ScribblerThe Student Newspaper of the Holton-Arms School Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Vol. 51, No. 1

Ten Students Explore“Science Outside the Classroom”

By IsaBel CaBezas

ContInued Henrietta page 3

Students Take Initiative for the Upcoming School Year

By noorI srIvastava

This summer ten seniors par-ticipated in the Science Research Program. Alexandra Berthiaume, Grace Ann Brew, Alexandra Mar-tin, Jenni Jung, Alex Bohannon, Yassaman Erfani, Aisha Khan, Mary Mutryn, Saachi Nangia, and Tiffany Onyejiaka paired up with mentors to work for six to eight weeks on projects ranging from the study of dengue fever to building a link between Biol-ogy and Electronics.

The program was inspired by former Head of School Diana Beebee. “[Beebee] recognized the importance of experiential science learning and sought to capitalize on the vast number of science resources in the metro DC area,” explained Cheryl Han-sen, the program’s coordinator.

Since 2006, interested ris-ing seniors have researched and experimented with a variety of topics relating to Biology and technology at institutions such as Children’s National Medical Center, Georgetown University,

Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and University of Maryland.

Berthiaume worked at Dr. T. John Wu’s lab at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUH), where she re-searched the effect of mild trau-matic brain injury on the release of tau.

Tau is “a protein that has been associated with the type of neu-ronal damage seen in Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenera-tive diseases,” Berthiaume said. To conduct her experiment, she used a procedure called immunohisto-chemistry.

Every Holton girl readies herself for the coming school year by polishing her uniform, buying textbooks, and often cramming in last minute sum-mer reading. Some students, however, took on extra prepara-tions for the school year to get a head start on long projects or to freshen up old skills.

In anticipation of HA-MUN, the middle school Model UN meet, members of Upper School’s Model UN wrote back-ground guides, short papers that summarize the importance of debate. Alexandra Berthiuame ‘13, chair of the World Health Organization, explained that the summaries will “guide the middle-school delegates when they’re researching in prepara-tion for the meet.”

Members of Scribe also be-gan work on the yearbook at a three-day camp that Jostens, the book’s publisher, sponsors. Sar-ah Lossing ’13, one of the Chief

Editors, said that the six attendees and advisor Alexandra van Bever “listen[ed] to powerpoints on how to create and design yearbooks or [began] work on Scribe 2013.”

In response to the popularity of last year’s Music Theory Boot Camp, Mary Jane Pagenstecher, di-rector of Fine & Performing Arts, ran two sessions of both basic and advanced theory classes in the Music Tech lab. Pagenstecher cre-ated the camp because “there are many students who would like to study basic music theory, but their schedules do not allow them to take Music Major as a sixth ma-

jor during the school year.” Pa-genstecher believes girls benefit from the class because “students who understand some basic mu-sic theory feel like they can con-tribute to the rehearsal process with more confidence and at a deeper level,...get more out of the rehearsal process, and are able to provide more leadership for the students around them.”

Though many girls come in August for pre-season, some also come to brush up on their read-ing, writing, and math skills for

ContInued PreParations page 3

Berthiaume noted, “One of the biggest lessons I learned was...to write everything down. When one tiny mistake can mess up a whole sample set, you never want to trust your memory to remember the protocol.”

Brew worked in USUH as well, in the Department of Microbiol-ogy and Immunology. She used the disk diffusion method to find patterns of antibiotic resistance in different strains of Helicobacter pylori, a carcinogenic bacterium.

Brew said, “I plated the bac-teria [and] then placed small disks that had been soaked in 10 mi-croliters of the antibiotic onto

the plate. If the bacterium was resistant to the antibiotic, then the bacteria would grow right up to the edge of the disk. If it was susceptible to the antibiotic, then there would be clearing around the disk, also known as the zone of inhibition.” She also learned to run a process known as gel electrophoresis and a Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Martin’s lab focused on the bio-fabrication of a Bio-based redox capacitor in order to bridge the communication between Biology and Electronics. She worked with mentors at the Bio-engineering lab in the Plant Sci-ences building of the University of Maryland.

“I researched electrodeposi-tion, the grafting of chlorogenic acid to chitosan, and ultimately learned a lot about what daily life in a lab is like,” stated Martin.

She then formally presented her findings to other members of her lab group, a task that “gave [her] the chance to see how much

[she] had learned over the course of the summer.”

Jung also worked at the Uni-versity of Maryland, in the Fisch-ell Bioengineering Department, where she focused on paper chromatography.

Jung explained, “I used a regular inkjet printer to print silver nanoparticles onto cellu-lose paper and spotted four dyes onto the paper (Rhodamine 590, Brilliant Blue R, Methylene Blue, and Cresyl Violet Acetate). Then I ran the paper chromatography in 70% methanol to look for separation of the dyes and used a spectrometer to detect the signals of the dyes.”

Though the work was in-tense, the scientists thoroughly enjoyed their experiences. Brew recalled, “I loved… seeing what it’s like to work with science out-side of the classroom. Working in a lab is something I am con-sidering as a career, so I am glad I had this opportunity to get the experience.”

photo Courtesy alexandra MartIn

By susannah Bane

This past summer, The Immor-tal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the re-quired upper school reading, cap-tured the minds of students by delving into numerous thought-provoking issues.

The book examines the fragile relationships between sci-ence, ethics, and human rights while exploring the racism and prejudice that haunted America in the mid-1900’s. In 1951, Hen-rietta Lacks’ cancerous cervix cells were removed and used for research for decades after her death. Lacks’ cells, named HeLa cells, became the subject of countless research projects while her family remained uninformed.

In 2006 upper school stu-dents and faculty read the first community-wide book, The Kite Runner. Though requiring books for the entire upper school was “something that everybody had liked the idea of,” Head of Up-per School Lisa Pence explained that the administration had been unable to find a book in recent years. Pence read this non-fiction work, however, and wanted to

share it with the Holton commu-nity. Henrietta Lacks is more than just a non-fiction read as it inves-tigates information about doc-tors and scientists while allowing readers to know and understand the characters.

The novel also examines the impact of socio-economic sta-tus and skin color on American citizens in the mid 1900’s. Pence found it fascinating how the lifestyles of the characters “cre-ated the ethical situations and made them all the more painful to deal with and understand.” Lacks’ cells were critical to the research of polio vaccinations, cancer, and other projects. The book delivers both the scientific

Summer Reading Ties Community

Martin became close with other lab members during her internship.

The front cover includes the infamous hands-on-hips picture of Lacks.

photo Courtesy google

The middle school students setting up their lockers at orientation display one of the many student prepara-tions before school begins.

photo Courtesy angelIna dIpaolo

photo Courtesy alexandra MartIn

Scribbler2 September 4, 2012

Editor-in-Chief......Angelina DiPaolo

Managing Editors ...... Zahra Husain Saachi Nangia

Layout Editors .......Susannah Bane Lindsay Cayne

News Editor.................Hailey Cayne Assistant News.......Noori Srivastava

Spread Editors...Allie Greenberg & Jennifer Guo

Features Editor.....Tiffany Onyejiaka Asst. Features......Anya Lilaoonwala

Sports Editor.................Leila Anduze

A&E Editor.............Cheyenne CooteAssistant A&E........Noori Srivastava

Copy Editor................Isabel CabezasPhotography Editor.....Saachi NangiaCartoonist..................... Delancy Wu

Advisor.........................Maggie Spak

Flashback to May: Sum-mer is banging on the door and school is (finally) winding down. The only obstacle to summer re-maining is exams. No biggie.

During the final days of school, teachers have assigned summer homework. The phrase itself is alien. Summer: a time for rest, relaxation, vacationing and….work? Impossible!

After several minutes of complaining, we quickly file away the workbooks and instructions with a promise that we will com-plete them at a much later date – when we are tanner. And the next two-and-half months whiz by in a blissful summer haze. We go on global education trips and explore the world; we hang

out with friends without thinking twice about the occasion being “a school night;” we go to the beaches and unwind; we develop a unique schedule in which early morning is 10 AM.

That summer work is long-forgotten; indeed the entire con-cept of school is an ancient and unearthed fossil.

The fact is that there are 365 days in a year. Only 180 are actu-al school days, including parent-teacher conference days and late openings. Summer break is about three months. In other words, our break is half of a school year. Essentially, summer vacation is enough time to unlearn every-thing we have learned for the past 180 days.

And unlearn it, we do. Per-sonally, I forget everything. For example, the other day, I tried to calculate the amount of money I had saved on the No Tax Days in Maryland, when I realized that I couldn’t even recall what 6% meant! Every school year, I find myself remembering how to hold a pencil, open my locker, and, of course, use those study tactics that worked well last year.

But, the beauty of summer homework is that we can’t un-learn! Summer homework – that stuff that was filed away months ago – is a miracle when it comes to retaining facts and skills for the school year.

Its powers work in two ways: (1) the work is completed

Summer Homework’s Hidden BenefitsOPINIONS

throughout the summer (a page a day is all it takes to keep the cobwebs away) or (2) the work is done in the final weeks of summer (it clears those cob-webs and paves the way for a smoother 180 days). The point is that we keep our brains in shape. It is a way to prepare for the grueling, tolling Olym-pic event that is the school year.

Truthfully, the summer work Holton teachers give us is nothing compared to the “for-ty-five minute” daily assign-ments we receive during the school year. We need the review – if only to be able to calculate sales taxes! Summer homework is not meant for complaints but rather for thanks.

2000, 2004, 2007 Gold Medalist, C.S.P.A.2001, 2002, 2003, 2009 Silver Medalist, C.S.P.A.The Holton-Arms School7303 River RoadBethesda, MD 20817301.365.5300

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The Scribbler welcomes letters, which should be e-mailed to the Editor-in-Chief atAngelina.DiPaolo.2013@holton-arms.edu

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It’s Time for a “Creativity Comeback”Cleaning out my closet a

few weeks ago, I came across a plethora of old, Holton t-shirts. Last time the school underwent construction, students received “I Dig Holton-Arms” shirts. In my lower school days, Spirit Week field day also merited its own shirt.

Now, getting ready to gradu-ate in a few months, I realize how old all of my Holton t-shirts have become. The relatively new t-shirt rule prevents the printing of t-shirts for most clubs and special events. Sports teams get shirts but only in specific colors

with a giant Holton “H” on the front, a rather unattractive look.

While I don’t think that we need shirts for every class we take or every assembly we attend, the ban on t-shirts for special occa-sions dampens school spirit.

Currently, aside from sports shirts, upper school students only get t-shirts at the end of their ju-nior year and twice during their senior year. The scarcity of op-portunities for t-shirts causes dra-matic battle among classmates. I kid you not; it is a war of words. Things can get vicious as every-one wants to contribute to the

design, even at the cost of oth-ers’ ideas. The clash makes sense; the times for shirts are few and far between. If we can only get a couple shirts, we want them to be perfect.

A t-shirt is a concrete mem-ory. There could be a shirt for Lip Sync so that all participants could keep a token of their hard work and performances. A shirt also unites the entire Upper, and in this case, Middle School. The same is true for Blue/White day. Years ago, a new design came around each year for students of all grades to purchase.

I understand the logic be-hind trying to eradicate the “hidden cost of Holton,” but the quota on t-shirts doesn’t re-ally help reduce it. There are nu-merous Holton goods—water bottles, sweatshirts, pinnies—to buy, but those items are imper-sonal.

T-shirts, designed by stu-dents, add flair, heighten school spirit, and provide a sense of pride and camaraderie to all the students. Any student could submit a t-shirt design for a spe-cial event, and the entire student body could vote. The involve-

ment throughout the process would generate excitement, and the final product would ensure lasting unity.

An increased frequency of shirts would allow students to pick and choose which keep-sakes they want to purchase. As seniors know, not everyone will love every design. With more t-shirts to buy, students will get greater choice with which articles of clothing they want.

T-shirts stand for school spirit, unity, and pride. It’s time for the rule to go, and for the creativity to make a comeback.

3NEWSSeptember 4, 2012

Twelve new faculty members join Holton for the 2012-2013 school year. All three divisions will see new faces in classrooms.

In Lower School, Claudia Chadwick Langbehn and Valeria Hornung Iglesias join as world language teachers. Langbehn, a French and Spanish teacher, grew up learning both languages in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is excited to “start this new experience at Holton with lots of enthusiasm…[and] learn with and from [her] students.”

Iglesias, who teaches Span-ish, seeks to instill in her students a sense of the context surround-ing a new language. As Iglesias explained, “Each new word learned by the students is accom-panied by…the culture and the idiosyncrasy that came with that language.” She has been a teach-er at the local Argentine School and is eager to combine “all [her] experience and passion for teach-ing” while at Holton.

Carol Baker, the new general and choral music teacher, will be teaching Lower Schoolers the

basics. “I just moved here from rural Vermont, where I lived on a small farm,” described Baker. As a newcomer to the Holton community, she looks forward to both the “wonderful people and programs at Holton-Arms” and to “discovering all that this area has to offer.”

The middle and upper school Math Department welcomes three new teachers: Art DeJohn, Stephanie Hedges, and Kate Mitchell.

DeJohn will teach Algebra 2/Trigonometry and regular and honors Geometry. He previously taught math and science at The Maret School and Sandy Springs

Friends School. He comes to Holton “convinced that [it will] provide an excellent learning community and an enjoyable place to teach.”

Hedges joins the community from the Greenwich Academy. She will teach Algebra 2, Alge-bra 2 Honors, and Precalculus. She particularly enjoys how “so much of math is a puzzle wait-ing to be figured out, and when you do figure it out, it all makes sense!”

Mitchell, who started in the spring, will teach eighth grade Algebra and ninth grade Geom-etry. She described her job as “the best job in the world.” Spe-

By JennIfer guo and saaChI nangIa

New Faculty and Staff Members Add to Flavor of Multiple Departmentscifically, she loves to “help girls feel empowered and confident through math.”

Rachel Lowenthal and Julia Walthall are the newest mem-bers of the science department.

Lowenthal, a Bethesda na-tive, will teach a section of Bi-ology and coach field hockey. One can expect her to relate “everything from the compo-nents of a human body to the growth of a pine tree.” She is also “so pumped for a great field hockey season.”

Walthall will lead middle school science classes. She exclaimed that “science is awe-some! It’s how we understand the world and ourselves.”

Additionally, Mark Rob-inson will come in as the new technical director, theater man-ager, and theater technology teacher. Robinson, a profes-sional actor, has taught for several years. Robinson is pas-sionate about the creative com-munity and asserted, “Helping to inspire more people to join that creative community is one of the most rewarding things in

the world.” He looks forward to connecting with the Holton community and “putting on some fantastic performances!”

Mary Dobroth joins Holton as the academic technology Co-ordinator, a role in which she “help[s] teachers and students use technology more effective-ly” and finds “new and innova-tive ways to enhance education.” She will also teach one section of Introduction to Engineering. After four years of teaching in Maryland and Virginia public schools, she admitted, “I’m so excited to teach in an all girls’ environment.”

In addition, Audrey McLaughlin joins Holton as the aquatics director. She will teach both swimming and lifeguard-ing, and she loves that swim-ming “is a life-long skill that promotes fitness, survival, and comeptition.”

Adriane Anderson will be the new administrative assistant. Anderson said, “I look forward to discovering the wealth of personality within the students at Holton-Arms!”

photos Courtesy holton-arMs

facts and the family accounts that leave readers with questions of “what if ?”

For junior Maya Sorini, “the story was really thought-pro-voking.” She thought that “the investigation of so many heated issues in the novel made it most interesting.”

Senior Alexandra Martin said, “Despite the fact that the book was a non-fiction read, I couldn't put it down. The lives of the Lacks family members were incredibly interesting.”

The book also received some criticism. English Department Chair Ellen Case noted that chronologically the book can be difficult to follow. Junior Kate Young “didn’t like how the au-thor inserted herself into the story and would have preferred if the stories had just been told in the third person.”

Pence plans to have several discussions of the book. One F Day will be comprised of a Lacks documentary and small group discussions led by student leaders. Pence is also working to facilitate inter-school discussion. Landon and Holton students will watch documentaries together while discussing the novel.

Pence finds most satisfying “the idea that everybody had this shared experience over the sum-mer...[since] it’s a compelling sto-ry and it’s true.”

froM Henrietta page 1

This upcoming school year, alterations to last year’s schedule will allow students to experience changes to their school day.

Keeping in mind its stra-tegic goals and learning initia-tives, Holton aims to benefit students with the new schedule. A major difference will be the altered time frame of the day. School will now begin ten min-utes earlier at 8 AM, and, ex-cept for F days, classes will be let out at 3:15 and be followed by a fifteen-minute Get Your-self Together Time (GYTT) period.

This GYTT slot allows girls to pack up, collect their items, and meet with teachers before having to leave school at 3:30. GYTT also helps minimize the impact of early sport dismiss-als on class time. Additionally, sports practices will start and end later so that students may prepare and perform more ad-equately.

Sports will begin at 4 PM and most likely end at 6 PM de-pending on the sport and level of the team. With a significant change from last year’s 3:45 sport time, the schedule allows students to have ample time to end the school day and transfer

allows for uninterrupted time slots for field trips, seminars, assemblies, and performances. Academic Flex also creates time for more opportuni-ties for experiential learning beyond field trips and other forms of interdisciplinary learning.

Because flex time and the assembly/advisory/club blocks are so interchangeable with the other 4th and 5th period blocks, Holton has an increased flexibility to accom-modate special speakers and assemblies that would not be able to fit within the schedule frame.

Some students have am-bivalent feelings toward the new schedule. Julia Peiperl ’13 believes that “the new sched-ule with its unbalanced days, early starts, and the GYTT pe-riod seem to really differ from the current schedule and will really affect me next year.”

Although there will be many changes to the days, parts of the schedule that many students love will con-tinue. The 2-1-2 balance of classes during the cycle will remain. Depending on a per-son’s course load, the number of study halls and free periods should stay roughly the same.

to athletics. Along with alteration to

the time structure, the days within the six-day cycle will change. In the fifteen-minute period before classes, there will now be assembly on A, C, and E days; advisory on B days; and class meetings on D days. Classes begin at 8:00 on F days.

The classes within a block tumble, for example periods 1, 2 and 3 in the morning block, will rotate time slots, likewise with periods 4 and 5 during midday and periods 6 and 7 during the afternoon.

The schedule will also now include only 7 ½ periods since 8th period will only oc-cur twice and be exclusively for minor courses. Lunch will be shortened by five minutes, and renovations to the dining room will include more serv-ing stations and a larger eating space. In the schedule C and F have new structures from last year. On C days between break and lunch, instead of 4th and 5th period classes, there will be an assembly period and advisory/club period. On F days, classes will start at 8 AM and end at 3:30, meaning no GYTT for that day.

This Academic Flex time

New Schedule Brings Change to the School DayBy tIffany onyeJIaka

froM PreParations page 1

the coming year. English Department Chair El-

len Case explained that “the Read-ing/Writing Workshop...is designed to help ninth graders, both those rising from our Middle School and those new to Holton, practice and polish some of the key skills they will need to use in Upper School.”

The sessions run for two weeks for three hours a day. The partici-pants especially benefit because they “compare their writing and analyze the elements which make good writing good,” Case said.

Seniors took part in new Col-lege Essay Writing Workshops at the end of pre-season. As College Counselor Liz Poppi explained, “Essays are the most time-consum-ing part of the application process, so making significant headway be-fore the start of the school year will prove invaluable!”

Nearly 70% of the senior class took advantage of the workshops to alleviate some of the stress that often accompanies college applica-tions.

Senior Anisa LaRochelle said, “I felt that the College Essay Writ-ing Workshops were extremely helpful in that it allowed me to get a head start on the college applica-tion process.”

Zoe Andris ’13 said that the workshops were especially benefi-cial because they “taught [her] the style of writing that colleges want to see.”

(From Left to Right) Adriane Anderson, Mark Robinson, Stephanie Hedges, and Art DeJohn are among the 12 new faculty members.

September 4, 2012

The thirtieth (XXX) Olym-pics Games held in London, England made summer 2012 memorable.

The Olympics featured sev-eral breakout performances and inspirational moments. These included Usain Bolt’s success-ful run to defend his Olympic title, the return of gold-medalling beach volleyball duo Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh, ampu-tee Oscar Pistorious’ moving run, Bethesda’s own Katie Ledecky’s triumph, and Michael Phelps’s historical performance.

American gymnast Gabby Douglas, nicknamed the “Fly-ing Squirrel,” also shined at the Games. Douglas, born in Vir-ginia Beach in 1995, became in-volved with gymnastics at the age of six. In October 2010, Doug-las trained under Liang Chow, the former coach of Olympian gym-nast Shawn Johnson.

Under Chow, Douglas won the share of the US gold medal in Italy. Then in 2012 at the AT&T American Cup in Madison Square Garden, Douglas won the high-est overall score for the women. The “Fab Five” Women’s Gym-nastics team took home gold as a team,for which Douglas played a pivotal role.

Douglas also won gold in the individual all-around, making her the first African-American and only the second American woman to win the individual all-around.

Despite Douglas’ stand-out performance in London, Natalie George ’13 doesn’t know “what’s going to happen in four years, es-

pecially since Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson didn’t make it for the London Olympics.”

Michael Phelps was born in 1985 in Towson, Maryland. Phelps began swimming at age seven, and three years later he held a national record for his age group. At the age of 15, Phelps qualified for the Sydney Olym-pic Games but did not win any medals.

Phelps left the 2004 Ath-ens Games, however, with six gold medals, two bronze, and the title of second-best perfor-mance at one Olympics, behind Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich games.

In 2008, Phelps showed up at the Beijing Olympics, where he made Olympic history by breaking Spitz’s seven gold medal record and setting seven world records and an Olympics record in Beijing.

At the 2012 games, Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time by break-ing Larisa Latynina’s record of 18 Olympics medals with

By allIe greenBerg

his own count of 22 medals. Phelps’ reign has come to an end, however, with the conclu-sion of these games.

Samantha Coronel ’13 responded to his retirement, saying, “I’m so sad that this is his last Olympics. He was defi-nitely the highlight.”

Senior Julia Peiperl had the pleasure of attending the Lon-don Olympics. Peiperl noted the “mounting sense of British national pride and excitement” she experienced while there.

Senior Adriana Sensen-brenner enjoyed how in the opening ceremonies “Great Britain used history (especially the Industrial Revolution) as a tactic to compel the audience and demonstrate British na-tionalism and patriotism.”

Junior Marissa Michaels, however, found fault with the Opening Ceremonies and “was really disappointed that the Olympic Committee did not approve a moment of silence for this year’s 40th anniversary of the Munich Olympics Is-raeli massacre.”

With the 2012 Olympic Games over, athletes and patrons have already started planning for the next set of games. In 2016, Rio de Janiero will host, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to decide on a 2020 location. The final three contend-ers to host are Istanbul, Turkey; Madrid, Spain; and Tokyo, Japan. Talk about the 2024 Olympics has also started: Could the Olympics be headed home twelve years from now?

In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama became a spokeswom-an for a 2016 bid for Chicago to host the Olympics but to no avail. While her efforts didn’t come to fruition, the desire to bring the Olympics back to America is still strong. The last time America hosted was in the summer of 1996 in Atlanta. The United States also hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If the Olympics came to the D.C. area, the city would reap the benefits. Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney explained that a new Olympic Stadium would replace RFK stadium, and after the games the new stadium could become the home of the Red-skins. Additionally, local busi-nesses would thrive as Washington and its surrounding areas swelled with athletes and spectators from around the world.

But can Washington handle the mass influx of people? Mc-Cartney asserted that many of the

local universities could lend their athletic facilities to the games, and the three airports would ease the traffic from the area. Recent proj-ects such as the Tyson’s Corner Metro, however, have taken a long time. The new Metro location is not near completion and has backed up traffic for years. The planning and funding would also pose a prob-lem for a nation unable to settle on a national budget. Furthermore, this summer alone, residents of the area have experienced three lengthy power outages. Imagine the catas-trophe of losing power during the Olympics.

Despite the counter arguments, senior Katie Kirk relished the idea of D.C. hosting the Summer Games. She said, “Firstly, I think it would be really fun to go to some of the events, and everyone always says that having the Olympics in a place boosts the economy, which is a bonus. Also, it would bring people from all over the world into D.C.”

Sarah Lasky ’13 asserted that the Olympics located in D.C. would “spur national unity and bond our citizens together in our nation’s capital.”

Yassaman Erfani ’13 disagreed, stating, “We don’t have the resourc-es or the space or the reliability as a region to host [the Olympics].”

Senior Alexandra Martin also believed that due to D.C.’s lack of space, the Olympics would merely serve as “an inconvenience to those who actually live in the area.”

Do you think the Olympics should come to D.C. in 2024?

By zahra husaIn

Potential Bid for D.C. Olym-pics in 2024 Spurs Controversy

photo Courtesy google

SPORTS4Olympics 2012: Highlights of the Games

when getting back to work.” The expectations for this

season are high. Jv tennis Coach Victor Ng hoped “that the girls work hard on and off the court,…practicing as if [they’re] playing another school, running down every ball, and

After two-and-a-half months of relaxing summer vacations, many students participated in preseason tryouts before the be-ginning of school. Athletes au-ditioned for cross country, field hockey, soccer, tennis, and volley-ball during the final two weeks of August. Preseason served as time for placing athletes in their teams, junior varsity or varsity, and pre-paring for this fall season.

Athletic Director Julie Treadwell believes there are two main reasons to have a preseason: safety and team-building. She ex-plained, “We work hard in pre-season to make sure girls gain a level of fitness that makes them safe…The other benefit is mold-ing a team – working together early in the season to form bonds

and commitment to one anoth-er.”

Preseason is an exciting time for coaches and athletes alike. Assistant Athletic Director Gra-ham Westerberg stated that “see-ing the students on Monday…is always what I look forward to

Preseason Challenges and Conditions Athletes While “Molding Teams”By anya lIlaaonwala

pushing [themselves] beyond [their] limits.”

Similarly, varsity tennis coach Yann Auzoux’s season goals were “to help every one of my players experience per-sonal and team wins [and] to learn the value of an individ-ual’s effort for the benefit of a group of people.”

Senior Dina Staurulakis stated, “In becoming a mem-ber of the varsity tennis team this fall, I have been exposed to the great dedication of both the team and our coach.”

Kate McDonough ’13, who is participating in field hockey, observed that “pre-season is fun when you enjoy the sport you play and when you can see your friends on a daily basis. It helps you get

back into the swing of things.”Junior Julia Andreasen admitted

that “cross country practices can be challenging, but I always have a true feeling of accomplishment after preseason.”

Orchesis, Holton’s dance troupe, had its own mini-preseason from August 20 to 23, during which the members participated in vari-ous dance classes. Sarah Roney, the dance teacher, had three goals for her dancers: to get back into shape for the school year, to deter-mine the areas of dance on which they wanted to focus, and to “get to work with the new members of the company and start connecting (or re-connecting) as a group.”

As Roney summarized, “Pre-seaon gives [athletes] an opportuni-ty….so we can hit the ground run-ning when the school year begins.”

Katie Ledecky, a student at Stone Ridge, took home a gold.

photo Courtesy saaChI nangIa

Junior varsity soccer team members battle for a soc-cer ball during morning practice.