tjTODAY
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 6560 Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312
OCTOBER 10, 2013
When the Navy Yard was struck by tragedy, the Jefferson community reflected on the lost lives and the shooting’s impact. photo courtesy of the Office of the Secretary of Defense
by Sandy Cho and Ellen Kan News Editor and Managing Editor On Sept. 16, the United States was rocked by another mass shooting, a mere nine months after the deadly massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. This time, the attack erupted in the nation’s capital, where a lone gunman targeted civilians before being taken out by the police. At the Washington Navy Yard in southeast Washington, D.C., perpetrator Aaron Alexis took the lives of 12 people, leaving another three wounded and in critical condition. In response, the city took safety precautions by closing many roads and bridges, suspending flights out of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and locking down several schools and Senate buildings. The consequences of the shooting rampage were widespread, reaching into the Jefferson community. Fortunately, none of the victims were related to the students and staff. However, for several members of the Jefferson population, this attack hit too close to home. “My first reaction to hearing about the shooting was one of disappointment,” senior Allen Parker said. “It is always disheartening to hear of a tragedy such as this, especially given that they seem to be occurring with depressing frequency, and it makes me wonder what can be done to prevent these incidents.” Some students and teachers had family members who worked in the vicinity of the Navy Yard. In the case of junior Amanda Lim, her father, Chhay Lim, was working in the same building when the shooting began, and his office was separated from one of the shooting sites by only a thin wall. As the shooting rampage progressed, Chhay Lim and his colleagues locked themselves into a room. While hiding under an office desk, Chhay Lim found himself looking back on the horrific experiences he suffered during the Cambodian Civil War. It was only after two terrifying hours that a rescue team arrived to escort the employees out of the building. “I am surprised that I was very calm during the entire incident. I was able to think clearly to determine what I needed to do,” Chhay Lim said. “My experiences in Cambodia must have toughened me up and allowed me to calmly assess the situation during the
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Navy Yard shooting.” Math teacher Maryann Donohue was also thrust into a worrying situation. Like Chhay Lim, Donohue’s son-in-law worked in the targeted building, but he and Donohue’s daughter were out of harm’s way, despite not being able to leave the Navy Yard due to the security shutdown. “I’m so grateful that they are all right,” Donohue said. “I feel unsafe, but I don’t want to live in fear. There’s this word in the Bible, ‘overshadow,’ and God told me to pray for Him to overshadow the places I was concerned about. I’ve been praying for him to overshadow our entire country.” Among the student body at Jefferson, the first harbinger of the widespread ramifications to come was an announcement that encouraged mentorship students not to travel to their research sites. Although none of the seniors conduct research at the Navy Yard, several work at locations nearby such as the Children’s National Medical Center, the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Because of the close proximity of such sites to the Navy Yard, school administrators and mentors decided it was in the best interest of the students to cancel mentorship for the day. “When the safety of our students is at risk, we make an assessment,” Mentorship Program Director and Science and Technology Division Manager Matthew Pearce said. “In this case, we did not have the information to confirm the D.C. area was safe, so we decided to keep our mentorship students bound for that area, in school.” Despite the recommendations from the administrators, some students, including senior Richard Wang, still decided to battle their way past the heavy D.C. traffic to their research labs. “Like most people, I was horrified. But, in the wake of an increasing frequency of mass shootings, it’s hard not to be desensitized to the violence,” Wang said. “I work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, so I didn’t think I was in much danger.” In the wake of this tragedy, students have begun to question the implications of attending a school in close proximity to the scene of such a violent crime. continued on p. 2
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by Yena Seo Social Media Editor For many years, Jefferson has been widely regarded as one of the best high schools in the United States. When its ranking slipped down to second nationally in 2012 and fourth this past year, students, teachers, parents and concerned citizens alike were quick to point fingers at what they thought was the reason for its dropped ranking. Jefferson’s admissions policy has long been under public scrutiny for the lack of diversity in the student population. A civil suit was filed against Fairfax County Public Schools regarding the pattern of exclusion of black and Latino students from Jefferson, while many of the school’s resources were diverted to tutoring and academic assistance. Over a third of the class of 2015 was recommended for math or science remediation. “Many students receive math tutoring outside of school and seek an accelerated math program throughout their elementary and middle school years,” Jane Strauss, a board member, said. “To make sure there is a good match between Jefferson-admitted students and the Jefferson-required curriculum, entering students must have a firm foundation, especially in algebra.” At Luther Jackson Middle School on Sept. 12, dozens of people gathered to discuss the proposal for the school board to adopt Policy 3355 on the admissions procedure for entry into Jefferson. Members of the Jefferson community, including physics teacher and Optics and Modern Physics lab director John Dell and Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) president Grace Becker, made remarks and offered recommendations to the school board. continued on p. 2
Physics classes separate based on calculus level by Alexis Williams Spread Editor Every year, curricular changes come to Jefferson. However, for this school year, many of the teachers in the mathematics and science departments decided that a change in policy would be the best educational tool for their students. These experimental classes have been arranged between teachers in both calculus and the physics courses. In the physics department, Adam Smith and Duncan Forbes split up their second period classes based on the students’ prior math experience. Smith has taken on the students in second period physics with no calculus experience, while Forbes is handling those who have already been exposed to some level of math beyond pre-calculus. “The physics teachers decided to split up the classes this year to better meet the needs of the students,” Assistant Principal Mary McDowell said. “We want the students who have the math background to understand calculus concepts in physics to be able to apply those concepts, while the ones without calculus experience will approach problems first from a pre-calculus solution. I expect both classes will continue to see different math approaches when the learning situation calls for it.” continued on p. 2
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