February 2023

TJTODAY vol 8 issue 3 march 2023

thomas jefferson high school for science and technology 6560 braddock rd. alexandria, va 22312

FacIng IntegrIty Jefferson faces the reality of integrity violations and explores potential solutions

ABSTRACT Senior Ladan Hashi reads for leisure in the library.

Although applying to college has limited her free time, her interest in literature has persisted with the help of her AP Literature class. “It’s important for people to read because you get to see other perspectives and it opens your heart,” Hashi said.

“I’d recommend A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, because I think it’s one of the best books ever written.”

PHOTO// A. Coats

STAFF

EDITORIAL BOARD

Print and Online Editors-in-Chief Christina Lu Robert Stotz Eric Feng Aarya Kumar Grace Sharna Chris Yoo

Team Leaders Anya Raval Lucas Ribero Keertana Senthilkumar Laura Zhang

Advisor: Erinn Harris tjTODAY is the official newsmagazine of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. 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.tjhsst @tjhsst_media

tjtoday_official

tjTODAY

CONTENTS tjTODAY vol. 8 issue 3

6

14

12

16

4 cover story 6

THE INSIDE OF INTEGRITY Stress due to a high workload and an achievement-focused mindset influences students’ decisions to cheat.

However, students and faculty can make changes to continue upholding integrity at Jefferson.

features 4

16

HOPPING INTO LUNAR NEW YEAR With food, friends and festivities, Jefferson students celebrate the Year of the Rabbit.

BRIDGING THE GAP Bridge Club’s volunteers use bridge to connect two generations through their love of the card game.

entertainment 18

BLOOD AND HONEY From a beloved children’s figure to a bloodthirsty murderer.

march 2023

sports 12

WRESTLING WITH EXPECTATIONS Despite the sport being mixed, or perhaps because of it, girls’ wrestling has been growing in popularity.

sci-tech 14

FLIPPING BACK TO FLIP PHONES Students take steps to combat cell phone addiction.

opinion 20

IS WHITE DAY A GOOD IDEA? Should we change the Valentine’s Day we love so dearly?

21

EMPATHY OF A STICKER The Jefferson bumper stickers tell the story of our struggles, and more.

21

BREAKING FREE FROM THE COMPARISON TRAP The dangers of comparing grades.

Hopping into

Lunar New

by Laura Zhang

With food, friends and festivities, Jefferson students celebrate the Year of the Rabbit

T

he sounds of Chinese zither, Korean drums and K-pop intermingled together during Jefferson’s Lunar New Year celebration on Jan. 25. Lunar New Year marks the beginning of spring and a new year on the lunar calendar. It is celebrated in various Asian countries and Asian communities around the world.

In China, the holiday is also known as Chinese New Year.

“Lunar New Year is a time for families to come together, often through a large meal,” junior Taohan Lin said. “A lot of the student body celebrates Lunar New Year, so I think it’s great we can celebrate together at school.”

Organized by the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), Jefferson’s Lunar New Year celebration was one of the multiple cultural events the PTSA Diversity Committee hosts every year.

“The celebrations we throw are fun, but the point is to build community specifically through the lens of diversity and allow a group at TJ to share their culture,” PTSA Diversity Chair Michele Hyde said.

Students had the opportunity to try out cultural activities such as calligraphy, fan painting, and the Dalgona candy challenge from the popular Korean drama, Squid Game.

Plucking the zither strings, senior Tiffany Lee plays classical Chinese music. “I’ve never learned how to play Chinese zither, but it looks really cool,” Wu said. “When one of my friends heard Tiffany play the first song, they said their mom always sings that, so I thought that was a nice connection.”

PHOTO // F. Xin

FEATURE 5 “The calligraphy was really cool since the ink was originally clear, but when it touched the paper it turned black. Over time, the ink on the paper faded away, which I found super interesting,” freshman Olivia Wu said.

w Year Spinning a diabolo up into the air, sophomore Jaydon Sun concentrates on catching it. “[Junior Darren Kao and I] perform at a bunch of Lunar New Year festivals and senior centers,” Sun said. “We’re also going to do iNite and potentially other school events.”

Even though Lin has celebrated Lunar New Year for his entire life, the activities at Jefferson’s celebration helped him delve deeper into the history and meaning behind the holiday’s traditions.

“Around Chinese New Year, I’ll often ask my parents ‘what are these?’ about different foods and celebration items, so it was nice to get a better idea of how to say things in Chinese and Cantonese and how they’re involved in Chinese New Year,” Lin said.

Food was a highlight of Jefferson’s event. Over 500 students sampled various Asian foods, including spring rolls, dumplings, sushi and noodles.

“We need a lot of volume, so we ordered some food using donations. But part of the point of these events is sharing cultures, so I absolutely want parents to bring a special homemade dish they made,” Hyde said.

Another important aspect of Lunar New Year are red envelopes, which symbolize prosperity and luck. During the holiday, families and friends often give each other red envelopes filled with money.

“I usually get red envelopes from my relatives as a gift for Chinese New Year, so I thought it was a nice touch that we got them at TJ’s celebration,” junior Zani Xu said.

The celebration also featured performances by students, including junior Darren Kao and sophomore Jaydon Sun’s diabolo performance. Diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, involves spinning and balancing an hourglass-shaped object on a string.

“I feel like diabolo is a really cool skill to share. There’s a big spike of nervousness when you see the people there, but in the middle of our performance, I started smiling, so it got better,” Kao said.

Students also enjoyed the opportunity to connect with their peers at the celebration, especially because it’s not always feasible for students to reunite with their families during the Lunar New Year.

“We didn’t really do much at home [for Lunar New Year] because it’s kind of boring when it’s just ourselves,” Wu said. “I jumped at the opportunity to attend a celebration with my friends.”

Food Line

Rabbit Art

Fan Painting

Eyeing the noodles, junior Kyle Nguyen goes down the food line. “There was a lot of variety with the food, like fancier homemade dishes and cultural snacks,” Lin said. “It was nostalgic eating food I had when I was younger.”

PHOTO // F. Xin

To celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, Juniors Yushu Zhang, Sophia Lu and Alan Fan fold a chain of paper rabbits. “Chinese New Year alternates through 12 zodiac signs,” Lin said. “2023 corresponds to the rabbit zodiac sign, but next year it will be a different animal, and so on.”

PHOTO // F. Xin

In China, fans are a symbol for the full moon and often feature calligraphy or landscape painting. After practicing on paper, senior Emma Cox draws Chinese characters on a fan using a calligraphy brush.

PHOTO // F. Xin

the

InsId

InTEG

Overwhelming workloads and expectations, induced by mindset or the environment, are factors that cause students to cheat on exams and assignments during high school. “They pile this much work onto you, and then expect you to have all the time in the world to complete it,” sophomore Fertuna Mequennent said. “Cheating is more than just a kid who’s lazy or doesn’t want to study.”

PHOTO// K. Senthilkumar

Ide

COVER STORY 7

of

Factors such as stress, high workload, and an achievement-focused mindset contribute to students’ decision to cheat.

However, the Jefferson community can make changes to continue upholding integrity.

GRITY

by Grace Sharma and Keertana Senthilkumar

Y

ou may begin.”

The timer projected on the whiteboard begins to tick. An hour and a half. 1:29:59.

1:29:58. 1:29:57. After flipping open the pages in front of you, you realize you don’t know how to do question one.

1:29:30.

You should’ve studied more.

But with basketball practice and physics homework and chemistry labs and math packets, how could you have found the time?

1:29:20.

You think of your grades, of college applications, of your future.

1:29:10.

You glance at the classmate beside you. Then down to their scantron.

1:28:59.

It’s wrong. You know it’s wrong.

But you bubble in their answer on your paper.

To collect information about why students commit integrity violations, tjTODAY posted an anonymous Google Form on TJ’s Intranet (Ion), and received

167 responses. According to the survey, 56.3% of the responses reported that they have cheated on a graded assignment during their time in high school. “‘I’ll just copy off your answers for the Geosystems lab,’ or, ‘Really quickly, the teachers are about to check our homework, can you just show me what you did so I can just copy it off?’

It’s in cases like that where I feel like the cheating culture has really become normalized,” Honor Council vice president and senior Patrick Bai said.

Another 26.9% of respondents to the survey reported that they have cheated on a test or quiz, which can affect all students in the class, not just those who cheated.

“Several years ago, there was an issue with cheating where somebody took pictures of a physics midterm and then every single class lost the curve,” senior Emma Cox said. “There’s definitely a mentality that this whole issue is teachers versus students, but I don’t think that’s true.”

Jefferson students who witness

others cheating are unlikely to report it. Only 7.5% of respondents to the tjTODAY survey reported an integrity violation after witnessing someone cheat on a test or quiz.

“Students who cheat probably don’t think they’ll get caught, because I’m sure a lot of it goes uncaught,” counselor Kerry Hamblin said. “They may not report because they are afraid of retaliation. Nobody wants to rat out a friend.”

Instead of immediately confronting a student that he suspects is cheating, physics teacher Adam Smith begins to photocopy the student’s tests.

Through that process, he noticed that students who begin to cheat tend to continue cheating on future assessments.

“Once you open that door and go through it, it is very hard to walk back out and close it again,” Smith said. “You will often think ‘Hey, I’m just gonna do it this once because I’m really stressed this time, but I won’t need to do this again.’ And it never works like that.”

Choosing to Cheat After succeeding academically in middle and elementary school, Jefferson’s rigorous courses can be an adjustment for freshmen, who maintained at least a 3.5 GPA in middle school, a requirement to apply to Jefferson.

“People are afraid of failure,” Cox said. “Especially at the beginning of our high school careers, we’re not used to seeing low grades, and I think that might contribute to people feeling like it’s necessary to cheat.”

Pressure to succeed academically contributes to increased levels of anxiety among Jefferson students, evident in the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) screener all FCPS students took in October.

“Students are indicating in the SEL screener and other climate surveys having anxiety more than depression or stress,” principal Ann Bonitatibus said. “I’m wondering if anxiety would be a trigger for academic dishonesty if you’re anxious about how you will do on the assignment or test.”

The academic pressure amounts to more than a grade or test. Either from self, peer, or parental pressure, students face expectations to achieve high grades to gain admission to topranked colleges.

“It’s about wearing that sweatshirt once you get accepted, and walking around the halls and having everybody admire you,” math teacher Michael Auerbach said. “They want [it] so bad that they’re willing to do anything to get it.”

When a focus on achievement and college pressure come together, students can feel that they have to cheat to avoid failure.

“From going [to Jefferson], I developed this need to be perfect and excel and not fail and just keep going,” Jefferson alumna Adithi Ramakrishnan, who graduated in 2018, said. “I feel like that also might be affecting the cheating culture in the sense that every student feels like

they have to be ‘on’ all the time, and if not, they’re failing.”

Hearing from college graduates about how little college reputation matters in the long run can reduce that pressure on students.

“Maybe we just need to present to you guys the outcomes that you’d be surprised by. The kids that go to James Madison and George Mason end up doing as well as some of the Ivy League kids,” Burke said. “I think sometimes we do a poor job at TJ of showing you what the outcomes are down the road.”

Making Changes In 2018, Jefferson enrolled in Challenge Success to improve students’ overall wellbeing. The Challenge Success program aims to decrease workload and prioritize mental health in partner schools, among other goals.

“When I first came to TJ, wellness was an issue because of high

pressure and a highly competitive environment, so we needed to attend to the physical and mental wellness of our students,” Bonitatibus said.

“I made that my transformational mission and we joined the Challenge Success network of schools.”

One of the main goals of Jefferson’s Challenge Success program was to decouple workload and rigor. The program encouraged teachers to reexamine the work they assign.

“Teachers have become more aware of what their workload does to kids, especially with some of the exercises where kids and teachers would switch for a day and the teachers go through the kids’ schedule. That was a Challenge Success idea, which was brilliant,” Burke said.

According to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) guidelines, high school teachers should assign about two hours of homework per week, another limit on how much work a course can have.

“I personally do less assigned reading than I used to,” biology teacher Aubrie Holman said.

“We kept the things that were most meaningful, and we have digital tools that we can use postpandemic.”

Despite the decrease in workload, the amount of time a student puts into a class can depend on the rigor of the course.

“If you still have to learn BC Calculus, you still have to learn BC Calculus, whether the teachers are assigning you ten homework problems a night or 50 homework problems a night,” math teacher Kathleen Juster said.

However, teachers can prioritize certain assignments to reduce workload without changing the difficulty of a course.

“I don’t assign any homework. I think having a few priority items in a class as opposed to a lot of little assignments makes it more likely that the students are going to do their own work,” chemistry teacher Emily Owens said.

To achieve a more manageable workload, the gradebook can weigh effort and assessments equally, rewarding students for hard work.

“I always try, especially with freshmen, to balance a minor quiz grade with another minor grade, ideally something that prepared them for the quiz,” Holman said. “I’m trying to teach them that good preparation is just as important as performance.”

Another method of reducing homework is to increase the class time that students have to complete assignments. “[Students] have the time to work on this and can ask other people to help. But chances are, because you

both have the designated time to do it, you’re actually going to talk about how you did it, as opposed to just copying it,” Owens said.

With the previous approaches, a less-overwhelming workload can decrease cheating. But in the short term, teachers can adjust methods of testing to prevent students from being able to cheat at all.

“This is gonna sound horrible, but teachers need to come up with different assessments. You can’t roll off the same tests period one through seven because everyone shares information,” Burke said.

“We have to accept that [students] are social creatures, that you guys want to help each other, and that it’s so hard to tell a friend, ‘I can’t give you help on this.’ It’s nearly impossible. We need to create different ways to assess people’s understanding of the concepts we’re teaching.”

Since Blue Day classes typically take quizzes or tests before Red Day classes, the later periods have the advantage of information being spread within the student body. To combat that difference, teachers can vary the order in which class periods take tests.

“Staggering tests would be helpful, like sometimes having [the first test] be in fifth period and [other times] first period, especially for pop quizzes,” Cox said.

COVER STORY 9

STUDENT SOLUTIONS Teachers aren’t the only ones responsible for reducing workload and stress. Students just finished selecting courses for the 2023-2024 school year, and these choices will influence their workload during the school year.

“In one breath, I come from a meeting about how to reduce stress and anxiety, and then two seconds later, I’m signing kids up for AP Chemistry, AP Physics, BC [Calculus], or AI. The choices that students make directly impact their level of stress, and they think they can handle it and then it comes and they can’t,” Hamblin said. “We don’t want to entertain any more conversations about stress because you are choosing these classes. You have the agency to choose courses that aren’t too stressful.”

When deciding courses for the following year, students can benefit from considering whether they are sincerely interested in a class’s content.

“If you enjoy a course, like for me [with] AP Chemistry, that’s fine,” sophomore Ryeen Aghda.

“If you have fun while doing it, it’s better than to just take an AP for the sake of taking an AP. I have friends who are taking three or four APs, but are taking a lot

of engineering courses or history courses. I think they’re going to have an overall easier and more fun time.”

Student mindset also impacts ability to handle course load.

Junior Ryan Park is currently taking AP Physics, AP US History, Linear Algebra, AI, and Computer Vision, all of which are AP or post-AP classes.

“Throughout this year, even though I don’t get the grades I want sometimes, just [because of] the effort I put in, I still feel satisfied with my grades,” Park said. “It’s not worth it to violate the honor code, because in the end you’ll only hurt yourself and the results will show later.”

On top of losing an opportunity to learn, students affect teachers by cheating in their classes.

“We need to have the teachers just say out loud to students what it feels like to be cheated on. I’ve had a few teachers who’ve gotten emotional during conferences when they’ve discovered a student cheating,” Burke said. “They feel personally hurt by the student not coming clean, and saying, ‘Hey, I’m not ready for this test,’ ‘I need another day in this paper,’ whatever it may be.”

Understanding the work a teacher puts into running their

courses can also help reduce cheating in a class. During virtual learning, Owens had a list of statements every student had to acknowledge, ranging from, “I’m going to do my own work,” to “I recognize that Ms. Owens put a lot of time into writing this test,” to “I’m respecting her time and energy by giving my best effort on this test.” The most effective statement, Owens found, was making a student acknowledge “I am better than cheating,” before beginning the test.

“I [had] students tell me that it did make them think a little bit more about the human aspect of it,” Owens said. “Like, ‘What am I? What am I saying about myself?

What am I saying about my teacher?’ That made them pause more than the Honor Code on its own.”

Future Consequences When a student violates the Honor Code for the first time, the teacher fills out a referral. The student, if they admit wrongdoing, meets with their teacher, their counselor, gradeappropriate assistant principal, and parents. The student then faces additional disciplinary action or, alternatively, they can opt to work with the Honor Council.

“We guide them through [the] restorative justice circle process, in which the aim is not to punish the student, but rather try [and] get the student to understand why what they did was wrong, and for the studentteacher relationship to be repaired,” Bai said.

Restorative justice allows students to learn from their mistakes, rather than facing consequences like detention or suspension.

“It’s a much softer landing spot to come clean with your peers. I think to be able to say ‘I’m sorry,’ and for that teacher, the counselor, and everyone else to also be like, ‘We accept that apology,’ wraps it up much nicer than, ‘Here’s your suspension or here’s your detention,’” Burke said.

“I think it’s good, emotionally, to sit down with people [and] see how you’ve hurt them.”

Students are able to learn from their experience if they choose to cheat at Jefferson. But in college, students who cheat on assignments do not get second chances.

“It’d be interesting to have college students talking about it, because I don’t think our students understand how severe the penalty can be in college for this behavior. You can get kicked out of school or put on academic probation,” chemistry

STAGED PHOTO// K. Senthilkumar

COVER STORY 11 teacher Emily Owens said.

Those consequences are common in many universities, including the University of Virginia, an in-state university to which many Jefferson students apply; among 2022 alumni, at least 49 chose to attend the University of Virginia.

“UVA is single-sanction,” Hamblin said. “You cheat, you’re out. So we try to instill these ethics and standards in our students before they move on to college, where it’s less forgiving.”

Administrators hope to discourage cheating and promote a healthy mindset around learning, which students can carry with them after high school.

“We want to see a TJ which is not cheating,” Burke said, “and embracing the love of learning.”

PHOTO// Ms. Harris

Wrestling with Expectations PHOTO// Ms. Harris

By Chris Yoo Despite the sport being mixed, or perhaps because of it, girls’ wrestling has been growing in popularity

C

ombining moves, takedowns, and grapples, in the ring, wrestling is among the most intensely physical sports offered at any level. In spite of this, wrestling is one of the only sports in which boys and girls compete with each other.

The narrative around girls in wrestling has slowly been shifting, and though some critics will claim that co-ed wrestling isn’t fair, some partici-

pants of the sport beg to differ.

“I believe it’s good that [wrestling is] mixed. Some competitions, like states, are separate. But for us to get good experience, it is good to wrestle together. And if there’s a day where there could be co-ed states that would be amazing because it just gives everyone the experience they deserve.

It also keeps people from saying that girls are weaker than the guys. There

are a lot of girls who could easily beat guys in wrestling. Wrestling is more than strength. It’s technique. It’s hard work,” freshman Jayelle Jones said.

Three members of the wrestling team, along with head coach Charles Phillips, were invited to speak on the DMV Download Podcast on WTOP News. They discussed topics ranging from the wrestling community to expectations on girls in the sport.

“[Being on the podcast] was actually really fun. It definitely got a lot more outreach for the girls. Sports for TJ is not really that big of a thing. Even though our motto is we’re here for the sports, we’re not really here. But it just was such a good opportunity to get to have our voices heard. Until other people know that girls wrestling is a thing, they should know that we are here to stay. And we’re here to grow,” Jones said.

There are many aspects of competing when it comes to wrestling, and though it is all shown visually through tough battles in the ring, there is more than just that going on.

“I would describe [wrestling] as something that makes you very anxious to start doing. This is probably because it’s just so much work, but so much comes out of the work that you put in. It’s so fun. [We]

SPORTS 13 do so much when we do conditioning. We do team building exercises and we play wrestling games. And just overall it’s been probably one of the best sports experiences I’ve ever had, even though it’s really scary,” Jones said.

Though the prospect of wrestling can be intimidating, particularly for girls, Jones says that this shouldn’t be a deterrent.

“I would say that girls should join even if they’re scared. Even if you’re nervous that you won’t be able to do it, just try it because it does so much more for you than having a sport on your college application. It teaches you so much,” Jones said.

“It builds your competence.

It builds your time management. It builds your mental skill, your physical skill. You protect yourself and that’s one of the most important things.”

(Left) Freshman Jayelle Jones grapples with her opponent in a wrestling match against Falls Church.

This is Jones’ first year participating in wrestling.

“It’s the same mentality [when facing a guy or a girl].

Outside of the net, we’re friends, but on it, we’re not friends, and that’s the case with any gender on the mat,” Jones said.

PHOTO// TJ Media (Top) Jones stands ready before a wrestling match.

“One of the advantages is honestly confidence.

[Wrestling] tells you that you’re so much stronger than the institution that you’re in because of how separated it is, and being a part of it now, we get to be a part of how it’s growing. We get to be a part of the growth. Because this community is so small right now, it’s so tight knit,” Jones said.

PHOTO// TJ Media (Right) Jones crouches as she prepares to participate in a scrimmage with a fellow wrestling team member. “One of the advantages is honestly confidence. [Wrestling] tells you that you’re so much stronger than the institution that you’re in because of how separated it is, and being a part of it now, we get to be a part of how it’s growing. We get to be a part of the growth. Because this community is so small right now, it’s so tight knit,” Jones said.

PHOTO// TJ Media

Flipping Back to

Flip

Phones

by Lucas Ribeiro Students reflect on a phone-free lifestyle

PHOTO//

L. Ribeiro

Is

Senior Lauren Fisher, who recently switched to a flip phone, reads a book on a sunny day. tjToday asked Principal Ann Bonitatibus about the movement, “People are now acknowledging that there’s been an addiction. They’re thinking ‘I need to change something in my life’, and they’re taking the steps to do that,” Bonitatibus said. “It sounds like a very natural progression, and maybe a healthy one.”

that a flip phone?” asks an enthusiastic student, as senior Lauren Fisher walks by, her Alcatel SmartFlip in full display. Fisher is one of a few Jefferson students who has recently switched to a flip phone in a bid to combat cell phone addiction.

The movement to drop smartphones for flip phones has reached high schools around the country, as students gain greater awareness of their relationship with their mobile devices.

Lauren Fisher Fisher switched to a flip phone after her iPhone broke last November, and she spent a few days without any phone at all.

“It kind of made me realize how nice it is not to be tethered to a phone,” Fisher said.

Fisher mentioned that many of the services people use from their smartphone can still be accessed from a laptop or other device.

“I can connect to Messenger and Instagram on my laptop. It made me realize that using a smartphone wasn’t essential to my life,” Fisher said.

The absence of a smartphone gives Fisher more control over when and where she uses social media. This has had positive ripple effects on her sleep.

“With the flip phone, I have the ability to check in and check out of Facebook,” Fisher said. “When I’m about to go to bed, I used to scroll on my phone for half an hour, even if it was 2am. I’ve definitely cut that habit which has been really nice.”

Like anything, giving up a smartphone is a tradeoff.

“It is more difficult to communicate,” Fisher said, “Just now, my friend told

me that she volunteered me for something I didn’t know about because I couldn’t get to the group chat” At the same time, Fisher mentions that the fliphone is not as archaic as one may think.

“I was expecting flip phones to be pulled from 2002, but I’ve been surprised by how modern some of them are,” Fisher said. “It has YouTube. You can search the web. You can listen to music if you drive. It’s difficult enough to use that I don’t want to use it, but it’s there if I need [it].”

SPORTS 1517 SCI-TECH

Yasmin Kudrati-Plummer

Unlike Fisher, junior Yasmin Kudravery much a struggle. People don’t even “If I had an iPhone and I took it away ti-Plummer has never had a smartphone. realize they’re doing it because they do it from myself, I’d notice I’m doing the This experience has changed her view of so often.” things that are annoying [to those withthe world around her.

These repeated negative experiences out a smartphone]” “The reason I am the way I am is sometimes led to longer-term frustraKudrati-Plummer partially because I don’t have a [smart] tions, especially when Kudrati-Plummer said. phone,” Kudrati-Plummer said. “It’s not was younger. necessarily by choice, but it has definite“I remember being upset in the past ly made me view the world through this when I had close friends go on their lens that I don’t think many people will phones constantly,” Kudrati-Plummer ever go through, living in a society where said. “It became a problem for me be[the] entire world is online and where we cause there’s nothing I can do to change feel more secure with our devices on.” the fact that people are addicted.”

One situation where living smartKudrati-Plummer mentions that despite phone-free makes a major impact is the uncomfortable situations, the smartduring awkward moments, where ‘ escap- phone-free perspective has turned her ing into your smartphone’ has become a into a better person. normalized behavior, despite its incon“It’s definitely made me more siderate nature. mature,” Kudrati-Plummer said.

“I’ve noticed when an awkward con“I don’t have a duty to my comversation happens or a tiny awkward puer in public settings.” silence, the instinct of almost everyone Kudrati-Plummer urges is to pull out their phone immediateothers to spend a day or two ly,” Kudrati-Plummer said. “I have to without a smartphone and deal with awkward silences in ways a be more cognizant of the lot of other people don’t. I tend to try uncomfortable situations to continue the conversation, which is smartphone use can create.

Yasmin Kudrati-Plummer places a call on her Nokia. “If an awkward silence happens, [and] everyone pulls out their phone, my go to response is to try to initiate a further conversation. Occasionally, I’ll pull up my Nokia, just so I don’t feel left out,” Kudrati-Plummer said.

PHOTO// L. Ribeiro

Liam Carey Senior Liam Carey, who like Kudrati-Plummer has never had a smartphone, recognizes the barriers of the lifestyle but mentions that his experience has been very positive. “[My parents] got me my first phone, a flip phone, as I was going back to

school in junior year,” Carey said. “I live under a rock. A massive rock. But I’m totally fine with that because it means I’m not chronically online and I spend more time on things I actually enjoy doing, like being outside or playing piano or theater.”

Outside of screen time differences, Carey mentions that ditching his smartphone provides a more keen sense of the world around him.

“I’m usually more concentrated. I like people watching and watching the scenery go by. I notice things about where I am—it makes me more observant,” Carey said.

Carey’s experience hints to another potential effect of ditching your smartphone: decreased social anxiety.

“It makes me more likely to reach

Liam Carey uses his fliphone. “It makes me happier to not be always attached to the internet,” Carey said.

PHOTO// L. Ribeiro

out to people in person, even though I have social anxiety, but I have to overcome that because I don’t have [constant] access to the internet and I think that’s a good thing,” Carey said.

While there are a few inconveniences from not having a smartphone, Carey, like Fisher, believes the tradeoff is worthwhile.

“There are times when people are trying to make a group chat and I can’t be added to it because my phone doesn’t work that way, so it does make [some situations] a little bit harder. But overall, it hasn’t been a great barrier. It connects me more than isolates me,” Carey said.

Carey believes everyone should experiment with the fliphone lifestyle.

“Absolutely switch. At least try switching because you never know what your life’s gonna be like,” Carey said.

PHOTO// G. Rubin

w

alk past Galileo, see cards spread across the tables, and hear the buzz of elderly volunteers among Jefferson students playing bridge. Jefferson’s Bridge Club hosts these volunteers weekly to teach students how to play bridge and grow as players.

“It’s a game that’s difficult, and you can spend years and years learning if you want to play well,” volunteer Catherine Bardsley said.

Despite its difficulty, bridge serves as a break from school and a fun challenge for Jefferson students during eighth period.

“I have come to Bridge Club since freshman year and it’s a good way to relax. It’s also the way to try and help you get your brain going after a long week of tests or useless classes. It’s nice to just play with friends and practice bridge,” club co-president Christopher Paonessa said.

Leaning over a student’s shoulder, volunteer Catherine Bardsley points out the next steps during gameplay. By signing up for bridge club, Jefferson students show genuine interest in learning the game. “I find it fun watching people who are very quick to understand things, and yet who will be much better once they’ve had some experience playing. It’s just fun to watch somebody learn something they’re interested in,” Bardsley said.

PHOTO//K. Senthilkumar

Bridge’s main two components, bidding and card play, add an element of collaboration to the game.

The game is played with two teams of two called “pairs,” where each partner is seated across from the other and works together to bid on and win as many hands as possible.

“It combines the elements of chess, where you play by yourself, and the elements of the partnership, so it’s much more social,” volunteer Stan Schenker said.

Through bridge, members of the club have made close friendships as they play together throughout their time at Jefferson, adding a unique dynamic to games.

by Anya Raval

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Bridge Club’s volunteers use bridge to connect two generations through their love of the card game

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FEATURE 17 Jefferson’s Bridge Club attracts stuother, proving that bridge is a game for “I’ve had the same partner since freshman year and we’ve become so close over dents who are genuinely enthusiastic and all age groups. For Jefferson students, the years. I’ll make a subtle gesture with interested in learning which adds extra the volunteers provide guidance and a chance to play against experienced my cards or I’ll bid something and he’ll enthusiasm to the volunteers.

“The appeal of TJ is this is obviously a players. immediately take it on,” Paonessa said.

Bridge itself only requires a standard pretty high caliber group of students and “They provide all the expertise that we there's also a self-selected group. People need to actually continue playing. If it deck of 52 cards and four players, have signed up for Bridge Club, so weren't for them, I wouldn't know half making it an easily accessible game. there's obviously some degree of interest the tricks that I do about the game,” Although it’s played less today, bridge and seems much more worthwhile than co-president Neel Sharma said. was one of the most prevalent games trying to get a group of students who throughout the 20th century. may have a typical and average range of “It’s just one of those things, in our aptitudes,” Bardsley said. culture, that goes through different The shared interest between the volunwaves of popularity, and it used to be teers and students creates a collaborative very popular decades ago but it seems environment. to have languished over the years,” “[The volunteers] also help organize Bardsley said. “Bridge had its heyday decades ago, but it’s such a good game the tournaments and they're just there that I would like to help foster enthusi- to help play with other people who don't asm in people who are younger than I.” understand. I feel like they're the life of Through Bridge Club, volunteers hope the club because they've taught everyone to share their love and interest in bridge at one point or another,” Paonessa said.

Bridge Club gives students and volwith students.

During eighth period, volunteer Stan Schenker “This year, we have a lot more begin- unteers a chance to connect with each explains rules and strategy to students as part ners, so I’m trying to instill in them of Jefferson’s Bridge Club. The volunteers come the same enjoyment I get every week during both blocks on Friday. “I’ve out of the game: that’s played bridge since my early teen years. I’ve enjoyed the game and I’d like to share it. really importI was also a substitute teacher for seven ant to me,” years in the Fairfax County system, Schenker so it was a good combination,” said.

Schenker said.

PHOTO//K. Senthilkumar

BLOOD &

by Aarya Kumar

From a beloved children’s figure to a bloodthirsty murderer When I first heard that this classic tale from my childhood was being turned into a horror movie, I was intrigued yet also amused. I found it funny that a harmless yellow bear could become an unrestrained murderer. And after watching the film, my feelings are the same. I found the movie to be comedic rather than horrifying.

The film poorly imitated other horror movies with none of its own unique, scary moments. For the majority of the movie, the two antagonists tied up, whipped, and choked their victims. While this is typical of a horror movie, viewers have already watched these scenes elsewhere and a good horror movie needs novelty to inflict fear. The only scary scene that could possibly count as unique was when the car ran over the girl’s head, as I have never seen that before. On top of solely imitating other movies, these

unoriginal, scary scenes were executed poorly. There were no jump scares to take the viewer aback or build up to a climactic moment.

Outside of the action, horror could have come from special effects or costumes. However, neither Pooh nor Piglet’s costume left a frightening image in the viewer’s mind. In fact, they looked more funny than scary. In addition, special effects were minimal. There were no creatures popping out like in the movie IT, or scary makeup, seen in movies like The Exorcist.

As for the plot, the plot was unrealistic and disconnected. No connection was established between Christopher Robin and the girls being attacked. If the characters were tied together, a more meaningful story could develop and engage the reader to follow the storyline. The story is also not realistic. The girl claims that Pooh has been following In this scene, Pooh enters a car to run over a victim’s head. The mask creates a lone facial expression that makes it hard for Pooh to express emotions. The use of CGI in this scene would have allowed viewers to see Pooh’s cold, heartless emotions PHOTO// Fathom Events

ENTERTAINMENT 19

her and a flashback is shown of him even entering her house, but he runs away? This would be very out of character considering that Pooh killed tens of other people and even fights off four guys at once.

There is also nothing suspenseful about the end of the film. It is unclear if the directors are setting the movie up for a sequel, but the movie just ends with Pooh killing the main girl and Christopher Robin running off. There is no game-changing twist in the plot at all.

The movie’s execution of action,effects, and costumes fall short and serve as a poor representation of a horror movie. While the movie is not unique nor scary, the idea is definitely a hit. There has been lots of hype and the movie will bring in plenty of views as people will be intrigued to see what happened to their childhood favorites.

A silhouete of Pooh is seen above. His transformation from a loving, yellow bear to a dark, knife-wielding figure can be seen.

ILLUSTRATION// A. Kumar

Breaking Free from the Comparison Trap The dangers of comparing grades passes you your test, your eyes immediately dart around the room, searching for your classmates' scores. The pressure to perform and the fear of falling behind is palpable, and it’s at this moment that the negative effects of comparing test Ayesha Khan results come into play.

Staff Writer You walk into your classroom From gas prices to tournaafter a test, eagerly awaiting re- ment performances, comparisults, only to find that you have son is a natural human tendency. However, when it comes to fallen short of your expectations. The moment the teacher test and exam results among

ILLUSTRATION// E. Feng

students, this practice takes on not as good as everybody else, a more sinister and potentially that can be debilitating to you damaging tone.While some ar- as a student,” Principal Dr. gue that comparing grades is a Bonitatibus said. way to gauge performance and This effect has been obidentify areas for improvement, served in studies as well. the reality is that constant According to an American comparison has a devastating Psychological Association impact on a student's mental survey, students who regularly health and well-being. compare their grades to those “If you feel that you're in a of their friends are more likely cutthroat competitive environ- to feel stressed, anxious, and ment, where you might go in have lower self-esteem. every day and feel like you're Those who believe comparing test results is beneficial say it provides a way for students to assess their performance and find out where they need to improve. For example, a student who consistently performs better than their peers may feel motivated to maintain their high standards, while a student who consistently performs worse may be motivated to work harder and improve their grades.

Despite this argument, the negative effects of comparing test results are far more damaging and wide-reaching, and outweigh the positive ones.

The solution, therefore, is to encourage students to focus on their own progress and development, rather than comparing themselves to others.

One approach to this is to urge students to adopt a growth mindset, which encourages them to view challenges as chances for personal development rather than as threats to their self-worth. By adopting a growth mindset, students are liberated from the burden of constant comparison to their peers and may instead concentrate on their own growth and development.

OPINION 21

Is White Day a Good Idea?

Should we change the Valentines Day we love so dearly?

PHOTO// E. Feng

Empathy of a Sticker

The Jefferson bumper stickers tell the story of our struggles, and more track logo can give even more insight on the athletic prowess of the potential student. A bright yellow “student driver” labels the student as an upperclassman, while the addition of the class-specific license plate frame can narrow down Print Editor the candidate into their reGrayson Stotz spective grade level.

Seeing the classic TJ bumper Although the sticker costs sticker anywhere outside money, unless you are a memof the school parking lot is ber of the Class of 2024 who an exhilarating experience. received a complementary Knowing that somewhere in sticker due to our delayed enthe car itself or the shopping try into the building two years center it's parked, a fellow ago, it could be worth it to classmate is present: another your parents. Of all the merch soul who knows and shares options available, it definitethe same struggles of vectors, ly covers the most ground conics, and rotations. in terms of letting people The TJ bumper sticker is a know you go to Jefferson, the perfect representation of the primary directive of several Jefferson name. The simplic- parents in the community. ity of its design highlights Regardless of whether the the recognition associated decision to display the sticker with our name; we don’t need was made by you, or forced flashy designs or eye-catching by your parents, take pride in colors to draw attention. The what it represents. Let all of letters speak for themselves. the drivers on Braddock Road Not only do the stickers tell know that yes, you are in fact a tale of struggle, but of inturning left into the school, terest and identity. A Jefferson and will be blocking the midsticker alongside a crew or dle lane.

length of the romantic season by a month, as it’s almost a societal expectation for people to return gifts in countries where White Day is celebrated. For certain people with enough rizz Online Editor (as the youngsters call it), Eric Feng this may be beneficial to Not actually affiliated their purposes. However, with the color, White Day, for certain other people, one month after Valenthe season for romance tine’s Day, is a tradition in should be as short as they some Asian countries like want to make it.

Japan, South Korea, and Another aspect is the Taiwan, when people give freedoms that our current return gifts to the people Valentine’s day offers to us. who gave them gifts on Without obligations of a Valentine’s Day. return gift, we have more Insead of a grim history freedom to receive gifts like Valentine’s Day’s, without consequences. Valwhich was a feast celebrat- entine's Day would be the ed by slaying and skinning preclude to the spring of animals before beating our youth, a simple holiday people with their pelts, not filled with tradition, White Day has corporate but the hopes of establishorigins. Declared by Japan’s ing relationships.

National Confectionary In- Different cultures have dustry Association in 1978, different holidays, but in created out of a motivation a country that emphasizto sell more chocolates. es freedom as much as The holiday in the east America, perhaps introduchas a more antiquated ing too much order would charm to it, as girls tend be counterintuitive to the to give gifts on Valentine’s spirit of the holiday. While Day, while boys return gifts an old-fashioned tradition in the next month. With of returning gifts would be Valentine’s Day in the west, nice, I prefer the freedom however, both genders give of the Valentine’s day we gifts on the same day. have now.

White Day extends the

Chatting with

N body ChatGPT can be a useful tool for completing routine tasks, but students should hesitate to use the AI to produce work they call their own

H

ello! I am ChatGPT, a lanaccept falsehoods as truth. On top of caught, students wouldn’t receive guage model developed by that, the AI doesn’t display the sourc- good grades for this fabricated work OpenAI. I was trained on a es it uses to produce answers, so users due to the specificity of certain rudiverse range of internet text, so I can don’t know where they’re getting brics, and the AI’s inability to score respond to a wide range of questions their information from. full marks. and carry out conversations on many In response to Chat GPT, teachers An occasional indulgence in the topics. I am here to help answer any are steering away from online assign- short term escapes offered by Chat questions you may have, so feel free ments and moving towards presenta- GPT can snowball into a complete to ask me anything!” tions, oral tests, and in class essays on neglect of duties in certain classes.

Chat GPT is a new AI technolopen and paper. This far more hands While it can be easy to develop gy that can spout out code, emails, on approach to demonstrating a stu- tunnel vision toward many and five page essays within seconds. dent’s knowledge on a topic not only of the more rigorous STEM When it was first released to the pub- subverts the influence of Chat GPT, based classes, the fundalic at the end of November, the AI but also offers a more enriching pay- mentals established from immediately raised concerns for aca- off for the students in the long run. humanities courses are just demic integrity. It can easily become As with all integrity violations, it’s as vital toward a more well a tool for students to cheat on papers important we empathize with the rea- rounded educational expeand CS labs. sons why students feel a need to use rience. One cannot simply We acknowledge that Chat GPT can Chat GPT to cheat. When we can’t delegate an entire portion take menial tasks, such as emails, off seem to catch a breath in Jefferson’s of their curriculum to an AI of our workloads. Automation takes never ending cycle of tests and dead- without it reflecting on their care of time-consuming tasks that lines, we’ll find any way to maximize constitution. we wouldn’t otherwise enjoy or learn sleep and social by doing the minChat GPT is by no means pointless. from, without harming anyone in the imum amount of work required to When used effectively, it has the process. receive the grade we’re happy with, potential to drastically improve the Chat GPT can also be a valuable even for mentally stimulating assign- efficiency of our everyday lives. As resource when explaining complex ments. part of this responsible use topics. Its quick and concise answers, Despite the short term benefit of however, students must compared to scouring the web and creating work that can be turned in have a deep enough opening dozens of links, have poten- immediately, Chat GPT has been understanding of its tial to speed up the learning process. shown to produce writing of poor consequences as to In that sense, we wish there was a quality. Teachers, including those not let it comproway to separate its features: providing here at Jefferson, have managed to mise our educainformation and producing work. catch and discipline students who tional experience, Even then, the knowledge Chat GPT have used the AI due to the disespecially given the passes on isn’t always accurate, mak- jointed and off topic nature of its quality of classes ing it easy for users to unknowingly verbiage. Even if their work was not here at Jefferson.

LEAD-ED 23

ILLUSTRATION// C. Tran

it Out

freshman

Karan Sadiora

It was always my dream to go to TJ because they offer something that other highschools don’t. The extra rigor really pushes you to become the best you can.

Compared to other high schools, you’re almost forced to try a lot harder; it definitely lives up to its name.

I’m really interested in biology. I’m looking to do the Biotechnology or the Neuroscience lab, but it still depends on how these three years go. I’m trying to get my history credit out of the way this year so I have more room for my other classes that I actually have an interest in.

I love planning courses. I made several four year plans for many different scenarios. I have gotten a lot of advice from upperclassmen. A lot of consulting with upperclassmen, asking what courses are which, what senior research labs do what, and about the overall impact or experience of TJ. That ultimately led to biology and chemistry.

I’m also really interested in Biology Olympiad; I study a lot for that. My 8th periods focus on biology and medical related topics like Biology Society, Medical Society, Biotechnology Club, and HOSA. I’ve always asked upperclassmen what TJ was like, but now I’m here. I’ve always wanted to make a name for myself.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Planning

PHOTO by Robert Stotz REPORTING by Robert Stotz