IInformiing the Atoms ssince 19954

ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA 22003

theA WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 703-642-4229

6 10-1110-11In-DepthIn-Depth exposes the humiliating episodes that serve as the student body’s most embarrassing moments.

Atoms adjust to crowded campus

BY KELLY MCGAREY

Co-Editor in Chief

After a grueling month of repentance and fasting, senior Salma Mohammad was elated when September 20 finally arrived. Mohammad, like hundreds of other AHS students, is a practicing Muslim who recently celebrated Eid, the three-day holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

“On the first day of Eid my family and I went to the mosque, attended a sermon and prayed the Eid prayer in congregation,” said Mohammad. “Afterwards we went to an Eid festival.”

This special time, which Mohammad describes as a period of “joy, happiness, festivity, and a time of truth and unity,” came after four weeks of self-deprecation which most people would see as a challenging endeavor. “Every morning in Ramadan I would wake up at around 4:00 a.m., eat breakfast, pray and then nearly 14 hours later, when the sun sets on the horizon, I could eat again,” she said, describing her routine. Despite its chal-lenges, Mohammad viewed Ramadan not as a solemn time of atonement, but as an opportunity to grow as a person. “Fasting has taught me patience, discipline, and piety,” she said. Mohammad also added that, “Ramadan is not just about fasting; it is more about repentance, giving charity, and becoming a better worshipper.”

A week after Ramadan’s conclusion, and the start

“Religious holidays” continued on page 5.

Home for the Holy Days

BY CHARLES SIMPSON

Co-Editor in Chief

When the final bell rings at the end of each day, doors swing open and classrooms hemorrhage students into the halls. Students flood the building, pouring down the staircases, and colliding into one another before tumbling out the doors into the blazing two o’clock sun. This is the result of overcrowding.

The 2,650 students at AHS, including the largest freshmen class in AHS history along with faculty and staff, have experienced several problems related to overcrowding.

The most common complaint among students regarding over-crowding is overburdened lunch lines.

“They are far too long and upset me deeply,” said sophomore Tyler Miller. With a limited time to spend eating lunch, increased time spent waiting in a lunch line aggravates many AHS students.

“I have to wait like half an hour,” said senior Zack Robinson in regards to the lunch lines. “There’s so many freshmen,” he said. He is far from alone in his complaints.

“It takes me 20 minutes to get my lunch, and ten to eat it,” said sophomore Cody Stewart.

“Overcrowding” continued on page 5.

BY BRANDON MITCHNER

Staff Writer

We have all seen the effects of the economic recession that the country has entered; businesses are closing, prices are steadily in-creasing and the housing market is a mess. For the past two years we have been watching and anticipating what the economic downturn will do to the students and staff members here at AHS and now the consequences are apparent. For the first time this year, there will only be one late bus running each week instead of two.

The change may seem small, but the effects can, and will, have an impact on the school. Many students stay after school to get help from teachers or to participate in the various after school clubs that are offered at AHS. While those who can drive, get a ride and walk are not affected, the rest of the AHS student body is limited to only staying after on Wednesday afternoons.

Sophomore Nasiha Rashid participates in after school clubs and, even though she walks home, feels that the bus situation is wrong.

“I think it’s really unreasonable because you have all the clubs meeting on one day and it’s not fair. If you participate in different clubs and they’re meeting all on one day, there is no way you could get to them all,” says Rashid.

“Late buses” continued on page 5.

Late bus days cut

undefeatedundefeated

HealthHealth provides helpful advice on how to store your make-up, and avoid contamination.

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Senior Emma Whitmyre lights a candle during a sabbath dinner that fell on the eve of Rosh Hashannah on Sept. 20.

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AHS’s Jewish and Muslim students celebrate their religious holidays

Students crowd the hallway as they rush to their next classes, using every second of the seven minute break. AHS is now the third largest high school in Fairfax County, the nation’s 12th largest school district.

FCPS budget cuts force administration to eliminate traditional Monday late buses

Tickets for the All Night Grad party will be on sale Oct. 7 at Senior Parent’s Night. This event will be held following gradua-tion on June 17 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Grad Party Tickets on Sale

AHS seniors MC Larme, Kelly McGarey, Charles Simpson and Ben Wilson were named National Merit Commended Scholars based on their PSAT performances.

National Merit Commended Scholars Announced

LifestylesLifestyles examines some of the school’s time-honored senior traditions.

66

Volleyball remainsVolleyball remains

Senior starter Susan Al-Suqi returns a serve during a recent volleyball game. The varsity team remains undefeated with a spotless record of 8-0. See sports for more details.

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ISAnnandale Atoms: 14Annandale Atoms: 14

Oakton Cougars: 27Oakton Cougars: 27

Content is updated daily; check in frequently for the latest news, updates, and information about AHS.

VOLUME #55

22EditorialsEditorials discusses

rumors about Osama Bin Ladin’s death as well as his declining influence on world affairs.

Visit www.thea-blast.org for exclusive video footage of the chorus fundraising

car wash.

Larme McGarey

Simpson Wilson

2 EDITORIALS Sept 30. 2009

Experts argue over the where-abouts of Osama bin Laden, but does it matter?

BY CHARLES SIMPSON

Editor in Chief

A newly released audiotape allegedly recorded by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden criticized the Obama administration’s continued war efforts in Afghanistan, urged a resurgence of jihad in Israel and called for renewed extremist activities against Western governments.

But this jargon has become muted to the Ameri-can ear, and interestingly the debate over whether bin Laden is in fact still alive has caused greater pandemonium among American experts than the content of his recently purported statements.

Some analysts argue that bin Laden broadcasts including videos, audiotapes, and recruitment paraphernalia have been forged since perhaps as early as November 2001.

“The last relatively reliable bin Laden sighting was in late 2001,” said former Central Intelligence Agency operative Robert Baer.

Although since several videos have been re-leased in the eight years since then, many are suspicious about their authenticity. “Some videos show him with a Semitic aquiline nose, while others show him with a shorter, broader one. Next to that, differences between colors and styles of beard are small stuff,” said Angelo Codevilla, a professor of international relations at Boston University.

Experts go further, citing numerous reports of terminal diseases inflicting bin Laden. Several have hypothesized that illnesses including kidney failure, stroke, lung damage and typhoid fever could have caused bin Laden’s death.

Statements that bin Laden is dead, or has been dead for years, are as flimsy as assumptions that he is alive. Fortunately, this is not a quandary that needs immediate answering; while bin Laden’s cur-rent status has been the focus of intense debate, from an operational standpoint whether Osama bin Laden is alive or not is of little consequence. Even if he is not medically dead, he is operation-ally dead.

U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan have successfully forced al Qaeda leadership into paranoid hiding. A disconnected bunker in Wa-ziristan is no place to organize operations, and for over eight years bin Laden and his affiliates have been unable to successfully orchestrate a terror attack against the U.S.

Additionally hindering bin Laden’s capabili-ties are stringent limitations on communication

through traditional means due to the National Security Agency’s astute ears listening to phone calls, focused eyes reading emails and analysts monitoring internet networking. As a result, com-munication from leadership to active cells has become dangerous and even counterproductive toward successfully running a terror operation.

Therefore, a hierarchical chain of command is impractical and dangerous to long-term operational capabilities. Greater connectivity with known al Qaeda leaders causes a greater risk of being identified by intelligence agencies. Thus, cells are increasingly disconnected from central leadership to deepen anonymity. This element, in conjunction with U.S. induced elimination of key al Qaeda leadership, has forced a structural reorganization of al Qaeda on an international scale. Leadership occurs exclusively at the local level with a discon-nect to higher ranking administrators.

Consequently, bin Laden and his formerly high ranking affiliates have essentially become irrelevant.

Illustrating bin Laden’s decline in importance is the 2006 New York Times report by Mark Mazetti that, “the Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants.”

C.I.A. recognized that bin Laden’s potential to in-

voke harm on the U.S. had effectively been hin-dered by 2006 and ended its specific pursuits to locate him. But while bin Laden’s operational effectiveness has become null, his psychological pull is still extremely relevant.

Bin Laden has become a symbol of successful re-sistance to the American behemoth among budding Islamic extremists. He has evaded capture despite numerous attempts to take him or his life. The al-leged $75 billion U.S. intelligence budget has failed to find him. The $200 billion of U.S. expenditures in Afghanistan have not captured the man and he continues to, arguably, release vindictive audio recordings to the world. Thus, whether in body or spirit, he remains a threat to the U.S., although to a lesser degree and in a different fashion than his threat during the late ‘90s.

Bin Laden is now little more than a recruitment tool for al Qaeda and anti-U.S. non-state actors. This is significant enough to warrant a continued effort to locate him or conversely prove his alleged death, but not significant enough to invoke direct, genuine fear among his would-be targets. Bin Lad-en, if not definitively dead, is certainly incapable of orchestrating a major terror attack. In his recent audio tape bin Laden claimed Obama is “power-less,” but perhaps in this instance the “b” should in fact be smudged and replaced with an “s”.

ImpersonationImpersonation

A man from Louisiana was caught impersonating a police officer when he pulled over Cedric Glover, the mayor of Shreveport.

Rule: Have a fast getaway car.

After having been kicked out of a party for smoking meth, a man from Salt Lake City returned with a sword he stole from the neighbors yard to threaten the host.

Rule: Don’t go to a party if you think you’ll need a sword.

Facebook once again makes headlines, as a man stopped to check his Facebook while stealing two diamond rings from a house in WV, leaving the page open on his accout.

Rule: Be a smart theif and take the computer with you.

the

Editors In Chief: Kelly McGarey Charles Simpson Managing Editor: Nathalie Spita

Editorials Editors: August McCarthy Hope Stadulis

News Editors: Erin Johnson Ndidi Obasi In-Depth Editors: Emily Fruchterman Aishwarya Venkat

Sports Editors: Alley Adcock David Hookey

Sports Xtra Editors: Kelsey Knoche Katie Vu

People Editors: Victoria Deible Cassady Keller

Weekend Editors: Annika Jessen Jennifer Oakes

International Editors: Annie Curran Jeff Shim

Entertainment Editors: Helena Belay Brenna O’Neil

Lifestyles Editors: Kelly O’Brien Maggie Craig

Health Editors: Erin George Kelsey Price

Photography Editors: Mariah Pollet

Ad Manager: Emma Barker Manal Elhak

Circulation Manager: Rachel Coulter

Art Editors: Jane Aman

Academics Editors: Jennifer Allshouse Gessica Azzam

Copy Editor: Mary Anne Kavjian

Online Staff: Connor Goolrick, Zulay Huma Adeel Shams,

Video Staff: Greg Nielsen, Logan Miller, Stephen Craig, Andy Craig, Bob Stevens, Micheal Ejigu, Michael Lazar

Staff Writers/Photographers: Carly Bouchard, Nicole Contrino, Hila Ghorzang, Daniela Guevera, Kristen Hennessey, Hila Haidari, Mirian Jaradat, Walleed Karimullah, Stephenie Kyeremeh, Elizabeth Marcois, Brandon Mitchener, Julia Moeller, Melissa Purvis, Jerald Sheppard, Christopher Yurko, Lance Miller, Kellie DelSignore, Jake Barnes, Esra Gokturk, Natalie Johnson, Bethany Montgomery, CJ Aftergut, Eric Malzhan

Adviser: Alan Weintraut

Party CrasherParty CrasherMore FacebookMore Facebook

Go to the web! Go to www.thea-blast.org to read more editorials!

Do you think Osama Bin Laden is a

threat?

“His name is more of

the threat. He himself

isn’t that big of a threat. It’s just his

ideals.”

—Kelly Roman

junior

“I think hes a pretty

dangerous threat.”

—Carola Rojas

sophomore

“I thought he was dead.” —Faraz Falakjunior

“I think he’s the manifestation of everyone’s fears of terrorism.”

—Abby Cumminssenior

Staff

The A-Blast is an award winning newspaper that strives to inform, educate and entertain the student body and community. Published every three weeks, The A-Blast will not print any material that is obscene or libelous; or that which substantially disrupts the school day, or invades an individual’s right to privacy. The A-Blast is an independent, open forum for discussion that is printed at the Springfield Plant of The Washington Post. Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or less may be submitted to room 262 or mailed to the school. The A-Blast reserves the right to refuse advertisements. All submissions become property of The A-Blast, Copyright, 2009.

Annandale High School Vol. 55 No.2 (703) 642-42294700 Medford Dr. April 28, 2009 email: theablast@gmail.comAnnandale, Virginia 22003 fax: (703) 642-4299

“Obviously he’s a big enough

threat that he’s needs to be executed.”

—Zach Robinson

senior

“He’s a bad one.”

—Judy Phamsophmore

“He is if he’s in the states, but if he’s up in the mountains he’s not technically a threat.”

—Wally Geigersophmore

“He is definitely dangerous

because he’s a terrorist.”

—Arlene Zavala

freshman

“I think that he presented a threat two years ago, but not anymore.”

—Clare Lazarfreshman

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Bin Laden in the background

Get moving on your college applicationsBY MICHAEL LAZAR

Videographer

Its only the end of September and Seniors are already stressing over their college applications. The senior work load is already bad enough, but add on one of the most important decisions that you will ever make, and we are in for a couple of very long nights.

My advice for fellow seniors is to not wait until the last week to start your applications. Although the beginning of the school year can be busy, the time

period in which most applications are due can be even worse. Applications entail teacher and counselor reccomendations, SAT scores, transcripts, and above all, stellar essays. If you are planning on applying to more than one school, I suggest you begin printing and organizing all of your application materials A.S.A.P. Most applications are due the first week of January, so if you would like to enjoy your holidays, start working!

Just when you think that the stressful days of school are over, you will realize that they’re not! After the applications are in, students will be stuck wondering whether or not their hard work will has paid off, and they will look back and analyze what they could have done differently in order to bet-ter their chances of getting in to college. But have no fear, it will be over soon enough.

Seniors, its time to get going!

3EDITORIALSSept 30. 2009

Boundaries for steroid use in sports need to be more clearly established

BY CHRISTOPHER YURKO

Staff Writer

According to Dictionary.com, a sport is defined as “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess, often of a competi-tive nature, such as as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.” However, when athletes start using unorthodox means to increase their physical prowess, the sport in which they play faces a real challenge.

When illegal drugs are used to enhance an athlete’s physical ability, the entire make-up of a sport changes.

The use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs has for far too long been able to penetrate the deepest levels of many pro-fessional and collegiate sports. In many leagues, including the MLB and NFL, steroid use is prevalent. However, the people in charge of these leagues seem to consistently turn a blind eye to the use of steroids.

Whether it is because they would rather not deal with the hassle or don’t want to expose their league’s greatest athletes as cheaters, they are blatantly ignoring steroid usage.

Steroid usage conflicts directly with what a sport should be: a fair com-petition. Every athlete’s ultimate goal is to achieve the peak point of skill in their sport. Fair competition dictates that besides genes, everyone has the same opportunity to become the best through hard work, practice, dedica-tion and game performance.

When steroids are introduced, the game is no longer fair. Some people have created advantages over their opponents, not by working harder, but by cutting corners.

My personal opinion on the use of steroids is that it must be either com-pletely illegal, so that not a single person, no matter who that person may be, can use them. Or, I believe that if athletes are not going to stop using steroids, all athletes should be given the option of using them; at least that way it will be fair.

Fairness is what dictates my position. It must be fair one way or another: either no steroids, or let everybody use steroids.

A sport’s integrity is undermined when the playing field suddenly becomes unbalanced. It means that if a certain team wins a championship over an-other team, but the winning team all uses steroids, they don’t deserve it. At the same time, steroids and performance-enhancing drugs only increase an athlete’s muscle size and endurance, not necessarily their skills in a specific sport. If an NFL linebacker uses steroids, it will allow him to put more force into his hits, but will not necessarily improve his overall tackling because it has no effect on his form.

Another factor playing into the debate over steroids is how badly they affect the body in the long run. Players who use steroids are far more likely to develop heart problems and also have an increased chance of joint and bone problems. According to Gain-Weight-Muscle-Fast.com, potential side-effects of steroids include, “accelerated male pattern baldness, decreased sex drive, reduced sperm count, breast development, and testicle shrinking.”

If athletes are willing to sacrifice their bodies in order to play well at their sport and potentially become multi-millionaires, they know the consequences. But please, do not make all the fans suffer through the com-pletely bogus promises to stop steroids and the entire ruckus over steroid lists (Major League Baseball), if you are not going to enforce the rules you have laid down.

The truth is, professional leagues do not care very much about their players; the only thing they want is more entertainment, which translates into more money. That is why steroid usage is overlooked in so many sports, because a guy on steroids is entertaining when he is making plays normal humans cannot hope to accomplish.

I believe we have indeed come to a fork in the road, and we must go one way or the other in order to ensure the safety and integrity of sports. We must either embrace and create super humans to perform incredible feats for the entertainment of millions, or fight to preserve the true spirit of human competition.

Go to the web! Go to www.thea-blast.org to read more editorials!

Student entry fees to sports games should be eliminated

BY HOPE STADULIS

Editorial Editor

The final point is scored… and the crowd goes wild! Scratch that, the crowd of ten people cheers quietly. At AHS home games , it’s not often that sports players hear the whooping and hollering of a rambunctious crowd. It’s not that we lack spirit, or talent, but it’s because student fans are unwilling or even unable to pay the entry fee. Field hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis, softball, baseball, and soccer teams have all experienced it: games without student supporters on the sidelines to cheer them on. It’s obvious that a change needs to be made.

“It’s rare that we have over twenty people sit-ting on the bleachers at our home games,” says varsity volleyball captain Sonya Inderbitzen, “and most of the time they are parents or even there for the other team.”

The athletic department should reduce or elimi-nate entry fees for students to all games outside of the glorified sports of basketball and varsity foot-ball. In this time of economic struggle, reducing sports game entrance fees for students that show AHS identification upon entry would bolster stu-dent attendance to sports games. A cheaper ticket price would entice students to watch their friends play, even if they only had a few minutes because they would not be wasting money.

Director of Student Activities Angelo Helios says, “We can’t afford to reduce the prices of tick-ets because although the money we raise through tickets only accounts for less than 20% of our athletic funds, we need as much money as we can get to pay for uniforms since Fairfax county doesn’t provide for them.”

Based on my mediocre math skills, decreasing ticket prices for students would actually make more profit: ten students paying $1 to see a soc-cer game would amount to more than one student paying $5. On top of the money made through students, the school would continue to receive money from dedicated parents, who would pay the original, fixed price.

Have you ever ventured to a sports game at another high school? W.T. Woodson high offers

free tickets to its students for athletic games and fan attendance there is drastically greater.

“The crowd was jam-packed at the Woodson vol-leyball game, and there were students everywhere! It was awesome because I got in to the game free by showing them my AHS sweatshirt,” said senior Marquis Perez.

As an athlete that plays the less popular sports of volleyball and tennis, I am tired of committing my time to my sports and not getting to show many people the results of my hard work. It’s frustrating to look into the bleachers and see that the opposing team has more fans than our team does. It’s even

worse when I ask my friends to come and receive the dreaded but typical response, “I don’t want to pay $5 to go to your volleyball game! I have other things to do that don’t cost me any money!”

As Obama says, its time for change. Four quar-ters should be all the change a student needs to get into a sports game. By minimizing the ticket pric-ing for students attending sports games, our school would reap the benefits. More confident sports teams, increase in school spirit, greater profit for the school as a whole: all of these improvements due to a small increase in pricing.

Small change would fill the stands

Steroid use needs to be specified

“Paying is overrated.

I always sneak in.”

—Peter Phamsenior

“It would definitely be a hook to the

games.”

—Liam McGhee

junior

“Yes, price does matter in these situations.” —Tyler Jacksonjunior

“I would for sure. This is the recession we’re talking about. I don’t have that much money to spend!!”

—Joe Turner

senior

“I am glad I already get in for free because I’m a student trainer. ”

—AJ Mccaffertyjunior

“Yes, that would mean

less money out of my pocket.”

—Lindsey Suver

sophmore

“Yes, to support my schoolmates.”

—Arely Aquilasophmore

Would you go to more sports games

if ticket prices were reduced?

ATTENTION STUDENTS:If total attendance increases by 2%, Principal Ponton has agreed to sleep on the roof.This is not a joke.

President favors liberal mediaObama should work harder to appeal to both political parties

BY AUGUST MCCARTHY

Editorial Editor

The road to having a bipartisan government, where Democrats and Republicans work side-by-side is clearly not in the near future. It seems as if President Obama and the members of Congress announce everyday, that bipartisan cooperation is needed in order for things to get accomplished. And yet, the days go by, and we still have no bipartisan solution for social security, the national debt, im-migration and, not to mention, health care.

I do applaud President Obama on his efforts to reach the American people by appearing on five Sunday news programs. Obama has appeared with Jay Leno, David Letterman, and on CBS’s “60 Minutes”. But among all of the talk shows and late night laughs, the White House has excluded Fox News.

Along with ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN, the President chose to appear on Univision’s “Al Punto, con Jorge Ramos.” Fox was less than pleased with this decision. “We figured Fox would rather show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ than broadcast an honest discussion about health insurance reform,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told ABC News. Fox aired the program on September 9, in-stead of the president’s speech to the joint session of Congress. Chris Wallace, anchor of Fox News Sunday responded on a Fox program saying, “They are the biggest bunch of crybabies I have dealt with in my 30 years in Washington.”

The chance that many people actually heard those words is unlikely, as Fox does not typically reach the liberal audience. The bigger issue is how many people are aware that Fox now seems to have a minor league status with the White House. After continuous speeches about how to unite Washington, the Presidents’ actions seem to follow a different path.

House Republican Leader John Boehner and other GOP leaders had written a letter to the

White House back in May asking the administra-tion to sit down and come up with a way to solve health care issues. The party still has not been invited to the White House to resolve this issue, as we are currently are stuck in a political feud.

What message does this send to conservatives? Aapparently, there is less bipartisanship than we think. If the President wants members of Congress to work together, he needs to do a little more than waste all of his time talking to the media. The American people watching their TV’s on Sunday mornings are not the ones trying to formulate a new health care system.

Just before his presidential debut in December, 80% of Americans believed the President could work with the opposition. That number has been decreasing ever since, and now only 60% believe he is making a sincere effort to work with the op-position, according to the Gallup Poll.

Albeit Fox has a conservative reputation when reporting the news, but if the president expects to reach all audiences, he should reconsider who he leaves off the VIP list.

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It is not uncommon for spectators to be sparsely spread throughout the bleachers at AHS home games.

4 Sept. 30, 2009NEWS

Freshly elected officers for class of ’13

Parents go back to school for a night

The Crucible comes to AHS

T h e b i g g e s t c l a s s a t A H S elects leaders to represent them for the school year

BY NDIDI OBASI

News Editor

Freshmen elections were held on Thursday, September 24th during R5 Flex.

With freshmen voting online for the first time this year, the class of ’13 elected Bryan Jefferson as President, Olivia Franjie as Vice President, Ashley Lok as secretary, Nardos Assefa as Treasurer, and Brody El-Achi, Noah Fitzgerel, Jenny Jessen, and Andrea Melendez as Senators. All freshmen were asked to stay in their classrooms while each candidate came on the school television station to argue their case for why they are the best possible candidate for the job.

“I liked how they each went one by one on T.V. instead of live, so that way they wouldn’t get nervous,” said freshman Zareen Samey when asked what she felt about the elections process.

While waiting for the speeches to appear on the screen, freshman Laura Hackfeld ran through what she was looking for in her ideal candidates. “I’m looking for someone who’s honest and hard working. They need to live up to what [they say] they’ll do.”

Freshman Sammy Wubshet also voiced a similar opinion. “ He or she has to have a lot of leadership

qualities.”Once every candidate took their turn expressing

their desire to be elected, the freshmen were given times in which they could go online during school and vote. Since voting was done through Blackboard, students could even vote from the comfort of their own home.

Freshman Abbey Barnes enjoyed just how simple it was to voice her opinion. “It was great! I like that it’s so easy to just go online anywhere at anytime and vote.”

Freshman Patricia Moriba also agreed, saying “It was much easier to vote online instead of on paper.”

Freshman Corrine Balicki, however, was not a fan of the online process saying, “I didn’t like how long it took to vote.”

With voting for new leaders for the freshmen class out of the way, the Student Government Association can now look ahead to the upcoming events on the calendar for the year. Having already heard of many of these events, several freshmen cannot wait for the fun to begin.

When asked what SGA event she was most excited for, Moriba exclaimed, “Homecoming! From what I hear it sounds like it will be a fun, great experience.”

Freshman Jeremy Osorio felt differently. “[I’m most looking forward to] pep rallies, because I hear they’re really fun.”

Being the biggest freshmen class to grace the halls of AHS also means that everyone has big expectations. Freshman Albert Ankran wants more “Spirit! Wear those shirts every Friday!”

Teachers get a one-on-one opportunity to meet with parents

BY CJ AFTERGUT

Staff Writer

“Tonight, you have the oppor-tunity to meet some of the most dedicated, hard working, and caring professionals that FCPS has to of-fer…the teachers of Annandale High School! This is our chance to make a good first impression on all of you,” said Principal John Ponton as he wel-comed the parents of AHS students to begin Back to School Night.

During this annual event, which was held on Sept. 23, parents are the ones who get the roam the halls, meet their children’s teachers, and learn about what is going on at AHS. The evening began at 6 p.m. with a series of information stations set up in the main gym. Many of AHS’s 44 extracurricular clubs and organiza-tions, including DECA, STAND for Conscience, and the Green Atoms, were represented with tables set up throughout the room. At these tables, parents could pick up information concerning the club or group and talk to its sponsor or leaders. At 7 p.m., the tables were cleared as hundreds of AHS parents poured into the gymnasium to find a seat in the bleachers. Once most people had settled in, Ponton introduced the Annandale Men’s Chorale, which

performed two songs as a welcome to the parents. Then, Ponton extended his own greetings and made a short speech in which he introduced his ad-ministrative team and described the many achievements, both academic and athletic, that occurred within AHS over the past year. Upon closing he wished everyone another successful year and intro-duced some special guests, including

state delegate Vivian Watts and Ma-son District supervisor Penny Gross, each of whom gave a short speech. Parents were then sent out in search of their children’s classrooms as they walked through their stu-dents’ schedules from R1 to W8, spending ten minutes in each class Students stationed throughout the halls pointed parents in the right direction and helped them find their

way from one class to the next. Once in class parents often signed-in with their student’s teachers and then listened intently as the teach-ers described themselves, the cur-riculum, and their past experiences teaching. Some teachers even set up PowerPoint slide shows to help with their presentations. Many teachers also encouraged parents to check Blackboard regularly in order to keep track of homework and other work assigned throughout the year. At the end of the last period, a short video by AHS alumni Alex Barker was shown to the parents. It included pictures of different AHS students and organizations to highlight our cultural diversity and lasting bonds. Once the night was over, many parents and teachers looked optimis-tically upon the event. One such parent, Anne Moore, said, “I always find that at Back to School Night at AHS the teachers and administrators are enthusiastic and really know their subjects. I am pleased to know that this is the kind of school my child attends.” “It’s great to make contact with parents,” said Spanish teacher Carin Frank. Algebra teacher Bruce Fisher had a similar outlook on Back to School Night. “I try to leave the most positive impression possible. I want parents to leave feeling confident that their child is in the right class.”

Auditions for the fall play were held this week

BY ERIN JOHNSON

News Editor

Auditions for the fall play, The Crucible, a historical thriller written by Arthur Miller, were held on Monday and Tuesday this week.

The play is about the Salem Witch Trials dur-ing 1692. A young servant of the Proctor house, by the name of Abigail Williams falls madly in love with her employer, John Proctor.

However, because he is already married, Abigail decides to accuse his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, of being involved in witchcraft.

Sophomore Paulina Stehr says, “It’s really dark for high school, but I think it’ll be fun [for] the tech.” The technology department has a big part in putting to-gether this play as well. “It takes a lot of training, focus and enthusiasm,” says junior Yaritza Pacheco.

The tech department works behind, or rather in front of, the plays display. They work with the lights, sound effects and so much more. It is their job to keep the show running smoothly. Senior Amanda Fouche says, “Organization is the key to a successful show for tech.”

To have a good show one must have a lot of patience and time on their hands. “You have to love what you’re doing”, says junior Molly Sgrecci.

This particular choice, different from previ-ous, is a lot darker than would be expected.

Drama teacher George Bennett explains, “We have a lot of strong females. Its very excit-ing, the accusations of witchcraft and voodoo.”

Carter’s decision was also influenced because it is required reading junior year. Bennett en-courages everyone to try out for this suspense

thriller. Call backs and script readings will be

held tomorrow. When asked about the auditions, Bennet says, “I need a really strong actress for the role of Abigail Williams.”

The leading lady, playing Abigail, will need to be a sweet girl with a deadly dark side. Ben-nett is hoping to find a forceful, aggressive and extremely convincing actress to play her role.

Senior Michelle Kinzer says, “I’m probably going to tryout for the lead role.”

Kinzer recently played the lead role of Maria for the Sound of Music, in the spring play.

There are also fifteen to seventeen other speaking roles and many non-speaking roles for those interested in taking a smaller role. Although Bennett is new to AHS, he is not new to Fairfax County.

Before coming here, he worked for three years as a drama teacher; one year at Robert E. Lee High School, and two years at Plymouth Hills.

He applauds former drama teacher Vicki Far-rish’s teaching skills and organization. For this rea-son he has decided that this year, he will not change a

thing. “Everything [was] wonderful the way Ms.

Farrish had it,” says Bennet. He says that in the future years he may

make a few adjustments, but for this year he is making minimal changes for the seniors sake.

Bennett began his own acting career at the young age of eleven, and pursued it happily for fifteen years as a professional actor and director. After his long and successful career, he became a teacher, hoping to inspire other teenagers to pursue a career in theater.

He continues, “I want to share that fun with all the guys here.”

Additional reporting by Nicole Contrino and Rebecca Malzahn.Sophomore Paulina Stehr waits backstage to audition for the fall

play, The Crucible.

Freshmen Hamid Saadlla and Andres Machado take time out of their C Lunch to vote for the class of ’13 SGA officers.

You have to love what you “

—Molly Sgreccijunior”

Judy Fisher, Math teacher, goes over the curriculum for her Pre-IB Algebra 2 class with her students’ parents.

NEWS BRIEFS

The STAND for Conscience club will be holding

their first meeting today, September 30th, at 2:15 p.m.

in Room 265. Students in this

STAND organize and educate

their peers, and fundraiser for

civilian protection.

Interest Meeting for STAND

PSAT Testing on Oct. 14Students

in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade will be taking the PSAT test on

Wednesday, October 14. Seniors will not come to school on this day. All students who wish to obtain their test results must pay a $17 fee. Stu-dents on free and reduced lunch must pay $9. Payments can be made in the Cafeteria during all lunch periods from Oct. 1 through Oct. 13. Please make checks payable to Annandale High School.

Annandale’s student run Apple Federal Credit Union bank, the Atom Branch, will open its doors for the first

time this school year today, Sept. 30. Through this bank, you can make deposits and withdrawals, open checking and savings ac-counts, and much more. Operation hours are all white day lunches except for on Mondays.

The Atom Branch opens today

Jewish Culture Club begins

The Jewish Culture Club will meet for the first time

this year on Wednesday,

October 7 from 2:15 to 3:00 in

room 203. Food and drinks will be served, and they will be discuss-

ing future plans for the upcoming year. Those attending are asked to

bring in food items to share with everyone.

The National Day on Writing will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2009.

On this day, everybody is encouraged to submit any form of literary work, such as a poem, short story, haiku, novel, or even text message.

Anyone throughout the nation, even students, parents, and teachers are invited to write and submit a piece of work that they feel has meaning to them, or that would shed light on something important to them that they want the nation to know.

This day was created as a way of celebrating the everyday practice of writing.

Whether it be through e-mail, or old fashioned pen and paper, everyone across the world writes.

There are several ways that people can get involved.

Anyone interested can start a local gallery, contribute their own original piece of writing, or simply visit one of the many events that will be held in honor of this celebration nationwide.

For further details, you can visit the official website at:

www.ncte.org/dayonwriting.

The National Day on Writing

The Class of 2011 will be having a car wash on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations are much

appreciated. The funds raised will go towards homecoming float supplies and a down payment on the venue for prom.

Class of ’11 Car Wash

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By: Ndidi Obasi News Editor

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“Overcrowding” continued from page 1An additional effect of overcrowding has been

the increased proliferation of trailers and classroom quads outside of the main AHS building. Fortunately, the general consensus among teachers is positive in regards to the expansive new group of trailers.

“I actually like the trailers,” said math teacher Virginia Long “The chalkboards run across the trailer so the students can sit closer… [It has a] very good heating system [and] brand new desks,” she said.

Math teacher Jim Evans agrees with Long’s as-sessment, now entering his second year in a trailer classroom.

“It’s quiet,” he said. “They did a better job of soundproofing these,” he said. “It’s easy to regulate the temperature. The big-gest hassle is getting into the school after hours,” he said. The math teachers are accumulated into a single quad of four classrooms, helping them to collaborate and keeping the collective noise levels to a minimum.

The last potential problem presented by over-crowding is perhaps the most significant: oversized and overburdened class sizes. But the school admin-istration was able to aptly project the size of this year’s student body and hire the required number of teachers to accommodate for the large number of students.

“Our projected enrollment was 2697 and our actual enrollment is about 2650. We have enough staffing to cover our projection, so we have very few over-crowded classes,” said director of student services Steve Sengstack.

The average class size is roughly 25 students to one teacher. Some classes however, number over 30 students per one teacher.

“Initially I was really shocked about the numbers,” said IB Anthropology teacher Holly Miller who has two 32 student classes, one 31 student class, and one

30 student class. “My biggest concern is just the grad-ing,” she said. “It’ll take me a longer time to get the papers back just [because of] the volume of papers.”

Additionally, she points out that in larger classes, “there may be more pressure to get distracted,” but also recognizes that “in larger classes there’s more opportunity for discussion… more ideas get passed around.”

Teachers in such circumstances can request a cap on the number of students permitted in a class prior to the start of each year.

“Caps are determined by considering the num-ber of requests, the desired student-teacher ratio

and the staffing given to the school by FCPS [Fairfax County Public Schools]. Within reason, we like to try to make sure that every student at Annandale gets to take the courses he [or] she needs and wants when they are requested in the spring. Once we have cre-ated enough sections to accommodate all of the

requests, caps are set,” said Sengstack.More trailers have helped to reduce class sizes by

providing more floor space and rooms for teachers, but the current rezoning of boundaries will not alleviate class sizes. Boundary changes will remove students from AHS, thus reducing overflow in the halls and cutting lunch lines, but not reducing class size.

“Losing students will not affect class size because our allocated staffing will be reduced proportionate-ly… The boundary changes are not being proposed to reduce class size, but rather to reduce over crowding in the school,” said Sengstack.

The school is operating at its maximum capacity. The number of students and staff crammed into the half-mile perimeter of the AHS main building is at a peak. And yet, students and staff have adapted and continue to teach effectively and efficiently. Over-crowding, for now, seems manageable.

“Late buses” continued from page 1Most clubs try to accommodate their members

by meeting on a late bus day, and with only one, many clubs may try and to meet Wednesday, which could possibly cause an overflow on the after school bus. In turn, this may cause students to drop out of some of their clubs.

“It wouldn’t be fair to students if they had made plans for an after school club and they had to bail for something else because of conflicting days or schedules,” said freshman Addy Bramson.

However, not everyone is too worried about their clubs’ membership declining, including English teacher Amy Graham, co-sponsor for STAND.

“Because we will be competing for days to meet, I could see our membership declining; however because STAND meets just once a month, and for a cause centered on world justice, my hope is that our membership will prioritize and stay committed. However, I think that during SOLs when depart-ments are running after school remediation, it could be difficult. If we start losing membership, that’s a hurdle we’ll cross when we reach it, because we really believe in the heart behind our organization,” said Graham.

While students and club sponsors may be able to cope with this situation, those in need of academic help are still in a sticky situation. Teachers stay after school to provide extra help and for absent students to chance to make up their work. Guidance counselor Linda Wheeler had a lot to say about the impact this could have on academics.

“I think it will be more difficult for students to get the help they need after school, and perhaps

they will be less able to stay after school because they don’t have a ride after school. I think even though the county tried to make cutbacks, this will have more of a negative impact unless teachers utilize Flex for remediation,” said Wheeler.

The situation has brought the deepest concern to Principal John Ponton, who has even looked into providing a second late bus day for the students. According to Ponton, the county pays for the seven buses run on Wednesdays, and to pay for the ad-ditional seven buses on Monday with school funds, which would cost $300 a day.

“The Monday late bus day is one of the ef-

fects of the budget cuts authorized by the school board. As we get toward the end of the first and second quarter, we’ll pay for an extra day, and to-ward SOLs we’ll pay for the extra day every week until SOLs are over. This situation has a greater negative impact on our school than any other school in the county,” said Ponton.

Even through these tough times, AHS admin-istration is doing everything in their power to provide the necessary resources the students need to excel. Whether we have one late bus day or two, students will need to do all they can to keep giving their best.

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Go to the WebTo read daily news stories!

NEWS BRIEFS

Ask The Principal:Daily routines and working in

education!

John Ponton

Q: What do you do daily, as a principal?

A: “Generally speaking, most of my time is spent listening to concerns or suggestions, resolving problems, and making decisions. When I’m not in the office, I try to be as visible as possible in the halls, cafeteria, and at bus duty.”

Q: Why did you decide to work in education?

A: “I enjoyed working with kids as a camp counselor when I was in high school and I was inspired by many of my own teachers growing up.“

Q: What advice would you give to a student who was thinking about working in education?

A: “It’s the most rewarding job a person can have. Plus, you get the summer off!”

Losing students will not affect class size.

Steve SengstackDirector of Student Services

“”

Former Spanish teacher dies

HolidaysReligions work alongside each other at AHS

“Religious Holidays” continued from page 1of their new year, AHS’s Jewish population

began their own fast. Yom Kippur, known as the ‘Day of Atonement’ for the Jewish people, fell on September 28. Junior Lillian Singer was among the handful of AHS students who chose to observe the holiday in the traditional fashion: a full day without food or drink.

“Fasting on Yom Kippur is difficult, be-cause there have been years when I am the only one in my family who chose to fast,” said Singer. “It takes support from those you spend your time with during Yom Kippur to ignore the hunger, and I definitely have a healthy appetite, so it’s always a challenge.”

However, the day culminates with the Oneg, a traditional feast which many, like Singer, look forward to during the fast. “My family traditionally feasts before and after, so [it] is not as difficult,” she said. “We always eat together as a family, but we try to spend time with other Jewish families during Yom Kippur to take our minds off the hunger and focus on Judaism.”

Although these two religions are known for their historical conflicts, divisions are much less pronounced at AHS. Thanks to the rich diversity of our student population, students of different faiths are able to coex-ist in harmony. When asked if she had any words of advice for her Jewish classmates, who fasted in observance of the September 28 celebration holiday of Yom Kippur, Moham-mad recommended, “drinking plenty of water and having a nutritious meal that includes lots of protein.” She also wished her Jewish classmates luck, saying, “to all my Jewish friends, Tzom Kal, have an easy fast.”

It’s Academic’s initial taping

The It’s Academic competition on Sept. 26 present-ed an atmosphere that any sports enthusiast would be comfortable in, with ribbon-clad cheerleaders rep-resenting their schools and proud parents cheering their children on in the stands. The contest’s real focal point, however, was on knowledge more than manual dexterity; specifically trivia, which It’s Academic has been highlighting for forty-nine years.

The end score of the game left Woodson in the lead with 655 points, Annandale with 465, and Lake Braddock in last with 330. On the bus ride back, Bui reflected on their results. “I’m happy that we came in second because we knew we weren’t going to beat Woodson, because they’re amazing, but I’m glad we improved our placing from last year.”

On the air since 1961, It’s Academic holds a Guin-ness World Record for longest-running quiz show, and has featured some pretty notable competitors including Michael Chabon, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, Bruce Cohen, the Oscar-winning producer of American Beauty and Donald E. Graham, the chair-man and CEO of The Washington Post Company. Actress Sandra Bullock has appeared on the show as a cheerleader, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was an alternate for her high school team on the Chicago version in 1965, which aired on WNBQ. Mac McGarry has been the host for the show’s entire on-air history.

The show, which airs on NBC4 in Washington, D.C., features three local high school teams consist-ing of three players from the D.C. metropolitan area, Baltimore metropolitan area and Central Virginia region, and is composed of five rounds. Each regional winner goes on to compete in the It’s Academic Super Bowl.

The effects of overcrowding

Recession impacts bus schedule

Q: Who is the host of It’s Academic?Q: Who is on the AHS

It’s Academic team?

A: Christina Bui, Kidist Kitema,

and Scott Fulton.

Q: Where can I watch It’s Academic?

A: It’s Academic airs on local NBC4 in Washington DC.

Students will no longer be able to take the late bus on Mondays, which could cause a decline in the number of students participating in school sponsored clubs and club scheduling conflicts.

BY KATIE MASTERS

Staff Writer

The It’s Academic team second place against Lake Braddock and Woodson

Former AHS Spanish teacher Elizabeth “Betty Ann” Gilmore died at the age of 84 last month of pneumonia. Gilmore taught at AHS for 20 years from 1967-1987.

Current Spanish teacher Debbie Estes remembers her as helpful and very passionate about her work.

“She loved the Spanish language, and she created a desire in me to learn Spanish,” says Estes.

Estes came back to teach at AHS, transitioning from a student to a co-worker of Gilmore. “I was very comfortable going to her and asking for help. She was always willing to help me in any way that she could,” says Estes. “She was part of the reason why I became a Spanish teacher.”

Others remember her as an accommodating and interesting teacher. Varsity field hockey and lacrosse coach Cindy Hook, a former student, was in Gilmore’s Spanish one and three classes.

“She made the class very fun. It was the first time I’d ever taken a foreign language, and she was very patient with us,” says Hook.

Hook also returned to AHS to coach and teach alongside Gilmore. “It was fun to come back and see her. I would want to call her Mrs. Gilmore, and everyone would say ‘Oh no, you can call her by her first name,’” says Hook.

After retiring as a teacher, Gilmore worked at the National Gallery of Art as a Spanish-speaking docent. She is remembered as a dedicated teacher, who gave much time and effort to teaching.

“I really enjoyed being in her class,” said Estes.

Gilmore is survived by her three children and three grandchildren.

–Erin Johnson News Editor

A: Mac McGarry has been the host of It’s Academic for the show’s entire on-air history.

On Saturday’s competition, Annandale com-peted against fellow Patriot District schools W.T. Woodson and Lake Braddock. Representing the team were senior Christina Bui, and juniors Kidist Kitema and Scott Fulton. On the bus ride there, all exuded nervousness about the upcoming com-petition. “We’re going against the two best teams in the district,” said Bui. “We’ve played against Lake Braddock before, and they’ve always won, and we’ve scrimmaged against Woodson and they’ve won.”

Fulton agrees, “It will be hard because those teams are better, they did better last year.”

She also expresses her confidence in her team-mates. “Scott’s like an erudite when it comes to history. He’s really good at it. He knows all his Civil War facts, and the presidents. Christina is also really good at this because she’s had experience

through three to four years of high school.”The competition itself was like a high-stakes

game of ping-pong between the teams and the presenter. As the conundrums were offered, the teams quickly rang in, often before the question had been stated in its entirety. Each player is given a monitor, Jeopardy-style, which allows them to view the question, though on certain rounds it is not presented, forcing careful attention to the moderator. Points are awarded for each correct answer, either ten or twenty according to the round, and wrong answers are penalized with the removal of points.

“I’m upset that it’s my last year to compete,” she admitted, “but I know that next year we’ll do even better.” And in terms of importance, as any high school team knows, improving is all you can ask for.

Q: When can I watch

AHS on It’s Academic?

A: Oct. 17 at 11:00 P.M.

6 Sept. 30, 2009LIFESTYLES

Sen10r SpiritBY KELLY O’BRIEN

Lifestyle editor

Painted faces, red and white class t-shirts, cow bells, blow horns and spirted fans are all aspects expected to take part at AHS football games. The student section is filled with excited fans, ready to cheer on their classmates. When looking through the crowd one can not help but notice the group of shirtless boys and covered in paint leading the rest in cheers.

At every home football game, a group of five male seniors stand together, each with one letter of the word “Atoms” painted on his chest. The presence of this group of crowd pleasers, affectionately known as “the Atoms Boys,” has become a tradition at AHS.

The “Atoms Boys” are responsible not only for getting the crowd pumped, but for instilling confidence in the players on the field as well. The boys are constantly chanting and encouraging their fellow classmates. “I like that they come and support me. It feels good to know that my friends and classmates are behind me,” senior varsity football player Nick Choung said, “When I am playing I know when I do something good because the crowd goes crazy and the atoms boys run in front of the bleachers cheering.”

Members of the varsity football team enjoy having the support of the fans. “I think the Atoms Boys really get the crowd pumped. They’re really enthusiastic,” senior Marquis Perez said, “Hearing the crowd cheering gets me ready to play.”

A few of the boys previously played football but could not make the commit-ment to continue. Being one of the Atoms Boys makes them feel that they are still part of the team. “I didn’t have time to play football and keep my grades up in school,” senior Daniel Blasser said, “I think being an Atoms Boy still keeps me involved in the sport even though I am not on the field.”

Each boy has their own favorite “ritual” or cheer to preform at the game. “I think my favorite part about being an Atoms Boy is starting the chants,”

senior Nathan Clayton said, “My favorite one is when there isn’t much time left in the game and we start yelling ‘start the bus’ and shake our keys.”

Junior Nathan Seeto thinks AHS is lucky to have these spirited boys. “I think the Atoms Boys are really fun to have at the football games. I don’t know of any other school that has such dedicated fans like we have. The guys still go shirtless even when it is freezing outside,” Seeto said.

Before the home games, AHS students gather in the parking and get ready. Students are excited when they get involved in the spirit of painting the Atoms Boys chests. “The last few games I was one of the girls who got to paint on the guys stomachs,” senior Caroline England said. “I painted Daniel [Blasser] who was the ‘T’ and August [McCarthy] who was the ‘A’.”

Teachers at AHS agree that the boys are definitely a necessary aspect to have at the home games. “They boys take it to the extreme to excite the rest of the student body,” Athletic director Angelo Helios said.

The Atoms Boys do not only show spirit at the football games, but they also support the ladies. Recently the girls Varsity Volleyball team had their “Dig Pink” tournament and were cheered on by another group of boys who decided to take on the “Atoms Boys” title. “It was really different having the boys there,” head volleyball coach Jennifer Hall said. “The gym was packed and the girls really enjoyed having the support.” One of the spirited boys, senior Joe Turner, wanted to show his Atom pride for another team.

“I have a lot of friends on the volleyball team and I wanted to come out and show them my support,” Turner said.

Underclassmen are excited for their turn to carry on this tradition and are already contemplating who will be the next Atoms Boys. “I think Nate Miller, Lance Miller, MattChiappane, Andrew Pack, and Dave Hookey would make great Atoms Boys next year,” junior Andy Craig said, “they all are loud and can get pretty crazy.”

No matter who carries on this tradition, students are appreciative of the dedicated fans that help keep the spirit of AHS sports alive.

Seniors continue traditionsClass of 2010 decorates the C-Train, paints the chimney, and dresses up the courtyard

BY MAGGIE CRAIG

Lifestyles editor With the school year finally settling in, and

students getting back into the school routine, the senior class of 2010 becomes used to roam-ing the hallways as the “top of the food chain.” “Senior year is what everyone looks forward to since their freshman year,” senior Rachel Gallogly said. “Knowing that you’re at the top and about to graduate is the best feeling.” With the anticipa-tion of the perks this upcoming year, seniors start off their last year full throttle.

Along with those feelings come many traditions that have been a part of Annandale for countless years. One of these traditions is the painting of the “C-Train”, the dumpster located next to the senior parking lot. “Painting the C-Train is a great way to start off our last year together,” senior class Vice President Andrea Quezada said. Students gathered within the last few weeks of summer to paint the valued C-Train. The tough part: agreeing on what to paint on the walls.

“We wanted everyone’s input so our whole class can feel like they had their own contribution to it, so we made a Facebook group where seniors could post their own ideas,” Quezada said. With much thought and creativity, the class of 2010 produced the saying “TENatious, compeTENt, omnipoTENt and inTENse.” “Each word has our graduating number somewhere in it so we thought it was cre-ative and unique.” Although the C-Train is only half painted at this point, student government hopes to complete is soon. “Its kind of plain so we’re planning on adding a lot more color to the other side,” Quezada said.

With recent vandalism to the uncompleted side of the dumpster from the previous senior class, students are eager to make sure their mark is rightly displayed. “I think it was pretty low and disrespectful for the previous seniors to do that, they had their time, so now they need to leave high school and let us have our year,” Quezada said. Senior officers also decorated the classic “Senior

Chimney,” where the words “Feel the intensity” are displayed down the side. “The chimney is great because its coming off the top of the building so everyone can see,” Gallogly said.

Another popular senior tradition has been hand-painting “senior t-shirts.” Caroline England and friends made multiple t-shirts they wear to football games to show their senior spirit. “One of the shirts we made has the Kenny Chesney lyrics to his song ‘Young’ on the back,” England said. “We also made one that says ‘Seniorella, respect your royalty’. I like that best ‘cause it’s original, but my favorite one says ‘seniors baby’ with ‘peace out’ on the back, I ripped the idea off my sisters old senior shirt.”

Another senior bonus is being able to eat in the “senior courtyard.” The courtyard located down the ramp, serves as a haven for the seniors to escape to from the noisy cafeteria. “I hope a lot of people use the courtyard this year.” Senior

Nathan Clayton said. “It’s a good privilege to give to the seniors so we can escape from the crowed cafeteria that we’ve eaten in for the past three years.”

“I really hope all of these traditions help bring our class together for the final year,” Gallogly said. “Especially now we need to show a lot of spirit since we’re the head of the school. Without a good senior class the school spirit isn’t all there, mainly at the football games.” Many seniors agree with Gallogly, seniors are hopeful that spirit as well as attendance will go up. “I want everyone to bond over our last year and come together as a class since this is the final year we will all be together,” England said, “and I really hope we have a great beach week!”

What is your favorite way to display school

spirit?“I always show my

school spirit by having tie-

day Fridays where I wear a new tie on

every Friday.”—Seth

Ellingstonsenior

My favorite way to show spirit is by getting the crowd pumped at the football games by be-ing one of the “Atoms Boys.”

—Stephen Novak senior

I love support-ing our teams

by cheerleading for them at the

games. I feel like I really help get the

people in the stands excited for the game.”

—Ashlyn Nisker

sophomore

“I wear red and white on Fridays and I partcipate in a lot of after school activ-

ites. I love the Atoms.”

—Boris Mewborn

freshman

“My way of showing my school spirit is by co-manag-ing the varisty boys basket-ball team and participating in leadership.”

—Eunice T’Chawi

senior

“I love being able to wear my students jerseys that play football on Friday’s to show my Atoms spirit.” —Bonnie Vining English teacher

Senior officers and students came together and painted the C-train within the last weeks few weeks of summer.

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With the help of the administration, senior class officers climbed on top of the school to paint the chimney.

Seniors made their mark in the senior courtyard by displaying their class year.

Dear Jane,

My friend and I have a com-pulsive shopping issue. If something is on sale, although we don’t need to, .....WE BUY IT! We have tried using techniques, but nothing has worked. Please help us and our bank accounts!

—The crying credit cards

Credit cards,

I think that your problem is one that many can identify with, or at least fathom. I’ve found that a very effective way to budget your money and to save yourself from an impulse buy is to simply use cash. Cards, whether they are debit or credit, can give the illu-sion of money, even when there is none. Taking excessive amounts of cash can also encourage im-pulse buys. I suggest that when you go to the mall, or even out on the weekend, you take exactly as much cash as you need. Also, if you are going shopping, take an inventory of your closet and write down what you need. That will make your trips more purposeful and will give you less incentive to browse. Finally, remember: just because you are buying something on sale, does not mean it was a good buy if its utterly unnecessary. Good luck!

Janecomplain2jane@gmail.com

AHS students pump up the intensity at the football game

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Complain Complain to Jane to Jane

By Jane AmanBy Jane AmanAdvice Column

7ADVERTISEMENTSept. 30, 2009

8 Sept. 30, 2009HEALTH

The right time to tossA timeline for when to get rid of those old cosmetics, lurking in your bathroom

Snack attackIngredients:

• 3 Multi-grain english muffi ns• 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese• 3 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese• 2 tsp olive oil• 1/4 cup tomato sauce.

Directions:

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. This is the optimal temperature for pizza crust that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

STEP 2: Slice the english muffins in half and place on a flat cookie sheet. You may want to use butter or a non-stick spray to keep the pizzas from sticking.

STEP 3: Put one tablespoon of tomato sauce on each muffin. Tomatoes contain a chemical called lycopene that helps protect against cancer.

STEP 4: Sprinkle 1/8 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, preferably non-fat, on top of the tomato sauce.

STEP 5: Drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil over top of each muffin.

STEP 6: Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until muffin is crisp.

Serving Size: 3 slicesNutritional Information: 390 calories

Some classrooms in the school are freezing. However, it is those humid and sticky ones that really cause the yearning for an ice cold bottle of water. A healthy habit to get into is bringing a water bottle to school. Now a days, there is a wide variety of metal and eco-friendly bottles that keep your water cool all day.

Many teachers actually support bringing water to class, despite the no food and drink rules currently in place throughout AHS. Pediatri-cians who contribute to Kidshealth.org recommend that every adolescent should drink at least 64 ounces of water per day, the equivalent of four bottles of water. Since this is the minimum, athletes who are working out daily should consume more than four bottles. If you are one of those people who substitute juice drinks or soda in place of water, you are not getting the nutrients that you need. Many caffinated drinks like coffee are diuretics, which cause you to go to the bathroom more, meaning that you actually lose more water.

Although there isn’t a substitute for drinking pure water, there are ways to drink more water without the plain taste. If you want to add flavor into your water there are many low calorie powdered drink mixes, such as Crystal Light and Propel that come in small packets and can be poured into a water bottle. Lemon and lime juice can also be added to water to give it an extra kick.

Now that the weather is cooling down it can become easy to forget to drink water. This, however, can be worse for your body than you might think. Your body needs water to dissolve vitamins B and C so that your system can absorb them. If you are not drinking water, the vitamins pass right through your system without any benefits.

Water has zero calories, doesn’t leave a bad after taste, and prevents dark circles under the eyes. So, pop open a bottle and drink up!

Abs of steel in fi ve easy steps

Step One: Lie on a hard surface with your back flat on the floor. Place your hands at your sides. You may want to slide a towel or thin padding underneath your head and tailbone for more comfort.

Step Two: Maintaining this alignment of your spine, place your feet together so that your ankles are touching. In this position, slowly begin to lift your legs into the air.

Step Three: Raise your legs up until they form a ninety degree angle with the floor. If you are not quite flexible enough, only lift until you feel a gentle stretching of your hamstrings.

Step Four: Gently lower your legs back down, being careful not to let them touch the ground. This move benefits your core muscles and will help tighten your abdomen.

Step Five: Without allowing your feet to touch the ground, sweep your legs in an outward motion, away from one another and hold this pose for three to five seconds. Pull your legs back together and repeat steps one through five.

TOOTHBRUSHES actually possess millions of bacteria. An unhealthy mouth has recently been linked to heart disease, infections, stroke and arthritis. It is suggested that your toothbrush be placed in the dishwasher once a week to kill off bacteria. It should also be stored in a dry location, as moist and damp areas allow bacteria to multiply. Replace your toothbrush every three months to keep your teeth squeaky clean.

FACIAL CLEANSERS and toners need to be replaced every six months. Usually, if you use a product once or twice a day, you will run out sooner than this. However, if you use multiple facial products to keep skin clear, make sure that you are aware of the time of purchase. All of these products, including Neutrogena, Clean & Clear and Aveeno, contain fatty acids. Fatty acids are used as energy in cells and go bad fairly quickly, which may alter the effectiveness of the product you are using.

LIQUID FOUNDATIONS and eyeliner should last for up to one year, as long as you don’t touch them. Your fingers contain oils and bacteria that can ruin most make-ups. For the same reason that you avoid touching your face during the day, you should avoid touching your make-up. Wash hands thoroughly before applying make-up and apply liquid foundation with a sponge to avoid contamination.

POWDER FOUNDATION, eye shadows, and eye pencils usually do not contain any water and therefore last much longer than other cosmetics. With eye pencils, routinely sharpen each pencil to provide a fresh surface. Apply powder foundations with clean, dry brushes to keep skin clear of bacteria. Many wet the tip of eye shadow applicators because they claim that it helps the make-up stay on longer. Instead, buy an eye shadow primer, apply it with a sponge, and then put on eye shadow with a clean brush.

3 Months

RAZORS are the most important toiletry item to replace frequently for both men and women. Every time you shave, you cut tiny holes into the surface of your skin. While these cuts are typically not deep enough to cause bleeding, they provide bacteria with an opening to enter into your body. Dull razors also don’t give you a close enough shave to last more than a few days. If you are using a disposable razor, a good way to tell if it is time for a replacement is to look at the moisture strip. If it has changed color or rubbed off, then a new razor is needed.

6 Months 9 Months 12 Months

Italian invasion of the English muffinsBy Erin George and Kelsey PriceBy Erin George and Kelsey Price

Helpful Health Tips

HealthyHealthyHabitsHabits

Products that have more than one use, such as LIP GLOSS that can be used as a blush, need to be replaced after six months. The applicators of these products are exposed to multiple skin surfaces and different bacteria. For example, if you use one product as an eye liner and lip pencil interchangeably, bacteria from your eyes are transferred to your lips and, eventually, your mouth. Make sure that you clean the tip of applicators like these after each use to limit bacteria transfer.

BY ERIN GEORGE AND KELSEY PRICE

Health Editors

It is important to replace tubes of MASCARA after three months of daily use. Many are unaware that everyone has little mites, known as demodicid, which live all along the eyelash follicles and skin surfaces. These mites, along with other harmful bacteria, come into contact with your applicator stem every time you use your mascara. The tube then harbors the bacteria, which can cause eye infections if not routinely replaced.

A month ago, Nancy Bock challenged Fairfax County’s Family and Consumer Science’s (FACS) Program to bring awareness to Clean Hands Week. Clean Hands Week, which was the week of September 19th – 25th, was designed to get students to wash their hands and keep germs at bay. The county is taking new steps to sanitize and prevent swine flu and other diseases. Chef Gloninger of the AHS Culinary Arts Department spent weeks finding a company that could help to achieve this goal. AHS is the first and only high school in the county who took the initiative and accepted this challenge. Angela Savage and Sandra Phillips of Water Journey Hands2GO, donated over 250 bottles of their non-alcoholic, earth friendly hand-sanitizer to the AHS staff. Gloninger hopes that the donations of hand sanitizer will help raise awareness about the importance of clean hands during the upcoming flu season. All staff members at AHS are thankful to Hands2GO for their generous donation.

––By Rachel Bergen and Alexa LaffertyStaff Writers

For more information about this story, visit www.thea-blast.org

AHS receives hand sanitizer donation

Water water everywhere!

NAIL POLISH only lasts for about one year, although higher quality brands can last up to eighteen months. After a while, the oils in nail polish begin to separate the layers of color. If your nail polish begins to turn a different color or starts to smell, then it is time for a replacement. While old nail polish will not harm you, it tends to take longer to dry, it chips easily and the color is not as vibrant.

9ACADEMICSSept. 30, 2009

What do you think of the IB

Diploma?

College Fair: October 187:30 - 9:30 PMFair Oaks Mall

College Night: October 197:00 - 9:00 PMHayfield Secondary School

Tickets for the College Fair & Night are available at the AHS Career Center.

For more information about the colleges visiting both Fair Oaks Mall and Hayfield Secondary School, visit www.fcps.edu/dss/FCPSCollegeFairNight

Junior Meriem KhadraouiQ: Why are you going for the IB diploma?A: I want to get the best education I can.

Q: Why is the IB diploma difficult? A: It’s not hard, but it’s challenging, and requires more work. It also helps with my time management skills.

Q: Do you think other students should go for it? A: Yes, Definitely. I think others should take advantage of what Annandale offers. Other private schools offer the same education, but at a higher price.

Q: How do you think it will help you in college?A: In college we are going to have to write many essays which is similar to a university workload. Also, many IB classes are similar to the courses that one takes when they’re a freshman in college - preparing us for after high school.

Q: What’s the most difficult thing you have done for the IB Diploma?A: I haven’t really done anything yet, but later this year or senior year, I prob-ably won’t have much time to socialize with friends as I’ll probably be too busy working on school work.

“I don’t know how the IB Diploma is going to effect me in the long run, no one really told us.”

—Edwin Galeano sophomore

–compiled by Alexa Lafferty and Rachel Bergen

“I think it is beneficial for

people who are trying to get to

college in the future.”

—Yasmine Barakat

freshman

“It’s too much work not to get recognized by

the majority of colleges in the

U.S.”

—John Oaks junior

“I think it’s great, I think it’s fantastic. I

think students should pursue

the IB Diploma because they should work

towards fulfilling

their greatest potential.”

—Aaron Schneider Assistant Principal

Early Decision v. Early ActionStudents compare the benefits of early decision versus early action for the colleges they are thinking about attending

BY TRICIA O’NEILL AND NICOLE CONTRINO

Staff Writers

When it comes to applying to colleges, there are so many decisions a student has to make from where to apply - or when to apply. One of the biggest decisions is whether to apply for early action, early decision, or single-choice early action.

In an early decision plan, a student applies to one college in November of his or her senior year. It is a binding agreement that he or she will attend the college upon accep-tance; however, students are allowed to apply for regular admission to another college. If one is accepted for early decision, most colleges will insist that other applications be withdrawn.

Early action plans are a less binding alternative. In this program, students may apply for early action to as many colleges as he or she chooses. If accepted to numerous colleges, the student will have until late spring to make a final decision about which school to attend.

Single-choice early action is also non-binding. A few colleges offer this particular course of action as a similar option to early action as desired. A candidate can only apply early to one school, but is free to apply to as many colleges during regular admission times. When a student is accepted, they have until the regular acceptance deadline to enroll.

Overall, one of the biggest misconceptions about applying for early decision is that there is a fee for denying the early acceptance. Others, however, believe that it will increase a student’s chances of being accepted to the school of their preference. Originally, the pro-gram was designed as a way for schools to fill classrooms early with capable students. In the past, students that applied to a school early had a higher chance of being accepted. Lately, circumstances have changed. Schools are known to be significantly reducing the number of students they accept early, making it a much more difficult process.

The majority of AHS students who were asked if they would consider applying for early admission said they most likely would not. Jenna Balicki is an AHS junior that will be looking into colleges of her preference for the future.

“If I found a school that I loved and was sure, then I might, but otherwise no because if I changed my mind there is a penalty,” said Balicki.

“I have many schools I’m interested in, so I don’t want to put myself at risk in be-ing penalized by sacrificing my early application to just one school,” said senior Letitia Romero.

In addition, senior Sophia Nasary is one who would not consider early admission in order to “finalize all the grades” and conclude her school-related commitments before taking that big step into her future.

On the other hand, senior Jenny Miller said, “I might apply early so that I can be

organized and get all of my college application stuff out of the way.”In general, there are many advantages and disadvantages to applying early. This

course of action is appealing to students because if accepted, they do not have to stress about whether they will get accepted late in the year. Generally students will know by late fall to mid-winter whether they were accepted for early admission.

In addition to this, if a student is not accepted for early admission, he or she can reap-ply under regular admission.

Most importantly, if a student is accepted into the early decision program, a student is not eligible for any kind of financial aid.

For this reason, career center specialist Robin Roth said, “If the student is in love with the school and doesn’t need financial aid, then it is a good idea, but if the applicant is not as fond of the school or needs financial aid, than early decision wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Overall, what stresses students the most during their last year of high school is the process of deciding what schools to go to, and how to apply. “Every school with early deci-sion has different statistics for the pool of early decision applicants. Some are extremely competitive, while others are not. Applicants need to do their homework for every school,” said Roth.

Senior Chris SheehyQ: Why are you going for the IB diploma?A: To help with getting into colleges.

Q: Why is the IB diploma difficult? A: It’s difficult because it requires taking difficult classes and managing your time.

Q: Do you think other students should go for it? A: Yeah, it’s hard, but it’s not undoable and it is not as crazy as you may think.

Q: How do you think it will help you in college?A: I think college will be a lot easier because of the classes I’m taking now, and I’m hoping to get credit in college for the classes I’m taking”

Q: What’s the most difficult thing you have done for the IB Diploma?A: I haven’t had to do anything difficult yet, but I haven’t had to give up as much as people say they needed to. I still play sports and do other activities during my free time.

Senior Sophia Nasary is working on completing her early application for a univer-sity of her choice.

Application admission dates for Virginia’s top ten most popular schools

Mahrokh AkhavanClaudia ArevaloAndres AvendanoGerardo AyalaChristina BuiVivian ChanCristin FlipcyzkMame FrimpongDaniela GuevaraIdriss HamdaniZainab IbrahimCatherine IvesAnnika JessenDanielle JohnsonLauren KinchKelly McGareySalma MohammedDeepu NairTien NguyenAlexis SanchezChris SheehyCharles SimpsonNathalie SpitaDelphine TrinhAishwarya VenkatEmma Whitmyre

“It’s difficult and time consuming but it looks like a rewarding experience..”

—Semone Solomonsenior

IB Diploma Candidates of 2010

2009 College Fair & Night

RACH

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N

MAC

KDA

DINB

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MAC

KDA

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University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleRegular Admission - Jan. 2Notified by - April 1This school has no early deci-sion or action.

James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg Regular Admission - Jan. 15Notified by - April 1Early Action - Nov. 1Notified by - Jan. 15

George Mason UniversityFairfaxRegular Admission - Jan. 15Notified by - April 1Early Action - Nov. 1Notified by - Dec. 19

Radford UniversityRadfordRegular Admission - Feb. 1Notified by - Mar. 20Early Action - Dec. 15Notified by - Jan. 9

Virginia TechRoanokeRegular Admission - Jan. 15Notified by - April 1Early Decision - Nov. 1Notified by - Dec. 15

Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondRolling Notification - Dec. 1This school has no early decision or action.

Longwood UniversityFarmvilleRolling Notification - Jan. 15Early Action - Dec. 1Notified by - Jan. 1

Christopher Newport UniversityNewport NewsRegular Admission - March 1Rolling Notification - Dec. 1Early Action - Dec. 1Notified by - Jan. 1

College of William & MaryWilliamsburgRegular Admission - Jan. 1Notified by - April 1Early Decision - Nov. 1Notified by - Dec. 1

Old Dominion UniversityNorfolkRolling Notification - Jan. 15Early Action - Dec. 1 Notified by - Jan. 15

Many times, an embarrassing event is made worse by a red tint staining your cheeks or a stammered apology. These hints, tips and tricks can help to minimize how embarrassed you look and how embarrassed you feel.

Blushes are simply the veins in one’s face dilating. You can return them to normal in several ways:

Breathe deeply• , it will help the blood to disperse more evenly.

Laugh it off• . If people see that you are not bothered by what just happened, they will see it’s not a big deal either.

Try giving those • around you a smile, it makes your blush look more natural and can make you look more confident.

Drop your • shoulders, relax your muscles and push out your stomach. Even though this may take some practice, it loosens your muscles, allowing blood to leave your face.

Everyone has • trouble with embarrassment, even if they do not look like it. The key is making it look like it was not embarrasing and is not a big deal to you.

Activities such • as yoga and meditiation help to control the body’s responses. Taking a class or practicing with a DVD might be helpful with someone who has a lot of trouble with blushing.

Keep in mind that • everyone faces embarrassing situations, not just you. No matter how bad what you just did was, someone else has been in a worse situation.

Realize that you • care far more than anyone else. Move on quickly, everyone will soon follow.

Keep your cool in awkard

situations

11Sept. 30, 2009 IN-DEPTH

True colors of SHAMEof SHAME

The chemical circus of humiliation in the brain

BY AISHWARYA VENKAT

In-Depth Editor

It was a great day for Sally. She got an ‘A’ on It was a great day for Sally. An ‘A’ on her history paper, and she made it into Class Acts. Her heart skipping, she walked over to her science class right as the R3 bell rang, happy as a clam; until she turned the corner, that is.

Just as she turned into the science hallway, she spotted her crush, standing by his locker, kissing another girl.

Sally’s heartbeat quickened, and her breathing became staggered. Her face turned a bright red, and her palms turned sweaty all of a sudden. Her mind thinking of a thousand thoughts per minute, she quickly tried to look away. But that’ was when a few boys from nearby lockers turned around to boo and jeer at her. Embarrassed, Sally rushed off to her class with tears in her eyes.

This response to embarrassment is not unnatural. Fear of public embarrassment is inherent in all of us, especially teenagers. Surveys indicate that about 65 percent of teenagers are afraid of public embarrassment, or have been publicly embarrassed in high school.

Some of the effects of these forms of harassment were short periods of depression, emotional difficulties, stress, etc. No wonder we are afraid of public humiliation!

But exactly why is it that we are afraid of being the object of such harassment? The psychology and the science behind the sensation of embarrassment tells us a lot more about how we think than we consciously recognize.

The first scientific study of embarrassment began in 1956 when sociologist Erving Goffman began to treat embarrassment as a disruption of the normal processes of social interaction.

Since then, embarrassment and public humiliation has been categorized into three main categories: individual, interactive and audience-provoked. Each category evokes a different intensity of response from the individual, but overall they all add up to one really embarrassed Sally.

“The sensation of being embarrassed is another relic of our primitive Fight or Flight response,” said Psychology teacher Katherine Gould. “As soon as we perceive public humiliation, the information rushes to our brain’s occipital lobe. This data must

pass through the mid-brain to be processed by the frontal lobe, where it is collected and processed.”

Therein lies the problem. The mid-brain, being the emotional center of the entire body, reacts to the perceived information rather than passing it on. This causes the amygdala to release several fear-related hormones, like adrenaline, and other stress-related hormones like cortisol. All these hormones cause a person to immediately react to the situation at hand, almost as if they were in a life-threatening situation.

Such reactions to perceived danger include blushing, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, momentary freezing and tunnel vision. The blood vessels in our cheeks dilate, causing an excess of blood flow to the cheeks, which we see as blushing. All these reactions happen unconsciously as a person tries to figure out how to deal with an embarrassing situation.

Embarrassing situations are also known to cause stuttering, loss of poise, susceptibility to more accidents, anxiety, low self-esteem, and negative self-perception. Those who suffer from medical conditions like asthma may also have an aattack after an embarrassing situation due to shortness of breath. With all these consequences involved, it is no wonder that teenagers are self-conscious!

So how can we prevent ourselves from having panic attacks in embarrassing situations? One solution would be to try thinking about something else.

“But, the most important thing to do is to keep in mind that it’s not the end of the world,” said Gould. “Perspective is key to avoiding being super-embarrassed. Also, we can practice our responses in embarrassing situations, and train our brains to react less violently. With enough training, the information doesn’t even need to pass through the mid-brain, and if we practice our responses enough, we can train ourselves to think logically in any situation, not just embarrassing ones,” she added.

To provide more perspective on why being embarrassed is not that big of a deal, consider this: blushing and other reactions are actually more helpful to society than you might think. In an embarrassing situation, a blush and avoiding eye contact can be understood as “I’m sorry”. It conveys the message that the person has committed a social infraction and feels legitimately sorry for this.

So, what evolved several million years ago as a survival mechanism continues to serve its purpose today by helping us save our social and practical lives.

The Science of EmbarrassmentInsane in the membrane . . . Insane in the membrane . . .

Insane in the brain!Insane in the brain!

Stage 1Stage 1

As soon as a person is placed in an embarrassing situation, the information he/she percieves around him/her is sent to the occipital lobe, which processes all the sensory information.

Stage 2Stage 2

The percieved information is forced to pass through the mid-brain, or the emotional center. This evokes an emotional response, usually blushing or sweaty hands, which is sent from the mid-brain to the nervous system. Stage 3Stage 3

By the time the information reaches the frontal lobe, which handles logic and thinking, the person finds a logical response to the situation and stores it away in his or her memory as an embarrassing incident.

A quick look into the human brain as it processes embarrassment.

students and teachers care so much about it

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Friends Family Strangers

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10 Sept. 30, 2009IN-DEPTH

True colors of SHAMETrue colors What was your most

embarrassing moment?

“I was running and I tripped, and my shoe

fell, like, a yard, and I didn’t

realize that my shoe had come off, and I kept

walking.”

—Kassan Seisay

junior

“Last year I was

helping out on the football

field during a game and

one of the coaches yelled

“Water!”, and I started

sprinting out onto the field and it was during a play.”

—Betsy Kruse freshman

My embar-rassing moment happened two weeks ago. I was playing soccer and I scored a goal in my own net by accident.”

—Sammy Vanegessenior

“I was in sev-enth grade and as I was walking into school I slipped and fell in front of everyone.”

—Carola Rojassophomore

“Once when I was a senior in

high school, I fell down about

a flight and a half of stairs.”

—Rachel Johnson

English Teacher

PHOT

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LUST

RATI

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ILY

FRUC

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MAN

Many students are subject to humiliating pranks, such as the sign placed on a student’s back above. Such embarrassing incidents have caused many students to develop an unusual fear of public humiliation, which is often dismissed as a part of the high school experience.

An online community comes together to share secrets

EMILY FRUCHTERMAN

In-Depth Editor

We all have that embarrassing thing that we do, the one crazy habit that, if known, we think could ruin our lives. Some people are simply afraid of the dark, others secretly hate their friends, while others harbor more pain than most of us will experience in our entire lives. It was for these people; the closet science fiction fans, the loners, secret homosexuals,the raped and the victimized, that Post Secret was created.

We decided to create a similar forum at AHS in which students could share their innermost secrets and feelings. Reporters went into various IB Eng-lish and Creative Writing classes, asking students to share something anonymously with us.

The Post Secret community began as a social

experiment on Blogspot.com. Anyone who wished to share a secret held within was able to send in a homemade postcard displaying their secret on one side. These cards ranged from being large and colorful to being beautiful in a simplistic way; many only featured the bold words of the secret on a plain, white background. What began as a weekly update of ten postcards each soon expanded in a few years. The project was soon popularized by the pop-rock band The All American Rejects in their video for “Dirty Little Secret”, and has featured in art museums, exhibits and books around the world ever since.

Frank Warren, the site’s creator, has collected thousands of secrets since he launched the site in January 2005. He began by posting ten new secrets every Sunday, although the site received so few posts during its beginning stages that sometimes even that was a struggle.

“Some of the stories are ridiculous. They’re funny,” said junior Tiffany Tran. This is the view of many people who feel that the site is an effective form of catharsis.

“People are really putting themselves out there on this site,” said junior Victoria Ko. “There’s just something about it that people can identify with.”

Warren intended to create a website where people could share their true feelings without guilt or consequences of any kind. People across the nation have summoned the courage to share these secrets, enabling many of them to shed the pressure that the knowledge had placed upon them.

The anonymity of the project also gives the authors complete peace of mind about their privacy. Only two restrictions are placed on the submissions: that the post must be completely true and that it could never have been spoken to anyone before.

Our own experiment did not reach nearly all of the students in this school, and very little time was given to those who were asked to draw a card. However, after seeing what some students have kept hidden, it is our hope that other students will be able to share the secrets that have a hold on them, even if it is simply to an anonymous website.

Post Secret: AHS stylePost Secret: AHS style

Who are the worst people to be embarrassed

around?

This survey was distributed onSeptember 23 during C and D lunches. Out of the 300 distrib-uted, 245 were counted.

The story behind public humiliation and why AHS

104

41

100

12 Sept. 30, 2009PEOPLE

Go to the Webvisit www.thea-blast.orgFor more music related fun.

Music fills their minds

October Celebrity Birthdays

1 Jimmy Carter (85)2 Kelly Ripa (39)3 Gwen Stefani (40)4 Alicia Silverstone (33)5 Nikki Hilton (26)7 Taylor Hicks (33)8 Nick Cannon (29)9 Sharon Osbourne (57)13 Ashanti (29)14 Usher (30)16 John Mayor (32)20 Snoop Dogg (37)22 Shaggy (41)23 Weird Al (50)24 Tila Tequila (28)25 Katy Perry (25)28 Bill Gates (54) 29 Winona Ryder (38)31 Adam Horovitz (43)

Andrew PackQ. What is the nameof your band?A. The Scoons

Q. What is your role in the musical group?A. I am the drummer for The Scoons and a very motivated musician, if not the most motivated musician in the band.

Q. What is the overall sound of your band?A. “The Scoons” is a rock band and our sound has been compared to Blink 182. But I don’t like to think we our copying a sound, but rather creating a our own form of rock music.

Q. When did you form your band?A. The Scoons was formed about three and a half years ago. When summer rolled around and we had little to do, my close friend Jordan Aman, basist and singer for The Scoons, and his neighbor Anthony Banaszak guitarist decided to jam out.

Q. What expectations do you have for your band?A. I have high expectations for “The Scoons” and myself in the music industry. I hope to make music my career by ultimately signing to a major record label, going on tour, and selling a million records. I understand that people may consider my goals childish fantasies, but my dedication and talent make me well equiped to make them realities.

Mohammed KamaraQ. What is the name of your group?A. My friend Tony Marealle and I created Yung Society. It doesn’t necessarily have a meaning but we both agree it sounds fresh. We’re young and we’re trying to make it big in society.

Q. What makes Yung Society different from other groups?A. We have a new hip hop and pop sound that is unique in a good way. We combine my acoustic skills and Tony’s rapping abilities to create a tasteful blend of sound.

Q. Why did you form Yung Society?A. We love music and we both wanted to make something useful out of our passion. We want our music to be inspirational to others as well.

Q. What expectations do you have for Yung Society?A. We hope to get signed by a record label and sell a lot of albums. We want our music to be heard by all.

Q. What famous artists inspire the works of Yung Society?A. We look to artists like Drake, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne for musical inspiration.

Michael LazarQ. What is the name of your band?A. Drop Your Ducks

Q. What is your role in the band?A. I am the singer and do all the vocals for Drop Your Ducks.

Q. How long has your band been together?A. We have been a group for three years now. Although we are currently holding auditions for a new drummer because Frankie Leonard, our drummer left for college. The other band members and I believe we have found a good replace-ment and will soon be back in business playing more shows.

Q. What shows have you played?A. We’ve played shows at Jammin’ Java, Jaxx, local schools, pools and private parties. Some of our gigs even pay.

Q. What types of songs do you play?A. We actually write our own songs and currently have eight originals. Also we play covers from bands such as Cream, Nirvana, Green Day and Foo Fight-ers.

Q. What expectations do you have for Drop Your Ducks?A. Well, last summer we began recording our songs and my hope is that we will put out the CD soon.

Alex Fajardo Q. What is your role in music?A. I am a DJ or a Disc Jockey.

Q. Do you have an alias or “stage name” for when you perform?A. Yes, I go by DJ John Affy. The alias is actually just a play on my real name. Q. How long have you been DJing?A. I have been DJing since I was 13, but I have only done professional gigs for a little over one year now.

Q. Where do you DJ?A. I DJ at random parties all over Viginia and the District.

Q. What draws you to DJ?A. I just love music allowing others to hear my versions of songs. Plus, when I drop a sick beat I feel super fly!

Students show their passion for music by sharing it with others

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DJ Joh Affy provides entertainment for parties by DJ’ing fresh beats.

Yung Society introduces a new type of music to AHS by combining acoustic tones with original hip hop beats.

Fred ZunigaQ. Were you ever a member in a band?A. Well, I wasn’t in a rock n’ roll band but I played trumpet in my college band.

Q. How long were you in the band?A. This was at Southern Methodist University and I played from 1964 to 1968.

Q. What did you enjoy most about your experience in the band?A. I like being a part of a group. I also like having “teammates” that had a common goal - making music.

Students gather around Fred Zuniga for a picture, after hearing his tales of his “marching band days”.

What is your favorite band or musical group?

“I love The Red Hot

Chili Peppers because they are

the Tupac for white people.”

—Nathan Clayton

senior

“I love Flo Rida because I can’t get enough of his sick beats.”

—Diana Herring junior

“McFly is my favorite group. They have fun with their music.”

—Collen Adenan freshman

“Daughtry, because

I wanted him to win Idol and it is amazing he lost and

still has success.”

—Gunnar Thompson

freshman

“I like India Arie, because of the music

she writes.”

—Queen Meredith

junior

Senior Michael Lazar jams out on his vocals as lead singer in his band Drop Your Ducks.

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Andrew Pack along with fellow AHS juniors are members of the rocking band The Scoons.

CASS

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13Sept 30, 2009 PHOTO

The zoo is a perfect place to spend time with family, enjoy warm weather and see exotic animals. Come, spend your day gazing at the marvelous creatures that roam throughout the park.

•Founded in 1889, the163-acre zoological park has over 2,000 animals and 18 galleries and museums.

•The most popular animals are the giant pandas: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub, Tai Shan.

•The National Zoological Park is not only a place where families can observe and learn more about exotic animals, but also has many serene gardens sponsored by the American Public Gardens Association.

•Future Plans: By 2016, the National zoo expects to be acknowledged as the “world’s finest zoo”.

•Since 1958, Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) has been supporting the wildlife con-servation programs at the National Zoological park and around the world.

Upcoming Events Boo at the Zoo October 23-25

The eleventh annual “Boo at the Zoo” invites costumed guests to trick-or treat and enjoy special treats from more than 40 treat stations. Children must be 2-12.

Night of the Living ZooOctober 30

Night of the living zoo is an adults only event. Enjoy fire eaters, palm readers, illusionists, talking bats, and the touring artist Soulive.

What is your favorite zoo animal?

“My favorite zoo animal is all kinds

of apes. I really like monkeys.”

—Elizabeth Wilson sophomore

“A tiger because it’s awesome.”

---- Andrew Clark junior

“I like hippos because it’s so fun to watch them get fed.”

—Danny Devera senior

“Panda bears, because they’re cute.”

—Sammy Qabazardsenior

“My favorite animal is a lion because I love cats. ”

—Bryan Jeffersonfreshman

Touching Tidbits

Connection CornerLocation: 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20008.

Cost: Admission is free

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Parking: $10 for the first hour, $15 or the second, and $20 for three hours or more.

Cheetahs are the world’s fastest land mammal. It can run up to 64 miles-per-hour. A cheetah can accelerate up to 45 miles-per-hour in 2.5 seconds.

The red-fan parrot is named for the red and blue feathers that extend around their head when they become excited.

The trees and bamboo throughout the park provide shade and comfort to many tourists. The National Zoo is one of the most popular tourist destinations in DC.

The Indoor Flight Room, inside the Indoor Bird House, allows birds to fly freely in a jungle like habitat. A few birds you can see in this exhibit are the Great Argus, Sulawesi Ground Dove, Western Crowned-Pigeon and Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot.

Burrowing owls get their names because they live in underground burrows. They are one of the smallest owls in North America.

The Dama Gazelle is the rarest and the largest of all gazelles. Dama Gazelle are herbivores and it’s diet consists of shrubs, succulents, herbs, trees and woody plants.

Photos taken by Mariah Pollet

“It’s a peacock because it’s very colorful.”

—Sandra Lee junior

Where the wild things are

14 Sept. 30, 2009SPORTS X-TRA

Students break a sweatArea gyms provide many options to stay active and in shape during the year

BY KELSEY KNOCHE

Sports X-tra Editor

Hundreds of treadmills, elliptical, exercise bikes and yoga mats sit in neat rows across the large two-story, carpeted workout sanctuary. People walking, running, biking, pushing through sit-ups and lifting weights mill around holding iPods and magazines, dressed ready to feel the burn. Whether it is seven in the morning or seven at night, gyms such as Lifetime Fitness in Fairfax are jammed packed with people of all ages.

Many students at Annandale, such as junior Maddie Smith, are very familiar with Lifetime and other gyms in the area.

“I work out at Lifetime at least three times a week. I really like it because there are so many machines to use and it allows me to exercise when I don’t have dance practice,” she said.

Others use their time in the gym to strengthen their bodies, such as senior Pedro Gallardo, who works his back, biceps, chest, triceps, legs and shoulders three times a week at Maxx Fitness in Annandale.

“Maxx is close to my house and working out there makes me feel good about myself. My favorite workout is the bicep and tricep machine and I also bench press 205 pounds,” said Gallardo.

Gyms allow for members to combine cardiovascular activity such as running on the treadmill or elliptical with weight training equip-ment, a combination that would cost thousands of dollars to establish at home.

“My favorite machine is definitely the elliptical because it’s not totally exhausting so I can do it for awhile and it gives me a great workout,” said Smith.

While many enjoy the equipment and comfort of a gym, others simply work out on their own.

“When I don’t have sports practice I stay in shape by running around my neighborhood. It’s very calming and it’s good for the summer to get ready for fall sports,” said junior Kate Bermingham.

Other alternatives for working out are dance classes such as Zumba, an aerobic fitness program that combines dance steps with aerobic training to work on the glutes, legs, arms, abdominals and heart.

“I try to go to Zumba two or three times a week because I love danc-ing and it’s a ridiculous work out. It’s more fun than just working out and it works most of your body,” said senior Julie .

With more than 23 million children and teenagers in the United States either overweight or obese, many teenagers seem to be taking an active approach to improving the statistics.

“I stay active to avoid becoming overweight and to stay in shape. It makes me feel more in control,” said senior Nathan Clayton.

As many students get back into the daily routines forced upon them by school, they add a stop at the gym in to reduce stress, improve their self image and maintain a good physical standing.

Different gyms, different routines Gold’s Gym Olympus Gym

Maxx Fitness Lifetime Fitness

Name:

Subject:

How often do you work out?

Why did you choose Gold’s?

Favorite exercise/workout:

How does working out benefit you personally?

Katie PantherJunior

How often do you work out? I usually work out 2 or 3 times a week.

Why did you choose Gold’s? I chose it be-cause my mom went there and I really like the machines.

Favorite exercise/workout: I like to run on the treadmill and do bicycles because it’s easy to do and I can watch T.V. while doing it.

How does working out benefit you personally? It makes me healthier and prepares me for sports throughout the year.

What is your workout routine? I first start with stretching for 5 minutes, then I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then I stretch for a little bit longer, then I do floor work outs like push-ups and planks for 5 minutes.

Favorite machine? I like to go on the elliptical.

Do you listen to music while working out? Yes, I like to listen to pump up music like rap or Lady Gaga.

Name:

Subject:

How often do you work out?

Why did you choose Gold’s?

Favorite exercise/workout:

How does working out benefit you personally?

Nico ViveroJunior

How often do you work out? 5 times a week.

Why did you choose Olympus? I chose it because it’s close to my house because I have to walk.

Favorite exercise/workout: I like to work on the bench press and squats.

How does working out benefit you personally? It makes me stronger, helps me out with sports, and sometimes I work out because it’s fun.

What is your workout routine? Everyday it’s different. One day I will work on my chest and shoulders, another day I would work on my arms and legs. It’s really a different body part each day.

Favorite machine? I like the peck fly.

Do you listen to music while working out? I like to listen to “Lose

Control” by Eminem.

Name:

Subject:

How often do you work out?

Why did you choose Gold’s?

Favorite exercise/workout:

How does working out benefit you personally?

Stephen Novak

Senior

How often do you work out? Every other day Why did you choose Maxx? It’s near my house and it’s really cheap

Favorite exercise/workout: I like the bench press and I lift 265 max.

How does working out benefit you personally? It makes me stronger, and it gets me ready for lacrosse season.

What is your workout routine? I bench press 3X5, squats, 21’s, military, pull ups and dips, sit ups, and then I run.

Favorite machine? Free weights

Do you go by yourself or with others? I like to go by myself because it makes me concentrate more.

Do you listen to music while working out? I dont listen to my indi-

vidual music, I just listen to the music that is playing in the gym.

Name:

Subject:

How often do you work out?

Why did you choose Gold’s?

Favorite exercise/workout:

How does working out benefit you personally?

David PaikFreshman

How often do you work out? I work out twice a week. Why did you choose Lifetime? I chose it because it’s really close to where I live and it’s big so I have a good variety, and also because all the people there are really nice.

Favorite exercise/workout: Treadmill because I like to run a lot.

How does working out benefit you personally? It makes me more athletic and stronger. It also gets be prepared for sports.

What is your workout routine? I run for 20 minutes, lift weights, bench press/single weights, then I do the military press for 5 minutes.

Favorite machine? Treadmill.

Do you go by yourself or with others? I go with my cousin.

Do you listen to music while working out? Yes, I like to listen to

rock.

7060 Columbia PikeAnnandale, VA 22003703-914-90080Membership:$39.95/month for one year

8100 Braddock RoadAnnandale, VA 22003Membership:Student pass $5.95 per admission

6940-A Bradlick Shopping Center Annandale, VA 22003 Membership: $56.99/month for 2 years

Area gym information

The anatomy of a work out

Junior Maddie Smith works on her leg muscles using a cycling machine at Lifetime Fitness. “Lifetime is really great because there are a lot of machines and it’s pretty close to my house,” said Smith.

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––Photos by Kristen Hennessey

The plank is an effective abdominal excercise which strengthens the abs, back, and hips. The key is to remain flat from your feet to your shoulders.

Dumbbell lunges target the glutes, while also working the hamstrings, calves and the lower back. Lunges are similar to the squat but require less weight pressure. The key to this exercise is bending the front leg in a 90 degree angle.

Sit-ups, one of the most popular ab exercises, work on strengthening the abs and hip flexors. Keeping your knees bent is essential to reducing stress on the back muscles and spine.

Leg extensions strengthen the quadriceps while also working on the hamstring and glutes by providing weighted resistance.

9602 Main StFairfax, VA 22031Membership: $59.95/month

––Compiled by Katie Vu

15INTERNATIONALSept. 30, 2009

Muslim women fight for dress

Ban of burqa in France raises questions

BY HILLA HIDARI

Staff Writer

When Napoleon Bonaparte, the ruler of the French Empire from 1804 to 1815, died on May 5, 1821, he left behind a great legacy—one which was significantly tolerant of all religions. Because of that grand legacy, since the Napoleonic Era, there have been no major disputes in France concerning religious conviction—until now.

Earlier this summer, the current president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, declared a ban on the burqa, the veil that Muslim women wear which covers everything but their eyes. The Times Online says that Sarkozy claims that he made such a decree because he does not want women in France to become prisoners because of faith-based

standards. “The burqa is not a religious sign. It is a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement,” the president said to the National Assembly, France’s lawmaking body.

Mr. Sarkozy first outlawed the scarf from being worn on school grounds back in 2004, along with the traditional Jewish hat and large Christian crosses. However, he went a step further when he completely prohibited the scarf on French ter-ritory.

According to BBC News, French Urban Affairs Minister, Fadela Amara, a Muslim of Algerian descent, was first to spark the idea of the prohi-bition of the veil. “It is not a religious insignia, but the insignia of a totalitarian political project that advocates inequality between the sexes and which is totally devoid of democracy,” Amara said to BBC.

The Koran, the holy book of Islam, does not directly speak of the burqa; therefore, Muslims interpret the text differently. Whether or not such

extreme clothing should be worn to cover one’s body is often very conflicting, especially in many West-ernized countries such as France. Although the Koran is not perfectly clear on matters involving the burqa, the book does condemn wearing reveal-ing clothing because of the idea of modesty.

Many AHS students have expressed their feel-ings of discontent about the situation.

“I think it’s absurd,” Kendra Valencia, a junior at AHS said.

Sophomore Oliver Alwes agreed, saying that the ban “Violates the freedom of religion.”

All over Europe, from Italy to Britain to the Netherlands, anti-Islamic laws are taking effect. However, one major Western nation that seems firm in its beliefs is the United States. In June, President Barack Obama openly opposed the French decision to ban the burqa saying that the “United States did not believe that the government should dictate people’s dress.”

Sudan punishes a female journalist for wearing pants

BY BRIA WHITE

Staff Writer

To many high school students, it seems as if the dress code is continuously getting stricter and stricter as the school years pass. There are always going to be those who follow the rules, and those that “bend” them. For those who go against the school dress code and get in trouble for it, there may be a major penalty or just a slap on the wrist. No matter the consequences, there will always be that rebel who continues to break the regulations. These rebels rarely realize how fortunate of a so-ciety they live in. To woman like Lubna Hussein and many other women it is not a matter of just what is allowed in school, but what is allowed in the general public.

Pants are considered “indecent” under the strict interpretation of Islamic law, adopted by Sudan’s

Islamic regime which came to power after a take-over led by President Omar al-Bashir in 1989.

After a July 13 raid, a Sudanese judge convicted Lubna Hussein, a female journalist for the United Nations, and 13 other women for violating public indecency laws at the Khartoum Café in Sudan. Their ‘indecent apparel’ was loose-fitting slacks. The judge fined Hussein 500 Sudanese pounds ($209), but did not impose the well- known and feared penalty of flogging.

Hussein told MSNBC that she is “prepared to receive 40- thousand lashes if that’s what it takes to abolish the law.” Her case made international headlines and attracted protesters outside the courthouse; many of the protesters were women who wore pants in unity and defiance. Yet to the surprise of many, the majority of the protesters were men.

According to MSNBC, Amal Habani, a female columnist for the daily Ajraas Al Hurria(Bells of Freedom), and one of about 50 protesters said, “We are here to protest against this law that oppresses women and debases them.” Sudanese police fired tear gas and beat women protesting outside the

Sudanese court during the trial. Police engaged quickly to disperse about 50 protesters who were supporting Lubna Hussein in her battle for righ-teousness. According to MSNBC no injuries were immediately reported but witnesses said police wielding batons beat up one of Hussein’s lawyers, Manal Awad Khogali, while keeping media and cameras under control.

Hussein was granted immunity because she worked for the United Nations. In an attempt to use her arrest as an opportunity to draw attention to the punishment for dress code violations in Sudan she quit her job at the UN.

“I think that she is more respected at a greater rate by her subjecting herself to the same punish-ment as the other women and quitting,” said junior Sam Pokraka.

Back at home now, Lubna Hussein spoke of tak-ing her campaign to one of Sudan’s newspapers, where she writes a regular column. She acknowl-edged, however, that her words might not make it past government censors.

AHS students dress to stand out Junior Amina Ahmed wears a hijab, a

headress that many Muslim women wear. Ahmed believes that the hijab makes her stronger, and shows that she is confident of her faith. When people stare, she says it doesn’t make her feel bad, because she doesn’t care what others think about her.

Q. Why do you wear a hijab?A. The reason why I wear what I wear is because it’s my culture and religion. Also, it shows my belief and modesty and respect for myself and my religion

Q. Do people stare at you?A. Yes, all the time. I get dirty looks all the time. If it’s at school, or at the mall, or the grocery store.

Q. How does wearing a hijab make you feel?A. It makes me feel stronger that I stand out. Why should I fit in when I can stand out?

Q. Was there ever a time you didn’t want to wear your hijab?A. No. I’m happy with it. I’m not trying to impress anyone. Life is too short to care about others who don’t matter. And at the end of the day it’s me and God.

Q. How do you feel about others who dress differently?A. I feel like they’re just like me and at the end of the day we are all equal. In Islam, every one is equal. We differ by our actions, good or bad.

Do you think President Nicolas Sarkozy made the right decision by

banning the burqa?“I think that the President of France made the wrong decision, because he’s interfering with the Islamic religion, based on what he thinks

they should practice.

—Kate Grandchamp

freshman

“No, it’s not, because it’s

their reli-gion.”

— Rawand Shamdin

sophomore

“No, because each person should be able to practice their own religion.”

—Corinne Summers

senior

“Being in security as

long as I have, I think

it’s one of the smartest

moves he has ever made. I want to see

people’s facial expression clearly.”

— K.W D. Williamssecurity assistant

“I think it is a mistake, because it is not a satisfactory answer to the problem of religion in the modern world. Societies are much more

diverse and fast moving.”

—John Hawes social studies teacher

Compiled By Alex Davalos and Alex Utano

Sophomore Jonathan Gonzalez chooses to wear whatever makes him happy, whether or not other students, peers, or society agrees with him. Tight skinny jeans and bright T-shirts are a normal outfit for him. Even if others disagree, Gonzalez stays true to himself no matter what anyone else thinks.

Q. Why do you wear the clothes you wear?A. I always have to look good, whether if I’m at home or going out! I just love the vintage/urban look to what I wear.

Q. Has anyone ever gave you a rude or dirty look because of how you dress/look?A. Actually, a lot of guys give me dirty looks or say rude remarks because either my jeans are too tight or whatever. I just ignore them.

Q. How does your look make you feel?A. My look makes me feel, rather good about myself.

Q. Have you always looked like this? If you haven’t, what made you want to change your style? A. No. One day I was in this store (Urban Outfitters) and well I loved their clothing! Ever since I started shopping there and well look at me now.

HAUM

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Sophomore Amina Ahmed is proud of her hijab. Sophomore Jonathan Gonzalez sports a

look that makes him stand out.

Compiled By Haumaira Safi

Sophomore Fatima Khan (far left) styles pants. Junior Haila Mohamed (Left middle and middle right) wears two different hijabs with pants to show her dedication to Islam. Senior Nada Osman (far right) freestyles with her hijab and denim jeans.

“I usually coordinate my scarves with my shoes, and make sure to keep my religious appeal in tact

first before anything else.” —Nada Osman

senior

“Clothes can’t reflect the type of person you are. Whether you’re a good personMuslim or not depends on your actionsand how good you are to others.”—Fatima Kahnsophomore

Can you guess where it is?

Belize

See if you can guess what country we are talking about.

• The capital of this country is Belmopan• It borders the Caribbean Sea • This country is home to one of the biggest barrier reefs in the world • This country attracts thousands of tourists every year because the ancient Mayan ruins are found within the country

Where In The World?

16 Sept. 30, 2009SPORTS

Football team looks to bounce back after a tough loss to regionally ranked Oakton

BY DAVID HOOKEY

Sports editor

The 3-0 Annandale Atoms football team headed into their game on Friday, Sept. 25 with high hopes of defeating regionally ranked powerhouse Oakton. However, the Atoms came up short in the game, losing 27-14.

“This was a kind of a fluke win for Oakton and we definitely won’t let it happen again,” said senior linebacker Marquis Perez.

The Oakton Cougars came out furiously and quickly put up 21 points on the Atoms defense.

“We made a lot of mistakes early and we were backed up but then Rick [Adams] hit Melvin [Robinson] for the big play that got us back into the game,” said head coach Dick Adams.

This pass was a 74-yard touchdown throw that pulled the Atoms within 21-7 at the half. After the half, the defense got a big stop on the Oakton of-fense and gave the Atoms possession of the ball again. Senior Ricky Adams connected with senior Robert Potts for a big gain. The Atoms then capital-ized when Adams threw to Robinson for his second TD of the game to cut the Cougar lead to seven.

Robinson finished the game with five catches for 108 yards and the two touchdowns. Adams was 8-15 for 142 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 13 rushes for 21 yards.

On the ensuing possession, Oakton drove down the field, but the defense stood strong and held them to a field goal. The Atoms, however, were held scoreless for the remainder of the game and lost by a final score of 27-14.

“When you’re down by 21 [points] early, it’s hard to overcome, but we played tough,” said junior linebacker Yari Mizouri.

“We couldn’t get anything going consistently on offense after that second touchdown,” said coach Adams. “We didn’t play as well as we were capable of, but we’ll bounce back with a great week of football practice.”

Something that really jumps out on the stat sheet was the Atoms inability to run the football. The team finished with just 53 yards.

“We have to be able to run the ball if we want to succeed,” said coach Adams. “The offensive line didn’t play as well as they’re capable of but we feel good about our progress.”

The next opponent for the Atoms will be Robert E. Lee high school on Friday, Oct. 2. The Lancers are undefeated on the season at 4-0, including 1-0 in the district. The Atoms look to go to Lee and defeat them to improve their district record to 2-0.

“We can’t have people playing the blame game and we need to be sure to go 110 percent in practice,” said Perez. “We need everybody to play tough and go all out for us the rest of the year and we should be successful.”

Cougars top Atoms 27-14Field Hockey vs.

Cathedral

After being neck and neck for almost the entire game the atoms scored off a corner late in the second half

BY NATALIE JOHNSON

Staff Writer

The inspiring 2-1 victory over the Lake Brad-dock Bruins on Thursday Sept. 24, keeps the var-sity field hockey team undefeated in the district. The score was kept close the first half with Lake Braddock leading 1-0 and the ball staying mainly on the defensive end. Towards the end of the first half midfield Kim Rowland was running up the field when the ball flew into the air and hit her in the head, knocking her to the ground and leaving her with a concussion.

“We were defeated by Lake Braddock last year and we didn’t want to let it happen again,” Ber-mingham said. “We all stepped up in the second half so that we could win the game.”

The Atoms turned things around, playing harder so that they could win the game. Midfield Kelly O’Brien scored a goal in the beginning of

the second half to tie the game up 1-1. With five minutes left in the game the score remained 1-1 and both teams were getting more aggressive. Kristen Hennessy got the ball off a corner shot and scored, giving the Atoms a one-point lead over the Bruins.

“The way the team pulled together in the second half to earn the victory after Braddock controlled play during most of the first half was really impres-sive and very exciting. Braddock really put the pressure on the last 4 minutes of the game, but our defense, led by our goalkeeper Emily Fruchter-man, held them off,” Coach Cindy Hook said.

The Atoms had two tough games following their win in a tournament against National Cathedral and St. Catherines. The Atoms lost the game against National Cathedral with the final score ending up as 1-0.

“I feel like we didn’t play our best games but we still learned a lot from them. The losses we defi-nitely hard for us but the knowledge we learned from them and the skills we now know we need to improve on will help us in future games,” said forward Caroline England.

In the following game against St. Catherines they were also defeated with a score of 3-0.

The field hockey team is always looking to improve in order to succeed and play to the best of their ability.

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Junior wide receiver Melvin Robinson looks on during a passing drill at practice. Robin-son had five catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s most recent game against Oakton.

Atoms defeat Bruins 1-0

Senior forward Caroline England receives a pass, and looks up to start to dribble down the field.

Senior midfielder Kelly O’Brien attacks the defense in the middle of the field.

compiled by: Kellie Del Signore

“I think we are going

to win the district and

go far in regionals.”

––Goldy Berhane

senior

“I believe that with the senior experience they have that they could come together and be a contender in the region.”

—Nathan Clayton senior

“I think they will have a great season because the way they started o f f was pretty good.”

—Jessica Gallogly freshman

“ I t h i n k the team will do really well because we al-ready are.”

—Becca Hendrickson

sophomore

How do you think the

football team will do this

year?

Detroit Lions upset Washington Redskins 19-14 ending their 19-game losing streak

BY ALEX UTANO

Staff Writer

Up until Sunday, the Lions have been the worst team in the NFL, be-cause they have lost 19 straight games. However, they took advantage of a struggling, unorginized Redskins team to get their first win since 2007 by a score of 19-14. Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Lions 1st overall pick in the 2009 draft, came out throwing like an all-star as he lead the Lions to a 13-0 lead before the half. The ‘Skins opened the 3rd quarter with a touchdown on their first drive, but it wasn’t enough as their last drive full of laterals failed and they handed the Lions a big win.

Before this, the Detroit Loins have struggled in the NFL for the past decade, not making the playoffs since 1999. But what could be worse then a decade of disappointment? Nearing ever so close to the longest losing streak in NFL history.

The Lions path began in the 2007 season when they lost to the Green Bay Packers 34-13. Since then, they hadn’t won a game, including a win less 2008 season. This made their current streak at 19 losses. Their last win came at home on Sunday Dec. 23, 2007, winning 25-20 over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The current longest losing streak in the NFL belongs to the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was the Buccaneers first season in the NFL, and it was a win less one. This was back when the NFL had only 14 games, so the Bucs went 0-14. This streak continued into the 1977 season, where the Buccaneers lost their 1st 12 games, thus the streak is 26 straight. However the Buccaneers were able to get two wins, finishing 2-12.

The Lions were seven games away from tying the record and eight from breaking it, making the Detroit franchise even more disappointing then

ever. But if that wasn’t bad enough, the Lions would add their second

losing record in NFL history. In summary, the Lions already hold a record for most road loses. From the 2001-03 seasons, the Lions went without a road win, for 24 straight games. However, the streak ended the first game of the 2004 season, beating the Chicago bears 20-16.

If Detroit wants any hope now of making the playoffs, they have to con-tinue their winning ways. Just a brief flashback to 1999, when the Lions last made the playoffs. They finished 8-8, a record that normally doesn’t make the playoffs. However, that year was an exception. They finished sixth and went on to Washington to play the Redskins, where they would go on to lose 28-13.

“I do not believe they will break the all-time losing record,” said sopho-more William Bennett prior to Sunday’s game. “They play some pretty bad teams this year, and they have the talent to beat them.”

He ended up being correct. As I said before, Stafford was the star as he lead the Lions to their first win since the ‘07 season. The Lions took ad-vantage of every problem the Skins had, including losing defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth for part of the game. And, in the end, the football fans in Detroit had something to cheer about again. The stadium exploded as the Lions stopped the Skins one last time. And the football gods are finally smiling upon the Detroit Lions.

Lions snap losing streak

Senior Maggie Bermingham rushes to-wards a Cathedral attacker off a corner.

Senior midfielder Kelly O’Brien pen-etrates the midfield on attack.

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Junior Ndidi Obasi steals the ball from a cathedral defender.

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O’Brien cradles a flighted ball to the ground.

17SPORTSSept. 30, 2009

Atoms place 5th in District; Greg Nielsen makes Regionals

BY DAVID HOOKEY

Sports Editor

On the heels of a season in which the golf team fi nished with the most wins in ten years, the Atoms fi nished fi fth in the Patriot District Tournament, but junior Greg Nielsen was able to qualify for the Regional Tournament.

Districts, held Sept. 22-23 at Twin Lakes Golf Course, was the most important event of the golf season. The two teams who fi nish atop the stand-ings over the two-day, 36-hole competition advance as a team to regionals. The top fi ve individual scores also advance.

“We were looking forward to districts because we thought we had a good chance of making it to regionals,” said junior Anthony Banaszak. “It didn’t work out the way we wanted though.”

The Atoms fi nished fi fth behind Lake Braddock, West Springfi eld, South County and Woodson. After being in third after day one, the result was somewhat disappointing.

“We had a really great season and we were very close to kicking down the door and advancing as a team, but we didn’t quite get it done,” said head coach David O’Hara.

One factor that may have contributed to the team’s mediocre performance at the district tourna-ment was a crippling injury to number one golfer, senior Mark Spicer.

“I cracked two of my knuckles about a week be-fore districts and I had to play through some pain during the tournament,” said Spicer.

Spicer was the team’s number one golfer for the entire season. Last year he qualifi ed for regionals as a junior and most likely would have competed to be the Patriot District individual champion, had he not been injured. Even with the injury, Spicer fi nished sixth, one spot from qualifying for the Re-gional Tournament. Although Spicer didn’t qualify, he was pleased with the way the team played.

“Anthony had a really great fi rst day and it’s really good to see Greg [Nielsen] qualify for Re-gionals,” he said.

Nielsen shined during the district tournament, compiling a two-day score of 157, good for fourth overall. With his performance, he secured a berth in the Regional Tournament which is to be held at Fairfax National from Oct. 6-7.

“I’m really excited about making [regionals] as a junior,” said Nielsen. “I thought I played pretty well but I know I can do better. It would have only been better if somebody else would have made it with me.”

Coach O’Hara was also very proud of his golfer’s accomplishment.

“I can’t say I’m surprised about it, but I’m happy for him,” said O’Hara. “It’s exciting that he’s a junior and that he can come back next year with some championship experience.”

From the outside, the team looks like it will ex-perience a drop off from this year. However, O’Hara is optimistic about his returning team.

“Even though we’re losing some really valuable players on our team this year, we’ll have Greg, Anthony Banaszak-who played great at Districts- and a strong JV team coming up so we should be as strong, if not stronger next year,” he said.

The Atoms are graduating six seniors, therefore losing half of their varsity team. In addition to Spicer, the team is losing number two golfer Jeremy

Gillcash, Nathan Reel, Logan Miller, August McCarthy, and Stephen Novak.

“This year’s top seniors really helped us to win matches this year, so it’ll be tough to replace them but we can certainly try,” said Nielsen. “We’re going to have to have some people step up, so we’ll see if they can rise to the occasion.”

Overall, the golf team had a great regular season and hopes to improve upon it with a young, eager team next year.

Volleyball remains unbeatenAtoms defeat Washington and Lee High School to stay undefeated on the year at 8-0

BY ESRA GOKTURK

Staff Writer

Thursday, Sept. 24 marked the Atoms varsity volleyball team’s eighth win in a row for their so far perfect season. The impressive victory over Washington and Lee High school gave the Lady Atoms a large boost in confidence and pride.

The Atoms will continue to work to maintain their no loss record throughout the entire season. The team’s head coach Jennifer Hall said that she “feels pretty positive about things,” and that “the team has great chemistry together.” She also predicts that the team will be very successful in the games to come with everyone’s effort and hard work.

Part of the team’s success is their dedication to volleyball outside of practice and school. Many players, like juniors Teppi Shultis and Allison Warth, along with others on the team, play on club teams. These teams are basically year round and help players keep up their skills and fitness.

“Our team all works really hard, and it pays off for us in the games,” said Shultis. “Our most challenging and greatest competitors will be West Springfield and South County,” she predicted.

She also hopes to have a large crowd on game days.

With the being team made up of all juniors and seniors, the team is looking very strong. When asked about how the team is doing so far, senior Susan Al-Suqi was very optimistic.

“We’re doing great so far because the team is drama free and having a fun time, and the rest of the season is going to be awesome because we have the potential to make it all the way,” she said.

The girls are all very confident in their abil-ity to win districts and go even beyond that into regionals.

The upcoming game against Woodson High school on Sept. 30 will be a very interesting, challenging, and fun game for the Atoms. The Woodson sports teams are a new addition to the Patriot District this year, providing all Annandale sports with new competition. Even so, the Lady Atoms plan on keeping their no loss record and defending their title to remain champions

The junior varsity team has also been hav-ing a very successful season with only one loss to Mclean High school, giving both them and varsity outstanding records. It is the last sea-son playing Annandale volleyball for the five seniors on varsity, Al-Suqi, Aby Diop, Sonya Inderbitzin, Cassady Keller, and Hope Stadu-lis. Thier absence will be difficult to overcome, but a talented junior varsity team will be very important because it will lead to more talented varsity teams in years to come. Still undefeated, the varsity girl’s volleyball team is certainly gearing towards a remarkable season.

Junior Bethany Montgomery strikes the ball during one of the Atoms games. The team is undefeated this year.

Runners endure dreary weather, muddy hills, and flooded streams to reach the

finish, and in one case, medal

BY ALLEY ADCOCK

Sports Editor

Despite the difficulty and unusual terrain of the course at the Oatlands Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26, the Atoms cross country team overcame the obstacles and had a standout performance.

“Victoria Ko placed 37th out of 225 and Michael Ejigu placed 22nd out of 350,” said head coach Philip Harris

“It was very hard because towards the end of the race when we had already run two miles we had to run up a very big hill and we also had to run through a creek which caused our shoes to feel a lot heavier,” said junior Victoria Ko.

Throughout the season the Atoms have been trying to improve on their times by running longer distances more often and hav-ing set timed track workouts every other day. “We need to keep running more miles and working hard in practice and we will succeed,” said senior captain Michael Ejigu.

The team is optimistic about the outcome of their season and is willing to work as hard as possible to be able to achieve their goals for this season.

“We have been working very hard in practice and as long as we keep working we will continue to succeed,” said senior Michael Ejigu.

Senior captains Michael Ejigu and Charles Simpson and team-mate Yohan Calcuttawalla have taken charge of the team by demonstrating strong leadership.

“They’ve been running the times we need. In order to get out of the district, we need them to be running at the higher level,” said Harris

The team has high hopes for the rest of their season and hopes to have multiple athletes competing in the Regional Tournament.

“I would like the boys to get to regionals as a team and the top three to go to regionals. I’d also like my top three girls, Natalie, Victoria, and Katie. They put so much work in and I

want to see them go far,” said Harris. The Atoms next meet will be the Octoberfest Invitational at

Great Meadows park on October 3rd at 9:00 a.m.

PatriotDistrict Volleyball

Standings1. Annandale Atoms(8-0)

2. Lake Braddock Bruins (5-1)

3. South County Stallions(9-2)

4. West Springfield Spartans(7-3)

5. W.T. Woodson Cavaliers(3-3)

6. T.C. Williams Titans(3-4)

T7. West Potomac Wolverines(1-5)

T7. Lee Lancers(1-5)

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Senior Mark Spicer swings during the Patriot District tournament. Spicer missed the regional cut by two strokes, but teammate Greg Nielsen advanced for the Atoms.

Cross Country at Oatlands Invitational

Junior Natalie Johnson runs at the Oatlands meet. Johnson finished 79th in her race.

Senior Yohan Calcuttawalla com-petes for the Atoms at the Oatlands Invitational. He finished 168th.

Junior Sahnun Mohammed runs at the Oatlands Invitational. He finished 215th in his race.

Golf competes at districts

Junior Victoria Ko runs at the Oatlands Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26 in the heavy downpour. Ko finished 37th in her race.

Cross Country picks up speed

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Senior Michael Ejigu competes at the Oatlands Invitational. He finished 22nd and medaled for the Atoms.

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18 Sept. 30, 2009ENTERTAINMENT

Did you have to do anything to prepare for the movie?Yah, there was quite a bit of preparation, actually. I had to learn the piano and go into the studio a lot to record the demos.

You sing in the movie and you are also in a band. Were you interested in performing when you were in high school?I was ever since I was 7 years old. My fi rst thing was my fi rst national tour of Beauty and the Beast, which is how I kind of got my start in this whole business.

What advice do you have for high school-aged kids aspiring for a career in the performing arts?I went to a normal high school, so I was always involved a lot within my school. Get started and practice, you never know if it’s the right deal, but just go for it. There’s a lot more then just the glamour that everyone sees; there is a lot harder work involved. If you are willing to work hard take lessons, in whatever fi eld you are trying to get into, you never know what could happen.

What is your inspiration?My inspiration has been the fact that the doors keep opening for me, all these opportunities keep happening. I never pushed it if it didn’t happen. My mom gave up a lot to be with me on tour. My family did, and my friends defi nitely support me.

Why did you try out for the role?I was in New York with the band that I am with. I had decided to focus more on music this year, although I didn’t want to completely give up acting. So I told my manager that if he sees anything special or something that stands out to let me know. The whole Fame thing came about and at fi rst I was a little hesitant so then I was like let me just read the script, and it was something that I really felt good about, it was just one of those weird things. I had a gut feeling and I knew it was right. Plus the fact that I got to sing in the movie and I was similar to this character, I decided to go for it.

In what ways are you similar to your character? Both of us grew up singing at a young age, and I had actually gone to the original Fame school. There is so much about him, just like his comedic timing, and he is kind of funny too. And

the way that he talks to girls, there are just a lot of similarities.

How will the character inspire people? I feel like this movie will inspire people to look at themselves and dig deeper. Especially anyone with a dream, not necessarily just anyone in the music industry. I think this movie shows that its much more than just becoming that… you have to have a good work ethic. There is so much inspiration in just going for it. My character shows the growth from his freshmen year. He grows and is learning more. It inspires people to reach their full potential in life.

Did everyone get along on set?Yah surprisingly, it was one of those fi lms where there was no diva-esque behavior. We all came from a similar background and we all worked hard to get to where we were at. It was like we wanted to work so well to make it a memorable experience. We were always together so it became a great bonding experience.

What was the most diffi cult part to playing this movie?I am not really a professional piano player, but Marco grew up playing the piano his whole life. And I had to play the piano parts in the movie. I played a little bit when I was younger, but I had lost it. I had to learn how to play

piano really well in a very short amount of time.

How did Fame the movie and being a celebrity affected your relationship with your family and friends?Before I did anything like this, you needed to be grounded and choosy with friends. I have seen people who haven’t talked to me in months and then all of a sudden I got this movie and now they are talking to me again. In this business, always be nice and respectful to people, but make sure you are a little cautious of who you can trust. My family has been at my side my whole life and they are more supportive now.

What type of girls are you interested in?I am attracted to girls with confi dence. I don’t like a girl that takes herself too seriously. Personality is huge for me.

What was your favorite part of the movie?One of my favorites was the cafeteria scene. It took like four days to shoot, it was so much fun. We were on tables dancing for four days. There were so many kids just playing instruments.

Who is your celebrity crush?I was at the VMAs and I was defi nitely eying Megan Fox. Scarlett Johannson has also always been a crush of mine.

Do you have any plans after this movie for your singing our acting career?Well musically, I am about to drop a single called, “Get up,” and right now there are just different options coming in and I am just being very selective with everything.

Did you ever think you would be where you are today?I have only dreamt it! I never thought it would happen. It’s still happening. There are things happening in my life that I never thought would happen, like last night being at the VMAs. I am only living life and loving it and trying to enjoy it. You can never expect what the future is going to bring.

Who was the fi rst celebrity were you star struck by?I grew up in this business and one of the perks are getting to meet celebrities. I don’t know why but I love Jim Carrey’s movies. I went to a premiere and I got to meet him and I was literally star struck I was just like ‘ Oh my gosh!’

Top 10 iTunes Downloads

1. Party in the U.S.AMiley Cyrus

2. Whatcha SayJason DeRulo

3. I Gotta FeelingBlack Eyed Peas

4. DownJay Sean feat. Lil Wayne

5. PaparazziLady Gaga

6. Empire State of MindJay-Z feat. Rihanna

7. Cowboy CasanovaCarrie Underwood

8. Run This TownJay-Z feat. Rihanna and Kanye West

9. ForeverDrake

10. Use SomebodyKings of Leon

There is so much inspiration in just going for it.“

—Asher Book”

BY HELENA BELAY AND MARY ANNE KAVJAIN

Entertainment Editor and Copy Editor

With the release of its remake, it is clear that Fame cannot live forever. While director Kevin Tancharoen attempted to make this version of Fame as iconic as the last, it simply could not live up to the original. In the 1980 classic, there was great character development, allowing the viewers to feel the pressures of attending a performing arts high school while dealing with a variety of personal problems.

Both films follow six lead characters with various strengths in both the arts and their personal lives. They also use the same format, breaking up the storyline into four sections, each representing a year of high school. In both movies, the teachers stress the importance of

academics coming before arts and working twice as hard to do both everyday, despite fame and success being their life ambitions.

For those of you who have seen the original, do not waste ten dollars to see the recently released film. While containing the same storyline as the original, the new Fame lacks substance and the special ‘it’ factor that made its predecessor a hit.

A distinctive quality in the original film was the imper-fection that all of the characters had in their lives. None of them were perfectly happy, and that is what made the characters so relatable. The 1980 Fame showed a world that did not have sunny skies and every dream come true, but that is what made it so special.

In a sea of teen musicals like High School Musical and Hairspray, the new Fame blends right in. 29 years later, Fame has a new, squeaky-clean PG rating to replace its original R rating, which is clearly evident.

The remake of Fame starts out with promise, grab-bing the audience by introducing each main character

through their auditions to PA. The new Fame included show-stopping dance numbers, but it did not have the song “Fame,” actually in the film, which was the most memorable scene in the original.

Besides this major flaw, the film had the potential to be a great movie. The characters, however, did not connect, leaving the audience feeling empty. Unlike the 1980 film, the modern Fame fails to link the characters’ lives together, leading one to believe they did not even know each other.

There was one actress who showed vocal strength in her performance throughout the film. Naturi Naughton played Denise, a classical pianist struggling to become accepted by her parents for her newfound love of singing. Her solo performance in the film shows off the power of her voice and her potential for true stardom.

The finale in the 1980 classic showcased the entire cast’s talent focusing mainly on the dancing aspect of performing arts proving to be a big hit. However the 21st century film highlighted key characters while omitting the artistry of the rest of the cast.

C-Fame

Fame remake falls flat

Successful Remakes

The original Williy Wonka and the Choco-late Factory came out in 1971 and the remake Charlie and the Chocolate Family premiered in 2005.

The classic Freaky Friday came out in 1976 and the modern Lindsay Lohan film came out in 2003.

The former Hairspray sensation was in 1988 and the contemporary hit with an all star cast came out in 2007.

Arlington native Asher Book sits down with high school journalists

After much anticipation the re-established 80’s hit disappointed on premiere weekend

19ENTERTAINMENTSept. 30, 2009

BY ALEX DAVALOS

Staff Writer

On September 8, Jay-Z’s eleventh studio al-bum, The Blueprint 3, was released in the United States. It is the third and final installment to The Blueprint trilogy, selling an estimated 476,000 copies in its first week. The album also features hot hip hop artists such as Kid Cudi, Drake, Young Jeezy, Kanye West, Rihanna and Pharrell. The Blueprint 3 has dominated the number one spot on the billboards for two weeks since its debut.

In the album, Jay-Z attacks other rappers that use auto tune (a program used to give your voice a futuristic effect) through his first single “D.O.A,” also known as “Death of Auto-Tune.” His second single titled “Run This Town,” featuring Kanye West and Rihanna, jumped to the third spot on the billboards.

His most recent single “Empire State of Mind,” featuring Alicia Keys, reached the second spot on the UK billboards. The Blueprint 3 is Jay-Z’s eleventh album on the billboards, tying Elvis Presley’s record.

Shawn Corey Carter, better known as Jay-Z, has been in the music industry since the release of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996. Jay-Z proved to be successful in the mainstream with his 1998 release of Volume 2… Hard Knock Life.

The album was so successful; it won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1999. He released yet another popular album shortly after 9/11, The Blueprint. This record sold over 426,000 copies in its opening week, becoming Jay-Z’s fourth album to take the number one spot on the billboard charts.

The Blueprint has become a certified double platinum record, selling over 2 million copies in the U.S. It received many great ratings and was listed on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time. After The Blueprint’s success, Jay-Z released The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse in 2002. The Blueprint 2 surpassed the sales of The Blue-print with over 545,000 copies sold in the first week.

In 2003, Jay-Z released his eighth album, titled The Black Album. Shortly after the release of the record, he announced his retirement at a concert held in Madison Square Garden, stating he wanted to focus on other proj-ects. In 2004, Collision Course was released.

In this project, Jay-Z collaborated with Linkin Park to make a six track EP. The album contains mashups

between both artists, selling nearly 2 million copies as of August 2009.

Jay-Z was also named president and CEO of Def Jam Records in 2004. Three years after his retirement, Jay-Z announced his comeback with the release of his album, Kingdom Come. The album proved to be a commercial success, selling 680,000 copies in its first week. In 2007, Jay-Z released his tenth studio album, titled American Gangster.

After the death of rap legend Notorious B.I.G., the title of best New York rapper was left empty. This caused tension to build between Nas and Jay-Z. However, Jay-Z continued to show respect towards Nas, by giving him shoutouts in his tracks. Jay-Z states on his track “Where I’m From,” that Biggie, Nas and he are the best MCs in the game.

Nas responded through his track “We Will Survive,” criticizing many rappers, including Jay-Z. This sparked the Jay-Z and Nas feud, that lasted until 2005. The two reconciled with Nas being featured on American Gangster, collaborating with Jay-Z.

Music is not the only part of Jay-Z’s legacy. He is also known as a very successful entrepreneur. He has recently piqued the interest of many due to his relationship with Beyonce Knowles, former member of Destiny’s Child and popular solo artist.

The couple was first linked when they collaborated on Jay-Z’s single, “Bonnie & Clyde.” Jay-Z was also featured in Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” in 2003. The couple got married in 2008 at a private ceremony and remains to be one of the most popular couples in the entertainment industry.

Jay-Z tops the chartsJay-Z manages to trump Elvis for the second most number one albums after the Beatles

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)Your social life is putting a toll on your grades. Make room for you school work so your grades don’t slip.

Taurus (April 20-May18)You and a friend are growing apart. You two have a great relationship, do not lose it.

Aries (March 21-April 19)A new friend has come into your life. Take the time to get to know this person and your relationship will grow.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)The person whose attention you have been going after will finally notice you. Be yourself and things will fall into place.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)You have been stressed out lately by school work and extracurricular activi-ties. Take the time to refocus yourself and relax.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)You have been avoiding going after something you want. Get over your fears and go after your desires.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)No one is listening to your views and opinions. Speak up and you will be heard.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)You have been focusing too much on yourself. Try to think of the oth-ers around you and good things will come.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)You are struggling in some of your classes. Do not be afraid to ask for help and you will do much better.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18)You feel you are working all the time and missing out. Do not worry; your hard work will pay off.

Horoscopes

Cancer (June 21-July 22)Someone you have known for a while will show new interest in you. Do not shut them out, consider their feelings.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)Life is not going exactly how you want it to. Try to be more optimistic and things will get better.

Sudoku

DirectionsThe objective is to fill out all the empty boxes with the numbers 1-9. In each square you can-not reuse any number twice. In each row or column you cannot re-use any number.

Celebri- The social networking sensation Twitter is now a fixture of pop culture

BY BRENNA O’NEILL Entertainment Editor

It started with the eruption of MySpace and Facebook, and now the world of Twitter has again changed the existence of online communication. The site, founded by Jack Dorsey in 2006, gave its members the ability to openly share their thoughts, feelings, and actions at that moment.

Much like its predecessors, the website is no longer limited to a computer audience. The site is now instantly accessible with its mobile account up and running.

While all of the popular social networking sites are different, Dorsey believes that Twitter attracts so many “followers,” due to its easy usage.

“Simplicity has played an important role in Twit-ter’s success. People are eager to connect with other people and Twitter makes that simple,” says the website’s introduction page.

As Twitter has evolved, it has become a reliable way for public figures such as Taylor Swift, Nicole

Richie and Al Gore to communicate with their fans. Celebrities “tweet” whatever they want, giving their followers a more intimate look into lives they would otherwise be oblivious to.

Junior Banna Gebremichael admits that she has been following Twitter to see what is happening with all of her favorite celebrities.

“I have become addicted to Twitter! I follow people like David Henrie, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers. Ever since they have let you download it to your phone, I get it sent to me throughout the day. I really like knowing what they are doing and where they are in the world.”

Many musicians use Twitter as a way to distribute music to their fans and some politicians have even used the website to further their political careers.

Junior Anne Hruskoci says, “ I use Twitter to get updates from my favorite bands. A lot of the time they will put up their new music that hasn’t been released, or link you to other bands that are similar. It makes it easy to find new music that I like without actually having to look for it.”

Twitter’s recent entry into the world of communi-cation websites have allowed people to feel closer to their favorite celebrities and heroes, following in the tradition of MySpace and Facebook.

1. Reasonable Doubt2.In My Lifetime, Vol.13. Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life4. Vol. 3... Life and Times of S.

Carter5. The Dynasty: Roc La Familia

6. The Blueprint7. The Blueprint2: The Gift

& the Curse8. Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life9. Vol. 3... Life and Times of

S. Carter10. American Gangster

1996

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2007

The Blueprint 32009

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“I just told from far away I look like a homeless dude. As far as I’m concerned mission accomplished” -Pete Wentz

“Whats good my twizzles?!?! Hope yall are ready for tomorrow??” -Snoop Dogg

“Sme relationships r like milk, good 4 u if its n season but stinks & mke u sick u keep it past the expiration dat!> AMEN!Jamal bryant” -Shaquille O’Neal

“Yes.. That is a panda sweater paired with a tiara. It’s just that kind of day.” -Taylor Swift

“I won a home made moon man made by carey hart for “best use f an ex in a video” You should’ve heard my acceptance speech. It was AMAZING” -Pink

20 Sept. 30, 2009WEEKEND

Rocco’s, a charming Italian Restaurant, is the

ideal place to go for a homemade, hearty meal. Immediately when we arrived we could hardly contain ourselves from instantly falling in love with this family-owned business. The smells of herbs, garlic, pasta and pizza floated past our noses and had us instantly hooked as we took our seats while classical music played in the background.

Feeling rather famished, we ordered two entrees and a small pizza to share. The pleasant waitress first brought out a fresh garden salad topped with homemade Italian dressing. Being two people who would normally pass on salad, we were

expecting

the worst; however the fresh salad was very delicious. We agreed that we had never had such amazing Italian dressing before. Just a few moments after we finished the salad, the waitress brought out a small, personal pan-sized pizza. It was steaming hot and loaded with gooey cheese. Needless to say, we loved the pizza and decided that the next time we visited Rocco’s we would just order a huge pizza to split and then take home the leftovers. The pizza is a specialty because it has the perfect amount of their sweet, homemade tomato sauce which is bursting with flavor. However it was so hot that we practically scorched the top of our mouths eating it.

After we were finished with the pizza, the waitress brought out a steak and cheese sandwich and their homemade gnocchi. The steak and cheese sandwich was absolutely amazing. Topped with roasted green peppers, fresh lettuce and mayo, we

could not have asked for a more perfect Philly cheese steak. From the fresh bread to the melted cheese to the seasoned meat, we proclaimed the sandwich to be the best Philly cheese steak in Virginia.

Feeling rather stuffed, we moved onto the homemade gnocchi. The hot pasta dumplings, smothered in homemade pasta sauce, meatballs and Parmesan cheese, melted in our mouths. Our love for Rocco’s Italian food sky rocketed as we stuffed ourselves with gnocchi. However after eating the salad, pizza and the cheese steak, we were extremely full so we opted to take the rest of the gnocchi home with us to eat later.

Eating at Rocco’s was a wonderful experience

that reminded us of the real meaning of customer satisfaction. The staff at Rocco’s was very family friendly and truly wanted their customers t o h a v e a n enjoyable, homemade meal for a relatively cheap price. We strongly recommend you s top by th i s adorable restaurant for pizza or a cheese steak. Rocco’s has the perfect date ambiance with outdoor seating a s w e l l a s indoor seating. If you swing by on Monday or Tuesday night you can catch an All You Can Eat Special which includes their pizza, spaghetti a n d r i g a t o n i for only $8.95. Be sure to visit Rocco’s website for more information on this spectacular Italian restaurant!

Restaurant Guide

By Annika Jessen and Jennifer OakesBy Annika Jessen and Jennifer Oakes

TEST TEST YOUR YOUR TASTETASTEBUDS BUDS

A

What was the best deal you received at

a thrift store or a consignment shop?

“In a Las Vegas thrift store I got a cool dress from the 1970s and my best friend got a peacoat from Banana Republic for $18.”

—Michelle Kinzersenior

“I found a pair of Seven Jeans

for $20 at a consignment

shop in Bethesda

Maryland called Mustard Seed. ”

—Ellie Holcombe

senior

Class of 2010 Bulletin

Homecoming is less than a month away! Please join the Facebook group, “Da Official AHS Class of 2010 Group” if you have not already. The officers will be sending messages regarding when and where Class of 2010 will be making the winning float! Get excited!

Rocco’s Italian Restaurant www.roccositalian.com/1357 Chain Bridge RoadMcLean, VA 22101703-821-3736 Open Monday through Saturday 11am - 10pm and Sunday 11:30am - 9pm

“I bought a three piece,

black tuxedo for $45. It was in

great condition and I ended up

wearing it to Homecoming

freshman year. ”

—Matt Stoughsenior

“I got a great jacket from Anthropologie in a thrift store in Georgetown. It was so fun to find something great after searching through old clothes.”

—Jessica Camillijunior

“I made an entire elf

Halloween costume out

of clothes I found in a thrift

store. It was awesome!”

—Jordan Amanjunior

“I bought a three dollar bag at Salvation Army and found $30 inside of it!”

—Jenny Millersenior

6663 Old Dominion Dr.Mclean, VA 22101703-760-0808Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm

6528 Little River TrnpkAlexandria, VA 22312703-642-9276Open Monday – Saturday 9:30am – 9pm

6920-A Braddock Road Annandale, VA 22003703-321-9363Open Tuesday-Friday 10am – 6pmSaturday 10am – 5pm

714 Columbia PikeArlington, VA 22204 703-979-5947Open Monday – Saturday 10am – 9pmSunday 10am – 6pm

108 W Broad St.Falls Church, VA 22046 703-533-1251Tuesday - Saturday 10am-6pm

2950 Gallows RoadFalls Church, VA 22042(703) 992-6560Open Monday – Saturday 10am – 8pm

Fashion Exchange is a small consignment shop packed with racks of second-hand clothes. The store has a wide variety of hardly ever worn shoes in many sizes and colors alongside half of a wall. The entire store is organized by color for a quick find of exactly what you are looking for. The clothing items are high quality and are mostly from high end brands. If you do not want to sift through tattered hand-me-downs, then head to Fashion Exchange Consignment for some real find!

Salvation Army is a great place to head if you have a lot of time to spare. You can definitely find some treasures if you take your time and search. Salvation Army does a great job of organizing all articles of clothing for your convenience. Most of the clothing items do not exceed $10 so it is a great place to find an awesome deal. Halloween is a month away, and Salvation Army is a great place to find a crazy outfit for less than $20.

Auntie Te’s is definitely a local favorite! Filled with high quality, relatively cheap clothing, Auntie Te’s is a great place to shop. The ambiance of this adorable consignment shop creates a welcoming feel to any customer who would happen to step in. Head to Auntie Te’s for a wide selection of funky, inexpensive jewelry. Just recently Auntie Te’s had a summer sale with 50% off everything in the store, so make sure to check their website periodically for sales!

Goodwill is a well organized second-hand thrift store. Everything in the store is donated and priced extremely low for great deals. Good-will is a wonderful place to go if you do not mind sifting through a lot of clothes. They have endless racks of donated items so if you have some extra time and want to see what you can find for less than five dollars head to Goodwill! Also they have a wide range of different colored suits for men.

Unique is a huge thrift store that sells just about anything you can imagine. From old jerseys to shoes to pots and pans to lamps, Unique has everything. Stroll up and down the packed aisles with your friends and see what you can find! You just might surprise yourself with what you can find inside the walls of Unique!

New to You is an adorable boutique with a really friendly staff. At New to You, they pride themselves on customer satisfaction as well as having high quality designer clothes and shoes. In the dressing rooms they even have pictures of previous customers in before and after pictures to give new customers some ideas for clothes and accessories.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY JENNIFER OAKES

A guide to successful thrift store shopping