the lance - february

Lancer Seniors Excited As College Acceptances Arrive

IB Diploma Students Celebrate Completion Of Essay

JAKE EDWARDS

Sports Editor

MELISSA SCHWARTZ

High school seniors are faced with the very daunting task of determining where they will spend the next four years of their life as a college student. There are numerous fac-tors that can weigh on the students mind, location, majors, tuition, dorms and food to name a few of the endless features of each campus. With so much pressure, along with so many colleges trying to draw you in, making the right decision can seem im-possible.

For a few lucky seniors, this is no longer a concern as they have been accepted, put their deposit down, and are set to move in next fall. For the most part, these are the kids that have dreamed about their school for a long time and getting in their was their only option or they fell in love with the school over the past years. Senior Kaleb Fa-sil is one of a select few students who has made their final decision on where he will spend his next four years, Harrisonburg, Virginia where he will be a James Madison Duke.

“I applied early action, and got in around early January,” Fasil said.

For him the decision was an easy one. “I really loved the school and they have a great Computer Science program which is what I will study there.”

Then there are the students that applied regular decision and are awaiting acceptance let-ters, to then weed through the letters and make their decision. For the most part they have a

school picked out and an acceptance letter to their top choice will satisfy their search. This accurately describes many seniors, Mason Orosch being one.

“I would like to go to JMU, that is my top choice, but I applied to other schools just in case,” Orosch said.

Some students followed this strategy but do not have a clear front runner and will ultimately make their decision based on which letters come in the mail. This is also quite common, and is the most stressful course of action.

With no clear favorite it forces you to choose one, meaning you have to sit down, asses the pros and cons of each school and then choose. If only it was that simple. Senior Harrison Venable is currently facing the daunting task.

“I’m still waiting for acceptance let-ters at the moment,” he said. “But I have a few schools in mind that I have set out as my lead pack, but not one in particular. Certain colleges have certain draws that seem really cool, but then an-other has the same thing but better, so it’s confusing.”

Regardless of what strategy or tac-tics you have taken, seniors, let the experience be fulfilling, as it is the first steps taken towards the real world. Twelve years of education leading up to one decision is both daunting and fulfilling so make sure to take your time, weigh your options, and make the best decision for you.

the big reveal Seniors at Lee High School are finally starting to hear back from the colleges that they applied to. All who applied early decision have heard and those that applied regular are awaiting their letters.

Pamela Phan

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Read about Lee Alumni Mark Wise’s 225 mile trek to the South Pole.

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The Lance

Robert E. Lee High School, 6540 Franconia Road, Springfield, VA 22150

February 6, 2014, Vol. LVIII No. 4

MADISON CURTIS

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Relive the student faculty showdown.

Excited For Valentines Day? Check out gift ideas, romantic movies and more.

Meet Lee’s newest Bachelor of the Month Andy Mensah.

TAylOR HIggISoN

News Editor

Done at last IB diploma students celebrate the completion of their 4000 word extended essay during Lancer Time and thank the superviors who provided their time to help each student.

MAR ACEvEDO

On February 3, lee’s International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma students attended a special party to celebrate the completion of the extended essay.

IB diploma students have been required throughout high school to work hard and focus on taking all IB classes.

At the same time they are required to obtain 50 hours of community service, write a 4,000-word extended essay for IB, and take a Theory of Knowledge class. Although the IB diploma workload can be extremely stressful, these students managed their time wisely and will be receiv-ing an IB diploma at graduation in June. All IB students gathered together on Monday to celebrate with the only other students who understood the undertaking of such an involved research paper..

At the party, students congratulated each other and thanked their supervisors for all the help that they pro-vided them with.

“We ate a lot of food thanks to the gourmet foods classes and then we went through every person’s research

a special thanks IB students write thank you notes to their supervisors who helped them through the entire extended essay process

MAR ACEvEDO

question and congratulated them. Then we ate cake, took pictures, and wrote thank you notes to our supervisors and gave gifts,” senior Hannah Hidle said.

After all their hard work, the party came as a relief for the diploma candidates. For many students, the extended essay was one of the hardest parts of the IB di-ploma program.

“Although we arent quite done with the diploma yet, the hardest part is over. It feels great, and definitely con-vinces me that it was totally worth it,” Hidle said.

Students began this time consuming essay in the spring of their junior year and completed it in the winter of their senior year. Each student's supervisor provided advice for the students as well.

“I felt extremely relieved upon entering the extended essay party. Just knowing that the 4,000 word paper that dominated my life is over is fantastic. As I took my first bite into the celebratory cake, a tear of joy rolled down

my cheek as I thought to myself, ‘it’s over,’” senior Amber Turkson said.

Although this essay was difficult and time consuming, it prepared these students for the essays expected in col-lege.

“The extended essay taught me how to properly research, structure and execute a high level paper. Now that I’ve been through the process once, writ-ing college level papers will be much easier next year,” Turkson said.

Overall, despite the difficulty, the IB ex-tended essay has helped students prepare for

the next stage in their lives and will finally allow students to successfully receive the IB diploma on graduation day.

2 NEWS February 6, 2014LanceThe

Lee Holds Financial Aid Night To Assist Students In Paying For College

Tabs For Kids: Red Cross Collects Soda Tabs To Help Shriners HospitalElIzABETH zOCCOlI-RODRIgUEz

Features Editor Around mid November Red Cross made the decision to carry out a fundraiser that will last for most of the school year This fundraiser will be donating soda tabs to Shriners Hospital. This will help the hospital to get needed equipment to perform various surgeries for many children. Shriners Hospital was founded in 1992 as a childrens hospital that has a network of 22 non-profit hospitals around the United States. It is geared towards children with severe medical conditions, however to provide children with the best surgeries possible expensive equipment is required. Surgeries performed help fix burns, spinal cord injury, and cleft lip and palate for the children in need of assistance. “The Hospital is a great place to give back because it goes towards research and equipment that can help children. We are not raising money for a patient, but for many patients so then they can get the medical attention they need with special technology,” said senior secretary Amala Sengkhyavong. Red Cross became involved in the fundraiser back in the middle of November and was able to have their members go around the whole school and place dona-tion boxes that they decorated in previous meetings. The boxes however were not placed in every single classroom, but only a select few. The boxes are not going to be collected until the end of this year to see how many tabs the club can donate overall. “When we started before Thanksgiving, we were able to put a fundraiser for Shriner’s Hospital, but it’s not the usual donation of money, but instead soda tabs. Because they are aluminum they can be traded in for money,” said senior Misha Capuno. The collection of soda tabs might seem absurd, but in reality it is a very com-mon thing for the hospital to receive. Since they are valued for the aluminum content they have their own system of worth. A pound of soda tabs can cost $0.50 to $1.50 depending on traders The future plans for the donations is that they will be collected at the end of the year and be turned into Shriners Hospital so that they can get one step closer into affording the equipment needed to perform all the surgeries for the children in need. “Soda tabs are something that can be found on a daily basis and their purpose does not include only to open a can of soda, but they can help many lives of chil-dren. It is funny how something so insignificant can actually help save childrens’ lives, so I don't see why everyone can donate,” said Sengkhyavong. Being such a simple way to give back, there is no excuse to not donate to the cause with a few soda tabs. In the end all those tabs will be put to better use for better equipment for the hospital. The drive will officially end sometime at the end of the year and then will go to help the children in need. If you are one of the few teenagers that doesn’t drink soda, ask your neighbors if they would be willing to give you their tabs for the cause. Don’t forget to start saving those soda tabs!

ERIC SMITH

Staff WriterOne of the most stressful things you can put on parents and their high school child is

having to pay for college. Tuition can cost tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention housing, meal plans and other ame-nities that are needed for college. For these reasons, here at lee we have Carla Shaw from the Career Center. Her job is to assist students in find-ing ways to pay for college by keep-ing them updated on scholarships and financial aid. Shaw, along with Eric Stegner from the Apple Credit Union bank, coordinated a financial aid night for seniors and their par-ents who are looking for help paying for college.

One of the easiest ways that Stegner and Shaw recommended to help pay for college is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA, under the U.S. Department of Education, awards applicants with money based off of their personal information. The ap-plication on the website opened up on the first of January and Lee stu-dents can get the most out of their financial aid when they complete the application before the priority deadline, which differs from school to school. Senior Mickey Mulato is grateful that Financial Aid Night helped inform him of the deadline for the application, which could help him gain scholar-ship money.

“I didn’t realize there was a deadline for the application so knowing that helped me

get it in on time,” Mulato said. One of the main selling points of this student loan application compared to oth-

ers is that it is free to complete. Students who complete it will have nothing to lose, and the best case scenario is that they get thousands of dollars to help pay for their college.

Each year FAFSA hands out over $150 billion in federal grants, loans and work-study funds.The amount of money the students may receive is partly based off of their chosen school’s requirements.

Stenger recommends filling out the FAFSA even if getting fed-eral money is a long shot.

“Every student should look for financial aid. It will be well worth your time if you put in for these ap-plications,” Stenger said.

Stegner also talked about net price calculators that each web-site of a college or university must have. Users can input their informa-tion like where they live relative to the college and any scholarships or loans they might have and the web-site will generate how much a year of admission will cost. The calcu-lators take things into account like tuition, room and board and trans-portation and supplies. This tool can help students narrow down poten-tial colleges based on costs.

The night helped a lot of lee students start a plan for paying for

college. Shaw and Stegner talked a lot about the benefits of financial aid, especially FAFSA

which is the easiest and cheapest financial application to complete.

aiD away Because the price of college is so high, people often look for ways to help lower the cost. One of these ways is financial aid methods like FAFSA. FAFSA awards students money based on their personal information.

ERIC SMITH

3 NEWSFebruary 6, 2014 LanceThe

Smooth Transition: Leaders Help Students Adjust

SeNIOR ReMINDeRS

- Senior Dues are now $115. Turn

them in to Mr. Acevedo.

- Graduation is on June 20th, 2014 at

the Patriot Center -Prom is on June 7th at the Fair

Oaks Marriott from 8-12pm

-Graduation Rehersals on June 18th

and 19th from 9:30-11:30 am

FebruaryUpcoming Events

Feb. 14Dress Fine For YourValentineValentines Day Feb 17Pajama Day Feb 18Plaid TuesdayWinter Sports Banquet Feb 19Pink Out Wednesday Feb 20Blue and Gold DayPep Rally Feb 24Spring Sports Tryouts Begin

PAULINA VASqUEzStaff Writer

lee offers many extracurricular activities and clubs after school throughout the year. One of these clubs offered is lancer leaders, which is a great opportunity to get involved with the school itself. lancer leaders is all about seniors mentoring freshmen or new students who need the help of transitioning into high school. It’s a great way to interact with the younger students who may have a hard time adjusting to a new learning envi-ronment.

Every year before the new school year begins, lancer leaders, which consists of dedicated seniors, come together and help out at the freshman orientation held during the last week of August or early September. The leaders will then have their group of freshmen to walk with and show them around the school. At fresh-man orientation the rising ninth grade class receives their first official high school schedule and luckily have the opportunity to ask as many questions as needed. lancer leaders will not only show them around but also give them great and beneficial advice such as which teachers are harsh graders, what hallway to avoid, and the clubs, activities, and sports available.

After learning to manage class schedules, fresh-men get assigned to a Lancer Leader during first quar-ter. Here the seniors will help them with their time management and concerns. Not only is Lancer Leaders convenient for freshmen but for seniors as well. Senior Jonathan Alvis joined lancer leaders hoping to get a great opportunity to give advice.

“I think it’s a good idea to help students out and prevent mistakes that can be

easily made in high school,” said Alvis. High school is a big change, and as a freshmen we’re anxious to figure out how it works,

that’s why lee is lucky to have a great group of Seniors who are able to share their own per-sonal experiences to steer students into the right direction. For those who are in lancer leaders

such as Senior Jenna Iglesias, lancer leaders was a chance to open freshmen’s eyes to the reality of grow-ing up.

“I really wanted to motivate the new students to just focus in school. I told them to try hard and not slack off because it will definitely hurt you in the end”, said Iglesias.

The sponsor for lancer leaders is chorus teacher Kristen Sheppard who explained the goal for the club.

“lancer leaders is all about mentoring new students particularly freshmen on finding their path through high school and help them manage their class schedules,” Sheppard said.

As the school year continues, it is the men-tor's responsibility to check on their mentee at least twice a month to see how things are going. One of the most important events the lancer leaders attend is the Freshmen Elections Fair, where they must pres-ent and answer any questions students may have.

Overall, lancer leaders is a great way for new students and responsible seniors to interact. It pro-

vides a great opportunity to build friendships and really helps transition any student to lee’s diverse and friendly student body.

In December 2013, the MgM National Harbor was granted the license to operate the sixth casino in Maryland. A billion dollar casino will be built on National Harbor’s waterfront development located on the Potomac River near Washington, DC. This big construction plan will create great opportuni-ties, such as 4,000 p e r m a -nent jobs, and will at-tract a great amount of tourists for the state and county.

Na-tional Har-bor is a developing n e i g h b o r -hood of hotels, res-t a u r a n t s , retail stores, c o n d o -miniums, a full-service marina, a convention center, and commercial office space located on the Potomac River between Wash-ington DC and Alexandria, VA. Since spring of 2008, this community has drawn thousands of tourists. The main fo-cal point of the National Harbor is the gaylord National Resort and the Convention Center which is said to be the the largest non-gaming hotel and convention center on the East Coast. Yet it is official that National Harbor will now construct a casino that will be opened in mid 2016. This will be Maryland’s sixth and final casino license which will cost up to $925 million.

While some agree that this is a good idea for the re-gion, senior Sara Nubani believes that it could be too much for the National Harbor.

“The National Harbor is a great place to go and is extremely family-oriented with tons of activities for kids. When constructing a casino it kind of gives a negative vibe to the whole atmosphere,” said Nubani.

Although the Harbor is well known for it’s multi busi-ness community that brings families, friends, and coworkers together, the project is not only based on gambling. The MgM consultants have also offered non-gambling portions such as the hotel, restaurant, and shopping. Overall it will become a place for everyone to enjoy.

However, one of the biggest concerns for the DC, Maryland, and Virginia citizens is the immense amount of

traffic that will come with this big project. Al-ready Na-tional Harbor can be really busy during the week and e s p e c i a l l y w e e k e n d s and holidays. Therefore the MgM team has already d i s c u s s e d plans for the large devel-opment of a road network that will need few upgrades to accom-

modate more cars.

Senior Malik Rasul thinks it will be a great opportunity for busi-ness.

“Even though this plan will take a while to be built, I think it’s a good idea because so many adults will have a place to go to and gamble legally, plus it’s good business for everyone,” Rasul said.

The project is beneficial other ways such as job open-ings.

Sophomore Basil Khan believes this will boost the employment rate of the county

“This casino and hotel will help people in need of jobs who might have the experience but trouble finding a job,” said Khan.

In general, during the next couple of years there will be a positive change in the area. It will be busy and hectic with all the construction but, in the end, this new National Harbor project will bring a lot to the table for the region.

PAULINA VASqUEzStaff Writer

WEPARTyPATRIOTS.COM

PAULINA vASqUEZ

plans revealeD The plans for the casino in National Harbor have been revealed and the state of the art casino is scheduled to be open to the public in 2016.

National Harbor Expected To Add Casino By Year 2016

helping hanD Lancer Leaders, such as Yonathan Mekonnen and Dunia Ismail, offer advice and help to new students during the freshman orientation. Their help also extends to other kids who need help adjusting to life at a new school.

4 COMMENTARY February 6, 2014 LanceThe

JAKE EDWARDS

Sports Editor

KEVIN NgoStaff Writer

Unfair Criticism Of Phil Robertson Reminds Nation To Accept All Opinions

There’s that famous line at the beginning of the new year where people say, “new year, new me.” Some may say it as a joke, but some do really think that

because it is a new year, that they will be a new and completely different person. Some people have more specific goals than that, such as going to the gym more or trying to do better in school. These specific goals at the beginning of the new year are called New Year’s Resolutions. Over the past couple of years, there have been debates over whether or not New Year’s Resolutions are a good idea or not. A majority of the time, some people will make a New Year’s Resolution, but will they really keep their word? Will they really make their resolution come true? Junior Kenan ozcan doesn’t approve of New year’s Resolutions and believes people can change any day of the year, not just on January 1. “I don’t approve of them, because a date shouldn’t make you do something. If you want to do something or change something about your-self, it should be from your own willpower. Plus a lot of people don’t even keep their New Year’s Resolutions,” Ozcan said. Ozcan brings up a good point; why should a date determine whether or not you want to change something about yourself ? There are 365 days in the year, so you could change your-self on any of those 365 days. January 1 is just the mark of a new year. If there is a goal you

want to set, you can set it on any day of the year. January 1 is not the only day that you can make a resolution for yourself. Senior Martin Nguyen has a different opinion on New Year’s Resolutions, as he thinks they’re beneficial. “I feel like New Year’s Resolutions are a good idea, because it can lead someone to a

better future and better lifestyle. Because if some-one wanted to hit the gym more, then that would help their future and lead them to a better lifestyle,” Nguyen said. Nguyen is certainly correct that Year’s Resolutions could really help someone, but people really don’t al-ways go through their resolutions. They might go to the gym for a month or so, but after that, they’ll stop going. There goes their resolution, just like that. Senior Allan Jordan, also believes that New Year’s Resolutions are useless and that they shouldn’t be made by people who aren’t committed to it. “New Year’s Resolutions are really pointless in my opinion because people are never committed to them. They’ll say they will do it, but eventually people just forget about it and stop,” Jordan said. What is the point of making a New Year’s Reso-lution when you’re not going to be committed and actually do it? I’m all in for people who to want to change and set goals to make that change, but it just seems that a majority of people who make New

year’s Resolution don’t make that change that they say they will make. It might be a new year, but it is still the same you from last year. Don’t make a New Year’s Resolution unless you’re actually committed to making that change.

not JUst For the new year Junior Kenan Ozcan literally throws away his new year’s resolutions. Ozcan believes that resolutions shouldn’t only be made around January 1.

KEvIN NGO

In 2013, A&E’s Duck Dynasty was the highest rated show on television. With their luscious beards and witty Uncle Si, the Robertson clan climbed

to the top of the pop culture ladder. But many Americans struggled to find pleasure in it as at the end of each episode the fam-ily would be gathered around the table and the father, Phil Robertson, would lead the family in prayer. This religious controversy took a whole new life when Phil came un-der fire for comments he made about ho-mosexuality to a gq reporter. I, for one, do not see any issue with his statements. In today’s society the LgBTq com-munity constantly preaches freedom and acceptance, so tell me what about him voicing his opinion is wrong? He is just as free to voice his opinion as people are to love whoever they choose. Sure, his opin-ion may not be supported by a vast amount of people, but that does not take away his right to say it nor does it justify the punish-ment that ensued. Shortly after Robertson’s quotes went public, A&E went to the press and told them that Phil would no longer be a part of the show. Soon thereafter the floodgates opened,

and fans from all walks of life came out in protest of this decision. A&E took major back-lash for about two weeks and numerous brands, such as the proclaimed “Southern cooking” restaurant Cracker Barrell, took the Duck Commander items off of their shelves. Many Americans, like myself, felt as though this was unprovoked and that the quote was being

blown out of proportion. Phil Robertson voiced an opinion many ev-eryday Americans share, and yes it did come off as offensive. But, this man is one of his faith and a man that prays every Wednesday night on network television, it should not be a surprise to anyone that he said these things nor that he would not take them back. This is a dispute over the freedom of speech, one protected in the Constitution. For A&E to take the man at the helm of the top television program in their history out of that program is unnecessary and uncalled for. Robertson’s comments can also relate to our life at lee in many ways. In one aspect they can vouch for the fact that people should be al-lowed to voice their opinion, popular or not. But it also can relate to acceptance in two ways; ac-cepting people for who they are and accepting that people may have different opinions than you and that is ok. Not only can we learn from Rob-ertson’s actions, but the reaction by the media and A&E.

FaMily UniteD Phil Robertson (far right) sits next to his son Willy, brother Si, and son Jace. All of whom help contribute to the family business, Duck Commander.

AETv.COM

A New Year Doesn’t Necessarily Make A New You

Administration Shouldn’t Interfere In Students’ Personal Lives SARA BAREKzAI

Commentary Editor School and those that work here play a big part in students’ lives both inside and outside of the building. With that being said, there comes a point where

administration should draw the line between interfering in a student’s personal life. Senior Devin Cook was the former Vice President of the Student government Association (SgA). In a recent turn of events, Cook has been removed from her position following a semi-controversial image that was posted online. The school received an anonymous tip about the picture which lead to Cook’s dismissal from SgA. Cook feels that the administration should know when to draw the line between being help-ful and interfering or prying into a student’s personal life. “I think that administration should only be able to intervene when it’s relevant to education or school attendance. Past that, it’s just considered nosy and intrusive,” said Cook. Cook has a valid point; administration believes that interfering with a student’s personal lives is necessary but it’s also an invasion of privacy. Students absolutely have the right to possess a personal life outside of school. In some cases, what a student does in their free time shouldn’t concern the school. Senior Ben Darnell agrees with Cook. He thinks that administration diminishes the relationship between administration and students. “When administration intervenes in students’ personal lives it puts a lack of trust in student-school relationships and makes them feel like they’re in a prison,” said Darnell. Arguably, the administration has some right to interfere with a student’s personal life for their own safety but only to the extent that it concerns their mental, physical, and emo-tional health as well as their performance in school. Principal Abe Jeffers recently commented on the recent events that concerned Cook and the role administration should play when it comes to a student’s personal life. “If you made a very bad choice, I would never know about it unless you pictured yourself doing something inappropriate or you were arrested, then I’d get a police report. I hear

about personal life things but if it becomes a criminal thing or if it is put in such a way that so many people know about it, then it’s a reflection on what you do. There’s no action we’d be taking on that because….if you look at your students rights and responsibilities, the only thing that can be removed is your participation in extracurricular things, not even core curricular. We don’t get involved unless something is brought to our attention and then the next trial is, is this a person that a consequence would be appropriate for,” said Jeffers. While this is an understandable response, for most high school students, now is a time of experimentation, engaging in a variety of activities because we’re young. Sometimes these actions we choose to undertake are not made with the best judgement. They’re not the best choices but high school students, and people in general, make mistakes; that’s what this time is for. The last thing most students need is for their high school’s administration to become involved in something that we may have already known is wrong. “Parents should be the ones to punish their kids, not the administrators,” Cook said.As much as the school would rather not have their students make bad decisions, it is all a part of growing up. Students are already punished by their parents or guardians for making mistakes, administration really doesn’t need to add to that.

The Lance

Editor-in-Chief

JACK MIlEWSKI

News Editor

TAYLoR HIggISoN

Commentary Editor

SARA BAREKzAI

Tangents Editor

MEgAN TRAYERS

Features Editor

ElIzABETH zOCCOlI-RODRIgUEz

Sports Editor

JAKE EDWARDS

AdviserGreg Bartley

Robert E. lee High School6540 Franconia RoadSpringfield, VA 22150

(703) 924-8347

The Lance is a monthly forum for its readers as produced by the students of Robert E. lee High School. Bylined columns represent the writer’s opinion, while editorials designed to persuade, warn, criticize, or lead are voted on by the Editorial Board and represent the majority opinion. The results are represented in the editorial. letters to the editor can be delivered to room 189, to Mr. Bartley or sub-mitted through the lance e-mail. letters must be signed by the author. Anonymous letters will not be accepted, but names will be withheld if requested. Open letters are not accepted as paid advertising. We reserve the right to edit letters.

COMMENTARY 5February 6, 2014 LanceThe

Are you ever overwhelmed over how much you have to study because you have so many tests in one week?


Well that happens during midterm week, where every day you will get a test in one or two of your classes. All seven of your teachers give you a test that references information you have learned during the first two quarters .If you aren’t overwhelmed by the pressure during midterm week, you deserve a trophy, because it is one the most stressful weeks of the school year. Midterms are such a big grade for a student and all the tests are given in one week. That is a lot of content to study for and some students can’t handle all of that stress. Some teachers give out their midterms one or two weeks before midterm week, which re-lieves the stress of us students, but overall, mid-term week is still stressful. Junior Faheem Ahmed says that midterm week is a little too much for him sometimes and that he feels extremely overwhelmed this time of year. “With the English IOP, science fair, STEM presentations, and prob-ably all these other exams that teachers will give, I feel like it is a lot of pressure on me, because it is a big chunk of our grade and it’s differ-ent from previous years, because I remember last year, midterms were mostly projects. Midterm week is like a cruel and unusual punishment for students in my opinion,” Ahmed said. Ahmed brings up a good point about midterms being a large chunk of a grade, as midterms could really make or break a student’s perfor-mance. Some students could be teetering on the border of an A or a B, but they could do badly on their midterms and there goes their grade. Not only do students have the pressure of getting a good grade on the

midterm exam, but also the pressure of solidifying their final grade for the quarter, and semester. Junior Matthew Tran thinks that exams should be more spaced out so that the pressure on students can reduce. “Midterm exams are always placed into one week and that just really stacks up on students. Maybe midterm exams can be given within a two week span, that way there aren’t any days where we have to worry about two midterms,” Tran said. Having two midterms a day is really the worst part about the week. The night before an exam, you have to stay up studying so

much content to pre-pare and you just end up not sleeping. Teen-agers need an average of eight hours of sleep to properly operate, but we barely get half of that sometimes dur-ing midterm week. During finals weeks, which is typically the last week of school, we also get tested every single day of that week, but they are half days. As a student, getting released from school early is somewhat of a reward for just tak-ing two tests in a day. So why can’t midterm

week be like that as well? During the 2010 school year, there were half days during midterm week. Sophomore Ami Nguyen thinks that those half days would make midterm week more stress relieving and tolerable. “If we had half days during midterm week, I think it would take away a lot of the pressure that it puts on the students. The stress levels during midterm week are not good for your own men-tal health, so releasing us early would really help all students in my opinion,” Nguyen said. We can all come to the conclusion that midterm week is not an enjoyable time with all the pressure and stress, but that can be fixed. Spacing out exams and having half days would relieve so much of that stress. Students still work their butt off during midterm week to do well, regardless of the stress that it causes, so it would be ap-preciated if midterm week was made a lot less stressful.

Half Days During Mid-Term Week Should Be Reinstated

Jack MilewskiEditor-in-Chief

The Fine Line Between Bullying And Over-Sensitivity Does Exist There is no doubt that bullying is a prominent problem in our world today. In high school especially, there is a large amount of emphasis on what we as

students can do to stand up to bullying and stop it from occurring. Bullying does occur in and outside of high school, it’s not a myth. However, with all the emphasis that is being put on bullying, many people often misconstrue simple teasing as bullying. This is not to say that bullying should not be taken seriously, quite the opposite. But people shouldn't overreact to something and label it as bullying just because it pokes fun at someone. There are many definitions as to what bullying is. Whatever the case is, what all these definitions have in common is that they put an emphasis on three areas. They say that the behavior is repeated, aggressive, and intended to gain power. Bullies pick on the same target and try to use their actions to gain some sort of control over their victim. They will often use derogatory terms towards the person they are bullying to bring them down. Some bullies will also physically harm the people they bully. All of the things that bullies do to intimidate their victims happen every day in high school and the real world. People tease each other, push each other, dislike each other, exclude each other and so on. However, just because all of this happens doesn't mean that all these people are bullies. “I do agree that bullying is a big problem, but sometimes people take stuff out of context and blow it out of proportion. But lots of friends don't make fun of each other to hurt the other person, it's usually just in good fun,” senior Faraz Ahmed said. As mentioned earlier, bullying is a repeated action that is used to gain power. There are countless times during the day that people will make fun of other people. This isn't neces-sarily bullying. Ninety percent of the time the people that are making fun of each other are friends simply having a good time at another’s expense. However, Peer Mediation teacher Sara Clouse does not think this is true. “I believe any form of teasing is still bullying,” said Clouse. The other 10% of the time someone may just be having a bad day or they may simply not like the person. Even if the person making fun of someone doesn't like that person, it still isn't bullying until the action becomes aggressive and repeated. Many people overreact when they see someone being made fun of, and automatically label it as bullying. Kids, and even adults, sometimes perceive that any action that harms them was done so on purpose and with the intent to hurt them. “I think kids just need to know when to draw the line, some teasing is in good fun but other stuff is just to be mean, its a fine line,” junior Amanda Hagy said. From the experi-ence that I’ve had, which is not that much, this is almost never the case. We are all human, we make mistakes and sometimes we say something we don't mean, or say something that we wish we could take back. Things like this happen everyday, but just because something someone said may hurt you, doesn't mean that there was any mal intent behind it, and it certainly doesn't mean that it was bullying. There is no excuse for bullying, it is wrong and is never acceptable. However there

is a difference between bullying and typical high school teasing. Just because someone is be-ing made fun of a little does not mean that it’s bullying. It is important that people be able to tell the difference so that when they see someone who is actually being bullied, they can

stUDy stUDy stUDy Juniors Andy Quach and Ronald Ong look exhausted while study hard during lunch to cram in as much information before their finals.

KEvIN NGO

FrienDly banter Although Anudeep Gupta (left) is making fun of his friend Rahul Pillai, the two understand that the playful teasing is a far cry from bullying.

JACK MILEWSKI

LanceThe6 FEATURES

Bachelor of the Month: This month’s Bachelor of the Month is freshman Andy Mensah. Andy enjoys soccer and his mom’s cook-ing. He aspires to be a lawyer someday and thinks of his parents as his role models. ladies, listen up: Andy Mensah is a real catch!

Describe yourself in 10 words or less: Everyday I just like to do me...

What do you think is your best quality? I’m a people’s person, I like to connect to people

If a girl is _____ you will not talk to herIf she’s boring or doesn’t want to carry the conversation

Favorite quality in a girl?A nice smile and a good sense of humor

What would be your idea of the perfect date? Skydiving! I think that would be so much fun.

Girls should know _____ before they talk to me....that I like to joke around, a lot! I’m not a serious person

How would you impress your girl? I have a lot of jokes and lot of pick up lines.

Best pickup line? When I like a girl, I ask to use her phone to call my mom and when I have her phone I’ll text myself her number and then I’ll just be like ‘I have your number!’. It’s worked a couple of times…

What characteristics do you look for in a girl? I don’t like when girls are taller than me...I don’t think any guy likes that. I like to feel like the man in the relationship. I like girls of all shapes and sizes, but preferably shorter than me.

If you were dating how would you celebrate your one-year anniversary? I’d do something funny. I’d prank her. For example: If we had kids, for Christmas, I’d give them a lump of coal or when they’re sleeping I’d put on a Jason mask and scare them.

What’s the first thing you notice about a girl?I notice their attitude and if they talk about other people.

Explaining Behind The Wheel

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SARA BAREKzAI

Mrs. Denise Katz( Administration)

cool katZ 17 year old Mrs. Denise Katz poses for a picture while out and about.

Compiled by Paulina Vasquez

COURTESy Of MRS. KATZ

1) What was your most memorable event in high school?In our school we had a Reverse Day, meaning the students were allowed to sign up to teach one of their teachers classes for the day. As soon as stu-dents were allowed to sign up I made sure to be the one of the first to apply for one of my favorites Dr.Elwell’s US history class. So I was able to take charge of his history and AP classes, which became a reason why i enjoyed history so much.

2) Describe yourself as a student.If i liked what I was doing i worked hard. If I didn’t like it, I managed to get by those classes like science and math which weren’t my favorite.

3) Name one subject or teacher you didn’t like.I had a love/hate kind of feeling for my English teacher Dr. Benedetti which I had for 10th and 12th

grade. She was so strict and would rip your writing apart if it was bad. yet if you ever got an A, it was a huge achievement because you knew your writing was good. Although her students including myself were terrified of her she made our writing good.

4)Is there anything you would want to change if you could?I would definitely change my decision on dropping my math and science classes. I did not want to take another year of both classes that i found challeng-ing. yet it would of been helpful to take that extra year with those classes because it would have pre-pared me for college.

5) Were you involved in any sports, activities, or clubs?I wasn’t into sports. I was the one in the orchestra and played the viola. I also was part of the American Field Service who helped transition kids overseas into a new school, and the Honor Society.

6) What did you aspire to do after high school?Well I really wanted to become a history profes-sor since History was my favorite subject.

7) Who was your celebrity crush?Back then the Beatles were very popular. Almost everyone loved Ringo but my favorite would have to be Paul!

8) What was the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in hs?We had an orchestra concert and only a few people were picked to play the viola. I was a part of a trio yet I knew I wasn’t good at the viola. When it was our turn to play, I was really nervous and my palms were sweaty while i was playing the song. I noticed my viola was way out of tune and I stopped right in the middle of it. The worst part was that I was sitting right in the front where ev-erybody could see and just sat there during the whole song playing, while my conductor was making faces towards me.

There are many requirements to obtaining a driver’s license, such as holding your permit for nine months or being 15 ½ years of age, but one of the more important ones is completing a particular program. That program would be Behind-The-Wheel. Behind-The-Wheel is a program for student driv-ers to learn how to drive and basically get used to driving around on the road. It is typically a seven day course and you drive around for roughly one hour each day. Upon completion of this pro-gram, you get a paper license and, combining that with your driver’s permit, that will make you eligible to drive by yourself. When you think of Behind-The-Wheel, you would think that the instructor might take you to a crash course in an empty parking lot and make you drive through cones. In reality, Behind-The-Wheel is a lot simpler. Instead of driving in an empty parking lot, or practicing your parking over and over, you just drive around with the instructor, listening to his or her directions and taking them to their desired destina-tion. Sometimes you will take the instructor to go pick up another student driver, or sometimes you might even take the in-structor to go do his own personal errands. Junior george Bahrs took Behind-The-Wheel over Winter Break and was sur-prised at how easy it actually was. “Before I signed up for Behind-The-Wheel, I thought I would be driving in a park-

ing lot at first, just to learn some things, but I was put out on the road right away. I drove before with my parents, so I had prior experience which made it easier for me. Sometimes the instructor would even tell me to stop by 7-11 so he could get his coffee,” Bahrs said. If you have driven before, Behind-The-Wheel should be a piece of cake for you, but if you

haven’t even sat in the driver’s seat, then there may be a little problem with you taking Behind-The-Wheel.

Junior Ronald Ong, who also took Behind-The-Wheel during Win-ter Break, met one student driver that had no prior experience, and

struggled a lot while driving. “There is usually more than one student in the car when you

are doing Behind-The-Wheel, so this one girl was driving me home. She changed lanes on a solid white line, which you’re not supposed to do, and the instructor told her that wasn’t the right thing to do. The girl got scared and just stopped driving in the middle of the road. To be honest, I was pretty scared of this girl’s driving,” Ong said. With that being said, it is recommended that you have some prior experience of actually driving on the road, be-

fore you even think about taking Behind-The-Wheel. There is a possibility that you can fail the program, and the prices

of Behind-The-Wheel are not cheap, as the cost can range from $250-$550, so be smart and don’t waste your money by

failing. In the area, there are many Behind-The-Wheel programs that are

offered for student drivers to take. There is Az Driving, A 2 z Driving, A1 Driving, or you can even do it through Fairfax County, as they also offer programs

for student drivers. Behind-The-Wheel is not as difficult or as complicated as it may seem. getting your license really only takes seven hours now. If you know the basics of driving and know the basic rules and laws of the road, then passing the program and obtaining your license should be guaranteed for you.

W

WW.ALIBABA.COM

February 6, 2014

LanceThe FEATURES 7

Class Spotlight: Psychology ElIzABETH zOCCOlI-RODRIgUEz

Features Editor

all eyes on Me Mr. Visna always walks around his classroom when giving either a lecture or a run down of the current day’s plans.

Veggie Grilled Cheese SandwichTotal Time: 10 minutes

2 whole wheat sandwich bread slices2 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese (any cheese would suffice) 1 cup of sliced mushrooms1/2 a cup of sliced onions1/2 a cup of sliced zucchini Fry pan SpatulaPlastic container

Heat up the fry pan to medium heat then add the olive oil, place the zucchini, mushrooms and on-ions onto the pan then stir for a four minutes until cooked. Once done with cooking the veggies, set aside. Take one slice of bread and place it onto the pan then add the cheese to it.After the cheese becomes a little more melted add the veggies to the sandwich, topping it with the other slice of bread. Alright, the next part is a little tricky, it's the flipping to ensure the other side will be golden brown. Hold down the top of the sandwich, slide the spatula underneath, then flip slowly. After that, pack it into a plastic container and your lunch is ready to go!

JUSTATASTE.COM

Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Kunicki PAULINA VASqUEzStaff Writer

In this issue, Heather Kunicki has been nominated for the teacher spotlight for the month of January. Mrs. Kunicki has been working here at lee six years and in the history department. She currently teaches Theory of Knowledge for IB candidates, Honors government, and an Honors World 2 class. Many of her previous and present students all agree that Mrs. Kunicki takes her time on preparing students to really understand the material. She prepares fun activities and lessons for class to enjoy and also learn in a efficient way. The Lance sat down with Kunicki to get a better insight into her philosophies on teaching and life.

When choosing your classes for next year, don't let psychology pass you by as anyone who takes the class is bound to walk away with knowledge and a better un-derstanding of life. The elective is a full year course and although there are different types of psychology,like IB Hl and Sl, Mr. Richard Visna in room 158 also teaches two sections of regular psychology. The class offers many new things to learn that can be applied to life. Throughout the course a student will write, do projects, experiments and note taking. Although the best material to always bring to the class is an open mind. “ I chose to teach psychology in the first place because I had a really good professor in col-lege, Dr. Joseph Merz, who instilled in me how amazing the subject is and I want to do the same with my students,” said Visna.Psychology combines the studies of of math and science but students learn some social as-pects of different cultures. It is basically a clos-er look at the human mind and how it func-tions in the world. Within the subject there are many different theories that are taught in the class such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Dreams

which entails that basic need must be met. The class has a few experiments that are performed on humans; one of the more popular projects among past psychology students is the Dream Project where they ana-lyzed what their dreams mean. There are also lectures held by Mr. Visna and students will have to take notes, making it more like a college class.A current student of Visna’s psychology class, senior lynn Vo, who took the class hoping to broaden her horizons of the human mind, could not be happier. “All the activities we do in class might seem like a lot of work to people, but it really is not as bad as people make it out to be. I think the class is balanced well with the stuff that we do in class; it is, after all, meant to be like a college class, but it is nevertheless highly enjoyable,” said Vo.The best part about the class is that anyone can take it and there's usually something interesting in the class for every-one. There is no perfect mold of a student that can only take this class, it is open to anyone who is interested. Peo-ple are not always aware that psychology happens day to day and it is all around us, which makes it the perfect class for everyone. Just like any regular class, they have tests and essays and homework, but not every class can offer a dif-ferent perspective of life and the world. “Although I haven't finished taking psychology yet, I re-ally enjoyed so far the whole class and I think it’s given me another perspective about life. Mr. Visna really teaches the class well and makes everyone seem intrigued,” said Vo. In the end, students get to walk away from the class with

a better appreciation for the human mind and its complexities. Also, stu-dents must understand that there are other points of views in the world and they have to be accepted. When looking at possible elective classes for next school year, hopefully you can indulge in the exciting class known as psychology.

PAULINA vASqUEZ

taking a break Although there is much to do, Mrs. Kunicki takes a break from her grading at her desk to smile and pose for a close-up.

1) Why did you become a teacher?I had an internship in Hawaii for ESl, and dur-ing this summer camp I fell in love with it.

2) What profession other than teaching would you like to attempt?I wanted to be a lawyer. I actually took the lSAT test and even applied for law school.

3) Name one thing you dislike about your job.grading. I hate grading.

4) What hobbies or activities do you like doing outside of school?I like to sleep a lot, read, and watch lots of bad tv.

5) What’s the best part about teaching?I love getting to know students, it’s the best part.

6) Why do you like teaching history?I find history really fun. It’s like gossip handed down from generation to generation, plus i like see-ing how history influences todays world.

7) What gets you through a long day of school?Honestly, coffee.

ELIzABETH zOCCOLI-RODRIGuEz

February 6, 2014

Valentines Day

Gift St Valentine was a guy who was securing and protecting persecuted Christians in the early 4th Century. He was put in prison and abused. He was brought to face the Roman Emporer Claudius II, he was given the chance to convert. Instead, he attempted to convert Claudius and was sentenced to death. Before he was executed, he fell in love with the Jailer’s daughter. The day before his execution, he wrote her the first Valentines day card to her; a love letter written to express his feelings, singed with “Your Valen-tine”. Valentine would also cut out heart shaped cards to give to soldiers and persecu-tred Christians, which refelcts the modern day Valentine given to loved ones worldwide.

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ClassicBouquet of Flowers or Fruit!

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A Romantic Poem!“Roses are RedViolets are Blue,I have the biggestCrush on you!”

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LanceThe10 FEATURES

Restaurant Review: Shake ShackSARA BAREKzAI

Commentary Editor

It was completely spontaneous and out of the blue that I stumbled upon one of the new Shake Shack locations in downtown D.C. The restaurant is very laid-back and incredibly casual; think of Five guys. Though, the food is anything but the same. Shake Shack opened up the F street location in June of last year in addition to the other two loca-tions in the area, including one in Nationals Park and Dupont Circle. Shake Shack’s menu includes more options like desserts and even some for pets. The restaurant is known for using 100% grass fed angus beef, so you know you’re eating quality meat. The best option for a first timer would be the original ShackBurger. The fresh buns and incredibly juicy patty do wonders for your taste buds when paired with the famous shake sauce. The burgers are served rare, so make sure to state how you’d like your burger at the register. Even the cheese fries taste incredible; they have a subtle zest that adds a bit of a kick to just regular cheese fries. Best part of all, the fries are 100% free of artificial trans-fats. Senior Maha Syed thinks the burgers are fantastic, but prefers five guys for a burger. “I love ShakeShack but I prefer Five guys for a burger, I feel like there’s are more

juicy. However, I love the fries from ShakeShack, they’re better than Five guys,” said Syed. Surprisingly for a burger restaurant, the menu sports a vegetarian option. The ‘Shroom Burger consists of portobello mushrooms stuffed with cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes and the shakesauce. The food is always fresh and delicious, with an open kitchen, you can watch the employees cooking your food if you please. The lines can get very long, it’s all a matter of timing. However, if you’re only ordering, a drink, custard, or concrete; there is a designated “c-line” so you don’t have to wait out the ridiculous lines. For those unfamiliar with the term “concrete” , it’s a type of frozen custard that’s thicker and blended with toppings. All D.C. locations have presidential themed concretes like Presiden-tial Sweet, Jefferson’s Jam, and Washington Monu-Mint. Shake Shack strives to involve and better the community that it’s restaurants are located in. The restaurant donates 5% of the sales made from an order of Washington Monu-Mint custard to Share Our Strength, a national organization whose mission is to end child hunger. Unlike most restaurants, Shake Shack is very dog friendly. They even sport two menu items for dogs: Pooch-ini and Bag O’ Bones. The prices at Shake Shack are very reasonable, with a Shakeburg-

er with fries adding up to be about $8 -- which is as much as an average meal from Chipotle. The restaurant gets an all around A-: incredible burgers and fries with plenty of other options as well and they are determined to make a positive community impact. Shake Shack has incredible burgers that are definitely worth the try.

gooD eats The perfect combination of a classic Shake burger and fries drizzled in cheese served at Shake Shack, just one of the many options to choose from their menu.

Life After Lee: Greetings From Ms Melissa Scott!What do you miss the most about Lee? Without a doubt, I miss my babies... my kids... my families... my friends... the most. I think about all of the kids every day. I miss the simple moments, the crazy mo-ments, the spirited moments, the academic moments, and even the somber moments. I will always treasure every, single second I spent with the students of lee High School because they are so very special. There is a sense of family and spirit of kindness that cannot be taught and I'm still not used to being without it. I miss teaching my Hon-ors 9 & SL 2 English classes. I miss dancing at pep rallies. I miss the family dinners. I miss SgA. I miss our holiday events. I miss all the blue, gold, and glitter.

How are you enjoying your life after Lee? It's crazy different, but crazy good all at the same time. It has definitely thrown me completely out of my comfort zone. On a serious note, the time with my mom and dad has been amazing. A lot of people say that I made a selfless decision moving to be near them, but I see it as self-ish because it something I needed to do, without a doubt, to be ok with myself as a person and daughter. In a short time, I've also learned a lot about myself and my abil-ities, and I think it took a major change for

me to realize it. On a more Miss Scott kinda note, I realize that I'm a beach/pool/small town babe at heart. The island is tiny and does all of the small-town activities you see in the movies, and I'm loving them all. We did it up for Christmas Island Style with a pet parade for the dog lovers and a major holiday street parade with floats, lights, bands, and all of it. I've begun learning to shoot shotguns... at clay targets of course. :) And I love it... And I, yes, even me, have more than one piece of camo.And I can't believe this part, but I actu-ally wear cute sandals more than heels. I know; it's not right. But don't worry, I've introduced this tiny island to the hot pink craze and glit-ter!!!! And I've also been keeping it real when it comes to Spirit Days!!!

Are you still teaching? What are your plans for the next couple years? These kind of go together, so I combined them. I'm working at a small high school, Marco Island Academy, that is only two and half years old, and we have our very first graduating class this spring, so it's been cool being a part of it. We are on a semester schedule (four classes every day) and the we switch to a new set of four. During first semester, I

taught two classes, Reading and English 3, and worked Development/Admin. Then, I was named Assistant Principal during the middle of first semester, so now I'm teach-ing one class AICE (like IB) English lan-guage and continuing my AP duties. I'm not sure what the next couple of years will bring, but I'm looking forward to help-ing the school grow and prosper. I'm trying to bring a lot of the family and love that the kids at lee taught me to the kids here.

Do you have any advice for your stu-dents back at Lee?

I think the kids at lee still know what to expect from me and my good ol' advice: be passionate; laugh a lot; remain true to your-self; say what's on your mind; and stand up for what you believe in. you know, my usual. But I guess my new advice is... to realize what you have. Realize how amazingly spe-cial the bonds at lee are... and never, ever take the lancer spirit and heart for granted. Enjoy it, embrace it; emulate it. Please don't take your time together for granted. And ap-preciate the smallest of moments, because someday, they will become your most trea-sured memories.

SARA BAREKzAI

LanceThe Interested in perfecting your writing

skills? Want to know more about how a publication works? Join The lance for the 2014-2015 school year! Come see Mr. Bartley in room 189 for more details or to pick up an application.

Become a part of The Lance staff !

strike a pose Ms. Scott poses for a silly picture with her friend in matching outfits.

say cheese Facing towards the camera Ms. Scott and her friend shows off their brilliant smiles.

COURTESy Of MS. SCOTT

COURTESy Of MS. SCOTT Compiled by Taylor Higgison

February 6, 2014

LanceTheFebruary 6, 2014 FEATURES 11

Lee Alumni Treks On To The South Pole

Keeping In Touch With Mrs. LeeWhat have you learned from being a vice principal? There are so many things I could include

It is clear administrators do not simply sit around drinking coffee! They put in long hours and clearly want what’s best for students. Most of the interaction between students and administration is disciplinary in nature; therefore, we do not have the op-portunity to interact with students- one on one or day to day. That is what I miss the most. It seems to be what many vice prin-cipals miss. I have learned the significance of the law and how it plays out in the school system. Regulations are critical in adminis-tration as they impact what and how we deal with students and teachers. But the best part of my learning/growth has been twofold. One, I have had the op-portunity to speak with dozens of students about their choices/behaviors. you see dis-

cipline is more than handing out detentions, or suspensions- it’s growth. This job has given me the opportunity to work with students on realiz-ing that their choices do not simply impact their lives, but so many. Believe it or not, both par-ents and students have thanked me … even after I had given them severe consequences. Two, I now have the opportunity to work with many teachers visiting and being part of their ClT’s as well as completing observations. Every teacher would develop his/her craft- if given the chance to observe amazing teachers. The truth is now I would be an even better teacher because I have picked up so many ideas I could use in the class-room. Think about it. If you had the chance to walk in and work with seasoned (skilled) report-ers … imagine what you could gain.

What do you miss most about Lee? I miss my friends. Robert E. lee has been a second home to me. We still call or text … but it is not the same. We went to coffee, tacos, or even shopping together. Now with my late hours, my social life has dwindled! lee’s stu-dents are also very genuine & fun! I miss them.

Compiled by Taylor Higgison

working together Mark Wise and a couple of his teammates pose for a picture (from left to right )Therese Frentz, Ivan Castro, and Margaux Mange.

roUnD oF applaUse Prince Harry gives a speech honoring the team for the 2013 South Pole Challenge. Mark Wise and his teammates stood in the background.


WWW.PHILLy.COM WWW.TELAGRAPH.CO.UK

What are your plans for the next couple of years? With budget cuts looming over us, it is likely I will NoT have an admin job next year. If that is the case, I will go back to the classroom. like I said, I will be an even bet-ter teacher than before! The good news is … I will have my summer back! All joking aside, as a military wife- I have to wait to make solid plans. In the near fu-ture (could be next year- or in five years) we are hoping to be selected as military at-taches. It is a job for both military member and spouse. It is sort of a military diplomat. The job is oversees. So if we were to be selected, we would live there for three years. We would likely attend language school for a year first. This year openings in our window include Belgium, germany, Canada, Argen-tina, and Kosovo. So we shall see … I do love working in administration, so long term …

Do you have any advice for your students back at Lee?

Academic Advice: Research job related fields. What I mean is … you love math? What are All of the jobs that require math; what do they pay; what is the job outlook the year you are graduating; what are the best schools for that career? My son loves math. He is also VERy rule oriented. In addition he is good with computers. So, he would be an ideal actuary. What is actuary you say … No way they pay that? See … you will open many doors you did not even know existed if you re-search. Personal Advice: Chill out on the tweeting and Instagram! Employers really do have people who are experts at looking up your past. So, if grandma would NoT approve- do not post it! (My brother’s company and TWO of my friends are in HR and they say- people are NoT even being called back because of their posts.)

It is not every day that someone visits the South Pole. It is even rarer when that person is an alum of the school we go to.

In November of 2013, Mark Wise, a 2003 graduate from Lee High School, embarked on a on a 225-mile race across Antarctica for the Walking With the Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge. The Allied Challenge pits four teams, each containing soldiers wounded in battle, against each other in a race to the South Pole. Even though it is a race, the main purpose of the challenge is to raise awareness to the problems that veterans face when they return from combat. Each team competing represents a nation. Wise is on the American veterans team, while the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia also participated in the event. In 2009, Wise suffered multiple injuries while serving as a platoon leader in Afghanistan. Although he is no longer in combat, Wise says he still feels an obligation to serve and Walking With the Wounded is just one way he is still serving. To learn more about him and his story, The lance sat down with Wise.

1. When did you know this was something you wanted to do, and why? I have always been up for a challenge. When initially notified of the event, I had just retired from the Army, had just graduated georgetown Business school, and was not par-ticularly excited about my role in helping other veterans. The expedition to the Pole seemed like a perfect opportunity to not only push myself, but to also advocate on behalf of other wounded veterans.2. What was the hardest part about the journey? What was the feeling when you fin-ished? Also how long did it take you? The most difficult part of the journey was the mental challenge. Pulling all of your equipment for two weeks, while skiing alone for 9-10 hours a day leaves plenty of time for thoughts and reflection. Completing the expedition was a rewarding experience. We as a team had worked for over

a year to complete the expedition. Skiing actually only took 13 days but was very rewarding. We know we still have a mission to advocate for other veterans and help them return home to families and friends while encouraging them to return to school or the workforce. The accomplishment of reaching the pole was symbolic, while the remaining goal still requires much effort.3. Just reading your bio and your story it's obvious that you have been through tough times, to say the very least. Having been through such difficulties, what have you used to keep yourself going? What is your source of motivation? I have been very fortunate in my recovery to have had a strong network of family and friends to keep me going. I have been pushed not to just recover physically from wounds, but to regain confidence and recovery mentally and to remain the man I was prior to being wounded. Much of my support network originated during my time at lee High School and has expanded as I went on to college and then my time in the Army. The determination to continue to grow and mature I hope will always exist but I know I am supported in all of my endeavors. I have been humbled by the support received over the last few years and hope one day to be able to assist others during tough times they endure.4. I know you said that you still feel an obligation to serve. What do you hope to achieve in this aspect in the upcoming years? Service to me currently takes the form of advocacy and setting an example through my actions. I hope to continue speaking about veteran challenges in returning from war, physically wounded or not, by sharing my personal experience. By sharing my story I hope other veterans can benefit from increased awareness of veteran struggles in the civilian com-munity. As a leader in the Army, I had 26 Soldiers for whom I was responsible. The right of leadership never leaves you and my obligation to those men, and any other veteran I can help persists. I hope to continue to serve those men by helping them to return home and return to their lives. Despite all the hardships he has faced at such an early age, Wise says he does not want his setbacks to hold him back, or define him. He hopes to continue to raise awareness to the struggles that thousands of veterans who have returned home face. For Wise, the trip to the South Pole was just the beginning of his newest journey.

12 ENTERTAINMENT February 6, 2014LanceThe

There is no doubt that there is no shortage of war movies out, however most show a mainstream filtered war where most of the characters will go home to see their families. lone Sur-vivor is unlike many war movies because it details the horror of modern war and sends a very real message to the audience that not every soldier gets to come home from battle.

It was originally based off of a 2007 memoir by Marcus Luttrell, who is the sole survivor of the NAVY seal mission that the movie and book are based off of. The book and movie vary slightly as the book retells the actual story of what hap-pened in more detail and the film is more suited for the public. The movie retells the story of a 4-man mission in the moun-tains of Afghanistan that went wrong very quickly. The con-flict arose when the team crossed paths with an old man and 2 young boys. They had two options, let the 3 Afghanis go and risk being caught by the Taliban or eliminate the 3 and keep their cover intact.The group, without radio communication to their headquarters, decided to let them go in the hopes of not being broadcasted on CNN for killing 3 unarmed civilians in a foreign country. This decision would prove fatal as a Taliban army would be on their trail within a few short hours. The rest of the movie follows the team as they try to escape death through the Afghan mountains.

Junior Joe Spinelli describes his favorite part of the mov-ie,

“I loved to see the bond that the Navy seals had with each other, how they risked their lives to save another,” he said.

gunfight scenes in the movie were very plentiful and dis-played what kind of dangers soldiers are faced with. Fast paced camera movements of the characters falling down cliffs and running away from gunfire show just how quick things can go from good to bad for the seals. Even during gunfight scenes you can hear bullets zipping past the camera and hitting trees.

Senior Tyler Spears saw the movie and shares his thoughts on it, “I liked the movie a lot because it seemed very real, like I was in the battle with them,” he says.

The movie accurately portray the damage that the sol-diers took from the Taliban, with each having several gunshot wounds and bloody faces from blasts. This is where the movie separates itself from other war movies, the realness and accu-racy of the soldiers during the battle.

“The fact that lone Survivor was based on a true story is what made me like it so much,” said senior Mason Orosch who also enjoyed the movie.

Overall this movie deserves an A for how accurate it was and its ability to show the brotherhood that the NAVY seals share as well as each one’s courage and heart. After watching it, it will making you feel proud to be an American.

Lone Survivor: A Tale Of True Courage

USATODAy.COM

The Voice Tops The List As Best Current Singing Show

Since 2001 Americans have been captivated by coun-trywide talent searches for the next great singer. Today there seems to be an ongoing rivalry between the 3 premier programs: FOX’s American Idol (the original) as well as The X Factor, and NBC’s The Voice. Each program has pros and cons and things that they have become no-torious for, here we will decipher which program is the ‘best’ based on 3 categories: Successes of contes-tants, judges and the overall level of talent needed to compete on the show. Each show will be scored on a 1-5 scale for each category.

American Idol: Successes of

contestants: With country superstar Carrie Underwood leading the way ‘Idol’ has had a number of contestants go on to become household names; Chris Daugh-try, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson and Adam lambert to name a few. All in all with as many success stories that have come from the show, it will be tough to match. 4 out of 5.

Judges: Seeing as though they have gone through 10 of these it is tough to say. But with the current panel con-sisting of latin-American Popstar Jennifer lopez, actor and singer Harry Connick Jr, and Australian born country singer Keith Urban. This is one of their better panels in a number of seasons, compared to the Nicki Minaj dilemma from 2012, but still lacks the pop culture relevance that some of the other panels have. 2 out of 5.

X Factor: Successes: With only 3 seasons here in the US they

have yet to produce a full fledged star, closest being the boy-band Emblem 3, girl group Fifth Harmony or adoles-cent rapper Astro. But if the British version is any kind of indication, it should be destined to turn someone to a star.

But for now they receive a 1 out of 5. Judges: Headlined by music executive and

manager Simon Cowell, formerly of American Idol, the panel has had Hip-Hop agent lA Reid in the past but currently consists of a diverse panel. The judges desk was home to Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, latin sensation Paulina Rubio and former

Disney channel star Demi lovato and is hosted by AC Slater him-self, Mario lo-pez. Aside from a few boneheaded comments by Rubio, the panel is humorous yet insightful and has 3 household and still relevant names. This panel is good enough to get a solid 4 out of 5.

The Voice:S u c c e s s e s :

Through 4 sea-sons the show has been domi-nated by Blake Shelton, thus a number of coun-try based singers but all have yet to break through.

With what seem to be promising careers with Cas-sadee Pope and Danielle Bradbery, though, it is not far fetched to say that in the next year and a half this could change. With some budding stars like that, they will settle with a 3 out of 5.

Judges: It is very hard to compete with the star power that the chair turners of The Voice hold. Blake Shelton is currently looking down on the rest of the country music world, Adam levine was voted sexi-est man in America, Cee lo green is Cee lo green, and Christina Aguilera is showing glimpses of her old self once again. The show actually has 2 separate sets of judges, the 4 aforementioned and a panel consist-ing of Shelton, Levine, R&B Legend Usher and Latin American pioneer Shakira. With 2 star studded pan-els, they perfected the system; 5 out of 5.

After Three Year Absence Lancer Dancers ReturnIn the 2014-2015 school year, a once formed team was brought back to lee High School, The lancer Danc-ers! The team consists of nine girls, Elena Senica, Nandi Motshidi, Madison Blum, Amber Supernor, Jessica Hindle, Tatiana Stash, Sarah Cruz, and Oshae Moore and Kara Pepper, who are the captains of the team. Senica talked about how all the members of the team have a passion for dancing and are really com-mitted to taking the team to the top, “All the girls in the team have a passion for dancing and decided to join. We’re like a family we always keep each other on task and best of all we have fun. We really want lee to pick it up on dance and get to the top too.” Senica said. One of the captains, freshmen Oshae Moore, talked about how she worked hard with her coach to bring the team back, “Initially I was a dancer outside of school and I came to lee expecting there to be a dance team that I could join but when I was told that there wasn’t I talked to my cheer coach and she agreed we should start it back up and she said with her help we could both do it together so when she brought it back, when it was my initial idea to bring it back to lee as a freshmen, I just decided to join the team and Coach Salo also became

the coach of the dance team.” Moore had said. Moore also discussed what the next step was for The lancer Dancers when it came to competitions, “As for completions, on January 12th at West Springfield High School, we had a competition but that was the only competition that we went into for this season since we’re such a new team. The competition was ba-sically so we have some experience in the competition. It wasn’t anything that was meant to be too competi-tive for us since we’re such a fresh team.” Moore said. The lancer Dancers did perform in the gym for the underclassmen while the teachers had a brunch back in December and junior Stefany Flores talked about how The lancer Dancers did an amazing job for a new team, “The lancer Dancers really shocked the crowd I was like whoa, they’re actually really good. I know they’ll be awesome when it comes to competi-tions and stuff like that.” Flores said.The Lancer Dancers first season back was a success. After a three year hiatus the team returned to the dance floor and did very well in their competitions. Even though this season is quite over for The lancer Dancers, they have gained valuable experience from the West Springfield competition and they look for-ward to taking on the challenges that next season pres-ents. Since they practice every day, The lancer Danc-ers will sure bring the lee dance team to the top!

ERIC SMITH

Staff Writer

last Man stanDing Lone Survivor captures the events of SEAL Team 10’s failed mission, Operation Red Wings. Marcus Luttrell, played by Mark Wahlberg, was the only survivor of a mission that attempted to kill Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. Lone Survivor has grossed $104.8 in the United States.

ANNIE HAFEEzStaff Writer

JAKE EDWARDS

Sports Editor

sing For show In an age where singing shows are one of the hotest things on television, NBC’s The Voice has managed to appeal to audiences in every aspect that makes a singing show successful.

ENTERTAINMENT 13February 6, 2014 LanceThe

Lancers Showcase Talent In Broadway Dessertson January 25th, in the auditorium, members of Lee High School’s chorus performed in

a special presentation called Broadway Desserts. For this show, members of the chorus could either per-form a solo or duet with songs from various musicals. led by Musical Director Kristan Sheppard, students put on an outstanding performance for the audience.

Members of lee High School were encouraged to perform in Broadway Desserts and worked tire-lessly to perfect their songs. A variety of music was performed by students from many different classes. Many of these students have been on stage in past productions and their love for performing encour-aged them to audition for broadway desserts.

“I strive to be on stage at any point possible and I wanted to take the opportunity to showcase my tal-ents,” junior Elisabeth Carlisle said.

Any student that wanted to perform in Broadway Desserts had to go through an audition process. Any-one interested was required to prepare a song to sing in front of Sheppard. Students were then accepted or not accepted to participate in this event.

Broadway Desserts not only involved singing but it also included choreographed dances and costumes which contributed to the talented acts of the lee stu-dents performing.

For many students performing, Broadway Desserts is an exciting production where anyone can show off their talents to a large audience and to their peers.

“One of my favorite parts of this show was when we were all backstage singing our songs for each other and just having a good time enjoying the music,” junior Keller Collins said.

After many days of hard work, the production was revealed to parents and stu-dents. Songs from productions such as Wicked, The little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast and Hairspray were performed. While the audience enjoyed an impressive performance by the talented ac-tors of lee High School, they could also enjoy a variety of desserts that were locat-ed in lancer Hall.

Overall, the hard work put in by these talented performers paid off with a suc-cessful show. The setback of the multiple snow days did not drag any of these per-formers down as they continued to work hard to prepare their numbers.

“I believe Broadway Desserts was a suc-cess because we had limited time to prepare because of the snow days, yet we pulled all of our numbers together in about three days. All of the acts were able to capture the students’ talent and that’s the general purpose of Broadway Desserts is to show-case the talent we have here at lee,” junior Courtney Cox said.

As the show ended, parents and friends met the performers with roses and gifts congratulating them on the successful

show. Despite the many obstacles, including snow days, the students managed to pull together their pieces and showcase a highly impressive event for family, friends, and members of the lee community.

sweet tooth For show tUnes Many of Lee’s choral members, as well as a few other ambitious Lancers, performed at Broadway Desserts. Audience members could enjoy various desserts in Lancer Hall, as well as the many talented acts.

TAylOR HIggISoN

News Editor

Chorus Combines With Elementary Schools For Performanceon January 13, 2014, the Robert E Lee choir held an event for the choir students of the

lee Pyramid. The event served elementary school students as well as middle and high school-ers.

Chorus director Kristan Sheppard explained the makeup of the event and the collabora-tory way it was brought together.

“This event is a workshop for the choir students of the lee pyramid. This year, students from Crestwood, Saratoga, Springfield Estates, and Forestdale elementary schools were pres-ent, along with students from Key Middle and Lee High Schools. The first part of the day was rehearsal for the elementary students to work with each other and the middle and high school students to combine to rehearse together. Towards the afternoon, we combine all levels of students to learn a new piece for everyone to sing together. This led us up to the performance time, where we put together the work that had been done that afternoon.” Sheppard said.

According to Sheppard the performers did a wonderful job on the stage and the event was a success.

“The performance overall went well, especially considering that for many of the singers, the music was brand new as of that day. The point of this event is based on collaboration between vertical teams. The concert at the end is then a showcase of that collaboration,” said Sheppard.

The participants included Crestwood Elementary School, Forestdale Elementary School, Saratoga Elementary School, Springfield Estates, Key Middle School Advanced Mixed Choir, Key Middle School Intermediate Women’s Choir, Key Middle School Beginning Women’s Choir, Key Middle School Beginning Women’s Choir, Key Middle School Men’s Ensemble, lHS Men’s Ensemble, lHS ladies Chamber Choir, and lastly the lHS Madrigals.

All the combined elementary schools performed “The Tree Song” by K. Medema which was conducted by Ava Salehi from Forestdale Elementary and accompanied by Rod Tompkins from Saratoga Elementary. They also performed “The Cukoo” which is ar-ranged by J. Ferrari and was conducted by Alice Real of Crestwood Elementary.

The Key Middle School choirs performed “going Over Home” which is arranged by S. Poorman and was performed by the Combined Key Chorus, and “Winderlight” by A. Bernon was performed by the Advanced Mixed Choir.

The Key and lee Men’s Ensemble performed “laudate Dominum” by D. Davison. Key and Lee Women’s Choir performed “oh, No!” By R.M. gray.

The lee High School ladies Chamber Choir had performed “Carol of the Bells” by M. leontovich. The ladies Chamber Choir and Madrigals performed “go Where I Send Thee!” by Caldwell and Ivory and the Madrigals performed “No Time” by S. Brumfield.

At the end, all levels of the combined choirs came together to perform one last song called “Tshosholoza” arranged by J. Ames.

Junior Elizabeth Carlisle was one of the students that participated in this collaboration. She was impressed with the ability and work ethic of all the students involved.

“It was a great to show the school the talent of our music programs and hopefully encourage them to join! We all did a wonderful job and hope everyone enjoyed the per-formance,” Carlisle said.

The performance was spot on and fabulous. All the choirs did an amazing job and put in excellent effort to make sure that the performance was a success and that everyone enjoyed themselves. Hopefully this collaboration was inspiring for all the youngsters who had to opportunity to work with some high school and middle school students with ex-perience.

string along Three Lancer Orchestra members (from left to right) Vi Ho, Tatiana Le and Meghan Mitchell, performed at the District Orchestra competition. Despite the hectic format, all three Lancers were able to perform very well.


Orchestra Shines In Three Day District Competitionon January 9, 10, and 11, three Lee students attended the District orchestra competition

that took place at T.C Williams High School. The three students honored by Rachael gladys, lee’s or-chestra teacher, were freshmen Vi Ho and Tatiana le and sophomore Meghan Mitchell.

“Thursday night, all students had a run-through of all of their music. They were rehearsed by dif-ferent teachers from different schools,” said gladys.

The second day, Friday, seemed to be the most difficult day for the girls. The musicians got with their conductors and teachers and rehearsed all day.

Finally on Saturday, the students put their finish-ing touches on their performances and performed them in concert.

“Saturday was the last day that students rehearsed with their orchestras. The concert started at 4:00pm and the students played very well,” said gladys.

The songs played by the Junior District Orches-tra included “Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 (Third Movement)” by Johann Sebastian Bach and arranged by M. Jasinski. They also played “Symphony No. 25 (First Movement)” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and arranged by D. Brubaker and “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber and arranged by J. Hoffman. Finally, they performed “geometric Dances”.

The Senior District Orchestra played Fugue in g Minor “The great”, “How love-ly is Thy Dwelling Place”, “Serenade for Strings”, and lastly “Fire Dance”.

As part of the Senior District Orchestra, Mitchell described what it was like to work with a conductor and the difficulty in squeez-ing in all her effort in three days.

“Senior District Orchestra was a lot of fun. It was an amazing experience to get to be taught by an actually conductor and to learn more as a musician and how to play in an en-semble. It was hard to only have three days to rehearse together before the concert,” Mitch-ell said.

As for the Junior District Orchestra, Ho was initially pretty anxious but learned a lot from her conductor.

“I was really nervous, I thought I would mess up and ruin everything but the conduc-tors treated us as if we were their only students, even though they had what seemed like 100. I ended up doing a great job according to what Mrs. gladys said and I’m proud of all three of us on those three days.”

The three day Orchestra District was an event the girls will never forget. This was an amazing experience for all of the three girls and a great chance for them to show off their talent.


RACHAEL GLADyS

JOHN MILEWSKI

14 ADVERTISEMENT February 6, 2014LanceThe

SPORTS 15 February 6, 2014

With the regular season of Indoor Track coming to an end, the athletes and coaches have deemed this season a very successful one. Compared to last year, everyone has seen major improvement, and thinks that they can only go up from here.

Senior Biruk Amare, who is a major part of the track team, thinks the season went well for them but he has some goals to reach before his senior year is over.

“Overall, I think the season went pretty well. I came back from my XC training and was able to improve my own time by 12 seconds,” Amare said, “Before my senior year is over, I would really like to get to nationals. I am two seconds away from being able to get to nation-als, so I think I will be able to before I graduate”.

Amare has contributed a lot to the team’s success over the past four years, but that doesn’t mean lee won’t be successful after he leaves, as the team has a very young core.

Mensah Afrane, who is a gym teacher here at lee, is also one of the three coaches for track. Coach Afrane is optimistic about not only this year’s team but also moving forward.

“At the beginning of the season we got a baseline at the first meet of what everyone is capable of and then we look from there to see if they have progressed individually. Individu-ally, everyone has improved, but as a team, we are not really where we want to be yet. The team is much younger this year, compared to last year, so we have time to improve. Although I have to say this year the team has shown great work ethic,” Afrane said.

With the majority of the team being freshman and sophomores this year, the team has plenty of time to improve and be successful in the future.

Junior Michael Hartman, who started track his sophomore year, has seen improvement in the team and himself, especially in the area of commitment.

“In my opinion, it was a very successful season with the various meets, but I think it was harder due to the weather. With the weather being so cold this winter, it made some practices tougher and meets as well. overall though, this team has definitely made improvements on the track. This year, there is more of a sense of dedication compared to last year, as more people have been showing up for meets and practices,” Hartman said.

Hartman also talked about how the team is always open to new people joining the team. “I think we are always looking for new members to join the team. If you want to do a

sport in the winter or get conditioned for your spring season sport, you should think about joining track,” Hartman said.

After this year, a lot of seniors who were major contributors to the team’s success will be leaving, but that does not mean the success will end with those seniors. With the increased number of young members, improved sense of dedication, and their good work ethic, they have good building blocks to build towards their future success.

LanceThe

A Run To Remember: Indoor Track Team Hits Their Stride And Shows Great Potential

Lancer Gymnasts Tumble Through Last Regular Season Meet Before Conferences


on January 29, Lee’s varsity gymnastics squad competed at their last meet with teams around the area, such as South County, West Springfield, and T.C. Williams. The compe-tition took place at the neighboring West Springfield High School and played host to the Lancers’ Senior Night festivi-ties.

gymnast Rachel Stewart is the sole senior gymnast and has led the team with her experience throughout the season. As the only senior, Stewart has been able to give some guid-ance to the younger gymnasts.

“I’m glad I could help them with their routines through-out the season and they have also been helping me out too,” Stewart said.

The Lancers kicked off their night with their floor exer-cise which was the team’s highlight in the four-event meet. The four events in high school girls gymnastics include the floor routine, the vault, the balance beam and and the un-even bars.

Junior Elisabeth Michetti started off the lancers’ night with a strong performance on the floor routine, nailing most of her dance elements. Her performance flowed well all through the 90 seconds, starting the action off with a back handspring combined with a layout. Michetti made good use of the space on the floor and worked in sync with the music to provide a well-rounded routine. The floor exercise was an all around solid event for the lancers. This was not the case at the beginning of the year, but the lancers have been steadily improving.

“We started to perform a lot better towards the end of the season,” Michetti said.

Junior Kimberly Kane was another notable lancer gym-

the regional competition. Although she is the only lancer to place for regionals, the team came a long way since the be-ginning of the season and can be happy with how it turned out. As the only lancer, it gives Michetti an opportunity to focus on her sole performance.

“I just need to keep a positive attitude throughout my routines,” Michetti said.

The future is bright for the lancers next season and with such a young team. They only have high hopes for the un-derclassmen to develop into experienced veterans and hope to have a few more gymnasts alongside Michetti in seasons to come.

nast with a consistent uneven bar routine. Her routine was very compact with few errors and Kane finished nicely with her release.

The balance beam was the lancers third event and only a few minor errors from each gymnast gave them a mid-ranged score for that event overall.

Although this tournament ended their six-meet season, they competed at conferences on February 3. The team had a very good meet and placed fourth out of the eight teams in the newly formed Capitol Conference.

Michetti had a good all-around score at conferences, and her vault, bar and beam routines allowed her to move on to

JUMping gyMnast Lee’s gymnastics team has seemingly jumped from the bottom of conference 13, due mainly to their improve-ments on their floor exercise, as seen above. The Lancers are also sending one gymnast to regionals, junior Elisabeth Michetti.

ERIC SMITH

ERIC SMITH

Staff Writer

SPORTS 16 February 6, 2014

2014: The Year Of The Sports Fan

LanceThe

If you’re a sports fan, avid or casual, 2014 will be one to watch. If the early sports drama has been any indication, 2014 will be one to remember. Already we have seen one of the wildest first rounds in NFL history. We also saw the BCS era end in dramatic fashion with Florida State finally ending the SEC’s reign over college football. Then there was the NHL Winter Classic, which took place in front of one of the largest audiences ever for a hockey game. Here’s the craziest part, we’re barely a month into the year. Here’s what you have to look forward to in 2014:

NHL Stadium Series: Due to the popularity of the Winter Classic, the NHL’s signature outdoor game, the league has expanded the concept, this year offering five other outdoor games. The first was played on January 25th in Los Angeles. The Anaheim Ducks beat the L.A. Kings 3-0. The next day the Rangers took on the Devils in the first of two instalments at Yankee Stadium. The Rangers took that game 7-3 and then on January 29th the New York Rangers beat the New York Islanders 2-1. If you missed those games there is still one more. on march 1st the Penguins take on the Blackhawks at soldier field. The outdoor games wrap up with the Heritage Classic on March second. The Heritage Classic is the Canadian version of the Winter Classic, this year the Vancouver Canucks face off against the Ottawa Senators.

Winter Olympics: They only come once every four years, why wouldn’t you tune in to watch them? This year’s Winter Olympics are being held in Sochi, Russia. They begin on February 6 and last for the majority of the month. Americans have much to look forward to during this Olympics, as once again the USA will be one of the front runners to capture the most medals. Four years after coming off their silver medal performance in Vancouver, the U.S. hockey team says that will settle for nothing less than gold this year. Previous tourna-ment MVP goaltender Ryan Miller and skilled forward Patrick Kane lead a gritty U.S. team hungry for a championship. Once again, Shaun White will headline the snowboarders for the United States. White is looking to once again capture Olympic gold in his signature event, the superpipe. The U.S. will be without the face of their skiing team however, as lindsey Vonn recently announced that she would not compete in the Olympics due to a setback with her knee injury.

World Cup: Another event that comes around once every four years is the World Cup. This year the World Cup will be held in Brazil despite turmoil in the country in the months preceding the event. Much like in 2010, Spain will be the favorite with Brazil, the host coun-try, nipping at their heels the whole tournament. As is the case in every World Cup, the fans and analysts label one of the groups as the “group of death”. This group is always filled with quality teams, some of which won’t advance to the next round because of the fact that the group has so many good teams. Unfortunately for the United States, they will be one of the four teams trying to make it out of the group of death this year. The U.S. will have to battle germany, ghana, and Portugal, all of whom are among top 20 teams in the world, for just two places in the elimination rounds. If the U.S. manages to make it out of this group, the confidence that they are sure to gain may propel them to a surprising finish.

These are just a few of the many events that will take place during 2014. As always, the Super Bowl, NBA and MLB playoffs and major golf and tennis tournaments are sure to create memorable moments as well. As if 2014 hasn’t been a great sports year already, these events are sure to make it even greater.

The faculty defeated the seniors 46-40 in the annual senior vs. faculty basketball game on January 16th. After falling to the senior class of 2013 last year, the faculty rebounded this year, erasing a seven point halftime deficit in just minutes, and then pulling away towards the end of the fourth quar-ter. The faculty was lead by Charles Howard and Terence Ryan, who used their size advantage inside to create buckets down low.

“I knew we had to shut down Ryan and Howard for us to win, and we just didn’t execute that plan well enough,” said senior Tyler Spears.

The seniors had their opportu-nities, but many of their shots did not fall and ultimately their offen-sive failure was the reason for their loss.

“I thought we played well as a team, we took good shots, but once we got the lead we kind of laid back and allowed them to get back in the game,” said senior yo-nathan Mekonnen.

The game started off quickly for the seniors. Jack Milewski hit a 3-pointer on the very first possession for the seniors giving them the quick lead. After that the teams traded buckets. The seniors employed a 2-3 zone, focusing their attention mainly on Ryan. Ryan was still able to use his size inside to give the teachers a few easy buckets.

Without Amy lee, who was sidelined due to an illness, the

faculty had to look to Howard to provide an outside shoot-ing spark. Howard was able to do just that, knocking down two 3-pointers in the first half. Despite Howard and Ryan finding early success, the faculty trailed the seniors 24-17 at half-time.

“Up seven at the half, the confidence was definitely there.

We just had to keep playing how we did during the first half. Our shots just didn’t fall, simple as that,” said Spears.

After the halftime show, the seniors came out determined to put the game away early. However, the faculty did not let this happen. Two big buckets inside by Ryan, and 3-pointers by Howard and Clarence Martin leveled the score at 31 just

five minutes in.“We had to get the ball inside to our all pro center, Mr.

Ryan, and I also had to start making jump shots and I think I had a few threes in that second half,” said Howard.

After a reshuffling of the lineup, the seniors still could not get much going offensively, as shots that had fallen in

the first half did not fall in the second. One of the few bright spots for the seniors during the second half was the play of Kaleb Fasil, who led the se-niors with 14 points. Fasil did his best to keep the seniors in the game, hitting a clutch three and converting a three point play after a foul on a fast break.

Despite Fasil’s best efforts, the seniors could not muster any other offense, and their defense struggled down the stretch due to foul outs by Carson Jones and Connor Schoske, two of the seniors biggest players down low.

“We wanted to contain Connor and also we really wanted to keep Ka-leb in check,” said Howard.

The faculty played ‘stall ball’ for most of the last three minutes, passing the ball around and eating up precious seconds for the seniors. The seniors

were forced to foul and the faculty con-verted on five of their six foul shots down the stretch. The seniors on the other hand, didn’t hit a single shot in the last three minutes.

Despite the loss, the seniors effort was much better than in years past, except for the win in 2013. If any solace can be found, it is in the fact that the seniors had what many

Repeat Offenders Faculty Backs Up Volleyball Win With Basketball ‘W’

close only coUnts in horseshoes Despite big days from Kaleb Fasil (left) and Connor Schoscke (right), the seniors could not hold off the faculty, falling 46-40 after leading at the half. The faculty was led by business teacher Mr Ryan (pictured left) and Info Systems teacher Mr Howard both of whom seemingly overwhelmed the seniors down low.

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MELISSA SCHWARTZ

the lance - february

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