November 2011

tjTODAY

THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 6560 Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

MLK Memorial unveiled Civil Rights legacy preserved in Washington, D.C. attraction

by Sara Asad and Rabia Idrees News Editor and Editor in Chief aryland resident Cliff Bright held his son up on his shoulders. The two of them made their way through crowds of visitors to stand next to the towering statue of Martin Luther King Jr. Bright smiled widely as his wife Yvanna snapped a photo.

One week after the official opening of the memorial on Independence Avenue in the District, Sunday crowds lingered in the brilliant sunlight, telling stories, r e a d i n g inscriptions and feeling the history ingrained in the presence of the imposing stone structure. “ T h i s memorial represents the legacy of this country and how Martin L u t h e r

M

King’s movement was not just an African American movement, but one for unity in the United States,” Bright said. “My son didn’t get to see the struggles then, but he gets to see the legacy they left through the life he lives now.”

The idea for the memorial was first considered early in 1984 when George Sealey, a member of the predominantly black Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, proposed the idea of dedicating a national memorial to King. In 1996 former President Bill Clinton signed congressional legislation for the establishment of a memorial in Washington, D.C. The 30-foot statue of King was carved by sculptor Lei Yixin in Hunan, China and later transported to its current position on the National Mall. The estimated total cost of the memorial is projected near $120 million of which more than $114 million has already been raised through private and corporate contributions.

“The memorial is so gorgeous,” St. Louis resident Elaine Wyatt said. “It gives us a chance to talk about the Civil Rights Movement with our children.”

“I brought my son down to see the memorial because I wanted him to be able to understand this part of American history,” Scott Ruben, a visitor from Connecticut, said. “We have changed a lot over time. The struggle King went through for equality is more important than the color of his skin.”

The statue of King is surrounded by 14 of his most popular quotes and 182 cherry trees. For designers, cherry trees and quotes surrounding the memorial are important in appreciating the beauty and significance of the King’s life and contributions.

“I really like how the memorial was based on his quotes. He embodied the power of speech, and the memorial really brought that out,” Black Student Union president Michael Wattendorf said.

Many agree that the memorial was a step in the right direction and well-deserved by the leading advocate for civil rights. Some, however, stress that the nation still has ways to go before it will be entirely free of prejudice as King wanted.

“We didn’t go through life as hard as King did, but we still have struggles,” Cedric Philpot, a visitor from Miami, said. “The memorial shows that we have come along, but we aren’t there yet.”

Left to right: A father and his son reflect on one of the many quotes on the MLK memorial; two tourists take pictures of the memorial; Cliff Bright holds his son in front of the MLK statue.

SPORTS

Winter sports previews P 6

SPREAD

Jefferson’s global community P 8-9

HEALTH

Male body image P12

Civil War anniversary P16

VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3

Four regional finalists named

by Siemens

by Mallika Patkar News Editor Four students were named regional finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology on Oct. 21. Seniors Daniel Jang, William Qian and Marvin Qian as well as junior Eric Tao are among 96 regional finalists nationwide.

In addition to Jefferson’s four regional finalists, seniors Pritha Bhattacharyya, Rachel Chuaung, Nishant Garg, Darwin Li, Karishma Popli, Rithvik Prasannappa, Sameer Singh, Yohan Sumathipala and Shriram Sundararaman were named semifinalists.

The regional finalists will go on to compete to qualify for national finals in December.

Jang was team leader for a group project that involved improving the power output of fuel cells. The project began last summer at Stony Brook University in New York.

“My project dealt with the most important part of the hydrogen fuel cell, the proton exchange membrane,” Jang said. “My team was able to figure out how to modify this layer with nanoparticles to enhance the overall power output of the fuel cell.”

Jang’s team will compete at Carnegie Mellon University on Nov. 18 and 19.

Tao and Marvin Qian worked on their project. Their project deals with computer algorithms in the field of bioinformatics.

“Although biologists have uncovered a myriad of protein sequences, very little is known about their structures,” Tao said. “We developed a way to classify proteins into solenoid or nonsolenoid categories, and locate the boundaries for the solenoid repeats.”

The sequences Tao and Qian identified could be beneficial in the field of medicine.

“Proteins have a vast influence on the molecular machinery of life. Knowing the three-dimensional structure of proteins is crucial to advances in biology, as this information provides insight into how proteins operate,” Asst. Professor Huzefa Rangwala from George Mason University said.

Rangwala helped the students understand structural bioinformatics.

“Siemens competition is an excellent opportunity for students to be exposed to large scale research and industrial projects within STEM fields,” Rangwala said.

Tao and Qian along with William Qian participated in regional finals Nov. 5 and 6 at Georgia Tech. They did not move on.

William Qian’s project dealt with computational exploration of the Earth’s inner core.

“Recently, there was a Science article, which dealt with the same topic and the results were, excitingly, the same as our results,” Qian said.

Students will be competing for College Board administered scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 in individual and team categories.

“I am proud of our students for participating and sharing their research,” Principal Evan Glazer said. “I like to learn about their research to see how we could cultivate the approaches they used to excel in their projects among other students at our school.”

FEATURES

Observatory joint project P14

2

news

Kudos & Accomplishments

Students recognized in Russian language competition vSeniors James Graham and Tania

Ermak and junior Gordon Hart participated in the First International Russian Language and Culture Festival from Oct. 30-Nov. 7 held in St. Petersburg, Russia. All three students were awarded Laureate Status Certificates for their achievements.

One Question winners announced vThe following students have been

selected for the One Question grant in addition to student club Book Buddies and Computer Security Competition: senior Karishma Popli, juniors William Lucht, Sameer Srivastava, Nancy Ding, Michael Sheaffer, Alex Mohrman, Robert Wharton, Taylor Culman, Ji Hun Kim and sophomore Nithin Bala.

TjTODAY garnered honors in VHSL vEleven students from tjTODAY took

first, second and third place honors in the Virginia High School League’s (VHSL) Writing, Photography, Design and Journalism contest: seniors Anna Hicks, Rabia Idrees, Colleen Marshall and Noah Yoo, juniors Tahmina Achekzai, Arya Dahal, Sunny Kim and Jennifer Walter, sophomores Tara Gupta and Shayna Hume and Class of 2011 graduate Bart Bachman.

Offutt and Bui selected for Va. Jazz Ensemble vSenior Brett Offutt and freshman

Justin Bui were selected to perform for the All-Virginia Jazz Ensemble. Offutt has been selected to play the piano and Bui has been selected to play the vibraphone. Both students are the only people on their instrument who made the cut. The ensemble will perform on Nov. 19 in Norfolk, Va. at the Virginia Music Educators Conference.

Jefferson Band members honored vSeniors Nick Allegro, Gina Hansen

and Joyce Su were selected to represent Jefferson at the All-American Bowl as part of the 125 member ensemble. From a pool of 1,200 applicants, students were selected through a video audition.

Allegro, Hansen and Su will participate in the event, which takes place in San Antonio, Texas from Jan. 2-7. The students will perform during the halftime show on Jan. 7, which will be aired on www.allamericangames.tv and NBC.

Raytheon presents math team with $3K check vJefferson Varsity Math Team received

a check for $3K from technology corporate giant Raytheon on Oct. 13. Junior Sarthak Sahu followed up with Raytheon’s representative at tjSTAR for potential club sponsorship early this year.

Kumar and Sachs win writing award vSeniors Snigdha Kumar and Avi

november 15, 2011

Book Buddies event highlights humanities

by Sara Asad News Editor What is a room filled with eager young students and box full of crowns, gowns and glass slippers? A happily ever after, of course!

On Oct. 22 during Destination TextPloration, kids dressed up as storybook characters from “Cinderella” and performed for their peers and parents in a reading exercise for engaging young students in literature.

“After reading the stories aloud, the kids got to dress up and perform how a character would walk, talk and act,” Book Buddies sponsor Milde Waterfall said.

The event, sponsored by the Book Buddies club, celebrated learning and literature with local elementary school students through various reading and writing activities as well as cultural demonstrations.

While school clubs organize math and science events for young students throughout the year, this was the first time an event specifically focused on literature had been organized.

“It is basically Techstravaganza, except for humanities instead of science and technology,” senior Jackie Dallaire said.

Destination Text-Ploration attracted nearly 500 students, parents and teachers from across

the county.

“I think humanities are integral to making connections. Music, literature, art and poetry bring elements into context,” teacher Maureen Manzo said. “I am glad elementary students are being exposed to this idea, and I like seeing the Jefferson students sharing their expertise with all students.”

All children were provided with passports which they carried to each activity to collect stamps and to serve as memorabilia of the workshops they participated in during the event. Students used the passports to explore the two primary themes of Destination TextPloration via a cultural world and fairy-tale world.

“It’s fun to see how people do things in other countries. I also like doing the other activities because everything here is similar to what we learn,” seventh-grader Judy Nanow said.

The event featured various presentations for young students including read-aloud, creative storytelling and writing workshops and even a play presented by Jefferson Drama students.

The keynote guest for the event was Sandy Pugh, a local author and parent of a Jefferson graduate, who read books to children in the

library and spent time with them speaking about writing stories.

The event was deemed successful in accomplishing its goals and did so with the help of nearly 150 student volunteers and over 2,152 book donations.

The event also received support from young students, one of whom approached Book Buddies co-president Saritha Attanagoda and eagerly asked, “Is this going to happen next year, too?”

Senior Karen Dang shows origami to visiting students.

by Mallika Patkar News Editor Andréa Jouvin, 17, one of the exchange students from Reims, France, was surprised her first day at Jefferson, when all of the students in her first period class stood simultaneously to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

“In America, everyone is so patriotic. In France, we don’t have a moment of silence or sing the Marseillaise in the mornings. We just work,” Jouvin said.

Jouvin was one of the 13 French exchange students from Lycée Roosevelt who had stayed with a host family last month. The French students had arrived at Dulles International Airport on Oct. 16 and stayed with their host families for 10 days.

The French embassy had sent a profile of Jefferson to Lycée Roosevelt last year.

Because Lycée Roosevelt is a science school, English teacher Aurore Rambourg of Lycée Roosevelt thought the two schools were an obvious match for an exchange. Rambourg immediately contacted Foreign Language Division Manager and French teacher Genevieve Delfosse.

“When we saw the profile of Jefferson, it resembled our school’s. I thought that through an exchange, the students would be able to teach each other things I cannot teach in the classroom,” Rambourg said. “Also, since Great Britain is so close to us, I thought America was a more attractive option because a lot of my students had never been there.”

On most days, the French students attended class with Jefferson students.

“In France we work a lot in class. Here, we’re under the impression that you don’t do a lot of things in class. It’s less strict and more social, but then you do a lot of work after, at home,” Guillaume Lourette, 15, said.

Even aspects like backpack size came as a

surprise to the French students.

“In America, people carry around big bags everyday. In France, I only take a few sheets of paper and a pen. I don’t need to take all of my books,” Maxime Wolff, 16, said.

Classes tend to be stricter in France than in America.

“I’m not sure which system is better. Here students seem happy to learn. Because school is so strict in France, some students reject school. You don’t have detention but you don’t seem to need it because the students seem well-behaved and easy-going,” Rambourg said.

Many French students took advantage of the relaxed culture in American schools.

Clément Viron, 17, started bringing travel mugs to school to drink while attending classes.

“It’s cool to drink in class. In France we cannot drink, leave the class or talk. We cannot do anything but work,” Viron said.

While not in classes, the French students got a glimpse of American culture, by observing how students act between classes and after school.

“I was surprised by American clothing,” Lourette said. “In France, we don’t wear flip flops to school. They are for the beach, not class.”

The diversity and visibility of religion at Jefferson shocked many of the French students as well, as France is a secular country.

“You wouldn’t see someone wearing a head scarf or a big cross in France, especially in school. Religion is considered your own personal thing in France,” Viron said.

The French students took four trips to Washington, D.C. during their visit. While visiting the District, many were surprised by the size of the American monuments in comparison to those of Paris.

“Americans built on the style of the French.

When we built Paris, we went one step higher than the classical architecture. Then the Americans built D.C. much bigger. All the monuments are so huge, like everything in America,” Viron said.

The stereotype that everything is bigger in America, seemed like a reality to many of the visiting students. They noticed this pattern in everything from the cars, roads, houses and even food.

“I think it’s pretty cool that Americans eat all the time. In France, I want to eat all the time, but I can’t. It’s a good thing, depending on whether you play sports or not. But we would never eat as much as a Chipotle burrito after school at 4 p.m.,” Wolff said.

The French exchange students were also excited to visit many quintessentially American stores, like Abercrombie and Starbucks.

“We don’t have Starbucks anywhere in France except Paris, so it’s a fashionable thing to be able to go to Starbucks. I got the venti size every time,”Antoine Vercoutère, 16, said.

The exchange allowed the students to share more than just their language.

“I like American music. It’s more commercial, and there are not many emotions in it, but I like it because you can dance to it.

Most songs are simple and easy to remember, too,” Lourette said.

Students plan to go to France during spring break 2012. Certain students will be participating in the Fulbright competition in order to get scholarships. If students win, Jefferson will receive $14,000 in scholarship money to fund the trip.

“Because of the exchange our TJ students will see that what they learn in the books and in the French classroom is actually a reality,” Delfosse said.

photo by Mallika Patkar

French students experience America

Sachs are two of 11 students selected for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Achievement Award in writing. For the award Kumar and Sachs submitted a portfolio of their writing and an impromptu writing piece to NCTE last spring for evaluation. The NCTE Achievement Award is a state-wide contest open to juniors across the country.

Cross Country team wins Districts vJefferson boys and girls Cross Coun-

try teams won Liberty District Championship on Oct. 27. Senior Katherine Sheridan placed first, senior Taylor Reffett placed third, sophomore Grace Zeng and senior Sarah Nielsen placed fifth and six, respectively. In the boys event, senior Michael Wattendorf came in third followed by senior Chris Rom in fourth place. Junior Dan Matson, senior Andrew O’Shea and Jacob Zucker claimed eight, ninth and 10th places, respectively.

photo courtesy of Elaine Lee

photo courtesy of Nadège Aoki

photo courtesy of Clément Viron

Clockwise from top left: Andréa Jouvin carves a pumpkin; Clément Viron and Arthur Lepagnol prepare crêpes for their host families; Valentin Ciaravella and Clément Viron learn to weld in Nature of Materials; Antoine Vercoutère tries a cupcake in Georgetown.

photo by Mallika Patkar

news

november 15, 2011

NEWSMAKERS Peng designs tjSTAR logo

Popli and Sun win 10K

photo by Sara Asad

The News Senior Kevin Peng designs a senior research lab logo for tjSTAR in his Computer Graphics class.

Backstory With 20 design submissions and nearly 600 votes, the 2012 TJ Symposium to Advance Research (tjSTAR) logo contest came to a conclusion. The winning logo is designed by senior Kevin Peng which garnered the majority of student and faculty votes.

“The symposium looked like it needed a better logo and I wanted to show people that I can do art well, so I entered the contest,” Peng said.

For Peng, the logo design for tjSTAR represents the message and value of the event.

“TjSTAR is about thinking and innovation, and I wanted my logo to represent those ideas. I didn’t just want to cluster up random pictures that relate to science.

I wanted to create a minimalist design that makes people think and not even know it,” Peng said.

TjSTAR focuses on research conducted by students in Integrated Biology, English and Technology (IBET), Chemistry and Humanities (CHUM), AP Chemistry and the senior research laboratories. Peng will be designing additional logos.

“The tjSTAR committee liked my second submission, too, and asked me to make a logo similar to it for each tech lab and the IBET program,” Peng said.

Preparations are already underway for the 2012 tjSTAR, which is scheduled for May 30. The tjSTAR committee has a new addition this year, Kayla Gutierrez, who joins returning sponsors Koji Otani and Mike Stueben in organizing the symposium.

As for Peng, his logo will be the new face of tjSTAR and a widely recognizable design among the student body in the months to come.

“I love seeing my creation plastered on every wall of the school and burned into the front lobby TV screen for a whole week,” Peng said. “Seriously, I love it.”

- Sara Asad

3

‘Purple boy’ reaches milestone

photo by Anna Hicks

photo by Sara Asad

The News Seniors Karishma Popli and Mary Sun hold their $10,000 checks presented to them by Nordstrom.

Backstory On Oct. 20, seniors Mary Sun and Karishma Popli were surprised in their Geosystems classes with $10,000 scholarship presentations awarded by the Nordstrom Scholarship Program. Neither Sun nor Popli knew about the presentations prior to the surprise.

“They said winners of the scholarship would be notified via e-mail, so it was the last thing I was expecting as I was finishing my orbits lab,” Sun said.

Sun’s and Popli’s parents as well as the administration had known about the award for two weeks prior to the presentation, but successfully kept it a secret until the surprise.

“I was so excited when they walked into the room,” Popli said. “I always wanted to hold a giant check and be awarded by a prize patrol like that.”

Both Sun and Popli found the scholarship in the College Career Center.

“I always keep up with the scholarships posted in the College Career Center,” Sun said.

Sun and Popli participate in mentorships at the National Institutes of Health and were chosen for the scholarship based on their academic excellence and leadership in community service.

Popli believes the most significant aspect of her application was her project “Lighting the Future with Technology.” Sun’s application included co-founding a science policy organization entitled “NextGEN.” “I was touched that they took the time to plan the surprise, make sure it was all OK with the administration and get my parents involved,” Sun said. “Nordstrom is very generous.”

- Anna Hicks

The News Sophomore Owen Hoffman sports a signature purple shirt. Hoffman has been wearing purple shirts every day since the spring of 2010.

Backstory Oct. 27 marked Hoffman’s 600th day of wearing exclusively purple shirts. He started his purple shirt streak on Mar. 7, 2010.

“Originally, I had one purple shirt that I wore occasionally, but one day I got this spontaneous idea to go out and buy three more,” Hoffman said.

Ever since, he’s been growing his collection of purple shirts. He currently owns 25.

“I had been cycling through these four shirts until I built up my closet with more purple shirts including sweaters and long-sleeved shirts for the winter,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman is now known for the color of his shirt.

The only time he doesn’t wear purple is during his gym class, when he is required to wear a P.E. uniform.

Hoffman bought his first purple shirts on a whim, but after hearing the story about a boy who had worn green throughout high school, Hoffman was inspired to set his own record.

“Wearing purple has made the transition to TJ easier for me since people instantly knew me,” Hoffman said. “I like the identity that comes with being known as the ‘purple boy.’”

Hoffman plans on wearing purple daily throughout high school and when he graduates, he will then reassess whether he wants to continue or stop wearing purple shirts.

“Right now, it is just something I do for fun,” Hoffman said. “After high school, I might continue to wear purple shirts or stop altogether.”

- Mallika Patkar

SAT Prep Exclusively for High-Achievers It’s no surprise that Honors Test Prep is the SAT prep program of choice for TJ students.

Visit honorstestprep.com to review our complete ’11-’12 course schedule and learn about our SAT Course, SAT Essay Workshop, and PSAT/SAT Course.

703-237-2665

sat@honorstestprep.com

“My son and daughter both took the Honors Test Prep course and both scored 2380 on the test. They reported that they were given individual feedback and error analysis in addition to applicable practice problems. It is obvious that Mr. Berk keeps up to date with the most recent changes in the test and is invested in the students’ achievement. I was glad to find a course tailored to high achieving students.”

Gail Gardiner, parent of TJ student, Class of 2010

College Application Essay Workshop

Learn to: >Choose the best essay topic >Marshal information to present the best self-portrait >Compose essays which reflect your voice and experience >Maximize writing techniques for future college work >Adapt your college application essay for different schools and scholarships Visit www.dalbytestprep.com to register.

Click on “College Essay” Classes held in McLean, Va. Call 703-356-2728 for more information.

4

opinion

november 15, 2011

Senior superlatives need revisiting

tjTODAY Lead Editorial tj TODAY’s unsigned majority opinion Volume 27 Issue 3

2011 Pacemaker Finalist 2011 Trophy Class - VHSL 2011 All-American - NSPA 2011 Gold Medalist - CSPA

Editorial Board Editor in Chief Rabia Idrees

Managing Editor Colleen Marshall

Layout Editor Anna Hicks

News Editors Sara Asad Mallika Patkar

Opinion Editors Joshua Baquedano Noah Yoo

Sports Editors Michael Chao Jenny Chen Jennifer Walter

Spread Editors Amy Ahn Lakshmi Chandran

Entertainment Editors Shayna Hume Claudia Lovegrove

Features Editors Tahmina Achekzai YouNa An Arya Dahal Sunny Kim Thrisha Potluri

Staff Reporters Kyler Blodgett Tara Gupta Stefanie Van Rafelghem

Web Master Thrisha Potluri

Adviser Jennifer Seavey, MJE

Printer Silver Communications TjTODAY is the official newspaper of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology published monthly by the journalism staff.

It serves as a vehicle for student expression and is an open forum of issues of interest and concern to the school community.

A full-year subscription can be purchased through the Thomas Jefferson Publications Package or by sending a check or money order for $20 to tjTODAY. The staff is deeply committed to a code of journalistic ethics that demands the exercise of accuracy, good judgment and impartiality. The content of tjTODAY is determined by the editorial board.

Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the staff of tjTODAY, but not necessarily the opinions of individual editors.

TjTODAY solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed libelous, disruptive, obscene or otherwise inappropriate.

6560 Braddock Road Alexandria, VA 22312 Phone: (703)-750-8375 Fax: (703)-750-5010 Web site: www.tjhsst.edu/tjTODAY Send letters to: tjTODAYopinion@ gmail.com

Toward the end of last year, tjTODAY was put in the crosshairs of administrative scrutiny. The controversy centered on senior superlatives. As a result, our editorial board made the difficult decision of eliminating this senior perennial favorite.

Word leaked out recently, and the Class of 2012 went into action. Already, over a sixth of the class has joined the Facebook group, “Save Senior Superlatives!”

So what’s the backstory? Superlatives were incorporated in the senior issue sometime in the mid-1990s. By the end of the decade, there seemed to be a core group of categories that stayed intact until last year. The mix was both positive and snarky. The 1999 paper included categories such as “Most Spirited,” “Best Smile,” “Most Stressed,” “Most likely to serve jail time” and “Biggest Flirt.”

These categories continued into the new century, rarely causing problems.

Then, two years running, “Most Stressed” nominees asked to be taken out of the running. Our senior editors and adviser decided to eliminate the category.

Another category had two back-toback objections, the most recent one last year. The first (in 2010) came from the student nominee, and he was taken out of the running immediately.

The second objection (in 2011) did not come from the student. It came from a counselor. Because the individual was a landslide winner, the seniors and our adviser decided to just eliminate the category.

Other less cutesy categories have generated passing concern. One year, a senior mother was nominated for “Biggest Party Animal.”

Our adviser, Jennifer Seavey, contacted this person, and she was delighted to be put into nomina-

tion. Go figure! Another time, a security staff person was nominated for “Best Hair.” She was eliminated because her hair was being nominated as a joke – and she wasn’t a senior.

Another senior placed an aphorism with his wish to have intimate relations with a parent. The student was asked to change his entry.

We maintain close control on the content. We also believe seniors should be able to express their own concerns directly to us and not have anyone speak for them. If students want to be taken out of the paper, we will by no means do anything but that. This has always been our policy.

So why write this lead editorial? After the 2011 problematic nomination, Student Services took a stand against superlatives in general. Administration sided with them. As a result, our editorial board and adviser made the decision to replace superlatives with stories about senior life.

After word of nixing of superlatives spread, however, some seniors have expressed dissatisfaction. SGA held a lunch

meeting with Dr. Glazer and a member of Student Services last week and discussed the situation. Oddly, no one from tjTODAY was invited.

During the meeting, it was decided that the paper would have administrative support when publishing superlatives if the editorial board agreed to having the pages in question submitted to selected administrators for prior review of the categories. Our staff feels this would be a violation of our First Amendment rights and therefore out of the question. We’re more than willing to move on and give seniors something new.

However, if the class as a whole wants superlatives back, we will yield to the majority.

Just last week, Dr. Glazer indicated there would be no prior review, but we would now be the “front line.” We accept that responsibility. We can take the heat.

We would love to hear back from the student body. Please write to us at tjTODAYopinion@gmail.com about whether you think superlatives should be brought back or replaced with something new. We want the senior issue to continue to be the iconic publication it’s always been.

Tara Gupta

Learn new languages for global economy F o r m a n y , learning French, Spanish, German and other European languages is no longer compelling.

GILLIE CUDA Unless the language is still spoken in the family, many students see little point in studying a language whose speakers are probably learning English anyways. Languages like Arabic, Chinese and Russian have become sought after for their interesting, exotic cultures and possible use in the world economy – and these are the languages that American students should be studying.

At Jefferson, the Chinese and Russian programs have grown year by year. Upon its founding in 2006, there were only a few Chinese classes led by Maggie Xu. Now, there are seven, with an additional teacher, Helen Zhao. And although not offered at Jefferson, Arabic has grown in popularity with the founding of the Arabic Language club last year.

Arabic is one language that is beginning to be more frequently chosen by high school

students. With more current affairs becoming focused in the Middle East, understanding of the region is invaluable.

Additionally, affluent nations in the region such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have undertaken massive construction projects, such as a desert ski resort and The World, a set of artificial islands arranged in the shape of a world map. It would be wise for Americans to connect with these nations in the future for business.

Home to the longest continuous civilization, China has also always been a major player in world affairs. With its rise in the world economy, China has been influencing more people in more places. Not only do millions of Chinese emigrate every year, but companies are opening offices in foreign countries. In Angola and neighboring African countries, Chinese developers have helped build the infrastructure in return for access to natural resources.

Recently, the Chinese news agency XinHua deployed a billboard ad in New York’s Times Square and opened an office there.

The Washington Post also started featuring a China Watch section that appears every few weeks. HanBan, China’s Department of Education, has gained attention for the success of many Confucius Institutes around the world.

These institutes are like classrooms based at colleges where students can learn Chinese

language and culture. President Obama has thanked Confucius Institutes in America, noting that Chinese is a language that needs to be taught more widely, and has agreed to conduct more student exchange programs with China. His “100,000 Strong Initiative” is a plan that began in 2010 that aims to send 100,000 American students to China within the next 10 years.

I was lucky enough to be sponsored by HanBan for two summers to visit China.

Visiting Beijing, ChangChun and LuoYang, I was able to see the amazing, fast paced development that has been occurring. Like many other places, BeiJing’s HongQiao Pearl Market showed the amazing production capacity of China.

In LuoYang and ChangChun, I realized how many Chinese people there actually are. As one street vendor told me, “This town, not very big. Just countryside. Only about seven million.”

Seven million people apparently is small

by Chinese terms. Even in ChangChun, a teacher wanted me to help translate a chemical company’s brochure so partners in America could be found.

China, Russia and Arabic-speaking countries will definitely play a critical role in America’s economic future. It is a wise decision to learn the languages, even if it’s just to impress a future business contact.

Cuda is a senior.

opinion

november 15, 2011

5

Return anchor days to student choice New lab will

JOSHUA BAQUEDANO

There is a growing sentiment in the study body that eighth period on a n c h o r Mondays has become too limited with its academics-

only activities.

Students have always seen eighth period as a free block that allows them to discover many offerings unique to Jefferson. Having a period built into the school day to attend cultural clubs, take community action, and find people who share your interests is unique to our school. Yet students don’t feel as though they are afforded all of these options during every block of eighth period, due to academic Mondays.

As prospective Jefferson students, admissions representatives visiting our middle schools described to us an eighth period system that would be our time for activities that would otherwise be reserved for after school hours at base schools. This is, quite simply, no longer the case.

Academic activities do take place at base schools during these after school sessions,

and they should be part of our eighth period program. However, the eighth period system should never force students to attend academic programs by making these the only offerings. On those Mondays when students don’t need extra help in their courses, don’t have a lab to complete, or a group project to work on, forced academic programs are a waste of time.

There is no reason why eighth period on Mondays should be different than Wednesdays and Fridays. At the end of a seven period day, students should be able to choose more relaxed activities. The opportunity to build high school memories in recreational activities and culture clubs is just as, if not more valuable, than a forced 45 minute study hall.

One issue that arises from making Mondays strictly academic is it limits how many clubs students can be active members in. A student who wants to form a new club but is already busy on Wednesdays and Fridays may be forced to sacrifice an activity.

This is not to say that the programs being implemented as part of academic eighth period are not worth developing. For example, peer essay reviewing will soon be added to the list of available offerings. This program will allow students to give and receive feedback on writing projects. This sounds like a worthwhile offering, but students should be able to choose between it and other interests.

How big a role academics should play in eighth period has been debated since Jefferson became a magnet school. Limiting eighth period to academic programs on anchor days has always been at the heart of the issue.

Initially, anchor day eighth periods were part of a program called IMPACT (Interaction for More Personal Attention & Counseling Time). In this program, students were able to meet with counselors, partake in friendship building activities and improve study skills. As the demand for new activities increased, a new program, POWER, was developed. However, POWER was also reconfigured into TA (Teacher Advisory) which was eliminated last year.

The common theme between IMPACT, POWER, and TA was a lack of student choice. This factor made the programs unpopular among students. While students do have a choice in the current anchor day eighth period setup, there is still a resistance to the purely academic nature of the period.

While TA only occurred once a month, students feel restricted by their options every Monday under the new system.

Restricting Jefferson students to academic Mondays is doing us a disservice.

We deserve the freedom to pursue our own interests, as well as our intellectual improvement, that should be associated with eighth period.

Tara Gupta

Mason

Michael

Wattendorf

Lee

They should give students more opportunities to recycle and place a greater emphasis on saving energy.

I’d like to see more of an emphasis on advanced curricula and not just a focus on passing standardized tests like the SOL.

Stein Joshua

Yasmine

McBride

Mount Vernon Arwood Marilyn

in focus:

What should your school board representatives do for you first?

Dranesville

Work for minimizing class sizes.

Smaller class sizes will help students obtain a more focused education.

School board members should focus on maintaining fine arts as an elective available to students.

infographic by Joshua Baquedano and Noah Yoo

need time to to develop

Our days start differently now.

Classroom televisions are rarely turned on, the video morning announcements have NOAH YOO disappeared completely, and the ever-familiar voice of former Communications Systems Lab Director Ed Montgomery no longer recites the Pledge of Allegiance every morningWith Montgomery’s retirement last spring, the lab as we knew it has also come to a close.

When I enrolled in the Introduction to Communications elective my junior year, I knew it was one of the least promoted and ”glamorous” labs – but I also knew there were resources and software in the lab that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the school. And for a person like me, interested in music production and audio engineering, there was no better place to be.

The lab has come under fire from administration numerous times before, even being shut down as a videotechnology lab and re-emerging a year later as the communications systems lab in 2009. Students in the lab have always involved themselves in video-related projects, both creative and technological – but no longer.

The media technology-based curriculum that Montgomery had instituted in Intro to Communications for the past 20 years has now been replaced by what is essentially another electronics research class, justified because the previous lab wasn’t ”technological” enough the way it was. Students are no longer allowed to work with cameras as a part of the course.

What determines whether or not a lab is technological? Past communications systems research projects have included audio waveform manipulation and video motion interpolation, both with intriguing technological applications that came about as the result of a more media-based communications class. Did they not meet administrators’ standards?

Of course, all this is behind us, and there isn’t anything to be done about it.

Changes happen, and people have to adjust. Stepping into Montgomery’s position as lab director, Paul Kosek has done a remarkable job in helping seniors make the unexpected transition from video cameras to breadboards rather quickly. With his direction, I’ve also been able to continue pursuing my interests in my research project, even under the new context set forth by the administration.

But the demise of the former paradigm has also meant the disappearance of a number of audio-visual products we seem to have taken for granted.

Who will record moments like I-Night, drama musicals, or talent show? Who will help organize morning announcements?

Not the new lab – that’s not what we do anymore. Under the new curriculum, we actually aren’t allowed to.

So if not us, then who? After all, the lab is currently the only place in the school with the necessary equipment for these undertakings. English teacher and yearbook adviser Erinn Harris has optioned a broadcast journalism class for the upcoming year that would potentially fill the gap, but depending on how many students are willing to enroll, that might not even happen.

The Communications Systems lab is an undefined territory, one that will hopefully come together in upcoming years.

The change in direction was unfair for the seniors in the lab, who were unprepared for the new electronics-based curriculum that leaves little room for creativity. And if this is the way the lab will change, then the school needs to find a way to ensure that students are still able to pursue their passions through other means.

I regret I won’t be one of them.

6

sports

Athletes tell of successes in fall sports cycle

november 15, 2011

Winter season looks promising Teams build on strengths of new and returning players

by Jenny Chen Sports Editor

Boys Basketball

Junior Varsity Football Sophomore Tim Zhong “We showed the rest of the district that we can hold our own against some of the best and I think we gained the respect of some teams out there.”

Varsity Field Hockey Junior Annie Burch “Our best game definitely came against district opponent Marshall because we played the best we had all season and I feel we ended the season on a high note.”

Cross Country Freshman Chris Blagg “We won the district for our junior varsity team and that was a great experience. The freshmen runners were excited to be able to train and prepare for varsity next year.”

The boys basketball team finished off last year with an 11-11 record, just short of its goal of ending with a winning record.

“I’d say this year’s team will feel as though they have some unfinished business to attend to,” head varsity coach Mark Gray-Mendes said.

Along with attaining a winning record, Gray-Mendes also hopes to see the team qualify for Regionals, a feat that has not been accomplished in 15 years.

“Our coach has revamped our offensive set and our game play will be explosive and quick,” senior Shriram Sundararaman said.

“We are going to be a fast-paced team this year.”

The team will be facing tough schools including McLean, Langley and South Lakes, but it is confident that its preparation and powerful fan spirit from the Monticello Maniacs will pull it through.

“We’ve got the best fans in the entire region,” junior David Rice said, “so I think that with their intensity and our hard work we should expect nothing less than a great season.”

Wrestling

The wrestling team had a strong showing last winter at Districts, sending five wrestlers to Regionals. This year, the majority of these wrestlers are returning to the team.

Juniors Patrick O’Connor and Thuc Tran and senior Peter Reischer all placed within the top four rankings at Districts.

“We still have two or three returning regional qualifiers minimum and a lot of our wrestlers are getting better and more experienced,” Tran said.

A number of junior varsity athletes join the varsity team this year. With these new additions, the team will turn its focus to incoming freshmen.

“Our biggest challenge will be building up the skills of freshmen now. We’re very top heavy in terms of age and weight,” Tran said. “We’re looking to build a better record than what it looked like last year.”

Girls Basketball

Freshman Volleyball Freshman Sophie Bennett “Our freshman volleyball team finished with the best record in school history and it was an amazing experience to be part of it.” photos and reporting by Michael Chao

Of the seven returning varsity players, none are seniors. Last season’s junior varsity and freshman players, however, are ready to compensate for the five seniors who graduated.

Head varsity coach Victor Chen agrees that the new group of team leaders is able to improve upon past seasons, during which the Madison Warhawks and Oakton Cougars served as tough opponents.

“We had strong leadership in the offseason compounded with the newly implemented green days that will be the key to our success this season,” Chen said.

These green days are set practices for sports outside of their regular season. Dur-

photo courtesy of Caroline Kerr

photo by Jenny Chen

Left: Returning gymnast junior Caroline Kerr competes in the floor event at a West Potomac High School meet. Right: Junior David Rice dribbles down the court at a green day practice on Oct. 27.

ing these training blocks, coaches can introduce different strategies to be used later on.

“We have also been practicing over the summer, after school and on the weekends together,” junior Rena Mazur said. “I’m positive we will be able to improve our record from last year.”

Gymnastics

With just two returning members, the team enters the season with the task of filling the holes left by several strong athletes.

“The biggest challenges will be replacing the four seniors who graduated and our top scoring gymnast who decided to leave Jefferson to return to Arlington County schools,” head coach Pete Novgrod said.

The team is hopeful, though, because of a positive showing at the Oct. 26 interest meeting. An incoming class of freshmen can provide new talent and, along with veteran juniors Caroline Kerr and Jenn Wang, make up for the loss of key all-around gymnasts.

“We’re trying to recruit as many people as possible,” Wang said.

Kerr and Wang have taken up the duty of leading the team. Despite this daunting job, Kerr is confident that her previous experience will pay off.

Swim and Dive

The swim and dive teams are starting this season with new coaches Ian Handerhan and Charlotte Edwards. Joining this rank of fresh faces is a talented crop of freshmen.

“We did graduate some really great seniors last year, but the times of our two fastest boys and girls from last year’s class have been matched or beaten by our incoming class,” senior swim team captain Katie Bennett said.

“These freshmen are unbelievable.”

Eight of those freshmen have siblings who are either current team members or alumni.

They are all eager to continue the tradition.

“We’re really focusing on pushing more swimmers to the state level,” Bennett said The swimmers are also aiming to claim district titles. Tainting what would have been an undefeated record for the boys last season were the Madison Warhawks.

“The [Madison] boys have won Districts two years running and it’s about time someone shut them down,” sophomore Will Ashe said. “I hope that’s us.”

Indoor Track and Field

With a history of athletes competing at District, Regional and State championships in previous years, the indoor track and field team looks to extend its accomplishments to the new season.

“The new freshman class looked great during the cross country season, which hopefully transitions into great success for the freshman in indoor and outdoor track,” sophomore Raeford Penny said.

Penny, like many other runners and field athletes, is using the winter season to prepare for outdoor track. He hopes to break the Jefferson record in the 400 meter event come springtime.

Both the boys and girls teams also have skilled athletes in hurdling, pole vaulting and jumping. Looking forward, anything could be possible this winter.

“The boys team will probably have mixed results,” senior distance runner Chris Rom said. “We will dominate distance events and we will be competitive in the 1,000 meter run and the 4 by 800 meter relay.”

Ivey excels in global taekwondo competitions

by Colleen Marshall “From a shy little girl who came into my Managing Editor studio to pick up her brother to being named As she walked into the ring of the cham- USA Taekwondo’s Female Player of the Year pionship fight, senior Adrienne Ivey said a for 2011, I can say that I’ve seen her improve,” quick prayer asking for agilIvey’s coach and National ity and strength. She took Team assistant coach Denone last sip of water from nis Kim said. “Adrienne is her coach and bowed to her also one of only two female opponent, Victoria Heredia juniors in the history of USA Tamez from Mexico.

Taekwondo to be named to “I don’t look at the other the Junior National Team person before the fight,” four years in a row.”

Ivey said. “I need to focus Ivey began Taekwondo on myself so I know I can with her brother when she go out and fight my best.” was in fifth grade and a Ivey won the gold mednew Taekwondo school al at the Junior Pan Ameriopened close to their house. can Taekwondo Champi“My parents were lookphoto by Colleen Marshall onships held in Las Vegas ing for after-school care on Oct. 8. for us and when the new This achievement is just the most recent of school opened, it made sense for us to go Ivey’s accolades. She is currently ranked 57 there,” she said. “My mom had also done in the world in the Female Heavyweight divi- karate so my brother and I were already into sion and was named the 2011 Female Player martial arts.” of the Year by USA Taekwondo.

On average, Ivey spends 15 hours a week

training on top of school work and participating as a varsity athlete on the Jefferson soccer team in the spring. Originally Kim had warned her against enrolling at Jefferson because of the large time commitment required .

Ivey competed in the first ever Youth Olympics held in Singapore last summer and has travelled across the globe to participate in various Taekwondo competitions.

“There are so many places I’ve been able to go that I’m sure I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to visit without Taekwondo,” she said.

“Unfortunately, we spend most of our time in the arena, but sometimes we get to go on excursions to see the country we are in.”

Because Ivey will be turning 18 next year, she will no longer be able to participate at the junior level because of the 14 to 17 year age restriction, but she doesn’t intend to let that slow down her hopes for future achievement.

“I plan to continue with Taekwondo and hopefully make the Senior National Team,” she said. “I guess my ultimate goal is the 2016 Olympics, but right now I’m just working on finishing my college applications.”

photo courtesy of Adrienne Ivey

Senior Adrienne Ivey spars against a Canadian opponent at the 2010 U.S. Open in Las Vegas.

sports

november 15, 2011

NBA Lockout: Blame the players

MICHAEL CHAO

N B A commissioner David Stern steps to his podium, addresses the media and states a simple fact.

All games through Nov. 30 have been

cancelled.

The NBA lockout drags on, with negotiations stalling in recent meetings. This dilemma has lasted for nearly four months, as players have failed to come to an agreement with team owners over the issue of player salaries and team salary caps.

NBA athletes, who have an average salary of $5 million a year, have the audacity to complain about the league cutting back on their over-inflated incomes. Team owners are trying to decrease player salaries by 40 percent, bringing the average down to a whopping $3 million. This makes the NBA on par with the MLB in terms of average salary, but still puts it miles ahead of the $770,000 average NFL salary.

The NBA is doing this so teams won’t have enough salary room to become superstar-magnets. They want to prevent repeats of the Miami Heat, who signed superstars Chris Bosh and LeBron James in free agency last season.

Now while the players sit back in their private jets, sip a bottle of Hennessy and complain about their preposterous salaries, fans have to suffer. We suffer because of a simple reason: the season is constantly being cut short, causing our ravenous hunger for NBA action to go uncurbed.

The first two weeks have already been cancelled and at the rate negotiations have been going, more seem to be on the chopping block.

Some players are starting to defect to international and player-created leagues.

Basketball superstars Kevin Durant and John Wall are prime examples of athletes keeping busy in the off-season by dominating in the Drew/Goodman leagues.

Now while this entire dilemma plays on in the background, a fine season of college basketball seems to be in store for us.

After a recent Final Four appearance by VCU and second-round run by George Mason University, basketball fans seem to have an exciting alternative to the NBA. What can we do about the lockout?

Not much, besides watch YouTube videos of that ridiculous Derrick Rose crossover.

We could wait till March Madness rolls around and root for another deep VCU run. Of course none of this compares to the thrill of watching an NBA game in Primetime on TNT, but that won’t be happening anytime soon unless the prima donnas we call NBA athletes finally suck it up and stop whining about their money.

7

Woodson Ice Hockey Club welcomes Jefferson skaters

by Jennifer Walter hockey’s version of a scrimmage, with Rob- of time of the games.

Sports Editor inson winning 9-2.

“The hardest part of the game is the A mixture of colors swirls in an organized “This game was a good benchmark for length,” Sejong said. “You get pretty tired out chaos around the skating rink. The hockey us,” Dean said. “It sets the bar so we know there. You get pushed over, you fall down, players skate forward and backward, with or where we need to get to.” you take a hard shot.” without pucks as they begin their practice for The team defeated Flint Hill, 5-4, on Nov. A common misconception about hockey the day. Indistinguishable from the Wood- 9, with David scoring the final goal. is the focus on violence. The game is known son and Lake Braddock players is a lone JefDavid isn’t the only Jefferson player in- for fights on the ice, resulting in major penalferson skater, sophomore David Weisiger. terested in joining the team. Freshmen Nick ties that take players out of the game.

The Woodson Ice Hockey Club is a JV Mariam also tried out but decided not to join.

“It’s overblown,” Dean said. “Hockey is a member of the Northern Virginia Scholastic “I’m probably going to play for McLean contact sport, so there’s going to be hits, but Hockey League (NVSHL). At the beginning because my friends are on that team,” Mar- there’s been a real move to get fighting out of of the training season, with seven more play- iam said. the game.” ers allowed on the Part of the reason for Sejong agrees that there should be no team, Coach Keith Mariam’s disinterest is hard feelings during games.

Dean opened the rosthe distance between his “We play because we like hockey,” he ter to interested JefMcLean home and the said. “Just mixing it up with the other team ferson students.

Mount Vernon hockey rink. without all those unnecessary fights.

Part of the team’s Very limited rink times and You know, just good reason for merging practice locations are availclean hockey.” with Jefferson was able to the team because the ties between the two rinks have to be rented outschools. Weisiger has side of public skating hours. an older brother on “They have some crazy the Woodson team, practice and game times senior Sejong. because you can only do ice For the brothers, hockey at an ice rink,” Dahockey is a family afvid said. fair.

Even with the strange “My grandma crehours, hockey teams may ated an ice rink, and soon be gaining more playice skating is a big Woodson sophomore Lewey Ad- ers. thing in our family,” eson practices on Oct. 19.

“Since Alex Ovechkin David said. came to the Capitals, hockThe Weisigers ey has grown more popular. learned to skate at a young age at the fam- Younger kids are seeing a flashier game than ily owned skating rink, the Fairfax Ice Arena. the game I saw as a kid,” Westfield senior There, they both learned about figure skating Zach Haubach said. Haubach plays for the and ice hockey.

Reston Raiders as well as his school team.

“We did these tiny little scrimmages “All of the hype and the super stars have led where we learned fundamentals and it was to a larger awareness of hockey and because really fun. It kind of grew on me as a child,” more people are seeing the game, more kids Sejong said. are becoming interested,”he said.

The two continued to play the sport and Unfortunately, the sport’s costs don’t improve their skating skills, but the brothers encourage new players. All the equiparen’t alone in valuing family above all else. ment, from helmets to skates, costs “What I tell them is their number one pri- about $500, with goalie gear reachority is their family, their number two prior- ing $1,000. The heavy equipity is their education, and their number three ment, while providing impriority is hockey,” Dean said. portant protection for the Sejong and David work together on the players, can be very tiring ice, with David playing forward and Sejong to skate with as well as backing him up on defense. t h e sheer length “It’s nice to play with him because we cophoto illustration by Anna Hicks and Jennifer Walter photos by Jennifer Walter ordinate really well on the ice,” David said.

The brothers look forward to competing together, especially against the Robinson Secondary School team, their most formiAbove: Woodson and Lake Braddock Ice Hockey teams practice on dable opponent. The teams faced off in the Oct. 19. Below: Woodson player Sejong Weisiger skates at practice. first exhibition game of the season,

“C2 helped me become a more critical reader, allowing me to improve my SAT critical reading score. Overall, C2 helped me raise my SAT score of 200 points The multitude of resources that C2 has allowed me to take countless practice tests, and this was the key to my success.” -Victoria S.Vist our blog at c2educate.com/blog for more success stories

november 15, 2011

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november 15, 2011

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november 15, 2011

9

JEFFERSON WITHOUT BORDERS JOSTI provides community for international schools photo courtesy of Chris Chater

Chris Chater participates in the JOSTI conference.

photo courtesy of Nand Kishore

Junior Nand Kishore presents at the JOSTI 2011 conference on the significance of iPads in education.

photo from tjhsst.edu

The participants of the JOSTI 2011 conference stand for a group photo in the front of the school in June.

photo courtesy of Chris Chater

The Moodle tool, instituted by the JOSTI program last year facilitates communication between all of the schools.

by Amy Ahn Spread Editor Late in January, when the American International School in Egypt lost its Internet during the government’s crackdown on online communication, Jefferson was poised to lend a hand. Using one of the building’s servers as a modem, a dialup connection was established between the two schools until Internet access was restored.

This is the most recent in a long list of ways Jefferson has helped American overseas schools technologically.

The Jefferson Overseas Schools Technology Institute (JOSTI), is organized by Jefferson and the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools. When the growing war on terror forced the International School of Islamabad to evacuate their facilities, the relationship established between the schools through JOSTI allowed Jefferson to set up a site similar to Blackboard, allowing the students to finish out their year.

JOSTI is a one week technology training experience held every year in June and consists of two strands: techie and instructional. Each strand has its own workshops and speakers, which include Jefferson staff and students, as well as educators from around the world.

“Jefferson made a virtual school similar to Blackboard.

They were even able to have a virtual prom,” said Technology Director and Systems Administrator Peter Morasca.

“We worked with Blackboard and a local vendor and set up Blackboard for schools in Islamabad and taught teachers how to use it,” said Richard Washer, former School Based Technology Specialist.

“As our school was State Department-supported, I learned about the JOSTI training sessions, as they were called in the early days, and this opportunity to connect with educators from all corners of the planet was a huge step forward,” said Chris Chater, music teacher and education web coordinator for the American School of Paris.

“What I was used to in Europe was the same but also very different in South America, Africa and Asia. I made it my business to attend whenever this was possible.”

JOSTI also provides the JOSTI Educational Enhancement through Technology grant to Jefferson students and staff to research a topic that interests them and present these projects at the conference. This year’s grant deadline is Nov. 22.

Last year’s grant recipients were junior Nand Kishore, sophomore Parth Chopra, and physics teachers Jim Rose and Adam Smith. The grants allowed for the students and teachers to investigate the role that technology plays in education.

“I have always been fascinated by new and upcoming technology and its applications. I was curious as to what ways the iPad could revolutionize education,” Kishore said.

“I guess the Grant Committee shared my enthusiasm and awarded me the grant, up to $1,000, to buy and research the newly announced iPad 2, including various apps available

in the market.”

“The JOSTI grant gave me $1,000 to investigate new technologies that enhance learning. I chose to spend it on Flip Video Cameras because they are great tools that have so many possibilities in education and extracurricular activities,” Chopra said.

“The presentation was an amazing event that I had never before experienced. It allowed me to discuss with a variety of experts in the field from all around the world,” Kishore said.

“I highly recommend and encourage students from TJ to take part and explore the remarkable opportunity the JOSTI tech grant and conference provides,” Kishore said.

“The main goal of JOSTI is to bring help to the schools and to bring around 100 educators here for a week for the conference to conduct workshops on integrating technology with curriculum,” Washer said.

Just as Jefferson had assisted Islamabad in its time of trouble, the JOSTI conferences provide information on procedures for emergency situations.

“We have implemented an emergency plan to keep school open that is largely based on what was learned from JOSTI,” Chater said.

The JOSTI conferences allow Jefferson to share its technology and ideas with schools all over the world.

This year, JOSTI introduced the tool Moodle, an open source Contact Management System hosted at Jefferson, and created an account for all attendees to be able to communicate with each other.

The JOSTI conferences have also inspired many schools to stay updated with the changing times and to incorporate technology into their schools.

“Seeing the high academic standards and the strong student presence in JOSTI over the years has given us the strength to make bold changes. For example, we have featured a student-run help desk for technology that assisted fellow students, teachers and parents - very much an emulation of what we found at TJ,” Chater said.

The conferences make communication between Jefferson and schools overseas more efficient. “Anything to do with outreach and helping them is what it’s about. The conferences provide a sort of community for them,” Washer said.

“Everyone I have met at JOSTI says they have something to bring home. Maybe a handful of cool tools they didn’t know about before, or the missing link in a big picture they had been working on from afar,” Chater said.

Helping bring educators and experts from all over the globe, JOSTI is a resource to produce an amalgam of different ideas and innovations.

“I think it’s terrific TJ shares its best practices not only with Northern Virginia, but also with educators from all over the world,” Principal Evan Glazer said. “JOSTI is a platform that helps us build those international relations.”

Caracas, Venezuela Escuela Campo Alegre

Bogotá, Colombia Colegio Nueva Granada San José, Costa Rica Lincoln School Costa Rica

Panama City, Panama Balboa Academy

Cartagena, Colombia Colegio Jorge Washington

Lusaka, Zambia International School of Lusaka

Hafrsfjord, Norway International School of Stavanger

Kyiv, Ukraine Kyiv International School

Moscow, Russia Anglo-American School of Moscow

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Quality School International of Bishkek

Shanghai, China Shanghai American School

Hawalli, Kuwait American School of Kuwait Islamabad, Pakistan International School of Islamabad Azaiba, Oman American International School of Muscat

Vientiane, Laos International School of Vientiane

Hellerup, Denmark Copenhagen International School

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan Kaohsiun American School

Binan, Phillipines East Asia Regional Council of Schools Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia International School of Malaysia

Amy Ahn

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia American International School of Riyadh

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia International Commmunity School of Addis Ababa

Maputo, Mozambique American Internation School of Mozambique

Spread Editor As the first deadline for registration of science fair entries rolls around on Nov. 14, Jefferson students debate their plans for presenting sensitive and hazardous projects.

And in some far corners around the globe, students in international schools are also planning. But some of these students intend to step away from physical and traditional science fairs and enter the world of the NESA Virtual Science Fair. NESA is the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools that sponsors this virtual science fair.

Stuart Fleischer, a teacher at the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel (WBAIS), developed the idea for the Virtual Science Fair when faced with the difficult logistics of having traditional science fairs.

“I have always been disappointed as a science teacher that my students were not participating in a science fair at our school, in regional competitions and globally”, Fleischer said. “Locally, the science teachers were not interested, and regionally, as an international school, we were restricted by not being part of the Israel Education System. Also we could not compete regionally as the neighboring countries were not necessarily friendly.”

With the aid of advanced technology, Fleischer decided to develop a virtual science fair in which students could enter their projects through content managing systems such as Blackboard.

“When Blackboard was added to enable our school to continue teaching in the case of a shut down due to war or the spread of disease such as avian flu, the idea of using this platform to host a virtual science fair was born,” Fleischer said.

The NESA Virtual Science Fair is funded by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools, which also funds the JOSTI conferences held at Jefferson. Fleischer is a speaker at these conferences, having had workshops such as, “Going GahGah Over iGoogle,” “Weapons of Mass Distraction to Tools for Learning,” and “Science Sensors and Augmented Reality to super enhance laptops in the science classroom.”

Not only does Fleischer present and teach at these conferences, he is involved in the learning process as well.

“Seven years ago, I attended a workshop led by a Jefferson teacher at the JOSTI conference. He showed off the power of a tablet computer. This teacher was way ahead of the technology curve in using tablets in the classroom,” Fleischer said.

“I immediately purchased a tablet days after the workshop and began to utilize best practices in the classroom with the tablet. Now our entire middle school uses tablet computers.”

Just as the JOSTI conferences provide a community of schools all over the world, Fleischer hopes to inspire students from all over the globe to create a community of science.

“The winning local schools could go head to head in an international competition crossing all political borders, geography and time,” Fleischer said. “Real judges challenge the students with critical thinking questions.”

Having been a participant in the JOSTI program for the past seven years, Fleischer appreciates Jefferson’s continuous advancements in technology.

“Having Jefferson as the venue site for science and technology teachers is very rewarding,” Fleischer said. ”Each year I bring more and more ideas back to WBAIS Israel and I’ve formed close relationships with faculty over the years.” graphics and reporting by Amy Ahn and Lakshmi Chandran

10

entertainment

november 15, 2011

Pacific WWII story thrills Ballroom provides an elegant alternative

photo courtesy of bn.com

by Michael Poussard Special to tjTODAY An old B-24 Liberator, the Green Hornet, was patrolling the skies above the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 1943 hoping to find at least some of the crew of a downed bomber still alive. Not long after, the plane went down over the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Only three of the 11 crew members survived: the pilot, Russel Phillips, the tail gunner, Francis McNamara, and the bombardier, Olympic miler Louie Zamperini.

“Unbroken” begins by describing in detail Zamperini’s childhood and adolescence. Hillenbrand went to great lengths to establish Zamperini as a strong character, devoting dozens of pages to forcing out a description of his training and races that gets old quickly.

Frequently fleeing from the police after stealing food from distracted homeowners, Zamperini became a skilled runner. When the draft was introduced, Zamperini joined the Army Air Corps and was commissioned a second lieutenant, assigned as the bombardier in the B-24 Liberator.

Hillenbrand describes the technical aspects of flight accurately while keeping the text understandable to a non-aviationoriented reader. This makes for a more accurate telling of what the pilots and crew dealt with on the Pacific Front.

After his plane went down, the three survivors clung to a rubber life raft and drifted at sea for 47 days. They managed to survive by trapping rainwater and cleverly catching albatrosses that rested on the raft along with the fish that swam nearby.

Despite this resourcefulness, they still suffered greatly from lack of food and dehydration. One survivor died on day 33.

The other two spent their days trying to keep sane by asking each other questions and singing songs. They imagined and described meals to each other so vividly that they sometimes convinced their stomachs momentarily that they were full.

After 47 days, the two remaining airmen were captured by the Japanese at the Marshall Islands. Zamperini, the focus of the story, was subjected to constant torture, slave labor, starvation and disease.

It is in the 100 or so pages describing the sadistic torture in Japanese prisons that the book slows down again, becoming highly repetitive.

The pilots, who had been moved to different locations, were eventually spared because of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After returning home, Zamperini struggled with his memories. After several years, he was able to overcome his drinking when a friend converts him to Christianity.

“Unbroken” offers a powerful insight into the life of a real American hero. The story is fast-paced and vividly described and the pages turn themselves.

by Shayna Hume Entertainment Editor Watching the feet of the dancers in Ballroom Dance Club, you can almost become mesmerized by the fast shifting patterns that synthesize so much energy into a single dance.

Ballroom Dance Club is the dance club where you learn the most different styles. Between dances like the cha-cha and the waltz, students in Ballroom learn a lot over the course of a year.

“It’s easy in the sense that, if you put enough work into it, it will happen, but you need to put in hours of concentration for that. Dance is hard,” senior Daphne Fong said.

In early January, the club takes part in the Viennese

Ball, a social event open to the entire school.

“Last year, the Viennese Ball was amazing. It was so elegant,” sophomore Valerie Nguyen said.

Watching a couple actually dance one of these styles can be intimidating, but all of the students seem to agree that the individual steps weren’t as hard as they thought they would be.

“Dr. Gabor and Señora Gendive are excellent instructors who break down the steps so that they’re really simple for everyone,” sophomore Dhruv Gaba said.

Ballroom is different from the dances more traditional to the teen scene, and many students seem to appreciate the change of pace.

“I like ballroom because it looks so elegant. It’s one of the few kinds of dance where you need both preciseness of movement and a sort of flowing grace,” Fong said.

Swing dance flies high

by Claudia Lovegrove Entertainment Editor Squeals and shrieks abound as girls go flying across the floor relying only on the strength of their partners to keep them from falling. The spins and flips they perform impress even the most casual viewer. This is swing dance, a type of dance that combines impressive acrobatic stunts with partner dancing.

Swing dance can be a competitive activity. It is not just Swing Dance Club, it’s swing dance team. They had a series of interest meetings and then in November, tryouts on the 4th. The upperclassmen team captains made the tryouts exciting, and the hopeful candidates loved them.

“I love dancing, teaching people to dance and spreading the love of dance,” senior Lizzie Steele said about her experience teaching the new team members.

Swing dance team is more than just a dance team; they are almost like a family. This bond creates a comfortable atmosphere, even during tryouts. No one looks nervous; everyone is laughing and having a ball. This club is all about dancing and having fun and it shows.

Once the team is chosen, they practice to perform at various school functions.

“We have two major performances, International Night and Talent Show,” Steele said.

Swing not only requires dancing ability and a good attitude, but also a great deal of physical fitness. Imagine having to swing an entire human being through the air with just one arm, or having to pick someone up so that they can flip over your head and come down without injuring themselves. There has to be a great deal of trust between partners.

“You have to be best friends with your partner,” junior Amanda Hicks said. “A lot of swing is the girl following the guy, and the better they know each other, the better they dance together.”

Sophomores Valerie Nguyen and Dhruv Gaba practice in Ballroom Dance Club.

Students freestyle in Urban Dance Movement

by Shayna Hume Entertainment Editor Walking into the Urban Dance Movement Friday B-blocks, you can see a group of students clustered around a computer screen that’s hooked up to a pair of loudspeakers. Blaring from the speakers is an assortment of hip-hop music, and intermittently, dancers freestyle different kinds of dance around the planetarium lobby.

“It’s a great stress relief, and we all look forward to it,” junior Yujin Hong said.

All of the dances in Urban Dance Movement fall under the name of street dances, but within that category, there are several different major styles, such as breakdancing, power moves, uprock and hip-hop.

“Choreography is my favorite because it can be thought of as a sort of art. It’s original, and watching it come to life is an amazing experience,” sophomore Jason Kim said.

Although some of the dances can be difficult to learn, all of the students seem to enjoy the time spent in urban

dance.

“We wanted a different atmosphere at TJ because most of the other clubs are academic,” junior Brian Kim said.

Many of the students who are in urban dance often join their grade’s MEX during Homecoming spirit week, as a way to display their dancing abilities. However, outside of events and Urban Dance Movement, they practice their dancing all the time for fun, as well as to get better.

“I never took lessons. I learned by watching YouTube videos and practicing on my own,” Kim said.

Urban dance is different from other dances in that lots of people can learn how to dance on their own. Whereas in the past you had to learn from people who already knew the skills, now you can teach yourself dance using YouTube and other video websites.

Whether you learn dance the more traditional way or on your own, people still love the feeling of dancing as well as its aesthetic appeal.

“Dancing is like singing with your body,” Kim said.

Photo and graphics by Shayna Hume and Colleen Marshall

Coming Attractions infographic by Claudia Lovegrove

Owl City

Nov. 16: 9:30 Club

‘Breaking Dawn’

Nov. 18: Theaters Everywhere

‘Happy Feet 2’

Nov. 18: Theaters Everywhere

Panel of Experts

Nov. 21: Jammin’ Java

‘Micro’

Nov. 22: Bookstores Everywhere

entertainment

november 15, 2011

Picks of the Month Movie

photo from imdb.com

‘Harold & Kumar’

by Joshua Baquedano Opinion Editor “A Very Harold and Kumar 3-D Christmas”, the third adventure in the franchise, follows the same formula as the first two. A seemingly mundane goal plus an unforeseen obstacle, mixed with illegal narcotics and a touch of Neil Patrick Harris makes for an enjoyable trip to the theater.

If you know what you’re getting yourself into, that is.

Those who’ve matured past the level of a college-aged male probably won’t find this movie very funny. I have not passed that stage. I laughed.

Unless you enjoy the over saturation of sexual jokes and drug references, the movie will come across as gimmicky, as director Todd Strauss-Schulson’s use of 3-D and clay animation comes with mixed results at best. A three dimensional cocaine explosion and a bong hit blown into the audience’s faces are two of the less risqué 3-D features and, while predictable, were hilarious.

However, the brief foray into claymation is far more bizarre and only adds to the movie’s gimmicky feel.

The acting is similar to the rest of the movie in that it is exactly what you would expect. At this point, John Cho and Kal Penn, who portray the protagonists, are synonymous with their characters’ names. The biggest scene stealer is the small daughter of Harold’s new friend Todd. Through a series of accidents, the baby becomes inebriated. Perhaps the biggest surprise of this predictable movie was that they got a toddler to successfully portray a cocaine high.

The movie takes a surprising look at Harold and Kumar’s relationship and has a few genuine moments. It touches on the issue of maturity and how old is too old to have fun. Even more so than in the franchise’s previous installments, the duo sees their friendship tested, only to have their troubles work out in the end.

Despite being a tad predictable, this R-rated movie accomplishes what it set out to do, namely making a juvenile audience laugh at raunchy humor. The audience now has to make sure not to grow too mature while waiting for the fourth installment. And remember, its rating is totally justified.

Album

photo from chartattack.com

TV Show

photo from fxnetworks.com

‘Mylo Xyloto’

‘American Horror Story’

by Noah Yoo Opinion Editor Coldplay has never been a band to just sit back and record material that they are certain their followers will love.

2008’s “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends’” was a drastic change from “X&Y” three years earlier. Their newest album, “Mylo Xyloto,” released on October 24, takes their sound in a different direction, to good results.

“Mylo Xyloto” marks the return of the more piano-centric Coldplay that disappeared with the release of “Viva,” but not in the same style that they displayed in songs like “Clocks” and “Speed of Sound.”

Piano chords are the foundations of the songs, but never stand at the forefront of the sound. Instead, colorful synths and driving guitar riffs characterize the latest album, a welcome return from some of the best songs of “X&Y.” Fans of the classical percussion, string arrangements and baroque pop stylings of “Viva” may be put off at first by the varying sounds of the band’s latest effort.

The result of collaboration with producer Brian Eno, the best tracks off of “Mylo Xyloto” sound little like their previous work in terms of instrumentation and lyrical content.

Anthems such as “Paradise” and “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” sound pleasingly familiar, as if they belong at a dance party. Lyrics like “On every street, every car, every surface are names/And as the streets rise, I’ll rather be insane/Don’t let them take control,” show tendencies of revolution and unrest, but Coldplay varies between upbeat energy and calmed mellowness throughout the entire LP. That said, the tracks on the second half of the album fall rather flat. While Chris Martin says his personal favorite is “Princess of China,” a collaboration with pop star Rihanna, the song comes across as unbalanced and awkward. “UFO” and “A Hopeful Transmission” seem like filler material, tacked on at the last moment.

If you don’t typically like Coldplay, “Mylo Xyloto” may win you over. It covers sonic landscapes previously unfamiliar to the band, and isn’t characteristic of the musical reputation they’ve established for themselves. “Mylo Xyloto” is a fun concept album with enough content to keep you interested.

by Claudia Lovegrove Entertainment Editor Welcome to their worst nightmare.

“American Horror Story”, from the creators of “Glee” and “Nip/Tuck”, premiered on Oct. 5 and has already been picked up for a second season.

It follows the life of the Harmon Family, who has recently moved to Los Angeles from Boston, although their new house is anything but welcoming.

The show is only four episodes in and many murders have already taken place. At least one is seen in the opening of each and every episode. It’s creepy and campy, but still completely enjoyable.

The house itself seems to have something against its inhabitants.

Everyone who moves in dies, something the Harmons did not know before they purchased the house. Not only do they have that to worry about, but a ghost problem is soon discovered.

The range of spirits trapped in this home is astounding.

There are ghosts of all shapes and sizes including a maid who appears young to men and old to women. She has a past of tempting men to commit adultery. There is also a baby recreated from various body parts who attacks people in the basement.

The ghosts sound bad, but the living might be worse. The family has a nosy neighbor, a half burned man stalking them and people from their past who won’t let them go. On top of all of this, the parents are confronting a case of infidelity and their marriage is falling apart while their daughter is dealing with bullying at school. The only thing keeping the family together is the promise of a new baby, but even that is not normal, because when the mother went in for a sonogram, the nurse fainted at the picture of the fetus.

The flashbacks to the past owners of the house keep the show exciting while the plot keeps viewers hooked.

It is impossible to guess what will happen next, or who is not what they say they are.

All in all, it’s shaping up to be a pretty awful year for the Harmons and a very interesting season for viewers.

11

Theater

photo by Shayna Hume

‘Too Clever By Half’

by Shayna Hume Entertainment Editor It’s “Mean Girls” meets Russian stereotypes in Jefferson Drama’s fall production of “Too Clever by Half” or “Diary of a Scoundrel”, and all of the students acting in the production are raring to go for the Nov. 18 premiere.

“When I found out that we were doing an obscure Russian show, I was like ‘this is going to be awful, no one is going to like it,’ but actually, it is really funny. There are definitely a lot of good moments,” sophomore Jordan Goodson said.

Drama always enjoys putting on a play with a little comedy. “Too Clever

by Half”, with its satirical subplots and ironic themes fits the bill.

“Comedies are generally a strong point with TJ drama, so I think the play is relative to the people who are in it,” junior Emily Kelly, who plays Kleopatra in the show, said.

Playwright Alexander Ostrovsky’s play is set in the 19th century. The protagonist, Gloumov, played by senior Rishi Malhotra, is the so-called “scoundrel” who is attempting to climb the social ladder with remarkable success. His deceit of others and his brutal evaluation of human nature are the central points which the farce revolves around.

In a odd twist of irony, Ostrovsky placed Gloumov and his mother as the only non-hypocrites in the play. They alone do not pretend to be anything they are not, whereas the rest of the “moral” characters gossip and pretend extensively. The strange protagonist duo never protests their own guilt, providing a fresh perspective on what is right and what is wrong.

Despite the underlying meaning just waiting to be picked apart by critics, the majority of the play is, as stated before, a comedy, where ludicrous assumptions and ridiculous happenstance reign supreme, interrupted only occasionally by its more morbid themes.

“I think it translates a lot to modern day situations. The characters are making fun of human nature and how even in the present, we don’t always keep our friends’ best intentions in mind,” Goodson said.

12

health

november 15, 2011

Skincare can be complicated and frustrating

by Tahmina Achekzai and Arya Dahal Features Editors Junior Woo-Ju Kim walks through the aisles at The Body Shop, searching for her usual cleanser, Tea Tree. Surrounded by dozens of acne and skin care products, she finally spots the green bottle she uses so often to keep her skin from breaking out.

While acne is the skin condition most commonly associated with adolescence, teenagers must also learn to remedy dry skin, a problem characterized mainly by flaking, cracks and shrunken skin.

Though both conditions can prove harmful, students aren’t as concerned about dry skin. “With oily skin, you get so self-conscious.

Dry skin is not that visible; you can only feel it,” sophomore Dillan Chang said.

Dry skin is a fairly common skin condition that appears when the weather becomes less humid. Though we may blame it on the change in air, there are many other causes which could easily be prevented.

According to the Mayo Clinic, long hot showers, harsh soaps and detergents and even air conditioning can lead to problems with dry skin. And those moisturizers students carry around during the winter? Chances are, many

people are misusing them, which can actually lead to more dry skin rather than prevent it.

Moisturizers should not be applied to skin that is starting to flake and already in a bad condition.

This can cause microorganisms present on the surface of the skin to plant themselves into crevices caused by cracking skin.

Additionally, girls who use both moisturizer and makeup products should be careful about when to apply each one.

Lotions and moisturizers should be applied a few minutes before the foundation or powder, for an sketches by Sunny Kim outer coating of moisturizer could suffocate the skin.

Applying it beforehand can allow the lotion to be absorbed into the skin and effectively protect the skin from chemicals in the makeup.

Unfortunately, the arrival of winter weather and dry skin don’t mean an end to those persistent pimples. Actually, they can leave your skin more vulnerable to breakouts and Acne vulgaris.

Acne vulgaris, commonly known as acne, is the most common skin disorder in the United States, affecting 80 percent of people between ages 11 and 30, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Overproduction of oil due to hormonal changes is the main cause of this disorder.

Hormones produced by the endocrine system, such as testosterone for males and progesterone for females, have been linked to the formation of acne. These hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands, which produce oil in order to lubricate the skin and hair.

These oil glands produce a substance known as sebum, which carries dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. This movement clogs up pores and hair follicles, resulting in pimples.

Stress has also been linked to acne breakouts. A study conducted by Wake Forest Uni-

versity showed that before high-stress events such as exams, participants were 23 percent more likely to experience breakouts.

“Winter is always stressful with work and sports. I wrestled during the winter season, so it was a very stressful kind of time,” senior Andrew Martin said. “My acne went away after the season ended.”

Diets rich in sugar are also known to induce acne breakouts. For years, scientists have ignored the age-old theory connecting acne with chocolate. Recently though, many researchers conducted studies looking into this.

Though scientists haven’t proven a direct relationship with acne and foods high in sugar, a more specific factor has come into the picture. A high glycemic index, which increases glucose levels rapidly and significantly, causes an increase in insulin resistance and hormone release.

Insulin resistance, a condition that rises when the body fails to produce a significant amount of insulin, has shown strong correlation with obesity, high sugar levels and acne.

Over the past 20 years, there have been a number of acne products such as Proactiv, which promises a “key to clear complexion.”

SkiniD is another popular product on the market because it provides each customer with a “regimen perfectly matched to [his/her] skin.”

People also use Neutrogena regularly, not only to take care of but also to prevent acne.

“I use Neutrogena skin grape fruit wash once a day at night. I feel like it kind of did make a difference, but not really. I still use it though,” sophomore Sahitya Allam said.

In addition to the removal of the breakouts themselves, many young adults turn to the experts to remove acne scars. Plastic surgeon Anne Nickodem, mother of Class of 2004 graduate Andrew Don, recommends delaying scar removal until the mid 20s and suggests the use of chemical peels, laser and filler products to improve scar appearance.

“Many of the acne scars young adults see in high school heal themselves over a three to four year period after the active acne outbreaks end,” Nickodem said. “Scars result from picking. The most damaging thing a young adult can do is touch a blemish.”

While major acne problems require laser treatments or products like Proactiv that contain Benzoyl oxide, dry skin can be combated fairly easily. The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology recommends drinking water to hydrate the skin, using moisturizers after a bath and applying sun block to areas exposed to the sun.

Too much loss of water in the skin can be a sign of atopic dermatitis, which is commonly known as eczema. Eczema is the inflammation of the skin which results in itching, extreme dryness and cracked skin. Cracked skin is prone to bacteria and germs, which can in

turn cause infection below the skin surface, as noted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Though both acne and dry skin are seen as major issues among the teen population today, many students don’t see it as a concern.

“I don’t think Jefferson kids really care about the appearance of people,” sophomore Ravali Goda said. “We’re too busy to do that stuff.”

For others, like senior Stephen Weischedel, it’s not so much that students don’t think about it, but that the recent treatments have made dealing with the problem so easy. “It’s easily manageable,” he said.

But there are many students who don’t agree with Weischedel. For them, the frustration of switching from acne to dry skin treatments never stops.

“Both are issues because when I use the cleanser in the morning, my skin gets too dry,” Kim said. “So I have to put on lotion, which adds to the greasiness that accumulates throughout the day. Then I have to wash again. It’s an annoying, endless cycle.”

Male fitness: less health than image

by YouNa An Features Editor On an average day, 20 or 30 boys can be found working out in the weight room.

They perform everything from biceps graphic by Sunny Kim curls and triceps extensions to dumbbell presses and toe lifts.

The motivation for working out on a regular basis is often tied to a specific sport regimen, but for many male fitness regulars, there appear to be other reasons.

From weight training to look attractive and muscular, to staying fit and just feeling good about themselves, there are different priorities in the mix.

Junior Alan Wei works out for appearance. “I work out to attract the ladies,” Wei said, “but specifically to impress my girlfriend.”

“I work out because females typically prefer muscular boys who look like they can support a family,” sophomore Nathan Dass said.

“A good amount of the female perspective plays into it,” said school psychologist Greg

Myers. “Guys know that when they’re in shape, they’re more attractive.”

It seems that the female opinion is influenced by many factors, but the male appearance isn’t always a substantial one.

Sophomore Katherine Au doesn’t find looks to be critical. “I don’t think the physical appearance is as important as the personality or the job,” Au said, “although I do prefer boys who don’t look thin or weak.”

Sophomore Victoria Li agreed. “What I look for first in guys are intelligence and kindness. Looks and muscles are more of secondary factors,” Li said.

“The neuropsychology textbook says that since many men look for body and looks in women, they erroneously assume that women look for the same thing in men,” said psychology teacher Donald Majeske. He believes that the textbook is right, although he finds the truth saddening.

According to the Journal of Psychology, another motivation for exercise among males is the desire to change their body shape to fit the ideal male figure, which is represented by large biceps, chest and shoulders. Musclebuilding often results in these traits.

“Some evolutionary psychologists believe that the urge to build muscle mass harkens back to the days when the most bulked-up man ruled the cave,” Majeske said.

So do boys lift weights only for the reason of looking attractive? Well, not always.

Some work out for fitness like junior Joseph Park. “For me, it’s more for staying in

shape and being healthy. I have better stamina when I work out regularly,” Park said.

Other boys like senior Hayden Chun weight train for sports and to gain muscle mass.

“I weight-lift to prepare for the upcoming crew season because strength training is important for supplementing other workouts like running or erging,” Chun said, referring to the rowing exercise activity.

Still others lift weights because it makes them feel happy. According to the New York Times, brain researchers say that exercise triggers the release of endorphins, which induce people to feel rewarded.

Sophomore Surya Gourneni is one who feels satisfaction from weight training. “I work out because it is fun,” Gourneni said. “I guess working out just feels good and I love it.”

As for those who care deeply about their body image, Myers believes there is a simple explanation for it.

“It has its roots in evolutionary biology,” Myers said. “It’s what it means to be male, like we have to present ourselves to look better.”

It seems that although some males consider fitness, sports and happiness to be the major reasons for working out, there are also those who attach more importance to how their body appears to the opposite sex.

“Probably fewer people work out for fitness,” Myers said, “but I hope they’re doing it for health reasons.”

features

november 15, 2011 Spotlight on: Alumni

13

Graduates take different paths to career success

Smith pursues music composition

photo courtesy of Ben Lash

2007 graduate Ben Lash (right) stands with Yale friends, River Kim (left) and Patrick Lee (middle).

Environment a focus for Lash

by Tahmina Achekzai Features Editor Class of 2007 graduate Ben Lash looks like a doctoral candidate. He sports his circle beard with an air of authority and doesn’t hesitate to launch into a detailed exegesis of his current coursework. However, his broad smile and the twinkle in his eyes betray his sense of humor.

“Take a 400 level class, make it 25 percent harder, and you also need to do research – that’s graduate school for you,” Lash said.

Lash graduated from Yale University in the spring, and this summer, he began studying for his Ph.D. Though he’s only just started, Lash has already gotten a pretty good sense of how his next four years will go.

Having double majored in applied physics and environmental engineering at Yale, he was faced with the dilemma of choosing one for graduate study. Though physics was a subject area he was intrigued by, Lash saw more opportunities in pursuing environmental engineering.

“It’s a much bigger field,” he said.

He had chosen his focus area, but where he would study was another story. Lash had been accepted into many schools, but after narrowing it down, he was left with two to choose from: Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., or Rice University in Houston, Texas.

It came down to two deciding factors: school visits and financial aid. In both aspects, Rice won over.

Stanford cost about $70,000 per year, whereas Rice waived his entire tuition and provided him with a generous annual stipend.

In addition, Rice seemed to be more scienceoriented, instead of focusing on the business aspects like Stanford does.

Lash was also looking forward to working with the professors at Rice. One professor in particular, Dan Cohan, drew his attention.

Cohan really wanted his students to succeed, even providing them with guides on how to get a Ph.D. Lash is studying the Earth’s atmosphere and how to make better predictions on

pollutants, future environmental aspects and how they can affect the world.

One area he is looking into is the biosphere, which he says has a lot to do with the ozone layer. The biosphere has proven to be more complicated than previously thought, so researchers are using satellites to get an idea of what it’s really like.

Although Lash spends a considerable amount of time in class with his research, his interests extend beyond the computer screen.

Lash has traveled to the Galapagos Islands, Greece, Italy, Ukraine and Canada.

He has also traveled to Russia as a part of a Yale foreign language program.

Lash values his trips overseas. “Who knows when in life I’ll get another chance to travel?” he said.

At Jefferson, Lash was a member of the cross-country team, a part of the student council and the co-historian of Russian Honor Society.

Lash joined the Swing Dance Team in his junior year at Jefferson and continued to dance at Yale as an officer of Yale Swing and Blues and the founder of Mostly Waltz.

He has also been involved in a number of tutoring and mentoring programs since high school.

Lash was a math tutor for a Weyanoke Elementary School student, has directed a summer reading program, tutored math for English as a Second Language (ESOL) students and recently became a member of RiceEmpower, where he mentors students interested in science.

Considering all the time Lash has dedicated towards community service, it’s no surprise that he’s chosen Environmental Engineering. It’s just another way to give back.

“I want to try and pin down how I am going to expand the current research, rather than just replicate the old strategies,” he said. “So I can improve the environment for people.”

by Kyler Blodgett and Stefanie Van Rafelghem Staff Reporters In February, New York University (NYU) was rocked by the performance of Jefferson’s 2009 graduate Andrew “AJ” Smith. Smith combined a keyboard, guitar, laptop and loop station to perform a completely improvised piece at NYU’s annual Ultra Violet Live music competition.

Smith accepted the audience’s request to compose a rap on the spot.

“I was stalling and talking to the audience so I could come up with a rap in my head,” he said. The rap was accompanied by his instrumentals and included NYU humor as well. “I just did something really original.”

Smith took first place. Six years earlier, pop icon Lady Gaga (then known as Stefani Germanotta and also a student at NYU) placed third in the same competition.

Smith, 20, is currently working on a debut album that is scheduled for release in June 2012. He has completed four songs out of the planned 12-track set and hopes to record more this winter break at NYU’s new James L. Dolan Music Recording Studio.

His music career got its start long before the competition. He started piano lessons at age three and has been expanding his instrumental repertoire ever since. Moving on to the violin, fiddle and mandolin, Smith is also proficient in several types of guitars including the electric, acoustic and bass.

Foremost among those whose style influence Smith’s music are John Mayer, OneRepublic, Thelonious Monk and Train.

“Drops of Jupiter” by Train is particularly special to him.

“The girl that I had the biggest crush on, the one that got away, that was her favorite song,” Smith said.

Smith is majoring in film music composition and is considering an early graduation. He often collaborates with the Tisch School of the Arts to write music for student films.

“My ultimate goal is to take my mom to the Grammys and then maybe the Oscars.

No big deal, just small dreams,” Smith said.

At Jefferson, Smith participated in many different aspects of school life. He was a captain of Jefferson’s lacrosse team and starred in “Oklahoma!” his senior year. Junior and senior year, Smith was a Musical Extravaganza Chair and a prom chair. He was in mentorship at the Naval Research Laboratory.

An avid participant in Latin classes, Smith also performed an original song called “Dido” at the state Latin Convention and won first place in the convention’s talent show. He wrote a song titled “The Princess,” dedicated to his Latin teacher, Christine Conklin.

“He is the light of my life,” Conklin said.

Donald Majeske, Smith’s AP U.S. Government teacher, also recalls fond memories of Smith.

“I had him for the last period, and I could always expect something interesting to happen,” Majeske said. Once, Majeske even had Smith perform with his guitar for the class.

“Boy, did he get a round of applause from those kids,” he said. “I’m afraid it might’ve been the most interesting part of that class.”

Smith’s childhood friend, Max Fagelson, remembers Smith as being very outgoing and loyal, “the kind of person you can count on to have your back in pretty much any situation.”

The two still meet up to go laser tagging at Kids ‘R’ Us in Times Square.

“We bring out the inner kid in each other,” Fagelson said.

What advice can Smith give current Jefferson students?

“Don’t spread yourself too thin.” As a student, Smith tried to do too many things at once, which made it difficult to focus on any one thing. He also suggested finding effective study habits, even down to the pen color.

Most importantly, “make sure you take time for yourself.”

Smith wants to establish a talent agency for composers. In his future company, movie producers will come up with an idea of the music they need for their film and be matched with a composer that fits the bill. In Smith’s view, it will revolutionize the joining of the music and film businesses. It may seem like an ambitious goal, but as Smith says, “if you aim high and come kind of close, then you’re OK.”

photo courtesy of AJ Smith

2009 graduate Andrew “AJ” Smith performs at NYU’s Ultra Violet Live music competition.

SAT Prep Exclusively for High-Achievers It’s no surprise that Honors Test Prep is the SAT prep program of choice for TJ students.

Visit honorstestprep.com to review our complete ’11-’12 course schedule and learn about our SAT Course, SAT Essay Workshop, and PSAT/SAT Course.

703-237-2665

sat@honorstestprep.com

“My son and daughter both took the Honors Test Prep course and both scored 2380 on the test. They reported that they were given individual feedback and error analysis in addition to applicable practice problems. It is obvious that Mr. Berk keeps up to date with the most recent changes in the test and is invested in the students’ achievement. I was glad to find a course tailored to high achieving students.”

Gail Gardiner, parent of TJ student, Class of 2010

features

november 15, 2011

14

Observatory to provide joint astronomy learning

by Sunny Kim Features Editor Winding up Springvale Road in Great Falls one recent October night, an unexpected sight becomes visible. Could it be? Yes, it’s an observatory.

The opportunity to observe the night sky closely will soon be available to Fairfax County students at Observatory Park at Turner Farm.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 24, marking the opening of the first observatory in the county.

The Park Authority has already finished Phase I of the park improvement plan, which was to replace the observatory dome and to install the equipment necessary for the telescope to be remotely accessible.

The 26-feet-high cinderblock observation tower, where the telescope was placed, was used by the Defense Mapping Agency (DMS) in the 1980s as the radar site for Global Positioning System (GPS) development. In the same park stands the Great Falls Nike Missile Site, which was operated by the U.S. from 1954 to 1962 to defend Washington from Soviet air attack.

Phase II of the improvement plan involves the astronomy students from both Jefferson and Herndon high schools, whose jobs will be to test out the online software that will enable anyone from within the county to control the Observatory dome, telescope and digital imaging.

“The software will probably be ready for testing by December,” Astronomy lab director Lee Ann Hennig said.

“Our goal is to have it finished by the end of the school year, making sure all bugs are out beforehand.”

Senior Joe DuBois, who is in the Astronomy lab, would like to participate in the program, if given the opportunity and the time.

“ I think testing the software would be exciting because you’re putting something into operation that’s never been functional before and that plenty of other people will hopefully use,“ Dubois said.

“I’m pretty happy about any opportunity for students from TJ, Herndon and any other Fairfax County schools to learn more about astronomy, since I like the subject so much.”

The Analemma Society, a non-profit organization founded by Charles Olin in 1998, has been working with the Fairfax County Park Authority on the park’s improvement ever since its establishment. Analemma’s contribution included donating the 16-inch Meade telescope, its mount and related equipment for the observatory.

Currently, the Analemma Society has many other plans for further renovation of the park, such as radio telescope viewing, a sundial garden, a museum and a special program for the students of Fairfax County, in addition to the optical telescope viewing in the observatory tower.

One 16-inch radio telescope will be installed at the park, along with 60 sundials from around the world. The museum will display the new world astronomical calendars, ancient and recent navigation methods and instruments and much more.

The education program will operate similarly to the Boy/Girl Scout merit badge program, having students earn pins upon completing a set of experiments, which includes building their own sundials and telescopes. After the set’s successful completion, the Analemma Society plans to offer the student a scholarship to college.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity, especially for students at base schools who don’t get the same opportunities we have in our tech labs. We’re all really lucky that we get to do real work in scientific fields,” senior Amelia Carolus-Hager said. “Anything that engages students with science and lets them interact and discover things in an interesting,

photo illustrations by Tahmina Achekzai

valuable way is definitely a good idea.”

But the new observatory comes with its limitations.

The park will only be open on Friday nights, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. during the interval from Nov. 1 to April 15 and from sunset to 10:30 p.m. on all the other days due to time and light constraints.

“The park staff consists of volunteers from the Analemma Society, and volunteers have only so much time on their hands,” Olin said. “Friday nights were the only time we could afford. On any other day, the park won’t be open to students nor the public.”

Hennig stresses the importance of the surrounding light when observing the sky with the telescope.

“Since it’s an optical telescope, it can’t be accessed if the sky is cloudy, and it’s limited from this latitude,” Hennig said. “The light pollution is also a limitation, which is why the telescope is located at a dark sky site at the observatory.”

To minimize the cloudy limitation, the Analemma Society website has a clear sky chart, which shows, in a glance, when the observatory will have appropriate weather for astronomical observations.

With the development of this park, the Analemma Society hopes to “develop awareness, appreciation and understanding of science through astronomy for children and adults.”

“The goal of the Analemma Society is to promote science education through astronomy,” Olin said. “It hasn’t changed since the beginning.”

Students run tutoring centers for underprivileged children

by Arya Dahal Features Editor Senior Ragini Khemani of Lake Braddock Secondary School speaks quickly. She explains the process of signing in and learning logs to the growing line of high school tutors at one of the tutoring centers for GIVE (Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education).

GIVE is a non-profit organization created two years ago by juniors Kevin Cao and Kartik Gupta and Abrar Omeish, a junior from Robinson Secondary School. The group works to provide free tutoring to elementary school students from financially disabled families around Fairfax County.

“The mission of GIVE is to ‘promote the leadership of youth through projects that improve the quality of life in their communities,” Cao said.

What started out last year as one center with about thirty students and thirty tutors mainly from Jefferson has grown to include much of Fairfax County.

There are currently four centers in different parts of the county to better assist the students. The tutors also come from diverse sources, ranging from Lake Braddock Secondary School to Woodson High School.

The tutors and students work together on all of the topics covered in the students’ school. They work for a two-hour long period during the weekends at a center.

Life lessons and skills for the real world are taught in addition to the normal curriculum. This school

year, the tutors and students are also paired up from might be considered a setback is considered a reward the beginning to the end of the year. The tutors and by the GIVE directors. The workload to manage the parents are also kept in contact through learning logs, forms and to run a center can be hectic but is balanced where concerns or comments can be made. easily between the directors and the center managers.

Even without this change, the hard work of tutors “GIVE team members are forced to juggle school, still pays off. extracurriculars and sports. Overall, being with “I brought my GIVE has taught us daughter half way all the rewards of our through the year last commitment, patience year,” Phuc Bui, a parent and dedication,” Gupta of a student attending the said. tutoring sessions, said.

GIVE also has to “Her grades got better face the challenge of and she started getting raising funds in order more comfortable with to buy supplies such her work.” as children’s books and Along with the writing utensils for each weekly tutoring sessions, center. Because of its GIVE is in the process of budding status, GIVE publishing a children’s relies mainly on parent book titled “Being donations as well as photo by Tahmina Achekzai Different is what Makes on local bake sales.

Us Special!” in order to Sophomore Somya Shankar takes a break with her student.

Even though it takes increase the awareness hard work to execute of bullying. Additionally, GIVE also held a Test-Prep tutoring every week, Jefferson students as well as Book Drive at Jefferson to collect old SAT or AP books students from other high schools are willing to donate to distribute to underprivileged high school students. their time for the betterment of the community.

A unique feature about GIVE is that it’s completely “I think in a few years, GIVE is going to be big and student-run without any adult sponsor like other well-known,” Khemani said. “And I want to be part of eighth period tutoring activities. However, what the movement to help kids in need.”

photo illustration by Tahmina Achekzai

15 Fall 8th period events show range of special activities features

november 15, 2011

Passion ‘Undeniable’

by Sunny Kim Features Editor The freshmen and sophomores shout “We will!” The juniors and seniors follow up with “Protect this house!”

At the Fall Sports Pep Rally, the students completed a challenge for the “Finding Undeniable” competition, which added 20 points to Jefferson’s point total.

The first round of the “Finding Undeniable” competition, sponsored by Under Armour, started on Oct. 4 and will continue until 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 1. Only the top two schools and a wildcard school will move on to round two, which goes from Dec. 5 to Dec. 23. The second round consists of submitting a specific video content and voting.

The winning school of the second round receives a total of $140,000 worth of Under Armour’s products for its athletic programs.

Jefferson has been moving steadily up the ranks in the leaderboard, having passed the 20,000-point mark on the evening of Nov. 10. Mainland Regional H.S. in Linwood, N.J. and Jefferson are the current top two schools.

Junior Christine Galloway, the administrator of Jefferson’s Finding Undeniable Facebook group and the leader of Jefferson’s effort at winning the competition, is in charge of uploading the photos, videos and lists of information pertaining to the challenges completed by the school. The challenges are a main part of how a school earns points, with each challenge having a different point value depending on the difficulty of the challenge.

For the votes, each Facebook user who has “liked” the school’s Undeniable Facebook page can vote once a day to add one point to the school’s number of points.

“We want everyone to vote,” Galloway said, “so we’re getting people to ask relatives and family friends.”

photo by Sunny Kim

Juniors Morgan Cheatham and Kleo Greenwood yell “Protect this house!” on Oct. 31 during the Fall Sports Pep Rally.

German Honor Society fetes autumnal favorite

by YouNa An Features Editor During this year’s 17-day-long Oktoberfest, 6.9 million visitors swarmed the city of Munich to celebrate the 200-year-old event. And on Oct. 26, Jefferson’s German Honor Society recreated the celebratory mood by launching a mini version of the festival during eighth period.

Students participated in a variety of activities prepared by the German Honor Society during the event.

“I got to learn things at Oktoberfest that I don’t usually get the chance to try,” said sophomore Alice Yuen, who takes Chinese language.

Each non-German student attendee was required to pay a $2 admission fee in order to cover the cost of the food, which included apple strudels, sausages, pretzel sticks and root beer.

After eating and conversing for a while, students settled down to watch a short PowerPoint presentation on Oktoberfest.

They learned that during the 2011 Oktoberfest, there were 226,000 failed attempts of beer mug theft, 58 reported fights involving a beer mug, and 48 lost children (who were found eventually).

Students then gathered at the front of the double rooms to take part in a traditional German dance called the Schuhplattler.

“I would have to say the food was the best,” Yuen said.

photo by YouNa An

Senior Kate DeWeese and sophomore John Colen dance the Schuhplattler during the Oktoberfest celebration.

Asian Awareness hosts kimbap-making

by Arya Dahal Features Editor Freshman Shani Cave watched carefully as senior Ashley Paek rolled up her kimbap in a small bamboo mat. The kimbap was Cave’s unique creation because she chose her ingredients from the different toppings that were available at the activity held by Asian Awareness.

“It was really cool because we got to make our own kimbap,” Cave said. “I really liked it, and it tasted very delicious.”

In order to teach people about the different types of Asian cuisine, Asian Awareness, which meets every Friday B Block, held this event to feature a popular Korean food known as kimbap. Similar in style to the Japanese sushi, kimbap differs in the way the rice and the seaweed are seasoned. There is also no raw fish in kimbap.

Kimbap is only one of the dishes Asian Awareness hopes to bring to the Jefferson population. Each month, another dish will be highlighted. There also will be movies twice a month and Asianbased games at the end of each month.

Asian Awareness also participates in major school events such as the International Night and J-Day. “In past years, we’ve sold mandoo (dumplings) during the events. However, we want to spice up the menu a bit this year.

We’ll maybe make some bingsoo (shaved ice dessert) or something that everyone will love,” said Paek, who serves on the Asian Awareness committee.

As promised by Paek, the club members held an event to make bingsoo on Nov. 11.

photo by Arya Dahal

Senior Ashley Paek rolls kimbap in a bamboo mat.

Assistive Technology aids disabled students

by Tahmina Achekzai Features Editor Junior Hans He concentrates on his computer screen, working diligently to put together a video. This was a project he was doing as a member of the Assistive Technology club.

The club started its meetings on Oct. 19 and plans to meet every Wednesday A and B blocks. The members devote this time to using their strengths in technology to give back to the community.

“We make videos about technology to help disabled students,” said junior Alexander Kim, whose project includes instructions on how to add up and average grades on Microsoft Excel.

Junior Mary Kim Weidman, who had just joined the club on

Oct. 26, works together with several other members to put together a storybook with Microsoft PowerPoint. The members are using the storybook titled “Shelly the Turtle” to teach disabled kids about morals and ethics.

Many of the presentations created in the club are made to be interactive and stimulate cognitive function for the youngsters. After the projects are finished, Sandy Morissette, the leader of the Assistive Technology program in Northern Virginia, sends the projects to teachers in various schools.

“I feel like the goals of the club are so clear and effective,” Kim said. “I like it because the things you can do are really open-ended, and I can work at whatever pace I want.”

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photo by Tahmina Achekzai

Sophomore Chris Kim and juniors Neil Jassal and JingYi Zhou work on a children’s story book using PowerPoint.

16

tradition

november 15, 2011

Civil War at 150 Sesquicentennial anniversary celebrated by Northern

Virginia re-enactors in local battlefields and museums

by Thrisha Potluri Features Editor hots rang out from both sides. Soldiers prepped their guns and cannons. Over 1,000 combatants, representing the Union and Confederacy, fought in the Battle of Ball’s Bluff on Oct. 22. Staged on the actual battle site, this re-enactment was held in commemoration of the battle’s 150th anniversary.

Sponsored by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and Morven Park in Leesburg, Va., this two-day event included two battles, the Ball’s Bluff and the Battle of Dranesville, which took place on Oct. 23 at Morven Park.

The re-enactment also included drill demonstrations, a history mobile traveling exhibit, and an accurate representation of camp life during the Civil War. In addition, Morven Park is hosting a Civil War artifact exhibit in Gov. Davis Mansion.

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As others fire, one soldier reloads his gun with fake ammunition during the re-enactment of the Battle of Dranesville. The guns that were used were real Civil War muskets.

The Battle of Ball’s Bluff took place on Oct. 21, 1861.

Unlike some other events, this battle could be re-enacted on the actual battlefield itself. Participants arrived at Morven Park on Oct. 21, and set up in their respective campsites, based on which army they were in.

“To me, re-enactors seem like people who are interested in the Civil War, sometimes even obsessed with it and have made it into their hobby. In a way, it’s like collecting comic books and going to conventions,” junior Jenny Peng said.

Re-enactors of all ages showed up to the event. Sixth grader Miles Clements was one of the many students who participated in the battles.

“My dad started re-enacting at the fair near our house and after he did one event, I joined in,” Clements said. Although he did not participate in the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, he was a drummer during the Battle of Dranesville.

On the day of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, these re-enactors marched three miles to the actual battlefield. Close to 2,000 spectators were waiting at the battlefield to get a sense of how the actual battle played out. The battle lasted a little over an hour, which is typical of most reenactments.

“The longest re-enactment battle I’ve been involved in was a little over eight hours,” said Don Harrelson, one of the vendors at the Ball’s Bluff encampment.

“The shortest battle I was involved in was about 20 minutes.”

Other re-enactors, like Harrelson, remained behind to talk to tourists and to sell memorabilia and gear from the Civil War. To keep true to the era, all re-enactors not only slept outside, but also cooked their food over a fire and ate from pans.

Re-enactor, filmmaker and researcher Robert Lee Hodge was also present at the two-day event. Besides the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, Hodge has participated in many famous re-enactments such as Gettysburg, First Manassas and Second Manassas.

“I’ve been re-enacting for 30 years now,” Hodge said. “1981 was the first time.”

Civil War re-enactor Robert Lee Hodge (right) wears the typical gear donned by most reenactors.

photo by Anna Hicks

The Fort Ward Museum and Historic Center in Alexandria is one of the many local places that still preserve Civil War history. Fort Ward has some of the best preserved forts in the area and was part of the defense system guarding Washington, D.C. during the war. Along with a museum exhibit of Civil War artifacts, Fort Ward also includes a re-created officer’s hut (shown above).

A woman in the first stage of mourning and a private from the 20th Massachusetts stay back at the soldiers’ encampment to prepare food, while other re-enactors participate in the Battle of Ball’s Bluff.

Rebel soldiers run to the woods to take cover during the re-enactment of the Battle of Dranesville. This battle was staged on Oct. 23 as part of the two-day event held at Morven Park. The actual battle took place on Dec. 20, 1861, in Fairfax County, resulting in a Union victory.

1. Real Civil War muskets are used to accurately represent the Civil War era.

2. Soldiers had to carry extra clothes, toiletries and soap in their knapsack as well as a rubber blanket and a plate.

3. This cartridge box was used to store ammunition. Soldiers had to reload their guns and be ready to fire in 15 seconds during the war.

4. Soldiers carried a haversack to store their food.

The Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim features a gallery of Civil War events that took place in local Fairfax. Blenheim, built circa 1859, hosts one of the best-preserved collections of Civil War graffiti. These signatures, art, poetry and other inscriptions provide insight into a typical Civil War soldier’s life. Above is a picture of the triangle-formatted board game drawn by soldiers.

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photos, graphics and reporting

by Thrisha Potluri