Holiday Gift Guide, Movies, and Recipes

Ice Hockey is Cool

Lions Receive College Acceptance Letters

Dance ConcertWows Audience

Beauty and the Mirror

Dangers of Concussions

Titsworth’s Two Cents

Volume 65; Issue 3 Howard High School Winter 2017

‘

The Difference in DiplomasLogan Montgomery ‘20 & Zach El-Leithy ‘18

Staff Writers

by Race to the Top, and the Maryland Common Core Curriculum (aligned with PARCC) was introduced. This transition has created different requirements over the past few years: The senior class only needed to take the English PARCC, Algebra PARCC, and Biology HSA; however, the senior class needed to take and pass the American Government and Politics HSA. The current juniors needed to pass English PARCC and Algebra PARCC with a score of 725 in each category, sophomores must pass the English PARCC with a 733, and freshmen need to earn 741. In future years, the MISA (Maryland Integrated Science Assessment) will be integrated into high school exams and will replace the current Biology HSA. Maryland schools have had the HSA since as far back as the class of 2009, when students had to pass the English, Algebra 1, and Biology HSAs in order to receive their diploma. Maryland added the American Government HSA in 2010, which students in the classes of 2010 and 2011 had to pass; however, the class of 2012 did not have to take it. The exam resumed in the following

Graduation r e q u i r e m e n t s are something everyone in high school needs to know in order to pick the classes they need to graduate. Assistant Principal and Testing Coordinator Mr. Sackett stated that, “Graduation requirements have changed a lot over the past five to ten years. Almost every class has a different graduation requirement.” For example, graduation requirements for this year’s senior class are different from this year’s freshman class. Students have suffered few changes to the 21 credits required, but the additional requirement of a fourth credit of math (attempted, but not required to earn) was added only a few years ago, and more courses count for fine arts and technology than years prior. Service hours are another graduation requirement for students in Maryland schools. Students must have 75 hours of service learning, along with written portions. These requirements are completed in middle school for Howard County students. Students who come to Howard County schools from out of state or from private schools must complete the hours independently and submit forms to their counselors. The main difference in requirements related to testing. “HSA” stands for High School Assessment, and students need to pass or take them to graduate. The HSA is being replaced by PARCC, as No Child Left Behind was replaced

Credits, Course Selection, and You

Students of Howard High need 21 class credits in order to graduate, but course selection does allow for self-expression and exploration, so people need to choose their classes wisely. Students should select classes they think they will like, and that will produce a transcript that really shows a student’s strengths and interests. “Taking Physics C,” says senior Russell Schwartz, “made me possibly want to become an engineer.” Other students can find their paths in classes like psychology, forensic science, food & nutrition, journalism, and advanced composition. The minimum number of credits that is required in order to graduate is 21, which is split into two groups: Core classes (classes that are chosen for students and are required for graduation) and electives (classes that students get to choose based on interests). Four of the core credits go

to English with one credit in English 9, one in English 10, one in 11, and one in 12. Science makes up for three credits, including one in Biology and two in any laboratory experiences in class. Mathematics takes up three more credits, including one in Algebra I and

one in Geometry (students are required to earn three credits in math, but must take four). The last three core credits are for Social Studies: One credit for taking U.S. History, one for Government, and one in World History. Fine Arts counts as one credit, physical education and health education issues each count as ½ of a credit, and technology education counts as one credit. The remaining 5 credits for graduation are up to the student to choose, based on interests. It is important to note that students have a chance to earn 7 credits a year (28 total), so there is a lot of opportunity to enroll in classes that a student wants. When it comes to these elective classes, it’s important to choose wisely and choose early - initial enrollment in the courses determines which courses are offered. School does not have to be boring; it can be fun. Students just have to work through those core requirements in freshman and sophomore year to get to the increased scheduling freedom of junior and senior year.

Victor Maldonado ‘20Staff Writer

Collage by Somali Crump showing art, foods, chorus, and the ARL busses

year when the class of 2013 had to take it, but not pass it. From the class of 2014 and on, passing the American Government HSA again became a requirement to receive a diploma. The 2016 graduating class had to take the English and

Algebra 1 HSAs, and pass the Biology

HSA. This was the final

class that had t o pass the Biology HSA, as every class since then has just had to take it. This will continue until the class of 2022 has to pass the MISA. The change in tests and rise in the passing scores over the years raises the question of equity between graduating classes. Do students from different graduating classes have equal requirements to receive their diplomas? Mr. Sackett replied to this

question, saying, “While students

2

Lions Who Left: Where Are They Now?Joshua Petty ‘18

Staff Writer

DeVos’s DisasterEmily Hauk ‘18

Editor-in-Chief

When Trump announced his pick for educa-tion secretary last year, the decision was met with raised eye-brows. Wealthy Republican Betsy DeVos, a staunch supporter of alter-native public edu-cation, has been ac-cused of neglecting

public schools, an institution 91% of the students in the United States rely on (Department of Education). DeVos has been no stranger to the hellfire in the past year. Her proposed education budget, which slashes several public programs for underprivileged students, have been replaced in favor of private voucher schools, like charters. And while the theory of “student choice” is a good one, in practice, the results have been less than promising. Charter schools, the shining centerpiece of Devos’s “school choice movement,” differ from the traditional public school because they are publicly funded and privately run, typically by profit-driven companies (TIME.com). These private voucher schools, while good for providing an alternative option for some students, siphon money from the remain-ing students by directing public money to these pseudo-private schools. And too often, these alternative schools are not the better option (TIME.com) Laws regarding charter schools are notoriously lax, and this lack of federal oversight has led to underperforming students (Washington Post). In Florida, where more than 30% of the student population attend alternative schools, Devos hailed them as the best solution to failing public schools. The overall results of these pop-up charters, however, have been far less worthy of praise. The majority have been shut down within a year of operation; a single county was forced to close five sepa-rate charters after they all received failing grades (TBO.com). The effort to privatize education has been reinvigorated by Devos’s very vocal support, and her early efforts to reduce the federal govern-ment’s role in education in favor of a more corporate influence spells trouble for this nation’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, where many depend on reliable public schooling. Alternative options for education, such as charters, are well-intentioned, but they are not universal. They tend to favor the lucky few instead, leaving the students who don’t have access to alternative education with underfunded and underperforming public schools.

College Acceptances

Journey Pruitt- North Carolina Central UniversityElli Nikolopoulos- Ohio State UniversityKeya Barot- University of PittsburghCourtney Furr- Stony Brook University + Basketball ScholarshipAlexa Abrahams- Salisbury UniversityMadison Eich- Messiah College + Basketball ScholarshipEmma Vaughn- Coastal Carolina UniversityLindsay Atkinson- Kent State UniversityZoe Summa- Sacred Heart CollegeFelix Knorr- Towson University + Lacrosse Scholarship

James Fusco-Ohio University + $9,000 a yearTaylor Downs- North Carolina Central University, Bowie State University, Temple UniversityElisabeth Blandford- Mount St. Mary’s University + $24,000 Scholarship, Stevenson University

Lindsey Pfeffer- Stevenson University, Robert Morris University + $48,000 scholarship over 4 yearsAnna Jezerski- McDaniel College + $96,000 Scholarship over 4 years + Volleyball, Daemon College + $50,000 Scholarship over 4 years

List compiled byDreanya Stokes ‘18 & Emaan Zahir ‘18

Staff Writer News Editor

Bryson Craven holds the flag before a Howard game. He now plays football at Clarion University.

Howard High School has had some excellent students in the past, but have you ever wondered where those student are now? Some student pursued sports in college. Winston Delattiboudere, class of 2016, won the Howard County Times and Columbia Flier Football Defensive Player of the Year, and was named the Baltimore Sun’s 2014 All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year during his high school career. These im-pressive statistics allowed him the privilege of playing at the University of Minnesota where, this season, he has started in six and played in all 12 games this season. Other athletes include Bryson Craven who was first team all county in 2015 as a ju-nior and was an all star in all 2016. He is at-tending Clarion University. He says the big-gest difference from high school and college football is college football is more of a men-tal sport. “Being an incoming freshman,” he explains, “you go from being the top athlete to starting over and grinding harder.” Besides sports, there are several students

who are strong academically and now in great schools. For example, Emily Stern is currently studying in fine arts and deaf studies at Towson University. Her sis-ter Lindsey is studying at Salisbury, and scheduling is the biggest difference for her. She says, “Some days I have one class, others I have three. You have a lot of freedom.” Matt Flynn, class of 2017, attends West Point. Jeff Brown, also class of 2017, attends Stanford University af-ter being accepted to several Ivy League schools, including Harvard. Albert Cor-vah is part of the 12 percent of African American students at Harvard University.

AdvisorMrs. Julia Carter

James Fusco and Emily HaukE d i t o r s i n C h i e f

Page EditorsBenjamin Acker

Elisabeth BlandfordMitchell DaroEmma VaughnEmaan Zahir

Copy EditorMadison Wine

Staff WritersAlexa AbrahamsSydney CassidySomali Crump

Elisabeth EastridgeZachary El-Leithy

Joseph FerraroKristen Gomes

Tiye LillardVictor Maldonado

Logan MontgomeryJoshua Petty

Sequoia SpriggsDreanya StokesOlivia Wheatley

Social Media ManagersAaron Leong

Angus Titsworth

PrincipalMr. Nick Novak

Diplomas, cont. in different graduating years may not have identical coursework to complete, the notion is that all students have to complete a rigorous course load that meets state requirements in order to earn their diplomas.” He followed up by saying there are not any “undue hardships” on those who have to pass all the tests. While not amassing the required credits can (and has) prevented students from earning a diploma, failing a test may not. Students who fail a graduation-required test can complete a “bridge project,” earn a combined score, or prove “College and Career Readiness” through other accomplishments, such as AP and SAT test scores. Any of these options qualify students not for a diploma, but a stamp on their report card that says a student is “College and Career Ready.”

Acceptance rates into colleges is not affected by the stamp, as the colleges and universities see the transcript but not individual report cards. Depending on a student’s year of graduation, the requirements for the College and Career Readiness stamp and the diploma differ. Whether these differences constitute an inequity is debatable (after all, those who must pass the Common Core-aligned PARCC had more years of education under the Common Core Curriculum), but it certainly makes the road to graduation hard to navigate. An informal survey of members of each class at Howard, including senior Alan Gorny, showed a confidence in knowledge of the number of credits required, but confusion over the math credits taken and earned, and the tests that one had to take, pass, or neither.

3

Monday through Friday, teen-agers struggle to wake up for a long day of school. Homework, extracurriculars, sports, and jobs take up many students’ free time. When do teens sleep? They don’t. Teens have been sleep deprived ever since they entered middle school. According to recent pediatric studies, 1 out of 5 stu-dents get a total of 8 hours of sleep per night. The other 80% of students get less than 7 hours of sleep per night. To perform at their highest ability, stu-dents need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation actually caus-es teens to have mood swings, suicidal thoughts, an increased risk of obesity, and behavioral problems. Howard County’s Board of Educa-tion has approved to change the start times in the school year of 2018-2019. At the end of last school year, the Board asserted that no Howard Coun-ty school will begin before 7:30am or no later than 9:25am. This change will give students the sleep they so desperately need. Changing the start times will boost attendance amongst teens and will benefit students both mentally and physically. Studies have shown that younger children are more resilient with adjustments in their sleep schedules. Therefore, kids’ mindsets would be less affected by the change of start times when elementary schools go in first. The Howard County Board of Education has 4 different proposals for when our schools will start. Mod-els 2 and 3, the latest time proposed, has high schools in Howard County beginning around 9:15am and end at 4:00pm. In the models, elementary schools will go in first followied by middle, then high schools. As of now,

Beyond the MirrorAlexa Abrahams ‘18 & Tiye Lillard ‘19

Staff Writer Staff Writer

the bus pick up schedule is high school, middle, then elementary. In the models, elementary schools will start no earlier than 7:30am and end at 2:15pm. This Model will need 455 buses, and its es-timated cost will be around $931,804. Model 1 and 4, the earliest time we will start, has high schools starting around 8:30am and end no later than 3:15pm. Model 4 will need a total of 489 buses and the estimated cost is $3,021,804.

Olivia Wheatley ‘20Staff Writer

Board Considers Start Times

The change of the start times raises a lot of questions as to whether it will ac-tually be effective to students and their sleep schedules. When asked about their opinions on the recent change to start times, Gabe Viaud, a freshman at Howard High said, “It’s cool because we get to sleep in and go to bed later.” On the other hand, Morgan Cooper, a sophomore at Howard High said, “The change of school’s times will make it more difficult to go to bed at a reason-able time. Students will still stay up an extra hour or two and wake up relative-ly around the same time.” The change of start times are expected to have high school students get more hours of sleep. This change will be effective for stu-dents. Yes, I understand some students stay up later and have more work than others, but it can easily be resolved. In-stead of staying up late and scrolling on social media, go to bed earlier. When you get home from school, do your priorities first instead of taking a nap. Changing the start times will boost stu-dents overall mood towards school be-cause they will get more sleep.

Angus Titsworth ‘18Staff Writer

Start time adjustment models and relative costs show elementary schools beginning at the current high school start time, and a minimum cost increase of $931,804 (charts from hcpss.org)

Titsworth’s Two Cents

“I’m accidentally talking to like 5+ guys right now. I try to not be a flirt but I can’t help it! What should I do? I can’t date them all!”You shouldn’t lead them all on like that; you’re just gonna end up hurting a majority of their feelings. You should weigh the pros and cons of each person and just talk to one of the guys.

“History outlines are killing me! How can I get them done faster?”Try to start them early and not do all of them up once. Splitting up the time where you do them can help you feel like they’re not taking so long.

“How should I react if I get a present that I don’t like?”It depends. If you get a gift you don’t like from your grandma or aunt, then you put on a smile and say thank you, but if it’s from someone like your friend I would just ask for a gift receipt and return it. You should still thank the gift giver, as the thought of the gift is what ultimately matters the most.

“Why can’t we vape in school?”Most vapes contain nicotine. Nicotine is a drug and there is a zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol on school grounds, and for anyone under 18, anywhere.

“I’m a senior, and there’s a guy I’ve liked since my sophomore year. I’ve never told him - is it too late?”You should just go for it. Ask them to hang out or go out to eat and tell them that you’re interested. You don’t have anything to lose, and if you don’t say anything you’ll always wonder what could’ve been.

“What is your best SAT advice?”Try to get the official SAT study book made by College Board. They take ac-tual questions from older SATs and put them in the book. Hiring a tutor can also benefit you greatly. You should try taking it multiple times as well, as you can learn and better yourself each time you take it. They only take your top score, so there’s no harm in trying again and again.

“How do I deal with kids who say and do racist/ sexist things around me?”First, you should tell them to stop and that you don’t find what they’re say-ing funny or okay. If they don’t stop you should take further action howev-er you see fit, whether it’s a report to administration, your parents, or even the police. This kind of behavior is unacceptable and you don’t deserve to be treated in a derogatory way. You deserve respect and equal belonging to school and our community.

We’ve all seen what society deems the “perfect body”: tall with slim hips and long legs for girls, and a muscular stature for boys. It is impossible to ignore, and unfortu-nately for the estimated thirty million Americans who suffer from eating disorders, these media-reinforced images that narrowly define beauty can have devastating consequences. Mrs. Sutter, a Howard High School guidance counsellor, makes clear that “body image develops in middle school.” During this time, negative body image can lead to both mental and physical health complications. These issues include body dysmor-phic disorder, a mental illness which causes one to fixate on a self-per-ceived physical flaw, and eating dis-orders such as anorexia or bulimia. These eating disorders can lead to a number of health complications

such as gas-trointestinal dysfunction, tooth decay, hair loss, or-gan failure, d i z z i n e s s , fatigue, and death. With social media reach-ing the fore-front of the lives of teen-agers, body image is be-ing discussed now more than ever. Social media standards may seem impossible to get away from, but Sierra Thompson, a junior at Howard, says that “you can’t be putting beauty standards on a pedestal. Just look at it

and be like ‘Okay, that’s what they’re selling, but that’s not me.’” Adrian Peta-sis, a Howard High sophomore, explains the importance of paying less mind to these standards because they “can dis-tract you from what’s really important.” There is no way around it: You have to learn to love yourself for who you are. No Instagram post or other social me-dia standard that can tell you how to be beautiful, because beauty is ultimately subjective. Dwelling on what you see in the mirror will never make you happy, successful, or satisfied, because these are things you must accomplish for yourself. “It’s all about your health,” says Petasis, “not what you see in the mirror.”But what if all else fails and your body image continues to be influenced by so-cial media? “To gain self-confidence,” advises Mrs. Sutter, “one can surround themselves with positive people.” Thompson says the best thing to do is to simply “get off social media. I did that for a while, and I had time to reflect and look at myself. I started to love what I was seeing.”

4

Ingredients:

-1 package of

Oreos

-8oz. package

of cream

cheese

-1½tsp. of pep

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-8 oz melting c

hocolate

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Instructions:

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& transfer in

to medium siz

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Add cream ch

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nd then mix.

Refrigerate

mixture for on

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eter). Place th

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into the micro

wave for 45 se

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microwave for

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completely co

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up candy can

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Sprinkle cand

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on top. Store

in refrigerator

until firm

Ingredients:-12 sugar cookies-3 tbsp. of cream cheese, room

temperature -2 cups of any color candy melts

-SprinklesInstructions: Place sugar cookie in a food

processor or blender, process

until cookies have turned into fine

crumbsAdd cream cheese into the food processor and then process until combined

Shape mixture into balls with a 1-2 inch diameter

Place cookie balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Refrigerate for 1 hourPlace candy melts into a small bowl and microwave for 45 seconds, stir,

microwave for 15 second intervals until smooth

Remove cookie balls from refrigerator and dip them into candy melts

Cover the cookie balls completely

Add sprinkles and then refrigerate for an hour

Peppermint O

reo Truffles

Sugar Cookie Truffles

Hot Chocolate

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Reci

pes c

ompl

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by

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beth

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Once again it is that time of the year. The time where it seems like nearly every house is lit up by twinkling lights, where in-laws stop by for their annual visit, where the mall is crowded every single weekend with moms and dads looking for that last Bitty Baby® for their little princess. Yes folks, it’s time for your pockets to be emptied of every last dime. It’s gift giving time. If you struggle with figuring out what to get your best friend, girlfriend/boyfriend, or even your parents, here is a

list of gifts everybody will love. (compiled by Elisabeth Blandford)

For Her

Bath and Body Works Three Wick Candle $24.50

HOT SOX Women’s Christmas Scene Socks $6.00

Bath and Body Works Body Cream $13.00

Alex & Ani Pinecone Charm Bangle $28.00

Bath Products (Bath Bombs, Scrubs, Soaps) Best Wishes Gift Box $29.99

Holiday Gift Guide

Ingredients:

-2 cups of da

rk chocolate

chips

-14 oz. can of

sweetened co

ndensed milk

-1 cup white

chocolate chi

ps

-1 ½ cups of m

ini marshma

llows

Instructions:

In a bowl, co

mbine the w

hite chocolate

chips with 5 ta

blespoons of

the sweetened

condensed mi

lk

In another

bowl, combin

e the dark

chocolate chi

ps with the res

t of the sweete

ned condense

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Line a 9x9 pa

n with alumi

num foil and s

pray with coo

king spray

Microwave th

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dark chocola

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microwave for

15 second in

tervals until s

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Pour the dark

chocolate mix

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pan and the s

pread it to cov

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whole pan.

Microwave the

bowl with the

white chocol

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then

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Pour white ch

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late

5

As the weather gets colder, the end of the semester gets closer. For seniors, senioritis is at its prime during this time, but it’s also time for the Midyear dance! Midyear is a semi-formal dance for seniors only. The dance will be held on Friday, January 22nd from 7-10pm at the Sheraton in Columbia. Payment for Midyear is included in the senior dues packages. Deciding what to wear might be difficult for a semi-formal. The theme for the night is black and white. It is typical for girls to wear all black dresses with heels or flats. Ruffles, exposed shoulders, and cut-outs are in style right now, and you can find some fun (but af-fordable) looks at a lot of dirrent stores, and online. The dance is indoors, so you don’t have to dress for the weather, but it’s a great excuse to buy a cute wrap. For men, a tie and some comfortable dress shoes are most suit-able. You want to look like you put some effort into the look, so wrinkled shirts and a clip-on tie is not going to cut it. Whatever you choose to wear, please make sure you are comfort-able so you can dance, have a great time, and make some memories!

Winterfest traditionally has a record of low atten-dance, but this year, you’ll want to stick around. SGA has completely revamped Winterfest, introducing new and fun activities to please everyone’s interests. Nina Bundy, our SGA president, dis-cussed the changes to Winterfest this year: “This year, we switched it up and we’re having each club and organization in our high school host an activity or sponsor an activity, so we’re trying to get everyone in-

Once again it is that time of the year. The time where it seems like nearly every house is lit up by twinkling lights, where in-laws stop by for their annual visit, where the mall is crowded every single weekend with moms and dads looking for that last Bitty Baby® for their little princess. Yes folks, it’s time for your pockets to be emptied of every last dime. It’s gift giving time. If you struggle with figuring out what to get your best friend, girlfriend/boyfriend, or even your parents, here is a

list of gifts everybody will love. (compiled by Elisabeth Blandford)

For Him

HOT SOX Men’s Happy Challah Days Socks $12.00

Call of Duty:World War II

Walmart Price: $49.94Dick’s Sporting Goods

YETI 18oz. Rambler Bottle $29.99

Vans Vans X Peanuts Slip-on $65.00

PacsunNeff Bad Santa T-Shirt $23.95

volved this year. We want each club to be heard and to promote their club.” This is definitely a welcome change from years past, where stu-dents did not get to have a say in the kinds of activities they partic-ipated in during Winterfest. Now, student-created clubs have chosen activities that will surely draw the interest of some students. German club is making gingerbread hous-es in their room, for example, and cooking club is going to be baking and decorating cookies. That is only one half of Winter-fest. As in the past, the upperclass-men and lower classmen are split up, and switch off activities. Nina explains, “The first half…the ninth and the tenth graders are going to be in the auditorium, and the elev-enth and twelfth graders are going to be in the different activities in the different rooms.” The class-rooms will be housing the club-led activities, but what will be going on in the auditorium? We talked to the guitar teacher, Mr. Zuccarini,

to find out. Zuccarini described the perfor-mance-based portion of Winter-fest as “a showcase of all the fine arts departments at Howard High School–dance, theater, all the mu-sic departments, showcase, etc.” He then revealed what each of the departments were planning to per-form for the Howard Lions: “The-ater… is going to be a portion of the improv team, Mrs. Crisera’s dance company is going to be performing one act, Mrs. Wacyk has three cho-ral groups that are going to be per-forming… Mr. Campbell has a brass section, and then I, myself, am go-ing to be running a thirty minute set of Showcase.” There are definitely more groups involved in the perfor-mances this year. The brass section is new, as well as the different choral groups instead of their usual cho-rus. The performances will definite-ly be entertaining, with the dance company’s “Santa Baby” dance, and the angelic singing from chorus. The brass section will be new and

impressive, and the improv team is always hilarious. The preview of Showcase performers will encour-age students to attend the show on January 11, 12, or 13. Showcase is a long tradition at Howard High School where stu-dents can audition to sing, play an instrumental solo, dance, step, or even jump-rope. The set list this year promises singers from theater, choir, or neither: We Jump Rope, Sasha Raskin’s dance solo, Step Team, and an instrumental solo from Ethan Phillips. Other acts in-clude the Howard High School Steel Drum and Marching band, and the Orchestra. Last year, Showcase had a 80’s and 90’s theme, but this year, there is no theme. Mr. Zuccarini commented on the song choices, saying, “It is a heavy bias of contem-porary music with a few older songs mixed in there, but mostly from the late 2000’s.” With this change in music and the added acts, this year’s Showcase will be an event you won’t want to miss!

Holiday Gift Guide

A Winter WonderlandMadi Wine ‘19

Copy Editor

Midyear Dance Fashion

With the new year right around the corner, it is time to start thinking of some resolutions. Here are a few of the resolutions your fellow lions have made.

Nathan Smith (Class of 2021): “To run at least 10 miles a week in or-der to live healthier.”

Payton Carroll (Class of 2020): “Work on improving my art.”

Shaelin Rennert-Ariev (Class of 2019): “To eat healthier.” Gage Stahl (Class of 2018): “En-joy the little things before I go to college.”

Mr. Novak: “To live a better healthy lifestyle, get more exercise, and eat healthier.”

Kristen Gomes ‘18Staff Writer New Year’s

ResolutionsJoseph Ferraro ‘18

Staff Writer

Charlotte Russe, $20 Nordstrom, $38 Forever 21, $48

6

Howard Ice Hockey G e t t i n g Yo u r Head in the Game Aaron Leong ‘19

Social Media Manager

In September of 2017, the brain of Aaron Hernandez, a for-mer Patriots tight end connected with three murders before taking his own life, was examined at Boston Universi-ty. Researchers found that he had stage three (of four) of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. The study showed severe deposition of the pro-teins in his brain, which often leads to dementia. CTE can also diminish a hu-mans amygdala which can lead to in-creased aggression and violence. They determined the condition occurred from the repeated blows to the head he suffered while playing football. Even though it has not yet been proven, many people wonder if the CTE cause him to have increased aggression and suicide.CTE is a degenerative, trauma-based brain disease. CTE is most often pres-ent in people who have suffered con-cussions, so athletes are affected. The disease can alter proteins inside the brain and almost disintegrate parts of the brain, like the amygdala. Often it is football players, boxers, and wrestlers that suffer the most concussions, as their sports have an increased chance of receiving a blow to the head. In 2015, per 100,000 football players, over 60% of them had a concussion or a related head injury. To avoid a concussion and possibly CTE later in life, athletes must try to protect themselves at all times, and especially in situations where the

In The Cleats with Robert Agbai

Favorite Food: Bacon CheeseburgerFavorite Color: BlueHoping to Major in: Undecided

Ben Acker ‘18Sports Editor

The Howard Ice Hockey team, coached by Mr. Joshua McGoun, a Health and P.E. teacher here at Howard, is midway through their season and currently making their push to the playoffs. The Lions started the season with a 7-5 win against Reservoir, but had tough losses against the Ellicotts (Long Reach/Centennial Co-Op), Marriotts Ridge, and Glenelg. Currently, the team’s record stands at 1-3, so the Lions are putting a lot of emphasis on their upcoming games in order to improve their record and clinch a playoff spot. The Lions have a number of important matches coming up, including the team’s senior night against Atholton, which is on January 5th at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel. The team has five seniors graduating this year: Nathan Kass, Kyle Hoffman, James Fusco, Benjamin Acker, and Mitchell Daro. Kyle Hoffman is the head captain, and Nathan Kass, James Peters, and Mitchell Daro are the 3 assistant captains. James Peters commented on the upcoming schedule for the Lions, saying, “I think we have a really good chance of making the playoffs, and I’m excited for that.” Peters also added that he loves “the team that you get from playing the sport. It’s not like a team I’ve had with any other sport.” Hoffman also spoke about his favorite thing about playing hockey: “I’d say it’s the

Sydney Cassidy ‘19Staff Writer

There are numerous athletes at Howard that play more than one sport, but few are more talented than Robert Agbai. Agbai is a running back (RB) on Howard’s football team, as well as a power forward on Howard’s basket-ball team. He was named to 1st-team all-county for his play this football season, but now his focus shifts to the basketball season. We spoke with Ag-bai recently on how his training as a RB can translate to better play on the court: “We do a lot of running on the field so transitioning that to basketball is very good for conditioning.” The competition in Howard County for boys’ basketball is intense, and Agbai is definitely circling January 3rd and February 13th on his calendar. “I’m most looking forward to playing Long Reach. It’s going to be our best game of the year.” Agbai is a senior, so he hopes to leave his mark at Howard once the basketball season ends. “End-ing this season knowing that I impacted Howard Basketball in a positive way is very big for me.” Being one of the top senior athletes at Howard, he has

been widely scouted by colleges from around the country. He stated that he has received an offer, but also added he is “talking to a lot of different colleges in a lot of different divisions.” Whether Robert plays on the gridiron or decides to further his basketball career in col-lege, we’re sure Robert Agbai will play a huge role for any college basketball/football team.

excitement of hockey. It’s really fast and there are lot of opportunities to do a lot of things.” Hoffman also mentioned that he is excited for playoffs this year, as the team has never won a playoff game in his four years at Howard. The team usually plays once a week at either the Columbia Ice Rink or at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel.

Peters recommends going to the games because they are “competitive” and “fun to watch.” He also mentioned that a lot of people don’t realize they have friends and people they know on the team. Because only a few students know about the team, the players want to get the word out about when and where the games are. The team’s next game is Thursday, December 14th against River Hill, so make sure to come out and show your Lion pride!

HOCKEY for DummiesFaceoff:

Dropping the puck between a player on each team to start or resume play.

Penalty Box: The area where penalized players

serve time.

Assist: The player(s) who touched the puck

before the goal was scored.

Save: A goal blocked by the goalie, which would have been a goal if not saved.

Power Play: When a team gets a 1 or 2 player

advantage because of the other team’s penalties.

Howard Lions Ice HockeyS c h e d u l e & R e s u l t s

10/24 Reservoir Win 7-5

11/1 Ellicotts** Loss 4-3

11/8 Marriotts Ridge Loss 5-0

11/29 Glenelg Loss 11-1

12/14 River Hill Tie 3-3

12/18 Mt Hebron 3 PM (Columbia)

1/5 Atholton* 7:30 PM (Laurel)

*Senior Recognition Game**Ellicotts are Co-Op of Long Reach

head is more vulnerable to contact. Coaches and associations need to make sure they are not putting their players in great danger. They can help protect them by creating safer equipment for athletes vulnerable to these injuries. Currently Howard High has some quality safety equipment for physical sports such as football, although there is still room for many improvements to be made to football helmets. Improve-ments could help decrease the risk of getting a concussion. Coaches should also recognize the signs of a concus-sion so they can pull the player from the game in order to prevent further in-jury. Athletes who suffer concus-sions must rest and avoid stressful thinking. They should also stay away from places with bright lights, as they will be sensitive to light. Students can talk to their teachers and the school nurse to make sure they can get these accommodations. The nurse will email teachers to make sure they are aware of a student’s concussion and needs. Because of the severity of this inju-ry, especially for young athletes, the athlete should rest until all symptoms are fully gone. A full recovery lessens the chance of long-term effects de-veloping, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease later in life. Ath-letes playing high contact sports here at Howard need to make sure they try to stay clear of significant blows to the head, and the coaches need to make sure they are educated on the signs and symptoms to provide the ultimate safe-ty for all of their players.

Photo Courtesy of Howard Ice Hockey

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Fusco on Footba l l : Eagles lose MVP Candidate, Ravens to Playoffs?!

Howard High School Winter Varsity Sports ScheduleBoys’ Basketball

1/3 Long Reach (Away) 7 PM1/5 Centennial (Home) 7 PM1/10 Oakland Mills (Home) 5:30 PM1/12 River Hill (Away) 7 PM1/17 Wilde Lake (Away) 5:30 PM1/19 Hammond (Home) 7 PM1/26 Marriotts Ridge (Home) 7 PM1/31 Glenelg (Away) 5:30 PM2/2 Reservoir (Home) 7 PM2/5 Frederick (Home) 5:30 PM2/7 Atholton (Away) 5:30 PM2/9 Mt Hebron (Home) 5:15 PM2/13 Long Reach (Home) 5:30 PM2/15 Centennial (Home) 4 PM

Girls’ Basketball12/27-28 Tournament* (Home) 7 PM1/3 Long Reach (Home) 7 PM1/5 Centennial (Away) 7 PM1/10 Oakland Mills (Away) 5:30 PM1/12 River Hill (Home) 7 PM1/17 Wilde Lake (Home) 5:30 PM1/19 Hammond (Away) 3:30 PM1/20 John Carroll (@McDonagh) TBD1/26 Marriotts Ridge (Away) 4 PM 1/31 Glenelg (Home) 5:30 PM2/2 Reservoir (Away) 7 PM2/6 Atholton (Home) 5:30 PM2/9 Mt Hebron (Home) 7 PM2/13 Long Reach (Away) 5:30 PM2/15 Centennial (Home) 5:30 PM* Tournament: Times subject to change

James Fusco ‘18Editor-in-Chief

As we reach the end of 2017, we also approach the end of the NFL regular season and the beginning of the football playoffs. This season has been full of surpris-es, especially from the top teams in the NFL. The NFC is led by two teams, the Minnesota Vikings and the Phila-delphia Eagles. The Eagles finished last season in the bottom 10 at 7-9, not anywhere close to a playoff spot. In his sophomore season, Carson Wentz is a top 3 candidate for the league MVP, however, he tore his ACL and. The team continues to improve; however, they dropped their last game on the road in Seattle, arguably the toughest stadium to play in the National Foot-ball League. If the season ended today, the Eagles would be in line for a first-round-bye just behind the conference leading Vikings.The Vikings finished last season at 8-8, barely making it to the .500 mark. This season, the Vikings have played stellar football, even after losing their star rookie running back, who looked like an early candidate for rookie of the year, to an ACL injury and starting quarterback Sam Bradford for the rest of the season. Running Backs Jerick

Mckinnon and Latavius Murray and Quarterback Case Keenum have all stepped into their new roles to keep the ship moving along and into the play-offs.Rounding out the playoff picture in the NFC is the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are probably the biggest surprise of the season. The team has not had a season over .500 since 2004, and with 4 games left, the team has already se-cured that ninth victory. The Rams have upgraded the team with new head coach, 30 year old Sean Mcvay. Mc-vay is the youngest coach in NFL his-tory, and his team follows in the idea of young. 3rd year running back, Todd Gurley, has cemented himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL to-day. The Rams quarterback, Jared Goff, has been leading the team on offense

despite only playing in 7 games last year after getting drafted first overall. The Rams, however, would be nothing without the play from their defense. The team has arguably one of the best defenses in the NFL led by Aaron Don-ald. The Rams look very strong going into the playoffs. An honorable mention to both the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers who are having bounceback seasons at 9-4 this year.The AFC looks as expected this season, with the exception of maybe one or two teams. The Steelers, sitting at 11-2, are continuing to play impressive football and currently lead the AFC. They have arguably one of the best offensive trios in the NFL in Le’veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and Ben Roethlisberger. The trio has been joined by rookie wide re-ceiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. This addi-tion makes them one of the most dead-ly offenses in the NFL. To go along with the offensive abilities, the defense looks more like a traditional steel cur-tain and makes them one of the biggest threats in the AFC.Just behind them, also at 10-3, are the New England Patriots. The Patriots be-gan the season 2-2 trying to acclimate to a new team from a good offseason. Since week four, the team went on an eight game winning streak and are sit-

ting a top the AFC East, and currently in a place to get a first-round bye. The Patriots are led by MVP front runner Tom Brady, who continues to cement himself as the G.O.A.T. and looks on pace to make yet another AFC Cham-pionship and a chance at a 6th super-bowl. The Patriots finally figured out their defense and have improved to only giving less than 19 points per game. This is a scary team every year, and this year is no different.As much as it pains me to say it, the Ravens are playing quality football and are looking like a playoff team. Currently at 7-6, the Ravens remaining games are against 3 teams, all below the .500 mark. The Colts are rebuild-ing, the Bengals are on the verge of firing their coach, and the Browns are yet to win a game still. Basing a predic-tion strictly off of record, the Ravens should finish the season 10-6 and make the playoffs in a wild card spot. The team, battling injuries, has played im-pressively well and the defense looks like one of the best in the NFL. The only concern is the loss of cornerback Jimmy Smith for the season. Sorry Redskins Fans, this season just isn’t your year. After the loss to the Chargers, your playoff chances are over. Now you can just hope for a good offseason and draft.

Wrestling

1/2 Mt Hebron (Home) 5:30 PM1/5 Iron Horse Duals* 4 PM1/6 Iron Horse Duals* 9 AM1/9 Event @ Hammond 4 PM 1/11 Milford Mill (Away) 6 PM1/16 Oakland Mills (Home) 5:30 PM1/19 SevernaParkScuffle* 4PM1/20 SevernaParkScuffle* 9AM1/22 Severna Park (Home) 5:30 PM1/30 Long Reach (Away) 5:30 PM2/16 County Tournament* ** 4 PM2/17 County Tournament* ** 9 AM* Iron Horse Duals at C. Milton Wright High School** At Severna Park High School*** County Championship at Mt Hebron High School

Indoor Track12/16 Bowie (Home)* 9 AM1/2 Howard County** 4 PM Intra City*Location Unknown**At PG Sports Complex

Allied Bowling

1/2 River Hill 3 PM

1/4 Marriotts Ridge 3 PM

1/9 Centennial 3 PM

1/11 Match (unknown) 3 PM

1/16 Mt Hebron 3 PM*All matches at Normandy Lanes

“It was very passionate and well done,” “fire emoji x6,” “It was really great!” audience members Faith Khandie, Kevin Yuille, and Chris Hallums said about Howard’s Winter Dance Concert on December 1st. Under the leadership of Mrs. Sara Crisera and Mrs. Jennifer DiPietro, the dance department created “a night to remember,” says Howard Mitchell. Since October 2017, the Dance Depart-ment has been choreographing routines for their Winter Recital. All their hard work began to come together during rehearsals November 28th-November 30th, when dancers, stage crew, and instructors worked cooperatively to tweak any last minute issues and per-fect their dances during crunch time. On the week of the concert, dance instructors made correction notes in class. Not only do the students learn dances from their instructor, they cho-reograph their own dances to perform in the concert. Ava Havrilko, Jillian Kerr, and Par-is Rodgers of the 2017 Senior Dance Company gave wonderful intel about what goes on “behind the curtain.” To start off, all 3 girls were ecstatic to fi-nally reveal the dances they’ve worked

so diligently on! Although the perfor-mances looked effortless and graceful, excessive time and labor was involved in preparation. Approximately five classes are needed to learn one dance. With a total of 26 pieces, a good mem-ory and teamwork is key! Senior Dance Company kicked off Act 1 with an upbeat, girly party song titled, Kill The Lights by Alex Newell, featuring Jess Glynne and many more. Their shimmery pink and blue sequin camisoles were the perfect costume choice. Aaliyah’s Try Again followed with sassy expressions and dramatic moves. Ellie Goulding Burn(s) up the performance with lots of ripple tech-niques and harmony. The next three performances blew the audience away causing ear-splitting applause. Overall, they displayed a storyline in each song with flare, elegance, and bass booming satisfaction. Rebel For Kicks knocked the crowd dead! Wear-ing sunglasses inside will definitely make a come back after watching this performance. The following two danc-es, Tessellate and Instruction, were amazing. Both dances showed lots of happy vibes and energy. Changes by H.E.R. was very enjoyable. The danc-ers of this song sped up the song, but slowed down their choreography. The contrast between the music and dance was very unique. Flawless by Beyonce

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New Venue: Concert goers and music lovers rejoice as the DelMarVa area has been given yet another concert venue. The Anthem, the newest venue at The District Wharf in D.C, opened this fall, and well known and high pro-file acts have already performed there. With a 6,000 person capacity, you can head down with some friends as to shoulder roll to A Lil Uzi Christmas. 57,000 square feet, a movable stage, and balcony space make sure you and your friends will have ample room to thrash to Tyler the Creator and Vince Staples during their legendary collab-orative tour.

Artist to watch:Yellow DaysLike most young musicians of 2017, 18 year old indie artist Yellow Days’ rise to fame began with a SoundCloud account and a makeshift recording stu-dio in his room. A chill blend of King Krule and Mac Demarco, lead per-former George van den Broek started his career at only 16 years old with his debut album, Harmless Melodies. His songs accurately cover his ado-lescent experience, with lyrics that tackle “depression, anxiety and poli-tics.” His newest album, Everything Okay in Your World, recorded in his parents’ garden shed, has over 2 mil-lion streams on Spotify and Sound-Cloud only a month after it dropped at the end of October. American tour dates have yet to be announced.

What to Watch : Winter Movies for a Snowy Day

H o w a r d D a n c e r s I m p r e s s a t 2 0 1 7 W i n t e r C o n c e r t

Music, Concerts, and More: Upcoming Events

Emma Vaughn ‘18 & Christopher Hatfield’18A&E Page Editor and Staff Writer

Sequoia Spriggs’ 20Staff Writer

Somali Crump’18Staff Writer As the weather gets colder

and going outside becomes less appealing, there’s nothing better for the winter blues than a good movie. But given that there are thousands of movies out there, sometimes choosing the right one can be a daunting task. Through the Lion’s Tale Twitter, @HowardLionsTale, Howard High stu-dents were surveyed on their favorite winter movies and what movie genre is best to watch on a snowy day. The fa-vorite movie genre was comedy, which had 40.5% of the total votes, while sec-ond place was a tie between romance and adventure with 16.2% of the votes each. Howard’s favorite holiday mov-ie is Elf, with 29.7% of the total votes. The second favorite holiday film was yet another tie, this time between

Dancers bring a range of emotion to their performances at the dance concert. Photos by Amaiya Bloomfield

Home Alone and The Polar Express. All of the poll results were Christmas oriented movies, so here are some non religious movies for those who don’t celebrate Christmas. If you are like most of our voters, you may be looking for a comedy. Some good winter comedies include Groundhog Day, Ice Age, and Snow Dogs. For those of you who en-joy romance movies, some classic win-ter romances are Love, Actually, Sleep-less in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail. Other winter movies include Grem-lins, Fargo (Rated R! Don’t watch if you aren’t comfortable with gore), and The Day After Tomorrow. So the next time there’s a snow day, cozy up on the couch, get your favorite hot drink, and enjoy one of our recommended movies!

Upcoming concerts:December 5th Lil Pump- $27-$107 Fillmore Silver SpringDecember 12th Lil Uzi Vert- $45-$75 The AnthemDecember 20th Bruno Mars- $40-$150 The Theater at MGM National HarborJanuary 13th Fetty Wap- $35-$50 Fillmore Silver SpringJanuary 23th Majid Jordan- $35-150 Lincoln TheaterJanuary 25th Lana Del Rey // Kali Uchis - $39-330 Capital One AreaJanuary 28th Brockhampton- $40-$110 Fillmore Silver SpringFebruary 9th Yung Lean and The Sad Boys- $20 Rock and Roll Hotel February 24th Portugal The Man- $45-$75 The AnthemFebruary 25th Tyler the Creator//Vince Staples- $45-$110 The AnthemMarch 8th Lorde//Run the Jewels- $100-175 The AnthemMarch 24th DJ Khaled//Kehlani//Demi Lovato- $45-$110 Capital One Area

Upcoming Albums:G Eazy- Beautiful and Damned (De-cember 15th)Brockhampton-SATURATION III (December 15th)N*E*R*D- No_one Ever Really Dies (December 15th)Lincoln Park- One More Light:Live (December 15th)Lil Wayne- Dedication 6 (Christmas Day)Camila Cabello- Camila (January 12th)Fall Out Boy- Mania (January 19th)MGMT-Little Dark Age (2018 TBA)The 1975- Music for Cars (2018 TBA)Arctic Monkeys- (2018 TBA)

was another crowd pleaser. These sev-en lovely ladies captured the attention of every single person in the auditori-um. Their choreography included lots of sass with a dance war and hip hop embrace. Junior Dance Company opened up Act 2 with Love Stinks. Oodles of tan-trum throwing and carrying each other

were seen left and right. They portrayed their heartbroken pain while executing a well done performance. The next dance that grabbed ahold of the audi-ence was Drop In The Ocean by Ron Rope. This piece showed a peaceful, angelic feel which was emotionally moving. Not knowing what was com-ing next, the audience was surprised by sudden, gold toned lights flashing on

the stage, and girls in shiny, gold hair salon capes and gold sneakers gossip-ing in chairs. The prop involvement made the dance come to life. Dancers had lots of fun and attitude dancing to Bruno Mars’ Perm. When you thought it couldn’t get any more exciting, five girls showcased their individual talents with solo opportunities. All the danc-

ers were deeply passionate in a rendition of Big Spender. Don’t Take Me For Granted demon-strated feminine power and a calm swing. What’s a win-ter concert with-out any holiday songs? Junior and Senior Dance C o m p a n i e s

united for a grand finale. Santa Baby definitely put the holiday cheer in the night. To wrap up the night, the Dance Department took a curtain call for all their hard work to Jingle Bell Rock. Come out to see Howard High School’s Spring Dance Concert April 26th-27th, 2018. You will not be dis-appointed!