Lake Braddock Secondary School9200 Burke Lake Road, Burke, Virginia 22015

October 4, 2010Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1FactsBear

Th

e LB Football makes big moves forward in the hope of acheiving an undefeated season.Page 20

photo courtesy of the Evans family

It was the last weekend before school started, and as

memories of an exciting summer began to fade,

a group of rising senior

gir ls sat in

senior Shelby Sheridan’s basement gloomily looking for ways to spend it. That’s when the bucket list came to them.

“We were just bored on a Saturday night and decided to make the list. It just happened,” senior Morgan Hogan said.

That Saturday night was the start of an adventure that would bring the girls even closer.

A b u c k e t list in the traditional sense is a list of goals made by persons who want to achieve certain things before death. But the list they created that night has a twist: they aim to accomplish everything on the list before graduation.

“There are just so many things we want to do together before we graduate,” senior Emily Lavery said. “It’s senior year — we should make it last.”

With the words “senior year” comes certain connotations: freedom,

privilege, fun and excitement. And for

seniors at LB, it means something more. Seniors who have attended LB since seventh

grade have spent six years growing and maturing with one

another.“It’s sad

b e c a u s e we’ve grown up with some of the same people since elementary school, and now this is our last year together,” senior Logan Russell said.

T h e bucket list

was created to bring new memories and joy to the senior girls, but the promise of joy it brings is bittersweet: The creation of a senior bucket list marks the last page of the high school journey.

“ I t m e a n s we’re preparing

ourselves to begin the next chapter of our lives,” Hogan said.

There are still nine months until graduation, and the girls have just begun to cross off items on their list.

The bucket list includes skydiving, laser tagging, going to a Nationals game, getting into college, paintballing, going to the zoo and the aquarium, visiting D.C. and Georgetown, going to FearFest, and taking a road trip.

“There are things we’ve always wanted to do but have never had the time to do; things we can do now that we’re seniors,” senior Allison Kelley said.

Though the list includes many fun objectives and ideas, the ultimate goal for the year is to make memories that will endure no matter where life leads, and to bring the senior class closer together as they make this senior year the most memorable year of all.

“We’re making the most out of the time we have. It’s giving us a sense of closure,” said Lavery. “No regrets.”

ucketlist

By Brittany Hopkins and Rebecca Lim

Editors-in-chief

photos courtesy of Morgan Hogan, the Evans family, and Maggie Collins

“

“

I t m e a n s w e ’ r e p r e p a r i n g o u r s e l v e s t o b e g i n t h e n e x t c h a p t e r o f o u r l i v e s , Hogan said.

BSeniorthe

4 October, 2010 News 4 The Bear Facts

New staff arrivals impact educational environmentby Yoli Manzo

Staff Writer

The crowded halls of LB have wel-comed an additional 32 staff members this year. These staff and faculty mem-bers must deal with adjusting to the new school, which, in comparison to most other high schools in the nation, is diffi cult because of the sheer size of LB.

“I’ve been teaching for nine years and the facilities here are fantastic, and

the student body is very positive,” his-tory teacher T.J. Hawkins said. Hawkins previously taught at Thomas Edison High School.

Most P.E. teachers are known for their personality and activities, being unknown and new to teaching can have students talking.

“I like the new experiences,” ninth grade P.E. teacher Kasey Reagan said.“I think they’re exciting.”

Teachers may come from all sorts of places, such as from local schools in the

district or even from other states.“I came from Charleston, S.C.,” David

Kelly, eighth grade science teacher said. “I taught at Title One school, and the govern-ment gives more funds to the school. And they gave the students breakfast, but the recourses here are incredible.”

Another adjustment for some is Bruin Block.

“I love Bruin Block. Students can come in and get their work done if they miss something or need to make up a quiz,” Kelly said.

Many students and returning staff members have said that the varying per-sonalities of all of the new teachers add an interesting dynamic to the workplace.

The new staff members hope to adjust smoothly to the large, studious and enthu-siastic school that is LB.

Students and returning staff members are encouraged to be as welcoming as pos-sible. The transitional period will continue throughout the school year.

photos by Alison Neary and Adrienne Ruth

Carl Von Doren, Karen Felsohow, Benjamin Nowak, Marie Sullivan, Cory Walker, Heidi Gantt, Tim Davis, Tanya Lipsey, David Kelly, Victoria Sands, Adam Soos, Kimberly Mason, Kasey Reagan, Jennifer Celko, Jennifer Roberts, Laura Wolf, Maria Roberts, Mary Becknell, Marylynn Huett, Megan Finnerty, Susan Kim, Susan Zernik, Tammy Wilkowske, T.J. Hawkins, Veeda Ranjber. Not pictured: Mary Woods, Janice Starkey, Pratik Banjale, Julie Unterman, Phil Saunders, Barbara Wiygul, Amy Wright.

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by Latianna HarrisFeature Editor

Walking around the caf-eteria in early September you may have noticed that most of the Islamic students weren’t eating or drinking. This is be-cause they were celebrating the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, which is commonly unknown.

“I think they could do more stuff for people to know about [Ramadan] because not a lot of people know about it,” senior Azma Khan said,

Ramadan is celebrated by more than 1 billion people worldwide during the ninth month of the Islamic calen-dar.

“Ramadan is an Islamic holy month where you fast from sunrise to sunset all 30 days of the month,” senior Fahma Mukhtar said.

The Quran was sent from heaven to Muhammad during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, as guidance unto men, a declaration of direction and as a means of salvation, ac-cording to www.holidays.net.

Muhammad was sitting alone when the angel Gabriel appeared and told him to read the Quran. When Muham-mad said he couldn’t read, Gabriel taught him how, and he continued on to memorize the Quran.

“The reason why we fast is because it’s the month where the holy Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad,” Mukhtar said. “During the

month since it’s the time the Quran was revealed, people should be reading it and think-ing about what it means, and if you’re fasting for the whole month is accepted it means all your sins for the whole year were erased.”

The good acquired by the fast can be undone by not fol-lowing other restrictions that should be followed during this month.

Other than fasting you shouldn’t be gossiping or back-biting either, Mukhtar said.

At the end of the month there is a celebration of the ending of the fast, called Eid.

“Eid lasts for three days at the end of Ramadan to cel-ebrate the ending of our fast,” senior Azma Khan said.

Eid is celebrated in many ways, from going to the mosque to having a party with friends and family.

“[For Eid] I went to pray at a mosque then I spent time with my cousins and my family,” sophomore Hanan Elshazli said.

Because Ramadan isn’t as highly publicized as other religious holidays not as many people know about this cel-ebration.

“It should be a national holi-day,” Khan said. “We should have a day off for Eid like we do for Christmas, it’s like our Christmas.”

Ramadan is a time for Mus-lims to concentrate on their faith and to purify their spirit through fasting, self sacrifi ce and prayer.

International club spreads diversity The unknowns of Ramadan

by Angie Garcia Staff Writer

The International Club focuses on sharing cultures with other

students. It is a program that allows students to come after school and give

a taste of their nationality through food, clothing and music.

It is a way to learn and try different things from other countries around the world.

“It is a positive climate for cultural diver-sity,” high school counselor Naomi Freedman said.

The meetings are held on every three weeks on Mondays after school in English teacher Gail Farmer’s room B230.

At the meetings, the offi cers show a presenta-tion on a country. They also show different kinds of clothing, food and music from around the world. A new aspect that the International Club has decided to incorporate this year is dance classes.

Towards the end of the year, the Interna-tional Club hosts its annual culminating event: the International Show.

The International Show is held at LB and is open to anyone who wants to par-

ticipate or just wants to watch to get a taste of different cultures.

Participants have the choice be-tween doing a dance or being in

the fashion show. There are no auditions and partici-

pants just have to show club

o f -ficers what they are planning.

“I like that I can repre-sent a country that is not my own in the show,” senior Binh Tran said. “I love the atmosphere of the show. Everyone is so excited and comfortable.”

There are three parts to this show; the fi rst part is the cultural dining in the caf-eteria, where students can go and enjoy food from different places around the world.

The second part is the fashion show in the Little Theatre, where clothing styles from dif-ferent cultures are displayed.

Finally, the last part is the performances, which are also held in the Little Theatre. View-ers can watch dances, acts and rituals from many different countries around the world. Students can also create and rehearse their dances for the show.

“It is an awesome experience, and I will continue participating in it throughout my high school experience,” sophomore Aracely Suarez said.

The club has become a great way to meet new people and socialize with different na-tionalities that serve a great experience.

“You will never forget your experi-ences at this club,” freshman Andrea Salguero said. “It is so much fun, and the students and teachers are so nice. I can’t wait to join again this year.”

Want to see your business

advertised here?

Call 703.426.1087or e-mail us at

bfacts@gmail.com

4 October, 2010 Feature6 The Bear Facts

ES IE GN ELOD S

by Brittany TreibleStaff writer

Seeing doubles? How about quadruplets? Every two years, the Gallagher quadruplets move because their dad is a colonel in the Air Force. This year, their family moved to Virginia from North Dakota one month before school started.

“We’ve always grown up that way,” freshman Grant Gallagher said.

People often confuse twins, triplets and quadruplets for liking the same of everything, but that’s not true. For the freshman Gallagher quadruplets, it’s different, and everyday people have some common misconceptions about them.

“People think we all look alike, and they also tend to think that we all like the same things. But that’s not true,” freshman Evan Gallagher said. “[For example] we don’t like

basketball, but Jake, loves it. But he’s not as big of a reader as the three of us.”

Since moving from North Dakota, it has been easy for them to get used to their new surroundings.

But since this is their fi rst time going to LB, they soon realized that schools in Virginia are different than the schools at their last home.

“It wasn’t diffi cult [moving] because we move every two years so it’s normal for us,” Grant Gallagher said.

The brothers may not compete with each other when it comes to school and sports or even when it comes to their favorite NFL teams.

“No [we don’t have competition with teams] because they all know that the Packers are the best,” Cole Gallagher said.

People always end up asking if they’re quadruplets and why they don’t look alike.

“They usually think we’re identical for

some reason, but we’re obviously not,” Evan Gallagher said.

This is because they are fraternal quadruplets not identical.

Others have assumed that they have twin telepathy, an inexplainable feeling when your other half or halves are in danger. But that’s not true for the Gallaghers.

“Some people think that we can read each others’ minds,” Evan Gallagher said. “I don’t know why they think that.”

And that’s just one of the misconceptions of the quadruplets.

Some people have problems getting their names right. Nicknames are common for these quadruplets.

“They say things like, ‘It’ll take awhile to get your names,’ but then they get it all in the same day,” freshman Cole Gallagher said.

But when they are on a soccer team their teammates and coach give them names that are easier to remember each of them by.

“On one soccer team, people just called us Gallagher 1, 2, 3 and 4,” Evan Gallagher said.

Every year, having four birthdays on the same day presents a small challenge, for which the Gallaghers have invented an innovative solution:

“Our dad’s birthday is the eighth, and our birthday is on the 12th,” Evan Gallagher said. “We just draw different dates out of a hat, and have one celebration each day on the ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th. It’s called the ‘fi ve days of birthdays’.”

There are advantages of having so many siblings the same age. For example, there was no need for play dates when younger, and they can always be around to help out with each other’s homework assignments.

“[The best part of being quadruplets is] we always have someone to hang out with,” Cole Gallagher said.

What you don’t know about...TIM DavISTHe NEW PHotography TEacher

Most embarrassing moment: “Well, one time I went to the wrong doctor’s offi ce. I was going to the

dermatologist, but I walked right into a gynecologist’s. That was pretty embarrassing”

Bravest thing you’ve ever done: “When I was younger, we used to jump off of houses, new

houses. We’d go into these new houses that were being built, get up on the roof and jump

off into the sand.”Talent you wish you had: “I wish I played

tennis when I was younger. I wish I had started earlier, so I could play professionally today.”

First thing to save in a fi re: “My art collection, because it’s worth a lot of money.”

Something you want to do before you die: “I want to travel to every continent, so I can touch base, touch my feet on the soil of Australia and other continents.”

What would you do with lottery money if you won?: “I would buy a large part of an island and live there and give the rest to charity.”

Why did you chose to be a teacher?: “I love teaching. I love kids. Teaching is learning. I love the experience.”

What is your worst fear: “Anything to happen to my hands or damage my fi ngers because that’s what I use for my art.”

BU

Hometown: Chicago, Ill.Childhood Dream: To be a painterOther Hobbies: Art, box and coin collectingFavorite Music: JazzInstruments Played: SaxophonePets: NoYour class in three words: Innovative, creative, challenging

photos by Alison Neary

compiled by Divya Williams and Jessica Lin photo by Adrienne Ruth

...more like quadruplets!

Cole Gallagher

Jake Gallagher

Grant Gallagher

Evan Gallagher

Editorial Policy

Published nine times a year, this student-run paper is an open forum produced by the journalism department and is given free of charge to all Lake

Braddock high school students.

The Bear Facts is an independent newspa-per serving the students, the faculty and

the Lake Braddock community as a forum for student expression. Editorials refl ect the opinion of the editorial board and

unless otherwise noted are written by a member of the staff .

The editorial board solicits responsible commentaries and letters to the editors

but reserves the right to edit for style, grammar or lack of space. Letters and

commentaries containing obscenity, racial slur or libelous comments will not be

published.

A letter to the editor must provide the name of the writer and include some sort of contact information of the writer. The

letter should also specify the author’s title if that title is relevant to the topic dis-

cussed.

A letter will not be excluded from the newspaper solely because it confl icts with the views of the newspaper or past or cur-

rent editorials.

All letters must be signed by the author, or they will not be published. They can be printed “name withheld upon

request” if deemed appropriate by staff .

The Bear Facts is located in room L202 and can be reached by calling (703) 426-1087

For any questions, problems and submissions.

Responses may also be e-mailed to bfacts@gmail.com.

7 Editorial/Opinion4 October, 2010

Editors-in-Chief: Brittany Hopkins and Rebecca Lim

Managing Editor: Nistha Acharya

News Editors: Natalia Arancibia and Alexandra Sudak

Feature Editor: Latianna Harris

Editorial/Opinion Editors: Emilie Norris and Bob Sayed

Spread Editor: Blake Murphy

Entertainment Editors: Noura Bayoumi and David Kim

Sports Editor: Dani Klein and Katelyn Mathis

Copy Chief:Katie Wagner

Business:Marcelo Garcia and Sourina Sandara

Web Editors: Blake Murphy and David Kim

Newspaper Adviser: Kathryn Helmke

9200 Burke Lake RoadBurke, VA 22015(703) 426-1087

Fax # (703) 426-1093Vol. XXXVIII No. 1, October 4, 2010

The Bear Facts

StaffEditorial

Lake Braddock is one of the only schools in the county that doesn’t allow students to receive their class schedules before the fi rst day of school. South County, West Springfi eld and Robinson, just to name a few, get their schedules before the fi rst day of school. The South County Stallions receive their schedules d u r i n g t h e i r version of the Bruin Blast. LB refuses to hand out schedules earlier to avoid c o u n s e l o r s getting swamped with schedule change requests before school b e g i n . I f schedules are distributed before schools starts, then counselors will have to deal with an excessive n u m b e r o f schedule change requests before school s ta r t s . But whether or not schedules are given beforehand, some students are always going to be unhappy with classes they chose more than six months ago.

Once upon a time, LB students received their schedules in the mail, one week before school started. This schedule distribution process was put to an end a decade ago.

“We distribute schedules to students late in order to resolve confl icts in certain schedules,” counselor Naomi Freedman said. “Counselors need enough time to verify summer school grades and make sure students get placed in the correct classes. This process took even longer when the

master schedule was done by hand, until nine years ago.”

But now the schedule is figured out on the computer, so what’s the hold up? With everything done electronically, the completion of schedules should take less time. Counselors have already come up with new, fi rm policies when it comes to schedule changes. During the fi rst week of school, counselors are still trying to fi gure out the number of students enrolled at LB. Schedule changes are only available to students who have been placed in a class by accident. In

that case, students are able to make changes to their schedule the fi rst week by speaking with their counselor.

The second week is open for schedule changes for all students. But teacher changes are not allowed, unless the student had that teacher previously. With such strict schedule change guidelines, students wouldn’t be able to get classes changed even if they got their schedule before school started.

The fi rst two days of school are pure

chaos because students are trying to fi nd their classes. If schedules were given earlier, then students would be able to fi nd out the location of all their classes during Bruin Blast. This would result in an increase in instructional learning time for students because they would be able to fi nd their classes the fi rst week of school with ease and arrive to their classes on time without the excuse of not being able to fi nd the class.

Getting schedules ahead of time would also give students the chance to report any errors in their schedules, such as a student

a c c i d e n t l y getting placed in an AP class. Students would then be able to switch into their correct class ahead of time and avoid a t t e n d i n g a class they aren’t enrolled in.

Overall, the d i s t r i b u t i o n of schedules about a week in advance would be benefi cial to students as far as instructional t i m e i s c o n c e r n e d . The decision o f s chedu le d i s t r i b u t i o n i s m a d e b y P r i n c i p a l Dave Thomas, s t u d e n t s e r v i c e s ’ d i r e c t o r , Alka Howard a n d o t h e r

administrators. Because of the complexity of putting schedules together, it doesn’t look like schedule distribution will be changed in the near future.

“We start in the beginning of spring and go until the end of summer putting schedules together,” Freedman said. “Creating schedules is a process. It’s a puzzle in which all the pieces have to fi t together.”

Editors of the Ed/Op section are open to suggestions from readersby Emilie Norris and Bob Sayed

Ed/Op Editors

Every year, journalism students are sorted into categories: photographers, staff writers and editors. Many editors have past experience from years previous, but there are new editors on the newspaper team this year and the Editorial/Opinion section is no exception.

As a team we are determined to make this year’s Ed/Op section the best it has ever been, but to do so we need the student

body’s help.You see, we’re bursting with ideas and

opinions on what we want to write. But none of that matters if what we write is not what you want to read. There would be no point in reading a paper that has no interest to you. Therefore, we are asking you, the readers, to tell us what you would like to see us write about in the paper.

We want to write about things that interest you be it a sport, a club, a certain movie or a book. Tell us your opinions about what’s going on in the school, the county, the country and the world. Anything that you

would like to see in the paper, we would be willing to try out and include.

Get in touch with us via word of mouth; if a friend of a friend is in newspaper, have them deliver us a message. If you don’t know anyone in newspaper, then send us a Letter to the Editor and drop it off in room L202. Students can also communicate with staff members by e-mailing us at bfacts@gmail.com.

So write in and make your voice heard so that we can make this year’s newspaper the kind that you will not just skim through, but actually read.

Late schedule distribution causes dissatisfaction

Carpooling with peers contributes to saving the environmentby Tylney Wayshner

Guest Columnist

An estimated 20 million people have been displaced by massive flooding in Pakistan. Scientists believe this disaster, which is the worst-ever recorded fl ooding in Pakistan, is due in part to global warming. If global warming is a culprit, then we all have a hand in it. Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere. Scientists believe this temperature increase is caused by burning fossil fuels like gasoline, and other human activities. What is the connection between LBSS and global warming?

One way we can help combat global warming at LB is to start carpooling. There are about 200 student parking places at LB. Many of these spaces are fi lled with cars that carry one student to and from school. That’s a lot of gas and a lot of pollution just to get

one student to school.Instead of paying $200 individually,

students can share parking spaces, saving both money and the environment. Carpooling reduces the amount of emissions entering the earth’s atmosphere, therefore easing global warming.

Global warming, and other environmental problems, are long-range problems. These problems are ones our country has ignored for too long. Instead of following the crowd into environmental Armageddon, we should be leading the way to clean up the environment.

Carpooling may seem like a small step, but small steps add up. More importantly, it would be a step in the right direction.

What incentives would LBSS students need to start carpooling? They could share the cost of parking spaces. Also, the best spaces could go to the students who had the most carpoolers. And the school could make carpooling mandatory. Mandatory

carpooling would show our commitment to an important issue, one that is expected to get worse, maybe a lot worse.

But even if scientists are wrong and global warming is not much of a threat, easing our reliance on fossil fuels is still critical to the health of the planet. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource, so once we run out, that’s it. Even now, though, before we run out, fossil fuels are becoming more deadly to the planet. More and more, oil is coming from the deep ocean where spills are dangerous to the world ocean and not so easy to cap and contain. Remember the BP Gulf of Mexico oil “spill”?

We need to start thinking now about our actions and how they affect the environment.

I saw a comedian on Comedy Central recently. He said the earth will survive anything we do to it because it has been through much worse. The question is: Can we survive?

graphic by Rebecca Lim

“A lot of my friends were going around saying we were all going to Lake Brad-dock next year. Everybody was talk-ing about it.”-sophomore Aaron Reynolds

Estimated arr ival- 11 min.

“My swim coach told me at Annandale. I don’t know how he brought it up, but he said I might have to be going to another school...because of overcrowding.”- junior Jackson Hannam

4.7 miles11 minutes1,384 + students

4 October, 2010 Spread8 The Bear Facts

“I was given the choice of staying, but I decided to come because I heard this school was better — and it is. I like it here.” -senior Miguel Gonzalez

photos by Alison Neary

“My parents tried to get us to go to Annan-dale because me and my sister both wanted to. My mom made some phone calls to the county...but they said no.”-sophomore Abby Decatur

Schools in the area surrounding Annandale High School have experienced significant growth and crowding over the last years. Fairfax County attributes this to “the slump in the economy and the depressed housing market,” according to its Web site. As a result, the high school boundaries changed, and almost 200 Annandale students had no choice but to start attending LB.

While the move made sense on paper, it uprooted students from a school community they had spent years learning and forming relationships in.

The transfer to Lake Braddock began last year when the students learned they would have to switch schools. Some heard the news from friends and coaches, while others found out from the FCPS Web site and the Annandale school newspaper, the A-Blast.

On the first day of school this year, 190 former Annandale students stepped off a bus and entered a new school where they were forced to interact with new students, clubs and sports teams.

“My swim coach told me at Annandale,” junior Jackson Hannam said. “I don’t know how he brought it up, but he said I might have to be going to another school like Lake Braddock because of overcrowding.”

Sophomore Aaron Reynolds found himself in a similar situation.

“A lot of my friends were going around saying we were all going to Lake Braddock next year,” sophomore Aaron Reynolds said. “Everybody was talking about it.”

At the end of the 2009-10 school year, Hannam received a letter from the county.

“All it said was that our neighborhood had been rezoned and that we would have to attend Lake Braddock,” Hannam said.

Naturally, as with any major decision made in FCPS, there was dissent from some parents of the transfer students.

“My parents tried to get us to go to Annandale because me and my sister both wanted to,” sophomore Abby Decatur said. “My mom made some phone calls to the county. She said my sister had a lot of friends there, and she wanted us to stay together, but they said no.”

Coaches also tried to have their opinions heard. Many of the sports teams at Annandale lost players because of the boundary change.

“The coaches tried to fight it because they were losing a lot of people,” Hannam said. “They were definitely upset.”

It was only fitting that the first day of school for these students was filled with tension and drama, just like the decision-making process. Some of the buses did not have enough seats for all of the transfer students. With students already sitting three to a seat, another bus had to be called so that every student had a safe ride to school.

“Our bus was overcrowded so our entire stop had to wait for another bus,” Decatur said. “[The bus driver] told us we had to wait for a new bus, so we were late to school. There were like 20 people at our stop that had to wait.”

The transportation situation was soon remedied when additional buses and bus stops were added to the rezoned neighborhoods.

“We now have two buses in our neighborhood, so now I get here on time,” senior Miguel Gonzalez said. “I get home pretty quick, too.”

Another major change is that LB is much bigger than Annandale. Several students found it difficult to find their classes, especially because most students had never been to LB before and they only received their schedules once they arrived to school late on the first day.

“It was kind of scary because I didn’t get a schedule until the first day, and I knew the school was big,” Hannam said. “It was definitely hard to get around that first day.”

Some students and parents embraced the boundary change.

“At first I was upset, but then I looked at the perspective of coming here,” Reynolds said. “It’s like a whole new experience of going to a different school.”

Gonzalez welcomed the transfer with open arms.

“I like change. I don’t like to be stuck in one place for such a long time, and I got sick of Annandale,” Gonzalez said. “It was definitely a good decision.”

Gonzalez is unique in that he was the only senior that transferred. All seniors were given the opportunity to stay at Annandale.

Seniors, rising eighth graders at Poe Middle School and “students who are deemed to be IB diploma candidates will have the option to stay at Annandale High School,” according to the FCPS Web site.

“I was given the choice of staying, but I decided to come because I heard this school was better — and it is,” Gonzalez said. “I

like it here.”Now that students are settling into LB,

they are beginning to observe the positive and negative aspects of transferring.

“The Annandale weight room was better,” Hannam said. “This school is huge though. It’s 10 times newer, and there are a lot of white people.”

Many transfer students seemed to agree that LB is a lot more diverse than Annandale.

“At Annandale there are less white people,” Gonzalez said. “There are only Hispanics and blacks, and white people are the minority.”

Aside from the make-up of the student population, the former Annandale students noticed some differences between Annandale and Lake Braddock in terms of academics.

“At Annandale we didn’t have as many tests or quizzes a week,” Hannam said. “It’s definitely going to take some getting used to.”

Gonzalez also noticed a change in teachers as he switched school.

“All my teachers seem to like me here too so we’ll see how that goes,” he said.

When it comes to athletics, the transfer students will have to compete against their friends and former coaches. Some like Hannam and Reynolds will also have to practice with them on a daily basis. Both of these students plan on trying out for the swim and dive team, which holds practices right next to the Annandale team.

No matter whether these students embraced the change or opposed it, everyone can agree – the change is so much more than just an 11-minute drive.

by Blake Murphy

Spread Editor

Spread 4 October, 2010 The Bear Facts 9

Sports 4 October, 2010The Bear Facts 14

Seniors continue to pursue collegiate athleticsby Adrienne Ruth

Staff Writer

Every year, a handful of high school athletes wait to be recruited, however the reality of the process is that it is not that easy.

Athletes will sit by their phones waiting for a coach to call. Of that handful of athletes, only a few will get the call. Thousands of talented athletes will not, and the problem is they wait.

By waiting, those athletes decrease their chances of being recruited, of competing at the college level and of getting an athletic scholarship. Athletes have a better chance of being recruited when they get a jump start on things.

The earlier an athlete starts, the wider range of opportunities. The best time to take action is during junior year. The earlier an athlete starts, the more they can do, and the more choices they will have. The most important rule is not waiting.

“Approximately 1 out of 25 high school students goes on to compete at an NCAA school. Approximately half of those receive athletic aid. So, the overall odds are that about 1 in 50 high school athletes receive a college sports scholarship,” Don Campbell said according to www.athleticaid.com.

For some high schools athletes, like seniors Ali Froede and Laura Matt, the coach is the connection to an athlete’s dream school.

In the fall of 2011, Froede will attend

Miami University in Ohio, join the Red Hawks and compete in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference.

Lake Braddock’s varsity fi eld hockey coach Diane Miller, recommended the school to Froede, and she took the initiative to contact the coaches before showcases and tournaments. After one tournament, Froede received a call from the coach, Jill Reeve. Froede went to visit the school and meet the team.

“When I went to visit, I went on a tour, and the school was beautiful,” Froede said. “It was just the size I was looking for, and I fell in love right away. After meeting the coaches and the team, I knew it was the school I wanted to go to. It felt perfect. The school, the team, it all just clicked.”

Unlike Froede, Matt is still uncertain of

her college future. Although Matt’s coach is good friends with Cornell University’s fencing coach, she has yet to meet all the academic requirements.

Cornell is one of the few schools that offers girls’ varsity fencing. Matt has spoken with Iryna Dolgikh the head coach at Cornell and attended the Big Red Co-ed Fencing camp.

“After fencing camp, I knew that Cornell University had everything I wanted, including nutrition, varsity women’s fencing and good academics,” said Matt.

Until Cornell University accepts her, all she can do is keep training and keep her options open. In the fall of 2011, Matt hopes to join the team that was 11 and 4 in its 2009-2010 season and has fi ve national championships.

Committed:Ali Froede, fi eld hockey: Miami University of Ohio

Brittany Hopkins, fi eld hockey: William and Mary

Matt Fredrich, soccer: University of Northern Illinois

Melanie Brodner, fi eld hockey: Lehigh University

Michael Nebrich, football: UCONNKenny Towns, baseball: UVA

Being Recruited:Amanda So, soccer

Andrew Weidinger, baseballChristian Kosko, soccer

Emmanuel Adetunji, footballJohn Mackenzie, swimming

Logan Russell, volleyballMatt Zanellato, football

Michael Newman, footballZak Davidson, crew

Trying to be recruited:Emily Lavery, volleyballMichael Watson, football

Shams Abdel-Salam, soccerThomas Wimer, crew

Robinson athlete joins LB football

by Mackenzie Pardi and Zack HopkinsStaff Writers

We watched our LB Bruins climb to the top and win the District Championship. We cheered for them at States, and even though our team lost, we completed an incredible season doing the unthinkable, including beating the Robinson Rams for the fi rst time in decades.

“Yeah, of course they’re still really bitter, and now that it’s football season it’s just getting worse,” said senior Matt Zanellato, a former Robinson football player.

Zanellato made the decision to transfer near the end of his junior year and to leave his team behind for a new one.

Being a transfer student is complicated because of the many rules and guidelines. A student can either be people placed for a specifi c class such as ROTC or Chinese or change districts. Zanellato’s family moved districts since they wouldn’t let him people place.

Zanellato left Robinson because of his lack of playing time and Michael Nebrich.

“They don’t ever pass the ball,” he said.”

Athlete of the issue

What do you do to stay fi t during the offseason?

How long have you been on varsity?

What position do you play? Why?

Why did you start playing football?

photo courtesy of Kim EvansSenior Matt Zanellato catches a pass, helping the Bruins beat Woodson 52-7.

by Justin RichardsonColumnist

If you go up to anybody who is in high school right now and ask them what month they hate the most, they will usually reply September.

But hey, at least football’s back.After that six-month hiatus from February

to August, the preseason came to town and fi nally, America’s sport kicked off its regular season on Sept. 9.

In the fi rst game, the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints raised its fi rst championship banner and proceeded to beat the Minnesota Vikings, 14-9. The game was a rematch of last year’s epic NFC Championship thriller, which saw New Orleans prevail in overtime.

Many of the key players from last year returned, including legendary quarterback Brett Favre as well as fellow quarterback and Madden 11 cover boy Drew Brees.

There’s no question football is the American sports spectator’s favorite sport, fi lled with fantasy drafts, tailgating and, most of all, putting off everything in the world to watch your favorite team play in the afternoon.

I’m certainly one of those people, and I

always enjoy predicting who will win each year. So, let’s get started.

For starters, I have the Indianapolis Colts, last year’s Super Bowl loser, back in the big game this year for the AFC. I’m taking Indy as my AFC pick this year partly because Peyton Manning is freshly motivated off that loss in the Super Bowl, and you know the four-time NFL MVP wants to pad his storied legacy a bit more this year with a second ring.

In addition, this is mainly the same team that went 14-0 to start last year. So to me, the team will be making a trip to Dallas, Texas for the Super Bowl.

As for the NFC, I believe in the Green Bay Packers making up the other half. Like Manning, Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers suffered a heartbreaking loss in last year’s Wild Card Round against the Arizona Cardinals, and I think that means that he’s ready to go for a championship.

The Packers aren’t all hype, either; their defense, led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson, led the NFL in takeaways the previous year and Green Bay won seven of their last eight regular season games before that playoff game.

This all put together makes a Super Bowl XLV date for these two, a game that I’m taking the Colts to win. As the seasons

go on for Manning, the more his body will break down, and that means he’ll have fewer chances to get the Lombardi trophy. I know he senses that at age 34, and so the urgency is higher than ever for 10-time Pro Bowler Peyton. And when Peyton’s got a sense of urgency, he usually gets what he wants in a football game.

But, at the same time, I would not be surprised to see the Pack get their 13th NFL championship. Rodgers has now established himself as an elite QB in the NFL, no longer in the shadow of a certain No. 4.

Now, here’s the rest of the AFC playoff picture: I’ve got the New England Patriots winning the AFC East, the Baltimore Ravens taking the AFC North, the Colts being crowned AFC South Champs and the San Diego Chargers winning the AFC West. The wild card spots will be the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets.

For the NFC, we’ll see the Super Bowl host Dallas Cowboys winning the NFC East, the NFC North will have the aforementioned Packers taking the No. 1 spot. The Saints will take the NFC South, and the NFC West will see the San Francisco 49ers win the division. The wild cards here will be the Atlanta Falcons and Giants.

So that’s it. This is what I think will happen in 2010.

Richardson’s Rant: Football season has returned

Senior Ali Froede keeps the ball away from a Robinson defender. Froede helped the team to a 5-0 win against the Rams.

photo courtesy of Kim Evans

Do you plan on playing football after high school?

Do you have any pregame routines?

Chris W

illiams, football

compiled by Dani Kleinphoto courtesy of Kim Evans