december 2011
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Issue 4, December 2011TRANSCRIPT
In This Issue...Thommy Morgan Produces A Movie Students Pursue Careers in PerformingLooking Back on 2011: Year In Review
December 22, 2011
ContentsNews
Entertainment
Commentary
Middle Spread
Features
Sports
4 News BriefsStudent Advisory Council Press Release
5 Examining The Consequences of Shop-lifting
American Troops Depart Iraq
6 Juice: The Silent KillerThe Occupy Movement Evolves
7 Teen Director Shoots For The Big ScreenVintage Gaming Store: Estarland
8 3D ReReleasesNew Holdiay Albums Top The Charts
Homo Explicatus: Human Unraveled
10Just So You Know...
11The Zombie Apocalypse!Bizarre Advertisments, Anyone?
12 Lights, Camera, Perform!
14 Students Cherish Holiday Traditions
15Retail Workers Face The Holiday Rush
16Puppies Lighten The Mood At GMUGift This!
17 Where To Find The Best Deals And Steals
18 Year In Review
20 Students Stand Out At Fairfax
21 Rebels Challenged Early
22NOVA Classic Returns To FHSRule Change Allows Off Season Practice
23 NFL Playoffs Coming Up
December 23, 2011
Rebel Roar Staff 2011-2012Editor-in-Chief
Emily StoneManaging Editor
Jessica MiersCopy Chief
Walker CarlsonNews EditorRachel Tran
Entertainment Editor
Gabrielle SeversonCommentary EditorBrandon Blankenship
Features EditorNikki Strickland
Sports EditorWalker CarlsonArt Director
Elizabeth FulmerBusiness Manager
Jessica MiersStaff Writers
Suha KhandkerNatalia ColonErinn Fecteau
Natalie ShabanErich Greenfield
AdviserCarl Irvin
Editorial Policy
Rebel Roar is a published forum of student expression. Letters to the Editor and guest articles are encouraged. Only signed letters are considered for publication. The editors reserve the right to edit all material in the interest of clarity and space. Opinions expressed do not necessarily rep-resent those of the staff or school administration. The staff writes
unsigned editorials on a majority basis. The Rebel Roar accepts all advertisements deemed appropri-ate for a public forum meant for young adults and are subject to the discretion of the editors. Stu-dents are encouraged to take an active voice in the student pub-lication. Questions, comments, and letters can be emailed [email protected].
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Cover by Elizabeth Fulmer and Cover photo by Emily StonePhoto below by Jessica Miers
LetterFromTheEditor
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Sincerely,
Emily StoneEditor-in-Chief
Dear Readers,
One rule we have on staff is to not put too much focus on the holidays-- we’re a newspaper, and Flag Day
happens every year. Unfortunately, it’s no longer news. Also to be avoided: ar-ticles beginning with “It’s that time of year again!” and middle spreads devoted to the history of Halloween.
All of that being said, we were just too excited about the coming holidays to ignore them. So check out an alternative gift guide on page 16, read about students’ Christmas traditions on page 14, and find out how to express your holiday spirit as tackily as possible on page 7. When you’re finished reading every word in this entire paper (I know you do), enjoy a hoilday card made especially for you on the back cover.
Also, don’t forget to make your winter snow total predictions to win a large pizza courtesy of Ledo’s! Contests entries are due on Jan. 3, emailed to [email protected].
Lastly, if you haven’t already, become a fan of the Rebel Roar on Facebook and follow @FHSRebelRoar on Twitter! Give us feedback on this issue and tell us what you want to see from us next month.
Have a great winter break and we’ll see you next year!
Kim Jong-Il, dictator of North Korea, died of a heart attack on
Dec. 17. Kim will most likely be succeeded by his youngest son, Kim Jong Eun, who is in his twenties. It is still unknown what effects the new leader will have-- Kim Jong Eun could be a more rigid leader, or the state could collapse under his power.
The Student Advisory Council, or SAC, is made up of 4 student representatives from every high school in Fairfax County. Together, we meet once a month to
discuss county-wide issues. These monthly press releases cover what we’ve been working on, and how you can give us your feedback.
Dr. Jack Dale, the Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, challenged this year’s SAC to “dream big” and re-imagine schooling completely. He brought in a guest speaker, Aron Sterling, to discuss the future of K-12 instruction. As an Educational Specialist for FCPS, Mr. Sterling stated that his research has shown how teach-ing methods are undergoing drastic changes. Several of the questions Mr. Sterling and Dr. Dale posed to the SAC included:● If students were given access to the Internet’s information at all times, what would be the purpose of ever memorizing any fact about history or science again? How would that redefine what it means to be creative or intelligent?● If students were allowed to use computers for all calculations, would they need to learn mathematics? ● If inexpensive, supersonic flight becomes possible, could students travel to foreign countries during the day for school, and get home at the usual time?● How could instantaneous language translation software change language classes?● Would instruction from teachers be necessary if
a similar quality of instruction could be provided online? How could this redefine the school day?● How can green energy initiatives help schools become more efficient and self-sustaining?
The SAC will take these questions during the year to de-velop methods to make some of these ideas a reality. If you have any input on any of these ideas, or any other ideas that you would like to share, please send them to [email protected].
Mr. Rumberger, one of the leading members of the Educational Specifications (Ed Specs) department, gave the SAC a presentation about what his job involves. His department defines the specifications by which schools are designed. This involves anything from deciding how big chemistry labs are, how wide hallways are, how much room there is for computers in a library, and more. He asked the SAC for input on what elements of their schools that they wish could be changed. He wanted to know what the SAC liked, disliked, and most wished to change in classrooms, PE and athletic areas, fine arts, corridors and lobbies, as well as libraries.
Mr. Rumberger will be returning to the SAC to further discuss ideas for innovative ways that schools can be designed. If you have any input about the design of your school, or how you think a new school could be better de-signed, please email [email protected]. We hope to hear from you all soon!
StudentAdvisoryCouncil’sPressRelease:November30,2011DanielWillson,ChaseCampbell,JessicaSun,andBrendanKim(TheSACOfficers)
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News Briefs1. Facebook will force its users to switch to the
new “Timeline” layout on Dec. 23. The new design features a large “cover photo” across the top of profiles, in addition to the original
profile picture. The timeline allows people to access posts from any year, so users have a week to delete any posts before their timeline goes public.
2.
Principal Goldfarb has mandated that teachers are not allowed to assign home-work over winter break. This mean there can be no assignments due or tests given in
the two days after the return from break.
3.
On Dec. 8, the Virginia Tech campus was put on lockdown after 22 year-old Ross Truett Ashley shot
and killed university police officer De-riek Crouse at a traffic stop. It is now thought that Ashley ran after shooting Crouse and committed suicide after being spotted by another police officer.
4.
Ross Truett Ashley attended Rad-ford University last year.Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
Kim Jong-Il was the Supreme Leader of North Korea from 1994-2011.Photo courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com
While many high school students are old enough to know the differences between right and wrong, more and more “good” teens are tempted to take
what is not theirs. According to Fairfax police department data, retail crime rises by 30 percent across the region at this time of year. Making the decision to shoplift could cause serious consequences, including a criminal back-ground that could undermine an adolescent’s opportunities to get a job or into their college of choice.
“If my friend Chris needed some gum, I would steal it for him if I had pockets,” said senior Antar McGraw.
Not only can this illegal activity turn into a habit, it can also turn into also an addiction called kleptomania, accord-ing to KidsHealth.org. Many do not particularly need, or even want the items that they pilfer.
Senior Max Cavicchia is a former shoplifter and claims, “I couldn’t go into a store without thinking about what I could steal, and it would literally be anything. I would take so much... I didn’t even think twice about it.”
According to a Loss Prevention representative that chose to not disclose his name due to sensitive information, pricey items such as Ralph Lauren Polo shirts and sterling silver jewelry are frequently stolen at the Macy’s in Fair Oaks Mall. “Kids want to see how far they can go. [They do not regret it] until they see the police and their parents and the repercussions of the incident.”
All retailers are required to prosecute shoplifters, and they will not make exceptions on this strict policy no mat-ter how much someone may beg and plead. The Loss Pre-vention representative said, “When we catch a shoplifter, we usually find [merchandise stolen from] other stores…the merchandise is returned to the stores, and [the person] is given a prosecution and a court date.”
According to The Washington Post, police are hiring
extra uniformed and undercover patrols and specialized units this season to protect shoppers, employ-ees and businesses. Last holiday season, Fairfax police recov-ered $200,000 worth of stolen merchandise, an increase from $45,000 the previous year.
The Loss Prevention representative said, “Shoplifting [by teens] usually happens after school, which is around 4 [p.m.] to close.” Although shoplifting occurs more when students happen to be out of school, he claims the ratio of teen to adult shoplifting is about the same.
Assistant Principal Steve Singman said “It only takes one bad decision to negatively impact the rest of your life, it’s not worth it. One of my daughter’s best friends was a good student, in the honor’s society, was Homecoming Queen, a cheerleader, and earned a 4 year army Reserve Officer Training Corporation scholarship worth $125,000.”
The young lady with a promising future threw it all away when she chose to steal a $10 lipstick while shop-ping with her friends over the summer after graduation.. Being 18 and considered an adult, the crime was not taken lightly and her ROTC scholarship was pulled. Singman said, “she was a good kid, that made a bad decision.”
Fairfax County Police Officer Jim Rattal, stationed at Fair Oaks Mall said, “Remember; you are being watched. Many of the department stores, as well as other smaller stores, have sophisticated camera monitoring systems to help thwart shoplifting. Most likely, if you try it, you will get caught.”
After nearly nine years of war, the long wait has finally come to an end. On Dec. 18, all American troops left Iraq, marking the official end of the Iraq
war. According to World News, the departure was bitter-sweet for the soldiers, as they “whooped, bumped fists, and embraced each other in a burst of joy and relief.”
The United States military mission in Iraq came with a great human and financial price: 4,500 American lives, more than 10,000 Iraqi lives, and $800 billion from the U.S. Treasury, according to CBS News. By leaving the country to govern itself, the U.S. can only anticipate what decisions Iraq makes regarding its democracy and rela-tionship with the U.S.
According to Fox News, in President Obama’s speech on Dec. 14 at the Army Post, he said, “Now, Iraq is not a per-fect place. It has many challenges ahead. But we are leav-ing behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people. We are building a new partnership between our nations.”
Though the U.S.’ departure was earlier than originally planned, the American troops will be home in time for the holidays, which was one of Obama’s goals. Despite the
troops’ absence in Iraq, the U.S. hopes to pre-serve its strong diplo-matic and demo-cratic
influence on the
nation. “I would describe our troops as having succeeded in the mission of giving to the Iraqis their country in a way that gives them a chance for a successful future,” Obama said.
Rachel Tran ‘13News Editor
Natalie Shaban ‘12Staff Writer
American soldiers honor the death of David Hickman, the last U.S soldier in Iraq.Photo courtesy of yahoo.com
AmericanTroopsDepartIraq
ExaminingTheConsequencesOf Shoplifting
Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com
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News
Over the past month, the Occupy Wall Street Move-ment has evolved, adding to their platform and increasing the seriousness of the movement.
On Dec. 8, Occupy D.C. went on hunger strike for D.C. voting rights. In a statement they wrote, “Despite paying taxes to the federal government and sending our citizens to fight and die in every war, Washingtonians have had no voting representation in Congress and have had to seek approval from people they did not elect on all legislative and budgetary matters.”
In New York, Occupy Wall Street also held their own hunger strike; which lasted for 24 hours on Dec.15. Ac-cording to the official Occupy website, the demonstration was held to protest “violent evictions across the country that have robbed the Occupy Movement of our right to free speech and assembly.”
The Occupy Wall Street protesters are also preparing for a shift, dubbed Occupation 2.0. Protesters are hoping to convince Trinity Church to allow them to “occupy” a sliver of their vacant land for an all-day performance. Trinity Church is located in Lower Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbor-hood. It is the largest landholder in Manhattan and even has a corporate arm on Wall Street.
There was debate over whether or not the church should allow protesters to use the land. Many people have urged the church to allow protesters to us the space. However on Dec.9, Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, Rector of Trinity, said “The health, safety and security problems posed by an encampment here, compounded by winter weather, would
dwarf those experienced at Zuccotti Park.”Washington Post reporter Elizabeth Flock joined a
group of 21 protestors marching from Zuccotti Park to the Occupy D.C. encampment. The marchers walked the 231 miles from Nov. 9 to Nov. 22, surviving on donated food and a $3,000 check from Occupy Wall Street. The protes-tors received support from locals along the way.
The Occupy D.C. protestors are now planning to crash the The United States Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas party for the Republican National Committee on Dec. 22. According to the Occupy D.C. official website, “‘Tis the season for lame Holiday office parties and the 1% is no exception.”
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News
Jessica Miers and Erinn Fecteau ‘13 Business Manager and Managing Editor & Staff
Children, teenagers, and adults all consume a prod-uct that recent studies have shown to contain trace amounts of the notoriously poisonous chemical ele-
ment, arsenic. According to Consumer Reports, surpris-ing amounts of arsenic levels were detected in popular juice brands such as Mott’s, Minute Maid, and Welch’s. A study released in September on Mehmet Oz’s popu-lar television show, “The Dr. Oz Show,” showed that 10 percent of these juices that were tested were found to have arsenic levels that are much higher than the maxi-mum levels allowed in bottled water as made standard by the Food and Drug Administration. At this time, the FDA has no standard regulations on fruit juices, however the Consumers Union is urging for this change.
According to WebMD, inorganic arsenic poisoning poses a threat to vital organs such as the lungs, skin, kidneys, and liver. In some cases high levels of arsenic in the body can ultimately lead to death.
The FDA, however, released their counter-argument stating that the study conducted was erroneous and “extremely irresponsible.” The major issue they have with the experiment is that the “The Dr. Oz Show” failed to separate inorganic and organic traces of arsenic in the tested juice samples. The FDA conducted an experiment
testing the same juice brands for their separate levels of inorganic and organic arsenic. The results showed that the arsenic levels described in the “The Dr. Oz Show,” were mostly attributed to the organic arsenic that is found in a lot of common products such as bottled water.
“Arsenic is both a naturally occur-ring and inorganic heavy metal, and some levels of it are found in the air we breathe, water we drink and in the ground. It is known to cause cancer and kidney problems. But while high levels of inorganic arsenic can be fatal, the organic form is essentially harmless,” said Stephanie Yao, an FDA spokeswoman.
Although these traces of arsenic may be essentially harmless, Consumer Reports recommends, “children up to six years old should consume no more than four to six ounces per day, while older children should drink no more than eight to 12 ounces per day.”
Photo courtesy of Walmart.com
Juice:TheSilentKiller
Occupy D.C. protestors marching from McPherson Square to Capitol Hill.Photo courtesy of photoblog.msnbc.msn.com
Emily Stone ‘12Editor-in-Chief
TheOccupyMovementEvolves
Brainwashed and on the run, Tristan ventures into reality only to rediscover his past through a journey filled with horror, suspense, mystery and romance.
“The Mirage,” is an upcoming full-length feature film directed by Fairfax High School senior, Thommy Morgan. The story is told from the point of view of a girl named
Erinn who meets a soldier from the future named Tristan who happens to be on the run from the government. “It’s a funny story... I started the script as a short film and modeled the main charac-ter around my girlfriend’s personality and interests. It was
also a cheesy romance. However, after watching “Incep-tion” I was inspired to do a science-fiction based script and added that element to my current story,” Morgan said.
He explained that the script transformed into a full length film because he wanted each of his characters to have a great amount of detail and time to evolve. “I wanted the audience to make a relationship with my characters and become attached to them; understand their emotions and desires,” he said.
Over 80 students and adults from all around Fairfax County, showed up for the auditions that took place in November. Students came from such places as George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College and high schools like Chantilly, Freedom, McLean and Centreville for a chance to be in the film.
Using high quality equipment from the Academy Television Studio and two professional grade cameras,
Morgan hopes to capture the “film-like feel with shallow depth of field” much like the professional modern day films that mov-iegoers are used to.
“We are using low tier professional grade equipment so we expect to come out with some pretty great foot-age. Unfortunately, the video will not be high enough resolu-tion to be shown on a silver screen, but a 37 inch plama screen would be just fine,” he said.
With the help of co-director So Choi from Chantilly High School, cosmetics director Mackenzie Altizer, and stage and prop directors, Nick Moran and Jeremy Neilan from FHS, Morgan is excited to see what’s in store for the film’s future.
“Many people have suggested I send it off to some kind of festival. I would rather discuss that issue after the film is made with the rest of
my team, because this is no longer my project, but our project. I would never be able to do any of it without them,” he said.
Morgan mentioned the the film’s title, “The Mirage,” is likely to change as the storyline is edited but as for now he said, “I can’t give away too much but keep your eye out for the trailer.”
TeenDirectorShootsForTheBigScreen
Jessica Miers 13’Managing Editor&Business Manager
The FHS television studio is where most of the movie’s equipment comes from.
Behind the scenes of “The Mi-rage,” in the television studio at Photos by Jessica Miers
Since 1958, video games have been among the leading sources of entertainment for people of all ages, rang-
ing from retro arcade games, to action packed adventures, to adrenaline fueled first person shooters. There’s a game genre that is bound to interest almost any individual, but for people with older consoles, games are becoming harder and harder to find, leaving gamers uninterested in their already used games. As consequence, these classic systems are being neglected and thrown away, leaving us to forget where it all started and transition into games that senior Robbie Ashton believes to be “unoriginal,” and “predict-able.”
Luckily however, these high demand, retro video games and consoles can be found locally, and in store at Fairfax’s own eStarland. Started as an online shop about ten years ago, eStarland is home to over 30,000 used games and
consoles with offices popping up all around the Northern Virginia area. At one of these many locations you can eas-ily find games for your old consoles like N64, Atari, and NES with new, less expensive games for current consoles like the Playstation 3 and XBOX 360 as well.
And now accepting trade-ins and repairs, eStarland is undoubtedly the best one stop shop for all gamers whether you’re searching for vintage games and consoles, or just trying to find the best deal. Located just 5 minutes from the school, its easily accessible location makes it ideal for students that aren’t willing to make a trip across town for a $60 video game. Save your money and check out this all-in-one game shop, perfect for any avid gamer!
Vintage Gaming Store: eStarland
Brandon Blankenship 12’Commentary Editor7
Entertainment
After Disney’s “The Lion King 3D” did so well throughout its re-release in September, Disney decided to release four other classics. These old time favorites consist of “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Monsters Inc.”, and “Finding Nemo”.
Following in Disney’s footsteps, Paramount Pictures decided to release its epic romance “Titanic”. However, the news about this re-release wasn’t as eye catching as the announcement about the re-release of the renowned “Star Wars” se-ries. Beginning Feb. 10, 2012 Lucasfilm will release the 3D version of the first episode, “The Phantom Menace”, and will continue to release the rest consecutively every year ending the series in 2017.
It is easy to assume the amount of excitement these re releases will convey. Not only will this contribute to the grow-ing influence of 3D films, it will also be a reason for excitement and celebration amongst fans and movie-goers alike.
For those who want to pull their hair out upon hear-ing Mariah Carey’s “All I
Want for Christmas Is You”, there is some hope this holiday season. While Carey has found her way onto Justin Bieber’s Christmas album, there are many alternatives on the music market.Under the Mistletoe- Justin BieberJustin Bieber debuted the first single from his album on October 17, so the hype has had some time to build. Bieber told Ryan Seacrest that “Under the Mistletoe” is his “best album yet”, and with only three albums to his name, odds are in his favor. The album includes some original holiday songs, and collaborations with Boyz II Men,
The Band Perry, Busta Rhymes, Usher, and the aforementioned Mariah Carey.Lady Gaga- A Very
Gaga Holiday“A Very Gaga Holiday”
is composed of four live performances from Lady
Gaga’s Thanksgiving Special. The only Christmas or holiday
related track of the four is “White Christ-
mas”. Gaga also released a single called “Christmas Tree” in 2008.Michael Buble- ChristmasMichael Buble’s “Christmas” album is currently dominating the charts, sitting at the number one position on the Billboard 200. Buble does strictly covers of classic Christmas songs on
this album.Straight No Chaser- Christmas Cheer and Holiday SpiritsStraight No Chaser is an a cappella group composed of 10 to 12 members from Indiana University. The group received a record deal after a video of their performance of “The 12 Days of Christmas” went viral in 2006. They have released two holiday albums since, Christmas Cheer and Holiday Spirits.Glee- Glee: The Music, Christmas Album Volume 2This is the second year the Glee cast released a Christmas album. Volume 2 consists of covers of ten classic songs and two original songs, “Extraordi-nary Merry Christmas” and “Christ-mas Eve With You”.Emily Stone ‘12Editor-in-Chief
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Entertainment
NewHolidayAlbumsTopTheCharts
3D Re-Releases
HomoExplicatus:UnravelingTheMan
Natalia Colon ‘12Staff Writer
Gabrielle Severson ‘12Entertainment Editor
Strange Holiday Edition
Wearing Presents on Feet: not much can be said for this one except...why?
The Pink Tinted Cat Eye Sunglasses: the 1950’s are over, ladies. Pink isn’t even a holiday color. Santa doesn’t wear sunglasses, so why should this be okay? Honestly, whoever suggested the idea needs to take some serious crash courses in fashion reme-diation.
Grandma in a Felt Christmas Tree Costume: this is just wrong. What kind of sick individual garbs granny in a felt costume with a giant gold star on her head? This is absolutely despicable. Sacrifice the weird uncle or the leather-clad teenager, people whose experience in the cos-tume would seem appropriate. Please sacrifice anyone but ole Grams.
JustSoYouKnow...
HOT NOT
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Rebels! Finally out for winter break, presents under the tree, no homework, snow storms in anticipation! I couldn’t enjoy this time of year more! Everyone’s happy and joyful, for the most part, stoked to be reunited with family members or just for some time off. But now, halfway through my senior year, it’s starting to hit me that this could be my last Christmas at home until I’m shipped off to college next fall. It’s a scary thought to come to terms with, but the best we can do is enjoy the time we have and spend it with the people we love. I only wish that you all enjoy yourselves this holiday season and receive everything you’ve ever wanted! Have fun, and happy holidays from the Rebel Roar.
PePPermint mochasYummy, yummy; the warmth of peppermint in my tummy. Nothing really beats this holiday drink pro-vided by our local Starbucks. Something that I highly, highly suggest you give it a try one morning before its “limited time” runs out, because it is truly is the only drink worth paying $5 for. Forget hot chocolate and every-thing you’ve ever known about comforting drinks, without this, you’re missing out on your entire life.
no homework!As if the holidays couldn’t get any better! Thank you Mr. Goldfarb and the rest of Fairfax County Public Schools for completing my life and sparing students of the sorrow that would’ve overcome thousands of us. Nothing says “Happy Holi-days’ like sweet, sweet educational freedom and not a care in the world for more than a week. Now only if this rule applied for summer vacation...
Ugly holiday sweatersWhether it’s wool, cotton, cashmere, or leather, the ugli-er the sweater the better. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had it since you were a kid, or just bought it at a flee market, these knitted bundles of holiday cheer are something you should no longer dread, but flaunt about the school and around your friends. It’s the one case in American society where the rule “the uglier, the better” applies. So
take pride, Rebels in those woven jingle bells, and purring cat pullovers, for one day you will be glad you partook in such a daring trend.
christmas mUsicAlthough Christmas songs are catchy and light spirit-ed, I find it hard to seek entertainment in overplayed, overrated carols that have been reproduced by almost every celebrity under the sun. They’re nice to listen to every now and then, but when you can’t escape their wrath, and they’ve been played 500 times in an hour, it makes me so sick. Maybe we should use our creativ-ity, or whatever’s left, to write something new.
inaPProPriate seasonal dressStudents, parents, and faculty; it has recently come to my attention that there is a popular, yet deadly trend poisoning our children’s lives and ruining the once respected esteem of our prestigious school. This disease currently has no known cure, and is often caused by a lack in self worth or desire for attention. Signs of infection may include, but are not limited to, short skirts in the dead of winter, basketball shorts in the snow, and the excessive use of Uggs and flip flops as appropriate dress for the season. Maybe in the summer it wouldn’t look so trashy, but in the middle of winter? Short skirts? No thanks. I’m sure most of you are intelligent enough to read the weather report and shouldn’t be mistaking snow clouds for sunshine. And besides, most of you are beautiful enough to grab the attention of your peers year round, and shouldn’t have to sacrifice your warmth and comfort to appeal to those around you. Please cover up and spare yourself the pneumonia.
Brandon Blankenship ‘12Commentary Editor
timelineI know I’ve said this before, but this time I officially give up on Facebook. Going live on December 23. the Timeline will allow users to see everything you’ve posted about your life since the beginning of your birth. Better clean up your account and get out now! Off to Twitter we go!
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Theories about why and how the world will end have spread like wildfire since a single person started contemplating the meaning behind why
the ancient Mayan calendar doesn’t extend past the year 2012. Speculations range from the Mayan calen-dar theory to sun storms, to even the switching of the earth’s magnetic poles, or zombie invasions. America’s media industry in particular is evidence of the recent spike in interest regarding zombies, shown through the new AMC television series “The Walking Dead,” popular video games such as “Plants vs. Zombies” and “Left 4 Dead,” and even books like “The Zombie Survival Guide” by Max Brooks. The world needs to open its eyes to a less entertaining reality, though: a zombie apocalypse is completely feasible.
Toxoplasma gondii (often shortened to T. gondii) is a type of parasite often found in the brains of rats. As part of their life cycle, parasites attach to hosts, which are plants or animals in which a parasite lives for nourishment and reproduction. Normally, the host doesn’t even know the parasite is living within it. T. gondi also uses cats as hosts. In order to get into a cat host for reproduction, T. gondii, as documented by Oxford scientists, alters the brain functions of rats.
Rats are born with the natural instinct to avoid the scent of cats; once infected by this parasite, these natural tendencies are reversed. T. gondii has the ability to rewrite a rat’s behavior and lead it toward the smell of cats and ultimately to its death. The rat is then eaten and the parasite is happily within a cat host. So what does this have to do with a zombie apocalypse?
Fifty percent of the human race is a carrier of T. gondii. Rats are very similar to humans in regard to cell structure; that’s why scientists test drugs meant for humans on rats. Studies published in Oxford Journals have linked humans carrying T. gondii with having a higher probability of developing schizophre-nia and having slower reaction times.
Slower reaction times are reminiscent of the stum-
bling and shuffling of zombies, while schizophrenia is known to drive people to do dangerous, bestial actions. Pair the two together, and the image is pretty close to what has been established as a zombie.
Charles Darwin’s theory of sur-vival of the fittest plays a role as well. All organisms on earth are slowly evolving because only the stron-gest sur-vive, as Darwin’s theory states.
This can mean those most resistant to disease or those with the most intellect will survive, not necessarily those with the most brute strength. The T. gondii parasites that sur-vive are the ones that can successfully steer the rat they inhabit toward its demise. Humans aren’t mind-lessly stumbling around yet, but what will happen as T. gondii evolves further and only parasites that can successfully override its victim’s brain survives? Flip a coin; fifty percent of the population will be a survivor, and fifty percent will be a zombie.
TheZombieApocalypse!
BizarreAdvertisements,Anyone?For anyone that has watched TV, been online,
or listened to the radio in the last couple years, it is apparent that various companies’
marketing strategies have changed drastically and are becoming weirder and weirder by the day. As if the Doritos samurai wasn’t enough, companies have found other iconic crazies like the insane Target lady, talking animals, and the MacGruber of Dr. Pepper. Granted, they’re funny beyond belief, but with advancements like DVR and TiVo, we have the ability to skip those annoying ads and get right
back to our programs. In response, these companies must grab our attention in mere seconds to prevent being skipped. They do this through their flashy ads and controversial slogans such as Dr. Pepper’s “It’s not for women!” which would grab the attention of millions in seconds, enabling them to create a desire for the product to turn a profit. As a matter of fact, they’re winning right now as you read this article! Now who wants an ice cold Dr. Pepper? Anyone?
COMMENTARY
Erinn Fecteau ‘13Staff Writer
Brandon Blankenship ‘12Commentary Editor
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LIGHTS, CAMERA
PERFORM!
FHS is known for its acclaimed performing arts department. Among the students who are involved, some have chosen to further their hobby outside of school.These performers have dedicated their time to work towards their ambitions. Some of these students even say that they are thinking about pursuing it as a career.
-William Shakespeare
-Paul McCartney
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PERFORM!
“I do an annual Chistmas concert called the advent concert. I’ve doing it for about four years. I plan on going to college for music.” -Becca Welke ‘12
“Well, I’ve been singing in shows with the Washington National Opera for the past 3 years now, and it definitely has been one of the best experiences of my life! I got to perform at the Kennedy Center-which was always something I wanted to do, and I got to work alongside some of the best people in the opera world. It was such a professional experience-it was basically my job! The best part about it was getting paid for doing something that I absolutely love to do! Opera is something I most definitely see myself pursuing in the future, however I also love performing musical theatre and straight theatre as well.” -Emily Ennis ‘14
“ I haven't committed to anything, I'm still considering all my options.I performed in the play Hollywood Screams, at the Venice Theatre (Florida). I played the role of Allan, the quirky, smart-alec narrator-friend of the protagonist, who breaks the fourth wall (talking to the audience) to make hilarious comments about the current scene. My favorite parts of the process (and these are pretty much the same for any production I do) would probably be getting to work with some fantastic people.” -Doug Klain, ‘15
“I’m in a community orchestra, church orchestra and I’ve been playing in quartets for non-profit events for about seven years. I’m planning on going into music as my career as a music major. I started with the family quartet be-cause there’s three of us and my dad is on the piano. After that I got recruited into the church quartet as a teen.” -Kirsten William ‘13
“I work with KMT [Kids Musical Theatre] and the CFTC [City of Fairfax Community Theatre Company,]. At KMT I was recently in “Seussical the Musical,” and I was a “Who” and a lion.” -Carly Hobson, ‘14
Emily and her friend getting ready for a concert. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Ennis.
Carly as “who” performing “Seus-sical the Musical”. Photo courtesy of Carly Hobson
Kirsten practicing her violin. Photo courtesy of Kirsten Williams.
Photo by of Jessica Miers.
Doug acting as Allan. Photo courtesy of Doug Klain.
14 Jessica Miers ‘13 and Erich Greenfield ‘14Business Manager and Managing Editor & Staff Writer
Starting on Dec. 23, students will have a week off from school and homework to spend time with friends and enjoy family traditions during the holiday season.
Fairfax High School is made up of a highly diverse community with students from many different cultures, religions, and backgrounds; so it’s no surprise that there
are many different holiday traditions that are cel-ebrated at this time of year. While most students cel-ebrate with Christmas trees, presents, and stockings, some FHS families have established their own special ways of celebrat-ing the holiday season.
Junior Angela Amat-yleon said, “I’m Peruvian so we celebrate Christ-mas on the 24th and have a midnight dinner. We spend the entire Christ-mas day at the beach [in
Peru] and work on our tans.” Junior Sidney Yi also shared her family’s different way of
celebrating the holiday; “My family makes over 1,000 hand-made dumplings every year to give to Christmas carolers and friends,” she said.
Holiday celebrations don’t always have to come from a certain culture or religion. For sophomore Kelly Anderson, some traditions may originate from family events that occur each year. “We always eat dinner around 4 p.m so at 8 p.m we all get hungry. We always go out for tacos and every single year my grandmother falls asleep in her food,” she said.
Some students like Anderson have also established their own interesting family traditions. Junior George Maxfield said, “Every year my entire family gathers at my grandparent’s house to eat curry made from leftover Thanksgiving turkey and exchange secret Santa presents.”
Even some FHS teachers have their own way of celebrating the holiday season through distinct school traditions. The “chemistree,” as dubbed by students in Catherine Williams’ advanced placement chemistry classes, is a yearly holiday tradition where chemistry stu-dents use glassware and test tubes filled with food coloring to make a decorative tree. A bunsen burner is lighted and placed on top of the tree on certain occasions. The tradition has been around since Wil-liams has been teaching at FHS. She leaves it up to her AP chemistry students to build the tree however they want. Williams said,“It gets better every year.”
Whether it’s a day at the beach, 1,000 homemade dumplings, Christmas trees or chemistrees, there are so many different ways to celebrate the holidays. No matter how students choose to celebrate during the school and homework-free break, Principal Dave Goldfarb said, “Winter break should be focused on being with families and friends.” Photo by Jessica Miers
Students Cherish Holiday Traditions
Photo courtesy of Sidney Yi
Photo courtesy of Sidney Yi
Retail Workers Face The Holiday Rush
15
FEATURES
It’s the holiday season and without a doubt shoppers are busier than ever, but what about the people who have to work during this hectic season? Although Christmas
isn’t really about the gifts-- it is, and it causes people to rush around trying to find the perfect thing. Retail workers from FHS share their holiday work experiences.
Senior Allie Kelly, employee at Abercrombie, said, “Working in the mall can be crazy sometimes, especially during the holiday season.” Kelly on average works three to four times a week, totalling as many as 15 hours a week during the holiday season. “The mall during any other time of the year is slow and typically quiet, but going into the mall on a Tuesday is basically like going into the mall on a Saturday! And going to the mall on a Saturday is insane.”
Kelly said, “In Abercrombie, and I’m sure in other stores too, we have a rule where we only allow one customer in the dressing room at a time and I saw an older woman and her daughter (mind you, the daughter was about 16, per-fectly capable of changing herself) went inside the dressing room and my manager told me to say something so I went up and told her very politely and she turned and looked at me and said ‘I am her mother!!!!’ and slammed the door; they aren't kidding when they say you can face some pretty aggressive shoppers.”
The mall isn’t the only place the holiday shopping rush
occurs. Senior Zainab Niazi works at Homegoods and said, “It's always busy at Home-goods, but during the holiday season it's worse because people are getting a lot more things, and in a rush.” Niazi, similar to Kelly, works 15-20 hours a week, and sometimes she evens works more than that if she picks up other people’s shifts. “The store is also open longer, so sometimes I end up staying until 11 or 11:30,” Niazi said.
“A lot of people hold off on holiday shopping so they try to buy stuff as fast as possible and basically clear out our shelves,” Niazi said, “people also bring their kids, grandkids, cousins, adopted children and foster children and the kids just tear the place apart!” Although working at Homegoods is hectic during the holiday season and Christ-mas music has been playing throughout the store since November, Niazi admits she enjoys working at Homegoods because all the shoppers are in the “holiday spirit.”
Elizabeth Fulmer ‘12Art Director
PuppiesLightentheMoodatGMU
GiftThis!
Photo courtesy of Richard Kelsey
16
Melting Bookshelf Clock How much does it cost?
$14.99
Where can it be found?
www.perpetualkid.com
Be timely and interesting all at the same time!
Animal HandsHow much does it cost?
$9.00
Where can it be found?www.pier1.com
Tired of sock puppets? Try Animal Hands instead! These tattoos will make you
the coolest kid on the block.
Stress CupcakeHow much does it cost?$3.99
Where can it be found? www.uncommongoods.com
What better way to get rid of stress than through a cupcake?!
SunstacheHow much does it cost?$8
Where can it be found?www.urbanoutfitters.com
These stylish glasses add flair to any outfit!
The holidays are a stressful time. Buying gifts for others can be a major headache, especially if you are con-fused on what to buy. Have no fear! This guide will help you find the perfect gifts that are not only unique but useful as well.
Suha Khandker ‘13Staff Writer
Nikki Strickland ‘13Features Editor
Barking could be heard around the George Mason University Law School campus on Dec. 1 this year. As the crucial exam time began at the school, A Forever Home—a Chantilly-based rescue center brought
15 puppies to play with the students and relieve some of their stress.Law school is notably one of the harder education courses, and during
exam time, stress runs high. This tactic of de-stressing appeared to be very successful with the students. Assistant Dean and professor at GMU, Richard Kelsey said, “The law students loved the event. They turned out early to wait for the puppies.”
Not only did the event prove beneficial for the students, but it also promot-ed the rescue center. “The rescue center, A Forever Home, was grateful for the opportunity to bring the puppies by,” said Kelsey, “the love showered on them by students will make them friendlier and happy dogs. In addition, as it turns out, the media attention has helped them to place more puppies in good homes, and by so doing they made room to save more puppies.” Some of the puppy lovers who attended the event even took one home with them, including Kelsey. “So moved by the event was I, that I did adopt a puppy,” he said.
Students at Fairfax High School think this is a great idea. “Puppies are adorable,” junior Ava Hassas said, “It will help keep our minds off things.” If this event could be recreated at high schools and other colleges, not only could stu-dent moral go up, but adoption rates would undoubtedly rise.
All in all, the event turned out to be a huge success. “I loved an opportunity to meet and play with the puppies. I also really enjoyed watching our law students unwind,” said Kelsey, “It was a very gratifying and rewarding day for me personally.”
Photos courtesy of www.pier1.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.uncommongoods.com, and www.perpetualkid.com.
WhereToFindTheBestStealsAndDeals
17
FEATURES
Rachel Tran ‘13News Editor
Photos courtesy of pinkberry.jpg, kiwifrozenyogurt.net, en.wikipedia.org, savingwithshellie.com, v3im.com, and blogs.villagevoice.com.
Sweet Frog vs. Pinkberry
Though the weather is growing colder, frozen yogurt still remains a popular treat among students. “I enjoy getting frozen yogurt because it’s a healthy alternative to ice cream,” said sophomore Neddie Byron. Two places that are often crowded with sweet-toothed consumers
are Sweet Frog, located in Chantilly, and Pinkberry, found at Fairfax Corner. There are many dif-ferences between the two places, and some traits are deemed better than others by some students.
“There is a wider selection of flavors at Sweet Frog and the toppings are unlimited. I also like how there isn’t a set cup size and you can get as much or little [frozen yogurt] as you want,” said junior Katie Taube. Since the yogurt at Sweet Frog is self-serve, the prices are determined
by the weight of the cup at thirty-nine cents per pound.On the other hand, Pinkberry has a small, medium, and large cup size with set prices,
ranging from $2.50 to $5.50. There is also an additional one dollar charge for toppings. Nev-ertheless, some students still prefer Pinkberry because of its quality and taste. “[Pinkberry] is always coming out with new and tastier flavors. The yogurt is so rich too; it’s definitely better than any other place,” said junior Lilly Vo.
Qdoba vs. Chipotle
There has been much debate about these two rival restaurants; many students argued that one place has better prices, taste, and nutrition over the other. Qdoba Mexican Grill opened its store this past summer in Fairfax and since then, it has been a common
eatery with Fairfax High School students.“I go there almost once a week…I never get tired of it,” said ju-
nior Courtney Phillips. Not only do they offer buy one, get one free meal on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m., but Qdoba is now offering a rewards card (through free sign-up) which grants a free entrée after accumulating 1000 points, equivalent to the purchase of ten entrees. Chipotle, on the other hand, has the oc-casional buy one, get one free burrito deal, but overall rarely offers special promotions.
Potbelly vs. Subway
The $5 footlong has been around since 2008, but with the rise in popularity in Potbelly, there has been heated competition between the two sandwich shops. This month, Subway is offering their usual $5 footlongs as well as their newly featured Western Egg & Cheese sandwich. In addition to the special sale, Subway is also convenient
and healthy, according to some students. Junior Jo Coenen said, “It’s the easiest way to get food when you are hungry and
tired after [track] practice.” He jokingly added, “It doesn’t go straight to your thighs.” Also a loyal customer of Subway, junior Molly Weaver said, “You can eat it and it fills you up without the guilt of eating something unhealthy.”
Potbelly started as a small, antique Chicago sand-wich shop in 1977 and since then has slowly evolved into an international franchise. This winter holiday, for every $25 giftcard that is purchased, Potbelly is award-ing a free sandwich. Other than the promotions that the store has, another factor that influences the students’ attraction to the restaurant is the overall environment. Junior Megan Huynh prefers to eat at Potbelly because “the employees are really spirited, and the decorum and atmosphere are Chicago-styled.”
High school students, especially those without a job, are eating out less often in order to save money for presents. During this season, however, more promotions and sales are offered to consumers. This is especially true for casual restaurants, which currently offer buy one-get one free, and free entree with a giftcard purchase, deals.
As a result, consumers are able to take advantage of the sales, and still save money that could potentially be used on presents. Here are a few promotions and steals that are available during this holiday season.
August
Katy Perry breaks records with “Last Friday Night”, the fifth single from her Teenage Dream album to reach num-
ber one.
Virginia experiences a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, and the tremors were felt all over the East Coast. The National Catherdral in Washington D.C. sus-tained damage to three of its four
spires.
March
A 9.1 magnitude earthquake hits Japan, creating a devastat-
ing tsunami. Nuclear power plants along the coast declare
emergencies.
Rebecca Black’s “Friday” video
hits the in-ternet and becomes an instant viral
sensation.
January
Arab Spring protests in the Middle East and North Africa
escalate.
The Charlie Sheen meltdown begins and “tiger blood” be-
comes a catch phrase.
Photo courtesy of voiceseducation.org
February
Egyptian President Hosini Mubarak resigns after there
are continued protests calling for him to step down.
The King’s Speech
wins four Oscars.
The Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl XLV.
Photo courtesy of people.com
July
Casey Anthony is found not guilty for killing her two-year-old daughter Caylee.
The final Harry Potter movie is released.
September
Fairfax High School has the larg-est entering freshman class in
the history of the school.
The Occupy Wall Street protests begin on September 17.
Fairfax experiences severe flood-ing after around ten inches of
rain fell in 24 hours.
Photo courtesy of contactmusic.com
Photo courtesy of eindider.wordpress.com
Photo courtesy of fairfaxtimes.com
Photo courtesy of people.com
May
Osama bin Laden is killed by
Seal Team 6 in his home in
Pakistan.
The series finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show airs after 25
seasons.
October
Fairfax triumphs over Thomas Jefferson in the Homecoming
game.
Muammar Gaddafi, leader of Libya, was killed as a part of the ongoing uprisings in the
Arab world.
The Cardinals win the World Series.
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, dies one day
after the release of iPhone 4S with Siri.
December
Herman Cain “suspends” his presidential campaign after sexual harrassment
allegations.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta declares the war in Iraq officially
over.
April
Congress narrowly avoids a government shutdown, coming to a budget agreement an hour
before deadline.
Prince William and Catherine Middleton mar-ry at Westmin-
ster Abbey, in the first
British Royal Wedding
since 1986.
June
Apple announces their new cloud computing service,
iCloud.
22 year old Rory McIlroy is the youngest winner of the U.S.
Open since 1923.
November
Former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry San-dusky is charged
with multiple sexual assualts against young
boys. Head foot-ball coach Joe Pa-
terno and University President Graham Spanier are forced
to resign.
Fairfax Cheerleading places sec-ond in the State Championship at Virginia Commonwealth Univer-
sity.
Year In Review2011 saw many highs and lows. Local and worldwide natural disasters were on the minds of
students, as well as stories in entertainment. Katy Perry ruled the year’s music charts, with 5 number one singles, all from her album Teenage Dream, and Rebecca Black was inescapable.
The world also saw multiple political upheavals. The widespread Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa brought about assassinations of former leaders and elections of new leaders. The Occupy Wall Street protests continue to incite questioning of U.S. government leaders and corpora-tions. The new year promises to bring further change, with the presidential election and the poten-tial apocalypse.
Emily Stone ‘12Editor-in-Chief
Photo courtesy of cydiahelp.com
Photo courtesy of jesus-foryouth.com
Photo courtesy of chicagonow.com
Photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.com
Photo courtesy of time.com
Photo courtesy of obssessedwithsports.com
20
FEATURES
Students Stand Out at FairfaxFairfax High School embodies many different people and personalities. There are “the athletes,” “the drama kids,”
and “the nerds,” all part of one high school community, and all rebels. These three students, however, stood out and achieved something worth mentioning. Patrick Moore— the guitar player, Allison Garris— the soccer player,
and Steven Gillen— the science guy, share their unique stories and what makes them newsworthy.
Steven Gillen
Patrick Moore Allison Garris
Guitar player, singer, piano player, drummer, band member— there’s hardly anything in the music world Patrick Moore doesn’t do.
Moore loves music because, “It’s my way of escape and expression. It just works for me and it comes easily.” Some of his favorite types of music are psy-chedelic, indie, and classics like the Grateful Dead and the Beatles. Currently, Moore is playing in a band called The Sisco Kids.
Before coming to Fairfax, Moore attended David-son Fine Arts in Augusta, Georgia, a school dedi-cated to drama, music, and art. “It was my favorite school,” he said. Moore enjoyed going to Davidson Fine Arts because it was a much smaller school than
Fairfax, and “everyone knew each other and we were all into the same things.” It is also dif-ferent from Fairfax because it is more centered around students who enjoy the fine arts, as opposed to Fairfax’s wider selec-tion of courses.
Moore hopes to pursue a career in music. Music is a very selective profession, but Moore said he still believes he has a chance. “I want to make it big— start a revolution with music. It'd be really cool to expand people’s minds through music,” he said.
Junior Allison Garris commit-ted to George Mason University for a partial soccer scholarship
the second week of the school year. While some seniors do not even know where they are going to go to college, or what they are going to do after they graduate, this junior already has a plan.
Garris has been playing soccer her whole life, and has been working for, and looking forward to, being re-cruited by GMU since she was four, she said. She plays for three different soccer teams: the FHS team, a club team named the Phoenix, and a Super Y team called NovaFC. During the spring high school season, Garris practices every day, and out of season she practices three days a week, she said.
“It's definitely a lot of work being recruited, it isn’t some-thing that just falls in your lap,” said Garris. “It's a lot of sending coaches emails and waiting for them to come watch you play, so it is a lengthy process.”
Now that she has committed, Garris can focus on keep-ing her GPA where it needs to be, and improve her soc-cer skills even more. She said, “It feels like I have a huge weight of my shoulders but at the same time there is also a ton of pressure on me to keep up with soccer and aca-demics.” Garris was offered a partial scholarship that will increase based on her performance each year. “The day I committed to Mason was honestly one of the best days of my life.”
In the 2011 science fair, Steven Gillen and his partner Atif Javed won the grand prize for their project in which they created a three dimensional body armor. Today, Steven is still working with patent lawyers and interested companies, which Gillen could not name, to sell
this product. According to Gillen, their body armor science fair project has been proven more efficient and effective than the body armor currently used by the United States military. Part of what makes it more effective is that it is multi-layered. “It’s a three dimensional de-sign as opposed to two dimensional, and uses ceramic plates,” Gillen said, “It is designed to take multiple hits and still maintain the structure.” For these reasons and others, Gillen said, “It performs 400 percent better [than those that the military currently uses].” Gillen’s work is still in the patent pending process, having six different patents necessary. He is also working with his own theory for the body armor, “the compression and oscillation theory,” which he said “allows kinetic energy to move through the whole plate. The military’s [armor] can’t do that.”
Nikki Strickland ‘13Features Editor
SPORTS
22
RebelsChallengedEarly
Above: Fairfax Students antici-pate a foul shot.Below: Robinson’s Robert Pil-low makes a move on Fairfax junior Zack Burnett
All photos courtesy of Da-kota James Photography
Fairfax junior Salim Col-lins tries to keep posession against tight Robinson defense. The Rebels only scored 46 points in the game.
With the promise of a new season, a new coach, and a new offensive system also come growing pains. The Fairfax High
School boys basketball team seems to be going through some of their own as they have started the year with one win and four losses.
Coach Mike Barbee and his squad have run into a couple tough teams in their first few games, namely the two other schools in Fairfax, Woodson High school and Robinson Secondary School. The outcomes weren’t always pretty.
In the Rebels second game, a well-attended game at Woodson High School, Fairfax faced Barbee’s former team and their raucous fan base. In the Cavalier’s tiny gym, fans might have been squeezed too close for comfort, but the score was not. The Rebel offense struggled through the first half, but started to trim the Woodson lead in the third quarter, before finally losing by 23.
A week later they played another school with close ties to Fairfax, Centreville High School. A game that started slow, with only 24 points scored in the whole first half, ended in an intense two-point overtime victory by the Wildcats.
The Rebels’ finally won in their first Liberty District game, another close match against Marshall High School. Senior for-ward Kris Kostadinov stood out with 18 points, as Fairfax won by four on the road, 54-50. The District win technically puts the Rebels in third place for the time being, despite having the worst overall record in the Liberty.
The Robinson game, Fairfax’s home-opener ended in the most lopsided score on the season, 71-48 Robinson. The Rebels are in another road stretch now, as they faced Thomas Jeffer-son Tuesday, and are headed to Westfield High for the Bulldog Bash over winter break.
Walker Carlson ‘13Sports Editor
22
NOVAClassicReturnstoFHS
RuleChangeAllowsOffseasonPractice
Every athlete has the opportunity to shine, and the Fairfax High School varsity wrestling team took on the challenge at this year’s NOVA Classic. Being
one of the biggest wrestling tournaments of the year, as the teams began to stride into Patrick Laing Fieldhouse at Fairfax, the nerves began to kick in.
All Rebel wrestlers were present at the classic, but only varsity members would take part in the event. Freshman, and JV wrestler, Ruben Torrico said that, “even though I didn’t participate I enjoyed every minute of it, and I am looking forward to being able to partake next year.”
Senior and varsity wrestling member, Nick Lowstuter said, “the classic was intense.” Which leads to the sadden-ing news that he may no longer wrestle until he is cleared by a doctor for an unspecified injury. However, Lowstuter is optimistic when he says, “I hope to get back on the mat soon.” Especially since Lowstuter was the only member of the team that placed in the Classic by placing 6th in his 106 weight class.
Having lost a member of the team, for now, the varsity wrestling team finished 29th, out of 32 teams, overall; while Fauquier High School came in first, and there were two champions that came out of the Liberty District; James Madison’s Robert Dooley in the 120 lb class, and Thomas Jefferson’s Patrick O’Connor in the 195 lb.
This not being the best they could have done, Fairfax
looks forward to the future and improving and hoping to finish off strong. Having 14 competitions left in the season, the wrestling team has just enough time to do so, and they’ll start off in their next match on Dec. 21 at Woodson High School.
Natalia Colon ‘12Staff Writer
A James Madison High School wrestler gets tossed at the 2011 Wrestling Classic at Fairfax High School. Photo courtesy of Laramie Hoagland
Although winter sports just started, a few spring sports teams have already begun preparing their athletes. The baseball and softball teams started
before-school conditioning sessions at the beginning of December. This is allowed under the new part VHSL off season practice policies.
Athletic Director, Ms. Nancy Melnick says “Kids can now go and get extra help with coaches.” She thinks that it’s a great way for kids to learn life skills because “they’ll
have to manage their time better.” The softball conditioning sessions last from 5:45 am to
6:45 am. The conditioning sessions are categorized under two different days. There are the yellow days and the green days. The yellow days consist of exercises that focus on conditioning and strengthening. The green days focus on skills such as batting, throwing, and infield and outfield practice. Baseball conditioning sessions take place from 5am to 6:45am every Thursday.
Senior Tiffany Balbuena thinks that the conditioning improves the team’s skills and helps new players; especial-ly those who don’t have experience playing softball. She says “it makes the team have dedication to the sport that we’ve never had before.”
Softball coach Matt Hoffert says “I hope they get a taste of what to expect at tryouts, and I hope they get good enough at the basics of the game that we don’t have to re-teach once our actual practices begin. It’s also nice to meet and interact with the players before tryouts, just so my coaching staff and I can get to know them a little better.”
Suha Khandker ‘13Staff Writer
SPORTS
23
NFLPlayoffsComingUpAs Fairfax High School’s winter sports started
to heat up in December, the National Football League’s regular season had a full head of steam,
as it is coming closer and closer to the playoffs. With teams in a frenzy to get into position for a spot in the postseason, big stories began to break left and right. From Timmy Tremendous’ magic in Denver to Aar-on Rodgers leading the Packers in what has become one of the historic franchise’s best seasons ever, the month was full of some momentous, game-changing events and some truly bizarre ones. Below are two of the stories that will be shaping the rest of the season.
Walker Carlson ‘13Sports Editor
Tebow’sMile-HighMiracles
Tim Tebow: Quarterback, Trendsetter, Miracle-Worker. Photo courtesy of DenverPost.com
DoubtsinPackerland?
The NFL playoffs are coming up, but the most interesting story as the regular season winds down may come from a team that no one believes will go
very far in the postseason; NFL fans and commentators were enthralled by Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow’s statistic-defying win streak, whether they were fans of the man or not. Just looking at Tebow’s passing stats, he’s one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. The offense is averaging barely over 15 points a game with Tebow starting, but even so, the Broncos have a 7-2 record with him, and he’s led five fourth quarter come-back wins in that stretch.
However, there could be a few reasonable explana-tions for this seemingly illogical situation: The Broncos
have actually been led by their defense (they’ve been holding teams under 15 points in most games), the Broncos have just been playing bad teams (only three of the eight teams they played were over .500), the Broncos are in the middle of a fluky, crazy, lucky stretch that is bound to come to an end sometime soon, or as Saturday Night Live suggested, Jesus really is on Tebow’s side.
A week ago, it seemed like the Green Bay Packers were well on their way to becoming the third NFL team all time to finish the regular season with a
perfect record, and were a favorite to win the Super Bowl as well. Today, their Super Bowl hopes aren’t gone, but their perfect season is, as they lost 19-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs, a team that fired their head coach last week, were the last team that the Packers should have lost to in their final three games of the season.
Aaron Rodgers, who was thought to be having one of the greatest seasons of all time, was held by the Chiefs
defense to season-lows in almost every major statistical passing category. Hurt by the loss of Rodgers’ number one downfield threat, Greg Jennings, and their number one running back, the Packers offense didn’t score in the first half. It was their first loss in almost exactly one year, and the 19 games they won in between were the second longest winning streak in NFL history.
But as Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said after-ward, the undefeated season was really “just gravy.” The real goal, of course, is another Super Bowl victory.
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