60days

Senior

Countdown

Abigail Bessler, ‘13Photo Editor

Luisa Banchoff, ‘13Technology Editor

In the minutes following the end of the school day, the main hallway looks more like a marketplace than a high school. Club members attempt to heckle unsuspecting students into buying cookie dough, brownies and Skittles. A student can hardly get through without being bombarded with proclamations of $1 candy bars and 75-cent cupcakes. With 52 teams and over 60 clubs vying for the student body’s pocket change, the school has been consumed with fundraising attempts galore.

The fundraising hardly stops with the signature bake sale. The marching band goes door to door selling fruits and nuts in the fall. The Madrigals serenade students on Valentine’s Day. Latin American Student Association (LASA) members take to the hallways with briefcase-sized boxes teeming with candy.

With a projected $25 million to $35 million deficit for Arlington Public Schools in the upcoming year, clubs need fundraising to finance their activities. Ms. Theresa Severin, the chorus teacher and advisor of the Madrigals, said the money from their recent fundraising will be used to pay off the debt for their upcoming trip to New York City and will be important for chorus necessities.

The Madrigals’ fundraising money will also pay for accompanists to play at concerts (often a hefty $500 per event). “[An accompanist] is like a textbook for

This past February, Ms. Jessica Baith packed up her things and moved into her new home; that is, the director of counseling office.

Ms. Baith first heard of the opening for her present position in November 2010, after Dr. Marie Bullock announced that she would be retiring the following January. The application process consisted of a 10-person panel interview, composed of experts in the various fields the position covered, and a meeting with Dr. Patrick Murphy, Arlington Public Schools superintendent. Ms. Baith officially became director of counseling in February.

Among Ms. Baith’s new responsibilities is developing the school’s master schedule. As director of counseling, she will also tackle the administrative job of supervising other counselors and reporting back to the administration and county.

This is Ms. Baith’s eighth year as a school counselor; however, she previously worked on the master schedule as a counselor and took on administrative duties as an assistant principal for summer school.

She will receive her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from George Mason University in May.

In the flurry of Course Request Form season, Ms. Baith looks to the future with long-term goals for the counseling department. Aside from continuing morning classes, which were begun this year, she favors giving students breaks in their schedules to seek teacher assistance and complete work outside of class.

With the recent passing of the Generals’ period, a 30-minute break period that will be implemented next year, Ms. Baith’s hopes for the future are beginning to take hold. The proposal, approved in early March by teachers and administrators, will give a half an hour period for students to study, do homework and ask teachers for extra help. “I see how hard our kids work and I think it would be important to work time in our schedule to provide a little bit of relief,” Ms. Baith said.

Another major issue on the table is the possibility of allowing students to graduate in January of their senior year. In order to do this, core classes would be offered in a single-semester package, offering more leverage to students who seek to graduate early. “I like the ideas of flexible scheduling, because I think everyone is very different and that it prepares students for college, where life is much more flexible,” Ms. Baith said.

When it comes to the stress surrounding preparation and applying for college, Ms.

your class. When we don’t have one, it’s like not having any teaching materials,” Ms. Severin said.

Before a club can organize a fundraiser, the teacher supervisor must fill out a form for the administration detailing what will be sold, when and where the fundraiser will take place and the organization’s purpose for the money. All forms must be approved by Ms. Carol Callaway, the director of student activities.

“The form is a simple who, what, where and why,” Ms. Callaway said. “We just want to make sure we have as few conflicts as possible to maximize the profit of each group and make sure everything is suitable for an educational setting.”

Ms. Severin said she is thankful for the administration’s generosity. The chorus’s fundraising plans have never been rejected by the administration. “There are a few hoops to go through, but I don’t mind going through them as long as I know what they are. They could make it a lot harder [to fundraise] but I’m glad they don’t, because we really need these funds.”

Senior Katherine Ponds, the president of the Philosophy Club, has to fill out the form with the club’s adult sponsor, Ms. Nora Kelley, pretty regularly before club bake sales. “In general, it’s kind of tedious,” Ponds said, “But it’s not that big of a deal.”

Unlike the Madrigal’s fundraising application success, the administration has rejected multiple fundraising ideas from the Philosophy Club.

Ms. Callaway, however, says no Philosophy Club fundraiser not been approved, and could not think of an activity in recent years that failed to get approval.

Another concern of Ponds’ is that since money goes directly to the school treasurer, Ms. Terry Bell, the club is limited in what how they can spend money. Ponds said the Philosophy Club could not buy the t-shirts they wanted because the school only had partnerships with select design stores.

“I think the clubs should be able to do whatever they want with the money they raise themselves,” Ponds said.

Senior My-Anh Nguyen had a similar perspective on the fundraising restrictions, after attempting to start a fast that the school said it could not officially sponsor. She, along with the other students in Mr. Robert Summer’s social anthropology classes, is organizing the fast to raise money for Iraq. The Key Club and the National Honor Society have helped raise money with bake sales so that the social anthropology classes can buy t-shirts to sell on the day of the fast. The money from the t-shirt sale will be sent to the World Food Program, with Iraq as the target country.

Nguyen came up with the idea of organizing a fast this year, but the idea truly began during her sophomore year. “I came up with the idea to sell t-shirts to raise money and build community from within,” she said. “I thought, if we all wore the same t-shirt on the same day, we could unite and break down barriers between classes.”

The idea Nguyen had thought up

Fundraising meets filing burden

Ms. Baith steps in ascounseling

director

ABIGAIL BESSLERProceeds from the Japanese Culture Club’s bakesale in the main hallway go to support the victims of the earthquake in Japan. Approv-al for all club fundraising activities, including bake sales, must be given by the activities office.

News

Features Sports

Lifestyles

Learn about Virginia’s redistricting efforts and get a sneak peak at this year’s French Exchange program.

From the earthquake in Haiti to the uprisings in the Middle East, read up on the latest global hotspots.

Catch a preview of the lacrosse and soccer teams’ seasons, and get a March Madness break down.

Find out how to dress for a protest and hear parting words for The Of-fice’s Michael Scott.

See BAITH pg. 2, column 4

See FUNDRAISING pg. 2, column 1

NEWS Crossed SabresMarch 23, 20112

Paige Taylor, ‘12Staff Reporter

Another year of enrollment growthSchool to use trailers next year to alleviate crowding

Jack Bardo, ‘11Managing Editor

Updating proportional representation in VA legislatureHouse of Delegates, Senate work on redistricting plan before 2011 elections

This year the Commonwealth of Virginia will hold legislative elections where all seats in the state legislature will be up for election. As a result Virginia Legislature will be required to submit its new district boundaries by June 1, earlier than the 46 states which have no 2011 elections.

After each census, all states are required to redraw all state assembly, state senate and congressional district boundaries in accordance with the population shift. According to the 2010 census data, the most population growth in Virginia occurred in the Northern Virginia counties of Prince William, Loudoun and Stafford with population decline in counties such as Grayson, Patrick and Henry near the border of North Carolina as well as Highland, Bath and Alleghany near the border of West Virginia.

Once the redistricting process is complete, areas with population growth will gain more representation at the expense of those with population decline.

Currently in Virginia each delegate represents approximately 71,000 citizens and each state senator represents approximately 177,000 citizens. The State Senate contains 40 members and the House of Delegates contains 100 members. The number of members of each house will remain the same regardless of population growth.

The United States Census Bureau released all of the census data for the four states with 2011 legislative elections early so the new districts could be drawn before the elections. As a result, Virginia moved

its state primary, which usually occurs in the beginning of June, to August 23.

Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), raised concerns about voter turnout in an August primary. “Many Virginians take vacation during that month. This will likely have a negative effect on voter turnout which is already typically low,” he said. However, Mr. Hope believes the August primary will have a minimal effect on his re-election campaign.

Del. Robert Brink (D-Arlington) believes the late primary may result in largely positive outcomes. “I hope the late primary date will heighten voter interest and attention generally, and that interest will carry over into the fall campaign and lead to larger turnout.”

In order to implement the new boundaries, each legislative body must propose a bill with its respective desired boundaries specified. Both bills must be approved by both bodies with a simple majority vote. The bills must then be signed into law by Gov. Robert McDonnell (R), and then approved by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure the district lines to not attempt to dilute any population’s vote.

According to the PJ Tatler, a Virginia Democratic Party online newsletter, Virginia is one of only 16 states which is subject to redistricting supervision by the DOJ under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. All 16 of these states are monitored due to their historical attempts to dilute the black vote during the redistricting process. Currently, Attorney General Kennith Cuccinelli (R) is attempting to bail Virginia out of this provision with opposition from many Virginia Democrats, including Mr. Hope. “Since Virginia’s

redistricting process is controlled by the majority, the DOJ review serves as an unbiased protector of the minority and therefore continues to play a crucial role in the redistricting process,” said Mr. Hope. “I may feel differently if the lines were drawn by a unbiased, disinterested parties, but until the process changes, the DOJ plays and important role.”

The redistricting process is oftentimes driven by partisan motives in which each party attempts to draw the district lines so each district contains as many voters sympathetic to them as possible. However, Mr. Hope plans to fight against this tendency. “I do not believe elected

officials should choose their voters; voters should choose their elected officials,” said Mr. Hope. “Such efforts have failed over the years, but I’m committed to working with a bipartisan coalition to establish a nonpartisan process early.”

Mr. Brink echoed Mr. Hope’s sentiments and blames the lack of bipartisan redistricting on Republicans. “The Republicans in the House of Delegates have

The hallways throughout the building are now cramped with students, and staircases are deadlocked with the bustling students moving themselves between levels. Getting to class in between each period has proved quite the adventure and sometimes an actual challenge.

With the school population nearing 2000 students, everyone is beginning to feel the effects of such a huge and still growing student body.

Although there are eight minutes to get to class after the bell has rung, students still have to race to get to class on time. Getting up the stairs is not an easy trek for some students. “I have to go from the 1st floor to the 4th after lunch and I hate not being able to go up the main staircase because it is so crowded, so I have to take the long way to get to class on time,” said junior Lelia Troiano.

Junior Jessica Whelan agrees, “Even though we have eight minutes to get to class, I still don’t have enough time to get to my locker, get water and use the restroom between classes,” she said.

There are students coming down on the staircase in the same direction as those trying to go up, causing gridlock. “With all the new students, there is less space in the hallways, especially around the 2nd floor where people stand in the middle of the hallways talking,” said Whelan.

As of January 31, enrollment was

1908 students, over the school’s expected capacity of 1854. Last year’s student population was about 1790.

Recent trends indicate each incoming class causes an increase in student population. This year’s freshman class has about 544 students, almost 100 more students than this year’s graduating class of about 430 students.

According to the Arlington Public Schools (APS) Building Capacities and Projected Student Enrollment Report, the current enrollment is at 103.2% of capacity. Capacity in this report is defined

as the number of students a building was designed to hold. Next year, they project an enrollment capacity of 113.7% and in 2016 an enrollment capacity of 139.4%.

With the school becoming increasingly stuffed with students, changes are sure to be made. Although rumors of trailers (called relocatables by APS) usually tend to agitate students, junior Manon Loustaunau said, “I would not mind if we were to get trailers next year. I think that there are a lot of classes that could be moved there so there is more space in the main building.”

Loustaunau also has another take on

increasing enrollment. “I think it shows our school has prestige, especially with all the freshmen who live in the Yorktown or Wakefield district who transfer for the IB Programme,” she said.

Wakefield has an enrollment of 1797 students; however, the enrollment capacity is only at 74.7%. Yorktown has a student capacity of 1862 students, and the enrollment capacity there is 92.5%. Although Washington-Lee is currently the only high school over capacity, Yorktown is projected to be at 114.8% enrollment capacity by 2016.

Many students have noticed the hallways becoming progressively more crowded as the years have gone by. The school currently has 1908 students and could have as many as 2200 next year. Its enrollment capacity is currently 103.2%.

Ms. Stacy Yule uses her cart to travel to be-tween classrooms. She teaches in five differ-ent classrooms, because there are not enough classrooms for each teacher to have his or her own room.

consistently rejected efforts to establish a bipartisan redistricting process, instead insisting on clinging to the old way of doing business – gerrymandering to benefit the majority and punish the minority.”

According to Mr. Brink, Mr. McDonnell has appointed a bipartisan redistricting advisory committee to ensure the process does not favor one party.

Mr. Josh Goodman, a staff writer for Governing magazine and the lead author of its politics blog, raised concern about the Virginia State Legislature’s possible inability to come to an agreement regarding the new district boundaries before the June 1 deadline because the legislature is politically divided with a Democratic controlled State Senate and a Republican-controlled House of Delegates.

Mr. Goodman predicted the result of this scenario would follow a precedent set in 1981 when a federal judge rejected Virginia’s redistricting proposal claiming it violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The judge allowed the members of the House of Delegates to stand for re-election in their old districts for one year terms and then run again in 1982 in their new districts for another year term, putting them back on the regular two-year election schedule by 1983.

However, Mr. Brink does not foresee any problems. “I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of 1981 – it was the objection to multi-member districts that led to deadlock and caused the House to have to run in three successive years.”

Although redistricting in 2011 may be notably challenging for Virginia, the process is by no means foreign. It is a process which has occurred every 10 years since 1790.

“I do not believe elected officials should choose their voters.”

-Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington)

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

BY ANDREW ELLIOTT

NEWSCrossed Sabres March 23, 2011 3Arlington schools provide international experience

High schools offer French exchange program Chad Hilla, ‘11

Opinion Editor

transformed into a way to help Iraq, but she said the idea is still the same. “When people are suffering, or whining about fasting, even though it sounds like a bad thing, it’s positive because they’re unifying and fighting for a good cause,” Nguyen said. “I mean, really, the fast is about getting through a crappy experience, together.”

Before Nguyen could organize the fast, though, she had to submit a form to the administration. Nguyen said she spent her entire snow day writing up a long proposal, but in the end “they shot me down.”

Ms. Callaway explained that the school could not sponsor the fast because there is a significant health risk involved. Nguyen said she realized this, but did not think it would be such a big issue. “It’s really disappointing,” she said. “[The fast] is just a better way to fundraise, not necessarily fiscally, but in terms of unifying the people with the cause.”

Nguyen said this was not the first time

Administration upholds regulations for fundraising activities

FUNDRAISING, From Page 1

Steps to get a fundraiser approved:1) Come up with a unique fundraising idea. If other clubs are doing the same exact fundraiser, yours may not be approved.2) Stop by the student activities office for a form.3) Have your club sponsor fill out the form with the type of fundraising activity, its purpose and the date, time and location of the proposed fundraiser.4) Turn in the form and wait for Ms. Carol Callaway’s approval or disapproval.5) If your fundraising plan was approved, follow Ms. Callaway’s guidance for the organization of your fundraiser. This will maximize your profits- the fundraising schedule prevents too many clubs from fundraising on the same day.6) The money gained from your fundraiser must be recorded and sent through Ms. Terry Bell, the school treasurer, to go to your club’s funds.7) You now have money for your various club activities. Go spend it!

Ms. Baith open to variety of proposed

changes toscheduling

BAITH, from page 1

Baith encourages students to recognize their priorities and find the “balance” between their academic and personal lives. “Sometimes that balance might mean getting a poor grade…and that would be okay,” she said. She added jokingly, however, that there is always the option of having yoga offered after school to calm students.

Most of all, Ms. Baith wants to emphasize the importance of communication with students and openness concerning scheduling possibilities as she undertakes her new role. Like every new homeowner, she encourages her neighbors to visit her. “We are an open-door policy,” she said. “Take advantage.”

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

Ms. Jessica Baith replaced the retiring Dr. Marie Bullock as director of counseling in January.

Despite the paramount importance, both historically and culturally, of the monuments and museums in Washington, D.C., local Arlingtonians are seldom impressed by them because they see these attractions on a weekly, and for some daily, basis. However, when they journey overseas to new, unexplored cities, they are dumbstruck. Senior Keya Chilka experienced this sensation when she visited France in tenth grade.

“I had to talk to [the French host student’s] parents first, because I was pretty rattled,” said Chilka. She has studied the French language since seventh grade, and is currently taking IB French HL II. But even though she signed up to go on the trip as soon as she could, she “had no idea what [she] was getting into.”

“When I arrived at [Lycée Marc Chagall High School in Reims, France], half of the students were outside smoking cigarettes,” said Chilka. She also observed that the discipline teachers enforced was rather harsh; for example, even slightly disrespectful students had to write legions of lines on the board. “I was kind of grateful to be going to high school [at Washington-Lee]. But the students [in Reims] also had a ton of respect for the teacher,” she said after some thought.

Chilka is just one of many students who have participated in Washington-Lee’s French Exchange Program. It was organized in 2001 by a two retired Arlington

high school world language teachers, Ms. Elizabeth Schollaert from Yorktown and Ms. Ingrid Berdahl from Wakefield. Lycée Marc Chagall became the sister school for high schools in Arlington.

Washington-Lee became a part of the program when there was a shortage of families to host it, and Yorktown asked this school for some assistance. “The response [from this high school] was incredible,” said Mrs. Margarita Cruz, assistant principal.

In 2001, Washington-Lee sent students to France for the first time. Now all Arlington high schools, including students

that one of her ideas had been rejected by the administration. Another idea she had was to paint a mural about physics on a wall in the third floor hallway. She was told to revise her plans and bolt the picture to the wall instead of painting directly on the surface. The reasoning from the administration was that the new school building should be kept neat and pristine.

As Nguyen walked down the stairs to the main hallway, a place soon to be filled with tables upon tables of baked goods and candy bars, she shook her head and said, “They just doubt everything because it’s coming from a student.”

Despite the concerns of Nguyen and Ponds, Ms. Callaway said that the administration approves the majority of fundraisers. “We encourage and like that our students want to do activities that support social issues and fix inequalities,” said Ms. Callaway. “We approved everything we could approve.”

in the H-B Woodlawn Program, are invited to participate. The French Exchange Program’s goal is “to expose students to an authentic French cultural experience.”

Junior Natalie Shearin, who was also a student of the IB French two-year course, hosted a female French high school student Camille, last spring from Lycée Marc Chagall. “When Camille stayed with me, I learned a lot about her mannerisms, and her culture…she was definitely being herself,” Shearin said. “We still e-mail, and I’m going to stay with her this spring.”

It is not only students who make new personal connections through the program. “I find it interesting to meet other teachers from different countries,” said science teacher Mr. Bill Chamblee. “I was really glad to help.”

When it comes time for the French students to return home, strong relationships have been cemented. But feelings of disappointment are not really necessary, for many of these pairs will see each other again next spring. If a student signs up for the program for two years, they will both host a student from overseas and be hosted by them too.

Although the United States and France have different backgrounds and cultures, students from both schools find they have much in common and often build lasting friendships. “[Camille] always talked about how good the food was [in France], and I’m looking forward to using my French every day [next year],” said Shearin. “I heard they eat really big lunches so I will fit right in.”

Junior Natile Shearin is one student who par-ticipated in the French Exchange Program which allows students to stay with a family in France. In exchange, the student agrees to host a member of the French family in the United States.

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

and passion, but pre-made signs are not a terrible choice. If you are making a sign, keep in mind the following recommendations.

Spell everything correctly:When you cannot even spell your cause correctly, you look dumb and it reflects poorly on who you are supporting.Use color:This is self-explanatory. If you do not use color, your sign will not be noticed. Be creative:Use puns, use rebuses, use alliterations! This sign is a representation of yourself; do not let it be boring. Write legibly: A badly written sign is about as

good as no sign at all. If you have poor penmanship, consider using stencils so it does not look like meaningless scribble.

Depending on where the protest is and how radical things may get, a few extra items may be advantageous. Many of the riots in Egypt resulted in the police using tear gas. In this circumstance, a gas mask may have been helpful to have. Money for bail can also be a useful item to have on hand, just in case things get a little rowdy.

LIFESTYLES Crossed SabresMarch 23, 2011 4

“No, I didn’t go to business school. You know who else didn’t go to business school? Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant - they went straight from high school to the NBA. So… it’s really not the same thing at all.”

Those are the words of Michael Scott, the adored main character and boss of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company on the NBC hit show, The Office. Steve Carrel has played Michael Scott for the show’s past seven seasons, as it has jumped from a pilot season that was out short, to the frontrunner show on NBC Thursday night television.

To the dismay of many a Michael Scott fan, it was announced earlier this fall that this would be Carrel’s last season for the series.

For the last seven years, Office fans have watched Carrel develop the role of Michael Scott, a middle-aged man who is prematurely put in charge of a struggling paper company. He is unintelligent, immature and pathetic in his everyday interactions with his co-workers, and usually finds himself in trouble or on somebody’s, if not everybody’s, bad side.

Whether he is trying to flirt with an attractive new employee or figure out a clever way to shout his famous line, “That’s what she said!” in a normal conversation, Michael never fails to create awkward moments on the show that leave audience members cringing in their seats.

“The [‘that’s what she said’] line is probably what I like the most about Michael Scott’s character,” said sophomore fan Alexis Sison-Postma. “I try to add it in to my vocabulary every now and then.”

Senior Caleb Wroblewski, a long-time Office fan, said his favorite part about Michael Scott is when he starts to say something and then realizes mid-way through his speech that it doesn’t make sense, much-like the previously m e n t i o n e d quote where he tries to make a connection between NBA stars and business school. “He will be talking about something ridiculous, and you watch his face change as he finally processes in his head what just came out of his mouth…those are the best moments on the show,” said Wroblewski

Without Carrel, The Office will undoubtedly lose many of its viewers and supporters. The show relied on Michael Scott for his humility and shocking decisions in social situations, but also for many of the feel-good, heartwarming moments the Office has had over the years.

There are other hilarious characters and role characters including Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and Jim and Pam Halpert (John Krasinski and Jenna Fisher,) but none of them have the screen presence to carry the show once Carrel is gone.

“I heard Will Ferrell might replace [Carrel] next year,” said Wroblewski. This is among many rumors about who might play the role of Michael Scott for future Office seasons, however none have been declared accurate yet.

Other rumors include the show losing the boss character all together and continuing on with the same characters that appear on the show today. However it turns out, Carrel’s beloved Michael Scott will be missed. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a funny guy,” said Wroblewski referring to Will Ferrell, “but there’s only one Michael Scott.”

Andrew Karpinski, ‘11Staff Reporter

Can The Office survive without

Michael Scott

When the first thing heard on a CD is the screeching of police sirens and alarms, it can be taken either as a forewarning of the bad album to come, or as an example of the fun, teenage angsty sound the band has created. Luckily for alternative pop-something? Go Radio, their album Lucky Street is the latter.

The title track, “Lucky Street,” is the first song on the album and the first chance for Go Radio to prove themselves to the listener. Although Lucky Street sounds like a place Go Radio members once went, it is actually a metaphor for why people should be happy with the lives they have. That lesson is taught only too well in the lines, “the ocean rises up and you refuse to make a sound/ and everybody falls and then sways as if to beats/ except for you and me, we’ve got promises to keep here on Lucky Street.”

While Go Radio lead singer Jason Lancaster has said that Lucky Street is breaking away from typical pop-punk music, the band delivers just that with the song “Any Other Heart.” A song with a repetitive drum beat and guitar riff, it is not the most interesting on the album, but does make you want to jump up and down and sing along. Do not jump to hard though; your scene-kid hair extensions might fall out.

Even though Lucky Street jumps in line with other alternative albums from bands like All Time Low and Mayday Parade, there is one song on Lucky Street that sets it apart from the crowd. “Forever My Father,” a ballad written by Lancaster and his sibling when their father

Kirby Miller, ‘13Business Manager

“Lucky Street” sends conflicting messages of happiness and hopelessness

died, is a touching and heartfelt song about family, which is not easy to achieve in a genre based on revolting against the institutions of family and adults. With lines like “I just needed you to pick me up/Like you did when we were younger/ When the lightning and the thunder/had me clinging to your heart/ for someone to lift me up/ When I’m down and I’m forgotten/ You’ll forever be my father,” it is hard not to call your parents on the spot and tell them how much you love and appreciate them.

Even with great songs like “Forever My Father” and “Lucky Street,” there are some songs on the album that will cause you to be mad when you are out of skips on Pandora. “Singing with the King” comes directly after “Lucky Street” and “Any Other Heart” on the album, and it made me upset that they had put this awful selection on an album with other songs that have such great messages. “Singing with the King” is a depressing song about the past being better than the present and, overall, how terrible life gets once you have reached your highest potential.

Another disappointing song on Lucky Street is “Swear it Like You Mean It.” “Swear it Like You Mean It” is the song that every alternative band trying to go mainstream has on their album. It has obscene pop roots and sounds too much like Nickleback. As an indie and alternative music snob, this was very disappointing for me.

For the most part, Lucky Street is a great album with great messages. I would recommend it to anyone who likes alternative and punk-pop, but be warned, if your tastes in music are anything like mine, you will want to both turn it up and throw your iHome against the wall at the same time.

For The Office’s past seven seasons, Steve Carrel’s Michael Scott has provided come-dic relief as the show’s cornerstone charac-ter. Office fans are now struggling to come to terms with saying goodbye to Carrel.

ART BY EILEEN SOILES

What will “she” say now?

PHOTO BY EMILY WALKERNoah Pilchen, ‘12

Feature Editor

How to dressfor a

At the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, young moderates came by the thousands to support reason in a time of political drama and libel. For a rally like this, costumes are perfectly appropriate and humorous signs are a definite yes.

Attending a protest can be a unique experience filled with energy and opinions. Like any event, there are guidelines on how to dress and behave at a protest. Knowing the ground rules will help you to prepare for and enjoy the day, and will keep you from looking like a fool.

First off, layering is key. Even if the protest is in the middle of January, if the crowd engulfs you into its inferno of body heat it can feel like the middle of July. Dress in a t-shirt and a light weight jacket in case of sudden climate changes.

The shirt that you wear is essential for the image you wish to give off at the protest. If you frequently go to rallies, do not wear shirts from the others you have attended. Although you may believe that it shows your support for other causes, some may view you as a “protest hussy,” someone who is simply trying to revolt against “the man,” regardless of what the protest is for.

The shoes you wear are important as well. Your shoes will undoubtedly get dirty; so do not show up in your nicest pair of dress shoes. You need a pair with a sturdy sole that you feel comfortable running in, if you need to. The most important items needed for protests, however, are the accessories. Signs complete the outfit. Homemade signs are preferred because they show your creativity

In D.C., it seems there is always a protest going on. Whether you are going to a pro-choice rally or a breast cancer awareness march, knowing how to dress can save you from having to go home early due to discomfort or shame.

PHOTO BY NOAH PILCHENJunior Casha Stempniewicz, senior Maggie Sid-dle, junior Maheen Shahid and senior Allison Fontaine brought a home-made sign when they attended a pro-choice rally. Notice how it is neat, colorful and uses a thought-provoking phrase.

Album Review

LIFESTYLESCrossed Sabres March 23, 2011 5

For the last four weeks of high school, seniors are offered the chance to work, explore and experience professional society through Arlington’s Senior Experience program. The program’s first coordinator was Dr. George Spanos, and he started the program with only twenty seniors. Since then, it has expanded so that almost every member of the senior class participates. Typically, seniors will work in restaurants or stores to save money for college. However, each year there are always a some students who do something different.

This year, senior Becca Fisk will be participating in a program teaching kids how to tie ropes for rock climbing and how to tie boots for hiking. “I think my most difficult task will be dealing with the parents,” she said.

Fisk says she is looking forward to Senior Experience and working with the kids. “I participated in the camp last summer, and it was pretty cool, so I am excited to do it again for senior experience,” she said.

Like many seniors, Fisk wants to do something more interesting than a desk job, internship or volunteer work. She said that she “would much rather be working [at a summer camp] than in an office at a desk all day.”

Other students, such as senior Lina Chhuy-Hy, have decided to take on more challenging programs. For her senior experience, Chhuy-Hy will be working for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NIH is a government institute that offers summer internships where high school and undergraduate students can work and research a scientific topic of their choice. Chhuy-Hy said that she chose to work with NIH because

of her interests in chemistry, biology and the human body.Chhuy-Hy said she worked at NIH last summer, and

that she found out about the program from a neighbor. After looking into their website, she submitted an application and a resumé and was chosen for the program. “I like the [research] project itself, and I like to talk with others and present my findings,” said Chhuy-Hy. “People take their bodies for granted sometimes, and I think that understanding and exploring the body helps me appreciate it more.”

By working at NIH, she hopes to establish connections in the scientific community, which she hopes will provide a wider range of opportunities after high school.

Senior Sabrina Patwary, who is volunteering at the Metropolitan Pediatric Clinic for Senior Experience, agreed with Chhuy-Hy that the program is “beneficial in establishing relationships and having real world experience after high school.”

Patwary started volunteering at Metropolitan Pediatric Clinic as way of getting IB-CAS hours. “I first got the idea when I went to get my physical. I figured it would be more hands on because the offices are smaller,” said Patwary.

Her goals for Senior Experience are to learn more about medicine and save money for college.

Senior Experience is not only for jobs or internships. Volunteer work and special projects are also options. Students who choose to do a special project must specify what their plans are and how they intend to accumulate 100 hours of work, a requirement for Senior Experience.

In order to get his 100 hours, Senior Cayden Brehaut plans to hike ten miles a day for ten days with a couple of friends. “I love camping, so I’m backpacking the Appalachian Trail for senior experience with some of my

friends. My friends Dylan and Marshall and I have wanted to go [hiking] for the longest time, but the weekends aren’t really long enough so we thought that Senior Experience would be the perfect time.”

Many teachers and school officials talk about getting all the seniors to participate in Senior Experience, or possibly making it a requirement. “I think students in good academic standing who have already met their graduation requirements should [participate], but those who have not need the opportunity to meet [their graduation] requirements,” said Mrs. Sarah Congable, the current Senior Experience coordinator.

Despite the benefits of senior experience, there has debate in the past on the value of the program for seniors who do not have a structured plan in place.

To address this concern, this year’s application and monitoring have changed. “As the program has grown, I think it has been easier for seniors to slip between the cracks. This year we revised the application process, it’s a lot more specific and we will be checking in with mentors more regularly,” said Mrs. Sarah Congable.

Many seniors support Senior Experience. “I think it’s a great idea. It’s so much better than doing nothing, because once you are done with your exams you don’t really have anything to do for the rest of the year, because you have already learned everything you need to learn,” said Patwary.

Many teachers agree. “The end of the year is the busiest time of year, so having extra teachers on hand to assist with the graduating testing, etc., is a big help,” said Mrs. Congable.

Senior Experience has inspired many students to follow their dreams and pursue a variety of different careers. Most simply, it is an opportunity for seniors to experience the working world through internships, paid or volunteer work, or unique adventures.

According to Brehaut, “[Senior Experience] is amazing, definitely one of the best things the school has ever done for us. It gets us out of exams, and we get to really go out in the world and get some real experience in whatever field you want. It’s probably the best thing the school [system] has done [for me] in 12 years.”

Sydney Butler, ‘11Staff Reporter

Photo contest winners: Monika Hossain, ‘13 and

Simonia Sharma, ‘12

This month’s theme was: Friendship As the weather warms up, so should your

photos! This month’s photo contest is finding the best picture to represent the spring season.

Get outside and snap pictures of colorful sundresses, students enjoying the warm weather, fresh cherry blossoms, or any other image you feel captures the warm months ahead! The prize for the best picture will be a $10 Chipotle gift card and your photo featured in the Crossed Sabres.

Submit your photos by April 15 to wlcrossedsabres@yahoo.com or to the Publications Lab, room 1028.

A capstone to thehigh school venture

Students get excited for their Senior Experience

Submit

to next

month’s

contest!

April’s theme:

SPRING

FEATURE Crossed SabresMarch 23, 20116 FEATURECrossed Sabres March 23, 2011 7

Nicolette Elm, ‘11Staff Reporter

Greg Jacks, ‘11Staff Reporter

Emily Walker, ‘12Lifestyles Editor

When thinking about war, most people see it for all of its casualties, destruction, trauma and horror. They think about the victims, the displaced, the lives ruined over disputes between those who do not bear the consequences of their actions. What people overlook, however, are the families of the soldiers themselves, indirect victims of war.

Sophomore Rourke Donahue’s father has been in the military for over twenty years and has been deployed five times, each time for over a year. “When one parent is gone, sacrifices have to be made. More personal responsibility is placed on you,” said Donahue.

Some military children, however, are not alone because they live on base with families in similar situations. Donahue has lived on various bases for 13 years and claimed that base families were collectively among the nicest he has ever met. Freshman Jay DeLancey additionally spoke highly of his two-year life on base, claiming he took comfort in residing near people like him. Junior Carly Anders, however, denounced living on base because of its lack of proximity to North Arlington activities.

Living day-to-day in fear of the worst is a highly stressful way of life, but many military children are able to communicate with their deployed parents overseas until their safe arrival home. DeLancey was able to converse with his parents through Facebook, letters and phone calls. Donahue communicates with his father mostly through e-mail. Anders, however, has not been as fortunate and claims she is not usually able to communicate with her father while he is deployed.

President Obama’s vow to begin bringing United States troops home from Afghanistan in July 2011 leaves DeLancey doubtful, Anders hopeful and Donahue ambivalent. “The withdrawal of troops will definitely keep many military members and families feeling safer at night, but I don’t think that positive intervention should be stopped as well,” said Donahue. “There are obvious negative aspects of war, but my father described the schools, roads, water sources, peace, and technology being given to the impoverished. It’s important to keep both the negative and positive aspects of troop removal in mind.”

GLOBAL HOTSPOTS

Thousands of leaderless young people, who had braved tear gas, rubber bullets and police forces infamous for their torture techniques, put down their knives and clubs on February 11, and stood together not as a group of demonstrators, but as the new face of Egypt. Not even two months ago, on January 25, Egyptian rebels rose up against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak to declare their independence from his militaristic administration that had lasted for almost 30 years.

Mubarak, who took power after the assassination of President Anwar al-Sadat, was a successful leader at first, praised for creating a relationship with the United States, suppressing terrorism, and negotiating issues of regional security. Later on though, his government, which was run by military law, allowed his police force and military to arrest people without charge, detain prisoners indefinitely and limit freedoms of expression and assembly. Junior Mona Mahmoud has lived on-and-off in Egypt with her father to learn Arabic and Islam. She said that “Mubarak didn’t want to face his people; he wanted to keep control of the country for his own satisfaction.”

Mahmoud’s complaints echo those of the Egyptian population, and include rampant unemployment, the low income, poverty, dirty streets and bad public schools. Mahmoud described Cairo before the protest as beautiful, but said that “it was trashy,” and she pointed out the large gap between the upper and lower classes.

The protests, which centered in and around Cairo’s Tahrir Square, seem to have been sparked not only by unrest, but by communication and organization created by e-mails and Facebook. Demonstrations had happened before, but none had been so widespread or sustained for so long. Mahmoud cited that in Egypt, especially in Cairo, it was very likely that one would be arrested for speaking out against the government, as a reason for why change was so late in coming.

Protests started as peaceful, but violence ensued as the

demonstrators clashed with Mubarak supporters and police forces armed with guns and tear gas. People came together to protect their neighborhoods, banks and museums against looters and criminals. After 17 days, the protestors saw results when Mubarak demanded that his government step down, however he stayed in power and appointed military leaders as his Vice President and Prime Minister.

During the protests, Mahmoud felt depressed and scared from worrying about the safety of her friends in Cairo, and said “it was really stressful, because I was really worried about them. I would ask my friends, ‘do you have food?’ It was devastating.”

Once the phone lines and internet were shut down in Egypt, and Mahmoud only knew what was happening by constantly watching the news, it was more emotionally difficult for her. Not knowing whether her friends were dead or alive prompted her to eventually stop watching the news, because it was too hard to watch the violence and conflict. One particularly stressful time came after she heard that a friend of a friend had been hospitalized after being shot.

Demonstrators started to see better outcomes on February 1, when Mubarak announced that he would not run for re-election, and then on February 2, when the United States broke ties with the Mubarak regime, condemning the violence against protestors and Mubarak’s decision to stay in office. Mubarak left office on February 25.

What will happen in Egypt now is still a matter of debate, but Reuters reported that contrary to fears in the United States and Israel, the Muslim Brotherhood will not take power. Egypt will most likely continue to respect the peace treaty they have with Israel, although relations are expected to become cooler.

Mahmoud seemed hopeful for the future of Egypt, and described how after Mubarak stepped down people cleaned up trash in the streets and painted the Egyptian flag on Harem Street in Cairo. She said, “no matter how long you wait, people will step up [because] it’s never too late for change.”

A small country in Northern Africa recently stole the media’s attention, as a group of youthful rebels took to the streets on January 14 and brought the reign of Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to an end.

Tunisia’s revolution also became the first in a series of uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa in countries where citizens wanted their voices to be heard as well.

Although not every student may have been paying attention to the beginning phases of these protests for greater democratic rights, one student, senior Sonya Dagata, kept a close eye on the unrest.

With daily police chases and the potential for looting and rioting, danger was rampant during Tunisians’ fight for what they believe is right.

Dagata, whose mother is tunisian, is proud of her heritage and passionate about the revolution. Many of her family members still live in Tunisia where the protests against the government were part of daily life.

Dagata said that she had regular contact with her family during the protests. She chatted with her cousins on Facebook while they stayed up at night as part of a neighborhood watch. Her cousins told her that they did not answer their phone unless it was a number they knew, for fear that their home would be raided.

Politically, Dagata agrees that there needs to be a major improvement in Tunisia’s government. Her strongest belief is that everyone should stay as unified as possible during this time of change.

Despite the dangers of revolution, Dagata was glad that her country had one. “I just feel so proud, Tunisia is this tiny little country, and we got our revolution.”

This past month has been filled to the brim with global unrest. Countries in Africa and the Middle East have stirred up protests against their oppressive leaders. Although Egypt and Tunisia have turned these protests have resulted in overthrowing of the government, still unrest is ongoing in Libya.

Libya’s dictator, Muammar al-Gaddafi, has ruled with an iron fist since 1969. The recent Egyptian revolution sparked the country’s people into protest. Gaddafi has been unwilling to compromise with the desires of his people, which include his departure from office, and has retaliated with tanks, mercenaries and even aircraft bombers. Gaddafi blames al-Qaeda’s influence for the actions of his people. Gaddafi says the protestors, mainly in their youth, have been using hallucinogenic drugs and are in an unnatural mental state.

All of these reactions have been heightened by online media, which has publicized the unrest further. The protest has spread to America via the press, and their citizens are attempting to persuade the United States government to intervene. Protests have taken place in front of both the White House and Libyan Embassy. They plead for America to institute a no-fly zone over the country

Faris Sanjakdar, a senior, attended a White House protest just a few weekends ago. Bearing a “free Libya” t-shirt during the interview, he expressed his displeasure with America’s lack of action. “Gaddafi needs to leave,” he said. “The US must institute a no-fly zone until the dictator resigns from power.” While America debates on which path to take on the Libya situation, area Sanjakdar and his “arab fleet” will petition Washington relentlessly.

Although the protests have shown an international call for action, there are large risks in American policy. Gaddafi has threatened to declare war on the United States if it chooses to intervene. America is occupied in Afghanistan and Iraq already, and another war or military oppositions would likely meet fervent opposition.

Although Congress objects involvement at this point, certain politicians, including John Kerry and John McCain, have called for intervention “this evening.” What is to come is unknown and changes daily. One thing is certain, however, oppressed people across the globe are clamoring for revolution in the country and their own countries.

“The global reaction is a beautiful use of the web as an expression of human freedom,” said social studies teacher Mr. Robert Summers. “Dictators everywhere beware.”

Emily Cook, ‘12Staff Reporter

students with international connections

A little over a year ago, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, a Caribbean nation already struggling with poverty and unrest. Much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was destroyed, including the Presidential Palace.

Freshman Kelly Jean-Baptiste’s older brothers and cousins were living in Haiti at the time the earthquake occurred. She recalled that her mother tried to call every day, but communication was nearly impossible because of the damage to infrastructure. “When we heard about the quake we were shocked,” said Jean-Baptiste. “It was a couple of weeks after the earthquake when my family here contacted them in Haiti on the phone.”

In the aftermath of the earthquake Jean-Baptiste’s brothers moved to the United States. Haiti is still trying to clean up the debris that resulted from the earthquake. Many people are frustrated at the slow pace of the country’s recovery. Jean-Baptiste does not see a lot of hope for her country in it current state. She explained, “My brothers want to bring their children and whole family to the United States.”

COMPILED BY MANBIR NAHAL, ‘14

Libyans protest for liberty

The island of Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire,” an arc of high earth-quake and volcanic activity where about 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur. On March 11, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0, the largest Japanese earthquake on record and the fifth-largest quake worldwide since 1900, triggered fires and caused severe damage to buildings, leaving five million households without electricity and one million without water.

The earthquake caused the sea floor to suddenly shift vertically, and subsequently shifted the water above it, causing a tsunami. Thou-sands of people were ordered to

evacuate coastal areas in the states of California, Oregon and Washing-ton and along the Pacific Coast.

One of the major aftermaths of the earthquake in Japan, was the effect on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the west-ern coast of Japan. The six reactors, containing nuclear materials were severely damaged, many of them to a volatile degree. Evacuation has occurred within a 12-mile radius of the power plant.

In case radiation is carried through the air from the power plant, as a precaution, many West Coast Americans have bought FDA approved, potassium iodine tablets

COMPILED BY EMILY COOK, ‘12

BY FARIS SANJAKDAR

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

Earthquake rattles Japan

SPORTS Crossed SabresMarch 23, 20118

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On a cool spring afternoon, the soccer team gathers by the goalposts for a pre-practice meeting. After a brief talk with the coach, the team quickly starts making routine laps around the track for warm-ups, easing into a familiar pattern of practice and interacting with each other. Most of the players are no stranger to playing on the team.

The current varsity soccer team has 12 seniors out of a total number of 22 players. With this lineup, the team has an interesting dynamic for this year and the next: this season the core of the team consists of more experienced players and for the 2012 season, there will be many opportunities for new players after this year’s seniors graduate.

Fourteen players are returning this year, a majority of whom are seniors. “Many of the seniors have been on the team since their sophomore year, and they’ve just been getting better and better,” said Coach Jimmy Carrasquillo. He hopes to build on the team’s previous records (5-7 in 2009 and 10-5 in 2010).

Senior Josh Katz who has played on the varsity team for four years has high hopes for the team. “This is by far the most talented team I’ve been a part of,” said Katz. “Our feeling is that this season we have an opportunity to do something great.”

Senior Robert Dewald agrees that the makeup of the team will help propel them forward. “Being an older and more experienced team will definitely help us come together more quickly and will help

us down the road as each game gains more importance,” he said.

The team is enthusiastic about the extent to which their momentum will take them. Many of the seniors are excited to play and compete as a team for the last time

Rumors of drug testing prove falseSchool has no plans to begin testing athletes

Audrey Paduda, ‘13Staff Reporter

Soccer team counts on experienceReturning seniors, juniors hope to make impact in district

Sonia Phene, ‘11Special Sections Editor

Left: Junior Branko Picavia at practice. Picavia and his fellow juniors will take over the team next year.Top: Coach Jimmy Carrasquillo talks to the players after practice.Above: Ten of the team’s 12 seniors pose in front of the goal.

before they graduate. “This is our year, as a team, to do something special and leave our mark,” said Dewald.

Seniors are not the only ones enthusiastic about the chances for the team’s success. “I think that this year the

BY ABIGAIL BESSLER

In the weeks before spring sports began, rumors of drug testing for the up and coming season were flying around the school. The information was vague and largely embellished.

“At first I heard that they were testing the athletes for marijuana, and then that it was for using steroids,” said sophomore Katie Dewald, who is a spring sport athlete as a member of the girls soccer team.

Ms. Callaway, the director of student activities adamently denied that this rumor is true, saying, “If there were ever any plans to do drug testing, then it would be news to me.”

She further explained that the school could not make the decision to test the athletes on its own. In this school district, a single school’s administration does not have the authority to order drug testing for students of the school.

Some students are not pleased that the rumors turned out to be untrue. “I think they should drug test the athletes, because some drugs could make the sports unfair,” said sophomore Amber Ruess. “If they are doing steroids or something like that it is unfair for the other kids.”

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) an anabolic steroid is defined as an artificial version of the hormone testosterone, the hormone that promotes muscle growth and development. Some student athletes, mostly at the college level, have abused these drugs in order to perform better in their sport.

What some students do not know is

that anabolic steroids can seriously harm you physically and mentally if not used correctly and under a doctor’s supervision. They can damage the liver, halt bone growth and can cause heart conditions that lead to heart attacks and strokes. Anabolic steroids can trigger aggressive behavior, or “roid rages,” as well as depression and suicidal thoughts.

A study in 2009 funded by NIDA asked teenagers if they had ever tried steroids. Only 1.3% of eighth and tenth

graders and 2.2% of 12th graders admitted to ever having used the drug. These small percentages are probably the reason that drug testing is not pervasive in high schools.

N e v e r t h e l e s s , many students were more concerned that the testing would be for a different kind of drug, marijuana. Although marijuana has been illegal in the United Stated since 1937, it is still a widely used drug.

According to the NIDA survey, one in five teenagers has smoked marijuana in the past month.

“I think marijuana does not affect a person’s athletic or academic ability, so they should not test for that, but kids found using serious narcotics or steroids should be kicked off of the team,” said an anonymous student.

However the rumors began, it is now known that they were absolutely untrue. There was never any intent to drug test the spring sport athletes and at this time there is no reason to suspect that next year’s athletes will be tested either.

team can do extremely well as long as we put in the work,” said junior Jack Beckman. “Everyone on the team knows that we are a large threat, not just in the district, but in the region as well.”

Coach Carrasquillo also believes the team has good prospects for the season. “I would say chances of winning Districts are very good, better than 85%,” he said. “Regionals depends on how we do throughout the season.”

Next year, the team will need to focus on restructuring. Beckman does note that the graduating seniors will leave gaps. “We will also need to get back to basics because there will be a lot of new players on varsity and spots that need to be filled,” he said.

The players recognize the need for reorganization. “Next year we will need to do a lot of

rebuilding, but we will have a lot of great young talent coming in, so it should be a good rebuilding season,” said junior Eric Schmidt.

Although many starters will graduate this year, the players are optimistic about the future of the team. Dewald noted that some of the team’s better players consist of underclassmen. Katz agrees that the team has a good chance to do well. He said, “There is some young talent on the team that should be able to step up and fill the voids.”

Activities director, Ms. Carol Cal-loway, confirmed there would be no testing at W-L.

BY CLAIRE PETERS

SPORTSCrossed Sabres March 23, 2011 9Let the madness begin

It is that time of the year again! With the regular season of NCAA basketball coming to a close, March Madness and the Division I NCAA Tournament are upon us. Here’s a preview of some of the teams who will be participating in the tournament.

Matthew Hirsch, ‘12Staff Reporter

Duke, ACC (27-4 overall, 13-3 conference)The reigning champions, the Blue Devils, have had an up-and-down season. Duke started the season off great and were expected by many not only to be back-to-back champions but also to go undefeated in the regular season. Then, surprising losses to Florida State, St. John’s, Virginia Tech and North Carolina made many doubt the Blue Devils’ chances at being repeat champions. Most recently, Duke won the ACC championship against rivals North Carolina. Although Duke is receiving great play from seniors Nolan Smith (21.6 points per game, 4.6 assists per game) and Kyle Singler (17.1 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game), they may need a return of phenomenal freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, who was injured at the start of the season, to make a deep tournament run.

North Carolina, ACC (24-6 overall, 14-2 conference)Freshman Harrison Barnes had great expectations coming in to the regular season due to his amazing high school career. Despite this, Barnes initially did not live up to expectations and started the year off cold, averaging around 12 points per game. The turning point in the Tar Heels’ season, and Barnes’ first season at the collegiate level, came after a tough loss to Georgia Tech, leaving the team with a 12-5 record. For their next game against Clemson, coach Roy Williams benched starting junior point guard Larry Drew II, who eventually left the team, in favor of Bishop O’Connell alum, freshman Kendall Marshall. Marshall has since proven that he is a great player at the collegiate level as he leads the ACC in assists with 5.6 per game. Marshall is also making the players around him better with his superior ability to spread the floor and pass the basketball. Since Marshall has been at the starting point guard position, Barnes has averaged 17.2 points per game and increased his season average to 14.1 points per game. The team has been rolling in preparation for March Madness, most notably beating Duke on March 5.

Brigham Young University, Mountain West (28-3 overall, 14-2 conference)BYU is sitting atop the Mountain West Conference tied with San Diego State, but they have one thing that San Diego State lacks -- the leading scorer in the country. Senior Jimmer Fredette averages 28 points per game and has carried the team on his back for the bulk of the season, recording multiple games where he scored over 40 points. This has put him in the discussion as a candidate for Naismith Player of the Year. Unfortunately, BYU’s leading rebounder, forward Brandon Davies (11.1 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game), was recently suspended from the team for the rest of the season for violating the school’s honor code. Davies’ absence was apparent in a disappointing conference loss to New Mexico on March 2. If BYU hopes to go deep in the tournament, another member of the team will have to step up in scoring and rebounding.

Ohio State, Big 10 (29-2 overall, 16-2 conference)Freshman phenomenon at the power-forward position and Naismith Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger has led Ohio State to the best regular season record in the country (tied with Kansas) by putting up 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds every night. Ohio State has many quality wins over Big Ten powerhouses such as Purdue and Wisconsin. They will enter the tournament on a roll and are expected to go deep in to the tourney, possibly to the Final Four or the National Championship game.

Kansas, Big 12 (29-2 overall, 14-2 conference)Despite not receiving the caliber of play that they hoped from Josh Selby, a freshman guard with very high expectations at the start of the season, Kansas is rolling. They are tied for the best record in the country with Ohio State and have been receiving great play from sibling tandem of Marcus (17.3 points per game, 7 rebounds per game) and Markieff Morris (13.5 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game), who play forward and center, respectively. Kansas constantly has high expectations headed in to March, and this year is no different.

Connecticut, Big East (21-9 overall, 9-9 conference)Although Connecticut’s record is not very impressive at first glance, junior guard Kemba Walker is the sixth leading scorer in the nation, with 23 points per game, and is carrying the team on his back, as the only player on the team averaging over 10 points. If Connecticut wishes to make some noise in the tournament, they will need increased scoring help from other players such as Alex Oriakhi (9.8 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game) or Jeremy Lamb (9.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game).

New faces, same expectations

This year, the varsity boys lacrosse team will have to defend their National District championship title with new faces on defense. Last year’s defensemen all graduated, leaving a debilitating void in the back line of the lacrosse team, forcing them to look for new players.

David Roddy, who was one of the graduates, got the first team All-District award, played in the 2010 Northern Region Senior All-Star Game, received the defensive player of the year award from the team, and honorable mention for the All-Region award. As he and other graduates left the defensive lineup all-but empty, the team looked for fresh faces to fill up the roster this season.

BYU senior Jimmer Fredette goes up for a layup against Wyoming in a game on March 5. Fredette is leading the nation in scoring this year.

UConn junior Kemba Walker goes up for a shot against the University of Vermont on November 18. Walker is the only University of Connecticut player averaging more than 10 points per game.

“I’m excited to step in with the guys as the new defense,” freshman William Martin said. “I know it is a huge job, but I’m glad I get to play for varsity.”

Martin has seven years of experience on a travel team and played for one year on the JV team. “I want to continue lacrosse for as long as I’m in high school and get better.”

The team has players from all grades. “We will definitely miss the guys from last year, but we look like we’re in good shape with all of the young talent. Everybody wants to improve and this shows the heart for the sport,” said senior John Cummins.

The team hopes these underclassmen play until they graduate to have a set of experienced players by the time they are seniors. “As the season moves along, they will improve and that flow of improvement may continue if

they continue lacrosse,” said Cummins.Although the team is excited to have growing players

who will progress in the upcoming seasons, they still want to defend the title of district champions. “Our defensemen are great communicators and they play with a lot of confidence. So we have to focus on taking it to the championship obviously, which is something I know we can accomplish with the team that we have,” said senior Nathan Young.

So far this season the team has been able to hold its own, winning its first game against T.C. Williams with a score of 11-7. Said Martin, “We had great D and played up to our best ability…There is always room for improvement of course, but overall, I think this season is going to be advantageous for us.”

Manbir Nahal, ‘14Staff Reporter

UNC freshman Harrison Barnes has a lot to celebrate. His team is in the Sweet Sixteen.

PHOTOS FROM CREATIVE COMMONS:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Jimmer-byu-wyo-3-5-2011.jpg Lelavr http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Kemba_Walker.jpg Kevin Schellerhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Hb40.jpg Niirvashhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/rockchalk/5272496200/sizes/o/in/photostream/ ruralocity

Kansas freshman Josh Selby has had a disappointing season.

Lacrosse team tries to rebuild after graduating nearly entire back line

PHOTO NEWS Crossed SabresMarch 23, 201110Obama speaks at KenmoreHeritage Assembly

Students from Wyoming visit Washington-Lee

On March 14, President Obama visited Ken-more Middle School to talk about No Child Left Behind. Washington-Lee sent 28 Kenmore graduates. These students were randomly cho-sen from the 160 freshman students who at-tended Kenmore. After making a speech on re-forming education, the president shook hands with many of the students.

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE PETERS

Above, sophomore Tiara Mayasari performs an Indonesian dance. The assembly featured everything from the Meringue to Tai Chi to a South East Asian inspired rap. More pictures from the assembly can be found on our website, www.crossedsabres.org. Below, a group of eight students from a 60-student high school in Dubois, Wyoming visit Washington-Lee. The students had lunch with five Washington-Lee seniors and toured the building.

PHOTO BY MANBIR NAHAL

PHOTOS BY SONIA PHENE

OPINIONCrossed Sabres March 23, 2011 11

Andrew Elliott, ‘11Editor-in-Chief

GPAs, essays, SATs, applications…we hear about them all the time. With college looming on the horizon, they are a constant reminder of our not-so-distant futures. For some of us, these reminders are nothing more than routine, something to be expected. For others, they are a source of stress and anxiety.

It all began for me in sixth grade, when my counselor came to talk to us about planning for college. I knew what college was; I had talked about it with my parents and even visited a few college campuses. However, college had not been emphasized in my previous schools, and when my counselor started telling my class about how our grades in middle school could affect what college we got into later, that part of my future became much more real.

This new importance placed on getting into a good college followed me into high

school. As I started my freshman year, an AP class was offered to me, I took it in hopes that it would look good to colleges. I then pushed myself to my limits in my attempts to maintain a high grade in that class, hoping that would look even better to colleges. Many nights I would be up past midnight either working my way through mountains of homework or studying for upcoming tests, terrified of failing.

This is where the problem lies. Many of my friends and classmates have full plans set for college, plans that involve difficult classes, high test scores and staying tied to a handful of clubs and sports. There is a competitive drive to get into the best colleges, a drive that leads many students to take on challenges they may not be prepared for.

This drive starts, as it did for me, when college is emphasized early. In schools, college is presented in a way that makes it equivalent to the most important, frightening test of one’s life. To students,

Four years of high school has taken me along a strenuous, and oftentimes confusing, journey of tests, notes, seminars, projects, deadlines and what one might hesitantly label a social life. As the last of eight semesters draws to a close, I am asked to look forward, to see what lies on the other side of that diploma, but instead I find myself constantly looking back.

I took the SAT twice, sat through five SAT Subject tests and worked my way through 12 AP/IB-level classes, all in the name of college preparation.

I began touring colleges in my junior year, but by then was already obsessively researching online and taking “personality quizzes” that boasted the ability to match me with my perfect school. I worked for college. College was the end game, the reason I was sitting in this classroom, taking this test and memorizing this formula.

I did it wrong.I allowed myself to be swept up in

the mania. I succumbed to college fever, dove into the hysteria of applications and deadlines. And then I was done. I had applied to college, and despite the long months of waiting that lay ahead, I had served my purpose in high school.

I would never be so presumptuous as to say I had learned all the material that might be expected, but I had achieved my goal. More than that, I had achieved the goal of the system.

Our education system sets itself up for “senioritis,” for getting the grade before learning the material and for creating a one-track-minded student, with 444 clones walking the stage at graduation.

I am a victim of this system, a model product of the highly competitive educational machine that seeks to produce the top students to go to the top schools to get the top degrees to get top jobs.

But before I part ways with public education, and before I allow myself to be swept up by the next stage of preparation saturation, I find myself in a unique position

to look back with a critical eye at all that the college process has taught me.

I started looking at schools when I was 15. I had 15 years of “life experience” and I was tasked with figuring out what school I wanted to spend four of what would be repeatedly referred to as the “most important” years of my life. The notion that a naive freshman has any clue about the size of school he or she would like to attend, or that the overworked and exhausted junior can make a lasting decision about where in the country to study, is outrageous.

Some people will make a decision, stick with it, and go through life completely content, but research from Berkeley University indicates that an undergraduate who enters college changes their major an average of three to five times before graduation. It is clearly important not to create false restrictions for oneself, and to keep an open mind.

Another pitfall of the college process is tailoring oneself to become the “ideal candidate.” There is no checklist for getting into college. It is much more important to take the classes that interest you than to take ones that you think will look good on an application. The ultimate goal is to show colleges who you are. Course selection is a chance to show a part of your personality,

and too often students are encouraged to squander their personality in favor of intensified, AP and IB courses.

My favorite classes in high school were ones I did not receive a quality point for, but ones that allowed me to learn something I was genuinely interested in or to interact with people I would have otherwise never had the chance to meet.

The problem with the college process as we currently push it in our society is that it creates a disincentive for individuality. Newsweek rankings, a point of pride

among Arlington Public Schools, and especially Washington-Lee since we are consistently ranked in the top 100 public high schools in the nation, determine how good a high school is by the percentage of students taking AP/IB exams.

The county administered 2,960 AP exams for the 2005/2006 school year, compared to 3,739 in 2009/2010. The pass rate (students who scored a three or higher) for these exams increased as well—though modestly, from 58 percent to 66 percent. Washington-Lee consistently produced the lowest pass rate of the four high schools in the county, with only 53 percent of students receiving a passing score in 2010.

IB exam scores prove more hopeful, with a pass rate of 73 percent for 2010 exams.

However, though the number of exams being administered on average in the years from 2000-2005 was significantly lower than the number of exams administered between 2006-2010, the overall pass rate actually declined, reaching 90 percent in 2002, and sinking to 69 percent in 2007.

As the school, county and nation push students to take more exams, the exams become less meaningful. Students become fixated on the notion that having the quality point and the AP/IB label on a transcript is more valuable than truly learning the material. We work without passion and study for the purpose of studying.

Underlying this issue is the monopoly the college process has on our post-graduation perspective. While I spent 30 hours researching colleges, and another 30 working on applications, in my entire process, only one afternoon was spent researching gap years.

College degrees are important, and practically necessary in many instances. However, data from 2008 gathered by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems indicates that, on average, only 55.9 percent of students entering college have a degree six years later, with only 74.7 percent of freshmen returning for a second year.

Surely this should tell us we are sending people to college who are not ready. Surviving the system, going through tests and courses, does not make a student ready. There is more to being prepared for college than having a good GPA.

We stigmatize students who take gap years, and we do so at our own peril. Rather than encourage independent growth, we attempt to fit everyone into a mold that is seen as most productive for society as a whole.

It has to stop. The mania has reached a point of intolerance. It is time to wake up, and force ourselves to evaluate the consequences of our behavior. Education is a powerful tool, and one that we must strive to have foster creativity, reward individuality and cultivate innovation. We are not clones unless we let ourselves be.

Isabel Larroca, ‘14Staff Reporter

Your College Prep page

“At least you have your health!” Right?

what college they get into can become a measurement of what kind of person they are; smart or dim-witted, focused or lazy, assertive or indecisive. All of this stress is put on getting into the “right” college, and high test scores and difficult classes appear to be the key to doing so.

I am not saying that students should not try classes that they normally wouldn’t or that might be more difficult, work hard to get high test scores, or stay dedicated to particular extra-curricular activities. It is important to be willing to take a challenge and work hard. However, stress over making all the right choices for college can be harmful physically too.

According to studies done by the American Psychological Association, anxiety, depression and insomnia have become increasingly common in today’s teenagers. Thirty percent of teenagers reported stress-related headaches and 49 percent reported signs of eating disorders.

Stress should not run this high in schools. No student should be so worried about college that they feel ill. Yes, college should be taken seriously, but not to a point that it keeps a person up at night.

However, it can be hard not to feel obligated to perform to an unhealthy standard. Many difficult classes pander to students and their parents by emphasizing the appeal of higher level classes to college

admissions offices. Then students feel that any class that looks good to a college is immediately worth taking without an educated understanding of the class itself.

As a result, students are enrolled in classes they are not prepared for or that may not be right for them. In the same way, the constant worry of getting into a college leads students to stay in an activity they may not like and believe that one bad test score is the end of the world.

Worst of all, by being caught up in preparing for college, students miss out on other experiences that prepare them for life outside of school. Many students do not have time for a job or less serious extra-curricular activities. When prevented from having these experiences, when they do not learn about that responsibility or teamwork, they end up not quite sure what they really want to do when they get to college.

I will not pretend that I know exactly how to combat this college stress. As a freshman, the college process has only just begun for me. However, I think that the first step to avoiding college stress is reminding oneself that you cannot be perfect and that part of high school is making mistakes and not always having a perfect plan.

Do not let concerns about your possible future keep you from enjoying the present. College is the great equalizer; almost everybody starts from scratch, and they end up having the time of their lives.

Add this to your transcript: individuality

Key Facts Things About College [Applications]

1. Many universities start emailing and/or mailing information to high school candidates in the second half of sophomore year.2. Students take the SAT and the ACT, but they also have the SAT II, or the subject test. A wide variety of topics are available.3. National Center for Higher Education Management Systems data from 2008 indicates that only 56 percent of students enter-ing college have a degree six years later.4. While gap years in the United States remain unusual, many respected universities have set policies allowing students to defer admission.

OPINION Crossed SabresMarch 23, 201112

Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Elliott, ‘11Managing/News Editor: John Bardo, ‘11Photography Editor: Abigail Bessler, ‘13Lifestyles Editor: Emily Walker, ‘12Features Editor: Noah Pilchen, ‘12Sports Editor: Andrew Dudka, ‘12Opinion Editor: Chad Hilla, ‘11Online Editor: Luisa Banchoff, ‘13Special Sections Editor: Sonia Phene, ‘11Business Manager: Kirby Miller, ‘13Adviser: Claire Peters

Staff Reporters: Sydney Butler, Emily Cook, Nicolette Elm, Greg Jacks, Matthew Hirsch, Andrew Karpinski, Isabel Larroca, Manbir Nahal, Audrey Paduda, Zachary Perlman, Paige Taylor

Crossed Sabres is the student-produced newspaper of the Washington-Lee High School community. Editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial staff and, unless otherwise noted, are written by a member of the staff.

The editorial board encourages responsible commentaries and letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit for grammar, style or lack of space.

Letters and commentaries containing obscenities, racial slurs or libelous content will not be published.

All letters must be signed by the author to be published. They can be printed “name withheld” upon request.

The Crossed Sabres publications lab is in room 1028. Any correspondence may be dropped off there or emailed to wlcrossedsabres@yahoo.com.

Contact informationWashington-Lee High School

Attn: Crossed Sabres1301 N Stafford StreetArlington, VA 22201

Phone: 703-228-6200Fax: 703-524-9814

wlcrossedsabres@yahoo.comwww.crossedsabres.org

Generally SpeakingToil and trouble: The new global hotspots

The Biased Opinion of the Crossed Sabres Staff

In the past few weeks, uprisings crying for new democratic government from the citizens in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran and Bahrain have saturated media reports. Constant reports on protests’ effectiveness, or lack thereof, as well as death tolls and the overall effect on the global economy are now old news.

It would be easy for younger observers of these events back in the United States, like us, to look on them as unfortunate, important in some way and rather confusing. Why must a movement for greater basic freedoms be so violent and volatile? Would not a democratic society be better for everyone? And how should the United States respond?

We believe the best course of action is one in which we do not try to focus so much on intervening in North African/Middle Eastern affairs, or protecting U.S. trade agreements. We must bear in mind that these popular revolutions are struggling to gain the same liberties and securities that the partriots of colonial North America demanded in the 1770s. They can teach us valuable lessons about the value of democracy. Therefore what

we Americans should do is support any new representative governments that are created and brace ourselves for the more subtle changes that are sure to follow.

The first shift that is becoming apparent is how the countries experiencing revolutions have less tolerance for Western influence. This was illustrated very dramactically when a BBC camera crew tried to reach the city of Zawiya, 30 miles outside of Tripoli. They were snatched outside a roadblock checkpoint in early March, and imprisoned. They suffered beating and psychological torment, and they were only released when the Libyan government strongly protested.

The message here could not be clearer: the conflict is between the revolutionaries and the established authorities. Americans have no business there. We cannot attempt to assert control of the situation because we feel threatened, as in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no telling what might happen.

Another change affects oil prices. Many of the affected countries are major oil-producing economies, and with their exports slowing down as the government comes under attack, pumping gas has become noticeably more expensive. So

those of us with permits and licenses must plan more careful when going on a long drive. It may very well become the luxury that we always took for granted.

There are also a small number of students among us who trace their origins to one of the affected countries, due to the incredible diversity of Washington-Lee. They will no doubt be monitoring the events that unfold with great interest, perhaps even fear, and we should give them whatever support they need.

The revolutions in these Middle Eastern countries are necessary to establish fair and open governments, and we believe they are a noble thing. Many regimes in these areas were established through corruption and violence. They have suppressed public opinion and voice for over 50 years, and it is about time that someone has stood up to put an end to this.

However, for these countries to be successful, it will take time. Even countries with effective democracies are constantly revising how the government works. We are a perfect example. Our Constitution is over 200 years old, and has frequently been used as a model for new governments. Nevertheless, we have amended it

periodically to respond to unforseen issues, increase efficiency and reduce stagnation.

North African and Middle Eastern politics and public movements are very different from those in the United States, and it is important to understand that. The battle between factions and interest groups is a story that may not have a clear conclusion in the future.

If dictators and their supporters triumph in the struggle for governmental control, that would not necessarily be the end of the story. In Egypt it took decades before the people could free themselves from foreign domination and establish a republic that was truly Egyptian. They did not win every battle, or come off with favorable terms in every treaty. They had to learn from previous mistakes.

We cannot afford to remain unaware of the popular revolutions that send shockwaves through our interconnected modern world. They affect us both directly and indirectly. We should root for the downtrodden masses and not lose hope, because the future is never guaranteed.

Forgotten under a desk, stepped on, with various genitalia/miscellaneous doodles drawn all over the articles and headers; this is how I have found far too many Crossed Sabres newspapers. This may seem to be an insigniciant matter, but in fact it a serious affront to the art of scholastic journalism.

This class is an entire period in my schedule, and the staff spend countless hours on every issue. Once during deadline week, we editors worked in the lab until 7 p.m perfecting the final layout. Time spent doing layouts on InDesign - a program that the vast majority of the

school likely knows nothing about - for editors is quite considerable. Then there is the actual editing of slowly evolving stories composed by our writers, which go through four different drafts. I cannot help but feel personally insulted when I see a copy of the Crossed Sabres, defiled by a Sharpie, on the ground somewhere.

Additionally, taxpayer dollars go into our printing and production costs every year, so your own parents may be paying for this paper. I certainly hope you realize that there is a decent amount of important information in our paper, which some students have no other medium to attain.

If you are really not interested in the paper, turn it down when the teacher hands it out, and if you just determined to antagonize me, at least recycle it when you are done.

2. Eating outsidE

As we move into spring and the weather gets warmer and warmer, I definitely understand the appeal of taking your lunch outside, or playing a sport with friends. What I do not understand, however, is how people do not care where their trash goes. Janitors have more than enough to deal with inside the building. Janitors should not be expected to go out to the field to clean up after those who are taking advantage of a privilege in the first place. Such an attitude results in this situation: at 5:30 on a game day, teams go out to take the field and there are several Smuckers Uncrustables wrappers flying around, empty milk cartons and other various used lunch trash. It is not a good image to be projecting to visiting schools, and is a terrible hassle. Clean up after yourself.

3. ChEwing with your mouth opEn

This one does not need very much explanation. It is gross. Do not do it. Basic table manners are often left at home when people come to school. There is only one reason that I appreciate the constant chatter of the lunchroom—it covers up the noises of unrefined eating habits.

Andrew Dudka, ‘12Sports Editor

Grinds my gears Neglected newspapers, sloppy students and hat hunting

1. mistrEating/vandalizing thE CrossEd sabrEs

4. rulEs against hats

You cannot say that, during your tenure at this high school, you have not seen an administrator or teacher tell a student to remove head gear at least a couple times. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of wearing hats; I have several that I wear on a rare occasion. But it bothers me to see the faculty so stubborn about upholding a seemingly pointless rule. It originated from older times, when it was disrespectful to wear a hat inside, but how many social rules from decades ago are no longer relevant? The answer is a lot. And thereis no reason why the decrees about removing hats should not follow suit.

The biggest argument against hats that I have heard currently is that they are a distraction, which is completely ridiculous. They provide no more of an annoyance than a T-shirt, pair of pants or a pair of shoes do. Needless to say, the dress code rules about obscene material would of course apply to hats. In an age where emphasis has been placed on personal liberties, it is surprising to me that such a no-brainer has not been questioned earlier.

ART BY CHAD HILLA