February 2020

TJTODAY vol 5 issue 5

february 2020

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

YOUR

SERVICE at

Responding to the growing trend of activism, Fairfax County’s civic engagement policy supports passionate students like senior Sophia Kianni, who seek to change the world around them.

ABSTRACT

With an ink brush, senior Zhejia Yang gracefully sweeps an in brush across the paper beneath her feet as she practices her shodo, or Japanese calligraphy, performance. Written to the song “Secret Base” from Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, this year’s shodo performance is centered around growing up.

“As you grow older, people also have higher expectations for you. As children, we have this conception that adults are a different kind of person,” Yang said. “But [it’s important to understand] that becoming an adult is just an arbitrary concept and that you are still you regardless of whether you are an adult.”

PHOTO//Elliot Lee

STAFF

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editors-in-Chief Justin Chang Irina Lee Grace Mak

Broadcast Executive Producer Ashley Huang

Online Managing Editor Sonia Kanchan Pratika Katiyar

Social Media Manager Sid Ram

Photo Editor Anushka Molugu

Team Leaders Vikram Achuthan Aumena Choudhry Stuthi Gupta Anuj Khemka Minjoo Song

Staff Writers Miriam Antony Nicholas Artiedamarin Gabriel Ascoli Ayush Das Nirja Divekar Rose Du Annika Duneja

journalism staff. The staff is deeply

Eric Feng Aidan Harbison Yulee Kang Jeremy Kim Christina Lu Raed Mirza Nathan Mo Keertana Senthilkumar

Sarah Wang

Adviser Erinn Harris tjTODAY is the official newsmagazine of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology published by the

committed to a code of journalistic ethics that demands the exercise of accuracy, good judgment and impartiality. The content of tjTODAY

tjtoday.tjhsst

tjhsst_media

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_news

tjTODAY

CONTENTS tjTODAY vol. 5 issue 5

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feb. 2020

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24 cover story 06

FREE TO FIGHT, FIGHT TO BE FREE The landmark FCPS landmark civil engagement policy encourages student activists like Sophia Kianni

features 04

SENIORS SPEAK OUT Seniors at Jefferson propose solutions to social issues through C-Span’s Student Cam competition

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GROOVING FOR THE GOLD Parnika Saxena uses dance as rehabilitation in senior centers

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DANCING OUTSIDE OF THE TEAM

sports 18

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DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH Seniors Phillip Pan and Mia Yang develop innovative BACVision technology to make roads safer

A BALLER BREAKTHROUGH Michael Hwang becomes the first freshman to play on Jefferson’s varsity basketball team in 20 years

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MAKING A SPLASH Taking a dive into the routines that make Michael Zhang a top swimmer

opinion 24

REDEFINING THE PROTEST IN PROTEST CULTURE While protests can be an avenue to raise awarness, we must do more to enact change

A look at the dance culture at Jefferson

sci-tech

CHANGING EXPECTATIONS Seniors run into unexpected roadblocks while conducting research.

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IN SUPPORT OF NEW VOICES The New Voices Bill protects student journalists from censorship

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CUBBY CONTROVERSY Following the administration’s decision to ban using locks to secure cubbies overnight, Jefferson students weigh the pros and cons of the new policy

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16 TIME STARTS NOW

CONFRONTING HETERONOMATIVITY ON VALENTINE’S DAY A perspective on the world’s most ‘loving’ holiday, through the viewpoint of a member of the LGBTQ+ community

What it takes to be one of the top cubing teams in the world

entertainment 30

NOTEWORTHY NETFLIX NOMINEES Oscar nominees from Netflix that you can watch right from your house

Seniors

Speak Out

THIS IS IT.

This is what they have all been waiting for. Eighteen long years of waiting to make a choice on something that really matters to them. At eighteen years old, they can cast a ballot, change their futures, and do exactly what their eight grade civics teacher told them they could do:

VOTE.

And perhaps this, more than anything else, defines what it means to be grown up.

As the youngest demographic who can legally vote, seniors can step forward as mouthpieces for what issues the newer generation is concerned with. The question is, what problems do we want to fix?

To answer this question, seniors not only have to consider what problems matter most to them, but also the problems that will affect this generation many years down the road.

WHAT IS STUDENT CAM? In an effort to make seniors think about what issues they want to focus on during the election, and what they are looking for in presidential candidates, some AP Government classes have a StudentCam project, sponsored by C-SPAN, where students create a video about their vision for 2020 and what specific issue they want presidential candidates to address. Among the wide range of topics, there were some overarching themes that were especially important to Jefferson’s current seniors.

Students participating in the CAM project created a video between five and six minutes in length exploring their topic of choice. The video must include clips from C-SPAN videos. Students are asked to propose specific solutions that they want to see implemented by the candidates in 2020.

MEDICAL COSTS

One popular topic discussed was Medicare, particularly inflated drug prices. This subject came about through recent awareness on the monopolization of certain drugs by companies, which happens to affect family members of some students.

“I was thinking [about] Medicare, especially with my grandparents who depend on prescription drugs for their health conditions. This topic was extremely important to me [because] the vulnerable groups that need these drugs in order to survive are kind of being exploited by private companies [with] skyrocketing prices,” senior Michelle Pham said.

GUN CONTROL Another topic, and one that hits very close to home in lieu of recent school shootings, was gun control. “You hear about the mass shootings, especially in like schools and stuff like that, and that definitely is something that I think disturbs most students around the country,” senior Sheila Iyer said.

In line with recent gun control laws passed by the Virginia state legislature, seniors simply want to see candidates who are willing to support a stricter outlook on guns. “To me, the most important [thing] is someone who channels what people believe and I think the majority of Americans if they’re not supportive of more strict measures, they’re supportive of background checks,” Iyer said.

1. As part of her Law and Society class, senior Jamie Lee writes a letter to her representatives about New Voices Virginia, which protects student journalists from censorship. “Student journalists deserve all the protections of the First Amendment without the administration acting as a partial guideline,” Lee said. 2.

Climate change was the focus of senior Evan Howard’s CAM project. As part of the guidlines for the project, students had to use clips from C-Span videos.

CLIMATE CHANGE

FEATURE 5

Not surprisingly, one of the more popular general topics chosen for discussion was dealing with climate change, which is something that new voters have been pushing for around the nation.

“I think climate change is something that affects our generation even more than other generations, but really it’s something everyone should be concerned about because if climate change continues at the pace it’s going, it’ll affect everyone around the world. And you know, people’s standard of living will decrease, the livable land will decrease, the food we eat will change, the energy we use will change, everything will change,” senior Evan Howard said.

CONCLUSION With projects like these, seniors have gained an insight into how these problems affect them, and how important it is to be able to have a say in them.

“I’ve just turned 18 so obviously that gives you the right to vote, and I think that it’s really important for children to be advocates and talk about issues that are relevant to them and that they have cared for,” Iyer said “A lot of people have this mindset that one vote doesn’t really make a difference, but I think it’s really cool for students to engage in their civic responsibility and talk about issues that are important to them.”

“Climate change must be addressed in the next election because our time is running out to combat climate change,” Howard said. 3. Senior Michelle Pham and her group decided to cover healthcare for their CAM project, specifically rising drug costs in the United States. ”My group chose rising prescription drug costs because it’s a serious issue that affects millions of Americans and in some cases means life or death,” Pham said. 4. As part of her CAM project

for her AP Government class, senior Kathy Li made a banner addressing ex-convict employment discrimination.

Li and her group took a different route when it come to creating their project, as they were the only ones to make a banner about their issue. “Playing with negative space, I experimented with the banner design to try to closely match the C-SPAN prompt. Overall, I am quite happy with how the composition and colors turned out,” Li said.

FREE TO

FIGHT

TO BE

The FCPS landmark civil engagement policy serves to encourage student activists like Sophia Kianni

by Justin Chang, Irina Lee, and Grace Mak

FREE Illustration by Muhib Zaman

S

eeing is believing, but for climate activist Sophia Kianni, it was what she didn’t see that instilled in her a belief to make a change for the better. As an Iranian-American, she spent months in Iran, only to notice that something was off.

“I always looked at the stars at night with my parents. It was a nightly ritual when I was younger, and I couldn’t do that in Iran because the pollution was so bad,” Kianni said. “That was one of the primary things that was a catalyst for me.”

Frustrated by what she saw as inaction Kianni turned to her phone to message activists she followed on Instagram for a chance to take part in events that could spark awareness. Just a few months later, those first few messages evolved into hunger

striking in Nancy Pelosi’s office, becoming a member of the Fridays For Future national media team, and being a part of This Is Zero Hour’s national partnership team.

It is not only Kianni’s story, but also those of other student activists across the county, that collectively marks a climate of activism and student engagement. Seniors Abby Kim and Grace Cullen participated in the Women’s March on Jan. 25.

“I hope many of the people in charge see that women’s rights is still an issue and that people are willing to come back year after year until things change,” Cullen said. “Everyone deserves to be treated equally and have a say over the laws that concern them.”

A participant inw the March for Life in 2018, sophomore Elliott Lee became interested in activism after studying the case Tinker v. Des Moines, which guaranteed first amendment rights to students on school grounds, including the right to protest.

“There is no point in having a right if people do not exercise it. In order for students to become productive members of society, they should use these rights that others fought years to procure,” Lee said. “I encourage students to participate in causes that they believe in, because if nobody is there to speak about it, nothing will be done about it.”

#FAIRFAX COUNTY MAKES HISTORY In working with students across Fairfax County to voice their concerns, Kimberly Boateng, the student representative to the Fairfax County School Board, has seen firsthand the importance students have in promoting change.

“I feel as though students should have the opportunity, especially in this social climate, to speak up for what they believe in whatever that may be,” Boateng said. “Students are the movers of tomorrow and it is important to support and not penalize their desire to make a difference in the world.”

story continued on pg. 8

COVER STORY 7

FIGHT FOR GREEN NEW DEAL

F R I D AY S FOR FU T U R E

In order to encourage students to be politically active within their communities, Fairfax County passed a novel policy, effective since Jan. 21, allowing students in seventh through 12th grade one excused absence for a partial day spent participating in “civic engagement activities,” such as sit-ins, marches and lobbying.

“Fairfax County was perhaps the first district in the nation—certainly the biggest district in the nation—to have adopted something like this,” Fairfax County School Board Member Emeritus Ryan McElveen said. “And so, I think in this and in other areas, we are always a national leader, given our proximity to Washington D.C.” Inspired by past student displays of dedication towards political issues such as gun violence and climate change, McElveen first introduced the policy in February of 2019.

By June of that same year, the board made a consensus to move forward with the idea, sending it to the Governance Committee, which developed the policy further and finally presented it in December.

“There were a couple issues that really brought this issue to a head of civic engagement,” McElveen said. “First was the issue of gun violence prevention. Back in 2018, we saw a lot of students voice their concerns about that issue and lead protests, which led [to] a desire to have equitable treatment throughout the county.”

#ADDRESSING CONCERNS In light of concerns from critics saying that schools should not actively encourage students to take time off, the school board has also instituted safeguards to prevent increased truancy that could resulted from students abusing the policy.

Students are required to submit a form several days in advance to an administrator, explaining and giving proof of the civic engagement activity they plan to participate in.

“Many of today’s largest movements are being led and pushed by the youth of America and it is time our education systems recognize that,” Boateng said. “Some people fear this is radicalizing students or encouraging truancy, but very clearly this is not the case because there are guidelines in place and students are invited to demonstrate for whatever stance they so choose.”

Furthermore, because chronic absenteeism is a factor in measuring the accreditation of school districts in the state of Virginia, Fairfax County’s new policy requires that students check in at school before leaving for their civic engagement activities. Ultimately, McElveen believes that, based on past experience, students will make good use of this policy to speak out on issues that they are personally invested in and make a difference in the world around them.

“Our students are passionate and they want to have their voices heard and they will use this in a productive way,” McElveen said.

#ON THE FRONT LINES Kianni plans to use her day of absence in New York, where she was invited to attend the New York Times Sustainability Summit. Although protest culture is at the forefront of

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COVER STORY 9 public imagination of what activism is, Kianni pushed back against that thought.

“If you’re trying to assert that the only thing that [activists] are doing are skipping school and marching in the streets, that’s just not a very accurate picture,” Kianni said. “We have conference calls, we’re getting in contact with state legislators, we’re writing press releases, we’re writing op-eds.”

To date, she is most proud of her participation in a hunger strike at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Organized by Extinction Rebellion, participants refrained from eating to bring awareness to the cause of climate change.

“It was the first of its kind, and I agreed with the cause because I did believe that Nancy Pelosi needed to take stronger action on climate change, especially with the legislation that has been trying to be passed. She called the Green New Deal a ‘Green Dream,’ which was something that I personally was pretty offended by,” Kianni said.

The strike ended when, after going four days without food, nine protestors stormed Pelosi’s office and were arrested. Kianni wasn’t ready to take that step, but she encountered a confrontation of her own when speaking with a climate change denier.

Unlike the national narrative of antagonism and hatred, she believed the exchange to be based in respect.

“It was kind of a funny, light, humorous moment, and I told him that I understood that he was genuinely concerned, but from my position I couldn’t give him the credibility that he wanted because he hadn’t established himself as an authority on what we were talking about,” Kianni said.

For those who are just getting started with their own activism, Kianni has some advice.

“You should find something you’re genuinely passionate about,” Kianni said. “I spend so much time on my activism, it’s basically a full time job on top of everything. If you put yourself out there and you make it known that something is your passion, then you’re going to receive the same energy and enthusiasm.”

Whether it’s from Kianni, the FCPS School Board, or Jefferson’s principal, we hear the same message echoed over and over again: make your voice heard.

“A student’s place is not in the classroom,” Principal Dr. Ann Bonitatibus said. “It’s in the world, and a classroom is just one part of the world in which you exist every day. If we are protecting you [from diverse or controversial perspectives] or keeping you from engaging with society, we’re not doing our job.”

1. Standing in Folger Park where senior Sophia Kianni planned to meet with fellow activists before hunger striking at Nancy Pelosi’s office, Kianni holds her “Fridays For Future” sign, which she made earlier that day before skipping school. 2. While showing their support in the fourth annual Women’s March held in Washington D.C., seniors Abby Kim and Grace Cullen and freshmen Riley Cooper and Ellie Rowland, stop to display their posters. “I don’t look at this single event as one thing that will change the course of history, make some big legislation pass through, or even make any sort of real change, but I think it’s the culmination of a lot of different efforts,” Kim said. 3. Marching alongside thousands of others, Rowland displays her homemade poster, which takes aim at President Trump’s cabinet. Participants of the Women’s March in D.C. began their day at the Freedom Plaza and marched along Constitution Avenue and around Lafayette Square. 4. On the steps of Capitol Hill, Kianni stands alongside political activist Jane Fonda. Constantly on the move, Kianni believes the FCPS civil engagement policy is a step in the right direction for activists like her. “I obviously would appreciate it more if there were more days, but I think it’s a great starting point. It is a very novel policy - it’s the only school district in the US to have such a thing,” Kianni said.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Sophia Kianni, Abby Kim

Grooving for t Junior Parnika Saxena uses dance therapy for her Girl Scout's Gold Award Service Project

E

verybody clap your hands. Feel the music. Junior Parnika Saxena has traveled from local senior centers to as far as Nairobi, Kenya, and India to address the therapeutic effects of dance as part of her Gold Award Project.

The Gold Award is awarded to Girl Scout seniors and ambassadors who have made a significant impact on their community, and is one of the highest honors a Girl Scout can receive. The process to complete her project was long, from identifying the issue and creating the plan to taking action to educate and inspire.

“There's many requirements. You have to have something that can be sustained, and it has to be making a positive impact in many people's lives. You choose what direction you want to take it in but once you decide your project idea you're set up with an advisor,” Saxena said. “In terms of how far to take it, I guess there's no limits.”

Saxena describes why she chose dance as her project.

“Dance has scientifically been proven to have therapeutic benefits, both for the body and the mind,” Saxena said. “The purpose of the dance exercise workshops that I initiated at senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and schools was to positively impact both the physical and mental health of those who lacked such opportunities to relax, in a constructive manner.”

While at first members of the senior centers were hesitant to participate, they became more comfortable in taking part in the dance after Saxena visited each center a few more times.

“To create an inclusive atmosphere, I incorporated upbeat modern music and interactive dance-related games to make members of my workshop feel comfortable,” Saxena said.

Saxena has also taken steps to make her workshops accessible to those online.

FEATURE 11

the Gold

by Anushka Molugu and Tanya Kurnootala

“I created an app that has dance tutorials and instructions for dance related games for people with internet access,” Saxena said. “I also created a website that includes instructions for how one can hold a dance workshop in their local community center, school, senior center, and rehabilitation center.”

In addition to teaching in the Northern Virginia area, Saxena has also travelled internationally to share her project. She visited Dheradun, India to teach students her dance as well as set up a team of students at the Tarang Dance Academy to continue the project after she left.

“The students, including those with physical disabilities, were encouraged to learn fun dance routines and play dance related games. I have trained people to be familiar with my project so that they can start their own workshops at their local senior centers, rehabilitation centers, schools, and hospitals,” Saxena said.

ABOVE: In order to teach the seniors dances that allowed them to enjoy the experience, Saxena used very simple dance moves that were easy to follow along. She demonstrates some of those moves, including hand claps and jazz hands. BELOW: As recognition for her community service project, Saxena was given a badge and certificate. “My project addresses the simple need of bringing happiness to people who are dependent on others by the means of dance,” Saxena said.

1

DISCOVERING

ART of

the

by Christina Lu & Nirja Divekar

DANCE Dance culture thrives at Jefferson

During 2019 Homecoming, senior Jae Canetti dances as part of the class of 2020’s Musical Extravaganza. Although Canetti didn’t do MEX until his senior year, watching other people dance motivated him to join them. “Our homecoming spirit is so intense, you just want to be a part of it, even if it means getting out of your comfort zone and doing something that you never thought you would do.” Canetti said.

PHOTO//Antonio Martin

FEATURE 13

H

er debut as a dancer began at freshman MEX. Now senior Julia Chen is the coordinator of KCC iNite.

“Many dancers at TJ started out with zero dance experience before high school. If I went to my base school, I wouldn’t have participated in any of the dance activities,” Chen said.

While unexpected to some, one of Jefferson’s many unique points is its dance culture. Chen believes that the many different styles and levels of dance offered at Jefferson allow students from all dance backgrounds to join.

“Beginners can participate in some easier dances, while more advanced or more experienced dancers can try out for the harder dances,” Chen said.

Because of Jefferson’s dance culture, she didn’t need that much of a push to decide to participate in MEX and KCC iNite.

These same dance events involve a lot of student commitment and leadership.

“I’ve gotten to know many people from dancing and performing with them. I also like how these activities are all mostly led by students,” Chen said.

Chen’s dance experience at Jefferson has also helped her overcome her stage fright.

“During freshman year, I would be scared to go out on stage and perform in front of so many people.

But now after doing it for so long, I actually love performing in front of other people,” Chen said.

She attributes this newfound confidence on stage to a change in mindset.

“Throughout the years, I started to worry less about messing up and thought about how I should juhave fun performing with my friends on stage,” Chen said. “Of course, I still get a little nervous before getting on stage, but [now] I just focus more on the fun part of performing rather than overthinking every little mistake I might’ve made.”

Senior Jae Canetti started dancing in iNite his sophomore year. When he was cut from several dances his junior year, Canetti took the rejection and turned it into motivation to improve.

“It was the stress relief factor. It was a bad time during junior year, I had a really bad schedule where all my hard classes were back to back to back, and I was just really struggling,” Canetti said.

When he dropped AP Physics and filled his lunch periods with Urban, Canetti began to realize that

dance could calm and clear his mind.

“When you’re practicing the dance, your full attention has to be on whatever you’re doing whatever move you’re trying to execute. And it’s kind of it makes you forget everything else, just in a pure sense. Because if you if you start thinking about other things, that’ll mess you up,” Canetti said.

This moment of realization inspired him.

“I found myself subconsciously running the choreography in my mind. I was like, if I like it this much, I should try to get better and see if I can get back in,” Canetti said. “The rest is history.”

That’s when Canetti started attending dance workshops at GMU called Spam Musubi, where graduates and crew members will teach choreography for free. The classes started off as a rough experience for him.

“The first workshop I ever went to was a four class workshop called an intensive, which is double the length of the normal. By the end of it, I was in cardiac arrest. So that was rough,” Canetti said.

Despite the challenge, Canetti continued attending the workshop and believes that Spam Musubi has helped elevate his dancing skills and his ability to choreograph pieces.

“For the first four, five times, I just did not get the piece. But since I’ve been going more recently, I’ve been starting to get it better and get the pieces more in control,” Canetti said.

He remains humble about the small victories he’s had in his dancing career.

“I’m not gonna say I’m anywhere close to the best at it - I’m still in the bottom half, but I’m making it through a little better and its a good way to track my progress with these monthly installments of Spam [Musabi],” Canetti said.

Because of these workshops, Canetti can attest to just how popular dance is at TJ. “I have friends at other schools that do it. They’re always talking about how they’re the only two guys in the whole school that are interested in dancing. And here we have hundreds,” Canetti said.

As he reflects back on his dance journey, Canetti realizes how subconscious and gradual the process was for him.

“You just want to do it with your friends, and before you know it, you enjoy dancing,” Canetti said.

“It becomes more than just doing it.”

DIAMOND

a in the

ROUGH

Seniors Phillip Pan and Mia Yang develop innovative BACVision technology to make roads safer

by Miriam Antony and Keertana Senthilkumar

MONTHS

of brainstorming and research. Late nights reviewing proposals and perfecting presentations. It all accumulated to one submission. A winning submission.

GETTING STARTED In the 2019 Diamond Challenge, seniors Philip Pan and Mia Yang won over $13,000 in prize money, and more importantly, they gained business experience. Their company, BACVision, measures blood alcohol content (BAC) through ocular metrics, or tracking eye movement and pupil dilation through video clips of a person’s face.

“Mia and I originally decided to create our product because we wanted to use our technical skills from TJ to create something in real life with tangible impacts on our community,” Pan said.

Sophomore year, both Pan and Yang participated in Launch X, an online course from MIT that educates young entrepreneurs. The pair met and discussed ideas for a company over the summer.

“We were starting to go out and and noticing things about how dangerous the roads could be, and specifically we pinpointed drunk driving as a hazard that affects a lot of people,” Yang said.

CREATING A COMPANY One of the most intensive parts of the project was the background research.

“It’s hard to innovate in an industry that hasn’t really seen any innovation for a significant amount of time, so researching the tech and science behind our product definitely took a lot of time,” Pan said.

They came up with a way to measure pupillary light reflex, the tendency of pupils to dilate once a person consumes alcohol.

They also used a method already used by law enforcement, horizontal gaze nystagmus, to

“We combined our strengths to come up with the business and improve.” measure minute vibrations in a person’s eye after alcohol consumption.

“What we’re looking to do is correlate varying levels of these two metrics to specific blood alcohol content models in the future,” Pan said.

The two used their expertise in different areas of the product design and technical fields.

“We combined our strengths to come up with the business and improve,” Yang said.

FEATURE 15

FEATURED COMPETITIONS

The Conrad Challenge is all about innovation in the STEM field. Charles “Pete” Conrad was first an Apollo 12 astronaut, then a passionate entrepreneur. His wife Nancy continues his legacy by aiding the next generation of entrepreneurs through this contest. Applicants develop solutions in one or more of the seven STEM-related categories to participate in the three-round challenge.

LEFT: Seniors Phillip Pan and Mia Yang were awarded 1st Place in the Diamond Challenge 2019, an entrepreneurial competition which was held at the University of Delware.

“It’s been a really great life experience for business and pitching. It’s hard to learn about it through lectures, you really have to go out and try it,” Yang said. Photo courtesy of Stephen M. Berry. RIGHT: Pan and Yang stand in front of the Conrad Challenge backdrop.

The pair submitted their product, BACVision, to multiple competitions, including the Conrad Challenge, during their junior year. Photo courtesy of Motoko Schimizu. Bottom: Pan and Yang stand in front of the NextGen Summit, which they were invited to after winning the Diamond Challenge. The Summit was a global summit held for entrepreneurs in June 2019 in New York City. Photo courtesy of Motoko Schimizu.

With Project Paradigm, the main goal is to encourage creativity, collaboration and help others in the process. The categories (home fires, waste reduction, personal health, food security, and biodiversity) promote solving real-life issues. Participants can win up to $100,000 for any idea, from mobile apps to community events. The Project Paradigm foundation and the Red Cross collaborate to administer this challenge every two years.

MANY WILL ENTER, FEW WILL WIN Then came the daunting part: applying for challenges. Pan and Yang applied to the Conrad Challenge, the Paradigm Challenge, and the Blue Ocean Challenge, among others. Each competition had unique requirements.

“Competitions each have a niche focus on a specific aspect of entrepreneurship. All of them want to train specific aspects or qualities of high school entrepreneurs,” Pan said.

With their victory in the Diamond Challenge, the seniors are not planning to leave their progress behind. Both partners are interested in studying business in college, and plan to expand BACVision.

“We’re already a registered LLC in Virginia and we’re pursuing a software patent right now. We’re definitely interested in pursuing this idea further,” Yang said. “We’ll see where it goes.”

Similar to the Conrad Challenge, the Diamond Challenge has three rounds: the submission round, the pitching round, and the semifinal round. These rounds end with a three-day global summit, that takes place at the University of Delaware in April. The Paul and Melinda McConnell Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative runs the challenge to inspire the next generation of business leaders. It offers prize packages up to $13,000 so participants can expand their businesses.

8.7s

Junior Justin Choi practices unscrambling a 3x3 Rubik’s Cube by timing himself during eighth period. “My highest ranking was 13 in the world at one point. And that’s definitely the accomplishment I am most, most proud of,” Choi said.

6.8s

0.0s

4.5s

1.9s

NOW

Jefferson’s Rubik’s Cube Team one of the top teams in the world

by Yulee Kang and Jeremy Kim

SCI-TECH 17

megaminx rubik’s revenge pocket cube 35.61s 1.24s 24.54s

Senior Ray Bai’s solve times

THE TIMER STARTS. Hands flying and colors whirling, junior Justin Choi furiously unscrambles the cube before him as his teammates await anxiously.

One. He finishes the base.

Two. Three. Four. Five. Almost there.

Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Nine and a half.

Nine and three quarters- DONE! Triumphantly, he slams the cube down in front of him as the teammate to his right immediately picks up his own cube. How many people do you know who can solve a Rubik’s cube? How many people do you know who can solve one with their feet? Blindfolded? One-handed? Jefferson Cubing has it all.

What sets Jefferson Cubing apart from other high school teams? President of the Jefferson Cubing club Justin Choi says it’s due to the high level of teamwork within the club.

“We have to work as a team to get things done,” Choi said. “When we go to competitions we usually go together.

Especially for one of the main events, which is solving 25 cubes with eight people, you have to be able to coordinate who’s going to solve what cube and if you have half of a cube left, for example, who’s going to get that cube.”

Others, such as sophomore Michael Fatemi, accredit the team’s success to the close cubing community that meets frequently. The Rubik’s Cube Team meets during most B blocks on Wednesday and Friday, which has a consistent turnout of members who regularly participate in the club.

“We practice a lot and there’s are a really nice community around here and everyone has to work together which means that we get to know each other really well,” Fatemi said. “Which is really fun because we just hang out while solving cubes and practicing for the big competitions which are usually in April.”

From those who have never attempted to solve a cube to competitive cubers, the club is open to anyone who is interested. However, many of the members of Jefferson Cubing had already been interested in Rubik’s cubes long before they even entered high school.

“I started cubing when I was in fourth grade and I started because I saw my dad cubing and thought he was really fast at the time, even though it took him a minute to solve the cube, and from there I really wanted to beat him. So I went out and looked up a guide on how to solve a cube, and that’s where everything started,” Choi said. “I knew about the club before I came to [Jefferson] because I saw them at a competition in Las Vegas when I was little. This was actually the World Championships in 2013, so when I moved back to Virginia from California I saw them at a competition hosted at [Jefferson] and knew about Ms. Conklin before I came to [Jefferson].”

Attracting members since its founding, Jefferson’s Cubing team is a renowned high school team and one of the top in the country; it has placed within the top ten multiple times at several World Championships and holds the current world record for the fastest time for the 25-cube team event.

“We’ve been breaking the record for the last three years.

I was only doing this for the last two years,” Choi said.

Freshman Harsha Ravella and sophomore Michael Fantemi cube together at Rubik’s Cube club. Fatemi began his cubing career during third grade after watching his friend solve a cube. “One of my friends showed me and I thought, the thing is so fast, so I wanted to do that,” Fatemi said.

CHANGING EXPECTATIONS Raed Mirza

Seniors run into unexpected roadblocks while conducting research for their final senior lab projects

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xpectations are high, and seniors will present their final results at tjStar, some at even larger science fairs such as the Intel ISEF. But almost all seniors can agree their projects are far from what they expected junior year.

Take senior Tony Liang, who is doing his project in the Computer Systems Lab. “Our original plan was to make a self-driving go-cart,” Liang said. “We originally wanted to train a neural network to follow some traffic patterns we create, such as stop signs, driving on the right, and changing lanes.”

However, with the first semester of the year already over, his project has changed drastically from its original intentions.

“We probably will not get to make a full-size go-cart.

Also, instead of teaching the car to drive on a closed course following traffic rules that we make, we will train it to drive around the hallways without crashing into walls,” Liang said.

THE CAUSE

Liang is just one of many, and with so many seniors across all labs experiencing the same issues, it begs the question: why does this happen?

According to lab directors, it’s a natural part of the research process and science as a whole.

“It isn’t seen as a ‘problem’ but the natural course of things.

As we learn more, we see that which we didn’t know…and evolve our approach and/or our expectations,” Laura Lock-

lear, director of the Neuroscience Lab said.

Locklear also adds that in real research labs, many professional researchers go through the same struggles and limitations that Jefferson seniors face.

“Let’s say you finish your doctoral degree and you go to a lab. You’re hired by a lab - you can’t just do anything you want to because of the limitations that are within the lab. Anybody who’s done a lot of reading into published scientific literature will know there’s no experiment that’s ever been published that is a perfect experiment; there are always limitations.

So you get to a lab and you learn what those are. And then you do what you can do within those constraints,” Locklear said.

Senior Avyuk Dixit’s experience confirms this sentiment.

“After the New Zealand shooting last year, we thought of creating a method for detecting violence in real-time from video surveillance feeds; one of the things that happened in the new Zealand shooting was that there was a Facebook Live Stream that recorded it as it happened, but nobody saw it in time to react,” Dixit said.

Originally, his group had planned to spend most of the year building the model for the data and writing the research report. However, building the model only took them a month.

Instead, they have spent most of time researching methods to parse the vast amount of data to train their neural network.

SCI-TECH 19

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PHOTOS// Anushka Molugu

“When we originally started the project junior year, we had limited data to work with but this year we got access to a much larger dataset with like tens of thousands of hours of footage to work with,” Dixit said. They are still working on this task.

However, issues like these and unexpected tribulations are common among research projects. Lab directors feel that these issues shouldn’t demotivate students, and instead, students should work to overcome them.

“Once a project gets going, the idea is to do it. That doesn’t mean that they won’t encounter a lot of challenges, but the objective is to do that project. So we got to overcome the challenges, whatever challenges that come up,” Locklear said.

if students do end up with a project that doesn’t come to fruition.

“It isn’t our goal for the student to fulfill their original goal.

Our goal is for the student to have a positive research experience. For most students, the senior research lab is their first experience of this kind. It can’t be simulated over a shorter length of time. If at the end of the year they have an accurate sense of what it means to undertake a research project then we consider that success whether or not they fulfilled their original goal, and whether or not they then intend to pursue more research in the future,” Torbert said.

THE SOLUTION

Research labs have taken measures to prevent these issues from happening in the future.

In the Computer Systems Lab, for example, a series of changes in recent years have been implemented to prevent students from experiencing false starts and dead ends.

“We do a lot of work in the spring of junior year to help the students find a good project. This includes a timeline for their senior year with benchmarks. Most students will stay close to their plan because we don’t approve plans that we think will fail. We observe fewer false starts and dead ends now than we did 15 years ago,” Director of the Computer Systems Lab Shane Torbert said.

However, he also stated that it isn’t necessarily a problem

1. Building the components to her research, senior Anika Kololgi writes a for loop to go through the pixels in an image. Her project, taking place in the Computer Systems lab, is one of many that requires using different elements of code for a final outcome. 2. Holding the crayfish in one hand, senior Tanya Kurnootala points to its eye with the other. Her project, taking place on the neuroscience lab, requires measuring the visual responsiveness of crayfish when its affected by blue light. “The crayfish is a really good model organism because it has the ability to regenerate,” Kurnootala said. 3. Seniors Sarah Wang and Emily Wang work on an experiment requiring an EEG helmet. EEG helmets have sensors to detect brain activity. 4. Holding a pipette, senior Mia Yang carefully works under the fume hood of the Neuroscience lab. Several of the projects taking place in labs such as the Biotech lab and the Neuroscience lab require meticulous work such as pipetting.

A

Michael Hwang becomes the first freshman to play on Jefferson’s varsity boys basketball team in 20 years.

Baller’s

By Rose Du and Sarah Wang

e a kthrough r b H

eart pounding, palms sweating, surrounded by upperclassmen. Weighed down by intense pressure. A spot on the roster is at stake. No freshman has made the men’s varsity basketball team in the past 20 years. But that’s just what Michael Hwang did.

Making the Team Hwang started playing basketball in first grade, and has worked to improve his technique since.

Despite having several years of experience playing competitively, the news of his placement on the varsity team came to Hwang as a surprise and an honor.

“When I was told I made the team, I was a little shocked,” Hwang said. “Coach [Mark GrayMendes] started talking about how it was really special for me to make the team.”

Varsity basketball coach Mark Gray-Mendes saw great potential in Hwang’s skill with the ball, and believed that his experience would allow for a smooth transition into a team

SPORTS 21

1.

2.

With the Team As a young member of the varsity team, Hwang has benefited from interacting and bonding with the older players. “[My teammates] push me to be better and teach me how to get better and stay mentally strong,” Tough Training Hwang said. “They really helped me While veteran team members were and made me feel like a part of the familiar with the training regimen team, even though I’m a freshman.” and had several years to establish a Coach Gray-Mendes recognized rapport with one another, Hwang had Hwang’s unique position as an opporto quickly adapt to the rigor and team tunity for him to gain insight from dynamic. older players, from both a basketball “Playing as a freshman on varsity and academic perspective. is difficult because you have to learn “What I love is that concepts that he’s had the support of I really learned others have been guys with a lot of years how to deal with learning for up of wisdom under their hardship, because varto three years,” belt, and that he can sity is really tough,” senior Justin Park, draw on their experiHwang said. “It’s a member of the ence, which I think is taught me how to be Jefferson varsity really important,” Grayresolute and strong.” basketball team, Mendes said. said.

Hwang’s presence on the team has In addition to adjusting to a new provided older players witwh a chance team and environment, Hwang faces to serve as mentors, but his skill and another challenge: balancing basketperformance also promotes healthy ball and school. Instead of seeing this competition. as an obstacle, Hwang’s tight sched“Having a freshman on the team ule has made him more focused and gives older players an opportunity to diligent. give advice and encouragement,” Park said. “It also motivates the rest of the composed of mostly juniors and seniors.

“Michael is a very strong ball handler, with a great basketball IQ,” Gray-Mendes said. “He earned a spot on varsity by being one of the best ball handlers.”

“

1. Crouching in a defensive position, freshman Michael Hwang guards his opponent during a practice scrimmage. “Playing basketball teaches you teamwork and to put in hard work into things that you love because you want to be successful in them,” Hwang said. PHOTO//Connie Ryu 2. In warmups before a game, Michael Hwang laughs as fellow teammates pass him the ball. Hwang takes every moment to improve himself and have fun. “I don’t really think when I play, I just go with the flow,” Hwang said.

PHOTO//Rose Du

team to work even harder in order to not lose their spot to a younger guy.”

Park also pointed out how Hwang’s participation in varsity has influenced him personally in positive ways.

“Seeing Michael stay after practices to continue shooting around and improve his game when everyone else leaves motivates me to stay and improve my game as well,” Park said.

As his first season of Jefferson basketball comes to a close, Hwang is appreciative of the unique chance he had to play on the varsity team. He is excited to continue to contribute to the team and make an impact.

“I feel undeserving at times, but I’m truly thankful and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Hwang said. “I want to work hard and prove that I am worthy to be on varsity.”

MAKING A

SPLASH

by Nathan Mo

Taking a dive into the routines that make Michael Zhang a top swimmer

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ind racing and stomach churning, Michael Zhang readies himself for the 100 meter breaststroke. Suddenly, the horn goes off, and eight swimmers jump into the pool. Immediately, Zhang takes an early lead, setting himself apart from the pack. He maintains his lead over the course of the race, arms and legs moving perfectly in unison like a well-oiled machine. Finally, Zhang emerges victorious, finishing a full second

before any of his competitors.

Ranked 24th in the state of Virginia amongst the class of 2022, Zhang has not lost a race in over three years and has broken more than 10 records across multiple strokes.

“I broke seven or eight records in freestyle, breaststroke, fly, and IM (Individual Medley) on my summer league. Then, I broke even more records in the league in 50 meter breaststroke.” Zhang said.

RISE TO THE TOP

Zhang’s love for swimming began at the age of six, when his parents enrolled him in a swimming class with his local swim team, the Burke Centre Penguins, so he could learn how to swim. However, after discovering his potential through participating in meets, he began taking swimming more seriously.

“I participated in some meets, and through the meets I realized that I was pretty fast,” Zhang said.

1

SPORTS 23 1. Putting on his swimming cap, Zhang prepares himself for a race. “I actually get a lot of anxiety before races because I feel like a lot of people are watching me and they want me to win,” Zhang said. 2. Swimming his

specialty race, the 100-meter breaststroke, Zhang pushes through the water on his way to victory. “I mostly focus on my technique and my pacing, like whether I’m using too much or too little energy.” Zhang said

2

1

“It pretty much is who I am. People know me as the guy who does swimming,” Zhang said. “It’s a big part of my identity because it’s what I’m good at.”

Specializing in breaststroke and freestyle, Zhang has an extremely grueling practice schedule, going to practices with Jefferson’s Swim team in addition to practices with his other team, the Dragon Swim Team, and his own individual practices. He often practices for over 20 hours a week, attending these practices in addition to working out on his own.

“I have many portions - I have a team practice, I have a practice by myself and my dad, and then I have gym workouts,” Zhang said. “I prefer the individual ones because I have my own weaknesses, and that individualized practice is how I push myself and set benchmarks for myself.”

Although Zhang admits that the constant practices tire him out, his desire to drop his times and continue to win motivate him to carry on practicing.

CURRENT ROUTINE “I’m going to be real, swimming pracNow, as someone who competes with Jefferson’s Swim team in addition to his tice really sucks. When you do someown team outside of school, swimming thing for 20 hours a week, the grind has become a defining part of Zhang’s gets boring. With swimming, you can’t listen to music, you can’t do anything life.

As Zhang continued pushing himself and cutting his times, he eventually found success in the 8th grade, as he obtained the fastest time for 14-yearolds on the East Coast in the 100-meter breaststroke, qualifying him for USA Swimming’s Zone Select Camp, an selective program that takes elite swimmers across the East Coast and gives them even further training.

“When I was in eighth grade, I qualified for Winter Juniors, which is a junior national meet, so the cuts are really hard. But one meet, I dropped nine seconds, and I got the exact cut,” Zhang said. “And at that meet, I got first for fourteen-year-olds in the 100 meter breaststroke, which allowed me to qualify for Zone Select Camp too, and almost nobody qualifies for it. That was a turning point because I knew I was always good, but I never thought I was one of the fastest swimmers in the nation.”

else,” Zhang said. “But I think it’s cool to work hard for a long time in practice, and then when your times go down a lot, it feels good to see your hard work pay off.”

LOOKING FORWARD

Despite the time he’s invested in swimming, Zhang does not intend to continue swimming after college in pursuit of the Olympics.

“I want to get recruited to college for swimming because I’ve put so much time into it already, [but] people don’t understand how hard it is to get into the Olympics,” Zhang said. “I [would be] competing against people who do swimming full time, [and] I don’t want to do that.”

Rather, Zhang wants his legacy in swimming to be his influence on others as opposed to his individual successes.

“I feel like at the end of the day, when I graduate, none of this will really matter, and that’s why I want to make an impact right now,” Zhang said. “I’m able to inspire other people in hopes that they’re able to become faster and influence other younger swimmers [in the same way that] I influenced them.”

redefining the

PROTEST

in

Thousands of protests take place every day, many of which seemingly to no avail. While protests have the potential to instigate change, we cannot rely solely on protests to get our voices heard.

PROTEST CULTURE Y

ear after year, millions of people with sloganemblazoned posters fill streets around the world for hours at a time.

It’s become a global phenomenon, labeled the Global Protest Wave of 2019, where the number of high profile protests has

grown significantly since the start of 2019.

On the local level, Fairfax County’s recently enacted civic engagement policy, allowing students an excused partial day off to participate in civic engagement activities, is only proof of the spreading spirit of political activism in our society.

LEAD EDITORIAL 25

With thousands of protests occurring every day, you’d think that there’d be more change happening in response. According to protest culture critics, the underwhelming response from higher authorities make protests useless attempts at getting our voices heard. A 2014 Stanford study that found mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little independent influence on governmental policy, is even more discouraging.

As they stand right now, protests are not the most effective means to instigating change -- but that doesn’t mean they can’t be useful. We simply need to be more intentional with the way we structure our protests.

So what makes a protest effective?

Recently, when Virginia teachers rallied for increased education funding, their protests were effective because their

goals were clear and specific. Protests are also successful when they’re non-violent. As soon as people get hurt, the spotlight immediately goes to the violence, and not the message. Finally, protests will only be effective if they’re continually gathering attention. If protests occur sporadically or only once a year, a big change will not result.

As students, the actions we take to speak out may be limited.

Marches are important because they offer us a way to show support, given that students have a limited number of methods to influence change.

We can’t just stop at protests, though. There are other options to get our voices heard: writing letters, lobbying, phone calls. If you’re truly passionate about an issue, do everything you can to take that issue directly to the place where legislation is made.

PHOTO// Grace Mak

Speaking before the Virginai House of Delegates Education Subcommittee, junior Pratika Katiyar testifies in favor of “New Vocies Virginia.”

In Support of New Voices Recent progress on the New Voices Virginia bill is a major step in the right direction

STANCE

Are student journalists to be trusted? Up until last week, our public officials didn’t think so.

In Virginia, when a student journalist wants to publish an article for the school newspaper, school administrators have the right to read the article before anyone else and censor it if they choose. However, with the previously rejected “New Voices Virginia,” bill passing in the House Education Subcommittee, change may be on its way.

The bill, also known as HB36, states that student journalists have the right to uncensored free speech except in certain libelous and illegal cases, and while there are many steps to go before it becomes a law, its passing in the subcommittee demonstrates a remarkable turnaround in our politicians since Gabriel Ascoli last year.

Staff Writer I sincerely doubt that the politicians who voted against the bill know what it’s like being a student journalist, or knows how we are in many ways the best suited to write about certain issues in our school. The chair of the House Education Subcommittee was a former student journalist and is now a patron of the current bill.

Coincidence? I think not.

Just because we aren’t 18 years old yet or don’t have the education of a professional does not make us illegitimate journalists. For the most part, students understand what needs to be written about our schools and what their peers want to read, not the administrators.This is why New Voices Virginia needs to pass. We, as high school journalists, should enjoy the same rights that the Freedom of the Press gives us as any other writer. If you care that New Voices Virginia may or may not pass, send an email, call your local official anything to make your voice heard.

After all, that’s what the bill is all about.

OPINION 27

Cubby Controversy Following the administration’s decision to ban locks to secure cubbies overnight, Jefferson students weigh the pros and cons of the new policy At Jefferson, on-campus storage space is limited to backpacks and both lockable and open cubbies, so secure storage Eric Feng space can be a Staff Writer struggle.

When I brought a design and tech project to school, I had to carry it for the whole day because the secure cubbies were all occupied. Therefore, by restricting overnight storage, cubbies would be available to more people.

Often, students lock cubbies without any items or with items that they rarely use -- this new policy prevents such activities and enables students to secure items that they actually need during the day.

Squeezing a clamp against the metal, a janitor cuts a lock placed overnight in audlob.

Additionally, the policy of not allowing locked cubbies overnight is beneficial because it will prevent individuals from storing food that could spoil and thus avoid big messes for the janitors.

It is important to note that under this policy, the cubbies would still be available for storage over the school day, so one could still put cumbersome items in there for temporary storage.

Furthermore, many students counter that locking cubbies overnight is needed to store heavy sports equipment, but student athletes can just use locker rooms for this purpose. Ultimately, cutting locks placed on cubbies overnight at school may sound drastic, but it is the best way of discouraging irresponsibly using storage space.

Removing the ability to lock any cubby for longer than a day only makes life harder for as it prevents long-term storage of items students need on a daily basis, which are often too unwieldy or difAidan Harbison ficult to bring back and forth Staff Writer to school everyday.

I know that during marching band season, having a long-term locked cubby to store my practice items saved me from the awkward trip of bringing a pair of sneakers and a water jug to school every single day. It also saved me from finding an open locker for my backpack in the bustle as school was ending.

Sure, I could store this in an unlocked locker, leaving it unlocked at the end of the day, but this just leaves it open for others to pull out my belongings and relocate them to who-knows-where, putting their own items in its place - a problem that other students have complained about through social media posts in the past.

Even worse is simply the possibility of stealing, especially if the item is more expensive. Besides, this policy isn’t required in order for there to be an equal right for all to a cubby - there are plenty of cubbies throughout the school that are unlocked and empty every single day.

Additionally, this policy is unlikely to solve the vermin problem, due to the amount of food present throughout Jefferson everyday.

Solving our pest problem simply requires vermin control services, which in the end, seems to be the more effective solution of the two - and does not end up making Jefferson students’ lives more difficult than they already are.

Confro HETERONOR ON VALENTINE'S Day

by Sophie Uy

A perspective on the world’s most ‘loving’ holiday, through the viewpoint of a member of the LGB TQ+ community

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xperiences are not universal!”

It seems only fitting to begin with this quote by “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star Dong Nguyen, which speaks for itself.

I’m aware that Northern Virginia has always been a sheltered bubble, and the discrimination I’ve experienced as a member of the LGBTQ+ community may not be nearly as extreme as what others have dealt with.

Valentine’s Day has never felt quite right to me, not just because of the holiday’s consumerist nature, but because it’s always been “straightcoded.” Any advertisement for chocolates, flowers, or valentines from Target always showed the same thing: a man and a woman in love, which goes to show that love is still subject to heteronormative commercialization.

Heteronormativity is the belief that heterosexuality is the “norm,” whereas being LGBTQ+ isn’t. Never am I more aware of my queerness and how wrong it feels (when it isn’t!) than on Valentine’s Day.

onting� ORMATIVITY OPINION 29

I figured out early on that I was bisexual (I have Shego from “Kim Possible” to thank for that), but I never felt safe expressing it. I grew up in a heavily religious family, and calling something “gay” always had a negative connotation. Every Valentine’s Day, I’d feel sick to my stomach as commercials promoted happy couples that were, surprise! Straight. Not once did I see a thriving LGBTQ+ couple in the media.

I’ve constantly been surrounded by stereotypes. I’ve been told bisexuals don’t experience discrimination because we can be in “straight” relationships. I’ve been told there isn’t a place for people like me in the LGBTQ+ community by fellow LGBTQ+ people. I’ve been told that bisexuality is just a phase, that I’m still young and “[I’ll] get over it” (actual words spoken to me). I’ve been told “all bisexuals are promiscuous, and [you’re] not, so you’re not really bi,” to which I responded, “I don’t even know what a promiscuous is!” None of these things are true.

When I came to terms with my bisexuality, I was terrified. I knew that my feelings were real, but at the same time, I didn’t think I was allowed to feel this way. Sixth-grade girls were worried about meeting their future husbands while I worried about finding someone who would accept me for who I was. In times like those, I absolutely hated Valentine’s Day. But I also loved Valentine’s Day because I could express my love and appreciation to my closest friends.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day in the traditional consumerist sense was like admitting defeat.

Recently, I’ve realized that doesn’t have to be the case.

On Valentine’s Day—and on any day that isn’t a holiday, for that matter—I can love who I want to love, and that is valid.

I don’t have to give in to societal norms that force me into a potentially unhealthy straight relationship. I’m not saying that you, dear reader, have to harbor a visceral hate for Valentine’s Day—but I do ask that you consider how you celebrate it, if at all.

Marriage Story Screenshot taken from Netflix, Marriage Story

Screenshots taken from Netflix, The Two Popes

The Two Popes Where: Vatican City When: 2013-2014 Who: Pope Benedict XVI (Jonathan Pryce) and Pope Francis (Anthony Hopkins) have a large influence of over 1.2 billion followers of the Catholic church.

“The Two Popes” is directed by Fernando Meirelles, who included truth and fiction in his movie.

What: Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have very different views on how Catholicism should be practiced, but form a special friendship after having a deep conversation.

Interesting Fact: A small, detailed version of the Sistine Chapel was built for this movie to mimic the real scenery.

Tomatometer Rating: 89% Release Date: Nov. 27, 2019

Where: New York/Los Angeles When: 2019 Who: In “Marriage Story” directed by Noah Baumach, Charlie Barber (Adam Driver) and Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson) decide to divorce in the modern messy world.

What: Both Charlie and Nicole want custody of their 8-year-old boy Henry, but struggle to find common ground for their disagreement.

Interesting Fact: “Marriage Story” is largely based on director Noah Baumbach’s own experiences when he divorced from his wife.

Tomatometer rating: 95% Release Date: Aug. 29, 2019

Noteworthy

NETFLIX

by Nicholas Artiedamarin and Ayush Das

Nominees

The academy awards are right around the corner. Here are some Oscar nominees from Netflix that you can watch right from your house.

ENTERTAINMENT

I Lost My Body

5

O scarnominated Netflix movies

Screenshot taken from Netflix, I Lost My Body

Where: Paris, France When: The 1990s Who: A pizza delivery boy named Naoufel (Hakim Faris) falls in love with Gabrielle (Victoire Du Bois) after messing up her pizza order.

What: Naoufel is in love with Gabrielle, but in another part of town, a hand escapes from a dissection lab, searching for its body.

Interesting Fact: “I Lost My Body” spent around 7 years in production after talks of adapting the book in 2011, and was finally released in 2019.

Tomatometer rating: 96% Release Date: Nov. 15, 2019 Screenshot taken from Netflix, Klaus

Klaus

Where: Snowy Village When: Holiday Season Who: “Klaus” was directed by Sergio Pablos and involves Klaus and Jesper in an adventure What: When the academy find out that Jesper is the worst postman in the academy, they send him to a frozen town where Santa is.

Interesting Fact: Director Sergio Pablos originally intended “Klaus” to be a hand-drawn film, but used CGI techniques to see how far technology has improved.

Tomatometer rating: 93% Release Date: Nov. 8, 2019

Over the last few years, Netflix has become one of the top movie producers, making several movies in the Oscar contention.

Additionally, Netflix has released more movies than six other big-name movie producers. One of Netflix’s advantages is that the customers do not pay per movie, instead they pay a monthly fee for all the movies. This newer method is taking over the traditional method of going to a movie theatre.

These movies are Oscar contenders made by Netflix.

The Irishman

Where: New York When: 1949-2000. The movie looks back in time to when Sheeran was younger and follows what he did to lead him to become a hitman.

Who: The main character, Sheeran (played by Robert De Nero), is a World War II veteran turned a hitman for a mafia group. “The Irishman” is directed

by Martin Scorsese, who based his movie on the book “I Heard You Paint Houses: The Biggest Hit in Mob History” by Charles Brandt What: Sheeran reflects on his past and the path he chose to become a professional hitman. He gives details into his inside life and the inner workings of the mafia that many people do not know about. He shows us how mobs are connected to everything, from social structures to politics.

Interesting Fact: Joe Pesci refused his role as Russell Bufalino many times, before coming out of retirement for the role.

Tomatometer rating: 96% Release Date: Nov. 27, 2019

Screenshot taken from Netflix, The Irishman

31

“

I’m really passionate about biology. In the beginning of the year we did a microscopy lab, and seeing the organisms was just so cool and that really sparked my interest in the class.

FRESH TAKES FROM A

FRESHMAN “

“

I’m excited to meet new people [and] teachers [and] make new friends. There’s so much this community has to offer because everybody is so special and talented, and I just really love that about TJ.

Just do what you love and not what your parents make you do because I [have] friends whose parents have made them do computer science, and it doesn’t turn out that well for [them]. Also, time management is something you really have to learn.

PHOTO by Maria Abramova REPORTING by Sid Ram

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Freshman

Archi Patel