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the Tuesday, November 13, 2001 Volume #47 Issue 5

ANNANDALE H IGH SCHOOL

Informing the Atoms since 1954

4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 703.642.4229

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Fall play to open tommorow

by Sara Bizer Staff Writer

SHANT SHAHRIGIAN

Seniors Emily Dere, Paige Singh and Sarah Patterson rehearse for the fall play The Miracle Worker yesterday. The play opens tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Helen Keller once said, “There is nothing so sad as a person with sight who has no vision.” Helen Keller is one of the main characters in this year’s fall play which centers around Annie Sullivan.

William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker will take place on Nov. 15, 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

This classic is set in Tuscumbia, Alabama in the 1880s. The play begins when Helen falls ill and catches a high fever. The fever robs Helen of her sight and her hearing. Kate Keller and her husband Captain Keller are taken aback and are ensure of what to do with Helen. It becomes difficult to take care

Helen as a blind and deaf child. For fear of being too harsh to Helen, they let her become spoiled, giving her whatever she wants.

To solve this problem Mr. And Mrs. Keller hire Annie Sullivan to teach Helen manners, sign language, and how to take care of herself. Annie Sullivan came from the Perkins school for the Blind. Annie was half blind herself.

Helen is a very spoiled child, by her parents, her Aunt Ev and their housekeeper Viney.

Since Helen is so spoiled, she pretty much is the head of the family. Unable to believe Annie Sullivan will be able to tame Helen, her half-brother James is very doubtful.

Annie Sullivan has through many awful things and believes she will be a

A policy change went into effect on Nov. 7 regarding cell phones. From now on, it is not against school and FCPS policy to carry cell phones in school although they cannot be on during school without permission from Principal Donald Clausen. “It directly relates to September 11,” said Clausen.

The School Board decided to change the policy on Nov 1. Due to the vast number of students in area schools who have family in the military or other government buildings.

Following the attack on the U.S., many students used their cell phones—which they had carried with them against school policy—to contact their family members.

Student’s parent exposed; AHS safe but takes measures

There was no punishment for those students who did use their phones in a time of national emergency.

Though the cell phone policy has changed for high school students, it remains the same for area middle schools and elementary schools.

Principals were notified of the change in county policy through an e-mail distributed to all leaders in the county.

The letter also mentions that further information as well as further revisions on the cell phone policy will be given out to principals at a later time.

Clausen said that the policy is just allowing what already went on. Also saying that, obviously students have the phones with them; because of the numerous students on phones immediately after school.

by Rob Payne Staff Writer

JENNY BEAM

Construction continues in front circle SHANT SHAHRIGIAN

Junior Riana Bovil makes a call using her cell phone as friend sophomore Oscar Yzca waits. Students can now carry cell phones during school hours but must leave them off.

The school is currently undergoing phase two of three of construction. The area that was formerly the front circle will be part of the new guidance department. The area where the guidance department currently is will be redesigned to become a black box theater, drama department, orchestra and storage area. See story on page 4.

Security heightened in wake of attacks

by Kathy Saupp Staff Writer

In these times of uncertainty, there has been an increased respect and attention to public safety. In order to address and hopefully assuage heightened concerns, several safety procedures have been amended.

An important aspect of the new plan is the reinforcement of everyday school safety regulations. Visitor control procedures will be increased within the school building. As always, visitors must

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sign in at the office and wear a visitor badge to enter the school during the day. Also, no student can be picked up from school by anyone other than their parent or legal guardian.

Safety and Security Specialist Cliff Cornwell mentioned that there are one or two incidents per week where he asks someone to leave the building because they are not authorized. “...Usually they just come in to pick up a brother or sister and don’t get a pass,” Cornwell said. Recently,

“Play” cont’d on p. 6

Anthrax hits home

Changes made to cell phone policy

by Philippe Podhorecki News Editor

successful teacher for Helen.

Senior Paige Singh plays the lead role of Helen Keller and seniors Sarah Paterson and Geordie Campbell play her parents. Senior Carol Dwan portrays Annie Sullivan, senior Emily Useem the housekeeper and senior Elizabeth Dere Aunt Eve. Junior Joshua Buzzell plays Helen’s skeptical brother.

Some of the Thespians went to Governor’s School. “I think that Governor’s School really improved their skills,” said drama teacher Vicki Farish.

The Miracle Worker is performed each year on the grounds of Keller’s internationally recognized birthplace, Ivy Green. The production of The Miracle Worker has been in existence for

all teachers were reminded of the need to wear their identification badges at all times.

Cornwell reinforced this rule because he wants students to feel that everyone in the building is someone they can trust.

All high schools have one or more security specialists on staff, and they have all been notified of the changed security plan. Since the terrorist attacks their job to protect the students has become more “Security” cont’d on p. 5

The administration is dealing with far more clandestine form of terrorism. Although school officials believe that AHS is not a likely intended target, several students at AHS have been affected by the outbreaks of anthrax. Sue Brennan, mother of senior David Mundy, was exposed to anthrax at her job with the Postal Service. Brennan works in public relations at the Postal Headquarters, however, Brennan was at the Brentwood Postal facility at the time of her exposure, the weekend that the Center for Disease Control closed the facilities to be tested for anthrax. CDC later confirmed later confirmed that the Brentwood facility had been contaminated.

“This is a learning process for the authorities,” said Brennan. “This country has never experienced any crisis of this type.

CDC has the best knowledge of how to handle this crisis but they are even learning as they go. The Postal Service in response has gone above and beyond what CDC asked them to do. They closed several facilities to be tested by private companies even before CDC officially closed them down. All Postal Service employees who work at those facilities that were closed were then tested for exposure to anthrax. The Postal Service is doing everything it can to protect the public and its’ employees.”

The administration here at AHS is also “Construction” cont’d on p. 6

Christie, Walters nominated for Teacher of Year

by Junaid Shams Staff Writer

The nominees are in, Robert Christie and Carolyn Walters have been nominated for teacher of the year.

Sponsored by The Washington Post, these devoted teachers were nominated in an open PTSA board meeting. The members of the PTSA nominated many teachers but the final nominees were Christie and Walters.

Walters, Chemistry teacher, has been teaching for the past 25 years. Her first teaching experience was at Glasgow Middle School after she had gotten her teaching credentials. Walters decided to become a teacher after her first year at George Mason University.

As a student at GMU, Walters enjoyed working with her professors and tutoring other students. Walters, native of Fairfax County, was born in Maryland and went to Lee High School.

Walters has one sister who works as a architect for the government. As unusual as it may sound, her parents

SARAH SHERMAN

Computer graphics teacher Robert Christie teaches during class. He and chemistry teacher Carolyn Walters are nominated for Teacher of the Year.

did not want her to become a teacher.

They thought Walters was too smart and was wasting her time in being a teacher. Her parents wanted her to get a PhD in some other major, which Walters

did not want to do.

Walters way of teaching is different and unique from other teachers.

“Teachers” cont’d on p. 5

hat’s inside

A Look Ahead November 13

Ice Scream Social Farsi Parent Night in Career Center at 5:00 p.m.

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Report cards mailed Arabic Parent Night in Career Center at 7:00 p.m.

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11 Find out what goes on at AHS’s kindergarten.

15-17 Fall Play at 7:30 p.m.

Check out advice on getting into college and find out what your school is doing to help.

To hybrid, or not to hybrid? Find out where the future of cars is going.

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Fall Sports Banquet

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PTSA Meeting in library at 7:00 p.m.

22-23 Thanksgiving Day holiday 27

Red and White Night

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Ratings an inappropriate burden The biggest problem with the regulation and the proposed rating system is that people have different values

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These books and authors are among the more “offensive” to groups interested in shielding young readers:

BELOVED Tony Morrison Morrison’s Beloved has been challenged for depicting sex, rape and using bad language

TENDERNESS Robert Cormier Cormier has been challenged for many of his books including Tenderness and Heroes.

He has been accused of writing about “soothing” pills and government plottings

The Adventures of Huckleberry thinking onto others. AHS stuFinn, To Kill A Mockingbird, dents come from diverse backBeloved and I Know Why the grounds, so it is impossible to Caged Bird Sings. What do all devise a rating system that would these classic apply to everyone’s values.

American novels Implementing a have in common? rating system does THE A-BLAST STAFF EDITORIAL They are all not take into The literary rating system constantly being account the is an inappropriate burden for teachers and school staff. challenged in maturity levels of schools across the the students or the country. literary merit of Recently, the the book. The Yes No Fairfax County ‘inappropriate’ 60 0 School Board met material is taken to discuss the out of context. On issue of parental the PABBIS challenges on certain books in website, a page lists all the school libraries. They amended a objectionable passages. These 1994 regulation that now requires passages may appear offensive out principals and teachers to deterof context, however they play an mine whether sexual content of essential role in the novel. Pfeiffer books and other materials is said, “Taking things out of context appropriate for county courses can shock you, but if you’re and the student body. During the reading the story, it’s a whole meeting, there was also a proposal different attitude.” for a rating system for books in Many of these school libraries. authors are The rating policy is cumberwriting some to teachers and can not about an provide accurate ratings that event would apply to the values of our they’ve diverse student body. The rating experisystem would put a “V” on books enced containing violence and an “S” for and it sex, and other appropriate letters, much like the television ratings.

The group that is behind many of the book challengings is Parents Against Bad Books in Schools (PABBIS). PABBIS is a small, but active, parental minority. The group is very vocal concerning controversial books, and the school board is beginning to yield to the pressure of this minority, even though the majority of FCPS parents have no complaints with the issue.

The biggest problem with the regulation and the proposed would be rating system is that people have impossible to different values. Librarian Janet give an accurate Pfeiffer agreed, saying, “What one portrayal if they left out person might find objectionable, controversial material. These works portray real life situations, another may not.” People have a and it’s not always pretty. Just variety of ways of handling because authors write about topics ‘inappropriate material’ and it’s like rape and incest, doesn’t mean not fair to push one way of

that they endorse them.

Students in high school are smart enough to recognize when a book is offensive to them. If a student really has a problem with a book, they should be capable of finding a different book to read.

Censorship would deny students the right to read books that would enhance their education.

Censoring books would rival the acts of totalitarian government and threatens the freedom of speech that our country holds dear.

Another suggestion for regulating books in schools is the use of a parental consent form. This form would have to be sent home by teachers to be signed by parents before the student could read the assigned book. While this may seem like it would reduce potential challenges, it really just causes more problems. It gives the teachers unnecessary paperwork. “We don’t get paid enough to have to go through that,” said English teacher Jacqueline Foote. Considering the fact that parents don’t have time to evaluate the books, the parental consent form is a waste of time on all The Bean fronts.

Trees It is by impossible to Barbara Kingsolver regulate is among literature for the many a diverse books that have been student body challenged by and high active groups school concerned with “inappropriate” students are books. The Bean mature Trees is considered enough to offensive because of its mention of make their drugs and sex. own decisions. It is an insult to the intelligence of today’s youth.

Staff opinion editorial written by Jenny Beam, photography editor

Letters to the Editor The A-Blast would like to apologize for omitting portions of Cindy Hook’s letter to the editor. It is reprinted below in its entirety with the omitted portions in boldface.

BY THE LIGHT OF MY FATHER’S SMILE

What really matters

Alice Walker Alice Walker endures constant opposition because of her writing about domestic violence, nontraditional faith, rape and homosexuality

Ryan Croft states “The buzz around most all varsity coaches in Annandale recently is the lack of success” and he reports only Coach Adams’ opinions about experience, youth leagues, etc. There are 24 active Varsity sports at AHS and 22 Varsity coaches. Did Mr. Croft interview “most” varsity coaches? If he had, I believe he would have heard more about “the state of Annandale athletics.” Yes, wins and Championships are one measure of success and I assure you that every student-athlete and coach at AHS is striving to win each time they put on their Red and White.

Look at both girls and boys sports and you will see competitive, successful hard working, WINNING

SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS David Guterson Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars was challenged for sexual content and vulgar language. School boards nationwide were also offended by its violence and bigotry

JOY LUCK CLUB

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The SGA is sponsoring a blood drive on Nov. 16 in the cafeteria during Red day classes. It is good that the SGA is continuing this tradition in a time when our nation is in a time of great need. Students, age 17 and up, can receive a form for the drive from SGA representatives. See SGA sponsor Jack Hiatt for more information.

Companies push for vaccines Scientists around the nation are banding together to produce a vaccine in response to any bioterrorism threat. In particular, they are seeking to create a more effective Smallpox vaccine and a more conveniant anthrax vaccine. This protection for the United States population can’t come a moment too soon.

Worthy cause misdirected Certain organizations, claiming to be receiving funds for September 11th-related relief have been allocating their funds elsewhere. Most of the donators as well as celebrity promoters were under the impression that all funds were going to the victim’s families. Thankfully, a number of organizations, like the Red Cross, have defended their position and the money has gone to the promised cause.

Buying the Election Tuesday’s election was marked by the winning of offices at record high prices. The evidence of buying elections was further secured by Virginia Governor electee Mark Warner’s $20 million campaign budget. But surely, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who has already secured what some say is an empire of the media, topped them all with his $55 million campaign for New York City Mayor. These two bought elections certify that elections are in urgent need of serious reforms.

—Cindy Hook Math teacher Field Hockey and Lacrosse Coach

Editors in Chief Managing Editor News Editors Academics Editors Editorials Editors In-Depth Editors Features Editors Atomic Articles Editor Profiles Editors Cultures Editors Sports Editors Entertainment Editors

“I think they made the right decision, because there are valid arguments for it being in school.”

—Mike Flint junior

“I think it is a good decision, because some people want it, so let them have it.”

—Chris Vellila Junior

“I disagree with it because it should be a personal choice and should not be forced on anybody else.”

—Pamela Hutson English teacher

CORRECTIONS BOX Errors from issue 4 of The A-blast:

—Page 1; In “Students voice concerns,” Linda Wheeler was misidentified —Page 2; In “Letters to the Editor,” portions of Cindy Hook’s letter to the editor were omitted, see “Letters” for full reprint —Page 6; In “Chorus makes preparations,” Michael Weinberg’s name was misspelled — Page 17; In ”Field Hockey rams into regionals,” the Varsity Field Hockey team did not lose three consecutive mid-season games. It did not loose to West Potomac, it beat West Potomac 3-2 in over time

—Mike Fox AHS alum, class of 2001

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David Covucci Shant Shahrigian Chris Hogeboom Reid Edwards Phillipe Podhorecki Hayley Fletcher Hana Ngyuen Katie Clark Andrew Satten Heather Downen Rebecca Sample Young-Zi Byun Sarah Kelman Chae-Wha Park Denice Miller Richie McCormack Martha Amoaka Cameron Kynes Chris Bagot Ryan Croft Jessica Reyes Mike Mahn

Gallup Award Quill and Scroll International Honor Society 2000-2001

What do you think about the Supreme Court’s decision that reinforced the moment of silence law?

In response to last issue’s “Satten’s Slant,” it was difficult in high school to balance a social life and challenging work load. Students are being forced to take more advanced classes, because college admissions are much more competitive than ever before.

If high school is too much of a burden now, just wait until college. Reading up to 350 pages a week is not uncommon.

In my philosophy class, my entire semester grade is based on two exams, an essay, a participation grade and the final.

You’ll be forced to do much more work and studying when one exam is worth 20 percent of your total grade. The only problem is getting distracted by all the vices of college life.

College is much better than high school in nearly all aspects, but your professors’ expectations will be much higher than your high school teachers. To answer Satten’s question “Is it worth all the work?,” just wait until you enter the real world.

the Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, Virginia 22003

ReacReactions

Wait until next year...

teams. They deserve our respect and support. Mr. Croft focuses on state championships and ignores the real measure of a team’s success: the positive development of individual players and of the team as a whole. Our coaches work hard to instill the values of sportsmanship, self discipline, respect, dedication, commitment, honesty, selfsacrifice, teamwork, mental toughness and responsibility.

We help our athletes prepare to compete honorably in every game, meet, or competition AND to apply this same work ethic to their academic studies. We win a lot! Count the teams advancing to Regionals. Many players earn college admission and scholarships as a result of their academic and athletic success. Annandale student-athletes become valued members of our community and communities around the world. The “Winning Tradition” is alive and well at AHS--”The [real] state of Annandale athletics.” Go Atoms!

SGA helps fill blood demand

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ditorials

Amy Tam Challenged for unappealing references to sex and abortion

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(703) 642-4229 email: ahsablast@aol.com website: www.fpcs.k12.va.us /AnnandaleHS/ABlast/2001 fax: 642-4197

Atomic Athletics Editors Arts Editors

Kristie Moore Rebecca Kraushaar Abby Segall Weekend Editors John Bernhardt Caroline Friedman On-line Editors Monica Price Leah Selim Business Ryan Teichler Advertising Manager Crystan Blanco Copy Editor Katie Stanton Photography Editor Jenny Beam Photographers: Sean Sullivan, Andrew Menegat, Sarah Sherman, Linda Fairall Staff Writers: Junaid Shams, Paul Gleason, Saman Hussain, Rachel Jones, Maggie Owner, Evan Ashe, Sam Molavi, Annette Bouadi, Rob Payne, Walaa Elbarasse, Aminah Kakeh, ShinHyung Ahn, Kyle Smeallie, Lauren Sterlacci, Morgan McEvilly, Mohammad Edris Qarghah, Laura Hollowell, Sara Bizer, Jared Smith Principal Don Clausen Adviser Alan Weintraut

Trophy Class Virginia High School League 2000-2001

All American National Scholastic Press Association 2000-2001

Published every three weeks, The A-Blast is an award winning, tri-weekly newspaper that strives to inform, educate, and entertain the student body and community. The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day or invades an individual’s right to privacy. Unsigned editorials represent the staff opinions which solely represent the opinion of the newspaper staff. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion which is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 225 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast Copyright, 2001.

editorials

the inevitable legislation

by Ryan Croft Sports Editor

They don’t call it the oldest profession for nothing. It was in the Bible. It has evolved from a practice to a profession. Its existence in society is inevitable. There will always be the guy who can’t get a date. There will always be men who need a change of pace from their wives. It is estimated that over one million people nationwide have been in this occupation. Prostitution should be regulated and taxed by the government. If its existence in society is legitimately unavoidable, why not ensure a healthier environment and tax it at the same time?

When I walked the through streets of Amsterdam’s “Red Light District” this past summer, I came to the realization that there are many positives to the legalization of prostitution. It was a topic I was previously disinterested in and uninformed about. For guidance in our own national policy, we can take a look at a nation that has already experimented with the legalization of prostitution. In Amsterdam, you can stroll along the canal banks and window-shop for sex.

In October 1999, the Dutch Parliament overturned a 1912 law against brothels. The law is intended to f its existence in society guarantee a clean, is legitimately unavoid safe working able, why not ensure a environment for the estimated healthier environment and 30,000 Dutch tax it at the same time? prostitutes in the city. The Dutch have gone as far as to propose the opening of a brothel branch at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to “cater to stressed travelers.” The local government rationalizes legalization by pointing out that no one has ever managed to get rid of the world’s oldest profession. They took into account labor conditions, public order, government taxation and most importantly, health implications.

Under a legalized system, sex for hire should be treated as a public health issue and should not be treated as a criminal one, even if it is regarded as immoral. Next, we should decriminalize all sex for pay. The most important goal of all policies should be to assist and support those who choose to resort to prostitution for whatever reason and guide them towards forms of practice that are healthy and safe. To ensure the rights of minors, a minimum age limit should be set at 21.

According to the 1949 United Nations convention, a resolution was adopted in favor of decriminalization of prostitution. Fifty countries have ratified it; however, the United States has not. Many countries complied with the resolution by decriminalization prostitution per se, yet excluding all related criminal activities such as soliciting, advertising, etc. In 1973, the National Organization for Women (NOW) passed a resolution supporting the decriminalization of prostitution, according to the Prostitutes’ Education Network, (PENet).

Unfortunately, prostitutes nationwide are infected daily with diseases that are often sexually transmitted.

While trying to discreetly evade prosecution, often times these diseases are passed along to unsuspecting clients. If legalized, the federal government would mandate that each prostitute be medically examined by a professional doctor on a monthly basis in order to control sexually transmitted diseases. If the need to patrol the streets for prostitutes is no longer a consideration, police officers could then go after the real criminals.

The most compelling argument against the legalization is that the profession itself is immoral. So, why should we keep it illegal and let people pass diseases to one another when we could clean up the entire profession? The people who call it immoral aren’t realistic about the lives of the women who resort to prostitution. Most women resort to selling sex because they lack the skills and education for other jobs and the pay exceeds minimum wage.

The legalization of prostitution has been debated time and time again. The rewards and advantages heavily outweigh the disadvantages. Prostitution has been illegal far too long. It is time for state legislation to work hand in hand with the federal government to legalize and regulated the oldest profession.

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Legalized prostitution:

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Las Vegas, is notorious in the United States for its prostitution industry. While Nevada is the only state with legalized prostitution, it is illegal within the city limits.

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Cancel the Olympics Andrew Satten Editorials Editor

After having been in Centennial Park, just hours before the Olympic bombing in 1996 that left two dead and hundreds injured, I realize the chaos that a terrorist act can wreak on the Olympics. Though the Atlanta games proceeded, terrorists around the world viewed the magnitude of an attack on the Olympic stage, in the United States, and the attention it commanded from a global audience.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 massacre, the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics is not only a prime target for terrorist attacks, but an essential one in the minds’ of terrorists. The winter Olympics should not take place on American soil, as the threat for disaster dwarfs any attempts officials can make at securing this event, and provides terrorists with an easy strike to convey their message. Is it really worth giving up human lives for the sake of a political stance?

I acknowledge that it is essential for Americans to carry on with our way of life in defiance of the atrocities that have been committed, and that by not submitting to their cowardly acts, we defeat their intentions [as demonstrated by my Issue 2 column National Must Open Now]. However, this does not mean that we should blindly engage in ventures that will potentially sacrifice human lives for the sake of a sporting competition. In this battle for our liberties, certain events must be conceded for freedom to be

victorious.

The Olympic games are a security nightmare. Venue after venue concentrated with spectators is an optimal setting for an attack, providing terrorists great flexibility in their plans. With so many events, public gatherings, and crowds, the odds are not in favor of foiling a terrorist scheme. The immense concentration of people also offers grounds for the unleashing of a communicable bioterrorist threat. Though strongly in favor of proceeding with the games, former FBI Deputy Chief Steve Pomerantz acknowledged that the games were an attractive target, “For a minimal investment by terrorists, they can get maximum results.”

Though most other major events have not been cancelled, the Olympics are unique in that it is a coordinated event consuming an entire city taking place over 17 days. When protecting a stadium, officials only have to secure a limited area for a short period of time.

However, it is impossible to monitor an entire city with hundreds of thousands of spectators from 105 nations milling around on every street corner.

During this war on terrorism, some of the factors officials consider when investigating possible terrorists include examining the length of their stay, their purpose, and where they come from.

Terrorists coming to the United States can use the Olympics as a means to elude the FBI and CIA of their true intentions, as visitors to the Olympics all fit this design.

The organization of such a massive security plan requires more time than what has been allotted. Though the four months between the Sept. 11 attack and the games may sound like a large period of time, it is actually a very small window to revamp security efforts of this magnitude. Further, the Olympic funding budget does not have

the flexibility to accommodate all the necessary security changes.

Even if an attack is not conducted, the plethora of evacuations and false alarms from every suspicious package and every suspect grain of powder will inhibit an orderly games from taking place. “All of the venues and the Olympic village is going to be like an armed camp, which is not conducive to the spirit of what the Olympics is all about,” said Pomerantz.

The travel element of the Olympics

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also offers a serious threat. Salt Lake City will have an excess of planes converging from around the world, and during this delicate balance of aviation security` our defense systems are not equipped for an event of this magnitude.

Though the Olympics is a sacred event that epitomizes sporting competition, the United States has boycotted the games for political circumstances in the past. The United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. This event was boycotted in the midst of the Cold War, and the current war we are waging on terrorism is of even greater magnitude and warrants drastic action.

Also, there is a precedence of terrorist attacks on the Olympics. In the 1972 Munich Games, 11 Israeli athletes and one policeman were massacred. This devastating attack was executed by primitive means compared to the explosive and biological tactics that modern terrorists have the capability of utilizing. Though not holding the Olympics on U.S. soil is a drastic action, two modern Olympics have been suspended by World Wars, and currently the World is engulfed in a War against terrorism.

I am not advocating that the Olympics should never be held again in the United States, however we must pick and choose our battles in the midst of this turbulent wartime period.

Past Olympics 1972 MUNICH OLYMPICS

—11 Israeli athletes killed — Airport shoot-out leaves 5 captured and 1 policeman dead — Attacks conducted by Black September, a Palestinian Guerilla Group 1980 MOSCOW OLYMPICS

— the U.S., along with a number of other countries, boycotted the games in protest of the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan WORLD WARS

—Two Olympic games were cancelled due to World War II

... Let the games go on

by Ryan Teichler Business Manager

Watching President Bush throw the first pitch of game four of the World Series in Yankee Stadium, much of the country felt a great amount of pride for America. New York showed the world just how magnificent and resilient America is in this troubling time. The world watched the leader of the free world stand just a few miles away from

s the world’s only superpower, the U.S. must be a leader in the fight to return to normalcy.

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ground zero and toss the first pitch.

Yankee Stadium was a prime target for terrorist attacks, but was still played and went off without a hitch. In fact, it was one of the most exciting series in history. It proves that America will not cower in this time of war.

Holding the 2002 winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, will further prove that America has overcome, but not forgotten, the attacks of Sept. 11. The Games need to be held in America and on time.

The Olympic Games are a prime target for a terrorist attack and the spectators and athletes may be in some danger, but that doesn’t mean we should cancel the games. Apparently, now sitting in your office in a

high rise building or going to the mailbox is dangerous, but that doesn’t stop us from going on with our lives.

The terrorists want us to live a life of fear, they want us to cancel the Olympics and they want us never to fly again. All of our lives, in some way, have been changed, but we go on living. We cannot cancel the greatest sporting event just out of fear.

With the Games less than 90 days away, no other city in the world would be able to accommodate them. The U.S. did not compete in prior Olympics because of political reasons, but they have never canceled them before. The Olympics have been canceled during World War I and WWII, but that was a totally different situation. Unlike then, we are not at war with another country, but are at war with one particular group of people. It takes years to build stadiums and prepare a city for the thousands and thousands of people who would need hotels, restaurants and souvenirs. The games cannot be simply transported to another, “safer” location. It is either Salt Lake City, or no games at all. There are thousands of athletes from across the world who have trained their entire lives for the opportunity to compete in the Olympics. Are we going to tell these people, “Sorry, but since there are going to be

a lot of people in a relatively concentrated area, there is a threat of terrorism?” As the world’s only superpower, the U.S. must be a leader in the fight to return to normalcy.

If we are telling the world that we are going to go on with our lives, what kind of example would canceling the Olympics be? Undoubtedly security will be the highest it has ever been and spectators will be inconvenienced but these are the sacrifices that we must and should be willing to make.

Our allies have realized that this is a global issue and countries like England, France and Germany will have security agents present. There will be hundreds of planes converging on Salt Lack City and with airplane security on highest alert, the nation will do everything possible to ensure that every plane will make it there safely. The proper steps have been taken to protect the spectators and competitors, and by the time the torch is lit, the events will be the center of attention and not terrorism.

The last thing we want is more suffering from the American people, but the Olympic Games will only strengthen our feelings of patriotism and unity. This winter, we will show the world the strength and resolve of our nation and prove to the terrorist that they may be able to destroy our tallest buildings, but they will never destroy our spirit.

Types of Euthanasia PASSIVE

—causing death by altering life support ACTIVE

—death through a direct action by request of a person PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE

—physician provides a method for committing suicide INVOLUNTARY

—killing of person who is not capable of making requests

Ashcroft decision denies ‘Death With Dignity’ As controversy and news regarding the nations’ War on Terrorism swamps the media, it can be easy to overlook still-important domestic issues. Among these is Attorney General John D. Ashcroft’s overt advancement of the conservative agenda, the most recent step of which has been to reverse Oregon’s Shant Shahrigian landmark assisted suicide Co-Editor in Chief law last Tues. THe move authorizes the federal government to punish doctors who employ the rights granted them by Oregon’s 1998 Death With Dignity Law. It exploits a nation which is occupied with international conference and block the will of the people of Oregon.

Oregon was the only state to have espoused the practice of euthanasia, but even so it was on a highly restricted basis. Of the various forms of “mercy killing,” the only one which Oregon legalized was that of physician-assisted suicide, that in which a physician prescribes a lethal

Shantsense

dosage of a drug to a patient. Parameters of the law included that the physician himself could not actually administer the drug. Also, the patient must be terminally ill and have no more than six months to live, and, the patient must go through a specific process to prove to more than one doctor that their choice was genuine. The law was confirmed by two separate mandates by the people of Oregon, as indicated by ballots taken in 1994 and 1997.

While the nation is occupied with affairs relating to terrorism at home and aborad, Ashcroft has seized the opportunity to forward his own agenda. Elements of this movement; clearly not backed by a national mandate have also included his public espousal of a National Riffle Association-friendly perception of the Second Amendment and his desire to settle the government’s lawsuit against the tobacco industry. We should expect more of our leaders than to accomplish their goals while most of the public seems to be effectively “not looking.”

Ashcroft’s move has blocked the will of the people of Oregon. As his predecessor Janet Reno stated, “there was no evidence that Congress meant for the DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency] to have the novel role of resolving the profound moral and ethical questions involved in the issue.”

Following this line of reasoning, it is not Ashcroft’s role

to use the DEA (the agency with the responsibility of identifying and punishing guilty Oregonian doctors) as he has in order to resolve the issue of euthanasia; is is the responsibility of individual state governments to resolve it until the federal government addresses euthanasia in a responsible manner that is backed by a national mandate.

In the meanwhile, states like Oregon should be left to themselves to resolve the issue. Ashcroft has violated that right and overruled the state government of Oregon.

In a time of crisis during which we must support our leaders, Ashcroft’s recent move reminds us that we must also be as alert as ever to governmental misdeeds.

His undermining of a state law is indicative of the extreme steps which the Bush administration, and the Republican House of Representatives, are willing to take to fulfill their agenda.

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3

4 aBlast

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Bond funds renovations Construction falls behind, present students won’t be benefit from the ongoing construction

NOVEMBER CALENDER Nov. 13— Farsi Parent Night, 7pm, in the Career Center Nov. 14— Arabic Parents Night, 7pm, in the Career Center Nov. 15— Career Center Open House, 7pm Nov. 15— Fall Play, 7:30pm, in the Auditorium Nov. 19— Fall Sports Banquet, 7pm, in the Auditorium Nov. 20— PTSA Meeting, 7pm, in the Library Nov. 21— 2 hour early release for Thanksgiving

by Lauren Sterlacci Staff Writer

With a completely renovated AHS waiting in our wings, the school’s looking at an entirely different appearance. The recent Bond Referendum in Fairfax County was passed on Nov. 6 which provided each of the public schools in the county additional funding.

Schools will receive a total of $378 million in funding for renovations.

There are a total of three phases which have to take place in this process. The first phase has been fulfilled, in which the Science, Art and Business labs were successfully completed. The cost of this phase was approximately $4.5 million.

The second phase is taking place right now and is the largest extension and most costly as well at around $21 million. This phase will inevitably knock out the guidance department and move them to the lobby, therefore replacing the guidance department with a black box theatre, drama department, orchestra and a place for storage. There will be a two

REID EDWARDS

AHS renovations will continue throughout the year. The above picture depicts the media center construction that started last year.

story addition in the back of the school and the lecture hall and cafeteria will be conveniently located next to one another. In the Library courtyard six classes will be built and the library will be enlarged as well. The English and Foreign Language Halls will also be remodeled during this phase

AHS lends hand in blood donations

by Crystan Blanco Ad Manger

The annual blood drive will be held Nov. 16 in the main gym. The turnout is hopeful and expected to be high.

Sponsors of this year’s blood drive are junior Lj Hyde and senior Ck Calhoun. Anyone who can contribute is much appreciated and teachers can donate as well.

When one goes to give blood, one is asked a series of questions relating to sexual activities and travelling activities. However, all answers are kept confidential.

“A blood drive is always beneficial. By taking an hour of your time you may be saying someone’s life,”

a

Nov. 22-23— Thanksgiving Holiday

said Hyde.

INOVA staff personal will be coming to AHS to administer the drive during all Red Day class periods.

The procedure is simple and will take a little less than an hour. You will be asked a few questions such as name, date of birth and social security number.

Then the nurse will complete a mini-physical exam that tests blood pressure and pulse, temperature and the number of bed blood cells.

The donation itself takes about 10 minutes; in the end you will have given a pint of blood. Common side effects include upset stomach, dizzy or faint feeling and a bruise, redness or pain where the needle was placed.

The requirements to donate include being in good

tomic rticles

Nov. 27— Red & White Night for Winter Sports, 7:30pm, in the Cafeteria Dec. 1— SATs, 8am, nationwide

A WRAP-UP OF AHS CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

MUSLIM STUDENTS’ ASSOC. VETERAN’S DISPLAY

Near the front lobby of the cafeteria, a Veteran’s Day Memorial now lies. The memorial was made by the History Club and shows various times in American history.

Several pieces of memorabilia lie inside the case.

Sponsor: John Nemeth Officers: President Amina Kakeh, Vice President Wala’a El Barasse, Secretary Deena Razik, Treasurer Rasha Dauab Next meeting: Nov. 14 and Nov. 28 in room 206.

Next event: Members are selling lollipops for 50 cents to raise money for schlorships.

Number of members 35 How to get involved: Come to meetings in room 206, $7 dues

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY Sponsor: Hrobowski, Hall Next event: Induction will be on Nov. 28, 6:30pm in the auditorium Number of members: 120 Quote from sponsor: “I am looking forward to the induction.”

WOMEN UNITED FOR THE FUTURE

Sponsor: Paul Weiss Next meeting: Thursday, Nov. 15 How to get involved: Come to the meeting in room 216 Number of members: 15 Quote from member: “After seeing first-hand what people go through, it makes me happy to be a Democratic Socialist. Helping others is what we are all about.”

Sponsor: Nancy Walden Next event: Will complete two quilts for the homeless and other crafts.

Number of members: 12 How to get involved: Talk to Walden in room 210.

Quote from Sponsor: “People talk about being bored and you can kiss boredom goodbye if you join this club.”

SPANISH CLUB Sponsor: Mary Catherine Keating Officers: President Zoraya Vega, Treasurer Jean Viquez, Secretary Carla Geng Next meeting: Will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 14 to put together a bulletin board across the elevator on the 2nd floor.

Number of members: 25 How to get involved: You can simply come to a meeting which are on every other Wednesdays.

Quote from sponsor: “We have a lot of fun and it’s a good way to learn about [the] Spanish culture.”

S.A.F.E. CLUB

n

Over the well deserved four-day weekend, the History Club visited an old Ghost Town in Alexandria, Virginia. This was a yearly tradition done around Halloween.

The club field trip lasted from 7:30 to 8:45 pm on an incredibly cold Saturday night, and it taught the students about the history of Alexandria, the people that lived there, and about some presidents of the past. The point of the field trip was to give the students a look at what was going on long ago, and to help them understand what life was like in the past. The primary goal of the trip, however, was to do something fun for the students.

Even though the small excursion was supposed to be a one on one tour with a tour guide, the club ended up sharing a guide with about two other groups. This was due to a number of guides being no shows.

To make the event more exciting, the tour guides dressed in traditional 18th century clothing, and told stories about the history of

KEY CLUB Sponsor: Jackie Sabine Next event: Monthly meeting on Wednesday November 14th @ 2:15 in room 107 Officers: President Monica Price, VicePresident Jessica Reyes, Secretary Karen Siles, Co-Secretary Kim Yerick, Tresurer Julia Ehrenfeld, Historians Liz Nettles and Paola Perrochon, Webmaster Saul Cruz How to get involved: Come by room 107 and get information.

Quote from President: “Key Club is a service organization of students making a difference, anyone who likes to help others is encouraged to join.”

Sponsor: Linda Wheeler Next event: Meeting to elect officers on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 2:15 in room 155 Quote from Sponsor: “It will be good to see how the new members interact with — Information gathered by Journalism I students, the old members.” edited by Chae-Wha Park, Atomic Articles Editor

History Club takes ghost walks through Alexandria

by Andrew Menegat Photographer

general health, having a minimum weight of 110 pounds and being at least 17 years of age. Many students feel the requirements, though they’re there for a good reason, hinder them from giving blood.

Senior Katie Jenkins is worried that she may not be able to participate due to the weight requirements. “I just want to help,” said Jenkins. Sophomore John Reiss agrees. “I would if I could, but I can’t,” said 16year-old Riess, “That requirements are screwing me over.”

AHS hopes that there will be 92 pints of blood donated.

“Nothing but good can come out of this,” said Hyde.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY

Students see ghosts

ews

which is expected to last after the summer of 2003. All of the field lights, sidewalks and the parking lots will be replaced. As soon as that phase is finished there’s yet another to be taken care of.

The third and final phase is expected to cost around $10.5 million which is expected to begin

as soon as the second one is completed. The entire math department and down below it, except the art rooms, are being replaced. This will also cover the upstairs gym and underneath it, the old lobby will be gone and replaced with a dance/cheerleaders room and new outside stairs will be added too.

Although renovations are about two months behind schedule, the outcome of this project is supposed to take place during the spring of 2005. Principal Don Clausen said “Its going well although I wish it were going a little faster, but we have to be patient because when it’s done it will have been worth the wait.”

Students will not be fortunate to see the final product. Many students have voiced their complaints. Senior Kara Brostrom said, “It’s kind of crazy with everything being renovated and it’s a shame because I’ll have graduated way before it’s finished.”

the town. “It was funny how the guides told the stories, because they were trying to scare us, but they didn’t,” said junior Elizabeth Rhee.

Some of the more interesting stories the students got to hear included one about a group of Revolutionary War soldiers. The story told of how 32 Revolutionary War soldiers were buried in a pile and covered with dirt. It was also said that because the people burying the men couldn’t dig a very deep hole, the pile was partially above ground. Other stories included ones about people’s everyday life, and others were about the lives of presidents that have passed away.

“I think it went really well. The students seemed to have a good time, besides the cold,” said History Club sponsor Joel Jepson. The Ghost Town in Alexandria was a fun, informative, and cold way to learn about the history of Alexandria. The club got to see how people lived in the past, listen to “scary” stories, and endure the cold weather of November.

Summer Job in the Sun! Needed: superviser for lifeguard staff at Parliament Pool.

Must be willing to schedule and manage teenage lifeguards. Additional responsiblities include ordering pool supplies,maintainiung safe and orderly enviroment, and acting as a liaison to the pool board, membership and staff.

For additional information please contact Liz Nielsen at (703) 250 - 7091

School security receives new attention after Sept. 11, Superintendent addresses community’s concerns over community and schools

“Security,” from pg. 1 important.

“Officer Pickett is on duty at all times,”said security officer Cliff Cornwell.

Included in the security procedures is a new school crisis response. County schools have upgraded their alarm technology and in the event of an emergency, communication with public safety officials is greatly improved. In any crisis, school television station Red Apple 21 as well as local radio stations, carry vital information.

In his special edition “FamilyGram” sent out in October, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Daniel A. Domenech outlined some new and revised security procedures to be instituted at all Fairfax County schools in the upcoming weeks.

In this post-Sept. 11 world, security personnel and staff members have increased their awareness of everyday security measures. “Emergency preparedness is a process that requires continual review and readjustment... the school system has reinforced security measures already in place and mandated a number of new measures to augment our school’s preparedness,” Domenech said.

Although increased security measures cannot prevent an Anthrax incident, informed mail-handlers can. Security officers were sent a list of protocol from Fairfax County regarding the handling of packages. It gave a list of warning signs for suspicious packages and a list of emergency procedures in the event that Anthrax or any other device is found. “...Be very clear with your children that jokes or pranks about bombs and bioterrorism are not acceptable. Indeed, students attempting any such prank can expect severe disciplin-

Officer Paul Pickett

SARAH SHERMAN

Kenny Williams and Michael Patch talk in AHS halls. Williams monitors the halls during school.

ary measures and may also be held accountable by law enforcement agencies.” Domenech said.

The reason for these intensified security measures is precaution- to keep all students and staff safe in the school environment. However, it is every student’s responsibility to protect themselves and their classmates. “Most of all, we rely on the students to let us know if something is going on that shouldn’t be.

Students know what is suspicious, and who should and shouldn’t be in the school.” Cornwell said.

In order to ensure that these new security measures will become an effective way to ensure school safety in these changing times, it will take a joint effort from everyone in the community

news

Security concerns on the rise

Years he has been a police officer: 13 Common problems he see’s at AHS: Skipping and smoking on school grounds Security issues in the school concern him: None inside the school, but he does fear an outsider coming in and harming students Why he became an officer: “I was a witness to a murder when I was 13 and I had a good experience with a detective” Do you like doughnuts: No, I only eat them every once in a while What is your favorite part of being a police officer?

Dealing with the issues in the community What common problems do you see at AHS? [I see] skipping and smoking on school grounds.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2001

AMERICAN FLAGS DONATED Fairfax County Public Schools will get new flags, given by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

DAR is making requests for over 1,000 flags. The goal for completion of the project is midNovember

Teachers nominated for superb ability SHS sees Two teachers nominated for outstanding effort in the classroom

Teachers, from page 1 teachers.” I try to first develop a strategy, let the students work until they’re confused and then help them individually or in small groups,” says Walters.

Robert Christie, Computer Graphics teacher, has been teaching for only seven years.

Christie started off teaching as a substitute for nine months. The fall after that, he started to teach at Longfellow Middle School. Christie went to college at Rochester Institute of Technology for one year and then transferred to Syracuse University where he graduated in 1993.

After coming to AHS, Christie taught Art and Photography for three years and later became the Computer Graphics teacher for the past four years. Christie tries to teach the students interesting material and takes pleasure in coming every day seeing the

Opera

by Evan Ashe Staff writer

SARAH SHERMAN

Students work on their labs in Carolyn Walters class. Walters is a Chemistry teacher and has been nominated for teacher of the year

students.

Christie says, “ Many teachers deserve the award; all of them work hard which most people don’t know about. All of them do more than it’s required for them, because they love their job.”

Four years ago when Computer Graphics started, there were two

classes of 20. Now there are seven classes of 30.

Both of the nominees may have different backgrounds or may have gone to different colleges, but they do have similarities. They are devoted, compassionate and proud teachers that love what they do the most.

District Chorus auditions held

by Rachel Jones and Katharine Kishiyama Staff Writer

Following their first concert on Oct. 28, the chorus department members tried out for districts at West Potomac High School the following day. Sixty-six out of 75 students who auditioned were selected for the honor.

Stephanie Gloffelty (Alto 1), Donald Martin (Tenor 1), Bayla Whitten (Soprano 1) and Michael Weinberg (Bass 1) received the highest ratings in their categories from the whole district. Ashley Lippolis received the second highest rating in Alto 1.

Districts are a step above normal competition and members must prepare themselves. “[Choral Director Carleen Dixon] gave us our music to work on at home,” said Jeanie Adkins. “We rehearsed it together at school before we went the whole district choir.”

With the concert behind them, the department is focusing on districts. Each student had to audition separately. Students tried out in eight categories; Soprano 1 and 2, Alto 1 and 2, Tenor 1 and 2 and Bass 1 and 2.

All members of each section sang the same piece.

After students performed the prepared piece, they were given another selection to site read. To ensure the

fairness of the tryouts, judges were unable to see the auditions. Two judges graded the performance separately and each ranked the candidate out of 100 points.

Districts, which are comprised of ten local high schools, will be held in February. The are two district choirs, the SSAA (sopranos and altos) and SATB (saprano, alto, tenor, bass). SSAA is comprised of all women and SATB is mixed.

On the weekend of district tryouts the Latin piece Vivaldi Gloria was performed during the Fall Festival.

Accompanied by 20 members of the orchestra and soloists, the choir performed in front of a filled auditorium.

“The music they did was very difficult, many high school choirs don’t attempt to do music to this difficulty, much less do it as well as they did,” said Dixon, “People said ‘why go the Kennedy Center when they can hear music like this?’”

Nine soloists performed in the first half of the concert. Junior Alex Mott said, “there was a huge crowd, but once I started singing I was fine.”

The next performance will be the Winter Concert on December 18. Annandale Singers performed on Nov. 10 at Union Station in Washington D.C. The concert will be advertised by radio.

“The music they did was very difficult,” —Carleen Dixon Chorus Teacher

Orchesta performs, booster club started Orchestra plays again, advanced classes have officers

by Morgan McEvilly Staff Writer

The orchestra concert that was held on Oct. 30 was a big hit. The concert started at 7:30 with the advanced orchestra. Its first piece was Herald Quartet by Charles Dancla. They finished with Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by J.S. Bach.

After the Advanced Orchestra performance the symphonic moved to the stage. The songs they preformed were the Serenade for Strings by W.A.Mozart and ended with the Holberg Suite for Strings, Op. 40 (in olden style). Following an intermission was a combined orchestra of both symphonic and advanced. They started with the star Banner by John Stafford

Smith. This was followed by the two speakers Elaine Filadelfo and Frank Foley who are both Juniors.

These two speakers talked about what it means to them to be an America. The concert then continued with the combined orchestras.

The performance ended with the Salute to “Freedom” by James “Red” McLeod.

Director Valerie Weintraut said “This was a great start to the year and the audience was very receptive and over all the concert was great.”

This year the orchestra has started an orchestra boosters board. The board raised a few hundred dollars in this performance. They raised this by selling adds that were in the program and selling food during the intermis-

Granddad’s Hobby Shop

sion. The money raised will go start to the orchestra board which will help the orchestra in many ways.

Some of the things that the money will go to are there upcoming Canada trip and to fund more money in the program.

For this year the two orchestra, the advanced and the symphonic orchestra, have class officers. For the advanced orchestra are Elaine Filadelfo, President. Next is Christine So who is vice-president.

Then for the symphonic orchestra there is Jesse Vollrath, President and Eun-Young Jeon is vicepresident.

“The concert was really great and I enjoyed it a lot,” said Kristina Taylor.

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The Spanish Honor Society attended two field trips to the Kennedy Center on Nov.1 and Nov. 3 Thursday the students viewed a collection of dances called Yaxa Nutal or “this land is my land.”

Saturday the Spanish Honor Society members viewed an opera of ‘Of Mice and Men.’ “I wanted the kids to know the Kennedy Center as a cultural place,” said club sponsor Antonio Rivadeneira who escorted the students on the field trips.

Yaxa Nutal originated in July 1985 and is a collection of Spanish dances. Students were shown many off-limits lounges and presidential boxes on the Thursday field trip while they toured the Kennedy Center, and also allowed students to view the show from front row seats. The viewing of ‘Of Mice and Men’ allowed students to see the opera from seats on the first level in the middle of the audience.

Many students who attended the field trips enjoyed them and overall the shows were well received. “The student reaction was great, most of them were pleasantly surprised with the show,” said Rivadeneira.

“The students enjoyed the opera and the environment very much. To go there itself is like a show,” said Spanish teacher Alba Vergara who attended the Saturday show along with other teachers in the Spanish program.

Each field trip took 22 students to the Kennedy Center.

The Spanish Honor Society is a club that is for students interested in Hispanic studies and it also recognizes the achievements of students enrolled in Spanish classes. To enter the Spanish Honor Society, students must have an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 and a 3.5 in Spanish classes. Students also must have completed three semesters of high school Spanish. In the Spanish Honor Society students perform community service, tutor other students in Spanish, and work closely with the STAR program.

The Spanish Honor Society has stopped accepting applications but will begin accepting them again after the second semester. Applications were accepted late this year because there were a number of seniors with late applications.

“Right now we have about 50 or 60 students in the club,” said Rivadeneira.

The field trip was well liked by those who attended. “It was a very nice field trip, we got VIP treatment,” said Vergara.

As far as any more field trips, Rivadeneira says they will “probably” have more. However, the terrorist attacks have made it difficult to go to many places.

MODELL’S & ATOM’S WORK TOGETHER Money spent at Modell’s Sporting Goods store through Nov. 19th. AHS students who bring a special flyer will also receive 15% off the total purchase. Money received will support DECA and the Pentagon Relief Fund.

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6 NEWS BRIEFS ABOVE AND BEYOND RECOGNITION Five teachers and faculty were honored as the October recipients of the new AHS Academic Task Force “Above and Beyond Award.” PE Athletic Trainer Kathy Ayers, Speech Specialist, Leslie Clark, Guidance Counselor, Kazue Watlington, Latin Teacher, Paul Weiss, and the AHS Custodial Staff were the honored recipients. All award winners were nominated by a teacher, student, or faculty members.

CLASS ACT AWARD WINNERS The following students received awards for their excellent performance at the 2001 Class Acts. Senior Geordie Campbell, best director, junior Owen Beste, best actor, sophomore Ashley Jones, best actress, and senior Stephanie Glotfelty, best supporting actress.

Senior John McDowell and junior Michael Weinberg shared best supporting actor honors.

“PIES, GLORIOUS PIES” The Annandale Choral Department is selling “Mom’s Apple Pies,” which are made by a local bakery in Herndon. Types of pies being sold include apple, butter pecan apple crumb, southern pecan, Shenandoah Peach, blackberry, Bourbon Walnut, Mile High Meringues, and strawberry rhubarb.

Pies cost $9 a piece and can be ordered through members of the Choral Department.

Pies can be picked up in the cafeteria on Nov. 20

Model UN to compete at Duke

by Kyle Smeallie Staff Writer

President Keith White, said, “My favorite aspect of Model UN are the national debates.”

You are the head of a Cuban coalition on the economy. You face new challenges everyday. You are in the middle of a heated argument with American representatives.

You are...in the Model U.N..

The Model U.N. is the Foreign Affairs club, but as their name suggests, they mirror the actions and solve the problems of the actual United Nations. They do this by attending mock debates, which are held at local high schools or colleges.

At these debates, students represent a particular country or REID EDWARDS topic, and they strive to represent the needs and wants of that nation. Senior Rob Payne talks with Model UN Sponsor Jonathan York about the upcoming competition at Duke University.

Topics range from economics to politics.

Thursday, Nov. 15 to Sunday, Nov. him, Model U.N. was a perfect mix.

Prior to the debates, students 18 the Model U.N. will travel to At Duke, the Model U.N. will be research their country (mainly onDuke University to compete in a representing the United States and line) and write a two page report national conference.

Cuba. This was a former hot spot concerning the problems that the A three-year veteran to Model in the international scene, but in country faces and possible soluU.N., President Keith White, said light of the recent terrorist attacks, tions. At the conferences, students “My favorite aspect of Model U.N. turmoil has been pushed aside in then voice their research and are the national debates. I really that area. However, York is still assert their positions on the topics enjoy meeting new people that excited about the countries, saying of their country. “Sometimes, the have the same interests as me.”

“The advantage of representing conferences can get pretty wild,” White, who has been a member these nations is that we can be said club Sponsor Jonathan York. since his freshman year, was both the bully and the pain in the However, a special conference is attracted to Model U.N. because he tail.” coming up, one where students wanted to debate, and he was The original conference was from all over the country argue interested in foreign affairs. For scheduled to be at Harvard their points of interest. From

University, but because of the terrorist attacks, the AHS debate team will travel to Duke University. Fairfax County mandated that all school field trips must be within a 250-mile radius of the school.

Students will be assigned topics ranging from human interests to disarming weapons as they assume the identity of their respective countries. At a typical debate, students will speak, then form coalitions with the countries who support them. They make deals, such as supporting countries if they receive support in return. Finally, a resolution is voted on. “Unfortunately, many issues remain unresolved, similar to the real U.N.,” said York.

The Duke conference is not the last chance to get involved, and York encourages students to join.

“Model U.N. is especially good for International Baccalaureate students because it has an international flavor,” said York.

“However, the IB program also assists students in Model U.N. because they are experiencing international issues in the classroom.”

AHS receives warning concerning anthrax scare “Anthrax” from pg. 1 taking precautions in light of recent outbreaks of anthrax in this area.

“About a week ago we received a four page e-mail from the county headquarters that supplied information on anthrax and outlining guidelines on receiving mail,” said Assistant Principal Jon Frederickson.

“There are a series of things that we are on the alert for, but for the most part we have not changed our system other than watching for suspicious packages.

There is a limit to what can be done but in all likelihood AHS is not seen as a threat. “ In dealing with this unfolding crisis, Principle Don Clausen sent an e-mail to all AHS faculty regarding the anthrax scare. “The e-mail that was sent to the teachers was designed as a fact sheet for teachers and students,” said Frederickson.

Discussed in the e-mail were descriptions of what to look for when watching for a suspicious package.

Characteristics of a suspicious may include but not limited to: no return address, the words personal or confidential printed on the outside of the envelope, the envelope is irregular in any form, misspellings of common words, exorbitant amount of postage or tape or strange stains and odors emanating from the envelope. If any of these characteristics are exhibited by a piece of mail, local authorities should be immediately contacted.

The first case of anthrax was reported in Florida, the man worked in a tabloid magazine. As the outbreaks of the disease crop up and down the East Coast, officials on every level of government are

scrambling to deal with this new and deadly crisis.

Anthrax is an ancient disease that has plagued man for thousands of years. The scientific name for anthrax is Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax exists in the environment in the form of spores, a hardened shell that protects the bacteria, which can remain in the soil for many years.

Anthrax is known to exist in three forms, The source of the security precautions: A cutaneous or sample of Bacillus anthracis, or anthrax, skin anthrax, is under a microscope. contracted through physical contact with a contaminated substance.

Cutaneous anthrax is the most common and benevolent form of anthrax. The second form of anthrax is intestinal anthrax and is contracted by ingesting a contaminated substance. However, although it is a more severe form of anthrax, it is much less common than cutaneous anthrax. The third form of anthrax, pulmonary anthrax, is only contracted through the respiratory system and is the deadliest form of anthrax. Inhaled anthrax can only be contracted if a

person breathes in thousands of the anthrax spores.

Symptoms of anthrax infection include flu like symptoms, pneumonia, blackened sores and severe abdominal pain. Symptoms usually develop within seven days but can easily appear with within 48 hours of exposure.

However, anthrax does respond well to antibiotic treatment and in most cases is curable. Anthrax is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person.

Authorities have confirmed that the method of delivering this biological agent has been through the mail. In letters that have contained contaminated powder that is released into the air when the letter is opened. Currently two out of the three forms of anthrax have confirmed to have been sent through the mail, the inhaled form of anthrax being most prevalent. Inhaled anthrax has resulted in four deaths and six other confirmed contractions of the disease. Skin anthrax has tested positive in seven people; all those who tested positive for anthrax are undergoing antibiotic treatment. The majority of those who contracted anthrax worked in mail rooms or for the US Postal Service.

Anthrax has been confirmed to have been sent to twenty-three different facilities through the mail.

Most prominent being the US Supreme Court, Senate Office of Majority Leader Tom Daschle as well as several other government buildings and news agencies.

AHS reduces budget Sept. 11 terrorist attacks cause decrease in expected tax revenue.

by Reid Edwards News Editor

SHANT SHARHIGIAN

The drama department’s fall play,The Miracle Worker stars seniors Emily Dere, Paige Singh, and Sarah Patterson.

Fall Play is Miracle “Fall play” from pg. 1 over 30 years. This classic shares joy and hardships with Annie and Helen. The Miracle Worker has been featured on Broadway and many school wide schools around the world.

Come and see what happens does Annie or Helen come out on top.

This classic will change your prospective on how you are blessed with all your senses. Tickets will be presale $4.00 and at the door $5.00.

On December 3 auditions for the Thespians Children’s show “Alice in Wonderland.” This play will take place in February.

All Fairfax County schools are being required cut their current budgets by ten percent. The decision to cut back comes almost two months after the terrorist attacks which triggered the slowing economy. The national tragedy has begun to affect Fairfax County, as it will not receive the revenue from state taxes that the expected at the time the budgets were drawn up.

The cutbacks will affect mainly the purchasing of basic supplies, such as pens and pencils. In addition, all departments will be deprived of certain nonessential teaching aides such as maps, supplementary textbooks, and audio visual materials. AHS will however, continue to purchase basil texts, or the base textbooks that each curriculum follows.

English classes may suffer from the budget cuts, as they may be restricted from purchasing additional paperback books. Katie Ingwersen’s English classes, for example, have read books such as Raisin in the Sun and Twelve Angry Men in the past, but they are not included in the classes basil text, Language and Literature.

The budget cuts should have a large effect on most classes and only in a few cases will curriculum will be changed.

“We have to look at each item we want to buy and see if we can afford it [under the new budget],” said Principal Donald Clausen.

All Fairfax County Schools will also institute a “freeze on hiring,” or the stop of hiring nonessential employees such as secretaries and support staff. Positions that are not effected by the “freeze on hiring,” are teachers (including substitutes), bus drivers, and administrators.

While the budget was decreased, the school will gain an additional $11.5 million, as a result of the $378 million bond that was passed on Nov. 6. This money, however, will be put only towards the school’s renovation project.

Students help homeless

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Raising money for the homeless is one of many things students and teachers at AHS do to help the community. But this Saturday, it will be their focus.

Nov 17 the fourteenth annual Help the Homeless Walkathon will be held and many students and faculty members will be going.

Though the Walkathon is not a county sponsored event, students are still doing it together. Clubs here at AHS have mostly told their members that if they want to go with fellow members then they can.

History Club sponsor Joel Jepson said that its more of a casual get together for people who want to go and want to be with friends.

If anyone has any questions or wishes to attend, go see Jepson. “...For those who would like to go, we will meet together, and do down together.” said Jepson. The time and place for

n

ews

Tuesday, November 13 2001

by Philippe Podhorecki News Editor

6920-C Braddock Rd. (703) 813-6262

A scene from a previous Help the Homeless walk, annually held in D.C.

where people going has not been set but the walk starts at 10 a.m. on the Mall in Washington DC. The proceeds form the walk benefit the homeless. This year the guest speaker will be Serena Williams.

There is a $10 fee for all participants. However, the money is not only given to the homeless, but the participators are given a shirt that displays the logo.

Now accepting donations for families and victims.

Atoms Special 1 large 1 topping pizza, carry-out $7.99

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cademics

Wednesday, September 27, 2001

The AHS literature program is designed to offer students a variety of experiences with short stories, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Like Homer, who embarked on his odyssey, AHS students must journey down a road filled with trials and tribulations to acheive the success in literature. The path below lists the novels that students may encounter.

academics

Annandale’s Road of Literature

What is the best lesson you’ve ever taught in English class?

“My ninth graders had the most fun when I taught my Odyssey story board lesson. The lesson involved students pretending to create a movie with a cast, costumes, and storyline. They used universal character traits from the book and had to transfer them into another setting.”

—Augustine Twyman Ninth Grade English Teacher

“When my students were studying Frankenstein, I taught a lesson where we constructed a civil trial between the Victor and the creature. The lesson was a lot of fun because we had a jury, witnesses, and a plaintiff.”

Freshmen

—Victor Randazzo Tenth Grade English Teacher To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee

The Odyssey Homer

Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare

“The most fun lesson for my junior classes is when I teach an eighteenth century dance that corresponds with the unit on Romanticism. The lesson gives my classes lots of perspective.”

Lord of the Flies William Golding

Other Texts: So Far From the Bamboo Grove I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Raisin in the Sun Oedipus Tweleve Angry Men Growing Up Fahrenheit 451 Animal Farm The Night of January 16th Cold, Sassy Tree

—Niki Holmes Eleventh Grade English Teacher

Sophomores

“I plan to do a ‘Weakest Link’ game for review and I’ll be Anne Robinson, of course.

The Beowolf puppet show is also a fun lesson [done by the senior English classes.]”

—Bill Brock Twelth Grade English Teacher

Julius Caesar William Shakespeare DRAWN BY KATHY SAUPP

Night Elie Wiesel

Other Texts: A Separate Peace The Old Man and the Sea A Gathering of Old Men A Lesson Before Dying The Joy Luck Club Inherit the Wind The House on Mango Street

Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

In 1986, A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein was removed from a library in Mukwonago, Wisconsin because a teacher declared that Silverstein’s poems glorified Satan, suicide, and cannibalism, and also encouraged children to be disobedient.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain Other Texts: Ethan Frome A Farewell to Arms The Grapes of Wrath The Great Gatsby Main Street Member of the Wedding

Banned books may interrupt literary path Sarah Sherman Photographer

On Monday October 22, the Fairfax County School Board met with local parents and teachers about the challenges made against books in the school system.

Parents have recently shown a growing concern about the language, violence and sexuality in the literature children read in public schools and want to change the way books were reviewed. A rating system much like the movie rating system, has been proposed.

At the meeting on Nov. 22, the idea to update 3005.3 was generally approved by the school board, with some members approving while others remained skeptical.

Mychele Brickner was supportive of the change and also approved the new rating system that was introduced. In this system, the books will be labeled, much like the movie rating system, with an “S” for heavy sexual content and a “V” for graphic violence.

Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Department (ISD) Nancy Sprague said it was too difficult to create a rating system because of all the differing opinions of what is too vulgar or explicit for children.

Parents Against Bad Books In Schools (PABBIS) challenged many books that can be found in Fairfax County public schools. The most recent challenges were against Pillars of the Earth by Kenneth Follet and Druids by Morgan Llywelyn.

In 1994, the School Board passed regulation 3005.3, a

Popular Banned Books

Juniors

Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller Brave New World Aldous Huxley

Seniors The Crucible Arthur Miller

The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne

series of guidelines for the review and approval of instructional materials. It stated that any new materials purchased, rented, or taped off the air must first go through the basic regulations that it prescribed.

Under 3005.3, the principal of the school must establish a school-based review committee that should be available. The committee includes the principal, at least two classroom teachers and a librarian or reading teacher. The regulation also gives additional guidelines for the review and approval of any new materials.

Some of the criteria that the material must live up to includes the avoiding of stereotyping, the promotion of the qualities of equality and equity, and presentation of the content clearly and logically. Regulation 3005.3 defines what kind of material may be used in public schools, and displays instructions for local schools on how to review their incoming material.

PABBIS makes an effort to raise awareness of the “Bad Books” in public schools and makes a list of the bad books on their web site.

“You might be shocked at the sensitive, controversial and inappropriate material that can be found in books in K-12 schools,” says the home page of the site. “Parents should be aware of what their children can or must read in school to decide whether its appropriate for them or not.”

Pillars of the Earth by Kenneth Follet and Druids by Morgan Llywelyn were both brought to the attention of the School Board by Centreville parent Kathy Stohr. Her

Other Texts: The Canterbury Tales Their Eyes Were Watching God Bless Me, Ultima The Woman Warrior Animal Dreams Things Fall Apart Cry, the Beloved Country Dracula Saint Joan

Macbeth William Sheakespeare

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by Maya Angelou is challenged often due to the poet’s descriptions of being raped as a young girl.

main com1984 plaints were George Orwell against the graphic rape and incest and the violent sexual situations in each story. Pillars, a story about life in the Middle Ages and Druids, an occult fantasy, both remain in FCPS libraries, but may only be checked out by students in grades 10 and above.

There have not been any direct challenges at AHS in the last six years. Many parents and students are comfortable with the curriculum and feel banning books is unnecessary. “I think it depends on the book and the reason they’re banning it,” said junior Nikki Ogunnaike.

“If language is the problem then they shouldn’t have the right to ban it because we hear it all the time. If it teaches a bad lesson, then yes.”

To find more information about banned and challenged books, visit the American Library Association at ala.org.

Information about PABBIS and Fairfax County regulations can be found at pabbis.org and fcps.k12.va.us.

“I think Pillars is a wonderful book. It gives a real good picture of what life was like in the Middle Ages,” said AHS librarian Janet Pfeiffer. “It really depends on the ninth graders and how they handle the content. But ban it? No, I wouldn’t.”

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank was challenged in Wise County, VA in 1982 due to “sexually offensive” passages. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of this book because it was a “real downer.”

Do you think Fairfax County Public Schools has the right to ban books?

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the “No, [Fairfax County] shouldn’t have enough power to ban books. It’s not fair and it doesn’t seem right. They should stick with more drastic topics other than books .”

—Evan Rowland freshman

“No, because the authors pour their hearts out on paper for people to enjoy and when you ban an author’s heart you might as well crush his soul. I think it is morally wrong.”

—Justin Wade sophomore

“No, because books are a source of learning for people and [without books] people will never know anything about what goes on in the world.”

—Alexia Tapia junior

“No, because it disrupts the learning process and teachers need to assign books to read.”

—Carlos Perez senior

“No, Fairfax County shouldn’t ban books. A book is a form of a expression and people should have a right to read anything and think about it.”

—Pam Feil English teacher

Tuesday, November 13, 2001

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Tuesday, November 13, 2001

TEACHER CADET FACTS • 49 seniors are in the program this year.

• Teacher Cadet has been at AHS for 7 years and in the county for 15 years.

• Cadets work with kids in preschool through fifth grade.

• They help not only with conventional subjects like math, reading, science and social studies, but also art and ESL.

VIRGINIA CROWLEY TEACHER CADET SPONSOR She has led the program for three years.

JENNY BEAM JENNY BEAM

A fifth grader juggles in P.E. class.

At Braddock and North Springfield Elementary Schools, high school students have the unique opportunity to work with young children in The Teacher Cadet program.

“It’s good for an elective. You get to go off campus and it’s a change of pace from the rest of the school day. All the kids involved have a lot of fun.”

Senior David Holloway helps second grader Brandon with a computer project. Holloway says he joined the program because “I want to be a teacher and I thought the class would help me out.”

LINDA FAIRALL

Senior Nina Rodriguez helps a group of second graders write a letter to the winner of a poster contest which depicted the September 11 tragedy.

JENNY BEAM

Senior Mark Armentrout talks to Mr. Nocera, his teacher mentor at North Springfield. Teacher cadets spend one period at Braddock or North Springfield during either W6 or R3.

LINDA FAIRALL

Senior Dana Anaman works with a student in her third grade class to complete a worksheet. Anaman said, “I love the idea that I can make an impact on kids’ lives.”

JENNY BEAM

LINDA FAIRALL

Senior Megan Matchett helps second grader Casey Klipsch read a story at North Springfield. Matchett enjoys Teacher Cadet because “It makes me appreciate my mother more (she’s a preschool teacher) and I’m happy when Casey feels proud of himself.”

JENNY BEAM

Senior Wasy Reangber helps two third grade girls with a math assignment. “The little kids are so cute and adorable and I really like helping them learn.”

s

napshots

Senior Lindsay Quigley reads a story to her preschool class at North Springfield. Quigley said, “I’m thinking about being an elementary school teacher and I’m taking the class to make sure it’s really something I want to pursue in college.”

JENNY BEAM

Armentrout talks to Christopher Kamara, a fifth grader at North Springfield.

Armentrout is a P.E. assistant.

African dance shows its true colors and style in American culture through step dancing

by Cameron Kynes Cultures Editor

Stepping, an art movement that has been made popular by African American fraternities and sororities, can be described as a combination of rhythmic beats made with the hands and feet.

Since the late 1940s and 50s, stepping has been an intricate dance that evolved from traditional African dance brought by enslaved Africans to America.

Scholars believe step dancing was developed in West Africa. The virtual prohibition of the drum in slave holding areas of the South caused a necessity to use this “body music.”

“Many scholars note the influence of black churches and the military. The rigid lines and formations of the military mixed with percussion and rhythm define step dancing,” said Step Afrika director Brian Williams.

“Stepping is such a high,” said Leisha Mack, a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. “Crowd appeal is key. Everyone tries to come up with complex steps to get a wow from the audience.” The step group tries to be in complete unison as to attain the desired sound effect.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is just

t

he three major components that make a good step show is based on teamwork, discipline, and intensity.

—Brian Williams Director of Step Afrika

one example of the many fraternities and soroities around the country that compete for stepping titles each year.

Stepping often combines elements of many other popular artistic forms including military drills, children’s games, cheerleading, martial arts, acrobatics, hip hop and tap dancing.

MARTHA AMOAKO

Marie Yiadom practices her step moves. She steps for fun, but is also interested in other types of dances. She studied traditional Ghanan dances for several years as well as other various dances.

Still step dancing retains an individual distinctiveness.

Steppers do not use any musical instruments in their performance.

They, however, use their body like a drum. Jacqui Malone, a writer on the subject said, “What we notice first and foremost in contemporary stepping is the sound of the drum.”

Steppers clap, pat, slap their hands and stomp their feet to produce a rhythmic movement and sound for the dance. Steppers often wear hard-sole shoes that vibrate their rhythmic movements during their performance.

These hard-sole shoes combined with hardwood floors give the essential sound of stepping.

Some fraternities and sororities have been known to use canes or sticks to accentuate their dance performance.

Singing and chanting also accompa-

nies these body movements.

A step is a complete set of choreographed movements and usually lasts from 2 to 5 minutes. Each team of steppers has a “step master” who is in charge of deciding the choreography and teaching it to the team.

“The three major components that make a good step show is based on teamwork, discipline and intensity,” said Williams.

In some steps, the step master takes the lead in a “call-and-response” interaction with the rest of the steppers.

This call-and-response style as well as other elements connect stepping to a broader range of the African American expressive culture.

Many steps use improvisation to make the performance more dynamic.

Improvisation is an element seen in many African American performance genres.

The step show is very AfricanAmerican. It was adopted by the Greek system of fraternities in the late 1940s.

Fraternity members got together to learn dances and then compete against each other.

These competitions often take place on college campuses, although, the largest competitions can move to larger areas.

Students compete for large cash prizes. These cash prizes are generated by the ticket sales, and therefore correspond to the size of the event.

“Step Shows are around 12 minutes long and consist of three to four steps,” said Williams. Step Shows are generally competitions between teams of several sororities and fraternities.

This competitive stepping appears in Spike Lee’s film “School Daze” which gave broad exposure to stepping. Through such exposure stepping is becoming more popular in American culture.

Stepping has become very popular among urban teens. “Stepping is a very cool form of self-expression. The movements are very intense. It is especially cool when they add elements of Hip-Hop and other urban music to it,” said junior Fanta Sesay.

Stepping gives students a way to see how past cultures can effect society today. Many elements of step dancing reflect the African culture from which it came.

What is your favorite type of dance?

cultures

Cultures step to a different beat

“Swing dancing because it’s fun to do and to watch and has good traditional music.”

—Andrew Molchany freshman

Selected International Titles

“Hip-Hop and funk because it’s a lot more relaxed and you don’t have to worry about the technique.”

VIVA MINDELO

—Justine Bui sohomore

by Fantcha

“Merengue and raving because it’s fun.”

This CD blends soft instruments with an urban and jazzy sound. Cape Verdan chanteuse Cesaria Evora(or Fantcha) has a light,

—Saul Cruz senior DELLALI

“Spanish dancing because I like the way my girlfriend does it. Because she is a fatty-fatty girl.”

by Cheb Mami This Algerian singer blends traditional rai music with dance, hip-hop, funk, and rock. This a great dance CD.

—Sean Jackson junior

YUNNAN INTERNATIONAL MUSIC

Dances express universal motion

by Martha Amoako Cultures Editor

Countries use dance as a form of social, religious, and emotional expression.

Dance is a form of expression that is used globally to demonstrate the joys, struggles, and beliefs of a society. The rhythmic movement of dancers can tell the story of a country or just emphasize the cultural heritage of a country.

On Nov. 7th a group of El Salvadoran men and women called Yaxa Nutal performed during Flex. “It was a lot of fun watching the Spanish dancers, it was a one-in-a-lifetime experience,” said sophomore Mike Nakamura.

Students enjoyed the event and learned about multi-culturalism. Catlin McKinney said, “I liked their machetes. My dad brought them so I was extra excited to watch because they are my friends.”

This experience gave the students an opportunity to see dancing in another form and from another culture. “It was very interesting to see the culture of El Salvador,” said Junior Mary Burke. The students that saw the event left with a better understanding of El Salvadoran Culture.

“I know that in my country [Ghana] we dance all the time. At parties and even funerals, just to express our joy for the things that God has done for us. We try not to be sad at funerals because we know the person is at a better place. So to celebrate their life and deeds, we dance,” said junior Julie Amoah.

The region of West Africa especially uses dance as of form of social and political protest.

The Ewes women of Togo use a subtle and stylish dance to present their point of view on the social issues of the community (which are often issues between men and women in particular).

Dance and music interludes are interwoven with short skits that focus on the challenges of modern society. Dancers use two horsetails for most of their movement.

A similar dance called the Takada is also done among the Ewes women. It builds pride and power among the women and warn the community of men to make way for the views of the women.

Takada, was historically associated with a time

MORGAN MCEVILLY

Irma and Max are from the Salvadoran dance group Yaxa Nutal are dancing a traditional duo dance from El Salvador.

Traditional Salvadoran dances are closely related to the celebration of the lives of saints and the patron saint festivals.

about 50 years ago when women began to demand for an equal status with men.

Many West Africans also dance to express their happiness and joy.

“In Sierra Leone, people dance during traditional celebrations in order to show their happiness. For instance, during some engagement parties people dance around the couple in order to bring luck and prosperity to them,” said junior Fanta Sesay.

“Recently a dance called Kpanlogo has become popular in the Accra region of my country. The whole point of the dance is for urban teenagers to express their happiness and joy with life. It’s a high-life dance form. The songs are very fresh and energetic and

drums are played,” said Julie Amoah.

Gahu, a colorful circle dance from Nigeria, celebrates the lives of the dancers. Dancers wear expensive robes and headgear and sing about being rich and proud of it.

Religion also influences the type of dances performed by the people of various countries.

“When we go to a Ghanan church, everyone is expected to dance to the religious music because dancing is thought to be a form of praising God,” said Amoah.

In Bali and Indonesia, the Trance Dance is performed when a village is suffering from a epidemic, bad harvest or other certain things.

The dance is intended to appease the Hindu gods and goddesses, hoping that they will bless the village. The preparations for this dance may take months. When the temple priest concludes that they are ready, the dance will be performed in the court of the temple.

It is believed that as the girls slowly dance the goddesses will enter their bodies and their movements will no longer be controlled by their own free will.

Several dances in this region are concerned sacred and are performed in the temple of worship.

During the Vietnamese New Year of Tet in South Vietnam, many brightly colored square flags take the place of lanterns in the procession of the southern unicorn dance teams.

The unicorn is a mythological animal and tradition has it that wherever a unicorn appears, people will have peace, happiness, and prosperity.

In North Vietnam, it is called the Lion’s dance.

“It’s like the dragon dance in China, except it is with a lion’s head not a dragon’s. And people put the money high up in the air so the dancers can compete with each other to get the money,” said sophomore Wendii Cao. Similarly many other countries use dance to celebrate their cultural heritage and their beliefs.

“Dancing is just something that expresses the joy that people feel in every country,” said Amoah.

Traditional Dances

This collection from Hong-Kong based label, is devoted to preserving Chinese classical and folkloric music. The selections are performed on original Chinese instruments.

HIGH LIFE SAFARI

by Eric Agyeman High life Safari was released in 1978.

Ghanan high life music is sweet, melodic dance music, and Agyeman strongly represents this music.

CON BANDA GRANDES EXITOS

by Thalia

Different cultures express themselves through various dances. The following is a collage of pictures that illustrates the dances, dress, and traditions of El Salvador, Vietnam, and the Middle East EL SALVADOR

by Chinese Ensemble of Yunnan Song and Dance Troupe

VIETNAM

MIDDLE EAST

This CD is a mix of typical Latin music with the pop sound. It’s a great dance CD, a Latin version of Jennifer Lopez’s first CD.

aBlast

the MORGAN MCEVILLY

MORGAN MCEVILLY

“Yaxa Nutal” is an indigenous Nahuat language phrase that means “This is My Land.” Made up of students and young adults, the purpose of the group is to recover and promote Salvadoran traditions and customs through dance. They perform under the leadership of their teacher and choreographer, Esteban Cruz Rosales.

COURTESY OF VICTORIA DINH

Junior Victoria Dinh, along with her friends and family, mimick the Baby Doll Dance that Vietnamese women perform for their children. Vietnamese women usually perform this dance as a demonstration of the love that they have for their children.

COURTESY OF HUOUNG-GIANG DOAN

AHS students practice a traditional Vietnamese dance that is performed during the Vietnamese holiday of Tet.

MARTHA AMOAKO

Middle Easterners dance to lively music in intricate foot movements that accentuate the music.

Tuesday, November 14, 2001

9

TALK

by Shin-Hyung Ahn and Aminah Kakeh Staff writers

600 miles on one tank of gas? Maybe a few years ago, it would have been impossible. But with the technological innovations available in today’s new hybrid cars, this kind of efficiency may just be a reality.

Hybrid cars combine two or more sources of energy to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. Most of the hybrids out now combine fuel and electricity. Hybrids are usually split into two categories: series and parallel. A parallel hybrid uses the fuel tank to provide gasoline to the engine while the batteries supply power to the electric motor.

A series hybrid relies on a gasoline engine, which moves the generator that, in turn, powers the batteries or the electric motor.

Since hybrids combine electricity and gasoline, they have lower gas emissions.

Electric cars have zero emissions while those from a car using gasoline depend on the amount of gasoline used. Hybrids use less gasoline than conventional cars so they produce less pollution.

They also greatly increase fuel efficiency because they do not depend exclusively on gaso-

hybrids hit showrooms and gear up for sale line, making the gasoline engine smaller and lighter. The car sometimes even shuts off the gasoline engine when it is not needed.

Hybrids use stiffer tires to reduce drag instead of using the same tires of conventional cars, which results in a notso- smooth ride. Hybrids also show off a sleeker body for better aerodynamics.

Cars like the Honda Insight use a lighter body structure to increase efficiency even more.

Although no AHS students actually own any hybrid cars yet, they are becoming increasingly popular.

“It looks very futuristic and the one for Honda...[it’s] good for the environment [because it produces] less pollution,” said senior Kristine Kim. Greater efficiency and lower emissions don’t necessarily mean that safety is compromised. Hybrid vehicles are made to be essentially the same when it comes to safety and reliability.

With all these money saving capabilities and environmentally friendly features, why aren’t more people purchasing hybrids? For one thing, there is a waiting list

The 2002 Insight, pictured here, is among Honda’s first generation of hybrid cars to hit the market.

Honda plans to begin production and distribution of a hybrid version of its best-selling Civic sedan sometime around February 2002.

Well-worth the wait Principal finds a perfect match in his new car

by Sarah Kelman Features Editor

are available. These tags signify that the car is fuel-efficient and therefore allows the driver to use the HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes that are normally restricted during the rush hour.

“I definitely recommend this car to

Despite the fourmonth waiting list, AHS Principal Don Clausen became the proud owner of a new Toyota Prius.

“After seeing it in advertisements last spring, I ordered it Memorial Day and it was delivered on September 19,” said Clausen. “But I’ve heard that now there is an 8-9 month waiting list to buy one.”

Many potential buyers of hybrid cars are attracted to their high fuel efficiency, among other benefits.

LINDA FAIRALL Principal Don Clausen admires his new Toyota Prius, a fuel-efficient “I liked the idea of hybrid car that runs on both an electric battery and a gasoline-powered the car burning less gas engine. and being environmentally friendly,” said Clausen. anyone who has to do a lot of city driving Aside from the fact that the Prius runs and stop-and-go driving. The clean fuel plates are great for people who have to definitely recommend this car to commute into the city from places like Woodbridge, since you can use the HOV anyone who has to do a lot of city lanes even if you have no passengers,” driving and stop-and-go driving. The said Clausen. clean fuel plates are great for people who Compared to the other cars that Clausen has previously owned, his Prius have to commute into the city from places measures up very well. like Woodbridge, since you can use the “I’ve owned two Honda Civics and a HOV lanes even if you have no passenGeo Prism, among other cars. If you were gers.

— Don Clausen driving a regular car like these and Principal switched to a hybrid, you really wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. They drive and feel the same, except for that the on both an electric battery and a gasolinehybrid is much quieter,” he said. “When powered engine, the car’s structure is you pull up at stop signs, the car is totally essentially the same as any other. silent.”

“It’s basically a standard compact car Due to the increasing popularity but so and it comfortably seats five,” said Clausen. far limited availabililty of hybrid cars, “It actually has more headroom than my Clausen’s Prius has recieved quite a bit of last car, which was a Honda Civic.” attention around town.

So far, Clausen has found no faults in “I get reactions at the gas station and the car. In fact, many maintenance routines in parking lots. People keep pointing at it that are required with regular cars are and asking questions,” said Clausen. unnecessary in the new hybrid.

Although the novelty of these hybrid “There are fewer oil changes, for one,” cars may make potential buyers wary of said Clausen. “I only have to change my oil the technology and reliability, Clausen is every 7,500 miles, as opposed to the 3,000 miles that is required for a regular car. Also, one very satisfied customer.

“There really haven’t been any I’ll never have to replace spark plugs and problems at all, ever since I first bought my battery has a 100,000-mile warranty.” the car,” he said.

One of the more unique benefits of the hybrid car is the special license plates that

i

features

CAR

Grease Monkey Glossary

The interior of the Insight features a digital speedometer and a trip computer that keeps track of the fuel efficiency of the car, measured in miles per gallon. It also offers an instrument that gauges how much battery and how much engine power the car is using.

to buy one. Some people wait months while others get theirs within weeks; the waiting period is highly unpredictable.

Another reason for its lack of popularity is that the public is not used to a vehicle like this. There isn’t much background information on them, therefore people are hesitant to buy a hybrid.

“First of all, most cars which are conventional are advertised by the media so there’s not enough public knowledge on hybrid vehicles for people to understand them,” said senior Dorian Lockett.

The price range, which begins at around $20,000, also tends to be a deterrent for some consumers. They may not be easily persuaded into buying a type of car that is so unfamiliar.

The two most popular hybrids available to the public today are the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius.

Although mostly similar, the two vehicles have several differences between them. The Insight is smaller and lighter than the Prius. Although both cars have two motors, they both

work differently.

The Insight gets approximately 66 miles per gallon on the highway and 51 miles per gallon in stop-and-go city driving, but there are drawbacks. For instance, the Insight is only a two-seater and has no cut-off switch for the passenger air bag, so it cannot carry children.

Also, it lacks cargo space so the car rides in a kind of stiff and noisy manner. The Prius rides better than the Insight and is roomier as well, due to its classification as a four-door sedan.

One setback is that its mileage is not as good but it still has an impressive 41 mile per gallon overall and it has extremely clean running engine with super low emissions. Consumer Reports found both versions to be of impressive quality and value.

One myth that cloud many peoples’ understanding about hybrid vehicles and their desire to purchase one is that they need to be plugged in to recharge. The truth is that the gas engine powers a large generator that charges the batteries.

In a true display of innovative thinking, both cars use a regenerative braking system that captures energy typically lost while coasting, slowing, or stopping and converts that energy to electricity to be stored in the batteries.

However, the greatest appeal seems to be centered around the car’s environmental friendly features.

Concept Car A vehicle that is not yet in production.

These cars are often fantasy ideas of future vehicles.

However, they or some of their features do end up in production models.

Variable Valve Timing Engine valves can be adjusted to create higher fuelto-air ratios. The higher the ratio, the bigger the explosion that drives the engine and thus more power.

Cylinder A chamber within an engine which contains a piston and valves. A fuel and air mixture is first compressed by the piston and then ignited. The force of this ignited mixture (a controlled explosion) moves the piston, creating the basic force of the engine (power).

Put to the test: Honda Insight steering and suspension all seemed to be of the high quality that is expected from brand-new Hondas. The Insight’s use of lightweight materials and aerodynamic design basically make up for its slightly

by Sarah Kelman lagging acceleration — 30 miles per hour Features Editor actually looked a bit faster when I snuck a peek out the window.

Honda’s version of the hybrid car, the Several convenient control devices Insight, hit the market earlier this year with added to the Insight’s appeal. The digital its first 2001 model. After some initial speedometer is accompanied by an LCD difficulties in obtaining permission to test screen below that tracks how many miles drive the car at Landmark Honda, I was to the gallon you're getting, and also the allowed to rev up its three-cylinder plus history of the car’s fuel efficiency. It tracks battery-powered engine and take it the miles that the car has to the road. driven and averages out The first feature I miles to the gallon noticed about the starting from Insight is that mile one. it’s tiny The — it posted price only of the Insight was $21,280 (compared to a 2002 Honda Civic, which is $15,910).

While this may seem to be a little expensive, the sales representative emphasized how much money I would save The internal structure of the Insight in the long run.

One of the most impressive aspects of accommodates two people. From the outside, the Insight is its Smog Index: an increda nearby 2001 red Civic dwarfed my tiny "silverstone metallic" Insight. It's considered ibly low .14. The Civic’s Smog Index, in comparison, is .43, and the average a three-door car because of its hatchback automobile out on the road has a Smog model, which opens up to the trunk/storage Index of .52 out of 3.0. space area and the place where the electric All of the Insight’s parts are from battery system is housed. As soon as I slid into the driver’s seat, I sensed that the slant Japan, and it is completely assembled in Japan and shipped over whole. This adds of the hatchback window limited my vision to its price (because of a higher import tax) from the rear-view mirror. and is unusual for a car company that Once I started the engine, however, it assembles most of its cars in Ohio. became a different experience. As I left the All in all, the Insight is a cute and parking lot of the dealership, I could hear the sporty little car that gets the job done engine working along with the battery. But when it comes to getting you from one as I slowed down to stop at a red light, the car fell completely silent. It was like it was in place to another. The fact that its city mileage is about the same as its highway neutral or totally shut off. While this was mileage is a great benefit. However, there somewhat unnerving (I thought that I had are a few shortcomings: the two-passenger done something wrong at first), the sales representative assured me that the Insight’s limit seemed like it could be an inconvenience, and the tiny engine was in want of idle-stop feature was kicking in to shut off the engine and reduce fuel consumption and more pickup. Also, I personally found it a little difficult to see out of the rear-view emissions. mirror, due to the Insight's hatchback As far as acceleration, the Insight isn’t design. completely a regular car. At slow enough Bottom line: The Insight is a great car speeds, I could hardly tell that the engine for those who are mostly concerned about was any different from that of a normal car. fuel emissions and efficiency. For drivers But the Insight’s 1.0 liter 71 horsepower who want a little more power, they might engine was still the tiniest bit slow to find the hybrid’s engine a little inadaccelerate. It wasn’t to the point that it equate. I found the thought of only filling became a burden, but it was noticeable. up my gas tank every 600-700 miles Every other aspect of the car was quite impressive. The Insight’s handling, braking, appealing, but not enough to make me want to buy the car.

Despite its benefits, new Honda hybrid lacks juice on test drive

Vtec Valve System Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Lift Control. Changes intake and exhaust valve timing and lift so that it more closely matches the engine's changing air-fuel needs. The result is maximum torque at all engine speeds and under all driving conditions.

Valve A device that can be opened (fully or partially) and closed to meter or prevent the flow of a liquid or gas. Most internal combustion engines use intake and exhaust valves to control the fuel air mixture into the cylinders and to exhaust burnt gases. Some engines have three, four or even more valves per cylinder to increase total valve area for increased flow, efficiency and performance.

aBlast

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Tuesday, November 13, 2001

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aBlast

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14 aBlast

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Tuesday November 13, 2001

Drawing comfort from art Revealing pictures: What does your art say about you?

by Maggie Owner Staff Writer

problem they might feel more at ease drawing, painting or using clay. With these mediums the students will give indications to what their problem is.

“If a student is asked to draw her family and then draws herself in the corner, it might mean she feels isolated. If she leaves one member of

No matter the form of art: watercolor, sketching, oil painting, clay sculptures or even finger f you have artwork where the painting, each brush stroke or imprint in the clay reveals somebrush stroke is very dramatic, the thing about the artist. emotions are going to be very Art helps children, teenagers and intense. adults to relieve stress and express their feelings. “You can’t help but —Joyce Weinstein put your emotions into your art teacher artwork,” said sophomore Mohammed Siddiki, an art student the family out, it might mean she is of two years. For many students art having trouble with that member,” is a way to unwind. “Drawing helps said Jacki Bookbinder, guidance me take my mind off things,” said counselor at North Springfield sophomore Julie Bowes.

Elementary.

Art teacher Joyce Weinstein is Art therapy is another way able to tell her students emotions by peoples’ emotions can be reflected in looking at their artwork. “If you their artwork. Art therapy is form of have artwork where the psychotherapy in which the indibrushstroke is very dynamic, the vidual creates some form of artwork; enhance self-esteem, increase emotions are going to be very it may be a sculpture, a painting, a creativity and help in making intense. If you have artwork where drawing, or even a doodle, none of positive life choices. the colors are muted and it is very which requires any artistic talent.

One commonly used structured, the emotions are going The artwork is then the focus between technique in Art Therapy is to be cooler,” said Weinstein. the client and the therapist. Through- the House-Tree-Person Elementary school guidance out the sessions the artwork is technique. This method is a counselors also use art as a tool to dissected and analyzed to find out its well-known psychoanalytic find out what is bothering their true meaning. Art therapy is useful to method. The picture gives the students. If the student feels people who are not struggling with therapist some idea on how uncomfortable talking about the serious emotional problems. It can the client views him or herself.

i

Get in touch with the artist in you at Wakefield Rec Center

DISCOVER DRAWING

Who? Ages range from 13-adult What? This course teaches basic drwing skills.

When? Wednesday from 7-8:25 p.m.

How Much? Ten classes are $83

REBECCA KRAUSHAAR

The person considered to be a reflection of oneself. In the House-Tree-Person technique the client is told to draw a house, a tree and a person very faint lines are signs that a subject is deeply depressed.

Art is a way to alieveate problems or express yourself.

Art therapy can be used by people who may or may not be experiencing emotional stress.

“I think art is like a language, it is another way to express yourself,” said Siddiki.

When someone is feeling down or just wants to release some energy, they should pick up a pencil and draw.

s e k o r t s t n e Differ t n e r e f f i d r o f folks

OIL PAINTING

Who? Ages range from 13-adult What? Technique using oil paints and brush movements, color, and style are stressed.

When? Saturday from 10:30-11:55 a.m.

Students in IB Visual Arts express themselves with a palet of colors

How Much? Ten classes are $83

Senior Fatema Sarker works on a series of oil paintings of the working poor in her home country, Bangladesh.

Patrick O’Keefe completes his self portrait. The theme of his work is bodies integrated into machines.

POTTERY FOR TEENS Who? Ages range from Who? 13-17yrs What? Students learn clay preparation, working on the potter’s wheel, centering, firing, and glzing.

When? Saturday from 12:55 p.m.

How Much? Ten classes are $112

ALL PHOTOS BY REBECCA KRAUSHAAR

POTTERYHANDBUILDING Who?: Ages range from 13-adult What?: The pinch, slab, and coil methods are used to make functional or abstract pieces.

When?: Saturday from 68:55 p.m.

How Much?: Ten classes are $152

PHOTOGRAPHY I Who? Ages range from 13-adult What? The basics of photgraphy are taught including working in the darkroom.

When? Sunday from 67:55 p.m. and Tuesday from 7:15-9:05 p.m.

How Much? Ten classes are $112

“A woman is waiting for her husband and after he doesn’t come home she turns to stone,” said junior Anh Pham. The cubist style oil painting is based on a Vietnamese legend.

“My wish is to go back to the past when I was a kid,” said Joong Chul. In the oil painting a hand reaches through a clock into the Korean countryside. The unique texture of the hand was created by mixing paint and sand.

AHS sophomore is in for a very sketchy future

by Abby Segall Arts Editor

Few students at AHS know what they want to do with their life after high school. Become a teacher? Doctor? Nuclear physicist? Who knows? There are endless options.

On the other hand, sophomore Julia Ehrenfeld knows exactly what she’s in for.

“I’m really interested in ad marketing,” said Ehrenfeld. “It incorporates art with computer graphics.” Even at home while watching tv, she analyzes commercials wondering how she could make them better.

Ehrenfeld is taking Art II and next year she hey made me cry everyday. They plans to go into computer graphics as well as always yelled at me for the way I IB Art. made art and I didn’t like that “I like art class —Julia Ehrenfeld because it is relaxing and not as stressful as sophomore my other classes,” said Ehrenfeld.

Ehrenfeld always knew what she wanted to be. “I’ve always been interested in art,” she said.

She started to take art classes in the third grade at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC. However, Ehrenfeld did not like the strict rules they had there and decided not to go back.

“They made me cry everyday,” said Ehrenfeld. “They always yelled at me for the way I made art and I didn’t like that.”

During the summer before her freshman year, Ehrenfeld decided to take a class at The Torpedo Factory in Old Town,

t

Alexandria. “[The Torpedo Factory] has rainbow stairs and it is on the water, It is very nice,” said Ehrenfeld.

The Torpedo Factory is where Ehrenfeld purchases all of her art supplies. This sophomore artist even has her college picked out. “I want to go to Syracuse because I think it has a good marketing art department,” she said.

One of Ehrenfeld’s favorite types of art is impressionism.

“Renoir, Monet, Degas... I like their kind of work,” said Ehrenfeld who has seen much of their work at the Ufizi museum in Italy with her family this past summer.

Ehrenfeld’s favorite type of art to work on at the moment is graphite and charcoal drawings.

Yet, in art class she is doing pen and ink drawings.

Last year one of Ehrenfeld’s pieces of art was displayed in the former art gallery, which is now the copy room in the front lobby.

“They still have art, but it’s not the same with copy machines in it,” said Ehrenfeld on the art gallery.

Besides Ehrenfeld’s after school love for art, she is also JULIA EHRENFELD very involved in the Latin Honor “Ballerina” was done in charcoal.

Society and Key Club, where she is the treasurer.

Edgar Allen-The man behind the ‘madness’

by Rebecca Kraushaar Arts Editor

Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Baltimore, Maryland.

After his mother’s death in 1811 he was sent to England to get an education.

Poe was smart, but gambled so much that his godfather took him out of school. When he returned home his girlfriend, Elmira Royster, was engaged to another man. He left for Boston and published his first pamphlet of poetry.

The poems brought in such little money that he joined the army to avoid poverty. Poe was expelled from military school and returned to Baltimore.

He became editor of The Southern Literary Messenger but

a

rts

Shelly Green, senior, works on an oil painting of her aunt. This is also for her portfolio prep class.

was soon fired because he got drunk in public.

In his mid-twenties, Poe married his 13-year-old cousin.

Contrary to popular belief, he was not actually an alcoholic. He had a brain lesion which caused him to have nightmares.

He continued to write and edit other papers and achieved some fame.

His wife died in January 1847 an returned to Richmond. His first love, Elmira, was widowed and they became engaged.

On October 7, 1849 he over drank at a birthday celebration.

His weak heart could not take the alcohol and he died that day.

Poe is believed to be buried in West Minster Presbyterian Church yard in Baltimore.

Poe’s Poetry Annabel Lee It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdomby the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than loveI and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her high born kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me—

ATOMS WHO MATTER Julia Ehrenfeld Extracurricular Activities: Treasurer of Key Club, Latin Honor Society, plans to be senator of SGA junior year, JV Lacrosse, and Little River soccer.

Favorite Movie: My Fair Lady and Life is Beautiful Favorite Band: No Doubt Favorite Food: Key-Lime pie Best part of art:: “That I can use my creativity and there are no guidelines, you create your own thing.”

Favorite Holiday: Chanukah Favorite Museum: Ufizi in Italy Democrat or Republican: Democrat Goal of yours: “Make it through my sophomore year.”

Pets: One dog named Whisky.

Source of inspiration: “I guess just from everyday life and what I see around me.”

Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee But our love was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than weOf many far wiser than weAnd neither the angels in the heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annanbel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by my side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea.

If you want your own poetry or art work to be published in The A-)Blast then bring it to room 225 along with your name and grade.

profiles

Student named NMS semi-finalist Lindsey Young is the only AHS student to become semi-finalist Dedicating herself to hard work and a rigorous academics-dominated schedule, senior Lindsay Young, a senior at AHS, proudly qualified as a semifinalist for the NMS (National Merit Scholarship).

The NMS is an independent nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to high-school students based on outstanding levels of scholastic achievement and personal character. Young stood out and was recognized as an NMS semifinalist out of a pool of 16,000 students nationwide. “I’m just glad I brought some kind of good attention to AHS,” said Young.

News of her qualification took her by surprise. “I didn’t expect to be a semifinalist, so when my counselor told me, I was really excited,” said Young. Patience is the next step. “Nothing’s going to happen till February when I’m going to find out if I’m a finalist or not... and [in] March or April I find out if I’m a scholar if I’m already a finalist.” But Lindsay isn’t going to worry about that for now. “I don’t feel any pressure because there isn’t anyone else. I already did better then everybody else,” said Young. Coming this far is an honor in itself, be-

ANDREW MENEGAT

by Wala’a Elbarasse and Saman Hussain Staff writers

Senior Lindsay Young rubs her temple as she works in the Antenna Yearbook room. Lindsay is the Student Life Editor.

stowed upon only the lucky ones.

Young’s score on the SAT was part of what made her a candidate for the NMS. “To prepare for the SAT I just went online and answered the SAT question of the day at the College Board website, and I made sure that in English class whenever we had vocabulary... I knew the words.”

Apart from her present achievement, Young is taking four AP courses this year. These including AP Government, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus and AP Spanish, maintains a GPA higher than 4.0. “She possesses all of the personal and academic qualities that distinguishes her as one of

our top students,” said Young’s counselor Paul Litwinetz.

How does she manage her hectic schedule? “Well I’m a perfectionist so I really want to be good, not good, but really good at everything I do. That makes it hard sometimes because no one can be the best at everything. It’s hard to deal with that.”

She isn’t particularly fond of studying; however, she feels that studying has become “more of a habit” for her, and as the saying goes, old habits die hard. “Now at this point during senior year, blowing it is completely pointless,” said Young.

Young considers her school life to be more

important than her social life. “Most of the time my top two priorities are school and swimming, sometimes that will change. If I have a yearbook deadline then yearbook will be more important than swimming.

Whenever I have a few extra hours I try to go out with my friends,” said Young.

Young cherishes her “few extra hours” by “reading magazines or finding a good book to read.” Her favorite book is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Sometimes being inundated with schoolwork, she relieves her lassitude through exercise. “I think exercise really helps me overcome stress,” said Young.

Balance, she feels, is an important aspect of her life.

Enrolled in challenging classes, Young doesn’t stop Young from being an active member in an impressive amount of extracurricular activities such as the National Honor Society , varsity swim team, Mu Alpha Theta, Spanish Honor Society, and United States Swim Club team. “She conducts all the facets of her life with high levels of maturity,” said Litwinetz.

Lindsay attributes her success to a positive attitude.

“Attitude is really important if you want to be successful, even if you don’t necessarily accomplish the goal you set out to achieve if you give full effort you were not unsuccessful.”

Filadelfo is considering these two institutions because of their law and marine science proUpon first glance of junior grams. If she doesn’t become a Elaine Filadelfo, you may suspect lawyer and practice criminal or that she’s intelligent, but after a constitutional law, then she few short words of conversation wants to pursue a Ph.D. in with her you’re sure of it. marine biology.

Filadelfo’s mind is at work; she She has already gotten a jump knows what she’s talking about. on the law option. In the summer She balances a strenuous of 2001 she interned at the academic schedule and a GPA of Fairfax County Court House through the Fairfax Youth always feel Leadership program. The like I need to program showed her the workings of a court house. During her be doing internship she issued subpoenas, something, filed cases, and watched trials in life is boring if the courtroom concerning drugs, Elaine a murder sentencing, divorces you just sit Filadelfo and vandalism. By the time her junior around. internship ended, she had gotten to know some of the judges and over 3.85 with outside activities: was invited back. dance, Debate Team, Young Last year as a tenth grader, Democrats and being part of the Fairfax Youth Leadership Program. Filadelfo won first prize at the AHS annual science fair with her “I always feel like I need to be project on wind driven, non-tidal, doing something,” she said. sea level variability. Her project Filadelfo, 16, thoroughly enjoys then proceeded to the county her math and science classes and science fair where she repeated always looks forward to attending her AHS performance by winning them each day “unless there is a first place. From there she went on big test.” She hopes that by next to the state fair, which was held at year her grades, extracurricular Randolf-Macon College in activities, and her intelligence will Ashland, Virginia. At the state get her into Stanford University or competition she placed third but her second choice of Harvard was awarded honorable mention University.

RICHIE MCCORMACK

i

and Best in Show by two companies judging the competition. Along the way, she won money and other, smaller prizes.

Her project studied the impact of storm surges on tidal ranges.

She concentrated on the storm that was the basis for the book by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm. Her findings proved that the mammoth and rogue waves reportedly produced by the storm were indeed possible.

Filadelfo visited France this past summer and found her

Overture starts and the lights dim perfectly in time with the music, and the sound is just right. My life evolves around lights and sound in the theater. I started theater in second grade at the Children’s Theatre of Arlington. I started with the props in “James and the Giant Peach”, then the set and finally moved up to spotlight for other plays. I worked there for one play per season up until seventh grade which was when I started working the plays at my school, Poe Middle School. My first play there was Into the Woods and I helped with sound and lights.

My friend told me that even if I wanted to go back to the Children’s Theatre, the people wouldn’t accept me because basically, I’m too good for them now. I mean, I’m not bragging, but the company has been paying money for professionals to come in and teach people how to do the stuff I already know. I’m wasting their money.

I have and am taking various classes at various places, including Oakton High and the Kennedy Center. I want to major in lighting and sound when I go to college.

When I get older, I’ll design the lighting and sound effects for plays and concerts.

This past December, I put my resume on the web for concerts and such. A couple days later I got a call asking if I would do it for the upcoming N’Sync concert. I really don’t like

Favorite book: Les Miserable by Victor Hugo In her backpack: Chemistry book, Spanish dictionary, calculator, car keys Brain food: Fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, gushers Accomplishments: Letter and a Star for jacket Highest honor:“ My acceptance into Academic Governors School because there is only 200 people picked out of the entire state.”

Study environment: “When it’s early in the night I study in my bed, but once it gets later I start to get tired so I have to sit at my desk to stay awake.”

favorite spot in all the world: Paris. “The city just has a great feeling to it. It is just amazing how much history is there.” Her trip to France stemmed from her enjoyment of her French class and her love of travel. Filadelfo said of her French class this year,“although it’s hard, the class is fun, I love it.”

With a name like Filadelfo most people can accurately guess her family lineage is Italian.

Although her family came from Italy five generations ago, she is still 100 percent of Italian descent.

Filadelfo describes herself as one who enjoys to be in control.

She is a natural born leader and has set her goals high. “I am going to be President of the United States,” she said. “I am going to run in 2020, so get ready.”

We’re ready.

Elaine’s Schedule R1 Adv Orchestra W2 IB ITGS R3 IB History

W6 IB HL Math

R5 IB Physic

W8 French 4

R7 IB English

Talking UT ABO

Myself

by Peter Leresche their music, but I do all my shows for the fun of it. It also didn’t hurt that I left out my age, but the people who looked at my resume could pretty much guess.

I am a co-light master here at AHS and am currently working on the “Miracle Worker”. I have assisted with many concerts and shows which has led me to reframe my goal, which is to become the youngest member of the IATSE. That stands for the International Association of Theatre Stage Employees. Those that are members get paid much more, not that I’m getting paid yet. I’m too young and am not certified yet. So everything I do is for free, but it’s all worth it. With the help of Josh Buzzell and Amanda Green, I will get our school nominated in the cappies (student critic award program) this year.

The lights go out and the auditorium becomes illuminated again, there wouldn’t be a show without the tech (lights and sound crew)... it just can’t be done.

matter

JUSTIN WADE

Student lights up auditoriums and concerts A couple days later I got a call asking if I would do lights for the upcoming N’Sync concert. . I left out my age, but the people who looked at my resume could pretty much guess.

who

Lindsay Young

Teen achiever explains her goals for life

by Richard McCormack Profiles Editor

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toms

Grade: 10 Hobbies: Karate, eating and sleeping Special deed: Has participated in World Competitions and trained under Jeff Smith.

Quote: “It’s very in-depth, it’s an honor. He’s a pretty big guy and it’s kind of scary knowing he can kill you.”

DAVID LEE ALVARADO Grade: 10 Hobbies: Tae Kwon Do, rollerblading and video games Special deed: Teaches people of all ages, gold and bronze medals at the Junior Olympics 2000 and bronze in the Junior Olympics 2001 Quote: “I love teaching because although it may be frustrating sometimes, it makes me feel as if I’m making a difference in people’s lives. It’s also an escape from

SHANT SHAHRIGIAN Grade: 12 Hobbies: none Special deed: morning announcer Quote: “Although I sometimes forget to actually do the announcements, I like to think that I’ve done a little something to put an extra spring in the student body’s collective step early in the morning. Whether the source of that ‘spring’ be indignance at an inappropriate remark or glee at my most recent subtle psuedowitty comment doesn’t matter to me—seeing those apathetic faces after I’ve done the announcements really brightens my day. And for those who I’m yet to offend—I apologize in advance.”

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Tuesday, November 13, 2001

DENICE MILLER

Peter Leresche lifts the lights which hang high above the stage

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Football season ends at West Springfield

by Kristie Moore Atomic Athletics Editor

aBlast

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Tuesday, November 13, 2001

Final Varsity Football Statistics Travis Johnson, QB 186 attempts 118 completions 63.4 completion % 11 Passing Tds 1,480 Yards 4-5 FGs 25-29 PATs Orlando Roa, RB 94 carries 421 Yds 4.5 Ypc 6 Rush Tds Nick Crowley, WR 12 Catches 155 yards 12.9 ypc 1 TD Elliott Milan, WR 11 Catches 151 yards 13.7 ypc 2 TD Cesar Rivera, TE 6 Catches 79 yards Monte Moyer, RB 78 carries 468 yards 6.0 ypc 12 td Chris Bagot, WR 23 catches 312 yards 13.6 ypc Thonnie Grisby, WR 11 catches 154 yards 13.8 ypc Nortern Region Division 6 Football Playoff Qualifiers Centreville Robinson Oakton Hayfield

UPCOMING EVENTS

Boys BBall Doubleheader Home vs W.T. Woodson Tues. Dec. 4th Girls @ 6 p.m.

Guys @ 8 p.m.

Wrestling Wed. Dec. 5th Away at Wakefield @ 7:30 p.m.

s

Adam

“Sure it

would have been nice to make the playoffs”

JENNY BEAM

Junior Monti Moyer sprints around a West Springfield defender en route to a first down

was only Moyer’s second game back from the bone contusion that he received during the game against Robinson.

With 9:36 left in the game, the Spartans scored again, but their field goal attempt was once again blocked.

“We practiced blocking kicks a lot at practice with David Blau and Orlando Roa,” said senior Chris Greer. “That’s

what makes them the best two kick blockers our school has ever hard.”

All the Atoms needed was a touchdown and the extra point to win the game. With fourth down and things weren’t looking good. Instead of punting it off, they decided to go for it.

Johnson put the ball in the air intended to senior Cesar Rivera. It was completed but called back due to a

McLean ends Field Hockey season at regionals

by Rob Payne Staff Writer

would tie the game and eventually send it into overtime.

However, 12 minutes into the overtime period, McLean scored to win the game.

The Atoms finished out their season in the Northern “We played well and we knew what we needed to do to Region Field Hockey Tournament at Oakton High School. advance, but we didn’t pull everything together in the game Entering the Regional Tournament, the team was seeded against McLean,” said sophomore Julie Stone. “Although, second in the Patriot we did have a great season.”

District with an 8-3 Several players received All-District Awards First record. In the first round e played really well and we Team All-District: Jenny Beam, Laura Massie, Laura of the Regional Tournaknew what we needed to do Barnes, and Julie Stone. Second Team All-District: ment, the team faced Melanie Bartnek, Lindsay Grant, Natalie Parcell and Oakton, beating them 1-0. but we didn’t pull everything Erin O’Brien. Three were also awarded All-Region “Oakton has a very together in the game against McLean Recognition as well; First Team All-Region, Jenny similar playing style as although we did have a great season.

Beam and Laura Massie. Laura Barnes was the us,” said Head Coach awarded Second Team All-Region as well as making Cindy Hook. “But we had -Julie Stone the edge in experience, sophomore the All-Region Field Hockey Team.

The field hockey program won a regional award speed, teamwork and will as well. The Dee Webb Sportsmanship Award was to win. We dominated the presented to AHS at the conclusion of the Regional Tournagame early in the first half and the beginning of the second ment. The award is given through the hockey officials in half, scoring our goal in the first half. We had a stellar the area and is based on the entire field hockey program, defense and were aggressive on offense.” including, coaches, the JV and varsity teams and fans.

Advancing onto the quarterfinals of the Northern Region “There were about ten players there at the Regional Tournament, the team played a hard fought game against Championship, so when I went up to accept the award on McLean. Junior Kari Kraus scored early in the game with behalf of the AHS field hockey program they came up with the assist from sophomore Julie Stone, to put the Atoms in LINDA FAIRALL me to help accept the award,” said Hook. “They earned it.” the lead 1-0. Holding onto their lead until roughly six Field Hockey junior Tori Higgins and sopomore Amanda minutes left in the second half, McLean scored a goal that Shaeffer watch a game.

w

Swim/Dive Friday Dec. 7th @ Wakefield Park vs. Lake Braddock @ 8:30 p.m.

Contraction bad for D.C., good for pro baseball

Frosh/JV Boys Basketball Home vs. Stuart Tues. Dec. 11th Frosh @ 4 p.m.

JV @ 5:15 p.m.

Frosh/JV Girls Basketball Away at Stuart Tues. Dec. 11th Frosh @ 4 p.m.

JV @ 5:15 p.m.

The Atoms lost a hard-fought game to the West Springfield Spartans last Friday 38-27, ending with a 4-5 record, missing a shot at the playoffs.

“Sure it would have been nice to make the playoffs or win a few more games, but the players played hard and we had an excellent year,” ays said Coach Dick Adams.

The Atoms haven’t made a playoff appearance since 1994 when they last won the State Championships.

It wasn’t until the end of the first quarter in last Friday’s game that either team was able to put points on the scoreboard. Junior Monte Moyer managed to score first, but the Spartans echoed just four minutes later with a touchdown of their own.

During the first half, junior Monte Moyer managed to score two touchdowns and junior Travis Johnson’s field goal was blocked by their defense once. A fumble caused by the offense accounted for 7 of the 13 points that the Spartans scored.

West Springfield also had one of their extra points blocked. Both teams entered their locker rooms at the half with the score tied 13-13.

During the third quarter, Moyer scored again bringing his total number of touchdowns in this game to three. This

penalty on the defense and the Atoms were forced to punt it away.

Under a minute left in the game, senior Ryan Witkowski scored bringing the Atoms within five points of tying the Spartans. Johnson then made an one side kick which bounced of the chest of a Spartan defender and was recovered by senior Keith Nolan.

Johnson then made a pass to senior Chris Bagot, who caught it and then ran it out of bounce to stop the clock.

His next pass, which was intended to senior Nick Crowley, was intercepted by the defense and then ran for a touchdown to end the game with a score of 38-27.

“I feel we played our best at times,” said Moyer. “I also feel that at times both the offense and defense let each other down.”

The Atoms ended up ranked sixth in the Patriot District, which is the toughest district in Northern Virginia.

“Even though we didn’t win our last game, I think that throughout the season we worked really hard,” said senior Pedro Caceres. “We had a great season and had a lot of fun.”

The Atoms lose 30 seniors next year due to graduation. “With the seniors graduating, we’ll lose a lot of experience from those players who were in the program for three or four years,” said Adams. “Next year’s team will be a younger team, but there are good leaders coming up.”

by Ryan Croft Sports Editor

Just as Major League Baseball nabbed nearly 40 million viewers for Game 7 of the World Series, two days later the league managed to enrage baseball fans nationwide. Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the franchise owners voted overwhelmingly to shut down two professional baseball organizations.

The announcement was to the dismay of many people in the Washington DC Metro area who have worked on getting a baseball team to move here. The decision was made because of the economic troubles which have plagued the league and have seemingly grown in the past decade.

Although it is unfortunate that the Metro area has temporarily lost its bid for a ball club in the nation’s capital, Selig’s decision was the right move for major league baseball.

The whole problem with the current situation can be summed up in one word; you guessed it— money.

(Isn’t that what all of professional

“Certain clubs won’t even bother looking at the upperhalf of the [free agent] list. They know they can’t afford it.”

- former Blue Jays manager Gord Ash

sports revolve around anyway?) The teams who are up for being dismembered are the organizations that either don’t have the public support from their towns or sufficient funds from either the owner or the city. The Montreal Expos, for example, have

The fact is, small market teams like Montreal, Tampa Bay and Minnesota just can’t compete with the blue chips like Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Naturally, all of the viable free agent players split to the larger markets to make the bigger money.

According to former Toronto Blue Jays manager Gord Ash, “certain clubs won’t even bother looking at the upper half of the [free agent] list.

They know they can’t afford it.”

The economic gap in the major leagues has almost become silly. The Yankees revenue in 2000 exceeded the revenue of Minnesota, Florida, and Montreal combined by about $13 million, as stated by Forbes magazine. Also, the Yankees $125 million payroll this season included 10 players earning at least $6 million. Small market teams like the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals each had only one person who earned over six million. This economic disparity is partly why these teams are lackluster in performance.

When the news came out that two teams would be removed from the league, some people immediately asked “what will happen to all the players?” But fear not, the Player’s Union has the leverage to ensure that every player will find a team again and will enjoy the benefits of a fat salary. A better question is what about

roft’s olor ommentary

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with Ryan Croft little to no support from their Canadian fans because the city simply doesn’t seem to care about them (and we don’t care about Canada). The Expos’ attendance this year was so bad that they were out-drawn by some minor league teams.

The other team who may be removed is the Minnesota Twins.

Billionaire owner Carl Pohlad has made it clear that getting paid off $250 million from the other owners is more enticing than fielding his poorly achieving Twins to play at the Metrodome. When the topic surfaced, Minnesotans showed little to no interest in buying a new ballpark for a billionaire.

Chris Bagot represents: 2nd Team All-District

Buy Your...

s

ports

all the jobs lost for ticket takers, vendors and ushers at the ballpark?

These are the people who actually need their jobs for income. Also, under each organization that is bought out, lie six minor league affiliates who will also lose jobs, break stadium leases, etc.

Major League Baseball is trying to correct a problem where the league has met a “point of diminishing return.” There are simple too many teams, many of which are located in small markets, and too many players to continue to produce the millions of dollars in revenue for each franchise.

In the past decade alone, the talent pool in the league has become diluted and the salaries have skyrocketed. In 1976, the average player’s salary was $51,000 compared to the $2.2 million that a typical player receives nowadays. Major League Baseball has succeeded over the NFL and NBA by not implementing any salary cap or a salary control system. But, at times the imposition of such system seems logical.

A solution to baseball’s financial woes doesn’t seem near, but the owners took an important step in starting to correct the impending crisis. The removal of under-achieving and financially insecure teams will eventually help Major League Baseball.

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sports

Q&A: Off the deep end with swim coach Bruce Fisher

By Ryan Croft and Sam Molavi Sports Editor and Staff Writer

Q: When did you first start swimming and how did you get into coaching?

I first started swimming when I was nine and found out that I was good at it so I continued it and eventually swam for the Air Force Academy. After I graduated, I basically promised my college coach that I would help him coach at the Academy.

Since then, I have coached for Air Force, the US National Team in Fort Belvoir and eventually at Annandale.

Q: How do this year’s team compare to team’s from the past?

Well, I haven’t seen them swim yet, but on paper we have great depth on the boy’s side and a lot of incoming freshman for the girls. I feel that if all goes well, we will have a better record than last year.

Q: What do you think about the leadership you are getting from this year’s seniors?

So far they have organized the tshirt designs and some off-season practices which really impressed me.

Q: Do you have any new coaching philosophies/strategies for this year after finishing 4-2 last season?

Nothing too different from last year, but now I am going to have an assistant swim coach, Megan Hall, who previously coached at Stuart. She

will help me manage the lanes better at practice and keep us organized.

Also, I will have a team manager, April Brassard, who will take some pressure off of me because she can keep stats and help me with the meet sheets.

Q: What kind of chance do your teams have in the competitive Patriot District and Northern Region?

Well, in all of my years here, I feel that the boy’s team has the best shot at winning the district and regional because other traditionally strong schools such as West Springfield and Robinson lost a lot of good swimmers to gradation. It is unknown about how well the girl’s team will be but there are a few girls that will hopefully qualify for the state meet.

Q: Who are the key swimmers this year for the girl’s team? Boy’s team?

On the boy’s side, Matt Wolff, Andy Pelenburg, Will Freeman, John Merril and John Kreitler are our core swimmers. On the girls side, Mary Gunderson, Katie Gualtieri, Allision Sanders, Lindsay Young, Ashley Welch and Ashley Mathews are the top girl swimmers.

Q: Do a large number of AHS swimming graduates move on to swim in college? Anyone particularly successful?

Not really because you have to be top fifty in the country in your stroke

Swim Coach Bruce Fisher, helping a student above, has high hopes for this year ’s boy’s swim team

to even swim for Division I in college and we haven’t had any swimmers in the last few years that have reached that level. I think that Matt Wolff probably has the best chance out of anyone to swim Division I in college after this year.

Q: What do you think the greatest benefit that swimming has over other sports?

Swimming is the best conditioning sport over any other sport out there. It develops the whole body, upper and

ANDREW MENEGAT

lower, and it builds up your endurance and flexibility. It is something you can do all your life as opposed to football or lacrosse. I know some 80 year-old people that are still swimming and keeping health. Also, there is less chance of getting an injury because ` there is virtually no contact.

Q: What impact do you think freshman phenom John Krietler?

Very significant. He has the ability to lift out boy’s relay team from a a finalist in last year’s state meet to

Spotlight Athlete Stars of Fall sports

Lax teams at tourneys

by Kyle Smeallie Staff Writer

As the boys and girls lacrosse season nears, hopeful players participate in local tournaments to sharpen their skills.

The most recent tournament was the Woodson Showcase, where girls from all over the region, as well as teams from Philadelphia and New York, played. The games were played on Sunday, November 11, at Woodson High School. Coaches from George Mason, Mary Washington, and Duke University were in attendance.

A total of six 25 minute games were played for each team. The squad that represented Annandale was directed by a coach at the University of New Hampshire, as teams in the tournament were unable to be coached by their regular school team coach. The Annandale squad went 4-2, a record that made student Allison Brennan proud. “We did pretty well,” she said, “At first we struggled because there were some first time players, but by the end we played really well.”

The next tournament will be the 3rd Annual Turkey Shoot-out, a

KRISTIEMOORE

charity event where both boys and girls compete. This round robin tournament will be held on Saturday, November 17th at Oakton High School. The cost is $400 per team, and many AHS students will be competing.

One of those students is Jordan Groom, a junior lacsrosse student.

“Participating in this tournament will help us see how we will perform this year,” said Groom.

The games will begin at 8:00 am and end around 4:00 pm. As this is a charity event, admission to spectators will be two dollars or a non -perishable food item and one dollar. For more information visit www.geocities.com/ oaktonlacrosse/ The aim of these tournaments is to help lacrosse players prepare for their upcoming season. Along with participating in fall and winter sports, conditioning will begin after Thanksgiving.

Spring Sports begin Monday Feb. 25. The first lacrosse games of the season are against Herndon on March 3. The boys team plays at home at 7:15 the girls play away at 7:15.

Freshman Dawitt Legasse was cross country’s top runner.

Name: Dawit Legasse Grade: 9 Sport: Varsity Cross Country Position (s): Distance Notable Achievements: At William and Mary 3.1 time of 17:15 Coach Quote: “Dawit is the most talented freshman runner Annandale has seen in the last four years I have been a coach.

With the right training, he could be something really special.”

-Coach Bob Christie

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SHIN KOOK

The Varsity Cheerleaders compete in District Finals at Hayfield Secondary School on Tuesday Oct. 30. They possibly state champions. placed 5th amd just missed qualifying for regionals.

Personal (GPA, volunteer, job): Broke personal record at Burke Lake with the time of 16:55. Dawit is from Ethiopia and just recently moved to the US.

Standout Winter Sports Athletes Boys Basketball

Swim/Dive

Girls Basketball

KRISTIEMOORE

Name: Jay Athey Sport: Boys Varsity Basketball Years on Varsity: 2 Position/Event: Shooting Guard Past Accomplishments: AllTournament Team as junior, 1st Team All-District, Honorable Mention as sophomore Senior outlook on upcoming season: “I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we will improve from last year and I think we should have winning season.”

Coach’s quote about senior: “He is a good shooter with a lot of skills. He has the ability to make the players around him perform better on the court.”

Boys Winter Track Name: Tim Greer Sport: Boys Winter Track Years on Varsity: 3 Position/Event: 300M, 400M, 500M Past Accomplishments: District and Regional qualifying times Senior outlook on upcoming season: “I expect to do good this season. I am sure we will represent.”

Coach’s quote about senior: “Tim provides leadership and experience from being in the program for the past three years.” —Coach Mike Brown

Name: Erin Gaston Sport: Girls Varsity Basketball Years on Varsity: 2 Position/Event: center Past Accomplishments: AAU National Final Four- 3rd place in the nation, junior national Adidas Camp (3rd place), verbally committed to Towson on a full athletic scholarship Senior outlook on upcoming season: “We have better athletes this year and a more positive outlookon the season. I think we will do [well].”

Coach’s quote about senior: “Erin has a great defensive rebound and provides great offensive presence in the key.”

Name: Matt Wolff Sport: Swim and Dive Years on Varsity: 3 Position/Event: 100 Butterfly, 200 IM (Individual medly) Past Accomplishments: 1st Team AllDistrict (3 years), as sophomore, 1st Team AllRegion; 7th in State Senior outlook on upcoming season: “Our team is really strong this year, we have a lot of fast underclassmen and a ton of seniors.

Coach’s quote about senior: “Potentially I think Matt has a chance to be a state finalist. He’s got the potential in several events. He is the best all-round swimmer we have at Annandale.”

Girls Winter Track Name: Carol Dwan Sport: Winter Track Years on Varsity: 2 Position/Event: 800M, one-mile Past Accomplishments: personal best mile time of 5:58 last season Senior outlook on upcoming season: “There’s a lot of really fast freshmen.

The juniors and seniors have to work hard to keep their spots on the team.”

Coach’s quote about senior: “Our goal this season is to improve on times and competitiveness in races for Districts and Regionals.”— Coach Mike Brown

Wrestling

Senior Mary Gunderson has been the varsity captain in both her junior and senior years.

Name: Mary Gunderson Grade: 12 Sport: Varsity Volleyball Position (s): setter, hitter Notable Achievements: Varsity captain (2 years), second-team all-district last year, Girls Swim Team captain this year, 4th year varsity swimming Coach Quote: “Mary is the most perfect team captain who worries about her team and their success before her own. I respect her for that.”

—Coach Nikki Holmes Personal: Interested in playing volleyball in college. Mary has applied to Averett and Bluefield Colleges.

She used to work at a veterinarian’s clinic.

Will play in a volleyball club and belonged to a swim club.

Name: Preston McNeil Sport: Wrestling Years on Varsity: 2

Position/Event: 125 lbs. weight class Past Accomplishments: Went to regionals the past two years Senior outlook on upcoming season: “Look for excitement from Tony Cavalero, Andrew Marful, Me, and Johnny Tran, and Coach Stravino is short” Coach’s quote about senior: “Preston is a very hard worker who is agressive on the mat, and he’s a competitor. Preston should have a very successful season” —Coach Stravino

ALL INFORMATION COLLECTED BY KRISTIE MOORE AND SAM MOLAVI

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UPCOMING MOVIES

KID’S WORLD: NOV. 9 Starring: Christopher Lloyd and Blake Foster.

Plot: Ryan (Lloyd) gets his parents to disappear and begins to fear when his friend, Holly disappears as well.

Rated PG for crude pranks and some language.

Teen Shows: Same old, same old

by Jessica Reyes Entertainment Editor “This is my life. Not yours . . . let me go.. I am not a little girl anymore.” This has become the typical dialogue on teenage shows.

For those of you who haven’t seen these shows, here’s what they are about: 7th Heaven Claimed to be a “family show,” but due to all the teen drama that has been exerted into the plots it has fallen under the category of a “teen show.” The basic plot: big churchgoing family, the Camden’s, with one grown child, four teenagers and two twin toddlers, who are having trouble remaining “normal.”

The children become the story throughout, as they evoke in naughty mishaps.

Matt: struggling to find a way to comprehend in the world. He tries to manage college, a girlfriend and so forth, yet doesn’t quite make it.

Mary: rebellious in school and with parents; loses basketball scholarship; parents send her away to her grandmother.

Lucy: senior with her basic high school melodrama.

Simon: teenage boy who struggles to keep his hormones under control and who feels that he’s not treated like he should be.

Ruthie: the preteen and the most “angelic” out of the bunch. Basically, this is a copycat of Full House with more spice.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Teenage vampires, need we say

in love with Dawson and is having conflict trying to control her feelings.

Pacey, also Dawson’s best friend, is rebellious; his family consists of his cop brother; he used to date Joey. He now is sailing by himself in Boston.

Jen, also rebellious, was sent from New York to live with From the set of Gilmore Girls, one of the newer versions of teen her grandmother. shows, on WB. She has trouble escaping her more? This show tries giving teenagers past; she used to date Dawson. She interesting lives, who still come out to then remained solo for two years until be the everyday “moody” teenager. On recently she met “rock boy” Charlie.

Nov. 6, the show gave its viewers a Jack, the high school football different view to the show. The show player, who used to date Joey until he was turned into a musical and the confessed that he was gay, is currently viewers were able to realize the other dating Tobey. He is funny and adds wit talent of the crew—they can sing! It to the show and is Jen’s best friend. was one of the most interesting shows Andie, Jack’s sister, is an overdisplayed. achiever with mental problems. She Dawson’s Creek hasn’t been heard of since graduation; The teen version of Friends she used to date Pacey. (without the comedy). Here’s how its Others goes: Dawson, the central character, The list goes on . . . Felicity, has struggled for the past four years to Roswell, Maybe Its Me, and Raising become a superior film student and to Dad continue with the same kind of attend the highest film school in plots. It seems that television can’t get California. He finally gets the opportuenough of the teen world, but it’s time nity and turns it down. to wake up and realize that there is so Joey, his best girl friend, struggles much more to life than this. to be the best that she can be without the help of her parents. She is madly

Too much ‘Domestic Disturbance’

by Annette Boudi Staff Writer

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE: NOV. 16 Starring: Daniel Rodcliffe as Harry Potter.

Plot: A young boy with an incredible destiny and magic powers proves his worth while attending the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Rated PG for mild language.

SPY GAME: NOV. 21 Starring: Robert Redford, Brad Bitt and Catherine McCormack Plot: CIA operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is retiring when life heats up. Rated R for violence and language.

Have you ever been spooked? Not until you watch this movie.

What makes Travolta so special in this movie is that he doesn’t only fight the bad guy because he has to, but he does it with huge devotion and zeal

DISCORD: DEC. 1 Starring: Thomas Jay Ryan and Annunziata Gianzero.

Plot: Music meets murder. Rated R for violence.

Motion picture cover, with John Travolta and Vince Vaughn.

Let’s go behind the scenes: Domestic Disturbance is a combination of emotion and fear, about an eleven year-old boy, Danny Morrison (Matthew O’Leary’s) who is rebellious and troubled and whose parents are divorced.

One day, his mother, Susan Morrison (Terri Polo) meets a newcomer in town, Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn) who also happened to be wealthy philanthropist.

Frank Morrison (John Travolta), who is Danny’s father, is a boat builder who lives out of town.

The problem is, Rick hates Danny because he says that his mother pays more attention to her son than to anything else. So, Rick does everything to frighten Danny; from mean words to weird attitudes.

One night, Rick goes out with a

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ntertainment

Scorpio

H o r o s c o p e s

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

Be careful of what you say and do, you might be misunderstood. Continue with your positive attitude, it will get you places. A Leo will play a dominate role throughout your day.

Sagittarius

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Start realizing, instead of fantasizing.

Prepare to receive some unexpected news. Try to control your emotions. An Aries will figure prominently.

Capricorn

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Now is the chance to do what you’ve been holding back. Whether the results be good or bad, you’ll feel relieved afterwards. Concentrate on what is most important.

Aquarius

Oops, Brit

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

People will try to dominate your life, but let them know that you are in control.

Reclaim what is yours and don’t put yourself down so much. Things will begin to look up.

friend, Ray Coleman (Steve Buscemi) only to kill him later on.

Danny was hiding in the backseat and saw the murder. He tells the story to his parents and the police, but nobody believes him because of his history of lying.

In Domestic Disturbance, John Travolta plays Frank Morrison, Danny’s father. He struggles between refusing to believe his son who has a reputation of being a liar or considering the possibility that Rick might be a bad guy.

What makes Travolta so special in this movie is that he doesn’t only fight the bad guy because he has to, but he does it with huge devotion and zeal.

Erri Polo, who plays the mother, was very protective. She wanted to be the greatest mother for Danny because of her fear of separation from her son.

There were parts of the movie that were really disturbing. It made you think of the possibilities of situations like this happening MOVIE RATING in life.

The movie doesn’t only bring you action, it takes The characters are amazing and you into it. The add to the plot audience goes through a rollercoaster of emotions, because there are parts of the movie that revolve around the upset and angry emotions. Few will make you laugh.

Basically, it’s a horror movie that focuses more on the love that family members have for each other even when there is a big disturbance, and that’s something that we can all relate to. The movie has been rated PG-13, for violence, brief sexuality and language. It is recommended for those who are not afraid of watching physical and mental abuse among families.

B

Pisces

Feb. 19-March 20

If you find yourself arguing too much in a relationship, take time out for yourself. This will make life less complicated. Don’t believe what you are told until you see for yourself. Lucky number 5.

Aries

March 21-April 19

Finally, you realize that people can’t control you unless you let them.

Slowly, you are becoming more independent. Some will attempt to take away that new found independence, be careful. Lucky number 4.

Taurus

April 20-May 20

Don’t get discouraged by what people say. You have the key to your own destiny; let people know that.

Throughout your day be prepared for the unexpected. Lucky number is 3.

Gemini

May 21-June 20

Your problems soon will seem small. All you need to do is rethink your actions. As your problems decrease your spirits will increase and many more will want to be with you. Luck will ride with you.

by Jessica Reyes Entertainment Editor

7th Heaven: clockwise: Matt, Ruthie, Simon, Mary, Lucy and Happy the dog.

Dawson’s Creek: From left: Jack, Jen, Joey, Dawson, Andie and Pacey.

Gilmore Girls: From ` left: mother and daughter.

On Oct. 31, pop star Britney Spears was scheduled to make an appearance at the MCI Center. Many anticipated spending their Halloween night at her concert, except that she decided not to show.

The honest answer to “why” will remain unknown. Her protective faculty claims that she has “fallen ill.”

Should we say, “Oh, poor little Brit?”

How about no. Some think that the cancelation was tied with the terrorist attacks, but her staff claims that it’s not true.

Whatever the case may be, it was probably going to be the same old Britney striptease concert. How sad is it that so many little girls were left heartbroken due to her nonappearance?

Her album was released on time.

Therefore, this time her concert will revolve around her new album since many fans will be well acquainted with it by the rescheduling of the concert, now on Dec. 21.

She has made D.C. her last stop, which is a big change from it being one of the first.

Tickets will be refundable at all TicketMasters for the later show.

What should we expect from this concert? Not too much, just the same old Britney with more edge. Either that or a copy cat of Madonna’s concerts. We all know that Miss Spears doesn’t have a clue as to what she’s doing.

Escape with Enrique

by Alejandro Salinas Staff Writer

The first hit of the album, “Hero” is definitely the most balanced and attractive song throughout. Despite At precisely the moment that the the fact that nothing new is tried in Latin phenomenon started to fade, the song, the musical and lyrical Enrique Iglesias drops his second simplicity makes English-language the song remarkalbum, Escape. able. Other songs It is a that might be of collection of upinterest are: tempo, flamenco“Love 4 Fun, touched, pop “Maybe,” the bombastic songs.

Spanish version However, the of “Hero” and album is a little “Escape.” more complex The disposable than its predecessongs in the sor, Enrique. album are: “One Although there Night Stand,” are many “She Be the One,” disposable songs and “If the World in this album, Crashes Down.” there are also Escape is a Enrique’s most recent C.D, Escape. plenty of compilation of interesting, if not rhythmic pop great, pop songs that make the music worth listening to songs that reaffirm Enrique’s status in the music world. It offers more varied for at least the first four songs. This rhythms than his first album, and album is filled with more than enough contains more solid content and radio-ready tunes created by Enrique arrangements as well. The album himself. contains many personal songs, which However, this excessiveness causes makes it slightly different than other the album to lack fluidity. The listener pop albums. Due to these factors, the is transported from a delicate ballad to album debuted in the second spot on a euphoric dance song to a flamenco the Billboard charts. However, the Hip-Hop song, which lacks sense of album fails to provide a level of connection uniformity and balance. These between. Overall, CD RATING variations ultimately cloy the listener. the result is a Despite the lack of variety, Enrique collection of pop should be commended for having the hits that saturate talent and courage to be a songwriter, the listener to the producer and singer. So, perhaps the extreme of “a completion of music might have been too corny, but vomiting. rhythmic pop songs” there are lots of fans who have found “Escape,” the this album to be splendid. This album first track of the is for people who are believers in fairy album, is an tales and romance, but certainly not entertaining pop song that provides for the hard core musician. Overall, everything a pop song requires: sweet this CD is a six out of ten; there could and shallow lyrics with a sticky tune. have been a lot of improvements, it “Don’t Turn Off the Lights” is a wasn’t the worst. song where Enrique experiments with funky melodies, but the result is not convincing.

C

Cancer

June 21-July 22

Lately you find yourself thinking too much about the future and this is making you confused.

The answers are right in front of you. Talk or write this out. A Virgo will play prominently.

Leo

July 23-Aug. 22

Forgive or forget, but don’t let the past stop you from what is to happen in the future. The unexpected is yet to come.

Don’t let this frighten you. Another Leo will play a role throughout your day.

Virgo

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Your mood swings are a result of unfinished business. If you don’t resolve what is bothering you, soon people will begin to withdraw from you. Fighting will not solve anything.

Libra

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Feeling sick lately?

If you are then what you need is to chill out and stop stressing the little occurrences throughout your day.

Within time positive results will follow. Wear bold colors tonight.

Cooch and Croft’s Top Ten Top Ten things done to help ease the Fairfax County budget crisis: 10. Road kill clean up now paired with free and reduced lunches.

9. Cross country team “contracted” 8. School uniform reduced to boxer or briefs 7. No more platform shoes for athletic director 6. Football playoffs eliminated, at least for us.

5. Yearbook cut 4. No more existence of the Democratic Socialist club 3. LD combines with AP classes 2. Ban of Principal’s ownership of hybrid cars 1. AHS turned into countyfunded Arby’s

A show about a dysfunctional family whose antics are so absurd you have to laugh

by Mike Mahn Entertainment Editor

“(Sniff sniff) you just had sex with two Filipino women, and one Filipino man,” said Brian.

“You mean three Filipino women...Oh God!” said Quagmire.

This small dialog isn’t from a racy, obscene book about to be banned, it is actually from the hit series, (well its not really a hit either), The Family Guy. The Family Guy is a comedic cartoon that has been aired during prime time on Fox for the past three years. Although critically acclaimed, the ratings have been low throughout its tenure on Fox and has endured many hardships, such as it being cancelled and later left to premiere during the summer while other networks take the season off and air only reruns.

However, after these multiple problems, The Family Guy may finally make it as a prime time cartoon, with success that may run parrallel to The Simpsons with, because it has been given a season premiere at the beginning of Fox’s fall season, November 8th.

“I live my life by The

Family Guy,” said junior Jack Shea. “I never miss an episode.” The Family Guy has not had much success, but perhaps its greatest high is establishing a devoted fanbase, albeit a small one, that will watch it religiously.

“I try to watch The Family Guy as often as possible, whether it is new episodes or not,” said junior Andy Pelenberg.

Perhaps one reason The Family Guy has faced low ratings, and even been cancelled once was from its blatent lack of taste with its humor.

The show was boycotted in a small town where the creator, Seth MacFarlane, grew up. In fact, the protest was started by MacFarlane’s old school principal. Fox brought the show back and it was rejuvenated by multiple new celebrity voices and appearances. Seth Green (Idle Hands and Austin Powers) plays the voice of the sexually confused thirteen year old, Chris. Mila Kunis (Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves) better known as Jackie from the series That ‘70s Show, plays the voice of the unpopular teenager, Meg. Adam Corrolla (Love Line) makes frequent appearances as the character Death. Even Will Ferell guest starred in an episode as the

Black Knight.

Creator Seth MacFarlane began his animation career working on the series Ace Ventura, Jungle Cubs and Johnny Bravo. But he got his first real show, The Family Guy, upon being discovered by the producers of MADtv. “I love The Family Guy because of its irreverent comedy and its very sophisticated vocabulary,” said Shea.

“Stewie’s incredible speech has taught me a lot.”

The Family Guy is both loved and hated for its low brow humor. For example one episode the show incorporate a hilarious and witty parody of a contempory movie, such as American Beauty or Castaway.

However in the next episode you may hear such prose as “No swimming unless there is a lifeguard on duty.

(Laughter) Duty. (Laughter) Diarrheah. Hey Lois, Diarrhea!” Said Peter.

The Family Guy offers an amount of humor that compares to The Simpsons, but at times has the level of maturity equal to South Park.

“I remember last summer it was on once a

entertainment

Irreverent Family Guy returns

Family Guy Fan Trivia

1. What street do the Griffins live on?

2. Who is Peter’s lovable, but perverted, friend?

3. What town is the show set in?

4. Who won the race for president of the schoolboard, Lois or Peter?

5. What is Brian’s, the dog, favorite drink?

6. How is Peter’s neighbor handicapped?

7. What is the name of the bar that Peter always goes to?

8. When Brian went to hollywood, what types of movies did he direct?

9. What two celebrities have been the voice of Death?

10. What farm animal once kissed Meg? 1. Spooner St. 2. Quagmire 3. Quahog 4. Peter 5. Martini 6. He is in a wheelchair 7. The Drunken Clam 8. Adult Films 9. Adam Corrolla and Norm McDonald 10. A Pig

week and my whole neighborhood would watch The Family Guy and repeat the jokes from the episode throught the next week,” said junior Tatsuya Nakamura.

New releases on video and DVD:

Monstrous hilarity in this incorporation

by Sarah Sherman Photographer

Chances are you’ve seen Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and you may have even taken a younger sibling to see A Bug’s Life in theaters. You most likely enjoyed all three and found yourself laughing at the cute sarcasm that all generations can understand. Disney and Pixar have teamed up yet again for this falls all-ages computer animated children’s story: Monster Inc. Welcome to Monstropolis, a bustling city fueled by the cries and yelps of young children on the verge of a blackout due to a shortage of screams. The company that keeps the power flowing throughout the city, Monsters Inc., is in charge of sneaking into children’s rooms at night and scaring them. “We Scare Because We Care” is the motto printed across the top of the building. The screams are then captured in a canister and sent to be transformed into fuel for the city. However, the monster who work for Monsters Inc. are in a dangerous field of profession. The monsters believe children are highly toxic in Monstropolis, and any contact whatsoever becomes a hazard.

Meet our heroes: Sully (voice of John Goodman) and Mikey (voice of Billy Crystal). The two best friends are the typical team of Disney buds: the large, warm hearted furry teddy bear (Sully) and the neurotic, sarcastic one-eyed sidekick (Mikey). Just as Sully is about to break the company record for the most scares, things get hairy with the slime-ball bad guy Randall (voice of Steve Buschemi), who is also trying to break the record. When Sully and Mikey catch Randall cheating to get ahead, the situation

gets even more complicated: a toddler follows Sully through the closet door into their world.

Sully and Mikey do their best to ditch the kid, but eventually they realize a child is anything but toxic. Sully becomes attached to the tot, whom he later names Boo. When our team learns of Randall’s evil plot to suck the screams out of children by kidnapping them, they must choose between keeping their careers at Monsters Inc. or saving innocent kids. In the end its a chase to save the little cutie to whom he’s become so devoted.

The animation in the film, which has been significantly upgraded from both Toy Stories and A Bug’s Life, proves to be more realistic but remained just fantastic enough for the youngsters. Details like the fur on Sully’s back or the expressions on the characters’ faces are much more defined.

Pixar’s trademark for their short films geared towards young audiences and ideas that only a child could conceive has given them much fame throughout all generations. Monsters Inc., like the rest of them, is a family film that MOVIE RATING MONSTERS INC. many parents and children can comprehend and enjoy. No wonder its the highest grossing animated movie in its first weekend, ever.

Crystal and Goodman prove to be an excellent match, and it’s Crystal’s wit and Goodman’s heart that keep A cute Disney film with picture quality the audience smiling. The cuteness of better than Toy this Pixar movie surpasses that in Toy Story Story and A Bugs Life, but even a 2001 teenager can join in the collective

Nintendo and Microsoft’s consoles are released this week Gamecube versus Xbox. Nintendo versus Microsoft. The battle between two corporate giants will begin in just a few days with the release of Microsoft’s first console to enter the market, the X-Box. Nintendo will follow three days later, Nov 18, with their new console to compete with Microsoft and the seemingly mighty Sony Playstation 2.

Though both systems will be released later on this week, they do not have a lot in common. The design of the systems, along with the different types of games, make the systems as different as night and day.

First off, Microsoft has never made a console before and will be entering into a ferocious battle between two veterans. Microsoft will essentially be attempting to do the same thing Sony did just a generation ago, with the Playstation. Microsoft is using a very

Nintendo’s Gamecube from the top view.

“Awwwww!” when Boo and Sully say good night. Even if your younger brother or sister can’t join you at the movies, go anyway, and don’t be afraid to giggle like a kid at the cutsie humor throughout the flick.

AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS Starring: John Cusack, Julia Roberts Director: Joe Roth A comedy about marriages in show business. John Cusack’s character falls for both a celebrity and her sister. (rated PG-13)

A

Xbox and Gamecube face off

by Philippe Podhorecki News Editor

NOVEMBER 13

similar plan; a lot of third-party titles and cheap fees for development has attracted many smaller companies looking to make a big splash in the market.

Compare Microsoft’s situation to that of the incomparable Nintendo.

The company which has basically built the video game industry while establishing some of the most noticeable characters ever. Though the Nintendo 64 was nowhere near the success of the Playstation, Nintendo plans to return atop the industry by sticking with the old. Sony and Microsoft plan on making their systems an all-around entertainment center, with DVD-playback capabilities. Whereas, Nintendo is sticking to games, and great games at that; rather than being broadminded in their plans, Nintendo will stay focused on making games and attracting third parties.

The games for X-Box are generally more mature in nature but that doesn’t mean that they are better than any games made for Gamecube. Halo, the main launch title, is an FPS, or First-person-shooter, which by many early reports will be a smash hit.

Other games include a new Oddworld game, which was originally planned for the Playstation 2, and a new racing game entitled Project Gotham Racing.

The new Madden game along with other popular sports titles, including the Sega Sports titles along with Microsoft’s own NFL title, called NFL Fever 2002.

Nintendo has few strong titles which are sure to sell well. The new Star Wars game, Rogue Squadron 2, has arguably the best graphics out for any system. The title has a variety of levels from the original trilogy. Also out will be two Nintendo titles, Luigi’s Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman play the voices of these two Monsters, Mikey and Sulley.

Britney Spears did it again

by Lauren Sterlacci Staff Writer CD RATING If there was a theme for the new BRITNEY SPEARS Britney record it would be as follows: Get over it, she’s not a little girl anymore.

Almost three years since her debut album Baby One More Time ,Spears Britney has adopted has grown up to become a role model a new style of to young girls and a teenage sex music on this album symbol. She not only co-wrote five of the songs on her new record but regardless of whether you like her music, Britney feels much more sincere than her earlier records with her guilty-pleasure pop. The question arises with her new album: Will her younger audience still grow with her on new sound? Britney may have had little girls singing and dancing to songs such as Baby One More Time and Oops, I Did it Again, but it’s indefinite we’ll be hearing them singing I’m a Slave 4 you. The song contains the following insubordinate declaration: “I know I may be young/But I’ve got feelings too/And I need to do what I feel like doin/So let me go.”

Although her older audience may like the new sound of Britney it’s hard to say whether or not she’ll have pleased all of her younger fans. Her remake of Joan Jett’s classic I Love Rock n’ Roll was one of the many pleasant surprises on her new album. With the exception of the first single, the changes from the old Britney to the new Britney aren’t shockingly different, which is why her original fans shouldn’t be turned off by the album. According to the album, Britney’s growing up, she’s not naive, and she’s not going to be taken advantage of — messages you’ll hear loud and clear on a good majority of her songs.

These themes are evidently important to her and seeing that she wrote quite a few of them, fans can get the satisfaction that this is the real Britney talking.

Her voice has unquestionably matured which was especially noted in the song I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman which flattered her vocal range.

B+

The Xbox console and its controller.

Wave Race is a sequel to an N64 hit of the same name. Luigi’s Mansion is Nintendo’s flagship title. The game features Luigi, Mario’s younger brother, searching for ghosts in a newly acquired mansion. This marks the first time Nintendo has launched a system without a Mario title.

The battle between these two next generation systems is sure to be a tough one. However, they not only have each other to deal with but Sony and it’s Playstation 2. The coming years in are sure to be exciting ones for all gamers as the three systems will compete to make the best games to capture more market share.

But if you really want a great system which is sure to not fail, pick up a Gamecube. The system is back by the greatest gaming company out, which consistently makes top-notch games which are always copied by other companies. Nintendo managed to keep the N64 afloat with barely any third-party support, but now with many companies jumping on the Gamecube and Capcom promising exclusivity of the coveted Resident Evil series to the Gamecube, Nintendo should be a sure beat for everyone.

Feline Friends Professional In-home Pet Sitting For more information please call Kathleen at (703) 644 - 2569

LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER Starring: Angelina Jolie, Jon Voigt Director: Simon West An action film based on the computer game Tomb Raider. It was panned by critics, but contains a nice adv with Angelina Jolie kicking a lot of butt. (rated PG-13) OSMOSIS JONES Starring: Chris Rock, David Hyde Pierce Director: Peter Farrelly A silly, half catoon half live action comedy by the Farrely brothers.

The same people who brought you Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary created a film that bombed at the box office but might be enjoyable by Farrely fans. It is about a slob who gets invaded by a virus. (rated PG-13)

aBlast

the

Tuesday, November 13, 2001

Kathleen Sullivan’s

Your Cat’s Best Friend While You’re Away

CRAZY/ BEAUTIFUL Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez Director: John Stockwell It’s another teen movie. Most would consider it a chickflick. A love story of two people from very different backgrounds. (rated PG-13)

703 256-8181 7871 Heritage Drive Annandale, VA 22003

David Hollowell Main - 703.941.2403 Fax - 703.941.3253

7117 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 5800 Seminary Road, Bailey’s X-Roads, VA

19

20 aBlast

Cosmic bowling is night fun

by Caroline Friedman Weekend Editor

the

Tuesday, November 13, 2001

UPCOMING CONCERTS

BOB DYLAN • November 13 • MCI Center • for tickets visit www.ascticket.com/

Cosmic bowling, also called extreme bowling, is played at night to add to the experience

LEE ANN WOMACK • November 30 • WMZQ Fest at the Patriot Center • tickets available at www.asctickets.com

VINCE GILL AND AMY GRANT • December 9 • MCI Center • tickets available at www.asctickets.com

What’s more fun than renting bowling shoes, goofing around with friends while rolling seven pound bowling balls down a slick wooden lane and chowing down on some great bowling alley food?

Doing it all in the dark!

Cosmic bowling incorporates all the aspects of regular bowling, only it does it in the dark and with great music, colorful lights and fog machines. Sophomore Julie Sanchez has been cosmic bowling and said “It’s more exciting [than regular bowling] and it’s got really cool lights and music.”

Band members went cosmic bowling on Nov. 3 and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. “They turn off the lights and put on black lights and other cool lights and play great music,” said sophomore Carolyn Ichter. Cosmic bowling is available at many bowling allies in the area such as Bowl America located at 5615 Guinea Road in Burke.

The Burke Bowl America offers cosmic bowling on Friday and Saturday nights from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

It costs $4.25 a game per person and $2.75 for shoes. An employee suggested this as a fun teen activity because, “there are a bunch of people the same age and it’s not just a

bunch of old people sitting around, it’s really fun and hip.” Stephanie Halkyard, sophomore, also in the band, said “It’s something to do cheaply and you can have a lot of fun.”

My own experience cosmic bowling has been a good one. Cosmic Bowling is a common birthday party spot which is extremely fun for those who go. Most of the places have tons of other teens there. Fog machines are going along with strobe lights, moving colored lights and disco balls. Black lights also come on and a DJ is playing all sorts of different kinds of music.

The alley transforms from a regular bowling alley into a exciting place for teens to hang out.

Cosmic bowling will change the stereotypical view of bowling as a boring sport.

Now bowling is fun, exciting, in the dark and hipper than ever.

PLAYS IN THE AREA HAMLET • Shakespeare Theater at 450 7th Street, NW, D.C. • for tickets or info visit www.shakespeare theatere.org or call (202)-574-1122 MACBETH • Folgers Theatre on 201 E. Capitol Street, SE, D.C. • for tickets or info visit www.folger.edu or call (202)-544-7077 SHEER MADNESS • At The Kennedy Center in Theater Lab • for tickets or info visit kennedy-center.org/ sheermadness or call (202)-467-4600

Underage clubs allow teens and pre-teens to experience the club scene that normally only elders can enjoy

John Bernhardt Weekend Editor

What is the newest, hottest thing to do at the end of the week? Where teens go and dance till dawn? Teen nightclubs are the answer.

Go where many teens go and get your groove on, try some of the most popular teen night clubs in this area: the 9:30 club, Planet Club and The Old Fire House.

However, these are not the only clubs in the area. To find other clubs that may suit you more, just search the web.

The 9:30 club has more bands and you will need to buy tickets before hand.

There are always new bands going there.

You are bound to have one of your favorite bands appear there. The 9:30 club still resembles a teen night club, yet differs form Planet Club and The Old Fire House because it is not as dance oriented.

So you picked out where you want to go, but now here is the major question...what to wear? Here are some fashion ideas for your night out.

One of the coolest fashion items this year in clubs is the Flashing Belly Light (It’s only about $8 online at www.clubthings.com). You don’t even have to get your belly button pierced, it just slides in your belly button and lights up. The colors for the belly button light varies and looks so real.

One of the sexiest ways to wear this trend is in a slick and sophisticated fashion. A long dress or skirt is great. A long camouflage dress is all the rage at clubs, or you can just wear a plain skirt, dress or pants, and anything tight.

Try dressing it up with some killer high heels, a snazzy necklace or maybe some glittery drop earrings. Pull your hair up add some kind of shiny or sparkly clip and you’ll look like a million bucks. And for all you guys out there, you have it easy. Just pull out a nice suit or just something slick and head out.

Clubs usually open around 8 p.m., but make sure to check the time and to bring your ID, because they may ask to see it. Clubs usually cost about $15 to get in, and some

have ladies night. So for all you ladies out there, you get in free. All teen clubs are said to be worth the money. Remember, all clubs are different and always call before to find out what times they open and close and how much it costs to get in.

What can you expect on your night out? Clubs are usually dark, and sometimes foggy when you first walk in. Usually disco balls, flashing lights and big TV’s are in the club. The TV’s either have music videos or people that are dancing in the club. Some of the clubs have boxes or balconies that you can stand or dance on. Most nightclubs have a stage that the DJ stands on to mixes the tunes.

So after you get in there, you will want to hit it the dance floor. So grab a pal and head for it. “This was like the first time that I ever danced wildly,” said sophomore Kelly Harbison. “It’s a great way to just get out of your skin and go dance crazy,” said sophomore Jennifer Ott. Just flip through any magazine or turn on the TV and you are bound to see something about teen clubs. Teens under the age of 18 are all too young to get into real clubs such as Platinum. They have to find a substitute that they can get into without any problems. That’s were teen nightclubs come in.

“They are so much fun and the environment is so very exciting. That’s why so many people are going,” said Ott. “I think its a really good idea for getting teens off the streets,” said sophomore Jonathan Kriss, and this is why teen nightclubs are becoming more and more popular because they are getting teens off the streets and into a safer environment.

So if you have nothing to do this weekend just hit the dance floor and get your groove on. “It was something I’ll never forget, it was just so much fun,” said sophomore Miranda Bracket. Just like Bracket, “It will be a night you will definitely want to repeat.”

ernhardt’ s Bites

When you enter Duck Chang’s, it’s not an uncommon sight to see a chef preparing a Peking duck in front of the customer. Or you might see Mrs. Chang walking around to each table to ensure that everyone is happy with their meals. offers a relaxed atmosphere and it’s specialty is food from northern China.

Among the best dishes there are half a Peking duck for $13, sizzling rice soup for $5.50, Mongolian style beef with scallions for $5.75 and firecracker shrimp for $7.95. Vegetarians have a wide varitey of choices on the menu as well. No matter what food you order, at the end of your meal, the servers bring out fortune cookies and sliced oranges for dessert.

The restaurant itself has a small, cozy and warm atmosphere. Inside is one room of tables, and a kitchen in the back. The dining room is adorned with traditional Chinese art including paintings and hand woven silk garments.

Peter Chang owns the restaurant, and his wife helps run it. Located at 4427 John Marr Drive in Annandale, Duck Chang’s is not a far drive from school. It’s open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Party and dinner meals are offered, as well as carryout and delivery.

This family owned restaurant has been open for 28 years, and has another restaurant at 7531 Richmond Highway in Alexandria called Peking Duck. With all the fast food chains in this area, it’s a nice change of pace to visit and support a long-standing family business.

Duck Chang’s has been noted in The Washington Post and has received many awards including multiple Washingtonian Restaurant Awards for its service and food.

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eekend

ALL PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY THE HALKYARD’S

These kids from Annandale relax as they wait for their turn to bowl. For an average bowler, a good score would be anywhere around 125. A perfect game is when a strike is bowled in every frame and the score is 300.

Teen clubs become hit attraction

by Morgan McEvilly Staff Writer

BRITNEY SPEARS • December 21 • MCI Center • tickets available at www.asctickets.com

ABOVE– Sophomore Stephanie Halkyard rejoices after a good bowl.

Members of the Annandale Band recently went on a bowling outing.

Freshman Jimmy Conors watches closely as his partner bowls. Each game consists of 10 frames and can be played by 1 to 4 players.

a

tomic reactions

What do you do over the four-day break?

“I went with family to dinner, then to a party where we made Halloween movies.”

—Trey Huff freshman

“I had relatives over and hung out with friends.

I also went to Maryland” —Mellisa Sielaty sophomore

“I went bowling on Saturday night with a friend from my youth group. I also had to go to my [football] game on Saturday.”

—Loren Sexton junior

“I visited a good friend at James Madison University and caught up on some much needed sleep.”

—Molly Sherman senior

JOHN BERNHARDT

Duck Chang’s is a small one room restaurant that is decorated with traditional Chinese artwork.

RESTAURANT RATING DUCK CHANGS

B+

one of many Chinese restaurants with interesting food and relaxed atmosphere

“I worked on a project for The School of International Training in Vermont, and corrected PALS journal entries.”

—Regina Dee French Teacher