News 2-4
Teacher Traditions 5
Opinions 6-8
International 10-11
Center Spread 12-13
La Marea 14
Arts 16-17
Terror attacks spark sympathy, hatred
Oftentimes, as students learning in the small city of Rockville, Maryland, we are insulated from the terror that strikes the global community. This year alone, there have been 346 terrorist incidents across the world, ranging from kidnappings in Nigeria to bombings in Ukraine to shootings in our home country of the United States. It is too easy to generalize these attacks under one umbrella—Islamic terrorism, Middle Eastern civil wars, various nationalistic and political insurgencies—and we often fail to comprehend even a glimpse into the lives of terrorists and victims alike. Even as a part of the Western world, in homes we deem safe and communities we deem welcoming, it is nearly impossible to understand the grief of those who knew the fourteen murdered San Bernardino health officials who were fathers, mothers, refugees, and so much more. It is even harder for us to reach out to those afflicted by these attacks in countries many have never even heard of, and we must sometimes turn to information from the Internet or from our television screens. But the role of social media has both empowered and misguided us as we search for the ugly truth behind these tragedies. The question of Eurocentric bias was revealed with Facebook’s supportive profile picture filters that lent sympathy
to victims of the coordinated Paris terror incidents. The media was not free of this either, as worldwide news publications like the New York Times alienated the Middle East, a region which has been targeted perhaps the most by terrorist
GRAPHIC BY VALENCIA FU
organizations. Sympathy and compassion emerged, but among the other reactions were indifference, bigotry, remorse, criticism,
The heroes keeping us safe by Zoe Berry and Angela Sun “Heroes come in all different forms,” as Elaine the Songwriter has said. But do you know who the heroes are here at our own school? Indeed, there are teachers, principals, administrators, counselors and even students, but there is one hero that may be lesser known: security team leader Mark Yantsos. Before coming to Maryland, Mr. Yantsos lived and worked in busy state of New York. “I’m a retired New York City detective and I was a teacher for seven years,” he said. He has worked at RM security for eight years, and also coached varsity girls basketball for a period of time.
His main priority is to protect the students here—a job he and the rest of the six-person security team take very seriously. “I see everything in the papers now, and all the situations that occur in schools, so I think the most important thing we do is that we do keep you safe,” Mr. Yantsos explained. “That’s our main objective, so that you go home at the end of the day to your parents.” Mr. Yantsos’s job, while rewarding, is by no means a small feat. Most of us only think of the security guards when we see them in the halls during the school week, but their job is not over when we leave school on Friday at 2:30 p.m. “I work seven days a week,” he said. After all, there’s always an event happening at RM. SECURITY, cont. page 18
Security guards are a constant presence in our school hallways and help keep us safe.
PHOTO BY MADDIE FRANKE
and calls for change. A country in mourning was also in divide. Swift reactions of politicians ranged from antagonizing criticism of opposite parties to calls for unity, and before families had even begun mourning, conflicts sparked across media outlets everywhere that touched upon race relations, gun control, and the refugee crisis. Yet not all compassion was lost, as people across the nation came together to show their support and solidarity. In Montgomery County, community leaders of different faiths gathered at the Silver Spring Muslim Community Center to hold a vigil for those affected by the attack and to call for a united peace effort. We cannot judge others based on the news that we hear and the mindsets of those in the environment that surrounds us. Rather, we should learn about others and gather information as we have in the classroom: with an open and accepting mind. As a student newspaper, The Tide strives to provide a platform for the diverse set of voices within Richard Montgomery, and bring to light the issues and struggles that these students face every day. We hope we have done them justice. For more coverage on the international terror epidemic, immigration policy, selective media coverage, Islamophobia, and other relevant news, turn to pages 12-13.
Bidding farewell to our beloved Noodles and Co.
Features 18-20
Sports 22-24
Kenyan library receives 2,000 books from RM by Vlady Guttenberg and Sindhu Iyer It becomes quite easy to take education for granted when the county allocates $2 billion of its budget towards its schools. Montgomery County is known to be one of the higher-income counties in the state, and even the country. Schools here provide a vast array of academic opportunities and technological devices such as Promethean Boards and Chromebooks. Students rest assured that they will always have access to their school library and textbooks. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for students in many countries around the world. Towns such as Kabarnet in Kenya have a child population of 12,000, but only 20 schools to accommodate all these children. Although recent legislation requires that all students go to school, most cannot afford the school fees and uniforms, and the opportunity often goes to males. The single library has few books, most of which are outdated. Not only do students have to reserve and pay to visit it, but younger children are rarely allowed because priority is given to juniors and seniors who must study for college placement exams. This is where Christyne Nasbe comes in. KENYA, cont. page 10
by Kevin Hu and Kyle Zhu Last month, the Noodles and Company decided to close their ten year old restaurant in Rockville Town Center (RTC). This closing is a continuation of a recent trend of restaurants moving out of the neighborhood due to poor business. In recent years, the sandwich chain Cosi, the chicken restaurant El Carbon, the pizzeria Oro Pomodoro, and the Vietnamese restaurant Pho and Rolls have all decided to move their businesses from RTC. This trend appears set to continue, as the owners of the local Five Guys are also considering closing shop. “We might close down because business is slowing down, because of like a seasonal thing…we’re still debating it at this point,” Anna Pineda, a Five Guys employee, said. “Business increases during the summer, because everyone wants to go out during then. But in the winter, it’s cold man, people would rather stay inside and order delivery.” The turf field, benches, and stage outside of Five Guys is a popular spot for families and teenagers during the warm seasons, but is much more empty during the winter. It’s possible that RTC is a popular spot for socializing, but not shopping. According to an article in the Sentinel, “It’s a pretty vibrant center, a lot of people there, but not a lot of people shopping it seemed.” While many RM students enjoy going
PHOTO BY MONA LEE
Mellow Mushroom will be coming to RTC. out to lunch, RTC is about a half a mile away from the school, which dissuades many students from walking there for lunch. Seniors, on the other hand, often avoid driving to RTC because of its lack of free parking. “You either parallel park or you use the parking lot. However, that costs money unless you ask stores to validate your ticket,” senior Ravi Kemburu said. “What usually happens is one of our friends drives around while we get food.” As a result of the distance and parking situation, many students interested in going out to lunch opt for closer restaurants at the Ritchie Center Shopping Center, such as La Limena or Jumbo Jumbo Cafe. All of this concern about the stability of businesses in RTC comes as a new development is completed. The development, located across the street from the Regal Theaters, includes a 15-story, multi-use building that will house Upton Apartments as well as several restaurants. These new additions add to the uncertainty of business in RTC, with some owners optimistic about new customers and others concerned with increased competition. ECONOMY, cont. page 2
Opinions, 8
International, 11
La Marea, 14
Arts, 17
Features, 18
Sports, 24
Counselor visit frequency
William & Mary Model UN
Tex-Mex food chains
Chorus caroling
MCR President David Edimo
Coach Joshua Klotz