to their institution on their admission status.

College visits can provide applying students competitive advantages. Many universities have an initiative to meet students of various backgrounds. Visiting high schools helps representatives find those students, and colleges will often take note of these students and remember them during the admission process.

Some universities use visits to track “demonstrated interest” which has the ability to play a role in the admissions decision.

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However, this is dependent on the university and does not apply to universities such as the University of Pennsylvania and New York University.

“At some schools they do play a role— at Penn, no,” said Matthew Pohl, assistant director of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania.

Although many students are eager to take advantage of these visits, some teachers are not particularly fond of students missing class.

“I feel like teachers should let students attend college visits and it should be the responsibility of the students to make up assignments,” senior Natalie Khoury said.

Regardless, students are still willing to go to these visits and gain information about a school they may apply to in the near future.

“You gain more of a feel for the school and get a feel for what a school is looking for,” senior Douglas Palumbo said.

College representatives also seem to enjoy conducting these visits and meeting their potential future applicants.

“These visits are a nice way to meet students and ask questions,” said Chelsea Duncan, senior assistant director of admissions at NYU.

Upcoming College Visits: University of Rochester Oct. 24 @ 9:30 a.m.

Northwestern University Oct. 25 @ 12:00 p.m.

Ohio University Oct. 26 @ 11:30 a.m.

Boston College Oct. 28 @ 9:45 a.m.

Longwood University Oct. 31 @ 10:30 a.m.

University of Delaware Nov. 3 @ 11:00 a.m.

University of Mississippi Nov. 9 @ 8:30 a.m.

Old Dominion University Nov. 10 @ 8:30 a.m.

The University of Alabama Nov. 10 @ 12:00 p.m.

The Fashion Institute of Technology Nov. 18 @ 8:30 a.m.

Casual Debriefing — Ulysses DeArmas, associate director of admissions at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), speaks with junior Shelby Johnson about the culture and programs offered

by RPI. Many college visits are small and intimate such as this one. (Photo by Kon Matheoudakis) Page design by Kon Matheoudakis

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FEATURES

10 Qs with Laura Venos

(Career Center Specialist)

By Christine Cheon & Young In Seo Page design by Bryan Chung Photos by Eva Zarpas

If you were guaranteed to be successful in a different profession, what would you want to do?

I think if I could do anything else, I would want to be a dog walker, because I love being outside and I love dogs, and I love being active and I think that would be super fun. But I would only want to work with nice dogs.

Favorite food?

I mean, I’ve never said no to a donut. I’ve never met a donut I didn’t like. Duck Donuts. They make them right there, and they’re warm and you can watch them make it, any kind you want.

If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show and character would you choose?

Stranger Things. And I would want to be Eleven because I think she’s so cool and I think she looks really good with a shaved head. But I would want to have those kind of superpowers.

College advice for seniors?

The biggest advice is to stay true to yourself. Everybody has friends and everybody is hearing what everyone’s planning on doing and what schools they’re applying to, and it can be a bit overwhelming. [Attend] as many college visits as you can because there’s a college for everyone. Once you get on campus, you can tell pretty quickly whether you have that positive vibe at that school.

What was your previous job like?

Before McLean, I was a career counselor at Georgetown University [and worked in] student services.

So I helped college students find internship jobs and I’ve been doing this kind of work for a long time.

Overall impression of McLean?

Everyone’s really friendly. This is a new job for me, and everyone has been very welcoming, friendly and polite, which I know doesn’t sound that crazy but it’s all I could ask for, just coming to a new place. I’m just very impressed with everyone here.

Best compliment you have ever received?

If you could wake up in the body of someone else, who would you pick and why?

I think thank you notes from students I’ve helped in the past reach their goals, because it is a compliment in writing and I can keep it forever. I just have a stack of thank you notes to help me stay motivated.

Probably my [5-year-old] daughter Lucy because she just has so much fun all the time and isn’t worried about anything, and I think being that carefree is awesome.

Favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

What’s your hidden talent?

I think the right answer is read a book but probably you’re going to find me relaxing and binge watching the whole season of House of Cards.

I can juggle, which is pretty cool, but only three things. I can’t really do fancy juggling with more than three things.

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www.TheWashingtonUpdate.com

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eganism: a cure for the incurable

Senior Dana Schaumburg goes vegan to cure her chronic migraines Anjali Kumar Reporter

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eople go vegan for a variety of reasons: helping the environment, saving animals and adopting healthier lifestyles. Senior Dana Schaumburg had a more personal reason—going vegan was the only way to cure her chronic migraines.

“I [went vegan] because I had chronic migraines and I had tried [a bunch of other medications but none of them worked],” Schaumburg said.

The various migraine medications Schaumburg was on didn’t help her headaches. Due to her chronic migraines, Schaumburg missed about a month of school, and as a result she dropped out of some classes she was falling behind in.

Schaumburg’s neurologist had a list of remedies she could try to stop her migraines which included medications, sleep habit changes and diet changes.

“I researched a lot, and a lot of studies have shown that many people don’t have the proteins to process dairy and meat,” Schaumburg said.

Although many people told her that making the change would be hard, Schaumburg experienced a smooth transition into veganism.

“All the research I did said to do it slowly—take out meat then take out dairy, but I did it cold turkey,” Schaumburg said.

Schaumburg became vegan seven months ago and no longer remembers what real dairy tastes like. Because there is a vegan version of

“I [don’t regret going vegan] because it’s helped me with so many health issues and I actually care about why I’m doing it.”

-Senior Dana Schaumburg

most foods these days, Schaumburg said she doesn’t miss any foods she used to eat, such as chocolate, pizza and ice cream.

“I usually eat lots of vegetables,” Schaumburg said.

For breakfast, Schaumburg eats a bagel with peanut butter and V for Vegan! — Senior Dana bananas, for lunch it’s vegetables Schaumburg smiles wide with a celery V to show her dedication to with hummus and her dinner veganism. Schaumburg has been options include either vegetable vegan for seven months. (Photo by stir fry or Chipotle.

Eva Zarpas) “I [don’t regret going vegan] because it’s helped me with so many health issues and I actually care about why I’m doing it,” Schaumburg said.

In the beginning it was hard going out to eat with friends who aren’t vegan, but she likes to go over why she’s doing it: for the environment, animals and for her body.

Schaumburg started noticing differences in her health as early as a week after going vegan.

“In the week after going vegan I didn’t have a migraine at all,” Schaumburg said.

Schaumburg also noted some differences in her appearance, such as weight loss and clear skin. After going vegan, her migraines stopped and she is no longer taking prescribed medications.

“I became overall a happier person,” Schaumburg said.

Page design by Anjali Kumar Vegan symbol obtained via Creative Commons

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Three minds, three dimensions Young engineers build 3D printer over the summer Highlanders of the Issue

Carlyn Kranking & Young In Seo Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor

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While other students might have spent last summer relaxing, junior Jack Turley and seniors Jonathan and Douglas Palumbo traveled to Syracuse University to attend an engineering program called MakerSpace. During the program they built 3D printers, printed vinyl stickers and gained insight into the college life of an aspiring engineer.

Engineering Beginnings

The Palumbo brothers first became interested in engineering two years ago.

“On a whim, we took some course on biomedical engineering because our mom’s a doctor and we like engineering and science,” Douglas said. “We learned about a ton of things, [like] problem solving, prosthetic limbs, MRIs, CAT scans and 3D printing.”

Although Jack heard about the camp from the Palumbos, his interest in 3D printing started before the camp.

“I’ve been interested in 3D printing for a while, because when you look online and see some of the stuff that’s printed...it’s just really amazing,” Jack said.

MakerSpace and 3D Printing

The boys were joined by curious young engineers from around the world. In their camp group alone, there were students from China, Taiwan and Chicago. The students were put in pairs and spent most of the first week building their printers.

“We pretty much built a 3D printer from scratch,” Jonathan said. “We looked at all the parts and how those worked, and we also learned to use

different programs and tools to 3D model. We also used other programs including a vinyl cutter which makes stickers.”

The camp had myriad 3D printers of its own that were not student-made.

“I loved looking at all the 3D printers because they had so many different types. They had MakerBots, Mojo printers, weird gel ones, Gigabots. They had so many types. It was really neat,” Jonathan said.

MakerSpace instructor John Mangicaro encouraged the students to take initiative on their independent projects. He taught them the background information and skills needed to create a variety of items.

“Every two days [Mangicaro] would teach you a new tool, and for those two days you just do whatever you want with that tool,” Jack said. “[Mangicaro said], ‘Just build something. I don’t care what you build, show me what it is.’”

Although the boys had plenty of time to have fun, there were still arduous tasks to be completed.

“Mostly the challenges were physical, not mental. With my fat fingers I couldn’t get any of the very small screws on because you’d have to get your hand in a very small place and then tighten something that doesn’t want to be tightened every once in awhile,” Jack said.

Despite these challenges, the young engineers had an engaging and meaningful experience.

“Overall I think it was pretty incredible. My favorite part was just the environment. It was really great; the teachers were friendly, the community

was great, Wi-Fi everywhere [and there was] terrific food,” Douglas said.

College Life

While the classes were structured, the camp also allowed for a lot of leisure time, when the boys could explore the campus and relax.

“I liked the freedom, where you can just move around the campus as you please. If you want to be productive, you can be productive, and around the campus there’s so much to do,” Jack said.

The program was set up to resemble college life with classes ending around 3 p.m. The boys had full access to the dining hall, recreational centers and dorms.

“It’s like you’re in college for those two weeks,” Douglas said.

The Future

The three boys have different plans for the future, but they plan to keep engineering a part of their lives.

“Jonathan and I are a part of computer graphics, [and] we’re definitely continuing [engineering] through STEM engineering,” Douglas said. “At least I’ll keep it as a side hobby.”

Beth Palumbo, Jonathan and Douglas’s mother, was glad to see her sons gain a meaningful experience that would prepare them for the future.

“These experiences introduced [the three boys] to new technologies that are being used to solve real world problems in engineering and medicine,” Beth said.

3D Creations — Douglas

Palumbo, Jack Turley and Jonathan Palumbo attended an engineering program at Syracuse University over the summer. The boys printed these models from their 3D printers, as well as the blue vinyl sticker on the water bottle. (Photos by Shanzeh Umerani)

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Clinton vs. Trump:

Students share their views of presidential candidates Sanskriti Neupane & Aisha Singh Managing Editors

made you realize you supported the candidate? Are you involved in the campaign in any Q What way?

A :

: Ali Tanju, Hillary Clinton supporter: I identify as a Democrat. We are trying to [grow the] Young Democrats club [at McLean]. We volunteer at a phone bank, we canvas, we go to [known Democrats’] houses...and we want to encourage them to volunteer.

Ben Mennitt, Donald Trump supporter: Common sense had led me to the Republican Party and I’ve always...supported the Republican nominees generally, so naturally, I’m more in favor of the Republican nominee over the Democratic nominee.

Ramneek Hazrah, Clinton supporter: I would probably consider myself as more of an independent just because I don’t fully agree with, or even understand, many [parts] of either [party’s] platform.

Ryan Murn, Trump supporter: I identify as an independent, because I don’t believe in all the Republican views and I don’t agree with all the Democratic views. Originally...I supported Cruz. But Cruz dropped out, and looking between Trump, Hillary and third party candidates, I don’t necessarily agree with Hillary’s economic plan, and Hillary is an established politician. I’m not really for political careers.

Q Which parts of your candidate’s platform do you feel most strongly about? Parts you disagree with?

A :

: Tanju: I feel like Hillary is more experienced in these kinds of things. People may call her a snake, but I feel like that’s sometimes what we need right now in politics. I just feel like she’s more prepared.

Mennitt: I like [Trump’s] tax plans—he wants to cut taxes from 35 [percent] to 15 [percent], which I think will boost the economy. I disagree with his trade [policy]. I don’t think putting tariffs on imports into the U.S. is good for anyone. I’m pretty much in line with his Second Amendment support...[but] I don’t agree with him on abortion, I think that’s the woman’s choice.

Hazrah: I’d say I agree with the majority of Clinton’s platforms, but I haven’t actually looked into all of them or into each one in depth.

[Also], instead of focusing on Clinton’s flaws, it’s important to focus on how she is a better candidate because at this point in the election there’s no point in complaining...let’s just get her elected first.

Murn: I agree the most with Trump’s economic plans, with the allowance of overseas money to be brought back to the United States.

Democrats have been blocking the top one percent from bringing the money back, [which] has caused emigration from the United States of the top one percent. Our top one percent is shrinking, and we don’t have a growing middle class, which is the problem.

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FEATURES

From left: Ramneek Hazrah (12), Ali Tanju (11), Ryan Murn (11), Ben Mennitt (11)

have criticized Donald Trump for being seen as racist and Hillary Clinton for being seen Q People as a liar. What’s your opinion?

A :

: Tanju: I do think Trump is dangerous occasionally, with his outbursts, and...this is from someone who doesn’t know that much about politics. I take from what I see on the news. I look at people who support Trump and I see what they say and I just don’t agree with it.

I think that normal people don’t need to spread hate and call Hillary a liar or ‘she needs to be in prison’ on like Facebook and stuff. I just feel that calmer heads will prevail and Hillary will win. I feel like people just want somebody who’s more experienced.

Mennitt: I feel like [Trump] doesn’t have the biggest filter and I think a lot of what he says is misrepresented by the media. They’ll take like one thing he said and explode it, and then the people generally think it’s bigger than what he actually said. I think he could work on thinking a little bit more before he speaks but I don’t think it’s as big of a thing as the media makes it. I don’t like [Clinton] generally because she’s just an irresponsible candidate. I think she thinks she’s above the law which I guess is true because she killed some people in Benghazi and she wasn’t found guilty for that. The whole email scandal is pretty shocking...and throughout Hillary Clinton’s [time as] Secretary of State, there [were] numerous scandals.

Hazrah: I believe Trump being called racist or xenophobic is completely justified. Some say that he may not necessarily mean what he says, but the fact that he is even making racist, xenophobic and sexist remarks to invoke hatred in other people justifies calling him sexist, racist and xenophobic. Trump’s remarks are fueling many people to commit hate crimes; the whole thing has a domino effect. And yes, Hillary Clinton has lied, as many, many, many other successful politicians have. But it’s also important to keep in mind about who has repeatedly told us that she lies: Trump and the media. It’s important to always read and watch the news with a grain of salt, and do some more digging and read many perspectives to have a better understanding about what is going on.

Murn: Congress would be able to put a leash around Trump. You can’t put a leash around Clinton the same way. So really Trump would be a pretty much puppet for Congress and Hillary would be able to get her agenda done. Trump won’t be able to build the wall, he won’t be able to do this [and] that, but at least we won’t have a deficit, we’ll be able to slowly but surely bite back at the national debt. Also, if you looked at where Trump started, now he’s sort of more scripted, he’s taking [the election] more seriously.

Q A

: Who do you think will/should win? Would you ever consider voting for someone not in your

party? Thoughts on the election as a whole?

: Tanju: At the end of the day...I wouldn’t have either of them. I feel like both of them aren’t the best candidates that could run, but I just feel like Hillary, at the end of the day, has more experience, she knows more about it, she’s obviously been a part of it for years now. I think at the end of the day, Hillary will win; I think with utmost certainty.

Mennitt: Personally, if Gary Johnson had a chance of winning, I think he would probably be the better candidate than the other two. But he’s not popular enough for this election. But, definitely yeah, I would vote Libertarian. And, maybe if the Republican party nominee was just...completely awful and the Democratic nominee was like a lot obviously better, then I would, I could possibly vote Democratic. I think [Clinton’s] on the decline and Trump’s surging. So…fingers crossed for November.

Hazrah: I think Clinton will win, and the polls agree. I think it’s pretty obvious who I think should win. It’s kind of hard to decipher...[Trump’s] intentions and his unpredictable personality, which he brags about. I mean, we really have no idea what he will do if he gets elected, besides completely messing up any progress this country has made.

Murn: It’s too early to tell. All the races are too early at this point.

Photo by Eva Zarpas Page design by Sanskriti Neupane & Aisha Singh

OCTOBER

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A&E Students and faculty make their mark A tour of artwork around McLean

Anjalie Chauhan & Shanzeh Umerani Features Editor & A&E Editor rom inspirational messages left on bathroom stall doors to periodic tables painted onto chemistry classroom walls, artwork has found its way into every student’s McLean experience.

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G254, cirque du calculus

“So when I got here when it was already there, but the story behind it Dr. Ricketts told me. Mr. Craig, who was here before me, used to say that the elephant is like calculus and the students can’t catch the calculus all by themselves—you have to work together,” math teacher Steven Walker said.

The rock, the rock

G218, bonjour!

The rock is a staple piece for many high schools.

Students are able to spread messages about school sports, clubs and issues they care about.

“We painted the rock with the ‘Almig17ty’ slogan because it was a fun way to showcase our excitement about senior year and, like the senior girls slogan and T-shirt, a celebration of our senior status and all that we’ve achieved to get to this point,” senior class president Olivia McAuliffe said.

The prison-like cinder blocks suffocating Michael Click’s French classroom began their transformation with a French art history project in his French 3 classes.

“There’s a whole project that goes with this and there’s a research component. The last frame of their presentation has to be one of their masterpieces that they represent on the wall,” Click said.

B154, wall of memes

Both an educational tool and humorous message, AP Psychology teacher Cynthia Hawkins’ wall of memes provides students with a relevant brain break from class.

“I picked the memes because I find them humorous, they are something that connects to a student’s daily life, and also because they require students to actually think about how they apply to psychology,” Hawkins said.

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S105, publication tradition The publications rooms at McLean are unified by the quirky cartoons drawn onto the walls by former Highlander cartoonist Tessa Tang. However, each member of the yearbook staff like to leave their legacy on the walls of their publication room—literally.

“I took over in the fall of ‘99, and [the yearbook staff] had started it before, because the previous classroom was the cafeteria,” yearbook adviser Meghan Percival said. “The previous adviser asked [students] to leave their mark, and now everyone on staff signs the wall before the yearbook releases. It’s a tradition.”

Photos by Anjalie Chauhan & Shanzeh Umerani

A&E

Light Between Oceans falls short of expectations Despite promise, multiple story lines fail to fully capture message

Catherine Zysk Reporter . L. Stedman’s novel The Light Between Oceans has received much praise as of late due to its recent adaptation into a romantic drama starring the ever-brilliant Michael Fassbender as former Army man Tom Sherbourne and ingénue Alicia Vikander as his vibrant, young wife, Isabel.

As such, I was optimistic as I embarked on the journey off the west coast of Australia toward the elusive Janus Rock with Stedman and her intriguing characters. As the story progressed, however, the vivid imagery and attention to detail fell just short of the necessary connections of a story.

One second, I was transported completely into the gossiping small towns on the Australian coast where “news of the outside world trickled in like rain dripped off trees.”

And the next, I was left hanging, not quite feeling anything one way or another for the struggles of the infertile newlyweds.

It seemed as though Stedman was hiding these promising characters behind a shield of descriptive detail, keeping the reader just far enough away from them so as to not grow attached.

Just as Janus Rock, the lighthouse to

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which Tom devotes much of his time, keeps boats away from its rocky shore, The Light Between Oceans keeps readers from truly experiencing the plot. They are kept a safe distance away as if to maintain the beauty of it all at the expense of any lasting impact the Sherbournes’ story may have had.

As much as you want to love these brilliantly constructed characters, you can’t.

Each loss, each devastating moment, is buried by descriptions. Stedman transitions from the loss of Tom and Isabel’s first child to the clouds “that formed and grouped and wandered across the sky” so quickly, you almost wonder if you even felt for their loss at all.

In this sense, Stedman’s beautiful words are both her salvation and her downfall.

The plot is saved by her wondrous ability to make even the mundane descriptions of a wooden desk chair come to life. And yet, this attention to detail kills the life in the story.

The Light Between Oceans is a story about passion, loss, family and the depths to which we are willing to sink for those we love.

The tale of Isabel and Tom is meant to evoke feeling, but any emotion conveyed is lackluster in its appeal to the reader. There is nothing in this book that is unpolished or visceral. Nothing to convey the pain beneath its pretty words.

This being said, the novel does have points of incredible beauty.

Every line of this 343-page saga is clearly

constructed with a purpose. Each word is a choice made by Stedman to move toward technical perfection. With hard hitting phrases like “isolation lulls him with the music of the lie,” her writing is reminiscent of the work of Anthony Doerr, bestselling author of All the Light We Cannot See. Stedman also overperforms with featherlight musings on how Isabel and Tom’s borrowed daughter Lucy had hair “that floated like seaweed as he held her in the water” and how the “magpies caroled their waterfall song” with “notes that fell in splashes over gum trees beneath the bleached azure sky.”

In the end, Stedman’s meticulous phrasing only serves as scenery to a storyline that falls flat in its underwhelming portrait of a grieving family’s attempt to heal.

Watch the movie?

DreamWorks Pictures

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Stars: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz Director: Derek Cianfrance Going into the movie, I was hopeful that the strong cast would pull through some of the passion that the book seemed to lack.

The movie, however, swung to the other side of the sprectrum. Each scene was filled with an overabundance of emotion. Even the brilliance of Fassbender and Vikander was not enough to keep the script from coming across as sappy and overdone.

Is the movie worth it? Not if you are paying for a ticket. When it shows up on Netflix, it may be worth the watch on an afternoon with nothing better to do.

Page design by Catherine Zysk Images obtained via Google Images under a Creative Commons License

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CAUTION: S

Anjalie Chauhan, Seth Eshraghi & Ingrid Morse Features Editor, Reporter & Editor-in-Chief

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ou are one hour and 28 minutes into another grueling class. Your leg is twitching. Your eyes dart back and forth between your teacher and the clock. At one minute to go, the familiar rustling of papers signals your release.

As you stand up, you feel that familiar strain in your muscles. Is this twinge just a momentary discomfort? Or does it signify a greater issue?

According to Dr. James Levine, the director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative, all that time spent in your chair just might kill you.

“Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death,” Levine said in a 2014 interview with The Los Angeles Times.

Physical Harms

When muscles rest, electrical activity slows down and the body’s calorie burning rate drops to just one calorie per minute, according to Marc Hamilton, an inactivity researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

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Within the span of two class periods, blood flow can decrease exponentially, leading to the breakdown of muscle.

The number one ramification of sitting is its impact on the muscles. As muscles break down over time, they gradually develop weaker contractions, putting enormous pressure on the heart. Sitting worsens the wear-and-tear on the muscles, hurting the heart at an earlier age.

According to a study by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina on the effects of sedentary behaviors, prolonged sitting increases the chance of attaining heart disease by 64 percent and breast or prostate cancer by 30 percent.

The worst reality of all is that after 10 to 20 years of sitting for six hours a day, one may have lost as many as seven healthy years, according to a projection by the National Institute of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark.

By reducing the maximum number of hours spent sitting to three hours per day, average lifespans could rise by two years. In contrast, two weeks of sitting down for six or

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more hours per day increases the presence of fat and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the body. Nicknamed “the bad cholesterol,” LDL cholesterol can lead to health problems such as heart disease and weight gain.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, obesity rates for people between the ages of 2 and 19 have tripled over the past three and a half decades.

Even more troubling, obesity rates for 12- to 19-year-olds have quadrupled over the same time span.

Many people use exercise as a quick fix to sitting down all day. In a survey of 100 McLean students, 66 said they thought exercising reverses the negative effects of sitting. Unfortunately, there is almost no escape from the harms of long-term sitting.

Although physical movement, such as exercise, helps pump blood and oxygen to the brain and around the body, transmitting mood-enhancing hormones, the moment the body takes a rest to sit down, the harmful effects begin again.

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A few hours of physical activity fall short of making up for the overwhelming number of hours spent idle. So, in reality, choosing exercise every once in a blue moon, while encouraged, does not solve the growing problem of long-term sitting.

In the survey of 100 McLean students, students reported sitting for an average of 10 hours per day, just over two hours greater than the global average of 7.7 hours per day, according to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Considering the health issues linked to prolonged sitting, a change is necessary.

Some McLean students report feeling the negative effects of sitting.

“When I was younger, my back didn’t hurt as much as it does now, and I think OCTOBER

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that’s in part because we’ve been sitting too long, and I believe that’s not what nature intended for our backs,” senior Andy Broom said. “I have to take pain medication which is not a very good thing.”

Other students say they feel sitting harms their posture.

“Sitting in a chair for a long time makes your posture worse and if you’re not sitting properly, which nobody does because we’re tired and we’ve been sitting for hours, your back is going to hurt a lot,” senior Sophia Lee said.

Posture is affected by small amounts of physical movement, but it has a large effect on student energy levels and brain functioning.

According to Jill Henderzahs-Mason, a wellness physical therapist at the Mayo

Clinic’s Healthy Living Program, when a person slouches, it gives less room for the lungs and diaphragm to expand, restricting a person’s ability to swallow and breathe.

Shallow breathing gives the brain less access to oxygen and glucose, slowing brain function and shortening attention span.

Psychological Harms

The phenomenon of muscle memory exemplifies the overlap between the physical and psychological spectrums. This overlap proves the necessity of involving physical movement in psychologically demanding situations such as school.

23

“Any time you’re moving, you are going to see different parts of your brain activated in order to encourage that movement and... it can result in different parts of your brain being accessed for problem-solving and memory,” AP Psychology teacher Meghan Percival said.

Just as muscles require strong blood flow to provide a constant flow of nutrients, the brain depends on that strong blood flow to ensure strong neural connections.

Physical movements have psychological consequences. As the physical consequences of staying idle for too long amass, the risks of mental health issues rise.

“Whenever you activate different parts of your body, whether that’s when you are writing, when you are standing up, when you are walking, you are activating parts of your brain,” Percival said.

A study led by psychologist Michelle Kilpatrick of the University of Tasmania in Australia found a strong correlation between

“

A less threatening psychological impact of prolonged sitting is decreased productivity.

Students say they notice that as break time lessens and a call for concentration increases, their ability to maintain mental focus decreases.

“Sitting down for a really long time makes me really tired and doesn’t help me focus, so after sitting for a really long class it’s really hard to get to the next class and pay attention in that class,” junior Kylie Coffey said.

Percival said that allowing breaks is good teaching practice.

“Sometimes it actually can be great to have a sustained period [of sitting], and flow is when you don’t even know that that time period has passed,” Percival said. “Knowing that doesn’t happen all that often—that that usually only happens when you have mastery of an activity or something—breaking up activities into much smaller parts is what psychology recommends and what good teaching practice should be too, usually.”

mornings when everyone is tired.”

Freshman Kevin Cheon said he finds taking breaks from sitting helpful in the classroom.

“When I am more active, I am more attentive,” Cheon said.

Breaks are an effective and practical solution. Some teachers may argue that there is not enough time for a break, or the class is too busy. Why not have a break if it is an effective and practical thing to do?

While Hott offers breaks in her classes, she said she understands why not all teachers do.

“It would be helpful, but some classes are different. Some classes may already have times where they stand. For example, science classes have labs and P.E. is already in activity,” she said.

An alternative option is to have the school schedule short breaks within one or two selected periods. Planning short breaks during class would not only improve student

[Getting up] keeps students alert for the rest of the class, especially in the mornings when everyone is tired.”

-Biology teacher Catherine Hott

psychological distress and sitting. Kilpatrick and her team collected information from more than three thousand state government employees which included statements about their physical activity and satisfaction with the workplace.

Those who reported sitting for longer than six hours tended to report greater symptoms for depression and anxiety compared to those who reported sitting for three hours or fewer on a daily basis.

Although there is a significant connection between moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety and prolonged sitting, there is no such correlation between being idle and high levels of anxiety and depression.

Although exercising cannot counteract all of the negative effects of prolonged sitting, exercise supports mental health.

According to the American Psychological Association, research demonstrates that exercise helps combat both short- and longterm depression.

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Solution

Standing desks could abate the harms of sitting. They have been recommended by numerous researchers, including a group from Texas A&M. However, this solution is impractical in the confined spaces of many schools and workplaces.

Further, participation in hours of class not only makes standing more exhaustive, but it also makes it much harder to stay attentive, negating some of the desks’ potential positive effects.

Luckily, there are some simpler solutions that can lessen the harms of sitting at school.

Dedicating just a minute or two every hour to stand up and walk around can mitigate the effects of prolonged sitting. Biology teacher Catherine Hott encourages this in her classroom.

“For reasons presented in research... just getting up and moving around can be helpful,” Hott said. “It also keeps students alert for the rest of the class, especially in the

and teacher health, but would also enable students to feel more attentive and relaxed in class, ultimately improving grades.

Many students, like freshman Ethan Bacica, think breaks would help them in school.

“In the morning I am tired and sitting, and I can’t pay attention that easily in class, so when I go and do my homework, the topic that was introduced to us in class may seem a little vague, and that makes it harder to do homework,” Bacica said.

Some solutions can be implemented by students themselves by using health and exercise tracking technology, like the Fitbit.

Fitbit lets the user know when they’ve been sitting for too long, or need to stand up and stretch or exercise.

“I typically wear a Fitbit and it reminds me at 10 minutes to every hour if I haven’t gotten 250 steps. And 250 steps is hardly anything, so it means that if I haven’t gotten it, I’ve been sitting for 50 minutes straight,” IN-DEPTH

5.5

Average hours students spend sitting at home

3

TWO WEEKS

Average hours students spend on activity

of sitting down

12-19

66%

Survey of 100 McLean students

6+HRS per day

increases the presence of fat and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the body. LDL cholesterol leads to health problems such as heart disease and weight gain.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, in the last 35 years... obesity rates for people aged 12 to 19 has quadrupled

McLean students sit for an average of 10 hours per day Percival said.

While this technology is helpful, it is possible to monitor one’s activity without making any purchases.

A simple method is to get up to drink water every hour or so and get both physical movement as well as hydration.

Sitting on an exercise ball while doing homework can also minimize the harms of sitting. Bouncing on exercise balls causes our legs to move, combatting muscular decline.

OCTOBER

% of students who believe that exercise counteracts all the harms of prolonged sitting

2-19

obesity rates for people aged 2 to 19 has tripled

The global average is

7.7 hours

As there may be little time to even get up and get a drink of water, and there are situations where using an exercise ball is inappropriate, the bottom line to mitigate the negative effects of sitting is posture.

Although it’s a hassle to remember, maintaining the habit of good posture should not be underestimated as it has a game-changing effect against the harmful effects of prolonged sitting.

Small movements can go a long way.

per day

“Even something as small as having PlayDoh or a stress ball can help people maintain better focus and feel more alert,” Percival said.

To start healthier living, students must engage in physical activity, no matter how small. Buy some Play-Doh, go to the water fountain or simply stand up.

Infographic by Bryan Chung Page design by Anjalie Chauhan

25

Buredo

B

uredo may be the answer to sushi lovers’ dreams: the delicious blend of flavors that a sushi roll provides super-sized into a giant, satisfying burrito. With a wide variety of gourmet combinations Locations: of fish, tofu, meat and veggies in colorful rolls, this fusion shop offers a roll for everyone.

825 14th St. NW Avocado lovers should opt for the Sofie roll, a delicious mix of crispy tempura shrimp, bright & 1213 Connecticut Ave. NW avocado, and veggies. Those who love the classic taste of raw fish in their sushi will love the Beatrix, complete with tuna and cucumber. Vegetarian options abound, but they lack the variety of flavors in the meat- or fish-filled rolls.

Coming in at about the same price as the typical Chipotle burrito, this student-friendly fusion option is a must for sushi fans.

D.C. fusion restaurants: Momofuku Milk Bar Location: 1090 I St. NW

M

omofuku Milk Bar is a trendy shop that offers unique desserts with fun concepts, a favorite being the “cereal milk” ice cream, which fuses the familiar taste of the milk at the bottom of your cereal bowl with the creamy texture of soft serve. The dessert, while overhyped, is tasty and worth trying.

Besides its cult attraction, the milk bar has an expansive menu, including tasty cookies, truffles and of course the “crack pie,” an original confection that is as sweet and buttery as it gets. Overall, Momofuku is nothing to text home about, but a fun choice nonetheless.

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A&E

TaKorean

You get the best of both worlds Web Editor-in-Chief Sophie Mariam and Photographer Eva Zarpas tour and review trendy fusion spots

TaKorean

Locations: Union Market: 1309 5th St. NE The Yards: 1212 4th St. SE National Place: 13th & F St. NW

K

orean barbecue is all the buzz at the moment, and this fast and tasty joint fuses the sweet Asian cuisine with the convenient and classic form of a taco to create a perfect street food. The menu includes options similar to what Cava or Chipotle offers—tacos and bowls—but with a Korean twist.

You build your creation by first choosing your meat, tofu or seasonal veggie, and then adding in delicious toppings that perfectly fuse the Korean taste with the Mexican tortilla, including kale mix, kimchi slaw, sesame seeds, avocado crema and salsa.

TaKorean started out as a hip food truck, but can now be found at Union Market in D.C. and in two other restaurant locations. A must-try for KBBQ lovers and taco lovers alike, this restaurant offers original, tasty creations at a student-friendly price.

If you like fusion food, try these too!

Coco Sala is a higher end restauraunt that infuses chocolate into its dishes, with items such as a decadant bacon mac and cheese. There is a more casual shop at Union Market (1309 5th St. NE), as well as a sit-down restaurant (929 F St. NW).

Sakerum (2204 14th St. NW) fuses Latin flavors with Asian tastes, including sushi. Try it out for a more gourmet option that fuses multicultural cuisines.

Photos by Eva Zarpas

OCTOBER

27

Battle of the phones

iPhone 7 vs. Galaxy Note 7 Carlyn Kranking & Aisha Singh Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor

iPhone 7 highlights

Galaxy Note 7 highlights

Special Features The iPhone 7 infamously removed its headphone jack in order to make space for a second set of speakers. Its other new features include development of 3D touch and the introduction of iOS 10.

Special Features The Note 7 is loaded with high-tech features like Samsung’s new iris-scanning screen lock, waterproof capability and the new S-Pen, a stylus allowing users to jot down their thoughts.

Price At $749 for 128 GB of storage, the iPhone 7 is the most expensive iPhone model yet. Nevertheless, it is still cheaper than the Galaxy Note 7, which is listed at $849.99 for only 64 GB of storage.

Battery Life The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a larger battery with a longer life than that of the iPhone 7’s battery. It also has wireless charging capabilities, though this requires a wireless charger sold separately.

Sound Now that the iPhone 7 has space at the bottom for additional speakers, it produces a fuller stereo sound than the Galaxy, which relies on a single speaker.

Display/interface Although the Galaxy is slightly less user-friendly than the iPhone, its phenomenal display improves upon its already superior resolution and vivid quality.

Speed/processing Both phones are extremely fast, but the iPhone’s A10 fusion chip creates performance that is superior to that of the Galaxy Note 7, which uses the same chip as its predecessors.

Camera The Galaxy tends to add extra saturation to its photos, but it overtakes the iPhone in quality overall, especially with low-light photos.

P.S. The iPhone 7 does not explode.

Caution: This phone may self-destruct.

While both phones are superior to their predecessors, only one can win the Battle of the Phones.

To cast your vote, visit thehighlandernews.com.

Photo of Samsung Galaxy obtained via Wikimedia under a Creative Commons license Information obtained via CNet, The Guardian, Samsung & Trusted Reviews

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NEWS

App-etizing mobile games to download Free apps give users fun options

Kyuree Kim & Tyler Grobman Reporters

Rolling Sky Rolling Sky is a top down free-runner in which players have to manipulate a ball through a series of increasingly difficult obstacles while trying to follow the rhythm of the music being played.

“I feel like I am actually in the game,” senior Brian Min said. “I also enjoy the musical effects.”

A combination of both Tetris and Jenga, Six! is a game in which players manipulate blocks to help send hexagons downward.

Although this game seems quite simple, it is highly addictive.

“Once, I even missed my bus because I was so into the game,” senior Hannah Kang said.

Truth Truth Lie

JellyChip

Truth Truth Lie is a fun iMessage game in which players send their friends two 10-second videos telling the truth and one 10-second video telling a lie; their friends need to identify the lie.

“It lets me see who knows me well just by looking at my face,” senior Quynh Hoang said.

Players earn points by playing games and exchanging messages; those points are used to buy charity gifts on the JellyChip store.

JellyChip sends the funds to varioius charitable organizations.

“Changing the world by playing [this] game is quite innovative,” freshman Minchae Park said.

Images obtained via Google Images under a Creative Commons license

A&E

Six!

Page design by Bryan Chung

29

Battle of the Fans: Blonde

Boys Don’t Cry

Frank Ocean releases new album after four-year gap Shanzeh Umerani A&E Editor

Sanskriti Neupane Managing Editor

Frank Fanatic

F

rank Ocean—the man, the myth, the legend. The artist reappeared this summer after four years in hiding.

Ocean told his fans an album titled Boys Don’t Cry would come out in July, but it never did, leaving his patient fans disappointed and heartbroken.

Then in August, he released Blonde along with two visuals on YouTube.

The artist is known for his relaxing and meaningful songs that have fans keeping the album on repeat. When I first heard his previous album, Channel Orange, I was in awe of the variety each song brought.

The music brings me some calmness, most likely because I’m a huge fan of hip-hop and rap.

When the news of the album release blew up all over Twitter, I was filled with excitement and expectation, and when it was declared a false alarm I was heartbroken. I kept wondering when he would bring his music

30

Beginner Swimmer back into the limelight. Even with all the new music released in 2016, Ocean had been on my radar since he announced an album was going to be released.

I’m very happy with the outcome of the album.

The songs “Nights,” “Pink + White” and “Seigfried” are my top picks out of the 17-track playlist; the songs are a little different from his usual style of low light and relaxing compositions, but they still give off the vibe all his music does.

The visuals for the albums were a bonus, and they left me wishing I had ordered it earlier.

But he did hype us all up for nothing, so I was right to suffer in my heartbreak.

I love Frank Ocean, his music and his message. Even if others refuse to listen to him or don’t agree, my opinion will never change. The question is, will Frank disappear again? We will have to wait to find out.

W

hen Blonde was released, everyone was talking about it. A celebration erupted, and it was all centered around one man: Frank Ocean. I have never been a fan of rap or hiphop, and had therefore never bothered to listen to Ocean.

With all the hysteria surrounding him, however, I felt an obligation to listen to his new album and figure out for myself whether he really is as amazing as his fans claim. I wanted to understand if he really is the voice of this generation.

Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by the album, which was far from the greatness that had been described. As I expected, Ocean’s lyrics seemed insightful, but I was only able to make out a couple sentences of them.

I expected to be able to hear Ocean’s lyrical ability through his words, but instead I was left straining my ears in an attempt to figure out exactly what he

was saying throughout the album, epsecially during his song “Nikes.”

His auto-tuned sentences and frequent use of crude language in songs such as “Solo” largely took away from the subtle meanings behind his words.

Although Ocean appears to be genuine, his lyrics combined with the autotuned music leads to a feeling of disingenuousness, which detracts from the political message he seems to want to convey. Ocean is trying to make a statement, but his attempts to be thoughtful come across as trying too hard.

Ocean’s Blonde fell far below my expectations for the album, and the disappointment makes me wonder if the reason for Ocean’s fame is the rarity of his album releases rather than the music itself. Although fans of Ocean will likely enjoy his newest release, I will go back to staying away from his music.

Page design by Sanskriti Neupane

A&E

Vote ‘yes’ for meals tax referendum OPINIONS

Meals tax would generate much-needed revenue for FCPS The staff editorial represents the opinion of the majority of The Highlander editorial board

T

his November, Fairfax County residents will vote on whether or not to allow the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to levy a four percent tax on prepared meals throughout the county.

The tax would apply to all meals, with exceptions for vending machines, grocery stores and food prepared in front of customers, and it will assist the county by generating revenue for education.

As a county with a history of budgetary shortfalls, especially for its public schools, Fairfax County would benefit from the meals tax, which promises to contribute much-needed, diverse revenue to the county’s public school system. According to information released on the tax, 70 percent of meals tax revenue would go to FCPS. “FCPS has had a difficult time funding our critical needs, especially teacher raises,” said Jane Strauss, Dranesville Representative for the Fairfax County School Board. “We have lost our competitive edge and are not even at the region’s average. Without a steady source of additional revenues, this will continue to be a challenge.”

Strauss and the Board of Supervisors are confident that the meals tax will add an additional stream of income to help close that education funding gap FCPS has been experiencing. The meals tax is predicted to generate $99 million per year of additional revenue, adding $69.3 million to FCPS’s budget.

“Most of that money [will be used] to increase teacher pay, and a smaller amount to meet other critical classroom needs such as class sizes, textbooks and classroom technology,” Strauss said.

Another goal of the meals tax is to provide Fairfax County residents property tax relief. While this will slightly decrease revenue from some sources, total county revenue will increase, diversifying the previous near-monopoly which real estate and property taxes had established.

“Meals tax money will not supplant OCTOBER

current funding for schools but be in addition to this year’s money. In other words, [there will not be a] decrease in revenues coming to FCPS,” Strauss said. “All of the revenue from the meals tax would stay in Fairfax County, unlike many other taxes that are shared with the state.”

Despite the fact that a meals tax could bring much-needed funding to public schools and county infrastructure, many local businesses are speaking out against the referendum, claiming that such a tax would harm business. The Tysons Silver Diner, for example, displays signs in the restaurant discouraging patrons from voting for the meals tax.

While the fears of businesses are understandable, they are not necessary.

Based on information from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, it is estimated that approximately 28 percent of meal expenditures in Fairfax County are generated by non-county residents, or individuals who are not regular customers.

Further, a mere four percent tax on a commodity that most individuals don’t purchase every day cannot logically act as a significant deterrent for patrons of Fairfax County restaurants. Most neighboring localities, including Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax City and Arlington, which all have a four percent meals tax, as well as D.C., which has a 10 percent meals tax, have experienced no notable decrease in business activity due to the tax implementations.

“If you’re going to a sit-down restaurant, if you’re already paying 30 bucks for a steak, you’re not worried about paying that small four percent. And McDonald’s sells you something that you wouldn’t be able to match elsewhere price-wise regardless,” government teacher Ian Howell said.

Even if there were some negligible decrease in business, that loss would be made up for by county renovations and internal improvements that make doing

business in Fairfax County more profitable in the long run.

Additionally, the lower real estate tax rates that would result from a meals tax would encourage businesses to open or expand in Fairfax County and provide additional jobs.

Some doubts regarding the meals tax stem from recent observations that Fairfax County, when equipped with additional funds, chooses to spend them in ways that do not address the issues residents feel are pressing. FCPS teachers don’t even earn the market average, and our schools are rapidly inching above reasonable capacity.

Yet funds have been allocated for school board member pay raises and website and logo redesign.

Although the frustration FCPS has caused in the wake of poor budgetary choices is justified, recent moves to increase teacher pay and invest in new technology for students prove that there is hope.

A meals tax is the most immediate, noninvasive way to diversify the county’s revenue stream and provide much-needed funding for our schools. This election day, Fairfax County voters should think about the chance to improve education and infrastructure, not the extra few cents they’ll have to pay for their burger.

Reporting & page design by Sri Medicherla

31

CROSSFIRE:

Athletes should be able to speak up

Professional athletes have every right to serve as advocates for current issues John Roth Reporter

A

thletes like 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Seattle Reign FC midfielder Megan Rapinoe speaking up about political controversies has sparked intense public debate about the ethical and moral repercussions of professional athletes taking stands on issues. Athletes are people too, and they should be allowed to express their opinions.

As idols for their fans, athletes have a responsibility to set examples for others and to act accordingly. Participating in charity and being actively involved in politics are inherent duties of any role model.

Athletes make millions of dollars every season—Kaepernick makes roughly $11.9 million—and with this money comes the ability to do philanthropic work.

Kaepernick has already donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity, and he plans to donate the first million dollars of his salary to charitable organizations.

Although many athletes contribute philanthropically, the public often receives their attempts to speak out about political issues poorly; it is rare for a team or an

athlete to have their voice taken seriously about politics. For example, when Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins wore a shirt that read “Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford,” Jeff Follmer, head of the Cleveland Police Union, responded negatively.

“It’s pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law,” Follmer said.

“They should stick to what they know best on the field.”

Still, athletes continue to make political statements. In 2014, some Lakers players wore shirts that said “I can’t breathe” as tribute to the injustice that Eric Garner experienced. In addition, the St. Louis Rams put their hands up before a game to protest the killing of Michael Brown.

Actors, just like athletes, are very political. The two professions have a lot in common: both provide entertainment for the masses on a national and international stage. Both occupations are paid millions of dollars per contract. However, actors are able to espouse their political opinions without it having a detrimental impact on their career or public image. Given the parallels between the two professions, there’s no reason why athletes shouldn’t be awarded the same privilege.

1996

1967

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (NBA) refuses to stand for national anthem

Boxer Muhammad Ali refuses to go to Vietnam

1968

Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith raise their fists in the black power salute

32

With Kaepernick at the epicenter of this controversy, a number of other athletes have come out to show their support of his protests. A significant number of military veterans have expressed support for Kaepernick as well, including Army Special Forces operator Nate Boyer.

Arguments made against athletes like Kaepernick are tenuous at best. One common argument is that sports are a refuge from political discourse. However, a refuge from political issues perpetuates a habit of uninformed political opinion.

Ignoring the political landscape only builds tension around the issue that is ignored.

Twenty years ago, NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was suspended without pay for two days for refusing to stand during the national anthem.

As Americans, we have come far on civil rights and social equality, yet the recent controversies involving Kaepernick and Rapinoe only serve as further evidence of all the work that still needs to be done to bring about these long-term social changes. Thus, Americans of all professions and backgrounds should work to be leaders in the recognition of and work to improve social issues and equality.

2004

Carlos Delgado (MLB) refuses to stand for “God Bless America”

2011

Tim Thomas (NHL) refuses to join Bruins in visiting President Obama following Stanley Cup win

OPINIONS

Should athletes be able to speak up about sensitive issues?

Athletes should not mix sports and politics

Just because athletes can say something doesn’t mean they should Jackson Payne Reporter

I

n recent years, it has become almost expected to see a professional football player making headlines for controversial behavior in the offseason, usually relating to substance or domestic abuse.

This common theme of violence is what has made Colin Kaepernick’s current situation the most interesting sports controversy of all time. Rather than raise a fist or burn down a city, Kaepernick used his words to express concern for oppression against people of color in America today, raising some solid questions to puzzle patriots across the nation.

One major question surrounding the issue is why Americans should stand for the national anthem—what gives an athlete such as Kaepernick the validity to make such a statement, and why are we even listening to him?

Sports have become far too political in recent years. What started as a distraction from the real world has turned into a

public forum for anyone to speak their minds, with the actual athletic events playing second fiddle.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Major League Baseball wisely halted for 10 days, but when the league resumed play, it became clear that America needed the game as a place of refuge from the devastation they felt in the real world.

Mike Piazza’s game-winning home run in the first game back in New York and President Bush’s ceremonial first pitch in the World Series are perfect examples of sports helping to ease the pain of a broken-hearted city.

Today, the world’s issues off the field are starting to interfere with the enjoyment of watching sports itself. I don’t watch football to hear about the Redskins name “insulting” Native Americans—I watch to escape reality and ultimately allow a Kirk Cousins red zone interception to ruin the rest of my Sunday.

Thanks to social media, athletes today are speaking out more than ever before.

However, every simple tweet or post concerning the tragedies of social injustice

2014

Andrew Hawkins (NFL) wears a shirt protesting the shooting of two unarmed people

2014

2014

NBA players LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Jarrett Jack and Kevin Garnett wear “I can’t breathe” shirts protesting the death of Eric Garner

can always bring the risk of alienating the fan base by talking down to them about uncomfortable social issues, which can prove to be costly.

How does it look for Kaepernick, whose position of quarterback is arguably the most important in all of sports, when his thoughts and comments overshadow the effort he puts into his sport? In other cases, outspoken athletes have divided the locker room and turned teammates against each other due to their opinions. Being a teammate requires strong leadership, not clubhouse clashes.

Athletes don’t make millions of dollars a year to serve as advocates for political causes—they earn that salary to play their sport and give the general public a distraction from the stress and perils of the world, so their focus should be on the field. Having an opinion doesn’t necessarily make someone an expert.

2016

Steve Clevenger (MLB) suspended following racially insensitive tweets regarding President Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement

2016

Colin Kaepernick (NFL) kneels for national anthem

St. Louis Rams take the field with the “hands up, don’t shoot” pose Photos obtained via Google Images under a Creative Commons License Page design by Imani McCormick

OCTOBER

33

FCPS makeover fails to hide enduring faults School system wastes $868,500 on website and rebranding Siddarth Shankar News Editor Over the summer, FCPS launched a new website and logo. In total, this rebranding cost a mind-boggling $868,500—$819,000 for the redesign of the central FCPS website and the websites for 15 schools and $49,500 for “an updated FCPS brand including messaging, graphic standards and new brand mark,” according to an email to The Highlander staff from FCPS public information officer John Torre.

By prioritizing these cosmetic changes, the school system continues to fail both its students and its teachers.

Last year, outgoing FCPS Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza described the fiscal status of the school system as grave. As part of a campaign to “#SaveFCPS,” Garza adamantly asserted that FCPS needed more funding to avoid a $100 million budget shortfall for this fiscal year.

Despite the fact that not all of the requested funding was received, FCPS still thought it was important to spend money to change its logo and website.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, the average budgeted salary for an FCPS teacher this fiscal year is $68,687.

FCPS spent more than 12 and a half times the salary of its average teacher to update

Comic by Courtlan Grinder Page design by Siddarth Shankar

34

websites and rebrand.

Although FCPS is willing to use resources for wasteful initiatives, it still claims that it needs more. As a result, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is proposing a four percent tax on meals throughout the county.

Seventy percent of the revenue from the proposed meals tax would go to Fairfax County Public Schools. This new proposed tax is in addition to the increase in real estate taxes which allowed FCPS to emerge mostly unscathed from what it predicted to be a $100 million shortfall.

“The entire Fairfax County community has a critical decision to make: either we invest the necessary funds in our students and schools, or we will have to work together to decide what to cut—and we cannot cut our way to excellence,” Garza wrote in a statement on the fiscal year 2016 budget.

Instead of the devastating situation that Garza and the school board warned community members about a year ago, FCPS actually ended up not cutting money from its budget for the first time in eight years.

It is true that FCPS allocated money to provide a raise for teachers and reduce class sizes for elementary schools this year.

However, a significant amount of the “necessary funds” Garza described were used to update FCPS’s logo and website, something that hardly seems necessary or

even appropriate.

Torre said in his email that updates to the website made it mobile friendly and eliminated the need for staff members to know HTML coding to make updates.

While more staff members may now be able to update the website, the cost of employing an individual with HTML skills in an existing information technology technician or communications specialist role would cost far less than what FCPS paid to update the website.

Gone is the urgency from school officials like Garza, even though many problems continue to fester throughout the school system.

“I would say the majority of my classes have over 30 students in them. A lot of them don’t even have enough desks for each student. This isn’t a proper learning environment for either students or teachers,” junior Nour Khachemoune said.

Instead of focusing on the current issues within the school system—in fact, the #SaveFCPS campaign is now inactive— officials are now patting themselves on the back over these recent changes.

“The new logo reflects who we are and who we aspire to be in the years to come [and it] reflects our commitment to engage and inspire each member of our community so that everyone thrives,” Garza said in a message posted to the new website.

Even as the school system faced financial difficulties, both the Fairfax County School Board and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to give themselves pay raises of almost $20,000 each. Garza was also the beneficiary of a pay raise and contract extension this July, before announcing her departure from the system this September.

FCPS has clearly been incompetent in its recent handling of fiscal resources. At a time when new enrollment in schools is heavily made up of those who are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals, it’s now more important than ever to be spending money on students’ and teachers’ needs instead of bumping up the salaries of career politicians and paying to update the website.

If FCPS wants to truly encourage students to live by its new slogan—“engage, inspire, thrive”—wasting resources on changing its logo is not the right place to start.

OPINIONS

Technology hurts academic achievement Electronic devices in the classroom are harmful to students’ learning Anna Murphy Reporter

M

cLean is going digital. In the coming years, every student will have their own personal electronic device to use for educational purposes, according to a recent strategic plan released by FCPS. There is no doubt that technology is growing rapidly as a classroom resource.

Almost 100 percent of public schools in the U.S. have access to the internet, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Teachers use Google Classroom, EDpuzzles and online textbooks to hand out assignments and communicate with students at school and at home.

However, the recent trend toward the use of electronic devices in school has had a negative impact on high school education.

“By reading online textbooks, students don’t get the advantage of taking notes on the side of the book or highlighting with a pen in your hand,” senior Helen Pelak said.

“As a result, students don’t comprehend the material as well.”

Teachers agree that the increasing usage of technology can serve as a blockade toward proper learning and studying.

“Because of the fact that adolescents don’t have a fully developed frontal lobe yet, they can’t limit that impulsive behavior to check the entertainment technology at the

same time they are using the educational technology,” AP Psychology teacher Cynthia Hawkins said. “There’s a reason AP courses haven’t moved to online textbooks yet.”

Distractions from social media during online learning have been proven to reduce the efficiency of student learning and performance in the classroom.

A study done by the University of London in 2012 showed that people who multitask lower their IQ by 15 points on any given task. According to the study, mental capabilities while multitasking are equal to that of an 8-year-old.

Not only does technology offer a prime opportunity to multitask, it also serves as a distraction when students are doing work at home.

“Any time you use an electronic device, there are distractions,” Pelak said. “Even if it’s just a quick text, it completely breaks your focus.”

While the internet is a convenient resource to access information quickly, typing a question into Google doesn’t provide the same meaningful educational experience as hands-on learning does. Although it saves time, an instantly gratifying online search does not process into long-term memory as well as seeking an answer in a book or working through a math problem independently.

Instant access to information can also lead to cheating during tests or quizzes, which

can be detrimental to students’ academic learning.

“Whether you are taking an online test or quiz, there are temptations to cheat. Teachers can’t prevent students from typing in the question on Google,” junior Cassidy Slavik said.

Students notice that with the heightened use of technology, there is a decrease in social interaction.

“Instead of interacting with one another, students are now interacting with a screen. It inhibits you from developing the appropriate communication skills that will aid you later in life,” Slavik said.

On the other hand, technology offers countless resources and can allow students to work at their own pace. In addition, students can work with one another even if they are at home.

Nonetheless, not all students have a device at home that they can use to connect to the internet. This sets up a divide between those who have the internet at home and those who do not. It can unfairly put students who cannot afford an electronic device further behind academically than those who can.

While the switch to the online world may be inevitable, it is essential that teachers and students recognize the pitfalls that can come from learning with a device.

Photo illustration by Shanzeh Umerani

OCTOBER

Page design by Anna Murphy

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Pokémon Go! getting out of hand Widespread use of mobile game leads to a less safe community Colin Edson & Jack Stenzel Sports Editor & Reporter

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ee a group of people staring at their phones right in front of the Washington Monument? Well, they’re probably catching Pokémon, blissfully unaware of all the beauty that surrounds them.

Pokémon Go! has been one of the most downloaded apps since its release in July of this year, as its simplicity and easy-to-use platform makes it an app that appeals to the masses. The game consists of catching Pokémon in real world locations in an attempt to ‘catch ‘em all.’

The game is pernicious for the McLean community and has influenced bad behavior in kids and adults alike. Pokémon Go! has gone viral, making some players obsessed with the game.

The prevalence of the game has posed a threat to the safety of students in the community. Players become reckless in their enjoyment of the game, increasingly tuning out their surroundings so as not to be distracted from their mission at hand.

“I have heard it’s a fun game and it’s a good way to get exercise, but [students] also have to do it within the limits,” school resource officer Scott Davis said.

For some, it’s a game played for its popularity, while for others it reminds them of many childhood memories—it is especially close to the hearts of millennials who avidly played back in the day.

“I always played the Pokémon games when I was little so it’s really fun to explore new areas outside and collect all the Pokémon,” sophomore Diego Wheat said.

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Along with its popularity, the game has received some backlash after an overload of violent incidents. From car accidents, to crime, to shootings, the app has been the cause of some crazy incidents. While the stories may be entertaining to read, the game itself has been responsible for placing individuals in unsafe situations that they are nowhere near prepared to handle.

“Pay attention to where you are...don’t go after the Pokémon if you’re in an area you know you shouldn’t be in,” Davis said.

Furthermore, roads have become increasingly dangerous as a result of people playing the game while driving. According to a study conducted by San Diego State University, about 62,000 instances of people playing while driving were recorded within only a 10-day period.

Adolescents are especially guilty of playing while driving, finding ways around the game’s 6 mph speed limit. Thus, the game and its failure to inhibit usage while driving has only helped to propagate the pre-existing issue of a growing lack of attentiveness for those behind the wheel.

“While it doesn’t completely surprise me, I still think it’s ridiculous that people don’t understand how dangerous it can be to play while driving,” Wheat said.

The proliferation of the game has also contributed to a further loss of family time.

Its appeal to people of all ages has only helped further the likelihood of disengagement within families.

Responsibilities and considerations are inevitably attached to a game that is as potentially addictive and dangerous as Pokémon Go! Given this, loyal and new players alike should make a point to be aware of the negative effects that come with playing the game.

Screenshot from Pokémon Go! Page design by Bryan Chung

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Team Huddle — Varsity girls volleyball team members do their pump-up

cheer before starting their first set against Washington-Lee on Oct. 6.

McLean went on to take home the victory by winning the fourth and final set. (Photo by Amanda LaPorte)

Girls volleyball continues to impress Varsity team looks to finish season strong Colin Edson & Ed Walters Sports Editors he girls varsity volleyball team has proven itself as a force with which to be reckoned. With a 15-4-2 record and only five games left at press time, the team knows they have to stay focused to finish the season strong.

Last year’s team set the bar high as the Highlander volleyball team ended the season with a 21-7 record. Varsity girls volleyball coach Bill Musgrove hopes to take the team past the level of success it attained last year.

“We started the year a little [roughly], but I think right now everybody is on board... everybody is accepting their role,” Musgrove said. “They are embracing it, and that has helped a lot.”

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The players’ resilience has brought them a long way. Although the Highlanders had a 1-3 start to the season, they were able to overcome it and claim 13 consecutive undefeated games.

“Instead of becoming frazzled we have shown mental strength that there hasn’t been in past years,” co-captain senior Natalie Luu said.

This year, the team is primarily comprised of sophomores and juniors, with only four seniors.

Musgrove is confident the team will be able to go far with the plethora of talented players this year.

“We definitely miss our senior class from last year, but the young players have really stepped up,” Musgrove said.

Luu and fellow co-captain junior Maddie McArthur have facilitated the new players’ transition from JV to varsity.

“I was excited because I’ve been wanting to be on the [varsity] team for a long time.

I’ve been playing with the girls on the team for a while and they make it fun and easy,” junior Lorelei Legg said.

With the season coming to a close, it is vital that the players do not let up, especially with three upcoming division matchups.

“I’m confident about the rest of the season,” Luu said. “While I think that we have challenging district games left, I think we have enough time to get our team to be the best that it can be.”

Page design by Young In Seo

OCTOBER

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Baseball brawls Fans discuss their out-of-town teams Jakob Wegmueller, junior Boston Red Sox fan

I’m a Red Sox fan because my mom is from Boston and most of my family still lives there.

They’ve been very successful over the past 10 years and many iconic players have played for them. It’s fun to go to Red Sox games at Nationals Park because I get to stand up and cheer by myself. Red Sox fans are more established than Nationals fans and they’re also louder. I prefer Boston but I don’t mind D.C. teams, and if they’re not playing any teams from Boston I generally root for them.

Dean Howarth, physics teacher, New York Mets fan

I’m a Mets fan because they have the classiness of New York City, but with that blue collar grit that the Yankees don’t have.

I’ve been a fan since 1969 when we won the World Series and they called us “the Miracle Mets.”

It’s kind of cute that the Nationals are coming along as a team; they try hard, but then they meet the Cardinals in the playoffs and we all know how that’s going to work out.

The true problem that will always keep the Nationals from being a world class baseball team is their mascot. Screech is horrible. They would be better off having an empty garbage can. I would only root for the Nationals if they were playing the worst team in the world, which is the Atlanta Braves, or the second worst team in the world, the Philadelphia Phillies. Going to games at Nationals Park and rooting for the visiting team is outstanding, because Nationals fans get nervous in about five minutes and think they’re going to lose, so it’s extra fun to rub it in just a little bit.

Mets fans have that “not give up” attitude.

We’ve had a ton of injuries this year and we’re still hanging with the Nationals. Nationals fans complain when all the New York fans come to visit. They should be more welcoming to their neighbors from the north. There’s not much they can say to us, because last year we smacked them down pretty good. But the worst thing a Nationals fan can do to a Mets fan is wear a Daniel Murphy jersey.

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Haley Rose, junior, New York Mets fan

I’m a fan of the Mets because I got into hockey about four years ago and I became a diehard fan of the New York Rangers. Being a fan of the Rangers and watching them on TV got me exposed to a lot of stuff about the Mets. One thing that’s kept me with the team was being able to go to the one World Series game the Mets won last year against the Royals at Citi Field. There was an electric atmosphere that made me fall even more in love with the team. Even though I’m down here in Virginia, I would not root for the Nationals. I’ve never really hated the Nationals but I’ve also never felt attachment or love. However, I hate the Capitals with a burning, fiery passion. They’re the absolute worst.

Max Brooks, junior, Philadelphia Phillies fan

I’m a Phillies fan because my dad’s side of the family is from Philadelphia and I’ve been a Phillies fan since I was born. My dad and I watch their games on television and we go to games throughout the season so I never lose interest in them. I like to go to Nationals games but it’s not the same as going to a game in Philadelphia where the majority of the fans are rooting for my team. Nationals fans tell me that we suck and that Philadelphia is obnoxious, but they aren’t as passionate and loyal to their team. They only like the Nationals when they are winning games. I don’t like the other DC teams because they have rivalries with Philadelphia teams in other sports.

Reporting by Jessie Friedman Page design by Bryan Chung Photos by Eva Zarpas & Jessie Friedman

SPORTS

Blocking the Shot — Will Greenwood extends his arm to block a

shot from the opposing team in a game against Mount St. Joe’s on Oct. 1. Capital Water Polo won 9-4. (Photo by Imani McCormick)

Sophomore makes a splash

Will Greenwood participates in club water polo team Miranda Johnson Reporter

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asping for air and trying to keep possession of the ball all while being violently shoved underwater, sophomore Will Greenwood extends his right arm to make a pass to a teammate. Treading water, the opposing goalie leaps into the air and attempts to make the catch without success.

Capital Water Polo is up 1-0.

Greenwood’s preferred sport used to be swimming. Four years ago, he attended a water polo clinic, and from there he decided to pursue the sport by joining the team.

“I got tired of swimming,” Greenwood said. “It was just boring.”

Greenwood is currently on the Capital Water Polo U16 club team, based in Arlington.

In 2012, former U.S. Olympian and highly accomplished water polo player Leslie Entwistle was named head coach of Greenwood’s team.

Greenwood said the team has had nothing but positive feedback about her. “[She’s my] role model,” Greenwood said.

“She’s played in the Olympics and she’s just very nice.”

Though it is a sport in the Olympics, few people know much about water polo.

“It’s unique—not a lot of people play it,” said freshman Quin Frew of the U14 Capital Water Polo team. “No one else really knows about it.”

Water polo is a sport played primarily on the west coast.

Not many people know about the sport, let alone its aggressive nature. On the surface it may not seem like much, but underwater is where the bulk of the action takes place.

“There is lots of contact,” Greenwood said. “Somebody is always trying to push you under the water, hit you, trying to get the ball or gain an advantage.”

Seven players from each team can be in the water at one time. The goalie, who is allowed to use both hands, attempts to defend their net while the other players work to gain advantages and score goals.

Grabbing or kicking another player and reaching over anyone’s head or shoulders are some of the most frequent fouls.

“Water polo is fast paced and very

aggressive,” Greenwood said. The hardest part is just staying afloat.”

Despite all of this, it is illegal for any player to touch the bottom of the pool, meaning that they have to stay afloat by treading water throughout all of the pushing and shoving.

Injuries like broken noses, broken fingers or even torn eardrums can occur. Greenwood said he has never sustained any injuries other than a few elbows to the face.

As a center, Greenwood said he faces the most contact of anyone on the team.

“Some positions are more defense orientated, but everyone goes down to play offense and back to play defense,” Greenwood said.

Though McLean does not have a water polo team, Greenwood would like to continue his sport outside of school in the years to come.

“I’d like to play all throughout high school and possibly into college,” Greenwood said. “Most colleges have [water polo as an] intramural sport, so [they are] not super competitive, but big colleges have competitive teams.”

Page design by Imani McCormick

OCTOBER

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Underfunded Athletic Training Athletic training program self-funds Bryan Chung Design Editor-in-Chief

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ham! A football player takes a hard blow to his leg. Laying on the gridiron, he grunts in pain and the trainers rush toward him to evaluate the situation. The referee calls an ‘injury timeout’ and the player is immediately carried off the field with the help of the trainers.

Most people don’t realize that the money that goes toward improving the well-being of student-athletes is raised by the trainers themselves, without any assistance from FCPS. “We don’t receive any money from [the] county,” head athletic trainer Mike Tierney said.

The athletic trainers raise the budget for the year through its annual physical nights. McLean raises around $7,500 during these physical nights by charging a $50 fee per person to conduct the physical exam required to participate in school sports. It is enough money to buy both expensive equipment and everyday essentials, such as bandages. However,

some schools are not capable of raising as much money.

“Not every school is going to have 150 kids showing up [at a physical night], like Mount Vernon, they tend to have lower numbers,” Tierney said.

This lack of funding available to the athletic training program only causes harm to student-athletes. Without the self-funding that McLean trainers conduct, the program would not be able to buy the necessary tools, equipment, or even bandages needed to care for student athletes.

This would directly affect the safety and wellbeing of student-athletes.

Without these essential resources the trainers cannot aid the players in their recovery, and injured athletes would not be able to conduct rehabilitation exercises needed for a proper and timely recovery.

“Recently I worked with the trainer for a head injury,” varsity volleyball cocaptain senior Natalie Luu said. “I took the concussion test and since my scores dropped I had take part in the five-day concussion protocol Every day I was able

to do more activity which helped my head heal.”

“The most recent large purchase is the water tank,” Tierney said. “It was expensive...around two grand.”

The water tank is vital for preventing players from becoming dehydrated during practice. For example, football practices that last for six hours during the summer can cause severe dehydration when players are not drinking enough water.

Although McLean raised enough money to buy such expensive, but essential equipment, the schools that lack funding are not able to buy such equipment, exposing their student-athletes to greater dangers and risks.

“Before I started working here, the school used to get a small fund from the county,” Tierney said.

Funding was halted in 2008. Before schools started physical nights, each school got around $2,000 in funding for their athletic training program. Although this amount may seem insignificant, for the schools that lack funding, every penny is essential.

Photo & page design by Bryan Chung

OCTOBER

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Student-athletes switch it up

Athletes transition to new sports at McLean Jiwon Kim Reporter

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his summer, former Heisman Trophy winner and first round draft pick Tim Tebow decided to revive his athletic career at the age of 29—not by going back to playing football, but by switching to baseball. Tebow last played baseball in high school. Athletes who switch sports are hard to come across, and athletes who excel at their new sport are even harder to find. However, a couple of student-athletes at McLean have done just that.

Senior Kevin McCarthy transitioned from a sport he had played since early on in his life to a new sport in high school. After 10 years of playing baseball, McCarthy decided to try out for the lacrosse team in the spring of his sophomore year. A year later, he earned a spot on the starting midfield line on the varsity team and won 2nd Team All-Conference honors through a Liberty Conference coaches’ vote.

“I was kind of done with baseball,” McCarthy said. “A lot of my friends [played lacrosse], I knew I could somewhat do it and my friends were pushing me to do it, so I was like, ‘Why not?’”

McCarthy said his experience in baseball, as well as in golf and basketball, helped him transition to lacrosse.

“The swing in baseball and golf is pretty similar to the shot in lacrosse, like the turning

The Diamond to the Field — Kevin McCarthy goes from swinging

a bat to shooting with a lacrosse stick. McCarthy earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors as a midfielder in his second year of playing lacrosse. (Photos courtesy of Kevin McCarthy)

of the hips and shoulders, and then the offense in lacrosse is pretty similar to offense in basketball,” McCarthy said.

Varsity boys lacrosse head coach Brian Simmons, who has 32 years of involvement in the game including 12 years of coaching under his belt, said that McCarthy’s successful switch is uncommon.

“Not many have succeeded as much as he has,” Simmons said. “He went from a beginner JV player to a very good Division III recruit in a year and a half.”

Senior Alexa Liquori had been involved with gymnastics since she was three years old, reaching level 10 at the age of 15. On Sept.

22, 2015, Liquori suffered a severe concussion and some spinal cord bruising while performing in the vault event. After a full recovery, Liquori decided to switch to Flip the Script — Alexa Liquori flips from all eyes on crew rather than risk her to rowing with teammates to reach success. another injury from Liquori was part of a boat that placed 11th at gymnastics. Just nine Nationals last year. (Photos courtesy of Alexa Liquori) months later, Liquori

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verbally committed to row at Boston College.

“When I stopped gymnastics I knew I needed something to take my mind off of [gymnastics] and to keep in shape,” Liquori said.

The preparation Liquori went through to achieve success in gymnastics helped her transition to crew.

“Gymnastics is all about strength—core strength, leg strength, arm strength—and all of that translated to crew because crew is... using your muscles to propel a boat as fast as you can,” Liquori said.

Liquori was used to doing it all alone in gymnastics, but switching to a team sport like crew forced Liquori to work with others to achieve success. “[Teammate] Mia Cleary [Class of 2016] was big for me,” Liquori said. “It was hard transitioning from [gymnastics], and she would motivate me through the initial struggles [of crew].”

Both athletes agree that they miss their former sports at times but said they are satisfied with how things turned out.

“It’s definitely something to look into,” Liquori said. “Things that you learn in one sport are going to carry over to another.”

Page design by Jiwon Kim

SPORTS

s r e y e M d or

McC te of the Issue Athle

enior Grade: S all y rsit footb Sport: Va line Offensive Position:

What is your pre-game routine?

You’ve started on varsity for the past three years.

Have you seen yourself change since then?

I’ve definitely had a lot of changes these past few years. I entered my first game of my sophomore year weighing 225, and this year I have gone up 80 pounds to 305. I’ve definitely gotten stronger and improved my technique over the years.

What has been your favorite memory from your McLean career?

Playing my first varsity game at the 2014 season opener [a 35-28 victory at Washington-Lee].

How has your college recruiting process been?

The recruiting process has been amazing, I remember receiving my first visit from the Virginia Tech offensive line coach during my sophomore year. It has been great to meet so many great coaches from some awesome programs.

Accolades: OCTOBER

Honestly, I don’t have a pre-game routine; I just sit in silence and think about my job on the field.

What motivates you to get through the challenges you might face during the season?

For this season I can only focus on what I can control so that is what I will do. If I get injured, so be it, but I won’t worry about it until it happens.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave at McLean?

I want to show that it doesn’t matter where you start, but [it matters] where you finish. My coach first said that my sophomore year and it stuck with me. I want to show that our team can overcome adversity, [since] we have had a lot of injuries and some bad games but we are on the rise and ready to work.

Mention, le b ra o n o H t ll-Me Preseason A pect Rating s ro P r ta S e Thre Page design by Bryan Chung

Photo & reporting by Jackson Payne

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Finish Line

Reporting by Alex Mandanas, Samantha Morgan & Miranda Johnson

Ryan McMahon Freshman Football

Katherine Kelly Sophomore Cross Country

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Kat Travis Junior Cheerleading

Josh Callsen Senior Hockey

What song represents your summer?

People complaining

“Pipe It Up” by Migos

Slow walkers in the hallway

“Can’t Stop the Feeling”

When people smack gum

Any Drake song

Anything messy

“9 to 5” by Dolly Parton

Which superhero are you?

Kim Kardashian or Taylor Swift?

Superman

Tay Tay

Wonder Woman

Kim

“Kat” Woman

Kim K

Ant-Man

T Swift Page design by Bryan Chung

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SPORTS