Issue 3

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017 Vol. 62 Issue #3

Annandale High School’s

THE A BLAST 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 www.thea-blast.org

“SENIOR STARTS CAREER AS AN ENTREPRENEUR”

Informing the Atoms since 1954

PEOPLE 14

IB Exams will cost students

BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief The new FCPS policy states that the county will now pay for only six IB/ AP exams. Any additional exam will have to be paid by students.

The official policy was created in hopes of covering the new deficit from the budget.

“I think students are frustrated because the policy is retroactive and had students been told last year I think they would have made a more informed decision,” IB Coordinator Linda Bradshaw. “I really think the policy should have started this year because that is not fair to the seniors.”

Most students take less than six IB exams, but IB diploma candidates often take seven IB exams, and the test count is cumulative over a student’s FCPS academic career.

TIANA REAMS

SIT DOWN TO STAND UP The varsity cheerleaders take a knee during the national anthem at an away football game against the Mount Vernon High School Majors on Oct. 20.

Students protest racial injustice during Homecoming Junior Ammy Valdivia stared intently ahead as she linked arms with her fellow varsity cheerleading sisters. The crowd grew quiet as the choir began singing the national anthem during the Homecoming game. Looking at each other, the girl’s began kneeling. One by one. Valdivia took in a deep breath as she stepped down, bracing herself for some sort of backlash. She, along with the others, remained kneeling for the entire anthem.

The varsity cheerleaders kneeling during the anthem as part of a movement of student athletes who protest racial and social injustices in America.

“With everything going on in America it didn’t feel right to stand for the anthem. A lot of people on the team have been faced with some type of discrimination, even a few days leading up to the football game,” junior Isatu Kargo said. “We asked ourselves ‘why should we stand for a country that doesn’t respect people of different races?’”

These conversations started long before the Homecoming game: in the locker room, car rides home, walks to practice and back again. The girls on the team each cite their own personal reasons for kneeling, but the cheer team, like many other high school sports teams, were inspired to take a knee during the national anthem by professional athletes.

“I was inspired by hearing about football players kneeling during the anthem,” Valdivia said. “It actually takes a lot for me to kneel, because I always have the people who fight for our country in mind, who I give all respect to.”

An increased number of

TIANA REAMS

BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief

The Stuart High School cheerleading and football teams take a knee during their Homecoming game last year. professional athletes of all sports have joined former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality especially after President Donald Trump’s heated comments against athletes who knelt during the anthem.

Kaepernick’s protest began over a year ago when he sat on the bench during protests, but he later transitioned to kneeling, saying that he was doing so to show more respect for military veterans, which later turned out to be a much more iconic pose. He cited his reasons for doing so because he was not going to “stand up to show pride in a flag or country that oppresses people of color,” Kaepernick said in a press conference after first sitting out during an anthem.

Kaepernick, like several other athletes who have sat out during the anthem, has received a lot of backlash

for not standing during the national anthem. Many people believe sitting out during the anthem as disrespectful, especially to veterans and those who serve.

“If you want to protest Trump that is fine, but I think kneeling for the anthem is not the way to go about it,” said senior Hunter Swedish. “I just think there are too many people risking their lives for us. Standing for the anthem is our way to respect them.”

The girls on the varsity cheerleading team do not take kneeling lightly, rather, many of them are very aware of how their actions could be perceived, but they believe that kneeling holds a greater purpose.

“I don’t mean to disrespect those who have fought for our country. I respect those people so much, but I take a knee because it’s my freedom to

do so, and I just feel like this country has showed a lot of disrespect towards me, towards my family and towards other races,” Valdivia said.

More athletes, both professional and high school, joined Kaepernick’s peaceful demonstration during the anthem when President Trump called any player who took a knee a “Son of a bitch.” He further told NFL owners to fire players who refused to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Although more athletes began to sit after Trump’s inflamed comments, those who are protesting claim that they are sitting not because of Trump, but what Trump’s comments represent: a reality where minorities’ voices are suppressed and are attacked for protesting.

The movement to take a knee during the national anthem or to stand with arms locked in silent protest follows a long tradition of sports stars standing up for what they believe in. Some have accused this movement of being unpatriotic and that politics should be kept out of sports.

“It is about respect for our flag and respect for our soldiers, our first line like our fire fighters, police officers as well,” Swedish said.

However, protests against national symbols has not been isolated to just kneeling during the anthem, but students have also acted out by not participating in the pledge of allegiance.

Senior Cecelia Joseph has not stood for the anthem all year, which she cites as her way to protest racial injustice in the U.S. “I think people perceive people who sit as disrespectful and think See PROTEST page 4

“I really think the policy should have started this year because it is unfair to the seniors.”

--LINDA BRADSHAW

IB Coordinator

The exams will save the county approximately $600,000. A fraction from the county’s $2.8 billion budget.

Students who choose to take one or more AP/IB tests beyond the six FCPSfunded tests will be charged a fee of $93 per AP test and $119 per IB test.

Senior Sammy Wondwossen is one of the frustrated IB Diploma Candidates who is taking seven IB exams because he took the IB Business exam last year.

“I already have to pay for senior dues and college application fees, so paying for an exam that is required for my diploma is just upsetting,” Wondwossen said.

Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals must submit a consent form and will not be charged for any of their exams.

However, students who still face financial trouble and are not eligible for free or reduced lunch are encouraged to go to Bradshaw in her office.

“If you come to me, I will figure out a way to cover it whether we have a school-wide fundraiser,” Bradshaw said. “If you want to take it we will make it happen.”

Although the price might be a deterrant for seniors to take the exams, administrators are still encouraging students to take the exams.

“We are absolutely encouraging students to keep taking these exams because the experience of just sitting for the exam is worthwhile” Bradshaw said. “Plus you have the added bonus of possibly getting potential college credit.”

Freshman classes become acquainted with the Writing Center

BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief Freshman classes are being given the opportunity to learn more about the Atoms Writing Center.

The Writing Center has requested freshman English classes to come in during W4 and learn about the Writing Center services.

“Our hope is that they will get an introduction to the writing center, learn about what it’s like, get some actual experience, hopefully they will see how useful it will be and hope they will come back on their own,” Writing Center advisor Stephanie Hanson said.

The center will be outlining the different uses for the center, and how the center will be able to help freshmen in the future.

They give the freshmen an outline of the program, and then go through a sample tutoring session

for the freshman. They are doing so in hopes of connecting freshmen to new resources that are not commonly utilized in school.

During the Pride Time sessions, the freshmen will either have their own assignments to be looked over by the tutors, or they will be given assignments by the center to further understand how useful the services of the Atoms Writing Center are.

“We are hoping to get ever freshmen through the doors of the Writing Center doors,” Hanson said.

The program will continue through December when all of the freshman classes will be seen. However, there have been some conflicts with the freshman classes and freshman orientation seminars during W4.

“We hope the freshmen will find our center useful and will continue to come back all through high school,” Managing Tutor Shirley Chu said.

The center has been looking at this initiative since last year. It hopes that

the freshmen will find value in their services.

“I guess the inspiration started last year in the spring once we had out new batch of tutors,” Hanson said. “We started targeting in on what would be useful for each grade level and we tried to implement that in the spring, but it wasn’t enough time to get it all done.

This year we figured let’s start with the freshmen right off the bat.”

The freshmen will be working with the student tutors who will explain the Writing Center and how it can be utilized by students.

“The Writing Center is a useful tool in the school, and we want to make sure that the freshman are not intimidated to come,” Chu said.

The freshman in the program have found the tutoring helpful as well.

“It is a really helpful experience to better my writing,” freshman Melita Nkemee said. “I have new experience with grammar rules such as where to put quotes and periods.”

ASEAL SAED

Writing Center partners with freshman classes

Writing Center tutor senior Mariam Mohamed tutors freshman Melita Nkemee with her OEA paragraph during a session.

2 EDITORIALS Why banning TKAM is a bad decision

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Hands off my phone

As students, we are required to read many books for English classes throughout the school year and sometimes even over the summer.

To Kill a Mockingbird, the award winning novel by author Harper Lee, is one of the most common high school reading assignments. A majority of Americans have read it, either in middle or high school.

The book takes place during the Great Depression and simultaneously the Jim Crow era.

It follows a young girl named Scout Finch as her attorney father defends a black man against a rape and assault charge in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama.

But what many do not know, is that many school districts have taken the classic novel off of their reading lists.

Most recently, the school district of Biloxi, MS banned the book because the language made parents uncomfortable.

Other districts that have banned the book also cite its use of profanity and the racism found throughout the book. The references to rape also upset people.

They believe that the book is inappropriate in an educational manner.

Clearly, these people do not understand the meaning behind the book. The book does not condone racism and other immoral acts, it denounces them.

Throughout the book, Scout’s father discourages her from using racist terms and other obscenities. He also calls racism a disease, and tells her and her brother to treat everyone as their equals, regardless of race.

The history is upsetting to people, too. But censoring a book won’t cover up the fact that America has a history of racism.

SUAD MOHAMED

BY SUAD MOHAMED Editorials Editor

Many parents are under the assumption that taking their child’s phone away is the solution to behavioral issues. In reality, this act just creates more problems for both the child and the parent.

Taking phones away is not the solution

BY SUAD MOHAMED Editorials Editor As teenagers, sometimes we make a mistake that upset our parents. Whether it is slipping grades or not doing chores, everyone has been in the hot seat at some point.

But is taking phones away the solutions to these problems? Signs point to no.

Just a few years ago, cell phones were really only used for making quick phone calls. Phone use was limited by quotas on how many minutes, texts, and data each plan had.

Nowadays, most cell phone plans are unlimited, plus phones are smarter, prompting people to use them more and for a variety of different things.

The typical student depends on phones when it comes to school. Most are in group chats with fellow peers to discuss homework assignments.

Thanks to apps like Remind and Google Classroom, teachers can also send reminders about upcoming homework assignments, quizzes, and tests.

With the StudentVUE app, students are able to check their grades in SIS at any time.

There are even classroom activities that are best completed with phones, such as Kahoot.

If their phone is taken away, how can a student who is used to these circumstances be expected to keep up with school? It will be hard for them to do well.

Cell phones make school easier, and all students should be able to take advantage of that.

Most teenagers have a lot of responsibilities that keep them out of the house.

They have to attend sports practices, stay after school for clubs and activities, get volunteering hours, work, study at the library plus and more.

How are parents supposed to keep

track of their children without a cell phone? There isn’t any efficient way to do it.

Phones provide a safety net for teenagers who are out, and keep parents at ease. When teenagers have their phones, they are one click away from contacting their parents in case of an emergency or to alert them about a change in their plans.

In this day and age, most teens are connected with their friends through their phones. Social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat are slowly replacing hanging out with friends faceto-face.

While most adults see this as a bad thing and believe that it has putting a hamper on social interaction, it is actually quite beneficial.

Sometimes, people who have anxiety in social settings are able to speak freely to peers through their phones.

Friends who live far away from each other can connect online, instead of

having to organize plans that can be hard to actually commit to. Those who don’t have many friends at school or other social settings can click with people online.

But when phones are taken, all of these bonds are broken. There is no way for teens to communicate with these people once their phones have been taken away.

There is no one for them to speak to and get advice from, because parents have cut off the route to get there.

“It is very stressful and difficult for me when my mom takes my phone away,” sophomore Brenda Huamani said. “A majority of my friends go to a different school, so I don’t see them often. So when my mom takes my phone away, that means she’s also taking away my access to friends fro a few weeks.”

Taking phones away often times causes trust issues.

Teens who have had phones taken will probably find a way to access social media again.

These attempts can range from borrowing a friend’s old phone or sneaking their phone back.

These options also defeat the whole purpose of taking the phone away in the first place Taking phones away can also cause parents to break trust, too. The temptation to look through their children’s phone is most of the time too hard for parents to hold back.

In both situations, the other party will probably find out and be extremely upset. Once the trust between a child and parent is broken, it can be hard to build back up again.

To summarize, taking phones away isn’t a solution to problems.

Instead, it is a catalyst for new ones.

Instead of taking phones away, parents should look for other options.

Most of the time, simply talking to teens can help diffuse the situation.

Teenagers need phones for a multitude of reasons and taking them away should not be the answer to solve misbehavior.

The pros and cons of taking the additional tests The book has long been a staple of English classes due to it’s message.

An additional problem with censoring the book is that there is no point.

Students will eventually hear about topics such as race. It’s inevitable.

Letting students read about this past in context is better for them, and the book discusses the topic of racism in a way that is beneficial to young readers.

Through the book, one can see the awful things that racism brought about, such as false imprisonment.

Another benefit of reading the book is that it includes valuable morals and lessons. By reading the book, one learns to step in a person’s shoes before you judge and to step up for those who can’t defend themselves, amongst other things.

Overall, there are many pros and few cons to having students read the novel.

In the age of Trump, more and more people are taking stances on violence against African Americans. Isn’t now the perfect time to open the discussion up in classrooms with this book?

BY BINQI CHEN Co-Editor in Chief While almost every single high school student applying to college will eventually take the SAT or the ACT, there is another standardized test that is often overlooked by most students: subject tests.

The SAT Subject Tests, or often referred to as the SAT II’s, are a series of college admissions tests administered by the College Board that focus on the academic subjects of mathematics, science, English, history, and languages.

The test is scored out of 800 points, with each individual test lasting an hour long. Three tests can be taken on one day.

Within the main subjects, students will need to choose which topic they wish to take. There are two levels of math testing.

Biology (with a concentration in either ecology or molecular biology), chemistry, and physics as the subjects

for science.

Literature is the only English test.

Students can pick between either U.S. or world history.

The languages have the most options, where test takers can select between Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Latin, Modern Hebrew, Italian, or Japanese.

Subject tests are a great way for applicants to show off to colleges that they excel in a certain subject or department. There is also such a wide range of subjects to pick from.

A high subject test score will most definitely help a student’s chances in getting into their top choice college. So why aren’t more students taking these tests?

For the most part, it is because most colleges do not require subject testing. Some colleges recommend that students take one or two tests, and others merely do not mention subject testing at all.

The colleges that do require students to take a submit SAT II scores are typically elite colleges with extremely low acceptance rates. This is so that the admissions officers have one more factor to consider when evaluating their applicant pool.

“I believe that taking subject tests are beneficial for me,” said senior

Benjamin Lee, who plans on taking the level two math and physics subject tests.

“However, it honestly just depends on what college you are applying to. Since I am planning on applying to Carnegie Mellon and the Tepper School of Business, I have to take them.”

Subject tests are also more rigorous than the regular SAT and will be on the student to make additional time out of their schedule to study and review the material.

Due to the fact that the purpose of the subject tests are for students to show off their expertise in an area of study, getting a proportioned high score may be more difficult.

Other test takers are also confident in their ability in a subject, and therefore even obtaining a perfect on a subject test may only land a student in the 80th percentile.

In conclusion, if a student feels as if he or she excels in a certain subject area, or if the colleges they are applying to require scores, then he or she should take the tests.

It is important to remember that SAT II’s are only meant to help the applicant. Students should not feel pressured to take additional testing on top of their other responsibilities.

THE A BLAST STAFF CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF Binqi Chen Aseal Saed MANAGING EDITOR Grace Hogye NEWS EDITOR Diego Feliciano EDITORIALS EDITORS Ruth Mekonnen Suad Mohamed COPY EDITOR Yvonne White IN-DEPTH EDITORS Casey Nguyen Kim Vaides SPORTS EDITORS Fares Ayoub Luke Elkins SPORTS XTRA EDITORS Jude Nanaw Ethan Zimmerman WEEKEND EDITORS Cameron Foti Halley Thadeus

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Lina Al Taii Nicolle Uria Christian Reyes LIFESTYLES EDITORS Yabi Bereket Ivanna Perez PEOPLE EDITOR Henry Hoang ARTS EDITORS Maryam Dereje Galilea Sejas HEALTH EDITORS Rachel Shogren PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS Serene Ghul Katie Pope ACADEMICS EDITORS Jessica Salisbury Kavi Shamdin WEB EDITOR/MASTER Victor Nguyen AD MANAGER Ryan Gammon

CIRCULATION MANAGER Ryan Gammon SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Lennon Wuhrer STAFF WRITERS Khadija Ahmed Jamie Baker Alexander Burita Shyeim Campbell Jacqueline Claros Lopez Mya Clyburn Pablo Gammara Noe Gonzalez Jamileh Hamadeh Abraham Kebrom Mahdi Larhmari Elias Moura Arzoo Marzi Tiana Reams Erik Rivas-Martinez Jason Reyes Hasan Royer Victor Torrico Calderon

Follow The A-Blast

A sample question from the physics subject test, which has a high curve because of how difficult it is.

Monthly Poll Look out for the next poll @theablast on Twitter to vote for the next issue!

Annandale High School Vol 63. Issue No. 3 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003 The A-Blast is an awardwinning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community.

Published monthly, 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. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post.

Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be emailed to theablast2017@ gmail.com or submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements.

All submissoins become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2017.

COLLEGE BOARD

Is it worth it to take subject tests?

69

people voted

59% picked basketball

OTTO OSORIO AGUIRRE freshman I am looking forward to indoor track because it’s fun, and I did cross country.

16% said indoor track 13% said swim and dive 12% picked wrestling

LILY LE sophomore Basketball because I like going to the games and supporting my friends.

EDITORIALS 3

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Black is beautiful Mainstream media needs to appreciate black beauty more

Black don’t crack According to BBC, there are two factors that cause skin to age. There is chronological aging and there is photoaging. Since we are unable to stop ourselves from growing, chronological ageing is not preventable. However, that isn’t the case for photoaging which is according to your skin and the pigments that it produces. The darker your skin is, the larger the melanin is. Black skins produce the darkest and thickest melanin compared to all the other races meaning that technically, black don’t actually crack

BY AVE CLYBURN Staff Writer Land of the free, home of the brave.

As young America has celebrated our culture with decades of exciting fashion, African American beauty has taken a while to be noticed.

The black community has always appreciated and longed for products and fashion that highlighted their culture, but it took a whole lot longer for the world to begin to use them in mainstream media.

Now, in 2017 if we look in a magazine and flip to a random page, we’re more likely to see a person of color on the cover.

However, that was not the way it always was.

In fact, it took Sports Illustrated 10 years to put an African American model, Tyra Banks, on the cover.

For years and years, women of color had no one to represent them. Too many black girls had to grow up with baby dolls and barbies that looked nothing like them.

Almost all the dolls seen on the shelves have the generic blonde hair and blue eyes.

No doll with dark skin came out until Black Barbie was launched in 1980.

It is shocking that it took 21 years for a black doll to come out after a white doll.

How can we expect young black children to appreciate and be confident in their skin, if we’re not giving them products that look like them? It doesn’t stop there.

Even as adults, it is very hard for

Did you know?

Seniors Meron Samuel and Natnal Endalkachew are featured on senior Aseal Saed’s website, assortedbyaseal.com, which promotes a variety of cultures and ethnicities. women of color to find makeup shades that match their skin.

There is usually only one or two options for African-Americans, when there are way more than two shades of darker skin tones.

What a nude lipstick or nude stocking might be on a fairer skinned person is nowhere near to nude for a lot of people of color.

A nude lipstick for a fair skinned person will most likely make a colored women look washed out.

It wasn’t until recently when black companies starting rising up that popular brands started to make makeup products specifically for people of color.

Makeup isn’t the only thing the black community has decided to do on their own.

Since it took not only years, but

decades in some cases, to have black women on their covers and in their pages, it was only until entrepreneurs like John H. Johnson of Jet magazine that black people made their own magazines.

We even have a club at our school dedicated to raising awareness and appreciating black beauty. They’re shaping our minds to see beauty in African Americans.

“For starters, BCAA, stands for Black Cultural Awareness Association. It’s a club open to any, and everyone, where we share ideas and opinions on issues not only facing the Black community, but also minority’s,” said BCAA Jemela Kanu. “This club was created so that students at AHS would have a safe environment to share what they feel is important to them.”

Non people of color don’t understand black beauty until black people decided to make it known that they love themselves and are unashamed of and accept of who they are in their natural state.

Not covered with makeup that doesn’t match them. They decided to make a stand as their own. They embraced themselves and have love for who they are.

Everyone is beautiful in their own state, in their own unique hair and skin.

It is that uniqueness that makes us beautiful.

We can even see that in the natural hair movement. Taking off the wigs, rejecting the perms or hiding under braids.

Society shouldn’t affect us anymore.

LeBron James is the first black man to appear on the cover of American Vogue While it may seem a little crazy that the 6 ft 9 inches basketball player was the first to make a landmark on American magazine, James was in fact the first to appear on American Vogue in 2008. However, this praise was short lived considering the amount of backlash that came with his cover. His pose with model Gisele Bundchen resembled a vintage King Kong poster which outraged people. LeBron commented at the time that he failed to see anything wrong with the cover.

Late night with an angry Donald Trump Why does Trump always tweet at night?

BY TJ GONZALEZ Staff Writer Donald Trump loves his Twitter acoount. He absolutely loves it.

He loves it in the morning, in the afternoon and especially before he goes to bed.

Trump has an absurd amount of late night tweets.

He has tweeted comments about John McCain, his spat with Megyn Kelly, Elizabeth Warren, a U.S. Senator who remained natural throughout the debate, and hours after the first Presidential debate.

All the events listed above are from that chart. Trump tweeted 19 tweets about his spat with Megyn Kelly

between the hours of midnight and 4 A.M. Obama would usually tweet maybe 19 tweets a month on his personal account during the afternoon, the latest 7 PM eastern time.

Trump broke that in one night.

Between the hours of midnight and 4 AM. Midnight. And 4 A.M. 19 tweets in five hours, you have to wonder how hard it must be to tweet with those stubby little fingers.

These are a few examples of his late night posts all during his presidential campaign.

He even tweeted about keeping Muslims tracked by U.S. officials then backtracked.

This rant, some have said, is derogatory, discriminative, and very hateful.

All these violate Twitters’ Terms of Agreements.

This should be enough to take down his twitter, right?

To Twitters’ Terms of Agreements, yes. To Twitters’ bank account and

current $13.3 billion.

Should that matter? No. Yet, money talks, and those $2 billion talk a lot, its covfefe.

Now, with Trump in office, it’s going to be even more difficult to take down his account.

The American public and the media view his twitter as a source to the White House.

Why? Because he is the president of the United States. He is automatically a source.

Though, it’s hard to tell what he says is fact about his opinion, or a “joke.”

According to the Washington Times, DonThe White House has been cleaning ald Trump tweeted on average 260 within up Trumps late night fun with is phone the first 50 days of presidency and most of about 20 times this year. At this point, the controversial tweets were at night there must be a protocol to his twitter fingers.

Donald Trumps’ use of free speech, no.

He’s like a child that has been told Twitter gains a lot of traction and to stop picking at the gingerbread house late night traffic due to Trumps tweets. multiple times but goes “what?” and In a recent New York Post arti- continues to pick at it. cle, if Twitter were to remove Trumps’ Donald Trump’s messes with Ameraccount, they would be down $2 bil- icans more than your mind does when lion in their market value out of their you say “you too” to the waiter that said

MAKIN’ THE GRADE Halloween costume contest

Cartoonist Corner

Once again, The A- Blast is hosting a Halloween costume contest. Who says dressing up is for kids? This contest will enable you to win various sorts of prizes. It will take place Tuesday October 31 in the cafeteria during all lunches. Last year, a student was able to walk away with a free yearbook. Whether you dress with your friends or by yourself, make sure that you are following the dress code as well as being as creative as possible. This is your one

End of first quarter It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the end of the first quarter. While it is great to know that we are slowly but surely approaching the end of the year, we cannot help but feel nervous about our grades. Everyone, especially seniors, make sure to end the first quarter great. If you have a bad grade, talk with your teacher and find a solution. Lets start the year right and end it even better.

Stop wearing shorts It’s that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the air is cooling, the trees are changing, but there is one thing that seems to not change; shorts. People need to stop wearing shorts. There is no need to freeze in 50 degree weather simply to show off your legs. Face the facts, it is not summer anymore. No matter how many times you are telling yourself and others that you’re not cold we can tell you’re cold. This is a fashion emergency that needs to end.

Cut the budget cuts Tests. Whether they’re AP, IB, or simply just a normal class exam, they are not something that we don’t look forward to taking. This year, FCPS recently announced that due to budget cuts, the county will not be paying for all the IB and AP tests. In fact, they will only be paying for the first six. If you are planning to take more than six tests and you do not have free and reduced lunch, plan to talk to IB coordinator Linda Bradshaw.

Ernest Owen

A B D F

“enjoy your meal”.

Trumps a businessman but also a reality personality.

He knows how to grab attention, he may even understand that he is causing chaos.

Yet, that’s what makes it funny. He made CNN pull TMZ and follow one of his staff members at a gas station.

That’s how good he is.

The fear people have of his tweets turning into reality is large, and once again, he has a fine line of being serious to make a “joke” is alive and well.

He proved it with his implementation of the Muslim ban that the white house does not call a Muslim Ban, but he has over and over again on his twitter.

Like a comedic Late Show, he makes it serious then funny, except it’s not him that said it was a joke it’s the White House.

So, Mrs. Sanders, what’s the protocol after his wild night on his phone?

4 NOTICIAS DESTACADAS

Miercoles. Oct. 25, 2017

Ventajas y Desventajas de la Prueba de Contenido POR BINQI CHEN Editora Mientras casi todos los estudiantes están aplicando para las universidades, ellos eventualmente tomarán el SAT o el ACT, pero cabe recalcar que hay otra prueba académica que no es considerada por los estudiantes: Prueba de contenido o SAT II. La prueba de contenido del SAT, generalmente referido como el SAT II, son una serie de exámenes administrados por el College Board que se enfocan en los contenidos académicos de Matemáticas, Ciencias, Inglés, Historia y Lenguas.

Este examen está calificado sobre 800 puntos, y cada examen dura una hora. También, si el estudiante desea,

se puede tomar tres exámenes en un día.

Acerca de la materia, los estudiantes tienen que elegir un tema que les gustaría tomar. Por ejemplo, hay dos niveles de Matemáticas.

Para las ciencias se puede tomar: Biología (con una concentración en Ecología y Biología molecular), Química y Física.

Para Ingles, Literatura es la única opción y los estudiantes puede escoger el tema de literatura como Historia Americana o Historia del Mundo.

En relación con las lenguas, los estudiantes tienen más opciones entre elegir. Ellos pueden seleccionar entre: Español, Francés, Chino, Coreano, Latín, Hebreo, Italiano o Japonés.

Estas pruebas de contenido son una excelente manera para mostrar

a las universidades las materias en que los estudiantes sobresalen. También hay una gran cantidad de opciones entre que pueden elegir.

Un resultado alto ciertamente ayudará al estudiante a tener una mejor oportunidad para entrar a la universidad. Pero, ¿por qué no hay tantos estudiantes tomando este tipo de examen?

Por la mayor parte, es porque la mayoría de las universidades no requieren este tipo de examen. Algunas universidades recomiendan que el estudiante tome uno o dos exámenes, pero no mencionan para nada este examen en específico.

Las universidades que requieren a los estudiantes presentar para el SAT II generalmente son universidades élites como Harvard o Yale que

generalmente tienen bajos porcentajes de aceptación. Para ellos, este examen es un factor adicional que influye en la decisión final de los miembros de admisión.

“Yo creo que tomar este tipo de exam es beneficioso para mí” dijo Senior Benjamin Lee, que piensa tomar el SAT II de nivel dos en Matemáticas y la Física. “Pero, cabe recalcar que depende generalmente en la universidad que estas aplicando.

Como pienso aplicar a Carnegie Mellon y la escuela de negocio, yo lo tendré que tomar”.

Este tipo de examen es más rigurosos que el SAT y estará en la responsabilidad del estudiante hacer tiempo adicional en su horario para estudiar y revisar el material.

Debido a que el propósito de estos

exámenes es para que los estudiantes muestren la materia en que sobresalen, conseguir un resultado proporcionado es más complicado.

Otros estudiantes que están tomando este examen tienen confianza de sus habilidades en la materia y al obtener un puntaje perfecto sólo caerán en el percentil de 80.

En conclusión, si un estudiante siente que él o ella va a sobresalir en cierta área o que la universidad requiere este resultado, él debe tomar este examen.

Es importante recordar que el SAT II sólo es una ayuda para el aplicante y ellos no deben sentirse presionados para tomar este examen además de las otras responsabilidades que tienen.

Nueva Profesora de Inglés experimenta con sus estudiantes y quedo sorprendida POR AVE CLYBURN Escritora La nueva profesora de Inglés, Justina Butera, hizo algo que nunca se lo esperó. A los estudiantes de Inglés 10 Honores se les asignó la tarea durante el verano de leer el libro El señor de las moscas por William Goldin. Ella explicó lo que hizo con su clase con la historia y como provio una mejor experiencia para sus estudiantes.

“Yo quise introducir la unidad en una forma interesante” dijo Butera. Aunque esperaba que todos los estudiantes participaran en esta actividad, ella tuvo otros estudiantes que la ayudaron a preparar el experimento.

“Puse las sillas y las mesas boca abajo, moví algunas cosas de mi mesa, moví mi silla, puse papeles y libros en todo lugar para que parezca un desorden, y abandoné el lugar para que ningún estudiante me pudiera ver. Decidí esconderme en el salón de la profesora PhillipsReavis.

Después de realizar todo esperé diez minutos para ver que es lo que los estudiantes harían y cómo reaccionarían ante esto” explicó Butera.

“Quise hacer esto para ver la reacción de mis estudiantes y cómo actuarían ante esta situación. Más que todo la actividad relacionada con el libro que

leímos El señor de las moscas, porque esos estudiantes estuvieron en una isla y enfrentaron una situación difícil. Algunos tuvieron que tomar liderazgo y yo quería ver quiénes en la clase serían los líderes”.

Después de oír este plan, fue sorprendente saber lo que pasó con los estudiantes. ¿Se asustaron? ¿Abandonaron la clase? La profesora Butera respondió diciendo que “los estudiantes reaccionaron en una manera interesante.

Ellos limpiaron todo, después se sentaron y siguieron las instrucciones en el pizarrón que era responder a unas preguntas. Me impresionó que hicieran eso pero nadie se preguntó o

El Objetivo de el experimento de la profesora Butera era para ver cual seria la reaccion de los estudiantes y ver si ellos tambien tomarian liderazgo y limpiarian el salon en el que estaban. se preocupó de dónde estaba yo, y ¡no me fueron a buscar!. Pero está bien. Ellos después me dijeron que estaban sospechando que yo les estaba probando. Eso fue lo que me dijeron”.

Le preguntamos a la profesora Butera de dónde salió la idea para hacer esto en su salón de clase y ella dijo que “ La profesora de al lado, Mrs. Mathis, me dio la idea porque lo hizo con sus estudiantes y me recomendó intentarlo con los míos”.

Después de decir esto le pregunté a la profesora Butera si lo haría cada año. Ella respondió: “Posiblemente, yo quiero ver como cada estudiante reacciona y sé que cada año es diferente. Lo que más me anima es que obtuve un buen resultado por parte de mis estudiantes, gracias a esto yo lo haré definitivamente”.

Como última pregunta le

preguntó a la profesora Butera que es lo que habría hecho si su profesor hiciera lo mismo a ella en la escuela secundaria. Ella nos comentó que “Es una buena pregunta. Yo creo que yo haría lo mismo como mis estudiantes y limpiarlo, pero yo creo que me habría preocupado de si la profesora estuviera bien.

Además probablemente habría ido al salón al lado o enfrente para encontrar a mi profesora y dejarle saber que no había ningún adulto en el salón de clases. Pero yo creo que digo esto ahora desde la perspectiva de una adulta”.

Este experimento sera sin duda una de las mejores experiencias para los estudiantes porque pusieron a prueba lo que aprendieron y llegaron a tomar un liderazgo similar a lo que los personajes principales hicieron.

Este tipo de experimentos muestra el carisma y el empeño de los profesores para que los estudiantes tengan una buena experiencia que se llevaran por el resto de sus vidas.Además, la profesora pudo ver que los estudiantes tambien ponen dedicacion para que todo salga bien en el salón de clases.

Tradición de Décadas: El Desfile de Annandale POR DIEGO FELICIANO Editor de Noticias El desfile de Annandale es una tradición de la comunidad desde 1950. Este desfile muestra negocios, escuelas, scouts, veteranos, organizaciones caritativas, grupos internacionales de baile, bandas y la gente que disfruta del día.

Estará celebrado el día sábado, el 28 desde las 10 de la mañana hasta la tarde por Columbia Pike. Cabe destacar que este desfile fue el mejor en Estados Unidos en 2013.

Este desfile promueve la participación de la comunidad y del condado mientras todos disfrutan de la amplia diversidad de Annandale y la diversión en familia.

Este año los niños pueden llevar sus disfraces de Halloween para animar a los participantes y ser parte de la exhibición.

La Cámara de comercio de Annandale está encantada de anunciar que este año el Gran Mariscal es Richard Owen, Vice

Presidente de Casey Club-Annandale Caballeros de Colón y recipiente del prestigioso premio Jefferson por su servicio a la comunidad.

Este premio incentiva y hace honor a residentes por sus logros y sus contribuciones al servicio al público y a la comunidad.

El señor Owen también recibió el premio Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis por un servicio excepcional a la comunidad al organizar un grupo que preparó 400 comidas para los necesitados y por obtener más de $11.7 millones para el programa caritativo de los Caballeros de Colón que da servicios financieros a organizaciones que ofrecen entrenamiento y ayuda a los con desabilidades intelectuales.

Pasados ganadores del el premio Jefferson fueron: Hubert Humphrey (Vicepresidente en el gobierno de Johnson y candidato a la presidencia en 1968) Madeleine Albright (Primera mujer Secretaria de estado en el gobierno de Clinton) y Henry Kissinger (Secretario de estado en los gobiernos de Richard Nixon y GeraldFord).

Richard Owen, distinguido servidor publico, sera el gran mariscal este año Por años el rentó distintos medios de transporte para proveer pan y distintos tipos productos horneados que donó a distintos refugios, y organizaciones que distribuyen comida a gente

necesitada. También el dono libros películas, juegos de mesas, televisiones a hospitales y centro de veteranos cada año.

Por todas esas razones el es el elegido para recibir el premio de el Gran Marcial y será honrado en este desfile.

Este tipo de eventos cuenta con el auspicio de muchas organizaciones y cuenta con publicidad en el condado.Ademas esta cuenta con la participacion por parte de payasos, autos antiguos, bomberos, scouts,bailarines, marchas y muchos mas. La participacion de todos da alma al evento y muestra la unidad y amabilidad de el condado de Annandale; Y sobre todo, demuestra el respeto e igualdad entre distintas nacionalidades y culturas.

Se les invita a todos los estudiantes a ser parte de este increible evento, ven con tu familia y amigos y pasa un buen rato con toda la communidad de Annandale.

Empezara a las 10 de la manana y acabara en la tarde el dia 28 de octubre..

Es necesario pagar por el PSAT? POR KHADIJA AHMED Escritora Veinte dólares. Un poco más de ocho galones de gasolina. Casi tres burritos de Chipotle. Ese es el precio que muchos Juniors tienen que pagar para recibir sus resultados del PSAT, pero algunos se quedan pensando si esta información es importante para ellos.

El PSAT es un examen que dura aproximadamente 2 horas y 45 minutos y está dividido en preguntas de selección múltiple. Este examen es también conocido como el NMSQT(National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test o Examen nacional de calificación de becas).

Los estudiantes en el noveno y décimo grado toman el mismo examen, pero solamente los estudiantes de onceavo tienen que pagar los veinte dólares para recibir su reporte.

Junior Efrata Tecle pagará para recibir los resultados pero no está feliz acerca de esta situación. “¿Por qué tengo que pagar veinte dólares para obtener mis resultados? Yo pienso que se debería darlos a los estudiantes. Si estoy tomando el examen, yo también debería recibir el resultado o si no, yo no debería tener que tomarlo” dijo ella. Tecle

continuó “ Yo creo que es importante recibir los resultados porque de esa manera sabes cuánta preparación necesitas para el SAT y ‘ver el nivel en que actualmente estás en Matemáticas e Inglés”.

Junior Tiya Ayele también pagará los resultados pero está descontenta con esta situación. “El reporte del PSAT es una de esas cosas que no importa el precio, los estudiantes lo pagarán” comentó ella.

A pesar del precio absurdo, Ayele habla de la importancia de este examen, “El reporte del PSAT te dice cómo son tus resultados en cada sección. Si tú quieres mejorar tus resultados, tú sabrás en lo que te tienes que enfocar y cuánto tiempo necesitas para mejorar en ese aspecto” En general, vale la pena pagar los resultados del PSAT y cabe destacar que esta organización provee becas a estudiantes que logran obtener un buen puntaje.

Si tú eres freshman o sophomore, practica con tiempo para poder obtener un buen puntaje en el PSAT y la posibilidad de obtener una beca, cabe recalcar que las universidades no te pedirán tu resultado de la práctica, solamente pedirán el del SAT.

Why is this page translated to Spanish?

This section was created with the aim of broadening our reach as a publication towards the large population of Spanish-speaking students. AHS is the most diverse school in Virginia, with an extensive ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program, and Spanish is the second most spoken language at our school.

As a newspaper, our goal is to inform and entertain the largest possible group of viewers. Las Noticias Destacadas is a selected translation of a variety of the most pertinent articles in The ABlast. We hope that through this new section, we can be a more inclusive and diverse publication.

NEWS 5

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Green Atoms sell ornaments

News briefs Halloween Parade

Ornaments are being sold through White House Historical Association

The annual Annandale Halloween parade will be held on Oct. 28.

There will be floats and the Atoms Marching Band will also make an appearance.

BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief

Election Day The governors race will happen on Nov. 6. Students will not have school that day.

End of the Quarter The end of the first grading quarter will be on Nov. 3. Students will be released from school two hours early.

No School PHOTO COURTESY OF ANGEL ESTRADA

The Green Atoms are selling the 2017 White House Ornaments through the White House Historical Association for $22 each.

Each year, the White House has a new design. The ornaments this year are made in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Elements of FDR, his accomplishments and his terms are incorporated into the ornament.

“I believe that the White House Ornaments are great gifts,” senior and Green Atoms President Janlynn Ngo said. “They’re not ordinary ornaments that you buy at the store. These are sold only through the White House Historical Association and they have a different design each year, so they’re one-of-a-kind.”

Those who want an ornament can get a form from Green Atoms sponsor Anne Brosnan in the Learning Center.

“The ornaments are selling really well with the teachers and staff,” Ngo said. “I will personally buy a few because these ornaments are honoring FDR this year and they would be a neat addition to the house.”

After buying your ornament, the Green Atoms will deliver the ornaments in December.

Although not all students celebrate Christmas or have disposable income to buy these ornaments, I will say that the parents of students may be more interested in buying these ornaments.

“I’m interested in buying these ornaments because they seem like they would be perfect for my family,” senior Amy Han said. “Also, I am going to give them away as gifts.”

Senior distinguished as Army All-American

Although it is not a presidential election year, voters in Virginia will still be able to cast an important vote on November 6. The 2017 gubernatorial elections for Virginia is held every four years. This election season, the race will be narrowed down between the Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam and former Republican Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie.

AHS juniors and seniors who have turned or will turn 18 yearsold on election day will be able to cast their first votes if they are registered.

Some have already taken this step.

“I registered in September because I wanted to have a say in who runs our countries and regions,” senior Michelle Akl said.

Both candidates in the race have gathered support from other political figures. Former President George W. Bush and current Vice President Mike Pence have expressed their support for Gillespie. On the Democratic Party’s side, both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden have backed Northam.

This election will also be former President Barack Obama’s first campaign appearance since leaving office.

“I have been following the election since the beginning because I would like to study political science in the future,” senior Amanda Luna said. “Everyone should be informed of their local political events to know how any changes could affect their lives.”

Luna will not be able to vote on Election Day, but she has thrown her support behind Northam. Previously, Luna had applied to and accepted into an internship called “Let America Vote.” However, due to overwhelming school responsibilities, Luna decided to pass up on the opportunity.

“Campaigning takes a lot of dedication and would have cut too much into my school time,” Luna said. “If there are any other available chances to volunteer, I would take it in a heartbeat.”

Even if a student is not old enough to vote yet, they can still help out at their local voting centers or even at their local government centers. During previous elections, teenage volunteers have been given the responsibilities of helping voters check in and obtain information about which section they were assigned to for voting. Students can also volunteer now for their candidate’s local campaign offices.

“We also handed out ‘I Voted’ stickers to people as well as counting the number of parking spaces and just making sure everything was safe,” senior Ingrid Guardado-Cruz said.

Fall Play Annandale Theatre Company will be presenting their fall production of “She Skills Monsters: Young Adventures Edition” by Qui Nguyen from November 16 to November 18 in the auditorium.

Senior Angel Estrada prepares for a marching band competition in September.

He also had to submit a video of him playing a piece on his piccolo.

Although the U.S. Army did not ask for any specific audition piece, Estrada decided to play an excerpt from last year’s AHS marching band show including an orchestral excerpt.

“I was a bit nervous because I had to play these new excerpts for piccolo and they were difficult to play,” Estrada said. “But I was able to learn and get them down eventually.”

Estrada was honored in front of army representatives, classmates, school administration and local media outlets.

Initially, he was not fully confident in his ability to receive the recognition due to the other talented competition.

“The U.S. Army asked me to submit a recording of myself marching and playing and I was very confident with this portion because I was able to show

off my marching technique,” Estrada said.

The event itself has been around for 18 years.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been the nation’s most elite high school all-star event, for both marching band members and football players. It is the most watched high school sporting event.

Millions every year tune in and up crowds up to 40,000 people attend per year.

Estrada hopes to continue music after high school. He has planned much of his music career out already.

“I plan to study music in college and hopefully have a career in playing the flute professionally,” Estrada said. “I have a passion for music and I want it to stick with me for the rest of my life.”

I had one person come to the gate and tell me I’m ‘disrespectful,’ and ask my coaches if this is even allowed. We had a short conflict. But that person does have their right to show their opinion.”

Despite the opposition against sitting and kneeling during the anthem and pledge, the students involved in the protest still have strong feelings for America, and are protesting the discrimination they see prevalent.

“I’m sitting because I’m tired of racial

oppression. It’s become too diminishing and it’s embarrassing to our country because of our history. I will not tolerate disrespect of minorities and stay silent,” Joseph said. “I sit because if I stand, I feel like I’m being ignorant and supporting a flag that doesn’t support me and wants to see me fail. I sit because I can and because it’s my right. I sit to save the voices of those who’ve been silenced, and because I truly love America.”

Cross Country Regionals Both Varsity boys and girls’ cross country teams will be heading to Burke Lake Regional Park on Nov. 2 to race at the regional level.

The fundraiser comes back for another year

BY ASEAL SAED Co-Editor in Chief

CONT. PROTEST

Students like senior Cecelia Joseph have decided sit down during the pledge as a way to protest racial injustice in America.

Football Senior Night The senior varsity football players will be honored and celebrated on November 3 at 7:00 p.m. The Atoms will take on T.C Williams with a home game.

Golf Classic returns

Students protest national symbols that everyone who sits hates America, but that’s not why we sit,” Joseph said. “I sit because I know America can do better and that I feel like we need to bring awareness to the racial issues that we face.”

The professional athletes who have knelt have faced tremendous backlash by sitting down. Kaepernick, who was the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was unsigned in 2017, and now has focused his career on his organization, which works to fight oppression of all kinds through education and social activism. One of his major initiatives is his $1 million pledge, which he has split amongst several organizations that work with “oppressed communities.”

Joseph and other students who choose to sit during the pledge are protected by the county’s Students Rights and Responsibilities.

Under the Supreme Court case West Virginia State Board of Education v.

Barnette (1943), the Supreme Court upheld the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment, which protects students from being forced to salute the American flag during the Pledge of Allegiance.

The VHSL guidelines do not force students to stand as well. However, several private schools across the country have forced athletes to stand during the anthem.

Despite the legality of their dissent, students still deal with backlash.

“I’ve been told that my actions are ‘disgraceful’ and cheerleaders have been screamed at,” Valdivia said. “But personally, I don’t feel uncomfortable for kneeling. There was one time where

Cross Country Districts

Orchestra will be having their annual costume concert in the auditorium on October 26 at 7:00 p.m.

The concert is free for all to attend.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANGEL ESTRADA

BY BINQI CHEN Co-Editor in Chief

National Honor Society applications for new members are due on November 3. All applications must be submitted to Ms. Senior no later than 3:00 p.m.

Masquerade Concert

REBECCA KINDLING

Students volunteer for the governor’s race

Senior Angel Estrada was officially selected as a 2018 United States Army All-American on October 18. The award was presented to Estrada at AHS. Estrada, along with 125 of the most talented senior high school marching band members, will be playing during the halftime show at the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl presented by the American Family Insurance in San Antonio, Texas.

In order to be selected as an AllAmerican, a musician must be able to excel in both music and academics.

They also have to be “young people of character,” according to deputy assistant secretary of the Army for marketing, Mark S. Davis.

“While I was on vacation with my family, I received an email of acceptance into the USAAAMC in the middle of the night,” Estrada said. “I couldn’t have been more excited to know that I would have the opportunity to work with many other musicians from around the country that enjoy music as much as I do.”

The process of selection began in January of this year.

Estrada, who is also the piccolo section leader, was nominated by his band director and then had to record an introductory video explaining his personal accomplishments in music.

“The toughest part was getting my musical resume together because I didn’t do the best job at recording my activities and accomplishments over the years,” Estrada said. “But I managed to finally get everything I could remember onto paper.”

NHS Applications Due

Both Varsity boys and girls’ cross country teams will be heading to Burke Lake Regional Park on Thursday, October 26 to race at the district level.

Senior Angel Estrada was selected as a 2018 United States Army All-American marching band which is awarded to students who excel in both music and academics.

BY BINQI CHEN Co-Editor in Chief

Students prepare for election

Students will not have school Nov. 6 and 7. Teachers will be working on finalizing grades for report cards.

As the golf season closes, the PTSA and Athletic Boosters have brought back the Red and White Golf Classic which, in years past, was one of the highest grossing fundraisers for the PTSA. The Red and White Golf Classic will take place at Fort Belvoir on Friday, Oct. 27 and is open for anyone to sign up.

It is an opportunity for the Boosters ad Athletics club to come together and raise money for school and athletics program. The event happens one to two times a year.

The Red and White Golf Classic has been an AHS tradition for 19 years. Many families and alumni participate in the event for the tournament.

Several teachers are involved in the game where many of them are participants in teams to play.

“It is one of my favorite events of the year,” health and physical education teacher Derek Sweet said. “It acts as a fun activity for teachers to come together and relax.”

The Golf Classic consists of teams of four that play in a best ball, scramble format where teammates can help each other. Each golfer is given 18 holes of golf with a cart, have access to both the driving range and putting green, given a light breakfast, catered lunch and snacks.

Families and businesses can sponsor balls, towels, and holes for varying prices.

People can sponsor players ranging from $500 to $1000 during the event.

“I have partcipated in the fundraiser in the past, and it was a really fun experience,” senior Janlynn Ngo said.

“I am excited for the tournament this year.”

To join the classic, patrons must pay $125 per golfer.

All proceeds of the fundraiser will go towards benefiting student programs and scholarships.

6 ACADEMICS

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

The secret to getting good grades

BY JESSICA SALISBURY Academics Editor School can be very challenging at times. Students have to deal with a lot in order to stay on track with their work and keep up with their grades. From multiple quizzes and tests in one day to staying up all night completing assignments, it’s safe to say that school is not always easy.

Fortunately, Fairfax County has many grading policies that are designed to help students through their struggles.

Starting last year, the 80 percent retake policy was put into place with the intent to give students a second chance if they fail a test the first time they take it.

With this policy, if a student gets anything lower than an 80 percent on a test, they have the option to retake it. If they do choose to retake the material, the highest grade they can receive on their second try would be an 80 percent.

Since this policy was put into place last year, many students have found it to be very helpful.

“I think the policy is very beneficial, it gives students a baseline to strive for, knowing that they will be able to retake it even if they aren’t the best at that certain subject,” senior Sam Curtin said.

Before this policy was issued,

when students earned a bad score on a test, it affected their grade drastically and there was nothing that the student could have done to fix it.

“In some classes, tests can be worth 60 percent of your grade, so if you fail a test your overall grade can drop tremendously,” sophomore Daniel Flynn said.

This policy puts less stress on students and gives them a second chance at success. It also allows kids to be less anxious when taking a major test knowing that if they don’t do great on the first try they can always try again to do better.

“When I get a better score on the retake, it boosts my grade up,” junior Johnny Sandoval said. “If I were to keep my failing score instead of my retake score it would bring my grade down a lot and I would have to work a lot harder to bring my quarter grade up.”

Although the retake policy seems great on the surface, it also has a downside. With the policy in place students don’t always put in the effort and study to learn the material to help prepare for the first time they take the test.

Another policy that was put into place in Fairfax County that students might not be as aware of is the “no zero” policy.

This policy essentially tries to eliminate zeros from grades.

JESSICA SALISBURY

Teachers can be flexible with your grades with the no zero policy

Biology teacher Prarthana Purohit helps out freshman Tahreem Khan after school.

Students who make reasonable that grade up to a 50 percent. might be helpful for students who are struggling to underattempts to complete work should “I think that the no zero polistand the curriculum that be given a grade no lower than 50, cy can encourage students to work is being taught, but on the according to the policy. harder and I believe in positive other hand it might encour“I find the no zero policy to be feedback,” Math teacher Kathy age students to not try as hard very useful because if you do bad Nice said. because they know that they on an assignment you can at least The reason for this rule is will still receive at least half get some credit for trying,” Flynn because when a student gets a zero credit on the assignment,” said. added into the grade book it is very Curtin said.

With this administration, hard to come back from that. When The no zero policy can also teachers have the ability to raise an “F” grade is raised from a 0 perbe applied to quarterly grades. a student’s grade up to at least 50 cent to a 50 percent, it makes it a This is because if a student percent as long as the student put little easier for the student to dig gets a zero one quarter due to in effort into complete the assign- themselves out of the hole that a long term absence, it makes ment. For example, if a student they have created. it almost impossible form turns in a paper and receives a 20 “I think that there are pros and them to pass that class at the percent on it, the teacher can raise cons to this policy. On one hand it

end of the year.

Some students can end up missing weeks, or even months of school due to a serious illness or personal family problems. The “no zero” policy can help keep the students chances of passing the grade alive when they return to school.

Although this policy can be seen as very beneficial to all students, most teachers don’t use it.

“Maybe one or two of my teachers follow it,” Curtin said.

BY KAVI SHAMDIN Academics Editor Sleeping in and getting your work done on your own time seems like a dream, right? Well, this option is open for all high school students.

“Although some classes are only offered to upperclassmen, everyone is eligible to take some sort of online course,” counselor Mark Vitelli said.

FCPS wanted to start this program for students who had scheduling conflicts as well as health problems that may potentially throw students off in terms of making it to class every other day.

“As a student athlete, online courses are something I definitely wanted to take because it was always so difficult to get homework done the night of a game or meet,” senior Lennon Wuhrer said.

The subjects offered online include: career and technical education, English, general education, health or PE, world languages, mathematics, science and social studies.

Every student interested in taking an online course has the opportunity to take two classes, and if they’re interested in taking more than the seven standard high school courses they’ll be charged $680 ($340 for reduced lunch and $68 for free lunch status).

Despite the fact that everyone is eligible, there is a

technology checklist which you must meet the requirements of in order to make the process of taking an online class easier. The checklist requires your computer to have a specific software and hardware, basic skills you need to know how to do on your computer, how to use Blackboard and your school email, how to use your personal email, and lastly, knowing how to play and download video attachments.

Students meet with their instructor once a week and must have all assignments done by Sunday night. Although students aren’t meeting with their teachers two to three times a week, they are still expected to take a final or a SOL if required for the course they are taking.

“I enjoy how students only meet with the instructor once a week, but the fact that the assignments are so time consuming and difficult is extremely irritating,” junior Vitalina Fuentes said.

Classes range between starting at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., giving students an idea of how they should schedule their day.

“The online class is assigned to one of the periods in your schedule. While you can and have to do work at home, many students are in the library for their online class,” Vitelli said.

Students taking an online course are held responsible for finding ways to understand the material that appears unclear to them as well as getting work done on time since they won’t have a teacher reminding them every other day in school.

“I love that I can get weekly assignments done on my own time as long as I get them in on Sunday night,” junior Karam

BY JESSICA SALISBURY Academics Editor

How do you keep up with your academics and social life?

To keep up with my academics and my social life I write all the tasks I need to complete in my agenda. I also use my time during W4 and lunch very wisely to try and finish up any assignments that I have.

IB Spotlight: Profiles of Diploma Candidates

What is your favorite IB subject?

My favorite IB subject would have to be IB Film Studies, because I can spend hours editing and not be bothered or irritated considering I actually enjoy the art of filmmaking and I want the best outcome possible.

What are your plans after high school?

I plan on attending a four year college and studying industrial engineering or BIT and minoring in cyber security after high school.

Is your only focus academics?

No, my only focus isn’t academics. I am actually very focused on earning a scholarship for working 1000 hours at Green Springs Village and I also enjoy making my own films.

Who has helped you on your IB journey and how or why?

My mom, Linda Bradshaw, Niki Holmes and my friends have helped me on my IB journey. My mom has given me her fullest support and she’s always there to listen when I tell her about the assignments I have yet to complete so she understands my stress.

I wouldn’t have survived IB without my friends continously reminding me about upcoming quizzes or staying up with me so I don’t feel alone. Bradshaw supported me through my IB journey and is open to listening to my problems and Holmes is the EE coordinator so she guides me through the essay process.

Said said. “I just hate that no one is continuously reminding me of what my assignments are.”

Sleeping in and having a period is cool and all, but FCPS offers online courses that are different compared to what’s being taught in school. Courses that students have the option to take online that aren’t being taught here consist of AP Stat, Advanced Accounting, Korean and many more. Online classes are a great way to test your accountability and have a little more freedom regarding your education.

KARAM SAID junior “I like the fact that I get to sleep in ever y red day and how I get to get my assignments done on my own time, with a specific deadline in mind. I dislike the fact that I haven’t learned anything yet, considering we are near interim time.”

RUTH SEYOUM junior “I like how the class is self paced, everything is due by Sunday and I get to do my assignments when it’s most convenient for me.

What I don’t like is the fact that you are basically teaching yourself the material and it’s easy to forget the material.”

ALEJANDRO CASQUINO junior “I like having a free period during the day, because it allows me to do my work when I want. I dislike the fact that I’m responsible for remembering to get work done and the fact that I don’t have anyone reminding me to get assignemtns in.”

KAYLA HOLCOMB junior “I have enjoyed my online class so far. One thing that I really like about it is the fact that I can do my work on my own time. My work is all due at the end of the week so I get to take my time on it and I don’t have to stress about it very much.”

JONATHAN ASSEFA junior “I like that I am able to work on my own time and I get to cheat on my tests, but I dislike that taking an online class requires more discipline and I end up procrastinating and stressing to finish Sunday night.”

ZAIN GHUL junior “I like that all assignments are due on Sunday, so I don’t have to stress and worry about doing it if I have other assignments to do. I don’t like the fact that there is no face to face communication with the teacher.”

ALEX BELLUM junior “One thing that I like about taking a class online is the free period I have during the day. It’s really hard to understand what it is the teachers want and are looking for, because there is no one you can directly talk to one on one.”

LENNON WUHRER senior “As a student athlete online classes help me balance school work and time management, because I have a free period which allows me to get work done on time while being able to do it when I find time of my own.”

AMY HAN

How do you prepare for IB exams?

To prepare for IB exams, I usually zone out at the library, review all the information given and practice the problems that can possibly be given.

Junior Kayla Holcomb begins her online class in the comfort of her own bed.

What do you like and dislike about taking an online course?

Amy Han is more than just an explorer

What are your studying habits?

My study habits consist of Quizlet, study guides and rewriting. I make flashcards on quizlet, do the study guides that are given and write down information that I haven’t memorized over and over again.

JESSICA SALISBURY

FCPS helps students manage time with online classes

Senior Amy Han explores Georgetown on her free time.

What advice do you give to future IB candidates?

My advice to future IB candidates is to finish your EE draft during the summer and to do as much as you can when you’re in a motivated mood because you’ll thank yourself later when you’re feeling lazy.

What skills do you think the IB program has taught you that can help you later in life?

The IB Program has taught me how to think on interpretation and use the materials I learn to apply to situations. The program has also taught me how to knock out essays in my sleep.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years I hope to see myself finished with college, driving a Mini Cooper and engineering for a company with a campus office space and a view I won’t get tired of!

HEALTH 7

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Five organizations you can help out with in the

Fight against cancer October is breast cancer awareness month BREAST CANCER After the first Susan G. Komen walk in 1991, they distributed pink ribbons to patients and survivors and it stuck.

Cnacer is the second most common killer in the US, only behind heart disease. One out of every four deaths in the U.S. is due to some type of cancer. Each year, over 12 million people are diagnosed with a form of cancer; 15,000 of them are under the age of 19.

There are over 100 different types of cancers that affect people today. The most commonly diagnosed cancers are Breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma and lung cancer.

Most forms of cancer are yet to have a cure. Despite this, some have treatments that help defeat that form of cancer.

Treatments such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery have been proven to be most effective. These treatments are not guaranteed to work and are extremely invasive, grueling, and painful.

Research is extremely important in the fight to cure cancer. Research costs a lot of money and there are hundreds of organizations dedicated to raising money for cancer research.

Other fundraising organizations focus on raising money for the patients and their families. Some of these organizations are used to help people pay for the extremely expensive treatments that can cost between $10,000-$30,000 a month. Others are meant to make patients feel better by giving them things like wigs for those who lose hair in the battle, bringing in therapists for their mental help, or making sure kids have “a wish” come true.

1

LOCKS OF LOVE Locks of love is a non-profit organization that collects human hair and makes wigs for American and Canadian children that have undergone chemotherapy and have lost their own hair.

People send in their ponytails or braids of 10 inches of clean, healthy hair. Locks of Love creates hairpieces for children who suffer from long term or permanent hair loss. They sell the hair that will not work for their wigs and use the money to donate to cancer research. Locks of Love then makes wigs of different lengths, colors and styles for kids dealing with medical hair loss. Locks of Love aims to create at least 2,000 hair pieces each year.

“I was scared at first but I was really happy at the end of the day,” senior Melissa Wilson said. “I knew it would go to someone who deserved it.”

Donating hair is easy: grow it out, cut it and send it in to help kids who need it.

2

RELAY FOR LIFE Relay for life is a fundraising event that puts on over 5,000 events in 20 different countries each year. Relay for life helps the American Cancer Society fund groundbreaking research, crucial patient care programs, and education and prevention informations. Relay for life is a team event where team members take turns walking for anywhere between 6 and 24 hours. Some member of the team is asked to stay on the track at all times to signify that cancer never sleeps and cancer patients can’t take a break when they are tired. These

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MELISSA WILSON

BY RACHEL SHOGREN Health Editor

PEDIATRIC CANCER In 1990, The Childhood Cancer Organization chose gold because “our children are as precious as gold.”

Senior Melissa Wilson donated her hair to Locks of Love in November 2016. She cut off 10 inches to donate to the non-profit organization that help kids who have suffered long-term or permanant hair loss because of medical issues. Locks of Love makes over 2,000 hair pieces each year. events also have food, goods, games and other activities.Last year, Relay for life provided $406 million for research grants.

They also held over 1.2 million calls and chats offering support to patients and caregivers. Relay for life supplied over 456,000 nights of free lodging at Hope Lodge, a place that feels like home for cancer patients and their families when they need to travel for medical treatment. You can check the Relay for Life website for local events in our area.

3

MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION The Make a Wish foundation is a non-profit organization that arranges experiences known as “wishes” for kids with life threatening conditions.

Make a wish does anything from take a family to disneyland to introducing a child to their favorite singer.

The foundation runs off of volunteers. People who volunteer their time to help the kids, to help them think of a wish, to help them fulfil their wish.

Donations are what makes the foundation run. You can throw a bake sale or a car wash to raise money and then donate it to Make a Wish. Donations can be made on their website. Even $50 can help make a child with cancer’s wish come true.

4

SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE Susan G. Komen for the cure is the largest and best funded Breast Cancer organization in the US. They raise money to invest into research that is focussed on curing and preventing breast cancer.

Since the organization was founded in 1982, Breast Cancer

mortality has decreased 39 percent. The research that Susan G. Komen has funded has supported more than three million survivors of this common disease.

The organization raises money through walks and runs that they sponsor. They hold a series of 5k runs and fitness walks throughout almost every state in the US. They also reach out globally to help others affected with breast cancer.

Fundraising also comes through apparel sales and donations.

Check the Susan G. Komen for the cure website to find an event in your area.

MELANOMA (SKIN CANCER) Melanoma means “black tumor.” The black ribbon is for those batteling one of the most dangerous cancers.

5

LUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY (LLS) The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research. LLS is dedicated to funding research, finding cures, and accessing treatments for patients dealing with blood cancer. In 2015, The LLS supported more than 60,000 patients and provided over $40 million for blood cancer research.

The LLS works to provide care for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma.

The LLS survives mainly on donations. They do host several events with local teams such as Run-a-thons and swima- thons. They work with kids on local track and swim teams to raise money for each lap they run/swim. All the proceeds go to the blood cancer research.

Donate on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website.

LUNG CANCER The lung cacner ribbon is often clear or pearl colored as it is hard to find, just like the hard to detect lung cancer.

My mother’s battle with breast cancer

AYAH RABABEH

BY AYAH RABABEH Special to The A-blast

Alia Rababeh with her two kids, Moody and Ayah Rababeh. She passed away in August 2011 after battling breast cancer for four years.

Before I was born my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Once she had me, she overcame her diagnosis.

A couple years later- around mid 2008- I sat on the stairs of our house and listened to my mom talk to her doctor on the phone with nothing but pure devastation in her voice. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and was due for immediate surgery to remove the left side of her chest. She suffered through excruciating pain, underwent heavy chemotherapy, lost all of her hair, and was unbelievably weak.

One day I sat in my garage fixing my bike with my brother, and our parents pulled into the driveway. They were both smiling when they came out hoping we wouldn’t notice a side of our mother’s chest was missing, but we did. After that day it was like all my mom ever did was go to doctor’s appointments, and try to feed us cancer fighting foods, from plain garlic cloves, to green shakes for everyone in the morning.

I was about eight when my mom had to start her first set of chemotherapy, and eventually had to reside in the ICU unit of Inova hospital until they realized how severe her case was and transferred her to John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore.

She remained in the ICU until 2010 when the cancer had spread to her whole body. When it had become as severe as life and death, John Hopkins could no longer provide the amenities my mother needed.

They sent her to Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer center, a hospital in Manhattan, New York. They specialized in helping cancer patients with terminal cases. This is when my mother’s health went completely downhill.

When I looked at her, she looked so tired, and weak. They punctured a hole in her throat and inserted a breathing tube, all while they tore her body apart with the strongest type of chemotherapy they had available.

For my entire year of fifth grade, my family went back and forth from New York to Virginia, and vice versa. She was in a coma, and doctors said she didn’t have very long until she passed, so they sent her back to Inova in a helicopter to be closer to us during her last hours.

To communicate with her, we’d ask her yes or no questions, and she’d answer by raising an eyebrow, or lifting a finger.

When she arrived at Inova they put her back on life support, and we were given the option of removing her life support. Everyone tried convincing me that it was time to let go and let her rest but I was in denial and made the doctors leave her on life support.

She stayed there for another six months, until one night my dad and I went to visit her for the last time. Her hair was all gone, half her chest deflated, and her bones as brittle as glass. She opened up her eyes once very suddenly then shut them again, and my dad and I went home.

The next day we received the news that she passed away that morning.

Things to watch out for this Halloween Be on the look out for these four potentially dangerous things this halloween

BY JAMIE HAMADEH Staff Writer

Lice hidden in wigs

Weed infused candy

Wigs can carry lice for long peri-

This issue has only been

ods of time. Once you put it on,

accounted for in a couple states.

the lice transfer to your head

This candy is extremely unsafe

and could infest your hair. This

for children. It is easily accessi-

is so easy to get rid of. Sim-

ble and can definitely mistaken

ply put the wig in a bag for 48

for as another candy. Weed can

hours or more. This helps elim-

be infused into familiar candies

inate the lice from your wig and

you eat like Kit-Kat, Poptarts,

can save you from having a lice

Reese’s, and sour patch.

infestation on your head.

Halloween is just around the corner. Here are some things to watch out for during this year’s halloween that can be very serious.

Halloween can be very fun yet very dangerous at the same time.

This Halloween if you’re planning on wearing a wig as a part of your costume, watch out for head lice.

Marijuana infused candy has recently been touched upon in some states. Parents are

concerned that their kids could receive some of this candy.

Halloween is also the perfect time for parties and fun. Some adults could get out of hand while partying and drive under the influence of alcohol. Be sure to watch out for cars that are swerving or driving irradically.

Finally, eatting all of your candy in one night is extremely bad for you in more ways than one.

You’re never too old to trickor-treat or dress up so watch out for these four things that could harm you if you don’t pay close enough attention!

Drunk Drivers

Binge eatting candy

Halloween is a big party day for

Don’t binge eat everything in

both teenagers and adults. Over

one night. First of all eating at

6,000 people died in drunk driv-

night is already bad because

ing related accidents in 2015.

it turns into fat and you aren’t

You’ve probably been heard this

burning any calories while sleep-

since you were in elementary

ing. Also if you do eat candy at

school, but make sure to watch

night make sure to brush your

where you’re going while cross-

teeth in order to avoid cavities.

ing the streets.

Better yet, wait till the next day to eat your candy.

8 PHOTO

ALL PHOTO COURTESIES OF KATIE POPE

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Taking a bite out of the event, this little boy munches on some fluffy, sweet cotton candy; one of the many sugary treats they had to offer throughout the evening.

TOP: Sophomore Deby Cruz hands out nail filers to promote breast cancer awareness. “People don’t really see what Annandale is really made of so this event was a good way to see how our diverse community can come together and have fun,” Cruz said.

ABOVE: Sophomore Jacob Lee grabs some snacks with his parents as they sample and enjoy the variety of foods the booths have to offer.

A little TASTE of Annandale

This third annual, dog-friendly event took place on Oct. 14 on Tom Davis Drive to give people a little peak of all that Annandale has to offer and to show off the diverse cultures within the community.

The day started off with a 5k race at 10 a.m. and continued with local restaurant food stands ranging from Peruvian foods to Korean foods, food trucks, kid friendly activities, live entertainment including aerial dance, martial arts, Chinese zither music, and more.

Overall, the day was a huge success and gave hundreds of people great time.

Masterpiece in the making: students line up to get their faces painted with a variety of stencils and different colored paints. There were also tatoos available ranging from pumpkins to butterflies to positive words like LOVE.

Forgetting all her worries, a little girl joyfully dances around in circles in the middle of the parking lot for all to see and smile at.

Sophomore Misty Knight raises the bar high at the event by testing her balance and strength with the fitness company doing numerous exercises and obstacles.

Margaret Kindling, a member of the PTSA; hands out fresh farmergrown fruits and vegetables in order to raise money for the school.

Ester Ruiz and other students from AHS dress up as animals from the children’s television show, PAW Patrol. “I loved it, I couldn’t really hear or see so I had someone guide me. Hearing the excitement in the kids voices and feeling their hugs was the best part,” Ruiz.

Sophomores Christine Tieu and Aiya Ismael have a blast talking, laughing, and helping out with the booths. “Taste of Annandale was really a lot of fun. I liked how it was really easy to talk to people there,” Tieu said. “Also, I enjoyed getting free things like balloons from the bank and delicious foods from all over.”

The audience gets tied up in the performance as aerial dancers put on a stunning show using her aerial silk, balancing upside down with her toes pointed outward.

Senior Gabby White spreads joy by helping a little girl frost a cupcake. “My experience was that I had a lot of fun getting to help out the culinary department. I got to meet a lot of nice people and just overall had a great time. It was my first time going since I have lived here [I moved ten years ago]. I thought it was a great way to spend my Saturday helping out and spending time with all of my friends,” White said.

ARTS 9

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

ALL PICTURES BY GALILEA SEJAS

Low Brass section; Nick Russell, Noah Byrne, Henry Choi, Diana Villaroel, Cody Bugby and Zach Russell are playing the Annandale High School Fight Song during the Homecoming game.

Senior Marina Chen finishes her choreography as a color guard member.

The Pit players: Melissa Fuentes, Eva Gomez, Jackson Fornariz and Steve Phum perform at Homecoming.

Marching Band underappreciated

BY GALILEA SEJAS Arts Editor The sound of a buzzer goes off as another seven points are added to the scoreboard, “The Atoms with another touchdown” from an infamous player on the team. Immediately, the Marching Atoms are playing the well-known fight song to increase the level of hype on the field and in the bleachers.

For every single game, the Marching Atoms are known to be the ones performing and filling the stadium with euphonious sounds that increase the level of hype in the stands and in our hearts. Each marching band member has a specific role that works together to make one voice, one sound, one being.

This marching band is well known in here, but doesn’t necessarily get the credit that it deserves. Marching Band practices occur from Tuesdays to Thursdays, roughly 3:30 p.m until 6 p.m, maybe even later for those marching band students who want to make sure that they get their part

fully memorized and flowing smoothly. These practices are about the same length as all other sports, but somehow marching band is not held to the same candle as the other sports, such as football “We practice about 9 hours a week and we work on our halftime and pregame show mostly” said Marching Band director Joseph Witkowski. Band members spend a great deal of time mastering their music and choreography.

To most people, it may seem like marching band only practices a couple times a week, yet it takes a lot of practice to pull off the spectacular shows at the football games.

Many students may be found at the band concessions, buying food or talking amongst their peers instead of listening and watching the well-thought out choreography performed from the Marching Band.

This year, they decided to do the song, “A Kiss by a Rose” by Seal, which proved to be a popular throw-back song to some that were singing in the stands as they saw the students marching.

“I think that people believe that it’s less strenuous than other activities and much the competitions are much less popular,” senior Everett Butler said.

“Marching Band does not seem hard, but it’s different for those people actually in the band.”

--TRISTAN DOCK

senior The marching band comes and performs their song for the whole audience and hear and sing along to. The drum majors are conducting the band and ensuring that each person follows their music and marches in the correct place.

They mainly practice in the stadium or in the football field parking lot.

The stadium area is reserved for different activities such as football and field

hockey practices, so the band director has a schedule for when they are able to practice on the big field.

On average, they begin their practices with drills or warm ups, such as running two laps around the football field.

Each marching student needs to have enough endurance to be able to play their instrument and march around the field in a timely manner while staying on track with the music.

Their practices run similarly to other sports’ practices. There’s a warm up, drills and practicing of their music.

Practicing an instrument takes a lot of effort because of the fact that the majority of their performances are all from memory. They must memorize their music and their choreography. If one person is off of their “dot” or place, it may mess up the whole performance.

Marching Band and Color Guard are co-curricular activities that are taken for granted a majority of the time. Without their efforts, fans would have no music playing while they are cheering for the football team.

Marching Band, along with the nicely choreographed Color Guard,

performances play an important role in the high school football game experience.

They are the ones who are on the stands playing wholeheartedly along with the football players on the field.

Both Marching Band and Color Guard should be held at an equal level as football, or at least should be appreciated equally.

Students are not truly appreciative of their efforts during their performances since they may not realize how much work is put into this activity.

“If you’ve never experienced something, you can never appreciate how hard it may actually be,” senior drum major Tristan Dock said.

Any activity that requires physical activity and the ability to perform in front of a large crowd should always be commended and never judged. Marching Band is anything but easy.

They dedicate hours upon hours in order to perform their infamous songs and melodies that inspire the crowds to continue cheering on and the football players continue to fight on.

Artist Spotlight: Junior Alex Ohene-Okae

What do you normally draw?

I try and draw everything, I do a lot of portraits.

I mainly do this in my free time, but I have a lot of friends that are also into art, so we sometimes play art games such as pictionary.

When have you started to draw?

I started to really focus on my art in 9th grade.

Originally, art for me was a way to cope with depression, after a while I just fell in love with the way drawing made me feel and it made me want to explore the field as a whole.

What type of artist are you?

I think I’d rather call myself experimental, I really have my foundation as strong as I want it yet.

Why do you like art?

I like art because it connects me to the world and those around me, and offers me new perspectives.

I feel like art shows a side of people that can’t be revealed by words or actions, it shows how you interpret the world and potentially something couldn’t have thought of myself.

10 IN-DEPTH

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

IN-DEPTH 11

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

THE

BLUNT ARTWORK CREATED BY KIMBERLY VAIDES AND CASEY NGUYEN.

TRUTH A deeper view on marijuana usage and its effects on the body, school work and lives of students

Should marijuana be legalized?

How did we end up in a society of such inequality? We live in a society where the two most damaging drugs, alcohol and tobacco, are legal. Whereas marijuana is still not accepted today, despite not having a single death ever recorded.

Facts about marijuana are constantly exaggerated, stating that its main components will surely lead to negative health and possibly death. One may think if there is a large amount of THC from marijuana in the body system, it will cause immediate death. However, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, it is reported that there have been no deaths recorded regarding marijuana overdose. Thus, concluding that marijuana use does not directly cause death.

On the other hand, in 2010, 38,329 people died from drug overdoses. Sixty percent of those were related to prescription drugs. In that same year, 25,692 people died from alcohol-related causes, including deaths caused by driving under the influence.

There are over half a million deaths annually from both alcohol and tobacco substances. They also lead to countless illnesses and injuries that affect society in health-care costs, lost productivity and law-enforcement expenses.

If alcohol and cigarettes are legalized, then there should not be a reason why marijuana should not also be accepted. Unlike cigarettes, it does not lead to or cause lung cancer.

In addition to this, marijuana prohibition hurts the youth and the minorities. It has been a prime factor in fueling racism, where African-Americans are four times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana violations.

This contributes to the cycle of distrust between minority communities and the police. Legalization won’t fix bad racist cops, but it will provide them far less opportunity to act on their racism.

In regard to children, nothing’s ever going to stop a determined kid from finding a joint. Just like how kids today aren’t completely stopped from accessing alcohol and tobacco. But with those drugs, somewhere along the line, a corrupt adult had to be involved. Now, kids sell weed to other kids. If legalized, far fewer minors would be using marijuana.

Legalized marijuana also replaces toxic and

Should marijuana be legalized?

YES

SALMA NAGILA freshman “I think marijuana should be legalized because it is a way to relax.

CORNEIL CARTER freshman “I think marijuana should be legalized because it helps people calm down.”

BY KIMBERLY VAIDES In-Depth Editor It could be argued that the legalization of marijuana would increase the number of people who use it, whether it be for medical or other uses. According to CNBC, marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States.

There are many reasons teenagers and other individuals use marijuana. These reasons could vary from luxury to relief of stress. Reasons could also be because of the easy access to the drug.

The euphoric sensation may act as a form of persuasion to use the drug, however, the damaging side effects of this temporary relaxation are needed to be considered. Using marijuana as a luxury has many long and short term negative effects, both physically and socially.

The most notable side effects of the drug are its impact on the human body.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), short term health effects of marijuana are drowsiness, change in mood, slow reaction time, memory problems, panic attacks, hallucinations and bad coordination. If used at a young age during adolescence, usage of marijuana could decrease one’s IQ score and impact brain development.

Being a user could also negatively affect one’s social life and their relationships with others. It could draw judgment from close acquaintances and even strangers. Close friends and family members would feel a sense of disappointment and distrust, therefore distancing themselves from the user.

Repeatedly smoking marijuana could also create long-term problems, such as addiction.

TIYA AYELE junior “If we legalize it for scientific purposes, I think it would be positive for our community.”

SHAE RIGO junior “I think marijuana should be legalized because it has a lot health benefits.”

BENJAMIN LEE senior “Yes, because it stops drug dealers from profiting.”

NO

Being addicted brings financial difficulties due to the continue purchase of the drug.

Aside from the effects marijuana has on users, it also impacts those around you. The immediate effect of intaking marijuana is the alternation of coordination, reaction time and alertness. Driving under the influence of the drug will hurt others in the car and on the road. According to NIH, 36.9 percent of drivers who were under the influence of drugs had used marijuana.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, from 2006 to 2010, the number of registered medical marijuana users increased, as well as the number of drivers that tested positive for marijuana doubled.

Colorado is a state that has legalized marijuana.

The only positive outcome from using marijuana are it’s medical purposes. This is the main point argued in favor of legalizing the drug.

According to NIH, the U.S Food and Drug Administration has not approved marijuana as an effective medicine, due to lack of large scale research. There are only two known pills that contain chemicals from marijuana approved by the FDA. There are states that have already legalized marijuana, such as Montana, and other that have legalized it for both recreational and medical purposes. According to a Melanie Wall study that compared data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, states that have legalized medical marijuana have seen a high rates of marijuana usage between the ages of 12-17 increase compared to other states.

Even without the legalization of marijuana, many people acquire and use it. It could be argued that even with the drug being illegal, it doesn’t stop others from using it. Having it legalized would encourage others to use it, for medical reasons or not. There will be and are a large number of youths and other age groups that intake the drug that aren’t for medical purposes. Legalizing it would increase the number of those addicted and threaten the common welfare of the nation and also the user’s health. Marijuana should remain illegal to decrease the encouragement and access for the drug, it would create

HOLLY RAMIA senior “I feel like medically yes, but recreational, there should be limits.

There should be limits on how much is sold recreational.”

PALWASHA SHAIKH senior “Yes, marijuana should be legal because I think people should be able to do what they want to do.”

FCPS U.S.

11.3% 14.4%

2.1% 6.5% 10.5%

Percent who used marijuana in past 30 days

16.6%

VALERIA ARNAO senior “Yes, if it’s for medical reasons or you actually need it because you’re not going to do well without it. If you’re going to use it to get high and end up hurting someone then no.”

Source: FCPS Youth Survey 2014

No

Student shares story of his personal experience with drugs

BY ANONYMOUS Special to The A-Blast The world and culture we live in today have become increasingly casual towards the idea of marijuana. It is becoming mainstream in music, literature and the daily activities of everyday life. The constant appearance of marijuana makes it appear as something “cool” and necessary in order to fit in.

That was exactly what I wanted. I just wanted to be accepted and gain popularity. I felt like by using marijuana, it would be the easiest way to achieve my goals. At the time, I was always ignored and seen as a sort of outcast.

Because of this mind-set, in the eighth grade I thought it would be a good idea to smoke marijuana on school grounds. I just wanted the experience and to see for myself what all the hype was about.

Someone I knew obtained it for me and then he gave it to me at school. On that same day, several other individuals, as well as myself, went to the gymnasium and smoked.

After smoking a decent amount, I began to feel extremely and increasingly socially awkward. At least more than usual. I somehow had forgotten all of my social skills and lost my confidence. I have been very self-conscious for as long as I can remember now, but these feelings were intensified to the point where I just wanted to go home alone.

I started to feel paranoid and had maximized obsessive thoughts. It was almost unbearable.

I was extremely aware of my surroundings, constantly thinking that we would get caught. And that was exactly what happened. Later on in the day, I was called down to the office. Apparently, one of the individuals that smoked with me thought it would funny to post a video on Snapchat. The word must have got out about what was happening

because then the principal found out.

They contacted my parents of course, and banned me from school grounds for the rest of the school year. I was also banned from school activities such as the Sping formal dance at the end of the school year. I was extremely upset. It was my last chance to spend quality time with my friends before we all separated for the summer and attended different high schools.

Because of this, I emailed the principal apologizing and admitting to my wrong doings. I showcased my deep regret, reflecting on my actions and told her expressively that I would never do such an act again.

In the end, I realized that it was not worth it at all. You might think it is cool because many others do it. However, just because others do it does not mean you should. You do not have to stoop down to their level.

You might not realize it, you might not be able to see it, but the drug is negatively affecting your body and your mind.

Doing drugs is not only going to hurt you in the long run, but it will also hurt others around you. I experienced firsthand that friends, respect and most importantly, trust will be lost. Some of my closest friendships were ruined as a result of this crime I committed, it was the most saddening and isolating period of my life. No one wanted to be around me because they thought I was a “pot head.”

People that are using marijuana think that it is not a big deal. But I would never wish upon the struggles that resulted from this one mistake to ever happen to anyone else. Even to this day, I have never fully regained my parent’s trust.

Marijuana may seem innocent in the eyes of teenagers today, it may be legal in some states, but that does not mean it is safe. Not only does it harm the physical, but it also harmed my emotional and mental state.

Some would say that I got off “easy, but it made me realize the negative impact of my actions.

I will never do it again because all I feel now is shame and regret.

Resources for Addictions • Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) www.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb • Entry & Referral 703-383-8500 located at the Merrifield Center | TTY 711 • 24-Hour Emergency Services 703-573-5679 located at the Merrifield Center | TTY 711

• Intervention & Prevention Services 571-423-4020 • Student Safety & Wellness 571-423-4270 • Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Helpline http://www.drugfree.org/get-help/helpline 855-378-4373

25% Yes

of Fairfax County youths have used any alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs in the past 30 days.

90% No 10% Yes

students reported using marijuana

Out of of 12th-graders report current use of marijuana

Source: FCPS Youth Survey 2016 https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/demogrph/pdf/youthsurveyfacts_drug_use.pdf

Marijuana myths debunked ebunked Adolescents have difficulty telling fact from fiction. Here are some of the most common myths teens believe

BY KHADIJA AHMED AND ELIAS MOURA Staff Writers Despite it being illegal in most states, it seems like more and more people are “blasting the joint”.

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, refers to the dried leaves, flowers and stems found in the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. The drug contains a mind-altering chemical of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the euphoric feeling associated with the “high” received from the drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. It is typically smoked in the form of a joint, which is a hand-rolled cigarette, or a bong, but can also be mixed with food and eaten.

According to a National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, some adolescents are already abusing the drug at ages 12 or 13. This may indicate that some begin earlier. This early abuse can continue to adulthood. However, gender, race, and geographic location may play a role in how and when children begin abusing this drug.

Numbers continue to rise in early drug abuse, negatively affecting the lives of thousands in the United States.

Weed, pot, dope, and Mary Jane are just a few of many street names for marijuana, the gateway drug that affects many.

MYTH: Drugs relieve stress.

MYTH: Marijuana is not as bad as cigarettes.

Fact: Teenagers who use weed daily actually have increased rates of depression, anxiety, and psychosis (losing connection with reality by seeing and/or hearing things that don’t exist).

Smoking weed can worsen your problems instead of solving them by triggering the onset of schizophrenia and other psychoses in those already at risk of developing it. Cannabis Information and Support says that without access to sophisticated lab equipment, there is no way to measure how much THC (the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for a euphoric high) or CBD (non psychoactive chemical compound in cannabis that accounts for 40% of the plant’s extract) is in each dose of cannabis smoked. THC stimulates areas of the brain responsible for feelings of fear which of course, is counterproductive in trying to relieve stress.

Fact: This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, Daily Mail reports that marijuana smoke has more cancer causing chemicals than tobacco. Additionally, LiveScience reports that long term cannabis smoke is related to an increased risk of periodontal disease, possibly due to the irritating effects of hot smoke on the gums. Cannabis smoke can also cause damage to large airways due to hot, burning plant matter being inhaled according to LiveScience. Bronchitis symptoms may be caused by regularly inhaling cannabis smoke as well. A 2016 rodent study revealed that one minute of exposure to second hand cannabis smoke caused harm to blood vessels which means a similar effect to humans since they have similar blood vessels to rodents.

MYTH: You can’t get addicted.

Fact: Although many medications are perfectly safe if prescribed dosages are heeded, prolonged use can be dangerously addictive and even fatal. In fact, Business Insider reports that prescription pain relievers like Vicodin and OxyContin have caused more deaths by overdose than heroin and cocaine combined. Prescription opioid abuse has become a national epidemic in recent years. To illustrate, the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has more than quadrupled since 1999. This has proven to be a serious global problem that affects the health, social, and economic welfare of all societies. Additionally in states where medicinal marijuana is legalized, it is possible to grow addicted to it even under medical guidance.

MYTH: It is safe to drive after using cannabis

• Fairfax County Public Schools http://bit.ly/FCPSspecialsvcs

21.6% 21.1%

75%

Fact: According to Casa Palmera treatment center, marijuana significantly impairs judgement, motor coordination and reaction time. As a result, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that marijuana is the most frequently found drug in the blood system of drivers who were involved in vehicle crashes. Although there are clear negative effects on a number of skills needed for safe driving, there is a state level but no national legal limit for marijuana impairment while operating a vehicle. If you intend to drive, the safest option is to never have any drugs in your system at all, ensuring the safety yourself and others around you.

MYTH: Natural drugs are safer than synthetic ones Fact: Natural highs, such as marijuana and mushrooms, alter brain chemistry and are associated with dangerous side effects. They can interfere with thinking, memory and lower one’s IQ. Moreover, mushrooms contain psilocybin which causes hallucinogenic effects that can entail changes to a person’s perception of color, sound, and light. The ramification of a natural drug is just as severe as that of a synthetic drug. Hence, a drug being natural does not translate to it being safer.

MYTH: Addicts are bad, crazy, or stupid

PHOTO TAKEN BY GRACE HOGYE

BY CASEY NGUYEN In-Depth Editor

addictive pharmaceuticals. Marijuana cures and prevents Alzheimer and Glaucoma, helps relieve stress, anxiety, depression, slows down tumor growth, and helps relieve pain for chemo/radiation therapy patients as well.

Medical marijuana is important to a lot of people. It has been proved to be extremely successful in relieving nausea. It helps relax muscle tension, spasms and chronic pain.

In a 2010 study reported by the Economist, a team of drug experts in the U.K. assessed the harm of drugs and alcohol. They found that using marijuana was less harmful compared to the harm posed by alcohol or tobacco use.

The negative stigma of pot use has certainly made it seem like it’s worse, and since using the drug is still illegal, the fact that only people who are willing to break the law will smoke has inevi tably made it associated with a “pothead” culture.

Making the drug legal does not invent marijuana; it just recognizes that it is a popular commodity that should be taxed and regulated like all other commodities.

The market for marijuana is never going to go away; we can only determine who controls most of it—tax paying, job-creating, law-abiding businesses, or murderous, police corrupting, criminal cartels.

It is unconstitutional to ban marijuana.

According to the first amendment in the U.S. Constitution, everyone has the right to the pursuit of happiness. The United States government is taking away the pursuit of happiness for Americans by preventing the happiness of those who retain emotions of joy and fulfillment from using marijuana.

Why I am never smoking marijuana again

Fact: Although someone may have chosen to use a substance initially, they did not choose to experience the addiction that follows. Addicts are victims and their potential for addiction has been affected by genetics, environmental factors, developmental factors (family upbringing and past trauma) and psychological and personality factors. Drug addiction is a serious illness and like any illness, addicts need to undergo a treatment to get better. Receiving blame may only result in addicts seeing a justification for further substance abuse, and accepting a multitude of negative emotions that prevent them from thinking clearly. Blame will never benefit anybody so it’s more important to support one another in the aspiration of putting an end to substance abuse.

12 INTERNATIONAL

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Organizations internationally-minded what the religion is all about,” Layaly said.

Students in the club last year did an Iftaar party. Iftaar is when you break your fast after the sun has gone down.

You bring a dish to share with the other members in the club and everyone participates to make it fun. “It’s typically like a potluck and we waited until the

BY TIANA REAMS sun went down and then we start eatInternational Editor ing,” Layaly said.

Usually during Iftaar people pray.

There are many clubs and societies In the club it is not mandatory for memthat we offer here at Annandale. Some bers to pray since most of them are not clubs and socities that we have explain muslim. But if students want to pray, cultures from around the world and to they have a moment set aside to do so. teach you new languages.

Meet with the Muslim Students’ Some of the clubsa are the Latin Association on Oct. 25th after school. “It Honor Society sponsored by Normalee is a blast, students love it,” Layaly said.

Ash, the Spanish Honor Society sponLearning about Islamic culture is sored by Maureen Hunt, the Just World not the only clubs here. There is a SpanInteract club sponsored by Laura Wells, ish Honor Society that will be starting and the Muslim Students’ Association soon. also known as MSA, sponsored by the In the Spanish Honor Society, about Arabic teacher, Ola Layaly.

20 students are in the club. They have These clubs are open to anyone who not started the actual society yet The wants to join. In MSA, you do not have interest meeting will be during this to be Muslim to be in the club. week.

The members participated/perThey have already started acceptformed in the tailgate this year and pre- ing applications. You have to send in formed henna on students for $3. “It is an application and are hand-picked by not really religious, it is more of a cultur- Hunt herself. al thing.” Layaly said.

“The purpose of the club is to proAbout 20 students are in the Muslim mote Hispanic culture and the SpanStudents’ Association. The meetings are ish language,” Hunt said. “In the society typically every other Wednesday in the we usually do cultural presentations, upstairs gym. talk about community events, and make “We are not really strict about people plans for tutoring of other students.” coming to the meetings,” Layaly said.

There is community service for the In the MSA, students discuss first tutoring and it is a lot of work. Typically the community service hours are done outside of the club.

“We have many people But in the actual meetings, stuwho are not Muslim join dents that participate in the clubs have lots of fun. because they want to There is also the Just World Interknow what the religion is act club offered at the school sponsored by Laura Wells. A range of 30-50 all about. ” people tend to join the club. It is more --OLA LAYALY to learn about the world and what is Arabic teacher/ MSA sponspor going on in it.

There is a lot of projects to help people around the world. “We are currently collecting books for Swaziland, so we will be donating books and then they are open to ask any ques- to a school with disabilities in Swazitions. They answer questions and share land, Africa,” Wells said. It is great to be ideas. involved in clubs that help kids and stuMostly students who are not Muslim dents around the world. join because they want to know more They do things in the club to try and about it. help others during the life. Not only to “We have many people who are not just donate. People who have been punMuslim join because they want to know ished for something that they should not

See what the clubs and societies have to offer

What clubs or societies do you think are beneficial to your life?

NADIYA KHALIF freshman “Clubs are beneficial for us because it helps us communicate with other people and we work in groups. We also get to do activites that involve teamwork and it gives us time to do our homework.”

FERNANDO GOMEZ freshman “The math club is beneficial because I am a big fan of math and it would be interesting. I think it would help my math skills more. And the chess club because I learned it in 6th grade and I would want to improve my skills more.”

Members of the Just World Interact club pose for a picture after their annual festival.

Seniors Ayah Rebeah (middle) and Fatima Nour (right) encourage other senior, John Lopez to come and join the Muslim Students’ Association also known as MSA. be punished for.

In other countries people have been imprisoned for protesting or doing things peacefully or silently.

“We will be doing ‘Write for Rights’ which is a project of Amnesty International where we write letters to support people who have been wrongfully imprisoned in various countries,” Wells said.

Another big part of the club is, they hold a festival in the spring time. “We’ve been doing the Just World festival now, I think for at least 5-8 years, maybe

ANOOSH TAUQIR sophomore “I think the most beneficial part of clubs is how it looks on your college application. Clubs such as the Green Atoms which changes the environment for the better and gets you more involved, educated, and aware of what’s going on in the world.”

HUNTER WESTFALL sophomore “I think the Humanist Rights club is good and beneficial for everyone because it’s good for college applications and it’s good for people to be involved more.”

more,” Wells said.

There’s a lot of beneficial learning experiences at this fair for students.

“We invite lots of different international service organizations, to come in and present and we have different culural groups present. It’s a good time,” Wells said. Students who might still be interested in joining the club can still join.

“All grades are welcome to come, they can just show up at our next meeting, which is Tuesday, Nov. 14th at Clausen Hall after school,” Wells said.

The club meets once a month and any

ANDREA RIVAS junior “[Clubs and societies are beneficial] because it takes time out of your day to talk to people and communicate. And it helps build new leadership skills and I feel that could be beneficial to your future which makes me interested in joining clubs.”

AYMAN ELHAG junior “The clubs and societies are very beneficial in this school such as honor societies because they look really good when applying to colleges and the standards to enter them are really high so it’s good when you get in.”

student is always welcome to particpate in the service projects. If you just want to come for ‘Write for rights’ you can sign up on X2VOL and come and if you decide you want to join then you can join the club.

This club has been at Annandale High School for awhile. “We are actually sponsored by the Annandale Rotary, which is a club for adults in the community,” Wells said. Contact any of the teachers if you are interested in joining these clubs today.

CINDY NGUYEN senior “I think Key Club [is beneficial] because it deals with real life problems such as volunterring and community work.

EYOB MENGISTU senior “I am in BCAA and it’s going to be benficial because I can put it on my college application and I can meet new people, make new friends, and practice leadership positions.”

Immigrant Stories: Coming to America Senior Emely Castillo compares her home country to the United States

BY EMELY CASTILLO Special to The A-Blast My name is Emely Castillo- Severino and I am a senior here at Annandale.

I am from the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. I was born there and lived there for most of my life. I also went to school there until I was 10 years old.

At the age of 10, I came to the United States. My mom told me she wanted me to have a better future and education.

As soon as I got here to America, I started to cry because I missed my dad and all of my friends. Since I missed them, my mom let me go back to the Dominican Republic to visit.

After that, I have not been back since. When I arrived, I saw how different everything was from my country.

Things such as the public buses, the cars, the streets, the schools, the food, the culture and even the people.

I did not know any English when I got here. I took an English class at the school when I was in the Dominican Republic but it did not do me any good The schools over there are very different compared to schools here. For example, public schools in the U.S are very nice and they do not have to have a class range.

Public schools in my country were for those who were not financially stable and could not afford to send their kids to

a school with decent academics.

I went to private school called Colegio Palma Real located in the capital.

The schools all ended around 12 p.m, you had the choice to pick whether you wanted morning and afternoon classes.

I personally chose the morning classes.

The schools in the United States, everyone went to school at the same time and everyone went home at the same time.

Also, everything was walking distance. I could easily walk to the grocery store, the clothing stores, and different kinds of restaurants.

In the United States, if you wanted to go almost anywhere, you have to take a car or bus. Not a lot of places are in walking distance.

My country is well known for baseball and the nice beaches. In the streets, you would see a ton of children playing baseball.

And the beaches would always be crowded with a lot of people. Since we had nice beaches and a beautiful country, tourists would always be around, I would see them everywhere.

When I arrived to the United States, I attended Braddock Elementary school for 5th grade and I started to learn English.

My teacher said that I was a fast learner at learning another language because it is usually harder for other people to learn English at my age.

Therefore, by the time I was in 6th grade, I already learned a lot of English

and could have fluent conversations with other people.

After 5th grade, I went to straight to middle school. It was a hard transition because middle school is different from elementary school. I attended Poe Middle school.

Everyone already had their select groups of friends, and I did not know that many people. but eventually that is where I met some really good friends that I still have today.

I started playing soccer in 7th grade.

I joined the ABGC club and it changed a lot of things for me. That is when I noticed I had a passion for soccer.

I had not played before but one of my friends really encouraged to play. She said that it would give me a good opportunity to step out of my comfort zone.

At first I was really hesistant to join but I am glad I did.

It helped me developed not only leadership skills but also social skills. I started to talk to people more and met more people by traveling to different places for soccer touranments.

All these things have helped me today. Now in high school, I would say I am a very social person. I also play on the varsity soccer team for the school.

I still miss everyone in the Dominican Republic since I have not been there in almost eight years, but now, being Senior Lennon Wurher (left) poses with senior Emely Castillo Severino (right) at Green 18 years old, I love all the friends that Springs in Alexandria before the 2017 Homecoming dance.

I have made. I am thankful for everything that I have experienced, including the good things and the bad things

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Y

appin' time with abi

Halloween!

Advice column

Vitalina Fuentes, 11 "I went to a thrift shop in the area to find my outfit. I purchased scrubs from a thrift store, and I got the lab coat from my brother."

Hubert Palacios, 11 "For Halloween, I decided to create my own character. I named him Quest Dude.

I used pieces of clothing from what I already had at home."

PHOTO CREDIT: BETEL EYOB

PHOTO CREDIT: HUBERT PLACAIOS

Laura Gabriela Alacron, 10 "I dressed up as the Avatar character from the movie and I had my makeup done.

It took at least 40-50 minutes but it was worth it."

PHOTO CREDIT: ZAIN GHUL

Zain Ghul, 11 Jasmine Gosalvez, alumna "I bought the costume online because I thought it would be really funny to wear and I love the Teletubbies!"

Dear Yabi, Lately, I've been drowning in excessive school work and starting to think about college. I need to start studying for SATs on top of my IB classwork and I feel like there isn't enough time for anything. I'm stuck on trying to figure out what to do and I feel like no one really understands how much of a toll this is taking on me. How do I overcome all of this?

PHOTO CREDIT: VITALINA FUENTES

PHOTO CREDIT: LAURA GABRIELA

PHOTO CREDIT: REBECA ZABELLOS

Students dress in costumes to get into the spirit

Rebeca Zeballos, 9 "I was dressed up as a girl from the Day of the Dead, which is a holiday after Halloween. I got my costume and accessories from Party City."

LIFESTYLES 13

Betel Eyob, 12 Lily Le, 10 "We couldn't figure out a last minute Halloween costume outift idea, so we figured the easiest thing to do was to dress as each other."

Dear friend in need, I think we should settle one main thing: everyone in high school essentially goes through the same thing, the same struggles. We all need a helping hand from time to time and you are not alone. You probably don't want to hear this, but if you feel like you have too much on your plate, the best thing to do for yourself is to drop at least one of your IB classes.

There is no point in trying to tear yourself down for one class (or many) and potentially do bad, than take the regular class and most likely get a better grade.

Another option: talk to your counselor. Counselors the people who are most knowledgeable on how to succeed in high school and you want to make sure that in the long run, dropping a class does not interfere with important things like acceptance into a college and such.

It's good to try and find a balance between all the things you do, and as much as you may not want to hear this: take a break. Whether it's only for five minutes or more, take a breather every now and then; it will make you feel much better. I most definitely have been in the same boat as you, and it is not fun. Sophomore year I made the choice to take IB Chemistry thinking I would be able to handle it- I couldn't.

My days consisted of a lot of stress and unhappiness and it wasn't worth my time. If you see signs of yourself hurting, feeling beyond stressed and just can't do it anymore, do yourself a favor and drop out of the class. Sometimes, getting the extra grade boost isn't worth the time.

When it comes to the SATs, I don't have much experience in preparing for it or knowing what it would be like. But learning time management and reaching out to people who are trained in these areas will solve your problems. Something which I have looked into is using Khan Academy. They have an entire section dedicated to just studying and succeeding on the SATs and they have practice SATs for you to take.

Best of all: it's free! Most SAT classes can cost up to more than $400, which is expensive. Seeing a counselor or going to the Career Center is also something which you should definitely look into.

I've always had an issue with asking for help because I thought I could figure everything out for myself, but it hurt me in the end.

Ask for help when you need it and try to keep a positive attitude towards school and life, the rest should be a breeze.

Fab finds for Halloween costumes Spirit Halloween

Salvation Army Despite being a thrift type store, there are many different types of clothing pieces which you can purchase from the store to mix and match your costume. If you feel like your costume is incomplete or missing something, this is where you should go to find those last minute pieces.

the A-Blast is having their annual Halloween costume contest on Oct. 31, and people dressed in the best costume can win a free dinner for two or a free yearbook. Spirit Halloween is a good place to go in search of a costume since it is solely Halloween based. You would find whatever costume necessities you'd need, including costumes from shows

Five Below

like Stranger Things, Bobs Burgers and more.

If you're in need of a costume but don't want to spend big bucks, Five Below is the place to go. This store has now expanded to more locations in the area, so finding a store should be easy. There are costumes ranging from masks to full on outfits, and the many clothing pieces they sell are trendy and are sure to make an impression on friends and family.

Party City Whether you're in search for full on costumes or just an accessory, Party City is the place to go for your Halloween needs such as wigs, hats and makeup. On top of having costumes, they also have Halloween themed deocrations to throw a party.

Target

Marshalls

Out of all the other stores mentioned, this one probably has the most variety in costumes, supplies, and other needs.

Because Target is such a large store, you should be able to find all your Halloween needs like Halloween themed napkins, cups, candy and more.

Although Marshalls isn't a really a Halloween based store, they always know how to stock up well for the season with the right things, including a wide variety of costumes. On top of having costumes, they also have Halloween themed decor for a well rounded Halloween night.

Fashion Spotlight:

Sadaf Marzi wears a floral sweater, boyfriend jeans and brown ankle boots.

A: Fall for sure because there are more options.

You can also layer and the color schemes and it's just nice and cozy.

Q: Where do you like to shop?

A: I like to shop at ASOS for my jeans and Brandy Melville and Forever 21 for my tops.

Q: How long does it take you to get ready?

A: On average, it takes me about thirty minutes to get ready and dressed.

Q: What are your favorite clothing pieces?

A: My favorite clothing pieces are my mom jeans from ASOS and my two toned pants from Brandy Melville.

Q: How much do you invest in clothing?

A: I spend about $300 every season.

Q: What are your favorite pair of shoes?

A: Either my Vans or my Espadrilles.

Q: What is your outift for school?

A: At school, I'm usually in a graphic t-shirt tucked into my high waisted jeans and some Vans.

Q: Do you dress to impress or for yourself?

A: I dress for myself, but it's fun to get feedback if I wear something weird.

Q: What do you wear on bum days?

A: A big sweatshirt and leggings because I don't like the look of sweatpants on me much.

Q: Who is your fashion inspiration?

A: I get inspiration from 90's and 80's clothing rather than people.

Q: How long does it take you to get ready?

A: On average, it takes me about thirty minutes to get ready and dressed.

Q: What's your favorite seaosn to dress for?

Q: What's your favorite accessory?

A: My Kanken because it's bright yellow and it just makes my outift look more fun.

PHOTO CREDIT: SADAF MARZI

PHOTO CREDIT: SADAF MARZI

Sadaf Marzi, 11 Q: How did you learn to dress?

A: I learned how to dress mainly from watching Youtube videos and Tumblr posts.

Marzi wears a basic yellow tee, multi-colored high waisted jeans and checkered vans.

14 PEOPLE

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

THE NEXT BIG THING Senior Eyob Mengistu brings in bank with his creativity

BY BINQI CHEN Co-Editor in Chief It’s 6:00 p.m. on a school night, and rather than staying home and finishing his school work like most other students, senior Eyob Mengistu is at the library helping a third grader solve a math problem.

He sits with the kid, guiding him through the worksheet one step and one proof at a time.

Mengistu is especially unique because he is a rising entrepreneur.

Along with tutoring elementary school students, Eyob has also created two other personal businesses: Eyob Cuts and Eyob Landscaping.

Eyob Cuts is Mengistu’s barber business, while Eyob Landscaping is his yard work service.

Mengistu started working on his tutoring as well as his landscaping business this year, but he began his hair cutting service during his sophomore year, offering his friends inexpensive haircuts after school.

“I needed money quick and I hated my boss back then,” said Mengistu. “I quit and made my own business.”

However, as successful as he considers himself to be now, it is difficult starting a business. During his very early days however, his jobs were tough.

It was difficult for him to generate profit during the early stages of creating his business.

Just like anything, however, Mengitsu was able to adapt and learn as time progressed in order to create a better business plan.

“Now, I am better at finding more local jobs,” said Mengistu. “I advertise on neighborhood apps and also news spreads quickly by word of mouth promotion.”

Mengistu also promotes his business on social media and aims to satisfy his customers.

On his Twitter account, @Eyobcuts, he even promises to spare any unsatisfied customers from any costs.

To practice his hair cutting skills, Mengistu has often practiced on his brother and willing friends.

This past summer has been the height of Mengistu’s income due to the amount of free time he had to work and promote his brands.

However, he has not let school come

After a consultation with his client, Mengistu begins to revamp a back yard by ridding the overgrown with weeds.

As a part of his barber business, Senior Eyob Mengistu starts to give his client, Kaleab Mengistu, a fade, a crucial part to a quality haircut. in between his businesses. Even though school always comes first, he has realized that with sufficient and tactical time managing skills, he is still able to make money.

“I try to work during the weekends and on days when I don’t have a lot of homework,” said Mengistu. “But I definitely have worked a lot less now than I did during the summer.”

For his landscaping business, he first consults with his clients about what they would like to have altered in their yards and properties. Mengistu then completes all their yard work and outdoor needs.

Along with his own businesses, Mengistu tutors practically every subject taught in elementary school.

What would you sell or make as an entrepreneur?

ISAAC NDAHIRIWE freshman “As an entrpreneur, I’ll make my own brand, designer, and sell back clothes to the world.”

He usually tutors these students at the community library, George Mason Regional Library in Annandale.

He tutors on school nights and weekends as well.

On top of working on three individual and unique businesses, Mengistu has to balance his school work.

This can be very challenging considering that Mengistu’s jobs are very tiring and take up a lot of time in his day.

“I try to work on the weekends and on days when I don’t have a lot of homework,” said Mengistu. “I definitely have worked a lot less now than I did in the summer.”

Even though these jobs have been tiring, Mengistu made a relatively large amount of money this past summer.

DARELL PITTS freshman “As an entrepreneur, I’d make my own dress shoes and sell them.

PATRICK BERRY IDIL HILOWE freshman sophomore “If I was an entrepre“As an entrepreneur I neur, I would invent a would make and sell new type of football hel- phone cases” met that would prevent and protect concussions.”

HUMANS OF ANNANDALE For years, I wanted an animal that did not have to spend all its time enclosed in a glass tank. We have way too much fish and it was time for a change.

However, my dad just kept making our fish tanks bigger and bigger and now we keep more than 700 gallons of water in our kitchen, just for fish. The fish tank now takes up a huge portion of our kitchen. I can’t eat without being stared down by them.

But one day during my sophomore year, my dad decided to change his daily routine of cleaning the tanks and feeding the blubbers.

When my siblings and I came home one by one, he brought us to the basement. This was where we found a small chihuahua and and after hours of deciding, named him Boba!

Apparently, my dad had done a little bit of Craigslist shopping.

My older brother laughed out loud. My younger sister though, had a different reaction.

Well, she cried.

The worst reaction though, came from my mom. Let’s just say she was surprised. Wait, it was more like she flipped out.

It became obvious that she did not want a dog in our house. She didn’t even know that my dad was buying a dog! However, as she got closer to Boba, she liked him more and more.

My dad poured his heart and soul into making sure this pupper was happy in the Chung household and a few months later, brought him a friend that we named Cookie.

Mengistu rakes up the leaves in his customer’s yard as part of his services.

He made up to $700-800 per week during the summer. This amount of money can help him invest into the future of his businesses.

Although starting a business in high school is a very ambitious venture, Mengistu’s friends and family are very supportive of his businesses.

His friends have even asked him for job opportunites to work as his employees. Mengistu has allowed some of his friends to work under him.

“It’s always great to with a friend with a hardworking passion and drive to make the community a better place.” said Jaedon. “He’s not stingy and pays very well.” His parents share this enthusiasm and think that his business start ups are positive things.

CORT HOLLIS junior “If I was an entrepreneur, I would sell decently priced glass and mirrors because in the mirror industries, they overprice their stuff. If I made a small business, I would make a lot of money.”

RANDY ROMERO senior “If I was an entrepreneur, I would make a latex paint remover.”

His parents know these jobs have allowed him to learn to make money on his own, which is an important skill to have.

They have even started to make him pay for himself and his things to really make him feel like an adult in charge of his own money.

The relatively steady flow of income and the success of his jobs have continued to push Mengistu into continuing on, as difficult as that can be sometimes.

He also encourages other passionate high schoolers to do the same with their hobbies or interests.

“If you have an idea that you think will make money,” said Mengistu. “Run with it and stay persistent.”

ILHAN ABDI senior “If I was an entrepreneur, I would create a way for women to get free pads and tampons because I personally feel that it’s a shame that our society hasn’t already done this. My profit would be knowing that I’m helping other people.

BETEL EYOB senior “If I was an entrepreneur, I would make Ethiopian burritos.”

WHO AM I? I attended...

Penn State University and Chatham University. At Penn State, I earned my bachelors degree in journalism. At Chatham University, I earned my masters degree in secondary Education.

My favorite book is...

The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

I was born in...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I attended Center High school in Western Pennsylvania. There, I wrote for the school newspaper and played softball.

Before teaching at Annandale....

I taught for two years in South Florida before spending 11 years at Annandale High School.

AMY CHUNG senior Together, they always keep my family on our toes, especially since Boba likes to collect everything he comes in contact with (that he can’t eat) and Cookie likes to climb things and get stuck.

I think it may be because they were purchased online.

They also are terrified of people and will bark for hours and hours if they hear a small noise in the house or outside in the yard. It is really difficult to have people over.

My dad wants to buy another chihuahua so he can tell people that he has trihuahuas. Someone please stop him. I don’t know how I can handle another chihuahua.

My greatest feat is...

Running my first marathon.

I teach at Annandale because...

At Annandale High School, I love working with such a diverse student body where everyone learns about the world through each other.

My favorite movie is...

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

In my free time I...

Like to run, hike and travel. I used to run marathons, but my current “condition” has stopped me from running at all for the time being.

Why did you choose teaching...

I started teaching writing to adults and that made me really interested in teaching.

I also worked with teenagers that were juveniles on probation and combined those two to start teching at schools.

My favorite quote is...

“Life is a series of setbacks and obstacles.

Living is overcoming them.”- Dean Karnzaes On your smartphone, scan this code using the application, QR Code to find the answer to Who Am I?

SPORTS X-TRA 15

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

COMBATING CONCUSSIONS Athletes and coaches work to prevent brain damage As two players speed down field towards each other, an audible crack can be heard throughout the crowd as their helmets collide.

The ensuing view is a sight of players being helped off the field by teammates and staff and heading back to the locker room.

Often times in situations like this, a possible result of a collision of this nature is a concussion.

Concussions most typically occur as a result of a blow to the head area, sometimes head to head contact. This could result in a loss of consciousness depending on the severity of the impact.

More often than not, concussions take place in contact sports such as football, lacrosse and wrestling, rather than non-contact sports.

“Higher contact sports have a greater risk of concussions,” Athletics Trainer Kathleen Ayers said. “But then again, that’s not always the case.”

When concussions occur in school sports to student athletes, they must go through the protocol and multiple steps in order to be cleared.

“Steps we take to make sure a concussion is properly treated is to have early recognition and utilize a variety of tools to evaluate and make sure there’s a full recovery,” Ayers said.

In some situations, coaches are the first to recognize the possibility that a student-athlete has suffered a concussion.

“We have been pretty fortunate because we haven’t had very many concussions in the

KATIE POPE

BY JUDE NANAW Sports X-tra Editor

Atoms football players go head to head in team drills during a practice held on Oct. 16. As seen above, players make head to head contact in not only games but in practice as well. past few years,” Head Football could be made non contact, there can be useful in mitigating Coach Michael Scott said. “But it would be just over 600,000 less impact and limiting the possibiliis always a concern, anytime that injuries per year among male ty of a concussion, but do not prewe think it’s a possibility we get high school students. vent head injuries 100% of the the player to the trainers.”

A common point of scrutiny time.

With a sport like football used in arguments to prevent “It doesn’t matter what you being a high contact sport con- concussions among high school have on your head, it’s still a cussions have to be kept track of student athletes is improve- very real possibility that people more frequently. ments to protection such as hel- are going to get concussed,” Scott “We try to monitor as best we mets. said. “We are using the same helcan and that’s one of the reasons However, the main cause of mets as guys in the NFL who get why in football we always have a concussions and head injuries is concussions and are making miltrainer present at practice,” Scott contact and the high impact of lions of dollars, so it happens said. collisions. unfortunately.”

Higher contact sports are “We always send our helAt the end of the day, despite much more likely to have a great- mets out every year to be recon- protection and helmets in all er amount of injuries occur, ditioned,” Scott said. “We also sports, concussions and other including concussions. always try to buy the highest injuries are always in the realm Researchers at Yale Univer- graded out kind of helmets.” of possibility. sity discovered if contact sports Protection, such as helmets,

6 ways to avoid concussions

BY JUDE NANAW ETHAN ZIMMERMAN Sports X-tra Editors

concussion does occur at practice or during a game.

AND

5

1

WEAR THE PROPER EQUIPMENT Wear the proper protective gear for your sport. Make sure your equipment fits properly and is worn correctly. The equipment should also be well maintained and up to date with any and all sports regulations.

2

KNOW THE SPORT YOU ARE PLAYING Learn and use proper playing technique for your sports.

Play safely and practice with caution at all times. Many concussions occur not only during games but during practice and drills as

KATIE POPE

Despite the difficulty of being able to effectively avoid concussions in contact sports, there are precautionary measures that can be taken in advance in order to limit the possibility of one occurring. As well as precautionary measures, there are safety steps to take afterwards in the case that a concussion occurs.

Head football coach Mike Scott and junior Matt Dinh (left) and Coach Chris Bagot and junior Devin Gill (right) work on quarterback drills. well. Some organizations have also limited the number of contact practices permitted per season.

3

CHECK THE PLAYING ENVIRONMENT Make sure to analyze playing environment before participating in practice or a game to ensure safety. Make sure that there are no uneven surface areas or deep holes on playing fields. In

addition to this, make sure that end posts are padded.

4

COMPLETE CONCUSSION EDUCATION In addition to completing a yearly physical to participate in sports, it is imperative to complete concussion education online.

Doing so will allow student-athletes and parents to know which steps and protocol to take if a

Which team do you think will win the World Series this year?

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF A CONCUSSION It is essential to be educated about and understand the symptoms of having what could potentially be a concussion. Symptoms can include but are not limited to; persistent or severe headache, blackout, poor balance, nausea, mental confusion and memory loss. If a student-athlete has any of these symptoms they should speak with an athletic trainer, doctor or coach as soon as possible in the case that they do have a concussion.

6

RECOVER PROPERLY TO AVOID FUTURE IMPLICATIONS It is also imperative to recover properly. Always follow protocol and steps to recovery as instructed by athletics trainers.

Doing this will reduce the risk of long term damage and lessen the extent of lingering side effects.

Player Profile: Patrick Lee

BY ELIAS MOURA Staff Writer Q. Which sports do you play?

A. The sports I play are football, wrestling and lacrosse.

Q. In which sports did you have a concussion and how many times in each sport?

A. I got a concussion in football this year (sophomore year). This is my first concussion.

Q. How long have you been playing each sport?

A. This will be my ninth year playing football and wrestling and my eighth year playing lacrosse.

Q. What did having a concussion feel like?

A. It felt mostly like having a constant headache and it was hard to concentrate at times.

Q. What kind of steps did you have to go through in order to be cleared?

A. The first week I went home right after school and the second week I was doing exercises in the trainers which I am still doing.

Q. Was completing concussion education beforehand helpful?

A. Doing concussion education before getting a concussion was sort of helpful for me.

Q. How careful are coaches and trainers before letting you back to practice and games?

A. The coaches and trainers are extremely careful and I still have not returned to practice. I know they won’t let me back until it is 100% better.

Q. What kind of effects did the concussion have on you physically and mentally?

A. It limited me to not being able to exercise and completing some class work.

Q. Did getting a concussion change your mind on wanting to play sports?

A. Getting a concussion has not changed my mind on wanting to play sports at all.

Q. What kind of steps do you take now in order to avoid any future concussions?

A. One step I plan on taking now is to use proper form when hitting or tackling in football.

Students gear up for the start of the Fantasy Basketball season Beginning of fantasy sports season sees spike in participation from students

THEODORE HUNTAN

freshman “I believe that the Houston Astros will win the World Series, because they have powerful hitters on their team. “

IDRIS DAHIR junior “I think the team that will win the World Series will be the Dodgers, because they have perfect players, work together and have every aspect you need to win. “

GABBY URBINA freshman “I think that the Dodgers will win, because they play in a large city (Los Angeles) and will have a lot of support behind them.”

CAROLYN LEMENS

junior “I think the Dodgers will end up winning it all, because they have a better history of being of victorious organization and winning important games.”

JEREMY BERRY sophomore “I’d have to go with the Dodgers, because I think they have a better group of fielders which will help them force more outs.”

JACK MCCROSSIN senior “I think it is going to be the Dodgers that end up winning the World Series, because they have good team structure and are really good at batting.”

JANE KIM sophomore “I think the Dodgers will win, because their new pitcher makes them ten times better than the Astros.”

MICHELLE AKL senior “The Astros are going to win the World Series in my opinion, because they have a better batting line-up than the Dodgers.”

BY JUDE NANAW Sports X-tra Editor As a new NBA basketball season rolls around, so does a new season for Fantasy Basketball.

Throughout the years of the start of Fantasy Basketball, it has garnered more and more attention and participation from many, including a large amount of AHS students.

Many students have created leagues on ESPN Fantasy where they have fellow friends and classmates join and create teams via a draft, where each member of the league selects NBA players that they want to be part of their fantasy team.

Each week, one league member’s team is pinned against another team in the league and the winner is determined by which team accumulates the most fantasy points, which is dependent on the stats of the NBA players.

For some students, competition is the key factor in their participation.

“My favorite part of fantasy basketball is beating the person that I am

The ESPN Fantasy App gives a view of the top three available players overall as well as for each position in the basketball form of fantasy leagues. matched up against,” junior Javonte Durr-Cannon said. “I always try to start players that I think would get me the most points and give me the best chance to win.”

Fantasy Basketball teams will typically have one or two stand out performers that consistently accumulate the highest amount of fantasy points.

“My most valuable player is most likely LeBron James,” sophomore Syed Ali said. “He’s probably my best player because he gets all sorts of stats which add up to a lot of fantasy points.”

With the increasing popularity of

Fantasy Basketball amongst students, some have even come to prefer the basketball version of fantasy over football and other sports.

“I am starting to like and prefer fantasy basketball over other types of fantasy sports leagues like football,” DurrCannon said. “Fantasy basketball give you more positions to fill with more options for players.”

The popularity of Fantasy Basketball amongst students may continue to increase as it steadily begins to gain preference over fantasy leagues for different sports.

16 SPORTS

Wed. Oct 25, 2017

What Fall sport do you think is going to perform the best in district?

BRYAN KOKILANANDA freshman “Football because they have a very good of winning this year.”

Girls golf qualifies for states

HALELUYA WORKU freshman “I think that field hockey is going to to the best in districts because they are awesome and they work hard.”

ALIEU KAMARA sophomore “I believe field hockey will perform the best in districts because they’re going to regionals.”

SADAF KHAN sophmore Football because they have the potential to progress and they are really good.

BY ALEX BURTIA Staff Writer

Atoms are getting ready to defend at the line of scrimmage against the Raiders on Aug. 25 at Annandale High-School.

Atoms football strives to get to .500

BY ALEX BURITA Staff Writer

JASON MERCADO junior “I believe that field hockey is going to do the best because so far they are doing really well and they have really good coaches.”

KASSIE PERALTA junior “Cross country because Julia Ghiselli is doing really well right now and they have a lot of good runners that practice every day.”

IAN MARBURGER senior “Field hockey because we’ve had a good field hockey team in the past.”

ASTHA BANJARA senior “I think field hockey will go to districts because they have been really good and their players are really good.”

The Annandale Atoms looked great starting off their season after winning their first two games.

Most importantly, they looked confident in their abilities. But now, they are really struggling.

On Oct. 20, which was their eighth season game, they lost badly by a score of only 15-47.

They have lost their last three games and at best can break even with only fifty percent wins seeing that they only have two games left.

Next week, if the Atoms want any chance of pulling themselves out of this hole that they dug themselves into, they have to beat a mighty, on fire 6-2 Hayfield.

Since Hayfield is first in their conference, they are dangerous and will be tough to beat.

“Well we got to continue to play better defense because Hayfield has a fantastic player number four and he is going to Maryland, we got to contain him he has been playing quarterback but he always goes back and plays reciever,” Varsity football Coach Scott said Undoubtedly, Hayfield is a stronger team than Mount Vernon (who is third in the district out of five) who the Atoms lost brutally to.

Hayfield has won their last three games against Mount Vernon (who the Atoms lost to), T.C. Williams (who AHS plays next week and desperately needs to win) and West Potomac (who are exactly one spot ahead of the Atoms in their district).

Furthermore, Annandale got clobbered last week by West Potomac 47-15.

All of this evidence points toward the fact that Hayfield and T.C. will be the favorites to win when Annandale plays each of them. “ We have to execute better and one we have to tackle better and two we have to finish drives, we moved the ball pretty well we averaged over 330 yards for the offense,” Varsity football Coach Scott said Against Mount Vernon, the Atoms did show some relevance in bits and pieces though their defense simply tired out and could not hold up against the explosive Mount Vernon offense.

Offensive players such as quarterback Dylan Gill and running back Tyler Rush had a decent game.

Starting the second half, the Atoms looked stronger after scoring a touchdown and making the two point conversion.

They also scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter nearing the end of the game but by that time, it was too late for them to pull ahead of Mount Vernon and try to make a comeback.

“Annandale played well in the beginning but let a couple big plays happen and (Mount Vernon) took the momentum.”

To improve next week he also says that “we have to play better coverage against the next two teams (Hayfield and T.C. Williams) that have play makers.”

To prepare for the big game next week, the Atoms look to “come up with a good game plan and have a good week of practice.”

Furthermore, according to Defensive Tackle Leslie Moriba, “We were struggling on offense and defense and have to come back the next two weeks stronger against a good Hayfield team by being focused and determined to win these last two games.”

The mental game is just as important

and can sometimes be more important than skill and the physical game.

Also, to improve Annandale’s defensive game “I will be prepared by fixing my mistakes from last game and pushing everyone else to go harder in practice.”

This next game against Hayfield will undoubtedly be a high-risk high reward situation that Annandale will need to go all out on for a win.

As seen in the game against Mount Vernon, momentum will be the key.

The Atoms certainly can not afford for Hayfield to feel confident in consistently scoring on every drive. This will require a strong defense.

The important factor to note so far in their season is that the Atoms looked alive and proved that they have the ability to win and look confident while doing so.

For example, they routed Washington-Lee in Arlington to snap the two game losing streak.

But, to win these games, they need to be more efficient under pressure.

Three of their games have been down to the wire and were decided by only one point.

Marching down the field quickly when time is against you just may be the deciding factor between the win and the loss.

If Annandale is prepared to win against both T.C. Williams and Hayfield in their next two weeks than that just may be enough to pull them up to fourth or possibly even third in their division based on how West Potomac and Mount Vernon perform.

In football, anything can happen in four quarters of play so hope is not quite lost yet for the Atoms this season.

Senior Janlynn Ngo represented Annandale in hopes to qualify for states.

At this time last year, Janlynn barely missed the cut by only four strokes.

Because of this, she “prepared for the regionals tournament by focusing on making her putting consistent because it is the most important part of golf.”

During the tournament she realized that she was having a rough day, but focused on something far more important than score. According to Janlynn “[score] doesn’t tell how much a player struggled and how much they had to overcome those obstacles.” She also had a positive and optimistic mindset even though score may have not gone her way and if she was making mistakes.

From this tournament and two years of golf she learned something incredible that “you cannot force yourself to be 99% perfect nor force others to be.

But, you can only guide yourself and also guide others.” Pushing the limit to its maximum only calls for negativity and unnecessary stress when the whole point of golf is to be around others and focus on a rewarding game which challenges mentally and physically.

She also says that golf has helped her during her daily life. According to her “some people do not have the mindset of self-motivation” which has helped her to guide others to help them improve.

Finally, she has learned that “Golf is not just a sport. When you’re out there by yourself in the trees, the bushes, next to the water and even in the fairway, and you’re struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, amazing things can happen.” Janlynn’s experience shows that there is more than just the result and many things can be learned to help you improve in life no matter what the result was.

Her overall mindset going into the game is important because things do not always go your way. As Janlynn stated “I wanted to scream and just stop time for a bit throughout the round.” When you have the intention of doing something in life that you have trouble with or or just having an off day, how you think about it can be all you need to power through it and be able to do just about anything that you want.

During Janlynn’s game, she focused on the most important things that would improve her game the most. Intentionally, she was prepared most for the short game like putting, pitching, and chipping because it is the most important part of golf. In the future, for her to keep being successful in her game she said that she needs to have the right mindset and focus on what is at hand. According to her: “a player can have a great and consistent swing and a killer short game, but a poor mental game can ruin it all and bring the player to their lowest point before the round ends.”

Senior Anica Lind serves the ball against Stuart during their game on Sept.

23.

Caitlin Schwartz Spotlight Senior Caitlin Schwartz plays center midfield for the varsity field hockey team. In addition to being a hard working athlete, she is a sister to two and a proud owner of a black Labrador Retriever. In her free time, she likes to hang out with friends and play even more sports.

How did you discover your interest for field hockey?

By my mom, she played in college How has being an athlete made you a better person?

It has made me more communicative and also hardworking.

Volleyball prepares for the playoffs

How do you balance field hockey and your academic responsibilities?

After school I go to practice and then right afterwards, I go home, shower, and then get right to my homework. It’s hard sometimes but for my schedule, it works out.

What do you like most about the position that you play?

I love playing [midfield] because it gives me a chance to help on both the defensive and offensive side What is your best and worst experience in field hockey?

My best memory was scoring my first goal freshman year on JV and my worst memory would have to be nothing honestly.

What other sports are you interested in?

Basketball, soccer and lacrosse

What college do you want to go to, and will you be doing field hockey there?

I want to go to either VCU or JMU, and I’m doing a college showcase Thanksgiving weekend. If I get an offer there then it depends upon that Have you considered pursuing field hockey as a career?

Yes, but I don’t think I’m good enough to.

What advice would you give to field hockey newcomers?

To always do what you want! Field hockey is a fun sport that you make your bestest of friends at!

MAHDI LAHMARI Staff Writer As the Atoms varsity volleyball team preparing for districts and post regular season games, they are seeking to improve on what has been a shaky season. The Atoms first game of districts will be on October 30th. They look to put in extra work and make every sweat in practice count to be ready and prepared to fight in districts.

Even though do the season is not who many people saw it to be the players are still enjoying it.

“In terms of wins and losses we haven’t done so well but are having fun and have improved a lot,” senior Anica

Lind said.

With districts approaching many players feel they can make an improvement.

“One thing we need to improve on is consistent serving. Most are serves are good but we need to be more consistent,” junior Alison Scott said.

As the season is coming to an end, the players hope to reach their season goals.

“My goal for the season is to make all conference,” said Lind.

The last game of the regular season and senior night was against the West Potomac Wolverines on Oct. 25.

“My goal for the rest of the season is to finish the season off strong and to have improved as a player,” said Scott.

SPORTS 17

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Boys cross country runs in Boonsboro Team runs at the Frank Keyser Invitational in MD, and now prepare for districts

BY LUKE ELKINS Sports Editor The boys cross country squad ran at the Frank Keyser Invitational race in Boonsboro, MD. The varsity team finished 8th place out of 23 teams, and the junior varsity team finished 9th place out of 21 teams.

Many runners finished in good positions and set personal records. This meet, which took place on Sat. Oct. 14, was the team’s last meet before districts commence.

“Mickey Sahlu and Abbey Yared led the Varsity in 11th and 28th places in a field of 206 runners. In the JV race, freshman Bennett Stenberg was 52nd in a field of 327 runners. All three Atoms ran significant personal bests,” said head varsity Coach Dave Ciccarelli.

Sophomore Mikyas Sahlu and junior Abbey Yared finished with impressive times of 15:40 and 16:02 in the varsity meet, and freshman Bennett Stenberg finished with a time of 18:10 in the junior varsity meet.

The runners were pretty satisfied with their times, considering all the effort they had put in during practice.

“The meet went well, there were many personal bests. I had a new personal best, so I feel like I did well,” said junior Abbey Yared.

The Atoms will now have their eyes

on the postseason, as this meet completed their regular season.

Ciccarelli will be upping the ante to prepare his team for the postseason.

“We are decreasing overall mileage and concentrating on short, fast interval training on the track in an effort to build speed and to peak at Districts and Regionals,” Ciccarelli said.

With the training they are receiving, the team is feeling more and more ready

“My goal for districts is to win the conference as a team, and to individually place in the top three.”

--ABBEY YARED

junior

to succeed at districts and beyond.

“My goal for districts is to win the conference as a team, and to individually place in the top three,” said Yared.

As a whole, the cross country team’s season has gone well.

“I think the season has been a success so far. The goal last season was to change the direction and mind-set of a team that had not seen itself as competitive for a long time,” said Ciccarelli.

“That goal was accomplished and now Annandale is a force to be reckoned with in Virginia high school cross country.”

Coach Ciccarelli also thinks his team has the potential to go far in the postseason, lengthening their season.

“The season is not over yet. Districts, Regionals, and States remain,” said Ciccarelli.

“We’ll see what we’ve accomplished after those meets and begin planning next year’s campaign. That being said, in less than two years, this team has come further faster than any team I have ever coached.”

The team is motivated and raring to go.

As they near the finish of their season, they will be looking to finish on a high note.

“By running every day, finishing my workouts, and with nonstop training, I think winning at districts is very manageable,” said Yared.

The boys cross country team has performed well this season, and they will be looking to sprint to the finish.

Districts take place on Thursday, Oct. 26. at Burke Lake Regional Park.

Sophomore Mikyas Sahlu at the Glory Days Invitational at Bull Run Park, on Sat. Oct. 7, where he ended up finishing in 9th place.

Girls cross country getting ready for the postseason

Field Hockey falls short in districts

BY ELIAS MOURA Staff Writer

BY LUKE ELKINS Sports Editor

The regular season is over and the successful girls Cross Country team prepares for districts.

Districts is a competition where seven of the best runners in the school get chosen to represent AHS in a battle to win the district.

The team found success with new runners. such as freshman star runner Julia Ghiselli, as well as returning leaders, such as Vitalina Fuentes, Nadezhda Droujinsky and Janice Milian.

Head Coach Phil Harris and runner Droujinsky are optimistic for positive results in districts.

The team thinks that each will perform well individually, as well as a team as a whole.

For Coach Harris, the team has significantly improved in areas where they were already good and where they needed improvement.

“The regular season was a lot of improvement. We have the number one or number two runner in the state in Julia, so I think just having her on the team, the other girls improve so much,” Harris said.

“The other girls got a lot better, they ran for some of the fastest Top 10 times that teams have ran here at Annandale.”

Harris believes most of their success comes from Ghiselli’s influential persona on her teammates that inspires the girls to run harder and better.

“The girls have done so much harder work this year than they’ve ever done, especially with Julia. The saturday practices have just been brutal, the uphill running that we have been doing, the repeats, and now we’re requiring them to do it all faster,” Harris said.

“So I think as a whole, the girls have improved beyond my expectations.”

Despite this, Harris continues to see room for improvement before districts begin.

He wishes to push the girls harder in order to reach their full potential.

“Speed. They can do the endurance,

After winning in the quarterfinals of districts against the Hayfield Hawks, the girls will be looking to further their success in regionals.

They unfortunately lost to the T.C. Williams Titans in the quarterfinals of districts, with a score of 6-0, and they will be looking to bounce back.

“We definitely need to work on moving the ball together as a team and being able to transfer the ball from one side of the field to the other,” said junior Rebecca Tecle.

Even though they fell in the semifinals, they are still qualified for regionals because the top 4 teams in the district qualify.

The girls field hockey team will be looking to do better in regionals and

they will be trying to improve, after they finished the season with a record of 4-11.

“We are working on specific things that we have been having trouble with throughout this past season, and making sure everyone is confident in their stick and teammates,” said Tecle.

“Some positives are throughout the season our communication has gotten better drastically and we’ve been getting better at staying spread on the field.”

The Atoms are going to be taking on Colgan High School in the first round of Regionals.

“We really want to bring everything we’ve learned throughout the season on to the field. We want to show Colgan what we’re made of,” said Tecle.

The game was on Tues. Oct 24, and the Atoms will look to improve on what’s been a shaky season (results of the game were not available by publication).

Freshman Julia Ghiselli runs at the Great Meadow Invitatational at Colgan High School in The Plains, VA on Sat. Aug. 26, where she finished in 2nd place. the endurance is all there. So we’ve had girls that have been doing 4-6 miles over the summer but then we had to go back and incorporate more speed workouts,” Harris said. “The mileage was there and now it’s running repeats that will benefit the girls.”

With these improvements made, Harris believes that the girls will come out of districts and qualify for regionals.

“We’re looking to come out of the conference this year and go to regionals this year. We have the number one runner in the district so we have to be in the top four, and we are on paper,” Harris said.

Droujinsky has the same mindset as her coach of three years.

“I’d like to think I’ve improved in

getting out fast, since I’ve learned how to hold a fast one in the beginning,” Droujinsky said.

She also stated that the constant support from her teammates has made a significant difference to her teammates and coaches. Droujinsky believes that her role as a top seven runner is not as important as some people make it out to be.

“Being a top seven runner is not very different from anyone else because all of the girls have put in incredible effort and dedication this season to reach their goals,” said Droujinsky.

The girls team will be looking to finish strong in districts and move on to regionals, or further.

Senior Caitlin Schwartz winds up to hit the ball in a game against Mount Vernon High School.

Veteran girls track coach Phil Harris inspires athletes

BY ELIAS MOURA Staff Writer Girls varsity cross country head coach Phil Harris is well known across the school.

Many of his students and his athletes hold a strong opinion of him.

“He’s really supportive about my grades and all and he’s always pushing me to my limits,” said junior Vitalina Fuentes, who is a member of the girls cross country team.

Here’s what you may not know about the beloved coach and electronics teacher: What made you start coaching?

I started teaching in 2000 and something was missing. I also have always coached AAU basketball because my son and nephew.

How long have you been coaching track?

that I learned from: Sean Miiler, Bob Sykes and Jermiah Davis. We started with the goal to win the state and we would not be denied (we were all one purpose one goal).

How has coaching affected your life?

What is your philosophy of coaching and its relationship to education?

How do you plan on improving as a coach from year to year?

How would you handle key players not in another sport routinely not attending out of season activities?

My philosophy of coaching and its relationship to education is that every kid has something to offer to the team.

The way I improve my coaching is by attending a coaching class every summer.

How do you deal with dozens of runners?

What strengths do you see in yourself as a coach?

The way I deal with dozens of runners is with other coaches. We have sprint, JV, Vaulters, hurdles, distance andstrength coaches that help.

One strength I have as a coach I believe that anyone can find an event in track and I believe I am good at maintaining a good coach and athlete relationship.

What are your best memories of coaching?

In your highschool years, did you run cross country and/or track?

My best memory was winning the outdoor track season in 2012 with coaches

In my high school years I ran track but it was not fun due to injuries.

I have been coaching track for 20 years.

I like that you can influence so many kids.

I would encourage any athlete to run to stay in shape/ lift weights to get stonger and to play other sports.

Who is your greatest role model either personally or as a coach?

My greatest role model is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

18 ENTERTAINMENT

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Preview The upcoming action shooter video game will be released later this Fall

BY TJ GONZALEZ Staff Writer The first installment of DICE and EA’s Star Wars: Battlefront franchise was an exciting time as it was the resurrection of bringing back Star War’s intergalactic fighting into the palms of gamers hands. Though, the lack in content, absolute lack in weapon balance, and the obvious feel of DICE’s Battlefield 4 ruined the potential of what could’ve been DICE and EA’s new Triple-A title.

Now, two years later, with the release of Battlefront 2 right around the corner, DICE has listened to the SW:BF community and has promised more base game content as well as more DLCs in the games near future while also making DLC free, no longer needing to buy Premium Passes, which usually cost as much as the games itself. This was very unusual of EA to do; give out free year-round content to a game. Obviously, there has to be some kind of catch, right?

Guess what? There is. Crates. These Crates contain weapons, attachments, credit (in-game currency), Star Cards used to give your player a power boost, Emotes, Outfits, and Victory Poses. All

either earned by playing the game, or purchasing a large amount of them with real money.

This was first realized while playing the beta version. Crates contained all the materials mentioned above. Material that could go untested and be very over powered. These crates could cost as much as Battlepacks do in Battlefield 1: ranging from $1.99 for one crate to $29.99 for 20 to $54.99 for 40. DICE and EA aren’t the first gaming companies to implement pay-ro-win transactions like this.

Activsion has made their past three of the past four Call of Duty games payto-win with supply drops containing overpowered weapons, and 2K games having implemented full VC purchasing to grow your player into their latest NBA game.

Though this is a large negative to the game, there are still aspects that could make SW:BF2 good. Whilst playing the beta, the graphics were obviously astonishing, no matter the Frames per Second, DICE has always made clear they have one of the best game graphics and game engines in the industry with FROSTBITE 3, if not the best. This almost confusing the human eye of virtual reality and actual reality.

Gameplay and mechanics have improved, with movement feeling a bit heavy and swift at the same time and more realistic, as well as being arcadey. We also see the return of 1st and 3rd person views, and the addition of weapons with only a hip fire zoom-in option.

Some weapons do have scopes, though it may just obstruct your aiming. DICE have included four classes into Battlefront 2 that have their unique roles that help a team win games, if played properly. This is very similar to their Battlefield Franchise. These classes are called Assault, Heavy, Officer, and Specialist. The Assaults are your rushers.

They are very mobile with close to medium range weapons and are usually front lines, like the Marines. The Heavies are slow and hard-hitting with their LMG-like weapons and can suppress the enemy and take a bit of laser power form them as well. Officers are power boosters.

They provide their teammates in their radius with extra health, faster cool downs, firepower, and more. They are the strategists who hold a handgunlike weapon for self-defense. The Specialist are your snipers, providing covering fire and picking off enemy hard to see on ground.

DICE has also added a scorestreak system into Battlefront 2, where your points build up with every kill, assist, or play you make on the objective and

you’re able to purchase score streaks from the class menu and have more of an impact on the game. These score streaks can be an air or land vehicle that you manually operate, an upgraded Stormtrooper, or a Hero like Han Solo or Boba Fett.

Battlefront 2 has the potential to be a good game. Yet, the path EA and DICE have taken for their micro transactions is going to hurt the game to where it may be unplayable or not worth the

consumers’ time.

DICE has released a statement about the crate system and how they will be tweaking it throughout the games life cycle, and hw it is the beta and nothing is final. Yet, it could be too late as some have already considered this game “dead on arrival” all because of its pay-to-win feel.

Current Rating: 4/10

Netflix is getting rid of some of your favorite shows

Family Guy (Seasons 9-14) are to be removed on Oct.29

One Tree Hill was removed on Oct.1

Netflix plans to stop streaming all seasons of Family Guy by early 2018. For now, only the later seasons 9-14 will be removed by the end of October. Netflix is removing this show because of their push into the animated sitcom arena. If you are an avid fan of Family Guy, you can still continue to stream episodes on Hulu, which will soon become the exclusive streaming service of Family Guy after Netflix removes it completely.

Due to the non-renewal of their license with CW, Netflix has removed all seasons of One Tree Hill. This came to a shock to many fans, who have grown up watching and rewatching this show.Considering it is a fairly old TV show, Netflix could not find a justifying reason to renew this series considering that most users have already seen it or it no longer interests new users. One Tree Hill’s final episode aired on April 4, 2012.

What is your favorite halloween movie?

ALEXIS GRANADOS freshman “Its Halloween Town, because it has three great movies and its a great series, Ive been watching it since I was a little kid.”

EMMA TLUSTY freshman “Goosebumps, because I love reading the books and I watch it with my little brother.”

SOFIA MARTINEZ sophomore “The Purge, because its really funny and scary at the same time.”

The Cleveland Show was removed on Oct.19 The Cleveland Show was an original spin-off from the very popular TV show Family Guy. The Cleveland Show never reached the same ammount of popularity as Family Guy had, and was even made fun of on Family Guy due to its low number of viewers. Netflix could not come to an agreement with Fox, the owrner of The Cleveland Show and other TV sitcoms, and both Netlfix and Fox mutually ended the deal.

KEYONTE HICKS sophomore “Jason vs Freddy, because they are the ultimate most two scarriest guys in the movie industry.”

KAA-LOK YAP junior “A Madea Halloween, because it was really funny and it reminded me of when I went to a crazy party.”

Prison Break was removed on Oct.1 Fans of Prison Break were anxious to see when season 5 of one of their favorite shows would finally be able to be streamed on Netflix. Sadly, it will not. Prison Break was removed entirely on the first day in October. Considering it was a Fox show, you should probably know why. Due to conflicts between Netflix and Fox, most if not all Fox shows are leaving Netflix.

Hulu is said to be picking up these Fox shows.

JASMINE MORALES junior “I love watching Coraline, because its really cool how they make it seem like its the future and my favorite character is the mom.”

STEVE PHAM senior “IT, the old version because its pretty intresting and my favorite character is pennywise because hes really funny.”

REYNALDO ARREDONDO senior “Halloween with Micheal Myers, because its really intresting and scary.”

Cult of Chucky hits Netflix just Gucci Mane releases long in time for Halloween awaited album Mr. Davis

BY CHRISTIAN REYES Entertainment Editor

BY CHRISTIAN REYES Entertainment Editor

The new Chucky movie is just what you’d expect: a horror movie about a killer doll with a sick humor.

Although this is what the newest movie, Cult of Chucky is about, there is a bit of a twist... Instead the classic Chucky doll, there is multiple dolls all with the soul of Chucky inside them. One Chucky can “wake”up another Chucky by chanting a specific set of lines to the doll.

Cult of Chucky is the seventh installment in the Chucky series. It follows right after the 2013 movie Curse of Chucky.While the newest movie is unrated and on DVD and Blu-ray, it is still a good scary movie that will have you sleeping with one eye open under your covers.

Cult of Chucky follows Nica Pierce, (who was also in the previous movie, Curse of Chucky) who is in an insane asylum for being diagnosed with schizophrenia after allegedly butchering her family.In reality, it was Chucky who killed her family, which is no shock. Nica is also a paraplegic. Chucky and Nica have a dark common past, with Chucky being the reason that Nica is a paraplegic, stabbing her mother in the stomach while she was in the womb.

There are many returning characters in this film, with one of the most notable characters being Andy. Andy is in the original Chucky movie, and the original Chucky was his doll. In this installment,

Fans have been hearing about Gucci Mane’s second commercial project of the year since Aug.27,when he first announced the album’s title, tracklist, and cover art. Gucci Manewas set to release it on Sept.15, but later announced that the album would be released on Oct.17 via twitter.

Gucci released the album a couple of days earlier than expected, on Oct.13.

Mr. Davis features some of Gucci Mane’s hottest singles, including “I Get The Bag,” “Curve”, and “Tone It Down.” With many featured artists like The Weeknd, Young Dolph, Migos, Big Sean, Ty Dolla $ign, Nicki Minaj, and A$AP Rocky, its hard to pick a favorite song off the album. Gucci Mane really sets the tone for the album with his intro song, “Work In Progress.” The heavy use of bass and his flow easily make the song a banger.

Out of the 17 tracks, only 6 have no features or co-artists. Gucci really goes in on these solo tracks, holding nothing back. The song “Members Only” is a personal favorite. A song with a simple chorus and a soft beat, it is a song you can listen to on the way to school, before a game, or just at home relaxing. Gucci Mane and The Weeknd also have a song on the album together. The song “Curve” is one of the most listened to songs. Released as a single before the actual album, it caught on quick with a younger intended audience.

Cult of Chucky on Netflix as well as blu-ray on Oct.3 Andy is all grown up, and some of the dolls show fear towards him now that he is an adult.

Over the course of the film, there is the typical gory murders Chucky commits, and some plot twists that are sure to leave you wide-eyed.

In the end, the movie really comes together with the ending not being the actual end. If you can get through the slow start at the beginning, this is definitely a movie that will give you the chills.

Mr. Davis hit the iTunes store on Oct.13 Gucci and The Weeknd also performed together this past month at the Starboy Concert that took place at Capital One Arena, so there is no doubt that when these two artists collab they are making a potential hit single.

Out of the total 17 tracks, the majority of them do not dissapoint. Although there is a couple songs that you’ll probably end up skipping or deleting, Gucci Mane’s Mr. Davis is an album you should definitely take a look at and listen to.

ENTERTAINMENT 19 Review: iPhone 8/8+

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Apple brings new and old features out with IOS 11 and iPhone 8

BY HENRY HOANG People Editor

PSYCHO (1960)

THROWBACK SPOOKY MOVIES Psycho

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, released in 1960, is one of the most classic horror-suspense films. It follows the life of secretary Marion Crane, who goes on the run after stealing money. While she is on the run, she spends the night in the very suspicious Bates Motel. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat by including a dense plot full of surprising plot twists and a wide range of interesting characters. It challenges your mind while also frightening it.

This film, a classic for the fall/winter time, connects the holidays of Christmas and Halloween in a comical way. The main character, Jack Skellington, is tired of celebrating Halloween the same way every year. This is when he stumbles and finds Christmas Town. He tries to make the people in Halloweentown celebrate Christmas, and it results in a hilarious mix of two holidays.

Is it worth buying a brand new iPhone just to be able to wirelessly charge it? Apple wants you to think so. However, some students think otherwise.

This brand new iPhone has marked a changing point on all of Apple’s expensive, but valuable products. Some key features of this new and improved iPhone are the three bold colors and how the camera works.

Sadly, it looks just like the older version but it comes upgraded.

“The iPhone 8 is a really good phone, it works really well and the camera quality is really amazing,” freshman Sarah Gonzalez said.

Some of the new features on the camera include being able to change the overall tone of a picture with new lightings. The glass back has returned, originally on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s. This glass back has caused the phone to be more vulnerable to cracks and scratches if not protected heavily.

“I have a case on my phone but I like the glass back because it reminds me of the old iPhone 4 and I like it,” senior Aklilu Gessesse said.

USE THIS QR CODE TO WATCH THE TRAILER FOR PSYCHO

USE THIS QR CODE TO WATCH THE TRAILER FOR THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

MEGAN LEE senior “Psycho is probably one of my favorite movies. It’ creepy and suspenseful without being overly gory!

It’s the perfect Halloween movie for families”

IAN MARBURGER senior “I like The Nightmare Before Christmas because it kind of mixes two holidays, Halloween and Christmas. The storyline is also really interesting.”

The Amityville Horror

Side by side: the new iPhone 8 immitates aspects frrom the iPhone 4 such as the glass back.

Sleepy Hollow This movie, directed by Tim Burton, is a retelling of a classic tale, the story of the headless horseman. It follows a Police Officer named Ichabod Crane, who investigates a trail of three murders.

This one will not disappoint in any aspect of horror or suspense, and it is a perfect film to watch on a cold and rainy night.

Based on a true story, The Amityville Horror follows a family of 5 who move into their would-be dream house.

However, things take a turn very quickly as creepy things start happening. The parents turns to their family Priest for help, but even his attempt at preforming an exorcism on the house doesn’t work.

USE THIS QR CODE TO WATCH THE TRAILER FOR THE AMITYVILLE HORROR

USE THIS QR CODE TO WATCH THE TRAILER FOR SLEEPY HOLLOW

ILHAN ABDI senior “This movie is so scary and exciting, especially because it’s about a true story. Even though it’s an old movie, I still think it’s one of the best to rewatch.”

LINA OSMAN senior “Sleepy Hollow is a really good movie for this season.

I like the headless horseman idea and Johnny Depp is a great fit for the Police Officer.”

Album Review: Morning After DVSN’s newest work speaks regret from Sept. 5th album

As usual, with this new iPhone comes a new software update: iOS 11. This new software update has only scratched the surface of what is to come for Apple products. Some of Apple’s plans for this update are to add around 60 emojis and enhance the system configurations.

“I like iOS 11 because it is something new with Apple, I also like the new features such as the seconds on the timer and the new notifications screen which shows your lock screen.

Overall it looks better than the old one,” Gessesse said. iOS 11 isn’t perfect. When you scroll down on the notification screen, it shows your lock screen. Some people are not happy with this aspect.

“I think the lock screen for the notifications is annoying, and confusing at first. Apple needs to focus on things people want, like group facetime. The small stylistic aspects can lead them in the wrong direction,” senior Ilhan Abdi said.

Another new feature is the wireless charging, now on Apple’s new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8+.

This iPhone has not lived up to many expectations. Apple users also do not appreciate the headphone jack change. With this port comes a tiny connector that is easily lost.

Lastly, a significant downside is the high prices. Apple has risen their prices in recent years. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8+ cost $700 to $949, depending on the amount of storage on the phone.

“I didn’t pay for the whole phone because I got a discount, but I think it was a good investment if you plan to buy it,” Gessesse said.

The iPhone 8 has good and bad reviews like any other phone. Overall, Apple has stepped up their game with the iPhone 8 and 8+ and Apple users are looking forward to what comes next.

BY TJ GONZALES Staff Writer

Playlist of the Issue @DVSNDVSN INSTAGRAM

Morning After is the sophomore album of the duo named DVSN (pronounced division). The duo of Nineteen95 (producer) and Daniel Daley is signed to OVO Sound as PBR&B artists, or alternative R&B. Based in Toronto, as most OVO artists are, their rise to fame came when they released two songs named “The Line” and “With Me” hit the seventh OVO Sound radio show on Apple’s Beat’s 1 radio station.

They would then release two more songs at the end of 2015 named “Too Deep” and “Hallucinations” on SoundCloud and iTunes. In February of 2016, DVSN would sign with OVO. They were also featured in “Faithful” by Drake on his “Views” album.

Their first Studio album Sept. 5th was very somber, comparing lust and pain. Morning After steers away from that and embraces love and forgiveness.

The intro song, “Run Away”, Daley talks about this girl and how she was everything to him.

He talks about what he saw with her for a future together, though he put her through a lot of emotional pain by cheating on her consistently.

Then, finally letting her go in regret, knowing he couldn’t fix his mistakes this time, giving the reference of

DVSN’s second R&B studio album released on Oct. 13th after much anticipation by fans. how it’s Sept. 6th the morning after Sept. 5th.

The album is very heavy on love and forgiveness. It doesn’t really go anywhere other than those two characteristics which isn’t something you see very often.

It really focuses on that one person you may have in life and that connection and importance they have in your life. At least, that’s what we gain from Daleys’ perspective.

Morning After is very throwback on production. It doesn’t have a trapflavor to it like Bryson Tiller or PARTYNEXTDOOR do. If it does, it’s subtle.

The album brings in a more

traditional, 90’s feel of R&B whilst still keeping DVSNS’ modern-day accent.

This is very apparent in their single off the album, “Mood.” The composition has this slowed-down, genuineproduced feel to it.

Yet, it still has their unique mark on the production, with nineteen95’s alternative R&B feel.

The songs are beautifully written, composed, produced, and sung.

Though, there isn’t much to stand out.

As mentioned before, it’s very focused on love and forgiveness, so all the songs do sound alike. It still has that gorgeous sound and production, but it doesn’t have that one song that

really stands out, lyric wise.

The only one that stood out was “Body Smile”. It was a very slow-jam song where Daley was trying to hook up with an old flame he wronged. It really emphasis the communication between him and his old flame, sexually.

DVSNs Morning After is an amazing album, as it possibly follows their Debut album, with regret of hurting and starting to appreciate love.

There’s just not a lot of variety.

DVSN needed to add something else to the album, at least one or two songs that were really unique. That would’ve set them apart from the competition

BUST DOWN Trippie Redd A Love Letter To You 2 SPICE GIRL Amine Good For You GUCCI GANG Lil Pump Gucci Gang NEW FREEZER Rich The Kid New Freezer UNDEFEATED A Boogie Wit da Hoodie

The Bigger Artist

20 WEEKEND

Wed. Oct. 25, 2017

Experience fall at nearby farm Cox Farms offers rides, mazes and pumpkins

At the end of an outting at Cox Farms you get a free pumpkin. There are different colors and shapes to choose from.

Three slides offers thrils for all ages. They are fun to ride with friends to get a good laugh. The hike up is long but it is worth it.

Pumpkins are everywhere! There are many old cars and other fun props around the farms to take pictures with for your instagram!

COURTESY OF CAMERON FOTI

COURTESY OF CAMERON FOTI

COURTESY COXFARMS.COM

and try to scare you. The hayride was fun but not too scary.

Cox Farms also has a karaoke stage, a bonfire, food, drinks, pumpkins, apple cider and other choices. They have a huge selection of pumpkins, squash, pies, kettle corn and other fall items at the Festival Market. The market requires no admission fee so if you need some kettle corn or a pumpkin, you can go there.

To finish the night, we entered The Forest which I was told is the scariest experience at Cox Farms. The Forest felt like the corn maze but all the scary aspects were different. The Forest had more characters set out to scare you and had houses that were dark and hard to find your way throughout.

My favorite part and the one I found to be the scariest was still the Cornightmare because the characters were dressed better and placed at better spots.

Overall, Cox Farms was a super fun experience for my friends and me. It was nothing that I expected in a good way.

They also offer many options for the people who don’t like to be scared which makes it a fun experience for all.

COURTESY OF CAMERON FOTI

Screams, creaking doors and heavy breathing is what I heard as I first entered one of the famous Cox Farm haunted mazes. I didn’t know what to expect.

This was my first time at Cox Farms, the field was bigger than expected. I purchased my ticket online in order to avoid the crowded lines.

There are three types of tickets: Fear Basic ticket, Fear Plus+ ticket and Fear Deluxe ticket. The Fear Basic ticket includes admission to the Firegrounds and one Dark Side Hayride. The Fear Plus+ ticket includes admission to the Firegrounds, one Dark Side Hayride, plus one entry to Cornightmare (Scary Corn maze) or one entry to The Forest. The Fear Deluxe ticket includes admission to the Firegrounds, one Dark Side Hayride, one entry to Cornightmare, and one entry to The Forest. I bought the Fear Plus+ ticket for $25 because I

didn’t want to have to spend $30 on the Fear Deluxe ticket.

Even though I had purchased the Fear Plus+ I was able to still do all the attractions because there weren’t that many people and their workers were nice people.

After we got our bright orange wristbands to verify our entry, my friends and I went into the Cornightmare. I didn’t know what to expect because I had never been to Cox Farms, a haunted house or scary maze before.

The maze wasn’t what I expected at all. I expected there to be fake props and a few scary characters but there were trailers, houses and buses that you enter with characters inside them that would pop out when you least expected it. To finish off the maze, there was a masked man with a chainsaw that chased you away.

Next we went on the Hayride which I thought was a letdown. After the maze I was expecting the ride to be scarier but it wasn’t. The hayride lasted about 10 minutes and had stops where clowns and other characters would come out

COURTESY OF CAMERON FOTI

BY CAMERON FOTI Weekend Editor

Cox Farms is fun any time of the day. Make sure to check the weather before going. The rain could postpone a day at Cox Farms.

DIY Spooky Pumpkin Imus eosa volut od modis dis velibus ciatempore et, ut vitiassi qui consequasit undaeped qui solorio. Itaecab oribusa aut pere, nos secture volliti usciasperum volo omnissi nonsecerio que odio.

Odia nonsenimusam escil minimiliae acimolu ptatibus eatem que volorep eliquiamus earumetus solor e verum rem quis plitaqui quatemporum etur alibus aciendandit est harit et, sim re, alita entibuscia dellicidus molorum

COURTESY OF HALLEY THADEUS

BY ASEAL CHEN Ruler of the world

1

Go to Harris Teeter and buy a pumpkin, or two for $10. Then, find a face to cut out on Google. Tape the cut out face onto the pumpkin. Finally, trace the face onto the pumpkin with a pencil and remove the paper. You may also want to put down a mat to make clean up faster.

2

Take a pencil and draw on the top of the pumpkin where you want the hole to be. Make sure the hole is big enough to put a candle in. Cut at an angle so that the lid does not fall through. Then, take out the guts with a spoon and put them in a bowl to bake pumkpin seeds for a tasty treat.

3

Find a sharp knife that is thin so that you can cut the traced face out.

Take your time and be patient while cutting so that you don’t make a mistake. While cutting, think about how the light will come through. Shave off any little corners that don’t look sharp.

4

After carving your pumpkin, remove the seeds from the cuts and place in a bowl to wash. Rinse seeds with hot water and dry with a clean towel. Set the oven for 350 degrees and coat the seeds with cinnamon, sugar, Old Bay, salt, or anything your heart desires. Put in oven for 15 minutes and take out for a healthy

5

Find a pumpkin spice candle or any spooky smelling scent to light up your candle. Find a place outside where people will see your pumpkin. Then, remove the top and light the candle. Slowly place the candle in the center of the pumpkin.

Four activities to fall right in to....

COURTESY OF FIELDOFSCREAMS.COM

Field of screams Maryland

Kings Dominion Halloween Haunt

The Haunted Trail is 13 stations of Campground fears that wind you through the haunted forest of Field of Screams Maryland! These stations take the haunted trail experience to the next level with haunted houses lining the trail with their terrifying looks, sounds, animation and props.

This trail is themed as a Camp Fear where a group of 20 year old campers once laughed, played and brutally died.

Come visit the newest attraction at the Field of Screams Maryland and good luck surviving it! Location: 4501 Olney Laytonsville Rd, Olney, MD 20832 Single ticket: $14- $30 Package: $80- $105

COURTESY OF KINGSDOMINION.COM

Mosaic has many fall activities like 5k’s, farmers markets and story time for young children.

The bootique trick or treating spooktacular is a fun event for people of all ages. The event is based around kids trick or treating at all the stores in the mosaic district. After all the candy collecting you can stop by Strawberry Park at 6:30 p.m. to see a screening of “Hotel Transylvania” Families can make it a fun night by dining at one of the many kid-friendly resturants nearby.

The date of the event is Thursday October 26 from 5-7 p.m.

Fort Belvior’s Oktoberfest

COURTESY OF OKTOBERFEST.COM

COURTESY OF MOSAICDISTRICT.COM

Mosaic trick or treat spooktacular

Terror lurks around every corner at the annual Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion. From the thrilling rides to the frightful attractions, you’re in for some extreme screams. Are you brave enough to venture through 8 mazes, 5 scare zones or sit in the fright zone at the thrilling shows?

Over 400 monsters will descend upon the park each night of Haunt at 7 p.m. All you fear is here during many weekends leading up to Halloween Ticket Prices: $41- $94 Date: September 23 – October 29.

Fort Belvoir’s Family and MWR hosts one of the most anticipated events of the year: The 21st annual Oktoberfest! Located at Fremont Field on Fort Belvoir, Oktoberfest is a four-day festival that highlights authentic German cuisine, beverages, music and dancing.

Dates: September 28, 2017 - October 28, 2017 Time: Thursday 6pm-10 p.m.; Friday 6pm-12am; Saturday 12pm-12am; Sunday 12pm-8pm Admission: Free to enter, cost varies for activities and food/drink Location: Tulley Gate Visitor Center Address: 9500 Pohick Road, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060