The Tide - November 2012

News 2-4

Opinions 5-7

International 8-9

Center Spread 10-11

La Marea 12-13

Features 14-15

Arts 16-17

Sports 18-20

Dawson’s Market healthy RTC hit

by Nikita Sardana

PHOTO BY DAVID CHEN

Homecoming Court members Tandis Hamidzadeh and Matt Guevara enter the homecoming dance to the applause of students.

A spooky night of dancing and music

PHOTO BY DAVID CHEN

In a spooky Halloween setting, students danced the night away. against Rockville HS at the homecoming football game, the

by Charlie Kang SGA’s Haunted Homecoming Dance was a time for students After an intense Spirit Week to just step back and enjoy that ended with electrifying pep themselves.

With Halloween only days rallies and a crushing victory

after the dance, the SGA decided to go with a spooky “Haunted Homecoming” theme this year to maintain the Halloween spirit.

“We thought a Haunted homecoming would be appropriate because it is so close to Halloween,” said Special Functions Coordinator Kala Benjamin.

Not only was the name catchy, but decorations such as a humansized mummy also had many students impressed. Junior Katie Zeng was among those students; she said, “The decorations were much better this year than last year.”

Overall students responded positively to the “Haunted Homecoming” theme. “It was well done as far as themes go,” said sophomore Jessica Kang,

who attended homecoming for the first time this year.

However some students disagreed, such as Zeng, who said, “I felt like a Halloween theme was just too predictable.”

Students who attended their first homecoming this year, especially freshmen, were pleasantly surprised. “It’s just such a new experience,” said freshman Liz Choi about her first homecoming.

In contrast, freshman Mark Zic was more critical. “Tickets were way too expensive,” he said.

“Also they should have real food, not just desserts.”

For seniors, since this was their last homecoming, the DANCE, cont. on page 10

Visiting principal introduces Costa Rican dimensions

by Hari Devaraj “A world class high school.”

That is the second thing visitors see on the RM website, this motto rests right below the black and gold “Richard Montgomery High School” banner. But it is more than just a motto; it is a standard of excellence which draws educators from around the world, like Isabel Arias Calderon, to our halls.

Ms. Calderon is the principal of a secondary school named Colegio de Orosi in Costa Rica.

Over a two day period, she met with IB Magnet Coordinator Jennifer Hoover and toured RM

Opinions, 7

No exams for double As

with senior Alex Bazán, who translated between them.

Colegio de Orosi is in the Porciso Orosi province in Costa Rica, an area with particularly strong tourism and coffee beans processing industries.

Unfortunately, the same characteristics that makes Porciso Orosi ideal for coffee and tourism, namely its highly natural and rural environment, also makes it difficult to educate the children of the province. As a result, the Colegio de Orosi is the only high school in the province.

Despite its unavoidable setbacks, the Colegio de Orosi has made a name for itself in the COSTA RICA, cont. on page 8

PHOTO BY JENNIFER HOOVER

Costa Rican Principal Arias Calderon visited to learn more about our school system and establish an exchange program.

A stroll down a typical grocery store aisle is familiar in everyone’s minds--the same packages of Oreos and Skippy peanut butter jars lining the shelves, bagged apples and baby corn in the produce section. Little of the merchandise originates from local farms; most is imported from other states and even other countries. The new Dawson’s Market in Rockville Town Center hardly conforms to the image of a typical grocery store.

Its locally centered mind set and small business structure bring the community closer and are beneficial to the MarylandVirginia region.

Dawson’s Market began as Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market in Richmond, Virginia, another locally focused grocery store with the same mission as Dawson’s. Although opening a new location was a challenge, it was not too different from the DAWSON’S, cont. on page 3

PHOTO BY WENDY SUE RISSO

Dawson’s Market puts emphasis on healthy, organic eating.

Dr. Starr meets with students

by Grace Cheung and Emilia Kuentz At the first student Town Hall meeting on October 15th, Dr. Joshua Starr, Montgomery County Public School system superintendent, answered students’ questions.

“Do you believe that students are given too much homework?” a student asked. He answered, surprisingly supporting the students’ side, “Rigor does not mean more sheets and more pages...I do get concerned about the amount you are working, which is incredibly hard... I want to focus on quality.”

The event was hosted by TOWN HALL, cont. on page 3

International, 8

La Marea, 12

Arts, 14

Features, 16

Sports, 18

Felix Ubiera

Venezuelan elections

Coffeehouse talents

Thanksgiving

Soccer Playoffs

NEWS 2 The Tide SAT: noun. Source of student stress

by Anagha Lokhande and Sarah Wu The leaves are falling, the weather is getting colder, and standardized testing season has begun again. Montgomery County has been pushing an initiative to increase the standardized test-taking rate amongst its high school students, an effort that culminated in school-wide PSAT/SAT testing on October 17th. College Board, the same organization that creates AP exams, SAT subject tests, and the ACT, administers the PSAT/SAT as well.

The SAT is not the only choice of standardized testing for college admissions, yet it continues to be more prominent than the other standardized testing option, the ACT. So what exactly is the difference between the SAT and its less popular counterpart?

According to sophomore Lisa Mena, the ACT is “much more laid back than the SAT.” She said both tests “do a very good job at gaging” a student’s ability to “understand, reason, and apply information instead of just memorizing it,” but the SAT “demands more of a critical mindset” and has “higher stakes” because of the one-fourth point deduction the SAT has for every incorrect answer.

Junior David Zhang agreed.

“For me, the ACT is more direct and knowledge based, whereas the SAT asks [you] to read between the lines,” he said.

Many undergraduate colleges and universities require students submit their SAT and ACT scores for admission.

“Taking the SAT broadens my college opportunities,” junior Susan Xiao explained.

In a recent Gazette article, superintendent Joshua Starr, said ““It could [either] be the SAT or the ACT, [but] we need to provide an opportunity for our kids to go onto college, career or the military, and the exams are oftentimes a part of that. But that is their choice, not ours... Students should have more options when they leave us than when they came in.”

But these tests, though widely accepted, are not necessarily fair

to all. “They used to be a good measure of student capability,” said English teacher Alison Pinto, “But now there are so many prep classes that it’s inequitable, and students who can afford the

Zhang.

In contrast, Mena said, “I think it’s actually a good idea!

Taking the PSAT a year before it’s really necessary is a great way to help students prepare for

PHOTO BY CONNIE CHEN

Montgomery County students prepare to take the SAT and PSAT tests, opening prep books and attending classes in hopes of high scores. classes do better on the tests.”

Several studies support this view, including one in a New York Times article by Catherine Rampell entitled “SAT Scores and Family Income.” Rampell wrote, “Generally speaking, the wealthier a student’s family is, the higher the SAT score.”

Mrs. Pinto added that the only importance of these standardized tests is “for college admissions.

They’re not necessarily a measure of intelligence or success.”

Math teacher Laura Goetz echoes this sentiment in part. “Are [standardized tests] perfect?” she asked. “Absolutely not. But they’re standard for a reason.”

She continued, “High schools often fail at preparing students for tests. I know there’s this philosophy: ‘don’t teach to the test.’ When you take away the test, I’ll stop teaching to it.”

The county’s initiative to have ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders take some form of the SAT or the PSAT has been met with mixed responses from students. “I don’t think the mock PSAT is necessary since the PSAT itself is something to prepare ourselves for the SAT. It’s like preparing yourself to prepare yourself. It doesn’t make sense,” said freshman Natalie

what it’ll be like the following year, when it matters.” He noted though that “the money the school’s using to pay for the test could easily benefit other areas, like sports and the arts.”

“I think it’s a good thing because it gives everyone the free opportunity to see where they stand, what they need to improve on, and what the real thing would be like,” agreed freshman Saundra Locure.

In any case, it is almost universally agreed that preparing for these tests is important.

“Practice, practice, practice,” said Mrs. Goetz. “The more tests you practice and grade, the better you do.” She added that our counseling office and the College Board website both offer resources for test prep.

Montgomery County also provides its own preparation resources, such as free SAT/ACT prep, links to which are on the school website.

As the SAT draws closer, students rush to prepare through various means. By using these resources, maybe when it comes time to break out the graphing calculators and bubble in those answer sheets, that daunting test will not seem as scary.

November/December

Nov 9

Seven Sisters Opening Night Come support the Black Maskers for a night of laughs.

November 2012

NEWS IN BRIEF

Toxic algae discovered in Derwood’s Lake Needwood Visitors to Rockville’s Lake Needwood should be cautious.

According to the park’s website, toxicmicrocystin produced by a type of blue-green algae called cyanobacteria has been found in the lake’s water. The lake is still open, but the park has advised visitors to stay away from the water. The main concern is with children playing in the lake and dogs drinking from it. These concerns should not be taken lightlyas when ingested, microcystin can cause severe liver damage. Swimming is prohibited at the lake, but fishing and boating are still permitted. In order to prevent the microcystin from being consumed by anyone, park officials recommended cooking fish from the lake correctly. Additionally, officials advise to only eat the muscle meat of the fish because the toxins from the microcystin usually accumulate in the internal organs instead of the muscles.

All visitors are also urged to wash their hands and clothing after coming in contact with the water from the lake.

For the past several years, the appearance of cyanobacteria and microcystin has been a common occurrence both at Needwood and at six other parks around Maryland during the summer season.

Nitrogen and other nutrients from fertilizers can encourage algae growth and may be responsible for causing the spread of microcystin. Officials have yet to find an effective way to eliminate, but it usually starts to disappear when the temperature decreases, typically around early November.

By Ellen Yao

Traffic issues a result of NIH and Walter Reed merge The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center plan to expand their facilities over the next decade, adding thousands of employees to their facilities. However, Montgomery County planners worry about the extra traffic this expansion will cause.

NIH and Walter Reed are Montgomery County’s largest employers with 31,948 employees, and the expansion will add about another 3,900 jobs to the area.

According to Phil Alperson, the Montgomery County Base Realignment and Closure planning coordinator, traffic in this area has dramatically worsened. Casey Anderson, another member of the planning board, said that NIH needs to cut down its parking ratio to one parking space per three employees to encourage its employees to take public transportation. Currently, NIH has one parking space per two employees. Montgomery County hopes to encourage employees to walk, bike, take shuttles, or use public transportation. Anderson also stated that while the Montgomery County planning board cannot enforce parking ratios or any similar measures, it does not have to be passive about this issue.

By Alicia Loh

Bethesda named “bike friendly community” Bethesda thankfully offers its commuters more than notorious traffic now. The League of American Bicyclists awarded the city bronze status on its Bicycle Friendly Community list, making Bethesda “one of 242 such communities in the country,” according to WTOP. Bikes are becoming a popular transportation option for the region as an increasing number of employees bike to their workplace. Montgomery County plans to install eleven Capital Bikeshare stations to encourage this trend.

Despite the growing popularity of biking, some Bethesda citizens have voiced opposition. Residents worry about the safety of pedestrians on the sidewalk as the number of bikers increases.

According to a report by CountyStat, there were eight reported bicycle collisions in 2011 in downtown Bethesda, “most involving crossing vehicles at crosswalks.” In addition, a local bike advocate pointed out that major thoroughfares such as Wisconsin Avenue, Woodmont Avenue, and Arlington Road are in need of bike lanes or marker adjustments for maximum biker safety.

Overall though, Bethesda welcomes its new distinction.

Councilmember Nancy Floreen (D-At Large) of Garrett Park and Washington Area Bicyclist Association Executive Director Shane Farthing has expressed excitement about the announcement and hope for more improvements in the city. “We look forward to seeing that bronze ranking go even higher under leadership that understands the value of bicycling as a transportation solution,” said Farthing in the county’s prepared release.

By Suzanne Xu

AWARDS

Senior David Zhang was named a 2012 Siemens Competition

Nov 13

Powderpuff Football Game What a catch!

Nov 14

Report cards distributed Did you get straight As?

Semifinalist for his physics project, “Sodium Abundance of Sungrazing Comets from Multi-Spacecraft Photometric and Morphological Analysis.”

The It’s Academic team, consisting of seniors Danish Akbar, Sam Deutsch, Jonathan Marx, and Josh Weaver, won the Michigan State University/University of Delaware Collaborative Tournament

Nov 22

Thanksgiving Say thanks for turkey time!

Nov 23

No school for students Black Friday

at the University of Delaware on October 20th. Akbar, Deutsch, and Marx also appeared on the It’s Academic television show, winning their first round match against Falls Church and Northwest.

The golf team won RM’s first 2012-2013 school year division title with an undefeated regular season record of 13-0.

November 2012 3

NEWS

The Tide

Montgomery County’s 5-cent bag tax up and running

by Gabby Brooks and Emily Zhang

New Year’s Day this year brought in more than just the usual resolutions- the Montgomery County plastic bag tax also went into effect.

The tax requires all retail stores to charge consumers five cents per plastic bag and was created to reduce the amount of plastic bags in the rivers and watersheds.

According to an early October report from WTOP, the tax has already generated revenue of more than $1.25 million, which will be donated to the Montgomery County Water Quality Protection Charge (WQPC) fund.

WTOP reported that after the tax was implemented, 75% of the surveyed residents said they reduced their plastic bag usage.

The county expects to raise over $2.1 million in the first year of the tax. Retailers receive one out of five cents, while the remainder goes to the WQPC fund. This

fund pays for local litter clean-up.

“I think the bag tax is a great idea! Not only because it is a way for our government to raise money [to clean our watersheds], but also because it prevents wasting plastic when reusable bags are readily available,” said junior Alana Sadur.

The Montgomery County tax is similar to the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act, or the “Bag Law,” passed in 2010 in Washington, DC. According to USA Today, similar taxes and bans are spreading throughout the nation, including ones in Hawaii and California. Los Angeles passed a plastic bag ban as well as a ten-cent fee for all paper bags.

“I feel it is a good way to help the environment, and it discourages more plastic waste,” said freshman Valencia Fu. The plastic bags pollute the county’s drinking water source and clog storm water drains. The clogging prevents the systems from properly working and increases the risk of flooding.

The tax is “keeping bags out of waterways, where they can kill organisms living in the water… because sea turtles [accidentally] eat them and birds can get tangled in them,” said Biology teacher Virginia Donoghue.

She believes that fewer plastic bags in the environment will contribute to a “cleaner environment and less damage to GRAPHIC BY DAVID CHEN wildlife in the long run.”

The bag tax has generated $1.25 million in revenue for Montgomery County.

While the tax has mainly received positive Derwood Giant. “But ever since junior Sophie Cabrera. “It’s a feedback, the law has also the tax was passed, almost really good idea since it will help sparked negativity. There are everyone brings at least one the environment. And it’s only several groups and pages on reusable bag,” she added. five cents” she added.

Facebook that are also against the “I use plastic bags a lot less In just two years, the District’s tax, including “Kill the Bag Tax,” now, and I bring reusable bags bag tax has noticeably decreased which has almost 43,000 likes. whenever I go shopping,” said the number of plastic bags in the “Many people are outraged senior Jennifer Cao. Anacostia River. Montgomery and they blame it on us,” said “I really don’t know why so County is expected to have Alyssa, an employee at the many people are against it,” said similar success.

Dr. Starr holds Town Hall meetings with students TOWN HALL, cont. from page 1

PHOTO BY WENDY SUE RISSO

A stand of plants and pumpkins decorate the outside of RTC’s new Dawson’s Market.

Organic grocery store opens in RTC DAWSON’S, cont. from page 1 Richmond location.

Becky Lakin, marketing director and local forager for Dawson’s and Thompson’s, said of opening a new store, “Richmond is a small city--it’s similar to Rockville, so we are used to the cosmopolitan environment.

It was a fun and interesting experience, but Dawson’s and Ellwood Thompson’s are very similar,” said Lakin.

The goal of the staff at Dawson’s Market is to provide mainly locally grown and organic produce in an effort to help the community. “Buying locally is important to do,” said Lakin. “It supports the local economy, lowers costs of buying imported foods, and the nutritional content is far greater.” Local produce is also fresher-imported fruits and vegetables are picked prematurely to prevent spoiling during transportation. But with local food, the produce can be picked at its peak.

As far as organic produce goes, all fruits and vegetables at Dawson’s are grown and harvested 100% naturally, with no added pesticides and hormones. “Organic has both health benefits and environmental benefits,” Lakin said. “The ground isn’t sprayed with pesticides, so it’s helping the environment, and the natural nutrients in the food are preserved.”

The merchandise available at Dawson’s does not stop at produce—the market carries everything from environmentally friendly household items, such as lightbulbs and laundry detergent, to delicious looking cakes and pastries made from organic and whole wheat flour.

Physically, Dawson’s Market is also much smaller than most grocery stores, at about 18,000 square feet. This makes it easier to navigate and “less daunting” than a mainstream grocery store.

Dawson’s impact on Rockville Town Center is great. It encourages Rockville regulars to live a healthy, eco-friendly life and gives the community a way to come together in a way it never has before. The market is constantly hosting fun events and contests for children and families to participate in, such as a pet Halloween costume contest, and a sweepstakes for five people to have a tour of one of the farms of the market’s local vendors.

“The calendar will be changing constantly,” Lakin said of Dawson’s schedule. “We just create events as we come up with them.”

In terms of what the market’s staff hopes to achieve from the new location, Lakin simply stated, “We just want the market to be more successful and further our mission.”

Dawson’s Market has certainly been well-received by students. “I found the staff very nice and caring and they put the customers first. They even talked to us about soccer because they saw us wearing our soccer uniforms. They were very friendly,” freshman Vanessa Martinez Penn said. “The food was great…we had it right before our soccer game and it definitely pumped me up.”

Anders Alilio, another RM freshman, said of the market, “It’s important that Town Square has an organic food market.

The environmental impact definitely outweighs any negatives there might be attached to building a market there. Maybe it will even inspire people to grow their own food.”

Dawson’s Market offers healthy and hearty organic produce and an opportunity to help the Rockville community.

Students should be sure to stop by and take a look around. They might discover something delicious for dinner, and benefit Rockville while they are at it.

SMOB John Mannes at Northwest High School. About the format of the town hall meetings, Andrew Del Vecchio, SGA Sophomore Class President, said “It’s the most direct way possible for students to know what’s up.”

The topics ranged from school lunches to standardized testing. One student asked about how “MCPS plans to engage students on social networks.” Starr responded “Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, all of these [are] great opportunities.” The audience shared a friendly laugh when Dr, Starr asked for news followers on his Twitter account, @mcpssuper.

Starr hopes to engage more students in MCPS by taking advantage of social networking. However, he fears that students could use social networking sites inappropriately. Other technological advances to take place in MCPS will be the integration of online resources with everyday teaching. Starr said this will “increase access to high quality education,” especially with the addition of more requests for funding for Promethean boards and other educational technology.

Another topic brought up by a student was decreased funding for schools. As a result of decreased taxes and state aid, MCPS has been harder pressed to support non-academic programs, such as the arts..

Additionally, there is less money for teacher salaries, causing class sizes to increase.

Starr also shared his views on No Child Left Behind, stating that “while it is important to put responsibility on [MCPS], it stresses standardized testing too much.” On the subject of standardized testing, Starr brought up “common core state standards,” hinting that in the future, semester exams will be improved to test more for critical thinking, problem solving, and performance tasks.

He also advocates the extracurricular activities, stating that they are “critically important to the life of the school.” To increase student health, Starr would like to implement more concussion tests and increase the quality school lunches.

On the subject of college, he said counselors are important resources for help with applications, scholarships, and financial aid. Professional college counselors have also been circulating throughout MCPS. High school students can also get college credits, not only by taking AP exams, but also by taking classes at a local college, called “early college” by many high schools. This will allow students

to possibly earn college credit while still in high school.

However, not all students shared the same opinion on the Town Hall. Senior Andie Berry said “I like the town hall meetings for the fact that they allow us to directly let our concerns be known, and that they provide a stronger community.

However, I dislike the form of the town hall meetings because I feel the discussion can be stilted and practiced at times, which removes the passion from the concerns.”

On the other hand, “Direct questions are fine,” sophomore John Jeang said, adding that the new town hall format of the meetings works well.

Although many students have heard of the town hall meetings, not many have ever attended them. When asked if he would ever participate in a Student Town Hall Meeting, junior Jalen Jones said, “I think participating in them would be good for me to be aware about what is going on in my community so I would like to.”

On the topic of information voiced from the student participants at the meetings, Dana Tofig, Director of MCPS Public Information and Web Services, said, “Simply hearing from MCPS students is an important part of making sure that the school district is best serving the needs of those they are directly serving.”

Student Town Hall Meetings provide a place for students to ask Starr about how he plans to improve their school and other schools in the county.

How can you get involved?

The next Town Hall meeting with Dr. Starr will be held on Wednesday, November 14th at Einstein High School.

Have a question you would like Dr. Starr to discuss at the next Town Hall? Students can sumbit questions via emails to pio@mcpsmd.org or Twitter, hastag #studenttownhall.

The town hall will also be broadast on MCPS TV and online on www.montgomeryschoolsmd. org/departments/superintendent/ studenttownhall from 10:55 am until 11:35 am.

4

NEWS

The Tide

November 2012

Boms explode at pep rally

Photo of the Month

PHOTO

BY

DAVID

CHEN

During the homecoming pep rally, the poms made a wave as they performed their signature “saucer.” The routines are always a favorite at the pep rally and during halftime.

Canned Food Drive becomes heated competition between Davis and Shay classes

by Audrey Carleton and Isabella Negro For most of the school, the Canned Food Drive started Friday, October 12th. But for English teacher Nancy Shay and her students, it started even before school began.

In mid-August, Deborah Gross and the other seniors in the class received an email from Mrs. Shay. “She welcomed us to her class, reminding us about... collecting cans for the drive,” said Gross.

The Canned Food Drive, which started October 12th and ended October 18th, is an annual event hosted by the Student Government Association. SGA members collected cans from first period classes throughout the

distribute to homeless residents or people in shelters.”

Toni Kellinger, sponsor of the SGA, said, “We do this [canned food drive] every year, and it’s part of a state-wide campaign called Kids Helping Kids. We’ve been very successful [in past years]. We usually shoot for three or four thousand cans.”

The Kids Helping Kids campaign that taken place throughout Maryland for 21 years.

In 2011, 573 MD public schools participated in the campaign, collecting a total of 407, 297 cans and over $123,180 to local food banks throughout the state, according to the Maryland State Department of Education.

For the past few years, a large part of the cans that RM donated came from classes taught by Mrs.

PHOTO BY ASHLYN LEE

Senior Alicia Loh of Mr. Davis’s class rests after carrying a hefty box of cans on the last day of the Canned Food Drive. week, going door to door with a shopping cart.

The class that brought in the most cans would be given a prize from the Omelet Man, and any classes that brought in over 100 would be given donuts and juice.

All of the proceeds from the drive went to Manna, a local food shelter. It is no coincidence that this fundraiser is held around the same time every year. Sophomore Nathan Poland, a SGA representative, said, “Usually every year, we’re gearing up for either Thanksgiving or Christmas around this time, so we like to collect cans to give to Manna to

Shay, who has a notable record of winning the competition.

“I get pretty involved in all [school community service fundraisers], ,” she said. “Every time I’ve had a first period class, we’ve won.”

However, this time around, the event was won by another class, with Mrs. Shay’s class coming in second place.

“We collected hundreds of cans each day,” said math teacher Matthew Davis. “The students [motivate each other]... They’ve decided that this is important to them, and they’ve taken it upon themselves to try and do as well

worry about what others will think of them; High school is bound to be the best 4 years of your life, so make it worthwhile; “Men, one, two, three, Boms!” It’s all about having fun and thundered the 40 junior and Boms is definitely crazy fun.” senior boys as they jumped and Senior David Zhang said, threw their hands in the air. with a straight face, “I love how It was the end of another deliciously social norm defying successful Boms practice, which Boms is.” Verchot joked, “My the boys were celebrating with mom never let me wear booty their traditional cheer. As the shorts so you could say Boms was boys started to disperse from the a dream come true.” squad huddle, random shouts of Although the routine was “yeah” and “I feel like a man” kept under wraps until the pep could be heard. They walked rally, the dancers offered a few out of the dance studio, fanning hints beforehand. Kim predicted, themselves with their shirts and “I feel like the audience will love wiping away beads of sweat. our facial expressions the best “You wouldn’t expect it,” because we all just have a great said junior Calvin Chao, “But time.”

Boms is actually quite the intense Captain Timothy Do joked workout! Pirouettes take energy!” that the audience would most Practices appreciate took place “our biceps twice a week and thighs during lunch because we from September will have to October. sle evel e ss Poms squad shirts and seniors Marilyn b o o t y Rodriguez and shorts.”

Amy Liang Blanken and juniors e v e n Stephanie Moore extended and Elyse Wolin an offer choreographed to the and trained audience the boys in and said, preparation for “My fav is homecoming Gangnam pep rally.

Style… the This year, the audience choreography better join included hit in!” songs such as “I Boms Can Be A Freak” served not

by Estelle, “Call only as an Me Maybe” by chance for Carly Rae Jepson, workouts and “Gangnam a n d Style” by PSY. PHOTO BY DAVID CHEN l e a r n i n g “We choose d a n c e s songs that Senior Andrew Rudnev sways his m o v e s , we think the hips to the music at the pep rally. but also guys, and the as quality audience, will love and be able to bonding and “bromance” time. jam out to,” explained Rodriguez, Kim said, “Tim Do and Alvin who is also captain of the Poms Ninel were good at getting the squad. She added with a smile, rest of the Boms squad hyped and “It’s so fun to see how hard the excited.” guys work to make the routine Although many boys look good and just how spirited showcased their dancing skills, and into the dance they get.” some were better than others.

The squad prepared intensely Ninel argued, “Dance King would for the homecoming pep rally have to be my boy Tim Do... His to ensure that all teachers and “Bernie” is just ridiculous!” students will be impressed. The Other highlights on the hardest part about Boms was, Boms squad are Blanken, who “definitely remembering the Hoddinott declared has the “best choreography and keeping the bum wiggle on the whole team,” timing,” according to junior Jinsol and senior Jonah Dwares, who Do Kim. claimed was awesome because In addition to perfecting dance his “Russians are 3 inches off the techniques, the boys managed ground.” to enjoy themselves as well. “It’s The routine was finally bombastic bro!” said Junior Zach revealed at the October 26th Blanken. homecoming pep rally. Junior When asked why they chose Jalen Jones said confidently, “The to join the Boms squad, Blanken audience was so pumped because responded, “I chose to do Boms we worked so hard, and this because I was inspired by my dance is going to blew them off brother.” Ninel chose to join the their feet.”

Boms squad because “I wanted Do agreed with a fist pump, to be different. Too many people “Richard Montgomery loved it.”

by Amy Liang

as they possibly can.”

Mr. Davis’s class entrance into the Canned Food Drive surprised the competition and led to some friction and name-calling between the two frontrunners.

Both classes accused the other of bending the rules. The Shay class often sassed Davis students for turning in so many cans of vienna sausages (which were later banned by SGA sponsor Mrs. Kellinger).

Since the SGA did not publicly announce the number of cans collected from each class, both classes could only guess how many the other class had.

Paranoia spread as students from both classes thought the other was spying on them.

“All this feuding is bad; I’m suspicious of every Shay student,” senior Megan Yan posted on a secret Davis class Facebook group. “It’s all conspiracy theories now.”

“I think the competition was healthy-- although they defamed my name,” joked Gross. “It ultimately is the purpose of the canned food drive to use the schools competitive drive to collect more cans for the hungry.”

Both classes were extremely motivated- especially by a desire to help the community.

“It was to help the people who need to put food on the table,” said senior Joie Chang, a Davis student. “It’s great that we can contribute so much.”

“Our motivation is to help people in need,” Mrs. Shay said. “It matters.”

The motivation clearly showed in both classes: the Davis class held back-to-back bake sales on Saturday, Oct. 13 and Sunday, Oct 14; the Shay class arranged a fundraiser with the frozen yogurt shop Sweet Frog and went around door-to-door in their neighborhoods.

Mrs. Shay was just as excited: “I talked about it nonstop,” Mrs. Shay admitted.

The competition has certainly driven the school to a record: Mrs. Shay’s class brought in 2363 cans and Mr. Davis’s class brought in 3499.

PHOTO BY DAVID CHEN

The Boms conclude their performance with a final jump.

The Tide

The Tide Editorial

OPINIONS

Homecoming forces students into unnessary expenditures

by Ankit Sarkar Glamorous dresses, hundreds of pictures, and hours of planning rides and dinner: for the past month, students here and across the nation have been stressing over the smallest details of their perfect Saturday night plans.

Homecoming is the first major school-wide social event, and students treat it accordingly.

The homecoming game and dance represent the epitome of school spirit. However, the way high school students treat the

To begin, the tickets for homecoming, at $25 with a can and $30 without a can, are expensive.

Many students, including senior Brian Huang, say that homecoming may not be worth the cost because “there is no space to dance and all [homecoming] leads to is sweaty bodies and restricted movement.”

Aside from this initial expense, homecoming also has many accompanying costs associated with it. First of all, says Huang, “You are obligated to get dinner beforehand, which only adds to expenses.” Additionally,

in formalwear and taking pictures before the dance is exactly what makes homecoming memorable.”

However, suits, blazers, and ties for guys, as well as dresses for girls can often push total costs into the hundreds. Senior Alicia Loh says, “Homecoming is expensive and most of the time, it involves activities that we could do with our friends anyways.”

The central issue here is not that homecoming is expensive.

It makes sense that homecoming tickets are expensive, because of the high costs for the DJ, refreshments, and everything else that goes into the homecoming

November 2012

5

Letters to the Editor New RM website is a refreshing change The RM web team has done a great job updating the look of RMHS’s website. The template of the website was recently switched to coincide with those of other schools, making it easier to identify public schools within Montgomery County.

The updated website makes the school seem more modern and attractive, and allows for students, parents, teachers, and staff to find resources with relative ease. Some of the information content still remains the same and still needs to be updated to reflect the changing school conditions. Overall, though, the RM web team has done an amazing job giving the school’s website a new look and feel.

-Steve Chen, 12th grade

Eye on the Ball should cover more events Now that fall sports season has begun, I’m seeing a lot more of Eye on the Ball photos. I like that Eye on the Ball makes the effort to take photos for other school activities, but I wish they would do more of that this year. Taking photos for chorus, band, and drama events is just as important as taking photos for sports.

I really like seeing school photos of activities that I participate in on the school website and on Facebook, so I hope that they take more photos of other events this year.

-Hayley Abramowitz, 11th grade

Spirit week was fun but can be better PHOTO BY ANDREW ZHANG

Many students are practically forced into going to the homecoming dance by their friends. In addition, homecoming costs have risen recently between the increased costs of tickets, formalwear, and dinner. dance has become stigmatized as an occasion that is essential to the high school experience.

Students are drawn into attending the dance and the pre-homecoming festivities by constant pressures from their peers to go. As Christian Xu of The Town Courier notes, it is up to the students “to decide whether homecoming is worth [the costs].”

Unfortunately, most students are forced to go because of peer pressure. However, what they should consider is the actual cost of homecoming.

depending on the size of the group, restaurants often charge extra fees for the space that a singular homecoming group uses.

Furthermore, as Brad Tuttle of Time Magazine notes, dances like homecoming are “being pumped up as ‘the new wedding,’ with inflated costs and expectations to match.” Xu asserts, “Typical costs for homecoming can be somewhat exorbitant…because there are shoes, dresses, hair, make-up, nails, dinner and transportation to consider.”

Like many students, senior Allison Febrey says, “Dressing up

dance. And students cannot control the price of formalwear.

However, what students can change is how they treat homecoming. It simply is not fair to students to be forced to go to homecoming because of its stigmatization, which forces students to spend hundreds of dollars to feel accepted.

This is an issue that does not lie with anyone but students. It is true, homecoming can be one of the most memorable experiences of high school, but whether or not students decide to go should be entirely their own choice.

Poll of the month: How involved are you in the Presidential Election this November?

by Jennifer Zhang Time for another presidential race! This year, there has been much excitement and controversy between our two candidates, the incumbent Democrat Barack

Involved 79%

Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. As November 6th comes closer and closer, students and teachers have varying interests and participation ideas.

“The presidential race is something that’s been on my mind. Although I cannot vote, I am still up to date with the events

Not Involved 15%

Very Involved 6%

A sample of 184 students was used to create these results. Data was collected from RM Broadcasting Channel from October 23-25, 2012.

and the fluctuation in the polls,” said sophomore Shema Mugabo, Senior Preston Ge, on the other hand, said that he, “would be more engaged, but Maryland is too solidly Democratic for the race to be interesting.”

Government students can use this upcoming election as an enriching learning experience.

Freshman Liz Choi said, “I involve myself with the presidential race because it is required for my government class. However, I am glad it is required or else I would not turn on the TV and push myself to learn more about the presidential race.”

However, not all impacts of the election are postive. English Teacher Mr. Koenig “believe[s] election season tends to bring the worst out of the candidates.”

As Election Day draws nearer, how do you plan to get involved?

Spirit Week is a lot of fun, and a lot more people are dressing up this year in comparison to last year. However, I do not understand having “costume day” one week before Halloween.

Nevertheless, there was a lot of participation. I was impressed by the amount of cosplay for costume day, including Doctor Who, Homestuck, and Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. Furthermore, I noticed that a lot more people were wearing class shirts this year and it’s cool to see all the customizations that each grade creates.

-Sedef Berek, 10th grade

Please send any comments as letters to the editor to tide.opinions@gmail.com.

Submissions may be edited for length and/or clarity.

The Tide

250 Richard Montgomery Drive Rockville, Maryland 20852 www.rmtide.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 disctributed 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.

Questions, concerns, and suggestions on articles, advertisements, and photos can be submitted to thetideeditors@gmail.com.

Editors-in-Chief.................................................................................David Chen, Sofia Hu, .

Marni Morse, Megan White News............................................................................................. Sarah Krosnick, Anna Ma Opinions..................................................................Sharika Dhar, Emily Ma, Ankit Sarkar International.........................................................................................Hari Devaraj, Julia Di Center Spread...............................................................................Alina Bui, Isabella Haung La Marea....................................................................Alexander Bazan, Camilla Villasante Features...........................................................................................Vivian Bui, Christina Xu Arts............................................................................................Zack Young, Andrew Zhang Sports.............................................................................Stephen Alexander, Jonathan Marx Photo....................................................................................................................Connie Chen Copy...............................................................................................Neha Sardana, Zuri Zhao Online.....................................................................................Michelle Wang, Matthew Zipf Sponsor.................................................................................................Mrs. Lisa MacFarlane

6

The Tide

OPINIONS

November 2012

Black & Gold Would passing Question 7 benefit education in Maryland?

Taxing casinos will help fund schools

by Jack Qian With Election Day, November 6th, on everyone’s mind, Maryland voters are focusing on the possibility of new casinos that will be constructed if Question 7 is passed. With the alluring prospects of job creation and increased education spending, many people are hoping for Question 7’s passage.

Marylanders boast some of the best schools in the country. Providing enough tax money allows students get to attend top quality schools for free.

However, due to the current national recession, school funding is diminishing and jobs are becoming scarce; people want the government to find a way to create more jobs.

Question 7 alleviates this issue by establishing thousands of temporary construction jobs and permanent casino jobs, while also addressing the lack of school funding. Question 7 is a referendum that would allow the construction a new casino in Prince George’s County, which would invigorate school funding from its taxes.

Opponents of Question 7 insist that it will cause taxpayers to pay more taxes without receiving anything in return.

However, others refute this claim and say Maryland will get a huge economic boost with a dramatic increase in jobs. As a result, there would be more spending on schools and education. Despite all the negative ads, Question 7 is ultimately a worthy deal for Maryland education.

The revenue that these privately run casinos would generate would bolster income taxes that must be paid to the government. According

“The construction a new casino in Prince George’s County would invigorate school funding from its taxes. ” to the Baltimore Sun, this revenue is estimated to add “$199 million per year once the law is fully implemented.”

Furthermore, according to the Washington Times, three of five other casinos in other parts of Maryland that were established for the same purpose generated “$194 million in fiscal 2012 and have brought in $136 million through the first quarter of fiscal 2013.”

By using tax money from casinos, schools will be able to provide for more students and help them succeed since this funding would provide new equipment, facilities, and materials.

A lot of the opposition to Question 7 comes from out of state casinos. According

B

Black

to the Baltimore Sun, “Opposition to the referendum centers on one out of state casino company trying to protect its interests in West Virginia.”

The casino that will be established in Prince George’s County will attract more local people, encouraging them play table games in Maryland instead of other states. This will also attract visitors from other states, allowing the casino to grow and allowing the Maryland government to collect more taxes from it.

According to the Gazette “the boost of funding for our children’s public schools will be significant as Maryland aims to

GRAPHIC BY LILY XU

Proponents of Question 7 believe that the new casinos will create many new jobs. keep its top ranking in the country.”

Education should always be a priority, and increased funding will further emphasize the importance of education.

Although the construction of new casinos will require an initial investment, the taxes that we have to pay now to support Question 7 will be paid back in due time with new construction jobs and education funding.

As education funds have become endangered, many schools are forced to cut programs and clubs that students want.

Currently, field trips are either being cut to save money or have had price increases in order to pay for substitutes. In the past, salary increases for teachers have been witheld in order to accommodate the loss of funding.

Public education is difficult to fund. There is no easy way to make money other than to raise taxes, which few Americans would support. This referendum is an opportunity to help those schools who need it and also give those students the chance to obtain, and maybe even go beyond their potential.

The real problem with funding today is that in order to fund something, you must cut something else.

Constructing a casino establishes a resource that will continue to pay taxes that will go towards education in the future.

This will pay back for what it needed to be built, and then even more as the casino becomes more popular and people continue to play games and spend money there.

When it comes to education, society has to help in whatever way it can, even if it means building a casino. Students are the future, and by supporting Question 7, Maryland is making a crucial investment to secure high quality learning environments for students throughout the state.

G

Casino profits will not reach schools

by Sedef Berk The modern world of technology is mottled with political advertisements, especially now with Election Day right around the corner. Not only do people have to elect our next president, but they also have to make informed decisions about local affairs, such as the Question 7 referendum.

Passing Question 7 through the referendum would authorize video lottery operation licenses to operate table games such as Black Jack and Roulette.

According to Chapter 1 of the Senate Bill, this would increase both the number of terminals and the number of operation licenses that are allowed in Maryland for the possible new casino in Prince George’s County. It would also allow casinos to run continuously every day without any time restrictions, which would negatively impact small local casinos and encourage excessive gambling.

Question 7 is based on the 2002 Bridge to Excellence Act or Thornton Law to raise revenue for schools through taxes.

However, it would not benefit education and would bring unnecessary political turmoil into the school system. The cost of casinos will be far greater than the money brought in by them for several years.

According to the Huffington Post, the new law would allow large Vegas companies to build and run casinos in Prince George’s County, a battle that has already begun with MGM Grand.

Some advocates of Question 7 believe that having a casino in Maryland would encourage spending in America instead of in West Virginia, but there is no guarantee that the de facto revenue has to go to education spending.

The residents of Prince George’s County have been vocal about their outrage of a casino in their cities. Many residents are wary of the possible future detriments of casinos near their community.

For example, sophomore Emilia Kuentz says that “gambling addiction is a

GRAPHIC BY LILY XU

New casinos would encourage excessive gambling that could hurt families. consequence that affects many families.”

Numerous Prince George’s County residents find the possibility of new casinos as an invasive threat to the community.

Freshman Devin Bajaj agrees, fearing that the casinos would “attract negative crowd[s] in the surrounding areas”. The

Gold bill in question is an economically-centered goal, but we cannot ignore the community around the schools that the casinos affect.

Similarly, senior Lara Haft says that “no budget deficit is worth moral bankruptcy.”

Although the social consequences of new casinos are often personal and not as obviously visible, the passing of Question 7 would harm Maryland economically since it creates even more debt.

The Department of Legislative Services notes that “casino expansion doesn’t enhance education spending formulas or increase the state’s education spending requirements.”

Allowing this act to be passed puts so many barriers between the revenue and the public school system that it does not meet its promises at face value.

The advertisements depict that going to the casinos would help the school system. However, the education system would receive at maximum only one dollar for every three dollars the casino makes according to the Capital Gazette.

“There is no binding contract or law that states that the casinos must give the money to be used for education. ” Casinos will still an extremely large fraction of the profits for themselves.

Furthermore, according to the Baltimore Sun, general tax and slot machine revenues historically have not gone to the education system. The proceeds and revenues from casinos are made to be kept in casinos.

In this case, the casino wins 72% of their revenue and only 24% is available for the Education Trust Act, according to the Washington Post. There is no binding contract or law that states that the casinos must give the money to be used for education, creating doubt if new casinos will actually have any benefit towards schools.

Maryland cannot make such a large and risky investment in casinos without the assurance that Maryland schools will be able to benefit from it.

Allowing the Vegas-style casinos to come to the county and take away funding for education would heavily influence students’ future careers and lives; this cannot be allowed.

The state must prevent short term economic plans from damaging the long term prosperity of individuals and Maryland.

The public school system should not be tainted with temptation of addiction, but rather worked on by hard-working citizens whose tax dollars are not going to the right places. Fundraising for schools should be localized, with larger margins of revenue going directly to the schools and students themselves.

The Tide

OPINIONS

November 2012

7

Failing schools need parent trigger laws

by Rachel Gold and Rachel Post

“We’ve got to do something right now,” urges Maggie Gyllenhaal, playing a concerned mother from an inner-city Pittsburgh school in the movie Won’t Back Down. Her powerful words onscreen may have been manufactured in a Hollywood studio, but her rallying cry rings loud and true to the thousands of movie goers from all across America.

Parents of children at failing schools can no longer sit back and let their children’s educations to continue in

“Parents play a vital role in their children’s education.” an

out-of-control downward spiral.

The film has stormed through the country in the last months, making appearances at both the Democratic and Republican political conventions and leaving a heated debate about “parent trigger laws” in its wake. These laws empower parents with children at failing schools to bypass cumbersome political steps and band together to change staff..

The process begins when a public school’s students fail to reach an academic benchmark, often determined based on yearly progress on standardized test scores.

Parents can then gather other parents’ signatures on a petition. Once at least half of the parents at the failing school have signed, they have the power to either bring in a new staff or hand over management to a private corporation to be run as a charter school.

The first parent trigger law was passed in January 2010 in California, and

six additional states have since passed similar versions of this fiercely-debated legislation. Opponents of the laws claim that parents are ill-equipped to make such educated decisions about school policy and that the laws allow parents to step out of the picture after they sign the petition.

But the reality is that regardless of their degree of expertise or involvement, parents play a vital role in their children’s education. As a report by the Michigan Department of Education said,the “lack of parental involvement is the biggest problem facing schools.”

Trigger laws allow all parents to make a difference in their child’s education.

It is condescending and demeaning to imply that these parents are not capable of making decisions that are in the best interests of their children. Even though parents may lack money and are not educators, they are able to use existing school structures as models and can turn to nonprofit foundations to provide needed expertise and even funding.

Although the argument can be made that parents should take initiative before schools fail, many parents do not have the time or the resources to do so. The opportunity to sign a petition not only allows parents to get involved with their child’s school, but it also gives them the sense that they have the ability to make a change. By helping parents feel empowered, parent trigger laws could be the first step to helping parents have a lasting involvement in their children’s education.

But, efforts to enact parent trigger laws in Maryland have so far been unsuccessful.

However, the state has embraced a related effort: charter schools, which are often created by parent trigger laws. Charter schools are public schools intended to improve on our nation’s public school system. They operate independently of the school district, are tuition-free, and are open to any student who lives in their

district by lottery. Currently, there are 52 charter schools established across the state, one of which is in Montgomery County.

This August, Montgomery County welcomed its first charter school, called the Community Montessori Charter School, in Kensington. Charter schools like the Community Montessori School are held accountable to federal and state academic standards.

Critics of parent trigger laws and the charter schools they create argue that charter schools work only for the benefit of the companies running them.

What these critics overlook is that charter schools offer tremendous opportunities to students whose families cannot afford to send them to better public or private schools. In fact, Montessori schools, such as Kensington’s charter school, offer students more attention and more independence

than they would likely receive at a public school, meaning parent trigger laws have the potential to significantly improve the quality of our schools.

In failing school systems, trigger laws give parents without other resources a reasonable alternative for their children’s education. These parents cannot afford private schools and existing charter schools are either limited in number (as in Montgomery County) or by the small number of students accepted through lotteries.

Low income children in impoverished communities deserve the same educational opportunities as their more affluent peers.

They are not expendable, but without equal opportunities provided by an equally effective education, they will be left behind. Trigger laws are not the only option to provide opportunities for an equal education, but are certainly one

GRAPHIC BY SAVANNAH DU

Parent trigger laws create tension between parent and teacher groups. While both groups want what is best for the students, disagreements can divide the community.

AA exemption could let students forego finals No pain, no gain: a simple fact of life that holds true with final exams. Yes, finals cause an inordinate amount of stress, and the mere thought of them brings up bad memories of nail-biting moments.

But in the long-run, the experience gained from these exams provides benefits for college-bound students.

Montgomery County Public Schools should not consider implementing the “double A” exemption policy for final exam exemption policy. This policy states if a student achieves an A for both quarters of a semester, he or she can be exempt from that class’ final exam.

The AA exemption sounds too good to be true, and it is. The policy actually negatively impacts a student’s readiness for college, and may even hurt a student’s chances at getting into a college of their choice.

According to an analysis conducted

by MCR, the county-wide high school SGA, currently no college recognizes any variations of the “AA” exemption

Let’s face it: the majority of students detest exams and would do just about anything to make them disappear completely.

What we don’t realize is that the circumstances are no different for teachers, who are often overwhelmed by the number of exams and essays they need to grade. By allowing students to skip the exam for a class in which they received an A in both quarters, the double-A exemption policy benefits teachers as well.

Students consistently achieving the double-A standard over the semester will most likely do well on the exam, although their academic trends practically guarantee an A that semester anyway.

The time constraints on exams burden teachers, causing rushed grading. However, under the double-A policy, a smaller stack of papers for the teacher to grade contributes to more accurate grading. Especially in subjective classes, such as English, the teacher can afford to spend more time on each essay, meaning more time spent grading to the best of their ability.

policy. The same analysis acknowledges a negative impact on college admission rates if the county implements the new policy.

Nationally, many states that previously utilized similar exemption plans have been scaling back or even completely debunked the program. According to the Sun Sentinel, Assistant Principal Margaret Neely of Piper HS in Florida said, “Taking exams is a great prep for college; it’s part of the process.”

All in all, the “AA” policy should be rejected for its harmful effect on the student’s future in higher education.

-Charlie Kang

“I have exams in all my classes except 3rd period. So I should study for chemistry first, then Spanish, then history… Oh, and at some point I’ll have to finish that art final…

Do I even have time to study for math?”

It is futile. No matter how hard you try to remain calm, you cannot help but feel stressed with so many tests in different subjects. There is enough to worry about already, with maintaining those A’s in chemistry and math while trying to pull up that C in history.

Enter the “double A” exemption policy.

Based off the assumption that a student

GRAPHIC BY SAVANNAH DU

The AA policy could decrease the finals workload, but could cause unpreparedness.

Most students cringe at the memory In addition, teachers have a tendency to subconsciously compare medioc- of tough final exam weeks from years rity to brilliance when grading. The na- past. With this in mind, it comes as no ture to do so slightly tweaks the grade surprise that many students would gladly for each assignment, causing unfairness jump for the opportunity to skip them.

A new policy that is being put to in the grading scale. However, fairness can be easily restored for lower-achiev- the test in numerous districts across the ing students in teachers’ grading sys- United States, dubbed the Final Exam tems when outliers do not take exams. Exemption Policy (FEEP), will give those Overall, the rewarding reduction of students with exam-phobia exactly what papers in this system promotes teach- they want: a simple way to miss one of ers’ efforts to help students score higher the most stressful events of the semester. in class. This educational environment All one has to do is achieve an A on both could be revolutionary in the direction to- quarters of a semester, and maintain five wards better educational effort and habit. or less absences. Although this situation -Yueyang Ying appears to be without any downsides, on

who gets A’s in both quarters understands the course content well enough to pass the exam, the double A policy relieves students from much undue, unhealthy stress.

Free from some of their exams, and feeling relieved, students can now focus on the exams that are critical to their overall course grades. Since these are probably the classes they struggled with all semester, the extra time will be extremely beneficial.

And the benefits don’t stop there. Because the burden is evenly released, a chemistry whiz, who would not be taking that exam, now has some free time to help his peers, who would be taking the exam, to study.

Finally, the double A policy provides a much needed incentive for students to work harder during the actual quarter. Knowing that a little extra effort on an assignment could save them from having to wake up early, drag themselves to school and sit through a tiresome, two-hour exam could compel students to reach for that A after all.

-Farah Kabir closer inspection consequences do exist.

One notable effect the policy would have in the short-term is increasing the unfair disparity in workload between higher and lower achieving students. The latter would spend weeks, maybe months intensely studying for an exam other people don’t have to take. In that time they could be doing extra-curricular activities or relaxing with friends. In contrast, the highachieving students can relax, and don’t even have to show up on exam day. This policy clearly favors higher achieving students.

The FEEP also puts exams in an even more negative light. Highachieving students are rewarded by not having to take their exam, while lower-achieving students are essentially punished with dreaded final exams.

As the miniscule benefits to a select group of students are overshadowed by the unpleasant downsides, the implementation of the FEEP should definitely be kept away from MCPS.

-David Nguyen

8

The Tide

November 2012

La principal brings Costa Rican culture COSTA RICA, cont. from page 1 international community.

The teachers of Orosi have won a grant from Microsoft to provide students with computers, beating schools from America and Canada.

The school also encourages students to be aware of their impact on the global community, and to do so, it has implemented a student-run organic garden which provides food for the students’ lunches and doubles as a teaching tool for Orosi’s horticulture and science classes.

The main purpose of Ms. Calderon’s visit was to establish a connection between RM and the Colegio de Orosi. “I want to create opportunities and implement joint projects that allow students from both schools to become aware of the positive difference they can make … [on the] environment in a globalized world,” said Ms. Calderon.

She also hopes that the communication between RM students and her students in Orosi will help fight the dropout rate in her province.

Recently, the Colegio de Orosi has shifted its main course load to be centered around English, Math and Science. Ms. Calderon said that this was done in hopes of making her students more appealing to colleges and more competitive in the global market.

But the problem still remains that many students in the school are extremely impoverished and cannot afford a college education, even if they gained admission to one.

However, the students of Orosi are also incredibly resourceful and have worked around their impoverished

PHOTO BY JENNIFER HOOVER

The principal of the Costan Rican Colegio de Orosi recently visited Richard Montgomery High School to promote a cultural exhange program between the two schools. She envisions a penpal-like program. positions by working with the resources they find around them.

For instance the school was originally held in a church, and when the church ran out of space, classes were held under a tree outside the church.

The school also has a strong emphasis on community service, especially in the student run recycling club, which is always trying to develop new methods of recycling since the province does not have any recycling capabilities.

Bazán said, “I was most impressed by the recycling program started by the students of her school. They don’t have [an]…obligation to recycle like we do. They do it to preserve their

own rural environment.”

On top of having a strong community service vibe, the Colegio de Orosi stresses cooperation across different age groups. “We really encourage a healthy relationship between the younger and older students so that the school [will] be more cohesive and unified,” said Ms Calderon.

Also, due to the eclectic mix of students from across the province, this system of intergrade assistance assures that the community service clubs started by seniors will be kept up by their underclassmen when they graduate.

Mrs. Hoover and Ms. Calderon eventually hope to establish an

exchange program between the two schools so students from both schools can participate in cross-cultural immersion. But until such a relationship can be established, she is content to connect the student of the two schools through social networking initiatives, such as allowing students from both schools to collaborate on projects through Skype, Facebook or Google+.

For now, Mrs. Hoover and Ms. Calderon hope that the increased awareness of other cultures will motivate their students to, as Ms. Calderon put it, “become aware of the positive difference they can make in others and in their environment.”

Felix Ubiera: Edison SGA President and ESOL student

by David Song

Meet Felix Ubiera, a passionate and proud senior at Richard Montgomery High School and current SGA President of Thomas Edison High School of Technology. Three years ago, he and his family moved from a neighboring country, the Dominican Republic, leaving behind his relatives, friends, culture, and his dear Dominican foods.

To him, coming to the United States was a big challenge. “It was really difficult,” he said, “because I had zero English [at first].” At the same time, Felix was also excited about making new relationships and communicating with others, which motivated him to learn English well.

To Felix, one of the best things about being in the United States is the holidays.

His favorite American holiday is “Black Friday” because of all of the sales events. “Something I don’t like is [the] Christmas holiday,” he said, because America’s winter breaks are shorter than those of the Dominican Republic by approximately five days. He also likes that the United States gives more opportunity in terms of education.

Nevertheless, Felix said, “[I] still favor my own country because it is friendlier and more

together there.”

He strongly values close relationships with one another.

Because he values relationship with others and wants to be more active, Felix decided to run for class delegate in his first year at Thomas Edison High School.

Not only did he win the election, he even w a s re-

elected this year!

As an officer, he has gone to a leadership conference, has operated the first international night at Thomas Edison High School, and has placed third in the Skills USA Maryland Competition, a state-wide competition that showcases high school students’

technical skills.

This year, Felix was awarded the fourth place Academic Excellence Award by the Susana de Moya Foundation in recognition of his academic and extracurricular success. All of these experiences made him more ambitious to succeed.

Working as an SGA officer is already a great achievement for an ESOL student, but Felix’s passion and dedication towards his school allowed him to become the SGA President of Thomas Edison High School.

After being elected, he is now looking forward to getting the school more involved in competitions so that the students can demonstrate their academic and technical skills. Felix said, “I like the tension. I like to be in [competitions] because of the excitement and the pride I can bring to the school.” The work he is doing is not just for the school, but is also for himself, so that he can keep progressing.

Felix has not decided yet what he will do in his future, but he wants to work in the cyber security field, which is something he is learning about right now at Edison. “It has nothing to do with my leadership activities,” he noted with PHOTO BY DAVID SONG a smile, “but I [want] to Felix Ubiera is an ESOL student and a senior at RM. Although he experience things [and moved to the US three years ago, he has already accomplished much. see] what I can do.”

The Tide

INTERNATIONAL

Silence is not always golden

November 2012

by Grace Shi and Maryam Ghaderi

A language disappears every 14 days. By the next century, nearly half of the 6,500 languages spoken today will be gone. As people abandon their native tongues in favor of more popular languages such as English and Spanish, the world not only loses different dialects, but also distinct cultures.

In many rural areas of the world, there are only a handful of people who speak a specific dialect. Oftentimes, when they die, their dialect and their culture die with them. So, what can we learn before a language becomes silent?

Omotik

PHOTO BY RAMNIK DHINGRA

Language is the basis of human communication. Once a language dies, a whole culture may be silenced.

The Omotik people of Kenya are hunter-gatherers. They consider themselves part of the “Dorobo” people of Kenya, a word that means “those who have no cattle.”

Because many dying languages have no written form, they are prone to dying out. Fewer than 50 speakers of Kenya’s Omotik language are alive, and all are above forty years old. The Omotik people were initially huntergatherers, but assimilated into the Massai herder lifestyle. They have adopted the Massai language, and in doing so killed off part of their own language.

Some students believe the death of a language like the Omotik is an unavoidable natural occurrence. “Language evolves,” sophomore Madhav Mathur said.

“It’s like natural selection for communication — the weak die out while the useful continue. I don’t think we need to hold on to these languages. Instead, embracing the evolution of our tongues will lead to a simpler future.”

9

Siletz Dee-ni For thousands of years, the Siletz Dee-ni performed the Feather Dance for twelve days to mark the summer and winter solstices. They performed at a place called “Yonkentonket,” a single word which means, “the center of the earth.”

In the Northwest Pacific Plateau of Oregon, the language Siletz Dee-ni is almost completely wiped out. However, junior Kathy Wang believes that Siletz Dee-ni will survive, but in a different form. “When a language ‘dies’ it never truly disappears,” she said. “The old languages will be integrated and assimilated into new, more ‘modern’ languages.”

She is right; in order to communicate, the 27 Native American tribes on the Siletz reservation have adopted Chinkok Jargon, a hybrid language that draws from many sources, including Siletz Dee-ni.

However, though the hybrid language preserves parts of Siletz Dee-ni, the original language will soon be lost without preventive action.

Many students in school are dedicated to not only learning lost languages, but also learning about the culture and heritage of these languages. Although the changes in language are inevitable, we can still fight to save the culture of these languages.

The task of saving these languages, however, falls upon us.

As sophomore Sarah Bullard best put it, “Lost languages are still important and should not be left behind. If more of an effort was made to learn about these less prevalent languages and dialects, who knows what kinds of secrets we could unlock?”

Cultural club of the month: Postcards to Paraguay welcomes all!

by Anthony Gonzalez and Jana Lu Students trickled into Room 240 for the year’s first Global Post Office meeting. As incoming and old members were treated to an introductory presentation, another group opened the door.

“Is this Postcards to Paraguay?” they asked. “Can we come in?”

The whole room belted out an enthusiastic “Sure!” We were all friends here. Welcome to Postcards to Paraguay.

Founded by RM alumnus Disa Yu, Postcards to Paraguay aims to promote cultural awareness among the student body.

The student-run organization was created after Yu traveled to Paraguay on a LearnServe sponsored trip. Upon her return, Yu, then a junior, began the club with the help of Alyssa Hu, Jon Xia, Bowen Lian and other students. Now in its third year, Postcards to Paraguay is a club in which members submit short reflections through the club’s website.

Through its website and Facebook page, the club provides students with a unique way to let the students of El Centro Comunitario de Santa Ana, El Colegio de San José in Paraguay and Richard Montgomery communicate with each other and give insights on the daily life and culture in their respective countries. Members draft brief reflections that are about 100 words each, in either English or Spanish, about their daily lives.

Past prompts have asked

PHOTO BY WENDY SUE RISSO

Postcards to Paraguay members exchange reflections with students in mulitple Paraguay high schools. students to describe everything from their daily classes to their favorite foods and TV shows. The details in each reflection help craft a larger awareness of the people and cultures around them. As the Postcards to Paraguay Director Alyssa Hu said, “It’s fun for us to write….You get to talk about life.”

Indeed, the reflections reveal a lot about the students who draft them. The December 2011 prompt called for a description of a student’s favorite quote and its influence upon his or her life. Julieta Carron of El Colegio de San José wrote that her favorite quote is

“Al que madruga Dios le ayuda” which roughly translates to “God helps the early bird.” Carron stressed, “[intenta] superarme a [su] misma siempre,” or, “I always strive to reach new heights for myself”.

Junior Will Simon of RM aimed to live by the old adage, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” He wrote, “From the Golden Rule spring modern ideas of consideration, reciprocity…and basic humanity.”

In response to a prompt about his future goals, Gustavo

Giménez of El Centro Cultural Comunitario de Santa Ana poignantly stated, “Tengo varias metas que ya cumplí y otras que aun me faltan realizar” which means, “I have many goals that I have already met and others that I have failed to.”

Likewise, junior Claudia Xie reflected that above all else, “I want to be happy with whatever I’m doing.”

From these snippets of Postcards’ ever growing bevy of reflections, one can see the seeds of an international community forming. Postcards to Paraguay’s

reflections give students the opportunity to reach out to many other people. They are able to make friends and confide in peers who live in another hemisphere.

After a year’s worth of work from RM, San José, and Santa Ana, the club creates booklets of these reflections. Every year, one lucky student travels to Paraguay to deliver the booklets.

Last year’s “postmaster” junior Will Simon still remembers his own LearnServe trip to Paraguay. “[I was] handed lots of books [about the] places where [Yu] had gone before,” he said.

“They were genuinely surprised to see me deliver the booklets,” he reflected. “They weren’t expecting [it].”

Through opportunities such as the annual LearnServe trip and the monthly online reflection cycle, Postcards to Paraguay embraces new technology and social media to aid global communication. As Hu said,“We have everything at our fingertips…just a keyboard away.”

Postcards’ efforts to promote cultural awareness have capitalized on the potential for social media to bring people who otherwise would not know each other closer together. In an age where everything from politics to one’s taste in movies has become polarized, it is more important than ever to remember that, despite our cultural differences, we are all human. Through Postcards’ inspirational work, students from both the United States and Paraguay have been brought closer together.

It is a small world after all.

10 The Tide

CENTER SPREAD

November 2012

CENTER SPREAD

The Tide

A hauntingly fun homecoming DANCE, cont. from page 1 was more sentimental. Senior Errin Saunders, a member of the Homecoming Court, said “I went [to homecoming] for the memories.”

When asked if the experience was more memorable because he is a senior, Josh Weaver, who was also on the Homecoming Court, replied “Yeah, definitely. Also being on court was rather serendipitous.”

Before entering the dance, security guards stood in front of the entrance to search through bags and purses. “The extra security made me feel much safer,” sophomore Sarah Bullard said.

Refreshments were available at tables located beside the dance floor. Students could take a break from dancing and talk with their friends and munch on chocolatecovered pretzels and M&Ms in an eerie Halloween setting.

Another place to cool off and just chill was outside the gym, where parent volunteers served drinks to students.

The major highlight of the dance was when the Homecoming Royal Court was introduced. One boy and one girl of the Royal Court walked side-by-side into the gym, smiling brightly as photographers clicked away.

Finally, the homecoming king Alvin Ninel and queen Dasia Adams were introduced, and led a couple’s dance in the center of the dance floor.

In spite of all the positive feedback, students were very critical on some aspects of the dance. One of the speakers had malfunctioned, leading to a period where no music was played, to the confusion and frustration of students. A major complaint was the quality of the music DJ Ramzy played.

“The DJ wasn’t really that good,” said Weaver.

“I didn’t really like the music selection and it didn’t really fit.”

Complaints similar to Weaver’s

Students play with colors and styles this season

by Megan White

popped up on the Richard Montgomery SGA Facebook group, where senior Matt Guevara posted, “The DJ at homecoming sucked. [If] he is scheduled for prom, I would please ask to get rid of him and find someone else.

I was thoroughly disappointed with what he played and would hate to not attend prom because of the DJ.” Overall, the majority of students who attended this year’s Homecoming have stated that they will most likely return for next year’s. The success of the dance this year will hopefully inspire even better dances in the coming years. Or, for seniors, they will hopefully remember the great time they had at RM Haunted Homecoming 2012.

Sophomore Michelle Schrier summed up her time in four simple words: “I had a blast!”

PHOTO BY DAVID CHEN

DANCE PHOTOS BY DAVID CHEN

After a night of getting dolled up, eating a fancy dinner, and dancing the night away, there is only one more thing a RM student must do in order to fully experience homecomingFacebook stalk the day after.

In addition to seeing who went where before the dance, and with whom, the most important reason to scour through the endless amount of homecoming pictures is to admire, and sometimes criticize, what students wore.

The most popular silhouette of the evening was peplum. To those who do not follow the trends or watch Project Runway, peplum is a short flared piece of fabric attached at the waist. The trend is a great way to spice up a dress and is figure flattering as the style creates an hour glass shape. This silhouette is also relatively new on the homecoming scene but considering its popularity this year, this style will certainly return next year.

Although senior Matthew Mittl was right when he “noticed a lot of girls wore black,” that was not the only color that was frequently

PHOTO BY AMY LIANG

worn this homecoming. Many girls ditched the LBD (Little Black Dress) for something more striking like bold red or glittery gold. There might not be anything more eye-catching than a dress the color of a stop sign or of one of the most precious metals.

Some students decided to pass on the vibrant colors and chose nude and other neutral colors this year.

“Cream colored dresses were very popular, a ton of my friends wore that shade,” said senior Kala Benjamin.

Wearing such a

PHOTO BY MELISSA VINUEZA

RM football proves to be the best of Rockville

by Jonathan Marx and Stephen Alexander

PHOTOS BY RACHIT AGARWAL

After walking out onto the field as members of the Homecoming Court, seniors Steven Burchett and Tyler Coleman wanted to leave a mark in what could be the penultimate contest of their football careers. And, in a spectacular effort, the two lead the Rockets in a crucial 3514 win against cross-town rival Rockville High School.

The team came into the game confident after a 42-6 beating of Magruder just 4 days before. The win against Magruder undoubtedly boosted the morale of the Rockets after a loss to Quince Orchard but also gave them only three days to prepare for Rockville.

Rockville was 1-7 but as junior lineman Paul Berman put it, capable of “some trickery”. The tension between the teams dates back to 1968, when Rockville High School was built and a rivalry was formed.

Junior linebacker Osebo Akhigbe called it “a battle for the ownership of Rockville”. The team also knew a loss would end their shot at a postseason berth and their most successful season in 7 years would finish with a bad taste in their mouths.

To top it off, a capacity crowd packed the stands for the homecoming game. It would be hard to imagine a scenario with more pressure on the squad, but as they have for most of this season, the team responded.

After the Rockets broke through the Homecoming banner the doubts washed away. As Akhigbe put it, “we smacked them in the mouth”. A relentless defense kept the Rstagnant the entire game. Rockville quarterback Spencer Brigman was held to 10 completions for only 37 yards on 22 attempts. Coleman stalled three Rockville drives with outstanding picks, including two in the Rockets’ red zone.

Akhigbe said, “Coleman played an outstanding game,

dress allows one to wear those rainbow heels or bright pink earrings without the fear of overwhelming the look.

As homecoming did fall on the last weekend of October, many students opted for the longsleeved look. Not only is it more fabric for your money, sleeves is a great way to slim your arms in pictures. Although these dresses might be practical for the fortyfive minute photo shoot outside before the dance, after twerking to Juicy J’s “Bands A Make Her Dance” one might feel the need to tear off those constricting sleeves with their teeth.

Some students followed the latest trends, while others disregarded them. However, the one style that is never trendy is the dress the size of a hand towel.

Dancing and cheers start early at the pep rally

by Gabby Brooks

especially on defense. He had one interception that saved the game.”

On offense, the team emphasized the run, which let the Rockets control the clock and set up for some big plays that swung momentum to RM. Burchett, junior Jesse Brent and senior Marcelo Villatoro combined for over 200 yards for a rushing attack that slowly chipped away at the Rockville front. The passing game brought the highlights, though, as Burchett averaged 30.6 yards per completion for a total of 214 yards.

The play that sealed the fate of the Rams was during the fourth quarter, with Rockville down 21-14.

A Burchett pass floated towards a Rockville defender, eager to pick him off and return it for six in the open field in front of him. The defender was not eager enough, however, as senior Jose Ortiz jumped over the shoulders of the Ram, reached into the hands of the cornerback and snatched the football, in his best interpretation of Randy Moss. Ortiz then scampered to the end zone for an 82 yard score, giving the Rockets an irreversible 14 point lead and essentially the game.

The win secured the Rocket’s first winning football season since 2005 and keeps the Rocket playoff hopes alive. In order to make the playoffs though, the team needs a win against Northwest (63) or a B-CC (6-3) loss to Walter Johnson (3-6). Both Berman and Akhigbe anticipate a strong matchup from Northwest, but both believe a win is possible. “The win will not be easy, but with a great week of practice, we can come up on top.”

November 2012

Snap, snap, snap, snap.

Senior Terri Kent’s camera shuttered constantly, as she captured teachers twirling, cheerleaders leaping, and Boms prancing.

She was decked in black and gold, just as the students cheering from the bleachers.

The students’ chants, mixed with the marching band’s music and PE teacher John Fahrner’s cheers, filled the gym during the annual fall pep rally, hosted by RM in anticipation of the homecoming football game.

The pep rally started in seventh period with junior Brendan Luu’s homecoming video on RMBC. It started with one of Coach Fahrner’s famous quotes. “We were born to manifest the glory that is within us,” he said. “Rocket Pride!”

The pep rally itself happened in the gym during eighth period. It was split between two separate rallies during eighth period due to concerns over fire hazards– the first with freshmen and juniors and the second with sophomores and seniors.

Though the pep rallies had less people due to the split, the spirit never seemed to dip. Classes on the first and even second floor could hear students cheering from the gym.

The pep rally started with the teachers performing their annual d a n c e .

D r e s s e d in zombie costumes and makeup, © 2012 WWW.EYEONBALL.COM

they danced to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Korean viral hit “Gangnam Style”. There were quite a few teachers dancing, which included Chemistry teacher Virginia Azurée, math teachers Laura Goetz and Leslie Jessell, and Principal Dr. Nelson McLeod to name a few. The dance ended with the teachers striking ‘Gogo’ poses to the applause of students.

The rally followed with the junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders who showed off their impressive repertoire of stunts and cheers. Their performance, however, left some students confused as to whether they were supposed to follow along with the cheers or not.

All fall sports captains were then introduced and cheered on by the students as they ran under the cheerleaders’ line of pompons. Sports captains, one representing each grade, ran an obstacle course which included spinning several times and then shooting a basketball.

The Poms followed with their wellexecuted dance routine that featured several crowd favourites. The cheers only increased as their pompons moved to the beat of the music.

The much anticipated Boms brought the pep rally to an end, dancing to popular songs such as “U Can’t Touch This”, “Call Me Maybe”, and “I Can Be a Freak”.

The pep rally was held on Black and Gold day, the last day of Spirit

Week. Spirited students came to the pep rally dressed head to toe in the school’s colours.

Some of the most spirited students even donned face paint and wigs.

Throughout all of this, Kent never stopped taking photos, snapping away in the midst student cheers.

PEP RALLY PHOTOS BY DAVID CHEN

11

12

The Tide

LA MAREA

Noviembre del 2012

El futuro de Venezuela está en las manos de Hugo Chávez otra vez más después de su derrota estrecho de Henrique Capriles por Jessica Martinez “Habrá un ganador. Habrá un presidente electo. Pero no habrá un pueblo derrotado,” dijo Capriles a un reportero antes la elección. “Mañana, somos un solo país, una sola Venezuela. Mañana en el país hay muchos problemas que tenemos que resolver. Los problemas no esperaran.”

Concursos presidenciales en Venezuela recientemente han carecido en suspenso.

En tres elecciones celebradas desde 1998, el presidente Hugo Chávez ha derrotado con facilidad a sus oponentes, ganando por lo menos el 14 porciento y hasta 26 porciento de los votos.

Pero esta vez se trata de una contienda reñida. Algunas encuestas dicen que Chávez podría perder a Henrique Capriles, el candidato de la oposición centrista, que convoca multitudes donde se va.

El Sr. Grosfeld-Katz, maestro de la clase de historia de América Latina, dijo “Que Chávez es amado por su pueblo” y demuestra cuando decenas de miles de partidarios, celebran en las calles alrededor del palacio presidencial durante la noche para celebrar el ex militar que fue reelegido con los votos de 1.5 millones del más jóvenes rival, Henrique Capriles.

“Venezuela va a continuar por el camino del socialismo democrático y bolivariano

GRÁFICO POR CAMILA VILLASANTE

Los dos candidatos, Hugo Chávez y Henrique Capriles, luchaban por la presidencia en Venezuela. Los ciudadanos votaron para reelegir a Chávez en el siete de octubre. del siglo XXI,” tronó Chávez, de 58 años, desde el balcón del palacio, sosteniendo una réplica de la espada del héroe de la independencia, Simón Bolívar.

Fue una victoria extraordinaria para un líder que sólo hace unos meses temió por su vida mientras luchaba por recuperarse del cáncer.

La participación fue un récord de 80

porciento de los votantes registrados, aumentando las credenciales democráticas de Chávez a pesar que los críticos de él dicen que es como un autócrata que pisotea la empresa privada y silencia enemigos políticos.

Enfrentada con una fuerte oposición, Chávez prometió en su discurso de la victoria para ser un “mejor presidente.”

Señora Solernou, directora del departamento de lenguajes mundiales, dijo “Yo creo que este hombre gano. Yo creo que el seguramente hizo una trampa. Pero yo creo que brecha que un millón y pico de gente voto por el.” Líderes de la oposición perdieron la esperanza por la pérdida.

Después de una campaña incansable que ha generado euforia generalizada entre los votantes antichavistas y vieron que Capriles reducía la brecha en los sondeos, la oposición tenía la esperanza de derrocar finalmente a Chávez.

“Yo sé que mucha gente están tristes, pero tenemos que recuperarnos y seguir creyendo que podemos y vamos a construir un país mejor,” dijo Capriles a sus seguidores.

La influencia de Chávez sobre de izquierda de América Latina los gobiernos a menudo irritaba los Estados Unidos, el principal socio comercial de Venezuela.

Venezuela es el cuarto mayor exportador de petróleo a Estados Unidos. A pesar de que la relación económica apretada, los dos países no son aliados cercanos exactamente: Chávez a menudo arremete contra los EE.UU. y sus aliados como “imperialistas.”

El populista, aparentemente imparable, Hugo Chávez, ha estado en poder durante catorce años y tal vez continuará su reinado en Venezuela para los años que vienen.

Sólo el futuro va a saber lo que espera a Venezuela.

¿Deseas un diploma de Cultural Bilingüe y de Estudios Hispánicos? por Michael Scott Muchas personas están conscientes de la posibilidad de lograr un certificado bilingüe sobre la graduación de preparatoria por pasar el examen de lenguaje Bachillerato Internacional en la primavera. Lo que mucha gente no sabe es que hay otra manera de lograr la certificación bilingüe.

El programa de hispanohablantes ofrecido en Richard Montgomery es un único paso a paso programa diseñado para sumergir a los estudiantes en la cultura española.

El programa se inicia cuando un estudiante está en el noveno grado y continúa hasta el final del duodécimo grado. Los requisitos del curso son los siguientes: Español para Hispanohablantes 1 o 2 o BI español 4 (en el grado 9) y españoles para el Nivel 2 Altavoces españolas o AP o BI de la Lengua Española Españolas 5 (Grado 10). En el grado 11 los estudiantes deben tomar BI español 6 o Lenguaje Español AP, y también una materia optativa de cualquier clase de inglés

(literatura étnica, AP del idioma inglés, AP inglés literatura), ESOL (TOEFL) o ciencias Sociales (Antropología Social BI). En el doceavo grado los estudiantes deben tomar Historia de América Latina, AP Literatura Española / BI español 7 y alguna otra electiva.

Además de los requisitos del curso académico, los estudiantes también deben participar en el Encuentro Fellowship Organization en donde los estudiantes participarán en la exploración académica y profesional, así como contribuir con sus talentos y el servicio a la comunidad. El programa es para estudiantes interesados en tres categorías: perseguir habilidades bilingües en fluidez inglés y español o casi nativo en español, interesados en la historia de los países de América Latina, y la exploración de la relevancia mundial de intenso estudio cultural y sus posibles aplicaciones profesionales.

A pesar de su rigor exigente, los cursos dentro del programa son impartidos por algunos de los mejores maestros de Richard Montgomery. La directora del

programa, Srta.

Martin-Antonetti considera que “tenemos una gran variación de temas son que estudian su lenguaje.

I n c o r p o r a historia o la literatura. AP de Lenguaje y AP de Literatura.”

En cuanto a los estudiantes, siente que “[ellos] me mantienen joven, interesada, y estudiando”.

Uno de los estudiantes en su último año FOTO POR ALEX BAZÁN del programa, La Srta.

Antonetti está en su salon, 170, para darles información sobre el programa.

Ebery Huaranca nos da su punto de vista de las y tienen diferente formas de oportunidad de ganar por lo maestras, “Señorita-Antonetti enseñar.” Cuando le pedí a ella menos seis créditos AP y/o BI, me enseña una base del lenguaje qué valor tiene la obtención usted también puede terminar que nos puede ayudar con de un certificado, ella dijo: “El como Señorita Huaranca en su día nuestra escritura. Y la Señora certificado bilingüe para mi es de graduación con un certificado Solernou, me gusta su clase significativo porque muestra que Cultural Bilingüe y Estudios porque ella nos ayuda entender yo sé español y que la cultura Hispánicos. Para más información acerca de la cultura hispana. hispana es importante para mi.” del programa visten al aula de Ambos son buenas profesoras Además de tener la Señorita Martin-Antonetti.

El Mundial: el campeonato de fútbol está viniendo a Rio de Janiero por Fatima del Barco En América del Sur, hay una manera diferente de ver las cosas, y todo tiene un sentido diferente a lo del América del Norte. Como las otras diferencias grandes-escuela privada es la única opción, las películas siempre viene en ingles con subtítulos en español-- el deporte tiene un significado mayor.

En América del Sur, el fútbol, es más que un deporte. Es una forma de vida. Se celebra cada partido como si fuera la final, y hay mas personas viendo una práctica de fútbol que personas viendo un juego en los Estados Unidos. Allá, se glorifica el fútbol como un arte y es el pasatiempo de la mayoría de las personas. Por eso, cuando

hay un campeonato de fútbol, es más que un torneo. Los campeonatos son, en si mismos, causa para celebrar y juntarse con la familia.

Según a Max Dominguez, su papa, Alberto Dominguez, lo dejaba hasta perderse algunos días de colegio para poder ver a su país jugar. Los campeonatos de fútbol de América del Sur son muy comunes. Entre ellos, los más populares son Copa América, y Copa Libertadores, aunque también hay muchos más de escala menor. Sin embargo, el campeonato más importante de todos según la opinión de muchos es El Mundial.

El Mundial es un campeonato internacional en el cual se participa cada cuatro anos. El Mundial es un campeonato extremadamente importante para todos los países hispanohablantes. Especialmente

este ano ya que el próximo mundial se dará a cabo en Río De Janeiro, Brasil. Las eliminatorias para este campeonato tan esperado ya empezaron y todos quienes siguen el fútbol saben que son súper difíciles. Los países están separados por regiones de las cuales solo una cantidad determinada de países pueden avanzar para jugar en el mundial. El continente de Latino América esta considerado como una región, y ya que algunos de los mejores equipos de fútbol se encuentran en estos países, calificar para el mundial no es nada fácil.

Ya que Brasil esta automáticamente en el campeonato, deja cinco espacios libres para que compitan los otros países de América del Sur. Hasta con solo estos pocos lugares, hay otra situación que complica todo más. El que llegue en quinto lugar no

esta garantizado un lugar en el mundial hasta que gane contra un país determinado de Asia.

La situación es complicada para países como Perú, Venezuela, Paraguay, y Bolivia ya que todos los espacios principales son usualmente obtenidos por los mejores equipos como Argentina, Brasil, y Uruguay. Pero a pesar de la desventaja, los países de América del Sur se esfuerzan para conseguir uno de los tan queridos espacios. Las eliminatorias seguirán todo este ano. En el final, solo cinco irán a Brasil y solo un país del mundo ganara el titulo como campeón, pero la esperanza y la determinación de los países de América del Sur de lograrlo seguirá. El Mundial, aparte de fortalecer la pasión de muchos por el fútbol, une a la gente de no solo América del Sur, pero también de todo el mundo.

ADVERTISEMENTS

The Tide

November 2012 13

SAT Prep & AP Tutoring

SAT & SAT & Time: 9 am - 4 pm Place: USG at Shady Grove ACT E-Register at www.MathEnglish.com SAT I Tutoring Programs (2ACT to 5 students) Courses Courses

No One Can Stop Your Rise in SAT

Jan Prep: 12/15, 22, 29, 1/5, 12, 19 Mar Prep: 1/26, 2/2, 9, 16, 23, 3/2

May Prep: 3/23, 30, 4/6, 13, 20, 27 June Prep: 4/20, 27, 5/4, 11, 18, 25

Hornors Pre-cal, Chemistry, Physics, Alg2, Geometry AP Calc, Chemistry, Phsics, Language, Biology, SAT II Math IIc, Chemistry, Literature, World History, Physics, Biology,etc.

E-mail: DL@MathEnglish.com A perfect team of prominent teachers with over 25 years of experience

Taught by Tutors Who Scored in the Top 1% on the SAT + ACT Math: Dr. Li, Ph. D in Computer Science, Purdue Taught by Tutors Reading/Writing: Who Scored in thePh.Top 1% on Dr. Thomson, D in History, Yale the SAT + ACT Proven Results Attained by Magical and Practical Methods

More on WWW.MathEnglish.com June 2012 Carol S. 2360 (Blair) Kelvin N. 2330 (Langley HS) Chan G. 2320 (Marriots Ridge) Nancy Ding (2310, TJ) Yini Q. 2300 (Wootton HS)

Alan Xie (2370, Jan11, RM) Entering Harvard

SAT & ACT Courses

[March, 2012] Eric Y. (2400, Wootton), Amy L. (2400, RM), Jessica J. (2340, Langley), Kate P. (2320, TJ), Astine F. (2320, Wootton) Simon J. (2290, Wootton), Alan W. (2260, QO) Taiyuan P. (Dec11, 2350, RM), Sofia H. (Dec11, 2350, RM), Joie C. (Dec11, 2320, RM) Alan X. (2370, Jan11, Harvard), Gariel (2390, Oct11, Poolsville) Nabeel (2310, Oct11, RMHS) Adrianna (2290, Oct11, Churchill), Eric (2280, Oct11, NWHS). Russell Horowvitz (2370, May11, WJHS), Eric Zhou (2290, May 11, Atholton HS), Vivian Tu (2350, Mar11, Marriots Ridge HS)

Taught by Tutors Who Scored in the Top 1% on the SAT + ACT “This prep has to be witnessed to be appreciated. The combination of fascinating teachers and repetitive test preparation create the winning environment for success.” Henry (2360, Dec 08, Landon HS) “A magic binder full of challenging, all sorts of tricky SAT math questions, a hot list of SAT vocabulary words with illustrative sentences, and a collection of hot essay topics, critical readings”

Prepare for the SAT or ACT with the Prepare for the SAT or ACT with the SAT & DC tutoring company that only hires top tutors Prepare for the SAT or ACT DC tutoring company thatwith onlyDC’s hirestop toptutors. tutors ACT Prepare for the SAT or ACT with DC’s top tutors.

SAT & Small Results SmallClasses, Classes,Personalized PersonalizedCurriculum, Curriculum,Real RealTests, Tests,Proven Proven Results.

Courses Small Classes, Personalized Curriculum, Real Tests, Proven Results ACT Small Classes, Personalized Curriculum, Real Tests, Proven Results.

Elite, Local, Reliable Courses Elite, Local, Reliable For the most important tests, study with a tutor who’s mastered the test

Taught by most Tutors Who tests, Scored inwith theaTop onmastered the SAT For the important study tutor 1% who’s the + testACT Prepare for SAT Who or ACT with the Taught by the Tutors Scored in the Top 1% on the SAT + ACT DC tutoring company that only hires top tutors Prepare for the SAT or ACT with DC’s top tutors.

Small SmallClasses, Classes,Personalized PersonalizedCurriculum, Curriculum,Real RealTests, Tests,Proven ProvenResults Results.

Elite, Local, Reliable

For the most important tests, study with a tutor who’s mastered the test

SAT & ACT Classes Are Filling Quickly!

Classes Prepare for theSAT SAT & or ACT ACT with the Are Filling Quickly!

Call (202) 618-4474 to Reserve Your Seat Call (202) 618-4474 to Reserve Your Seat

Prepare for the SAT or ACT DC tutoring company thatwith onlythe hires top tutors Prepare for the SAT or ACT with DC’s top tutors. Top Test Prep Top Test Prep Take $100 off 3615 Wisconsin Ave Results NW Classes, Personalized Real Tests, Proven DC Small tutoring company that only Curriculum, hires top tutors Small Classes, Personalized Curriculum, Real Tests, Proven Results. $100 3615 Wisconsin Ave NW Prepare Take for the SAT or ACToff with DC’s top tutors.

Washington, DC 20016 when you mention “Rockets”!

Elite, Local, Reliable Washington, DC 20016 Curriculum, Real Results whenSmall you Classes, mention “Rockets”! www.toptestprep.com Small Classes,Personalized Personalized Curriculum, RealTests, Tests,Proven Proven Results.

For the most important tests, study with a tutor who’s mastered the test www.toptestprep.com

Elite, Local, Reliable

SAT & ACT Classes Are Filling Quickly!

14

The Tide

ARTS

November 2012

October Coffeehouse brings down the house

by Nikhil Patankar The new school year began with a busy start. Apart from all the work, students have let loose going to events like the Fine Lines Coffeehouse. This was the first of five coffeehouses throughout the year and was met with great success. Although the double header varsity soccer games were on the same night and the October SAT was the next day, the turnout was great. With student acts such as acoustic live performances, standup comedy, and poetry, in addition to a variety of good food, this was not a night to miss.

The Coffeehouse started at 6 pm on

October 5th and ended at 9 pm with a half hour intermission at 7. The cost of admission was 5 dollars for entrance and food.

At around 5:45, students started showing up with their friends. After paying the admission fee and taking a cookie or brownie, they sat down in a comfy sofas and waited for the Coffeehouse to start. The night started with two songs played by seniors Arvind Srinivasan and Josh Weaver.

Their performance of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” energized the crowd and set the mood for the rest of the night.

After this pumped-up introduction, juniors Helen Tan and Nick Greco performed Dark Blue by Jack’s Mannequin. It was Nick’s first time performing at Coffeehouse.

He described it as a “nervous experience,

but everyone there was really supportive and it was awesome to see so many different talents and acts. [He’ll] definitely be going to more of these in the future”. Helen and Nick both received outstanding applause and recognition from the audience.

The next half hour was filled with equally excellent performances including a comedy segment by senior Zack Young regarding where not to pick up girls. His nonchalant expressions and funny anecdotes drew laughs from everyone in the audience. After the first half of Coffeehouse ended, the audience left the choral room and went to the all-you-can-eat buffet.

At the beginning of the intermission, the tables were piled high with donuts, pies, chips, and soda. By the end, the trashcans were piled high with cleaned out plates and glasses. With their stomachs completely filled, the students returned to the choral room.

The second half began with two jazz combo pieces performed by junior Eli Stopak on saxophone, senior Sarah Snider on piano, and senior Adam Kuzminski on drums. The two songs created a mellow atmosphere for the recently fed students who clapped along to the tune.

Veteran coffeehouse performer Eli claimed that he “wasn’t really nervous

Jimmy Hemmig and Fatima del Barca perform.

and every time I play, it’s always a fun experience. I have a great time hanging out listening to everyone play music”.

The second half continued until about 9 with varying acts such as poems by senior Lara Haft and Galen Emanuel.

Sophomore Ross Berman and senior Bettie Payne kept the audience entertained with a variety of pickup lines. Clearly, this was not an event to miss. However, if you missed the first Coffeehouse, make sure you attend the next one in December!

PHOTOS BY GABBY BROOKS

Mirielsa Palor and Nicole Paguaga wow the crowd at the first Coffeehouse of the new school year.

PHOTO BY DAVID CHEN

by Rachit Agarwal Whether it is a crazy pose or a mug shot portrait, students will eventually succumb to the great taste of Raghav Mehra’s striking skill: photography. Raghav Mehra is a freelance photographer with a gift for skillfully capturing memorable moments.

His passions include not only photography, but also guitar and film-making, activities that Mehra partakes in both inside and outside of school. He takes pictures of his friends that are both crazy and serious at the same time, employing various tech-

PHOTO BY RAGHAV MEHRA

Raghav used his skills on a recent trip to NYC.

niques of photography, such as depth of field with aperture. Whether subjects of his photography or not, nearly everyone at RM is fortunate enough to see Mehra’s photos.

Mehra’s work is both common and integrated: it is everywhere and incorporated into his extracurricular school activities.

Mehra himself appears on many RMBC advertisments for Fine Lines and has also directed other ads. In one such ad, Mehra experiments with a stop motion technique, fusing it rhythmically with Chet Atkins’ “Mr Sandman.” His photography is posted all over Facebook and Flickr. His musical performances are just as volatile as his photography, covering humorous songs from the show “Flight of the Concords” and then digressing into some of the Beatles’ classics. His colorful music can be heard at the various coffeehouses through the year.

Mehra has not taken any training in photography, but over the past two years he has developed a unique style. The most interesting aspect about Mehra’s photography is that he puts up all of his candid work of friends and other students on Facebook, reserving his Flickr for either experimental, object, or landscape photos.

“The one thing that I feel compliments my photography the most is my knack for travelling” says Mehra, “You can’t have a photo without a subject, travelling really gives me a great variety in subjects, between both landscapes and objects.”

Clearly, the artistic talent of Raghav Mehra is enormously paramount in the culture of Richard Montgomery High School, and Mehra shows to society that anyone can be awesome through guitar playing, film-making, and photography. He truly is the jack of all trades.

PHOTO BY NEHA SARDANA

The Suprasensorial Exhibit inside the Hirshhorn brings fresh and creative artistic visions to DC.

Hirshhorn debuts exciting new art

by Neha Sardana

Stepping into the Hirshhorn Museum’s Suprasensorial Exhibit, one feels a definite change in atmosphere.

A far cry from the typical, hush-hush and hear-every-pin-drop museum feel, there is liveliness to the space, a rush of voices, laughter, and human interaction.

The exhibit itself is made up of five installations, all created during the Light and Space movement of the 40s and 50s

by Latin American artists. Each installation is unique in that visitors can interact with the pieces, essentially becoming an experimental variable in the art itself.

Perhaps the most enjoyable is Jesús Rafael Soto’s “Blue Penetrable,” which consists of a series of densely packed blue rubber strings that hang from the ceiling, through which visitors can walk. Going through these strings is a delightful experience, as one sees the shadowy figures of others, yet is completely isolated from them.

The second installation is Hélio Oiticaca’s “Cosmococa—Program in Progress,” in which a darkened room’s four walls are flashed rhythmically with images from a projector. Visitors can lie on black mats on the floor and look up to see themselves, reflected on the mirrored ceiling. The exhibit is truly unique in the level at which it involves the viewer.

A personal favorite was Julio Le Parc’s “Light in Movement”, a sensational yet playful work that takes an everyday idea and turns it into a wonder. The installation is also in a darkened area, though the walls are rounded. A panel hangs from the ceiling and is covered on both sides with mirrors that are turned in different directions. Several studio lights are aimed at these mirrors, and the resulting bent light is reflected upon the walls, resulting in the viewer being bathed in a scintillating display of crosses of white light.

The most popular exhibit seemed to be “Chromosaturation” by Carlos CruzDiez. This installation consists of a series of rooms that are initially white, but then bathed in color from neon lights.

Each room is a totally different color, with none of the colors bleeding over and ruining the purity. Patrons are required to take their shoes off and put on an odd pair of white slippers, as dirt from shoes would tarnish the pure white floor.

The final installation is Lucio Fontana’s “Neon Structure,” a massive whirl of neon light that hangs above the escalators on the top floor. The piece looks like a 2-D scribble of light in a 3-D world, a sight that is truly remarkable. The exhibition as a whole is an incredible interactive experience, in which one sees light and space and color used in an experimental and awe-inspiring manner. Anyone interested in modern art owes it to themselves to check it out.

ARTS

The Tide

by Max Molot Despite having been an active group since 2009, the band named Imagine Dragons has not often crossed the minds of the general public. Recently, however, some of their music has become quite popular , as various ad campaigns and film teasers have been set against their chiming melodies, including the 2012 movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The band is comprised of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman.

Their first full-length, debut album, ‘Night Visions’, is a collection of previously released material from the three 2010-2012 EPs, plus six new songs.

Between a mixed and matched selection of old and new tracks and subtle progressive impulses between 2010 and now, the album may feel as if cohesion was left at the starting line two years ago. The dubstep- influenced ‘Radioactive’ kicks off proceedings with an unevenly undulating bass wub accompanied by post-apocalyptic lyrics. It is noticeably the darkest moment on the album because, unlike the rest of the tracks, Dan Reynolds makes no attempt to remedy the angst and aggression exploding outwards in each hair-raising chorus. When asked what her favorite song from the album is, sophomore Olivia Antezana said, “I really liked Radioactive, their lyrics are really cool. Imagine Dragons are very good at telling a story through their music.” Combined with the band’s ear for a killer hook and Reynolds’ grounded poetic lyricism, the richness of the world Imagine Dragons creates shines

through the first song’s dark lyrics.

After the opening song, the band turns up the empathy and the luminosity of their music with ‘Tiptoe’ and ‘It’s Time’. The latter is an epic anthem straight from the winning Imagine Dragons formula and one of the highlights of the album. With a swirling chorus and lyrics of unshaken determination and confidence, Reynolds delivers a triumphant performance. At the opposite end of the spectrum from ‘Radioactive’ is ‘On Top of the World’, a shamelessly optimistic, pure pop ditty accompanied by whistles and hoots.

Another highlight of the album is ‘Amsterdam’. Originally appearing in 2011 on the ‘It’s Time’ EP, it blends their rockier roots with more sonic, edgy guitars. Beginning with a bubbling mix of bass, drums and Reynolds’ deeper, gruffer register, the song erupts into a sky-scraping chorus. The 2010 track ‘Hear Me’ follows suit and it becomes obvious that the further back one goes, the rockier the band gets. However, through all the intervening years, they have kept the same theme and re-spun it with poise and impeccable craftsmanship.

Further down, ‘Nothing Left To Say’ closes the album with a downbeat message delivered through a weightless, buoyant groove and super- sized drums. With powerful harmonies and surging instrumentation, it is the most unabashedly massive moment the album has to offer. Sophomore Peter Wang said “their mixing of instruments and unique sounds is really what propelled them to the top.” The softer guitar and viola-assisted crooning at the song’s coda acts as a suitably memorable closer to an album comprised of some of the arguably finest rock, pop, and alternative songs this year.

COURTESY OF INTERSCOPE RECORDS

Imagine Dragon’s grandscale indie-pop style has students hungry for more sonic tunes.

November 2012

15

PHOTO BY FERREN RODENAS

After an extended hiatus, the Wallflowers finally return with an electrifying new album.

The Wallflowers return to rock

by Brian Harrington “If it’s a comeback you want, then get your hands raised,” the Wallflowers sang on Hospital for Sinners, the lead song off their highly anticipated first album since 2005’s Rebel, Sweetheart. While the Wallflowers might not be the first 90’s band to stage a comeback, they are certainly among the best.

Formed by the famous Bob Dylan’s son, Jakob Dylan, in the early 1990s, the band had an incredibly successful and prolific run during their first decade together, crafting a collection of albums that would earn them two Grammys and an enormous fan base. But since their most recent album seven years ago, they have lost members and hit a creative hiatus, which was finally broken by the rebirth of a restructured band. The new album features three members of the original Wallflowers: Jakob Dylan, Rami Jaffee on keyboard, and Greg Richling on bass. However, they are also joined by two new members, singersongwriter Stuart Mathis and ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons.

The new album starts right where they left off in 2005, as the lead single promises to “reboot the mission, not reinvent.” Fittingly, Glad All Over’s overall sound signature closely resembles their previous efforts, Rebel

Sweetheart. Unfortunately, The Wallflowers seems to have trouble sticking with a cohesive style throughout this album since songs like Misfits and Lovers and Reboot the Mission mimic The Clash, while Love is a Country and Have Mercy on Him Now sound similar to Bruce Springsteen’s style.

The Devil’s Waltz and Constellation Blues even experiment with the blues approach Bob Dylan used in his latest albums. Fortunately their unique roots rock sound comes through on a few songs like Hospital for Sinners, One Set of Wings, and It’s a Dream.

Lovers of the iconic 90’s hit One Headlight would want to give the song First One in the Car a listen, while high school students will enjoy the youthful and romantic themes of the teenage anthem Misfits and Lovers.

The Wallflowers also maintain a well-paced rhythm throughout the whole album. Glad All Over starts off with a bombastic introduction then makes a gentle decrescendo during the rest of the album. Furthermore, the tempo compliments the masterfully written lyrics of each song, a characteristic that Dylan obviously carries from his father. Though the album is not very long, featuring only eleven songs with most fewer than four minutes, The Wallflowers manage to have fun with each song in this sonically diverse album.

Any fan of 90’s rock and Bob Dylaninspired lyrics should give it a listen.

“High school students will enjoy the youthful and romantic themes.”

Community is the intersection of comedy and class

by Andrew DelVecchio With college searches and applications fully underway this fall, it is hard to not think about life after RM. One campus growing in popularity across the country is Greendale Community College. Whether you are a lawyer who got your degree in Colombia but now need one in America, or a high school sports star who lost his or her big scholarship, Greendale will always have a place for you. Sadly, it only exists on TV. NBC’s hit sitcom Community first premiered in 2009, telling the story of 7 unlikely friends attending the fictitious Greendale Community College. Three seasons later, fans have witnessed multiple paintball wars, nearly the world’s largest blanket fort, and a one-night zombie infestation. All of this has been brought to life by a great cast including Joe McHale, also known as host of The Soup, and Don-

ald Glover, former 30 Rock writer and current hip hop artist Childish Gambino.

The show’s audience mostly consists of high school and college students, including many here at RM. Sophomore Ross Berman said that the show is “something new every week, and you never know what’s going to happen next.” He and sophomore Gabe Guedes agreed that it is a “funny, clever sitcom that brightens [their] week.” When asked about their favorite characters, each had a different response.

Berman said “it is hard to pick one character individually. I’d probably pick Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) because of the chemistry between them.

They cannot function without one another, and the bromance between them is what makes the show.” Guedes disagreed, saying “Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) is my favorite character because everything that comes out of his mouth is offensive.”

Sadly in recent months Community has undergone some changes that are less than appealing to fans. At the end of last

season, the network released Dan Harmon, the show’s creator and major contributor for 4 years. Soon after that, it was announced that the show would be moving to a new timeslot, leaving its lineup with The Office and Parks and Recreation, moving to Friday nights, and angering many fans. To make matters worse, NBC moved the premiere of the new season from its

original date of October 19th to an undetermined point in the future. While the show has a devoted fan base, the viewer ratings might not be high enough to keep the show going, and both its stars and its fans are starting to worry. Nonetheless, Season 4 looks promising and hopefully fans will be able to return to the Greendale campus sometime in the near future.

COURTESY OF NBC

The cast of Community were removed from the NBC line-up, but fans eagerly await their return.

16

The Tide

FEATURES

November 2012

Aut-yum Brownies

Greetings Richard Montgomery, The SGA concluded its Annual Canned Food Drive on Thursday, October 18th.

Congratulations to Mr. Davis’ class for coming in first place. The Omelette Man will visit you soon for a delicious breakfast for all of your hard work mustering over 3 thousand cans. As a school, Richard Montgomery collected over 8,000 cans! Way to go!

Homecoming 2012—“A Haunted Homecoming”— took place on Saturday, October 27th from 8:00pm11:00pm. We had over 800 attendees. Congratulations to homecoming king Alvin Ninel and homecoming queen Dasia Adams.

The Informational Meeting for Powderpuff Football was rescheduled to Wednesday, October 24th during lunch in the Auditorium. We had over 140 students sign up to play, coach, or cheerlead! Game day will be on Wednesday, November 14th from 3:00pm-5:00pm on the turf field! All the money that we raise will go to Breast Cancer Research.

Treats for Troops is one of our Community Service projects where everyone brings in their leftover Halloween candy and donate it in one of the collection boxes in the Main Office and/or Media Center. After being packaged, we send them off to the troops! Treats for Troops will be from Wednesday, November 7th until Wednesday, November 14th.

Lastly, there will be a MCR General Assembly on Thursday, November 15th during 3rd-6th period. If you are interested in attending, please contact our school’s MCR Liaison Allison Febrey for a permission slip. The next General Assembly for 1st Period Delegates and Class Officers is Thursday, November 8th during 4th period. See you all then!

Sincerely, Alexander Bazan, SGA President 2012-2013

1 inch.

3. Make the crust: • Lightly butter the foil with some of the

by Mary Melati melted butter.

• In a medium bowl, stir the rest of the It is bonfire season! Make your own butter together with the crumbs, delightful bonfire experience with friends sugar, and salt. and family to enjoy this fall season with • Press the crumb mixture evenly over this easy recipe. It takes about 1.5 hours to the bottom of the pan. This layer will make 36 (1-inch) squares. be thin.

• Bake for about 20 minutes until Be sure to prepare all your ingredients golden brown. in advance to save time and wash your 4. Meanwhile, make the brownie: hands with soap • In a medium bowl, stir and water before the brownie mix, water, oil, you start baking! and egg until well blended (Note: should be thick).

INGREDIENTS • Pour the brownie batter Crust: into the prepared pan after •6 tbsp of the crust is done baking. unsalted • Bake the brownie for melted butter about 40 minutes until the •1½ cups of top looks crispy and an PHOTO BY MARY MELATI inserted toothpick in the finely crushed graham cracker Smell the delicious waft of brownies middle comes out mostly fill up the kitchen! crumbs clean.

•2 tbsp sugar 5. Remove pan from the •Pinch fine salt oven. Be careful Brownie: as the metal pan will be very hot!

•Buy your preferred store-bought 6. Carefully position a rack about 6 inches brownie mix. The usual ingredients from the broiler, and preheat on low. needed are: 7. Layer large marshmallows across the •¼ cup water top.

•¼ cup vegetable oil 8. Place under the broiler for about 2 •1 large egg minutes until golden. It is important to Topping: keep watching because the brownies can •Large marshmallows be burnt quickly.

9. Cool on rack for about 10 minutes.

DIRECTIONS Remove the brownies from the pan by 1. Place rack in the lower third of the oven using the aluminum flaps. Using a knife, and pre-heat oven to 325°F. gently separate any marshmallows 2. Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan stuck to the foil and fold aluminum with flaps away. foil so it hangs over the edges by about 10. Cut into 1 inch squares and enjoy!

Drama tries a comedy with Seven Sisters play

by Alex Richmond and Emily Schaefer

GRAPHIC BY SAVANNAH DU Celebrate Thanksgiving with a bountiful meal of turkey and pumpkin!

A moment of thanks

by Sedef Berk and Claudia Xie ‘Tis the season to be thankful! This Thanksgiving we asked what your favorite parts of Thanksgiving are. The conclusion?

RM is one thankful school!

Josh Weaver, senior: All the wonderful people out there. We always get so caught up in everything that people do wrong and we forget everything that everyone does right.

Brian Harrington, junior: I am thankful for family, freedom, and RG3.

Nathan Poland, sophomore: My favorite part of thanksgiving is getting the family together and seeing everybody bundle up as if they were cold but they are actually warm on the inside. Then piling onto the couch and watching the Detroit Lions win a game for once!

Blessed Sheriff, sophomore: My family and the miraculous grades I got this quarter.

Hayley Abramowitz, junior: Family, and food every other year...Honestly, my favorite bit is seeing everyone. We’re spread all up and down the East Coast, and it’s wonderful to see everyone in one place.

And the home-cooked lamb chops don’t hurt either.

Elizabeth Zipf, junior: The opportunities I have taken advantage of and where they have gotten me. Also, my hearbeat and health.

Jade Ye, junior: A roof over my head, clothing, a stable food supply, and a chance at higher education. And turtles.

Noah Beye, junior: Food... Just food...

Matt Din, senior: I’m thankful for my car, so I can drive to school, and for Mama Din’s cooking.

Mark Zic, freshman: My favorite part of Thanksgiving is seeing my family. We all get together for one day to play games and eat a ton of food! My family is always interesting... they keep me so entertained over the weekend.

After years of serious shows and performances with dark themes, the Black Maskers drama club is venturing into a new territory for the show this fall: comedy. “Seven Sisters,” a play centered on the Gyurkovics family, is a combination of mistaken identities and romance with a Pride and Prejudice -like feel.

The family, led by the widowed Mrs. Gyurkovics, senior Nicole Sergeyko, is made up of seven sisters. Mitzi, played by sophomore Madeline Winstel, the fourth sister, returns home after being expelled from a convent and finds herself demoted in age by her mother in an effort to better her three older sisters’, seniors Sydney Axelrod, Jennifer Wang, and Carey Georgius, marriage prospects.

With the help of Ferenz Horkoy, senior August McClelland, a mysterious man she met at a masked ball, Mitzi sets out to find husbands for her three sisters so she can assume her real age again and possibly find her own true love. Their plan is no easy task, however, and the two find that the potential husbands may need a bit of a push to fall in love.

After crew sign ups and auditions early September, the cast of 14 have been rehearsing every afternoon since September 19th. Many actors are openly embracing the new challenges and opportunities that come with performing this new genre.

Senior Will McNamara playing Sandorffy, one of the suitors, said, “Comedies allow so much more freedom on the part of the actors and the crews to

be creative and collaborative on stage.”

After watching the play come together, senior Allison Febrey, costumes crew co-chief, also noted that the slapstick comedy and romantic vignettes truly “force actors out of their comfort zone” and keep the show engaging.

Bringing the play to life and creating the setting for a lovable, dysfunctional family living in Hungary in the late 1890s has involved the work of many crews.

Set construction and set decoration have been working on the set of the Gyurkovics’s house. The scene consists of the walls of the house which have been wallpapered in order to create the ambience of the era.

The crews have personalized the set to lend to the feel of the show and contribute to a backstory and lifestyle for the family.

Costumes Crew has also been working on personalizing the costumes, which range from simple house dresses to military uniforms and attire for a costume ball.

Sophomore Hannah Ferster, said “Seven Sisters was really fun to work on because of all the crazy things that happen in the show.”

One of her favorite scenes is the costume ball because the “outfits are really fun.”

The cast has also been working to develop their characters and bring out the comedy of the play. Stage manager, junior Hayley Abramowitz, said, “As always, I’ve had a blast being part of the process.”

Student directors Alex Richmond and Emily Schaefer said, “We are excited to see the characters to come to life onstage after seeing it progress during our rehearsals.”

“Seven Sisters” opens on Friday, November 9th, with three more performances on November 10th, 16th, and 17th. All shows begin at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for students and $13 for adults.

ADVERTISMENTS

The Tide

November 2012

17

Your choice is as simple as “A 2 B” Driving Services Provided: • Driver’s Education Course: 30 hours classroom 6 hours behind the wheel Minimum age: 15 years 9 months

• Vehicle Rental for MVA Test

Your Local Driving School If you have a permit, do you plan on obtaining your license anytime soon?

Or, would you like to prepare yourself before you take your permit test?

Do you want some extra driving practice?

If any of these questions apply to you then:

Come drive A2B, your one stop shop for everything driving school related.

• 60 Hour Log Book Practice Sessions • General Practice Lessons

• Driver’s Improvement Program

While serving the entire DMV area we offer:

• Affordable Prices

• Intimate class sizes at 3 convenient times (morning, afternoon, & evening)

• Flexible BTW scheduling with metro pick-ups for those who live far away • Friendly customer service.

All current Richard Montgomery High School students with valid school I.D.s automatically qualify to pay the “Rocket Rate”.

The campaign is to show our appreciation to you for allowing A2B to be your neighborhood driving school.

Contact us anytime:

(301) 251-2989 751 Rockville Pike, Suite # 3A Rockville, MD 20852 www.driveab.com (Behind Richard Montgomery HS Athletic Field)

@driveab

To put it in perspective, we are just a…

•30 second walk! Behind Richard Montgomery HS’s Athletic Field •3 minute walk! From 7-Eleven and Dunkin’ Donuts

•9 minutes walk! From Dawson Farm Park

•30 seconds walk! From Marlo Furniture

A2B “not just a driving school, but a DRIVE experience”

18

The Tide

SPORTS

November 2012

Girls soccer reflects as the boys continue into the playoffs

by Leilani Stacy Though the scores may not reflect their performance, both the girls and boys soccer teams have fought this season to keep every game close and competitive down to the last second. Frustration on both offense and defense has made each game a struggle against some of the state’s best teams in the 4A South division, allowing for both starters and reserves, upperclassmen and underclassmen to step up and change the tone of each game.

For the boys, after coming off a 0-0 tie with number one ranked Wootton, more recent division games have proven to be challenges, especially attempts to score against these tough teams. With six wins, three ties, and three losses, the boys have failed to score under pressure and have let a few goals slip by that led to their tarnished record.

However, this has been a period of growth, and junior Edvin Hernandez reflects that in the past few weeks, “we have changed our attitudes and are determined to not go down without a fight.”

Saving shot after shot in goal, senior goalkeeper Graham Kindermann stands out as a decisive leader and player on the field at all times. Kindermann is complemented by what is overall a very strong group of seniors. This stacked senior class includes captains Spencer Glass, Austin Font, Arent Hiltermann, and Tommy Scott, who

dominate the starting lineup. As a result, “getting a cohesive core together for next year will be crucial,” as junior goalkeeper Camden Ostrander astutely observes.

Although many games have fallen just beyond the team’s grasp, the many overtime and single goal differences serve as evidence of the boys’ persistent spirit that they hope to carry through into the playoffs. With the 4A South division including impressive squads like Churchill, Bethesda Chevy-Chase, and Walter Johnson, the team has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming games.

As playoffs approach, everyone hopes that the team “can come together, get the wins we need to, and go further than any past team of RM’s has,” explians junior Nick Greco.

For the girls, the season has been similar, with games starting well but becoming progressively more difficult as they piled up. In a single week, they played three grueling games against what coach Monica Tarzy described as “crazy opponents.” Yet the girls still managed to “[play their] hearts out against top ranked Whitman and only [lose] to them 1-0.”

After a few rough losses, the girls rallied on Senior Night around seniors Jasmine Benjamin, Kala Benjamin, Charlotte LaVigna, Kiera Givens, Errin Saunders, and Megan White and emerged with a huge win against Churchill, with a score of 1-0 in double overtime. On and off of the field, Coach Tarzy proudly observes that the seniors “all stepped up as leaders, created a wonderful team

dynamic, and played their best all season.” a better outcome, beating Churchill in While the upperclassmen are the first round of playoffs 1-0. Senior a significant presence on the team, Austin Font took a shot early in the first sophomore Rowan Glass scored the half, hitting the post, only for Arent crucial goal to win the game against the Hiltermann to put it away.The Rocket Bulldogs. Junior Jacqueline Page said s then held the Bulldogs resulting in a that Glass “has really stepped up and victory. “It felt good to win but we still been a huge player in all of our victories.” have more work to do,” concluded Font.

Freshman Vanessa Martinez has also helped in the scoring department to fill the void left by injured senior star Alex Wong, and in the backfield, sophomore goalie Kate Payson has allowed the team to stay in tight games for as long as possible.

The early-season loss to Clarksburg struck a bitter chord in the team’s memory and was reminiscent of last year’s playoff defeat. Since this game came early in the season, the team chose to build themselves back up and use it as inspiration to move forward.

With the recent morale boost from the victory against Churchill, “we gained a lot of confidence and we hope to carry that confidence into the playoffs,” as junior Kayla Sukri describes.

Unfortunately the girls soccer team lost in their first playoff game 3-0 to Churchill. The Lady Rockets put up a tough fight only to let the Bulldogs add two PHOTO BY CONNIE CHEN more goals in the late second half from their one in the first. Sophomore forward Rowan Glass fights off an agThe boys soccer team had gressive Walter Johnson defender to pursue the ball.

Boys and girls cross country heads towards states with hope

by Jimmy Shue

GRAPHIC BY LILY XU

Orioles vs. Nationals: a breakdown

by Jonathan Marx Which team truly rules the Battle of the Beltway? We are saving you the hard work and doing a position-by-position breakdown to determine the best of the DMV. Catcher: The Orioles boast young stud Matt Wieters, who has been compared to Tim Tebow for his divine athletic abilities.

The Nationals, on the other hand, must choose between .216 hitter Jesus Flores and .235 hitter Kurt Suzuki. Advantage: Orioles First Base: While the Orioles’ Mark Reynolds continued to come up with big home runs in late-game situations and play stellar defense, he’s no match for the Nationals’ Adam LaRoche, who had a career-high 33 home runs and 100 RBI. Advantage: Nationals Second Base: The Nationals’ Danny Espinosa is prone to high strikeout numbers, but his occasional displays of power and speed vault him over the Orioles’ choices: over-the-hill Brian Roberts or the mediocre Ryan Flaherty or Robert Andino. Advantage: Nationals Shortstop: While Nationals fans may find this ridiculous, even Ian Desmond’s breakout season couldn’t vault him over struggling veteran JJ Hardy. While Desmond was better at the plate, Hardy played enough defense to even up the comparison. Advantage: Tie Third Base: Ryan Zimmerman was the face of the Nationals for years, and it’s

easy to see comparisons between himself and Orioles phenom Manny Machado.

For now, it’s clear that Zimmerman’s Gold Glove-worthy defense and clutch hitting overwhelms his younger compatriot.

Advantage: Nationals Outfield: The Orioles pieced together a terrific outfield this season, bringing together young star center fielder Adam Jones with veterans Nick Markakis, Chris Davis, and Nate McLouth. On the other hand, the Nationals boast expensive bust Jayson Werth in right, the raw Bryce Harper in center, and Michael Morse in left. I’d rather not choose between them. Advantage: Tie Starting Pitching: Strasburg and friends outperformed even the highest expectations. The Orioles found success through prospects Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez, Taiwanese import Wei-Yin Chen, and trade products Jason Hammel and Joe Saunders. The Nationals are just plain better. Advantage: Nationals Bullpen: This season, Baltimore had one of the league’s best bullpens, with sidearmer Darren O’Day, flamethrower Pedro Strop, and closer Jim Johnson. The Nationals could never find a good closer, costing them a playoff series. Advantage: Orioles Overall: As much as it pains me (an Orioles fan) to say it, the Nationals have a better roster – at least for now. That being said, what Buck Showalter has done in Baltimore has been tremendous, and all signs point to a bright future for both teams. All in all, it’s clear what the answer.

Advantage: Baseball Fans.

This year, the Richard Montgomery cross country team is ready to make an impact at the championship level.

When he assumed the status of head coach, Coach Davy Rogers made the championship season the priority - even skipping some regular season meets. In that context, the meets were simply stepping stones. That way, runners could get accustomed to the system and become exposed to potential competitors.

All the while, Coach Rogers instituted what senior Alan Lang calls "a pack dynamic" which he says "has helped augment [their] racing capabilities."

Echoing this sentiment is junior Grace Hanger, who says that she had "no idea [she] would be this fast at the end of the season." Moreover, runners across the board have a c k n o w l e d g e d Hanger prepares for a that the team is packing up and gaining momentum.

A look at the regular season gives a glimpse of what's to come. The boys have fluctuated between 15th and 17th in the state rankings. They have a strong core and have remained largely consistent. Leading the boys team are juniors Stephen Alexander and Adam Jung, sophomores Matt Agboola and Emmanuel Porquin, and Captain Lang.

The boys team has shown steady progression through the season, from a 3rd place showing at the Bull Run Invitational followed by 1st at Octoberfest

and 6th at the County Championships.

The girls team also snagged 1st place at the Octoberfest Invitational, which they won with the tough duo of freshman Sophie El-Masry and Grace Hanger, who came in 1st and 2nd place respectively.

Moreover, both were 1st and 2nd place at a meet against Walter Johnson and Magruder. El-Masry even shocked the running community with a 3rd place finish at the county championships.

However, the county has many good teams, and the competition only gets tougher at states. Even Jung and Lang have mentioned that the team does not expect to win states.

They do, however, expect to make an impact.

Meanwhile, the team also acknowledges that there is still much room for improvement.

They are not satisfied and are continuing, as Lang said, “to push” and “re-evaluate.”

So, while there PHOTO BY RMHS may have been race against Poolesville. unsatisfactory meets, ElMasry says that the team is ready to “put the bad behind [them].” . Both the boys and girls team started the season with high rankings, but have since been off the list. However, be prepared to expect a rise in rankings for both teams during these championships. In mentioning personal and team improvements, Hanger believes the team “will make a big showing at states because we've kind of been hiding our talent."

It seems as though, for cross country, the future will bring something big.

The Tide

Basketball Season Preview

SPORTS

November 2012

19

The coaching staff, led by Breslaw, has evaluated the team’s strengths and formed a new playing style and system Although the Washington that suits the team best. “Coach Wizards are most likely headed Breslaw has incorporated a highfor another abysmal record, powered, up-tempo offense,” the Richard Montgomery Glasser explains. “This run-andbasketball teams are looking to gun playbook will complement perform better in the upcoming the speed on the team,” observes season. Led by a strong group Robertson. This new style also of seniors and an upstart band of requires some serious work to underclassmen, the boys and girls be put in during practices before basketball teams are both looking the season starts. The team has PHOTO BY RACHIT AGARWAL to improve on the disappointing been working out since the end of A Rockets player breaks through his Ram opponent’s tackle as he runs towards the end zone with the ball. last season in preparation for the seasons from last winter.

The boys, led by Coach tough task that they have before RM Football’s Regular Season Record David Breslaw, will try to forget them. The goal of this style is to *As of November 1, 2012* about their disappointing defeat put up a high volume of points on against local rival Wootton offense, which will take pressure 08/31

Northwest L, 33-30 in the second round of last off of their defense.

09/07

Poolesville L, 24-12 The girls team, on the other year’s county playoffs. While that disappointment did not hand, is mostly relying on fresh 09/14 @ Clarksburg W, 15-18 necessarily constitute an new faces after the departure of 09/21 Wootton W, 20-13 unsuccessful year, the team has the team’s leading scorer, Ashley 09/29 @ Kennedy W, 35-6 set its sights higher this season. Fourcade. Fourcade and fellow “This year, our goal is to win the graduate Hannah Manning led 10/05

@ Wheaton

W, 14-13 whole thing,” says junior guard PJ the team in a valiant effort in 10/12

Quince Orchard L, 45-0 Glasser – and anything less than their first-round playoff game 10/22 @ Magruder W, 42-6 an appearance in the state finals against Springbrook, but the team suffered a heartbreaking onewill be another disappointment.

10/26 Rockville W, 35-14 With a strong senior force, point loss to end the season.

11/02 Northwest TBD With these departures, the the Rockets have the talent to team will rely on returners walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Although a few key seniors to teach the new players and 42-0 on home field. In the loss, far.”

by Matthew Szwerc and In their last two games the the Rockets’ defense allowed two Samuel Deutsch hundred twenty eight rushing squad was fortunate to face yards. Even with this loss, junior two 1-6 teams, Magruder and For the Richard Montgomery strong safety William Duffy sees it Rockville. The Rockets showed football team, the journey to the as a benefit. “Quince Orchard was their superiority by beating both playoffs has been long, gritty, a good wake-up call. Sometimes teams to a pulp. The Rockets and hard-fought. A 4-2 start gave you need to be reminded you scored a total of 77 points in the team optimism, but a blowout are not invincible,s” said Duffy. those two games.They now must loss to Quince Orchard hurt Along with the three losses, the face their first true test against a the team’s chances to make the team has also been dealing with potential playoff caliber team, playoffs. After this devastating health issues all season, but has Northwest. “[The] one school that loss it may be difficult for the managed to push past these definitely poses a threat to us and Rockets to hold their heads high. issues. “We’ve had a lot of players may hinder our playoff chances Despite the outcome, the team hurt and missing practice, but is Northwest,” said Sahakyan. has shown they can get the job we’ve learned to push past these This final regular season game done; the week prior they scraped ‘bumps’ and ‘bruises.’” There’s for the Rockets is at home, which a tight victory against Wheaton. a difference between being hurt may prove problematic since the Now at 4-3 overall, the team’s and being injured.

Rockets are undefeated away playoff future is uncertain. In the Through all of this the Despite the loss to Quince September 29th matchup against Orchard, the Rockets are still Rockets have the potential to Wheaton, the Rockets overcame in a position to make it into the get into the playoffs after many a thirteen point deficit in the first playoffs. “Our first two games disappointing seasons the past half in order to come back and were a real test of will, but we few years. The team is confident win the game 14-13. The lead learned our lesson and went on in their abilities to close out the came in the 3rd quarter off of a a winning streak,” said Duffy. As season well. “We know we can 30 yard pass to Phil Osborn from a team, "we are very confident,” and should win out. All we need Steven Burchett and an 8 yard said junior Aren Sahakyan, to do is have sharp practices and Burchett scamper. This turned out supported by junior guard Paul go one hundred percent, one to be all they needed, as they held Berman who also noted the team's hundred percent of the time,” PHOTO BY DAVID CHEN Wheaton scoreless in the second confidence. Duffy later added, said Duffy. The players are not Senior guard Caroline Leahy takes shots to prepare for the upcomhalf. The defense recorded two “This year in addition to the past the only ones with confidence ing season. New rising stars must fill the roles of last year’s players. sacks and recovered a fumble in few years have been progressive. heading into the home-stretch. the winning effort. However, the We are nowhere near our peak.” As told to Duffy by Coach John have departed, including Brian prepare them for their new roles. game against Quince Orchard did Sahakyan agrees, stating, “It is Redman, “only the RM Rockets Gaynor and Jamal Maddox, this Senior Caroline Leahy “[doesn’t] not go the same way; the team lost definitely my favorite team so can stop the RM Rockets.” year’s cast looks stronger than really know who will step up ever, with a strong supporting yet,” but that’s not due to a lack junior class looking to have an of skill. Rather, they have a “very immediate impact on the team. young, new team - that’s what’s Still, the team’s main scorer and exciting about it!”

With all this new talent, the playmaker will be senior Justin Senou. Senou was the team’s team has loads of potential that leading scorer last season, and new coach, Mark Yantsos, will was among the county leaders try to mold into a formidable and in scoring for the majority of deep roster. The players hope that the year. Former Rocket center this influx of skill will result in a Jimmy Robertson has high hopes more successful season. “Every for Senou, saying that “if that kid player will have a chance to make doesn’t drop 35 [points] a game, a difference,” says Leahy, who is I’m going to slap him.” excited to see just who can step However, perhaps the up big this year. The Rockets are biggest change between last looking to build up talent and year’s team and this year’s is become a perennial powerhouse the coaching staff. The school’s that is capable of competing and hiring of Coach Breslaw, the advancing deep in the playoffs.

Rockets’ former JV coach, brings Just as the Wizards’ long stability and a bright future to the march towards the draft lottery program. Robertson experienced has become an annual tradition, firsthand the turmoil that resulted so have early playoff exits for from the controversy surrounding the Rockets basketball squads.

Coach Spear. “Everyone went With their new systems ready through a tough time, some more to be implemented and new than others,” Robertson said. The players ready to contribute, both players are eager to put last teams believe that they can buck season behind them, and with the the trend this season and bring hiring of Breslaw, the team has playoff glory back to Richard achieved just that.

Montgomery.

by Matthew Szwerc and Samuel Deutsch

Football fights for a playoff spot in October

20 The Tide

SPORTS

Athlete of the Issue

by Leilani Stacy and Syllia Newstead He may be only sixteen years old, but teammates and coaches alike look to senior captain Marcelo Villatoro every day as a role model on the varsity football squad.

Playing on both offense and defense, Villatoro acts as a team leader not only through his hard work, but also through his dedication and passion for the game.

Although he was injured and unable to play freshman year, Villatoro proved himself when he became a starter and captain of the junior varsity team during his sophomore season.

Even with his late start Villatoro remarks that “I love this sport - it's perfect for a guy like me. It helps build leadership, discipline, and the willingness to never give in or give up.”

His perserverness is even present at the end of a bad day as Villatoro always looks forward to practice as a way to release his energy, stress, and emotion. Watching him go all out on every play motivates the rest of the team to give a similarly strong effort.

“Playing with Villatoro makes you want to work harder… you know how hard he works and how much he cares,” said junior Noah White.

From the coaches’ perspective, Villatoro has changed and matured throughout his career and is no longer significant as just a football player. In his first year of football, Villatoro was “timid, shy, and wimpy” according to Coach Redman. In the past two years, Villatoro has worked extremely hard to become stronger, and he shows improvement in his knowledge of the game as well.

The Rockets’ coaching staff appreciates Villatoro and understands his valuable role on the team. “He brings leadership [and] you can count on him to put the best foot forward. He is always in the right place and makes sure everyone else is,” said Coach Wheeler.

Villatoro is a role model as a student, person, and football player, as he has high expectations for his teammates on and off the field.

Fridays mean game days, and the team can count on Villatoro to be pumped and ready to go as soon as the clock starts.

He leads among his teammates by example, and explains that he does this by showing that “if I can step up, you can too.”

On many occasions when the team’s spirits were low, or players were struggling or injured, Villatoro picked up the slack with big rushing gains or game-changing defensive plays leading the team to crucial victories.

Villatoro reflects on his own play and explains that what makes him stand out is that he “fears no one.” He feels that his most valuable attribute is “the relentless drive that I have to keep going no matter what happens to my body or what's going on in the game. I always give it my all.”

Injured at the beginning of the season, he was forced to sit out for two games. He admits, however, that even though he was supposed to rest for two weeks, he came back in six days. Villatoro’s will and desire to lead his team is stronger than any of his numerous physical challenges, and he refuses to idly watch his senior year go by from the bench.

Villatoro believes in his team, stating that “I think we have a solid defense and an electrifying offense,” and the Rockets respond by believing in him. So far this

season, the Rockets are 6-3 with a good chance for a winning season and maybe even a shot at the playoffs.

Although Villatoro has not scored a single point this season, and he does concedes that he wants to score, he considers himself a “team player” and understands that his contributions are more important than merely putting points on the scoreboard.

Dedicated to his team and his family, Villatoro wanted to thank Coach Redman and his mother as the “two important people who helped me succeed.” Looking to the future, Villatoro only wants to continue to play football and will go anywhere if he has the opportunity to play at the next level.

Although he may attribute his success to others,Villatoro’s character and dedication provides the argument that his triumph comes from the inside, and his actions on and off the field reveal the extent of his love for football and the RM team.

November 2012

© 2012 WWW.EYEONBALL.COM

Villatoro has become a leader on the team as a player and continues to contribute on both sides while fighting an ankle injury.

Girls tennis goes to county championships with a positive outlook

from that of past years to hopefully keep the girls in Division 1. “We do more drills

by Nancy Jin and used fixed teams of doubles instead of a lot of rotation," said sophomore Ellen Yao. As the 2012 season winds down, the This instruction has helped the doubles girls tennis team is finishing off a strong teams create a firmer bond and know their season with an 8-4 record. Coming off partners better, thus helping them predict of a Division 2 championship, the ladies each other’s moves and work together as were moved to Division 1 and responded a team. The drills are being utilized as a with strong play in the toughest division simulation of the split second reactions in the county. In preparation for county needed to succeed in the sport. “Each year competition, the girls are getting ready is different, and this year we have taken a both physically and mentally. Besides more tranquil approach which fits well," working on their shots and serves, the girls said junior Thea Postolache. Every year, the are striving to improve team spirit and training regimen has to be adapted to best bonding. suit the team: there is no panacea, one-sizeThe catalyst for the successful season fits-all type of training for any team. has been new coach and campus legend Another aspect the team has worked John Fahrner. After coaching boys tennis for on is team spirit. With the team focusing many years, Coach Fahrner decided to step on being able to play perfectly, being able in as head coach for the girls tennis team. to function well as a whole was often He has taken a different training approach overlooked. Tennis is as much a team sport as it is an individual s p o r t .

“We used e v e r y o n e ’s different skills to best help the team," said freshman Cynthia Song.

In order to win a match, the team needs to work together PHOTO BY CYNTHIA SONG and play to Senior Jennifer Cao hits a shot during a competitive match. The team each other’s has thrived this season in their tough Division I competitions. strengths. It

is important to know which teammate is good at what, so that the team can capitalize on strengths and minimize weaknesses.

This year has definitely been a learning experience for the team as a whole.

“Now that I have more game experience, I can improve on where my serve lands and go for more angle shots,” said freshman Liz Choi.

With almost all of the season behind them, the team can use their newfound knowledge to their advantage at counties. Yao predicted that the team will do “pretty well, [but] there are a lot of good players in this county so it will be tough.”

While Coach Fahrner is known for his unbridled enthusiasm, he has also taught the ladies to stand firm, even when games are not going their way. When it comes to coaching these girls, Fahrner is not afraid to tell it like it is. After their loss to Wootton High School, PHOTO BY CYNTHIA SONG Fahrner consoled the girls by telling them, “good effort Thea Postolache returns a high backhand. Postolache has girls ya just played a better anchored the team with strong performances all season. team.”

Fahrner has a motto, which is “the best devoted and completely dedicated to of the rest”. This phrase has been used improving and doing better with each many times to describe players or teams practice and each game. that have stood out above the rest of the With counties coming up, the girls are people: players that are wholeheartedly doing all they can to be on their top game.