The Highlander - Issue 6 - May 2017

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Volume LXI • Issue 6 • May 2017 • McLean High School thehighlandernews.com • @MHSHighlander

Clearing the air: McLean combats drug culture

CONTENTS NEWS

IN-DEPTH

3

FCPS budget includes program cuts and fees

22-25

4

McLean’s new science opportunities

5

FCPS faces substitute shortage

6

News in Brief

7

Five classes discontinued next year

FEATURES 9

Advice column

10

Senior Struggle

11

Highlander of the Issue: Leslie Jackson

13

10 Qs with Ken Kraner

14

Scottie dogs visit classrooms

Clearing the air: McLean combats drug culture

OPINIONS 29

Editorial: McLean should be more green

30-31

Crossfire: Should students have to test in to AP classes?

32

Sex education should be improved nationwide

33

Syria policy needs serious revision

34-35 36

Calling out catcalling

Letter to the Editors: a teacher’s thoughts on AP season

37

Softball team bonds

15

38

Track strides for greatness

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Boys soccer looks to take the next step

40

Baseball Bros

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Maya Donkor serves up success

42

Girls lacrosse strives for states

43

Athlete of the Issue: Kate Covington

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The Finish Line

Ways to spend your day Cheap vs. expensive burgers

18

Movie Review: Power Rangers

19

Upcoming albums and concerts

20

Movie Review: Fate of the Furious

21

Book Review: White Tears

26-27

34-35

SPORTS

A&E 16-17

16-17

Hirshhorn Museum exhibit

37

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Dear McLean, In the midst of AP testing and final exams, we hope that you can find some time to relax and enjoy this issue of The Highlander, our last full staff issue of the school year.

This issue, check out the News section for coverage of five classes that have been cut for next year and updates about outdoor science resources.

Our Features section includes a profile of a senior who has been crowned Teen Miss Virginia and coverage of the Scottie dogs that Highlanders can spot in various classrooms around McLean.

Flip to our Opinions section to read about the issue of catcalling and for a crossfire about pre-tests for AP classes.

Our editorial this issue is about McLean’s shortcomings in being environmentally friendly.

Check out the Sports section for updates on softball, lacrosse and other spring sports. Read about a junior tennis player who is ranked first on the McLean team.

Our In-Depth this issue examines drug culture at McLean and in Fairfax County and how McLean approaches the disciplinary process.

Until next time, make sure to follow @MHSHighlander on Twitter and check out thehighlandernews.com for updates on all things McLean. Come by room R133 or email us at thehighlanderstaff@gmail.com with any questions, concerns or letters to the editors.

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

highlander

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Letter from the Editors

Volume LXI • Issue 6 • May 2017 • 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

Advertising Manager

Seth Eshraghi

Cartoonists

Courtlan Grinder & Dasha Makarishcheva

Section Editors News Editors

Christine Cheon & Siddarth Shankar

Features Editors

Anjalie Chauhan & Olivia Mooney

A&E Editors

Alex Mandanas & Shanzeh Umerani

Opinions Editors

Rustin Abedi & Helen Bloom

Sports Editors

Colin Edson & Ed Walters

Reporters Jessie Friedman Tyler Grobman Miranda Johnson Jiwon Kim Justin Kim Kyuree Kim Maren Kranking Adviser

Anjali Kumar Amanda Laporte Kon Matheoudakis Julia McElligott 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, ‘16 First Class; Hall of Fame

Cover photo illustration by Shanzeh Umerani

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

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

Printed by aPrintis

Program cuts dominate budget discussion NEWS Lack of county funding creates FCPS budget deficit Siddarth Shankar News Editor

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CPS presented its advertised budget for fiscal year (FY) 2018 to concerned parents at a March 20 meeting at Churchill Road Elementary School. Assistant Superintendent Kristen Michael and school board members Jane Strauss and Ryan McElveen presented the $2.8 billion budget.

The advertised budget targets two major areas: employee compensation and classroom resources. FCPS has a four-year plan to raise teacher salaries that begins this fiscal year.

“We are competing with everybody else to hire good teachers, [so now] new hires will get a bonus. We’re hoping that will help,” Strauss said at the meeting. “Even if we are able to fund what we have proposed, it is going to take us quite a few years to reach the market average [for teacher salaries].”

To fund the advertised budget, FCPS would need a $112.5 million increase in funding from the Board of Supervisors. This request was only partially met. “[We are] facing a gap of $56.7 million... we need support from the county and the state to support our basic needs, which are included in this budget,” Michael said at the meeting.

For many years, the School Board has faced similar deficits in their advertised budgets that were addressed through property

tax increases. The Board of Supervisors has so far resisted another property tax increase due to a lack of public support.

“We’re tens of millions of dollars short again, and it keeps getting worse and worse.

It’s almost juvenile how the citizens of Fairfax County keep expecting things to be good when [they] are not investing in them,” said physics teacher Dean Howarth, who serves on the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council.

“I just find it...almost embarrassing that [one of the] richest counties in America has school funding problems.”

-physics teacher Dean Howarth Since the Board of Supervisors is unwilling to raise property taxes, Strauss and McElveen said they have little hope that the county will provide the additional $56.7 million.

“We, on one hand, are considered a very high achieving school division across the nation, and we are proud of that. But we are seriously stretched,” Strauss said.

Cuts may be made to school programs and fees added in order to save money.

“To help balance this budget...more

department reductions, eliminating travel for professional development [and changing] the way we provide our ESOL transitional program [are possible],” Michael said.

“Items like athletic fees, pupil placement fees, AP/IB fees, student parking fees and programmatic changes...increasing class size at all levels and finally changing the benefits in our supplementary retirement system [are possible].”

Some teachers are happy with the proposed salary increases but concerned about cuts to the supplementary retirement system. Howarth said changing retirement benefits will discourage new teachers from coming to Fairfax County.

“The classes keep getting bigger, you have to keep doing more and more work, we pay you less, and when you’re done working, you’re going to have to just keep working until you’re 80,” Howarth said. “Great deal, huh?”

Although the potential cuts and fees raise concerns for community members, the advertised budget is not yet final. The School Board is holding a public hearing about the FY 2018 budget on May 16 where members of the community can speak about their concerns.

“I just find it very hard to believe and almost embarrassing that [one of the] richest counties in America has school funding problems,” Howarth said.

Question

and Answer — Assistant Superintendent Kristen Michael and School Board members Jane Strauss and Ryan McElveen answer parent questions. Parents gathered at Churchill Road Elementary School on March 20 to find out about the FY 2018 budget. (Photo by Siddarth Shankar)

Page design by Siddarth Shankar

MAY

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Astronomy Library

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hen assigned a school project, many students open their textbooks or head to the library—few go outside to the observatory. In recent months, astronomy students and astronomy club members have been working to make the observatory more accessible to students. Its new resources may help students to complete school projects or pursue their own learning interests.

“The goal is to make the observatory into more of a resource for students who want to use it,” said senior Bella Marku, astronomy club co-president.

With a grant from the PTSA and donations from alumni and the community, the club acquired new eyepieces and a camera to take pictures through the telescope. Principal Ellen Reilly noticed the club’s need and used school funds for a television so the club could broadcast the camera’s images for many students to view the stars at once.

Parent volunteer and hobby astronomer Juergen Klenk said he hopes students will consider using the telescope as a resource even for projects that wouldn’t traditionally involve astronomy.

“Maybe a student comes up with a science fair project

that they want to do here,” Klenk said. “We had thoughts that the photography [students] may be interested in doing astrophotography.”

Another new resource in the observatory is a library on planets and dwarf planets that astronomy students created for a class project.

“As a resource, I think it’s really good because it’s on-hand information about whatever you could potentially be looking at [in the sky],” said junior Sara Shobeiri, astronomy club copresident. “I know we’ve looked at Jupiter and Saturn before, so if you ever wanted to know more about them, it’s right there.”

Students can use the observatory and its resources at “sky watches,” which are held by the astronomy club once a month.

“You can learn a lot from just coming to...one of our star nights. And who knows, maybe you’ll get hooked,” Klenk said.

Klenk said he hopes students can use the observatory and its resources during these nights.

“We want you all to feel free to use [the telescope],” Klenk said. “It isn’t as complicated as it may look.”

Outdoor Science Classroom

McLean enhances science opportunities

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he days of virtual labs and indoor experiments in science classes may soon be over if plans to build an outdoor science classroom are fulfilled in the next few years.

The new outdoor classroom will likely be placed in the library courtyard and will feature an electric connection, water and a lab station. The timeline for construction is still uncertain, but teachers and administrators are already excited about the project.

“We have a really robust science program here and I know we have a lot of students who are really interested in science,” Assistant Principal Jamie Lane said. “There are some really interesting opportunities that we could take outside and make the learning much more meaningful and relevant.”

The funding for the classroom was originally supposed to come from WTOP’s Click for Kids contest, in which community members voted for their schools to receive thousands of dollars in prizes. McLean was not among the schools in the top three places by the end of voting, but the administration plans to receive other funds that may be allocated to the classroom construction.

“It all depends on when the money comes in,” Lane said.

“It could be a few years out would be my guess to when it actually is completed.”

Despite the unofficial plans to create the classroom, science teachers have already developed ideas about how to use the space in order to enhance students’ learning experiences.

“I would hope to grow plants if we have enough money to do a small greenhouse and run some sort of experiment that way,”

Classroom Proposal — This is a proposed design for the outdoor science classroom developed by physics teacher Dean Howarth. This proposal includes an electric supply, water and a lab station. (Graphic courtesy of Jamie Lane) chemistry teacher Christina Hicks said. “I would like to be able to go outside and look for signs of erosion. There’s [also a] weather component to AP Environmental [Science], so we could do something with that.”

Students are excited about the options the new classroom will make available.

“It could...provide a lot of opportunities for real-time research experiments on plants,” said junior Will Poncy, who is taking AP Environmental Science. “It would be a great idea to make McLean’s science classes more interactive.”

Reporting & page design by Carlyn Kranking & Siddarth Shankar

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NEWS

Substitutes raise concerns over compensation Recent parent meeting addresses priorities for long-term substitutes Christine Cheon News Editor CPS is facing a shortage of substitutes and long-term substitutes after last year’s budget reduced their compensation to eliminate a budget deficit. Parents recently raised concerns about substitutes at a March 20 budget meeting at Churchill Road Elementary School.

“We had to cut 14 million dollars [last year] and we had to come to an agreement into how we were going to make those cuts... we looked at the market average for longterm subs and we’re at the market average,” school board member Jane Strauss said at the meeting.

Another contributing factor to the substitute shortage is the lack of healthcare benefits for long-term substitutes.

“Access to healthcare benefits would be a huge selling point. I know that would have been attractive to me,” said Lindsey Moise, the long-term substitute for English teacherMarc Cascio.

The lower pay and benefits have produced vacancies across the county, but some schools have been more affected than others.

“If you’re in another school that’s less

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convenient to get to or people just go, ‘Oh, I don’t like that neighborhood,’...they’re screwing over those schools to come to us,” said physics teacher Dean Howarth, a member of the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council. “McLean is lucky, because substitutes want to come to McLean.”

“To have the full workload and teaching and lesson planning, it’s great and I love it, but I don’t know if I’m being compensated at the same level as a fulltime teacher is.”

-Lindsey Moise, long-term substitute for Marc Cascio

Some long-term substitutes credit McLean’s teaching environment in their decisions to teach here.

“The department here is fantastic and there [are] teachers that teach similar subjects

so if you’re a long-term sub, you’re not...just being thrown out on your own,” said Kip Rogers, the long-term substitute for science teacher Kate Hoefer. “Everyone else in the department has lesson plans...that they can leave you and walk you through.”

Despite their passions for teaching, longterm substitutes and permanent teachers have recently been less willing to come to Fairfax County. The current school year began with 180 unfilled vacancies in teaching positions, and as a result, the school board has made employee compensation one of their priorities for the fiscal year 2018 budget.

“The nice thing is, the interim superintendent and his staff are saying that we have to put staff compensation [first], and not just teachers, all staff...people need to be paid for this,” Howarth said.

The desire for higher pay has also been voiced by long-term substitutes.

“As a long-term sub, my experience and workload is...the same as being a longterm teacher,” Moise said. “To have the full workload and teaching and lesson planning, it’s great and I love it, but I don’t know if I’m being compensated at the same level as a fulltime teacher is.”

Substitute teachers cannot work for more than consecutive days in a single classroom

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180

There were teaching and long-term substitute vacancies this school year

$14.23 per hour $20.14 per hour Facts obtained via fcps.edu Page design by Siddarth Shankar & Bryan Chung

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TheatreMcLean performs Seussical

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heatreMcLean’s final production of the school year, Seussical, was a kid-friendly musical that company members thought would appeal to all ages.

“Small children of course will be entertained by Dr. Seuss as they always are: fun dancing, bright colors, et cetera,” said senior Alan Thomas, who played Horton.

“Students and adults I think will all hold nostalgia for Dr. Seuss...we all grew up with those books and the morals that they teach.”

The show took place April 28-30 and May 6-7 and, in the spirit of Seuss, the set was colorful.

“Seuss is very otherworldly, it’s cartoonish of course,” Thomas said. “Our clovers are very bright and colorful, the landscape [has] a bunch of weird shapes going on. It’s ridiculous and nonsensical and that’s what it should be.”

Theater students hoped the play would teach important lessons to all who attended. “[The] great thing about Dr. Seuss is he was actually a political cartoonist before he wrote his children’s books,” said senior Emily Swett, who played Mayzie La Bird. “All of his stories and especially the ones in Seussical have really important underlying messages.”

Yearbook wins Pacemaker

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cLean’s yearbook, The Clan, recently received a Pacemaker, the most prestigious award given to high school publications by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). The yearbook received the award at the spring NSPA convention in Seattle, which nine yearbook, journalism and broadcast journalism students attended.

“To know that, when ranked against other publications across the country, [our yearbook] ranks so highly is incredibly satisfying,” yearbook adviser Meghan Percival said. “We are particularly excited this past year that we were one of just 19 books in the country to both be on the [Columbia Scholastic Press Association] Crown list and win a Pacemaker at the high school level.”

The yearbook staff was excited to see their hard work pay off with national recognition.

“Yearbook is a lot of work. We’re there a lot. We come in on a lot of weekends...[and] in the beginning of the year, there were some weeks where I was there for probably 20 hours,” senior and yearbook editor-in-chief Ramneek Hazrah said. “But it’s worth it because it’s fun to see the finished product. It’s nice to win awards.”

McLEAN NEWS IN BRIEF Carlyn Kranking & Melanie Pincus Editors-in-Chief

DECA students manage virtual hotel

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eams of DECA students put their business management skills to the test through an online simulation in the DECA Virtual Business Challenge. Juniors Riley Smith and Philena Sun managed a virtual hotel and ended up earning the highest score in Virginia.

“At first, neither of us really expected to win. Most of what we did in the simulation was a shot in the dark…

However, after a while we started to get the hang of it,” Smith said. “About a week into the challenge, Philena texted me that we were in second place in the region. I got so excited, and...from that point on, we were playing to win.”

The simulation had Smith and Sun managing the front desk of the virtual hotel. They had to schedule employees, advertise and set room rates in order to maximize profit, employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. In this way, the competition was able to prepare Smith and Sun for possible futures in marketing careers. “[The Virtual Business Challenge] offers a pretty realistic perspective on these industries, and I think that’s pretty cool,” Sun said.

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Leadership wins gold-level award

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cLean’s leadership program received a National Gold Council of Excellence award from the National Association of Student Councils for their work promoting community service and preparing school events this year.

“For the application, we had to write statements about the projects leadership has done,” said senior Alice Alexeeva, who has taken leadership for two years. “This included a write-up of our homecoming dance preparation and success as well as the Thanksgiving SHARE Drive, [the] Week of Giving.”

Leadership students said the award recognizes the program’s accomplishments over the past year.

“The award highlights our leadership program and how it has excelled,” said senior and student body president Rebecca Rice, who has taken leadership for two years.

Alexeeva said the award demonstrates the value of leadership’s events.

“This award really meant a lot and shows that leadership is much more than just a class that’s an easy A,” Alexeeva said.

“We create student events that are nationally recognized.”

Graphics by Bryan Chung Page design by Young In Seo & Aisha Singh

NEWS

Five courses discontinued Low enrollment leads to class termination ext year, five classes will be cut due to low enrollment. Advanced Programming, AP Comparative Government, AP Physics 2, Basic Technical Drawing and Fashion Marketing 2 are all on the chopping block, and they are slotted to be removed from McLean’s curriculum. The classes were a strain on resources, with some not meeting the minimum number of students needed to run the class.

“Generally it’s 25 [students to run a class].

Sometimes for a variety of reasons we can keep a class that’s smaller than that,” Director of Student Services Paul Stansbery said.

Last year, some of the classes that were kept even though they had fewer than the required 25 students were not the best environments for students and teachers.

“We ran Advanced Programming and Fashion Marketing 2 with only a few kids in them because we combined them with other classes,” Stansbery said. “It actually was really hard for the teachers to deliver the curriculum that way...it wasn’t the best situation.”

AP Comparative Government had been a popular choice in years past, but new classes brought competition, which was intensified

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by students’ perceptions about the course’s difficulty level. Only 14 people signed up for the class during this year’s course selection.

“I’ve had as many as five sections by myself, [and] there were as many as eight sections as a department that I remember, [but] that was back when that was the only choice, and students just didn’t debate it,” AP Comparative Government teacher Ian Howell said. “In the last four years, we decided to offer AP Government as a standalone, [and] Comp just dramatically dropped because people have this perception that U.S. Government is so much easier.”

Classes that only have one section are always on the verge of discontinuation.

“These things do happen, when there’s only one class. If...the margin of kids who sign up drops by even five, then stuff like this does happen,” said senior Jessica Boyer, who takes AP Comparative Government.

Although teachers of cut classes are disappointed, they still believe the classes offer unique opportunities.

“On some level it’s disappointing, but I think Comp is relevant given how we’re so heavily dependent on the international marketplace for our entire existence,” Howell said.

Another class not returning next year is AP Physics 2, which was new this year. It

2016-2017

Miranda Johnson Reporter

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was run this year with only nine students, as opposed to the 25 usually needed to run a class.

“It’s an extension course...it’s a second year part of [AP Physics],” AP Physics 2 teacher Claire Anton said. “Mr. Stansbery felt that it would be good to try it for a year, even though we had such a small amount.”

Though the enrollment had increased this year, it was still below the requirement.

“This year...there were only 22 [that signed up], so they just decided they were going to stick with the 25 [and cut the class],” Anton said.

The addition of new classes may have also contributed to the termination of these five classes.

“There’s a new class this year, AP Computer Science Principles, and that was a very popular choice,” Stansbery said. “We have four sections of that next year and...over 100 students signed up to take that class.”

Some students who currently take the discontinued classes lament the lack of opportunities for next year’s students.

“I was pretty sad when I found out about it because I’ve had a good experience in the class,” Boyer said. “It is a shame that there [are] probably a lot of kids next year who might want to take Comp but now won’t be able to.”

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students signed up

students signed up

students signed up

25

students signed up

AP Physics 2 AP Comparative Government

Infographic by Bryan Chung Page design by Miranda Johnson

MAY

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HEALTHY NEVER TASTED THIS GOOD

Fresh Smoothies & Juices

ROBEKS NOW OPEN 6661 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, Virginia 22101 703-288-0082 www.Robeks.com

If your life’s a mess, call Soph and Jess McLean students send us their problems

FEATURES

Jessie Friedman & Sophie Mariam Reporter & Web Editor-in-Chief

How many “L”s can you actually take before you have accepted failure?

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he simple answer: a lot. It’s easy to give up on something you really want and stop pushing yourself toward your goals. It can be frustrating to work towards a long-term goal when you don’t see any immediate results.

But, if you keep working hard and stay motivated, you will see results eventually. Say you’re trying to make a varsity team for a sport; just because you don’t make the team freshman year doesn’t mean you should just give up on your goal. Keep training, push yourself, work hard and try out again the following year.

In terms of school work, in general your grades are a direct result of the amount of effort you put in (sometimes this kind of sucks). So, if you’re looking to prevent the Ls from rolling in on those chemistry tests or English papers, keep trying your best and maybe even step up your study routine by finding a tutor or trying a new method like flashcards.

As tempting as it is to throw your hands up, surrender and take the L, continue working hard in school and on the activities you are passionate about. In the end, the experience will be worthwhile and you will find yourself improving.

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My boyfriend and I have a stale relationship all of a sudden. What should we do to bring back the energy?

irst of all, don’t worry—it’s common to lose energy in a relationship as time goes on, especially in high school when our lives are consumed by school and extracurricular activities. But don’t sweat it, there are a few simple ways to fix this problem!

Don’t let your schoolwork distract you—work ahead so you can dedicate time to spend focusing solely on your relationship. Plan a creative date that incorporates an activity you haven’t done together.

For example, take advantage of the warmer weather and go on a hike or picnic. If you have a free weekend, take a spontaneous road trip to Kings Dominion or spend some time exploring D.C. together.

New and original activities will make your relationship more exciting.

You will also have more engaging conversation topics for the future to combat those awkward moments of silence.

You can also introduce him to your hobbies and let him share his interests. Seeing each other doing something you’re passionate about is enough to spark energy in the relationship alone. And who knows, maybe you’ll really enjoy this activity and you’ll have something else fun to do together!

Go to https://ask.fm/TheHighlanderStaff to ask us your questions!

Cartoons by Sophie Mariam Page design by Sophie Mariam & Jessie Friedman

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S E N I O R

struggle:

Advice from a freshman Seth Eshraghi Business Manager

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hen second semester rolls around, senioritis is always a topic that arises. As a freshman, I have observed that the typical senior will either dread their time left in school or just stop caring. However, there are obviously much better ways to use the little time they have left.

Seniors can take several different paths, but the following options are recommended by someone with a fresher mind. For those willing to take my advice, keep this in mind—I’m just a freshman.

Stay on top of classes

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lthough senior year is the end of a long 13-year journey, classes should still be taken seriously because less effort can lead to several consequences, including a drop in your GPA which still matters after college acceptance.

“This is important because a college may

rescind their offer of admissions if they feel that a senior’s final year transcript was not on par with their grades from when an offer was given,” counselor Deborah You said. “Seniors need to uphold their academic standards to the very end—until that final walk across the stage at graduation.”

Taking classes less seriously may also cause you to weaken or even lose your work habits, which can potentially hurt your grades in college. As the workload will increase in college, it’s important to keep your work habits consistent so there are fewer consequences in the future.

Do something you’ve always wanted to do

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hether it is going to a city you have been dreaming of or conducting an experiment that piques your curiosity, now is the time to do it, because this is a short window of time in your life that is free of many commitments. “[Seniors have] worked really, really hard for a really long time, and it’s important to take care of yourself before starting this new

transition,” career center specialist Laura Venos said.

The work in high school has been hard, so take the opportunity to reward yourself and pursue your interests—or maybe even lay back a little.

“I try to get a lot more sleep than I used to and just try to do as many fun things as I can before college,” said senior Evan Yang,

who will most likely attend the University of Virginia.

You have a large range of options in your second semester, but one of them should be to check things off your high school bucket list. In the meantime, relaxing is important, as it prevents overworking. You have a short period of time before heading off to college, so use it wisely.

With all these new and mostly unfamiliar changes, preparation is essential to remain on a steady path in college.

“I know a lot of colleges will have a reading list for core courses that all freshmen have to take, for example,” Venos said. “So I would say just...prepare for your new life in terms of your physical living space, but also

what you can do for your academics.”

A smooth transition to college is ideal, as it can affect other aspects of life including academics, future careers, health and finance.

As long as seniors do some kind of preparation for college academics and lifestyle, they will face fewer hardships than those who haven’t prepared.

Prepare for college

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ransitions from elementary to middle to high school may have been rough for some and easier for others, but the jump from high school to college is colossal. Suddenly living with a stranger, taking on more personal responsibilities, being forced to be financially aware and being academically challenged can be difficult.

Page design by Imani McCormick

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FEATURES

Highlander of the Issue

One girl’s crowning glory Senior Leslie Jackson reigns as Teen Miss Virginia Mary Pottanat Reporter miling and waving as she steps forward and a diamond crown is placed on her head, senior Leslie Jackson is named the new Teen Miss Virginia and the crowd begins their applause. Jackson embraces her new title with confidence.

“I feel that my title was well-deserved after my challenging journey to get here,” Jackson said.

However, she has received backlash for her accomplishment.

“I have heard about many conversations at McLean High School questioning whether I deserve my title. At the end of the day, I have to realize that only I know how much work and effort went into this,” Jackson said.

It has not been easy for the teen to get to this point in her career.

“This title has been one of my greatest accomplishments, and knowing the impact I [have] on my community is more important than what anyone thinks,” Jackson said.

The road to accomplishment began long ago for Jackson.

“She started her pageant career at 8 years old,” her mother Phyllis Jackson said.

Initially seeking a way for Jackson to showcase her beauty and talent, her parents entered her in multiple competitions.

“My parents invested so much time and money to get me started in the business and I am grateful for that,” Jackson said.

Although her start in the business was

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More Than

a Title — Senior Leslie Jackson works for the Miss Earth United States pageant to promote environmental awareness. (Photo

courtesy of Leslie Jackson)

rough, Jackson was hopeful her time to shine would come.

“After I didn’t win my first one, I decided to keep going until I won,” Jackson said.

Now, Jackson prepares on her own and pays her own expenses with the money she earns from her many jobs.

“I work at the daycare in the McLean Racquet and Health Club and as a tutor and babysitter to make extra cash,” Jackson said.

Her training regimen has become an independent investment. She begins her training far in advance of the competition, which involves more than practicing her runway walk and has influenced other aspects of her life, like school and work.

As she prepares for the Miss Earth United States pageants, she has to fulfill the expectations of being more than just a beautiful face. “[Leslie] works hard to keep her position, and [I] have seen how hard she works in preparation for her pageants. She’s also organized a lot of environmental cleanups which I think truly shows how driven she is,” said senior Sarah Sanabria, one of Jackson’s friends.

Jackson’s passion for the environment has inspired her to use her position as an opportunity to raise awareness about problems affecting local communities.

“Since I was crowned, I have visited elementary schools and spoken to the children about the importance of saving our

environment through recycling, conserving water and cleanups,” Jackson said.

While holding the title of Teen Miss Virginia, Jackson also is preparing for more competitions.

“I just won International Junior Miss Virginia Teen 2017 and will be going to Nashville in July to compete for the International Teen title,” Jackson said.

As she is going off to college next year, Jackson hopes that her efforts as a pageant queen will inspire young girls to pursue the pageantry business with goals of more than being awarded for their physical appearance.

“When I first started pageants, I just thought of them as fun and didn’t see the impact...but after a couple years, I realized that I could have had more scholarships for school and could have made a huge impact on my community sooner in my life,” Jackson said.

From her many years of pageant training, she has learned lessons that will help her in the future. “[From this experience], my fellow contestants and I learn to be supportive of each others’ achievements, which I think is one great lesson to learn about pageantry,” Jackson said. “Remember that everyone is preparing just as hard as you, if not harder, so do your best. If you don’t win, remember to keep a smile on your face.”

Page design by Imani McCormick

11

10 Qs with

FEATURES

Ken Kraner (English Teacher)

Reporting by Kon Matheoudakis Photos by Shanzeh Umerani Page design by Bryan Chung

Aliens invade tomorrow.

What do you do?

We’re all dead, man. If aliens invade it’s to reap our planet of its resources and to enslave or kill us all.

What is your pet peeve?

Personalized license plates because people always misspell things or try to be cute.

What is your favorite book?

How do you cope with Mondays?

Are you a passive or aggressive person?

I try not to keep track of the days of the week. That way I’m surprised when Friday hits.

Depends on the situation—when I’m lying in the sun I’m passive, when I’m fighting the waves I’m aggressive.

Did you have senioritis?

They’re still waiting for me to show up to my AP Calculus exam.

How do you feel about cats?

Cats will be useful if we ever run out of chickens.

What frustrates you the most about teaching?

Intrusion from people who don’t know what happens in a classroom, usually those on the government level.

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What is your quest?

To never be bored.

Dune by Frank Herbert because it’s the best science fiction book ever written and it sent me on a life-long love for sci-fi.

What’s the most evil thing you’ve ever done?

I’m the Mother Teresa of teachers. I couldn’t possibly do something evil.

Highlanders’ Best Friend — Art 1 students

paint plaster Scottie dogs and show them off in the Highlander dog show in the front office. After spring break, the dogs moved to their new homes in classrooms.

(Photos by Eva Zarpas)

Who let the dogs out?

Art students create plaster pooches for McLean classrooms Olivia Mooney Features Editor

M

cLean teachers have adopted some new faux furry friends to brighten their classrooms. These Scottie dogs were plastered, designed and painted by Art 1 students over the course of three months.

The assignment was inspired by the global Cow Parade, where artists design and paint life-size fiberglass cows or other animals.

The cows are displayed in cities worldwide, and some are auctioned off to raise money for charities. Much like the cows around the world, the Scottie dogs will be displayed around the school.

“I wanted to create something that was fun, silly and uplifting because McLean is

really serious,” art teacher Christina Carroll said, “something that would bring the community together.”

Each team of students developed a theme for their dog that they found to be uplifting.

“It was wintertime and we were missing flowers, so we created a flower dog,” freshman Grace Frazee said.

Students were challenged to add their own unique flourishes like wings, locks and soccer balls to complete their dog’s theme.

“After painting the body, we created a soccer ball the same way we created the dog with the cardboard and plaster,” freshman Carl Opem said.

Art students learned how to build their structurally sound plaster canines by modeling their teacher’s prototype.

“This was a really big problem-solving project. It required a lot of critical thinking, which they are not really aware of when they are doing it. So they learned a lot of processes, [including] architectural and structural engineering,” Carroll said.

McLean teachers applied to adopt Scottie dogs for their classrooms. The application was very facetious, including questions like, ‘Who is going to take care of the dog when you’re not there?’ After spring break, these teachers received their dogs.

The project has been a hit with both teachers and students and is set to become an annual fixture.

“I think it would be a fun project to do every year so other teachers could get to adopt,” Carroll said.

Page design by Olivia Mooney & Laura Opsahl-Ong

14

FEATURES

Ways to spend the day in May

A&E

If you like music...

Check out DC101 Kerfuffle. Kings of Leon, Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, Fitz and the Tantrums and Catfish and the Bottlemen are all part of this year’s DC101 Kerfuffle lineup. The event is open to those of all ages and is sponsored by DC101, D.C.’s Alternative Rock Radio Station.

When: Sunday, May 14, at 1:30 p.m.

Where: Merriweather Post Pavilion Photo of Kings of Leon obtained via Wikimedia Commons

If you’re worldly...

Check out Passport DC. Presented by Cultural Tourism D.C., this celebration of international culture showcases D.C.’s embassies and cultural organizations with hundreds of events including street festivals, performances and exhibitions.

“We are global citizens,” English teacher Annette Billingsley said. “We need to be able to relate to the rest of the world.”

When: May 1-31 Where: Embassy Row, D.C. Photo of Embassy Row obtained via Wikimedia Commons

If you’re a foodie...

Check out Truckeroo. The event allows customers to sample a diverse array of foods and flavors as well as listen to live music and play games.

“Truckeroo seems like a great event to try new foods without having a huge investment in them,” family and consumer sciences teacher Linda Gore said.

Truckeroo will announce event dates as they approach.

When: May 5 (other dates TBA) Where: Half Street Fairgrounds Photo of BBQ Bus obtained via Flickr under a Creative Commons License

If you’re athletic...

Check out Earth Treks Climbing and Fitness. With over 45,000 square feet of climbing, Earth Treks is the go-to location for indoor rock climbing, with over 400 roped routes and boulders, as well as designated yoga and fitness rooms.

When: Open seven days a week Where: Crystal City, Virginia Photo of Earth Treks obtained via Flickr under a Creative Commons License

Reporting by Anna Murphy Page design by Alex Mandanas

MAY

15

Cheap eats vs. expensive feasts: Le Diplomate

D.C. Location: 1601 14th St. NW

$$$ (way expensive) - $20.00

L

e Diplomate is a fancy affair; the French restaurant is as expensive as it is charming, and the food fits the bill. The restaurant’s infamously pricey Burger Americain is the most costly among those encountered on this voyage, coming in at a total of $20 after tax and tip. Can a cheeseburger and fries really be worth 20 bucks? This came darn close.

The burger was double-stacked with a monumental amount of cheese complete with some delicious herb mayo. The combination of the flavor of the sauce and the patty was delicious, and the bun was perfectly golden and toasted.

The fries, however, rivaled the burger in their beauty. They were everything one could want in a fry: golden and crispy, but with the perfect soft inside, and a unique flavor that could not be beat. Overall, the meal was delicious, so if you’re in the market for a pricier meal with a lavish atmosphere, look no further.

The Scale: Subpar 16

Decent eats

Hella good A&E

Ray’s Hell Burger

D.C. Location: 449 K St. NW Arlington Location: 1650 Wilson Blvd.

$$ (cheap-ish) - $9.99

R

ay’s is a chill establishment that’s really all about the food. It’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from Le Diplomate; this place focuses on serving up quality meat, so the atmosphere is as bare-bones as it gets.

The Mack burger had some delicious meat, but the bun game was substantially weak in comparison to the awesome brioche bun at Good Stuff or the golden bun at Le Diplomate.

The tater tots were a winner—fluffy, crispy and tasty as a tot could be. If you’re at Ray’s, this side is a must.

In the end, however, the Mack burger was not as impressive as the other two burgers, but if you’re in the area and looking for some good meat, stop by this dive.

A quest for an epic cheeseburger

Reporting & page design by Sophie Mariam & Eva Zarpas

Good Stuff Eatery

D.C. Location: 3291 M St. NW Arlington Location: 2110 Crystal Drive

$ (dirt cheap) - $6.95

G

ood Stuff Eatery is a casual place located in Georgetown, and its burgers and shakes knocked it out of the park in terms of both taste and price.

The Sunnyside burger comes topped with an egg, bacon and the restaurant’s delicious signature Good Stuff Sauce. The meat rivaled Le Diplomate in flavor, and the Good Stuff Sauce complemented the egg and bacon to pull together the harmony of flavors into a truly beautiful burger experience.

The shakes were equally awesome, and any s’mores fans should try the toasted marshmallow shake, which has the perfect thick texture and really tastes like a marshmallow.

The fries were not as impressive, coming nowhere close to the crispiness and flavor of the Le Diplomate fries. If you’re going for the fries, go for Spike’s for more seasoned fries rather than Sunny’s fries.

This casual stop even has Obama’s stamp of approval, and was by far the best deal and tastiest meal among those we tried.

Photos by Eva Zarpas

MAY

17

A powerful final product A flawed film that keeps the soul of the franchise intact

Tyler Grobman Reporter

A

fter a 22 year hiatus, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have finally returned to the big screen. This time, they’re packing greatly enhanced special effects and social media accounts in the 21st century. Orchestrated by indie director Dean Israelite, the initial trailers left many people wondering whether or not the final product would be able to stand on its own.

While the final product does have its flaws, Israelite has achieved a stupendous feat by transposing the original characters, tone and action into the present day, adding just the right amount of drama,angst, and teenage attitude.

The film follows recasted versions of the original five rangers as they struggle with high school while attempting to repel the evil Rita Repulsa . By far the best actor among the rangers is RJ Cyler, who delivers his lines with panache and enthusiasm as the Blue Ranger. Elizabeth Banks also deserves a lot of credit as Rita Repulsa for delivering a perfect fusion of menace, camp, and regality to her role.

Additionally, the film excels at transporting the source material to modern day and doing a marvelous effort at balancing the camp with the realism. An example of this trend is with Alpha Five, who with his new, more insectoid appearance, easily could have been disregarded as the next Jar-Jar Binks.

However, Bill Hader delivers a masterful performance taking a new perspective on the character and giving him a well-defined personality.

This trend also continues with 18

Zordon, where Bryan Cranston’s performance as the omnipresent benefactor for the team is nuanced and emotional. His appearance in this new incarnation of the team is even more relevant because of his role on the original show as a voice actor for some of the monsters.

Even though numerous people were nervous about the new designs for the Power Ranger suits, they actually work very well on camera. Just about all of the original content and campy stuff about the original is manipulated to the extent that transposing everything to the modern era just works.

By far the best aspect of the film is how well done the special effects are. Whether it’s the Putty footsoldiers of Rita or it’s the massive prehistoric-themed zords, everything looks flawless. The special effects experts also deserve a lot of credit for having the interactions between the CGI contructs and the physical props and actors mostly appear fluid and realistic.

The only aspect of the special effects which isn’t particularly good is how sometimes during the action sequences, the cgi will either become muted or dreadfully implemented due to the camera perspective.

Ultimately, the main problem with the film stems from disturbed pacing and some characterization issues. The majority of the actual action sequences take place three quarters of the way through the film

Lionsgate

and have too much of an extended buildup.

The other main problem is that some of the dialogue is stilted and disjointed and sometimes is contrary to the personalities of the characters.

Sadly, this is especially clear with some major pieces of dialogue between the rangers.

In an updated version of the series that’s heavily focused on character drama and interaction, it’s a shame that the dialogue is such a dynamic letdown.

While the film’s dialogue and pacing is flawed, good acting and adherence to the source material makes this a win for Lionsgate and the Power Rangers franchise.

This film is very much what the Michael Bay Transformers franchise should have become, with adherence and respect to the original material, while delivering a final product that legitimately wants to be good and reinvents the franchise for a new generation of viewers.

As such, I’m giving the film four stars out of five.

Rating

Page design by Bryan Chung Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

A&E

Staying in tune New and upcoming music experiences

HOTTEST ALBUMS

Imani McCormick & Laura Opsahl-Ong Copy Editor & Reporter

FESTIVALS

FIREFLY July 15 - 18 The Woodlands of Dover, Delaware Firefly is a three-day music festival in the woodlands of Delaware. Music lovers can buy single day passes or pay for the full experience which includes performances from artists such as Twenty-One Pilots and The Weeknd, outdoor camping options, morning yoga and intermural sports.

PANORAMA July 28 - 30 Randall’s Island Park, New York City Panorama will host artists such as Frank Ocean, Alt-J, Andrew McMahon and Solange. It has unique features such as an experimental, interactive, digital art exhibit and a 360-degree virtual reality theater.

LOLLAPALOOZA August 3 - 6 Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois Lollapalooza is a world-renowned, four-day annual music festival that has been taking place since the late 90s and has since expanded to host festivals in multiple countries. This year’s lineup is set to include highly accredited artists, such as Chance the Rapper, Muse, Cage the Elephant and Lorde.

CONCERTS The Weeknd May 18 Verizon Center

Coldplay Aug. 6 FedExField

Shawn Mendes* Aug. 19 Verizon Center

Chance the Rapper June 4 Jiffy Lube Live

J.Cole John Mayer Aug. 8 Aug. 25 Verizon Center Jiffy Lube Live

*For a chance to win two free Shawn Mendes tickets, follow us on Twitter: @MHSHighlander MAY

Divide Ed Sheeran Divide, Ed Sheeran’s third studio album, was released in early March and received high critical praise. Its lead single, “Shape of You,” broke Spotify streaming records at its release with over 56 million streams in one day.

More Life Drake More Life recieved widespread critical acclaim when it was dropped on March 18. It has broken multiple streaming records and replaced Ed Sheeran’s Divide as the most streamed album on its first day.

Melodrama Lorde Lorde, who hasn’t released an album since 2013, is set to drop Melodrama on June 16. “Green Light,” the first single of the album, was released in early March and is already near the top of the charts.

Page design by Imani McCormick Photos of artists obtained via Google Images & Flickr under a Creative Commons License

19

A bright fate for the furious

Universal Pictures

The Fate of the Furious shows the franchise isn’t out of fuel yet Challenge: Count how many truckloads of car puns are squeezed into this review.

Justin Kim Reporter

D

irected by F. Gary Gray and starring Vin Diesel, Lane Johnson and Racin’ Statham and Carlize Theron, The Fate of the Furious is the eighth entry in a franchise that simply refuses to run out of fuel, each new film getting more over the top than the last. I auto know; I’ve watched them all.

While on a mission, Dominic Toretto (spoiler alert) betrays his old team and goes to work for an international hacker, Cypher.

Now, with her planning world domination by carjacking, the plot kicks into gear as the rest of Dom’s gang teams up with an old enemy for the drive.

I didn’t expect much from F8 beyond

what I knew it was going to deliver on: the craziest things that can be done with cars in an action movie. Every bit of car action in this movie is a wild ride, with scale and tension. It rains cars. Trucks blow up. A baby listens to music as a gunfight goes on around him. All of it Escalades to a blood-pumping and slightly ridiculous level, but that’s exactly why we love this franchise in the first place.

The actors seem to know that as well, especially the newest villain, Cypher. Actress Theron transforms Cypher into what I can only describe as a James Bond villain from the 60s: seductive and hammy, yet quietly charismatic, and it fits the tone of the movie perfectly.

The rest of the cast is just as enjoyable to watch—from Roman and Tej constantly bickering to Letty getting personal with Dom to Hobbs verbally sparring with F7’s villain Shaw, all of them have great chemistry, and

I could watch the movie for hours even if it was just them sitting at a bar, talking.

Yet this film goes beyond furious action with its plot. Beneath all the quips and the Lamborghinis, there is genuine emotional motivation for Dom here. “Family” is a word uttered countless times throughout this movie, and with the aforementioned chemistry among the cast, it weaves together a simple but fairly touching story that saves this movie from becoming exhausting.

You’d think by the eighth movie the franchise would have lost traction, but F8 still manages to deliver what the fans want in bigger doses, while adding extra drama for some substance. Fast and Furious may have rumbled into its 16th year, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to get tired of seeing more carmageddons.

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Fast Five (2011)

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

The most expensive car ad in the world.

2-much sequel-itis.

Rating

F & F - Street Racing + The Rock = Profit!!!

They actually drove the tank. No CG.

The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) Furious 7 (2015) The Fast and the Walker-less: The Third Wheel.

Skydiving with cars. Need anything else?

Fast & Furious (2009)

Car Wars Episode IV: A new hope in a new director.

Car pun counter: 17

20

Page design by Justin Kim

A&E

White Tears sparks tears of frustration Novel winds a confusing and unfulfilling road of misery

Catherine Zysk Reporter

I

n their review of Hari Kunzru’s White Tears, Time described the novel as “ambitious.”

And yet, by the time I finished reading, I found that ambitious was merely the word they used to avoid calling it confusing, long-winded and awful. Ambitious was the only accurate and somewhat positive word choice that could be used to describe this cluttered mess of a storyline.

White Tears tells the story of a painfully awkward boy named Seth who finds himself drawn to Carter, the enigmatic and wealthy boy down the hall. Their friendship grows obsessive as they push further and further toward finding the greatest retro record, hidden in some elusive version of the past.

Promising, right? I wanted so badly for this story to take off, to take me somewhere new and “ambitious.” Unfortunately, the whole plot line dissolved into variations of the same dull, confusing and sometimes strange delusions of an awkward guy who feels lonely and sorry for himself.

This pity that seemed to fill every scene was the true downfall of this book. The episodic transfers of narration? The sub-par plot arch?

All of this is manageable—endurable, at least.

But the pity? The pity made me hate this book.

Seth’s whiny, pathetic nature made me want to kill him myself. I could care less that the antagonist, evil Chester Bly, was coming for him. I just wanted his silly little rants about his

MAY

Penguin Random House

love for his friend’s sister to end. Chester Bly, the sociopath who took the villain role to a whole new level with his intense focus and terrifying smile, was more relatable than Seth.

Only slightly better was Carter with his “blond dreadlocks, intricate tattoos, [and] a trust fund he didn’t hesitate to use to further the cause of maximum good times.” With this kind of introduction, I wanted Carter to be a vibrant part of this novel. His manic behavior, however, was captivating at best and frustratingly overemphasized at worst.

Although I wanted this potentially stunning and complex character to come through in the narrative, like most things in this book, Carter fell flat. He was reduced to nothing more than a static character in an incredibly static storyline.

The only truly good thing about this book was the well-written prose. With lovely descriptions like “its sound converted into electrical energy, frozen, then the whole process reversed, electricity moving to a speaker cone, sound spilling into my ears connecting me to that long-ago time and place,” I thought this book was going to be a knock-out. But all the beautiful prose in the world could not provide what this story really needed, which was heart.

Since I was not able to relate to any of the characters, the only thing that White Tears had going for it was a few nice sentences and a pretty cover.

By page 264 out of 271 I thought I had seen the worst of it and I just wanted to finish this mess of a book to get it over with and move on with my life. But, as I was in so many ways when I chose to read this book in the first place, I was horribly wrong. On page 264 I was forced to flip through four pages of one syllable on repeat: “ha ha ha ha ha…” It went on and on and on to the point that I was just laughing at the lunacy of it.

And so, with four pages of pure madness which I guess was supposed to build suspense (it was obviously unsuccessful), White Tears sealed its fate as one of the worst books I have ever read.

That is saying something, because I have read a lot of books.

Unless you want to waste $8.43 and a few hours of your life on a murder mystery that is somehow as boring to read as watching paint dry, then steer clear of White Tears. It’s only worth picking up if you enjoy crying tears of frustration in your limited free time.

Page design by Catherine Zysk

21

Clearing the air

McLean combats drug culture Anjalie Chauhan, Christine Cheon & Young In Seo Features Editor, News Editor & Managing Editor

22

IN-DEPTH

L

ast year, McLean High School reported 17 alcohol, tobacco and other drugrelated offenses. Three years ago, there were 41 cases reported. On par with the national trend, the number of drug abuse cases has been declining at McLean.

While there has been a decline nationally in adolescent use of illicit drugs, substances like marijuana still represent a significant part of life for some students at McLean.

“I hate it more than anything when people try to tell me, ‘You have a problem.’ I know…I can’t just stop. I wish I could. I have for a little bit—it’s just hard to stop. It really is hard to stop,” said senior Adrian Miller*, who was disciplined for the possession of marijuana on school grounds this year.

A study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substances Abuse at Columbia University found that nine out of 10 high school students know a person who uses drugs during the school day. A similarly large proportion of students at McLean know someone who uses drugs. In a survey of 400 students, 73 percent said they know another student who uses drugs.

lot more. I know kids who drop acid on the daily. It just increases.”

A number of factors push students toward experimentation with drugs.

“There are so many factors…access, boredom...wanting to try different things.

It’s just not a healthy choice to make if you want to try different things or if you’re bored,” school psychologist Beth Werfel said.

Some students attribute their experimentation with and use of drugs to a lack of other interesting activities available in McLean.

“I think [people try drugs] because there’s not a lot to do around McLean and if you have a lot of free time and you just get bored,” Fletcher said. “That’s just really it.”

In the poll of 400 students, 56 percent said they believe that drug use has been normalized at McLean.

“I know more people that do drugs than the people that don’t do it out of like religious reasons or something like that,” Fletcher said.

“And even though they can’t and don’t, they still talk about it like everybody else and it’s just a normal thing.”

“There’s nothing else I could think to do.”

Curiosity is one of the major reasons students begin taking drugs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Moreover, at McLean, some students cite the intense academic environment as a reason to take drugs that promote feelings of relaxation and reduce anxiety.

According to a study published by the Institute of Psychiatry, cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical compound found in some forms of cannabis, has the psychiatric potential to be used as an antidepressant and anti-anxiety agent. Students may mistake the benefits of medical marijuana, which is currently legal in 29 states and Washington, D.C., to be the same as recreational marijuana.

“Some people I know smoke weed while doing homework like for English...because they can’t think straight. So they’ll smoke weed and it relaxes them and they perform better. I’m not saying it helps them perform better, but that’s how they think,” Miller said.

NIDA notes that high schoolers’ perception of drugs like marijuana is changing.

“I hate it more than anything when people try to tell me, ‘You have a problem.’ I know…I can’t just stop. I wish I could. I have for a little bit—it’s just hard to stop. It really is hard to stop.”

-senior Adrian Miller* Drug Culture

As students progress through high school, the likelihood that they will interact with someone who uses drugs increases. Of 100 McLean freshmen surveyed, 55 said they know someone who does drugs, compared to 89 of 100 seniors.

Senior Adam Fletcher* is a McLean student who was recommended for expulsion this school year due to drug possession at school, but ultimately not expelled. Fletcher said his friend group has used drugs more frequently as they’ve gotten older.

“I remember freshman year, we were all clean,” Fletcher said. “Sophomore year? A few people started drinking here and there…

Senior year, everyone’s smoking and doing a

Specifically, the wealth of many families in the McLean area may make it easier for students to gain access to drugs.

“I know it’s because kids around here are so rich. They go out and spend all their parents’ money on drugs and do what they want,” Miller said. “Rich kids have connections...I know people that know people that kids should not talk to.”

Because of the relative ease with which students can obtain drugs, illicit substances like marijuana can become commonplace at social events.

“I’ve asked people, ‘Do you want to hang out?’...and their first question is, ‘Do you have any weed?’ Because they initially think if you’re going to hang out with someone, you’re going to smoke weed,” Miller said.

According to NIDA’s 2016 Monitoring the Future Youth survey, only 31.1 percent of 12th graders reported that they consider marijuana use to be harmful, although 68.5 percent disapprove of regular marijuana use.

Discipline

Despite the growing misconception among students that drugs like marijuana do not have negative health effects, the Fairfax County’s Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) guide is explicit in saying that “a healthy learning environment is free of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, inhalants and lookalike or synthetic drugs” and any possession, use, distribution or sale of these substances is prohibited on school property.

*These names have been changed to protect these students’ anonymity due to the sensitive nature of their stories.

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23

9th graders 10th graders 11th graders 12th graders

79%

80%

85% Think health classes at McLean helped educate about the harms of drugs

87% 20%

33%

41%

Believe health classes effectively steer students away from drugs

40%

42%

71%

Say drug use has been normalized at McLean

53%

58% 50%

89% Know someone who does drugs

69% 80% Survey of 400 students, 100 per grade

24

“After they found [the marijuana] they searched my car and brought me back to [the] security office,” Fletcher said. “The next day there was a meeting with [administrators]... because they had found weed and a knife that was over five inches that I use for fishing and tobacco.”

Students who are caught with drugs on school grounds are not only recommended for expulsion, but they are also prohibited from attending school during the expulsion process. Junior Kurt Phillips*, a former McLean student, was recommended for expulsion by McLean administrative staff this school year.

“I was out of school for three months because I had to wait for a hearing for them to either say I was either going to stay or not,” Phillips said. “By that time I was tired of waiting for the hearing so I transferred... before they could actually expel me.”

Students recommended for expulsion must go through an expulsion hearing. “[At the hearing] they sit you at a table and one guy just drills me," Fletcher said.

"He keeps drilling and asking me these weird questions that you’re not prepared for."

Not all cases are weighed the same. If a student is a repeat offender or distributes drugs, for example, their discipline process might be different from that of a first-time offender.

“If it’s used for distribution, there is no second chance on distribution,” Principal Ellen Reilly said. “[But] if we think that it’s personal use and it’s one time and you have no other offenses and there’s nothing else involved with it, we could try to have an expedited review and not have you go to the [expulsion] hearing, and then you would be suspended during that time.”

All cases follow SR&R procedures, but the expedited process helps students who are first-time offenders get back to their daily school routine faster.

FCPS Programs

Students who abuse drugs face consequences through disciplinary action and intervention programs. Punitive measures focus on the actual violation of the law or the SR&R, while other programs aim to educate students about drug use and develop strategies for good decision making.

Drug use among 8th, 10th and 12th graders has declined since the 1990s and 2000s, according to NIDA. Despite the decline in overall drug use, McLean

administrators work to ensure that the minority of students who do abuse drugs receive attention and aid.

Systems of Support Advisor Nick Corsi administers the FCPS Restorative Justice project, a drug intervention program.

“What [Restorative Justice] does is it really allows the students to kind of reflect on how they harmed themselves or how they harmed others,” Corsi said. “When you think about it...you’re not just harming yourself if you’re selling drugs—you’re possibly harming the people you sell them to, you’re harming your parents, you’re harming the family of the people you’re selling to.”

McLean offers additional resources to help students who have experienced disciplinary action related to drugs or who are struggling with drug abuse.

“It’s been about three years now, but the county redid [the SR&R] to make it much less harsh on the students to really focus on what the student needs,” Assistant Principal Jamie Lane said. “We know there’s a violation here, we know there’s going to be consequences, but now let’s focus on what the actual issue is and how we can help with that issue.”

FCPS and McLean’s focus on supporting students dealing with drug abuse has shown some positive results. After being caught with marijuana at school, Miller attended a drug seminar and received a 30-day suspension from all school activities.

“This is the one time where they actually did it right. They did [suspend me from sports activities], because they have to do that, but otherwise, all they wanted to do was get me help which was how it really should be,” Miller said. “So [my discipline] was actually a lot more beneficial than other kids that it’s happened to.”

In addition, students facing disciplinary action may be referred to a three-day Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) seminar which aims to increase participants’ understanding of the negative effects of drug abuse.

“I realized that...there’s more science to [drug abuse],” Fletcher said. “I realized that weed is addictive, it can be addictive.

Everyone says it’s not addictive...[AOD] destroyed a lot of the urban myth behind it.”

Miller said these drug counseling programs were helpful in some ways. “[The drug seminar] was kind of more of a scare tactic. But helping me would be sitting in class with the other kids, because those kids had serious problems. I just didn’t IN-DEPTH

want to end up like those kids,” Miller said.

In addition to intervention programs, other adults at McLean also support students struggling with drug use.

“I’m here as an SRO [school resource officer] to protect the school and also interact with the kids and show you guys that [police officers are] not all that the media paints us as—that’s why I’m out and about, I say hi to everybody. So if I have to do my job, I do my job, but other than that, I’m here for you guys,” SRO Scott Davis said.

Multiple teachers supported Phillips during his expulsion process. “[My counselor, Kathleen] Otal [and] Principal Reilly helped me out...both my basketball coaches helped me out, a couple of my teachers helped me out,” Phillips said.

Before FCPS made budget cuts in 2010, FCPS’s Merrifield Center housed drug counselors who would visit FCPS high schools. “[The counselors] would check in on students and they would do small groups with students who were recovering from drug use.

It was just extra support,” Werfel said. “[It was a] great resource that the Fairfax County government provided to the schools.”

FCPS budget cuts, however, have led to a reduction in the number of drug rehabilitation resources such as those that were provided by the Merrifield Center. The consequences of such cuts raise the question of whether FCPS is doing enough to provide programs for students struggling with drug abuse.

“When people get caught with drugs, they’re immediately punished and sent away... It just makes it 10 times worse,” Miller said. “Most criminals are jailed just because of minor drug offenses for smoking weed... Instead, they could probably just be sentenced to three years in rehab and...get help.”

Health Classes

Throughout middle and high school, before and after pictures of drug addicts shown in health classes and presentations that link drugs to crime and other risky behaviors attempt to make students aware of the harmful effects of drugs.

“I don’t think health classes do anything to prevent, in my opinion. Because I mean, let’s say day one: drugs are bad... Any health class reinforces that with the same videos... and it just becomes monotonous to the point where it’s like, ‘Alright, I get it,’” Fletcher MAY

said.

Health and P.E. teacher Rebekah Person notes the limited reach school health classes can have in influencing the behavior of students.

“I mean, I’d like to think that [the curriculum] is effective. I think we give the right information but it just depends on what each individual does with the information, so we can only give so much and then it’s up to each person to decide what life choices they’re going to make,” Person said.

Health classes currently cover drug abuse in their curriculum through videos, worksheets and a precautionary visit from Officer Davis.

“We [also] do a research project where students will pick a drug and they research all the information about it and like the emotional consequences, social, physical, so they get to know information about it,” Person said. “So they can see how bad it actually is as opposed to not knowing anything about it and then taking someone’s word for it.”

However, some students who have taken health classes say that there is not sufficient emphasis on the legal consequences of drug use.

“Don’t tell me drugs are bad. I just feel like health classes nowadays and all that look down at you and [say], ‘You don’t know what’s good for you’... That doesn’t help me steer away from drugs,” Fletcher said. “[But if ] I know legal consequences behind it, alright, [then] I can start reasoning for myself, be my own person.”

Although students may gain momentary satisfaction from using drugs, the consequences of drug abuse can last a lifetime.

“I haven’t had anybody come up to me, that I know, [who] said I’m glad I did the following drug—it’s always been the opposite,” Davis said. “Abusing [drugs] and using [them] to get high can be a life lesson that a lot of people don’t want to learn, and I would hate to see somebody get seriously hurt or die from it.”

While limited in resources, faculty members understand the persisting issue of drug abuse among some students at McLean.

"I think there are always more things that you can do, unless you have 100 percent of your students reporting that they’re not using—that’s when you’re okay,” Corsi said.

“If it’s 99.9 percent, we’re not doing enough.

We need to reach that 100 percent mark.”

The most recent FCPS Youth Survey found...

36.4% of seniors

17.0%

of sophomores

have used MARIJUANA

.3%

4 f 10th

rs o de a r g

7.5

%

of gra 12th de rs

abused prescription drugs within the past month

0.6% of 10th graders

1.0% of 12th graders

E

have used ecstasy within the past month

Infographic by Young In Seo

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Polka Dot Yayoi Kusama leaves her mark in D.C. Shanzeh Umerani A&E Editor/Photography Editor

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apanese artist Yayoi Kusama is taking D.C. by storm. Her most aesthetically pleasing art exhibition yet, Infinity Mirrors, is open at the Hirshhorn Museum until May 14. Kusama’s ambitious exhibit is a mesmerizing and deeply enjoyable experience for art connoisseurs and casual observers alike.

Infinity Mirrors is an enchanting sequence of art pieces, made cohesive by a common theme: dots. Nicknamed “Princess of Polka Dots,” Kusama has integrated dots into every piece of art. With paintings, interactive pieces and mirrored rooms, Infinity Mirrors encompasses Kusama’s worldview in a captivating way.

I walked through the exhibit, astounded. It was hypnotic, as if there was no such thing as depth perception in art. Repetition upon repetition of patterns using dots and various colors allowed for a mindblowing perspective on simple ideas.

The first component of the exhibit is Kusama’s six Infinity Mirror installations, which are rooms lit up in different patterns and colors. A little peephole allows for ticket-holders to peek inside this mesmerizing world of never-ending brightness. Viewers are only allowed 30 seconds in these rooms, which seems too short a timespan; however, each second feels elongated as you stare at the luminescence hanging from the ceiling.

By far the best Infinity Room was “The Soul of Millions of Light Years Away.” This small mirrored room offers a truly breathtaking experience. The room is lit up with celestial lights, making it seem like you are floating in the Milky Way. Another notable installation was “The Obliteration Room,” an interactive art piece that encourages visitors to get involved in Kusama’s wonderland. As you enter, you are handed a sheet of colorful circular Top of both pages: Infinity Mirrored Room — The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away Top: Infinity Mirrored Room — Love Forever Middle: Dots Obsession — Love Transformed Into Dots Bottom: The Obliteration Room 26

A&E

Pandemonium stickers and encouraged by Kusama herself to place the stickers on the walls, furniture or objects in the room. The once stark white room is now covered with layers of colorful stickers, creating a striking and photogenic scene and making the art piece famous on Instagram.

Infinity Mirrors has become popular in the D.C. area, making tickets elusive and lines long. The exhibit attracts a diverse group of people: tourists, students, families and D.C. residents are all flocking to the Hirshhorn to experience the incredible exhibit. Personally, I waited in line for three hours to buy my tickets.

It’s possible to buy tickets online, but somewhat unrealistic. They only go on sale at noon on Mondays and sell out in minutes.

Part of Infinity Mirrors’ appeal is the affinity to visitors Kusama emphasizes in her art. As I walked through the exhibits, I felt a personal connection to the artist.

Since her childhood, Kusama explored her artistry through painting and other means, but it wasn’t until she began having hallucinations of fields of dots that she found her niche in the artistic community. Her signature dots not only made her popular, but they also distinguished her from other artists of her time.

Her art represents the strides made in contemporary art during her time. Her freshman paintings anticipated the emergence of Minimalism, but her work soon transitioned to pop art and performance art.

Incredibly, Kusama barely has any formal artistic training and only spent a brief time at the Kyoto City Specialist School of Arts. On a whim she moved to New York City in 1957 to pursue professional art.

In New York, she flourished, considering legends like Andy Warhol, Donald Judd and Claes Oldenburg as contemporaries. She gained a global recognition for her unique and enthralling pieces.

Kusama is also an advocate for people with mental illnesses. Having suffered from a variety of mental illnesses herself, she continuously promotes the message that these diseases aren’t restrictions. It’s inspiring to see someone come away from their internal issues to create something so incredibly beautiful.

Overall, Infinity Mirrors and Kusama left me in awe. Not only was the art incredible, but so was the artist.

Top: Living on the Yellow Land & My Adolescence in Bloom Middle: Life (Repetitive) Bottom: Violet Obsession Photos & page design by Shanzeh Umerani

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Being clean is being green

OPINIONS

McLean should implement better environmental policies The staff editorial represents the opinion of the majority of The Highlander editorial board

A

s lunch periods end in the cafeteria, trash cans are stuffed full of cardboard trays and empty water bottles litter the tables and floors.

According to the FCPS website Get2Green, McLean recycles around onethird of the amount of trash we produce.

Other schools in FCPS, however, recycle as little as 15 percent of the trash they produce.

Both as a school and as a county, we must take the initiative to be more environmentally friendly and adopt greener policies.

Within McLean High School, students and faculty alike are unsure about how our recycling and trash system works. One of the only recycling initiatives undertaken

by McLean in recent years was the school’s adoption of red recycling bins, donated by the PTSA around four years ago.

However, the only difference between these bins and the normal blue recycling bins is their color. Currently, students in the Work Awareness and Transition program at McLean are in charge of recycling.

“At some schools I’ve worked at, we’ve had student-run gardens.

Students have also set up compost bins and compost piles to help collect leftover food waste.”

-AP Environmental Science teacher Kip Rogers “I think [McLean] should implement more environmentally friendly policies,” environmental club president senior Lily Xie said. “I’ve noticed that the cafeteria and some classrooms don’t have [obvious] recycling bins, so students are less inclined to recycle paper or plastic bottles.”

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Other than the red recycling bins, the only other recent green initiative is the switch from red styrofoam to cardboard lunch trays.

However, the irony in this switch is that students continue to throw these recyclable lunch trays into the trash.

“Lots of what we throw out is actually potentially compostable,” AP Environmental Science teacher Kip Rogers said.

According to Principal Ellen Reilly, things thrown into the trash at McLean are not later separated to be recycled or composted.

It’s not just the inside of the school that has recycling issues. During sports practices and especially games, the outside fields become littered with trash.

“When you go to a game, the field is disgusting,” Reilly said. “In springtime, it’s covered with bees, and...[the trash] is overflowing and our custodians have to clean it all up.”

This problem can be mitigated if students take the time to clean up their trash before or after their practices, since often, plastic water bottles, food and other trash get blown away by the wind.

Many other common environmental issues at McLean can be solved in a similarly easy fashion. A simple way to promote

recycling, for example, is to put large, trash can-sized recycling bins in the cafeteria. This increased visibility will encourage students to actually use the recycling bins.

“Teachers should print less worksheets or print double-sided to save paper,” Xie said.

“I also think that we should have days when they give students the incentive to bring their own brown bag lunches or carpool to school to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Increasing student involvement with green programs and initiatives will also help us decrease our footprint. Most importantly, students should be informed of the various ways they can be more green. Environmental awareness is sorely lacking, and having posters in the halls would also remind students to be green.

“At some other schools I’ve worked at, we’ve had student-run gardens,” Rogers said.

“Students have also set up compost bins and compost piles to help collect leftover food waste.”

It is up to McLean students to advocate for stronger environmental policies and initiate green programs—becoming an example that the rest of the county can follow.

Comic by Dasha Makarishcheva Reporting & page design by Aisha Singh

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CROSSFIRE: AP classes are too inclusive

Students should pass a qualifying test to take an AP class Lani Perkuchin Reporter

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hen Advanced Placement (AP) classes were first available for students, only the highest caliber of students participated.

Now, classes for “gifted” and “advanced” students are offered to everyone.

“There was a time when students had to be invited to take college-level classes. This made it so that the people taking it...were capable of getting a 4 or 5 on the end-of-year exam,” AP Literature teacher Ken Kraner said.

According to McLean High School’s U.S. News & World Report profile, nearly 88 percent of students participate in AP courses.

However, participation does not guarantee success.

Also, the statistic does not account for the stress and diminishing returns that can come from taking too many AP classes. By having a qualifying test for each class, the College Board would prevent students from taking too many APs and ensure that those who take AP classes have the time, interest and motivation to devote to such courses.

Qualifying tests are a quick way to weed out students who are not prepared for these rigorous courses. Moreover, having fewer students in AP classes would make it easier for teachers to prepare students for the exams at the end of the year.

Teachers could give harder work and make certain that their AP classes have a college-level intensity, not just another class students can skate through. It would reduce the amount of students who are failing, dropping the class or overloading themselves.

“I feel like APs [are] almost a given for students at McLean...so it’s like you have to take APs, otherwise you’re falling behind, which isn’t necessarily true. It’s problematic,” 30

senior Jennifer Min said.

Limiting the populace of AP classes to those with genuine interest in the subject matter would also allow teachers to teach at a higher level and faster pace.

“The biggest problem with the current AP system at McLean is that students are taking way too many and becoming stressed out and overworked,” Kraner said.

Many students end up with too much work because they take AP classes for the GPA boost, not because they are interested in the classes. If there were prerequisite tests for AP classes, students would be placed among students who perform at a similar level.

Some teachers oppose the idea of testing into AP classes for reasons of fairness, as prerequisite tests may not measure a student's

full abilities.

“Some students are better test-takers than others. I’m not a fan of using one test to measure whether or not a student will be competent in an AP class,” AP Calculus AB teacher Caroline Cochrane-Braswell said.

At the end of the day, though, the point of AP courses is to gain college credit and pass the AP exams. Students must be good testtakers to receive college credit for taking an AP course.

Due to the overbearing stress of AP classes and the need for the courses to be taught in a demanding way, College Board must change its policy and put prerequisite tests in place.

Students have to display their capability to sustain a full year of high-level material prior to taking the course.

OPINIONS

Should students be required to pass a test before taking an AP? APs shouldn't have prerequisite testing Pre-AP testing is counter to the spirit of academic inclusion Sri Medicherla Managing Editor

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esting students as a prerequisite for enrolling in an AP class would not be in the spirit of educational inclusivity or exploration.

Forcing students to take a test to enroll in an AP class would limit the number of people who are willing to sign up for AP classes.

“If we had to do this, no one would take APs. When do you have time to study for these tests?” senior Rebecca Bennett said. “I would have done zero APs if this was a rule.”

The implementation of these tests would make students take fewer AP classes without tackling the root problem: that students take AP classes because they feel pressured by

their environment to make certain decisions for their class schedule.

Students who want to challenge themselves in a subject they might know little about but are eager to learn would be blocked from taking that AP class, deterring them from the true spirit of education.

“If you’re really passionate about a subject but you don’t have a good background in it, you should still be allowed to take it,” senior Tommy McCarthy said.

In this way, pre-AP tests would actually continue to make it difficult for students to take AP classes they are passionate about.

“People should be able to pick what they want and then if they make the wrong choice they should learn," McCarthy said. "You should be allowed in this point in your life to

make decisions for yourself.”

Being challenged is an integral part of the high school experience. Students should be encouraged to venture outside their comfort zones instead of being barred from doing so.

Students who take multiple AP classes are doing so at least in part to prepare for college. Restricting these students’ freedom as they make such decisions runs counter to the message of AP classes.

“If it’s a college-level course then we should be treated in that way. If you’re going to be graded as a college student, if your work is going to be treated that way, then the administration needs to treat you that way,” senior Noah Huffman said. “They can’t keep hand-holding students—they need to treat us as adults.”

It is true that the school should still try to guide students and advise them as they are making their class selections, but restricting participation in a class based on performance on a pre-test is absurd.

“A teacher always recommends what their students should take for the following year, but the student and parent have the ultimate say in where they go,” history teacher Kerri Fry said. “Technically we can’t say, 'No, they can’t take AP,' [because we] can’t bar any student from taking an AP-level class.”

Furthermore, a test could never be a completely accurate way of measuring AP class readiness.

“What would the entrance exam test be on if you haven’t even taken the subject?”

Bennett said. “Plus, you might not be a super good test-taker but you might write really good essays, so it wouldn’t be a fair measure.”

Pre-AP testing should never be implemented because it would not effectively tackle the problems it aims to, and it would in fact exacerbate some of them.

Comics by Dasha Makarishcheva Page design by Lani Perkuchin & Sri Medicherla

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U.S. students deprived of adequate sex education Nationwide standards must be set for sex education curriculum Rustin Abedi & Helen Bloom Opinions Editors

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lthough it is a topic which may cause many a teenager to squirm in their seat or giggle with discomfort, the lessons taught in sex education are essential ones. Yet, across the country, these necessary courses are being removed from curricula as part of a sweeping push for abstinence. This means that for more readily prepared students like those at McLean, encounters with students from other states and counties hold greater risks of disease, pregnancy and non-consensual interactions.

“If [kids have] bad sex education, then that can lead to uninformed decisions which can possibly ruin a person’s life,” junior Chris Schram said.

Although Schram and other McLean students receive comprehensive sex education from Fairfax County, individuals across the country lack this teaching. This inconsistency in curricula leaves room for confusion in areas that can’t afford to be misunderstood, like consent.

“Sex ed is important because it’s probably something that people will do in their life,” senior Emily Eames said. “It’s the basis of humanity. If you are going to only rely on just not doing it, then you could say that with anything...the only way to not die in a

car crash is to not get in a car.”

By not teaching comprehensive sex education to all students, schools are ensuring that students enter the world of sex in the most unsafe, unhealthy way possible. To assume that students will simply abstain from sex or will be able to recognize the possible consequences of their own ignorance on the subject is not only naive, but also dangerous.

“If you are going to rely on just not doing it, then you could say that with anything...the only way to not die in a car crash is to not get in a car.”

-senior Emily Eames

It takes two informed individuals to make responsible decisions when it comes to having sex. Students from McLean will undoubtedly run into people from different backgrounds, and it cannot be left up to the

individual states to ensure a satisfactory sex education curriculum.

“We believe that abstinence should be the best choice but we also understand that kids are going to be kids and they are going to make their own decisions,” health and physical education teacher Ken Jackson said.

“The key part is [making sure] they have the knowledge to make an educated decision.”

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only 24 states and D.C. make sex education a requirement for their schools’ curricula. What is even more alarming is that only 20 states require that information about this subject be “medically, factually or technically accurate.”

Despite the shortfalls of the abstinenceonly approach, 27 states in the U.S. currently accept Title V abstinence-only federal funding. According to Advocates for Youth, abstinence-only programs often censor information about the efficacy of contraception and of condoms in protecting against sexually transmitted illnesses. Such programs leave students with an inadequate grasp of what safe sex is and how they can practice it.

The people McLean students interact with in the future should have received a comprehensive sex education. In a large portion of counties that push abstinencefirst sex education, the lack of modern sex education has led to many preventable problems.

For example, the two states with the two highest teen pregnancy rates are New Mexico and Mississippi, states that primarily promote abstinence in their sex education, according to Livescience.

“Knowledge is power, and if you don’t have that knowledge, then you don’t have the tools to make good choices,” Jackson said.

The high pregnancy rates in abstinence -first states prove the ineffectiveness of this method. Efforts must be made to create a national consensus curriculum which captures the importance of contraceptives and consent—a recognition that must be grounded in a grasp of the long-term consequences of unsafe sex.

Comic by Dasha Makarishcheva Page design by Rustin Abedi & Helen Bloom

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OPINIONS

Trump’s missile strike demonstrates lack of wisdom President’s Syria policy raises more questions than it answers Rustin Abedi Opinions Editor

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n April 7, following the horrifying chemical attacks in Syria, American warships in the Mediterranean launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles against the Syrian airbase from which the Syrian government allegedly launched chemical agents.

The strike does not seem to have had a lasting impact, nor did it change the situation on the ground—according to Syrian observers, Syrian warplanes ran operations out of the airbase the next day.

Many students, including junior Marshall Pratt, have family members serving either active or inactive duty in the military.

“Bombing Russia’s [allies] may not have been my plan,” Pratt said.

The decisions the president makes in regards to military operations have profound effects on the lives of U.S. personnel deployed abroad.

Because of the current and potential ramifications, the attack was ill-advised.

Moreover, the attack was done without congressional authorization. The strike was also reminiscent of the short-sighted interventionist U.S. foreign policy that led to the disastrous Iraq War 14 years ago.

“A missile strike as large as this one... could have big ramifications for the United States in going to war,” history teacher Rachel Baxter said.

Trump’s predecessor was far more cautious in his push against the Assad regime.

“President Obama also considered using military force and went to Congress,” Baxter said. “[Obama] didn’t get congressional approval. It didn’t make it to the full floor.”

The president’s impulsive use of military force disregards the constitutional principles of congressional authorization. The Trump Administration has cited the 2001 and 2003 military resolutions that allowed combat against Iraq and terrorist organizations as justification for their actions in Syria.

However, neither resolution allows for war against another sovereign nation.

“The Syrian government isn’t ISIS [or] al-Qaeda. It does require additional thought and advice from Congress,” Baxter said. “I don’t buy that you could say that those two MAY

resolutions give him the power to [attack].”

In addition, the president’s outrage over the use of chemical weapons by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is hypocritical when taking into account his previous statements.

On numerous occassions in 2013, Trump tweeted that any involvement in Syria by the Obama administration as a response to previous chemical attacks would cause longterm conflict.

“A missile strike as large

as this one...could have big ramifications for the United States in going to war.”

-history teacher Rachel Baxter However, the president has decided to act based on what he sees on TV and, as a result, created an inconsistent Syria policy.

President Trump is not the only administrative official to make erratic statements. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s statements concerning the fate of the Syrian regime just three days prior to the missile strike contradict the current stance of the Trump administration.

“I think the…longer term status of

President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people,” Tillerson said in a joint press conference with Turkey’s foriegn minister on March 30.

In Moscow, Tillerson followed Trump’s steps in reversing his previous stances.

“It is clear to all of us that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end,” Tillerson said on April 11, after the strike.

The president’s supporters argue that the military intervention was a valid response to the atrocities committed by the Syrian dictator. They point out that the U.S. has a moral responsibility to protect Syrian lives.

Trump specifically said that “no child of God” should have experienced the chemical attacks. However, this position is insincere considering his push for a ban against several Muslim countries and Syrian refugees.

“If Donald Trump truly cares about the beautiful babies of Syria, he wouldn’t have banned them from entering the United States as refugees,” California Congressman Ted Lieu said on MSNBC. Recently, intervening militarily in other countries’ affairs has not helped the U.S. The rise of ISIS was greatly influenced by the political instability brought upon by the Iraq War and the Syrian conflict. If the purpose of war is to prevent future violence, Trump should be working to promote peace and eliminate instabilities, rather than escalating U.S. military involvement in Syria.

59 TOMAHAWK CRUISE MISSILES Launched from U.S. warships in the Mediterranean on April 7, 2017

Infographic by Bryan Chung Page design by Rustin Abedi

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CALLING OUT CAT CALLING |Helen Bloom Opinions Editor| |Ingrid Morse Editor-in-Chief|

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OPINIONS OPINIONS

WHY STREET HARASSMENT NEEDS TO COME TO AN END

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treet harassment is a form of adversity that almost every woman, regardless of their race, religion or appearance, will have to face at some point in their lives.

Although the issue is normalized against the backdrop of a patriarchal world, the practice has been shown to have significant permanent psychological damage on women.

With this in mind, the eradication of this dehumanizing custom should be given greater legislative and cultural attention.

Despite the increasing visibility that women are giving to the issue of catcalling and its emotional impact on them, it remains one of the largest social burdens on women across the world.

Our bubble in McLean is not exempt.

A survey of 130 Highlanders found that 65.4 percent of the 85 female respondents reported experiencing some form of street harassment. However, of the 45 males surveyed, only 34.6 percent indicated they have ever experienced street harassment.

While this kind of behavior may not seem significant to some, any attempt to establish dominance over a woman verbally or physically can be taken as a threat to a woman’s safety. Furthermore, these “harmless” verbal remarks about a woman’s body can easily develop into something more extreme.

“It can ruin my day. I don’t like it. I have never been flattered by it. It actually really scares me most of the time, because I’ve watched [things like] Law and Order, and my mind instantly goes to the scarier place of what could happen in the next few steps,” senior Hannah Sandler said.

Women across the world are exposed to street harassment and other forms of objectification at young ages. As a result, the warping of their psyches and body images around social expectations is established as a constant early on. Beginning at a young age, women around the world are being forced to encounter and grapple with this sexualization. Senior Emily Eames was one of these young girls, citing her first experience with street harassment as early as the sixth grade.

“It was just a little invasive...because I knew I was 12, I knew I was really young, so I was just a little bit confused [and] curious as to why they felt the need to yell at a 12-year-old...when I was just walking home from school,” Eames said.

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At Cornell University, an anti-harassment group known as Hollaback! conducted a global survey with a data pool of 16,607 women. The majority of women who were surveyed experienced their first instance of street harassment before they were 17, including 85 percent of the women surveyed in the U.S. As a result of the inherent physical advantage men have over women and the numerous past cases wherein verbal assault has turned violent, most women don’t feel safe responding to their street harassers.

Women don’t even have to necessarily stand up for themselves to face violence—any form of rejection has been shown to often garner a violent response from the street harasser(s).

“It can ruin my day.

I don’t like it. I have never been flattered by it.”

-senior Hannah Sandler “[I think that people should] just not engage with the person. I also keep pepper spray in my wallet, my car and in [the] trunk of my car, just in case. I think avoiding the situation is probably best, because if you say something that they don’t like...or something that offends them, they’ll go after you,” Sandler said.

Catcalling has proven to have detrimental effects on a woman’s psychological well-being.

By its very definition, street harassment is a form of sexual objectification in its dehumanization of women for the purposes of other individuals’ sexual pleasure.

Researchers at the University of MissouriKansas City surveyed 228 women (133 African-American women and 95 white women) to determine if there was a correlation of objectification and physical safety concerns with psychological distress. The study found that sexual objectification had a direct link to women’s fear of crime. Women of color were shown to be particularly affected, having a greater fear of crime and feeling greater levels of psychological distress than white women.

“Certainly repeated exposure to things

can have a couple different impacts. One, it can have a desensitizing impact, which can then allow persons to let their guard down in a place,” AP Psychology teacher Cynthia Hawkins said. “They cannot pay attention to things that are really important to keeping their safety, and that can put them at further danger. Or, they can really start to internalize the things they hear and see that as being who they are, how they are [and] what their value is.”

Catcalling itself is indicative of an overall lack of respect for women in American society. In both the social and professional world, women struggle to gain respect in a culture that ties their value to their appearance. Consequently, women have the substance of their character and intellect constantly disregarded. Thus, catcalling only serves to further propagate these social limitations set for women.

“I think it’s emblematic of sexism in our culture, I think it’s emblematic of stereotyping in our culture and I think that the very fact that men often don’t understand or see the big deal about it is how implicit it is,” Hawkins said.

This is not an issue that will simply go away with time. It is one that requires concrete legislative and social action.

Moreover, this is not just an issue relevant to the U.S. According to Cornell’s Hollaback! global study, 71 percent of women report being followed and over 50 percent of women report or have reported being groped or fondled. This issue spans all backgrounds as well as economic levels and has proven to have permanent damage on the ways women look at themselves and the world around them.

“It is something that’s offensive to a lot of women, and you can’t argue that something’s not offensive to someone else if they’re telling you that it was offensive to them,” senior Kristen Kircher said.

With that said, the process of ending the practice of catcalling is a complex and difficult one. However, the process begins with the recognition of catcalling as a serious issue and the willingness to actively speak out against it by people of both genders.

The solidification of this push to make the practice socially unacceptable would, in turn, help spur long-term legislative and cultural changes.

Photo by Eva Zarpas Page design by Bryan Chung

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Letter to the Editors: A teacher’s thoughts on AP season

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o, let’s suppose that AP season really is a catastrophic tear in the fabric of space and time (like that Einstein stuff we learned about in Honors Physics). Imagine that you’ve studied for your APs until you collapse from fatigue and you wake up in the future just like Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle (don’t worry, Washington Irving isn’t on the AP Lit test…so just chill): So it’s 20 years from now. You’re managing the discount clothing store and trying to get the snotty teenage workers to fold the T-shirts the right way. You ask yourself what on earth your expensive liberal arts degree had to do with preparing you for a job like this. But employers demand a college degree now, even though the consumer-based economy no longer supports jobs where high-level education matters. It no longer supports jobs where you produce things or make a significant contribution to the betterment of society, jobs where you make enough to at least have a fighting chance of paying off your ponderous student loan debts.

Now you sell crap to people who already have enough stuff, but the healthcare benefits are better than the dog-walking gig or the coffee shop job you had right out of college where you used your excellent collegiate writing skills to jot the name of some snobby country-clubber on the side of a venti soy macchiato cup.

Then the regional manager (the stupid son of the big boss) comes by and says that you have to stay late for some team-building training, so you have to call your spouse and say that you’re going to miss your kid’s recital. Your spouse complains that you’re missing out on little Sophie’s life but you “have to” stay because it’ll look bad if you don’t go. It’ll “look bad” to a boss who you are smarter than, for a company that doesn’t value skill or initative, that pays you crap and robs you of your life. Then, adult-you remembers that day when college-you was skateboarding across campus looking at some miserable 40-year-old dork waiting for the bus and thought, “I’ll never sell out!”

So the dream ends and you come back to 2017 and you’re thinking, "What does that have to do with my current plight?"

You keep trying to cram in some more organic so you can get a 5 on the AP Chem

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test because there is NO WAY you’re gonna get into Vassar’s poetry program without it. Or maybe you’re having doubts about seeking an English degree after all. Sure, you love writing, but computer coding pays way more. But then again, you HATE comp sci and you suck at it...but it DOES pay well. Hmmm.

Shake your head! Get back on track.

Page 245 of the SAT prep book. Don’t pick up the phone. It’s just your prom date seeing if you want to go see that epic movie you talked about. No! No time to spend getting to know your prom date on a personal level.

Just get the limo figured out, spend a crapload of money on an outfit and show up for 15 minutes. THAT’s prom. Okay, focus!

Your future is literally at stake!

Switch to AP Calc. You wonder if the manager at the Bargain Clothes Emporium will use L’Hôpital’s Rule to derive limits involving indeterminate forms. What are you thinking, you won’t have a job like that!

“Those sell-out losers fake their way through life just trying to 'look good on paper.' They don't love what they do, and they regret all the great memories they could have had while they were busy..."

Maybe you'll be a journalist. ("Do I need Calc for that?!") Wait, what’s journalism pay? Not nearly enough…

You think maybe you'll be a doctor. You hated dissection. Yuck. But yeah, you'll get a tutor and be a doctor. Can you do that even though you didn’t take AP Bio because there was too much homework and that took time away from APUSH? Ugh, so little time. That’s why you had to drop that art elective and quit the literary magazine. But you did do the library club for one year, so you have that on your résumé. And you did buy Doritos for your McLeadership kids. You told those little freshmen, “If you’re gonna be involved in activities, pick the easy ones and just go to the meetings until yearbook pictures are

done.” Hell, if you’re in astronomy club you have to come to school AT NIGHT! Screw that! You don’t have time for Jupiter!

You've gotta copy somebody’s problem set in physics so you can get those points 'cause his tests are a beast. Wonder if that movie was good…sigh. Back to triple integrals.

The limit as x approaches zero... Ugh! Lemme turn on some music. "Ooh, I love this band!"

It would be cool to be in a band, right?

No, not cello or clarinet (unless they offer “AP” Orchestra, then maybe.) But no, a real band like The Strokes or something.

You bet you could play a killer bass. Slung real low, with an “anarchy A” sticker on it.

Practicing with friends in the garage! Sweet!

Hell, maybe rip it up at the Battle of the Bands contest! Wait, do we even have band contests anymore? Oh well, you wouldn’t have time to practice anyway. Not with crew practice. (They'd better be right about rowers getting scholarships to Ivy Leagues.

You hate that river.)

But regardless, there’s no way you're gonna be a “sell-out." Sell-outs give up everything they love. They’re mindless robots slaving away at some system they don’t even believe in or understand. They think they’re climbing the ladder of success, but it’s really a hamster wheel. You're not going to pucker up and kiss the butt of some false idol. ("Crap, did I miss AP registration? I forgot to tell mom to write down the date for me. I'd better turn off the music and focus.")

The derivative of e to the 2x power... yawn. What, it’s 2 a.m.?!! "Wow, I gotta go to bed by 3 a.m. or I’ll be wrecked tomorrow."

Those sell-out losers fake their way through life just trying to “look good on paper.” They don’t love what they do, and they regret all the great memories they could have had while they were busy keeping up appearances and kissing up to the boss. No way. You're going to live your life. Well, at least the life your tiger mom and helicopter dad say you're going to live.

"Oh, crap! I've gotta remember to ask for that teacher recommendation tomorrow, or my mom’s gonna kill me."

—Anonymous McLean Teacher

OPINIONS

Softball: more than just a game SPORTS

Girls varsity team bonds on and off the field Maren Kranking & Julia McElligott Reporters

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espite the cold and rainy weather at the varsity softball game against Washington-Lee on March 22, the thunderous commotion from the dugout was as loud as ever. Players enthusiastically jumped and cheered as McLean scored run after run, encouraging their teammates.

The night resulted in a 17-0 victory for the Highlanders.

This season, the varsity softball team is aiming to win the conference championship and possibly advance to regionals. An integral part in reaching this goal is focusing on being a cohesive team.

“One of our preseason goals was to be on the same page, and so far it’s working very nicely,” varsity head coach Maurice Tawil said. “We’ve worked really hard on the team concept and try to stay positive at all times.”

Softball can, at times, put a lot of pressure on an individual player, and having a supportive team can help alleviate that burden.

“I think just being able to trust each other on the field is a big component,” sophomore varsity player Bailey Johnson said. “You can rely on them, knowing they have your back if you make a mistake.”

Although physical talent in the sport is important, unity is just as valuable to a team. The girls have participated in a variety of team bonding activities throughout the season to grow as a team, ranging from

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do — Varsity softball players cheer on their

teammates from the dugout. This year, the team is aiming to win the conference championship through hard work and energy. escape rooms to traveling to a tournament at Myrtle Beach.

“Having good chemistry off the field is really helpful on the field,” senior co-captain Kate Covington said. “It helps us work together more because softball is definitely a very communicative sport.”

With the varsity team losing five seniors to graduation last year, the players had to work even harder to bond—the team carries 15 players this season, including seven who are new to playing on the varsity team.

“We have a ton of new players this year, but they’ve all integrated into the team really quickly and everyone’s working really hard,” Covington said. “I’m really proud of how we’ve been coming together.”

The softball program at McLean places a heavy emphasis on the well-being of the team as well as the competitive outcome.

“I want [the team] to have fun,” Tawil said. “This has to be a positive experience, and hopefully we can provide a great experience and good memories for them.”

The team has been successful so far this season, and the program is working hard to finish the season strong and continue taking positive strides toward being a unified team.

“You can’t play softball alone,” Johnson said. “You have to have the entire team to make the game work. Being able to play together and have that bond really helps us win.”

One Team, One Goal — The team

rallies between innings at their game against Bishop O'Connell on April 1.

Photos & page design by Maren Kranking

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The Drive of a Runner — Sophomore Abby Dimmick runs during the girls distance medley relay at the Battlefield Relays invitational on March 25. The relay team finished first at the meet. (Photo courtesy of Lisa McArthur)

Striding to greatness

Track and field team looks to continue success Michael Redding Reporter

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he track and field team is working to carry on its success from past years by building a competitive team this year.

“The season has been great so far. I think that the freshmen have been doing a great job and have added [strong] competition to our team,” sophomore JaneAnne Tvedt said.

The events at track and field meets can be broken down into multiple categories: dashes, middle-distance runs, long-distance runs, jumping and throwing events.

Each athlete has the choice of specializing in one event or participating in multiple events. While competing in multiple events can make meets tiring, being able to compete against a wide range of athletes helps members of the team gain experience.

“Participating in multiple events has helped me become a more diversified

teammate and more experienced,” junior Bennett Hunter said.

Track and field practices consist of constant running as well as supplemental workouts geared toward strengthening parts of the body that are key to successful running, like the core and the lower body.

“In my opinion, the toughest part of track is being excited to do the workouts after school everyday,” Tvedt said.

Fortunately, teammates motivate each other when the going gets tough.

“I think that our team excels at supporting each other. We encourage our teammates not only during meets, but during practices,” Tvedt said.

Thus far, the team has competed in five invitational meets. At the Battlefield Relays, the girls distance medley relay team finished first.

“The best part about being on a relay team is having team members to share [the] race

with,” said sophomore Caroline Howley, a member of the winning relay team. “It’s awesome to be able to play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

With the departure of last year’s talented seniors like Nick Maynard and Wesley Romary, the team now looks to the dominant underclassmen to help bring new success.

Standout sophomores Howley, who set a school record for the 3200m with a time of 11:17.89, and Tvedt, who has placed first for girls high jump and 100m hurdles at meets multiple times this year, look to succeed on the team.

“Our team has more underclassmen on it than it ever has in the past. We have freshmen and sophomores who are top performers in many events,” coach Megan Ney said.

As the season nears its end, the team plans to focus on setting competitive times and distances in order to reach the regional meet, which they have qualified for in past years.

Page design by Ed Walters & Colin Edson

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SPORTS

Boys soccer looks to take the next step Seniors lead varsity team through 2017 season Ed Walters, Jiwon Kim & John Roth Sports Editor & Reporters

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he boys varsity soccer team is looking to build upon their success from last year in head coach Jac Cicala’s second year at the helm. Last year, the team finished with a record of 7-7-2 and was one game short of making regionals.

With a solid foundation of eight out of 11 starters returning this season, the team plans to improve the weaker parts of their game.

“We’re not finishing, and that’s our Achilles’ heel,” Cicala said. “We need to find the back of the net.”

Chemistry between players is an important factor in any team’s performance.

Strong bonds between teammates help with communication and coordination among players. Fortunately, the boys soccer team has a strong team chemistry and hopes to utilize this strength in helping them accomplish

their goals for this season.

“A lot of us have been playing together for a long time; our team dynamic is great,” senior captain John Poncy said. “[Our] performance is boosted by the bonds and friendships between players.”

“A lot of us have been playing together for a long time; our team dynamic is great.”

-senior and co-captain John Poncy Despite all the benefits from the team dynamic, playing strong defense has been a struggle early on in the season and will likely be a key factor for any hope for success in the

postseason.

“Our defense wasn’t so great at the start, but we’ve gotten quite a bit better as the year has progressed,” sophomore goalkeeper Carter Robertson said.

With this year’s team being a more experienced group of players than usual, underclassmen have quickly become accustomed to the team’s established mentality.

“It is great having so many great senior leaders,” Robertson said. “They have really helped me get used to the varsity level of play.”

The players are able to learn from each other and help one another patch any problems that may arise with the team’s chemistry.

“We have three captains with their unique personalities and the assets that they bring to the team,” Cicala said. “As far as helping out younger players, they all do it different ways.”

Game Plan — The starting lineup huddles together moments before the second half in a game against Jeb Stuart High School on April 9. They went on to lose a hard-fought battle 1-0. (Photo by Shanzeh Umerani)

Page design by John Roth

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Brothers at bat

Yanni and Anthony Farmakides take DNA to the diamond Jackson Payne Reporter

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tudent-athletes who play high school sports often develop a strong feeling of unity and brotherhood with the players they share the field with, but for Yanni and Anthony Farmakides, that brotherhood runs through their veins.

“Playing on varsity is an amazing experience,” Anthony said, “and playing with my older brother makes it even better because he is always there to help me out when I need it.”

Anthony, a freshman outfielder and the team’s leadoff hitter, and his older brother Yanni, a junior power hitter off the bench, share a great love for baseball that has come from their many years involved in the game.

“Getting to play with your brother is amazing,” Yanni said. “It’s a special experience that not many people get to have and I’m savoring every moment.”

Both equipped with a strong set of skills, the Farmakides brothers have filled their roles on the team nicely.

“They’re both pretty strong offensive

players,” varsity head coach John Dowling said. “Anthony has really impressed us as a freshman as he has been able to come in and contribute immediately, and Yanni has the unfortunate circumstance of playing behind some really good players, so on a lot of teams he’d be a starter, but he’s really embraced the role of a pinch hitter off the bench for us and made a few starts.”

Although he had a successful youth baseball career, Anthony did not anticipate having such a key role on the team as a freshman.

“I didn’t know what to expect this season,” Anthony said, “but starting as a freshman is exciting because you always have a chance to contribute, especially early in the game.”

For Yanni, the road to varsity took a different route. Yanni was cut from the JV team as a freshman in 2015 before coming back the next year and earning a spot on the roster.

“When I didn’t make the team [freshman year], I was upset but I didn’t let it affect my passion for the game,” Yanni said. “I knew that in order to make the team the next

year I’d have to work hard to improve my weaknesses.”

Yanni and Anthony may have a close relationship, but that hasn’t affected the team’s dynamic or prevented either of them from being just one of the guys in the clubhouse. “[Their brotherhood] doesn’t really affect the rest of the team, but it’s definitely a very positive thing for the two of them since they seem to be pretty close,” Dowling said.

“Yanni, being the older brother, does a good job of keeping tabs on Anthony, so I’d say it’s worked out pretty well. They’re both great teammates and we’re happy to have them around.”

Playing baseball together isn’t all just fun and games for the Farmakides brothers. They are both very focused on their individual and team goals for success.

“My overall goal is to help the team win a state championship,” Yanni said. “Everyone on the team loves to play the game and to win at the highest level with those guys would be awesome.”

Baseball Bros — Junior Yanni Farmakides and

freshman Anthony Farmakides have enjoyed being teammates on varsity baseball this season. (Photo by Jackson Payne)

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SPORTS

Swinging to Victory — Junior Maya

Donkor gets ready to hit the ball on the McLean tennis courts. Donkor is currently ranked number one on the McLean girls tennis team. (Photo by Shanzeh Umerani)

Maya Donkor serves up success Top-ranked junior excels on McLean tennis team Sanskriti Neupane Managing Editor

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unior Maya Donkor has been ranked number one on the McLean girls tennis team for the past two years, and she is currently ranked number 10 in Virginia, according to the Tennis Recruiting Network.

Donkor first started playing tennis when she was 3 years old, but only began to take it seriously seven years later.

“Tennis has always been in the family and my dad just coaches me all the time— he coached me when I was 3,” Donkor said.

“I started playing more tennis tournaments and...I just wanted to make it my goal to go pro, I guess. I wanted to push myself toward that direction.”

In order to achieve her goal, Donkor began to follow a regimented practice schedule.

“I wake up around 4:30, just because I have to do homework first and then around 6 I go to my tennis club,” Donkor said.

“Now since it’s the spring, I have practice after school with the high school team.”

Donkor tries to stay positive despite the time commitment tennis requires.

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“If I’m having, you know, not the best mental day, then I’m just by myself and I can’t get myself out of it,” Donkor said. “I try to just stay optimistic about it and just say ‘okay’—‘It’s okay that you lost that point,’ or, ‘It’s okay that you missed that shot.’”

Donkor’s positivity is evident on the court and noticed by her teammates.

“She’s always about getting up after getting knocked down and making a comeback, whether that’s in tennis or anywhere in life,” junior Sibylla Haque said.

Donkor’s family moved to McLean last year so she could be near her tennis club, McLean Racquet and Health Club.

“I used to live in Chantilly, which is 30 minutes away and...I had to commute every day because I still went to McLean Racquet and Health Club,” Donkor said. “Moving here, I live two minutes away from my tennis club, so it has helped my tennis so much and I’ve improved a lot.”

At first, Donkor found it difficult to adjust to McLean, but her teammates helped her through the process. Donkor soon developed a close relationship with many members of the tennis team.

“Last year when I moved here, I became

number one, I just felt really...almost isolated,” Donkor said. “But once I was on the team, I just felt I had so [many] more friends... They really helped me.”

As the top-ranked player for the second consecutive year, Donkor’s main role is being an example for her teammates.

“She’s a really good role model for the rest of the tennis team. A lot of us look up to her,” sophomore Rachel Xing said. “She’s a good leader and provides a lot of support by cheering for other people during the matches.”

Donkor usually plays tournaments by herself, so the school team has been a great way for her to play with people she enjoys to be around.

“Even though it’s an individual sport, you’re playing it together and I just love my teammates,” Donkor said.

With one year left in her high school career, Donkor is avidly looking to the next step, which is playing at the collegiate level.

“A few colleges have reached out to recruit me which I find awesome, because it’s just good to know some colleges want me,” Donkor said.

Page design by Young In Seo

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Girls lacrosse works for recognition Varsity team builds teamwork, aims for states Sri Medicherla & Melanie Pincus Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief

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or the past two seasons, McLean’s varsity girls lacrosse team has made it as far as the regional level. This season, the team is working to expand upon their success and prove they are contenders for the state tournament.

“We’ve gone to regionals—that hadn’t been done in about 10 years in the lacrosse program,” head coach Caroline CochraneBraswell said. “Our...goal is to do it again and to get further than we’ve gotten before, and part of that is just doing the work before to get there, and then playing as a team.”

The team’s four captains, seniors Rebecca Rice and Josie Nolan and juniors Julia Koehl and Cate Pearce, have played together for the past three years and are looking to bring the team together and improve as a collective.

“McLean has never really had a good [girls lacrosse] program until recently and so beforehand...the lacrosse team could get away with not really practicing very seriously, so this year we’re emphasizing just working hard,” Pearce said.

After having two games postponed in March, the team faced a difficult schedule, which included a game against Madison, who at the time had a 9-1 record.

“I really want to at least qualify and participate in the states competition, which would be really awesome because it’s just such a big deal,” Pearce said.

Fortunately, the team only lost two starters from last year. According to Rice, the team’s similar lineup has helped the team keep their chemistry and carry their momentum into the ongoing season.

“I think one of our strengths is that we talk to each other really well. There’s a lot of trust on the field,” Rice said. “Something we try to work on is going into every game starting 100 percent so that we’re working for the whole 50 minutes of the game, not just parts of it.”

The team works to build on this strength by spending time together off the field.

“We’ve gotten together and made T-shirts for one of our games for breast cancer,” Koehl said. “We just try to do things as a team. We tried to make a scavenger hunt. We’re trying

Battle

for the Ball — Junior Paulina DeAnda fights for the ball in a home game against Madison on April 6. Having veteran players such as DeAnda serving as the team’s foundation has led to the team’s success in recent years. (Photo by Imani McCormick)

to really bond as a team.”

Junior Cassidy Slavik says that the team’s relationships built off the field prove to be one of their greatest strengths on the field.

“I want to show Northern Virginia that McLean is a force to be reckoned with and that we’re going to get better and better.”

-junior and co-captain Cate Pearce

“This year I would say that everyone that is on the field at the same time all rely on each other,” Slavik said. “We’ve all come up through high school playing with each other so I think that’s our strength. It’s just knowing that we can count on one another.”

The team hopes its dedication to working together on the field will translate to recognition in the conference and region.

“Part of it is growing the program, showing that we can hang with the teams that have always been in the top that kind of write us off. They can’t write us off anymore,” Cochrane-Braswell said.

As the team continues to establish itself, Pearce said receiving more support from the student body could help keep them motivated.

“There [have] been a couple times where the boys game will be before our game and then everyone will be here for the boys game and then we’ll get on the field and then everyone leaves the stands,” Pearce said.

“More support from people...would help with feeling motivated to beat Madison and Langley.”

Ultimately, Pearce said the team’s goal is to become a standard-setting team in the region.

“I want to show Northern Virginia that McLean is a force to be reckoned with and that we’re going to get better and better,” Pearce said. “I want to be one of those teams that people want to beat, that when they’re practicing they’re going to be like, ‘We need to beat McLean.’”

Page design by Sri Medicherla & Melanie Pincus

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SPORTS

n o t g n i v o te C e

Ka hlete of the Issu At

enior Grade: S all ftb Sport: So eld e C nter fi Position:

When did you first take an interest in softball?

I started playing softball in fifth grade, a season after my twin sister started playing in McLean Little League. She had a lot of fun and convinced me to join the next season.

Has softball affected other aspects of your life?

Since freshman year I have had the goal of playing softball in college... and I knew that I would need to get really good grades and test scores to fulfill that dream, as well as committing myself to improving.

Where are you committed? What was that process like?

Next year, I will be playing at UVA. It was off my radar for a while but…during the summer I found out that [they had hired a new coach] who had made a statement about recruiting from Virginia, and UVA I play center field. Well, first of all, it is in the outfield, so you’re had a history of recruiting from California and other western states like the last line of defense on the field—primarily catching fly and I just thought, “Oh, what the heck, [I’ll] email her and see what balls and line drives. I like center field the best because you have happens.” She emailed me back, then came and saw me at my next to cover the most ground and I can really test my range. Also the tournament. In the fall, I went to their camp and they just said, “Yeah, center fielder is kind of the leader of the outfield as well. They we would love to have you come to UVA.” call the plays, tell people where to position [themselves]…and they have the commanding voice. If center field calls the ball, it is theirs.

What is your ideal pastime?

What position do you primarily play?

Do you have any traditions before a big game?

I always have to wear my hair the same way. I always have to wear a headband or I feel like it is just falling in my face.

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I love to hike. My favorite trail is the Billy Goat Trail [on the Potomac].

I [also] have a big passion for food and baking and I love to go out to eat and try cool new places.

Reporting by Ingrid Morse Photo courtesy of Kent Arnold Page design by Bryan Chung

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Finish Line Reporting by Maren Kranking & Julia McElligott

Nina Otto Freshman Soccer

Ben Keyser Sophomore Tennis

What is your ideal vacation spot?

Japan

Paulina DeAnda Junior Lacrosse

Jack Slade Senior Baseball

How many times do you press SNOOZE on your alarm clock in the morning?

I don’t; I just sleep through it

San Diego, California

At least twice

Fiji

Two

Anywhere with a nice beach

I don’t; I get up as soon as it goes off

What is your go-to pregame snack?

What is your favorite planet?

Quesadilla

Earth

PB&J

Pluto

What are your favorite Slurpee

Jupiter

Chick-fil-A

Earth, because it’s the only one I’ve been to Page design by Bryan Chung Photos by Maren Kranking & Julia McElligott

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SPORTS

PROUD SUPPORTERS OF THE McLEAN HIGHLANDERS Bring in your student or faculty ID for a 10% discount on your check

Mylo’s Grill 6238 Old Dominion Dr. McLean, VA 22101

“Nothing says loving like cooking from our oven!”

Phone: 703-533-5880 Fax: 703-533-7768 www.mylosgrill.com