February 2017: Volume 41, Issue 4 by The Tide

News 2-4

RM Hotspots 5

Opinions 6-8

International 10

Style 11

Center Spread 12-13

La Marea 14

Arts 16-17

Features 18-20

Sports 22-24

Life after the Women’s March by Aral Market On January 21, 2017, almost half a million people marched through Washington, D.C. in a protest for equal rights. Weeks later, students are continuing to further the movement inspired by the Women’s March. The Women’s March organization took advantage of its success to create the 10 Actions in 100 Days Campaign, urging all the protesters to continue trying to spark change. The first of these actions was to write postcards to local legislators. The second was to gather with friends in a “Next Up Huddle” to set goals and discuss steps toward achieving them. Freshmen Lydia Levy and Isabelle Young are two leaders of a group of students participating in this campaign. Young organized a lunchtime postcard-writing session where students wrote to

legislators, including Maryland governor Larry Hogan and the Rockville City Council. For the two of them, the next step is creating a political activism club at RM. “One of the things we’re really interested in getting done is making Rockville a sanctuary city,” Young described. “[The club is] trying to partner with [the] National Organization for Women, so donating to them and adopting some of their political ideals,” she said. Another member, freshman Samarth Nayak, said “I think more people are realizing that there’s still more to be done, and that’s why this club was being made.” Sophomore Keira DiGaetano is also participating in the 10 Actions campaign. She explained how she and her mom wrote to senators, specifically speaking out against Betsy DeVos’ nomination for Education Secretary. She also worked to get her peers involved in activism. “There was a Paul

PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTORIA PRIESTER

More than 470,000 women, men and children attended the Women’s March on Washington in January. Ryan survey… you could call “[I want to] make our school her efforts. “I will know hundreds them and give your opinion on community feel welcome at least of people that are affected, even the Affordable Care Act, so I tried and know that we’re a sanctuary if I’m not personally affected, to get a lot of people to do that,” here, and you can be whoever you by the actions of Trump’s DiGaetano said. want,” Langsam said. administration.” she said. Students like senior Samara Langsam explained that, All the protesters agree that Langsam have been trying to send as somebody who would be it is important to keep trying to messages beyond the Women’s personally affected by some of make their voices heard. “We March campaign. Langsam Trump’s plans, she feels it is even just need to keep putting in an mentioned how she and some more important for her to speak effort, otherwise nothing’s going other seniors are trying to find a out. to happen,” DiGaetano said. way to show the school that RM is Similarly, Young cited RM’s Langsam remarked, “Now is our a safe environment for everybody. diversity as a driving force behind time to be a part of that.”

Black History Month inspires remembrance by MJ Estwick, Daisy Grant and Maureen Zeufack An evolution of the original Negro History Week, African American history month was created in 1976 by President Gerald R. Ford as a dedicated time to highlight important and

influential African Americans and black people who have contributed to American and world history. In Ford’s words, “[The month is to] honor the toooften neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” The month of February was chosen to honor 19th-century

abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, who shared both a close relationship and a birth month. “The purpose of Black History Month is to remember the contribution of black people to America in technology, academia, medicine, literature, science… in a way that is not recognized by the public for the other 11 months and

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCPS

The annual HBCU fair on February 17 taught students about historically black educational institutions.

Inside The Tide...

that most are ignorant to,” senior Camara Aaron, co-founder of RM’s Diverse Voices, explained. Counselor Austin-Drake James agrees, adding, “[African American history] is very significant to America, and what we are. The creator of the Model T car was African American… the light bulb blueprints came from an African American… things that they don’t highlight but we use every single day.” Despite the positive reactions to the month in general, some believe that more should be done. “In my household we don’t just… wait for February 1 to reflect back on the people who have made contributions to the United States and to the world globally,” Antoinette Phillips, resource counselor, explained. Aaron added, “I think designating one month is better than nothing, but one month is a tad reductive, because it’s almost a national copout.” There are a variety of ways that the sentiments of Black History Month can be continued

throughout the year. Mr. James said, “I think it can be just a lot more recognition in terms of what our contribution is… black people… are also engineers and astrophysicists and inventors and creators and writers; we’ve done a lot and influenced tons of parts of society. I think that should be highlighted more so that people can understand that there’s more to us than just what the media might portray.” Aaron believes that there is progress to be made in terms of education. “Incorporating black people into U.S. history and government curricula would be a good start. Black people aren’t given their fair due in those courses, which is the case for a lot of marginalized peoples. The way we are taught, you would assume that black people’s contribution to the U.S. is only from their labor or by their commodification. But black people have been contributing to the very essence of American culture through arts and sciences from the beginning. We should acknowledge that.”

Opinions, 6

Style, 11

La Marea, 14

Arts, 16

Sports, 22

Mental health awareness

All about the Oscars

Necesidad de expresión

Learn more about RMBC

Girls and boys basketball

The Tide

February 2017

NEWS

Trump’s early policies create public controversy by Michelle Ling On January 20, 2017, in front of a crowd of 500,000, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. There were hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic supporters, but the violent protests that occurred only a few blocks away from the White House displayed the political tension within the country. In his 16 minute inaugural address, Trump spoke of the people’s suffering under past presidencies and promised to fight for America and take action to thrive and prosper. Although many have commended Trump for his speech, polls showed that it was not as popular as his predecessors’, only accumulating about 50 percent of positive responses, compared to the 81 percent that former President Barack Obama received in 2009. “I felt that his speech was more like a campaign speech rather than an inauguration speech,” sophomore Isha Yardi said. “I thought it was very selfcentered, essentially like a paton-the-back for himself.” Many students agreed, believing that the President’s speech resembled those from his rallies and did not address the country. Other students disagreed. Senior Nebeyou Esayas said, “I thought the speech was excellent because it got to the point. It really touched base on what Mr. Trump saw that needed to change. I think that instead of trying to sell himself, he sold his ideas and not

PHOTO BY BONNIE PEYER

Protesters assemble in front of Capitol Hill to fight for women’s rights.

necessarily just him to his party.” “People said it was very divisive, but I didn’t really see it that way. I think he was playing to his supporters, and in a way, it was almost nonpartisan. He attacked Democrats, but he also attacked Republicans, it highlighted him as more of an outsider candidate,” sophomore Benjamin Solomich added. The day after President Trump’s inauguration, more than four million people participated in a peaceful protest all around the country. “The women’s march was a great way of bringing people together in a very pacifist way. We were all united under a common goal, and that is women’s rights and women’s equality. I think this marched showed that we still have a long way to go in women’s

rights,” Yardi explained. Although it was named the Women’s March, people of all backgrounds took to the streets in more than 600 U.S. cities. Many RM students attended the event as well, expressing their own opinions on the issues. “A lot of people thought it was protesting Trump, which I don’t actually think was the goal. It was to make sure that no matter who is in government, we won’t stop speaking our minds. Everyone came to protest for what they believe is right. The focus wasn’t on Trump, but it was because Trump was elected that it was created,” sophomore Sofia Chartove said. Esayas added, “I think that people are concerned about what Trump is going to do to certain groups—marginalized groups.

People were already frustrated with the lack of equality for women and minorities, and people saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate how they feel about the issues at hand.” Conflict first arose during campaign season from Trump’s sexist and derogatory comments towards women. Although a significant number of voters directly targeted Trump’s remarks, others addressed gender inequality in general and called for equal rights for women. In the first two weeks of his presidency, President Trump has already signed seven executive orders and 11 presidential memos. This includes withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), moving forward with his plan to construct a wall at the U.S.Mexican border and ordering the completion of the Dakota Access pipeline, just months after the suspension on its construction due to protest from Native American tribes. Arguably the most controversial executive order was made on January 27, exactly one week after his inauguration. Trump ordered a ban of entry from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, for ninety days, and placed a limit on refugees admitted into the U.S. These seven countries are all predominantly Muslim, and the order also authorizes an exception for religious minorities.

promise to keep “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the U.S. As a result, hundreds of people were detained at airports, leading to another nationwide protest in airports all around the country in the weekend following. The ban was resisted by federal judges in New York and Masschusetts, as well as by US District Court Judge James Robert. The ban has since been blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Many felt that Trump’s actions were too extreme. Freshman Arman Bolouri spoke of the impact that the executive order has had on his family. “I think it’s bad to characterize an entire religion based on what a few people do. If you saw what happened in Quebec, those people that tore down the mosque weren’t Muslims, but they were still terrorists. My grandparents live in Iran, and they aren’t terrorists, but now they can’t come into the country anymore,” he said. “It doesn’t affect me personally, but some of my friends are affected by it and it’s bad how someone can just kick you out or prohibit you from entering. It’s illegal to ban a certain race, so he did the next best thing, which is setting a ban timer, which I think is in no way correct,” senior Bernie Zhong said. Other students agreed with Trump’s precautions. “I think

February/March

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABACA PRESS

Trump signed multiple executive orders in his first weeks of presidency.

February 28

SMOB Nominating Convention Come vote for the SMOB finalists.

March 3

MR.RM Hallelujah, it’s raining men!

March 8

International Women’s Day Girls just want to have FUNdamental rights.

March 10

RM Dodgeball Tournament A True Underdog Story.

March 12

Daylight Savings Begins Remember to set your clocks forward.

March 17

St. Patrick’s Day Don’t forget to wear green!

“I think the immigration ban was a fairly bad move, not just because he banned people, but he also made it painfully obvious that the countries that he didn’t ban weren’t banned for his own business and personal interests,” junior John Luo said. This ban aims to uphold his

banning Muslims is against the ideals of the U.S. as a whole. It could have been done in a better way. Protecting the United States is good, but the way that it was conducted was unfair and illustrated America as a bully instead of a world leader,” Esayas explained.

AWARDS

Congratulations to seniors Daisy M. Grant, Mona Lee, Erica Lin, Huayang Peng, William L. Wong, Phil Zhang and Brian G. Zhou for being selected as candidates for the US Presidential Scholars Program. Congratulations to seniors Tylen Hebron and Zaire Mitchell for committing to play football at Shepherd University and Notre Dame College respectively. Congratulations to freshmen Garrett Suhr and Seydi Sull for breaking the school’s 800 meter and 500 meter track record respectively. Also, congratulations to sophomore Connor Din for breaking the the school’s 200 meter free swimming record. Junior Brooke Richman was selected to play for the US Women’s Jr. Volleyball team in the Maccabi Games this summer. Congratulations to sophomore Emily Tian and junior Stella Ho for receiving Gold Keys in the regional Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. Victoria Priester, Emily Tian, Max Tiefer, Lydia Wei and Vivian Yeh received Silver Keys and Keira Digaetano, Stella Ho, Isabella Levine, Nimah Nayel, Thalia Peters, Cindy Song, Emily Tian, Lydia Wei and Alice Zhu received Honorable Mentions.

The Tide

NEWS

February 2017

Fourteen students contend for the SMOB position by Angela Mu The start of a new semester has marked the beginning of the annual Student Member of the Board (SMOB) election. Held in April, the SMOB election will determine the next student representative on the Board of Education. This year 14 students, two which are from RM, have already announced their candidacy. Former SMOB finalist of 2016 and RM junior Alex Abrosimov already has experience in campaigning. He served as sophomore class president last year, created the Student Union Party and invited food trucks to sell lunch on school campus. Abrosimov is supportive of infrastructure renovation as well as giving more power to student representatives at a school level by decentralizing power from the SMOB.

“I’m running for this position because it’s a great opportunity to give back to the county that has cultivated a great learning environment for all of us. It’s also a great platform to advocate for the needs of the students, to ensure that no voices go unheard,” Tadikonda said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TONI L. SANDYS

Alex Abrosimov has announced candidacy. RM sophomore Ananya Tadikonda has acquired substantial experience through communicating with policy makers about the changes students need. She served as former Montgomery County Junior Council President and is current treasurer of Montgomery County Region SGA (MCR).

Ananya Tadikonda presents to a crowd. Her major priorities include training teachers to recognize signs of mental illnesses in students, incorporating more technology into classrooms, ensuring healthier and more affordable school lunches and providing more funding to the Minority Scholars Program to close the achievement gap. Abrosimov’s and Tadikonda’s rivals include junior Matthew Post from Sherwood High School, who serves as the MCR Vice President and SMOB Chief of Staff. Post hopes to create free workshops that will help students with the college admission process, hire teachers from a variety of backgrounds, drastically reduce use of suspensions, reduce the cost of magnet admission assessment and ensure the right to open lunch. Paint Branch sophomore Safwan Masood is also another SMOB candidate. He has been in SGA for four years and serves as Northeast Consortium Liaison on the MCR SGA Executive Board. In his perspective, the most significant issues involve the achievement gap, mental health

and technology. He wishes to give more funding to the Minority Scholars Program, enforce a no tolerance bullying policy and integrate more technology into classrooms by increasing the usage of chromebooks and updating cell phone usage rights. Montgomery Blair High School has four juniors running: Charles Goldman, Joshua Sorto, Le Do, and Michael Yin. Goldman has worked in the Communication Arts Program and the Blair Interracial Dialogue before running for SMOB. He strives to expand tutoring programs, incorporate more technology into classrooms, diversify magnet programs,and combat climate change. Moreover, he hopes to protect undocumented families by restricting access to databases containing their information. As a member of the Student Member Advisory Council and the National Society of High School Scholars, Sorto recognizes the importance of diversity, unity and equality. He emphasized his policies to offer affordable SAT prep tutors, offer driver’s ed as an elective, protect student’s right to activism, diversify magnet programs and introduce Italian as a language class. Do has had experience with politics at a local level outside of school. During his summer internship, he worked in the re-election campaign of John Delaney, representative of the sixth congressional district of Maryland. In his policy platform, Do supports more organic school lunches and the loosening of restrictions on school Wi-Fi. Yin has been a class president, Public Relations Director in the MCR SGA, and advisor in the state SMOB. He pushes to close the achievement gap, expand the dinner program to the whole county and expand mental health training to teachers. Whitman sophomore Arteen Isaagholian, Wheaton junior Vivian Jacobs, Clarksburg junior Jared Lee, Magruder junior Bobbi Sherman and Springbrook junior Brianna Sorto have also announced their candidacy. However, these candidates have not uploaded campaign websites with

their policy platform. Numerous students at RM have expressed their opinions on issues within the school system and elaborated on their expectations for SMOB. “I think that training teachers to be more outreaching to students and pushing back school starting times would be helpful,” senior Shawn McKee said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TONI L. SANDYS

Matthew Post starts his SMOB campaign. Sophomore Marlee San Sebastian said, “A SMOB should definitely be good at communicating with the Board and good at communicating with the students because they’re representing the students, and they need to know what the students want.” The candidates will be narrowed down to two finalists at the Nomination Convention on February 28 at Watkins Mill High School. Student delegates from across the county will vote on the final two candidates after candidates undergo a rigorous question and answer session. The SMOB for 2017-2018 will be decided in late April. All middle and high school students will vote in this election and decide who represents MCPS students on the Board of Education next year.

Leggett vetoes proposal for a $15 minimum wage by Alice Zhu Last month, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett vetoed legislation that would require Montgomery County to enforce a $15 minimum wage. Leggett, a Democrat, refused the increase in fear of competitive disadvantage, a factor that creates a risk of losing business to other competition. No other jurisdictions in the Greater Washington region currently implement a $15 minimum wage, with the exception of the District of

Columbia. Their $15 wage will be put into effect by 2020. Determined by the Fair Labor Standards Act in 2009, the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. In comparison, Maryland’s minimum wage is currently $8.75 an hour while Montgomery County’s minimum wage is $10.75 which does not apply to those under 19 who work 20 hours or fewer a week. “The current minimum wage is not enough for adults. As an adult you have

rent to pay, you have living expenses, you have to keep the heat on in your housethere’s a lot of things you need to pay for. Leggett is seeing things too big picture; there are kids from low income families that need this too,” sophomore Elizabeth Blake said. However, sophomore Luke Xia argued, “If the minimum wage is raised that drastically to fifteen dollars, there would be inflation. Of course I would like it to be 15 dollars, but you can’t just have money when you want it. Besides, they already raised the minimum wage last summer.” The all-Democratic Montgomery County Council passed the legislation on a 5-4 vote and was unable to overcome the veto which would require one more vote. Its legislation would allow for the minimum wage to rise to $12.50 next year, $13.75 in 2019, and $15 in 2020. The council members added an amendment allowing businesses with 25 employees or fewer to be given an extra two years to fulfill these requirements. “For small businesses, it’s a delicate situation: obviously, they have less money, but that’s where a lot of people work. Why should you not earn as much just because you work at a small business? In this case they could just give them more time,” Blake agreed. Senior Anika Yardi said, “I feel that if they are working, they should be paid the minimum wage no matter what. Small business workers and youth workers deserve money too.” Leggett reluctantly vetoed the bill because he believed the time frame was insufficient, though he would consider a revised bill following an impact study on the economic ramifications of a wage increase which will end in July. Leggett also declared he would accept the wage increase if it allowed for the minimum wage to be put into effect in

2022 or later and allow for an exemption for small businesses and youth workers. The minimum wage is an especially confounding issue due to the merits on both sides and is a relevant topic for the many

PHOTO BY JESSICA JI

Heavenly Zheng works at Giant part time.

student workers at Richard Montgomery. “Though an exemption for youth workers is reasonable, I do think there needs to be exceptions for youth workers from low income families,” Xia commented. However, sophomore Ben Solomich contended, “As a teenage worker we don’t need fifteen dollars an hour. Personally, I pretty much did no work and don’t even deserve eight dollars an hour so I

don’t think companies should waste their money on jobs that aren’t worth that much. I feel that if it were raised to fifteen dollars an hour then there would be less opportunities for teenagers like me to enter the workforce.” As Montgomery County is not a highly tourist-driven area, Leggett argues that this law would affect the residents and taxpayers who would have to carry the burden of price hikes. Additionally, small businesses would be unable to prosper with a high minimum wage which might also lead to job cuts and limited job growth and opportunity. Though a $15 minimum wage may function in tourist-funded cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, Leggett believes more time and consideration should be given before this policy is implemented here. However, many students believe this veto is shortsighted and would hinder economic growth and the local community. Taxpayers may have to provide support for families who are unable to sustain with the current minimum wage. “It is important to not account for the fact that the standard of living and the cost of living is going up. Also, the money that you spend on a higher minimum wage will give workers more spending money, which they then invest back into the economy, stimulating it and creating growth for the state,” Yardi said. In the nation’s eighth richest county, citizens undoubtedly wish for policies that would benefit themselves as well as the local economy. Luckily, Maryland’s minimum wage will continue its gradual increase to $9.25 in July 2017 and $10.10 an hour in July 2018, while Montgomery County’s is set to rise to $11.50 an hour in July. “It’s better to have it in 2022 than to not have it at all,” Yardi noted.

NEWS

The Tide

February 2017

Referendum sets New construction Graduation rates three-term limit in Town Center increase in MCPS by Ayesha Khawaja This past November election, citizens of Montgomery County voted for Question B, an amendment that would implement term limits on the County Council. The amendment limits County Council members to hold office for only three consecutive four-year terms instead of the previous unlimited number of terms. Five members of the currently entirely democratic Council will be unable to run for reelection in 2018. The current Council President Nancy Floreen,

GRAPHIC BY VIVIAN YEH

County Executive Ike Legget and other Council members are now barred from another term in office. “Just because of the core beliefs of the American system . . . it looks like a great idea that we shouldn’t have one person in power for too long, otherwise it’s basically a tyranny,” sophomore Rithik Sebastian said.

Republican Robin Ficker spearheaded the petition to get Question B on the ballot. He led two failed attempts to pass the amendment in 2000 and 2004, but last year he succeeded. “This is a sweeping change,” he told American University Radio. “There will be at least five open seats out of 10 in the county government in 2018, and . . . there really is a move by the voters to have fresh ideas and have change.” However, the success did not come without opposition. Former Rockville City Council Member Tom Moore was one of the most outspoken opponents to the amendment. “I think the people who voted for term limits don’t realize that that change is not going to bring the policy outcomes they’re hoping for, because studies have shown over and over again that they don’t,” Moore told Bethesda Magazine. According to junior Rachel Pollock, term limits may not change much because Montgomery County is predominantly democratic. “In Montgomery County people share mainly the same views,” she said, “so I don’t really think it’s going to make a big difference.”

by Haihai Yu Students going to Rockville Town Square for lunch might have noticed construction near North Washington Street. A senior center is currently under construction, with some street-level retail stores and a mid-rise apartment building also planned to be added nearby. The new buildings are just one piece of Rockville Town Square’s Phase 2 construction redevelopment plan. The first part of the plan has already been completed; restaurants and cafes such as Quickway and Kung Fu Tea in 275 North Washington Street opened to the public in mid-to-late 2015. The second half of the construction plan is scheduled to be completed in mid 2017. The site of the old Giant supermarket has

PHOTO BY JESSICA JI

A new senior center in RTC.

been demolished for this upcoming development. The city delayed the expansion of Rockville Town Square during the recession, but there is hope that these developments will be finished in the near future. “All this development has the potential to bring a much needed economic boost to the area,” local business owner Adam Jones said. “The building of this senior center and the apartments will entice people to move into or near Rockville Town Center.” “I know that these senior citizens can also bring business to the area should they move in,” he added. Local Samuel Sanchez also had an optimistic outlook of the new construction plan and its effect on the economy. “I generally come over to RTC for the weekends and it is quite busy there, however not the same can be said for during weekdays, so maybe this senior center will help sales here,” he said. “If more stores will be opening up near the center, I might go and take a look there. I have been to the Quickway restaurant that is part of the development, so I can’t wait to see what might come next,” Sanchez added.

by Cathy Yung The MCPS high school graduation rate is on the rise as more and more seniors are receiving their high school diplomas within the standard four years. In 2016, the MCPS graduation rate rose by 0.4 percent to 89.8 percent, slightly up from 2015, and 2.2 percent higher than the Maryland state average. Almost all racial and ethnic groups in MCPS saw an increase in their graduation rates as well. The graduation rate for African Americans rose 0.9 percentage to 87.7 percent, and the graduation rate for Hispanic students rose 0.8 percentage to 80.4 percent. Additionally, the graduation rates gap between African American, Hispanic and Caucasian shrunk, narrowing by two to three percent. As for how MCPS has achieved such a high graduation percentage, freshman Stephanie Wang said, “I think [the high graduation rates] are because of the good teachers.” “I feel like the teachers are really trying to do their best to get kids out of high school,” junior Isabela Torres agreed. “[The teachers want] kids to be on their way to college

and obtain some sort of degree that will get them somewhere in life.” Some students think that graduation rates are climbing because graduating is becoming a societal norm.

GRAPHIC BY VIVIAN YEH

“I feel like in this community, not graduating is weird, and people look down on you,” junior Nina Brener said. However, achieving 89.8 percent is not the end of the road. “Our work will not be complete until 100 percent of our students graduate with the skills and they will need to thrive in their future,” MCPS Board of Education Michael Durso said. Many students offered their opinions on how to keep students in school. “I feel like we should also have more real world applicable classes. Having classes where people could learn things that they want to learn will keep [students] in school,” Brener said.

ESOL programs advocate for increased budget funds by Ummara Khan RM prides itself on being the most diverse school in the county with students of all ethnicities and backgrounds. Much of RM’s diversity can be credited to the English for Speakers of Other Languges (ESOL) program, which accounts for 11 percent of the students at RM. ESOL has been a hot topic in the county as more students and county officials have brought awareness to the increasing needs of ESOL kids. In Montgomery County, the ESOL program has seen several proposals for change including advocacy for a budget increase. The operating budget for MCPS schools is $2.5 billion for the 2017 fiscal year, a 2.5 percent increase from last year’s operating budget. With the steady increase in enrollment, the needs of MCPS students are also growing. A total of 14.2 percent of all MCPS students are currently enrolled in the ESOL program. Although the overall budget did see an increase, the ESOL program is still advocating for more money. “I think the first thing that needs to happen is a budget increase for ESOL teachers, but I also think we need more support staff,” ESOL 4 and ESOL U.S. History teacher Melissa Porter Parks said. Currently, MCPS has nearly 3,000 instructional aides. In the

past eight years, the hiring of instructional aides has increased by 9 percent. “There have been more funds, however, the enrollment is also growing at an unbelievable pace. We really need more teachers and smaller class sizes,” longtime ESOL teacher Danka Zoric Milojkovic said. Aside from hiring more instructional staff, an increase in ESOL funding would have a positive effect on the overall

the number of counselors by 4.3 percent since 2009, yet the increase may not be adequate. RM ESOL counselor Lekishia Stewart is only present three out of the five school days. After allocating her time towards things like registration and scheduling, only a small portion of time is left for providing social and emotional support for the students. Putting more money towards t h e ESOL program would

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emotional development of students. “We also need to increase social and emotional support for some of our students,” Parks said. “If you think about it we have some of our students who are refugees, who have experienced some very traumatic experiences in their lives.” Overall, MCPS has increased

also mean increasing supplies. “More textbooks and computers would be helpful,” junior Kerin Martinez said. “We usually share textbooks in class.” The additional allocated money for the ESOL program could be used to make the transition from ESOL to on-level classes smoother for the students. “I think the program is

too isolated,” Parks said. “By increasing the teachers and allocations for ESOL so that it is more of a ‘push-in’ like special ed would create a system where students aren’t so isolated.” “If you are a level five student and you are a ninth grader, then next year you’re in on-level English classes, and you’re in the same classes as everyone else. It’s putting those kids at a disadvantage because they are not getting the same instruction and

the interactions as the other students,” Parks continued. Richard Montgomery ESOL students tend to begin to take on-level subject classes once they reach ESOL 3. “I think they are ready then, but I would venture to say that even in those mainstream classroom, they would need extra support; they would need paraeducators and smaller class

sizes,” Milojkovic said. Increasing the budget for the ESOL program would undoubtedly have numerous benefits for the students in the program and the school as a whole. With more money, integration between ESOL students and on level students would be easier and more rewarding for everyone involved. Even with more integrated classes, the obstacle of a language barrier would continue to exist for many students. “It is more difficult sometimes,” Martinez commented regarding talking to someone who doesn’t fluently speak English, “but you learn more because you are not speaking the same language.” Although language barriers can be frustrating, sophomore Stephanie Mukuna advised that they should not stop anyone from making new friends. “It’s not that difficult,” Mukuna said. “If you want to talk to someone, you should go talk to them.” ESOL is a community comprised of many bilingual students who enrich the culture at RM and all of MCPS. Increasing the funding for ESOL would allow students to have access to more teachers, better supplies and encourage more interaction between ESOL and on-level students.

The Tide

RM Hotspots

February 2017

PHOTO BY MONA LEE

Above: Football games are the perfect place to hang out with your friends and get involved, showing RM pride. Right: Stop by the art room to see all of the amazing works of art that your fellow RM classmates have created.

PHOTO BY MONA LEE

Above: The arts come together in the music hallway where you can watch band, chorus and theater practices. Right: Hidden away on the second floor, right next to the English office, the English book room is your number one destination if you need quality reading material (or if you have already lost your book for English class). PHOTO BY MONA LEE

PHOTO BY MONA LEE

Above: The defining feature of the RM building, Main Street is empty after school, but during the day it is packed with students eating their lunch or hanging out with friends.

PHOTO BY MONA LEE

Above: Beginning at 7:25 a.m. every morning, the media center opens up for any student to do their work, print assignments, find their next book or just for students who need a quiet place to study for their daily classes.

The Tide

OPINIONS

How to address mental health by Emily Tian School officials have a mountain of responsibilities, ranging from curricula, student performance and budgeting matters. Promoting mental health awareness often falls toward the bottom of a long laundry list of tasks. However, mental health disorders are of rising concern to teenagers across the country. This issue must be addressed by legislators and school administrators, along with teachers and students. Mental health illnesses encompass a broad range of disorders from anxiety to depression to eating disorders. Mental health illnesses often have severe repercussions on well-being and may lead to self-harm and substance abuse. Unfortunately, the school environment may be a contributing factor for many mental health issues. Stress factors, like academic achievement or social pressures, create a burden on students. According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, 20% of students between ages 13 to 18 have or will develop a mental health condition. This statistic is an alarming reflection of the insufficient efforts of schools to address mental health. In order to effectively combat student mental illnesses, schools should more heavily follow a three-pronged approach: train teachers to recognize and

address mental illnesses among students, organize enjoyable community activities to minimize stress levels, and reduce the stigma attached to mental health disorders. School districts must also continue to allocate funding in the budget in order to provide a comprehensive instructional session mandatory for all school faculty. State SMOB and senior David Edimo noted, “Some critical steps we need to take would include

GRAPHIC BY KATHERINE WANG

training teachers to recognize warning signs and fulfilling the mandates of Lauryn’s Law.” Lauryn’s Law is a recently enacted teenage suicide measure which requires Maryland school counselors to receive regular training so that they can recognize tell-tale signs of mental distress. In addition, through partnership with SGAs, schools should organize more community activities to reduce stress among students. SGA president and senior Sofia Bhalwani stated, “SGA definitely

tries to hold events that would allow students to unwind and lessen the stress,” citing the College Application Weekend held in the fall as one such event. Finally, schools must devote time to raise awareness about mental health and counter negative stereotypes instilled by social standards. School administrators should consider placing awareness posters in hallways or engaging students in lunchtime discussions on the issue of mental health. It is equally important to address issues which are not tied to characteristic symptoms or effects in order to better student mental health. Indeed, not all issues of mental health can be classified as specific illnesses. Especially in a rigorous high school setting, academic stress or not receiving adequate hours of sleep is too commonly brushed off. Sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, and learning. Sophomore Brynne Schoen stated, “We cultivate a culture where if you get three hours of sleep, it’s something to be proud of, and grades are more important than happiness.” While schools cannot alter every factor, or even most factors, that influences student wellbeing, it’s important that schools do the best they can to ensure that students feel safe and their voices are heard. As sophomore Ananya Tadikonda said, “We must ensure that every student has an optimal experience when they walk into the building every day.”

The flipped classroom model by Derek Yao Picture this: you walk into class and instead of taking notes on a lecture, you and your classmates participate in group projects and work together to solve practice problems. Then, at home, you watch videos or read an online textbook, teaching yourself concepts for the next day. That is what a flipped classroom resembles, a contemporary style of teaching which emphasizes self-learning and group projects. Instead of spending time in class learning concepts, students absorb the material from prerecorded videos at home. This leaves class time for projects and seminars, which allow students to apply the new concepts. While flipped classrooms have been around since 2012, they have gained popularity in high schools and colleges. This year, Penn State University applied flipped classrooms models to classes attended by over 1,300 students. With this model, learning becomes the responsibility of students, not teachers. Furthermore, when observing students work, teachers can more easily discover mistakes in the application of a concept that might not normally be resolved due to a lack of class time. Even though there are advantages to the flipped classroom model, there are also many disadvantages. The most common implementation of the flipped classroom model involves

February 2017

pre-recorded videos made by teachers, but such a method would double the workload of teachers. “I don’t think it will work efficiently because the lesson is not applied right away. The teacher cannot directly answer a student’s questions in the case that the student has any,” sophomore Rebecca Jang said. In addition, by leaving class

classrooms might work. But for math, concepts are applied almost immediately so that students can understand the subject,” Jang said. The only types of classes where such a model could be used is in the situation where most of the learning is done at home already, in which case there would be no point in making a full change to the flipped classroom model as it would waste lesson planning time.

Black History Month: Student Voices

Why should we celebrate Black History Month, and what does that encompass? Black History Month helps all of us remember the struggle and hardship that one race, for hundreds of years, faced. Right now, it is like we are going back in time under President Donald Trump. We, as a country, actually got somewhere with Obama. It was an improvement, but now we are back at square one. I want other people to remember what African American people went through so they do not make the same mistakes and history is not repeated. -Amanie Oubrahim, 9th grade Celebrating Black History Month is extremely significant because Black History Month honors the memories and experiences of African Americans, not only in the United States, but also all around the world. In setting aside a specific month to celebrate these people, we are reminded of African Americans who devoted their lives to achieving dreams that drove our country toward freedom and equality. We must honor their lives and the progress they made by continuing to remember their significant impacts on our society. -Grace Zhou, 10th grade

Why is Black History Month important for people of all races and cultures? I think it is necessary for us to understand the different cultural and historical backgrounds of others. We should celebrate each other’s heritage because we live in a world where we have to interact with others. Black History Month allows us to recognize the central role that African Americans have played in our country’s history. -Tesia Shi, 10th grade Education and awareness is so important— we must appreciate other people and groups around us, especially ones that have been neglected. Black history is vital and incredible, and deserves to be acknowledged. Black History Month should never be only for black people. One of the reasons why it is so important is because of the value of education and appreciation for black history on the part of other races. -Rosie Silvers, 11th grade

CORRECTION: The photograph in the December issue of the media center staff was incorrectly captioned. Mrs. Olayemi Onaghise, IT Systems Specialist, and Ms. Ozmara Hernandez, Business Administrator, are not media center staff.

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250 Richard Montgomery Drive Rockville, Maryland 20852 www.thermtide.com 301-610-8000 The Tide is the student newspaper of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. The Tide is dedicated to keeping the Richard Montgomery school community accurately informed and to providing a forum for student expression. 1,000 copies of the newspaper are printed and distributed among students. The opinions presented in The Tide do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and administration at Richard Montgomery. PHOTO BY CALEB SCHAUER

The term ‘flipped classroom’ comes from the shift in classtime away from teachers and instead to students and their gains in knowledge. time for exercises, there are fewer Ultimately, although the chances for individual help from model has both advantages and teachers. Students who have disadvantages as a standalone, trouble in class would have a when combined with current worse time in a flipped classroom, educational techniques, it may trying to balance lecture videos serve to instill a sense of selfand application exercises, discipline in students. resulting in them learning nothing For now, though, it is safe to say and lagging behind. that flipped classrooms will not be Moreover, even if the flipped replacing the standard classroom classroom model is used, it would model of teaching. As math teacher only be practical in certain classes. John Chase said, “As something “For classes like English, books seen as a miracle cure for teaching, are read outside of class and I don’t think it’s as practical as discourse is in class, so flipped people praise it for.”

The Tide is affliated with ASPA, CSPA, and NSPA. Questions, concerns, and suggestions on articles, advertisements, and photos can be submitted to thetideeditors@gmail.com. Editors-in-Chief............................Jenny Chen, Daisy Grant, Victoria Priester, Phil Zhang News................................................................Jisue Gonzales, Christina You, Isabelle Zhou Opinions........................................................................... Alex Hu, Cindy Song, Angela Sun International...........................................................................Vlady Guttenberg, Sindhu Iyer Centerspread..............................................................................Proma Rahman, Grace Wang La Marea............................................................................................................Lisa Hernandez Features.....................................................................................................Rachel Li, Irene Park Arts.......................................................................................................Stella Ho, Albert Zhang Sports..............................................................Madeleine Cheng, Kevin Hu, Julia Kochman Photo....................................................Taylor Balfour, Fatma Elsayed, Jessica Ji, Mona Lee Graphics..........................................................................................Kern Lee, Katherine Wang Online...........................................................................Michelle Dubovitsky, Maddie Franke Sponsors......................................................................Ms. Laurie Brown, Mrs. Bonnie Peyer

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OPINIONS

Black & Gold

February 2017

Should English become the national language of the United States?

Yes, to unite the country No, justifies prejudices by Laura Chang and Tesia Shi 25.4 million people. That is the estimated number of U.S. citizens classified as having limited English proficiency in 2015. For many, learning English is becoming less of a priority because the government often translates resources to a multitude of other languages. However, establishing English as the national language will promote national unity, provide greater opportunities for immigrants, and save the government billions of dollars. It does not mean that English will become the only spoken

signs and workplace accidents caused by misunderstandings. Additionally, proficiency in English increases potential in the workplace. Many states require citizens to pass an English proficiency exam before practicing a profession, so learning the language would open up new doors rather than close them. An article published in Harvard Business Review’s May 2012 issue bluntly stated, “Ready or not, English is now the global language of business.” By making English the national language, we would equip U.S. workers with the communication skills necessary to compete on not just a local level, but also on an international level. With regards to

PHOTO BY CALEB SCHAUER

English is a valuable communication tool, uniting students of different backgrounds. language or that people will be shunned money and efficiency, according to the for communicating in their native tongues. Washington Examiner, “We estimate [the Rather, establishing English as the cost] in the hundreds of millions, if not national language will create a common billions,” a congressional official said. To thread through which people of all compare, a 2012 Fraser Institute analysis backgrounds can interact with one another. found that to provide services in both Junior Nathaniel Stucky said, “You have to French and English, Canada spends 2.4 create an incentive to get more people to billion dollars annually. learn English, and once that happens, we’ll It is simply infeasible for the U.S., with have a more united community.” a population ten times that of Canada, to Once arriving in the U.S., immigrants cater to all 350 different languages present often join tight-knit groups of people who in the country. Instead, funding should share the same cultural identity. be directed to providing education and As sophomore Kevin Lu said, English lessons to citizens new to the “Americans who do not speak English have language. Continuing to translate every no choice but to communicate with others major document to other languages may who only speak the same language. This alleviate communication barriers in the creates a closed environment where people short run, but doing so creates much only interact with speakers of the same greater long-term problems. language and likely the same mindset.” These costs add up, and since Opponents argue that a national proficiency in English is portrayed as language will breed racism and shut doors unnecessary, the desire to learn it will in the faces of those who are not fluent in shrink every day. This reduced desire will the language. However, communication unleash a Pandora’s box of other issues, between citizens of different backgrounds such as the safety hazards discussed is fundamental to tolerance and acceptance of others. Language influences whom individuals can and choose to interact with. “You have to have an Moreover, by introducing an incentive incentive to get people to learn English, we can lessen the danger of misinterpretation. A 2015 study by to learn English, and BioMed Research concluded that patients once that happens, not proficient in English report more issues with their care and are at an increased risk we’ll have a more of experiencing medical errors. Critical information can get lost in translation, and united community.” this can present a health hazard. By encouraging people to learn - Nathaniel Stucky English, we can mitigate this lifethreatening issue. Making English the national language would further protect Americans by decreasing the number of previously. A stroll through the halls of fatal traffic accidents due to misread road RM gives an idea of the diverse cultures that the U.S. proudly represents. Establishing English as our official language will not erase these rich cultural traditions and backgrounds. A national language will serve as a tool of unification, not one of oppression. Lu summed up the point perfectly: “Rather than detracting from our country’s melting pot, establishing English as our official language will help merge new cultures into the greater American identity.”

Black

by Ashley Ye Soon after Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, several changes took place on the official White House website. The removal of the Spanish language version from the website sparked the most outrage, and rightly so because it blatantly excludes those solely fluent in Spanish from important political resources. Making English the national language would only justify this exclusion and increase incidents of this type. Because of this and many other reasons, the United States should not institute English as the national language. Firstly, America prides itself on being a nation of immigrants and including people from a wide range of cultures and races. “America is built upon its core values of diversity and celebrating others’ differences,” sophomore Orrin Ni noted. Establishing English as the national language would infringe on the many other languages spoken in the U.S. English would be seen as superior, and people who are non-fluent would be more likely to face discrimination. In an article for the Quartz, Carlos Steven Baez recounts how he faced reprimand for speaking Spanish with his mother at a restaurant. Instances similar to this will dramatically increase if English is made the national language, and immigrants may feel discouraged or even ashamed to speak their native language. Moreover, many bilinguals would consider establishing English as the national language as forceful assimilation. They want to preserve culture, traditions, and languages from their native country. “Conformity will never be the American way. Our dissimilarities are our unity,” senior Alisa Yan stated. Additionally, making English our national language would discourage citizens from mastering another language. America’s bilingual rate is already alarmingly low. According to Gallup news service, only 26 percent of Americans today are fluent in a language besides English. Knowing other languages is an essential communication tool in an increasingly globalized world, and, according to the New York Times, learning multiple languages can improve cognitive skills. Monolingual policy will also discourage children of non-English speaking immigrants from learning their native language. The culture that generations of immigrants worked so tirelessly to preserve will be eroded by one measly bill. Also, instituting English as our official language would prompt more people to provide only English versions of sources of information, such as pamphlets and websites. Non-English speakers would be excluded from important resources, which would disrupt communication and make living in the U.S. more difficult. This would be an extremely backwards message to send for a nation that has always welcomed immigrants from other countries. “I think it’s important that everybody can understand what’s going on, even if they don’t know the language,” junior Rym Benhassine said. Some critics say learning English is crucial for communication, and officially installing English as the national language will encourage people to learn it, thus facilitating better communication. However, according to an article by ABC News, the second generation of immigrants in the U.S. already tends to naturally learn English. As a result, it would be pointless to establish English as the national language if people will eventually learn it regardless.

Gold Even though the White House later announced that the Spanish version of its website would be restored, the issue has already has caused widespread outrage among the people of the U.S. and RM alike. Numerous individuals found this action derogatory. “The Spanish language has become a very important part of our culture and taking down the Spanish-language version of such an important website didn’t benefit anyone, it simply harmed the many people who had been benefiting from the site,” freshman Valerie Wang said. The fury is not only limited to the United States. According to a recent article in The Guardian, the Spanish Foreign Minister, Alfonso Dastis, strongly disagreed with this decision. “We believe it is not a good idea to give up on such a communication tool, given that this is a country with 52 million Spanish speakers,” he said. Unfortunately, this discriminative deed would be more justified if English was our national language because one could

GRAPHIC BY KERN LEE

argue that a Spanish version of the official White House website was unnecessary. As a result, people would be less motivated to oppose this injustice, and inequalities affecting immigrants and foreign-born citizens like this would become more commonplace. In addition, the assurance that the website’s Spanish version will be rightfully restored in the near future would not have arrived so soon or possibly, at all. “I don’t have a lot of faith in this administration,” Yan said. The fact that one of Donald Trump’s first actions as chief executive was to take away a major source of information from millions of people is concerning. Though the Spanish version of whitehouse.gov, the official White House website, is confirmed to be revived soon, the outrage which its removal sparked and the fundamentally wrong premise behind such a decision should serve as a reminder to why we should not establish English as the national language.

OPINIONS

8 The Tide

February 2017

INSIDE TRUMP’S OFFICE Executive order on wall Trans-Pacific Partnership by Crystal Foretia Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump’s first campaign promise—building a wall between the United States and Mexico—has been a major priority of his administration. Although Trump promises that the new barrier will end illegal immigration and will be paid for by the Mexican government, the wall will likely act as an ineffective measure that will only cost citizens and spread intolerance. Trump began his plan for the wall with an executive order signed on January 25. This order, entitled “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements,” calls for the wall’s immediate construction and 5,000 border patrol agents. According to Fortune Magazine, the wall is expected to be 1,000 miles long, 40 feet high, 10 inches thick and seven feet deep. Many people believe that this wall would be an impractical answer to a complex problem. “Besides not being realistic, the wall is not a good diplomatic move,” sophomore Lucas Frassrand said. “It seems like a campaign promise that he never intended to do.” In addition, the significant cost of the wall raises doubt. It is projected to cost more than $12 billion, according to ABC News. Though Trump insists that Mexico will cover the cost, Enrique Peña Nieto, the President of Mexico, repeatedly stated that Mexico will not pay for the wall. This fact became even more prominent when Nieto canceled a meeting with Trump, one where they would have discussed the new barrier. In response, Trump has floated around the prospect of a 20% import tax on Mexican products to cover the cost. However, this would have negative ramifications on the U.S. economy. U.S. History teacher Lisa MacFarlane expressed this worry, stating,

“the people of Mexico would simply raise their prices.” A tariff would only hurt consumers, as many U.S. based companies in the automobile and manufacturing industries rely on Mexican imports. These companies will increase prices to make up for profit losses from the import taxes. Given that Mexico is adamant they will not pay for the wall, Americans will have to pay the brunt of the cost through their taxes or increased prices on goods. Some Americans worry more about what the wall represents rather than the cost of constructing it. “I’m skeptical that the wall itself will actually be built, but the idea of the wall is problematic,” IB Film teacher Mr. Dustin Flake said. The construction of the wall shows a lack of priorities in Trump’s term since it focuses on physically shutting immigrants out rather than reforming the current path of U.S. citizenship. The concept of a strong, physical barrier as a solution to illegal immigration is simplistic and festers a dangerous nativist attitude in the United States. The wall represents the U.S. government’s attempt to isolate itself from people of other nations out of fear, which goes against the core value of accepting those that are different from us.

by Emily Tian President Donald Trump officially withdrew the United States from the TransPacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP, a free trade agreement for 12 countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, was negotiated by former president Barack Obama. The TPP dismantled pre-existing trade barriers under the condition that member countries commit to a number of goals such as promoting international property rights, banning child labor and enforcing environmental regulations. The agreement was originally signed by representatives of participating countries on Feb. 4, 2016. The countries that were involved, prior to Trump’s executive action, produced over 40% of the world’s gross domestic product. Proponents of the negotiation argue that the agreement was the best method to promote economic interests and slow growth in China. Many people are concerned about Trump’s executive order. “We must allow for some sort of TransPacific trade agreement between Vietnam and the United States because Vietnam will otherwise return to the Chinese bloc,” senior Saam Zahedian said.

No diversity by Emily Zhou Out of the 23 cabinet-level positions, President Donald Trump has filled a mere five with women and/or non-whites, a historic low in recent history. This is worrying because exposure to a diverse range of perspectives is paramount to the success of Trump’s presidency. Trump’s transition team defended Trump’s nominations by arguing he focuses more on skill than public approval. Omarosa Manigault, Trump’s director of African-American outreach, said, “He really wants to make an impact in terms of his vision by appointing and selecting the best that America has to offer.” However, the statistics reveal an alarming pattern about the nominations’ incomes and race. According to a Quartz analysis, 17 of the Trump’s cabinet-level picks have a net worth of at least $9.5 billion—that’s more money than the poorest third of Americans, or 43 million households, combined. According to National Public Radio, Trump has nominated around 20% more CEOs than the average of the last four Presidents. Trump’s nominations are clearly skewed towards members of the upper-class. Additionally, he has only nominated one African-American and four women, with zero Latinos to his cabinet. According to Fortune Magazine, the lack of Latino appointments means no Hispanic will serve in a president’s Cabinet for the first time in nearly three decades. This is particularly significant as the Hispanic population is the largest minority in America, making up 17% of the national population.

Diversity in the cabinet can help bring a variety of perspectives and ideas to the table and results in better decisions for citizens of all races, classes, and genders. “I think that Trump should have had more diverse nominations for the cabinet in order to hear different perspectives and how minority groups would feel about certain decisions,” Junior Emily Navat said. People would be better represented with more diversity in the cabinet. Hilda Solis, who served as labor secretary under President Barack Obama as one of the few Hispanic members, stated that having Hispanics in the Cabinet is important because they often step out of their department roles to offer different perspectives. “I did that often,” she said in an interview with Fortune. “especially on immigration and health care.” With a more experienced and diverse cabinet, Trump could make more informed decisions after hearing firsthand from those of other races and genders. The fact that recent presidents have all recognized the importance of a diverse cabinet demonstrates how Trump should follow this trend of having a cabinet that truly represents the U.S. In 1992, former President Bill Clinton spoke about his diverse cabinet nominations: “I can say with pride that I believe this cabinet and these other appointees represent the best in America.” I hope that Trump will realize the importance of diversity, not just in his cabinet, but in any institution meant to represent the American people.

GRAPHIC BY KERN LEE

Obamacare by Isabella Levine

From the beginning of his campaign, President Donald Trump labeled Obamacare as a “disaster.” Nevertheless, it was extremely doubtful whether Trump would actually follow through with his promise to repeal it. However, barely a week into his presidency, he set this goal in motion. Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, creates a public healthcare system that requires insurers to accept all applicants and provide lower and uniform costs. Obama’s push for the act was the first action in decades to broadly expand the scope and control of the executive branch in terms of policymaking. Critics of Obamacare cite this disruption of balanced power as one of its primary failings. Obamacare was accommodated and funded via tax increases. Trump has frequently voiced his plans to universally lower taxes, progress that could easily be made by terminating Obamacare. However, the Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the Affordable Care Act ultimately decreases the nation’s budget deficit, while repealing it would result in the complete opposite. Hours after being sworn in, Trump signed an executive order that immediately

Opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership believe it will result in an expansion of corporate power, particularly in the realm of Investor-State Dispute Systems, which is a settlement method in which companies can sue countries. They also assert that if the agreement was passed, companies might outsource U.S. jobs to Southeast Asian countries. The RM student body remains divided on the issue. Sophomore Rose Kelly said, “China is going to fill our vacuum.” Sophomore Isaac Applebaum voiced, “[The TPP] increases working standards worldwide which will eventually raise wages and introduce more competition.” On the opposing side, senior Jason Zhao stated, “The TPP must be abolished so that developing countries can properly develop without interference and oppression from the U.S.” Junior John Luo asserted, “[The TPP] is poorly implemented as it gives a lot of power to the international megacorporations. It chafes worker’s rights in the countries involved.” In brokering deals with individual countries, the United States will hold significantly more leverage as the world’s largest economy. These negotiations have the potential for many more gains to the U.S. economy other than the TPP. In the original agreement, there were no provisions which would prevent currency manipulation. Global corporations also had the ability to overrule national standard. Thus, I believe that President Trump was justified in withdrawing from the agreement. The concept of a Pacific agreement addresses foreign policy issues but it is not feasible to sacrifice U.S. job development for the promotion of a Pacific market. The departure from the TPP is, at the moment, the most viable means to foster national growth and take strides into the future. halted any and all advertisements for Obamacare across all forms of media. These advertisements were crucial to reaching the quota of low risk customers that is required to maintain and fund Obamacare. According to former Obamacare executive Kevin Counihan, Trump’s executive order is a clear effort to suppress enrollment, with January 31 as the established deadline for 2017 applicants. Previously, these advertisements had proven successful in attracting the young and healthy, whose “good risk” offset the potential losses from older or sicker adults. Without these customers, insurers would no doubt raise their premiums, inciting more complaints about Obamacare and paving the way to its ultimate replacement. President Trump, instead of choosing to improve public healthcare, has practically ensured its failure. According to CNBC, Obamacare applicants were on the rise, with the rate of sign-ups projected to increase over the next several fiscal years. The executive order will no doubt curb progress and consequently cause spikes in premiums for all customers. Neither Trump, nor any other congressional opponent of Obamacare, has offered a plan for alternate public healthcare options. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 18 million Americans rely on public health insurance for its affordability and accessibility. They will be left without healthcare if Obamacare is repealed. The decision to eliminate Obamacare lacks foresight and directly impacts both students and young adults entering the working world and the millions of other Americans who depend on government aid. Ultimately, though Trump’s antiestablishment platform promised to fight for the common man, he took away their health insurance instead.

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February 2017

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ARTS

February 2017

RMBC anchors mornings One Acts brings together more than just four plays by Magali Ngouabou

In the production of RM’s daily morning broadcast, RMBC, students are able to acquire practical skills in both speaking on camera and directing a filmed production from behind the scenes. “It started with an English teacher— Henry Becker and myself—and we started the show from scratch,” media service technician and RMBC founder Eric Rodney said. The production of RMBC began about fifteen years ago. From the show’s outset, RMBC has transmitted announcements, but with time it has expanded its array of segments, from more recent ones such as Man on the Street and Mr. Monteleone’s Round Table Discussions to some older parts like History Minute or RM Sports Minute. RMBC has gone far beyond just reading out morning announcements. In order to put all these aspects of RMBC into a daily broadcast, the various moving parts that constitute the show must come together. Besides the three people manning the cameras, there is a technical director, a regular director, the two hosts, someone on music and audio and someone who makes the PowerPoint presentations. “I don’t do any of the work; they do,” Mr. Rodney said. Every aspect of the show is student-run, with students in the director roles indicating what other students should do and when. The hosts, also known as talents, the two people delivering the announcements, have faced many critics. “Early on [in the history of the broadcast] some teachers had complained about the quality of some of the reading [by the hosts],” Mr. Rodney said. These students can receive criticism not only from teachers, but from fellow students as well.

Despite this criticism, Mr. Rodney believes in the learning experience and giving every student a chance to grow: “[If] you’re still brave enough to sit in front of that camera and do these announcements, then you’re on, and I am not going to stop you from doing that,” he said. Every two weeks, each student gets a chance to experience a new role in the RMBC process, allowing them to grow an affinity for certain roles over others. “They know the machines well enough that they can start making it do things in a different way and it’s great,” Mr. Rodney praised. “They do a phenomenal job with how tight the show is.” Overall, students are open to explore new roles in the show, but one role takes a little more experience and training. “Probably the most challenging is technical directing just because there’s so many things to keep track of,” senior Joey Moore explained. The technical director does most of their work in the control room, charged with sophisticated equipment: “We have a fancy switchboard—a keyboard for making edits,” Moore said. They have to keep an eye on everything and assure the smooth run of the show. If you are interested in professional level level experience or becoming a part of a high school broadcast with alumni currently involved in professional television, you can pick up a form from Mr. Rodney in the media center to register for the RMBC class. If you are interested but cannot find space in your schedule, there are other ways to be indirectly involved in RMBC. The student body can submit ads and different segments to be run on the show in the morning. You can see these students’ hard work in motion almost every school day at 8:30 a.m. Mornings at RM would feel completely unanchored without them.

Best of RM Art in gallery by Amalia Sulk

PHOTO BY FATMA ELSAYED

A range of work is on display in the gallery. The art gallery doors on Main Street have opened again to display artwork from all art classes for the Best of RM Art Show. From sculptures to charcoal sketches, students with their work inside showed off and gained recognition for their talent. Most of the students spent long hours drafting and sketching before their final piece came together. For junior Michael Zeray, whose artwork, “Coat of Arms,” is a tribute to the cartoons he loved as a child, the process was all about nostalgia. “The fun part was definitely drawing all the cartoon characters, because I got to reminisce about my childhood and feel a bit nostalgic,” Zeray said. Despite the lighthearted theme of his work, Zeray recalled the stress and hard work that went into the piece: “The process was really stressful, and I remember... I was

kind of skipping some homework just to work on that one piece,” he described. Sophomore Delaney Goetz, who painted a city landscape for her Art & Culture class, also spent a long time working on her painting. Starting out with a photo of a building, she attempted to transfer the scene as accurately as possible onto the canvas.“It took a few weeks. We started out planning, we chose a picture and then we had to do an underpainting, and then we had to sketch it,” Goetz explained. Like Zeray, Goetz’s realistic scene presented its own challenges. “I think the hardest part was probably trying to paint exactly what was in the picture, because I feel like it’s easier to paint something that’s in your imagination,” Goetz said. But the challenges were worth it. “It was really fun to see the finished product and be able to compare it to the picture,” Goetz reflected. The other artwork displayed was equally impressive: “Some people are very good at art and... they work at it a lot and they’re just very good pieces,” she continued. To art teacher Kelly Posey, showing students’ hard work is what the art show is all about. “Art is a language where a student can express themselves visually, and they don’t get a chance to do that as much in their classes,” Ms. Posey said. With creativity and hard work, the students featured in the art show were all able to make artwork they, and the school, could be proud of.

by Christine Zhu Most high school drama productions are not student-written. RM’s annual One Acts Festival, however, is an exception. Unlike the fall musical and spring play, this year’s January 27 festival was completely studentrun, with students serving as producers, directors, and writer for each of the four short productions.

Apocalypse,” directed by seniors Charlotte Beckford and Mallory Simcox, closed out the evening with laughter. Their One Act demonstrated exactly what the title described albeit in increasingly implausible ways, such as number nine: romancing zombies. There was also political commentary sprinkled throughout, which garnered cheers from the audience. For many of the playwrights, the opportunity to see their work performed was a dream come true. “I’ve always liked writing and this was a really awesome opportunity,” Lewis said. “[‘Personal Hell’] came together beautifully for the show night and it was really amazing to see the product of all my hard work and the product of everyone else’s hard work come together.” Behind the scenes, though, it was the

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH

The cast acted their hearts out in each play.

This year’s producers were Black Maskers mainstays senior Oscar Saywell and senior Noah Montemarano. Their many responsibilities included deciding which shows would be produced, which was anything but easy. “We got a lot of play submissions this year. All the plays were strong and we could see them on stage,” Saywell said. The end result was an eclectic selection of four plays, which, despite their variation in genre, worked together as a whole to lead viewers through a range of emotions. Opening the show was “Writer’s Block,” written and directed by senior Elise

“It was amazing to see the product of everyone else’s hard work come together in something I had written.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH

Showing how to survive a zombie attack. many stage crews who were responsible for making sure each production went off without a hitch. Such a large responsibility did not come without challenges: “There were a lot of actors and different characters in the show this year, so a challenge was to figure out a way to share the mics between the characters and try to figure out a way switch the mics that was efficient for our sound crew members,” senior Shaina Evans, a sound crew chief, said. The most effective way to work through such difficulties, both cast and crew discovered, was communication. “It’s really hard to keep communication running,” Saywell said. “There’s so many people involved and there’s so many different aspects of the process.” Lewis could certainly sympathize: “I had to schedule the rehearsals and lead the

- Melvin Lewis Steenburgh, a musical about an aspiring playwright with a looming deadline-and no idea what she will write about. With a live band for accompaniment, her characters sang both Steenburgh’s original compositions and reworkings of popular songs such as Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” Following that was “The Extraordinary Lives of Mr. and Mrs. Lee,” which was written and directed by seniors Thomas Hughes and Alex Haddad. The play explored how seemingly normal lives can be anything but that. Hughes and Haddad used the stage innovatively to show both flashbacks and current events in the characters’ lives, and each actor played an equal part in convincingly guiding the audience towards the bittersweet ending. The third play was “Personal Hell,” written and directed by junior Melvin Lewis: “My One Act...was about a bunch of demons who had an office job in hell,” he said. As a result of its premise, the play felt both completely new and comfortingly-or disconcertingly, depending on whether the viewer enjoyed cubicle work--familiar. There were creations of personalized hells for people who were sent to Hell, a visit from “Satan,” and arguments over whether or not red velvet cake is just red-colored chocolate cake. “10 Ways to Survive a Zombie

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH

Actors sing and dance in “Writer’s Block.” rehearsals for two months, and coordinate with all the crew chiefs to make sure all the different aspects of the show would come together,” he said. But unlike his play’s characters, there was an end to the difficulties he faced, sparing him from living through his own personal hell. “It was wild, it was awesome,” Lewis said of show night. Every person who played a part in the show saw their hard work pay off, as the audience erupted in a standing ovation for the festival’s final bows. The curtains may have gone down, but a new set of theater stars was on the rise.

The Tide

ARTS

February 2017

Applebaum jazzes up money for Elhers-Danos by Katie Zhang

What comes to mind when you hear the word “jazz”? Improvisation? Miles Davis? How about La La Land? For sophomore Isaac Applebaum, it means a lifelong passion and a way to help others. Currently, Applebaum is producing a two-part jazz album titled “Song of Myself” consisting of 10 tracks. Half of the album’s profits will be donated to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome research as a way to give back to Applebaum’s friend and bandmate, senior Ingrid Winkler. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a connective tissue disorder that causes frequent joints dislocations. Despite this, Winkler continues to persevere and fulfill her passions as a jazz musician. “She’s strong, she’s a fighter,” Applebaum described, “She has a great sense of humor and she manages to [have] a pretty dark situation and still be a light to others.” Applebaum and Winkler have gotten to know each other well after being friends for two years. After being astounded by the severity and obscurity of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Applebaum decided to use jazz to raise money for EDS research. “In our society today, people feel hopeless - people look at how bad things are - and they ask ‘what can I do?’” Applebaum said. By buying his album, Applebaum wants people to enjoy jazz while also making an impact. Applebaum began playing classical piano 10 years ago, discovered jazz piano

in middle school, and began composing music in high school. “When I write a tune, I have a melody that I can put words around,” Applebaum described. The title track of the album, “Song of Myself,” represents self-discovery. “It’s beautiful, but it’s also searching, it also has power, because the song of yourself comes

beat waltz honors her tradition of baking Hamantaschen, Jewish cookies, for the family every year. “It’s a happy, melodic thing to show the happiness of it, but there’s also an undercurrent of wistfulness and sadness because my grandmother is no longer with us,” Applebaum said. Applebaum also includes a piano cover

PHOTO BY KATIE ZHANG

Applebaum poses with his bandmates on the final day of studio recording. out of the innermost essence of who you are,” he explained. One of the album’s songs, Hamantaschen, an exclusive bonus track, is a solo piano piece commemorating the life of Applebaum’s grandmother. The three-

of “Amazing Grace” in the album. The piece explores Applebaum’s faith and his relationship to God. “It’s a beautiful piece, but it also has a hectic section with lots of dissonance,” he said. The piano cover emphasizes the importance of God’s love

to him, especially during turbulent times. The album is recorded by a quintet, where Applebaum plays the Fender Rhodes piano, Winkler plays the baritone saxophone, senior Eliza Salem plays drums, Marcel Wiedmaier plays the bass, while Ben Wolstein plays the trumpet. “This album is just as much the work of the other four people who worked with me as it is mine. Without them, the album wouldn’t have been half as good as it was,” Applebaum said. “[A quintet] is the best vehicle for composition,” Applebaum explained, “I can have harmonies and voice melodies with two instruments so we can have different intervals, but it’s also few enough people so that we can hear everyone as a soloist.” It is the perfect balance, with each musician contributing their own unique twists to Applebaum’s compositions. Applebaum recalled that, at first, the band played together just to see what would happen. “It just clicked… it really was a spiritual bond with these other people - we created something beautiful together, they shared a part of their self, I shared a part of myself.” They began by playing Applebaum’s original compositions and jazz classics, but soon enough they developed their own personal styles. The music balances and unites each band member’s individual flair. Starting on March 1, the planned release date, physical copies of the album will be for sale in the hallways, and digital copies will also be available for purchase on cdbaby.com, an online music store, for $10.

Joining hands for LGBTQ Artistic choices with signs by Sara Reilly “One of the things that drew me to RM was the freedom of expression on the walls, the way people get to be creative and contribute to their own education and atmosphere,” senior Katherine Osborne said. The RM Queer Rights Club (QRC), of which Osborne is a leader, recently commissioned a new mural outside of the cafeteria. Junior Hayley Goddard was behind the idea of this mural. The painting is a symbol of hope and support for the the

the world how accepting RM is of all of its students, no matter their background. The QRC allows students to discuss issues regarding the LGBTQ community and have a safe space to express themselves with other members of the queer community. “One big part of the idea was to have people beyond just club members participate to affirm their support, which is the foundation of the whole handprint concept,” senior Mekala Rajagopal, a leader of the club, said. With the nation’s polarized political climate, QRC members felt it was important to create this mural to reassure everyone that they are important

by Natalie Chartove On Saturday, January 21, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall to participate in the Women’s March. People from all over the nation came to Washington D.C. to march, bringing with them colorful, creative and witty posters. For those who attended the protest, including RM students and faculty, posters offered an outlet for creativity while also advocating for causes important to them. Most posters were focused on women’s rights, a major theme of the march. “I had one sign that said ‘girls just want to have fundamental human rights,” Rosie Silvers said, a junior who participated in the march. Similarly, sophomore Maureen Zeufack carried a sign that read “Women’s rights are human rights.” Both students agreed that for them it was important to spread a positive message while advocating for

sexuality. Protesters carried signs with slogans ranging from “Black Lives Matter” to “Trans Lives Matter” to messages about climate change. Sophomore Izzy Levine made her signs about race and feminism, painting two girls of unknown races on her signs. “I think a fault of some of the feminist movements that are going on right now is the exclusivity,” Levine explained, “It’s really important that during this presidency we can all come together and work together despite all of the differences between us.” While many signs were very serious, others were lighthearted and comedic, conveying both the marcher’s message and their hopeful attitude. “One of my favorites was a reference to Mean Girls. It said ‘on Wednesdays we smash the patriarchy’,” junior Rym Benhassine said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATALIE CHARTOVE

This slogan was a popular sign choice.

PHOTO BY VALERIE WANG

Each handprint is a meaningful mark left by club members, allies, and bystanders alike. and have the support of their peers. school’s LGBTQ+ community. The mural also gave the QRC ample The mural consists of handprints of RM students, collected over several weeks; opportunity to recruit new members and LGBTQ and allies were invited to leave their supporters of the queer communities. “I mark on the school and show their support think it’s really meaningful for the club for the community. “The handprints because a lot of the time we do a lot of show that the queer community is that, a talking and learning and other things that community, with members of all varieties are very important but not tangible, so to have a physical project that we worked on that still stand together,” Goddard said. “The handprints are helping hands, that lets us leave a mark on the school is hands to hold, hands to pick you up, hands definitely unique,” Rajagopal said. The mural is a bright new addition to support you, hands to fight for you. The way we overlapped them showed that the to the halls and expresses a meaningful community is endless, and that you will sentiment: “RM is a safe space. RM doesn’t never be alone when you’re part of it, even hide its gay community anymore. We’re in hard times,” Goddard explained. Simple, here, we’re queer, and there doesn’t have to yet impactful in meaning, the mural shows be more to it than that,” Osborne declared.

PHOTO COURTESY OF OBEYGIANT

Shepard Fairey designed his own signs. women’s rights, a topic they both felt was relevant in the current political climate. Some of the most popular slogans were a twist on President Trump’s own words. Trump’s now infamous quote, “Grab her by the p---y,” was caught on camera during an interview with Billy Bush and leaked to the public by the Washington Post. The marchers wore home-knitted “P---y Hats” and brought signs saying “the p---y grabs back” as way to repudiate his derogatory comments. While many posters commented on Trump’s actions, others focused on broader topics such as feminism, race and

Another sign said, “Even Kanye would be better than this.” Others referenced Star Wars, paying tribute to Princess Leia. “There were a bunch that were Princess Leia and said “A woman’s place is in the Resistance”,” junior Kate McHale said Desiging posters allowed people from all over the country to participate in the protest, even if they could not attend. For junior Mady Corrigan, carrying a poster was more than spreading a message. “I had one that my cousin’s friend made, who lives in New York and couldn’t go to the march but wanted to participate,” Corrigan said. Overall, while the march was called the Women’s March, the posters reflected broader themes. “I feel like the Women’s March was just such a union of different causes... I felt like that kind of overall summed it up... this march was to support everyone who is going to be targeted under a Trump presidency,” Junior Irene Guggenheim-Triana said.

The Tide

FEATURES

February 2017

First date stories: couples retell where it all began by Valerie Wang It is Valentine’s Day season and with that, many couples will be celebrating their relationship and recounting their sweet or hilarious first date stories. RM is home to a diverse group of couples, and this Valentine’s Day, many are celebrating anniversaries together, be it months or years. First dates mark the beginning of a new story with two people, but despite the closeness of a current relationship, first dates can be a clumsy mixture of awkward nerves or just the perfect amount of sweetness. For sophomores Emily Yuan and Alan Tong, who have been dating for almost nine months, their first date took place at a movie theater. While they both had a lovely time, there were a few mishaps.

“Alan lost the movie tickets and left a box of Bonchon at Starbucks,” Yuan remembered. However, after relocating the tickets, they watched “Zootopia” together, and have been together ever since. Other couples are rounding out their fourth or even fifth year together. Seniors Isabella Paternostro and Brian Shu had their first date on the very last day of eighth grade. The pair had been walking with a group of friends from Julius West Middle School to Rockville Town Center when they decided to split off from the rest of the group and walk around by themselves. “When we were walking around all of a sudden he put his arm around me and started walking like that, and it kinda of shocked me because he was my first ‘boyfriend,’” Paternostro said. They also faced the inevitable awkward situations that ended up making the day more memorable and fun. “I accidentally spilled ice down my shirt and another one of

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ISABELLA PATERNOSTRO

Seniors Paternostro and Shu in eighth grade at JW (left photo) and now (right photo).

my friends threw a coin down my shirt,” Paternostro recollected. All in all, the date was a success. “It was special because we just got to know each other and talk for hours,” Paternostro said. Another four-year partnership, seniors Jennifer Fei and Oscar Saywell, started out in the movie theater of Rockville Town Center when the two were in middle school. “I don’t think either of us were really that excited about the movie cause we were both so nervous,” Fei admitted. “I would describe it as your typical teenager first date...but maybe a little more awkward because it was middle school.” Although they were nervous, the two still had lots of fun. “We were both just really excited to hang out and get to know each other better,” she recalled. “I’m so happy Oscar and I are together; he really is my best friend.” Other first dates started as nothing more than two friends hanging out, like with juniors Ryla Cantergiani and Selma Benhassine. “I kind of tricked her into going out with me,” Cantergiani admitted. “We were supposed to go to Rockville Library to study, and we were looking for a book and it was [only] at Bethesda [Library], so we thought it would be fun to go to Bethesda. And we kind of ended up just walking around on the trail and wandering.” The two had already been good friends and had much to talk about on their ‘study date.’ Besides one little awkward moment, it was clear that there was chemistry between the two. “There was this one part when we ran out of things to talk about, so she just read her chemistry textbook out loud,” Benhassine recalled. “I pretended to be interested.” Juniors Nick Vafa and Katie Serway had also been friends for a couple of months before going on a date on New Year’s Eve

PHOTO COURTESY OF SELMA BENHASSINE

Juniors Ryla Cantergiani (left) and Selma Benhassine (right) hold hands on a walk.

of 2015. “Our first date was a picnic. It was super cold but we decided to do it anyway,” Vafa recalled. “We biked from my house to Lake Needwood and set up a little blanket by the lake.” The two have had several fond memories since then. “She comes to my lacrosse tournaments and I head to her day-long volleyball tournaments. We love to go on biking adventures around D.C. and go on way too many food dates,” Vafa explained. “A fun time was about two weeks ago when we went skiing. It was my first time. I fell about 12 times, but she decided to help me a couple of times when she felt like it.” Whether they are awkward, cute or a combination of both, first dates provide unforgettable memories for couples. Happy Valentine’s Day to all.

Students reveal that disabilities are not disabling by Maureen Zeufack A disability is anything physical or mental that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities. While some students at RM grapple with a disability on a daily basis or have grown up with family members who have disabilities, these students are also thankful for the people in their lives that act as aides or other forms of support to help them. Whether it is helping them with daily tasks or pushing them to continue working towards their goals, these supports are invaluable to students.

“Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. You are the only person that knows your limits and your extent.” - Keiry Garcia Sophomore Keiry Garcia has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as ‘brittle bone disease.’ “My bones lack the strength of people without the condition, which means my bones break easily and I have to be in a wheelchair because my legs aren’t strong enough for me to walk on,” she explained. “My disability doesn’t affect my brain, so I can take normal classes with no need of extra help to understand the stuff being taught.” Garcia has a long-standing relationship

with her aide, Mrs. Mouco, who has been a part of most her life. “She helps me with the things I can’t do at school like carry my binder or take stuff out of my backpack,” she said. “She’s been my aide for about 11 years. She also keeps me on task with my school work because sometimes I just get very lazy and don’t want to do anything.” Senior Alexander Lin and his sisters, junior Belinda and freshman Carissa, grew up with two Deaf parents. “[We] grew up with American Sign Language (ASL) as our first language,” Lin said. His involvement with the deaf community has even influenced his plans for the future. “I plan to pursue Global and Public Health... by becoming an advocate for Deaf health care and pushing it in government, and even possibly designing a cheaper, more efficient hearing aid.” Sophomore Allison Kuentz has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). “It’s harder to focus on tasks that can be boring or require more effort, but if it’s something that’s more interesting you’ll hyperfocus on it. It also makes it harder to switch between tasks, like chores and homework,” she explained. “There [are] times when [my teacher] would have us turn to different pages of our packets, and I would literally have no idea how to complete anything because I just wasn’t paying attention when they taught it.” Another sophomore, who wishes to remain anonymous, deals with a condition called Perthes. “Perthes is a rare disease that affects mostly young boys. It is the avascular necrosis of the hip, so basically there isn’t enough blood flow and the hip ball dies and then regrows,” they explained. “This part of the disease happened to me when I was five. My hip regenerated; however it is misshapen, which caused other orthopedic problems.” Their condition affected them most

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEIRY GARCIA

Sophomore Keiry Garcia (center) has Osteogensis Imperfecta, called ‘brittle bone disease.’ severely when they were a kid. “As a kid, I was in a lot of pain and had lots of trouble walking. I couldn’t do stuff like go on trampolines or run around too much,” they explained. Most of those with disabilities can agree that support systems are crucial. For Kuentz, her support system is her mother. “My mom has ADHD too; I think for the most part it’s genetic. In terms of that, my mom read the signs [of me having ADHD] and got me on medication for it,” she explained. “[My mom] will know when I have to start doing stuff and she’ll remind me. She’s encouraged me when I might not be able to switch paths.” The anonymous sophomore also expressed her gratitude for her family: “My family’s been as supportive as they can be. I’m grateful [...] that they understood that there were things—not just with my gimp leg but in general—that they couldn’t relate

to or understand.” There are many misconceptions surrounding disabilities which these students were adamant about dispelling. “I don’t really like the name “disease” because it makes me feel like I’m sick and I can’t do anything, when in reality that’s not the case,” Garcia said. Lin also explained that there is a stigma around being deaf. “Usually when I tell people my parents are deaf they do the ‘I’m so sorry’ thing. However as a child of deaf adults, I take pride in having deaf parents and don’t see it as a disability and many other deaf people take pride in this too,” he explained. Awareness of disabilities is extremely important, as perpetuating stigmas around disability can limit the potential of individuals. As Garcia stated, “Never let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. You are the only person that knows your limits and your extent.”

FEATURES

The Tide

I’m thankful to have had the honor and privilege of working with Ron Frezzo for the past 20 years. Happy retirement and Happy Valentine’s Day. Wishing you many more. - Mr. Rodney Dear Richard Montgomery HS, You are at the center of my heart and always on my mind--please be my valentine! - Mr. Monteleone Cindy Song! I love you to the universe and back! - Jonathan Zhang Lots of love and appreciation to my friends, family, teachers, and The Tide! <3 - Cindy Song Happy Valentine’s Day to my favorite group of nerds! Thank you for filling my days with endless sarcasm and bad puns. I love you guys! - Rocky I love you Jason Hong - William Liu To Phil, I think of you when I’m dreaming. That’s why I always wake up screaming. - Eric Tao Dear Mr. Garrick, Thanks for the $2, we really appreciate your support! Have a happy Valentine’s Day! - The Students To my darling Frostitutes Your eagle flies so high, My heart will always long for you My chest will always sigh. I don’t know how I’d see without you For I would have no eyes, And I could never know whats true For you have built my mind. -A Frostie Thank you Sadiksha Thaps, Acemoney aka twinkle toes you make my day a little brighter. Here’s to the 2 dollars I could have used to take the bus home, but you guys are worth it. - Lesly Umamzo Shouts to main strumpet Abby, you’re a garbage human being, but this is just how the kool kids these days show their affection <3. I’m dead inside but you make me less dead, so thanks lmao. - Eric Kim

Excerpts from my favorite book that remind me of you: “‘I love you,”’I say to him, but it comes out ‘Hey’ ‘So damn much,’ he says back, it only comes out, ‘Dude’” and “His soul might be a sun. I’ve never met anyone who had the sun for a soul.” - Xochi Cartland Alex Hu, GIMME A HUG BROOOOO - Good at technology Alex To Albert Zhang the love of my life, you are my pumpkin, my paperclip, my strand of hair. Thank you so much baby. You’re really handsome. - ANONYMOUS Olivia Chen, you are my one and only love. I got you a phone case, even though you don’t have a phone. I think this demonstrates my eternal love for you. We have so much in common! I love cats, you love cats. I love stabbing knives into my brother’s door, you love stabbing knives into your brother’s door! Olivia I love youuuu XOXO <3 <3 - Evan Du/Kevin Zhu/Kevin Lu :) Michelle, Love to the Chief! - Anonymous Ms. Hernandez-Love to the Outstanding Ozzie :) - Anonymous To my favorite duo partner, the daddy of jayce top. Every time I see that First Blood: an ally has been slain, my heart skips a beat. Here’s to carrying my 0-10 top laner with my Leblanc mid. Also I hate u for never watching GoT with me. Happy New Year! - Frankie Rain drop Drop top Chris Park you make my heart stop <3 - Anonymous Roses are red, your jaundice makes you yellow. Justin Schwager baby, will you be my fellow? - Anonymous Charity, When I see you, I lose my baerings on reality. I lose control of my mental faculties. What? What’s going on? - Ethan

Louise Liu, you’re my queen of blue, you’re in my veins I can’t get you out of my brain. You’re the love of my life, will you be my wife? <3 - Angela Pan (not Louise)

Thank you for giving me the chance to meet somebody so flawless. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for loving me Stephabear <3. - Gianluca

Angela my man...you’re ok. Thanks for buying me a Valentide. Justin Pan 2020! You are a good meimei - The greatest friend ever, Louise Liu (not Angela)

Mr. McDonald, My love for you is more than 3 standard deviations above the mean. - Mrs. McDonald

Austin, Happy Valentine’s Day! You are an amazing guy and I hope you have a sweet day! :) - Anonymous

Mrs. McDonald, Hey girl -- you’re so fantastic, my demand for your love is price inelastic. - Mr. McDonald

Janelle Ortiz - Ely A huge thank you to our hardworking writers, editors, readers and especially our wonderful sponsors Ms. Brown and Mrs. Peyer. We love you and appreciate all of your support! - Editors-in-Chief

To Clara Paternostro, Little Pats! When will you return from the war? I keep having to count down the days until you get back. Stop getting sick and come fangirl with me! Missing you always. Love, Charese Hannah, thank you for making my life that much better! - Francisco

February 2017

Pick me. Choose me. Love me. - Isabel Knudson Katya, Chupa Chups every day, Chupa Chups every night. - Chupa the Chupa Chup Dear Angela Pan, Roses are red, Violets are blue Your eyes are very pretty They are brown like poo. - Your Pan Club Jaq-Roses are red You are so gr8 Please will you take us out on a d8 - 52 fan club Mrs. Goetz, My love for you is like approaching 1/x at x=0... The limit does not exist! <3 - Mr. Goetz Mr. Goetz, You are the tangent to my curves <3 - Mrs. Goetz Dear Angayla, Wow you’re so smart and pretty. Don’t delete my Valentide. Love you xoxoxoxoxo <3 <3 :) :) :) !!!! - Orrin Ni To my friend, my (anime)lover, and most importantly, my hideous turtle of a human being--Eric Kimchi--your artistic skills bring tears to my eyes, especially when the subject is related to a certain dog-loving man. ILY <3 - Abby Gillman Dear Grace, You are the true love of my life. I love you more than I love my sister’s prom date and La La Land combined. - Irene Park Dear Irene, You are the true love of my life. I love you more than I love Damien Chazelle and Justin Hurwitz combined. - Grace Wang Dear sons of the original G, Do geese have four legs?? LoL enough. I love having you guys in my houseboat and doing competitchins. Ha ho hee ha ho hee. But really, IT’S FINE. Here’s to many more memories, hopefully with me too me too. Tme to use my hands! - Bill Sinton Hey. “I was doing just fine before I met” Joey Tang, All I want for Christmas is you <3 I left my heart at Julius West So very long ago, An empty hole within my chest, Bright bleeding red on show. My tears will never cease to be While all these years go by, And while these drops you’ll never see I promise you- I cry! -A love that spans from East to West Laverne, Yours always. - Shirley

20 The Tide

FEATURES

February 2017

English teacher Koenig runs his way into our hearts by Isabella Levine English teacher Jeremy Koenig’s relationship with running proves that first impressions can be deceiving. Within the span of a few years, he shifted from hating his first full marathon to being featured in the Washington Post after running the marathon at the Milwaukee Running Festival in 2015. “My first marathon was in 2011, and I ran because my brother-in-law was a marathon runner and my family went to see him,” he explained. “Especially [because] standing at mile twenty-five of the marathon and seeing people who you might not think are marathon runners, but here they are... finishing this race; I thought that maybe this is something I could do.” After his miserable experience during his first marathon in 2011, Mr. Koenig swore off running for two years. “I picked it up again just three years ago,” he said. “I had signed up for this race, which I knew wasn’t going to go well, so I thought, what could I do to have fun with it?” Determined to make the most of his return to competing, Mr. Koenig ran the full marathon in costume during the fall of 2015. “I actually stole the idea from a parent of a former student who I ran into at the Rock ‘n Roll marathon in DC,” he continued. “He was wearing a Nats uniform, so that’s what gave me the idea of what I could do.”

At the Milwaukee Running Festival, Mr. Koenig donned a pinstripe Brewers baseball uniform, complete with a baseball hat, a pair of 1980s-era Aviator sunglasses, a glove and a 1980s-style moustache. “I’ve never been more famous in my life,” he said. “I ran into somebody on the marathon route [who] took my photo and the Brewers tweeted out the picture. Even afterwards, out at lunch with my family, people were saying, ‘Were you the guy that was wearing the Brewers uniform?’” Despite his minimal amount of training beforehand, Mr. Koenig ran the race in five hours. “Probably an hour of that was stopping to get photos with people [and] getting the baseball back because I played

PHOTO COURTESY OF MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Mr. Koenig donning a Brewer’s uniform.

GRAPHIC BY KATHERINE WANG

by Julie Yeo Our modern world has been shaped largely by brilliant scientists throughout the years. With the aid of scientific knowledge, we have been able to make technological and medical advancements to both extend and enhance our quality of life. In the words of senior Frederick Xu, one of RM’s young scientists, “[Science] is a way to discover what is underneath the world and why the world works the way it does, the natural way...and that is what is truly cool about science.” Xu was recently recognized as one of the top 300 scientists in the nationwide Regeneron Science Talent Search for his research project, PEGylated Polypeptides as Non-Viral Vectors for CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Delivery. He initially conducted his research during a biomedical engineering internship over the summer through the National

Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) Summer Internship Program. “At the time I was part of RM’s robotics team, I was part of Science Olympiad, I was studying all these different subjects―like physics [and] chemistry,” he explained. “Biomedical engineering pulled me in because it combined all of these elements.” Xu’s internship focused on engineering a polymer that could transport genes safely into our bodies. He spent most of his time in labs designing and constructing the polymer through a series of experiments and tests, using his knowledge of different chemical reactions and polymers to suggest improvements. The tools that Xu helped engineer have the potential to play a large role in the future of medicine. With the polymers he designed, new medicine can be transported into the body safely and efficiently. “This medicine, which is gene therapy, has incredible potential to cure the hardest of diseases that we haven’t been able to cure:

GRAPHIC BY KATHERINE WANG

by Emily Chen Though many RM students take classes like government or law, few actually get to work and perform in a live court. Sophomores Emily Tian and Leo Bertholet were the only RM students to compete in the annual Maryland Moot Court Competition last December. The duo assumed the roles of attorneys in an appellate court and advanced through four of the five rounds, finishing in the top four teams in the state. Prior to the competition, Tian and Bertholet received a case packet and had to prepare to argue both sides, as they had to represent both the petitioner and the respondent. “The case itself was rather nuanced, so one of the largest obstacles was to be able to convincingly argue for both sides of the issue, even when we already had personal leanings,” Tian said. The court case centered around a letter a high school student shared to his principal

via Facebook, in which the student criticized the principal’s actions and threatened him. Bertholet argued whether or not the Facebook post was a ‘true threat’, and thus not protected by the First Amendment. About one year after this incident, the principal confiscated the student’s phone for texting during class and searched through his phone for incriminating evidence. The principal found evidence to convict the student of drug-related crimes. In the competition, Tian a r g u e d whether or not the search was con-

catch with kids that were on the marathon route,” he continued. “It was a lot of fun, the most fun I’ve ever had, as slow as it was.” Spectators were amazed that he ran the full marathon not only in costume, but also with baseball and glove in hand. Mr. Koenig now enjoys the sport’s peaceful seclusion, racing three marathons and three half marathons each year. “Running through Rock Creek Park for two hours is incredibly peaceful; running without music and just listening to the sounds is very therapeutic,” he explained. “You wouldn’t think somebody like that would have a job talking in front of 150 people a day, but I think it fits really well.” As for his teaching job, Mr. Koenig is still able to consolidate his love for literature with his preference for solitude. “To some extent, literary studies is very solitary, very disciplined,” he said. “It’s just you and the text. It’s you and the author.” Ever since he was a teenager, Mr. Koenig has had an interest in literature. “English classes in high school were the classes I liked most,” he recalled. “In college those were the classes I gravitated to and found comfort in.” Furthermore, his experience working as a summer camp counselor in high school helped him cultivate a love for teaching. Mr. Koenig structures his classes around discussions and presentations, encouraging participation and insights from his students as opposed to lecturing. These unique discussions are one of Mr. Koenig’s favorite aspects of teaching

because they constantly change from class to class. “Every individual person is a different reader bringing different circumstances and background to a text,” he elaborated. “That’s very exciting to me, to see things fresh in a new way. I get hundreds of perspectives a year on a work

STDs, even cancer,” he said. Even before his project for Regeneron, Xu was passionately involved in science both inside and outside of school. He first developed his passion for science when he attended Roberto Clemente Middle School’s math, science, and computer science program. “In that program, we got exposed to so much content early on: environmental science, chemistry, biology...and that’s where it really kicked off,” he recalled. Xu’s early exposure to the sciences encouraged him to pursue his interest in science through means of competition. He previously competed in the Science Montgomery science fair, where he presented his own project.

Xu also participates in RM’s Science Olympiad team, which won a fourth place title at the state level last year. In addition to Science Olympiad, he used to participate in robotics, and is currently president of the science club. Continuing on with this trajectory, Xu hopes to work in the field of medicine one day as either a doctor or an engineer. “It’s a really varied field that encompasses a lot of fields that I’m interested in,” he explained. “However, I’m very open to exploring and to probing different areas and to see what really piques my interest.” In the future, he will take it step by step, but one thing he knows is that he wants to keep doing what he loves― science.

stitutional under the Fourth Amendment. The two were intimidated at first, as their competitors were older and seemed more confident. “They knew what they were doing and they probably had a lot of experience, especially the team we went against in the last round where we lost,” Tian explained. “They were very articulate and knew their stuff. So I guess we were somewhat intimidated.” However, they were prepared and ready to fight. Despite their youth and inexperience, Tian and Bertholet performed very well, placing in the top four teams in the state. Although Tian and Bertholet prepared for weeks before the actual competition, there were parts that they could not prepare for. During opening statements, the judge could interrupt and ask questions at any time, which the attorney had to reply to before continuing.

“The fact that the judges―who had substantial legal background―can interject while you’re talking makes moot court interactive and really engaging,” Bertholet explained. “That definitely made it a very dynamic experience and I think it improved my public speaking,” Tian added. Both Tian and Bertholet agreed that it was a valuable experience that taught them more about court, law, and problemsolving and public speaking skills. “I got to experience firsthand what litigation was like, not just in a classroom setting where it’s not necessarily as realistic,” Tian commented. “[Moot court] required a lot of research, but having an opportunity to stand in front of a judge and discuss the implications of the First and Fourth amendments for a specific case is an exciting introduction to the judicial system,” Bertholet added. Although they are not sure if they will compete again next year, they will carry the skills they learned for years to come.

“It’s just you and the text. It’s you and the author.” - Mr. Koenig that I’ve read many times.” Additionally, these interpretations can reveal new aspects of a classmate’s perspective and broaden students’ viewpoints. “[In English classes] I got to know my peers in a way that I wasn’t getting to know them in other classes,” Mr. Koenig continued. Whether by teaching or running a race in costume, he can foster those same connections and interactions between classmates or total strangers. “I love that he knows when to work and when to joke around,” sophomore Britney Erickson said. “There is an overlap between the two.” Mr. Koenig’s open-mindedness and discipline when it comes to both new hobbies and new literature will leave lasting impressions on his students as they face challenges of their own.

PHOTOS BY IRENE PARK

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