to the choreography of

Hairspray.

STARS to the cast of

Hairspray for their talents

and efforts.

STARS to Mr. Briggs,

Ms. Mathena, and Ms.

Harris for their efforts and

time with the Junior SAT

test administration.

STARS to the students

of Latin I for diligently

working in room 235 during

SAT testing! Gratias mul-

tas vobis ago!

STARS to Mr. Olson for being recognized as a

Teacher Champion.

Each week, individuals will be

recognized for their contribu-

tions to the school. Staff mem-

bers are encouraged to submit

accolades that are worthy of the

General’s Star.

Our staff and students strive for

excellence on a daily basis. The

comments listed below repre-

sent some of the recognition for

our staff and students.

STARS to Mr. Rhen

and Mr. Kimball for all

of their efforts and time

with Hairspray.

STARS to Ms.

Travis, Ms. White, and

Mr. Blair for arranging

tour groups for our in-

coming freshmen from

Dumbarton Middle

School.

STARS to Mr. Nash,

Mr. Rhen, and Mr.

Briggs for speaking to the

8th graders from Dumbar-

ton Middle School.

STARS to Ms. Camp-

bell and Ms. Harris from

Dumbarton Middle

School for working col-

laboratively with THS to

provide 8th grade students

the opportunity to visit

THS.

STARS to Daniela

Fori, Autumn Grant,

Zach Caplan, and Shelby

Fragetta for sharing their

experiences with the stu-

dents from Dumbarton

Middle School.

STARS to Ms. Fast for

her outstanding dedication

STARS to our Staff, Parents and Students

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

STARS - Weekly

Accolades for Staff,

Parents, and Stu-

dents

1

Featured Articles 2-6

Have You Heard?? 7-12

Active Parenting

Of Teens

13

Engineering

Innovations

14

Upcoming Events 15

T O W S O N H I G H

S C H O O L The Towson Pride V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 2 4

A P R I L 1 7 , 2 0 1 5

SAVE THE DATE!

TOWSON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015

2:30 PM

TOWSON UNIVERSITY

The Junior Prom

Friday, April 24, 2015

7:00 p.m.—10:00 p.m.

THS Cafeteria

Tickets will be sold before

and after school in front of

the cafeteria for 11th

grade students only during

the week of April 20th—

23rd.

Don’t Miss Out!!

P A G E 2

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

“You can

never cross the

ocean until

you have the

courage to

lose sight of

the shore.”

~Unknown~

SOCIAL STUDIES

What’s New In Social Studies?

L aw Day is coming! May 1st is Law Day. In

1958, President Eisenhower proclaimed Law

Day to honor the role of law in the creation of the United States.

In 1961, Congress passed a joint resolution establishing May 1st

as Law Day. The language of the statute calls it “a special day

of celebration by the American people in appreciation of their

liberties and rededication to the ideals of equality and justice

under law.”

This year’s theme is the Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under Law. The Magna

Carta has come to embody a simple and enduring truth: No one, no matter how power-

ful, is above the law.

Peeps in the Law

For the past seven years, the American Bar Association sponsors a diorama contest

where readers of the ABA Journal create a law-related themed diorama. Visit the web-

site for this year’s entries. http://www.abajournal.com/gallery/peeps2015/1087

Blurred Peeps

Caption: This co-peep-right infringement case is mak-

ing all the headlines! Marvin Gaye’s estate sued Robin

Thicke, Pharrell, and the artist known as T.I., alleging

that their hit song, “Blurred Lines” infringed on Gaye’s

co-peep-right in his song “Got to Give it Up” and oth-

ers. After being instructed on the peeptection of the Co-peep-right Act, a jury found,

by a peeponderance of the evidence, that Thicke and Pharrell had infringed on Gaye’s

musical masterpeeps. Here, we have recreated the “Blurred Lines” music video, com-

plete with Thicke, Pharrell, dancing girls (chicks), hashtags, and a sheep, while

Marvin Gaye in his beard and beanie looks down from heaven with his $7.3M award

and the scales of justice. Got to give it up, indeed.

Attribution: Submitted by Robyn Littman, Lucy Mac Gabhann and Erin Podolny

P A G E 3

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Continued from page 2 SOCIAL STUDIES

Our Magnet students participate in our own version of this awesome contest. Each class creates their

diorama for the run-off of one entry per freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Winners will be

announced at our Law Day festivities!

Project Citizen

Our GT American Government classes are working hard on their topics for this year’s Project Citizen

forum. Project Citizen originates from the Center for Civic Education and is endorsed by MSDE and

the Office of Social Studies (BCPS). The program promotes competent and responsible participation in

local government. The program helps students learn how to monitor and influence public policy. By

participating in the program, students develop tolerance and increased feelings of political efficacy.

Project Citizen is aligned with the Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies.

Students investigate and research various community issues. They present their findings to the class.

The class votes on which topic/issue they would like to continue to research. Students create surveys

which they distribute, collect, and analyze. The results are incorporated into their presentation to the

esteemed panel of experts.

Each year we are fortunate to have Del. Lafferty, Sen. Brochin, Dr. Tony Campbell, representatives

from MSDE and the Office of Social Studies, judges, lawyers, and professors of public policy serve on

our panels to hear our students’ pitch for change. Twice our students’ projects have been incorporated

into policy by the Chamber of Commerce. We are proud of the hard work, quality of research, and pro-

fessional grade presentations of our students. We are also grateful to the community for their support of

our efforts as they graciously give of their time to make this opportunity a reality for our students.

LPP Senior Field Trip

On Tuesday, March 24, the Senior Class of Towson High’s Law and Public Policy Magnet Pro-

gram travelled to Washington, D.C. to visit the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. The trip

provided our seniors with an opportunity to learn about the history of law enforcement, crime, and pun-

ishment in the United States, as well as a chance to bond and reflect on their almost completed odyssey

through the LPP Program and Towson High.

Loch Raven Model Congress

On Monday, April 27, Brittany Askin, Luca Cellucci, Alex Chrvala, Ciara Donegan, Kristen Donegan,

Iyana Fulp, Grace Griffin, Oscar Harris, Ryan Slade, Daniel Schuck will participate in the 16th Loch

Raven Model Congress at Cockeysville Middle School. The Model Congress will provide a fantastic

opportunity for students to apply democratic principles, analyze and advocate for relevant public is-

sues, and simulate the legislative process. BCPS sponsors this activity for all Baltimore County High

Schools.

P A G E 4

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

“First…

think.

Second…

believe.

Third…

dream.

And finally…

dare.”

~Walt Disney~

SOCIAL STUDIES

Psychology

AP - Students creatively explored their own personalities by designing a mask that

represents their own personality as they see it. Students were asked to explore 4 per-

sonality theories, Trait, Behaviorism, Humanism, and Freud’s Psychodynamic theories.

Come see some samples on the third floor.

Psychology: Most students underesti-

mate the abilities of our senses. To

demonstrate our keen sense of touch,

all students in Mr. Sonneborn’s Gen-

eral Psychology classes were as-

signed a (numbered) lemon and given

20 minutes to get to know their

lemon. After 20 minutes, the lemons

were collected and the students were

blindfolded. Lemons were then redis-

tributed at random. Students worked

together passing the lemons around a

circle in order to find their lemon. All students were able to find their lemon. Not only

did this demonstrate their keen sense of touch, but it utilized group communication and

cooperation and was very enjoyable.

P A G E 5

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Continued from page 2 SOCIAL STUDIES

Page Program

Autumn Grant, LPP, Class of 2015, was selected to the 2015 Maryland General Assembly Page Pro-

gram and recently completed her second week of internship in Annapolis. During her time in the State

House, Autumn provided vital services to the legislature, met with legislators and other state officials,

and gained valuable experience in the legislative process. Autumn is pictured here with the other mem-

bers of her rotation (fourth from the right) and Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller in the back-

ground.

P A G E 6

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

SPECIAL EDUCATION

“Everyone is

a genius.

But if you

judge a fish

on its ability

to climb a

tree, it will

live its

whole life

believing

that it is

stupid.”

~ Albert Einstein~

Happy Spring!

Students in our functional academic class have a lot to be excited

about this spring!

Awesome activity day, held at Perry Hall High, is a fun filled day

full of sporting activities and mind games. Perry Hall Best Buddy

program assisted with each event. The Towson students excelled at

basketball and floor hockey.

May brings the Very Special Arts Festival, held at Oregon Ridge.

Last year the students performed a song and dance on the stage and

this year they hope to do the same. The Awesome Activity Day

event attracts over 2000 students from every school in Baltimore

County. The allied softball team is in mid season and have already

won several games.

Let's Go Generals!

P A G E 7

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Have You Heard

the News????

Senior News GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENTS

It’s not too late to place an order. Visit www.balfour.com.

CAP AND GOWNS

There are still several seniors who have not ordered a cap and gown. Students who have not yet ordered

have received notices in homeroom. A student cannot participate at graduation without a cap and gown.

Orders can be made at www.nrpatlantic.com.

SENIOR PROM

Our next big event is the Senior Prom. The Prom will be held at the Scottish Rite Center from 7:00 – 11:00

p.m. on May 16th. The address is 3800 N. Charles Street, Baltimore MD. Tickets were sold the week of

April 13-17th. The theme of the evening will be Masquerade.

SENIOR PHOTO

The senior group photo by Lifetouch is being offered until April 24th. Students may purchase the photo for

$15 or a laminated photo for $20. To purchase, see Mrs. Kromsky at the ticket sales table before or after

school.

For any questions contact Julie Kromsky at JKromsky@bcps.org or Claudia Krochta at CKro-

chta@bcps.org

P A G E 8

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Continued Have You Heard the News????

SENIORS: THE NEXT CHAPTER

Congratulations to our seniors who have already been accepted into college!! Following

are the colleges our seniors have selected:

University of Alabama Arcadia University Community College of Baltimore County

University of Baltimore Binghamton University Bowdoin College

Bucknell Calvin College Castleton State College

College of Charleston University of Chicago Coastal Carolina University

Cornell University (College of Engineering) Dartmouth College

University of Delaware DePaul University Drexel University

Florida International University Fordham University Frostburg State University

Full Sail University George Mason University The University of Georgia

Hanover College High Point University Hofstra University

Howard University Ithaca College Johns Hopkins

Liberty University University of Louisville Lynchburg College

University of Maryland, Baltimore County McDaniel College

Mercer University Michigan State University Mississippi State University

Mount Saint Mary’s University University of New Haven University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Ohio University Pennsylvania State University University of Pittsburgh

Purdue University Radford University Roanoke College

Salisbury University School of the Art Institute of Chicago

University of South Carolina Temple University University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Towson University Tulane University University of Vermont

Virginia Commonwealth University Washington College

Washington University in St. Louis (Arts & Sciences) West Virginia University

Western Carolina University Xavier University

P A G E 9

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Continued Have You Heard the News????

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Congratulations to the band and orchestra students

who will be attending a field trip to the BCPS Side

-by-Side with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

concert on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.

The following students will actually PERFORM

with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at this

concert!! What an honor!! Congratulations!

Naomi Element ~ Violin Rey Sasaki ~ Violin

Rose Alon ~ Viola Yuzhu Shi ~ Flute

Leo Sarbanes ~ Oboe Anne Saba ~ Oboe

Sylvie Hullinger ~ Clarinet Luke Powers ~ Trumpet

To The First Annual

Theater Booster Celebration

Wednesday, April 22nd at 6:00 p.m.

at The Greene Turtle.

Join us for a buffet dinner, awards ceremony, and student perform-ances as we celebrate a year of wonderful theater at Towson HS. Tickets are $15 for students, $20 for adults. Make checks payable to THS Theater Boosters.

P A G E 1 0

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Have You Heard the News???? Continued

8TH GRADE STUDENTS FROM DUMBARTON VISIT TOWSON HS

On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, we welcomed 345 8th grade students and their teachers

from Dumbarton Middle School. The students arrived in the auditorium and heard

from school representatives. Then they broke into tour groups, led by members of

SGA. The tour included showing the students the layout of Towson High School as

well as important areas and offices. At 1:50 p.m., they reported back to the audito-

rium and enjoyed a preview of Hairspray (THS musical scheduled from 4-16-15

through 4-18-15) before boarding their buses and returning to Dumbarton.

Thanks to all the Towson staff and students, especially the SGA, for making our

rising 9th graders feel welcomed.

P A G E 1 1

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Continued Have You Heard the News????

TOWSON HIGH SCHOOL CLEAN UP DAY--

APRIL 25TH FROM 9 AM TO NOON.

Attention all clubs, teams, students, faculty, and families!

Please join us for the BIG EVENT--the annual

Spring Clean Up of the THS campus. Many hands

make light work, plus you can earn service hours

for your participation.

Wear work gloves and bring some tools, especially

rakes and cutting tools. Towson University students

and neighbors will be joining us at the Aigburth

parking lot at 9 am to spruce up our campus.

For more information, email Jennifer Bolster at jenniferbolster1@gmail.com.

P A G E 1 2

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Have You Heard the News???? Continued

THANK YOU TRADER JOE'S

for the Donation of flowers for our AP Biology students!

P A G E 1 3

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

Continued Have You Heard the News????

P A G E 1 4

P A G E 1 5

T H E T O W S O N P R I D E

UPCOMING EVENTS

April

16-18 Spring Musical, Hairspray - 7:00 p.m. - Auditorium

21 Honor Society Inductions -~ NHS, SHs, FHS, CHS, LHS, NAHS and content area societies, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

22 Earth Day / SGA Clean-Up

23 Distribution of 3rd Quarter Report Cards

23 Spring Concert ~ Strings, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

24 Junior Prom, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

25 Towson Hs Clean Up Day ~ 9:00 a.m. - Noon

28 Spring Concert ~ Bands, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

29 AVID Senior Celebration, 8:00 a.m., Auditorium

30 Spring Concert ~ Choral, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

May

4-15 AP Testing

8 Senior Interims Distributed

8 Theatre Awards Night, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

11-22 Senior Final Exams

15 Underclassmen Interims Distributed

15 Colophon Reading, 7:00 p.m. Library

16 Senior Prom, 7:00 p.m., Scottish Rite, Charles Street

P A G E 1 6

Towson High School

69 Cedar Ave

Towson, MD 21286

PHONE: 410-887-3608

FAX: 410-583-1375

P A G E 1 7 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 2 4