JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR PORTFOLIO

MEILAN SOLLY

TABLE OF CONTENTSAPPLICATION MATERIALSApplication PDF..................................ITranscript............................................IIAction photos....................................IIILetters of recommendation...........IVPersonal resumé.............................VIIEssay................................................VIII

WRITINGIn-depth................................................1Features................................................3News.....................................................8Arts......................................................10Editorials.............................................11

DESIGNFront page..........................................15Sections...............................................18Centerspreads....................................20Sections...............................................23Specials...............................................24

PHOTOGRAPHYPep rallies...........................................26Poetry Out Loud................................29Miscellaneous....................................30

MULTIMEDIA/OPENPhotoshop..........................................31Product marketing............................35Local experience...............................36

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APPLICATION MATERIALSIIII attended the 2013 Al

Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference as the Virginia representative. Here, I am pictured gradu-ating from the conference following a handshake with founder Al Neuharth’s daughter, Jan.

Photo courtesy of the Newseum.

On distribution days, I lead staffers and other editors in sorting newspapers. Here, we sort our first edition of the year and my first edition as Editor-in-Chief.

Photo courtesy of Claire Frank.

(Pictured second from right) At the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, I partici-pated in a press conference with astronaut Thomas Marshburn.

Photo courtesy of the Newseum.

USA TODAY

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APPLICATION MATERIALSVIIPERSONAL RESUMÉ

LEADERSHIP• Editor-in-Chief (The Husky Headline) – grade 12• Founder/President (National English Honor Society) – grade 12• Assistant Editor-in-Chief (The Husky Headline) – grade 11• Copy Editor (The Husky Headline) – grade 10• Crew Leader (Summer Vacation Bible School) – June 2006 – present

AWARDS• All A Honor Roll every quarter (grades 9 through 12)• Academic letter (grades 9 through 11)• National Merit Scholarship Commended Student (grade 12)• Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism conference Virginia state representative (grade 11)• 2nd place in Copy Editing at VAJTA jDay (grade 11)• Silver Key in Journalism / Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (grade 10)• Honorable Mention in Sci-Fi/Fantasy category / Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (grade 10)• Best Artwork of the Year Award from The Husky Headline (grade 10)• 2nd place Biology category in Tuscarora Science Fair (grade 10)• English Excellence Departmental Award (grade 9)

EXTRACURRICULAR AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES• National English Honor Society (2013 – present)• Quill & Scroll Honor Society (2013 – present)• National Honor Society (2012 - present)• Interact Club (2012 - present)• Latin Honor Society (2011- present)• Key Club (2011-2012)• After-school tutoring/child care at Forest Grove Elementary School (November 2011 – April 2012)• Ashburn Presbyterian Church Audio-Visual Team (October 2011 – January 2012)• The Husky Headline (2010 - present)• Lansdowne Teen Coalition (2010 - present)• Tuscarora Dream Team (2010)• Ashburn Presbyterian Church’s Vacation Bible School (June 2006 – present)

ATHLETICS• Recreational tennis lessons (November 2011 – February 2012)• Jazz and tap classes at Creative Dance Center (2005-2012)

WORK EXPERIENCE• Summer babysitter (2012 – 2013)• Intern at Ritenour Paice Mougin-Boal & Wexton (2014 – present)

APPLICATION MATERIALSVIII

ESSAYW hile sitting in the back

row of a Newseum con-ference room, listening

to journalist Sara Ganim tell the story of how she uncovered the biggest scandal in Penn State’s history, I realized something. Journalism, which I had been en-amored with since seventh grade, was real. I had always known journalism was real, of course – I read newspaper articles, wrote for my school paper, watched and re-watched All the President’s Men. But it was not until I heard Sara describe firsthand the pres-ently unfolding consequences of her reporting that I truly under-stood the essence of journalism. It is a field where you need courage, curiosity, drive; it is challenging and at times impos-sible. In the end, however, there is only one thing that matters: You

have the power to write a story that can change lives – or maybe just one life, and maybe not dras-tically. But journalism is not just about the stories that bring down presidents or football coaches. It is about the stories that are read and not easily forgotten – the ones people scan over a morning coffee and come back to later that night, the ones people share with loved ones along with a message that this is a must-read – these stories are the true heart of jour-nalism. Simply put, I find journalism one of the most essential and incredible professions. For this reason, both my academic and career plans are centered on it. I hope to major in journalism as an undergraduate or graduate student, then work for multiple news outlets following gradu-

ation. In particular, I aspire to write features that delve into the depths of people’s existences, all in an effort to write the kinds of articles I believe are the heart of reporting. In the long run, my goal is to write for National Geo-graphic, either with a focus on the rich cultures of the world or the issues most relevant yet least known to society. There is no single reason why what I do is journalism. From cov-ering cheating in schools nation-wide to detailing the evolution of racism, I have grown to love ev-erything about journalism. I have always been a voracious reader, but in the past I was fascinated with worlds hidden between pag-es rather than the world around me. Today, I am determined to write about the real world.

"The free press is a cornerstone of democracy. People have a need to know. Journalists have a right to tell. Finding the facts can be difficult. Reporting the story can be danger-ous. Freedom includes the right to be outrageous. Respon-sibility includes the duty to be fair. News is history in the

making. Journalists provide the first draft of history. A free press, at its best, reveals the truth."

– The Newseum

WRITING

WRITING / IN-DEPTHHow High Are Your Grades?An In-Depth Look at Grade Inflation in Loudoun County n an area where many students’ end

goal is to receive an acceptance letter from top schools such as the Univer-sity of Virginia, there is little question that high achievement is the norm.

But when students at the top of their class have GPAs upwards of 4.5 on what was once a 4.0 scale, there are several questions which need to be asked. Most important-ly, why are grades in Loudoun County so high? According to data provided by school pro-files, 33% of LCPS high school seniors in the class of 2013 had a GPA in the A-range of 3.7 to 4.3+. Comparably, a National Assess-ment of Educational Progress study found that in 2009, the average GPA nationwide was a 3.0, or B-equivalent, on a 4.0 scale. One explanation for LCPS’ high percentage of strong grades is grade inflation, defined by the ACT program as “an increase in stu-dents’ grades without an accompanying in-crease in their academic achievement.” This topic was discussed in Loudoun last year when allegations surrounding administra-tor misconduct at Loudoun Valley High School surfaced. According to a Leesburg Today article by Danielle Nadler, admin-istrators were accused of bullying teachers into changing students’ grades. One teacher was even cited as saying, “The C is the new F at our school.” The issue is currently un-der investigation. Opinions differ as to whether grade infla-tion is present not just in Loudoun Coun-ty, but at Tuscarora. Principal Mrs. Pamela Paul-Jacobs said, “We go above and beyond to make sure students get fair grading prac-tices … I don’t see any grade inflation going on here at Tuscarora High School,” while history teacher Mr. Nathan Gough said, “I think grading policies are relatively fair right now.” In a survey conducted of 25 Tuscarora teachers, however, 88% stated that they thought grade inflation was common in Loudoun County. Of the three teachers who did not think grade inflation was com-mon, one said they had not been teaching long enough to tell, another said they were unsure what the level of grade inflation was

across the county (although they believed it was present at Tuscarora), and the third said, “The only grades we inflate are at the low end of the scale – we don’t give less than a 50% for semester grades.” As for students, most had experienced grade inflation. Ju-nior Laura Vasquez said, “Grade inflation is everywhere in every single class.” In interviews and responses to the teacher survey, commonly cited examples of grade inflation were GPA bumps for taking hon-ors, dual enrollment, or AP courses; “fluff ” assignments including busy work; lenient late policies; test retakes and corrections; the change from a 7-point grading scale used until the 2009-10 school year to the 10-point grading scale used today; and the grading floor which does not allow students to earn lower than a 50% except in the 4th quarter. It is important to note that these are not all county policies – in particular, test retakes and corrections are a Tuscaro-ra policy which, according to Mrs. Jacobs, “gives students the opportunity to correct and work towards mastery as all the leading research shows is good for kids.” Sophomore Ryan Wilson described his experience with grade inflation by saying, “I’ve had some teachers in the past who have given … a lot of completion assign-ments and homework, and eventually those all add up and your grade begins to inflate, and it doesn’t accurately reflect your knowl-edge and performance in a class.” Vasquez had similar experiences with grade infla-tion and concluded, “Some may call it an incentive, but if you care about your educa-tion and learning any type of material, you shouldn’t need an incentive.” Another way of looking at the level of grade inflation in Loudoun County is through school profiles, which show GPA distribution. While these numbers are not wholly indicative of grade inflation, they do provide a general idea of how many students have “above average” (B- and up) GPAs. At Tuscarora, 27% of the class of 2013 had GPAs in the A-range (3.7-4.3+), while 72% had GPAs in the A or B range (2.7-4.3+). The highest percentage of A’s is found at Briar Woods High School, where

50% of seniors had A-range GPAs, while the lowest is found at Park View, where 18% had A-range GPAs. Colleen Heberle, senior, describes the upward trend by say-ing, “When C is supposedly the benchmark for ‘average,’ this many of our students shouldn’t have above a 4.0 … The ‘average student’ no longer has a C average.” If grade inflation is indeed present in Loudoun County, what causes it? Accord-ing to senior Elishama Michel, “The under-lying cause stems from the inner triangle encompassing parents, students, and teach-ers, where the pressure to do well is at its greatest.” One of the teachers surveyed said, “The pressure from parents is fierce! They demand late work to be counted, even 10+

I

ExplanationLast year, a local princi-pal was accused of bully-ing teachers into chang-ing students’ grades, a fact which showcased my county’s strong em-phasis on high achiev-ing. I decided to explore this trend, both at my school and in the county, through extensive inter-views and research.

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WRITING / IN-DEPTHweeks late, and they attempt to negotiate the grades. There is a lack of work ethic that is astounding … These students feel enti-tled to A’s, yet they haven’t put forth A-level work.” A 2003 CBS article entitled “High school grades hit by inflation” offered an-other cause, saying, “Grade inflation has been increasing because of all the pressure on teachers from students and parents to help them become more competitive for college.” While grade inflation is largely seen as a problem (One teacher said, “It is going to be a slap in the face when students have to work, meet deadlines, study on demand and not at their ‘own pace.’ Their self-esteem will be destroyed when they realize they are average or below average.”), seniors Geor-gia Underhill and Heberle both see its pos-itive side. Underhill said, “There’s nothing wrong with grade inflation because we live in a really, really competitive area, and if it’s going to help us get good grades and into a good college, why not?” Heberle added, “If Loudoun County works to ban inflation in our one county the students will suffer with admissions to college. All counties in the U.S. have grade inflation. If our one county decided to start grading realistically … we won’t receive a second look.” On the whole, however, most individuals, particularly teachers, thought the conse-quences of grade inflation far outweighed

the positives. Tim Strykiewicz, senior, said, “It makes a student feel like they’re a lot smarter when they have high grades and high GPA even though that doesn’t reflect intelligence at all because it’s a bunch of busy work.” In general, students and teach-ers both stated that LCPS students are not prepared for college anymore. One teach-er explained, “[Students] have stopped learning how to learn, how to explore, how to problem solve … because they are just chasing points to raise grades. It has little to do with actually being educated anymore. Then they get to college, without all the support from high school, and they floun-der.” College (and not just any college, but some of the top ranked nationwide) is the main goal for many high achieving stu-dents in Loudoun County. Some students believe they are prepared for college be-cause they excelled in high school, but if grade inflation is indeed present, many are not as ready as they believe. One Tuscarora teacher shared, “I hear, consistently, from returning seniors/graduates that they are not prepared for college and they struggle.” Ms. Catherine Staley, an adjunct English professor at Marshall University, reinforced this idea. “I definitely see negative effects of grade inflation,” Ms. Staley said. “It seems to me that students don’t always take assignments

seriously because they assume they’ll re-ceive at least a C, and even if they receive a D, they’ll pass.” This may be the case in high school, but as Ms. Staley explained, policies differ greatly in college. Assignments are often weighted, meaning students cannot do the “bare minimum” homework and still earn high grades, and many instructors do not allow students to make up work at the end of the semester. However, despite these differences, Ms. Staley emphasized that succeeding in college can be simple if students take advantage of the opportu-nities afforded to them. These can include Writing Centers and tutoring, but most important is communication. “Professors can certainly be intimidating, but I have the utmost respect for students who show their dedication to the class by coming to see me, and I will go out of my way to help,” Ms. Staley concluded. Anna Cho, class of 2013, is currently a first year at the University of Virginia, and she offered this perspective: “Regard-less of whether or not I felt grade infla-tion throughout my career in high school, I would say that college is a different ball game from high school. The courses are more difficult, and the professors have higher expectations … Opportunities for extra credit, test corrections, and make-up assignments are rare, unlike in high school. But a challenge is necessary.”

ExplanationThis was my first truly in-depth story. While I had previously written features on topics which lent themselves to in-depth investigation, I did not delve into them as deeply as I did in this article. Overall, I was extremely pleased with my finished product. I was able to include perspectives from students, teachers, administrators, graduates, and even a college professor.

Following publication, I received more positive feedback than I had for any pre-vious article. One teacher called my work “phenomenal,” while another used my article to launch a discussion on success in college.

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WRITING / FEATURESThe Friend Effect: Toxic Friendships ave you ever talked about a

friend behind their back? Can anyone honestly say they hav-en’t? Saying bad things about

your best friends when they’re not there isn’t exactly one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but it is a definite step towards becoming a toxic friend. According to three freshmen – Emilly Grueso, Jordan Stinger, and Tay-lor Hover – toxic friends are backstabbers. They tell other people’s secrets, and they’re “two-faced and judgmental.” Liam Mar-shall-Brown, a senior, defines a toxic friend as “someone you think you can trust who goes behind your back.” According to a Today.com article enti-tled “Toxic Friends? 8 in 10 people endure poisonous pals,” 84% of women and 75% of men have had toxic friends. This idea is supported by Stinger, who says, “Most friendships are [toxic].” Various types of bad friends include the “narcissist,” who is self-obsessed; the “chronic downer,”

who’s always depressing; and the “under-miner,” who treats other people’s problems or accomplishments like they’re nothing. Friends who possess these characteristics negatively impact relationships because, according to Psychology Today, “they take and you give, [and] they consistently disap-point you.” The difference between toxic friendships in men and women might seem small if one looks at statistics, but Mark Armstrong, a junior, says, “Guys’ friendships are about sports and similar activities, whereas girls’ friendships are more about feelings.” David Frederick, a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii, expands on the idea, explaining that “women’s friendships tend to be more about intimacy…the downside is that leaves them more open to attack.” If toxic friendships are so very horrible, why do people continue them? Friends are, according to Marshall-Brown, people “you can trust and enjoy being around,” and tox-

ic friends obviously don’t fit those require-ments. However, according to Today.com, 83% of people stay in toxic relationships simply because it’s hard to end a friendship. Grueso adds that “even if [a friendship] is toxic, [people] still think they’re friends.” Stinger says that if your toxic friend also happens to be your best friend, ending the relationship can leave you friendless. Toxic friends have been around for a long time, and it’s likely they’re here to stay, especially with technology keeping every-one connected 24/7. This doesn’t mean, though, that once you’re in a toxic relation-ship you’re stuck. “Talk it out first, and if it doesn’t work then stop being friends,” Stinger advises. Another way of handling a toxic friendship is best explained by journalist David Hochman, who says, “I stopped focusing on the toxic part of the relationship and started focusing on what’s good. Now we just play tennis together and it’s working.”

Like most high school students, I have had my fair share of toxic friends. The inspiration for writing this article came from a personal experience, but the result offered a much more immer-sive look at why toxic friendships occur and how they should be handled.

Explanation

No More Paying for GPA Bumps

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Before 2009, Loudoun County Pub-lic Schools paid AP fees for students who chose to take AP tests. This practice was discontinued because of budget issues, so now students and their families are respon-sible for the fee. As a result, Loudoun stu-dents spend about $900,000 to $1.4 million on AP tests every year. The 2011-2012 LCPS policy on AP exams states that if students pass an AP course and take the exam, they earn a 1.0 GPA bump. Next year, however, students will only have to pass an AP class in order to get the 1.0 bump. Students can pay $80 to take the test and potentially earn college credit, but it will no longer be tied to the GPA bump. Sophomore John Dooney thinks this new change is “good for people who aren’t finan-cially stable [but] truly want the bump.” He cites the example that if someone takes 7 or 8 APs and then gets a score of 1 on an exam, the new policy ensures they still get credit

for their hard work in the class. Parent Susan Sedlazek says, “The down-side of this approach is that students will probably take fewer AP exams in the future, which will affect our standings in certain rankings.” She would have preferred “for the county to cover the costs of these tests, but given the current budget constraints, it isn’t surprising.” There are several possible reasons why the AP fee policy was changed. One may be that the School Board wants to meet the terms of a statement issued on April 19th by the Virginia Attorney General’s office. This document, written by Opinions Coun-sel Stephen R. McCullough, concludes “the local school board cannot charge a fee for taking the advanced placement test when the student has taken the advanced place-ment course and taking the test is a con-dition for receiving an increase in the stu-

dent’s grade point average.” Ms. Burnett, a guidance counselor, adds that the policy might have been changed because some people couldn’t afford the tests, especially given the current state of the economy. Regardless of whether students receive a GPA bump, Ms. Burnett suggests they take AP classes. “[They are a] good way to figure out what students really learned,” she adds. Sedlazek reinforces this idea, saying, “It’s good for students to challenge themselves by taking advanced classes, and folks in the college admissions office [think so too.]”

Mrs. Sedlazek was one of my first strong sources. She offered in-sightful quotes and, in turn, led me to other sources such as the Attorney General statement.

Explanation

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WRITING / FEATURESSenior Raises Awareness for Rare Cancer

ancer.It’s a word everyone knows. It lin-gers on the outskirts of life, may-be in the form of a distant relative

or old acquaintance. For many people, it never wanders closer than that. For others (13.7 million Americans and their families, to be exact), cancer is reali-ty. It means an endless cycle of doctor’s ap-pointments and chemotherapy and, most of all, uncertainty. Meet Leah White. She is a senior, and this year she is using her personal experience with cancer to raise awareness for one of life’s many unfathomable experiences. In August 2011, White was on a car ride home from her dance studio when she learned her mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Mrs. White entered chemotherapy and several months later had surgery to remove the cancer. At this point, the Whites learned that Mrs. White actually had primary peritoneal cancer (PPC), not ovarian. PPC is a rare cancer that affects the perito-neum, a membrane that lines the abdomen. It impacts up to 10,000 women per year and is often only diagnosed in late stages. “When they told our family that my mom

C had PPC, they also told us there was noth-ing else they could do,” White said. On October 25th, 2012, Mrs. White passed away. Today, in honor of her moth-er, White is working to raise awareness for PPC. She has created a Facebook event that invites people to wear teal, the official color of PPC, on September 6th (PPC Awareness Friday) and October 25th. White has also requested donations us-ing any of three different methods: through the official PPC foundation website, the purchase of a CustomInk t-shirt made es-pecially for the event, or the purchase of a Bravelet bracelet (for every Bravelet sold, $10 is donated to research). “I know that not much money is put into this foundation, and I thought this could be my way to fight back against the cancer, as well as to help others,” White explained. Thus far, White has had a positive re-sponse to her campaign. On September 6th, White’s first event day, teal was seen throughout the halls of Tusca-rora. “People I didn’t know had lots of teal on, and that surprised me,” White said. “I even had friends in different parts of Vir-ginia as well as different states wearing teal.”

On Facebook, in only three days White’s event had over 200 people signed up to at-tend. Friends, family members, and even strangers have given donations to the cause, helping White to raise several hundred dol-lars. Both Central Penn Parent, a magazine in Pennsylvania, and the co-founder of the official PPC foundation have also reached out to White. In two weeks, the second event day will arrive. In the meantime, White hopes peo-ple will buy a new t-shirt her family has cre-ated, and that the school will become more involved in her campaign. “I really want to try to help other families in the future who might have to go through something like this,” White said. “Even if they don’t find a cure, I hope that they can at least find a way to discover the cancer in a faster way, which would hopefully de-crease the mortality rate.” To help raise awareness for PPC, wear teal on October 25th. For more informa-tion, visit the event Facebook page (search “Raise Awareness for Primary Peritoneal Cancer”), the official PPC website (prima-ryperitonealcancer.org), and the Bravelet site (bravelets.com/products/ppc).

Cancer can be a touchy subject, but with this article I hoped to ease some of the stigma associated with discussing it. I also wanted to raise awareness for a rare type of cancer and share a story which hadn’t been told, one of my main goals as a journalist.

Explanation

Bullying on the Bus It’s 3:59 p.m., almost time for buses to be-gin their ride home. There is only one thing blocking you from a quick escape after a long day at school. Students are standing up in their seats so they can talk to their friends, despite the bus driver’s repeated shouts of “Sit down!” They pay no attention to the driver, and a few even imitate her strong accent, yelling the words back. You watch silently as other buses go and yours stays rooted in the same spot. At any given time, young children and teenagers are bullied. They are intimidated with threats, physically hurt, or made to feel inadequate. However, a bullying issue that does not get as much attention as teen-

age bullying is the harassment of adults. These adults include bus drivers. If some-one were to Google “bus drivers bullied,” the first page of results has headlines such as “Back to school: Foil those bullies on the bus.” There are articles about teenagers bul-lying their peers while on the bus, and even some about bus drivers bullying kids. But it is almost impossible to find an article about students bullying their bus drivers. Is this because it never happens, or because peo-ple downplay the issue? Gina Edivan, a freshman, says that some students make fun of her bus driver’s ac-cent. She is not sure if that is bullying, but decides, “Possibly, because some of the kids

are being sort of mean to her.” Bus drivers make the news because par-ents accuse them of allowing bullying to occur on buses. While many students may think making fun of their driver is amus-ing, it is important to remember the defini-tion of bullying: any behavior that focuses on making someone else feel inadequate. What is fun for one person is not necessar-ily fun for another.

In my first draft, I included a quote that was purely hear-say. This was obviously not included in the final product, and from it I learned the importance of choosing the right sources.

Explanation

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There’s other people getting better grades than me and they’re cheat-ing. Why am I not going to cheat? It’s kind of almost stupid if you

don’t.” So reads the mentality of most high school students, including the anonymous “Joe” who supplied this quote for ABC. Over the past few years, you have probably noticed an increase in the amount of cheat-ing happening around you. Perhaps you see your peers cheat; perhaps you are the one cheating. Either way, high school is where cheating really becomes common, and this is a major problem. Cheating is defined in many ways: letting friends copy homework; “a cheap way out,” according to Jack Williams, a freshman; asking people for the test answers ahead of time; or “using other people’s knowledge,” as junior Grace Pretre phrases it. The dif-ference between how students and teach-ers view cheating varies. “It depends on if [students] see it as a form of borrowing or what it really is: lying,” says Mrs. Cadang-Kristan, an English teacher. Overall, how-ever, most people know the general defini-tion of cheating. If the definition and consequences of cheating are so widely known, why do peo-ple still participate in it? Williams thinks it’s because “things catch them off guard. They forget about [assignments] and they’re not

prepared or they have no energy.” Mrs. Cadang-Kristan adds, “Students are overly scheduled, so they resort to cheating. [They think] it’s the only way to fit a large number of assignments into a finite time.” A third reason is explained by Kyle Haberman, a sophomore. He says that some students cheat because they “didn’t understand the homework and the teacher didn’t explain [well].” Also, many people’s main goal in high school is to get good grades so they can make it into the college of their dreams, which is why, according to a poll called “Who’s Who Among American High School Students,” 80% of top students in the country used cheating as a way to get to the top. The reason why people cheat is fairly concrete: Everyone wants to succeed. The morality behind cheating is not, however, so clear. Do students who cheat think what they’re doing is morally right? Not accord-ing to Williams, who says, “[Students] don’t think it’s okay, but they have to do it any-way,” because they’re more scared of their parents finding out about their bad grades than getting caught. Results on the oppo-site side of the argument are found in the “Who’s Who” poll. Over 50% of students questioned didn’t “think cheating was a big deal.” Haberman agrees, saying, “It’s not that bad if you do it [because] you needed

help.” ABC News reinforces the point, ex-plaining that many students believe “cheat-ing in school is a dress rehearsal for life.” In the end, however, Pretre summarizes the view most people hold: “[Cheating] really is not right. [You] should know the infor-mation.” While cheating may result in good grades today, it has negative effects later in life. “[Cheating] leads to bad habits,” Haber-man says. Williams adds it “is getting you nowhere. You haven’t learned.” Also, the Josephson Institute Center for Youth Eth-ics found in a 2010 study that “people who cheated on exams in high school two or more times are considerably more likely to be dishonest later in life.” Mrs. Cadang-Kristan says, “Cheating is insidious. [You] don’t think it harms you until you’re as-sumed to have mastery and you don’t.” She also explains that once students graduate college and start looking for jobs, they don’t actually possess several of the skills neces-sary to enter the workforce. Many employ-ers want writing samples from possible em-ployees, and “if you’ve been cheating your whole life, you don’t know how [to write well].” Mrs. Cadang-Kristan emphasizes that there are “no second chances. The bot-tom line is that your life will be exactly what your efforts put forth.”

The Unexpected Consequences of Cheating

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WRITING / FEATURES

This article, which I wrote after seeing constant cheating in many of my classes, received the most attention out of any of my articles up until that point. One teacher told me her students used it as the starting point for a debate on cheating.

Explanation

I have always considered features my specialty. From my first feature on racism in 9th grade to my most re-cent article about grade inflation, I have always found features the best option for taking a complicated issue and sharing the school’s perspective on it. Other topics I have covered include:

Toxic friendsStudent stress

Weighted GPAsTeens across the decades

Cornell Notes

A Love of Features

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WRITING / FEATURESJust Notice: How to Combat Racism in Schools and in the World

ake an empty classroom at Tuscarora, or any other high school in America. Fill it with students: some Hispanic, some Asian, some Indian or African

American, and a majority Caucasian. The end result is a perfectly commonplace, yet somehow still complex combination that can sometimes lead to conflict. As Melina Minhas, freshman, puts it, “Anywhere you find people, you’ll find racism.” So, here’s an essential question: what IS racism? According to Sam Brazer, fresh-man, “When someone is racist, they mean what they say.” Freshman Dora Ramos’ thoughts are that racism happens when people make fun of someone based on their skin color. Brielle Davis, a junior at Loudoun County High School, adds that racism can happen when someone is treat-ed “differently, in any way, good or bad, be-cause of their race.” The Merriam-Webster official definition of racism is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differ-ences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” It’s not easy to pinpoint the exact spot where racism originates, but hate, beliefs instilled at an early age by parents or other authority figures, or people simply disliking each other for no apparent reason are good places to begin. Minhas says, “[Racism] usually starts in a conflict of some sort, and

someone just throws in a racist comment to put the other person down.” Brazer thinks racism begins with hate. “When one person hates someone else, they make things up about that person or warp things that they do or say,” he elaborates. Some students believe that at Tuscarora, racism is “pretty much everywhere. [It’s] in classes, the halls, lunch [room], and even the sports field,” Brazer explains. Thissituation, however, is not unique to Tus-carora. Brielle Davis says she sees racism “everywhere” at Loudoun County High School. Racism is represented with jokes, snide comments, or maybe even violence. It affects many students, regardless of their race. Ramos says it affects her because she has to witness it. Davis has people telling her she “’act[s] white’ all the time,” and Brazer says it affects his personality because of what he says. “I will make comments about my own race and some might see that as racism, but I only do it to [joke] around,” he clarifies. Mrs. Davis, a math teacher, says that she’s not aware of any instances of racism in her classroom, and Mr. Bednarski, a history teacher, agrees that it’s not a big problem in his classroom. “Occasionally comments are made,” he says. There is also stereotyping walking “pretty close to being racially in-sensitive,” but “anything which has caused disruption or interference? No.” As for how racism is handled in his classroom, Mr.

Bednarski says he will “try to discuss [the incident] directly at the time and after class individually.” Mrs. Davis handles racism by not even allowing it to begin. Students basi-cally offer the same consensus about teach-ers’ reactions to racism. “Teachers will usu-ally scold the kid and make them feel bad or embarrassed,” Brazer says. Melina Minhas, however, thinks that “teachers are more laid back about it because they hear it every day, so it’s pretty normal.” One gray area of racism is jokes. Teen-agers make jokes about different races all the time. Accent imitations are also pop-ular. However, Ramos, Brazer, Davis, and Minhas all agree that sometimes the perpe-trators of these jokes, as Minhas says, “are just trying to attract attention from every-body” rather than be hurtful. Brazer says he makes a lot of jokes about his own race, but he doesn’t actually mean any of them. However, he does add that “this contributes to racism because the people who believe the comments made while joking around then repeat what others say” but they aren’t joking. Brazer also says, “Adults will stop people who are being racist, but kids will laugh because they are afraid of being made fun of too.” As Davis puts it, “[Students who make racist jokes] should know that what they say may not be hurtful to them, but it can be for another person. It contributes to real

PLEASE SEE NEXT PAGE

T

This article was my first endeavor into investigative/in-depth reporting. It cen-tered on a difficult, wide-ranging topic, and I was having trouble piecing my in-terviews and research into a cohesive article. However, thanks to a very frank, honest interview with Sam Brazer, I found the confidence (and quotes) needed to successfully finish my article.

Explanation

6

Just Notice (from page 6)racism because it’s judging people by the color of their skin.” Racism has a long, checkered history. Martin Luther King Jr., Plessy v. Fergu-son, and Brown v. Board of Education are all names associated with the fight against racism. Every day more changes are being made to the way racism is born, handled, and destroyed. When Mrs. Davis was in high school, racism was much more ac-cepted. It was “just the way things were.” She lived in an area which was much less diverse than Loudoun County, so there was “less tolerance of different races.” Mr. Bed-narski thinks racism today is very different from the racism of his high school years.

WRITING / FEATURES

“[There’s] increased tolerance and accep-tance of diversity,” he says. Mr. Bednarski acknowledges that there are still racist peo-ple, but he thinks “as a whole,” tolerance has “increased across the board.” Now that the effects of racism have been observed, it’s time to look at ways to over-come racism once and for all. In schools specifically, Davis thinks a good way to help control racism would be to “make it a point to punish kids who make racist jokes.” Minhas agrees, saying, “I would defi-nitely have teachers give the students pun-ishments for racist jokes right on the spot, because the more you wait to give the pun-ishment, the more the student will think

that racism is not that big of a deal.” Brazer’s change would be to educate students about the effects of racism. As for racism’s decline in not only schools, but all other aspects of life, it seems there is a glimmer of hope. It’s easy to see that racism has already started to wither a bit since Mr. Bednarski’s and Mrs. Davis’ high school days. With all the programs working to fight racism, by the time Tuscarora’s cur-rent students reach adulthood, racism may be gone for good. As for each student indi-vidually, there are many ways to help stop racism. Think before you speak, try not to judge someone before you know them, and, of course, no more racist jokes.

pring has sprung, and with it comes allergies. Runny noses, or their polar opposite, stuffed nos-es, thrive. However, at least aller-

gies leave once summer begins. Some peo-ple out there are not quite so lucky. Their medical problems are much tougher be-cause they never leave. While these people may be worse off than those with allergies, sometimes their attitudes are light years ahead of those with allergies who consis-tently complain. Meet “Margaret.” She is 15 years old and a freshman in high school. Margaret plays soccer, hangs out with friends, and enjoys art. She may sound like your typical teen-age girl, but there is one fact about Marga-ret that isn’t quite so obvious at first. This freshman suffers from Lyme Disease, a rela-tively unknown affliction, as proven by this quote: “Sadly, the only thing I know about Lyme Disease is that it’s spread by ticks. I THINK. See, I’m not even sure. I definitely think we should raise awareness.” –Gabby Evidente, freshman. Here are a few basic facts about Lyme Disease. There are three stages: primary, early disseminated, and chronic persistent. 418,221 cases of Lyme Disease were re-ported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 1980-2011. However, only about 1 in 10 cases of Lyme are reported to the CDC, so the numbers may be as high as 4.18 million. Most cases of Lyme can be

The Battle is Not Over Until I've Wontreated with antibiotics, but cases that are more serious are not unheard of. Unfortunately for Margaret, she has one of the serious versions of Lyme Disease: chronic. She cannot eat sugar or gluten. Margaret describes an event when her food problems moved front and center. “When I went on vacation to the Outer Banks, I lost 11 pounds in one week because I ate foods to which I was unknowingly allergic. I ended up being terrified of eating, and my parents had to force me to eat. I soon found out that I had allergies to soy, tomatoes, peanuts, tree nuts, paprika, eggs, and oth-er foods. I had to go on a 4-day diet rota-tion that consisted of meat, vegetables, and grains that I had never heard of. I could not eat the same thing within 3 days.” Other Lyme related problems for Marga-ret are having arthritis, giving up her dream of playing high school soccer, suffering from constant knee pains, and dealing with a body that is weakened. However, Marga-ret tries to make the best of the situation. “My friends and family have helped me so much with this. My doctor has also helped me, and he is my inspiration; he is the most amazing person I have ever met. I couldn’t have gone through this without him, my friends, and my family,” she says.

SOne of my closest friends was diagnosed with Lyme Disease during middle school. She often wrote about her struggles with the disease on Tumblr, so I asked her permission to take quotes from a piece she called “My Story” and adapt them into a full-length article.

Explanation

7

WRITING / NEWSRegional Science Fair: Awards and Lessons

f you have trouble understanding names like “Pigment Deposition in Neural Crest during Embryonic De-velopment of the Danio rerio” and “Varying Phosphorus Concentra-tions and Extraction Procedures in

Lipid Quantification of Scenedesmus quad-ricauda,” you are not alone. Imagine actual-ly researching, developing, and presenting projects like the ones described above, and you will have an idea of what several Tusca-rora students faced when they enrolled in Independent Science Research (ISR) and earned a chance to compete in the Regional Science and Engineering Fair (RSEF). The journey to the RSEF began last spring when students enrolled in ISR. Sara Kidane, a senior, took the class “because it’s [focused on] a single project for one whole year.” While ISR may only consist of one project, the research and time investment necessary to complete the experiment can be daunt-ing. Senior Kimberly Devilla, whose project explores the effect of romantic relationships on academics, comments, “It’s taken me the whole school year so far because it [takes] a

lot of time to survey everyone. [It’s a] work in progress.” Despite the time needed to conduct a good experiment, several seniors decided to stick with the project for the chance to compete in RSEF. On March 14th, over 220 students from schools all over the county arrived at Tusca-rora in order to participate in the fair. The day began with participants standing by their boards waiting to be interviewed by judges, most of whom are experts in vari-ous science fields. Eventually, category win-ners, Best in Fair winners, and runner-ups were chosen. Tuscarora senior Justin Aird won first place in the Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical category for his project “Using a Capacitor as a Lightning Rod to Deflect Lightning to a Place of Absorption as an Alternative Energy Source.” Senior Sarah Hilado’s project “What is the Best Solu-tion to Prevent the Collapse of Buildings Caused by Mechanical Resonance?” won second place in the same category and also the CIA Award. Now that the 2013 RSEF is over, most

participants are done with their projects. However, that does not mean they didn’t gain anything from the experience. Aird believes participating in the fair was bene-ficial because “[it was] a chance to present science I’ve been working on to experts so I know if I’m right.” ISR advisor Dr. Kagan, who has helped execute and edit student projects throughout the year, hopes his students gained “the ability to be criticized and not take it personally, and to be able to defend themselves and what they are pas-sionate about.” Next year, a new group of upperclass-men will take ISR and participate in the fair. Devilla offers this tip: “Choose a proj-ect that you’re willing to put effort [into] because [ISR] really is time consuming.” Kidane adds, “Don’t do a project you won’t commit to or one you’re not interested in.” As for the actual fair, Aird advises students to “make sure to follow the rubric” and “know everything on your board.”

I

Although science fairs can be a rather dry topic, this article’s lead (my favorite to this day) helped attract readers and gave the credit deserved to those who are actually able to understand research project titles.

Explanation

2 students competed in the school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition on Thursday, Dec. 4, and at the end of the night, sophomore James Smith, with his recitation of “Ode” by Arthur O’Shaughnessy, was de-

clared the winner. Fellow sophomore Kyle Ebbets, who re-cited “The Kiss” by Robert Graves, was the runner-up. Smith will now move on to the district Poetry Out Loud competition, which is be-ing held in January. From there, he has the chance to advance to the state competition and the national finals, where the top prize is a $20,000 scholarship. Poetry Out Loud is a national program

designed to promote youth interest in poet-ry. Tuscarora participates in the program by encouraging English teachers to hold class-room competitions every year. Classroom winners then have the chance to participate in the school-wide competition. This year the 22 competitors, who came from all grade levels, took the stage at 7 p.m. to recite their poems for the judg-es: Mr. Rovang, Ms. Benedum, Ms. Cook, and Ms. Hausman. Judges scored students on seven categories such as physical pres-ence, voice/articulation, and complexity.Meanwhile, Ms. Purvis checked presenters’ accuracy, ensuring contestants said words correctly and didn’t skip lines. If students forgot any of the words to

their poem, which was common during the stress-inducing event, Ms. Pellicano was there to prompt them. Once students finished recitations that included everything from “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Lord Alfred Tenny-son to “The Tyger” by William Blake, the judges’ scores were tabulated and the win-ner was announced. After the competition, Smith stated that he was in an “elated, dream-like state.” In order to prepare for the competition, he had read over the poem, watched himself perform in the mirror, and “graphed” each line to decide where to “build and bring it back down.” PLEASE SEE NEXT PAGE

James Smith Captures Poetry Out Loud Victory

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WRITING / NEWS

Runner-up Ebbets underwent a similar preparation process, and added that during the actual recitation he felt “very confident and calm.” In particular, he enjoyed listen-ing to others’ poems, as he said it opened him up to new types of poetry. Logan Clem, a junior who recited “Lazy” by David Yelzi, said before the competition that he felt “a little nervous because there are some phenomenal people competing. I feel like I’m prepared, but they’re more pre-

Poetry Out Loud (from page 9)pared.” Clem also described his reasoning for why poetry is important: “[People use it to] express themselves…it’s an escape.” Mrs. Kosbob, the host and event organiz-er, had similar views on the importance of Poetry Out Loud, saying, “it opens up stu-dents to possible different meanings,” helps them become confident as public speakers, and gives them an outlet to share a message.

I focused on features through-out my high school career, so in twelfth grade I tried to expand my horizons by writing several news stories. This one focused on my favorite subject, English, and included some of my favor-ite quotes of the year.

Explanation

English Program Will See Changes in 2013-2014 s the end of this school year

approaches, many students are looking towards the upcoming 2013-2014 year. Like years of the

past, it is sure to bring new surprises and challenges such as new friends and harder classes. Unlike previous years, however, the 2013-2014 school year will offer a plethora of English options rather than the previous-ly limited choices. Currently, juniors take either Honors or Academic English 11, while seniors take Academic English, AP Language and Com-position, or AP Literature and Composi-tion. Next year, each grade level will have one more option. Junior offerings will be expanded to Honors English, Academic English, and AP Lang. Some current ju-niors take AP Lang, but they must take it in conjunction with Honors English. Next year, the need to enroll in both classes will be eliminated. As for seniors, a new Dual Enrollment English course will join Aca-demic, AP Lang, and AP Lit as options. Since AP Lang will now be open to ju-niors, Mrs. Purvis, the English Department Head, explains that “the curriculum will be adjusted so that it emphasizes American lit-erature, since that is the main focus of 11th grade English in Loudoun County.” While this may not bode well for current juniors who have already taken American litera-ture-based English 11 but wish to take AP Lang next year, the problem will be elimi-

nated following the 2013-2014 year. “This is the last year rising seniors will be given the option to choose between AP Literature and AP Language. In the future, AP Lan-guage will be an 11th grade class, and AP Literature will be a 12th grade class,” Mrs. Purvis says. AP Lang is not the only course changing; an entirely new class is being introduced. Dual Enrollment, which is offered jointly with Northern Virginia Community Col-lege, is “a way for students to receive a 0.5 GPA bump while simultaneously receiving college credit for successful completion of the class,” as Mrs. Purvis phrases it. Seniors who successfully pass the Dual Enrollment class will receive a guaranteed six hours of college credit from NVCC. Unlike the col-lege credit requirements for AP classes, stu-dents taking Dual Enrollment do not need to pay or pass an exam in order to receive credit. So, why were these changes made, and how will they affect students? Samantha Peppers, a junior, believes the changes are a result of the fact that “there’s currently no middle ground” in senior English courses. This is true, as juniors face a jump from either Honors to Academic or Honors to AP once they reach senior year. Mrs. Pur-vis confirms this, saying, “The changes are being made in order to give students more options.” Many students are pleased to hear about

the new English offerings. Lauren Short, a sophomore, is one such person. She is tak-ing AP Lang next year because “it offers a bigger GPA weight.” Short believes the change is positive because “it’s much better for GPAs.” Josh Morrison, a junior, agrees that the changes are beneficial. “[Offering more courses] gives more options and bet-ter choices. It doesn’t force people to do something they’d be uncomfortable with,” he says. While some sophomores are eager to get a jumpstart on their AP English classes, others are not. David Chalmers is one such sophomore. “I don’t like English,” Chalmers says. “[Taking an AP I don’t enjoy] would take too much time.” He believes, however, that the option is overall “good because kids who had high expectations but found Hon-ors too easy can take AP next year.” As for rising seniors, the premise of earning college credit without taking an AP exam is an exciting prospect. Mrs. Pur-vis adds that Dual Enrollment is “an ideal option for current juniors who are already planning to take several AP classes next year who recognize that English is not their focus.” The Guidance Department reports that an estimated 130 students are hoping to pass the enrollment test and take Dual Enrollment English. Morrison is one of them. “I don’t want to be an English ma-jor,” he says. “I’m taking enough other AP’s [without an AP English].”

I often write about policy changes because, as a very grade-conscious individual, they are of great interest to me. As for this policy in particular, it had garnered much confu-sion and attention, so I hoped to both inform and attract readers.

Explanation

A

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WRITING / ARTS

s a self-proclaimed bibliophile, I have read countless books throughout my life. None, howev-er, has made such an impression

as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I love The Book Thief for many reasons: It takes an incredibly incomprehensible subject and humanizes it for readers of all ages, and it features descriptions that are unusual but thought provoking – where else can you read about Death’s fascination with colors? My love for The Book Thief meant that I received the news that it was being turned into a movie with anticipatory nervousness. Part of The Book Thief’s magic is in Zusak’s carefully crafted words, and I was worried this would be lost in any movie adaptation. Brian Percival, however, proved me wrong. The movie version of The Book Thief is di-rected by Percival, who is known for direct-ing the TV show Downton Abbey. It stars Sophie Nélisse as the titular book thief, Lie-sel, a girl who finds a home with foster par-ents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) Hubermann. Liesel easily adjusts to life with her new family, even making friends with the classic boy next door, Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch). In Nazi Germany, however, life does not stay simple for long, and soon a new figure enters Liesel’s life – Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer), a young Jewish man who the Hubermanns decide to hide from the Na-zis. Liesel and Max soon become very close, and Max even helps Liesel pursue her new-est passion: reading and stealing books. The Book Thief exceeds expectations, al-lowing viewers to feel the depth of the story even without the aid of Zusak’s narration. This is due in large part to Nélisse, who captures Liesel’s playfulness, intense loyal-ty, and desire to both understand and con-trol words with a level of finesse unusual for actresses of her age. In particular, a scene where Liesel recites a story to the terrified residents of Molching during an air raid truly highlights Nélisse’s skill. Liersch, who plays Liesel’s best friend Rudy, also offers an impressive perfor-mance. Rudy is a fan favorite, and for good reason. His constant refrain “How about a kiss, saumensch?” is one part of Rudy’s appeal, but his lemon-colored hair and de-sire to be Jesse Owens are close seconds.

The Book Thief Translates Superbly to the Big ScreenLiersch relays the true essence of Rudy’s being, showing his childhood innocence and bringing to life one of the novel’s best scenes (where he jumps into a river to save one of Liesel’s books) in a way that truly shows how important Rudy is to Liesel. The third performance which was truly astounding came from Oscar winner Geof-frey Rush, who portrayed Liesel’s father Hans Hubermann. Hans is one of the most likable characters in the novel: He is heroic but has a sense of mischievousness, and it is clear from his first meeting with Liesel that he cares deeply about her. Rush highlights the lighter side of Hans, including his con-stant accordion playing, but he also displays Hans’ deep sense of integrity in a moving scene where he attempts to protect a Jew who is being taken by the Nazis. The movie as an independent work is ex-ceptional, and when compared to the book it is also excellent. However, as The Book Thief is based on such a well-loved novel, there are several unappreciated discrepan-cies, the most important of which is the lack of development in the relationship between Liesel and the mayor’s wife, Ilsa (Barbara Auer). Their relationship is quickly devel-oped in the first quarter or so of the mov-ie, but it then abruptly disappears until the very end. Understandably, the movie has a fixed amount of time to relay the contents of a 550-page novel, and on the whole the film did so exceedingly well. In the case of Ilsa and Liesel, though, the relationship did not translate in a meaningful way. Part of the problem is Auer’s portrayal of Ilsa, who in the novel is described as a waif of a wom-an with no dominating characteristics. In the movie, Ilsa is somewhat timid, but no-where near the level displayed in the book. Additionally, the main theme of The Book Thief is a love for words. This pas-sion is what drives Liesel to steal books in the first place, and it is also what gives her the courage to overcome the rather unfair hand she has been dealt by life. Liesel’s fascination with books is very apparent in the novel, but the movie simply skims over the important process of Liesel learning to read. In the book, this is a huge plot point, as it is what truly bonds Liesel and Hans to-gether. The lack of attention to this point is understandable given time constraints, but

it did seem strange for Liesel to quickly go from not knowing how to write her name to being able to read H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. The one aspect of The Book Thief which I had mixed feelings about was the ending. It is hard to describe without including spoil-ers, but one could say it is the most import-ant point of the novel/movie. In the novel, the ending is tragic but almost cathartic — it is classic Zusak, painted with words that help readers understand the depth of what is happening. In the movie, the ending ar-rives without warning, plunging viewers into a heartbreaking but almost anticli-mactic whirlwind of emotion. Nélisse, as usual, shows Liesel’s devastation with skill. Liersch, however, fails to meet the standards set by his earlier performance, though this is partly due to a script change that greatly differs and almost seems to disrespect the novel. Overall, The Book Thief is a movie that should not be missed. The main actors’ per-formances are highly impressive, as each actor truly captures the essence of their character’s personality. The script is also of note, since the writers manage to tell Lie-sel’s story in an effective manner without resorting to quoting Zusak in every scene. Despite its minor flaws (most of which are only noticeable to those who have read the book), The Book Thief is an exceptional film that truly does justice to the masterpiece on which it is based.

A

When my favorite novel was adapted to the big screen, I had no doubt that I needed to review it. I was pleased with the result, as it enabled me to highlight the strongest el-ements of both the movie and the book.

Explanation

10

Four Reasons Skinny Shaming Needs to StopReal women have curves.” It’s a popu-lar refrain, heard in everything from articles denouncing the fashion in-dustry to posts on social media. In a

society where models and other skinny ce-lebrities appear to possess the most coveted body type, many feel the need to stand up for women with curves. After all, “fat sham-ing,” or making fun of individuals because they are overweight, has become a common occurrence. There is no doubt that fat shaming is a despicable practice – but many have come to realize this fact. Some, like Jennifer Law-rence, star of The Hunger Games, embrace their roles as body peace models. Others stand up for women who are not typical-ly skinny by denouncing thinner women as waif-like or unattractive due to their lack of curves. This practice of insulting lean women has a name: skinny shaming. While skinny shaming is just as hurtful as fat shaming, it is commonly accepted and sometimes even encouraged. The reasons skinny shaming needs to stop should be ob-vious, but in case they are not, here are four.

4. Looking down on fat shaming while promoting skinny shaming allows for a double standard.By today’s standards, it is entirely unac-ceptable to walk up to an overweight per-son and say, “Hey, why are you so fat? You should eat less!” Doing so would be con-sidered a social faux pas, with good rea-son. Yet somehow, saying the reverse of the above statement is accepted and even com-mon. Every thin individual has heard the refrain, “You’re so skinny. You should eat something.” What makes it okay to say one statement and not the other? Both unfair-ly judge individuals based on their weight, and include an assumption that weight is

something entirely under one’s control.

3. Skinny ≠ Eating Disorder.In one photo circulating around social me-dia, three women are pictured. Below one woman is the label “huge.” Below another is the label “fat,” and below the third is the la-bel “perfect.” The women labeled huge and fat obviously weigh more than the woman labeled perfect – but it’s no wonder. The “perfect” woman clearly suffers from an eating disorder. It is an absolutely unfair and incorrect generalization to say that so-ciety glorifies thinness to the point where people with eating disorders are considered perfect. This picture in itself promotes skin-ny shaming more than encouraging women to embrace their own bodies. By presenting an unrealistic represen-tation of society’s idea of perfection, this photo and others like it lead to demeaning comments towards thin women and gen-eralizations that all skinny women have eating disorders. This is patently untrue, as some individuals have fast metabolisms or are unable to gain weight due to health is-sues. Other women are thin simply because they exercise often. While eating disorders and unhealthy eating are more common in the fashion industry, where thin girls form the majority, making generalizations about all skinny girls based on a small group sim-ply doesn’t make sense. Just like many cur-vier women look the way they do because of genetics rather than unhealthy living, thin girls are not always such because they starve themselves.

2. Real women do not ALWAYS have curves.Before you expound profusely on why women with curves are always better (au-thor Emma Woolf, in an article entitled

“Why is skinny-shaming OK, if fat-sham-ing is not?” already described a common argument – “’curves’ are sexier than skel-etons”), take a second and think about it. There are over seven billion people on this planet. Some are tall, some are skinny, some are overweight. While one body type may be idealized above another, the reality is that people of every shape and size have found happiness with someone who accepts them for exactly who they are. Yes, there are many “real women” who have curves. But there are also “real women” who don’t. Af-ter all, what is this phrase even trying to say -- that individuals without curves do not even qualify as females? There is no definite “real woman.” Everyone’s definition of a woman is different, encompassing a unique idea of beauty.

1. Body peace encapsulates every type of body – slim, overweight, obese – one type should never be better than another.The main idea behind this column is that skinny shaming is not okay. Neither is fat shaming or any other type of weight sham-ing. The idea behind body peace campaigns such as the one launched by Dove and Sev-enteen magazine is acceptance of ALL body types. None are definitively better than the others, and any campaign to prove other-wise is unacceptable. Yes, fat shaming is still prevalent, but at least it has become less and less socially acceptable. Skinny shaming may not be as common as fat shaming, but the fact that it is widely accepted is of note. In the end, it comes down to this: glorifying curvy girls while debasing thin girls is just as bad as doing the opposite. Every individ-ual should be accepted and celebrated for who they are, but not at the cost of another woman’s self-esteem.

ExplanationAs a naturally skinny individual, I have often faced skinny shaming. I know that it is an over-looked issue, so I used my top 10 (in this case, 4) column to help raise awareness for it. Upon publication, several people told me that skinny shaming does not exist, and another claimed it was only present online. Theses comments only reinforced my desire to raise awareness for skinny shaming, as they prove how unknown it is.

"

Explanation

WRITING / EDITORIALS11

WRITING / EDITORIALSLearning to Dream, Dare, and DoThe Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference

rom July 13– 18, 2013, fifty one rising high school seniors, one representing each state and D.C., participated in the Al Neuharth

Free Spirit and Journalism Conference. The conference, which is named for Al Neu-harth, the visionary founder of USA TO-DAY, the Freedom Forum, and the Newse-um, brings together diverse students from across the country united by a passion for the written word. As the Virginia confer-ence representative, I was able to spend a week in D.C. learning from the best in the field, both in terms of professional and stu-dent journalists. Throughout our time in the capital, the Free Spirit scholars were given the oppor-tunity to explore the city in a way many people will never have the chance to view it. Our first adventure was attending a tap-ing of Meet the Press. This was an especially exciting event due to the guests (Reverend Al Sharpton discussing the Zimmerman trial and Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell relaying their side of the filibus-ter conflict) and the simple fact that it was Meet the Press. We entered NBC Studios and absorbed the excitement surrounding us: David Gregory sipped his coffee while thumbing through notes, and guests stood by the door waiting for their turn to speak. After Meet the Press, our insider’s glance at the competitive, constantly evolving land-scape of journalism continued with speak-ers including Judy Woodruff, co-anchor of PBS Newshour; Ron Nessen, former Press Secretary to President Gerald R. Ford; and Sara Ganim, the reporter who broke the Sandusky scandal last year and earned the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for local news report-ing. Each session was unparalleled in terms of the level of access the Free Spirits were giv-en. Instead of each speaker merely giving a presentation, we were allowed to have real, in-depth discussions in the form of Q & A’s. Aside from meeting fellow journalists, we participated in a tour of the USA TO-DAY newsroom, a Q & A with NASA as-tronaut Thomas Marshburn, a tour of the Capitol that included a conversation with Senate Historian Don Ritchie, and a lun-

cheon with Freedom Rider Dr. Rip Patton and First Amendment rights activist John Seigenthaler. While the speakers and events which kept us busy from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day are a large part of what made the confer-ence so incredible, they are matched in im-portance by the bonding which occurred between the 51 Free Spirits. Chosen because of their journalistic ac-complishments and ability to be free spirits (those who dream, dare, and do), the group was diverse in everything from race to be-liefs, yet we were able to relate and become a family in just six short days thanks to our common passion. I will never forget our gi-ant group dance to “Stay” by Rihanna at the end of the conference, or the memories we made throughout the week, including sing-ing on the bus and dancing on a Potomac River boat tour. And, thanks to the technology which has completely changed the face of journal-ism, the class of 2013 Free Spirits’ ability to maintain our newly formed relationships has also grown. Several weeks before the conference, our Wyoming representative created a Facebook group that enabled us to start the awkward introductions before we even arrived in D.C. Months after the con-ference, not a day goes by without a Free Spirit posting an interesting article or call for advice. In the months following the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, I have had plenty of time to reflect on my experience. I heard views on the future of journalism which ranged from digital me-dia specialist Val Hoeppner’s belief that “in 5 years, only the very largest and very smallest newspapers will put ink on print seven times a week” to editor-at-large of Politico Bill Nichol’s thought that journal-ism will change and already has changed to “match a society that’s too loud and too fast.” I was also able to juxtapose the past of political journalism against the new age, thanks to discussions with veteran reporter Susan Page, who has covered 9 presidential campaigns, and younger journalists Zeke Miller and Elicia Dover, both of whom cov-ered the campaign trail in 2012 by utilizing

social media.Today I realize that journalism is, at its best, a vehicle to impact lives, effect change, and, most importantly, tell the truth. And while many believe the newspaper is disappear-ing or that the long upheld professionalism of the business is dying thanks to the rise of citizen journalists, meeting my fellow scholars and those who have seen America through everything from Watergate to 9/11 has truly helped me reach the conclusion that this is the only profession to which I want to dedicate my life. In the words of Al’s grandson, AJ Neuharth-Keusch, “With-out journalism, the world doesn’t spin. It shapes everything.”

F

Last year, I was chosen as the Virginia representa-tive for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journal-ism Conference. This life-changing experi-ence allowed me to meet top journalists like Judy Woodruff, along with stu-dent journalists who con-tinuously inspire me. This article, written days after the conference, helped me absorb everything I had learned as well as re-cord it for others.

Explanation

12

WRITING / EDITORIALSTop 10 Tips for Choosing the Perfect College

y the time you reach junior year, the question you always hear from curious adults and friends alike is “Where do you want to go to college?” Some people have their

futures planned out perfectly; others have absolutely no idea what they want to do. Choosing where to go to college can be an intimidating prospect, but it doesn’t have to be. Just follow the tips on this list, and be-fore you know it, applying to college will be an eagerly anticipated journey. 1. Learn about yourself.The first step in deciding where you want to attend college is figuring out what you want from a higher education. Do you already know what you want to major in? Do you like small colleges or large ones? Do you want to study in the city or in a small col-lege town? Make a list of “must haves,” and use this list to narrow down your options.2.Talk to family and friends.Ask your parents and other relatives about their alma maters. By listening to others’ stories, you can determine whether you want a similar experience. Also, ask people which colleges they think would work for you and why.3. Have an in-depth discus-sion with your parents.Your parents are two of the people who know you best. They can offer plenty of tips and advice. It’s important to involve parents in your college search because they will be your main support in terms of figuring out how to pay for college and more.4. Research, research, and more research.The only way to learn about potential col-leges is to research them. Buy college books like Profiles of American Colleges, investi-gate colleges’ official websites, and contact college admission officers for more infor-mation.5. Use collegeboard.org.You may know College Board as the pro-gram that controls AP and SAT testing, but did you know it also offers one of the best college resources around? Big Future, which you can access by going to bigfuture.collegeboard.org, is full of helpful tools such as My Plan, which is a customizable

Bplan that will help you know when and why to take the next step in the admissions pro-cess, and College Search, a search engine that lets you find colleges using filters such as size, location, extracurricular activities, majors, and more. Aside from these, the College Board website offers information on scholarships, financial aid, writing ad-missions essays, and so much more. If you only do one thing on this list, make sure it is using collegeboard.org.6. Talk to guidance counselors and teachers.Guidance counselors and the Career Cen-ter are there for a reason: to help you figure out what to do with your future. Make an appointment with a counselor, and have questions ready. Be sure to ask your coun-selor what colleges he/she suggests for you based on your past academic achievements and career hopes. Also ask your teachers, especially ones who know you well. They can give you lots of helpful suggestions be-cause they know your learning style, goals, and more.7. Visit several different colleges.Once you have narrowed down your search, make plans to visit possible colleges. You can only see if the college’s atmosphere works for you if you actually go there. Try to visit when classes are in session in order to get a better feel for what daily life is like. While at college visits, make sure to talk to students, admission officers, financial aid directors, professors, and anyone you think can help.8. Find scholarship opportu-nities.Going to college is extremely expensive, and unless you still want to be in debt ten years after graduating, it’s important to research scholarships. If you already have an idea of what you want to study, look for schol-arships that are specific to your field. Use the Internet (scholarships.com is a great re-source), books like The Scholarship Book, and school resources including teachers and the guidance department. Also, make sure to fill out the FAFSA, which will help you find need-based aid, and research if your potential universities offer special

scholarships.9. Stay organized.Keep a folder, binder, etc. that is dedicated to college research. Suggestions of what to keep in this include a list of potential col-leges, a list of what you want from colleges, and a calendar with important dates such as application deadlines. Also, you know those college brochures that you receive in the mail all the time? Don’t throw all of them out. Just save a few that are from po-tential colleges, and keep them with your other college materials.10. Do not limit yourself.If you already have a dream college in mind, that’s great. Just remember that there is no guarantee you will get into that school. Make sure to have many options, including some reach schools and some fall-back ones. If you’re still at the point where you have absolutely no idea where to apply, don’t limit your search to colleges in your area or only colleges that offer a spe-cific major. Consider options like studying abroad or going to an all-female or all-male school.

College has and always will be a mainstay in con-versations throughout high school. I knew that I wanted guidance in start-ing my college search, so I wrote this column in hopes of helping others find their dream colleges as well.

Explanation

13

WRITING / EDITORIALS

id you know that Facebook found-er Mark Zuckerberg has “Revolu-tions” listed as one of his interests on his public Facebook profile?

Also, many people acknowledge that Barack Obama was elected president due to web-sites created by Chris Hughes, one of the co-founders of Facebook. And, inciden-tally, have you ever heard of the Craigslist killer? There’s no denying that technology has a very powerful effect, and not all reper-cussions of technology are positive. Technology today can be found literally everywhere. It’s seen at school, home, work, and places like the public library. It’s not uncommon for 5-year-olds to be more fa-miliar with iPhones than 60-year-olds are. The modern world is, essentially, based on technology. Technology definitely is helpful. Thou-sands of people have reconnected with old friends through Facebook, found their niche on sites like Tumblr, and overall cre-ated great uses for computers, cell phones, television, etc. There is, however, one major problem with technology. Remember that old saying, “Too much of a good thing is bad”? Since technology surrounds us all the time, society’s definitely receiving too much of a good thing. In schools, for example, technology is used constantly. Virtually the only times students aren’t using technology are during P.E. and reading time. Students watch vid-eo announcements, learn from Powerpoint or ActivInspire slideshows, and use com-puters to type essays or do interactive labs, and that’s only during school hours. Once students get home, they have to complete assignments using the computer. There are several problems with all this technology. First, computers don’t always work. Some-times the Internet stops working for no rea-son or computers freeze randomly. When there are computer problems it becomes impossible to do homework unless you go to the library, which can be very inconve-nient. Teachers always say that if you have a computer problem or don’t have a com-puter at all, you can come in before or after school or during FLEX. Many teenagers, however, don’t have rides to school or can’t stay after because of other commitments,

Too Much Technologyand FLEX is too short for students to com-plete all their homework. One future change in Loudoun County is the 2010-2015 Technology Plan. The plan’s goal is to buy an electronic tablet device for every student in 4th grade and up. These tablets will contain electronic textbooks and other educational technology tools. As a result, about 40,000 students will be re-ceiving tablets that cost $500 each. Over-all, that comes out to 20 million dollars. This plan is good in that it means students won’t have to lug around heavy textbooks and hurt their backs, but think about this plan realistically. Buying textbooks costs Loudoun County Public Schools 7 to 9 mil-lion dollars annually. Of course, after two or three years, the one-time cost of tablets will balance out the annual textbook cost; however, spending $20 million at one time will hurt taxpayers more than paying less money over a longer period of time. What is the advantage of each student having their own tablet? Some students are definitely going to break or lose them, and replacing the tablets will cost much more than replacing a textbook. What if an economically disadvantaged student loses their tablet? It will be almost impossible for them to replace it. Also, tablets need to be charged, and you can’t flip through the pages of electronic textbooks like you can with real books. Having textbooks on tab-lets doesn’t promote reading paper books, which has been the foundation of intellec-tual thinking for thousands of years. Re-searchers are also concerned about possible negative health effects like vision problems from staring at screens all day. The last area of school without technology is about to be ruined. Technology in the world outside school may be even scarier. People text and drive, and, consequently, die in car crashes; Face-book and Twitter are responsible for pro-moting revolutions in several countries; and, on a seemingly lighter but really kind of pathetic note, there are TV shows like Jersey Shore that would make any reputa-ble man or woman in a time period besides ours completely lose faith in humanity. There are also many teenagers who have been bullied through sites like Facebook

and Formspring and killed themselves. One example is Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old who killed himself on September 18th after being bullied through the aforementioned sites for being gay. These are repercussions of the darkest side of technology. While technology does have a few ex-treme effects, most are much lighter. Con-sider the 3-D takeover for example. Many 3-D movies have been released over the past few years, and the rate of increase grows all the time. There’s even a 3-D Nintendo DS. Now, is that really necessary? Perhaps movies with intense action scenes are more impressive in 3-D, but do you really want to see people’s zits in 3-D? People today are also becoming totally reliant on technolo-gy. The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation shared the statistic that 8-18 year olds spend, on average, 7 hours and 38 minutes using en-tertainment media every day. Let’s imagine the unimaginable: All the technology in the world stopped working. No comput-ers and no iPods for starters, but seeming-ly ordinary objects like cars; not even cell phones, but home phones; and refrigerators wouldn’t work either. What would people do all day? How would they communicate? Would they write letters, walk to each oth-er’s houses, use an icebox to keep their food fresh? I highly doubt that. Humans don’t like to regress, so living like it was the 1800s wouldn’t work for us. I think it’s more likely we’d transform into a Panem-like country, just as Suzanne Collins imagined in The Hunger Games trilogy. I am not saying that technology should never be used. I definitely wouldn’t be able to stand that, and I don’t think anyone else could either. Instead, I hope that people will remember all the downsides of too much technology. Like chocolate, technology is very good, but only in moderation.

D

Always wary of change, I wrote this editorial in order to highlight the easily over-looked downsides of tech-nology.

Explanation

14

DESIGN

As the As-sistant Edi-tor-in-Chief in charge of the print edi-tion during my junior year, I spear-headed rede-sign efforts. This front page, the first created us-ing our new style sheet, utilized more professional font choices and a stron-ger balance of text and graphic ele-ments.

This was the second paper we produced using our new style sheet, and its lay-out was com-pletely dif-ferent from anything we had done before. Al-though there was only one photo on the front page, the presence of four arti-cles centered around the photo creat-ed a strong c o n n e c t i o n t h r o u g h o u t the page.

People’s lives constantly change, a fact which not every-one chooses to celebrate. This is why when some juniors face the impending threat of senior year, it can be frightening or even overwhelming. Senior year is not only the last year of high school; once it’s over, life begins. Different juniors have vary-ing opinions on moving up to 12th grade. “It feels like an ac-complishing moment. I also feel old,” said Elyel Martinez, a ju-nior. Some juniors expect many things from senior year, includ-ing Martinez, who said, “I ex-pect many accomplishments and also many opportunities.” Senior year and all it holds are as of yet unknown to juniors. For some, next year holds the po-tential of being stressful, as they wonder what AP tests to take or what college to attend after it’s all over. Others are simply as-tonished at the thought that they are about to finish high school. “My concerns for next year are whether or not I should get early dismissal,” said Martinez.Overall, Martinez believes se-nior year will be “a joyous year.” Senioritis has already hit the class of 2013, but even juniors are beginning to feel it. “I felt senioritis ever since I passed to eleventh grade!” exclaimed Mar-tinez, and some juniors have felt the “affliction” even longer. Senior year is a time for memo-ries and a time for change. It is the end of a 12-13 year cycle for most people, and that is a lot to think about. In the end, though, it is also a lot to look forward to.

A Last Look at Tuscarora’s Sophomores

Between the awkward and ad-justing time of freshman year and the stressful and typically AP-heavy junior year, 10th grade has become, in the words of sopho-more Emmel El-Fiky, “the forgot-ten middle child” of high school. It is the in-between, not-quite-in, not-quite-out year that has many sophomores looking back with half disgust and half nostalgia. It seems now, as the 2012-2013 school year is coming to a close, the sophomore class is reeling to try and grab back onto their inno-cent school days of the past and at-tempt to hold off the looming evil in close proximity - junior year. It is not so uncommon to hear the words “stressful” and “hard work” used to describe this im-minent future, and even gradu-ation, which at one point and time seemed an impossible, unattainable milestone, is ap-proaching sooner and sooner. “It’s really scary to think that I’m leaving in two years. That’s weird,” said Elizabeth Getis, a 10th grader both dreading and looking forward to her junior year. “It’ll be fun to be an upperclass-man finally, and I’m actually look-ing forward to AP Economics. But I’ve heard it’s the hardest year.” Getis is not the only one. Fellow classmate Nick DeSimone said, “I’m feeling pressure for what I’m going to do with the rest of my life and college. Because I have no idea what I want to do.” DeSim-one liked his sophomore year, enjoying the social aspects and making the Tuscarora JV base-ball team, but he knows junior year will be centralized around the future. “I gotta look at some colleges this summer,” he added. But not everything about next year is viewed with doom and gloom. El-Fiky has a positive out-look on taking the step closer to The Rest of Our Lives: “You’re closer to the end than the begin-ning, so that’s fun and exciting. I’ve been looking forward to grad-uation since the 6th grade. I want to graduate so badly. I want to move on.” Even facing the reality of vigorous AP courses that many of these future juniors are prepar-ing to endure can seem worth it with

» see SOPHOMORES, page 11

By Meghan KolcuM, Daniel FrienD, anD Tyler garling

STaFF WriTerS

Top of The Food Chain

As the class of 2017 enters the school, many wonder if these newcomers will ever reminisce about the days when MySpace was the epitome of social media. Did you know that Razors were the iPhone back in up-perclassmen’s day? No, you probably don’t as you sit at at your computer chatting on Facebook, tweeting, playing with your iPhone, Instagram-ming, and not being outside exploring the universe around you because you have access to it in the palm of your hand. As for Tuscarora, the class of 2017 will probably never know who Ms. Hall was (our assistant prin-cipal who moved to Briar Woods). You’ll never know the feeling of watching Ben Ogedegbe play soccer for the school. You’ll never experience Tusky Terror with its poster boy Kyle O’Connor or hear of the accomplishments of Renaissance woman Anna Cho.

Generations of the Future When the eighth grade expo began on April 17th, groups of middle school students drifted from buses into their future home, Tuscarora High School. As uncertain and nervous stu-dents began to sit down in the gymnasium, they waited for sports, clubs, and extracurricu-

lar activities to be introduced. The expo provides kids with the opportunity to see what Tuscaro-ra High School has to offer by de-scribing what an extracurricular activity is and then allowing the kids to do some sort of interactive game. Molly Hackley, an eighth grader attending Smart’s Mill Middle School, said, “I’m really in-terested in trying out for the dance

team and thoroughly enjoyed tak-ing part in the spin-off, but I’m not sure with all the school work.” Sports are important in the lives of these future Huskies. “I want to do wrestling because it’s a fun sport yet difficult mentally and physically,” said future fresh-man John Hammler. “Person-

ally, I [also] want to take part in basketball. I love playing the sport and have been in-volved all throughout middle school,” added another fu-ture Husky, Ryan Hannah. Tuscarora has an estimated 600 new freshmen coming into the building next year to follow in the footsteps of the legacies who once embodied the spirit

of the Huskies. It’s interesting to contemplate who may become the next greatest athlete in the class of 2017, or who may be the next most spirited leader of Tuscarora’s Tusky Terror, or even the next most well-known student who accomplishes all tasks and never ceases to amaze those around him/her.

» see GENERATIONS, page 11

Leaving Freshman Year BehindBy Megan cohen

STaFF WriTer

On the first day of school, freshmen’s minds are plagued by countless worries. All they can think about is what the workload will be like, or the stranger-filled hallways. But as the year pro-gresses, freshmen realize that all of these concerns have been for nothing. And the class of 2016, who, just months ago, were in this exact position, can attest to that fact. With the past sev-

eral months behind them, the rising sophomores have slowly found their niche in Tuscarora. Most freshmen were nervous at the beginning of the year, but Ben Fehr was an exception. When asked what had worried him about high school before he started, he claimed to have noth-ing to share. “I’m really excited about being involved in march-ing band and Battle of the Books next year,” he said with anticipa-tion. “I look forward to being a sophomore, but I’ll also miss

freshman year—it was pretty fun.” While Fehr enjoyed his first time at Tuscarora, some fresh-men, like Erin Hoss, feel it’s been just like any other year. In Hoss’ case, though, she hopes next year will be different. “I’m hoping to get some more respect from the upperclassmen, even if it’s just a little bit,” she explained. “But other than that, I’m not expect-ing much.” Back in August, Hoss had been worried that people in her classes would still remember the middle school days. “I would

have told myself that no one cares what school you come from, and they can hardly remember mid-dle school anyway. Going into high school is almost like enter-ing another country,” she joked. Izzy Witteveen, another rising sophomore, is amazed at how fast the year has gone by and is enthu-siastic about next September. As a devoted member of the swim team, she’s planning for a fun sea-son. “I won’t be one of the little freshmen on the team anymore,

» see FRESHMAN, page 11

By aBDullah elqaDri

STaFF WriTer

By Danielle MaTTa

STaFF WriTer

On April 17th, rising freshmen visited Tuscarora for the 8th Grade Expo. They watched dem-onstrations from athletic teams like soccer and dance then listened to club presentations.

Photo By tyler GarlinG

In my senior year, I re-vamped the paper once again. This time, I chose a sleek, modern font for head-lines in order to give the entire paper a better sense of juxtaposi-tion and pro-fessionalism. I was particu-larly proud of this front page because we in-cluded three b a l a n c e d -graphics, each adding attrac-tiveness to the page.

The intro-duction of a “Sports Briefs” section al-lowed for the inclusion of more photos on a sports page than ever before. Each photo was en-gaging but not overwhelming, and combined with the short briefs and ar-ticles, the page was one of our most eye-catching to date.

The Opin-ions & Com-m e n t a r y page is nor-mally lacking in graphic appeal, so I decided to include h e a d s h o t s with edito-rials. I also created a graphic for the “Oppos-ing View-points” edi-torials.

DESIGN / CENTERSPREAD

How High Are Your Grades?

knowledge and performance in a class.” Vasquez had similar expe-riences with grade inflation and concluded, “Some may call it an incentive, but if you care about your education and learning any type of material, you shouldn’t need an incentive.” Another way of looking at the level of grade inflation in Loudoun County is through school profiles, which show GPA distribution. While these num-bers are not wholly indicative of grade inflation, they do provide a general idea of how many stu-dents have “above average” (B- and up) GPAs. At Tuscarora, 27% of the class of 2013 had GPAs in the A-range (3.7-4.3+), while 72% had GPAs in the A or B range (2.7-4.3+). The highest percentage of A’s is found at Briar Woods High School, where 50% of seniors had A-range GPAs, while the low-est is found at Park View, where 18% had A-range GPAs. Colleen Heberle, senior, describes the upward trend by saying, “When C is supposedly the benchmark for ‘average,’ this many of our stu-dents shouldn’t have above a 4.0 …The ‘average student’ no longer has a C average.” If grade inflation is indeed pres-ent in Loudoun County, what causes it? According to senior Elishama Michel, “The under-lying cause stems from the inner triangle encompassing parents, students, and teachers, where the pressure to do well is at its great-est.” One of the teachers surveyed said, “The pressure from parents is fierce! They demand late work to be counted, even 10+ weeks late, and they attempt to negoti-ate the grades. There is a lack of

work ethic that is astounding … These students feel entitled to A’s, yet they haven’t put forth A-level work.” A 2003 CBS article enti-tled “High school grades hit by inflation” offered another cause, saying, “Grade inflation has been increasing because of all the pres-sure on teachers from students and parents to help them become more competitive for college.” While grade in-flation is largely seen as a prob-lem (One teacher said, “It is going to be a slap in the face when stu-dents have to work, meet dead-lines, study on demand and not at their ‘own pace.’ Their self-esteem will be destroyed when they real-ize they are average or below aver-age.”), seniors Georgia Underhill and Heberle both see its positive side. Underhill said, “There’s nothing wrong with grade infla-tion because we live in a really, really competitive area, and if it’s going to help us get good grades and into a good college, why not?” Heberle added, “If Loudoun County works to ban inflation in our one county the students will suffer with admissions to college. All counties in the U.S. have grade inflation. If our one county decid-ed to start grading realistically …

we won’t receive a second look.” On the whole, however, most individuals, particularly teach-ers, thought the consequences of grade inflation far outweighed the positives. Tim Strykiewicz, senior, said, “It makes a student feel like they’re a lot smarter when they have high grades and high GPA even though that doesn’t re-flect intelligence at all because it’s a bunch of busy work.” In general, students and teachers both stated that LCPS students are not pre-

pared for col-lege anymore; one teacher e x p l a i n e d , “ [Students ] have stopped learning how to learn, how to explore, how to prob-lem solve … because they are just chas-ing points to raise grades. It has little to do with actually being educat-ed anymore. Then they get to college,

without all the support from high school, and they flounder.” College (and not just any col-lege, but some of the top ranked nationwide) is the main goal for many high achieving students in Loudoun County. Some stu-dents believe they are prepared for college because they excelled in high school, but if grade in-flation is indeed present, many are not as ready as they believe. One Tuscarora teacher shared, “I hear, consistently, from returning seniors/graduates that they are not prepared for college and they

struggle.” Ms. Catherine Staley, an adjunct English professor at Marshall University, reinforced this idea. “I definitely see negative ef-fects of grade inflation,” Profes-sor Staley said. “It seems to me that students don’t always take assignments seriously because they assume they’ll receive at least a C, and even if they re-ceive a D, they’ll pass.” This may be the case in high school, but as Professor Staley explained, policies differ greatly in college. Assignments are often weighted, meaning students cannot do the “bare minimum” homework and still earn high grades, and many instructors do not allow students to make up work at the end of the semester. However, despite these differences, the professor empha-sized that succeeding in college can be simple if students take advantage of the opportunities af-forded to them. These can include Writing Centers and tutoring, but most important is communica-tion. “Professors can certainly be intimidating, but I have the utmost respect for students who show their dedication to the class by coming to see me, and I will go out of my way to help,” Professor Staley concluded. Anna Cho, class of 2013, is cur-rently a first year at the Univer-sity of Virginia, and she offered this perspective: “Regardless of whether or not I felt grade in-flation throughout my career in high school, I would say that col-lege is a different ball game from high school. The courses are more difficult, and the professors have higher expectations … Opportu-nities for extra credit, test correc-tions, and make-up assignments are rare, unlike in high school. But a challenge is necessary.”

SOURCES: LCPS SCHOOL PROFILES, WASHINGTON POST

from page 1

Initially, I was concerned the centerspread would be too text-heavy. However, thanks to the inclusion of info-graphics and pull-out quotes dispersed throughout the spread, the text did not prove overwhelming. In particular, the “Day in the Life” graphic clearly stated our theme while adding another color element.

Explanation

20

DESIGN / CENTERSPREAD

How High Are Your Grades?

knowledge and performance in a class.” Vasquez had similar expe-riences with grade inflation and concluded, “Some may call it an incentive, but if you care about your education and learning any type of material, you shouldn’t need an incentive.” Another way of looking at the level of grade inflation in Loudoun County is through school profiles, which show GPA distribution. While these num-bers are not wholly indicative of grade inflation, they do provide a general idea of how many stu-dents have “above average” (B- and up) GPAs. At Tuscarora, 27% of the class of 2013 had GPAs in the A-range (3.7-4.3+), while 72% had GPAs in the A or B range (2.7-4.3+). The highest percentage of A’s is found at Briar Woods High School, where 50% of seniors had A-range GPAs, while the low-est is found at Park View, where 18% had A-range GPAs. Colleen Heberle, senior, describes the upward trend by saying, “When C is supposedly the benchmark for ‘average,’ this many of our stu-dents shouldn’t have above a 4.0 …The ‘average student’ no longer has a C average.” If grade inflation is indeed pres-ent in Loudoun County, what causes it? According to senior Elishama Michel, “The under-lying cause stems from the inner triangle encompassing parents, students, and teachers, where the pressure to do well is at its great-est.” One of the teachers surveyed said, “The pressure from parents is fierce! They demand late work to be counted, even 10+ weeks late, and they attempt to negoti-ate the grades. There is a lack of

work ethic that is astounding … These students feel entitled to A’s, yet they haven’t put forth A-level work.” A 2003 CBS article enti-tled “High school grades hit by inflation” offered another cause, saying, “Grade inflation has been increasing because of all the pres-sure on teachers from students and parents to help them become more competitive for college.” While grade in-flation is largely seen as a prob-lem (One teacher said, “It is going to be a slap in the face when stu-dents have to work, meet dead-lines, study on demand and not at their ‘own pace.’ Their self-esteem will be destroyed when they real-ize they are average or below aver-age.”), seniors Georgia Underhill and Heberle both see its positive side. Underhill said, “There’s nothing wrong with grade infla-tion because we live in a really, really competitive area, and if it’s going to help us get good grades and into a good college, why not?” Heberle added, “If Loudoun County works to ban inflation in our one county the students will suffer with admissions to college. All counties in the U.S. have grade inflation. If our one county decid-ed to start grading realistically …

we won’t receive a second look.” On the whole, however, most individuals, particularly teach-ers, thought the consequences of grade inflation far outweighed the positives. Tim Strykiewicz, senior, said, “It makes a student feel like they’re a lot smarter when they have high grades and high GPA even though that doesn’t re-flect intelligence at all because it’s a bunch of busy work.” In general, students and teachers both stated that LCPS students are not pre-

pared for col-lege anymore; one teacher e x p l a i n e d , “ [Students ] have stopped learning how to learn, how to explore, how to prob-lem solve … because they are just chas-ing points to raise grades. It has little to do with actually being educat-ed anymore. Then they get to college,

without all the support from high school, and they flounder.” College (and not just any col-lege, but some of the top ranked nationwide) is the main goal for many high achieving students in Loudoun County. Some stu-dents believe they are prepared for college because they excelled in high school, but if grade in-flation is indeed present, many are not as ready as they believe. One Tuscarora teacher shared, “I hear, consistently, from returning seniors/graduates that they are not prepared for college and they

struggle.” Ms. Catherine Staley, an adjunct English professor at Marshall University, reinforced this idea. “I definitely see negative ef-fects of grade inflation,” Profes-sor Staley said. “It seems to me that students don’t always take assignments seriously because they assume they’ll receive at least a C, and even if they re-ceive a D, they’ll pass.” This may be the case in high school, but as Professor Staley explained, policies differ greatly in college. Assignments are often weighted, meaning students cannot do the “bare minimum” homework and still earn high grades, and many instructors do not allow students to make up work at the end of the semester. However, despite these differences, the professor empha-sized that succeeding in college can be simple if students take advantage of the opportunities af-forded to them. These can include Writing Centers and tutoring, but most important is communica-tion. “Professors can certainly be intimidating, but I have the utmost respect for students who show their dedication to the class by coming to see me, and I will go out of my way to help,” Professor Staley concluded. Anna Cho, class of 2013, is cur-rently a first year at the Univer-sity of Virginia, and she offered this perspective: “Regardless of whether or not I felt grade in-flation throughout my career in high school, I would say that col-lege is a different ball game from high school. The courses are more difficult, and the professors have higher expectations … Opportu-nities for extra credit, test correc-tions, and make-up assignments are rare, unlike in high school. But a challenge is necessary.”

SOURCES: LCPS SCHOOL PROFILES, WASHINGTON POST

from page 1

SOURCES: LCPS SCHOOL PROFILES, WASHINGTON POST

info

gr

aPhic by M

eilan so

lly

In middle school, students gen-erally didn’t carry backpacks from class to class, and because of this, schedules were centered around lockers. When would it be best to drop off books? What books were needed for the next class? In high school, all but the occasional few carry their backpacks to every class. “I carry my backpack to every class because I don’t have enough time to go to my locker, and I like having all my stuff with me,” said sophomore Sydney Haddon. This leads us to the real ques-tion: Do students even need their lockers anymore?

One survey of 85 students showed that only 13% use their lockers, and 14% use them occa-sionally. “On A days when I have a lot of books, I have a place to put them,” said sophomore Sa-rina Hoskins. Others, like f r e s h m a n Maddie Dob-scha, said, “I like to use my locker to hold my coat.” On the flip side, 73% of the 85 students surveyed don’t even use their lockers; 33% claim their lockers are “inconvenient” or “out

of the way.” “[My locker is] too far away. It’s easier to carry [everything] in my backpack,” said sophomore Jessi Adler. “[My locker] is in

the worst spot possible. I nev-er go in that hallway!” add-ed sophomore Erin Gladish. This seems to be the case for many stu-dents who are trying to get from class to

class on time; if they don’t even go into that hallway, it might just be easier to carry all their books with them.

In addition, some students, like sophomore Trevor Hutchin-son, would use their locker, but they find it “just too small.” For those students carrying bags from off-season conditioning, the lock-ers may not be large enough to hold all that gear. So, what can the school do to improve this low locker usage turn-out? Senior Caroline Hayden thought students should be able to choose their lockers on a “first come, first serve” basis. Sopho-more Madison Borgel suggest-ed, “Assign ones closer to the scheduled classes,” while senior Andrew Lee said, “Make them bigger.”

My Backpack Never Bothered Me Anyway:

By MADELINE SWANKSTAFF WRITER

Why Tuscarora Students are Letting Go of Their Lockers

What weighs 20 pounds? Well, lots of things—a young toddler, a tire, certain cats and small dogs, 2 gallons of water, four textbooks…and surprisingly enough, a high school backpack. A study conducted by Con-sumer Reports magazine in 2009 showed that some NYC students were carrying backpacks weigh-ing an average of 18.4 pounds by the 6th grade. Five years later, this figure is sure to have worsened, what with curriculums becoming more strenuous each year and a stronger course load as a student gets older. By senior year, it’s not so hard to ascertain the reason for slumped backs and slouched shoulders. Evidence of this can be seen in Tuscarora students as well, with 69% out of 42 surveyed finding themselves in physical pain as a result of carrying their backpack, and 21% determining this pain to be sometimes severe. “Even when [the backpack is] off, it still hurts,” said senior Han-nah Smith, who can carry her bag “maybe about fifteen or twenty minutes” before it begins to both-er her. “My back is constantly in pain,” she said. What’s truly disturbing is that while experts suggest backpacks should weigh about 10% of a stu-

dent’s body weight, most exceed that. In fact, of 22 randomly se-lected Tuscarora students, 45% had a backpack that exceeded 15 pounds, the highest being almost 24 lbs. For most teenagers weigh-ing close to the national average (about 138 pounds for girls and 166 pounds for boys, accord-ing to the Anthropometric Data Reference for the U.S.), a 20 lb backpack is about 12-14% of their body weight, which is not taking into account an individual teen-ager’s height, strength, or health conditions, which can also affect back health. Beyond that, it matters how the student is carrying the backpack, and for how long. It goes without saying that you’re causing more problems for your back by carry-ing your bag only on one shoul-der, but carrying the full weight of the backpack all day, every day, has potential to cause long-lasting damage as well. The most obvious and imme-diate result is back pain, but the symptoms don’t stop there. “Fa-tigue, numbness, a tingling in the arms, pain in the low back, and muscle cramping. Those are the indicators early on that you’re consistently carrying too much weight,” said school nurse Ms. Catherine Lunsford. A more serious, gradual result of carrying a heavy backpack is bad posture. Often a position

contributing to bad posture is for-ward head posture (FHP), when one’s head is pushed out instead of aligned with the neck, and can cause the entire spine to be out of alignment. In worse cases, FHP can lead to early arthritis, but for most, it strains the neck muscles and pinches nerves, according to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter and other spinal research stud-ies. The main issue is that heavy weight leads to a deterioration of spine health, which is the last part of your body you want to abuse during youth. “The back is the trunk of tree of the body,” said Nurse Lunsford. “If you have issues with your back, you have issues with your legs, your shoulders, your knees…it can go up to your neck. Basical-ly it’s the nervous system for the body. So there’s a potential to damage other systems as a result of not taking care of your back.” If carrying a heavy backpack all day is so destructive to the stu-dent’s body, and most students are carrying bags that exceed the recommended weight, what can be done to prevent spinal injuries and back pain? The most simple solution: Use your locker. “We find that at locker clean-out at the end of the year, [some students] never once used their locker. That means that they’re carrying everything around

with them every day,” said Nurse Lunsford. It seems that the mi-nority of students frequently use their locker—of 42 surveyed, 67% of students have yet to use their locker this year. Sophomore Alyanna Torres is one of the many who chooses not to use her locker due to its incon-venient location in relation to her classes. “If it was in a better place, I would use it, she said. Other stu-dents feel that if there was more time between classes, they would be able to use their locker and still get to class on time. There are other options, though. Students have a plethora of ideas, from simply just carrying less,to having extra copies of textbooks in classrooms or more techno-logically savvy resolutions, like more online work and textbooks on tablets. “I think it’s up to the student,” said Smith. “I think the teachers and the staff can help, by allowing us to keep certain supplies in the classroom. But ultimately it’s up to the student’s management.” When you’re young you hardly think about what you do today and how it will affect you as an adult. The fact of the matter is, however, that negligence of the bodies’ signals now can very well come back to bite you in the fu-ture. If the students’ backs are in pain during their youth -- well, they aren’t getting any younger.

Weight of the World: By DANIELLE MATTAASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

What’s Causing the Slump in Students’ Shoulders?

infograPhics by anna shaw

21

DESIGN / CENTERSPREAD

Our first in-depth centerspread focused on one graphic ele-ment: the Twitter bird, which I created using Tagxedo.com. After adding “By the Numbers” sidebars and several infograph-ics, the spread was able to stay eye-catching yet informative.

Explanation

For my second centerspread, I decid-ed to create a timeline on one side and feature four unique seniors on the other side. This was my first experi-ment with cut-outs, but it was success-ful, especially thanks to the inclusion of a washed out background to elimi-nate white space.

Explanation

This was the first centerspread I completed, and it turned out well for a first try. The spread offered essential quotes, facts, and photos, and maintained a strong balance overall.

Explanation22

This special holiday sec-tion was full of graphic e l e m e n t s , which were b a l a n c e d well against the text, but it still managed to remain in-formative. The grey box around the bottom right article is a change I instituted last year in an effort to d e c r e a s e the amount of lines throughout the paper.

DESIGN / SPECIAL

4

After an a d v e r t i s e r dropped out at the last minute, we were left to fill an entire page. Since I had prior ex-perience with photo stories, I volunteered to create this one. Instead of placing cap-tions under each photo, I opted to place all of them on the side and let the photos stand inde-pendently.

24

This list of where seniors planned on attending college succeeded both de-sign-wise and con-tent-wise. By writing the names of col-leges in their school colors, I made an otherwise endless list eye-catching.

ANDERSONHannah Unis

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Liam Marshall-BrownBLUEFIELD

Darrius AndersonBOSTON

CONSERVATORYLauren ChoinskiBRIDGEWATER

Megan Ford BYU IDAHO

Christina BarbiniChristopher Guerrero

Robert McGannTatiana PetersonChapman Tagg

BYU UTAHShelby Anderson

Catherine JohnsonCAMPBELL

Jorden SchrederCATHOLIC

UNIVERSITYKimberly Devilla

CCBCMarisa LalputanCHRISTOPHER

NEWPORTKatie BilligmeierMichael Chismar

Stephanie CondenzioAndrew DavidsonCaroline LinaneDagney Palmer

Elizabeth SamiosJordan StuartCLEMSON

Gentry BowenMartha Bowen

CULINARY INSTITUTE OF ART

Toriano DavisRyne Petry

DICKINSONZacharai Benalayat

EASTERN KENTUCKY Ryan BoehretAnna WhiteECKERD

Kristina ParcelliEMORY AND HENRY

Hayley NixonFERRUM

Ryan AbbateFRANCISCAN

UNIVERSITY OF STEUBENVILLECathleen KnappFRONT RANGECora ChampeauFROSTBURGNicole Picone

GARDNER-WEBBCaroline Abbott

GEORGE MASONAbdullahrahman Elqadri

Ethan GiarmonaLorien Kostka

Joseph MurdockMichelle Sok

Shivam Vachhani

GERMANNAJoann SchoonmakerGREEN MOUNTAINBrittany McCullock

HAMPTONJustin Aird

INDIANA at BLOOMINGTON

Maria Latimer IUPUI

Benjamin OgedegbeJAMES MADISON

Madeline BessaJannen Hermann

Ely KaplanMichael Love

Emily MaltmanMichael MarquisRene MarroquinNicholas Rodney

Jacob SingerIan Spence

Jordan StevensRosemary Williams

LIBERTY Sarah Keller

Jessica Metello LONGWOODMarisa AktugMolly DaileyNick KeithleyMartha FullerEmily Rossie

LSUJacqueline McKenna

LYNCHBURGMelissa Brooks

MARSHALLJaqueline KuzmaMERCERSBURG

Max SchaufeldMEREDITHCara Dudley

MTSUMichael PriceMILLARVILLETurner Orndoff

MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE

Vineetha ThekkelNASSAU

Brandon ChirinosNOVA

Joshua AlcornKaipo Allen

Soraya BeltranDaniel Berman

Hannah BilligmeierNakiera BlaylockJayson Bollinger

Justin BostonBenjamin BowenIsis Calix Rosales

Cara CapitanJoey CastilloErika Castro

Jose Castro AbarcaAnna CheplickKelsey ChesserAdam Chubbuck

Brittni CiburkGrace Cole

Henry Crespin Ryan Dennis

Judith EcheverriaTakiea EdmondsAbdullah ElqadriKristin EmersonNeville Farooq

Lindsey FinkenbinderIzabelle Fleeman

Nathaly FloresAusten Fognano

Daniel FriendVictor Gaetan

Veronica GonzalezTyler Garling

Armando GarzonEric Grimm

Rachel GrossRachel Guntner

Michael HallGrant Haney

Shane HarrisonLaura HerreraCiara Jenkins

Breona JohnsonLauren Kaplan

Jordan KirkNicholas Lee

Ricardo LozadaJeanna Mazaris

Timothy McWilliamsDylan MerhautAnna MonteroFranco NavarroJhavi Neumann

Tyler NordEmmanual OkekeMary-ann OkekeCourtney Paige

Marcus Paul Kaitlyn PisciottaSophia Plekavich

Forest PrestonIndolfo Quintero

LIndsey ReidMatthew Radcliff

Ghazi RizviMitchell RussellHannah Sandru

Michelle ShebestJuan Sierra-Garcia

Starr SimmonsJagjit Singh

Christian SosaHasan TariqTala Tawil

Danielle ThorntonDarrian ThorntonJessica Thornton

Brianny ToresEmily Vasquez

Caitlynn WalkerJaclyn Wilson

Louis WortmanAmar Zahed

Valeria ZavallosNYU

Daniel SedlazekOKLAHOMA STATE

Samuel RumpPENN STATE

Katherine ClippingerKristen Lewkovich

Ryan WilsonOLD DOMINIONElizabeth Darley

Stanley Ho

PRINCETONJuliana Jackson

RADFORD Stephanie Acup

Jalynn BestSean BrazelOlivia Cross

Nicholas DufresneKyle O’Connor Angela Reed

Paige SkinnerCourtney Young

RICHARD STOCKTONAllyson Kuhn

SAN DIEGO STATECassidy McKenzie

SARAH LAWRENCECaely McHaleSHEPHERD

Katryna HauckMyron Hernandez

Andre RorieAron Swanson

Jamie VanWagonerSteven Welti

ST. ANDREWSKatarina Rebello

ST. FRANCIS Adrien Stinger

ST. JOHNSKulsum Dhirani

ST. LOUISMiles Davis

THOMAS NELSONLauren Lucas

UNC GREENSBOROMargarent Von Wodtke

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONASun Kim

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINATTI

Denzel RiversUNIVERSITY OF

MASSACHUSETTSOnslo Parker

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKAHanna Lacy

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

Mark DunnUNIVERSITY OF

PORTLANDPeter Sotos

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND

Carolina AnayaUNIVERSITY OF

TAMPAMichael Richardson

UVAFayez Atari

Bella BlancoAnna Cho

Sarah HiladoNick Irvine

Joseph KreiterPreston PhillipsDylan Saunders

USIUKatelynn Skaggs

VCUChristian Abbate

Kabir AnandJohn CoatesTyler Demoss

Dominic GavanHunter Harris

Madelaine HernandezSara Kidane

Aneeta MahfoozYuna MiyamotoMarcus MomonDiego OrbegosoVIRGINIA TECH

Ian AndersonSury Avasarala

Jennifer CartwrightKatheryn Caldwell

Jackson DancyForrest DossEmma HaleAustin Jones

Daniel KavenaughMatthew Keyser

Adam KightJenny Klug

Meghan KolcumEric Maestri

Nicholas McCordDerek McGeeWilliam PattonShirley PaysonCasey PearsonConnor Perkins

Daniel RubinRyan Sasscer

Lauren SherrodAlexa Urgel

Alexis VaughnVIRGINIA

WESLEYANLauren Aktug

Annie HartmanWVU

Idalia AndersonMary Donovan

Victoria HarshmanNicole JonesDarby Smith

WILLIAM & MARYSana Amado

Laura AndrewsWill AvdellasDevon CarterAndrew Corso

Logan FeierbachNathan HuetMikhaila Ritz

Kristian WelchLouis Wertz III

Chanelle WidemanAIR FORCEKevin Nerio

Kyle WisniewskiARMY

Wyatt DunsethMatthew PratherJoshua Williams

MARINESEric CastroKyle Eble

Brandon HowsareWarren Miles

NAVYTyler Deleeuw

After graduation on June 9th, the class of 2016 will follow various paths. Some newly inaugurated alumni will join the military; others will pursue careers. The majority of graduating seniors, however, will attend

colleges located anywhere from Scotland to their home state of Virginia.

275 of 341 seniors are listed here, including those going into the military. This list was compiled by The Husky Headline staff and may not be 100% correct. Thank you to everyone who helped create this list of seniors: Megan Ford, Meghan KolcuM, Meilan Solly, Mr. Barr, MrS. BeneduM, Mr. Blair, MS. Burnett, Mr. newKirK, and MS. VocKe.

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY / PEP RALLIES

Explanation

26

Varsity cheerleader Eli Reid performs a flip at the fall homecoming pep rally.

Trying new things has become a recurring theme in my senior year. In previous years, I preferred to focus on writing rather than photography. After covering the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, however, I realized how much I actually enjoyed photography.

My favorite events to photograph are pep rallies, as they offer limitless opportuni-ties for photos which capture everything from emotion to action.

PHOTOGRAPHY / PEP RALLIES27

Students react ecstatically as head football coach Mr. Mike Burnett wins the “Oreo Challenge” during the homecoming pep rally.

The varsity football team rushes into the gymna-sium at the start of the homecoming pep rally.

PHOTOGRAPHY / PEP RALLIES28

A member of the step team waits for her cue during the homecoming pep rally.

Step team members pause during their winter pep

rally performance.

PHOTOGRAPHY / POETRY OUT LOUD29

School-wide Poet-ry Out Loud winner James Smith per-forms “Ode” by Arthur O’Shaughnessy.

Poetry Out Loud con-testant Catherine Early performs “April Morn-ing” by Arthur Symons.

30 PHOTOGRAPHY / MISCELLANEOUS

Mr. Gene Policinski, COO of the Newseum, introduces astronaut Dr. Thomas Marshburn at a Newseum presen-tation on July 17th.

Members of the senior class prepare to com-pete against the juniors in a tug-of-war contest at the winter pep rally.

MULTIMEDIA/OPEN

31 MULTIMEDIA / PHOTOSHOP

ExplanationAside from features, infographics have always been one of my strongest areas. In my first year on the staff, I used basic software such as GIMP to create my info-graphics, but in years since I have become proficient in Photoshop.

The above infographic, created for an article on changes in my county’s English curriculum, utilized a bright color palette; it also included shapes created by tracing clip art with the pen tool and adding gradients/drop shadows.

32 MULTIMEDIA / PHOTOSHOP

Explanation

ExplanationI created this infographic to accompany a feature on cheating. By including a chalkboard/brain as the background and the silhouette of a student as the dominant ele-ment, I offered a slightly insidious but effective look inside the mind of a cheater.

This “By the Numbers” infograph-ic, created for my in-depth piece on grade inflation, was simpler than infographics I had done in the past. However, thanks to bright colors and balanced ele-ments, it remained eye-catching and informative.

MULTIMEDIA / PHOTOSHOP33

ExplanationI write a “Top 10” column focusing on topics which are relevant to high school-ers, such as tips for academic achievement and top movies about high school. To create this infographic, made for a list of top books every high school student should read, I found images of each book’s main character and traced them us-ing the pen tool. I then added color overlays, gradients, and shadows to add a sense of depth.

34 MULTIMEDIA / PHOTOSHOP

Explanation

Explanation

As part of a series on the evolution of teens from the 1950s to today, I created this infographic highlighting fashion through the ages. I dressed up paper dolls online, then copied them onto a black background.

Before my “Top 10...” column, I had a col-umn called “Five Ways to Change the World.” Biweekly, I offered 5 tips, mainly with an environ-mental focus, in a simple format designed to look like Post-It note remind-ers.

MULTIMEDIA / PRODUCT MARKETING35

Explanation

Explanation

I often create promotional ads for the paper, including everything from Twitter/Facebook AVIs to social media banners. I use a common background/font in order to maintain continuity.

This was the first ad I designed for pub-lication. The client sent me examples of previous ads and requested I include a photo of their product and awards they had won previously. In order to fulfill these requests, I made the hamburger photo into a faded out background while strongly featuring the awards.

35 OPEN / LOCAL EXPERIENCE

ExplanationThe above article, which I co-wrote with another editor, discussed landscaping projects at my school. On January 8th, 2014, it was published in my local paper, giving me my first professional byline.