Warrior Issue 2016

7/25/2019 Warrior Issue 2016

1/19

Warriorth

e

38th Year, Issue No.3

Inside:News: 1-5, Hidden Talents: 6-7,Features: 8-9, Humor: 10-11,Spotlight: 12-13,Opinions: 14-17,Wondering Warrior: 18 Entertainment: 19-20,Sports: 21-24

January 14, 2016

www.thewarrioronline.com

Swimming:Strong seasonattributed to talentand leadership

pg . 24

300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860Sherwood High School

Money:

How students makeand spend it

pg. 18

Generations:A closer look at thedifferent age groupstoday

pg. 12-13

Cava Mezze:A review o Olneysnewest restaurant

pg. 19

Picking the wrong

word:

An emoji was theworst choice torepresent 2015

pg. 16

The Real House-

wives of Olney:

Te reality show in-troduces new spin-off in Olney

pg. 10

Students Who Do the Crime Do the Time

As a result of efforts to keep

students in school, the number

of out-of-school suspensions at

Sherwood has remained at an

all-time low over the past two

years. There were six suspen-

sions during the rst quarter of

this school year. During the rst

quarter of 2014-2015 school year,

there were just three suspensions.

The school, instead, has re-

lied on In-School Interventions

(ISI) and other measures such as

peer mediation and community

service. As suspensions decline,the number of students placed in

ISI has greatly increased, and 39

students were given ISI during

the second quarter of this school

year, according to data pulled by

Assistant Principal Sandi Wil-

liams.

Starting as early as Febru-

ary of 2012, the Maryland State

Board of Education passed a new

initiative to cut the number of

students suspended from school

because of the belief that those

students were missing too much

class time. The report that the

board drafted concluded that there

was little to no evidence that re-

moving students from school for

misdemeanors improved student

behavior or the schools safety.

After the Maryland State

Board of Education nalized

new regulations on suspensions

in 2014, MCPS followed suit by

adjusting its own policies. A new

code of conduct includes a 10-

page matrix of different wrong-

doings and detailed levels of

punishment for each. These new

MCPS guidelines led to an in-

crease in ISI at Sherwood to 15 in

2014 from four the previous year.

This comes a year after suspen-

sions at Sherwood in 2013 were

at an all-time high of 49, accord-

ing to Williams.

The In-School Interventions

typically take place in a room lo-

cated in the main ofce. Posted

on the wall includes a set of rules

that students in the room must

follow. These guidelines include

securing cell phones, following

directions of staff members, and

see SUSPENSION, pg. 3

Students that are given in-school intervention spend their hours in this room in the Main Ofce. The room

provides a workspace for students to complete assignments due to their absence from their classes.

by Danielle Tobb 17

Freshman Haley Allen

blocked a girls pass on the la-

crosse eld and received a blow

to the head during a Saturday

tournament. Senior Lauren Al-

exander was supervising a group

of kids at work when she collid-

ed with a man playing basketball

nearby and slammed her head on

the oor. Sophomore Alhaji Turaywas hit in the face with a soccer

ball during a school game in Sep-

tember. After experiencing vari-

ous symptoms, Allen, Alexander

a n d

T u ray

j o i n e d

the 40 stu-

dents that

have been di-

agnosed with

a concussion at

Sherwood thisschool year alone.

A concussion,

according to the Cen-

ter for Disease Control

(CDC), is a brain injury,caused by a bump, blow or

jolt to the head, that chang-

es the way the brain usually

works. The most common

symptoms include fatigue and

headaches, weakness, numbness,

decreased coordination, nausea,

seizures, memory difculties or

even loss of consciousness.

Concussion counts have

steadily increased over the past

couple of years. More awarenessand therefore more recognition

has brought the number of con-

cussions up signicantly, said

Dr. Christopher G. Vaughan, a

pediatric neuropsychologist who

has treated Sherwood students at

Childrens National Hospital.

Sherwood documented 108

concussions last year and on aver-

age sees four to six head bumps

to the health room daily. I think

its mostly due to our documen-

tation and more awareness of the

seriousness of the injury. Before

we werent required to documentconcussions to the county; now

we are, said school nurse Jenni-

fer Jones.

Students suffering from a

concussion follow the Return toLearn protocol. We give thema little bit of work and wait un-

til they are almost symptom-free.

If symptoms dont decrease, we

lessen the workload, but if they

do decrease, we add more work

until they are back at the normal

classroom level, added Jones.

The list of restrictions de-

scribed on the Acute ConcussionEvaluation document, sent by the

doctor, includes a list of accom-

modations that last as long as

symptoms persist. Common ac-

commodations include multiple

rest breaks, reduced homework

and/or classwork, extended due

dates, modied testing and a pass

to the health room should symp-

toms worsen. Accommodations

could even result in a more in-

tensive 504 Plan which providesdisability accommodations for

concussions over a long period of

time.

In order to accommodate stu-

Head Injuries on the Field LeadTo Major Fallout in Classrooms

MCPS has dramatically shifted away from suspending students. High schools have instead been mandated to rely

on In-School Interventions (ISI). At Sherwood, students in ISI spend a day or more in a room in the Main Ofce.

dents diagnosed with a concus-

sion, the counselors, nurse and

administrators all meet to gather

more information and discuss the

best course of action. I provide

the medical background needed,

while the administrators look at

coursework Ultimately we all

agree on priorities for the stu-

dent, stated Jones.

Despite the current protocolin place, concussed students seem

to have different opinions about

how well they felt they were ac-

commodated. Allen stated that all

of her teachers were understand-

ing of her condition, and she did

not feel rushed or overwhelmed

once she was fully healed. Turay

seemed to nd himself in the mid-

dle where most of his teachers

were helpful, but he found he had

to nd out and learn many things

on his own. Alexander found that

some teachers were more helpful

than others in her recovery pro-

cess. Teachers denitely forgetsometimes that in addition to the

work I have to make up in their

class, I also have work to make up

in four other classes, said Alex-

ander.

While Vaughan explainsthere is still a lot to learn, he stat-

ed the best treatment for concus-

sions is relaxation, hydration,and good sleep.

by Bryse Thornwell 16

Hidden Talents:Students and

staff display theirunique abilities pg. 6-7

Bathroom Parties:

Students must findnew ways to showspirit afer chaoticincident

pg. 2

Maya Koeppen 17


2/19

The WarriorNews2 January 14, 2016

After 26 MCPS schools tested for dangerously high levels

of radon, all schools and other buildings within the district have

been scheduled to be retested. Sherwoods radon levels were

tested from December 21 to 24 and are awaiting results. Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that often

seeps into buildings through cracks in the foundation. This

seemingly harmless gas is linked to lung cancer and thus regu-

lated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA

says radon should be tested for and should not exceed four pi-

cocuries per liter (pCi/l), in order to protect peoples safety and

well-being.

Interim Superintendent Larry A. Bowers has directed staff to

review the MCPS radon program and to establish a new baseline

set of data of radon levels in MCPS facilities with the retesting

data. The new radon monitoring program will be developed with

guidance from the EPA to ensure an effective and accurate new

policy.

The upcoming testing schedule and future test results will

be accessible on the MCPS website (http://www.montgomery-

schoolsmd.org).

Radon Retested Across MCPSby Samantha Schwartz 16

Rumors on the Rise for iPhone 7by Bryse Thornwell 16

Its the year 2016, which ofcially ends the S year for Ap-ples iPhone and paves the way for the iPhone 7 tentatively set

to be released this fall. While Apple has not yet stated which

changes are absolutely denite, USA Today has released some

of the modications that reportedly will be incorporated into the

new design. Some of the biggest changes include removing the

standard 3.5mm headphone jack, making the phone compatiblewith gloves, and protecting the phone by adding more water-re-

sistant materials.

USA Today speculates on these changes based on Apples re-

cently received patents for Glove Touch Detection, Electronic

devices with housing port shutters, and an informant from the

Japanese blog Macotakara. The most controversial change would most likely be the

removal of the headphone jack. Removing the headphone jack

would allow Apple to make the iPhone even thinner, and the

standard 3.5mm plug would be modied to t the charger port.While at rst this change seems similar to when Apple changed

the charger ports from the old (30-pin) charger to the new, thin-

ner lightning cable, headphones include a market that expands

further and would lead everyone to modify their headphone prod-

ucts, not just Apple.

This legal year, the Supreme Court is reviewing Fisher v.

University of Texas at Austin which deals with afrmative actionand the use of racial preference in undergraduate admissions at

universities across the country. The oral arguments for the case

were heard on December 9. The plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, led

the case in 2008 after being denied admission to the universitybecause of its race-conscious admission policy. If her claim is

proven true, not only could the university be in violation of the

Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment, but an-

alysts believe afrmative action, as a whole, may be removed

from college admissions nationwide.

The case has the potential to become another landmark case

like Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and Grutter

v. Bollinger which have provided precedent for Fishers case as

both decisions legitimized race-conscious admission policies inorder to promote a diverse student body; however, the latter case

established that race has a limited role in the admission decisions

made by public universities.

The topic of afrmative action raises all sorts of debatebecause some believe that afrmative action is equivalent to

reverse racism while others believe that afrmative actionis essential because of a centuries-long legacy of racism in the

country, which has been stirred up again by tragedies like the

Charleston church shooting and the deaths of black men and

women at the hands of police ofcers. Afrmative action has

provided effectiveness as a way of having a more diverse student

body on college campuses.

Court Reviews Afrmative Action

by Ketki Chauhan 16

Administration Hopes To Redirect Spiritby Ashley Nnabue 16

It is difcult to attend Sher-

wood and not be aware of the oc-casional bathroom party. Hordes

of students, numbering from a

dozen to more than 50 people,

screaming and yelling in a hall-

way as they tramp into a boys

bathroom together is hard to

miss. What may seem like fairly

innocent fun to the participants

has proven to have the potential

to become an uncontrollable and

dangerous event.

Bathroom parties at the

school are a fairly recent phenom-

ena of the past four years where

students, usually males, gath-

er at a specic school bathroombetween class periods to chant,

jump, and build excitement for

a much anticipated sports game

later that day, or simply to blow

off steam. The occasion tends

to occur on the days of import-

ant football or boys basketball

games, but also has taken place in

past years in the late springtime

as students anticipate the end of a

school year.

Word gets around through

mass text messages that reach

nearly every individual within

the school. The message sparks

encouragement by highlighting

the importance for everyone toparticipate if he or she has school

spirit. Although it is meant to be

fun, students fail to realize the

danger and damage that bathroom

parties can cause.

For the most recent bathroom

party on November 13, studentswere encouraged to get hyped for

the football playoff game against

Howard. A rst bathroom par-

ty that day took place between

6th and 7th periods in the upper

C-hall. A second and larger party

took place again between 7th and

8th periods in the same location.

In the frenzy, a student acciden-

tally injured security guard Andy

Blasher. As Blasher tried to pre-

vent students from leaving the

bathroom, he was shoved in the

shoulder, causing an injury for

which he received surgery on De-cember 16. Blasher is scheduled

to return to Sherwood in March,but will be taking legal action re-

garding the incident. For the time

being, security guard Gabriel Pal-

amowill be lling in.

If people are getting hurt,

it is not school spirit but unorga-

nized chaos that detracts from it,

said Pat Rooney, the head of the

schools security team. It is al-

ways boys because girls are smart

enough not to go into dirty bath-

rooms and be stupid.

Principal Bill Gregory an-

grily made a public announce-

ment to the student body during

8th period on November 13 andsternly made clear that he will

not tolerate the reckless behav-

ior that occurred during the two

bathroom parties that day. Healso stressed that he appreciates

students school spirit and wants

that spirit to continue, but that

students need to channel it in ap-

propriate ways. Activities such as

a ash mob would be acceptable.

Gregory said that there will be

severe consequences for studentswho participate in any bathroom

parties in the future.

Uber Car Service Increases in

Popularity with Strings Attachedby Naomi Lawrence 17 Since 2010, Uber increasing-

ly has been used by many across

the nation and other countries

worldwide. This smartphone app

allows users to request a car with

the tap of a screen. Payments are

made through an account on the

app, which makes the use of cash

unnecessary. In addition, drivers

are given the customers location

upon request, so there is no need

to wait around for a cab to hope-

fully swing by. Used for nearly

any occasion, users can be takenvirtually anywhere.

Drivers also experience

many perks. Though they are re-

sponsible for wear and tear on

their car, as well as having to pay

for gas, they do get to set their

own hours. Although drivers are

not permitted to receive tips, they

are not subject to the same rigid

regulations and fees that tradi-

tional taxi drivers are. One fea-

ture of Uber allows passengers to

rate their drivers and vice versa.

If anyone, driver or passenger,

receives too many poor reviews,

the company will de-activate the

account.

Its no wonder Uber is regard-

ed as a leading company of app-

based services. However, as the

hype about the company grows,

more concerns have popped up.

Earlier this year in August,

district attorneys in Califor-

nia pressed charges against the

company, accusing Uber of not

completing adequate backgroundchecks on its hired drivers. San

Franciscos District Attorney,

George Gascon, pointed out thatthe database Uber uses to check

the records of potential driversoverlooks former criminals. He

found 30,000 Uber employees

who are registered sex offenders,

and were not found in the data-

base. Registered cab companies

use a database called Livescan

that checks against the sex of-

fender registry, thereby eliminat-

ing the possibility of hiring crim-

inals.

In addition, many Uber driv-

ers arent considered employees

by state law. While claiming em-

ployee status, one can be entitled

to government benets. However,

if drivers refer to themselves as

an independent contractor, they

avoid having to pay income taxes.

There have been several

cases where people have been

overcharged by Uber drivers. For

instance, a woman in Baltimore

was charged $362 for a 20-minute

ride. Taxis would have charged a

fraction of that price.

Ubers policy also states that

they prohibit drivers from giving

rides to minors. However, many

teenagers use the car service to

get home from parties and clubs,

rather than driving themselves,

or having their parents come andget them. While providing an al-

ternative to prevent drunk driv-

ing, common practice contradicts

Ubers own policy.

The Uber policy on accounts

states that users must be above the

age of 18 and that all informationgiven through the account must

be accurate. While this is legal-

ly appropriate for the protection

of the company against liability,

Uber has no methods of checking

that all information is correct, and

end up giving rides to minors and

other people who have accounts

under false names.

A rowdy bathroom party damaged the C hall boys bathroom on No-

vember 13. Students messed with ceiling tiles and soap dispensers.

Chase Wilson 17


3/19

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The Warrior thanks its many wonderful patrons:

The Maryland State High-

way Administration (SHA) re-

cently created a plan to install

a sidewalk that extends from

MD-650 (New Hampshire Ave)

westward to Brooke Road next

to the Sandy Spring Post Ofce

to comply with requirements setin place by the Americans with

Disabilities Act. The Greater Ol-

ney Civic Association (GOCA)has recently sent a resolution to

the SHA which slightly revises

the original plan and hopes for a

westward extension to Dr. Bird

Road, which would allow the

connection of Olney and Sandy

Spring and make it easier and

safer for walkers to commute to

and from school.

Olney and Sandy Spring are

two towns that are home to many

Sherwood students. Current-

ly, there is no way to commute

from one town to the other with-

out driving or walking along dirt

paths, made from the footsteps

of hundreds of students over the

years.

The current plan by the SHA

would leave no connection to

Sherwood Elementary School

and thus no connection to the

sidewalk that starts to the east of

Sherwood Elementary and ex-

tends to Marden Lane (.4 miles

west of Dr. Bird Road). The

GOCA argues that the current

plan does not account for require-

ments put in place by the Ameri-

cans with Disabilities Act as there

is no connection for walkers and

people in wheelchairs to make

their ways across, and the whole

point of the original plan by the

SHA is to account for ADA re-

quirements.

To add to the plan, the GOCA

also argues that the short trail that

extends from Sherwood Elemen-

tary to Marden Lane should be

extended an extra 2,000 feet toconnect to Dr. Bird. They assert

that this section of road is nar-

row, winding and without any

safety shoulder and that it is in

the best interest of all people,

drivers and walkers, to extend the

sidewalk through this area.

The current proposed plan

has the sidewalk as a shared-

use path, which entails a 10-foot

wide sidewalk separated from

the street. Shared-use paths are

used by bikers and walkers alike,

which will also ensure safety of

not both students and drivers, as

one will not need to pass bikers on

the left and put themselves at risk

of being hit by oncoming trafc.The current plan for the sidewalk

is to be built on the north side of

108, across from Sherwood.

Greater Olney Civic OrganizationProposes Sidewalk along MD-108by Tyler Ruth 16

Increase in Students in ISIfrom SUSPENSION, pg. 1

The SHA-proposed sidewalk would stretch from New Hampshire Avenue to Brooke Road. The GOCA

wishes to extend the sidewalk from Brooke Road to existing sidewalk in front of Sherwood towards Dr. Bird

completing all assignments given

to them. Williams explained that

during ISI, a student is provided

with a reection sheet in which

the student answers questions

to reect on his or her behavior,

what caused that behavior and the

appropriate response in the fu-

ture.

According to Principal Bill

Gregory, there are few repeatoffenders in ISI for behavioral

issues due to its monotonous na-

ture, and Gregory believes thatISI therefore deters students to

a great extent from misbehaving

again.

Social studies teacher Todd

Rubinstein has had multiple stu-dents placed in ISI on more than

one occasion. For those stu-

dents, the lesson is clearly not be-

ing received. These students are

missing a signicant amount of

instruction in all of their courses.

Rubinstein said that while theboredom of ISI has the potential

to be worse than an out-of-school

suspension, he has seen students

in the ISI room sleeping and play-

ing on their cellphones.

At Sherwood specically, pa-

ra-educators are in charge of tak-

ing shifts to look over the students

in ISI. One para-educator noted

that the students in the program

oftentimes stare into space. Some

teachers do not provide them with

any homework to do while in the

program.

The main goal of the ISI

program is to increase class-

room instruction for students

who would otherwise be losing

substantial learning time if sus-

pended. ISI is also intended to

address the fact that studies and

reports consistently have found

that black and hispanic students

are disproportionately suspended

out-of-school. However, minority

students continue to make up the

greatest share of students placed

in ISI at Sherwood. Unlike out-

of-school suspensions, the racial

and gender demographics of stu-

dents in ISI are not reported to

MCPS or the state of Maryland.

Gregory explained that stu-

dents sleeping and playing on

their cell phones during ISI was

a problem that needed to be re-

solved. The role of the para-edu-

cator is to help students with their

schoolwork, and Gregory added

that the para-educator should

contact an administrator if a stu-

dent in ISI resists or refuses to

complete school work. Gregory says that there isan important distinction between

the term ISI, which is to make

sure students get their work

done, and ISS, which is a pun-

ishment for students to just sit

there. Sherwood does not have

ISS, according to Gregory. On

the rare occasion when a student

is given an out-of-school suspen-

sion, it often results from a more

serious behavior and involves the

police.

One male junior recently

was put in ISI for two days after

bringing a knife to school. He

said that he intended no harm and

that he simply forgot that it was

in his backpack. The incident led

to his rst time placed in ISI. His

teachers gave him homework to

do while in the program, but not

enough to keep him occupied for

an entire school day. When he ran

out of homework, he proceeded

to sleep for the rest of the day. He

believed that it did not teach him

a lesson and felt that the ISI room

was akin to a jail cell.

Illustrated by Tyler Ruth 16


4/19

The WarriorNews4 January 14, 2016

Most Popular Majors at Many Colleges andUniversities Not Seen in Highest Paid Majorsby Jacob Golomb 16

Upon observing various Ad-

visory classrooms, it is apparent

that there are differences in the

content taught from teacher to

teacher. To a certain extent, this

variance is intentional.

This year, advisory was de-

signed to center around the needs

and responsibilities of each grade.

With two pre-designed lessons,

a lesson of the teachers choice,

and a lesson to review individual

academic progress, the purpose

of Advisory is to ensure every

student is introduced to a com-

fortable environment in school

and provided important infor-mation and skills regarding their

education. The one advisors

choice [lesson] was something

that came out of staff. They said

cant we do what we want to

do, explained Karen Rose, the

10th grade administrator and thedirector of the Advisory program.

The prearranged lessons reg-

ularly offer the teachers the op-

tions for activities, such as work-

sheets, videos, discussions and

role-playing exercises. However,

some teachers completely deviate

from the lessons that they have

been given. In some cases, stu-dents are given free time in Ad-

visory while the teacher grades

papers or completes other tasks.

The negative is that Adviso-

ry lessons are inconsistent in each

class, said an anonymous teach-er.

The aim of the Advisory pro-

gram is not that every teacher

does the exact same lesson, but

that certain skills, knowledge and

materials are passed along for stu-

dents. I personally think adviso-

ry is really valuable because were

trying to make sure every kid has

access to the same information,

said Sandi Williams, the 12th

grade administrator. Now, what

students choose to do with that in-

formation is where they may drop

off. Or how the information is de-

liveredbecause I may deliver it

one way and you may deliver itanother waybut the overarch-

ing goal is every kid has access to

information.

She noted that staff members

are going to put together a sur-

vey for both staff and students to

complete so that the school can

receive feedback about Advisory.

Williams also pointed out that it

is important that students do their

part to come to Advisory with a

positive attitude. Ive randomlytalked to kids about doing things

about their advisors who dont de-

liver a lesson and then Ive gone

to those classes and their advisoris delivering the lesson, she said.

Sometimes the kids are sittingby the back door and laughing. So

they choose not to participate.

by Emily Gilburt 16

Advisory Approaches AreDifferent among Teachers

It is winter time and seniorsare waiting for college admis-

sion decisions and thinking about

their educational futures. As they

consider their options for college

studies, they also must consid-

er how their educational choices

will benet their job prospects.

With a variety of elds to choosefrom, students are faced with the

decision of what to study. Here

are some of the most popular ma-

jors that students choose to spe-

cialize in:

Business Students studying business

take classes including nance,marketing, sales, advertising and

more related areas to learn skills

to successfully run and manage

businesses. With most entry-lev-

el jobs in business only requiring

a bachelors degree, the average

starting salary for recent busi-

ness major graduates is around

$37,000.

Psychology Studying the human mind

and behavior, psychology majors

go into a variety of elds after

graduation from college. Those

who want to become psycholo-

gists or counselors further their

education in graduate school,

while others decide to pursue en-

try-level jobs in other areas such

as education or human resourc-

es. Unfortunately, psychology

majors have an above-average

unemployment rate with around

9 percent of recent graduates un-

able to nd a job.

Nursing Important members of the

healthcare industry, nursing ma-

jors learn to provide care and

assistance to patients. The vast

majority of nursing jobs requirea Bachelor of Science in Nursing

(BSN), while certain advanced

nursing specialties require a Mas-

ters degree or Doctorate in nurs-

ing. A consistently in-demand

job, BSN graduates have one of

the highest average starting sal-

aries at around $50,000 and em-

ployment opportunities for nurses

are projected to grow faster than

average in the next decade.

Education Education majors learn child

psychology, curriculum develop-

ment and other related skills to

become teachers. These future

educators gain hands-on pro-

fessional experience during col-

lege by being student-teachers at

schools for a semester. Students

can specialize in one of the differ-

ent elds of education including

elementary, secondary, and spe-

cial education. Those wanting to

teach a certain subject for high

school can major in that subject

and complete the coursework to

become a certied teacher. Many

education majors pursue graduate

degrees in education for higher

salary and job security, as well asenhanced teaching skills.

Biology Biology, which is the broad

topic of the study of life, offers

an equally diverse range of careerpaths for students. Though many

think of biology majors as being

pre-medical, they also go into

many other elds such as zool-

ogy, science journalism, marine

biology, dentistry, biotechnology,

teaching, and research. Many bi-

ology majors develop scientic

skills in college interning at hos-

pitals, labs, and other research

facilities. While many jobs in the

eld of biology require graduateor professional education, biolo-

gy majors can get entry-level jobs

as lab assistants, nutritionists, and

educators.

The best-paying majors by starting salary are:

Engineering (various disciplines) $62,000 Computer Science $61,000 Actuarial Mathematics $60,800 Dental Hygiene $65,800

Finance & Economics $55,700

Source: http://www.payscale.com


5/19

The WarriorNewsJanuary 14, 2016 5

SHS Scores Poorly on PARCC

Last year for the rst time

Sherwood students, along withother MCPS high school students,

took the PARCC assessment for

Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and English

10. Sherwood test-takers did sig-

nicantly worse than the MCPS

average.

In Algebra 1, only eight per-

cent of the schools test-takers

received a passing or excelling

score, 19.8 percent for Algebra

2, and 25.3 percent for English

10. These scores were lower

compared to MCPS, which had

average scores of 40 percent in

Algebra 1 passing or excelling,

34 percent in Algebra 2, and 44

percent in English 10.

The overall view of thecommunity was that students do

not need to take these tests seri-

ously since they dont count,

said Assistant Secondary Admin-

istrator Sapna Chaudhry, who is

the schools testing coordinator.

This was the rst time students

took this full-edged PARCC.

The curriculum and ways the

questions were asked also were

different from what the students

had been learning in their class-

es. Students will absolutely do

better on the PARCC this year.

Teachers can adapt their instruc-

tion, said Chaudhry. She also

added that teachers hands are

often tied because of the amountof content that they are required

to cover for their curricula. There

was little time last year to do any

preparation for the state-mandat-

ed PARCC.

The schools testing schedule

also may have not been effective,

as students were trying to nish

the tests very quickly in orderto return to their regular classes.

One idea for the PARCC sched-

uling this year is to have a block

schedule during testing time so

that students will not miss in-

struction in multiple class peri-

ods.

Administration wants Sher-

wood students, staff and families

to know that last years scores

were skewed. Since the students

all knew that earning a passing

grade on these tests was not a

graduation requirement, scores

were less than what they could be

if the tests had been taken more

seriously.

This is not a reection ofour rigor or what is being taught

in class. It was more the student

and teacher mindset of know-

ing the test did not count, said

Chaudhry.

by Megan Werden 17

Chaudhry Becomes a U.S. Citizen

On December 18, after

months of preparation, Assistant

Secondary Administrator Sapna

Chaudhry became a U.S. citizen.

Chaudhry, who was previously apermanent resident in the United

States maintained her Indian cit-

izenship but is nally able to call

herself a U.S. citizen as well.

The process for obtaining cit-izenship began for Chaudhry in

July of 2015 when she led for

citizenship. Two months later, she

was called in for ngerprintingand photographing. There, they

gave her a booklet and CD with

100 questions to study for her

interview. Chaudhry reviewed

constantly, listening to the CD

again and again on her way to

and from work. She reached the

point where she knew every an-

swer to every question. On De-

cember 4, Chaudhry attended an

interview where she answered ten

history and civics questions andcompleted a reading and writing

section. By the end of the inter-

view, Chaudhry had successfully

passed the citizenship process and

her oath ceremony was scheduledfor December 18.

Today, Chaudhry is a proud

American citizen. She has her

American ag from her oath cer-

emony proudly hanging on her

ofce door and cant wait to take

advantage of the benets of citi-

zenship. I am excited to be able

to vote in the upcoming 2016

election, said Chaudhry. Andalso apply for a U.S. passport

so that I can travel, because I love

to travel.

Chaudhry is also excited

about the opportunities her citi-

zenship opens up for her two sons.

One of whom is 18 and must le

for citizenship on his own, but the

other, who is 16, receives citizen-

ship status under her name.

Chaudhrys citizenship pro-cess was very smooth, efcient

and relatively quick. However, it

did require a lot of work and time.

Despite this, it really feels goodto be at this point where I can call

myself a U.S. citizen, she said.

All the struggles and the hard-

ships that we went through as a

family [were] worth it at the end.

by Maddie Peloff 16

ESOL Finds a SolutionTo Overcrowded Classes

At the beginning of this

school year, the Level 1 ESOL

class had 15 students enrolled in

it, following the recommendation

to have 15 or fewer students in

ESOL classes. Yet, by the month

of December, the number of stu-

dents in the class had more than

doubled, and there were 37 stu-

dents enrolled in the class. Ac-

cordingly, the class was split in

two after long-term sub Fatin Ab-

dal-Sabur was hired in December.

ESOL classes customarily

have continual enrollment, in

which new students are able to

join the class at any point in the

semester; whereas in other de-

partments, students must wait un-

til the start of a new semester.

At the end of each school

year, every department makes a

prediction regarding the number

of students that are expected to

be in each class in order to ensure

that there are sufcient resources,

including teachers, to accommo-

date those students. However, due

to the continual enrollment poli-

cy, there is no accurate method

of predicting the total number of

ESOL students that will enroll in

a given school year.The constant enrollment poli-

cy always leaves questions for the

department regarding the number

of students that will enroll at each

level. Mostly ESOL 1 students

have been enrolling as of late, a

trend unique to this school year.

We usually have constant enroll-

ment, but its more evenly spread

across the levels, said ESOL

resource teacher Laura BernardSanchez. In past years when mul-

tiple sections of the class had

been initially scheduled, each

section had minimal enrollment

and an undersized class. The department also faced

budget cuts at the end of last

year. After being forced to cut a

full-time teacher, the department

started off this school year under-

staffed, which obviously proved

to be problematic as large num-

bers of students continued to en-

roll throughout the year.

Although the overcrowding

of the class was a big problem,

the ESOL teachers and students

worked to ensure that the class

ran as efciently as possible. Im

very happy with my students as

theyre a great group, said ESOL

teacher Aileen Coogan. Theyre

motivated and really want to

learn. The class contains begin-

ner English learners.

The problem with the over-

crowding in the ESOL 1 class was

not an outlier. The ESOL depart-

ment is still looking for ways to

solve problems with overcrowd-

ing in other level ESOL classes.

We still have other large classes

that could use some paring down,Bernard-Sanchez said. The de-

partment hopes that the teaching

allocation will eventually be in-

creased so that Abdal-Sabur will

be able to teach for additional pe-

riods. If the allocation in changed

in their favor, the department will

be able to split two or three other

overcrowded classes.

by Morgan Hill 16

Administrator Sapna Chaudhry stands outside of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services buildingafter passing her citizenship test. After months of preparing, Chaudhry can call herself an American citizen.

courtesy of Sapna Chaudhry


6/19

The WarriorHidden Talents6 January 14, 2016

Senior Tyler Golsen start-

ed his musical journey at thetender age of nine when he rst

picked up an instrument. He was

immediately hooked. With his

supportive parents as inspiration

to follow his dreams, he played

the trombone and drums by the

time he was 11. Since then, the

multi-talented Golsen has learned

how to play bass, guitar, piano,

mandolin and ukulele. Although

many recognize senior Tyler

Golsen as a musician, few know

about the depth of his talents.

I became obsessed with

music at the start of high school

Sophomore Duo Perfects Their Magic Actby Alleigh Keyes 16

Freshman Vine Star Is Veried

by Alleigh Keyes 16 After watching edits on Vine,

an online social media platform

where people share six-second

videos, freshman Liam Walsh

decided to experiment with ed-

iting and posting Vines. Once he

thought of ideas and worked on

videos using iMovie, Walsh be-

gan his journey in early Novem-

ber of 2014. Using the skills he

learned from lming family vid-

eos and editing them through the

app Splice, Walsh was prepared

to take on Vine.

On Vine, some teens may

post videos of themselves goof-ing off with friends. Others might

ll up their proles with an end-

less supply of singing or danc-

ing. Instead of uploading clichd

content, Walsh takes Vines and

changes them up by adding clips,

audio or effects to entertain view-

ers. As a result of his creativity,

Walsh now boasts 163k followers

and has achieved a veried status,

which indicates the authenticity

of his identity.

As a young social media mo-

gul, honors student and Class of

2019 SGA Vice President, Walsh

is certainly busy. When he is not

hitting the books, he can be foundpreparing ideas for Vine, making

edits, or playing sports including

soccer and basketball.

Vine is really important, but

school is a priority. If I need to

focus on my schoolwork, I post-

pone my Vine schedule, Walsh

said.

Although having a prominent

social media presence can be de-

manding at times, Walsh keepshimself grounded by surrounding

himself with supportive family

and friends. His sisters Nicole and

Delaney give him advice on when

to post videos. Walshs close

friend, freshman Zachary Weis-

enthal, is a web designer who cre-

ated Walshs website, zachsweb-

designs.com/liamwalsh.

[Walshs] Vines are hilari-

ous! I laugh at every single one

he shows me, freshman Savan-

nah Showman exclaimed.

With the future in mind,

Walsh plans to attend VidCon

2016, a web convention nextsummer and meet other promi-

nent Viners. As he is approaching

a tipping-point, he will eventual-

ly expand to YouTube in order to

reach more viewers. His creative

skill set will come in handy as he

plans on majoring in engineering.

Its always been my dream

to entertain others and make them

happy. Video editing and com-

edy has always interested me,

and I seek a career in that eld.

Ive always had a creative drive

to inspire and make new things,

and this is my way of doing so.

Its a really fun opportunity that

I have and hearing that I madesomeones day is the highlight of

it all, said Walsh.

Dedicated to his budding

stardom in the Vine world, Walsh

has no intentions of stopping. To

him, Vining is more than mere-

ly posting short videos online;

Walsh aspires to inspire others to

pursue their passions.

Involved Student Musician Sounds Like Teen Talentby Alleigh Keyes 16 when I stopped sports and other

superuous activities to really fo-

cus on being as good a musician

as I could, Golsen said.He joined his rst band when

he was 12 and performed in var-

ious bands. In the fall of his ju-

nior year, he started his own band

known as The X-Rays. [The

X-Rays have] been my personal

music outlet since, he said, and

they have performed in various

events including Project Change

Coffeehouses at the Sandy Spring

Museum, Oakdale Emory Coffee-

houses and Olney Relay for Life.

As an active member of the

schools music department, Gol-

sen is president of the music hon-

or society, Tri-M. His schedule

is lled with music classes in-

cluding symphonic band and jazz

band. He is also in AP Music The-ory and believes that it is import-

ant to learn the ner aspects of

music. Additionally, he has been

a part of jazz ensembles, school

plays, recording projects and jam

sessions. Since freshman year,

Golsen has participated in Rock

n Roll. Currently, this years

show is his main focus as he is a

returning soloist and band mem-

ber.

Certainly a musicians musi-

cian, Golsens numerous talents

and passions have been praised

from peers and musicians alike.

You can see it on his face, when

you bring up music or something

he is working on; a cool smile

shows up, said senior and mu-sician Joseph Hunt. He works

hard and inspires a lot of people

to do the same. Im glad Ive got-

ten to know him and be inspired

by his passion for music.

Golsen plans to continue

with music into college. He hopes

to combine music with other as-

pects of his interests, which deal

with numerous forms of media

including lm making, journal-

ism, plays and musicals.

Music is what make me hap-

py, more than anything else, said

Golsen.

Freshman Competes in Acrobatic Gymnasticsby Tate Harrop 17

While most teens play the

normal sports such as basket-

ball, soccer, lacrosse or football,

freshman Emma Bartoo could

possibly be the only acrobatic

gymnast at Sherwood. It started

with the ordinary sport of gym-

nastics that got her interested.

Bartoo liked the idea of do-

ing something different than just

gymnastics. It was unlike any

sport I had ever seen or tried

before, and I immediately got

hooked, said Bartoo.

Acrobatic gymnastics is a

competitive gymnastic discipline

in which partnerships of gym-

nasts work together and perform

gures consisting of acrobaticmoves, dance and tumbling, set

to music. There are three types

of routines including dynamic,

balance and a combined, which

includes both aspects.

The sport can be done in pairs

or groups. Acrobatic gymnastic

trios include a base, middle base

and a top. Bartoo is a part of a trio

at Xtreme Acro in Rockville. She

contributes to the trio by being

the base, which includes holding

the two other gymnasts up and

throwing them upwards. Bartoo and

her trio are in level eight of acrobat-

ic gymnastics in the age group of 16

and older.

Bartoo practices for months be-

fore the competition season starts.

She practices for three hours, four to

fve days per week, learning a routine

that is put together by professional

choreographers. Practices consist of

strength training and making sure the

routine is perfect. The competition

months start in February and go until

the summer. Her competitions take

place two weekends every month.

The gymnasts get rewarded for

the performances based on different

aspects that is scored out of 30. Bar-

too has been to two national cham-pionships. Two years ago her trio

received 1st place and last year they

received 2nd place.

All the hours of stress, hair and

makeup, practice and preparation

leading up to each competition all

get forgotten as soon as I step foot on

the competition oor knowing I have

only two minutes to wow the judg-

es, said Bartoo.

Although acrobatic gymnas-

tics is not an Olympic sport, it

does have its own acrobatic gym-

nastics world championships held

in even-numbered years. Bartoo

plans to keep doing acrobatic

gymnastics and is already look-

ing at colleges that give her the

chance of continuing her passion.

After meeting at a Super

Bowl party in 2014, sophomores

Jesse Gun and Sam Hull realized

that they both have a passion for

magic. They showed each oth-

er their impressive repertoire of

magic that ranges from card tricks

to balloon art. Eventually, they

developed acts and performed at

local nursing homes before reg-

ularly having gigs. Today, Hull

and Gun, known as the Masters

of Mystery, team up to practice

magic by doing shows and birth-

day parties.

Even though they specialize

in show magic, the Masters ofMystery are acquainted with oth-

er types of magic including street

magic and close-up magic. Since

they have an agent who owns a

magic shop at Savage Mill, the

Masters of Mystery perform gigs

in the malls shop almost ev-

ery weekend. More information

about performances can be found

at their website, masters-of-mys-

tery.com. Gun said he loves magic be-

cause it allows someone to think

about a trick even after the show.

For instance, an acrobat may

have a really cool act, and you

may think about the act afterward.

With a magic trick the audience

member has the trick playing over

and over again. Hull agrees that

reaction is one of the biggest rea-

sons why he performs magic.

The duo performs shows

that usually last about an hour in

the magic shop. Viewers receive

balloon animals and get to view

a plethora of tricks that include

juggling and plate spinning. Wehave many different tricks, rang-

ing from simple card tricks to

tricks involving re and swords,

said Gun. One of their crowd fa-

vorites is known as the Swords of

Death. In the trick, Hull puts his

head in a box. Then, Gun rams 15

swords in the box. After that, Gun

allows an audience member to

randomly pick a card, which ends

up in Hulls mouth.

We love what we do right

now and have a good time do-

ing it, Hull explained. Their

work as magicians has helped

them gain real-world experience

in the elds of communicationsand marketing, which will prove

useful as Hull and Gun are both

interested in business.

Although not many are able

to make a career out of this, these

talented magicians aim to do so.

They plan on auditioning for the

hit-TV show, Americas Got Tal-

ent.

Hull and Gun perform Stoplight.

Bartoo (bottom) performs at a

national championship with team.

Walsh receives thousands of likes and revines on many of his Vines.

Kayla Cohen 17

Golsen plays a solo in Rock n Roll.

courtesy of Emma Bartoo

courtesy of Sam Hull and Jesse Gun

courtesy of Tyler Golsen


7/19

The WarriorHidden TalentsJanuary 14, 2016 7

Junior Travels to Ends of Earth with GoPro

Junior Paris Holbrook is

currently in beauty school and

working to fulll her dream of ac-

quiring her cosmetology license.

She goes to Montgomery County

Beauty School in Silver Spring on

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday andSaturday for four hours on week-

days and up to eight hours on Sat-

urday.

Obtaining a cosmetology

license includes training in styl-

ing hair, applying makeup, and

making acrylic nails. The process

is long, and requires up to 1,500

hours of training at beauty school

before getting the license. Hol-

brook currently has approximate-

ly 430 hours and will likely nish

beauty school between 2017 and

2018 by the age of 19 years.

Ever since she was a young

child, Holbrook has been fasci-

nated by different makeup and

hairstyles. I not only wanted to

do my own [hair], but also other

peoples so that they felt con-

dent in their own skin, she said.

Cosmetology gives me an op-

portunity to help others improve

themselves in a beautiful way.

In the future, Holbrook plans to

open her own salon in New York

for men and women so that she

can bring out their inner beauty

and make them feel more con-

dent about themselves.

This past year, Holbrook

participated in the Miss Mary-

Junior Rises in Beauty Schoolby Kayla Cohen 17

land Teen USA pageant, where

she did her own hair and make-

up. Pursuing a profession as a

cosmetologist helped Holbrook

be more independent in putting

together her look for the pageant

rather than relying on the stylists

there. I also want to continue do-

ing my own hair and makeup inRock n Roll this year, but this

time with more knowledge and

experience, said Holbrook. [If

there is] anyone else who would

like me to help with their look for

the stage, [its] twenty dollars.

Currently, Holbrook works

at Symmetry Salon Studios in

Bethesda twice a week. She does

shampooing, clean-up and learns

new techniques from a renowned

woman who has styled hair for

a variety of famous people and

has helped with many local fash-

ion shows. With this experience

that Holbrook gains, she hopes

to help bring the beauty out in

others mentally and physically, so

that there is as much positivity in

this world as possible.

by Nicole Reich 17

Encouraging Students to LVYRSLFby Steven Witkin 16

Poor body image. Insecu-

rities. Self-harm. Most studentsknow someone who has struggled

with at least one of these side-ef-

fects of growing up, but there is

very little conversation in school

on what to do about it. Junior Jack

Rubin is trying to x that.

In December, Rubin an-

nounced his solution, a school-

based organization called

LVYRSLF. Intended to promote a

positive body image and prevent

suicide, LVYRSLF plans to be a

community of students helping

others through positivity. The

idea is inspired by Rubins own

experience with negative body

image. Aficted with severe acne

in his sophomore year, Rubin

felt rsthand how negative body

image can cripple everyday life

and social interaction. I went

through hell, essentially, Rubin

said. If I can take what I had to

go through and use it to help oth-

ers, Id be beyond happy.

The main obstacle an orga-

nization like LVYRSLF faces is

that body image issues are very

specic to the individual, and

some people who are struggling

with them and even depression

and suicidal thoughts may not be

willing to express that to a largercommunity. Rubin has plans to

combat negative body image and

prevent suicide on both an indi-

vidual and community scale. At

the rst meeting of the organiza-

tion, sponsored by English teach-

er Beth Dibler, ideas and future

plans were suggested. To spread

the message to the communi-

ty, there are plans to sell t-shirts

with positive quotes on them and

donate the proceeds to the Amer-

ican Foundation of Suicide Pre-

vention. On the individual level,

plans were discussed to create a

safe room for helping other peo-

ple feel good about themselves.

Through this kind of non-judg-

mental positivity, LVYRSLF has

the potential to become an active

force in making the high schoolexperience better for all involved.

Even before LVYRSLF has

made any steps toward their

goals, the organization has wide

support. The rst meeting on De-

cember 18 packed Diblers room

with students, mostly juniors and

underclassmen, who are on board

with the idea of supporting them-

selves and others through pos-

itivity. The massive group hug

that ended the meeting showed

the kind of strong communi-

ty that makes a movement like

LVYRSLF successful. Building

off this community energy, Rubin

is excited for the organizations

future. Id love to see it spread

to other schools and perhaps be-

come an ofcial non-prot, he

said; Id just like to help some-one.

Tech Teacher Bakes on the Sideby Elizabeth Kronlage 18

Breaking stereotypes, Jason

Braverman is a male technology

teacher who loves to bake. Yearsago as a student at Hobart and

William Smith College in New

York, Braverman discovered

his interest in cake baking while

working in the school cafeteria.

I made main courses, I ran

the omelet station, but rst I

worked for a period of time in the

cafeteria and moved my interest

towards the bakery. I had made

cakes before taking classes,

Braverman said.

After developing his skills in

baking classes, Braverman found

that the best way to get people

together in college was to of-

fer them free desert. Braverman

thinks of cake baking more as a

hands-on hobby with an edible

component.

I am more into the sculpture

aspect of it than the experiment-

ing with the recipe side of things,

so I typically just follow the di-

rections on the back of a funfetti

cake mix, Braverman explained.

The students in his tech classes

are assigned to do a project each

semester, and he bakes a cake

at the end relating to that topic.

Braverman still bakes cakes for

his students as well as for special

occasions outside of school. Not only does Braverman

bake cakes, he even helped de-

sign the oor plan for Fraiche

Cupcakery, a cupcake shop locat-

ed in Bethesda, which has recent-

Chase Wilson 17

ly closed. Braverman sill bakes

cakes for his students as well

as for special occasions such as

Thanksgiving, Christmas, birth-

days and so on. On Thanksgiving,he didnt bake a cake; he baked

cupcakes shaped like turkeys.

My favorite cakes have been

ones in silly shapes, said Braver-

man, who owns every book in the

Hello Cupcakes series and has

baked most of its recipes. He also

watches shows such as Cake

Boss and Ace of Cakes to

see what cakes stand out to him.

Braverman has a very big imagi-

nation, and likes to make desserts

for his students and family so

that it can help them connect and

make memories with his creative

cakes.

Junior Elena Gajewski-Nemes

has been to 20 different countries

around the entire world, making

GoPro videos of her incredible

adventures along the way.

To capture the amazing mo-

ments and her overall experienc-

es, Gajewski-Nemes uses a Hero

3 Silver Edition GoPro, a camera

for extreme action videography.

She takes videos and picturesfrom the beginning to end of her

trips, editing them together into

montages with iMovie software.

The videos average three minutes

and include fun and upbeat music

that differs for every trip.

Gajewski-Nemes started mak-

ing GoPro videos in April 2015.

While around the world, she re-

cords most of the activities and

aesthetic sights. The second Puer-

to Rico video is her favorite she

has made so far. I enjoy making

these videos to share what I do,

and Im excited for in the future

to be able to look back at them

and see all my trips, said Gajew-

ski-Nemes.

Once is often not enough for

Gajewski-Nemes and her fam-

ily, as she has visited the Do-

minican Republic and Bahamas

three times, Mexico and Germa-

ny four times, as well as France

and Switzerland twice. Her single

trips include Costa Rica, Brazil,

Peru, Panama, Spain, Austria,

Luxembourg, Belgium, England,

Netherlands, Italy and Jamaica.

I want to go everywhere in the

world. I like seeing new places,

and being able to do new things,

Gajewski-Nemes said.

She loved every single one

of her nine visits to Puerto Rico,

which is where her mom grew

up. She is very familiar with the

country, and its her home away

from home. She also has been to

13 of the 50 U.S. States, with her

favorites being California, Flori-

da and New York.

Gajewski-Nemes adventures

vary from scuba diving, kayak-

ing, hiking, exploring cities on

a whim and tons more. Some of

her best experiences were when

she visited a night bay in Vi-

eques Island, Puerto Rico where

the sh glowed and sharks swam

brightly in the black waters . Ga-

jewski-Nemes drove a Jamaican

bobsled in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

In Montego Bay, Jamaica, she ate

at an interactive Margaritaville,

where after dinner she slid down

a slide ending in the ocean and

completed a trampoline obstacle

course. Gajewski-Nemes got the

chance to water raft on the Mar-

tha Brae River in Jamaica, zip

line and jet ski in Cabo, Mexico,

and swim under remote waterfalls

in Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

Gajewski-Nemes is looking

forward to traveling more in her

life, especially to New Zealand,

the perfect spot for bungee jump-

ing. Im just happiest when Im

traveling, and I think its import-

ant to experience other places and

see things in a new way, Gajew-

ski-Nemes commented. Plus,

its great to make memories and

try new things you never think

youd do. Holbrook does a students makeup.

Kayla Cohen 17

Rubins club LVYRSLF encourages positivity to help other students.

Braverman loves to bake cakes

for his family and for his students.

Kayla Cohen 17

Gajewski-Nemes goes snorkeling at Playa El Escambron in Puerto Rico.

courtesy of Elena Gajewski-Nemes

For An Interactive Experience, Download AurasmaIn the App Store. follow thewarrioronline and scan this photo


8/19

The WarriorFeatures8 January 14, 2016

Aguilar and Kenyon

by Morgan Hill 16

The collaborative relationship between Foreign Lan-

guage teachers Moira Kenyon and Tanya Aguilar is, surprisingly

enough, based on their opposing personalities.When they first met, Aguilar saw Kenyon as a no-non-

sense, friendly person. Kenyon saw Aguilar as a fun-loving and

friendly teacher. When they got to know each other better,

their personalities started to become clearer. Kenyon is more

insistent on organization while Aguilar is more of a go-with-

the-flow style teacher. Id compare it to OCD vs. not OCD,

Aguilar said. She keeps me in check for sure and its fun to

work with her since were so different and have different ap-

proaches to things.

The duo teaches Spanish 4 and depends on each other

for much more than just lesson planning and grading. They

share the tradition of meeting at Passion Bakery for lunch to

discuss their plans for their classes, but they also enjoy each

others company during these meetings and appreciate spend-

ing time together. Its important to have a friend at work for

vents, support and for fun. Kenyon said.

Cohan and Winiarzby Steven Witkin 16

Most of their students know that math teachers Thomas Cohan and

Kevin Winiarz have a connection, but how close are these two buddies?

For one thing, they spend most 6th periods together, talking while drink-

ing coffee and grading papers. It was not always that way. Cohan admits

that when he first saw Winiarz, I thought he was nerdy, because he had

the short hair and the glasses.

Winiarz, however, had a different idea. He recalls that his first im-

pression of Cohan was that, Tom seemed pretty interesting but he

kept ignoring me and everyone else. So I had to get his attention some-

how. He did just that, in a rather memorable way. Winiarz recalls telling

one of his students, a previous student of Cohans, to tell Mr. Cohan hes

a total fraud when it comes to teaching. It worked, and at the end of that

day, Cohan came to his classroom and asked, Did you call me a fraud

today? Youre the first one to figure me out.

Ever since that day a few years ago, their friendship has thrived off

of cynicism and caffeine. So much so that Cohan is convinced that there

are two reasons why Mr. Winiarz likes me, my coffee machine and be-

cause I laugh at his stupid jokes. Their relationship extends out of school,

as Winiarz visited Cohan in the hospital, but its the time during school

that counts. It helps to have an adult to talk to during the day, Winiarz

said, He typically is stained in food but Tom is one of my best friends.

Kinnetz and Games

by Milan Polk 16

In the social studies department, Michelle Games and Josh Kinnetz are well-

known for their sibling-like relationship. Hes like my brother, Games said. They bothteach AP World History and as Games said, have a ritualistic habit of back and forth

joking. Most notably, Kinnetz says he likes to poke fun at [Gamess] old age.

When the two first met, their initial thoughts of one another were not exactly

complimentary. I thought he looked like Dennis the Menace, Games said.

Kinnetz felt that Games was a mystery when he came to Sherwood . I thought

she was a very reserved, if not uptight individual who intrigued me, said Kinnetz. It

kind of pushed me to get to know her.

Although they pick on one another, they really do enjoy spending time together.

I grew to enjoy his vivacious personality and his intellectual curiosity, Games said.

Kinnetz also finds Gamess intellect a trait that stands out. Shes somebody who

digs beneath the surface and really gets at the heart of things, said Kinnetz.

Although they do not spend much time together out of school, the pairs favorite

memory was during this years National Gallery of Art field trip because they were

able to learn more about one anothers artistic tastes. They are awaiting the chance

to make even better memories during their upcoming Spring Break trip to Spain next

year with students.

Woolley and Allen

by Kayla Cohen 17

Social Studies teachers Aileen Woolley and Scott Allen are quite the dynamic duo.

Whether its planning the lesson for their classes or sharing their day, these two always

enjoy each others company. When Woolley and Allen met for the first time, Woolley

could tell that Allen was a true historian.

Allen describes Woolley as the mom of the group, always looking out [for oth-

ers]. They both agree that the best memory they have is together coaching Sherwoods

Its Academic team for three years. [With] any problem that came up, it was so nice

to have someone to balance [ideas with] and collaborate to solve [the question], said

Woolley and Allen.

Woolley recently started working part-time, and Allen wishes he could see her

more often, which is the most he could offer as a pet peeve. As for Woolleys pet peeve,

Allen puts in so many extra hours lesson planning for his students that he makes her

feel guilty sometimes.

Allen defines his relationship with Woolley as the buddy-system, and Woolley

considers him her person, whom she always turns to first at Sherwood. Woolley likes

that Allen loves what he does and is very dedicated to teaching. Allen feels that Wool-

leys commitment and concern for her students is incomparable.Allen thinks that it is important to have a friend at work because, often times, one

feels isolated teaching in a high school and does not have much interaction with the

other teachers in the same department. It is important for me to have someone I can

get honest feedback [from], said Allen.

Woolley enjoys how she and Allen learn from each other every day. We have one

priority, and its the same priority. And that is to make the classes we teach better, said

Woolley.

Erdman, Frensilli, and

Baldwinby Kira Yates 16

AP Biology teachers Christina Baldwin, Allison Erdman

and Janet Frensilli have worked together for 15 years. When

they first met, the trio found each other welcoming, interest-

ing, and fun, said Erdman. The three often get together at

each others houses to hang out and relax. Their favorite mem-

ory together occurred at one of these hangouts, when Frensillis

cat, William, knocked over a full glass of grape juice onto her

white carpet, which resulted in a night full of attempting to

clean the stain with salt and laughing hysterically.

The group feels that the word mutualistic perfectly de-

scribes their relationship because they constantly make each

other laugh, help one another with problems, and organize

shared materials. They also feel that this word represents their

senses of humor, since they each teach about symbiotic rela-

tionships in their classes.

If they had any pet peeves about each other, it would be

that they are each too perfect in their own ways. They ap-

preciate that they complement each other well, like ying and

yang, but three, so three peas in a pod, said Baldwin. The triodoesnt know what they would do without each other, as they

each hear out others problems, help brainstorm solutions and

understand what they are going through.Chase Wilson 17

Maya Koeppen 17

Maya Koeppen 17

Chase Wilson 17

Kayla Cohen 17

Ever wonder whythose two teachers

are always hangingout? Many teachers

are good friends withothers both in and out

of their department. TheWarrior took a closer look

at some of Sherwoods mostpopular and longest lasting

teacher friendships.


9/19

The WarriorFeaturesJanuary 14, 2016 9

You can gethypnotized?

When people think of hyp-

notism, they tend to think ofa soothing voice repeating the

phrase, you are getting very,

very sleepy over and over.

Maybe they imagine a pendulum

swinging or the typical black and

white image of a circle spinning.

Pop culture tends to show hypno-

tism in this magical, unreal fash-

ion. However, few realize the

scientic aspects of hypnotism.

Hypnotism is a state of con-

sciousness in which an individual

is less aware of surroundings and

more susceptible to suggestion.

While some hypnotists perform

at large arenas in Las Vegas or atparties, hypnotism is more than

just entertainment. In fact, hyp-

notism is a widely accepted psy-

chological technique and studied

in many psychology courses, in-

cluding AP Psychology.

Hypnosis begins when an

individual is put in a hypnotic

trance. Usually, a hypnotist in-

duces an individual into a trance

by asking him to focus his eyes

on a specic image or by lead-

ing him into a relaxed state of

mind in which he is more open

to suggestion. Then, the hypno-

tist is able to guide him in certain

behaviors. In a live show, hyp-notists might ask individuals to

respond to certain triggers, like

every time the individual hears a

bell ring, he must clap his hands.

They might ask individuals to

forget their own names or believe

they have developed super pow-

ers.

Along with these entertain-

ing applications, hypnotism can

be used for many practical pur-

poses. Some therapists use the

power of suggestion under hyp-

notic state to aid individuals with

addiction or mental disorders.

While in a hypnotic trance, indi-

Maddie Peloff 16 viduals are more susceptible tosuggestion, making them more

likely to alter their behavior and

future actions. If a therapist sug-gests an individual cease smok-

ing or eat healthier, they are more

likely to do so. Hypnotism can

also be used to make individuals

feel less pain, gain self-con-

dence or overcome certain fears.

Despite these practical ap-

plications, many have miscon-

ceptions about hypnosis. Some

people feel its a mind control

process, which is not true at all,

said professional hypnotist Patti

Sapp. A hypnotist guides a per-

son to control their own mind,

after having a complete consul-

tation with clear goals that have

been set and discussed. Sapp

owns a small business in Ellicott

City called Quiet Time Hypno-

sis where she works with indi-

viduals, helping them overcome

addictions, lose weight or solve

other mental health issues.

While many might believe

that they cannot be hypnotized,

chances are, they can. According

to the Stanford scales, which de-

termine an individuals level of

response to hypnotism from zero

to 12, only about ve percent of

the population responds with a

level of zero or no response. If

you have ever driven down theroad and become so absent-mind-

ed that you miss your turn, you

have experienced a slight level

of hypnosis. Even crying during

a movie or television show is due

to a slight hypnotic state. The

actions on the screen arent real,

but youve convinced yourself

they are and have become emo-

tionally invested. While these

actions arent quite the same as

the hypnotism in ashy Las Ve-

gas shows, they demonstrate that

even the most strong-willed in-

dividuals can usually be hypno-

tized.

Students Honor Winiarz Through Social Media

An example of the various witticisms posted on Things Winiarz Says

Social media has added to

the growth of communicationfor students across the globe. Re-

cently at Sherwood, social media

has also been used for students to

honor their favorite teachers. Stu-

dents in teacher Kevin Winiarzs

math class have created an ac-

count dedicated to him under the

Twitter handle @WiniarzRox.

The creators behind the account

tweet comments made by Win-

iarz, boasting a follower count

of about seventy, which includes

upperclassmen, underclassmen

and even some teachers.

I got an anonymous tip from

someone to make an account

[for Winiarz] because I had beentweeting so many quotes from

him, said the creator of the Twit-

ter account. The senior is one of

two who have the password to

the account; however, the tweets

made by the account include sub-

missions from other students in

other periods. This way we can

get the funny from all the peri-

ods.

Alongside the Twitter ac-

count is an Instagram account

honoring Winiarz. It is run by a

different senior and is under the

handle @FlatWiniarz. I made

the account because Kevin Win-

iarz was giving away copies of

his yearbook picture to his fans,and I thought it would be fun to

turn it into like Flat Stanley (goo-

gle it) and take pictures of the

picture doing different things all

around the school.

Creators of the account en-

courage other students to slide

in their DMs to submit tweets

and pictures to the respective ac-

counts. Both creators also have

discretion over what is submitted,

although most of what is sent will

be posted.

Most kids think its funny.

Some think its creepy, probably

because it is, but as Kevin Win-

iarz has said, (via @WiniarzRox

on Twitter) I have not done myjob unless you leave with a head-

ache, the creator of the Insta-

gram account explained.

Winiarz knows of the ac-

count, claiming that his prophet-

ic vision led him to the account.

Although his initial reaction when

learning about it was #whatst-

witter, he now understands the

social media platform, respond-

ing #ohthatstwitter.

Ketki Chauhan 16

Exploration of MemesMadison Dymond 16

A word that gets thrown

around quite often is meme.

All teens know what memes are,

but when asked the actual de-

nition of a meme, the response

is a vague answer, such as: Its

a thingLike a thing on the in-

ternet that becomes a thingAn

internet joke... Teens see things

classied as memes and think that

an example is the same thing as a

denition.

The reason few people ques-

tion memes is that humans want

to feel included. Memes are

things one is just supposed to

get. People want to feel in onthe joke. If one asks what a meme

is, he/she will be frowned upon

for not getting it.

Google denes memes as an

element of a culture or system of

behavior that may be considered

to be passed from one individual

to another by nongenetic means,

especially imitation. This de-

nition is very broad, and gives us

no information on why or how

something becomes a meme.

According to a research pa-

per titled Makes a Meme In-

stead: A Concise History of Inter-

net Memes by Linda K. Brzsei,

memes were born in The Selsh

Gene, a book by Richard Daw-kins, in 1976. He coined the term

meme and used it to describe any

cultural ideas passed from person

to person. The term was then pop-

ularized in the early 80s, as the in-

ternet became more accessible.

It is nearly impossible to

identify the rst meme. Many say

it was the emoticon. Today, most

of us wouldnt think of that as a

meme, but it t the denition. If

we go by Dawkins denition, we

could conclude that memes have

always been around, even before

the existence of the internet.

Memes are primarily spread

through social media, and at thetop of the social media hierarchy

for memes is tumblr. Tumblr has,

in a sense, become a sort of head-

quarters for memes. The website

is characterized by its popular-

ity among countercultures and

internet people. Tumblr is a

corner of the internet that has

somehow managed to not become

mainstream, and the main humor

of its users is exactly what memes

need in order to thrive: irony.

Due to the sarcastic and dark

humor of the majority of the web-

sites users, things that one can

like ironically instantly become

popular. The meme will be creat-

ed on any social media site, andwill be spread across the internet

in a series of gifs, videos and text

posts.

A perfect example is the

mmm watcha say meme. It

started with a Saturday Night

Live skit. The scene presented a

series of over-dramatized events.

Each time one of these events

occurred (specically the shoot-

ing of a gun), Jason Derulos

song Watcha Say would start

playing. This song was so inap-

propriately used and ironic that

it instantly became an extremely

popular meme.

The sad truth about memes,however, is that, just like every-

thing else, memes die. Some peo-

ple will take a meme too far and

drag it out to the point where it

is no longer ironic; it becomes

annoying. The internet is always

changing and people are always

looking for the next thing. At-

tention spans are short. And so

whether it is Why You Always

Lying or John Cena, it will

eventually die out. The only

consolation is that, with all of

these dying memes and changing

times, Rickrolling will always be

around.


10/19

The WarriorHumorJanuary 14, 201610

The Housewives Are Coming to Olney!by Will Van Gelder 16

MCPS ClosesSchool Due

To ForecastOf Snowby Madison Dymond

and Milan Polk 16

Yesterday, Montgomery County

ofcials decided to close schools next

week due to a 70-percent chance of one

inch of snow. Fairfax County in Vir-

ginia canceled, making the decision to

cancel classes two days earlier. In the

past, MCPS has been met with oppo-

sition to its late cancellations and poor

judgment in the face of snowfall while

Fairfax County has received nothing

but praise.

Last year, MCPS was sued by a

family after their son, second-grad-

er Alex McDowell, skateboarded on

the ice and bruised his tail bone. Its

completely unacceptable that MCPS

didnt cancel after hearing of my sons

injury while waiting for the bus, said

Nancy McDowell, the mother of Alex.

The family was compensated and now

MCPS is attempting to alleviate the

situation by canceling school even

before the rst snowfall of the new

school year. The compensation came

in a large lump sum, with the check

delivered with a fair amount of press

coverage that appreciated MCPS ef-

forts. This new story gives the county a

small increase in ratings in regards to

snow days.

The process of deciding wheth-

er or not to cancel is up to a team of

litigators hired by MCPS. One of the

members, Terry Gersht, explained the

careful consideration the group takes

to keep students safe. After we hear

of the forecast, we all sit together and

try to predict the possibility of law-

suits, I mean, injuries that could result

from the inclement weather. There are

no students or parents allowed in the

meetings. Gersht says it would be a li-

ability as the citizens are biased and do

not know how to make objective deci-

sions that will affect the entire county.

Gersht and his colleagues usually take

up to a full night of deliberation. He

says that the county cannot afford to

waste money on frivolous lawsuits,

and has to seriously consider the sta-

tus of schools during the harsh winter

months. With the terrible economy we

dont want to take any risks. It would

be unfair to the people of Montgomery

County and the hard working students

and faculty of these schools. If we have

to spend money on lawsuits, theres

less to go towards my associates, and

so we cant keep working for you,

Gersht said.

Gersht admits that the group has

already made plans for the next school

year. The new policy is called End-

less Snow Days. The policy will en-

sure that the county can make as many

cancellations as necessary without be-

ing penalized in any way, and instead

focus more funds towards education.

Sage Stonewell (Age 27)

Sage is the youngest of the group. Shes an entrepreneur who runs a jewelry

store out of her house and has sold three necklaces! Her husband, Rod Stonewell,

is a retiree who loves to travel despite being 70 years old. They met three years

ago at a party at Grillmarx and Rod immediately moved her into his house. Sage

and Rod have been trying to have kids for a year now without success. Sage loves

her husband, her jewels and her friends.

Margot Phillips (age 56)

Jackie Bradley (age 57)

Karen Wilcox (Age 37)

Felicia Cashmere (Undisclosed)

Margot is a sassy four-time divorcee, who is engaged to the love of her life, Brian

Marks, the owner of the local McDonalds franchise. Margot has six children, who

are all very involved in sports and after school activities, and Margot is the coach of

one of her sons soccer teams, despite the fact that she doesnt know how to play.

Jackie is a great lover of the arts and is a patron at the world-renowned Sandy

Spring Museum. She has three rescue dogs that she loves more than anything.She is a devoted activist who sends her daughter to Sandy Spring Friends School

and has a part-time job as a professional protester.

Karen is a successful entrepreneur who hasnt been working since the closing

of her theater, Olney 9 cinemas. She scrapbooks in her spare time, but she has had

to drive all the way to Michaels in Rockville ever since Olneys Craft Country closed.

Shes on her third marriage, but her husband has been on a business trip in D.C.

for the last six months.

Felicia is an Olney girl through and through. She

Documents

Warrior Issue 2016