tjTODAY
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 6560 Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312
DECEMBER 21, 2012
Remembering the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre
VOLUME 28, ISSUE 4
Partnership Fund raises money for renovation by Jenny Chen News Editor A nanometer laser. Titanium aquarium chillers. An online subscription to the American Chemical Society journal. These are just a few of the items recently purchased by the TJ Partnership Fund. Through the TJ 2.0 Capital Campaign, the Partnership Fund raises money to obtain advanced science instrumentation and enhance the technology infrastructure for “Fairfax County gives us the same amount
of money it would give any other high high school,” Development Manager Rachael Estep said. FCPS is assigning over $85 million to the renovation. This money does not cover the $2 million worth of equipment, expansion of “JCIRN would give students an opportunity to develop mentorships with professionals in highly specialized areas, connect with alumni doing research in their
interest area, inspire younger audiences who are not physically near the school and much more,” Principal Evan Glazer said.
$10,000 in memory of Vanamala’s father, a have each agreed to contribute $250,000 over “By donating a certain amount to the campaign, individuals or businesses can name a space in the new school building. ,” Estep said. “We only have naming opportunities for the spaces in the school, but eventually we will probably have naming opportunities for items
Cammer visits during hiatus by Tahmina Achekzai News Editor Students were greeted with a familiar face as former Neuroscience lab director Paul
Students combat emotional intensity in surprising ways
Cammer had visited RDFZ, a High interactive teaching. He became acquainted with RDFZ administrators, who subsequently invited him to stay with them for a year. “Everyone was excited by his ideas and instructional approach,” RDFZ English teacher Li Jing said. “He’s helping to shape Chinese education by providing a new perspective.”
sleep: 6% exercise: 58%
lecture-based class system that is so prevalent at RDFZ. “The students either listen or don’t listen;
music:
classical 25% show tunes 12% heavy metal 11%
interact much with the students,” he said. According to Cammer, one of the barriers in the way of meaningful class discussions is the tendency of teachers at RDFZ to set themselves up as experts in their classes. the answers to,” he said. “As a teacher, I could explain something to students in one minute, but then we wouldn’t spend 20 minutes discussing it. That whole process does more than get you to an answer.” At RDFZ, Cammer teaches a demo class very similar to his Neuroscience course at
professional guidance: 6.25% by Jenny Chen News Editor
is Bruce’s escape from stress.
survey submissions, 21.8 percent of students said they had consumed alcohol in Institute of Mental Health as the brain’s response to any demand. temporary stress reliever. When consumed regularly, however, alcohol contributes to increased long-term stress because more alcohol must be consumed to compensate for
who doesn’t always connect with the scijust need to get away from that and write, paint or bead,” she said. Bruce’s method is an example of a
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Seasonal maladies spread easily
his parents and siblings in India. He will have his name on a classroom. “The TJ parent community before us made sure that funds were available,” Nagendra moving this school ahead.”
got stress?
mind churning with jewelry designs she has concocted throughout the day. She exment her chosen design, but pauses midconstruction to pace around her room and
hallway.” Class of 2015 and 2016 parents Nagendra
The recently released report from the 2011-2012 Fairfax County Youth Survey re10th and 12th graders. Of the 31,106 valid
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Russian students exchange ideas
percent increase from the 2010-2011 survey. “We do not discuss causation as it relates to the data from the Fairfax County Youth Survey. However, we have found correlations for past 30-day alcohol and drug use with bullying, depressive symptoms, suicide ideation and poor grades,” youth surInstead of relying on alcohol and drugs as stress relievers, students can turn to other activities to eliminate the stress that can be caused by procrastination. continued on p. 2
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Students stargaze in Astronomy lab
students to communicate with each other in Chinese, even though he doesn’t understand himself. Though he hasn’t been able to learn the language, Cammer has been exposed to many other aspects of China’s culture. “People are involved with their day-to-day lives; there’s not a lot of political awareness,” he said. “The government is probably doing the best things for their people. It’s not perfect, and it does things that drive the Chinese people crazy, but they’re very happy people.” According to Cammer, the government college entrance exam. Though the test was originally created to establish equity, its focus development now serves as a sign that change may have to go beyond one high school.
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Science photography doubles as art