The Tide - March 2018

20

News 2-3

Opinions 4-6

La Marea 9

Center Spread 10-11

Features 12-14

Students nationwide call for gun control legislation

by Rose Kelly

On February 15, the New York Times published a story with the headline “As Shots Ring Out, A Student Texts: ‘If I Don’t Make It, I Love You”, capturing the trauma of a high school mass shooting.

The previous afternoon— Valentine’s Day—Nikolas Cruz, 19, shot and killed 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Cruz, a former student at Stoneman Douglas, arrived on campus in an Uber at 2:19 p.m. By 3:41 p.m. he had been arrested on a nearby residential street, reports the New York Times.

In the weeks since February 14, there has been a groundswell of

gun control activism, particularly student-led efforts.

Consequently, debate has raged in all levels of the U.S. government.

Activism in Florida has been especially fervent, led largely

by Stoneman Douglas students and victims Pundits. Politicians and observers consider their leadership natural, and see the students as a breakthrough voice for gun control.

Michelle Cottle noted in an article in the Atlantic, “Possessed of that blend of innocence and savvy peculiar to teenagers, the Stoneman Douglas survivors indeed have emerged as a rare, perhaps even unique, voice in the gun debate.”

Dave Cullen, charged with covering the Columbine shooting in 1999 and most school shootings

Arts 16-18

Sports 19-20

since, described the change in nature of the victims at Parkland in POLITICO. “I have never seen anything like these Parkland kids,” he wrote.

“This one seems different—these young survivors are speaking out and calling out the politicians who have done nothing for the past two decades.”

On February 20, Stoneman Douglas survivors traveled from Parkland in southern Florida to the state capital building in Tallahassee for a vote on an assault weapons ban.

Nikolas Cruz, in only six minutes, had been able to complete his rampage using a semi-automatic assault rifle common among mass shooters, the AR-15.

PROTEST, cont. page 3

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

Senior Jude Jones calls for gun reform while protesting in student march.

: Jack-of-all-trades

by Tesia Shi “And the winner is...Jack Liang, ‘Mr. Wu Tang!’” hosts Julia Finver and Kisa Sow announced. The crowd roared as Liang’s fellow contestants hoisted him onto their shoulders.

Among 15 talented and comical seniors, he had just been crowned MR. RM 2018, winning a free prom tux rental, two prom tickets and, of course, bragging rights for the rest of the year.

“It feels absolutely surreal.

I just wanted to do something memorable with some of my friends before I left RM. I never expected to win,” Liang said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAMON MONTELEONE Preparation for the three-hour Liang’s fellow MR. RM contestants hoist him on their shoulders after he hs announced as MR. RM 2018.show began long before March 9.

Inside The Tide...

Opinions, 4

Black Panther

Interest meetings and interviews to narrow down the contestant pool to five occurred as early as January.

During this time, contestants also chose the nicknames which they would be known by for the rest of the contest. Liang chose “Mr. Wu Tang,” inspired by the rap group, the Wu-Tang Clan.

“Their music and videos are heavily influenced by Asian and especially Chinese culture,” he explained. “I really resonate with Wu Tang because I am a total 90s Hip Hop nerd, love martial arts, and am, of course, Chinese.”

After picking their names, contestants met twice a week in to prepare for the opening dance, talent event, and more.

MR. RM, cont. page 13

La Marea, 9

Centerspread, 10

Sports, 19

Venezuela

Spring break in Europe

March Madness

2

The Tide

March 2018

NEWS

Parkland school shooting renews gun control protests PROTEST, cont. from page 1 The vote in Tallahassee had been initiated by State Representative Kionne McGhee, a Democrat from Miami. McGhee’s legislation was voted on in less than three minutes and ultimately failed in a 36 to 71 vote along party lines.

The Stoneman Douglas students present were visibly disappointed.

There continues to be a legislative struggle in Florida. The state senate approved a bill—the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act—on March 9, the final day of the legislative session.

The law increases mental health and safety program spending in Florida schools and provides for a program allowing teachers to carry arms in schools.

Notably absent from the bill is a conclusive assault rifle ban that the Stoneman Douglas students have demanded.

Richard Montgomery students are taking a cue from Parkland

students and have become active in the debate. Hundreds of Washington area students gathered in Washington on February 21, and several marches have occurred since.

A national school walkout on March 14 drew student advocates for gun reform from all over the country.

The movement among local students has been criticized for being unfocused and without specific objectives. The broader debate has provoked vilification across the aisle and has been considered bombastic by staunch pro-gun communities.

Senior Adam Howlett opted not to participate in recent walkouts and said, “Some of the efforts are somewhat misguided on both sides, you know.

“There are a number of policies being advocated out there that are going to be either counterproductive or simply not helpful at all,” he continued.

For junior Allison Kuentz, the student-led activism and online reaction has resonated deeply.

“To me, the reason that this particular school shooting elicited such a strong response is because of social media.

The video clips posted and the tweets I’ve read made my hands tremble,” Kuentz said.

COURTESY OF WASHINGTON POST

Parkland students attend rally.

In Washington, President Trump has signaled his support for some gun control measures after having a similar emotional

response, much to the chagrin of some of his fellow hard-line Republicans.

He moved to regulate bump stocks, a device that attaches to a rifle that effectively gives a semiautomatic weapon the capabilities of a civilian-prohibited fully automatic weapon.

Although bump stocks were used in the Las Vegas shooting last October, the Parkland shooter did not use them.

Still, President Trump sent a memo to the Justice Department ordering they propose a bump stock ban. Trump also held a televised, bipartisan meeting on the topic of gun control on February 28.

Throughout the meeting, the Republican president appeared open to traditionally Democratic ideas, including raising the age limit on purchasing assault rifles to 21 and stronger background checks with a greater focus on mental illness.

However, in line with his Republican party affiliation, President Trump requested more armed staff in school buildings and fewer gun free zones.

Soon after the bipartisan meeting, the President met with the National Rifle Association, a gun lobbying organization that donates large sums of money to Republican and Democrat representatives.

After the meeting, Trump noticeably softened his rhetoric on gun control. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested that the White House is still pondering gun control measures.

“It’s upsetting that after all this, the students are begging for safety, rather than adults offering protection. However, I do feel hopeful that changes will be made,” Kuentz said, echoing the broader sentiments of teenagers across the country who seek new gun control laws.

DECA chapter defends MD state championship title

by Angela Mu and Helen Qian For the third year in a row, RM DECA members left the Maryland DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) with medals around their necks and another first place victory.

DECA has grown to be one of the largest clubs in the school.

RM sent around 150 members to the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor for SCDC this year.

On February 22 and February 23, students spent two days out of school competing in a variety of business-related challenges.

For many, the conference was a culminating point where months of research, studying and preparation finally paid off.

Junior Grace Zhou, whose team won first place in Buying and Merchandising Operations Research, said, “This year we

started writing our paper a lot earlier and we practiced our in front of multiple teachers, so we could gain some feedback on how to improve and just to be more comfortable saying our script.”

Consistent practice is what helped many RM students win awards at SCDC, because they had developed strong public speaking skills.

At the conference, students also attended workshops and listened to guest speakers share about future careers.

“DECA is a good opportunity to dip your feet into what to expect if you were to go into business,” Zhou added.

However, the conference did not run as smoothly as some students expected.

As DECA Co-President Senior Jonathan Huang said, “One thing I didn’t like about this year was that we were

nestled in the city.

“Apparently it’s a dangerous city, so we couldn’t walk around after we finished our conference, which gave us a lot of idle time,” he continued.

Despite these complications, RM DECA is already looking beyond SCDC to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia this April.

“I want to get more people to go to ICDC because then we will be competing internationally.

That’s where you can really show your business knowledge,” Huang said RM DECA finds its strength in the students’ abilities to selfstudy, write and present.

These skills will improve with the help of next year’s Business Ed course and a new mentorship program that will take DECA to the next level.

March/April

PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. ALEXANDER

DECA members celebrate the state championship and rapid expansion.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Montgomery County makes shortlist for Amazon HQ2

Following Amazon’s 2017 announcement that it was searching for a city to house its new secondary headquarters, “HQ2,” over 200 locations across North America submitted proposals to construct HQ2 in their region.

Amazon will invest $5 billion into HQ2, and the surrounding area will benefit from the creation of roughly 50,000 new jobs and other economic perks.

The names of the top 20 finalists for HQ2 were released in January 2018, with Montgomery County (along with DC and northern Virginia) as one of the select places of serious consideration.

Montgomery County is the only county making the list, as opposed to more well-known cities like New York or Los Angeles.

“It’s really cool that Montgomery County made the list, especially since it’s not really as well known as some of the other cities that made the final cut,” sophomore Stephanie Wang said.

If Montgomery County is chosen as the final HQ2 site, it will likely be built in the 45-acre lot of the now-vacant White Flint Mall in North Bethesda.

There has been a good deal of speculation surrounding the announcement of the final location, which is currently expected to occur by the end of 2018.

by Jennifer Li

CORRECTIONS

Mar 26-Apr 2

Spring Break Catch up on sleep and turn over a new leaf.

April 1

Easter Monday and April Fools Don’t count your Easter eggs before they hatch.

April 6

Fine Lines Coffee House The final (coffee) grind.

April 9 April 20-21

Third Quarter ends The home stretch!

Black Maskers: Murder in Black & White Not a bad way to kill your Friday night.

The following are corrections for Volume 42, Issue 3 (February 2018): The article “No, it fails to resolve pressing issues,” in the Opinions section has a graphic of two identical men angrily waiting for webpages to load, and it was drawn by Vivian Yeh, not Caroline Dinh.

The author of the “Coaches give advice on college recruitment process” article in the Sports section was Byron Fan, not Robyn Fohouo.

The author of the “Ele Eschenburg’s brush with inspiration” article in the Arts section was Clare Zhang, not Saanika Mahashetty.

The author of the “Expect boldness to spring into fashion” article in the Arts section was Mary Ma, not Kayden Fu. The author of the “The best love songs” article in the Arts section was Kayden Fu and Helena Yang, not just Kayden Fu. The photo in the “Ele Eschenburg’s brush with inspiration” article in the Arts section was taken by Mikhaila Estwick.

AWARDS

Hats off to the mock trial team for winning the county and circuit championships and advancing to the state competition!

Congratulations to the RM Chamber Orchestra for earning Superior ratings at the MCPS Orchestra Adjudication. Way to go!

NEWS

The Tide

March 2018

3

Debate team secures a victory SMOB race advances

by Emily Chen On February 15, the RM debate team won both overall and individual team county championships for the third year in a row.

The winning team, RM

watch debates. As RM’s opponents preferred to debate without spectators, many RM teammates instead watched the other match.

They listened closely to arguments, poked holes and took detailed notes to help Espejo and Lam in case they

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. STILLMAN

Debate team members win many awards at the county championships. sophomores Danny Espejo and would have to face one of the Nam Lam, defeated Montgomery teams in the finals.

Blair High School in one of the most Although RM was not called dramatic debates this year. to compete in the finals, RM After the typical September to debate members congratulated January debate season, the top 64 Espejo and Lam and stayed to teams across the county competed watch the final match. During in February playoffs. Teams are the debate, however, RM social eliminated across the span of two studies teacher and debate days until a winning pair prevails. coach Mr. Stillman pulled RM represented a quarter of the Espejo and Lam aside. top 64 teams, despite being one of A league official halted the smallest school teams in the the debate. She apologized, region. Among the top 16 teams announcing that there had been who advanced to the second day, a mistake with the ballots and seven were from RM. that the RM team belonged in After 7pm on February 15, only finals. four semi-finalist teams across the Given the circumstances, county were contending for the Lam and Espejo had to recover championship: two Blake teams, and prepare quickly. one Montgomery Blair team and “I was completely shocked, RM’s own Espejo and Lam. every part of me was pounding During playoffs, unless and I could barely process what the performing teams are was happening at the time,” uncomfortable, visitors can Lam said.

“Going from ‘we lost, we made a good run for it but we can chill now,’ to ‘Oh my gosh, we’re about to debate again in front of this whole large crowd,’ was a really scary jump, but we got our composure back and went back up with all we had,” Espejo said.

Espejo and Lam’s win as sophomores is unprecedented, especially since Lam is a first year debater.

“Danny and I had not suspected winning to ever happen. We were just glad to get into the round of 16 and thought that we would get eliminated early on,” Lam said.

He continued, “Winning the entire championship had never crossed our mind until the moment we were asked to step on stage to compete in the finale.”

Espejo and Lam are looking towards the future, hoping to land a better seasonal record next year and maybe even defend their title.

“We’ll see, there’s certainly a luck factor to it, but we’re definitely going to try to improve,” Espejo said.

In addition to Lam, five of the 14 RM debaters who advanced to the second day were novices.

Freshmen Amy Zhai and Namya Nanda ended the season with an 8-2 record, one of the highest for a new team.

Freshmen Jerry Shen and Sarah Molot, as well as sophomore Dina Garmroudi, were also among the ranks of the top 16 teams.

“The most exciting thing is all the freshmen and sophomores and novices who did well.

The future is bright,” co-coach and social studies teacher Mr. Stillman said.

by Gillian Smith The annual race for the county Student Member of the Board (SMOB) heated up when two of RM’s four preliminary SMOB candidates were selected to advance to the final vote on April 25: juniors Ananya Tadikonda and Nimah Nayel.

Elected by MCPS middle and high school students, the SMOB will assume the seat currently held

by Sherwood High School senior Matt Post and will have full voting privileges on the Montgomery County Board of Education.

three candidates of choice with the top candidate receiving three points, the second candidate receiving two points and the third receiving one point.

In this final vote, Tadikonda received 764 points, and Nimah Nayel finished second with 641 points. Finishing a close third, with 611 points, was sophomore Nate Tinbite from Kennedy High School.

Both candidates are passionate student activists.

“With the aid of my former experience and passion for student advocacy, I would like to foster a community network,

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT POST

Nayel,Tadikonda pose with MCR President Michael Yin, SMOB Matt Post.

Over 400 students from MCPS so that we can advocate for middle and high schools, including the change we aspire to see,” thirteen RM voting delegates and Tadikonda said. sixteen campaigning sophomores Nayel said, “Having and juniors, attended the annual experienced such diverse walks SMOB Nominating Convention of life throughout my educational on February 21 in the Watkins Mill years, I’m able to connect with a High School auditorium. vast majority of the wonderful After candidate speeches, the individuals we have in our school delegates voted to narrow county.” the pool of candidates down to As Nayel and Tadikonda were eight which included three RMHS chosen to proceed, the RMHS juniors: Adrian Andriessens, delegation erupted with cheers Ananya Tadikonda and Nimah and excitement. “I got to add Nayel. my voice to a cause I believed After each candidate gave a brief in,” junior delegate Addele pitch, delegates voted for their top Hargenrader said.

Mueller probe gains traction with 13 Russians indicted

by Ayesha Khawaja “The Americans are very impressionable people,” indicted Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said. “They see what they want to see.”

Prigozhin is among the thirteen Russians and three companies that Special Counsel Robert Mueller formally charged with conspiring to defraud the United States on February 16.

The fraud lies in an unprecedented Russian campaign to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

In May 2017, the Department of Justice appointed Robert Mueller head of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

This indictment marks the first major round of charges against Russia.

A vast network of activities that the Russians have been using to influence American politics was uncovered by the indictment.

Mueller suggests that the indictment is only the tip of the iceberg of Russia’s interference.

In the indictment, Mueller charges the defendants with spearheading a variety of activities to destabilize the United States.

Allegedly, Russians stole U.S. identities and created fake social media accounts, masquerading as U.S. citizens.

They used those platforms to spread divisive opinions on controversial issues, degrade information about the election candidates, and generate discord within the nation.

Along with charges of stolen identities, the indictment claims that the Russians traveled to the U.S. to gather intelligence to interfere with the election and used private networks to avoid detection.

Those indicted were mostly wealthy Russian businessmen with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“When the United States is divided it can’t act properly.”

- Jolly Rop However, the Kremlin has denied all allegations that they played a part in the campaign to interfere with U.S. politics.

Mueller also alleges that the defendants contacted “unwitting” members of President Donald Trump’s election campaign.

However, the indictment fails to offer hard evidence to support this, a fact that the Trump administration has emphasized in light of the accusations.

President Trump’s claims that his administration had nothing to do with the interference have not allayed the concerns of many.

He had denied that there was any Russian interference in the election for months.

“Deep down, we all kind of know there was some sort of

involvement,” said senior Taylor Thomas.

She continued, “And there’s the fact that Putin got away with it for so long until now, and Trump is still denying it.”

Congress has condemned the Russian effort to interfere with U.S. politics, but the purpose of the interference is still unclear.

Some believe that Russia merely wanted to divide the American people.

Others, however, think that Russia wanted to ensure Trump would be elected to the presidency.

“When the United States is divided it can’t act properly,” said sophomore Jolly Rop. “If you look through history, if countries are divided it gives way to inefficiencies.

She continued, “When the United States is divided it can’t effectively establish its foreign policy, which is policy that Russia really does not like.”

Russian interference is not new to the U.S. One of the companies indicted is the now disbanded Internet Research Agency (IRA), an organization devoted to promoting Russian business and political interests.

The IRA has been interfering with U.S. politics since its conception in 2014 during the Obama administration, and twelve of the thirteen indicted Russians worked for the IRA. This has raised questions surrounding the failure of the Obama administration to decisively combat Russian aggression.

An article from The Atlantic suggests that Obama did not want to cause mass hysteria over Russia’s intelligence activities.

Despite this, due to Mueller’s massive investigation of Russia, Russia’s influence has generated a general feeling of unease around the U.S. “It’s kind of hard to believe that something this controversial and this corrupted could’ve possibly happened in the government,” sophomore William Garner said.

The indictment has also raised frightening concerns over the legitimacy of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Many fear that if Russia colluded

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WASHINGTON POST

Mueller emerges from the Capitol. with Trump to help him win the election then the outcome may not have been genuine.

“It hasn’t been proven yet so we have no idea,” Garner conceded, “but if that was the case, then all the votes [in the election] could’ve been for nothing.”

The implications of an

indictment of this caliber are uncertain.

Mueller’s investigation is ongoing, and there may be more charges against Russia in the future.

“I think that we as a generation can’t even think about the implications because we haven’t yet experienced a situation quite like this,” senior Ryla Cantergiani said. “But there will definitely be a big shift in society as to who we can trust in the government.”

Regardless of the uncertainty, there is a general consensus that the indictment has uncovered a dark, malignant effort to manipulate the integrity of the United States.

Many American citizens are not happy with its potential consequences.

“We’re a country, we’re a democracy—one of the founding countries of democracy—and if we can’t protect our own and have an election justly, then I don’t see a future where everyone has their own voice,” Thomas said.

Mueller is now rumored to be pursuing an indictment against Russia over the hack of the Democratic National Committee that occurred the summer of 2016.

Many sources, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, already believe the Russians were behind the hack.

Another indictment would corroborate their suspicions and serve as another indication of Russian penetration into American politics.

4 The Tide

March 2018

OPINIONS

The Supreme Court must end undemocratic gerrymandering

by Jason Hu On March 28, the Supreme Court will hear arguments concerning the validity of Maryland’s congressional district lines. The plaintiff, John Benisek, has alleged that the largely Democratic state legislature redrew lines with partisan intent, creating districts that blatantly favor Democrats in both Senate and House elections.

This case has been one of many in recent years concerning gerrymandering, the practice of drawing congressional district boundaries that favor one party over another. The recurrence of this controversy once again poses the question: should partisan redistricting be allowed?

Every ten years, the United States Census Bureau conducts a census. The information collected is used to map the demographics of citizens. States are supposed to redraw their district lines to match these demographic changes.

However, as state legislatures

have realized the power of redistricting, it has changed from a tool for organizing constituents in a representative democracy to a weapon for parties to cement themselves into their positions and further their own partisan interests.

Indeed, The New Republic ranks Maryland’s third congressional district as the most gerrymandered district in the nation. Geographically, its borders start in Arundel County, head towards Montgomery County, and then snake all the way back to Baltimore City.

In order to benefit their own parties, state legislatures have often drawn district lines so as to secure certain demographics that would guarantee them victories.

The key is to include only enough allied voters to consistently win a majority, in order to “preserve” the rest of the voters for use in other districts.

Another technique state legislatures use involves concentrating a minority party’s base almost entirely in one or two districts to dilute their total voter pool for the other districts.

Although this may sacrifice a couple of districts to the minority party, it ultimately results in an disproportionally greater number of majority-party electors.

Redistricting tactics like these are a disgrace to democracy. When politicians create “safe districts,” they essentially toss out hundreds of thousands of votes by making it impossible for opposing parties or platforms to win. Since victory is nearly guaranteed for one party, voting as a whole essentially becomes useless. Not only does this decrease voter turnout, it erodes the fundamental values of our democracy by silencing the opinions of the minority.

According to the Maryland Board of Elections, over 30 percent of voters identified as Republican in 2017. However, the party accounted for about 12 percent of electors. Discrepancies like these undermine the legitimacy of our democracy. When voters do not feel like their opinions matter, they lose trust in the political system.

Thus, they are more reluctant to consider the opinions of those with opposing political affiliations, resulting in an increase in party

polarization. Gerrymandering encourages an environment of cynicism between parties.

Moreover, because certain districts are won by partisan bases, moderate voters have little to no influence on the elections.

This pushes constituents to more political extremes.

The fact that the state legislatures are able to sway these elections in their favor is reminiscent of oligarchical practices. By switching around

voter counties, elected parties and representatives can effectively guarantee that they stay in power despite public opinion.

Political redistricting was initially intended to help state legislatures adapt to the changing demographics of voters. It has now been warped into a way for states to dictate election outcomes and benefit their own parties at the cost of true democracy. This exploitation of legislative power is unacceptable; it is the Supreme Court’s obligation to strike down Maryland’s congressional map and set a precedent that grossly partisan gerrymandering will not be tolerated.

GRAPHIC BY ALISA GAO

Black Panther is a force of justice on and off the big screen

by Faith Cheung As of March 2, the movie “Black Panther” has earned 800 million dollars and, according to Deadline, is on its way to becoming the sixteenth all-time highest-grossing release to date.

However, Black Panther is not just a worldwide hit; it is also a major milestone for black history.

In the movie, T’challa, the Black Panther, is crowned king of Wakanda. Wakanda masquerades as a third world country, but, underneath the povertyridden facade, this civilization is extremely deveoped and possesses advanced and destructive technology. When this secret is threatened, it is the Black Panther’s responsibility to

protect the world.

Black Panther is the first movie with a plot that revolves around a black superhero, and has an overwhelming majority of black supporting and main characters.

Released in mid-February, Black History Month, the producers and cast clearly intended to make a statement about American society’s disregard for black voices.

Actor Chadwick Boseman, who plays T’Challa in the film, went live on ABC Radio to share his message: “Black History Month is extremely important because we actually do need to make people focus on black history at a particular time because it’s not done in our education system.”

Boseman emphasizes the significant influence media has on popular opinion. As a result of

GRAPHIC BY ERIC KIM

the hype generated by the movie, people are acknowledging the significance of black history.

Freshman Kyle Dalrymple said, “In addition to it being a great movie, Marvel has amended the superhero arsenal to include the figure of Black Panther, giving colored children an image similar to their own to look up to ... and the leading role of women sent a

Cartoon Corner

strong message at a time when women’s issues are prominently being discussed at all levels.”

With the refreshing number of female cast members, girls of all ethnicities also have an empowering army of females to look up to. This is crucial, especially for minorities who feel that they have no voice.

Furthermore, the resurgence of the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite magnified the impact of Black Panther. This hashtag referred to the failure of the Motion Picture Academy to nominate any minorities in best lead or supporting actor categories in 2015 and 2016.

Black Panther fans united through their own hashtag: #BlackPantherSoLIT, compiling all of the tweets that supported the movie’s central message

and all-black cast. By providing a medium through which people could speak out, the hashtag bolstered the message embodied by the film.

It is unfortunate that a minority cast is so rare. However, there is hope, especially with the possible enforcement of the “inclusion rider” that actress Frances McDormand advocated for in her Oscar’s acceptance speech.

An inclusion rider is a provision that A-list actors and actresses can include in their contracts that forces casting agents to attain a certain level of diversity among the cast and crew.

As long as people in America continue to strive for equality, there is no issue of racism, sexism or any other form of discrimination that we cannot overcome.

The Tide

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.

Any corrections are printed in the following issue on page 2.

The opinions presented in The Tide do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and administration at Richard Montgomery.

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.

GRAPHIC BY ALISA GAO

Editors-in-Chief...............................Vlady Guttenberg, Alex Hu, Rachel Li, Isabelle Zhou News...........................................................Emily Tian, Christina You, Alice Zhu, Kyle Zhu Opinions................................Charlotte Hirsch, Rebecca Huang, Cindy Song, Angela Sun Center Spread....................................................Shiri Kalai, Grace Wang, Maureen Zeufack La Marea.................................................................................Daniela Moreira, Maria Vicente Features...........................................Anna Chen, Isabella Levine, Michelle Ling, Irene Park Arts...................................................Natalie Chartove, Stella Ho, Derek Yao, Albert Zhang Photo.............................................................................................Emily Chen, Fatma Elsayed Graphics..................................................................................................Alisa Gao, Vivian Yeh Sports.......................................................................Kevin Hu, Julia Kochman, Justin Zhang Online Sports.................................................................Ryan Choi, Sierra Longest, Orrin Ni Business/Fundraising.........................................Sofia Chartove, Tesia Shi, Shevani Tewari Digital Art Specialists.........................................................................Eric Kim, Valerie Wang Social Media Managers...................................Ananya Krishnan, Angela Mu, Katie Zhang Videographers........................................Addele Hargenrader, Caleb Schauer, Emily Zhao Faculty Advisors.........................................................Ms. Laurie Brown, Mrs. Bonnie Peyer

The Tide

OPINIONS

Spotlight Issue

March 2018

5

Gun Control after the Parkland Shooting

RM students speak out to demand action from our officials

by Crystal Foretia and Shevani Tewari The United States is no stranger to mass shootings; over 30 have occurred in 2018 alone. The US is also no stranger to the series of events that follow mass shootings, which include a call for action, weeks of debate, and then silence until the next shooting.

However, following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 were killed and another 14 were injured, student voices are proving to be a potential method of breaking this vicious cycle of inaction.

There are currently many proposals to help solve the issue of gun violence on all levels of government. According to The Guardian, some proposals that have risen as a result of the Parkland shooting include bans on bump stocks, stronger background checks, age restrictions for buying semiautomatic AR-15s, banning semi-automatic weapons entirely, and arming teachers.

Nevertheless, the first step is to talk about the issue, and bring debate into Congress.

“We need a lot of debate. Gun control is a necessary conversation,” sophomore Isabelle Young said. No matter the method and legislation passed, change must be made to protect students. Change cannot happen without a widespread conversation, and silence on this issue must be broken.

The Parkland shooting caused concern and anger among many MCPS students, as well as students across the nation, motivating them to organize political demonstrations. On February 21, students from RM, Blair, and B-CC walked out of school at 9:30 a.m. and marched to Washington D.C. March organizer and RM senior Daniel Gellilo said that he was moved by the footage taken during the shooting and felt the need to take action.

“This is the shooting that has galvanized people around the country, particularly

young people, to finally demand legislative change,” Gelillo said. “I think that the videos taken during the shooting really put into perspective how horrific these events are, and that change needs to happen.”

In order to continue to put pressure on lawmakers, Gelillo has also worked to organize a second walkout on March 14 to D.C. to observe 17 minutes of silence at the White House, representing the 17 students who were killed in the shooting. Moreover, Gelillo has appeared in the press multiple times to speak on the issue of gun violence.

Specifically, Gelillo said that he wants to ban all assault rifles such as the AR-15,

weapons are designed with the ability to kill many people at once. While this may be necessary on the battlefield, many believe guns that are this dangerous do not belong in the hands of civilians.

According to The Washington Post, House Democrats have introduced new bills with the intent of banning the sale of certain semi-automatic weapons and magazines that can hold over 10 rounds of ammunition. Unfortunately, the bills are currently split on party lines.

Many gun control measures have failed in spite of strong American support. After the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, Congress

Students walked out and rallied in DC , advocating for gun control and protesting to end the silence which was used in Florida.

“We students can no longer stay silent on the issue of gun violence in the United States...Too many lives have been taken in these slaughters, all because of the easy access and availability to guns in general and assault weapons in particular,” said the march organizers in a press release.

“If you want to hunt, hunt. If you shoot targets in your backyard, have a jolly good time! But you do not need an AR-15 to do this. They are called weapons of war for a reason,” sophomore Rina Levy said.

Semi-automatic weapons have been used in multiple shootings recently, including Pulse in 2016 and Las Vegas in 2017. These

PHOTO BY SARA REILLY

failed to pass legislation that would prevent suspects on the Terror Watch List from purchasing a gun. After the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, gun control activists called for banning bump stocks, which allow shooters to turn a semi-automatic into an automatic one; again, Congress did not pass legislation to do so. Prior government inaction has made some students skeptical that a difference will be made.

“Is there any way for the government to change [the number of mass shootings]?

Yes. But do I think they are actually going to do it? No,” senior Jack Meuse said. “It doesn’t seem like we’re doing anything at all.” Others argue that as a result of the

illegal trade, banning assault rifles will not be effective, if those employed to enforce these laws are unable to carry out their job.

“The FBI and the Broward County Police Department were definitely lacking. We need overall heightened security,” freshmen George Sellis said. According to BBC News, the FBI had received a tip about the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, but were unable to effectively act on it.

Furthermore, an anonymous report stated that Cruz had been expelled for carrying bullets in his backpack. Investigation into either of these pieces of information could have potentially prevented this tragedy from occurring. Thus, many believe that unless the government addresses the flaws in systems meant to keep Americans safe, gun restriction legislation will be ineffective.

Students who believe that this change is necessary have been active across the nation.

Walkouts have occurred in many counties, and the victims of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School have been pressuring those in the Florida Capitol building to enact policy change.

No matter one’s personal or political standing and beliefs, it is undeniable that change is necessary. Historically, many bills that could have led to increased gun control have been filibustered into collapse, leading to stagnation after every shooting.

Nevertheless, this has the potential of changing with the rise in student voices.

“Gun violence prevention should be nonpartisan at its core. The common goal is the same between parties—it’s to protect lives,” Levy said. Too many lives have been lost as a result of inaction.

While it may be impossible to prevent all violent people from acquiring guns, bipartisan gun reform must happen to protect civilians. For years, despite many tragedies, this has failed to occur.

However, constant pressure from students, a powerful constituency group across the nation, may force government officials to finally give in and work together to protect everyone.

Arming teachers: Will this enforce student safety in schools?

By Rithik Patel The horrific tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last month sparked a national conversation about gun control. Both Republicans and Democrats proposed policies they want to see implemented regarding gun safety.

For example, while many Democrats propose for stronger background checks and bans on assault weapons, one proposal primarily promoted by Republicans is a concealed carry permit that allows school teachers to be armed. This is being backed by the Trump administration and its allies.

However, the concealed carry policy for teachers fails to ensure school safety.

The National Association of School Resource Officers, a nationwide organization that provides training to school law enforcement personnel, spoke out against the proposal last month, stating it would increase the likelihood that police officers would confuse an armed teacher for an assailant while responding to a shooting.

The survivors of the Parkland shooting,

as well as their parents, have also opposed the Florida state legislature’s actions to pass a bill allowing teachers to be armed.

Even leaders of police divisions that specialize in firearms and tactics training are skeptical.

John Cerar, former chief of the New York Police Department’s division, admitted to the New York Times that the 36,000 law enforcement officials that comprise the agency often shoot inaccurately in intense combat events.

Moreover, according to the New York Times, the shot accuracy of police officers is only about 1 out of 3, and during extreme gunfights, the accuracy drops by nearly 20 percent.

This data seems to suggest that even extensive police training cannot fully teach anyone how to react to the chaotic, terrifying environment associated with a school shooting.

If seasoned police officers who attend target practice on a regular basis cannot effectively and safely respond to an actual crisis where lives are in danger, how could we expect for teachers to fare better?

During his meeting with survivors of the shooting, President Trump described an aspect of the proposal: “Let’s say you had 20 percent of your teaching force [with firearms]... If you had a teacher… who was adept with firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly.”

While 20 percent seems minimal, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, that would mean arming 700,000 of the over 3.1 million public school teachers and 400,000 private

GRAPHIC BY VALERIE WANG

school teachers. It would be extremely impractical to arm that many people.

Consider the amount of time teachers would need to receive extensive firearm training, apply for a concealed carry permit, and go through background checks.

What proponents of concealed carry in America’s classrooms fail to realize is that the 700,000 teachers they believe should be armed cannot seriously be expected to reserve time after school to attend training courses. Teachers already have the burden of grading papers, planning assignments, attending meetings with their colleagues, in addition to caring for their families.

Such a sizeable population of armed teachers would also ruin the “element of surprise” that supporters of the policy tout as being advantageous to teachers.

More school shooters would be prepared to face armed teachers and as a result, might feel the need to carry and use more sophisticated weapons.

Moreover, President Trump never

mentioned how the federal government, state governments, or local school districts would provide funding for schools to purchase weapons for the teachers.

However, implementing active shooter drills and adding one or two more armed guards at school buildings would be more reasonable, less expensive proposals that would still promote safety in schools.

Recent polls have shown that a majority of Americans oppose arming K-12 teachers and other school officials nationwide. Therefore, politicians should instead enact policies embraced by both gun owners and non-gun owners.

According to Pew Research Center, there is widespread support for ending the gun-show loophole (which allows for the purchase of firearms at gun shows without background checks), preventing the mentally ill from purchasing weapons, and banning assault-style weapons and highcapacity magazines.

If even Marco Rubio, a prominent pro-gun politician who has taken donations from the National Rifle Association, is opposed to the notion of arming school teachers, alternative policies that effectively address the issue of school safety should be explored.

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The Tide

OPINIONS

March 2018

How should the Constitution apply to social media?

by Raashi Dewan The problems surrounding social media have generated substantial public attention in recent years, especially the issue of false information being spread in the guise of news. But despite the loud outcry, our current regulatory legislation has hardly remained up to date.

The Constitution of the United States of America is an outdated document.

Whether you believe in strict or loose constructionism, we can all agree that the framers of the Constitution could not have predicted the internet or social media. As a result, many question how Constitutional law can be adapted to social media regulation.

The controversy over what people are allowed to post on social media is fundamentally an issue of free speech. “I think that it’s very important for people to be able to express their opinions,” junior Valentina Baker said. Legally speaking, the first amendment right to free expression must be protected above all else.

Yet many believe that certain types of speech are more of a privilege than a right. “I think it’s nice that we can talk about whatever we want, but at the same time, I think there are reasonable limits on free speech,” junior Sean Boyce said.

They argue that our laws ought to defend our democratic traditions; doing so may require the restriction of false information.

There is a thin line between protecting citizens from false information and

imposing authoritarian control. The oftencited example of a man shouting fire in a crowded theater - the doctrine of clear and present danger - does not translate so clearly to the Internet.

I believe that changes to the Constitution are necessary in order to regulate digital speech in the same manner as in traditional print media. If our laws do not adapt, the threat of false information will continue to plague society.

On the other hand, free speech is one of the rights this country was founded upon, and if we relax the protections of one right, there may very well be precedent to invalidate the others. The issue is also contingent upon varying interpretations of constitutional law. While some believe it to be a living, constantly changing document, others prefer to maintain an originalist, static interpretation of the Constituion.

“Times change and so must our founding

GRAPHIC BY KATIE ZHANG

GRAPHIC BY ALISA GAO

documents. They are great ideals, but assuming the context then and the context now are the same is just flat out ridiculous,” Boyce said.

Social media is a new and growing field, and the laws set in place for a different time cannot be applied today. Society has changed dramatically, so our laws must change to adapt.

“I think [the First Amendment] can be applied, and to an extent it has to be, and that’s a good job for the Supreme Court to decide where it can and can’t be applied.” sophomore Grace Comer said. In the end, the decision will remain up to the Court unless American citizens take a more active approach and push legislation into effect.

The issue of how to legally implement regulations on speech over social media platforms is the central issue. The only way to prevent the exploitation of the First Amendment on social media platforms is through new federal legislation. But legislation will never have any force with judicial support.

“I think it is important that we put limits on social media, but I think trying to keep those limits the same as freedom of speech in other contexts is difficult because they are completely different platforms,” Boyce said.

I believe that the Constitution needs to be amended to suit the changing times. But whether or not you agree, almost everyone can agree that the questions surrounding regulating digital speech ought to be resolved. With so many core values at play, polarization on this issue is quite extreme and resolutions are hard to negotiate.

Time’s Up for harrassment DARE to reform drug stigma

by Emily Zhao On January 7, actresses from diverse backgrounds attended the Golden Globes dressed in all-black outfits, opening the public’s eyes to the newly launched Time’s Up campaign. Their mission, according to the campaign website, is to address “the systemic inequality and injustice in the workplace.” While the movement started among those calling out sexual harrassment in Hollywood, it has expanded to encompass female empowerment in all types of workplaces.

During the Golden Globes, actress Natalie Portman called out the all-male field of directing nominees, while Oprah Winfrey and Elizabeth Moss used their acceptance speeches to champion women’s equality in all workplaces. The public applauded the women for taking a stand in such a public manner, with some suggesting that Oprah Winfrey should run for president.

The origin of this campaign stems from the recent #MeToo social media movement, where women from all backgrounds revealed their own sexual harassment experiences and unified with others who share the same experiences. Women are using social media platforms with increasing frequency to get their voices heard. According to The Guardian, women all over the world are using hashtags to speak out against discrimination, from the Caribbean #lifeinleggings movement to the UK #EverydaySexism hashtag.

The Time’s Up campaign does not propose any radically new ideas. In contrast, it builds on the growing indignance sparked

GRAPHIC BY RACHEL PARK

by previous movements. But rather than focusing on raising awareness or building a community, Time’s Up’s mission is to create real legislative change to provide more opportunities for disadvantaged women. In support of these solution-based objectives, the movement is fortunate to have the charismatic leadership of famous celebrities who have actively supported the movement’s messages.

Critics argue that a mere hashtag and group of celebrities with rehearsed speeches are not enough to create new legislation.

Even though celebrity support is important to help any social movement, succeed, a quick glance at the Time’s Up website demonstrates that public statements are not all that movement is about.

The founders have organized a fund called the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which provides subsidized legal support for victims of sexual harassment. With this program, they intended to expand their movement into the political and judicial domains where their actions and cases can make a lasting difference.

Behind this fund is a group of powerhouse female litigators and lawyers like Christina Tchen, former Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, and Roberta Kaplan, the articulate lawyer in the landmark United States v. Windsor case. Their fund has raised almost 22 million dollars on their GoFundMe page.

Celebrities can also provide impactful advice on their social media. For instance, on her Instagram, actress Natalie Portman called attention to RAINN, a 24/7 confidential hotline which provides information and support for those affected by sexual harassment or assault. Senior Kristina Ly said: “It’s this kind of social action that sparks real political movement.”

While there has not yet been any clear political action since the launch of the movement, the growing interest and the provision of motivated and accomplished lawyers to victims of sexual harassment is a step in the right direction.

Even at the recent Oscars and Brit Awards, several celebrities wore white or carried white roses in support for the movement. With how much the mass media obsessed over celebrity outfits, perhaps they will also pay attention to the messages behind the ruffles and sequins.

by Savva Brown By 1983, the war on drugs was in full swing. A program called Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, had just begun, and everyone from the First Lady to the local neighborhood cop was repeating one slogan: “Just say no.” Since the 1980s, American students have learned volumes about the consequences of drugs in schools, but how effective have the overall measures taken to combat drug culture been?

GRAPHIC BY VIVIAN YEH

Founded by a police officer in Los Angeles as a local program, DARE soon became a central component in the war against drugs. At its peak, it is estimated that DARE was practiced in 75% of American schools and cost taxpayers over 200 million dollars.

However, by teaching children that refusing drugs was an easy “no,” DARE ignores the deeper roots of the problem: high school drug culture and difficulty in receiving treatment. “I think [programs like DARE] ignore a lot of psychological issues that actually affect being a teenager,” senior Magali Ngouabou said. Programs like DARE actually build up a dangerous stigma around drug use, making it harder for drug addicts to seek help and reintegrate themselves back into society after recovery.

Schools can no longer look at drugs as something one can simply “just say no” to. They must acknowledge that drug

culture in schools is not changing. There will always be factors that people cannot ignore: peer pressure, availability, and stress. “Encouraging students to literally ‘just say no’ is not so simple,” Ngouabou repeats.

While combating drugs should remain a priority, drug rehabilitation and prevention programs should be implemented on the basis of quality over quantity. “It’s [drug culture] one of those problems that is very insidious and hard to stop… but we need to be careful as sometimes the solutions can be almost as bad as the problems,” junior Sean Boyce stated.

A 2017 University of Michigan study found that around 40 percent of American high school seniors admitted to having used marijuana in the past year. Teenagers wanting to try drugs has always been a facet of high school life, and always will be.

Educators should keep this in mind when teaching drug prevention and awareness. Today, remnants of DARE are still practiced in schools around the country. Health classes show outdated videos about “saying no” in response to peer pressure, as these are still a way that problems associated with drug use are addressed in schools all across the nation, especially in areas with fewer resources.

Instead of this outdated approach, schools should focus more on managing existing drug use. Treatment is also a vital part of drug education. Where and how to get treatment, as well as the different options must be increasingly incorporated into school programs. Drug use can turn into a disease if not managed, and at that point “just saying no” will be of relatively little help.

An example of such a program is the NOPE campaign being developed in Pennsylvania. It focuses on the science of addiction, and incorporates support groups and increased education. New and innovative solutions such as NOPE provide a comprehensive alternative to “just say no” programs like DARE. According to the New York Times, 64,000 people died of opioid related deaths in 2016. The American education system failed in its effort to stop drugs in our schools. Unless we want this deadly trend to continue, our nation’s drug education programs must undergo drastic changes.

The Tide

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March 2018

*Publications of advertisements are not political endorsements of any candidate by The Tide or the administration of RMHS.

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LA MAREA

Marzo del 2018

9

La Estrella del Mes Del Toro gana el premio de Alexandra Turner Mejor Director durante los Oscars por Maria Vicente ¿De que estás más orgullosa?

El punto de vida que estoy en hoy. He tenido muchas cosa que cambiaron para mi este año y he aprendido y he crecido tengo más confianza y me siento más feliz de tener mis amistades.

escuela?

Girl Up es una campaña patrocinada por la Organización de Naciones Unidas que aboga por los derechos de las niñas en países en desarrollo. Girl Up se enfoca específicamente en la salud, la educación, la seguridad, y el liderazgo. ¿Que es tu favorita parte de ser un estudiante en RM? La diversidad, todos tienen un lugar aquí.

Hay tantas personas con tantas experiencias y culturas diferentes que cualquier estudiante está destinado a encontrar gente con quien se lleva bien.

¿Cómo es ser una directora técnica para el programa de drama en la escuela?

Es muy divertido pero también b a s t a n t e estresante.

Puedes ayudar ¿Que son tus planes a las personas para el futuro? y aprendes Bueno, voy a ir a mucho, pero la universidad el si algo va próximo año, pero no mal es tu me comprometido responsabilidad a alguna escuela arreglarlo. todavía.

T a m b i é n cuando algo ¿Piensas que RM va mal sientes es representativa que es tu culpa. de una comunidad Ser una directora diversa? técnica me ha hecho mucho más responsable y Definitivamente.

FOTO POR MARIA VICENTE me encanta Hay tanta diversidad ser parte de Black Masters. de raza, sexualidad, y respaldo financiero. ¿Qué otras actividades participas en después de la ¿Que es tu favorita parte de tu escuela? cultura?

Ayudo con la parte técnica de ciertos eventos escolares. La Hay tanto que amo sobre mi mayoría del tiempo después de cultura como la comida y la escuela estoy en drama o haciendo música, pero mi parte favorita es tarea. como la cultura trae a mi familia junta. Nuestra cultura nos une ¿Puedes hablar de tu club aunque no nos hayamos visto por “Girl Up” que tu participas en la largos periodos de tiempo.

por Daniel Lopez Cualquier persona que le interese la maravilla del cine debe dar sus respetos a la celebración de los Oscars que ilustra los aspectos más interesantes de Hollywood.

Este año fue especialmente brillante, con muchos títulos reconocidos, todos vibrantes con estilo y decisiones artísticas que merecieron reconocimiento de la Academia.

Aunque “Coco” y “La Forma Del Agua” fueron nominados, no fue hasta que ganó Guillermo Del Toro el Oscar de mejor película, que ganan los Latinos esa noche.

Con cuatro premios de “La Forma del Agua”, dos para “Coco”, y otro para “Una Mujer Fantástica”, no sorprende que se escucharon tantos cantos de “Viva México!”

Es evidente que en esa noche el patrimonio de latinoamérica se lanzó con un gran impulso a la pantalla grande.

“La Forma Del Agua”, dirigida por Guillermo Del Toro, un visionario cuyos otras películas incluyen “Hellboy” y “El Laberinto del Fauno”, sigue una historia durante la Guerra Fría sobre una mujer muda que trabaja como portera en un institución gubernamental. Es hasta que ella se enamora con un hombre anfibio que fue capturado para ser probado.

Lo que dicen muchos críticos es que la historia toma mucho influencia de películas clásicas de horror, como “El Monstruo de la Laguna Negra”, y tiene un tono similar a “El Laberinto del Fauno”, que era un cuento fantástico, incorporando uno de los más clásicos aspectos de horror. El estilo de del Toro es inolvidable, es bien evidente que

este director no tiene miedo de los tres mantienen una amistad juegar con hechizos de magia fuerte y han colaborado en para contar sus historias con un muchos proyectos. Este premio toque especial. sirve como un monumento para Mientras las imágenes, la directores Latinos, sembrando cinematografía y el color tiene una esperanza que algun dia un elemento fantástico como que saldra un director de mas paises si viniera de un mundo lejano, en latinoamerica. la historia detrás de todo Además de “La Forma del se fomenta en ideas Agua”, “Coco” fue capaz de que son humanas llevarse dos premios, para mejor y sinceras. Es una película animada y mejor canción maravilla con tanta para “Recuerdame”. Aunque precisión “La no había mucha competencia Forma Del Agua” en la categoría de película puede retener animada, es sorprendente una historia que también ganó mejor compleja canción. y trágica, El cambiante papel mientras de música en “Coco” tiene escenas habla a la importancia que son y evolución de la totalmente de canción como un fantasía. símbolo durante la Sin embargo película. No es imperativo el detalle en la ser mexicano para producción nos GRÁFICO POR LANCHI NGYUEN comprender que inmersa en el el tema de familia mundo diseñado por del Toro. es algo que alcanza a todos.

Con mucha libertad artística, Aunque la mayoría de los el disfraz y maquillaje para el premios fueron hacia los monstruo lo pinta como un bestia mexicanos, Chile fue capaz de vibrante. Aunque no dice ninguna ganar un premio por mejor palabra, este personaje fantástico película extranjera con “Una realiza mucha empatía y muchos Mujer Fantástica.” sentimientos de amor con los La película sigue la vida de una personajes que en una forma u cantante transgénera después de otra fueron avergonzados por la que su enamorado falleció. Los sociedad. Sin duda “La Forma críticos quedaron estupefactos Del Agua” es un reliquia que se por tantas reseñas fantásticas debe recomendar. que son evidentes en el título y Este año mexicano Del Toro en el estilo cinematográfico de la ganó el premio de “Mejor película.

Director”, manteniendo un Todos estos ganadores son legado; durante los últimos cinco inspiraciones para personas años, cuatro de los receptores de hispanas que querrán hacer esos premios codiciados fueron películas. Es admirable el trabajo Mexicanos. Además de Del Toro, de todos estas personas detrás Alfonso Cuarón ganó en 2014 de las cortinas. Ojalá que más para “Gravedad”, y Alejandro directores o cineastas latinos González Iñárritu en 2015 y 2016 puedan recibir estos premios para “Birdman” y “El Renacido”, prestigiosos en el futuro también.

El crisis económico en Venezuela sigue hasta 2018 por Daniela Brigatti Venezuela, un país lleno de belleza y cultura, está pasando por una época de crisis y sufrimiento.

Aunque una vez fue uno de los paises mas ricos de Latinoamérica debido a su petróleo, hoy dia se a vuelto una zona de violencia y pobreza para la mayoría de sus ciudadanos.

El problema empezó con una crisis económica cuando el presidente Hugo Chávez tenía el poder.

Muchas personas sienten que él cometió muchos errores y abusos durante sus catorce años como presidente de Venezuela. Después de su muerte en el 2013, el poder fue pasado a Nicolás Maduro, un amigo de Chávez.

Estos dos gobiernos acabaron con la democracia en Venezuela.

Durante el gobierno de Maduro, la crisis económica solo empeoro y ahora continúa a empeorar. El resultado de

esta crisis se demuestra en el modo como las vidas de los Venezolanos han cambiado completamente..

Pamela Martínez, una estudiante del doceavo, nació y creció

GRÁFICO POR LANCHI NGUYEN

en Venezuela. Ella vivió en Venezuela hasta los diecisiete años cuando se mudó a los Estados Unidos. Ella explica como un problema económico se ha convierto en una condición de vida intolerable: “La gente está muriendo de hambre. Comen de la basura si no consiguen nada y hasta se enferman por tener que hacer eso. No solo hace falta comida pero también medicinas para cuidar a los que se enferman.”

Martínez dice que ella fue

muy afortunada porque ya tenía familia que vivía fuera del país. El problema ha causado un éxodo de ciudadanos como Martínez a países como Colombia y los Estados Unidos. Hace solo veinte años, Caracas, la capital de Venezuela, era un destino turístico muy deseable y popular.

Hoy día, muchos que viven en Caracas están tratando de irse desesperadamente y Caracas es ranqueada como la ciudad más peligrosa en el continente de Sudamérica. Camila Losada, una estudiante del onceavo y hija de una inmigrante Venezolana, cuenta como no puede regresar a Venezuela por la gravedad de la situación. “Mi familia se ha mudado acá de todas partes de Venezuela.”

La inflación del dólar Venezolano es tal que necesidades básicas y productos de consumo son inaccesibles porque cuestan demasiado. Por ejemplo, se estima que en Venezuela un cartón de doce huevos cuesta ciento cincuenta dólares Americanos.

En un supermercado Venezolano es casi imposible encontrar cosas como papel higiénico.

La condición de sufrimiento ha llegado a un punto que ciudadanos han empezado a

pelear con las autoridades en las calles. Todos los días hay peleas que ponen las vidas de los venezolanos en peligro. Pamela Martínez dijo “Cuando yo era

“Todos somos humanos y nadie se merece lo que los Venezolanos están pasando.”

- Pamela Martínez chiquita, yo iba a la plaza y jugaba con todos mis amigos del colegio hasta las seis o siete de la noche y no había problema. Pues ahora no importa a qué hora salgas, hay la posibilidad de que no vuelvas a la casa.” Martínez describe que vivir en Venezuela hoy dia es vivir en una condición de miedo e incertidumbre.

Pero, la violencia viene de los dos lados: personas hambrientas peleando contra un sistema opresivo y la policía usando armas contra los ciudadanos en la calle.

Han habido muchos episodios donde el gobierno Venezolano ha arrestado líderes de movimientos de protesta contra el gobierno.

Camila Losada comenta sobre la situación: “Creo que las personas que están en poder son corruptos y creo que están equivocados en cómo lidiar con la situación del público que está sufriendo.”

Lo que está pasando en Venezuela puede servir como un ejemplo de los peligros del abuso de poder. Esto no es un incidente aislado. Hemos visto este tipo de sufrimiento en muchas partes de historia y para la comunidad Latinoamericana, la transformación de Venezuela trae gran tristeza. Hace veinte años, nadie se pudo imaginar que un país tan exitoso pudiera llegar a este punto.

Aunque Venezuela es un lugar lejana, esta realidad para muchos sigue existiendo en la ac. En las palabras de Pamela Martínez, “A pesar de no ser Venezolano, esto nos podría pasar a cualquiera.

Todos somos humanos y nadie se merece lo que los Venezolanos están pasando. Esto nos puede ayudar a prevenir que pase en cualquier otro lugar y ver lo que pasó en Venezuela y tomarlo como enseñanza.”

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CENTERSPREAD

The Tide

March 2018

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The Tide

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about French food, so I’ll just let myself be surprised.”

- Paulina Leder

Big Ben

On March 23 during spring break, nine RM students will travel to France and live with a foreign exchange student’s family for ten days, experiencing the life of a French student. This foreign exchange trip offers an amazing opportunity for students to absorb more foreign culture, or for those learning French, to test their knowledge of the language.

Alternatively, students have the opportunity to travel to Europe on a ten day trip touring three major cities: London, Paris and Barcelona.

The trip is headed by social studies teacher Toni Kellinger and resource teacher Rachel Furr.

Many of these students eagerly anticipate the wonderful sights and cuisines awaiting them in France.

“I’m looking forward to this trip in general. I really want to go to Versailles, Sacre Cœur, the Louvre, and Notre Dame,” junior Paulina Leder said. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about French food, so I’ll just

let myself be surprised.”

Junior Sidney Wanko said, “I’m just really excited to see the scenery and the landmarks. I think it’s going to be really beautiful compared to here.”

The unique part about the exchange trip is that RM students will be completely submerged into the French culture. Unlike exploring with a tour guide or family, the trip will not allow much room for English to be spoken.

Similarly, the tour trip provides an opportunity for students to practice the languages they have been taking in school. “I’ve been taking French since 7th grade, but I’m pretty bad at it, so I’m trying to pay more attention and get better,” Wanko said.

“As Americans, we do have diversity here but we don’t really engulf ourselves until we’re placed in the center of everything,” sophomore Nicole Yanakiev said. “So by fully placing ourselves into that experience we will be able to understand it a

little more.”

Some RM students have already contacted their complementary student. “Last time my person never really spoke with me,” junior Teddy Ahrens said. “But I was friends with his parents, and then my exchange student and we ended up watching Ratatouille together! It was fun, but this time I think we’ll have a better time just because I already know the people and they talk to me a lot.”

Expanding horizons and stepping out of comfort zones is one of the experiences that makes high school so special. Both Europe trips provide the opportunity for these lucky students to immerse themselves in a foreign culture, from the language to the etiquette.

Hopefully, when they return to RM, they can relay their wonderful experiences to give their peers a taste of Europe.

By Faith Cheung

Eiffel Tower

Sagrada Familia

Teddy Ahrens

PHOTO BY FATMA ELSAYED PHOTOS COURTESY OF NICOLE YANAKIEV, SIDNEY WANKO GRAPHICS BY VIVIAN YEH AND VALERIE WANG GRAPHIC COURTESY OF LEONA BETH

Sidney Wanko

Nicole Yanakiev

CENTERSPREAD

March 2018

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The Tide

FEATURES

March 2018

Opportunities for women stem from STEM clubs

by Michelle Ma When women make up just 24 percent of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce, going into a STEM field can be challenging. Without the proper support and resources, many girls may shy away from such a maledominated field. RM has several clubs that are determined to empower girls to pursue STEM careers.

Women in Engineering is one of these clubs. “We have two main goals: to inspire within RM and to inspire the community outside RM,” sophomore and founder Ananya Iyer said. Sponsored by science teacher Julia Tolson, the club regularly brings speakers to RM to inspire girls to consider engineering as a future career pathway.

“Not necessarily to do it just because they are women, but if they love it, to do it even if they are the minority in the field.”

- Ms. Tolson They also advocate for conferences around the D.C. region that sponsor engineering programs. One such program is the University of Maryland’s Women in Engineering Dream Conference, whose mission is to “recruit, retain and advance women in engineering”.

Outside of RM, the club has plans for future volunteering projects and tutoring.

They want to build up the math and science foundations in kids because they are necessary for a career in STEM. Despite being a minority in her biology major, Ms. Tolson, has not personally faced any challenges. “I never felt lesser by my professors or my peers even though we were the minority,” she explained.

“I always felt very equipped and empowered by my professors.”

Through this club, she hopes to give other girls that same experience.

“I think women sometimes look down on themselves in terms of being able to do STEM careers, that are sometimes the ‘man’ things, so I would just encourage women who want to go into that field to do what they love,” she said. “Not necessarily to do it just because they are women, but if they love it, to do it even if they are the minority in the field.”

Another emerging club that supports women in STEM is Girls Who Code.

Sponsored by math teacher Laura Goetz, the club’s vision is to create a safe and supportive environment in which women can learn to see themselves as computer scientists.

The club is currently in start-up mode, but Mrs. Goetz has strong aspirations about seeing it take off. She was inspired to start Girls Who Code after taking her daughter and her friends out to dinner one night. One friend noted that she was taking a coding class on the side because she needed to use coding in her college class, but did not have the option to take a coding class in high school.

“I thought, well, if my daughter who is currently a junior in high school is interested in going into engineering, and this car full of girls, women, future engineers were all saying they wished they had coding in high school, shouldn’t this be an opportunity?” Ms. Goetz explained. “So I started looking into Girls Who Code.”

STEM fields are constantly evolving, so it is

GRAPHIC BY LANCHI NGYUGEN

essential that aspiring mathematicians and scientists are able to keep up. “It’s tough for a computer science curriculum in a school system to keep up with how fast computer science and programming changes,” Mrs. Goetz said. She hopes that Girls Who Code will play a part in keeping pace.

The RM-affiliated robotics team also encourages girls to pursue STEM careers.

Most of its members are female. In general, they try to advocate to girls in the community that they should consider STEM as a prospective major in college.

The club leads an outreach program that will teach girls how to code. Its members are bloggers for the website For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Ladies, a group that connects and supports girls on robotics teams.

“In the past, men were in all these engineering, mathematics, and science schools,” sophomore and robotics team member Katie Kolodner said. “I know that recently, there have been movies like Hidden Figures that show the first African American females in NASA, and this wasn’t even that long ago, it was only the mid 1900s.”

The lack of female representation in STEM can create self-doubt in girls. Kolodner was first exposed to robotics at competitions run by her dad’s company, but she was not sure that she had the potential to be good at it. “I noticed that a lot of the people who drove the robots were guys instead of girls, so I guess that was a way that hindered my outlook on whether or not I could join the robotics team,” she explained. Kolodner believes that we can encourage women by reaching out to them and making them realize that being a minority in a field is not a major hindrance.

By encouraging girls to pursue STEM majors, these clubs strive towards moving that 24 percent closer to 50 percent.

New ESOL technology translates into effective learning

by Rose Lee Serving one of the county’s most diverse high schools, RM’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program has been growing year by year. ESOL teachers guide their students to adjust socially and emotionally to a new culture and constantly encourage them to reach their highest potential.

“Learning a new language is difficult because our ESOL students are learning academic English in rigorous courses,” ESOL department head Jackie DeLucia explained. On top of helping their families financially, ESOL students face the same academic challenges as native English

speakers. They are required to take and pass the same standardized exams like the Maryland High School Assessment.

In order to continue strengthening the program, teachers have developed specific approaches to educating ESOL students, such as adapting to each student’s individual learning style and using technology to display visuals. “Our students come from various backgrounds and speak different languages, but visuals are universal,” Mrs. DeLucia said. “I am able to boost their understanding of a passage by just pulling up a related picture on the Promethean Board.”

This year, each classroom in the ESOL wing has Chromebooks and Promethean Boards, which noticeably increase student comprehension due to the interactive as-

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

ESOL teachers are transitioning from using whiteboards to using Promethean boards.

pects like highlighting and interacting with text. “I frequently use online flipcharts because it allows me to include pictures and videos, which make my lessons interactive,” ESOL teacher Claudia Austin said.

“We also post lessons on MyMCPS Classroom so that students can review over videos and past lectures to study for quizzes.”

Teachers are now able to create and share materials through media, making it easier to adapt, improve and reuse lessons. Furthermore, the Internet provides access to an enormous resource for information that is available anywhere and in any language.

The ESOL Department also uses other technological resources, such as MyMCPS Classroom and Seesaw. Seesaw lets students “show what they know” using links, photos and drawings, making it easier for teachers to track their progress in absorbing class material. Empowering students to independently document the lessons at school, the website helps support their learning.

“Seesaw allows students to comment on each other’s work and record video presentations, making the classroom environment more engaging and interesting,” Ms. Austin explained. “This is a huge step towards our personal involvement in their careers as students.”

Many ESOL teachers also use Recap, a question-led chat tool, to gather quick video responses and provide links to resources that encourage exploration. Students respond to prompts that teachers administer and can use the built-in webcam on the Chromebooks or the camera on their phone to upload a video of themselves speaking.

The classroom is not the only place where new technology is being implemented, as online tools have also improved communication between parents and the rest of RM.

The ESOL Department has its own Twitter account, @RMHS_ESOL_Dept, and the PTSA has created a Facebook page specifically for Hispanic parents called The Hispanic Parent Community. These resources help inform the RM community of new initiatives and opportunities provided by the ESOL Department.

“Technology should complement the lesson and not be the lesson.”

- Mrs. DeLucia Due to the increased access to technology in the classroom, teachers have observed that ESOL students are more excited and eager to learn. “When I moved to America from Vietnam in middle school, I participated in the ESOL program,” junior Lanchi Nguyen said. “At that time, I did not have access to nearly as much technology at school as we have now, so I think that the recent development of these tools is definitely helping students acquire a deeper understanding of the English language.”

Nevertheless, RM educators call for a balance between traditional teaching techniques and rapidly developing technology. “Technology should complement the lesson and not be the lesson,” Mrs. DeLucia said. “While I think it is a valuable resource, technology cannot be used in isolation, as people are beginning to become dependent on electronics. We are losing the ability to problem-solve on our own, so teachers need to learn when and how to use it wisely.”

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Liang crowned as MR. RM 2018 MR. RM, cont. from page 1 These lunch meetings were often followed by dress rehearsals after school.

The show consisted of four preliminary events: talent, formal wear, casual wear and beach wear.

Each contestant tried to showcase their individual talents in order to charm the judges. Talents ranged from videos to singing to beach ball ballet.

Liang, an avid dancer since middle school, naturally chose dance as his act,

dancing to the song, “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock.

“I wanted to show that no matter what ethnicity uou are, what activities you do, or whether you’re in IB or not, we all go to the best high school in MoCo and share way more similarities than differences.”

- Jack Liang After the preliminary events, ten contestants were eliminated, leaving Liang as one of five final contenders for the crown.

Contestants then had to each spontaneously answer two random questions, one casual and one serious.

Liang was given the questions: “What fruit would you want to be?” and “Who is

the person who has impacted your life the most?”

After a momentary pause to think, he answered “watermelon” for the former.

In one of the most memorable moments of the show, he took the opportunity to thank his immigrant father for the latter.

Despite the competitive factor of MR. RM, contestants were extremely friendly and supportive. “[It was] more like a performance that we all had to do our best on,” fellow competitor, senior Nelson Zeufack, “Mr. CocoaButter,” said.

Liang echoed this sentiment, complimenting several of his fellow contestants on their performances afterwards.

“Mr. Vaaarsity’s Indian formal wear outfit was tuff. Mr. Oh Canada is a cutie with a voice. Mr. Hoonty Pants and Mr. Bosnian Bear’s beach ball dance was a work of modern art,” he said. “But, Mr. Optimistic, man, you fruity as heck (love you though).”

Although the 2018 competition has ended, Liang and all participants still have many unforgettable experiences of the performance and the process.

“The most memorable moment was being backstage in the changing rooms before the beachwear section,” Liang said.

“Push-ups, sit-ups, dips—we were all getting our ‘pump’ on so our veins could be sticking out and we’d look way more muscular than we normally were,” Liang continued. “It’s kind of like taking temporary steroids.”

In addition to putting on a great performance and creating lasting memories, Liang also hoped the show emphasized the unity of RM. “I wanted to show that no matter what ethnicity you are, what activities you do, or whether you’re in IB or not, we all go to the best high school in MoCo and share way more similarities than differences,” he said.

For future contestants, Liang advises

GRAPHIC BY VIVIAN YEH

March 2018

13

- question of the month -

What is your favorite spring

break destination?

Interviews by Nicole Yanakiev Isaiah Frederick, junior If you know me, you know I like chilling with my friends, so I would probably plan a trip to kick back in New York City, where I used to live. I’d take them to all the places I used to hang out. I would visit my family because I love my grandparents and they’d like my friends.

Ita Teta, sophomore Cape Town, South Africa. The tip of Africa has a view one can only imagine. I was only there for two days, but I remember it so well. When we left, my dad asked, “Have you mastered the South African accent?” I really want to go back, so I can master the accent and feel the wind as the waves roll in.

PHOTO BY USAMA ABDELKARIM

Liang dances to the song “It Takes Two”

by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock for his talent.

Alejandro Gutierrez, freshman I really like the environment in Cancun, Mexico. It’s very child-friendly and the people there are so nice. Once I went to a cave there and there were so many exotic animals. We got to touch them—there were wild parrots on your shoulder. It’s great and a safe choice for vacation if you don’t want any surprises.

them to create a theme which ties their performances together and to be open about themselves on stage.

“Never change yourself to try to ‘win’— be the person you have grown into over the last four years at RM,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to show parts of your personality on stage you’ve never shown others before.”

Chris Gillaspy scores Instagram goals

by Matthew Kolodner Instagram. Twitter. YouTube. These names have become commonplace in households all around the world as technology continues to develop and play a larger role in our lives. As a result, many people have begun to acknowledge the ability of these platforms to reach a large audience, and some have even successfully started up businesses through social media.

Among the millions of people who use social media daily, only a small percentage are able to successfully attract large attention from the public. Junior Chris Gillaspy has been able to share his love for soccer with over 283,000 people online through @upper90xcrew, his Instagram account.

On his page, Gillaspy posts pictures of recent cleats releases as well as videos of soccer tricks and highlights of professional players. Over the past few years, Gillaspy has transformed his account from a hobby to a business that reaches thousands of people every day.

Gillaspy’s dedication to his Instagram stems from his passion for soccer. “When I was seven, I played soccer a lot with my aunt,” he said. “From then on, I knew that I would continue to learn and grow.”

Since then, Gillaspy has maintained his interest in the sport, playing in a recreational league throughout middle school and later entering a travel league during his freshman year of high school.

Gillaspy created @upper90xcrew with his friend at the end of middle school, translating his love for soccer into an art form. “When we first created the account, I had no idea we were going to be as successful as we have been,” he said.

It was not until one year later that Gillaspy had noticed the growth of the account reached around 75,000 followers.

At this point, Gillaspy took the initiative to publicize his account by using the

Instagram Explore page and contacting other accounts. “I would look for other soccer pages with similar amounts of followers and we would shout each other out,” Gillaspy explained. “This way, we both can gain followers while helping each other out.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS GILLASPY

Gillaspy (left) plays on the RM soccer team.

Gillaspy has crreated four additional soccer accounts, one with over 50,000 followers. “Last week, I actually sold one of my accounts for over a thousand dollars,” Gillaspy said.

Through his large audience, Gillaspy has been able to transform his account into a business by receiving sponsorships from several large organizations. His first sponsorship came from Umbra, an organization that specializes in manufacturing home accessories. “I had to reach out to them first by sending several emails,” Gillaspy explained. From this partnership, he has received several benefits such as free products to advertise.

Not long after, Gillaspy was contacted by other organizations like New Balance and Puma to advertise their products.

“I was really impressed by the organization’s level of formality,” Gillaspy

said. “I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to sell different cleats the day they were released.” In return for advertising, Gillaspy gets to keep all of the cleats, often reselling them to interested customers.

Through his account, Gillaspy has also gained the attention of larger Instagram accounts. “There are several other soccer accounts with millions of followers who follow me. I also am followed by several pros from the Italian National Team, which is really cool,” Gillaspy said.

Gillaspy hopes to continue expanding his business to other organizations. “I’m interested in getting more sponsorships from Adidas and Nike, and also hope to work other online pages like soccer.com,” he said.

In addition to managing his Instagram account, Gillaspy wishes to pursue business in other platforms, specifically Youtube. “What I like most about YouTube and Instagram is that they are continuously growing, so it is easier to reach out to people who are interested,” he said.

By experimenting with different social media platforms, Gillaspy hopes to share his passion for soccer with a wider audience and score even higher goals than before.

GRAPHIC BY VALERIE WANG

Isra Cheema, junior My absolute wish is to go to Miami, Florida.

I have always been in love with that place since I was younger. Coming to America is a dream come true, but Miami is another thing. The eccentric beauty combined with the multicolored culture of that area attracts me towards it. Miami has a certain spark. The culture, color and cool buildings compel me to go check it out at least once.

Selma Benhassine, senior Honestly, I have no idea because I don’t have a one favorite place. Why would I want to return to the same place every year when I could be discovering new places? Last year, I went to Colorado for spring break, and the year before that, New Mexico. This year I’m going to Boston. Next year, I’ll probably be living in London.

Each place I’ve been to for spring break has something about it that could make it my “favorite” place, whether it’s the view, the food, the people or the culture. That’s why I would rather go somewhere new: every place has something attractive about them.

Every city is another potential favorite destination that I would be missing out on if I kept returning to old places.

Annie Martirossian, junior I like to go out to nearby places. You’ll catch me at DC going to a lot at museums or at the movies with friends.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS GILLASPY

Gillaspy posts photos of cleats on his page.

Camron Franklin, junior North Carolina. For a majority of my life, I wasn’t formally acquainted with my father’s side of the family. That all changed when my grandmother died. We gathered in Baltimore in my old family church for the funeral. I met people and learned the names of people I never knew existed.

Almost every spring break since, we’ve gone down to North Carolina to visit my dad’s aunts and extended family and I’ve never not had a wonderful time.

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FEATURES

The Tide

March 2018

MYP Projects: from photography to jerkbait fishing

by Julie Yeo What is something you have always wanted to do, but never started? As students, focusing on classwork and learning new material is often the primary goal. But sometimes, being limited to the lessons conveniently provided by your math teacher may not be the only way to learn.

Luckily, RM provides students with a guided opportunity to look beyond their schoolwork and pursue a personal goal in their free time through the mandatory Middle Years Program (MYP) personal project. After proposing a topic in early October, sophomores met with assigned advisors every month to track their progress. They submitted their final project

in March.

This year, some students, like sophomore Lilah Katz, focused on making an impact in their community. Katz took inspiration from the refugee outreach committee at her synagogue. After reaching out to members in her community, she was able to organize a service that collected donations for a refugee family coming into the country from Afghanistan.

Sophomore Jonathan Simak took a more personal approach, applying his long-time interest in fishing to master the technique of jerkbait fishing, which uses lures of a minnow imitation to catch predatory fish.

“I didn’t know the technique as well as I thought and I mastered it,” he said. “Now, it’s become part of my regular arsenal of fishing tools.”

Some students changed ideas midproject, deciding that another idea fit their

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAMON MONTELEONE

Sophomores share their presentations at the MYP project fair in the gym on March 5.

by Magali Ngouabou “It’s very gratifying,” debate coach Noah Grosfeld-Katz said. “Certainly confirms to me that I made the right choice in picking people.” Mr. Grosfeld-Katz’s proud sentiments were shared throughout the RM Debate Team as sophomores Nam Lam and Daniel Espejo won the county debate finals in a surprising turn of events.

After being informed that they had lost their semi-final round, the pair settled to watch the James Hubert Blake and Montgomery Blair High School teams for what seemed like the final debate of the year.

Halfway through the round, the moderators realized they had made a mistake in the tally—Lam and Espejo had actually won the semi-final round. The pair then debated the Blair team and emerged victorious.

As debate team member Sean Boyce pointed out, the pair’s dynamic was a spectacle for anyone with an interest in public speaking. “Being in complete command of what you’re saying is incredibly hard,” he explained. “It’s an incredible skill that I was delighted to witness.”

Debate, though rewarding, can prove to be a great challenge. Forming and delivering rebuttals, constructing convincing arguments, all while speaking in an effective and persuasive manner can be overwhelming on the debate floor. Yet, these are the very aspects of debate that compelled Lam and Espejo to join the team.

Following in the footsteps of his friends and seeking opportunities to improve his public speaking skills, Lam decided to try out for the debate team in the fall. His natural stubbornness gave him the confidence that he needed to speak convincingly.

Lam brought more than his perseverance to the debate floor. Often described by his teammates as poised and someone who

enjoys staying informed on current events, Lam proved to be a naturally strong contestant for the debate team. “He’s really cool, calm and collected all the time,” Espejo said.

Espejo, the self-proclaimed statisticsbased and “fiery” debater, provided a dynamic contrast to Lam, a divergence that would only strengthen the pair’s persuasive qualities.

With two years of debate experience, Espejo has seen significant developments in both his speaking and research skills.

Thinking quickly on his feet and relying less on prepared scripts have allowed Espejo to be more assertive in his claims. But he soon found such an improvement came with its own risk: over-aggressiveness. Assertiveness could often turn into aggression on the debate floor, which could result in the loss of crucial points.

This only posed a small obstacle as the duo quickly developed a system to address it. “If I’m getting a little too aggressive, [Nam will] lightly tap me on the elbow or the shoulder,” Espejo explained. The contact serves as a cue for Espejo to decrease his volume.

“They kind of met in the middle and were both so poised and calm, but also had emotion with dynamic speaking.”

- Sean Boyce Among his notable abilities was Espejo’s ability to conduct thorough research. Lam particularly admired his partner’s ability to read into the political affiliations of

interests better. As a dedicated swimmer, sophomore Ivana Henry initially wanted to connect her knowledge of swimming to physical therapy. However, due to time commitment issues, she decided instead to design a house. “There’s a lot with a house on it, but it’s currently in really bad condition,” Henry said. “I did a project where I imagined I would be buying that lot, tearing down the house, and building a new one.”

Photography and film have also been popular project topics. Sophomore Arlene Brian was inspired by her love for taking photos of other people. Though she originally proposed a research-based comparison between a digital singlelens reflex (DSLR) camera and an iPhone camera, she ultimately decided to stick with an investigation into photo editing.

Sophomore Harry Song chose to make a video with his friends. “It seemed pretty fun to do, and I guess it would involve less research and [be] less of a time commitment,” he said.

On the other hand, sophomore Kayla Guevara spent her time learning the history and applications of a more unusual topic— tarot cards and palm readings. “I’ve always kind of been interested in that,” she said.

“My parents are totally not about it; they think it’s kind of strange. I looked into a lot of the history behind palm reading.”

For video game and TV show lover Jared Varisco, deciding to create 3D models of his very own character designs was a nobrainer. From creating sketches on paper to researching the Paint 3D program to finally testing and retesting his designs three at a time, Varisco planned and completed his elaborate project in a timely manner.

Sophomore Ashley Guevara went beyond the boundaries of Rockville, discovering her perfect MYP project topic across the Atlantic Ocean. By compiling a series of videos from her penpals in Sweden and France, Guevara created a film

showing the cultural differences between Europe and America.

“I had a survey that asked American students, RM students, what they knew about each country,” Guevara said. “A lot of them put Swedish Fish for Sweden and then for France they put classy and cheese.”

She hopes students will be able to gain more insight into the lives of international students and their countries through the film.

While these students were satisfied with their final projects, the journey has not been easy. The overall consensus was that the MYP project at RM has potential, but currently is not quite meeting the hopes of students in terms of organization and appeal. “Most of the people I’ve talked to didn’t even think about it until January,” Henry said. “They got an email from Ms. Shay, or whoever it was, and they were like ‘gotta start!’ and they did something really, really random.”

High expectations are to be anticipated, but some sophomores warn not to get too attached to ideas towards the beginning.

“Whatever you think you’re going to do in the beginning of the year, you’re not going to do it,” Katz explained. “You’re not that good at life, you’re not that good at balancing things, and you’re going to procrastinate. So, make it something way easier than what you think you’re going to do, because all you need is a pass grade.”

Other students suggest projects that will be enjoyable no matter what. “Do something fun where a friend can come over and you can make salsa,” Ashley Guevara said.

Future sophomores: whether you make salsa or not, try to have a good time doing something you are really interested in. The MYP project is meant to be an opportunity, not a burden, so make the best of it no matter how you may currently feel about it. If in doubt, ask an upperclassman— everyone has an MYP story to tell.

the information they gathered. “He looks beyond what the article says,” Lam said.

“For example, if you take information from CNN then you have to know that it’s going to lean a little more to the left in terms of the political spectrum.”

As a pair, both found that they suited the other in work ethic and execution. Espejo poured many hours a week into preparing for the next debate, with the workload at times feeling like having multiple extra classes.

The two dealt with the stress and difficulty of collaboration by supporting one another and splitting the work equally.

“We’re practically the same person,” Lam said. “We are pretty punctual people; we like to get stuff on time and we’re pretty detailed as well.”

Though it is only Lam’s first year and Espejo’s second year on the debate team, the pair’s compatible dynamic provided for a strong delivery, elevating their arguments above many other teams. With Lam calmly connecting the facts and Espejo providing the assertive side with his statistics, the duo struck a balance often difficult to find in any kind of group work. “They kind of met in the middle and were both so poised and calm, but also had emotion with dynamic speaking,” Boyce said.

Beyond their debate-related talents, both noted a personal growth as a result of participating in debate. From the referendum in Catalonia to capital gains in the U.S. tax code, they had to extensively inform themselves on various current issues and be able to argue from multiple perspectives. “I’m always try to keep myself up to date on how issues are affecting our lives. I think debate helps me learn more about my environment,” Nam said.

Espejo observed how debate allowed him to inquire beyond beliefs he had acquired from his liberal environment. “I wouldn’t say [debate has] necessarily changed my views on politics of social relationships but

it’s definitely given me insight into how there are other credible perspectives,” he explained.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FATMA ELSAYED

Lam and Espejo win debate championships.

As notable as Lam and Espejo’s performance was, there are still aspects of their dynamic which they hope to address in the next year. Going into a debate, there can be variables that may sometimes prove difficult to control.

“You can’t expect a championship any time because a lot of other teams in the county are excellent as well, and there’s some subjectivity to it with the judging,” Grosfeld-Katz explained. He believes the best way to overcome these obstacles is by persevering in practice and research.

With such a striking victory in just their first few years of debating, the pair appears to have set the scene for a promising next two years to follow.

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March 2018

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ARTS

March 2018

AP and IB senior artists host “Elegance in Decay”

by Helena Yang Every year, AP and IB senior art students celebrate the highlights of their artistic experiences in a tour de force of artwork— the AP/IB Art Show. In a twist on the show’s traditionally classic decor, the theme for the 2018 exhibition is “Elegance in Decay.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA BARROR

“Ursa Major” by Anna Barror.

“To us, ‘Elegance in Decay’ is gilded frames and walls giving way to our stories, our art,” co-head curator Stella Ho explained. “Gilded, gold spray paintadorned decorations are no match for the real, personal, honest artwork that we produce.”

The art show features at least 15 of each student’s pieces that they have created over the last two years in displays on Main Street and in the Garage Gallery. Two years of work combined with the administrative responsibilities of student curators creates a difficult—albeit rewarding—workload for all the seniors involved.

“Stella and I have been planning the show for months,” said co-head curator Erin Frey. “We are in charge of laying out the gallery, shopping for decorations, writing the program, and writing the curators’ statement. Basically, we oversee everything related to the show.”

But of course, the most important parts of the show are the artwork. Students are free to make any type of art, from classic paintings to more contemporary styles, as long as it fits in with an overarching theme that they choose.

Many students use oils, acrylics, and other similar mediums to express their ideas in traditional paintings. For one of his pieces, senior Henry Schurgin used different paints to stylistically highlight the

structure of the D.C. metro.

“I used oil pastels which give the piece a muted tone but allow for the unique architecture to be seen,” explained Schurgin. “In the center of the piece, where the metro cars would be, I did not paint anything but chose to leave it entirely black.” This decision allows for contrast, emphasis on the architecture, and incorporating more abstrat elements.

Students also have the option of putting their own unique twist on traditional paintings, be it by changing the canvas or by adding other materials. IB curator Vivian Yeh mainly used oils and acrylics for her pieces while sometimes incorporating less conventional mediums.

“My most recent piece is sort of testing the bounds of traditional canvases,” said Yeh. “I slashed the canvas with a craft knife, added a wooden lattice, and put dried flowers, leaves, and feathers behind the holes. It’s talking about me leaving behind my childhood, and the flowers represent the growth that comes once you reach adulthood.”

Of course, the art show is not limited to just paintings. The IB art curriculum allows students to explore other mediums such as ceramics, mosaics, and digital art. One of

passion for art can be clearly seen in how they dedicate their time to creating pieces and finalizing their displays. Many students attend studios or art classes

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

“Geisha” by Marissa Lin. outside of school to supplement their school experiences. In the months leading up to the exhibition, seniors constantly fill the art rooms to finish their pieces, paint the gallery, and frame their pieces during lunch and after school.

In this way, the student-driven structure of the art show allows students to explore various art styles without too many restrictions. It also gives a taste of college level art courses. “The art show gives a great opportunity for those interested in going beyond high school,” IB art teacher Ms. Posey explained. “It gives them the

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELE ESCHENBURG

“All Shapes and Sizes” by Ele Eschenburg. senior Jennifer Saratis’ pieces, titled “Love, Lust, and Lune,” used paper, ceramic, underglaze, and string to create a 3D crane holding up clay shapes.

“I constructed this piece by making the body parts separately, then slipping and scoring them together, said Saratis. “The paper crane symbolizes good fortune and longevity, because in Japanese culture. there is a fable of living for a thousand years. I decided to have the crane holding a heart, star, and moon because those are everlasting as well.”

For all the students involved, their

intend on taking art in college.”

Ultimately, although it is an art show, the exhibition is a celebration of the dedicated students behind the pieces and the diverse art community of RM. With only one class period for AP and IB art, the same group of students have created, encouraged, and inspired each other for two years.

“The best thing about AP/IB art is being a part of the community that our class has created,” Frey said. “We help encourage each other to become better artists.” By pushing each other, the students help each other reach their full potential.

“When you look at other people’s artwork, you get to see past the version of themselves that they present to everyone,” Ho said. “We’re pretty good representatives for expressing all the different identities

PHOTO BY STELLA HO

“The Journey” by Nadia Yanev. chance to develop a portfolio, to take the exams, to show their work elsewhere beyond the school. It’s an experience that will always be there even if students don’t

PHOTO BY STELLA HO

“Third Eye” by Zion Tyler.

that can be found within one building, and I truly believe that our work as a whole will be seen as an asset to the school.”

Along with this sense of community, there is no doubt that the art students have proven their drive to pursue art over and over. The art teachers, who have helped, critiqued and watched their students grow during their time at RM, simply want the seniors to enjoy the art show and all the hard work that it embodies.

Naturally, the art teachers wish for the best for their graduating students. “I hope that in the show, students achieve a new respect for themselves,” Ms. Posey said.

“They have a lot to say, so my hope is that they are happy. This is it, this is their celebration.”

Front page credits: Graphic by Vivian Yeh and Alisa Gao Photo of “Bleach” courtesy of Noemi Garayo. Painting by Noemi Garayo.

Photo of “Andrea” by Stella Ho. Painting

by Marissa Lin.

“Black Panther” claws its way to box office success

by C. Lai The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood since “Iron Man” came out in 2008. Fans have lined up and waited anxiously for subsequent movies, but none have garnered as much buzz and cultural anticipation as Marvel’s latest cinematic hit, “Black Panther.”

According to Forbes, “Black Panther” broke global box office records, with the third-highest opening weekend in North America ever. Worldwide, the film has already earned 1.18 billion dollars.

“The quality of the movie was enough to get people to go see it,” junior Cameron Franklin explained. “Beyond the anticipation and hype when the movie was first announced, ‘Black Panther’ is just so awesome and Chadwick Boseman is a great actor.”

The movie highlights African culture, with a focus on its main setting, the fictional African-based world of Wakanda. Ryan Coogler, the film’s director, shows pride for Africa not only through Wakanda’s beauty, but also its technological advances.

“Wakanda has never been conquered.

They’ve fought off invaders with perfect efficiency, and it speaks a lot to what Africa might be like today if they had an upper hand against European colonizers who targeted the land and its people in the 19th century,” Franklin said. “The entire concept of Wakanda is a nod to the continent’s history, sort of a ‘what if’ that could have changed the course of world history.”

“Black Panther” brings out a wide array of intriguing characters, particularly black female ones. The film focuses on giving each character their own motivations and personalities that support, but are not entirely dependent, on the main plot.

Okoye (played by Danai Gurira,) the general of the Dora Milaje (Wakanda’s all-female royal security force), is loyal to her country despite the challenges she faces. This is rare for female characters in action movies, where they are often forced into stereotypical tropes like the damsel in distress or the femme fatale and their value is attached to the male main character.

The characters in “Black Panther” have so much development that even its villain has garnered positive attention from fans.

Michael B. Jordan plays Eric Killmonger, an antagonist and foil to T’Challa. “I thoroughly enjoyed his character,” Franklin said. “His dying line about how

his ancestors died free rather than choosing to live in bondage drove T’challa to make a different choice.”

“Black Panther,” like “Wonder Woman,” is defying norms in the entertainment industry. While “Wonder Woman” proved that an action movie can be led by a woman, “Black Panther” shows that a movie with a predominantly black cast can

be successful.

The public perspective on representation in minorities has shifted in favor of diversity. While the entertainment industry has historically been reluctant to move in this direction, films like “Black Panther” show how Hollywood must become more inclusive in order to keep up with the success of these groundbreaking films.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB

Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o,) T’Challa (Boseman,) and Okoye (Gurira) stride forward.

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ARTS

March 2018

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Evelyn Sturrock takes on the harp with keen pluck part of a wind ensemble for the first time.

Tanglewood was life-changing and I grew so much as a musician.”

by Christine Zhu Harp players tend to be few but talented.

Most professional orchestras have one or two, as instead of a sea of violinists.

Despite not being as common as piano or as portable as flute, the harp is still a beautiful and versatile instrument. It has had an incredible impact on senior Evelyn Sturrock’s life.

Sturrock recalls her seven-year-old self seeing a harpist play at her dad’s wedding and being completely fascinated with the instrument. Although her mom suggested starting off with piano to build a strong musical foundation before transitioning over to harp, Sturrock was adamant not to. “For a whole year, I begged my mom to get me harp lessons and she finally gave in after I firmly rejected starting with piano or flute.”

“When I was younger, I stuck with solo work to get a strong technical foundation, but joined harp ensembles when I was about 10,” Evelyn said. “I started with MCYO in 2013 with their symphony orchestra and fell in love with orchestral playing, as being a small but significant part of something greater felt so exciting to me.” Along with MCYO, she worked up to principal harpist in the Maryland All-State Orchestra in both 2016 in 2018. “All-State is a musical challenge: learn, perfect, and perform an hour of music in 48 hours,” she said.

Aside from local orchestras, she has taken her musical skills further with camps and summer opportunities such as a harp seminar in Georgia and Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Harp Program. Situated in the mountains of Massachusetts, Tanglewood’s six-week intensive harp program selects four students per summer, complete with two private lessons a week and Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts.

“I’ve done master classes [in Georgia] and had lessons with some incredible harpists, who roasted my technique and thus made it so much better!” Evelyn said. At Tanglewood, “I worked on solos, chamber music, orchestra music, and was

“Making people smile, or cry, or shake your hand— that’s the best thing about music to me.”

- Evelyn Sturrock

Unfortunately, music has its downsides as well as its uplifting moments. “No performance is ever perfect and some things will go wrong no matter what, especially if nerves are a big issue which they are for me,” Sturrock said.

“Don’t get tilted by mistakes: professionals make mistakes too.”

This optimism has allowed her to succeed in her musical career.

Sturrock’s passion for music has allowed her to remain persistent in pursuing what she loves. “The feeling of accomplishment when you perform a good recital or audition and you walk off that stage knowing your hundreds of hours of practice paid off is PHOTO COURTESY OF EVELYN STURROCK

amazing” she said. Even when performing in front of strangers, music has allowed Sturrock to connect with her audience.

“When you reach the audience with your performance, they tell you about how your music reminded them of their past or their happiest moments. When children come up to me at gigs and ask to touch the harp I love to see their faces light up when they see that they can make a sound and do something cool too. Making people smile, or cry, or shake your hand—that’s the best thing about music to me,” Sturrock said.

For other musicians, Sturrock has advice and words of wisdom. “I learn best when I enjoy the pieces I’m learning, so talk to your teacher about picking pieces that are suitable for your skill level and are interesting to play!” She also recommends increasing tempo by one metronome click per day, to gradually get up to tempo.

At RM, Sturrock has had numerous musical experiences, including in the pit orchestra, which accompanies the fall musical each year. “I was a member of our pit orchestra for four years and earned the position of pit chief this year, which had been my dream for three years,” she said.

“Reading small notes and shifting pedals by the light of a failing stand light was one of the highlights of my high school experience.”

Sturrock is currently co-president of RM’s chapter of Tri-M, the music honor society. This organization provides food reception and ushers at concerts, as well as sharing music during events in the community. She has also taken AP Music Theory, IB Music, and chamber orchestra.

After graduating from high school, Sturrock plans to continue taking music lessons. “I have so much to learn and would hate to stop now,” Sturrock said. “If I majored in music, I’d pursue an orchestral or teaching career, and if I didn’t, gigging is a good side hustle.”

“If you love to play music, never give it up! There are moments when we feel like we want to quit, but at the end of the day, remember why you play music. Whatever the reason, let it motivate you to believe in yourself and continue in your most stressful moments,” Sturrock said.

Teacher Advice Column: Pancakes and Promposals compiled by Mary Ma

What’s one piece of advice you wish you got from your high school teachers?

Mr. Arenas: One piece of advice I wish I got from my high school teachers is to always try something different and push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

even if I got advice from them, I probably wouldn’t listen.

Mr. Goetz: One piece of advice I wish I got from my high school teachers is to be willing to take risks and change your mind a lot in life. It is good to have an initial goal and direction, but be willing to change that at any point.

Mostly because kids oftentimes think they have their career path all worked out, but that very rarely works out. Also learn from your mistakes, because you are always going to look back and regret a lot of your choices. There’s a lot of ways to find happiness, and it’s not necessarily a four year college degree or a job, and it’s easy to get focused in school just on one thing so just remember, happiness can be achieved in a lot of ways.

What’s one recipe or thing that every person should know how to make?

Mr. Arenas: One recipe that everyone should know how to make is a perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Ms. Shay: One recipe that everyone should know how to make is pasta salad.

Ms. Wilson: There are multiple recipes that everyone should know how to make, my top two are spaghetti and pancakes.

Mr. Goetz: I’m going to change the question a little bit. Something that everyone should know how to do is work with their hands. What I mean is around the house, on the car, I think you should be able to basically fix a shower or a sink, and you should be resourceful in that way that you can have skills other than just academic skills or athletic skills or musical skills, but real world skills in terms of whatever it is.

If you were doing a promposal, what would you do? What kind of promposal is the best kind?

Mr. Arenas: Without stating any specifics, I think the best kind of promposal is one that’s private because it’s personal, it’s individual, it’s about two people, it isn’t about showing everyone what you feel, it’s about telling that person directly.

PHOTO BY ADDELE HARGENRADER

Mr. Arenas: “Try something different and push yourself beyond your comfort zone” Ms. Shay: One piece of advice I wish I got from my high school teachers is to never be afraid to try something new.

Ms. Wilson: I didn’t get any advice from my high school teachers, so one piece of advice I wish I got is any advice. But to be honest,

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEAH WILSON

Ms. Wilson; “One piece of advice I wish I got is any advice.”

Ms. Shay: If I was going to do a promposal, I would walk up to the person I’m trying to prompose to, look them straight in the eye, and tell them that I would love to go to prom with them. The simpler the better.

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

Ms. Shay: “One recipe that everyone should know how to make is pasta salad.”

Ms. Wilson: I don’t think any kind of promposal is good. Frankly, I personally believe that promposals put people on the spot, pressure them to say yes, and are sometimes very sexist.

Mr. Goetz: The best kind of promposal is one that is very personal, but not necessarily overly elaborate. You know like skywriting, which is pretty much where promposals are going right now. It’s not so much about the biggest, or the fanciest, or the craziest, but something genuine. If I was inviting Mrs. Goetz to the prom, I would obviously do something goofy and probably dress up in a costume and do some silly romantic song while dancing.

Submit your questions to our Google Form!

18

ARTS

The Tide

March 2018

Restaurants bring spice to Rockville Signs take center stage

by Kaylen Fu and Clare Zhang

The open lunch option at Richard Montgomery is a huge source of delight for students. Rockville Pike, just a few minutes from school, offers a large variety of restaurants, ranging from fast-food options like Wendy’s to Korean barbecue at Iron Age. Out of all these restaurants, however, only a few have become prominent as student favorites.

For some, the sheer amount of restaurants were almost overwhelming.

“There’s IHOP, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Chipotle, Dunkin Donuts,” senior Konneil Reid said. “If you want, you can go to Taco Bell or McDonald’s.” Restaurants line both sides of Rockville Pike, with places like Wintergreen Plaza containing dozens of restaurants branching off of the main road.

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

Jumbo Jumbo bubble tea is a popular item.

Some restaurants, like The Habit Burger Grill that just recently came to Rockville, have become favorites of students. The chain’s signature charburgers were voted the best-tasting fast-food burgers in the country in Consumer Reports’ 2014 fast food survey, and its Rockville Pike location has become increasingly popular. “They

by Grace Burwell

PHOTO BY MIKHAILA ESTWICK

La Limeña, located at the corner of Ritchie Center near 7-Eleven, is popular for its chicken. have really good onions,” freshman Isabel Barker said.

Other students prefer larger chain restaurants. Many students mention IHOP, a long-standing chain known for its pancakes and various other American breakfast food items, as their favorite restaurant nearby. “Yeah, I’m sticking with IHOP,” sophomore Annabelle Sargent said.

Some frequent customers are particularly passionate about their restaurant preferences. “The best restaurant to hit up at lunch is definitely Oh Mama Grill,” senior Josh Levy said. Oh Mama Grill is a kosher restaurant that serves Middle Eastern cuisine. “They’ve got great shawarma and the food is pretty authentic,” Levy said. Another “grill” that attracted much attention is Iron Age, the all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant imfamous for its long wait lines. “It’s a lot and it’s good,” junior Shefei Jiang said.

For some students, distance plays a big role in their restaurant choices. Jumbo Jumbo, a Taiwanese Cafe close to RM, is another notable dining option. “The Taiwanese chicken is just so nice, it’s so

crisp and I’ve never gotten sick of it in four years,” senior Steven Lu said.

While many have expressed their love for the irresistible Taiwanese chicken from Jumbo Jumbo, not all students would agree. “The makings of a good restaurant is to have multiple good options,” senior Albert Shyu countered. “You can’t just get Taiwanese chicken every single time.”

Shyu’s restaurant of choice, La Limeña, serves Peruvian dishes and allows for sitdown dining or carryout. “La Limeña is better because it’s not that overpriced,” Shyu said, “You get a quarter of a chicken, with two sides and a drink.” Eating on a budget can be challenging for students, so restaurants like the Indian restaurant Om offer student lunch prices, increasing their appeal to students.

In the end, RM’s diverse student body translates into their eating habits, with restaurants ranging from the all American breakfast chain IHOP to the Peruvian restaurant La Limena. Whether you are a freshman in search of lunch options or a senior reluctant to leave RM behind, good luck and happy eating!

Old fashioned: not what they seamed

by Mary Ma Mom jeans, turtlenecks, small sunglasses, crew socks, overalls and fanny packs are street style’s newest fads, but they’re not new at all. This season has been all about a blast from the past, with trendy retro pieces rocking the style scene. Social media has also seen a flood of these items, with millennial stars donning classic highwaisted fits and other retro trends.

High-waisted tapered fit jeans

The classic skinny jean is being replaced by a more relaxed fit, the “mom” jean. This name might have held a negative connotation in the 2000s, referring to the style of middle-aged mothers who wore high waisted loose jeans instead of the then-popular, low rise skinny jegging. But now these high waists that originated in the 1950s are making a huge comeback, turning this piece into a wardrobe staple just as important as the basic skinny jean. Freshman Michelle Zhao said, “Mom jeans are way more comfortable than skinny jeans, so I’m totally onboard with that trend.”

Hanway: “I will never be into fanny packs, no matter how many social media stars wear it. They look absolutely ridiculous,” she said.

The key to wearing a fanny pack without looking ridiculous is to pair it with sleeker pieces, and to tone down the pack itself. Instead of going for neon synthetic fabrics, go for sophisticated black faux leather, or shiny white patent. Looking like an 80s halloween costume is not the best idea, so blend monochromatics with the bag’s retro silhouette.

Crew socks

This trend, a huge fad in the 90s, has resurfaced to the fashion scene today, paired with sneakers or even dress shoes. The taller sock adds just a bit of vintage flair to an outfit without seeming too out of place or tacky. Not only is it fashionable, it’s also functional because higher socks are more comfortable than noshow ones, and prevent blisters.

Even though these frames may not be that Fanny packs useful for blocking out Although this actual sunlight, they do trend is a hard look cool paired with any one to hop on, outfit, and they add a high fashionistas have fashion touch. Tiny sunglasses been pulling off were extremely popular in the 90s, the 80s trend but recently Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, effortlessly. On the Balenciaga and other luxury brands other hand, many are have been showing off sleek small of the same mind as glasses on their catwalks. Popular freshman Corinne PHOTO COURTESY OF INSTYLE Bella Hadid dons sunglasses and a fanny pack. style stars such as

“It’s about how people are angry and how they want change.”

- Mirula Prasad

For the student protesters, signs offered a valuable way to convey their feelings on the issue of gun control. “It’s important for the signs to be clear in their message so people can really understand what the march is about… it’s not just about gun control, it’s about how people are angry and how they want change,” freshman Mirula Prasad said.

Signs and posters featured catchy logos, showed outrage towards gun violence or used irony and humor. “The one [sign] that said ‘a uterus is more heavily regulated than an assault rifle’, and one that said ‘kids’ lives matter’ were my favorites,” Prasad said.

Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Rihanna, Zoe Kravitz and Millie Bobby Brown have also played a large part in this comeback, featuring these microframes on their social media posts and on the street for the paparazzi.

Overalls

Available in many different fabrics, colors and shapes, this playful style has recently garnered the attention of many fashionsavvy bloggers and influencers.

No longer something only a preschooler would wear, overalls provide a more interesting alternative to the basic jeans-and-T-shirt combo. Instead of grabbing a pair of boring jeans, choose some overalls to mix your outfit up a bit.

Turtlenecks

Not only are turtlenecks practical for a chilly winter day, they are also a quirky alternative to the basic tee. The trend, popular in the 60s, is more fresh than a plain crew neck tee, but still wearable for every day. Solid-colored turtleneck tops go with any outfit, and they add the perfect amount of style and personality to PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKICOMMONS any ensemble.

Overalls rule the runway.

Small sunglasses

On February 21, students from Richard Montgomery and neighboring Montgomery County high schools marched to Washington, D.C.. They were advocating for increased gun control after the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The students flocked to Capitol Hill, where they stood on the lawn of the Capitol building, carrying signs and posters voicing their opinions on gun control in hopes of expanding awareness on the topic.

2018 is all about having fun with your own style, so don’t be afraid to explore the decades of fashion with your unique look.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKICOMMONS

Turtlenecks are warm and stylish.

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

Students display political standpoints.

Other signs sported slogans such as, ‘fear has no place in schools,’ ‘your thoughts and prayers are not enough,’ ‘your guns < my life,’ ‘sweet sixteen over an AR-15’ and ‘an AR-15 has more rights than my black life.’

Many of the students at the march posted photos of their signs on social media platforms, allowing them to share their messages with an even larger audience. Social media allowed protesters to spread their opinions, and using signs in their posts enabled protestors to give a visual representation to their political beliefs. “Signs are an image. People can take photos, so it’s a really efficient way to spread your message,” senior Jude Jones said.

“Americans are very outraged by the fact that there’s no gun control,” freshman Mercy Kibet said. “When you’re in a march or a protest, you can’t really speak to everybody individually about how you feel, but if you carry a large poster, it is very visible and everyone can see it and read it and see what your opinions are.” Many students saw posters as an opportunity to convey their own unique messages. “If you’d like to convey a specific message, I think a sign is really essential for expressing ideas,” Jones said.

The value of self-expression was evident for students, and signs are a key part of that. “Your presence in general does have some significance, but if you’d like to convey a specific message, I think a sign is really essential,” Jones said. Signs are a bold, powerful way to make your voice heard without actually raising it.

SPORTS

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March 2018

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Volleyball teams set high goals Battle for NCAA title

by Jack Yang March 1 marked the start of the boys’ and coed volleyball season. The gym filled to the brim with aspiring and fresh-faced players. Crowds of boys and girls ran drills and playing matches, all in the hopes of making it onto one of Richard Montgomery high school’s outstanding and awardwinning volleyball teams.

Led by Coach Teresa Boyd, RM volleyball players are part of one of the only coed volleyball high school leagues in the nation.

This year’s team is, as usual, packed with talent.

Boys’ volleyball has a higher standard to uphold this season.

With a second place finish in the county championships last year, the returning players must prove that they can once again establish their dominance on the court.

Boys Varsity Volleyball coach Gretchen Barber-Strunk believes that despite the loss of many seniors, the team can still put up a good fight.

“I’m hoping that my seniors will step right up and lead and fill those shoes that we lost from a couple big players,” Strunk said. “I think we had really good leadership last year. It took them the better part of three years to find a voice, but once they found it they led really well.”

Leadership plays a key role in volleyball, and communication is vital on the court. Players must both assert themselves and be aware of each other’s movements to work together as a coherent team.

Another important part of volleyball is mental toughness.

“In volleyball, it is a very big mental game,” Strunk said. “On an average day, it’s 50% mental as it is skill, because everybody can have a bad skill day, but mentally,

it’s if you can bounce back from making a mistake that is going to make or break your game.”

“Volleyball is definitely a sport that depends on your mindset, because if you think you’re going to lose, you’ll probably lose, and if you think

expend and hard work they put in towards reaching their goal that will ultimately determine the outcome of the season.

It is the role of both coaches and veterans to help new athletes achieve the high standards they are capable of.

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

The boys volleyball team practices their teamwork skills on the court. you’re going to do well, you’re “Hopefully we can teach some probably gonna do well,” junior of the new freshmen guys what’s Lucas Frassrand said. up, how to play some good No matter how physically volleyball,” Frassrand said. talented a player is, if they do not Like many other sports, the have a good mindset, they are not coed and boys seasons have going to be able to perform well scrimmages and games every on the court. week, sometimes even two or Every season, teams feel that three times a week. The players there are games that they need to have to balance these events win in order to prove their mental around their schedules and focus toughness. on improving their own skills in When it comes down to the meantime. those final moments, players have “I feel good after watching to face the intense pressure of tryouts,” Strunk said. “I feel like rebounding from their mistakes we’re going to have a strong and pushing themselves to close program again.” out the game.

Both the coed and boys “You have to try and not focus volleyball coaches are enthusiastic on the score and focus on playing about the upcoming season. well, which is pretty hard when “We have to work on the the games are really intense,” overall chemistry of the current Frassrand said. “It’s point after group,” Strunk said. “But I point, so if you fall apart mentally think that we should be, and I’m then you can really play below hopeful that we can be, one of your potential.” the stronger programs, if not the Every athlete has the potential strongest one. I hope we can fill to do well, but it is the effort they the stands and win the games.”

by Byron Fan The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a non-profit organization which regulates athletes of 1,281 institutions, conferences, and individuals. Each year during the month of March, there is a single-elimination tournament of 68 NCAA Division I Basketball Men’s teams that compete for the national championship. There are seven rounds in total, with the semifinal round dubbed the famous “Final Four,” in which only four teams are left. This famous annual tournament is called March Madness.

The term March Madness was first used in 1939, but did not become well known until CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used that term during the first live coverage in 1982. Since then, the term March Madness has been used to refer to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

This year, there are a handful of teams that are quite strong, but no team that is truly dominant. According to CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated, the top contenders for this year’s March Madness Championship Final Four are Michigan State, Villanova, Virginia, and Kansas.

“The Virginia Cavaliers have lots of new talent this year and have been doing well the last couple of years,” freshman Guys Feliz commented. The Virginia Cavaliers are in the top seed with a 27-2 record. They have the best ranked defensive team, but their offensive team is less stellar. Nevertheless, fans still believe Virginia’s indomitable defense will lead them to the championship title.

Trailing right behind Virginia Cavaliers in the Power Ranking,

the Michigan State Spartans have a record of 29-3. Michigan State has a dynamic team, with a well balanced defense and an unstoppable offense from Mile Bridges, who brings them 16.8 points and 6.9 rebounds each game. Currently, Michigan State is ranked number one in the Big Ten Conference with a 12 game win streak.

Villanova won the NCAA tournament two years ago. This year, the Villanova Wildcats are the dark horses. In the beginning of the season, they were at 22-1 overall and 9-1 in the league, but they have been just 4-3 in their last couple of games. Despite their recent troubles, they have one of the top players in the nation, Jalen Brunson, who is averaging 19.1 points per game and making 52.6 percent of his shots.

The Kansas Jayhawks are looking strong this year despite losing Josh Jackson, a key player in past years. This season, they have a 24-6 record. The Jayhawks’ star player, Devonte’ Graham is the key to leading them to victory.

He averages a huge 17.7 points per game. Among other top scorers are Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Lagerald Vick, who both also score double digits per game.

Outside of the aforementioned teams is an exceptional player, Trae Young. This freshman plays for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Currently, he leads the nation in points per game and assists, with 29.8 points and 9.7 assists on average per game. He was a fivestar recruit and McDonald’s AllAmerican. Sports Illustrated also stated that he draws comparisons to Steph Curry with his abilities as a player on the court, most notably the distance of his shots.

With the unparalleled talents of these athletes and sensational teams, this year’s March Madness brackets will surely be something to look forward to.

Playing video games enhances athletic abilities

by Noah Bland Video games are typically seen as unhealthy distractions.

However, some recent studies and analysis have shown that certain video games can actually improve an athlete’s performance and help develop important nonphysical in-game skills.

Playing video games can give athletes practice time after courts and rinks are closed, and certain game systems and designs can boost an athlete’s IQ and improve communication skills.

The popularity of these games continue to grow at tremendous rates with the introduction of new electronic sports leagues and the growing prominence of virtual reality games that will take these sports simulation video games to the next level.

The process of creating a simulated in-game environment involves analyzing, comparing, and rating different styles of plays to create the most authentic experience possible. Technology has eased this process by reducing the amount of time it takes for game makers to write code.

For example, motion capture suits record the actions of the athletes when they play a sport.

Game makers use the information gained from the motion capture

suits to design and create games.

Athletes have sometimes claimed that they can develop their skills through these sports simulation games thanks to the games’ high levels of realism.

“They had the style of hockey right on the button,” said Rob Schremp, former National Hockey League player for the Edmonton Oilers, about the professional ice hockey simulation game NHL 10.

In 2010, Conor Chinn, professional soccer player for the New York Red Bulls, was interviewed by the New York Times about how he has improved as a player by playing video games.

He described how he played an hour of FIFA, a soccer simulation video game, every day to improve his skills. “It gets your soccer brain started that day. You really get to see and experience the players’ style of play.”

Many athletes agree that certain video games enhance sporting IQ. Mental Toughness Trainer defined sporting IQ as, “How well a competitor deals with changing conditions and adapts to a dynamic situation during play.”

RM athletes also gave their opinions on video games enhancing the skills of athletes.

Freshman Zach Lustig is a big fan of Visual Impact’s NBA 2K series.

“You get to learn more plays, ball

movements and gain first-hand experience from playing against the best players in the world,” said Lustig.

Players can also adjust the game controls to change the noise

program IntelliGym, a videogame-like training program designed to improve cognitive performance of competitive athletes. Originally designed to train Israeli Air Force pilots,

of the crowd. “It helps with the jitters and you get used to the crowd noise,” Lustig said.

Video games can also improve athletic skills in other ways. “It usually helps you develop a playing style and you get used to adapting to teammates’ playing styles,” freshman Connor Coil said.

Playing as part of a team in various modes helps young players develop as effective team members and learn to recognize areas for improvement.

A more widely used version of sports video games is the

IntelliGym has become widely used in basketball, soccer, and hockey.

The program is even used by the United States Under-17, Under-18, and Under-20 Ice Hockey national teams and ten professional soccer clubs.

While similar to real hockey, the Hockey Intelligym mainly tests hockey IQ. Research conducted at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program has shown that Intelligym was able to reduce the number of injuries on ice.

Player performance in the program also provides coaches

GRAPHIC BY KAT CHEN

and scouts with information about the player’s skills that would be difficult to see from just a few practices or games.

These video games can benefit not only the athletes, but the coaches and managers as well.

Simulation games like Football Manager and East Coast Hockey League allow the player to have complete control over everything from player trades to prices at the virtual stadium.

Matt Neil was just a teen when he found out about Football Manager and would play it constantly, checking up on his team nearly every day. Now, Neil is a professional scout working with a club just below the Premier League, which is the top level of the English football league system.

This video game has helped him identify many top-level prospects. “We’ve just signed the goalkeeper Marc McCallum, an incredible prospect at Dundee United,” said Neil in an interview published by The Guardian.

Video games are widely regarded as a waste of time.

However, in some cases, practicing sports online can actually help the players improve their real-world abilities.

With tools like FIFA, Racing. com and IntelliGym, players can gain physical and mental skills that are crucial to athletic success.

20 The Tide

SPORTS

Athlete of the Issue

March 2018

Westpfahl shines in her last field hockey season

by Katie Spencer Ryan Westpfahl is a phenomenal athlete and leader.

At the end of her freshman and sophomore years, she received a nomination to captain RM’s field hockey team, and she went on to letter three out of her four years on the team.

Just like most of RM’s field hockey players, Westpfahl started her career during her freshman year. “My friend Sierra Longest convinced me to try out,” she said. The two worked together on their stick skills and endurance all summer long in preparation for the upcoming season.

Westpfahl is an offensive midfielder, occupying the top slot in a four person diamond that must switch between attacking and defending. She must be very versatile in order to keep up with the fast-paced, back-and-forth action. “I try to make sure that I’m in a place where I can always help my teammates,” Westpfahl explained. “Whether I have the ball, or they have it.”

What makes Westpfahl such an outstanding player is her awareness on the field. “You need to always be looking up,” she said.

Westpfahl also knows that success is only achieved by working well

with her teammates. “It’s not a personal game, it’s a team sport.”

To Westpfahl, a good athlete is someone who can leave it all on the field. “Nothing really keeps me from giving everything I’ve got,” she explained. Whether at a game or simply a practice, Westpfahl strives to perform above and beyond. “You should walk off that field as proud as you could possibly be, knowing that there wasn’t anything else that you could do to help your team,” she said.

Westpfahl’s role on the team extends beyond the field. As a captain, she uses her experience to inspire her younger teammates.

“I try to combine a positive attitude and a good work ethic to encourage people to give their best all the time,” she said.

In the eyes of her coaches, it doesn’t get any better than Westpfahl. “She is every coach’s dream,” varsity head coach Alie Brooks said. “She’s someone who works hard because she wants to, takes initiative, is mature enough to handle team responsibilities, and is a true team player.”

Westpfahl’s four-year career for the Rockets has been full of nail-biting comebacks, underdog victories and overtime wins.

“During my senior season, we finally beat WJ,” she said.

Outside of field hockey,

Westpfahl(right) lunges for control of the ball as an offensive midfielder.

Westpfahl has an undeniable love for horses. She has experience as a therapeutic riding volunteer, where she helps children with physical and mental disabilities learn to ride. When Westpfahl was younger, she competed in events.

Now, she works at a barn and rides recreationally.

Now that her final high school season is over, Westpfahl has taken to crossfit training. She competes in “crossfit opens” and has just recently placed third overall at her gym.

Westpfahl also plays for the Jackals, a local club field hockey organization. The team participated in many recruiting tournaments, where her skills caught the attention of college

coaches. “I got tons of emails from Division II and III schools,” she recalled.

In college, Westpfahl wanted to continue playing field hockey, but she also wanted to attend a college that met her academic interests.Fortunately, Virginia Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts college in Norfolk, VA, took note of Westpfahl’s impressive field hockey resume.

“I had already been accepted into Virginia Wesleyan, and I had a scholarship there,” Westpfahl explained. Back in November, the university sent out a representative to meet Westpfahl at one of her tournaments. She signed her letter of intent in December.

Although Westpfahl does appreciate the competitive aspect of the sport, what she enjoys the most is the company of her teammates. “I’m very fortunate to have a team of girls that I can always go to whenever I need something,” Westpfahl said.

“We’re definitely a family.”

“What I’m most excited for is to start my journey on a new team, even beyond field hockey,” Westpfahl said. Although she was reluctant to leave her high school team’s friendly environment, that sense of family will not be sacrificed throughout her next four years. “I’ve found that the school community is a family within itself,” she said.

Westpfahl plans to major in biology, embracing the long road of research and difficult science classes ahead of her. “Everyone I’ve talked to has said that it’s a bit challenging,” she explained.

But Westpfahl has never been one to back down from a challenge.

Westpfahl’s place on RM’s field hockey team will certainly be hard to forget. “The influence she has had on our program is something I don’t think I personally could ever thank her enough for,” JV Field Hockey coach Sarah Morrish said. “She will definitely be missed, and it will be extremely hard to fill the void left by her as a player, a leader and a friend.”

Team USA breaks records in Pyeongchang Olympics

by Eileen Zhang Snowboarding The USA Snowboarding team excelled at the Pyeongchang

On the women’s side, Jamie Anderson led the field, collecting a gold and silver medal in Slopestyle and Big Air, respectively. In the last event for snowboarding, Kyle Mack remained consistent in men’s Big

PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON POST

Red Gerald wins USA’s first medal in Pyeongchang in snowboarding.

Olympics, winning seven medals, four of which were gold. Red Gerard started the dominance in the men’s slopestyle. Gerard, an underdog coming into the event, posted a score of 87.16 in his final run, putting him ahead of Canada’s Max Parrot and Mark McMorris. At 17 years old, he won the first gold medal for the United States at these games.

Shortly after, teen snowboarding sensation Chloe Kim took the gold medal in women’s halfpipe with a mark of 98.25.

After failing to medal at the 2014 Olympics, Shaun White fought for redemption in the men’s halfpipe. With one more run, he outscored Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, successfully re-earning his 2010 Olympic title.

Air, gaining a silver medal.

Figure Skating USA Figure Skating started strong with the team event.

Nathan Chen, the gold medal favorite going into the games, struggled with his short program for the team event, uncharacteristically falling out of nearly all his jumps.

In the womens’ event, Mirai Nagasu made history in her team free program, becoming the first American female to land the triple axel on Olympic ice.

Additional strong performances

by Adam Rippon and Maia and Alex Shibutani helped the team pull off a bronze medal finish.

The Shibutanis excelled in the Ice Dancing event, receiving the bronze medal behind the Canada and France pairs.

In the men’s individual event, Chen struggled to stick his landings again, placing 17th after the short program. However, his first place finish in the free program would boost him to fifth place, just off the podium. Vincent Zhou and Rippon finished 6th and 9th respectively.

In the women’s individual event, US women finished 9th, 10th, and 11th. Olympic Athletes from Russia(OAR) lived up to high expectations, as Alina Zagitova took gold at just 15 years old, while fellow Russian skater Evgenia Medvedeva won the silver medal.

Skiing In Alpine Skiing, Mikaela Shiffrin added to her 2014 gold medal with another gold and a silver medal in the women’s Giant Slalom and combined races respectively.

Experienced skier, Lindsey Vonn, received bronze at the downhill event, in what is likely her last Olympics.

In the men’s Slopestyle event,

reigning bronze medalist Nick Goepper receivied the silver.

The USA nearly swept the podium for men’s Halfpipe when

Alex Ferreira and defending his 2014 title. Ferreira finished just behind him with the silver medal.

Ice Hockey

PHOTO COURTESY OF SELF MAGAZINE

The US women’s hockey team celebrates after winning against Canada.

David Wise and Alex Ferreira took gold and silver, respectively.

After bad finishes in the first two runs, Wise cleaned up his final run, overtaking fellow American

PHOTO COURTESY OF NBC

Mirai Nagasu successfully attempts the triple axel during competition.

Team USA women’s ice hockey team seeked redemption after losing to Canada in the final match for the past four Olympic games.

After losing to the Canadian team in the preliminary game, the USA team craved a win in the gold medal match.

This time around, though, it would be different. With five minutes left, Monique Lamoureux tied the game at 2-2.

Both teams failed to score in overtime, so a shoot-out would determine who won the gold medal. Jocelyne Lamoureux of the USA showcased her beautiful stick skills and scored the game winning goal. In order for the USA to win, young goalkeeper, Maddie Rooney, would need to make one last save. Ronney successfully deflected Canada’s last puck and with that save, the USA women hockey team won gold, the team’s first since 1998.