the warrior march 2016

8/19/2019 The Warrior March 2016

1/27

Warriort h

e

38th Year, Issue No.4

Inside: News: 1-5, Fears and Phobias: 6-7, Features: 8-11, Humor: 12-13, Spotlight: 14-15, Opinions: 16-19, Wondering Warrior: 20, Entertainment: 21-23, Sports: 24-28

March 17, 2016

www.thewarrioronline.com

March Madness:Predictions aboutthe tournament

pg . 28

300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860

Sherwood High School

Traveling:Favorite vacation

spots, Spring Breakplans and more

pg. 20

Horoscopes:Find out how thezodiac originated

and what it meanspg. 14-15

Renwick Gallery:A review of thewidely celebratedart exhibit

pg. 21

What’s Next?:Seniors share theirperspectives on the

purpose of college pg. 17

Senioritis:Negative effects ofthe disease and thelatest research

pg. 12

Fears and Phobias:

Common phobiasand new treatments

explored pg. 6-7

After the Accident:

Overcoming theeffects of a tragedy

pg. 5

School Calendar Continues ToRaise Tensions about Religionby Lexi Matthews ‘18

Decorating the classroom

with shamrocks and wearing

green are activities most Amer-

ican students have grown up ex-

pecting to participate in each St.

Patrick’s Day. For students ofBruce Vento Elementary in Min-

nesota, however, March 17 will

simply pass as another school

day. February saw the banning of

‘dominant’ holidays in the school,

including Thanksgiving, Hallow-

een,Valentine’s Day and St. Pat-

rick’s Day.

Pupils of Bruce Vento are no

longer permitted to participate in

any school activities considered

non-inclusive to all religions, eth-

nicities, and backgrounds. Prin-

cipal Scott Masini has received

some communal praise for his

work of “eliminating a dominantview suppressing all others,”

and encouraging a wider accep-

tance of diversity in school. On

a larger scale, the national press

has slammed Masini for depriv-

ing children of harmless fun with

overbearing political correctness.

The school’s decision and the

reactions that have followed standas proof of a tricky controversy

for public school systems nation-

wide. Holidays have long been of

large value to the country, with

some traditions dating back over

two hundred years. Yet, as people

of countless different races and

beliefs have made America their

home, it has become increasingly

difcult to pinpoint which holi-

days can be considered ones that

all can call their own.

Many believe the acknowl-

edgment of holidays in school is

impossible without unfairness or

Questions Remain about the Effects of the 50-Percent Ruleby Naomi Lawrence ‘17

The 50-percent rule may

have raised students’ grades, but

does it prepare them for real life

or just get them through their

high school career? Ten years

after the implementation of the

rule, the question remains hotly

debated across MCPS, particular-

ly among teachers.Established in 2006, the

50-percent rule was created as

a response to former President

George W. Bush’s No Child Left

Behind Act, a federal attempt to

help every child graduate high

school. The policy, according to

MCPS grading procedures, re-

quires that “a teacher assigns a

grade no lower than 50 percent

to the task/assessment. If a stu-

dent does no work on the task/as-

sessment, the teacher will assign

a zero. If a teacher determines

that the student did not attempt

to meet the basic requirements of

the task/assessment, the teacher

may assign a zero.”

Social studies teacher Katie

Jaffe was a relatively new teacher

in MCPS at the time. Although

she did not nd it difcult to

transition to the new policy, she

was concerned that teachers were

lessening standards for students

and sending them a message that

the rst time completing a task

may not matter.

“I allow for one retake per

marking period,” said Jaffe. “I

also create a minimum standard

for receiving the 50 percent. Stu-

dents need to make an honestattempt at the assignment and

demonstrate [that] effort went

into it.”

Although teachers follow the

basic guidelines of the 50-percent

rule, many teachers feel that the

rule ultimately hinders students’

overall performance. Jaffe be-

lieves that the implementation of

the rule has “weakened students’

initial effort on tasks.”

Social studies teacher ScottAllen agrees. Lack of effort can

cause a “ripple effect,” he ex-

plained. “If they do not put actu-

al effort into their class work or

homework then they will not do

well on formative and summative

assessments. A 50 percent on ev-

erything is not passing.”

Allen does understand the

positive aspect of the rule, as it

can help students from hitting

rock-bottom. He feels that the

rule helps students as long as they

make an honest attempt at learn-

ing. “It keeps a student from com-

pletely ‘shutting down,’” he said.

English teacher Brianna Rus-

sell said that in her interactions

with parents and other teachers,

they often are skeptical if the

50-percent rule prepares students

for the real world. Although she

doesn’t necessarily agree with

the rule, she understands why

some struggling students like it.

“I know that the sentiment sur-

rounding it from a lot of people

from the older generation is you

don’t get half your pay when

you come to work,” Russell ex-

plained. So, parents and teachers

are wondering, “why [is MCPS]

setting up an expectation like thisin an academic setting?”see CALENDAR, pg. 4

Outside the Carver Educational Services Center (CESC) in Rockville,

protesters demand recognition of Muslim holidays in MCPS calendar.

School Community Mourns Student’s Tragic Deathby Ketki Chauhan ‘16

Charles Federline, or CJ as

he was called by his peers, was

only a junior when he passed

away on Friday, February 19.

Federline had been battling de-

pression for many years before

ultimately taking his own life.

A memorial service was held

by the family to commemorate

Federline’s life and was opento the community. Held Febru-

ary 23 at the Oak Room at the

Sandy Spring Fire House, the

service included an opening

prayer and blessing by Pastor

Clark Baisden and remarks by

Principal Bill Gregory.

Federline was known for

enjoying shing, which was

noted in many of the memories

written in the program for the

service. Other reminiscences of

Federline included summer vis-

its to the creek in Chincoteague,

Virginia, and his love for video

games, swimming and playing

around.

“I think his favorite part

[about visiting his aunt] was go-

ing to the creek to sh. It was

hard to get him to come home for

meals. He was always very inde-

pendent. I will miss those visits,”

one memory from his aunt said.

His tragic passing was

mourned by the school commu-

nity in many ways. A letter was

written to the parents informingthem of the death and included

separate documentation with sug-

gestions on discussing death. On

the rst day back from the week -

end, grief counselors and psy-

chologists were available to help

students through their grieving. A

banner was also set up across the

health room for students wishing

to write their heartfelt farewells

to Federline.

Federline’s parents have been

open about the cause of his pass-

ing as a way to raise awareness

about the dangers of depression,

and encourage those in similar

A display case near the main ofce was set up for CJ Federline. The

tributes included pictures and other remembrances of the junior.

situations to seek out help. Rates

for both depression and suicide

have increased among teens,

making it important to pay atten-

tion to warning signs and to con-

sult a trusted adult. The National

Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a

24-7 crisis hotline for those in

need of help. The lifeline can

be accessed online at www.

suicidepreventionlifeline.org or

at 1-800-273-8255 to speak to

a trained counselor at a crisis

center.

Kayla Cohen ‘17


2/27

The Warrior•News2 March 17, 2016

A majority of graduating seniors are faced with the dilem-

ma of having to pay for costly college tuition. Several graduates

have found a solution to this issue through Raise.me, a startup

website aimed at making college more accessible for students.

The site provides a maximum of $80,000 to pay for college.

Founded by three friends, Preston Silverman, George Kirk-

land and Dave Schuman in 2012, Raise.me wanted to solve a

problem: The United States offers billions of dollars for schol-

arships and grants each year, but only offer them during the end

of high school. In most cases, this is too late to impact where

students choose to apply or whether they apply at all. In order to

solve this problem, the website works with colleges from across

the country to provide “micro-scholarships,” or small payments

for high school achievements, to s tudents.

The micro-scholarships are guaranteed if the student enrolls

in the university that grants the scholarship. The aid is then giv-

en to the student across their college career. “That’s important

because we don’t want students in a situation where they receive

a lot of aid for their rst year and in subsequent years aren’t re-

ceiving as much aid,” explained Silverman.

Raise.me has the backing of some big names, including the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Facebook. Recently, sev-

eral well-known colleges such as Notre Dame, Penn State, and

Carnegie Mellon have joined their ever-growing list of over 130

partnerships.

Students Earn Big for Collegeby Shawn Yaftali ‘17

MD Stiffens Penalties for Partiesby Morgan Hill ‘16

Spurred by the parents of two Wootton students killed in a

drunk driving crash last summer, a Maryland Senate committee

has voted to move forward with “Alex and Calvin’s Bill,” a mea-

sure that will impose jail time on adults who provide alcohol to

minors or knowingly host parties where underage drinking takes

place.

The current penalty for adults who host underage drinking

parties is solely a ne, $500 for each citation issued to a minor

under that adult’s watch. The bill, if enacted, will not only im-

pose jail time, but will also increase the ne to $5,000 for the

rst offense. Under this bill, adults who host these parties will, in

addition to the ne, serve one year of jail time for the rst offense

and pay a ne of $7,500 with two years of jail time for each sub-

sequent offense.

Wootton 2015 graduates Alex Murk and Calvin Li, the

bill’s namesake, were killed last June after their friend Samuel

Ellis drove drunk with a blood alcohol content of .08 and test-

ed positive for drugs. Kenneth Saltzman, the party’s host, did

not provide the party-goers with alcohol, but acknowledged that

underage drinking was happening at the party. “We’re not see-ing change in the community … as we try to make sense of his

death,” Li’s father said.

Larry Hogan, the current governor of Maryland, signed an

executive order on January 27 that creates the Maryland Early

Graduation Scholarship Program. This program aims to make

college more affordable for students who complete high school

in three years or less.

Under the program, students who have conrmed their ac-

ceptance to “any approved postsecondary educational institution

in Maryland,” within six months of graduating early, as the state

government’s website explained, will benet from a scholarship

of up to $6,000 for tuition and other expenses.

The scholarship program will also save the state a tidy sum

of money. Ofcials estimate that about 1,000 students would be

eligible to receive the scholarship per year. Maryland spends

about $7.4 million dollars putting 1,000 students through one

year of public school. With this program, the state would be

spending $6 million on giving scholarships instead, therefore

saving about $1.4 million dollars each year.

Although there are benets to the new program, someare concerned that the incentive will pressure students to rush

through school, causing them not to be prepared for college.

As found in the comments of a recent Washington Post article,

many have expressed dismay at Hogan’s decision. Among the

comments are concerns for students’ wellbeing as they are al-

ready under pressure from rigorous coursework, and questions

of Hogan’s real motive for the order—whether it was driven by

helping students or helping the state’s budget.

Hogan Passes Executive OrderTo Help Students Afford College

by Mallory Carlson ‘19

Science Continues To Scorch Tanning

Indoor tanning has been

linked to skin cancer and the

Journal of American Medicine

Association (JAMA) Dermatolo-

gy recently published a new study

examining associations between

indoor tanning and melanoma

among men and women younger

than 50 years old.

In the United States, melano-ma cases are rising more steadily

among women than men younger

than 50 years old. The lead author

of the study, DeAnn Lazovich of

the University of Minnesota, set

out to examine age-and sex-spe-

cic associations between indoor

tanning and melanoma to de-

termine if these trends could be

due to greater indoor tanning use

among younger women. This is

the rst study of its kind to tackle

the gender correlations.

The study was a popula-

tion-based case-control study

conducted in Minnesota of 681

patients (465 women) ages 25

to 49 years diagnosed as having

melanoma between 2004 and

2007. The results suggested that

as men and women start indoor

tanning earlier, their risk of mela-

noma increases. In fact, only two

of the 63 women study partici-

pants with melanoma did not tan

indoors. For all the participants in

the study, as the number of past

tanning sessions increased, so didtheir risk of a melanoma diagno-

sis.

Young women especially are

drawn to an easy tan because they

perceive tanned skin to be more

appealing and socially acceptable

than pale skin. This ideology is

screwed into the heads of impres-

sionable young adults through

media platforms as they watch

tanned and beautiful celebrities

walk red carpets, strut runways

and plaster advertisements. Tan

skin has become a symbol for

beauty, condence, wealth and

power. ABC News conducted a

study in which people determined

whether an original photo or the

doctored version of the photo

where the participant appeared

tanner was more attractive. The

original photos and the tan ver-

sions were posted to the ABC

News site at different times. The

survey found that the darker ver-

sion was twice as likely to be

rated as more attractive. Society

continually tells young peoplethat tanned skin is better, but the

dangers outweigh the aesthetics.

There is no doubt that indoor

tanning is dangerous. Forty-two

states regulate the use of tanning

facilities by minors by requiring

a guardian’s permission, but only

11 states completely ban the use

of indoor tanning for all minors.

In Maryland, a parent or guard-

ian’s permission or accompani-

ment is required.

Alternatives for faux-tans

may not be as effective and aw-

less, but studies show they are

much safer than indoor tanning.

by Lydia Velazquez and

Naomi Lawrence ‘17

Students ‘Feel the Bern’ Towards Election

Seen on T-shirts, sweatshirts,even phone cases, the phrase

“Feel the Bern” highlights the

enthusiasm that young people, in-

cluding some Sherwood students,

feel about democratic presidential

candidate Bernie Sanders. These

young people’s engagement in

the political process is made all

the more surprising by the fact

their excitement centers on a

rumpled 74-year-old who is a

two-term senator from Vermont.

So what is it that makes Sanders

so appealing?

Senior Danielle Levy, a

Sanders supporter, thinks the

answer is the Vermont senator’sauthentic zeal for his ideas. “The

fact that he’s so passionate about

his views and beliefs,” said Levy.

“A lot of times when we think of

old white men, we think of crab-

by Republican men who want to

suppress our rights, and Sanders

is very liberal and the opposite of

this.” Levy describes him as her

“grandpa,” which reects that

some young voters view his old

age positively.

However, it is his call for a

“revolution” that most explains

his appeal. Sanders has cam-

paigned on a promise to close themassive income gap between the

super-wealthy and other Ameri-

cans. “He is one of the candidates

that is truly for the people,” re-

marked sophomore Morgan Row-

land.

He also has made particular

pitches that appeal specically

to young people, such as a call

for free college tuition. “As a

senior, I’m going to college, and

he’s trying to make public college

free, which, why wouldn’t it be?”

observed Levy. “A lot of other

countries have free education so

why wouldn’t America want their

education to be free?” Sanders has garnered a sub-

stantial amount of support across

the board, including from celeb-

rities such as actor Josh Hutch-

erson, who stars in the “Hunger

Games” franchise. Other well-known supporters of Sanders

who have made appearances and

played at his rallies include indie

bands Vampire Weekend, Young

the Giant, and Foster the People.

“[The goal is] to get younger vot-

ers, like millennials, because the

millennial voter rate is very low

but the support for Bernie among

millennials is very high. So I

think he’s trying to encourage

the voters to get out and actually

vote,” explained senior Shoshana

Rybeck.

Although his Democratic ri-

val, Hillary Clinton, continues

to be the front-runner to win thenomination, Sanders looks posi-

tioned to stay in the contest for

the long run. His upset win in the

Michigan primary on March 8

bolstered his claim that his mes-

sages are resonating with votersin a variety of states.

Now that Sanders has es-

tablished himself as a legitimate

candidate, some wonder if he has

moved past the “Feel the Bern”

slogan that began as a simple

hashtag. “I liked it at rst, but

when he accepted it as his own

slogan I didn’t like it,” said senior

Blake Munshell, who supports

Sanders. “I thought it was better

as a joke that his voters came up

with.”

Levy thinks the slogan con-

tinues to work well for Sanders.

“It’s really empowering, plays

well with his name, and it’s easyto remember.”

When presidential hopeful

Bernie Sanders calls himself a

democratic socialist, he is not

talking about the government

owning and controlling major

industries or the Marxist theory

that socialism is the transitional

stage between capitalism and

communism.

Instead, Sanders argues

that American workers deserve

a lot more benets, like what

many workers around the world

already receive. “Let me dene

for you, simply and straightfor-

wardly, what democratic social-ism means to me ... It builds on

the success of many other coun-

tries around the world that have

done a far better job than we

have in protecting the needs of

their working families, the el-

derly, the children, the sick and

the poor,” Sanders explained.

He likens this system to the

types of government in many

Scandinavian countries of Eu-rope. “I talked to a guy from

Denmark, and he said, ‘In Den-

mark, it is very hard to become

very, very rich, but it’s pretty

hard to be very, very poor.’ And

that makes a lot of sense to me,”

Sanders said. He added that in

Denmark, health care is a right

for all, and college education is

free.

Sanders is running to “ght

for a progressive economic

agenda that creates jobs, raises

wages, protects the environ-

ment and provides health care

for all,” while taking “on the

enormous economic and po-litical power of the billionaire

class,” according to his web-

site. Sanders believes in closing

the gap between the billionaire

class and the rest of the coun-

try. In order to do this, Sand-

ers plans to raise the minimum

wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour

and to impose tax hikes and fees

on the wealthiest Americans.

Sanders: the Democratic Socialist

by Kira Yates ‘16

by Samantha Schwartz ‘16


3/27

The Warrior•NewsMarch 17, 2016 3

Abramowitz Family, Allen Family, Averbach Family, Frank and Alexis Bentz,

Brian and Michelle Butler, Audra and Brian Bray, Rick and Rita Brigham, Durond and Lisa Brown,

Jan and Bill Carlson, Chauhan Family, Amy and Larry Cohen and Family, Cooper Family,

Deal Family, Defnbaugh Family, Dymond Family, Falcigno Family, Rosanne Ferris, Ms. Frensilli,

Ann Gallahan, Ganey Family, Jonathan and Ruth Golomb, Gormley Family, Graham Family,

Lisa and Jeff Choon Hee Hahn, Brittany and Chris Hart, Hein Family, Hill Family,

Joe and Karen Hughes, Jonas Family, Kanaskie Family, Susan Mize and Steve Kanstoroom,

Kendall Family, Randy and Nancy Keyes, Kuhlmann Family, Lampshire Family, Levy Family,

Little Family, Loughner Family, Malakoff Family, Janet Mednik, Scott and Janice Jonas,

Newman Family, Niverth Family, Nnabue Family, O’Connell Family, Paidas Family, Peloff Family,Pletcher/Stinehelfer Family, Proctor Family, Ruth Family, Rosendorf Family,

Laura and Craig Sanchez, Sentner Family, Schwartz Family, Sousane Family, Suissa Family,

Sutherland Family, Spillman Family, Tagliere Family, Thornwell-Williams Family, Tobb Family,

Tom Family, Weinberger Family, Stacey Wells, Andy and Bev White, Lynn Fields and Steve White,

Williams Family, Cal Wilson, Todd and Renate Wilson, Witkin Family, Yates Family

If you are interested in becoming a patron, contact Peter Huck at

[email protected]

or go to the Warrior Online at www.thewarrioronline.com

The Warrior thanks its many wonderful patrons:

Spread of the Zika VirusCauses Global Concerns

by Meghan Proctor ‘16 The Zika virus became a

global problem last month, and it

continues to become a major is-

sue around the world. The virus

was rst discovered in 1947, but

was not a fear until May of last

year, when the rst case in Bra-

zil was reported. The virus spread

has to more than 23 countries

across the Americas since then.

The World Health Organization

declared Zika a global health cri-

sis on February 1.

This virus is most commonly

transmitted through a bite of an

infected mosquito, but it is alsolikely that it can be transmitted

through sexual contact. Common

symptoms of Zika include fever,

rash, pain in joints and muscles

and eye redness. These symp-

toms generally last a few days

and are not usually fatal. There

is no vaccine to prevent the virus,

nor is there a cure. The virus typ-

ically leaves the infected person’s

bloodstream about a week after

infection, and symptoms can be

treated by getting plenty of rest

and staying hydrated. However,

the main concerns about the virus

are for pregnant women who, if

infected, can pass the virus to the

fetus. Scientists have found evi-

dence linking this virus to major

birth defects, particularly micro-

cephaly, which decreases the size

of the infant’s head and brain.

There is also a possibility that on

rare occasions, the virus can lead

to Guillain-Barré in adults, caus-

ing temporary paralysis.

The rapid spread of the Zika

virus has raised concerns regard-

ing international travel, especial-

ly with the risk of pregnant wom-

en catching the virus resulting in

birth defects. These concerns are

especially prevalent regarding the

2016 Summer Olympics in Bra-

zil, where the virus is spreading

particularly rapidly. While the

International Olympic Commit-

tee has no plans on canceling the

summer games or moving them

to a new location, they are taking

measures to ensure that as few

people get infected as possible.

Rio 2016 spokesperson Phil

Wilkinson stated that one measure

includes inspecting the stadium

and surrounding area “on a daily

basis during the Rio 2016 Gamesto ensure that there are no pud-

dles of stagnant water and there-

fore minimize the risk of coming

into contact with mosquitoes.”

The main obstacle to monitoring

the virus is the fact that only 20

percent of people with Zika show

any symptoms, but those infect-

ed can still spread the virus. The

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention has also released a

statement on its website advising

pregnant women to “consider not

going to the Olympics.”

As of early March, over 150

cases of the Zika virus have been

reported in the United States. In

all of these cases, the patient con-

tracted the virus while traveling

overseas. The National Institute

of Allergy and Infectious Diseas-

es (NIAID) is currently devel-

oping a vaccine for the virus to

prevent more people from getting

infected, but it may take several

years before it is available to the

public. The NIAID predicts that

trials for the vaccine can begin

later this year.

Stricter Drunk Driving Law Introducedin Maryland After Death of Local Ofcerby Tyler Ruth ‘16

In December of 2015, Mont-

gomery County Police Ofcer

Noah Leotta, a Class of 2009

Sherwood graduate, was partici-

pating in the annual Holiday Al-

cohol Task Force. He pulled over

a car and mere moments later, a

drunk driver in a Honda CRV

crashed into him and his cruiser.

He died seven days later. The

driver, Luis Reluzco, was indict-

ed on multiple charges including

manslaughter and failure to yield

to an emergency vehicle.

Leotta’s story is sadly not a

unique one, as last year in Mont-

gomery County alone, 16 policecruisers were struck by drunk

drivers. As a result, the Maryland

legislature is introducing a new

bill, named Noah’s Law, which

aims to tighten up the relatively

lax drunk driving laws of Mary-

land.

The driver that killed Leot-

ta had been convicted of drunk

driving twice before in 1988 and

1990. Noah’s Law aims to not let

drunk drivers get back on the road

and commit the same crime again.

The law would require ignition

interlocks in car breathalyzers to

be installed for all drunk drivers,

even if the driver in question is a

rst-time offender. The breath-

alyzer would remain attached to

the car for at least six months and

possibly more depending on the

severity of the case. If an offend-

er blows more than a .08 blood al-

cohol concentration, the car will

not start.

With the Maryland Drunk

Driving Reduction Act of 2011,

current law requires interlocks for

those convicted of driving drunk

with a blood alcohol concentra-

tion of more than a .15, almost

twice the legal limit. Of all drunk

driving convictions in Maryland,

70 percent have blood alcohol

concentrations of .15 or higher.

In all other convictions where the

driver has a blood alcohol less

than a .15, drivers are free to re-

turn to the road with little more

than a ne and possible jail time

unless, upon review of the case,

the judge orders the driver to have

an interlock.

If Maryland passes Noah’s

Law, it would be the 26th state

to establish legislation that re-

quires interlocks for all drivers

convicted of drunk driving above

the .08 blood alcohol concentra-

tion threshold. For the past eight

years, similar legislation has been

considered by the Maryland leg-

islature, but each time the law

had failed. There was still much

doubt this law would pass this

time around as Maryland House

Judiciary Chair Joseph Vallario

has blocked bills to harden drunk

driving laws for the past six years,

but in a surprise action, Vallario,

along with the rest of the House

Judiciary Committee, voted for

the bill to move to the House

oor. Vallario is a defense attor -

ney who has represented drunk

drivers.

The statistics supporting ig-

nition interlocks are undeniable.

According to the Centers for

Disease Control, interlocks have

reduced drunk driving by 67 per-

cent in the states where interlocks

are required for all drunk-driving

convictions. Mothers Against

Drunk Driving reports that they

have prevented 1.7 million driv-

ers from driving drunk since

1999, and there have been 39-per-

cent less repeat offenders.

courtesy to Sherwood Yearbook


4/27

The Warrior•News4 March 17, 2016

Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival: The End of the Evans Eraby Sara Casareto ‘16

After the success of the 45thRock ‘n’ Roll Revival show, mu-

sic teacher Bill Evans can relax

more as he nears his retirement at

the end of the school year. Evans

has worked at the school for 37

years as a teacher of choral music

and music technology, as the past

ofcial department chair and cur -

rent unofcial one for the music

department, and as a director for

Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival. The War-

rior interviewed Evans on Feb-

ruary 25, just eight days before

opening night. Even at lunch,

when there was no scheduled re-

hearsal there was a lot going on

with volunteers painting the setand guring out the lighting and

effects needed for the stage, and

students on stage practicing a

Beatles’ medley.

It’s amazing that a music

production has become such a

big tradition at our school; what

kept you so driven and passion-

ate about the show? Thirty-seven

years is a long time.

Yes, it is. You just have to

continually try and grow yourself

and bring it to the show. But what

has kept me passionate is the

increased involvement by more people; by more alumni, more

parents, and more directors. We

started out with just two people

pretty much running the show,

and now we are up to dozens of

adults that make it happen.

How do you and all the other

directors come up with these in-

credible and diverse themes yearafter year?

It’s a joint effort sometimes,

like last year it was student Rachyl

Hackett that came up with the

theme “Dancing in the Streets.”

This year “Turn, Turn, Turn” was

my idea. When [former teacher]

Mr. Orndorf was directing year

after year, we would work to-

gether throwing ideas around. He

would sometimes base it off the

set. It’s changed over the years

but the planning has usually been

a collaborative effort of several

people.

Throughout all of that time

and work you must have created

a lot of memories. This might be

a tough one, but what’s one of the

most memorable memories you

have of Rock ‘n’ Roll?

I don’t know about a favorite

moment but one of my most mem-

orable Rock ‘n’ Roll momentswas in the mid-80s, I showed up

to the Sherwood Rock ‘n’ Roll

matinée and there was the entire

Montgomery County SWAT team

parked right in the back park-

ing lot. They were here to do a

big drug bust in the area. I went

back there, being in my 20s or so,

and went right up to them saying,

“You guys can’t be here we have

thousands of people coming,”

and they said, “Oh yes we can,

we’re the Montgomery County

SWAT team.” They then asked,

“Well what time’s your show”

and I said, “It’s at two o’clock.”“Oh well we’ll be gone by then.”

They went around to the upper

Montgomery County area and

arrested about 20 or 30 people.

That was the weirdest story for

sure.”

MCPS Makes the Change

A lot of the kids in Rock ‘n’

Roll are also your students in

school, either in a choir or in yourelectronic music class. What’s it

like working with them outside of

the classroom? It is quite different, especial-

ly when you travel with students

or take students on feld trips

or have them for Rock ‘n’ Roll.

You get a chance to know more

about their personal habits. They

have to show up for rehearsals,

they have to be responsible in

a different way than they do in

school.

After this year, do you plan

on helping out with the choirs or

with Rock ‘n’ Roll? No, I’ll really only come to

see the shows.

What has it been like work-

ing with Alex Silverbook and

Mike Maddox?

Fantastic. It’s great to see

them take over. Mr. Silverbook is

now in his sixteenth year. He’s

built the program up so much and

done a great job. Mr. Maddox is

learning the ropes and running

the rehearsals down here on stage

and doing a fabulous job.

Do you feel that these two areready to take the helm on Rock

‘n’ Roll and the music department

next year? Most defnitely, I’m not doing

that much at all this year. I’m just

sitting back and smiling.

Evans works the soundboard during a practice for Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival.

even offense towards non-cele-

brators. Others argue kids draw-

ing leprechauns in class hardly

qualies as offensive.It also raises the difcult

question of how far systems

must reach to include everyone;

by celebrating days sacred to

large groups, smaller groups will

likely take offense and demand

they too have their special days

commemorated. As more groups

are allowed inclusion, it proves

harder to draw a line for niche

groups of few celebrators and

risk an uproar, as having implied

some groups are superior to oth-

ers. Schools must then choose to

be extremely selective, denounce

holidays altogether, or acknowl-

edge dozens more holidays.MCPS has not been immune

to this controversy either. Af-

ter a seven-to-one vote from the

Board of Education, the 2015-16

calendar features a new ofcial

calendar that, like DC and Fair-

fax’s calendars, never explicitly

mentions any holidays. While

the same days will be given off

for “high absenteeism,” their

religious references have been

erased. The decision comes af-

ter backlash from the Muslim

community last April, following

MCPS’s refusal to acknowledge

the holiday Eid al-Adha, and the

claims of discrimination that fol-

lowed.

The move came as a great

relief for the Board, who avoided

a major confrontation with Mus-

lims without having to add moreoff-days to the school year—but

the problem didn’t end there.

Local parents were quick

to chime in that the move was a

‘clumsy’ quick-x that evades

the larger issue of lack of diverse

religious representation in the

county. “We really just alienated

everybody,” said Michael Durso,

the sole board member who voted

against the act.

While the seven who voted

in favor responded to cries of an-

ti-Muslim intolerance that there

was ‘no other clear-cut solution,’

Howard County Public Schools

has proven quite the opposite;as of this January, Chinese New

Year, Eid al-Adha, and the Hin-

du holiday Diwali will ofcially

be added to Christian and Jew-

ish holidays as off-days for the

school system.

It is unlikely MCPS will

take an approach as polarizing as

Bruce Vento’s anytime soon, but

also equally unlikely that they

will follow in Howard County’s

open-armed footsteps. Still, the

county certainly isn’t catching a

break in their ‘neutrality,’ so time

will tell how MCPS can solve this

complex problem.

from CALENDAR, pg. 1

Evolution of the Well-Known Barbieby Elizabeth Thach ‘18

White, skinny, and youthful

has been the iconic look for Bar-

bie dolls since they were released

in 1959. However, this will nolonger be the case, as Mattel, a

U.S. multinational toy manufac-

turer, has released a new line of

Barbie dolls that aims to break

these narrow beauty standards.

“Girls everywhere now have

innitely more ways to play out

their stories and spark their imag-

inations through Barbie. Along

with more overall diversity, we

proudly add three new body types

to our line,” the company stated

on its website.

Barbie dolls will now be

sold in seven skin tones, 22 eye

colors, 24 hairstyles, and three

new body sizes: petite, tall, andcurvy. The new versions will be

sold alongside the original Barbie

doll, making this one of the most

drastic changes in Barbie history.

Mattel’s action also represents

a cultural shift in the American

society as citizens have become

more tolerant of body diversity

and sexuality. The U.S. toymak-

er recently created an Abigail

(Abby) Wambach doll, based off

the retired U.S. soccer player who

is a lesbian. The doll is part of

Barbie’s “Shero” collection, dolls

that honor real-life women and

“like Barbie, have broken bound-

aries, challenged gender norms

and proven girls can be anything

they want to be” according to

Time magazine.

“This is radical because

we’re saying there isn’t this nar-

row standard of what a beautiful body looks like,” said Robert

Best, the senior director of Barbie

product design.

In the past, Mattel has re-

ceived negative criticism due to

their dolls having exaggerated

body proportions. Barbie sales

fell by four percent in 2015,

and the company’s stock price

plummeted by nearly 43 percent

in 2013. According to a British

study conducted by the Univer-

sity of Sussex, Barbie dolls have

contributed to the development

of low-self esteem and poor body

image because they are not an

accurate representation of the fe-

male body. Children are strongly

affected by their surroundings,

especially when children see

dolls as role models which in this

case is a beautiful, fresh-faced

American woman. Mattel has received many

comments on Twitter and Face-

book. There were even a few

comments that mentioned a pos-

sible change to Ken, the male

counterpart of Barbie. Changes to

the Ken doll could also be a pos-

itive decision, because the dolls

can create a broad perspective of

male body standards and demon-

strate that dolls are not exclusive

to girls. Not only does the compa-

ny hope the new dolls will inu-

ence children to grow and accept

diversity, but also to bolster Mat-

tel’s nancial bottom line.

Assistant director Mike

Maddox will be taking over the

show next year. Already, he has

taken advantage of technology

by uploading music and les to

a Dropbox account, implement-

ing a text message alert system,

and running a Facebook group.

Maddox has also helped

to greatly improve the quality

of background vocals since he

arrived three years ago because

he holds background vocals to

high standards.

Most songs featured in the

show are rock n’ roll classics;however, Maddox has contrib-

uted to some of the ‘80s and

‘90s songs in the show. He

plans on upholding the show’s

legacy. “Rock ‘n’ Roll is an

amazing tradition that is older

than I am. All I can hope to do

is continue that tradition, and

do everything I can to help the

students perform in a way that

is entertaining and authentic,”

Maddox said.

Additionally, he cites Rock

‘n’ Roll as one of the best parts

of his job. “Throughout the en-

tire process of the show, fromauditions, to song selection,

long rehearsals, and two packed

weekends of performances, I

always feel lucky that this is

what I get to do for a living,”

Maddox said.

The Barbie dolls above are models of the franchise’s latest release.

Sara Casareto ‘16

Turn, Turn, Turn tothe Future of R’n’R

by Alleigh Keyes ‘16

usatoday.com


5/27

The Warrior•NewsMarch 17, 2016 5

Dechter Gains New Perspective on Life Following Accidentby Maddie Peloff ‘16

Last year, the Olney com-

munity faced a tragic accident

involving three of Sherwood’s

students. On Aug. 30, 2015, La-

bor Day weekend, Austin Hall,

Max Dechter, and Shawn Gan-

gloff left a party where they had

been drinking. Hall lost control

of his vehicle on Hines Road and

crashed into a massive oak tree

just yards from a townhouse com-

plex. All three were taken to area

hospitals and Gangloff, a popular

junior, died the next day.

While Hall was released from

the hospital within a few days,

Dechter faced more traumatic

injuries. He shattered his rightelbow, had three fractures in his

neck, and experienced swelling

in his brain. After spending ve

weeks in shock trauma, Dechter

moved to a rehab facility where,

for six months, he slowly re-

gained his health.

Those months Dechter spent

in the hospital were some of the

hardest of his life, as well as his

parents’ lives. “We went from one

minute thinking he wasn’t going

to make it to then having him in

the hospital for so long,” said his

mother, Jackie Dechter. “He had

to relearn how to do everything.He couldn’t walk, he couldn’t eat,

he couldn’t breathe on his own.”

While the months of rehab

were incredibly difcult, Dechter

and his family were overwhelmed

with the community’s incredible

outreach. All of Olney rallied

around supporting the Dechter

family. Overall, “the community

was unbelievably supportive and

wonderful,” said Jackie Dechter.

“We didn’t appreciate that un-

til his accident. We didn’t real-ize how many good friends we

had and not just that, people we

didn’t even know reached out

and helped us in a lot of different

ways.”

Not only was the community

incredible, but Dechter’s friends

were a constant support in his re-

covery process. While most of his

friends were extremely support-

ive, helping him through the pro-

cess at every step, he also realized

that some of his friends weren’t

his true friends. “I learned who

to stay away from,” Dechter said.

“My friends who were just into

drugs and stuff were not my realfriends.”

Before the accident, Dech-

ter was an active kid. He played

on the school’s lacrosse team.

He had many friends and a busy

social life. Today, he cannot ma-

neuver a lacrosse stick in his right

hand and the way he spends his

free time has changed dramatical-

ly.

If not for the accident, Dech-

ter would have graduated last

year. Now, he is in an entirely

new grade, without his core group

of friends that graduated, but he is

enjoying every minute of it. “I’mdoing great in my classes and it’s

just awesome to nally be able to

get out of the house and do some-

thing,” said Dechter.

Dechter currently attends

school on a half-day schedule and

has so far been extremely grateful

to his teachers and administration.

Both he and his mother empha-

sized that the staff was incredible

when Dechter returned to school,

particularly his teachers. Dechter

explained that teachers, like sci-

ence teacher Britani Greco and

English teacher Melissa Flowers,

really helped him catch back up

after missing a full year of school. As a whole, the accident

completely changed Dechter’s

outlook on life. Before, he got

into a lot of trouble, even calling

himself “a really bad kid.” Now,

however, he’s changed his life

around. “I’m not into the same

stuff I was,” said Dechter. “I’m

going to college next year. I have

a lot of goals.” In fact, Dech-

MCPS Chooses New Superintendent by Alex Nnabue ‘18

After a year-long search, theMCPS Board of Education vot-

ed unanimously on February 4

to conditionally name Dr. Jack

Smith as the next superintendent.

Last year, former Superinten-

dent Joshua Starr resigned ve

months prior to his term ending,

after it became apparent that the

board would not renew his con-

tract. The board then nominated

a new superintendent from Texas

who later withdrew for a job offer

in Ohio. Afterwards, Larry Bow-

ers, who is expected to retire in

July, was named interim superin-

tendent of MCPS in order to ll

the position while the search con-tinued.

Smith is the current interim

state superintendent of Maryland

schools. He has also served as the

superintendent of Calvert County

Public Schools and was named

the Maryland Superintendent of

the Year in 2013. Smith says he is

ready to tackle the numerous is-

sues that MCPS faces. “I certain-

ly am excited, nervous, humble,

and very much looking forward

to this opportunity and this effort

to work on behalf of all children,”

said Smith who narrowed in on a

specic issue that concerns him

as he spoke to Fox 5 News fol-

lowing his appointment, “...thesignicant range of graduation

rates across 25 schools...some-

thing that we should talk about

right away.” Graduation rates

among county high schools range

from 78 percent to 98 percent.

Smith said MCPS’s diver-

sity is “a gift” and that he plans

to address the different obstacles

that exist for the various student

populations. Other major issues

include racial and socioeconomic

achievement gaps, budget costs,

technology, and the overgrowing

enrollment.

MCPS held numerous public

meetings and forums to lay out

expectations and desired qualitiesthat students and parents expect-

ed to see in the next superinten-

dent. Having reviewed more than

70 impressive applications and

conducting 11 interviews with

candidates across the nation, the

MCPS Board of Education and

their search consultants conclud-

ed that Smith was the best t for

the county. He is expected to be-

gin his four-year term as super-

intendent on July 1. In the mean-

time, numerous public meetings

will be held so that the MCPS

community can meet its new su-

perintendent.

ter has already received his rst

college acceptance letter from a

school in Fort Lewis, Colorado.

Because of the accident, Dech-

ter gained a new perspective on

life as well as a new appreci-

ation for his parents. After hismom came to visit him every day

in Baltimore during his rehab,

Dechter explained that he grew

a new respect for her. His mother

also explained that she and Dech-

ter’s father gained a new appre-

ciation for him. “He had a really

long struggle and he’s still in it.

He’s a good kid. I’ve got a new

friendship, for sure,” she said.

While Dechter’s accident caused

him so much pain and trouble, his

bright spirit and positive attitude

help keep him looking forward.

He’s grown closer with his fam-

ily and friends, gained goals and

plans for the future, and seen atruly incredible community re-

sponse. However, if he could

warn students of anything, it

would be to never get in the car

with a drunk driver. It’s some-

thing students should already

know, but Dechter stressed that

if someone has been drinking or

smoking, keep out of their car to

remain safe.

After spending six months in rehab, Max Dechter has restarted his senior year and uses his experience to

advise students to make better decisions. Dechter has kept an optimistic attitude and a positive perspective.

Kayla Cohen ‘17

courtesy of MCPS

Weighing the Positivesand Negatives of Fitbitsby Megan Werden ‘17

Fitbits are devices that con-

tain a 3D motion sensor that track

calories burned according to how

many steps one has taken, dis-

tance traveled and sleep quality. It

is recommended that people take

10,000 steps a day.

While Fitbits and other t-

ness trackers are benecial to help

people track their activity, psy-

chologists are starting to question

how benecial these health devic-

es are for one’s mental health.

Some psychologists think

that people begin to obsess aboutimproving themselves and then

begin to feel like failures when

they do not reach a certain goal

while using tness trackers like

the Fitbit. Psychologists are be-

ginning to worry that Fitbits and

other tness trackers will lead

to people becoming obsessive

over exercise, resulting in an un-

healthy xation on losing weight.

“I think Fitbits can easily be-

come an obsession with calculat-

ing calories, but can also be very

benecial for those who have al-

ways been unaware of their phys-

ical activity. I think a person has

to be conscious about whether it

would actually help them or not,”

said physical education teacher

Ashley Barber-Strunk.

Teens utilize tness trackers,

which cost about $150, to monitor

their activity and sleep. “I think it

keeps people motivated, but not

to a point of obsession,” said ju-

nior Stella Lappas, an avid Fitbit

user. Lappas checks it every hour

or two. Her goal is set at 10,000

steps per day, but she usually logs

about 12,000 to 15,000.

Calorie counters, like My

Fitness Pal and Lose It, also help

users learn about another compo-nent of health: food intake. One

enters personal information man-

ually, and the calorie counter de-

cides how many calories should

be consumed a day depending

on the person’s weight, height,

age, gender, general activity and

health goals. Like devices that

track exercise, those that measure

food intake also come with unin-

tended consequences.

Calorie counters and tness

trackers can lead people’s health

in the right direction, but with in-

correct usage, they can have det-

rimental impacts too.


6/27

The Warrior•Fears and Phobias6 March 17, 2016

by Madison Dymond ‘16

Everyone has fears. Most of

us shudder at the thought of bugs

crawling up our arms or feel our

hearts racing before a big pre-

sentation, and we all have a sur-

vival instinct that makes us fear

anything that may lead us to harm

or even death. Few, however, are

so afraid of something that it pre-

vents them from living their lives.

The textbook, “Abnormal

Psychology in a Changing

World,” denes a phobia as “a

fear of an object or situation that

is disproportionate to the threat it

poses.” Fear is merely “anxiety

experienced in response to a par-

ticular threat.” A fear becomes a

phobia when the response to the

threat is not appropriate or what

is deemed as rational.

Many people fail to acknowl-

edge a difference between pho-

bias and fears or downplay the

magnitude of distress that phobias

can cause. Specic phobias affect

about nine percent of the general

population; however, if asked, the

majority of people would likely

claim to have a phobia. Phobias

are part of the anxiety disorders

family, which includes disorders

such as generalized anxiety disor-

der (GAD), obsessive compulsive

disorder (OCD), panic disorder,

and post-traumatic stress disorder

(PTSD). They are actual diagno-

ses and can make life extremely

difcult for individuals who have

these phobias.

Phobias usually develop

during childhood and are often

caused by a traumatic experience

or a mixture of social and biologi-

cal factors. The causes of phobias

may often be repressed memo-

ries, which makes it hard for peo-

ple to pinpoint when their phobia

started. This makes it harder to x

the problem, since it is extremely

difcult to nd a solution without

knowing the cause.

Despite this obstacle, there

is still plenty of help for those

with phobias. Phobic disorders

are most commonly treated with

exposure therapy. This involves

slowly exposing the patient to the

threat until he/she is either de-

sensitized from the threat or feels

that he/she is able to properly de-

fend him/herself against it.

Social anxiety (also called so-

cial phobia) is probably the most

common phobic disorder among

high school students. Many stu-

dents decline invitations to social

gatherings or avoid dating due to

their unrelenting fear that they

will say or do the wrong thing.

In the mildest cases, a pho-

bia can make one feel anxious

to enter a situation. In the most

extreme cases, it can keep some-

one for leaving their house for

decades. The use of the word

“phobia” may be tossed around,

and for the most part, this actually

leads people to be more accepting

of people with phobias, but the

lack of knowledge about phobic

disorders leads to assumptions.

Ablutophobia - fear of bathing

Logizomechanophobia -fear of computers

Omphalophobia - fear of belly buttons

Papaphobia -fear of the pope

Xenoglossophobia -fear of foreign languages

Interesting Phobias

~Brian Hayre ‘16

cartoon by Sidney Brown ‘17

Psychology Explains Fears Versus PhobiasPsellismophobia - fear of stuttering

Stasibasiphobia - fear of standing

Dendrophobia -fear of trees


7/27

The Warrior•Fears and PhobiasMarch 17, 2016 7

Barophobia Leads to Gravitational Fear

Agoraphobia Causes Panic about Panic

Human Evolution ShowsReason Behind Some Fearsby Bryse Thornwell ‘16

Why do most humans jump

at the sight of 50 spiders but not

at 50 cars on a highway? Why

do most humans scream in terror

at the sight of a snake, but shrug

at, or even welcome, a fast-food

restaurant? In America, 38,300

people died in motor vehicle ac-

cidents last year alone, but only

an average of six people die from

spider bites each year. Likewise,

over half of America’s adult pop-

ulation is at risk for high choles-terol or high blood pressure relat-

ed death, while an average of ve

people die each year from snake

bites.

We jump in response to fear

through our “ght or ight” sys-

tem, which is our mechanism

that allows us to escape danger.

One of the responsibilities of the

amygdala, a structure located in

the limbic system in our brains, is

to associate fear to different situ-

ations. While everyone has their

own list of fears, evidence proves

that certain fears are more wide-

spread than others because theyare rooted in our biology.

The evolutionary perspec-

tive in psychology is an approach

that explains psychological traits

such as memory, perception, and

language as adaptations. Natural

selection, the process where or-

ganisms who adapt better to their

environment usually survive and

reproduce, can explain why cer-

tain fears are more widespread

throughout humanity than others

with the same or even a greater

potential to cause harm.

Our ancestors learned to as-

sess what was dangerous and

threatening, and to respond with

a reaction of fear. Those who suc-

cessfully avoided dangerous and

threatening stimuli were then able

to pass their genes and behavior

down to future generations.

Since natural selection and

evolution take thousands of

years, this could easily explain

why fears that proved threatening

to the survival of our ancestors,

such as potentially dangerous

predators, heights, and wide open

spaces remain prominent while

fears of recent inventions likemotorcycles or new ndings in

climate change are not as com-

mon.

One way to assess the effects

of evolution on widespread fears

is to compare humans to lesser

evolved animals. A study involv-

ing newborn rhesus monkeys

proved that they were afraid of

toy snakes and toy crocodiles, but

not of a toy rabbit. The monkey

most likely feared the snake and

crocodile because it perceived

them as predators, but the mon-

key was still able to assume the

rabbit would not cause it harm. Now, if you expose the monkey

to a gun, it would be expected to

display the same reaction as to

the rabbit because its ancestors

have not had enough experience

to allow the monkey to perceive a

rearm as a threat.

Thus, the evolutionary theo-

ry in psychology can help explain

why humans are more likely to

fear snakes, spiders, and heights

than threats from our modern en-

vironment. Electricity, motorized

vehicles, and global warming are

all too new for our biology to

adapt to in the near future.

How To Face Your Fears and Move Onby Meghan Kimberling ‘17

Are there any fears that

you wish you could overcome?

Fear of public speaking? Fear of

heights? Roller coasters? Circus

clowns? Good news: there is a

way “out.”

Just like in other aspects of

life, admitting you have a prob-

lem is the rst step to overcom-

ing your fear and enjoying a

fuller life. If you aren’t ready to

face your fears, odds are that you

won’t. At the same time, cling-

ing to a fear, instead of trying toconquer it, makes the fear dene

who you are, sidelining you from

living your life to the fullest.

“If you change your behav-

ior, your thoughts and feelings

will change. You can’t wait for

your thoughts and feeling to

change, you need to change your

behavior rst,” counsels Alice

Boyes, Ph.D. and psychology

author. Avoidance does not make

the change for you.

Psychologists and doctors

around the world have taken

overcoming fears one step fur-

ther: exposure therapy. The therapy is not a new concept but over-

coming fears allows one to live

their life to the fullest, making it a

very popular treatment. The idea

is that the patient is exposed to

their fear without any real danger

in order to “train” their minds to

ignore the fear stimuli messages.

“Overcoming fear is about

learning to predict and, when pos-

sible, control the feared object or

situation. During exposure thera-

py one learns how to approach the

feared object or situation, so that

it is no longer unpredictable and

uncontrollable which makes it far

less threatening,” stated Katheri-

na K. Hauner, a post-doctoral fel-

low in neurology at Northwestern

University Feinberg School of

Medicine, in the Hufngton Post.

Exposure therapy originated

in the 1900s, rooting from Ivan

Pavlov’s classical conditioning.

Over the past 30 years, exposure

therapy has exponentially grown

in popularity. In fact prolonged

exposure therapy has shown

greater success than supportive

counseling in adolescent teens

with post-traumatic stress disor-

der (PTSD), according to Penn

Methods of Exposure Therapy

Flooding: immersing yourself in

your fear until the fear reflex fades

away

Counter-conditioning: substitu-

tion of a relaxation response forthe fear reflex when exposed to

the fear trigger

Modeling: watching another go

through the phobic stimuli, re-

sponding with relaxation rather

than fear

Clowns are supposed to be a great form of entertainment

for kids and adults alike, yet something about an unknown adultadorned with make-up causes fear and discomfort in many. The

fear has garnered so much attention it has become a legitimate

phobia called coulrophobia.

Possible reasoning as to why there is a common fear of

clowns is that they were always scary, but people have only

just now begun to acknowledge it. In present times, distrust in

strangers is more common than it was in the past. Clowns are

not only physically masked, but their actual lives are completely

hidden from their audience, which can be unsettling.

The separation of life and character may be for the best,

considering the rst widely famous clown, Joseph Grimaldi,

an English 19th century clown, was a drunk with a lonely life

which contrasted with his upbeat performance. His cheery na-

ture in light of his misfortune made audiences adore him, al-

though some did nd the contrast strange. Besides Grimaldi,

other famous clowns have been known for their sinister sides,like a 19th century Parisian clown who bludgeoned a child to

death for insulting him.

Over time, popular culture has replaced the happy and in-

nocent nature of clowns usually seen in the past with an new

image of a dangerous and deranged clown, with books such as

Stephen King’s “It,” in which a demon is set loose to wreak

havoc posing as a killer clown, and the “Saw” movie franchise

featuring a creepy clown puppet. Not to mention the real-life

terror of 1970s serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who dressed up

as a clown to lure his young victims.

The exact future of the clumsy clown caricature is unclear,

but it seems that clowns’ days as widely welcomed comedians

may be long gone as people have developed phobias of them.

Medicine.

Of course, it helps to have

coping mechanisms along the

way as you incrementally expose

yourself to more fearful situa-

tions. For instance, being mind-

ful of your fear and recognizing

when it starts (i.e. sweaty palms,

tightening muscles) is a start-

ing point to developing a coping

mechanism. Once you are more

aware of your fears and its symp-

toms, you start to let them come

and go without being too judg-

mental of yourself or your symp-

toms.

by Connor Brady ‘17

Barophobia is dened as the fear of gravi-

ty. Not to be confused with the fear of heights,

people who suffer from barophobia live inconstant fear of two possible scenarios. One is

when gravity will simply disappear and they

will oat away. The second scenario is they fear

that gravity will become too strong and crush

them.

Just like any other phobia, one can get it

by simply having an experience in these condi-

tions. A person could have fallen from a great

height and gotten hurt, or just watched TV and

saw a situation where there is no gravity. No

matter what the experience is, this phobia caus-

es irrational reactions and anxiety attacks just at

the thought of gravity.

Some symptoms of this phobia can be min-

ute or life changing. Some victims could just

be uncomfortable with the thought of gravity

while others are scared to leave their homes

and live out their daily lives. Those who havesevere barophobia suffer from breathlessness,

muscle tension, tremors, and the feeling of be-

ing trapped or out of control.

Most people seek help once they realize

they have an irrational fear of gravity. Al-

though most who suffer from barophobia are

often able to diagnose and cope with the phobia

themselves, there are some cases where people

can’t cope with it on their own.

Just like any other phobia, those who need

treatment go to therapy to learn how to cope

with their phobia so they no longer have to live

in fear.

by Will Van Gelder ‘16

The fear of panicking in public, or agora-

phobia, can cause some people aficted by this

panic disorder to stay in their homes for years

on end due to fear of panicking in a public

place. Agoraphobics were once viewed with

much disdain, but in recent years these “shut-

ins” have become more widely accepted as

their phobia has become better understood.

Celebrities such as Woody Allen, Barbra

Streisand and “Home Alone” star Macaulay

Culkin have suffered from this debilitating

phobia. The phobia has been widely depicted

in TV shows such as “Better Call Saul” and

movies such as “Hairspray.”

Naturally, the symptoms of agoraphobia

not only affect the patient, but often place an

undue burden on family and friends, as they

often have to deliver food and other supplies to

the sufferer.

Agoraphobia can now be successful-

ly treated through a psychotherapy process

known as exposure, which subjects sufferers

to the things that make them panic in order to

desensitize them of their fear.

Say Farewell to Bozoby Milan Polk ‘16


8/27

The Warrior•Features8 March 17, 2016

Track Star’s Humble Beginningsby Isabella Pilot ‘18

Geoff Britten seems like a

fairly typical Olney resident—

he’s a husband, a father, and a

professional cameraman. But

Britten is not an ordinary soccer

dad, he’s a man who recently

made history.

Last summer, Britten became

the rst person ever to com-

plete the nal stage of Mount

Midoriyama—the last in a set

of obstacle courses in the NBC

show “American Ninja Warrior.”

The show features people from

around the country who attempt

to complete challenging obstacle

courses. The top 30 in each of the

city nals courses go to Las Ve-gas to attempt Mount Midoriya-

ma, a four-part course that, for the

rst six years of the show, seemed

impossible to master.

This past season, howev-

er, two athletes completed stage

three—Britten and Isaac Caldie-

ro. Both moved on to Stage Four,

where they had to climb a 75-foot

rope in under 30 seconds. Al-

though both completed the climb,

Caldiero’s time was 3.6 seconds

faster than Britten’s, so he took

home the million-dollar prize.

Despite being seconds from be-

coming a millionaire, Britten is

happy with his accomplishments.

“The fact that I beat stage

four was just incredible,” said

Britten. “I’ve never been sad

about not having a faster time or

not winning a million dollars, be-

cause my goal was always to beat

it, and I did.”

Not only was Britten the rst

ever to complete stage four, he is

also the only person in American

Ninja Warrior history to have a

perfect season. Unlike Caldiero,

who fell in the second to last ob-

stacle in the Kansas City nals,

Britten completed every single

course he went up against.

His accomplishments earn

him almost daily recognition

around town, as well as at work.

“I’m a professional cameraman,

and people used to ask me, every

day, ‘Hey, could you put me on

the big screen?’ Now people tap

me on the shoulder and ask, ‘Hey,

weren’t you on American Ninja

Warrior?’” said Britten.

In order to balance his roles

as a father, husband, and camera-

man with his Ninja Warrior train-

ing, Britten trains at nearby gyms

like Earth Treks in Rockville, Al-

ternate Routes in White Marsh,

and also has a small training area

in his own house. “What helps the

most in my training is having my

family come with me,” said Brit-ten. “We’ve made it into some-

thing fun where we can all go and

do it.”

His wife, Jessica, who also

competed in on the show, and

his six-year-old daughter, Alli-

son, are not only his family, his

training partners, and part of his

cheering section, but also a major

source of motivation.

“Watching my wife, my

daughter, my mom, and my dad

there cheering for me, that to me

is so much more special than get-

ting to compete at all,” said Brit-

ten.

With everything Britten has

achieved, it would seem that there

isn’t much that can keep him

down. However, a 103-degree fe-

ver left him unable to compete on

the American Ninja Warrior spin-

off show, “USA vs. The World,”

in which teams of American, Eu-

ropean, and Japanese Ninja War-

riors compete against each other.

Britten has been aching for a sec-

ond chance ever since.

“I felt awful, I felt like a quit-

ter, it just felt brutal. I’ll always

regret that I wasn’t able to pushon further,” said Britten. “Going

into next season, that’s really my

only goal, to get a chance to re-

deem myself.”

As Britten achieved his rst

goal, beating stage four, it will be

interesting to see if he can accom-

plish his next one when Season

Eight premieres next summer.

Make sure to tune in to watch the

local ninja warrior.

Geoff Britten, a local resident, is shown completing a rigorous obstacle.

Local Man Completes ‘American Ninja Warrior’

We’ve all heard it a million times be-

fore; the story of the American Dream.Someone leaves their home country to

come to the land of opportunity, and is

greeted by Lady Liberty upon arrival. At

this point it all seems a little cliché. But

walking beside us in the halls, using the

same desks we do is proof that the Amer-

ican Dream is still very much alive. This

proof is junior Renaldo Smith.

Smith moved from Kingston, Jamaica

to Maryland in 2014, and has been attend-

ing school here ever since. “My life was

pretty hard in Jamaica. The reason why is

because my mom died and I started doing

a lot of bad things,” said Smith, but you

would never know about his rough past

from his persona. Anyone who has met

Smith can agree that he is one of the most

charismatic, cheerful members of the stu-

dent body. This optimism comes from his

drive to succeed, particularly in track and

eld.

“I started running when I was four

years old. When I was six, I started run-

ning track for my preschool, then through

middle school. No other sports, just track

all my life.” Smith has used track as his

biggest tool in adjusting to the new envi-

ronment. “The transition was so easy be-

cause my mind was so focused on track.

Back home in Jamaica, track is the main

sport. Everybody wants to be fast. The

fastest man, Usain Bolt, lives there, so ev-

erybody wants to be like him,” said Smith.

“ I can only be myself. I set my own stan-

dards. Hopefully I can go far in this thing.”

But in order to remain eligible for

track, Smith must keep his grades up. Hehas studied hard and is now expected to

graduate in 2017, a year earlier than origi-

nally planned. School in the United States

is very different from his school in Jamai-

ca. “Here I get more help. Back there, the

teachers just expected you to gure things

out yourself, but here I get help from teach-

ers and honor society members.”

Smith plans on attending a culinary

arts school to study his other major pas-

sion, cooking. “My love for cooking is out

of this world. I enjoy it because it is an art,

and when I cook I love to see people hap-

py,” said Smith. He takes cooking classes

at Sherwood, and hopes to one day become

a head chef at a restaurant.

Rather than covering up his mistakes,Smith is growing and becoming the best

version of himself. He has opened up to his

teammates and his friends, informing them

of his life in Jamaica and trusting them to

help him get through high school so he

can move on to bigger and better things.

“Watching him grow is remarkable. I’m

so proud of him and all the progress he’s

made here. He’s the most amazing guy I

know,” said sophomore Amy Guenterburg,

one of Smith’s closest friends on track.

So whenever you start to believe that

the American Dream is dead, keep Renaldo

Smith in mind. This is only the beginning

of a successful journey for him in the Unit-

ed States.

by Natalie Murray ‘18

Junior Renaldo Smith laughs with a fellow runner and friend at track practice after school.

Maya Koeppen ‘17

www.nbc.com


9/27

The Warrior•FeaturesMarch 17, 2016 9

that coloring i s

by Maya Koeppen ‘17

What used to be a favorite

childhood pastime is quickly

emerging again as a new trend in

the form of adult coloring books.

Holding ve of the top 10 best-

selling spots on Amazon, these

books have been quickly surging

in popularity as a unique alter-

native to meditation. Books fea-

ture intricate designs of anything

from nature to mandalas (dia-

gram, chart, or geometric pattern

of Indian origin) and are intend-

ed to de-stress the user through

coloring. Despite their wide-

spread popularity, few know of

the actual science behind the

books.

Although it is not consid-

ered a form of art therapy, color-

ing still has many healing quali-

ties. Among coloring’s benets

is its ability to induce a state of

focus and mindfulness in the

individual that is similar to that

of meditation. Dr. Stan Rodski, a

neuropsychologist and author of

his own line of coloring books,

notes that this response stems

from the details and repetition

of patterns associated with col-

oring. Even so much as choosingwhether or not to color the sun

yellow or orange, gets the mind

working. The prefrontal cor -

tex of the brain, responsible for

many of the decisions in one’s

daily life, is served well by this

series of insignicant choices;

further allowing the “colorist”

to enjoy an immense amount of

self-control in the midst of their

otherwise hectic and previously

mapped-out schedules.

For individuals suffering

from post-traumatic stress disor-

der, anxiety, obsessive compul-

sive disorder and more, coloring

could be just the prescription forthese and a slew of other mental

and emotional health issues as

well. Focusing the mind on the

carefree nature of coloring can

help these individuals by dimin-

ishing their natural state of wor -

ry in a way that is both calming

and productive. Probably one of

the best example of this process

in action is the Swiss psychi-

atrist Carl Jung’s prescription

of coloring mandalas to his pa-

tients over a hundred years ago.

Through further diagnoses, Jung

became aware of the calming

properties that are now attribut-

ed to coloring and he expressed a

belief that mandalas, being more

than just shapes, symbolize a

deeper expression of oneself.

Aside from its therapeutic

benets, coloring is also found

to have intellectual and physi-

cal benets for the individual as

well. Intellectually, the physical

act of coloring can help with or -

ganizational and problem-solv-

ing skills. Coloring activates the

frontal lobes in the brain, and

the execution of complex color

schemes to create aesthetically

pleasing results trains the brain

to think in a new and colorfulway. Physically, coloring can

suppress feelings of pain from a

variety of diseases and enhance

motor skills.

Coloring is a great way to

take a break from the world

and lose oneslf in the world of

swirls, shapes, and colors. Such

coloring books can be bought at

many bookstores. So whether

one has a big test coming up or

one just needs some “me” time

at the end of a long day, the best

way to treat your brain and your

body is to break out those pen-

cils and get coloring.

Granny is Not the Only OneRocking the Gray Hair Styleby Katherine Sperduto ‘19

Many middle-aged wom-

en, and even men, hyperfocus

on covering up their gray roots,

but one of the hottest trends to-

day among young people is the

“Granny Hair” trend. Don’t be

fooled by the name “Granny

Hair,” dyed locks of silver, gray,

lavender, soft blue, or even white,

the dyed hair looks anything but

old.

Having seen this hot trend

on Instagram and other forms of

social media, senior Liana Azcuy

took on this look involuntarily.

Her brown hair was dyed purple

with a light blonde underneath,

and this combination eventual-

ly changed into a silverish color.

She became accustomed to her

new look. She loved it so much

that she took on the “Granny

Hair” trend purposefully months

later.

“On Instagram you see those

girls with gray hair and you think

that it is cool,” said Azcuy. “ I am

denitely noticing more people

with it now.”

Azcuy loved this gray hair

look more than the other hair-dye-

ing trends that she has tried overthe years. She got many different

reactions. Her parents weren’t re-

ally on board with the new hair,

but her friends loved the new

look.

Azcuy is not the only trend-

setter that has pursued the “Gran-

ny Hair” look; sophomore Audrey

Schwenke was inspired by Tum-

blr. Her love for pursuing trends

and fearlessness of changing

looks has made her a big trend-

setter at Sherwood. Schwenke

took on the silver a few months

into the school year. Although

Schwenke lets all of the com-

ments roll off her shoulders, she

does have one concern: scaring

possible employers from hiring

her.“One big thing for me was

applying for jobs. Personally, I

worry that an employer will not

nd a kid who dyes their hair

whacky things a responsible em-

ployee,” admitted Schwenke.

Although Schwenke loved

her gray locks, she recently went

back to being a brunette. On the

other hand, Azcuy kept her hair

died gray for longer.

Both in Hollywood and here

in Montgomery County, the trend

is hitting the streets. Kelly Os-

bourne, Rihanna and Kylie Jen-

ner are among the celebrities who

have experimented with the style

“Granny Hair.”

Sara Mossavari, local hair

stylist for Salon Central, thinkssilver/gray hair is a beautiful

look. But, she warns that it does

come with some catches. Mossa-

vari recommends coming in once

a week to get your hair retoned

after you get your hair dyed. If

you don’t get it toned, the hair

will turn a yellow color. If you

choose to not tone your hair every

week at the salon, at least buy a

violet toner before you leave the

salon.

Like it or not, the “Gran-

ny Hair” trend that is hitting the

streets of Hollywood and Olney

today, will be hitting the pages of

a fashion history book tomorrow.

Senior Liana Azcuy sporting the popular gray hairstyle back in 2015.

Sophomore Serves as SMOB Chief of Staff by Leah Peloff ‘18

Many high school students

would describe their lives as rel-

atively busy. Between school,

homework, sports, socializing

and more, most spend whatev-

er excess time they have sleep-

ing. Sophomore Matthew Post,

however, lls his already busy

schedule with responsibilities

that come with his role as chief

of staff to Student Member of theBoard (SMOB), Eric Guerci.

Post has always been interest-

ed in student advocacy. He start-

ed off with inner-school SGA,

becoming his class president in

fth grade, then got back into it

in eighth grade when he applied

to be on the Montgomery Coun-

ty Regional Student Government

Association.

This county student govern-

ment was where Post really got his

start. He worked tirelessly to re-

brand the association and give it a

newly polished look that could be

taken more seriously. Due to his

hard work, Post was approached

by Guerci who asked if he would

be part of his 2015 SMOB cam-

paign. “Eric and I realized that we

collaborated really well together

and he appointed me as his chief

of staff, ” explained Post.

With a one-year term, SMOB

is a constant cycle, ltering new

members in and out come elec-

tion time in April. Because Guer-

ci will seek reelection this year,

“[He and Post] have worked to-gether a lot over the summer and

past months just getting his mes-

sage out; constituent contact. But

now that the election is ramping

up, that requires a lot more media,

a lot more content, and a lot more

strategy” said Post

Whether he is working aside

Guerci or testifying to the Mont-

gomery County Council as a

concerned individual, Post is ex-

tremely passionate about acting

on behalf of the students. “Repre-

senting others is one of the most

rewarding jobs you can have,”

said Post. “When I am testifying

to the board or state delegation, it

feels great to know I am echoing

the sentiments of those students

whose voices would otherwise

not have been heard.”

According to Post, the hard

work does pay off in ways be-

sides just the satisfaction of being

the voice of those who otherwise

go unheard. He has met many of

the government ofcials from

both state and local levels whom

he would have never encounteredotherwise. In addition to the ex-

tremely smart, inspiring peo-

ple he has met, Post has learned

priceless lessons about collabo-

rating with others and working on

a team.

When asked if he would ever

consider running for SMOB him-

self, the answer was a denitive

yes. “[Working as chief of staff]

has really prepared me and gotten

the warrior march 2016

Documents