The Black and White Vol. 56 Issue 1

FEATURE

FEATURE

SPORTS

Confederate controversy hits close to home PAGE 15

Juuling in school: dangerous trend?

PAGE 12

Alum Michael Dunn’s path to the NFL PAGE 19

Walt Whitman High School

7100 Whittier Boulevard Bethesda, MD 20817

Monday, October 9, 2017

Volume 56, Issue 1

More risks, smaller teams: MCPS football in 2017

Senior outside linebacker Cal Cibel leads the football team onto the field before their 24-14 loss to the Churchill Bulldogs Sept. 22. While the Vikes and other football programs have seen their roster size increase, many schools have seen dramatic decreases. Some schools have even been forced to drop their JV team due to concussion concerns and changing cultures within Montgomery County. For more, see pages 10-11. Photo courtesy WHITMAN FOOTBALL.

MyMCPS transition creates confusion for students, teachers

by MIRA DWYER MyMCPS Classroom, an interactive online program introduced at the beginning of the school year, will serve as the primary parent, teacher and student communication platform.

Staff and students have reported widespread confusion as a result of the switch.

The system combines Google Classroom’s features with Edline’s gradebook to cut county costs by replacing Edline this year and, eventually, Google Classroom. One advantage over Edline and Google Classroom is that parents can view their child’s school work through their own separate portal account through myMCPS. Although myMCPS was originally conceived in 2009, it wasn’t implemented until this year. Both students and teachers complain about problems with technological glitches, grade access, log-ins and more.

The delayed upload of class lists caused some confusion because teachers had limited time to explore the program while populated with actual students.

“I was disappointed they didn’t upload our classes sooner,” math teacher James Kuhn said.

“If I had had those eight extra days to mess with it, I may have figured it out already, but now I’m using time that I should be working with students trying to figure it out.”

The county ran previews and information sessions for staff last spring and held optional training sessions over the summer. Four select staff members went to an intensive eight-hour

“boot-camp” in June to master the program.

Many staff members say the in-school training hasn’t been enough.

“When we had this training, the system wasn’t up and going at that point, so we couldn’t do anything real—we had to learn it all with these practice classes,” said science resource teacher Donald DeMember, who attended the eight-hour training. “There’s a big learning curve on this software—a bigger learning curve than Google Classroom.”

Although the program is supposed to be connected to Google Drive, all documents— Google or Word—are posted through a link, requiring students to download the documents and then share their work with the teacher for grading. Teachers complain that they can’t share documents with their students and then edit them in real time.

“It’s missing what I would call—and what many teachers are calling—the critical functionality that Google Classroom has had for years,” English teacher Ryan Derenberger said.

“Google has the ability to disseminate docs in ways that are immediately accessible for the students and the teachers alike.”

Some teachers said they’ll continue using Google Classroom exclusively, or until all the complications with myMCPS are sorted out.

The entire English department is still using Google Classroom, but other departments vary by teacher.

“MyMCPS” continued on Page 2

Narcan is an opiate antidote Blocks actions of Opioids: - Heroin - Morphine - Oxycodon - Vicodin Photo courtesy CINCINNATI.COM

MCPS introduces Narcan

by MATT PROESTEL A drug for reversing opioid overdoses is now available in the health room of every Maryland public school under a mandate passed by the state General Assembly July 1.

The Heroin and Opioid Education and Community Action Act of 2017, or Start Talking Maryland Act, requires the State Board of Education to provide training to teachers and health technicians on how to administer the drug, Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan. It’s administered with a nasal spray.

“I think that [the introduction of] Narcan was a wise decision,” said MCPS Board President Michael Durso, an advocate of making Narcan available in schools. “I wish we didn’t have to worry about that, but the abuse of drugs isn’t a

new phenomenon.”

In the past few years, the opioid epidemic has skyrocketed to national prominence: in 1980, there were fewer than 10,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States. By the end of 2016, drug overdoses caused more than 64,000 deaths in the United States, the New York Times reported.

The Act also requires governor Larry Hogan to appropriate at least $3 million to implement the bill and to provide training to medical professionals and teachers.

Senior Matt Simon says having Narcan in the school as a preventative measure for a overdose is reassuring.

“Just like how Whitman has AEDs around in case someone has a heart attack, Narcan is a good thing to have in case of a drug overdose,” said Simon.

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

News

One year later: grading policy gets mixed reactions from students, teachers

by ZOE KAUFMANN Among the myriad of changes and challenges that face Whitman students, the one constant stressor seems to be grades. But this may be changing as a result of the new RQAbased grading system.

Under the old system, a final exam grade was factored into students’ semester grades along with their quarter grades, with each comprising one-third of the average total grade. The current system, which was introduced in 2016, eliminated final exams and now focuses exclusively on quarter grades.

Having only two grades means that, for the most part, the higher of a student’s two quarter grades becomes their semester grades.

Kismet Talaat, Physics Teacher “Grade inflation is hurting you. When everyone comes out with an A, the competition increases for college admissions. It hurts students without extracurriculars, because there’s no way to show how the A was earned. If a student has a 79.5 grade first quarter and an 89.5 grade second quarter, it comes out to a semester A.”

Mariana Fajnzylber Junior

Grace Franceschelli

Admissions officer, University of Cincinnati “We would look at [the grading system] and take that into consideration, but it probably wouldn’t sway a decision either way.”

Photo by ANNABELLE GORDON

“I think it’s nice because if a student is taking more challenging classes and their stress is really difficult, getting a B one quarter in one class isn’t the end of the world. However, Whitman does have a reputation of being a really challenging school, and if more people start doing really well, it might not look like our school is as challenging.”

Photo courtesy GRACE FRANCESCHELLI

Gregory Herbert, History Teacher “It’s easier to get a higher grade. By not having a third grade to determine that trend, getting that A in the first quarter makes their second quarter so much easier.”

Photo by OLIVIA MATTHEWS

Integrated Calendar

A+

Gradebook

Discussion Threads Graphic by MEIMEI GREENSTEIN

MyMCPS program gets mixed reviews Continued from Page 1 Students dislike having to switch between applications for classes.

“I would prefer myMCPS to Google Classroom and Edline if all of my teachers were on myMCPS,” senior Sarah Hirsh said. “That would make it really easy to check homework because there’s a combined calendar.” Teachers who’ve chosen to use myMCPS this semester said they’ve also faced some small, specific problems with the program.

For example, the equation editor, a tool teachers use to upload math problems, incorrectly changes the format of equations, Kuhn said. And myMCPS doesn’t allow teachers to copy and paste images, which makes inserting graphs into problems “cumbersome,” he said.

There were also issues with the gradebook loading for students, a problem specific to Whitman, DeMember said.

The county is focusing on getting the program up and running in schools before dealing with technology issues.

“Our biggest area of focus has been

on helping teachers and school leaders learn how to use myMCPS Classroom to support teaching, learning and communication with parents and students,” Kara Trenkamp,who is in charge of instructional technology for the county, said in a Sept. 10 email.

Though some teachers want to go back to Edline, others recognize thatmyMCPS will fix problems Google Classroom and Edline posed as separate systems. The new portal gradebook is now synced with the assignments students see in their myMCPS Classroom stream, math teacher Anne Chiasson pointed out.

Despite problems, Kuhn is optimistic.

“I think it’s great. It’s going to be the way of the future,” Kuhn said. “I think everybody’s going to have to embrace it, but it’s just a matter of getting all the little things worked out.”

To learn more about navigating myMCPS Classroom, visit http://www. montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mymcpsclassroom/

AP Lang, Honors English 12 undergo curriculum changes

by REBECCA HIRSH The English department adapted the traditional AP Language and Composition and Honors English 12 curricula this year to fit new MCPS and Whitman standards.

AP Lang teachers returned to the basics of the curriculum, focusing strictly on argumentation and rhetoric. Changes include forgoing novels and replacing them with individual excerpts, Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” and famous 20th century speeches. Classes will still read the anthology “A World of Ideas.”

“It was the hardest thing to do, but we ended up dropping most of the fiction work we do,” teacher Matthew Bruneel said. “This sense of using speeches, using essays, using political cartoons, using images all as rhetorical exercises, those are the real ideas of the course. AP Lang is just about rhetoric, about making good arguments, understanding what a good argument is and being able to have a voice in the world.”

Honors English 12 also underwent two major changes this summer. First, the curriculum no longer includes studying a core text. Instead, students will read books of their choice in literature groups relating to themes the class is studying, such as truth and perception, navigating colliding cultures and gender roles.

“I’m excited about the new curriculum,” teacher Melissa Carr said. “It’s definitely more geared toward the diverse culture that America is becoming. English 12 is really supposed to be world literature, and I think this is going to help students who are always reading a white, male author’s point of view to identify more with some of these other books.”

The second change for English 12 is that Whitman no longer offers an on-level version of the course; all English 12 classes are now honors courses. The county will eliminate the on-level course next year, but Whitman piloted it this year to coincide with the new curriculum and with changes in Montgomery County Com-

munity College’s admissions policy.

“Putting all the kids together means that we’re a larger group collaborating,” resource teacher Linda Leslie said. “It means that we’re all working together, so that enriches the product and the teaching experience.”

“

This sense of using speeches, using essays, using political cartoons, using images all as rhetorical exercises, those are the real ideas of the course.

“

New Features of myMCPS

- English teacher Matthew Bruneel

Some teachers, however, worry that some students will either be bored or overly challenged in class, but Leslie said that the data does not support this idea.

“Generally the data says that kids rise,” Leslie said. “When you are in a pool swimming with someone who’s a little faster than you, you get faster. There’s no evidence that you’re pulling down the top. Students will enter the conversation where they can and where it’s appropriate for them.”

News

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

briefs

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Whitman holds highest PARCC scores in county

by REBECCA HIRSH

Students in English teacher Danielle Fus’ theater class gather on the auditorium stage for acting exercises. The school added the course this year after receiving a petition written by senior Saul Singleton. Twenty-five students are taking the class.

Photo by OLIVIA MATTHEWS

New theater class offers intro to drama, fine arts credit This year, students can get involved with drama while completing their fine arts credit, all without being in Whitman productions — a theater elective.

Administration created the course, now taught by English teacher Danielle Fus, after senior Saul Singleton petitioned principal Alan Goodwin last year to add a theater course to the Whitman bulletin.

“I created the petition for the purpose of being able to do theater, but not have to do it as an extracurricular,” Singleton said. “The class is awesome; it’s the one period of the day where I feel like I can express myself.”

The class can either be taken as a full year or semester long course. The class focuses on improv, comedy and musical theater in the first semester and dives into script adaptation and classical dramas during the second semester.

“I split it up in a way that even if a kid is only taking one semester, they can still have a fully enriching experience, while kids who are taking it for the full year don’t get bored by repetitive lessons,” Fus said.

For the class, students are required to attend a non-Whitman drama performance put on by another high school or the Roundhouse Theater, which offers free student tickets. The students will also take a field trip to see the Shakespeare Theater perform “Twelfth Night” during second semester.

Students are excited about the class and one of their favorite aspects is Fus’s ability to cater to different levels of interest in theater, senior Taryn Carone said.

“The difficulty and amount of work is really dependent

upon what you want to work on,” Carone said. “I think Ms. Fus really understands that for every student like me who takes theater very seriously, there’s another student who simply wants to practice speaking in front of peers.”

Senior Philippe Masanov agrees, saying the class is one

“

“

by SYDNEY MILLER

I created the petition for the purpose of being able to do theater, but not having to do an extracurricular.

- senior Saul Singleton

of the most enjoyable parts of his day.

“The best part of it is that you can go into second period thinking that this class will make the rest of day better and it really does,” Masanov said. “I just think that what we’re doing is amazing, especially with friends.”

Fus hopes to continue the course next year because she believes studying theater is beneficial to students.

“I believe that theater gives us a unique humanist perspective,” Fus said. “It gives us a way to view humanity that’s better than simply reading literature, because we get a chance to act it out and become more in touch with ourselves and others.”

‘Progress checks’ to replace quarter assessments this year

Local trail closed for Purple Line construction

by SYDNEY MILLER The proposed Purple Line construction in Bethesda may cause a four to five year closure of the Georgetown Branch Trail, a section of the Capital Crescent Trail running from downtown Bethesda to Silver Spring. Many members of the community have protested the closure, and some have filed lawsuits against the Federal Transit Administration.

The Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, an environmental advocacy group, hopes to halt construction with a temporary restraining order against the construction company, according to a Sept. 10 Washington Post article.

D.C. District Court judge Richard J. Leon heard the case for the temporary restraining order Sept. 19 but postponed his ruling until he learned more about the environmental impact. He began hearing the full case on Sept. 25 and will deliver a ruling in October.

Those opposed to the closure argue that the construction will inconvenience commuters and harm the environment.

Some students and teachers who use the trail regularly agree with the proposed Purple Line construction, but express disappointment with the lack of alternative routes.

“The trail provided a detour, but it’s on a public road, and it’s definitely not as good as the trail,” junior Ben Harris said. “It’s really a shame.”

A cappella members must take music class

by NAREN ROY Students will no longer take Required Quarterly Assessments after the Maryland General Assembly passed the More Learning, Less Testing Act on May 25.

The legislation, went into effect June 1 and requires government-mandated testing from state, federal and local levels to make up no more than 2.2 percent of instructional time. The Maryland State Education Association worked with the assembly on the bill.

“Standardized testing takes far too much time away from learning, preventing students from developing well-rounded skills and a love for school,” a statement from the association reads. “Educators will remain vigilant to ensure that classroom instructional time is protected from counterproductive increases in mandated testing.”

Instead of RQAs, students will have “progress checks” or “common writing tasks” varying in format and weight.

The new assessments will continue to provide students with informative feedback in real time, as the RQas were intended, while also allowing teachers

Whitman scored highest in the county on both the 2017 English 10 and Algebra PARCC. After two consecutive years of low results during the test’s pilot runs, scores are projected to remain high in the coming years, principal Alan Goodwin said.

During the PARCC test runs, Whitman’s poor performance resulted in elimination from state and national rankings by the U.S. News and World Report. The results of the pilot tests didn’t appear on students’ transcripts, so some students lacked motivation to do well, senior Zoё Marder said. Marder took the test during the second year of pilot testing.

“The test was really long and because it didn’t count for anything, we didn’t really feel the need to try,” Marder said.

However, this past year’s scores counted as pass or fail grades for students and will be evaluated for the U.S. and World Report standings in spring of 2019. Goodwin said he hopes that Whitman will be recognized as a top school once more.

“I regret that the community even has cause to be concerned about this, but they really have no reason to be concerned that the prestige of our school is going to fall,” Goodwin said.

by MIRA DWYER

Graphic by MEIMEI GREENSTEIN

more freedom this year to choose specifics regarding test content, structure, and logistics said Scott Murphy, Director of Secondary Curriculums.

Despite the removal of final exams and RQAs, there will always be some number of assessment given to students, principal Alan Goodwin said.

Overall, the newest changes are going in the right direction, he said.

“RQAs were hard to manage because they had to be at certain times, so that didn’t always work with the flow of instruction,” Goodwin said. “I wish we had final exams again.”

Some members of a cappella groups are cramming music classes into their schedules as the music department is strictly enforcing its policy that club members must be enrolled in a music class.

Although the rule existed in the past, it wasn’t heavily followed, a cappella sponsor Jeffrey Davidson said.

“Because we sponsor them, the students need to be in a music class to participate,” Davidson said. “It’s a liability thing. We’re living in a very interesting world, and as the sponsor for those groups, I feel strongly that I need to know the students and teach them in order for them to have that extra experience.”

Some students think the rule is unfair.

“It gave us restrictions during auditions because we couldn’t allow people into the group if they weren’t taking chorus, even if they were actually really talented, which we weren’t happy about,” a cappella group NOTA co-president Casey Bettencourt said.

Groups could choose to operate without the policy but would lose school sponsorship, Davidson said. No groups have chosen to do so this year, as they wouldn’t be allowed to perform at school events.

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

News

Language immersion expanded in MCPS Spanish-English programs added to two elementary schools

by EVA LILES MCPS launched Spanish-English language immersion programs at Brown Station and Washington Grove Elementary Schools this year. These schools are part of a countrywide initiative to incorporate world language instruction into primary education.

The programs are two-way immersion, meaning that the schools are divided evenly between native Spanish and English speakers. The county considered Washington Grove and Brown Station ideal for the two-way system because of their respective 65 and 48 percent Spanish-speaking populations. Under immersion programs, all classroom dialogue is done in the target language.

“I personally was all-in from the get-go because I know it’s good for kids,” Washington Grove principal Susan Barranger said.

“Our parents are huge supporters of the program.”

Washington Grove and Brown Station chose to begin this program in kindergarten and slowly incorporate the two-way immersion into all grades.

MCPS collaborated with the Center for Applied Linguistics, a non-profit organization that specializes in language and cultural education, to support the introduction of the split classrooms. CAL worked with the county to provide the schools with training sessions for staff to prepare them for the start of the school year.

MCPS has 10 language immersion schools, seven of which are full immersion.

Two-way programs make up the minority: the addition of the Washington Grove and Brown Station programs will bring the total to three. Altogether, the schools offer Chinese French, and Spanish.

The language program emphasizes the importance of learning new languages at a young age, as opposed to just in middle or high school. Whitman Spanish teacher Madeline Golding previously worked at an immersion school in DC and is a supporter of the split classroom concept.

“There have been studies linking learning a language before the age of eight with a higher retention of the language,” Golding said. “The reason why it’s so effective is because it doesn’t give students the option of relying on something that they’re comfortable with.”

Junior Yasmeen Gauri attended a Spanish-English school for the early part of her elementary school education. Her immersionstyle class improved her Spanish learning experience in high school, she said.

“When I got to Whitman I was already familiar with Spanish, so it was a lot easier to understand,” she said. “I didn’t have to translate in my head.”

The two elementary schools have welcomed language immersion into the classroom because of the rare opportunities it offers students.

Washington Grove kindergarten teacher Serena Keeney-Horsch gives directions in Spanish.

Students at Washington Grove switch from Spanish to English on a day-to-day basis. Photo by EVA LILES

“The achievement of children who are learning in more than one language is higher than those who are learning in a single language,” Barranger said. “It just makes your brain grow.”

Spanish-speaking parents reacted positively, expressing hope that it will encourage their children to embrace both their Hispanic and American cultures, Brown Station prin-

cipal Mary Jo Powell said.

“Our Spanish-speaking families are absolutely thrilled because now they feel like they have a way to contribute to the achievement of our children,” Powell said. “People seem to be very excited about the opportunity that their children will have when they leave [elementary school] and are bilingual and biliterate in Spanish.”

New teachers come from range of places, backgrounds

by ERIC NEUGEBOREN

Wendy Muldawer- English

This fall, Whitman welcomes 23 new staff members with a variety of backgrounds and former professions. The following four teachers were selected to be profiled based on their unique backgrounds and past teaching experiences.

English teacher Wendy Muldawer worked as a writer, editor and publisher for the National Journal and a marketing manager for small publishing companies before deciding to teach at Tilden Middle School 13 years ago.

Muldawer decided to make the switch to teaching because it allowed her to use her imagination and creativity differently, she said.

“If I went further in my career as a mar-

keter, I’d be dealing with numbers and digits, and that just isn’t me,” Muldawer said.

“Teaching allows me to be creative.”

Muldawer also drew inspiration from her son’s teachers who helped him overcome learning disabilities, she said.

“I wanted to become a teacher to make school more pleasant for students with disabilities and also help other students like the teachers who helped my son,” Muldawer said. “Sean was definitely my main motivation.”

Photo by LUKAS GATES

Lisa Kliefoth- English While watching TV or surfing the web, you will come across an advertisement or commercial created by English teacher Lisa Kliefoth. Before beginning her teaching career, Kliefoth wrote and produced advertisements for various airlines, hotel chains and organizations, including NIH. She even submitted scripts for a “Saturday Night Live” episode.

“SNL was desperate for some content and when they saw my commercials, they asked me to submit scripts,” Kliefoth said.

Photo by LUKAS GATES

Steve Sutherland- Special Ed After five years at Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School, special education teacher Steve Sutherland returned to Whitman to run the Facilitated Communications program. This program helps non-verbal autistic students graduate from high school and increase their communication skills.

Sutherland has worked with special needs students his entire career. At Whitman, he started the Designated Hitter program, which pairs student interns with students with special needs, worked with other students in the Learning for Independence program and coached JV baseball.

Sutherland left Whitman after six years to co-teach a biology class at B-CC, a career he didn’t enjoy as much as working with students with special needs, he said.

“It just wasn’t my passion, and I feel like this is an opportunity to make a difference in these kids’ lives,” Sutherland said. “That’s what teaching is all about.”

Sutherland first started working in special education in high school, he said.

“I saw the impact that my sports coach was making with special needs kids,” Sutherland said. “I thought it would be a great career to pursue.”

“They didn’t use them, but it was a great experience.”

Kliefoth ultimately decided to begin teaching middle school four years ago because of her love for kids and learning, she said.

“I wanted to do something that was more socially redeemable,” Kliefoth said.

“As much as I loved advertising, once my kids were about to leave high school, I thought I was going to miss kids. Teaching gave me the opportunity to be around kids more often.”

Photo by ANNABELLE GORDON

Hanna Walston- Physics After years of working as a software consultant for Hewlett-Packard, physics teacher Hanna Walston decided to take her leadership skills to the classroom and teach Honors Physics and AP Physics C. Walston travelled the world for HP, jetting to destinations like Los Angeles, Switzerland and Orlando to set up software configurations for company security.

Walston gained teaching experience through her collegiate Women in EngineerPhoto by FELIX XU

ing program and through mentoring HP staff and customers, she said.

“I found that one of my favorite parts of my job at HP was the mentoring aspect,” Walston said.

This love for educating others motivated her to make the career change, she said.

“I love physics and seeing the ideas that all of the students come up with,” Walston said. “Since everybody’s brains run differently, I love seeing students approach problems from different angles.”

BW &

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

the

Opinion

The Black & White is an open forum for student views from Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda, MD, 20817. The Black & White’s website is www.theblackandwhite.net.

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Make teacher training mandatory for myMCPS For eight years, MCPS officials have been working to develop the “ideal” online interface between teachers and students. Last month, the platform—termed myMCPS Classroom—went live, replacing Edline and sparking countywide conversation about the platform’s various issues and inefficiencies.

MyMCPS was created to serve as a classroom portal where teachers can post calendars, post and collect assignments, share documents and administer quizzes. It was also designed to be a platform for students to check their grades—though this has yet to work at Whitman. Because myMCPS is currently unable to sync with the teacher’s gradebook, students have to log in to a different portal to access their grades.

This glitch is demonstrative of a larger issue with the platform. Its attempt to streamline so many classroom functions has caused confusion among teachers and students—confusion that was magnified by its late implementation with little warning for parents and students.

For now, Whitman teachers aren’t required to use myMCPS. Students, however, aren’t afforded that luxury.

In order to facilitate an easier transition to the platform, members of The Department of Technology Integration and Support office should hold mandatory training sessions for teachers and students on how to use the platform and take advantage of all of its features.

Current MCPS teachers and students have been faced with unprecedented change in the classroom—in the past three years, the county has removed final exams, changed various curricula, altered the school’s start time and date by more than a week, and introduced Chromebooks and Google Classroom. Teachers and students have been forced to adapt to these frequent changes at a whirlwind pace.

This time, teachers weren’t given much time to learn how to use the complicated interface. In fact, the platform was introduced only a few days prior to the start of school.

There was only one teacher training session before school’s start, and neither that session nor any since has been mandatory.

Many teachers aren’t using the platform; others are just transitioning to it now, a month into the first semester. The

absence of training has forced both teachers and students to learn to navigate the new platform on their own and is the source of much of this inconsistency.

And as a result, students have to switch between myMCPS and Google Classroom to keep up with their classes and depend on a third website to check their grades.

It’s difficult to remember which teachers prefer which platform, creating unnecessary confusion for students.

Frustrated and confused, many students and teachers have proposed what seems like a simple solution: giving up on myMCPS and returning to Edline. While aggravation with the platform and its implementation is justified, this is neither a practical nor suitable option. The county has invested far too much money and time into developing the new platform. The countywide subscription to Edline has already been canceled, and it wouldn’t make sense to repurchase the subscription: one of the motivating factors behind the creation of myMCPS was to save money by removing the need for external sites.

The only feasible solution is for the county to start helping students and teachers transition from Edline over to myMCPS—and to make sure that this training is uniform.

The MCPS Department of Technology Integration and Support should require training throughout this year for all teachers on how to use the many features, like the combined class calendar, to-do list and an e-portfolio function. Although it might be difficult to find time for this training due to the recent reduction in professional days, it could take the form of online modules to allow teachers’ flexibility in completing them.

Immediate student training, which could take as little as one class period and occur in all English or homeroom classes, will also resolve the most pressing issue for students—the inability and confusion regarding checking their grades.

MCPS IT system specialists are already taking steps to fix the bugs in the system. Although the new platform isn’t perfect, it has many useful features that have the potential to change classroom instruction for the better—as long as MCPS technology implementation specialists meet students and teachers halfway and invest the time necessary to teach us how to make the best of it.

Staff Editorial

Tampons and pads are necessities; put them in the school bathrooms

by ELLA ATSAVAPRANEE Stress. It’s a feeling most high school students experience on a daily basis. But for girls, additional stress can come from something as simple as forgetting a tampon when their school day comes with an extra period.

Dealing with your period is never fun, especially for girls who often suffer from irregular periods. Being surprised by an unexpected period can make girls anxious and divert their attention from class. Most girls keep an extra tampon or pad on hand, but when they don’t, it doesn’t take long for the panic to set in.

To ease stress from these pop-up emergencies and help the over 1,000 girls who might experience them, Whitman should install a feminine hygiene product dispenser in all girls bathrooms.

Currently, girls have to go to the health

room if they need a tampon or pad.

The need for feminine products is often overlooked because both men and women are generally uncomfortable talking about it. Avoiding the realities of menstruation perpetuates the negative message that it’s abnormal or shameful.

Making these feminine products readily available acknowledges that having your period is completely natural—and normal.

By providing these products in the bathroom, Whitman would join the other school districts that have already taken strides to make schools more accommodating to young women.

New York City councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland started a program to install a free feminine product dispenser at the High School for Arts and Business in her district in 2015, which led the city council to require all public

schools to provide free access to feminine products.

Though the health room already has free feminine products available to students, the room is far away from bathrooms and classrooms. Taking the extra trip to the health room for a tampon or pad sacrifices valuable class time. Putting tampons and pads in the bathroom would make them more accessible, so girls can get what they need quickly and discreetly.

High school offers enough moments for embarrassment and undue stress. Girls shouldn’t have to worry about their period as well. By providing tampons and pads in the bathrooms, Whitman administrators would acknowledge that menstruation is natural and feminine products are basic needs.

Period.

6

Opinion

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

Correct our math reassessment policy

by KATHERINE SYLVESTER Every student has his or her own way of studying for tests, whether it’s late-night cramming or detailed flashcards. But sometimes even our best efforts and best strategies can’t help us enough to secure the grade we want. This predicament is especially common in math classes, where the memorization of formulas and techniques can seem arbitrary.

To avoid this frustrating situation, all students should be allowed to complete test corrections on math tests to earn a percentage of their missed points back. This policy will encourage better learning and a stronger work ethic.

Test corrections give students the opportunity to redo an entire test

in their own time and turn it back in after about a week. If every problem is solved correctly, students get a certain percentage—usually 25 percent—of missed points back.

The points-back incentive provided by corrections is crucial because it encourages students to actually review their mistakes, redo problems and understand what they did wrong. Because of this, students who do corrections tend to understand the material better, math teacher Susan Wildstrom said.

In fact, students who do test corrections are 95 percent more likely to say that they learned from their mistakes than those who don’t, a 2008 California Polytechnic University study reported.

Since material is cumulative, learning from your mistakes is ar-

guably more crucial in math courses than in any other subject. A few prevailing misunderstandings in Algebra 1—such as factoring incorrectly or not knowing when to multiply exponents—could mean the difference between letter grades in a later course like pre-calculus.

Test corrections are also preferable to other reassessment policies, such as retakes, because they don’t give students room to slack off. Retakes, which essentially provide students a free second try, encourage them not to put in effort for the first test. Corrections, on the other hand, don’t provide a substantial enough return to fully make up for a bombed test—meaning students need to put in effort the first time around.

Test corrections do have flaws,

Teach us self defense in gym class, prevent assault

by HANNAH FEUER Gym classes at Whitman seem to include it all: capture the flag, kickball, badminton, yoga and more. But one skill vital to students’ security and confidence is completely left out of the curriculum—self defense.

Violence is the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 15 and 24, according to the Center for Disease Control. Despite this appalling statistic, students receive little instruction on how to respond in dangerous situations. In order to teach students these invaluable life skills, MCPS should include a unit of self defense training in the high school physical education curriculum.

A standard self defense course involves both physical and verbal training, which teach students how to escape and avoid violence.

Examples include simply telling an attacker loudly and assertively to back off, hitting him or her in vulnerable spots and twisting out of a choke hold.

It may seem simple, but self defense works. Some forms of physical or verbal resistance show an attacker that the victim is prepared to respond—it reduces the risk of injury or rape by more than 80 percent, according to the National Institute of Justice.

But even if students never encounter a situation where self defense is necessary, knowing these skills boosts confidence. Women especially are cautioned from the time they’re

young to exercise extreme vigilance when going out at night or meeting strangers. Just knowing they have the ability to defend themselves can help alleviate insecurities; after taking a self-defense course, more than two-thirds of participants reported increased confidence in their ability to protect themselves, according to Peace Over Violence, an organization that aims to prevent sexual assault.

Whitman’s gym teachers say they don’t have the expertise to teach self defense, and the topic would be more appropriately taught by a guest speaker in health classes.

But simply talking to students about self defense doesn’t give them the confidence to execute complicated moves themselves.

Students need to be taught how to physically go through the motions—something that can only be achieved in gym class.

It doesn’t take much money either: at Oak Park and River Forest High School outside of Chicago, self defense is a required course, and gym teachers become certified to teach it in a three-day course for only $250 per instructor.

Research shows that self defense empowers students and prevents violence.

MCPS teaches students how to survive in the academic world; it’s time they teach students how to survive in the real world as well.

such as the fact that students can cheat by copying others’ answers.

This kind of at-home cheating is difficult to fix. But as math teacher Meg Thatcher explains, this kind of cheating is relatively rare, and it doesn’t mean that students aren’t learning. Even when copying other’s answers, students are still forced to spend more time on the material to review what they did wrong.

Some teachers have another objection to test corrections: students usually have been given multiple opportunities to combat their misunderstandings before the test.

If they don’t take advantage of their resources beforehand, they simply don’t deserve the higher grade.

However, the most important thing to remember is that the

purpose of high school math isn’t to give everyone the most accurate grade—the one that they “deserve”—but to help students learn.

Yes, some students will get higher grades as a result of the corrections, but generally these are students who were already on the edge and whose A or B may have been ruined by something as simple as a bad test day, Thatcher said. Under no circumstance should this minor grade inflation stop us from adopting a policy that would benefit the learning of almost every math student at Whitman.

Every class needs to find a balance between effective learning and fair grading. Test corrections provide the best of both worlds.

12 hour self-defense course cuts risk of sexual assault by almost ½ 11 in 5 women women in 5 are victims are raped in of unwanted sexuallifetime contact their average cost of a self-defense $ course: $55

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statistics (from top to bottom) from New England Journal of Medicine, National Sexual Violence Research Center, and Thumbtack

graphic by Meimei Greenstein

Prep our test prep teachers: MCPS should require training

by ANNA KORETSKY Junior year—the year most students spend hours upon hours preparing for either the SAT, ACT or both. Many students hire expensive tutors to aid them in their efforts, but for students who can’t afford those services or just want extra help, MCPS offers a semester-long elective course that helps students prepare for these tests during school hours.

However, MCPS provides no teacher training or information on test prep strate-

gies—only practice materials, such as workbooks and practice tests. Five teachers in different schools across the county say this doesn’t give them enough information about each test; therefore, unless they have prior experience with tutoring, they don’t feel they can adequately instruct students on effective strategies.

MCPS should work with the College Board and ACT, Inc. to ensure that college test prep teachers have formal training in order to ensure that all students have access to quality test preparation.

Since the ACT has already created webinars to inform teachers and administrators about helping students prepare for the test, MCPS should simply require test prep teachers to use them as formal training. To increase access, MCPS should also organize existing resources provided by The College Board and sponsor classroom sessions for teachers so they can share different strategies and find which are most effective.

Because test prep isn’t a required course, teachers have to build the class themselves, as is the case for many other elective courses.

But this course isn’t just any course—it’s intended to properly prepare students for a standardized test. Students taking the class are relying on their teachers to be effectively prepared to teach them, and teachers need to be as best equipped as possible in order for them to succeed.

Studying for the SAT or ACT is difficult enough as it is—MCPS has the responsibility not to leave teachers stranded when it comes to helping students do so.

Opinion

7

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

MCPS: keep potential abusers out of schools

by IVY XUN He bought her designer boots, a ring for Valentine’s Day and an iPhone for sexting him. He took her to a hotel, they had sex, and he drove her home. He was an MCPS Security official, and she was a 17-year-old student.

Mark Yantsos, the former head of security at Richard Montgomery High school, is facing pending litigation, after being charged with sexual abuse. Despite school records showing past written reports of inappropriate conduct prior to the charge, Yantsos was allowed to remain in his post, Assistant State’s Attorney Hannah Gleason told The Washington Post in a Sept. 24 article.

This unacceptable incident is not isolated; John Vigna, a teacher from Cloverly Elementary School, was allowed to teach under the contract that he wouldn’t physically touch his students—a contract he didn’t keep—for years until his eventual sentence in August of sexual misconduct.

Since these incidents, MCPS has worked to increase staff training and strengthen background checks. Although these are commendable measures, more needs to be done.

MCPS should remove teachers reprimanded for unsafe behavior from the classroom until a legal decision regarding their assault or harassment case is final.

These cases may seem extraordinary, but they’re horrifyingly common. In August, 46 staff members in MCPS were reprimanded for abuse through disciplinary letters and 180 staff members received a written warning, according to an Aug. 25 Washington Post article. Nearly one in 10 students experience some form of sexual abuse during their school years, according to an American Association of University Women in 2000 study.

Worse, 25 percent of school staff in admitting to physical sexual abuse of a student received no consequence or were reprimanded off the record by school administration; 60 percent of accused employees transferred to other jobs and 40 percent were repeat offenders, according to a 2001 New York study cited by the Department of Education.

Administrators argue that since incidents like Vigna’s, MCPS has taken action by increasing employer training and tightening codes of conduct for staff members, but these measures aren’t enough. Under policy updated in 2015, MCPS puts teachers under administrative leave only after formal allegations, a measure aimed at deterring abuse, MCPS Director of the Department of Communications Derek Turner argues.

But these actions don’t solve the fundamental problem: staff members with troubling pasts continue to interact with children every day. Disciplinary letters and reports are easily ignored. Instead of reacting to yet another leaked sexual abuse charge with tighter procedures, administrators should try to prevent them from happening in the first place by actively eliminating the possibility of further potential misconduct. Students should be the first priority, and removing potential abusers is key, in addition to a thorough legal examination.

More supervision of teacher action is necessary, despite the valid concern of false accusations. In the status quo, false reports are very rare: less than .5 percent of educator sexual misconduct reports result in false accusations, according to Terri Miller, president of Stop Educator Sexual Abuse Misconduct & Exploitation, an organization aimed at spreading awareness and resources to counter abuse. Not acting preemptively runs the risk

Numbers from S.E.S.A.M.E (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse Misconduct & Exploitation) Graphic by IRIS BERENDES-DEAN

of further student vulnerability, since one offender can have as many as 73 victims, Miller argues. Only with legal action and public attention can we both increase safety in the classroom while maintaining the rights and reputation of staff. It’s necessary to make this information accessible to the public, since ultimately, clarity is necessary for legitimiz-

ing the role and reputation of educators in the first place.

School systems are deliberately endangering children by placing them in the hands of potential abusers. The odds today are one in 10, when they should be zero.

‘Maryland, My Maryland’ supports Confederate Ideologies Maryland state song sings praises of Confederacy

by MADDY FRANK The Maryland state song is a Civil War-era Southern battle hymn. It urges Maryland to secede from the United States, calling Northerners “scum” and President Lincoln a “tyrant.” It celebrates a time when the country was left bloody and split. Our state, and country, has changed immensely in the past 150 years, but “Maryland, my Maryland” is still our state song.

It’s time to pick a song that’s inclusive and welcoming--one that defines who we are today, not who we once were.

In 2016, Delegate Karen Lewis Young (D-3A) proposed a bill to remove all verses of the song that contain Confederate ideologies,

leaving only the third verse. To replace what was taken out, she proposed the addition of a new, uncontroversial poem. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 38-8, but failed to pass in the House.

The Maryland State legislature should reintroduce Young’s legislation. Especially after the recent violence in Charlottesville, Maryland needs to take a stand against outdated, pro-confederate ideologies.

Most state songs capture some original, beautiful aspect of their state. Kansas’s “Home On the Range” celebrates the beauty of the Kansas countryside, while Louisiana’s “You Are My Sunshine” evokes love and sentimentality.

“Maryland My Maryland,” on the other hand, reminds us of a time of stark division and racism.

The song was written by secessionist James Ryder Randall after Union soldiers marched to the District of Columbia through Baltimore. It makes no mention of Maryland’s beauty or of the diversity of the state, instead depicting Maryland as violent and vulgar.

Due to its controversiality and

length—nine verses long—the song is hardly played anywhere.

The only time the song gets attention is when the tune is played at Preakness Stakes, a horse race in Baltimore, and even then only the third verse is played. As a result of this low exposure, few people are aware of the song’s existence and most who are don’t identify with it.

It’s time to give Maryland citizens

a song that unites them in pride and familiarity—one that they want to play and hear.

In light of the protests in Charlottesville and the controversy over Confederate symbols in America, Maryland needs to take a stand in support of racial equality. Maryland is one of the most diverse states in the nation: 40 percent of the population has a minority background.

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Our song should be something that represents them too--not the people who are fighting for white supremacy.

The Maryland state song celebrates a racist past; the Maryland General Assembly should vote to change it. It’s time to pick a song that’s inclusive and welcoming— one that defines who we are today, not who we once were.

The Black & White | October 9, 2017

8

Arts & Entertainment

Senior writes, directs debut play on mental health Students tackle stigma in ‘Almanac of Broken Days’ Once a week at 6:30 p.m. sharp, senior Zoe Tompkins’s basement fills with students enunciating lines and shuffling through director’s notes. With Tompkins leading them

Senior Zoe Tompkins directs the all-student cast in her original play. Photo by OLIVIA MATTHEWS.

as the director, the all-student cast and crew of her original play prepare for opening night. Last June, Tompkins got an honorable mention from Play LA when her play was in an earlier draft.

“Almanac of Broken Days” depicts the struggles of a group of friends and how they ultimately overcome the mental health problems they face. The plot centers around a girl named Alex who befriends a group of people around her who have mental issues and wants to help them get better. However, in the process, she gets hurt and the rest of the characters have to deal with it.

The play tackles drug use, schizophrenia and depression, and highlights the importance of having a support group and having resilience in seemingly hopeless situations.

“The message is all about what to do once our major life support is taken,” Bethesda Chevy-Chase sophomore Ellie Stickland said. “Whether or not help is given, are we able to live normally? Or will we still need that crutch?”

When she was eight years old, Tompkins auditioned for Burning Tree Elementary School’s musical, “Alice in Wonderland,” which sparked her love for performing.

Since then, Tompkins has directed plays with Imagination Stage. Tompkins first became interested in writing plays, however, after

taking a creative writing class last year.

“I think the creative writing class really helped me overall,” Tompkins said. “Hon-

“

Right now, there’s a lot of concern about mental health, and I think [the play] really deals with the stigma that surrounds those things and how we look at people suffering with those.

-senior Zoe Tompkins

“

by BROOKE MCLEOD

estly, it inspired my script. The characters in my play came from an assignment from that class.”

The plays and musicals Tompkins has seen and performed in over the years have

also inspired her debut play. Her mother was the first person to introduce her to live shows, and when she started to write a play, her father wasn’t surprised.

“It’s moral support at this point, then financial support when we see how far along we get,” David Tompkins said. “We will be encouraging her to work the project to completion.”

The actors Tompkins is working with come mainly from other high schools in the area who heard about the show through Tompkins’ social media posts. With a sevenperson cast and a few technical volunteers, play rehearsals and production are now underway.

Though the actual venue and dates are yet to be determined, Tompkins plans to advertise her play through the local community.

She believes the play is important for others to see because of the message it sends about mental health issues.

“Right now, there’s a lot of concern about mental health, and I think [the play] really deals with the stigma that surrounds those things and how we look at people suffering with those,” Tompkins said. “It puts them into a perspective that you can confront those issues.”

Students sculpt minds, bodies with CorePower yoga class

by CAMI CORCORAN “Namaste” the teacher calls out. With hands at heart’s center, the students’ voices echo back, “Namaste.” The hour-long fitness and yoga combination class has finished.

Participants carefully roll up their mats, silently walk to the shelves to replace the weights and thank the instructor for leading them in CorePower’s most intense, challenging fitness class—Yoga Sculpt.

Many yoga studios are incorporating high intensity cardio and strength training into traditional yoga practice, such as Yoga Sculpt, a class offered at CorePower Yoga in Bethesda. The class is a combination of yoga skills, muscle building and cardio and has gained popularity among many students who take advantage of student discounts.

Junior Bella Young has been an active member for the Yoga, both as a meditative and physical exercise, has increased in popularity among students. Photo courtesy COREPOWER. past four years, attending classes with her mom and friends.

Young goes to an average of six classes a week during the “I do a lot of different types of exercise: I box two to Sophomore Lily Cork recently began attending classes summer, she said. three days a week, I go on a couple runs, and I often hike, with her friends as a fun way to work out and spend time “I love how Yoga Sculpt mixes classic yoga with a hard workout,” Young said. “I always feel so good afterwards, and swim and dance,” Walters said. “I try to keep pretty active, together. Cork said it offers them an opportunity to work out and I’m constantly trying to change my body, as well as in- in a fun and rewarding group environment. it’s so fun to do.”

“Sculpt is a type of class I really only found at CoreEach instructor is free to develop their own style while corporate a lot of the other classes that I take into my class.”

Walters leads the members of the class through a series Power,” Cork said. “It’s a really fun workout especially with leading the class. Alisa Walters, who has been a Sculpt instructor since 2014, finds inspiration from the workout class- of physical challenges, and closes it out with a period of med- the loud music playing and the other people in the class, and itation. it motivates me to do better.” es she takes in her own time.

Lego-made exhibit builds its way into the Hirshhorn

by ELYSSA SELTZER When you walk into the Hirshhorn museum, not all the art hangs from the walls. Since June 28, the museum has showcased Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s “Trace” exhibit that covers the entirety of the second floor’s outer ring in millions of Legos, forming portraits of political prisoners and opposition leaders from around the world.

The contrast between the portraits and the innocent playfulness of the Legos has attracted countless visitors to the museum, where the exhibit will remain until Jan. 1.

“Most of the faces in these portraits are unfamiliar to most people,” Danielle, a visitor attendant at the Hirshhorn, said. “That juxtaposition between having the unfamiliarity and then the medium of Legos which everyone is familiar with, that’s what draws Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s “Trace” exhibit contains millions of legos constructed into portraits of political figures. These people in.”

Weiwei designed the exhibit portraits are displayed in the Hirshhorn across the floor of the second floor’s outer wing. Photo by ELYSSA SELTZER.

while detained for 81 days for speaking out against the Chinese government’s human rights violations in 2011. Inspired by his son, Ai Lao, Weiwei built his art out of Legos in an act of irony. The Legos represent freedom: they can be constructed just as easily as they can be deconstructed.

Although the Lego company was originally hesitant to sell Weiwei the one million pieces necessary to construct his exhibit in an attempt to stay politically neutral, they eventually agreed to help with the project.

The distinctive materials sets the exhibit apart from others at the Hirshhorn, and students said they find the concept and background of the piece admirable.

“I think the fact that he was detained and could’ve made an exhibit showing disrespect to China, but didn’t, is extremely honorable,” junior Natalie Goldstein said. “Instead of doing that, he stooped above the government and honored others.”

Arts & Entertainment

9

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

Album reviews: Fall 2017

Photo courtesy COLUMBIA RECORDS

“Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1” Talented producer, star-studded line-up. Bringing the tropical beach onto an album, DJ and Producer Calvin Harris released his fifth studio album, “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1” June 30.

Harris kicked off the volume with his hit single “Slide,” featuring Frank Ocean and Migos. “Slide” screams summer party: its addictive rhythm rides the tropical island sound with hooking piano tunes and electric, mastered vocals that pull listeners in.

“Feels,” Harris’ next single off the album, features Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean. The song opens with anthemic lyrics from Williams that explore flirtation and a blossoming relationship. This is carried through by Perry’s chorus in which she conveys romantic feelings.

“Don’t be afraid to catch feels / Ride drop top and chase thrills.” Perry expresses the excitement of romance and a flurry of emotions through a captivating rhythmic experience.

Overall, Harris’ album adds to his repertoire of radio heavy anthems and enthralls listeners for this new era.

by AARON TITLEBAUM

Photo courtesy KEMOSABE RECORDS

“Rainbow” A true butterfly story of a classic party girl evolving into a mature, strong woman. Kesha Sebert, known as Kesha, released her third studio album, “Rainbow,” on RCA Records after parting with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records.

She truly delves to new depths in her own character, revealing more than her previous party girl persona with her single “Praying.” The song discusses growth and her improved lifestyle sans abuse from Dr. Luke. “But after everything you’ve done / I can thank you for how strong I have become.” Kesha candidly talks about how she had gone through something extremely hard and survived.

“Hymn,” Kesha’s next song, is truly an anthem for everyone.

Kesha entrances listeners with lyrics that preach an idea of unity.

“This is a Hymn for the Hymnless / Kids with no religion / Yeah we keep on singing / Yeah we keep on sinning.” Kesha wants to make everyone know that if she can go through hell and back, so can anyone.

“Rainbow” is an incredibly beautiful album where each song is unique and message-based. She wants to create a new environment where everyone feels included and secure, and this effort has so far been successful.

Photo courtesy CAPITAL RECORDS

“Witness” Teen sensation turned adult pop flop. Katy Perry released her fifth studio album, “Witness,” June 9 via Capitol Records.

Perry opens with political anthem, “Chained To The Rhythm,” in which she explains the current political climate and problematic societal norms. The rhythm was catchy but came off as whiny. Perry describes her next song “Bon Appetit” as her sexual liberation. The song rides a bumpy beat which is accompanied by Perry’s shrill vocals where she compares her body to a meal, declaring “Cause I’m all that you want, boy / All that you can have, boy / Got me spread like a buffet / Bon appétit, baby.” The lyrics are simple and boring without much insight. Although the song received ample radio play, it was only due to its catchy and repetitive sound.

Perry is trying too hard to seem different from the normal music of today—compared to her previous records, this one is a let-down. Though she proved she can still churn out a catchy song, it’s difficult to see where she’ll go from here.

Instagram provides platform for student models

by CAMERYNN HAWKE Fashion shows, portfolios and magazines are old news. In the digital era, a quick tap on an Instagram profile can tell you all you need to know about a model or a brand.

Instagram models post pictures on Instagram advertising a brand’s product in exchange for free merchandise for themselves and discount codes for their followers. Some students, like junior Tandis Esfandiari and St. Albans junior Branson Packard are embracing this new trend, seeking out small businesses and asking for modeling or sponsoring opportunities, and more often than not, the businesses will send a product or discount code in return. Brands prefer to chose models that match their specific image, which depends on the target age range and type of photos.

Esfandiari and Packard, @ttesfandiari and @branson_packard, both have over 10,000 Instagram followers and use their Instagram profiles and followings as gateways to bigger modeling projects. Esfandiari models for various brands including Baubles & Gems, Wet Swimwear and Mirame Swim, while Packard models for Richer Poorer and Nordstrom. Each of them are represented by AXO talent agency and have modeled at local runway shows in D.C., travelling as far as the Caribbean to film a video.

Student models like Esfandiari are sometimes paid a flat fee ranging from $100 to $10,000 per post or make a commission and earn a set percentage of the company’s profit from the advertisement. At the beginning of a partnership, Mirame Swim, who Esfandiari has modeled for since June, gives their models two free swimsuits that normally retail at $150 each, founder Melinda Huff said.

Some brands, like Baubles & Gems and Mirame Swim, seek out the models instead of waiting for models to come to them. Baubles & Gems CEO Nicole Tan began using social media to advertise two years ago without success, but she restarted the process in August. She gives discount codes to popular Instagram models, who then post photos showcasing the beauty of her jewelry to reach more people and attract more business.

“I approached these women for advertising because they have beautiful Instagram feeds that take great photos and they’re also the age of my target market,” Tan said. “I try to find social media influencers of all ethnicities, styles and locations so I can maximize promotion of my brand.”

When choosing models, Mirame Swim likes to select models who fit the brand’s trendy and young aesthetic, Huff said. Models, however, also have their own image to maintain. Esfandiari and Packard both said that it’s important to build their individual style before advertising for a company.

“I just started posting photos that I thought represented me or what I do,” Esfandiari said.

“I stopped caring about what people thought or what they wanted to see and I posted what I wanted.”

Once she finds a company that represents her own interest, Esfandiari expands on her network by creating a relationship with brands and advertising more than once and then using those partnerships as connections to other brands, she said.

In July, Esfandiari and Packard traveled to the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts and Nevis and filmed a video that has over 50,000 views on Youtube. Filmmaker Jack Delulio shot the video, and all three of them promoted the video on Instagram to increase their followings and build their reputations in the modeling community.

However, Esfandiari and Packard don’t wish to pursue any form of modeling later in life due to its lack of structure in terms of work and income.

“Social media isn’t really a career,” Packard said. “It’s more about what you can build off of your following for the future.”

Esfandiari enjoys being an Instagram model for the moment, and believes anyone can \become Instagram famous if they put effort into curating their social media presence. Over time, followers will be drawn to accounts that publish quality content, she said.

“If you post a video, if you do anything, it doesn’t matter what it is,” Esfandiari said. “If it Junior Tandis Esfandiari posed for photos to post on her Instagram. She regularly posts gets a lot of views, if it gets a lot of likes, you photos sponsoring brands that she partners with, often including discount codes for her can get big in any genre.” followers to use. Photo courtesy TANDIS ESFANDIARI.

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

In-D

Football programs in da

by Chris Atkinson and Aiden Lesley For a high school football team to be successful, entFor a high school football team to be successful, entire teams have to be wholeheartedly invested in the program. If players hesitate or don’t buy in, the team won’t be successful, and people will start to lose faith in a program’s ability to succeed.

Unfortunately, high schoolers are thinking twice about joining the football world. Participation has decreased at several MCPS schools, to the point where

Common inju in 2014 nfl players had over

some programs are facing serious trouble fielding teams.

While Bethesda schools rarely win state championships, they’ve always been able to field teams.

Now, with Walter Johnson, Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Whitman losing roughly 20 percent of their football players over the past five years, the future of some high school football programs may be in jeopardy.

into superbowl week. TheSE A jaw 7

other 2

concussions and injuries As information about the long-term effects of head trauma, which is often associated with football, have come to light, concern over the immense risk of sustaining long-term injuries has increased, which hasn’t helped football participation.

Last year, doctors at the Wake Forest School of Medicine found that boys ages 8-13 who played just one season of tackle football had diminished brain function in parts of their brains. Due to the ever-present reality of concussions and repetitive hits to the head, parents are hesitant to sign their kids up for playing tackle football. The number of youth tackle football players nationwide fell 17.9 percent from 20092014, according to the Sports and Fitness

concussion 87

elbow

25

Industry Association.

Although participation in youth tackle football has dropped, football remains an incredibly popular sport. Parents have begun finding safer alternatives that allow their kids to still play football, but not be subjected to the risks of playing tackle.

For boys ages six to 12, participation in flag football increased 8.7 percent in the past year, U.S.A. Football reported. In the Bethesda area, KOA sponsors a league of flag football teams.

“Our community is highly educated,” Tony Korson (’01), CEO of KOA Sports, said. “Parents don’t want their kids subjected to head trauma.”

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Upper leg

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Boys ages 8-13 had diminished brain function after one season of football

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

Depth

anger?

uries in the nfl r 1300 injuries on the field heading

ARE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STATISTICS.

7

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walt whitman jv

bethesdachevy chase jv

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40 players in 2016

31 players in 2016

32 players in 2016

44 in 2011

45 in 2011

44 in 2011

ADAPTING TO LOWER PARTICIPATION

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Prior to this year, numbers had never sunk so low that a Maryland high school in division 3A or above was forced to drop their football program.

Over the summer, Centennial High School in Howard County became the first such school to disband their varsity team. The school cited a “lack of sufficient players and concern for student safety,” according to a news release from Howard County Public Schools.

While some teams in MCPS

have experienced a substantial drop in numbers, they’ve done what they can to maintain standards of success with smaller team sizes. Last year, Northwood’s varsity team had a total of 18 players, so the team had to act strategically.

“The thing you have to do as a coach is prepare each player to play,” Northwood coach Sean Pierce said. “No one can stay on the sideline: those kids have to play in spots where they can help the team.”

hand

54

FOOTBALL CULTURE LIVES ON wrist 24 thumb 5 hand 13 fingers 12

Other schools have managed to maintain healthy programs.

Damascus fields more than 50 kids for both their varsity and junior varsity teams year after year. Coach Eric Wallich asserts that one of the keys to maintaining the strength of the program is the small–town atmosphere in Damascus. Attending Damascus games is a much larger community event than in the rest of the county, and stands are consistently packed with community members and alumni every home game.

“It’s very similar to the show Friday Night Lights,” Wallich said.

“Little kids play youth football, and all of them come to the games and want to be like the high school players.”

Whitman coach Dave Fyock feels that there’s still a very strong football culture in Bethesda.

However, he believes that the best players want to play for private schools to have a better chance at getting recruited for college teams.

Dematha, Gonzaga and St. John’s all have strong, nationally-ranked football programs.

But that’s not the only reason Fyock says the numbers are dropping.

“I feel you don’t see as many student athletes playing multiple sports as you did years ago,” he said. “Some student athletes just focus on one sport. Even when that sport is not in season, they’re training for it year round.”

the future of football

ot

3

Statistics courtesy of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

While MCPS football programs are more or less stable this year, some fears and uncertainties need to be eased to prevent future declines. MCPS has made significant efforts to help prevent concussions and other injuries.

The other reasons for the decline are harder to resolve.

Some good news for Whitman football fans is that participation on both the varsity and junior varsity teams has increased over the past

year. Meanwhile, Northwood’s coach believes that enthusiasm for football has returned in his community.

“What I see is a school that’s finally bought into our program and wants to be a part of that,” Pierce said. “Losses happen in the beginning when starting so many young guys, but as the kids keep growing and more kids keeping coming, things will start to turn around for us.”

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

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Feature

by THOMAS MANDE

I

Juuls bring new fad, health threat to Whitman

t’s seventh period in the second-floor boys bathroom, and mangoscented vapor drifts into the air as two students pass a sleek, rectangular Juul back and forth, taking hits. Other students flow in and out of the bathroom, paying no attention to the boys and their illicit activity. Lately, encounters like this have become too common to merit surprise.

Juuls, a type of e-cigarette, deliver a dose of nicotine comparable to that of a regular cigarette. They’re slim, black and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand—making them discreet enough to carry around the school without raising any eyebrows.

Illegal for those under 18, Juuls have become popular with high school students.

Twenty-seven percent of Whitman students have tried using a Juul and 61 percent know someone who has, according to a Black & White survey.

Two weeks ago, assistant principal Jerome Easton sent an email to teachers warning them to look out for students Juuling during class.

Administrators have alerted parents and teachers and announced that any students caught Juuling on school grounds

would be issued a citation.

Administrators will confiscate devices, call parents, and may assign in-school suspension, Easton said.

Principal Alan Goodwin is worried about student health.

“I generally see Whitman students as being relatively health-conscious. Everybody knows that cigarette smoking is bad for you, and these vapors of various types are supposed to be less harmful in some cases, but with Juuling, the write-ups on it are that it’s highly concentrated nicotine,” Goodwin said. “While kids are getting a buzz and socializing and having fun using it, they’re jeopardizing their health.”

The Juul website advertises the device as a nicotine source for “adult smokers seeking a satisfying alternative to cigarettes.”

For people who are already avid smokers, Juuling provides a healthier alternative, eliminating the hundreds of toxic or carcinogenic chemicals that are inhaled through cigarette smoke. But the nicotine even by itself is a concern.

While researchers lack consensus on its long-term impacts, nicotine is extremely addictive and students who don’t smoke cigarettes have to be aware of the risk they’re taking, former FDA commis-

27%

of Whitman students have tried using a Juul

61%

of Whitman students know someone who has tried using a Juul

Photo by ANNABELLE GORDON

“Once you start, you’re going to become as addicted to this as you would to cigarettes, because nicotine is the addictive ingredient. And that addiction is going to last a lifetime” - former FDA commissioner David Kessler sioner David Kessler said.

“It’s a highly addictive substance, and if you value not being controlled by somebody else, then you certainly don’t want to engage in this kind of thing,” Kessler said.

“Once you start, you’re going to become as addicted to this as you would to cigarettes, because nicotine is the addictive ingredient. And that addiction is going to last a lifetime.”

Despite the risks, many students Juul primarily for the nicotine buzz. Some even Juul multiple times throughout each day.

“It’s kind of tingly,” a freshman said. “Sometimes, if you do too much, you can’t feel some extremities, like your fingers don’t feel all together, or you just feel kind of cloudy.”

Other students hope to avoid addiction by only using a Juul in social settings. One junior says she enjoys Juuling at parties, but would cut herself off if she ever felt the need to do it at home.

“It’s the same reason people drink alcohol at parties in high school. It’s pathetic if you drink alcohol in your room on a Tuesday night,” she said. “I have the same idea about Juuling. I think it’s bad if

I’m sitting alone in my room Juuling because I just think it’s a social thing and it deals with nicotine and is a drug product.

I’m not going to do it by myself.”

This trend worries some students concerned about the health effects and danger of addiction that Juuls pose. For one junior with family members who smoke, including both parents, it’s difficult to watch people she knows head down this dangerous path.

“It’s not the same, and I know it has a different form of nicotine,” she said.

“But I’ve heard people say that it can lead to smoking, because you know you want more at some point. Both my parents smoke, and it’s just hard to watch so many people go through that.”

As for the Juul’s prospects, both students who do and don’t Juul seem relatively sure that this will just be a passing trend.

“I feel like Juuling is going to die off at some point,” a junior said. “I don’t think people will stop because they realize it’s unhealthy. I think they’ll stop because they’ll just be like, well, I’m over it.”

Feature

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

Sleeping hormones become the norm-ones

by CAMERYNN HAWKE With a packed course load, homework, extracurricular activities and a social life, many students have few breaks in their day for relaxation. To combat stress, some students have turned to sleeping pills to fall asleep more easily and enable them to relax.

Typical over-the-counter sleep aids include Benadryl, an antihistamine that also causes drowsiness; Melatonin, a naturally secreted hormone; and Valerian, an herb used as a natural sleep aid. Individuals should only take these medications for a short period of time and with a doctor’s permission, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Sleeping aids are popular among students, with nearly 40 percent having used a sleeping aid at some point in their lives, according to a Black & White survey.

Sleeping aids are popular among students, with nearly 40 percent having used a sleeping aid at some point in their lives, according to a Black & White survey. Many reported taking sleeping aids to help them sleep

through the night so they can keep up with their busy schedules.

Junior Samantha Goldberg takes melatonin once or twice a week during the school year to fall asleep faster and to regulate her sleep pattern, which is often disrupted because of homework and extracurriculars, she said.

“I think it does actually work because I can feel myself getting tired to the point where I can’t keep my eyes open any longer,” Goldberg said.

While many students stick to over-thecounter sleep aids, some with more serious sleeping problems such as insomnia have turned to prescription medication. Senior Ben Gorman struggled for years through appointments with sleep specialists, doctors and physcologists before a sleep specialist recommended medication, his mother Stephanie Land said. He finally began using the prescription drug Trazodone during the summer, Gorman said.

“It does work,” Gorman said. “It doesn’t help you fall asleep really, but it does help keep you asleep. I still sometimes wake up but not too often.”

Melatonin is the most commonly used sleeping aid among students; 37.5 percent of students who take a sleep aid use melatonin, according to a Black & White survey.

Melatonin comes in the form of liquid drops, pills and gummies in doses ranging from 0.3-20 mg. The recreation of the naturally produced hormone increases the brain’s concentration of melatonin within 20 minutes of ingestion, ultimately stimulating sleep.

Melatonin is ineffective if excessively high doses are taken, and a dosage of 0.3 mg is the best for maximum sleep, according to two studies from MIT. If a person ingests

more than 0.3 mg, it reportedly has the adverse effect of delaying the onset of sleep.

Most individual pills, however, contain up to 20 times that amount, according to the studies.

Elliott Alpher, a doctor at The Alpher Center for Sleep Disorders and Jaw Pain, strongly believes that students shouldn’t take sleeping pills unless recommended by a doctor. While melatonin could be a safe shortterm solution because of its natural presence in the body, it does have negative side effects, he said.

“As a sleep specialist, I do not recommend sleeping pills as most don’t realize they are addicted until it’s too late,” Alpher said.

Graphic by CHARLOTTE ALDEN

“I have been able to treat many sleep disorders without the use of drugs or surgery.”

In order to sleep without the use of drugs, Alpher recommends reducing exposure to electronics before going to sleep, exercising throughout the day and meditating before bed.

Still, these studies haven’t deterred some students from using it to fall asleep after busy days.

“I fall asleep way faster, in about 30 minutes to an hour after I take [melatonin],” freshman Ottavia Personeni said. “Without it, I fall asleep way later and sleep worse during the night.”

‘Escape rooms’ allow an escape from reality Escape rooms are rising in popularity in cities around the US You’re trapped in a locked room with only an hour to get out. Puzzles, clues and traps lie in every corner.

No, this isn’t the premise of a sci-fi novel -- it’s an escape room.

Originating in Japan, escape rooms have quickly become one of DC’s hottest trends. The rules are simple: up to eight people are trapped inside a room and must solve a series of themed puzzles, riddles and clues in under an hour to “escape” from the room.

The first room in the area, Escape Room Live DC, opened in 2014. Escape rooms have also grown increasingly popular around the country. Only 22 Escape Room companies existed in 2014, but two years late, that number skyrocketed to 900, according to roomescapeartist.com, a website specializing in escape rooms.

“

“

Escape Rooms are becoming more popular

*

You go into the room blind, you don’t know what the story is, what the clues are, what you’re looking for. It’s so much fun trying to beat the game and solve the mystery.

- junior Aarushi Malhotra

The brain game offers an exciting alternative to a typical night out, making it appealing for some students.

“It’s such a unique concept,” junior Aarushi Malhotra said. “It’s completely different from anything else I’ve done.

There was so much pressure and adrenaline in the room. You could feel all the nervous energy.”

If participants get stuck trying to solve the puzzle, they may call an employee for a hint. However, a team can only get on the leaderboard if no hint is used, Danny C, an employee at Escape Room Loudon said. This adds a competition aspect and breeds camaraderie.

The rooms can also work as a team building activity, bringing friends, teammates and coworkers together to solve the riddles, sophomore Jordan Shaibani said.

“The whole place was a ten out of ten,” she said. “We had five people and we were all able to help and work together. It’s interactive and a really great bonding activity.”

*Number of escape rooms in the US. statistics from roomescapeartist.com graphic by SOPHIE DEBETTENCOURT

Rooms are normally modeled after a specific theme, ranging from the ‘80s to the White House. To keep the public interested, new rooms are usually added every year and a half, Danny said.

“

The whole place was a ten out

of ten. We had five people and we were all able to help and work together. It’s interactive and a really great bonding activity.

“

by AZRAF KHAN

- sophomore Jordan Shaibani

“Things continue to change and grow so quickly that it’s hard to imagine what the coming years will bring for escape rooms,” Escape Room Live operation manager Shannon Lynch said. “If new escape room companies continue to open at the rate they have, some will inevitably have to close their doors as the market gets over-saturated.”

When designing a room, creators choose either to have one or multiple routes to the solution. Designers try not to make rooms contingent on one specific clue or line of thought, which is different from a typical game atmosphere.

The rooms are meant to appeal to a variety of people.

“You go into the room blind, you don’t know what the story is, what the clues are, what you’re looking for, what’s a fake clue, what’s important,” Malhotra said. “It’s so much fun trying to beat the game and solve the mystery.”

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

14

Feature

Teacher inspires with former career as journalist, activist French and Arabic teacher Farah Kinani on lessons from Morocco

by YIYANG ZHANG When unemployed Moroccan college graduates went on a hunger strike, urging for government response to their need of work, French and Arabic teacher Farah Kinani was at the scene, covering the situation as a journalist and human rights activist in Morocco.

She recalls that event, leaning back in her chair and taking a deep breath to tell her story: “One by one, they started to fall in front of us. There isn’t much we really can do—you just see this stuff happening in front of you.”

Kinani worked as a journalist for 13 years, a passion she knew she wanted to pursue after publishing an article in a Moroccan national newspaper, L’Opinion, at 17. Growing up in Morocco, she experienced disregard for human rights firsthand.

“Human rights are just something I’m passionate about. When I see something, I just have to write about it,” she said. “I see myself as a tool that people can express themselves with. When you go into the field in the moment, things are written for you—it just happens.”

Kinani spent five years reporting on human rights violations, especially women’s rights, for national media group Maroc Soir while traveling with the Moroccan government to places in northern Africa.

In 2002, she moved from Morocco to the U.S. because of her husband’s job and began working as a freelance journalist for Global Voices Online, a nonprofit project that originated at Harvard Law School. Global Voices connects a community of writers, analysts, media experts and translators to search for compelling stories from suppressed voices around the world.

Fluent in English, French and Arabic, Kinani dug for many private Arabic and French blogs to find citizens in repressed countries who were willing to speak out about human rights violations and justice issues.

“I find blogs that have political and human rights content,” she said. “Then repost

the articles that I’m sure will be shut down by the government.”

Kinani strives to provide an online platform for these voices, in hope that the world can hear their story. She has witnessed human rights issues come and go in different countries throughout her career as a journalist; however, the injustices never seem to end.

“Having to face these issues on a daily basis was heartbreaking,” Kinani said. “I saw a lot of publications close and people sent to jail, so I went into the spirit of rethinking everything: is this really the right way to do it?

Is revealing the truth enough?”

Still pursuing her passion for human rights, Kinani decided to take a break from journalism in 2007.

“That’s why I turned to education. I see myself being able to do more for human rights this way,” she said.

Kinani went into education to teach young minds to be more compassionate, she said. She has shared her experiences in human rights advocacy with her language classes throughout the two years she has been teaching at Whitman, and emphasizes the importance of appreciating, thinking and writing beyond what they know.

“She’s passionate about teaching and focuses a lot on our writing,” junior Adela Alou said. “She introduced herself the first day of class, and it’s inspiring to know how much she’s done to fight for human rights—especially as a woman from Morocco, where they don’t have as much freedom. It takes a lot of bravery to stand up for what you believe in.”

Kinani continues to fight for human rights: she remains a member of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights and does interfaith work in North Potomac, helping impoverished communities and the homeless.

“Sometimes you just have to stop for a while,” she said. “But once you’re a journalist, you never stop. Once you’re a human rights advocate, you never stop—now I’m thinking about writing something like a

French and Arabic teacher Farah Kinani often incorporates her background as a journalist and human rights advocate into her instruction, sharing stories of her experiences in the hopes of teaching tolerance in addition to foreign language. Photo by OLIVIA MATTHEWS.

book.”

Especially in the wake of recent hate speech, Kinani encourages students to always ask questions and face life with an open mind.

“The hatred in this world comes from

not knowing, so be more open, be more curious and ask questions,” she said. “Remember that we’re all in this together.”

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

Feature

Community businesses giving back to Whitman

by SHEHREZ CHAUDHRI Students and parents pulled up to Valero gas station on River Road, Sept. 24 to have their cars washed in an annual fundraiser. Although the poms team did all the car washing, the support from Valero enabled the fundraiser to take place.

A network of local businesses donate their time, space and goods to support fundraising efforts for a number of Whitman clubs and sport teams. Restaurants like Pieology, Ledos and Krispy Kreme give back to the community by offering special student deals, employing students and donating a portion of their profits to Whitman teams and clubs.

Ledo’s is one of Whitman’s biggest contributors, thanks in part to owner and former basketball coach Jim Robertson’s (’83) generosity.

“We donate a lot of stuff to the school for fundraisers like sporting events and Post Prom,” Robertson said. “We help out schools like Whitman because it’s our passion to help young people. We also hire a lot of Whitman kids and provide them with a great experience which makes them more socially interactive with the customers.”

The poms team has annual dine-outs at Ledo’s Pizza in addition to their car washes at Valero. Support from these businesses helps raise money to donate to the school’s All Sports Booster Club.

“Valero graciously lets us use their space, including their water pumps, and we raised about $1,050 in around three hours during our most recent carwash,” poms captain Genevieve Meier said. “We also do a dine-out at Ledo’s, and we get about 10 to 20 percent of the profit from Ledo’s that day.”

Chipotle, Pieology, Georgetown Cupcake and Domino’s supply food for SGA events like Vike-A-Thon and the homecoming dance. By donating food to Whitman students during big events like these, businesses benefit from the publicity, and the SGA saves money on costs upfront so they can donate more of their funds to charities.

These businesses also help school groups and sports teams raise money for charities around the world. The Whitman and B-CC girls soccer teams hold a fundraiser at Pi Pizzeria every year to raise money for Soccer Without Borders, “We do fundraisers at Pi Pizzeria, and the money goes to Soccer Without Borders, which is an international organization that helps a lot of people who want to play soccer in poor countries,” girls varsity soccer captain Lauren Meyer said.

“The money we raise goes to them to buy soccer supplies and organize soccer matches.”

Pieology, a new pizza chain in Bethesda, not only do-

Senior Madi Day and the poms squad scrub away during their annual poms and guy poms car wash at Valero Sept. 24. Valero is one of the several local buisnesses that have been generous to school clubs as they work to raise funds to support the clubs’ interests. Photo by ANNABELLE GORDON.

nates food for Whitman events, but also offers discounts for students.

“Pieology gives every Whitman students that have their school ID on them a free soda with a purchase of a salad or a pizza,” franchise executive Todd Stallings said.

DECA, a business club, works closely with Krispy Kreme, selling donuts at a discounted rate to raise money.

“We’ve formed a good relationship with Krispy Kreme,” DECA member Thomas Fratantoni said. “We’ve been work-

ing with them for the past few years, and sometimes they throw in a couple extra dozen donuts for free.”

Businesses believe donating to the community not only increases their publicity but also allows them to create a strong local presence within the community.

“It’s important to give back to the community for any business, as it strengthens relations to form a core group of supporters and customers,” Stallings said. “It’s also just the right thing to do.”

Confederate controversy prompts local change Cathedral removes stained glasss windows of Lee and Jackson

by EVA HERSCOWITZ With its ornate exterior, stately columns and vaulted ceilings, the Washington National Cathedral is an iconic D.C. landmark.

Inside the self-proclaimed “Spiritual Home for the Nation,” architecture and American history merge: a moon rock fragment commemorates space exploration, a gargoyle pays tribute to Star Wars and presidential imagery is abundant.

Perhaps most striking are the 215 stained glass windows. Pastel light streams through the translucent glass, cocooning the Cathedral’s 400,000 annual visitors and casting streaks of light across the building’s interior.

But for the past 63 years, the Cathedral

“

What makes this cathedral unique is that we don’t only tell a biblical story, but also an American story. You can’t talk about the Civil War without talking about slavery, and the windows made no mention of it.

- Author Jonathan Horn

“

has displayed an unpleasant chapter in American history: two stained glass windows commemorating Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

The Cathedral removed the windows Sept. 8, ending a two-year debate between authors, historians and religious leaders alike.

“They were a barrier,” the Cathedral’s

The National Cathedral removed two stained glass windows commemorating Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The chief communications office referred to the windows as a “barrier” to people’s prayer. Photo by EVA HERSCOWITZ

Chief Communications Officer Kevin Eckstrom said. “People didn’t feel comfortable praying in that space with those two men looking over their shoulder. And ultimately, that’s what the Cathedral is supposed to be: it’s a house of prayer for people and not a museum.”

The United Daughters of the Confederacy donated the windows in 1953. Today, they tell a distinctly Southern story, Eckstrom says.

“They were a whitewashed version of history,” he said. “What makes this cathedral unique is that we don’t only tell a biblical story, but also an American story. You can’t talk about the Civil War without talking about slavery, and the windows made no mention of it.”

The windows will likely be moved to an educational setting, Eckstrom said. Now, following Charlottesville’s divisive August “Unite the Right” rally, places of worship,

civic spaces and National Battlefields across the state face a critical question: what to do with Maryland’s Confederate monuments.

Author Jonathan Horn (‘00) argues that rather than remove monuments from public space, monuments should be contextualized with educational material. Horn’s book, The Man Who Would Not Be Washington: Robert E. Lee’s Civil War and His Decision That Changed American History, explains that Lee, in fear of exacerbating regional strife, opposed Confederate monuments.

“Many of these statues don’t really commemorate the real Robert E. Lee; they commemorate the glorified image that wasn’t necessarily the real man,” Horn said. “In many ways, a Civil War monument tells you more about the people who put the memorial up than it does about the person it’s supposed to honor.”

The purpose of Confederate monuments has long superseded honoring those they de-

pict; many were intended to serve as physical reminders of white supremacy. Most statues were built during the Lost Cause, an early 20th century movement that celebrated the valiance of the Confederacy while minimizing its connection to slavery, David Terry, Morgan State University Assistant Professor of African-American History, said.

The National Park Service issued a statement Aug. 18 vowing to keep its Confederate monuments. In Maryland, Union and Confederate monuments will remain at Antietam National Battlefield because they present an educational opportunity, National Battlefield Superintendent Susan Trail said.

“To us, it’s really important, and it’s an excellent way of conveying history by using the words and the material culture of people in the past to help us to understand them,” Trail said.

For Kate Taney Billingsley, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney’s greatgreat-great-great-granddaughter, the events in Charlottesville have inflamed guilt and trauma. Justice Taney infamously wrote the majority opinion equating African-Americans with property and denying them citizenship rights in Dred Scott v. Sandford.

The Taney and Scott families advocated for the construction of a Dred Scott statue adjacent to the Taney statue at the Maryland State House, the families said. However, The Maryland State House Trust voted to remove a bronze statue of Taney from the State House lawn Aug. 18.

“Abraham Lincoln had slaves, and he’s a hero in many ways. The money in your pocket: there are slave owners on that,” Billingsley said, “What’s missing is the hundreds of thousands of African-American people our country was built on the backs of.”

Still, Billingley believes that the monument movement will do little to solve racial strife in the long term.

“Taking down statues can make you momentarily feel proud,” she said. “But then what do you do? I want us to realize that the system has made us this way, and there’s a ton more work to do.”

16

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

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The Black & White | October 9, 2017

17

W C R O S S R D Back in black (and white)

by JOEY SQUERI

Across 1. Vomit 5. Those, in Mexico City 9. What people are covered with at the Kids Choice Awards 14. Migos is an example of one 15. Non-Profit Organization dedicated to helping senior citizens 16. Capital of Tunisia 17. One of the worst things to step on 18. Ill-mannered 19. Pepper commonly found in chili 20. Primetime slot for the collegiate variety of 4-down 23. Two years before Jesus died 24. Offs and ___ 25. High resolution channel to watch a Nats game 28. Supporters of a team 30. One of the most common FANBOYS 33. 3 Point scores in 4-down 35. Military abbreviation for people who can’t be found 36. Ethnolinguistic group native to northwest Europe, includes Irish and Scots 37. Iconic character from Overwatch 38. Word preceding dark or noon 40. It’s next to CTRL on a keyboard 41. Defensive position in 4-down 43. Something all 18 year old male citizens must sign up for 44. Barley variety 45. Vertically hanging fishing nets

named for a French River 46. Religious term for a bad deed 47. Pennsylvania State Nurses Association abbr.

48. Popular online competition for fans of 4-down 54. Cancel or refrain 55. Staple of Indian cuisine 56. This, in Madrid 58. It’s often tinted in rap songs 59. First name of former SMOB 60. Brooklyn’s Basketball Team 61. Winter X games locale 62. Small Lebanese Village 63. What they call a rail car or cable car in England Down 1. Bout that life, slangily 2. Mars’ greek counterpart 3. Latvia’s capital 4. America’s game, and a hint to 20, 33 and 48-across 5. Accessory that’s often gold or diamond 6. Middle east native 7. What Tolkien referred to Earth as in Lord of the Rings 8. Type of casting in fly fishing 9. Spilling coffee on your shirts may lead to these 10. Respiratory system duo 11. One of twelve, on a ruler 12. Metropolitan Institute of Health and

Technology abbr.

13. Elder scrolls online abbr.

21. California campuses in La Jolla 22. Those not doing or complying 25. Periodic compound containing Hydrogen and Fluoride 26. Rings up someone, as a phone call 27. Is introduced to for the first time 28. Packers all-time leading in passing yards 29. Our principal’s first name 30. “I am not pale! I __ ___” 31. Nephew’s counterpart 32. Use cold water to wash these 34. Aroma, scent 38. Basketball game venue 39. Federal investigator or operative 41. WWE legend John 42. Gist or main idea 44. Hollyfield was ___ by Tyson 46. Shoot from a long distance 47. Pattern common or sweater or flannel 48. Iron Oxides, on the periodic table 49. “I __ __!” (no longer sleeping) 50. Chris ___, former Giant’s all-pro guard 51. One of ten required for a first down 52. A person who operates something 53. R&B and soul singer James 54. Former technology and electronics giant 57. Dwayne Johnson’s firm on HBO’s “Ballers”

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

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Sports

Diouf dribbles to NBA program Senior Abdou Diouf travels to Senegal to train While most athletes spend their offseason playing for a summer team or working out at the gym, varsity basketball player Abdou Diouf spent his summer training with a newly

developed NBA program in Senegal, Africa.

Diouf grew up in Senegal and returns every summer, but this year, local basketball coach and trainer Joe Touomou altered Diouf’s typical summer vacation. Touomou introduced Diouf to an international NBA program that’s offered in three countries worldwide: Senegal, Istanbul and South Africa.

“I told the coach that I was supposed to go back to Senegal for the beginning of my summer,” Diouf said. “He was so happy and surprised because it was such a coincidence.”

The month and one half long program, which began in July, consisted of weekday court sessions to improve ball handling and shooting. On weekends, Diouf traveled to the beach to improve his stamina and speed.

“It was definitely the best training I could’ve had. It gave me a lot of playing time with players in the academy, which improved my game vision,” Diouf said. “It definitely improved my ball handling and shooting, but also the ability to use my left hand because it was one of my biggest weaknesses.”

“

“

by ARIANA FAGHANI

It was definitely the best training I could’ve had. It gave me a lot of playing time with players in the academy.

-senior Abdou Diouf

Senior Abdou Diouf took part in a new NBA program over the summer. Photo Courtesy WHITMAN BASKETBALL.

Acquiring new skills during his summer program has made him a stronger player overall, teammate Adam Smith said.

“He has a greater control over his body,” Smith said.

“His ability to play on the post has improved, and he has an all around better knowledge of the game.”

Coach Chris Lun has also seen immense improvement from Diouf’s summer dedication now that he’s back to playing for Whitman.

New MCPS athletic director brings enthusiasm, initiative

New Athletic Director Jeffrey Sullivan wants to facilitate online registration for sports and advocate for strict oversight of turf fields. Sullivan was the athletic specialist for Montgomery County for four and a half years before being promoted in April.

Photo courtesy ERIC VAN RYZIN.

by CAM JONES MCPS Athletic Specialist Jeffrey Sullivan is now the countywide Director of Athletics, replacing William Beattie after 18 years of service.

Sullivan aims to bring major changes to the county, such as creating a new online registration system for student athletes and an established maintenance schedule for schools with turf fields.

The new registration method for athletes will make the now strenuous process easier on parents and student athletes for years to come, Whitman Athletic Director Andy Wetzel said.

Rather than having to fill out different forms and bring them to school on specific dates, families will be able to register online and complete the forms far in advance.

The county also discussed wheth-

er or not to add various technologybased additions, such as electronic ticketing for sports games, in order to digitize and streamline several processes, Wetzel said.

Prior to his work as an athletics specialist, Sullivan worked as the athletic director at Clarksburg High School and Paint Branch High school, where he also worked as assistant coach for the varsity girls basketball team.

His experience in athletics and involvement in the county gives Wetzel the utmost confidence in Sullivan, Wetzel said.

“He has been heavily involved in everything at the state, county and national level for the last three to four years now,” Wetzel said. “I think he’s already doing a good job and will continue doing a good job.”

Senior Abdou Diouf creates a screen between him and an opponent during a game against Walter Johnson during the 2017 basketball season. Photo courtesy WHITMAN BASKETBALL.

“He worked very hard this summer, training six days a week in Senegal, and it’s paid off,” Lun said. “Abdou will play a big role on our team this winter, and he’s really improved his touch by the basket and his overall knowledge of the game. I’m excited to see him play for the Vikes this year.”

Abdou shares the same excitement for the season as Coach Lun does and can’t wait to play with his teammates again.

“I’m really looking forward to the season,” Diouf said.

“Playing with Whitman is always a pleasure but a challenge at the same time.”

Sports

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The Black & White|October 9, 2017

photo courtesy of MICHAEL DUNN

Whitman alum makes NFL practice squad After playing 11 years of football, former Whitman offensive tackle Michael Dunn (’12) finally made it to the highest level in football: the NFL. Up until his senior year of high school, Dunn never expected football to bring him anywhere in life, but now it’s become his career. Dunn was signed on to the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad in September, and though he was cut shortly after, his journey in the NFL is ongoing.

“I loved my time out in Los Angeles, and all the guys were really great,” Dunn said.

“When you go into the league undrafted, you know that this is exactly what it’s going to be like. When you’re just a guy trying to make it in the league, you know that you could be somewhere completely different one week than you were the week before.”

Dunn joined the junior varsity football team his freshman year at Whitman but didn’t play much; he was playing to have fun and make friends. Dunn didn’t see the field at all during his junior year on varsity, due to an abundance of talented seniors.

“Because I didn’t really play my junior

year, I didn’t really think college football was an option,” Dunn said. “Everybody gets recruited their junior year.”

Andrew Feder (’12) was one of Dunn’s closest friends on the Whitman team. For their first two seasons in high school, the two played similar positions and were of similar stature. Feder fondly remembers that during the infamous blizzard of 2010, that all changed.

“Everyone was gone for a week of school, and no one could get out of their house,” Feder said. “When we came back, I swear Michael grew six inches. He shot up overnight and became an absolute behemoth.

After that, there was no more comparing us in size.”

Dunn started on the offensive line his senior year and began to get calls from Division III and Division 1-AA football programs, like Lehigh and Lafayette. Then, out of the blue, Dunn received a call from the University of Maryland offering him a walk-on spot on their team just one week before signing day, though there weren’t enough scholarships to grant him one.

“In addition to athletic ability, Michael is a great character guy and had great

academics,” Coach Tom Brattan, the former Maryland assistant coach who recruited Dunn, said. “That’s the kind of combination you want.

Dunn was redshirted his freshman year, meaning he didn’t dress for games. This gave

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by MATTHEW VAN BASTELAER

my redshirt freshman year.”

After redshirt year at UMD, Dunn earned a scholarship and started in all but three games for the rest of his Maryland career. But in his senior year, Dunn dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum, forcing him

When you’re just a guy trying to make it in the league, you know that you could be somewhere completely different one week than you were the week before.

-Michael Dunn (‘12)

Dunn an extra year of eligibility and time to adjust to college play.

“It was great playing with so many different people,” Dunn said. “Guys like Stefon Diggs who are so talented make you work extremely hard. Seeing everybody else around me really motivated me for my redshirt year.

I gained 40 pounds and got a chance to start

to have surgery.

“It drastically affected my draft status, and I couldn’t do anything on pro day, ” Dunn said. “I was radared as an injury risk for all the teams going into the draft. It was pretty disheartening.”

Dunn kept in shape and got a call in June from the Los Angeles Rams. They brought

Hockey recruitment changes game for athletes Players postpone college, go to junior league to develop strength, skills

by ELYSE LOWET It’s common for middle schoolers to get recruited for football, freshmen to get recruited for lacrosse, or sophomores to get recruited for soccer. But for hockey, these situations almost never happen.

While some athletes receive college offers in middle or high school, male ice hockey players typically don’t get recruited until well after high school. Because freshman hockey players are typically too small to compete at the college level, the average first-year hockey player is 20 years old, according to College Sports Scholarships, a college recruiting website.

For schools to ensure that athletes can compete at the highest level, very few hockey players transition straight from high school into a college program. Some Whitman hockey players are taking time to grow outside of high school hockey in an attempt to have a better college recruiting experience.

Junior hockey serves as an intermediate step between high school and college, providing aspiring college hockey players the opportunity to develop their skills and showcase their talent to college scouts.

“Unfortunately going straight to NCAA from high school is incredibly difficult, especially for kids from non-traditional hockey states,” alum Matt Derry (‘15), who played juniors for the Valley Warriors, said. “Junior hockey is pretty much required to play at the college level.”

Junior hockey has three tiers, with Tier One being the highest. Each level provides players with chances to play in front of college coaches, though it often takes athletes a few years to receive a college offer, and many athletes never play in college.

The model for junior hockey comes from Canada, where all elite hockey players compete on junior hockey teams instead of high school ones. Hockey is the only sport with juniors, though they are similar to other sports’ club teams,

Former Whitman student Mark Meinecke played for Team Maryland and will finish high school at Phillips Andover Academy to boost his chances of playing college hockey. Photo courtesy MARK MEINECKE

Harvard hockey coach Paul Pearl said.

Hockey players in the D.C. area who hope to play in college, like junior Joey Schaefer, usually plan to play for a junior hockey team after they graduate, rather than going straight to college.

Others attend prep schools in the northeast to increase their exposure to scouts and boost their chances of being recruited to college teams. Former Whitman students, Phillips Academy Andover junior Mark Meinecke and Milton Academy sophomore Tyler Crist transferred to prep schools this year in hopes of getting more experience playing with and against better players.

“Hockey around here is respected way more than it is in the Maryland area,” Meinecke said. “There’s talent from all over, so you get to see what you’re up against as a whole, and it’s better hockey up here, so your improvement is probably going to be better and the chances of getting looks are better.”

Meinecke and Crist will still likely have to spend time on a junior team if they want to play Division I hockey, but playing at a prep school gives them the experience that junior teams look for, Meinecke said.

Playing on a prep school team benefits some, but it’s not the most preferred option for others. Schaefer hopes to play hockey in college but wanted to have the option of playing lacrosse and felt that his club team had the same level of competition, so he decided to stay at Whitman.

“My team travels a lot, and we end up playing a lot of the same teams that players from up north are playing,” Schaefer said.

From a college coach’s perspective, the choice doesn’t make much of a difference. Both juniors and prep school provide players the opportunity to develop their skills and strength before college, Pearl said.

“I don’t think there is only one way for a kid to develop,” Pearl said. “Each player is an individual.”

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Sports

The Black & White|October 9, 2017

Senior Caroline Brody climbs to international ranking

Brody has been climbing since she was eight years old. She has a passion for the sport and practices nearly every day at Earth Treks climbing gym in Rockville.

by ELYSE LOWET

S

enior Caroline Brody reaches up the wall and grabs the next hold.

She swings her body around, stretching to grasp a rock farther up, then stops to contemplate her next move.

After finishing in sixth place at Sport Climbing Nationals in July, Brody qualified for the USA Youth Climbing Team. Since then, Brody has competed with the team and recently attended the Youth Rock Climbing World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, Sept. 5-8, where she placed 37th out of 101 competitors in her category of lead climbing.

Brody was introduced to the sport at a summer camp when she was 8, and started competitively climbing at 12.

“I love climbing because while it’s often extremely difficult and challenging, every once in awhile, everything clicks,” Brody

said. “You start to climb and every move works, and it almost feels like you’re just flowing up the wall.”

In order to compete at such a high level, Brody practices nearly every day at the Earth Treks climbing gym in Rockville to gain the strength and endurance necessary to make it as high up the wall as possible.

“I’ll do things where I’ll get on a really hard climb, and I’ll try to do it two or three times, just to get as tired as possible, but still be making those really hard moves,” Brody said.

To prepare for the World Championships, Brody trained with a teammate on the national team, Megan Lynch. They pushed each other to perform better and prepared one another to train against top competition from all over the world.

“Training with Caroline for worlds was awesome,” Lynch said. “There’s nothing better than training with someone who gets

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than a divisional or national competition.

“I was just approaching it from the sense of not putting too much pressure on myself and just climbing the best that I could while trying to keep more of a light attitude about it,” Brody said.

Despite this being her first time competing abroad, Brody’s grit, intelligence and commitment set her apart from the other competitors, Wong said.

“I think Caroline’s biggest strength is her determination to put it all on the line for

I love climbing because while it’s often extremely difficult and challenging, every once in awhile, everything clicks.You start to climb and every move works, and it almost feels like you’re just flowing up the wall.

-senior Caroline Brody

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Senior Caroline Brody reaches for the next hold to climb farther up the wall. Brody placed 27th at the World Championship in Austria. Photos courtesy JENNIE JARIEL.

you motivated when you’re feeling low and keeps it fun, but also serious.”

It takes an overwhelming amount of optimism and perseverance to compete as a world- class rock climber, and Caroline’s success is attributable to her work ethic, coach Stu Wong said.

“There are few athletes that I’ve coached who have the level of commitment to the sport and to their training,” Wong said. “She makes her own schedule, trains six days a week and is always thinking,

planning, asking questions and evaluating her performance along the way to find ways to improve and become even better.”

Since this was Brody’s first international competition, she approached it differently

every aspect of her training and competition, and her perspective and mental toughness for finding ways to overcome mistakes and move forward,” Wong said.

Athlete of the month:

Top district golfer Amanda Levy When junior Amanda Levy took her first few swings at playing golf at Woodmont Country Club, she was six years old. She didn’t know that almost 10 years later she would be competing for state championships and international trophies.

Levy represented Maryland in the Optimist International Junior Golf Tournament in Florida this past summer, where she placed 30th out of 144, competing with golfers from all around the world, from Colombia to Thailand.

Levy didn’t golf competitively until her freshman year.

Since then, she’s gone on to win numerous tournaments, including the Suburban Club Classic and the Laytonsville Golf Club Classic. She also placed fourth for Whitman in the state championships last year.

Before golfing, Levy was a competitive swimmer.

“I used to golf as a side activity next to swimming,” Levy said. “But then I realized I liked golf a lot better.”

Both Whitman golf coach Karl O’Donoghue and Golf for Kids coach Keith Robertson attribute Levy’s success to her immense drive and exceptional swing.

“She’s been one of the hardest working players in my 14 years of coaching,” O’Donoghue said.

Not only does Levy have an impressive golfing career, but she also has a positive attitude on and off the course, her coaches and teammates said.

“She’s always very humble and she never seems or acts

like she’s better than anyone else,” sophomore golfer Ellie Block said. “She thinks everyone is equal.”

Levy said she was inspired by other successful, local golfers, whose own successes motivated her to continue working hard. She hopes to be recruited to a collegiate team this year.

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by JESSIE SOLOMON

She’s been one of the hardest working players in my 14 years of coaching.

-coach Karl O’Donoghue

O’Donoghue is optimistic about Levy’s chances of qualifying for states with the coed team and winning the state title both as a team and an individual. But for Levy, golf is much more than the victories; her main drive is her love for the sport.

“I love going out and playing with the people who do it, and I find the sport interesting and fun,” Levy said. “It’s different from other sports—it always keeps me engaged and interested.”

Amanda Levy tees off during The Bretton Woods tournament this summer. Levy’s coach calls her swing “exceptional.” Levy placed fourth in the state championships last year. Photo by OLIVIA MATTHEWS