The Tide - May 2018 by The Tide Editors

News 2-3

Opinions 4-6

La Marea 9

Center Spread 10-11

Features 12-14

Arts 16-18

Sports 19-20

Mock Trial runner-up at States

On February 15, the New York Times published a story with the headline “As Shots Ring Out, A Student Texts: ‘If I Don’t Make It, I Love You”, capturing the trauma of a high school mass shooting. The previous afternoon— by Ayesha KhawajaValentine’s Day—Nikolas Cruz, 19, shot and killed 17 students and faculty members at In the chambers of the Maryland Court of Appeals on Friday, April 20, Richard Montgomery’s Mock Trial plaintiff team went head-to-head against Allegany County in the Mock Trial State Championship. After three rigorous hours of questions, objections, and testimonies, Court of Appeals Judge Joseph Getty ruled in favor of Allegany County. The day before, the team had left school early to stay overnight in Annapolis. Later that day, RM’s defense team won an impressive victory against James M. Bennett High School in the state semifinals, propelling them to the finals the next morning. “[Winning the state semifinals] was probably the greatest accomplishment of this year,” senior defense witness Heather Konan said. “It was also redemption from last year, because I was a witness in the trial that we lost in last year, and it was devastating for our seniors. It just wasn’t the way to go out, so to come back this year and win solidly—it was just amazing. And seeing everyone smile and hug each other, it was validating.” The Maryland Court of Appeals, otherwise known as the Supreme Court of Maryland, is the highest court in the state. Few lawyers get the chance to testify in one of its courtrooms, but members of RM’s Mock Trial team, as a result of all their efforts, earned the opportunity do so. MOCK TRIAL, cont. page 2

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

Hines makes history: a career in the books by Magali Ngouabou Initially walking into history teacher Robert Hines’s room, you may feel a little intimidated. There is an artifact or historical symbol in just about every corner of the room, books on just about every European historical subject, flags with vaguely familiar patterns and, perhaps the most intimidating, a man in his 60s with thin-rimmed glasses sitting and observing behind his desk. By the end of year, most of Mr. Hines’s students will recognize his love for Maryland and its history displayed all around the classroom. They will know that the miniature guillotine is a demonstration for the executions in the French Revolution, and the old clock over his desk is a replica of the one in the British war room during the World War II blitz. “I just lived history and loved history,” said Mr. Hines.

Inside The Tide...

By participating in live history programs in parks, spending his own money to find and purchase artifacts for some more tactile experiences in the class, dressing up in different historic regalia for his students, and finding various ways to make his teaching unique, Mr. Hines made teaching history his life, extending the experience far beyond the classroom. Yet this 50-year teaching journey started almost by accident. “I took this scholarship thing that said if you teach in the state of Maryland you don’t have to pay tuition,” explained Mr. Hines. It was as an unpaid teacher at Arbutus Middle School in Baltimore, Maryland where he had to teach eighth grade students geography, and he further elaborated on how challenging his first year of teaching wound up being. “Eighth graders are a special group unto themselves, so that was an adventure,” Mr. Hines said. It was not until his second year teaching at Peary High School in 1969 that he was

Opinions, 5 Lowering the drinking age

given the chance to teach high school U.S. history to a class of seniors who had previously failed that same class. In the coming years, Mr. Hines would encounter an increasing number of

father had Mr. Hines in the early 1980s at Magruder High School. After nearly two years of also having Mr. Hines for IB History, she has a newfound love for history as her father did over three

I was concerned with current events and when I talk about it, people think it’s history. - Mr. Hines

motivated students on which he and his teaching versatile teaching methods would leave an indelible mark on for the rest of their time at high school. “When I started taking history, I had no intention of continuing it next year,” admitted Senior Katie Cobb whose

La Marea, 9 SMOB and Latino voters

decades ago when he had Mr. Hines as a student. “He manages to engage the class and make it at the same time very educational and he gives deep meaning to a lot of things we take for granted,” elaborated Cobb. HINES, cont. page 13

Centerspread, 10 Senior wills

Arts, 16 RM ‘s fabulous spring play

The Tide

NEWS

MCPS looks for new curriculum by Jennifer Li and Cathy Yung In 2010, Maryland adopted a new set of guidelines for elementary school education called the Common Core education standards. However, Curriculum 2.0 did not fully meet standards that were needed, but MCPS is taking feedback and now looking to replace it. At the time, Montgomery County did not have a curriculum that matched the newly implemented standards, so it decided to develop its own. According to the Bethesda Magazine, when Curriculum 2.0 was first implemented, many textbook companies and publishers had not yet adjusted to the new Common Core standards. These outside companies, however, are now up to speed and MCPS will be work with these companies to a new curriculum. The new curriculum will be gradually rolled out in three years. In the first year, the focus will mainly be on elementary and middle schools, but the curriculum will potentially transition to high schools as well. Some principals would like to see the curriculum implemented based on school rather than based on grades, so MCPS will have to decide how to use the funds set aside for the 2019 fiscal year. MCPS worked with Pearson to develop Curriculum 2.0 several years ago after winning a $5 million grant from the US Department of Education. This curriculum was first implemented in the 2014-2015 school year for grades K-6, while grades 7-12 continued with the older system. In effect, this grade-by-grade rollout meant that by fall 2020, all MCPS students would have been a part of Curriculum 2.0. When it was first introduced in the classroom, the new curriculum took many by surprise with its new grading system and teaching approaches. Instead of the standard letter grades A-D and F, Curriculum 2.0 implemented a new scale of “ES” (exceeding standards), “P”

May 2018

(proficient), “I” (in progress), and “N” (minimal progress). According to Ebony Langford-Brown, Director of Elementary Instruction and Achievement, eliminating the letter grading system redefined what the honor roll meant and allowed students to use information in different ways rather than rely on basic memorization and cramming for the “A.” The teaching approaches to topics and problems also seemed to be a problem for some students. Teachers and students alike were not used to the new and redesigned methods that the curriculum detailed to reach the “final answer”, especially in classes like mathematics and science, which caused confusion on both ends. Beginning in July 2017, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy conducted a six-month-long evaluation concerning Curriculum 2.0, which allowed MCPS to evaluate its education system with minimal classroom disruption. The evaluation concluded that many MCPS teachers did not have ample resources or training to provide for their

GRAPHIC BY VALERIE WANG

students, especially in the language arts and mathematics. It also stated that Curriculum 2.0 focused on average students while failing to address the needs of the advanced or those falling behind. Nevertheless, RM students could understand how the curriculum was intended to work. Sophomore Sophia Taur said, “Curriculum 2.0 basically tried to help the students understand things in a different way. For instance, in math, instead of

just memorizing multiplication tables, students would learn why.” On the other hand, many students’ memories of the curriculum were generally unpleasant. “The math classes were really boring. We never learned anything because of all the weird ways they made us use to solve them,” sophomore Sachary LaFontaine said. “Curriculum 2.0 was an absolute waste and an absolute embarrassment to the schools,” said freshman Abhinav Karthikeyan. A common theme amongst many of the students’ past experiences with Curriculum 2.0 were the long explanations that often came with learning new material.

“Curriculum 2.0 basically tried to help the students understand things in a different way.” - Sophia Taur For many, having to explain the process to get to an answer every time quickly became monotonous and took the fun out of learning. “Writing, and providing support to your ideas, and going through step by step processes is really useless, because people already know the answer,” Karthikeyan said. With more experience and outside resources available now, MCPS hopes to achieve a curriculum that will successfully serve every type of student. Regardless of whether someone is more adept at math and science, or more interested in languages arts and English, the new curriculum will aim to learn efficiently in a way that benefits teachers, students, and parents alike.

May/ June

May 12

Prom A night in the enchanted forest.

May 28

Memorial Day Remembering those who served.

June 6

Senior Graduation Oh, the places they’ll go!

June 15

Last Day of School Time to have fun in the sun!

NEWS IN BRIEF

MCPS students achieve high scores on Advanced Placement exams As the end of year rush of tests arrives, many students are worrying about Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. Administered in May, these tests are important for obtaining early college credits, with scores ranging from 1-5 and topics ranging from Latin to Music Theory. Montgomery County has been doing extremely well on these tests compared to the rest of the country. According to MCPS’s public records, 66 percent of high school graduates took at least one AP, compared to Maryland’s 49 percent and the country’s 37 percent. Not only are more MCPS students taking AP exams, they are receiving better scores. 52 percent of graduates of the class of 2017 received scores of 3 or higher, an astonishing 30 percent above the national percentage. “Our 2017 graduates demonstrated a strong readiness for college on the AP exams and are better prepared for success in postsecondary education,” MCPS Superintendent Jack R. Smith said. “It hasn’t happened overnight,” Mr. Jelen, the AP Coordinator, explained. “Montgomery County has dedicated resources and time and energy, and in fact, an office within the MCPS bureaucracy to Advanced Placement.” Even among other high-scoring MCPS schools, RM’s AP scores are top notch. Over the past few years, over 80 percent of test-takers from RM have received a 3 or above. By contrast, Maryland’s test-takers, obtain the same score around 60 percent of the time. Hopefully, this year’s RM students can maintain the same level of achievement. by Daniel Chen

Mock Trial excels at state championships MOCK TRIAL, cont. from page 1 They exhibited their dominance this year with an unbeaten season. RM’s great success this season can be partially attributed to their unique work ethic and mentality. Since November, RM’s plaintiff and defense teams have worked tirelessly on their cases, poring over the affidavits, practicing their direct and cross examinations, debating all of their strengths and weaknesses, and improving their arguments as they went through the season.

Court of Appeals. The case they argued revolved around a civil liability issue. A car crash left the plaintiff and defense horribly injured, and the plaintiff sued the defendant for texting while driving; the defendant then countersued the plaintiff for distracted driving as well. With this case, those in charge of Maryland Mock Trial hoped to send a message to teenagers everywhere about the dangers of texting while driving. The seven seniors on the team

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITIZENSHIP LAW RELATED EDUCATION PROGRAM

Rachel Li, Lucia Jiang, and Isabella Levine collaborate on an objection. “We work so hard,” junior defense witness Gillian Smith said. “I don’t know any other team that meets as often as we do or puts as much time and effort into making every word of every direct and every cross and every statement absolutely perfect.” “We’ve never gone up against a team that has wording like ours, presentation like ours, character like ours, and we work so hard to present that face of professionalism,” Smith continued. “It’s not just playing a role for us.” The team argued in front of a real Court of Appeals judge at the state championships at the Maryland

participated in their last high school mock trials during that two-day trip to Annapolis, but they will graduate as Mock Trial state finalists. “It’s really sad,” senior defense attorney Peter Jasperse said. “This has really been our life for the past few years, and now it’s over.” Although the team is disappointed that they lost the championship to Allegany County, they can still call themselves state finalists. Next year, the team hopes to return to Annapolis to finish what they started, and bring RM a fourth Mock Trial state championship title.

AWARDS

Kudos to RM’s Memory team for placing at the USA Memory Championship this past March in Harrisburg. Congrats to the Science Olympiad team for taking home 2nd place at the Maryland State Science Olympiad tournament. Hats off to senior Albert Zhang for winning 2nd place at Jamie Raskin’s 8th District Congressional Art Competition. Props to the History Bowl team for finishing 2nd at the 2018 National Championships on April 29. Congratulations seniors Thomas Del Vecchio, Naveen Raman, and Elvin Liu for being the first place advanced team at Code Quest.

NEWS

The Tide

May 2018

Hogan backs flexible calendar Tadikonda wins race by Ayesha Khawaja Governor Larry Hogan has signaled his support for a bill that would allow Maryland’s public schools to extend the school year up to five days after June 15 without applying for a waiver with the Maryland State Board of Education. The bill comes after Hogan angered parents and students across the state with an executive order in 2017 that instructed Maryland public schools to begin every subsequent school year after Labor Day and end by June 15. “I think our school calendar is really stupid,” junior Lydia Cowles said. “The governor has, for some reason, decided to bookend the calendar so we have to start from a certain time, at a certain day, and end before a certain date.” “But the first date moves around, so you go from maybe having enough time for a proper school year to not having enough time for a proper school year,” Cowles added.

GRAPHIC BY KAT CHEN

Many claim that Hogan issued the executive order because he wanted to increase the state’s revenue. That idea has not sat well with disgruntled constituents, who do not like the prospect of business interests interfering with education. “[The executive order] is to get more money to the beach towns,” junior Kenneth Baird explained. “I’ve heard that a lot of [Hogan’s] campaign funding comes from places like Ocean City; at least, those are the places that make lots of money for the government based

on taxes. If the government can maximize the amount of time that Marylanders spend on vacation and money, then it’ll mean more income for them.” Maryland State Senator Nancy King addressed the backlash by crafting the bill to afford Maryland public schools more flexibility with the school calendar. If passed, it is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2018. The opportunity to lengthen the school year would reduce the risk of Montgomery County Public Schools cutting into winter or spring Break, or having instruction on allotted professional days in order to fulfill the state requirement of 180 days of instruction. This year, Prince George’s County had to cut their 10-day Spring Break down to five days in order to meet the requirement, and MCPS was dangerously close to having to do something similar. The bill has been met with widespread support from students, parents, and teachers alike. It was passed by the Maryland House of Delegates on March 28 and was also approved by the State Senate, but the addition of an amendment clarifying that the bill is only to be used as an emergency measure, requires the approval of the House of Delegates once more. “We’re delighted that the General Assembly agrees with us that local districts should have the flexibility to adopt their own annual school calendars beyond the tight confines of the governor’s executive order,” John Woolums, the director of government relations for the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, said. However, schools must still open after Labor Day, and while the bill would relieve some of

the stress of fitting the required amount of instructional days into a tight window, five days may not be enough. Weather patterns and other emergencies are unpredictable, so it is impossible to know for sure how they will affect the calendar. “I feel like it’s kind of a stopgap solution. Yes, it would help, it would give us days that would make it less likely for us to use Spring Break days,”Cowles said. “On the other hand,” Cowles continued, “I feel like they’re really trying to address the end problem, not the cause of the problem, so sure, five days are great, but I feel like they need to focus on why we are having this problem, and the law that makes us start after Labor Day is the biggest problem here.”

“They’re really trying to address the end problem, not the cause of the problem.” - Lydia Cowles “The problem here is that we have a solid end date but a moveable start date, because Labor Day isn’t a set day,” she continued. “If you’re going to have a solid date at the end of the year, they need to choose a solid date at the beginning.” Despite some students’ concerns, the bill ultimately gives local schools more leeway in determining the school calendar. If the bill is passed, students and teachers may no longer have to worry about having fewer breaks during the long, taxing school year.

by Emily Chen On April 25, MCPS announced RM junior Ananya Tadikonda as the next Student Member of the Board for the 2018-2019 school year edging out RM junior Nimah Nayel in a close race of 51 to 49 percent of the votes. Tadikonda has been involved in student advocacy groups and student government for the past five years, and sees her win as both a product of her work and an opportunity to expand her goals.

RM student since Alan Xie served in 2010-2012. While others might have expected a rivalry between the two, their friendship has allowed them to support each other throughout the race. “We’re both friends and we both knew that regardless of what happened, someone we believed in would be representing us,” Tadikonda said. In fact, both candidates ran on similar platforms. Although the specific school election statistics have not yet been released, it is clear that the race was close based on the nearly

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANANYA TADIKONDA

Tadikonda discusses her platform for SMOB at Richard Montgomery. Nayel, although disappointed equal division of votes. Tadikonda about her loss, is excited for and earned 51% of the votes, while supportive of fellow classmate Nayel earned 49%, similar to Tadikonda. what happened in 2015 in the race “To lose to such an amazing between Eric Guerci and former candidate by such a small margin RM student Rachit Argawal. is an accomplishment in itself,” Tadikonda, an RM and IB Nayel said on an Instagram post student, plans to focus on making following the results. “I’d also the education system accessible like to send a big congratulations and equal for all. to Ananya on her victory...She’s “I really want to empower every going to do amazing, and we’re all student with an education system going to support her—because at that works for all.” she said. the end of the day, we’re fighting “I think education is the only the same fight,” she continued. asset that we have in this country This year’s race has been that is something that is a right monumental for Richard for everyone. I think it’s really Montgomery High School, as both important to ensure that the system candidates are RM students. In works for all students and that we fact, Tadikonda’s term will be the continue pursuing initiatives that first time the SMOB has been an really promote equity.”

Corrupt Facebook data collection stirs controversy by Rose Kelly Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before Congress for two days of marathon hearings. He sat for ten hours of testimony in front of nearly 100 legislators from April 10 to April 11. The hearing was a rare joint session held between 44 members of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees. The direct subject of the hearings was not targeted advertising, though many of the legislators questions addressed that topic. Instead, the hearings regarded Facebook’s supposed influence in the 2016 election. Beginning in 2014, London-based data firm Cambridge Analytica began collecting Facebook user data to predict and influence voters. The company was led by well known names, including top Republican donor and hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, and Steve Bannon, a former Trump aide. In exchange for a small payment, users could take a personality test and have data collected for academic use through a Facebook app called This Is Your Digital Life. Once submitted, the app could also access the data of friends as well. The data collected from This is Your Digital Life was then sold to Cambridge Analytica. Allegedly, the data of at least 87 million of Facebook’s 2 billion

users was corrupted. On April 17, a former employee of the firm gave written testimony to Britain’s Parliament that more users were impacted than had been previously thought. High school students though, seem to make up only a small portion of that number.

“I think the real question is what is the right regulation, not whether there should be or not.” - Mark Zuckerberg Facebook has generally fallen out of favor with Generation Z—research firm eMarketer found in 2016 that only 65% of teens used Facebook daily. A meager 13% of teens said that Facebook was their favorite social media platform, with a majority preferring Instagram and Snapchat. Indeed, RM students seem to be using Facebook much less. When asked how often they used the site: “Rarely, once or twice a month,” junior Russell Corbin said. “Probably like 10 to 15

minutes per day and I hate every second of it,” senior Melvin Lewis said. Nevertheless, once on Facebook, teens are more likely to engage with ads, whether that be in the form of liking, commenting, or tagging. The kinds of ads that 44% of 1217 year olds say they have interacted with are emblematic of recent controversy surrounding Facebook: data collection and processing. In terms of advertising, Facebook mines user data to create a tailored and personalized experience, meaning that content relevant to what a user has already liked is displayed. Generally, the public has been aware of the practice of targeted advertising. Cambridge Analytica used the data to focus campaign ads based on traits users exhibited and they may have been very effective. The personality of a user with 300 likes can allegedly be more accurately predicted by Cambridge Analytica than a partner. Beyond likes, a user’s comments, photos, and check-ins could be potential personality indicators. The reputation of Cambridge Analytica has rapidly soured. The efficacy of their ability to sway the election in favor of Steve Bannon and patron President Donald Trump is being questioned, and a British

reporter who went undercover for News Channel 4 under the guise of seeking Cambridge Analytica’s services wound up exposing one of the firm’s business models. Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix appears on video and seems to be supporting the use of bribery and launching smear campaigns. “These sorts of tactics can be very effective, instantly having video evidence,” Nix said, in reference

GRAPHIC BY ERIC KIM

to setting up politicians in order to capture evidence of indiscretion. Nix was later suspended. Facebook has been marred by mistrust since the use of user data in the 2016 campaign became known. Although the initial collection of user data was allowed by Facebook’s terms, the data was not authorized to be shared with third parties. On Capitol Hill, Zuckerberg maintained a patient demeanor in front of Congress members that were not familiar with the mechanisms of Facebook. He had hired teams of communications

specialists in advance of the testimony to help grow a favorable public opinion. Zuckerberg was clear in his belief that Facebook should not be restricted, as user experience might be hindered. “My position is not that there should be no regulation,” he testified. “I think the real question, as the internet becomes more important in people’s lives, is what is the right regulation, not whether there should be or not.” In the face of criticism, Zuckerberg expressed remorse: “I started Facebook, I run it, and I’m responsible for what happens here. It’s clear now that we didn’t do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm.” Despite having taken the initiative to hold major hearings, Congress is not likely to take steps towards regulating Facebook soon, as lawmakers are wary of regulating big tech, especially where the First Amendment is involved. Regulation could become an issue of free speech. Instead, Facebook may simply face a fine of $40,000 per user per day, racking up over $1 trillion if the company is found in violation of a 2011 agreement with the Federal Trade Commission. Another option could be the Honest Ads Act which would force more disclosure on advertising. Facebook hopes that their own promise to self-regulate will be enough.

4 The Tide

May 2018

OPINIONS

How the Tides have turned: 2017-2018 EICs are signing off! F our years ago, The Tide seemed like a behemoth of an organization – dozens of editors and hundreds of staff all working together like small, intricate cogs and gears in the machine that somehow produced hundreds of copies of a 24-page paper. By now, the behemoth has shrunk to something slightly smaller, like an elephant or something: still big, but a lot less intimidating. This consolidation was hardly just a product of our changed mentality, it was also a physical reduction. We went from hundreds of staff to one hundred staff, twenty-four pages to twenty pages; five days of editor layout to three days. But we’re hesitant to call it a “reduction” per say. Rather, it was more of a “refinement” – a much needed fine-tuning to the behemoth of a newspaper that The Tide used to be. Our term as EICs has been about just that: refinement, the idea of quality over quantity, something we hope to ingrain into our new

We came from different sections, different perspectives and we each added something niche to this paper, so each of us would like to leave our staff, and our readers, with a few pieces of advice:

Alex Hu:

It is imperative that we adopt revolutionary principles for tackling the institutional failures of a bureaucratic apparatus that does not respond to traditional means of subversion. We must defeat the reactionaries by sending them to gulag.

Vlady Guttenberg:

Although I had been involved with news publications for a while before high school, it wasn’t until I joined The Tide that I understood exactly why I loved journalism. The opportunity to cultivate my own angles and articles embedded in me a pride, both for my own work, and The Tide as a whole for encouraging individual PHOTO BY JULIAN LI thought. There will be times when you can’t have the words or layout you’d hoped for, but it is just as essential to maintain faith in unpopular ideas as the ones that are openly embraced. Regardless of whether you have EICs and staff. The previous EICs have left us one or one hundred failed suggestions, keep persevering. Persistence will take you far. with a lot: a great foundation, two wonderful advisors, and a team of Although I’m not considering journalism as a career, working on The Tide has taught me much more than committed editors. But their last greatest just how to be a good journalist. I’m taking with me to college valuable writing, communication, InDesign, accomplishment was our EIC team leadership, and teamwork skills, but most importantly, I’ve gained an awareness of the community I’m in. As – how diverse and how much of a a journalist, I’m always asking “why”, striving to uncover the story behind what’s displayed on the surface. It’s this journalistic mindset that has led me to uncover fun stories about the Goetz family dancing to family we’ve become. Thank you to all Tide staff for “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and Ms. Julie Fahrner’s love for Disney. Everyone has a story to tell – your dedication this year as for keep asking “why”, and go find it. sticking with us as we transitioned to auditorium meetings and the Journalism was never a goal of mine, but now I can hardly imagine my life without it. No matter how cheesy journalism requirement for editors. Angela Sun, Emily Tian, and that sounds, its integrality to my life has been a constant reminder to try things I might have unconsciously Derek Yao – this behemoth is yours or internally rejected. To the writers, don’t be afraid of taking risks. I’d much rather be afraid of being unoriginal. Don’t conform to the routine that The Tide so often provides. Add your spin, investigate, write now, so take good care of it. about something controversial. And to the readers, join The Tide. It’s so much more than journalism, and you Signing off, never know what you might get out of it. 2017-2018 EICs

Rachel Li:

Isabelle Zhou:

Is the bubble tea epidemic endangering students’ health? by Raashi Dewan Like many students at RM, I love bubble tea. There is not a day that goes by where you cannot find at least one student with bubble tea in the hallways during lunch. However, once we delve deeper, the potential negative health effects are difficult to ignore. There are many misconceptions about the nutritional value of bubble tea. “Of course, the bubbles include sugar, but with the word tea in it, I thought it would be a little healthier” said junior Elizabeth Sharp. While beneficial for you in many ways,

tea does not necessarily make something healthy. Once mixed with sugar and flavored syrups, bubble tea becomes anything but good for you. First, most people don’t know that there are 36 to 52 grams of sugar in the average 16 ounce serving of bubble tea. For reference, a normal sized can of Coca Cola has 39 grams, and the amount of added sugar that the human body can safely consume per day is around 7 grams, which unfortunately in today’s times is almost always exceeded. While the tea is often perfectly healthy, the main source of sugar and calories is in the tapioca pearls (boba) themselves. The tapioca pearls are generally fried

in sugar water, which they absorb to become hundreds of empty calories. However, because they do not taste overly sweet, most people do not know that they contain as much sugar as many desserts. In addition to so much sugar, the tapioca pearls in bubble tea may contain carcinogens in the form of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, synthetic compounds whose uses include cable insulation, oil-based paints, and floor finishing. The manufacture of these substances are actually banned in the United States, but many of the tapioca pearls available are imported from overseas and may contain PCBs. Despite the potential damage to your health, bubble tea as a whole is not as bad for you as

Cartoon Corner Studying for APs...

other flavored beverages such as sodas, which have far more chemical additives. Freshman Corinn Hanaway said, “I would probably continue to drink bubble tea, but maybe get smaller sizes.” This advice is supported by a majority of health experts who stress moderation, but on a whole advise against completely cutting out sugary substances from your diet. With moderation, one might be better able to avoid unhealthier binge sessions. Despite many of its glaring health effects, I love bubble tea and I will certainly not stop drinking it. The astounding number of restaurants that

serve bubble tea and are within walking distance of RM is evidence that this statement is true for a large number of the student population.

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The Tide is the student newspaper of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. The Tide is dedicated to keeping the Richard Montgomery school community accurately informed and to providing a forum for student expression. 1,000 copies of the newspaper are printed and distributed among students. Any corrections are printed in the following issue on page 2. The opinions presented in The Tide do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and administration at Richard Montgomery. The Tide is affliated with ASPA, CSPA, and NSPA. Questions, concerns, and suggestions on articles, advertisements, and photos can be submitted to thetideeditors@gmail.com.

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Editors-in-Chief..............................................................Angela Sun, Emily Tian, Derek Yao Business Manager................................................................................................Michelle Ling News........................................................................Anna Chen. Robyn Fohouo, Helen Qian Opinions............................................................Rebecca Huang, Shevani Tewari, Ashley Ye Center Spread..........................................................................Angela Mu, Maureen Zeufack La Marea...........................................................................................................Daniela Moreira Features...................................................................................................Tesia Shi, Emily Zhou Arts.....................................................................Emily Chen, Isabella Levine, Christine Zhu Photo......................................................................................................Emily Chen, Isha Yardi Graphics....................................................................................Lanchi Nguyen, Valerie Wang Sports.............................................................................Orrin Ni, Clare Zhang, Justin Zhang Digital Art Specialists.........................................................................Eric Kim, Valerie Wang Social Media Managers...................................Ananya Krishnan, Angela Mu, Katie Zhang Videographers........................................Addele Hargenrader, Caleb Schauer, Emily Zhao Faculty Advisors.........................................................Ms. Laurie Brown, Mrs. Bonnie Peyer

The Tide

OPINIONS

May 2018

Black & Gold Should we lower the drinking age?

Yes, we must combat binge-drinking No, it protects teenagers and society by Angela Sun No more victims. Emblazoned snugly under their logo, this is the ideal Mothers Against Drunk Driving purports to fight for. In line with this mission, MADD advocates for in-car breathalyzers and sobriety checkpoints, fostering a national conversation between parents and youths and keeping the drinking age at 21. But it seems that one of these causes is not quite in line with their mission statement as the others: the minimum drinking age, which has silently yet continuously remained a point of contention ever since it was first enforced in 1984. It is not as cut-and-dried of an issue as MADD would have you believe. Rather, I would like to contend that, in the interest of moving towards that no-more-victim society, it is necessary to lower the drinking age to 18. Since President RonaldReagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, which would withhold a portion of highway funds from states that set a minimum drinking age of less than 21, it is true that the overall number of underage drinkers has decreased. This bodes well, but there’s another piece of less-welcoming news: underage binge drinking remains high. According

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to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking involves consuming more than four or five drinks in the span of a few hours, resulting in a blood alcohol concentration of over 0.08 grams per deciliter. A Harvard study published in the early 2000s found that seven out of ten students who choose to drink consume more than five drinks in a row. Binge drinking, perhaps even more than underage drinking, is now the problem that we must turn our attention to. So what does binge drinking have to do with lowering the drinking age? If you ask Professor Dwight B. Heath, quite a lot. A consultant on alcohol addiction for the World Health Organization, National Academy of Sciences and others, Heath said in an interview with CNN: “In general, the younger people start to drink the safer they are. [When introduced early], alcohol has no mystique...by contrast, where it’s banned until age 21, there’s something of the ‘forbidden fruit’ syndrome.” This “forbidden fruit” argument makes sense; however, it is flawed because it is often used with reference to European countries, which proponents of lowering the drinking age say have less severe binge drinking problems due to more lenient drinking and purchasing ages, a 2010

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study by the Prevention Research Center found that Europe holistically has higher youth drinking and intoxication rates. And thus the lower-drinking-age argument falls apart. Or does it? If one examines the study more closely, one notices that intoxication and drinking rates vary widely, even amongst those with the same minimum drinking age. Both Austria and Italy set their minimum at 16 years old, but researchers found that 31 percent of Austrian youth reported being intoxicated while the same was true for only 12 percent of Italian youth, less than 18 percent of youth in the United States. The most important difference between Italy and Austria or the United States is the attitude the general public holds towards drinking. Circling back to Heath’s argument, it seems that what has the largest impact on intoxication rates is how teenager are weaned into the process of drinking. In Italy, wine at the dinner table, even given in small sips to children, is not uncommon; alcohol is a large and openly welcomed part of their culture. That cultural attitude towards alcohol matters with regards to binge drinking more than the minimum drinking age. The task of providing adequate support and education to teenagers with regards to alcohol (like in Italy) becomes impossible if the drinking age remains so high: by the time teenagers can legally drink, they often consider themselves entirely independent. It is true that while the limbic system in the brain, which controls social and emotional processing, is fully developed by early adolescence, the prefrontal cortex, which regulates functions such as impulse control, does not mature fully until age 25. Yet waiting until 25 to let a person drive, work a job, or drink alcohol would be unthinkable. Instead, the way we prepare adolescents for such tasks which require a great deal of responsibility is by implementing a sort of graduated learning system. Graduated driver’s license laws in the U.S. allow students to learn from their parents and others in the community how to drive safely . Why could we not do the same for drinking, which—as observed by the number of drunk driving casualties, rape cases involving alcohol, and deaths by cirrhosis—requires just as much responsibility? John McCardell Jr., former president of Middlebury College, advocates for the creation of such an “alcohol permit” for teens—not unsimilar to the driver learner’s permit—where students, upon turning 18 and completing an alcohol education course, could be eligible to drink if they present a liscense. He argues that binge drinking could better be addressed if schools were given a chance to educate students, particularly before they enter the college drinking scene. As of now, with the current drinking age, McCardell says: “[Drinking] is taking place behind closed doors, where it’s much more dangerous.” In 2008, McCardell along with more than 130 other college presidents were set to testify before Congress in the hopes of raising support for a new transportation bill that would not withhold funds from states that set their minimum drinking age under 21. However, the economy spiraled and legislators’ attentions were diverted. This episode was and continues to be representative of this issue: the original drinking age legislation, now decades old, has made few strides in addressing problems of actual importance, all while legislators continue to ignore this pressing issue. In the interest of the future generation, we need to raise awareness for this long neglected yet vitally important cause and combat dangerous drinking culture once and for all.

by Savva Brown On the early morning of May 15, 2011, an off-duty police officer saw a teenager staggering towards him on a busy road in Olney. Upon further investigation, the officer discovered a car containing a dead teenager, and two more struggling to stay alive. The underage kids had been partying and drinking all night, resulting in the fatal car accident. Unfortunately, this type of story is heard too often in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a person is injured in a drunk driving accident every two minutes. Teenagers under the legal drinking age of 21 who consume alcohol have to face the possibly deadly consequences of their actions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) found underage drinking is responsible for around 4,300 deaths per year. Legally not being able to purchase or consume alcohol under the age of 21 severely limits the amount of alcohol a minor can access, which ultimately decreases the amount of alcohol-related deaths among teenagers. From both a scientific and social point of view, lowering the drinking age is not a good idea. In 1984, the passing of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act raised the drinking age to 21. Under this federal reform, those states that did not enforce the new minimum age had 10 percent of their highway funding taken away. The act faced stiff resistance on the Senate floor, but with the support of groups favoring a higher drinking age, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), by 1988, all 50 states had complied with the reform. Before the act was passed 34 years ago, the minimum drinking age was 18. Since the drinking age was raised, the number of alcohol related fatalities on the road have been reduced by half. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates the law has saved over 900 people every year since it was passed. Even though there are copious amounts of evidence, for some people it just boils down to common sense. “I honestly don’t think anyone in my grade is responsible enough to drink,” junior Katya Beltran said. “By making [underage drinking] legal, that’s not going to solve anything. Because if people are still doing it illegally, making it legal is just going to make more people do it.” For the most part, people accepted the drinking age of 21. However, small pockets of disagreement have cropped up. One of the most notable groups was the nonprofit organization Choose Responsibility, which proposed a bill in 2006 that called for the repeal of the 1984 act and a lower minimum drinking age. The nonprofit called for the reexamination of the law in regards to its effectiveness. This in turn prompted many public health experts to reevaluate the effectiveness of the law and to conduct new research. In a report published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, evidence showed that the current law curbed not only heavy drinking, but suicide and dating violence. Experts worry about the level of binge drinking and alcohol dependence. The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that people who begin drinking at age 15 or earlier are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence later in life than those who begin drinking at 21 or older. Another study found that in 2011, 36 percent of college students had engaged in heavy drinking, a significant reduction in comparison to the 43 in 1988.

Gold Health practitioners also support this data. “Functions of the brain continue to develop and mature… until you’re 25.” Richard Montgomery nurse Julie Olson said. “Damage to the brain by binge drinking before the age of 25 could have long term effects.” A 2011 study by the University of California corroborates Olsen’s comments and claims that teen drinking may cause irreversible brain damage. The study compared the brain scans of teenagers who drink heavily and those who do not, and found permanently damaged nerve tissue in teenagers who drink. “The adolescent brain is still undergoing several maturational processes that render it more vulnerable to some of the effects of substances,” said Susan Tapert, a scientist who conducted the study. The study also found that drinking can cause an inability to comprehend and interpret visual information in girls and reduced attention span in boys. But it is not only health experts that argue the current drinking age is appropriate. Junior Sean Boyce agrees: “The fact is, there’s a lot of people who abuse alcohol, and habituation is something that happens a lot when you’re a young mind.” Some argue that the drinking age should be lowered because of various reasons. The main argument for this case is that if an individual is 18, and an adult, they have the right to make their own decisions. But, the major flaw to this is that by 18, the human brain has not fully biologically developed.

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Sandra Aamodt, former editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience (a major medical journal), even argues that at 18 the brain is only halfway developed. “18 year olds are about halfway through the process [brain development]” says Aamodt. “Brain scans show clearly that the brain is not fully finished developing until about age 25.” An 18-year-old has nowhere near the maturity of a 21-year-old. They may be old enough to vote, but not old enough to risk their lives with a dangerous substance. There are some decisions that are simply too unsafe for an undeveloped brain to make. There is no doubt that in our lifetimes we will see more attempts to decrease the drinking age. Throughout Europe, South America, Asia and Australia it is already considerably lower than 21, and there are powerful commercial interests to lower the drinking age as well. But this does not mean we can ignore the hard science and facts that point to the obvious: we cannot lower the drinking age.

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OPINIONS

May 2018

Should we practice active shooter drills in schools? by Laura Chang Parkland. Sandy Hook. Columbine. When people hear the names of these places, they do not think about vibrant school communities anymore. They think about the growing threat of gun violence. As school shootings become more frequent, the discussion about effective ways to combat the issue intensifies. An effective yet controversial method is active shooter safety drills. It is sad that it has come to this, but it is imperative for students to be prepared to protect themselves in case an active shooter is on the premises. In active shooter scenarios, most deaths occur within the first five minutes, so a quick reaction has a huge impact on student safety. As soon as they identify a threat, students and staff must react immediately and efficiently. The only way to assure this is to practice, practice, practice. For example, fire drills show that this “practice makes perfect” attitude works. The National Fire Protection Association advises that schools conduct fire drills at least once a month while classes are in session. Thanks to continuous preparation and improved technologies, a school fire has not led to more than 10 deaths since 1954. In contrast, 17 were killed less than three months ago in the well-known Parkland school shooting. Since school shootings are becoming more common, schools must

implement ways to prepare for them. Active shooter drills require more action than fire drills, so schools should start practicing immediately. During a drill, students must head to the nearest classroom, teachers need to lock the doors and cover the windows, and everyone has to remain quiet until the drill concludes. These drills may not be able to fully mimic an active shooter scenario: “The situations lack the sense of genuine danger,” junior Ummara Khan said, “I’m not sure you can ever prepare kids for an active shooter.” Nevertheless, the drills are a step in the right direction. It is better to teach students the basic procedures they must follow than to leave them in the dark if the worstcase scenario happens. Sophomore Will Garner said, “These shootings have been happening much more frequently, so it is necessary that students feel prepared if something were to happen.” Some feel that these drills are too

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much for students to handle emotionally. However, while there is no conclusive evidence on the psychological effects that active shooter drills have on children, the statistics on gun violence are real. Senior Melvin Lewis said: “It breaks my heart that an elementary schooler might be scared of going to school for fear of being shot, but I’d rather have the kid practice the drill and feel anxious than react inappropriately in a crisis situation. It happened at Sandy Hook. This is the world we live in.”

“It happened at Sandy Hook. This is the world we live in.” -Melvin Lewis Schools are supposed to be a safe place for kids. Opponents of active shooter drills argue that they violate the students’ trust in school safety. The realization that school might not be as safe as once believed might be hard for some parents to swallow, but they need to understand the truth sooner or later. Many students are aware of the threat, shown by RM students actively participating in protests demanding gun reform. Schools can enhance the students’ trust by demonstrating their commitment to student safety and holding these necessary drills. On the other hand, leaving students unprepared for an active shooter

scenario will truly violate their trust. Although many adults agree that students should participate in these drills, some disagree on how to best explain them to students. Parents and educators are concerned about how to introduce active shooter drills to young children, especially those in elementary school. At some schools, teachers tell students that they are preparing for when animals escape from the zoo. Although it might seem like a white lie to make the situation less scary for kids, the very purpose of these drills is to reduce the students’ panic in a real-life situation. These drills are meant to be realistic simulations, and the repetition of periodic drills can help desensitize students from fear and anxiety. “I was told as a kid that we performed lockdown drills in case a bear escaped the zoo or in case there was a rabid dog loose in the neighborhood,” Lewis said. “Lying to children generally isn’t a great policy. Elementary schoolers likely have some sort of awareness about school shootings. I wish there was a way to preserve their innocence as long as possible, but outright lying could easily backfire.” We cannot sugarcoat the issue of gun violence to students. It is a legitimate danger to students across the U.S. In an ideal world, they would not have to participate in active shooter drills at all, but until lawmakers pass meaningful legislation to end gun violence, students need to know what to do if disaster strikes, and schools must solidify their commitment to student safety.

Can the SMOB be effective? A defense parade is wasteful by Faith Cheung On April 25, 2018, thousands of students across MCPS participated in the democratic process to elect their representative for the next school year: the Student Member of the Board, or SMOB. SMOB is a forty-yearold elected office created by Montgomery County Public Schools to give a voice to their students. SMOBs serve a one-year term on the Board of Education, voicing student opinions on matters, regardless of their own views. In order for the SMOB to be effective, the students must actively advocate for the issues they want their SMOB to address. Over the years, the SMOB has been moderately effective, improving our school system in a multitude of ways. Our current SMOB, Matt Post, has unblocked the social media platforms Instagram, Facebook and Twitter on school Wi-Fi. Furthermore, he attended and spoke at the March for Our Lives, conveying to the entire nation the student body’s opinion. These are major aspects of Matt Post’s work in his term, both of which target concerns that students strongly care for. The SMOB from two years ago, Eric Guerci, worked on many equity initiatives by focusing on expansion of the budget, which resulted in additional resources to help disadvantaged students. Dahlia Huh, the SMOB previous to Guerci, improved communication between the SMOB and students of Montgomery County by strongly encouraging and expanding

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANANYA TADIKONDA

2018-19 SMOB Tadikonda visits MCPS schools

student advocacy programs such as Montgomery County Representatives’ SGA. Junior Ananya Tadikonda, the 20182019 SMOB, stated: “I think that no SMOB actually has the power to marginally improve MCPS and that’s because they’re only on the board for one year. That being said, that doesn’t mean that all forty of our SMOBs have been bad. They’ve advocated for things that kids want and brought certain things to the forefront.” Although it is true that a SMOB cannot create dramatic change within the span of a year, the accumulation of their work creates drastic improvements. Freshman Nicholas Asante is a member of the Montgomery County Representatives, a student government association for all of Montgomery County. Asante said, “SMOBs are a vital component in the machine that is our student government body. When we discuss prevalent issues, Matt Post holds open discussion forums and brings our ideas and concerns to the board, ensuring that our opinions are accounted for.” The defining part in a SMOB’s job is the ability to represent the views of students. Unfortunately, it is a well-known cliche that student officers often make empty promises in their campaigns, which leads to a huge lack of trust in the SMOB candidates. However, recent SMOB candidates seem to have changed this ideology. Sophomore Sophia Monte said, “Matt Post was successful in convincing MCPS to remove blocks against certain social media platforms. This seemed like another empty promise that all campaigners make. However, Matt has proven that SMOBs certainly do have an influence in creating change for our students.” Hopefully, with promises being fulfilled, students will lend more trust to our SMOB. With an increase in trust comes an increase in advocacy because students believe that the SMOB is capable of satisfying their needs. So at the end of the day, an age-old tradition calls for an important question: Is the SMOB truly an effective student voice? The answer is fully dependent on the students they represent. If students do not voice their ideas, there is nothing to represent and no foundation for the SMOB’s success. The SMOB is only as engaged as the students themselves.

by Rithik Patel It is no secret that Donald Trump has a habit of floating controversial political ideas: recently, he proposed a military parade to be held on Veterans Day. Trump was influenced by France’s Bastille Day parade and claimed that it would emphasize the sacrifices of U.S. veterans. Although he is right to honor our servicemen and women, the president should refrain from making empty symbolic gestures and instead attempt to enact policies that help our soldiers. A military parade from the White House to the Capitol would be a colossal waste of resources and unnecessary federal spending. The Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney estimates Trump’s parade would cost between $10 to $30 million, while the Department of Defense estimates up to $50 million. Trump’s America First agenda promised not to get involved with foreign wars and focus on internal issues, such as deteriorating infrastructure. However, the proposed parade would not solve any of the mentioned problems. Even using most conservative price estimate, Newsweek found that, the total cost is enough to feed every homeless veteran in America for two weeks.

If Trump wants to be a champion of veterans, he should address veteran homelessness and expand veterans’ health care. Specifically, he should focus on mental health treatment, especially because one in five US veterans suffers from PTSD. Furthermore, he should fight to pull troops out of our endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, allowing them to be reunited with their families and seek educational or employment opportunities at home. Another downside of this parade is that it further broadcasts our arrogance and American exceptionalism to the rest of the world. Countries like North Korea and Russia hold parades to show their military power and convey a sense of patriotism and nationalism to their people. However, the United States does not need to showboat its newest military weapons or aircrafts. We have the largest fighting force in the world and spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined; our supposed enemies know our capabilities. What is the purpose in boasting more of our strength? Instead of emulating the actions of our rivals and allies like France, President Trump should reject his fantasy of a costly, unnecessary military parade. Instead, he should allocate greater spending towards programs that help our troops at home and abroad are meaningful alternatives that can boost his credibility among veterans.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEFENSE VISUAL INFORMATION SERVICES

Donald Trump attended the Bastille military parade and became inspired to host one in the U.S.

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Estudiantes latinos del condado votan para el SMOB por Daniel Lopez Con el fin del año acercándose, el sistema escolar hace cambios impactantes sobre los cuales muchos estudiantes desconocen. El nuevo SMOB, el estudiante miembro del Consejo de Educación, por ejemplo es uno de estos cambios importantes. En Richard Montgomery, los estudiantes son muy afortunados de tener dos de los candidatos a este puesto: Ananya Tadikonda y Nimah Nayel, quienes están buscando los votos y el apoyo de estudiantes de todas partes del condado que representan diversas ideologías, edades y etnias. Aunque esta elección marca un nuevo representante para el próximo año escolar, muchos estudiantes latinos no conocen la importancia de este título tan poderoso. La responsabilidad del estudiante que nos representa ante el Consejo de Educación es escuchar y comunicar las preocupaciones de los estudiantes a los adultos en el Consejo. En años recientes, el poder del SMOB ha aumentado y ahora su voto cuenta en todas las decisiones que hace el Consejo. Es un privilegio que ha permanecido por 40 años en el condado que no existe en otros estados o condados. La influencia del SMOB es grande ya que representa a más de 80 mil estudiantes de escuelas intermedias y secundarias. El papel de este representante indica las oportunidades que el condado ofrece para representar opiniones, pero pocos saben de

la importancia de este position. Jason Romero y Gabriel Pernia, estudiantes del noveno grado, expresan confusión sobre las responsabilidades mientras estudiantes mayores como Nick Stadler, del onceavo grado, tiene una idea mucho más clara del rol del SMOB. Stadler dice, “Hacen decisiones importantes con respecto a la política escolar, diferentes presupuestos, y cosas así.” Aunque existe una disparidad entre los que saben y GRÁFICO POR los que no tienen idea de que hace un SMOB, no disminuye la importancia de las preocupaciones demostradas por algunos miembros de la comunidad hispana en RM. Por la gran parte, ESOL es un hogar para muchos estudiantes hispanohablantes que no hablan inglés. Cuando un estudiante viene al país, sin una comprensión fuerte del inglés, es difícil mantener el mismo nivel de éxito que otros estudiantes estadounidenses que tienen inglés como idioma nativo. Mientras este importante que estos tipos de recursos existem, es también importante mejorarlo. Pierna, que asistió al programa por dos años, cuenta que le ayudó mucho cuando vino a este país y actualmente agradece que tuvo la oportunidad de haber participado en él. Aunque el ESOL

es algo que la mayoría de otros estudiantes no consideran cuando están proponiendo nuevas para mejorar los programas de sus escuelas, es un programa absolutamente necesario para miembros de la comunidad que típicamente no participan en el gobierno estudiantil. Romero expresa interés en que MCPS invierte más dinero en el programa de ESOL. El dice, “Para comprar libros y pagar por nuevos programas para ayudar a los profesores.” ESOL no solo consiste de estudiantes hispanohablantes pero estudiantes que vienen de KATIE ZHANG todas partes del mundo hablando chino, coreano, portugués y más. Por lo tanto es en el interés de servir a todos los estudiantes de todos origines y experiencas. No solo son estudiantes hispanohablantes que deben ser tomados en cuento pero en MCPS, el número de alumnos que viene de familias hispanohablantes está aumentando. Con este demográfico, hay una discrepancia de comprensión entre la escuela y los padres. Muchas familias inmigrantes dominan el inglés y por la edad y el trabajo que deben hacer los padres, se les hace , más difícil aprender el idioma y poder participar en la vida escolar de sus hijos incluso si quisieran. El condado es consciente de este problema, lo vemos cuando leemos en muchos idiomas información en la página

de web de MCPS. Actualmente, casi toda la información distribuida por MCPS aparecen en ambos idiomas. Pero en muchas situaciones de la vida diaria de las escuelas, no hay un esfuerzo en hacer todas las comunicaciones bilingües . Romero nota la disparidad cuando algunas veces la entrega de cartas o notas a su padre, que, “Solo vienen a veces en español.” Además de eso, el intento de acercar a la comunidad latina usando su idioma hace más fácil la incorporación de la comunidad hispana al resto del escuela. Pero no es sufficiente solo traducciones para hacer este cambio positivo. Stadler dice que, “Deberían haber diferentes clubes que incorporan a gente hispana y el resto de la comunidad no sólo el periódico, el club bilingüe o el club español, pero quizás diferentes clubes que tratan sobre temas que son relevantes en el idioma o la cultura.” El el próximo SMOB debe de estar listo para escuchar las preocupaciones y las ideas de la comunidad hispana. En sus plataformas, las dos candidatas expresan su enfoque en disminuir la brecha de aprendizaje y con eso, están considerando enfoques para mejorar el programa de ESOL y de ser más inclusivo de minorías subrepresentadas como latinos y afroamericanos. Es difícil escuchar a todos y cada alumno, pero reconocer las responsabilidades que nos da tener un estudiante representandonos en en Consejo nos permite hacer un cambio en todo MCPS. Al fin del dia, es nuestro voto, nuestra voz.

Las Américas: Una tienda Los estudiantes latinos latina con mucho orgullo se expresan con el arte por Daniela Moreira Cuando suena la campana del almuerzo, en vez de ir a 7-Eleven o Jumbo Jumbo, visita Las Américas. A la vuelta del esquina se encuentra este mercado latino que enlasa muchas regiones de latinoamérica desde México hasta la Patagonia. Las Américas le pone un toque de sabor latino a sus platos y productos típicos. Con más de una década permaneciendo en El Centro de Ritchie, este supermercado de dueños Salvadoreño atrae a la comunidad latino, ofreciendo antojos que identifican a varias comunidades latinas. Vendiendo importaciones de productos reconocidos en países como El Salvador, Bolivia, Perú y más Las Américas es una tienda bien familiar. Todos los clientes se sienten como que si están en su casa.

FOTO POR DANIELA MOREIRA

Las Américas ofrece un sabor internacional Abierto desde las diez de la mañana hasta las ocho de la noche, se puede ir a comprar comida caliente preparado al instante. Muchos estudiantes de Richard Montgomery frecuentan este sitio en las horas del almuerzos. Ofrecida platos de carne asada, pollo, arroz, pupusas, tamales y salteñas todos los platos hechos en el rincon del mercado son de buen gusto. Sonia Batres, una sonriente salvadoreña

lleva 13 años cocinado en mercado. Estudiantes y trabajadores igual van a las horas de las comidas frequentemente haciendo el plato de carne asada con arroz y pico de gallo un plato popular en la tienda. Muchos estudiantes, hispanos, afroamericanos, americanos y asiáticos disfrutan pupusas de muchas variedades y “Lo ordenan todo en espanol,” dijo Batres. El horario de almuerzo mandan a los empleados a trabajar como avispas, cocinando y atendiendo a muchos estudiantes que llenan los pasillos de esta tienda bien pequeña. “Como unos veinte y para arriba,” Batres recolecta en ver cada dia de la semana. Mientras ella cocina pupusas calientes, directamente de la cacerola por el área de cocina, al frente de la tienda se puede comprar jarritos, bombones y quesadillas salvadoreñas. Para un estudiante de onceavo grado, Roberto Fúnez, Las Américas es una tienda que él ha conocido desde la infancia. Lo que él aprecia más de la existencia de mercados como Las Américas es la accesibilidad. “Yo no creo que hay una falta en comida hispana en el área pero una falta de comida asequible en la área,” Fúnez dijo. En realidad muchos restaurantes hispanos, mientras delicioso y típico, son frecuentemente muy caros y inaccesibles para un presupuesto estudiantil. Mientras un plato de carne asada puede valer hasta doce dólares, mucha comida como los tamales, pupusas y plátanos fritos valen menos de tres dólares y son nutritivos y hechos rápidamente a mano. Mira Solano, una estudiante de noveno grado comenco a visitar Las Americas despues de aprender de su amiga que venden pupusas. “Yo naci aqui pero vivi en Venezuela por un rato. Me gusta aquí porque se siente como que si estás viviendo en tu país,” Solano dijo. Una casa lejos de casa es la experiencia creada por comida latinoamericanas auténtica; y Las Américas hace un buen trabajo en ser esto una realidad.

por Angel Ramos La presencia del arte ilumina a la escuela de Richard Montgomery. Para muchos estudiantes latinos, el arte es un indicativo de los valores más íntimos de su identidad y creatividad. El arte se manifiesta en diferentes formas como en arte visual, el arte en el teatro, en el baile y en la música y fomenta un entretenimiento que impacta. Una estudiante de doceavo grado, Irene Guggenheim-Triana encuentra la mayor parte de su inspiración artística en la música. Con muchos años de tocar flauta y piano, ella lidera una banda de marchas y participa en la Orchestra de Jóvenes en Potomac Valley. Este otoño, sus planes son de ir a la Universidad de Ohio State donde se va especializar en educación musical. Es evidente que Guggenheim-Triana aspira a ser una profesora de música en el futuro y mucha de su pasión se expresa en el trabajo que ella hace. Ella cuenta que el arte, no solo en la música, es un mecanismo por la cual personas de diferentes culturas pueden interactuar y conocerse unos a otros mejor. “El arte narra las historia de las clases de personas y enseña cooperación, dedicación, expresión personal y confianza,” dijo ella. Guggenheim-Triana se siente orgullosa en su trabajo inspirando a los estudiantes. Al mismo tiempo, estas historias y experiencias que se estudian igualmente no reflejan todas las culturas. Desafortunadamente, hay una falta de obras musicales creadas o dirigidas por latinos. La educación de la música mayormente está dirigida por un currículum de Europa que excluye otras regiones del mundo. La realidad por la historia de musica clasical es, “Cuando estos músicos llegan a ser profesores, solo conocen el repertorio Europeo, y solo pueden enseñar de esa forma a sus estudiantes,” dijo Guggenheim-Triana.

Otra estudiante, Asian Milano, encuentra su pasión a través de las artes visuales. Milano dijo,“ El arte es una forma de expresión y más que nada una manera de ver la vida.” Estas lecciones son impactantes cuenta Milano, expresando que el arte, “[le] ha enseñado a apreciar la belleza de cada cosa y situación.” En alto grado Frida Kahlo es una inspiración para su vida. La faceta que Milano admira más de Kahlo es que,“A pesar de todas las barreras, con valor y fuerza, pudo librarse de las cadenas que azotaban a las mujeres en esos tiempos.” Después de visitar la casa de Frida Kahlo en la Ciudad de México, ella pudo apreciar de manera directa la hermosura de las pinturas que cautivaron a muchos.

FOTO POR MATTHEW PEASE

Irene Guggenhein-Trina tocando la flauta. Ella mezcla su cultura con sus pinturas, tratando de mezclar sus opiniones sobre el mundo y sus sentimientos hacia sus pinturas. Esto le hace sentir aún más conectada con su cultura libre de expresión. La comunidad artística hispana está creciendo y muchos más estudiantes como Guggenheim-Triana y Milano se esfuerzan en tocar más obras que representan la identidad y cultura hispana. Es maravilloso ver que los estudiantes latinos estan trabajando en la transformación de grandes cambios y haciendo realidad sus sueños. Al nivel estudiantil, la próxima generación sin falta va a mejorar la representación latina y van ser los lideres en cambiar lo que es ser un artista, un artista latino.

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The Tide

Ashley—I had so much fun running set dec with you!! You better do it next year or else. 0_0 Good luck on life, young grasshopper. You’re going to do great!! :D Vivian Yeh

To my favorite juniors— the hardest part of next year is dealing with the expiration dates that inch closer and closer with every bell. But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in high school, it’s that true friendship doesn’t stop at 2:30 or on June 6th. Surround yourself with people who encourage you to be your best and let go of those who hold you back. To the underclassmen— please stop vaping. Kunal Harmalkar Real Talk: Who put the alphabet in alphabetical order? Rey Valentine Dear utterly unprepared kiddies, If you think that you procrastinate or have had senioritis, you have no idea. You’ll have several C’s-E’s by the end of the quarters, which you’ll either trick or beg your teachers into raising to B’s and A’s. And there will NEVER be a full week of attendance the whole year, shoutout to Wall. Good luck, there’s nothing you can do to change it! Lexi Dorotinsky

May 2018

To Lauren: You gave me a rock like 3 years ago. Since I’m moving out I need to give away most of my stuff. Do you want it back? I’d hate to keep it. To everyone else: Here is Ginypeg. I gave him some of my affections that just simply won’t die (see the February Tide). If possible, I would like some rising senior to pass on Ginypeg with something metaphorically precious to them. Jonathan Lin

Follow your dreams, take your chances when you can. Good luck boys!

Santi

Thank you to all teachers. I know we kids don’t [always] appreciate your work, but I want you to know that we could never do what you do. We wouldn’t get to graduation without you. If your students don’t say this to you, I will say it on behalf of them because you truly deserve all the praise: THANK YOU. Judy Choi

For every time you complain about RM, remember something else about your time here that has made you happy. You'll find that there's a lot to love about this school :) Stella Ho

CENTERSPREAD

Dad, I’ve enjoyed the years I’ve spent here. I appreciate you waking up every morning at 5 am and dragging me to school despite my tired protests. I enjoy your humor, and I can never repay you for the invaluable lessons you’ve taught me. To my younger friends, don’t hesitate to be involved. You are invaluable and I wish you’d see yourselves the way I do. Do things that scare you. You’ll love it. Annie Schauer

Your happiness should be your main priority.

I’ve done many things: track, drama club, cheer, XC, MSP, FCA, S&L, LWC, anime club—all that made RMHS so much fun! To my successors @ Salt & Light and FCA: Be strong and fearless! Be loving. Be light! Let the passionate flame inside push you to action! Harvest the seeds we planted together and go to the promised land for me. You are my living legacy, now go do great things! Make me proud! Thank you Mrs. Stevenson and Mrs. Boyd for everything you’ve done for me! To all the kids: DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME! Do everything! Make a difference in your own way! Give yourself a reason to wake up in the morning. Enjoy life! If you listen to me now, you WILL survive High School! Gabriella Sanjur My B’s turned to C’s and so did my grades. God bless!

Lauren Bolger

Do NOT borrow any books from the library because they will catfish you into paying money somehow. Karon Williams

Ananda Nyero

Also hi Amanda.

Jonathan Lin

Shiri

To Emily Pan and Daniela Moreira: next year will be hard and now you couldn’t quit drama if you wanted to! But use each other to help you get through this. I leave you with any and all my notes on the ones acts account. Good luck kids! You’ll do amazing. Alina Philip

To Jordyn/Becca/Sappybabies- I leave Silver traditions and my whole heart. To Teddy and Grant- the responsibility of making Cardi B noises on my behalf at rehearsals. To the rats- please don’t let Mrs. Davis choose another show with heelys. To Erica- I leave my legacy of making questionable choices and consuming copious amounts of iced coffee. It’s all in your hands now. Xoxo. Sara Reilly

I recommend that your Junior year, you start looking for colleges. And not just colleges [themselves]- different ways for example scholarships and financial aid. Emely Santos

Do your [college] apps now!

To Erica- you were the best husband a girl could ever ask for even though you owe me $45. To Alast and Ellie and Leah- please watch Erica, don’t let her do anything stupid without me and also you don’t do anythind stupid @Alast. Love, Shiri

Nina Broner

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards, so don’t stress about everything! Taylor

To Kidus and Rachel I leave the marching band. I’ll know you’ll take good care of my bbys <3 To Grace I leave flute screaming and the gallons of tea we spilled. One day we’ll be free from Mozart. Keep me hip on all the goss. To Daniel I leave every single rib you’ve cracked when you’ve hugged me. #HalaMadrid you tree. To Julian and Bridget: I love y’all enthusiasm keep it up <3 Irene Guggenheim-Triana

Fang, please make USAMO next year.

The actual struggle of HL history, whomstvemanzzzz. Anonymous

Ever feel like your GPA is too high? Do you think sleep is for the weak? No need to fear, IB HL Chemistry is here! With 21 topics and 4 full options of pure pain, there’s no better way to make your report card suffer! As the kids say, there’s no better way to (covalently) bond than shared suffering! Sign up now! Anonymous

Jessica Parnell

Many people don’t realize that every presentation is an opportunity to make the class laugh. Every year, IB English juniors sit through over 10 hours worth of forgettable, unenthusiastic PowerPoint presentations during the IOPs. Don’t make your classmates watch something that you wouldn’t want to watch yourself. Take advantage of the loose guidelines to do something that the audience will enjoy. Johnny “Jesus” Spaghetti

Asía

To Rina, I leave you with 146full and being the new mom of drama. To Jmorty, I leave with the knowledge that Hawaii is beautiful in December. To C, I leave you my parking pass :) and a bomb senior year. To Gabsy, I leave you an infinite amount of water bottles and hopefully someone else to braid your hair. So much love to all of my little smushes (you know who you are). Rachel Herman

A wise second grader once told me, “School is Operation N.U.K.E.: No-one Usually Komes-out Elive.” Look, Kevin! I’m elive! Madeline Corrigan

Nick Arrazola

Bring Ms.Wall coffee! Florence Gomes

Get a half-schedule!

Leaving behind the love that was given to me, in the hopes it gets passed on to others. Alix Leary

To all underclassmen woodwind instrumentalists: please join marching band. Andrew Zhang

Ew.

May 2018

Do what you love. Be studious but also enjoy the time you have with your friends because it’ll pass by fast. Even if things don’t work out the way you originally planned, just keep rolling with the punches. If you have the drive, faith in yourself and you put in the work, it’ll be alright in the end. Don’t overstress. Live, adventure, try new things. Sokhna

Don’t forget to turn up in the quad homies.

To the Bus Squad: Bianca, you can have my old seat and FaceTime rights, Bhavesh gets Snapchat naming rights (AND THE SHIP) and Nick can have my water bottle...I also give him permission to run away and be a knockoff Bear Grylls (sponsored by the GI bill). May my son Josh Yu carry the RM volleyball legacy. And so the squad ends...I’ll miss you guys! Ami Thaivalappil Anonymous

Thanks Zachary for making my day every day. For IB Food Philosophy, Natasha Trethewey, crappy oranges at Centenniel, cricket Google Doodle, the scary department store in NYC, Alien, crying in pit, crying in marching band, panic-driving to Silver Diner, meeting your dog (<3), conversing as quickly as possible in two minutes between classes, and whatever else I missed. You are the apple of my eye. Cathy

The Tide

Don’t be lasagna.

Peter C.

Laugh until you cry. Have dance parties by yourself. Be extra, go off sis! Jennifer Asare To Meiling and Ciara -- costumes is all yours. You’ll do amazing. (Although you already have been!) To the rest of my lovely costumes/drama club underclassmen -- don’t let anyone eat in costume or I will come back to fight <3 Kate McHale Take AP Art History with Mike McDermott and follow your dreams.

Aram Kavoosi

To my son, sice me a ride in your elevator :)

Jason Hong

To Lily, Spatie Kencer, Leah, Zoe, Carly, and all my other junior friends, I leave the wonderful mess that is RM fockey—I know you guys’ll kill it. #GoldTeamGreatTeam!! To Fatma, I leave the unofficialRMlax password <insert lax emoji>. And finally, to Smelsey, I leave fond memories of staring at you across the hall, tripping you on the walk home, and lots of ring finger flashes.

To Teddy and Luisa, I leave DP’s shenanigans, Silver Diner nights, and endless vamps. To Norah, Mary, and Sarah, I leave the flags. Joust wisely. To Genevieve, I leave Tri-M and aggressive emails. Keep harping. And for everyone else, in the words of Baam Zhaedzhan, “treat these years like the best four years of your life, and they just might be.” Evelyn Sturrock

To the mock trial team – red means stop. Redeem us in Annapolis next year! To Josh – I leave having "existential crises" during Facebook calls, your $100,000 salary, and of course, the color red. To Sydney – I leave exploding chicken and 5-hour bus rides. To Tesia – I leave Mario Party and my old email signatures. To Derek, Angela, and Emily – I leave this behemoth of a newspaper. Please keep bringing donuts, and good luck with making punny headlines. Rachel Li

I leave behind my obsession of blueberries. JK I’m taking those with me to college. @domocornlovemokey

To my teammates who raised me like the child I am. Robotics, fireproof your servos. SciOly, beat Centennial. Hines and Azuree, we will never forget. Andrew Mao

I think sophomores and juniors and freshmen and seniors [should] have “all grades unity day” because I think that will be fun for my friends who are freshmen, sophomores and juniors. And I think they will have a fun time with all the grades. Because I know people who want a unity day but they’re in 10 and 11 grade. Sometimes they feel left out because the 9th grade and my class—seniors—have unity day. Megan DeSantos

Do your college apps early in the summer so you can bool it the rest of the year ;) Deedee Yan

To Opinions squad: I’ll miss you guys and our iconic cartoons but I know Opinions is in good hands <3 To sons of the OG: Thanks for staying true throughout everything. Love you guys! To rising seniors: Senioritis is real but treasure every moment you have left. You’ll graduate before you know it! Cindy Song

To Justin, Abhinav, Aries, Danesh, Tejas, and Jaewoo: Carry on RM Quizbowl's tradition of excellence, and beat TJ.

Adam Howlett

Good luck to everyone on the soccer team especially ayuub. Jose Paniagua

First of all, I’d like to make a shout out to Ms. Fine, I love her. She was an amazing teacher and I will always remember her and how she doesn’t want [the] little fuzzy edges on her papers. She made me a better writer. And to the underclassmen, just take it easy, You can chill and you will have people around you who will support you in everything Sleep a lot and eat healthy. Special thanks to Mrs. Denion for being a good teacher! you do. Angel Ramos Elva Joya PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. ARENAS

The Tide

FEATURES

Star date June 2018: A farewell to Hines Hines, cont. from page 1 Growing up on a farm has shaped Mr. Hines and his teaching in many ways. Due to the meager income brought in by farm work, his parents were not able to help him pay for college. As a result, Hines began not only teaching, but also working a landscaping job that would last him 14 years. While landscaping, Mr. Hines encountered aspects of Chinese and Japaneses culture, which he then brought back to his classes. “I did a philosophy unit on China and Japan because I spent a lot of time in Chinese and Japanese gardens around the district,” Mr. Hines explained. He also did landscaping work on the houses of historical figures such as former Senator Ted Kennedy, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and former president Lyndon B. Johnson’s daughters. Additionally, growing up in the 60s and 70s, a turbulent time for U.S. domestic and foreign policy, allowed Mr. Hines to be in the full thrall of these life-changing events. Mr. Hines described, “I went to a

segregated elementary school. Then, suddenly going to an integrated middle school and high school was an entirely different experience,” as he spoke on the evolution of racial dynamics in the Montgomery County school system. He eventually had a African American locker mate named Richard Hill. “We send birthday wishes to each other down to the present,” he said. Mr. Hines lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the heavy drafting throughout the Vietnam War—he recalls the college classmates who returned heavily scarred or never returned—and so many historically significant events that he is able to recount from his own time growing up. “It’s just like talking to a veteran of the world,” said Cobb. Students and colleagues alike fondly remember Mr. Hines’s influence and care, not only in teaching, but also outside of the classroom. In addition to his colleagues, Mr. Hines always cares deeply about his students. Senior Jonathan Lin said, “When he learns the college they got into, if it’s something

GRAPHIC BY LANCHI NGUYEN

he knows well enough about, he’ll give them funny advice.” Even though he has taught for so many years, he never seems to get names confused and always knows what is happening around the school outside of his class.

“The sense of family within our department is something he has created and will stay here forever.” - Mr. Beach For his colleagues, Mr. Hines has paved a future for many of them, extending help well beyond the requirements. Social studies teacher Peter Beach remembers getting hired by Mr. Hines about 18 years ago when he was young and didn’t quite know to do. Mr. Beach expressed his gratitude for Mr. Hines in shaping him into the colleague and professional he is today. “By always helping out his colleagues, the sense of family within our department is something he has created and will stay here forever,” he said. Mr. Hines hopes to instill a love for history and all it has to teach us. In spite of his departure, he will continue to inspire us, a department of friends whose lives he has paved, and hundreds, if not thousands, of people who will remember him as one of the greatest history teachers. Mr. Beach concluded, “There are not enough big words in the encyclopedia or the dictionary or on the internet to say what an amazing human being he is.”

May 2018

- question of the month -

Explain your

senior shirt name? Interviews by Laura Yao Evelyn Sturrock, E-Sharp “The name is sort of like a double pun (E-Sharp). My initials are ES. I play the harp, and E-sharp is also a music pun as well. My friend Annie helped me come up with it.” Lisa Yang, Tower of Lisa “I told everyone that Lisa is the hardest name to come up with nicknames/puns for. Someone came up with Tower of Lisa like Tower of Pisa, and I thought that was good enough, so I just turned that in.” Andrew Mao, Chairman Mao “I chose Chairman Mao because he is a very controversial figure and very historically significant, so it is interesting to share the same surname. I also chose this name because of my Chinese heritage.” Lauren Bolger , explauren “Honestly, it was hard to think of a pun for my name. But I thought this was nice because it relates to the senior quote and exploring the possibilities of life.”

GRAPHIC BY LANCHI NGUYEN

Ms. Azuree: Building bonds with chemicals and students by Christine Zhu As the music starts playing, students hurriedly rush into the third-floor classroom. The bell rings, and class begins: students work together to answer the warm up and discuss the previous night’s homework. Science teacher Virginia Azuree stands at the the front of the room, answering students’ questions. Throughout the years, Ms. Azuree has taught a variety of classes at RM: Matter & Energy, Biology, Chemistry, and Nutrition Science. In an effort to couple her love for research and service, Azuree chose teaching as the field which could seamlessly meld the two together. “I am endlessly curious about many things. Few jobs allow a person to continue to research areas of interest while also providing a service to young people,” she said.

“Few jobs allow a person to continue to research areas of interest while also providing a service to young people.” - Ms. Azuree Known for her easygoing personality and candid nature, Ms. Azuree has forged several strong relationships with her students. “She’s very forthright with her opinions and openly shares her thoughts

on how she wants things in her class and around the school to be done, which I think fosters a bond of trust between her and her students,” senior Ethan Smith-Cohen said. Additionally, Ms. Azuree cares deeply for her students and always makes sure her students are doing okay. “She is a very easy person to talk to on the side. She spends some class in time everyday making sure everyone is well,” sophomore Danny Espejo said. “I enjoy the shared learning experience with my students. We develop a strong relationship as I help them discover the best way for them to learn,” Ms. Azuree said. Despite the difficult course material, Ms. Azuree’s classes are relatively relaxed, fostering a casual and comfortable atmosphere for learning. Students find that she strikes the perfect balance between teaching fast enough to avoid boredom and slow enough to avoid confusion. “I’d consider it pretty laid back, but not laid back to the point where you couldn’t learn anything; you can still retain a good amount of information,” Anyanwu said. Azuree’s unique, funny mnemonic devices to remember various chemistry topics have stuck with her students through the years. From the feeling of finally understanding the material to stuffed moles, Ms. Azuree and her students share many fond memories of their classes together. “She has this stuffed mole that she would carry around and she brandishes it at people if they’re being annoying,” Smith-Cohen said. This fittingly occurred when learning about the SI units, so the stuffed mole made a great impression on the students. “I have many wonderful memories of my students struggling and succeeding not in terms of grades but in terms of blossoming into the awesome adults I know they

“Ms. Azuree, you will be dearly missed. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your retirement.” - Joy Anyanwu will become,” Ms. Azuree said. Sadly, teaching is not always laughs and smiles. “I am frustrated by the 45 minute time frame, the industrial factory structure of teaching, the number of students growing in each class so much that it takes me two weeks to memorize all the names and faces,” Ms. Azuree said. “I’m frustrated that the people who complain the most about teachers–parents and politicians– haven’t a clue what it takes to teach well.” Aside from teaching science, Ms. Azuree also takes an active role in the RM community, sponsoring numerous clubs such as Chess Club, Queer Rights Club, Super Kitchen, and Molecular Gastronomy. Additionally, she owns a small business: a dance exercise company, located in Charles County. After she retires from teaching, Ms. Azuree hopes to continue running the business and expanding the classes there. Despite her busy schedule, Ms. Azuree has already planned out her retirement. Ms. Azuree has a variety of hobbies to balance out her professional life. “In my actual free time, I enjoy reading books, exploring my family history, cooking, listening to music and playing with my grandchildren. I also love movies and popcorn night,” she said.

“My spouse and I will move to our house on the Potomac River and begin to explore our new neighborhood in Nanjemoy,” she said. As many of her former students have noted, Ms. Azuree has excitedly mentioned her riverside house multiple times over the year. Her students even calculated its susceptibility to sinkholes in relation to their chemistry unit and were relieved to find that as long as Ms. Azuree did not overtax the water table, her house is not likely to be sucked in by a sinkhole. As the school year and her career as a teacher both come to an end, her students send their best wishes to the quirky and beloved teacher that will soon no longer stand at the front of the room. “Ms. Azuree, you will be dearly missed. I hope you fully enjoy your retirement,” Anyanwu said.

PHOTO BY NYAWA ALLIEU

Ms. Azuree gestures to her periodic table.

FEATURES

The Tide

school and what it stands for, like all the people in it and how accepting everyone by Nicole Yanakiev is. Just that love alone, probably makes me the most spirited,” Boateng said. Many high schoolers eagerly await the Throughout the year, there release of their senior yearbook to see their were many times in which glow up as well as the senior superlatives. his spirit shined. One This year, some of the titles may be memorable moment surprising and, others, expected. was when he Among the titles, senior Oheneba took initiative Boateng earned ‘most spirited,’ senior to assemble the Daniel Gelillo earned ‘most likely to become Boms team for the famous,’ and seniors Arno Babcock and winter season. Erich Kindermann earned ‘best bromance.’ “I was able to get As senior class president, Boms closer with the boys of participant, and Mr. RM candidate, it’s the senior class,” said no wonder that Boateng was voted most Boateng. spirited. From attending “Just being involved in the practices to performing, school, people get to see Boateng goes to great my face, so then they just lengths for spirit, the associated that with being wackiest of which was the most spirited,” wearing short shorts Boateng said. to school. “A lot of His positions my teachers didn’t and participation in like that, even Mrs. activities witnessed Kellinger and Mrs. by the entire student Furrow were skeptical body brought him the of what I was wearing,” he exposure he would need explained. to gain this superlative. Gelillo is most famous Boateng attributes his throughout RM for being the passionate spirit to his school’s head representative and fondness for the school as a organizer for the gun control whole. “I just love this GRAPHIC BY CAROLINE DINH protests in the past year.

by Julie Yeo

Rachel Li, Rachelieu

...

a better place, in whatever way I can do that,” Gelillo stated. The love Gelillo has for activism is only paralleled by the love in the bromance between Kindermann and Babcock. Although the two have known each other for only 10 years, Babcock considered those years to have been 19, one more than his current age of 18. “Every second I spend with him feels like I’ve spent about 1.9 seconds, since I enjoy his company so much,” Babcock said. “Not a day goes by without a thought of [Kindermann] crossing my mind,” Babcock said. “We seem to do everything together whether it’s taking two girls to prom together (as a foursome) or projecting our voices to stir up a frenzy in public locations,” Kindermann added. Their unbreakable bond paired with their crazy teenager behavior has given them a reputation across Richard Montgomery. High School. “We will always be known as RM’s finest savages,” Kindermann said.

Every so often, when you walk through the RM doors, a table full of freshly-printed, perfectly stacked papers greets you with bright colors and flashing headlines. They’ve appeared out of nowhere. And they continue to do so. Like clockwork. Who could possibly be responsible for this phenomenon? That’s right, the Tide Editors in Chief—Rachel, Isabelle, Alex, and Vlady. This group of four hard-working and dedicated individuals are the backbone of the editorial staff: managing, delegating, and working their magic behind the scenes the whole year. Now, it’s time to raise the curtain and get to know them face-to-face. Isabelle Zhou, La Belle

Q: Why did you decide to join the Tide? A: My interest in journalism started when I joined the China Press Junior Reporter Club. We flew to China where we wrote articles and visited cool places. Writing about our experiences was really powerful since most people didn’t get to experience these things. When I came to RM, The Tide was an easy way to continue that.

Alex Hu, DHuL-QARNAYN

Vlady Guttenberg, Sugar Vladdy

Q: Why did you decide to join the Tide? A: I started off by joining the Opinions section because I wanted to fight people in prose. I really liked Black & Gold, the idea of being able to publish something that was essentially a debate. Q: What have you learned from being on the Tide? A: A more critical lens in consuming news in general. When you’re writing a paper, you understand that a paper is a business and that there’s a hierarchy. You’re only so aware of this as a reader. You don’t really realize the extent to which media can be manipulated and compromised by human weaknesses that are, quite honestly, present in all of us.

Q: What do you do outside of the Tide? A: I’m the co-founder of the Chinese American Parent Association (CAPA) Junior Reporter Club, where we write news articles in both English and Chinese about CAPA events. Right now, we’re working on a documentary on the immigration story of elderly Chinese Americans and how they adjusted to the new culture here. Q: Any advice for underclassmen? A: Get really involved in social events at RM! In freshman year, I went to homecoming and stuff, but I wish I’d gone to more. While some people think of high school as just studying and getting good grades, you should really take advantage of social opportunities. You’ll want to look back and think you learned a lot but also had fun.

Unwilling to wait for someone else to begin protesting and deeply impacted by the shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School, he decided to take activism into his own hands. “This is a conversation that our country has avoided having, and it needs to be at the forefront of the American consciousness, so that’s why I continue to do what I do,” Gelillo said. Dedicated towards advocating stricter gun control ever since, he has been featured on news media, on channels like MSNBC, representing, and has represented himself and Richard Montgomery to the nation Through the media attention and school wide participation of the protests, his aid in organizing brought him to the forefront of the student body. Despite his political activism, Gelillo hopes to pursue a career in public service.“I think that my passion is helping make this country and the world

May 2018

Q: What have you learned from your experience on the Tide? A: The people skills from handling this massive organization. It’s about communicating with your people in order to encourage them to do their best to ensure about quality over quantity, which comes from the interactions between the editors, EICs and the writers. Q: Describe the other EICS? A: Alex is the quirky, eccentric one even though he’s very stoic in a sense. Vlady is the most passionate out of all of us, so when she has an opinion she HAS that opinion and clutches onto it. Rachel is the calm one who kind of keeps pace and always makes us keep track of time. And I can’t really describe myself, because I’m myself, and I don’t know what I am. Q: Any advice for future students? A: Don’t stress over too many things—it isn’t worth it. And as for the Tide, joining doesn’t necessarily mean you want to be a journalist, but rather that you want to be part of a community and better your writing. Anywhere you go, you’re gonna have to write. Everyone should try their hand at it.

Q: What are your plans for the future? A: I’m especially interested in economics because of how much they’ve quantified their propositions. But now, I’m rethinking that. One of economic’s mainstream critiques is that they’re dealing in abstractions that don’t really correspond to reality, but I think the most interesting work is happening in these intersections between different traditional academic categories.

Q: Why did you decide to join the Tide? A: In freshman year, I flaked on an article because I had drama club. Later I had a chance to start over in sophomore year with International because no one remembered my crime. I also had a chance to start the Style section which had tech and advice columns. It was my first time contributing something new to the Tide, and I liked how writers and editors were encouraged to develop new content. Q: What do you do outside of the Tide? A: I’ve been in drama since freshman year, and that’s either on stage, stage managing or directing in my sophomore year. I also ran finance for Model UN. Additionally, I have out of school activities like Russian school or my job— I work at Sushi Damo, the Japanese restaurant, as a bartender. Q: What are your future plans? A: I’m planning to study political science at McGill, in Montreal. I think that the International section is really what contributed to my interest in the research process and the significance of educating yourself before trying to inform other people.

May 2018

The Tide

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Sydney Greenspan Albright College Paul Baringanire Raquel Garrido American Academy of Dramatic Arts Calista Warren American University Sara Reilly Amherst College Peter Baird Adjeoda Tekpor Taylor Thomas University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Karen Kayijuka Bowie State University Skyler Bozeman Kura Mboge Brigham Young University Sophie Hagen Matthew Jensen Jeremy Jones University of British Columbia Nefret El-Masry Joachim El-Masry Brown University Zachary Bernstein Thomas Del Vecchio Bucknell University Jack Rose University of California, Berkeley Rachel Li Isabelle Zhou

Anya Weiss Columbia University Sabrina Guedes College of Charleston Evan Scheinberg University of Connecticut Ryan Grossman Cornell University Nicole Silver Davidson College Caroline Coffey Duke University Katie Cobb Irene Park Evelyn Sturrock Ami Wong Emory University Heather Konan Andrew Spencer Georgetown University Jonathan Huang George Mason University Nadia Yanev George Washington University Deedee Yan Gettysburg College Emma Thoms Harvard University Tadhg Larabee Albert Zhang Haverford College Rosie Silvers High Point University Spencer Silverstein

Manchester, United Kingdom Atharva Torne Marquette University Henry Licht University of Maryland, Baltimore County Sana Behdin Serge Katchekpele Victoria Seo Moon Skillin Maria Vicente Chamini Welikala University of Maryland, College Park Lauren Bolger Nina Brener Willem Brown Lauren Bushey Jenny Chen Judy Choi Emily Conway Ashley Eisenberg Lena Franklin Simon Gershunskiy Shoham Ghosh Andrew Green Kunal Harmalkar Samantha Heidler Rachel Herman Ayanna Hill Adam Howlett Darian Irannejad Tejas Jayaram Lily Jin Michael Keung Lizzie Kinnard Judah Levy Jack Liang Julian Li Jonathan Lin Elvin Liu John Luo Andrew Mao Tran Nguyen Matthew Pease

University of California, Davis Erika Brown Isabella Loomis Howard

Clarkson University Jack Meuse

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Rachel Lebedinsky

University of South Carolina Stella Masucci

Montgomery College Nathalia Cardona Nadia Jurado Caleb Kebede Jose Paniagua Emely Santos Juan Sosa

University of Southern California Lucia Jiang

Mount St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University Paula Baringanire

Stetson University Victoria Crawford Julia Finver

University of New Haven Lexi Dorotinsky

St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College of Maryland Gracie Balzar Rodion Ginsberg Spencer Woehrle

New Jersey Institute of Technology Gagliardi Dominic University of New Mexico Ryla Cantergiani New York University Fatmata Barrie Yohanna Daniel Chloe Eoyang Josh Levy Max Tiefer New York University Abu Dhabi Ian McBain University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Oheneba Boateng Alexandra Mao

University of Pennsylvania Liza Brover Alex Scott Grace Wu

Carnegie Mellon University Sue Lee Steven Lu Christina You GRAPHIC BY KATIE ZENG

Howard University Jude Jones Ashly Lemos-Toro Ithaca College Meaghan Davis

Clemson University Casey Mittl

Johns Hopkins University Shiri Kalai Julia Wang

Colby College Ashley Weaver

Liberty University Veronica Gutierrez

University of Colorado, Boulder Alexander Feldmann Chloe Sherman

Macalester College Aram Kavoossi The University of

Rachel Perry Naveen Raman Erin Ramos Angel Ramos Ccancce Hirmand Saleh Malika Samat Jennifer Saratis Riley Sosin Matthew Tu Vivek Uppoor Alythia Vo Sophia Vu Vivian Yeh Andrew Yi Xinhai Yu Arlene Zheng Emily Zhou

Simon Fraser University Nicholas Radonic Slippery Rock University Alexander Caprara

The Ohio State University Irene Guggenheim-Triana Sierra Longest

University of California, Santa Barbara Rachel Pollock

Scripps College Natalie Chartove Kate McHale

McGill University Vlady Guttenberg

Nova Southeastern University Mackenzie Henriques Kai Henriques

University of California, San Diego Anna Mothersole

University of Chicago Peter Jasperse Samantha Koretsky

McDaniel College Elva Joya Alina Philip

Northwestern University Mady Corrigan Alisa Gao

University of California, Los Angeles Theo Chen Joey Tang

Catholic University of America Frederick Chang

Kira Zhovnirovskii Santiago Zegarra

University of Pittsburgh Nitin Bandi Katya Morsli Kathryn Schuck Pomona College Magali Ngouabou Princeton University Jason Hong Cindy Song Purdue University Sokhna Sall Katie Serway Rice University Charlotte Hirsch

Stanford University Grace Wang Kyle Zhu

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May 2018

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Dual mysteries come to life on stage by Grace Burwell RM’s drama club, the Black Maskers, produces multiple successful student performances each year and continues to be a major source of community enthusiasm. This past spring, RM presented two mystery-comedy plays in one night: “The Real Inspector Hound” and “Murder in Black and White.” The first play, “The Real Inspector Hound,” features two theater critics watching a whodunit drama. “As the story progresses, the critics slowly become part of the play,” said senior Calista Warren, who plays Cynthia. The cast and crew spent weeks putting together props, lighting, sound effects, costumes, makeup, and of course, the actual acting. Rehearsals sometimes lasted from the end of the school day until nearly

ten o’clock at night. What sets this play apart is their unique audience involvement. “Inspector Hound is a lot of fun for the audience. There’s a lot of active members in [the play], which I think is what makes it succeed,” Yang said. The week before opening night, cast and crew members rehearse for seven hours in what is called Tech Week. They fine-tune to ensure a smooth show. “In tech week, it’s about getting the sound effects and the lighting and the costumes and all of the technical effects and elements to work with the actors so it’s all seamless,” junior Cassie Hartmann, who plays Felicity, said. “Tech week is always really stressful,” added junior Grant Yang, who plays Birdboot. The second play, “Murder in Black and White,” revolves around the death of an audience member, Ann White. Three other audience members who share the same name as the murdered victim must try to help solve the crime and discover who was

PHOTO BY USAMA ABDELKARIM

Junior Nick Leiva and senior Calista Warren play lovers in “The Real Inspector Hound.”

the true intended victim, and who was the murderer. “Murder in Black and White” also includes sections of improv with input from the audience, who can question and interrogate the characters. “You’re given all these clues, and the audience is able to go up to [the cast] and

“The crew members really enjoy trying to make us break character.” - Alex Shawn ask them questions,” freshman Isabelle Bohorquez-Stevenson, who plays one of the Ann Whites, said. “I think they’ll also be very interested in trying to find out who did it,” she said. “We’ve run the interactive parts with some of the crew members and they really enjoy trying to make us break character,” senior Alex Shawn said. The actors prepared for their roles in different ways. “I drag a lot of bodies offstage, I tackle people, I climb around all over the stage,” Shawn said. “A lot of preparation for my role was finding new ways to use my space.” Shawn reflected on her time at RM, specifically in Black Maskers. “I’ve been a part of every show since freshman year,” she said. In “Murder in Black and White,” Shawn played the role of Mary Kate, a frazzled stage manager. “The drama club was the first club I joined when I came to RM. It has a place in my heart.” The Black Maskers’ yearly productions not only involve carefully-chosen plays or musicals expected to delight the audience, but also involve time and dedication from their cast and crew. “At the show night, you get to see everyone’s hard work come together,” Hartmann said. After another round of hard work by the cast and crew, the RM Black Maskers put on a successful and engaging final show.

“Love, Simon” comes out of the closet by Kayden Fu At the surface, “Love, Simon” may seem like another cliche teen romance film, with its upbeat music and high school setting. However, its focus on the coming-out experience moves the film beyond the seats of the theater and signifies a major change in Hollywood. The film’s plot surrounds Simon Spier, a high schooler trying to find his own love story. Identifying as homosexual had been the biggest secret in Simon’s perfect life until one day he finds a post by Blue. Anonymously posting under the name Blue, a peer confesses his homosexuality online. Simon begins to have intimate online conversations with Blue, until Martin finds his way into Simon’s account and begins to blackmail him. Confused and afraid of being outed by Martin, Simon reluctantly helps Martin and in the process, betrays his closest friends. Despite his efforts, Simon’s secret gets leaked, and he is devastated but still looking for acceptance and love. For sophomore Samantha Brown, the most moving scene was when Simon first walked back into school after he had been outed. “I really can’t imagine being so ostracized and being put on display for something so personal. I feel like nobody should have to be judged by that ever, but the way that everyone was staring at him made me start crying,” Brown said. Likewise, many RM students don’t feel the same threatening atmosphere in the movie. “The bullies focus on publicly mocking the ones who are out for their sexual orientation. This is definitely

something I couldn’t imagine happening at RM, or at least without the bullies escaping from being ostracized and stopped almost immediately,” senior Ami Wong said. “That’s part of the privilege that we have all experienced in living where we do and going to school where we do, because something like someone coming out would probably not be as shocking to us,” Brown added. Though some criticize the cliche aspects of the film, others appreciate how normal the movie seems. “Something that I saw in many of the reviews is that people were complaining about it being like a John Hughes movie for gay people, but you know, that’s kind of a nice thing,” sophomore Corinne Foley said, referencing the director behind iconic teenage films like “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” “This movie definitely plays on the high

school movie tropes any movie watcher is familiar with to help show you can fit a non-straight relationship into the equation. The classic formulas to the nature of movies aren’t necessary to succeed,” junior Siobhan Light said. From the outside, Simon looks like any other boy in school, disregarding the push for a visual “norm” of queer people. “I liked that Simon was like a normal dude ‘cause it normalizes the LGBT movement, which I think is great,” senior Steven Lu said. Freshman Da-Young Kim agreed, saying, “I think having a ‘non-stereotypical’ guy be gay is making the gay character in movies more realistic. I think that it did a good job of showing that the gay community has many different faces, from boy next door to feminine to party boy.” From its push for greater diversity on the big screen to its feel-good vibe, “Love, Simon” is a must-see for people of all ages.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB

Simon Spier gives a thumbs-up as he sits on a ferris wheel in 2018 movie “Love, Simon.”

May 2018

Fortnite tilts players by Tudor Postolache Online battle royale, free for all games have recently captured the attention of hundreds of gamers. Popularized through streaming services like YouTube and Twitch, the demand for this format of gameplay has spread far and quickly. One particular game, Fortnite, has grown exponentially in its popularity and success, setting it apart from the rest. On July 25, 2017, Epic Games’ Fortnite received an eruption of attention. Despite other competing games such as Player Unknown Battlegrounds, Fortnite currently sits as the highest played battle royale online games for PC gamers. According to PC Games News, Fortnite takes up 16.3 percent of gamers’ attention around the world, which is more than half of the attention given to all games in its genre. The game is no less popular at RM, where students share and spread their love for the game with their friends at school. “Well, everyone is playing it,” sophomore Matt Gu said. “My friends were talking about it, so I was like, let me try it and I played and I enjoyed the gameplay,” junior Mark Ubie added. One of the many factors accounting for Fortnite’s success is how Fortnite’s popular Battle Royale Mode is free to play, offering extensive accessibility for all gamers, including the students of RM. Instead of imposing high prices, Epic Games earns money from what customers want to spend. What has also seemed to entice gamers like Ubie into Fortnite’s unique battlefield is its stylized lense. Gamers such as sophomore Rishi Cruz particularly enjoy the game’s light-hearted energy. “Fortnite is just more visually appealing compared to other BR games like Player Unknown Battlegrounds, because it’s really bright and colorful.” Fortnite’s bright visuals present an exciting experience in which gamers, both hardcore and causal, can find equally challenging matches. Overall, most of Fortnite’s popularity must be attributed to Epic Games’ efforts in ensuring that Fortnite continually brings in new gamers. Interestingly, their method of accomplishing this is utilizing the advantages of streaming media. “I always saw the YouTubers I’m subscribed to making videos about it,” Cruz said. Online streaming sites have been critical in increasing the amount of recognition of Fortnite’s brand. Epic Games has found that websites such as YouTube and Twitch are locations of great attention. YouTube, the popular video platform owned by Google, possesses its own subcommunity of “Let’s Play” creators and gaming audiences. Twitch, on the other hand, is a streaming website dedicated to broadcasting live videos from gamers. Twitch is also unique in that live-streamers earn money based on their subscriber count. Twitch gamer Tyler “Ninja” Belvin set a record playing Fortnite on March 14 when musician Drake popped onto the stream to play Fortnite with him. This session gained Ninja 50,000 subscribers, bumping him up to 130,000 in total, which means that Ninja earns $350,000 per year. This event proved to be a benchmark for gaming and online culture alike, while attracting mass attention to Fortnite. Walking down the halls of RM, there is always a chance of hearing Fortnite being discussed among friends. Fortnite’s popularity may not last forever, but the massive support that it has accumulated ensures that it is not losing steam anytime soon.

ARTS

The Tide

May 2018

Improv actors go on trial Review of “A Quiet Place” by C. Lai

The spring play“Murder in Black and White” ran alongside another murder mystery, “The Real Inspector Hound.” However, unlike its counterpart, “Murder in Black and White” connected to the audience and relied on improvisation. “We cast them based on improvise ability and have a lot of actors with experience, so they already can improvise without breaking character,” senior and assistant director Sara Reilly said. “By incorporating the aisles, lobby, and hallways into the blocking, we really give the audience a dynamic show full of surprises.” Reilly and her co-assistant director, senior Kit Flaherty, brought the show to life. “Rehearsals are a little complicated with trying to utilize the whole auditorium while crews were working simultaneously, but it helped our actors to be prepared for a wide variety of situations and hold their own even when not in a standard environment.” This training helped prepare them for the actual stage. When the actors for the show begin improvising in the lobby and interacting with the audience, it is already clear that their viewers are in for a treat. For both seasoned and new actors alike, the experience was both exciting and nerve-wracking. “It forces you to stay more engaged in the scene when you’re acting and indirectly prepares you for when things go wrong,” senior Ayanna Hill said. “It was a bit intimidating, though, as our show has improvisational interview

PHOTO BY USAMA ABDELKARIM

Students improvise in the second show.

portions and while we simulated those in practice it’s still very daunting in actuality because you can’t prepare for everything,” she added.

“I love the freedom I’ve been given for developing my character.” - Jack Orcev “It is a very new experience for me, but actually very exciting,” freshman Jack Orcev said. “Doing improv gives an actor such a wide range of possibilities and I love the freedom I’ve been given for developing my character. The most important part is to never do too much planning for improv because it ruins the rhythm of the performance.” For some, the show is not only fun and games, but also their last performance with this cast and crew before they leave. “I’m really heartbroken because this year in particular, I’ve made friends with a number of underclassmen. I’ve loved every hour spent in Drama club. It’s become a second home to me and allowed me to fulfill the passion I have for performance.” Despite all that, new members of the club are getting ready to take their new positions. “For my first show at RM, I can look back and say that not one rehearsal has ever failed to make me excited or just so happy to be involved,” Orcev said. “Murder in Black and White” is a playful and engaging show, perfect for new members and as a final send off to drama’s oldest ones, many who have been working passionately and tirelessly to make the show possible. Seeing them working on and off stage are the best moments to see them shine, and their creation is one that co-director Reilly holds with a lot of pride. “I hope everyone enjoys the show and gets to fully immerse themselves in the laughs and the countless surprises our creation has to offer!” Reilly said.

by Ananya Krishnan 2018 has brought an onslaught of popular romance and action films from “Love, Simon” to “Black Panther.” In the midst of this trend, director John Krasinski has brought the horror genre back to the forefront with the new critically acclaimed film “A Quiet Place.” The film stars Krasinski as Lee and Emily Blunt as Evelyn, parents living with their children in a futuristic world where aliens hunt humans using their acute sense of sound. Their family must stay silent or risk getting killed by the aliens. Lee, Evelyn and their children struggle to both stay quiet and retain a sense of normalcy in their lives. Even playing a board game or stepping outside is a terrifying ordeal.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMBD

Evelyn must stay quiet while giving birth. With a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.1/10 on IMDb, and a 3.5/4 rating on Roger Ebert, it is safe to say that “A Quiet Place” is one of the most successful horror movies released in years. A large reason behind the film’s commercial and critical success is its union

between the horror and family genre. While the movie is categorized as horror, it is also a touching film about family and features everyday familial conflict. In fact, when promoting his film, Krasinski noted that “I’m not making a scary movie. I’m making a movie about a family.” Critics consider the film an introduction into a new genre of horror which is more plot-dependent and thought provoking than past horror films. The audience becomes much more invested in the characters than in other horror movies where there is a disconnect between the audience and the characters on screen. In “A Quiet Place,” Krasinski deals with the social issues of parenting, disability, and sacrifice. Their daughter, Regan, is a deaf character played by deaf actress Millicent Simmonds. Regan’s disability is crucial in resolving the crisis in the film. The film follows in the footsteps of recent horror movies that have used their platforms to spread important social messages while entertaining the audience. “‘A Quiet Place,’ as well as other successful horror films such as ‘Get Out’ or ‘It Follows’, all provide insightful commentary on a specific aspect of modern day culture that allows us to achieve a greater understanding of the world around us,” junior Matt Kolodner said. Along with the plot, the film is visually stunning. Detailed graphic portrayals of the aliens and a unique portrayal of the future dystopian world make it clear that every scenario has been extensively deliberated Sound characterizes the entire film, as the characters must learn to communicate through sign language and light signals. The absence of sound in the film allows the reader to experience the visual aspects more deeply, and the few lines of dialogue in the film become much more meaningful. “After watching the film, I was able to appreciate our use of sound more. I was almost afraid to talk when I left the theater,” junior Vivian Yuan said. The film’s powerful message about family, stunning cinematography, thrilling plot, and creative use of sound make it a must-watch for not only horror fans, but also those interested in a cinematic masterpiece.

Teacher Advice Column: Graduation and College moment. Also, go see your professors and talk to them right away to establish a good relationship with them so that you will get the benefit of the doubt on certain things.

compiled by Jenny Chen

What will you miss most about this school year?

What are some of your best memories you made in college?

Mrs. McDonald-Nestor: Not having the students that I teach now in my classes because I love them dearly. I was sad when the semester changed, it was like my babies have moved on to somebody else. Every year I’m sad—I feel like I form relationships with my students, so every time they leave me there’s a little bit of sadness there. Mr. Letourneau: I’ll miss the students. That’s the best part of it. I don’t like the work. I like the work okay but I’m certainly not going to miss it. PHOTO BY ADDELE HARGENRADER

Mrs. McDonald-Nestor shares her thoughts on literature and happiness.

What advice do you have for this year’s graduating class as they head off to college?

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE ZHU

Mr. McDermott says, “It’s crunch time.”

Mr. McDermott: Work really hard. College is not free. It’s a time to really become extremely intense and serious, because a career is at stake. Have fun but don’t play around. It’s college, it’s crunch time. If you screw around, that day is over, you’re in college now. Money is at stake. Now that being said, I think that a lot of time the success of college is the acclimatization in the social life too. I wouldn’t be a hermit and hold off and not get involved with the people, because you can do that and excel academically but you might be very miserable and unhappy. Mr. Letourneau: Be proactive when you’re working and make the most of every

Mr. McDermott: I really liked when I worked really hard on a project and then we had a critique and got to show our work in front of our peers and get feedback. I like that competition. You know, I went to an art school where it was product driven, and I really liked that. Mrs. McDonald-Nestor: It would probably be the discussions I had in English class. Discussing literature is one of my favorite things to do, so I have a lot of great memories of intense intellectual discussions. Also, philosophy class. I took a lot of philosophy classes and those tend to be really interesting and intense. Mr. Beyaregaw: Having good friends, which is a challenge in college normally, but you would have really good lifetime friends. Also you’ll learn differently, not in high school where they give you a lot of challenges. It makes you strong, you become strong.

You don’t want to blow 10k and blow out the first semester. There’s a big jump between high school and college, and a lot of people get freedom and get into college and they blow it. If you’re not ready, I mean, take a year off, take three years off, join the military, go do the Peace Corps or something. Go work hard and find out the value of a dollar. Mrs. McDonald-Nestor: Find something that makes you happy and make sure that’s sprinkled throughout your week so that you’re not so incredibly stressed about classes, and also moderation. Mr. Beyaregaw: They have to be strong. Focus on their education and they have to work hard to win scholarships, get the best grades, and follow their dreams. They have to ask themselves inside what they need, that’s the question they have to answer. If they know what they need, they know where to go [for college]. That’s my belief that strongly that they have to know what they want to be so they can easily pick the school that’s appropriate for them.

The upcoming seniors must be nervous and uncertain for next year. What advice do you have for them? Mr. McDermott: Try to revel in the experience. You’re a senior now and at the end of your high school career. I would’ve done it twice if I could have… I loved high school. Live deeply. Exalt in it. Great time to be alive, be young. Don’t get bogged down by any problems or angst, be carefree and enjoy it. If you’re college ready then go on, but if you’re not, consider other options.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE ZHU

Mr. Letourneau: “Go see your professors.”

ARTS

The Tide

May 2018

Vivian Yeh makes the world her canvas with her art by Helena Yang RM is home to an incredible variety of artistic communities—be it art, writing, music or drama. Of the many talented individuals that excel within each, there is arguably no one who has been as impacted by, or has given as much back to these communities, as senior Vivian Yeh. Yeh is well known for her involvement in various art-related activities and events as an IB Art student, graphics editor for the Tide, and president of the National Art Honor Society. Art has been a central part of Yeh’s life for nearly her entire life. As a child, she watched her mother paint with watercolors. Inspired, Yeh began lessons at a local art studio. “I was really shy, so I mainly liked drawing art with colored pencils,” Yeh recalled. “It wasn’t really defined, but it was a fun way to express myself.” Yeh’s interest in art continued into high

PHOTO COURTESY OF VIVIAN YEH

Senior Vivian Yeh utilizes her artistic talents to lead, teach and beautify RM.

school with classes like Drawing and Design, Digital Art, and Art and Culture. These classes introduced different artistic mediums to Yeh and expanded her technical and imaginative skills. The openended, creative outlets that these courses offered led her to enroll in art classes for all four years.

“I was able to see at RM

how art can be applied in a professional setting. I think I just don’t want to lose touch with that creativity.” - Vivian Yeh “I think maybe from when I was a child, I wanted to be an artist when I grew up,” Yeh said. “Over the years, that kind of changed, but then I was able to see at RM how art can be applied in a professional setting. I think I just don’t want to lose touch with that creativity.” A leading artist among RM students, Yeh is currently the president of RM’s National Art Honor Society, which provides students with competitive opportunities in both state and national levels. “She runs pretty much all ongoings of the club itself,” art teacher and NAHS sponsor Mrs. Stanton explained. As president of NAHS, Yeh organizes art-related events within the school, such as collating the main office art exhibition. “I encourage [students] to submit their work because I like how it inspires people,” Yeh said. “Especially with lower grade level students, they’re worried a lot of the time that their art isn’t good enough to be on public display. It’s just nice to see how art can be seen and complimented by a lot of staff and visitors.” Yeh also fixes and paints new murals

throughout RM. When staff members request murals, members of NAHS usually step up to the challenge. “This year, it’s been great because we only recently started it, but we’re doing a mural in Mr. Beach’s room,” Yeh explained. “The people who staff the spirit shack also reached out to us, so we’re doing a couple there as well.” Yeh has also been able to apply her art skills to communities outside NAHS. She has worked as both a writer and a graphics artist for the Tide in the past and was the Tide’s graphics editor. Yeh is also involved in the International Thespian Society as a set decoration chief for shows and plays. While Yeh might make it look easy, being both an artist and student is extremely difficult. Rigorous schoolwork matched with creating art for her classes can be quite stressful. “I think the thing is a lot of us fall into this lull of making art and having fun with it, but there are a lot of projects people don’t expect us to do in art,” Yeh explained. “The hard part is balancing the academics side with the art side. We have assignments

PHOTO COURTESY OF VIVIAN YEH

Yeh’s oil on canvas piece is “Fly High.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF VIVIAN YEH

“The Pruning” is Yeh’s acrylic on board. due every two weeks. You just have to come up with ideas and even if you don’t like them, you have to run with them and fix them over time.” In the end, however, Yeh has managed to balance her work while contributing a great deal to RM. “She’s done a lot of workshops with the various students, and they all kind of have built a community because of the work she’s done,” Mrs. Stanton added. “She comes in and has a good understanding of what she’s going to to do it. It’s infectious to those around her.” After she graduates, Yeh plans to continue pursuing her passion for art. “I’m not sure exactly what I want to do, but I’m leaning towards graphic design because it encompasses the same type of creativity you would do in any art field,” Yeh said. “Whatever job I do when I grow up, I want to have some sort of creative input in what I do.” Yeh has left lasting marks on RM through her leadership in NAHS, organization of art events, and through her artwork and murals that students will see for years to come.

THE TIDE CROSSWORD: EXAM SEASON SPECIAL Across: 1. ‘Apocalypse Now’ setting, informally 4. Part of GPA 7. Inflate, as a basketball 12. Topic in the WSJ, maybe 13. Gen-___ 14. WWII acronym meaning chaotic state 15. Only able to close both lids to? 18. Mock (at) 19. ___ Tea Latte (spicy Starbucks order) 20. Agcy. always watching you, in a meme 23. Darrow or Obama, once 26. Of or relating to the nostrils 29. Battery size in some calculators 30. Hurried look 31. Financial service group accompanying Homeric temptresses? 35. Standard for databases developed by ODMG 37. ___ anglais: English horn 38. “Shoo!” 39. Tripping in the woods without attempting to lessen the impact? 46. Indicate, signify 47. Loc. of Karachi 48. Very skilled people 49. Dignified style, refinement 53. “___ queen!” (catchphrase on “Broad City”) 54. Northeast syst. with 64 campuses, including one in Buffalo 56. A browser filter may block it 57. Like students in AP/IB season, or the answers for 15-Across, 31-Across, and 39-Across 62. Spiral-horned antelope found in the Serengeti 63. Gehrig of ice bucket fame 64. “Te ___”: Rihanna song 65. Mi ___ : “I’m sorry” in Pisa 66. Katherine seen in the Chemistry hallway 67. At all times, in poetry Down: 1. Assassin from Osaka, perhaps 2. “I’m __ and don’t even know it” 3. Short piece of sacred choral music

4. Weapon seen before hearing “Here’s Johnny!” 5. Dik-dik or duck doc 6. Meal opener, sometimes 7. Bridge between the Arctic and Indian Oceans 8. There are nine for a National 9. McDonald’s founder’s monogram 10. Ship that would surprise SETI 11. Where to find an Auk embryo 16. Express pain, perhaps 17. “13 Reasons ___” (Netflix series) 21. Blemish hidden easily by most shirts, to the relief of many high-schoolers 22. It is, to Pierre 24. “Maple Leaf ___” (Scott Joplin tune) 25. Opposite of “Yeah!” 27. Mahershala or Muhammad 28. Scarcity, abbr. 31. Maladies, such as malaria or meningitis 32. Here in Nice 33. Most useless or useful class, depending on who you’re asking 34. Charlemagne’s domain, abbr. 35. At the break ___ 36. An end to terrorism? 40. Chop (off) 41. World’s largest telecommunications co., a fact probably held over its rival Verizon 42. Reduces, subsides 43. Imitate mindlessly 44. Scapegoat of many video game players 45. Relative of the giraffe living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 49. ___ it all: commit suicide? 50. Scottish geologist Sir Charles who influenced Charles Darwin 51. ___ brulee (dish often served in a ramekin) 52. Forest moon of the Ewoks 55. Prom hairstyle, maybe 58. Letters ending a business name 59. ___ de toilette (light fragrance) 60. Snack food at a luau 61. You cannot do this and keep both feet on the ground

A Note from the Creator:

ZZZzzzz.. Oh hey! It’s Grant, your new Tide crossword constructor. Because I’ve been so 57-Across with the AP and IB tests (relatable, I know), I decided to dedicate this one to you guys who are doing this crossword instead of paying attention in class. Making crosswords is hard, guys! Originally, I was going to have 5 themers but nothing was fitting so I knocked it down to 4, but it still doesn’t fit quite right. It’s not the best design, but who has time for the best when you’re trying to just barely slide past on all your exams? It’s been a great learning experience, and I plan on making many interesting

and fun crosswords in the future for you guys, the faithful RM Tide readers and cruciverbalists (yes, I Googled that word). I’d like to shout out Mr. Koenig and his endless supply of crosswords and crossword experience, Katie and Ami for guiding me through this process, and Matt Gaffney whose crosswords inspired this puzzle’s theme. If you guys have any ideas for future crosswords or want to give feedback, please find me and talk to me, or just email the Tide; I love people who are as into crosswords as me. Thanks for solving, and good luck on your exams!

~ Grant Yang

The Tide

SPORTS

May 2018

Athletes juggle sports and APs Summer exercisin’ by Jack Yang The spring sports season is in full swing, and for the participating student athletes, it is harder than ever to manage their time and fulfill their academic responsibilities. As AP and IB exams are rapidly approaching, student athletes have to prepare to step up their game, both on and off the field. “April to the beginning of May is a hectic time, especially for those in spring sports,” said junior Matthew Kolodner of the boys varsity tennis team. “Everyone needs to study for the exams, but for us players, we have to be able to manage our time extremely well. With daily practices and frequent matches, we’re not left with too much time for studying.” Student athletes are even specifically told that playing a school sport requires a lot of dedication and that it is their duty to balance their academics with their athletics. “I personally am taking seven AP exams this year, and I have to self study for some of them,” Kolodner said. “Despite that, I think that I accepted this when signing up for tennis, but I’m pretty happy about my choices. I get the best of both worlds, academic and athletic, you know. I think my time management has actually gotten better because of my choice to play tennis at school.” It may seem like a herculean task, trying to juggle between school sports and exam study, especially for those new to high school athletics, but to many athletes, it’s just become another

part of their season. “Spring huge time commitment, there’s not too much to do outside of the sports and AP and IB exams practices and meets. It just always coincide with takes some serious time each other,” said management skills senior Julian Li, a to be able to do member of the boys well on all your varsity volleyball exams as well as team. “Honestly, your sport.” you just kinda get Surp risingly, used to it after a most spring sports few years. It actually end before may seem a the tests actually bit scary for take place. “I think a freshman tennis is one of the getting into only sports that goes sports, but up until mid-May,” said you’ll find a Kolodner. way.” “We have counties, As many athletes which is basically where have realized, we compete with the regardless of people that play our same season, time position from across management the county. They’re and a good arguably the most work ethic are important matches of keys to success our season, and they for balancing take place right in academics and athletics, the middle of the AP especially during the AP testing dates.” season. However, for S o p h o m o r e GRAPHIC BY CAROLINE DINH most athletes, Sresth Viswanathan ,a member of the outdoor track not even the added pressure of team, said: “I think the bulk of AP season can dampen their the stress that comes with AP enthusiasm and dedication to exams is the studying part. The sports. “Sure, you can be tired after test weeks themselves aren’t the worst part of the AP season. The taking some tests, but ultimately real stress comes with the review it doesn’t impact your playing as weeks, especially those in class, much as people would think. The and that part is in the middle of big part of studying is already over, so you really don’t have to our season.” “I think most of my classmates, worry about much, and you can including me, started studying focus on playing your hardest,” for my tests from spring break, Kolodner said. Despite the pressure of exams, so I think we’ll be prepared when the time comes,” Viswanathan ultimately, nothing is able to continued. “The nice thing about overcome the passion that student track is that even though it’s a athletes possess for their sport.

by Eli Protas As the school year draws to a close, athletes’ minds are set on summer activities to return next year as stronger competitors. Though playing a sport for RM is already a large commitment, many athletes also turn to external summer programs to help their abilities as a player. Though most high school sport teams focus training almost exclusively in the school year, some teams use summer training programs to build a greater sense of community prior to actual competitions. In programs such as the POMs summer camp, athletes work on teamwork skills that will become imperative during the school year. “You really feel like a family, and that gets developed throughout the summer,” junior Katya Beltran said. In the cases of POMs and other team sports, unity within a team is as important as individual performance. Serious competitors in football and other prominent sports train consistently in the offseason or join another team to preserve their abilities. The Miami Dolphins, for example, are currently in the second phase of their voluntary offseason training program, which incorporates field workouts and individual player instruction. Some use summer as a useful time to develop team unity, though others view it as a time to refine abilities on a personal level. These players use the summer to participate in more rigorous training schedules

and competitions. Sophomore Jorge Mendoza said: “It’s more serious. School is just a lot of joking around.” This reflection on his summer team resonates with many who consider summer to be their most serious time for improvement. On the other hand, different student-athletes find a more focused and rigorous environment in the school setting, where they are pressured by personal and team expectations to succeed. Sophomore tennis player Max Deng said, “I personally prefer playing at school because it’s competitive and most of the time it helps you improve.” Friendship and familiarity within a team generate support during a season, but may ultimately detract from a player’s focus. The difference between summer and school team environments is often subjective, with the most dedicated workers training individually during both periods with a focus on athleticism. On a personal level, training basic physical capabilities is often easier and more convenient than working on specific game technique. Despite the ability to train all year, many athletes only have the time or motivation to do so during the summer. Mendoza said, “I do mostly team stuff but of course I like to go running.” The summer, viewed by athletes with varying levels of importance, provides a period of time that many will take advantage of to improve both personal and team playing. Next fall season, the dedication of these players will be rewarded as they return to RM.

Ashmead strives to emulate Fahrner’s success by Eileen Zhang In the past few years, under the leadership and guidance of Coach John Fahrner, the boys and girls varsity tennis teams have made their way up to division one, consistently vying for top spots at counties and states. This season, Mr. Fahrner has decided to step down, handing over the reins to Coach Michael Ashmead. Despite being new to MCPS, Coach Ashmead is no stranger to tennis, and he hopes to use his expertise to build upon the team’s already storied legacy. Previously acting as the tennis coach at Atholton High School in Howard County for six years, Coach Ashmead has always known success, leading his teams to multiple top finishes at regional and state level competitions. “One thing I’m excited to do is to carry over my knowledge and experience from Atholton and help RM do well at counties,” he remarked. Specifically, Ashmead wants to focus on improving the technique and fitness of his new players. One of the biggest faults he noticed in the team was their lack of finesse and strategy when playing. “The team is using more skill sets at practice than challenge matches,” Ashmead

said. “The skill sets improve the performance of the tennis players. It is also a stamina builder in terms of condition.” This meticulous attention to the details and fundamentals of the game has not gone unnoticed by the players. “With a new coach,” senior captain Oheneba Boateng noted, “he goes a step further back to make sure our fundamentals are solid before matchplay.” Although he is continuing

PHOTO BY ORRIN NI

Ashmead is the boys tennis coach. his old techniques that have yielded consistent results, Coach Ashmead is also looking to adjust

himself to fit his new team’s specific needs. Many of last year’s athletes have returned to the team this year to find these big changes, but all agree that both coaches possess a very similar underlying style and charisma. “[Fahrner and Ashmead] have very similar coaching styles to one another. They both emphasize the importance of strategy and a level head during a match, but most importantly, the team spirit,” senior Arno Babcock commented. Babcock first joined the tennis team his freshman year, where he was taken in by Coach Fahrner and taught the ins and outs of high school tennis. Babcock returned to the team this year, just in time to train under Ashmead. In addition to having similar styles of coaching, Coach Ashmead also emulates Mr. Fahrner in his emphasis on team encouragement during games. Babcock added, “Both coaches have put a great importance on supporting your teammates during close points and matches as well as being there for each other when a point or match may not have gone our way.” However, Coach Ashmead’s main concerns are not focused on reforming the experienced players, but rather helping the new players, many of whom have never played high school

tennis before, adjust to the team. “I know that high school can be a transition for kids,” he said, “but I want to make sure that they feel just as welcome on the team as the returning players.” Despite this, he is expecting

“This may be the year to win it all.” - Oheneba Boateng a lot from this team and is holding all of the boys to an equal standard, regardless of age or experience. “Coach has been really good about the newer, inexperienced players,” freshman Danny Losada explained, “He treats us the same, which is kind of nice and refreshing.” Ashmead’s high standards, coupled with the team’s talent and potential, has inspired confidence in many of the players. Boateng explained, “This may be the year to win it all and win counties at my position. Our goal is to take down powerhouses like Churchill, Wootton, and Whitman to win the first division title.” Coach Ashmead also has very large expectations for what the boys will accomplish this year. He stated, “As a long term goal, I would like the players to advance

to the state level. Win or lose, it is an honor to be selected for the state championships.” With the team winning its first six games, taking down schools such as Walter Johnson, Blair, and Poolesville, this seemingly lofty goal may be close at hand, and many of the team’s senior members are looking to cap off their season and tenure as a Rocket athlete by advancing to states. Babcock said, “I just want to win this year. It’s my last, so I have to make it count.” Despite everyone’s high hopes, Coach Ashmead is not so much focused on the team’s results, as their efforts in working their hardest both on and off the courts. He stated, “I have a great group of athletes and I hope they continue to push themselves on the court and in life.” He wants the players to not only win matches, but to apply what they learn from tennis to their everyday life. With the team undergoing change among the players and coach alike, the struggle of the adjustment period is only natural. Yet in the face of these hardships, the undeniable talent of this year’s varsity tennis squad has still managed to shine through. Motivated by the high expectations of past legacies, Coach Ashmead and the boys are sure to impress this season.

20 The Tide

SPORTS

Athlete of the Issue

May 2018

Garrett Suhr brings speed and spirit to the track by Kyra Wisneski The average person cringes at the idea of going for a run. The average person shudders at the thought of willing their tired legs to go on. The average person finds no comfort in running. With Garret Suhr’s countless records and numerous titles, it is evident that the RM sophomore is not the average person. Suhr has already achieved great athletic success at the age of 16. He is a crucial member of Richard Montgomery’s cross country, indoor, and outdoor track teams. His track record speaks for itself: back-to-back county champion in the indoor mile, last year’s national indoor freshman mile champion, this year’s state champion in the indoor mile—the list goes on and on. Most recently, Suhr placed third at indoor nationals with a personal mile record of 4 minutes and 19 seconds. Suhr’s track career began in the gym of College Gardens Elementary School when he took the PACER test in the fourth grade and achieved an impressive score of 95, the maximum for the elementary PACER. Afterwards, two friends encouraged him to sign up for recreational track, and he hit the ground running by

making it to a national meet that same year. After an incredible first year, a club track team contacted Suhr to join the team. In his early track career, Suhr was a sprinter. As the years passed, he gradually upped the distance, finding huge success in the 800m and 1600m races. In the seventh grade, it was only natural for Suhr to continue upping the distance and join the Julius West Middle School cross country team. He was quickly proving himself a force to be reckoned with in the cross country world. The summer of his transition from middle to high school, Suhr gave up his club track team to train for cross country season at RM. After seeing his wins at every cross country meet and his multiple records set at Julius West, the RM cross country team eagerly anticipated Suhr’s arrival. Unfortunately, his longawaited debut at the Interstate Classic did not go as hoped. “I got absolutely destroyed,” Suhr said, “I had never lost that bad, and I was definitely not expecting that. It was a wake up call that I was in high school and needed to start putting in work.” Suhr used that failure to motivate himself. Now his regime for success centers around his incredible work ethic. “I try not to skip any runs, even if it

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WASHINGTON POST

Suhr (left) competes at the county indoor track and field championships.

is really cold, wet, and rainy or even snowy outside,” Suhr said, “I would not be nearly as fast as I am if I did not put in the work.” “He always does his workouts, he never skips practice, and always tries his best,” junior Mark Unger noted. In addition, the unwavering support of his coaches, teammates, and role models pushes Suhr to reach his full potential. “A lot of my success comes from the seniors that graduated last year, like Philip [Miljanic] and Rohann [Asfaw]. Plus, my teammate Mark [Unger], Coach Rogers, and Coach Warren,” Suhr said. Former RM student Rohann Asfaw had a particularly lasting impact on Suhr. Last year as a

freshman with high expectations to live up to, Suhr was a bundle of nerves, and Asfaw was a calm, constant source of encouragement for him. “He was a great leader, and always did the right thing,” Suhr said, “I’d like to be as cool and collected at the meets like he was, and set an example the way he did.” Suhr has an innate competitive sense and always aims to reach his full potential, which he channels through running. “I love to compete and to go against other people,” He explained, “It is all about the improvement and getting to where you want to be.” Suhr brings not only his speed but also his humorous

personality and positive attitude to RM’s cross country and track teams. “Running by itself is not that fun,” Suhr said, “I try my best to keep it as light-hearted as possible.” He added, “I throw some jokes around and mess around with Coach Rogers, while still getting the work done.” “Garrett makes the atmosphere very light-hearted. It’s always fun to be around Garrett,” commented sophomore Michael Thomas. “[His personality] is absolutely unique,” Unger added, “He brings the opposite of seriousness to the team and it is always a nice relaxer with him.” Suhr has lofty goals for the future, but has every intention of exceeding them. Regarding the rest of his high school career, Suhr has his eyes on additional state titles and hopes to run at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon, and New Balance Nationals in New Jersey. Even after high school, Suhr hopes to continue running. “I want to go to college on a running scholarship, compete, and hopefully do well,” he explained. From a young age, Garrett Suhr has possessed extraordinary talent that distinguished him from the competition. Suhr continues to use his speed, powerful work ethic, and his comedic personality to light up the RM cross country,

Richard Montgomery bids senior athletes farewell by Katie Spencer The talented senior athletes of Richard Montgomery have provided the school with four incredible years of hard work and dedication, creating a lasting legacy as they look ahead to their next destination. Although the transition to college life brings an abundance of new opportunities to branch out and explore different interests, many of RM’s athletes simply cannot part with the sports they have been playing throughout their lives. Most universities offer three different options for prospective student athletes. Varsity-level athletics are very competitive and time-consuming, and are reserved for top athletes. Collegiate varsity sports are categorized by division, Division I programs being more exclusive than Division II and Division III schools. Varsity athletes are constantly on the road, competing against other schools across the country. Although athletic scholarships are hard to come by, Richard Montgomery does have its share of committed senior recruits. Ryan Westpfahl will play field hockey at Virginia Wesleyan University, Jack Rose will swim at Bucknell University, Grace Lawler will play soccer at Montgomery College, and Yngara Pehoua-Dupervil will play soccer at St. Francis University. Still others are weighing their offers before deciding where to spend the next four years of their lives. RM’s football team successfully sent off four players on National Signing Day this February. Zion Tyler and Treavon Parsons will both attend Glenville State

College, while Jerad Szadkowski will play alongside the Gators at Allegheny College, and Adam Tounkara will play for Navy. A more plausible option for the average high school athlete is club sports, which are comparable to

seek out opportunities to stay active. While most will stick to their high school sports, others will use the new environment as an opportunity to pursue other interests. “I might try to branch out away from soccer and join

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEEDEE YAN

Senior Deedee Yan plays in the basketball game against Springbrook. sports in high school. Athletes must try out for the team, and the demands of the schedule are relatively similar. Playing club sports allows student athletes to continue their sport at a competitive level without sacrificing too much of their time. Lastly, colleges have intramural sports, which require no prior experience at all. Intramural programs offer a diverse array of opportunities, spanning from popular favorites like basketball and soccer, to more unique options like ultimate frisbee and Quidditch. The vast majority of Rocket athletes are not recruited to play in college, but many of them will

the water polo team,” said girls soccer goalie Chloe Shankle, who will be attending St. Mary’s College in the fall. “Colleges near Amherst, Massachusetts, have skating clubs, so I’ll try to join one there,” softball player and future Amherst College student Taylor Thomas said. Other athletes, like RM girls basketball’s Deedee Yan, who will attend George Washington University, simply cannot see a four-year commitment coming to an end. “When you’re passionate about a sport, you just can’t stop playing it,” Yan said. There are no closer bonds than those between teammates, and many athletes seek a similar

dynamic in their college years. “I love being part of a team, and I’ve met a lot of my really close friends through sports,” field hockey and lacrosse player Lizzie Kinnard said. Kinnard will begin at the University of Maryland next fall. Some will flock to sports as a way to get acclimated to the new environment. “It’s a good way to make friends who are outside of your major, or don’t live in your dorm,” said softball captain Rachel Lebedinsky, who wishes to play club at the University of Michigan. Although RM’s graduating athletes are excited for the road ahead, they can’t help but reminisce on their fun-filled high school sports experiences. The memories they hold most dearly are often the moments when they were able to lead their teammates. “My fellow teammates voted me captain! It was such an honor,” said girls swim team member Lexi Dorotinsky, who will attend

“When you’re passionate about a sport, you just can’t stop playing it.” - Deedee Yan the University of New Haven. The girls basketball team’s Melanie Osborne, marked in RM history for totaling over 1,000 career points, has directed her passion for sports towards a prospective major. She plans on studying athletic training at Towson University while balancing club basketball. All athletes can agree that their

time at Richard Montgomery goes by too quickly. Doubles tennis player Kyle Zhu advised his teammates to make the most of their time by remaining academically eligible. “I would tell my teammates to working on their technique, but also to keep their grades up so they can continue playing,” Zhu said. Oheneba Boateng, who will continue playing tennis at the University of North Carolina next year, reminded his teammates to maintain the program’s reputation. “RM’s worked its way up there, and it’s up to them to work hard during their offseason to keep that position, and make sure we keep getting even better,” he said. On the other hand, Yan is confident that her younger teammates will pick up right where she left off. “I already know that they’re going to deliver, and I hope that they just play their hearts out,” she said. Above all, senior athletes wish for their teammates to have an enriching and enjoyable experience. “Don’t dwell on your mistakes. The only way you can remedy those is to keep going. Just have fun,” softball player Taylor Thomas shared. Many student athletes, just like their peers, cannot wait for the opportunity to start fresh. “I’m excited to meet new people and be able to be someone different than who I’ve always been in high school,” said Osborne. There are many tough shoes to fill as RM says goodbye to such a talented class of athletes. Their legacy will certainly live on, and their wise words will remain ingrained in the hearts of younger athletes following in their footsteps.